I’ve been an Apple loyalist for as long as I can remember. I got my first iPhone in high school—which, if you must know, was more than 10 years ago—and I haven’t owned an Android since. I also use Apple laptops and computers for my freelance work, and you’ll see an Apple Watch on my wrist every day.
I’ll be the first to admit Apple products are expensive, but there’s a reason that people like me keep coming back to the brand: The products work! Apple offers some of the best electronics in the industry—proven by the fact that Apple regularly comes out on top during our in-house product testing. We’ve done side-by-side comparisons of the brand’s best-selling items against their main competitors, and we’re confident in saying that these eight products are hands-down the best things to buy at Apple.
The 2020 Apple iPad Air clenched the top spot in our testing, but it was closely followed in our rankings by the regular iPad and iPad Pro. What sets it apart from the rest? The Air wowed us with its sleek modern design, amazing processing power, and impressive battery life. This model has a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display for a vibrant picture, and the whole unit weighs less than a pound. The A14 Bionic chip offers fast graphics performance, and we loved that iPadOS makes it easy to multitask, giving you the ability to split your tablet’s screen to view multiple applications.
The Apple Watch Series 6 has a OLED touchscreen that’s extremely easy to control, and the Digital Crown on the side of the watch allows you to summon Siri with a touch or scroll through various menus. The Apple Watch is compatible with a wide variety of third-party apps, including everything from Headspace to Peloton, and it pulls ahead of its competitors with impressive health tracking abilities, including sleek tracking, blood oxygen monitoring, menstrual cycle tracking, and more.
Of course, the main downside of the Apple Watch is that it’s really only great for iPhone users. It also requires daily charging, but it’s a small price to pay for such a comprehensive smartwatch.
We couldn’t have a list of the best Apple products without including the iPhone 12 Pro. This smartphone is powered by the same A14 Bionic chip that wowed us in the iPad Air, and it features 5G for accelerated wireless speeds and better performance on congested networks.
The iPhone 12 Pro has a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display that spans from edge-to-edge for a super sleek appearance, and it also features a ceramic shield for improved drop protection. (If you want something even bigger, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is 6.7 inches.) The 12 Pro offers up to 17 hours of video playback per charge, as well as industry-leading water resistance.
However, one of the main selling points of this smartphone is its three 12-megapixel cameras, which feature a number of improvements. Apple claims this new camera system delivers 87% better low‑light photos, 5 times the optical zoom range, and superior Night Mode portraits. So if you’re forever capturing memories using your phone, this model is certainly speaking your language.
Apple TV is fast and easy to use with an attractive interface that lets you install all manner of streaming apps. The Apple TV remote includes a responsible touch-pad, as well as a voice-control button, but speaking from personal experience, its slim form can be easy to lose in the couch cushions. Thankfully, you can also use your iPhone to control the device, and if you click into a search bar on the Apple TV, it automatically prompts you to type on your phone—much easier than scrolling back and forth to punch in letters on the TV screen.
While there are certainly less-expensive streaming devices that work as well as the Apple TV 4K, it’s a worthwhile splurge for anyone who already has numerous Apple devices or wants to make the most of Dolby Atmos.
The AirPods Pro deliver around 4.5 to 5 hours of battery life per charge, but what’s nice is that their sleek charging case provides multiple recharges, making them ideal for taking on a trip or commuting. Not to mention the superior noise cancellation and “Transparency Mode,” which is useful when you need to be aware of your surroundings. They provide great call quality and are easy to pair, and overall, we think they’re a solid choice for any iPhone user.
Apple Music has a 3-month free trial to let you test it out, but once your trial is up, the service costs $9.99 per month. Unfortunately, there’s no free plan, but it’s a worthwhile expense for those who frequently listen to music on Apple devices—I’ve used Apple Music for years, and I’ve always been extremely happy with its performance and music selection.
Category: Technology
Source: USA Today
