The best color laser printers of 2018

For small business and home office use, laser printers are the way to go. Generally speaking, they’re quick, reliable, and tend to be much more affordable than even the best inkjet printers on a per-page basis.

While black-and-white laser printers are good enough for the most basic of jobs, sometimes you need a little splash of color. Enter color laser jet printers.

From basic print-only models to all-in-ones that can print, fax, copy, and scan, there’s no shortage of options to choose from. To help make your decision easier, we’ve rounded up the best color laser jet printers in their respective specialties.

Our Pick

Brother HL-3170CDW

Why should you buy this: Aside from copying and scanning, this laser color printer has everything you need to print time and time again, be it reports, contracts, flyers, or brochures.

Our pick

Brother HL-3170CDW

It’s a fast, reliable color laser printer that won’t break the bank.

$214.00 from Amazon

$214.99 from Best Buy

Who’s it for: Anyone who needs a fast, robust, and reliable color laser printer without breaking the bank.

How much will it cost: $215

Why we picked the Brother HL-3170CDW:

Dollar for dollar, you won’t find a better color laser printer than Brother’s HL-3170CDW. It lacks the scanning and copying functionality of much more expensive all-in-one printers, but aside from that, it manages to pack in almost any other feature you can imagine.

The Brother HL-3140CW can print full-color documents at up to 600 × 2,400 dpi with a maximum output of 23 pages per minute (ppm). It also features duplex printing, meaning it can print on both sides of a single sheet of paper. On that note, it can store up to 250 sheets of standard letter or legal paper. So unless you’re printing off dozens of multiple-page reports, you shouldn’t have to fill it with paper too often.

Another key feature is wireless printing. The Brother HL-3140CW uses 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi to connect with your computer, tablet, or smartphone. It works with Apple, Android, Kindle Fire, and Windows Phone 8 devices with AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, Brother’s own iPrint&Scan app, and Wi-Fi Direct. Simply put, you shouldn’t have a problem printing from any and every device you own. In the event you don’t want or need wireless connectivity, you can also use the integrated ethernet and USB 2.0 port.

When purchased through Amazon, the Brother HL-3140CW supports Amazon Dash Replenishment. This means the printer can detect when it’s low on toner and order the exact toner you need to your door. It’s not a necessity and needs to be set up separately, but if you’re all about convenience, it’s a nice feature to have.

On the off chance you want to save a little dough and don’t mind the lack of duplex printing and a slightly less impressive print speed (19 ppm vs 23 ppm), you can get the Brother HL-3140CDW for about $40 less.

Best budget color laser printer

Dell C1760NW

Why should you buy this: It’s a stripped down color laser printer that gets the job done.

Our pick

Dell C1760NW

It’s a barebones color laser printer that covers the basics but nothing more.

$135.40 from Amazon

$219.99 from Best Buy

Who’s it for: Anyone who wants a bare bones color laser printer at a reasonable price point

How much will it cost: $140

Why we picked the Dell C1760NW:

So you want a color laser printer but don’t need all of the bells and whistles other options have? Don’t fret, the Dell C1760NW is right up your alley. At $140, this boxy printer manages to pack in all the basic features you need without breaking the bank.

The Dell C1760NW prints full color and monochrome documents at a resolution of 600 dpi and a rate of 12 ppm and 15 ppm, respectively. It holds upwards of 150 sheets of letter paper with an added 10-sheet bypass tray for when you need to print a document without bending it.

It lacks the duplex printing feature of other options on the market, but it still has built-in Wi-Fi for wireless printing, which should help cut down on the cables winding around your office.  In addition to Wi-Fi Direct connection via desktop devices, you can print from Android and iOS using Dell’s Mobile Print App — not nearly as convenient as AirPrint and Google Cloud Print, but it’s wireless printing nonetheless.

The Dell C1760NW ships with four low-capacity toner cartridges (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) that reviewers say manage to print around 100 full-color pages. So if you’re planning on doing a lot of printing off the bat, you might want to pick up another set when you buy the printer. Thankfully, the CMYK toner cartridges can be replaced individually, so you’re not wasting any toner when you run out of a single color.

Best home office printer

HP LaserJet Pro M281FDW

Why should you buy this: It’s a solid all-in-one color laser that can print, scan, copy, and fax any documents you throw its way.

Our pick

HP LaserJet Pro M281FDW

It’s an all-in-one printer that punches above its price point.

$309.99 from Best Buy

$309.99 from Office Depot

Who’s it for: Entrepreneurs or small business owners that want enterprise-level functionality on a home office budget.

How much will it cost: $310

Why we picked the HP LaserJet Pro M281FDW:

If our two previous choices don’t offer enough features or a fast enough print speed, we have just the printer for you. HP’s LaserJet Pro M281FDW is the all-in-one beast you’ve been looking for.

Designed with small businesses or large home offices in mind, the HP LaserJet Pro M281FDW is an enterprise-grade laser color printer on a consumer budget.

It should come as no surprise this thing is a little beefy. It measures in at 16.5 × 16.6 × 13.2 inches and weighs a modest 41 pounds.

This all-in-one solution can print, scan, copy, and fax in full color, with the added benefit of a 50-sheet automated document feeder for when you need to scan or copy a lot of papers at once. When printing, the HP LaserJet Pro M281FDW spits out pages at a rate of up to 22 ppm for both black and white and color.

It includes a 2.7-inch color touchscreen for navigating the menu system and even has a dedicated USB port for printing straight from a USB device.

Wireless printing is possible from mobile devices using Wi-Fi direct through the printer’s 2.4 and 5.0 GHz connections. Of course, you can also attach the printer to your computer via USB 2.0 for a wired connection.

To take a simple summarization from Amazon reviewer Mike Rak, this printer is “right in the Goldilocks zone of price vs performance.” We couldn’t agree more. At just $310, the HP LaserJet Pro M281FDW offers a lot of bang for your buck.

How We Test

To find the best color laser printers, we factor in criteria such as speed, price, maintenance costs, and any unique features that help them one-up the competition. With their moving parts, we also look at durability.

Our selections are based on our long- and short-term testing; experience with earlier models; familiarity with the companies’ technologies; consultation with industry experts, fellow journalists, and users; online forums; lab results; and other third-party reviews. We look across the board – not just our own experiences – to find consensus on what we think are the best-performing printers you can currently buy. We also look at list pricing to determine if a product is worth the cost, product availability, and future-proofing qualities. We will even recommend printers that aren’t new, provided the features are still best-in-class.

The printer market evolves constantly, with manufacturers either introducing better models with new features or basic upgrades. So you can expect our picks to change, as well. But don’t worry: The models you see here will be with you for some time, and if we anticipate better models on the horizon, we will state that upfront to help you decide whether you should buy now or wait.

Bonus helpful advice

Something to keep in mind with color laser printers is that, while they’re more than capable of printing full color photographs, don’t expect them to replace your inkjet photo printer. The resolution of laser printers is much lower than even entry-level photo printers and the ink isn’t high-quality or meant to last as long as proper photo ink. The color printing capabilities of laser color printers should be limited to cases where you need a small, simple photo for a brochure or a colored chart or graph for a report you plan to print.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The best inkjet printers you can buy
• New Brother printers are designed for speed and office efficiency
• Best crossovers
• The best photo printer you can buy
• The best digital cameras you can buy

How to disable Cortana

One of the major changes to Windows 10 is the presence of Microsoft’s voice assistant, Cortana. Along with voice searches, you will be given “suggestions” that the voice assistant makes. This includes reminders for scheduled events in your calendar, ideas when you are searching the web for something, alternatives when you are quizzing Cortana for information, and more.

If you find this more annoying than helpful and don’t use Cortana for smart devices or other tasks, you can turn her off. Your options range from hiding the Cortana icons to completely disabling her and wiping your data from the Microsoft servers. Let’s take it one step at a time, so you can figure out what works for you, and how to bring Cortana back if you want her.

Please note that some of these options may require you to update Windows 10. Once a Windows update has been confirmed as stable, it’s always a good idea to upgrade to it!

Fully disabling Cortana

Greg Mombert/Digital Trends

If you go into Settings to look at your options, you will notice that the first option is a simple on/off slide bar. This first bar decides if Cortana is enabled or not. Switch it to “off” to disable Cortana.

A couple pointers about turning Cortana off. First, this will not delete Cortana’s memory of you. If you ever want to switch the voice assistant back on, she will still remember who you are, what your preferences are, and generally everything that she learned about you before being disabled. Second, Cortana is not synonymous with searching in Windows 10. You can still use the search function to find what you are looking for by typing it in the old-fashioned way, even with Cortana off, although your data security may be improved.

If the idea of Microsoft hoarding your Cortana data makes you uneasy, then you’ll want to visit the link for “Manage what Cortana knows about me.” This will pop open a web page that will allow you to clear your personal info from the Microsoft servers. Keep in mind that this will make Cortana a bit clueless if you ever want to turn her back on again.

Disabling “Hey Cortana”

When you first open Windows 10, Cortana can be set to constantly listen for you to say “Hey Cortana.” This is one of the settings you can change, and it’s a great place to start if you want to partially disable Cortana but still leave the voice assistant functioning for searches and help with Internet browsing.

You see, having Windows 10 always listening for you to say “Hey Cortana” can waste your battery on a laptop, and doesn’t do any good at all if you are using a computer than doesn’t have a mic. You may find that turning off this listening feature solves a lot of your problems by taking the voice out of “voice assistant” and leaving you with a smart search/notifications system.

Limiting Cortana

Suppose you want to let Cortana down easy. Maybe you want just want to be acquaintances. There are settings for that, and if you want some of the functionality of a voice assistant without it being too intrusive in your Windows 10 experience, you should check them out.

You can find Cortana’s settings in Cortana home (search for it in the search box if you do not know where this is), inside Notebook, under Settings. There are several options to control how the voice assistant behaves. If you want to keep certain information away from Cortana, such as info-tracking, you can turn this feature off so Cortana won’t be constantly watching your messages for flight data, etc. Likewise, if you don’t like or need Cortana’s taskbar pop-ups, you can also turn off these features.

Next, head over to Permissions & History by searching for it in the search bar or selecting it from the Cortana sidebar menu (Cortana settings can vary a little based on Windows 10 versions, but this should work for most users). In the Permissions section, you should see several different links for managed how Cortana behaves when accessing data. From here you can:

• Change how Cortana sees (or ignores) cloud data
• See everything Cortana has done in the past
• Set limitations for that specific Windows device
• Limit what data Cortana can collect from other apps or Microsoft services

It’s a good idea to experiment with these settings a bit before you disable Cortana entirely. If you can benefit from some of the automation without being annoyed by it, then limiting Cortana gives you the best of both worlds with only a few tweaks.

Bring Cortana back

Enabling Cortana is just as easy as switching her off. Head over to the Cortana home, go to Notebook, and visit Settings. Turn Cortana from Off to On. That’s it! Remember, Cortana will still have all the information she knew about you before being turned off, so you won’t need to do much reprogramming.

If you can’t see the Cortana icon or search box, then right-click on the task bar and make sure that you have selected to view Cortana and the search box. They may be enabled but hiding.

Greg Mombert/Digital Trends
Greg Mombert/Digital Trends

Cortana’s Notebook

A last word about managing Cortana: Pay attention to her Notebook. Cortana’s Notebook isn’t just a place to tweak settings and turn the voice assistant off. You can also choose a variety of categories and give Cortana data about your schedule, interests, the places you like to visit, and what sort of news you enjoy.

If you just don’t see the point of Cortana and wish she was more helpful, try filling out these categories a bit before shutting her down. With info about your tastes in music, food, transportation, sports and more, Cortana can offer much more personalized information, which could make the experience much more enjoyable. If you really don’t like Microsoft collecting so much information about your interests and finances, remember that you can always go back and clear out that data whenever you want.

Editors’ Recommendations

• How to use Cortana
• Microsoft Cortana can now be activated without the whole ‘Hey’ business
• Alexa correctly predicted that Villanova would be the March Madness winner
• Cortana flaw enables hackers to load malicious websites from the lock screen
• If you’re not sold on Siri, you can now get Microsoft’s Cortana on your iPad

Every Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL Case We Could Find

Looking for a case for your brand new Google Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL? We’ve got you covered!

There are so many reasons to get a case for your Google Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL. Whether you want the highest level of protection available to prevent damage to your new phone or the most transparent, thinnest case available to show off your new phone with pride, there are plenty of options out there.

Regardless of the reason, if you want a case for your Google Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL, we’ve compiled a massive list of all the cases we could find that are worth your while!

NOTE: Due to the large size of the list, we made the pictures smaller than usual; however, you can enlarge any image to full size by clicking or tapping on the image.

Thin Cases

Spigen Thin Fit

A thin polycarbonate back plate with a little cushion in the corners to help prevent damage if you drop your Pixel.

You can pick one up for about $12.

• See Thin Fit for Pixel 2 at Amazon
• See Thin Fit for Pixel 2 XL at Amazon

Maxboost mSnap series

A hard polycarbonate case that protects the back and sides of the Google Pixel 2 from scratches and scuffs.

Get the Maxboost mSnap series in black, pink, or mint for $20.

• See Maxboost mSnap for Pixel 2 at Amazon
• See Maxboost mSnap for Pixel 2 XL at Amazon

Vinve felixble case

Made from TPU, the Vinve flexible case will help prevent damage from drops. The textured back also provides extra grip.

You can pick one up in black or blue for about $8.

• See Vinve flexible case for Pixel 2 at at Amazon
• See Vinve flexible case for Pixel 2 XL at at Amazon

Peel case

The thinnest case you’ll find, it will almost look like you have no case on your phone at all.

You can pick it up in black, white, and kinda blue for $25.

• See Peel case for Pixel 2 at Peel
• See Peel case for Pixel 2 XL at Peel

MNML case

Only 0.35mm thick and made with a matte finish that won’t show fingerprints.

You can find the MNML case in gray, black, white, red, and blue for about $15.

• See the MNML case for Pixel 2 at Amazon
• See the MNML case for Pixel 2 XL at Amazon

Google Live Case

Pick from a wide selection of designs, places, and even stunning scenes from Google Earth.

You can even send Google your pictures to make a personal case for you; perfect for a gift. Starts at $40.

• See Google Live Cases for Pixel 2 at Google
• See Google Live Cases for Pixel 2 XL at Google

LK Slim Thin

For those who want a cheap clear case to keep your phone protected without obscuring the Pixel 2’s cool design.

You can pick up the LK Slim Thin case for just $8.

• See LK Slim Thin for Pixel 2 at Amazon
• See LK Slim Thin for Pixel 2 XL at Amazon

Incipio NGP Pure

A slim soft polymer case that provides a barrier between your Pixel 2 and the rest of the world.

You can pick one up in smoke, navy, plum, or clear for about $20.

• See Incipio NGP Pure for Pixel 2 at Incipio
• See Incipio NGP Pure for Pixel 2 XL at Incipio

Clear Cases

Spigen Liquid Crystal

This thin flexible TPU case will provide your Google Pixel 2 or 2 XL with more grip and has cushioning on the corner to help prevent damage from drops.

You can pick up the Spigen Liquid Crystal for $12.

• See Spigen Liquid Crystal for Pixel 2 at Spigen
• See Spigen Liquid Crystal for Pixel 2 XL at Amazon

Spigen Crystal Shell

Dual-layered protection consisting of both TPU and polycarbonate, the Spigen Crystal Shell offers protection while keeping the design of your Google Pixel 2 in clear sight.

You can pick up the Spigen Crystal Shell for $25.

• See Spigen Crystal Shell for Pixel 2 at Spigen
• See Spigen Crystal Shell for Pixel 2 XL at Spigen

Ringke Fusion

Ringke has their rugged clear case available for the Pixel 2. Made with a sturdy panel of polycarbonate on the back panel and an easy-grip TPU bumper, this case will keep your new device protected while also letting the Pixel 2’s design shine through.

You can pick up the Ringke Fusion for about $10.

• See Ringke Fusion for Pixel 2 at Amazon
• See Ringke Fusion for Pixel 2 XL at Amazon

Ringke Bevel

Just like the Ringke Fusion, the Bevel provides the same protection with a bevel design on the back to enhance grip and make your phone stand out. The case is still clear enough not to take away from the design of the Pixel 2.

Grab it for around $9.

• See Ringke Bevel for Pixel 2 at Amazon
• See Ringke Bevel for Pixel 2 XL at Amazon

Speck Presidio Clear

Dual-layered protection drop tested for eight feet. Thick cutouts for camera prevent scratches on the lens when lying on a flat surface.

The Speck Presidio Clear case will cost you $40 for the Pixel 2 and $45 for the larger Pixel 2 XL.

• See Speck Presidio Clear for Pixel 2 at Speck
• See Speck Presidio Clear for Pixel 2 XL at Speck

Trianium CLARIUM

Shock-absorbing TPU mixed with a hard polycarbonate back give the Trianium CLARIUM dual-layered protection to keep your phone safe.

You can pick up the Trianium CLARIUM for $8.

• See Trianium CLARIUM for Pixel 2 at Amazon
• See Trianium CLARIUM for Pixel 2 XL at Amazon

Incipio Reprieve Sport 2.0

Clear back to show off the Google Pixel 2’s style, textured sides to improve grip, and reinforced corners to prevent damage from dropping. For $40, the Incipio Reprieve Sport 2.0 has a little something for everyone.

• See Incipio Reprieve Sport 2.0 for Pixel 2 at Incipio
• See Incipio Reprieve Sport 2.0 for Pixel 2 XL at Incipio

Rugged cases

Caseology Vault Series

Made of flexible TPU, it features a sleek finish along the back and textured grip around the edges.

You can pick up the Caseology Vault Series for around $11.

Note: This case is only available for the Pixel 2 XL.

• See Caseology Vault Series for Pixel 2 XL at Amazon

Otterbox Symmetry series

Otterbox’s Symmetry series offers the classic protection you expect from the company in a slimmer profile. The one-piece design is thick enough to prevent damage from drop and scratches, and the raised edges help protect your Pixel 2 when lying on a flat surface.

• See Otterbox Symmetry series for Pixel 2 at Otterbox
• See Otterbox Symmetry series for Pixel 2 XL at Otterbox

CrashGuard Bumper Case by RhinoShield

RhinoShield’s CrashGuard Bumper Case is a great way to protect your phone without adding a ton of bulk. Protects the edges of your phone with lots of cusion on the corner, which prevents damage when your Pixel 2 takes a tumble.

You can pick up CrashGuard Bumper Case by RhinoShield for $25.

• See CrashGuard Bumper Case for Pixel 2 at RhinoShield
• See CrashGuard Bumper Case for Pixel 2 XL at RhinoShield

Spigen Rugged Armor

Single layer TPU with rasied edges to protect screen and camera while lying on a flat surface. Plus, the corner of the case are extra protected to help prevent damage from drops.

You can pick up the Spigen Ruged Armor for $13.

• See Rugged Armor for Pixel 2 at Amazon
• See Rugged Armor for Pixel 2 XL at Amazon

Spigen Neo Hybrid

A TPU sleeve and a hard polycarbonate bumper make up Spigen’s New Hybrid case offering adequate protection with a sense of style. The way the bumper is designed it sit completely flush with the rest of the case, make the Neo Hybrid feel good when you’re holding your phone.

You can pick up the Neo Hybrid for $16.

• See Neo Hybrid for Pixel 2 at Amazon
• See Neo Hybrid for Pixel 2 XL at Amazon

DGtle shockproof case

Made from a single layer of TPU, the DGtle shockproof case has lots of extra protection around the corners to help prevent damage when the phone is dropped on a corner.

Available in a wide variety of colors, such as blue, pink, and smoke black for $8.

• See DGtle shockproof case for Pixel 2 at Amazon
• See DGtle shockproof case for Pixel 2 XL at Amazon

UAG Plasma series

This translucent rugged case features a two-tone single piece design that cover the back and sides of the Google Pixel 2 and meet military drop test standards.

You can pick up the UAG Plasma series in ice or ask color option for about $40.

• See UAG Plasma series for Pixel 2 XL at UAG
• See UAG Plasma series for Pixel 2 XL at UAG

Suensan protective case

A single TPU layer that covers the back and side of the Google Pixel 2 with raised bezels to protect the camera and screen on flat surfaces.

You can pick on up in mint green, black, blue, gray, and red for $9.

• See Suensan protective case for Pixel 2 at Amazon
• See Suensan protective case for Pixel 2 XL at Amazon

Heavy Duty

ATUS Anti-Slip Slim Fit

Heavy duty protection in a slim profile, the ATUS Anti-Slip Slim Fit has dua-layered protection to keep your Pixel 2 safe and sound, while keeping the profile of your phone slimmer than most heavy-duty cases out there.

The ATUS Anti-Slip Slim Fit is only avaiable for the Pixel 2. You can pick one up in black, pink, or teal for about $9.

• See ATUS Anti-Slip Slim Fit for Pixel 2 at Amazon

Caseology Parallax series

The Caseology Parallax Series offers a slim, two-piece design to keep your Pixel 2 well-protected.

It’s available in a wide variety of colors such as black, burgundy, navy blue, and ocean gray. You can pick on up for about $15.

Note: This case is only available for the Google Pixel 2 XL.

• See Caseology Parallax series for Pixel 2 XL at Amazon

Caseology Legion Series

The Caseology Legion Series offers the same dual-layered protection as its Parallax series; however, the Legion series focuses on protecting the back of the phone a lot more.

You can grab it for $18.

Note: This case is only available for the Pixel 2 XL.

• See Caseology Legion Series for Pixel 2 XL at Amazon

Spigen Tough Armor

A personal favorite of mine, Spigen Tough Armor offers robust dual-layered protection with TPU and hard polycarbonate materials. The metal kickstand is perfect for watching videos and other media while your hands are other wise preoccupied.

You can pick up the Spigen Tough Armor in black or gunmetal for $35.

• See Spigen Tough Armor for Pixel 2 at Spigen
• See Spigen Tough Armor for Pixel 2 XL at Spigen

Spigen Slim Armor

Just like Spigen’s Tough Armor, the Slim Armor case uses TPU and hard polycarbonate materials for dual-layered protection, but comes in a slimmer package.

You can pick up the Spigen Slim Armor in black or gunmetal for $30.

• See Spigen Slim Armor for Pixel 2 at Spigen
• See Spigen Slim Armor for Pixel 2 XL at Spigen

Otterbox Defender series

The ultimate name in protection, Otterbox’s Defender series is the Mack Daddy of all protective cases. With four different layers, your Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL will be as safe as it possibly can be.

The Otterbox Defender series will cost you $50 or $60 for the Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL respectively.

• See Otterbox Defender series for Pixel 2 at Otterbox
• See Otterbox Defender series for Pixel 2 XL at Otterbox

Leather Cases

Bellroy Leather case

Made using premium leather and featuring a soft microfiber lining this is a lightweight case that will keep your phone well protected and age beautifully over time. It’s also backed by a 3-year warranty from Bellroy.

You can pick up the Bellroy Leather case from the Google Store for $45 with free shipping!

• See Bellroy Leather case for Pixel 2 at Google
• See Bellroy Leather case for Pixel 2 XL at Google

Wallet cases

ProCase Leather Wallet

This beautiful leather case has three cards slots and closes with a magnetic clip. Plus, it even can be used as a kickstand for media viewing.

You can pick up the ProCase Leather wallet for about $30 in black, tan, or red.

• See ProCase Leather Wallet for Pixel 2 at Amazon
• See ProCase Leather Wallet for Pixel 2 XL at Amazon

Case Mate Wallet Folio

Made from real leather, the Case Mate Wallet Folio has four card slots and even a pocket to put your cash. Leaving your wallet at home has never been easier.

You can pick one up for $60.

• See Case Mate Wallet Folio for Pixel 2 at Case Mate
• See Case Mate Wallet Folio for Pixel 2 XL at Case Mate

JD wallet case

Made from a faux leather material, the JD wallet case has plenty of room for cards and cash. The case even comes with a built in RFID blocker, meaning your credit card numbers should be safe.

The JD wallet case comes in black, blue, pink, and brown for about $16.

• See JD wallet case for Pixel 2 at Amazon
• See JD wallet case for Pixel 2 XL at Amazon

Trianium wallet case

A hard protective shell with a card slot that card hold ID, credit cards, and cash, the Trianium wallet case offers protection and functionality.

You can pick up a Trianium wallet case for $10.

Note This case is only available for the Pixel 2 XL.

• See Trianium wallet case for Pixel 2 XL at Amazon

Maxboost wallet case

With three cards slots and a place to store your cash, the Maxboost wallet case has a magenetic lock to keep the wallet case firmly closed when not in use.

Grab the Maxboost wallet case for only $13.

• See Maxboost wallet case for Pixel 2 at Amazon
• See Maxboost wallet case for Pixel 2 XL at Amazon

LK wallet case

With a TPU inner skin, the LK wallet case offers mild protection against damage when your Pixel 2 takes a fall. With three card slots, and a place to put your cash, you can venture out into the world with your normal bulky wallet with ease.

The LK wallet case comes in black, brown, purple, and rose gold and will cost you about $10.

• See LK wallet case for Pixel 2 at Amazon
• See LK wallet case for Pixel 2 XL at Amazon

Other types of cases

Moment Photo case

Another personal favorite of mine, the Moment Photo case is designed to work with the wide-variety of Moment lenes. If you want a beautiful looking case that will up you photography game, check it out.

You can pick one up with a walnut finish for only $30.

• See Moment Photo case for Pixel 2 at Moment
• See Moment Photo case for Pixel 2 XL at Moment

Google Fabric case

If you prefer your phone case to have some texture for grip, you’re probably going to love the Google Fabric Case. It features the same fabric finish look found on other recent Google products such as the Google Home Mini.

These cases offer a premium microfiber liner to ensure your device stays scuff-free and your choice of four color combinations for $40.

• See Google Fabric case for Pixel 2 at Google
• See Google Fabric case for Pixel 2 XL at Google

Carved Wooden Cases

With dozens of unique designs and plenty of wood grains and colors to choose from, Carved wooden cases are absolutely gorgeous.

The Carvedwooden cases range from $24 — $40.

• See Carved wooden cases for Pixel 2 at Carved
• See Carved wooden cases for Pixel 2 XL at Carved

What case did you go with for your Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL?

Let us know in the comment below!

Updated April 2018: We’ve added new cases from ProCase!

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

• Pixel 2 FAQ: Everything you need to know!
• Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL review: The new standard
• Google Pixel 2 specs
• Google Pixel 2 vs. Pixel 2 XL: What’s the difference?
• Join our Pixel 2 forums

Best Buy
Verizon
Google Store
Project Fi

Get the training required to pass the CompTIA Security+ exam for just $59!

When it comes to data security, CompTIA is the golden standard of certification. If you’re interested in a career in data security, you’ll need to pass the Security+ (SY0-501) exam

The problem here is that the training covers a broad range of topics and the courses required are usually not cheap. Right now, however, Android Central Digital Offers has a deal on the 2018 CompTIA Security Certification Training Bundle, you’ll pay just $59. That’s 98 percent off the regular price!

This training bundle contains 14 courses with over 140 hours of content included, which covers everything from everything you need to know to pass the various IT certification exams.

If you’re interested in becoming a certified data security specialist, this is the course you need. Don’t wait too long — this price is only here for a limited time.

See at Android Central Digital Offers

From the Editor’s Desk: Security, signal and noise

Another Android security scare, another round of muddled reporting.

Your Android phone might not have all the security updates it claims to. As reported this week, research from SRL (Security Research Labs) has revealed that sometimes there’s a discrepancy between the Android Security Patch date reported by a device, and the patches that are actually installed. So is your phone lying to you?

Like most Android security stories, what’s going on here is complex and nuanced. And, like most Android security stories, it’s been badly reported by most media outlets, conflating the few situations where a less reputable manufacturer will just YOLO it and arbitrarily set the patch date ahead, with other explanations for patches not being found by SRL.

SRL’s method involves “two years of reverse-engineering hundreds of Android phones’ operating system code, painstakingly checking if each device actually contained the security patches indicated in its settings.” It’s important to highlight this upfront, because that’s all the information we currently have on the method being used to draw some pretty significant conclusions. Even if this method is perfect, it fails to account for specific vulnerabilities either not affecting specific handsets, and thus not being required. Speaking to Wired, SRL’s Karsten Nohl claims this is “definitely not a significant number” of the missed patches. However, the firm’s own research shows very small numbers of missed patches in the timeframe of the original research: between 0 and 3 for manufacturers including Google, Sony, Samsung, Xiaomi, Nokia and OnePlus.

For others, like MediaTek, whose chips are often found in white-label devices that are lucky to receive any updates ever — yeah, all bets are off.

In its response, Google rightly points out that even with a handful of missing patch levels, other security patches and Android’s built-in protections makes taking advantage of a missing security patch extremely difficult. That’s not to excuse shoddy programming, or even deliberate corner-cutting. Missing any part of a security patch is bad, and it’s clear that SRL’s important research has uncovered some manufacturers either being sloppy, or, in some cases that don’t include major Western phone brands, cheaping out and just skipping the clock ahead. In most of these cases, given how few consumers even know what the Android Security Patch level means, the cause is likely something other than a master plan to mislead consumers while leaving their phones vulnerable. To put it another way, we should hesitate to attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

But let’s get back to the testing method itself, because there’s one important nugget of info to be found in Google’s official response to all this:

We’re working with them to improve their detection mechanisms to account for situations where a device uses an alternate security update instead of the Google suggested security update.

Translate this from PR speak, and it tells you at least some of these missed patches are false positives: The manufacturer has patched the underlying issue, but not in the exact way Google specifies. That’s fine from a device security perspective, and in specific cases the manufacturer or chipmaker will know things about their hardware that Google doesn’t, making this the optimal way to patch the issue anyway. With a Samsung or a Motorola or a Sony, this is a far more likely explanation for the Google-sanctioned patch being absent, and Google’s mention of it in this press statement is important to note considering the small numbers of missed patches we’re seeing from the big Android brands.

These are all important parts of the signal that are being lost in the noise and outrage. Given the history of reporting around Android security issues, the cavalcade of BS you see in a Google news search for “android security patches” isn’t surprising. Android has a great many security challenges, and the diversity of the Android ecosystem means there’ll always be examples of chancers who don’t update devices, or sloppy programming from certain OEMs that introduces new vulnerabilities. Ultimately, though, this is yet another Android security scare that isn’t as bad as it first appeared.

Other odds and ends for a working Sunday:

• The Porsche Design Huawei Mate RS is a beautiful and ridiculous piece of technology, which I’m going to have fun testing over the coming weeks. I’ll be using the cheaper of the two models, the 6/256GB variant, which only costs two thousand U.S. dollars 😬.

• In-display fingerprint though? Ehhh… in its current incarnation, it’s just not quite ready yet, as evidenced by the two other biometric unlock options used by the Mate RS. It’s fun to demo, but not as fast or reliable as it needs to be. (That said, bear in mind I’m using non-final software on this unit.)

• The Xperia XZ2 Compact looks like the tall-screened miniature flagship many will have been waiting for. Every time I’ve gone back to a smaller phone, though, I’ve missed the extra real estate offered by 6-inch 18:9 handsets. There’s a reason the high-end Android world has settled on this as the new standard.

• Interesting discussion here around what form navigation buttons in Android P and the Pixel 3 will eventually take. We’re still at the point where Google’s certainly experimenting with multiple options for its next phones, though.

• Oh, and go check out our Huawei P20 + P20 Pro video review, shot in Paris a couple of weeks ago.

That’s it for now. Next Editor’s Desk from me will come just in time for some pre-I/O thoughts.

-Alex

Add another Echo Dot to your smart home setup for just $40 today

Alexa, tell me a story.

Remember the good ole days of Black Friday when the Echo Dot was going for $30? Yah, well, forget it. That’s in the past. The Echo Dot has spent most of its time since then selling for its normal $50 price. Right now you can get one for $10 off, though, and that’s not too bad. If you’ve already started your Alexa-enabled smart home system and want to add a new device to your bedroom or kitchen, you can do it with the best direct discount we’ve seen this year.

If you’ve never owned an Echo device before, Amazon is making them smarter every day. All you have to do is talk to Alexa to play your favorite music, connect to your smart home devices, or have a feminine robotic voice read you a bedtime story. You can also communicate with hands-free phone calls, request a Lyft, or order pizza without standing up.

See on Amazon

Slip an unlocked Essential Phone into your pocket for $400

One of the best prices we’ve seen.

We’ve seen deals on the Essential Phone in the past, but since the launch of the new colors we haven’t seen it drop this low.. Right now you can get the phone in Black Moon and Pure White for just $399.99. That’s $50 better than the last deal we shared in March.

It comes with 128GB of internal storage, a dual camera system on the back, and it’s powered by the Snapdragon 835 processor. You can also add the Essential 360 camera for $68.

See on Amazon

After Math: The golden age of streaming

We’re winding down a freaky week of bad omens, unconvincing congressional testimony and sterling new streaming services. While most eyes were fixated on Mark Zuckerberg doing his best real boy impression, GTA IV lost most of its Russian tunes, ESPN debuted a new mobile app and vinyl got a high tech upgrade that nobody asked for. Numbers, because how else are you going to stretch your entertainment dollar?

30-ish: If you were a fan of cruising the streets of Liberty City while jamming out to the melodious mixes of Vladivostok FM, I’ve got some bad news. Due to copyright claims, pretty much all of the songs currently available on the station are being pulled. The silver lining, however, is that this means fans of GTA IV will have a whole new set of singles to listen to come April 26th.

6 months-ish: Hulu subscribers who like to watch androids go nuts and kill stuff in the Old West are in for a treat. The streaming service announced this week that it would offer users the HBO add-on for just $5 a month for “as long as 6 months” to help kick off Westworld season 2. The price bumps back up to $15 after the promotion, mind you.

30 percent more amplitude: “What vinyl needs is better fidelity,” said nobody. Yet here we are with HD records thanks to Austria-based Rebeat Innovation and their laser audio conversion system. It promises better sound quality, longer playing times and is guaranteed to make the audiophile in your life just a little more unbearable.

180 MLB and NHL games: Not to be left out of the cord-cutting revolution, ESPN rolled out its streaming app this week, dubbed ESPN+. For $5 a month you’ll get access to a bunch of live pro and college games, though for MLB, NHL and MLS broadcasts, they’ll only be out of market matches. So you’ll still need an OTA system or YouTube TV to catch your local sportsball organizations.

5 percent growth: Apple’s really putting the screws to Spotify (which would explain that godawful Taylor Swift exclusive that dropped on Friday), outpacing the online music service’s growth by more than double. Now that Apple Music has hit 40 million subscribers, the company announced this week that it is installing Oliver Schusser as Apple Music’s new VP under Eddie Cue.

5 short films: Twitch is making an effort to expand its streaming offerings beyond watching other people play video games, announcing this week that it has signed on with Neil Bloomkamp of Chappie fame to feature five short films from his studio.

792,000 tweets: Out of a study population of 1.2 million tweets linking to some 2,300 popular websites, a recent research survey concluded that 66 percent of them were sent by bots. 22 percent of those were sent by just 500 suspected bot accounts. So yeah, Twitter still has some platform cleaning to do.

The best hair dryer

By Shannon Palus

This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here.

After more than 20 hours of research and interviews; more than 10 hours of putting 12 dryers through speed, heat, and time tests; a holiday season’s worth of hairstyling; and working our way through all the marketing claims, we think the Rusk W8less is the best for most people.

Who should get this

Writer Shannon Palus with our previous top picks, the Xtava Peony (left) and the Rusk CTC Lite (right). Photo: Michael Hession

If you can’t leave the house with wet hair for aesthetic reasons or because it’s below freezing outside and you don’t want your head to be covered in icicles, you need a hair dryer. You also need one if you plan to use other hot tools on your hair—make sure you’re getting your hair really dry if you are going to take a flat iron to it.

How we picked and tested

An armful of the dryers we considered. Photo: Michael Hession

Hair dryer boxes are adorned with a ton of buzzwords and specs, but hairstylist Allen Ruiz told us he looks for only two things: “hot and fast.” These features are connected to the wattage, which is generally around 1,875 watts for most hair dryers. According to engineer Jim Shapiro, “Essentially all of the energy used by each dryer will be converted into heat, so don’t expect or look for much difference among the dryers here.” This is where we arrived at a central truth about hair dryers: Their performance doesn’t differ much based on advertised specs.

Instead, we narrowed the field based on other features, such as multiple heat settings, a cool-shot button, a nozzle that’s compatible with attachments, a cord that’s long enough to reach across a bathroom, and an intake filter that’s removable for cleaning out debris. We also looked for dryers that are compatible with a diffuser to help dry curly, wavy, or textured hair, and we paid a lot of attention to how each dryer felt in our hands.

Based on these criteria, we picked 12 dryers to test. We started by gauging each dryer’s speed, heat, noise level, and weight, and how long it took to dry a swatch of hair wet with 5 grams of water on the highest setting. These tests helped us identify our favorite dryers, which we used in our daily routines for a couple of weeks before settling on our picks.

Our pick: Rusk W8less

The Rusk W8less lives up to its name, weighing less than a pound. Photo: Michael Hession

The Rusk W8less has all the features you need in a hair dryer while costing a fraction of the price of a luxury model. In our tests, it produced the fastest and hottest air of all (60 mph and 130 °F, respectively). The buttons are all nicely placed—easy to push, but hard to press accidentally—and the cord is long enough (8 feet) to reach distant outlets. Unlike on other dryers, the cool-shot button is wide, so holding it down for several seconds isn’t uncomfortable.

Most important, the Rusk W8less should take about the same amount of time to dry hair as dryers that cost hundreds of dollars (and do it faster than some less expensive competitors). It will make your hair look just as nice. Though it does come with a two-year warranty, it does not include a diffuser—you’ll have to buy one separately.

Runner-up: Rusk CTC Lite

We’ve loved the Rusk CTC Lite for a few years now. It’s nearly identical to our top pick, just pricier. Photo: Michael Hession

The Rusk CTC Lite, our former top pick, is nearly identical to the Rusk W8less, with a few drawbacks, making it a solid choice to consider if our top pick is sold out or you strongly prefer a black glossy finish over a white glossy finish. This model has one major upside if you have curly hair: It comes with a diffuser; our top pick, the W8less, does not. The CTC Lite’s nozzle is also slightly shorter. However, it lacks the grip-enhancing groove that makes the W8less feel especially nice in our hands. The CTC Lite also tends to cost more than the W8less.

Budget pick: Conair Tourmaline Ceramic

The Conair Tourmaline Ceramic dryer, our budget pick. Photo: Michael Hession

If you don’t dry your hair often and you have an outlet near your mirror, the Conair Tourmaline Ceramic dryer does a good job and doesn’t have any hugely annoying design features. At 0.91 pound, this model was lighter than most of the other models we tested. It comes with a two-year warranty.

However, this dryer has two big downsides. First, the handle is thicker and straighter than those of the other dryers we tested, making it a little more annoying to hold. Second, the cord is shorter, at just 5 feet. If your outlet is more than three steps from where you intend to dry your hair, you need to choose a different dryer; don’t try hooking this one up to an extension cord, as doing so could start a fire.

Also great: Conair Infiniti Pro

The Conair Infiniti Pro is a great hair dryer for its price, but it’s heavier than our other picks. Photo: Michael Hession

In our tests, the 58 mph, 108 °F airflow from the Conair Infiniti Pro was nearly as fast and hot as that of our top pick. However, this model is considerably less expensive and it comes with a concentrator and a diffuser.

The main reason it’s not our top pick is its weight. At 1.2 pounds, it’s noticeably heavier to hold, especially after several minutes of drying. Its cord is also two feet shorter than that of our top pick.

This guide may have been updated by Wirecutter. To see the current recommendation, please go here.

Note from Wirecutter: When readers choose to buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn affiliate commissions that support our work.

Ben Heck made a portable Raspberry Pi-based gaming device

What you’re looking at here is the result of some careful tinkering: a Raspberry Pi portable MAME emulator, with no HDMI. Ben and Felix have put the finishing touches on this portable gaming device using a combination of laser cutting and 3D printing. With eight GPIO left, though, Felix decides that it’s best to do a low-level input for the buttons and directional pad to control the device. If you want to build one yourself, find the code and build files on our website. What would you do differently? Have you made a Raspberry Pi Portable? Let the team know over on the element14 Community.