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Norton has been synonymous with consumer cybersecurity since 1982, thanks to its flagship antivirus product. However, there’s another Norton offering that is quite popular among security-conscious users: Norton LifeLock.

This identity protection and restoration platform not only monitors your identity for breaches in real time across the wider internet, dark web, and social media, but also helps restore your identity in the event of an incident. With one of the most comprehensive insurance coverages in the industry (up to $3 million), Norton LifeLock has earned a reputation of its own.

In this article, we put Norton LifeLock to the ultimate test, examining its features, interface, user experience, and overall value for money. We also compare it with similar products to determine whether it's worth the investment.

Norton LifeLock: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Norton)

LifeLock's pricing structure can be confusing at first glance. However, it offers three primary plans to choose from: Core, Advanced, and Total.

The Core plan is the basic option, costing $10.42/month and offering up to $1.05 million in identity theft reimbursement and $25,000 for stolen funds. Besides this, you get identity verification alerts, dark web monitoring, data breach alerts, and social media monitoring, along with its all-new feature, automatic data broker removal. You also get two-bureau credit monitoring, along with one monthly credit report and score, making it ideal for individuals looking for all-around protection.

Next is the Advanced plan, which costs $16.67/month. Along with everything included in the Core plan, you get an additional $5,000 in scam reimbursement and scam support. Besides this, you get three-bureau credit monitoring, along with annual three-bureau credit reports and scores. For an additional cost of around $5, this is a good option for those who need more comprehensive credit monitoring.

Advanced plans are also available for families, allowing you to protect up to two adults for $30/month, or two adults and 10 children for $40/month.

However, just like IdentityForce, there is no option to cover more than two adults, for which you’ll have to look at alternatives such as Aura, which gives you the option to protect up to five adults at a cost of $32/month.

Lastly, there is the Total plan, which costs $29.17/month and offers $3 million in identity theft reimbursement and up to $1 million for stolen funds. This plan also includes features like home title monitoring and phone takeover monitoring, along with 401(k) investment account alerts and bank account takeover alerts.

Besides all this, Norton also offers all-in-one plans where you can get LifeLock bundled with Norton 360 for $8.33/month (Select Plan), which includes security for up to five devices, along with one of the best VPNs we have tested. There is also an Ultimate Plus plan at $25/month with more comprehensive coverage.

Lastly, Norton LifeLock offers a 30-day free trial, as well as a 60-day money-back guarantee, essentially letting you test the service for up to 90 days before you have to commit to it.

Norton LifeLock: Features

LifeLock offers all the basic identity and privacy protection tools you would expect, such as identity verification alerts, dark web monitoring, which scans the dark web for your stolen information, data breach alerts, which instantly notify you if any of your information is found online, and comprehensive social media monitoring.

LifeLock is also known for its robust credit and financial protection, which includes daily, monthly, and annual credit reports and scores (depending on your plan), along with comprehensive three-bureau credit monitoring.

(Image credit: Norton LifeLock)

A rather unique feature of LifeLock is its automatic data broker removal service, which scans top data brokers for your information and submits automatic opt-out requests every 90 days. This way, you don't have to manually look for your data on these broker sites, making it easier to manage publicly available information about you.

(Image credit: Norton LifeLock)

LifeLock offers one of the most comprehensive insurance and reimbursement packages in the industry. You can get up to $3 million in reimbursement for identity theft incidents, including reimbursement for funds stolen from your bank, investment, and credit accounts, reimbursement for legal costs incurred while recovering your identity, and reimbursement for personal expenses such as lost wages or childcare costs following an identity theft incident.

Besides all this, there is also additional scam reimbursement of up to $10,000, which covers losses incurred due to online scams such as phishing, fake investment portals, and fake shopping sites that result in financial loss.

(Image credit: Norton LifeLock)

LifeLock also features a handy Credit Lock feature, which allows you to lock and unlock your credit file with TransUnion directly from its dashboard with just a single click. When you lock your credit, no one can open a new line of credit or an account in your name without your approval.

A good practice is to keep Credit Lock enabled when you're not actively looking for loans and unlock it only when needed. You also get dedicated identity restoration specialists on all LifeLock plans to assist you in the event of identity theft.

Norton LifeLock: Interface

One key aspect of LifeLock's interface is its simplicity. The layout is clean and uncluttered, with each feature clearly labeled and easy to find. This simplicity makes it easy for users, especially beginners, to navigate.

(Image credit: Norton LifeLock)

As soon as you log in to your dashboard, you'll see all the feature options listed on a sleek panel on the left-hand side, while the main dashboard contains information cards highlighting your key identity details. At the top is the Alerts section, where you can find any new identity breaches detected by LifeLock.

You can also view your credit scores and manage your Identity Locker directly from the main dashboard. The interface is also pretty visually appealing, and the platform features a modern, minimalist design that's both attractive and professional.

Norton LifeLock: The competition

Norton LifeLock is one of the most affordable identity protection tools available, starting at just $10.42/month. That said, it still might not be the most cost-effective choice if your main concern is credit monitoring. For instance, you'll have to pay $29.17/month for three-bureau credit monitoring with Norton LifeLock, whereas the same service is available for just $19.95/month with IDShield.

Other features are also quite similar across both platforms, with a few exceptions. For example, you do not get data broker removal with IDShield, but you do benefit from a VPN, password manager, and malware and ransomware protection.

Similarly, if you're looking to protect a family of more than two adults, LifeLock might not be the ideal choice. In that case, a provider like Aura may offer better value for money, with its family plan costing $32/month. You also get $5 million in identity theft insurance with Aura, compared to Norton's $3 million, along with AI-powered spam call and message protection, advanced parental controls, and digital account cleanup.

Norton LifeLock: Support

All LifeLock plans provide round-the-clock live support with a virtual advisor and phone support.

While there's no chat, email, or support portal, the top-tier plan offers special identity consultations, which offer expert advice and guidance to users dealing with potential identity theft, fraud, and cyberthreats.

While there are plenty of blog articles and answers to frequently asked questions, we would’ve definitely loved to see some explainer videos, whitepapers and webinars as well.

Norton LifeLock: Final verdict

Norton LifeLock is one of the best identity protection tools available, especially if you're an individual looking for all-around protection that includes monthly credit monitoring. Along with essentials such as social media monitoring, identity verification alerts, data breach alerts, and dark web monitoring, it also offers standout features like automatic data broker removal, which automatically submits opt-out requests to popular data brokers on your behalf.

Besides this, LifeLock offers one of the most comprehensive identity theft insurance packages, with reimbursement amounts going as high as $3 million, along with an additional $10,000 in scam reimbursement.

That said, LifeLock may not be ideal for family protection, as it can only cover up to two adults. For coverage beyond this, you would need to consider other options such as Aura. Additionally, three-bureau credit monitoring can be expensive, as it is only available on the Total plan starting at $29.17/month. Cheaper options, such as IDShield, offer comparable services at a lower cost.

We've also featured the best identity theft protection, best antivirus and best VPN

IdentityWorks is one of the most trusted identity theft protection platforms from Experian. In addition to robust credit monitoring and credit score insights, it also offers several identity protection features, such as dark web and social media scanning, along with a handy privacy scan that removes your data from data broker websites.

But let's address the elephant in the room: Experian faced major criticism after a 2015 data breach that exposed more than 15 million customer records. So, as a potential buyer of its identity protection service, you'd be curious to know if the provider has tidied up? Well, we believe it has. Since the incident, Experian has spent significant time, money, and resources strengthening its data security.

In this article, we'll drill down into the various functions of Experian IdentityWorks, along with its pricing, interface, and customer support. We'll also compare it with other platforms to help you choose the best service for your needs.

Experian IdentityWorks: Plans and pricing

Experian offers a number of plans to choose from depending on how many adults and children there are in your household (Image credit: Experian)

IdentityWorks is one of the few identity theft monitoring platforms that offers a free plan. You can view your Experian credit report and FICO score, along with a free dark web surveillance report and personal privacy scan. However, you cannot take any actions from the dashboard based on the report or scan to improve your online security.

Next, Experian offers two paid plans: Premium and Family. The Premium plan, priced at $24.99 per month, includes everything that IdentityWorks has to offer, with no features hidden behind additional paywalls. This means you get advanced identity theft monitoring, three-bureau credit monitoring and alerts, along with other identity theft features such as change-of-address alerts, SSN tracking, sex offender registry alerts, and lost wallet assistance.

You also get up to $1 million in identity theft insurance, which is what we've come to expect from the industry's top services. The Family plan costs $34.99 per month and includes the same features as the Premium plan but allows you to add up to two adults and 10 children.

Users will appreciate that IdentityWorks offers a 7-day free trial with both paid plans, although you'll need to provide your credit card information. If you don't like what you see within the first week, you can cancel your membership without incurring any additional charges.

Experian IdentityWorks: Features

Experian does not offer a standalone app for IdentityWorks and instead the service is baked into its credit report app. (Image credit: Experian)

One of the key features of the Premium plan is full access to credit monitoring. This service monitors your credit reports from the three major credit bureaus – Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion – and notifies you of any changes or suspicious activity.

You also get quarterly reports from all three credit bureaus, along with FICO scores. However, since IdentityWorks is owned directly by Experian, one of the leading credit bureaus, you can track your Experian FICO score on a daily basis. Additionally, if you wish to freeze your credit with Experian, you can do so directly from the IdentityWorks dashboard with the toggle of a button.

Not only does Experian allow you to view your credit score, but it also helps you plan your future finances. For instance, there's a FICO Score Planner, which lets you choose a target FICO score for the next 3 to 12 months. After that, it suggests actions you can take to achieve that score, such as lowering account balances or closing certain loans. There's also a score simulator, which lets you see how various financial decisions may impact your future credit score.

In the unfortunate event that your identity is stolen, you get dedicated fraud resolution support from IdentityWorks, where professionals work closely with you to help restore your identity, backed by up to $1 million in identity theft insurance.

(Image credit: Experian)

There's also dark web monitoring, which combs the dark web to determine whether any of your personally identifiable information, such as your email address, phone number, home address, login credentials, or even your Social Security number, has been leaked.

Next, you get a handy privacy scan feature that looks for your personal information on people-finder sites. These are data broker websites that buy and sell personal information. IdentityWorks can submit removal requests to these sites on your behalf.

To enhance account security, the plan offers financial account takeover alerts. These alerts vigilantly monitor your financial accounts for any unauthorized transactions or changes, safeguarding your bank accounts, credit cards, and investment accounts against potential compromises.

In addition to its monitoring features, the Premium plan provides social network monitoring alerts. This service vigilantly scans social media platforms for any unauthorized use of your name, photos, or personal information.

Experian IdentityWorks: Interface

IdentityWorks' dashboard exemplifies minimalist design, featuring a sleek layout with intuitive tabs at the top that simplify navigation. Users can effortlessly find the information they need without unnecessary distractions. Although the interface might seem a bit old-fashioned, it gets the job done. The main dashboard is divided into six sections on the top bar: Credit, Finances, Protection, Credit Cards, Loans, and Auto. Each of these options opens a dedicated dashboard when clicked.

That said, IdentityWorks is, unfortunately, not among the easiest platforms to use. You may need a bit of time to get the hang of navigating the various options on its dashboard. On the bright side, however, the browsing experience is seamless, with no unusual lags, buffering, or screen freezes, which is always a big positive.

The provider has recently revamped its user interface and now logs you out automatically after 15 to 20 minutes of inactivity, which is an impressive security-focused addition. There's also an iOS and Android mobile app with millions of downloads. Although you don't get a ton of features with these apps, the design is simple and straightforward, allowing you to keep tabs on your identity and credit details on the go.

Experian IdentityWorks: Support

Experian doesn't provide a specific phone number or email address for direct contact regarding issues. Instead, clicking on "Contact us" directs users to a help center with various articles. For immediate assistance, Experian recommends obtaining an Experian credit report and calling the phone number provided on the report.

To enhance user satisfaction, we would suggest more streamlined and accessible communication channels for users to reach out to Experian.

Experian IdentityWorks: The competition

Although IdentityWorks is a pretty complete identity theft protection platform, it’s a bit on the expensive side, which is why you might consider alternatives such as IdentityForce. IdentityForce is offered by TransUnion, another prominent credit bureau, with plans starting at $19.90 per month or $199.90 per year.

This entry-level plan offers several identity monitoring features, such as dark web monitoring, fraud monitoring, risk scores, and personalized action plans to improve your credit standing, but it does not provide detailed credit monitoring. For that, you'll need to upgrade to the next tier, which costs $34.90 per month and is even more expensive than Experian IdentityWorks. That said, you do get up to $2 million in identity theft insurance, along with a VPN and online PC protection.

There's also MyFICO, offered by the Fair Isaac Corporation, the organization behind FICO credit scores. Plans start at $29.95 per month and include three-bureau credit coverage, along with credit reports and quarterly updated FICO scores. Much like IdentityWorks, there's also a FICO score simulator, which allows you to see how your financial decisions may impact your credit scores. That said, MyFICO focuses more heavily on credit monitoring and lacks several advanced identity monitoring features.

If credit monitoring isn't what you're primarily looking for, you could consider alternatives such as Norton LifeLock, with plans starting at $10.42 per month, or McAfee+, starting at $29.99 for the first year. These providers focus more on identity protection features such as dark web monitoring, social media monitoring, and real-time identity breach alerts.

Experian IdentityWorks: Final verdict

Since IdentityWorks is offered directly by Experian, it provides some of the best credit monitoring features we've seen. You can view your Experian FICO score daily and access credit reports from all three bureaus on a quarterly basis. Besides helping you view your scores, IdentityWorks also allows you to lock your Experian credit directly from its dashboard with the toggle of a button. Additionally, it lets you set a target FICO score and suggests actions you should take to achieve it in the near future.

Moreover, IdentityWorks offers several useful identity protection features, such as Social Security number monitoring, dark web surveillance that scans up to 600,000 web pages, sex offender registry alerts, social network monitoring, and dedicated fraud resolution support.

All in all, IdentityWorks is one of the best identity theft protection platforms you can opt for. That said, it's a bit on the expensive side, with paid plans starting at $24.99 per month and no option for an annual subscription. This could easily burn a hole in your pocket, which is why you may want to consider more affordable alternatives such as Norton LifeLock or Aura.

FAQsWhy is identity theft protection important?

Safeguarding your personal identity stands as an absolute necessity in the current digitally connected world. Our personal information exists in the digital atmosphere to a greater extent than ever because of online transactions and social media posts, along with connected devices. The defense mechanisms provided by credit protection cover only a limited segment of identity theft risks that continue to evolve.

Identity theft is a broad and damaging criminal activity that encompasses multiple types of fraudulent actions, resulting in severe harm to victims. A person who steals your personal details can perform multiple illegal actions, such as establishing unauthorized credit accounts using your name while taking loans you will need to pay, filing false tax returns, and committing crimes, which will appear on your criminal record.

The consequences of identity theft go beyond financial damage because they cause severe credit score deterioration along with damaged reputation and both emotional suffering and time-consuming identity recovery procedures.

We've also highlighted the best identity theft protection

Identity theft has been growing at an alarming rate. The FTC received 1.1 million identity theft reports in 2023 alone, and according to reports, someone becomes a victim of identity theft every 4.9 seconds in the U.S. This not only calls for personal vigilance and financial hygiene but also makes identity theft protection tools an absolute necessity.

IdentityForce is one such tool. A TransUnion offering, it comes with features like instant breach alerts, dark web monitoring, credit monitoring, and remediation services. In this article, we dissect each of IdentityForce's features while also comparing it with other tools on the market. Read on to find out if IdentityForce is the right tool for your needs.

IdentityForce: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: IdentityForce)

IdentityForce offers two plans: UltraSecure and UltraSecure Plus Credit, for both individuals and families. The base UltraSecure plan costs $19.90 for individuals and $24.90 for families, covering two adults and unlimited children. You get features like dark web monitoring, advanced fraud monitoring, and credit card and bank activity alerts, along with $1 million in identity theft insurance.

However, one of IdentityForce's biggest drawbacks is that this base plan doesn't include any credit monitoring features, for which you'll have to upgrade to its UltraSecure Plus Credit plan, starting at $34.90/month for individuals and $39.90/month for families.

Along with everything in the base plan, this plan provides three-bureau credit monitoring and alerts, as well as daily TransUnion credit reports and scores. The identity theft insurance also increases to $2 million under this plan.

As evident, IdentityForce isn't the cheapest option out there. In comparison, LifeLock by Norton starts at just $10.42 per month, offering features like dark web monitoring, social media monitoring, and automatic data broker removal. Similarly, Aura's individual plans start at $12 per month, providing financial transaction alerts and identity theft protection.

While the plans across these providers may not be directly comparable, if you're on a tight budget, there are definitely cheaper options than IdentityForce available on the market.

(Image credit: IdentityForce)IdentityForce: Features

Alerts, protection and credit monitoring are all easy to find in IdentityForce's mobileapp (Image credit: IdentityForce)

IdentityForce offers all the features you'd expect from an identity theft protection and detection platform. For starters, its advanced fraud monitoring sends you real-time alerts whenever financial institutions open a new line of credit or account in your name. This helps you track unauthorized use of your identity information early.

Similarly, the platform also monitors thousands of websites on the dark web and black market for instances of identity theft or data breaches. Additionally, there's an active social media identity monitoring feature, which keeps an eye on your Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube accounts for any unauthorized or suspicious posts.

There’s also a smart SSN tracker, which flags any unfamiliar names or addresses associated with a Social Security number. Additionally, there is a proactive investment account alert, which notifies you of any possible fraudulent withdrawals, deposits, or transfers related to your financial accounts or 401(k).

However, IdentityForce's credit monitoring is one of its strongest features, although it's only available on its most expensive plan. You can get a quarterly credit report summary from all three credit bureaus: TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax, along with a daily credit score from TransUnion.

This summary consolidates all of your financial information, such as total accounts, open accounts, and total balances, into one quick snapshot view. You can also view each report in detail and even dispute incorrect data directly from your IdentityForce dashboard. There’s also a pretty handy credit score tracker where you can view your credit score history.

(Image credit: IdentityForce)

A rather unique feature of IdentityForce is its personalized Identity Safety Score, which indicates how susceptible you are to identity theft based on your past data breach history and top risks. This feature is best used with IdentityForce's customized action plan, which suggests steps you can take to strengthen your identity protection. For instance, the action plan might suggest setting up two-factor authentication or changing your credit card PINs.

(Image credit: IdentityForce)

Much like peers such as LifeLock, IdentityForce also offers a dedicated restoration specialist on all of its paid plans. If you believe you have become a victim of identity theft, you can reach out to your dedicated resolution specialist through your IdentityForce dashboard, who will then open and investigate your case. What I like most about IdentityForce's resolution specialist feature is that they won't close the case until you agree that a full and final resolution has been reached.

Even after the case is mutually closed, IdentityForce will reopen and re-investigate it in the event of any future incidents. This kind of transparency shows the provider’s commitment to accountability and thoroughness by offering you complete control over the resolution process.

Besides this, IdentityForce also includes a few ancillary security tools in its subscription plans, making them more comprehensive. For instance, there's a virtual private network (VPN) for mobile devices (but it only works with mobile and tablets), PC protection tools such as anti-phishing and anti-keylogging functions, and a handy password manager.

IdentityForce: Interface and in-use experience

The centerpiece of IdentityForce's offering is its intuitive dashboard, which ensures that all vital information, such as alerts, credit scores, transactions, and identity vaults, is visible as soon as you log in. If you don’t see a feature or information, simply click on the three-bar hamburger icon and everything will pop up right away.

IdentityForce's mobile apps are equally good, with each piece of information stacked into small rectangles. You can tap on these rectangles to expand information such as alerts or credit scores. That said, both the desktop and mobile versions feel a bit stuck in the past compared to modern UI platforms like Aura. However, IdentityForce is definitely easy to use and beginner-friendly.

IdentityForce: The competition

As we already highlighted, the biggest thing that holds IdentityForce back is the lack of credit monitoring on its basic UltraSecure plan, which is already quite expensive compared to peers like LifeLock or Aura.

If you choose IdentityForce and also require credit monitoring, you'll have to pay at least $34.90 per month. However, with Aura, you only need to pay $12 per month for the same three-bureau credit monitoring. With LifeLock, you pay only $10.42 per month for one-bureau credit monitoring.

The identity theft protection insurance is also higher with LifeLock and Aura. While the coverage goes up to $3 million with LifeLock, Aura offers $5 million in protection on its family plan.

That said, IdentityForce is owned by TransUnion, one of the three major credit bureaus in the country. This means you get access to bureau-level data instead of relying on third-party aggregators. This likely contributes to why IdentityForce's ID monitoring, credit scores, and action plans are among the best in the industry, which also explains its premium price.

IdentityForce: Final verdict

To put it in a nutshell, IdentityForce's basic plan may not meet your requirements since it does not include credit monitoring services. You'll need to get its UltraSecure Plus Credit plan, starting at $34.90 per month.

While it includes all key identity theft protection features such as dark web monitoring, advanced fraud monitoring, real-time detections, a sleek dashboard, personalized action plans, and an Identity Safety Score, its pricing is on the higher side. There are cheaper options, such as LifeLock or Aura, starting at $10.42 per month and $12 per month, respectively.

That said, IdentityForce is one of the few identity theft protection platforms offered by a credit bureau itself – TransUnion. This means you get direct access to credit reports, scores, and financial information without relying on third-party aggregators, making IdentityForce one of the best credit monitoring tools on the market.

So, if you are someone who juggles a lot of financial accounts, investments, and credit and needs a reliable credit monitoring and identity theft protection tool, IdentityForce is a strong option. However, if credit monitoring isn't your main concern and you are on a tighter budget, you might consider other options such as Aura or LifeLock.

We've also highlighted the best identity theft protection services.

Boomerang is a popular name that comes up when discussing the best parental control apps. This Android-first application offers several features you’d come to expect when looking to monitor your child’s online activities. However, it does one better by offering its proprietary SPIN browser, which automatically filters a lot of harmful content without you having to do the heavy lifting.

Beyond that, this app promises 24/7 location tracking, message monitoring and a more positive approach to app control, although there are vast differences between the experience you get on Android when compared to iOS.

Read on as we dissect Boomerang, exploring its features, pricing, and in-use experience, to help you find out whether it's the right choice for your household.

Boomerang review: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Boomerang)

Boomerang is, hands down, one of the cheapest parental control applications you can find on the market. Its single-device license costs only $19.99 per year, which boils down to around $1.67 per month. That’s significantly cheaper than Mobicip’s Lite plan, which costs around $3 per month.

If you want to protect more than one child, you can opt for Boomerang’s family plan, which costs only $40 per year and covers up to 10 devices. That's around $0.33 per device per month. It’s safe to say that you won’t find a more affordable parental control application on the market.

To add to this, Boomerang also offers a limited free plan (read: 14-day free trial) that lets you try everything the platform has to offer without any limitations. You get access to all its Android & iOS protection features along with customer support during this trial period.

Another handy feature is that none of the plans auto-renew when the subscription period ends, giving you enough time to review your subscription and decide for yourself whether you want to continue with Boomerang.

Boomerang review: Features

With Boomerang, there’s a lot of disparity between the features available on Android and iOS, with the latter missing out on many of the features Boomerang has to offer.

For instance, when it comes to screen time limits, Android devices allow you to allocate screen time (for example, one hour per day) or schedule screen time, such as from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can also inform the child of how much screen time they have left for the day. However, on iOS, you can only schedule screen time, and none of these additional features are available.

(Image credit: Boomerang)

Similarly, app control is much better on Android. Boomerang lets you set per-app schedules, add daily time limits to individual apps, and block apps entirely. However, none of these features are available on iOS, where you can only hide user-installed apps based on age ratings.

In a similar vein, Android offers a lot of call safety features. Parents can view who called, how long the call lasted, and when the conversation took place. They also have the ability to block specific numbers from calling in or out and allow only specific numbers to contact their children’s devices. However, all of these features are missing from the iOS version.

The same goes for text messaging and safety features. While parents can view text message logs and even read their contents on Android, this is simply not possible on iOS devices. Boomerang does a good job of notifying parents about texts from unknown numbers or those containing inappropriate words. You can also add specific words to your family group’s dictionary to detect them in text messages.

(Image credit: Boomerang)

However, there are certain features that work equally well on both Android and iOS. For instance, location tracking works across both platforms, you can access location histories and automatic location reporting, and parents can set up impressive geofenced radii on both, too.

And no matter what platform you use, you’ll get access to a family messaging group, one-on-one chatting and activity reporting. On both platforms you’ll get to see your child’s web history and block certain websites you do not approve of. The SPIN safe browser works on both platforms, and you can block specific websites on both, too.

However, Android’s reporting is much stronger thanks to detailed email summaries, daily reports, lists of installed apps, and per-app usage reporting. Android is also the only platform where you can control installed apps and use a “find my device”-style feature on your children’s phones.

You can also pair family devices with your email address, so you don’t have to create new email accounts for your children, and you can block new app installs or allow for parental approval.

Elsewhere, Boomerang monitors YouTube history and searches on Android, and it’s one of the only parental control apps to use Samsung Knox security if you’re using Samsung devices.

(Image credit: Boomerang)

The SPIN browser impresses, too: searches in browsers like Bing, Google and Yahoo are automatically filtered and the browser has strict built-in filtering. It doesn’t have a private browsing mode, those content filters can be customized, and its filter watches out for 20 different categories of potentially inappropriate content.

(Image credit: Boomerang)

Less impressive is Boomerang’s social media functionality. It doesn’t natively monitor social media apps or emails in the same way as Bark, for instance. The app will pick up certain things by tracking messaging and typing, and you can add social media sites to its web filters – but it’s not as good as Bark or Qustodio here.

At least, because you’ve got control over what apps are installed, you can prevent your children from installing social media tools in the first place.

Boomerang review: Interface and in-use

It’s not unusual for the installation and setup of parental control apps to be a bit fiddly, and that’s certainly the case with Boomerang.

To get call and SMS monitoring, you’ll have to install Android apps on your children’s devices via the Boomerang website, rather than the Google Play Store. You may also have to delve into the settings on the device to allow for non-store installations.

Thankfully, the parent apps can just be downloaded from Google Play or the App Store, and it’s far easier. And when everything is set up, the interface is a mixed bag: the phone app is relatively slick, but the web dashboard is archaic and harder to use when compared to the web interfaces offered by most rivals.

(Image credit: Boomerang)Boomerang review: Support

Boomerang has certainly improved its support over the years. At the time of writing, you'll find a neat help button in the bottom-right corner of the website. At first glance, it looks like a chatbot, but it's actually a search tool that lets you type in your query and returns a list of relevant help articles from Boomerang's extensive online knowledge base.

(Image credit: Boomerang)

We tried it with a couple of search queries and found the results to be accurate. You can then click on a search result to open the relevant help article. If that doesn't solve your issue, you can select Contact Us from the same dialog box and submit a support ticket. However, Boomerang doesn't clearly state how long it will take to receive a response.

Boomerang review: The competition

We’ve already established that it is pretty difficult to beat Boomerang when it comes to pricing. With prices as low as $0.33 per month per device on the family plan, Boomerang is definitely one of the cheapest parental control software options you can get.

However, it does have a few competitors that might beat it when it comes to overall value for money and features. Mobicip is one such application, with plans starting at just $2.99 per month and allowing you to manage up to five devices. While it is a tad costlier than Boomerang, it is well known for its robust screen time limits and schedule management.

That said, you cannot set app limits with Mobicip until you upgrade to its premium plan, which costs $7.99 per month.

While Boomerang does offer geofencing and location tracking, these features are still in the experimental stage, and the geofencing radius is not particularly wide. Norton Family, on the other hand, offers a much larger geofencing radius of up to 3,200 meters.

Besides that, applications like Bark and Qustodio offer better features on the iOS platform, whereas Boomerang falls far behind when it comes to iOS functionality.

Boomerang review: Final verdict

Whether you should opt for Boomerang depends entirely on the type of device your child is using. If they are using Android, Boomerang is still one of the more capable parental control software options you can get. It offers a wide range of features on Android, including the ability to set dedicated screen time limits along with per-app daily limits and scheduling.

You also get detailed text message and call safety features, including the ability to allow only specific contacts to call or message your child. The location tracking is fairly decent, showing recent device locations and location history, along with the ability to request your child’s location at any time.

Best of all, this comes at one of the most affordable prices you’ll find on the market, costing just $20 per year for a single child and $40 per year for a family plan, which covers 10 devices.

That said, Boomerang lacks dedicated social media monitoring. Another major drawback is its limited iOS feature set. For instance, there’s no call or text monitoring on iOS, and important features like app controls and screen time management features are also significantly more limited. In that case, you may want to look at other options such as Bark or Qustodio, which offer a broader range of features on iOS.

• We've picked out the best parental control software

Mobicip is positioned as one of the best parental control app for busy parents who want to restrict the impact of Big Tech on their children’s lives.

The company claims that “more than 2 million parents” love its app, and that it can protect kids from social media, apps, websites and excessive screen time. And it's also got Family Voice and Mom’s Choice Awards, which prove its mettle.

We put Mobicip to the test to see whether it lives up to the hype and expectations. In this article, we discuss its pricing, features, interface, and overall user experience. We also compare it with other parental control software available to see where it stands in a crowded market.

Mobicip: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Mobicip)

Mobicip’s pricing structure has its highs and lows. The biggest advantage is its affordable entry-level plan (Lite), which costs just $2.99 per month and allows you to manage up to five devices. It includes almost all the parental control features you’d need, such as screen time limits, website blocking, and detailed activity reports.

However, this plan lacks social media monitoring and app timers, both of which are key features of parental control applications. The Standard plan costs $4.99 per month and allows you to manage up to 10 devices, but it does not offer any additional features.

If you need social media monitoring and app limits, you’ll need Mobicip’s Premium plan, which costs $7.99 per month, or around $96 per year. This plan includes protection for up to 20 devices and every feature that Mobicip offers. And if you need to monitor more than 20 devices, you can request a custom quote from Mobicip’s sales team by filling out an online form.

Qustodio, meanwhile, costs $9.16 per month if billed annually and that includes support for unlimited devices, and Norton Family is even cheaper ($49.99 for the entire year). Bark is more expensive, though, but does go further than almost anything else when it comes to social media monitoring.

Overall, Mobicip is on the affordable end of the spectrum when it comes to parental control applications. Its Premium package is still the best value by some way thanks to its features. And, pleasingly, there’s a 7-day free trial and 30-day money-back guarantee.

Mobicip: Features

Mobicip’s screen time scheduling is immediately impressive. Parents can create specific schedules for homework, sleeping or school time.

(Image credit: Mobicip)

Daily screen time limits are available and, in an innovative twist on screen time features, parents can call for “family time” by locking all managed devices instantly – perfect for grabbing people’s attention.

(Image credit: Mobicip)

You can create an unlimited number of custom filters, build schedules with five-minute increments, and allow or restrict apps or websites based on categories, too. There’s also a Vacation Mode feature that parents can deploy to allow more leniency.

This is comfortably one of the best scheduling tools on the market thanks to its great set of features – the only thing missing is the ability to set time limits for individual apps.

If you want to ensure that phones don’t capture attention, Mobicip allows parents to limit time spent on apps that hit certain categories, like social media or games, and particular apps can also be blocked entirely – while others can be put on a safe list.

(Image credit: Mobicip)

Mobicip’s web filtering comes with 20 different categories of inappropriate content alongside the ability to block adult content, block specific words and block specific websites. Parents can also use a “whitelist-only” mode that allows children to only browse a list of pre-approved sites.

GPS functionality extends to a family locator tool, location sharing and geofencing – an ideal slate of location-specific options, even if Mobicip doesn’t have the innovative driving abilities found in some rival tools.

(Image credit: Mobicip)

Its geofencing includes a 1,000m radius, which is more generous than many other apps – even if Norton is wider still. However, Mobicip doesn't offer live driving tracking or driving statistics, which are features available with providers like Net Nanny.

When it comes to reporting, parents can access a slick dashboard that provides browsing histories, location histories, your children’s access requests and a graphical representation of screen time usage displaying the categories of content your kids use the most – like social media apps, games or browsers.

Children also have access to a dashboard where they can request more screen time or ask to access blocked apps. And if you want multiple people to be able to manage the app, parents can add trusted guardians or contacts using a straightforward and secure invitation system.

(Image credit: Mobicip)

We found this to be a unique feature that is not offered by many parental control apps and is especially useful for families with grandparents or co-parenting households.

Elsewhere, Mobicip monitors Facebook and Snapchat for harmful content, but that’s it for social media monitoring – a poor showing compared to most rivals and, notably, Bark.

(Image credit: Mobicip)

Bark monitors more than 30 platforms, including TikTok, YouTube, Discord, Reddit, and WhatsApp, all of which Mobicip misses out on. Additionally, these apps can only be monitored on Android devices and still lack iOS support, which is a bit of a letdown.

You can’t set time limits for individual apps on Mobicip, only categories of apps, and Mobicip doesn’t monitor text messages or calls.

Mobicip: Interface and in-use

It’s very easy to get started with Mobicip: download the app, allow permissions, and off you go. And, impressively, Mobicip works across loads of platforms, from Android and iOS to Windows, macOS, Chromebook and even Kindle.

One thing we liked about Mobicip is that it preconfigures many settings and filters based on your child’s age when you set up their profile. This is particularly useful for busy parents who don’t want to spend hours configuring everything from scratch.

In-depth guides make setup and configuration even easier, and parents can duplicate settings across multiple child devices – ideal for families with more than one child.

(Image credit: Mobicip)

Mobicip’s web interfaces and apps are clean, intuitive and easy to use, too: for kids, it’s easy to check their screen time allowances and schedules. For parents, it’s simple to find every setting required and to access activity reports and analytics.

Mobicip: Support

This is another area where Mobicip goes above and beyond many rivals. As well as submitting a support ticket, parents can schedule a call with Mobicip’s customer service teams – ideal if you want to speak to a human.

An AI-powered chatbot provides answers to simpler questions, and there are loads of guides with useful imagery on Mobicip’s website. It’s a good support option, with callbacks available alongside more conventional email support and loads of comprehensive articles.

Mobicip: The competition

Mobicip is a strong contender when it comes to parental control, but it still has rivals that are better in some areas.

For instance, Norton Family costs $49.99 per year, which is cheaper than Mobicip’s Standard plan. It offers comprehensive social media monitoring across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. Mobicip, on the other hand, can monitor only Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.

Additionally, Bark is a much better option for social media monitoring, covering more than 30 applications. That said, Bark is a more expensive option, costing around $14 per month for its full feature set.

Then there’s Qustodio, which is only slightly more expensive than Mobicip, with an effective monthly cost of $9.16. However, this plan allows you to add unlimited devices and monitor your child’s calls and messages – something that Mobicip cannot do.

Mobicip: Final verdict

Mobicip impresses in loads of departments. Its filtering is effective, and its screen time and scheduling options are among the best you’ll find anywhere. Its location-tracking features are strong, too, and this app is attractive and easy to use for parents and children.

Customer support is excellent, its activity reporting is comprehensive, and it does some innovative things with scheduling and screen time that some rivals simply don’t offer – like its Vacation Mode or Family Time settings.

You get all of these features at fairly affordable prices, starting at just $2.99 per month with Mobicip’s Lite plan. If you want to unlock the full range of features, you’ll need to spend around $7.99 per month, which is comparable to other social media monitoring applications.

However, Mobicip’s biggest drawback is its lack of message and call monitoring, along with its limited social media monitoring capabilities. If those features are important to you, you may need to look elsewhere and consider alternatives such as Bark or Qustodio.

• We've also featured the best free parental control software

There are few more prominent names in cybersecurity than Norton. Norton Family tries to leverage that recognition and trust into one of the best parental control apps that protects your children when they’re using the internet.

With a wide feature set that includes screen time controls, inappropriate content filters, app restrictions, and location checkers, it’s clear that Norton Family provides many of the options that busy families with digitally savvy children need.

Some of the features have more depth than you’ll find on other parental control apps, too, but there are questions about how effective Norton Family is on Apple’s iOS platform. So, let’s find out if Norton’s product is the right option for protecting your children.

Norton Family: Plans and pricing

Norton Family gets off to an impressive start: it costs just $49.99/£29.99 per year. That stellar price undercuts many rivals – top tools like Qustodio and Bark cost $89.36/£69.95 and $99 for a year of access to their upper-tier products.

Because Norton offers so many consumer cybersecurity products, it’s easy to get Norton Family included in other products. Norton 360 Deluxe, for instance, includes Norton’s parental control features alongside a secure VPN, dark web monitoring, and scam protection. It costs $49.99/£29.99 for the first year, with a renewal price of $119.99/£89.99.

And if you want to add even more features, such as Norton’s identity theft protection and credit monitoring, Norton 360 Premium or Select Plus costs $99.99/£99.99.

Those prices may look high, but remember that they’re for broader security products that happen to include Norton Family features, so they still represent excellent value.

If you’re still unsure if Norton Family is right for you, there’s a 30-day free trial – a generous offer that’s longer than many other free trials. Bear in mind, though, that there’s no unrestricted free version of Norton Family, as is the case with tools like Boomerang.

Norton Family: Features

Web filtering is one of Norton Family’s strongest areas. Parents can block websites using 45 pre-defined categories of inappropriate content, including porn, violence, gambling, and alcohol, which is more than many rivals.

What we like most about Norton Family is the ability to set restriction levels for websites instead of blocking them outright. Parents can choose from four restriction levels: Very High, High, Moderate, and Low, depending on the age of the child. For instance, the High restriction level is ideal for children under 10 years of age.

Alternatively, Moderate and Low restriction levels are meant for older teenagers, who’ll see a warning before accessing restricted content but can still choose to visit the website. You can also create custom restrictions in case you want your child to be able to visit a particular website but receive a notification every time they do.

The impressive filtering extends to apps, too. Parents are presented with a list of apps installed on child devices, blocking is simple, and each app has an activity report for parents to see when the app was installed and how much it’s used. Newly-installed apps are even given a special highlight on Android devices.

(Image credit: Norton)

The only thing missing here is the ability to set app time limits – a feature you’ll find on many rivals, including Qustodio.

Norton also monitors the terms and phrases your child searches on popular search engines such as Google, Bing, YouTube, Ask, and Yahoo. There's also an option to always enable safe searching across various browsers on Android – but on iOS, this only works using Norton’s own browser. Also note that Norton Family doesn’t work on child Mac OS devices at all.

Norton’s screen time schedules can be built in thirty-minute increments – that’s fine, but apps like Mobicip allow more granular control. Parents can set screen time limits on different days or just restrict devices at night, and it also has a selection of effective pre-defined schedules for children of different ages.

There’s also a specific module for setting more restrictive limits during school hours – that education option includes additional web filtering to further restrict the content children can access. Kids can request more screen time – a feature you’ll find in Mobicip but not in Qustodio – and screen time reports are displayed easily, with clear graphs showing usage.

(Image credit: Norton)

Norton Family includes the usual array of location-based features. There’s real-time tracking, and the geofencing tool includes a generous radius of 3,200m (2 miles) – the largest we’ve seen on any parental control app.

Parents can set up alerts to find out where kids are located at particular times of day. Norton’s emphasis on trusting children also extends to an option where kids can perform check-ins and choose to share their location – rather than parents automatically viewing the location.

We particularly liked Norton’s detailed Family Activity reports, which give you a quick snapshot of all your child’s activity. This includes your child’s device usage time, allowing you to check the total number of hours they have spent on their phone.

There’s also a pretty handy video summary that lets you know about the videos your child has been watching, including details such as the date and time, title of the video, and its category. Besides this, you get a comprehensive web summary that provides information on the websites your child has visited, as well as an app summary.

(Image credit: Norton)

Elsewhere, Norton allows parents to instantly lock child devices and prevent app uninstallation with additional security features. However, Norton doesn’t support certain features on iOS. For instance, web content filtering and Safe Search enforcement only work through the Norton Browser on iOS. Similarly, search supervision and video supervision also work only on the Norton Browser on both Android and iOS, while app supervision is not available on iOS at all.

Norton Family also lacks in certain other areas, which prevents it from becoming an automatic first choice. For starters, there’s no dedicated social media monitoring. Parents have to rely on app limitations and keyword alerts if they want to monitor their child’s activity on social media platforms. Norton Family cannot directly read your child’s conversations on various social messaging apps.

Additionally, Norton cannot monitor calls or text messages either. If these are important features for you, you may want to consider other options such as Bark or Qustodio.

Norton Family: Interface and in-use

Norton’s parental control apps are available on Android, iOS and the Edge, Chrome and Firefox browsers, while child apps can be installed on Android, Windows and iOS devices.

No matter what platform you’re using, Norton Family is very easy to set up with a familiar process that requires account registration and allowing the typical range of app permissions on child devices.

(Image credit: Norton)

The kids apps allow children to browse the web using the Norton Family Browser and it’s easy for children to find the option to send a check-in to parents, see the rules they’ve been set, or ask for a time extension.

Parent apps are similarly well designed, with clean design and options in sensible places. Altering settings is simple, and the app's web version is just as straightforward to use.

Norton Family: Support

Norton Family’s entry-level support module includes loads of helpful, well-produced guides and a busy forum for asking questions. If you need to contact Norton support, there are phone and live chat options that are open 24/7 – the benefit of dealing with a large business like Norton rather than a smaller organization that can’t provide that level of access.

If you’d like more support, including faster access to experts, then you can also pay for Norton Ultimate Help Desk. This provides quicker and more comprehensive support, but it costs $99.99/£99.99 annually.

Also note that Norton’s array of support options doesn’t always mean you’ll get a good answer.

The sheer size of Norton means that some users report that some of Norton’s customer support representatives are not particularly helpful with queries about Norton Family features – if you’ve got a specific query then you’ll need to get lucky and land a knowledgeable support representative if you don’t want to get generic and vague answers.

Norton Family: The competition

If we break down Norton Family’s annual pricing, it comes to just around $4.16 per month, making it more affordable than most other parental control providers out there. For instance, Bark, one of the leading players in this field, charges around $14 per month for its full suite of features. But that includes the ability to monitor your child’s texts, along with more comprehensive app controls covering 30+ apps.

If you want something cheaper than Norton Family, you can go with Mobicip, whose Lite plan costs only $2.99 per month and offers great scheduling and screen time management. Elsewhere, the features are very similar to what you get with Norton Family, but keep in mind that you'll have to deal with a lack of social media monitoring and app limits with this budget Mobicip plan.

In our research, we found that Norton Family is still better than Qustodio’s basic plan (cost similar to Norton Family at $59.95/year), which only offers web filtering, location monitoring, app blocking, and daily time limits. To unlock more advanced features, such as social media monitoring, call and message monitoring, and application insights, you’ll need to get a higher-priced plan that costs almost twice as much as Norton Family.

Norton Family: Final verdict

Norton Family, then, sits in a tricky spot. It’s a good pick if you’re looking for a good, well-rounded parental control app, plus it helps that it’s included with many other Norton apps too. It offers an excellent range of features, including web content filtering, Safe Search, app supervision, screen time schedules, and real-time location tracking.

In addition to offering one of the widest geofencing ranges (2 miles), Norton Family is also on the affordable end of the spectrum, costing just $49.99 for the entire year. However, it comes with its fair share of compromises.

Norton Family doesn't offer dedicated social media monitoring and cannot monitor calls or text messages. It also lacks per-app time limits, and certain features, such as web filtering and search supervision, are quite limited on iOS devices. If these limitations break the deal for you, consider alternatives such as Bark, Qustodio, or Mobicip.

• We've also featured the best free parental control software

Net Nanny may be one of the oldest names in the parental control software business, but it's kept adding new features, and the latest edition includes tools you won't always see in the younger competition.

The app's web content filtering doesn't rely on simple blacklists and site categories, for instance - it uses real-time content analysis to detect issues on every web page your child tries to access. There's smarter YouTube monitoring, too, with search and viewing histories.

The company hasn't forgotten the basics, and you can also block or restrict app usage, limit screen time, and view detailed reports on your child's recent activities.

Tracking tools include the ability to view the location (and location history) of all your children on a single map. Net Nanny has added geofencing support, too, allowing you to define important locations (home, school, grandma's, whatever you need) and get alerts when a child leaves or arrives.

Read on for a detailed look into Net Nanny's offerings and whether it's the right fit for your needs.

• Interested in Net Nanny? Check out the website here

Net Nanny: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Net Nanny)

Net Nanny's pricing is a little more complicated than usual, with three plans on offer.

The first protects a single desktop for $40 a year. This boils down to a super-affordable $3.33 per month, making it one of the cheapest parental control monitoring apps around. Sure, Mobicip does have a Lite plan that costs only $2.99 per month, but it does not come with the full range of features offered by Net Nanny.

The second covers up to five desktop or mobile devices for $55, and the third protects up to 20 devices for an annual $90.

(As we write, the company says these prices are discounted, with '30% off for a limited time.' A quick visit to the Wayback Machine showed Net Nanny offering the same prices six months ago, though, so it doesn't seem that limited. Still, it's possible the prices will be significantly higher by the time you read this.)

There are significantly cheaper apps around, though. For instance, Mobicip plans start at just $2.99/month and allow you to monitor up to five devices.Now, Net Nanny used to offer a 14-day free trial with its Android app. However, it has now done away with any free trial, and you’ll need to purchase a subscription right away to use the application. This is a bit of a letdown, since competitors like Bark offer a 7-day free trial.

Net Nanny: Supported platforms

When we last tested Net Nanny, it still supported Android devices. However, since the beginning of 2024, the provider has stated that it no longer supports Android, Kindle Fire, and Chromebook devices. As of now, Net Nanny works only on devices running Windows (10 and above), macOS 10.13 to macOS 11.x, and iOS 11 and higher.

Now, while you may still be able to operate Net Nanny on Windows and iOS devices, its macOS support is pretty outdated. For context, macOS 11 Big Sur was launched back in November 2020, with the current version being macOS 26 Tahoe, released in September 2025. This means Net Nanny’s Mac support is five major versions behind the current macOS version.

Most Mac devices bought in the last four to five years would be running at least macOS 12 Monterey, while the oldest macOS version that still receives Apple security updates is macOS 14 Sonoma. This means that Net Nanny’s macOS support sits entirely outside the range of Apple’s supported and patched operating systems, making its macOS support practically unusable.

Net Nanny: Setup

Net Nanny's setup process began when we installed the parent's app. We entered our email address and chose a password to create an account, selected the free three-day trial, and the app launched a wizard to help us begin.

This can look a little intimidating, but there's a plus in NetNanny's live chat support (Monday to Friday, 10am to 7pm EST.) It's not 24/7, but it beats many smaller companies, which often provide support via email only. It was also good to see the company send us an email with more instructions, so even if we had to give up on our current session, we'd have guidance on what to do next.

We followed Net Nanny's advice, visiting install.netnanny.com on our child's Android app, clicking a link to visit the relevant Google Play page, and installing the app.

This prompted us to log in and create our child's basic profile - name, gender and age - and then walked us through the process of approving various Android permissions (device administrator, location, content checking.) There are a lot, but they're necessary for parental control apps, where you're keeping a very close eye on how a device is being used.

Finally, Net Nanny prompted us to manually enable Safe Search in the Google app. That's good advice, but many apps do this automatically, and some do the same with other search engines (Kaspersky can enforce Safe Search with Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Yandex.)

The Safe Search setting isn't protected, either, so your child could simply disable it later. That's not automatically a disaster, as even if your child finds dubious content in a search, it should be blocked by Net Nanny's filter, but it's still a weakness in the system.

Net Nanny: Screen time

Schedule screen time and set daily limits for your child (Image credit: Net Nanny)

Net Nanny gave our test 9-year-old unlimited screen time by default, but that's easy to change. We were able to set separate usage time limits for every day of the week, and with a precise number of minutes each time (many apps support only 15 or 30-minute increments, and Mobicip schedules usage time in one-hour blocks only.)

When screen time is up, you can opt to pause the device, prevent app usage, or just block internet access. That's a handy level of control you won't get with most apps.

(Image credit: Net Nanny)

We couldn't initially find any way to schedule specific times when a device could be used, for example, to block device access from bedtime until the morning. The Help site pointed us in the right direction: for some reason, Net Nanny places time scheduling in an entirely different area of the control panel, doesn't link them, and doesn't highlight the feature later (it's the bottom option of a drop-down list.)

Once you find it, though, the scheduler works more or less as expected, allowing you to allow or deny internet access in one-hour blocks throughout the day. Many apps only support a single range ('8am to 9pm'), but Net Nanny's approach gives you far more control, for example allowing you to deny device use at mealtimes (5-6pm) and restore it for an hour or two afterward.

(Image credit: Net Nanny)Net Nanny: Content filtering

Net nanny allows you to block inappropriate websites on both mobile and desktop (Image credit: Net Nanny)

Most parental control apps filter web content using blacklists and whitelists, but Net Nanny is much smarter. Real-time text analysis looks for dubious content as it's accessed, giving the app a chance of blocking even brand new dangers. And Net Nanny even takes account of context, enabling it to tell the difference between a Wikipedia article that references drugs in a responsible and relevant way, and a site that really, really doesn't.

Net Nanny's content filtering can be customized using 14 categories: Drugs, Porn, Suicide, Weapons and more. Each category has three settings: always block, always allow, or an intermediate 'alert' (the child can access the content, but you'll be warned they've done so.)

You can also block web content by category (Image credit: Net Nanny)

You can also add custom filters that block content including a specific keyword or phrase. That gives you a lot of control but could block some worthwhile sites, as you won't fully benefit from Net Nanny's context-sensitive analysis. Adding 'suicide' or 'self-harm' might prevent access to genuinely dangerous forums, for instance, but may also block access to useful mental health resources.

If you need more control, Net Nanny supports building your own custom lists of sites it'll always allow, or always block. That's particularly handy if your child finds a blocked site she thinks should be available. Tap 'Request Access' in the child's app, the parent app raises an alert, and if it looks reasonable, you can add the site to the child's whitelist with a tap.

A bonus 'Mask Profanity' feature tries to mask swear words, replacing them with hash signs (####.) This didn't quite work 100% of the time but did much better than we expected. After we entered our favorite profanities at Google, for instance, Net Nanny masked our original search term, then hid it in all but one of our search terms, too.

Although this worked as expected, Net Nanny's child app crashed a couple of times during the review, leaving us to access whatever sites we like. That might be an issue relating to our specific device or its setup, but it's an issue we've not seen with other providers, and has to be a concern.

Net Nanny: App management

(Image credit: Net Nanny)

Net Nanny supports viewing the apps on your child's Windows device, getting alerts about newly installed apps, and blocking anything unsuitable.

There's support for blocking iOS apps, too, but only from an approved list. That's not unusual, though - iOS doesn't allow parental control apps as much power as Android - and Net Nanny's list is at least a long one, with around 125 top apps.

Whatever your platform, making this happen is easy - just scroll down the app list and tap Allow or Block as necessary. Social Media is listed as a separate category, allowing you to block all social media apps with a tap.

If that's too extreme, you can selectively block or allow individual platforms as necessary. An intermediate 'Protect' setting allows access but uses Net Nanny's content filters to block dangerous content. It's only available on a few sites, but they're all big names: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Tumblr, Twitter and YouTube.

We tried this with some custom keywords, and it delivered. If we set our filter to 'Block', Net Nanny didn't display content which contained the test keywords; if we set it to 'Alert', our test device could view the content, but we saw a warning in the Parent's dashboard.

What you don't get is any option to limit app use by time. ESET Parental Controls can set app usage to a set number of minutes, or a scheduled time of day, potentially very useful ('you can play that game, but only for 30 minutes of your three hours, and only in the evenings.')

Net Nanny: Location tracking

See where your kids are on a map on your smartphone or desktop (Image credit: Net Nanny)

Tapping Net Nanny's Location tab displays the location of your child's device on a regular Google map, with nearby stores and businesses highlighted, and we even got access to Street View when accessing our dashboard via a browser. That could be useful if you don't immediately recognize a location, or you're wondering why your child is there, and it's an improvement on the plain street-name-only maps you'll get with some parental control apps.

Net Nanny detected and displayed our location correctly, and it didn't stop with the usual pin icon, either. It also displayed our approximate address, and how long we'd been there.

By default, Net Nanny displays the current location, but a toggle at the bottom of the screen shows location history, instead. That's a useful and unusual extra, although one or two apps deliver even more (Kidslox also displays location history over a week, and adds journeys in the last 24 hours, too.)

Tapping the location marker accesses Net Nanny's basic geofencing support. You can give the location a name (Home, School), though there's no way to edit the address (ours was a few buildings out.) You're able to tell Net Nanny whether you'd like to be alerted when your child arrives at the location, leaves, or both. You can apply the same rules to everyone in your family, too, so you don't have to set them up separately.

This has some major limits. You can only use a place one of your children has visited before, for instance. There's no way to set up a zone in advance, so you're notified when they arrive somewhere they've never been before, which might be one of the key reasons for setting up geofencing in the first place.

There's no option to set zone size, either, so Net Nanny can't reliably be used as a general location monitor, for instance, to raise the alert if your child is more than a quarter of a mile from home.

Plus, location tracking only works for iPhone and not Windows or Mac devices. If you can live with those issues, though, Net Nanny's mapping features are easy to use, and its location history is a welcome plus.

Net Nanny: Monitoring

Family Feed provides activity reports for all of your children (Image credit: Net Nanny)

Net Nanny's web dashboard includes several useful monitoring tools. You can watch your child's remaining screen time count down, for instance, and look at reports of how it's been used in the past week, or month.

A Searches tab shows recent internet history searches, their time, and the device where they were used.

A YouTube panel correctly showed our YouTube searches. A 'Seen' tab should display the videos we'd watched, but it remained blank throughout the review.

There are no tools for monitoring calls and texts, or managing your child's contacts. Check out Qustodio or Boomerang if that's a problem.

You can track your child's location and general activities using Net Nanny's Family Feed (Image credit: Net Nanny)

Net Nanny scores for its reporting, though, with a Family Feed view which not only summarises recent events, it adds useful links to explain common issues, and even points you to articles with useful guidance ('GroupMe & Other Dangerous Apps Parents Should Know'). It's a great way to make sense of what's happening, especially important if you've a lot of kids generating warnings, and a welcome plus for the service.

Net Nanny: The competition

It’s not difficult to point out that Net Nanny is not yet a complete parental monitoring solution and comes with a few drawbacks, the biggest of which is the lack of a message monitoring feature. This is why apps like Bark have consistently had an edge over Net Nanny.

While Bark may be on the expensive side, with its monitoring app costing $14 per month, it comes with all the bells and whistles you require to keep a constant check on your child’s activity. For instance, it supports both Android and iOS devices, making phone and location monitoring easy.

You also get a 7-day free trial with Bark, whereas Net Nanny has done away with its 14-day trial, which is no longer offered. Plus, you can add unlimited devices at this price, whereas Net Nanny can protect a maximum of 20 devices with its highest-tier plan.

While Net Nanny is already pretty affordable, with an effective cost of just $3.33 per month, it can quickly become expensive if you’re trying to monitor more than one device. This is why you could look at options like Mobicip, which offers a Lite plan at just $2.99 per month, allowing you to manage up to five devices.

You get all the basic features, such as website blockers, screen time limits, activity reports, and the ability to remotely lock your child’s device from anywhere.

Final verdict

Net Nanny is a robust parental monitoring application, especially if you’re trying to track your child’s iPhone, Mac, or Windows devices. It offers a solid set of features, such as screen time monitoring, content filtering, and app management, all of which are easy to use and worked pretty well during our testing.

That said, it does have a few drawbacks, such as the lack of proactive geofencing and Android support. Even so, it remains on the cheaper end of the market, costing just $40 per year, which boils down to $3.33 per month. Only a few providers, such as Mobicip, are able to beat this price.

However, Net Nanny does not support the latest versions of macOS, with the last supported version being around five years old, which significantly impacts its usability. If you’re looking for Android tracking, you’ll need to consider other options such as Bark or Qustodio.

• We've also featured the best free parental control software

If you’ve spent any time researching the best parental control apps, then you will have heard of Qustodio – it’s one of the most prominent names in the sector. It’s been around for over a decade, it’s been trusted by over seven million parents, and the app’s systems have averted over three billion threats.

That’s an impressive resume and, on paper, it’s backed by an impressive slate of features, too. But can Qustodio earn your vote ahead of big rivals like Bark, Norton Family or MMGuardian?

Read on as we put Qustodio to the ultimate test, examining its features and in-use experience to see whether it delivers good value for the price it commands.

Plans and Pricing

(Image credit: Qustodio)

The Qustodio experience starts with a refreshingly straightforward look at pricing, with two paid tiers available.

The Basic package offers core functionality and costs $59.95 a year – the equivalent of just $5 per month.

With the Basic package, you get daily time limits, web filtering, location monitoring, game and app blocking and the ability to pause internet access for your children’s phones. It’s a solid core product with a more generous offer than the basic package you’ll find elsewhere.

However, I found this plan to be a tad too restrictive. For instance, Norton Family ($49.99/year) comes with everything the product has to offer, including Search Supervision and Instant Lock, which Qustodio doesn’t offer.

The Complete product, at $109.95 annually, adds AI-powered alerts, social media monitoring, custom routines, app time limits and additional monitoring, and allows parents to add unlimited devices to the account.

It’s a decent offer, especially when many premium products restrict how many devices you can monitor. Bark and MMGuardian are both pricier than Qustodio, but Norton Family is even cheaper.

There’s a free version of Qustodio, too, that offers web filtering, daily time limits, 7-day activity reports and the ability to pause the internet, but it only protects one device, so it’s understandably limited.

That said, not many parental control applications offer a free plan in the first place. Qustodio’s free plan can come in handy if you want a minimum degree of supervision over your child’s activities without being too intrusive.

Features

Qustodio offers good value, then, and it also serves up a good range of features.

It’s possible to filter out inappropriate apps, games and websites easily, and pick categories for whitelisting, alerting or total blocking. Parents can access alternative recommendations to apps that kids aren’t allowed to access, and even deploy conversation starters, approved by child psychologists, to start conversations about web browsing and internet use.

With Qustodio you can block unknown websites, automatically enable safe searches in common browsers, and receive alerts if your child searches for inappropriate content.

Qustodio offers more than 25 web filtering categories, but there’s no option within the app for kids to request access to particular websites – a feature you’ll find on Norton Family.

(Image credit: Qustodio)

Qustodio allows parents to set screen time allowances for every day of the week, and also set time limits for individual apps – and use the in-built app monitoring and detection to automatically sort over 25,000 apps into categories for easier blocking or accessing.

Besides generalized app blocking, Qustodio offers a dedicated YouTube monitoring feature that allows parents to keep an eye on the kind of videos their child has been watching on YouTube.

On iOS and Android devices, Qustodio can monitor both the app and the website. On Mac and Windows, however, the app cannot be monitored, but the YouTube website remains within its monitoring capabilities.

It’s easy to create different routines and switch between them and, if you need to step in quickly, there’s an option to pause internet access on child devices or block the device completely.

And if parents want to reward their children or be a little more lenient, it’s easy to add screen time and see a new limit once that extra time has been granted.

Different rules can be used to govern screen time use between browsers and apps, there are varying “modes” that alter access for bedtime, leisure time and study time, and custom schedules are very easy to build.

(Image credit: Qustodio)

A straightforward map allows parents to track their child’s location. Not only can you view your child’s last known location, but also a detailed location history showing all the places they have visited over the last 30 days.

While Qustodio supports geofencing, we found it to be more limited than its rivals. Qustodio allows you to set up a geofence with a maximum radius of only 200 meters, which is significantly smaller than what other applications offer. Norton Family, for instance, lets you set a maximum radius of 3,200 meters, whereas Mobicip allows a maximum radius of 1,000 meters.

(Image credit: Qustodio)

Call and SMS tracking and reading are supported on both Android and iOS, with full message details available, and parents can block phone numbers on child devices. You’ll get alerts for suspect content.

(Image credit: Qustodio)

When it comes to reporting on all of this, Qustodio is similarly comprehensive. A real-time dashboard provides easy access to each child's digital activity, including an activity timeline, screen time and browsing history, and parents can access more detailed daily or weekly reports.

(Image credit: Qustodio)

Qustodio is also forging ahead with some AI-based content, too, with AI-powered alerts that notify parents of any worrying searches, conversations or social media activity based on chosen topics or categories. That’s great, but it’s worth noting that Qustodio is a little weak on social media monitoring – it monitors messages on WhatsApp, Instagram and LINE, but that’s it.

Qustodio also offers a handy panic button on Android devices, allowing a child to send emergency alerts in times of dire need. Your child simply needs to tap the SOS button on the Kids App home screen to send alerts to all trusted contacts added to their profile.

(Image credit: Qustodio)

The best part is that even if the child’s device has been locked, they can still access the panic button from the app’s lock screen. Once the child activates the SOS bubble, a message stating that the child needs help is sent to all trusted contacts, along with the child’s location details, which are refreshed every 90 seconds.

The SOS alert can be stopped when the child taps the SOS bubble a second time. However, the trusted contacts feature goes far beyond the SOS bubble. Even when a child’s phone is locked down, they can still call these trusted contacts by tapping the emergency call button.

As usual, though, be prepared that not every feature works on every platform. You don’t get WhatsApp alerts on iOS, for instance, and there’s no location, call or SMS monitoring on Mac OS or Windows. Android is the only platform that features a panic button.

Another important feature that Qustodio misses out on is email monitoring. While you might argue that children hardly use email these days, it is still a very important feature to have because many online services and social media platforms use email for account verification, notifications, and password resets. Email is also a common channel for predatory advances, phishing scams, and inappropriate marketing targeting young teenagers.

Interface and in use

Qustodio has one of the best interfaces we’ve seen on any parental control app. As well as having a straightforward layout that places everything where you’d expect, Qustodio packs its apps and web interfaces with helpful tips and explanations about features and how they work.

A selection of Quick Actions provides fast access to common tasks, and the activity summary does a fantastic job of presenting key data in an attractive and intuitive format.

Child apps are simple enough for even the youngest children to understand what’s going on, and if you’re a parent who wants to dive deeper into the settings, you won’t get lost – the effective UI continues here.

It’s typically easy to get started, too: download the app, register an account, set up child profiles and tick all of the permissions, and you’re ready to start building schedules, monitoring devices and protecting your kids.

Customer Support

Qustodio makes a big deal about ensuring that its service is easy to use for busy parents who may not have a deep understanding of technology, and this attitude extends to its support functionality.

There are loads of helpful articles in the FAQ section, many of which have screenshots, and the guides that illustrate how to set up the app, use basic features and manage your account are particularly good.

If you need support and you use the Basic package, it’s managed through a contact form – sadly there’s no phone support, chatbot or live chat available here, but users report that they always receive helpful, polite form responses within 24 hours.

If you’re a Complete user, you get access to Care Plus. This adds phone support, personalized guidance and ongoing check-ins for parents who want more from their parental control app. And, impressively, Care Plus has an average resolution rate of 97% and an average resolution time of 15 minutes.

While it’s included for free with the Complete package, it costs $10.21/£7.99 to add it to the Basic product.

One drawback of this pricing structure is that if you’re on the Basic plan and encounter a technical issue, you’ll have to rely on automated chatbots and email support, which could take a day or two to resolve your problem. If you need immediate support, it would cost you around $13 extra, which might not be worth the additional expense.

The Competition

Qustodio has increased its prices since we last reviewed it and now falls into the same price range as many other parental control applications. There are still cheaper options available, though.

Norton Family, priced at $49.99 per year, can be a good alternative, especially if you already use Norton’s line of security products. Like Qustodio, it also lacks comprehensive social media monitoring. However, Norton allows your kids to request access to blocked sites, which Qustodio doesn’t, while also offering a wider range of website filtering rules. Unlike Qustodio, however, Norton does not support call or SMS monitoring, which can be a significant difference between the two.

Another affordable option is Mobicip, with pricing starting at just $2.99 per month, which comes to around $36 per year. However, at this price, you do not get social media monitoring or the ability to set time limits for specific applications. That said, this could be a fair trade-off if you’re looking for an affordable alternative to Qustodio.

Bark is probably Qustodio’s best competitor, although it costs around $14/month. It’s far better with social media, but is more limited on iOS and doesn’t provide a full web history.

Final Verdict

Those factors leave Qustodio looking like a particularly strong parental control option. It has superb filtering, scheduling and screen time options, AI-based additions, solid location features and excellent design, reporting and platform support.

Its customer support is great if you have the Complete product, the apps are all easy to use, and the pricing is fair, too – either competing or undercutting many rivals.

Plus, it’s one of the very few parental control applications that offers a free forever plan. Sure, it is limited and does not provide the full range of features, but it still lets you add web filters, pause internet access, and enable Safe Search on your children’s devices, along with seven-day activity reports. This is enough if you simply want to be aware of your children’s online activities without being too intrusive.

The only downside is weak social media monitoring and a relatively small geofencing zone. That social media monitoring drawback could be a dealbreaker for many families but, in almost every other area, Qustodio is a winner – it’s one of the best parental control apps on the market.

• We've also featured the best free parental control software

Marshall Acton IV review

Marshall has refreshed its mid-sized home speaker, which promises enhanced bass, dynamic loudness tech and improved tweeters, among other things. Yes, the Marshall Acton IV looks to be quite the improvement over its predecessor, and after testing it for myself, I have to say, it certainly makes good on its promises.

Let’s start by taking a look at the tech specs. The Acton IV features a single 60W woofer alongside two 25W tweeters, helping it to produce powerful and energetic audio. It also has a frequency response of 37Hz-38kHz, meaning it can extend down seriously deep for such a compact speaker — and you can really feel the bass… more on that later.

One standout difference between the Acton IV and its predecessor is its inclusion of RCA connectivity. This makes it a great option for hooking it up to turntables, for instance, and it’s easy to switch between Bluetooth and RCA mode with the built-in source controls. 3.5mm connectivity is back too, if you want to access lossless audio — something I always look out for when testing the best Bluetooth speakers.

Although these connectivity options are all very welcome, it would have been great to see Wi-Fi playback, given that this is a speaker most people will likely keep at home. Streaming using your home's Wi-Fi network is ideal for such speakers because it provides an even more stable, higher-resoltuion quality than Bluetooth can offer, and means that notification sounds on your source device don’t play through your speaker. Still, there is LDAC this time out — something that Marshall has been keen to integrate into its consumer audio products recently, as we saw with the Marshall Milton ANC. This opens up higher-res wireless playback over Bluetooth (provided you've got a source device that supports it), and it works great if you’re streaming on platforms such as Tidal, for instance.

Despite the omission of Wi-Fi, the Acton IV does include Auracast, enabling you to create a multi-room setup with other products from the brand, such as the Marshall Heston 120 soundbar and Marshall Stanmore IV. Some older models, like the Marshall Acton III can also join the Auracast multi-room setup with the Marshall Heddon streaming hub.

I was also interested to find that the Acton IV connects to the newer ‘Marshall’ app, which has so far been restricted to the brand’s TV audio gear. It feels more intuitive and detailed than the standard app, and features a five-band equalizer, which enables you to set three presets of your liking. You can also customize the speaker’s M button to cycle between these. The app also enables you to cycle between different sources, optimize audio with a placement compensation tool, set a standby timer, and adjust the brightness of the speaker’s LED indicators. Good stuff.

One thing that may dissuade some from picking up the Acton IV is that it lacks baked-in voice assistant support. This means that it can’t act like a smart home speaker in the way that a Sonos model would, say.

(Image credit: Future)

But, by now, you must be wondering: just how good does the Marshall Acton IV sound? Well it’s good news, because it sounds pretty great. Something that instantly struck me, is that the speaker has a very exciting sound signature, with attention-grabbing and relatively prominent bass, as well as energetic, forward-sounding treble.

This was great for livelier genres like dance tracks. For instance, in Get It On by Jansons, higher-pitched drums came through with serious bite, hitting with speed and precision. Meanwhile, pumping bass came through with great impact without ever overshadowing vocal chops and synths in the mid-range. Even with some deeper house tracks, I was truly wowed by the Acton IV’s bass extension. It can reach down into deep dark depths with great confidence, and even the sub-bass was full-sounding and seismic.

Luckily, the Acton IV continued to perform well with more laid-back tracks. In Ned Doheny’s Sing To Me, soulful vocals were nicely weighted, and came through with solid clarity. They weren’t separated to the point that they occupied a unique pocket in the mix, although when I bumped things up in the mid-range, they had a little more space to express themselves. Bass definitely remained fairly weighty, and although this gave the tune a pleasantly funky edge, some may prefer to mess around with different EQ settings.

It’s also worth noting that the Acton IV has a stereo sound configuration, rather than the basic mono that a lot of Bluetooth speakers use. While it doesn’t produce the most amazing stereo imaging I’ve ever experienced, this is understandable for a smaller-sized speaker. In All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix, vocals were well-defined in the left channel, and percussion expanded well beyond the Acton IV’s limited confines. With LDAC on, I also appreciated the speakers attention to detail, with small vocal quirks and subtle percussive elements illuminated to impressive effect.

My main critique of the Acton IV’s audio output relates to its control at higher volumes. Despite including the dynamic loudness tech seen on the Marshall Kilburn III, for instance, I found that the speaker could sound a tad harsh at high volumes. At 90% and above, compression was more noticeable, with highs turning slightly shrill and bass lacking the control I’d experienced at mid-volumes. It's pretty standard for speakers to compress towards maximum loudness, though, and if you’re looking for meatier sound, the mightier Stanmore IV is available.

(Image credit: Future)

Moving on to an area where Marshall speakers always excel now: design. The Acton IV looks very similar to its predecessor, but that’s no bad thing. It has enticing faux leather casing, a neat speaker grille, and a gorgeous golden control panel. Its amp-inspired aesthetic makes it feel like just as much of a statement piece as it is a great-sounding speaker.

The buttons and control knobs are also highly responsive and satisfying to use, and there are even onboard EQ controls for the bass and treble if you want to make some changes on the fly.

But it’s time to address the most crucial question of all: is the Marshall Acton IV worth the money? Let’s start by looking at its price. The Acton IV comes in at $299.99 / £259.99 (AU$430). That’s by no means cheap, and puts the speaker in competition with the Wi-Fi equipped Sonos Play and home speakers like the JBL Authentics 200.

I’d argue that the Acton IV certainly sounds up to scratch for this money. It offers mighty yet refined bass, clean and detailed mids, and vivid highs. It's also decently powerful, and would make a great fit for a small or medium-sized space. However, the lack of Wi-Fi playback may prove to be a deal-breaker for some — it’s the connectivity method many will favor for home speaker use, and again offers better quality and seamlessness than Bluetooth.

Still, its brilliant design, solid set of features and, of course, impressive audio capabilities, means this is still a great home speaker. All in all, I’d recommend the Acton IV if you want a powerful and stylish speaker, even if you’re a little limited on space. If you want something more portable, the Marshall Kilburn III is a great alternative, though, coming with a handle, 50-hour battery life, and waterproofing at a very similar cost.

(Image credit: Future)Marshall Acton IV review: price & release date

• $299.99 / £259.99 (AU$430)
• First released July 2026

The Marshall Acton IV was released in July 2026, just short of four years after its predecessor came to market. It launched alongside the Marshall Stanmore IV, which is essentially just a larger variant of the Acton. It comes in at $299.99 / £259.99 (AU$430), representing a slight price bump in the US, but continuity in the UK, if we’re comparing it against the Acton III.

Marshall Acton IV review: specs

Weight

5.8lbs / 2.6kg

Dimensions

10.24 x 6.73 x 5.91 inches / 260 x 171 x 150 mm

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.3, 3.5mm, RCA

Speaker drivers

1x 4-inch 60W woofer, 2x 0.75-inch 25W tweeters

Waterproofing

Not stated

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Marshall Acton IV?

Attribute

Notes

Score

Features

Nifty app and RCA is a welcome addition, but lacks Wi-Fi playback.

4/5

Performance

Fantastic bass extension and vivid highs with clean mids, some compression at top volumes though.

4.5/5

Design

Brilliant looking speaker with retro, amp-inspired aesthetic.

4.5/5

Value

Not the cheapest, but performance and build help it to earn price.

4/5

Buy it if…

You want a stylish home speaker
Something that stands out with Marshall speakers every time is their design. And the Acton IV is no exception. Its faux leather outer casing, its golden details, its eye-catching grille… it all comes together to make a truly stellar-looking speaker.

You want great sound in a (relatively) compact model
Although the Acton IV is hardly the largest home speaker out there, it really does sound great. It has fantastic bass extension, with clean and hard-hitting low end. Highs are articulate and vibrant too, although mids still get plenty of space to shine. The LDAC codec also helps you access a more detailed listen.

Don’t buy it if…

You want a speaker to take on the road
The Marshall Acton IV is designed for home use. Therefore, it needs to be plugged into the mains to be used, and its lack of a handle, rechargeable battery, or waterproofing, means you’re better off with a model like the Marshall Kilburn III for on-the-go audio.

You want a smart speaker with Wi-Fi
Although the Acton IV is designed for home use, it misses out on some of the properties of a smart speaker, like voice-assistant compatibility and Wi-Fi connectivity for the most seamless playback around.

Marshall Acton IV review: also consider

Marshall Acton IV

Sonos Era 100 SL

WiiM Sound

Price

$299.99 / £259.99 (AU$430)

$189 / £169 / AU$289

$299 / £299 / AU$499

Weight

5.8lbs / 2.6kg

4.3lbs / 2kg

5.5lbs / 2.5kg

Dimensions

10.24 x 6.73 x 5.91 inches / 260 x 171 x 150mm

7.2 x 4.7 x 5.1 inches / 182.5 x 120 x 130.5mm

5.7 x 5.7 x 7.5 inches / 146 x 146 x 193mm

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.3, 3.5mm, RCA

Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C

Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, 3.5mm

Speaker drivers

1x 4-inch 60W woofer, 2x 0.75-inch 25W tweeters

2 x angled tweeters, 1 x mid-woofer

2x tweeters, 1x woofer

Sonos Era 100 SL
Want a Sonos home speaker at an easy-to-stomach price? Then the Era 100 SL is an ideal option. It has Wi-Fi playback, precise and detailed sound, and a gorgeous look, making it well worth its modest price tag. Read our full Sonos Era 100 SL review.

WiiM Sound
Another great Wi-Fi equipped speaker is the WiiM sound, and it sits at a very similar price as the Acton IV. The WiiM sound supplies fantastic sound quality, has a unique and intuitive touchscreen, and voice assistant support. Read our full WiiM Sound review.

How I tested the Marshall Acton IV

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested across multiple days
• Used at our dedicated music testing space at Future Labs
• Mainly streamed music over Tidal

I spent days testing the Marshall Acton IV, listening to hours worth of music, testing its various features, and exhausting every option available in its companion app.

For the most part, I tested the Acton IV in our dedicated music testing room at Future Labs, where I mainly streamed tunes via Tidal on my Xiaomi 17. I started by playing tracks in our TechRadar reference playlist — which features songs from a wide variety of genres — but I also bumped a bunch of tunes from my personal library.

More generally, I’ve spent years testing audio gear here at TechRadar. I’ve reviewed all sorts of tech, from premium wireless headphones like the Sony 1000X The Collexion through to Dolby Atmos soundbars such as the JBL Bar 1300MK2. I’ve also tested more than 50 Bluetooth speakers, including lots of Marshall models, such as the Marshall Middleton II and Kilburn III.

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

Geekom GeekBook M16: 30-second review

Geekom's GeekBook M16 is a business laptop designed for - as the company states, "enterprise pro, a developer, or an AI enthusiast." You can add general content creators (but not creative professionals) into that mix.

I mostly agree with that, although it's not the AI machine it could've been due to the limitations of the Core Ultra 9 chip it's using.

It's an interesting budget machine in the space. A nicely built, machined chassis that handles general computing tasks well.

Given the $899 price point, there is only one USB4 port, the webcam is only 2MP, and the keyboard and touchpad aren’t the best quality.

That said, the underlying platform is solid, even if you can’t expand the memory, and with a USB 4.0 port, it can be attached to a Dock if you need more ports or more than two displays.

Geekom includes a basic USB-C Dock in the box, so those who need a wired LAN port won’t need a full Dock or adapter.

This isn’t the best business laptop I’ve tested, but it's far from the worst, and demonstrates that you can get relatively recent platforms in these form factors if you are prepared to compromise on some aspects.

Geekom GeekBook M16: Price and availability

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• How much does it cost? From $899
• When is it out? Available now in the USA
• Where can you get it? Direct from Geekom or online retailers

The Geekom GeekBook M16 can be bought directly from Geekom or via online retailers like Amazon.com and Best Buy. Prices start at $899.

TechRadar Pro readers can save an extra 8% when purchasing direct from Geekom or on Amazon when using the code TRGBM168.

The laptop pairs the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.

• Value: 4 / 5

Geekom GeekBook M16: Specs

Item

Spec

Hardware:

Geekom GeekBook M16

CPU:

Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 185H (16 Cores, 22 Threads, 5.1 GHz)

GPU:

Intel Arc GPU

NPU:

Intel AI Boost (35 TOPS CPU+NPU+GPU)

RAM:

16GB LPDDR5 (no upgrades)

Storage:

512GB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD + M.2 2230 free slot

Screen:

16.0-inch IPS LCD, 2560 × 1600 (16:10)

Ports:

1x USB4, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) , 2 × USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps), 1x HDMI 2.0, Audio Combo Jack

Camera:

2MP (1080p) Windows Hello compliant

Networking:

Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4

Dimensions:

14.0 x 9.8 x 0.66in (355 x 250 x 16.7mm)

Weight:

3.8 lbs (1.73 kg)

OS:

Windows 11 Pro (pre-installed)

Battery:

99.99Wh Battery

Power supply:

100W (20V 5A)

Geekom GeekBook M16: Design

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• Magnesium-aluminium chassis
• Diverges from the retail model
• Ports aren't labelled

The M16 is essentially the same machine as the GeekBook X16 Pro, but it comes with only a single SKU that offers less memory and storage. There may be some minor cosmetic differences, like the M16 doesn’t have a MicroSD card slot, but the core components are common, I suspect.

Geekom has machined the GeekBook M16 from a single piece of magnesium alloy, and that heritage shows in the finish.

The Titanium Gray coating feels warm rather than cold to the touch, and there is no flex anywhere across the lid or the keyboard deck. While not the highest quality finish, it doesn’t feel cheap either.

Where the design pitch starts to wobble is the weight. The review unit weighs a whopping 1.73kg on the scales, nearly half a kilogram heavier than the X16 Pro, and that difference is obvious the moment you lift it one-handed. A laptop sold on featherweight portability should not feel like this in the hand.

This weight discrepancy between this and the X16 Pro, I’m confident, is down to the battery that Geekom used in the review hardware, since very little else has changed.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Port selection is generous for something this slim, with two USB-C connections, two USB-A, a full-size HDMI, and a headphone jack.

The frustration is that none of them is labelled with a speed. One USB-C runs at USB4 and the other only at USB 3.2, and there is no visual way to tell which is which, short of plugging something in and checking. For a laptop aimed at people who might use a fast external drive or a high-bandwidth dock, that is a genuine oversight from Geekom, and worth calling out plainly rather than glossing over.

The keyboard includes a full number pad, which is a genuine convenience on a 16-inch chassis and something plenty of rivals leave out. Typing feel is a little on the spongy side rather than crisp, so anyone coming from a firmer keyboard may need a short adjustment period.

The keyboard is workable, but I’m less convinced by the trackpad. It does the job for general navigation and gestures, but it does not feel as refined as the rest of the machine, and precision clicking is not its strong suit.

Those buying a 16-inch laptop clearly want a good display, and the IPS panel on this machine offers 2.5K resolution, a 16:10 aspect ratio, and a 120Hz refresh rate. That extra vertical space suits spreadsheets, documents and code far better than a standard 16:9 screen, and scrolling feels smooth thanks to the higher refresh rate.

Geekom quotes 100 per cent sRGB coverage, which is close enough for everyday creative work without needing a color-calibrated reference screen.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Since many business machines get small upgrades during their working life, I like to take the backs off laptops to see what is possible on that front.

Removing the underside requires removing nine screws with a T5 screwdriver, but once they’re out, it's relatively easy to detach. Inside, the battery can be replaced, and there is an unoccupied M.2 2230 slot.

While the 2230 drive is an easy upgrade, the primary slot is 2280, so I’d probably recommend cloning the supplied drive to a larger one using that slot first.

The capacities of M.2 2230 aren’t great right now.

Also, these days, all memory comes pre-soldered, so the RAM in this system is the maximum it will ever have, even if the processors used on it can address 96GB.

Overall, this is one of those designs that is somewhat bland and lacks any sort of signature feature, but for many customers, that’s exactly what they want.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• Design: 3.5 / 5

Geekom GeekBook M16: Hardware

• Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
• Modest AI capability
• Wasted PCIe lanes

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is the flagship chip from Intel's first Core Ultra family, known internally as Meteor Lake. It packs sixteen cores across three types: six performance cores, eight efficiency cores and two low-power efficiency cores, giving it real flexibility between raw speed and battery-sensitive multitasking.

Turbo clocks reach 5.1 GHz, and in daily use, that translates into a chip that handles heavy browser sessions, office work, and moderate creative tasks without complaint. Cinebench multicore scores sit comfortably above a thousand points, proof that the hybrid layout genuinely pays off rather than existing purely as a marketing slide.

Graphics duties fall to an integrated Arc GPU built from eight Xe cores, clocked up to 2.35GHz. This was the point where Meteor Lake felt like a proper step forward. Games at modest settings run smoothly, video timelines scrub without stutter, and general graphical work feels far removed from the older Iris chips it replaced. It will never trouble a discrete GPU, but for a laptop chip doing double duty as a workstation and a light gaming machine, it earns its keep.

Then there is the NPU, which Intel calls AI Boost on this silicon. On its own, the dedicated neural engine delivers around 11 TOPS. Add contributions from the CPU and GPU, and Intel quotes a platform total of 35 TOPS. That was a genuinely new capability when Meteor Lake launched, letting local AI tasks like background blur, transcription and some generative features run without leaning on the cloud.

The trouble is that time moves fast in Silicon. Microsoft set the bar for its Copilot Plus program at 40 TOPS from the NPU alone, and the 185H simply does not reach it.

Intel's 200 series chips, split between Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake depending on the segment, push NPU performance well past 40 TOPS on the Lunar Lake side. The newer 300 series, built on Panther Lake, goes further still, pairing a stronger NPU with a genuine jump in graphics performance too.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

So is the 185H still worth having? Yes, with a clear head about what it is.

It remains a strong general-purpose chip for everyday work, and its Arc graphics still beat plenty of rivals from its own generation. What it is not is a true Copilot Plus chip, and anyone chasing the latest on device AI features should look at the newer series instead. Judged simply as a capable, well-rounded laptop processor for typical work, there is still very little to complain about here. It has aged into a dependable middle child rather than a has-been, useful for exactly the sort of laptop you might have in front of you now.

Where this design isn’t well-served is that the Core Ultra 9 supports 28 PCI lanes (PCI 5.0 and 4.0), and the ports provided use hardly any of them. Given how much unused PCIe bandwidth was available, why is only one USB-C port USB4 spec? This chipset does support Thunderbolt, and if this were a Mini PC at this price point, I’d be expecting that, but only one USB4 port is poor considering the small army of unused PCIe lanes.

When I look at the number of mini PCs and laptops using this Meteor Lake silicon, I’m inclined to conclude that Intel made far too many of these wafers and now has unused bins clogging the channel they use to move 200- and 300-series chips.

If that’s an accurate analysis, then we’re likely to see more machines like the M16, where Intel attempts to off-load them before they’re four generations back.

• Hardware: 3.5 / 5

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Geekom GeekBook M16: Performance

Laptops

 

Geekom GeekBook M16

Acer Swift Edge 14 AI

CPU

 

Intel Core Ultra 9 185H

Intel Core Ultra 7 258V

Cores/Threads

 

16C 22T

8C 8T

TPD

 

45W

17W-37W

RAM

 

16GB LPDDR5

32GB LPDDR5X

SSD

 

512 GB KINGSTON OM8TAP4512K1

1TB Kingston OM8PGP4102Q

Graphics

 

Intel Arc Graphics

Intel Arc 140V

NPU

 

Intel AI Boost (11 TOPS)

Intel NPU (47 TOPS)

3DMark

WildLife

18,030

20,983

 

FireStrike

7177

8003

 

TimeSpy

3815

4065

 

Steel Nomad.L

2638

2989

CineBench24

Single

94

120

 

Multi

631

389

 

Ratio

6.70

3.24

GeekBench 6

Single

2337

2757

 

Multi

12104

11148

 

OpenCL

33402

29692

 

Vulkan

35602

33890

CrystalDIsk

Read MB/s

5979

4805

 

Write  MB/s

3756

3905

PCMark 10

Office

8133

8206

 

Battery

23h 21m

18h 28m

Battery

Whr

77

65

 

PSU

100W

100W

WEI

Score

8.2

8.8

My comparison machine, the Acer Swift Edge 14 AI, is a smaller display option, but it uses a newer 200 series processor, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V.

As is evident, the improvements Intel made between Meteor Lake and Luna Lake weren’t subtle, and the Core i7 on the Acer performs better pretty much across the board. It’s dramatically better on single-core exercise, even if in some situations the GPU utilisation is slightly better on the older chip.

And, for those wondering about 300 series silicon, like the Intel Core Ultra 7 355 on the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Enterprise Edition, I recently covered, it performs even better.

There is no ‘golden age’ of mobile processors to discover, and the newest ones are genuinely better in almost every respect.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

In testing, this machine lasted 23 hours and 21 minutes, and that’s better than the extra 12Whr of battery capacity the M16 has over the Swift Edge 14 AI might suggest.

I think a factor in this is the amount of RAM, since keeping 32GB of RAM alive for the life of the battery probably uses more power than the 16GB on the M16 consumes. It’s one of the few ways that having less RAM is actually an advantage.

What isn’t covered in these benchmarks is AI, and that’s lucky for the GeekBook, because it would get slapped by any 200 or 300 series processor, even a Core Ultra 5.

Overall, if you are looking for a workman-like system that has decent battery life and performs adequately on office tasks, the GeekBook M16 ticks enough boxes. But it’s not a machine for power users or creatives, unsurprisingly.

For those interested in the screen, I gave it a full analysis using the Datacolor Spyder X2 Ultra, and it was better than I’d anticipated for a side-lit IPS screen.

The gamut representation was 98% sRGB and 78% AdobeRGB and P3, which is fine. The brightness is capped at just over 300 nits, and the contrast is at about 1060:1.

The weaknesses of this panel are a mediocre tone response and poor white point accuracy.

But the usual challenges of luminance and colour uniformity aren’t a big issue here.

Overall, the screen is better than I’ve seen on some big-name brands, even if it can’t compete with the AMLOED displays that some products rock.

• Performance: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Geekom GeekBook M16: Final verdict

Customers of Geekom getting the M16 are getting a much cheaper machine than the spec might suggest. It is roughly the same chassis, screen and platform as the X16 Pro, but with less memory and storage, but 23% more battery.

This is an interesting option for those wanting a reasonably punchy machine but without burning the budget down entirely with the latest processor platforms.

The only thing I’d like to see from this brand is more attention to detail, especially in respect of labelling ports. This would have been less of an issue if both USB-C ports had been USB4, and there are few valid excuses I’d take for why they aren't.

Those points aside, and a trackpad that might have been better, there are many positive things about this design that only a few years ago might have been described as a flagship model.

It isn’t super-cheap, but with rising memory and storage costs, hardware under this lid might look like more of a bargain as time goes by. And, compared with 200 and 300 series machines, it's definitely on the budget-friendly side of the line.

Where I’d be careful with this hardware is deploying it to a student, because it's difficult to assess how much abuse it can take, and carrying this all day might prove tiring.

Should you buy a Geekom GeekBook M16?

Value

Competitively priced for the specification

4/5

Design

Lightweight magnesium chassis, but it needed more USB4

3.5/5

Hardware

Intel Core Ultra 100 Series CPU, and a massive battery for long runtime.

3.5/5

Performance

Not cutting-edge Intel tech, but good enough for many tasks

4/5

Overall

A practical system with enough battery for a long working day that’s less than $900

4/5

Buy it if...

Battery life is important for your workflow
With nearly 100Whr of battery, this machine runs for an inordinately long time on a full charge, and it’s much more than the typical 60-80Whr that most machines using the same Intel platform get given. Having a battery capacity that can run this machine actively for nearly a day is impressive.

You're on a budget
While alternatives typically go for a Core Ultra 5 or 7, this one has the full Core Ultra 9 processor, and that adds cores and performance. The only caveat is that these 100 series chips aren’t great for local AI, and the 16GB RAM capacity is also an LLM limitation.

Don't buy it if...

You need a highly portable machine
If you travel regularly and are sensitive to weight, a laptop that weighs 3.8 lbs or 1.73kg is excessive. Its associated charger doesn’t add much extra, considering it outputs 100W, but that’s the only light at the end of this tunnel.

You like to upgrade

The 16GB LPDDR5 memory is soldered onto the mainboard and cannot be upgraded. Users looking for long-term flexibility or future-proofing may find this limiting, especially if workloads grow more demanding over time.View Deal

Noble Osprey: Two-minute review

Ah, the Noble Osprey; see how the majestic raptor hovers over its prey, watching with beady eyes as the young trout — wait, what do you mean this isn’t the first few words of a David Attenborough narration? Oh. I’m glad you told me that now.

The Noble Osprey are, in fact, a new pair of true wireless earbuds from the premium audio brand Noble. They’re not cheap, relatively speaking (and this is a crowded market), but they do undercut some of the best earbuds on the market to have graced our testing process. They're also more wallet-friendly than other buds from the brand such as the Noble FoKus Amadeus and FoKus Rex5, making them a little more competitive than what’s come before.

Despite this cheaper price, the Osprey also share a few traits with their siblings. They have another distinct marbled look, this time in blue, and again a focus on high-quality audio, with a refined V-shaped sound profile and support for LDAC.

I really wanted to like the Osprey; I tested the FoKus Apollo over-ears which sounded fantastic, and love an earbud that’s focusing on refined, higher-resolution sound instead of an omnipresent thumping bass. But over the several weeks of testing, I repeatedly found myself opting for other buds over the Osprey, which isn’t a good sign.

Unlike the namesake birds, gliding unbothered in the sky, the Osprey are certainly susceptible to the force of gravity… that is to say, they just wouldn’t stay in my ears. I tested the various sizes and shapes of ear tips offered in the box, and even rotated and twisted the buds around uncomfortable angles to see if I could lodge them into my ear, but no cigar.

I don’t mean they wobbled when I went for a run; I could be sitting stock still and they’d slide (I hesitate to use the word 'yeeted', but there it is) straight out of my ears of their own accord. Even cooking or eating was a challenge with them in; they’d fall out so frequently I’d always just remove them — or replace them with a pair I wasn’t testing.

The problem was incessant and it sowed in me a reticence to use the buds. This sentiment colored my entire time with them. I don’t think I’ve ever used a set of earbuds that fit as poorly (well, a tip-toting pair at least; they draw with the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4) as the Noble Osprey.

I'm only laboring the point because it is a real shame. There’s a lot to like in these buds. They look distinctive, offering some of the flair of wired, Shure-adjacent IEMs but without the wire. The case is lovely and small, and holds a fair amount of charge too.

And the audio quality from these Noble earpieces is also good (when you can keep them in), offering a V-shaped presentation but with delicate, sparkling trebles and a refined low-end that’s rich in detail. The use of dual drivers as well as LDAC and Bluetooth 6.0 compatibility ensures you’re getting that extra sonic oomph you’re paying for. I just wish the buds would stay in my ears so I could appreciate the sound quality more…

Noble Osprey review: Price and release date

(Image credit: Future)

• Announced on June 2, 2026, shipped later that month
• Selling for $199 / £199 / AU$292
• Undercuts Noble's other buds, AirPods Pro and Galaxy Buds Pro

Announced on the 2nd June, 2026, the Noble Osprey were shipped to early buyers by the end of the month.

They cost $199 / £199 / AU$292, so they’re priced just a hair below the AirPods Pro 3 or Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, but in the same rough ‘premium wireless earbuds’ area that indicates these are top-tier buds.

Not highest-tier, I suppose, when you consider Noble’s other buds. The Rex5 cost $449 / £419 / AU$699, literally twice as much as the Osprey, so this bird-named pair of buds is still a very affordable model as far as Noble is concerned.

Noble Osprey review: Specs

Drivers

10mm + balanced armature

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Battery life

5 hours (buds), 35 hours (case)

Weight

6.5g (buds), 61g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 6.0

Frequency response

20Hz-40kHz

Waterproofing

TBC

Noble Osprey review: Features

(Image credit: Future)

• Minimum 5 hours listening, 7 hours without ANC
• Passable ANC, but struggles in wind
• App offers EQ, but not much more

The Noble Osprey are earbuds designed for audiophiles, and battery life is often a department that sees culls in favor of driving those various drivers (and powering the necessary antiphase tech for noise nixing). Case in point, the Osprey only last for five hours of listening when you've got ANC enabled.

That timespan extends to seven hours if you turn off ANC, which is a reasonable figure. The 35-hour battery life of the case is also reasonable too, and I've tested plenty of earbuds that don't offer that amount of extra juice.

Talking of the ANC, it's passable, but nothing to write home about — the Osprey won't be joining our best noise-cancelling earbuds guide any time soon. It stripped away the rumble of a bus and dampened the whirr of a nearby washing machine, but didn't offer the near-silence that many rivals do. They often struggled with wind too.

(Image credit: Future)

The Noble Osprey app offers a few useful features, including the ability to customize what the buds' touch controls do, turning off (or on) ANC, and toggling the Bluetooth tone switch.

The main tool, though, is the equalizer, offering a 10-band EQ or the choice between six presets. It's a rather effective EQ, letting you pull the music in various directions, and you can save various custom modes in addition to the presets.

If you don't think you'll use the equalizer, though, the app's not really worth downloading; it doesn't offer that much else, and there's a dearth of extra features that often crop up in consumer-grade earbuds.

• Features score: 3.5/5

Noble Osprey review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Svelte carry case
• Attractive blue marbled design
• Not designed to stick in the ear

You’ve read the introduction, you know that the Noble Osprey buds simply wouldn’t stay in my ears, no matter what I tried. And before the “why didn’t you…” of the comments section: trust me, I test buds for a living, this is not my first rodeo. It took very little motion to dislodge them from my ears: going on walks, sitting on a bumpy bus, moving about while cooking.

This was more than a minor annoyance; I basically couldn’t use them if I wasn’t sitting still at a desk, and even then the fit was unreliable. When they started to slip, they fell fast, tanking the audio quality and, if I tried to push them back into my ears, causing me to accidentally press the on-bud buttons.

Now and then I managed to lodge them in my ears in a way that, temporarily at least, kept them locked in position, and once or twice I managed to go on a walk with the buds. But this wasn’t reliable, caused my ears to ache, and still required me to adjust the fit almost constantly.

(Image credit: Future)

What’s the problem? They’re not the lightest buds I’ve ever tested, weighing 6.5g, but that shouldn’t be enough to hurt the fit. At a guess, it’s the top-heavy weighting of the buds themselves, though the lack of any friction in the tips (or perhaps a fin to help them lodge into ears) doesn’t help either.

Not only is it infuriating to constantly adjust the earbuds in your ear, it runs the risk of knocking the touch controls on each. It’s only a risk, though, and not a guarantee, because I found the controls quite unreliable to trigger.

The Osprey come in a lovely-looking azure charging case — azure until it gets scuffed up, which happened very quickly for me, making it look a little less lovely.

Said case is pretty small, with the buds nestled into it nicely, and it's light in weight, tipping the scales to 61g. I couldn’t find any information suggesting they’re IP rated, but the case certainly feels solid enough to protect the buds from a drop.

• Design score: 2.5/5

Noble Osprey: Sound quality

(Image credit: Future)

• 10mm + BA driver
• Refined V-shaped sound
• LDAC support

Putting aside fit issues (which are hard to put aside when they affect sound quality so frequently — but play nice!), the Noble Osprey sound really good.

Each bud has been kitted out with a 10mm dynamic driver, plus a balanced armature driver, and they combine to create a refined V-shaped sound.

Bass is cohesive and scooping, holding a distinct space in the mix without overriding higher-end frequencies. Treble is sharp and bright, giving vocals sparkle and adding energy to string or brass stings. And while the mids aren’t as prominent in the mix as, say, bass, they hold enough space that music doesn’t feel like there’s some void in the middle.

Songs like Don McCloskey’s First in Flight let the various higher-frequency instruments, and the dancing bassline, all sit separately without descending into one chaotic mush. Acoustic guitars and vocals don’t clash like they do in cheaper buds, like in Charlie Mars’ She Ain’t Coming Back, which retains detail and timbre.

(Image credit: Future)

Helping this detail is the Osprey’s support for LDAC, for an upgrade over SBC or AAC.

The dual drivers bring another benefit: audio spacing. There’s distinct placement and a broad soundstage present in music here. How to get it? Try Yi Nantiro’s Oasis, which sees the harp dance around your periphery, or the London Symphony Orchestra’s recent recording of Holst’s The Planets, in which you can basically point to where each section of the orchestra was seated during the live recording.

The Osprey get pretty loud too if you push them, only distorting when you’re at the highest few volume increments. I didn’t go anywhere near that loud for most of my listening, but I appreciate that you can listen at higher volumes without losing quality.

• Sound quality: 4.5/5

Noble Osprey review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

• Rather affordable compared to audiophile buds
• Expensive compared to consumer-grade ones
• Don't offer the complete package like same-priced rivals do

The Noble Osprey sit with a foot (or claw? Talon?) in two camps. On one side, they're affordable audiophile earbuds, designed for listeners who care about music quality above all else. On the other, they're premium models for the average consumer, who wants a more balanced overall package.

Unfortunately, while the Noble Osprey sound really good, I'm not sure they sound $200 good. The distinction between them and same-price Apple, Bose or Sony rivals isn't pronounced enough, when you consider that those buds tend to offer a more balanced design and wider feature set.

Sure, audiophiles who only consider audio quality might not want those other features, but it's still a high price. For the same cost as the Osprey, you can get other buds that work even better.

• Value: 3/5

Should I buy the Noble Osprey?Noble Osprey score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

The Osprey's ANC does the job, and its battery life is okay, but beyond a useful EQ, there aren't many extra tools.

3.5/5

Design

Despite the portable carry case, and lovely marbling, it doesn't seem like enough thought was put into how the Osprey would sit in the ear.

2.5/5

Sound quality

The Osprey sound great, with a V-shaped profile that belies texture, space and detail.

4.5/5

Value

It's a high asking price, and beyond the sound quality, you're not getting much.

3/5

Buy them if…

You want great-sounding audio
The Noble Osprey sound great, and if that's the one and only thing you look for in wireless earbuds, then they're a good fit for you.

You like the look
Wireless earbuds can look pretty boring, so the Noble Osprey's blue marble pattern sets them apart from the crowd.

You need a tiny carry case
If you find modern earbud cases too big, the Osprey are the antidote: it's smaller than most alternatives I've used.View Deal

Don’t buy them if…

You're not just listening at home
Because of the fit issues, the Osprey just aren't suited to being out and about. If you're only listening while sitting at a desk at home, they might be okay.

You want real budget earbuds
The Noble Osprey might be budget buds compared to other audiophile offerings, but when you look at the grand scheme of earbuds, they're still rather expensive.

Noble Osprey review: Also consider

Want to see what other earbuds your money can get you? Here are some alternatives for roughly the same price.

Noble Osprey

Apple AirPods Pro 3

Sony WF-1000XM6

Drivers

10mm + BA driver

Unspecified

8.4mm

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Yes

Yes

Battery life (ANC on)

5 hours (buds), 35 hours (case)

8 hours (buds), 24 hours (case)

8 hours (buds), 24 hours (case)

Weight

6.5g (buds), 61g (case)

5.6g (buds), 44g (case)

6.5g (buds), 47g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 6.0

Bluetooth 5.3

Bluetooth 5.3

Waterproofing

TBC

IP57

IPX4

Apple AirPods Pro 3
The natural competition at this price point is the AirPods Pro, with a burgeoning feature set (albeit some fit issues too). Don't expect as refined audio, though.
Read our full AirPods Pro 3 review

Sony WF-1000XM6
Another solid rival, and a stem-less option like the Osprey, is Sony's modern flagship. These sound audiophile-tier and have a wide, if not Apple wide, range of extra tools.
Read our full Sony WF-1000XM6 review

How I tested the Noble Osprey

• Tested for one month
• Paired with two different Android phones
• Used for various activities and tasks

I used the Noble Osprey for roughly a month before writing this review, and the writing process added at least a week more of testing time. I began by using the pre-attached ear tips, and cycled through various in-box options, before settling on the two-tiered tips you see in the pictures.

During that span, they were paired to two different Android smartphones: a Motorola Edge 70 Fusion, and a Realme 13 Pro Plus, both times with the app installed on the phone. Mostly, music listening was done with Spotify and Tidal, while Prime Video and Now were used for movies — and various games got a look-in, too. I also used them for some calls and voice notes.

Initially, I used the earbuds for a wide range of tasks, including going for walks around my area, commuting or travelling on various forms of public transport, and while doing activities around my house. Towards the end of the testing process, when the fit issue made other uses frustrating, I only used them while seated at a desk. I completely omitted several tasks that are part of my usual testing process, including gym trips and runs.

I've been reviewing tech for TechRadar since 2019, which has seen me use countless earbuds and audio products.

• First reviewed in July 2026

• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: 30-second review

Before we all get confused, and I well might be, Geekom is selling the GeekBook X16 Pro laptop series in the USA, but it most likely isn’t the model that they supplied me for review purposes.

According to Geekom’s own website, the retail hardware comes with either a Core Ultra 9 185H or a Core Ultra 5 125H CPU, both mobile chips from Intel’s 100 series stable.

These machines come with 32GB of LPDDR5X memory and 2TB of SSD storage, sport Arc graphics and AI Boost.

That’s a decent amount of power for a laptop, and to keep the 16-inch 2560 x 1600 resolution IPS panel running through a working day, it has a 77Wh battery inside.

My review hardware had the same Core Ultra 9 platform and screen, less RAM and storage, but more battery capacity. Apparently, this design went through some late changes, and considering how heavy the review machine was, many of these were positive changes.

The cost savings Geekom made to offer this laptop at the modest asking price of around $1350 mean there is only one USB4 port, the webcam is only 2MP, and the keyboard and touchpad aren’t the best quality.

How much those things impact you will depend on how you are likely to use it, but this laptop isn’t built to the level of a $2000 machine from Acer, Dell, HP or Lenovo.

That said, the underlying platform is solid, even if you can’t expand the memory, and with a USB 4.0 port, it can be attached to a Dock if you need more ports or more than two displays.

Geekom includes a basic USB-C Dock in the box, so those who need a wired LAN port won’t need a full Dock or adapter.

This isn’t the best business laptop I’ve tested, but it's far from the worst, and demonstrates that you can get relatively recent platforms in these form factors if you are prepared to compromise on some aspects.

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: Price and availability

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• How much does it cost? From $999
• When is it out? Available now in the USA
• Where can you get it? Direct from Geekom or online retailers

Geekom built its name on mini PCs, and the GeekBook X16 Pro is one of its first proper laptops. It launched primarily in the United States, where pricing has swung widely between around $949 and $1,599 depending on configuration and whatever promotion happens to be running that week.

At the time of writing, it can be bought directly from Geekom or via online retailers like Amazon.com and Best Buy.

The review unit supplied pairs the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB drive. This does not match either of Geekom's advertised configurations, which list the Ultra 9 185H alongside 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage, or the Ultra 5 125H with 32GB and 1TB.

In the US, the Ultra 9 model with 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage costs $1,349 directly from the maker, the same price at which it can be bought from Amazon.com. The Ultra 5 option with the same 32GB and 1TB of RAM is $999.

The price on Best Buy for the Ultra 9 model is the same $1,349, but curiously, Newegg is asking $2,086.99 for the same hardware.

As Geekom is not a brand with the kudos of other laptop makers, it would seem reasonable to assume that it would undercut the better names. And, it does in general.

But that’s mostly because the big names have moved on to either Ultra 200 or 300 class processors, and therefore, what they’re offering is more powerful.

As an example, the Dell 16 Plus sells for $1429.99 in the USA. It comes with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 1TB of storage. But critically, it has an Ultra 7 256V processor and that comes with ARC graphics. Admittedly, boosting that to 32GB of RAM will jump it to $1,899.99, but you do get a touch screen with that model.

If the Geekom X16 Pro were closer to $1000 for maybe a Core Ultra 7 class CPU, it might be a better value, but from a corporate viewpoint, it needs to be a better deal to push an Intel platform that is already a couple of generations back.

• Value: 3.5 / 5

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: Specs

Item

Spec

Hardware:

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro NM16DM (review hardware)

CPU:

Intel® Core Ultra 9 Processor 185H (16 Cores, 22 Threads, 5.1 GHz)

GPU:

Intel Arc GPU

NPU:

Intel AI Boost (35 TOPS CPU+NPU+GPU)

RAM:

16GB LPDDRX5 (no upgrades)

Storage:

512GB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD + M.2 2230 free slot

Screen:

16.0-inch IPS LCD, 2560 × 1600 (16:10)

Ports:

1x USB4, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) , 2 × USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps), 1x HDMI 1.4, Audio Combo Jack

Camera:

2MP (1080p) Windows Hello compliant

Networking:

Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4

Dimensions:

353 mm × 249 mm × 6.9 mm

Weight:

1.750kg

OS:

Windows 11 Pro (pre-installed)

Battery:

99.99Wh Battery

Power supply:

100W (20V 5A)

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: Design

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• Magnesium-aluminium chassis
• Diverges from the retail model
• Ports aren't labelled

Let’s start by saying that the GeekBook X16 Pro sent to me deviated from the specifications presented for the retail model in several significant ways.

Firstly, it has 16GB of RAM, whereas all retail SKUs have 32GB, and it has 1TB of storage, which isn’t available on the model with the Core Ultra 9 processor.

The biggest difference with my hardware was that it wasn’t the same weight as the retail model is quoted to be, and the reason is undoubtedly that it had a 99.98Whr battery, not the 77Whr that Geekom mentions in the specification.

The specs also mention a MicroSD card slot, but that wasn’t on the review machine.

It’s my assumption, and I can be wrong, that the rest of this equipment is roughly the same as the retail version, but there are no guarantees here.

Geekom has machined the GeekBook X16 Pro from a single piece of magnesium alloy, and that heritage shows in the finish. The Titanium Gray coating feels warm rather than cold to the touch, and there is no flex anywhere across the lid or the keyboard deck. While not the highest quality finish, it doesn’t feel cheap either.

Where the design pitch starts to wobble is the weight. Geekom lists the X16 Pro at 1.27kg, a figure that would make it one of the lightest 16-inch laptops around. The review unit weighs a whopping 1.75kg on the scales, nearly half a kilogram heavier than advertised, and that difference is obvious the moment you lift it one-handed. A laptop sold on featherweight portability should not feel like this in the hand.

This weight discrepancy, I’m confident, is down to the battery that Geekom used in the review hardware. Which is much larger than the one that is on the official spec sheet.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Port selection is generous for something this slim, with two USB-C connections, two USB-A, a full-size HDMI, and a headphone jack.

The frustration is that none of them is labelled with a speed. One USB-C runs at USB4 and the other only at USB 3.2, and there is no visual way to tell which is which, short of plugging something in and checking. For a laptop aimed at people who might use a fast external drive or a high-bandwidth dock, that is a genuine oversight from Geekom, and worth calling out plainly rather than glossing over.

The keyboard includes a full number pad, which is a genuine convenience on a 16-inch chassis and something plenty of rivals leave out. Typing feel is a little on the spongy side rather than crisp, so anyone coming from a firmer keyboard may need a short adjustment period.

The keyboard is workable, but I’m less convinced by the trackpad. It does the job for general navigation and gestures, but it does not feel as refined as the rest of the machine, and precision clicking is not its strong suit.

Those buying a 16-inch laptop clearly want a good display, and the IPS panel on this machine offers 2.5K resolution, a 16:10 aspect ratio, and a 120Hz refresh rate. That extra vertical space suits spreadsheets, documents and code far better than a standard 16:9 screen, and scrolling feels smooth thanks to the higher refresh rate.

Geekom quotes 100 per cent sRGB coverage, which is close enough for everyday creative work without needing a colour-calibrated reference screen.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Since many business machines get small upgrades during their working life, I like to take the backs off laptops to see what is possible on that front.

Removing the underside requires removing nine screws with a T5 screwdriver, but once they’re out, it's relatively easy to detach. Inside, the battery can be replaced, and there is an unoccupied M.2 2230 slot. While the 2230 drive is an easy upgrade, the primary slot is 2280, so I’d probably recommend cloning the supplied drive to a larger one using that slot first.

The capacities of M.2 2230 aren’t great right now.

Also, these days, all memory comes pre-soldered, so the RAM in this system is the maximum it will ever have, even if the processors used on it can address 96GB.

Overall, this is one of those designs that is somewhat bland and lacks any sort of signature feature, but for many customers, that’s exactly what they want.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• Design: 4.5 / 5

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: Hardware

• Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
• Modest AI capability
• Wasted PCIe lanes

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is the flagship chip from Intel's first Core Ultra family, known internally as Meteor Lake. It packs sixteen cores across three types: six performance cores, eight efficiency cores and two low-power efficiency cores, giving it real flexibility between raw speed and battery-sensitive multitasking. Turbo clocks reach 5.1 GHz, and in daily use, that translates into a chip that handles heavy browser sessions, office work, and moderate creative tasks without complaint. Cinebench multicore scores sit comfortably above a thousand points, proof that the hybrid layout genuinely pays off rather than existing purely as a marketing slide.

Graphics duties fall to an integrated Arc GPU built from eight Xe cores, clocked up to 2.35GHz. This was the point where Meteor Lake felt like a proper step forward. Games at modest settings run smoothly, video timelines scrub without stutter, and general graphical work feels far removed from the older Iris chips it replaced. It will never trouble a discrete GPU, but for a laptop chip doing double duty as a workstation and a light gaming machine, it earns its keep.

Then there is the NPU, which Intel calls AI Boost on this silicon. On its own, the dedicated neural engine delivers around 11 TOPS. Add contributions from the CPU and GPU, and Intel quotes a platform total of 35 TOPS. That was a genuinely new capability when Meteor Lake launched, letting local AI tasks like background blur, transcription and some generative features run without leaning on the cloud.

The trouble is that time moves fast in Silicon. Microsoft set the bar for its Copilot Plus program at 40 TOPS from the NPU alone, and the 185H simply does not reach it.

Intel's 200 series chips, split between Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake depending on the segment, push NPU performance well past 40 TOPS on the Lunar Lake side. The newer 300 series, built on Panther Lake, goes further still, pairing a stronger NPU with a genuine jump in graphics performance too.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

So is the 185H still worth having? Yes, with a clear head about what it is. It remains a strong general-purpose chip for everyday work, and its Arc graphics still beat plenty of rivals from its own generation. What it is not is a true Copilot Plus chip, and anyone chasing the latest on device AI features should look at the newer series instead. Judged simply as a capable, well-rounded laptop processor for typical work, there is still very little to complain about here. It has aged into a dependable middle child rather than a has-been, useful for exactly the sort of laptop you might have in front of you now.

Where this design isn’t well-served is that the Core Ultra 9 supports 28 PCI lanes (PCI 5.0 and 4.0), and the ports provided use hardly any of them. Given how much unused PCIe bandwidth was available, why is only one USB-C port USB4 spec? This chipset does support Thunderbolt, and if this were a Mini PC at this price point, I’d be expecting that, but only one USB4 port is poor considering the small army of unused PCIe lanes.

When I look at the number of mini PCs and laptops using this Meteor Lake silicon, I’m inclined to conclude that Intel made far too many of these wafers and now has unused bins clogging the channel they use to move 200- and 300-series chips.

If that’s an accurate analysis, then we’re likely to see more machines like the X16 Pro, where Intel attempts to flog them off before they’re four generations back.

• Hardware: 3.5 / 5

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: Performance

Laptops

 

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro

Acer Swift Edge 14 AI

CPU

 

Intel Core Ultra 9 185H

Intel Core Ultra 7 258V

Cores/Threads

 

16C 22T

8C 8T

TPD

 

45W

17W-37W

RAM

 

16GB LPDDR5X

32GB LPDDR5X

SSD

 

512 GB KINGSTON OM8TAP4512K1

1TB Kingston OM8PGP4102Q

Graphics

 

Intel Arc Graphics

Intel Arc 140V

NPU

 

Intel AI Boost (11 TOPS)

Intel NPU (47 TOPS)

3DMark

WildLife

18,030

20,983

 

FireStrike

7177

8003

 

TimeSpy

3815

4065

 

Steel Nomad.L

2638

2989

CineBench24

Single

94

120

 

Multi

631

389

 

Ratio

6.70

3.24

GeekBench 6

Single

2337

2757

 

Multi

12104

11148

 

OpenCL

33402

29692

 

Vulkan

35602

33890

CrystalDIsk

Read MB/s

5979

4805

 

Write  MB/s

3756

3905

PCMark 10

Office

8133

8206

 

Battery

23h 21m

18h 28m

Battery

Whr

77

65

 

PSU

100W

100W

WEI

Score

8.2

8.8

Before I talk about this comparison, I need to address the elephant reclining on the sofa using this laptop, and that’s the lack of continuity between the review hardware I tested and the retail GeekBook X16 Pro options. While the amount of RAM and the SSD model might well have altered some of these numbers, the one big difference is that the review hardware had a battery with 99.99Whr of capacity, whereas the retail hardware only has 77Whr.

In testing, this machine lasted 23 hours and 21 minutes, and if that is adjusted pro rata to the 77Whr battery size, a projected running time of approximately 1079 minutes, or roughly 17 hours, 59 minutes. If I assume that the retail machine has 32GB of RAM, double that of the review hardware, then that extra overhead in keeping the memory alive would bring the running time down to 17 hours, which is exactly what Geekom is quoting.

That’s a decent amount of time, and should cover even a long working day for those who live to work.

The other benchmarks presented here, I’m less concerned, might be different from a retail GeekBook, since the platform is unlikely to be different to what I tested.

My comparison machine, the Acer Swift Edge 14 AI, is a smaller display option, but it uses a newer 200 series processor, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V.

As is evident, the improvements Intel made between Meteor Lake and Luna Lake weren’t subtle, and the Core i7 on the Acer performs better pretty much across the board. It’s dramatically better on single-core exercise, even if in some situations the GPU utilisation is slightly better on the older chip.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

And, for those wondering about 300 series silicon, like the Intel Core Ultra 7 355 on the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Enterprise Edition, I recently covered, it performs even better.

There is no ‘golden age’ of mobile processors to discover, and the newest ones are genuinely better in almost every respect.

What isn’t covered in these benchmarks is AI, and that’s lucky for the GeekBook, because it would get slapped by any 200 or 300 series processor, even a Core Ultra 5 variant.

Overall, if you are looking for a workmanlike system with decent battery life and adequate performance for office tasks, the GeekBook X16 Pro ticks enough boxes. But it’s not a machine for power users or creatives, unsurprisingly.

For those interested in the screen, I gave it a full analysis using the Datacolor Spyder X2 Ultra, and it was better than I’d anticipated for a side-lit IPS screen.

The gamut representation was 98% sRGB and 78% AdobeRGB and P3, which is fine. The brightness is capped at just over 300 nits, and the contrast is at about 1060:1.

The weaknesses of this panel are a mediocre tone response and poor white point accuracy.

But the usual challenges of luminance and colour uniformity aren’t a big issue here.

Overall, the screen is better than I’ve seen on some big-name brands, even if it can’t compete with the AMLOED displays that some products rock.

• Performance: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: Final verdict

Since the review hardware patently wasn’t the one I was sent, I feel justified in being somewhat coy about endorsing it unreservedly.

What I’m hoping customers of Geekom are getting is roughly the same chassis, screen and platform, but with more memory, more storage and 23% less battery. And, it's much lighter than the one I got, which is difficult to hold in one hand when it's open.

If that’s the case, this is an interesting option for those wanting a reasonably punchy machine without burning through the budget entirely on the latest processor platforms.

The only thing I’d like to see from this brand is more attention to detail, especially in respect of labelling ports. This would have been less of an issue if both USB-C ports had been USB4, and there are few valid excuses I’d take for why they aren't.

Those points aside, and with a trackpad that might have been better, there are many positive aspects of this design that, only a few years ago, might have been described as a flagship model.

It isn’t cheap, but with rising memory and storage costs, hardware at this price might look like more of a bargain in a couple of years. And, compared with 200 and 300 series machines, it's on the budget-friendly side of the line.

Where I’d be careful with this hardware is deploying it to a student, because it's difficult to assess how much abuse it can take, and it's not easy to fit in a smaller backpack.

But with prices on the rise, a machine with this silicon, screen, memory and storage for less than $1500 isn't a bad deal, and it can only get better in the coming months.

Should you buy a Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro?

Value

Not a wonderful deal, but affordable

3.5/5

Design

Unexciting design slightly hampered by a cheap touchpad

3.5/5

Hardware

Intel 100 series, but only one USB4 port

3.5/5

Performance

Decent performance unless you use AI

4/5

Overall

Based system that was built to a price

4/5

Buy it if...

You need a 16-inch display
The IPS panel on the X16 Pro is pretty good, even if it isn't OLED technology. It's not a screen you want to work in sunlight with, but indoors, it's workable.

You're on a budget
The chip in this laptop comes from the first Ultra generation and has all its strengths and weaknesses. It combines excellent efficiency with slightly lacklustre single-core performance and first-generation AI technology.

Don't buy it if...

You like to upgrade
The 32GB LPDDR5x memory is soldered onto the mainboard and cannot be upgraded. Users looking for long-term flexibility or future-proofing may find this limiting, especially if workloads grow more demanding over time.

You want the highest levels of performance
Compared to the latest AMD Ryzen AI machines or the Intel 200/300 series, the processor and graphics in this system aren’t the quickest available. If compute power is paramount, and battery life is less important, then consider a system that uses the AMD Ryzen AI 395 Max+.View Deal

MSI Raider 16 Max HX: Two-minute review

MSI has something of a mixed history with gaming laptops. I've reviewed quite a few products from the Taiwanese computer hardware brand, and in the past, I've championed MSI for its ability to provide high-performance products with very competitive price tags.

Unfortunately, it seems that the ongoing RAM crisis has caused MSI's latest high-end gaming laptop, the Raider 16 Max HX, to take a hit in this department. Needless to say, this laptop is very far from cheap, with my review configuration clocking in at a steep $4,299 / £3,999 (around AU$6,235).

I'll dig more into the pricing details further down in this review, but the days of wallet-friendly gaming laptops are truly over. That's not a pure criticism of MSI, but I'll admit I balk a bit less at a sky-high price tag on something like Razer's Blade 18; at least Razer gear has always cost a premium, while MSI has frequently offered comparable specs at more reasonable prices.

(Image credit: Future)

Setting aside the price tag for a moment, though: is this a good gaming laptop? Well, for the most part, I'd say yes. Performance is strong across the board, with an Intel Core Ultra processor and Nvidia RTX 5000 GPU combined with 32GB of RAM to deliver high framerates in games and power through creative workloads. It's well-equipped for AI-focused workloads too, if you're looking for a device that can pull double duty for both work and play.

The VESA-validated QHD+ screen is bright and colorful, with optional OLED models available in some regions. The chassis is pretty chunky – I certainly wouldn't recommend the Raider 16 Max HX to anyone looking for a laptop they can easily take on the go – but it makes good use of that size, with a full-scale keyboard that doesn't feel cramped in use and a great selection of ports for physical connectivity.

Pricing aside, my main criticism of the MSI Raider 16 Max HX is the overall build quality. The plastic outer casing and screen hinge feel sturdy enough, but the keyboard housing has far too much flex on firm keypresses, and the touchpad is frankly abysmal, feeling like it might break if I pressed down too hard.

I'll delve more into these issues in the design section of this review, but I will say this here: they're not absolute dealbreakers. For starters, you should really be using one of the best gaming mice with any gaming laptop anyway, so the weak touchpad shouldn't actually be a huge problem for actual gaming. Overall, I did quite like the Raider 16 Max HX – it's simply difficult to recommend such a high-end laptop in the current hardware climate.

MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Price & availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Starts from $2,999 / £2,249 (around AU$4,350)
• Available now in the US and UK
• Higher-end configurations get expensive fast

Even the base configuration of the MSI Raider 16 Max HX isn't cheap, starting out at $2,999 / £2,249 (around AU$4,350) for a version with the Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti graphics card, 16GB of RAM, and a less powerful Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU.

The review unit I received from MSI is a high-spec model, packing an RTX 5090 and Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor along with 32GB of RAM. This configuration will set you back a rather eye-watering $4,299 / £3,999 (around AU$6,235). There's also a middle-ground model, which uses the RTX 5080, and a few interstitial configurations that swap out the CPU, RAM, or display for slightly different components (including the aforementioned optional OLED display).

In short, it ain't cheap. Sure, you can find more expensive laptops out there, but not many of them. I can't comment on it with absolute confidence since I was sent an RTX 5090 version, but my past experiences with laptop RTX 5070 Ti GPUs lead me to suspect that the lower-end models might actually provide slightly more bang for your buck than the top-spec configurations.

MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Specs

Base spec

Max spec (review config)

Price

$2,999 / £2,249 (around AU$4,350)

$4,299 / £3,999 (around AU$6,235)

CPU

Intel Core Ultra 7 251HX

Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus

Graphics

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop GPU

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU

RAM

16GB DDR5

32GB DDR5

Display

16-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600p), 240Hz, IPS

16-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600p), 240Hz, IPS (OLED optional)

Storage

1TB NVMe SSD PCIe Gen4

2TB NVMe SSD PCIe Gen4

Ports and Connectivity

3x USB-A (3.2 Gen2), 2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 4), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x SD card reader, 1x RJ-45 Ethernet, 1x 3.5mm combo audio; Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4

3x USB-A (3.2 Gen2), 2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 4), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x SD card reader, 1x RJ-45 Ethernet, 1x 3.5mm combo audio; Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4

Battery

91.8Whr

91.8Whr

Weight

5.73lbs / 2.60kg

5.73lbs / ​2.60kg

Dimensions

10.6 x 14.3 x 1.1 inches / 26.9 x 36.3 x 2.89 cm

10.6 x 14.3 x 1.1 inches / 26.9 x 36.3 x 2.89 cm

MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Large, bulky 'gamer' design
• Bright, colorful display
• Plenty of ports and good cooling

Make no mistake, this is a gaming laptop through and through. From the translucent WASD keys to the patterned lid and RGB lightbar across the front of the chassis, the MSI Raider 16 Max HX absolutely screams 'gaming aesthetics' – so it might not be the laptop for you if you want something you can take into a serious office environment as well as gaming at home.

This advice goes double, in fact, because the Raider 16 Max HX is a bit of a chunky device, which hurts its portability. Weighing more than two and a half kilos and measuring over an inch thick with the lid closed, it's far from a lightweight laptop.

That being said, I won't knock the score down for the bulky chassis. MSI has made good use of the extra size, squeezing in a full-size RGB-backlit keyboard with a numpad, yet the main key spread doesn't feel cramped – I found it pretty good for typing, with decent spacing and a reasonable amount of travel. Unfortunately, the aforementioned flex in the keyboard housing gives a slightly spongy feel on firm presses, which may turn some users off.

(Image credit: Future)

The large chassis has some other bonuses, too; you get a rich selection of physical ports here, which I'm always pleased to see. In addition to multiple USB-A and USB-C (Thunderbolt 4) ports, you also get HDMI for connecting a second display and an SD card reader – potentially excellent for digital photographers or filmmakers who want to use their laptop both for gaming and editing work.

A bulkier design also allows for superior cooling. I'll dig into this more in the performance section, but long story short: this Raider has a pretty solid cooling solution, utilizing a triple-fan design with five large exhaust vents that help keep the laptop from getting too warm even during lengthy gaming binges. Considering that some gaming laptops can get pretty toasty when running graphically demanding titles, this is a good inclusion.

There's also a degree of upgrade flexibility here, with a removable underside panel that lets you swap in a new SSD (with an empty slot) or upgrade the RAM should you so desire. This isn't an uncommon sight in modern gaming laptops, but I always appreciate the option to boost my system a little.

Moving over to the display, it certainly feels like it belongs on a high-end laptop, delivering good maximum brightness and color reproduction even on the default IPS panel in my review unit (certain high-spec configurations swap this out for an even more vivid OLED panel instead). The QHD+ (1600p) resolution and 240Hz refresh rate are ideal for gaming – especially if you're into fast-paced esports games that demand a high framerate, like Counter-Strike or Valorant.

(Image credit: Future)

Above the display sits a 1080p webcam, which also includes a physical privacy shutter. In my opinion, physical shutters or camera killswitches should be mandatory in laptops, so I'm glad to see one included here.

I really do need to address the touchpad. This might be one of the worst-feeling touchpads I've ever seen on a 'premium' laptop; in fact, I've legitimately seen better pads on budget-friendly Chromebooks. Clicks feel wobbly and unsatisfying, the whole housing flexes far too much even on less forceful presses, and right-clicks sometimes fail to register unless your finger is in the extreme bottom-right corner of the pad.

It's just... bad. I acknowledge that in practice, this won't be a massive issue since all but the most unhinged PC gamers will always use a mouse over a touchpad, but considering that my review model costs in excess of four thousand US dollars, it feels egregiously poor quality.

Lastly, the speakers and microphone are decent but unspectacular. You could find a gaming laptop with superior audio features, but I won't mark the Raider 16 Max HX down for that, because much like the touchpad situation, any sensible PC gamer will be using a gaming headset anyway.

MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Powerful AAA gaming performance
• Also good for creative and AI workloads
• Fans do get noisy

Razer Blade 18 (2026) benchmarks

3DMark: Night Raid: 92,257; Fire Strike: 39,894; Steel Nomad: 6,203; Speed Way: 6,254; Solar Bay: 111,156
Geekbench 6: Multicore: 20,638; Single-core: 3,114
Cinebench R24: Single Core: 134; Multi Core: 2,229
Crossmark: Overall: 2,402; Productivity: 2,195; Creativity: 2,729; Responsiveness: 2,148
Passmark Overall: 15,144; CPU: 64,888; 2D Graphics: 1,016; 3D Graphics: 30,528; Memory: 3,730; Disk: 43,681
BlackMagicDisk: Read: 4,790MB/s; Write: 3,314MB/s
HandBrake 4K to 1080p: 119.5fps
Civilization VII: (Max resolution, AMD FSR 3, High): 209fps; (1080p, High): 219fps
Shadow of the Tomb Raider: (Max resolution, Highest, Balanced upscaling): 228fps; (1080p, Highest, SMAA x4): 209fps
Total War: Warhammer III: Mirrors of Madness: (1080p, Ultra): 98fps; (Max Resolution, Ultra): 80fps
Cyberpunk 2077: (Max resolution, Ultra, Balanced upscaling): 132fps; (1080p, Ray Tracing: Ultra, Balanced upscaling): 108fps; (1080p, Ultra): 146fps
Marvel Rivals: (Max resolution, Balanced upscaling, Ultra): 798ps; (1200p, Low): 175fps
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 8 hours and 11 minutes

Shocking nobody, my RTX 5090-toting review unit of the MSI Raider 16 Max HX blasted through our benchmarking tests with aplomb, delivering top-notch performance throughout.

Naturally, that meant excellent framerates in a range of triple-A games; in addition to the ones visible in that boxout, I also tested Marathon, Elden Ring, Warframe, and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, and they all looked fantastic on the QHD+ display.

It was even able to average exactly 60 frames per second in Cyberpunk 2077 with the Ray Tracing Overdrive preset at the Raider's native 1600p resolution, using only Balanced DLSS upscaling with no frame generation – a notoriously demanding benchmark that batters many of the best gaming laptops.

(Image credit: Future)

So, both synthetic and real-world gaming tests went smoothly – but what about creative workloads? Well, the Raider 16 Max HX delivers on that front too, handily matching (and even exceeding, in some tests) the scores achieved by Razer's most recent Blade 18 with the same GPU. 3D rendering, video editing, statistical modelling, LLM training... you name it, the Raider can handle it.

The Intel Core Ultra 290HX Plus in my review unit is also a beast, delivering solid performance across both single- and multi-core workloads. For anyone looking to play CPU-bound games like large-scale management sims, strategy, and 4X titles, this ensures you won't encounter CPU bottlenecks that hamper performance.

I would note that during intensive workloads (predominantly games and creative software), the fans do get fairly loud. They're not the noisiest I've ever heard in a gaming laptop, but it's something potential buyers may want to bear in mind if they're planning to use the Raider in shared spaces, because they do have quite a noticeable whine that almost completely drowned out the fans of my nearby desktop PC during benchmarking. A good headset should insulate your ears from this noise, at least.

It also offers pleasingly fast SSD read and write speeds – which, in fairness, is something I would fully expect from a laptop in this price range, but is good to see nonetheless. Creative professionals who regularly work with large file sizes will appreciate how quickly you can transfer your files around.

(Image credit: Future)

Since this is an Nvidia RTX 5000 laptop, regardless of which configuration you purchase, you're also getting the full suite of performance-boosting software tools inside the newly redesigned (and hugely improved) Nvidia App. That naturally includes DLSS resolution upscaling, but also up to 4x frame generation – though I'd personally recommend sticking to 2x for now, for better visual fidelity – as well as features like Nvidia Reflex, in-depth system monitoring, and AI-powered filters like RTX HDR.

Unfortunately, it seems MSI couldn't resist cramming in a load of their own software as well, and to be brutally honest, this is mostly bloatware. The default MSI Center tool is... fine, I guess, letting you customize the RGB lighting as well as tweak system performance presets, but it's hardly groundbreaking stuff. Add in Norton 360 antivirus, Nahimic audio, the Intel Killer network tool, SteelSeries GG, MSI True Color, MSI App Player, and all the Windows Store nonsense Microsoft insists on pre-installing with Windows 11, and it all becomes quite annoying.

Mercifully, you can uninstall the majority of this garbage, or simply do a clean Windows install when you first set it up. But I'm never going to stop being mildly irritated by laptop manufacturers cramming as much software as possible into their devices – especially when some of them are literally mirrored by base functionality within Windows itself.

MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Battery life

(Image credit: Future)

• Great for a gaming laptop
• Good at auto-switching to the iGPU
• Can be charged via USB-C or bundled adapter

MSI has evidently pulled some funky witchcraft with the Raider 16 Max HX, because it cleared the 8-hour mark in our video playback test – an exceedingly rare sight for a gaming laptop.

Okay, there aren't actually any magic spells involved here; the trick is in the new Intel Core Ultra chip that powers this Raider, which offers stellar power efficiency compared to older CPUs from the likes of Intel and AMD. Of course, the GPU will guzzle power when you're gaming (in my online gaming test playing Marathon on the Raider 16 Max HX, it drained from full charge to 10% in just over two hours, which is still decent), but the laptop will automatically switch to the Intel chip's integrated graphics when not running graphically-intensive software in order to conserve battery life.

I also found that it held charge very well, still packing more than 50% after sitting on my desk for several days following my initial unboxing and photography. You can charge it via the (very chunky) bundled adapter, or use any appropriate USB-C charger for slower but more portable charging if you ever opt to take it out of its usual desktop-replacement environment.

Should I buy the MSI Raider 16 Max HX?Razer Blade 18 (2026): Scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

Very expensive considering some of the build quality missteps, especially for higher-spec configurations – even if you could feasibly spend more on an RTX 5000 gaming laptop.

3.5 / 5

Design

Offers a fairly durable build with lots of ports and an very good display, but the bulky chassis, RGB-heavy gamer aesthetic, and terrible trackpad might ruin it for some potential buyers.

3.5 / 5

Performance

Best-in-class performance across both gaming and creative workloads, with an effective cooling solution that prevents the keyboard from getting too warm even during intense gaming sessions.

5 / 5

Battery life

Very impressive for a gaming laptop, with more than two hours of triple-A gaming or more than 8 hours of basic everyday use.

4.5 / 5

Total Score

The Raider 16 Max HX is a solid desktop-replacement offering from MSI, provided you can stomach the price tag.

4.125 / 5

Buy the MSI Raider 16 Max HX if…

You want best-in-class performance
The RTX 5090 configuration of the Raider 16 Max HX is an absolute monster when it comes to gaming performance, and can function as a professional workstation too.

You're a creative and a gamer
The high-spec components, VESA-validated QHD+ display, and broad port selection make the Raider 16 Max HX a decent choice for digital creatives who also want to play games on the side.

Don't buy it if…

You want something portable
The Raider is undeniably a chunky unit, serving far better as a static desktop-replacement system than a gaming device for taking on the go.

You’re on a tight budget
Even the lowest-spec configuration of the Raider 16 Max HX will set you back a few thousand bucks; sadly, gone are the days when you could easily get a good gaming laptop for under $1,000.View Deal

MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Also consider

MSI Stealth A16 AI+
A similarly powerful but significantly more compact and portable gaming laptop, MSI's own Stealth A16 AI+ also packs a selection of RTX 5000 configurations, but trades out an Intel CPU for the latest AMD Ryzen fare instead. Read our full MSI Stealth A16 AI+ review.

Asus V16
If the price of the Raider 16 Max HX made you balk while reading this review, my current top pick for laptop gamers on a budget is the Asus V16, which offers very respectable performance without breaking the bank. Read our full Asus V16 review.

How I tested the MSI Raider 16 Max HX

(Image credit: Future)

• Replaced my usual system for 10 days
• Used for gaming and other tasks
• 8+ years of experience reviewing dozens of laptops

As usual for my laptop review process, I used the MSI Raider 16 Max HX as a replacement for my usual laptop and desktop PC, putting it through its paces in everything from gaming to my everyday work at TechRadar.

Naturally, I also ran the Raider through our synthetic and gaming benchmark testing suite as seen in the Performance section of this review, as well as playing several other games (just for fun!) which included Marathon, Warframe, Elden Ring, and my long-running obsession Slay the Spire 2 – though of course, that last one is hardly a hardware stress test, since it can literally run on my phone.

I've been a PC gamer since my tender pre-teen years, starting out on my dad's boxy beige home office desktop, and I've been a professional tech journalist reviewing all kinds of laptops and PC tech for nearly a decade now, starting out at Maximum PC magazine before making the jump to digital journalism and joining the TechRadar team. I've personally reviewed more than seventy laptops, so you can trust that my knowledge and experience give you reliable insights into the quality of the products I write about.

• First reviewed: July 2026
• Read more about how we test

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The good thing is that you can remove your personal information from people-finder platforms. Data removal services, like OneRep, scan numerous people-finder sites for your data, then send deletion requests wherever your data is found. This service helps protect your privacy on the web.

OneRep is one of many data removal services, and I’ve reviewed it to help you decide if it’s an ideal choice. After extensive testing, I’m diving into its key features, pricing, pros, cons, and other important information to know about it.

• How we test, review and rate on TechRadar

OneRep: Plans and pricing

OneRep offers tiered plans: a standard plan and a Pro plan. The core difference is the number of data broker (people-finder) sites covered by each plan. The standard plan scans for your data on 319 public data broker sites, while the Pro plan covers 319 public data broker sites and an additional 559 non-public ones. The Pro plan also provides unlimited custom removal requests, while the standard plan doesn’t.

For the standard plan, you can choose the Individual tier for one person or the Family tier covering six users. The Individual tier costs $15 per month, while the Family tier costs $28 per month. If you pay annually, you’ll get a 47% discount compared to paying month-to-month, bringing the monthly price for the Individual tier down to $8.33, and the Family tier down to $15 per month.

The Pro plan also has Individual and Family tiers. The Individual Pro plan costs $30 per month, while the Family Pro tier (covering six users) costs $56 per month (the 47% annual discount also applies, with pricing reduced to $15.95 and $29.95 per month respectively). As mentioned, the Pro plan covers 316 public data-broker sites and 559 non-public ones that people often don’t see. It also provides access to a dedicated privacy expert, who can send carefully written data deletion requests when automated requests don’t suffice.

OneRep doesn’t offer a free plan, but a 5-day free trial is available for all its paid plans. You can use this free trial period to test the features before making your decision. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee after payment.

(Image credit: OneRep)OneRep: Setup

Setting up OneRep is a straightforward journey. Head to the website, select a plan, and proceed to the checkout page. OneRep requires payment details to begin its 5-day free trial, which I consider a bit of a drawback, but this is common with data removal sites. The good thing is that you can cancel the plan within 5 days, and your card won’t be charged. Even if you pay, there’s a 30-day window to request a full refund.

OneRep doesn’t have a free plan, but it does offer a freebie. On the homepage, you can enter your name and city, and OneRep will scan 316 public data-broker sites for your information.

(Image credit: OneRep )

You’ll need to sign up to access the full report, which states how many data-broker sites your personal information was found on.

(Image credit: OneRep )

The free scan is the hook OneRep uses to incentivize people to use its data removal services. You can get a detailed report for free, but you’ll need a paid plan for OneRep to send deletion requests on your behalf.

OneRep usually first sends automated deletion requests to sites where your personal data is discovered. If the automated requests don’t work, OneRep’s team drafts legal deletion requests and sends them manually on your behalf.

We’ve mentioned that OneRep covers 316 public data-broker sites on the standard plan and an additional 559 non-public sites on the Pro plan, but there’s more to it. For Pro subscribers, if you find your personal information on a people-finder site not usually covered by OneRep, you can share the link on your dashboard, and a dedicated OneRep expert can draft a custom deletion request for that site. There’s no guarantee that the request will be successful, but it works in many cases.

I like that OneRep doesn’t just offer data-removal services. It also offers a data breach monitoring service, which helps you identify if your email was affected in a known data breach. In my case, I surprisingly discovered that my email address was affected in four data breaches:

(Image credit: OneRep )

With this discovery, the right step to take was to change the passwords affected in the data breaches. I changed the passwords on both the affected websites and any other websites where I used the same passwords. This way, someone can’t use my breached password to gain unauthorized access to my accounts. As a preventive measure, I always activate two-factor authentication for my accounts, ensuring that people can’t gain access even if they somehow have the right username and password.

OneRep: Ease of use

I found OneRep very easy to use, and I don’t say this lightly. I’ve tested some data removal services that took a long time to get familiar with, but that wasn’t the case with OneRep. From signing up to accessing reports and monitoring deletion requests on my dashboard, everything felt simple.

You can access OneRep from your web browser on a PC or smartphone. There’s no native smartphone app, so a PC provides the best user experience.

OneRep: Security and privacy

OneRep contributes a lot to your online security and privacy. It scrubs your personal information (e.g., names, home addresses, and phone numbers) from people-finder sites and alerts you about data breaches where your email address was affected. The Family plan provides security coverage for both you and five other people.

OneRep doesn’t offer many complementary security features like some rivals. Apart from data removal, data breach monitoring is its core complementary feature, unlike some rivals that also offer a VPN, spam call blocking, identity theft protection, and more. However, OneRep is effective in its core duty of scrubbing and removing personal data from people-finder sites.

OneRep: Support

Users who need help can first visit OneRep’s official support page. On this page, they’ll find detailed answers to frequently asked questions and general guides about OneRep features. This support page proved valuable for me as a first-time user.

If the support page is insufficient, you can contact OneRep via email or telephone. Email tickets get responses within 24 hours, and telephone calls receive instant responses, but are restricted to working hours.

OneRep: Competition

Cloaked is the main OneRep competitor I’d like to highlight. I’ve tested both platforms extensively enough to provide a fair comparison.

Compared to OneRep, Cloaked offers a broader suite of complementary security services, including a VPN, dark web monitoring, and robocall blocking. However, for personal data removal, Cloaked has less coverage than OneRep’s 800+ sites (316 public sites and 559 non-public sites).

I think OneRep is better than Cloaked for core data removal, but Cloaked is better as an all-in-one online security suite.

OneRep: Final verdict

Overall, I’ll recommend OneRep to anyone seeking a reliable data removal platform. You won’t get much outside data removal, but it’s highly effective for this core task. OneRep is a reliable companion that helps protect your privacy online.

MacPaw has spent years building a reputation as one of the most design-conscious developers in the Mac ecosystem. Its flagship product, CleanMyMac, has long included a malware removal module powered by Moonlock's engine. In October 2025, the Kyiv-based company spun that security technology into a standalone product: Moonlock, a full-featured antivirus app that goes well beyond a simple scanner.

Rather than leading with threat counts and detection percentages, Moonlock frames itself as security software that treats users like adults, explaining what malware is, why it matters, and what to do next, instead of firing off opaque alerts. The marketing centers on a 'care, not scare' approach, essentially promising to educate you rather than just bombarding you with red-text alerts.

While many live in the mythical belief that Macs are immune to viruses, MacPaw's own research reports that 66 percent of Mac users encountered at least one cyber threat last year, with a 67% increase in registered macOS backdoor variants in 2025. The research shows a key message: macOS is not immune, are users are being targeted more frequently than ever.

Plans and pricing

Moonlock starts at $54 per year for a single Mac, with licenses available for 2, 5, or more than 10 devices per subscription. Monthly billing and one-time lifetime license options are also available for those who prefer not to commit to an annual cycle.

Discounts of up to 67 percent are advertised on multi-year plans, which is worth exploring if you intend to stick with the product long term.

New users get a seven-day free trial, though a credit card is required to start. That is a common enough practice, but it does mean you will need to remember to cancel if the product does not suit you. To soften the blow of that annual fee, Moonlock offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, which is a considerably more generous safety net than the case-by-case refund process offered by some competitors.

Current Setapp subscribers get access to Moonlock at no additional charge, which may be the most compelling value proposition for those already in MacPaw's subscription ecosystem. At $54 per year for a single device, standalone pricing lands considerably higher than ClamXAV's three-Mac Home plan at $29.95, a gap worth weighing if budget is a primary concern.

Features

(Image credit: Moonlock)

Moonlock is organized into six sections: Home, Malware Scanner, VPN, Network Inspector, System Protection, and Security Advisor. That framework reflects a deliberate decision to bundle a security suite rather than deliver a focused antivirus, giving the product a notably broader footprint than Mac-only rivals like ClamXAV.

(Image credit: Moonlock)

Real-time protection runs continuously in the background, monitoring file activity, app behavior, and Mail attachments even when the main application window is closed. The Malware Scanner supports on-demand and scheduled scans, with built-in quarantine and removal tools. Detected threats are accompanied by plain-language explanations rather than raw file paths and specialized terms.

(Image credit: Moonlock)

The bundled VPN is a simplified version of MacPaw's ClearVPN, covering around 60 server locations across more than 45 countries. Independent testing found no DNS or WebRTC leaks, and MacPaw maintains a no-logging policy. Speed retention is strong, holding around 82 percent of baseline download speeds on transatlantic connections and up to 96 percent on closer servers.

Network Inspector adds a country-level connection blocker, permitting users to block outbound traffic to specific regions. System Protection audits macOS's own built-in security settings and walks you through any gaps. Finally, Security Advisor provides a checklist for basic digital hygiene, including practical guidance on habits such as two-factor authentication and app permissions. AI assists with malware classification on the backend, helping the team update threat databases before new strains reach your device.

Privacy and Security

From a top level perspective, Moonlock was tested by the third-party laboratory AV-Test in September 2025 and earned it's AV-Test certification. It scored a 5.5/6 in Protection, 4.5/6 in Performance, and a full 6/6 for Usability (which I'll dive into in the next section).

As for the credibility of the underlying research arm, Moonlock Lab has made several notable contributions to the antivirus landscape, being the first to identify PyStealer on VirusTotal, and the lab has also been cited by the SANS Institute for discovering new variants of the Atomic macOS infostealer.

Regarding privacy, the VPN operates under a strict zero-logs policy, and all data is processed locally. MacPaw publishes a Trust Center at security.macpaw.com describing its data-handling practices, certifications, and security standards, which is a nice change in transparency from many other antivirus providers.

The one caveat worth noting is that Moonlock is a recent standalone launch. While the underlying engine has been in use in CleanMyMac for some time, the app itself has a limited history as an independently tested product. But it is worth noting that in the time since the last time AV-Test handled Moonlock, MacPaw have likely taken steps to improve protection and performance.

Interface and in use

The interface is highly polished, modern, and immediately legible, with a two-panel home dashboard that separates tasks on the left from status information on the right. Everything is where you would expect it to be, and the visual hierarchy makes it easy to tell at a glance whether your Mac is protected.

Instead of a generic 'Threat Resolved' notification, Moonlock tells you what was found, why it poses a risk, and what your options are. I found I was the one to make the final call on whether to remove a flagged item, which sidesteps the infuriating experience of automated deletion that occasionally catches legitimate software.

The system requirements make it suitable for older devices too, requiring macOS 13 or later and 515MB of disk space. The app runs quickly and, in day-to-day use, does not noticeably drag on performance. Installation requires a MacPaw account, which adds a step that competitors like ClamXAV skip entirely for home users, but the tradeoff is a unified login for managing licenses and accessing support.

Ultimately, Moonlock is a great option for those looking for an accessible and easily navigable Mac antivirus that doesn't bombard you with any overly-technical language, and performs as though you are the one in control.

Support

Moonlock support runs on MacPaw's established infrastructure, with a dedicated knowledge base that covers installation, configuration, and troubleshooting, and those with questions can submit immediate inquiries through the support portal. In-app feedback is also available via the Help menu.

(Image credit: Moonlock)

As with many Mac-focused security products, live chat or phone support does not appear to be offered as a standard option. For most home users, the knowledge base and email channel will be sufficient. Teams with more complicated environments should verify support response times before committing, particularly given that Moonlock is a relatively new standalone product and the support documentation is still maturing.

The competition

ClamXAV is the most direct rival in the Mac-exclusive antivirus space. At $29.95 per year for three devices, it is considerably cheaper than Moonlock's $54 single-device starting price, and it also holds a perfect AV-Test score compared to Moonlock's test results. It does not include a VPN, network inspection, or the polished onboarding experience Moonlock offers, but for those who want focused antivirus protection at a lower cost, it is a strong option.

Intego Mac Internet Security X9 sits at a comparable price point and includes a network monitor, with a longer track record in independent third-party testing. Bitdefender Total Security and Norton AntiVirus Plus both offer wider platform coverage and larger feature sets, making them better fits for households with mixed Windows and Mac devices.

Those who are already subscribed to CleanMyMac should also note that its built-in malware-scanning module, powered by the same Moonlock engine, continues to function independently. Therefore the question is whether the full Moonlock standalone app adds enough to justify an additional subscription or an upgrade in spending.

Final verdict

Moonlock is one of the most carefully designed security apps I've encountered in the Mac ecosystem. Its interface is excellent, its feature set is broader than most Mac-specific alternatives, and the research team behind it is doing genuinely credible original work. The 30-day money-back guarantee is also a nice addition, despite the need to enter your payment details first.

At $54 per year for a single Mac, it costs nearly twice as much as ClamXAV's three-device plan. The added value of the bundled VPN and Network Inspector goes some way toward justifying that gap, but those who already have a VPN solution elsewhere may not find the extras compelling enough. Setapp subscribers, on the other hand, get all of this for free as part of a subscription they likely already value.

For long-standing CleanMyMac users who already benefit from the embedded Moonlock engine, the standalone app offers greater depth, visibility, and control, but it's not a replacement for anything missing. It is a fuller version of the protection they have already been relying on, now with a VPN, richer reporting, and a proper home for the security features that were previously contained within a Mac cleaning utility.

For Mac users who want a single subscription that covers antivirus, VPN, network monitoring, and system security guidance, Moonlock makes a strong argument. Just go in aware of what you are paying for relative to the alternatives.

You might also be interested in our report on the best Mac apps of the year.

Sometimes you don't need a fancy monitor or anything special. Sometimes you just need a 1080p HD monitor at 27 inches to be able to get real business work done. This is the struggle that a lot of business owners and IT suppliers are having, where their employees want fancy, big monitors and that's what's being promoted.

In reality, all they need for the masses, for co-working spots, for server screens, or other things like that, is a simple 27-inch monitor. That's where this Dell monitor shines. It's a high-quality, simple monitor that you know is going to work for more than the most popular monitors just suppliers around.

I've been in this exact scenario where some data entry people and an admin on my team wanted a screen, and they didn't need anything fancy. I ended up purchasing a monitor very similar to this. If I had known that this was around, I probably would have bought this. All they wanted was a 27-inch standard monitor. They weren't going to scale it up crazy to where they needed 4K, and they were just using it for database management, form entry, emails, and a lot of Excel.

It's not the absolute best business monitor I've ever tested. But for those that want a no-nonsense full HD display for work - whether that's at home or in the office - this is a great option.

Dell 27 Plus S2725HSM: Unboxing and First impressions

The unboxing for this monitor is very straightforward: a simple white box with just a few accessories inside. It has: an HDMI cable, a Power cable, a Three-piece stand (which is unique), a Monitor, and documentation that's necessary

Each piece is wrapped individually to help protect it, and the box is fairly small, which is great. Assembly took maybe two minutes and almost no thought whatsoever. It just went together in the only way that made logical sense. I didn't need any instructions or anything else like that.

If you want to use a monitor arm, there are screws on the VESA plate on the back, so you can attach it easily without any extra accessories. Of course, you can use the basic monitor stand. If you're choosing to use a built-in monitor stand, I'm happy to say they adjusted the cable pass-through a bit so it is a hook on the back of the monitor arm, which helps keep things a little cleaner.

There will still be a little bit of cable visibility if you are really worried about that, but if you're using a 27-inch monitor, there's a good chance you don't care.

Dell 27 Plus S2725HSM: Design & Build Quality

As mentioned above, the design and build for this model is super straightforward. There is nothing too fancy about it at all, and that's actually what makes this great. There is nothing that will make it complex, difficult, or hard to set up. It's very easy to get up and running in a matter of minutes, which, if you are doing this en masse, makes it an easier choice for IT pros.

I actually appreciate even though this is a budget monitor, it still looks quality. It's got a sleek, mostly white frame. The base is still solid, and it's still a reliable display. The ports are well placed, easy for really any scenario. It's IEC powered, which is massive. I've seen some cheap monitors that go with a barrel connector that makes it a little bit harder for mass deployment. It actually has an HDMI cable with it, which just means it's one less step for needing to set up.

In case it isn't clear, this one does not have any USB-C or anything like that. It does have two HDMI ports on the back, so if you needed to be able to switch between two devices or have two different inputs for some other reason, this one is capable of doing that. This is super helpful for things like multiple different server displays or something else like that. You perhaps don't need a KVM for it, or if you're just really easily trying to have a display for some camera view or something like that, this display would work.

Dell 27 Plus S2725HSM: In use

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

So far, this monitor has performed wonderfully for basic tasks. Even for more complex tasks, this works just great. The only thing I wouldn't use this for is anything that needs to have absolute color accuracy, or if you're the kind of person who loves using their laptop on the most spaced or most high-resolution settings.

For anything that's business tasks or just basic tasks, this would work phenomenally. Things like spreadsheets, emails, web browsing, writing, schoolwork, and other things like that, this will work well.

I have used this on both a monitor arm and on a built-in stand. One note for the monitor arm is that this monitor is so light and simple that I had to crank the tension way down on the monitor arm to be able to make this work and not just throw the monitor straight up in the air.

While you could very easily do multi-display with this using both HDMI's, it does not have a KVM. If you are swapping between a laptop and a desktop, for example, I would not plan on utilizing the same mouse and keyboard unless you have an external KVM that perhaps doesn't have an HDMI switcher or something like that. I've also used this with my laptop and my son's switch, which worked really well. You could use it with an Apple TV or something else as well, though note that the internal speakers are not great at all.

The speakers are good enough for basic meeting audio if you are in a meeting and a semi-quiet room, or for maybe playback of a video you're watching. I would not plan on having this be good music quality, video quality, game quality, or anything else like that. In all those scenarios, I would suggest utilizing headphones or an external speaker of some kind, or even your laptop speakers.

Also worth noting, because a lot of monitors are seeming to hinge towards this, or some of the higher-end monitors even have this integrated. This monitor does not have any webcam or USB ports at all; it is simple and just has power and HDMI ports.

Dell 27 Plus S2725HSM: Final verdict

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

This should be one of the monitors considered for any business office co-working space or an individual who just needs a basic, 1080p monitor.

Now, if you're looking for something that is more color accurate, if you do photo or video editing, or if you obviously need something bigger than 27 inches, then there are better monitors out there, for sure.

However, if you don't need high resolutions and a USB-C Hub, this should be the monitor that you're considering. It's affordable, simple, will get the job done, is reliable, and it's from a reputable brand.

Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future

For more productivity machines, we've tested the best business computers.

OXS Storm A2: Two-minute review

The OXS Storm A2 is a wireless gaming headset with support for multiple platforms, including the PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, and mobile.

It has a basic design that verges on anodyne, especially in its dark grey colorway. The X-shaped indents on the sides of the drivers do little to add interest, instead making it look dated.

Thankfully, the headband is far more sleek, and overall it’s much less bulky than many of its rivals. It’s also pleasingly light, and the drivers fold away neatly, making the Storm A2 one of the best PC gaming headsets for portability.

The quality of the materials is also quite good, with most feeling smooth and solid. The padding on the earcups and headband also appear strongly attached.

This padding is reasonably plush and comfortable, too. The headband is more comfortable than many others I’ve experienced, although it’s not quite plush enough to prevent fatigue after long sessions.

The same charge can be leveled at the earcup padding. It’s reasonably soft, but it’s not thick enough to prevent the insides of the drivers from pressing into my ears, which causes aches after a while. However, these aches are quite minor, and I’ve certainly tested more uncomfortable headsets than this.

More impressive is the sound of the Storm A2. There’s plenty of crispness and balance to all frequencies, which makes it a great headset for both gaming and listening to music.

(Image credit: Future)

The surround sound feature is also a must in my opinion: not only does it create a more immersive sense of space, but it adds a much-needed low-end fullness as well.

The ANC function is quite rudimentary, seeming merely to reduce the bass frequencies of ambient sound rather than masking it entirely. This is effective to an extent, but it certainly doesn’t rival the ANC of the best headphones.

It’s also a shame that there’s no software to tweak the sound of the Storm A2 further. This means that you won’t be alerted to firmware updates, either — if any at all were to appear for the Storm A2.

The mic quality is poor, mired as it is by crackling and a low resolution. What’s more, there were times when it seemed to stop working altogether until I powered the headset on again.

Connectivity is mostly good, although Bluetooth pairing can take a little longer than is typical. At least hot-switching between devices is quick and easy.

The battery life of the Storm A2 is also quite good, seeming to live up to OXS’ claim of 70 hours. You can also charge and use the headset at the same time, although the included USB cable is a bit too short to make this practical for many setups.

At just over $100, the Storm A2 represents good value considering its multiple connectivity modes and platform support, as well as its ANC and surround sound modes. Its lack of software and long-term comfort mar its appeal slightly, but if you’re looking for great sound without spending ungodly amounts, you could do worse than the Storm A2.

OXS Storm A2 review: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• $129.99 / £129.99 / AU$169
• Available now in black and white colorways
• Decent price for an ANC wireless gaming headset

The OXS Storm A2 costs $129.99 / £129.99 / AU$169 and is available now in two colorways: black and white. It comes with a USB cable, a 2.4GHz USB dongle (with Type-A and Type-C connections), a detachable microphone, and a leather pouch for storing the headset.

This is a reasonable price for a wireless headset with multiple connectivity modes and ANC. The absence of companion software for further customizations tweaks does put a slight dent in its appeal, though.

For those on an even tighter budget, there’s the OXS Storm G2. This is a much bulkier wireless headset, but it’s still quite light and reasonably comfortable, although the sound is inferior.

For a more premium experience with a host of tweaks at your disposal, consider the Skullcandy Crusher PLYR 720. Aside from all the customizations available via its software and onboard controls, this headset also has the heaviest bass I’ve ever experienced, which can be great when you’re in the mood for it.

OXS Storm A2 review: Specs

OXS Storm A2

Price

$129.99 / £129.99 / AU$169

Weight

10.3oz / 293g

Drivers

40mm full-range Dynamic Drivers

Compatibility

PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, Mobile

Connection type

Wireless (2.4Ghz via dongle, Bluetooth 5.4), Wired (USB-C)

Battery life

Up to 70 hours, play-while-charging function

Features

5-mic ENC detachable gooseneck mic, ANC, Passthrough, OXS Xspace 7.1 spatial algorithm

Software

None

(Image credit: Future)OXS Storm A2 review: Design and features

• Impressive build quality
• Light and very portable
• Uncomfortable for long sessions

In terms of aesthetics, the Storm A2 isn’t particularly noteworthy. The grey colorway of my review unit was a little dour, while the X-shaped indents on the sides of the drivers look a little dated.

There are some nice touches to its design, though. It’s a lot more sleek in its white colorway, and the minimalist design of the headband, which neatly hides the adjustment mechanism, is rather fetching. This mechanism can be a little difficult to slide, but it's not too onerous, and once set in place, it stays put.

The Storm A2 is uncluttered in terms of its controls, too. There are no fancy dials here, just four buttons: three on the left driver for volume and power, and a button on the right for toggling ANC, Passthrough, and surround sound functions. All buttons are quite small, but they’re easy to locate by touch and press while wearing the headset.

Build quality is also quite good. The various materials feel smooth and premium, and the joins are solid. The fabric padding of the earcups and headband is neatly and strongly attached, too.

(Image credit: Future)

The microphone is also well made. It has a gooseneck design, which means it can be bent into any shape you like. It’s easy to bend yet stable once in place, although there are certain positions that it refuses to adopt. It’s also relatively short, which does limit its versatility; you’ll struggle to get it dead in front of your mouth, for instance.

The whole headset is very light with a slender profile. You really could wear it out and about, while the agile folding design makes it easy to pack away into a bag.

This lightness helps with comfort, too, as the Storm A2 doesn’t weigh your head down. Its fit is quite snug and stable, while the earcups and headband are sufficiently padded to provide short-term comfort.

For long sessions, though, the thinness of the padding in these areas can cause minor aching. And in the case of the drivers, the thin padding failed to prevent the insides of the drivers from pressing against my ears, making the Storm A2 feel more like an on-ear rather than over-ear headset.

There’s no companion software or app for the Storm A2, which is a shame. Many other gaming headsets feature this, allowing you to adjust certain settings and tweak the sound. Such software usually delivers firmware updates as well, which makes its absence here even more concerning.

(Image credit: Future)OXS Storm A2 review: Performance

• Surprisingly crisp and clear audio
• Lacks the immersion of fully enclosed headsets
• Poor mic quality

The Storm A2 offers impressive audio. All frequencies are clear and balanced, while the bass is full and punchy without being overbearing or causing distortion. This makes the Storm A2 great for gaming, listening to music, and watching movies.

Audio effects and atmospheric sounds in Resident Evil Requiem, for instance, came through clearly, while the surround sound feature helped to impart a greater sense of space. It also made the overall sound noticeably fuller, adding far more low-end, so I always had this mode enabled. When I played Counter-Strike 2, gunshots were rendered with plenty of punch, while reloads were crisp and the direction of footsteps was easy to discern.

However, since the drivers don’t enclose your ears as much as other headsets, owing to that aforementioned thin padding, audio is less immersive than it otherwise would be, as if sound is leaking out of them a little.

There’s a slight background hiss at all times as well, regardless of whether I had ANC enabled or not. This was most noticeable when playing on the PS5, but it was also present on the Switch 2. Fortunately, this isn’t game-ruining since it’s easily masked by in-game audio most of the time, and I didn’t notice it at all when connected to my Android phone via Bluetooth.

(Image credit: Future)

The ANC feature does a reasonable job of negating outside sound, although it seems to merely cut the lower frequencies of ambient sound. More sophisticated ANC technology that's included in premium headsets and headphones does a better job of masking all kinds of frequencies and sounds from the listener’s environment. The Passthough function fares better, allowing outside sound to come through clearly.

Perhaps the worst aspect of the Storm A2, though, is its mic. The quality is poor, with audible crackles and a low resolution. Also, it failed to even register on my PC as an input on one occasion, while the toggle for turning the mic on and off (achieved by double-tapping the power button) seemed to stop working. Thankfully, a simple restart of the headset seemed to fix these issues, but they’re concerning nonetheless.

I didn’t have any connectivity issues with the Storm A2, though. In addition to my PC, it connected to my PS5 with the same ease as the best PS5 gaming headsets. Pairing with my Android phone and Switch 2 took a little longer than is typical for Bluetooth headsets and headphones, but not long enough to be a problem.

Hotswitching between Bluetooth and 2.4GHz connections was also quick and easy, merely requiring the holding of the ANC button for a second to cycle between them. You can also connect to devices over USB, which also charges the Storm A2 at the same time, something that can prove very useful. The included USB cable is quite short, though, so you’ll need your device close by. What’s more, neither ANC nor surround sound works with a wired connection.

OXS claims that the Storm A2 has a battery life of 70 hours. Based on my testing, I’m inclined to believe this figure, since I managed to use it for several days straight without charging.

Should I buy the OXS Storm A2?Buy it if…

You want versatile connectivity
Multiple connectivity options allow you to connect to numerous platforms, while hotswitching between them is quick and easy.

You want clear sound
Whether you’re gaming, listening to music, or watching videos, the Storm A2 is clear and full, especially with surround sound enabled.

Don't buy it if…

You want the best mic
The mic on the Storm A2 is perhaps its greatest weakness, sounding low res and sometimes failing to function correctly.

You want to customize the sound
Aside from ANC and surround sound, there aren’t any adjustments for the audio, since there’s no accompanying software.

OXS Storm A2 review: Also consider

If you don’t like the sound of the OXS Storm A2, try these alternatives instead:

OXS Storm A2

OXS Storm G2

Skullcandy Crusher PLYR 720

Price

$129.99 / £129.99 / AU$169

$79 / £62 (about AU$123)

$269.99 / £229.99 / AU$449.99

Weight

10.3oz / 293g

9.9oz / 282g

0.78lbs / 354g

Drivers

40mm full-range Dynamic Drivers

50mm full-range dynamic drivers

40mm

Compatibility

PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, Mobile

PlayStation, PC, Nintendo Switch, Mobile

PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS

Connection type

Wireless (2.4Ghz, Bluetooth 5.4), Wired (USB-C)

Wireless (2.4GHz, Bluetooth), Wired (USB-A),

Bluetooth, Wired (USB-C, 3.5mm AUX), 2.4GHz wireless (USB-A dongle)

Battery life

70 hours

40 hours

48 hours

Features

5-mic ENC detachable gooseneck mic, ANC, Passthrough, OXS Xspace 7.1 spatial algorithm

Three EQ modes, detachable mic

THX Spatial Audio, Crusher bass enhancement, eight-band EQ, 4 sound presets, Sidetone mode, plug-in mic

Software

None

None

Skull-HQ (PC), Skullcandy mobile app (Android and iOS)

OXS Storm G2
An even more affordable wireless headset, the G2 is a lot larger than the Storm A2, but it still manages to keep the weight down. It doesn’t sound as good, either, but it still offers an enjoyable sonic experience.

Read our full OXS Storm G2 review.

Skullcandy Crusher PLYR 720
This is a lot more expensive than the Storm A2, but it has a lot more features, better levels of comfort, and a bass response that’s stronger than any headset I’ve experienced before. It’s certainly a lot bulkier than the Storm A2, and its open-backed design means people around you will hear everything you’re doing.

Read our full Skullcandy Crusher PLYR 720 review.

How I tested the OXS Storm A2

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested for several weeks
• Used for gaming and other tasks
• Extensive gaming and audio experience

I tested the Storm A2 for several weeks, during which time I used it for gaming, watching streams, and listening to music. I used all of its features, too.

I connected it to my PS5 via the 2.4GHz dongle and to my Android phone via Bluetooth. For the Switch 2, I used a mixture of both these connections, and I connected to my PC via the dongle and via the USB cable. I played a variety of games, including Counter-Strike 2 on PC, Resident Evil Requiem on PS5, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder on Switch 2.

I’ve been gaming for decades, and have used multiple headsets with multiple platforms during that time. I’ve also delved into the world of audio production, so I have experience with monitor and hi-fi headphones. I’ve reviewed other gaming headsets before, including another OXS model, the Storm G2.

• First reviewed: June 2026
• Read more about how we test

Apolosign 32-inch Smart Portable TV: 30-second review

Products that fuse technology to create something interesting aren’t a new concept, and with the advent of the Smart TV, most of us have one or more in our homes.

But the Apolosign 32" Smart Portable TV takes the technology crossover idea to a whole different level, as it combines a 4K display, an Android 16 tablet and a battery backup into a single roll-anywhere solution.

This is perfect for promotional signage, but I could also see this as being the perfect way to explain mobile apps in an educational setting.

If there is a caveat to lumping this much technology together, it's the weight, and this product is 22kg in the box, and not much less out of it. Therefore, getting it assembled is probably a two-man job, and should it fall over and hit anything, there will be breakage.

Also, at nearly $1000 / £1000, it isn’t cheap for what on the surface looks like a 32-inch TV, but that doesn’t account for all the technology underneath.

If you need a huge 4K Android tablet that can run all the standard apps and be operated by touch or voice while on battery power, then the options are limited.

And, while there are a few places where it might have been a little better, overall Apolosign has done a decent job making this fusion product design work.

Apolosign 32-inch Smart Portable TV: Price and availability

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• How much does it cost? $820/£1000/€1100
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Direct from the maker or via an online retailer

The Apolosign 32" Smart Portable TV is $819 from its maker, although it can be found on Amazon.com for almost exactly the same price plus 99 cents. UK customers pay £999.99 at Amazon.co.uk, and in Europe, €1,099.99.

Therefore, Americans get a much better deal here than anyone else, for no obvious good reason, since the hardware is made in China.

If you want to save some money but still like the concept, Apolosign also makes a version with a 1080p screen for $719. And, for $619, you can have a 1080p model with a 24-inch panel. While these are cheaper, saving a few hundred dollars might not provide the best experience, and that’s what this device is all about.

I did notice a few other brand names selling what looked like similar hardware, but their prices were typically higher. Although I did find one on Amazon.co.uk selling what seemed to be similar equipment for only £699.99. But, I did note that the product only had 128GB of storage, a 10500 mAh battery and no HDMI input.

So, you get what you pay for.

When you factor that with the Apolosign 32" Smart Portable TV, you get an Android tablet, a 32-inch 4K display, a 4K webcam, a remote control, a battery system that can power everything and a high stand, the asking price even outside America isn’t excessive.

And, for those in the US, it might even be a bargain.

• Value: 4 / 5

Apolosign 32-inch Smart Portable TV: Specs

Item

Spec

Processor

Rockchip RK3576, 8nm, octa-core (4x Cortex-A72 @ up to 2.2–2.4 GHz + 4x Cortex-A53)

GPU

Mali-G52 MC3

RAM

8GB

Storage

256GB

Display

32-inch 4K 10-point capacitive touchscreen, IPS technology, 300 nits

Main Camera

4K Webcam (provided)

Battery

15000Ah dual-cell

Charging

Charges from PSU

OS

Android 16

5G

N/A

Networking

Wi-Fi 6, BT5.3

Dimensions

18 x 32 x 151 cm

Weight

22kg in a box

Colours

White

Apolosign 32-inch Smart Portable TV: Design

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• Assembly fun
• Power options
• Dual-purpose design

In the box, this hardware weighs an impressive 22kg, and the box isn’t a huge part of that weight.

That mass is mostly because of the construction of the base, which has some intentional extra weight, and also a battery, to increase the stability once fully assembled. Assembly starts with the base, connecting it to a two-part pillar, and then, once that’s together, attaching the monitor using a VESA 100 mounting.

I’d strongly suggest that, unlike me, anyone doing this have a second support person handy, because some of the parts and the assembly are heavy.

The added complication of this design is that the PSU plugs into the base, and power is passed via a series of connectors up the support arm to the display.

My install was made extra fun because on the inside of the box lid was a set of instructions that I decided to follow. To connect the base to the bottom half of the pillar, I was told to use the screws labelled B3x16, and this was the only screw bag that had a label.

Except someone in the packing department had taken B3 to be the number of screws, and put three screws in there that were for the VESA connection stage, and they weren’t anywhere near 16mm long. I found those in an unmarked bag, give of them, four to attach and one spare. But anyone following the box instructions to the letter would be stuck because the VESA screws aren’t long enough for that attachment.

Once I realised the mistake, it was all plain sailing, and soon the support arm and screen were treated as one item.

For those wondering, there is a panel you can remove on the screen that provides access to the USB ports and an HDMI port for those wanting to use a PC or smart stick with it. And, also in that location is a place to directly power the system with the PSU. However, if you use that power input, the battery in the base won’t be charged, and it will need to be plugged in to use. It’s a choice, but it does allow the display to be used on a different VESA support, like one on a table.

The support column can tilt, rotate, and swivel, and there is 18cm of vertical movement. And, as the base is on casters, it can spin completely around.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Included in the box is a webcam, and there are two points to connect it to the display, depending on whether you are using it in landscape or portrait mode.

My only concern is that, given the size and mass of the monitor and how it's supported, it wouldn’t be impossible for this whole thing to go over, especially if someone pushed it onto a slope, like the one designed for wheelchair access. And, if that happens, the chance of the panel surviving seems remote.

If the screen doesn’t need to be moved around, a set of rubber feet is included to go over the casters, making it less mobile.

On the back of the display are a power button and a volume rocker, and pressing the power button will launch the Android installation routine, which anyone with a phone or tablet will be familiar with.

There are two accessories included with the display: a remote control and a webcam, but you can’t use either of those until Android is fully operational. When I first did that, the tablet part of this device was using Android 15, not the Android 16 that the maker's page promises. However, a system upgrade was ready, which converted it to Android 16 and also fixed a few limitations, such as adding Widevine L1 encryption.

I wouldn’t call the The Apolosign 32" Smart Portable TV a unique design, but there aren’t many hardware makers offering anything like this. It combines a monitor, tablet, mobile signage, information kiosk and presentation tool into a single device. And, for those who want all those things, it might be ideal.

• Design: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Apolosign 32-inch Smart Portable TV: Hardware

• Rockchip RK3576
• VA display
• 15000 mAh battery

When I saw that this Android device used a Rockwell chip, I was initially discouraged, but that might have been a mistake on my part.

The Rockchip RK3576 first appeared on Rockchip roadmaps in late 2023, alongside the smaller RK3506. At the time, it looked like a cheaper sibling to the mighty RK3588, and that reading turned out to be correct. Rockchip officially launched the RK3576 in the second quarter of 2024, built on an advanced 8nm process, with low CPU junction temperature that allows fanless designs in many applications.

The RK3576 uses the familiar octo-core layout, and in this design, the cores are split 50/50 between performance and efficiency. Four ARM Cortex A72 cores handle heavy lifting, and four Cortex A53 cores manage lighter tasks, with an additional M0 co-processor for background duties. Together, they deliver around 58,000 DMIPS of computing power, which isn’t a huge number, but it's enough to build an Android tablet around.

Graphics and media are where this chip earns its keep. Video decoding stretches up to 8K at 30fps or 4K at 120fps, and it supports H.264, H.265, VP9, AV1 and AVS2. Encoding covers H.264 and H.265 up to 4K at 60fps, with JPEG encoding and decoding also reaching 4K at 60fps. The embedded GPU supports OpenGL ES up to 3.2, OpenCL up to 2.0 and Vulkan 1.1, so it copes comfortably with modern display demands, although it’s not got the sort of GPU power that games like.

A new sixteen megapixel image signal processor adds real muscle for camera work, with accelerators for HDR, noise reduction, sharpening and lens distortion correction. Rockchip also built in a 6 TOPS NPU for on-device AI, enabling things like facial recognition and voice interaction without needing the cloud. Rockchips

The chip supports dual-channel LPDDR4, LPDDR4X, and LPDDR5; later revisions added LPDDR5X support, giving manufacturers plenty of flexibility depending on cost targets.

In this implementation, it's got 8GB of memory, but try as I might, I couldn’t discover what it is, and, in the same vein, it has 256GB of storage, but the type is unclear.

As this device is mostly bought for the 4K screen, that’s the one part of this that was clearly under the most price-saving pressure.

I’m reasonably confident that this is IPS, not VA or AMOLED, it has only a brightness level of 300 nits, and a refresh of 60Hz. The quoted response time is 8ms, and it supposedly has a contrast ratio of 1:3000.

When I get into the performance weeds, I’ll return to the screen, but my initial view was that while it's workable, it’s the one part that Apolosign needed to probably make better to justify the cost of the ensemble.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• Hardware: 4 / 5

The final hardware part I want to discuss is the battery, something I wasn’t actually expecting, that turned out to be genuinely useful.

Deep in the base, but replaceable is a 15000 mAh dual-cell Lithium-ion battery rated at 14.8 Volts. This is charged when the base is connected to power, although it charges much faster when the unit isn’t in use. Apolosign states that if the unit is in use and the battery is flat, it could take 6 hours to fully recharge. If you turn the screen and tablet off, it charges faster, probably in less than two hours.

The moral of this tale is to provide a PSU with enough umph to both charge and power, not do only one of those things effectively.

Makers quoted discharge is also six hours, but that longevity is dependent on the brightness set on the monitor and what the tablet is doing. But, during that time, you can wheel it around without any connected wires, and it remains fully functional.

Overall, the hardware in the tablet part of this design is decent if a bit underwhelming. I do wonder if a more modern SoC at 4nm might be more power efficient and an even better performer, allowing for more time on battery. But then, given that most of the power in the battery will be used on the 4K display, there might not be much of an advantage to gain.

Apolosign 32-inch Smart Portable TV: Performance

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• Modest SoC
• Display is of good quality
• 95% AdobeRGB

Phone

 

Apolosign 32" Smart Portable TV

SoC

 

Rockchip RK3576

GPU

 

ARM Mali-G52 MC3

NPU

 

Integrated 6 TOPS

Memory

 

8GB/256GB

Weight

 

20kg

Battery

mAh

15,000

Geekbench

Single

344

 

Multi

1228

 

OpenCL

1438

 

Vulkan

1436

PCMark

3.0 Score

6164

 

Battery

 8h 23m

Charge 30

%

15%

Passmark

Score

7180

 

CPU

3704

3DMark

Slingshot OGL

1941

 

Slingshot Ex. OGL

1473

 

Slingshot Ex. Vulkan

1694

 

Wildlife

864

 

Wldlife Extreme

241

 

Nomad Lite

100

Since this is a unique product to me, I’ve not put it in comparison to any other.

However, this, under the skin, is a tablet, so I’ve used the same benchmarks I’d do if it were one I could carry around.

Compared to the typical rugged tablet I cover, this is probably one of the slowest I’ve ever tested. Looking back at my data, the only tablet I’ve tested that was remotely similar in performance was the Ulefone Armour Pad Pro, which uses the MediaTek Helio G88, and the Ulefone Armour Pad 3 Pro, which uses the MediaTek Helio P60.

This arrangement is slightly quicker than those tablets, but the difference isn’t huge.

If the numbers don’t speak for themselves, the graphics performance here is fine for block puzzles and Candy Crush, but it’s not amazing when asked to do 3D.

The makers had predicted six hours of running, but it exceeded that amount by some way, running the PCMark battery test for 8 hours and 23 minutes. That’s not enough for the full day at a trade show, but it's acceptable. It’s worth remembering that the battery here is not only running the tablet but also the 4K display set to 120 nits of brightness.

For anyone wondering why I didn’t hook this display up to a PC and run a full Datacolor analysis on it, initially, there was a snag. Due to its integration with the tablet components, this monitor doesn’t have OSD, so selecting the various brightness settings I needed for analysis proved challenging.

What I was ultimately forced to do was swap back to Android, alter the brightness when required, and then go back to the PC HDMI input. Not impossible, but the process took much longer than it normally would.

Here are my results:

Datacolor Spyder X2 Analysis

Colour Gamut

Percentage

sRGB

95%

AdobeRGB

79%

P3

80%

NTSC

74%

Rec2020

57%

Gamma

2.1

Brightness/Contrast

 

Maximum Brightness

287.8

Maximum Contrast

1860:1

For an IPS panel, the one used here is decent, especially in Gamut and Tone Response.

It’s also strong on colour uniformity and contrast, even if it doesn’t hit the maker's quoted 3000:1 levels.

Its weaknesses are colour accuracy and luminance uniformity, with the latter being quite poor. This is an edge-lit design, and most of the light seems to come from the upper left, making the bottom centre and right much darker than the rest of the display. At its worst, we are talking 22% darker at 50% brightness.

The viewing angles on this screen are 178 degrees, so that’s not an issue for people viewing content at an angle.

Overall, the tablet part of this package isn’t anything special, but the display is better than anticipated.

• Performance: 3.5 / 5

Apolosign 32-inch Smart Portable TV: Final verdict

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

As a solution, I enjoyed the Apolosign 32-inch Smart Portable TV, since it delivered in a small but important niche.

Signage, presentation and educational rolls are all satisfied by this product, and for marketing companies needing show stand equipment, the price isn’t crazy.

In retrospect, a bigger battery to deliver a whole working day might have been worthwhile, and a high-end model with an AMOLED screen would be an eye-catching option.

The only question any prospective buyer needs to answer is whether they need 4K or if one of the 1080p models would do the job just as effectively.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Apolosign 32-inch Smart Portable TV: Report card

Value

Limited choices make for good value

4 / 5

Design

Awkward to assemble but nice when together

4 / 5

Hardware

Modest SoC, but decent spec otherwise

4 / 5

Performance

Mediorcre tablet and decent screen

3.5 / 5

Total

Not cheap, but useful for so many jobs

4 / 5

Should you buy a Apolosign 32-inch Smart Portable TV?

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Buy it if...

You need mobile presentation hardware
If you don’t have stairs to contend with, this mobile display and tablet could be the perfect companion. It’s an Android tablet, a media player, a live streamer and an information kiosk all in one.

You want a 4K touch screen
Microsoft damned touch screens by messing up Windows to support them and insisting we’d all be using them in the future, which caused the technology to die. However, this hardware is one of the few cases where touch works, especially when you put Android 16 on it.View Deal

Don’t buy if...

You intend to travel with it
Even if you are prepared to go through the exercise of breaking this down into its box and then reassembling it at the other end, at over 20kg, this isn’t a practical travel companion. Take a projector instead.

For more options, we've tested the best business monitors.

Genki Attack Vector: Review

The Attack Vector is a basic set of covers and grips for your Switch 2 and Joy-Cons, designed to protect your console and improve ergonomics in handheld mode.

The plastic covers for the console and both Joy-Cons are quite plain, with a totally black finish and no extra flourishes. They’re reasonably thick and durable, but also light.

(Image credit: Future)

The back cover for the console is easy enough to snap on. It should offer sufficient protection from scratches and the like, and I appreciated the fact that the inside has a small patch of rubber, which makes the fit more snug.

Like the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories, the Attack Vector doesn’t interfere with the console’s stand, ports or buttons, thanks to the various cutaways. They’re still quite easy to use, although the deep recess that’s created around the power and volume buttons means you may have to press these more with your fingernail than your fingertip. What’s more, the Switch 2 still fits in the dock with the cover attached; in fact, the fit is actually better, since it prevents it from wobbling at all.

(Image credit: Future)

Snapping on the Joy-Con covers is a little trickier, but it’s easier if you hold the detach button on each Joy-Con as you slide them on. These also have a small rubber backing on the inside for a more secure fit.

The Attack Vector comes with three sets of grips to attach to the back of these covers, of varying shapes and sizes. These have a solid build quality and a nice finish, with a rubber texture that feels comfortable, grippy, and hardwearing.

(Image credit: Future)

Attaching these grips is a little difficult at first. You have to line up the grooves and slide them on blindly, which can result in numerous failed attempts. However, I soon got the technique down and managed to attach them without issue thereafter. Once attached, they’re very stable; at no point did they come loose while I used them.

The two larger grip sets are called the Anchor and Balance. I found the latter set very comfortable, as the sides of the grips fitted the center of my palms naturally as I played.

(Image credit: Future)

The Anchor grips are shorter and feature ergonomic indentations at the bottom. I didn’t find these as comfortable or as secure, since only my last two fingers fit in these indentations. I suspect they’re designed for smaller hands than mine. Ultimately, though, both grips make handheld mode more comfortable and secure, especially when holding the Switch 2 upright, as you have something more substantial to hold on to.

There is a problem with these grips, though. Their weight and leverage mean that the Joy-Cons can rock back and forth slightly in the console, which is a little disconcerting. This rocking is minimal under normal use, and it never resulted in the Joy-Cons disconnecting from my Switch 2 during testing, but I do worry that eventually their hold in the console might loosen.

(Image credit: Future)

No such issue is created by the Feather grips, though. These are the smallest set and only cover the middle section of each Joy-Con. Unlike the other grips, they barely protrude outwards, offering a much more subtle feel. But given the stock Joy-Cons’ absence of a grippy surface or an ergonomic shape, I was still pleased with the limited support they provided. What’s more, I found them ideal when the Joy-Cons were detached from the console, since, unlike the other sets, they offer enough bulk to get a secure grip without impeding the reach of my thumbs to the controls.

At £40, the Attack Vector isn’t exactly cheap. However, the covers provide a good fit and basic protection for your console and Joy-Cons. Meanwhile, the comfortable grips for all types of hands are great if you play in handheld mode often, especially in a more upright position.

(Image credit: Future)Genki Attack Vector review: Price & availability

The Genki Attack Vector costs £39.99 and is available now in black only. This isn’t particularly cheap for a case and grip combination. But the quality of the product, as well as the inclusion of three different types of grips, may be worth it to those who take their handheld gaming seriously.

Should I buy the Genki Attack Vector?Buy it if…

You’ll be using handheld mode a lot
The grips offer a secure and satisfying way to use your Switch 2 in handheld mode, and the three different kinds should ensure you’ll get the right fit.

You want to keep the covers and grips on at all times
The console cover is designed to fit in Switch 2’s dock, and it actually prevents it from wobbling around in there, too.

Don't buy it if…

You want to improve the Switch 2’s looks
The utilitarian nature of the Attack Vector means if offers no flair to help personalize the style of your console.

You want ultimate Joy-Con stability
The larger grips tend to cause the Joy-Cons to wobble slightly, which might lead to problems for more animated players.

Genki Attack Vector review: Also consider

Genki Dual Wield Nintendo Switch 2 Charging Station
The Dual Wield actually makes a good companion to the Attack Vector, since you can attach the Joy-Cons to the Dual Wield grip while keeping the Attack Vector’s grips in place. What’s more, this improves the ergonomics of the Dual Wield, which was one of the main weaknesses I identified when I reviewed it. And when your session is over, you can simply dock your Joy-Cons in the charging station. There are two sets of grips for two sets of Joy-Cons and two positions on the charging station. Read our full Genki Dual Wield Nintendo Switch 2 Charging Station review.

(Image credit: Future)How I tested the Genki Attack Vector

I used the Genki Attack Vector for several days, playing a variety of games in handheld mode, including Super Mario Bros. Wonder and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. I made sure to try out all three grip types. I also tested the grips with the Joy-Cons detached from the console.

I've been gaming for decades, and have used a variety of systems and controllers in that time, including various handheld systems. I've also reviewed other Switch 2 accessories and controllers before.

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

Snakebyte Ergo Grip S2 review

The Snakebyte Ergo Grip 2 is a basic grip for the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons, although it has a few tricks up its sleeve.

Its design is very much a case of function over form. There’s no RGB lighting, and the all-black colorway leaves no room for levity. At least it's simple and unfussy, consisting merely of a central bar and two grip handles on either side. These handles are reasonably long but quite thin compared to more traditional controllers.

(Image credit: Future)

The build quality isn’t particularly great, it has to be said. There’s quite a bit of flex to the whole unit, although it's solid enough and the plastic feels smooth in the hand. But it’s certainly not going to challenge the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers on this front.

There’s a small switch underneath the Ergo Grip 2 to release the central bar from the bottom of the pad, allowing it to pivot upwards and out of the way of the grip handles so you can insert the Joy-Cons. This seems a little gimmicky, and what’s more, it’s not strictly necessary: by inserting my Joy-Cons at an angle, I managed to get around the handles while the center was locked down.

I think it would’ve been simpler to engineer a solution where the handles didn’t get in the way at all, rather than have a rotating mechanism. I’m also mildly concerned about the button that locks it down. I noticed a small amount of play while it’s locked down, which could spell failure further down the line.

(Image credit: Future)

Happily, the fit for the Joy-Cons is more secure. They slot into the Ergo Grip 2 just as well as they do into the Switch 2 itself. The hold feels strong, and the handles effectively partially cover their outsides, which prevents them from being prised out easily.

In action, it’s quite comfortable. The Joy-Cons sit fairly close together, but not so close as to cause issues. However, the grip handles took me a little while to get used to. At first, I had to slide my hands upwards to reach the Joy-Cons' bumpers when playing games such as Super Mario Bros. Wonder. However, I discovered that I could slot my last two fingers into the handles’ small indents for better purchase, which helped alleviate this problem somewhat.

But there are a few more ergonomic issues with the Ergo Grip 2. The bottom parts of the grips aren’t particularly long, and what’s more, they’re completely vertical, rather than angling outwards. This meant that they didn’t sit in the palms of my hands as well as more traditional gamepads, leading to a less secure feeling of grip.

(Image credit: Future)

This verticality extends to the orientation of the Joy-Cons. They don’t angle outwards at the bottom, which is part of the reason why reaching the bumpers can be a struggle. Other grips, such as the Genki Dual Wield, create such an angle, which feels like a more natural way to use the Joy-Cons.

The Ergo Grip 2 features a USB-C port for charging while you play. There are LEDs on top to indicate charging status, although these are basic, merely lighting up red while charging and green once complete.

At 200cm, the included USB-C cable is quite long, but it's made from rubber. This contrasts with the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories, including other controllers and grips, that come with braided cables for better flexibility. Thankfully, the cable is quite light, so I didn’t feel much resistance while playing, and I wasn’t worried about the cable disconnecting. However, it’s quite hard to unbunch, meaning it fails to maximize its entire length.

At less than £20, though, such shortcomings are easier to swallow. If all you’re after is a cheap way to securely hold your Joy-Con 2 controllers and want to play and charge at the same time, you could do worse than the Ergo Grip 2.

Snakebyte Ergo Grip S2 review: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

The Ergo Grip 2 can be ordered from Snakebyte’s website for €19.99, which is about £17. However, we have seen it for less than this at other retailers. This is a fair price for a Joy-Con 2 grip, especially one that features charge-and-play.

However, there are Switch 2 accessories that are arguably better value for money, including others from Snakebyte. Its Starter Kit S2, for instance, includes Joy-Con 2 grips, a case, wired earbuds, joystick caps, and a screen protector — all for about the same price as the Ergo Grip 2.

Should I buy the Snakebyte Ergo Grip S2?Buy it if…

You want your Joy-Cons secured
The design of the Ergo Grip 2 means that your Joy-Cons are locked in place with nowhere to go.

You want to play and charge at the same time
Thanks to the USB-C port and cable, you can charge the Ergo Grip 2 as you play.

Don't buy it if…

You want formidable build quality
The release button for the pivot mechanism doesn’t feel particularly solid, which is a slight concern.

You want the best ergonomics
The upright nature of the Ergo Grip 2 means you don’t get the same ergonomics of typical gamepads.

Snakebyte Ergo Grip S2 review: Also consider

Genki Dual Wield Nintendo Switch 2 charging station
This accessory features two grips for two sets of Joy-Con 2s, as well as a charging station for them. The triangular shape of the grips creates a more natural playing angle for your Joy-Cons, although the completely flat surface of the grip and its small central hole hamper ergonomics somewhat. Still, for the price, the Dual Wield is a decent value.

Read our full review Genki Dual Wield Nintendo Switch 2 charging station review

How I tested the Snakebyte Ergo Grip S2

(Image credit: Future)

I tested the Ergo Grip 2 for several days. I played various games with it attached to my Joy-Cons, including Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Super Mario 3D All-Stars. I attached and detached my Joy-Cons several times to test the fit and pivot mechanism of the grip.

I’ve been gaming for decades and have used many systems and controllers in that time. I’ve also reviewed other Switch 2 grips, as well as numerous controllers for the Switch, PC, Xbox, and mobile.

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