Technology

Bambu Lab has been nailing the 3D printer space lately, with some excellent deals across the line - but one that really stands out for easy high-speed, multi-color printing is the Bambu Lab P1S AMS 2 Pro Combo for $579 (was $1124).

This fully enclosed printer combines impressive speed, automatic calibration, and the flexibility of multi-material printing in a package that's equally suited to beginners and experienced makers. In the UK, the P1S AMS 2 Pro Combo is now £519 (was £549).

The included AMS 2 Pro system lets you print with multiple colors and materials without constant manual filament changes, and features like automatic bed leveling, vibration compensation, and pressure advance mean you can spend less time playing around with settings and more time actually printing.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Bambu Lab P1S AMS 2 Pro Combo if...

You want a fast, reliable 3D printer that delivers excellent results with minimal setup. The enclosed design supports engineering-grade materials, while the AMS 2 Pro system makes multi-color and multi-material printing straightforward. Automatic bed leveling, vibration compensation, and pressure advance remove much of the trial and error, making it an excellent choice for users of all levels, including first timers.

❌ Skip the Bambu Lab P1S AMS 2 Pro Combo if...

You only plan to print occasionally or need a basic machine for simple prototypes. If you don't need multi-color printing or advanced materials, then a lower-priced open-frame printer may deliver better value. Those needing a much larger build volume should also consider printers better designed for oversized projects.

The Bambu Lab P1S AMS 2 Pro Combo offers automatic calibration, multi-colour printing, a 256 x 256 x 256 mm build volume, enclosed printing, and fast, reliable performance.

In the UK: now £519 (was £549)View Deal

Why we recommend it

Bambu Lab has built a reputation for making 3D printing remarkably accessible without sacrificing performance, with plenty of models featured in our round-up of the best 3D printers we've tested.

The P1S continues that approach by combining fast print speeds with excellent reliability and automation, letting you spend more time creating and less time troubleshooting.

With a generous 256 x 256 x 256mm build volume, support for engineering-grade filaments, and a setup process that takes around 15 minutes, it's designed to deliver reliable, professional-quality prints straight out of the box.

The addition of the AMS 2 Pro expands its capabilities even further, making complex multi-color projects surprisingly easy. Whether you're printing functional parts, miniatures, prototypes, or decorative models, it will deliver high-quality results with very little effort.

Price context & historical value

A price cut from $1124 to $579 in the US represents one of the biggest discounts we've seen on the P1S AMS 2 Pro Combo. With the included AMS 2 Pro system adding significant value over the standard printer, this deal substantially lowers the cost of getting into premium desktop 3D printing.

For more savings, we track the best 3D printer deals with updates every week.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

While the automation removes much of the setup work, 3D printing still comes with a learning curve. Regular maintenance, occasional nozzle cleaning, and understanding different filament types are all part of getting consistently high-quality results.

• US: Shop all 3D printers at Bambu Lab
• UK: See all Bambu Lab 3D printers

• Three in four European businesses fear a US tech 'kill switch' as much as they fear a ransomware attack
• Less than half have a continuity plan in place that is tested and documented
• Email and cloud file storage are the two services European businesses have sought sovereign alternatives for

Most European businesses use some form of US-based software in their day-to-day operations. But as tensions across the Atlantic mount, almost 75% of European businesses fear the introduction of a US tech ‘kill switch’.

This is according to new data from Proton, which surveyed 1,500 businesses in the UK, France, and Germany. The data also shows that more than half (54.5%) of European businesses would not survive for more than one day if they lost access to US cloud and digital services.

One in four of those surveyed predicted the losses from a single day of downtime could be as much as €100,000, with half predicting losses of more than €50,000.

Geopolitical tensions have become operational risk

US President Donald Trump has become increasingly critical of his allies across the Atlantic since returning to the Presidency. He has repeatedly questioned NATO contributions, threatening to withdraw unless Europe upped its spending.

But Trump has also criticized European tech regulations for “robbing American companies and, in turn, the American taxpayer”. He has vowed to investigate the European Union for fining US tech companies for anti-competitive practices and GDPR violations, and has placed numerous tariffs on trade partners.

Many US tech companies poured funding into Trump's presidential campaign, with others making voluntary contributions to curry favor immediately after his inauguration. Many complained of the fines levied against them by EU regulations, and Trump has turned this into a sticking point for negotiations with Europe.

The fear is that Trump could use Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to deem the fines from such regulations to be unfair, and stop US companies from paying them, effectively allowing US companies to violate regulations without repercussions. In return, Europe would flip the ‘kill switch’ and stop US companies from operating in their territory.

"The kill switch is no longer an abstract geopolitical concern but a business continuity crisis. The study captures a clear shift in how European businesses perceive operational risk,” said Raphaël Auphan, Chief Operating Officer at Proton.

“The fact that concern about a government-imposed kill switch is virtually indistinguishable from concern about ransomware tells something significant: geopolitical risk applied to digital dependence is no longer a boardroom abstraction. It is joining the same threat register as criminal attacks, with the same sense of urgency and the same expectation that it could materialise without warning."

A sovereign alternative

The EU has already begun taking steps towards developing European alternatives to the cloud, productivity, and other services that many businesses rely on today. A Tech Sovereignty Package, launched in June this year, seeks to reduce the reliance on US hyperscalers and Chinese tech manufacturing.

While the Proton data shows that a majority of European businesses (67.8%) would switch to a sovereign provider if the kill switch was flipped, the availability of European cloud providers is not quite at the same level as rival US services.

But steps are being taken to address this shortfall. Proton has launched a business continuity solution to help businesses continue operating during outages caused by ransomware attacks, software outages, and even a US tech kill switch.

• Researchers Talal Haj Bakry and Tommy Mysk found three WebKit flaws leaking real IPs despite iCloud Private Relay
• DNS prefetching, WebAuthn origin requests, and WebTransport bypass proxy settings, exposing users across all Apple browsers
• Tor and Psylo browsers issued fixes; Apple has not confirmed a patch but is reviewing the report

WebKit, Apple’s engine that powers all web browsers in its ecosystem, contained multiple flaws that helped leak the IP addresses of users who paid to keep them hidden.

This is according to security researchers Talal Haj Bakry and Tommy Mysk who noted they had found “three WebKit features that bypass the proxy configuration and send traffic directly from the device instead,” they wrote.

“DNS prefetching resolves hostnames through the device’s normal DNS path, which reveals the user’s real DNS servers instead of the proxy’s. Available since iOS 26.0; WebAuthn Related Origin Requests make the operating system’s credential service fetch a validation file directly from the device. This exposes the device’s real IP address. Available since iOS 18.0; WebTransport opens a direct HTTP/3 connection and bypasses the proxy, which also exposes the device’s real IP address. Available since iOS 26.4," the researchers said.

Private Relay

While the bugs are in WebKit, the leaks come via Private Relay - a privacy feature available with iCloud+ that hides a user’s IP address and encrypts Safari web traffic. Private Relay does not work like a VPN, and does not mask the traffic flowing through other apps and programs - it just handles browser traffic.

Since WebKit is mandatory for all browsers running in Apple’s ecosystem, the vulnerability affects all of them. Some, including Tor and Mysk’s very own Psylo browsers, have already issued fixes.

Apple, on the other hand, has not yet confirmed a fix, or even that it was working on one. It did say, according to 404 Media, that it was looking into the research report.

The researchers built a dedicated website where users can check if Private Relay is working as intended or still leaking the actual IP address into the wild.

Investment in AI continues to accelerate at pace, with global spending projected to reach $2.59 trillion in 2026, a 47% year-on-year increase.

Yet only 28% of AI projects are currently generating a measurable ROI, with many failing to deliver expected business outcomes.

As organizations race to capitalize on AI opportunities, many continue to increase investments without fully understanding how AI will operate within their existing technology environments, particularly their data storage infrastructure.

Without careful planning in this area, businesses risk higher costs, growing technical debt and increased compliance complexity, all of which can undermine the value AI is set to deliver.

No data, no AI

The IT industry often talks about AI in terms of performance, computing power and processing speed. But at its heart, AI is a data system.

In recent years, high-performance processing GPUs and NPUs have been getting much of the attention and investment. While compute remains essential, AI data is constantly evolving, expanding and requiring ongoing management throughout its lifecycle.

As organizations move from AI experimentation to deployment at scale, the importance of a robust data infrastructure becomes increasingly clear.

Businesses need the ability to capture, store, access and manage growing volumes of data efficiently at every stage of the AI journey.

To maximize AI ROI, organizations should view storage and data infrastructure as strategic enablers rather than supporting technologies. Long-term AI success depends on ensuring storage infrastructure is aligned with wider technology and business objectives from the start.

AI requires a different approach to storage

Historically, data storage needs were relatively predictable. A ‘set-and-forget’ approach was often sufficient. The AI era demands a fundamentally different mindset for several reasons.

For one, the scale of data associated with AI exceeds anything many organizations have previously encountered. According to IDC, annual global data creation is expected to more than triple over the next five years, reaching 718 zettabytes by 2030, representing a CAGR of 26.9%.

AI workloads also continuously generate additional data through logs, metadata, synthetic outputs, model updates and training datasets. Just as importantly, AI performance is heavily influenced by the quality of the underlying data infrastructure. The ability to access large, well-managed datasets efficiently has a direct impact on business outcomes.

When discussing return on AI investments with the C-suite, technical leaders should connect infrastructure decisions to financial performance. GPUs are typically among the most significant items within AI budgets, and any time spent waiting on storage input/output represents underutilized investment.

Storage architectures that are not designed for AI workloads can constrain performance and reduce overall returns from compute investments.

One example for an AI-optimized architecture approach is tiered storage. Not all data delivers the same value at every stage of the AI lifecycle, nor does it require the same level of performance. Frequently accessed datasets used for active model training and inference may benefit from high-performance storage, while historical data, archived outputs and compliance-related records can be moved to lower-cost capacity tiers.

By aligning storage performance and cost with the value and usage profile of different datasets, organizations can optimize infrastructure spending while maintaining access to the data needed to support AI innovation, governance and future model development.

Organizations that invest in cost-effective scalable, future-ready, AI workload optimized storage and data infrastructure are better positioned to unlock value from AI initiatives, while building a foundation that can support future growth.

AI data, compliance and regulatory risk

Legal and regulatory considerations should also form part of AI planning from the start.

As AI laws are established, organizations must continue to comply with existing data-related obligations, including regulations like UK GDPR and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.

Any organization with EU customers should also consider EU requirements around data governance, transparency and record-keeping. Retention periods for training datasets and model records can often be longer than anticipated, making long-term storage planning a decisive factor.

Addressing these needs early helps organizations avoid costly remediation efforts later and supports more effective governance as AI deployments scale.

Talking a proactive approach to protecting AI ROI

As AI adoption grows and data volumes continue to expand, demand for storage capacity is increasing rapidly. This is creating new supply chain and procurement challenges across the industry.

As a result, organizations can no longer assume that capacity will be readily available whenever it is needed, particularly for large-scale AI projects.

In practice, this means considering forecasting storage requirements alongside GPU and infrastructure investments, exploring longer-term capacity planning arrangements, and incorporating storage needs into AI business cases from the beginning.

A proactive storage strategy is becoming essential for businesses looking to support future AI workloads with confidence, minimize operational risks, and maximize long-term returns from their AI investments.

The last word

AI ROI depends not just on the quality of its algorithms and applications, but also on how effectively organizations manage, store and govern their large-scale data estates.

Even a small difference in cost per terabyte can become significant when applied across petabyte- and exabyte-scale environments.

Organizations that integrate forward storage planning into their AI strategy, treat data infrastructure as a strategic asset and prepare early for future capacity requirements will be ideally positioned to realize the full value of their AI investments.

We've reviewed the best business cloud storage.

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

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

If you’re wondering whether one security device could make a difference at home, here’s the proof — and why it works.

• The actors behind Resident Evil Requiem's Leon S. Kennedy and Grace Ashcroft, Nick Apostolides and Angela Sant’Albano, will co-host the Future Games Show at Gamescom
• The showcase will feature more than 40 games from AAA and indie studios
• Fans can expect "exclusive gameplay reveals and brand-new trailers for some of the most exciting upcoming games"

The Future Games Show at Gamescom 2026 has found its co-hosts in Resident Evil Requiem stars Nick Apostolides and Angela Sant’Albano.

Apostolides and Sant’Albano played Leon S. Kennedy and Grace Ashcroft in the most recent Resident Evil entry, and they will reunite once more on August 26 for the Future Games Show at Gamescom, which begins at 10AM PDT / 1PM EDT / 6PM BST / 7PM CEST / 1AM CST.

"I’m thrilled to be co-hosting the Future Games Show at Gamescom alongside Angela Sant’Albano on August 26!" said Apostolides. "I can't wait to share an incredible lineup of games with fans around the world. Whether you’re into pulse-pounding horror, samurai adventures or anything in between, we’ve got first looks, exciting reveals and plenty of surprises in store. Join us for one hell of a show."

The showcase is expected to feature more than 40 games from some of the industry's biggest AAA and indie studioes, including a behind the scenes look at Tides of Annihilation from Eclipse Glow Games, a closer look at samurai swordplay action game Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and an interview with Neon Giant for their immersive open-world game on their new immersive open world game NO LAW.

(Image credit: Future Games Show)

"I'm thrilled to be joining Nick Apostolides to co-host the Future Games Show at gamescom on 26 August," Sant’Albano said. "We’re putting the zombie-dodging to one side to bring you world premieres, exclusive gameplay reveals and brand-new trailers for some of the most exciting upcoming games. Nick and I can't wait to share it all with you - see you there!"

FGS Live From Gamescom will immediately follow the main showcase on August 26, hosted by the FGS editorial team, and feature more world premieres and exclusive trailers, as well as news and interviews from the Gamescom show floor.

To round out the event, the FGS Best Of Gamescom broadcast will kick off on August 30 and take viewers to the show floor to wrap up the best games of the event.

You'll be able to tune in and watch the Future Games Show at Gamescom 2026 at Twitch, YouTube, X, TikTok, Facebook, and GamesRadar+.

For years, the UK connectivity debate has focused on fiber availability. Coverage maps, rollout targets, premises passed and investment updates have dominated the conversation.

That focus made sense. The country needed better infrastructure, and there was real pressure on operators, government and the wider market to show progress. Better networks had to be built, and in many places, they have been.

Ofcom’s Spring Connected Nations update shows how far that conversation has moved on. Full fiber broadband is now available to 82% of UK homes, while gigabit-capable broadband reaches 89%. Coverage is not solved everywhere, and regional gaps still matter, but the center of gravity is shifting.

For many mid-market and enterprise organizations, the question is no longer only: can we get fiber? Increasingly, it is: when something goes wrong, who owns the problem?

The market has not always been able to answer that clearly. As connectivity becomes more tightly linked to business-critical operations, that is becoming an expensive weakness.

The problem with modern connectivity supply chains

The infrastructure build-out of the last decade has been a success in many ways. Fiber has reached new places. Wholesale models have grown. Alternative networks have created more choice. Access supply has become more competitive.

But that same progress has also created a more complex operating model. A typical enterprise connectivity arrangement can involve several parties: an access network operator, a wholesale aggregator, a reseller and a managed services provider. Each party may have a role to play, but each also has its own systems, escalation routes, commercial incentives and operational boundaries.

When everything is working, that complexity is easy to ignore. When there is a fault, it quickly becomes the problem.

For a multi-site organization running business-critical applications, a manufacturer managing connected logistics, or a professional services firm with regulated data dependencies, the cost of delay can be significant.

A business’s dependency on connectivity has changed in both character and volume. Organizations are moving quickly to support AI workloads, distributed teams, hybrid cloud environments and more automated operations.

Ofcom’s Connected Nations UK Report 2025 shows that between September 2024 and August 2025, providers reported 616 resilience incidents across fixed and mobile networks. Outages above the reporting thresholds affected 12.7 million customers and caused around 192 million customer hours of lost service.

Ofcom also noted that third-party failures, including street works causing cable breaks and failed backhaul circuits from wholesale providers, made up around 14% of reported incidents.

For enterprise buyers, that is the accountability problem in plain sight. The failure may sit in one part of the chain, but the operational impact is felt by the customer trying to keep sites, systems and services running.

Why mid-market organizations feel the gap the most

There is a particular pressure point here for mid-market organizations. They are running connectivity that supports business-critical operations, distributed sites and cloud-dependent workloads. But they are typically buying through channels designed for volume, not accountability.

They carry the operational dependency of an enterprise customer without the contract size that historically bought priority escalation, named account management or direct access to the people who own the network.

That gap does not appear in the SLA document. It appears on a Sunday night when something breaks.

A few years ago, a slow SLA response might have caused a few headaches. Today, it can stop production, delay customer service, interrupt access to data or leave a site unable to operate properly. Businesses are built on connectivity.

AI inference at the edge, real-time data processing and cloud-connected operations are not designed for fragmented fault resolution. They do not fit neatly with unclear escalation paths or supplier chains where responsibility moves from one party to another before anyone fixes the issue.

Yet many buying conversations have not caught up. Bandwidth, speed and price still dominate procurement. Headline SLAs are scrutinized, but service assurance, ownership of the underlying infrastructure and escalation clarity are often treated as secondary details.

That mismatch will become more costly as the operating environment becomes more demanding.

The infrastructure question buyers should be asking

Most organizations know the standard questions to ask when they buy connectivity. Is there coverage? What is the cost? What is the headline SLA? What capacity is available? Who else is using the provider? All are important questions, but they do not fully describe the service experience.

The questions that really matter are more practical. When a fault is raised, how many organizations are involved in resolving it? Does the provider own the physical layer the service runs on, or is operational control spread across several parties? What does the escalation route look like at 11pm on a Sunday? Is there one organization accountable for the outcome, or a contractual matrix that has to be navigated before anyone can act?

The market has spent years explaining what infrastructure investment looks like. The next conversation needs to be about what operational accountability looks like.

That does not mean every provider needs to own every asset in every location. The UK connectivity market will always involve partnerships, wholesale relationships and specialist delivery models. But buyers should be much more interested in where responsibility sits when service degrades.

A shorter, clearer operational chain matters. It gives providers better visibility of the network, fewer hand-offs during fault resolution and a stronger ability to act rather than simply escalate. It also gives customers something they increasingly need: confidence that someone is accountable for the service, not just the contract.

Ownership is becoming the real differentiator

The next phase of business connectivity will not be won on availability alone. It will be won by providers that can combine reach with operational control, service assurance and clear ownership.

For buyers, that means looking beyond headline speeds and asking harder questions about accountability. Who sees the fault first? Who has the authority to fix it? Who is responsible for the customer outcome?

Because when connectivity is simply a utility, ambiguity might be tolerated. When it is the foundation for AI, cloud, data and day-to-day operations, ambiguity becomes a business risk.

The fiber rollout has changed what is possible. The next battleground is making sure someone owns the problem when possibility turns into pressure.

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

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

Open-source malware has changed shape.

What once focused on noisy cryptomining has moved toward something far more valuable: access.

Our recent data shows attackers are increasingly targeting credentials and secrets embedded in software dependencies, with UK organizations firmly in scope.

This shift marks a move away from opportunistic abuse toward deliberate supply-chain compromise. Instead of draining compute cycles, attackers are positioning themselves inside build pipelines and developer workflows.

The goal is persistence, not disruption.

For organizations that rely heavily on open source software, this fundamentally changes both the threat model and the potential impact.

This is what “shift left” actually means in 2026: controlling what enters the build, not just detecting what runs in production.

Why credential theft has overtaken cryptomining

More than half of malicious open-source packages now focus on stealing credentials and secrets, overtaking cryptomining as the dominant threat type. The reason is straightforward. Credentials offer lasting value. They provide persistent access, broader reach across environments, and a lower risk of detection than resource abuse. A stolen token or API key can unlock entire systems, not just a single machine.

Cryptomining, by contrast, is easy to spot and quick to shut down. It consumes resources and triggers alerts. Credential theft blends in and can be executed in seconds. It exploits the trust placed on developer workflows to operate in a safe environment.

For attackers looking to maximize return while minimizing exposure, this approach maximizes returns whilst doing away with the risk of being discovered.

The implication is clear: protecting runtime infrastructure is no longer enough. The security boundary now starts at dependency intake and at the developer environment.

Multi-stage malware becomes the norm

Modern open-source malware is rarely single-purpose. Our analysis shows dropper and loader behavior increasing by nearly 2,900 percent year over year in Q1 2025, signaling a shift toward engineered, multi-stage attacks.

Around 77 percent of malicious packages distributed through open source ecosystems now combine multiple threat types. Droppers appear in nearly all observed cases, while secret exfiltration features in close to two-thirds.

These packages are designed to evolve after installation, pulling in additional payloads or changing behavior over time. This reflects industrialized campaigns rather than opportunistic experimentation. Attackers are investing in resilience, stealth, and scale.

For defenders, this means signature-based thinking is outdated. If malware is modular and adaptive, controls must focus on provenance, behavior, and prevention before execution. Again, this is what “shift left” actually means: securing the build graph itself, not just the workloads it produces.

Supply chains under direct pressure

The widespread use of open source, particularly within the JavaScript ecosystem, creates systemic exposure. Modern applications routinely depend on hundreds of direct and transitive npm packages. That density of reuse creates efficiency, but also amplifies upstream risk.

Recent activity linked to the Lazarus group illustrates the threat. More than 200 malicious packages were identified, almost all concentrated in npm. When a single ecosystem underpins financial services platforms, government services, and critical national infrastructure, concentration risk becomes a strategic issue.

A compromised dependency does not stay isolated. It propagates through shared frameworks, internal libraries, and CI pipelines. In sectors built on speed and reuse, upstream compromise quickly becomes downstream impact. This is why dependency governance is no longer just a developer hygiene issue; it is a board-level supply-chain concern.

Automation turns one package into thousands of compromises

Today’s malware increasingly targets CI/CD pipelines and developer workflows optimized for automation. When a compromised dependency enters a build, it can quietly extract API keys, certificates, and access tokens without triggering runtime alerts. Automation does the rest.

What starts as a single poisoned package can spread across hundreds or thousands of builds. The very systems designed to accelerate delivery now accelerate compromise.

The practical takeaway is uncomfortable but necessary: if build systems are automated, security controls must be automated at the same level. Manual review cannot scale against automated distribution.

AI coding assistants and the hallucination problem

AI-assisted development introduces an additional layer of risk. Studies and testing have shown that large language models can, in a meaningful percentage of cases, suggest packages or functions that do not exist. Developers under time pressure may attempt to install or rely on these hallucinated dependencies, unknowingly expanding the attack surface.

Hallucinated package names, fabricated examples, and unsafe dependency suggestions can quietly undermine supply-chain integrity. Attackers are already exploiting naming conventions and trust models to seed packages that appear legitimate to both humans and machines.

Each hallucination creates rework, friction, and lost productivity. Much of this waste could be reduced if AI systems were grounded in authoritative, real-time package intelligence rather than pattern prediction alone.

Our recent research reinforces this point. The company found that smaller AI models augmented with live package intelligence significantly outperformed larger standalone models when handling dependency upgrades and package selection tasks. The findings suggest that real-time ecosystem context matters more than model size alone when developers are making security-sensitive decisions. It also helps smaller models are 70x cheaper compared to frontier models.

This has direct implications for software supply-chain defense. If AI coding assistants recommend dependencies without verifying package provenance, maintenance status, or ecosystem trust signals, they risk accelerating the spread of malicious or hallucinated packages into production environments.

In practice, secure AI-assisted development will depend less on increasingly large models and more on whether those models are connected to authoritative, continuously updated software intelligence.

Here too, the lesson is upstream control. Guardrails must sit at the point of dependency selection, not after the code ships.

Why defenders are falling behind

Many UK security controls remain focused on detecting threats after code is deployed. Attackers have moved upstream. They target the build process, the dependency graph, and the trust relationships developers rely on.

This mismatch leaves organizations well prepared for runtime incidents but exposed during development. As long as defenders assume malware announces itself loudly, supply-chain compromise will continue to slip through unnoticed.

“Shift left” is often treated as a slogan. In practice, it means enforcing policy before installation, validating provenance before execution, and blocking malicious packages before they enter the graph.

Stealing the keys, not the cycles

Open-source malware has evolved from stealing compute to stealing access. Credentials unlock ecosystems, not just machines. For UK organisations, this makes supply-chain security a strategic concern rather than a technical afterthought.

Preventing malicious code from entering the build is now more effective than responding after deployment. The quiet shift from coins to credentials has already happened. The question is whether defenses will adapt quickly enough to match it.

If it isn’t automated, it won’t scale.

What organizations should prioritize now

To respond effectively, UK organisations should focus on a small number of structural controls:

● Gate dependency intake with automated policy enforcement before packages enter CI/CD.

● Continuously monitor for secret exposure within build environments and revoke compromised credentials rapidly.

● Enforce provenance and integrity verification for open-source components, including transitive dependencies.

● Ground AI coding tools in authoritative package intelligence to prevent hallucinated or malicious dependency suggestions.

None of these measures eliminate risk. But together, they realign defenses with where attackers are actually operating: upstream, automated, and inside the supply chain.

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

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

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni: One-minute review

The most succinct way to describe the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni gaming headset is that it feels like a 2026-ified version of its excellent predecessor, the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless — one of my favorite gaming headsets ever.

The Omni is a fantastic wireless gaming headset and offers a whole heap of improvements and enhancements over its older brethren, and in its own right, will tick every box most gamers can think of. Each feature that’s been tweaked or upgraded might not be huge in isolation, but every single one adds up, and it absolutely is greater than the sum of its parts when everything’s considered.

The design and build will be very familiar to anyone who’s used any of the Nova line, as it shares identical design language and aesthetics, while retaining a robust build quality you can have confidence in. The GameHub dongle is also identical in form to the one found on the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite and the Nova Pro Wireless, but is boosted to offer an upgraded level of connectivity: you can connect and mix up to four different inputs on the Omni, which is somewhat ludicrous but offers excellent versatility.

The audio quality, microphone, and overall performance of the Omni is spectacular, and can’t really be faulted. I think I might just prefer the bottom-end audio of my Audeze Maxwell 2 over the Omni, but that’s nitpicking as the overall audio experience is fantastic, no matter which platform you're connected to. Being able to change EQ on the fly with the Arctis Companion App is a great boost over the Nova Pro Wireless and an excellent feature of modern Nova headsets.

It’s an excellent headset, no doubt, but its pricing and the fact that Nova Pro Wireless will still be available mean the Omni’s place in the lineup is a little muddy for me. It performs fantastically, offers the full set of gaming headset features you could ask for, but I’m just not totally convinced it’s a great value option right now.

In isolation, however, this is a fantastic multiplatform wireless gaming headset and probably the one to go for if you really want the maximum flexibility and versatility.

(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni: Price and availability

• List price: $399.99 / £349.99 / AU$799
• Closely priced to the Nova Pro Wireless, which will inevitably be cheaper
• Way under the Nova Elite, but in direct competition to headsets like the Audeze Maxwell 2

In isolation, the Arctis Nova Pro Omni is pretty well placed price-wise at $399.99 / £349.99. However, its position alongside the rest of the Nova lineup raises an eyebrow.

A large part of this is because of the continued availability of the headset that the Omni feels like it was made to replace: the Nova Pro Wireless. With the latter now readily available for far less than the Omni’s list price, I think — as a fan of both — that the value proposition of the Omni is lessened.

Unless you really really want the four-device connectivity (as opposed to two), and really want the latest and greatest in a SteelSeries headset without going for the much more premium Nova Elite, then I still think the Nova Pro Wireless is going to be a better value purchase for you. Especially if you’re on just one platform.

The Omni is also up against formidable competition outside of its own brethren at this price point. My absolute favorite headset right now, and my top pick ever in terms of pure audio quality, the Audeze Maxwell 2 is in the same price territory and would be my recommendation for someone prioritizing that.

Then there’s also the likes of the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro 2, and the Sony Inzone H9 2 in the $300-ish zone, along with the likes of the Fractal Scape and the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro that come in slightly cheaper and all offer incredible wireless gaming headset experiences with a host of features.

Having said all that, the Omni does do a lot in and of itself to justify its price tag as a high-end, brilliantly flexible and top-performing wireless headset. It will definitely be the best wireless option in this part of the Nova lineup when or if the Nova Pro Wireless ceases to be made, but until then it’s not a slam dunk for me.

(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni: Specs

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni

Price

$399.99 / £349.99 / AU$799

Weight

11.95oz / 339g

Drivers

Custom 40 mm Neodymium Magnetic (Hi-Res)

Compatibility

PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, Mobile, Meta Quest 2/3

Connection type

Hi-Res wireless (2.4Ghz via dongle), Wired (audio jack), Bluetooth 5.3 + LE Audio (SBC with MultiPoint support for up to 10 devices; LC3, LC3+ for LE Audio)

Battery life

Up to 60 hours (2 x fully-charged batteries), Infinite Power System

Features

Simultaneous four-source audio via Omni GameHub; certified Hi-Res audio (96kHz/24-bit), ClearCast Pro - Retractable Boom Microphone with onboard AI Noise Rejection, ANC, Arctis Companion App compatibility

Software

SteelSeries GG/Sonar, SteelSeries Arctis Companion App (iOS & Android)

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni: Design & features

• Class-leading set of features and connectivity options
• Reliable and fantastic build quality and battery solution
• Very much from the Nova line of SteelSeries headsets

Straight out of the box, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Omni really is a Nova Pro Wireless in disguise, as all the parts are there. That isn’t a criticism, as the Omni is simply another SteelSeries headset cut from the Arctis Nova cloth.

It’s a familiar design to anyone who’s seen or held a Nova headset, but it does have a tangible level of robustness and solidity that instils confidence — I’ve already dropped my unit a few times, but you wouldn’t be able to tell. The ear cushions are incredibly comfortable too, and I’ve been able to wear this headset for full work days without ever fully realising it too.

The GameHub is basically the same as on other Nova headsets that use it, but there are a few more options within the OLED display, and the addition of a texture to the navigation wheel is a welcome touch.

It’s this kind of small design change that’s present in a few areas across the Nova Pro Omni too: the multi-function volume wheel on the left cup has a new texture to it, the ear cushions are thicker and more padded compared to the Nova Pro Wireless, the mic is new and improved, and so on.

On top of intuitive controls, Arctis Companion App integration, boosted connectivity (Bluetooth 5.3 features here), greater battery life, and quicker fast charge, and more, all the Omni’s improvements over the Nova Pro Wireless do stand on their own feet, and, importantly, add up to a wonderfully designed and feature-filled wireless gaming headset that will offer everything even those with three consoles and a PC could ever want.

(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni: Performance

• Fantastic SteelSeries audio quality out of the box
• Every upgrade feels worthwhile
• Audio quality and overall performance still close to its predecessor

In terms of performance, the audio is the least difficult thing to cast an opinion on: it’s fantastic. Once again, this is from the SteelSeries Arctis Nova line so shares in all the excellent out-of-the-box audio quality the series is known for and does not disappoint in any way.

What’s more, the audio is now Hi-Res certified, and on PC you’ll be getting 96kHz/24bit, which is a sheer, immersive joy to behold in games like Cyberpunk 2077, and even the atmospheric noises in Frostpunk 2 are detailed and clear. But even away from that, on PS5 Pro (Sony’s console can’t take advantage of 96kHz audio), the gaming audio delivered by the Omni is, predictably, a treat.

Sea shanties, explosive ship combat, and swashbuckling sword action in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced are fantastically vivid and rich; the audio in 007 First Light is even more cinematic and bombastic; and even audio in older online games like my go-to, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, is elevated excellently, with enemy audio presented accurately, and the action and soundtrack mixed perfectly.

The ability to change EQ presets for individual games and preferences via the Arctis Companion App remains a brilliant feature too, expanding the Omni’s already excellent versatility.

(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)

On top of that, being wireless but plugged into a host of different devices as well as Bluetooth on my phone was very handy — in my particular setup. If you do have a multi-device setup and are looking for one headset that can be used on all of them with ease, even if not simultaneously, then this is a quality feature. For others on single-device setups, this is a bit overkill.

Away from games, music and entertainment is superb on the Omni, and using it for work calls - and multiplayer gaming sessions — with its new (compared with the Nova Pro Wireless) omnidirectional ClearCast Pro mic is brilliant. I found the overall quality of the mic to be excellent, though its omnidirectional design did mean a little more background noise escaped to my friends down the line at times, and it’s certainly a big step up over the Nova Pro Wireless’ microphone.

The way the headset feels to use is also a notable step up over the Nova Pro Wireless, and thus feels closer to the Nova Elite too. The wheel on the left ear cup is incredibly pleasing to use, the GameHub that offers more options is intuitive and easy to use, the new ear cushions are thicker and more comfy than the Pro Wireless (but only just), and there’s also improved ANC which I found worked well, as well as a hoist of boosts to Bluetooth (up to 5.3), longer battery life on the batteries and faster quick charge, and a few more to boot.

Each of the improvements over the Nova Pro Wireless do add up to something much greater than each in isolation.

(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)Should I buy the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni?Buy it if...

You want something close to the complete, multiplatform wireless headset
If you are looking for one of the most complete wireless multiplatform headset options for the money, then the Omni is hard to beat, especially if you want all the features you could need for a one-and-done set.

You’re overdue for an upgrade to a quality wireless gaming headset
If you simply want or need a high-end wireless gaming headset upgrade in the north-of-$300 territory, then the Omni is an absolutely belting wireless set that you simply must consider.

You’re a multiplatform, single-setup gamer
If you’ve got a multi-device gaming setup and are in need of a high-quality wireless gaming headset that has all the trimmings, plus wonderful audio, then the Omni is a no-brainer.

Don't buy it if...

You can find the Nova Pro Wireless on a great deal
As great as the Omni is, I can’t help but feel the Nova Pro Wireless is still going to offer even better value for money for a vast number of gamers, especially when it’s discounted. If the Nova Pro Wireless is still being made and its price dips or drops because the Omni is out, then the Nova Pro Wireless is going to be incredibly hard to beat value-wise.

You simply don’t need a multi-connectivity and feature-rich gaming headset
At $400 / £350, the Omni is still a sizable investment for a gaming accessory, and a lot of its attraction will lie in its versatility and multi-connectivity for some folks. However, it will still be overkill for many, and for the same amount of money, those on one platform or two who might prioritize sheer audio quality instead, for example, could well be better served by others on the market.

Also consider...

If the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni might seem overkill in some departments, then check out these two fine offerings as alternatives.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless

Audeze Maxwell 2

Price

$399.99 / £349.99 / AU$799

$379.99 / £329.99 / AU$739

$329 / £339 / AU$569

Weight

11.95oz / 339g

9.5oz / 266g

17.3oz / 490g

Drivers

Custom 40 mm Neodymium Magnetic (Hi-Res)

40mm Neodymium

90mm Planar Magnetic

Compatibility

PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, Mobile, Meta Quest 2/3

PS4, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, Mobile, Meta Quest 2/3

PlayStation or Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, Mac, Mobile

Connection type

Hi-Res wireless (2.4Ghz via dongle), Wired (audio jack), Bluetooth 5.3 + LE Audio (SBC with MultiPoint support for up to 10 devices; LC3, LC3+ for LE Audio)

Wireless (2.4Ghz via dongle), Wired (USB-C), Bluetooth 5.3

Wireless (2.4Ghz via dongle), Wired (USB-C & audio jack), Bluetooth 5.3 (Auracast, LE Audio, LC3, LC3plus, LDAC, AAC, SBC, Multipoint)

Battery life

Up to 60 hours (2 x fully-charged batteries), Infinite Power System

Up to 60 hours (2 x fully-charged batteries), Infinite Power System

80+ hours

Features

Simultaneous four-source audio via Omni GameHub; certified Hi-Res audio (96kHz/24-bit), ClearCast Pro Retractable Boom Microphone with onboard AI Noise Rejection, ANC, Arctis Companion App compatibility

Companion App, 40mm Neodymium magnetic drivers, 360-degree spatial audio, retractable ClearCast 2.X mic

SLAM acoustic management technology, detachable hypercardioid mic, beamforming mic with physical and AI reduction, FILTER™ Noise Reduction Technology, embedded Dolby Atmos license (Xbox)

Software

SteelSeries GG/Sonar, SteelSeries Arctis Companion App (iOS & Android)

SteelSeries GG/Sonar (PC)

Audeze App (PC & mobile)

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless
While it’s still being made and/or in circulation at retailers, the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is a quality headset even in the face of the Omni’s advancements. With the Pro Wireless’ price likelyto dip now, it’ll likely offer incredible value for money at the expense of a few features while retaining that SteelSeries awesomeness.

For more information, check out our full SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless review

Audeze Maxwell 2
The Omni’s price tag puts it squarely in competition with my favorite gaming headset of the day right now, the Audeze Maxwell 2, and the latter could very well be the option to go for if you want to spend big but prioritize audio quality above all else. I simply haven’t tested a better-sounding gaming headset in all my time reviewing hardware.

For more information, check out our full Audeze Maxwell 2 review and my thoughts on why it should have scored even higher

(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)How I tested the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni

• Used as a daily driver for a few months
• Tested on PC, PS5, and mobile
• Deployed across a host of games, as well as daily work calls and more

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni headset has been my sole unit for gaming on PS5 and PC, as well as work tasks and calls, for the best part of three months.

I have used it to play a bunch of 007 First Light, a full review playthrough and subsequent platinum playthrough of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, and a whole host of Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 on PS5, and also dived into Cyberpunk 2077, Frostpunk 2, and Crusader Kings 3 on Acer Predator Orion 5000 gaming PC (supplied by Acer) teamed with a productivity monitor and an Acer Predator X32QFS gaming monitor (also supplied by Acer).

For a lot of that game-time testing, the Omni was connected to my PC and PS5 simultaneously on one setup, deploying its multi-connectivity. I was then also able to use it for all my work calls, and listening to music.

During this time, I was able to directly compare the Omni with some other gaming headsets I had to hand, such as the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless and Nova Elite, as well as the Audeze Maxwell 2 and Maxwell 2 ANC.

First reviewed May-August 2026

Read more about how we test

On 1st October, Microsoft will begin disabling its Exchange Web Services (EWS) API, ahead of a full shutdown in April 2027. For many organizations, EWS has long been part of the invisible plumbing behind everyday workplace tools. It allows applications to connect to Exchange mailboxes, making it possible to access and manage data from emails, calendars, contacts and folders.

But EWS is almost 20 years old. Microsoft says it no longer aligns with modern requirements for security, scale and reliability, and its involvement in 2024’s Midnight Blizzard attack has added urgency to its retirement. The wider risk is also clear: APIs, particularly older and less visible ones, have become attractive targets for cybercriminals. Recent research found that 99% of organizations encountered API security issues in the past year.

Seen in that context, Microsoft’s decision to move customers towards more modern APIs such as Microsoft Graph makes sense. But API modernization is rarely as simple as swapping out one connection for another, and many organizations may soon face a rude awakening.

You can’t migrate what you don’t know exists

The main challenge organizations will face when migrating from EWS to Microsoft Graph is visibility. Despite its limitations, EWS still sits behind many everyday workplace processes, particularly in larger and older organizations.

Booking meetings, syncing calendars or allowing a CRM to log email activity automatically may all depend on the API. After almost two decades of use, EWS has become deeply embedded in day-to-day operations.

That creates a problem. Many organizations may no longer have a clear view of where EWS is being used, by whom or for what purpose. Some integrations will have been built years ago by developers who have since left the business. Others may sit inside legacy workflows that IT teams rarely touch.

And third-party tools that are outside of the IT team’s control commonly connect to EWS. As a result, some of these hidden dependencies are almost certain to fall through the gaps during migration, because organizations can only replace the EWS integrations they know exist.

For some organizations, this lack of visibility may make migration feel daunting, especially when EWS is tied so closely to everyday operations. It may be tempting to fall back on the old “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” adage, particularly if a poorly managed migration could disrupt critical tools and workflows.

But as Microsoft phases out EWS and ends support, doing nothing is not a viable option. Vital applications could lose access to Exchange, while the security risks of leaving legacy APIs embedded in the business will only become more pronounced.

Other organizations may try to avoid a difficult migration by intercepting EWS calls and translating them into Microsoft Graph, effectively rerouting traffic rather than replacing the underlying integration. At first glance, this may look like a clever workaround. In reality, it is only a temporary fix.

The same security, visibility and integration challenges remain, while every additional dependency built around this approach adds another layer of complexity. At scale, that could quickly become unmanageable.

Moving beyond avoidance

Instead of burying their heads in the sand or looking for clever, but ultimately ineffective, ways to avoid migrating from EWS, organizations should treat its retirement as a reminder of the need for robust software lifecycle management.

Many teams evaluate an API thoroughly during implementation, then rarely review it again. But APIs evolve, security issues emerge and providers introduce updates that require action. Organizations that build resilience and lifecycle management best practices into their API estates will be better placed to respond quickly to forced migrations, minimize disruption and avoid being caught out by sudden changes.

In practice, that means treating APIs as part of the digital supply chain and applying the same level of scrutiny used for third-party suppliers when evaluating a potential integration.

Critical APIs should be continuously monitored so organizations know where they are in use, what they support and how they are performing. IT teams also need to stay informed about planned provider changes, however small they may seem, and assess how these could affect their wider API management program.

From there, organizations need a fully prepared API migration plan. Some changes may demand immediate action, such as when a third party issues a critical vulnerability disclosure. Others, such as Microsoft’s EWS retirement, may come with longer lead times but be broader in scope and scale.

In either case, organizations need a holistic strategy covering API discovery, dependency mapping, ownership and management, testing, and ongoing monitoring. Without that foundation, they risk migrating only the integrations they can see, while leaving hidden dependencies to fail later.

Preparing for the future today

Microsoft disabling EWS is not the first event of its kind, and it will not be the last. As technology estates evolve, more legacy APIs will be retired in favor of newer versions that integrate more effectively and securely with modern solutions. The retirement of EWS should therefore be treated as more than a one-off Microsoft deadline. It is a warning about what happens when critical integrations are allowed to become invisible.

That makes resilience essential. With robust software lifecycle management, organizations can move away from panicked, reactive migrations and take greater control over their API estates. Those that prepare now will be better placed to manage the EWS migration, and whatever comes next.

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IT security has traditionally been about keeping threat actors out and preventing breaches. However, while the volume of software vulnerabilities has gone up and up over the past few years, the biggest risk that many companies face is not about a hacker getting in. Instead, it is how long they can stay inside and how far they can move within that network.

The reason why threat actors can move laterally is how difficult it is to manage identities effectively. Identities and credentials are used all the time to allow access, but they also serve as ways to support provisioning and software deployment processes. Simple software tokens that can make life easier for staff are targeted for the access and permissions that they provide.

Companies are waking up to this threat. Omdia research estimates that spending on identity management will increase at 75 percent of organizations during 2026, compared to 57 percent in 2025. But what issues have to be resolved, and what is the fastest way to get to those resolutions?

Understanding attack paths and identity

Threat actors want to make money. They do this by stealing company data or encrypting files for ransom. They achieve their goals through getting initial access in one place - an endpoint that is missing an update, or through a phishing email and malware download, for instance. After this, they want to move laterally through the network to something valuable.

For defenders, this lateral movement, or attack path, represents an opportunity to deny access or block attacks. Attackers use the same methods that legitimate staff have to access assets: their identities. For many attackers, there is no need to use zero day attacks when they can simply log in and get what they want, or move closer to their goal.

Understanding attack paths can be hard. For defenders looking at the business crown jewels like Intellectual Property or mission-critical applications, attack paths are often visualized as direct routes from an initial access point to those valuable assets. While this is simple to understand, attackers don’t work that way.

They don’t know your internal network topology or the most direct route to what is valuable. Instead, they are sniffing out what they can access.

This is made more complicated because each account will have its own level of access, and different accounts will have more or less permissions. Each asset will have multiple accounts that can access it. The complexity scales up rapidly as networks grow larger.

For organizations with around 1,000 employees, we estimate that they have more than 5 million attack paths. Companies also have to reckon with the number of identities they have in place - an organization with 10,000 identities would have around 22 million potential attack paths to manage.

Attack path problem compounded by AI and NHIs

Adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Non-Human Identities will increase this further, from the current ratio from around five identities per employee towards 20 or 40 identities per human employee. This imminent surge of identities will then grow at an expected 20 percent year on year.

That is a lot of numbers. To put this into perspective, looking at how you understand maps and graphs can help. For example, London has 330 stations in its public transport network covering the underground and rail networks, as well as buses and riverboats.

There are millions of different routes that travelers can take to get from any place, from the fastest and obvious journeys through to more circuitous and obscure routes that don’t make sense except in context. Travelers can also shift from one kind of transport network to another where they need to. Understanding all those networks, timetables and options is very hard for someone to hold in their brain all at one.

Using a map can show up the best routes and directions to take, including those paths that are a combination of different networks. From a defense perspective, understanding the most high profile locations in that network and where security is most important can help prevent attacks. Looking at attack paths and permissions, you can see the most important locations within the network based on the level of access that they have.

In the London transport network, this would be the equivalent of security at Piccadilly Circus or King’s Cross St Pancras, as these stations are the busiest. Securing those specific nexus points can prevent an attacker taking more potential routes to something valuable, reducing the risk that attackers can get to mission-critical systems or data. Once you have locked down those central hubs, you can then look for the next major point and secure this one as well.

Getting to a secure future

This process around locking down identities and access permissions removes whole swathes of potential attack paths, rather than looking at each attack path one after another.

There are too many individual paths to manage, so corralling issues and securing those environments as a whole reduces the number of ways that threat actors can move across a network. This forces attackers to make their presence more obvious, leading to them being removed from the network.

Attacks on IT are getting faster. Trying to fix all the gaps that exist is now impossible, and defenders cannot achieve perfect security. We need to live with these imperfections, and manage security as effectively as possible in advance of any issue coming up.

While security teams might be used to defending the direct paths between systems, threat actors look for the other routes that can get them to where they want to go. Instead, we have to manage our networks based on preventing both the most risks and the most impactful risks.

By understanding attack paths and identity risks, we can look at what the highest priority issues are and then secure them. Using identity attack paths, we can understand where the risks exist and what work needs to be done.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have taken direct aim at Grok after Minnesota became the first state to enforce a ban on AI "nudification" technology, using an unusually blunt official statement to criticize xAI's attempt to stop the law. Days before the legislation took effect, Elon Musk's AI company filed an emergency legal request seeking to block it, arguing that the measure violates the First Amendment. A federal judge refused to grant the request, allowing the law to go into effect while the broader case continues.

The Sussexes made it clear which side they believe this fight should be on. "Technology should not enable predators to target children," their statement begins. "Yet, ahead of Minnesota's first-in-the-nation law banning AI 'nudification' apps taking effect tomorrow, one of the world's largest technology companies sued to stop it. Why?" It is a remarkably direct criticism, one that shifts the conversation away from legal arguments and back toward the people these tools can harm.

Whether Minnesota's law ultimately survives every constitutional challenge is a question for the courts, but Harry and Meghan have identified something larger than one lawsuit. AI companies are racing to make image generation more powerful while governments scramble to prevent those same tools from being weaponized against real people. When a company fights to preserve technology that can create convincing fake nude images of recognizable adults and children, it is easy to see why the couple argues that the industry's priorities deserve much closer scrutiny.

Sussex vs. Musk

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

AI has become extraordinarily good at manipulating images, but that includes convincing fake intimate photographs with only a few prompts. And it has spread far faster than the laws designed to deal with it.

Minnesota's legislation attempts to tackle the problem at its source by preventing apps and websites from offering AI nudification tools in the first place. Rather than waiting until fake images have already spread across social media or messaging apps, lawmakers are trying to make the technology itself less readily available. Whether every provision survives constitutional scrutiny remains to be seen, but the intention is difficult to misunderstand.

Harry and Meghan clearly believe that technology companies have had plenty of opportunities to address the issue voluntarily and have failed to do so. Their statement praises Minnesota's bipartisan action as "an example of leadership fit for the digital age," adding that lawmakers recognized "this technology, if not stopped, would protect predators and hurt innocent people, especially women and girls."

The Sussexes are slicing through the tangled debate over algorithms against constitutional doctrine. Those issues matter, but it can miss the forest for the trees if people forget that these synthetic nudes begin with an identifiable person whose image has been manipulated without permission.

AI models as neutral tools whose morality depends entirely on the user. But laws often are stricter when any tool is used to hurt children for a reason. And the claim that Grok's moderation system is enough has proven untrue. But the feature does not stop being Grok's responsibility simply because someone else typed the prompt.

Safety should not be an optional feature

The Sussexes refuse to treat this as an abstract policy dispute.

"Big Tech companies are raising billions claiming AI will bring society forward, yet they retaliate against basic safety measures to keep children safe," they wrote. "Can AI make our world better while it enables the worst in humans? Should our children pay the price while we wait to find out?"

Those are uncomfortable questions for AI companies racing to release increasingly capable products. Every major developer wants to ship the next breakthrough before its competitors do. Safety work, moderation systems and abuse prevention rarely generate the same excitement as flashy new features demonstrated on stage.

xAI is hardly alone in facing this challenge. Every major AI company has struggled with image generation, impersonation and deepfakes. The difference here is the explicit pushback against a state trying to make them take some responsibility for how their technology is misused.

The legal arguments will continue for months, and there's no way to tell yet what the final version of the law will look like. Courts have to balance free speech and public safety, and that's not simple. But the fact that AI has made creating nonconsensual intimate imagery dramatically easier remains, and Harry and Meghan are right to zero in on that human cost over legal theory.

The debate matters because children's safety matters. Whether the companies building these tools can be made to accept meaningful responsibility when those capabilities are turned against children may be decided in courts, but Harry and Meghan are correct that it shouldn't take lawyers for them to do the right thing here.

Spoilers for My Life With the Walter Boys season 3 ahead.

Based on the way that season 2 was left, I knew that My Life With the Walter Boys season 3 was going to be a wild ride — but I still didn't see that ending coming.

The Netflix drama picks up as George (Marc Blucas) survives his season 2 health emergency and recovers at home, with Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez) and Cole (Noah LaLonde) seemingly on the road to a proper romantic relationship.

But just before season 3 draws to a close, their happy ever after once again comes dramatically crashing down. Cole suddenly breaks up with Jackie after telling her that he loves her, and moves in with friend Dylan (Kolton Stewart).

With Jackie left reeling, she throws all her efforts into getting the local community space up and running. But when that runs into trouble, can she really scrub Cole from her mind?

I know the answer to that as well as you do. Here's the full My Life With the Walter Boys season 3 ending explained, and what it will likely mean for the already confirmed season 4.

Dylan kicks Cole out for street racing — and takes back the car

As season 3 episode 10 kicks off, Cole is in his full moody boy era. Drag racer Mac (Chad Rook) finds Cole street racing after being tipped off by Dylan, scolding him for taking to the streets rather than being out of the track after Mac hired him.

Mac tells Cole about an upcoming race that has a big cash prize that he'd "easily win," but Cole rejects the offer. As Mac leaves, Dylan admits that he was the one who told him where to find Cole.

In fact, Dylan is so furious with Cole's street racing antics that he takes back "Myrtle," the car Cole has been racing in. As Dylan is technically the owner, Cole has no sway — and Dylan's conditions are that he can only use it for legitimate drag racing.

On top of that, Dylan kicks him out of the house, forcing his move back home. "You can't keep hiding from Jackie forever," he tells Cole.

Jackie's community space launch party is hit by disaster

(Image credit: Netflix)

If Cole moving back home wasn't enough for Jackie to deal with, she soon runs into a huge problem with her community space launch party. While renovations take place, one of the builders is unable to prevent a pipe leak from one of the radiators, causing the first floor to flood so much that it caves in.

At this point, it seems as if the launch party, which is now only a week away, will have to be called off. The builder estimates that it will take between 4-6 weeks to have the leak and its damage fixed, with manpower on the ground incredibly limited.

Jackie is bereft, with the news of Grace's (Ellie O'Brien) parents divorcing only making her feel more guilty. Cole tries to offer to help, but is immediately shut down by Jackie: she's going to make sure the launch party goes ahead, and she'll achieve it by herself.

Cole secretly saves the day — but Eliot's already made his move

(Image credit: Netflix)

What Jackie doesn't know is that Cole goes to see her uncle Richard (Alex Quijano) to ask for help. Cole tells Richard that he listened to what he said and broke up with Jackie in order for her to have a better future without him "dragging her down."

Cole explains that he's here to ask for Richard's help fixing the community center, but doesn't take the credit for it when Jackie finds out. Grace leads her into the room full of helpers clearing up, which includes the rest of the Walter family.

Alex (Ashby Gentry) encourages Cole to tell Jackie that he's here, but Cole refuses. He knows that Jackie is getting closer to Eliot (Naveen Paddock), who begins to make his romantic feelings for Jackie much clearer.

At first, Jackie shuts Eliot down, but the more she realizes the lengths he's willing to go to for her — which includes getting a flight from London to join her on her trip to Greece — the more she opens up to him.

Will and Nathan prepare to leave home while Danny gets the college news he's been waiting for

(Image credit: Netflix)

We already knew that Will (Johnny Link) was going to be flying the nest, but season 3 confirms that Nathan (Corey Fogelmanis) will be too. He's auditioned to play with a band across Europe and has got the spot, with George and Katherine (Sarah Rafferty) encouraging him to go.

However, he's got reservations. He doesn't want to be yet another Walter kid leaving everyone else behind, especially after how ill George has been. Alex says that it's a no-brainer decision to take the opportunity... everyone wants him to. Skylar (Jaylan Evans) is devastated, but promises to stay in contact.

We also find out that Danny (Connor Stanhope) has been accepted into Carnegie Mellon University, after being rejected from Juilliard. Girlfriend Erin (Alisha Newton) doesn't seem phased by the fact that the pair will need to be long-distance, but it's clearly bothering Danny.

Alex admits his feelings for Kiley, but gets shut down

(Image credit: Netflix)

Alex finally has a chance to talk to Kiley (Mya Lowe) at school after the pair kissed. Kiley has been ignoring all of Alex's calls and messages, despite having a school project that they need to complete together.

She finally agrees to talk in private while at school, and the pair agree to put the kiss behind them and move on as if nothing has happened. However, it's clear that both of them have feelings for each other, which is something Cole picks up on when Alex admits to him what happened.

Cole also shares what Richard and Eliot have told him about being with Jackie, revealing that Eliot agrees that Jackie is too good to be with somebody like Cole. Alex tells him to ignore them both and pursue the feelings that are clearly still there.

At the community space launch party (which is 1920s themed), Alex tells Jackie that Cole was behind the drive to get the space fixed after the leak. Jackie tells him that she doesn't want to hear the reason why, but spirals about Cole's intentions as the party continues.

Meanwhile, Kiley spots Alex across the room and chooses to leave, whispering something to Dylan before she goes. She's clearly uncomfortable, but Dylan takes it upon himself to speak to Alex on her behalf. He tells Alex to give Kiley some space for a while, even though the two of them clearly have a lot in common.

Alex ignores this and leaves the party instead to check on how Kiley is. However, Dylan is also with her, shutting the door in his face while Kiley looks sheepishly on.

Cole's road crash leaves his life hanging in the balance

(Image credit: Netflix)

Cole enters the drag race that Mac recommends and wins a place in the final. While waiting, he tells Katherine and George that he doesn't feel good enough to be Jackie's partner, and doesn't want to show his face at the party because of that.

The pair convinces him that he's more than worth it, and that he should tell Jackie the truth and leave it up to her to make her own decisions. Instead of racing in the final, Cole leaves the track and heads for the party.

We see him driving the empty roads to get back to town, with another car suddenly approaching behind him. The car attempts to bump the back of Cole's car, with Cole swerving in order to avoid the other car's manoeuvres.

When the mysterious car pulls up to the side of Cole's, we see that the driver is the drag racing contestant that Cole left behind in the final. He's clearly annoyed that the race has been cancelled, and is looking to take his revenge. Finally, the two cars clip, flipping Cole's car into a nearby field, where it continues to roll.

At the same time, Jackie and Eliot are on the dance floor at the party, about to lean in for their first kiss... and then the episode comes to an end.

Season 4 predictions

(Image credit: Netflix)

Obviously, the first thing we need to find out in season 4 is whether Cole is hurt. His car is flipped enough times for there to be some serious damage, but it's difficult to tell what that is in the season 3 cliffhanger.

Then, of course, there's the question of whether Jackie actually follows through with her kiss with Eliot. I've got a sneaking suspicion that she'll pull away at the last second... but perhaps that's wishful thinking. It's certainly a moment that her future relationship with Cole could hinge on, if he pulls through.

Kiley will hopefully break up with Dylan and finally see that she should have been with Alex all along, but this isn't something that Dylan is likely to take quietly. Expect more overt tension between him and Alex, put it that way.

What is more difficult to tell is whether we'll see how Will and Nathan get on after they fly the nest, but the remaining Walter kids prepping for university is likely to feature heavily.

• Marantz launches a new Cinema Cinema Series 2 range of AV receivers, with three different models
• The have a brand new 32-bit DAC across all three models, plus optional Dirac room correction available on all
• There's also improved HDMI 2.1 gaming support, including 1440p passthrough and AMD FreeSync

Marantz has updated its acclaimed Cinema Series range of AV receivers. The first generation launched in 2002 and delivered a winning combination of good looks, great audio and excellent connectivity, and the latest Cinema 50 Series 2 , Cinema 60/DAB Series 2 and Cinema 70s Series 2 continue in that vein.

The big change in these new 2026 models is their brand-new 32-bit 8-channel DAC, which Marantz says delivers "greater precision, improved imaging, enhanced dynamic expression and more coherent surround performance throughout the listening environment."

Each model has been tuned by Marantz's Sound Master to deliver what Marantz promises is "an immersive and emotionally engaging entertainment experience."

There's Bluetooth LE Audio (in a future firmware update), improved gaming support and optional Dirac room correction across all three models.

One thing that hasn't changed is the products' good looks: these are home theater components you'll want to show off.

(Image credit: Marantz)Marantz Cinema Series 2: models, features and pricing

Each of the new Series 2 models comes with the new DAC, support for 1440p video passthrough with AMD FreeSync for gamers, a new Web Control 2.0 configuration app for your phone or computer, and HDMI Diagnostics 2.0 to deliver advanced troubleshooting and faster installation, which is intended for custom-installations, but sounds like a potential godsend generally.

The data options include the ability to see how each channel is being pushed by what's playing, which is definitely a fun game to play if you're wondering how different movies make use of the power of your system. Engineers from Denon and Marantz have previously told my colleague Matt Bolton that Gravity is the 'torture test' movie they use to see how AVRs handle stress during development, so it'd be fun to take a look at what that movie does to the numbers.

The flagship Cinema 50 Series 2 gets a few important upgrades that the others don't: the new Dolby Atmos Channel Expander, which uses all the available speakers when you're playing Dolby Atmos content regardless of how it was originally encoded, which seems to be especially useful for if you have additional height channels. There's also a new Center Bi-Amp Mode to improve dialog quality.

The flagship Cinema 50 Series 2 has nine channels putting out 110W apiece, 11.4 channels of processing and optional Dirac support. The Cinema 60/DAB Series 2 is a 7-channel, 100W per channel model, while the Cinema 70s Series 2 delivers 7 x 50W.

The prices for the new models are:

• Marantz Cinema 50 Series 2: $3,000 / £1,850 / AU$3,500
• Marantz Cinema 60 Series 2: (APAC and USA only) $2,000 / AU$2,500
• Marantz Cinema 60 DAB Series 2: (Europe only): £1,250
• Marantz Cinema 70s: $1,500 / £950 / AU$1,800

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• 64% of Brits reject the use of AI to filter job applications, according to a new YouGov poll
• Meanwhile, 70% would prefer a face-to-face interview over one conducted over a video call
• Prime Minister Andy Burnham shared his thoughts on current hiring practices on the Jimmy's Jobs of the Future podcast

Over two thirds of people prefer face-to-face interviews to video calls, and AI job application screening is considered “unacceptable” by 64% of polled Brits, a poll from YouGov has found, seemingly backing up recent comments by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham concerning changes to popular hiring processes since the pandemic.

While 30% of middle class households consider it acceptable to use AI to filter applicants, this figure is much lower in working class homes at 20%.

This overall reject of modernized application and interviewing practices comes at a time when feelings about the use of AI are becoming increasingly polarized for all but the most mundane of tasks.

Britain’s new PM weighs in

YouGov’s poll report includes a quote from new Prime Minister Andy Burnham: “AI in terms of CVs and sifting of applications. It doesn’t feel to me that recruitment in the post-pandemic era is becoming fairer.”

Since taking office, Andy Burnham has barely been out of the public eye, and has made various appearances, whether press conferences, TikTok, or podcasts.

His reaction to the polling can be contextualized in light of his appearance on careers podcast Jimmy's Jobs of the Future, stating, "One thing I really don't like is this culture now of interviewing via Zoom or Teams. How does a young person shine in that situation?"

"It seems to me to then work against people who have that side to their character and work for those who are just giving the more formulaic answer.

The end of AI job application filtering?

The YouGov poll picked a sizable sample of 4926 adults in Great Britain, with the questions issued on July 30, 2026. Of particular interest is the lack of any notable difference in the results concerning interviews across different regions. In London, the score is 60% in favor of face-to-face; for the rest of the south it is 73%, 69% in the Midlands, in Wales, and in the North, and 73% in Scotland.

If candidates feel more comfortable with face-to-face interviews, Burnham’s words may well have some impact on hiring practices in the future.

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s Maxine Bligh told the BBC that “The key message from us to recruiters is to go digital where it matters and human where it counts.

“AI tools are helpful, even essential, when dealing with a huge volume of applications, but it takes skill and professionalism to make the right call.”

Whether the right person was ever hired by AI remains to be seen, but making candidates comfortable and able to communicate at their best seems to require people, rather than machines.

• Amazon touts Alexa+ as its voice assistant’s “biggest leap forward”
• Aussies can now request early access to Alexa+, but it’s also available with the purchase of a new eligible Echo or Fire TV device
• Prime members get Alexa+ for free after early access ends in November; non-members pay AU$29.99p/m

Alexa+, the conversational AI upgrade of Amazon’s long-time voice assistant, has officially launched in Australia, over a year after rolling out in the US.

This “smarter, more conversational and more capable” voice assistant promises a more transactional experience that recognises natural language, can remember user preferences and automatically adjust your smart home tech, like turning on your air conditioning when it starts to get warm or turning on lights when it starts getting dark.

For its local debut, Amazon has added Aussie touches, so Alexa can now understand colloquialisms like ‘arvo’, ‘snags’ and ‘servo’, as well as being “tuned into Australian culture”, like not mixing up footy codes or understanding expressions like ‘fair dinkum’ or ‘passing the pub test’.

You can sign up for an early access invite now if you already own a compatible device, or get automatically signed up when you buy an eligible Echo or Fire TV device. After early access ends on November 30, 2026, Alexa+ will remain a free Prime benefit for subscribers, while non-members will have to pay AU$29.99 per month to retain access.

Most of the current Echo devices are compatible with Alexa+, with only the now-discontinued first- and second-generation models unable to support the new voice assistant. Fire TV devices, meanwhile, will have limited compatibility with Alexa+, with support available only on the following:

• Fire TV Stick 4K Select
• Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Gen)
• Fire TV Stick 4K Plus (2nd Gen)
• Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen)

Alexa+ isn’t the only ‘smart’ voice assistant available in Australia, with Google Home Premium (formerly Nest Aware) being its main competitor. The latter costs AU$15 per month or AU$150 per year for its Standard tier, or AU$30 or AU$300 per year for the Advanced tier, scoring Alexa+ points on pricing — provided you’re a Prime member or course.

It remains to be seen whether this would trigger a Prime membership price hike in the days to come.

Do we really need an Amazon-powered LLM in our lives?

Amazon claims that Aussies interact with Alexa “more than two billion times each year”, with 77 million questions asked and more than 600 million smart home actions in 2025 alone. While that suggests there’s a large customer base in Australia, it begs the question of whether we’re willing to bring another AI assistant into our homes and, importantly, pay extra for it.

As my colleague Graham Barlow rightly pointed out, Alexa+ may be an improvement by being more conversational and context aware, but it doesn’t really do enough to warrant the consistent use of the assistant.

Lots of Redditors have also expressed their displeasure with Alexa+, with some choosing to revert back to the old Alexa for the many ads, the style of the new voices, or just preferring not to opt into the upgrade.

Sure, being a free add-on to Amazon Prime will see plenty of early adopters, but it remains to be seen if Aussies will jump ship from ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or whatever LLM they’re already using and move to Alexa+. (Incidentally, a web version is also slated to come soon.)

Then again, AI is evolving and Alexa+ seems like the next step in the voice assistant’s development, although it will need to do more than just speak fluent 'Strayan if it wants to reign supreme Down Under.

It's been a day since I published my Samsung Jet 95S review and, as I mentioned, this cordless vacuum cleaner is full of surprises. From its unimposing size to being lighter than some of its competition, to even fully harnessing its excellent 280AW of suction, the Jet 95S is very easy to recommend even at full price.

But why would you do that when you can pick it up for 50% off? That's right: the Samsung Jet 95S, which is already good value at AU$799, is now discounted to just AU$399 at JB Hi-Fi.

That's a very budget price and excellent bang for your hard-earned buck to spend on a vacuum cleaner that I gave a full five stars to — and I've been reviewing vacuum cleaners for nearly a decade and have rarely done so. The Jet 95S is now my pick of the best vacuum cleaner in Australia.

Samsung has only slashed the price by AU$100, and no other retailer is currently matching JB Hi-Fi's half-price offer, making this the best vacuum cleaner deal I've seen in a very long time. That's more so because I can't fault this stick vac for anything — not its performance, its attachments or even its full price.View Deal

It may not have self-emptying like many a Shark vacuum cleaner or may not be looker like some of its Dyson counterparts, but what the Samsung Jet 95S has in spades is performance.

As I said in my review, it's in the same league as the Dyson Gen5detect Absolute with 280AW of suction, but it manages to outperform its competition thanks to four suction modes, with the Jet setting so darn powerful, I found 100% hair pickup from a rather dirty mid-pile carpet.

In fact, the Jet 95S aced all my tests in just its Mid suction setting, which is the second level up from Min (aka minimum, of course), and found it performed better than Dyson's Auto mode — albeit just barely.

I'm even a big fan of the Flex Tool that ships with the Jet 95S, which helped me get to awkward corners and high up on ceilings to clean behind my sofa and even an air-conditioning vent that's 90º to my ceiling. The other two accessories are stock standard, but you do get a Pet Tool+ attachment that's good at picking up small and thin strands from upholstery, bedding and all kinds of floor types.

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

The Slim LED floorhead has a very bright headlight that doesn't highlight dust particles like Dyson's Fluffy Optic does, but at least it lets you see under the bed or other low-lying furniture where light doesn't typically penetrate. This floorhead is only for hard floors though.

The all-round useful floorhead is the Jet Dual Brush+ that I found a little difficult to manoeuvre around the house, even on hard floors, but the Samsung vacuum isn't as heavy as some other models, so exerting a little extra energy is doable here. The clean you get from this floorhead, though, is exceptional, and I found no tangling of long hair strands during my testing.

I even love the fact that the wand is expandable, unlike Dyson.

Honestly, for a fraction of the Gen5detect's price, you're getting the same suction power and excellent cleaning performance, in a package that's easy to use and store. It's an absolute steal at just AU$399!

• Smart glasses bans are being introduced and considered
• There are growing concerns over smart glasses privacy
• Could hardware changes solve people's concerns?

I’ve written a lot about the high likelihood of major smart glasses regulation being introduced in various regions as the technology garners more and more bad press, and as expected, we’re starting to see bans and other restrictions take shape.

No nation has yet to all-out ban smart glasses, but a few have outlawed their use in certain scenarios while others are investigating harsher measures. Some private companies, such as event organizers, have also banned smart glasses on their premises and at their conferences.

Of course, this is bad news for smart specs owners who now could be facing restrictions on where they can/can’t wear their intelligent eyewear. For anyone considering adding smart glasses to their technology arsenal, these possible restrictions should be taken into account when making your final purchase decision.

So where are we starting to see smart glasses bans? Here’s a selection of the countries investigating and introducing anti-intelligent eyewear rules.

(Image credit: Magic Leap)United States

Generally, smart glasses can be worn freely in the US; however, New York State has banned them from being used in any of its courts. Smart glasses with recording capabilities could be seen as an attempt to intimidate those involved in the case, and some cases contain sensitive private information where unauthorized recordings could impose serious risks.

Other states have introduced less widespread bans in courts — including Philadelphia, Hawaii, and North Carolina.

Meanwhile, the US Air Force includes in its rules for service members that they are “Unauthorized to wear mirrored lenses or smart glasses with photo, video or artificial intelligence capabilities while in uniform.” This seems like more of a presentation thing than an anti-smart specs rule (especially given the inclusion of mirrored specs), but it does mean you can’t wear intelligent eyewear in uniform regardless.

Further, attendees of conventions such as major hacker conference DEF CON 34 have been barred from wearing Meta glasses or similar. These bans focus on the possibility of glasses recording folks without their knowledge — with organizers arguing the recording light some glasses offer isn’t the most obvious.

UK

(Image credit: Future / Hamish Hector)

In the UK, things are much the same. Courts don’t ban their use, though after one person was being coached by their glasses’ AI mid-trial, their usage is generally advised against. There are also recording restrictions in UK courts, so while glasses aren’t explicitly banned, using them to snap photos or videos would be against the rules — the same as it would be for using your phone or a regular camera.

We have seen companies like Monopoly Events ban camera glasses from its Comic-Cons after secret filming complaints, and there’s a petition to the Government to ban the sale and promotion of smart specs in the country. These petitions don’t always go anywhere, but it shows there’s at least some public unrest over smart specs, and that could lead to rule changes.

EU

The European Data Protection Board is currently drafting a report on smart glasses, with it expected to land sometime in the next few months. However, while more general EU rules are being discussed, some individual members are making their own individual decisions on the tech.

Germany’s data protection authority commissioner has warned camera glasses could be banned under existing laws prohibiting recording devices hidden in everyday objects.

Netherlands digital rights activists have expressed frustration at smart glasses' ability to record people without their knowledge, while France’s privacy regulator, the National Commission on Informatics and Liberty, has highlighted the privacy risks camera glasses pose.

(Image credit: Meta)South Korea

Rounding things off, we have a different kind of ban in South Korea, with the country specifically restricting smart glasses access in exam halls after cases of students being caught trying to cheat using intelligent eyewear.

Smart devices are generally banned from exam rooms in most schools across the globe to prevent cheating, though given the importance of South Korea’s College Scholastic Ability Test, their very explicit ban makes sense so as to remove any possible confusion over whether students can even bring smart specs into the room with them.

Could things change?

(Image credit: Meta)

Of course, very few bans have been brought in yet, but they could be unless things change on the hardware side.

A big concern is over privacy for non-glasses wearers caught in the gaze of someone's camera — especially if they don't know they’re being recorded. An obvious fix here would be to make smart glasses much more obvious when they're recording — perhaps brighter camera lights, a loud audible camera sound when snapping a photo, some kind of audio indicator when video is being recorded.

For users, they’ll want better control over what is and isn’t accessed by smart glasses makers when using their tech, and more certainty about which images are and aren’t shared, or which videos can or can’t be seen by contractors.

We’ll have to wait and see how the situation develops, though I’m not sure how much longer smart specs can go before we see serious regulations.

TechRadar's Computing team tests dozens of laptops each year, and Dell models consistently impress. I know, because when I came to round up our top-scoring options for this article, I struggled to find any duds. I was spoiled for choice. Below, you'll find a showcase of the Dell laptops that we've reviewed over the past year or so, and which managed to earn four stars or higher when put through our demanding review process.

Most are high-end laptops that rival the best the likes of Apple have to offer, but you'll also find some brilliant affordable options, and some versatile 2-in-1s that would make a top choice for students. I've also included a standout gaming option, as well as a stellar laptop for professionals.

To find out more about each one, click the View details button — this will provide a rundown of our main pros and cons for each model, plus a link to our full review. Alternatively, if you want to see how these laptops compare to one another, check out our best Dell laptop ranking, or for our favorites from a range of brands, head to our comprehensive best laptop guide. Have I missed any models you'd recommend? Let me know in the comments section.

4.5-star Dell laptops

Dell XPS 16 (2026) laptop

Read our full review

Pros

• Outstanding hardware and performance
• Exceptional clean design all round
• Phenomenal battery life for an Intel chip
• Beautiful, almost bezel-less 3K OLED screen

Cons

• Three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports and that's it
• Pricey, pricey, pricey

Dell 14 Plus budget laptop

Read our full review

Pros

• Great productivity and everyday performance
• Fantastic price
• Very portable
• Solid battery life

Cons

• Limited configuration options
• MacBook Air 13 (M4) is better value
• Trackpad can be tricky
• Display isn’t great

Dell 16 Premium laptop

Read our full review

Pros

• Outstanding performance
• Cheaper than MacBook Pro 16-inch
• Gorgeous OLED display option

Cons

• Battery Life for OLED model is mediocre
• Apple M4 Pro can greatly outperform Intel Arrow Lake chip in some cases

Dell Inspiron 14 Plus laptop

Read our full review

Pros

• Snappy performance
• Thin and light
• Very long, impressive battery life

Cons

• Feels very slightly overpriced
• Audio, keyboard, and touchpad are just fine

Alienware 16 Area-51 Gaming Laptop

Read our full review

Pros

• Beautiful Yet Logical Design
• Outstanding Gaming Performance
• Mechanical keyboard
• Respectable speakers
• Blistering display performance

Cons

• Overall, the image quality on display is lacking & no HDR support
• Battery life outside of gaming is on the low side

Dell XPS 13 (2025) laptop

Read our full review

Pros

• Gorgeous 3K OLED screen
• Best-in-class battery life
• Strong overall performance
• Copilot+ ready

Cons

• Not enough ports
• Touchpad and touch bar hurt accessibility

4-star Dell laptops

Dell XPS 14 (2026) laptop

Read our full review

Pros

• Excellent redesign
• Very good performance
• OLED version looks fantastic

Cons

• Only three USB-C ports
• Windows 11 feels bloated
• Still no AI killer app

Dell Chromebook 3120 budget laptop

Read our full review

Pros

• Tough build
• Very portable
• Decent all-round performance

Cons

• Compromised display size
• Frustrating touchpad
• Inconsistent keyboard

Dell 16 Plus laptop

Read our full review

Pros

• Solid lightweight design with a full keyboard
• Affordable
• Fantastic general performance
• Nice looking 120Hz display
• Respectable battery life

Cons

• Webcam isn’t great
• Lacks SD card slot and touchscreen
• Limited gaming and creative task performance
• Speakers sound weak, especially the bass

Dell 14 Premium Laptop

Read our full review

Pros

• Discrete RTX 4050 graphics option
• Highly portable
• Same price or cheaper than a MacBook Pro 14-inch

Cons

• Design is a bit boring
• No physical privacy shutter on webcam
• Falls way behind rival MacBook Pro in some workloads

Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 laptop

Read our full review

Pros

• Very affordable
• Solid performance
• Good looking

Cons

• Display is not great
• Not for high-performance workloads

Dell Latitude 9450 2-in-1 laptop

Read our full review

Pros

• Excellent battery life
• Solid construction
• Thunderbolt ports
• Beautifully made

Cons

• Expensive
• Core Ultra Series 1
• Insufficient storage
• Needs a docking station

Dell Pro 14 Premium business laptop

Read our full review

Pros

• Latest Intel silicon
• High-quality webcam
• Exceptional battery life
• Lightweight frame
• Collaboration touchpad
• Great keyboard
• AI built-in (Intelligent privacy, onlooker detection, etc.)
• Excellent connectivity (5G, Wi-Fi 7E, Bluetooth 5.4)

Cons

• Underwhelming CPU performance
• Expensive
• Not XPS build quality
• Limited upgrades
• - The collaboration touchpad is limited
• The display is good, but not great

Surprisingly, one culprit behind the leak is passkey technology, which is supposed to be a more secure way to authenticate data such as site logins.