The TV world has been a pot of controversy thanks to a two-hour-and-15-minute video from Gamers Nexus claiming LG TVs are nefariously spying on everything you do. They can record and store audio even when they seem to be off, track everything you watch, and could even be hacked remotely and turned into covert surveillance devices. LG TV owners, and tech enthusiasts in general, are furious, and a hurried response from LG has done little to calm the situation.

Some of the claims in the video may be based on speculation and assumptions, but many of the core concerns are real and pervasive. While LG was the focus of the video, every TV company is tracking what you do, collecting that data, and sharing it with its partners. And we agree to it — even if we don’t realize it.

TV prices have come down significantly over the years, to the point where some companies are selling them at a loss. But they make up that shortfall selling user behavior data they collect from the OS. It’s why Walmart bought Vizio in 2024. 

There’s a lot going on in the Gamers Nexus video, but we’ll start with the part pretty much everyone making TVs is doing: tracking what you watch, when you watch, where you watch, and how you watch to sell you things about it all. Automatic content recognition (ACR) systems are built into just about every modern TV and can identify the content playing through built-in streaming apps and over the TV’s ports by grabbing snippets of audio or video, converting them into digital fingerprints, and sending them to a database for identification. It’s what allows a TV to make content recommendations, as well as feed you ads based on your viewing habits. It’s also one way companies like Nielsen can track viewership across platforms and services. 

In order for TVs to capture this information, you need to agree to it. One of Gamers Nexus’ complaints in the video is that this consent is often buried in confusing and lengthy agreements that you need to accept in order to use the TV, and that companies often use dark patterns or deceptive designs to get users to agree to things without realizing they didn’t have to. For example, the Gamers Nexus video showed an LG TV displaying six different user agreements, including one consenting to ACR, and automatically putting the cursor on “Select All” when only two agreements are required to continue.

As a TV reviewer, I have to deal with end-user license agreements (EULA) and privacy policies on every product I review. And while it might be a losing battle because of the sheer number of TVs and other smart devices that come through my apartment, I take steps to try and protect my privacy. I have a burner Gmail account that is used solely for signing into apps and the TV’s operating system. Initially, I only accept the legally required documents for the TV to work properly so I can run my picture quality tests — both Calman and test discs. I never agree to automatic content recognition, which is referred to by names including Enhanced Viewing, Smart TV Experience, and Samba Interactive TV.

I also dig through all of the menus, partly to become familiar with all the settings available, but also to make sure any ad or data tracking is toggled off. When I need to test voice control, I’ll then accept the voice recognition agreements before testing functionality. And since this is usually the last thing I do in my test process, this is followed by a factory reset before sending the TV back to the manufacturer. If you’re worried about privacy, don’t use voice control. Or if you do, only use the one on a separate streaming box from a brand you trust.

I recommend the same for everyone with a smart TV. Have a dedicated email for logging in to TVs (and, if possible, your streaming apps) that isn’t connected to your personal email. When setting up the TV, only agree to whatever’s necessary for the TV to run if you want to use its OS. And after setup, go through all the menu options to make sure any ad tracking is off, and read the menu prompts closely, as the wording is sometimes confusing (probably intentionally so). Consumer Reports has a great, although slightly older guide to limiting data collection from the different TV manufacturers.

To take it a step further, turn off Wi-Fi and unplug the Ethernet cable from the TV and essentially use it as a dumb TV (the Vizio Mini LED Quantum I reviewed is the best at this). Then, plug in your third-party streaming device of choice. I use an Apple TV 4K. Not because I don’t think Apple harvests any data, but because it doesn’t use ACR and I trust its security protocols more than I do any of the TV manufacturers or Google. 

Apple does still offer content recommendation based on what you watch, download, browse, and subscribe to in the Apple TV app. This can be turned off in settings by going to Apps -> TV -> Use Play History -> Off. For third-party apps, such as Netflix or Disney Plus, Apple gives users the option to “Ask App Not to Track,” which blocks the app’s developer from accessing the system advertising identifier. Keep in mind that every streaming service does track your usage within its own app and tie it to your login; many streaming boxes do too. 

The problems beyond ACR

A good chunk of the Gamers Nexus video focused on broader security concerns and what appear to be much more egregious privacy violations from LG. That includes recording video and audio from the room even when the TV appeared to be off, sending information about the local network to LG’s servers, and logging background audio captured when using the TV’s mic for voice search and voice control. Gamers Nexus and Level1Techs were even able to exploit security vulnerabilities to take control of the TV, which is how they discovered the above. 

None of that is good, obviously. But it is worth noting that the scariest part — recording video (from a webcam they attached) and audio when the TV appeared off — seems to have been possible only because Level1Techs rooted the TV using an exploit that they said requires network access. If you have access to a computer, which is what a smart TV is, and you can root it, you can make it do pretty much whatever you want. If the TV is indeed rootable with only network access, that is a legitimate security problem; it still requires an attacker to get into your private network, but gives them a vulnerable endpoint if they do. 

With that root access, Gamers Nexus also discovered that when an LG TV’s mic was activated for voice search, it kept recording for 10 to 15 seconds after it last detected speech. It could also detect the “hi LG” wake word and other speech from farther away than you would expect — after Gamers Nexus enabled the far-field microphone and cranked up the mic sensitivity. Taken in combination, that means that as long as anyone within the (long) earshot of the microphones kept talking after the mic was activated, the TV would capture their conversation too and treat it as part of the voice search. That’s not ideal, but Gamers Nexus and Level1Techs did go out of their way to increase the mic’s pickup range and used the optional voice search wake word, both of which are easy to avoid doing.

Alongside their pretty damning testing, there’s also a lot of “it might” and “we think” and outright speculation in the video, not to mention long-distance conclusion jumping. For example: Gamers Nexus’ Steve Burke says that unplugging your TV’s ethernet cable might not be enough to stop it transmitting data to LG, because it could auto-connect to open neighborhood Wi-Fi broadcasts from Comcast or AT&T customers in order to upload that data. There’s no evidence in the Gamers Nexus video that LG TVs actually attempt to do this — these hotspots require user accounts, for one thing — and Burke doesn’t say that they do, or even could, but the implication is clear. This type of rampant speculation undermines the legitimate vulnerabilities Gamers Nexus highlights.

There’s really no way to completely protect yourself from your TV, streaming device, or streaming services gathering your data, at least right now. There’s so much money being made at the expense of consumers and the data collection is so integrated into how these companies work that the change and regulation needs to come from government policymakers. “We need a comprehensive federal privacy law that covers this sort of data collection and misuse,” said Thorin Klosowski, senior security and privacy activist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). “Specifically one that requires opt-in consent, with no deceptive design tricks to get that consent, and a data minimization requirement, which would limit the companies to only using data for what’s needed to provide the service.”

The fact that we, as users of tech products, need to actively protect ourselves from the companies that sell us things is bad. But it’s the unfortunate current reality of living in a tech-filled world and taking advantage of the benefits current technology affords. Beyond disconnecting completely and living in a cabin in the woods with a dumb TV and a collection of Blu-rays, the best we can do is limit as much shared information as possible. If it’s possible to keep it private, we should.

It’s almost a guarantee that the new version of a product will be, at best, the same price as the old one, and often (especially in the past couple years) more expensive. But that’s not what Apple did with the AirPods 5. The $149 AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case are $30 cheaper than the AirPods 4 with ANC they replace. They have slightly better active noise cancellation, and they’re the first non-Pro AirPods with volume controls on the stem. Apple has never made wireless earbuds that offer as much for so little, and they make the base AirPods 5, which are $20 cheaper but don’t have wireless charging or volume controls, pointless.

Apple AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case

Score: 8

Pros	Cons
Cheaper than the AirPods 4 with ANC Improved sound Volume swipe control	Below-average battery life Confusing naming convention

Where to Buy:

• $149 at Amazon
• $149 at Apple

The AirPods 5, like all non-Pro AirPods, use an open-ear design, meaning they don’t have silicone ear tips to form a seal in your ear canal. Last generation, Apple offered two versions of the AirPods: one with active noise cancellation and one without. This time around, there are still two models. But both models of the AirPods 5 include active noise cancellation. They both also have adaptive audio and transparency mode, plus live translation with an iPhone 15 Pro or later, and are IP57 rated (up from IP54 on the AirPods 4). The main differences between the $129 AirPods 5 and the $149 AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case — aside from the wireless charging case and the annoyingly long name — are the volume controls, battery life, and 20 bucks.

That extra $20 is well worth it. The wireless charging case is nice (it isn’t MagSafe, but it does work with the magnetic Apple Watch charger). But the most important change is that they finally have swipe volume controls. That’s one thing that’s been missing from all non-Pro AirPods until now. Part of the convenience of wireless earbuds is that you can leave your phone in your pocket or bag, and omitting volume control on the earbuds themselves defeats the purpose. With the two models so close in price, I can’t understand why Apple even released the base AirPods 5.

Apple says that both models of the AirPods 5 have up to 50 percent better noise cancellation than the AirPods 4 with ANC, but the company doesn’t provide details about which frequencies are affected (we’ll have to wait for folks like SoundGuys to put them on their measurement rig). While the size and look of the AirPods remains the same, Apple redesigned the internal acoustic architecture, reworked the algorithm, and included denser mesh on the ports for slightly more passive attenuation (naturally reducing ambient noise), which helps achieve that ANC improvement. In my own subjective testing, I could hear minor benefits both with low-end airplane drones and when out at a busy restaurant picking up some burritos to go.

The AirPods 4 with ANC already delivered better noise-canceling than any other open-ear design I’ve heard (particularly clip earbuds), and the AirPods 5 do step that up. But don’t expect the kind of isolation you get from sealed earbuds like the AirPods Pro 3, which are often on sale for only $50 more.

Apple has always led the field with its transparency mode, but with the AirPods 5, there’s now barely any perceivable difference between transparency mode and not wearing the earbuds at all. With other earbuds, transparency mode generally boosts high-frequency ambient sounds a little, such as the sibilance of esses. Verge laptop reviewer Antonio Di Benedetto wore the new AirPods on a 5K run and found transparency mode to be preferable to ANC, as it gave great awareness without wind noise. It also never felt like the earbuds were in danger of falling out of his ears.

The redesigned internals also benefit the AirPods 5’s sound. There’s more bass response — something I felt the AirPods 4 were sorely lacking — and vocals have more clarity and aren’t as covered and muted as they were on the 4. Kim Deal’s singing on “Gigantic” by the Pixies is clean and easy to hear amid the distorted guitars that wash over the chorus, and throughout Surfer Rosa, the separation of instruments and voices across the soundstage impressed me. The AirPods 5 sound better than other open-ear earbuds I’ve heard.

With iOS 27, Apple has added a 3-band EQ for those who want to tweak the sound. It’s not exclusive to these buds and will work with the AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Max 2 as well. The different bands don’t majorly change the sound profile, but it’s nice that Apple has finally included something for those who want to play around with it.

Call quality is also better than on the AirPods 4. While my voice sounded a bit compressed to those I talked to, they didn’t have any difficulty understanding me, and traffic sounds were imperceptible. The occasional conversation from someone passing by or strong breeze would sneak through the attenuation, but it was never too distracting.

The biggest disappointment with the AirPods 5 is their battery life. The buds are small, but only five hours with ANC on is below average and doesn’t even cover a cross-country flight. Battery life with the case got a slight increase from 20 hours up to 22 with ANC turned on. The base model AirPods 5 with ANC turned on get up to four hours on the earbuds, or up to 20 with the case. Putting the buds in their case for five minutes charges them up for another hour of listening.

If all you’re looking for is solid earbuds, there are lots of cheaper options that offer many of the same features. Earbuds like the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC and the Nothing Ear 3A are around $100 and have better noise canceling with sound quality that’s nearly as good. But neither of those have the same seamless integration with Apple products that the AirPods 5 do. And crucially, both of those are sealed earbuds, while the AirPods aren’t put into your ear canal at all, which some find more comfortable.

Apple’s open-ear earbuds design has never been my favorite. Silicone tips are more secure and provide superior active noise cancellation (although they come with their own fit challenges). But the AirPods 4 redesign, which felt more comfortable in my ears, started to sway me. Now with ANC at a cheaper price that includes volume control and a wireless charging case, the $149 AirPods 5 are great for someone who doesn’t like the feel of a sealed fit. I wouldn’t even bother with the less expensive AirPods 5.

Correction, September 15th: An earlier version of this article misstated the battery life of the AirPods 4 with ANC’s case. With ANC turned on it is 20 hours, not 30 hours.

In what could be fortuitous timing for hearing aid users, Anker announced its first over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids at IFA 2026. It was only a couple months ago when LXE Hearing, the parent company for Eargo and Lexie Hearing — two major OTC manufacturers in the US — decided to end US operations and exit the OTC hearing aid market. Now perhaps Anker can fill that void.

The receiver-in-canal (RIC) design has a main body that rests behind the ear. It uses Anker’s Thus chip, announced in April and first released in the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro earbuds series. The chip delivers the best voice isolation I’ve ever heard on any audio product and could be an incredible boon for the hearing aids.

Anker’s RIC hearing aids use four beam-forming microphones to focus on who the user is speaking to in front of them. They get up to 12 hours of use (up to 36 hours with the case) and gain two hours of use with a five-minute fast charge — Anker claims this is the quickest fast charge among its competitors.

There aren’t any additional details about exact models or US availability and pricing, but we should know more by the end of the year.

At an event in New York City, Sonos announced two new audio products — the Sonos Beam Ultra soundbar and Sonos Ace Ultra headphones, details of which were found in an FCC filing in early August — and a major update to its audio operating system dubbed Sonos 27. It’s the biggest single Sonos announcement since 2024, when a new app rollout upset its customers and sent it into damage control mode.

Software changes are core to Sonos’ announcements, with the company leaning heavily into AI integration with Sonos 27. This includes the company’s own Sonos 27voice assistant that it built in-house for music and system control. It’s coming as an early access, opt-in feature this fall. There’s also Sonos 27mcp, which gives the ability to connect any existing AI models such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini — although for some reason Google Assistant is still not natively supported. Sonos 27mcp launches in early access on September 8th.

In addition, users will be able to create up to 10 of their own agents through Sonos 27 to run, with whichever model they choose. These custom agents can be given different voices and roles. Brandon Holley, senior director of product development, gave examples of having a moody detective give you the morning news or a motivational coach whisper motivational aspirations when you wake up. Custom agents won’t be available until sometime in 2027.

Both Sonos 27mcp and the custom agents seem to expand the customization and control of a Sonos system beyond what the app and Sonos 27voice is capable of.

All products compatible with the current Sonos app can be controlled with Sonos 27mcp, and everything with a microphone works with Sonos 27voice. When the Sonos custom agents are available, they’ll work everywhere Sonos 27voice is enabled.

There are two new features being added to Sonos Fabric, which is the name given to its whole-home connected system. The wireless Play and Move 2 portable speakers can be used as surround sound speakers in a home theater system. Once in place, the speakers will automatically configure to their new positions and roles as surround speakers without needing to initiate setup in the Sonos app. It’s not possible to use this feature with a single Play or Move 2.

Compatible Sonos headphones will now be included in a Sonos home system and support moving sound between speakers and headphones — the system senses the closest speaker and will pass the audio from it to the headphones. Headphone linking, as Sonos calls it, will roll out as an early access feature on September 29th. Sonos hints that this is just the beginning of added features, but no further details about possible future options were given.

Improvements continue to come to the app, as well, again with feedback from the community, including the Sonos subreddit. Home, system, and search tabs will be added across the bottom of the screen, and a room sort option can be pinned to the top for easier access to a customizable list. There’s a cool feature that calls back to physical audio components: a virtual volume knob, you control with two fingers like you would in the real world. It’s not a major quality of life improvement, but it’s something that adds character and fun, and something I’ll probably use regularly. The new navigation, room sorts, and virtual volume knob starts rolling out on September 8 (although the volume knob will only launch on iOS at that time).

Lockscreen controls for volume and play/pause are also returning to the app, and started rolling out on August 17th. System health views to help troubleshoot issues and presets will roll out at some point later this fall.

It’s not just software announcements, though, as Sonos has two new products coming — the long-rumored Ace Ultra headphones and Beam Ultra soundbar.

The Sonos Ace Ultra are what the original Sonos Ace should have been from the beginning — an integrated part of the Sonos ecosystem. They are built upon Sonos’ Headphone Engine 2, which allows them to use the headphone linking feature rolling out at the same time as the headphones release on September 29th. A button on the headphones allows audio to be passed between a speaker and the headphones. No phone is necessary if it’s out of reach.

They look very similar to the Ace, with what appears to be slightly different button placement on the left ear cup. The Ace Ultra are also a little bigger, with a little more space in the ear cup, and 10 grams heavier. They have newly custom-designed 40mm drivers and 10 microphones for noise control (two more than the Ace) which Sonos claims makes their ANC twice as effective at noise cancellation than the Ace with “the frequencies that really matter,” as Brandon Holley told me. Those frequencies happen to be 65Hz (the general frequency of an HVAC) where the Sonos Ace Ultra are 2.2 times more effective, and 120Hz — the airplane drone range — where they’re 1.8 times better. No information is provided for performance with the chatter you might encounter at the coffee shop, for example.

An adaptive EQ adjusts the sound, compensating for any air leaks in the headphones’ fit due to glasses, jewelry, or hair. It includes both a 3-band and 8-band EQ to customize the sound for your taste. In addition to SBC and AAC codecs, the Ace Ultra supports aptX Adaptive Lossless over Bluetooth, and 16-bit/48kHz high resolution when connected with USB-C.

Battery life has improved by five hours, with the Sonos Ace Ultra offering up to 35 hours of listening with ANC on. A fast charge of three minutes gets an additional three hours of listening time.

Instead of just black and white, the Ace Ultra are also available in a muted blue agave and beige sand color. The headphones release on September 29th for $449.

The Beam Ultra is a completely redesigned 7.1.2 compact soundbar (as opposed to the 5.0 configuration of its predecessor), including two up-firing drivers to support Dolby Atmos spatial audio. The center channel mid-tweeter features a new waveguide, mechanic and acoustic design, and DSP, which includes four levels of AI speech enhancement for clarity.

While the Beam Ultra still has a compact design, to accommodate the additional speakers it is just under four inches longer than the Beam Gen 2. It comes in a black or white matte finish, and will be available for purchase on September 29th for $699.

With the headphones’ deeper integration into the Sonos ecosystem and the addition of up-firing drivers to the Beam Ultra, it looks like Sonos has made some great improvements to already solid products. But I won’t know for sure until I can dig into them for reviews. The app updates — particularly the AI integration — I’m a bit more cautious about. But Sonos is making the right move by rolling out the updates over time, allowing its users to opt in to early access instead of dumping it on everyone at once. This more measured approach could be what wins back the masses.

Just a few weeks ago the only midrange OLED options available were from LG and Samsung. But after Sony officially announced the Bravia 6 last week, Roku has now launched its first-ever OLED TV — the Roku Pro Series — which will be followed by the step-up Pro Series LX next month.

The Roku Pro Series has a 120Hz panel, four HDMI 2.1 ports, and supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 Plus. It also has auto low latency mode, FreeSync Premium, and VRR for gaming. A backlit Roku remote is included, and a remote finder button on the TV helps locate it when misplaced. The Pro Series LX is about twice as bright as the regular Pro Series, supports 144Hz VRR, and has a polarizer to reduce reflections. And of course both TV series use the Roku operating system.

The Pro Series is exclusive to Amazon for 2026, available now, and comes in 55- and 65-inch sizes starting at $999. The Pro Series LX will be available in October in 55 inches for $1,299 and 65 inches for $1,599.