Article Image

The best binoculars

Be it gazing at a rare bird or sitting in the nosebleed section, you need a good pair of binoculars to see things from a distance. But what you should you look for? Desirable features vary depending on what you're doing so it's important to know what you're after. Here are the best binoculars for any activity.

Built specifically with birdwatchers in mind, these crisp binoculars offer incredible color richness and precise optical clarity. With Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) glass, the technology reduces the color fringing caused by chromatic aberration, resulting in brighter, more vibrant colors that make every feather and bit of plumage pop.

You’ll see iridescent greens, shimmering magentas, marbled blues, among a bevy of remarkable hues. The nitrogen-purged binoculars are fully waterproof as well as fog-proof with razor-sharp focus and a rugged exterior made from heavy-duty DuraTech. 

Athlon’s crystal clear and color-affirming binoculars are the perfect option to take with you on a glass-bottomed dolphin boat or giant whale cruise. The all-weather, roof-prism glasses feature multi-coated lenses constructed with high-quality BaK-4 prisms that truly make colors pop. You’ll see the glassiness of the water, as well as the texture of marine animals as they splash and play.

The lightweight, magnesium chassis prevents them from feeling overly heavy and its rubber armor adds protection should you drop them on the deck when you see the first whale breach. On top of being waterproof, they’re also dust-proof and fully scratch-resistant.

If you plan on hiking rugged trails or trekking through miles of unexplored backcountry, you don’t want a heavy, cumbersome set of binoculars hanging around your neck — no matter how well they help you see. Enter the Maven Optics C.1, a stunning set of outdoor field glasses that offer superb optics in a lightweight, compact package. Available in both 8x and 10x magnifications, these top-grade binoculars showcase multi-coated lenses and a dielectric-coated Schmidt-Pechan prism system that work together to create sharp, high-contrast images.

Maven designed the Optics to be waterproof, fog-proof, and scratch-resistant so you can work them hard without fearing exposure to the elements. For serious outdoor enthusiasts interested in more elite optics, Maven offers a customizable version — the B.3 — with premium low-light performance and enhanced depth of field.

If you love nothing more than sitting outside on a starry night and watching the night sky, these astronomy-specific binoculars will bring the whole universe into focus for you. Equipped with 25x magnification Porro prism technology, the Skymaster’s are astonishingly crisp and full of range whether you’re contending with low light or long range. They have an integrated tripod adapter rod to mount camera gear to and a protective rubber covering which offers a secure, no-drop grip.

Recently, we've entered an exciting collaboration with Maple Media, creating a bundle of 17 apps worth having on your phone. From relaxed fun to serious productivity boosts, these apps cover all your bases and provide a fun boost to your phone. Normally, the bundle is $9.99 per month (far lower than the cost of using the apps individually), but for your first 7 days you can get access to the bundle for free. View the full Digital Trends App Bundle for a complete list of the apps, or read on for a summarized take.

What's happened? This week, China's Quality Certification Center released information about a battery (EB-BS04898ABY) with a maximum capacity of 4,855mAh. That's the same capacity as was previously seen in the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and fans have taken this certification to mean the Galaxy S26 Ultra will not see a capacity increase after all.

The Samsung Galaxy Ultra models have had the same battery capacity for the last five years.

What's happened? Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy Tab S10 Lite, a budget-friendly alternative to the Galaxy Tab S10. The device has been rumored for months, but this is the first time Samsung has officially acknowledged its existence.

The Galaxy Tab S10 Lite will have a 10.9-inch display and a peak brightness of 600 nits — a bit on the lower side, versus the iPad Pro's maximum brightness of 1,600 nits.