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The VR headset may be becoming a thing of the past. At Google's Android Developer Summit this morning, XReal officially debuted XReal Aura XR glasses, smart glasses with full XR capability. They're powered by Android XR and run on a Snapdragon Reality Elite-powered puck, with Xreal's X1S Chip in the glasses themselves. The result: Aura packs a 70° field of view in a pair of glasses that weigh less than 95 grams.

Customers in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea can order XReal Aura on XReal's site starting today, and they're expected to begin shipping in mid-November. The limited-time launch price is $1,099 for the 12GB + 256GB configuration and $1,299 for the 16GB + 512GB configuration, $180 and $200 less, respectively, than XReal announced earlier this month.

If the claim of mixed reality in a pair of sunglasses seems dubious, I tried them out a few months ago, and they are exactly that.

Instead of an enclosed headset, XReal Aura projects digital content on transparent lenses so you can be present in the real world while also in the digital world. Unlike "traditional" virtual reality headsets, the Aura's batteries and main compute are in a wired puck/controller you can slip into your pocket. That keeps the weight down and makes them comfortable enough to wear for longer periods. Because it's built on Android XR, users will have access to millions of 2D and 3D Android apps right out of the box.

If you want to go beyond Android, you can plug a USB-C-compatible computer or gaming console into Aura, and use that device in the same virtual space as native Android XR apps.

XReal Aura is launching with a library of over 150 "made for XR" apps as well, including games like Nevatars, designed by Andy Serkis, Fallout: Factions, a dice-based head-to-head game in the Fallout universe, and Landing Party, "the world's first outdoor roleplaying video game." There will also be companion apps for the NBA, NASCAR, and the San Francisco Ballet Company’s The Nutcracker. In terms of productivity, ShapexXR, a platform for software developer collaboration, is making its debut on Android XR, and you'll be able to use apps like Frontline.io for job training and assistance, and Plynk Spatial for stock research and trading.

If you want to get down to the nitty-gritty, here are the Aura's specs:

  • Under 95g

  • 70-degree field of view

  • Sony Micro-OLED display

  • 1200p resolution at 120Hz

  • Sound by Bose

  • Snapdragon Reality Elite Platform

  • XReal X1S Chip

  • Split-compute architecture with compact compute puck

  • Puck trackpad for navigation

  • Wired Mirroring for laptops and compatible handheld gaming devices

  • USB-C connectivity using a standard connection

  • Electrochromic dimming for more immersive viewing

  • TÜV Rheinland certified for Eye Comfort

  • Support for voice, hand, keyboard, trackpad, and game controller input


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Wordle’s biggest draw is its simplicity: Anybody can look at five blank spaces and think of a five-letter word. But when it comes to playing Wordle well, and enjoying the game over time, you might do better with a few tips. I have a nearly 100% win rate in Wordle—more about win rates below—so here are some of mine. 

Never guess letters you already know

If I could only give one strategy tip, it would be this: Your first guess, and even your second and third, shouldn’t be attempts to solve the puzzle. Instead, you should be gathering information about possible solutions. 

This means that if you guessed a word ending in “ER” and those letters turned green, you should not try another word ending in ER as your next guess. If you guess a completely different five-letter word, say BENCH, you can find out whether B, N, C, and H are in the solution, while also getting information about whether there’s an E in the second position (which helps you know whether words like LEVER and METER might be in play). 

There is a toggle in the game interface that requires every word to use green squares from your previous guesses. It’s called “hard mode.” If you ask me, this should be called “luck mode,” because it takes away one of the game’s best strategies for smart solvers, as guessing letters you already know is just wasting guesses. 

I wrote more about this strategy here, and included more examples. Use this tip, and you’ll avoid the trap of losing after guessing FOUND, ROUND, POUND, MOUND, SOUND, and WOUND when you could have used MARSH as your second guess and instantly figured out the answer (HOUND). 

Choose a starter with common consonants

There are competing schools of thought on choosing the best starting word for Wordle, an issue I have considered in depth. But to summarize the best advice: Choose a word with five different letters (no repeats) that includes at least two or three of the English language’s most common consonants. 

Those most common consonants include T, N, S, H, R, D, L, and C. That means TRASH is a great starter, and so are CRANE and STEAL and STARE. For best results, use E and/or A as your vowels, since these are some of the most common vowels in English. 

Play two starters to give you a one-two punch

A starting word needs to give you information about what might be in the solution, but you don’t gain a ton of information with just five letters. So I recommend having another starting word that doesn’t overlap with the first, but expands the amount of information you can collect to 10 total data points. 

After all these years, my trusty pair is still ARISE and TOUCH. That gives me all five vowels and a good sampling of the most common consonants, as discussed above. (Only N is notably missing, but I can always play that in a later guess.) 

Feel free to come up with your own pair, where the second guess fills in gaps left by the first. If you like to start with a vowel-heavy word like ADIEU, use more consonants in your second move: perhaps THORN. Or if you start with TRASH, perhaps follow it with OUNCE. 

Play more perfect games to get your win rate back to 100%

I pride myself on my 100% Wordle win rate, but the truth is, I’m actually at 99% right now. The NYT’s “About Wordle” page says that “Win % counts the percentage of total puzzles played that you have won,”  but that doesn’t seem to be entirely correct. It also does not say how the app handles rounding. I believe I’ve lost three times over the 1,368 games I’ve played, which is actually a 99.8% win rate. But after every loss, the count has eventually gotten back up to 100%.

What I’ve figured out is this: As soon as you lose a game, your 100% win rate drops to 99%.But if you win (I am pretty sure!) another 200 in a row, you can earn that last percentage point back. I haven’t kept a perfect count since my last loss, but I’m pretty sure I’ve played more than 100. And despite losing a few games over the years, I’ve usually managed to keep a 100% win score. 

Remember that past solutions are once again fair game

For its first few years, Wordle never repeated a solution. If you could remember ever seeing a certain word as a solution, it was guaranteed not to be that day's answer. But that changed in February of 2026, when the New York Times officially announced that previous solutions may be reused. 


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I love e-readers, but I'd be the first to admit that as far as the general public is concerned, they are just about the least exciting tech devices around—and that goes double for the Amazon Kindle. Any attention the space has gotten over the past couple of years has involved obscure players like Boox and weird concepts like the phone-shaped Palma or the tiny Boox Picco. But the clear leader in terms of market share is still Amazon, and despite some minor innovations over the years, the device hasn't received an essential upgrade in around a decade: A Kindle is a Kindle is a Kindle.

I'd still say this holds true in 2026, even after the company unveiled a complete redesign of the Kindle lineup. While the new flush-front display is nice-looking (and Amazon is quite proud of the new process it has developed to add colored bezels by painting them directly onto the outer glass screen), competitors have offered similar designs for years, and it's hard to get too excited about "innovations" like an $80 case that adds back the physical buttons that used to be built in or finally opening up the firmware to allow for the use of a Bluetooth page-turn remote.

But one thing has changed about the 2026 Kindle lineup: I think the $50 premium Amazon charges for the top-of-the-line Signature Editions of the Paperwhite and Colorsoft is finally truly justified.

The Signature Edition finally offers some irresistible upgrades

Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition 2026 showing library screen
Credit: Joel Cunningham

Amazon introduced the first "Signature Edition" of the Kindle Paperwhite back in 2021, and while the 25% price increase didn't get you nothing, the features it did add weren't too exciting: At 32GB, it had three times the storage versus the standard Paperwhite, but how important is a ton of storage when most e-book files are tiny? (That's still enough room for more than 6,000 texts, well more than even true bookworms will read in an entire lifetime.) Other bonuses, like wireless charging and an auto-adjusting front light, won't matter at all to a huge subset of readers, and it's hard to think of "no ads on the lock screen" as an extra perk.

But the latest Signature Editions of the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Colorsoft actually give you more for the price premium, and for the first time, I would recommend shelling out the extra cash. While the important specs are still the same as the standard model:

  • 7-inch, 300ppi flush-front display (with color content on the Colorsoft maxing out at 150ppi)

  • Temperature-adjustable front lighting

  • USB-C charging with battery life "up to 12 weeks on a single charge," per Amazon

  • Bluetooth support for wireless headphones

  • IPX8 water resistance

...the Signature Editions give you quite a bit more this time around, including, most noticeably, a totally new design with an all-metal rear panel that gives the devices a much sleeker look and feel without adding much in the way of weight (the standard plastic models weigh around 7.2 ounces, while the Signature Editions weigh 8.1 ounces). The new design makes the Signature Editions feel truly premium.

Kindle Paperwhite SE 2026 back panel
Credit: Joel Cunningham

But that's not the only meaningful addition. Once again, alongside wireless charging and automatically adjusting lighting, the Signature Editions have a boosted 32GB of storage, which is still probably overkill, but worthwhile if you like to load your device with a bunch of audiobooks or (in the case of the Colorsoft) color comics.

You also get an accelerometer, which means the display will auto-rotate if you flip it upside down, giving you more flexibility in how you hold it (especially if you're springing for the new Page-Turn Cover, which brings back physical buttons à la the beloved, discontinued Kindle Oasis). Moreover, there's a new ability to turn pages by double-tapping on the bottom sides or back of the device rather than touching the screen (though it only works for moving forward in your book).

Only the Signature Edition gets the best new accessories

Kindle Click next to Kindle Paperwhite SIgnature Edition 2026
Credit: Joel Cunningham

Speaking of which, you'll need to go for the Signature Editions if you want to use accessories like the Page-Turn Cover or the also-new Charging Stand (not yet available for pre-order), as only the Signature Editions include the built-in magnetic pogo you'll need to connect them. (If you're interested in the Kindle Click page-turn remote, it at least works with any Kindle from 2024 or later.)

Finally, if you care about your Kindle looking pretty, it's worth noting that only the Signature Editions are available in Seaglass Green (for the Paperwhite) and the reddish-purple Plum (for the Colorsoft).

Otherwise, it's mostly still a Kindle

Outside of those extras, the 2026 Kindles don't feel much different than the 2024 models. According to Amazon, they are the fastest Kindles ever, but that's mostly hype—any recent Kindle will turn pages quickly enough that you'll barely notice the speed difference, if you notice it at all. They all still run on the same firmware, which is both a good thing (Amazon makes it extremely easy to browse for and buy books and audiobooks directly on the device; there are a ton of options to search through and sort your library; and quality-of-life features like being able to sideload books via email using the "Send to Kindle" feature are a godsend) and a bad thing (I hope you like being locked into the Amazon ecosystem).

The new flush-front design won't please everyone

Photo of Kindle Paperwhite SE 2026 displaying a book
Credit: Joel Cunningham

One change to the entire 2026 Kindle lineup is already proving divisive: Judging by reactions on the Kindle Reddit, not everyone is in love with the new flush-front design, which eliminates the raised bezels around the screen that were present on the 2024 model, but at the cost of adding a thin layer of glass over the e-ink display.

Depending on how picky you are, you may find fault with this setup, as the additional layer of glass slightly reduces text clarity by putting more distance and another barrier between your eyes and the text or images in your book. Is this something I noticed myself? No—I don't have an older Kindle to make a direct comparison, and the text is still much, much sharper (and the front lighting more even) than what I see on competing e-readers like the Boox Go 6 or the Xteink X4 Pro. But there is a contingent of readers already lamenting the change, so take that for what you will.

The bottom line

The question to consider whenever a new device model rolls around is simple: Is this worth the upgrade? If you have a working Kindle from any time after the introduction of temperature-adjustable lighting, I would say no—the 2026 models are nicer, but they still don't do anything to make them worth it, especially at the new higher price points.

That said, if you are in the market for a new Kindle, I'd suggest opting for the Paperwhite over the entry-level model, which has a smaller screen and lacks the warm light option—and if you're getting a Paperwhite or Colorsoft, you might as well pay the premium for the Signature Edition, because it's finally worth the extra money.


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Stephen King’s Carrie is one of those endlessly rebootable stories. Way back in 1974, King zeroed in on a near-perfect horror setup that explored being othered, the emotional and mental health consequences of bullying, and just how crappy being a teen girl can be in the modern world. Those themes—and the iconic visuals King conjured with his words—are evergreen, and resonate with audiences each time the story gets rebooted. Mike Flanagan has proved himself a master of horror and a clear successor to King’s legacy in the genre, and if you thought his Carrie reboot on Prime Video was terrific (and you’ve watched all the similar series out there), you should really watch Jennifer’s Body.

Why Jennifer’s Body is the movie to watch if you loved Carrie

Carrie and Jennifer’s Body share a lot of themes—the corrosive pressure of high school, the casual cruelty of adolescents, the explosive power of feminine anger. While Jennifer Check (Megan Fox) is superficially presented as having more power and control than Carrie White (Summer H. Howell) because she’s more self-possessed (and played by Megan Fox), underneath the hair and makeup, Jennifer is just as naive and confused as Carrie. Both girls endure horrific experiences that set them on a path to horrific violence—and those experiences are symbolic of what women everywhere have to deal with all the damn time.

Just as in Carrie, Jennifer’s Body tracks a teen girl’s descent into monstrousness—but where Carrie leans into the tragic nature of those themes, Jennifer’s Body offers a funnier, more sarcastic take buoyed by Diablo Cody’s sharp dialogue and laugh-out-loud moments. The series highlights Carrie’s suffocating home life that offers her no relief from the grinding hell of being a 16-year-old girl who doesn’t quite fit the expected physical or behavioral norms imposed on teen girls, tracing a slow boil of rage. Jennifer’s Body depicts a character who ultimately chooses the dark path, leaning into her newfound destructive power, and has more fun with it, making it the perfect complement to the series.

Although the stories take different paths to get there, they both wind up at a cathartic and bloody climax centered on a school dance, where a lot of people die and chaos reigns. The film is the perfect way to examine, from a different angle, the themes that Carrie explores. Stream Jennifer’s Body on Hulu or rent it on Prime Video.

More movies if you enjoyed Carrie

Looking for more stories about angry teen girls teaching society a terrifying lesson? Here are a few more films that make a perfect pairing with Carrie.

Carrie (1976)

It’s been 50 years since Brian De Palma adapted King’s novel for the first time, and it’s still worth watching today, especially if you enjoyed Flanagan’s modern take. What could have been a trashy horror movie designed to cash in on the book’s success is instead a well-crafted film that makes every character feel real and consequential, and Sissy Spacek’s performance as Carrie is screen-meltingly amazing. Few horror films have aged this well, and watching a different creator’s vision of the story will be well worth your time. Rent Carrie on Prime Video.

The Craft (1996)

If Carrie’s cathartic presentation of female rage and teen angst is what hooked you, the most relevant movie to jump to is The Craft. The story of four high school girls who harness dark powers to take revenge on, well, high school life itself is anchored by four feral performances from Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, and Rachel True. Like Jennifer’s Body, the teen protagonists enthusiastically embrace their power in a way that Carrie White doesn’t, but it transforms (and destroys them) just the same. Rent The Craft on Prime Video.

The Innocents (2021)

One reason Carrie is terrifying in all its forms? The very idea of a child with an imperfect grasp of ethics and an immature emotional state having thermonuclear-level psychic powers. After all, teenage girls without powers can be terrifying when triggered. The Innocents focuses on sisters Ida (Rakel Lenora Petersen Fløttum) and Anna (Alva Brynsmo Ramstad), who meet Ben (Sam Ashraf) and Aisha (Mina Yasmin Bremseth Asheim), who both demonstrate powers including telekinesis and mind control. Their interaction soon reveals that Anna also has mental powers, and the four begin working to enhance their capabilities—but when one of them begins using their powers to hurt others and seek revenge, things take a dark turn that fans of Carrie will appreciate. Stream The Innocents on Kanopy or rent it on Prime Video.

Sissy (2022)

Anyone who was ever bullied in the teen years (so ... everyone) knows that those wounds never quite heal. That’s one aspect of Carrie’s power, and it’s also what makes Sissy an ideal movie to watch when you’ve finished the series. A mental health influencer, Cecilia (Aisha Dee)—once known as “Sissy”—runs into her old best friend, Emma (Hannah Barlow) and is unexpectedly invited to Emma’s bachelorette weekend—only to run into her childhood tormentor, Alex (Emily De Margheriti). The old trauma hits Cecilia like a bomb, shattering her fragile mental balance and leading to a surprisingly funny series of murders as Sissy works through her lingering anger issues. Stream Sissy on Hoopla or Tubi, or rent it on Prime Video.

Doctor Sleep (2019)

If you’re a Mike Flanagan and Stephen King superfan, the obvious movie choice is their other collab, Doctor Sleep. A sequel to one of the most famous horror stories of all time (The Shining), the story finds a middle-aged Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) struggling to control his psychic powers, and leading the fight against an ancient group of entities that feed off of people like him. If you want more of that Flanagan/King magic, this is the right move. Rent Doctor Sleep on Prime Video.


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Google Messages is Google's official texting app, and while it hasn't always been first to roll out useful features, it has caught up to what other messaging services offer and has a handful of hidden hacks to make communicating and coordinating with contacts easier and safer. Here are the best tips and tricks that every Google Messages user should know.

Use the Keep integration to coordinate group events directly in Google Messages

Google Messages recently got a Google Keep integration, which allows group chat participants to collaborate on notes and checklists directly in the message thread without having to click over to a separate app. This also centralizes ideas in one place rather than spread across a thread with dozens of separate text messages. Changes to Keep Notes sync automatically for all users. Tap the plus icon in the message compose bar in Google Messages, select Keep Notes, and either choose an existing note or tap to create a new one to be shared in the chat.

Turn on advanced scam detection to protect against security threats

Over the last few years, Google has rolled out a number of security features for identifying and defending against scams and fraud spread via calls and text messages. These work by detecting suspected spam and either preventing it from being delivered or hiding it in a separate folder, as well as flagging suspicious links. A newer opt-in enhanced protection mode for Google Messages uses AI to catch more complex threats and alert you if a conversation or unfamiliar link that looks legit might put you at risk. Standard protection is on by default, but you can turn on enhanced protection under Messages settings > Protection & Safety > Spam and scam protection.

Use scheduled send to draft texts while maintaining good boundaries

If you have an idea you want to write down but not send immediately—because it's outside of work hours or late at night—you can draft it in Google Messages and schedule it for later. "Send later" features in messaging and chat apps are useful for maintaining good boundaries without having to remember to type and send at a different time. Once you've entered your message in the text field, touch and hold Send, choose from the suggested actions, then tap Send again.

Customize swipe actions for Google Messages inbox triage

Swiping left or right on your conversations in Google Messages will either archive or delete them. You can customize which swipe maps onto which action for quick inbox triaging or disable one or both to prevent accidentally triggering an unwanted action. Tap your profile photo > Message settings > Swipe actions > Customize to select your preferences.

Star messages to save important data to an aggregated list

Google Messages has a pinning feature that will anchor conversations at the top of your message history, but you can also star important messages you want to save and return to later. Starring makes it easy to keep track of data like flight information, contacts, or dates that might otherwise get lost in a thread or be difficult to pull up in a basic search—starred messages have their own search filter. Simply tap and hold the message and tap Star at the top, then go to Search conversations > Starred > More options > Starred to see your list of saved messages.

Turn on temporary snooze to silence group chats during live events you're not watching

We've all been in the overactive group chat that we don't want to see notifications from in real time but also don't want to leave. You can snooze threads semi-permanently, but you can also turn on a temporary snooze that will lift so notifications restart after a short period of time. This can be useful for threads discussing live events or games you will be catching up on later or if you need silence during a focused work period. Touch and hold the conversation, tap Snooze, then select your duration and tap Snooze to confirm. You can choose from 1 hour, 8 hours, 24 hours, or always.

Use Mass Text to send BCC messages and receive individual replies

Google Messages has two group chat modes. Group MMS is your typical group text—it sends a single message to all recipients, and everyone receives replies in the thread. Mass Text, by contrast, is like BCC. This sends your message to each user individually, and replies come only to the original sender. Using this mode allows you to share information with a bunch of people at once without creating the dreaded reply-all thread. You can change your default group messaging settings via profile > Message settings > Advanced > Group messaging.

Enable real-time location sharing when you need someone to know you're safe

Google Messages finally launched integrated real-time location sharing earlier this year, which allows you to send your live whereabouts to trusted contacts directly in a message thread. Location sharing makes it easier to coordinate meeting up or let someone know where you are if there are any safety concerns. You can set a limited duration or leave location sharing on indefinitely for specific contacts. Open a conversation and tap Attachment > Real-time location

Use "Delete for Everyone" to remove messages you accidentally sent

You don't have to live with the embarrassment of sending a text in error with Google Messages—at least not if you catch the mistake quickly. Google Messages has a "Delete for everyone" function that can remove sent messages from the devices of users who are running the latest version of the app. Conversations must be using RCS for this to work, and you have only a limited window—anywhere from 15 to 40 minutes, according to support documentation—to use the feature before your messages are permanent. Long-press a message to pull up available delete options.

Log into the web interface to use Google Messages on your computer

If you want to stay on top of your text threads but get distracted by other things every time you pick up your phone, you can log into the Google Messages web interface on your browser. This also makes it easier to send photos and files from your computer via Google Messages without having to transfer them to your phone first.


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OpenAI released GPT-6.1 Terra, a model that operates desktop software, to all Plus, Pro, Enterprise, and Edu users in ChatGPT Work and Codex, and to developers through its API as gpt-6.1-terra. API prices are 50 percent below those of GPT-5.6 Terra and GPT-6.1 Sol: $1 per million input tokens, $0.05 per million cached input tokens, and $5 per million output tokens. Tokens are the chunks of text a model reads and writes.

GPT-6.1 Terra

OpenAI says Terra meets the Critical threshold in cybersecurity under its Preparedness Framework and keeps the protections built for GPT-6 Astra. The company’s own example of high-volume work for Terra is reading incoming invoices and entering the details into accounting software.

What Critical means

Critical is the higher of two cybersecurity thresholds in the version of the Preparedness Framework dated April 2025. A model reaches it if, with tools, it can find and build working exploits for unknown software flaws, known as zero-days, of all severity levels in many hardened real-world critical systems with no human involved, or if it can plan and run a new attack from start to finish against a hardened target given nothing more than a high-level goal.

OpenAI’s rules require safeguards during development, whatever the release plans, and call for halting further development until safeguards meeting a Critical standard are specified. On September 1, 2026, OpenAI designated Astra as its first model at this level.

Prompt injection

OpenAI says Terra held up well in its prompt injection tests, which used malicious instructions meant to pull the model off the user’s task. Terra is more likely than GPT-5.6 Terra to stay within scope and to disclose limitations and blockers honestly.

What OpenAI measured

OpenAI measured Terra on Agents’ Last Exam, a benchmark of professional tasks that includes turning architectural drawings into a 3D model. At medium reasoning effort, Terra scores 15 percentage points above GPT-5.6 Terra at about one-third the cost, and OpenAI says it performs on par with GPT-6 Astra at one-tenth the price per token.

At max effort, OpenAI puts Terra at more than three times the token efficiency of Claude Opus 5.5 and one-fourth its price per token, which works out to a cost per task roughly nine times lower. Terra also completes tasks over three times faster than GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol.

On OpenAI’s internal benchmark of error-inducing prompts, Terra’s error rate at low reasoning effort fell from 53.6 percent with GPT-5.6 Terra to 16.7 percent, or one prompt in six. At maximum effort it fell 18 percentage points to 4.3 percent.

Hard coding tasks go elsewhere

On Terminal-Bench 4.0, which tests coding agents on command-line problems such as fixing a webpage whose layout shifts as it loads, Terra at maximum effort solves 50.3 percent of tasks. GPT-5.6 Terra’s published score is 21.5 percent. That leaves 49.7 percent of tasks unsolved, and OpenAI says GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6 Astra remain the better choice for the most complex coding tasks.

On Terminal-Bench-Science 0.1, which has agents use code for research tasks such as tracking cell divisions in a time-lapse video, Terra at max reasoning beats GPT-6.1 Sol at lower cost and comes within five points of Opus 5.5 at less than one-fifth the estimated cost.

Download: The IT and security field guide to AI adoption


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I’ve reviewed every type of fitness watch and thought I had seen it all, but my first glimpse of an Una watch had my jaw on the floor: There is a USB-C port on the side of the watch. Not a set of pins for a magnetic charger, or a socket that requires a proprietary cable—just a hole you can stick a regular old USB-C cable into. This is what watches have been missing.

The Una watch started popping up on my feed about two years ago, and finally started shipping this summer. I’ve been wearing a review unit for a few weeks. The Una watch is advertised as repairable and upgradable, with open source software. There are little screws that I can see around the watch face, and on the back panel. The Una website sells a replacement battery for $40 and a replacement screen for $50. They also sell the tiny screwdriver that you’ll need to make repairs, but if you’re the kind of person who gets excited about a repairable watch, you may already have your own. 

Overall, I like it. The Una watch has an MIP screen (an older tech that is a cult favorite) and an app that's simple but effective. Not everything lived up to my expectations in testing, but no features failed outright. This feels like a solid start to the concept of “one watch for life” and I’m excited to see how the hardware and software offerings evolve over time. 

The Una watch and its app are simple

Most wearables these days try to do as many jobs as possible, whether they’re the right tool for those jobs or not. I am honestly fine with a running watch measuring time, distance, and heart rate while I run, and not trying to score my sleep or pretend it can tell how fast I’m aging. 

The Una watch app shows my steps, activity, and floors climbed for the day, as well as my average and resting heart rates. When I go for a run, it tracks my pace, distance, and heart rate during the run and gives me a nice page of data afterward. It reliably uploads this data to Strava, and can make little bar graphs of how these numbers vary from day to day. 

Developers have lots to play with

Holding an Una watch in front of its box (which says "built to last") prominently showing the USB-C port on the side.
The USB-C port! Credit: Beth Skwarecki

There is a “store” (everything is free, as far as I can tell) where you can download extra watch faces and features. One I’m trying out is a habit tracker called HabitLab: It asks you every evening whether you had alcohol, cigarettes, a late meal, and so on. Every morning, it asks how you’re feeling. And then, even though the watch doesn’t normally track your sleep, the app takes note of your overnight HRV and resting heart rate. Over time, it will correlate the answers to those questions with the sleep data, to hopefully give results that are similar to Whoop’s journal analysis. (I haven’t been using it long enough to judge how well it works, but stay tuned.)

HabitLab appears in one area of the watch as a standalone app; another, called Gym Sets, gives me a strength training activity type, which the watch did not otherwise have. I just select Gym Sets instead of “Run” or “Workout,” and the app tracks my heart rate while also giving me a set timer.  

The store is small, and the apps are simple, without many of the features that you can find on the apps for Apple Watch or other more fully featured devices. But the Una watch has only been out for a few months, so it’s not surprising that users haven’t created a plethora of apps yet. The company’s software development kit, and even its circuit board designs, are free for people to download and develop from.

I’m not impressed with the Una watch’s accuracy

Una watch vs chest strap
Una watch in red, chest strap for reference in gray. Credit: Beth Skwarecki

I was worried that the emphasis on repairability, and the affordable price, meant that the Una watch would be made with components that maybe aren’t fully up to date. Heart rate sensors have been getting better over the years, so Una’s will have to be pretty good if it wants to even sit in the middle of the pack. Garmin, Apple, and now Fitbit have raised the bar quite a bit.

I will say the GPS track was reasonably good; on trail runs and road runs, it accurately followed the path I actually took. (It doesn’t seem to do quite as well as a new Garmin, but it’s still perfectly usable and its distance totals added up to reasonably accurate numbers.)

Heart rate accuracy disappointed me, though. When I first got the watch, the heart rate tracking was abysmal. I sent a few emails to my contact at Una, and almost had to publish this review with very bad news about the watch’s accuracy, but then a firmware update for the Una watch popped up on my phone. I installed it, and then tried another test run or two, and the heart rate accuracy is much better. If you get the watch, make sure it’s updated to at least 1.6.0. 

That said, the update brought the heart rate accuracy to a level where I’d say it’s adequate, but it’s not good (and definitely not great). Its graph follows the ups and downs of my heart rate as measured by a chest strap, but sometimes the Una will spike and show a reading that’s significantly higher than my heart is actually beating. In the graph below, note the spike to around 165 when the true value was 155, and then later in the workout the Una watch detects another spike around 160 when my heart rate was actually around 145 and decreasing. (I saw similar anomalies in multiple workouts.)

The Una watch is a good start, but it’s not ready for everyone

In my time with the Una watch, many things made me happy. I still love the USB-C charging, and it was a delight to just plug it in to the same nightstand cable I normally use with my phone, no need to go looking for an adapter or dongle. 

I like the MIP screen, which was brilliant in the sunlight and had a serviceable backlight for use indoors or in the dark. The small number of workout profiles and the small number of glances and apps is just fine if you’re not asking for much from a watch, and I wasn’t. It’s minimalist, low-distraction, and there isn’t a single AI-based feature anywhere. A true breath of fresh air. 

And at $199, you’re not paying extra for these privileges. The price is just a little more than the new Fitbit Edge ($179.99), but less than a Coros Pace 4 ($249) or a Garmin 70 (also $249). The Una watch doesn’t have as many features or activities as these watches, but perhaps those pluses I mentioned make up for it.

The Una watch would be a good pick for someone who is excited about developing apps, wants a repairable watch, always loses charging adapters, or appreciates a minimalist approach. But would I recommend it for the average person who just wants a basic fitness watch? I’m not so sure. 

The flaky heart rate sensor disqualifies it for a wearer who wants a more accurate, modern watch. The MIP screen is going to look old and weird to people who have gotten used to brighter, clearer AMOLED screens. The lack of sleep tracking or other convenience metrics may be hard to take when plenty of watches have these features. 

So I like this watch today, with reservations, and I have high hopes for the future. If Una lives up to its vision, it’s going to be great to see replaceable components become available—perhaps there will be an option for an AMOLED screen for those who want it, and maybe there’s room for heart rate accuracy improvement in future firmware updates. 

But a lot depends on the company itself. “One watch for life” implies that the company stays around long enough to make more than one model. I’m also hopeful that the future offerings will match what people want, and that the watch and app will stay uncluttered and subscription-free. But surely there will be competing interests that the company has to balance as they grow (if they grow), so time will tell whether the reality lives up to the vision. That said, I am liking the vision a lot. 


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