Technology

ADB lifted Southeast Asia’s growth outlook as AI-linked investment expands, but infrastructure, skills, and costs are creating uneven gains.

The post ADB Raises Southeast Asia Growth Forecast as AI Boom Builds, but Gains Are Uneven appeared first on TechRepublic.

The Voice AI Agents market is growing exponentially. The industry is projected to grow from $2.4 billion in 2024 to $47.5 billion by 2034, while Gartner predicts that by 2028, 70% of customer service journeys will begin with a conversational AI interface.

For global brands, the appeal is obvious. Voice AI offers the potential to deliver consistent, scalable customer support across markets, languages and time zones.

But there is a risk that voice AI will face the same issue faced by outsourced customer service centers, where differences in language and culture create a disconnect and frustration between the brand and customer.

As voice AI advances, language may become less of a barrier. But speaking the same language is not the same as understanding someone.

It’s just one part of the puzzle. Customers bring accents, habits and cultural expectations to every interaction, and they expect support to reflect their reality.

For that reason, localization needs to become a core test of voice AI performance, rather than a translation exercise that happens at the end of development.

What does it mean for voice AI to be ‘local’?

Accents, dialects, terminology and cultural norms can vary considerable even when speaking the same language. In Scotland, for example, a customer might say “aye”, rather than “yes”, refer to something small as “wee”, or talk about “getting the messages” when they mean going shopping. The language is English but understanding the interaction requires familiarity with how that language is used locally.

Cultures also differ in their expectations around directness or politeness. Even something as simple as how a customer is addressed can matter. In some cultures, using titles and surnames is an important sign of respect, while in others, addressing someone by their first name is the norm. A voice agent that is too informal could come across overly familiar, while one that is too formal might feel distant or unnatural.

All this to say that just because an AI might sound like me, it doesn’t necessarily mean it understands me or is equipped to serve someone in my market.

These aren't cosmetic details. They shape an AI agent’s ability to understand intent and respond appropriately and, ultimately, determine whether customers trust the experience it provides.

It doesn’t sound like a robot anymore

This isn’t to say there haven’t been huge advances in AI. There’s a reason why so many brands are investing in voice AI for CX, and that’s because it's becoming so convincing. Just look at ElevenLabs, for example.

The organization has built its success on AI-generated voices that can reproduce not just speech, but the pacing, intonation and emotion that make a voice sound human. Its technology not only spans voice cloning, multilingual speech and conversational agents, helping take synthetic voice from a novelty to something businesses can realistically deploy at scale.

The days when synthetic speech was instantly recognizable as robotic are fading. Early digital voices such as ‘Microsoft Sam’ left little doubt that you were listening to a machine. Today, the line is becoming much harder to distinguish. As voice AI becomes more convincing, our interactions with it can start to feel less like using a piece of technology and more like engaging with another person.

The technology's ability to create a sense of social presence is already apparent beyond customer service. Even actors such as Matthew McConaughey are getting behind AI voice technology, where it can match their performance without requiring them to change the way they sound, demonstrating just how powerful voice and conversational cues can be in shaping our perception.

But the most advanced experiences aren’t universally available, meaning many people may still be exposed to underdeveloped AI voices. What’s more, humans are remarkably good at noticing when something is slightly off. This is what creates the uncanny valley effect.

An unnatural pause, misplaced emphasis or strangely enthusiastic response can quickly break the illusion. Local context adds another layer to that challenge. A voice can sound perfectly human while still sounding culturally out of place. That said, the closer AI gets to human speech, the more conspicuous those moments can become.

Global brands can’t rely on one global answer

This is where global brands need to resist the temptation to treat voice AI as a single product that can be rolled out everywhere.

A frontier model might provide the foundation, but its performance needs to be tested against local data and real customer interactions so it can capture what ‘good’ looks like in terms of:

- The empathy that de-escalates a frustrated customer

- The specific terminology a market actually uses

- The intonation that reads as natural

All of these can't be inferred by a frontier model; it has to be learned market by market, brand by brand. Successful voice AI models will have an ongoing feedback loop which monitors interactions within individual markets, identifies where misunderstanding or friction occurs, refines the experience and tests again.

Local teams can play an active role in this process as well, bringing market expertise into development rather than simply receiving the “finished product”.

It can’t be treated as a job that is ever truly finished. Language and slang changes, customer expectations shift and new trends introduce expressions and behaviors that may not have appeared in the original training data.

Final summary

Getting this wrong can have an impact on a brand’s reputation. As voice AI becomes more human, customers will naturally expect more from it.

Derby City Council recently experienced this with its AI assistant, Darcie, which struggled to understand a presenter with a strong Derbyshire accent who used local expressions such as “mardy” and “duck,” despite having been upgraded to support nine additional languages.

It is a useful reminder that multilingual does not necessarily mean localized. If a system repeatedly misunderstands an accent or fails to recognize local expressions and expectations, customers will not experience it as a technology problem.

Instead, it will shape their perception of the organization behind it. The brands that get real value out of the voice AI boom won’t be the ones whose technology can speak all 7,170 languages in existence today. They will be those whose customers feel the most understood.

We've ranked the best translation software.

This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

Dell’s $999 XPS Googlebook undercuts Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 8 by about $400, but Windows compatibility may justify the premium.

The post Dell XPS Googlebook vs Surface Laptop 8: Save $400 or Stick With Windows? appeared first on TechRepublic.

Removing the Qidi Q2 from the box, I was instantly pleased to see that this new machine reflected everything that I have liked about the Qidi Plus4 machine that I looked at a couple of years ago. However, this is a smaller version with a footprint that is better suited to smaller workshops and studios.

Once again, it’s easy to write off these machines. Qidi , while in the business for as long as many of the big-name brands, just isn’t as well-known, and their machines just don’t have that spark of innovation that we see from the likes of Prusa Research, Bambu Lab, Creality, Elegoo or AnyCubic; however, above all, bar possibly Prusa, Qidi have reliability.

It’s been a busy few months, and the Q2 review has been a long time coming. It’s essentially been sitting, printing for 6 months without issue or fuss: switch on, print, whichever material I need for any given job, usually PLA but ASA, ABS and PETG-CF, same reliability, same print quality.

The main issue is that when a machine starts to blend in, just works as part of the workshop and now classroom you don’t tend to think of it as anything other than having always been there, and that really sums up the Qidi , while it may not have the cutting edge features, what it does have is absolute refinement and reliability.

As I have found in both a business and an educational environment, reliability is far more important than any headline speed figures, multitool changers, or other cutting-edge features when all you need to do is print.

QIDI Q2 3D Printer: Design

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Positioning the 402 x 438 x 494mm frame of the Qidi Q2 onto the workbench was something of a relief; the past three printers and laser engravers have all recently gone for scale, so to have something smaller and quite as neat and robust as the Q2 to move around is a welcome break. While it is smaller, it still offers a decent print area of 270x270x256; this will enable you to print most objects you’ll need for prototyping, although cosplay props and helmets will require the models to be split and produced in parts.

One of the key points for me was that the Q2 comes in at 18.1kg, so while that is still quite weighty, it’s not up to the backbreaking weight of many of the other new machines, which in smaller workshops means that it’s easy to move and store when needed.

The construction is all good and solid, and with the CoreXY mechanics and the full-metal frame it all feels a little more robust than some of the other printers that I have tested recently. I also like the fact that it, which has been product-designed, is more in line with workshop machinery, so slips into that environment neatly.

In the print workroom, which is where the Qidi machines tend to end up, the Q2 has sat alongside the larger Plus4 handling the smaller props prints and artworks that we’re required for the run-up to summer. The quality, speed and ultimately reliability have made this, alongside the other Qidi machine, a valuable addition.

All the features that are essential for education, especially, are here, with the fully enclosed construction which keeps students' fingers away from the heated internal chamber and, more importantly, the hot end.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

The interface is also extremely straightforward, with the 4.3-inch touchscreen making it easy to navigate. What I liked was that the calibration is automatic, so once the machine is set, you can just leave it.

The auto bed levelling with the standard dual-sided textured PEI build plate meant that there were few, if any, misprints, and once prints cool, they’re easy to remove.

When it comes to the build, the Qidi has been designed as a solid and reliable part of the studio, and a printer that blends in rather than standing out and demanding constant attention.

QIDI Q2 3D Printer: Features

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Taking a look at the Q2’s features, while impressive, it positions this fully enclosed printer at entry level these days, which, compared with printers just a couple of years ago, shows just how far the technology has progressed.

The fully enclosed design gives the machine its premium look and feel and houses the CoreXY motion system using heavier-weight 1.5GT belts, with linear guide rail used rather than rods on the X-axis and dual independent lead-screw motors controlling the Z-axis. These are all features that ensured Bambu Lab’s position when they launched, and now even in this entry-level machine they’re a standard.

Toolhead speed is 600mm/s, fast but not unusual at this level, with acceleration of up to 20,000mm/s². Compared with the old Cartesian machines, this is impressive, but with many machines now reaching 1000mm/s, it puts this machine's print speeds at a reliable and steady pace.

The machine is shipped with QidiSlicer, which, as with most slicers these days, is a derivative of Prusa Slicer, although here it has been heavily adapted to enable ease of use. What I liked through the test is that the default profiles are solid and well tested. If you’re new to 3D printing, then it’s just a case of selecting your filament type and the software then the machine sorts the rest. Through this test, I stuck to these default profiles, and the consistency with the QIDI and other manufacturer filaments was superb.

The print volume is 270 x 270 x 256mm, which is a decent size, with most standard 3D printers offering around the 250 x 250 x 250 mm volume. The platform itself is an aluminium-substrate heated bed topped by a removable dual-sided textured PEI plate with a bed temperature that can reach 120°C.

The standard hotend nozzle impressively reaches a temperature of 370°C, meaning that out of the box the bimetal 0.4mm nozzle is equipped to deal with engineering materials. As one feature point that really highlights the direction of the QIDI 3D printers, it uses a direct-drive extrusion system with hardened-steel gears, again built for durability and maximum filament support.

As I mentioned, the 0.4mm bimetal nozzle is fitted as standard; however, if you want to swap it out for something else, then there are 0.2, 0.6 and 0.8mm alternatives available. While you can print with abrasive materials as I did through the test, there is a Tungsten Carbide nozzle available which will last far longer.

The material compatibility list is extensive, with the usual PLA, PETG and TPU, and support for ABS, ASA, PA and PC. The BiMetal nozzle will also print carbon- and glass-fibre reinforced polymers, although this is where I would invest the additional £60/$60 for the Tungsten Carbide hotend.

The Q2 is a fully enclosed machine with active PTC chamber heating system that can push the internal temperature up to 65°C; this is ideal for materials such as ABS, ASA and engineering polymers. The heat around the print enables better control over warping and other print problems for these more advanced material types.

There are several points around the engineering materials that are worth knowing before you start using them on this printer. While it can print with them out of the box, if you’re going to be using carbon-fibre or nylon on a regular basis, I would invest in a filament dryer and that hardened hotend.

Looking at a few of the features that have been introduced that actually make this machine an interesting option for small studios and education are additions such as the G3 pre-filter, H12 HEPA filter and coconut-shell activated-carbon filter. These essentially take out some of the fumes and smaller particles that some of the more advanced materials can make.

The Q2 uses hands-free automatic levelling with a load-cell sensor integrated directly into the hotend. The nozzle itself can therefore be used during the levelling process, removing the need for a separate offset probe.

Specs

Print Technology: Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), CoreXY
Build Area: 270 x 270 x 256mm
Minimum Layer Resolution: Dependent on nozzle/profile
Maximum Layer Resolution: Dependent on nozzle/profile
Dimensions: 402 x 438 x 494mm
Weight: 18.1kg
Bed: Aluminium heated bed, up to 120°C
Print Surface: Dual-sided textured PEI plate
Software: QIDI Studio; compatible with third-party slicers including OrcaSlicer and PrusaSlicer
Materials: PLA, ABS, ASA, PETG, TPU, PA, PC and carbon/glass-fibre reinforced polymers
Print Speed: Up to 600mm/s; acceleration up to 20,000mm/s²

In everyday use, the important point is that calibration is straightforward and, once complete, I’ve found little reason to start making manual fine adjustments.

That’s exactly what I want from a machine being used in education.

The purpose of the printer is to make things. If you’re continually adjusting the printer itself, something has gone wrong with that relationship.

Other advanced features include the 1080p resolution camera that enables you to monitor prints and create time-lapse sequences; this camera is now AI-enhanced, so it will spot defects automatically.

More standard features, including WiFi across a 2.4GHz connection, Ethernet and USB, are all available, and the 4.3-inch, 480 x 272 touchscreen enables you to easily switch through settings.

QIDI Q2 3D Printer: Performance

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

After having the relative complexity of the multi-filament machines over the last year, it’s actually quite nice to go back to the simplicity of a single filament. There is the option to go multifilament, but in this review I’m just looking at the base machine, and as the first few prints finished, I was instantly impressed by the quality of the PLA prints.

As I ran through the stock models that had been provided and then the additional test prints, the quality and speed were consistent. This is a mid-speed printer, and while it’s not as fast as some of the machines I’ve looked at recently, at this price the speed and quality are well balanced.

What is apparent is that, consistently and unusually due to the volume of printers and engravers that have been coming through the workshop, this machine has been printing consistently for six months without issue. This is part of the reason that I’ve delayed the review: firstly, waiting for the Qidi Box, and secondly, it just became a part of the workshop that was in constant use.

This reliability has been seen with the other QIDI printers that I’ve used, with the Plus4 now having been run for almost two years in the college; it's the one printer of many that has consistently worked and meets the safety requirements.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Checking the quality of the prints and the first layer after the auto calibration is always slow and precise, and at no point have I had to make any adjustments to that initial calibration height.

The prints also hold firm during printing, and if printing multiple prints across the heated bed, they all stick firmly through the process, releasing easily when the platform cools.

What was also apparent was that after a six-week break at the college, where the machine has sat mostly unused, all it took to get it back into action was to power it on. A quick bench test, and the machine was printing perfectly.

Taking a look at the benchmark tests, the results were impressive.

QIDI Q2 3D Printer: Print quality

Dimensional accuracy - score of 4

Target 25 = X: 24.90mm / 0.10mm Error | Y: 24.87mm / 0.13mm Error
Target 20 = X: 19.88mm / 0.12mm Error | Y: 19.80mm / 0.20mm Error
Target 15 = X: 14.90mm / 0.10mm Error | Y: 14.93mm / 0.07mm Error
Target 10 = X: 9.89mm / 0.11mm Error | Y: 9.78mm / 0.22mm Error
Target 5 = X: 4.88mm / 0.12mm Error | Y: 4.89mm / 0.11mm Error
X Error Average = 0.11
Y Error Average = 0.146
X&Y Error Average = 0.128

Fine Flow Control - score of 5

Fine Negative Features - score of 5

Overhangs - score of 5

Bridging - score of 5

XY resonance - score of 2.5

Z-axis alignment - score of 2.5

Adding up the totals gives a final score of 29 out of 30.

QIDI Q2 3D Printer: Final verdict

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

The review of this 3D printer has stretched over a far longer period than most, with the machine being set up and used for the last six months. While the pricing places this at the entry level, the build quality and reliability make it clear that this machine strikes a careful balance.

It gives you a standard out-of-the-box machine that is a reliable tool in the workshop, and if you work in education or have a small business or design studio, then that is exactly what it provides.

The Q2, used as a single-filament machine as I have looked at it in this review, offers a solid, no-fuss approach and huge support for a good range of materials. Key features include the CoreXY design, cooling system, filter and fully enclosed design that enable everyone from a complete beginner through to professionals to have a machine that will be reliable and easy to use.

The Qidi software is again well thought out, and the stripped-down approach again makes it an ideal option for those who are new to 3D printing; the machine connection and the slicing workflow are all well thought through.

This might not be a machine that shouts. out with the latest features and cutting-edge additions, but instead it refines this style of machine perfectly. If you want more, then there are the other hotend options, and there’s the QIDI box for multifilament printing.

Essentially if you need a no fuss, solid and reliable 3D printer then the Qidi Q2 is a great option, while there is the multifilament option at present as a single filament machine it’s a great price and close to perfect for what it is.

Should You Buy the Qidi Q2 3D printer?

Value:

Excellent value with a fully enclosed design and robust build that should last for years

4.5

Design:

Relatively compact design, with expansion options and built-in filters

4.5

Features:

Heated chamber, filtration and multi-material expansion future-proof the machine

4.5

Performance:

Six months of reliable printing highlighted just how refined this machine is

5

Total:

Compact, capable and exceptionally reliable all make this a great choice for education.

4.5

Buy it if…

Reliability really matters

If you’re using a 3D printer in the classroom, workshop or busy home setup, the Q2’s headline feature is its consistency and reliability. Once calibrated, it simply gets on with printing, with little maintenance or recalibration needed.

You need versatility

The Q2 is perfect for PLA printing for everyday tasks, but then with the fully enclosed chamber it’s also a great option for more advanced materials, especially with the upgrade options.

Don't buy it if…

You print huge

The 270 x 270 x 256mm build area is pretty decent for an everyday printer, but large prototypes and single-piece models will need something bigger.

Speed matters

The 600mm/s maximum is good rather than exceptional, especially against the competition. There are competing printers with faster, higher speeds, although the Q2’s real strength is the consistency.

See what I rate as the best 3D printers you can buy based on my workshop tests

We’ve just published our Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 review and, spoiler alert, it’s glowing and they're certainly in with a shot of claiming a spot in my guide to the best wireless earbuds in Australia. However, for all their talents, there’s no denying they’re expensive at AU$499.

The good news is that now they’ve launched, it means their just-as-talented predecessor, the Momentum True Wireless 4, enjoys a significant discount, and have now plummeted to AU$248 — just in time for the Prime Big Deal Days sale that kicks off tomorrow.

The sleek and compact Momentum True Wireless 4 are brimming with features including aptX Lossless and Auracast support, along with an impressive 30-hour battery life. Audio quality is top notch, offering very much a balanced and neutral profile, meaning each aspect of your favourite tunes gets the attention it deserves. The best price is on the black model. View Deal

Sennheiser is no stranger to producing quality headphones, but I do feel the brand can go under the radar for many, being overshadowed by the likes of Apple and Sony. And that’s a shame, because when you consider pairs of earbuds such as the Momentum True Wireless 4, there’s an awful lot to like.

As we said in our Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 review, “sound quality is where [they] shine”. These compact ‘buds serve up a neutral sound profile, and will reproduce any genre you want to throw at them with accuracy and packed with detail.

The new model also favours a neutral approach, and as we said in the review of that pair they "essentially sound about the same as Momentum True Wireless 4”, no doubt in part because they use the same 7mm TrueResponse dynamic drivers. That makes the huge price cut on the MTW4 all the more impressive and worth considering.

There are a few concessions compared with the newer model, of course. The MTW4 have Sennheiser’s older, slightly bulkier design, while the MTW5 sit lower in the ear and have been reshaped for a more comfortable fit. The newer buds also step up to Bluetooth 6.0, increase total battery life from 30 to 40 hours, add an improved eight-mic calling system and introduce user-replaceable batteries.

However, none of those upgrades fundamentally change the core listening experience — especially when the MTW4 is now less than half the price.

Garmin released its newest iterations of its flagship Fenix smartwatches in August in the form of the Fenix 9 and 9 Pro and, as expected, they come with super-premium materials, brighter-than-ever displays and improved maps. So it’s no surprise that they also carry sky-high price tags starting from AU$1,599.

If you’ve been eyeing one but don’t want to spend flagship smartphone-level money on a smartwatch, this deal on the Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2) Sapphire Edition for AU$849 will get you most of the core functionality for a much lower price.

Amazon’s Prime Big Day Deals sale hasn’t started yet but the Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2) Sapphire Edition is already discounted by 50%. While it’s been cheaper before (having dropped to AU$684 in July this year), you get the same core functionality of the Fenix 9 — like multi-band GPS tracking, a built-in LED torch, core mapping data, and premium materials like scratch-free sapphire lenses and titanium bezels — for a much lower price.View Deal

Having launched in 2023, our Garmin Epix Pro review called the watch “essentially an AMOLED-screened version” of the Garmin Fenix 7 Pro, but still earned itself 4.5 stars out of 5 for being one heck of a multisport wearable. Some of the features introduced here include the Elevate Gen 5 heart rate sensor, Up Ahead, Hill and Endurance scores and fast charging support.

You can also find your typical Garmin fare here like sleep scores, VO2 max, notification functionalities, music control, onboard music storage, estimated race prediction times, maps for golf courses and ski resorts, and many more usually found in a premium multisport outdoor watch.

The Fenix 9 offers a faster processor, brighter screens, more onboard file storage, improved mapping, a 40m dive certification, built-in speakers and microphones for calls, and new sport profiles that, honestly, aren’t really necessary for every athlete.

If you’re not too fussed about having all the latest and greatest additions but want a very capable premium watch to track all your adventures this summer, you can’t go wrong with the Garmin Epix Pro Gen 2 for almost half the price.

• Fable associate game directors Craig Littler and Will Kennedy say British humour is a "crucial" part of the reboot
• They say it's presented in all systems, from story to dialogue and combat
• Playground Games made sure to steer away "from anything that's too crude"

Playground Games has said its Fable reboot will feature the series' iconic British humour across all systems, but it avoided anything overly "crude."

During a press Q&A at Gamescom, attended by TechRadar, associate game director Craig Littler said British humour "is a core part of the Fable DNA" and the decision to bring it forward into Playground's reboot "has been a crucial thing that we're always thinking about, because for us it has to be interwoven throughout the entire game."

"It's not just in the story. It's not just in the dialogue, but you even see flourishes of it in the combat," Littler said, before talking about the spell that lets players turn enemies into chickens, which he laughs about every time.

"It's hilarious," he added, saying, "We believe that the core idea of Fable is that the humor is [shown] throughout."

Associate game director Will Kennedy said that even when enemies turn back from a chicken, they'll still flap around for a while, which is visually funny but also gives players the opportunity to land some attacks.

"To us, tone is something that we're thinking about all the time and in every system, really," Kennedy said. "Any opportunity to add that fabled British tone of humor."

The directors also said the team thought deeply about how to present the humour, particularly for a modern audience; not every joke or gag will land the same for everyone, and the humor in the older Fable titles may be outdated, and they made sure not to feature anything too rude.

"For us, we've steered away from anything that's too crude," Littler confirmed, "and I think the real test for Fable when it comes to the tone is that it does just have to be funny, and that comes from really great writing, having a brilliant narrative team, and honestly the actors that we've hired as well."

Those actors include British stars and comedians like Hayley Atwell, Matt King, Natasia Demetriou, and more, with Littler saying they "really bring themselves to the role and are also capable of the sincerity that really gets to the heart of fairy tales as well. You want somebody who has that humour, but can really deliver an enormous performance as well."

He also teased some improvisation from the cast, explaining that the actors are given a solid script, but do give them "some latitude" for some improv.

"At the end of the day, they're great British comedians," he added. "Sometimes they're going to say something that's just pure gold. So yes, there is some latitude, and absolutely we reuse it when we can."

Fable launches on launch on February 23, 2027, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC.

• X-energy has completed the main structure of its Tennessee fuel plant called TX-1
• The facility could eventually produce 700,000 TRISO fuel pebbles annually
• TX-1 will be America's first new commercial-scale advanced fuel facility in decades

X-energy has completed the main structure of TX-1, a nuclear fuel manufacturing facility located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

The 214,000-square-foot plant, developed by subsidiary TRISO-X, represents the first commercial-scale advanced nuclear fuel facility built domestically in over 50 years.

Clark Construction Group, the contractor handling the project, oversaw this vertical construction phase, clearing the path toward interior systems and eventual equipment installation.

Manufacturing capacity built for a growing fleet of reactors

TRISO fuel consists of tiny uranium particles wrapped in multiple carbon- and ceramic-based protective layers for durability.

Those layered coatings contain fission products while letting the fuel withstand temperatures far higher than conventional nuclear fuel typically tolerates.

The TX-1 plant is expected to produce roughly 700,000 TRISO fuel pebbles annually when it commences full operations, consuming about 5 metric tons of uranium, which would supply enough fuel for as many as 11 of X-energy's Xe-100 advanced reactor units combined.

Each Xe-100 reactor module produces 80 megawatts of electricity, with four combined modules forming one standard 320-megawatt plant.

TX-1 will initially supply fuel for X-energy's planned Xe-100 deployment at Dow's UCC Seadrift Operations manufacturing site in Texas.

"Completing vertical construction is a major milestone for TX-1 and another tangible demonstration of the progress our team is making in Oak Ridge," said Joel Duling, president of TRISO-X.

Clark Construction Group will now shift focus toward process equipment, an administration building, and an adjacent graphite matrix powder facility.

Earlier this year, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted the plant a 40-year Special Nuclear Material License for operations ahead.

X-energy says this represents the first NRC Category 2 fuel fabrication license issued for processing high-assay low-enriched uranium, known as HALEU.

Expanding beyond one site as demand for advanced fuel grows

TRISO-X has separately expanded its broader Oak Ridge nuclear fuel campus by approximately 70 additional acres of land.

The company also extended its existing research partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory while beginning construction on a separate facility.

That new facility, called TX-L, will function as a dedicated research and development site going forward.

Beyond the Dow project, X-energy is pursuing additional Xe-100 deployments with Energy Northwest, Amazon, and Centrica as future customers.

Each new reactor project would add further demand for the specialized fuel TX-1 is being built to eventually produce.

Finishing the building's main structure does not mean fuel manufacturing can begin immediately at this location.

X-energy must still install specialized production equipment, commission interior systems, and prepare the facility for full commercial operations ahead.

No completion date has been disclosed for TX-1, but when completed, it would give the United States its first new domestic source of advanced reactor fuel in decades.

That outcome would also reduce reliance on foreign uranium suppliers while supporting new clean energy projects already planned with Amazon, Energy Northwest, and Centrica.

Via Interesting Engineering

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, September 27 (game #1707).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today — or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1708) — hint #1 — VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1708) — hint #2 — repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #1708) — hint #3 — uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1708) — hint #4 — starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1708) — hint #5 — starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• B

• T

• S

• H

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1708) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1708, are…

• BRUNT
• TORSO
• STONE
• HEATH

Words beginning in T and ending in O always look exotic to me — possibly because the one that I’d first think of would be tango.

There are also two brilliant cities in Tokyo and Tromso, which today’s most difficult-to-get word, TORSO, shares some of its letters with.

Daily Sequence today (game #1708) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1708, are…

• TEDDY
• BLUFF
• CHOCK
• OTHER

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1707, Sunday, 27 September: VALET, CHEST, VIGIL, PUREE
• Quordle #1706, Saturday, 26 September: SNORT, BIBLE, LAPSE, CRANE
• Quordle #1705, Friday, 25 September: SWEAR, FLOOD, GUPPY, GROAN
• Quordle #1704, Thursday, 24 September: TOPIC, METRO, SCALP, FREED
• Quordle #1703, Wednesday, 23 September: SHEET, BLAND, JOIST, GUAVA
• Quordle #1702, Tuesday, 22 September: COMFY, LOBBY, DRESS, PANEL
• Quordle #1701, Monday, 21 September: WAXEN, HIPPO, PETAL, LEASH
• Quordle #1700, Sunday, 20 September: DERBY, LIMBO, GAWKY, REIGN
• Quordle #1699, Saturday, 19 September: SCOPE, HEIST, PULSE, CHAMP
• Quordle #1698, Friday, 18 September: MUCUS, MIRTH, APPLE, TILDE
• Quordle #1697, Thursday, 17 September: CRIER, CHIRP, NEIGH, FREER
• Quordle #1696, Wednesday, 16 September: SPEAR, PRICE, BLUNT, FISHY
• Quordle #1695, Tuesday, 15 September: SHUSH, LITHE, DELTA, BUGLE
• Quordle #1694, Monday, 14 September: ZEBRA, LEGAL, RATIO, TROLL
• Quordle #1693, Sunday, 13 September: LUCID, SPRAY, MANGE, EMAIL
• Quordle #1692, Saturday, 12 September: SUPER, BRUSH, RESET, SOWER
• Quordle #1691, Friday, 11 September: PLUSH, PAINT, RIVAL, AFOUL
• Quordle #1690, Thursday, 10 September: AGENT, EXILE, TITAN, PUREE
• Quordle #1689, Wednesday, 9 September: HAPPY, GONER, SMACK, MOTIF
• Quordle #1688, Tuesday, 8 September: FLUNG, DIARY, HALVE, BERTH

The storage space on your phone can quickly fill up, what with movies, music, photos, videos, games, and apps to consider, and you don't want your handset to get close to running out of room — what if you need to download some movies for a flight or record a moment with the kids and there's not enough space on your phone for it?

Among the many tricks you can turn to to free up some space on your device, one of the lesser-known options is reducing the room taken up by apps you're not really using any more. You can do it on any phone model: Android calls it archiving, and iOS calls it offloading, but the process works in a similar way.

This isn't uninstalling apps (which is also an option for freeing up space): it's stripping them down to the bare bones. It works best for those apps that you're not using regularly, but that you think you might come back to at some point, such as apps you only use on vacation or at events such as festivals, or games you haven't played in a while but still enjoy.

What archiving and offloading does

You can archive apps manually if needed (Image credit: Future)

There's a good chance you've got a bunch of apps on your phone that you don't actually use that much: you installed them to test something, or try something out, or as an alternative to another app, and they just didn't stick. If you're not using these apps though, they're really just taking up room.

Uninstalling these apps is one option you've got, and will maximize the amount of storage space you get back. On Android, open the app drawer, tap and hold on an app, then drag it up to the Uninstall button at the top; on iOS, find the app on one of your home screens, press and hold on it, then tap Remove App > Delete App.

You can of course reinstall these apps whenever you like, but it's not a particularly quick or easy process. You need to find it again on the app store on your phone, wait for it to download, enter all your login details again, and customize it the same way you had it set up before. You might also lose some account data along the way, depending on the app.

Archiving or offloading is a middle ground. The bulk of the app gets removed from your phone, which helps with storage space, but key files stay in place — and the app icon stays in the app drawer or on the home screen. When you need the app again you just tap its icon, and after a few moments the necessary files are downloaded, and you're able to pick up from where you left off.

Archiving apps on Android

You'll find the relevant setting in the Play Store app (Image credit: Future)

This feature is called Auto Archive on Android, and Google promises it can free up as much as 60% of the storage that an app is using, without removing the actual app or deleting your user data. It isn't turned on by default, but you can enable it yourself.

Open up the Play Store on your phone, tap your profile picture (top right), then choose Settings > General. Turn on the toggle switch labeled Automatically archive apps, and when storage space starts to run low, certain apps will be archived for you.

You can let Google choose the apps that are archived when space runs low, or archive them yourself. To archive an app, open Settings then Apps: Select the app you want, then tap Archive on the app details screen.

Android might prompt you to turn on Auto Archive if space is running low on your phone and you try and install something new from the Play Store: if this happens, tap Turn on to enable the feature, or No thanks if you want to clear some space manually.

Offloading apps on iOS

The Offload Unused Apps option in iOS (Image credit: Future)

Over on iOS, the feature is called Offload Unused Apps, and it was introduced all the way back in 2017 with iOS 11. As on Android, the feature is off by default, but Apple will prompt you to turn it on when storage is low, or you can just turn it on preemptively: From Settings, select Apps > App Store, then turn on the Offload Unused Apps toggle switch.

Apple doesn't explain much about which apps are picked to be offloaded, so we're presuming that iOS chooses the ones you've left dormant for the longest when space starts to run out. Offloaded apps have a small arrow next to their name below their home screen icons.

You can opt to offload specific apps manually too, whether or not you've enabled the feature for iOS as a whole. From Settings in iOS, tap General > iPhone Storage, then select an app, and pick Offload App. The same screen lets you uninstall the app too.

How much space you're going to save using this method is obviously going to vary, but you might be able to free up more room than you thought. Whenever you need one of your offloaded apps back again, tap on its home screen icon to reinstate it.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5: Two-minute review

Sennheiser doesn’t rush its new products — especially within the best earbuds market. It’s been over two years since the launch of the Momentum True Wireless 4 and, even back then, I remember the brand saying at my product briefing that they were already at work planning ahead for potential EU regulations. Which regulations specifically? That the batteries within these tiny earpieces may well need to be user-replaceable in coming launches.

Those laws are still on the horizon… sort of. Other brands have had their complaints, saying the rules force tiny devices to be bulkier and less waterproof, so there are now various exceptions. Sennheiser, though, stuck to its plan. With the launch of the Momentum True Wireless 5, the company is proving that user-replaceable batteries are possible even in products as small as wireless earbuds.

Longevity is only one part of the story when it comes to these new buds though. Much like the new Momentum 5 over-ear headphones, they’re stuffed full of upgrades. They’ve now got a refreshed premium design, a different shape and fit, improved noise-cancelling and transparency, refined sound, and extra features, such as immersive Dolby Atmos audio and aptX Lossless high-res streaming. Spoiler alert for the rest of this review, but they’re the complete package.

After more than two weeks of use, the Momentum True Wireless 5 (or MTW5) have quickly become my new favorite wireless buds for just about anything and everything. They’re quite clearly the flagship to beat in 2026.

To my ears, they’re better-sounding than the top rivals from Technics and JBL, with an enjoyable, neutral, yet non-fatiguing sound that caters to critical listening. The improved ANC is now only a slight step behind Apple, Bose and Sony’s best, and that gap is close enough to barely matter for most of us.

Crucially, the Sennheiser buds are highly customizable with the Smart Control Plus app, an intuitive platform that I find to be one of the best companion apps in the business. Should you want to, you can adjust the sound, tap controls, ANC levels, codecs in use, battery preservation, and more.

The sustainability credentials and long-term usability make them easy to recommend. But once you add in their natural audio on a wide soundstage, high-end style, comfortable fit, and smart companion app features, the Momentum True Wireless 5 might just be the best buds out there for the money.

(Image credit: Future / Simon Cocks )Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5: price & release date

• Launched in September 2026
• Sells for $300 / £250 / AU$499

How much money, though? For high-end earbuds, you expect a high cost, and the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 are launching at the competitive price of $300 / £250 / AU$499.

Unsurprisingly, that puts the MTW5 pretty much in the mix with the rest of the flagships. Apple’s AirPods Pro are $50 cheaper at $249, but these directly compete with Sony’s WF-1000XM6 — costing $329 / £250 / AU$499.95 — and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) – for $299 / £299 / AU$450. And, of course, luxury or boutique pairs such as the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 ($399 / £349 / AU$599) or Master & Dynamic MW09 ($349 / £319 / AU$599) will still cost a fair chunk of cash more.

No matter how you look at it though, these are pricey for most of us. But once you factor in the replaceable batteries, it’s easy to see how these could keep you going for longer than others on the market. And these are the first premium buds from an audio brand to have this repairability feature, with Fairphone's Fairbuds being essentially the only other rival even attempting it. So, kudos there.

Future / Simon Cocks Future / Simon Cocks Future / Simon Cocks Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 review: specs

Drivers

7mm dynamic

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Battery life

Up to 12 hours per earbud, 40 hours in total

Weight

7g (per bud)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 6.0

Frequency range

5 Hz-21 kHz

Waterproofing

IP54

(Image credit: Future / Simon Cocks )Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 review: Features

• User-replaceable batteries (for both the buds and the case)
• Bluetooth 6.0 with seamless multipoint switching
• Head-tracked Dolby Atmos spatial audio

The replaceable battery is the headline feature here, of course. It’s a big deal because the batteries are what's most likely to degrade first in your earphones. Until recently, the glued-in cells in wireless buds have meant that, one way or another, they’re destined to be e-waste in only a matter of years.

Sennheiser includes a battery replacement tool for the buds in the case, and you can access the case battery and the bud batteries with the help of a tiny screwdriver. Luckily, the required screwdriver is the one I have on hand to adjust my glasses. To do my due diligence for this review (even though these fresh buds would be a long way away from needing their batteries replaced) I’ve gone through the process of opening up both the case and buds, and can confirm it’s easy enough as long as you follow the instructions on how to use the included tool. Just be careful as you’re dealing with delicate, small parts.

I also spoke with Frank Foppe, the product manager for the MTW5, and I asked how long they’re made to last before a battery replacement might be needed. He confirmed that about 80-90% of the capacity should remain after 500 charge cycles. That’d mean you could use them every single day for two hours and get to four years of use before you notice much of a difference.

And, while Sennheiser isn’t yet able to confirm the cost of replacement batteries, once those are available, they should make a big difference to the longevity of the MTW5. You could realistically buy these earbuds, take care of them, replace the batteries and keep them working for well over five years or much more (as long as all other parts remain functional).

Right now, you should get 6 hours of playtime with ANC on, and up to 12 hours with it off. Sennheiser claims an ANC-off battery life totalling 40 hours once you factor in the charging case, which seems to be about right in my testing. I ran a test playing a Spotify playlist for three hours at 50% volume with ANC on, and had 60% remaining, which confirms a single-charge runtime of around 7.5 hours, a little better than Sennheiser’s estimate. Recharging is via the USB-C port on the case or wireless charging, and a quick charge of eight minutes gives you an hour of use.

(Image credit: Future / Simon Cocks )

Much like the MTW4, Sennheiser has also made these a “future-proof” pair of earbuds when it comes to the feature set. They include several abilities other current launches still lack, and they have the brand’s excellent battery protection feature (to slow down charging and limit the charge level to 80%), which is another way they’re designed for long-term use.

You’ve got Bluetooth 6.0 with Snapdragon sound, a low-latency mode, support for lossless audio and 24-bit/96kHz streaming, Dolby Atmos head-tracked immersive audio, reliable wear detection, excellent multipoint switching, Google Fast Pair, Microsoft Swift Pair, and upgraded microphones for better noise-cancelling and transparency, along with LE audio and Auracast (not at launch, but promised for a future firmware update).

While I’d found ANC on the MTW4 “effective”, I’d say the new version definitely takes things a step further. We’ve now got four microphones per earbud (plus bone-conduction voice sensors for calls), which is up from three per bud on the predecessor. In all the environments where I’ve used noise-cancelling – including coffee shops, city streets and the London Underground – I’ve found my music or podcasts still audible at reasonable volumes without needing to turn it up to overpower the noise.

The wind-noise reduction kicks in quickly and is also excellent, and I should know, as it’s been particularly windy on my walks lately! Noise-cancelling, overall, feels quite natural while still being capable enough to silence a great range of outside sounds, adapting well to changes in your environment.

But it still isn’t quite the “bubble of silence” ANC that you can get from the AirPods Pro 3 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds! I don’t find that it’s a difference that matters that much anymore, but it’s worth knowing that there’s even more powerful ANC out there.

Transparency is brilliant, though, and up there with AirPod models for how natural its passthrough of the outside world is. I also love that turning on transparency pauses your audio. I listen to podcasts a lot, and having a one-tap way to pause and get awareness is fantastic for quickly saying hi to the cashier at my local corner shop. I also tested the microphones with calls and voice notes. They’re decent at isolating my voice when playing loud, busy cafe background noise, but with the occasional missed word or two. That said, they’re good for outdoor calls and great in a quiet room.

• Features score: 4 / 5

Future / Simon Cocks Future / Simon Cocks Future / Simon Cocks Future / Simon Cocks Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 review: Sound quality

• Neutral sound on a wide soundstage
• Excellent detail and warmth for a non-fatiguing listen
• Highly customizable in the app

Sennheiser markets these as “engineered for serious listeners” and I don't disagree. They’re not really made with bass-heads in mind, and have more of a neutral approach when compared to some consumer sound profiles. But they’re also not sterile, offering warmth, depth and smoothness. You get just enough weight and control to the bass, a natural midrange and crisp highs, plus a lot of flexibility to adjust the sound to your liking.

If you know much about the previous generations of these earbuds, all that I’ve just said won’t come as a big surprise. While there are slight refinements to the sound, these essentially sound about the same as the MTW4 and MTW3 before them. They use the same 7mm TrueResponse dynamic drivers from the predecessors, and one notable benefit over rivals is a greater width to the soundstage and a palpable sense of instrumental separation.

Billie Eilish’s Oxytocin is a fantastic test track for these buds — with effects zipping across the mix, perfectly centered lead vocals, and breathy backing vocals coming at you from all sides. I played the spatial mix from Apple Music and switched on Dolby Atmos, and it’s definitely a convincing implementation of the processing. As my playlist went on, I began to encounter tracks not mixed for spatial audio, though, and you’d need to manually turn off Atmos so those don’t sound a bit weird.

I far prefer Dolby Atmos over most proprietary spatial options, so I appreciate its presence here, but I’d make sure you only use it when listening to playlists or albums full of tracks optimized for Atmos. It works best with Atmos-certified content, and in those cases much of the processing will be done on the source device.

Head tracking works, but it’s still not essential. The fixed spatial audio is plenty, and I still recommend mostly using this mode with films and TV shows designed for immersion, rather than music, which can be a little more hit-and-miss. I tested it with Severance on Apple TV and found it enhanced the eeriness of the quiet sound design and the dialogue clarity.

I tested bass with my go-to low-end thump test, the slow-burn sub-bass of Massive Attack’s Angel. The MTW5 excel, not coming off as overly bloated or boomy, but instead clear and textured. Vocal and midrange realism is where Sennheiser’s natural tuning pays off most. Listening to Coldplay’s Clocks reveals more detail and subtleties I don’t usually hear. And I moved on to the busy mix of Muse's Supermassive Black Hole, where every element feels defined, without the smearing you so often hear from lesser drivers. The width of the soundstage makes for a more engaging listen and, when combined with the tightness of the bass and detail in vocals, I’d say they’re a pair that’s ideal for a relaxed listening experience.

They’re so non-fatiguing that I can keep listening for hours and hours. The most intense audiophiles may still have their nitpicks, as these are tuned more for musical enjoyment than they are for being analytical, but I really think there’s very little that can’t be solved with the 8-band EQ. A full parametric equaliser (as on the HDB630 over-ears) would’ve been a great customization feature, but it’s also one that many users wouldn’t find intuitive.

Sennheiser’s Sound Personalization is a companion to EQ, and is a blend between a preference test and hearing evaluation, where you tweak the volume of different instruments to your liking, and then use a slider to find the lowest level at which you can hear the sample track. The result still sounded great for me, but I ultimately found that I prefer the default “Neutral” after comparing the two.

My honest view on the codec support is that it’s very easy to get lost in the weeds with it all, and far more of this is marketing than most of us tend to admit. The high-res aptX Lossless codec is present, but only kicks in with compatible Android sources, so you may not be able to engage this mode anyway.

I tested it with the Fairphone 6 Plus, which supports the full aptX suite, but it wouldn’t shift out of Adaptive. But this isn’t surprising given that “Lossless” is more of a “mode” hiding inside aptX Adaptive. Basically, this can all get a bit confusing, and there isn’t a substantial difference. A competent codec like AAC will give you quality with virtually no audible difference from aptX, thanks to Sennheiser’s great tuning and driver design. If you have a phone supporting aptX Adaptive, you may hear a tiny difference, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

These sound superb, so you’re not losing anything by choosing “Robust connection” instead of the “Advanced sound quality” mode. You won’t be able to tell them apart, and you’ll get to use every feature (Atmos is unavailable if you turn on high-res, for example).

• Sound quality score: 5 / 5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Cocks )Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 review: Design

• New, premium design with a shallow fit and slim case
• Comfortable to wear all day
• Screws for the user-replaceable batteries

Fans of the fabric-wrapped case may be disappointed to see how Sennheiser changed things up with the MTW5. The buds now live in a slim and lightweight, textured plastic casing with a shiny circular logo on top. This case has a sturdy metal hinge, one of the best I’ve tried, and the USB-C port is now at the bottom left (it used to be on the front of the older design). On the case and buds, you’ll see the screws needed for changing batteries, but the earphones are still IP54 dust- and splash-resistant.

The fabric case of the MTW4 I tested quickly picked up a big scuff, so I’m hardly mourning its departure. In fact, everything about the MTW5 feels significantly more premium to me. Another added benefit? This svelte approach is far more pocket-friendly.

The buds themselves are very shiny, which I quite like but may divide opinions, and they’ve got a different form factor, at a similar size and weight (7g per bud vs 6.2g for the MTW4). They’re on the chunkier side, so are harder to recommend for those with the smallest ears. They now fit in a totally different way from the predecessor, too, with a much shallower fit and no stability fins. Despite lacking the fins, they actually fit me slightly better.

Even more than with other buds I’ve tried, you absolutely must double-check your ear tip sizes with the four options in the box (I needed a larger tip size in my right ear than in my left). And try not to twist them too much, as I’ve found that can break the seal and introduce friction noise when you walk while ANC is on. A gentle turn is all you need to lock them in place, and with the new thicker silicone tip material Sennheiser uses, they shouldn’t budge. With a good fit, it’s a secure seal that offers great passive noise isolation.

Aside from being shiny, the buds have a more curved look (a bit reminiscent of the Sony WF-1000XM5) and an “anti-wind” design, with a visible grille covering the mics at the front. They’re still controlled with customizable tap gestures, but the touch target is now noticeably smaller, and it’s one of my few (minor) negative points. I find you have to be pretty intentional about where you tap, because it’s easy to miss and do a single tap when you intend to double-tap.

Overall, I’m a big fan of the rounded, stylish new design, and I love that it comes in a more expansive range of colors (Graphite, Copper, Denim, Lavender and the Cream shade reviewed here) than the likes of AirPods or Sony buds. But you might find these distractingly shiny and not suit the shallow fit or chunky body. How much you like them will come down to personal preference.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Cocks )Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 review: Value

• Competitive with other high-end buds
• Feature-packed and premium
• Loads of rivals, but very few offer replaceable batteries

Sennheiser is not short of competition. The key rivals are the AirPods Pro 3, Sony WF-1000XM6, Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen), JBL Tour Pro 3 and Technics EAH-AZ100. In direct comparison, though, the MTW5 is packed full of features that some of these lack, and they deliver a natural and clear sound instead of the bass-forward sound of many other buds.

Ultimately, though, Sennheiser’s value argument comes down to how it offers user-replaceable batteries. Assuming these batteries are under $50, you won’t be forced to throw away your $300 pair when the cells naturally degrade in about three to four years or so. That’ll help if you consider them as a long-term investment.

With that said, the landscape won’t stay the same. New buds with replaceable batteries will eventually launch, and many will surely be cheaper than this too. For flagship quality in sound, design, comfort, and battery life, though, I’d bet Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 5 will remain some of the best buds you can buy for years to come.

• Value score: 5 / 5

Should I buy the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5?

Section

Notes

Score

Features

The app gives you loads of ways to customize the buds to suit you, and they have all the features you could want.

5/5

Sound quality

These are a fantastic-sounding pair of buds, prioritizing detail, clarity and smoothness on a wide soundstage.

5/5

Design

I’m a fan of the new look and fit, which is sleeker and shinier, but may still be a little bulky for small ears.

4.5/5

Value

They’re an investment, but offer a lot to compete with flagship rivals, and have replaceable batteries that other pairs lack.

5/5

Buy them if…

You want earbuds for the long run
Switching out batteries for fresh ones after years of use means you should be able to own these for far longer than others, so they’re ideal for anyone hoping to escape the upgrade cycle.

You like a balanced and natural sound
Sennheiser is known for its trademark natural sound, wide soundstage and relaxed listening experience – these impress on all counts.

You want a premium and comfortable design
The new subtly rounded bud design and slimmer charging case are much more premium than Sennheiser’s old buds and much of the competition.

Don’t buy them if…

You need the absolute best ANC around
This is a minor but notable shortcoming, so if you want top-tier noise-cancelling, you’ll still need to go with Apple, Bose or Sony, as these are still a step or two behind the class leaders.

You’re on a budget
I can argue that they’re good value and competitive with other flagship wireless earbuds, but this is still a lot to spend on buds, even if they’re some of the best around.

You don’t like shiny earbuds
There’s no getting around it; whichever color you pick, they’re eye-catching and shiny, and that’s an unavoidable aspect of the design.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 review: also consider

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)
If superior noise-cancelling is your top requirement, these are some of the best options out there; it helps that they’re also comfortable, immersive, and offer dynamic and powerful audio that adapts to your unique ear anatomy. Read our full Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) review.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4
The older model is still stacked with features even when compared to today’s rivals, so it’s worth considering if you can pick up the MTW4 at a discount – they’re great all-rounders with detailed and balanced sound, strong battery life and future-proof Bluetooth support including aptX Lossless, LE audio and Auracast. Read our full Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 review.

Technics EAH-AZ100
Our current top pick for wireless earbuds overall, the Technics flagship won’t disappoint with its secure and comfortable fit, nuanced and customizable sound and control, and excellent triple-device multipoint connectivity. Read our full Technics EAH-AZ100 review.

How I tested the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5

• Tested for over two weeks
• Paired with Android, iOS and macOS devices
• Used during multiple activities

I tested the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 for over two weeks, pairing them with my iPhone 17 Pro, MacBook Air, Fairphone 6 Plus and Activo P1 music player, all of which allowed me to thoroughly test different codecs and multipoint connectivity.

I took them with me everywhere and I used the earbuds while on the London Underground, at coffee shops and while walking on city streets to test the active noise-cancelling capabilities, and I used them for long listening sessions while working to evaluate battery life. I tested calls and microphone recordings, and ran a controlled battery test to see how much they drained over the course of three hours. While testing, I listened to podcasts and music from a wide variety of genres, mostly streamed from Apple Music but also on Spotify and Deezer.

I've been testing gadgets since 2020, and I've reviewed countless headphones and earbuds, including several flagship earbuds including those from Bose, Apple, Technics, JBL and Sennheiser, and I previously tested out the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 and Momentum True Wireless 4.

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

• Ukrainian bombers dropped ground robots more than ten kilometers behind Russian lines
• Gryphon robots reached positions Ukrainian forces could not easily access
• Ukraine is increasingly using machines to reduce soldiers' frontline exposure

Ukraine's Third Army Corps has carried out a first-of-its-kind attack, using heavy bomber drones to deploy ground robots directly behind Russian positions.

The operation formed part of the ongoing Operation Vivaldi counteroffensive, which launched in May 2026 across the northern Donetsk region.

According to the Ukrainian military, soldiers from the corps' unmanned systems units developed this specific tactic entirely on their own initiative.

How bombers delivered strike robots past enemy defenses

Heavy bomber drones operated by the Third Assault Brigade dropped NC13 strike ground vehicles, nicknamed Gryphons, more than 10 kilometers behind Russian lines.

These wheeled robots carried cameras that recorded the entire operation, which allegedly resulted in casualties on the Russian side.

Attacking troops in a location where they had not anticipated ground-level assault reportedly gave Ukrainian forces a clear tactical advantage.

The name Gryphon honors Hryhorii Bach, a machine gunner who went missing during earlier fighting for the settlement of Andriivka.

"Now, even more of our infantry soldiers' lives can be saved, while more enemy personnel and resources are destroyed," said the Third Army Corps in a public statement.

Separately, Ukrainian ground robots cleared antipersonnel mines across more than 18 miles of routes without requiring human sapper teams onsite.

That same clearance task would normally have needed two full engineering companies working manually across multiple days.

Remote-controlled robots and their operators already handle roughly 60% of mine clearance within the corps' entire area of operations.

Electronic warfare units attached to the operation reportedly disrupted more than 20,000 Russian drone missions throughout the wider counteroffensive campaign.

Vivaldi's broader gains and what comes next this autumn

Since its launch, the Ukrainian military claims that Operation Vivaldi has reclaimed up to 96 square miles of territory while defeating one arm of a Russian pincer movement.

“Our operation is called ‘Vivaldi,’ and Vivaldi, as we know, has four seasons. And this is only the first of them. […] There will be good news, but for now our actions require silence,” said Andrii Biletskyi, Commander of the Third Army Corps.

Ukraine's drone campaign against Russian fuel supplies has reportedly limited diesel availability for generators powering enemy electronic warfare systems nearby.

Russia's elite drone unit, known as Rubicon, reportedly withdrew from the region after suffering losses inflicted by Ukrainian forces.

Russian commanders are now redirecting armored vehicles and drone units toward Dobropillya, preparing for expected mechanized assaults later this autumn season.

During the summer months, Russian forces tested a new anti-drone protection system on their most modern tanks.

Ukrainian drones reportedly still overwhelmed those defensive systems despite the added protective measures fitted to the vehicles.

Ukraine's growing reliance on ground and aerial robots signals a broader shift toward reducing human exposure along the most dangerous frontline positions.

As winter approaches, both militaries appear likely to keep adapting their drone tactics in response to each other's latest countermeasures.

Via ArsTechnica

• Google is testing whether AI hardware can survive repeated exposure to space
• The experimental satellite carries four custom Tensor Processing Units into orbit
• Radiation testing showed the TPUs could withstand demanding orbital exposure levels

Google will launch its first experimental orbital data center satellite on October 1 2026, marking an early test for Project Suncatcher, its long-term research initiative.

This moonshot effort explores whether low Earth orbit could eventually host scalable machine learning infrastructure powered largely by sunlight.

The satellite, called MVP, carries four of Google's custom Tensor Processing Units inside a spacecraft roughly the size of a refrigerator.

Testing hardware survival before scaling any further

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will carry the satellite into orbit as part of the Transporter-18 rideshare mission alongside other payloads.

Satellites in low Earth orbit can generate up to eight times more solar power than equivalent panels positioned on Earth's surface.

Google did not build MVP from scratch; instead, it integrated its chips into a satellite that Planet Labs, a satellite imagery company, had already built, helping Google accelerate its original 2027 timeline for launching two custom-built satellites into orbit.

During a rocket launch, spacecraft experience vibration and acceleration loads reaching up to ten times normal gravity throughout the flight.

Individual chip components can experience even greater forces, ranging between fifty and one hundred times normal gravity during ascent.

Engineers tested the satellite by shaking it along three separate axes to simulate those exact launch conditions beforehand, and that vibration testing confirmed the hardware withstood the simulated launch forces without any structural or functional failure.

"Tests like this rarely go as planned, so we were pleasantly surprised that the hardware held up to the force," said Travis Beals, Senior Director, Paradigms of Intelligence at Google.

Radiation exposure presented another concern, so Google tested its Trillium TPUs inside a proton beam facility at UC Davis.

Those tests showed the chips survived radiation doses exceeding what a five-year orbital mission would typically deliver.

Cooling remains the biggest unresolved engineering challenge

Cooling presents perhaps the most difficult problem, since space offers no airflow for dissipating heat the way Earth's atmosphere does.

Google's solution relies on thermal interface material connecting the chips to aluminum and copper heat pipes leading outward.

Those components funnel heat toward radiators capable of projecting it directly into the surrounding vacuum of space.

Because of this limitation, the TPUs will only run continuously for about fifteen minutes before requiring a shutdown period.

After each fifteen-minute session, the chips must pause completely while the radiator system catches up on cooling.

Future satellite designs will carry dozens of TPU chips each, communicating across the constellation using precise high-speed laser connections.

Google plans to test two satellites communicating this way sometime in 2027, alongside its previously planned custom satellite launches.

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, September 26 (game #1706).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today — or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1707) — hint #1 — VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1707) — hint #2 — repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1707) — hint #3 — uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1707) — hint #4 — starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1707) — hint #5 — starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• V

• C

• V

• P

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1707) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1707, are…

• VALET
• CHEST
• VIGIL
• PUREE

I took this game very slowly and it paid off. I was particularly pleased about getting VALET, as the letter V is one I’ve suffered a strange blindness to in the past.

My only risk was guessing PUREE instead of “purge”, a good one as it turned out.

Daily Sequence today (game #1707) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1707, are…

• STRAW
• OVERT
• FEWER
• SAINT

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1706, Saturday, 26 September: SNORT, BIBLE, LAPSE, CRANE
• Quordle #1705, Friday, 25 September: SWEAR, FLOOD, GUPPY, GROAN
• Quordle #1704, Thursday, 24 September: TOPIC, METRO, SCALP, FREED
• Quordle #1703, Wednesday, 23 September: SHEET, BLAND, JOIST, GUAVA
• Quordle #1702, Tuesday, 22 September: COMFY, LOBBY, DRESS, PANEL
• Quordle #1701, Monday, 21 September: WAXEN, HIPPO, PETAL, LEASH
• Quordle #1700, Sunday, 20 September: DERBY, LIMBO, GAWKY, REIGN
• Quordle #1699, Saturday, 19 September: SCOPE, HEIST, PULSE, CHAMP
• Quordle #1698, Friday, 18 September: MUCUS, MIRTH, APPLE, TILDE
• Quordle #1697, Thursday, 17 September: CRIER, CHIRP, NEIGH, FREER
• Quordle #1696, Wednesday, 16 September: SPEAR, PRICE, BLUNT, FISHY
• Quordle #1695, Tuesday, 15 September: SHUSH, LITHE, DELTA, BUGLE
• Quordle #1694, Monday, 14 September: ZEBRA, LEGAL, RATIO, TROLL
• Quordle #1693, Sunday, 13 September: LUCID, SPRAY, MANGE, EMAIL
• Quordle #1692, Saturday, 12 September: SUPER, BRUSH, RESET, SOWER
• Quordle #1691, Friday, 11 September: PLUSH, PAINT, RIVAL, AFOUL
• Quordle #1690, Thursday, 10 September: AGENT, EXILE, TITAN, PUREE
• Quordle #1689, Wednesday, 9 September: HAPPY, GONER, SMACK, MOTIF
• Quordle #1688, Tuesday, 8 September: FLUNG, DIARY, HALVE, BERTH
• Quordle #1687, Monday, 7 September: VISIT, CLANK, FEVER, OCEAN

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, September 26 (game #1203).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #1204) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• WU-TANG
• CARRIER
• HOMING
• BOOTH
• STOOL
• MARBLE
• BBQING
• OPERATOR
• CLAY
• BANQUETTE
• NETWORK
• CHAIR
• LOHAN
• BRONZE
• PROVIDER
• PLASTER

NYT Connections today (game #1204) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Statue materials
• GREEN: Sit to eat
• BLUE: Phone energy
• PURPLE: The end for hereditary rulers

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #1204) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: SCULPTURE MEDIA
• GREEN: RESTAURANT SEATING OPTIONS
• BLUE: TELECOM
• PURPLE: ENDING IN CHINESE DYNASTIES

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #1204) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1204, are…

• YELLOW: SCULPTURE MEDIA: BRONZE, CLAY, MARBLE, PLASTER
• GREEN: RESTAURANT SEATING OPTIONS: BANQUETTE, BOOTH, CHAIR, STOOL
• BLUE: TELECOM: CARRIER, NETWORK, OPERATOR, PROVIDER
• PURPLE: ENDING IN CHINESE DYNASTIES: BBQING, HOMING, LOHAN, WU-TANG

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

The NYT gives us a relaxing end to the weekend with a simple controversy-free game.

It’s hard to see any red herrings in this game, although I did waste some time wondering if Lindsey LOHAN had any connections to the WU-TANG Clan — maybe she has 36 chambers at home, or perhaps she used to work at a gravel pit?

I began with RESTAURANT SEATING OPTIONS, as it contains one of my favorite words — and the seating option everyone would plump for given the choice — the BANQUETTE. The STOOL, on the other hand, is something you’d only select if you had no other pick or if your name was Arthur Fonzarelli.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, September 26, 2026, game #1203)

• YELLOW: BREATH FRESHENERS: GUM, MINT, MOUTHWASH, SPRAY
• GREEN: THINGS DONE TO A DRESS SHIRT AT THE LAUNDRY: FOLD, PRESS, STARCH, WASH
• BLUE: FEATURES OF WOOD: BURL, GRAIN, KNOTS, RINGS
• PURPLE: "COOL" THINGS, IN EXPRESSIONS: BEANS, CAT, CUCUMBER, CUSTOMER

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, September 26 (game #937).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #938) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… It’s skin deep

NYT Strands today (game #938) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• SUET
• CLEAR
• TRACE
• STIR
• RAISE
• ROUTE
• NOSE

NYT Strands today (game #938) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 10 letters

NYT Strands today (game #938) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

• First side: left, 5th row

• Last side: right, 4th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #938) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #938, are…

• SUNSCREEN
• MOISTURIZER
• CLEANSER
• SERUM
• TONER
• SPANGRAM: BEAUTYCARE

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I would normally begin by finding words connected to any rare letters or double-letter combinations, but in today’s game it was impossible to ignore SUNSCREEN in the top left-hand corner.

From here I moved on to MOISTURIZER and then realised with these two finds I had exhausted my knowledge of skincare products.

Fortunately, these two spots opened up the spangram and CLEANSER. I did get the final two words without a hint, but even though they were both just five letters long it took me a stupidly long time to uncover SERUM and TONER.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, September 26, game #937)

• BREEZE
• ZEPHYR
• GUST
• WHIFF
• PUFF
• FLURRY
• CURRENT
• SPANGRAM: GENTLEWIND

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

• Each LTO-10 cartridge natively holds 40 TB, expanding to 100 TB when compressed
• Fujifilm uses Barium Ferrite particles for improved magnetic stability and lifespan
• Uncompressed transfer speed reaches 440MB per second — higher when compressed

Fujifilm has begun selling its newest LTO-10 Ultrium tape cartridge, a storage format built specifically for enterprise archival and long-term backup needs.

Each cartridge holds 40TB of native capacity, expanding to as much as 100TB once standard 2.5 to 1 compression gets applied.

At that capacity, a single tape could theoretically hold roughly 13,000,000 songs, assuming an average file size of 3MB per song.

Massive capacity built for data centers and long-term archives

Fujifilm built this cartridge using Barium Ferrite particle technology, a magnetic material chosen specifically for improved stability and extended archival lifespan.

The company rates uncompressed data transfer at 440MB per second, rising to 1,100MB per second once compression gets factored into daily performance.

That places LTO-10 well ahead of most enterprise SATA hard drives, which typically max out around 250 to 290MB/s.

Fujifilm also built in AES-256 encryption that meets FIPS 197 compliance standards, a requirement common among government and financial sector storage buyers.

The cartridge carries 15,105 individual tracks across its tape surface, supporting the dense data layout needed for such massive total capacity.

The company rates the bit error rate at 1 in 10 to the 20th power, a figure the company claims is roughly 100,000x more reliable than typical enterprise SATA hard drives.

Archival life is up to 30 years under proper storage conditions, considerably longer than most spinning drives or SSDs typically last.

Reliability claims and where this format fits today

This cartridge only works with LTO-10 tape drives and libraries, meaning buyers need compatible hardware already installed before adopting this specific format.

That requirement limits LTO-10 largely to data centers, media archives, and institutions already running established tape backup infrastructure at scale.

Fujifilm claims this format is ideal for disaster recovery scenarios, where long shelf life matters more than instant retrieval speed for most files.

Unlike hard drives, magnetic tape degrades slowly when stored correctly, making it a common choice for cold storage across many industries.

The format remains rewritable, letting institutions reuse cartridges across multiple backup cycles rather than treating each tape as single-use only.

Tape storage has persisted for decades despite predictions of its decline, largely because no cheaper alternative matches its capacity per dollar.

Whether LTO-10 sees wide adoption outside specialized enterprise environments remains uncertain, given how few consumer devices support tape drives at all.

Fujifilm backs the cartridge with a limited lifetime warranty, a guarantee uncommon among comparable storage formats sold at similar price points.

This cartridge is currently selling for $494, discounted from a suggested retail price of $888.89 listed by the manufacturer.

For organizations managing petabytes of infrequently accessed data, a cartridge holding 100TB of compressed data may be worth considering.

Via Tape and Media

Venom PlayStation Portal Carry Case review

With Grand Theft Auto 6 right around the corner, I imagine that quite a few PlayStation players will be dusting off their PlayStation Portal — or even newly buying one — to enjoy 2026’s biggest game on the go. But if you’re planning to take your Portal on the go, it’s important to keep it safe, and the Venom PlayStation Portal Carry Case can do just that.

I’ve spent a few weeks using Venom’s PS Portal case, and honestly it impressed me. I used to be the type of person who would just wrap my Portal or Nintendo Switch in a sweater, throw it in my bag, and hope for the best — what can I say, I just didn’t want to spend my money on something as unexciting as a case.

But the Venom makes the outlay feel a bit easier to swallow, as it comes in at an exceptionally modest price of $25.99 / £14.99 / AU$49.95. Given that it also comes with a tempered glass screen protector, cleaning tools, and thumbstick grips, that’s really not bad, is it? Don’t be fooled, though, despite its low price tag, Venom’s case still rivals some of the very best PS5 accessories.

This comes down to one main thing: its durability. For such a cheap case, the Venom PlayStation Portal Carry Case is surprisingly rough and ready. It has a hard outer shell, and when dropping the case now and then, or throwing it into my bag, it never showed any signs of wear and tear, and my console survived without issue. The exterior was not damaged during a scratch test, either, and its textured look is pretty appealing.

My system also sat pretty snug inside the case, which has a molded interior to slide your PlayStation Portal into. There’s also a hook-and-loop strap which fastens it in place, and although it's a bit cheap, it serves its purpose well.

My only complaint is that there’s no fabric pad to sit over the screen, so the fastener rubs up against the screen. I’ve not seen any scratch marks or anything, but PowerA’s case — which I’ve slid into the ‘also consider’ section — offers more secure protection with fabric padding and dual fasteners.

(Image credit: Future)

There’s a second compartment inside the case too, and this has a zip-locked net that can hold accessories like earbuds, cleaning tools, and cables. It was plenty big enough to house my accessories, although the zip isn’t very high quality, and it came undone at one point — though I was able to fix it very easily. Luckily, the zip on the exterior is a bit stronger, and I found it to be secure at all times.

The Venom case also has a solid handle which has a rubber grip, which is pleasant to the touch and tall enough to fit my relatively large hands.

In honesty, this model is more like a starter kit for PS Portal owners than just a case, though. It comes with a tempered glass screen protector, which is basic, sure, but easy to fit and decently durable. There are also a couple of cleaning wipes and some neat thumbstick grips which seamlessly fit on and feel satisfyingly textured.

So, should you buy the Venom PlayStation Portal Carry Case? If you don’t want to spend all too much, and want a durable piece of kit with some nice extras thrown in, then the answer is yes. I think PowerA’s case is marginally better, thanks to its stylish design, USB-C charging passthrough slot, and fabric padding.

But Venom’s case does offer a bit more storage. I’d argue that Venom’s model is on the bulky side, and it did take up a lot of room in my bag, but if that’s not a dealbreaker for you and you need a quality, affordable case, then look no further.

(Image credit: Future)Venom PlayStation Portal Carry Case review: price & specs

Price

$25.99 / £14.99 / AU$49.95

Dimensions

6.2 x 13.2 x 3.9in / 158 x 335 x 98mm

Weight

0.9lbs / 403g

Compartments

2

Handle

Yes

Color

Black

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Venom PlayStation Portal Carry Case?

Attribute

Notes

Score

Design

Durable exterior, decent looks, solid extras thrown in, a bit bulky.

4/5

Storage

Good amount of space for accessories, net compartment zip a bit flimsy.

4/5

Value

Great price for the case and accessories combined.

4.5/5

Buy it if…

You want an affordable protective bundle
With a case, screen protector, cleaning wipes, and thumbstick grips, this product has everything you need to keep your Portal safe when out and about. It's also available at a highly affordable price point, making it ideal for those on a budget.

You need storage space for accessories
Unlike some rivals, Venom included plenty of space here for you to store accessories like earbuds, cables, and cleaning gear. Just throw everything you need in the zip-locked compartment, and you’re good to go.

Don’t buy it if…

You want top-tier build quality
If you want a premium standard of build, then Venom’s case may not be for you. It's durable on the outside, sure, but the inside zip is a bit flimsy, and there’s no padding for your Portal’s screen.

You’re looking for something slim
Due to its storage compartment, Venom’s carrying case is a bit on the bulky side. Slimmer options are available if you don’t want to take up too much space in your bag — even PowerA’s option below is considerably flatter (though still pretty broad).

Venom PlayStation Portal Carry Case review: also consider

PowerA Protection Case for PlayStation Portal
I use PowerA’s PS Portal case all the time, and it's a truly brilliant model in all aspects. It has a hard, rugged exterior, a molded interior with fabric padding for the screen, and a charging slot so you can juice your portal up while it’s in the case. It's also stylized to look a bit like the PS Portal and is very affordable. You can’t really go wrong with this one.

Read my full PowerA Protection Case for PS Portal review.

How I tested the Venom PlayStation Portal Carry Case

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested across multiple weeks
• Directly compared to rival models
• Tested by a seasoned gaming accessories reviewer

I spent a couple of weeks testing the Venom PlayStation Portal Carry Case, using it as the main mode of transport for my precious remote player. I took it with me on the go and made sure to try housing it alongside various accessories and assess it for any damage afterward.

To judge how durable Venom’s case was, I tried dropping it from a controlled height, performed some scratch tests, and then checked for any signs of wear and tear. I also compared the Venom case against rivals, mainly the PowerA Protection Case for PS Portal, which is my usual go-to.

More generally, I’ve been reviewing gadgets for years here at TechRadar, where I serve as a Senior Reviews Writer. I’ve tested a whole lot of gaming accessories, including cases for the PS Portal and Nintendo Switch 2, as well as controllers, screen protectors, and audio gear.

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

• Panasonic Let's Note SC7 weighs just 919 grams but passed drop tests from both 76 and 30 cm
• The chassis meets the US military's MIL-STD-810H toughness standard
• Battery testing returned nearly 23 hours of continuous everyday use

Japanese manufacturers have long built a reputation for producing remarkably light business notebooks, with some models weighing under a kilogram entirely.

Panasonic has now expanded that lightweight lineup with the Let's Note SC7, a compact notebook weighing just 919 grams total.

The company also carried over its distinct circular wheel pad, letting users scroll by tracing a finger along the pointing device's outer rim.

Packs a full-day power into a small frame

The SC7 features a 12.4-inch display with a 3:2 aspect ratio, taller than the widescreen format common on most rival laptops today, showing more vertical content at once, improving efficiency when editing spreadsheets, documents, or browsing lengthy web pages daily.

Inside sits an Intel Core Ultra 5 325 processor paired with a 47 TOPS neural processing unit for on-device AI tasks.

The low-end version of this device comes with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of internal storage - however, users can choose models with 32GB or 64GB of RAM and 1TB or 2TB of internal storage depending on the buyer's needs.

Let's Note SC7 ships with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, HDMI, and Gigabit Ethernet.

Under the hood, this notebook uses a 56Wh removable battery, which is attached with two screws rather than a latch.

According to Panasonic, this battery lasts roughly 17.7 hours during video playback and 32.4 hours in idle mode under JEITA 3.0 standards, and charging through the bundled 65W USB PD adapter reaches about 46% capacity within 30 minutes.

A magnesium alloy body measuring 273.2 x 208.9 x 19.9 mm combined with internal ribbing keeps the notebook sturdy, though it still appears slim.

Sturdiness, software, and benchmark results that support the design

Panasonic subjected the SC7 to internal drop tests from 76 centimeters and 30 centimeters across 26 separate directions during development.

The chassis also passed a 100 kgf pressure vibration test and met the US Department of Defense's MIL-STD-810H toughness standard - few compact business notebooks built outside Japan undergo this level of physical stress testing before reaching commercial release.

The built-in NPU meets requirements for Microsoft's Copilot+ PC program, enabling both cloud-based and local artificial intelligence processing directly on device.

PCMark 10 testing showed the processor performing at full capacity, aided by Panasonic's proprietary MaxPerformer heat and power tuning system.

On Geekbench 7, the Let's Note SC7 scored 2354 points on single-core tasks and 10437 points on multi-core benchmarks.

Battery testing under PCMark 10's Modern Office profile returned roughly 22 hours and 59 minutes of continuous everyday use.

For security, this device includes facial recognition through an infrared camera alongside a fingerprint sensor built into the power button.

It is currently available in gray, black, rose, and deep indigo, but there is no indication that this device will sell outside Japan.

All these capabilities do not come for cheap, as Panasonic lists this device for 298,100 yen, which is about $1,880.

Via PC Watch (originally in Japanese)

There are many audacious and commendable feats in gaming. Taking down Consort Radahn, platforming through the Path of Pain, filling your entire Pokedex, to name but a few. However, despite personally doing all these things, one task chewed me up and spat me out repeatedly. One that, on paper, isn't all that tough at all.

From the Backlog

Every gamer has a backlog — and that’s no different for us at TechRadar Gaming. From the Backlog is a series about overdue first plays, revisiting classics, returning to online experiences, or rediscovering and appreciating established favorites in new ways. Read the full series here.

The task: To get through Act One of the mammoth CRPG, Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3).

The 'act one syndrome' brought on by the sheer volume of content and the steep learning curve of BG3 is something that just about everyone has endured at some point when exploring Faerûn.

However, I feel I have been wearing this albatross around my neck for quite some time. While watching others take second laps around Faerûn for a Dark Urge run, unburdened by this plight of mine.

BG3 has been the loud, obnoxious gnawing at the back of my mind. The bane of my backlog, and at some point, I snapped.

Operation: get act one done

(Image credit: Larian Studios)

On paper, it's far from a Herculean task. After all, if you really want to, you can hop off the Nautiloid and head straight for the Githyanki Crèche if you choose. But ignoring the slew of content and the abundant, overlapping 'what ifs' is just too tall a task for a completionist such as myself.

I've gone back to the BG3 well a grand total of seven times. Each time, I fell at the first-act hurdle, but for different reasons.

At first, it was simply overzealous confidence and ineptitude. There was an underlying issue in that my understanding of Dungeons & Dragons principles was severely lacking.

As a result, there were many hour-long battles that inevitably led to a full party KO and a painful restart. Poor decisions compounded with each new dialogue exchange. This culminated in a heated exchange with a deceptively powerful frog, and the first of many save files to be abandoned. RIP Ignacius, my first Tav to fall.

Then came the attempts to right that wrong. A YouTube brush-up on DND systems here and there, a few tweaks to the starting build, and it would all surely work out fine.

It did not.

(Image credit: Larian Studios)

There was an inevitable and foolish overcorrection, a choice to play a build that simply wasn't fun to use, especially for a novice like myself. Monks sound great on paper, as you can let your fists solve all problems. Until you’re starved for Ki and left helpless. So, with that, another save file bit the bullet. RIP Falconhoof.

You would think at this point, with so much Baldur's Gate 3 act one experience behind me, success was all but guaranteed. But then, like a pesky Kobold leering from the shadows, a menacing creature I call my wife said, in hushed tones, 'That looks fun; will you show me how to play?' Thus beginning a co-op campaign led by a D&D novice, acting as a sage for an even bigger novice.

Safe to say, this blind leading the blind dynamic was about as successful as Lae’zel would be headlining at the Comedy Cellar. So, we dug a twin grave for my wife's Tav and poor, unfortunate Arcane Michael.

It was these constant setbacks that set the wheels in motion for even more attempts to go awry. Because the dynamic shifted from a state of wonderment and curiosity to an attritional, transactional slog, as scenarios, battles, and pivotal choices repeated again and again, lacking the weight they once had.

Much like Tav, I too was infected with a parasite acting as a ticking time bomb. At some point, the tedium, or the ennui, would set in, and I would succumb to that parasite's mind control. Forcing me to exit the game, uninstall it, and relegate BG3 to the back of the backlog again.

Mercifully, this affliction doesn't come part and parcel with a tadpole insertion through the eye socket, but it’s unpleasant nonetheless.

Finding my Faerûn flow state

(Image credit: Larian Studios)

Returning for my eighth crack, things had to be different. So, I put those wheels in motion. I cooled off for an entire year, forgetting large portions of the opening act in the process. I researched the most fun, accessible build to play relative to the most recent patch. I even passed on some hot and fresh releases, devoting all my time and energy to breaking through.

But above all, I knew that if this was ever going to work, I would need to learn how to let go. To let decisions shape the experience rather than relying on save-scumming, embrace the rough and the smooth in equal measure, and find the mental fortitude to push on towards new and exciting things.

As someone who wants to see everything a game has to offer, ponder over every decision, min-max at every opportunity, and somehow manage to accurately roleplay while juggling all of this. I was still skeptical that it would all click into place. But against all odds, in honor of my newborn son, my Halfling Rogue, Lorcàn, was born, and before long, I could see the Shadow-Cursed Lands on the horizon.

With a streamlined build that allowed me to rely on Luck, overpowered stealth, and flexibility to multiclass. No combat encounter felt like an insurmountable task, and no conversation felt like an inevitable road to a failed dice roll. My half-pint Halfling fittingly gave me the glass-half-full mindset I needed.

Minthara and her goblins were vanquished: shoved down a chasm to their doom. The party shone a light on the Underdark's mysteries. I left that demonic frog to their own devices. But above all, the insurmountable pressure to finally leave Act One had dissipated and this is an accolade I place in my personal trophy cabinet of gaming feats.

The city of Baldur's Gate awaits, and finally, I feel that curiosity and magic again.