The dictionary defines "testy" as easily annoyed or bad-tempered. But maybe it should refer to PCMag?
Testing tech products is our whole schtick, after all. We do it more than 2,000 times a year, striving for the unbiased, lab-based results that make us the independent guide to technology. And we enjoy seeing the latest $5,750 mobile workstation or $3,000 OLED TV or the loaded $7,999 Apple Mac Studio. Why shouldn't we? Car magazines review Ferraris, after all.
Most folks, however, don't drive them. And most of us don't buy cost-no-object technology, especially in an age of inflation and supply-chain shortages. That's why we're particularly pleased when we find products that deliver both performance and value, elegance and affordability, features and frugality. Telling you about bargains is the best part of our job, and now we're doing it in a nifty new way.
Value hunters, unite! Presenting The Cheap Tech 100: PCMag's recommendations of outstanding values in 100-odd product categories from hardware to software, from home entertainment and health to PCs and smartphones. Our editors scoured our vast field of reviews to assemble this mega-guide of picks. And we will be updating it monthly, as a cut-to-the-chase supplement to our many bargain-conscious buyer's guides. (Examples of those include The Best Cheap Printers, The Best Cheap Robot Vacuums, The Best Cheap Gaming Laptops, and lots more). We hope it helps you spend wisely and keep a little more money in your wallet.
Staring at the grocery-store shelf these days, prices rise seemingly before your eyes. Your utility bills, too, tick upward every month. Times are tough, and the money crunch is real. Hidden bargains have more appeal than ever...but you have to know where to look for them.
Let us help with personal tech. Some of our favorite products and services—out of the more than 1,500 that we review every year—are completely free. Others do far more than you’d expect for their bargain-basement prices. We’re not talking about bandwidth-limited VPNs, or $50 printers that require many times that in yearly ink costs (though we review those, too). We perk up when we find products that deliver both performance and value. Elegance and affordability. Features and frugality.
Below, check out most outstanding values of the moment across categories we test: from hardware to software, home entertainment to health, big PCs to slim smartphones. Keep this list of the latest bargains on your radar in these tough economic times. Good tech doesn't always have to be hard on your budget.