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RunStar 4E Body Scale: One minute review

The RunStar 4E is an affordable smart scale that costs little more than a standard set of electrical scales. Considering it measures more than 20 different body composition metrics, the low price becomes even more impressive. As you’d expect at this price, there are limitations though, with the inability to measure composition accurately (fat-to-muscle ratios and so on) being the most glaring one.

Despite these shortcomings, everything, from app setup to using the scales, is smooth, straightforward, and wonderfully intuitive. Connecting the scales to the companion app is quick and easy thanks to a robust Bluetooth signal, and the option to create multiple users within the app is a nice touch for a family of my size and stage.

The weight measurement consistently measured around 0.4% more than the pricier RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro, which isn’t a massive deviation. For almost all the other measurements, the RunStar 4E adopts a bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) measuring method through four metal sensors located on the top panel of the scale.

BMI measurements were almost identical every single time compared to the 8E SmartScan Pro (probably because it's a mathematical calculation not dependent on the electrodes), but almost all other composition measurements offered up a deviation of between 3 and 30%. For these reasons, it’s not likely to make it into our best smart scales guide. That said, for the price, the RunStar 4E is a respectable set of scales for weight and quick BMI calculation.

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)RunStar 4E Body Scale: Specifications

Component

RunStar 4E Body Scale

Price

$33.54 / £31.00

Dimensions

11.02 x 11.02 x 0.78 inches

Weight

3.17 pounds

Material

6 mm tempered glass

Display

LCD

Battery

3x AAA

Connection

Bluetooth

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)RunStar 4E Body Scale: Price and availability

• $33.54 / £31.00
• Not available in Australia
• Budget-friendly smart scale

At $33.54 USD / £31.00 GBP, the RunStar 4E Body Scale is incredibly affordable as far as smart scales go. It might lack full body measurements for fat loss and fitness and muscle gain, but for that pleasure you’ll have to part with a lot more money and shoot for something like the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro, Withings Body Scan series, or Wyze Scale X.

A comparable option in terms of price and features would be the Vitafit Smart Bathroom Scale, which scored a respectable four stars in our testing. Positives included the easy connection, extremely fast results, and the comprehensive app. Our reviewer had some concerns over accuracy, but overall it’s a solid choice.

The scales are FSA and HSA eligible, which means US users are able to use them in conjunction with designating pre-tax money to be taken from pay and put towards paying medical expenses.

• Value score 4.5/5

Future / Paul HattonFuture / Paul HattonFuture / Paul HattonRunStar 4E Body Scale: Design

• LCD display with color graphics
• Compact and lightweight design
• Powered by 3x AAA batteries

At the heart of the RunStar 4E is a bright LCD display that provides an easy-to-access readout of six metrics: weight, body fat, BMI, muscle mass, body water, and bone mass. The display cycles through these with a few seconds given over to each stat. Unfortunately there’s no way to move to a specific metric using on-device controls, although the full list is available in the accompanying app.

At 11.02 x 11.02 x 0.78 inches and 3.17 pounds, the smart scale is both compact and lightweight. As a result, finding a suitable spot for it in a bathroom or bedroom shouldn’t be a problem. It can also be easily stowed on its side in a cupboard while not in use.

The scale is covered in 6mm tempered glass, which protects against scratches and cracks, neither of which I suffered despite my children doing their accidental best to inflict a dent or two. Underneath you’ll find four anti-slip silicone feet.

Quick and effortless connectivity is via Bluetooth, and power is delivered courtesy of three AAA batteries. USB-C charging would have been better for the environment, but with minimal power required, I don’t envisage getting through too many batteries.

• Design Score: 4/5

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)RunStar 4E Body Scale: Features

• 22 reportable metrics including weight, BMI, and muscle mass
• App supports multiple users

The RunStar 4E boasts an impressive feature set for such an affordable scale, or at least it would be if the extras were more impressive. At its core, the scale is capable of measuring over 20 metrics, including weight, BMI, body fat percentage, body mass, muscle mass, body water rate, bone mass, and visceral fat. Six of these are visible on the smart scale itself, while the full set is reported in the Starfit RunStar app.

To accommodate families, the Starfit app enables users to set up multiple profiles, one for each family member. By entering the height and target weight of each person, the app is able to provide more accurate and informed reporting. The app also tracks measurements over time and plots them on a chart for trend analysis.

• Features Score: 4/5

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)RunStar 4E Body Scale: Performance

• Quick results on-device and in-app
• Accurate weight, BMI, and metabolic age
• Some inaccuracies consistently reported

The first thing to note is that the RunStar 4E is quick. In a matter of seconds the scale is able to measure over 20 different body composition metrics and display them instantly in the app. There’s no waiting around for calculations to be made and zero lag when the display is cycling through the six core metrics.

Weight, as you’d expect, is measured prior to all the body composition elements. Having measured myself hundreds of times, I found that the 4E regularly mismeasured my weight by around 0.4% compared to the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro and, indeed, my rudimentary pair of digital weight scales. It would be unfair to judge the scales too harshly for this small deviation, especially given the price.

According to research published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, one study conducted on smart scales shows a median margin of error of around 0.3kgs, so I can forgive it some small deviation. That said, if you’re requiring absolute accuracy, you’ll need to look elsewhere.

BMI was also consistently measured more or less accurately, with deviations of only 0.5%. If you’re only concerned with quick measurements such as weight and BMI, then the RunStar 4E won’t cause you any problems.

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)

Getting into the specifics, musculoskeletal-related measurements using BIA include muscle, muscle mass, and skeletal muscle rates. The first two measured around a 3% deviation from the 8E SmartScan Pro, but it was the skeletal muscle rate which was most concerning, measuring a deviation of nearly 15%.

Unfortunately variable results continue with fat-related metrics. Compared to the SmartScan Pro, body fat percentage, subcutaneous fat, and body fat mass all reported a massive 30% deviation.

Despite comparably poor results on some metrics, it’s worth remembering that most of these are specialized measurements, and to expect too much from a smart scale that costs $33.54 / £31.00 might be a little unreasonable.

That said, it would be preferable for consumers if smart scale manufacturers would only include metrics that they could report on accurately. The RunStar 4E also measures consistently with itself, which means it can still be trusted as a weight loss tool assuming you allow for the margin of error.

• Performance score: 3.5/5

RunStar 4E Body Scale: Scorecard

Category

Comment

Score

Value

An impressive smart scale given its budget-friendly price point.

4.5/5

Design

A compact and lightweight smart scale with a bright LCD display.

4/5

Features

Over 20 body composition metrics with the RunStar app providing a reasonable level of trend analysis.

4/5

Performance

Weight and BMI are accurate, but other measurements are subject to sizable deviations.

3.5/5

RunStar 4E Body Scale: Should I buy?Buy it if...

You’re looking for a decent affordable smart scale

A surprisingly solid set of features for such a cheap scale.

You only care about working towards a healthier BMI

As well as weight, the RunStar 4E delivers accurate BMI calculations.

Don't buy it if...

You want to be able to sync results with health apps

The RunStar isn’t capable of linking in with any sort of wider ecosystem.

Also consider

Vitafit Smart Bathroom Scale

A similarly priced smart scale with a comparable set of features. Boasts a slightly larger display and a more comprehensive app experience.

Vitafit Smart Bathroom ScaleView Deal

RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro

A superior, and pricier, smart scale capable of measuring more metrics and breaking them down into specific parts of the body.View Deal

How I tested

My family (two adults and three children) has been using the RunStar 4E for three months. We’ve used it to measure and track all types of metrics, including weight, BMI, and muscle mass. I carried out comparison tests with the more premium RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro. In addition, I’ve used every feature of the app to give the smart scales a thorough testing.

First reviewed: July 2026

• Someone made a tool for Asus Astral RTX 5080 and 5090 GPUs
• It's designed to prevent a melting connector, shutting down the PC before this happens
• This third-party utility – and the response to it – shows the level of paranoia out there when it comes to this issue

Do you have a high-end Nvidia Blackwell GPU, and if so, are you worried about the perils of a melted power connector? It appears that definite concerns remain in this area, to the point that a new utility has been crafted to address those worries.

An enterprising Redditor has made their own open source tool for Windows which is designed for Asus Astral RTX 5090 and 5080 graphics cards, acting as a monitoring app that will (hopefully) step in to prevent any melting disasters before they happen.

The creator, Humza Khalid, tells us how the small utility, which is available to grab on GitHub, works: "It reads per pin 12VHPWR current straight from the card's own sensor chip and force shuts down your PC if any pin stays over 9.5A for 15 seconds, before the connector can melt."

The idea is that it's a lightweight and standalone app which is an easy way to defend against the situation where there's a sustained level of too much current flowing to the Nvidia graphics card.

As noted, the PC is forced to shut down in these cases (in a safe manner, with any running or interfering apps being force-closed, we're told), before any damage is done.

The creator has taken a suggestion on board from the comments, and Khalid notes that the tool will be changed from initiating a shutdown to dropping the power limit (via the Nvidia management API) for a much faster response. (Shutting down can take a while). That change will happen in a future version of the utility, Khalid tells us.

The creator also reminds us: "This only works on Astral 5080/5090 cards because those are the only ones with per pin sensors. Windows only, needs Python. And it doesn't replace seating your connector properly, it's a last line of defense not a first one."

Analysis: default paranoia

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Dean Drobot)

That's all good in theory, of course, but I'd always be careful about what you're installing on your PC. Not to say this isn't a trustworthy app – I don't know whether it is or not, and that's the point. However, it is open source, so that's good, as it provides visibility into what it's doing under the hood.

Another point to note is that a co-creator of the app is listed as 'Claude', meaning that this AI has been used in making the tool. Khalid explains that they wrote the original utility, but it was based on HWiNFO, so they wanted the app rejigged to be standalone, and Claude "did a lot of the rewrite".

At any rate, Asus Astral GPU owners can make their own decision about what's worth installing, or not, although I wouldn't personally recommend installing a third-party utility from an unknown developer. As ever, if you do install such software, you do so very much at your own risk.

Regardless, what this does show is the clear level of concern about Nvidia's RTX 5090 and 5080 GPUs. One Redditor sums it up: "As a 5090 owner, I can confirm the card comes with a default paranoia about bursting into flames."

That received some pushback from other Redditors who said their overclocked RTX 5090s were just fine, and in turn, there was a further story relayed about a melting incident. Obviously, all that is anecdotal (on both sides of the coin), but the paranoia is real enough.

Cable melting worries began with the RTX 4090, of course, before the RTX 5090, and when we looked into the issues with the Blackwell flagship back at the start of last year, Nvidia firmly denied that any of this is its fault. Cable melts remain a controversial topic, though, and more recently we've even had a report of an exploding RTX 5090, no less, which PC gamers who run these high-end graphics cards probably didn't take much comfort from.

• Someone made a tool for Asus Astral RTX 5080 and 5090 GPUs
• It's designed to prevent a melting connector, shutting down the PC before this happens
• This third-party utility – and the response to it – shows the level of paranoia out there when it comes to this issue

Do you have a high-end Nvidia Blackwell GPU, and if so, are you worried about the perils of a melted power connector? It appears that definite concerns remain in this area, to the point that a new utility has been crafted to address those worries.

An enterprising Redditor has made their own open source tool for Windows which is designed for Asus Astral RTX 5090 and 5080 graphics cards, acting as a monitoring app that will (hopefully) step in to prevent any melting disasters before they happen.

The creator, Humza Khalid, tells us how the small utility, which is available to grab on GitHub, works: "It reads per pin 12VHPWR current straight from the card's own sensor chip and force shuts down your PC if any pin stays over 9.5A for 15 seconds, before the connector can melt."

The idea is that it's a lightweight and standalone app which is an easy way to defend against the situation where there's a sustained level of too much current flowing to the Nvidia graphics card.

As noted, the PC is forced to shut down in these cases (in a safe manner, with any running or interfering apps being force-closed, we're told), before any damage is done.

The creator has taken a suggestion on board from the comments, and Khalid notes that the tool will be changed from initiating a shutdown to dropping the power limit (via the Nvidia management API) for a much faster response. (Shutting down can take a while). That change will happen in a future version of the utility, Khalid tells us.

The creator also reminds us: "This only works on Astral 5080/5090 cards because those are the only ones with per pin sensors. Windows only, needs Python. And it doesn't replace seating your connector properly, it's a last line of defense not a first one."

Analysis: default paranoia

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Dean Drobot)

That's all good in theory, of course, but I'd always be careful about what you're installing on your PC. Not to say this isn't a trustworthy app – I don't know whether it is or not, and that's the point. However, it is open source, so that's good, as it provides visibility into what it's doing under the hood.

Another point to note is that a co-creator of the app is listed as 'Claude', meaning that this AI has been used in making the tool. Khalid explains that they wrote the original utility, but it was based on HWiNFO, so they wanted the app rejigged to be standalone, and Claude "did a lot of the rewrite".

At any rate, Asus Astral GPU owners can make their own decision about what's worth installing, or not, although I wouldn't personally recommend installing a third-party utility from an unknown developer. As ever, if you do install such software, you do so very much at your own risk.

Regardless, what this does show is the clear level of concern about Nvidia's RTX 5090 and 5080 GPUs. One Redditor sums it up: "As a 5090 owner, I can confirm the card comes with a default paranoia about bursting into flames."

That received some pushback from other Redditors who said their overclocked RTX 5090s were just fine, and in turn, there was a further story relayed about a melting incident. Obviously, all that is anecdotal (on both sides of the coin), but the paranoia is real enough.

Cable melting worries began with the RTX 4090, of course, before the RTX 5090, and when we looked into the issues with the Blackwell flagship back at the start of last year, Nvidia firmly denied that any of this is its fault. Cable melts remain a controversial topic, though, and more recently we've even had a report of an exploding RTX 5090, no less, which PC gamers who run these high-end graphics cards probably didn't take much comfort from.

A new political era for Colombia: a hard-right president promises order, growth and confrontation.

(Image credit: John Vizcaino)

Imagine attending a peaceful demonstration, only to have hidden cameras scan your face, match your identity, and log your details into a police database within seconds. This scenario is at the heart of a debate that reignited in Italy last week, highlighting a high-stakes clash between public safety and personal privacy.

Although Italian lawmakers passed the bill on Tuesday with added safeguards, the decision reflects Europe’s expanding appetite for biometric monitoring. A practice Europeans once watched unfold with dread in authoritarian states is now quietly taking root at home.

From London and Paris to Amsterdam and Berlin, police forces across democratic Europe are increasingly piloting AI-powered face-scanning in public spaces and at political demonstrations.

While European leaders frame the technology as a necessary tool to combat crime, privacy advocates warn that facial recognition creates a chilling effect on the right to peaceful assembly and free expression. And the long-term risk may be even more troubling: once facial recognition is normalized, expanding its reach may be the next natural step.

How police in Europe use facial recognition at protests

Facial recognition technology (FRT) is a biometric tool that uses AI to identify individuals by analyzing their facial geometry — such as the distance between the eyes or the contour of the jawline — against a database. This software creates a unique digital signature, often called a "faceprint," which can be integrated directly into CCTV networks, drones, apps, and mobile police units.

Law enforcement deploys FRT in several ways, with Live Facial Recognition (LFR) being the most controversial. LFR scans real-time video feeds to cross-reference passersby against police watchlists almost instantaneously.

Despite significant legal pushback — including a landmark 2020 UK Court of Appeal ruling that found South Wales Police's deployment unlawful — London's Metropolitan Police deployed LFR across two major demonstrations last May.

Similarly, Hungarian authorities used biometric scanning to monitor participants during the 2025 Budapest Pride March.

(Image credit: Photo by John Keeble/Getty Images)

By contrast, retrospective facial recognition (RFR) functions more like traditional fingerprinting. Rather than scanning crowds live, police analyze recorded footage or photographs after an event to identify suspects.

This is the technology Italian lawmakers attempted to regulate last week, though police forces across the UK, France, the Netherlands and other European nations have already routinely deployed it.

At first glance, RFR might appear less intrusive — simply another investigative tool for law enforcement to access when necessary. However, human rights experts argue the distinction is misleading.

According to Chloé Berthélémy, Senior Policy Advisor at European digital rights network EDRi, the difference between live and post-event scanning is "largely a procedural distinction."

Speaking to TechRadar, Berthélémy warned: "In human rights terms, there is no salient difference between real-time and post-remote biometric identification. Threats posed to rights and freedoms are not reduced just because authorities or companies have extra time to review footage."

Berthélémy also cautions against the rise of Algorithmic Video Surveillance (AVS) — a system she labels "fundamentally unreliable." AVS uses AI software to analyze live video feeds and automatically flag suspicious or dangerous behavior.

Unlike facial recognition, AVS doesn't log facial features. Instead, it is trained to detect behavioral anomalies and physical triggers, such as sudden crowd surges, unattended luggage, weapons, fires, or individuals falling.

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games served as a testing ground for this technology, making France the first EU member state to legalize AI video analytics.

What European law says about facial recognition and our right to privacy

While facial recognition technology poses a risk to personal privacy, explicit statutory frameworks governing its use remain scarce.

Despite nearly a decade of police trials, the UK still lacks specific legislation governing facial recognition — a gap that Jasleen Chaggar, Senior Legal and Policy Officer at Big Brother Watch, warns has created a "real legal vacuum."

Chaggar explained to TechRadar that British police forces instead rely on a patchwork of common law precedents, existing data protection acts, and broader human rights legislation.

Although the UN Human Rights Committee called on the UK to end police facial recognition at protests, Chaggar notes that governments have resisted statutory regulation, citing police "operational independence."

"This has effectively given police a very long leash to experiment with these technologies," Chaggar told TechRadar. "And now we're in a tipping point situation where it's about to be expanded all over the country, and there's a real necessity for those legal frameworks to be in place."

❌We don't consent to biometric ID checksPolice will be using live facial recognition at @boardmasters festivalThis tech doesn’t just record what you do, your face becomes a barcode in the same way as your fingerprint or DNA#StopFacialRecognition⤵️https://t.co/9do8SIF81t pic.twitter.com/VSgXMTuX1YAugust 6, 2026

In contrast, the European Union's AI Act establishes a binding legislative framework across all member states. While offering greater legal clarity than the UK's approach, digital rights campaigners view the legislation as only a partial victory.

Dr. Matt Mahmoudi, campaign lead for Amnesty International's 'Ban the Scan' initiative, warns that failing to enact a total ban on public biometric surveillance creates broad national security exemptions that jeopardize fundamental rights.

"And it's not just the right to privacy. It's not just the right to protest and the freedom of assembly and expression. It's also the right to equality and non-discrimination," Mahmoudi told TechRadar.

The end of anonymous dissent?

Before facial recognition technology was deployed in public spaces, citizens attending demonstrations could rely on a degree of practical anonymity. Biometric surveillance fundamentally alters that expectation.

Digital rights experts interviewed by TechRadar agree that this level of intrusion steadily erodes civic space. The knowledge that your face is being scanned and cross-referenced against a police watchlist actively deters citizens from attending demonstrations.

“You may decide not to exercise your democratic rights because you're afraid of how it might be perceived by the authorities,” Big Brother Watch's Jasleen Chaggar explained.

Yet this chilling effect extends far beyond the physical cameras deployed at a single rally.

Facial recognition does not operate in isolation. It depends on extensive, often covert data harvesting. To construct watchlists, authorities aggregate imagery from diverse sources, including scraped social media profiles, government identity databases, police custody photos, CCTV archives, and commercial biometric databases.

(Image credit: HQuality / Shutterstock)

As Amnesty International’s Dr. Matt Mahmoudi explains, extensive data aggregation transforms ordinary digital footprints into a pervasive surveillance dragnet.

"Facial recognition is not a simple technology, but a system that effectively weaponizes your entire daily life," Mahmoudi told TechRadar.

Beyond baseline privacy concerns, the underlying technology remains prone to systemic errors.

During eight pilot trials conducted by London's Metropolitan Police between 2016 and 2018, 96% of initial alerts generated were false positives.

Academic research and independent audits consistently show that these algorithmic inaccuracies disproportionately target non-white individuals, women, and ethnic minorities.

The human cost of these algorithmic errors was starkly shown in 2024, when Metropolitan Police officers stopped and searched Sean Thompson — a Black anti-knife-crime campaigner — after live facial recognition software falsely matched his face to a watchlist.

Although computer vision algorithms have advanced in recent years, privacy campaigners emphasize that inherent system limitations remain. As Big Brother Watch's Jasleen Chaggar highlights, because facial recognition relies on probabilistic matching — calculating similarity scores rather than absolute matches — the technology can never be entirely error-free.

Beyond faces: the evolution of biometric surveillance

Even as lawmakers scramble to regulate facial recognition, law enforcement's appetite for public surveillance continues to expand.

In the UK, the growth is reinforced by stricter protest laws like the 2023 Public Order Act, with police monitoring group Netpol warning that enforcement will inevitably rely on an increased use of live facial recognition during demonstrations.

The Conservatives are also calling for greater use of the technology to investigate crimes, while Devon and Cornwall police have already confirmed the use of FRT during the upcoming Boardmasters Festivals.

The obvious immediate danger is that eliminating anonymous dissent could permanently reshape democratic participation. However, privacy advocates warn of an even broader threat: biometric surveillance expanding beyond simple identification into behavioral classification.

Border control authorities are already experimenting with pairing facial recognition with emotion detection and gait analysis — the automated tracking of how an individual walks — which campaigners say could be used to target political demonstrations.

Amnesty International’s Dr. Matt Mahmoudi says that normalizing facial recognition paves the way for other speculative tools that could "fundamentally erode the presumption of innocence."

This rapid technological expansion forces a fundamental question upon democratic societies: how much liberty are citizens expected to trade for security? When scanning a crowd becomes routine policing, public squares risk morphing from spaces of free expression into arenas of perpetual surveillance — where a face is only the initial data point.

• A Samsung exec has just done a Reddit AMA
• They answered all sorts of questions, including those criticising a perceived lack of innovation, and an undesirable focus on AI
• Among the answers, health was pointed to as an area of future innovation, along with technology that understands what you need

Following the recent launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8, Annika Bizon, VP of Product and Marketing for Mobile Experience at Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland, has taken to Reddit for an AMA about these devices and other topics.

Many of the answers are some combination of marketing jargon and tech support, but there are some genuinely interesting nuggets too, including a response to claims that Samsung has stopped innovating.

Reddit user densusenapi commented: "I've been a long-time Samsung customer since the original Note. I replace my phone every 3 years since the hardware innovation just isn't there anymore? I used to change my phone every 2 generations but the leaps are so small now. Start experimenting and innovating again, please."

To which Bizon replied: "If I may, I'd like to politely challenge the idea that the hardware innovation isn't there. The more people use AI every day, the more personal it becomes and that's pushing us to rethink how phones and wearables work for people alongside how they look. That kind of shift only happens if the engineering and craftsmanship behind it can keep up, and that's still where we put a lot of our energy as a company.

"The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a good example. This year we're expanding our foldable range to meet a real need we kept hearing from customers who want a bigger, wider screen to go deeper into content. The new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 has had a phenomenal upgrade this year too to make sure it can help you achieve your fitness goals in the most extreme environments. So, I promise you we're not slowing down; we’re experimenting based on what people are telling us they would like.

"Hopefully that's changed your mind!"

It’s a fair answer, but arguably this has been a far more innovative year for Samsung than most recent years have been — we don’t often get whole new phone form factors after all.

But between what Bizon detailed above and the Privacy Display on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, the brand has genuinely done some very interesting things this year, so hopefully we’ll see more of that going forward too.

A focus on health

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 (Image credit: Future)

As for what form that future innovation might take, in a separate response, Bizon pointed to health as a real focus at least for her personally, saying:

"I think we're at a super exciting time for mobile innovation. As I'm sure you're aware, we've just launched our biggest ever foldables line-up, inspired by how people are using their devices. AI is really helping us think more about new form factors, because we're all using our phones in much more personalized ways.

"But if you want to know what excites me personally right now, it's health, because that's where I think our devices and the features on them are helping people in ways they would never have imagined. Suddenly we're shifting as a society to being more preventative in the way we approach health challenges.

"So let's start with some of our features, powered by the new sensors on the Galaxy Watch 9 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. Vitals is a good example, because it tracks things like skin temperature and heart rate overnight, and flags meaningful changes so you can determine if you might be about to fall ill, and act by resting more.

"It's also become more personal. We've all been told about 'get eight hours sleep,' but our new sleep latency feature, which calculates how long it takes you to fall asleep from when your head hits the pillow, can help you work out what your optimum conditions are for falling asleep.

"I've seen this play out in my own training too. I did an ultramarathon a while back and pushed on for far too long despite how I was feeling and that's a really common mistake. Fitness Index now helps flag your strengths and weaknesses earlier, and Nutrition Alert will nudge me if my hydration levels are too low.

"That's the shift I'm most excited about — how technology understands what you need, and gives your personal experiences."

A nod towards AI

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

That — unsurprisingly — doesn’t really give us any concrete ideas of what to expect next from Samsung, but technology that “understands what you need” will almost inevitably involve AI, and this, of course, also came up in the AMA — though largely through people being negative about it.

Multiple Redditors essentially said that they don’t want AI on their phones, to which Bizon noted that “if AI isn't for you, every AI feature on Galaxy devices is opt-in. You can switch off anything you don't find useful.”

That said, Bizon also suggested people should give AI a chance, arguing:

“If you're open to dipping a toe into using AI, my advice is always the same — try one small thing and see if it saves you time. Say you're out and about and spot a concert poster, show it to your phone with the camera and ask it to find tickets for you to buy. If it's useful once, great. If it's not for you, that's fine too.”

That advice might work for some people, but many others are opposed to AI as much for ethical reasons as functionality ones — so they’re unlikely to give it a chance, and may object to it being on their phones even if it can be disabled.

Still, AI aside, it will be interesting to see whether Samsung continues its current innovative streak. We'll probably have an indication of whether it has done so or not early next year, when the Samsung Galaxy S27 series launches.

• A Samsung exec has just done a Reddit AMA
• They answered all sorts of questions, including those criticising a perceived lack of innovation, and an undesirable focus on AI
• Among the answers, health was pointed to as an area of future innovation, along with technology that understands what you need

Following the recent launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8, Annika Bizon, VP of Product and Marketing for Mobile Experience at Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland, has taken to Reddit for an AMA about these devices and other topics.

Many of the answers are some combination of marketing jargon and tech support, but there are some genuinely interesting nuggets too, including a response to claims that Samsung has stopped innovating.

Reddit user densusenapi commented: "I've been a long-time Samsung customer since the original Note. I replace my phone every 3 years since the hardware innovation just isn't there anymore? I used to change my phone every 2 generations but the leaps are so small now. Start experimenting and innovating again, please."

To which Bizon replied: "If I may, I'd like to politely challenge the idea that the hardware innovation isn't there. The more people use AI every day, the more personal it becomes and that's pushing us to rethink how phones and wearables work for people alongside how they look. That kind of shift only happens if the engineering and craftsmanship behind it can keep up, and that's still where we put a lot of our energy as a company.

"The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a good example. This year we're expanding our foldable range to meet a real need we kept hearing from customers who want a bigger, wider screen to go deeper into content. The new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 has had a phenomenal upgrade this year too to make sure it can help you achieve your fitness goals in the most extreme environments. So, I promise you we're not slowing down; we’re experimenting based on what people are telling us they would like.

"Hopefully that's changed your mind!"

It’s a fair answer, but arguably this has been a far more innovative year for Samsung than most recent years have been — we don’t often get whole new phone form factors after all.

But between what Bizon detailed above and the Privacy Display on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, the brand has genuinely done some very interesting things this year, so hopefully we’ll see more of that going forward too.

A focus on health

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 (Image credit: Future)

As for what form that future innovation might take, in a separate response, Bizon pointed to health as a real focus at least for her personally, saying:

"I think we're at a super exciting time for mobile innovation. As I'm sure you're aware, we've just launched our biggest ever foldables line-up, inspired by how people are using their devices. AI is really helping us think more about new form factors, because we're all using our phones in much more personalized ways.

"But if you want to know what excites me personally right now, it's health, because that's where I think our devices and the features on them are helping people in ways they would never have imagined. Suddenly we're shifting as a society to being more preventative in the way we approach health challenges.

"So let's start with some of our features, powered by the new sensors on the Galaxy Watch 9 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. Vitals is a good example, because it tracks things like skin temperature and heart rate overnight, and flags meaningful changes so you can determine if you might be about to fall ill, and act by resting more.

"It's also become more personal. We've all been told about 'get eight hours sleep,' but our new sleep latency feature, which calculates how long it takes you to fall asleep from when your head hits the pillow, can help you work out what your optimum conditions are for falling asleep.

"I've seen this play out in my own training too. I did an ultramarathon a while back and pushed on for far too long despite how I was feeling and that's a really common mistake. Fitness Index now helps flag your strengths and weaknesses earlier, and Nutrition Alert will nudge me if my hydration levels are too low.

"That's the shift I'm most excited about — how technology understands what you need, and gives your personal experiences."

A nod towards AI

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

That — unsurprisingly — doesn’t really give us any concrete ideas of what to expect next from Samsung, but technology that “understands what you need” will almost inevitably involve AI, and this, of course, also came up in the AMA — though largely through people being negative about it.

Multiple Redditors essentially said that they don’t want AI on their phones, to which Bizon noted that “if AI isn't for you, every AI feature on Galaxy devices is opt-in. You can switch off anything you don't find useful.”

That said, Bizon also suggested people should give AI a chance, arguing:

“If you're open to dipping a toe into using AI, my advice is always the same — try one small thing and see if it saves you time. Say you're out and about and spot a concert poster, show it to your phone with the camera and ask it to find tickets for you to buy. If it's useful once, great. If it's not for you, that's fine too.”

That advice might work for some people, but many others are opposed to AI as much for ethical reasons as functionality ones — so they’re unlikely to give it a chance, and may object to it being on their phones even if it can be disabled.

Still, AI aside, it will be interesting to see whether Samsung continues its current innovative streak. We'll probably have an indication of whether it has done so or not early next year, when the Samsung Galaxy S27 series launches.

• Meta has been hit by another huge fine in New Mexico
• The ruling judge compared Meta's apps to polluting factories
• Meta says it's going to appeal the decision

Meta is in more legal trouble over the harms that its products — specifically Instagram and Facebook — can do to children, with a New Mexico judge slapping a $567 million (£422 million / AU$805 million) fine on the company, and suggesting that the damage done by these apps is akin to "noxious pollution" from factories.

As reported by CNN, the latest court ruling and financial penalty says that Meta's suite of apps "create a common, societal burden on and harm to the affected children and their families and schools, as well as hospitals and law enforcement".

Meta has said that it will appeal the decision, but its lawyers should recognize the factory analogy: they used it themselves during the original trial that got underway in February (via Courthouse News Service), arguing that a town factory shouldn't necessarily be held responsible for wider community problems it has nothing to do with.

The aim of Meta's lawyers in using the factory example was to limit the fines and measures imposed by the court, but it only partly worked. The mention of schools, hospitals, and law enforcement shows that the judge in the case, First Judicial District Court Judge Bryan Biedscheid, thinks Meta has wider problems to answer for.

Mental health support

Mark Zuckerberg has lots to ponder (Image credit: Getty Images)

Most of the money that's being demanded from Meta — $420 million of it — is specifically earmarked for supporting community and family-based mental health services for the young people of New Mexico. The rest will be going towards mental health screening, prevention campaigns, and referral programs.

The latest fine is on top of the $375 million (£279 million / AU$533 million) in civil penalties that Meta was previously ordered to pay by a jury. This second part of the trial, with only a judge presiding, has now officially declared Instagram and Facebook a "public nuisance" in the eyes of the law.

There's more to the ruling than financial hits too. Meta is being ordered to delete all the accounts and data of users aged under 13, to turn off notifications from 8am-3pm on weekdays and from 10pm-7am on other days for users under 18 — at least in New Mexico. New accounts set up by teens should also be private by default, the judge has said.

Don't expect any of this to be implemented soon though — Meta has said it's going to appeal these decisions, which is likely to take an extended period of time. Even so, it's more evidence that the harms that social media can do to youngsters are now better understood, and that further action is very likely.

• Meta has been hit by another huge fine in New Mexico
• The ruling judge compared Meta's apps to polluting factories
• Meta says it's going to appeal the decision

Meta is in more legal trouble over the harms that its products — specifically Instagram and Facebook — can do to children, with a New Mexico judge slapping a $567 million (£422 million / AU$805 million) fine on the company, and suggesting that the damage done by these apps is akin to "noxious pollution" from factories.

As reported by CNN, the latest court ruling and financial penalty says that Meta's suite of apps "create a common, societal burden on and harm to the affected children and their families and schools, as well as hospitals and law enforcement".

Meta has said that it will appeal the decision, but its lawyers should recognize the factory analogy: they used it themselves during the original trial that got underway in February (via Courthouse News Service), arguing that a town factory shouldn't necessarily be held responsible for wider community problems it has nothing to do with.

The aim of Meta's lawyers in using the factory example was to limit the fines and measures imposed by the court, but it only partly worked. The mention of schools, hospitals, and law enforcement shows that the judge in the case, First Judicial District Court Judge Bryan Biedscheid, thinks Meta has wider problems to answer for.

Mental health support

Mark Zuckerberg has lots to ponder (Image credit: Getty Images)

Most of the money that's being demanded from Meta — $420 million of it — is specifically earmarked for supporting community and family-based mental health services for the young people of New Mexico. The rest will be going towards mental health screening, prevention campaigns, and referral programs.

The latest fine is on top of the $375 million (£279 million / AU$533 million) in civil penalties that Meta was previously ordered to pay by a jury. This second part of the trial, with only a judge presiding, has now officially declared Instagram and Facebook a "public nuisance" in the eyes of the law.

There's more to the ruling than financial hits too. Meta is being ordered to delete all the accounts and data of users aged under 13, to turn off notifications from 8am-3pm on weekdays and from 10pm-7am on other days for users under 18 — at least in New Mexico. New accounts set up by teens should also be private by default, the judge has said.

Don't expect any of this to be implemented soon though — Meta has said it's going to appeal these decisions, which is likely to take an extended period of time. Even so, it's more evidence that the harms that social media can do to youngsters are now better understood, and that further action is very likely.

A key Republican senator, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, said he would back Todd Blanche's nomination as attorney general, smoothing the path for his ultimate confirmation by the Senate.

(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch)

Norton has long been a household name for antivirus software but, despite launching its first VPN, Norton WiFi Privacy, back in 2017, it's never achieved the same pedigree in this space. Enter Norton VPN, with its Standard, Plus and Ultimate tiers, now back on the scene, revamped, and on a mission to impress.

This is our second full test of what has been the most improved VPN in the space over the last 12 months. It's fast, very user friendly and has the kind of array of features you’d expect from a top VPN service.

Styled as the VPN that everyone can use, we've put it through its paces, once again, both in day-to-day scenarios and more rigorous, lab tests to see how far its come since last time.

Features

Norton VPN’s revamp has seen the arrival of a host of features across several platforms, and it continues to improve its fundamentals – even if some areas still require work.

As far as VPN protocols go, Norton offers OpenVPN, WireGuard, IPSec, and Mimic, its proprietary protocol designed for obfuscation.

iOS and Mac users had previously been limited to only IPSec and Mimic, which was disappointing given OpenVPN and WireGuard’s improved capabilities. Luckily, Norton announced that WireGuard is available across all Apple platforms in March, 2026. This is a huge win for iOS users, since although IPSec can be fast, WireGuard offers a faster, less device-intensive experience.

Users on iOS and macOS had previously been limited to only IPSec and Mimic protocols — making WireGuard a more than welcome addition (Image credit: Future)

As for extra features, we like Wi-Fi detection which allows you to auto-connect to the VPN when connecting to public Wi-Fi. On macOS, it also auto-connects on “compromised networks” but it’s unclear how Norton decides if a network is compromised. All wireless networks are considered public by default.

Norton also offers ad and tracker blocking. Tracking is blocked at a DNS level to reduce the risk of your data being used for targeted ads while you browse online, and can be turned on by simply toggling the option.

Although the tracker appeared to work, its ‘Trackers Blocked’ counter seems to run on a delay, rather than in real time, so while we know 50 trackers were blocked across a period of our testing time, we don’t have any indication of when each was blocked.

Ad blocking is undertaken by a browser extension. Although this means another download and sign-in process, it's well worth. This ad blocker is excellent! In our latest test it scored a staggering 96% of adverts blocked which puts it ahead of dedicated ad-blocker uBlock Origin (91%).

A key area of improvement has been in Norton VPN’s security-focused features. Firstly, Norton VPN offers a simple-to-use kill switch, ensuring your internet traffic stops immediately when you lose connection to the VPN, preventing you from broadcasting unencrypted traffic over public Wi-Fi networks.

If you’d prefer, you can choose whether you’d like to keep your access to local devices over a LAN even when the kill switch is active. The kill switch isn’t enabled by default and requires you to dig through a few menus to set it up, but if you’re on macOS, Norton gives you an easy set of guidelines to follow so you can quickly set it up.

It is also worth noting that, despite the addition of WireGuard to the iOS app, it won't work with a kill switch in that mode on iPhone just now.

The new Norton VPN app houses all of its improved features in an easy-to-use design resemblant of other Norton products (Image credit: Future)

Norton VPN has added features at a rate of knots since 2025. In April 2025 alone, Norton VPN gained Double VPN, IP Rotation, Pause VPN capabilities, and the ad-blocking browser extension mentioned above.

Double VPN is available across 8 servers. While your connection options are fixed, for example, USA via Canada, they are bi-directional, and give you access to Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. While it’s not completely customizable, like Surfshark’s Nexus technology allows, its 8 locations put it only two behind NordVPN, which offers 10.

Norton VPN has IP rotation, something not even NordVPN does. Only Surfshark also offers IP rotation among the best VPNs.

While Norton’s version isn’t quite as expansive, it does work in the US, Japan, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, and Germany. What’s more, it's much simpler to access and connects in almost no time at all, no matter the server you pick. In our testing, our IP seemed to change every few seconds, meaning it should be good enough to give you a new IP for every website you visit.

Pause VPN is the final feature worth mentioning. Overlooked by the likes of PIA and ExpressVPN, pause VPN gives you the choice to temporarily end your VPN connection for a set time. The VPN reactivates once the time ends.

This is a great tool if you just quickly want to search for something or use an app outside of the connection without risking forgetting to turn your VPN back on.

Norton VPN’s Pause VPN system is extremely simple, and easily accessed, though it’d be good to see a minimum pause time shorter than 15 minutes. Most times when we’ve needed it, we’ve been finished in five minutes pretty comfortably.

Again, the only complication with Pause VPN is on the iOS app where you can't activate the feature if you choose the IPSec protocol.

Features score: 8/10

Server Network

Norton VPN’s server network isn’t up there with the very best VPNs quite yet but it's getting there. It's up to 140 worldwide locations, compared to 116 when we last tested. That puts it just above the likes of Windscribe (126 locations), CyberGhost (124), PureVPN (120), and Hotspot Shield (116). NordVPN expanded to 211 server locations in April 2026.

In terms of actual nations covered, Norton VPN has servers in 102 different countries. Again, that's up from last time (72) and better than Le VPN (80), Windscribe (71) and NymVPN (70). The latest additions to Norton's network are Brunei, Canada (Toronto), Germany (Berlin), India, Indonesia, Laos, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Spain (Zaragoza).

We're pleased to see a number of these new countries are in Asia. Norton VPN's network, like many VPNs, is very much skewed towards the US and Europe which account for 69% of its locations.

Its 27 Asian locations still leave it a fair bit behind market leaders Proton VPN (48 Asian locations), NordVPN (41) and ExpressVPN (36).

Of course, not all of these locations are physical servers. Many, as is the case with most VPNs, are virtual servers located in different countries. That's absolutely fine. You'll still get an IP address of the right country when you connect to them.

Norton VPN's online server locations list is pretty faithful to what we found in our tests. The only slight oddities are when the actual locations of the virtual servers are, in fact, a very long way from where you think you're connected to. That's a problem if you're looking to get the best speeds.

So, for example, the new virtual Brunei location is, in fact, a server in London, which is on the other side of the world. Why not put it in Singapore instead where Norton VPN already has some servers? That would make for a far better performing connection to Brunei from, say, neighbouring Malaysia, or even Brunei itself.

Other than that, we really have few complaints. Norton VPN has done, and is continuing to do, an excellent job of expanding its server network, and we look forward to it catching up with the market leaders in the future.

Server network score: 8/10

Apps

Norton’s VPN app is available for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. It’s also available on Apple TV and Android-based smart TVs. For Android TVs, you need version 10 or later, whereas Apple tvOS requires version 17 or later.

Notably, there’s no Linux support, so if you need to cover your Ubuntu or Linux Mint install, Norton won’t cut it quite yet – there’s not even support for a command-line VPN. Norton does not offer configuration files for OpenVPN or WireGuard either, so there’s no way to use Norton with an unsupported device.

Thankfully, Norton VPN announced support for Fire TV devices (running FireOS 8 or later) in March 2026.

It’s worth mentioning that Norton VPN’s apps have several instances of feature disparity. As highlighted already, iOS and macOS users already lack OpenVPN, but these platforms also don't have auto-connect functionality, though Pause VPN, another feature previously omitted, was added to iOS in recent months.

Otherwise, there’s nothing really to dislike about Norton VPN’s apps on any platform. They’re simple to use, easy to navigate, and are so unapologetically Norton-like that anyone new to VPNs who’s familiar with its antivirus tools will feel right at home.

Apps score: 8/10

Ease of use

Norton VPN is a breeze to install. You can put that down to the years of experience the company has with its other products in making complex systems simple to introduce.

Once you’re in, the experience is simple, though at the expense of a couple of handy extra tools. The menus aren’t overcomplicated with features, settings, and data.

The option to set favorites or see the best servers at any time would be nice.

All the settings are all explained in simple enough terms for beginners, and there’s easy access to any extra tools you might have in your plan. There are also plenty of guides to help set up your VPN connection according to your needs.

In true Norton fashion, the experience you have is as close to identical as possible across any device you might have, too. This makes Norton VPN a superb choice should you be new to VPNs.

Even Norton VPN’s Advanced Servers, meaning its P2P-optimized, double VPN, and IP rotation optimized servers, are easily accessed. With dropdown menus giving you the information you need to understand where you’re connecting to, and any additional routing your connection might take.

The piece of usability that feels very buggy, though, is that the VPN disconnects when you enter the settings menu on the iOS app. That's unusual. It would be easy to take a look at the settings, not change anything, and then not notice that your iPhone or iPad doesn't actually have a VPN connection anymore. That feels more than a little insecure and it's surely an easy fix?

Ease of use score: 8/10

Speed and performance

Norton’s speeds have shown steady improvement since our last re-test, and we've got no problem with that at all given they were already very good.

We recorded an average speed of 1010 Mbps over WireGuard from our East USA set-up to the nearest Norton VPN server.

There were six VPNs with higher peak speeds in this round of testing – PrivadoVPN (2334 Mbps), Proton VPN (1475 Mbps), NordVPN (1249 Mbps), ExpressVPN (1177 Mbps), and Surfshark (1021 Mbps) – and only the first few were significantly faster.

Norton VPN's long-distance speeds have also improved since last time. We recorded an average of 782 Mbps when connecting to a UK location from our US East base. That's a lot better than the 463 Mbps from the previous test.

How we perform speed tests

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

We test from a virtual PC in an East USA location. These servers have a 10 Gbps connection. You can find out more in our VPN testing methodology.

Norton VPN came out fourth overall when using the slower but more secure OpenVPN protocol. With scores of 514 Mbps (local) and 307 Mbps (long distance) it's around double what we saw at the last Norton VPN test, so that's great.

It was ExpressVPN (1038 Mbps / 703 Mbps) that topped the OpenVPN charts, and Surfshark (825 Mbps / 851 Mbps) that wasn't too far behind. But Norton can be rightly proud of its results here.

It will be interesting to see if it can push its way into the top tier next time.

Speed and performance score: 8/10

Unblocking

Norton VPN is pretty consistent at unblocking your favorite streaming services. As far as the majors go, it's got you covered. So, whether that's unblocking Netflix libraries for the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and Japan; or picking up Disney Plus, US YouTube, or Amazon Prime Video, you can watch what you want, when you want it, and from anywhere in the world with Norton.

It was equally comprehensive when it came to unblocking free regional streaming services. Norton VPN successfully streamed British services BBC iPlayer, Channel 4 and ITV from outside the UK but we had to try a few different servers when we went to watch Australian services 7Plus and 9Now.

Norton VPN was able to unblock them eventually, but it wasn't the first-time experience that we were hoping for. It was better news for 10Play (Aus) and TVNZ+ (NZ), which it unlocked straight away, though.

These results are certainly good but still behind NordVPN which we rate as the best streaming VPN. NordVPN did fail when it came to US YouTube in our most recent tests, though, so do bear Norton in mind if accessing specifically US YouTube videos is important for your needs.

Norton VPN is also good for torrenting. It has five P2P-optimized servers – three more than when we last tested but it doesn't support port forwarding – something that many might demand of the best VPNs for torrenting. (That's a title that currently belongs to ExpressVPN.)

It’s a fair bit short of the full P2P connectivity of a VPN provider like PIA, but even Avast’s competing SecureLine VPN offers eight P2P servers.

On the plus side, Norton does allow you to connect automatically when you boot up a supported P2P app, but you’ll have to enable this option from the settings menu first.

Unblocking score: 8/10

Privacy and security

Norton has taken the necessary steps to ensure its VPN is secure and private. Its no-logs policy is extensive but clear. It outlines the data collected by the VPN app at any instance.

Your browsing data is never stored on their servers. That includes DNS requests, which are instead served by a private DNS server run by Norton, which prevents ISP spying. Norton has had its no-logs policy audited by a third party to ensure that all of this is up to standard.

In August 2024, VerSprite audited Norton’s policy, noting two issues that could result in sensitive user information being disclosed. Norton addressed these issues, and once remedied, VerSprite agreed that the no-logs policy was both accurate and implemented correctly.

However, Norton does collect some anonymized information from the VPN client. This includes timestamps (connection dates from the past 12 months), platform details such as OS and timezone, and crash logs. It keeps other general application events for 18 months. These include installs, uninstalls, updates and ‘interaction’, and errors.

Norton also aggregates overall data transmission for network planning, which, on its own, is fairly standard.

But, if you are extremely concerned about your privacy, Norton might collect a little too much information for comfort.

Norton is certainly private enough for day-to-day browsing, but you might consider Proton VPN instead if you need even deeper privacy guarantees.

Norton is clearly taking the necessary steps to ensuring its VPN is secure and private."

Rob Dunne - VPN Editor, TechRadar

Something that may ease some privacy concerns would be if Norton VPN implemented RAM-only servers. These servers wipe when rebooted, meaning you cannot store any data on them.

This solves any issues of data requests from the authorities. They can demand all they like but, if it's RAM-only severs, then there's simply is no data to hand over. Many of the best VPNs have a RAM-only infrastructure.

Given its privacy focus, we wanted to know more about Norton VPN’s proprietary Mimic protocol. In addition to offering obfuscation, Mimic is powered by TLS 1.3 ciphers (AES-256 and ChaCha20), as well as ML-KEM-1024 for post-quantum cryptography. It’s good to hear that Norton is already thinking ahead when it comes to quantum security, which puts them significantly in front of most of the VPN industry.

Meanwhile, Norton's standard VPN protocols, OpenVPN and WireGuard, use AES-256-GCM and ChaCha20-Poly1305 encryption, respectively. These are considered the top encryption methods used by all of the best VPNs, a strong demonstration, therefore, of Norton’s intent to found its service on strong privacy staples.

Privacy and security score: 8/10

Track record

Gen Digital, Norton’s parent company, is headquartered in the USA and the Czech Republic. It’s the result of a merger between Avast and Norton in 2022, and it now owns other big-name brands, including Avira, AVG, and CCleaner.

Despite the merger, Norton continues to be run as a separate company with its own range of products. Norton has decades of experience in providing digital security products, but until 2024, the VPN offering has lagged behind the industry standard. That's not the case anymore.

The merger with Avast seems to have been a kickstarter. Norton claims the merger has prompted progress that “combines our ‘best of breed’ technologies to provide safer, faster, and more reliable performance for the customer,” with Norton VPN being the first product to benefit from this work.

The current iteration of Norton VPN is a substantial upgrade from versions we’ve seen in the past."

Rob Dunne - VPN Editor, TechRadar

In the past, Norton VPN had suffered from DNS leaks and a nearly non-existent feature set, both of which have been fixed since. The current iteration of Norton VPN is a substantial upgrade from versions we’ve seen in the past.

It should be noted that the service has now also undergone a no-logs audit, and users can read the in-depth executive summary report at their leisure.

Plus, if you’re concerned about the kinds of requests no-logs policies help protect against, Norton now publishes transparency reports. These reports, updated twice a year, outline all the requests Norton receives from authorities for user data, and explain why Norton is unable to comply with them since its no-logs policy means there’s nothing to provide.

Track record score: 9/10

Customer Support

Norton’s customer support staff are very helpful. There’s a community forum where you can post issues you’re having with Norton VPN, where other members and support staff can pitch in with their own advice. It's a little quiet, though, and responses are slow.

The Norton VPN Android and iOS forum had only five questions posted in the past month when we checked. The Windows forum was even slower with four posts. Two of those hadn't received a single reply.

The dedicated on-site support materials, however, are a different matter. When you search for help topics on Norton’s website, you’re immediately given an AI prompt for your search, which looks like it’s powered by Gemini.

It’s not totally useful when you’re trying to find specific help on a topic, and you have to scroll past it to get to the actual results.

We asked it, "Does Norton VPN support obfuscation?"

The AI could only say, "Norton VPN does not explicitly support obfuscation as a named feature," before going on to talk about IP rotation and Double VPN, instead.

But, then we asked, "What is the best Norton VPN protocol to use in China?" It delivered.

"When using Norton VPN in China, the Mimic protocol is generally recommended as it is designed to bypass VPN restrictions."

So, there's definitely something in there, just not quite a feature to rely all the time.

As for the knowledge base, it’s not particularly in-depth – most of the articles consist of bullet point lists and some are thinly-disguised marketing material.

If you want help with Norton, we’d stick to contacting their customer support directly through the forum or over the phone. There’s also a 24/7 helpdesk upgrade if you need around-the-clock customer service.

Customer support score: 7/10

Pricing and plans

Norton offers three tiers of pricing. The Standard VPN package starts at $59.76 for the first two years, which works out at roughly $2.49 per month. After the introductory offer is over, it renews at $99.99 per year. Avoid the auto-renew and that's a good price for 24 months of VPN service.

What's more, this now includes 10 device connections depending on the plan you choose. This is up from its previous limit of 5, which put it far below the likes of NordVPN and Proton VPN.

Surfshark and PIA do both go even further, offering unlimited device connections on their cheapest subscription plans, though for most 10 connections should be more than enough.

That said, it should also be clarified that Norton’s device limit isn’t a traditional simultaneous connections limit. Instead, Norton’s device limit refers to the number of devices with the VPN installed. Should you wish to install on an 11th (or 21st) device, you’d instead be asked to remove one of the previous devices, rather than simply disconnecting from the VPN.

The next price tier up is Norton VPN Plus. It costs roughly $24 more over two years, making your subscription $3.49 per month, initially, and $119.99 every year after that if you let auto-renew kick in.

Plus brings no meaningful change to the VPN, but you get extra features from Norton’s security suite, including virus protection, password management, dark-web scanning, 10GB encrypted cloud storage, and AI-powered scam detection.

The Ultimate subscription package will again set you back around $24 extra over two years, making it $4.49 per month initially and $149.99 per year after the first.

In addition to extra family-safety features for monitoring your child’s devices, the device count is bumped up to 20. That means you can take full advantage of Norton’s security features on most of your household’s devices, and you get 50GB of secure storage (or 150GB should you activate auto-renewal).

To its credit, Norton offers an above-average 60-day money-back guarantee and a true 7-day free trial when you sign up. We love 7-day free trials as an entry point into VPNs, as they offer a ‘try before you buy’ solution, without some of the hassles caused by a 30-day money-back guarantee. For us, that makes Norton one of the best VPNs for beginners.

Pricing and plans score: 7/10

Should you use Norton VPN?

Norton VPN is a rapidly improving VPN. Since its rebirth in 2024 it’s brought in a spread of features you’d expect to see in a top VPN, alongside some features some top VPNs don’t think to include. Its performance has risen to a point where it can rival top VPNs like Surfshark and NordVPN, it has apps simple enough for anyone to use, and it brings Norton-pedigree security and trust.

That said, there are areas it still needs to address. Sorting the device install limit will add to its already high-value package by reducing connection roadblocks for users. Outside of this, expanding the feature pool, adding Linux support, and eradicating the remaining feature disparities for macOS and iOS users will quickly put Norton VPN among the best value VPNs available if done right. A shade more on speed and unblocking performance wouldn't hurt either.

For many, now might not be the right time to pick up Norton VPN due to any one of the limitations mentioned. That said, it’d be wise to keep an eye on Norton VPN over the coming year or so, as, from what we’ve seen already in 2025 and 2026, it looks as though the provider could quickly become a high-value, high-security VPN from a name well renowned.

Total score: 79/100

Norton VPN alternatives

1. NordVPN – The best VPN overall
NordVPN combines security, speed, and usability in a single VPN package that can’t be beat on value. In addition to lightning-fast servers, NordVPN offers some unique features like Threat Protection Pro, which integrates anti-virus, anti-phishing, and ad-blocking capabilities into a single product. Try it today with a 30-day money-back guarantee.View Deal

2. Surfshark – get the 7-day free trial
When you buy a Surfshark subscription, you get unlimited simultaneous device connections, 100+ countries to connect to, and advanced IP rotation features powered by their own Nexus software-defined network. It's perfect if you need to cover a household full of devices. Try Surfshark risk free with a 30-day money-back guarantee or a 7-day free trial.View Deal

3. ExpressVPN – The best secure VPN
ExpressVPN consistently ranks as our most secure VPN thanks to its forward-thinking security features, like quantum-resistant encryption. It's all thanks to its proprietary Lightway VPN protocol, designed from the ground up for mobile-first support. The ExpressVPN app is perfect for beginners with a simple interface across all platforms, plus 24/7 support on hand to walk you through setting it up. Express also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.View Deal

August 2026 has arrived, and we're starting the new month off strong with a whole heap of new movies and TV shows to enjoy on the world's best streaming services.

So, which seven projects have we highlighted for this weekend? For one, fans of cosy comfort TV will be delighted that Ted Lasso is back on Apple TV. Don't worry if you don't care for the sports comedy-drama series, because there's plenty more genre fare to peruse below. So, happy scrolling and streaming! — Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter

Ted Lasso season 4 (Apple TV)

It's time to believe in the popular Apple TV Original once more. That's right, Ted Lasso has returned for its fourth season — and, this time, the titular soccer coach is being tasked with managing AFC Richmond's newly-founded women's team. Fans will not only be reunited with established characters in Ted Lasso season 4, then, but also introduced to a whole new line-up of fresh faces.

Want to know how it compares to the hit show's first three seasons? Read my Ted Lasso season 4 review before you make use of that free Apple TV trial you've been holding onto. Ted Lasso season 4 episode 1 is out now, by the way — and, with new episodes dropping weekly for the foreseeable future, there's lots more to look forward to in the weeks ahead. — TP

• Watch Ted Lasso season 4 on Apple TV

The Last House (Netflix)

Louis Leterrier's creepy new sci-fi thriller follows an ordinary family who become trapped in their home after torrential rain mysteriously seals every window, door, and exit point.

Their optimism begins to dwindle when days turn into months and then, frighteningly, years. I do wish the above trailer hadn't spoiled that reveal, but hey ho.

With limited supplies and an unknown threat looming outside, Riley, Jason, and their two children must fight to stay alive. They soon learn that they aren't the only ones affected, but can the other victims be trusted? You'll have to watch The Last House on Netflix to find out. — Lucy Buglass, senior entertainment writer

• Watch The Last House on Netflix

Star Wars: Visions Presents — The Ninth Jedi (Disney+)

What if I said that The Ninth Jedi looks like Star Wars meets Studio Ghibli?

More anime than animation, this Visions spin-off follows Kara and her ragtag Jedi crew as they seek out to find worthy Jedi to fight against an increasingly powerful warlord. She's literally Spirited Away's Chihiro armed with a lightsabre, and I'm all for the flavors of nostalgia we're getting on Disney+.

It's been tipped as a new and exciting "animated triumph," and I'm inclined to agree. If nothing else, The Ninth Jedi proves that Stars Wars is literally unstoppable, and can be easily reinvented until the end of time. — Jasmine Valentine, entertainment reporter

• Watch Star Wars: Visions Presents — The Ninth Jedi on Disney+

Sterling Point (Prime Video)

Prime Video is back on its young adult drama game, baby. This time it's with Sterling Point, coming straight to us from the minds behind Gossip Girl (and that's how you immediately know that it's going to be worthwhile).

17-year-old Annie Jacobson (was raised in New York City with her twin brother and loving adoptive father, until her life takes a turn when she inherits her mysterious grandfather's island in Canada.

We've got some brilliant escapist TV across its eight episodes, feeling a lot more authentic in its delivery than the mundane repetition we've been seeing in other teen dramas of late (naming no names, of course). If you're going to commit to a book-to-Amazon TV adaptation, make it this one. — JV

• Watch Sterling Point on Prime Video

Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Paramount+)

Have I still got FOMO over not being invited to interview Billie Eilish and James Cameron during the bonkers London premiere for Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour earlier this year? Yes, I have, but that doesn't mean I won't vouch for the epic concert experience that's out now on Paramount+.

Initially captured in 3D, we follow Eilish's sold-out 2025 arena tour through a blend of stripped-down live performances from Manchester with backstage access. Whatever we're watching, Eilish's connection with her fans remains the central focus.

If you didn't get tickets or had some towards the back of the stadium, now's your chance to be front row. Personally, I'm just glad she left the Charli XCX Guess remix in the setlist. — JV

• Watch Billie Eilish: Hit Me Soft and Hard: The Tour on Paramount+

Alley Cats (Netflix)

Ricky Gervais returns to Netflix with six-part adult animated series, Alley Cats, which follows a group of strays who take in a lost kitten, helping her to navigate the brutal human world and find her way back home.

Gervais voices Gus, and he's joined by some great British talent like Diane Morgan, Kerry Godliman, Jo Hartley, and Tony Way. If you're expecting anything like his previous Netflix series After Life, you may be disappointed as Alley Cats has already received several poor reviews. But, if you like crude adult animation and Gervais' controversial brand of humor, then this could be right up your, ahem, alley. — LB

• Watch Alley Cats on Netflix

The Shards (Hulu/Disney+)

Ryan Murphy's back on top form with The Shards, where he collaborates with thriller novelist Bret Easton Ellis to bring the latter's semi-autobiographical story to life on Hulu and Disney+.

The Shards follows a group of privileged teenagers in their final year at an elite prep school, with a fictionalized version of Ellis among them. Their lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Robert Mallory, whose unsettling yet charming presence coincides with the activities of a serial killer known as The Trawler.

The first two episodes are now, but you'll want to read my review of The Shards first to see if it's worth watching. — LB

• Watch The Shards on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (internationally)

They didn't try to stop me, so I'm back with another entry in TechRadar's Crossword. In fact, they actively encouraged me to make a second one, so it looks like a weekly puzzle is definitely on the cards going forward. And that's fine by me, as I'll keep making them. See how you get on with this week's challenge below.

TechRadar Crossword

Missed a previous puzzle? You can browse the archive and play all TechRadar Crosswords right here.

There wasn't a whole lot of activity on the leaderboard last week, so what would be really nice is to get a few more entries this time. That also increases your chances of snagging that first place spot, if the bragging rights are important to you.

If you want another benchmark, I also found out that TechRadar EIC and Wordle fanatic Marc McLaren had to use three hints on the first puzzle, so there's a target if you wanted to try and beat him.

I've kept to another fairly straightforward puzzle while we're all still warming up to the idea. I am very tempted to start throwing in some harder or more cryptic clues in the future — or maybe one giant puzzle as a big finale to the end of each month — but we'll see how things go for a while.

Let me know if you enjoy it and I hope to see you back for the next one. Best of luck!

• NordVPN 5.3.0 for Linux automatically installs the GUI app alongside the command-line daemon
• A new NordVPN diagnostics command bundles troubleshooting info into a single shareable file
• CLI commands are now case-insensitive, and older operating systems like Ubuntu 20.04 are no longer supported

NordVPN has rolled out version 5.3.0 of its Linux app, marking a notable shift in how the provider approaches the notoriously command-line-heavy operating system. Starting with this August 2026 release, the provider’s graphical user interface (GUI) will now install automatically alongside the standard daemon.

The best VPN on the market according to TechRadar's testing, NordVPN has spent the last couple of years steadily improving its Linux offerings. While the company first launched a full GUI for Linux to make securing open-source systems as simple as clicking a button, it previously required a separate installation step.

Now, by making it part of the default setup process, NordVPN aims to increase its usage among Linux users who may have skipped or missed the extra package entirely.

"The GUI app now installs automatically alongside the daemon," the provider noted in its latest release notes. "It's been around for a while, but we figured it deserved a little more visibility."

This change ensures that all Linux users immediately benefit from visual features like light and dark mode, server maps, and easy toggles for post-quantum encryption, without ever having to touch the terminal. The integration comes just a year after NordVPN made its Linux GUI app open-source, allowing the community to inspect the code for complete transparency.

NordVPN – the best VPN overall
NordVPN came out on top in our 2026 round of VPN tests. We think it's the best VPN for most people. We’re confident that virtually anyone can sign up for NordVPN and get what they need from it. It’s easy to use, very secure, fast enough for gaming, and offers flawless streaming service unblocking.

Subscriptions start from $3.49 per month, and you can try it out risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.View Deal

Simpler troubleshooting and broader changes

While the automatic GUI installation is the most visible change, version 5.3.0 brings several major quality-of-life improvements to the Nord's Linux VPN.

First is a brand-new diagnostics command. In the past, Linux users troubleshooting connection issues had to manually run a series of complex commands to pull network information, system specs, and firewall rules.

The new tool consolidates this process, gathering all necessary data into a single file that can be securely shared with the support team. However, NordVPN clarifies that "this command is not yet available for Snap package installations."

The command-line interface (CLI) has also received an overdue tweak: commands are now case-insensitive. As the company jokingly explained in the notes, users can "feel free to shout in ALL CAPS if the need ever arises."

Additionally, the NordVPN pause command has officially made its CLI debut, and the system tray app now includes a highly requested “Open NordVPN app” button. As the provider states, it "does exactly what the label suggests, which is always reassuring."

Under the hood, a few technical adjustments were made to improve networking. For users struggling to find local devices, mDNS traffic is now allowed by default when LAN discovery is turned on, meaning printers and local servers will no longer remain "impressively undiscoverable."

However, users running older setups should take note before upgrading. To keep up with modern standards, NordVPN has raised the minimum glibc version to 2.35. As a result, the 5.3.0 update officially deprecates support for older operating systems, including Ubuntu 20.04, Debian 11, and Fedora 32 through 42.

During our latest tests of Turbo VPN's Windows client, we identified active IP leaks and misconfigured protocols that put users' privacy at risk.

Owned by Singapore-based Innovative Connecting Pte. Limited, Turbo VPN boasts over 500 million downloads on Android.

Although the provider issued a patch after receiving our initial technical findings earlier this week, version 3.6.0.0 continued to leak IPv6 addresses across its proprietary protocols (Lepus and LinkSentinel) as well as standard OpenVPN connections.

Following further technical evidence provided by TechRadar, Turbo VPN has deployed a second update (version 3.7.0.0) for Windows to patch the persistent IPv6 leaks. Our testing confirms that this latest build now successfully blocks unencrypted IPv6 traffic.

However, information regarding the app's proprietary protocols remains scarce, and one protocol (V2Ray) was quietly removed during the recent updates. When asked about its removal, the company told TechRadar it is "still checking" the protocol.

Intermittent IP leaks

Concealing your IP address is a VPN's primary objective. However, when we began testing Turbo VPN's proprietary protocols earlier this week on an IPv4-only connection, we found that our real IP address wasn't being hidden at all.

Despite the app displaying that we were "connected," every online IP lookup test we ran showed our real IPv4 address. We rebooted our machine, reinstalled the app, and used multiple independent lookup tools, but the issues persisted.

Screenshot showing IPv4 leaks with Turbo VPN connected during our initial tests on version 3.5.2.0 (Image credit: Future)

To confirm our findings, we installed the app on a second machine on a separate dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 network. Testing on this setup revealed a distinct failure: while our IPv4 address was masked, our genuine IPv6 address remained exposed.

Subsequent follow-up tests on our IPv4-only connection also saw IPv4 masking stabilize, which highlights the intermittent nature of the initial build.

After we shared these technical findings with the team, Turbo VPN issued an update (version 3.6.0.0). In our testing of this build, the app successfully masked IPv4 addresses consistently but IPv6 addresses remained exposed on proprietary protocols and standard OpenVPN connections.

Given that most modern operating systems and web browsers favor IPv6 connections over IPv4, failing to tunnel or block this traffic left users on dual-stack connections exposed by default.

Following a subsequent update issued today, the Windows app is now blocking unencrypted IPv6 traffic while masking IPv4 addresses consistently.

Screenshot showing IPv6 leaks on Turbo VPN version 3.6.0.0 (Image credit: Future)Lepus: a VPN or Shadowsocks proxy?

Lepus is listed alongside Turbo VPN's standard VPN protocols. It is described as providing "excellent camouflage with equally outstanding speed and stability built for highly restricted networks."

However, during our initial tests Lepus operated in ways distinct from standard VPN protocols. Rather than creating a system-wide encrypted tunnel, it executed a local ShadowsocksR (ssr.exe) process that toggles Windows settings (ProxyEnable: 1) to run a local proxy on port 46288.

That means any non-browser data sent from your device — including background OS traffic, desktop messaging apps, and command-line utilities — did not benefit from an encrypted tunnel and was instead routed over a standard connection.

We asked the team at Turbo VPN how long this behavior may have been present for, but they did not reply to that specific question.

In our subsequent tests, version 3.6.0.0 successfully protected all outbound traffic in an encrypted tunnel and successfully operated as a system-wide tunnel for IPv4 traffic.

However, its configuration still allowed for IPv6 leaks, which means users on a dual-stack connection were left exposed. This is because the app did not enable any IPv6 virtual interfaces, assigned zero IPv6 gateway routes, and set no firewall rules to block outbound IPv6 traffic as shown below.

Screenshot showing IPv4 and IPv6 route table while connected to Turbo VPN's Lepus protocol on version 3.6.0.0. (Image credit: Future)The official response, and what comes next

After sharing multiple rounds of technical feedback with Turbo VPN, the Windows app (version 3.7.0.0) appears to have fixed the remaining IPv6 leak issues.

Rather than attempting to create a full IPv6 infrastructure, the latest version appears to have implemented IPv6 blocking at the client level. This forces all web traffic down the encrypted IPv4 tunnel.

However, detailed information about the proprietary protocols remains conspicuously absent both within the app and on Turbo VPN's website — a search of the company's official website yields no results for Lepus or LinkSentinel.

Beyond a brief descriptor on the protocol-selection tab, users are given no technical context about how these protocols route traffic or what security mechanisms they employ. Combined with the silent removal of V2Ray, users are left with little information on how best to secure their connection.

The company did not respond to questions about the lack of information regarding the app's proprietary protocols. In response to our initial findings, the company said: "The behavior observed in the Windows client arose only under certain network configurations, appearing to occur in a limited number of network environments.

"Following the points you raised, our technical team carried out a thorough review and implemented the necessary improvements in the latest Windows build within a short timeframe."

We will continue to test the product and update our full review in the coming weeks.

DDR5 RAM prices remain painfully high, making memory upgrades frustratingly expensive. And honestly, not every PC needs DDR5, and millions of existing desktops can't use it anyway.

Right now, the 32GB G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series DDR4-3200 kit is $210 (was $230) at Amazon. You get two matched 16GB modules running at 3200MT/s with CL16-18-18-38 timings, plus an Intel XMP profile for straightforward configuration on compatible systems.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 32GB if...

Your existing desktop supports DDR4 and you want to increase its memory without replacing your motherboard and processor simply to gain DDR5 support. 32GB will be enough for most heavy multitasking, gaming, and photo editing tasks, and the matched 2 x 16GB configuration provides dual-channel operation on compatible systems.

❌ Skip the G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 32GB if...

You're thinking of building a new PC around a modern DDR5-only platform or already have 32GB of adequately fast DDR4 installed. DDR4 and DDR5 aren't interchangeable, so check your motherboard specifications before buying.

You should avoid mixing separate memory kits, even when their specifications appear identical, because doing so can cause stability problems.

The Ripjaws V Series includes two matched 16GB DDR4-3200 modules, CL16-18-18-38 timings, 1.35V operation, Intel XMP support, and a standard 288-pin U-DIMM design for compatible desktop PCs.View Deal

Why we recommend it

DDR5 offers greater bandwidth and is the obvious choice for platforms designed around it, but that doesn't make DDR4 obsolete overnight.

If your motherboard supports DDR4, upgrading the machine you already own can make much more sense than replacing other components simply to move to the newer memory standard.

For a compatible PC, 32GB of DDR4-3200 will be plenty good enough for most everyday workloads and games. More importantly, upgrading your current system will be much simpler.

This Ripjaws V kit provides a useful capacity, respectable CL16 timings, and XMP support without unnecessary extras such as RGB lighting.

Price context & historical value

The current $209.89 price isn't a historic low, but the bigger picture explains why. This 32GB kit was selling for well under $100 last fall before surging to nearly $285 earlier this year on the back of the RAM crisis. Prices have since fallen steadily, with $209.89 holding for the past month.

That's considerably below the recent peak, but still far above last year's pricing. It's at the same price at Newegg right now, and $240 (was $250) at Best Buy. Until the RAMpocalypse ends, you likely won't find a significantly better deal on Ripjaws V Series memory.

I recently highlighted a price cut on Corsair's Vengeance 32GB DDR5 RAM kit deal - and it stirred a lot of debate over the sky-rocketing prices of top-end RAM. This is a much cheaper option.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

DDR4-3200 is mature technology, so you're buying capacity and compatibility rather than cutting-edge performance. The 9% discount is fairly small, but also as good as you will likely find right about now.

Check your motherboard's memory support before ordering, and don't assume you can combine this kit with existing RAM without potentially encountering compatibility or stability issues.

Also consider these 32GB DDR4 RAM kits

Two 16GB DDR4-3200 modules with CL16 timings, customizable RGB lighting, XMP support, and aluminum heat spreaders, delivering responsive performance for gaming, content creation, and demanding multitasking.View Deal

This DDR4-3200 kit combines two 16GB modules with CL16-18-18-42 timings and 1.35V operation, delivering responsive performance for demanding applications, content creation, and heavy multitasking on compatible Intel and AMD desktops.View Deal

Built for demanding desktop workloads, this 32GB DDR4-3200 kit includes two 16GB modules, CL16-20-20-38 timings, and support for Intel XMP, providing fast performance for content creation, and multitasking.View Deal

Another 32GB DDR4-3200 kit that pairs two 16GB modules for dual-channel operation, providing plenty of memory for gaming, content creation, demanding applications, and heavy multitasking on compatible desktop PCs.View Deal

U.S. employers cut 23,000 jobs in July, and job gains for the two previous months were weaker than initially reported, according to a report Friday from the Labor Department.

(Image credit: Joe Raedle)

Sorting, managing, editing, and sharing your photographs is a job and a half, often requiring multiple apps just to get on top of the workflow.

I’ve tested several software packages that do a very good job at merging practically every tool you need into a single app, but what’s bugged me is they only cater to Windows users.

Which is why my interest was piqued by ON1’s Photo RAW’s multi-platform capabilities (well, for Windows and Macs - sorry Linux users). So let’s take a look at it.

ON1 Photo RAW 2026: Pricing & plans

(Image credit: Future)

• No subscription model
• You purchase the software outright
• Generous trial period, money back guarantee, what's not to like

The ON1 Photo Raw has a flash sale ending today (August 7), with 50% off - you can check it out by clicking here.

More and more companies have jumped to subscription plans - I'm never a fan of this.

Well, ON1 are having none of that, and its Photo RAW app is only available to own outright. Full price, it costs a very fair $100.

When you consider you can use Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop for $20 a month, not only will you be saving money with Photo RAW after only 5 months.

The software also comes with a very generous 30-day free trial (email address required, but not your credit card details). If you purchase it and conclude it’s not for you, there’s also a 30-day money back guarantee. That means ON1 want to be certain you’ll only buy their software if you’re delighted with it.

You can see what's on offer here.

• Pricing & plans: 5 / 5

ON1 Photo RAW 2026: Interface

(Image credit: Future)

• Plenty of tools
• When all on display, you’re not left with much space for photos
• But thankfully you can hide sidebars at will

I found Photo RAW’s interface to be very well thought out, polished and designed. Perhaps a little too polished, as some actions and concepts weren’t immediately obvious to me.

Like a little hollowed out blue circle being a tick box, or clicking on a menu’s header would collapse or expand its content. But it just takes a few seconds to figure it out and then you’re flying.

There are numerous sidebars on either side, the thinnest one furthest to the left is contextual, depending on the module you’re in. Selecting ‘Home’ shows you some recent photos you’ve worked on, along with those available in recently opened folders. You’ll also find links to helpful tutorial videos.

‘Browse’ reveals the guts of your local hard drives, with every single folder you’ve ever created ready to be accessed, and also offers access to online storage from Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive

‘Edit’ is where you’ll work on your photos, and selecting that icon will also reveal additional icons down that sidebar.

If you’re ever puzzled about what a particular icon does, hover over it for a few seconds to reveal a tool tip popup window, complete with a short audioless video illustrating what it does.

When a tool is selected, a toolbar at the top of the interface will offer specific parameters for that selected tool. The other three sidebars can be customised - you can choose if some tools are displayed in the left or right one, or you can remove them from view altogether offering more space to the shot you’re working on.

By default, the large sidebar on the left is for your presets and layer work, while the one on the right is for your regular color correcting tools, and similar. A small sidebar on the far right contains options to share your work either online or by printing it.

• Interface: 4 / 5

ON1 Photo RAW 2026: Editing

(Image credit: Future)

• Tools are easy to use
• Many are made better with the clever use of complex algorithms designed to improve your work rather than supplant it

Now, to start, I downloaded a series of free RAW files from Signature Edits (check out the website here).

If you’ve done any color correction you’ll recognise all the sliders present in the ‘Tone and color’ section on the right, which allow you to make satisfying alterations to an image in next to no time.

But if that just takes too long for you, just above those sliders is a ‘Brilliance AI’ button. Activate it, and complex algorithms will do the necessary changes for you. But unlike many other AI features from competing software, this doesn’t need to be the be all and end all of the process.

Expand Brilliance AI to reveal sliders to enhance or tone down those automatic changes, including some very clever masking options to focus your changes on specific sections, such as people, animals, the sky, and more. You can also just go back to Tone and color sliders to make any further alterations yourself.

Adding Filters is as easy as selecting one you’d like and using one of its preset ‘Styles’. As before you’re also free to make manual changes thanks to the available sliders, if you’re after a more unique look. It’s good to know you can add as many filters as you’d like to an image.

(Image credit: Future)

When it comes to masking, Photo RAW has some complex algorithms ready and waiting to work for you, in the shape of Super Select AI. Clicking on that tool (in the thin left sidebar) lets the software analyze your image. This should only take a couple of seconds. You can then isolate a specific area of an image, modifying it while leaving the rest untouched.

The level of precision you can have with masks is quite extreme. For example, adding to your selection, solely focussing on small sections of your image such as a subject’s eyes, adding a filter to the entire shot, and then removing it for one or two specific areas. You can get amazingly detailed with your alterations.

And if that isn’t enough, you’re able to work with layers, just like you can with Photoshop, superimposing photos on top of others, masking areas, revealing others, adding text. Although to be honest, being used to Photoshop and the like, that section did feel a little too bare in comparison.

What you can do with Photo RAW is remarkably intensive, and it uses those complex algorithms it calls AI in a way that enhances your creativity rather than take over the process, and that can only be lauded.

Should I buy ON1 Photo Raw? FutureFutureFutureBuy it if...

You’re looking for software to organize, manage, alter and share your photos, love the idea of a perpetual licence, and appreciate AI being used as a clever and intricate tool rather than a replacement for your actual vision.

Don't buy it if...

You are too wedded to Adobe’s suite of creative software, or your editing needs are too casual to take advantage of the level of complexity and precision Photo RAW offers.

For more creative tools, we tested the best photo editors.

Sorting, managing, editing, and sharing your photographs is a job and a half, often requiring multiple apps just to get on top of the workflow.

I’ve tested several software packages that do a very good job at merging practically every tool you need into a single app, but what’s bugged me is they only cater to Windows users.

Which is why my interest was piqued by ON1’s Photo RAW’s multi-platform capabilities (well, for Windows and Macs - sorry Linux users). So let’s take a look at it.

ON1 Photo RAW 2026: Pricing & plans

(Image credit: Future)

• No subscription model
• You purchase the software outright
• Generous trial period, money back guarantee, what's not to like

The ON1 Photo Raw has a flash sale ending today (August 7), with 50% off - you can check it out by clicking here.

More and more companies have jumped to subscription plans - I'm never a fan of this.

Well, ON1 are having none of that, and its Photo RAW app is only available to own outright. Full price, it costs a very fair $100.

When you consider you can use Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop for $20 a month, not only will you be saving money with Photo RAW after only 5 months.

The software also comes with a very generous 30-day free trial (email address required, but not your credit card details). If you purchase it and conclude it’s not for you, there’s also a 30-day money back guarantee. That means ON1 want to be certain you’ll only buy their software if you’re delighted with it.

You can see what's on offer here.

• Pricing & plans: 5 / 5

ON1 Photo RAW 2026: Interface

(Image credit: Future)

• Plenty of tools
• When all on display, you’re not left with much space for photos
• But thankfully you can hide sidebars at will

I found Photo RAW’s interface to be very well thought out, polished and designed. Perhaps a little too polished, as some actions and concepts weren’t immediately obvious to me.

Like a little hollowed out blue circle being a tick box, or clicking on a menu’s header would collapse or expand its content. But it just takes a few seconds to figure it out and then you’re flying.

There are numerous sidebars on either side, the thinnest one furthest to the left is contextual, depending on the module you’re in. Selecting ‘Home’ shows you some recent photos you’ve worked on, along with those available in recently opened folders. You’ll also find links to helpful tutorial videos.

‘Browse’ reveals the guts of your local hard drives, with every single folder you’ve ever created ready to be accessed, and also offers access to online storage from Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive

‘Edit’ is where you’ll work on your photos, and selecting that icon will also reveal additional icons down that sidebar.

If you’re ever puzzled about what a particular icon does, hover over it for a few seconds to reveal a tool tip popup window, complete with a short audioless video illustrating what it does.

When a tool is selected, a toolbar at the top of the interface will offer specific parameters for that selected tool. The other three sidebars can be customised - you can choose if some tools are displayed in the left or right one, or you can remove them from view altogether offering more space to the shot you’re working on.

By default, the large sidebar on the left is for your presets and layer work, while the one on the right is for your regular color correcting tools, and similar. A small sidebar on the far right contains options to share your work either online or by printing it.

• Interface: 4 / 5

ON1 Photo RAW 2026: Editing

(Image credit: Future)

• Tools are easy to use
• Many are made better with the clever use of complex algorithms designed to improve your work rather than supplant it

Now, to start, I downloaded a series of free RAW files from Signature Edits (check out the website here).

If you’ve done any color correction you’ll recognise all the sliders present in the ‘Tone and color’ section on the right, which allow you to make satisfying alterations to an image in next to no time.

But if that just takes too long for you, just above those sliders is a ‘Brilliance AI’ button. Activate it, and complex algorithms will do the necessary changes for you. But unlike many other AI features from competing software, this doesn’t need to be the be all and end all of the process.

Expand Brilliance AI to reveal sliders to enhance or tone down those automatic changes, including some very clever masking options to focus your changes on specific sections, such as people, animals, the sky, and more. You can also just go back to Tone and color sliders to make any further alterations yourself.

Adding Filters is as easy as selecting one you’d like and using one of its preset ‘Styles’. As before you’re also free to make manual changes thanks to the available sliders, if you’re after a more unique look. It’s good to know you can add as many filters as you’d like to an image.

(Image credit: Future)

When it comes to masking, Photo RAW has some complex algorithms ready and waiting to work for you, in the shape of Super Select AI. Clicking on that tool (in the thin left sidebar) lets the software analyze your image. This should only take a couple of seconds. You can then isolate a specific area of an image, modifying it while leaving the rest untouched.

The level of precision you can have with masks is quite extreme. For example, adding to your selection, solely focussing on small sections of your image such as a subject’s eyes, adding a filter to the entire shot, and then removing it for one or two specific areas. You can get amazingly detailed with your alterations.

And if that isn’t enough, you’re able to work with layers, just like you can with Photoshop, superimposing photos on top of others, masking areas, revealing others, adding text. Although to be honest, being used to Photoshop and the like, that section did feel a little too bare in comparison.

What you can do with Photo RAW is remarkably intensive, and it uses those complex algorithms it calls AI in a way that enhances your creativity rather than take over the process, and that can only be lauded.

Should I buy ON1 Photo Raw? FutureFutureFutureBuy it if...

You’re looking for software to organize, manage, alter and share your photos, love the idea of a perpetual licence, and appreciate AI being used as a clever and intricate tool rather than a replacement for your actual vision.

Don't buy it if...

You are too wedded to Adobe’s suite of creative software, or your editing needs are too casual to take advantage of the level of complexity and precision Photo RAW offers.

For more creative tools, we tested the best photo editors.

The rapid growth and evolution of AI technology has led to major shifts in how businesses of all sizes work - but it is also impacting their next big corportate move.

AI has fundamentally changed the risk profile of innovation, as it can expose companies and users to risk earlier, faster and at far greater scale.

Organizations used to be able to afford to delay digital transformation decisions and remain competitive - but now, competitors can use AI to exponentially accelerate while the companies which wait for exact certainty can be left behind before they even begin.

This all means trust is now a crucial business imperative, and organizations must tighten up governance, privacy and security to prevent regulatory and reputational risk - we spoke to Joe Depa, EY Global CIO, to find out more.

• Many organizations have spent the past two years experimenting with AI, but relatively few have achieved measurable business impact. From EY's perspective, what separates the companies that are delivering tangible ROI from those that remain stuck in what you've described as “pilot purgatory”?

Everyone wants to move faster with AI. The first question is whether they can move fast with trust. The second is how deeply they understand and can optimize the AI value equation.

Trust is what separates the companies getting real ROI from the ones stuck in pilot purgatory. The winners that scale AI successfully across the business tend to share a few characteristics.

They have trusted data as the foundation. Proprietary, secure and well-governed data is becoming one of the biggest competitive moats a company has, because it reflects its unique knowledge, judgment and expertise.

On top of that foundation, they have trusted processes and technology. Data has to be connected to real workflows, real decisions and real business outcomes. The companies pulling ahead don’t use AI to make old processes a little faster. Instead, they rethink how work gets done, where AI can create new value, and how to build governance into the way AI is deployed and scaled.

Then, most importantly, winning organizations invest heavily in helping their workforce expand their skillsets so they can use AI confidently. People won’t use AI if they don’t trust it, and if they don’t use it, they won’t develop the expertise to know where to apply it. That is why upskilling is so important; it’s how you turn employees from passive users into change agents.

Put simply, pilots are great for learning, but being able to progress to scaled adoption is what creates business outcomes. And scaled adoption can only happen when people trust the data, the process, the technology and their own ability to use it well.

That brings us to how to understand and optimize AI value. There’s a lot of focus lately on token costs, but token costs are just one element of the AI value equation. This is a major disconnect that we spotted early in our own business. We saw rising token costs and high-end models being used for low-value work.

In retrospect, it was an important lesson about how measurement priorities change as technologies mature. In the early days of generative AI, the focus was on getting people to use it, so organizations tended to view usage as an indicator of momentum. But now that generative AI models and use cases have become more sophisticated, our focus has shifted to measuring business outcomes.

So we developed a set of best practices to address that. We optimized model selection against the highest value use cases, trained our teams, and put governance around usage. Those strategies enabled us to bring overall token consumption down 60%, while bringing value up. We’ve formalized this in an AI Value Realization Office focused on governance, training and value measurement. The goal is to ensure AI is being applied to the highest-value opportunities and delivering measurable impact.

• There's often a tension between moving quickly with AI and putting the right controls in place. How can organizations build governance, privacy and security into AI programmes from day one without slowing innovation to the point where they lose competitive advantage?

People often think of governance as the brake, but the opposite is true: having good governance is what gives you the confidence to press the accelerator.

The companies getting it right are building trust into AI from day one, so their teams can move faster without creating risks they have to unwind later.

EY’s Responsible AI Pulse survey found that companies further along in responsible AI are reducing risk and seeing better business outcomes. Nearly four in five reported gains in innovation, and more than half reported revenue growth. Companies with real-time monitoring were also more likely to see improvements in revenue growth and cost savings.

People move faster when they know the guardrails. If employees have a safe, well-governed environment to experiment in, they are much more likely to try new ideas. But if they are worried that every idea could create a compliance issue, they slow down or avoid experimenting altogether.

Governance also matters technically. When controls are added too late, teams often end up with rework, technical debt or pilots that looked promising but cannot scale. Building the right controls early helps avoid that.

Furthermore, once AI agents start to take action, governance can no longer live in a document. It has to be built into the system itself: how access is controlled, how behavior is monitored, how bias is checked and how safeguards kick in when an agent acts.

That is the balance leaders need to strike. Move fast, but do it with trust built in.

• As AI becomes embedded in core business processes, trust is increasingly seen as a commercial issue rather than simply a compliance one. How are you seeing boards and executive teams rethink governance in light of growing regulatory scrutiny and the potential reputational consequences of AI failures?

Trust is absolutely a commercial issue. If customers, employees or regulators do not trust the products, systems or decisions powered by AI, they will find reasons not to use them. That can affect brand, reputation, operations and growth.

Boards cannot govern what they do not understand. That does not mean every director needs to be a technologist. But boards do need enough AI and technology fluency in the room to ask the right questions, challenge management and understand where the real exposure sits.

We are seeing boards move from asking, “Are we compliant?” to “Where are we exposed?” That is an important shift. Boards are starting to see AI risk more broadly in terms of enterprise risk, in addition to legal and regulatory risk. Agentic AI raises the stakes even more.

For boards, there are three practical next steps.

1. Build AI fluency into the boardroom. Boards need people who understand enough about technology and AI to pressure-test the strategy, the risks and the controls. This doesn’t mean that everyone needs to code, but they do need enough fluency and visibility into leading value indicators to know whether management is asking the right questions.

2. Require visibility across the AI portfolio. Boards should understand where AI is being used, what data it relies on, how material the use case is, who owns it, what resources are being consumed, and what controls are in place. The goal of all this knowledge is to help boards ensure AI is creating business value and that it is being governed at the solution level, the portfolio level and the enterprise level.

3. Make the technical controls real. That means AI-ready data, clear access controls, audit trails, model and agent monitoring, defined escalation paths and the ability to intervene when something behaves outside expectations. Of course, training is absolutely critical to drive adoption of these tools.

• Many businesses are keen to demonstrate they're embracing AI, but there's a risk of what you've called “innovation theatre.” What are the warning signs that an organisation is investing in AI for appearances rather than driving genuine business transformation, and how can leaders avoid falling into that trap?

The warning sign is when activity gets confused with impact.

A company can have a long list of pilots, demos and proofs-of-concept and still not be creating meaningful value. That is innovation theatre. It looks busy. It may even look impressive. But it does not change the business.

The companies getting this right are much more disciplined. They’ve moved beyond measuring activity to measuring impact on business value. They’re focused on which pilots created value, which scaled successfully, and which improved workflows, customer experiences, risk outcomes or financial performance.

The most successful organizations also establish accountability from the start. Every AI initiative should have a business owner, an investment hypothesis, clear success metrics and AI enabled training that focuses on deploying effectively. Without this, it becomes difficult to separate experimentation from impact.

If pilots are not scaling, leaders need to understand why. Is it a data issue? A trust issue? A weak business case? No clear owner? Not enough transparency or control? Not enough training? Those failure modes tell you where the organization needs to get better.

Disciplined companies avoid the innovation theater trap. Every pilot has an owner, a set of priority metrics and a decision point: scale it, rethink it or kill it.

Otherwise, you end up with a lot of interesting demos and not enough business impact.

• With AI regulation evolving across different markets and customer expectations around responsible AI continuing to rise, what governance practices do you think will become non-negotiable over the next 12 to 24 months for organisations that want to scale AI responsibly?

AI is moving faster than any one organization, board or regulator can fully keep up with.

That is why leaders don’t have the luxury to wait and see. They need governance models that are resilient enough to adapt across markets, because the regulatory environment will continue to evolve, and it will not evolve the same way everywhere.

Sovereign AI will become a much bigger part of that conversation. Organizations will need to understand where their data lives, how it is protected, who can access it, which models are being used and how those systems align with local laws and market expectations. That goes beyond a technical issue; it’s becoming a board, regulatory and trust issue.

The companies that get this right will focus on a few practical areas.

One is data governance and sovereignty. You need to know what data your AI is using, where it came from, where it is stored and whether it is appropriate for the use case.

Another area of focus is resilience in the operating model. Regulation will keep changing, so governance must be dynamic. Organizations need controls, monitoring, audit trails and escalation paths that can adapt as new rules, risks and expectations emerge. For example, when AI agents are deployed that can make decisions, take action and interact with other systems, regulators will expect organizations to understand how it behaves in the real world.

Lastly, they have an open ecosystem. No company can navigate this complexity alone. Leaders will need to work across regulators, technology providers, advisors, industry groups and academic institutions to separate signal from noise and understand where the market is heading.

Focusing on these areas is how responsible AI evolves from a static set of policies to an enabler. It needs to be designed at the outset into the ways companies manage data, deploy technology, work with regulators and scale innovation across markets. That is how you build trust and resilience at the same time.

• Looking ahead, do you think trust will become a competitive differentiator in AI adoption? In other words, will organisations that can clearly demonstrate robust governance, transparency and security gain a commercial advantage over those that treat these issues as a compliance exercise?

Yes. Trust is a business necessity, not a checkbox.

The irony is that trust can help companies move faster. When the guardrails and success indicators are clear, teams are freed to innovate with more confidence and less rework.

That is why responsible AI is a growth and innovation driver. If you can show that your AI is governed, explainable, secure and monitored, people are more likely to adopt it, they’ll be far more comfortable scaling it and, most importantly, they’ll be better positioned to scale, differentiate and create value.

That’s the real opportunity: the confidence to move fast in a way everyone, from boards to employees to customers, can trust.