Xiaomi has also announced the world's fastest wireless charging tech.
What you need to know
Xiaomi has announced a new 200W "HyperCharge" fast charging solution for smartphones.
The new fast charging tech can fully charge a 4,000mAh battery in under eight minutes.
Along with 200W wired charging, Xiaomi has also introduced a new 120W wireless charging tech.
Xiaomi today showcased a new 200W "HyperCharge" fast charging tech, which it says can fully charge a phone in eight minutes. It used a modified Mi 11 Pro with a 4,000mAh battery to demonstrate the tech. Xiaomi was also the first smartphone maker to introduce a 100W fast charging solution. The company demonstrated the 100W "Super Charge Turbo" tech in March 2019, although the tech was commercialized only in August last year.
As can be seen in the video above, Xiaomi's new HyperCharge tech takes just three minutes to charge the modified Mi 11 Pro from empty to 50%. In addition to 200W HyperCharge wired fast charging system, Xiaomi has introduced a new 120W wireless charging solution as well. Xiaomi claims its latest wireless charging tech can fully charge a phone in just fifteen minutes.
Unsurprisingly, Xiaomi hasn't yet provided a timeframe as to when the first phone with the new 200W HyperCharge tech will hit the market. Currently, the fastest charging Xiaomi phone is last year's Mi 10 Ultra, which supports 120W wired charging speeds.
Seeing how the Mi 11 Ultra is a downgrade over the Mi 10 Ultra in the fast charging department, it may take a while before we see a Xiaomi flagship with 200W charging. It is also worth noting that such high charging speeds could have a significant impact on long-term battery health and also lead to overheating issues.
While Xiaomi hasn't launched a new phone with its 120W fast charging tech this year, its Black Shark brand released two new devices with 120W charging in March to challenge the best gaming phones. Vivo's iQOO sub-brand also launched a Snapdragon 888-powered flagship phone earlier this year with support for 120W fast charging.
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The display on the Pixel 4a is a significant upgrade from its predecessor. The bezels at the top and bottom are so much smaller that we can have a bigger screen in a smaller profile, but this also means that even a tiny crack at the top or bottom could impact the screen's usable portion. We've done the research to round up the best Google Pixel 4a screen protectors you can buy!
Easy to apply
Supershieldz Tempered Glass (2-Pack)
Staff Pick
Supershieldz has my confidence because not only is its book-style application process easy enough for my mother to do by herself, but it has also stood up to rocks, ladders, and drops without damaging the screen underneath.
OtterBox knows how to make a durable case. They worked with Corning — makers of Gorilla Glass — to produce a durable, high-quality screen protector in the Amplify, which offers higher scratch resistance and excellent case compatibility.
GESMA Tempered Glass Screen Protector and Camera Protector (5-Pack)
This multi-pack is perfect for anyone to tends to drop their phone a lot, as you not only get multiple spares, but you also get tempered glass protectors for the camera module in addition to the front glass. After all, what good is a Pixel with a broken camera?
If you're exceedingly hard on your phone — or if you're just a klutz — you might want to invest in a multi-pack so that you have spares when the first or second protector here cracks, keeping your Pixel 4a safe.
This multi-pack comes with a frame that you slide over your Pixel 4a so that you have less chance of misaligning the glass. That's extra important here, considering the cutout for the hole-punch camera.
InvisibleShield doesn't just bring scratch and shatter protection to your phone. The Glass+ also has an anti-microbial coating. Still, as a reminder, that coating is not strong enough to completely kill COVID or other disease-causing germs on your phone.
Glass screen protectors offer more robust coverage, but some folks don't like how they can interfere with responsiveness. If you're one of them, these flexible film protectors offer scratch protection without the bulk.
This PET film is thicker than competitors, meaning it can take more abuse and still self-heal. I'm also a fan of the matte finish on this screen protector as it makes it easy to see the screen when dealing with lots of bright reflections.
Screen protectors come in two flavors: we have the thicker, sturdier tempered glass screen protectors, and we have the thinner, flexible, and more adaptable film protectors. For phones with curved screens, film screen protectors offer a more fitting grip. Still, for a phone with a flat-screen like the Pixel 4a, we don't have to worry about such things, so unless you just have a personal grudge against tempered glass, I'd recommend grabbing the Supershieldz Tempered Glass Screen Protector 2-pack. The style Supershieldz uses for applying its glass screen protectors is easy to follow, and its films have stood the test of time.
I'm also a fan of the OtterBox Amplify Glass because OtterBox knows how to make a great screen protector that won't get peeled up by bulkier, heavy-duty cases. The frame installation is easy to follow along with and the smudge-resistance on the Amplify Glass lasts longer than most competitors.
Of course, protecting the front glass is important, but the rest of your phone needs guarding, too! If you're still using a naked Pixel 4a, we've rounded up the best Google Pixel 4a cases so you can cover your shame!
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The first time I worked out in VR, it happened by accident. I emerged from my first session of Beat Saber, wide-blinking and dripping with sweat, having just unboxed an Oculus Quest 2 an hour earlier, my only previous VR experience a few years earlier with the now-forgotten Google Daydream.
As editor of this website, I read a lot about VR — we cover the best Oculus Quest 2 games and accessories extensively — but I didn't expect to fall as hard, and as quickly, for it as I did. Perhaps it's the sheer novelty of tricking your brain into thinking you're not in the same house, the same room, you've been living and working in for the past 18 months. Perhaps it's the propulsive nature of the input itself — games don't merely respond to the trigger movements in my thumbs and fingers but my whole hand, my arms, my head. It's the fulsomeness of the experience that enamored me.
Unlike most workout notifications, I don't resent the ones I get about Supernatural. Yet.
So, after that first play Beat Saber play session, and the knowledge that I've been working out less than I'd like to over the past few months, I sought out Supernatural, the $20/month fitness app that takes aspects of Beat Saber and adds recognizable music (sans DLC), an emphasis on full-body movement with squats and lunges in a 360-degree space, and trainers that keep you motivated throughout each 25-or-so-minute session.
Despite understanding the criticisms leveled at Supernatural — that it's far too expensive, that it lacks gamification or multiplayer support, and that it doesn't really add anything to the existing rhythm game canon — I've quickly fallen for everything the service does right. Placing you in beautiful remote landscapes (though admittedly low-resolution) to hit targets barrelling towards you at varying speeds and angles to a playlist of popular songs, the disembodied voice of a trainer you see for a couple of minutes at the beginning and end of the workout motivating you as you go, I've begun looking forward to each session, even when my phone bugs me every morning to "meet [my] trainer in 15 minutes."
I'm less interested in evaluating Supernatural as a workout alone, for which I may lose interest over time as I would any other, and more about the intoxicating way VR helps me forget that I'm doing something I don't find particularly enjoyable in other forms. I've never been one satisfied with a treadmill or stationary bike, preferring to be out on the tennis or basketball court with friends.
But Supernatural's debut in the early months of the pandemic caused the same minor revolution within the VR world as Peloton did for spin addicts who could no longer attend in-person classes led by their favorite instructors. I remember seeing the accolades for both services stream through in mid-2020 wondering just how effective (and potentially uncomfortable) a VR workout could actually be.
Turns out it can be pretty potent. Supernatural workouts are divided into three tracks: low, medium, and high intensity, with options for each at varying lengths, though most have between two and five songs in their playlists. The bulk of the subscription costs go towards music licensing, since the songs you're bouncing away to are recognizable hits from nearly every popular artist and genre. (Supernatural mirrors each workout playlist on Spotify if you're interested in finding them again.)
One of my recent favorites, called Shower Songs, combined a cover of A Crowded House's famous one-hit-wonder, "Don't Dream It's Over," with Janelle Monae's "Make Me Feel," Robyn's "Call Your Girlfriend," The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights," and Tegan and Sara's "Closer." You pay for the access to the music, sure, but particularly the curation, the way the end result feels like more than the sum of its parts and, primarily, for the extra push towards the end of the final track, when you're particularly exhausted, from the instructor encouraging you to "find your moment" and "will yourself to push through it."
Like other workouts that combine cardio with mindfulness, with a particular emphasis on self-improvement and discovery, Supernatural is easy to criticize for its attempt to build a community around a culture, especially when the mechanics of the actual workout — using your Oculus Touch controllers to swipe at incoming targets to a music beat — can be easily reproduced in any number of other cheaper options on the platform. But after trying most of the competitors on the platform, nothing comes close to making me want to return, day after day, to unceremoniously drip sweat onto a mat in the middle of my office.
I don't know if I'm going to spend the $180 USD for an annual subscription to Supernatural once my free trial ends. I probably will because God knows I've spent more on dumber things over the past year, and even if I use it a couple times a week I'll feel somewhat validated in my decision. But more importantly, I've discovered VR as a truly wonderful vehicle for movement, the kind of unselfconscious, unfettered movement that used to be literally impossible before untethered VR just a couple of years ago. Yes, you need a big enough space to move around safely, but getting to know the Oculus ecosystem over the past few weeks has been, especially as someone coming from the known duality of consoles and phones, simply joyful. I like Facebook's encroachment on Oculus as little as the next person, but there are bounties here if you know where to look.
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The Chromecast with Google TV has a new Google TV layout that, for the most part, is quite excellent. All your apps are close at hand, it's easy to browse for shows or films from your favorite genres, and Google Assistant means that any show or movie is just a voice command away. This is one of the many reasons the Chromecast with Google TV is one of the best streaming devices, but if you're not a fan of being constantly bombarded with Google TV's recommendations — especially on a shared device where those recommendations might be skewed — here's how to turn off personalized recommendations and enter apps only mode on Google TV.
How to turn on apps only mode in Google TV
On the home screen, go left to your profile picture.
Select Settings.
Select Accounts & Sign in.
Select your Google account.
Scroll down to the bottom of the list.
Select Apps only mode.
Select Turn on.
Hit the home button to exit Settings.
It'll take a second or 10, but your home screen will reload with a much more minimal interface, consisting only of your installed apps and the five sponsored ads, which you can never, ever turn off.
Unavailable services in apps only mode
This is a nice minimal look, and as much as I love it, there are a few big reasons you'll probably turn apps only mode back off within hours:
Google Assistant and search functions are disabled.
Purchased YouTube or Google TV content are unavailable through the Google TV interface, so you'll have to cast them from a phone or computer instead.
Your Watchlist is inaccessible.
If you've never bought movies or TV shows from Google TV, Google Play, or YouTube, that second stipulation won't mean much, but apps only mode only shows other apps, not the actual Google TV app where your purchased content lives, This is a very off omission, and one that makes it quite difficult for longtime Google Play/Android users to avoid the normal recommendation-littered mode.
The bigger problem is that it turns off Google Assistant wholesale, so there's no using voice commands to rewind, skip ahead, or quickly bring up Moana for the millionth time rather than having to dig into the Disney+ app for it. Assistant is one of those things that you can go without using, but once you've gotten used to that
Of course, hidden in all that jargon on the apps only mode screen is the real truth: turning off your ability to see the recommendations doesn't stop Google or any other apps from tracking your watch history. Apps only mode just turns off the visual recommendations, it changes no privacy settings to limit what data is collected on you and your viewing habits.
Google wins the living room
Chromecast with Google TV
Google Assistant commands and recommendations to save movie night.
With a perfectly compact remote, three color options, and the latest Google TV interface to serve up all your content in a rich new style. While the Chromecast with Google TV may be a bit short of internal storage, it's the perfect size and price for your living room, kitchen, or any room your TV's apps are failing in.
While the 'Pro' in the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is more than just for show.
When considering what makes an excellent Android tablet for kids, things like durability, age-appropriate content, and parental controls are generally at the top of that list. Looking at those qualifications and what Amazon offers, it's easy to see why the best Amazon Fire Kids tablets on found on that device list. So, to offer parents and kids even more choice when it comes to Fire Kids Tablets, Amazon announced the new Fire HD 10, it also added a new level to its Kids tablets, Kids Pro — and my son is very excited to help me with this Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro review.
One of the other major considerations is price, especially when you are looking at purchasing a tablet for a young child who tends to wreak havoc on electronics. Well, the Fire 10 HD Kids Pro tablet is the best of the best from Amazon, which means it's also the most expensive. While the Kids Pro version of the tablet shares a lot with the standard Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids, I'm going to be going through what you get with the Kids Pro — and it the new version makes it worth it for your 6-12-year-old.
Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro
Bottom line: The Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is an excellent option for older kids. With its powerful hardware, it can keep up with their growing demands, and the new parental control features allow you to open up more features as your child grows and matures.
Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro: Price and availability
Amazon announced the Fire 10 HD Kids Pro tablet on April 27, 2021, with a pre-order price of $199.99. The tablet is available in black with four different color options for the case — Black, Doodle, Intergalactic, and Sky Blue. Devices began shipping on May 26 and maintained the pre-order pricing of $199.99
Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro: What's good
I have two children, a 5 and an 8-year-old, and my oldest son has had a tablet since he was two, thanks to his grandpa. It was a LeapPad Ultra that had its own version of an app store, and while it was slow and not the most responsive device — it was great for my son. Ok, nothing makes me feel more my age than when I say things like "kids these days," but like my son, kids these days are exposed to technology at such a young age that their understanding of how to use devices grows just as quickly as they do. So, as my son got older, I got him an Amazon Fire HD 8, and it was a great tablet for him.
However, I could see how it looked a little too "little kid" since he's a "big kid" due to the bubbly case and some content restrictions. So, he was just as excited as I was that Amazon now has a new option for kids that parents felt wasn't ready for a wide-open tablet experience but needed a more mature device. When I showed him the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro in its Intergalactic case, aside from noticing how much larger it was than his Fire HD 10 Kids tablet, he just said, "now this thing looks awesome!"
Specs
Fire HD 10 Kids Pro
Target Age Range
6-12
Weight
25.3 oz
Display
10.1 inches 1080p full HD
Dimensions
8.7 x 6.3 x 1.0 inches
Storage
32GB
Expandable Storage
Up to 1TB
Screen Resolution
1920x1200 (224 ppi)
Battery life
Up to 12 hours of multimedia
Camera
2MP front and 5 MP rear-facing cameras with 720p video recording
Alexa enabled
Off by default
Case
Kid-safe slim case included
Case Colors
Black, Purple Doodle, Blue Intergalactic, Sky Blue
Case Size
7.4 x 10.1 x 0.7 inches
Audio
Dual speakers with Dolby Atmos
Parental Controls
Yes
Web Browser
Open but filtered
Access to Digital Store
✔️
Amazon Kids+
One year included
Ports
USB C, 3.5mm headphone jack
Warranty
2-year
His instant expression of how great it looked from the outside is because Amazon is including a whole new case with the Kids Pro tablets. Aside from the different color choices and two that offer a fun design on the back, these cases are also much slimmer. The standard bumper case on an Amazon Fire Kids tablet is 8.2 x 10.6 x 1.1 inches, whereas the Kids Pro case is only 7.4 x 10.1 x 0.7 inches.
The new Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro slim case still offers excellent protection for the tablet and has a built-in kickstand, but it's much slimmer.
Before I gave it to my son, I had already logged in and got his profile transferred over to the new device — which Amazon makes super easy. This activates the settings in Amazon Kids+ that I had already set up on his Fire HD 8 Kids. After loading those settings, I was prompted if I wanted to allow web browser access. My initial thoughts were, no, I do not.
However, after reading the prompts, I opted for the Hand-selected Websites & Videos and Enable Pre-Approved Web Content. There is an option for Filtered Websites & Videos, which opens up a much more traditional web experience, but I don't think my son is ready for that just yet — well, I'm not, at least.
I
In the browser that I chose and the age range I have set for my son, there a 14 pre-saved websites available to view. With choices ranging from PBS Kids to National Geographic Kids and San Diego Zoo Live Cams to DOGO Kids News, there are some great options for kids that are just starting to dip their toe into the online world. Plus, as the parent, you can add specific sites you want your child to access or block those you don't.
Reading websites, watching movies, and playing games all look great on the 10.1" HD display. The colors are vibrant, and the responsiveness is excellent, thanks to the increased RAM to 3GB. Even though his Fire HD 8 Kids had dual speakers, he thought the set on this Kids Pro tablet was better. That could be in part to the case being less restrictive around the speaker grilles.
However, I am glad that the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet keeps the 3.5mm headphone jack for my own sanity. Although, there is also Bluetooth on board to give you choices when choosing an excellent set of kids headphones for your child. The other feature Amazon continues to include with its tablets is the expandable memory slot. You can add up to 1TB by slotting in one of the best microSD cards for Fire Tablets
The inclusion of expandable memory for the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet is great considering all of the excellent content available for it.
In addition to the modified web browser experience, there is also access to a filtered digital store. When enabled, your child will be able to browse both free and paid apps from the store. While they will see these apps, your child cannot download them without your permission. After picking an app and tapping "Get," a pop-up that reads a request to download the app will be sent to your parent.
On the parent's end, depending on your notification settings in the parent dashboard, you'll get a combination of text and/or email saying your child is requesting an app with a link to it. You can see what the app is about along, see permissions and other information about the app. From there, you get to either approve or deny the request.
Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro: What's not good
The device itself is much faster than my son's Fire HD 8 Kids; I wouldn't even mind using it with my own profile. Paring that with a massive curated content library, excellent parental controls that come with Kids+, and the expanded software options with the Kids Pro platform — Amazon has done a great job, but not perfect.
When considering purchasing any Amazon Fire tablet, you have to ask yourself if you are ok with not having access to Google Play Services. This includes Gmail, Maps, and the Google Play Store. Yes, there are ways around this with some software hacks, but not everyone wants to do this — especially for their kid's device. For most people, the most significant omission is the Google Play Store.
Missing the Google Play Store really only matters for the older kids, who the Kids Pro tablet is for. It may not matter as much for kids in the 6-9 range, but more so for the 10-12-year-olds. While there are many of the most popular apps in the digital store, it is limited, and you may not find ones you'd really like for your child to explore.
Speaking of apps, the approval process could be better for the ones available for the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro digital store. When a request comes through on the parent side, it's either an SMS text or an email. While there's nothing necessarily bad about this, you're taken to your web browser when clicking on the link in the notification. Once there, you have to log into the parent's dashboard and go through the review steps. This process would be much quicker if it went through the Amazon app or a separate dashboard app entirely.
Using the web browser to handle app requests and accessing the parent dashboard is clunkier than in a stand-alone app.
The only other issue I found with the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet was the single base storage option. Since this device is targeted at older kids who will be using more apps and other multi-media, it won't take long to fill up the 32GB built-in — considering about a quarter of it is taken up by the OS. While it isn't bad, I think 64GB would better serve this target market.
When Wi-Fi is available, storage space is much less of a concern when things are streamed. The problem occurs when planning a trip where connectivity is limited, and content has to be downloaded for offline use. Thankfully, there is expandable storage, but it can sometimes be finicky with some apps compared to onboard memory.
Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro: Competition
In terms of price and features, Amazon really competes with itself in the tablet market for kids. It's not to say that there aren't other devices that can work for kids, but many of them aren't at the same level of competency as Amazon — especially at the price that the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is.
If price is really a consideration, but you still want a tablet that will work great for an older child — then the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro is one to look at. You'll get the same excellent software and parental control features found on the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro but at a lower price. However, that lower-priced device does come with some drawbacks.
While still great looking, the display is only 8 inches, which may be troublesome in some cases. The Fire HD 8 Kids Pro also only has 2GB of RAM. The device will handle various tasks in many cases, but it could lag running some more intensive apps.
The other option is to purchase a non-Kids version of an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet. This option saves you about $50 over starting with the Kids Pro version. You can then sign up for the Kids or Kids+ features and apply that to your child's profile on the device. However, you will miss out on some great features that come with that up-front $50 additional cost by going this route.
Mainly you lose out on the excellent protective case and the two-year worry-free warranty every Amazon Fire Kids tablet gets. Suppose you feel like you can forgo a case and just wing it without the expanded warranty to get the desired curated content library and wonderful parental controls. In that case, you'll be paying a minimum of $2.99 per month. In contrast, you would initially get the first year of Kids+ for free by purchasing the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet.
Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro: Should you buy it?
You should buy this if ...
Your child is in the 6-12 age range.
You want a tablet that will be able to handle your child's technology needs as they grow.
You want to have more content available to your child in addition to what comes with the Kids+ library.
You shouldn't buy this if ...
Your child is in the 3-7 age range.
Your child will have trouble managing a large tablet.
You want a bulkier, more protective bumper case
The Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet is an excellent device for older kids ready to take the next step in exploring the digital world but not quite ready for a no-holds-barred approach. The expanded library of content and the modified web browser give access to more content while allowing you to control much of what's available. However, if you have a younger child who may not be ready for that additional content or handle the larger device, this may not be the tablet for them.
4.5out of 5
As part of the Amazon Kids and Kids+ ecosystem, the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro still gets access to the library of over 20,000 movies, games, books, and other apps that they would if you purchased a standard Fire Kids tablet. Only as a Kids Pro device can you choose to allow access to more options through the digital store and the modified web browser.
Through parental controls, you will still be able to adjust how much or little access your child will have to the internet and additional apps as you see fit. As your child gets older and moves towards using the tablet as much for homework as they do for entertainment, the device itself has the power for productivity. Amazon has accessories and software help facilitate your child's educational goals, but you may not get all the apps you want as it is missing Google Play Services.
The Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is an excellent device for older kids looking for a more mature-looking device and content from top to bottom. As the parent, you can rest assured that you still have control over how much or little is accessible to them.
Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro
Bottom line: If you're looking for a device with the power to tackle almost every request your "big kid" could ask of it, the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet is the one. With its combination of hardware and software features, your child will have the content they want, and you'll have peace of mind knowing you have the final say as to what your child sees.
If you're looking for a simple cell phone plan that doesn't drown you in minutes, texts, data, or features you don't actually need, then a pay-as-you-go plan like Ultra Mobile PayGo could be the perfect fit. PayGo is a plan offered by MVNO Ultra Mobile and comes with just enough talk, text, and data to get by on T-Mobile's 4G LTE and 5G network. Though it definitely doesn't come with much, it's extremely affordable, and you can always recharge your PayGo plan or purchase data or voice and text passes. It's a convenient plan to consider if your wireless needs are minimal and you know that you get reliable T-Mobile coverage in your area.
Ultra Mobile PayGo gives you the essentials of a cell phone plan, with the option to pay for more when you need it.
What is Ultra Mobile PayGo?
Ultra Mobile PayGo is a pay-as-you-go plan offered by Ultra Mobile, which is an MVNO on T-Mobile's 4G LTE and 5G network. It's a great plan to get if you only need limited wireless service or want a plan in case of emergencies. For only $3 per month with PayGo, you'll get 100 minutes, 100 texts, and 100MB of 4G LTE and 5G data to use. After you've reached that limit, extra minutes, texts, and data will cost you more.
How much does PayGo cost?
Before getting started with PayGo, you'll first need to purchase a SIM kit, which you can find at select T-Mobile stores for $13, including activation. If you're having trouble finding a PayGo SIM (I called a few stores in my area and most were out of stock), you can also head to eBay and purchase one there. Once you have a SIM, PayGo will cost you just $3 per month. If you go over the 100 talk, text, and MB allotment, additional minutes and data (per MB) are an extra 3 cents each, while texts are 1 cent each.
If you know of a day or week when you'll need more minutes or data, purchase a day pass that gives you an extra 500MB for $5. A seven-day pass with an extra 1GB will cost an additional $10. You can also get a day pass for unlimited texts and minutes for $2 extra. For $10, you get unlimited texting and calling for seven days straight. Though these prices seem incredibly cheap, things can add up quickly. If you find that you need more minutes, texts, or data than you initially expected, consider getting a plan with Ultra Mobile instead.
Ultra Mobile PayGo vs. Ultra Mobile
The main difference between a PayGo plan and a plan with Ultra Mobile is that with PayGo, you can expect to, well, pay as you go. The starting price is $3 per month (plus the initial cost of the SIM kit), whereas the starting price for an Ultra Mobile plan with 250MB is $15 per month, though it drops down to $10 per month if you pay for the entire year upfront.
For comparison's sake, let's say you used up 250MB in a month with Ultra Mobile PayGo. At the end of the month, the bill would be $7.50 ($3 plus the additional $4.50 you used on the extra 150MB). Though this is still cheaper than what you would get on Ultra Mobile's cheapest plan, if you go over on minutes and texts, you'll come very close to what you would pay for a 12-month plan with Ultra Mobile.
Thankfully, both PayGo and all Ultra Mobile plans come with free mobile hotspot. What Ultra Mobile plans offer over PayGo, however, is unlimited talk and text, as well as free international texting and calling up to 80+ countries. Ultra Mobile PayGo only offers unlimited talk and text when you pay for a 1-day or 7-day pass, so if you're someone who likes to chat on the phone a lot, this is something to consider. And when it comes to calling abroad, you're still able to do so with PayGo, but you'll have to pay the rate for that country.
PayGo Limitations
The first hurdle is getting your hands on an Ultra Mobile PayGo SIM kit. Unfortunately, you can't order one online from Ultra Mobile. You're only able to purchase a PayGo SIM kit from select T-Mobile stores unless you're willing to get one off eBay. Once you get your SIM card and activate it, you can immediately use your PayGo minutes, texts, and data.
Once you've used up your 30-day allotment and decide that you need to recharge, you'll have to add credit to your account. This can be a hassle if you're someone that forgets to top up in advance and suddenly needs to make an urgent call or has to order an Uber. Recharging online is easy, but it's still a step you need to take.
Another limitation with PayGo is international service. Though you can make international calls and a PayGo plan does support international roaming, you still have to pay roaming fees and call rates for that country. Also, keep in mind that no domestic roaming is offered with PayGo, meaning that if you need to make a quick call while you're traveling in an area with spotty coverage, you'll have to wait until you get better service.
How to recharge a PayGo plan
Ultra Mobile PayGo costs $3 for 30 days of use. The easiest way to recharge automatically is by setting up an automatic monthly payment on your PayGo account. Once you've logged in, all you need to do is add a credit or debit card and then select "auto-renew on." If you want to add $5, $10, or $20 extra per month, you can do so at this time.
If you need to add more money to your PayGo wallet at any given point or want to add a data pass, you need to log into your account. If not, you can also recharge your account by going into an Ultra Mobile retailer or a T-Mobile store that sells PayGo recharge cards in $10, $15, and $20 amounts. If you're ever unsure of your balance, you can check online or text BAL to 6700.
Compatible phones
Because PayGo is part of Ultra Mobile and Ultra Mobile uses T-Mobile's network, any T-Mobile phone or GSM unlocked device should work with PayGo. You can also bring over a 5G compatible device or any device purchased in the past few years, including the best Android phones. If you're looking for the best 5G support, your phone should support T-Mobile's Band n41 and n71.
Before purchasing a PayGo SIM card, you can check your IMEI number on Ultra Mobile's network to make sure your device is compatible. If you're shopping for a new phone, you could always get one directly from Ultra Mobile's website.
Who is PayGo best for?
Ultra Mobile PayGo is best for anyone who doesn't want to commit to a cell phone plan and likes the flexibility and freedom of paying as they go. It also makes sense for someone with excellent T-Mobile coverage, so make sure to check out Ultra Mobile's coverage map before signing up.
Because a PayGo plan comes with 100 minutes, 100 texts, and 100MB, it's perfect for someone who really doesn't need to make much use out of their cell phone—i.e., someone who relies mainly on Wi-Fi but needs to use their phone on the rare occasion while away from home.
PayGo really lets you keep an eye on what you're spending on your phone bill since you have to recharge your account whenever you need more minutes, texts, or data. But if you do end up using more minutes, texts, and data than you're given in a month, you'll notice that cents can add up fast. If this is the case for you and you'd feel better with unlimited talk and text, you should sign up directly with Ultra Mobile instead or another great T-Mobile MVNO such as Mint Mobile.
Ultimately there's nothing fancy about an Ultra Mobile PayGo plan, and you'll get minimal internet use. Still, it's a great fit for anyone who doesn't want to pay a cent more on their cell phone bill than what's necessary, which in this case is the bare minimum.
If you're a homeowner, you undoubtedly have some outdoor lighting that's on a regular schedule. Whether it's a fancy porch or deck lighting, or just seasonal holiday lighting at Christmas time, there are plenty of reasons to have an outdoor outlet timer for your lights. While the good old rotating push-button timers have been a staple of homeownership for decades, Ring aims to replace the old faithful with something a little more technically proficient. You won't even need a Ring Protect Plan to use it.
The Ring Outdoor Smart Plug does exactly what you assume it would. An outdoor-rated weatherproof box dons two remote-controllable and programmable outlets and a local wireless connection to a Ring Smart Lighting bridge — both a positive and a negative attribute. While that Smart Lighting Bridge is an irritating additional purchase, it also provides a way to control your smart home devices still if your home's internet connection drops out. It also makes it easy to program in groups with the best Ring products.
But is this smart plug a dumb investment? Our Ring Outdoor Smart Plug review discusses whether it's right for your home.
Ring Outdoor Smart Plug
Bottom line: The well-built Ring Outdoor Smart Plug works exactly like you hoped it would. Turn those lights on via a schedule in the Ring app, tie it together with other motion-detection-enabled Ring devices, or click the button for manual control.
Ring Outdoor Smart Plug is sold for $30 or in a bundle with the Ring Smart Lighting Bridge for $50. You'll only need one Ring Smart Lighting Bridge to connect all your Ring devices, so if you already have one, you can safely pick up the Ring Outdoor Smart Plug on its own and easily add it to your existing system via the Ring app.
Ring Outdoor Smart Plug only comes in black right now and is available at Ring.com, Amazon.com, and at The Home Depot stores and website.
Ring Outdoor Smart Plug: It works exactly like it should
While most smart devices pride themselves on being sleek, small, and maybe even light, Ring Outdoor Smart Plug says phooey to all that nonsense. As an outdoor-rated, weatherproof device, it behooves the Ring Outdoor Smart Plug not to follow in the delicate footsteps of many smart home gadgets. Instead, this large, heavy, and dense plug feels like it took several beatings, fell off a couple of roofs, and even went through the eye of a storm and lived to tell the tale.
Unlike many smart home devices, Ring Outdoor Smart Plug, isn't a delicate, frail product.
But that's just the start of what you'll love about the Ring Outdoor Smart Plug. After you get it plugged in and set up in the Ring app, you'll be able to control both outlets right from the Ring app. That includes manually toggling, scheduling, or even linking power states to other Ring devices in your home. Both outlets can be programmed or controlled individually, and Alexa-powered voice control means you can quickly and easily toggle your lights from anywhere that Alexa can hear you.
From a hardware perspective, Ring thought of seemingly everything you might need in a smart plug. A blue LED is prominently placed on the top, so you can see if the plug has power without having to walk over to it. That LED is flanked by two hidden buttons, each of which controls either outlet A or B. These buttons are used to override the app behavior and keep an outlet on at all times, or click them again to switch back to the app control. The outlets themselves are covered by a thick rubber plug that keeps them in good shape when not in use, and the whole thing is designed to hang from an existing outdoor electrical box for easy reach.
Programming the outlets in the app is as easy as you could hope.
As soon as I got mine, I knew where it was going: to replace that old rotating timer that I've been using to schedule my outdoor deck lights with for years. While the rotating timer is cheap and works basically everywhere, not having to physically go to the outlet to reschedule things or encounter the possibility of the wrong numbers being bumped — and, therefore, screwing up the lighting schedule — just made me happy. It's a great design, just like the 90-degree-angle plug that keeps the smart plug hanging vertically. It also means you could easily stack these plugs from a two-plug outdoor outlet.
Programming the outlets in the app is as easy as you could hope. Head into the light settings and click on schedule. That's it! You can add multiple schedules to fit whatever you need your lights to do, and you can even tie it to other Ring products via object groups or even to turn outlets on when motion is detected from another Ring device in the group — one that has motion detection support, of course.
Ring Outdoor Smart Plug: Ring up a faster app
While Ring has recently redesigned and improved its app to be the one-stop shop for Ring-controlled devices, the Ring app really needs better smart lighting control. Right now, there are no widgets for quick power toggling from your home screen, no support for the power button Google Home UI — or Google Home support at all, for that matter — and it still takes several taps to get the lighting portion of the Ring app to turn your lights on and off. It's quite a bit clunkier than it should be.
Ring's reliance on the Ring Smart Lighting Bridge to create a local Z-Wave network is both a blessing and a curse. While it makes offline smart home use possible — something that direct Wi-Fi-connected devices can't do — it also means that all your connected Ring devices rely on a centrally-located hub.
In my case, I had to move my Ring Smart Lighting Bridge from the front to the side of the house because the connection to the Ring Outdoor Smart Plug was spotty. Even still, I regularly see the smart plug report being offline, likely because the wireless signal has to make its way through the cinderblocks in my basement. I imagine larger homes will have more problems and need additional hubs just for coverage.
Ring Outdoor Smart Plug: Competition
Several alternative outdoor smart plugs are available on Amazon, and seemingly all of them are less expensive. For $20, the BN-LINK Smart WiFi Heavy Duty Outdoor Outlet offers a 3rd controllable outlet and integration with both Alexa and Google Assistant. That last part, alone, makes it a better choice for Google-powered smart homes. Being 50% less expensive and having 50% more outlets is a fantastic value proposition compared to Ring's offering. The app is much more straightforward, but Ring's app makes it easier to program alongside other devices for a linked experience. Being reliant on Wi-Fi might also be preferable over a local hub connection.
Another alternative, the HBN Heavy Duty Wi-Fi Timer with Two Grounded Outlet, is also $20, has Google Assistant and Alexa compatibility, and controls via a simpler app than Ring's. It's not quite as high a value proposition as BN-LINK's option above, but it's still 50% cheaper than Ring while offering similar functionality at the end of the day. It's also directly connected to your home's Wi-Fi, which might be preferable for some homes.
Ring Outdoor Smart Plug: Should you buy it?
You should buy this if ...
You need to replace those old outdoor timers.
You've already got Ring or other Alexa-powered devices.
You want a smart device that doesn't use your Wi-Fi network.
You shouldn't buy this if ...
You've got a Google-powered smart home.
You want a less expensive solution.
You need more than 2 outlets.
The Ring Outdoor Smart Plug is a perfect addition to any Ring-powered smart home. It works ideally with other Ring devices and can be programmed to turn on and off at certain times when motion is detected by other Ring devices and several other scenarios. Local Z-Wave connection via the Ring Smart Lighting Bridge means it can be controlled even when offline, and the tough, weatherproof exterior means you'll probably never have to worry about the thing breaking on you — even in crazy weather conditions.
4out of 5
Reliance on a local hub means you could end up with spotty connections if your home's smart device makeup isn't ideal. Otherwise, you'll need to buy an additional hub. At $50, that's a rough expense to have to deal with, especially when there's already a perfectly good Wi-Fi network that you could use instead. It's also not going to work with Google-powered smart homes, so if that describes your home, you'll probably want to pick another product. Otherwise, if you're a Ring or Alexa-powered home, but is a pretty sweet way to ditch that old rotating timer and get a smarter way to control those outdoor lights.
Ring Outdoor Smart Plug
Bottom line: Ring Outdoor Smart Plug is a great replacement for those old rotating light timers. It offers programmable features, a timer, tie-ins with other Ring devices, and even manual control when you need it.
