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Hands-on: These are my favorite portable power banks for MacBook and iPad

Power banks have come a long way in just a few short years. What used to be a way to get a quick top off on your phone has evolved into devices capable of charging multiple laptops at full speed. Thanks to USB-C and fast charging, many modern power banks can now deliver up to 140W, rivaling wall chargers in both power and efficiency while still being portable enough to carry in a bag. There are a few brands that are well respected and known for their high-quality power banks, so I wanted to see who made the best high-powered charger that could charge at least 100W, has a built-in cable, is TSA approved, and also provides some charging stats in real time. Here are the best ones I have tested so far!

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Deals: Most affordable iPhone 16 Pro $300 off, 1TB M5 MacBook Pro $200 off, stainless steel Apple Watch $450 off, more

Alongside the ongoing $100 price drops on the 46mm Jet Black Apple Watch Series 11, today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break is starting off with some Amazon iPhone 16 Pro deals. Alongside up to $630 off iPhone 16 Pro Max, we also spotted the most affordable unlocked iPhone 16 Pro you can buy at $300 off via Amazon today (Renewed Premium). Those deals also join the M5 MacBook Pro with 1TB of storage sitting at the best price of the year ($200 off) and, if you don’t care about the latest and greatest, we have a giant price drop on the high-end stainless steel Apple Watch Series 9 – the originally $699 configs are just $249 Prime shipped right now. Scope it all out down below. 

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HomeKit Weekly: Hands on with Level Lock Pro and why it sets a new standard for HomeKit and Matter smart locks

Level Lock Pro


Level has been building smart locks that feel like they were made for Apple users since the very beginning, and the new Level Lock Pro (affiliate link) might be its most exciting upgrade yet. I have been testing it ahead of my full hands-on review, and it is clear that this is the direction smart locks need to go. Home key support is still the gold standard for Apple users, and Matter over Thread brings the speed and reliability that make it work extremely well with your daily schedule. The only thing it’s missing is UWB support.

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What Apple product colors would you like to see offered in future? [Poll]

What product colors would you like to see Apple offer? | An abstract image resembling oil paints in a diverse range of colors

After mostly very muted iPhone Pro colors in the past, Apple struck out in a bold new direction with Cosmic Orange for the current model. That decision was credited with helping the company hit record iPhone sales last year.

We’re expecting to see the upcoming low-cost MacBook offered in several bright colors, and there’s also talk of a deep red option for the iPhone 18 Pro, so this seems a good time to talk about colors …

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Tim Cook ‘slept with one eye open’ after classified CIA briefing on Taiwan

Tim Cook 'slept with one eye open' after classified CIA briefing on Taiwan | Photo shows a man walking across the CIA logo on the floor of an agency building

Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly told officials that he slept “with one eye open” after he attended a classified CIA briefing on Taiwan, home to the company’s chipmaker TSMC.

US intelligence agencies have been worried for years that China may plan to invade the island, and the briefing warned that this could happen as early as next year …

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Nano-texture look for less? Best matte screen protectors for iPhone, iPad, and MacBook

Using the iPad Pro with the nano-texture display reaffirmed my preference for anti-glare displays. Naturally, this made me want to nano-texture all the things. While not all Apple products have nano-texture display options, you can get a lot of the way there with quality anti-glare matte screen protectors for any iPhone, iPad, and MacBook.

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Apple @ Work Podcast: The rise of the autonomous AI SOC

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

In this episode of Apple @ Work, Monzy Merza from Crogl joins the show to talk about how AI is going to evolve the work that security analysts do.

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9to5Mac Daily: February 23, 2026 – iPhone 18 Pro colors, more

9to5mac daily podcast

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts appStitcherTuneInGoogle Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Sponsored by BenQ: Check out BenQ’s smarter displays made for how Mac users actually work and sign up for the giveaway here.

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