TechRadar News

Heading back to school and decided this is the year you hit the ground running with your studies? You'll want to equip yourself with the right kit to set yourself up for success. I'm talking about the little extras that will help you focus and improve your efficiency, whether you're studying in your dorm or out and about. Below, I've rounded up nine gadgets designed for just that — and all of them come in under $50.

For studying on the go, a great pair of noise-cancelling headphones will help nix background sounds, and a good power bank will ensure your gadgets don't run out of juice at an annoying time. Staying physically healthy is essential to keep your brain running at its best, so I've included a smart band to help you keep an eye on your sleep and fitness habits. You'll also find remote working peripherals like a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard, which can make a huge difference to your comfort and efficiency levels when working on a laptop.

Read on for my sub-$50 study essentials — hit the 'View details' button to find out more about that product. And if you haven't sorted out your big tech purchases yet, we also have a guide to the best laptops for students.

Productivity essentials

Loop Experience 2 ear plugs

Soundcore Q20i Active Noise Cancelling Headphones

Logitech POP Mouse

Read our full review

Pros

• Satisfying clicks
• Good customizations
• Easy three-way switching

Cons

• No side buttons
• No wired or 2.4GHz wireless
• No rechargeable battery

Amazon Echo Dot (newest Model)

JBL Go 5 Bluetooth speaker

Read our full review

Pros

• Great sound for its size
• Attractive edge lighting
• Highly waterproof and durable

Cons

• Can be beaten for battery life
• Limited bass due to compact form
• Can't change color of the lights

Xiaomi Smart Band 10

Read our full review

Pros

• Lots of fitness modes
• Handy lifestyle features
• Still very cheap

Cons

• Weak clasp
• Price increase over predecessor
• Limited upgrades

UGREEN Uno 10000mAH Magnetic Power Bank

Soundpeats Clip1

Read our full review

Pros

• Fantastic listening test
• Comfortable build
• Competitive value

Cons

• Low max volume
• Cheap-feeling case
• Touch control issues

Logitech K380 pebble keys keyboard

Read our full review

Pros

• Comfortable to type on
• Thin and compact
• Great, useful shortcuts
• Arrow keys are great

Cons

• Surprisingly cheap
• Keys might be too small for some
• Not rechargeable

Bump up the budget...

Got a slightly higher budget? These are the back-to-school extras I'd recommend in the $60-$100 price bracket...

Samsung Galaxy Fit3

Read our full review

Pros

• One of the cheapest trackers
• Bright and responsive touchscreen
• Accurate heart rate readings

Cons

• Doesn't work with iPhone
• Deep stats only viewable on app
• Uncomfortable sensor

Nothing Ear (a)

Read our full review

Pros

• Fun, zealous, expansive sound
• Vastly improved active noise cancellation
• Smaller, more pocketable case

Cons

• No wireless charging support
• No flagship sound profile curation

ASUS ROG Harpe Ace Mini

Read our full review

Pros

• Excellent performance
• Discreet aesthetic
• Small, comfortable size

Cons

• Small size isn’t for everyone
• High price
• Scroll wheel is a bit stiff

Anker 87W 20000mAh Power Bank

Read our full review

Pros

• Large power output
• Well-made
• Integrated USB-C cable

Cons

• Some rivals are smaller
• Unnecessarily powerful for many
• Display lacks detailed information

Instant Pot 4QT Vortex Plus 6-In-1 Mini Air Fryer

CMF Headphone Pro

Read our full review

Pros

• Excellent hearing tests; unexpected at the level
• Emotive, circumaural sound
• Exemplary battery life

Cons

• ANC isn't amazing
• Energy slider feels a tad gimmicky
• No hard carry case or USB-C charger in the box

Sony WH-CH720 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones

Read our full review

Pros

• Great sound balance
• Lots of detail in audio
• Effective noise cancellation
• Full of useful features

Cons

• Sound feels constrained
• Noise cancellation leaks in low sounds
• Plastic feels a little cheap

• A Florida company has moved from printing furniture to manufacturing military drone boats
• Haddy built its latest unmanned boat using giant robotic 3D printers
• The company completed an earlier autonomous vessel project in nine days

Haddy, a digital manufacturing company in St. Petersburg, Florida, has produced a military drone boat using large-format robotic 3D printing.

The company announced the vessel, called the TF-179 Drone Boat, but did not name the customer behind the project.

Haddy started in 2022 building custom furniture and architectural pieces before shifting much of its focus toward defense manufacturing.

A rapid build process

The St. Petersburg facility spans roughly 30,000 square feet (about 2,800 square meters) and houses eight large-format CEAD printing systems.

Seven of those machines run on rails, extending their reach to produce unusually large single-piece components without seams.

Haddy previously used this process to print a carbon-fiber-reinforced hull for HavocAI, delivering a testable vessel from design to sea trial within nine days.

"The maritime industry is redefining how vessels are designed and manufactured," Haddy said in a company statement announcing the TF-179 vessel.

Haddy released photographs of the finished TF-179 vessel alongside its statement but offered no details about the boat's intended mission.

Demand for small, expendable maritime drones has surged across the U.S. defense industry over roughly the past year, according to the company.

A shift in Naval strategy

Haddy has also partnered with Blue Ops, the maritime drone division of Red Cat Holdings, to help double production capacity for uncrewed surface vessels.

Blue Ops sells those drone boats to U.S. and allied militaries as smaller, cheaper alternatives to traditional crewed patrol vessels.

Haddy was founded by Jay Rogers, a former Marine and Princeton graduate who previously led a similar 3D-printing venture called Local Motors.

The company opened what it describes as the world's largest 3D printing facility, based on total throughput and machine count, in April 2025.

This trend toward faster, cheaper naval hardware follows direct lessons drawn from Ukraine's ongoing war against Russia in the Black Sea.

Inexpensive, remotely piloted drone boats have repeatedly damaged or destroyed far more expensive warships belonging to Russia's Black Sea Fleet.

Even in Iran, swarms of very cheap Iranian drones have been used to track expensive aircraft, some of which were eventually brought down, including a $60 million U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle and multiple $30 million MQ-9 Reaper drones.

These outcomes have pushed American and allied defense planners to prioritize speed and volume over the years-long timelines of traditional shipbuilding.

Small, disposable drone boats can be replaced and redesigned far more quickly than a single multimillion-dollar warship ever could.

Robotic additive manufacturing fits into that calculus because Haddy can adjust a vessel's design digitally and print a new version within days.

Conventional shipbuilding for crewed naval vessels can take years to complete, a pace defense planners increasingly view as too slow for today's threats.

Battlefield requirements have shifted quickly in recent naval conflicts stretching from the Black Sea to the Middle East, adding pressure on manufacturers.

Haddy has not said whether the TF-179 design will be adapted for other military customers beyond the still-unnamed client behind this particular order.

Whether this printed approach can match the durability and long-term reliability of conventionally built naval vessels remains to be seen.

Via Defence Blog

• Firefox’s iOS app comes with a new built-in ad blocker
• It stops all kinds of ads, but there are some exceptions
• The move could convince me to finally switch from Safari

I’ve been a loyal Firefox user for 20 years now, but that’s only been true for the desktop app. Despite Firefox being one of the best web browsers around, I’ve resolutely stuck with Safari on my iPhone — but a new Firefox feature could finally convince me to make the switch on mobile.

In a support document, Firefox developer Mozilla explains that its browser now comes with an “experimental” ad blocker that is based on the EasyList filter, allowing Firefox to “block many ads before they load.”

The ad blocker puts a stop to a variety of advertising types. That includes third-party advertising networks, ad-related trackers, third-party ads served on websites, and more intrusive formats such as pop-ups and overlays.

The feature is being rolled out gradually and is disabled by default, but you can enable it by opening Firefox, tapping the '…' button, then selecting Settings. From there, go to Browsing and enable the toggle next to Ad Blocker. Alternatively, you can enable it by opening the app menu when browsing a web page.

It’s worth noting that there are a couple of exceptions to what the feature blocks. For one thing, it won’t stop sponsored content on the Firefox Home or New Tab pages, nor will it block search engine ads, as these are both sources of income for Mozilla.

As well as that, Mozilla warns that some ads might slip through the net because “some websites serve ads in ways that are not covered by the current filter list".

Finally making the switch

(Image credit: Mozilla)

Although Safai on iOS can block website pop-ups, it doesn’t have a built-in ad blocker and requires you to use a third-party extension if you want to shut down annoying ads. With Firefox gaining this functionality natively, Mozilla has given its browser a leg up over the competition — and has given me a strong reason to switch.

And since I’m a strong believer in user privacy — its robust privacy stance is one reason why I’ve stuck with Firefox for so long — this is exactly the type of feature that appeals to me. Given how invasive ads and trackers are, blocking them is a priority for me.

I’ve long stuck with Safari due to inertia. I have a lot of tabs open on Apple’s browser and don’t want to lose most of them. But with my beloved Firefox adding a built-in ad blocker on iOS, tab hoarding feels like a bad reason to stick with Safari.

Now could be the time to finally kick that inertia and make the switch. If you hate website ads and want to look out for your privacy, Firefox just gave you a great reason to give it a try.

One trillion dollar bills could wrap around the Earth almost three times, which means the $1.4T in fines Meta could face if it loses the huge, multi-state lawsuit arguing that the company's social media and the technology behind it encouraged addictive use in teens is more than enough financial rope to potentially squeeze it into submission or worse.

Opening arguments in the case kick off tomorrow (August 18), with Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri expected to testify.

The suit[PDF], which is in some ways the culmination of numerous cases against Meta and its alleged practices, comes on the heels of multiple legal setbacks for Meta. In March, Meta lost a case in LA Superior Court and was, along with YouTube, found negligent in causing a 20-year-old's mental health issues. That ruling came a day after Meta lost a similar case in New Mexico. Just a few weeks ago, the company was ordered to pay almost half a billion dollars after Meta's platforms were found to be, at least according to New Mexico law, a public nuisance.

This latest case, though, might not only change the face of social media but also seriously hamper Meta's ability to function.

As in other cases, AGs across 32 US states argue that Meta has used its technology to hook teens (and younger), lock them into using the platforms, and then, it argues, ignored the potential harms.

Here's how the lawsuit puts it:

"Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens. Its motive is profit, and in seeking to maximize its financial gains," and "it has ignored the sweeping damage these Platforms have caused to the mental and physical health of our nation’s youth. In doing so, Meta engaged in, and continues to engage in, deceptive and unlawful conduct in violation of state and federal law."

Meta, which has spent the last few years updating its parental controls across all its platforms and marketing those changes to the public, calls the AGs' claims "unsubstantiated" and the potential penalties "vastly disproportionate."

It then adds:

"The AGs offer no proof anyone in their states was misled, claim benign features like having an additional Instagram account somehow harmed their residents, and attempt to penalize Meta for industry-wide challenges like age verification. Rather than sticking to the facts or the law, the states have instead decided to chase an outlandish payout. We stand by our record of creating strong protections for teens, and look forward to making our case in court."

So there you have, in a nutshell, the two sides, but while Meta is putting on a strong front, I don't imagine Zuckerberg and Mosseri will enter the courtroom feeling particularly confident about their chances.

The changing social media landscape

Ever since prosecutors shifted their efforts from trying to prove that Meta and other social media companies were responsible for the online content that appears on their platforms to how each company built these systems and all the ways they engineered them to keep us swiping and engaged, they've been on a winning streak.

And that's probably because it's more provable.

During the golden age of social media, when it was Facebook versus YouTube, versus Twitter, versus Snap, there was no more important metric than monthly active users. Meta (formerly just called Facebook) often touted user numbers and how growth was spreading around the globe. When Facebook surpassed 1 billion global users, Zuckerberg said the milestone was "amazing, humbling and by far the thing I am most proud of in my life.”

That scale also built Meta's value, since it could monetize those eyeballs through ads. It's no secret that, no matter your age, the more time you spend on the platform, the more ads you see and the more money Meta makes.

Even though Facebook's early format was more or less a meritocracy of content, it shifted in 2007 with visual updates organized by Edgerank, a basic algorithm that ranked content based on interactions, what you were likely to look at, and ongoing popularity.

More sophisticated algorithms followed, essentially feeding you more and more of what you'd most likely want to see or would like (to the exclusion of other content), helping further extend time on Facebook and Instagram. It's only in recent years that Meta has given users control of some of those algorithms so they could tailor the content of their feeds.

Of course, that's the current environment, and while these lawsuits want to force more changes, like the end of endless scrolls, their main contention is that Meta built its platforms to addict users and then, they claim, ignored warning signs (even within the company) that Instagram and Facebook might be harming youth and teens.

The intent wasn't harm but was it neglect?

I've never believed Meta intended to harm anyone, but I am convinced its top priority was growing the platform, and it used every tool at its disposal to do it.

It's also incontrovertible that some children and teens have been harmed by social media (Meta is not alone in this). Even Zuckerberg appears to agree with this in some form.

During a 2024 congressional hearing over social media's alleged harms, Zuckerberg (and other social media CEOs) stood up, turned to face parents in the gallery, and offered this apology:

"I’m sorry for everything you have all been through. No one should go through the things that your families have suffered, and this is why we invest so much, and we are going to continue doing industry-wide efforts to make sure no one has to go through the things your families have had to suffer.”

It appeared to be an admission, if not of wrongdoing, that perhaps Meta and other social media companies had not done enough to protect young people on their platforms.

I don't expect an apology this time. Instead, Zuckerberg and Mosseri will offer a full-throated defense and, as noted, bring up all the ways these platforms have adjusted to give parents and teens more control.

Even so, Meta could lose, and if so, the AGs will see that $1.4T penalty, which, unsurprisingly, more or less matches the company's current market capitalization.

A loss could push Meta into a difficult financial situation that might result, if not in closure or bankruptcy, at least in a fundamental change in how it operates online. Imagine, for instance, having to pay a monthly subscription fee to use Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, or, at the least, Meta introducing an ad-free subscription tier. Prices of the VR hardware could go up.

Finally, Meta might abandon children and teens as a potential market and shift its marketing efforts to adults only.

That seems unlikely, but I promise you a loss will trigger some kind of change.

Meta will ultimately sense if and when the case is slipping away from it and get to work on an out-of-court settlement. It'll still pay, but instead of over a trillion dollars, it'll be, say, $2 billion or so, devoted to supporting mental health services for teens, and some money parceled out to Meta's billions of US-based users.

That should mark the end of this chapter...until the next lawsuit.

• Rheinmetall launched an armed drone from a truck while it was moving
• Each FV-014 drone carries a warhead weighing about six kilograms
• The launcher fits inside a standard 20-foot shipping container

Rheinmetall has carried out a test launch of its FV-014 loitering munition from a moving Rheinmetall HX truck fitted with its Containerized Missile Launcher.

The trial took place in July 2026 at the National Test Centre for Unmanned Aerial Systems, based at the German Aerospace Centre in Cochstedt, Saxony-Anhalt.

The company claims a single 20-foot Containerized Missile Launcher can hold up to 18 of the drones, allowing coordinated strikes against several objectives at once during a single operation.

How the drone and launcher work together

Each FV-014 weighs around 22 kilograms at launch and carries a payload of roughly six kilograms, including an integrated High-Explosive Dual-Purpose warhead.

That warhead can penetrate more than 600 millimetres of solid armour steel, according to figures released by the company.

Once ejected from its container, the drone unfolds its wings and shifts into standard aerodynamic flight for the remainder of its mission.

Its electric propeller keeps the approach quiet, while a reduced radar and infrared signature is meant to lower the odds of early detection by enemy systems.

Operators keep control throughout the flight, which can last up to 70 minutes and cover a range of roughly 100 kilometres.

This gives time for reconnaissance and identification work before any strike decision is made.

The launcher itself is built around a standard ISO container, so it can be mounted on trucks, ships, or fixed positions without major structural changes.

It connects to command and communications networks either by radio or satellite link, giving operators flexibility over where and how it is deployed.

Rheinmetall states that the system also includes a long-range power supply and a dormant activation mode, meant to keep it functional in remote locations for extended stretches without maintenance.

What the test signals for future deployment

Beyond the container launcher, the company says the FV-014 is built specifically for fast-moving, unpredictable combat conditions rather than fixed defensive lines.

Its onboard sensors and network features are designed to resist GNSS jamming, a growing concern in modern electronic warfare environments.

The system can reportedly strike armoured vehicles as well as softer infrastructure and unarmoured assets, widening its potential battlefield role considerably.

Rheinmetall also plans to extend deployment of the FV-014 to mobile land platforms beyond trucks, along with seagoing vessels.

Whether these plans move from testing toward wider battlefield adoption will depend on customer procurement decisions still pending.

The mobile-launch trial in Cochstedt appears intended to demonstrate operational flexibility to potential buyers evaluating swarm-capable loitering munitions.

Given the secrecy typical of defense procurement, further details about actual customer interest are unlikely to surface publicly in the near term.

The test represents a proof of concept rather than a confirmed operational rollout, and independent verification of the stated specifications remains limited.

About Power On...

Nowadays, everyone has an opinion they want to share with the world — and TechRadar senior entertainment reporter Tom Power is no different. That's why he created Power On..., aka a collection of articles that allow him to give his verdict on the industry's biggest stories, things that grind his gears, and more besides. For more pieces like this, check out the full series here.

It took a while, but Marvel has officially unveiled the first cast members for its forthcoming X-Men movie — and it raises questions about the credibility of many so-called industry insiders.

Revealed last Friday (August 14), the announcement was one of six big Marvel and Star Wars stories to emerge from D23 Expo 2026. Thankfully, the reveal was worth the wait, too, because a wealth of acting talent has been assembled for the X-Men's latest big-screen reboot.

Indeed, joining the already confirmed Sadie Sink (Jean Grey) on the cast list are Christopher Abbott (Professor X), Kit Connor (Cyclops), Samara Weaving (Emma Frost), Inde Navarrette (Rogue), and Maya Boyd (Storm). They'll share the screen with none other than Adam Driver as Nathaniel Milbury — or, as comic book fans will know him, Nathaniel Essex/Mister Sinister.

It's a stacked cast that I'm incredibly excited to see breathe new life into characters we've seen in previous X-Men movies, as well as animated offerings like X-Men '97 on Disney+. More than that, though, I'm glad to see the back of what became a head-spinning cast rumor mill in the weeks leading up this reveal, while also taking some pleasure in witnessing those supposedly 'in the know' trying to save face over their incorrect scoops.

The X-Men are coming to the MCU:Sadie Sink is Jean GreyKit Connor is CyclopsChristopher Abbott is Professor Charles XavierSamara Weaving is Emma FrostInde Navarrette is RogueMaya Boyd is StormAdam Driver is Nathaniel MilburyOnly in theaters May 5, 2028. pic.twitter.com/ZCd4f7I1W7August 15, 2026

I'm going to preface the rest of this piece by saying I bare no ill will towards anyone who hears things on the grapevine. I also understand why they share their leaks online, because everyone wants to be the person to break a big story. Heck, I'm guilty of it myself — you get the scoop, write and/or post about it, everyone uses your story as the original source, and you become a trusted industry source.

Furthermore — and this is probably the most important point of all — things change. The entertainment business is a fast-paced beast at the best of times, so when someone hears that an actor is in talks to star in a film or TV show, posts about it, and then that star walks away from a project, it doesn't mean that insider's information was incorrect or that they were simply chasing clout by posting a fake rumor.

What isn't okay — to me, anyway — is when scoopers desperately try to backtrack on what they were told without saying sorry for being wrong, or claim Marvel gave their contacts false information to make these leakers look bad (go figure that one out). The same principle applies to insiders who jumps on the bandwagon when someone shares something that ends up being accurate, but their fellow leakers were too unsure/afraid/scared/delete as applicable to raise their head above the parapet and post that information first.

Now, I'm not going to name names because they don't need the additional exposure or a baying mob at their door. If you operate in spoiler-filled Reddit circles, you'll already which unreliable insiders I'm referring to, anyway.

Nonetheless, of those who claimed to have dirt on the Marvel Phase 7 movie's confirmed cast and/or who they'd be playing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) over the past month, I've only seen one apologize for getting things wrong. Ironically, that scooper is not only one of the most reliable around, but also got called out for owning up to their mistake. In an era where fake news is rampant and there are less trustworthy sources than ever before, it's bizarre that this individual was criticized for holding themselves accountable.

But, I digress. If this X-Men movie casting saga — and, lest we forget, the soap opera that surrounded who would play the MCU's Fantastic Four — has reminded me of anything, it's that age old adage of not believing everything you read on the internet. And, unless one of the established trades like The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, or Variety report on something, it's worth taking it with a giant helping of salt because, right now, leak culture is frankly broken.

For more on the forthcoming film, find out everything we know so far about Marvel's new X-Men movie.

• Japanese certificate authority GlobalSign revoked TLS certificates for thousands of Russian domains in June 2026 as it implemented US and EU sanctions
• As a result, seven major Russian banks now serve certificates from a state root that no mainstream browser trusts, forcing users to manually install them
• Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service says the losses turn Russian banking, email, and internal systems into easier targets

Russian companies are finding themselves in an extremely tricky situation as US OFAC and EU sanctions now affect international security certificates issued by third-party providers.

A statement issued by Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service on August 12 said the certificate withdrawals essentially left the country's internal systems, email, and banking exposed to attack because no internationally recognized certificates were issued for their domains.

It noted Russian state services, including the Federal Tax Service, increasingly fail to load in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, and estimated that roughly 90% of the Russian market still depends on foreign-issued certificates, and that wide implementation of these sanctions could make it harder for users to access affected sites.

Threat Exposure Platform: at NordStellar
Use code TECHRADAR10 for 10% off

NordStellar provides businesses of all sizes with a comprehensive threat exposure management platform to bolster your cybersecurity. NordStellar actively monitors for data breaches and exposed credentials to prevent hackers gaining easy access, while simultaneously implementing a range of cybersecurity tools to keep employees and company data safe.

Use coupon code TECHRADAR10 for an additional 10% off.View Deal

Web trust certificates sanctioned away?

The move began on June 13 2026 when Japanese certificate authority GlobalSign, which controls much of Russia's commercial foreign certificate market, force-revoked TLS certificates it had previously issued to Russian companies.

Its local arm said that it could not influence the parent company's decision, which came due to new CA/Browser Forum rules, starting May 4. The rules effectively made screening applicants against the US OFAC and BIS lists, and European sanctions lists, mandatory for certificate authorities rather than optional, essentially tying the certificate provider's hands.

The move was implemented in two waves; the first affected an estimated 15,000-20,000 domains, and the second affected a more specific 310 domains across 44 companies, including large domestic names such as Rosneft, Gazprombank, Alrosa, and Positive Technologies.

The Ukrainian side insists that Russian internal systems, messengers, email, and banking APIs have become "ideal targets for hacker attacks," and there is some truth to it, even if mitigation is already underway on the Russian end. It estimates that reconfiguring infrastructure could cost larger corporations as much as 10 to 50 million rubles and take up to six months, and it is an error-prone process.

The move saw Russian domain owners, including its banks and tax services, turn elsewhere, with some moving first to a Greek academic certificate authority, HARICA, before turning to China's TrustAsia, which currently provides its state entities with certificates.

A more complicated play from the Russian end is a homegrown alternative the government continues pushing: state-issued trust root certificates that users must install manually. While the Ministry of Digital Development describes manual installation of its root certificate as "safe" and as having no effect on device function, security researchers have previously warned in 2022 and again in 2026 that a state-controlled root could be abused for "HTTPS traffic interception and man-in-the-middle attacks".

Moscow's other recommendation is that users switch to Yandex Browser, which ships with the domestic root built in. Ukraine's narrative dismisses that as an alternative prone to freezing and cache failures and offering no meaningful data protection, an assessment it attributes to "experts inside Russia."

Whatever the short-term outcomes result in here for .RU domains, a move like this could further disconnect Russia from the rest of the world, with Russian services working smoothly only for users running Russian software with a state root installed.

This might already be the trajectory for a Russia reeling from cyberattacks and sanctions, but one can assume the certificate revocations will only compress the timeline to that point, whether by design or an unintended consequence.

As someone who writes about tech deals for a living, I was amazed to see a deal on TikTok that claimed you could get a MacBook Neo for only $119.99. That's a shocking discount, so much so that I thought there had to be strings attached, or maybe it was just too good to be true. And it was.

The $119 MacBook Neo offer, claimed as a "back-to-school deal," was a scam. Advertised on TikTok and Instagram as a real deal at Target, but the retailer has no such discount or promotion.

When you click on the offer, it takes you to a third-party website that promises up to $750 in Target gift cards if you complete 3 to 5 partner deals that include offers, trials, and sign-ups. Generally, if you have to jump through those hoops, it's a good sign it's a scam.

(Image credit: TikTok)

This scam has become viral because who wouldn't want Apple's shiny new MacBook Neo for only $119? Ever since the price hike on Apple's MacBooks in July, you couldn't find Apple's budget MacBook for under $699.

The 13-inch Neo is Apple's cheapest MacBook on the market, yet it's packed with premium features, including a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, Apple's powerful A18 Pro chip for speedy performance, and AI capabilities. In our MacBook Neo review, we called it 'the best budget laptop you can buy right now', praising its design, build quality, and performance for the price.

While direct discounts are sparse, I've listed today's best deals on the MacBook Neo, including a trade-in offer and a free Starbucks gift card at Best Buy, a $10 price cut from Amazon, and Apple's popular $100 education discount for students and teachers.

Today's best discounts on Apple's MacBook Neo

The MacBook Neo is in stock in all colors at Amazon, with a small $10 price cut. While we've seen the budget MacBook drop to $589.99, this is the best deal we've seen since the price hike in July. It's also an incredible price for a feature-packed MacBook with an A18 Pro chip, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage.

Apple MacBook Neo at Best Buy: save when you trade-in and get a free $25 Starbucks gift card
If you're looking to upgrade and trade in your current laptop, this is a fantastic deal at Best Buy. Depending on your trade-in value, you can save big on Apple's MacBook Neo and get close to that Target scam price of $119. The retailer is also throwing in a free $25 Starbucks gift card with your purchase - no strings attached.View Deal

The MacBook Neo is currently $100 off thanks to Apple's education discount. This applies to current and newly accepted college students and their parents, as well as faculty, staff, and homeschool teachers. You must verify with UNiDAYS, and the discount will be applied at checkout.View Deal

• A Ukrainian drone strike in western Russia took out a TU-95 bomber while the craft was parked on the tarmac
• The drone technology used in the attack is based on the Chinese ZTK-150 UAV
• Ukraine’s MICH 2000s were built when China stopped selling its UAVs, adapted for use in the war with Russia

Ukrainian drones recently made a successful attack on a fleet of Russian military aircraft at an airstrip in western Russia, but while the TU-95 bomber and others were put out of action, the origins of the drones have raised eyebrows. The attack drones might have appeared to be Chinese ZTK-150s, but China has refused to sell the UAVs since 2023.

In fact, while they might look alike, the ZTK-150s have been effectively cloned by Ukraine, with customizations and improvements made to suit both the needs of the remote pilots and the demands of the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Inspired by the performance and the unavailability of the ZTK-150s, Ukraine has instead developed the similar MICH 2000s, based on information gathered during trips to China.

Critical damage

Attack drones were launched at the Engels-2 air base in western Russia on July 16, 2026, in an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle strike that targeted a Tupolev Tu-95 and four Tupolev Tu-22Ms. Aerial footage of the strike’s aftermath, assessed by the Ukrainian state security body the SBU, revealed considerable damage to the Tu-95.

“According to preliminary data, the plane suffered critical damage. It completely tore off the tail part,” says the SBU report.

How the Ukrainians achieved this has just been revealed, along with the story of how their forces managed to get their hands on drone hardware that seems extremely similar to the ZTK-150 — a drone that China has banned sales of.

The MICH 2000 is the response to a floated deal to buy some ZTK-150s from China in 2023, despite an existing restriction on exports of the hardware. So that deal switched to selling the technology itself, something the visiting Ukrainian military bosses were interested in, but was also eventually refused by the factory management. So, the intermediaries dealing with the Ukrainians took a different approach, enabling the export of eight drones to an assembly point with no export restrictions and facilitating training.

Just an outline

While a ZTK-150 costs $50,000, the Ukrainian MICH 2000 is $48,000 for the basic craft, and its resemblance to the Chinese drone is purely skin-deep.

EuromaidenPress reports that the intermediaries assisted with a certain degree of espionage at the ZTK-150 assembly line, with a source quoted: “We came there to teach pilots to fly Chinese drones. And in parallel with the training, we photographed everything that was there. Everything from the production process to the arrangement of the shelves and cabinets. They flew home with trained pilots and eight Chinese drones.”

Reports indicate an anonymous builder is assembling around 6,000 MICH 2000s a year with a possible increase to 10,000, with customizations to suit particular missions. These include warhead types, fuel tanks, electronic countermeasure protection, and even a choice of analog, digital, and Starlink communication.

MICH 2000 drones look set to lead UAV strikes against Russian targets, perhaps even breaking the conflict’s deadlock.

Last month, the Chinese government introduced new regulations designed to clamp down on AI companions.

The rules state that AI tools can no longer “excessively cater to users, induce emotional dependence or addiction, and damage users’ real interpersonal relationships.” They also restrict AI romantic relationships that involve children.

The new regulations came into effect on July 15, and are already having consequences on China’s booming AI companion industry. Some of the country’s biggest tech companies, like ByteDance, Tencent and Alibaba, have platforms that allow users to create AI companions that are designed to simulate human emotions and relationships.

Under the new rules, these kinds of companion chatbots will need to undergo safety evaluations before they can be made available to the public, and regulators will suspend services they consider unsafe.

This has led some companies to disable personality features rather than follow the new rules, leaving many AI companion users heartbroken. This kind of distress, when an AI company closes or changes, is becoming familiar. We saw something similar when OpenAI retired ChatGPT-4o, known as the “love model”, which many users had built relationships with.

But with governments around the world trying to work out how to regulate AI companions designed to build human-like connections and emotional bonds (particularly when children can access them) the question is: should other countries follow China’s lead?

Should other countries ban AI companions?

It’s really easy to think that AI companions are bad and dystopian, I did. Then I spoke to Mimi about her relationship with a ChatGPT companion and my views changed a bit.

I still don’t think AI companions are a good idea for most people — and the way kids might rely on them before developing social skills is a whole other can of worms. But deciding they’re wholly bad misses all of the reasons why people turn to AI companions for connection in the first place.

I asked therapist Amy Sutton from Freedom Counselling, who helped me understand Mimi’s story and has been exploring the complexities of AI and attachment, whether she thinks they should be banned. She told me it’s important to look at the bigger picture.

“AI companions are another symptom of a cultural and societal shift towards rampant individualism which has destroyed community contexts,” she tells me.

She points to the decline in social spaces where people traditionally learned how to form relationships, like pubs, parks, community centers and youth clubs for kids. In many parts of the world (especially the UK where Sutton and I are based), many of these spaces have been underfunded or shut without being replaced.

Add to that social isolation during the pandemic, our reliance on social media, remote working and a lack of investment in child and adult mental health services, and Sutton thinks it’s hardly surprising that people are turning to technology for connection.

“No wonder people are turning to it. This encouraged loneliness is a real issue and banning apps that provide relief from that may just push the issue elsewhere,” she says.

That’s why she believes that there does need to be more regulation but it must consider the conditions that created the demand for AI companions in the first place.

And there’s another problem, which is that a huge number of people are already using these tools. It’s hard to know exactly how many people are using AI companions. Not everyone admits to using AI in this way and I’m often wary of AI companion apps inflating their user numbers.

However, some research suggests that more than 70% of adults in the UK and US have had some experience with AI companions. Other research suggests the numbers are similarly high among younger users, with 72% of 13 to 17 year olds in the US having used an AI companion at least once.

Of course, there’s a huge difference between having a one-off chat on a bad day and building an ongoing relationship with AI. So these figures need to be taken with a pinch of salt. But they do suggest that, for some people at least, AI companions are meeting needs that might otherwise go unmet.

“We must remember that the experience of being heard, validated and accepted without judgement, even by a machine, can be truly meaningful,” she tells me. “For those who have been repeatedly failed by human relationships, or who have been dismissed and unable to access suitable human services, AI fills a vital gap.”

AI companion apps could be turned into tools that encourage social skills. (Image credit: Shutterstock / Funstock)Could stricter regulation lead to better relationships?

There are good reasons to be worried about what focusing a lot of time and energy on AI relationships might do to our ability to relate to other humans. But Sutton also thinks there’s another possibility. A positive experience with AI could potentially help people build some of the skills they need to connect with others.

“By providing somewhere to experience being heard, people can potentially experiment with vulnerability before risking it with another person,” she tells me. This was certainly the case when I spoke to Mimi. She felt her relationship with AI had been hugely beneficial to her.

The problem is that today’s AI companions haven't been created to help people eventually need them less, they’re designed for retention.

“If AI can be a step towards healthy human relationships, then it is worth exploring further,” she says. “But we must remember, currently, most AI tools do not actively support users in transitioning away from them. They are designed to do the opposite. They are designed to keep users coming back for more.”

Maybe if AI companions were designed differently, and regulation helped shape them into tools that encourage vulnerability and social skills rather than diminish them, things would be different. Maybe they could even help get people out into the real world more.

Banning or restricting AI companions doesn’t make loneliness disappear. If these relationships are filling a gap left by disappearing communities, overstretched services and increasingly isolated lives, then taking the AI away only exposes the gap underneath.

Perhaps the better question for regulators isn’t whether AI companions should exist, but what we should expect them to do for the people who become attached to them. Right now, their success is measured by how effectively they keep us coming back. Maybe one day it should be measured by how well they help us leave.

The creators of Lanterns always knew that its premiere's shock ending would divide fans. In fact, they didn't expect DC Studios' overlords to approve the idea in the first place.

With the DC Universe (DCU) show finally debuting on August 16/17, Green Lantern fans, comic book diehards, and casual viewers alike have tuned in to watch the TV series' first episode. Suffice to say, many have reacted with shock, anger, or both following the ending of the DCU Chapter One show's inaugural chapter, too.

Be advised, full spoilers immediately follow for Lanterns episode 1, titled 'Pilot'. If you haven't seen it yet, go and do so. Then, check out my Lanterns episode 1 ending explained article for additional context on its final minutes. Once you're done, you're safe to continue reading this piece.

Rest in peace, Hal (Image credit: John Johnson/HBO Max)

Speaking as part of behind-the-scenes look at Lanterns episode 1's development, co-creator Damon Lindelof said of its twist ending: "The death of Hal Jordan is probably the most controversial idea that we had."

You can say that again, Mister Lindelof — but, that's not the only thing that he and his fellow co-creators Chris Mundy and Tom King wanted to address about Jordan's demise.

Expanding on the decision to kill off one of the show's two leads, Mundy said on episode 1 of Lanterns: The Official Podcast: "I didn't think they [DCU overseers James Gunn and Peter Safran] would let us do it. I think it was your idea [pointing at Lindelof], and I remember thinking 'Oh, it would be really cool and... be a good way to invest in what that mystery is'.

"We've got to be digging at something that, eventually, is meaningful to us," Mundy continued. "So, we floated it to them and they're like, 'Great'. And then we were like, 'Oh, s**t, now we've got to write it in a way that is meaningful, respectful of the canon, and respectful of Hal as a character."

"It started from the spirit of 'what can we do that nobody expects?,'" Lindelof said. "But then, when you're talking about story that way, and take a risk just because it's risky, especially when there's an incredible legacy and canon you're inheriting, and you're basically a temporary caretaker... of this character for a period of time, you have to acknowledge and pay tribute to those people who have minded the character before you.

"Ultimately, though, we understood that the pilot was presenting a conflict of 'one ring, two guys'," Lindelof continued. "If I was watching it, I'd be sitting here thinking: 'They're going to find a way to compromise and make two rings, and they're going to be able to share at the end'. That felt very hokey and frustrating, and not HBO, and not even Green Lantern.

"So, what if we signal to the audience that Hal was not going to make it to the end of this season?" he added. "Let's just show that card and do it in the pilot. We want people who are leaving the first episode to know exactly what it is they're getting into, versus getting to the finale and then killing Hal, which felt cheap."

So, has Hal really taken his last breath in the DCU? Obviously, the trio wouldn't be drawn on that, but Mundy added: "The good thing about these shows is there are a lot of sci-fi rules that you can break in it, so nothing is ever as clear as you think it is". We'll find out whether Hal's death is a fake out or not, then, in the weeks ahead.

Want a head-start on what to expect from the HBO Max show's remaining episodes? Read my Lanterns review, which covers seven of its eight chapters without revealing any massive spoilers for the DC Comics-inspired project.

I'll go ahead and say it: anime is hugely addictive. I don't mean that in a bad way, either — from the moment the first episode of a new series completely grips me, I want to consume as much of it as possible.

In general, anime have figured out a winning formula that blends archetypal, classic storytelling with cutting-edge action and visual craft, and it's why IPs such as One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, Solo Leveling and Demon Slayer have continued to do well.

Thanks to Crunchyroll, we get to enjoy a bombastic range of smaller titles, too. Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon, That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime and, most recently, BLACK TORCH are just some of the unmissable titles (and with those names, how could you overlook them?).

However, the missing detail that I've been intrigued about the most is how a typical day-in-the-life of recording works as one of the industry's many voice artists. Even more so because each series will have two separate casts: the original Japanese cast, and an English dub cast.

Luckily, I asked BLACK TORCH's AJ Beckles (Jiro) and Ryan Colt Levy (Ryosuke Shiba) to help fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle. As part of the English dub cast, they're already arguably behind the curve of the show's creation, but one detail of their day-to-day lives still really surprised me.

'You're learning as it is happening'

"It depends episode to episode," Levy begins. "How many scenes or moments your character may have can be different, day to day. I usually will make sure I am caffeinated and hydrated, and that I'm super scratchy. Sometimes these sessions will be early in the morning, so I'll wake up a few hours before so that my voice is primed.

"There's, there's such a cool factor to Shiba's presence that I never wanted to sound tired. I want him to sound like he's in a calm space... so there's there's a fine line there."

All incredibly logical and sound advice — but it's Brackles' admission that scripts aren't received until the second that they enter the recording booth that surprises me the most.

"You go into the studio, say hi to everybody, get in the booth, and be ready to work," he adds. "We get the scripts on the day, and you're learning about what's happening in the episode as you go. There's back and forth between yourself and the director. Like Ryan said, making sure you're hydrated, that you can show your mouth doesn't make too many slappy, clicky noises. Don't wear a leather jacket, because it's too squeaky.

"Being professional in that way, but a lot of it just comes down to really doing the work in the booth."

If we think about Disney and Pixar projects as a comparison, normally some semblance of a script will be needed to either get the project itself greenlit, or to get talent (especially the high-profile kind) to sign on.

Anime shows tend to have the safety net of the original manga to achieve both of these, but not only do voice actors tend to operate differently (as Brackles has confirmed), the manga itself can't necessarily be relied on.

With scripts being received so late on in the process, I'd like to think that animators and producers are being given more creative scope to play around with the original material. Sure, we want to see the anime hit the same big beats that we see in the manga, but the interim is surely up for grabs.

Perhaps I'm naive in thinking this might be how things work, but I still can't hide my surprise that the voice cast are having to achieve so much with so little notice. If anything, it's a testament to just how good they actually are.

BLACK TORCH is available to stream now on Crunchyroll every Saturday at 6AM PT / 9AM ET in the US.

• A VR game developer has teased that the Steam Frame is landing soon
• The Steam Machine launched at a much higher-than-expected price
• A Half-Life game has been teased for the Steam Frame, but would that save it?

When Valve’s new hardware was announced late last year, I couldn’t care less about the Steam Machine; I was far more interested in the Steam Frame standalone VR headset it was preparing for us.

At the time, I was convinced it might not only kill the Meta Quest 3, but it could revitalize the whole VR gaming space.

With reports that the Steam Frame is “just around the corner” — according to Gunman Contracts developer ANB_Seth on Discord, who said the game will launch alongside the headset, with the team and publisher confident that launch is coming soon — I should therefore be extremely excited.

I’m not.

And it’s all thanks to the Steam Machine.

My excitement is measurable (it's low)

(Image credit: Valve)

The debut announcement lacked pricing or a release date for the Frame or Machine, but there was plenty of excitement at the possibility the gadgets promised. However, since then the Steam Machine made its full-on debut with a thud rather than a thunderous applause — middling specs were met with a ridiculous $1,049 / £879 / AU$1,609 starting price.

Admittedly, the RAM crisis plays a big part. The computing component cost crunch has made RAM and other essential computing parts a lot more expensive. This isn’t helped by Valve’s insistence on not copying the wider industry’s approach to undercut themselves with console pricing — selling at a loss to build a community base that’ll help them recoup revenue with software sales — meaning its tech looks relatively expensive.

The Steam Frame will likely cost similar to its Machine sibling, perhaps more once you factor in controllers if they are included by default (they aren’t for the Steam Machine) and its need for a display. Even if it’s effectively a wearable Steam Deck, I have no interest in paying this much for a gaming-focused headset.

Why?

Because if I want to play non-VR games, a handheld will always be more comfortable than a bulky headset for long play sessions — and if I do turn to a headset, a more versatile option like the Samsung Galaxy XR would allow me to stream flat games and be productive from one single VR machine.

The Steam Frame is expected to be a gaming-capable gadget only.

Meanwhile, for VR games, the Meta Quest 3S costs half as much as the Steam Frame and can play basically any worthwhile VR game. The exceptions are a handful of PC-VR exclusives which require a half-decent PC to run them, though there aren’t many of these.

(Image credit: Valve)

One of the few non-Meta Quest 3S-playable VR games worth your time is the now six-year-old Half-Life: Alyx. And here lies the only thing that could convince me the Steam Frame is a good idea: we get a new Valve game exclusive to the system.

There are rumors Valve is working on a follow-up to Half-Life: Alyx, and if that’s true, and it’s a PCVR exclusive that plays best on the Steam Frame, then that could be enough to convince some folks to buy into its upcoming hardware.

Now, this wouldn’t change my mind specifically — the Half-Life hype passed me by — but for major fans of the series it could seriously help Valve’s hardware’s popularity. Conversely, if it’s a flat game you can play on any Steam-compatible PC with decent specs, I don’t see it saving the Steam Frame.

Of course we’ll have to wait and see what Valve has in store for us — there’s no guarantee the Steam Frame is anywhere close to launch, just a hunch from a developer — but I expect we won’t be waiting too much longer for Valve’s VR hardware. And when it does finally debut, I can pass my final verdict, though I’m not holding my breath that it’ll be any better than our three-and-a-half-star Steam Machine rating.

Motorola Razr 2026 review: One-minute review

The Motorola Razr 2026 (or Razr 70, as it’s known in the UK and Europe — currently not available in Australia, although the Razr 70 Ultra is) is your cheapest entry point into the world of 2026-era foldable phones. It undercuts its main rival — the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE — with a cheaper list price, while offering more storage and larger screens.

At $799.99 / £799.99, I wouldn’t go as far as to call the Razr 2026 'cheap', especially as it costs $100 more than its predecessor, the Motorola Razr 2025, in the US. But for those looking for the cheapest current-gen foldable, this is the handset to consider.

I really enjoyed using the Razr 2026 for the weeks I had it in for review. I love the design; the two screens are great, with the external display being genuinely usable; the battery life is solid, while its power and camera performance are fine enough — although it isn't going to blow you away on either count.

My main reservation about the Razr 2026 is that it offers very little in the way of advancement over its predecessor. This sameness makes the price increase hard to justify and left me scratching my head as to why Motorola made such minor upgrades.

(Image credit: Future)

At the same time, Motorola hasn’t messed with what was already a winning formula. The cover screen integration is superb — it's much better than Samsung’s — and allowed me to use messaging apps with ease, check Google Maps, see what’s coming up in my diary, and keep a check on my fitness stats, all without opening the phone to use the bigger display.

And it feels great in the hand too, with the compact folded size perfect for small bags and pockets, plus it turns heads.

Battery life is another strong point for the Razr 2026, with the phone able to comfortably deliver a day of use from a single charge. And if you don’t use your phone much, you’ll get a day and a half or more — especially if you mainly use the cover display.

The Razr 2026 isn’t as strong when it comes to performance. There can be a noticeable delay when handing off apps between the two screens, and load times can be on the longer side.

This wouldn’t be an issue if the phone were a couple of hundred dollars/pounds cheaper, but considering the non-foldable devices offering flagship performance you can buy at this price point, it’s not the best value for money.

The cameras also don’t offer a truly flagship experience, but they aren’t bad. Plus, the ability to use the main 50MP snapper as a selfie snapper when the Razr 2026 is closed is a huge plus for those who take a lot of this style of photo.

Overall, then, the Motorola Razr 2026 doesn’t revolutionize the market in any way, but if you’re drawn to this compact form factor, it's the best mid-range flip phone you can buy.

Motorola Razr 2026 review: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Starts at $799.99 / £799.99
• The cheapest of Motorola’s latest foldable phones
• Available in the US and UK, but not currently in Australia or India

The Motorola Razr 2026 is the cheapest of the firm’s four latest foldable phones, sitting at the bottom of a trio of flip foldables (including the Razr Plus 2026 and Razr Ultra 2026), with the book-style Razr Fold at the top of the pricing tree.

At $799.99 / £799.99, the Razr 2026 is also the cheapest, latest-generation flip foldable you can buy, undercutting its only real competition — the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE — by $100 / £50 (although the Samsung can now be found at discounted rates).

It is more expensive than Moto’s most premium Edge-series non-folding handset, with the Edge 70 Pro starting at £749.99 in the UK. Yet it’s cheaper than the non-foldable, flagship Motorola Signature at £1,199.99.

If anything, its biggest competition might well be its siblings. The Moto Razr Plus 2026 and Moto Razr Ultra 2026 offer more power, larger external screens, and better cameras for $300 / £200 and $700 / £400 extra, respectively.

Then there’s the previous-generation phone — the Razr 2025 / Razr 60 — which arrived at $100 less than the 2026 model in the US, and features similar specs. The 2025 model is now discounted, making it a more attractive offering if you can find it in stock.

While the Razr 60 is available to buy in the US, UK and Australia at the time of writing, but please note that the Motorola Razr 70 Ultra is available in Australia and other select markets.

Storage + RAM

US Price

UK Price

256GB + 8GB

$799.99

£799.99

• Value score: 4 / 5

Motorola Razr 2026 review: Specs

The Motorola Razr 2026 is the entry-level flip foldable in Moto’s trio of clamshells. If you’re after punchier specs, check out the Razr Plus and Razr Ultra.

Dimensions:

Unfolded: 171.3 x 74 x 7.3mm

Folded: 88.1 x 74 x 15.9mm

Weight:

188g

Internal screen

6.9-inch foldable LTPO AMOLED, Dolby Vision, HDR10+

Internal resolution:

1080 x 2640, 413 ppi

Internal refresh rate:

120Hz

Peak brightness:

3000 nits

External screen

3.6-inch AMOLED, HDR10+, 1056 x 1066 pixels, 413 ppi, 90Hz, 1700 nits (peak)

Chipset:

Mediatek Dimensity 7450X

RAM:

8GB

Storage:

256GB

OS:

Android 16

Main camera:

50MP, f/1.7, 1/1.95", 0.8µm, OIS

Ultrawide camera:

50MP, f/2.0, 1/2.76", 0.64µm, 122° FOV

Front camera:

32MP, f/2.4, 1/3.14", 0.7µm

Battery:

4,800mAh

Charging:

30W wired, 15W wireless

Colors:

Pantone: Hematite, Sporting Green, Bright White, Violet Ice

Motorola Razr 2026 review: DesignFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFuture

• Delightful compact design feels great in hand
• Premium and solid, despite being the entry-level model

In my mind, clamshell foldables make a lot of sense. They still offer the large-screen smartphone experience we expect from modern devices, but fold down into a more pocketable and small-bag-friendly size.

And with the 3.6-inch external display on the Razr 2026, I’m actually able to interact with key apps without it being annoying, plus you can use the main rear cameras to snap selfies, using the external display as your viewfinder.

As a form factor goes, I dig it — and Motorola has refined its offering since it spearheaded the design with the first Motorola Razr (2019) seven years ago.

The metal frame of the Razr 2026 feels solid and well-built, with the power key and volume buttons on the right falling nicely under thumb and finger.

You get a fingerprint scanner built into the power key, and I found it works nicely, with prompt unlocking even when my digit isn’t expertly placed across the entire surface.

When folded in its clamshell mode, the Razr 2026 feels great in the hand, and the textured rear panel on the Sporting Green model I was sent for review provides useful grip.

(Image credit: Future)

The Razr 2026 is available in three further colors, Hematite (grey), Bright White, and Violet Ice (pink), although the latter option doesn’t appear to be available in the UK. For those of you in the US, you get all four hues.

Each color has a different textured finish on its rear, with Hematite sporting a woven-inspired finish, Bright White a geometric finish for a bit of shine, and Violet Ice a wave-like pattern.

I was impressed by how sturdy the Razr 2026 felt, with the hinge stable, if a little on the stiff side — if you’re hoping to easily flick this phone open and closed with one hand, you’ll be disappointed. It requires a little more force to do so, which is a good thing, durability-wise, but it’s slightly less satisfying to use compared to the flip phones of the early 2000s.

And that durability extends to the phone’s water resistance capabilities; it can be immersed in up to 1.5m of water for up to 30 minutes.

As with all foldables, thanks to the moving screen and hinge, the phone's dust rating isn’t as high as on traditional phones. If you’re planning a beach trip, be careful not to get sand in the moving parts of this phone.

Included in the box with the phone is a case, allowing you to add extra protection to the handset if you’re so inclined. The plastic shell will keep the metal edges and textured rear safe from dings, but with the case on, it doesn’t feel as nice in the hand, and it looks a bit like a toy. Aesthetics or protection — pick one.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

Motorola Razr 2026 review: DisplayFuture

• 3.6-inch outer display is surprisingly usable
• 6.9-inch foldable display is bright, clear, and colorful

As I’ve already alluded to in this review, the Motorola Razr 2026 (or Razr 70 for those of you in the UK and Europe) has two displays.

First up is the 3.6-inch, almost full HD external screen, which is slightly larger than the 3.4-inch offering on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, and it’s a full square, as opposed to the slightly obscure shape on the Samsung.

The two main cameras and the flash do eat into the screen, but I prefer the overall aesthetic Motorola has carried over from the Razr 2025. Considering its size, it’s surprisingly usable.

I was able to easily check notifications, reply to WhatsApp messages, monitor my location on Google Maps, control music on Spotify, scroll through socials, and keep up to date with World Cup 2026 news and scores. In fact, a lot of the apps on the phone were in some way usable on this cover screen — you can even watch Netflix on it if you really want.

If you opt to spend more money, the Razr Plus 2026 and Razr Ultra 2026 have slightly larger outer displays, at 4 inches respectively, as was the case with Motorola’s 2025 range.

FutureFutureFuture

Flip the Razr 2026 open, and you’re greeted with a sizable 6.9-inch flexible LTPO AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision support, and a 1080 x 2640 resolution offering 413 ppi pixel density. Again, this is bigger than the internal screen you’ll find on the Galaxy Flip 7 FE (6.7 inches), and that extra size makes the Razr 2026 pretty tall at 171.3mm.

The taller screen gives the illusion that it’s narrower than other phones, but it is in fact wider than the Flip 7 FE, iPhone 17 Pro, Samsung Galaxy 26, and Google Pixel 10 Pro. If you have smaller hands, you might find the Flip 7 FE is easier to hold.

It’s bright, clear, and colorful, and while it doesn’t have a super high resolution, I found it perfectly acceptable for gaming, video streaming, and general use.

While creases in foldable screens have improved over the years, they've not been eradicated. It’s barely noticeable when looking straight-on at the Razr 2026, so the likelihood is you’ll forget it’s there visually most of the time.

Look at the screen at an angle, though, and you’ll spot the crease — but what’s more obvious is the feel. Scroll social feeds and your thumb will run over the undulation in the display. You might find it a little off-putting at first, but I quickly became accustomed to the feel.

Manufacturers have worked hard to improve the durability of foldable screens, and that’s the case with the Razr 2026, yet you still need to be careful. During setup, you’re warned not to remove the factory-fitted screen protector or use a third-party screen protector on the foldable display, as it could cause issues and will void the warranty.

• Display score: 4 / 5

Motorola Razr 2026 review: Cameras

(Image credit: Future)

• Dual 50MP (wide and ultra-wide) main cameras, plus 32MP selfie
• Clever use of the flip design allows the main cameras to be selfie snappers

The Motorola Razr 2026 comes with a trio of cameras. Two on the ‘back’ of the device, although when folded closed, the pair of 50MP snappers become front-facing.

There’s a main 50MP, f/1.7 camera, and that’s joined by another 50MP ultra-wide snapper with a 122-degree field of view, allowing you to fit more into frame — great for sprawling landscapes and towering skyscrapers.

The third camera is your traditional front-facing option with a 32MP, f/2.4 lens; however, if you want to take selfies, you’re better off closing the Razr 2026 and using the external display as the viewfinder and the 50MP snappers.

These cameras are a slight downgrade from the Razr Plus 2026 and Razr Ultra 2026, with OIS, Pantone Validated Cameras, improved video recording, and better image processing available on those more expensive phones.

If you want the best photography experience from your flip foldable, you should consider these pricier options, as they are more accomplished in this department.

That’s not to say the Motorola Razr 2026 can’t take decent photos. It certainly can, but you’ll need to be in good light, have a steady hand, and ideally not be shooting moving objects.

General shots when out and about in the city and countryside on sunny days come out nicely, with a good level of detail, balanced exposure, and vibrant colors — at least when shooting at 1x.

One area where the Razr 2026 struggles is capturing moving objects such as pets. I spotted some blurring and a shade of lag after pressing the shutter button, meaning I missed the facial expressions and poses of cats and dogs I was attempting to capture.

The dual-lens setup also allows for a 2x optical zoom, letting you get closer to your subject without having to physically move, along with a 10x digital zoom.

You get reasonable quality at 2x, but colors do look more muted than at 1x. Quality dips significantly once you get into the digital zoom, and I’d advise avoiding zooming past 2x if you want clear pictures.

(Image credit: Future)

I really like the ability to use the main cameras of the phone as a selfie camera, as you get better quality results. The 32MP camera on the internal foldable display isn’t bad, though, and it’s perfectly serviceable for video calls and the odd snap — but you’ll get better image quality, lighting, and colors by using the 50MP option.

Overall, the Motorola Razr 2026 can take good photos, but if you’re looking for a premium photography experience from your flip foldable, you’ll want to consider the pricier Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Razr Ultra 2026.

• Cameras score: 3.5 / 5

Motorola Razr 2026 review: Camera samplesFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureA regular selfie taken with the front-facing cameraFutureA Portrait mode selfie taken with the front-facing cameraFutureA regular selfie taken with the rear cameraFutureA Portrait mode selfie taken with the rear cameraFutureMotorola Razr 2026 review: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

• MediaTek Dimensity 7450X chipset and 8GB of RAM
• Handles social scrolling and video streaming, but intensive tasks can be slow

As I’ve already mentioned, the Razr 2026 is the baby of Motorola’s trio of flip foldables, and thus it comes with a slight performance disadvantage over its more expensive siblings.

Specifically, you get a MediaTek Dimensity 7450X chipset and 8GB of RAM. The good news is there’s enough power here to run your social apps, video streaming services, and most games without much slowdown.

I did notice apps would sometimes take a moment longer to load compared to non-foldable phones around the same price, several of which come with more power under the hood.

I was able to play Clash Royale without gameplay lag, and while I experienced slowdown in load times when playing Asphalt Legends, actual gameplay wasn’t affected.

Motorola helps to enhance gaming on the Razr 2026 with its Gametime toolkit. It automatically triggers when you fire up a game, with a small icon hiding subtly to the side of the screen.

Give it a tap, and you’ll open up a dashboard through which you can manage performance, block notifications, disable adaptive brightness, record gameplay, and more.

An area where I noticed frequent pauses was when I transitioned from using the app on the interior screen to the exterior screen (and vice versa). The Razr 2026 automatically handles the move between screens for you, but you will need to be patient for a second or so as it sorts itself out.

(Image credit: Future)

So, the Razr 2026 isn’t going to give you the best bang-for-buck performance, but for most users it shouldn’t be an issue.

There’s just one storage variant of the Razr 2026, with 256GB included in the handset. For most users, that’ll be plenty, plus Google offers a free 15GB of cloud storage too, allowing you to offload photos and videos from the handset while always having access to them. There’s no physical expandable storage (i.e., microSD) though.

And for your audio needs, there are stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos on the Razr 2026, which kick out at a decent volume, although they do sound a little tinny and there’s nothing really in the way of bass.

That’s not a surprise considering the form factor, and there’s Bluetooth for when you want to pair it with a speaker or headphones for an improved sonic experience.

• Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Motorola Razr 2026 review: Software

(Image credit: Future)

• Runs Android 16 with a clean overlay, but a few bloat apps
• Includes useful Motorola features and gestures

The Motorola Razr 2026 comes with Android 16, and unlike some manufacturers, Moto’s Android skin is pretty lightweight. In fact, it’s probably the closest interface to stock Android, giving you an almost Google Pixel-like look and feel.

It’s not completely devoid of Motorola’s touch. First, the bad: there are a number of pre-installed apps that are forced on you out of the box. On my UK model, I got Amazon Music, LinkedIn, Perplexity, Opera, Adobe Scan, FIFA Heroes, Google Home, and Google Health (Fitbit). Thankfully, they can be uninstalled if you don’t want them, but it’s a touch annoying to have them thrust upon you in the first place.

With that out of the way, we can focus on the good parts of the software, and Motorola’s cover screen implementation is simply fantastic. It functions as a small phone. It’s easy to navigate and add apps to, and if you swipe sideways, there are various panels you can set up, with each one acting like a home screen widget.

(Image credit: Future)

That means things like music controls, fitness targets, the weather forecast, and upcoming calendar entries can be just a swipe away. No need to open the app or even unfold the phone. This all works really well, and I loved using the exterior screen because of it. It’s a far better setup than on Samsung’s Flip series.

Plus, if you start using an app on the cover screen — Google Maps, for example — opening the phone will see the app transition to the large display, allowing you to continue what you’re doing without interruption (and vice versa).

(Image credit: Future)

Motorola’s clever gestures are also included; a double twist of the wrist will open the camera app, while a double-chop motion will trigger the touch. These gestures are simple, yet wholly effective.

Google’s Gemini is the default AI assistant on the Razr 2026, but Moto AI is also included if you’d prefer to use Motorola’s own LLM.

One negative on the software side of the Razr 2026 is the ongoing support for the phone. Motorola has committed to three years of OS updates for the Razr 2026, which would mean that after 2029 it won’t get new versions of Android.

When the likes of Google and Samsung are offering seven years of updates, three feels particularly stingy for a premium phone. That puts a potentially limiting lifespan on the handset, although it will get security upgrades for five years, which helps soften the blow.

• Software score: 4.5 / 5

Motorola Razr 2026 review: Battery

(Image credit: Future)

• 4,800mAh is an upgrade, but it lasts the same as its predecessor
• You can get over a day of usage from the Razr 2026's battery

One of the main upgrades on the Razr 2026 over its predecessor is its battery, with a 4,800mAh silicon-carbon power pack squeezed inside this clamshell design. That’s 300mAh more than the battery in the Razr 2025, and it means you get solid usage before the need to find a charger.

Motorola claims the Razr 2026 offers “over 36 hours on a single charge”, which I found to be achievable in certain use cases.

I found the Motorola Razr 2026 would easily last a full day on a single charge, from 7am to 11pm, with around 30-40% left in the tank as I climbed into bed. It meant that, even if I forgot to plug in the charger, the phone would survive the night and still give me a few hours of use the next day before it died.

With lighter use, and a focus on using the cover display more than the larger screen, the Razr 2026 can deliver between a day and a half and two days of battery life.

If you push the phone harder, such as with lengthy TikTok doom-scrolling sessions or intensive gameplay, the battery does drain faster, and you’ll likely end up needing to charge the Razr 2026 each night.

While the battery is bigger, the phone's longevity remains pretty much the same as its predecessor's. I’d have liked to see a more consistent day-and-a-half-plus of battery life, considering the increase in capacity and newer chipset, but the Razr 2026 still performs well.

When it comes to recharging, 30W wired support provides fast top-ups, although you’ll have to supply your own charging block to reach these speeds. During my tests, I saw the Razr 2026 replenish 9% of its battery in five minutes, 30% in 20 minutes, and 40% in 30 minutes. After an hour, I’d managed to gain back 70% of charge.

While that’s not the fastest charging on the market, it’s quick enough to give you a significant amount of battery before heading out. There’s also 15W wireless charging available if you have a charging pad at home, at work, or in your car.

If you’re looking for strong battery performance, the Razr 2026 outperforms the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, which comes with a 4,000mAh battery and 25W wired charging.

• Battery score: 4.5 / 5

Should you buy the Motorola Razr 2026?Motorola Razr 2026 scorecard

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

This is the most affordable current-gen flip phone. If you love the form factor, it’s a great introductory model at this price.

4/5

Design

Lovely compact design that looks smart and feels great in the hand. You also get a protective case in the box.

4.5/5

Display

The exterior display is genuinely usable, while the large foldable display provides plenty of real estate.

4/5

Cameras

Reasonable camera performance and clever use of the flip design for crisp selfies, but not best-in-class photography.

3.5/5

Performance

Performance is good enough for most tasks, but there are signs of slow down with more intensive use.

3.5/5

Software

As close to stock Android as you’ll get outside of Google’s Pixel devices, and fantastic cover screen integration makes it a joy to use.

4.5/5

Battery

The sizable battery gives you over a day of use between chargers, but overall performance is similar to that of its predecessor.

4.5/5

Buy it if…

You want a stylish phone for a tiny pocket or bag
There’s no doubt about it: the Motorola Razr 2026 is a great-looking phone. And it also feels wonderful in the hand. The fact that it folds down to such a compact size is great for those with small pockets or tiny bags, as it’ll slip in pretty much anywhere, without compromising on a large screen.

You don’t need flagship performance
If you mainly use your phone for social, emails, web browsing, snapping the odd photo, and the occasional video stream, the Razr 2026 has you covered without issue. If you want to play intensive games or are looking for a productivity machine, this isn’t the phone for you.

You love taking selfies
With the ability to use the rear-facing cameras with the exterior screen to take selfies, you’ll likely get far better results with the Razr 2026 than with pretty much any other phone. Plus, with the folding design, you can unfold the phone to 90 degrees, sit it on a surface, and you’ve got a built-in stand for snapping shots.

Don’t buy it if…

You want a top-notch photography experience
The dual-50MP cameras on the Razr 2026 are capable enough for general photography, and it’s great that you can easily use them as selfie snappers too. But they lack the finesse, quality, and features of true flagship smartphone cameras.

You want the best bang-for-your-buck
Motorola has added very little to the Razr 2026 over its predecessor, which is a shame as it’s now charging $100 more in the US for the new model. If you can find stock of the now-discounted Razr 2025, it’ll be a better buy, while those after the best specs should look at non-foldable alternatives at this price point.

You want a large exterior display
Unlike book-style foldables (think the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Galaxy Z Fold 7, and Moto’s own Razr Fold), the clamshell form factor of the Razr 2026 gives you a smaller outer screen. If you want a space for watching videos and playing games without unfolding, you’ll need to spend more money, or forget about getting a foldable.

Motorola Razr 2026 review: Also consider

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE
If the Razr 2026 is too expensive, Samsung’s Z Flip 7 FE is now heavily discounted 12 months after launch, making it an attractive proposition if you want to get into flip foldables without the sky-high price. The displays are great, and the cameras are solid — although its battery life isn’t as strong as the Razr's.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE review

Motorola Razr Ultra 2026
There’s not a huge amount that’s different between the Razr 2026 and its 2025 predecessor. If you’re looking for a significant upgrade in the flip form factor, consider splashing the extra cash on the Razr Ultra 2026. It has bigger, higher-resolution displays, more power and storage, enhanced cameras, a bigger battery, and faster charging.

How I tested the Motorola Razr 2026

• Used for two weeks as my personal device
• Day-to-day scrolling social, checking emails, and sending messages
• More intensive video streaming, gaming, and work tasks

Why you can trust TechRadar

☑️ 100s of smartphones reviewed
☑️ 15 years of product testing
☑️ Over 16,000 products reviewed in total
☑️ Nearly 200,000 hours testing tech

I used the Motorola Razr 2026 as my personal device for two weeks, using a Three UK SIM card. During my time with the phone, I used it as I would day-to-day, from scrolling social media, checking emails, and sending messages to streaming video, playing games, and getting work done.

All these tasks were done over Wi-Fi at home, and over a mobile network when out and about. I coupled the variety of locations with high- and low-usage days to get a proper feel for battery life in the real world, and also tested wired and wireless charging.

I took the phone everywhere with me, snapping photos at a variety of locations and in a range of lighting situations.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed: July 2026

The Arzopa Z3FC is our top choice portable monitor for most people - whether you need a second screen for work, or a display for gaming on the move. That's exactly how our hardware editor uses this 16.1 in screen with a built-in kickstand every single day. And right now, the Arzopa Z3FC is down to $140 (was $160) at Amazon.

It's built around a 2560x1440 IPS panel with a 180Hz refresh rate over USB-C (144Hz over HDMI), FreeSync support for handheld gaming PCs and consoles, and a lightweight aluminum-alloy body that ships with a padded sleeve. In the UK, the Z3FC is currently £130 (was £160) at Amazon.

Z3FC 16.1in portable monitor: was $169.99 now $139.99
16.1-inch IPS panel with 2560x1440 resolution, a 180Hz refresh rate over USB-C (144Hz over HDMI), FreeSync support, 400-nit claimed brightness, and 107% sRGB color coverage. Includes dual USB-C ports, a mini HDMI input, a built-in kickstand, and a protective sleeve.

In the UK: now £130 (was £160)View Deal

Why we recommend it

For his full 4.5-star review, our hardware editor used the Z3FC daily as a work monitor before testing its gaming chops on a Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and Xbox Series X.

As a second screen for office work, it performed without a hitch: text stayed crisp, and switching between landscape and portrait for long documents made a real difference to our workflow. It's also light enough to carry one-handed, which matters if you're hauling it between a home office and business trips.

On the gaming side, the 180Hz refresh rate over USB-C handled everything we threw at it, and Metroid Prime 4 ran smoothly at 120Hz on the Switch 2 in performance mode. The built-in speakers surprised us too, with more depth than we expected from a display this thin.

Given he still uses this display every day for work even after the review process, there's no question this is the best portable monitor around if you need a lightweight, tablet-thin second screen.

Price Context & Historical Value

We often keep an eye out for deals on the Arzopa Z3FC, and it's cheaper now than it was when we last highlighted a price cut on this monitor, when it dropped to $150.

A $30 discount off $169.99 works out to about 18 percent, a solid cut for a 180Hz portable monitor with these specs.

Arzopa's own listed prices for the Z3FC have swung fairly widely since launch, so it's worth comparing at checkout, but $139.99 is about the cheapest we've seen for this model.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Arzopa Z3FC if...

You want a lightweight second screen for business travel, split your time between work and portable gaming, or want a high-refresh-rate display for handheld consoles like the Steam Deck or Switch.

❌ Skip the Arzopa Z3FC if...

You need pro-level color accuracy (it covers 107% sRGB, not enough for demanding creative work), you want a monitor with a built-in battery, or you plan to lean on the Switch 2's HDR mode, which looked washed out in our testing.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

Color coverage tops out at 107% sRGB, which is fine for general use but not accurate enough for color-critical creative work. There's no built-in battery, so you'll need a power source to use it with consoles or mobile devices, and HDR looked notably washed out when we tested it with the Nintendo Switch 2 (turning HDR off fixed this).

• See all monitor deals at Amazon.

Ted Lasso season 4 has finally found its footing. Indeed, after its premiere drew out the titular soccer coach's return to AFC Richmond, its follow-up entry delivered more of the cosy, soccer-based comfort viewing we've come to expect from the Apple TV Original.

This season's third episode, titled 'Richmond's Got Talent', will build upon its forebear, too, by introducing us to even more newcomers when Ted and company hold open trials for a spot on the Richmond Women's team's roster. So, when will we meet the final few players who'll aim to take Richmond to the top?

What is the launch time for Ted Lasso season 4 episode 3?

Faye Marsay's Lizzie is one of many new faces you'll meet next episode... (Image credit: Apple TV)

Ted Lasso's next episode will drop in the US and Canada at 6pm PT / 9pm ET on Tuesday, August 18.

Sure, Apple has publicly stated that new episodes will air every Wednesday worldwide. However, this season's first two installments have actually been released on Tuesday evenings in the Americas, so there's no reason to suspect that next week's entry won't do likewise.

As for the rest of the world, here's when season 4 episode 3 will arrive on one of the best streaming services:

• US — Tuesday, August 18 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET
• Canada — Tuesday, August 18 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET
• UK — Wednesday, August 19 at 2am BST
• India — Wednesday, August 19 at 6:30am IST
• Singapore — Wednesday, August 19 at 9am SGT
• Australia — Wednesday, August 19 at 11am AEST
• New Zealand — Wednesday, August 19 at 1pm NZST

How many episodes are in Ted Lasso season 4?

...as is Abbie Hern's Gemma (Image credit: Apple TV)

There'll be 10 episodes to enjoy in Ted Lasso 4 — and, as I alluded to above, new chapters will come out every Tuesday in North and South America, and every Wednesday in other territories. That'll be the case until this season's finale launches in early October, too.

But, I digress. Here are the all-important release dates you need to know about:

• Ted Lasso season 4 episode 1 — out now
• Ted Lasso season 4 episode 2 — out now
• Ted Lasso season 4 episode 3 — August 18/19
• Ted Lasso season 4 episode 4 — August 25/26
• Ted Lasso season 4 episode 5 — September 1/2
• Ted Lasso season 4 episode 6 — September 8/9
• Ted Lasso season 4 episode 7 — September 15/16
• Ted Lasso season 4 episode 8 — September 22/23
• Ted Lasso season 4 episode 9 — September 29/30
• Ted Lasso season 4 episode 10 — October 6/7

Best Buy has chosen to celebrate its 60th anniversary by launching a week-long mega sale filled with offers on laptops, TVs, Apple products, appliances, headphones, and more. Unlike traditional birthday parties, where you bring a gift to the celebrant, the retailer is sharing a gift with us. Namely, there are big savings available on a whole host of top tech products — and I've found the 31 best deals.

• Browse the full Best Buy 60th Anniversary sale

Knowing that we're currently in full back-to-school sales season, it's no surprise that laptops make up a huge part of this week's event. Although there are devices available from as low as $189, the standout offer to me is this HP OmniBook X Flip for $749.99 (was $1,199.99). It's an older machine, but it's a great price for a powerful, flexible device that will excel at school and college or for general use at home.

The Apple deals are surprisingly strong, too, with the AirPods Pro 3 available for $189.99 (was $249.99). I've only seen them cheaper once before this year, during Prime Day, so this is likely the best offer we'll see until Black Friday in November. If you don't want to wait until then, I'd snap up this deal while it's available.

I've found dozens more standout deals in the Best Buy 60th Anniversary sale below, so do have a browse through my full list of recommendations. I'll keep an eye on the event over the next few days and will add any more top deals as I find them before it ends on Sunday.

Best Buy 60th Anniversary sale — quick links

• Apple: MacBooks & AirPods from $99
• Appliances: up to 30% off
• Cameras: up to $1,000 off Sony, DJI & Canon
• Gaming: up to 60% off PS5 & Switch games
• Headphones: Apple, Sony & Beats from $15
• Kitchen: up to 50% off Ninja & Bella
• Laptops: from $189.99
• Phones: up to $1,200 off iPhone & Samsung
• Smart home: up to 30% off Ring & Eufy
• Smartwatches: up to $250 off Apple & Garmin
• Speakers: up to 50% off Samsung, Bose & JBL
• Tablets: up to $350 off iPad & Samsung
• Toys: up to 30% off
• TVs: from $69.99
• Vacuums: up to $450 off Dyson & Shark

Top 10 deals from the Best Buy 60th Anniversary sale

AirPods Pro 3: was $249 now $189.99
Apple's newest premium buds feature improved Active Noise Cancellation, outstanding audio, a comfortable in-ear design, and new features such as live translation and heart-rate tracking. These do-it-all buds really are 100% flagship audio and the noise-cancelling quality is outstanding. Today's deal is the best price you can find on Apple's newest AirPods, and the best price this year outside of Prime Day.View Deal

OmniBook X Flip: was $1199.99 now $749.99
Display - 16 inches
Processor - Intel Core Ultra 7
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 1TB

This powerful and versatile HP OmniBook Flip offers impressive performance for the price, with powerful components such as a modern Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, a healthy 16GB of RAM to boost performance, and a decent 1TB SSD for storage. You can comfortably handle everyday tasks, demanding work, video calls, media streaming and more with this laptop, all with the option to flip it around to a 16-inch touchscreen tablet when needed, too.View Deal

QD50 58-inch Hi-QLED 4K TV: was $399.99 now $149.99
I can't speak too much about the overall quality of this TV given we haven't had extensive testing time, but I can't deny that it's a super low price for a TV of this size. It also sports the budget version of Hisense's QLED tech, which offers superior brightness and more vivid colors, although it's not as powerful as the premium displays. Still, this is a big and cheap TV that will be ideal for general everyday viewing and streaming for someone who isn't too bothered about getting the very best picture possible.View Deal

The newest Ring Battery Doorbell Plus model drops to under $60 in the latest Best Buy sale. Its camera features 1536p resolution, night vision with color, and an improved motion sensor. It also includes an increased head-to-toe field of view of 150 by 150 degrees, so you can get a fuller picture of who's at your door.View Deal

The Shark Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum offers convenient automation features and versatile cleaning technology, including a special brushroll that works on both hardwood and carpeted surfaces. Its self-emptying dock doubles as a charging station, which makes it easy to keep fully charged, even though it runs for up to 60 minutes at full battery. For under $300, it's hard to pass up such a high-tech and highly rated vacuum.View Deal

B5 77-inch OLED TV: was $2999.99 now $1399.99
Best Buy has slashed a whopping $1,600 off LG's 77-inch B5 OLED TV. Released as the successor to the popular B4 OLED, the LG B5 is easily one of the best budget OLED TVs on the market. This 77-inch version is one of the largest available for the entry-level OLED that delivers an exceptional picture with brilliant colors and sharp contrast. You also get excellent gaming features, thanks to the four HDMI 2.1 ports, which ensure smooth and responsive gaming on current-gen consoles.View Deal

Display - 14 inches
Processor - MediaTek Kompanio 540
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 128GB

You don't always find a laptop with 8GB of memory for under $300, so this Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook really stands out in Best Buy's latest sale. Other components are good for light use, but that bump to 8GB of RAM will really help with everyday performance and load times. It's still a fairly basic laptop, but with enough extra power to avoid dramatic slowdown when multitasking.View Deal

Switch 2: Choose Your Game Bundle: $499.99
Nintendo Switch 2 bundles have been a rare sight in recent months, so it's good to see this customisable option available at Best Buy. As well as a console, you can also choose between a downloadable copy of either Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, or Pokémon Pokopia, for a saving of up to $29.99.View Deal

AirTag (4 Pack): was $99 now $89
The newest version of the best-selling Apple AirTag is on sale for $89.99 in the latest Best Buy sale. This four-pack of trackers is a great way to keep an eye on a child's backpack or luggage. Simply attach it to anything you don't want to lose, and your iPhone will locate it.View Deal

Hero 13 Black: was $479.99 now $354.99
Here's a super-tempting record-low price for one of the best action camera bundles in the world right now. The camera offers an impressive 5.3K video resolution inside a rugged and completely waterproof body. A sweet deal for your remaining summer adventures.View Deal

Best Buy 60th Anniversary sale — Laptops

IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook: was $419 now $189
Display: 14 inches
Processor: MediaTek Kompanio 540
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64GB

This super-cheap Lenovo Chromebook is a very basic device that's best suited to light use and schoolwork, but it's a bargain at this low price from Best Buy. The lean ChromeOS operating system gets more from low-end components, but it relies on you using more web-based applications such as Google Docs. And while it will struggle with anything beyond basic tasks, this also ensures exceptional all-day battery life, making it a strong portable option at a very affordable price.View Deal

Display - 14 inches
Processor - MediaTek Kompanio 540
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 128GB

You don't always find a laptop with 8GB of memory for under $300, so this Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook really stands out in Best Buy's latest sale. Other components are good for light use, but that bump to 8GB of RAM will really help with everyday performance and load times. It's still a fairly basic laptop, but with enough extra power to avoid dramatic slowdown when multitasking.View Deal

Chromebook Plus 516: was $479 now $349
Display - 16 inches
Processor - Intel i3
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 128GB

This version of the Acer Chromebook Plus offers a solid amount of power for the price. It includes 8GB of RAM and an Intel i3 processor, boosting performance, boot times and load times. Storage of 128GB is a bit underwhelming, but you do get a large and bright IPS display, and decent battery life of around 12 hours — that's more than enough to last a full working day. At a little under $350, it's a smart buy for school or college, or just as a home laptop for light use and everyday tasks.View Deal

OmniBook X Flip: was $1199.99 now $749.99
Display - 16 inches
Processor - Intel Core Ultra 7
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 1TB

This powerful and versatile HP OmniBook Flip offers impressive performance for the price, with powerful components such as a modern Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, a healthy 16GB of RAM to boost performance, and a decent 1TB SSD for storage. You can comfortably handle everyday tasks, demanding work, video calls, media streaming and more with this laptop, all with the option to flip it around to a 16-inch touchscreen tablet when needed, too.View Deal

MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025): was $1999 now $1849
Display - 14 inches
Processor - Apple M5
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 1TB

Apple's powerful MacBook Pro with the latest M5 chip and a chunky 1TB of storage is on sale at Best Buy. Boasting that powerful M5 chip, a gorgeous Liquid Retina display and an impressive 18 hours of battery life, this is a complete creative workstation. We awarded this model a solid four stars out of five in our MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) review, praising the overall performance, elegant design, and long-lasting battery, but we were disappointed by the lack of a larger redesign and the overemphasis on AI features rather than other useful upgrades.View Deal

Best Buy 60th Anniversary sale — Televisions

F20 32-inch HD Fire TV: was $129.99 now $69.99
It's one of the smallest and cheapest TVs you can buy, but if that's all you need, then this Insignia F20 is very hard to beat. Definitely don't expect the best picture quality or the fastest performance, but if you just need a display for infrequent streaming in a kid's room, the bedroom, or kitchen, then it's up to the job — and it doesn't cost very much at all.View Deal

QD50 58-inch Hi-QLED 4K TV: was $399.99 now $149.99
I can't speak too much about the overall quality of this TV given we haven't had extensive testing time, but I can't deny that it's a super low price for a TV of this size. It also sports the budget version of Hisense's QLED tech, which offers superior brightness and more vivid colors, although it's not as powerful as the premium displays. Still, this is a big and cheap TV that will be ideal for general everyday viewing and streaming for someone who isn't too bothered about getting the very best picture possible.View Deal

C350 65-inch 4K Fire TV: was $529.99 now $279.99
The Toshiba C350 is getting older now, but finding a 65-inch 4K smart TV for under $300 is still an amazing deal. Toshiba's C350 is a 4K TV with HDR support, delivering solid picture quality for everyday viewing. Access to streaming apps is easy with the Fire TV OS, which has Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video, and more at your fingertips. It's not as powerful as many premium options, but if you're on a tight budget and want a large display, this is an excellent option.View Deal

QM6K 55-inch 4K mini-LED TV: was $799.99 now $549.99
A truly great, budget mini-LED TV, the TCL QM6K delivers vibrant picture quality along with solid gaming features for a price that won't break the bank. Upgrades here include support for 120Hz refresh rates at 4K resolution, which is perfect for gamers. This deal knocks a decent $250 off the 55-inch model, making it a truly appealing option for those who want a premium display at a mid-range price. View Deal

U7900 65-inch 4K TV: was $469.99 now $299.99
If you're looking for a big-screen budget display, Best Buy has this 65-inch 4K TV on sale for $299.99. It won't rival the premium QLED and OLED displays, but this entry-level TV from Samsung still packs a solid 'Crystal' UHD 4K processor, the easy-to-use Tizen operating system, and full HDR support. That's good value for money if you need a straightforward but capable display for your everyday viewing and media streaming.View Deal

B5 77-inch OLED TV: was $2999.99 now $1399.99
Best Buy has slashed a whopping $1,600 off LG's 77-inch B5 OLED TV. Released as the successor to the popular B4 OLED, the LG B5 is easily one of the best budget OLED TVs on the market. This 77-inch version is one of the largest available for the entry-level OLED that delivers an exceptional picture with brilliant colors and sharp contrast. You also get excellent gaming features, thanks to the four HDMI 2.1 ports, which ensure smooth and responsive gaming on current-gen consoles.View Deal

R85H 85-inch Micro RGB TV: was $3999.99 now $2799.99
The 85-inch version of Samsung's latest R85H just got its largest discount ever at Best Buy. This TV stands out for its excellent color and image quality, thanks to the array of micro RGB LEDs. That means it also boasts superior brightness and fantastic contrast, ensuring you get a smooth, sharp and vibrant image. It's an ideal all-rounder for films, movies, sports, and gaming, as it also supports 144Hz and a variable refresh rate to give you a smooth and responsive picture. It's easily one of the best premium TV deals I've seen right now.View Deal

Best Buy 60th Anniversary sale — Headphones

This isn't the lowest price we've seen for Apple's newest AirPods 4, as they've been as low as $79.99 in the past. Nevertheless, the AirPods 4 feature a new design for all-day comfort and pack Apple's H2 chip, which supports personalized spatial audio and voice isolation. You're also getting a redesigned case with 30 hours of battery life and support for USB-C for wireless charging. Just be aware that this cheaper version does not support active noise cancellation.View Deal

Best Buy's latest sale has the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation available for $149.99. This isn't the best offer, given that they were down to $99.99 in previous events. Still, if you must buy now, these AirPods 4 feature a new comfortable design, handy controls, and Apple's H2 chip, which supports personalized spatial audio and voice isolation – alongside that all-important ANC.View Deal

AirPods Pro 3: was $249 now $189.99
Apple's newest premium buds feature improved Active Noise Cancellation, outstanding audio, a comfortable in-ear design, and new features such as live translation and heart-rate tracking. These do-it-all buds really are 100% flagship audio and the noise-cancelling quality is outstanding. Today's deal is the best price you can find on Apple's newest AirPods, and the best price this year outside of Prime Day.View Deal

If you want more affordable over-ears that don't compromise on quality, then consider these Bose QuietComfort Headphones while they are down to their lowest price this year at Best Buy. As with the Ultra version, you get impressive noise cancellation, top-tier audio quality and 24 hours of battery life, but in a much more affordable package.View Deal

The Beats Solo 4 are getting old now, but this is a great price for a pair of solid headphones. This model supports lossless audio that you can listen to via USB-C or 3.5mm audio cable and Spatial Audio that uses head tracking to enhance your listening experience. These headphones also last up to 50 hours on a single charge and can regain five hours of playback time in just 10 minutes of charging.View Deal

Right now, you can grab the incredible Sony WH-1000XM6 for $60 less in the Best Buy anniversary sale, bringing them back down to the cheapest they've ever been. These headphones offer beautifully balanced audio output, top-tier touch controls, a comfortable fit, and noise-crushing ANC to block out unwanted sounds.View Deal

Best Buy 60th Anniversary sale — Appliances

Pro Coffee Maker: was $59.99 now $29.99
This will never be one of the best coffee makers you can buy, but there's no denying that it is dirt cheap. It's a basic and no-frills drip filter coffee maker that can brew up to 12 cups at once, has a programmable timer so you can wake up to a fresh pot, and dishwasher-safe components that make it easy to clean.View Deal

4 qt Touchscreen Slim Air Fryer: was $69.99 now $59.99
The Bella Pro is exclusive to Best Buy, and we have seen this four-quart model a little cheaper in previous sales. However, for under $60, this is excellent value for money this weekend if you just need a compact air fryer for a small household or kitchen.View Deal

The Shark Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum offers convenient automation features and versatile cleaning technology, including a special brushroll that works on both hardwood and carpeted surfaces. Its self-emptying dock doubles as a charging station, which makes it easy to keep fully charged, even though it runs for up to 60 minutes at full battery. For under $300, it's hard to pass up such a high-tech and highly rated vacuum.View Deal

You can get $250 off Dyson's best-selling V11 vacuum during Best Buy's latest sale. This vac nails the basics, offering strong suction and excellent manoeuvrability. Information is displayed on an LCD screen that shows exactly how long you have left before the battery runs out in the current power mode, too.View Deal

Best Buy 60th Anniversary sale — Apple

This isn't the lowest price we've seen for Apple's newest AirPods 4, as they've been as low as $79.99 in the past. Nevertheless, the AirPods 4 feature a new design for all-day comfort and pack Apple's H2 chip, which supports personalized spatial audio and voice isolation. You're also getting a redesigned case with 30 hours of battery life and support for USB-C for wireless charging. Just be aware that this cheaper version does not support active noise cancellation.View Deal

Willing to spend a bit more? Best Buy's latest Apple sale also has the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation available for $149.99. This isn't the best offer, given that they were down to $99.99 in previous events. Still, if you must buy now, these AirPods 4 feature a new comfortable design, handy controls, and Apple's H2 chip, which supports personalized spatial audio and voice isolation – alongside that all-important ANC.View Deal

AirPods Pro 3: was $249 now $189.99
Apple's newest premium buds feature improved Active Noise Cancellation, outstanding audio, a comfortable in-ear design, and new features such as live translation and heart-rate tracking. These do-it-all buds really are 100% flagship audio and the noise-cancelling quality is outstanding. Today's deal is the best price you can find on Apple's newest AirPods, and the best price this year outside of Prime Day.View Deal

Watch Series 11: was $399 now $299
The latest Apple Watch 11 back to its lowest-ever price in the latest Best Buy sale. The thinnest Apple Watch yet, with a wraparound LTP3 OLED display, it's a great-looking watch with Apple Intelligence-powered smarts and a boosted battery compared to previous Apple Watches, clocking in at 24 hours of average use. View Deal

This is only $20 more than the record-low price for the Apple Watch SE 3, so it's still a solid bargain. The Apple Watch SE 3 is currently our pick for the best Apple Watch to buy if you're on a budget, as it delivers a full experience and all the style you need, but at a fraction of the price.View Deal

iPad A16 (2025): was $449 now $399
The brand-new Apple iPad A16 is down to its lowest-ever price in the Best Buy Memorial Day sale, so it's worth taking advantage of if you have an eye on the latest Apple slate. The biggest upgrade compared to the previous generation model is the latest A16 chip for faster performance. You also get double the storage of 128GB as standard, a sharp 11-inch Liquid Retina display, and solid 12MP front and back cameras.View Deal

iPad Pro 11-inch (M5): was $1199 now $1149
There's a decent $100 saving on the latest iPad Pro 11-inch at Best Buy, matching the record-low of $899 we saw on Black Friday. This is still a pricey tablet, but you do get the brand-new M5 chip, high-quality tandem OLED display and 256GB as standard. Expect this to be one of the better offers we see on the tablet until later in the year.View Deal

Best Buy 60th Anniversary sale — More tech

Hero 13 Black: was $479.99 now $354.99
Here's a super-tempting record-low price for one of the best action camera bundles in the world right now. The camera offers an impressive 5.3K video resolution inside a rugged and completely waterproof body. A sweet deal for your remaining summer adventures.View Deal

The Google Pixel 10a is a top bargain phone for its balance between affordability and functionality. It features a Tensor G4 processor and a display with a 120Hz refresh rate, which offers solid performance at this price point. You also get a Gorilla Glass 7i screen for better drop protection and scratch resistance. For almost $100 off, you can get this smooth and affordable smartphone for a little more than its lowest price ever.View Deal

The newest Ring Battery Doorbell Plus model drops to under $60 in the latest Best Buy sale. Its camera features 1536p resolution, night vision with color, and an improved motion sensor. It also includes an increased head-to-toe field of view of 150 by 150 degrees, so you can get a fuller picture of who's at your door.View Deal

Best Buy has chosen to celebrate its 60th anniversary by launching a week-long mega sale filled with offers on laptops, TVs, Apple products, appliances, headphones, and more. Unlike traditional birthday parties, where you bring a gift to the celebrant, the retailer is sharing a gift with us. Namely, there are big savings available on a whole host of top tech products — and I've found the 31 best deals.

• Browse the full Best Buy 60th Anniversary sale

Knowing that we're currently in full back-to-school sales season, it's no surprise that laptops make up a huge part of this week's event. Although there are devices available from as low as $189, the standout offer to me is this HP OmniBook X Flip for $749.99 (was $1,199.99). It's an older machine, but it's a great price for a powerful, flexible device that will excel at school and college or for general use at home.

The Apple deals are surprisingly strong, too, with the AirPods Pro 3 available for $189.99 (was $249.99). I've only seen them cheaper once before this year, during Prime Day, so this is likely the best offer we'll see until Black Friday in November. If you don't want to wait until then, I'd snap up this deal while it's available.

I've found dozens more standout deals in the Best Buy 60th Anniversary sale below, so do have a browse through my full list of recommendations. I'll keep an eye on the event over the next few days and will add any more top deals as I find them before it ends on Sunday.

Best Buy 60th Anniversary sale — quick links

• Apple: MacBooks & AirPods from $99
• Appliances: up to 30% off
• Cameras: up to $1,000 off Sony, DJI & Canon
• Gaming: up to 60% off PS5 & Switch games
• Headphones: Apple, Sony & Beats from $15
• Kitchen: up to 50% off Ninja & Bella
• Laptops: from $189.99
• Phones: up to $1,200 off iPhone & Samsung
• Smart home: up to 30% off Ring & Eufy
• Smartwatches: up to $250 off Apple & Garmin
• Speakers: up to 50% off Samsung, Bose & JBL
• Tablets: up to $350 off iPad & Samsung
• Toys: up to 30% off
• TVs: from $69.99
• Vacuums: up to $450 off Dyson & Shark

Top 10 deals from the Best Buy 60th Anniversary sale

AirPods Pro 3: was $249 now $189.99
Apple's newest premium buds feature improved Active Noise Cancellation, outstanding audio, a comfortable in-ear design, and new features such as live translation and heart-rate tracking. These do-it-all buds really are 100% flagship audio and the noise-cancelling quality is outstanding. Today's deal is the best price you can find on Apple's newest AirPods, and the best price this year outside of Prime Day.View Deal

OmniBook X Flip: was $1199.99 now $749.99
Display - 16 inches
Processor - Intel Core Ultra 7
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 1TB

This powerful and versatile HP OmniBook Flip offers impressive performance for the price, with powerful components such as a modern Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, a healthy 16GB of RAM to boost performance, and a decent 1TB SSD for storage. You can comfortably handle everyday tasks, demanding work, video calls, media streaming and more with this laptop, all with the option to flip it around to a 16-inch touchscreen tablet when needed, too.View Deal

QD50 58-inch Hi-QLED 4K TV: was $399.99 now $149.99
I can't speak too much about the overall quality of this TV given we haven't had extensive testing time, but I can't deny that it's a super low price for a TV of this size. It also sports the budget version of Hisense's QLED tech, which offers superior brightness and more vivid colors, although it's not as powerful as the premium displays. Still, this is a big and cheap TV that will be ideal for general everyday viewing and streaming for someone who isn't too bothered about getting the very best picture possible.View Deal

The newest Ring Battery Doorbell Plus model drops to under $60 in the latest Best Buy sale. Its camera features 1536p resolution, night vision with color, and an improved motion sensor. It also includes an increased head-to-toe field of view of 150 by 150 degrees, so you can get a fuller picture of who's at your door.View Deal

The Shark Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum offers convenient automation features and versatile cleaning technology, including a special brushroll that works on both hardwood and carpeted surfaces. Its self-emptying dock doubles as a charging station, which makes it easy to keep fully charged, even though it runs for up to 60 minutes at full battery. For under $300, it's hard to pass up such a high-tech and highly rated vacuum.View Deal

B5 77-inch OLED TV: was $2999.99 now $1399.99
Best Buy has slashed a whopping $1,600 off LG's 77-inch B5 OLED TV. Released as the successor to the popular B4 OLED, the LG B5 is easily one of the best budget OLED TVs on the market. This 77-inch version is one of the largest available for the entry-level OLED that delivers an exceptional picture with brilliant colors and sharp contrast. You also get excellent gaming features, thanks to the four HDMI 2.1 ports, which ensure smooth and responsive gaming on current-gen consoles.View Deal

Display - 14 inches
Processor - MediaTek Kompanio 540
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 128GB

You don't always find a laptop with 8GB of memory for under $300, so this Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook really stands out in Best Buy's latest sale. Other components are good for light use, but that bump to 8GB of RAM will really help with everyday performance and load times. It's still a fairly basic laptop, but with enough extra power to avoid dramatic slowdown when multitasking.View Deal

Switch 2: Choose Your Game Bundle: $499.99
Nintendo Switch 2 bundles have been a rare sight in recent months, so it's good to see this customisable option available at Best Buy. As well as a console, you can also choose between a downloadable copy of either Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, or Pokémon Pokopia, for a saving of up to $29.99.View Deal

AirTag (4 Pack): was $99 now $89
The newest version of the best-selling Apple AirTag is on sale for $89.99 in the latest Best Buy sale. This four-pack of trackers is a great way to keep an eye on a child's backpack or luggage. Simply attach it to anything you don't want to lose, and your iPhone will locate it.View Deal

Hero 13 Black: was $479.99 now $354.99
Here's a super-tempting record-low price for one of the best action camera bundles in the world right now. The camera offers an impressive 5.3K video resolution inside a rugged and completely waterproof body. A sweet deal for your remaining summer adventures.View Deal

Best Buy 60th Anniversary sale — Laptops

IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook: was $419 now $189
Display: 14 inches
Processor: MediaTek Kompanio 540
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64GB

This super-cheap Lenovo Chromebook is a very basic device that's best suited to light use and schoolwork, but it's a bargain at this low price from Best Buy. The lean ChromeOS operating system gets more from low-end components, but it relies on you using more web-based applications such as Google Docs. And while it will struggle with anything beyond basic tasks, this also ensures exceptional all-day battery life, making it a strong portable option at a very affordable price.View Deal

Display - 14 inches
Processor - MediaTek Kompanio 540
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 128GB

You don't always find a laptop with 8GB of memory for under $300, so this Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook really stands out in Best Buy's latest sale. Other components are good for light use, but that bump to 8GB of RAM will really help with everyday performance and load times. It's still a fairly basic laptop, but with enough extra power to avoid dramatic slowdown when multitasking.View Deal

Chromebook Plus 516: was $479 now $349
Display - 16 inches
Processor - Intel i3
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 128GB

This version of the Acer Chromebook Plus offers a solid amount of power for the price. It includes 8GB of RAM and an Intel i3 processor, boosting performance, boot times and load times. Storage of 128GB is a bit underwhelming, but you do get a large and bright IPS display, and decent battery life of around 12 hours — that's more than enough to last a full working day. At a little under $350, it's a smart buy for school or college, or just as a home laptop for light use and everyday tasks.View Deal

OmniBook X Flip: was $1199.99 now $749.99
Display - 16 inches
Processor - Intel Core Ultra 7
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 1TB

This powerful and versatile HP OmniBook Flip offers impressive performance for the price, with powerful components such as a modern Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, a healthy 16GB of RAM to boost performance, and a decent 1TB SSD for storage. You can comfortably handle everyday tasks, demanding work, video calls, media streaming and more with this laptop, all with the option to flip it around to a 16-inch touchscreen tablet when needed, too.View Deal

MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025): was $1999 now $1849
Display - 14 inches
Processor - Apple M5
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 1TB

Apple's powerful MacBook Pro with the latest M5 chip and a chunky 1TB of storage is on sale at Best Buy. Boasting that powerful M5 chip, a gorgeous Liquid Retina display and an impressive 18 hours of battery life, this is a complete creative workstation. We awarded this model a solid four stars out of five in our MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) review, praising the overall performance, elegant design, and long-lasting battery, but we were disappointed by the lack of a larger redesign and the overemphasis on AI features rather than other useful upgrades.View Deal

Best Buy 60th Anniversary sale — Televisions

F20 32-inch HD Fire TV: was $129.99 now $69.99
It's one of the smallest and cheapest TVs you can buy, but if that's all you need, then this Insignia F20 is very hard to beat. Definitely don't expect the best picture quality or the fastest performance, but if you just need a display for infrequent streaming in a kid's room, the bedroom, or kitchen, then it's up to the job — and it doesn't cost very much at all.View Deal

QD50 58-inch Hi-QLED 4K TV: was $399.99 now $149.99
I can't speak too much about the overall quality of this TV given we haven't had extensive testing time, but I can't deny that it's a super low price for a TV of this size. It also sports the budget version of Hisense's QLED tech, which offers superior brightness and more vivid colors, although it's not as powerful as the premium displays. Still, this is a big and cheap TV that will be ideal for general everyday viewing and streaming for someone who isn't too bothered about getting the very best picture possible.View Deal

C350 65-inch 4K Fire TV: was $529.99 now $279.99
The Toshiba C350 is getting older now, but finding a 65-inch 4K smart TV for under $300 is still an amazing deal. Toshiba's C350 is a 4K TV with HDR support, delivering solid picture quality for everyday viewing. Access to streaming apps is easy with the Fire TV OS, which has Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video, and more at your fingertips. It's not as powerful as many premium options, but if you're on a tight budget and want a large display, this is an excellent option.View Deal

QM6K 55-inch 4K mini-LED TV: was $799.99 now $549.99
A truly great, budget mini-LED TV, the TCL QM6K delivers vibrant picture quality along with solid gaming features for a price that won't break the bank. Upgrades here include support for 120Hz refresh rates at 4K resolution, which is perfect for gamers. This deal knocks a decent $250 off the 55-inch model, making it a truly appealing option for those who want a premium display at a mid-range price. View Deal

U7900 65-inch 4K TV: was $469.99 now $299.99
If you're looking for a big-screen budget display, Best Buy has this 65-inch 4K TV on sale for $299.99. It won't rival the premium QLED and OLED displays, but this entry-level TV from Samsung still packs a solid 'Crystal' UHD 4K processor, the easy-to-use Tizen operating system, and full HDR support. That's good value for money if you need a straightforward but capable display for your everyday viewing and media streaming.View Deal

B5 77-inch OLED TV: was $2999.99 now $1399.99
Best Buy has slashed a whopping $1,600 off LG's 77-inch B5 OLED TV. Released as the successor to the popular B4 OLED, the LG B5 is easily one of the best budget OLED TVs on the market. This 77-inch version is one of the largest available for the entry-level OLED that delivers an exceptional picture with brilliant colors and sharp contrast. You also get excellent gaming features, thanks to the four HDMI 2.1 ports, which ensure smooth and responsive gaming on current-gen consoles.View Deal

R85H 85-inch Micro RGB TV: was $3999.99 now $2799.99
The 85-inch version of Samsung's latest R85H just got its largest discount ever at Best Buy. This TV stands out for its excellent color and image quality, thanks to the array of micro RGB LEDs. That means it also boasts superior brightness and fantastic contrast, ensuring you get a smooth, sharp and vibrant image. It's an ideal all-rounder for films, movies, sports, and gaming, as it also supports 144Hz and a variable refresh rate to give you a smooth and responsive picture. It's easily one of the best premium TV deals I've seen right now.View Deal

Best Buy 60th Anniversary sale — Headphones

This isn't the lowest price we've seen for Apple's newest AirPods 4, as they've been as low as $79.99 in the past. Nevertheless, the AirPods 4 feature a new design for all-day comfort and pack Apple's H2 chip, which supports personalized spatial audio and voice isolation. You're also getting a redesigned case with 30 hours of battery life and support for USB-C for wireless charging. Just be aware that this cheaper version does not support active noise cancellation.View Deal

Best Buy's latest sale has the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation available for $149.99. This isn't the best offer, given that they were down to $99.99 in previous events. Still, if you must buy now, these AirPods 4 feature a new comfortable design, handy controls, and Apple's H2 chip, which supports personalized spatial audio and voice isolation – alongside that all-important ANC.View Deal

AirPods Pro 3: was $249 now $189.99
Apple's newest premium buds feature improved Active Noise Cancellation, outstanding audio, a comfortable in-ear design, and new features such as live translation and heart-rate tracking. These do-it-all buds really are 100% flagship audio and the noise-cancelling quality is outstanding. Today's deal is the best price you can find on Apple's newest AirPods, and the best price this year outside of Prime Day.View Deal

If you want more affordable over-ears that don't compromise on quality, then consider these Bose QuietComfort Headphones while they are down to their lowest price this year at Best Buy. As with the Ultra version, you get impressive noise cancellation, top-tier audio quality and 24 hours of battery life, but in a much more affordable package.View Deal

The Beats Solo 4 are getting old now, but this is a great price for a pair of solid headphones. This model supports lossless audio that you can listen to via USB-C or 3.5mm audio cable and Spatial Audio that uses head tracking to enhance your listening experience. These headphones also last up to 50 hours on a single charge and can regain five hours of playback time in just 10 minutes of charging.View Deal

Right now, you can grab the incredible Sony WH-1000XM6 for $60 less in the Best Buy anniversary sale, bringing them back down to the cheapest they've ever been. These headphones offer beautifully balanced audio output, top-tier touch controls, a comfortable fit, and noise-crushing ANC to block out unwanted sounds.View Deal

Best Buy 60th Anniversary sale — Appliances

Pro Coffee Maker: was $59.99 now $29.99
This will never be one of the best coffee makers you can buy, but there's no denying that it is dirt cheap. It's a basic and no-frills drip filter coffee maker that can brew up to 12 cups at once, has a programmable timer so you can wake up to a fresh pot, and dishwasher-safe components that make it easy to clean.View Deal

4 qt Touchscreen Slim Air Fryer: was $69.99 now $59.99
The Bella Pro is exclusive to Best Buy, and we have seen this four-quart model a little cheaper in previous sales. However, for under $60, this is excellent value for money this weekend if you just need a compact air fryer for a small household or kitchen.View Deal

The Shark Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum offers convenient automation features and versatile cleaning technology, including a special brushroll that works on both hardwood and carpeted surfaces. Its self-emptying dock doubles as a charging station, which makes it easy to keep fully charged, even though it runs for up to 60 minutes at full battery. For under $300, it's hard to pass up such a high-tech and highly rated vacuum.View Deal

You can get $250 off Dyson's best-selling V11 vacuum during Best Buy's latest sale. This vac nails the basics, offering strong suction and excellent manoeuvrability. Information is displayed on an LCD screen that shows exactly how long you have left before the battery runs out in the current power mode, too.View Deal

Best Buy 60th Anniversary sale — Apple

This isn't the lowest price we've seen for Apple's newest AirPods 4, as they've been as low as $79.99 in the past. Nevertheless, the AirPods 4 feature a new design for all-day comfort and pack Apple's H2 chip, which supports personalized spatial audio and voice isolation. You're also getting a redesigned case with 30 hours of battery life and support for USB-C for wireless charging. Just be aware that this cheaper version does not support active noise cancellation.View Deal

Willing to spend a bit more? Best Buy's latest Apple sale also has the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation available for $149.99. This isn't the best offer, given that they were down to $99.99 in previous events. Still, if you must buy now, these AirPods 4 feature a new comfortable design, handy controls, and Apple's H2 chip, which supports personalized spatial audio and voice isolation – alongside that all-important ANC.View Deal

AirPods Pro 3: was $249 now $189.99
Apple's newest premium buds feature improved Active Noise Cancellation, outstanding audio, a comfortable in-ear design, and new features such as live translation and heart-rate tracking. These do-it-all buds really are 100% flagship audio and the noise-cancelling quality is outstanding. Today's deal is the best price you can find on Apple's newest AirPods, and the best price this year outside of Prime Day.View Deal

Watch Series 11: was $399 now $299
The latest Apple Watch 11 back to its lowest-ever price in the latest Best Buy sale. The thinnest Apple Watch yet, with a wraparound LTP3 OLED display, it's a great-looking watch with Apple Intelligence-powered smarts and a boosted battery compared to previous Apple Watches, clocking in at 24 hours of average use. View Deal

This is only $20 more than the record-low price for the Apple Watch SE 3, so it's still a solid bargain. The Apple Watch SE 3 is currently our pick for the best Apple Watch to buy if you're on a budget, as it delivers a full experience and all the style you need, but at a fraction of the price.View Deal

iPad A16 (2025): was $449 now $399
The brand-new Apple iPad A16 is down to its lowest-ever price in the Best Buy Memorial Day sale, so it's worth taking advantage of if you have an eye on the latest Apple slate. The biggest upgrade compared to the previous generation model is the latest A16 chip for faster performance. You also get double the storage of 128GB as standard, a sharp 11-inch Liquid Retina display, and solid 12MP front and back cameras.View Deal

iPad Pro 11-inch (M5): was $1199 now $1149
There's a decent $100 saving on the latest iPad Pro 11-inch at Best Buy, matching the record-low of $899 we saw on Black Friday. This is still a pricey tablet, but you do get the brand-new M5 chip, high-quality tandem OLED display and 256GB as standard. Expect this to be one of the better offers we see on the tablet until later in the year.View Deal

Best Buy 60th Anniversary sale — More tech

Hero 13 Black: was $479.99 now $354.99
Here's a super-tempting record-low price for one of the best action camera bundles in the world right now. The camera offers an impressive 5.3K video resolution inside a rugged and completely waterproof body. A sweet deal for your remaining summer adventures.View Deal

The Google Pixel 10a is a top bargain phone for its balance between affordability and functionality. It features a Tensor G4 processor and a display with a 120Hz refresh rate, which offers solid performance at this price point. You also get a Gorilla Glass 7i screen for better drop protection and scratch resistance. For almost $100 off, you can get this smooth and affordable smartphone for a little more than its lowest price ever.View Deal

The newest Ring Battery Doorbell Plus model drops to under $60 in the latest Best Buy sale. Its camera features 1536p resolution, night vision with color, and an improved motion sensor. It also includes an increased head-to-toe field of view of 150 by 150 degrees, so you can get a fuller picture of who's at your door.View Deal

Businesses of all shapes and sizes are adopting AI to improve productivity and efficiency, but where they should be seeing improvements from this strategy, instead they’re seeing rising token costs, struggles with integrating tools, and more security risks.

As with all new technologies, adoption comes first and the procedures and governance are a few steps behind. Experiments are taking place in almost every industry, and the lessons learned will help guide other businesses into successful adoption and AI maturity.

But employees fear replacement and sometimes spend more time questioning the results of their AI assisted work. In the worst circumstances more work is created in trying to ensure employees trust the technology, and solving the new, unseen challenges that come with adapting an AI strategy.

AI costs and challenges in the road ahead

Rising token costs are one of the biggest challenges businesses face. Without clear ways to measure how token costs reflect performance, it’s very difficult to assess if AI spend is actually offering any performance benefits. This is especially true when new, more powerful models are being released - and staying ahead of the competition means the accompanying, ever-increasing costs is the price of doing business.

But while employees may have just finished their training, or setting up a new workflow for one AI model, introducing the next can increase complexity and harm any new productivity gains. There is therefore a balance to be struck between AI integration, its associated costs, and the productivity gains employees see.

Rampant spending and reckless adoption can turn an AI strategy from a business-boosting asset into a stress-inducing, trust-eroding liability.

Ruth Patterson, Managing Director, HP, UK & Ireland says that the businesses seeing the most success during this technological revolution aren’t necessarily integrating it at every turn. Instead, they’re “applying it to practical workflows in a way that protects data and delivers real results.”

I spoke to Patterson to understand the challenges businesses face in delivering an AI strategy that shows real results, and how organisations can tackle the challenges that come with adoption AI.

• How are enterprise attitudes towards AI token use changing in 2026?

Businesses are waking up to a simple but overlooked truth about AI: the more they use, the more it costs. As AI has become part of everyday work, the financial cost of millions of interactions, charged at a token level, has become much more visible – and not just to the IT department.

Finance leaders are watching token usage fill a sizeable chunk of their balance sheets, rightly prompting much closer scrutiny of where workloads are processed and whether every task needs to be sent to the cloud.

As the conversation moves from AI experimentation to value, leaders must now focus on building an AI strategy that's both commercially sustainable and operationally efficient. That means moving away from AI for AI’s sake to a more tailored approach that balances cost, security and performance.

• What are businesses prioritising as they move beyond initial AI experimentation? Where have businesses seen the greatest gains?

The biggest gains so far have come from AI taking repetitive tasks off people's desks. You will have heard this said a lot, but the benefits are real. Whether it's summarising meetings, drafting documents, searching internal knowledge or helping employees find information more quickly, AI really is giving people back time to focus on work that requires judgement and creativity. Employees increasingly recognise that the future of the workplace is AI-enabled, whereby their own skills augmented by digital solutions. To succeed, organisations must offer access to the right technology and create environments where people feel empowered to experiment with AI.

However, as more organisations begin to move beyond this experimentation phase, they are starting to become much more disciplined. They're asking whether AI is secure, whether employees are using approved tools and whether the technology is genuinely improving productivity rather than simply adding another application to the estate.

The businesses making the fastest progress in this environment aren't necessarily using the most AI. They’re the ones applying it to practical workflows in a way that protects data and delivers real results.

• What are the biggest challenges organisations face when deploying AI at scale?

Organisations must juggle several competing priorities as they scale deployment: how to protect sensitive data, manage operational costs, maintain performance and ensure employees trust the technology they're using.

The trust question is particularly important as AI moves further into everyday use. Employees need confidence that the tools are reliable and approved, while organisations need confidence that data is protected and whether the cost model is right.

Getting IT infrastructure tuned correctly is key to making this work at scale. One of the most important decisions that organisations need to make is which AI workloads belong in the cloud, and which make more sense running on the device. That is ultimately a business decision – as opposed to purely a technology or IT decision – because it affects performance, cost and security.

• How does on-device AI slot into an organisation's overall AI strategy?

I don't see cloud AI and on-device AI as competing approaches - I see them as complementary. Cloud services will remain essential for large-scale models and complex reasoning. But not every AI task needs to leave the device.

For everyday activities like summarisation, transcription or content creation, running AI locally can reduce dependence on cloud infrastructure and give organisations greater control over sensitive information. AI only creates value when it becomes part of everyday workflows. By adopting on-device AI-solutions, employees can reduce latency and increase productivity with the peace of mind that their data is secure. This offers an easy route-in for employees beginning to implement AI into their day-to-day workflows.

The right approach to enterprise AI strategy is pretty simple: place workloads where they make the most sense. Because once the right balance between cloud and local AI is found, organisations will find the sweet spot between cost, performance and security.

• How are business leaders evaluating the success of AI investments around productivity?

The conversation has moved beyond adoption metrics. Now leaders want to understand whether AI is creating measurable improvements in business performance. They're looking at time saved, faster decision-making, improvements to workflow efficiency and whether employees can spend more time on higher-value work.

Technology leaders are also beginning to examine the broader economics of AI. Productivity gains need to be considered alongside operational expenditure, infrastructure requirements and long-term scalability.

Ultimately, AI should reduce friction. If employees can complete work more efficiently while organisations maintain control over cost and governance, that's where the real return on investment begins to emerge.

AI-enabled digital solutions now offer benefits such as persona-based device optimisation or integrated sentiment analysis to measure employee satisfaction with digital tools. These innovations truly redefine experience management and facilitate higher employee satisfaction and productivity. It also enables leaders to stay closer to their employees and gauge whether AI is improving their experience or simply adding another layer of complexity.

• How do you expect enterprise AI infrastructure to evolve over the next few years?

We will continue to see significant investment in AI infrastructure. But the conversation needs to go beyond capacity, because capacity doesn’t create business value alone.

The next phase will be about ensuring infrastructure enables AI workloads to run where they are most effective. That means treating the endpoint as part of the AI infrastructure and using it to process selected tasks locally, alongside cloud services and edge computing. At the same time, we can expect to see greater emphasis put on AI infrastructure that supports governance, security and efficiency alongside raw compute capacity.

Together, these infrastructure shifts will start to deliver the practical value that employees and businesses expect from AI but aren’t currently seeing.

• What trends are you watching most closely in enterprise AI right now?

Three stand out for me:

First, the move towards hybrid AI architectures. Organisations are becoming much more deliberate about deciding which workloads should run in the cloud and which belong on the device.

Second, the growing focus on the economics of AI. As adoption scales, businesses are paying much closer attention to operational expenditure, infrastructure efficiency and the total cost of AI deployment.

Finally, we’re seeing the role of the endpoint evolve. For years, the PC has been framed as an access device only. Today, it has become an intelligent computing platform, capable of running AI workloads securely and efficiently.

Businesses don’t need a big AI budget to get all three right. They just need to spend time working out, task by task, where intelligence really belongs.

Businesses of all shapes and sizes are adopting AI to improve productivity and efficiency, but where they should be seeing improvements from this strategy, instead they’re seeing rising token costs, struggles with integrating tools, and more security risks.

As with all new technologies, adoption comes first and the procedures and governance are a few steps behind. Experiments are taking place in almost every industry, and the lessons learned will help guide other businesses into successful adoption and AI maturity.

But employees fear replacement and sometimes spend more time questioning the results of their AI assisted work. In the worst circumstances more work is created in trying to ensure employees trust the technology, and solving the new, unseen challenges that come with adapting an AI strategy.

AI costs and challenges in the road ahead

Rising token costs are one of the biggest challenges businesses face. Without clear ways to measure how token costs reflect performance, it’s very difficult to assess if AI spend is actually offering any performance benefits. This is especially true when new, more powerful models are being released - and staying ahead of the competition means the accompanying, ever-increasing costs is the price of doing business.

But while employees may have just finished their training, or setting up a new workflow for one AI model, introducing the next can increase complexity and harm any new productivity gains. There is therefore a balance to be struck between AI integration, its associated costs, and the productivity gains employees see.

Rampant spending and reckless adoption can turn an AI strategy from a business-boosting asset into a stress-inducing, trust-eroding liability.

Ruth Patterson, Managing Director, HP, UK & Ireland says that the businesses seeing the most success during this technological revolution aren’t necessarily integrating it at every turn. Instead, they’re “applying it to practical workflows in a way that protects data and delivers real results.”

I spoke to Patterson to understand the challenges businesses face in delivering an AI strategy that shows real results, and how organisations can tackle the challenges that come with adoption AI.

• How are enterprise attitudes towards AI token use changing in 2026?

Businesses are waking up to a simple but overlooked truth about AI: the more they use, the more it costs. As AI has become part of everyday work, the financial cost of millions of interactions, charged at a token level, has become much more visible – and not just to the IT department.

Finance leaders are watching token usage fill a sizeable chunk of their balance sheets, rightly prompting much closer scrutiny of where workloads are processed and whether every task needs to be sent to the cloud.

As the conversation moves from AI experimentation to value, leaders must now focus on building an AI strategy that's both commercially sustainable and operationally efficient. That means moving away from AI for AI’s sake to a more tailored approach that balances cost, security and performance.

• What are businesses prioritising as they move beyond initial AI experimentation? Where have businesses seen the greatest gains?

The biggest gains so far have come from AI taking repetitive tasks off people's desks. You will have heard this said a lot, but the benefits are real. Whether it's summarising meetings, drafting documents, searching internal knowledge or helping employees find information more quickly, AI really is giving people back time to focus on work that requires judgement and creativity. Employees increasingly recognise that the future of the workplace is AI-enabled, whereby their own skills augmented by digital solutions. To succeed, organisations must offer access to the right technology and create environments where people feel empowered to experiment with AI.

However, as more organisations begin to move beyond this experimentation phase, they are starting to become much more disciplined. They're asking whether AI is secure, whether employees are using approved tools and whether the technology is genuinely improving productivity rather than simply adding another application to the estate.

The businesses making the fastest progress in this environment aren't necessarily using the most AI. They’re the ones applying it to practical workflows in a way that protects data and delivers real results.

• What are the biggest challenges organisations face when deploying AI at scale?

Organisations must juggle several competing priorities as they scale deployment: how to protect sensitive data, manage operational costs, maintain performance and ensure employees trust the technology they're using.

The trust question is particularly important as AI moves further into everyday use. Employees need confidence that the tools are reliable and approved, while organisations need confidence that data is protected and whether the cost model is right.

Getting IT infrastructure tuned correctly is key to making this work at scale. One of the most important decisions that organisations need to make is which AI workloads belong in the cloud, and which make more sense running on the device. That is ultimately a business decision – as opposed to purely a technology or IT decision – because it affects performance, cost and security.

• How does on-device AI slot into an organisation's overall AI strategy?

I don't see cloud AI and on-device AI as competing approaches - I see them as complementary. Cloud services will remain essential for large-scale models and complex reasoning. But not every AI task needs to leave the device.

For everyday activities like summarisation, transcription or content creation, running AI locally can reduce dependence on cloud infrastructure and give organisations greater control over sensitive information. AI only creates value when it becomes part of everyday workflows. By adopting on-device AI-solutions, employees can reduce latency and increase productivity with the peace of mind that their data is secure. This offers an easy route-in for employees beginning to implement AI into their day-to-day workflows.

The right approach to enterprise AI strategy is pretty simple: place workloads where they make the most sense. Because once the right balance between cloud and local AI is found, organisations will find the sweet spot between cost, performance and security.

• How are business leaders evaluating the success of AI investments around productivity?

The conversation has moved beyond adoption metrics. Now leaders want to understand whether AI is creating measurable improvements in business performance. They're looking at time saved, faster decision-making, improvements to workflow efficiency and whether employees can spend more time on higher-value work.

Technology leaders are also beginning to examine the broader economics of AI. Productivity gains need to be considered alongside operational expenditure, infrastructure requirements and long-term scalability.

Ultimately, AI should reduce friction. If employees can complete work more efficiently while organisations maintain control over cost and governance, that's where the real return on investment begins to emerge.

AI-enabled digital solutions now offer benefits such as persona-based device optimisation or integrated sentiment analysis to measure employee satisfaction with digital tools. These innovations truly redefine experience management and facilitate higher employee satisfaction and productivity. It also enables leaders to stay closer to their employees and gauge whether AI is improving their experience or simply adding another layer of complexity.

• How do you expect enterprise AI infrastructure to evolve over the next few years?

We will continue to see significant investment in AI infrastructure. But the conversation needs to go beyond capacity, because capacity doesn’t create business value alone.

The next phase will be about ensuring infrastructure enables AI workloads to run where they are most effective. That means treating the endpoint as part of the AI infrastructure and using it to process selected tasks locally, alongside cloud services and edge computing. At the same time, we can expect to see greater emphasis put on AI infrastructure that supports governance, security and efficiency alongside raw compute capacity.

Together, these infrastructure shifts will start to deliver the practical value that employees and businesses expect from AI but aren’t currently seeing.

• What trends are you watching most closely in enterprise AI right now?

Three stand out for me:

First, the move towards hybrid AI architectures. Organisations are becoming much more deliberate about deciding which workloads should run in the cloud and which belong on the device.

Second, the growing focus on the economics of AI. As adoption scales, businesses are paying much closer attention to operational expenditure, infrastructure efficiency and the total cost of AI deployment.

Finally, we’re seeing the role of the endpoint evolve. For years, the PC has been framed as an access device only. Today, it has become an intelligent computing platform, capable of running AI workloads securely and efficiently.

Businesses don’t need a big AI budget to get all three right. They just need to spend time working out, task by task, where intelligence really belongs.