8 best gadgets we reviewed in October: Oura Ring 4, TicWatch Atlas, and more

There was no shortage of awesome devices on the review desk in October, even though it was a little slow in terms of high-end phone launches. We tested a particularly large contingent of novel devices that really showcase the power of today's ultra-efficient, ever-shrinking technology, like smart rings, health and sleep trackers, smartwatches, and specialty tablets, on top of some remarkable audio and video equipment.

While we did sample some super premium electronics, a lot of our favorite recent devices aren't terribly expensive, and could be realistic additions to your holiday wish list instead of just being stuff you dream about. Enjoy this rundown of the eight coolest gadgets we reviewed in the last month.

1 Insta360 Ace Pro 2

A true high-end action camera

After years of GoPro domination, Insta360 action cameras have emerged as real competition at the top of the line. This second-generation offering sports a refined, well, just about everything, building on the strengths of its predecessors and ironing out most of the imperfections.

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Review: The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 is still the low-light champ of action cameras

Plus 8K too

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The Ace Pro 2 is waterproof to 12 meters, supports motion-stabilized 4K HDR recording, and improves on the original Ace Pro's industry first 8K shooting capability with a bump to 30FPS. It's also a far cry better than the rest in low-light settings. It's not cheap, especially with the upgraded mount that's basically a necessity, but it is the best we've tested yet.

2 Oura Ring 4

Smart rings have gone mainstream

Source: Oura

Once a combination of optimism and subpar hardware and software, smart rings have matured into legitimately useful gadgets. The Oura Ring 4 fixes a lot of minor issues it and other companies' smallest wearables have trouble with, resulting in major uplifts in performance and utility.

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Review: The Oura Ring 4 finally addresses my biggest pain point with smart rings

Improved automatic tracking is a game-changer

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Its marginal improvements include a refined appearance and construction, and a sharper outer edge. More importantly, the recently updated software adds significantly enhanced automatic activity detection, making the Oura Ring 4 one of the most functionally active smart rings. Along with an increased focus on long-term organization, it's one of the most convenient wearable health trackers today.

3 ReMarkable Paper Pro

As good as note-taking gets

Shunning the jack-of-all-trades reputation of a typical tablet, the most advanced ReMarkable tablet yet sports the best E Ink display yet released and the most focused design of any productivity forward slate. To be clear, it's pretty expensive, but it's also basically the pinnacle of digital note-taking. The clarity, color, and refresh rate beat all the competition, as does the stark similarity to the way real paper feels.

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Review: The Remarkable Paper Pro offers a curious mix of improvements and compromises

As limiting and freeing as paper, now in color

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If your heart is set on completely replacing paper in your writing life, there aren't many better investments. Its aluminum body and glass screen exude quality, and the OEM keyboard is surprisingly great to type on given its thinness.

The Paper Pro's biggest drawback is also basically its main strength, as there aren't any really any multifunctional apps or super-versatile features to utilize; it's a writing-focused tablet with nothing to distract you. If that's what you're looking for, the latest ReMarkable tablet is the right buy.

4 Mobvoi TicWatch Atlas

Another great contender

Competition between well-priced, high-end smartwatches has really heated up in the past year. The Mobvoi TicWatch Atlas' most talked-about feature is an ultra-low-power secondary screen layer that operates independently of the main OLED panel. Like an always-on phone display, it gives you the basic information you need at a glance, with no wakeup delay or significant battery drain.

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Review: The Mobvoi TicWatch Atlas is one of the best Wear OS smartwatches yet

Hopefully Wear OS 5 support doesn't take a year

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Battery life and physical design play a bigger role for wearables than most devices, and the TicWatch Atlas shines in both aspects. It looks like a high-end timepiece, but isn't posh, gaudy, overly large, or otherwise overdone. The battery competes with even the best from Garmin, one of our go-to favorites for long-life smartwatches.

While the software experience could be slightly more refined (and we don't yet know exactly when it'll get Wear OS 5, only that someday it will), that's an easy pill to swallow since it's quite likely to be improved moving forward.

5 Garmin Enduro 3

A masterclass in versatile wearable features

We loved the Enduro 2 as much as we love Garmin's best releases, and you'll love the Enduro 3 if you like big watches. Available exclusively in 51mm, its big display provides a plethora of information, and hides a transparent solar panel around the border that contributes to a functional battery life of up to 90 days — a lifespan unheard-of on even the best smartwatches.

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Review: The Garmin Enduro 3 is cheaper, lighter, and might be a Fenix 8 killer

The month-long battery life is a bonus

It's equipped with a bevy of sensors, including the full slate of navigation tools needed for location-finding worldwide; health sensors, the upgraded optical heart rate sensor, are top-notch. Materials and build quality also can't be beat, with the Enduro 3 promising ruggedness and a premium feel that will last for years.

It's expensive, commanding a roughly $800 investment, but it's still less costly than similar models. The only thing it can't do is accompany you on dives.

6 Xgimi MoGo 3 Pro

The latest portable Google Play projector shines brightly

Most modern smart TV interfaces are hit-or-miss. The official Google TV implementation used by the Xgimi MoGo 3 Pro routinely gets high marks for convenience, power, and consistency, with few bugs and many consumer-friendly design decisions. That's just one great thing about this midrange projector, whose $450 price seems high until you realize it performs as well as models twice its price.

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Review: Xgimi's MoGo 3 Pro is a killer portable Google TV projector that outshines the competition

Great design meets good performance

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In fairness, this portable projector does require an external power source, but decoupling it from any kind of internal battery actually increases versatility in a way. It's relatively light and compact, which makes it easy to place in any setting.

The Full HD resolution and 560 lumens might seem pedestrian, but keep in mind that it's a 1080p hardware resolution and ANSI-rated lumense, which count for infinitely more than the "accepts HD signals" and "produces 800 lumens" lines a lot of manufacturers push. Taking performance, interface, and user-friendliness as a whole, this is one of the best projectors we've ever used.

7 Samsung Galaxy S24 FE

A worthy midrange-plus device with a specific market

Samsung's Galaxy S series is basically an industry standard-setter, but the FE's place in the lineup can be a little confusing at first. Make no mistake, it's a fantastic midrange phone that closely approaches its slightly more expensive siblings in overall usability.

The performance of its Exynos 2400e chipset is nothing short of great, too; impressively, Samsung's in-house silicon is finally starting to rival the Qualcomm hardware it replaces in many markets.

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Review: The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is one step away from greatness

It faces stiff competition

Camera hardware and imaging algorithms have seen notable improvements, and the screen is as bright, crisp, and colorful as you'd expect from a top-quality Galaxy device. It's one of the many new Samsung devices that promises to push seven years of Android updates, and we have no doubt its hardware will age gracefully.

The interesting part is that a full-on Galaxy S24 can be bought for just a bit more, but the S24 FE doesn't appear to exist for buyers paying the MSRP in cash. Keeping your eye on the market for a while will net you a serious deal via a typical discount or contract-supported carrier offer, making the S24 Fan Edition one of the deals of the year in the right circumstances.

8 Apple iPhone 16

A worthy refinement

We recognize a good phone when we see it. The performance, design, and software behind the iPhone 16 only improves upon what came before. It misses out on some high-end features reserved for the Pro, like a telephoto lens and 120Hz display, but it's an all-around gorgeous device that checks all the boxes. It also continues to boast the ultra-convenient, exceptional camera performance Apple handsets are known for.

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Review: The iPhone 16 is the iPhone you should be tempted by

There are few reasons to go Pro

Where it really turns a corner is its iOS 18 implementation. Reviewer Nirave Gondhia pegged it as the "most Android-like software ever" to grace Apple's famously streamlined smartphones. And, better late than never, the slowly evolving Apple Intelligence feature package promises to continue adding value to the company's best base model phone yet.

What's happening in November?

Serious smartphone aficionados are looking overseas for the next month, as premium devices from Oppo, iQoo, and Realme drop and OnePlus 13 reviews start to trickle in.

The US market will have to settle for the global launch of the Asus ROG Phone 9 series later in the month, but that doesn't mean Android Police will see any downtime. We already have a slate of devices undergoing testing that aren't just novel and interesting, but offer real-world functionality that could make them worthwhile inclusions on your holiday wish list.

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