Technology

The malware pretends to be a legitimate download for an app like Google Chrome.

In the UK, we're exceptionally good at producing legal dramas. From Silk to Kavanagh QC, we've been offering the world a strictness and sense of traditionalism that the likes of Law & Order just can't touch.

Nowhere was this more apparent that The Split, one of the most popular dramas on BBC iPlayer in recent years. Exploring the world of divorce law, we follow the Defoes, a family of sisters working as divorce lawyers, who come face-to-face with their past after their estranged father returns to the fold.

The series came to an end in 2024, but two years later, spinoff The Split Up is ready to take up the mantle. This time, we're following Kishan Law, a powerhouse British South Asian family law firm.

Aria (Ritu Arya) is poised to take over leadership from her father Dhruv (Sanjeev Bhaskar), but the death of Aria's mother six months prior causes Dhruv to hesitate. Add in a workplace love triangle, complicated siblings and a messy divorce trial walking through their doors every week, and we've got something to get our teeth into.

It's a brilliant and delicious watch — so much so that I binged all six episodes in one sitting. Speaking to writer Ursula Rani Sarma, I learned that she already has ideas for more (though no official renewal has been made). On top of that, they're not ruling out a Nicola Walker cameo further down the line.

'If a storyline created that opportunity, we could 100% do it'

"My personal hope is for three seasons minimum," Sarma tells me. "I feel like I'm only just getting started with writing these characters and their journeys. As I was coming up with these storylines for season 1, I also had ideas for seasons 2 and 3 in my head."

This last statement alone immediately makes The Split Up worth investing in. We're living in an age of routine TV cancellations and one-season miniseries, so for Sarma to be taking the time to think further ahead means there's a natural richness that (surely) the BBC can't say no to.

"The three-season arc also emulates The Split," she continues. "But of course, that turned around and surprised everyone with a special. It's endless, my hopes and dreams for this family."

No spoilers, but we leave The Split Up at a place where enough is resolved and left unspoken simultaneously — which, frankly, is exactly where you want be heading into another season.

But what about a direct crossover? "I don't think anything's off the table," Sarma adds. "It was really important for the first series to establish this family to hopefully make audiences fall in love with them in the same way. To build that up without wondering what would happen if Hannah [Walker] were to walk in.

"But this is the gift of being part of The Split. If a storyline created that opportunity, we could 100% do it. Its cast are clearly so fond of that show."

That's the sense of optimism I like to see... now I just need to keep my fingers crossed.

When the original Steam Deck was first announced back in mid-2021, it was a revelation. Valve proved that handheld gaming PCs could be cost-effective and still powerful enough to run demanding software at playable framerates. The first-generation Deck would ship in February 2022, with the Steam Deck OLED model later innovating with a larger, prettier screen, improved refresh rate, and a superior battery in November 2023.

The Steam Deck impressed at the time with its respectable semi-custom AMD APU complete with its four-core (eight threads) CPU clocked between 2.4 and 3.5 GHz, and 8 RDNA 2 Compute Units clocked at 1.6 GHz.

In short, the hardware inside meant that pushing the best PC games to 30 FPS (and above in some cases) at its native 1280 x 720p resolution was a possibility, but the competition has proven that it's time for Valve to go back to the drawing board if it wants to stay competitive.

That's because the Steam Deck is now fairly underpowered when compared to the best PC handhelds on the market. The competition have Full HD (1080p) displays (or better), and feature vastly superior hardware in the form of AMD Ryzen Z1/Z2 or Intel Arc G3 APUs that run rings around the previous-generation frontrunner. So, what does Valve need to do to ensure the Steam Deck 2 can compete if, and when, it launches?

1. A 120Hz Full HD (1080p) OLED display as standard

All of the major Steam Deck rivals use a high refresh rate 1080p display, or better, so it's time for Valve to catch up (Image credit: Microsoft)

Both the Steam Deck LCD and Steam Deck OLED models feature a native resolution of 1280 x 720p with either a 60Hz or 90Hz refresh rate. Considering when the former was launched, this was an acceptable trade-off for providing playable framerates. However, every competing product in the oversaturated space has since eclipsed this, meaning the Steam Deck 2 absolutely needs a 120Hz 1080p display at a minimum to be viable.

You only need to look as far as the biggest rivals from back in 2023; the Steam Deck's panel was passé less than a year after the hardware debuted, as evidenced by the Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go. Both devices could confidently be called true Steam Deck rivals. The first-generation ROG Ally had a 7-inch 120Hz 1080p panel, whereas the original Legion Go had a 144Hz 8.8-inch QHD+ screen.

I'll always argue that anything above 1080p on a display as small as seven or eight inches ultimately results in a waste of resources, and it seems hardware companies got the hint in 2024. More than two years ago, the MSI Claw A1M launched with a 7-inch Full HD screen, as did the Zotac Zone, Asus ROG Ally X, Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, Lenovo Legion Go S, and Lenovo Legion Go 2, as well as recent releases such as the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+. There's no need for Valve to look to 1440p (QHD), but the company needs to get with the times to avoid being left behind; lacking a decent screen would kill the Steam Deck 2.

2. A semi-custom AMD Zen 4 and RDNA 3.5 APU (or better)

It's likely that Valve would go the semi-custom route again, and there's plenty of life left in RDNA 3.5 yet. (Image credit: AMD)

It's never been Valve's style to throw standardized components into its hardware. While the competition was comfortable using the AMD Ryzen Z1 or Z2, or gave Intel Arc graphics a go, the Washington-based company had to go a different route. We saw this with the semi-custom APU inside the Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED, but this design philosophy has since been repeated with the recently released Steam Machine.

Valve's living room PC features a semi-custom AMD APU that utilizes a six-core (12 threads) Zen 4 CPU and an RDNA 3-powered GPU with a total of 28 Compute Units and 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM. This home-console rival was said to offer "six times the horsepower" of the Steam Deck, and the tech could act as the perfect blueprint for what should be inside the Steam Deck 2.

Now, considering the portable nature of a Steam Deck successor and the lack of an active cooling solution, combined with the price tag (I'll get to that further down the page), it's unlikely that the Steam Deck 2 will be as powerful as the Steam Machine, but it could close the gap. The Steam Machine uses around 170W of its total power draw when plugged into mains, with 110W dedicated to the GPU, 30W for the CPU, and the rest of the components (RAM, fans, SSD, etc.) accounting for the other 30 to 60W of draw.

When plugged in, the Steam Deck OLED draws a maximum of 45W (or 15V at 3000mA). When on battery power, Valve's handheld draws anywhere from four to 27W depending on the task at hand. Obviously, battery life has to be a huge consideration here as well, so we aren't going to see upwards of 100W for a handheld. Today's competition, chiefly the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, can provide 30-60 FPS in High settings in 1080p in either 17W or 35W on battery, but that comes at its own (literal) cost.

That's the power potential, but what about a close approximation of how a semi-custom RDNA 3 or RDNA 3.5-backed APU could perform inside the Steam Deck 2? Well, the closest we can get is with the performance jump from the AMD Ryzen Z2 compared to the Z1. At lower TDPs, the Z2 offers a generational leap anywhere from 4W to 40W, offering playable framerates of at least 30 FPS in 1080p, which is the only standard requirement for a Steam Deck Verified game in 2026. In particular, the Z2 Extreme features 16 RDNA 3.5 Compute Units with a total boost clock of up to 2.9 GHz and 24GB LPDDR5x-8000 memory; Valve could use something similar.

3. A sub-$1,000 / £1,000 price tag

The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is a spectacular machine, but it's eye-watering MSRP makes it completely unaccessable for most. Valve should not repeat this mistake (Image credit: Future)

When the Steam Deck was first revealed and distributed, it was sold at a loss. Prior to the original model's release, Gabe Newell said this decision was "painful" but "critical" for the hardware to break through to the market. Affordability and competitive performance took priority over outclassing the competition, and that was the core appeal of the Steam Deck, especially in the early years.

Well, it's nearing the end of 2026 now, and hardware companies (including Valve itself) have not learned from this example. The Steam Deck was successful because it was an affordable and powerful entry point into PC gaming, but that's a reality that's (unfortunately) becoming harder to remember as time marches on. The ongoing RAM crisis has meant the Steam Deck OLED shot up in price by 50%, and sales are also plummeting, and consumers have already begun to argue that handheld gaming PCs are back into the unaffordable niche product they were pre-2021.

To course-correct, Valve needs to offer the Steam Deck 2 for less than $1,000 / £1,000 / AU$2,000, at least for its base and mid-range configurations. We've seen growing backlash from gamers against rising prices recently, particularly with the eye-watering MSRPs of the new Asus ROG Xbox Ally X20 (starting at $1,299.99 / £1,299.99) and the aforementioned MSI Claw 8 EX AI's shocking $1,799.99 / £1,399.99 entry point. To remain competitive, Valve needs to undercut the competition here, even if it means sacrificing some superficial features and maybe even peak performance.

In other words, Valve needs to remember why the Steam Deck succeeded in the first place: it was powerful enough and affordable enough to make everyday people consider PC gaming. It's a tall order given we're currently in one of the worst times in the computing industry in recent memory, where the price of GPUs, RAM, SSDs, and anything else that uses memory are skyrocketing with no signs of slowing down. Even if the Deck 2 is originally sold at a small loss, it would go a long way to prove that Valve can be pro-consumer again, as it lost favor with the Steam Machine's so-so performance for the price tag.

4. TMR sticks and mechanical buttons

Valve has come a long way with its controllers over the years, but there's still work to be done (Image credit: Future)

Now that we've covered a prospective Steam Deck successor's price tag, specs, and screen, it's time to talk about ergonomics. While both versions of the Steam Deck are comfortable in the hand for long play sessions, the actual buttons and sticks leave a lot to be desired. Likely due to a price constraint, the handhelds utilize the standardized potentiometers, with physical parts that can cause wear and tear over time. If left unchecked for long enough, it can eventually lead to stick drift, which can be frustrating (and expensive) to repair.

Magnets are the way to go, then. It's tough when weighing up what would be the better technology for the Steam Deck 2's analog sticks, as both Hall Effect and TMR (Tunnelling Magnetoresistance) have their pros and cons. However, it's TMR that pulls ahead in this case for a couple of key reasons: it's more sensitive, accurate, and (thankfully) cheaper to implement now than a couple of years ago. There's a reason why so many of the best PC controllers on the market are already using TMR, so Valve would be missing an open goal if it cheaped out unnecessarily here.

TMR sticks and magnetic sensing technology as a whole are far superior and lead to fewer points of failure, ensuring longevity. It's essential for a handheld like the Steam Deck 2. Modern PC controllers, such as the Scuf Envision Pro 2 and the Scuf Omega, have led the charge with microswitch buttons and D-pads.

They not only provide instant actuation for more precise inputs, but they will also last longer than a pure membrane alternative. It's not just about immediacy and feel in the hand, but also about how this design decision could influence long-term use. Ideally, you would want a Steam Deck 2 to feel as good as the day you bought it, even five years afterwards.

5. A bigger and more efficent battery for longer (or more demanding) sessions

The Steam Deck OLED brought a 25% battery increase. It's time for Valve to consider another substantial bump to stay competitive (Image credit: Valve / Steam)

Any good portable device, whether it's the best phone or a Steam Deck successor, lives and dies on how good the battery life is. The original Steam Deck featured a 40 Wh (or 5200 mAh battery, whereas the Steam OLED bumped things up to 50 Wh (or 6,470 mAh). That netted you anywhere from two to 12 hours depending on the kinds of games you were running, with indies at low brightness yielding better playtime than a AAA release at full brightness would. On average, though, around two to four hours is considered the standard.

That's fine, sure, but Steam Deck rivals have since included larger batteries with longer average playtimes, and this is something Valve can directly address. For example, the Asus ROG Ally X has an 80Wh battery, meaning it can last anywhere from four to six hours of playback of intensive games played at 25 to 30W under the right conditions. That's a battery size increase of 60%; considering how many more lithium-ion batteries are being made in a compact or portable form factor, it means that this component cost could be cheaper than in 2021/22, and a larger battery could be among the top features of the successor device.

Ultimately, we want the ability to sit down and play our games on the sofa or on the move for longer, so offering a bigger battery with a superior lifespan would give the Steam Deck 2 the edge it would need. If Valve can bump the resolution up, tighten the ergonomics, increase the horsepower, and keep the costs down, then the second-generation of its handheld could be the best on the market.

An expert explains how to prepare used oil for a future cooking again.

Here are hints and the answers for today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Sept. 20, 2026.

• Samsung is shifting additional DDR5 and SSD production to outside manufacturers
• The company needs internal factory space for advanced HBM production
• DDR5 module assembly remains simpler than advanced HBM packaging processes

Samsung Electronics is shifting all additional production of conventional memory modules onto outsourced partners going forward.

The company is directing capacity growth for DDR5 modules and SSDs toward external firms, reserving its in-house capacity for the more advanced HBM packaging process.

Industry sources say this reflects Samsung's mounting need to use scarce back-end capacity more efficiently.

A deliberate pivot toward outsourced capacity

“Samsung Electronics lacks space to expand existing back-end production lines needed to manufacture semiconductors for artificial intelligence (AI), so it is reallocating space and equipment at packaging plants in Cheonan and Onyang to advanced packaging lines, including HBM,” a person familiar with the matter said.

“The company has decided to handle most increases in conventional memory module production through outsourcing rather than expanding its own capacity.”

Samsung has reportedly pressed its outsourced semiconductor assembly and test partners to expand capacity for DDR5 modules and SSDs.

The company has even gone a step further by asking partners to accelerate capacity expansions that were already part of its existing plans.

Several partners are already scaling up in response, including Dreamtech, Hanyang Digitech, and SFA Semicon.

Dreamtech began mass producing DDR5 modules in India last November and approved further equipment investment in June.

Its Noida facility, previously used for smartphone circuit board assembly, will eventually reach an annual capacity of over 50 million units.

Hanyang Digitech has invested more than 31.5 billion won in 2026 so far to automate its existing memory module plant located in Vietnam.

SFA Semicon is relocating DDR5 testing and assembly equipment from Samsung's Onyang campus to a new site in the Philippines.

That transition begins in November, with a second phase following during the second quarter of 2027.

Limited space drives the broader manufacturing shift

Samsung's own capacity constraints stem partly from a new HBM plant under construction at its Onyang campus, valued at 6 trillion won.

That facility will take multiple years to finish, leaving little room for conventional module expansion in the meantime.

A separate $1.5 billion back-end processing plant is also under construction in Thai Nguyen Province of northern Vietnam.

That facility will handle testing for older memory types, including DDR4, low-power LPDDR4, NAND flash, and universal flash storage.

DDR5 modules require mounting prepackaged DRAM and NAND chips onto circuit boards using surface-mount technology.

That process remains considerably less complex than advanced packaging methods used for HBM, making outsourcing comparatively straightforward for partners.

Micron previously pursued a similar route, shifting conventional memory production externally while concentrating internal resources on higher-margin products.

Whether SanDisk eventually follows a comparable path remains uncertain given how differently each company's manufacturing footprint and product mix are currently structured.

Via The Elec

• Satellite imagery shows China building a roughly ~200m ship in Shanghai that analysts say is a mothership for submarine-sized drones
• It pairs a bottom-opening well-deck and 12-arm cradle with an internal hangar that experts estimate holds four 115- to 148ft XXLUUVs
• While the ship itself is shorter than an Essex-class carrier, its dock clocks in at about 1,115ft

China appears to be building a type of ship no navy is publicly known to operate: a large surface vessel designed to carry, launch, and recover uncrewed submarines the size of conventional crewed boats

The hull was first posted on September 13 2026 by Japanese open-source analyst KAROTASU and assessed two days later by H I Sutton at Naval News.

It currently sits at a dock at the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai, and Beijing has yet to formally acknowledge its existence, so it has no name, list of capabilities, or the military branch that will eventually operate it.

A large dock linked to a much smaller ship

KAROTASU's post places the vessel in what he calls a 340m-class dock, which works out to approximately 1,115ft. However, the dock is not the ship. The same post estimates the hull itself at roughly 200m long and 30m wide, and notes that a second, unidentified structure is being assembled in the same dock.

Defence Security Asia, using imagery dated September 15, puts the hull at about 205m by 27m, which clocks in at roughly 672 ft. This makes the mothership big, but not as big as the largest WWII-era fleet carriers, though larger than the US Navy's Independence-class light carriers from that era.

For context, an Essex-class carrier, the backbone of the US Navy's Pacific campaign from 1943, measured 872 to 888ft overall and displaced 36,380 long tons at full load. At 656 to 673ft, the Chinese hull comes up roughly 200 to 230ft short.

The primary use case of such a mothership would be to deploy extra-extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicles (XXLUUVs), which is a mouthful, and it builds around China's naval ambitions at a time when it seems certain that any conflict or show of power between the world's two superpowers will involve a maritime component.

At 35 and 45m (115 and 148ft), the XXLUUVs are the size of small crewed submarines and have an estimated range of 10,000 nautical miles based on a similarly sized concept that a Chinese shipbuilder has exhibited.

This, at the very least, challenges the current balance of power on multiple naval fronts that were not in play previously: until now, the drones have been tested from specially built floating docks, which conceal them in port and carry them out to sea for launch.

This works well on paper and for trials, which often use a mix of towing, favorable weather, and predictable shore infrastructure, but it limits range to their maximum operating capabilities and access to spare parts/repair potential, all of which the yet-to-be-named vessel addresses.

All in all, in a world that has conflicts flaring up left, right, and center, the world's largest surface ship is designed around full-size uncrewed submarines, with an enclosed hangar to house and maintain them, which is both a statement and a real threat to the US and its allies on the naval front from China, which is closing gaps on multiple fronts and taking the lead on others, even as territorial disputes in the South China Sea remain a key issue.

• Mouse Computer has fitted Ryzen AI processors into a laptop weighing just 981g
• The X2 uses a 12.2-inch display with 1920 by 1200 resolution
• A free SODIMM slot allows memory expansion from 16 GB to 32 GB

Japanese electronics maker Mouse Computer has introduced a compact laptop called the X2, a compact notebook weighing 981g.

The device pairs a 12.2-inch display with AMD processors, offering configurations that scale from modest to genuinely capable performance.

The laptop frame measures 277.1 mm wide, 210.2 mm deep, and 19 mm tall, retaining a single unoccupied SODIMM slot for later RAM upgrades.

Specifications built around three AMD chip options

Buyers can choose between three distinct AMD APUs, each aimed at a different performance and price bracket for portable computing.

The base option, a Ryzen 5 216, combines two full Zen 4 cores with four smaller Zen 4c cores in a six-core layout, which should perform similarly to AMD's existing Ryzen 5 8540U based on available benchmark comparisons circulating online.

A step up brings the Ryzen AI 5 340, part of AMD's Krackan Point lineup, also arranged in a six-core configuration.

Multicore results suggest this chip lands close to Intel's Core Ultra 7 165H and edges past the Core Ultra 5 325.

The top configuration, a Ryzen AI 7 350, uses eight cores split evenly between four Zen 5 and four Zen 5c units, which approaches Intel's Core Ultra 9 185H in combined multi-threaded and synthetic benchmark scores, according to early comparisons.

The portable display panel runs at 1920 by 1200 resolution and reportedly covers 100% of the sRGB color gamut.

A 180-degree hinge, 60 Wh battery, and 500 GB NVMe SSD round out the internal hardware package.

Connectivity includes gigabit LAN, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5, USB Type-A ports, HDMI output, and a microSD card slot for storage expansion.

A 2 MP webcam with a privacy shutter supports Windows Hello, while Windows 11 Home ships preinstalled on every unit.

Battery life reaches roughly 12.5 hours during video playback and about 25 hours in idle mode, measured under JEITA 3.0 standards.

Pricing stays confined to the Japanese market for now

The Ryzen AI 5 variant, equipped with 16 GB of RAM and 500 GB of storage, costs ¥239,800, or roughly $1,545.

The higher Ryzen AI 7 configuration carries the same memory and storage allotment but costs ¥259,000, or about $1,670.

Sales of this device will begin sequentially from October, though the rollout remains confined to the Japanese market via the company’s online store for now.

The laptop is currently available in three colour options — Cosmo Blue, Frost Gold, and Pearl White.

Both versions ship with single-channel memory by default, though the empty SODIMM slot allows an upgrade path from 16GB to 32 GB.

A compatible 16 GB DDR5-5600 module currently retails for around $229 through Amazon's storefront.

Interested customers elsewhere would need to rely on import services to acquire a unit, adding cost and complexity to the process.

Via Mouse | GDM (originally in Japanese)

Charles Cecil wants to make one thing clear: “I'm not anti-AI.”

The veteran British developer behind the legendary 1996 point-and-click game Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars speaks to TechRadar about AI's divisive role in modern game development - and, in particular, how it was used in the upcoming remake of the sequel, Broken Sword - The Smoking Mirror: Reforged, due out in 2027.

The original, a commercial success selling 759,000 copies, sees American tourist George Stobbart team up with freelance journalist Nicole Collard to track a mysterious Mayan stone across Paris, London, and Central America. This remake doesn't use AI, and, according to Cecil, there's a very good reason for that.

AI don’t think so

(Image credit: Revolution Software Ltd)

“I think AI has its place,” Cecil says. “It's just not relevant in our games because we want human animation, human characterization and human expression, and that's much better done by humans.”

A perfect example of that lies in the game's hand-drawn art, all of it redone for Broken Sword - The Smoking Mirror: Reforged.

This hugely labor-intensive process encompassed roughly 55,000 frames of animation, more than the 30,000 of Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars’ 2024 remake.

“George opens the newspaper and kind of just glances at the screen,” says Cecil, referring to the actions of the game's protagonist in an early scene. “He's looking at the viewer, and that's what human beings do. That is not something that AI can do.”

In low-res, eyes were just dots on a face. In high-res, eyes are windows to the soul and therefore have to be animated with precision and intent. Where applicable, artists were free to add flourishes, using their own interpretation to fill in the gaps.

For instance, the painting of Professor Oubier hanging on the wall in the rapidly burning study was always too pixelated to see clearly. Now, however, you can make out exactly what he looks like in 4K, at 36 times the original resolution, all while a visibly uncomfortable George jostles his rope bindings.

Developer Revolution Software didn't stop there. The team redrew scores of items that never really made much sense. Take the poison dart, which now looks less like a playing dart and more like something shot out of a blowpipe.

Human revolution

(Image credit: Revolution Software Ltd)

Despite the decision to abstain from AI use for the most part, it wasn't entirely absent. AI was used for the initial round of upscaling before artists added detail by hand, with backgrounds scanned as black-and-white layouts for them to build on using the originals as references. AI was more of a tool than a creative device.

“We experimented with AI for the first one, and we used AI to upscale and then redraw the characters. And as I say, it can upscale, but it can't put any character in.”

That's largely thanks to the luxury of time. The first game needed to be made in a year or risk cancellation. Revolution Software sprinted to the finish line, but made a few shortcuts along the way.

One oversight was 40 voice lines that were recorded and packaged in the game's files but never used. Now, in Broken Sword - The Smoking Mirror: Reforged, fans can finally hear them (one line involves George asking the Parisian waiter about the tequila worm in his pocket).

Another infamous example occurs in the Game Boy Advance version. “You have a choice to go to Spain or Syria,” says Cecil. “If you do one, you can finish the game, and it's fine. If you do the other, it takes you there, but you can't then finish. There's a bug that doesn't allow you to finish…It's an awful, awful bug. I mean, it's absolutely shocking.”

(Image credit: Revolution Software Ltd)

An AI might have spotted such mistakes, but then again, you could argue mistakes are what give art humanity. If nothing else, they make for a great story.

But the remake is far from a bug-fixing exercise. Instead, it's an opportunity to make the game better. Where most remasters seek to preserve the subject, Broken Sword - The Smoking Mirror: Reforged is almost an act of excavation.

“All of these things we now have the time to do,” says Cecil. “Because what Revolution has done for the last 15 years is we've self-published all our games. And I can decide when we’re going to spend a little bit more time getting this, right? Is it worth it?”

The devs found time to add features, too, like a new three-tier hint system that actively monitors your progress and feeds you steadily more obvious tips so you're not stuck for too long. The final tip tells you outright what to do. Thankfully, purists can turn it off.

Meanwhile, Nintendo Switch 2 players get four different control schemes: touchscreen, gamepad, one Joy-Con 2 detached and used as a mouse, or a versatile combination of everything.

Plus, there’s something Cecil has personally wanted to add for 30 years: a beautiful, detailed map of Paris. This is used to aid player navigation instead of having them rely on clunky icons. With everything in the game, these feel like choices made by humans, not AI.

“We've really gone out of our way to produce something that, in my view, is completely future-proof, because people were playing the first one 30 years ago, and millions and millions of people have played that game. And my ambition is that in 20 years' time, a fourth generation will be playing again.”

“Going forward,” he continues, “people are going to seek out human-crafted art. You know, there's going to be that sense, because obviously we all have a human connection with each other.”

Huawei, as a brand, is in a very interesting place right now. The company is genuinely innovating on a lot of fronts. It just launched the Mate XT2 tri-folding phone, which brings Samsung-like Privacy Display tech to the tri-folding form factor, as well as the Watch D3, which puts medical-grade blood pressure measurements into an even slimmer smartwatch.

But the problem with Huawei has always been that you can't buy a lot of the company's devices in markets outside Asia. And while that doesn't look like it's changing anytime soon, every once in a while, Huawei does launch some products in the West, and it reminds us (again) of what we're missing from other major hardware makers.

That's exactly what happened with the new Huawei MatePad Air. I usually use my still-going-strong M1 iPad Air (2022) as my main tablet, but I've spent the past month using the MatePad Air as my primary device. And it has shown me the one upgrade Apple could make that would probably convince me to finally buy the next iPad Air.

(Image credit: Sanuj Bhatia / TechRadar)

The MatePad Air itself doesn't look like some groundbreaking new tablet. In fact, Huawei has so many tablets in its lineup that you'd probably have a hard time distinguishing the new MatePad Air from some of the company's other models just by looking at the back.

But flip the MatePad Air around, and that's where, for me, it starts beating a lot of the competition. The MatePad Air comes with a 12-inch OLED display with up to a 144Hz refresh rate and a 1,200-nit peak brightness. But the model I've been testing for the past month is the higher-end PaperMatte version, which can reach up to 2,000 nits.

If you're unfamiliar with Huawei's PaperMatte display technology, it's essentially a special anti-glare treatment on top of the display that, Huawei says, eliminates up to 99% of ambient light reflections. It also gives the screen a more paper-like texture, which feels natural when you're writing with a stylus, while also helping reduce things like eye strain and smudges.

(Image credit: Sanuj Bhatia / TechRadar)

And this display alone is what has made me prefer using the MatePad Air over my iPad Air for the past month.

Think about what you actually do with a tablet. Whether you use an iPad Pro or the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, almost everything revolves around the display. You're watching content, taking notes, making video calls, or reading. For 99% of the time, you're looking at and interacting with a screen.

It's not like the iPad Air's display is bad. It's still a good-looking panel, and I've used my M1 iPad Air for years without any complaints. But Apple hasn't meaningfully upgraded the display technology in a while, and it's starting to show its age.

The iPad Air still uses an LCD panel. It's still stuck at 60Hz, and the bezels are quite thick as well. None of these things really bothered me before, but switching back and forth between it and the MatePad Air made the difference quite obvious.

The 144Hz OLED panel on the MatePad Air is obviously smoother, the colors look great, and the thinner bezels make watching content much nicer. And that PaperMatte display just makes everything twice as nice.

(Image credit: Sanuj Bhatia / TechRadar)

I've used the MatePad Air pretty much everywhere, be it the subway, airplanes, or my home, and not having reflections constantly bouncing off the screen has been great.

And it's not like Apple doesn't know how to do this. The company already offers its nano-texture display on the iPad Pro. The problem is that you need to buy one of the most expensive iPad Pro configurations (specifically, a model with 1TB or more) to even get the option, pushing the price to $1,899 / £1,899 / AU$3,249.

Huawei, on the other hand, makes the upgrade much easier to swallow. In the UK, you get the PaperMatte display regardless of which version of the MatePad Air you choose; the cheapest is just £699.99 (it's not available in the US). You're also getting 256GB of storage on the base model, compared to the 128GB starting storage on the iPad Air.

(Image credit: Sanuj Bhatia / TechRadar)

Of course, the MatePad Air isn't better than the iPad Air at everything. Apple's M-series chips still give the iPad a major performance advantage, and if I'm editing videos or doing other compute-heavy work on a tablet, I'd still rather have the iPad Air.

But most of the time, that's not what I'm doing on my tablet. I mostly use my iPad to watch content and browse the web, and for both of these things, I'd rather have the MatePad Air's display.

Plus, the hardware around the OLED display is pretty impressive, too. At 12 inches, the MatePad Air sits somewhere between Apple's 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air models. It weighs just 509g and uses an aluminum frame and back, making it more than 100g lighter than the 13-inch iPad Air.

It's thinner too, measuring just 5.3mm compared to 6.1mm for the larger iPad Air, despite Huawei fitting a 10,100mAh battery inside compared to roughly 9,705mAh on Apple's tablet.

(Image credit: Sanuj Bhatia / TechRadar)

That said, none of this means I'm ready to completely ditch the iPad. I still prefer its performance, app ecosystem, and just how well it works with the rest of my Apple devices. But after a month with the MatePad Air, the one thing I desperately want to take back to my iPad is this display.

Give the next iPad Air an OLED display with (hopefully) an anti-reflective PaperMatte-like option that doesn't burn a hole in my pocket, and my M1 iPad Air might finally have a reason to retire.

The iPhone 18 Pro Max main camera's new variable aperture is a huge deal and, in my limited experience, I can already see that it could transform iPhone photography. Still, to know why this matters, you need to understand how it works.

The best analogy is your eyes.

If you've ever squinted to read something, you understand how an aperture works. The more open your pupil, the more light that comes in, but it's widely scattered, making objects in the distance out of focus. If you squint, that cuts the amount of light coming into your eye, but it also removes more of the scattered light, leaving only the sharper light and imagery. On a camera, the open aperture (represented by lower f-stop numbers) has the same effect as your wide-open pupils. Lots more light, but only stuff nearest you is in focus. A smaller aperture, represented by higher f-stop numbers, is the eye-squint: less light but more focus throughout the frame.

Ever since Apple announced the iPhone 18 Pro (and Pro Max's) big camera update, which also includes voluminous Pro-level controls, I've been itching to try them. As soon as I got my iPhone 18 Pro Max in black, I ran outside to see if the update makes an appreciable difference in photography quality and possibilities.

The short answer is yes.

Understanding this new variable aperture

A few things you should know about this new hardware feature. First, it's only on the 48MP main lens, so the 48MP, 4x telephoto, and 48MP ultrawide cameras only have fixed apertures: ƒ/2.8 and ƒ/2.2, respectively. Those are decently wide apertures, but the Main camera has Auto, ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, ƒ/4.0. That's a wide range. It's not quite DSLR-level, where you can stop down to, say, ƒ/11, which can be useful for deep focus and for capturing ultra-bright objects like the moon at night.

It's also worth noting that these are physical f-stops. The iPhone 18 Pro Max Main camera aperture features an array of interlocked blades thinner than a human hair, and they slide over each other as the aperture opens and closes. It's an engineering marvel. In the right light, you can see them adjusting.

I think it's fair to wonder why we need a physical, variable aperture when many of the iPhones since the iPhone 7 Plus have included portrait mode technology. In the early days, it used information from its wide and telephoto lenses to craft a bokeh effect. Eventually, Apple started using software to analyse the image and create a portrait mode with just a single lens (see 2020's iPhone SE). No matter how the iPhones have done it over the years, it's impressive and, for most users, good enough.

(Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future)

My goal, though, was to see how the portrait mode on the iPhone 18 Pro Max might differ from variable aperture photography (my preferred setting was f1.48). In other words, software vs. hardware. I did also fiddle with the other f-stops, but in bright daylight, the bokeh effect on ƒ/1.8 and ƒ/2.8 is quite subtle.

I took pictures of myself, photos of statues, and the image above of a drying leaf. That photo, or rather that one compared to the Portrait Mode shot of the same leaf, is what convinced me: this is a game changer.

When you use Portrait Mode on an iPhone, you can adjust the bokeh before or after photography. It's a reminder that this is, at least in part, a software effect that can include or discard as much background sharpness as you desire.

iPhone 18 Pro Max variable apertureLance UlanoffPortrait modeLance UlanoffA new leaf

Using the variable aperture is more akin to traditional photography. You have the lens, the aperture settings, and, now, if you choose, shutter speed, exposure, and focus. In the initial images, I left everything alone except for the aperture. To access it, you select the grid menu in the camera app, choose Aperture, and then select the aperture opening of your choice.

iPhone 18 Pro Max variable apertureLance UlanoffPortrait modeLance Ulanoff

I chose f1.48 and snapped a photo of the same leaf.

The result, which you can see above, was two pretty good pictures, but closer examination reveals how Portrait Mode struggled with the curling leaf. Look at the stem. It's almost gone. By contrast, on the variable aperture shot, it was clear that the phone wasn't trying to apply some software magic to separate the leaf from the background and create the bokeh. The leaf is complete. The whole image looks natural and, honestly, the hardware does what it would do on a traditional camera: let the lens and aperture opening make the call.

The leaf is in stark, colorful focus, and the background, while not as blurred as you get from Portrait Mode's default settings, is pleasantly out of focus.

iPhone 18 Pro Max variable apertureLance UlanoffPortrait modeLance Ulanoff

I saw similar results with my selfies. Again, Portrait Mode goes hard on the background blur, but because it's largely computational, some artifacts remain. In particular, the space between the right stem of my glasses and my head is oddly sharp. And, if I'm being honest, the default level of bokeh sort of disconnects me from the background environment.

The results on the Gertrude Stein statue are less equivocal. The default portrait mode seems to favor the figure a bit more, though I still like the variable apertures' more realistic background blur.

Let's go Pro

Later, I started fiddling with a combination of aperture settings, shutter speeds, exposures, and focus. There are limits on all of these tools, but that's really the limitation of a smartphone camera. Without the really big sensor, wider space between the lens, aperture, shutter, and sensor, there's only so much you can do.

Still, I was impressed. My variable aperture shots look closer than ever to pro-level photography, and the additional pro controls are just so much fun to play with.

For this black and white style image, I adjusted the shutter speed to 1/223s with f1.8Lance UlanoffHere, the shutter speed is just 1/121s with f2.8Lance Ulanoffshutter speed 1/602s at f1.8Lance UlanoffF2.2 at a slow 1/60s.Lance UlanoffThis is a high-speed shot (1/2088s) at f1.48.Lance UlanoffEven though there was a lot of shadow, I used the Pro settings to push this to 1/693s with an f1.48 aperture.Lance UlanoffF1.48s with high shutter speed (1/14286s).Lance Ulanoff

If there's any disappointment here, it's that we have just one variable aperture. I could do amazing things with more f-stops on the telephoto lens. Ah well, there's always next year.

Check out my gallery to see some of what I shot on my first day with the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

• New and improved solar panel materials have been analyzed
• Two key physics effects combine to create the improvements
• It could help panels break through the 33% energy conversion rate

There's a long-standing physics theory that suggests solar panels will only ever be able to convert a maximum of 33% of the sunlight that comes their way, but a team from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands has detailed a way to harvest extra energy from 'hot' electrons that could push through this limit.

Solar panels work by using the photons from sunshine to jump-start electrons. With the most energetic photons, the result is super-charged, so-called hot electrons, that have the potential to generate significantly more electricity — but the problem is they cool down too quickly and lose the energy as heat before it can be captured.

This new research builds on previous studies reporting a promising new tin-based solar panel material. The material has demonstrated it can keep the heat from hot electrons trapped for around 1,000 times longer — but there have been competing ideas about the mechanism making that possible.

Trying to clarify what was going on, though a series of computer simulations and experimental measurements, was the purpose of the new research: understanding the material's key properties will help scientists build on the potential of the material and potentially scale it up into something that's viable commercially.

Ultra-long cooling

Two physics effects are essential for the upgrades reported by scientists (Image credit: Faber et al., ACS Energy Letters, 2026)

The analysis carried out by the researchers determined that there were two different actions at work. First, an effect called a hot phonon bottleneck creates a heat trap: as the environment around the buzzing electrons warms up so quickly, the electrons end up reabsorbing the thermal energy again, keeping their heat for longer.

Second, what's known as the Burstein-Moss effect creates an atomic traffic jam. As hot electrons cool, they quickly fill up the lowest available energy states in the material, which means other hot electrons can't lose their heat as quickly — it's like an airplane filling up from the front, with passengers arriving later having to walk all the way to the back.

These two effects were already known about, but now we know they're the reason that these special solar panel materials work — and that in combination they provide the extended hot electron cooling that might help to nudge future solar panels above that crucial 33% ceiling, and create clean energy more efficiently.

"It is the simultaneous satisfaction of these electronic, phononic, and chemical criteria, operating under high-injection conditions, that enables the ultra-long cooling times necessary for practical devices," write the researchers in their published paper, which appears in the journal ACS Energy Letters.

It’s Batman Day and as both a Batman and 4K Blu-ray fan, I had to celebrate the occasion. The caped crusader first debuted in May 1939 (a whopping 87 years ago!) and, ever since, has become one of the most iconic figures of page and screen.

While many remember the classic 1966 Batman series starring Adam West and Burt Ward, the character’s first appearance on-screen was in 1943, in a 15-part serial also titled Batman. Since then, we’ve seen numerous animated shows and big-budget movies starring DC’s comic book hero.

I thought I’d pick out some of my favorite 4K Blu-rays (and even some standard Blu-rays) of the caped crusader to help you celebrate the day, including one disc I regularly use as a benchmark for testing the best TVs and best soundbars.

The Batman (2022)Warner Bros. / Future Future / Warner Bros. Discovery

One of the latest big-screen adaptations, The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson in the title role, follows Bruce Wayne’s early years as the Dark Knight, as he deals with a serial killer named The Riddler (Paul Dano), while also navigating corruption in Gotham and a deepening mystery involving Bruce’s own family.

Anyone who reads my work on TechRadar will know that this is one of my go-to discs for AV testing. Its low brightness and numerous high-contrast scenes make it an excellent test for any display, while the superb shadow detail and crisp textures provide plenty to scrutinise. The interesting camera work also gives the film a murky, gloomy look that perfectly captures the seedy underbelly of Gotham.

If you have a Dolby Vision-capable TV, you’ll be rewarded with some truly breathtaking images that really show off what your screen can do. The best OLED TVs are particularly impressive with this disc, making it a no-brainer for my TV testing.

The Dolby Atmos soundtrack is immersive and packed with detail. My reference scene is the Batmobile/Penguin chase sequence, which shows off just about every element of a home theater surround sound system or soundbar. From the roaring bass of the Batmobile’s engine to the precisely mapped sound of swerving traffic and hail of bullets, The Batman is essential for anyone looking to hear their sound system shine.

Batman Forever (1995)Warner Bros / Future Warner Bros / Future

Directed by Joel Schumacher, Batman Forever took a more colorful approach than Tim Burton’s previous movies, Batman (1989) and Batman Returns. Starring Val Kilmer as Bruce Wayne/Batman, he must deal with the joint threat of Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) and The Riddler (Jim Carrey).

This is the first Batman movie I remember watching growing up. While the film itself remains divisive among Batman fans, that shouldn’t detract from what is a fantastic 4K Blu-ray release. Its bold, neon colors really pop on-screen, especially in Dolby Vision, with the Riddler's vibrant greens, the neon light tubes used throughout Gotham and the movie's vivid reds all bursting with colour.

There’s excellent use of shadow here, too, with the often melodramatic shots of characters standing forlornly over lamps creating a dynamic image. On an OLED, such as the LG G6 I used for testing, blacks are rich and inky throughout, while the 4K upscale delivers crisp textures, particularly with skin tones.

Batman Forever's Dolby Atmos soundtrack is just as impressive. The sound of the batarang cutting through the air is precisely mapped to rear channels, creating a wonderfully immersive effect on a surround-sound system. Explosions have plenty of heft, bullets pack a satisfying punch, and Two-Face’s helicopter at the start of the movie is a great showcase for Atmos.

The Dark Knight (2008)Warner Bros / Future Warner Bros / Future

The second entry in Christoper Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, The Dark Knight, sees Batman (Christian Bale) go head-to-head with the Joker (played brilliantly by the late Heath Ledger), a criminal mastermind who seeks to plunge Gothan into chaos and push Batman to his very limits.

The 4K Blu-ray of The Dark Knight looks fantastic throughout, but it’s the IMAX scenes where it shines. The opening bank robbery is packed with intricate detail, from the Joker’s creased suit, the robbers' mask, to the densely packed streets of Gotham city. Later, as Batman stands amid smouldering wreckage in another IMAX-shot sequence, the rich black levels and superb shadow detail look sublime on OLED.

There are some seriously impressive high-contrast scenes, too. During the prison escort, as cars move into the tunnels, the contrast between the dark surroundings and the trucks and overhead lights create a fantastic picture.

The DTS-HD 5.1 MA soundtrack is phenomenal. In the opening scene, the score is perfectly balanced, with the scratching strings mapped to the left rear and the ticking clock mapped to the right, all while the front channels handle the main action. Subwoofers will get a nice workout, thanks to the monstrous explosions, thumping bullets, and punchy Tumbler engine. There’s some excellent detail, too, when Batman rides his bike for instance. As the camera’s perspective changes, the trajectory of the sound is mapped to the correct channel with real precision.

The Lego Batman Movie (2017) Warner Bros / FutureWarner Bros / Future

The Lego Batman Movie follows Batman (Will Arnett), Robin (Michael Cera) and Batgirl (Rosario Dawson) as they try to foil the Joker’s (Zach Galifianakis) plans to take over Gotham city. This was a spin-off of the highly successful The Lego Movie, where Arnett’s Batman was first introduced.

Again, this movie looks superb in 4K. Color reproduction is fantastic, with bright, bold and lively colors throughout. The greens of the Joker’s hair and Riddler’s costume really pop, as do all the other colors, too. On the LG G6, reds were rich and deep, bringing excellent texture to images. Speaking of textures, the crisp animation looks slick, with the 4K detail really capturing the Lego look.

There are plenty of high-contrast scenes here, too, with bold HDR highlights standing out against deep shadows — such as the contrast between Batman’s eyes and his cowl. Shadow detail is excellent, retaining plenty of texture and defintion in even the darkest areas.

The disc includes both Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtracks. Atmos delivers weighty but controlled bass, with the Batwing’s engines and the impact of explosions providing plenty of low-end punch. Directionality is excellent, too, especially during scenes with a lot of movement. The sound follows movement precisely, and it’s all mapped around the surround sound. The DTS-HD 5.1 track isn’t quite as powerful, but it has a pleasing warmth and plenty of detail.

Bonus: Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995)Warner Bros / FutureWarner Bros / Future

Debuting in 1992, Batman: The Animated Series is arguably one of the most famous adaptations of Batman’s adventures on-screen, with an all-star cast including Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker.

This is a rare Blu-ray recommendation from me, but for Batman Day, it would be impossible to leave the series out. Textures have been upscaled nicely and the beautiful animation and art style really benefits from the HD makeover. Colors are bright, vibrant and accurate across every episode, while the lack of HDR is hardly a drawback given how good the series looks.

Audio comes courtesy of a DTS-HD MA 2.0 mix, so while it won't put your surround-sound system through its paces, it's crips and clear, with clean dialogue, punchy effects and surprisingly good directionality. The iconic score is beautifully rendered — which, if you’re like me, will scratch that nostalgia itch nicely.

Reacher season 5: key information

- Season 5 renewed before season 4 even aired
- Will be based on Lee Child's 2015 novel Make Me
- Alan Ritchson will likely be joined by new cast members
- No production schedule or release date has been confirmed

Reacher season 4 has only just ended, and I'm already thinking about what could be to come in Reacher season 5.

That's partially because I wasn't completely taken with the season 4 storyline. My favorite Reacher seasons are where we see him drifting through small US towns that we've never heard of, punching a load of people as penance for their crimes, and then leaving.

But season 4 moved us towards a big city political espionage narrative — a move that clearly divided viewers, not just me. But with season 5 already renewed by Amazon, the first plot details reveal that we're heading away from the city once again.

But what has Prime Video actually told us about what to expect from Reacher season 5? We're breaking down everything from release date speculation to potential cast below.

Reacher season 5 release window predictions

(Image credit: Prime Video)

With no production schedule currently public, it's going to be a little while before Reacher season 5 hits our screens.

Based on season 4's filming calendar, which ran from June-November 2025, we can guess that the very earliest we'd see season 5 episodes is late 2027.

While season 4 aired from August 2026, seasons 1-3 dropped anywhere from December to February, which again, could influence when we might see season 5.

Renewal news came in May 2026, with Peter Friedlander, Head of Global Television, Amazon MGM Studios, explaining in a statement: “The series’ ability to combine high-octane action with compelling character storytelling continues to resonate with tens of millions of viewers around the world.

"We’re excited to move forward with a fifth season ahead of Season 4's debut and to build on this incredible momentum.”

Reacher season 5 trailer: is there one?

Don't be silly. It took us until the end of July 2026 to get one for season 4, so expect the first full trailer to arrive around two weeks before the fifth season does.

Reacher season 5 cast

Michelle Pfeiffer leads our new cast. (Image credit: Prime Video)

As Reacher's supporting cast tends to change on a season-to-season basis, the only person we can guarantee will return for season 5 is Reacher himself: Alan Ritchson.

However, past cast members such as Neagley (Maria Sten) appeared in multiple seasons of the show, so there's currently nothing stopping the below season 4 cast from returning:

• Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher
• Sydelle Noel as Tamara Green
• Christopher Rodriguez-Marquette as Jacob Merrick
• Kevin Corrigan as Detective Shaun Docherty
• Kevin Weisman as Russell Plum

The above hugely depends on how closely show creators will follow the original novel's source material. We can quite easily rule out Neagley's return now that she has her own spinoff.

New faces will likely be announced as filming kicks off, so watch this space.

Reacher season 5 plot predictions

(Image credit: Prime Video)

We know that Reacher season 5 will adapt Child's novel Make Me, which is the 20th installment in his Jack Reacher series.

In short, Reacher arrives at a remote, quiet prairie stop named Mother's Rest. There he meets Michelle Chang, a former FBI agent turned private investigator who is searching for her missing partner, Keever. Together, they trace clues across Chicago, Los Angeles, and the Deep Web, uncovering a horrific online operation.

With the local townspeople hostile and incredibly cryptic, it feels as though the season's tone will be more similar to seasons 1 and 3. However, the ties to bigger cities — particularly Chicago — provides a potential gateway for old characters to return.

At this stage, we're running before we can walk. I'm just glad that once again, the small town feeling wins out.

Black Panther 3: key information

- Officially announced in July 2026
- One of three movies that's part of Marvel Phase 7
- Set to debut in December 2028
- Filming yet to begin, so no trailer/footage to pore over
- First cast members confirmed
- No story details have been unveiled
- Unclear on how it'll impact the MCU

Black Panther 3 is already primed to round out Marvel's 2028 line-up on the big screen. Indeed, with its launch set for December 2028, we know it'll be one of three movies the comic book giant will release in just over two years' time.

What do we know so far about our next trip to Wakanda? Below, I've rounded up all the latest information on the forthcoming Marvel film, including its official release date, confirmed cast, and more. Let's dive in, then — altogether now: Yibambe!

Black Panther 3 release date

Just announced in Hall H: Ryan Coogler returns to Marvel Studios to direct Black Panther 3, only in theaters December 15, 2028. #SDCC pic.twitter.com/j8XZoLd4s2July 26, 2026

Black Panther 3 is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters worldwide on December 15, 2028. That launch date was revealed during Marvel's Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2026 in late July.

There's no word on when filming might begin or how much of the script has been written. However, it's highly unlikely the cameras will start rolling until principal photography has wrapped on Avengers: Secret Wars, aka the final film of the Marvel Multiverse Saga.

The reason? Some of Black Panther 3's confirmed cast (more on them shortly) will appear in the sixth Avengers movie, so it won't enter full production until they're available to shoot it.

Black Panther 3 trailer: is there one?

We won't see a trailer starring Shuri (pictured) or any other Wakandan for a good while yet (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

No — and it's going to be a long time before a teaser for the next Black Panther movie is publicly released.

If I had to guess, I expect its first trailer will be unveiled at SDCC 2028. That's a good 18 months away, so don't expect me to update this article section for some time.

Black Panther 3 confirmed cast

David Jonsson is your new Black Panther. Black Panther 3, directed by Ryan Coogler, arrives in theaters December 15, 2028. pic.twitter.com/JILHDOelQEJuly 26, 2026

Per Marvel.com, here's the confirmed cast so far:

• David Jonsson as T'Challa II
• Letitia Wright as Shuri
• Winston Duke as M'Baku

Jonsson (Alien: Romulus, The Long Walk) was officially announced as T'Challa II — FYI, his legal name is Toussaint — at SDCC 2026.

We first met T'Challa's son in the final scene of 2022's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but it was unclear if he'd ever succeed his father and become the technologically advanced African nation's new protector-in-chief.

Indeed, speaking exclusively to TechRadar back in February 2025, Black Panther producer Nate Moore suggested that the eponymous hero wouldn't be played by a third actor. The first two being, of course, the late Chadwick Boseman, who played T'Challa before his passing in August 2021, and Letitia Wright, whose Marvel character Shuri assumed the mantle in Wakanda Forever.

Now, though, we know that Jonsson will play the grown-up version of T'Challa II. Chatting to Empire magazine, Marvel President Kevin Feige revealed Jonsson was cast after a secret meeting in February 2026, so Moore wasn't pulling the wool over our eyes 12 months earlier.

Shuri is the most recent Marvel character to assume the role of Black Panther (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Meanwhile, Wright told Entertainment Weekly that she's happy for Jonsson to take ownership of the role, although there's no word on whether Shuri will have passed the torch by the start of this movie, or whether it'll happen as part of its plot.

Jonsson won't be the only Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debutant in Black Panther 3.

Speaking on The Today Show in late 2025, multi-award-winning actor Denzel Washington dropped the bombshell that he'll appear in the threequel. Per Variety, Washington personally called director Ryan Coogler to apologize for jumping the gun on that announcement, but everything's been smoothed over now. Indeed, Coogler doubled down on Washington's casting during a chat with people.com, though he declined to reveal the identity of the A-lister's character.

As for other stars who might feature, it's possible Danai Gurira might return as Okoye, the former head of Wakanda's Dora Milaje. Lupita Nyong'o could be back as Nakia, aka T'Challa II's mom, too. Until Marvel announces their returns, I'll keep them off the confirmed cast list.

Black Panther 3 plot rumors

David Jonsson is your new Black Panther. Black Panther 3, directed by Ryan Coogler, arrives in theaters December 15, 2028. pic.twitter.com/39FVl9fwbzJuly 26, 2026

Predictably, there are no story details for Black Panther 3. Marvel is fully focused on Avengers: Doomsday, which arrives in cinemas this December, and its Secret Wars sequel, which comes out in December 2027. With the MCU's future being dictated by what happens in these films, we won't have any concrete information about Black Panther 3's plot until the Multiverse Saga has drawn to a close.

That said, there are a couple of things we can speculate on.

For starters, if T'Challa II adopts the Black Panther mantle and also plans on ruling Wakanda, M'Baku — the leader of the Jabari Tribe and the African nation's current monarch — would need to step aside. Will he do so willingly, or will T'Challa II have to fight him in ritual combat for that honor?

Chadwick Boseman left some big shoes to fill for the next incumbent of Wakanda's superhero-in-chief (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Then, as I mentioned earlier, it'll be interesting to see if T'Challa II is already the new Black Panther by the time this Marvel Phase 7 movie starts. The alternative is that he'll replace Shuri at some point during its runtime. This might be a better way of introducing T'Challa II to audiences and giving him a traditional hero's journey to embark on before he becomes the Black Panther's latest custodian.

On top of all that, we'll eventually learn if Washington's character is an ally or enemy of Wakanda's aristocracy, and what role the fictional kingdom will play in version 2.0 of the MCU (I'll circle back to this in a moment). Furthermore, we should find out whether Boseman's legacy as T'Challa, and his untimely death, will loom as large over proceedings as it did in Wakanda Forever. Once more has been discussed by those involved in the movie's production, I'll update this section.

How will Black Panther 3 impact the MCU?

M'Baku will make his next MCU appearance in the third Black Panther movie (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

In short: nobody knows. As I said earlier, we've got to get through Doomsday and Secret Wars before we know what version 2.0 of the MCU will look like. Once we do, we'll have a better understanding of how Black Panther and Wakanda fit into Marvel's streamlined cinematic universe.

While we wait, find out everything we know so far about Avengers: Doomsday and then get the full lowdown on Avengers: Secret Wars.

Once you're done, learn all there is to know about VisionQuest before getting the complete scoop on Daredevil: Born Again season 3 ahead of both projects hitting Disney+.

A smart lock upgrade offers excellent utility and control without sacrificing privacy.

Now that MobLand season 2 has started streaming on Paramount+, I'm glad we've got more insanely epic television to watch. Nonetheless, in recent times, we've been preoccupied with the unverified Tom Hardy rumors that dogged this season's filming schedule.

In late May, The Hollywood Reporter (THR) claimed that, if MobLand season 3 was to be renewed — which it has been — shooting would begin later this year. However, gossip about Hardy's behavior on set was not only said to have "spooked producers", but even led to the star's firing from the hit crime drama.

THR's source said: "He refused to come out of his trailer for hours at a time. He kept the cast waiting, [which is] a power play. Keeping Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, and others waiting is career suicide, I would wager.”

However, speaking to Variety a separate source refuted those accusations, adding: "Tom was not fired, the door is not closed for season 3, and things are being worked through creatively."

We now know that Hardy is confirmed to return for MobLand season 3, and the cast has moved quickly to shoot down any supposed tension on set. Indeed, Anson Boone (Eddie Harrigan), Mandeep Dhillion (Seraphina Harrigan), and Teddie Allen (Gina Da Souza) all confirmed to TechRadar that the cast is "all family."

'It feels like family'

"Just fun, isn't it? Because we all know each other so well," Dhillon replied when I ask what the on-set vibes were like for season 2. "More playful. It's nice coming back for a season 2, because everyone's just so comfortable."

Boone added: "In season 1, we were all getting to know each other. To then come back for season 2, you have that added level of comfort. We're all pals now."

Honestly, it's easy to see how this is the case. When rumors initially surfaced, it was Helen Mirren who posted a message of support for Hardy on Instagram, with the post reading: "love you now and always, Helen."

"It feels like family," Boone continued, as Dhillon and Allen nodded in agreement. "It's so satisfying when we get to do big group scenes together. When you start season 2, everyone is banished to the four corners of the kingdom.

"No one's talking to anyone. We're a little team [pointing to him and Allen], Seraphina is a little team on her own, also, then you have Kevin (Paddy Considine) and Bella (Lara Pulvey), Maeve (Mirren) Conrad (Brosnan), and Harry (Hardy) all trying to piece it together.

"Obviously, in reality, that means that we're all filming scenes separately. Keep tuning in season 2 and you'll see when people do come together. It's so much fun to film. It's the best days knowing that everyone's in."

Even for a potential PR line, this doesn't feel like the energy of actors who genuinely have had a bad time at work. Perhaps we can finally draw a line under the so-called MobLand scandal and focus on what's really important: the show itself.

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen): Two-minute review

Bose often seems to pay more attention to its Ultra-suffix devices, which absolutely make up some of the best noise-cancelling headphones we've tested. And that is perhaps why the second-generation Bose QuietComfort Headphones — that is to say, those launched in the post-QC 35 II era — took three years to come to market, following the launch of the older QC Headphones in 2023.

These are basically the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Gen 2 for people who don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for their sound, and given how I only ever see the non-Ultra cans when I’m out and about in the UK (a fact my editor also confirms), I’d wager that this new release is the model people have been waiting for.

Meet the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen), so named because they’re quiet, thanks to Bose’s sought-after Active Noise Cancellation, and comfortable (thanks to the use of soft protein leather for pads and bands).

Having used them for several weeks, I can say that the latter is definitely true: these are incredibly easy to use for hours on end, without your ears aching or the top of your head feeling sore. You can basically use them until the battery runs down, although that’s partly because the 24-hour battery life is rather poor in 2026.

I’m not convinced on the ANC sell though. Bose has a reputation for industry-leading noise cancellation, and the Headphones Gen 2 are supposed to match the Ultra Headphones Gen 2 in this department. However, after testing the cans on multiple flights, train rides and around several cities, I’m not fully sold on the claim. They’re great at removing background sound, but not flawless; other brands have caught up, and those similarly-priced competitors surpass them in a few ways.

That’s not to say ANC is an actual problem with the QC Headphones Gen 2, but there are several departments which will raise eyebrows. The cans feel quite cheap, rattling in the hand and offering some odd gaps in the body which shouldn’t be there. They’re also quite light in the feature department, more so than you’d expect for the price.

So why have I given the Bose a four-star review? Well, despite a seemingly-unchanged driver set-up from the older models, and an EQ which barely offers you any control over your music, these cans sound fantastic. They offer detailed and precise treble and energetic and punchy bass. Because of this, listening to tune after tune on them never gets old. The spatial audio is great too, adding an immersive slant to the already-great sound.

Despite quirks, I really enjoyed using the Bose QuietComfort Headphones Gen 2; you will too if you can find them for a price that makes sense. I’m not sure they justify the premium price tag right now, but if you find them discounted, they’re a must-buy.

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) review: Price and release date

(Image credit: Future)

• Launched in August 2026
• Sells for $359 / £299 / AU$549.99
• Comes with carry case and two cables

The Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) were announced on August 6, 2026. That’s three years after the first-gen model came out, and a year after the Ultra Gen 2.

Despite not being the ‘Ultra’ member of the family, the ‘standard’ QuietComforts aren’t cheap. You can pick up the cans for $359 / £299 / AU$549.99, which is cheaper in the UK but more expensive in the US than the last-gen models (and the same cost in Australia). It is, of course, cheaper than the Ultra Gen 2 model, which launched for $449 / £449 / AU$699 and haven’t seen a massive price cut since.

So they’re premium headphones, if not ultra-premium ones. They undercut the likes of the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3 and Sony WH-1000XM6 (though the newer WH-1000XM4C are cheaper in most regions).

You can pick the cans up in five color options: black, white, mauve, mint and green you see depicted. In the box you get a protective carry case, USB-C to USB-C wire and a USB-C to 3.5mm cable.

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) review: Specs

Drivers

Not specified

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Battery life

24

Weight

241g

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4, USB-C

Frequency response

Not specified

Waterproofing

None

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) review: Features

(Image credit: Future)

• ANC great, but not best
• Poor 24h battery life
• App doesn't offer that much

At 24 hours, the Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) don’t have a very long battery life. I’ve tested other options this year which last for literally 100 extra hours; don’t buy these if you need something for a long-haul flight. That listening time is with ANC turned on; you’ll get a few hours more if you turn it off, but less if you use some of the other listening features.

You charge the cans via their USB-C port, which takes 3 hours according to Bose. A new feature for the Gen 2 model is that you can also enjoy wired audio from this port, which is a real get for people who like high-quality audio. It almost makes up for the lack of a 3.5mm jack!

I suppose we should discuss that ANC. As mentioned in the introduction, it was good but not great, and certainly not the best I’ve ever used in over-ear headphones. The difference was small but noticeable: on a flight, I could hear the hum of the engines more than in some other cans I’ve tested, and surrounding sounds would creep into my music more often than I’d like.

They’re not bad by any means, and they’re still some of the better ANC headphones I’ve tested. But they’re not the best, and that’s a surprise given the name and the price point.

The headphones offer a range of listening modes beyond ‘standard’ ANC (which it calls Quiet mode), but I was surprised by how much most of these also affected audio quality. I’d recommend only sticking to Quiet or Aware, which lets in some surrounding sound.

(Image credit: Future)

You can toggle between these modes in Bose’s app, which has a few other tools. You can set up multi-point connection, change what that shortcut button does, check the battery life, set up immersive audio and play with the equalizer.

If your ears perked up at the mention of EQ, don’t get too excited. The custom mode only offers 3-band control, and there are four presets which change these three bands for bass or treble reduction or boost. It’s a surprisingly lightweight amount of customization for premium headphones, and people who like to tweak their audio sound will be greatly disappointed.

To be honest, that’s my general takeaway from the Bose app: it offers only a fraction of the tools, features and customization that you’d get from cans costing a third of the price.

One stand-out is Immersive Audio though. In the past, I've found similar offerings from rival brands a tad gimmicky, but Bose’s works very well. You can choose between Still or Motion (depending if you’re still or in motion), and it’ll deliver an encompassing sound that spreads the sound of your music or movie around you. It’s not so overt as to be distracting, and makes music a little more immersive — though I much preferred Still mode, which had a more audible spread which changed as I moved my head.

• Features score: 3/5

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Comfortable to wear for long periods
• Smartly-placed and designed buttons
• A few cheap-feeling elements

The second-gen Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) look pretty similar to the original pair, but with some refinements in the looks department. Hinges and the retractable arm are better hidden, and the headband’s padding looks better integrated. The cans make the older model look like a prototype.

Oddly, though, the headphones feel pretty cheap. The cups rattle, there’s a noticeable seam between the headband and pad, and parts of the headphones flop around unsupported when you hold the gadget by its headband. There are a few other similar traits which make the buds feel loose, most noticeably that there’s a worrying amount of flex in the band. After several weeks of testing, I’ve yet to have these traits manifest in any actual problem, but I’m constantly surprised by how the build quality flags behind half-priced rivals.

I do appreciate that they're based on a design many users have loved, for many years — and this is likely the key reason they've largely been kept as-is (or was). But still, in the intervening years competing design teams have worked hard on other, newer headphones, and the Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) feel a little flimsy and clunky in direct comparison today.

At least the QuietComfort are supremely comfortable to wear. The padding which rests across the top of your head, and the soft cups, both go a long way in ensuring you can listen for long periods of time without getting any aches or strains. It gives the impression of them being light, even though at 241g, they weigh about the same as many other pairs.

(Image credit: Future)

When you’re wearing the cans, the right cup has the volume and pause/play buttons; their prominence is different so you can easily tell what button your finger is on. The right edge has the shortcut button, and power slider; I love this latter, as it’s easy to flick to instantly turn the cans on, without needing to press and hold like you do on most rivals. Bose has really nailed the buttons here, which I admit is a small detail, but that is where the devil is according to the idiom.

There’s a decent amount of malleability here: you can rotate the cups a fair way left and right, and the band is quite extendable (though it’s fairly stiff, so you’ll have to give it a hearty tug). The cups don’t move much up and down, but they still fit my head well.

You can fold down the QCs to make them more portable, or put them in the travel case. My aforementioned issues with the ‘loose’ feel of the cans returns here; you can’t stack them on a flat surface without them falling over.

• Design score: 4/5

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) review: Sound quality

(Image credit: Future)

• V-shaped audio with energetic bass, treble
• Spatial audio sounds great
• Unspecified drivers inside

If you’ve read the design and features sections of this review, you’ll know I’ve had compliments and criticisms in each department. Not so for audio quality.

Bose hasn’t detailed the driver in the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen), but the previous-gen model had a 40mm unit, and the brand hasn’t boasted any audio improvements beyond generations. It doesn’t need to; the previous models sounded fantastic and the new ones do too.

Out of the box, you’re getting V-shaped sound from the QuietComfort Headphones. Treble is crisp, sharp and detailed, letting you hear tremolo and tones that many other cans miss. Bass is hefty and punchy, but with a precision and control which avoids lower frequencies drowning out the rest of your song.

(Image credit: Future)

As is generally the case with headphones offering V-profile audio, the mids lack just a little bit. I’d often notice guitars playing harmonies, piano accompaniments or high alto/low tenor backing vocals that’d be missing the ‘oomph’ I’d like them to have. But you’re not buying the Bose for a neutral sound: this is for fun and energetic music.

The sound set-up of the QuietComforts is best shown in songs like Fitz and the Tantrum’s Man on the Moon, which has hard-hitting vocals and bass but loses its rhythm guitar and strings a little, or The Hoosiers' Automatic Glow, which sees its harmonic synth line dropped to the back of the mix, in favor of the energetic sung word, and rising hook.

To return to the Bose app, you can use the EQ to try and add some emphasis on mids, but I found this only a limited solution which didn’t have much of an effect on the music.

• Sound quality: 5/5

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

• Should be top-value earbuds
• Unfortunately, longevity isn't guaranteed

If your headphone equation is simply “I’ll spend more money for better audio”, the Bose QuietComfort Headphones Gen 2 will be a good option. They sound great and they’re comfortable, so you can enjoy music for a long time (at a fairly high cost).

But to me, a few aspects of these headphones make the premium price seem a little too high. The loose-feeling build quality, lack of app features and poor battery life all point to the cost being higher than it should be. If you see the Bose discounted by about $100 / £100 / AU$200, then these will be good-value cans. Alternatively, the previous-gen models should be enjoying a decent price cut due to being a bit older.

As it stands, the Gen 2 are still good buys, but I’d personally save money and buy cheaper headphones. Which in particular? Well, thankfully there's a competition section below…

• Value: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen)?Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

The noise cancellation is great, but the lack of other tools and poor battery life let the Bose down.

3/5

Design

The QuietComfort is certainly comfortable, with some smart elements but a cheap-feeling design.

4/5

Sound quality

Most people will find these perfect for music.

5/5

Value

They're great, but you'd be right to expect a little more for the price.

3.5/5

Buy them if…

You find other headphones uncomfortable
Many people struggle with headphones because they don't want their head in a musical vice. Try the QCs, they're your best bet.

You want great noise cancellation
It may not be the best in the biz, but it's still very good: if you need solid ANC, you won't be disappointed.

You love immersive audio features
Always listen to your music with spatial enabled? You'll really like how Bose handles the function.View Deal

Don’t buy them if…

You need something long-lasting
Many people will find the 24-hour battery life insufficient. Luckily, it's one of the shortest figures I've seen on earbuds; you can do better.

You like tweaking your audio profile
The QC Headphones' equalizer doesn't offer you much control over your music, nor any kind of listening test.

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) review: Also consider

Looking for alternative over-ears? Here are a few we've tested and would recommend.

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen)

Soundcore Space 2

Sony WH-1000XM6

Drivers

Not specified

40mm

30mm

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Yes

Yes

Battery life (ANC on)

24 hours

50 hours

30 hours

Weight

241g

264g

254g

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4, USB-C

Unspecified Bluetooth, 3.5mm

Bluetooth 5.3, 3.5mm

Waterproofing

Not specified

Not specified

IPX4

Soundcore Space 2
This affordable pair of cans costs half the amount of the QC Headphones, and its comfort and ANC match Bose. The audio quality isn't quite on par, however, and nor is the spatial audio.
Read our full Soundcore Space 2 review

Sony WH-1000XM6
Bose's closest rival is from Sony; this set costs a little more and also offers fantastic noise cancellation, an incredible sound and useful button controls.
Read our full Sony WH-1000XM6 review

How I tested the Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen)

• Tested for roughly four weeks
• Paired with Android phone for Bluetooth, Android tablet for audio
• Used on walks around neighborhood, at work, on flights and on trains

To write this full review, I used the Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) for just over four weeks, which gave me time to fully put them through their paces.

For the majority of the testing time, the buds were paired with my Fairphone 6 Plus smartphone, though I plugged them into a Xiaomi tablet using the cable for some wired audio. Over the course of the review I tested them on multiple flights, countless train and bus journeys, while working at home and on various walks around my city.

I listened on Spotify, to my own digital library, for movies on Now TV and videos on YouTube, and various games.

I've been testing gadgets for TechRadar since early 2019, and in that time have used countless pairs of over-ears.

• First reviewed in September 2026

• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

IKEA is really making a name for itself in smart home tech. Its mobile app is clear and easy to navigate, its selection of smart switches (which my colleague Ruth Hamilton called "the understated hit of IKEA's new gadget range") are versatile and cheap, and its stylish smart lamps made a real splash at this year's CES technology show.

But what if you don't want to be limited to IKEA's own app? What if you like IKEA's lights, but already have a Philips Hue setup, or want to incorporate lights and devices from other brands as well?

Thankfully, there are lots of options to explore, from simple software solutions to crafty hardware hacks. Here are four ways to get all your smart lights to play along nicely.

1. Use the Matter standard

Last week, IKEA launched a new driver for its integrated lights (including the type of strips and spots you would install in cupboards and cabinets) that not only lets you control them remotely via the IKEA Home app, but is also compatible with the Matter smart home standard. That means you can combine these integrated lights into a larger smart home setup.

You can then control them using a Matter-compatible smart speaker, set a schedule, dim them, and much more. You aren't limited to IKEA's integrated lights, either. The brand also offers other Matter-compatible lights, including the color-shifting, donut-shaped Varmblixt, and Kajplats bulbs — and you can throw in lights from other brands like Nanoleaf, Govee, and (of course) Philips Hue, too.

But what if you don't want to use the Matter standard? What if you already have a Philips Hue setup and want to continue using the Hue app to control all your lights?

2. Connect everything to your Hue Bridge

IKEA smart lights (such as the Varmblixt and Kajplats) support Zigbee Light Link, which is the same wireless protocol used by Philips Hue bulbs. You can therefore connect your IKEA lights directly to a Philips Hue Bridge by following these instructions:

1. Ensure your IKEA smart light has software version 1.2.x or later
2. Keep the IKEA smart light close to the Philips Hue Bridge
3. Search for new devices in the Philips Hue app
4. Do a factory reset of the smart light by toggling the main switch six times

Connecting your IKEA smart lights this way will let you control their basic functions through the Hue app, set schedules, add them to groups, and trigger them with Hue sensors and switches.

However, you won't get the same degree of control you would through a native Hue smart light. You won't be able to dim your IKEA lights using a Hue Tap Dial switch, for example, or incorporate them into a Philips Hue Play entertainment setup. For that, you'll need to get more creative.

3. Try a hardware hack

If you like the look of an IKEA smart light, but want the full functionality of Philips Hue and are feeling brave, you could try a crafty hardware hack.

The Varmblixt lamp is a particularly popular choice for smart lighting DIYers, who have discovered that its frosted glass case is ideal for concealing a Philips Hue light strip. Reddit user K1uppy described the process of opening the IKEA lamp, removing its innards, and replacing them with a coiled Hue strip.

IKEA VARMBLIXT + Repurposed Hue Lightstrip from r/Hue

It's an interesting idea, and another Redditor's experiment with a non-Hue LED strip demonstrates how dramatic the effect could be with a gradient.

Donut Lamp with WLed from r/WLED

However, you should remember that a coiled light strip could overheat, damaging the LEDs.

4. Pick the right lamps

A safer (though less imaginative) alternative is to use Hue bulbs with IKEA lamps designed for standard light bulbs. Look out for ones that will diffuse light, such as the Fado table lamp, the ruffled Vindkast, or the striking multi-bulb Simrishamn. You can use the Philips Hue app to create a 'group' of these three bulbs, and control them together or apply a scene so they co-ordinate for an interesting effect.

There are Philips Hue bulbs for virtually all light fixtures, so you will be able to find one that fits your chosen IKEA lamp. Reddit users have suggested dialing down the brightness of your Hue bulbs to around 50% to create soft ambient lighting. You'll find a collection of suitable IKEA pendant, table, and floor lamps below.

IKEA Fado

IKEA Vindkast Table Lamp

IKEA Vindkast floor lamp

IKEA Simrishamn Floor Lamp

IKEA Simrishamn Pendant Lamp

IKEA Varmblixt Smart Lamp

Withings BodyScan 2 Body Scale: One minute review

Smart scales measure weight, body fat, muscle mass, and a whole host of other metrics through a collection of electrodes at the soles of your feet. The best smart scales are perfect for fitness enthusiasts, family health monitoring, and those who want to track changes to their body over time, but Withings wants to push the boundaries of what is possible in the smart scale category. Not satisfied with simple measurements like the ones listed above, Withings has launched the BodyScan 2, and it represents a significant step in innovation.

According to Withings, the BodyScan 2 is “the world's first longevity station. It is the only consumer device that transforms your daily weigh-in into a complete cardiometabolic assessment, revealing whether your lifestyle is adding or taking years off your healthy life.” This scale is all about trends over time and those who care about optimizing their health now, for the reward of future gains.

Building on the original BodyScan scale, version two introduces a number of new features and design changes. The display has been moved from the base to the handlebar, offering a more pleasing user experience. New features include SpO2 measurements, hypertension screening, heart and ‘vascular age’ estimations, and reporting on the risk of unstable glycaemia.

All of these improvements make the scale $200 / £100 more expensive than the original. That’s a significant increase given that even the most premium offerings from most other brands cost less than half the price, but I suppose electronics in all categories have been getting more expensive this year with the components crisis. And if you want access to the complete set of features, then you’ll have to part ways with $9.95 / £8.95 per month for a Withings+ subscription, making this a premium-only, money-no-object smart scale option.

That said, the BodyScan 2 offers the very best in features and build quality. The scale is able to track over 40 biomarkers and, through very clever processing, can report heart findings that no other scale is capable of. It also boasts a robust and premium build with the chassis being made from reinforced aluminum.

Withings has taken some of the most innovative hardware found in the best smartwatches and best smart rings and combined it with traditional smart scale technology. The result is one of the most advanced smart scales on the consumer market.

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)Withings BodyScan 2 Body Scale: Specifications

Component

Withings BodyScan 2 Body Scale

Price

$599.95 USD / £449.95 GBP / $895 AUS

Metrics

40+ Biomarkers with 6-zone body composition analysis, Metabolic Assessment, Cardiovascular Insights, and a Calories Tracker

Dimensions

12.8 x 14.1 x 0.7 in / 325 x 357 x 18.5 mm

Weight

11.9 lbs / 5.4 kg

Material

Glass and reinforced aluminum

Display

LCD

Battery

Rechargeable Li-ion battery, USB Type-C

Connection

WiFi

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)Withings BodyScan 2 Body Scale: Price and availability

• $599.95 USD / £449.95 GBP / $895 AUS
• The specs justify the high cost
• More affordable alternatives exist

The BodyScan 2 is one of the most expensive scales on the market, period. At $599.95 / £449.95 / $$895 AUS, the scale is marketed at only the most serious of users who have the disposable income to match their health goals.

Unfortunately, the costs don’t end there. If you’d like to unlock the premium in-app experience, Withings+, then you’ll have to part with a further $9.95 / £8.95 per month. The membership provides clinical experts at your disposal, an AI health assistant to convert your history into future progress, and a long-term assessment of your aging.

The spec of the BodyScan 2 sets it apart from the rest of the competition. If you turn to the likes of RunStar, then you’ll find their most premium smart scale, the 8E Ultra, costing less than half the price of the BodyScan 2. This shows that unless you need features to measure and estimate heart age, vascular age, and risk of unstable glycaemia and hypertension, then you’ll be able to save a lot of money by going for one of the other options on our best smart scales list.

• Value score 4.5/5

Future / Paul HattonFuture / Paul HattonFuture / Paul HattonFuture / Paul HattonFuture / Paul HattonWithings BodyScan 2 Body Scale: Design

• High-resolution LCD screen
• ITO Glass Platform
• Robust and durable

The BodyScan 2 exudes the premium build quality that you’d expect given its eye-watering price tag. The aesthetic is smart, professional, and well thought through. With a reinforced aluminum chassis, you also won’t have many concerns should it be dropped on a hard tiled floor or knocked against a sink pedestal.

At the heart of the experience is a 640 x 172px color LCD screen, which is bright, vibrant, and clear. With it, users can quickly and easily track their progress without even needing to launch the Withings app. This is neatly located in the retractable handle, if you choose to use it, so your data will be closer to your eye and more easily read.

The base is covered with a large-format glass platform that contains eight integrated Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) electrodes for high-precision accuracy and support for all foot sizes and up to 200 kg / 440 lb maximum capacity. The base features a black and blue hued striped pattern, which elevates the smart scale beyond looking like a glass slab.

Extruding out of the base is the smart retractable handle with an automatic locking mechanism. It works smoothly and reliably locks into position, and its length means it’ll cater to even the tallest of users. Withings has also integrated two buttons into the handle to allow for easy operation of the unit.

As well as housing the color screen, the handle comprises four stainless steel electrodes to take the total number across the scale up to 12. Through these sensors, the BodyScan 2 is capable of performing cardiometabolic assessments and a whole-body analysis.

• Design Score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)Withings BodyScan 2 Body Scale: Features

• Hypertension notifications
• Blood oxygen level measurements
• Heart age predictions

The BodyScan 2 represents a significant advancement in body tracking for the consumer market. It does, of course, continue to carry out the basics admirably, but beyond that, the scale introduces new measurements and features that have never been seen before in a home device. These features include hypertension, heart age, and blood oxygen level, with glucose resilience tracking coming soon.

First up, hypertension notifications. By analyzing patterns in the data collected by the BodyScan 2, Withings is able to detect signs associated with hypertension. The presence of these patterns is not a medical assessment that hypertension is present but rather the reporting of it as a heightened possibility, just like the best Apple Watches. If it detects a pattern, you’ll receive a notification through the Withings app.

Then there’s the heart and vascular age predictors, which are unlocked with a Withings+ membership. According to Withings, this is an indicator of the “heart's mechanical efficiency, based on how quickly your heart reacts to each beat and how effectively it pumps blood.”

The final new feature to mention is blood oxygen tracking, which is achieved through a multi-wave PPG sensor built into the handle. Through this infrared technology, the smart scale measures SpO2 in the same way as the best smartwatches. These three features provide a complete cardiometabolic assessment, which sets the BodyScan 2 apart from the competition.

• Features Score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)Withings BodyScan 2 Body Scale: Performance

• Solid accuracy for basic metrics
• Variable vascular age results
• Cluttered Withings app experience

To provide a comparison set of measurements, I compared the BodyScan 2 with the RunStar 8E Pro. Both brands claim over 98.5% DEXA validation and deliver a similar set of metrics, although the BodyScan 2 offers the most.

Let’s start with the basics. The BodyScan 2 recorded my weight at 61.23kg and BMI at 18.2 compared to 61.4 and 19 on the RunStar. Comparative measurements continued across muscle rate, subcutaneous fat, visceral fat, base metabolism, and a number of other fat and mass metrics.

All readings are quickly available on the Withings app, which allows for deeper interrogation and tracking over time. Body composition data is displayed on a 3D graphic, which is engaging. I did, however, find it difficult to navigate around the Withings app with the sheer amount of data and features causing the interface to feel cluttered.

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)

As accurate as the BodyScan 2 is for basic measurements, it is not these metrics that would cause someone to purchase a BodyScan 2. I was much more interested in the new features, including blood oxygen level measurements and heart age predictions. To test SpO2 readings, I compared it to my Garmin Tactix 8 and found that its readings were similar and consistent.

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)

Vascular age reporting was less reliable. The first time I measured it, the app told me that my vascular age was four years older than my actual age. As you can imagine, that was a little bit of a shock. I measured it a week later, at a similar time of the day, and Withings reported only a one-year difference from my actual age. That’s a significant difference in a short space of time, which makes it difficult to entirely rely upon the findings and decide whether health changes are required.

Offering cardiometabolic measurements and estimations via a smart scale puts the BodyScan 2 at the forefront of the industry. They have introduced tech that has never before been seen in a smart scale, and the level of innovation is truly impressive. That said, I think we’re a few iterations off, seeing a smart scale delivering the necessary accuracy to make their estimations accurate enough to be relied upon to be highly accurate within some newer metrics, only a general trend indication.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Withings BodyScan 2 Body Scale: Scorecard

Category

Comment

Score

Value

The BodyScan 2 is extremely expensive, but for the money you get excellent build quality and a wide range of advanced features.

4.5/5

Design

A professional, modern-looking smart scale with a built-in LCD display. The retractable handle is well engineered and designed to endure years of use.

5/5

Features

This smart scale offers an array of advanced features, designed to provide a full cardiometabolic report.

5/5

Performance

Solid accuracy across standard metrics, although vascular age reporting was variable. The app is also a little cluttered.

4.5/5

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

You want full cardiometabolic tracking from the comfort of your own home

The BodyScan 2 offers some of the most extensive body and heart tracking seen in any home device.

You’re taking GLP-1s and want to maintain body mass

The BodyScan 2 tracks lean mass across the whole body so you can see exactly where you’re losing mass and respond accordingly.

Don't buy it if...

You’ll only be casually measuring your weight and a few other metrics

With full-body scanning capabilities and innovative heart tracking, the BodyScan 2 is only for the most serious of users.

You’re looking for a budget-friendly scale

At $599.95 USD / £449.95 GBP / $895 AUS, the BodyScan 2 is extremely expensive. Significantly more affordable alternatives exist.

Also consider

RunStar 8E Pro Body Scale

A similarly DEXA-verified smart scale that’s significantly more affordable, although it tracks fewer metrics.View Deal

Vitafit Smart Bathroom Scale

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

Vitafit Smart Bathroom ScaleView Deal

How I tested

My family (two adults and children) used the BodyScan 2 scale for several weeks. Having several family members made it possible to try out the multi-profile functionality, but most of the time I spent testing the scale using myself as a subject. I focused in on some of the new features that set the BodyScan 2 apart, such as vascular age and SpO2. Having the scale located in a busy family bathroom enabled me to determine the robustness and durability of the device.

First reviewed: September 2026