BTTR

We're hitting the busy time of year, mates. Between the impending IFA show in Berlin, Gamescom this week in Cologne and the upcoming Apple "Surprise & Shine" event in September, it seems like my inbox is flooded with new product announcements. From a $199 indoor pizza oven to a printer that'll put ink on almost anything, a gaming monitor the width of your desk and a washing machine the size of a small car, this week has a bit of everything.

Amazfit only recently expanded into the Australian market officially, but it's not wasting any time trying to make its mark. The company has just launched its latest smartwatch for Australians, the Balance 3. Since launching in 2015, Amazfit has grown into a global player, having sold more than 200 million devices, with 42 million daily active users.

I don't think I could envisage a workspace large enough to house a 49-inch OLED monitor, but that's one of the products Samsung just announced over at Gamescom. Admittedly, it's not 49 inches in the 16:9 TV aspect ratio way. It's a 5120 x 1440 display, with a 360Hz refresh rate, effectively acting as two monitors side by side in a single body. That's the Odyssey OLED G9, and it's just one piece of a four-monitor lineup Samsung has revealed for 2027, following on for this year's Odyssey lineup.

I didn't love the original OpenFit Air, particularly when compared to the regular OpenFit earphones. But Shokz has been on a roll lately, so I expect the launch of its newest models in the Air lineup, the OpenFit Air 2 and the OpenRun Air 2, to bring Shokz' quality experience to a lower price point. The OpenRun Air 2 is the first 'Air' version of the OpenRun series to land in Australia, and it's the lighter, more streamlined sibling to Shokz's standard bone conduction sports headphones.

Reviewing the Gozney Arc Lite earlier this year gave me a newfound appreciation for homemade pizza, but as an outdoor gas appliance, it probably hasn't been getting as much use as I'd like over the winter months. So Kenwood's launch of the My Pizzeria appliance, which works indoors and reaches temperatures of 400ºC, definitely piqued my interest. It's a compact benchtop oven that promises stone-baked results without needing a backyard or gas bottle.

I've gotten so used to seeing smartphone battery capacities hovering around the 5,000 mAh point for so long that I had to do a double take when I saw the spec on the new Xiaomi REDMI Note 17 Pro Max 5G. Packed in to the body is a huge 9,210 mAh battery. That's almost double the capacity found in the Galaxy S26 FE that was announced this week. It's also built with ruggedness in mind, with an IP66/IP68 rating, and three metre drop testing.

Is it hard to bend a coffee? Ninja doesn't think so, launching the new Luxe Café Pro Espresso Machine by David Beckham in Australia today. I was a big fan of Ninja's debut coffee machine in Australia, the Luxe Café Premier, when I reviewed it back in January. So what does Mr Posh Spice bring to the table with his "Pro" version? For starters, a much flashier finish. The limited-edition machine swaps in a bead-blasted matte black stainless-steel body, an ebony wood handle and gold accents.

If you long for the flagship experience at the mid-range price point, Samsung's FE range is generally a pretty solid place to start. Today, the company has just announced its S26 Fan Edition release, available from 4 September with RRPs starting at $1,149. The Galaxy S26 FE is the first phone in the S26 family to ship with One UI 9, Samsung's latest software layer.

Originally announced back at Computex, ASUS has this week confirmed its anniversary gaming handheld, the ROG XBOX Ally X20, is coming to Australians. But it's not exactly cheap. The X20 sits at the top of ASUS's Ally family, above the existing ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X. It's a limited edition collector's piece built to mark 20 years of ROG, and it wraps that milestone in a translucent black and gold chassis you'll either love or think looks a bit much on public transport.

Cold brew is an absolute saviour for caffeine addicts in warmer weather. But JURA's new Nitro cold brew kit takes it one step further, and I am very intrigued. Nitro Cold Brew is the trend every specialty café seems to be chasing right now. It's known for its silky texture, cascading pour and refreshing flavour. JURA reckons it's cracked how to bring that experience home, without the ongoing expense of additional gas cartridges.