5 gadgets that will make iPhone grow in class

Apple was by no means the first company to come up with the idea of using special tags to search for lost things. However, within the framework of its ecosystem, it has brought the level of their interaction with Apple devices to an unprecedented quality level.

So, Apple AirTag is such a small tracker with a body size of 31.9x31.9x8 mm and a weight of only 11 g.The device is made in the form factor of a tablet, inside which there is an accelerometer, a Bluetooth LE wireless communication module, a U1 chip, a built-in speaker and a replaceable CR2032 battery with a claimed battery life of about a year. The tag body is protected from dust and moisture in accordance with the requirements of the IP67 standard.

There are no through holes in the AirTag, so to hang the tracker, for example, on a bunch of keys, you will need to buy an expensive strap in a separate order. But there is a magnet in the body of the tag that allows you to attach the AirTag to any metal surface. Connecting the tracker is reduced to bringing an Apple smartphone to it. The label is recognized automatically, the user will be asked to assign it a name ("Keys", "Umbrella", etc.).If you link the device to an Apple ID, the location of the tag can be seen in the Locator application in the Things tab. The application has the functions of sending an audio signal to the label, building a route to it, renaming, enabling the missing mode.

There are several simple ways to search for things marked with the AirTag tracker. First, through the Siri assistant. Secondly, with the help of the aforementioned "Locator. When the tag is within Bluetooth range of any iPhone, its location data is anonymously transmitted to you by an encrypted signal through the search app. Moreover, it will not work to imperceptibly put an AirTag in a pocket or bag for surveillance — the system will determine that someone else's tag is traveling side by side and will issue a warning.

In a number of countries around the world, another killer feature of the label has been implemented — Ultra—Wide Band technology for the most accurate positioning of things within the range of the smartphone's wireless Bluetooth network (with an accuracy of several centimeters). Its work is run by the same built-in U1 chip, but in east european latitudes, the technology frequencies are reserved for military needs. The accessory will certainly be useful to all sorts of "confused", and with the implementation of UWB, even more options for using the label will open up.

Magnetic razem with the name MagSafe debuted in 2006. Its essence was that there were magnets on the cable and in the slot for charging Apple laptops — you could not be afraid to accidentally touch the wire with your foot, it just pulled out, and the laptop remained in place. In its modern form, MagSafe charging was re-introduced in 2020, from now on it works wirelessly and is intended for the iPhone.

The new version of the Apple MagSafe Charger is sharpened for joint use with smartphones of the iPhone 12 generation. In their case there is a special insert, which contains a magnetic circle and a charging coil. The charger is automatically centered on the magnetic pad on the side of the "back" of the smartphone. The built-in NFC helps to recognize MagSafe in it.

The maximum power in wireless charging mode when using a 20-watt adapter is 15 watts. With a block of 18 watts, the magnetic charger gives out 13 watts. In terms of the rate of replenishment of energy reserves in the battery tanks of a smartphone, MagSafe loses to classic wired charging by about two times. However, for the case of the same night bedside charging, it does not matter at all.

Apple's MagSafe Charger uses Qi technology for wireless charging. This means that the device is suitable for charging any other compatible gadgets, but at lower power parameters. For example, the iPhone 11 is charged with it in 4-5 hours. Owners of Apple Watch can recommend a version of magnetic charging for two slots — MagSafe Duo Charger.

As you know, it is not customary to use memory expansion slots in Apple smartphones. Numerous cloud services or the SanDisk iXpand family of USB flash drives serve as rescue sticks when there is a lack of free space on board the iPhone. Let's look at it using the Go model as an example.

In appearance, the device is a typical USB flash drive with a USB Type-A connector for connecting to a computer. However, it is necessary to turn the metal part inside the cap by 180° and the Lighthing section appears to the eye. Through the contacts of the corresponding port, the drive will dock with any "iPhone", starting with the 5th model.

In order for an Apple smartphone to see a USB flash drive, you need to download and install the iXpand Drive application. It provides access to the functions of the drive and is a convenient file manager. Through the programme, you can set up an automatic backup of data, copy files from your phone, and it also provides an interesting opportunity to take photos and videos directly to a USB flash drive (bypassing the smartphone memory).

The computer "sees" the flash drive without third-party programs as a normal external storage device. Data from it is read at an average rate of 75-85 Mbps, recording is performed at a speed of 45-55 Mbps. The drive will be useful on a long journey (you can throw a whole season of your favorite TV series on it in high quality), mobile videographers who prefer to shoot in 4K resolution, and just to solve the problem of lack of free memory in the iPhone.

The breakthrough of Apple's pen in the arena of closed-type overhead headphones was the image model AirPods Maximum These are premium wireless headphones that reveal their full potential when used in the Apple ecosystem.

The model is made in a recognizable design with a breathable mesh in the headband, telescopic stainless steel arms and memory foam ear pads. They gently close the auricle, provide full sound insulation and are held on magnetic fasteners. If desired, the ear pads can be easily and quickly replaced, with a choice of five options for their colours in pastel colours: green, pink, blue sky, silver and grey space. The weight of the headphones is 385 g — their heaviness is felt, but does not cause discomfort even with long hours of wearing on the head.

From the Apple Watch, the Digital Crown wheel came into the headphones. It is used to adjust the volume, pause music playback and rewind tracks. A separate button on the right earphone turns on the active noise reduction or transparency mode. The headphone noise reduction system relies in fact on 8 built-in microphones and effectively "crushes" even human speech, let alone the rumble in a subway tunnel or the noise from an airplane engine. In transparency mode, sounds come from the outside without the slightest delay, which goes to the model exclusively for the future.

The headphones sound truly amazing. Moreover, AirPods Max themselves improve the sound depending on the style of music, taking into account the position of the head and the tightness of the fit to the ears. The tandem of Apple H1 sound processors (one in each earphone) is responsible for the operation of all the "smart" systems of the model, including spatial audio technology. A couple of pebbles in the garden of the model — a non-folding design and the inability to turn off the headphones. If you do not put them in a case that partly resembles a women's bra, the Apple AirPods charge will melt literally before your eyes. Well, you will need to pay a tidy sum for headphones in the store.

The "smart" Apple Watch has long turned from appendages for the iPhone into quite original devices. However, their full functionality opens up in conjunction with Apple smartphones.

The Apple Watch 6 entered the market in 2020. In the sixth generation, they were "thrown" a brighter, non-fading OLED screen that displays a picture in the Always on Display mode, a new S6 processor to increase productivity, as well as a sensor system to measure saturation (the degree of oxygen saturation of the blood). Of course, the functions of ECG removal (not available in all regions), heart rate monitor, sleep monitor and activity tracker have not gone away.

Smartwatches automatically track a good hundred sports, help to achieve goals and analyze workouts for a number of parameters of physical activity. The model also monitors the quality of sleep, but does not collect information about its phases, in which it loses to many fitness trackers. Apple Watch can be used to view notifications from the iPhone, quickly respond to messages, control the music player, contactless payment for purchases through the Apple Pay system via the built-in NFC sensor.

In the Cellular modification, the watch is equipped with an e-SIM module, which puts them in the light of a full-fledged replacement for a smartphone. Among other amenities, it is necessary to highlight the GPS adapter, the function of detecting drops of the "carrier", as well as the dust and water protection of the watch case according to the IP68 standard. Only the battery life of the wearable gadget leaves much to be desired (1-2 days), but given the abundance of functions in the software arsenal, it is not necessary to scold the model for this.