Technology

• US soldiers in Germany built and flew an armed drone without contractors
• The live strike took less than five minutes from launch to impact
• Officers say the 3D-printed casing can carry almost two pounds of explosives

The US Army has tested an attack drone assembled and operated by soldiers, marking an unusual step toward independently produced battlefield systems.

The 2nd Cavalry Regiment conducted the live-fire exercise on September 30 2026, at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany.

It used an Orqa MRM2-10 aircraft carrying a custom 3D-printed explosive container that soldiers designed and prepared themselves.

Soldiers build and operate the strike system

According to unit company commander Capt. Michael Bapp, the exercise followed more than two years of development.

The soldiers assembled the aircraft from manufacturer-provided components before adding an electronic safety mechanism and their printed explosive housing.

The regiment named the device “Dragoon bomb” after its nickname, with the container capable of carrying nearly two pounds of explosives.

This weapon can reportedly strike from over three miles away under guidance from experts from the military.

An additional receiver could extend the stated operating distance beyond 12 miles, though battlefield performance remains dependent on conditions.

“If we hit the right spot on the vehicle, we’d be able to get a 100% kill as well,” said 1st Lt. Eugene Lee, reconnaissance platoon leader.

“We can modify the Dragoon bomb, make it into a shape charge, which would be very effective in destroying smaller tanks.”

For the live-fire event, soldiers loaded 250 grams of C-4 alongside M6 low-voltage blasting caps.

The casing can also accommodate different configurations, including ball bearings arrangement for specific battlefield applications.

“This is a conventional Army first, potentially an Army-wide first as far as a live, kinetic drone strike conducted without any contractor support,” said Capt. Bapp.

Staff Sgt. Angel Caliz flew the explosive-carrying aircraft more than one mile before reaching the designated target during the exercise.

The flight from launch to impact required less than five minutes, while another drone transmitted the strike to soldiers watching nearby.

Army drone push builds on Ukraine lessons and in-house assembly

These efforts follow the conflict in Ukraine, where cheap commercial drones, widely available since the start of the war in 2022, have been changing the dynamics of the war.

Drone warfare has since spread to Middle Eastern conflicts, where Iran recorded some devastating wins against the U.S. using cheap drones.

The US Army has begun pursuing in-house production and repair capacity of its own after watching how the war unfolded in Ukraine.

It now operates a three-week course in additive manufacturing and piloting, while the Marine Corps and Navy pursue their own drone fabrication projects.

The Army's experiment therefore combines commercially sourced aircraft components with locally produced additions and soldier-level assembly.

Col. Timothy Price said the exercise showed how existing equipment could be adapted while soldiers develop capabilities without relying entirely on external support.

Army officials said its system could eventually give smaller formations access to precision weapons beyond the reach of conventional equipment.

The US Army even compared the potential of this device with the AT4, which soldiers commonly use against armored threats at relatively short engagement distances.

The unit's account suggests squads could gain precision strike options cheaply, though one success says little about performance against moving or defended threats.

Via Stars and Stripes

It’s Prime Day yet again, and it’s also the second and final day of Amazon’s second members-only shopping event of the year. And there are still a ton of deals to shop, from Lego sets to TVs, AirPods Pro, coffee machines, and countless other gadgets in between.

But rather than a discount on the brand-new Beats 360 headphones — it’s a bit early for that, after all — I’m here with a discount on what might be my most-used tech accessory, and one that’s an even better deal than before.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

Beats makes cables, and they’re really good. They offer USB-C to USB-C, and USB-A to USB-C cables, plus a Lightning edition. They don’t break easily; they’re braided and built to the same quality and durability standards as Apple’s own cables, which cost way more.

And for Prime Day, you can get a 1.5-meter USB-C to USB-C cable for just $7.60. You’ll need to be alright with a sleek black color, but it goes with anything.

USB-C to USB-C Woven 1.5m Cable: was $18.99 now $7.60
At just $7.60, this is the best time to get the Beats 1.5-meter USB-C to USB-C cable, as it's never been cheaper. This Prime Day deal beats previous discounts. It's not the most exciting product, but with a durable woven design and support for up to 60 watts of power, it's an excellent cable to have at home or when traveling.View Deal

USB-C to USB-C Woven 1.5m Cable 2-Pack: was $34.99 now $14
If you're after more than one, it's actually cheaper to buy the 2-pack of Beats 1.5-meter USB-C to USB-C cables as the bundle is also 60% off at just $14.View Deal

Whenever I’m on a flight, I travel with a Beats USB-A to USB-C and USB-C to USB-C cable, depending on which port is built into the seat, in case the standard wall-plug AC socket is too worn out. I also have over a dozen at home, and just bought another one.

To a degree, you can never have too many cables, and the Beats cable supports up to 60 watts of power.

And at 60% off, this is a particularly good time to pick one up. The single cable is down to $7.60 from $18.99, a new all-time low price. But if you’re like me and can never have too many cables, the two-pack is an even better option at $14, down from $34.99 — also a 60% discount. Honestly, that’s cheap enough that I’d grab a couple. I know I did.

More Prime Day deals US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

New interactive graphics are powered by GPT-6, which is rolling out to free users now.

Newegg is throwing a massive spanner in Amazon’s well-oiled Prime Day engine in the shape of the best-value laptop you can buy this October.

The Hasee X5 is no ordinary laptop. It is the only one with a Core i7 (not one of these obsolete 10-year old ones), 16GB LPDDR5 RAM and a humongous 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD. All this for a mere $549.99, a saving of 38% off its SRP of $899.99.

X5: was $899.99 now $549.99
Intel core i7 13620H | 16G LPDDR5 RAM | 1TB SSD

This 15.6in Windows 11 laptop features an i7 processor, 16GB memory for smoother multi-tasking, a built-in privacy shutter, and loads of ports including three USB-A and 1 USB-C port. View Deal

Let’s start with the processor. This is an Intel Core i7-13620H with 10 cores and contains an Intel UHD Graphics. It is usually found inside gaming laptops, paired with a discrete GPU. None of this here unfortunately.

That said, this is probably the most powerful CPU in a sub-$649 laptop. I chose that price specifically because it relates to Apple’s iconic MacBook Neo.

The 13620H is about 2X faster than the A18 Pro that powers the Neo (based on figures from CPUBenchmark). This is both a compliment to Apple’s exceptional hardware team and to Hasee for how good of a deal the X5 is.

Next there’s 16GB LPDDR5 (albeit in one slot) with a huge 1TB Foresee PCIe 4.0 SSD. Both rarities on a desktop PC let alone a laptop at this price point.

A quick hop over to Dell shows that a Dell 15 laptop with 16GB of inferior DDR4 and 1TB SSD will set you back a massive $1,050, almost 2X more expensive. Oh and the 13420H is about 50% faster than the Ryzen 7 7730U that powers the Dell laptop. Mic Drop.

The Hasee X5 feels reasonably premium as well thanks to a silver finish and a metal chassis. I like the dedicated keypad, the backlit keyboard, the fact that the 15.6-inch full HD IPS screen can lay flat and the privacy shutter for the 2-megapixel webcam.

I don't know the expected battery life of this laptop but don’t have high hopes. The CPU is a power hungry one and the battery capacity is a mere 62.7Whr. You’d be lucky to get for hours out of it although Hasee claims you can get nine ours out of it.

As for connectivity, there’s WiFi-6 (courtesy of Intel), a microSD card reader, something we don’t see often, three USB 3.2 ports, a HDMI one, a Type-C connector and an audio interface. The power port is a barrel type which is not my preference.

Read more: We're currently live-tracking all the best Prime Day home office deals.

• DeepSeek open sourced Ascend ports of its production kernel and communication libraries with Huawei's support in tow
• Published benchmarks ran on a proof-of-concept hardware kit DeepSeek says is not a publicly distributed release
• Two repositories are genuinely new and have received hundreds of GitHub stars versus Nvidia's thousands; the other announced components are updates to existing tools

DeepSeek has revealed it is open sourcing a set of infrastructure components for Huawei's Ascend accelerators.

DeepSeek published two completely new repositories, DeepGEMM-Ascend for matrix multiplication and DeepEP-Ascend for the all-to-all communication that mixture-of-experts models depend on.

The other components named in the announcement were upgrades: TileKernels, DeepSelect, and FlashMLA are existing projects that received Ascend-targeted updates, a distinction FourWeekMBA established from the GitHub creation dates.

An open source offering with limited use cases?

Reuters framed it as two Chinese firms deepening ties in search of an alternative to Nvidia, with Bloomberg called the centerpiece a programming language named TileLang, China's answer to CUDA.

The question is whether any of this matters when engineers are still on the fence about using these tools and access to Chinese compute remains, at best, elusive.

The biggest piece, as Bloomberg puts it, TileLang itself is neither new nor DeepSeek's own offering. It was open-sourced in January 2025, and its Huawei Ascend adapters were published in an external repository, tilelang-ascend, on September 29, 2025, a full year before the recent announcement.

While TileLang supports Nvidia's CUDA backend, it also supports Huawei's Ascend as an ecosystem backend, classified and maintained in a separate repository. One could therefore argue that TileLang is less a weapon aimed at Nvidia than a shared abstraction layer that half a dozen Chinese accelerator vendors are quietly standardizing on, with Huawei as the largest of several tenants rather than the landlord.

The new software has limitations: DeepGEMM-Ascend requires the Ascend 950 series and CANN 9.20. DeepEP-Ascend requires Ascend 950 silicon with UBMEM connectivity, so it targets a narrow audience beyond Huawei's own engineers and limited Chinese AI labs with access to that silicon.

Despite this, at a time when Nvidia chips are unlikely to be generously exported by the US or allowed in by China, Huawei's Ascend silicon has a large task on its shoulders: DeepGEMM-Ascend keeps the same Python package name and API shape as its CUDA sibling, and DeepEP-Ascend aligns its public buffer interfaces with the Nvidia version.

That is because the goal isn't a performance claim, but switching-cost reduction, and switching costs are precisely what Nvidia's moat is made of: it costs far too much for most developers to abandon CUDA or code their own alternative currently.

Public signals show this remains an uphill task; at the time of writing, DeepGEMM-Ascend has 515 stars and 39 forks, compared with DeepGEMM, which has a comfortable lead at 8,522 stars and 1,359 forks, for example. The story is similar for DeepEP-Ascend and DeepEP, with the latter surpassing 10,200 stars versus DeepEP-Ascend's 224.

The reputational problem Huawei faces here predates the repositories. ChinaTalk, citing the Financial Times, quotes a Huawei researcher describing CANN as making Ascend chips difficult and unstable to use, and a Chinese developer characterizing work on the 910B as a road full of pitfalls.

Epoch AI has reported that Huawei dispatches engineering teams to major customers such as Baidu and Tencent to help port CUDA training code and keep deployments running.

A frontier lab publishing its own production kernels partially answers that complaint, because it replaces vendor documentation with code that has survived contact with a model and can be optimized further. It is also, however, code that runs on one chip family, under one toolkit version, on firmware the rest of the world cannot download or even potentially access.

I've spotted a lot of portable power station deals in the Prime Day sale. And while you can't really go wrong with Bluetti, EcoFlow, Jackery, and Anker based on my experiences, it can sometimes become a confusing mess of numbers once you start digging into the differences. So, these are my top three recommendations if you're looking for a little extra insurance while working from home and you're struck by a power outage that keeps you offline (or 'the dark ages', as I like to call it).

For laptops & Wi-Fi routers

288Wh | 600W | <15ms switchover | ★★★★⯪

The Bluetti Elite 30 V2 is my top-rated budget power station with 4.5 stars, with more than enough juice to keep you online during a short, unexpected outage. We used it through several storms during testing.

➡️ UK price: £179 (was £239)View Deal

For workstation setups

Delta 3 Plus: was $799 now $674
1024Wh | 1800W | 10ms switchover | ★★★★★

My Editor's Choice portable power station overall, it scored a flawless 5 stars and put in a robust performance during testing. In the US, it's also available with an extra battery for $1019 at Amazon.

➡️ UK price: now £549 (was £699)View Deal

For garden offices & heavy appliances

Explorer 2000 V2: was $999 now $849
2042Wh | 2200W | <20ms switchover | ★★★★⯪

A high-capacity, high-output power station that earned 4.5 stars in review and saved our reviewer's sanity (and his kids' dinner).

➡️ UK price: now £765 (£1061)View Deal

Having reviewed some of the best portable power stations you can get, these are the key specs you want to look for:

Wh - this is the battery capacity - it's like the electrical version of a fuel tank, and it gives you some idea how long the power station will last until you need to recharge it. The higher the Wh, the more battery power you have, the longer it'll run.

W - this is the output the unit can put out. A laptop is typically up to around 65-100W to power while a standard PC is around 200W; a larger appliance like a fridge can be around 300W. Some power stations have dual surge modes, so you get extra power output for high-wattage devices.

UPS switchover - the time it takes during a power outage for the power station to kick in. The quicker, the better so you don't lose connection if it's hooked up to your router or modem. At best, select a unit that kicks in in under 20 milliseconds, but under 10 milliseconds is better.

There are few gaming headsets that I would consider to be best-in-class offerings, but the Sony Inzone H6 Air is a rare example of one. It's the best-sounding open-back gaming headset that I've ever tested, with crisp and clean audio that elevates everything from first-person shooters to narrative-based action games.

It's pretty well-positioned at full price, but has now become even greater value thanks to a massive Amazon Prime Day saving: it's now just $168 (was $199.99) at Amazon – a new lowest-ever price for the retailer.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

The deals continue across the pond as well. In the UK, you can find the Inzone H6 Air for just £139 (was £179) at Amazon – another lowest-ever price. That UK offer only has a few hours to go, though, so snap it up while you still can.

Today's best open-back gaming headset deals

Inzone H6 Air: was $199.99 now $168
A new lowest-ever price on a stellar pair of wired gaming headphones. They're seriously comfortable thanks to their incredibly light weight and offer high audio fidelity. They're fully compatible with PS5, PC, Xbox, and more.View Deal

There's also a meaty discount in the UK, where you can find the Inzone H6 Air at a new lowest-ever price.View Deal

My full five-star Sony Inzone H6 Air review outlines exactly what's so good about this headset. I said that it "raises the bar for open-back gaming audio, with a winning combination of incredible comfort and pristine audio underpinned by studio-grade drivers."

It's also "incredibly lightweight" at just 7oz / 199g, which contributes to just how good it feels to wear. Importantly, it doesn't feel cheap thanks to its combination of rugged aluminium and cloth materials.

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.36
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $28
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $89
• Smartwatches: up to 36% off Garmin & Apple
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $49

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: get a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: up to 67% off Fire, Ring & Blink
• Amazon Haul: extra 15% off for Prime members
• Appliances: up to 40% off Ninja & De'Longhi
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: cleaning & groceries from £2
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Gaming: record-low Nintendo Switch 2
• Headphones: up to 50% off Anker & Sony
• Laptops: up to £800 off Microsoft & Asus
• Tablets: up to 50% off Fire tablets
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 50% off Shark & Dyson
• Wearables: Samsung & Oura from £31

I’ve recently moved into a brand new home, and the tiny kitchen I had to make do with in my old apartment has over doubled in size — and this Prime Day I’m looking for a brand new suite of kitchen gadgets, and general cookware to fill it with.

Top of my list is an airfryer — specifically the Ninja Air Fryer DoubleStack XL which is currently $40-off (now $209.95 at Amazon, and you can save £60 on it at Amazon UK) thanks to its efficient size and cooking prowess — but I’m hoping to indulging myself with a new coffee maker, or perhaps the Ninja Creami I’ve heard so much about (it’s $169.99 at Amazon US, saving you 23%-off, and £153.89 at Amazon UK, a 38% discount).

I’ve already grabbed a few non-techy essentials to fill out my kitchen, and I’ll highlight them below too with reasons you should consider them.

Today's best Ninja deals

NINJA Air Fryer Doublestack XL

NINJA Creami Ice Cream Maker

NINJA Fresh Brew Coffee Maker

NINJA Double Stack XL 9.5L Air Fryer

NINJA Creami Deluxe Ice Cream Maker

NINJA Perfect Temperature Kettle

The Ninja Double Stack stands as the best airfryer in the world based on our tests thanks to its generous capacity for its small footprint and its “top-tier” cooking performance. Normally it is a bit pricey, but whenever it goes on sale (like right now) it’s one I have my eye on because it represents such an amazing deal.

The Creami is a few years older at this point, but it is still a capable ice cream maker — and I expect it’ll be vital next Summer if the UK faces another record-breaking heatwave which is why I’m considering grabbing it while I can for a discount.

Lastly, the only item I have on this list is the Ninja Kettle (it’s on sale in the UK, in the US I’ve picked a snazzy but simple coffee maker). I love coffee, matcha, chai, and fruit teas, while my wife likes classic black tea, and all need different temperatures for the best results — this kettle lets me easily heat water to the perfect temp for each in no time, and it’s easily my most used (and probably most loved) appliance.

My other favorite Prime Day deals for my kitchen

GreenPan Stainless Steel Cookware Set

KitchenAid Variable Speed Corded Hand Blender

Tormek  T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener

KitchenAid Ribbed Soft Silicone Oven Mitt 2-Pack Set

CAROTE 7-Piece Baking Pans Set

ioion Electric Salt and Pepper Grinder

Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Stainless Steel Cookware Set

Ninja Foodi 3-In-1 Hand Blender

TORMEK T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener

KitchenAid Ribbed Soft Silicone Oven Mitt Set

Brod & Taylor Bread Steel

Brod & Taylor Sourdough Home

I’ve tried a few different non-stick pans over the years, but fears over forever chemicals and frustration at safer coatings that never seem to last have brought me back to the ol’ reliable steel pan — and from my experience GreenPan’s are excellent.

I’ve been giving pieces from its 5-ply Premiere collection a whirl in my new flat — which combine steel and aluminum sheets to maximize heat efficiency and resilience while keeping them a less weighty — but as they aren’t on sale right now I’m highlighting this collection of 11 pots and pans, which for only $119.99 are a steal (especially as you get lids with everything too).

The thing to remember is unlike typical non-stick, steel pans will need a bit more oil, and plenty of time to get up to temperature before you add anything (around two to three minutes), but the upshot is they’re dishwasher and oven safe to high temperatures, and can survive metal tools — which for me is precisely what I need.

In the UK GreenPan’s options aren’t discounted at the time of writing, but the Cuisinart Chef’s Classic set should fill a similar role.

The Tormek T-1 isn’t on sale and it is a little pricey, but I’m highlighting it for any home chefs who have just bought new knives, or who are considering upgrading their old dull ones this Prime Day.

I’ve tried cheap and ‘easy’ knife sharpeners but they’re generally ineffective and can create an uneven edge. Meanwhile, sharpening stones are pretty intimidating.

The Tormek T1 works a treat. It’s super simple to use thanks to the instructions and helped transform all my knives into elite kitchen tools again — including some close to a decade-old blades I was close to throwing out given how useless they had become after years of abuse.

If you cook plenty and have some knives you want to look after, but not a lot of time to sharpen them regularly a more old-fashioned way this piece of kit is something to consider — though if you’re on a budget you may want to wait and see if a Black Friday sale can make it cheaper.

(Image credit: Future)

Finally as an avid baker I've picked out some essential baking gear I use (or is very similar to the kit I have at home). My favorites of the bunch are the Brod & Taylor Bread Steel and Sourdough Home.

The steel is perfect for crusting the bottom of your loaves, but also works well with pizza and other doughs (I think most ovens should have one), while the Sourdough Home is more of a luxury — but one I adore nonetheless.

I keep my sourdough tucked away inside it at a constant cool 5-degrees celsius, and can easily make the home warmer (usually 24-degrees) when I’m getting my starter ready to be baked with. The Home makes managing your starter all-year-round much less of a chore, though it isn’t something I’d recommend for beginners — just because you don’t want to splash out on gear and only bake a few loaves.

But if you’ve fallen in love with sourdough baking and want to treat yourself (or the baker in your life) this deal is perfect.

• A new dark web monitoring service has been launched for Netgear customers
• Netgear Dark Web Monitoring is available on Netgear routers supporting its Armor and Armor Plus plans
• Expert analysis of the dark web shows that over 15 billion personal records are available to purchase

Netgear has announced a new service whicht conducts dark web monitoring and notifies you when your stolen data is found lurking in someone else’s database.

Announced as part of its Armor and Armor Plus plans, the Dark Web Monitoring service is available to subscribers via the Netgear app.

The dark web is the hidden arena of the internet where various “out of sight” transactions are conducted. While it has legitimate uses (such as dissidents accessing resources via Tor), it is also the home of a black market in data – typically stolen from large organizations, companies, and governments in successful hacking attempts.

Collection of tools

Owners of the data should be notified by law when their information is stolen. However, often it isn’t until personal information (and more valuable data such as company secrets or software engines) hits the dark web that companies are even aware that they have been hacked. This makes dark web monitoring services such as Netgear’s new feature particularly attractive.

Netgear’s service is added to its existing collection of tools for Armor and Armor Plus subscribers. These include protection against malware and exploits, intrusion, anomaly, and DDoS detection and protection, and a VPN with adblock and anti-tracking.

The dark web monitoring feature adds to these by offering continuous monitoring of the dark web for emails, phone numbers, and financial details lost during a data breach. National Insurance numbers are also monitored.

If anything is found, Netgear Dark Web Monitoring sends alerts and recommends actions. It also offers an Identity Protection Score to illustrate exposure, and as households improve their security the tool tracks their progress.

Finding exposed data

While free services can uncover data that has been exposed in data leaks, the dark web is home to stolen information that may not yet be disclosed. This could be because the organization that has been hacked hasn’t got around to sharing the breach with their customers – or because they don’t know it has even happened.

This makes an active monitoring service like Netgear Dark Web Monitoring particularly valuable.

“Most people think about network security as something that happens within their home,” says Jonathan Oakes, Senior Vice President and General Manager of NETGEAR’s Home Networking Division. “But your details can end up exposed somewhere else entirely, in a breach at a company you’ve never even dealt with directly. Dark Web Monitoring means finding out while there’s still time to act.”

Netgear Dark Web Monitoring is available with its routers’ Armor ($99/year) and Armor Plus ($149.99/year) plans, available to be purchased via the Netgear app.

Flat buttocks? Own a snail? Here’s how to find out what Amazon’s About You page knows — or thinks it knows — about you as a person.

Choosing between two creative laptops becomes much easier when they share many of the same core specifications but have different prices. That's exactly the situation with two MSI laptops which have been discounted for Amazon Prime Day.

• Best for: I'd choose the MSI Katana 15 HX for most users, while the Crosshair A16 HX makes more sense if you think a larger, faster display is worth paying extra for. And that's not the case for most people.

• The deal: The MSI Crosshair A16 HX is down to $2294 (was $2699), while the MSI Katana 15 HX has dropped to $1791 (was $2200), both at Amazon.

• Why it matters: They both offer RTX 5070 graphics, 32GB of DDR5 memory, and 1TB SSDs, but have different processors (Intel vs. AMD) and price points. The decision largely comes down to whether you think the Crosshair's advantages justify another $503. For what it's worth, at this price, I mostly don't.

Katana 15 HX Laptop: was $2199.99 now $1791
This model features an Intel Core i9-14900HX processor, RTX 5070 8GB graphics, 32GB DDR5-5600 memory, 1TB NVMe SSD, 165Hz display, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4, USB-C, HDMI, and RGB keyboard.View Deal

Crosshair A16 HX Laptop: was $2699 now $2294
This laptop features an AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX processor, RTX 5070 8GB graphics, 32GB DDR5 memory, 1TB NVMe SSD, 16-inch 2560 x 1600 240Hz display, Wi-Fi 6E, and USB-C connectivity.View Deal

Which one I'd recommend

The Crosshair A16 HX has some worthwhile advantages, particularly its larger display. Despite that, of the two laptops, I'd go for the MSI Katana 15 HX as it includes remarkably similar core hardware for $503 less.

The Katana combines a 14th-generation Intel Core i9-14900HX processor with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 8GB graphics card. There's also 32GB of DDR5-5600 memory and a 1TB NVMe SSD.

Its 15.6-inch display has a 165Hz refresh rate, while Cooler Boost 5 uses dual fans and five heat pipes to help manage temperatures. Connectivity includes USB-C, HDMI, Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.4.

In his 4-star review of the older (less powerful) model, our expert James said "for those with a limited budget, the MSI Katana 15 (2023) is among the best gaming laptops to pick from. There are some compromises, such as the styling and battery life, as well as a flaw or two, but the overall package provides a good quality gaming experience where you won’t feel the portable’s limitations."

The Crosshair A16 HX pairs an AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX with the same RTX 5070 8GB graphics and matches the Katana's 32GB of DDR5 memory and 1TB NVMe SSD.

You get a larger 16-inch 2560 x 1600 display with a much faster 240Hz refresh rate. It also has a 90Wh battery and supports up to 96GB of memory, compared with a 75Wh battery and maximum 64GB on the Katana.

While those extras make the Crosshair more interesting on paper, I'd still buy the Katana.

Price context & historical value

Both laptops have been reduced in price by just over $400 for Prime Day. The Katana falls from $2,199.99 to $1,791, saving you $408.99, or around 19%. It has been lower though. For Black Friday 2025 it was $1,369.99. That's $830 off the standard price.

The Crosshair drops from $2,699 to $2,294, knocking $405 off its regular price, or 15%. This is as cheap as we've seen it previously.

Which MSI laptop should you buy?

✅ Buy the MSI Katana 15 HX if...

You want the better-value laptop of the two. You're getting an RTX 5070 alongside a powerful Core i9-14900HX without paying for some of the Crosshair's more premium features.

✅ Buy the MSI Crosshair A16 HX instead if...

Display performance is a priority. Its 16-inch 2560 x 1600 screen runs at 240Hz rather than 165Hz, while the larger battery and higher maximum memory capacity provide a couple of additional advantages.

• Shop all creative laptop deals at Amazon

I’ve been playing with Arcana Unleashed for the past month, and the latest Dungeons & Dragons gameplay expansion is exquisite. Easily the best released since the game’s Fifth Edition refresh in 2024, and this week might be the best time to grab this book if you haven’t already.

Arcana Unleashed serves up magic-focused gameplay options for both players and Dungeon Masters. There are brand new and refreshed subclasses for characters to be built around like the Vestige Warlock and Arcane Archer Fighter, spells that friends and foes alike can use to solve dungeons, manipulate social situations and command the battlefield from the front or back lines, and tips for building magical worlds and setting up an arcane adventure.

I’ve read Arcana Unleashed from cover-to-cover and have already started incorporating it into the campaign I’m running (both upcoming sessions, and ones I have planned for the future). Magic is my favorite aspect of this game, and this feels like a love letter to the mystical arts.

However the book is far too short — like a delicious cake you’re only allowed a sliver of, I’m desperate for more and left wishing WoTC had served a more generous helping. But this year's early Amazon’s Big Deals sale has already seen it get a serious discount, and as we head into the holiday sales period proper it could get an even bigger price drop.

Arcana Unleashed: was $49.99 now $39.95
The latest D&D book is incredible, and even better thanks if you can score it at a discount like this $10 saving currently at Amazon.View Deal

I've loved Arcana Unleashed. My only gripe is it's a little expensive for what you get, but this deal makes it a much easier book to recommend for fans of D&D.View Deal

A light touch

A Gameplay Expansion is designed for both players and the DMs who run the games. If you’ve picked up previous D&D 5e expansions it feels like a successor to the popular Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything.

The first chapter of Arcana Unleashed is dedicated to subclasses characters can choose at level three — some new like the Vestiga Warlock, most returning options revised following the 2024 5e game reboot like the Fighter’s Arcane Archer, and the Necromancy, Enchantment, Conjuration, and Transmutation Wizard options that were left out of the 2024 Player’s Handbook (finally letting wannabe mages specialize in whichever of the eight schools of magic they most wish to).

I don’t believe you can judge a subclass by pure numbers — I firmly believe the ‘best’ option depends entirely on the individual campaign setting and the vibes expected by the playgroup — but generally the updates to the older classes seem solid, and the new options feel fun from both a gameplay and thematic point of view. A Warlock getting powers from a dying being of great power has so many story possibilities.

Moving into backgrounds and Arcana Unleashed’s feat options, I love how the new Origin Feats — some special feature your character starts the game with — provide mechanical and flavorful ways to create diversity in builds. Arcane Eloquence making a character better at Persuasion and Deception, without forcing them into a typically Charismatic class like Bard or Sorcerer, or Arcane Infiltrator letting you dodge as a bonus action like a Rogue without committing fully to that class.

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

There are new spells, items and magical creatures to utilize in games too, though I want to focus on the advice it gives for building magical worlds and creating factions your players could work with (or against) on their adventure.

These chapters go into solid detail about the needs and wants of these groups as well as how their allies might be rewarded, and the sorts of folks the factions would work against. They also offer up plenty of inspiration and things to consider in a magical world — like the development of technology, or the sorts of societies that might spring up.

For a more experienced DM these considerations would be second nature, but for newcomers — especially those new to creating a world from scratch — they provide the perfect level of assistance. You have got something to chew on, but no specific right or wrong answers, and plenty of space to be creative.

Even as a DM with a few years under my belt the book has been a helpful world building tool, and has already helped me conjure up a few new locations for my current on-going campaign.

I’ve loved everything Arcana Unleashed has had to offer up, but it’s not without its faults.

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)Sharing is caring

My first disappointment is the uneven distribution of new subclasses. I love that Wizards finally get updated rules for the remaining schools of magic not included in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, but this comes at the expense of Bards, Barbarians, Druids, Paladins, Rangers, Rogues, Warlocks and Sorcerers who get nothing.

Of course new subclasses with an intrinsic arcane nature would be perfect — giving players new options for characters from a world where everyone has some kind of magical ability. Though they don’t need to be new. The Barbarian’s Wild Magic subclass from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything could have been updated, as could the Druid’s Circle of Wildfire from the same book, or the Circle of the Shepherd from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything.

I’d maybe understand if this book focused on a hyper-specialized aspect of D&D. If it was say, pirate themed, I wouldn’t expect every class to suddenly be granted a swashbuckling speciality. But for something so intrinsic to this game as magic, and when there are so many still to be updated subclasses which could easily have been included here, it feels like such a let down that most of the games’ classes — including many spellcasters — are excluded.

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

These more expansive subclass options would also help to solve my other upset: the books feel too short.

At just 160 pages Arcana Unleashed feels kinda thin in my hands as I hold it. Meanwhile 5e expansions I keep comparing them to are longer — Tasha's Cauldron of Everything is 192 pages, as is Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, Strixhaven A Curriculum of Chaos is 224 pages, and Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft is 256.

Short doesn’t necessarily mean bad, but 160 pages on an expansion dedicated to something so quintessential to D&D just isn’t enough. It hits especially hard when the cost is $49.99 / £41.99 / AU$69.99.

I do think Arcana Unleashed has more than enough going for it to be something folks should pick up — it feels like a true successor to the ‘of Everything’ books I’ve referenced throughout this piece, which were (and still are) some of the most essential 5e expansions — but I’d recommend you wait for a discount.

Be that a sale form a big retailer, or a discount offered by your local game store if Arcana Unleashed cost closer to $35 / £30 / AU$45 (or better yet, less) it’s an easy snap buy. SO keep an eye on it as we head into this year’s holiday sales.

The Tabli launched in August and drew a rave review from CNET’s residecoffee expert.

• A successful phishing attack at the Arizona Supreme Court led to data compromise
• More than a million people are now thought to be affected
• The court's operations were not disrupted

The Arizona Supreme Court has suffered a cyberattack in which it lost sensitive data on more than a million people after an employee allegedly “clicked a malicious link in an email”, which led to the compromise of information on 1.3 million people.

Information is still scarce on the issue, as we don’t know if that malicious link resulted in the victim’s device being infected with an infostealer, or if they were asked to log into a bogus portal, allowing the threat actors to access their account directly.

It was confirmed that the threat actors copied information on 1.3 million people with unpaid court fees, fines and restitution payments for traffic and criminal violations dating back 30 years. They also nabbed almost 30,000 active and inactive orders of protection, as well as 150,000 reports dating back to 2010 from a foster care board making recommendations in cases where parents were allegedly unable or unfit to care for a child.

This kind of data is a gold mine for cybercriminals. Personal and private information can be used to tailor unique, personalized phishing lures which the victims will have a very hard time identifying. These emails can lure the recipients into downloading malware, or navigating to spoofed login portals designed to steal credentials. That malware can then spread to the victims’ employers, possibly resulting in ransomware deployments or data theft and extortion.

Responding to the attack

According to the Associated Press (AP), the court’s IT team shut down the attack on a backup server, roughly two hours after being spotted, on September 24. Since then, they have been notifying the affected individuals about the breach and theft.

So far, the data has not yet made it to the dark web, it seems: “We don’t have any evidence it has been used or shared” after the attack, Supreme Court spokesperson Alberto Rodriguez said.

This would also suggest that this was not the work of any known ransomware groups or data extortionists because by now they would have at least bragged about it on the dark web.

The investigation is still ongoing. The court’s operations have not been disrupted in any way, Rodriguez added. The records were not altered, or deleted, and the attackers apparently did not steal information about jurors, witnesses, or court employees.

Attacking courts

Courts (both in the US and elsewhere) are frequent targets, mostly due to the sensitivity of the information they work with.

In early September 2026, it was reported that Thomson Reuters, the IT company behind the Reuters news agency, suffered a similar incident in March.

The company operates a court case-management system called C-Track, used by different courts to manage things like cases, filings, hearings, and schedules. It is used by courts in several US states, the US Virgin Islands, as well as Ontario, Canada. Unnamed miscreants managed to break in, obtaining “court records and personal information” across 11 US states, the US Virgin Islands, and Ontario, Canada.

Earlier still, on November 21, 2025, the Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA), which manages court and public-record services across Georgia, detected hackers trying to break into the network. The attack was claimed by threat actors called Devman, which claimed to have stolen sensitive files and demanded a ransom payment in exchange. The GSCCCA temporarily shut down its websites and online services, while the FBI warned the authority of an imminent threat.

However, GSCCCA said it stopped the attackers before they were able to extract or encrypt any data and refused to pay the ransom. Devman is not a household name in the cybercriminal underworld, and apparently, it is a financially motivated group, not a state-sponsored one.

Via AP News

It feels like wired earbuds have been well and truly back in fashion for a little while now, and I can totally see why. A wired connection gives you access to lossless audio, unlike lossy Bluetooth devices, and they can also look pretty fashionable. And if you're looking to grab a pair of wired earbuds on the cheap, you're in luck. That's because the Sennheiser IE 200 are $99.95 (was $159.95) in the US and just £81.69 (was £129.99) in the UK, thanks to the Amazon Prime Day sales.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

The Sennheiser IE 200 are in-ear monitors (IEMs) that are ideal for audiophiles or musicians on a budget. They provide incredibly detailed, articulate audio for the price you pay, with clean and agile bass, well-defined mids, and precise treble — they truly are perfectly equipped to handle any genre. I've been using them regularly for two years now, I've seen no signs of wear or degradation, and I love using them when I want a more analytical, balanced listening experience.

The IE 200 use a 3.5mm connector, so they work great with laptops, MP3 players, and any phones that retain the now somewhat elusive headphone jack. But if you need something with a USB-C connector for your smartphone, then you're in luck — if you're in the UK that is. Because right now, you can snap up the spectacular Sennheiser CX 80U for £30.95 (was £34.99) at Amazon UK, which is very cheap for the best-sounding wired earbuds in their price-class.

Want to know more about these deals? Scroll down for the best prices and more details on these top-tier Sennheiser earbuds.

Today's best Sennheiser IE 200 deal in the US

I've been using the Sennheiser IE 200 for years, and they've never let me down. The level of detail they can unearth would be impressive enough at full price, so this deal makes them a true must-buy for audiophiles or musicians on a budget.View Deal

Today's best Sennheiser IE 200 deal in the UK

The Sennheiser IE 200 might just be some of my favorite IEMs ever made. That comes down to the fact that they provide such impressive levels of detail and insight while remaining highly affordable. So now, at less than £85, I would urge any audio enthusiast on a budget to scoop these up. View Deal

In my Sennheiser IE 200 review, I lauded the IEMs for their fantastic, balanced audio, great build quality, and ultra lightweight, comfortable feel. They also have a really discreet, understated look in use, rather than assuming the chunky form that a lot of IEMs go for.

As they're IEMs, you're not going to get that V-shaped EQ curve with super prominent bass and treble — these are designed for more faithful, critical listening. That's not to say that the low-end or highs lack impact — quite the opposite. They sound incredibly dynamic and expressive, but are simply tuned in a way that intricate mids aren't overshadowed. As a result, casual listeners and audiophiles alike will find plenty to love about the sound here.

Their excellent instrument separation gives plenty of room for every instrument in a mix to breathe, and if you're new to IEMs, you'll almost certainly be wowed by their ability to expose details you've never noticed in your favorite tracks. The IE 200 are a true value-for-money behemoth, so don't miss these impeccable deals that make them even more affordable.

Now, a quick word on the Sennheiser CX 80U for my fellow UK folk. If you want the flexibility of USB-C, then you may actually want to snap these up instead. The CX 80U sound phenomenal, with great balance across the frequency range, but especially strong clarity in the treble range. They also have a mic for taking phone calls, impressive noise isolation, and come with a range of different-sized eartips to help you find your perfect fit. You can read more about this deal down below.

Today's best Sennheiser CX 80U deal (UK only)

I take the Sennheiser CX 80U with me everywhere I go to use with my Nintendo Switch 2 or listen to tunes on my phone, and they continue to impress me no end. They offer amazing audio quality, with especially refined treble and instrument separation, plus the convenience of USB-C connectivity, and even a built-in mic for taking calls. In my view, there aren't any similarly priced USB-C earbuds that can compete with these. View Deal

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.36
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $28
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $89
• Smartwatches: up to 36% off Garmin & Apple
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $49

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: get a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: up to 67% off Fire, Ring & Blink
• Amazon Haul: extra 15% off for Prime members
• Appliances: up to 40% off Ninja & De'Longhi
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: cleaning & groceries from £2
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Gaming: record-low Nintendo Switch 2
• Headphones: up to 50% off Anker & Sony
• Laptops: up to £800 off Microsoft & Asus
• Tablets: up to 50% off Fire tablets
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 50% off Shark & Dyson
• Wearables: Samsung & Oura from £31

We're already on the final day of Amazon's October Prime Day — aka Prime Big Deal Days — and the good news is that there are still plenty of deals to be found.

The shopping event, exclusive to Prime members, is packed with discounts across plenty of categories. And here we're focusing on Lego sets, and the discounts are across many, many themes, including Botanicals, Technic, Disney, Star Wars, and Harry Potter. You'll even find some Creator 3-in-1 sets that make great gifts if you're already holiday shopping.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

Probably the most surprising Lego discounts this October Prime Day would be on Star Wars Smart Play sets. The Lego Smart Brick was only introduced in January 2026, and it's been hard to find at a discount, so if you've been waiting, now's a great time to score one.

As TechRadar's resident Lego expert, I've been scanning the sale for the best of the best, and ahead, I'm sharing over 30 deals across many themes that are worth adding to your cart.

Today's best Lego deals under $10

At just $4.89 with a fresh discount, this 65-piece Lego City Police Motorcycle Chase set is 51% off. This compact set includes two Minifigures plus a buildable motorbike.View Deal

City Go-Karts and Race Drivers: was $9.99 now $6.62
Two Lego sets are better than one, and two Lego sets certainly get the job done. For just $8.99, you'll build two go-karts and two Minifigures thanks to this fantastic, small build. View Deal

Whether you want a smaller Lego flower build or want to expand your Botanicals collection, you can't go wrong with this set of Lego Botanicals Daisies for just under $10 on Amazon.View Deal

These Roses will look great with any Lego Flowers set, even though these aren't part of the Botanical theme! Right now, this duo is down to $11.99.View Deal

Today's best Lego Star Wars deals

Star Wars Smart Play: Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter: was $69.99 now $55.95
Now, this is the cheapest an all-in-one Lego Smart Play set has ever been. Lego's Smart Play: Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter is 20% off at just $55.95 and includes everything you need to build and play — most notably a Smart Brick is in the box.View Deal

Star Wars Smart Play: Luke’s Red Five X-Wing: was $89.99 now $71.99
For Prime Big Deal Days, Amazon is discounting the Lego Star Wars Luke's Red Five X-Wing Smart Play set by 20% to just $71.99. And yes, this set includes a Smart Brick as it's an 'all-in-one', as well as several Minifigures.View Deal

Star Wars Siege of Mandalore Battle Pack: was $22.99 now $18.39
This set is perfect for display or play. At just $18.39, the Siege of Mandalore Battle Pack has four Minifigures and two compact builds. View Deal

Star Wars The Mandalorian's N-1 Starfighter: was $59.99 now $41.99
At 30% off, this Mandalorian-themed Star Wars Lego set might just make the perfect gift for a fan of Mando or Grogu. It's down to $41.99, which is a new low price.View Deal

Star Wars Brick-Built Star Wars Logo: was $59.99 now $49.99
The opening crawl of any Star Wars film might be one of the most iconic openings in any film franchise. And now, you can finally build the iconic Star Wars logo out of Lego bricks (with some fun details hidden by the design team). This fantastic set is down to $49.99 at Amazon for Prime Big Deal Days.View Deal

Star Wars Millennium Falcon A New Hope 25th Anniversary Edition set: was $84.99 now $67.99
Lego has produced many Millennium Falcon sets, but this smaller one, which debuted for the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope, is an excellent model and even better with a 20% discount. It's currently available at the lowest price ever at $67.99, and makes a superb display piece.View Deal

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Mos Espa Podrace set: was $79.99 now $68.18
Love a podrace? You can build a diorama of the iconic scene from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace out of Lego bricks. This set is currently 15% off at $67.87 on Amazon.View Deal

Star Wars Ahsoka Chopper (C1-10P) Astromech: was $99.99 now $71.99
In the world of astromechs, I really do love Chopper, and with this 1,039-piece Lego set, you can build the iconic C1-10P droid. Best of all, it's 28% off at just $71.99, and you get free shipping.View Deal

Star Wars Grogu with Hover Pram: was $99.99 now $79.99
A Lego deal roundup wouldn't be complete without a set that lets you build Grogu, right? Well, right now you can build Grogu and the iconic Hover Pram for just $79.99 – a 20% discount.View Deal

Star Wars R2-D2 Building Set: was $99.99 now $79.99
R2-D2 is the most iconic droid around, and right now you can build your own out of 1,050 Lego bricks for just $79.99. That's a 20% discount from the $99.99 MSRP, and Prime members get free fast shipping. This set comes with a mini R2-D2, a display plate, and a Darth Malak minifigure.View Deal

Star Wars The Phantom Menace Battle Droid with STAP: was $139.99 now $83.99
Roger, Roger! Fans of The Phantom Menace or Battle Droids will want to take note of this deal and likely add it to their cart. At 40% off — a sharp $56 discount — this Lego set lets you build an iconic droid out of 1,0888 pieces.View Deal

Today's best Lego Botanicals deals

Botanicals Happy Plants: was $22.99 now $18.39
With over 7,000 sold on Amazon in the past month, it's clear Lego has a hit on its hands with the most joyful set in the Botanicals theme. Happy Plants are exactly what the name says — two plants with smiley faces in cute pots, one blue, one yellow. This set is already 20% off at $18.39 on Amazon right now.View Deal

The Lego Botanicals Chrysanthemum is back to just $23.99 from $29.99 for Prime Big Deal Days. This is an especially vibrant Lego Botanical set and should be a fun, easy build with 278 pieces.View Deal

This one is a personal favorite of mine, and it's the perfect display piece. The Botanicals Mini Orchid is a delightful set made up of 274 pieces. Right now, it's just $23.99 on Amazon.View Deal

Botanicals Lucky Bamboo: was $29.99 now $23.99
Amazon has reduced the price of Lego Botanical Lucky Bamboo back to the lowest we've ever tracked. This delightful set is just $23.95 right now with free shipping for Prime members.View Deal

This is a really adorable one, and it's back to the lowest price we've tracked. For Prime Big Deal Days, the Lego Botanicals Flowering Cactus is 27% off at $25.55View Deal

If you're after colors, the Lego Botanicals Succulents set is an excellent pickup on Amazon for Prime Day. Right now it's $34.99 — a 30% discount from $49.99 — and you'll build several plants out of 771 pieces. View Deal

Right now, Lego Botanicals Magnolia Branches is 22% off at $39 on Amazon for Prime Big Deal Days.View Deal

Today's best Lego Harry Potter deals

Returning to an all-time-low price, Amazon's October Prime Day is letting you score the Lego Harry Potter Thestral Family set for just $41.99.View Deal

Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle and Grounds: was $169.99 now $136.99
With 2,660 pieces, you'll build both the iconic Hogwarts Castle and some of the grounds in a more miniature form that's perfect for display. This Lego set has been purchased over 3,000 times in the last month, and it's 19% off at $136.99 on Amazon.View Deal

Today's best Lego Technic deals

Technic Bush Plane Toy: was $27.99 now $22.49
With this Lego Technic set, you'll get 333 pieces to build a Bush Plane complete with a propeller up front and three wheels. It even features adjustable ailerons. View Deal

Technic Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica Orange: was $49.99 now $34.99
Fans of sports cars will want to pay attention, as this is a pretty stellar deal. At 30% off, Lego's Technic Lamborghini Huracán in a vibrant shade of orange is down to just $34.99. View Deal

Technic Ford Bronco: was $64.99 now $51.99
For $51.99 on Amazon, you can build a Ford Bronco out of Lego Technic bricks. This is a fun set that lets you build detailed parts of the vehicle, including the rear axle, engine, and suspension.View Deal

Technic Planet Earth and Moon in Orbit: was $74.99 now $67.99
While you won't build a car with this Lego Technic set, you'll still get a pretty out-of-this-world result. For $61.99 on Amazon — after a 17% discount — you'll build a working model of Earth and Moon, which you can rotate to see the orbit pattern.View Deal

Today's best Lego Disney deals

Disney Moana Hei Hei: was $39.99 now $25
Hei Hei is probably one of the most iconic Disney characters, and I'd bet Moana fans agree. Right now, ahead of Prime Big Deal Days you can build Hei Hei out of 566 Lego pieces for just $25 — a 37% discount.View Deal

Disney Cruella De Vil’s Car: was $49.99 now $34.99
Fans of 101 Dalmatians will likely love this Lego build, as you don't just get a Cruella De Vil Minifigure, but you'll build her iconic car and get one of the pups. Right now, this set is just $34.99 on Amazon after a 30% discount.View Deal

Ideas Disney Pixar Luxo Jr: was $69.99 now $55.95
You'll not only build the iconic Pixar Luxor Jr. Lamp and ball, but you'll also discover the many Easter eggs and hidden details Lego packed into this 613-piece set. With Toy Story 5 streaming on Disney+ and a 20% discount, now's an excellent time to score this Lego set for just $55.99.View Deal

Today's best Lego Creator deals

Creator 3 in 1 Forest Animals: Gray Wolf: was $49.99 now $34.99
We love a Lego 3-in-1 set as it adds the ability to rebuild, and this Creator set is pretty fun. For just $34.99, you can build a wolf, a falcon, or a raccoon.View Deal

Creator 3 in 1 Majestic Tiger: was $42.35 now $34.99
A bit more vibrant than the Creator 3-in-1 above, but also just as discounted, the Majestic Tiger set is just as fun. For $34.99, you can build a tiger, a koi fish, or a red panda.View Deal

So, the second day of Amazon Prime Day is in full swing and, as this one's only a two-day event, it's fair to say that we don't have much time. Don't worry, but, you know… don't miss out.

Could today be the day you treat yourself to a Bluetooth speaker for the shower, or level up your home with a more significant Wi-Fi multi-room investment for cosy nights in? I really hope so. If it's something musical and the deal's good, you'll find it here, in this little missive.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

Whether it's a WiiM Sound Lite (a rival to the Sonos Era 100), which is now just $183 (was $229) at Amazon US) or £189 (was £229) at Amazon UK, or even the Bose Soundlink Micro Gen 2, now just $99.99 (was $129) at Amazon US and just £79.95 (was £119.95) at Amazon UK, I've got a deal for you.

Stick with me, there's still plenty of time. Happy shopping — and always, always enjoy the music, friend.

The best Prime Day audio deals still live now, USBluetooth speaker deals still live now, US

The JBL Flip 7 is the ultimate portable speaker if you want something that's going to last. It's waterproof and seriously rugged, with swappable attachments that include a carabiner and carrying strap. It also delivers excellent sound for the price, with punchy bass, good volume, and up to 14 hours of battery life.View Deal

In the US, you can score a substantial 22% off the Bose SoundLink Micro Gen 2. This small yet mighty model boasts impeccably detailed sound for such a small speaker, with aptX support for higher-res listening and customizable EQ. It's also an absolute beauty, highly waterproof, and ultra-compact, making it easy to take on the go. This deal currently applies to the Dewdrop Mint colorway only.View Deal

Go 5: was $54.95 now $39.95
JBL's latest small speaker was released relatively recently, in summer 2026 — and it instantly became our new favorite cheap option. It comes in loads of lovely colors to suit your vibe, and is pretty much perfectly designed. The sound? It's a small thing, but for small spaces (especially in the shower) it will more than suffice.View Deal

Soundcore 2: was $44.99 now $28.48
A consistent best-seller on Amazon's website, this is an understated little buy. It looks 100% business-casual on a desk, unlike some more whimsical rivals, so if you need an office-ready speaker for very little money, you may have found it. It's not a new product (it actually launched in 2017), but you do get 12W stereo sound, an IPX7 waterproof rating, and up to 24 hours of battery life. And that isn't to be sniffed at for this money. View Deal

Wireless speaker deals still live, US

In our glowing 4.5-star review of the Sonos Era 100 SL, we were able to confirm what we'd all been hoping — it really is "a better price for the same performance" (as the regular Sonos Era 100). There are some compromises — voice control is absent, and Android users will miss out on Sonos' room correction. That said, it's one of the strongest performers in its price range — and this is a return to the lowest price it's ever been. View Deal

If you didn't know (that's fine, we're all here to learn!) this is a smart speaker with hi-res audio, Wi-Fi and touchscreen, and it comes in two finishes (black or white). You can read all about it in our WiiM Sound review. However, the main thing is this: this is its lowest-seen price, according to our price trackers. View Deal

And here's its cheaper relative! It's meant to rival the Sonos Era 100 — so check out our Sonos Era 100 vs WiiM Sound Lite feature, to see how well it squares up — but with this discount, you could be creating a lovely little hi-res wireless multi-room music ecosystem for a lot less. View Deal

Sub Pro Smart Wireless Subwoofer With Roomfit™ Bass, White: was $479 now $407.15
What is it? A wireless subwoofer with WiiM's Roomfit Bass technology. What do you do? Plug it in, get online, tap 'RoomFit' in the app, stay quiet and let AI dial-in perfect bass for your listening room. Then, just select your main WiiM speakers/amp in the app (or plug an RCA sub-out) and you've got yourself a sub-enhanced system, friend. View Deal

The best Prime Day audio deals, UK Bluetooth speaker deals still live, UK

SoundLink Micro Gen 2: was £119.95 now £79.95
You're getting an awfully good deal here; 33% off one of the best small speakers around, taking it below the £80 mark. Think premium, detailed audio, a sleek and compact build, and aptX support for higher-res streaming, you really can't go wrong — unless you don't like the shade pictured. This deal currently applies to the Petal Pink colorway only (which to me looks more like strawberry ice cream, so of course I love it). View Deal

There's no Amazon discount for UK shoppers on this excellent JBL Bluetooth speaker (that's roughly the size of a bottle of Sprite) at the moment, but you can still score the Flip 7 at a discount over at Very. Free home delivery is included as well.View Deal

Sony Ult Field 3 - Portable Bluetooth Speaker With Ult Power Sound, 24hr Battery, Ip67, Waterproof, Dustproof, Shockproof, Detachable Shoulder Strap, Compact - Off-White: was £129 now £97
This is the smallest Bluetooth speaker in Sony's ULT (or bass-focused) speaker lineup — there's a bigger Field 5 and even a slightly older Field 7 too. We loved the design and feature-set under review, and while we didn't wholly love the audio tuning, for this money (ie. under £100) it's highly competitive — a lot to enjoy here. View Deal

Soundcore 2: was £28.49 now £22.99
A consistent best-seller on Amazon's website, this is a chic but understated little speaker. It looks quite business-like on a desk, unlike rivals from JBL, so if you need an office musical companion for very little money, you just found it. It's not a new product (it actually launched way back in 2017!), but you do get 12W stereo sound, an IPX7 waterproof rating, and up to 24 hours of battery life. And that isn't half bad for this money. View Deal

Wireless speaker deals still live, UK

Era 100 SL: was £169 now £133.95
A nearly-ideal small and flexible speaker, honestly. It offers wide dispersion of sound, Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth and line-in connectivity, support for many streaming services, voice control, and it goes as loud as you'll ever need it to. Compared to the regular Sonos Era 100, the SL version drops voice control, but a lot of people can live with that.View Deal

This is the company's flagship smart speaker with hi-res audio, Wi-Fi and touchscreen. It comes in black or the white shade pictured (in fact, you can read all about it in our WiiM Sound review) but what you need to know is that we really like its detailed sound and touchscreen — and for this money, we like those things even more. View Deal

Wiim Sound Lite Smart Speaker, Multi-Room Wireless Speaker, Black: was £229 now £189
…and here's the cheaper version. No touchscreen it's true, but the Sound Lite offers connectivity as excellent as its full-fat sound, and that includes its hi-res 24-bit/192kHz playback. It can also connect to Google Cast and Alexa multi-room systems, or you could stream directly from Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, TIDAL, Qobuz, Deezer and more. On top of this, it sports a 3.5mm jack input, which is always a good thing if you want to hook it up to external audio kit. View Deal

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
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It’s finally official: after what feels like years of leaks, Apple has entered the foldable race with the iPhone Duo. It brings a host of new features, but also has the same passport-style form factor as the recently launched Galaxy Z Fold 8, Xiaomi 18 Fold, and Huawei Pura X Max.

Apple’s first foldable features many of the same compromises you might expect from a first-generation foldable, even from a company as meticulous as Apple, but the biggest concern for most users may be around the Duo's battery life.

I’ve spent the past three months using the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and its competitors. What battery life do they offer, and what can we learn from it? I tested six of the best globally available flagship foldables over several weeks to answer that question.

How I tested the folding phones' battery life

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Over the past few months, I’ve been developing my own battery testing suite, CellMark, using a combination of AI models. After hundreds of hours and various iterations, I've built a solid test suite that accounts for each phone maker's idiosyncrasies and how the average person actually uses their phone today.

For this comparison, I ran the EnduranceMark suite, which loops until the battery level reaches 5%. A test is only valid if it successfully drains 80% of the battery, and each result below is characterized using a standardized metric. I ran two tests from this suite: the Synthesizer test to test drain under heavy loads, and my favorite, the Doom Scroller. As the name suggests, it simulates everyone’s favorite pastime of endlessly scrolling social media.

I also ran the ChargeMark charging test to log battery charging times. I paired the three CellMark tests with a web-browsing script that loaded 20 different web pages, scrolled at intervals, and looped to the next page, plus a looping video playback test.

As some phone makers aggressively limit background apps, some phones failed to complete certain tests, but I've included the relevant tests regardless.

Of course, these tests aren’t 100% indicative of real-world usage, but anecdotally, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Doom Scrolling results closely matched my findings during daily use. Having tested smartphones for 20 years, I'm confident in the CellMark app's results.

Round 1: The charging test

For years, charging speeds differed markedly between folding phones sold in the US and those sold outside it. Simply put, the former were vastly slower than the latter.

Phone

Size

15 min

30 min

100%

Drain rate

Galaxy Z Fold 8

4,800mAh

33%

66%

69 minutes

69.6mAh / min

Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

5,000mAh

41%

71%

60 minutes

83.3mAh / min

Pixel 11 Pro Fold

4,806mAh

26%

47%

54 minutes

54mAh / min

Moto Razr Fold

6,000mAh

67%

67%

100 minutes

100mAh / min

Oppo Find N6

6,000mAh

84%

84%

47 minutes

127.7mAh / min

Honor Magic V6

6,660mAh

66%

66%

59 minutes

112.9mAh / min

In the above charging test, the Galaxy Z Fold 8's 45W charging speed got it to a respectable 69-minute full charge, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra sustained 45W charging for longer to reach a full charge in one hour.

The Moto Razr Fold, Honor Magic V6, and Oppo Find N6 were the top three in ascending order, with Oppo retaining a charging lead it has held for years. The Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold ranked last, which isn’t surprising given its charging is the slowest.

For the iPhone Duo, Apple says 60W charging can reach 50% in just 20 minutes. Apple hasn’t published a full-charge estimate, especially since phones optimize charging speeds for longevity, but its claims put the iPhone Duo's charging speed around the level of the Honor Magic V6 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

Round 2: The web browsing test

(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)

The second test was web browsing, and each phone ran a script to load 20 of the heaviest webpages on the internet and scroll through them to simulate real-world usage. Running in a loop, this gives us an estimate of the battery life if you’re always using your browser.

Phone

Size

100 --> 0%

Drain rate

Drain rate

Galaxy Z Fold 8

4,800mAh

17 hours 44 minutes

5.64 %/hr

270.7 mAh/hour

Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

5,000mAh

14 hours 11 minutes

7.05 %/hr

352.5 mAh/hour

Pixel 11 Pro Fold

4,806mAh

13 hours 52 minutes

7.21 %/hr

346.6 mAh/hour

Moto Razr Fold

6,000mAh

20 hours 14 minutes

4.86 %/hr

291.7 mAh/hour

Oppo Find N6

6,000mAh

18 hours 52 minutes

5.48 %/hr

328.8 mAh/hour

Honor Magic V6

6,660mAh

18 hours 11 minutes

5.50 %/hr

366.3 mAh/hour

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 proved surprisingly strong here, but that's where a smaller screen comes in handy. Its drain rate was the lowest of all tests, meaning a larger battery at the same drain rate would theoretically give us the best battery life overall.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold fell short of the competition, even though its drain rate was only the third-highest, while the Motorola Razr Fold proved that the Razr Fold — and its Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor — is very well optimized for web browsing. Apple hasn’t revealed any iPhone Duo web-browsing estimates, so it’s unclear what to expect.

Round 3: The video playback test

The other fairly standard test is video playback, which lets us directly test many phone makers’ listed claims. This involved looping a locally stored 4K video in the default media player with the phone’s brightness set to 50%.

Phone

Size

100 --> 0%

OEM Claims

Drain rate

Drain rate

Galaxy Z Fold 8

4,800mAh

20 hours 32 minutes

26 hours

4.87 %/hr

233.8 mAh/hour

Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

5,000mAh

20 hours 39 minutes

27 hours

4.84 %/hr

242.1 mAh/hour

Pixel 11 Pro Fold

4,806mAh

18 hours 14 minutes

24 hours

5.48 %/hr

263.6 mAh/hour

Moto Razr Fold

6,000mAh

20 hours 49 minutes

39 hours

4.80 %/hr

288.2 mAh/hour

Oppo Find N6

6,000mAh

22 hours 47 minutes

26 hours

4.39 %/hr

263.4 mAh/hour

Honor Magic V6

6,660mAh

21 hours 57 minutes

24 hours

4.56 %/hr

303.4 mAh/hour

It’s clear that every phone maker makes bold battery-life claims that don’t always reflect your real-world experience. Here, Samsung, Oppo, and Honor deserve credit for fairly accurate video playback claims, whereas the results on the Moto Razr Fold and Pixel 11 Pro Fold fall far short of what's stated.

For the iPhone Duo, Apple claims that you'll get up to 35 hours of video playback on the inside screen and up to 44 hours on the outer display. If it lives up to these claims, or even comes close, it will likely have the best video playback battery life of any folding phone.

Round 4: The Synthesizer performance test

Web browsing and video playback are two common ways we use our phones, but companies also optimize for these scenarios, and phones struggle considerably under heavy loads.

To test this, I built the Synthesizer, which runs a series of calculations around ever-increasing prime numbers and runs numerous I/O operations in the background, both designed to heavily tax the chipset.

Phone

Size

Elapsed

Projected

Primes

IO operations run

Drain rate

Galaxy Z Fold 8

4,800mAh

20 hours 32 minutes

5 hours 51 minutes

25.8M

5.57M

16.07%

Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

5,000mAh

20 hours 39 minutes

6 hours 03 minutes

27.0M

5.99M

15.54%

Pixel 11 Pro Fold

4,806mAh

18 hours 14 minutes

7 hours 05 minutes

26.6M

4.21M

13.27%

Moto Razr Fold

6,000mAh

20 hours 49 minutes

10 hours 55 minutes

31.5M

7.12M

8.60%

Oppo Find N6

6,000mAh

22 hours 47 minutes

11 hours 32 minutes

31.4M

9.08M

8.15%

Honor Magic V6

6,660mAh

21 hours 57 minutes

12 hours 37 minutes

33.4M

10.92M

7.45%

None of these results are surprising on their own, but together they show just how differently each phone maker has balanced power and efficiency.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra use the high-specification Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset, and Samsung doesn’t throttle performance of the chipset. The result is ~5.5 hours of battery life at high performance.

The Tensor G6 inside the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is surprisingly well optimized, but as the above test shows, Motorola, Honor, and Oppo all offer considerably better battery performance and battery-life balance. The result is sustained high-load performance for much longer.

Round 5: The doomscrolling test

(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)

When I started building CellMark, I set out to build an app that could, among other tests, simulate social media usage. Considering how we use our phones — and my additional needs for visual ways to demonstrate battery and charging tests on social media — this felt like the most natural test to build.

It’s also where I've faced challenges with Oppo and Motorola phones specifically, which prevent the CellMark app from running tests longer than nine hours. Despite this, it reveals a lot of interesting data.

Phone

Elapsed (~100% > 5%)

Cards scrolled

Drain

Drain

Thermal

Galaxy Z Fold 8

9 hours 58 minutes

13,257

9.22 % per hour

442.6 mAh/hour

Fair

Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

13 hours 04 minutes

16,144

7.19 % per hour

359.7 mAh/hour

Critical

Pixel 11 Pro Fold

10 hours 54 minutes

14,087

8.62 % per hour

414.2 mAh/hour

Fair

Moto Razr Fold

14 hours 53 minutes

18,067

6.31 % per hour

420.2 mAh/hour

Fair

Oppo Find N6

-

12,432

2.42 % per hour

145.2 mAh/hour

Nominal

Honor Magic V6

-

12,415

2.79 % per hour

167.3 mAh/hour

Nominal

First, the thin body on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and larger battery mean it runs considerably hotter than all the competition.

The thicker build and vapor chamber of the iPhone Duo should mean this won’t be an issue for Apple's first foldable, although the A20 Pro chipset is a powerhouse. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 proves it's possible to be a small phone without succumbing to overheating problems, despite using the same processor as its sibling.

The performance of the Pixel 11 Pro Fold proves the Tensor G6 is a welcome improvement over the Tensor G5, while the Honor Magic V6 reigns supreme yet again.

Phone

Duration

Nominal

Fair

Serious

Critical

Galaxy Z Fold 8

9 hours 58 minutes

46.0%

54.0%

0%

0%

Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

13 hours 04 minutes

68.8%

0.5%

3.1%

27.5%

Pixel 11 Pro Fold

10 hours 54 minutes

44.2%

55.8%

0%

0%

Moto Razr Fold

14 hours 53 minutes

83.2%

16.8%

0%

0%

It’s worth noting that the Find N6 and Razr Fold results ran for 9 hours before ending, and while all phones drain much faster as thermal temperature rises, both likely had the lowest drain and best thermal performance.

The key takeaway there? The processor makes a big difference: the Find N6 has one fewer performance core than its rivals, while the Razr Fold uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 rather than the high-performance Elite version. Both companies made these choices with battery life in mind, and it becomes especially apparent when you look at thermal performance in these tests.

The 24-hour Galaxy Z Fold 8 run

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

Just days before publishing, I tested the Galaxy Z Fold 8 with a few changes to determine what battery life would look like under more optimal conditions. The surprise is just how much of a difference it makes.

Running the Doom Scroll test on a Galaxy Z Fold 8 with background data sync disabled and brightness set to 40%, I achieved 24 hours and 42 minutes on a single Doom Scroll run. That’s nearly 150% higher than the rest of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 testing results.

Also, every foldable phone maker tells you to open the phone for the fastest charging, partly because of thermal management. During this test, all 8,907 logged telemetry samples showed a nominal thermal status. In simple terms: unfold your phone to keep it cooler.

How might the iPhone Duo's battery compare?

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Apple claims the iPhone Duo has better battery life than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, offering up to 35 hours of video playback when unfolded or 44 hours when folded. That puts it 35% higher than the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and paired with a thicker body and better thermal management, the iPhone Duo could set a new battery-life benchmark for folding phones in the US.

The true test will be in real-world use cases like Doom Scroller. I’m excited to see how optimized the iPhone Duo is, but am cautiously optimistic that it can at least match the Galaxy Z Fold 8. We’ll find out once the iPhone Duo goes on sale.

The Dyson Airwrap has gained somewhat iconic status, but it's not the only great hair tool this brand makes. In fact, I've tested most of Dyson's haircare range, and for me, the Supersonic Nural hair dryer is the unsung hero of the lineup.

Both are discounted in the current Prime Day sales: the Airwrap i.d. is down to $499.99 (was $709.99) and the Supersonic Nural is down to $349.99 (was $449.99). You need to be a Prime subscriber to access both deals, but you can use the free trial.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

Before you scramble to purchase an Airwrap, it's worth considering if a Supersonic Nural might actually be a better fit for your styling needs — not least because with these deals, it's $150 cheaper. Scroll down for my take on who should buy an Airwrap, and who'd be better off with a Supersonic Nural...

Airwrap i.d. Multi-Styler: was $709.99 now $499.99
Good Airwrap discounts are rare, and tend to come and go quickly. This $210 price-drop is well worth hopping on — it take the styler back down to the lowest price we've seen lately.View Deal

Supersonic Nural Hair Dryer: was $449.99 now $349.99
The price of the Supersonic Nural tends to fluctuate, but based on our price tracker tool it's only been this cheap once before: very briefly, in November 2025 (I'd guess that's Black Friday). It's well worth snapping up this deal. View Deal

Buy the Dyson Supersonic Nural if...FutureFutureFuture

✅ You want healthier hair drying: In Scalp Protect mode, this dryer will raise or lower its temperature to maintain what feels like a constant heat on your head. That means you can get right up close to your scalp, for precision styling, without frying your head or your roots. The Airwrap does not have this feature. In general, if hair drying is your priority, the Supersonic Nural is more comfortable and efficient than the Airwrap-plus-dryer attachment.

✅ You have naturally curly hair: The Supersonic Nural is arguably a better choice for those with natural curls — amongst the plethora of attachments you'll find a two-part diffuser (one section for drying another for defining), a wide-tooth comb (ideal for coily hair) and a 'soft air' attachment.

✅ You're a big attachment-swapper: The attachments here are magnetic, and swapping them over is much less fiddly than the clip-in, clip out process required on the Airwrap. More impressive though, is the fact the dryer has attachment recognition, so it knows what's snapped on and will remember your preferred settings.

Buy the Dyson Airwrap i.d. if...FutureFutureFuture

✅ You have straight hair and want curls: There are no curling tools on the Supersonic Nural, so if you're creating curls you need the Airwrap. The i.d. feature makes this process dead easy — you flip a switch on the Airwrap handle and it'll launch into a wrap > curl > cool shot sequence, personalized for your hair type, for perfect results with minimal effort required from you.

✅ You want bouncy blowouts: The Airwrap i.d. comes with a round brush attachment, which I use regularly for creating volume and loose curls. There isn't an equivalent on the Supersonic Nural.

More Prime Day deals US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
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• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
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Ladies and gentlemen, on my right, costing $322.98 and most popular new Windows PC at Amazon is the Kamrui Essenx E2.

Its challenger is the Bosgame E5 11 Pro, a lightweight PC that punches above its weight and costs only $263.49.

Let’s see who is the better (best?). Remember that you need to be a Prime member in order to benefit from these prices. You can sign up for a free 30-day trial here.

E5 11 Pro mini PC: was $309.99 now $263.49
AMD Ryzen 5300U | 16GB DDR4 | 512GB

The newcomer upstart set to take the crown from Amazon's best-selling $300 Windows PC.View Deal

Essenx E2 mini PC: was $379.99 now $322.98
AMD Ryzen 5 3500U | 16GB DDR4 | 256GB SSD

This Windows mini PC from Kamrui is a popular pick in the $300-ish budget category. View Deal

Performance

On paper, the Bosgame bosses the Kamrui around (excuse the pun). The Ryzen 5 3500U is no match for the Ryzen 3 5300U. Both have four cores but the latter uses a newer architecture and achieves better performance both in single thread (+17%) and multi thread (+26%).

The 5300U also runs cooler despite having a faster clock speed, which should translate into a quieter work environment. Same conclusion for the integrated Radeon video subsystem: the GPU used by the 5300U (RX Vega 6) is faster than the RX Vega 8 on the 3500U. So despite the Ryzen 3 moniker, the 5300U inside the Bosgame is a comfortable winner here.

Storage and memory

Both offer 16GB of RAM, one can assume two 8GB DDR4 memory modules for improved performance. The 5300U uses DDR4-3200 as opposed to DDR4-2666 for the 3500U, a marginal improvement in transfer rates that should help with performance.

On the storage side, Bosgame has twice the capacity (512GB vs 256GB) compared to its rival. Both use PCIe 3.0 which is fast enough for casual computing (whatever that means these days).

Both mini PCs also have an additional SSD slot. A legacy SATA one for the Kamrui and a PCIe one for the other contender. The E5 11 Pro emerges as victorious once again.

Ports and connectivity

Kamrui’s mini PC uses an older platform so I am not surprised that it can only handle two 4K monitors. It doesn’t have any Type-C connector as well and two of its USB ports use obsolete USB 2.0 tech. As for connectivity, you’ve got a Gigabit LAN port and an unknown variety of wireless connection which I assume is WiFi-5 as a worst case scenario.

The E5 11 Pro fares much better; it has one extra Type-C connector that allows it to support three 4K monitors, two 2.5Gb LAN connectors. That said, you still get WiFi-5 and those pesky USB 2.0 ports. There could only ever be one winner and that’s the Bosgame.

Anything else?

Both come with old school barrel chargers (not ideal) and have VESA ports. Both run on Windows although Bosgame uses Windows 11 Pro and is Linux/Ubuntu compatible as well, great for dual booting.

And the winner is?

No photo finish on that one. There’s no reason why anyone should buy the Kamrui Essenx E2 over the E5 11 Pro. The latter is not only a genuinely far superior product, it is also way cheaper, by almost 20% (nearly $60).

Read more: We're currently live-tracking all the best Prime Day home office deals.