buying guides
The Best Cheap Phones for Almost Every Budget
Forget the spendy flagship smartphone. Every year, I test a dozen or more devices to find the best cheap phones that perform where it counts and aren’t annoyingly slow. Wireless carriers in the US go out of their way to make expensive smartphones seem affordable. AT&T will advertise a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra for just…
Breathe Easy—We Found the Best Air Purifiers
Recommended With Reservations Mila Air 3 Critter Cuddler for $297: Mila makes seven bespoke filters that are designed specifically for moms-to-be, allergies, pet owners, etc. Add Mila’s built-in sensor and easy-to-use app dashboard, along with its wooden-legged modern box design, and the Mila is an immediate favorite. The more I cover air purifiers, the more…
The Best Chef’s Knives to Chop Anything in the Kitchen
Not all knives are created equal, and a chef’s knife is given that name for a reason. Like the proverbial dog to man, a chef needs their knife. Arguably the most important multipurpose tool you can find in a kitchen, it’s the chef’s main weapon—it can slice, dice, and chop ingredients with speed and precision….
The Best Organic Mattresses, Toppers, and Bedding
You’re going to be sleeping for roughly 23 years of your life, on average, so why not choose the best organic mattress? These natural beds, bedsheets, and linens are easier on the environment and your health—and they feel like a dream. Conventional mattresses often have questionable materials in them. Everything from polyurethane foams with formaldehyde…
The Best Mesh Wi-Fi Routers
Mesh routers promise dependable Wi-Fi throughout your home, and most follow through, but finding the best mesh router for the job can be tricky. Instead of a single router to wash your home in Wi-Fi connectivity, a mesh system combines the main router with one or more nodes that appear as a unified Wi-Fi network….
The Best Shower Water Filters
If you spend enough time on Instagram, you might begin to get the idea that the biggest problem facing America is water. And that the best shower water filters are the only answer. Over the past few years, a new generation of stylish filtered showerheads has arrived to hijack our collective social media feed—and possibly…
Our Favorite Pillows for a Restful Night’s Sleep
Honorable Mentions There are far too many pillows on the market. We’ve listed our favorites above, but even that doesn’t cover the wide array of serviceable pillows out there. If, somehow, all of our picks above aren’t to your tastes, here are a few others to consider and what we thought about them. Avocado Down…
13 Good N95, KF94, and KN95 Face Masks to Buy Right Now
Since the COVID-19 pandemic five years ago, WIRED has continued to update our mask recommendations due to the constant changes in availability and evolving guidance. Add to that the threat of toxic air, not only from wildfire smoke but, even worse, from burning homes. Now is the time to purchase masks in the same way…
The Best Security Cameras for Inside Your Home
Best MicroSD Cards Photograph: Amazon Many security cameras support local storage, enabling you to record videos on the camera or a linked hub. A few hubs have built-in storage, and some provide slots for hard drives, but most rely on microSD cards. Here are some details on what to look for (and a few recommendations)….
The Best Laptops to Work and Play Wherever You Are
Photograph: Christopher Null Other Good Laptops to Consider Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (Copilot+ PC) for $1,300: The first Intel-based Copilot+ PC (7/10, WIRED Review) we tested is a winner on all fronts, boasting outstanding AI and graphics performance and some of the best battery life we’ve ever seen on Intel hardware. With its…