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November 2025

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A Few of Our Favorite Things: 2025 Tech Edition

The holidays may be just around the corner, but we field requests for tech gear recommendations year-round. Below you’ll find our suggestions, whether you’re shopping for an Apple tech enthusiast or simply looking to upgrade your own devices and accessories. Plenty of other excellent options exist—we’d love to hear about the peripherals that have worked well for you. We’ve included links to both the manufacturer’s website and Amazon, where you can sometimes find better pricing.​

External SSD

All Macs now use fast internal SSDs, but built-in storage gets expensive fast. The pricing of external solid-state drives makes them compelling for both additional storage and silent Time Machine backups. SSDs also provide the ultimate performance for demanding workflows. The Samsung and Crucial SSDs are good general-purpose drives; for the highest performance with Thunderbolt 5, look at the OWC Envoy Ultra.

External Hard Disk Drive

For high-capacity backups or archives, spinning hard drives remain the budget-friendly choice. They come in sizes up to 20 TB, and you can pay less than $15 per terabyte, although $20–$30 per terabyte is more common. It’s impossible to recommend specific models without knowing how much storage you need, but these manufacturers are generally highly regarded. Because hard drive prices can fluctuate, visit diskprices.com to identify current deals on new drives.

  • Seagate: Seagate offers a collection of desktop and portable drives under its own name and the LaCie brand. Apart from some of the larger LaCie drives targeted at professionals, most are focused on the consumer market.
  • Western Digital: Although some debate Seagate versus Western Digital reliability, many people like the company’s wide variety of external hard drives. 
  • OWC: Other World Computing sells desktop and portable drives with an emphasis on RAID storage and professional uses. OWC also offers enclosures for installing bare drives purchased elsewhere, which is a good way to save money if you want to upgrade the drive over time. ​

27-inch External Displays

An overwhelming number of displays in many different sizes work with the Mac. The sweet spot is often the 27-inch size used by Apple’s Studio Display, which leads the pack in both features and price. It’s a 5K display that provides unparalleled sharpness at its standard pixel-doubled resolution of 2560×1440. Competition in the 5K display space has picked up, with new entrants from Asus, Alogic, BenQ, Samsung, ViewSonic, and others. If 5K displays still exceed your budget, check out the 27-inch 4K displays from Alogic and BenQ below, which connect via USB-C. Dell and BenQ also make high-quality screens that connect using Thunderbolt, but they’re more expensive. Third-party displays often don’t include webcams and generally feature subpar speakers compared to the Apple Studio Display, so building a comparable display would require a separate webcam (or an iPhone using Continuity Camera) and speakers.

Webcams

If you have a display that lacks a webcam, or you’re looking to improve on the relatively unimpressive webcams in Apple’s older devices, you now have some excellent options to choose from. These webcams offer top-notch image quality and often include advanced features, such as automatic framing, desk mode, and cinematic effects.

Earbuds

A good set of earbuds is helpful for videoconferencing and, of course, for listening to music or podcasts while commuting, exercising, or just out and about. The AirPods and AirPods Pro are the default options for Apple users, and both are excellent, with the AirPods Pro in particular offering impressive noise cancellation. The AirPods 4 offer active noise cancellation as a $50 option, but they don’t match the AirPods Pro 3 in that category. EarFun has some good earbuds at much lower prices; Sony and Technics compete on the high end.

Laptop Chargers

Although all MacBooks come with a power adapter (we’re fond of the two-port models), you might want additional chargers that stay plugged in wherever you work or take up less space in your laptop bag. Plus, Apple’s chargers, though high quality, are expensive and large. Consider these alternatives, keeping in mind that fast charging requires higher wattages than standard charging (70W for the MacBook Air, 96W for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, and 140W for the 16-inch MacBook Pro). Extra ports are often welcome, and the OneAdaptr chargers work in 200 countries.

USB Hubs

When you need to connect extra devices to your Mac, an inexpensive USB hub is often the answer (unless you prefer a Thunderbolt dock, next). The best hub for you depends on which ports you need, so our choices cover a range: the Anker 555 offers many different ports, the Anker 10-port hub provides many USB Type-A ports, and the Belkin 4-port hub focuses on USB-C ports.

Thunderbolt Docks

For more demanding scenarios, a full Thunderbolt dock is worth the extra cost over a USB hub. A Thunderbolt dock lets you connect multiple high-resolution monitors, high-speed drives, Ethernet, and more—all while charging your laptop through one cable. For the ultimate performance on a Thunderbolt 5-equipped Mac, go for the OWC Thunderbolt 5 Dock. Otherwise, the Sonnet and CalDigit docks boast the most ports in horizontal and vertical form factors, respectively, and the OWC Thunderbolt mini Dock trades some ports for portability. Each company also offers more choices with different sets of ports.

Non-Apple Pointing Devices

Not everyone loves Apple’s trackpads or the flat Magic Mouse. Thankfully, many great third-party mice and pointing devices work with the Mac. Although most Bluetooth mice will work with the Mac, additional software may be necessary to control tracking speed, extra buttons, or scroll wheels. Unusual pointing devices like the Kensington trackball and Contour RollerMouse may be appreciated by those suffering from hand or wrist pain from mousing.

Non-Apple Mac Keyboards

All Macs other than the Mac mini come with a keyboard, but if you prefer a different key feel or layout, there’s a world of keyboards beyond Apple’s options (but only Apple’s support Touch ID). You’ll need to decide if you want a full-size keyboard with a numeric keypad or a compact keyboard that takes up less space on your desk—there are also in-between sizes. Also, different keyboards use different types of switches under their keycaps, so you may need to experiment to find what you like best. It’s worth buying a keyboard designed for the Mac to ensure it has or can be configured with the correct keys. The recommendations below should get you started; also check out other products from these manufacturers.

iPad Keyboards

Apple makes some of the best iPad keyboards, but they don’t work with all older models. The company makes the Magic Keyboard for the M4 and M5 iPad Pro models, the Magic Keyboard for the iPad Air and earlier iPad Pro models, and the Magic Keyboard Folio for the 10th-generation iPad. If you want to spend less, leave out the trackpad, or have a different case design, look into the alternatives.

Small-Device External Batteries

Although Apple continuously improves battery life for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods, there will always be situations—travel, camping, non-stop use—where an external battery is a lifesaver. That’s especially true for older devices whose batteries don’t last as long as they used to. Apple has even gotten into the game with a MagSafe battery, but it works only with the company’s newest iPhone model.

MagSafe Chargers for the iPhone

While wired charging remains faster and more efficient than wireless options, MagSafe charging offers undeniable convenience for iPhone users. MagSafe chargers also work with wireless charging cases for the AirPods Pro, and chargers like the KUXIU X55 even include an Apple Watch charging puck.

One final piece of advice. For many of these product categories, you’ll find a dizzying array of products at bargain basement prices from alphabet-soup Chinese manufacturers. Although some may make quality products, we recommend sticking with reputable companies that have been serving Apple users for years. Even if their products are somewhat more expensive, they’re less likely to cut corners on manufacturing quality and safety (especially important with batteries and cables) and more likely to provide support in the event of problems.

New Features in iOS 26.1

The first feature update to iOS 26 is now available—go to Settings > General > Software Update to install iOS 26.1. It doesn’t introduce any game-changers, but there are a few new options and tweaks worth knowing about.​

Tinted Option for Liquid Glass

For many people, Liquid Glass’s aggressive transparency can make some interface elements, especially notifications, difficult to read. Until now, your best bet for improving readability was to turn on Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Reduce Transparency. In iOS 26.1, Apple bowed to user feedback and added a new Tinted view in Settings > Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass, which adds a subtle tint and increases the opacity of many Liquid Glass interface elements.

Disable Lock Screen Camera Swipe

For many years, a fast way to get to the Camera app has been to swipe left on the Lock Screen. With new iPhones featuring the Camera Control button for quick access to the Camera app, Apple has given us the option to disable the Lock Screen left swipe. If you find yourself accidentally opening the Camera app from the Lock Screen, you can now prevent that from happening by turning off Settings > Camera > Lock Screen Swipe to Open Camera.​

Background Security Improvements

Several years ago, Apple introduced Rapid Security Responses, focused security updates that aimed to reduce update hesitancy with small downloads, automatic installation, and easy reversal. For unknown reasons, Apple used them only a couple of times before reverting to traditional operating system updates. Now, Rapid Security Responses seem to have returned under a new name: Background Security Improvements. They’re enabled by default in Settings > Privacy & Security > Background Security Improvements > Automatically Install. If you prefer to approve these updates in advance, you can turn that off. (A similar setting is available for macOS 26.1.)​

Slide to Stop Alarms and Timers

In iOS 26, Apple increased the size of the buttons that appear when alarms or timers go off, but the large Stop button was easy to hit when you meant to tap Snooze (for alarms) or Repeat (for timers). Apple made that mistake much less likely in iOS 26.1 by requiring you to slide the onscreen control to stop the alarm or timer.​

Swipe Between Songs in Music

Sure, you could just tap a song in the album or playlist you’re viewing, but iOS 26.1 adds a subtle way to move to the next or previous track: swipe left (next) or right (previous) on the MiniPlayer at the bottom of the screen.​

More Languages for Live Translation

iOS 26 introduced Live Translation with the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods Pro 3. Initially, it supported English (US and UK), French, German, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Spain). In iOS 26.1, Apple added Chinese (Mandarin, simplified and traditional), Italian, Japanese, and Korean. To avoid delays in getting new languages when you are out and about, download the languages you expect to need ahead of time, when you have a fast Internet connection. Go to Settings > Bluetooth and tap the ⓘ next to your AirPods. Scroll to and tap Languages, then select the desired language. For actual use, open the Translate app, tap Live, and select the two languages you want to translate between.

There are a few other tweaks that most people won’t notice, such as support for the new AutoMix transitions between songs in Music when playing over AirPlay, better FaceTime audio quality in low-bandwidth conditions, manual logging of workouts in the Fitness app, and improvements when recording audio with external USB mics.

If you’re already running iOS 26, we recommend updating to iOS 26.1—the changes (and numerous security fixes) are worthwhile. If you haven’t upgraded from iOS 18 yet, now’s a fine time to make the jump.

Don’t Miss Calls and Texts: How to Use New Phone and Messages Filtering

Spam is one of the many banes of modern existence. While we receive more email spam than anything else, interruptions from unwanted phone calls and text messages are even more annoying. Apple has added various features over the years to help control spam calls and messages, but none have completely solved the problem. The problem is that, unlike email, it’s difficult to evaluate a call or message before notifying the user, especially since phone calls occur in real time and text messages are meant for quick back-and-forths.

In iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS 26 Tahoe, Apple has taken another swing at the problem with additional options to identify calls and messages from unknown sources. They work as advertised, but because everyone receives calls from unknown numbers (your doctor’s new line, or that person you exchanged numbers with at a party) and messages from unknown senders (two-factor authentication codes, notifications from a food truck that your order is ready), it’s not necessarily an easy decision to enable these options. When they’re turned on, it’s easy to miss important calls or messages when they come in, and if you don’t know where to look, you may never realize they arrived at all.

Only you can decide if the peace from not being inundated with spam calls and messages is worth the risk of missing something important. Here’s what you need to know about filtering unknown callers in Phone and unknown senders in Messages. We’ll focus on the iPhone apps here, but the interfaces are very similar on the iPad and Mac.​

Unknown Callers in the Phone App

Apple offers several new ways to deal with unknown callers before they ring through and afterward, for calls you don’t pick up. Configure these options in Settings > Apps > Phone:

  • Screen Unknown Callers: To control calls before they ring through, choose either Ask Reason for Calling or Silence. Our experience is that asking callers for information works only on real people—telemarketers just hang up. Silencing unknown callers is effective, but it also means you’ll miss some legitimate calls.
  • Call Filtering: Enable these switches to move missed calls and voicemails from unknown callers to the Unknown Callers list, or even the Spam list if your carrier identifies the call as spam. These lists are accessible from the Phone app’s Filter menu.

When the two Call Filtering switches are enabled, two new lists appear in the Filter menu ➊, accessible by tapping the Filter button in the upper right. In Unknown Callers, each call displays Delete and Mark as Known buttons. Marking a call as known ➋ moves it and future calls from that number to the main Calls list; deleting a call (and optionally reporting it as spam) ➌ maintains it as unknown for future calls. We haven’t seen any calls identified as spam yet, so we don’t quite know what that screen looks like.

Our advice: 

  • If you’re concerned about missing potentially important calls, set Screen Unknown Callers to Never and turn off both Call Filtering switches. 
  • As a middle ground, choose Ask Reason for Calling and turn on Spam but not Unknown Callers.
  • If you hate unwanted calls and don’t care if you miss the occasional legitimate call, turn on Ask Reason for Calling or Silence and select both switches. ​

Unknown Senders in the Messages App

Messages are easier to screen and filter than phone calls because they don’t occur in real time. In Settings > Apps > Messages (below left), you’ll find:

  • Screen Unknown Senders: This option creates a separate Unknown Senders list and hides those conversations from your main list.
  • Filter Spam: Enable this switch to separate explicit spam and junk messages into a Spam list. Apple’s spam filtering seems to be accurate, if conservative.

When Screen Unknown Senders is on, two additional options become available:

  • Allow Notifications: Should you be notified when a message from an unknown sender arrives? It depends on the message, and Apple lets you allow or block four types: time-sensitive messages, messages from individuals rather than organizations, transactional messages, and promotions (below center).
  • Text Message Filter: Turning on the Screen Unknown Senders and Spam switches is sufficient to create Unknown Senders and Spam lists in Messages. What the Text Message Filter setting (below right) does, when enabled, is create lists for Transactions and Promotions, and sub-lists for Finance, Orders, and Reminders under Transactions.

In the Messages app, tapping the Filter button at the top right reveals all the available lists. Note that the lists are exclusive—if a message appears in Promotions or Spam, for instance, it won’t also be in the main Unknown Senders list. It also seems that the more granular filtering enabled by the Text Message Filtering setting applies only to new messages, not existing messages, so you won’t see much in there to start.

Our advice: How much of a difference these settings will make to you depends on how heavily you use Messages. For those who receive relatively few messages from unknown senders, it’s probably worth keeping only the Filter Spam setting on. As that number increases, we recommend turning on Screen Unknown Senders and enabling at least Time Sensitive, Personal, and Transactions for notifications. Make sure to check the Unknown Senders list regularly to make sure you’re not missing anything. Only those who are drowning in text messages from unknown senders should turn on Text Message Filtering to get the more granular filtering—it’s just fussier than necessary for most people.

One final note. The Phone and Messages apps on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac all have these settings, and you must set them individually on each platform. It’s best to ensure each platform displays the same lists; otherwise, you might have trouble finding the same message across devices. Also, if you have devices that aren’t yet running iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or macOS 26, you’ll still receive Messages notifications from unknown senders that are otherwise silenced on the newer operating systems.

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