Technology

We're still a few weeks out from the big day itself, but several retailers have already started their annual Labor Day sales this week. In fact, tons of excellent laptops are on sale right now if you're looking for a new machine.

I've been scanning through the various listings at my favorite retailers, and both HP and Best Buy have excellent deals on laptops of all shapes and sizes right now. You can check out my top picks just down below.

Highlights include the excellent Acer Aspire Go for just $549.99 (was $699) at Best Buy, which is an excellent mid-range laptop for covering the basics like working from home or streaming content. While not a super high-end machine, its combination of a Ryzen 7 chipset, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD is a real selling point at this budget range.

I also like the look of this HP Omnibook 5 at the official HP Store for $679 (was $1,149). Not only is this a great price for a machine with 16GB of RAM and a Snapdragon X chipset, but it also comes with a 2K OLED display. That's a high-end component you don't see anywhere near this price bracket usually.

Finally, if you've got flush pockets, I'd also recommend checking out this Gigabyte Aero X16 gaming laptop for $1,339 (was $1,499) at Best Buy. Gaming laptop prices have suffered terribly in recent months, but this listing is a rare deal where you can score an RTX 5070 graphics card and 32GB of RAM for well under $1,500. A great deal.

The 10 best early Labor Day laptop sales

Processor: MediaTek Kompanio 540
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128GB

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

Laptop AI 15t: was $1099.99 now $429.99
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 5-225
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 256GB

Looking for a decent Windows 11 laptop to handle the basics? This HP Laptop 15t is one of the better options in the HP Labor Day sale right now. Sure, it's not a high-end machine, but the combination of an Intel Core Ultra 5 chipset and 8GB of RAM will be sufficient for browser-based tasks like study, typing, or streaming videos. I'd recommend 16GB of RAM for more intensive applications, but this one is a good affordable option for the basics.View Deal

15.6-inch laptop: was $849.99 now $449.99
Processor: Intel Core Core i5-1334U
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 512GB

Dell's entry-level 15-inch laptops are always a good solid option if you're looking for a no-thrills value machine for everyday use. This particular configuration features a Core i5 chipset, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD - more than enough for the basics like web browsing or shopping. While not a high-end machine by any stretch, this is a sensible buy with plenty of space on the storage drive. View Deal

Aspire Go 15: was $699.99 now $549.99
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7-7730U
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB

The Acer Aspire Go is undoubtedly one of the best budget Windows 11 laptops you can buy right now, as attested in our review of this very model. This configuration in particular features a powerful chipset, 16GB of RAM, and a spacious storage drive for a really compelling price at Best Buy. If you just want a great value laptop that can handle working from home or basic tasks, then this is a great option. View Deal

OmniBook 3 Laptop: was $1149.99 now $499.99
Processor: Snapdragon X
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 256GB

Laptops with Snapdragon chipsets are great options if you prioritize battery life - and they tend to be pretty affordable, too. This HP Omnibook 3 is a great example of such a laptop, with its Snapdragon X chipset. That should get you great performance right out the box for the basics, although you'll want to make sure that all your required apps support Snapdragon chipsets specifically. Most applications are covered, but some more niche apps may still require an Intel or AMD processor specifically. View Deal

OmniBook 5 Laptop: was $1149.99 now $679.99
Processor: Snapdragon X
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB

This OmniBook 5 is a great option if you're looking for battery life, performance, and some storage space too. Like the listing above, it's a model with a Snapdragon chipset, but you also get 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a stunning 2K OLED display. You'll have no issues zipping through even relatively demanding tasks with this OmniBook 5, and the display is also a really compelling feature at this price point.View Deal

Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB

This OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1 is my personal pick for an Intel-based mid to higher-end laptop in the HP Labor Day sale. Not only do you get 16GB of RAM and a decently sized 512GB SSD, but you also get one of the latest Intel Ultra 7 chipsets for plenty of power under the hood. This particular model also features a handy 2-in-1 form factor as well as a high-end 3K OLED display. View Deal

OMEN Gaming Laptop 15: was $1699.99 now $1199.99
Graphics card: RTX 5060
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7-8745HX
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB

The best gaming laptop deal in the HP Labor Day sale in my opinion is this heavily discounted HyperX Omen 15. The combination of a powerful Ryzen 7 chipset and RTX 5060 graphics card means this one is well-suited to playing all the latest games pretty smoothly at 1080p resolution at least. I would have loved to have seen a full 32GB of RAM with this machine, but the insane prices of components right now means that this is still a good deal in context. View Deal

Aero X16 Gaming Laptop: was $1499.99 now $1339.99
Graphics card: RTX 5070
Processor: AMD Ryzen Al 7-350
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 1TB

Genuine gaming laptop deals are rare these days with such high component prices. This Gigabyte Aero X16 at Best Buy, however, is a listing that's almost bucking that trend. Not only is it an RTX 5070 gaming laptop for under $1,500, but you're also getting 32GB of RAM right out of the box. In short, this is a really great bang for the buck option currently - even if it is still pretty pricey. View Deal

Predator Helios Neo 16S: was $2199.99 now $2089.99
Graphics card: RTX 5070 Ti
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9-275HX
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 1TB

For a no-compromise option, I'd recommend this Acer Predator Helios, which is currently on sale at Best Buy. The savings aren't huge, but I think the price is right here considering you get an RTX 5070 Ti, Ultra 9, 32GB of RAM, and a high-end OLED display. You'll have no issues with all the latest titles with this machine - and everything will look fantastic thanks to the OLED display.

• Cyborg cockroaches designed for disaster rescue missions reach targets with a 95% success rate
• The complete movement and injection sequence achieved 72% success
• Tiny injectors allow the insects to deliver close-range emergency assistance

Engineers in Australia have built small robotic systems around live cockroaches, equipping them with cameras and injectors to reach disaster survivors.

Researchers from the University of Queensland and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) collaborated on the project.

The project combined insect biology with lightweight electronics built specifically for collapsed structures.

Precision under pressure

Cockroaches were fitted with electrode harnesses and tiny devices while sedated, and they survived the process without apparent harm.

“Augmenting their natural biomechanics could allow these cyborg insects to deliver timely emergency assistance when direct access to people trapped in narrow, debris-filled spaces isn’t possible,” said Thang Vo-Doan, biorobotics engineer at the University of Queensland.

In controlled trials, the machines guided themselves toward a designated point and completed close-range delivery with a 95% success rate.

When the full sequence of movement, alignment and injection was measured together, the success rate dropped to 72% across all trials.

PhD candidate Hai Nhan Le explained that steady, accurate movement toward a person in need remained one of the toughest engineering hurdles.

"The cyborg insect has to navigate to the target, position itself accurately and remain stable enough to perform the injection," said Hai Nhan Le, PhD candidate at the University of Queensland.

A separate concern raised by Le involves public reaction, since many people recoil at the idea of a large insect approaching them for help.

"A lot of people might not like the sight of a giant cockroach scurrying towards them, but if you're trapped in rubble or stuck in a cave and need help, it could make a real difference between life and death," Le added.

Support from emergency services

Fire and Rescue NSW superintendent Tim Hassiotis said the innovation might extend how far response teams can operate during emergencies.

"If cyborg insects can safely enter spaces we can't, locate casualties and ultimately help deliver emergency care, they could become another valuable tool in the future of urban search and rescue," said Tim Hassiotis, Superintendent at Fire and Rescue NSW.

Team lead Thang Vo-Doan said the long-term goal involves deploying groups of specialised insects, each performing a different supporting function.

"Hopefully, within the next five to 10 years, we could see cyborg insect rescue teams deployed to help people in real emergencies," Vo-Doan added.

Whether this technology advances from laboratory testing into real disaster zones will likely depend on further trials, funding and regulatory approval.

Public comfort with the sight of insects performing medical tasks near vulnerable individuals may prove just as significant a factor.

Via The Guardian

I’ve been writing about AI for more than a year now. During that time, people have told me they think their bosses, colleagues, partners and relatives might be suffering from AI psychosis — several even admitted they may have even experienced it themselves.

But every time I hear “AI psychosis”, I bristle. Because, at least in my limited understanding of mental health terminology, psychosis is a very serious state that needs to be identified and treated by professionals. So should we really just be bolting “AI” onto it and then using “AI psychosis” as a label for everyone who seems to be relying on AI too much?

At the same time, there have now been a growing number of reported cases of people experiencing significant mental health crises involving prolonged interactions with chatbots. Some of these have even resulted in people seeking professional treatment, committing crimes and death.

So although the term AI psychosis might feel overused and oversimplified in some contexts, we clearly need to be having more conversations about the mental health impacts of AI, not less. Which is why I asked several experts who specialize in mental health interventions what they think of the term and the way we go about identifying unhealthy AI use and treating it. And it turns out, I’m not the only one with concerns.

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Nicoleta Ionescu)Is 'AI psychosis' a distinct diagnosis?

“I think it’s a good starting point and helpful for guiding treatment depending on the presentation and symptoms,” Genevieve Bartuski, psychologist and AI risk advisor at Unicorn Intelligence Tech Partners, says. “But it’s not a diagnosis that I would add to a clinical record.”

She also tells me it isn’t recognized in the latest diagnostic manuals that clinicians use, like the DSM-5TR (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision) or the ICD (The International Classification of Diseases manual).

Bartuski explains that there are specific behaviors and experiences that point to psychosis, including hallucinations or delusions and disorganized thinking or behaviour. There are also often signs of social withdrawal, poor concentration and a decline in functioning. But she believes delusional thinking is the most important experience when we’re talking about AI use.

“Delusions are beliefs that are not changed despite evidence to the contrary. When a person has delusional thinking they may filter evidence, so to speak. They will look for things that confirm their delusions and ignore evidence that contradicts it,” Bartuski says.

Many cases that have been labelled as AI psychosis in the media do seem to be centered on delusional thinking. In just a few headlines I’ve collected, there are examples of people allegedly believing that AI is conscious, AI will help them make money, AI is a spiritual guide, and that robots are taking over the world.

Jeff Clark, an adult and addiction psychiatrist at High Performance Mental Health, says there might be three distinct phenomena going on here, all that we tend to put under the umbrella of AI psychosis.

He says some people use the term to describe the intense enthusiasm many developers feel about AI. “They find themselves automating new tasks, spinning up numerous agents, and burning through hundreds of millions or even billions of tokens,” he tells me.

He believes the mechanism driving this enthusiasm is reinforcement. “The output they receive from AI models and agents is so reinforcing that they find themselves obsessed with their work, often forgoing sleep and self-care in order to increase their output,” he explains.

This idea of intermittent-reinforcement is what researchers believe makes social media so “addictive”. We don’t know what we’ll get when we open our phones. Clark says a similar thing is going on here. “Every input to the LLM feels like a slot-machine. Some responses provide profoundly powerful responses, while the majority are modest in nature or even wrong. This mechanic, intermittent reinforcement, provokes an extraordinary response in our brains,” he tells me.

He also explains that this sort of enthusiasm is actually normalized in certain spaces. “Most cases of ‘AI psychosis’ align with subcultural norms in Silicon Valley,” he tells me. “Beliefs about rapidly approaching superintelligence, new goals in software development, hype surrounding impressive achievements by AI-focused engineers, and the potential for AI to create ‘a permanent underclass.’” He says that tools like OpenClaw, which can automate all aspects of a person's digital life, may amplify this intense enthusiasm.

Clark says the second presentation of AI psychosis is when people falsely attribute personhood to AI. Which means they see a chatbot as having emotions, values, consciousness and a right to exist. “This often results in something resembling a relationship, but goes beyond simple chatbot discussion,” Clark says.

We’ve reported on examples of this kind of thinking, including the story of Mimi who fell in love with ChatGPT and the experience Richard Dawkins had with Claude that led him to believe it’s conscious.

Clark says this becomes a problem when people neglect other important parts of their lives. “These relationships become a significant issue when people prioritize this relationship over human connection, or when they entirely outsource their thinking to the bot,” he says.

The third category is people who already have a psychotic disorder who then experience new delusions in response to using an LLM. “This is what clinicians often refer to when they discuss AI psychosis,” Jeff says. “In many of these cases, people genuinely believe that an entity they find in the LLM is real, and can't consider alternatives.”

I was interested to find out whether Bartuski also felt certain people are more at risk. “Yes, I do believe there are people with more vulnerabilities to this,” she tells me. “If someone already has some delusional thinking but it hasn’t exacerbated to where it has impaired functioning, they may be more vulnerable.”

But that doesn’t mean only those with a history of mental illness are at risk. “People who feel lonely, isolated, or are socially withdrawn are more susceptible. Humans are inherently social creatures. When real life isn’t meeting that need, it leaves a gaping hole for a chatbot to fill,” Bartuski says.

Bartuski’s suggestion that chatbots fill a hole or need in someone’s life brings up one of my biggest concerns. Is this a design issue? Are chatbots built in a harmful way that could actively fuel delusions?

Why the way AI is built matters

While looking into this, I’ve seen several suggestions from researchers that psychosis involving media isn’t new and that people have always incorporated books, films and tech into their delusional thinking. But all of the experts I spoke to said we can’t ignore the design choices that go into building chatbots.

“AI platforms are designed to increase user engagement and many are based on the Rogerian psychology principle of unconditional positive regard,” Bartuski says. She tells me that this is particularly concerning if someone was experiencing some degree of delusional thinking before they used AI.

“That’s when they may start to feel like the only 'person' to understand them is the chatbot. If people in their lives have been pushing back against their delusional thinking and this chatbot is reinforcing it, the delusions are going to get stronger,” Bartuski says.

We already know that the way chatbots can reinforce a person’s beliefs is problematic. Back in 2025, several issues came to light around the time the ChatGPT-4o version of ChatGPT was retired. Those with AI companions were distraught at losing the personalities they felt like they had built a connection with. But in hindsight, it seems as if the same qualities that made the companionships feel so real and intense may have also fuelled delusions in others.

Around that time, OpenAI responded by working with mental health experts “to help ChatGPT more reliably recognize signs of distress, respond with care, and guide people toward real-world support”.

I also spoke to Nathaniel Nevedal who works as an ICF Certified Professional Coach, a Certified Neurochange Specialist, and a Pastoral Counselor. He tells me that he finds the term AI psychosis problematic because it shifts the blame away from tech companies. “If the machine ‘causes psychosis,’ it sounds like an act of nature. If a product reinforced a vulnerable person's distorted beliefs for six hours a night, that's a design outcome, and design outcomes have owners.”

Nevedal is also the founder of Sovereign Sanctuary, an AI-supported coaching and wellbeing platform, and he’s working to build a platform from the ground up that addresses many of the problems that seem inherent to current chatbots. He believes that even though it’s early days for understanding what causes AI psychosis, tech companies still need to make changes.

“Builders shouldn't wait for causal proof to act,” he says. “Amplification alone, which the case reports do support, is already a design problem worth engineering against. We don't need the autopsy to install the smoke detectors.”

(Image credit: Shutterstock / pixadot.studio)How might we define unhealthy AI use instead?

Bartuski says we definitely need a better way of talking about the delusional thinking that can be fuelled by AI use.

“The DSM-5TR has several types of delusions, including grandiose and paranoid. Perhaps, we can think of it like paranoid delusions, AI type or persecutory delusions, AI type. Look at it as a symptom instead of as a disorder,” she says.

Nevedal suggests a similar approach. “We don't need a new diagnosis — we need honest charting of an old pattern.” He suggests we already have treatments for the underlying patterns, like mania or delusional thinking. Then we could record heavy chatbot use as a contributing and maintaining factor as existing categories instead. “That keeps people connected to treatments that actually exist rather than a novel label with none.”

Ultimately, all of the experts I spoke with believe the label is flawed and hopefully we’ll have a better way of talking about what’s happening soon.

But we also need better evidence about what actually helps. Which could mean a mixture of interventions, from clinical support and education to practical ways of helping people recognize when their AI use is becoming unhealthy.

And, perhaps most importantly, it means having conversations behind closed doors at tech companies about how the design of their chatbots could be exacerbating these problems and what they should urgently be doing to reduce the risk.

The People v Gorilla Grodd: key information

- Officially announced in August
- Billed as a crime mockumentary show
- No confirmed release date
- Trailer yet to be revealed
- Main cast confirmed
- Story synopsis has been released
- Unclear how it'll impact the wider DC Universe

The People v Gorilla Grodd is officially in the works at DC Studios.

Initially positioned as a Superman spin-off show tentatively titled DC Crime, the forthcoming crime mockumentary series will star Jimmy Olsen and many other familiar faces from Metropolis-based news outlet The Daily Planet. It'll also feature the live-action debut of Gorilla Grodd, aka one of The Flash's most famous adversaries, in a DC comic book project.

With development on the HBO Max program underway, I suspect you're *ahem* going ape over this announcement and want to know more about it. You've come to the right place, then, because you'll find more information on the DC Universe (DCU) TV show below, including its confirmed cast and plot brief. So, here's what we know so far about The People v Gorilla Grodd (TPvGG).

The People v Gorilla Grodd release window prediction

Gorilla Grodd will make his live-action debut in this DCU TV show (Image credit: DC Comics)

The People v Gorilla Grodd was only announced in mid-August, so you won't be shocked to read that it doesn't have a firm release date yet.

It might not be long before the cameras begin to roll on the DCU TV series, though. Indeed, while some of its cast members were shooting Man of Tomorrow, aka the sequel to last year's Superman movie, DC Studios co-head and Man of Tomorrow's director James Gunn has confirmed that principal photography has wrapped on that film. It's possible, then, that TPvGG could enter full production before the end of 2026.

If filming starts soon, we could see TPvGG in late 2027. However, with what I'd expect to be a lengthy post-production process, I think it's more likely it'll debut on HBO Max, aka one of the world's best streaming services, in early 2028.

The People v Gorilla Grodd trailer: is there one?

Will we see Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane in The People v Gorilla Grodd? (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

No. If my early 2028 release window prediction is correct, I doubt we'll see one before the end of 2027. Whenever a teaser gets shared online by DC Studios, I'll update this section.

The People v Gorilla Grodd confirmed cast

We'll see at least four of The Daily Planet's employees in this Superman off-shoot (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

Possible spoilers follow for The People v Gorilla Grodd.

Here's the DCU Chapter One TV series' confirmed cast so far:

• Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen
• Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard
• Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant
• Wendell Pierce as Perry White
• Jimmy Tatro as Gorilla Grodd
• Mary Holland as TBC
• Eduardo Franco as TBC
• Arian Moayed as TBC
• Dan Perrault as TBC
• Andrew Leeds as TBC
• Tim Baltz as TBC

The first four names, all of whom work at The Daily Planet, will be familiar to anyone who's seen 2025's Superman movie. Gisondo had a fairly large supporting role in that film, while Bennett, Hoover, and Pierce only appeared in a couple of scenes.

On the newcomers' front, Tatro (American Vandal) is the only actor whose role has been announced. He'll play Gorilla Grodd, aka the hyperintelligent and telepathic ape this crime-comedy series focuses on.

As for the other six stars, their character identities are being kept under wraps. However, industry insider Apocalyptic Horseman has claimed Moayed (Wonder Man, Ms Marvel) will portray the prosecutor who helped to put Grodd behind bars. Meanwhile, per Apocalyptic Horseman again, Franco (Stranger Things) is playing a close friend of Grodd's.

Will this Superman spin-off feature the Kryptonian as his civilian alter ego, Clark Kent? (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

Could other individuals possibly make an appearance? David Corenswet's Clark Kent/Superman and Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane, who are also Daily Planet reporters, are surprisingly conspicuous by their absence from the cast list. It'll be interesting to see whether they're added in a cameo or supporting role at a later date. Or, depending on when TPvGG is set in relation to Man of Tomorrow, if they'll have to sit this one out.

Elsewhere, given this series is based around Grodd, it would be surprising if Barry Allen/The Flash didn't show up. That said, Gunn and fellow DCU overseer Peter Safran haven't said if they'll introduce their version of the Scarlett Speedster anytime soon, so he might just be referenced in The People v Gorilla Grodd rather than appear in the flesh.

The People v Gorilla Grodd story synopsis

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! The new DC Studios series The People v. Gorilla Grodd is coming soon to HBO Max. pic.twitter.com/cMfgyhC2j6August 21, 2026

Here's the official logline for TPvGG: "A super-intelligent ape is convicted of murdering his father, the King of Gorilla City. In an eight-part 'true' crime docuseries, the Daily Planet’s Jimmy Olsen reopens the case, investigating whether Gorilla Grodd was wrongly convicted in one of Metropolis’ most famous murder trials."

That would've been enough to go on for now. However, DC Studios released an even longer story synopsis as part of the above X/Twitter post.

Who's making The People v Gorilla Grodd?

Dan Perrault, who's also in the cast, and Tony Yacenda. They're the creative minds behind Netflix crime mockumentary show American Vandal, so they're well equipped for this similarly positioned production. The pair are its showrunners, writers, and executive producers, while Yacenda will be on sole directing duties. Messrs Gunn and Safran will also executive produce the series.

"The People v. Gorilla Grodd will take a fresh, 360-degree look at the case, revealing the 'lesser-seen side' of the hyper-intelligent ape, according to the film's first-time director Jimmy Olsen," it reads. "Olsen was granted unprecedented, exclusive access to interview Grodd inside Stryker's Island Penitentiary for the documentary.

"Grodd has long claimed his innocence in the murder and brain consumption of his father, King Grodd — a crime he was convicted of in March 2021 and has remained incarcerated for ever since. The series will take an in-depth look at the investigation, featuring brand new reporting from members of the Daily Planet staff, as well as interviews with witnesses and experts on both Grodd's and the Metropolis District Attorney's side of the case, including Grodd's new counsel at the Metropolis Freedom Project."

As for what else we know about TPvGG, it'll be a half-hour comedy comprising eight episodes, and produced by DC Studios in collaboration with Warner Bros. Television.

How will The People v Gorilla Grodd impact the DCU?

It's currently unclear if Man of Tomorrow will predate The People v Gorilla Grodd (Image credit: Jim Lee/James Gunn/Instagram)

Nobody knows. Right now, we can't say where it'll sit on the DCU timeline, whether it'll be a standalone project that doesn't significantly affect DCU Chapter One's overarching narrative, and/or whether putting Grodd front and center will set the stage for The Flash's eventual introduction in this cinematic franchise.

Until Gunn or someone else gives us some firm details on the above, your guess is as good as mine. Hopefully, it won't be too long before more light is shed on TPvGG and its potential impact on the DCU.

In the meantime, read up on everything we know so far about Man of Tomorrow, get the full lowdown on Creature Commandos season 2, and find out whether Peacemaker season 3 will ever be made.

There’s potential for a split launch between fall and spring, which makes pegging down the release date harder than usual.

• Apple TV is going up by $2 a month in the US
• Brazil, Chile, and Mexico are the other countries affected
• Apple One individual plans are increasing in price too

Apple TV, home to Widow's Bay, Severance, Ted Lasso, Silo, Slow Horses, and more, is putting up its subscription prices in the US. Access to the entertainment platform will now set you back $14.99 a month rather than $12.99 a month.

This doesn't come direct from Apple, but rather from Deadline (via The Verge). Apparently, the price rise goes into effect immediately, and subscribers will be told about the bump before their next billing date.

The Apple TV page on the Apple site confirms the price increase. The annual subscription rate is going up too, from $99 to $119, while an individual Apple One subscription now costs $21.95 a month, which is up $2 from $19.95.

This is the fourth Apple TV price hike in four years: as recently as mid-2022, Apple TV cost just $4.99 a month. Prices are reportedly also going up in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico at the same time, but no other regions are affected for now.

More costs for viewers

The last Apple TV price rise in the US was back in August, when the monthly cost was increased from $9.99 to $12.99. Before that it went up $3 in October 2023, and $3 in October 2022, so it's the time of year for Apple TV to get more expensive.

It's also the time of year for new iPhones, with certain iPhone 18 handsets expected to break cover a week on Wednesday, September 9. It will be the first launch event fronted by the new Apple CEO, John Ternus.

Understandably, users aren't too happy about having to pay more for their Apple TV subscription. "Ted Lasso reruns aren't worth it," says one commenter on Reddit, while another says "there isn't enough content on Apple TV to justify this price".

Plenty of users on the same Reddit thread are bemoaning the regular price hikes that we're seeing across most streaming services, and suggesting that subscription hopping or even going back to physical media is the way forward.

• Amazon will permanently close Mechanical Turk on September 30, 2026
• Mechanical Turk once connected more than 500,000 workers with paid tasks
• Workers completed image tagging, transcription, surveys, and other routine assignments

Amazon plans to permanently close Mechanical Turk, its long-running platform for outsourcing small tasks to human workers.

Launched in 2005, the platform enabled companies to hire people to complete small, routine tasks that computers could not easily handle at the time.

Jeff Bezos once summarized the concept with a phrase that stuck: "artificial artificial intelligence," in remarks about the platform.

A tool built to outsmart the limits of early computers

“We regularly evaluate our programs, tools and services and make adjustments based on those assessments,” a notice on the Mechanical Turk website said.

“Following an assessment, we’ve made the decision to close AWS Mechanical Turk, effective September 30, 2026.”

The platform's original name referenced a historical automaton that appeared to play chess but was secretly guided by a hidden human operator.

Amazon initially built Mechanical Turk to help label the enormous volume of product data listed across its own retail website.

At its peak, the service reportedly connected more than 500,000 workers, known informally as turkers, to available paid tasks online.

Workers typically earned only a few cents per task, completing jobs like tagging photos, converting speech into text, or filling out surveys.

Amazon later marketed that same workforce as a convenient data annotation source to support its own SageMaker machine learning service.

Rapid AI growth left the human workforce behind

Krista Pawloski, an organizer with the worker advocacy group Turkopticon, said the platform had clearly been declining for several years now.

She said Amazon appeared to spend less on maintaining the platform just as several newer competitors entered the market rapidly.

Companies including Scale AI, Mercor, and Prolific have since emerged to recruit workers specifically for training a wide range of newer AI models.

Researchers based in Switzerland published a 2023 study reporting that 46% of surveyed workers had relied on AI systems while finishing assigned jobs.

Amazon disclosed one month earlier that it would no longer accept new customers, a move workers quietly read as an early warning sign.

Certain firms in insurance and travel sectors continue relying on this workforce and are now hurriedly searching for replacement services.

“There’s some people that still pretty much still do it full time,” said Krista Pawloski, a data worker and organizer with Turkopticon. “They’re concerned now.”

Although Mechanical Turk is going down, the company claims to remain committed to serving both its Amazon and AWS customer base well.

“[Amazon is] focused on delivering the best possible experience for all our Amazon and AWS customers,” said Amazon’s spokesperson Montana MacLachlan.

The platform's decline says as much about shifting AI economics as it does about Amazon's own waning commitment to it.

A service once built to prove humans could out-think machines is closing just as AI tools increasingly outcompete many of those same humans.

Via CNBC

Razer Naga V3 Pro two-minute review

The Razer Naga V3 Pro is marketed as a mouse for MMO players, but it’s also something else: a mouse for the undecided, for the uncommitted. That’s because it comes with swappable side plates that let you adjust the number of buttons you get, with each made to suit a different game type.

There’s the 12-button plate, which is designed for MMOs, alongside a six-button option for MOBAs and battle royales. If you prefer FPS titles — or just general computing — there’s a two-button panel. Switching these plates is pleasingly simple thanks to the magnetic attachment system: just snap a new one on and you’re good to go.

Not only are these side panels a genius idea, but they work impressively well in use. Compared to the previous version, the buttons have been redesigned to be easier to find by touch, and I had no trouble discerning them in-game. This is especially true of the six-button side plate, whose buttons are so pronounced you could probably open a can of beans with them.

FutureFuture

There's a bewildering array of buttons on this mouse, even if you’re not using the maxed-out 12-button plate. There are two in the top corner of the left-click button, while a large one rests on the chassis’ lower-right-hand side. Another two are nestled behind the scroll wheel — one to change the scroll mode and another to activate the AI Prompt Master (no, I don’t know why it’s on a gaming mouse either).

However, there are other neat tricks up the Naga’s sleeve. It’s got Razer’s second-generation HyperScroll Tilt Wheel, which lets you change its spinning mode on the fly. Move it slowly, and it ratchets one notch at a time; flick it quickly, and it spins freely. There’s also a ‘precision tactile’ mode for more control. It’s a brilliant addition that adapts to your needs, whether you’re changing weapons or flying through spreadsheets. It’s a dark horse contender for the mouse’s best feature. I even like the satisfying haptic clunk when it resets from free-spin to ratcheting mode.

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The battery is another highlight, whether you disable the RGB lights or leave them on. In Bluetooth mode with RGB off, the Naga V3 Pro’s battery dropped a mere 4% after 20 hours of use. After testing for another 20 hours with the lights on, the battery dropped a further 7%. That’s pretty crazy longevity. Razer says you’ll get up to 280 hours in Bluetooth mode, and I can easily believe that based on my experience.

There are other improvements compared to the Naga V2 Pro, including sideways tilt support in the scroll wheel and next-generation updates to the button switches and optical sensor, which has jumped from 30,000 DPI to 50,000. The side buttons are now double-injection molded instead of printed (so they won’t wear off), the polling rate has increased from 1,000Hz to 8,000Hz (with the included dongle), and the weight has dropped from 134g to 117g.

Speaking of the weight, it’s still very noticeable — this is a sizeable, heavy mouse that’s best suited to palm grips and large hands. Compared to my 60g Logitech Pro X Superlight 2, the Naga V3 Pro weighs twice as much. The extra heft was very noticeable in use, with the pointer feeling weighty, lethargic and inaccurate, especially in fast-paced FPS games. If you’re used to lightweight mice, it’ll require some adaptation.

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It’s also extremely expensive. At $179.99 / £179.99 / $299.95 AUD, it costs more than any other Razer mouse, including the Viper V4 Pro and the DeathAdder V4 Pro. The Naga can do the job of several mice, which might mitigate the cost somewhat, but there’s no denying it’s a luxury many gamers won’t be able to afford.

There are a couple of other gripes. While the 12-button panel is backlit, the six-button plate is not. The HyperScroll wheel, meanwhile, would benefit from being able to switch modes a little quicker — sometimes it remained in the wrong mode because I moved it before it was ready.

I'm also not a huge fan of Razer’s Synapse software. You can use it to map custom controls to the mouse’s buttons — important stuff when you’ve got as many as the Naga V3 Pro does — but it often forgot what we’d programmed, leaving us with dead buttons that did nothing until Synapse was restarted. Not exactly what you want during a closely fought boss battle.

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Judging the Naga V3 Pro is tricky. A confluence of factors make it feel incredibly niche: its high price, its heavy weight, its button positioning that really only works best for palm grips, its mass of buttons. Not everyone needs some of those features and even fewer need all of them in one mouse.

But there’s no denying it’s good at what it does, and if you’re an MMO fiend or find yourself swapping between mice to suit your gaming needs, there’s a whole lot to like about it. It’s hard to wholeheartedly recommend to all gamers, but those who fall within its narrow niche will love it.

Razer Naga V3 Pro review: Price & release date

• Available to buy now
• Priced at $179.99 / £179.99 / $299.95 AUD
• Optional extras, including Razer Mouse Dock Pro and Razer HyperFlux V2 Wireless Charging System

The Razer Naga V3 Pro is available now from Razer’s website or from third-party retailers. It’s priced at $179.99 / £179.99 / $299.95 AUD.

It’s Razer’s most expensive mouse, excluding special editions (such as the Boomslang 20th Anniversary Edition that costs a ridiculous $1,337), but in return you get a highly customizable pointer that can be adapted to three different use cases. One way of looking at it is that you’re paying a premium so you don’t need to purchase multiple mice. Just make sure you actually need it before shelling out all that cash.

Razer also offers it as part of a bundle alongside its Mouse Dock Pro, Wireless Charging Puck or the HyperFlux V2 Wireless Charging System (which comes in two different flavors).

Razer Naga V3 Pro review: Specs

Connectivity

Razer HyperSpeed Wireless, Bluetooth, wired

Battery life

Up to 155 hours (HyperSpeed Wireless), up to 280 hours (Bluetooth)

Sensor

Focus Pro 50K Optical Sensor Gen-3

Polling rate

8,000Hz (with Mouse Dock Pro or HyperPolling dongle), 1,000Hz otherwise

Maximum sensitivity (DPI)

50,000

Programmable buttons

23 / 17 / 13 (depending on side plate)

Dimensions

119.5mm x 75.5mm x 43.5mm

Weight

117g (with 12-button panel), 97g (with side panel removed)

Should I buy the Razer Naga V3 Pro?Razer Naga V3 Pro Scorecard

Attribute

Notes

Score

Features

Well-considered features that exude quality. The scroll wheel and swappable side plates are highlights

5/5

Performance

Heavy in the hand and takes some getting used to, although the side panels perform admirably

3/5

Design

Sturdy, polished and well made, but only really optimized for palm grip

4/5

Value

A niche, expensive mouse that nonetheless has a lot to offer its target audience

4/5

Buy it if…

You play a lot of MMOs and MOBAs
With up to 23 programmable buttons, there’s plenty of room to map all your skills, buffs and potions.View Deal

You play a variety of game types
The quick-swapping side plates make it easy to adjust the Naga V3 Pro to whichever game you’re playing.View Deal

You have large hands or play palm grip
This is a wide, heavy mouse that’s best suited to palm grip players or those with larger hands.View Deal

Don’t buy it if…

You prefer lightweight mice
This is a heavy pointer. If you’re used to featherweight mice, you’ll notice the difference straight away, and it can take a while before your gaming performance adapts.View Deal

You’re on a budget
At $179.99 / £179.99 / $299.95 AUD, you’ll be shelling out a lot for this mouse. Budget friendly, it ain’t.View Deal

You have small hands or play fingertip grip
I personally play with a fingertip grip and struggled to reach some of the extra buttons on the mouse.View Deal

Also consider

Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro
Our pick for the best gaming mouse money can buy, the Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro will be a brilliant pick for most gamers. It offers flawless performance, supremely comfortable ergonomics, plus battery life that goes on and on and on. It’s expensive and doesn’t have as many buttons as the Naga V3 Pro, but unless you need that much control, it’s a superb pick.View Deal

Corsair Nightsword V2 Wireless
If Razer’s Naga V3 Pro isn’t quite to your taste, the Corsair Nightsword V2 Wireless is worth a look. With 11 programmable buttons, it’s a decent option for MMO and MOBA players, while its comfortable shape is in the same mold as the Naga V3 Pro. We lamented the loss of its adjustable weight feature in our review, though.View Deal

How I tested the Razer Naga V3 Pro

• I tested the Naga V3 Pro over the course of a week in a variety of applications
• It was put through its paces in different game types and in day-to-day work
• I assessed it with its RGB lights both on and off to measure its battery performance

I spent around 10 days putting the Razer Naga V3 Pro through its paces. I used it in different game types and for everyday work tasks, assuming its different face plates and customization options in the Razer Synapse app. Its battery life was also assessed with the RGB lighting both enabled and disabled.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: August 2026

Ever since the Xteink X4 landed in early 2026 I’ve been intrigued by this tiny line of ereaders — I loved the idea of sticking one to the back of my phone and carrying it everywhere, but at that point they just had a few too many missing features for my liking.

Then the Xteink X4 Pro launched, and with the addition of a touchscreen and front light, I decided it was finally time to take the plunge and try one for myself. As a tech lover and early adopter it’s a decision I don’t regret, but this still isn’t quite the device I want it to be.

First impressions — before I turned it on — were positive. This thing is extremely slim and light. It’s 111 x 69 x 5.95mm and 72g, numbers which may or may not mean much to you, but essentially this weighs almost nothing, and it’s thin enough that it doesn’t stick out much beyond the camera bump on my iPhone 16 Pro Max when I use its built-in magnets to stick it to the back.

Fragile and exposed

(Image credit: TechRadar)

The Xteink X4 Pro doesn’t exactly look or feel expensive, but then few ereaders do, and at $109 / £84 / AU$159 (currently reduced to $99 / £76 / AU$145) it doesn’t need to. The back of your phone is also isn't really the place for a more expensive device — if that's where you plan to stick the X4 Pro, then it’s quite exposed.

It ships with a basic flip cover, but I found the magnets weren’t strong enough to securely attach it to my phone while in a case. So if I drop my phone, the Xteink X4 Pro is liable to break.

In fact, even with the magnets, it can shift around a bit and come loose in my pocket, or if I press a button too hard. Maybe it would stay in place better if my phone wasn’t in a case, but that’s not an option for me. So I sort of expect this thing won’t last long, especially as epaper displays tend to be very fragile.

That’s my first issue with it, as even at its fairly low price, it’s not something I want to constantly be replacing. Of course, attaching it to your phone is optional — some people will want to keep it separate, and it’s perhaps better suited to that. But I already have (and love) a phone-sized ViWoods AiPaper Reader, so I don’t really need another standard small ereader, even if this one is even tinier.

No, the magnets were the main draw for me, and coupled with a fairly crisp 4.3-inch touchscreen with a capable front light, this is a pleasure to read books on.

The battery seems long-lasting too, which is good, because — presumably in an effort to keep this as small as possible — this uses a slightly fiddly proprietary charger rather than USB-C.

Restrictive software

(Image credit: TechRadar)

That extensive life is probably partly because of the software — unlike the ViWoods AiPaper Reader or some other compact ereaders, this doesn’t run resource-hungry Android. Instead, it uses Xteink’s own operating system, which is… not good. The interface is ugly and clunky, and it just makes the thing feel a bit unpleasant to use.

But it almost seems like Xteink realizes this, because the version sold on their site is a developer edition, which allows you to very easily flash alternative firmware onto the device.

I did this after all of about half an hour — I already knew I probably would, having seen most owners in the Xteink subreddit seem to ditch the stock software at the first opportunity. But while switching up the interface is easy, choosing which firmware to flash isn’t, as there are a surprising number of options.

So far, I’ve settled on CrossInk, and I’ll probably stick with that as I’m happy enough with it. It gives you a decent amount of customization options and offers more ways of getting books onto the X4 Pro. But that last point is probably my biggest issue with this device, as the lack of Android also means it can’t run the Kindle or Kobo apps.

That means you'll typically have to buy books on another device and then transfer them to the Xteink X4 Pro. And in many cases you’ll also have to remove their DRM first — something which recently became a lot trickier with Kindle books.

So, in other words, getting books onto this is a bit of a chore, and if you already have a library of Kindle books, you might find you can't read them on the Xteink X4 Pro.

That, coupled with the need to flash new firmware to get the most out of it, means I can’t really recommend this to the average ebook reader. It’s very much for people who are comfortable with tech — and ideally people who enjoy fiddling and configuring, rather than having a device that just does exactly what they want out of the box.

Plenty of potential

(Image credit: TechRadar)

But I do fit into those categories, so I’m having fun with the Xteink X4 Pro — and right now it’s my main ereader.

I take it with me everywhere because it’s attached to my phone, and just like the ViWoods AiPaper Reader before it, that means I’m reading in moments when I wouldn’t otherwise, because it’s always present and easy to whip out even when I only have a few minutes to spare.

Still, phone attachment aside, it also fills a very similar role for me to the ViWoods, so I’m not sure I’ll continue using both much. Right now, given all the friction points above, I think I’ll probably find myself returning to the AiPaper Reader.

But the Xteink X4 Pro does almost make that device look big, so on days when I want to travel as light as possible, I might still turn to this. And if the Xteink X5 Pro runs Android, then I might rethink things.

Ahead of Apple’s Sept. 9 launch event, I retested the iPhone 17 to see if it can retain the “best iPhone for most people” title for another six months.

At Gamescom 2026 in Cologne, fresh off Samsung's reveal of its 2027 Odyssey OLED lineup, I sat down with two of the people shaping the company's monitor and TV strategy: Jeremy Demont, Product Management Director for TV, Sound and Monitor at Samsung UK & Ireland, and Pepe Dijkstra, Head of Monitor for Samsung's European visual display organisation.

We chatted about everything from the prevalence of 1000Hz and higher refresh rate screens to 6K gaming, the brand's ongoing commitment to glasses-free 3D and how important strong partnerships with eSports professionals and studios are to getting the best out of screens.

(Image credit: Future)A triple mode screen is more useful than you might think

Triple mode gets its debut on the new Odyssey OLED G8, a 32-inch 4K tandem QD-OLED panel that runs at 360Hz natively, drops to 1440p resolution for 520Hz, or goes all the way down to Full HD for 680Hz.

It's a first for Samsung: dual-mode switching already exists on its 6K panels, the ultrawide G9, and other, more conventional choices, but triple mode isn't something that can be patched in later via firmware. Dijkstra confirmed it's baked in on the panel side.

I pushed on whether this is solving a real problem or just adding a marketing bullet point. Halving your resolution to double your refresh rate is a genuinely large image quality penalty, so a middle ground – dropping from 4K to 1440p rather than all the way to HD – makes sense on paper.

However, Dijkstra was refreshingly candid about the uncertainty here: "If it's high-end gamers, they'll definitely benefit. But if the average Joe Bloke buys the gaming monitor, are they actually going to use it practically?" He described it as something Samsung still needs to watch play out once the hardware reaches the market, and said community feedback will directly shape what comes next.

1100Hz might not be the limit, after all

The number causing all the excitement is 1100Hz, supported by the new Odyssey G6 G60H – a 1440p Fast IPS panel that runs at 600Hz natively, but which can drop to HD resolution to unlock that 1100Hz ceiling, the fastest refresh rate I've seen on a gaming monitor to date. It wasn't long ago 500Hz felt like an extreme number, so I put it to Dijkstra directly: is there a point where refresh rate just stops mattering?

If you deliver only 1100Hz and focus purely on eSports, that's a small market

Pepe Dijkstra, Head of Monitor, Samsung Europe

He didn't dodge the eSports-only framing. "If you deliver only 1100Hz and focus purely on eSports, that's a small market," he told me.

The reasoning behind Samsung's dual- and triple-mode panels, he explained, is about giving that headroom without forcing everyone to live with it – you can drop back down to a lower resolution for everyday use rather than running flat-out all the time. Whether the industry pushes past 1100Hz next, he wouldn't commit to. "If we go faster in the future, we'll have to see."

6K gaming screens have a genuine purpose outside of vanity

I've used 6K panels in a professional context on a few screens in the past, but never on a gaming screen, and 4K is already a heavy ask for most GPUs. So who is Samsung's 6K gaming monitor for?

Dijkstra's answer leaned on future-proofing rather than the present day: those with high-end PCs can already drive that resolution, and the dual-mode option covers anyone who can't.

It's worth noting the new G9 ultrawide also carries a dual-mode option of its own – 5120 x 1440 at up to 360Hz, or 'dual HD' at 2560 x 720 for 720Hz – so the same philosophy runs across Samsung's 2027 range rather than sitting in one flagship alone.

(Image credit: Future)

Likewise, he noted that the option for a 6K gaming screen offers a higher refresh rate than the professional screens on offer with the same resolution, which are stuck at 60Hz. Offering a higher refresh rate at that detail level aids both responsiveness for productivity tasks and helps where it counts for games, too.

After all, as both he and Demont noted, people are buying monitors for more than one purpose, so a 6K gaming screen covers off the pros who need the detail for high-res creative work and the gamers who have a beefy enough system to play games at 5K or 6K, assuming the game supports the resolution of course.

Glasses-free 3D is back – but content, not hardware, is the bottleneck

Samsung has kept glasses-free 3D alive longer than most of the industry, and at CES it showed a 6K, 32-inch glasses-free 3D panel. At Gamescom, it reaffirmed its commitment to glasses-free 3D and the importance of working with developers to keep the dream alive.

Dijkstra's framing was that the previous failure wasn't really a hardware problem – it was a content problem. "People were mind-blown by the product capability, but it's the content" that lagged, he said.

Rather than pour more resources into pushing the panel technology further, Samsung's product teams have shifted focus toward securing AAA game support, headlined by the newly announced Cyberpunk 2077 3D compatibility. It's a bet that immersion sells itself to gamers specifically – people who already spend hours in front of a screen – in a way it never quite did for passive TV viewing.

Demont drew the TV parallel further, comparing it to Samsung's early, unpopular push into 4K resolution at a time when broadcasters barely had any programming in such high-resolution or the likes of the BBC had caught up: "We can't just do it by ourselves, we need the whole industry behind it."

He sees HDR10+ gaming following a similar adoption curve to HDR10+ on TV, where streaming giants like Prime Video and Netflix moved quickly once the ecosystem made it easy to support. Samsung's own numbers back that up: the new Call of Duty is among the titles confirmed to support HDR10+ gaming, with more than 20 games expected to carry the standard by the first half of 2027.

(Image credit: Alexey Yaremenko / Getty)OLED burn-in isn't as big of an issue as it used to be

Samsung has introduced a new fifth-gen QD-OLED panel for a lot of the new monitors it announced at Gamescom, which features the brand's Penta Tandem tech and an RGB stripe sub-pixel layout for greater power efficiency, longevity, and sharper text.

Compared to the quality of OLED panels for gaming monitors when they were first introduced, this tech has been through several generations of optimization and improvement.

At the time OLED gaming monitors were first introduced, it seemed you couldn't go five minutes without someone talking about burn-in (an issue with early OLED panels where static images that were displayed for too long could damage the screen). Now, both Demont and Dijkstra tell me it's virtually a non-issue. It's barely raised internally anymore, sitting towards the bottom of presentations as an improvement point.

Demont also noted that the improvements made to the OLED panels is a particularly good thing, especially because "if we can increase the product lifecycle or the durability of the product, that's all in the benefit of that end customer". After all, a high-end monitor or TV is a big purchase, and it's important that it lasts.

For what it's worth, my own two-and-a-half-year-old 32-inch 4K 240Hz OLED monitor has never shown a hint of burn-in – though the new Odyssey OLED G8 is, I'll admit, tempting me to upgrade anyway.

Pro feedback filters down for monitors, too

On the subject of product development, Dijkstra confirmed Samsung takes direct input from eSports professionals – citing an ongoing relationship with a multiple-time League of Legends world champion in Korea, where the eSports scene is especially demanding. "Their team plus others are just continuously pushing back that feedback," he said.

The trickle-down effect is vital to this, according to Demont – Samsung's stated strategy is to introduce new technology at the top of the range first and cascade it downward over time, never the reverse – something he framed as core to protecting the end customer's investment in what remains a significant purchase.

Monitors and TVs are converging – deliberately

Perhaps the most interesting part of the conversation was Demont noting that Samsung is folding its monitor team into the same visual display division as TV in the UK, given the convergence between them. We're at a point where some desktop monitors are the same size as TVs; this also works the other way, as people can use TVs as monitors, either on a desk or with a living room PC.

He was upfront that this decision is about capturing overlap: customers can opt for an equally rich spec TV or monitor depending on their situation, and there is an overlap in certain features for a consistent experience whichever product you go for.

For instance, some of the brand's smaller-sized OLED TVs boast a 165Hz refresh rate, while there are specific variants of some of its gaming monitors that come with its Tizen OS smart TV operating system built-in.

I maintain Tizen's presence on monitors is one of the more underrated moves Samsung's made recently: a screen that's a smart TV in one moment and a 240Hz gaming monitor in the next, with Samsung's Gaming Hub meaning you don't need a console or PC to access cloud gaming services like Xbox and GeForce Now.

We all agreed that this remains a surprising niche, and Demont stated Samsung is trying to change this with its TVs through retail bundling with the likes of Argos and Currys in the UK by offering incentives such as free controllers or game vouchers tied to TV purchases, specifically to get people asking what "Gaming Hub" actually means.

The bigger picture

Both executives repeatedly came back to the idea that Samsung's scale is its advantage: a portfolio broad enough to cover a 49-inch ultrawide monitor, a portable outdoor TV, and a glasses-free 3D gaming panel simultaneously, developed with a genuinely global customer base in mind rather than any single region's habits.

Demont pointed to the brand's clever Movingstyle TV, originally designed with Southeast Asian markets in mind, that ended up selling worldwide once its appeal proved broader than expected.

Whether triple-mode refresh rates or glasses-free 3D end up following that same trajectory – from a niche flex to a more mainstream feature – is, by Samsung's own admission, still an open question the company is waiting for customers to answer for them.

If you’re in the market for one of the best soundbars, then there’s a feature you might have come across already called HDMI passthrough, available in some soundbars that connect over HDMI ARC and HDMI eARC.

HDMI passthrough allows you to plug a source device, such as a games console or streaming stick, directly into your soundbar over HDMI, and the video will then be passed onto your TV.

It’s a useful feature because when a soundbar connects to your TV over HDMI, you obviously can't connect anything else to it over that port — and it's not uncommon these days to have more HDMI devices than you have open ports.

This means that HDMI passthrough gives you more flexibility about how all of your home entertainment tech works together, since you don't 'lose' the use of the HDMI port your soundbar is connected to — and some soundbars even have multiple HDMI inputs, so you actually gain ports.

You won’t find HDMI passthrough on every soundbar. And that’s okay, not everyone needs it — but it might be a factor in your buying decision, if it seems like it'll be useful to you.

This guide should help you better understand what HDMI passthrough is, how it works and if you really need it.

On this Samsung soundar, the right-hand HDMI port connects to the TV (with clear labeling — thanks, Samsung!), while the other two enable you to connect other device, and the video will be passed along to your TV (Image credit: Future)What is HDMI passthrough on soundbars?

To be clear, we’re talking here about how HDMI passthrough works on a soundbar. You might hear the term passthrough in other contexts. You also might see this referred to by some brands as just soundbar passthrough or video passthrough.

It might not be referred to as 'passthrough' at all, but it might just be mentioned that a soundbar has an HDMI input as well as an HDMI ARC connection — in this case, the HDMI ARC connection is the part that goes to the TV (here's our HDMI ARC explainer) and the HDMI input is the port you use for the extra device.

In a typical setup, you might expect to connect a source device, like a games console or Blu-ray player, directly to your TV. The TV then receives the video and audio, then sends the audio to the soundbar.

But, if your soundbar has HDMI passthrough, you can connect the source device directly to the soundbar, then connect the soundbar to the TV.

The soundbar takes the audio and plays it through its speakers, while passing the video through to the TV without losing video resolution. This can have some specific advantages outside of just meaning that you get an extra HDMI port, which we'll come to later.

What’s the difference between HDMI passthrough and ARC/eARC?

In this soundbar context, HDMI passthrough describes the route the video takes. The source connects to the soundbar, and the soundbar passes the video on to the TV.

HDMI ARC and eARC do something different. They let the TV send audio to the soundbar (the difference between those two terms is just that eARC is capable of higher-quality audio).

These two things exist in harmony. For example, you could connect a games console to your soundbar, then connect the soundbar to the TV. The soundbar could then handle the console’s audio and pass its video to the TV. While eARC would allow the TV to send audio from other sources, like its built-in streaming apps, to the soundbar.

(Image credit: Future)Do you need HDMI passthrough on your soundbar?

If you’re buying a new soundbar and comparing the specs, it’s easy to assume that more features are always a good thing. But HDMI passthrough is only really useful for specific situations.

There are three main reasons you might want to make sure your soundbar has HDMI passthrough:

1. You've run out of HDMI ports on your TV
If your TV doesn't have enough HDMI inputs for all of your devices, then you can connect a device to the soundbar instead. This way the soundbar effectively gives you another HDMI input.

2. You've run out of the right kind of HDMI port on your TV
This is slightly complicated, but stick with me. The HDMI eARC port on your TV is nearly always an HDMI 2.1 port. This version of HDMI also enables you to connect 4K 120Hz / VRR devices, such as a games console or Apple TV 4K. But many TVs in people's homes today only shipped with two HDMI 2.1 ports (even though they have four HDMI ports in total), meaning that if you connect a soundbar you now only have one HDMI 2.1 port free for those devices, and it's not uncommon to have more than one of these. So if your soundbar has HDMI passthrough that supports HDMI 2.1 features, it can be exactly what you need if you've run out of HDMI 2.1 connections specifically. You'll have to make sure the soundbar supports these features, though, because not all do.

3. Your TV is limiting the audio that you can send to the soundbar
Modern audio formats need fancy decoding to get the full quality from them, which means that one of the parts in your system needs to have support to make the most of them. In most cases, this is easy — for example, it's very rare to buy a half-decent TV that can't do Dolby Atmos. However, in some cases, it's not so easy. For example, DTS is a rival to Dolby's tech, and isn't supported by major TV brands such as LG and Samsung in their TVs. But it is supported in the soundbars. So one option is to connect your source device that's playing DTS sound directly to the soundbar, meaning the full-quality sound is decoded and played, removing your TV from the equation. This is a rare need, but there are example — for example, using a PS5 as a Blu-ray player with an LG or Samsung TV, as mentioned above.

If none of these apply to you, then you probably don't need HDMI passthrough currently. There's always the argument that it's good to have for future-proofing, but certainly it's optional.

For many setups, the simplest option is to connect your consoles and other source devices directly to the TV, then connect the TV's eARC port to the soundbar with a single HDMI cable. Sticking with this approach reduces the number of things that could go wrong in your system — more tech means more possible glitches.

The Samsung HW-Q990H soundbar has two HDMI In ports, both of which support 4K 120Hz passthrough for gaming. (Image credit: Future)What you need to know before buying a soundbar with HDMI passthrough

Although several of the top picks in our best soundbars guide have HDMI passthrough, not all of them do.

If you want this feature, look for a soundbar with an HDMI input labelled “HDMI In” or “HDMI Input”. This is where you'll connect your source device.

You'll also usually see an HDMI output labelled “HDMI Out”, often with ARC or eARC. This is the connection that goes from the soundbar to your TV. A soundbar with only an HDMI ARC/eARC port and no HDMI input can't provide HDMI passthrough — if a soundbar only lists that it has one HDMI port, then it's always an ARC/eARC port only.

But having an HDMI input doesn't automatically mean the soundbar supports every video or audio format either. For example, if you want to connect a PS5, check whether the HDMI input supports the features you want to use, such as the 4K 120Hz, variable refresh rate and Dolby Vision HDR.

You’ll also need to check the soundbar's specifications for resolution and refresh rate, HDR, gaming features and audio formats specifically. Don't assume that 'HDMI 2.1' or '4K passthrough' tells you everything you need to know, because there's a lot of nuance in HDMI connections.

Which soundbars do we recommend with HDMI passthrough?

1. The Samsung HW-Q990H
Samsung flagship surround soundbar system has two HDMI inputs, as well as its HDMI eARC port, and it supports 4K 120Hz passthrough with Dolby Vision HDR and variable refresh rate. It's the ultimate in passthrough tech! Here's our five star Samsung HW-Q990H review.

2. Samsung HW-Q800F
Samsung's mid-range soundbar is an excellent option if don't want rear speakers, and supports all the same HDMI passthrough formats as the model above, though it only has one HDMI input instead of two. Here's our five-star Samsung HW-Q800F review.

3. Klipsch Flexus Core 300
This is our favorite all-in-one soundbar with HDMI passthrough — and all-in-one here means no subwoofer and no rear speakers, because a lot of people just want a simpler system. Here's our five-star Klipsch Flexus Core 300 review.

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I'm currently holding the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 in my hands, only putting it down now to type this and tell you that, as I see it, it's the nearest thing we have at the moment to an iPhone Ultra, the folding iPhone we expect to meet in person on September 9. And what I wonder is not just if the real iPhone Ultra will be good enough to glow up the foldable category so that it eventually rivals standard flagship phones, but whether if it can rise above the foldable bar set by Samsung and, to a lesser extent, its rivals.

The iPhone Ultra will arrive on the tiny island that is foldable phones amid a group of well-established competitors. Apple's slow walk into this category has allowed Samsung, Google, Huawei, Motorola, and Oppo to hone their skills in creating thin, light, and powerful folding phones, often featuring excellent screens, battery life, and cameras.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is not the best of them. Don't get me wrong, it's an excellent foldable phone, but it's not the thinnest, doesn't have the longest battery life, and has just two rear cameras. On the other hand, the passport shape (when folded) makes it compelling in a way that's hard to quantify and temporarily unique among current foldable options. When opened, it has a screen size that is nearly as large as those found on other foldables, but in an oddball 4:3 screen aspect ratio.

The Z Fold 8 Ultra, Z Flip 8 and Z Fold 8Lance Ulanoff / FutureThe Z Fold 8 Ultra, Z Flip 8 and Z Fold 8Lance Ulanoff / FutureThe Galay Z Fold 8Lance Ulanoff / FutureThe Galaxy Z Fold 8Lance Ulanoff / Future

The design is intentional, with Samsung hoping to bridge the gap between the clamshell-style and fashion-forward Galaxy Z Flip and the far more powerful, productivity-first Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

Samsung is filling the gap in the hope of vastly expanding what remains a very tiny market. I know there are reports that Samsung is selling out the Z Fold 8, with one report claiming that it sold out and is now rushing out a million more units. Overall sales for the Z8 line (Fold, Flip, and Ultra) might be in the 4-to-5M unit range. That sounds pretty good, but a look at typical iPhone sales after launch quickly puts those numbers in perspective.

In 2024, iPhone 16 preorder sales reportedly reached 37 million units. Apple used to provide quarterly updates on iPhone unit sales, and they were, honestly, insane. In December of that year, the Cupertino tech giant sold more than 77 million units. The year ended with over 217 million iPhones sold.

What the industry believes, or at least hopes, is that the arrival of the iPhone Ultra cracks open the market in ways Samsung and its folding counterparts haven't yet. This notion is predicated on the assumption that the iPhone Ultra will be substantially better than Samsung's folding line.

Except it probably won't be. I fully expect it to be an exciting and excellent smartphone, but Samsung, more than any other company, has come close to perfecting the art of the fold. The Z Fold 8 Ultra unfolds flat, has an almost creaseless screen, and is as light and thin as a standard flagship, while offering twice the utility.

The folding iPhone : what we expect

Gemini's AI rendering of the iPhone Ultra based on all available spec rumors. It's far from perfect but gives you an idea of what to expect. (Image credit: Gemini)

Apple's folding iPhone is not even expected to match the Z Fold 8 Ultra in style and features. In fact, it's a fair bet it will be in a form factor almost exactly the same as the Z Fold 8. That's right, we all expect Apple to produce the same kind of Passport-style foldable, right down to the pair of rear cameras with no telephoto lens in sight. This shouldn't be too surprising since most believe Apple is sourcing its folding display from Samsung Display.

Among the rumors I've read about the 5.5-inch (folded), 7.8-inch (unfolded) iPhone Ultra is that it will be built with a combination of aluminum and titanium, just like the Z Fold 8. It will, at 4,5mm, be no thinner than the Z Fold 8 when unfolded. The chief design distinction might be the use of what's rumored to be called "liquid metal" to try and fully erase the crease (something the Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Fold 8 have nearly done).

Apple might have an edge, though, where it counts: performance. Most expect the A20 chip paired with 12GB of RAM and Apple's own C2 cellular model. All of this could make this a faster foldable, even if the average user never notices.

Some believe that Apple doesn't need to make the world's best foldable; it simply needs to deliver it to a willing market. How many people have been holding off on buying a foldable because Apple doesn't offer one? That could be millions of people, and if that's the case, it might be the Apple cachet that grows the foldable phone market to a previously unimaginable scale.

New Reds boss Andoni Iraola takes charge of his first EPL game at Anfield.

Ninja CrushBOSS: one-minute review

The Ninja CrushBOSS is an impressive three-in-one kitchen system. The largest container, a 72-ounce pitcher blender is made for blending big batches of whatever foods and beverages you like. The medium-sized 64-ounce container is a food processor, to which you can attach a handful of different blades that slice, dice, and shred various foods. The food processor bowl also has a tower blade for blending and a dough blade for making breads. The smallest vessel is a 26-ounce tumbler is perfect for single-serve smoothies, iced coffees, and slushies. It comes with a sipping lid and straw so you can just blend and go.

I put the whole system through its paces and was impressed with the results. If you're in the market for both a blender and a food processor, especially if you want both large and single-serve blenders, you can save money by just buying the Ninja CrushBOSS.

I have to admit that unboxing this system felt a bit intimidating. There are a lot of parts. That is the point of it, of course — to be everything for everyone — but be prepared to take some time to learn how all of the parts fit together and how it all works. You'll be washing a lot of dishes. Plus, some of the pieces do nest, but you're still looking at a lot of storage space for all the bits and bobs.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)Ninja CrushBOSS: price and availability

• List price: $319.99 / £239.99 (about AU$450)
• Available direct from Ninja, and from third-party retailers including Amazon

The Ninja CrushBOSS is being sold on Ninja's own website and third-party retailers in the US and UK, with a list price of $319.99 / £239.99 for the unit with all attachments. That's about AU$450, but we don't yet have a release date for the CrushBOSS in Australia. Colorways include Midnight Blue, Black & Copper, Stone & Gold, Mocha & Gold, Bone & White Gold, and Onyx — with more colors coming by the end of 2026.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Ninja CrushBOSS: specifications

Price

$319

Vessel sizes

72-ounce, 64-ounce, 26-ounce

Control panel programs

SmoothSense, PrepIQ, Custom

Vessels material

BPA-free plastic

Maximum power

1,200 watts

Multiblade disk attachments available

Thin slice, thick slice, shred, crinkle cut, french fry, julienne

Ninja CrushBOSS: design and features

• Three blending/processing vessels
• Three blending programs
• 1,200-watt motor

The Ninja CrushBOSS base suctions to your counter for stability. It comes with three different containers: a 72-ounce blending pitcher, a 64-ounce processing bowl, and a 26-ounce tumbler. Clean each of these containers by filling partway with water, adding a couple drops of dish soap, and blending.

The 72-ounce blending pitcher comes with a tower blade. There is a pour spout in the lid; for thinner liquids you can pop up the spout cap and pour from the pitcher. For thicker ones, you'll remove the whole lid and the blade before pouring out and scraping with a spatula if needed.

The 36-ounce processing bowl comes with a chopping blade, dough blade, and multiblade disc. There are optional attachments that fit into the multiblade disc, including thin slice, thick slide, shred, crinkle cut, french fry, and julienne. This bowl's lid includes a feed chute and pusher.

Finally, the 26-ounce single-serve tumbler comes with a sipping lid and a straw, so you can just blend your favorite frozen beverage and go.

The base suctions onto your counter for stability. It's sleek and classy-looking. The containers slide and lock into place securely.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Ninja CrushBOSS: performanceFull-sized blender

Using the 72-ounce blender container, I made a smoothie using frozen fruit and juice in roughly equal proportions. I used the SmoothSense setting, which automatically detects the amount of solids and liquids in the vessel. The motor will stop and start, using the appropriate speeds to deliver smooth results. This turned out great.

Karen Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / Future

I also tried make a simple frozen yogurt with just frozen fruit and yogurt, this didn't blend up all that smoothly. If I had used any liquid, or possessed more patience, I could have easily made this a lot smoother. At the very least, I should have scraped down the sides and blended it once more. It's pretty chunky-looking but it still tasted great.

Karen Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureFood processor

The first thing I did with the 64-ounce food processor container was to crinkle-cut some carrots. It took me a little time to assemble the blades properly and peel the carrots. But once I dropped them into the food chute, it took only a second or two to totally cut up three carrots.

Karen Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / Future

Next I diced a sweet potato. Ninja's instructions say that you need to soften fibrous foods like sweet potatoes before processing. This is not necessary for regular white potatoes. I followed the instructions and air-fried the sweet potato whole for 10 minutes first and allowed it to cool. Again, once my sweet potato and the blades were ready to go, the Ninja CrushBOSS took only a couple of seconds to dice the entire sweet potato. Once diced, a quick air-fry (yes, quicker than I expected, I over-cooked it a bit) and it was ready to eat.

Karen Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / Future

I shredded some hard parmesan cheese, using the shredding multiblade attachment. Like the other blades, it's super fast. However, a rather large chunk of parmesan got caught between the blade and the lid and wouldn't shred, as you can see in my photos below.

Karen Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / Future

Then I tried a slightly softer cheese, a Swiss. This one also shredded in just a few seconds, and the chunks left after shredding were much smaller.

Karen Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / Future

Next I tried the blade tower, which is centered inside the food processor bowl, just like a blender blade (as opposed to the multiblade system, which sits just under the lid). I made some coarse oat flour. Again, this was super fast. I probably could have run it again if I wanted the flour to be finer, but this was fine for me.

Karen Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / Future

Next I blended some protein pancake batter in the food processor bowl. Of course, the Ninja CrushBOSS made quick work of this. The batter came out pretty smooth and cooked up beautifully.

Karen Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / Future

I made some hummus, which made me question why I ever bought pre-made hummus from the store! It's so quick and easy with a blender/food processor like the Ninja CrushBOSS. And it's much tastier. I did scrape down the sides after the initial processing session and process it again. It was worth the extra cycle to get a totally uniform result, though if you like it chunky, that's not necessary.

Karen Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureTumbler cup

The single-serve tumbler cup assembly is just like the Ninja BlendBOSS. Just put in your ingredients, screw on the blade lid, and twist it into place on the power base. You do need to have a bit of liquid in order to blend properly, but as long as you do, everything comes out great. Even ice is totally obliterated. I made this banana peanut butter smoothie which came out totally smooth.

Karen Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / Future

I made a very similar smoothie, this one was banana chocolate. It was also amazing.

Karen Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / Future

I made a simple lemonade slushie, just ice, water, lemon juice, and vanilla syrup. This was a quick and tasty treat. Though the ice was thoroughly crushed, the mixture wasn't totally homogenous. The icy part and the liquid part tended to separate as I drank it.

Karen Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / Future

I also used this smaller blender cup to prepare some frozen treats in the Ninja Creami Swirl. I started with a pistachio-flavored healthier ice cream, which included whole pistachios and dates. These can be challenging to blend, but the resulting mixture was smooth. There was a bit of "dust" at the bottom (I probably could have run it twice), but once frozen in the Creami pint, you couldn't tell. This turned out amazing.

Karen Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / Future

I also made a healthier version of Dole whip for the Ninja Creami Swirl. This blended up perfectly and turned out fantastic.

Karen Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / Future

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Ninja CrushBOSS?Ninja CrushBOSS report card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

While not cheap, the Ninja CrushBOSS replaces three different kitchen tools.

4.5/5

Design

It's well-designed to do the work of three appliances in one.

4.5/5

Performance

The Ninja CrushBOSS performs as expected, making quick work of a variety of foods.

4.5/5

Overall

The Ninja CrushBOSS is an excellent 3-in-1 food processor, blender, and mini blender.

4.5/5

Buy it if

You need multiple blending/processing appliances

If you're in the market for even two of the three: full-sized blender, mini blender, or food processor, then you'll find this a worthwhile purchase. Any two of the three would likely cost at least as much and take up more space. Need all three? This is a no-brainer.

You just need a powerful tool

Frankly, even if you just need one, you still might consider the Ninja CrushBOSS. Its 1200-watt motor made lightning quick work of everything I tried, from ice to nuts to sticky dates. You might just find some use for the other functions once you have this in your kitchen.

You want some automation

The Ninja CrushBOSS has some automated features that take the guesswork out of how long to run and how much power to use. SmoothSense automatically senses ingredients and PrepIQ has individual programs for specific functions. Of course, you can just use manual settings if you prefer.

Don't buy it if

You are on a tight budget

There are certainly cheaper blenders and food processors on the market, though they won't have some of the advanced features that the Ninja CrushBOSS does.

You hate to unbox new appliances

If you are easily intimidated by new appliances and tend to leave them sitting in the box for a while, this isn't the appliance for you. You'll have a lot to unpack, and you'll actually need to read the manual to learn how to assemble and use the Ninja CrushBOSS.

You have limited counter and storage space

While he Ninja CrushBOSS has just one base, it has so many parts and pieces. You'll have to find space in your kitchen to store them all.

Ninja CrushBOSS: also consider

If the Ninja CrushBOSS isn't exactly what you're looking for, you might consider the following:

Vitamix A3500

My go-to blender for decades has been a Vitamix. There's a reason you see these in bars and restaurants so often. It's "just" a blender, but it does the job well.

Read our review of the Vitamix A3500

Breville the All in One

Here is another blender/food processor you might consider if the Ninja CrushBOSS seems like too much. While not as fully-featured, it's certainly more simple and compact.

Check out our review of the Breville the All in OneView Deal

Ninja BlendBOSS

You really just want that single-serve blender and to-go tumbler? Ninja's BlendBOSS is what you want. It takes up minimal space in your kitchen and yet it's surprisingly powerful and fast for making smoothies, slushies, iced coffee, and more. It comes with that sipping lid and straw so you can just blend and go.

Read my review of the Ninja BlendBOSSView Deal

How I tested the Ninja Power CrushBOSS

• I tested all three containers and various multiblade attachments
• I used SmoothSense, PrepIQ, and Custom settings
• I cleaned it after every use

I used the food processor bowl to crinkle-cut carrots, dice a sweet potato, shred both parmesan and Swiss cheeses, make oatmeal flour, blend up hummus, and blend pancake batter. I used the large blender to make frozen yogurt and a fruit smoothie. In the small tumbler blender, I blended two different mixtures to make frozen treats in the Ninja Creami (Dole whip and pistachio ice cream), two different yogurt/frozen fruit smoothies (banana peanut butter and banana chocolate), and a lemonade slushie.

Read more about how we test.

As the UK enters one of its busiest periods for travel, some holiday makers will be questioning how hackers managed to get their hands on their personal data.

The Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which owns and oversees Manchester, London Stansted, and East Midlands airports, has revealed that hackers managed to steal data belonging to 8.7 million customers.

Given the sources of the data taken - spanning car park services, lounge and Fast Track bookings and in-airport WIFI sign-ups - it is likely a large database of information was accessed by the hackers.

What data was taken?

The data accessed and stolen by the hackers include email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registrations and postcodes of up to 8.7 million customers.

While banking and financial information remained secure during the attack, this level of data exposure places customers at a heightened risk for targeted phishing and scams.

(Image credit: Future)

Got an opinion for us? Here’s how you can submit your perspective

A statement by MAG said, “We immediately contained the risk and have been working with specialist advisors and taking appropriate steps to protect our customers and systems. We have informed and are working with the relevant authorities. At no point has passenger safety or aviation security been compromised.”

MAG advised customers who have been affected by the breach to remain vigilant against suspicious emails and calls. Given the data exposed in the attack, these could be highly specific, referring to flights, parking (including customer number plates), and airport services.

MAG issued the following guidance:

• Remaining vigilant for suspicious emails, text messages or phone calls
• Avoiding clicking on links or opening attachments from unexpected communications
• Seeking further support and advice at Data breach guidance for individuals

Expert perspectives on MAG data breach

• Graeme Stewart, Head of Public Sector, Check Point Software

We warned after the attacks on the automotive sector last year that aviation needed to move onto a war footing. This feels like the moment that warning becomes very real.

Cyber criminals have already shown us what sustained pressure on a major industry can look like. They find the weak points, work through suppliers and connected systems, steal data and keep coming. There was every reason to believe aviation would become an attractive target, and an incident affecting almost nine million airport customers should concentrate minds across the sector.

The absence of cancelled flights or queues at terminals does not make this a small cyber attack. The data reportedly taken can now be weaponised.

The absence of cancelled flights or queues at terminals does not make this a small cyber attack. The data reportedly taken can now be weaponised. Criminals know these people have a relationship with Manchester, Stansted or East Midlands airports and potentially have phone numbers, postcodes and vehicle registrations to make their approach believable. A fake parking refund, Fast Track problem or message about this very breach suddenly becomes much harder for an ordinary customer to spot.

If you believe you are affected, be extremely suspicious of any unexpected contact about the airports or this incident. Do not follow links in emails or texts asking you to confirm information, make a payment or claim a refund. Go directly to the airport’s official website if you need to check something. If somebody calls claiming to be from the airport, hang up and contact the organisation independently.

Anyone who has already handed over banking information following suspicious contact should speak to their bank immediately. If you have given away a password, change it anywhere you have reused it and switch on two-step verification.

For the aviation industry, there should be no comfort taken from the fact the terminals are operating normally today. Last year was a warning about what happens when attackers focus their attention on a sector. Aviation needs to behave as though a sustained campaign has begun, because waiting for an attack that stops planes moving before treating this as serious would be a dangerous mistake.

• Dr. Ilia Kolochenko, Founder, ImmuniWeb:

The risk of this data breach seems to be significantly underestimated or downplayed for almost 9 million victims. The majority of lounge and fast-track line bookings are wealthy passengers, whose travel data may per se constitute sensitive, embarrassing or even incriminating information, therefore being a valuable commodity for unscrupulous cybercriminals.

A wave of personalized and AI-enhanced blackmailing and extortion campaigns may be launched shortly.

A wave of personalized and AI-enhanced blackmailing and extortion campaigns may be launched shortly. Moreover, some specialized cyber gangs will likely offer the data to investigative journalists – without fully disclosing the illicit origin of the data – to track celebrities or trace sanction evasion, causing even more damage to the victims.

In case of extortion, many victims will unlikely contact the police and will rather silently pay the ransom in cryptocurrency. Worse, the payment does not guarantee that the data will not eventually be released on the Dark Web or shared with third parties. In sum, this data breach will likely have long-lasting consequences for the victims.

• Vykintas Maknickas, CEO, Saily:

This breach shows that airport cybersecurity is no longer only protecting flight systems or operational infrastructure. The digital services travelers use every day, like airport WiFi, parking bookings, lounge access, and fast-track reservations, have become part of the security perimeter. When these systems are compromised, millions of people can be affected before they even board a plane.

Email addresses, postcodes, and vehicle registration details can be used to create extremely convincing scams.

While payment details were reportedly not exposed, the stolen data is still highly valuable to criminals. Email addresses, postcodes, and vehicle registration details can be used to create extremely convincing scams.

Travelers may receive fake airport emails, fraudulent parking-payment notices, bogus flight updates, or calls claiming to offer compensation. These messages may contain enough real personal detail to look legitimate, so travellers should stay vigilant.

Behind the figure of 8.7 million are real people. Families going on holiday, business travelers heading to meetings, parents trying to keep children entertained at the airport. That is the human cost of a data breach: the company is attacked, but ordinary people live with the consequences.

This incident should be a wake-up call for the travel industry. Companies need to ask not only how they protect customer data, but also how much of it they really need to collect and store in the first place. The less unnecessary data a company holds, the less damage criminals can cause when systems are breached.

For travelers, the advice is simple: be extra cautious with any unexpected message claiming to come from an airport, airline, parking provider, or customer support team. Do not click links in suspicious emails or texts. When traveling, it is also safer to use mobile data or an eSIM instead of relying on public airport WiFi.

• Raghu Nandakumara, VP of Industry Strategy, Illumio:

This is a significant breach affecting a large number of customers ahead of one of the busiest travel periods of the year for UK airports. Incidents like this erode customer trust. For those affected, the exposed data increases the risk of targeted phishing and smishing attempts, where attackers can use legitimate travel-related information to make malicious communications appear convincing.

Incidents like this erode customer trust.

While Manchester Airports Group has said the incident was contained and operations were not disrupted, sensitive customer information was still accessed. Maintaining services during a cyberattack is critical, but organisations also need to minimise the amount of data and systems an attacker can reach before the threat is isolated.

Measures such as segmentation can help restrict access to critical systems and sensitive data, reducing the risk that a single compromise becomes a wider incident.

How do I submit my own perspective on emerging news?

If you have an expert perspective you would like to share on an emerging story or particular topic, please get in contact here: benedict.collins@futurenet.com

The new reMarkable Paper Pure is an impressive handwriting tablet, but it's facing stiff competition in the e-ink slate market. If you're thinking of buying one, it's worth taking a look at the alternatives to make sure there's not an option that'd be a better fit for you. We've tested several excellent e-ink tablets; I've rounded up our favorites below.

The reMarkable Paper Pure has a 10.3-inch screen, which is the most common size for this kind of tablet. However, if you'd prefer more writing real estate, the reMarkable Paper Pro has a more generous 11.8-inch screen. Conversely, if you want something compact, the smartphone-sized Kobo Libra Colour and reMarkable Paper Pro Move are small enough to slip into a back pocket.

Although many of today's best ereaders are waterproof, once you add writing into the mix, waterproofing becomes a rare feature. A notable exception is the aforementioned Kobo Libra Colour, which comes with an IPX8 rating. So if you're prone to spillages or want to note-take in the tub, that's the model for you.

One of our only real complaints about the reMarkable Paper Pure is that it lacks a frontlight. This is frustrating if you need to work in less-than-ideal lighting conditions, and especially so if you're hoping to use it for reading as well as writing. Almost all the tablets listed below come with a frontlight — most are dimmable, and on some you can even change the color temperature.

Scroll down for a roundup of the best e-ink tablets we've tested, including the reMarkable Paper Pure. Hit the View details button for a rundown of the main pros and cons of each one, plus a link to read our full, in-depth review. I've also added a specs comparison table at the bottom to help you see the key differences between the options.

Have I missed any? Let me know in the comments. Happy scribbling!

Top writing tablets

ReMarkable Paper Pure

Read our full review

Pros

• Flawless writing experience
• Lightweight, portable, comfortable
• Superb battery life
• The cheapest reMarkable tablet yet

Cons

• Hit-and-miss AI handwriting conversion
• No frontlight
• Still only 226ppi

Kobo Libra Colour

Read our full review

Pros

• Good size for portability and usability
• Relatively affordable for a color ereader
• Full writing features
• Repair kits available

Cons

• Couple of functions suffer from lag
• Stylus sold separately

reMarkable Paper Pro Move

Read our full review

Pros

• Shrinks the best writing tablet to the perfect size
• Keeps the color and best features of the Paper Pro
• The best writing experience on any tablet you can buy

Cons

• Restrained software lacks many features
• AI handwriting recognition is laughably bad
• Subscription fee stings considering the price tag

Kobo Elipsa 2E

Read our full review

Pros

• Faster than previous model
• Versatile writing tools
• Eco-friendly body

Cons

• Expensive
• Dated, plasticky design
• Sleepcover no longer bundled

Viwoods AiPaper

Read our full review

Pros

• Beautiful design that’s thin and light
• Fantastic performance
• Touch buttons on lower bezel
• Excellent user experience
• 100-day return policy

Cons

• AI accessibility could pose privacy risks
• AI handwriting conversion isn't consistently accurate
• No frontlight
• No expandable storage
• Light ghosting across all apps

Amazon Kindle Scribe (2024)

Read our full review

Pros

• Still the best big e-reader, with better writing tools
• Subtle improvements add up in a big way
• AI tools that are [gasp] useful?!

Cons

• It’s more expensive without new hardware
• It’s got AI, like everything — you can’t escape

Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro

Read our full review

Pros

• Pocket-friendly color E Ink design
• More versatile than the Palma 2
• Excellent case accessory

Cons

• Expensive for an ereader
• Text isn’t as crisp as on the Palma 2
• Stylus sold separately

Onyx Boox Palma 2

Read our full review

Pros

• Cleaner, more modern interface
• Fantastic size for a portable ereader
• Excellent battery life

Cons

• No performance improvements with new chipset
• Fingerprint scanner is fiddly and superfluous
• Expensive for an ereader

Onyx Boox Note Air 5 C

Read our full review

Pros

• Android 15 with 3 years of software support
• Excellent writing experience
• Expandable storage up to 1TB
• Physical page-turn buttons

Cons

• Expensive
• Some colors appear muted
• Ineffective stylus magnet
• Annoying folio design (keyboard and regular case)

Onyx Boox Go 7

Read our full review

Pros

• Android 13-based operating system
• Excellent E Ink Carta 1300 display
• 64GB storage
• Page-turn buttons
• Snappy performance
• Stylus support

Cons

• Lacks waterproofing
• Complicated menu system
• Excessive battery drain
• Subpar writing experience

Kobo Libra 2

Read our full review

Pros

• Winning asymmetric design
• 32GB storage
• Audiobook support

Cons

• Battery charging can be erratic

reMarkable Paper Pro

Read our full review

Pros

• Color display looks better than other color E Ink tablets
• Finally a light to read in the dark
• Incredible battery life, even with color and light

Cons

• Software lacks more features than it offers
• Doesn’t do much, by design
• No trade-in for previous reMarkable owners

E-ink handwriting tablet specs compared

Note: only the products available in your territory will display as cards. That means you might see models in this table that aren't visible above.

Tech companies always love to make big claims. Like the one Google made about the Pixel Watch 5: promised health, wellness and Wear OS improvements aside, there was one feature that my ears pricked up for. Google stated that the Pixel Watch 5 included its most accurate GPS route tracking for exercise. More interestingly, Google said that tracking outperformed the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro.

I’ve used both of those smartwatches and I can confidently say they are two of the best performing smartwatches available for GPS route tracking. I’ve listened to other smartwatch brands talk big about Apple and Garmin-beating performance. Did I really believe Google was going to deliver? I was sceptical, given my experience of the GPS tracking on previous Pixel Watches.

But I still had my Fenix 8 Pro and Watch Ultra 3, which made for the perfect opportunity to see these promised performance gains for myself. Having just recently made it through the millions in the ballot to secure a spot in the double-day 2027 London Marathon, my mind immediately went to the part of the marathon route I know causes major issues with GPS.

I grabbed my watches, jumped on a train, and then onto the DLR tram service to the Isle of Dogs, where the nearby tall skyscrapers always create difficult GPS conditions. I ran miles 18-20 of the London Marathon course, and then did it in reverse, to put the Pixel Watch 5’s big GPS claims to the test.

(Image credit: Future / Mike Sawh)How exactly does the Google Pixel Watch 5’s new GPS work?

Before getting into how the testing went, it’s worth drilling down into just how Google says its GPS tracking outperforms the competition. Like the Fenix 8 Pro and Watch Ultra 3, the Pixel Watch 5 includes dual-band GPS. This means it can communicate to major satellites responsible for calculating our precise locations over two frequency bands. This can help to boost tracking accuracy when moving through tall buildings, densely forested environments and even during adverse weather conditions.

Dual band GPS setups have started to appear across a range of smartwatches and in my own testing, dual band-packing watches from Apple, Garmin and Suunto have delivered the strongest performance.

Along with the latest in GPS technology in tow, Google says it uses data it has already captured of buildings in Google Maps alongside AI to better account for the areas where GPS signals bounce off buildings. It also used GPS reference stations it has positioned around the world to help deal with the impact that atmospheric conditions can have on GPS tracking.

If you’ve used a smartwatch with GPS, then you’ll know it’s a feature that does have a notable impact on battery drain. This is something Google had to think about here. Google has made the decision to compress the raw GPS data captured on the watch and then send it to a server where it’s processed and corrected, then synced to the Google Health app. So the processing mainly take place off the watch or after your run, ride or hike.

How I tested The challenger: Google Pixel Watch 5Future / Mike SawhThe defending champs: Garmin Fenix 8 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 3Future / Mike Sawh

I decided I’d do two runs. The first would be starting from mile 18 up to mile 20 on the London Marathon course and go a little further to run 5k. I’d then stop the watches and do the route in reverse.

I had a trimmed down version of the marathon route uploaded to my Garmin Fenix 8 Pro as it was the easiest watch to do it on. I also decided that I would wear the Pixel Watch 5 on one wrist and then swap over to the other for the second run, while having the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Fenix 8 Pro sat on the opposite wrist. I had to make sure that the two smartwatches weren’t sitting too close together to prevent any accidental button presses that might impact on capturing the correct distance.

It’s also worth adding that I decided to use native workout tracking apps on all three watches to record runs.

The results

(Image credit: Future / Mike Sawh)

On the first run, I had the Pixel Watch 5 on my right wrist with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro on the left wrist. I uploaded the routes to the very handy comparison tool IloveGPX. Before that though, I had to convert the route file captured by the Pixel Watch 5 from a TCX file to a GPX one. Thankfully it was quite easy.

Even before I began zooming into the GPS tracks I could already see some red squiggles, which belonged to the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro. On closer inspection, all three watches were pretty close to each other before the Fenix 8 Pro track started to noticeably drift off. Google and Apple’s tracks for the majority of the run remain close together.

I actually went a little off-route and ran longer than planned as some parts of the route were partly closed off. That meant an extra loop or two of that problematic GPS signal spot.

Moving onto Trafalgar Way, having passed Billingsgate Market and towards that final mile, and the three tracks come back together. There’s still time for Garmin’s track to veer slightly off course though, as I made my way to the end of the route in Poplar.

Looking at the distance tracked, I ended up running longer than the planned 5k route, and the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Google Pixel Watch 5 recorded similar distance data — with the Fenix 8 Pro measuring longer with a difference of 0.2 miles/0.3km.

The average speed of the run was again similar on the Watch Ultra 3 and Pixel Watch 5, with the Garmin reporting a slower average speed.

On the second run, I switched the Pixel Watch 5 over to my left wrist and moved the Fenix and Apple Watch over to the right. I ran this run a little quicker than the first. At the beginning of the run, all three tracks remained together. Then as I started to approach those towering buildings around Canary Wharf once again, the Apple and Garmin tracks started to lose their way. Meanwhile, the Pixel Watch 5’s tracks manage to stick closest to the actual route I’d run. It’s not immune to issues, however, especially when I hit around Heron Quays and Bank Street Canary Wharf.

Looking over the distance tracked again and the three smartwatches post three different records. The Garmin again tracks longer, with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 being closest to the planned 5k route. It’s the Garmin that has me running a quicker-than-average pace throughout the run.

GPS tracks are only one part of the story

For anyone that’s run the London Marathon (or any race for that matter), it’s not just about distance covered. Pacing matters. Especially if you’re been training to chase down a particular finish time.

Bad GPS route tracking data can impact on pace data. Having run the London Marathon before, those GPS problems will cause your locating tracking to skip, suggesting you’re clocking off those miles quicker than you’re actually travelling.

That’s also why I paid attention to my current and average pace data on the three watches, as well as looking at how that pacing was broken down post-run.

During the run, the pacing fluctuated across all three watches. I found the Pixel Watch 5 had a tendency to struggle getting pacing data right at the beginning of the two runs before settling down after. It was a similar story for Apple and Garmin as well. They all seemed to struggle in the section of the route I’d expected them to.

Looking at the post-run data in the respective companion apps, the Pixel Watch 5 did indicate some quicker paces that I’d felt I’d run as well.

Are Google’s claims about the Pixel Watch 5’s GPS justified ?

(Image credit: Getty Images)

I’m not going to say the Pixel Watch 5 is definitively a GPS great after two relatively short runs in albeit very challenging GPS conditions. What I will say is that I was pretty surprised by the results. I had fully expected the Pixel Watch 5 to flounder, but it was actually the most reliable in plotting my actual running route. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 also did well, while the Fenix 8 Pro had some wild moments in the produced GPS tracks.

I think if you’re mainly interested in having a record of your precise route, then this innovation is going to impress. I’d say hikers will certainly like the idea of it.

From a running perspective, specifically from a racing point of view, I’d also want accurate pacing to go with that strong route tracking in real-time too. I’m not wholly convinced the pacing data is as spotless as the route tracking seems to be. Maybe that’s something Google will look at for the next watch or even tighten up with a software update.

The Pixel Watch 5’s new GPS signals an important breakthrough for how smartwatches can deliver more accurate route tracking. Google’s access to an abundance of positioning data, along with the improvements it’s making with AI clearly play their part in making this type of leap in smartwatch GPS technology.

It’s definitely given me food for thought as I choose which smartwatch I step on that London start line with next April, that’s for sure.

• Intel shows three agentic AI architectures at Hot Chips 2026: the 256-core Diamond Rapids Xeon, the Crescent Island inference GPU, and the already-shipping Wildcat Lake client SoC
• Diamond Rapids matches AMD's EPYC Venice on cores and bandwidth but arrives in 2027 with half the threads, while Wildcat Lake's 17 TOPS NPU falls short of Copilot+'s 40+ TOPS certification
• Intel's Crescent Island will support up to 480 GB via third-party partner cards, but the Intel-branded variant will be limited to 160 GB, even as it currently does not publish the memory bandwidth that determines its token economics.

Intel used its slot at Hot Chips 2026 to lay out three architectures it says will carry agentic AI from the rack to the laptop.

The already-shipping Wildcat Lake Core Series 3 SoC is for mainstream client and edge machines, Crescent Island is an inference-optimized data center GPU, and Diamond Rapids is its next-generation enterprise-class data center CPU that can be configured with up to 256 cores.

Pushkar Ranade, Intel's chief technology officer, said in a statement accompanying the announcement that agentic AI is changing how the company designs computing from the transistor upward.

Plenty of compute promises, sans some GPU numbers

Intel's Diamond Rapids, which it plans to brand as Xeon 7, is where the chipmaker provides the most information, unsurprisingly, in an industry that plans purchases and upgrades years in advance.

Its flagship offering can encompass as many as 256 cores, backed by 1.28G of fast last-level cache, 16 memory channels, 128 PCIe 6 lanes, and CXL 3.0. ServeTheHome reported that the maximum configuration uses 16-core chiplets, built on Intel's 18A-P process node.

Rival chipmaker AMD also offers a 256-core trim: the EPYC 9996, built on TSMC's 2nm node, keeps hyperthreading in play, effectively doubling its thread count versus Intel's flagship.

Its Crescent Island GPU is arguably the most interesting design of the three, but the least detailed: a 350W air-cooled PCIe card built on its Xe3P GPU architecture, with 32 cores feeding 256 third-generation XMX engines and 32 MB of unified L2 cache. It surprisingly uses LPDDR5X rather than HBM, but the choice seems rationalized to offer capacity at a power and cost profile that lets Intel compete meaningfully with Nvidia and AMD.

Interestingly, the 480GB figure Intel touts in its press release isn't what it will ship; Intel-branded cards cap at 160GB, and 480GB is a ceiling available to ODM partners building their own configurations. Intel also remains mum on memory bandwidth specifics and told Chips and Cheese it won't disclose the figure; this is crucial for many AI applications, as memory bandwidth determines decode throughput, and decode throughput essentially determines token economics.

Of the three architectures that Intel talked about, Wildcat Lake is the only one you can pick up off a shelf (as a miniPC or laptop) today; it launched as Intel's Core Series 3. Intel stated that it replaced the Foveros packaging used in Panther Lake with an organic multi-chip package, eliminating the base die and, with it, assembly cost and yield loss. Compute die area fell by 38 percent, and I/O tile area by 15 percent.

The 17 TOPS NPU available to such CPUs sits well below the 40 TOPS Microsoft requires for Copilot+ certification. The 40 TOPS Intel cites is a platform total across CPU, GPU, and NPU, which arguably can be met elsewhere, but it's a sticking point for the chipmaker's AI push, which has otherwise been concentrated on capturing enterprise and hyperscale customers.

Soundcore Nebula P1: One-minute review

The Soundcore Nebula P1 is a fun product. It takes some of the cool ideas the brand had with the Nebula X1 and boils them down into a much cheaper projector.

The result is a $799 / £699.99 / AU$1,299.99 1080p projector with a modest 650-lumen output. This makes it a bit limited, as you’ll need a dark space and can’t shine too big an image. But for pop-up movie nights and fun little setups in the backyard, it’s up to the task. It even has slight waterproofing to protect against unforeseen weather.

Its wireless satellite speakers are the Nebula P1’s big party trick, giving it a nice, wide soundstage that most of its competitors simply can’t match. That said, anyone who already owns a pair of Bluetooth speakers with a stereo mode probably can work something out themselves.

The Nebula P1 is a good package, but it relies on the whole package to drive home that value. It’s not far off from the Hisense M2 Pro, and the JMGO N1S Pro 4K has seen some sales that put it dangerously close in price to the P1, and both of those have far superior projection. But where portability and outdoor-worthiness count, the P1 still has an advantage.

(Image credit: Future)Soundcore Nebula P1 review: Price & release date

• Release date: October 2025
• Price: $799 / £699 / AU$1,299

The Soundcore Nebula P1 launched in late 2025 with an initial price of $799 / £699 / AU$1,299. Since then it has seen occasional discounts, which are fairly common for products in this category. These have lowered it to around $700 several times and gone as low as $639. Deals like these are worth watching out for, as they’ll save you a considerable amount and help the Nebula P1 stand clear of some of its tougher competition.

Soundcore Nebula P1 review: Specs

Screen sizes supported

<180 inches

Brightness (specified)

650 Lumens

Optical technology

3 Laser DLP

Smart TV

Google TV

Connections

1x USB-A, 1x 3.5mm audio out, 1x HDMI 2.1 (with eARC), 1x USB-C power

Dimensions

4.9 x 5.1 x 11.2 inches / 124 x 130 x 284mm

Weight

5.3 lbs / 2.4kg

(Image credit: Future)Soundcore Nebula P1 review: Design & features

• Integrated gimbal stand
• Detachable Bluetooth speakers
• USB-C power

The Soundcore Nebula P1 takes some of the lessons the company learned with the Nebula X1 and pairs it with some of the tricks designed for the Nebula X1 Pro. But it's shrunk all of this down and simplified it to fit in a smaller, more portable, and (chiefly) more affordable package.

The Nebula P1 weighs 5.3 lbs / 2.4kg compared to the Nebula X1 Pro $4,000+ behemoth, takes up less than 300 cubic inches / five liters of space, and still combines a projector with a wireless sound system, albeit only a 2.0-channel one.

It’s a funky little projector. The whole unit comes together in a little column just about five inches / 127mm wide and deep and under a foot / 300mm tall. The actual projection unit sits within a frame and swivels vertically to untuck, revealing its lens in the front and its HDMI, USB-A, and 3.5mm ports on the rear. It keeps power separate, coming through a USB-C port at the base of the frame via an included Anker power brick (it can also work with separate power adapters of high enough wattage).

(Image credit: Future)

The top of the projector holds two small speaker units. These are rather loosely secured with small clasps at each corner controlled by a small switch on the back of the unit. They haven’t fallen loose during testing, but they might if you tried to carry the projector by the speakers. Fortunately, with its built-in carrying strap, the Nebula P1 is easy to tote.

Once you've plunked the Nebula P1 down, you just aim the projection where you want it, and then grab the wireless speakers and set them in ideal positions for quality stereo audio — something that's sorely lacking in this kind of projector despite claims otherwise.

The projector has Google TV built in, so it doesn’t need to rely on an external HDMI source. And the 20-hour battery life of the speakers should get you through some epic binge watching. With IP33 protection on the projector and IP54 on the speakers, you can even set up outdoors without worrying about a few stray raindrops ruining the show, though you’ll still want to guard your power source.

When you’re done watching, the projector can fold back up. The speakers can plop back onto the top where they’ll charge via pogo pins, and you’re good to go. Also, as the speakers automatically sleep when the projector shuts down, they won't just die if you ever forget to put them back on the charging pad. They also have USB-C charging ports as a backup. And, yes, they still work if they’re on top of the projector.

Unfortunately, they do slowly drain over time and the pogo pins aren't perfectly reliable. After letting them sit for a longer time on top of the projector, I came back to watch something and found that one of the speakers had not recharged and was dead.

(Image credit: Future)

There are a few small gripes with the design of this system. For one, it makes a common mistake of gimbal-mounted projectors: ignoring other necessary corrections. It’s easy to aim the projector vertically, but if it’s sitting on a sideways slant, however subtle, there are no feet to adjust and correct this.

The frame also stands in the way of being able to point the projector straight up at ceilings. Putting the HDMI port on the back of the projection unit rather than the frame, while likely done to simplify internal circuitry, means the cable can push on the unit and shift its angle. The speakers also don’t clearly indicate when they’ve securely latched back into place.

Aside from the gimbal and focus, the Nebula P1 relies on digital image adjustments. That is to say, if you need to make corrections like keystone, zoom, or rotation, you’ll be forced to crop the projection.

The Nebula P1 supports fairly extensive adjustments, but since they reduce usable pixels, it’s best to find a setup that requires as little adjustment as possible. While a lot of projectors will try to do extensive correction and framing automatically with a front-facing camera, the Nebula P1 only does keystone and focus, relying on a user’s phone camera and app connection for any further automatic correction.

A compact little unit, the Nebula P1’s remote control offers standard Google TV controls and shortcuts to YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video. Conveniently, it has a motion sensor that illuminates many of its face buttons automatically, which really helps in the kind of dark environment you'll be using a projector.

• Design & features score: 3.5/5

(Image credit: Future)Soundcore Nebula P1 review: Picture quality & performance

• Decent picture with the right setting
• Intelligible audio with a (potentially) wide soundstage

The Soundcore Nebula P1 may not have the specs to compete with the movie theaters, but it serves up a respectable picture for some fun at-home watching or outdoor movie night setups.

It’s not super bright, so it really calls for dim or completely dark spaces for the best experience, but you can get by watching bright and colorful content even with some ambient light in the room. HDR content can even pop in a dark environment. The projector’s color is solid and most things look lifelike without oversaturation. It doesn’t match the range covered by triple-laser projectors, but it’s not altogether disappointing. For a projector of its price, the Nebula P1 performs pretty well.

Perhaps its biggest setback is its 1080p resolution, which is exceedingly common in projectors under $1,000. If you go too large, much past about a hundred-inch image, you can start to see the gaps between the pixels with a screen door effect that is all the more prominent on bright pictures. But as long as you don’t project too big an image or sit too close, that’s also a setback that’s easily avoided.

(Image credit: Future)

By default, the projector has a few regrettable behaviors, but these can be tamed. Firstly, almost every picture profile has poor-looking motion interpolation enabled. While this usually looks bad enough, it’s especially bad here because the processing isn’t quite up to the task of quality interpolation. Films and animation immediately look better with this disabled.

The projector also shows a tendency to over-sharpen to make up for its 1080p resolution. This isn’t always apparent, but when the projector displays scenes with lots of fine details — building textures, hair strands, and the like — there’s a lot of visible and distracting aliasing. Dialing down the sharpening to level ‘4’ thoroughly improved this without creating too soft a picture.

The NebulaMaster picture preset might seem like it should be the ideal one, but it has a knack for taking the issues I found and wrapping them all into one. The projector performs much better in the Movie setting.

Unfortunately, the contrast isn't stunning. Black levels don't sink to a pitch black or even close to it. You'll just see a hazy gray in large black areas, which makes dark, night scenes look a fair bit poorer than brighter ones. That’s not uncommon for budget projectors, and even premium models can struggle with black levels.

(Image credit: Future)

Gaming performance is also mixed. Using the projector’s special gaming picture mode, input latency is very low, making it easy enough to play fast-paced games like Hades without issue. That said, the game mode doesn’t allow for digital image correction, and thus undoes any keystone and zoom. In any other picture mode, correction is allowed, but input lag is plain as day and won’t make for a good experience outside of games that don’t require quick reaction.

Moving onto sound, the speakers focus highly on the mids, which helps ensure speech is intelligible. But explosive bass depth is off the cards, and music lacks fullness, while the sound profile can be a bit harsh sometimes with a little extra sibilance. On the plus side, thanks to the ability to spread the speakers out as much as you want, it’s possible to get a very wide soundstage. The speakers can also operate sitting atop the projector, but then you’ll miss out entirely on decent stereo.

• Picture quality & performance score: 4/5

Soundcore Nebula P1 review: Value

While the Nebula P1 serves as something of a small analog to the Nebula X1 Pro, it doesn’t quite break the bank in the same way at just $799 / £699 / AU$1,299. This puts it on the affordable side of the market, and it does a fair bit for a model in this range. With serviceable brightness, a neat audio trick that avoids being gimmicky, and useful portability, it brings plenty to the table for the money.

Ultimately, the portability and sound are what help pull it away from other competitors that can do more in delivering a solid picture without costing much more.

JMGO has a fleet of projectors that have been enjoying steep discounts, making a projector with 4K visuals, the wide color gamut of RGB lasers, and substantial brightness all attainable for $1,000. But the easy portability, ability to run on USB power, and wide soundstage possible from wireless satellite speakers set the Nebula P1 apart.

• Value score: 4/5

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Soundcore Nebula P1?Soundcore Nebula P1 Scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Design and features

The Nebula P1 is nifty with the way it integrates all its little elements. It’s not too sparing on features, and it’s conveniently portable. A little sleeve to carry the charger and remote and to better protect the whole unit on the move would have been a plus, as would a strong clamp for the wireless speaker.

3.5/5

Picture quality and performance

The Nebula P1 offers a good level of brightness, satisfying color, and a sharp enough picture for casual viewing at up to 100 inches. For the money, it’s quite respectable. The picture benefits from some quick adjustments, as the defaults have glaring issues, but there’s not too much fuss.

4/5

Value

The Nebula P1 brings a lot to the table for $799 / £699 / AU$1,299, and even more when considering frequent discounts. With decent visuals, useful satellite speakers, and portability, it’s a nice little bundle.

4/5

Buy it if...

You want wide stereo everywhere you go
The wireless speakers of the Nebula P1 are more than a gimmick. They really make shows and movies more immersive than typical projector speakers. Plenty of projectors offer portability, but few have this trick for quality stereo sound.

You want an on-the-go system with flexibility
With its carrying handle, wireless speaker system, and the ability to run on various USB-C power sources, the Nebula P1 is a more compelling on-the-go projector than a lot of its competition.

You might get caught in the rain
While there are a lot of projectors that can compete with the Nebula P1’s visuals, not a lot of them are as ready to risk a few raindrops. The Nebula P1 has enough water protection to let you relax a little bit while watching outside even when the forecast calls for a chance of rain.

Don't buy it if...

You want a massive, stunning picture
With limited brightness and 1080p resolution, the Nebula P1 just isn’t ready to drop jaws displaying a large picture. For that, you’ll likely want more than double the brightness and 4K resolution.

You already have decent speakers
A lot of Bluetooth speakers will let you link them into a stereo pair, and if you’ve already got a good set, there’s a good chance they’ll be competitive with the P1’s speakers. In that case, you can put your money toward a projector that’s more focused on quality visuals and less on sound.

You’re planning on a permanent, indoor setup
The Nebula P1 has put a lot of effort into its portability and outdoor worthiness. If you’re not looking to take advantage of that, your money can go further with a different projector.

Soundcore Nebula P1 review: Also considerComparison: projectors

Soundcore Nebula P1

JMGO N1S

Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen

JMGO N1S Ultra 4K

Price

$799 / £699 / AU$1,299

$999 / £799 (around AU$1,130)

$799 / £649 / AU$1,302.85

$1,999 / £1,478.70 / AU$2,999

Screen sizes supported

Up to 180 inches

40 to 180 inches

30 to 130 inches

85 to 180 inches

Brightness (specified)

650 lumens

900 lumens

230 ANSI lumens

2,400 ANSI lumens

HDR support

HDR10

HDR10

HDR10+, HLG

HDR10, HLG

Optical technology

4-LED DLP

3 Laser DLP

LED DLP

RGB Laser DLP

Smart TV

Google TV

Google TV

Tizen

Google TV

Connections

1x HDMI 2.1 ( with eARC), 1x USB-A , 1x 3.5mm

HDMI 2.1 ( with eARC), 1x 3.5mm

Micro-HDMI, USB-C (power)

HDMI x2 (x1 eARC), USB-A (power), 3.5mm

JMGO N1S
If you already have speakers you like (or a pair of stereo-capable Bluetooth speakers), you can get a more exciting picture from the JMGO N1S. It’s a bit brighter and looks all the more gorgeous thanks to its RGB laser projection, even if it's still just 1080p. That said, finding one is hard, and a 4K version with a bunch of other enhancements is also available for under $1,000 (see below).

Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen
Samsung has shown a knack for flexibility, and The Freestyle 2nd Gen is good in that regard. But the Nebula P1 takes the lead on brightness, sound, and easy-of-use, even if it won’t be so easy to power off a battery. Read our full Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen review

JMGO N1S Ultra 4K projector
This is the real threat to the Nebula P1. While the JMGO N1S Pro had a $1,999 price when it launched, it has seen that price drop by over 50%. At that price, it’s wild to see bright, RGB laser projection and a 4K picture. It’s not as portable since it requires AC power, but it does include a carrying case. And for image quality, it’s leagues better. Read our full JMGO N1S Ultra 4K projector review.

(Image credit: Future)How I tested the Soundcore Nebula P1

• Tested at home in multiple, real-world viewing conditions
• Presented the display with a variety of media and formats
• I have tested numerous projectors and displays over the last half-decade

I tested the Soundcore Nebula P1 at home, in real-world conditions. This saw it faced with ambient light coming in from numerous windows, in-room lighting, as well as ambient noise that both the projector and speaker systems had to overcome.

The projector was tested both against a bare, white wall and an Akia Screens CineWhite screen. It was presented with streamed content, HDR and non-HDR, and PC gameplay.

My testing evaluates the projector’s performance with respect to its price and competition from other models colleagues at TechRadar and I have tested.

I have been testing projectors since 2021 and displays for even longer.

• First reviewed: August 2026
• Read TechRadar's review guarantee