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The vacuum world has gone cordless, untethering us from outlets and saving us fights with pesky wires. Cordless vacuums can be great alternatives to traditional corded models since they’re lightweight and easier to maneuver around your home. They’ve also gotten much more powerful in recent years. Some even come with extra features like app connectivity, self-emptying bases and more. But just like the robot vacuum space, there are dozens of cordless vacuums to choose from now (no, Dyson isn’t your only option). Before you upgrade to a cordless vacuum it’s important to do your research. We at Engadget can help make your decision a bit easier. After testing a bunch of the most popular cordless vacuum cleaners available today, we’ve come up with our top picks, plus loads of buying advice to help you figure out which cordless stick vacuum is right for you.

Factors to consider before buying a cordless vacuum

Design and bin volume

Most of the cordless vacuums you’ll find today have stick designs, with a handle at the top attached to a debris bin, which has a space to connect different attachments at one end. These designs are more versatile than old school vacuums of yesteryear because, while you may use the long stick attachment most of the time to clean your floors, many cordless vacuums come with other attachments as well. Some allow you to clean hard to reach spaces like the interior of your car, while others make it easier to vacuum furniture and clean inside crevices.

Bin volume is worth keeping in mind when you’re choosing a cordless vacuum. The larger the bin, the more debris it can hold, but it might also mean a heavier machine. All of the cordless vacuums we tested had a bin size between 0.1 and 0.8 gallons and all were able to handle cleaning an entire one-pet home (roughly 2,000 square feet) in a single run without needing to be emptied.

Some cordless vacuums also have removable, replaceable battery packs, which is super handy. That means you can buy a replacement battery and install it easily, without needing to seek out professional assistance. Also, these extra batteries cost around $150-$200 a pop — expensive, yes, but nowhere near as costly as buying a whole new cordless vacuum.

Suction and power modes

Cordless vacuum suction power is typically measured in air wattage (AW), but you’ll see some that list the power of the motor in wattage (W) instead. Typically the higher the air or motor wattage the stronger the suction power, and often strength is proportional to price — more expensive cordless vacuums tend to have stronger suction power. A general rule of thumb is that those with precocious pets or mess-making children would benefit from a cordless vacuum cleaner with stronger-than-average suction power.

Most cordless stick vacuums will have two different power modes: a “normal” or default power mode that balances suction power with battery life, as well as a “max” or stronger mode that kicks suction strength up a notch. Some vacuums, like those from Dyson, also have an “eco” mode, or one that prioritizes run time over strength.

Separate from power modes you can select yourself, some cordless vacuums will automatically adjust motor strength depending on the detected floor type or the amount of mess in its wake. Not only is this convenient, but it also ensures that the machine is working its hardest only when you need it.

Battery life

Obviously, battery life is important since you’ll probably want to clean more than one room in a shot. All of the cordless vacuums we tested had a battery life of at least 40 minutes in standard cleaning mode. I tested each by cleaning all three floors of my home (upstairs, downstairs and basement) on a single charge with the machine running in its standard (“auto”) mode and none of them ran out of juice before I could finish the third floor. That said, extra battery life can come in handy if you’re switching between power modes since “max” or high-power programs use more energy.

Base style

Most cordless stick vacuums come with some sort of base or mount where the machine lives when you’re not using it. Wall mounts are the most common, but some have free-standing bases where you dock and charge the vacuum. Consider the space in your home where you want the cordless vacuum to live, since it will have to have an outlet or another power source nearby.

Some high-end cordless vacuums come with self-emptying bases that act much like those included with expensive robot vacuums. After cleaning and returning the vacuum to the base, it will automatically empty the dustbin into a larger dustbin that you can then detach from the base when you need to empty it. This kind of base adds an extra layer of convenience into the mix, since you typically will only have to empty the larger dustbin every month or two.

“Smart” features

Yes, some cordless vacuums have “smart” features like Wi-Fi and app connectivity. But before we get into those, let’s talk about the extra perks scattered among these devices. Some models, like the latest from Dyson, include particle sensors that show you how many different sized pieces of debris it’s sucking up in real time. Dyson’s, for example, is a piezo acoustic sensor that detects particle size and frequency and displays that information on the vac’s LCD screen. Tineco’s iLoop sensor is similar, controlling its vacuums’ automatic suction power adjustment and changing a circle on the display from red to blue as you fully clean an area.

Higher-end cordless vacuums may also have companion apps that show things like battery level, filter status and cleaning logs. It’s an added level of convenience, but by no means necessary. Unlike robot vacuums, which rely on their apps to set cleaning schedules, manually control the machines and more, cordless vacuums that you operate yourself really don’t need Wi-Fi or an app connectivity.

Price

Cordless stick vacuums range in price from $150 all the way up to over $1,000. The best ones for most people lie in the middle, in the $400 to $700 range. You’ll notice most of our picks land in the higher end of that range, but for good reason: More expensive machines tend to have more sucking power, which means less time wasted going over the same spots over and over. But does that mean everyone needs the most premium cordless vacuum? Definitely not. We’ve come up with top picks at various price points that should work well for people with different budgets, lifestyles, home sizes and more.

How we test cordless vacuums

Engadget doesn’t have a dedicated lab in which we can test cordless vacuums, but I used each model in my home for weeks. I ran them over hardwood and tile flooring, as well as low-pile carpet. And my first runthrough consisted of cleaning all three floors of my home on a single battery charge. I performed the same cleaning job as many times as possible, but also intermittently cleaned a single floor as needed, or sucked up isolated messes like crumbs, cat litter spills and tufts of pet fur. Over the course of many cleanings with each model, I made note of how loud the machine was, how easy it was to maneuver around my home, how easily it sucked up pieces of large debris (or if it pushed it around my floor instead) and if they got warm or hot.

Other cordless stick vacuums we tested

Dyson Gen 5 Detect

The Dyson Gen 5 Detect has a single-button start and stronger suction power than our top pick, but it’s otherwise quite similar. However, since the Gen 5 Detect is more expensive at $950 (although it does receive discounts at Dyson online), the V15 Detect still provides greater value for your money. The Gen 5 Detect is arguably best for those who want the latest Dyson, or care about getting a more future-proof machine, since it came out just last year.

Shark Detect Pro

The Shark Detect Pro provides a lot of value for the money, but it was ultimately beat by the Tineco Pure One S15 Pet for our runner-up slot thanks to the Tineco’s stronger suction power. The kicker for the Detect Pro is that it includes a self-emptying base in its $450 price, which is super handy. It’ll automatically dump the contents of the vacuum into the larger bin in the base after every cleaning, and you only need to empty the base’s container every month or so. The Detect Pro did a good job cleaning up messes across different types of flooring, and it’ll auto-adjust suction power depending on the amount of debris and whether you’re cleaning hard or carpeted floors. However, it’s not as smooth to use as any of our top picks and its main cleaner head is a bit tall, making it difficult to use to clean under low furniture.

FAQs

How long does the battery last on a cordless vacuum?

Most cordless vacuums will run for at least 30-40 minutes on a single charge, but you can find cordless vacuums with battery lives of up to 60 or 70 minutes. Manufacturers will outline an estimated battery life for each model, and they’re usually based on using the vacuum’s standard power mode for the entire runtime; if you switch between modes or prefer to use a higher-powered program for improved suction, you’ll drain the battery faster.

Can cordless vacuums be as powerful as corded ones?

Cordless vacuums do sacrifice a bit in overall power when compared to corded models, but that doesn’t mean they can’t handle everyday messes just as well. If suction power is your biggest concern, we recommend springing for a high-powered, high-end cordless vacuum since, typically, the more expensive a cordless vacuum is, the stronger the suction. Also, cordless vacuums have the edge over corded models when it comes to weight and convenience: cordless vacuums are much lighter than their corded counterparts, and you’ll never have to worry about placement or picking a fight with a cord while cleaning your living room.

Are cordless vacuums effective on pet hair?

Yes, cordless vacuums can handle pet hair well, but we recommend getting a model with strong suction power to get the best results. It’s also wise to get one with a larger bin, since pet hair can quickly fill up smaller bins, which may force you to stop cleaning to empty the vacuum before finishing.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-cordless-vacuum-130007125.html?src=rss 

Android fans looking for a reasonably priced phone to upgrade to are in luck thanks to the Amazon Big Spring Sale. Although the event doesn’t officially start until March 20, we’re already seeing early deals pop up on Amazon. One of which is the Google Pixel 7a, which has dropped to a record low price of $374. We’ve seen the handset drop to this price before, but as of late, it’s been hovering around its regular price of $499.

The Pixel 7a has sat at the top of our best midrange phones list since it came out last year and it offers a ton of value even at its standard price. It runs on Google’s Tensor G2 chip, which gives it solid performance considering its cost, and it has a lovely 6.1-inch, 90Hz OLED touchscreen and support for wireless charging. Its design looks very similar to the flagship Pixel series phones and it has an IP67 rating for water resistance.

But the camera array makes the Pixel 7a truly stand out among other phones in its price range, and certainly among budget Android phones that typically come in at around $350. The 64-megapixel rear shooter takes impressive images that preserve details and highlights, and Google’s Night Sight mode allows it to take solid low-light images. The 13MP selfie camera can record 4K videos, too. While the Pixel 7a suffers a bit from its lack of dedicated zoom and telephoto lenses, those are relatively small sacrifices to make when you’re getting an otherwise stellar camera system for the price.

Ultimately, the Pixel 7a is the smartphone to get if you want the best value Android handset and don’t want to spend more than a few hundred dollars. Snagging it while it’s under $400 during this sale means you’re getting it at the best price we’ve seen, making it an even better buy. However, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the concurrent sales on the Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro — those are up to $250 off right now, down to $499 and $749, respectively. These are the best Android phones you can buy right now, period, and both offer Google’s Tensor G3 chipset, a more refined design, long battery life and useful AI features that make taking photos and using the Google Assistant much better.

Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon’s Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, hear from Autoblog’s car experts on the best spring auto deals on Amazon, and find spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-google-pixel-7a-drops-to-a-record-low-of-374-ahead-of-the-amazon-big-spring-sale-131529572.html?src=rss 

Better weather is coming and that means more time outside using your phone — and making sure it doesn’t die while capturing all the beautiful blooms. Fortunately, Amazon is running a sale on Anker, one of our favorite portable charger brands. A range of the company’s products are currently on sale, including the Anker Prime Power Bank, down to $125 from $180. The 31 percent price cut makes one of our best power banks for 2024 picks much more accessible. 

Anker’s Prime Power Bank is a great choice if you’re sick of guessing how much juice your power bank has left. This premium portable charger digitally displays its battery percentage. The device can charge your iPhone to 75 percent in 47 minutes and to 100 percent in an hour and 48 minutes. An iPad clocks in at 54 percent after 47 minutes and 100 percent after two hours and 11 minutes. The charger has a sleek look for a high price point but the screen seems easily scratched. 

Notably, the Prime Power Bank’s sale doesn’t include the charging base (that will cost you $235 for both), but it’s not necessary. You can fully recharge the power bank in 37 minutes with a USB-C cord at 140W — faster than the base’s 100W charging capabilities.

Other notable power banks included in Amazon’s sale are Anker’s 622 Magnetic Battery and 737 Power Bank. The 622 touts the largest discount of the group with a 43 percent cut bringing it’s price to $40 from $70. It snaps right onto the back of an iPhone and provides up to 17 hours of battery life. The device, which is available in blue, also comes with a PopSockets attachment. 

The Anker 737 Power Bank is a bit more expensive, with a 38 percent discount dropping its price to $80 from $130. However, it offers three charging ports (two USB and one USB-C) and works with laptops, iPhones and Androids. USB connections have 18W of power while the USB-C provides 60W. 

Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon’s Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, hear from Autoblog’s car experts on the best spring auto deals on Amazon, and find spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/anker-power-banks-and-wireless-chargers-are-up-to-43-percent-off-for-the-amazon-spring-sale-132737485.html?src=rss 

Respawn, the EA-owned studio behind Apex Legends has postponed the North American Finals tournament after hackers broke into matches and equipped players with cheats. The developer posted to X, formerly Twitter, that the delay has been caused due to the “competitive integrity of the series being compromised.” Footage of the hacks, available available on Twitch, gave players the ability to see their opponent’s location while notable player ImperialHal was handed an aimbot which artificially improves their aim while playing.

Cheating has been a continual issue for EA — and one that players claim the company is doing little to mitigate. Frustrated posts on EA’s general discussion page include statements like “If EA gonna ban all the cheaters it wouldn’t be enough players to play the game,” and “The real issue lies in the process of banning/suspending players.” Other grievances include a focus on profits over experience, such as bumping up the price of skins.

Furthermore, EA laid off five percent of its workforce — about 650 people — at the end of February. Respawn’s in-progress Star Wars first-person shooter game was canceled alongside the terminations. At the time CEO Andrew Wilson told employees that EA was “streamlining our company operations to deliver deeper, more connected experiences for fans everywhere.”

A new time for the North American Finals of Apex Legends hasn’t been announced, but the X post stated that it would “share more information soon.” In the meantime, EA and Respawn have to determine how to block the hacker’s current access and how to reopen qualifications without risking further hacks.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hackers-gave-pro-players-cheats-during-eas-north-american-finals-of-apex-legends-122102739.html?src=rss 

If you’re not interested in a midrange smartphone but don’t want to pay flagship prices either, Qualcomm has a possible solution. The company just unveiled the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor that offers flagship features, but performance just below the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. 

It’s built using a 4-nanometer (nm) process with a 1+4+3 core setup (one prime ARM Cortex X4 at 3.0GHz, four performance cores at 2.8Ghz and three 2.0GHz efficiency cores. That compares with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s 1+5+2 setup, so the “s” model swaps a performance core for an efficiency core. The prime core on the flagship chip also runs a bit faster at 3.4Ghz. 

The chip uses a previous-gen X70 5G modem, though it still offers Wi-Fi 7 support. You also get hardware-accelerated ray tracing for more realistic gameplay. 

There’s on-device multimodal generative AI that can run large language models (LLMs) with up to 10 billion parameters, meaning it’ll support model’s like Gemini Nano, along with AI assistants. However, it lacks some AI features found on the 8 Gen 3 chip. It also comes with the always-sensing ISP introduced with the last-gen Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. 

The new chip adds another sub-category to Qualcomm’s lineup, particularly if you count the last-gen chips still used in devices like the OnePlus 12R. The chip will appear in Honor, iQOO, Realme, Redmi and Xiaomi smartphones announced later this month — so it’ll be interesting to see how they’re priced compared to the flagship models. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/qualcomms-snapdragon-8s-gen-3-chip-is-a-notch-below-its-flagship-processor-075258397.html?src=rss 

Some people are fine working amongst chaos, while others can’t type a word if a Post-It is out of place. Those of us who fall somewhere in between may have desks that go from meticulous to mayhem over the course of a week. If you’re looking for a way to keep things on the neater side of the spectrum, some of these gadgets may help. Here are our recommendations for a more organized work-from-home setup.

  

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-organize-your-desk-work-from-home-setup-133015500.html?src=rss 

Following Hertz’s disastrous misadventure with EVs, CEO Stephen Scherr is stepping down, Bloomberg reported. He’ll be replaced by the former COO of GM’s robotaxi Cruise division, Gil West, who will also join the board of directors. 

A year after emerging from bankruptcy in 2020, Hertz said it would transform its car rental business by purchasing 100,000 Tesla EVs. “The new Hertz is going to lead the way as a mobility company, starting with the largest EV rental fleet in North America,” the company said at the time. The announcement helped send Tesla’s value soaring to a $1 trillion valuation. 

Scherr joined Hertz after that decision was made, but increased Hertz’s bet on EVs by placing orders with Polestar and GM as well. The company didn’t purchase many EVs from those automakers, but by the end, it had around 60,000 from the three automakers. 

Things went sideways after that, though. Tesla drastically cut prices of its Model 3 and Model Y EVs, scorching resale values. In addition, Hertz said that Tesla’s vehicles were expensive to repair and unpopular with renters. 

As a result, the company started unloading 20,000 EVs, about a third of its electrified fleet. That resulted in a $245 million charge for Hertz and its largest quarterly loss since the pandemic. Other rental car firms have also recently ditched EVs, with Germany’s Sixt doing away with its entire fleet. 

West, meanwhile, was one of nine Cruise executives dismissed following an incident that saw a pedestrian dragged by a Cruise vehicle after being struck by another car. Authorities accused the company of withholding a video that allegedly showed the victim underneath its vehicle.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hertz-ceo-steps-down-following-tesla-ev-purchase-debacle-055220994.html?src=rss