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Apple's 16-inch MacBook Pro is built for creative professionals who need considerably more power than an everyday laptop can hope to provide. And the 2026 MacBook Pro with an M5 Pro chip is currently discounted to $2760 (was $29990 at Amazon.

At a time when Apple has just increased prices across the board, that $239 is one worth jumping on. The M5 Pro chip has an 18-core CPU and 20-core GPU, backed by 24GB of unified memory and a 1TB SSD that is up to twice as fast as the previous generation. The laptop also supports Wi-Fi 7. In the UK, the M5 Pro MacBook Pro is down to £2746 (was £2999) at Amazon.

The 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display remains one of the biggest reasons for creatives to choose the larger MacBook Pro. It can reach 1,600 nits of peak brightness and 1,000 nits of sustained brightness, with a claimed 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

Macbook Pro Laptop (2026) With Apple M5 Pro Chip: was $2999 now $2759.99
This 16.2-inch MacBook Pro combines an 18-core M5 Pro CPU, 20-core GPU, 24GB unified memory, 1TB SSD, Wi-Fi 7, Liquid Retina XDR display, and all-day battery life. Available at this price in both black or silver.

In the UK: now £2746 (was £2999)View Deal

Why we recommend it

The M5 Pro is the heart of the laptop and its 18-core CPU and 20-core GPU can handle even the most demanding workloads and hardware acceleration for AI which developers and creators running compatible models and tools locally will appreciate.

The 24GB of unified memory and 1TB SSD make it even more useful and the 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display is beautiful with 1,600 nits peak brightness. Combined with the performance available whether you're plugged in or running from the battery, this is essentially a high-end desktop-class workstation you can carry with you.

Price context & historical value

Amazon has dropped this 16-inch M5 Pro MacBook Pro from $2,999 to $2,759.99, taking $239 (and a cent) off the regular price, or around 8%.

That's not an enormous percentage discount, but $239 is a solid reduction on a brand new high-end Apple laptop. It isn't the cheapest it's ever been however. That was $2,430 back in June, which was before Apple increased prices across its entire tech range.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the 16-inch MacBook Pro if...

You need a laptop for creative workloads that can actually take advantage of the M5 Pro's considerable processing power. The combination of an 18-core CPU, 20-core GPU, and 24GB of unified memory gives you a machine that can handle pretty much everything you might want to throw at it.

The large 16.2-inch XDR display gives you considerably more working space than Apple's smaller laptops, and its high brightness and contrast make it particularly attractive for photo and video work.

❌ Skip the 16-inch MacBook Pro if...

If your workload doesn't require anywhere near as much creative power then a MacBook Air or less powerful MacBook Pro with the general M5 chip would make considerably more financial sense.

Portability is another consideration. The 16-inch MacBook Pro gives you a large workspace, but if you're constantly carrying your laptop between meetings, classes, or while traveling, one of Apple's smaller models will be far easier to live with.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

Even with the discount, you're spending more than $2,700 on a laptop, so it only really makes sense if you'll benefit from the M5 Pro's performance, large XDR display, or professional capabilities. This is a powerhouse that people with advanced creative needs will benefit from, other professionals less so.

• Head to Have I Been Flocked? to see if you've been looked up
• You can read the details and reasons for each search
• Your license plate registration is deleted after the search is run

There's been an increasing level of pushback against Flock and its network of 120,000 or so license plate readers across the US in recent months, and if you want to know if your vehicle has been the subject of a search on Flock's system, there's a website just for that.

Head over to Have I Been Flocked? (via Dexerto), enter your license plate registration, and you'll get a report back. The site has amassed details of more than 241 million Flock searches, covering over 4.6 million license plates.

What's more, you can also see the reason that a plate was searched for — an auto theft or a traffic stop, for example. The site has a word cloud showing reasons for searches across the entire database, with words like "drugs" and "burglary" featuring prominently.

There's lots more to explore across the website as well, including audit reports, reports of non-criminal activities, searches run in partnership with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and data on where the license plate readers are clustered.

Data collection and privacy

There are over 120,000 Flock cameras across the US (Image credit: Getty Images)

Have I Been Flocked? is the work of the independent editorial project Footnote4a, which reports on Flock's activities, the way that its technology is used, and the wider issues of mass surveillance and the privacy of citizens.

The extensive database has been compiled from audit logs released by local governments and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. It's not a complete history of Flock searches across every state, but it's still pretty comprehensive.

License plate registrations entered into the site aren't saved and are immediately deleted once the query is run. In addition, any sensitive personal information (like addresses) included in the audit logs is redacted.

"We believe mass surveillance has no place in a free society, and this data should not be collected to begin with," write the site's operators, adding that if it is collected, "warrants should be used" and "lookups should be rare" when accessing it.

• Head to Have I Been Flocked? to see if you've been looked up
• You can read the details and reasons for each search
• Your license plate registration is deleted after the search is run

There's been an increasing level of pushback against Flock and its network of 120,000 or so license plate readers across the US in recent months, and if you want to know if your vehicle has been the subject of a search on Flock's system, there's a website just for that.

Head over to Have I Been Flocked? (via Dexerto), enter your license plate registration, and you'll get a report back. The site has amassed details of more than 241 million Flock searches, covering over 4.6 million license plates.

What's more, you can also see the reason that a plate was searched for — an auto theft or a traffic stop, for example. The site has a word cloud showing reasons for searches across the entire database, with words like "drugs" and "burglary" featuring prominently.

There's lots more to explore across the website as well, including audit reports, reports of non-criminal activities, searches run in partnership with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and data on where the license plate readers are clustered.

Data collection and privacy

There are over 120,000 Flock cameras across the US (Image credit: Getty Images)

Have I Been Flocked? is the work of the independent editorial project Footnote4a, which reports on Flock's activities, the way that its technology is used, and the wider issues of mass surveillance and the privacy of citizens.

The extensive database has been compiled from audit logs released by local governments and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. It's not a complete history of Flock searches across every state, but it's still pretty comprehensive.

License plate registrations entered into the site aren't saved and are immediately deleted once the query is run. In addition, any sensitive personal information (like addresses) included in the audit logs is redacted.

"We believe mass surveillance has no place in a free society, and this data should not be collected to begin with," write the site's operators, adding that if it is collected, "warrants should be used" and "lookups should be rare" when accessing it.

Rising demand and environmental concerns are driving governments around the world to secure resilient and scalable energy supplies.

The transition to alternative, sustainable solutions is accelerating as the limitations of traditional energy sources become increasingly apparent.

At the same time, net-zero commitments, regulatory pressures, and growing public demand for climate-conscious policies are driving an unprecedented surge in offshore wind development.

This boom in demand is in turn driving a significant shift in what the offshore workforce looks like.

As companies strive to attract the next generation of talent, offshore roles are increasingly moving onshore, creating new opportunities and transforming industry expectations.

More flexible careers

Traditionally, marine engineering careers often meant tough, hands-on work out at sea, away from home and frequently in challenging weather conditions. Today, advances in technology and connectivity are transforming those roles.

Many professionals now divide their time between offshore assignments, remote operations centers (ROCs) and office-based work, creating more flexibility and opening up new career opportunities.

ROCs are locations from which uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), ocean-going ships which can operate without a human onboard, are controlled through a satellite connection.

They are increasingly deployed for complex offshore work including inspection and maintenance, remote mapping of the seafloor, or environmental monitoring of water quality, marine habitats or other ecological data.

USVs can be used for detailed subsea inspections, ensuring the integrity and safety of underwater infrastructure, or precisely map the seafloor of a proposed location for an offshore wind farm to determine suitability.

The flexibility provided by remote operations unlocks a wider talent pool, creating career opportunities for individuals who may have personal or medical constraints that prevent them from working offshore.

At the same time, automation is improving workforce safety by reducing exposure to offshore hazards and lowering accident risk, while allowing more work to be carried out from shore-based environments.

Rich datasets

More broadly, the infusion of new technologies into the sector means the boundaries between IT and engineering are blurring as client demand for near real-time data on ocean conditions, seabed characteristics and weather patterns continues to grow.

That data can range from bathymetry and water-column data to acoustic backscatter, to understand the characteristics of the seabed’s topography and geology across a given site.

These datasets are essential to optimizing the installation and operation of offshore assets, including offshore wind farm infrastructure. Providers are under pressure to speed up the acquisition, analysis and delivery of these datasets, which can often be huge in scale, making it essential to balance the task of data management and sharing with seeking efficiencies in data analysis wherever possible.

Cloud data talent

To that end, talent is needed to help build cloud data pipelines, data lakes and the associated workflows back at base, drawing on skills in everything from data science and software engineering to project management and user experience design.

The USVs themselves accelerate the delivery of Geo-data, enabling faster access to results and recommendations so client project teams can make informed decisions sooner, compressing project timelines, reducing overall campaign costs, and cutting the time to financial return.

For the data scientists themselves, the remote nature of their role means they may be working on projects taking place anywhere in the world during their working week. From analysing near real-time data from an offshore project in the Middle East in the morning to building visualizations and client reports for projects in the North Sea later in the day.

Because ROCs are networked across multiple time zones, work can be handed over seamlessly between teams around the clock, helping to deliver insights and outcomes more quickly.

Remote responsibilities

One useful way of seeing remote operations is as a spectrum. Over time, operators may eventually oversee multiple vessels and project outcomes simultaneously, gradually shifting from direct control towards more of a monitoring and intervention role.

Importantly, remote operations do not mean the removal of responsibility. International maritime guidance already requires that every remotely operated vessel have a designated operator responsible for it, and that the operator can intervene when required.

The success of the offshore wind and broader marine engineering industry depends on rethinking traditional workforce models – bringing on board new talent skilled in data science, software engineering, and AI - as well as ensuring long-term sustainability in recruitment and talent retention.

Strategically embracing these changes will allow the marine and Geo-data industry to position itself for long-term success.

We've reviewed, rated, and ranked the best data recovery software.

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

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

Rising demand and environmental concerns are driving governments around the world to secure resilient and scalable energy supplies.

The transition to alternative, sustainable solutions is accelerating as the limitations of traditional energy sources become increasingly apparent.

At the same time, net-zero commitments, regulatory pressures, and growing public demand for climate-conscious policies are driving an unprecedented surge in offshore wind development.

This boom in demand is in turn driving a significant shift in what the offshore workforce looks like.

As companies strive to attract the next generation of talent, offshore roles are increasingly moving onshore, creating new opportunities and transforming industry expectations.

More flexible careers

Traditionally, marine engineering careers often meant tough, hands-on work out at sea, away from home and frequently in challenging weather conditions. Today, advances in technology and connectivity are transforming those roles.

Many professionals now divide their time between offshore assignments, remote operations centers (ROCs) and office-based work, creating more flexibility and opening up new career opportunities.

ROCs are locations from which uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), ocean-going ships which can operate without a human onboard, are controlled through a satellite connection.

They are increasingly deployed for complex offshore work including inspection and maintenance, remote mapping of the seafloor, or environmental monitoring of water quality, marine habitats or other ecological data.

USVs can be used for detailed subsea inspections, ensuring the integrity and safety of underwater infrastructure, or precisely map the seafloor of a proposed location for an offshore wind farm to determine suitability.

The flexibility provided by remote operations unlocks a wider talent pool, creating career opportunities for individuals who may have personal or medical constraints that prevent them from working offshore.

At the same time, automation is improving workforce safety by reducing exposure to offshore hazards and lowering accident risk, while allowing more work to be carried out from shore-based environments.

Rich datasets

More broadly, the infusion of new technologies into the sector means the boundaries between IT and engineering are blurring as client demand for near real-time data on ocean conditions, seabed characteristics and weather patterns continues to grow.

That data can range from bathymetry and water-column data to acoustic backscatter, to understand the characteristics of the seabed’s topography and geology across a given site.

These datasets are essential to optimizing the installation and operation of offshore assets, including offshore wind farm infrastructure. Providers are under pressure to speed up the acquisition, analysis and delivery of these datasets, which can often be huge in scale, making it essential to balance the task of data management and sharing with seeking efficiencies in data analysis wherever possible.

Cloud data talent

To that end, talent is needed to help build cloud data pipelines, data lakes and the associated workflows back at base, drawing on skills in everything from data science and software engineering to project management and user experience design.

The USVs themselves accelerate the delivery of Geo-data, enabling faster access to results and recommendations so client project teams can make informed decisions sooner, compressing project timelines, reducing overall campaign costs, and cutting the time to financial return.

For the data scientists themselves, the remote nature of their role means they may be working on projects taking place anywhere in the world during their working week. From analysing near real-time data from an offshore project in the Middle East in the morning to building visualizations and client reports for projects in the North Sea later in the day.

Because ROCs are networked across multiple time zones, work can be handed over seamlessly between teams around the clock, helping to deliver insights and outcomes more quickly.

Remote responsibilities

One useful way of seeing remote operations is as a spectrum. Over time, operators may eventually oversee multiple vessels and project outcomes simultaneously, gradually shifting from direct control towards more of a monitoring and intervention role.

Importantly, remote operations do not mean the removal of responsibility. International maritime guidance already requires that every remotely operated vessel have a designated operator responsible for it, and that the operator can intervene when required.

The success of the offshore wind and broader marine engineering industry depends on rethinking traditional workforce models – bringing on board new talent skilled in data science, software engineering, and AI - as well as ensuring long-term sustainability in recruitment and talent retention.

Strategically embracing these changes will allow the marine and Geo-data industry to position itself for long-term success.

We've reviewed, rated, and ranked the best data recovery software.

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

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

• DDR5 RAM pricing has risen swiftly again in Germany
• That means two months of sharp increases, backing up recent rumors that memory is going to get pricier
• An exec from the storage world has also said that SSD-related pricing pain is seemingly going to last until 2030

I've recently been writing about how the RAM crisis appears to be reaching new levels of severity, and unfortunately there's more evidence that the situation is worsening with the price of system memory and storage.

Wccftech noticed that 3D Center has a new set of monthly figures for the German retail market which shows that as of mid-August, DDR5 RAM pricing has risen to 486% of the cost it was in July 2025. So, effectively it's five times pricier than before the crisis began a year ago.

That's a substantial jump from the 445% level seen last month, and an even bigger increase than the previous month, in which prices were at 419%. To look at it another way, prices have risen 16% in August compared to the cost of DDR5 in mid-June.

Internal SSD prices have also increased 7.7% month-on-month in the German retail market – and those drives are now 2.2 times as expensive as they were pre-crisis – and Wccftech also picked up another interesting but bleak storage revelation.

Pua Khein-Seng, the CEO of Phison, which makes controllers for SSDs, observed that the NAND market (flash memory chips for SSDs) is in deeper trouble than was previously believed in terms of the time needed to ramp up production.

Taiwan's Commercial Times reports that Pua said he recently had a conversation with senior executives from a NAND manufacturer, and that he asked about how long it would take from investment (being made now) to actual mass production being realized.

The CEO noted (bear in mind translation issues): "He originally estimated it would take about two years, but the answer they gave was 'four years.'"

What this means is that the expectation is now that NAND supply difficulties are going to persist through to 2030 (rather than 2028).

Analysis: there may be trouble ahead…

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Eshma)

That's an unsettling prediction from the storage world, coming as it does on top of a lot of other recent bad news suggesting that the RAM crisis will last a long time, and possibly to 2030 and beyond – and that the remainder of this year, and 2027, are going to see matters get worse.

The German retail market appears to be a clear indicator of how things are going, seeing as DDR5 pricing had dropped slightly and then plateaued (more or less) since the beginning of 2026, but started a sharp climb in July as noted. Yes, this is just one source of info, but it's a snapshot of the market of a large European country, and it correlates with all the gloomy predictions we're hearing of late.

As 3D Center points out (again, this is translated): "The bigger picture now points to a worrying price trend, which is likely to break exorbitant levels very soon, unless this trend is halted – for which there are currently no indications."

Sadly, it seems that RAM and storage prices really are going to increase as 2026 rolls on. While there would appear to still be room for further hikes to SSDs (sadly), with system RAM it's arguable how much more consumers can take before they completely refuse to buy until costs come down at least somewhat. That said, new desktops and laptops are still going to be sold, so this isn't just about refusing to upgrade your home PC's memory, of course.

• DDR5 RAM pricing has risen swiftly again in Germany
• That means two months of sharp increases, backing up recent rumors that memory is going to get pricier
• An exec from the storage world has also said that SSD-related pricing pain is seemingly going to last until 2030

I've recently been writing about how the RAM crisis appears to be reaching new levels of severity, and unfortunately there's more evidence that the situation is worsening with the price of system memory and storage.

Wccftech noticed that 3D Center has a new set of monthly figures for the German retail market which shows that as of mid-August, DDR5 RAM pricing has risen to 486% of the cost it was in July 2025. So, effectively it's five times pricier than before the crisis began a year ago.

That's a substantial jump from the 445% level seen last month, and an even bigger increase than the previous month, in which prices were at 419%. To look at it another way, prices have risen 16% in August compared to the cost of DDR5 in mid-June.

Internal SSD prices have also increased 7.7% month-on-month in the German retail market – and those drives are now 2.2 times as expensive as they were pre-crisis – and Wccftech also picked up another interesting but bleak storage revelation.

Pua Khein-Seng, the CEO of Phison, which makes controllers for SSDs, observed that the NAND market (flash memory chips for SSDs) is in deeper trouble than was previously believed in terms of the time needed to ramp up production.

Taiwan's Commercial Times reports that Pua said he recently had a conversation with senior executives from a NAND manufacturer, and that he asked about how long it would take from investment (being made now) to actual mass production being realized.

The CEO noted (bear in mind translation issues): "He originally estimated it would take about two years, but the answer they gave was 'four years.'"

What this means is that the expectation is now that NAND supply difficulties are going to persist through to 2030 (rather than 2028).

Analysis: there may be trouble ahead…

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Eshma)

That's an unsettling prediction from the storage world, coming as it does on top of a lot of other recent bad news suggesting that the RAM crisis will last a long time, and possibly to 2030 and beyond – and that the remainder of this year, and 2027, are going to see matters get worse.

The German retail market appears to be a clear indicator of how things are going, seeing as DDR5 pricing had dropped slightly and then plateaued (more or less) since the beginning of 2026, but started a sharp climb in July as noted. Yes, this is just one source of info, but it's a snapshot of the market of a large European country, and it correlates with all the gloomy predictions we're hearing of late.

As 3D Center points out (again, this is translated): "The bigger picture now points to a worrying price trend, which is likely to break exorbitant levels very soon, unless this trend is halted – for which there are currently no indications."

Sadly, it seems that RAM and storage prices really are going to increase as 2026 rolls on. While there would appear to still be room for further hikes to SSDs (sadly), with system RAM it's arguable how much more consumers can take before they completely refuse to buy until costs come down at least somewhat. That said, new desktops and laptops are still going to be sold, so this isn't just about refusing to upgrade your home PC's memory, of course.

DJI Mic Mini 2S: two-minute review

Until now, DJI's compact wireless mic lineup has had a clear budget option in the Mic Mini series and a clear flagship in the Mic series, with a gulf of features and price separating the two. The Mic Mini 2S changes things, and slots right into that gulf. It's not quite a flagship-killer, but with this release, DJI now has three tiers of small wireless mic — and this middle one is very appealing.

Much of the flagship DJI Mic 3's DNA has trickled down into the Mic Mini 2S: internal recording, 32-bit float support, AI-driven noise cancellation, adaptive gain modes, fast file transfers. These were all things that, until now, meant paying a premium. The Mini 2S borrows them wholesale, wraps them in the same pocket-sized transmitter and case as the standard Mic Mini 2, and undercuts the Mic 3 comfortably on price.

Audio quality is superb. Whether I was recording via the receiver connected to a camera or going wireless direct to an OsmoAudio device, the results were clean, full-bodied and detailed. An impressive feat for a supposedly budget offering.

Noise cancellation is another highlight. The new AI-assisted system handled everything I threw at it, from a droning desk fan to a chatter-filled pub garden, with a level of polish that puts some real distance between the Mini 2S and its S-less little sibling. It's not quite at the level of the class-leading Insta360 Mic Pro, but it's a comfortable step up from the standard Mic Mini 2's basic noise reduction.

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

Having tested both the Mic Mini 2 and Mic 3 extensively as well as the Mini 2S, I'd say the average creator might struggle to justify paying the Mic 3 premium now. Those with more demanding needs still have reasons to look past the Mini 2S, though: the Mic 3 offers more than double the onboard storage per transmitter, a touchscreen receiver display for on-the-fly monitoring, dual-file recording, onboard timecode, and more granular gain control — stuff which probably matters for professional productions.

For everyone else, the Mini 2S is the new sweet spot in DJI's range. It's a tiny mic that really punches above its weight.

DJI Mic Mini 2S: price and release date

• Released August 4 2026, priced from £59 / AU$99 to £183 / AU$328
• Sold in four separate bundles, plus individual transmitters, charging cases and cover sets
• Available globally — aside from in the US

The Mic Mini 2S launched globally on August 4 2026, not long after the Mic Mini 2's April 2026 arrival. I say "globally", but as with every other DJI product released recently, it isn't officially available in the US, with the company blaming ongoing regulatory hurdles.

The Mini 2S comes in a wide range of configurations. At the low end, a single transmitter (TX) costs £59 / AU$99, while receivers (RX) add to the cost. The core bundles are the DJI Mic Mini 2S (1 TX + 1 RX) and the DJI Mic Mini 2S (1 TX + 1 Mobile RX + Charging Case), both priced at £79 / AU$149. Stepping up, the DJI Mic Mini 2S (2 TX + 1 RX + Charging Case) costs £169 / AU$279, while the priciest option, at £183 / AU$328, has 2 TX + 1 RX + Charging Case as well as a Mobile RX.

The DJI Mic Mini 2S (2 TX + 1 RX + Charging Case) bundle, available from £169 / AU$279. It also includes a box of colored covers and a soft zip-up storage bag. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

It's a big price jump over the Mic Mini 2, where equivalent bundles cost roughly half as much: £29 for a standalone transmitter and £89 for the full 2 TX + 1 RX + Charging Case kit. It also puts the Mini 2S's 2 TX + 1 RX + Charging Case at the same price as the entry-level Mic 3 bundle (£169 for 1 TX + 1 RX).

DJI Mic Mini 2S: specs

Dimensions

TX: 28.6 x 28 x 13.5mm / RX: 46.5 x 29.6 x 19.3mm / Mobile RX: 39.3 x 27.3 x 9mm

Weight

TX: 0.4oz / 12g (with magnetic front cover, without clip or magnet) / RX: 19g / Mobile RX: 6.5g

Range

With standard RX: up to 400m / with mobile RX: up to 300m

Connectivity

RX: USB-C / Lightning, 3.5mm jack

Bluetooth

Yes (Bluetooth 6.0)

Battery

11 hours (transmitter), 10 hours (receiver), up to 40 hours with fully charged case

Noise cancelling

Two-level, AI-powered

DJI Mic Mini 2S: Design

• Looks nearly identical to the Mic Mini 2
• Features swappable magnetic covers in range of colors
• Redesigned charging case now fits the 3.5mm cable

If you've seen the Mic Mini 2, you already know what the Mini 2S looks like. DJI has barely touched the exterior: the transmitters are the same size with the same interchangeable magnetic front covers (available in the same range of colors, from timeless black to a fetching shade of magenta). The receiver, too, is essentially unchanged, which means there's no onboard display to keep an eye on gain or adjust settings; you'll need to open up the Mimo app on your smartphone to do that.

The family resemblance is generally no bad thing. At just 0.4oz / 12g with a cover attached, I barely noticed the transmitter magnet-attached to my shirt, and I couldn't feel it at all when clipped to the peak of a baseball cap. The detachable clip still rotates through 360 degrees (in 90-degree increments) so the mic capsule can be aimed correctly whichever way you've mounted it, and the magnet option remains handy for thinner fabrics where a clip might snag.

Future | Sam KieldsenFuture | Sam KieldsenFuture | Sam KieldsenFuture | Sam KieldsenFuture | Sam Kieldsen

There is one small but positive design change: DJI has found room for the 3.5mm cable inside the charging case (something the Mic Mini 2's case couldn't manage) which means the entire two-transmitter setup, cables, windshields and mounting options included, now fits in one pocketable case. With portability being a huge part of the appeal for a mic like this, it's a step in the right direction.

DJI Mic Mini 2S: Performance

• Offers internal recording with 14.5GB of storage space on transmitters
• Includes AI noise cancelling, improving on the Mic Mini 2's system
• Transmitter battery life roughly in line with Mic Mini 2's, and better than Mic 3's

The Mic Mini 2S's marquee upgrade over the Mic Mini 2 is internal recording, which I think is a huge deal. Every previous Mic Mini had to transmit to something — either a receiver, or an OsmoAudio device — to be of any use, but the Mini 2S transmitter can function just fine all on its own. With around 14.5GB of usable storage on each transmitter, it can store up to 28 hours of 24-bit recordings, or around 22 hours of 32-bit float recordings.

For those who aren't familiar, 32-bit float (which is available on the DJI Mic 3 but not the Mic Mini or Mini 2) doesn't inherently make your recordings sound better, but rather dramatically widens the available dynamic range. If levels unexpectedly spike or dip during a recording, 32-bit float gives you far more room to correct for that in post without clipping or losing detail. It's less about raw quality and more about insuring you're covered when recording in unpredictable environments.

The Mic Mini 2S receiver can connect to four transmitters at once, double the Mini 2's limit. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

Another upgrade over the Mic Mini 2 is 4TX + 1RX support, meaning you can record from four separate transmitters onto a single receiver. I'd say this is a much more situational addition: handy if you're recording podcasts, panel discussions or similar, but not something most solo creators will need day to day.

File transfers are roughly twice as fast as the Mic Mini 2's when pulling recordings off the transmitter via the charging case. If you're regularly transferring lengthy 32-bit float recordings, those saved minutes might add up — but again, it's a situational improvement.

Noise canceling is where I noticed the clearest real-world improvement over the Mic Mini 2. The Mini 2S's AI-assisted system does a better job than the older mic's more basic noise reduction: it very nearly eliminated a loud desk fan running in my office, and noticeably cut through background chatter when I tested it in a busy pub garden so that my and my wife's voices remained nice and clear. For context, I still rate the Insta360 Mic Pro as the best noise-canceling wireless mic I've tested, but it also costs considerably more than this.

Alongside noise canceling, the Mini 2S also gets DJI's adaptive gain features, Clipping Control and Loudness Balance (previously available on the DJI Mic 3 but not the Mic Mini 2). The former automatically pulls back gain to stop sudden loud moments from distorting, while the latter lifts quieter sounds to even out levels — useful if you're recording somewhere volume might swing unpredictably.

The Mic Mini 2S's audio quality is superb no matter how you use it. It supports quality up to 96kHz/24-bit with the receiver connected to a camera, or up to 48kHz/24-bit over a direct OsmoAudio connection, plus the aforementioned 32-bit float. Frankly, I don't think most people (myself definitely included) would be able to reliably pick a Mini 2S recording out from one made on the considerably pricier flagship Mic 3, which says a lot about how good this is for a supposedly budget microphone.

On the battery life front, things are roughly the same as they were on the Mic Mini 2: a transmitter can record for a round 11 hours on a full charge, while the receiver can keep going for around ten. With two transmitters, the receiver and a charging case, you can expect around 40 hours of combined use before needing to track down a power socket.

That's a bit worse than the Mic Mini 2 (which offers 11.5 hours, 10 hours and 48 hours across the transmitter, receiver and charging case), but much better than the Mic 3 (8 hours, 10 hours and 28 hours respectively).

Should I buy the DJI Mic Mini 2S?Buy it if…

You want DJI Mic 3-esque performance without the Mic 3 price
With AI noise canceling, 32-bit float support and internal recording, the Mini 2S closes the gap to DJI's flagship mic very effectively – and at around half the cost.

You want reliable recording receiver-free
Internal recording means the Mini 2S transmitter can capture audio on its own, giving you a safety net if your wireless connection drops or you don't want to carry a receiver at all.

Don’t buy it if…

You're on a tight budget
The Mini 2S is roughly double the price of the standard Mic Mini 2, and the Mini 2 still does a perfectly good job for creators who don't need internal recording or AI noise canceling.

You want advanced pro-level features
Onboard timecode, dual-file recording, precise gain control and a touchscreen receiver display are still DJI Mic 3 exclusives.

DJI Mic Mini 2S: also consider

Insta360 Mic Pro

Insta360's flagship costs a lot more than even the priciest Mini 2S bundle. It justifies that gap with noise cancelling that's a step above anything currently offered in a DJI-made mic, plus party pieces like a customizable E-ink display and switchable polar patterns.

Read our Insta360 Mic Pro review

DJI Mic Mini 2

If the Mini 2S's price compared to its predecessor gives you pause, it's worth remembering the standard Mic Mini 2 remains a very capable mic in its own right — albeit one with no internal recording, 32-bit float or AI noise canceling. For creators who don't need those, it's fantastic value for money.

Read our DJI Mic Mini 2 review

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)How I tested the DJI Mic Mini 2S

• Two weeks of testing indoors and outdoors
• Connected to Panasonic Lumix GH6, iPhone 13, OnePlus Pad and DJI Osmo Action 6
• Also tested using internal recording without a receiver or camera

I was sent a review sample of the DJI Mic Mini 2S (2 TX + 1 RX + Charging Case) kit, and tested it for a couple of weeks, putting it through its paces in a range of indoor and outdoor conditions from quiet offices to windy walks and busy public spaces. I paired it with my Panasonic Lumix GH6 mirrorless camera, my iPhone 13, a OnePlus Pad tablet and the DJI Osmo Action 6 via OsmoAudio, testing both wireless transmission and manual connections. I also tested the Mini 2S's headline new feature directly, using the transmitter as a standalone recorder with no receiver or camera involved at all.

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

DJI Mic Mini 2S: two-minute review

Until now, DJI's compact wireless mic lineup has had a clear budget option in the Mic Mini series and a clear flagship in the Mic series, with a gulf of features and price separating the two. The Mic Mini 2S changes things, and slots right into that gulf. It's not quite a flagship-killer, but with this release, DJI now has three tiers of small wireless mic — and this middle one is very appealing.

Much of the flagship DJI Mic 3's DNA has trickled down into the Mic Mini 2S: internal recording, 32-bit float support, AI-driven noise cancellation, adaptive gain modes, fast file transfers. These were all things that, until now, meant paying a premium. The Mini 2S borrows them wholesale, wraps them in the same pocket-sized transmitter and case as the standard Mic Mini 2, and undercuts the Mic 3 comfortably on price.

Audio quality is superb. Whether I was recording via the receiver connected to a camera or going wireless direct to an OsmoAudio device, the results were clean, full-bodied and detailed. An impressive feat for a supposedly budget offering.

Noise cancellation is another highlight. The new AI-assisted system handled everything I threw at it, from a droning desk fan to a chatter-filled pub garden, with a level of polish that puts some real distance between the Mini 2S and its S-less little sibling. It's not quite at the level of the class-leading Insta360 Mic Pro, but it's a comfortable step up from the standard Mic Mini 2's basic noise reduction.

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

Having tested both the Mic Mini 2 and Mic 3 extensively as well as the Mini 2S, I'd say the average creator might struggle to justify paying the Mic 3 premium now. Those with more demanding needs still have reasons to look past the Mini 2S, though: the Mic 3 offers more than double the onboard storage per transmitter, a touchscreen receiver display for on-the-fly monitoring, dual-file recording, onboard timecode, and more granular gain control — stuff which probably matters for professional productions.

For everyone else, the Mini 2S is the new sweet spot in DJI's range. It's a tiny mic that really punches above its weight.

DJI Mic Mini 2S: price and release date

• Released August 4 2026, priced from £59 / AU$99 to £183 / AU$328
• Sold in four separate bundles, plus individual transmitters, charging cases and cover sets
• Available globally — aside from in the US

The Mic Mini 2S launched globally on August 4 2026, not long after the Mic Mini 2's April 2026 arrival. I say "globally", but as with every other DJI product released recently, it isn't officially available in the US, with the company blaming ongoing regulatory hurdles.

The Mini 2S comes in a wide range of configurations. At the low end, a single transmitter (TX) costs £59 / AU$99, while receivers (RX) add to the cost. The core bundles are the DJI Mic Mini 2S (1 TX + 1 RX) and the DJI Mic Mini 2S (1 TX + 1 Mobile RX + Charging Case), both priced at £79 / AU$149. Stepping up, the DJI Mic Mini 2S (2 TX + 1 RX + Charging Case) costs £169 / AU$279, while the priciest option, at £183 / AU$328, has 2 TX + 1 RX + Charging Case as well as a Mobile RX.

The DJI Mic Mini 2S (2 TX + 1 RX + Charging Case) bundle, available from £169 / AU$279. It also includes a box of colored covers and a soft zip-up storage bag. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

It's a big price jump over the Mic Mini 2, where equivalent bundles cost roughly half as much: £29 for a standalone transmitter and £89 for the full 2 TX + 1 RX + Charging Case kit. It also puts the Mini 2S's 2 TX + 1 RX + Charging Case at the same price as the entry-level Mic 3 bundle (£169 for 1 TX + 1 RX).

DJI Mic Mini 2S: specs

Dimensions

TX: 28.6 x 28 x 13.5mm / RX: 46.5 x 29.6 x 19.3mm / Mobile RX: 39.3 x 27.3 x 9mm

Weight

TX: 0.4oz / 12g (with magnetic front cover, without clip or magnet) / RX: 19g / Mobile RX: 6.5g

Range

With standard RX: up to 400m / with mobile RX: up to 300m

Connectivity

RX: USB-C / Lightning, 3.5mm jack

Bluetooth

Yes (Bluetooth 6.0)

Battery

11 hours (transmitter), 10 hours (receiver), up to 40 hours with fully charged case

Noise cancelling

Two-level, AI-powered

DJI Mic Mini 2S: Design

• Looks nearly identical to the Mic Mini 2
• Features swappable magnetic covers in range of colors
• Redesigned charging case now fits the 3.5mm cable

If you've seen the Mic Mini 2, you already know what the Mini 2S looks like. DJI has barely touched the exterior: the transmitters are the same size with the same interchangeable magnetic front covers (available in the same range of colors, from timeless black to a fetching shade of magenta). The receiver, too, is essentially unchanged, which means there's no onboard display to keep an eye on gain or adjust settings; you'll need to open up the Mimo app on your smartphone to do that.

The family resemblance is generally no bad thing. At just 0.4oz / 12g with a cover attached, I barely noticed the transmitter magnet-attached to my shirt, and I couldn't feel it at all when clipped to the peak of a baseball cap. The detachable clip still rotates through 360 degrees (in 90-degree increments) so the mic capsule can be aimed correctly whichever way you've mounted it, and the magnet option remains handy for thinner fabrics where a clip might snag.

Future | Sam KieldsenFuture | Sam KieldsenFuture | Sam KieldsenFuture | Sam KieldsenFuture | Sam Kieldsen

There is one small but positive design change: DJI has found room for the 3.5mm cable inside the charging case (something the Mic Mini 2's case couldn't manage) which means the entire two-transmitter setup, cables, windshields and mounting options included, now fits in one pocketable case. With portability being a huge part of the appeal for a mic like this, it's a step in the right direction.

DJI Mic Mini 2S: Performance

• Offers internal recording with 14.5GB of storage space on transmitters
• Includes AI noise cancelling, improving on the Mic Mini 2's system
• Transmitter battery life roughly in line with Mic Mini 2's, and better than Mic 3's

The Mic Mini 2S's marquee upgrade over the Mic Mini 2 is internal recording, which I think is a huge deal. Every previous Mic Mini had to transmit to something — either a receiver, or an OsmoAudio device — to be of any use, but the Mini 2S transmitter can function just fine all on its own. With around 14.5GB of usable storage on each transmitter, it can store up to 28 hours of 24-bit recordings, or around 22 hours of 32-bit float recordings.

For those who aren't familiar, 32-bit float (which is available on the DJI Mic 3 but not the Mic Mini or Mini 2) doesn't inherently make your recordings sound better, but rather dramatically widens the available dynamic range. If levels unexpectedly spike or dip during a recording, 32-bit float gives you far more room to correct for that in post without clipping or losing detail. It's less about raw quality and more about insuring you're covered when recording in unpredictable environments.

The Mic Mini 2S receiver can connect to four transmitters at once, double the Mini 2's limit. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

Another upgrade over the Mic Mini 2 is 4TX + 1RX support, meaning you can record from four separate transmitters onto a single receiver. I'd say this is a much more situational addition: handy if you're recording podcasts, panel discussions or similar, but not something most solo creators will need day to day.

File transfers are roughly twice as fast as the Mic Mini 2's when pulling recordings off the transmitter via the charging case. If you're regularly transferring lengthy 32-bit float recordings, those saved minutes might add up — but again, it's a situational improvement.

Noise canceling is where I noticed the clearest real-world improvement over the Mic Mini 2. The Mini 2S's AI-assisted system does a better job than the older mic's more basic noise reduction: it very nearly eliminated a loud desk fan running in my office, and noticeably cut through background chatter when I tested it in a busy pub garden so that my and my wife's voices remained nice and clear. For context, I still rate the Insta360 Mic Pro as the best noise-canceling wireless mic I've tested, but it also costs considerably more than this.

Alongside noise canceling, the Mini 2S also gets DJI's adaptive gain features, Clipping Control and Loudness Balance (previously available on the DJI Mic 3 but not the Mic Mini 2). The former automatically pulls back gain to stop sudden loud moments from distorting, while the latter lifts quieter sounds to even out levels — useful if you're recording somewhere volume might swing unpredictably.

The Mic Mini 2S's audio quality is superb no matter how you use it. It supports quality up to 96kHz/24-bit with the receiver connected to a camera, or up to 48kHz/24-bit over a direct OsmoAudio connection, plus the aforementioned 32-bit float. Frankly, I don't think most people (myself definitely included) would be able to reliably pick a Mini 2S recording out from one made on the considerably pricier flagship Mic 3, which says a lot about how good this is for a supposedly budget microphone.

On the battery life front, things are roughly the same as they were on the Mic Mini 2: a transmitter can record for a round 11 hours on a full charge, while the receiver can keep going for around ten. With two transmitters, the receiver and a charging case, you can expect around 40 hours of combined use before needing to track down a power socket.

That's a bit worse than the Mic Mini 2 (which offers 11.5 hours, 10 hours and 48 hours across the transmitter, receiver and charging case), but much better than the Mic 3 (8 hours, 10 hours and 28 hours respectively).

Should I buy the DJI Mic Mini 2S?Buy it if…

You want DJI Mic 3-esque performance without the Mic 3 price
With AI noise canceling, 32-bit float support and internal recording, the Mini 2S closes the gap to DJI's flagship mic very effectively – and at around half the cost.

You want reliable recording receiver-free
Internal recording means the Mini 2S transmitter can capture audio on its own, giving you a safety net if your wireless connection drops or you don't want to carry a receiver at all.

Don’t buy it if…

You're on a tight budget
The Mini 2S is roughly double the price of the standard Mic Mini 2, and the Mini 2 still does a perfectly good job for creators who don't need internal recording or AI noise canceling.

You want advanced pro-level features
Onboard timecode, dual-file recording, precise gain control and a touchscreen receiver display are still DJI Mic 3 exclusives.

DJI Mic Mini 2S: also consider

Insta360 Mic Pro

Insta360's flagship costs a lot more than even the priciest Mini 2S bundle. It justifies that gap with noise cancelling that's a step above anything currently offered in a DJI-made mic, plus party pieces like a customizable E-ink display and switchable polar patterns.

Read our Insta360 Mic Pro review

DJI Mic Mini 2

If the Mini 2S's price compared to its predecessor gives you pause, it's worth remembering the standard Mic Mini 2 remains a very capable mic in its own right — albeit one with no internal recording, 32-bit float or AI noise canceling. For creators who don't need those, it's fantastic value for money.

Read our DJI Mic Mini 2 review

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)How I tested the DJI Mic Mini 2S

• Two weeks of testing indoors and outdoors
• Connected to Panasonic Lumix GH6, iPhone 13, OnePlus Pad and DJI Osmo Action 6
• Also tested using internal recording without a receiver or camera

I was sent a review sample of the DJI Mic Mini 2S (2 TX + 1 RX + Charging Case) kit, and tested it for a couple of weeks, putting it through its paces in a range of indoor and outdoor conditions from quiet offices to windy walks and busy public spaces. I paired it with my Panasonic Lumix GH6 mirrorless camera, my iPhone 13, a OnePlus Pad tablet and the DJI Osmo Action 6 via OsmoAudio, testing both wireless transmission and manual connections. I also tested the Mini 2S's headline new feature directly, using the transmitter as a standalone recorder with no receiver or camera involved at all.

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

• Study finds remote workers are far happier and more productive
• Remote workers reported much higher well-being, but were also less likely to leave their role
• Study also dispels myth that remote workers might feel alienated from co-workers

Letting employees work remotely can have a significant positive effect on their productivity, job satisfaction and mental health, another major study has found.

A survey of 7,704 employees at a large US healthcare organization by researchers at the Leeds School of Business found fully remote workers reported the highest levels of well-being, with those entirely office-based reporting the lowest level.

The findings, published in Frontiers in Psychology, also noted that it was unable to discover significant evidence that remote workers felt any less connected to colleagues or workplace culture, once again disproving the myth against flexible working.

Stay flexible

"This suggests you let people work remotely if they want to work remotely," said Stefanie Johnson, professor of organizational leadership and information analytics at the Leeds School of Business and co-author of the study. "Taking away people's choice of how they work is probably not going to help them in terms of their well-being."

The researchers also looked at the level of employee turnover one year after the survey was completed, finding employees with higher well-being were less likely to leave the organization.

Remote work was associated with higher well-being, which in turn was associated with lower turnover, showing that work location cannot be a strong direct predictor of turnover.

"The data from our study and others suggest remote and hybrid work result in better outcomes than return-to-office mandates," Johnson added. "Leaders are not making decisions based on data. I think they are just returning to what they are used to."

Remote working has been a long-standing debate ever since the Covid-19 pandemic forced people around the world to be flexible.

While office-based working can have some benefits, it is increasingly noticeable that it is largely the CEOs and owners of large businesses who back a return - not those who actually have to do it, and those paying large sums of money for travel and food costs.

Amazon, Dell and Tesla are among the companies which have adopted five-day mandates, while others have also adopted four-day and three-day mandates.

The Shards, an adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' novel of the same name, is streaming on Hulu for US viewers and Disney+ internationally.

In my The Shards review, I considered the new psychological thriller and mystery show to be a return to form for co-creator Ryan Murphy. I was also impressed by how well Ellis' source material was adapted.

We're deep into the story since the release of The Shards episodes 3 and 4, as we've started to unravel some double lives amongst the teens. In addition to this, we saw a shocking home invasion that somehow ended in nobody getting hurt, so we can breathe a sigh of relief — for now, anyway.

Here's what you need to know about the release of The Shards episode 5.

What time can I watch The Shards episode 5 on Hulu?

For US viewers, The Shards episode 5 will drop on Wednesday, August 19 at 6pm PT/ 9pm ET.

Here's when you can stream the new episodes in other countries.

• US – Wednesday, August 19 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET
• Canada – Wednesday, August 19 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET
• UK – Thursday, August 20 at 2am BST
• India – Thursday, August 20 at 6:30am IST
• Singapore – Thursday, August 20 at 9am SGT
• Australia – Thursday, August 20 at 11am AEDT
• New Zealand – Thursday, August 20 at 12pm NZDT

When do new episodes of The Shards come out?

(Image credit: Hulu)

After this week, episodes of The Shards will premiere on a weekly basis until the finale on Wednesday, September 9.

For dates as well as the episode titles for the upcoming The Shards releases, take a look below.

• The Shards Episode 1 “Pilot”: Out now
• The Shards Episode 2 “Don’t You Want Me”: Out now
• The Shards Episode 3 “Help Me! Rhonda!”: Out now
• The Shards Episode 4 “Robert’s Party”: Out now
• The Shards Episode 5 “Murder on the Dancefloor”: Wednesday, August 19
• The Shards Episode 6 “Homecoming Part One”: Wednesday, August 26
• The Shards Episode 7 “Homecoming Part Two”: Wednesday, August 26
• The Shards Episode 8 “Hamlet”: Wednesday, September 2
• The Shards Episode 9 “Stairway to Heaven”: Wednesday, September 9

The Fit List

The corner of the TechRadar site that swaps processors for press-ups, The Fit List is our regular series of fitness listicles. We explore how to improve your health in handy bite-size pieces of advice. You can read the whole series here.

When I started regularly going to the gym several years ago, I did so without bothering with the best fitness trackers. These gadgets, I thought, were only good for running, tracking my sleep and counting my steps. But I’ve since learned that I was totally wrong.

Now I keep a cheap fitness tracker as a handy weightlifting companion. That’s right, a budget option; all of the functions I need, I can use on my low-cost Xiaomi Smart Band 10, making a purchase like the Apple Watch Ultra 3 totally unnecessary.

New to the gym, or eyeing up a new wearable purchase and wondering how it could help you? Let me walk you through five small-but-mighty functions of a cheap fitness tracker which will help you out at the gym.

1. Timekeeping

(Image credit: Future)

Honestly, it’s one of the simplest features of my fitness tracker that helps my workout the most. When you start tracking a workout on any wearable, you’ll see an on-wrist timer to tell you how much time has elapsed, and I use that timer constantly.

I use this not to see how long I work out for after the fact, but to dictate how long I exercise for during each set. I make sure I take a consistent amount of time for each set to maintain the right level of intensity and, more importantly, rest for the same amount of time between sets. I'll try to keep each rest period to a minute or less.

When I first started using the gym, I could sometimes rush through sets if I had lots of energy, or waste absolutely ages of time if I didn’t. Neither of those is good practice.

With my fitness tracker’s stopwatch, I’ve been treating my body better, between sets and rest periods. It also makes it far easier to predict how long a session will be – if my work on each kit is reliable span of time, and I know what I want to do ahead of time, I know how long I’ll be at the gym. Great for planning my day, and encouraging me to try shorter workouts if I have less time instead of not working out at all.

2. Heart rate

(Image credit: Future)

One of the basic functions of any fitness tracker is that it can monitor your heart rate. They all do so, to varying degrees of accuracy, and again I find this a really useful metric to help me stay healthy on a workout.

According to the British Heart Foundation’s simple math on ideal heart rate during exercising (220 minus your age, then work out 50% to 70% of that), my heart rate should be between 95bpm and 133bpm when working out.

Suffice to say, it isn’t always that. Sometimes when I’m really pushing myself with a new heavier weight, or I’m still recovering from my trip to the gym (I always run or cycle), my heart rate will push higher. And at other times, like when I’m being sluggish (should’ve kept a better eye on that timer!) or if I’m spending my rest times typing elaborate article pitches to TechRadar’s editors [like this one! — Ed.], I might be dropping too low.

As before, having my fitness tracker update me on my heart rate during the workout can help me decide how long to rest between workouts, whether to spend my rest period doing active recovery exercises or in 'true rest', and often what workout to do next too if I don't have a pre-prescribed plan to follow. Most wearables make this even easier, by having a ‘red zone’ indicating my heart rate is too high, and a blue zone if it’s low.

3. Longitudinal fitness overview

(Image credit: Future)

Both of my previous points have been about using a fitness tracker’s stats to dictate how I plan and adapt my workout. That principle stands on a longer-term scale too: fitness trackers are almost always tied to a fitness app on your phone, which can track performance over time and provide an insight into how our exercise habits are affecting our bodies.

I can see how frequently I exercise per week, month or even year, and what different types of workout I tend to do. I can see the trends in my workouts: if I find myself going on fewer runs during winter because of the cold, I can make a conscious decision to compensate and do more treadmill runs instead. If I’m doing less weight training during the tennis season, I can add in a session or two to course-correct.

Some of these changes to a workout program are harder to notice without data, since my fitness decisions tend to be idiosyncratic and made on-the-fly, so using an app's graphs gives me useful insights I’d otherwise miss.

4. Calorie information

(Image credit: Future)

One of the many pieces of information that fitness trackers tell you after a workout, is how many calories you burned. I’m always a little skeptical of this data, and it’s best to take it as a rough estimate rather than a concrete figure, but it’s still a useful reminder of an aspect of working out lots of gym-goers forget, and a core tenet of building muscle and losing fat — calories in versus calories out.

I’ve often struggled with under-fueling; I definitely didn’t eat enough when I trained for a marathon, and find it too easy to fall into the same trap as many in thinking that ‘being healthy’ is the same as ‘eating less’. When you’re doing a lot of exercise, your body needs proper upkeep, and that means eating more than you otherwise would.

When I started exercising with a fitness tracker, I’d see how many calories I’d burn per exercise — some of the marathon training runs saw almost 2,000kcal burned, and I did one every week — and it was a lot more than I expected. This, more than any ache or groan in my body, served as an important reminder to eat more. A lot more; bigger meals, more healthy snacks, less starvation. Doing so improved my energy and made my run recovery smooth.

I know that calorie counting is a slippery slope for a lot of people, however, and I don’t advise paying too much attention to this metric if that’s you. If in doubt, listen to your body more than tech.

5. Rest and recovery

(Image credit: Future)

My golden rule with fitness trackers is that I shouldn’t let them make decisions for me. I should always defer to how my body feels, not what tech tells me. But sometimes you need a second opinion, and that’s where rest timers come in.

Different fitness trackers have different names for it, but many wearables, even budget ones, pack functions that tell you how drained you are, or how long you should wait before you exercise again. On my Xiaomi tracker it’s called Training State, and it gives you an idea of how hard you've been training recently. The best Garmin watches call it Body Battery or Training Readiness, while Google Health calls it Daily Readiness. The gist of all of these features is that they tell you how much energy your body has – and recommends a level of workout intensity for the day.

These scores use the various metrics captured by your fitness tracker, like what workouts you’ve done and how often you’ve done them, to make an informed guess as to when you should next work out. Sometimes this comes in the form of a timer, telling you how long you need to wait before you next work out, and sometimes it’s a body battery telling you how ‘charged’ you are.

I never rely on this feature over my own gut feeling, but sometimes I just can’t decide whether I’m feeling up for a run or workout. That’s when my fitness tracker steps in, to give me some extra data and push the needle in one direction or another.

• IKEA's new 3-in-1 display is a clock, thermometer, and humidity sensor
• The display follows the release of IKEA's TIMMERFLOTTE temperature sensor
• It's only available in the UK so far, priced at £5

If you’re looking for simple, convenient, and affordable home tech, IKEA is surprisingly handy when it comes to this — and the Swedish home furnishing giant just launched a new 3-in-1 display that does more than tell the time.

As well as displaying a clock, the new ÖRNVRÅK device also shows the temperature and humidity of your home, a true triple threat. Right now, ÖRNVRÅK is available in the UK online and in-store, but we’re keeping our eyes peeled for a US rollout.

The ÖRNVRÅK’s 3-in-1 functions aren’t its only selling points, however — it costs a mere £5 — a cheap and cheerful device that’s not overly complicated. And because it’s powered by one AAA battery, you won’t have to worry about constantly charging it.

As far as its specs go, ÖRNVRÅK is a small device at just 8x3cm and incredibly lightweight, weighing just over 100g. With its IP44 resistance rating, the display can endure small splashes of water, meaning it can be placed pretty much anywhere in your home, from your kitchen to your utility room or bathroom.

(Image credit: IKEA)

It’s also multi-faceted when it comes to attachments. Its magnetic back allows it to stick to surfaces such as your fridge door, or you can use its built-in hook attachment to hang it on the wall, or use it as a stand for flat surfaces.

In recent years, IKEA has really taken advantage of the demand for cheap home devices that just get the job done. Earlier this year, the retailer launched its £5 Matter-supported TIMMERFLOTTE temperature sensor, which fits perfectly into your existing smart home ecosystem. The company also has a cheap lineup of audio devices, most notably its colorful KALLSUP Bluetooth speaker — which packs a punch for just £10.

While the TIMMERFLOTTE sensor has the smart home bells and whistles, this isn’t the case for the new ÖRNVRÅK display. Instead, it keeps things simple, swapping the smart home connectivity for the digital clock face.

If you’re all about smart home connectivity when it comes to IKEA’s devices, this might not be the product for you, but what the ÖRNVRÅK display does that the TIMMERFLOTTE sensor doesn't is show the time, temperature, and humidity simultaneously. ÖRNVRÅK removes the need to swipe through each reading individually, which gives it the edge when appealing to those who value simplicity over smart features.

D23 Expo 2026 has come and gone — and, like past editions of the Ultimate Disney Fan Experience, there were plenty of big announcements concerning Marvel and Star Wars.

As the dust settles on the aforementioned fan convention and said reveals, there's no better time to take stock of what was shown, and rank each announcement based on how exciting they were. So, read on for my take on all six reveals — and, once you reach the end, let me know if you agree with my ranking by leaving a comment!

6. Ryan Gosling's Star Wars: Starfighter character name revealed

welcome to our galaxy, Ryan.Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, arrives in theaters May 28, 2027. pic.twitter.com/3wHmjoqbARAugust 15, 2026

I feel bad putting Star Wars: Starfighter at the bottom of my ranking because it's a film I'm really looking forward to seeing next May. Nevertheless, Lucasfilm only offered us the tiniest of crumbs about its next big-screen offering, which is why it doesn't feature higher on this list.

So, what was revealed? The name of leading man Ryan Gosling's character, which is Kade Auberon. As names go in the hugely popular sci-fi franchise, that's a pretty cool one to have, but it's still small fry in comparison to the announcements I've yet to cover.

Interestingly, a first teaser for Starfighter was also unveiled at the fan convention — and, if it had been officially released online, I'd have placed this entry higher. For what it's worth, the teaser has been leaked, but I won't be sharing any links because I don't want to get in trouble with Lucasfilm or Disney.

While we wait for it to properly hit the internet, find out everything we know so far about Star Wars: Starfighter.

5. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 2 release month and first-look details

First look at ‘YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN’ Season 2.Releasing in January on Disney+ pic.twitter.com/NzKnicqmBjAugust 15, 2026

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (YFNSM) might not everyone's cup of tea. However, aside from its unusual animation and art style, which took me a long time to get used to, I actually enjoyed the Disney+ animated show's debut season.

So, even though every other Marvel announcement at this Year's D23 was better and/or more exciting to a lot of people, I'm really looking forward to YFNSM season 2's launch in January 2027.

Based on the above artwork and first-look footage, there's a lot to get excited about, including Spider-Man bonding with the symbiote and getting his iconic black suit, confirmation that new and returning villains will appear, and the revelation that Spider-Gwen is set to join the show.

4. Star Wars: Ahsoka season 2 release date and first trailer

Three years have passed since Star Wars: Ahsoka's first season premiered on Disney+, one of the world's best streaming services. But, while it's been plenty of months since filming wrapped on its sophomore installment, we've still got a long wait on our hands for it to arrive. That's because Star Wars: Ahsoka season 2 won't arrive until January 20, 2027.

Disappointing though that is, Lucasfilm has sought to appease us by releasing season 2's first trailer — and, I don't know about you, but it looks much, much better than its sluggish forebear did. Okay, trailers can be deceiving, but if Ahsoka season 2 marries huge space battles with more intimate sci-fi drama, I'll be very happy.

While we wait for it to be released, get the lowdown on Star Wars: Ahsoka season 2.

3. VisionQuest first trailer and story details unveiled

The final part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's (MCU) only TV trilogy to date, VisionQuest will wrap up the story that began with hit series WandaVision and continued with 2024's Agatha All Along.

With VisionQuest set to come out on October 14, it's high time we saw some actual footage from it. It was kind of Marvel to not only oblige at D23 Expo 2026, then, but knock our socks off with what appears to be a cracking third act to this Wanda Maximoff and Vision-led narrative.

That's not all we've learned about the Paul Bettany-fronted show, either, because the Marvel Phase 6 TV show's official story synopsis has also been revealed.

"Vision, rebooted and having escaped from those who sought to weaponize him, has been in hiding," the plot brief reads. "Searching for new meaning, he consults the AI personas embedded in his programming, including F.R.I.D.A.Y., E.D.I.T.H., J.A.R.V.I.S., and the infamous Ultron.

"His discreet existence ends when a bounty placed on his head thrusts him on the run with Thomas Shepard, a mysterious boy who may be Vision’s son, reincarnate. As Vision evades capture, he must confront his nature, resist Ultron's influence, and unravel the enigma that is his young companion if he’s to survive."

For the full scoop on the final MCU TV project of the year, find out what we know so far about VisionQuest.

2. Avengers: Doomsday trailer #2

You wait months for an Avengers: Doomsday trailer and, like London buses, two arrive in quick succession. Less than a month after the first trailer for Avengers: Doomsday broke the internet, Marvel has released another one for the hotly anticipated team-up movie — and it's further raised our collective hopes that the fifth Avengers film will be as epic as the three of its four predecessors (sorry, Avengers: Age of Ultron...) were.

There's plenty in this new teaser to excite fans ahead of one of 2026's most exciting new movies, too. From a fresh look at Doctor Doom's duel with Thor, and more teases concerning the former's backstory and motivations, to the gravity of the situation that our heroes face and their desperate attempt to delay the inevitable — that being, Doom's likely victory in Avengers 5 — and December 18 can't come soon enough.

1. Marvel's new X-Men movie cast reveal and release date announcement

The X-Men are coming to the MCU:Sadie Sink is Jean GreyKit Connor is CyclopsChristopher Abbott is Professor Charles XavierSamara Weaving is Emma FrostInde Navarrette is RogueMaya Boyd is StormAdam Driver is Nathaniel MilburyOnly in theaters May 5, 2028. pic.twitter.com/ZCd4f7I1W7August 15, 2026

Quite frankly, there was only one thing that could top Avengers: Doomsday's new trailer release at D23 Expo 2026: some official news on Marvel's new X-Men movie.

After weeks of speculation that included numerous casting rumors and gossip that Marvel would unveil the stars of the MCU's first mutant-led film at D23 Expo 2026, the comic titan did just that, too.

We already knew that Sadie Sink's Jean Grey would be joined by Kit Connor's Cyclops and Samara Weaving's Emma Frost in the Marvel Phase 7 flick. Meanwhile, Obsession star Inde Navarrette had all but teased her involvement after confirming she'd met X-Men movie director Jason Schreier.

As always, though, Marvel had a few surprises up its sleeve. Not only did it officially announce Navarrette would portray Rogue, it also confirmed Christopher Abbott (Girls) would feature as Charles Xavier/Professor X, and that Maya Boyd (Merrily We Roll Along) is on board as Ororo Munroe/Storm. Perhaps the biggest shock of all, though, was that none other than Adam Driver would finally join the MCU as Nathaniel Millbury — or, to give his proper name, Nathaniel Essex, aka the villainous Mister Sinister.

Oh, and did I mention that the MCU's first X-Men film was confirmed to be releasing on May 8, 2028? No? Well, it will. Can someone invent time travel, so we can fast-forward to 2028, please?

For more on the forthcoming mutant flick, read up on everything we know so far about Marvel's new X-Men movie. Again, be aware that some information, especially in the cast section, will be out of date until I update it.

• The Honor Robot Phone is attracting lots of attention on social media
• Commenters are calling its built-in gimbal an "innovation" and arguing that customers "are tired of seeing the same phone every year"
• Some critics argue it could be fragile or hard to clean

Earlier this month, Phones Editor Axel Metz travelled to Shenzhen, China, to be among the first to try the Honor Robot Phone.

This upcoming flagship from Chinese smartphone giant Honor features a built-in gimbal camera that can pop out of a special rear panel for enhanced video stabilization, along with high-tech features like AI-powered subject tracking and advanced shooting modes.

It's one of the most distinctive and exciting smartphones we've seen in years, and it's likely to cost less than you might think if it does reach Western markets. It officially launched in China for ¥9,999, which comes to around $1,500 / £1,100 / AU$2,100.

There is a big catch, however. Honor used to be a Huawei subsidiary and, while its devices are no longer subject to sanctions following its separation in 2020, they're still not officially sold in the US.

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That fact hasn't stopped our US audience from expressing their excitement for the Robot Phone on TikTok and Facebook, where a brief hands-on video we posted last week has already reached more than a million views and accumulated thousands of likes and comments.

One top-rated comment reads: "This is why Chinese companies get banned in the US. Our tech is so behind."

"US companies can't compete," reads another. "That's why they just banned them."

Other users praised the unique concept of a gimbal built into a phone. "That's what I call innovation. People are tired of seeing the same phone every year, like the iPhone," wrote one commenter.

Another posted: "This right here is innovation light-years ahead of iPhone."

"Americans only dream of phones like these," wrote one wistful commenter.

There are also plenty of sceptics, with some users citing durability concerns and others arguing that the gimbal would be hard to keep clean. "External moving parts are never a good idea," wrote one critic.

There's currently no official word on whether the Honor Robot Phone will be available in the US, UK, or Australia, but it certainly seems like there's a lot of interest. Hopefully Honor makes an announcement soon.

In the meantime, you can read what Axel thought after two hours with the Honor Robot Phone, or our interview about the Honor and ARRI collaboration behind its camera.

The Pixel 11 Pro is one the new additions to Google's flagship phone lineup, sitting alongside the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold (we've tried them all out, and were impressed). The Pro's screen is the same 6.3-inch size as the standard Pixel 11, but is brighter and higher-resolution. The build quality of the phone is also a step up over the basic model, and the rear camera setup is more advanced too.

If you've decided this is the phone for you and you've taken advantage of one of the Pixel 11 Pro preorder deals, now's the time to get a case sorted. Below, I've rounded up a selection of my favorites, in the US and in the UK.

My go-to brands for reliable, tough cases are Otterbox and Spigen. Those cases are generally on the pricier side, so I've included some cheap-and-cheerful Amazon alternatives. These tend to come from weird, no-name brands, so quality can be hit-and-miss. I've stuck to the options that come backed with reassuring reviews. And I've also thrown in a selection of fun cases from Casetify, which is the best place to look for quirky options to add some personality to your phone.

US cases

FNTCASE Pixel 11 Pro Case Compatible With Magsafe

CASETiFY Sunset wave case

Temdan Pixel 11 Pro Case with built-In invisible Kickstand

Spigen Ultra Hybrid Magfit for Pixel 11 Pro Case, Clear White

Spigen Ultra Hybrid Magfit for Pixel 11 Pro Case, Frost Black

OtterBox Pixel 11 Pro Lumen Series Case — Clear

Spigen Tough Armor Magfit for Pixel 11 Pro Case, Black

CASETiFY Blue Reflections case

Spigen Tough Armor Magfit for Pixel 11 Pro Case, Abyss Green

CASETiFY Wave Trip - Blue Voltage MagSafe case

Spigen Nano Pop Magfit for Pixel 11 Pro Case, Black Sesame

OtterBox Pixel 11 Pro Defender Series Pro Case - Black

UK cases

Spigen Nanopop Magfit Case for Google Pixel 11 Pro - Blueberry Navy

TOCOL Google Pixel 11 Pro Case, Magsafe Compatible, Alpine Green

FNTCASE Google Pixel 11 Pro Case, Fit for Magsafe

Spigen Ultra Hybrid Magfit Case for Google Pixel 11 Pro - Clear White

Ringke Google Pixel 11 Pro Case, Onyx (Dark Green)

CASETiFY Happy Croissants case

OtterBox Pixel 11 Pro Lumen Series Case - Clear

CASETiFY Hibis-Kiss case

JETech Magnetic Matte Case for Google Pixel 11 Pro, Black

CASETiFY New York Subway Metro case

Spigen Liquid Air Magfit Case for Google Pixel 11 Pro - Matte Black

OtterBox Pixel 11 Pro Defender Series Pro Case - Black

Slop. The word that people have settled on, and it fits.

LinkedIn posts that say nothing. Investor decks assembled from prompts. Sales outreach that feels personalized but went to thousands of people. Conference presentations that look polished but collapse when someone asks a substantive question.

Nobody in a position of power seems to want to say this clearly, so here it is: we are making it ourselves.

People racing to scale content with AI tools are burning through the one thing that makes any of this worth doing, which is the reasonable expectation that when a person puts their name on something, a person thought about it.

When the thinking did not happen, the name is borrowed credibility, and audiences tend to feel the difference.

A denial of service attack on professional attention

Think about what high-volume, low-signal communication actually does to the people on the receiving end. It is a denial of service attack. Done at scale, they do not just waste time. They degrade the channel for everyone trying to use it honestly.

Trust in professional life is not a soft value. It is the mechanism by which work gets done. Slop corrodes that mechanism slowly, quietly reshaping expectations until the default posture toward professional content shifts from curiosity to suspicion.

The deck nobody built

Anyone who spent serious time at an event this year noticed it. You sit in the room and thirty minutes in you realize the presenter has not actually field-tested any of what is on the screen. The model made it coherent. Coherence is not the same as true.

The tell is always the same. Someone asks a follow-up question that goes one layer below the framework and the answer drifts. Not because the presenter is unintelligent. Because there was no thinking to retrieve.

This matters because a presentation is a claim: I know something about this, I worked it out, and it is worth your time. An AI-assembled deck without the underlying experience is not a weak presentation. It is a lie. It borrows the authority of hard-won perspective without having won it.

The prototype that is not a product

For most of software's history, the gap between a prototype and a product was real and substantial. Building a finished product required engineering time, design iteration, infrastructure decisions – all the unglamorous work that separates a demo from production. That gap created useful friction.

AI has compressed that gap in ways that are genuinely exciting and genuinely dangerous. You can now generate a working interface, complete with plausible data and coherent navigation, in a matter of hours. Teams can test market appetite and validate direction before committing to a full build. That is legitimately valuable.

What is not legitimate is presenting that prototype as though the hard questions have already been answered. Can it scale? What happens at the edges? What does it cost to run? These are not details to resolve later. They are the product.

A prototype shown honestly invites conversation. A prototype shown as a finished product forecloses it, and the interest on that debt gets paid in credibility.

Thinking versus the appearance of thinking

The fundamental choice we make every day, often without recognizing it is this: are we using AI to think better or to avoid thinking?

There is a version of AI-assisted work where the human is still the author. The thinking happened. The judgment was applied. Then there is the version that produces slop. The deck assembled via prompts. The prototype shown without the word prototype appearing anywhere. No thinking happened. No perspective was shared. An audience was addressed but did not receive anything.

Getting ahead of the trust crisis means being honest about which version we are practicing and having the discipline to stop calling the second one a strategy.

The bill has started to arrive. Response rates to AI-drafted cold outreach have collapsed. Investors reviewing AI-generated pitch decks are getting quicker at identifying when the strategic narrative was assembled rather than discovered. In product, the reckoning takes the form of churn.

The cruelest part is that the organizations doing the flooding harm not only themselves but everyone trying to communicate honestly in the same space. Individual rationality producing collective ruin, one generated paragraph at a time.

There is a longer consequence that rarely gets named. Frontier AI models were trained on the accumulated output of human knowledge-sharing: forums, papers, articles, the slow sediment of people working things out in public. New questions posted on Stack Overflow are down almost 80% year over year. If the knowledge commons are replaced by AI-generated output, we are not building on a base of human insight. We are iterating on a fixed one.

Slop does not just erode trust in the present. It risks stagnating the knowledge base that the future depends on.

What we owe the people we are trying to reach

As AI drives content toward abundance, credibility becomes the only real differentiator, and it is the scarcest resource in the communication ecosystem. The organizations and individuals who protect it now will hold something that becomes more valuable as the surrounding environment degrades.

Worth the time to actually write the thing, work through the strategy, build the product before calling it one. Worth asking whether what you are about to put in front of people reflects your thinking or just a model's prediction of your thinking. And sometimes it is worth saying nothing rather than saying the algorithmically optimal version of nothing.

Trust has always been the currency of professional influence. Right now, a lot of people are flooding the market with counterfeits. The people on the receiving end know. They may not say so in the meeting, or click unsubscribe, or walk out of the session. But something shifts. The next email gets opened a little more slowly. The next deck gets a little less benefit of the doubt. The next demo gets a harder question in the room.

Credibility does not collapse all at once. It drains, quietly, one hollow interaction at a time. And by the time you notice the account is empty, the withdrawals have been happening for a long time.

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

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

• Car Thing display dongles are currently e-waste...
• ... but this new software online lets you revive them
• Created by fan engineers to bring back old tech

It's been several years since Spotify killed off its Car Thing auto dongle, bricking devices which customers owned, and some users have never forgiven the brand for that 'Car Thing is being discontinued' pop-up on their displays. But, even though it's been four years since the brand announced the end of the road for Car Thing, fans have finally found a way to bring it back.

Over the last few months, an engineer has been working on a revival project, and they finally have it — in the form of Mira. This is a software you can download onto your old Car Thing, to bring back its functionality in your vehicle.

You can download the software via Github, and get it working on your Car Thing by connecting it to your phone or computer, but you don't need a permanent install of anything onto your device (other than Spotify, obviously).

Then, you'll be able to keep using your Car Thing to add Spotify playback to your smart system-less car, just as the streaming giant intended when it unveiled the thing.

It's not quite Car Thing...

... but it's close. The designer has shared a list of features available in Mira, and it's pretty extensive. You can use voice commands, see album artwork and lyrics, use gesture controls to navigate, use Car Thing's physical dial and see the transcripts of podcasts.

Apparently there are a few Bluetooth connection bugs in the current version of the software, and Reddit commenters on the announcement post are clearly waiting for Apple Music and YouTube Music support. But Mira's mere existence is great news in making up for Spotify's failings.

Perhaps best of all in this 'pay-for-everything' existence is that Mira is free to download and use, with no rolling subscription fee (so, just whatever you pay for Spotify and your device, obviously).

I didn't have 'Car Thing coming back to life' on my 2026 bingo card, but now that it has, I'm not surprised Spotify had nothing to do with it. The brand has been too busy essentially swerving the AI slop problem (then belatedly backpedaling and trying to contain the issue) to work on any hardware projects. So it makes sense that buyers would have to step in if they wanted to get their Car Things back on the road.

• Microsoft Excel is pulling the COPILOT () function
• Function allowed users to describe tasks in natural language, including as part of a formula
• It never reached public launch, and has now been overtaken by other tools

Microsoft is dropping its COPILOT function in Excel as part of its wide-ranging overhauls to the AI platform.

In a Message Center alert, the company warned users that the tool will be pulled on September 14, 2026.

First announced in August 2025 and originally set for launch in January 2027, the tool has been in testing for over a year with Frontier and Insider users, but Microsoft has apparently decided not to move forward with its service.

Copilot dismissed

At launch, Microsoft had described the COPILOT () function as helping users to describe tasks in natural language, including as part of a formula, before receiving the results created by Copilot, in their cells, without needing to open up a separate Copilot window

It proved an initial hit for tasks such as text summarization, classification, content generation, and looking up information on the Internet.

Some examples of =COPILOT's use cases include summarizing customer feedback, categorizing data, integrating external knowledge and formatting.

In its most simple form, a function might look like "=COPILOT(prompt_part1, [context1])" – though context is optional.

Microsoft did say the function should not be used for numerical calculations, which might have been a major use cases for many - as well as saying users should avoid using it for gathering and finding information already stored inside a workbook or for content subject due to legal and compliance requirements.

So what's next? Microsoft explained that it is removing the COPILOT() function as it believes Excel cam already provide other, more effective ways to access the same AI capabilities.

Users can continue working with Copilot through both the Copilot side panel and the floating Dynamic Action Button (DAB), making a dedicated function slightly redundant.

The move comes as Microsoft makes a number of changes to AI capabilities within Excel as user demands continue to evolve and change.

This includes a new update to Copilot in Excel aimed specifically at finance workers, positioning the spreadsheet software as an AI-powered tool for financial modelling, forecasting and reporting.

Via Neowin

AI conversations have moved past the point of curiosity.

Boards and leadership teams are no longer asking what AI might eventually do.

They are asking where it is actually working, what measurable value it is creating - and why so many promising experiments still fail to become durable operating advantages.

Across industries, companies have invested heavily in AI pilots, proofs of concept and impressive demos.

Yet many remain stuck in what I think of as pilot purgatory: the place where a tool works in a controlled environment but never survives contact with the complexity, exceptions and accountability required in production.

The problem usually isn’t the model

In my experience, AI initiatives rarely fail because the underlying technology is not powerful enough. They fail because of how the technology is applied. A model can be impressive in a sandbox and still be irrelevant to the business if it is not embedded into a real workflow, connected to the right data, governed appropriately and measured against outcomes that matter.

That is why access to AI is no longer a differentiator. Anyone can buy access to models or integrate a third-party tool. The real advantage lies in the things that can’t be bought off the shelf: proprietary data, deep domain expertise, and the discipline to continuously improve AI once it is operating at scale.

For us, those principles come together in our Lean AI approach, rooted in a Lean operating model that drives continuous improvement through testing, learning, and acting. Instead of chasing technology for technology’s sake, our Lean AI approach helps us move AI beyond experimentation and into production, where it can improve service, boost productivity and create real business value.

Production AI requires discipline, not experimentation for its own sake

This is where many organizations get stuck. They treat AI as a portfolio of experiments instead of an operating capability. Organizations that successfully operationalize AI tend to do the opposite.

They prioritize AI opportunities based on business value and points of operational friction, identifying manual, repetitive and high-volume work. Then, they build and deploy agents where automation can improve speed, accuracy, scalability or service quality across the entire customer workflow.

There is no hobby AI in this model. Every deployment needs a clear business case, a workflow owner, measurement, feedback loops, and a plan to scale. That discipline is especially important with agentic AI, because agents operate with more autonomy than traditional software.

Progress is not always linear. Systems improve, encounter new edge cases, retrench and improve again. Human oversight isn’t a temporary bridge either; it is part of the architecture.

The application layer is where the moat gets built

The AI ecosystem is often described in layers, from the underlying IT infrastructure and large language models to the applications built on top of them. Those foundational layers are essential, but they are not where most enterprises will build durable, competitive moats.

The real advantage comes at the application layer—where AI is integrated into workflows, systems, exceptions, data and human judgment that define how a business actually runs. If an enterprise does not own or deeply control that layer, it risks turning AI into another generic capability rather than a competitive advantage.

Take supply chain logistics as one example. Moving a single shipment isn’t a linear task. It may require coordinating moves by truck and ship and rail, customs documentation in multiple countries, handoffs at multiple facilities, and weather and market conditions that change by the hour. A generic AI tool does not understand that workflow out of the box.

Context is the hard part

Every industry has its own data and context that powers it. In supply chains, that context lives in historical pricing patterns, warehouse operations, customer-specific policies, shipment characteristics, driver performance, market cycles and the judgment of people who have solved messy freight problems for years.

That context cannot simply be purchased. It has to be collected, structured, governed and applied. AI becomes more effective when it’s built into your technology platform and can learn from those realities rather than relying on generic information alone. Just as important, employees add institutional knowledge through continuous feedback, teaching AI agents the same way they would train a new operations employee.

Take something as seemingly straightforward as scheduling a truck to pick up freight. On the surface, it sounds like a narrow task. In practice, it requires understanding customer requirements, freight characteristics, facility policies, loading dock constraints, appointment systems and exceptions that may vary by location. An AI agent can only automate that work reliably if it has been engineered with the right context and oversight.

The companies that get the most from AI will be the ones that move beyond pilots and treat it as an operating model. That means starting with real business problems, owning the application layer where differentiation happens, feeding agents with proprietary context, keeping humans in the loop and measuring outcomes relentlessly.

AI will not reward the companies with the most demos. It will reward those that can operationalize learning faster than their competitors.

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

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