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Many photographers thought Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) and other cameras with replaceable lenses would become more affordable, and ever more needed with time as tech progressed. In recent years though, the camera in your pocket has steadily overtaken the one in your backpack.

Photos and videos taken with cameras on today’s flagship smartphones are sometimes hard to distinguish from those taken on professional hardware. One might go as far to say that in some respects, your smartphone cameras surpass the trusted DSLR. Now, no one is saying that you should throw out your camera and upgrade your phone, but for most users’ needs, a smartphone camera has become more than enough, far more affordable, easier to use and has the benefit of always being on you in person when that special shot presents itself.

Below, we will list our top five picks for the best smartphone cameras available on the market in 2019. We’ve taken into consideration overall performance, special features, and overall design.

1- Google Pixel 3

The Google Pixel 3 is arguably the best camera phone you can buy right now. In a time when most phones have at least 2, but more often than not 3, 4 or even 5 camera lenses on the rear, the Pixel 3 sticks to just one.

One nice thing about the Pixel 3 series is that both iterations of the Google flagship have the same camera setup and features, so whether you opt for the Pixel 3 or the larger Pixel 3 XL, you still get all the glory of the Pixel’s camera.

The Pixel might have just one camera in the rear, but it has two where it counts: the front. This allows for an amazing wide-angle selfie feature, letting more of your friends or the beautiful scenery squeeze into your frame.

We’re in love with the 12.2MP rear camera for its consistency. No matter the conditions, the subject or the context you pull your phone out for, the photos are always quick, sharp and beautiful.

One thing that secures the Pixel 3 on top of this list, is it’s mind-blowing “Night Sight” mode. With the entirety of Google’s powerful AI at your fingertips, every Night Sight photo will blow you away. After a few seconds of processing, you’ll realize how amazing it is at low-light photography, with zero noise, beautiful color correction and sharpness.

Google stands out above the competition through its processing data and evolving perfect algorithms. This is clear in Google’s dedicated Pixel Visual Core chip and machine learning software, which helps the phone recognize what photos should look like and what you’re actually trying to capture.

2- Huawei P30 Pro

It took a few months for a solid Pixel 3 competitor to materialize, but it’s finally here. Huawei’s recent string of massively successful flagships have cemented the Chinese manufacturer’s products on the top spots of virtually every list. Apart from the Mate Pro series, the P series are known for boasting the absolute best camera hardware and software Huawei has to offer.

Huawei’s night modes were often seen as the leader in smartphone photography, but were soon eclipsed by the Google Pixel 3’s Night Sight. The P30 seems to be trying to unseat Google’s undefeated low-light performance, and it’s packing quite a punch. The P30 doesn’t just do low-light photos, it even takes shots in the dark. Despite instances of over-saturation or loss of focus, the P30 makes up for it in what’s arguably the best zoom on a phone, with 5X optical, 10x hybrid and a whopping 50X digital zoom.

3- Samsung S10+

After a few models that lacked the “wow” factor users had gotten used to from Samsung, a lot was riding on the S10 series, and Samsung has definitely delivered. From the S10’s punch-hole display with front-facing cameras embedded in the screen, ­to the absolutely stunning super Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diodes (AMOLED) display, the S10+ is a fantastic phone. Simply put, AMOLED is one of the greatest innovations in display technology that is used on smartphone screens – all to provide users with a quick responsive touch screen and an impressive, rich, and vibrant display phone.

The camera experience is just as great. It’s crisp, snappy and with lots of cool tools and modes to experiment with. The Samsung S10+ has a robust triple-lens rear camera array, including a 12MP lens, a 12MP optical zoom telephoto lens and a new 16MP ultra-wide lens.

Samsung’s dual-aperture lens on the regular camera captures vibrant photos and fairly good low-light pictures. The quality is top notch, but might need more than one shot to get it right. It lacks something like Google’s dedicated long-exposure Night Vision mode, but it’s definitely among the best camera phones for 2019 if most of your photos aren’t in very low-light locations.

Despite Google winning with low-light scenarios, what Google doesn’t have on its main camera is the ability to shoot wide angle photos. Samsung’s ultra-wide lens has a 123-degree field of view, and it’s great for cramming more into the frame, letting you be closer to that building you like, without needing to cross the street.

4- iPhone XS Max

It seems that Apple has taken some pointers from Google’s computational photography playbook, introducing features like “Smart HDR” to make the iPhone XS Max the best camera ever on an iPhone.

Lowlight photography is much better, comparable to the Galaxy S9+ but still lagging when compared to the Pixel or Huawei models.

One feature Apple’s iPhone XS Max excelled above and beyond the competition at is video capture. Stabilization is fantastic and feels cinematic, and the XS Max can shoot 4K in 24fps, 30fps or 60fps along with 1080p in either 30fps or 60fps.

Apple’s camera remains fairly simple to use, with a carousel you slide through for different modes. This is ideal for some users compared to the ever more complicated controls on most Android flagships. And if you’re not a serious photographer, but would love to capture amazing photos and videos, the iPhone may be your best choice this year.

5- Nokia 9 PureView

Nokia’s latest camera juggernaut is a gorgeous gorilla glass device with six rear-facing cameras. The limited-edition Nokia 9 PureView has a 5.99″ crisp screen and thankfully no notch for the front-facing cameras. The device comes with an in-screen fingerprint reader as well as face recognition unlock, but has ditched the auxiliary port and comes with one loudspeaker.

The main reason the Nokia 9 earns a spot on this list is their incredibly flower-arrangement of camera lenses, with no bumps at all, making it easy to use while on a table. The array includes 5 12MP camera lenses and a ToS camera that gathers information about depth. The Nokia 9 merges the 5 images into one with insane dynamic range, with the option to save your images in RAW format to be able to tweak them professionally. Apart from the ability to capture and process RAW photos, the N9 has plenty of manual controls for photography experts, with portrait mode being arguably the best at subject differentiation from all the camera-heavy devices available this year.

All in all, the N9 is a gorgeous device, and where it lacks in other specs, it makes up for it and more with the unique camera functionality on this latest smartphone from Nokia.

So, there you have it! Our smartphones are now unlocking ways for us to grab the best high-quality photos like we’ve never imagined before. The devices that fit comfortably fit into our pockets are becoming stronger, more powerful, and definitely more impressive.

Bluetooth speakers are a must have these days whether you’re at home, chilling at the beach, camping, or even hosting a small gathering or party somewhere. With so many great, portable, and innovative speakers in the market, it can get confusing to choose the right one. The best Bluetooth speakers are convenient, portable, have a long-lasting battery life, strong wireless Bluetooth connection, have amazing audio sound, and are waterproof. To help you purchase the right one, we’ve compiled some of our favorites on the market that you can take with you anywhere you go.

Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3

The Megaboom 3 is the latest and newest model dropped by UE (Ultimate Ears) and as of now, it is one of the most versatile speakers you can get your hands on. Its latest new feature is the magic button, found on top of the speakers, that automatically powers up to four of your favorite playlists on Apple music. Not only is the sound quality perfect, but the Megaboom 3 is both waterproof and drop proof. So, if you’re chilling in the pool, you speakers will stay afloat and keep on playing for your listening pleasure. As for the drop-proof side of things, your speakers will be safe if you accidentally drop them at a 1.5-meter height. Also, with 20 hours of battery life and an improved Bluetooth range of around 45 meters, this makes the Megaboom 3 awesome for the outdoors and perfect to put in play in medium to large sized rooms.

JBL Xtreme 2

If you can splurge on a portable Bluetooth speaker then the JBL Xtreme 2 is one of the most powerful speakers on the market your money can buy. Usually compared to the UE Megaboom 3, the Xtreme 2 is designed to sit horizontally, producing excellent well-balanced sound that you can take anywhere with you. It’s perfect for extreme outdoors, especially large BBQ hangouts or swimming by the lake. You won’t have to worry about it getting wrecked or being submerged in water as it can last for 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter. Also offering voice activation, you can simply control the Xtreme 2 through Siri or Google Assistant to play or pause your music.

Bose SoundLink Revolve +

Perfect for an indoor party or hangout, the SoundLink Revolve + does not disappoint. It’s designed for perfect and seamless 360-degree sound unlike other speakers that are usually directional. An additional and really cool feature is that the speaker is imbedded with the option of taking calls. All you have to do is locate the button at the top of the speaker to activate the microphone and the SoundLink Revolve + will pick up your voice from any direction in the room.

Sony XB20

If you’re looking for a great sound quality speaker at a fairly inexpensive price, the Sony XB20 as an impressive speaker given its size. Both loud and powerful, the speaker is sleek, water resistant, durable, and has the option of doing a light show which is pretty cool if you’re having an evening in with your friends. This is perfect if you’re in need of a great speaker but don’t want to over splurge.

Anker SoundCore 2

The Anker SoundCore 2 is one of those popular and best budget portable speakers. With excellent battery life, the portable speakers 2 can last up to 24 hours without charging time so you can happily keep playing music and rest assured to keep the part rocking till the next day. It comes in black and simple attractive design that can fit almost anywhere at home. With great Bluetooth connection range, you can also take calls with just one click of a button.

Coming in with attractive designs and options, you can get yourself the best speaker for your needs and according to your budget. It all depends if you want to take your speakers along on your next adventure or just enjoy listening to your music at home. There’s something for everyone.

There are a handful of devices that are veritable icons when it comes to mobile phones, which most users had as their first phone, or remember their parents carrying one before they were old enough to have their own. The Nokia 3310 probably pops in your mind immediately, followed immediately by the Motorola RAZR.

Despite all-glass smartphones replacing the nearly indestructible plastic and aluminum phones today, cellphone makers are cashing in on the popularity of devices like the RAZR, the 3310 and 8110 from The Matrix movies trilogy. Nokia did that with its redesigned 3310 and 8110, which with a fair price and impressive specs has managed to carve out a significant niche in both the affordable device market, as well as the nostalgia-fueled user who just HAS to have the banana phone Neo used to exit The Matix or make a joke about how their Nokia 3310 could stop a bullet.

Lenovo, Motorola’s parent company, took an entirely different direction with their planned RAZR model. Instead of focusing on the affordable end, Motorola decided to incorporate this year’s most anticipated smartphone feature: foldable screens. If any device was meant for such an innovation, it’d definitely be the RAZR: the most iconic flip phone of the early 2000s.

This isn’t Motorola’s first attempt to revive the RAZR brand, with the 2011 Droid RAZR, which was not a flip phone, but a more traditional medium-range Android released with Verizon. Motorola did keep true to its thinness factor though, and the Droid RAZR was the slimmest smartphone of its time.

Reports indicate that the RAZR with the foldable screen will probably sell for $1500, which is a steep price and a far cry from what we’re used to from Motorola. However, with flagship smartphones regularly punching over $1000 in recent years, and considering the RAZR will feature a foldable screen, Lenovo seem confident that customers will be willing to shell out a premium price to have the latest smartphone technology innovation, and to top things off the device will be packaged in the vintage cellphone design that 130 million users carried throughout its lifetime.

2019 will be a cut-throat year in smartphone design, with growth in sales plateauing for most manufacturers and an expected boost to Samsung’s Galaxy S series that has remained without any drastic upgrades, and the upcoming iPhone whose latest iterations were a disappointment and users are expecting something big to compensate with the newest model out later this year.

Whether the new foldable RAZR will manage to compete with other manufacturers remains to be seen, but Motorola’s bet appears to be a smart one: combining iconic design and nostalgia, with the cutting edge of modern technology. The only question is, will users be willing to part ways with $1500?

With homes, cars, and phones getting their fair share of boasting their smart capabilities, it comes as no surprise that tech gadgets and specifically sports and fitness technology have occupied a whopping 4.9K net square feet of exhibit space in this year’s annual Consumers Electronics Show (CES 2019). One can argue that such gadgets do not grow your muscles faster nor get you fit any quicker, yet there is no denying that they do make the process simpler, more efficient and all the more enjoyable. Here are some of the coolest sport gadgets that were featured at CES this year.

JAXJOX Kettlebell Connect

Hailed for being an extremely versatile piece of equipment, the JAXJOX Kettlebell Connect is a smart Kettlebell that allows you to change weights with increments of almost 3 kgs. The kettlebell sets weight range between 6 kgs to 20 kgs and can impressively switch in just under 3 seconds. The piece of equipment is also synced to your phone via Bluetooth 4.0 technology allowing the user to track their reps, sets, weights, and rest time and ultimately analyzing the user’s fitness IQ to see whether he or she is on the right track or not. The gadget is also hailed for its advantage of being space efficient especially for space-savvy as well as traveling fitness professionals.

FightCamp: Boxing Workouts from Home

Like JAXJOX, this product is also riding the wave trend of “fitness from the comfort of one’s own home.” Users can purchase a whole training package that includes the full boxing set or a set of boxing trackers that do most of the magic for this specific piece of equipment. The FightCamp trackers provide boxers with insightful data on their workouts; whether it’s the speed of your jabs or the power of your uppercuts. An extra option provided with the FightCamp is the access to live training given by elite trainers bringing a world-class boxing gym straight to your home.

Welt: Smart Belt

A stylish looking leather belt might not seem like a wearable device, but to those who look closely, it’s a smart wearable that monitors your physical and eating habits by keeping a close lookout on the circumference of your waist, with the latter being a general indicator of health. Affecting a large chunk of the mid-age population, a large waist circumference indicator risks many health complications such as diabetes, cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases among others. Welt monitors such an indicator and provides you with day to day insights as well as health warnings that make sure you don’t tip off your balance and go crazy by overeating on every outing that you claim is your cheat day.

Slighter: Not your Everyday Lighter

Named an honoree at CES 2019, this lighter is definitely not your everyday cigarette lighter. Coming all the way from Lebanon, the company Slighter created a sleek looking device that offers its users a new way to kick the habit. The cigarette lighter learns how frequently you light up in the first week, then personalizes a plan for you in order to reduce how many times you smoke by purposefully not lighting up until you reach your goal. Users can also share the data with their friends and family and can also learn how much they have saved up money along their way to reach their goal of either reducing cigarette consumption or halting smoking entirely.

As the intersection of both sports, fitness, and technology grows even more significant, entrepreneurs and athletes are hoping to increasingly leverage such exciting business opportunities by building on both consumer insights and data-driven research to indeed create what today’s tech-driven consumers want.