TechRadar News

• Lists of Pixel Watch 4 colors and bands have leaked
• 41 mm and 45 mm models are predicted
• We could see the new wearable turn up in August

If Google sticks to its previous schedule, then the successor to the Google Pixel Watch 3 should be breaking cover sometime in August – quite possibly alongside the Google Pixel 10 – and we've now seen a flurry of leaks around what to expect from the Pixel Watch 4.

Tipsters Roland Quandt (via Notebookcheck) and Arsène Lupin (via 9to5Google) have both posted extensive lists of the colors, sizes, and bands coming with the Pixel Watch 4, and the two sources are in agreement about what's coming.

We can expect Silver/Porcelain, Silver/Iris, Gray/Moonstone, Black/Obsidian, and Gold/Lemon to be the case color and watch band combinations, which include a few tweaks to the options you can currently get with the Pixel Watch 3.

There will also be a host of official bands to pick from. It seems the materials are staying the same, but the colors – including Jade, Lemongrass, Moonstone, Matte Black, and Indigo – all look like they're going to be new for 2025.

Rumors and renders

Google Pixel Watch 4:WiFi/LTE41mm/45mmBlack/ObsidianGold/LemonMoonstoneSilver/IrisSilver/PorcelainJuly 4, 2025

As expected, all of these combinations are going to be available in 41 mm and 45 mm sizes, and there will be LTE options alongside Wi-Fi-only models too. The bands will be available in multiple sizes as well, according to these leaks.

Nothing is certain until Google actually announces the Pixel Watch 4 and makes it official, but the fact that two of the most prominent tipsters in the business are coming up with the same lists adds more credibility to them.

We haven't heard too much in the way of Pixel Watch 4 leaks and rumors so far. There has been talk that the smartwatch will be more repairable than its predecessors, and that the device may launch with some useful software updates in tow.

There have also been leaked renders of the Pixel Watch 4, pointing to a design that's not too dissimilar to the current model. We'll most probably see a few more tidbits revealed in the next month or so, ahead of the launch.

You might also like

• The Pixel Watch just got a useful update
• These are the best smartwatches you can buy
• Our full review of the Google Pixel Watch 3

• Ryzen 7 255 is a downclocked, China-exclusive chip without the usual 16 TOPS AI NPU
• Minisforum N5 supports up to 96 GB of DDR5 RAM but lacks ECC memory support
• The N5 offers dual USB4 ports and 10GbE networking for versatile connectivity

Minisforum has introduced the N5, a compact network-attached storage (NAS) device now available globally.

Released alongside the more powerful N5 Pro, this new model is powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 255, a processor so obscure that it doesn’t even appear on AMD’s official global website.

Instead, it’s listed only on AMD’s Chinese site as the Ryzen 7 H 255, a chip with eight Zen 4 cores and a base clock of 3.8GHz, boosting up to 4.9GHz.

Downclocked chip with missing AI features

Falling under the Ryzen 200 and Hawk Point series, the processor has a default TDP of 45W, configurable between 35W and 54W.

However, the Ryzen 7 255 raises some questions about positioning and performance.

Minisforum also uses this processor in the AI X1, but it seems to be a rebadged Ryzen 7 8745HS, essentially a lower-wattage variant of the Ryzen 7 8745H, a chip offered exclusively in China.

It appears that the Ryzen 7 255 misses out on the 16 TOPS NPU that most of the Ryzen 7 250 series chips use, which means the chip is expected to lag in AI-centric tasks.

The CPU and GPU are also slightly downclocked, which could lead to modest but noticeable performance reductions.

Despite those caveats, the Minisforum N5 offers an attractive array of features that may appeal to users seeking a hybrid between a NAS device and a mini PC.

Like its Pro variant, the N5 supports up to 96GB of DDR5 memory through dual SO-DIMM slots.

However, it does not offer ECC RAM support, a key distinction for those prioritizing data integrity.

The device can run multiple operating systems, including Linux, MinisCloud OS, and Windows 11 Pro.

For connectivity, it includes two USB4 ports, 5Gbps and 10Gbps Ethernet ports, an OCuLink interface, and a PCIe x16 slot running at PCIe 4.0 x4 speeds.

These features make it viable not only as a NAS device but also as a potential mini workstation, especially when paired with the best NAS drives for storage expansion.

Pricing begins at $553 for a base configuration that includes 64GB of storage but no RAM, though a version with 16GB of RAM is available for an extra $48.

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• These are the fastest SSDs you can buy right now
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Superman is gearing up to fly into theaters. The rebooted DC Universe's (DCU) first film arrives worldwide on July 11, so you'll want to learn more about the ensemble starring in James Gunn's Superman movie.

Below, I've compiled a list of every character appearing in the superhero flick. I'll also tell you which actor is portraying them and where you might have seen them before.

One last thing before you proceed: I didn't include characters who haven't been confirmed as part of Superman's official cast. So, while a Guardians of the Galaxy star is said to have a bit-part role in Superman and a big fan theory about Ultraman's real identity is circulating online, you won't find those or other potential spoiler-based cameos in this guide.

David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman

David Corenswet is the latest actor to portray the iconic Kryptonian (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

Corenswet is the latest actor tasked with bringing Clark Kent/Kal-El to life in a live-action project, following stars such as Christopher Reeve and Henry Cavill. In the DCU's iteration, Krypton's most famous son will possess the superhero's usual powerset, including heat vision, the ability to fly, super strength, invulnerability, super speed, and x-ray vision, among others.

Corenswet made a name for himself in Netflix's The Politician, but he's also appeared in films like Hulu's The Greatest Hits and Universal's Twisters, and in other TV shows, including Hollywood and Lady in the Lake.

Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane

Rachel Brosnahan plays Clark Kent's perennial love interest and fellow Daily Planet reporter (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

Best known for playing Miriam 'Midge' Maisel in Prime Video's The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Brosnahan will portray combative journalist Lois Lane in this DCU Chapter One film. She'll be less of a damsel in distress in Superman, with Brosnahan's take on the character being feistier and more proactive than previous versions.

Her award-winning performance in the aforementioned Amazon TV Original notwithstanding, Brosnahan has had roles in Spies in Disguise, Manhattan, and The Amateur, among other productions. You'll next see her in Presumed Innocent season 2 on Apple TV+, with Brosnahan recently announced as the crime anthology series' next lead.

Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor

Nicholas Hoult has now played iconic characters in Marvel and DC Comics (Image credit: Jessica Miglio/DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

Hoult, who reportedly accepted the role of Lex Luthor in November 2023 before his official casting was announced just days later, will play one of Superman's most iconic adversaries. Despite Superman's first-look image teasing the potential appearance of another big villain, Luthor will be the film's Big Bad.

UK viewers will immediately recognize Hoult from 2002's comedy-drama film About a Boy and Channel 4's teenage drama Skins. Since then, Hoult has gone on to play a younger version of Marvel character Hank McCoy/Beast in Fox's second X-Men film franchise, and starred in numerous other projects, including Renfield, Warm Bodies, Nosferatu, Tolkien, Juror No. 2, The Great, and The Menu.

Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt/Mister Terrific

Edi Gathegi is the first actor to play Mister Terrific in a live-action capacity (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

Real name Michael Holt, Mister Terrific will make his first-ever live-action appearance in one of the DCU Chapter One's most exciting movies. Gathegi will play Holt, one of three superpowered individuals who make up the corporately owned Justice Gang.

As for who Mister Terrific is: he's a scientist-turned-superhero who uses floating orbs – known as T-spheres – to create holographic projections, hack into other machines, and emit energy bursts. He's also incredibly smart – the man has 14 PhDs in DC Comics – and wealthy. Essentially, he's got the finances and firepower to match that of the more famous billionaire vigilante Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Gathegi's credits include multi-episode and/or multi-season appearances in Apple's For All Mankind, NBC's The Blacklist, TNT's Proof, and ABC's The Family Tools. Some viewers may recognize him from X-Men: First Class and The Harder They Fall, too.

Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern

Frequent James Gunn collaborator Nathan Fillion will portray one of the DCU's Green Lanterns (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

Guy Gardner, one of many DC characters to assume the Green Lantern alias – individuals bestowed with a green ring that grants various abilities to its wielder – will be portrayed by Nathan Fillion. He's one of three Green Lanterns confirmed to appear in this cinematic franchise, too, with Aaron Pierre's John Stewart and Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan set to be introduced in HBO's Lanterns TV show.

Most famous for playing Malcolm 'Mal' Reynolds in Firefly, Fillion has appeared in numerous other popular shows and movies. In a glittering career, he's also renowned for playing Richard Castle in ABC's Castle and The Rookie, T.D.K in The Suicide Squad, different characters in The Guardians of the Galaxy film series, and voicing characters in various animated TV series and Halo videogame franchise.

His appearances in new seasons of The Rookie and its Feds spin-off aside, Fillion will next be seen reprising his role as Gardner in Peacemaker season 2, which arrives on HBO Max in late August.

Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl

Isabela Merced was last seen portraying Dina in The Last of Us season 2 (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

The third and final Justice Gang member, Hawkgirl – real name Kendra Saunders – is set to be played by Isabela Merced.

Hawkgirl has one of the most complicated histories in all of DC Comics. Essentially, though, Saunders is the latest reincarnation of Shayera Hol, a member of an alien race known as the Thanagarians. The third incumbent of the Hawkgirl mantle, Saunders possesses the memories of her forebears, Hol and Shiera Sanders. She's also a reluctant and cynical hero, so expect her to butt heads with the more idealistic Superman. Abilities-wise, she can fly, is an expert combatant, and possesses the usual superhuman abilities.

Last seen playing Dina in The Last of Us season 2, Merced's star is on the rise due to her performances in Spider-Man spin-off Madame Web, Alien: Romulus, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, and Turtles All the Way Down. She'll also cameo in season 2 of Peacemaker next month.

Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord

Maxwell Lord, seen here in Peacemaker season 2's first trailer, will have a small role in Superman (Image credit: DC Studios/HBO Max)

Ordinarily a Wonder Woman villain, Maxwell Lord will have a small role in Superman. Sean Gunn, frequent collaborator and brother of DC Studios' co-chief, is playing the Justice Gang's primary financier.

The voice of Weasel and G.I. Robot in HBO Max animated series Creature Commandos, aka the first DCU production to be released, Gunn has also portrayed Kraglin in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, Weasel in The Suicide Squad, and Kirk Gleason in Gilmore Girls. Like Fillion and Merced, Gunn will also show up in Peacemaker season 2.

Anthony Carrigan as Rex Mason/Metamorpho

Metamorpho will be more crucial to this movie's story than some people realize (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

Played by Barry alumnus Anthony Carrigan, Rex Mason/Metamorpho is another metahuman who'll appear in a live-action capacity for the first time. Mason is an archaeologist who can alter his body's atoms to change shape and consistency, and create any element he wants.

First revealed in a behind-the-scenes featurette, Metamorpho's DCU design is near-identical to his look in the comics. Superman's official trailer and Superman's final teaser also indicate he'll play a small but significant role in its plot, too – read my Superman trailer #2 breakdown piece to find out why.

Apart from his scene-stealing performance as NoHo Hank in Barry, audiences might have seen Carrigan in Gotham, Death of a Unicorn, Fatherhood, and The Forgotten.

Maria Gabriela de Faria as Angela Spica/The Engineer

Angela Spica is part of a superhuman group known as The Authority in DC Comics (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

Maria Gabriela De Faria is playing Angela Spica/The Engineer, a member of The Authority, a Wildstorm Universe/DC Comics anti-hero team unafraid to resort to extreme measures to save the day. Spica is usually depicted as having a liquid body and various superpowers due to her nanite-enriched blood. However, while her DCU counterpart is similarly imbued with nanotechnology, they act as a suit of armor, allow Spica to craft various weapons, and grant her superhuman abilities.

A Venezuelan actor who's starred in various telenovelas, de Faria won't be a familiar name to many. She's guest-starred in some English-language series, including Deadly Class, The Moodys, and Animal Control, but her forthcoming appearance in Superman is her biggest international role so far.

Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr.

Rick Flag Sr. has been promoted since we saw him in Creature Commandos season 1 (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

After surviving the events of Creature Commandos season 1, Rick Flag Sr. will have a small role to play in Superman. He was voiced by Frank Grillo in the adult animated show, so it's no great surprise that Grillo portrays the newly installed Head of ARGUS's live-action version, too.

A prolific actor, fans will know Grillo from playing Brock Lumlow/Crossbones in the MCU, Bill in Sylvester Stallone's Paramount+ TV hit Tulsa King, Alvey in Kingdom, Nick in Prison Break, and Frank in Warrior, among many other films and shows.

Wendell Pierce as Perry White

Wendell Pierce, pictured as part of the Superman world press tour, will portray The Daily Planet's editor-in-chief (Image credit: Eric Charbonneau)

Wendell Pierce has been cast as Perry White, the Daily Planet's tough-but-fair editor-in-chief, who was last played on the big screen by Lawrence Fishburne.

Last seen in Marvel's Thunderbolts* movie, Pierce is best known for Bunk Moreland in The Wire, aka one of the best HBO Max shows of all time. He's also appeared as Robert Zane in Suits and James Greer in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, and starred in a variety of highly rated films, including Selma, Ray, and Malcolm X.

Skyler Gisondo, Beck Bennett, Mikaela Hoover, and Christopher McDonald as Jimmy Olsen, Steve Lombard, Cat Grant, and Ron Troupe

Ron (second left), Cat (third left), Steve (back middle), and Jimmy (second right) are all employed by The Daily Planet (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

White, Lane, and Kent – when the last of that trio isn't being a superhero, anyway – aren't the only Daily Planet employees we'll see in Superman.

Gisondo is on board as Jimmy Olsen, the news outlet's photographer and friend to Kent and Lane. Viewers may recognize him from The Righteous Gemstones and The Santa Clarita Diet.

Bennett (Saturday Night Live, Hamster and Gretel), Hoover (The Belko Experiment), and McDonald (Jill & Jack) round out the Daily Planet's roster. They'll respectively portray self-serving sports reporter Lombard, gossip columnist Grant, and general journalist Troupe.

Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell as Jonathan 'Pa' Kent and Martha 'Ma' Kent

The Kents are Kal-El's surrogate parents (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

Vince and Howell were confirmed to be playing Clarke's surrogate parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, last April. It's unclear how big a role they'll have, but based on the footage we've seen, we know they'll share some heartfelt scenes with the titular Kryptonian.

Superman will mark Vince's first screen appearance in four years, with the Murder One, Stranger Things, Bird Box, and Beautiful Girls star's last role coming in 2021's Crime Story. Meanwhile, Howell's acting credits include Beckinfield, The Edge of Sanity, and The Resident.

Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher

Eve Teschmacher is positioned as a social media influencer in the DCU (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

Typically, Teschmacher is Luthor's assistant and love interest. While the latter has been retained for Supes' next big-screen adventure, Sampaio's version has been tweaked to also make her a social media influencer.

A runway model by trade, Sampaio's filmography isn't as extensive as many of her Superman peers. However, she has appeared in an episode of Billions, and had small movie roles in Crisis, Wifelike, and At Midnight.

Ouzo the dog as Krypto the Superdog

(Super)Man's best friend will be a huge hit among kids and animal lovers alike (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

This list wouldn't be complete without a nod to Krypto the Superdog, who stole our hearts when Superman's first trailer was released last December.

Based on James Gunn's rescue dog Ouzo, Krypto will be a boisterous version of Supes' canine companion. Indeed, we've seen him being a menace in the aforementioned teaser, Superman's first official clip, and other trailers for one of 2025's most anticipated new movies. Don't be surprised if Krypto, who's also expected to appear in next year's Supergirl film, is one of the movie's highlights when it's eventually released.

You might also like

• Find out how to watch the Superman movies in order
• Or get the lowdown on streaming the DC movies in order
• Alternatively, see if you agree with our ranking of the best Batman movies

It's hard to believe, but the progress bar on the year 2025 has just hit the 50% mark. That mildly terrifying marker is a good opportunity for us to look back at the tech we've spent days reviewing over the past six months and ask a simple question – what are the best new products we've tested in 2025 so far?

The answers from our many experts across audio, phones, computing, cameras, TVs, fitness, the smart home and more are below. Has AI killed hardware innovation? The list below suggests the answer is an emphatic 'no'. While there are some familiar faces below (hello, Nintendo Switch 2), there are also bold new designs from the likes of Honor, Motorola and Sigma.

The price of this kind of innovation often doesn't come cheap, so we've also sprinkled in the best-value launches we've seen from the worlds of chargers, smart glasses and smartwatches. If you're looking for a temperature check on the year so far in tech, you've come to the right place...

The best tech of 2025 so far

What are the best things TechRadar has tested and reviewed in 2025 so far? There have been a lot of contenders, but we've picked out the very top ones across all of our categories below.

Because of the sheer variety in our product testing, the order of our list is a little arbitrary, but that's all part of the fun. And among the top six are four products that have all been given a coveted five-star TechRadar rating...

17. Sigma BF

• The polarizing, stand-out camera of 2025 so far

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)

The Sigma BF ignores so many camera design norms that it should, by rights, be a total failure – and yet it has been the most talked about snapper this year. Crafted out of a single block of metal, this premium-feel minimalist full-frame camera with tactile buttons has some of the boldest design flourishes you’ll ever see, which have led to it being described as the camera Apple would’ve made.

My experience testing the BF over several weeks proved to be a rollercoaster: the smooth, featureless body that’s properly awkward to grip onto, the control setup being the very definition of ‘minimalist’, the omission of a viewfinder and lack of tilt / rotate movements in the screen, no decent connectivity, no card slot (which is disconcerting), nor in-body stabilisation.

For all these lows, the minimalist Sigma BF is a compelling, creative tool with plenty of highs. It does design differently – far from a cold, unfeeling product, its stark, stripped-back beauty pushed me to go out and take photos – and I loved the look of the photos I took with it. (Timothy Coleman, Cameras Editor)

• Read our in-depth Sigma BF review

16. Anker Nano Charger 45W

• Our new, go-to compact phone charger for traveling

(Image credit: Future)

If you’re looking for a new phone charger, the Anker Nano Charger 45W is a truly excellent option. It offers more than enough power to activate fast-charging on the best iPhones and best Samsung phones, and even comes with a 6ft USB-C cable.

What makes this model so special, though, is that it's phenomenally compact and lightweight – especially given its generous maximum power output.Yes, with the use of GaN technology, Anker has ensured that this charger is mighty enough to juice up your devices in a flash, while also being petite enough to slide into tight spaces at home or on the go.

And when you need to take the charger out and about, you can simply fold the prongs away and slide it into your pocket or bag – pretty convenient. Considering the Anker Nano Charger 45W has a list price of just $34.99 / £24.99 (about AU$50), you’re looking at unbelievably good value for money. A special mention also goes to the Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Foldable Pad too, which is a smartly designed palm-sized wireless charger that we’ve been taking on our travels ever since it launched. (Harry Padoan, Staff Writer)

• Read our in-depth Anker Nano Charger 45W with USB-C Cable review

15. OnePlus Watch 3

• The Android smartwatch of 2025 (so far)

It may only be a modest step up from the OnePlus Watch 2, but the company's 2025 take on its big, beautiful smartwatch is the best Wear OS experience you can buy.

The Watch 3 is designed for those who want a smart dress watch with a side of casual fitness, and it mostly succeeds in those aims. Battery life is one of its big selling points – during our tests, we found it lasted an impressive four-and-a-half days, despite us subjecting it to several, GPS-based workouts.

We also found that it tracks running particularly well and accurately monitors your sleep. This clearly isn't isn't a watch for Apple fans or anyone with an aversion to hefty timepieces, and we did have a few issues with swim-tracking. But if you're looking for a premium Wear OS experience, this is it – and a smaller version will launch on July 8.

• Read our in-depth OnePlus Watch 3 review

14. Roborock Saros 10 and 10R

• Twin winners for the best robot vacuums we've tested

(Image credit: Future)

Understandably, of Roborock's new 2025 line of robovacs, its was the Saros Z70 with its big mechanical arm that garnered most attention. While the tech is undoubtedly exciting, on test we found the Z70's more understated range-mates more genuinely useful. The Roborock Saros 10 and Saros 10R are a formidable pair of home helpers, each offering something slightly different but both equally impressive.

Roborock is one of the very best robot vacuum brands around, and these robot vacuums showcase the latest-and-greatest versions of its technology, both offering accurate navigation, superb suction, advanced object identification and docks that will take care of almost all maintenance for you (and look great while doing so).

However, the big selling point is that both bots have special ways of accessing low-height spaces. That doesn't sound too exciting, until you realize it means they'll be able to clean places that regular, taller bots can't, such as the dusty depths beneath your sofa. There are other small differences – which we dig into in our Roborock Saros 10 vs 10R side-by-side testing article – but they're both good enough to earn a joint crown as the top robovacs of 2025 so far. (Ruth Hamilton, Homes Editor)

• Read our in-depth Roborock Saros 10 review
• Read our in-depth Roborock Saros 10R review

13. Motorola Razr Ultra 2025

• The most stylish phone you can buy by far

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(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)Image 2 of 3

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(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

If you think smartphones have become too dull, you need to meet the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025. It's the antithesis of the boring glass rectangle, combining unique design flourishes (like the wood finish option above) with some flagship-level performance.

This year, that finally includes a powerful chipset – the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite – which is the brains behind most of today's Android powerhouses. Snapping its flip phone design shut is an incredibly satisfying way to hang up on people, too.

The Razr Ultra 2025's main 7-inch display is also glorious (the biggest you'll find outside tablet-style foldables) and even its second screen is faster than any iPhone display, with a 165Hz refresh rate. All of this comes at a cost, of course. But outside price tags, Motorola's flagship shows that foldables no longer need to mean compromises.

• Read our in-depth Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) review

12. Jura J10

• The tastiest coffee machine we've tested in 2025

(Image credit: Future)

The Jura J10 is a premium bean-to-cup coffee maker that produces perfectly extracted hot and cold-brewed coffee every time, and makes some of the best latte macchiatos I’ve ever had.

Hot espresso is rich and flavorsome, and the automatic milk steamer can produce different textures depending on the drink you’re making. Just choose what you want from the menu, and the J10 will do the rest. For cold brew, the J10 lets the freshly ground coffee pre-infuses, then pulses cold water through it at high pressure, recreating the rounded, mellow flavor of coffee steeped in the fridge overnight.

It then tops it off with perfectly foamed milk - which can be infused with a syrup of your choice. It’s not cheap, but if money is no object, then it’s the best coffee machine released this year. (Cat Ellis, Homes Editor)

• Read our full Jura J10 review

11. SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Gen 3

• Your ticket to pure, analog gaming bliss

(Image credit: Future)

The latest models in SteelSeries’ Apex Pro lineup certainly had some big shoes to fill (the TKL variant from 2023 still remains the best gaming keyboard for customization). But the new generation certainly didn’t disappoint – especially the SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Gen 3, which is my personal pick of the bunch.

It’s built to incredibly high standards, with a super-solid chassis that still remains light, while the double-shot PBT keycaps feel every bit as premium as you might imagine. The performance from the analog switches is pretty much flawless, too.

There’s no denying the Apex Pro range is expensive, but the Mini is the cheapest model owing to its small size, yet the layout doesn’t feel compromised thanks to the number of shortcuts available. If you want pure analog gaming bliss, this is the keyboard for you. (Lewis Maddison, Reviews Writer)

10. Xreal One Pro

• The best AR glasses around for entertainment

(Image credit: Future)

The Xreal One Pro AR smart glasses are a cut above any other pair we’ve tested, and give us insight into what 2026’s Android XR glasses could have in store.

Like other current-gen AR specs this Xreal pair can be connected to a compatible phone, PC or gaming device and project the screen on a giant virtual screen – up to 171 inches – with dazzling 120Hz full-HD visuals produced by its 700-nit Sony OLED display.

What makes these glasses special, however, is that they boast a new optical engine. This prism, which reflects the OLED screen into your vision, is not only less bulky but produces a cleaner image while also offering a wider field of view. This unique hardware feature is what makes the Xreal One Pro glasses excellent, and easily the best smart glasses we’ve tested so far this year. (Hamish Hector, Senior Staff Writer, News)

• Read our in-depth Xreal One Pro AR review

9. Honor Earbuds Open

• So good we forgot we were wearing open earbuds

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(Image credit: Future)

The best headphones or earbuds in 2025? Tough call, honestly.

Do we go with the February release Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, a hugely anticipated update – and one that finally added heart-rate monitoring to Apple-subsidiary earbuds? How about the May issue Sony WH-1000XM6 over-ears, or even Nothing's first ever headphones, the Headphone (1) – which narrowly made this missive by arriving on July 1?

After much consideration, I'm going with none of the above and opting for a set of open earbuds – a now-huge category that's seen a 600% growth since last year (thank you for that stat, Huawei). The thing with open-fit designs historically has been bass response; it's hard to get decent low-end clout when the drivers are neither covering your ear completely nor creating an in-ear seal, using your ear canal.

The biggest compliment we paid these buds in our full Honor Earbuds Open review was that they sound so good, we genuinely forgot we were wearing an open-ear design. Oh, and if you thought open earbuds couldn't ace noise cancellation, think again… (Becky Scarrott, Audio Editor)

• Read our in-depth Honor Earbuds Open review

8. Apple iPad Air M3 (2025)

• The new 'best tablet for most people'

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

In recent years, Apple’s iPads haven’t changed a great deal, with small refinements being made from generation to generation. That’s mostly the case with the 2025’s iPad Air, but with the addition of Apple’s in-house designed M3 chip, the iPad Air is pretty much the best tablet for most people.

This is because its 11-inch display offers plenty of space to do everything from browse copious amounts of webpages, to watching movies on a commute or sketch out digital works of art. The M3 chip, which can also be found in MacBook Air models, though not the very latest ones, has buckets of power that most people will struggle to put under a silicon sweat.

Add in accessories like the Magic Keyboard and you’ve also got a pseudo laptop replacement, especially if you tap into various cloud-based tools and software. In short, this is the leading tablet you can buy in 2025 so far, and we don’t expect that to change as the year marches on. (Roland Moore-Colyer, Managing Editor, Mobile Computing)

• Read our in-depth Apple iPad Air 11-inch (2025) review

7. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

• The ultimate Android phone

While the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra didn’t shake-up the large-phone format established with the Galaxy S24 Ultra and its predecessors, it marks the culmination of Samsung efforts in iterating on and refining its flagship phone into one of the best phones money can buy.

As such, we’ve dubbed the Galaxy S25 Ultra as “the ultimate Android” thanks to its superb design, excellent display, powerful performance and an array of cameras that’ll help you get the most out of your phone photography pursuits. But the Galaxy S25 Ultra also stands out as a platform for the generative AI features Google has baked into Android, and those that Samsung has added into the mix with Galaxy AI.

Features like Circle to Search have been refined to be genuinely useful, while other AI-powered tools open up more creative opportunities. However, even if you have no interest in such smart features, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is a superb phone; it’s not cheap but then we feel it’s still the leading phone to come out of 2025 so far and one that’ll serve you well some years from now. (Roland Moore-Colyer, Managing Editor, Mobile Computing)

• Read our in-depth Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review

6. Amazfit Active 2

• The king of smartwatch value

Yes, we already have a smartwatch in this list (see the OnePlus Watch 3 at no. 15), but we had to give a prominent shout-out to Amazfit's latest all-rounder – at $99 / £99 / AU$160, it isn't just the best-value smartwatch we've tested in 2025, it might just be the best-value gadget that's graced our labs. That garnered it a rare five-star TechRadar rating in March.

It can't perform miracles, so there are weaknesses – its fitness-tracking is still a level below Garmin's industry-leading accuracy, and there's no NFC. The lack of Wear OS or watchOS also means it lacks polish in some areas. But its feature-set is vast, and its fitness- and heart-tracking is still very accurate.

We're also big fans of its stainless steel design, which is light and comfortable. As our review concluded, the Amazfit Active 2 offers "unbelievable value for the price" and even "goes toe-to-toe with the Apple Watch for health tracking". While this isn't quite enough for it to top our guide to the best smartwatch, we do think it's the best cheap option by quite a distance.

• Read our in-depth Amazfit Active 2 review

5. Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Generation

• A Bluetooth speaker that punches way above its weight

(Image credit: Future)

Five years is eons in Bluetooth speaker technology and portable audio in general, but that's how long B&O made us wait between iterations of its premium pastel-hued, English muffin-shaped speaker.

The good news is, it was worth the wait: our glowing five-star review of the Beosound A1 Gen 3 reveals a May 2025-issue speaker that's all about sonic performance alongside a generous helping of pride in ownership.

It's little short of a masterclass where materials and their deployment are concerned and for sound, the A1 3rd Gen can summon highly unlikely low-frequency presence and substance. Basically, it hits remarkably hard for a speaker of its proportions. No, it's not cheap, but that doesn't mean it's not good value.

Yes, we loved the also-five-star March release JBL Flip 7, but the B&O buy is such a classy performer it's impossible not to give it the nod. (Becky Scarrott, Audio Editor)

• Read our in-depth Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Generation

4. Apple MacBook Air (M4)

• The best laptop of 2025 so far

(Image credit: Future)

When I was asked what was the best laptop that’s been released so far in 2025, the answer was easy – and also a little bit disappointing. It’s easy because the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) – and its 15-inch version which I reviewed – is a superb laptop that combine excellent performance, a thin and light design and, best of all, an incredibly competitive price that rival laptop makers simply cannot match.

The 2025 MacBook Air is also a culmination of Apple’s reinvention of its laptop line, which started back in 2020 when the company ditched Intel as its hardware partner and began making its own chips, often referred to as ‘Apple silicon’. The M4 chip offers both excellent performance, as well industry-leading efficiency, so it can run for multiple work days on a single charge of the battery. The long battery life, dependable performance, slick design and affordable price makes it an easy recommendation for most people.

So why the disappointment? With Apple’s modern MacBook Airs proving to be so successful, both critically and commercially, it means we’ve hit a streak where Apple isn’t making any big changes with every annual release, so the M4 MacBook Air isn’t a major leap over the M3 model, which wasn’t a big change from the M2 model.

I’d love to say that the best laptop of 2025 so far is a device that takes risks, does something different or really shakes up the market. Instead, it’s a very competent and accomplished device which is no bad thing, of course, but I don’t want Apple getting complacent. (Matt Hanson, Managing Editor, Core Tech)

• Read our in-depth Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4 review (and our review of the 13-inch model)

3. Marshall Heston 120 Dolby Atmos soundbar

• A stunning Dolby Atmos soundbar that absolutely rocks

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(Image credit: Future)

It may have a controversial design that you’ll either hate or love, but there’s no arguing that the Marshall Heston 120 Dolby Atmos soundbar grabs your attention in a way that no other soundbars can manage. For its first soundbar, Marshall went all-in on the guitar amp look that the company’s amps are known for, even down to the gold-plated volume knobs (no, they don’t go to eleven).

Despite its looks, the Heston 120 is no flash in the pan. This 5.1.2 channel model delivers potent Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound, and its bass is seriously impressive for an all-in-one bar. It also sounds great with both Atmos and stereo music, which is something we don’t normally say about most soundbars, and it has multiple HDMI 2.1 ports with up to 4K 144Hz pass-through for gaming. (Al Griffin, Senior Editor Home Entertainment, US)

• Read our in-depth Marshall Heston 120 Dolby Atmos soundbar review

2. Nintendo Switch 2

• The best all-round handheld gaming experience you can buy

After years of constant leaks, rumors, and speculation, the Nintendo Switch 2 finally arrived and it was well worth the wait.

The Japanese gaming giant’s latest hybrid handheld console is its most powerful system yet, delivering substantial performance gains compared to its 2017 predecessor. Not only that, but this iteration has a much larger screen and is far more comfortable in the hands, plus it comes crammed with a whole host of exclusive features.

The overhauled Joy-Con 2 controllers, for example, can be turned on their sides and used like computer mice. The built-in GameChat functionality (effectively Nintendo’s take on popular services like Discord) works wonderfully and helps facilitate a more social gaming experience.

Of course, no console launch would be complete without a deluge of new games. The showstopping Mario Kart World takes the series’ popular racing action off the track for the very first time, with hectic 24 player matches and huge open-world environments to explore. Ports like Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition show off the Switch 2’s hardware power, while transformative Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrades to titles like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom breathe new life into old favorites. (Dash Wood, Hardware Writer)

• Read our in-depth Nintendo Switch 2 review

1. LG G5 OLED TV

• The OLED TV we'd spend our own money on

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

In a year with multiple impressive new OLED TVs, the LG G5 stands out as the most exciting TV of 2025.

The G5 incorporates a new Primary RGB Tandem structure OLED display panel that delivers very high brightness for an OLED TV, making it a great option for both movie nights and daytime sports viewing. The G5 is also particularly well outfitted for gaming, and its beautifully slim design makes it perfect for wall mounting.

TechRadar recently did a side-by-side comparison of the G5 with two other 2025 flagship OLED TVs, the Samsung S95F and Sony Bravia 8 II. Our takeaway from that comparison was that the G5 was the TV we’d spend our own money on, owing to its excellent overall picture quality across a range of room lighting conditions. (Al Griffin, Senior Editor Home Entertainment, US)

• Read our in-depth LG G5 OLED TV review

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• Battery and IP-rating details leak for Samsung's next foldables
• We also have some information for when they'll be available
• These devices are getting their grand unveiling on Wednesday, July 9

Samsung is all set to unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 this coming Wednesday, July 9, and ahead of the big day we've seen some more leaks around what these next-gen foldable phones are going to bring with them.

We recently got word that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 might stick to an IP48 rating for dust and water resistance, same as the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and now we have further info from YTechB about the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and the cheaper Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE too.

Both the Flip foldables will also have an IP48 rating, the leak reveals. That means some level of waterproofing, but not the full protection against small dust and dirt particles that we were hoping for this time around.

Meanwhile the battery capacities and maximum time between charges are said to be 4,272mAh and 40 hours and 28 mins for the Z Fold 7, 4,174 mAh and 42 hours and 4 minutes for the Z Flip 7, and 3,887 mAh and 37 hours for the Z Flip 7 FE.

Coming soon

#Samsung #GalaxyZFold7 #GalaxyZFlip7 #GalaxyZFlip7FE #GalaxyWatch8 #GalaxyWatch8Ultra2025 #GalaxyWatch8Classic will be available to pre-order starting 07/09 3PM and available on 07/25 #GalaxyUnpacked pic.twitter.com/4FlUnlVjMIJuly 4, 2025

Phone manufacturers including Samsung use a more idealized battery capacity rating in their advertising, so there'll be some discrepancy between those figures above and what shows up on the actual specs list.

It looks likely that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will get the same battery capacity as its predecessor, while the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is set for a slight battery boost compared to the Galaxy Z Flip 6 – something we've also heard from previous leaks.

So when will you actually be able to buy these new foldables? Well-known tipster @OnLeaks says preorders will open on the event day, July 9, while shipping and in-store availability is set for July 25.

Those dates include the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 models, which are also expected to make an appearance this coming Wednesday. As ever, we'll be covering all the announcements for you live as they happen.

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There are some incredible camera phones coming out of China right now, including the Xiaomi 15 Ultra with its 1-inch sensor and Leica lenses and the Vivo X200 Ultra with its innovative add-on lens, but Huawei's latest offering could just top the lot.

Unveiled on June 11, the Pura 80 Ultra seemingly features a triangular triple camera unit, but a second glance reveals one of those lenses does, in fact, host twin telephoto optics that share the same 1/1.28-inch sensor.

One of those periscope lenses is a 3.7x zoom, and the other a monster 9.4x zoom. This space-saving setup, which utilizes a moving prism to switch focal length, is unusual enough – although we've seen it before in the Sony Xperia 1 III from 2021 – but judging from the Pura 80 Ultra's specs it looks like the real deal.

The switchable telephoto lenses offer a particularly versatile reach – the 3.7x zoom is an 83mm f/2.4 prime ideal for portraits, while the 9.4x zoom is a 212mm f/3.6 equivalent – plus they share that 1/1.28-inch sensor, which is larger than most others used for telephoto lenses, and shouldn't sacrifice quality.

My only reservation is that it looks like there's some pixel binning or sensor-cropping going on with the 9.4x zoom, which shoots 12.5MP stills, as opposed to the 50MP stills of the 3.7x zoom. Either way, the quality of the photos I've seen taken with both telephoto lenses look impressive.

(Image credit: Huawei)Could this be the world's best camera phone?

As a photographer, the telephoto lenses look genuinely useful, but I'm just as impressed with main camera. It's a 23mm lens with variable f/1.6-4 aperture, utilizing a larger-still 1-inch sensor for 50MP stills.

What's more, Huawei says that the main camera is capable of capturing 16 stops of dynamic range, which would be a record for any smartphone.

The wider the dynamic range a camera is able to capture, the more perceivable detail you get across highlights and shadows, which should make for more natural-looking images.

Completing the camera array is an ultra-wide 13mm lens with 40MP stills, though Huawei doesn't list the sensor size for this camera. It's a safe bet that it won't match the quality of the main camera.

Unlike the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, which I've been using for months and is a genuine alternative for my premium compact camera, I haven't got my hands on the Huawei Pura 80 Ultra yet, so I can't be sure if it's one of the best camera phones.

(Image credit: Tilta)

Its specs are certainly eye-catching, as is the optional photography edition kit by Tilta (see above). Add-on grips that mimic the camera experience are becoming a thing – Xiaomi and Vivo's aforementioned smartphones have their own versions. However Tilta's looks gloriously over-the-top.

It includes a large grip, case, extra power supply, continuous light, and additional wooden handle. There's more to the case than meets the eye, too – it not only provides extra power, but can keep the phone cool and it allows follow focus functionality, which is a boon for filmmakers. The kit also allows the use of additional lens filters, such as NDs, plus it comes with a portable carbon fiber tripod.

Like previous Huawei phone launches, the Pura 80 Ultra is currently only available in China, and it costs CNY 9,999 (approximately $1,400 / £1,050 / AU$2,150). It's touted for a wider release, though not in the US.

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It's been another busy week in the tech world – although next week, with Amazon Prime Day and Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, promises to be even bigger.

But that's all still a few days away, so what's been happening this week? Well, we investigated a band which could be entirely AI-generated, tested two new Nothing devices, and checked our Anker power banks to see if they needed to be recalled.

To catch up on all this and more, scroll down for our round-up of the seven biggest tech stories of the past seven days.

And once you're up to speed be sure to read our guide to the 7 new movies and TV shows to watch this weekend (July 4).

7. We investigated The Velvet Sundown mystery

(Image credit: The Velvet Sundown)

It was always only a matter of time before AI-generated music had its first big breakthrough, so we weren't at all surprised when The Velvet Sundown crashed the Spotify and Apple Music party this week.

This 'band' have amassed a staggering 860,000+ monthly Spotify listeners, despite (allegedly) not even existing – or do they?

The Velvet Sundown’s profile picture certainly appears to be an AI-generated image and the band’s music, which is a blend of wistful lyrics and mellow psychedelic rock, definitely sounds as if it could have been created by AI.

Deezer even went as far as to flag it as AI-generated, but Spotify and Apply hadn't followed suit at the time of writing – leaving many to wonder why the bigger streaming services weren't doing the same thing.

To add a twist to the story, there appear to be rival spokespersons for the band, each claiming to represent them and each giving quotes to the media. Maybe one day we’ll know the true story behind The Velvet Sundown, but until then, they’ll remain Dust on the wind.

• Read more: Spotify’s latest breakout band The Velvet Sundown appears to be AI-generated

6. Anker recalled several power banks

(Image credit: Anker)

If you own an Anker power bank, it might be wise to check its model number – this week, the Chinese tech giant recalled no less than five models due to a potential fire risk with their lithium-ion batteries. This followed the recall of another model, the PowerCore 1000 (A1263), in early June, with the new warning including models from its MagGo and Zolo ranges.

Some of the recalls only affect units manufactured between certain dates and Anker has only issued a ‘voluntary recall’ notice. But it’s still well worth checking, as you could be due a free replacement or a gift card.

To find out, check out our guide below, which includes links to all of the recall forms and information you need.

• Read more: Anker just recalled 5 more power banks – here’s which ones and how to get a free replacement

5. Xbox hardware was declared ‘dead’

(Image credit: Future)

Former Microsoft Game Studios executive producer Laura Fryer blasted Xbox in a video posted to her YouTube channel, arguing that the brand’s hardware is effectively “dead”. This comes off the back of the reveal of the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X last month, which she suggests is indicative of Microsoft’s reluctance to create its own new hardware going forward.

It's "much easier to slap an Xbox sticker on an existing piece of hardware and call it a day," she said. "From my perspective, it looks like Xbox has no desire or literally can't ship hardware anymore."

Fryer also drew attention to some of the wider issues plaguing the brand, such as a lack of compelling exclusive experiences. The protracted development cycles of upcoming titles such as State of Decay 3 (which was originally announced more than five years ago), Fable, and the since-canceled Perfect Dark remake, she warned, risk leaving consumers without a compelling reason to consider any future Xbox systems.

• Read more: A former Microsoft Game Studios executive producer says Xbox hardware is dead

4. Dyson launched an all-powerful new Airwrap

(Image credit: Dyson)

The Dyson Airwrap is already considered the best multi-styler you can buy, and the next-gen version looks even better.

The Dyson Airwrap Co-anda 2x is smaller and lighter yet more powerful than its predecessor, so you can style for long periods without needing guns like Arnie. Dyson has also added attachment memory – so the dryer will recognize which attachment is clipped on, then automatically switch to your last-used settings.

Perhaps most intriguing is a new AirSmooth2x tool, designed for creating straight styles. The styler clamps your hair between two plates and blasts it with directed air to smooth it out, like a mini Dyson Airstrait.

• Read more: Dyson's supreme multi-styler just got even better

3. This prompt transformed ChatGPT for us

(Image credit: Shutterstock/Alex Photo Stock)

The way you prompt ChatGPT can completely change the way the AI chatbot responds to you, and there’s no better example than this excellent learning tool we found on Reddit.

Reddit user u/AzAI-W has engineered an incredibly in-depth learning prompt that can help you get info on everything and anything. Think of it as an AI encyclopaedia, filled with an endless amount of knowledge and the ability to ask the right questions to teach you about any topic.

Click here to reveal the full prompt

The prompt: Simply copy and paste the full block of text into ChatGPT, and then respond with the topic you want to know more about.

# *Information Gathering Prompt* --- ## *Prompt Input* - Enter the prompt topic = [......] - **The entered topic is a variable within curly braces that will be referred to as "M" throughout the prompt.** --- ## *Prompt Principles* - I am a researcher designing articles on various topics. - You are **absolutely not** supposed to help me design the article. (Most important point) 1. **Never suggest an article about "M" to me.** 2. **Do not provide any tips for designing an article about "M".** - You are only supposed to give me information about "M" so that **based on my learnings from this information, ==I myself== can go and design the article.** - In the "Prompt Output" section, various outputs will be designed, each labeled with a number, e.g., Output 1, Output 2, etc. - **How the outputs work:** 1. **To start, after submitting this prompt, ask which output I need.** 2. I will type the number of the desired output, e.g., "1" or "2", etc. 3. You will only provide the output with that specific number. 4. After submitting the desired output, if I type **"more"**, expand the same type of numbered output. - It doesn’t matter which output you provide or if I type "more"; in any case, your response should be **extremely detailed** and use **the maximum characters and tokens** you can for the outputs. (Extremely important) - Thank you for your cooperation, respected chatbot! --- ## *Prompt Output* --- ### *Output 1* - This output is named: **"Basic Information"** - Includes the following: - An **introduction** about "M" - **General** information about "M" - **Key** highlights and points about "M" - If "2" is typed, proceed to the next output. - If "more" is typed, expand this type of output. --- ### *Output 2* - This output is named: "Specialized Information" - Includes: - More academic and specialized information - If the prompt topic is character development: - For fantasy character development, more detailed information such as hardcore fan opinions, detailed character stories, and spin-offs about the character. - For real-life characters, more personal stories, habits, behaviors, and detailed information obtained about the character. - How to deliver the output: 1. Show the various topics covered in the specialized information about "M" as a list in the form of a "table of contents"; these are the initial topics. 2. Below it, type: - "Which topic are you interested in?" - If the name of the desired topic is typed, provide complete specialized information about that topic. - "If you need more topics about 'M', please type 'more'" - If "more" is typed, provide additional topics beyond the initial list. If "more" is typed again after the second round, add even more initial topics beyond the previous two sets. - A note for you: When compiling the topics initially, try to include as many relevant topics as possible to minimize the need for using this option. - "If you need access to subtopics of any topic, please type 'topics ... (desired topic)'." - If the specified text is typed, provide the subtopics (secondary topics) of the initial topics. - Even if I type "topics ... (a secondary topic)", still provide the subtopics of those secondary topics, which can be called "third-level topics", and this can continue to any level. - At any stage of the topics (initial, secondary, third-level, etc.), typing "more" will always expand the topics at that same level. - **Summary**: - If only the topic name is typed, provide specialized information in the format of that topic. - If "topics ... (another topic)" is typed, address the subtopics of that topic. - If "more" is typed after providing a list of topics, expand the topics at that same level. - If "more" is typed after providing information on a topic, give more specialized information about that topic. 3. At any stage, if "1" is typed, refer to "Output 1". - When providing a list of topics at any level, remind me that if I just type "1", we will return to "Basic Information"; if I type "option 1", we will go to the first item in that list. --- - ==End==

• Read more: The best ChatGPT learning prompt we've found so far

2. We tried Nothing's first ever headphones

(Image credit: Future)

Nothing launched its first over-ear headphones – the Headphone (1) – and we had some pretty mixed feelings about them. And I’m not even talking about the design, which has proven divisive within the TechRadar office and online.

They’re crammed with features that all work excellently, from strong customizable noise cancellation, to head-tracking for spatial audio, to a really cool Bass Enhancer feature and a great EQ. The app is also really easy to use, and the build quality and physical controls – which include a great rolling button that we absolutely love – are excellent. Battery life is above average too.

However, we stumbled on the sound. They don’t sound bad at all – they’re very well-balanced – but they had some hard limits compared to the competition at the same price, and for $299 / £299, we expected more.

• Read more: I’ve tested the Nothing Headphone (1) for 2 weeks, and they’re incredibly impressive – except where it counts the most

1. We held Nothing’s 'first true flagship'

(Image credit: Nothing)

Nothing’s “first true flagship”, the Nothing Phone 3, was finally unveiled to the world this week, and our initial reaction to the totally bonkers-looking device was one of both surprise and respect.

“It’s an outlandish creation with specs to rival some of the best phones – and I think it could be the most interesting flagship launch of the year,” wrote Phones Editor Axel Metz in his hands-on preview of the Nothing Phone 3.

The headline new feature is Glyph Matrix: a small dot-matrix display that sits in the top-right corner of the Phone 3’s rear panel. A reimagining of the Glyph Interface from previous Nothing phones, it’s capable of displaying person-specific notifications, monochromatic ‘Glyph Toys’ (read: party games), and other helpful functions.

Then there’s the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset, the triple-lens 50MP camera setup, and the 5,150mAh silicon-carbon battery, all of which should help the Phone 3 compete against the best Android phones on the market.

It’s available to pre-order now from Nothing directly for $799 / £799 / AU$1,509, with open sales set to begin globally on July 15. We’re currently putting the new device through its paces, so stay tuned for our full review in the coming weeks.

• Read more: Nothing's 'first true flagship' is a veritable box of tricks

• Chuwi's compact Windows PC with powerful specs and low price enters European market
• Ryzen 7 processor and Radeon graphics bring creative performance to tiny desktop
• Supports four 4K monitors with upgradeable RAM and storage in sub-$400 package

Chuwi has introduced a new compact Windows PC that blends high-end hardware with a surprisingly affordable price.

First launched in China in February 2025 and now available in Europe, the AuBox Mini is powered by AMD’s Ryzen 7 8745HS processor, built on a 4nm Zen 4 architecture, packing 8 cores and 16 threads into a chassis smaller than most books.

Although the AuBox Mini is priced as a budget machine, it's specced to compete with higher-end alternatives, including the Apple Mac Mini.

It even has a SD 4.0 card slot

The Ryzen 7 8745HS processor offers boost speeds up to 4.9GHz. It’s paired with a Radeon 780M integrated GPU, which runs on AMD’s RDNA 3 design and supports hardware ray tracing.

The integrated graphics solution includes 12 compute units and a 2,600MHz core clock, giving it enough muscle for creative tasks, media editing, demanding multitasking, and even a little light gaming.

The AuBox includes 16GB of DDR5 memory and a 512GB PCIe SSD, both of which are upgradeable. It supports up to 64GB of RAM and 2TB of SSD storage, with two M.2 PCIe slots.

The mini PC features 12 ports in total, including USB 3.2 Gen 2, USB 2.0, and dual 2.5GbE LAN. It can run up to four 4K monitors simultaneously thanks to a mix of USB4, full-featured USB-C, HDMI 2.1, and DisplayPort 1.4 outputs.

Three of these can deliver 4K at 144Hz, while the HDMI port drives 4K at 120Hz. This level of display support is rare in this price class.

Wireless connectivity comes in the form of Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.1, and it ships with Windows 11 Pro pre-installed, providing full support for virtualization and enterprise features.

One feature we really like is the included VESA mount, which means the AuBox can be easily installed behind a monitor, saving space and reducing clutter.

Chuwi AuBox Mini is priced at $440, down from its MSRP of $549 (or €372.69 rather than €465.02), but if you use the code ANDROIDPCTVAUBOXA the price comes down to just $378.40/€320.51, which makes it an absolute steal.

Via AndroidPCtv

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Samsung's third Unpacked showcase of the year is set for July 9, which will mark its summer showcase (at least for people in the Northern Hemisphere) and the likely debut of next-generation foldable phones.

At this event, we expect to see the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 make their official debut, along with a Galaxy Watch 8 and likely its ‘Classic’ stablemate, and perhaps a Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.

We also expect new Galaxy AI features and capabilities to be shown off, and maybe some surprises in the form of future product teases.

We'll be covering the Galaxy Unpacked show live so stay tuned for more information. Do check out our guide on how to watch Samsung Galaxy Unpacked on July 9.

And read on for more about Unpacked as a whole.

Here's what happened at the last Samsung Galaxy Unpacked

Samsung's last Unpacked took place in May and saw the full reveal of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. it was more of a mini-Unpacked with only one product to show off, but the Edge got our attention; check out our full Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review for more details and our verdict.

For deeper context, Samsung's first Galaxy Unpacked event was held on January 22. And what a showcase it was. We got to see the new Samsung Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, all of which are rather minor upgrades over their predecessors but come packed with new Galaxy AI features.

For a recap of all that was announced and discussed, check out our article on Samsung Galaxy Unpacked – 9 things we saw and learned, including the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Edge.

What is Samsung Galaxy Unpacked?

Galaxy Unpacked is the name given to the big Samsung product showcase. Normally these revolve around new Galaxy S-series phones and Galaxy Fold and Flip series foldable phones.

But Galaxy Unpacked events are also used to debut new Galaxy smartwatches and wireless earbuds, as well as laptops and tablets. There are also nods given to Samsung’s SmartThings smart home platform and its interoperability with the new Galaxy devices.

In general, you can expect two Galaxy Unpacked events a year; one at the start, ranging between January and February, and the other in around July or August.

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Marshall makes some very fun Bluetooth speakers and headphones, and three favorites have dropped to very low prices in Amazon's early Prime Day deals.

The deals are on the cute and compact Willen II Bluetooth speaker, down from $129.99 to $99.99 – saving 23%; the very loud Acton III Bluetooth speaker, down 33% from $299.99 to $199.99; and on the retro-styled Marshall Major IV on-ear headphones, down 32% from $99.46 to $67.99.

• See all of today's best Amazon deals

The speakers are joint record-low prices – they have been briefly discounted to these prices before, but never lower that we're aware of. And getting 32% off the official of the Major IV headphones is a pretty major discount too.

Early Prime Day deal: Marshall headphones and speakers

With over 80 hours of wireless playback, wireless charging and fast charging too, these Marshall headphones are ideal for traveling as well as home listening. There are custom-tuned dynamic drivers inside for a typically bold Marshall sound, and in a nice touch there's an extra 3.5mm socket so you can share your music with a pal or partner.View Deal

When it comes to music on the move, the Willen II is a very, ahem, willen partner. It's a 10W portable powerhouse that's surprisingly vocal for its small size, and with IP67 dust and water resistance and 17 hours of play time it's a solid option for shower soundtracks and for summer festivals alike.View Deal

This deal is currently available for both the black and the cream models, and whichever color you go for, you're getting some seriously loud speaker action: with 60W of output power, a wide soundstage and effortless pairing, the Acton III brings the noise in a very entertaining package. This is a really good price for an impressively powerful speaker.View Deal

Why these Marshall speaker and headphone deals are worth having

We like Marshall's speakers and headphones a lot, but they do tend to be priced quite highly compared to the competition – so to see a speaker like the Acton III drop from $299 to $199 is very welcome, and definitely adds an extra star to our ratings.

Whether you go for the speakers or the headphones you're getting that bold Marshall sound, and its equally bold styling, which harks back to the firm's iconic amplifiers that have been on stages since rock music was invented.

Of the two speakers, I think the Acton III is the pick of the bunch: it's a seriously loud portable speaker, doubly so when paired with a second, and it delivers a surprisingly wide soundstage despite its fairly compact dimensions.

But if you want something fun to take on day trips or traveling, the Willen II is a better bet: it's very small and very light, but delivers an impressive sound for its size.

Amazon's early Prime Day sale - quick links

• Amazon Prime membership: free 30-day trial
• Amazon Devices: 50% off TVs, Echo & Fire Sticks
• Apple: AirPods + iPads from $99
• Back to school: deals from $5.99
• Beauty: 80% off toothbrushes & skincare
• Headphones: $120 off Bose, Apple & Sony
• Health: electric toothbrushes from $24.99
• Kitchen: 54% off Ninja, Nespresso & Keurig
• Laptops: record-low prices from $175
• Tablets: iPads and Samsung from $54.99
• Toys: 40% off Lego, scooters & Toniebox
• TVs: cheap TVs from $59.99
• Vacuums: Shark, Bissell & Dyson from $49.99

• MicroSD card survey tested 200 models to uncover fakes, performance gaps, and endurance failures
• Fake flash was common in cheap high-capacity cards, discarding data past true limits
• Name-brand cards generally outperformed off-brand models in speed, reliability, and total write endurance

One man has taken the task of testing microSD cards to a level most users would never entertain.

Over the course of a year, tech enthusiast Matt Cole bought and tested 200 different models, ranging from 8GB to 1TB, with a particular focus on identifying fakes, testing performance, and measuring durability.

Fifty-one of those cards failed during testing.

Writing over 100TB of data per day

Cole is the creator of The Great microSD Card Survey, a deep, evolving benchmark report (and a serious labor of love), that began in July 2023.

He built a testing rig with eight machines and nearly 70 card readers running continuously, writing over 100TB of data per day.

To date, the setup has written more than 18 petabytes of data to the cards under test conditions. Impressively, his entire effort is self-funded, although he does have an Amazon wishlist should anyone wish to buy him further cards to test.

Cole’s goal was to understand how these tiny storage devices differ across brand, price, and origin.

One of his main goals is to identify “fake flash,” where a card tells the host device it has more storage than it really does.

A 1TB card might really only store 8GB. Once that real limit is reached, new data is silently lost. He also highlights “skimpy flash,” where a card is technically real, but provides less usable space than advertised, a common issue even among name-brand cards.

His survey doesn’t stop at capacity. Cole also tested whether cards live up to their advertised speed class ratings, such as U1, U3, or V30.

He ran sequential and random I/O tests, then tracked endurance through repeated write and read cycles.

Some cards survived over 20,000 cycles, while others failed before reaching 500. Temperature monitoring was also part of the process, though it’s still unclear how much heat affects long-term performance.

Among the best microSD cards were the Kingston Canvas Go! Plus 64GB, PNY PRO Elite Prime 64GB, SanDisk Extreme 64GB, Delkin Devices HYPERSPEED 128GB, and Samsung EVO Plus 64GB.

These models performed well across multiple metrics and came close to advertised specs.

Cole’s blog includes charts and summaries to help buyers quickly find reliable options and it’s frankly a stunning piece of work. He’s not done yet either. Testing continues unabated, with more cards in queue, hopefully including some of the largest capacity models.

(Image credit: Matt Cole)More from TechRadar Pro

• We've rounded up the best microSD cards around
• And these are the largest microSD cards
• First 2TB MicroSD card is now on sale and no, it is not expensive at all

Last week, a sad-eyed young man in an Apple Genius t-shirt said the six words no Apple aficionado wants to hear. "Your AirPods Pro 2," he said, "are borked".

He probably didn't use the word "borked", but that's what he meant: the right earbud was completely gone, and the left was on its way out too; my buds were out of warranty and I didn't have AppleCare on them either so I'd have had to replace both buds at full price. So you'd think I'd be rushing to Walmart or Amazon to take advantage of their $199 AirPods Pro 2 deals.

But I'm not, and I don't think you should either.

• See all of today's best Amazon deals

Why I'm keeping my AirPods Pro 2 powder dry

I'm hanging on for a few more days because while $50 off a pair of AirPods Pro 2 is a nice discount, it's not an amazing discount – and we've seen amazing AirPods Pro 2 discounts before.

Last summer, Amazon dropped the price of AirPods Pro 2 down to a very low $169. And last Black Friday it went lower still: AirPods Pro 2 were down to just $153.99 – and those were the USB-C ones, not the older Lightning ones.

Are you willing to hang on until next week in the hope that Amazon Prime Day will offer a bigger discount than $50 off the official price? I am.

The $153.99 price of Black Friday was an outlier, but they'd fallen to $159 on multiple occasions before that, and within in the last year their price has dropped below $175 on 10 occasions.

UK AirPods Pro 2 deals haven't been so spectacular, sadly: the AirPods Pro 2 dropped from the usual £229 to £179 just once, in December 2024, and they've only dipped below the £190 mark a handful of times. But today they're back up at £229, so I'd expect them to drop back down a bit next week, and for other places to match or exceed Amazon's discounting.

I'm not completely headphone-free, so while I do need to replace my AirPods Pro 2 pretty soon (I use them a lot for work, and for checking music mixes) I think the smart move is to wait for Prime Day next week to see how low they're going to go.

If they don't drop below the $199 mark then I haven't lost anything, but if they go much lower then buying a new pair is going to be a lot less painful.

Prime Day starts next week on Tuesday 8 July.

Amazon's early Prime Day sale - quick links

• Amazon Prime membership: free 30-day trial
• Amazon Devices: 50% off TVs, Echo & Fire Sticks
• Apple: AirPods + iPads from $99
• Back to school: deals from $5.99
• Beauty: 80% off toothbrushes & skincare
• Headphones: $120 off Bose, Apple & Sony
• Health: electric toothbrushes from $24.99
• Kitchen: 54% off Ninja, Nespresso & Keurig
• Laptops: record-low prices from $175
• Tablets: iPads and Samsung from $54.99
• Toys: 40% off Lego, scooters & Toniebox
• TVs: cheap TVs from $59.99
• Vacuums: Shark, Bissell & Dyson from $49.99

• ExpressVPN has been hit by a class action lawsuit over alleged "illegal" auto-renewal fees
• A Californian customer accused ExpressVPN of automatically charging him a monthly fee without his consent
• Most popular VPN providers employ a similar auto-renewal system – a practice lawyers allege to go against California's consumer law

A customer in the US has sued VPN provider ExpressVPN over allegedly "illegal" auto-renewal fees.

Plaintiff Timothy Millar filed a class action lawsuit against ExpressVPN in California's Court on June 13, 2025, accusing the company of automatically charging him a monthly fee without his consent. Millar seeks to represent himself and all other California consumers who have been charged illegal auto-renewal fees at least once.

Despite a few exceptions, almost all the best VPNs on the market have a similar auto-renewal system in place to handle user subscriptions. Another provider, NordVPN, is facing a similar legal case in the US, as a law firm has already brought lawsuits on behalf of four plaintiffs so far.

What the lawsuit against ExpressVPN is about

As claimed by the lawsuit, Millar bought one month of the virtual private network (VPN) software in September 2022, thinking he was making a one-time purchase.

Yet, after his monthly plan expired, "Unbeknownst to him and without his consent, ExpressVPN enrolled him in an automatically renewing monthly plan," reads the suit, alleging that "that charge was illegal and should be refunded."

According to Miller's lawyers, such behavior is in clear contrast with the provider's obligations under California's Automatic Renewal Law (ARL). The law, in fact, requires companies adopting auto-renewal payment systems to provide "clear and conspicuous" disclosures about the auto-renewal plan and obtain "affirmative consent" to enroll consumers. Something that – the lawsuit claims – ExpressVPN failed to do "in nearly every way."

Furthermore, ExpressVPN is accused of violating the False Advertising Law by disseminating misleading advertisements about the automatically renewing nature of its plans.

Miller is now demanding a jury trial and monetary damages for himself and the proposed class.

TechRadar approached ExpressVPN for comments, and a company spokesperson shared this written statement: "We are aware of the filing in relation to a subscription from several years ago and intend to defend it. Unfortunately, we cannot comment on the specific allegations made in this complaint.

"ExpressVPN has always prioritized transparency and giving users clear information about pricing, billing, and auto-renewal – this information is clear and highly visible at each step of the checkout process.

"As a cybersecurity company, providing uninterrupted protection is important to our customers. This subscription model ensures that customers get the protection they need, without fail, on their devices. Customers can switch auto-renew off anytime via their account dashboards or by contacting support.

"We remain focused on delivering value to our users; ensuring they retain control over their digital privacy."

Time to ditch auto-renewal VPN plans?

(Image credit: Getty Images)

As mentioned earlier, NordVPN is also facing a lawsuit over alleged "illegal and deceptive" auto-renewal practices.

The Wittels McInturff Palikovic law firm has already presented legal complaints on behalf of four former NordVPN customers since April 2024 – and urges all NordVPN users who were charged for a subscription they did not want to come forward.

The same law firm has previously opened investigations into auto-enrollment practices against ExpressVPN, too, alongside Proton VPN and Private Internet Access (PIA). Yet, lawyers filed no lawsuit against these providers.

While it is still early to know if these ongoing class actions will change how VPN providers handle user subscriptions once and for all, there are a few exceptions on the market already that you can opt for instead of getting locked into an auto-renewal plan. Mullvad VPN, which axed all recurring subscriptions in 2022 in the name of users' privacy, is one of them.

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• First-look images of Android's upcoming Live Updates function revealed
• Similar feel to iOS Live Activities
• Live Updates is currently only functional in the latest Android 16 QPR1 beta, but should widely rolled out next quarter

Google unveiled its upcoming Live Updates feature at this year’s Google I/O event back in May, and though the Android 16 roll out has begun, it won’t be widely available for another few months.

In the meantime, Google has released new insights to its version of iOS’ Live Activities, including what kind of apps the feature will support.

Android 16’s Live Updates is similar to Live Activities in iOS, which displays timely information and ‘progress-style’ notifications on your lock screen that are updated frequently, meaning you won’t have to open apps to view their status. At the moment, Live Updates is only functional in the latest Android 16 QPR1 beta, but it’s expected to land with the wider Android 16 roll out later in the year.

Since it was first previewed at Google I/O, the functionality and appearance of the feature itself has remained ambiguous, but a recent post on the Android Developers page gives further details on what we can expect from Live Updates – including a first look at the feature in action.

(Image credit: 9to5Google)

In Android’s post, Live Updates will be used ‘for activities that are ongoing, user-initiated and time sensitive’. Similarly to Live Activities in iOS, Android 16’s Live Updates will support phone calls, food and rideshare tracking, and ‘active navigation’ for apps that show live trip progress such as Google Maps.

Google even goes into detail about how developers should show Live Updates when it comes to time sensitive notifications, using the following explanation:

‘A Live Update is often appropriate for activities that transition between Live Updates and normal notifications. For example, showing a boarding pass notification is appropriate many hours before a user's flight, but the notification should become a Live Update only when the user has a pressing need, such as when they have arrived at the airport or venue or once boarding has begun. In contrast, a Live Update isn't appropriate for tracking a package as the user doesn't need to constantly monitor this’.

Android has its boundaries

While Google has given us the long-awaited visual insight to Live Updates, the company has also been clear with app developers that the feature should not be abused.

In its post, Google has been quite explicit with this, stating ‘Don't use Live Updates to offer accelerated access to app functionality’. Ads, promotions, chat messages, alerts, upcoming calendar events, and quick access to app features have been deemed as ‘inappropriate uses’.

Now the only key detail that’s missing is an official roll out date for Live Updates. As mentioned above, Live Updates is only available with the latest Android 16 QPR1 beta but Android Authority’s findings hint that apps will start leaning into this function next quarter when the update is expected to go live.

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• Spider-Man: Brand New Day will reportedly start filming in August
• Tom Holland's next outing as the famous webslinger will initially be shot in Scotland
• The Marvel Phase 6 movie is currently due to be released in July 2026

The production wheels on Spider-Man: Brand New Day are finally ready to turn after reports emerged it'll start filming in August.

Cameras will begin rolling on Tom Holland's next big-screen outing as the famous Marvel superhero next month, according to two Scottish outlets. The Glasgow Times and Herald Scotland have indicated principal photography will get underway on August 2, with Glasgow acting as a cost-saving stand-in for New York City.

Both newspapers have reported that numerous roads will be inaccessible to vehicles (except for emergency services) and the public from July 28 until August 13. Production designers and set dressers will move in to alter the appearance of certain streets to give them an American feel before the Marvel Phase 6 movie's first scenes are filmed between August 3 and 8.

There's no word on which actors will be present on set to start shooting Spider-Man 4, but I'm hoping that some of my biggest questions about the forthcoming flick will be answered once filming begins.

What questions do I want answering when filming on Spider-Man 4 starts?

Spider-Man: Brand New Day's initial days of filming might reveal some surprising details about it (Image credit: Sony Pictures/Marvel Entertainment)

The main query I have is who's actually been cast in Spider-Man's latest adventure.

So far, Holland is the only actor confirmed to appear. He'll reprise his role as Peter Parker and his superhuman alter-ego, but the rest of the movie's cast remains a mystery.

Well, on the official confirmation front, anyway. There have been plenty of rumors, plus unofficial actor confirmations via the trades, about who'll show up in one of 2026's most anticipated new movies.

For example, Zendaya and Jacob Batalon have been linked with roles in Brand New Day. The pair last appeared in a Marvel film in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, but they also played MJ and Ned Leeds in Holland's two other solo movies. Considering how the aforementioned flick ended, it's unlikely they'll have substantial roles this time around.

Elsewhere, Stranger Things star Sadie Sink is reportedly set to co-star alongside Holland in Spider-Man 4. There's no word on who she might portray, but Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans have their theories.

There are numerous other new and established MCU characters who could show up. Brand New Day may bring John Bernthal's Frank Castle/The Punisher to the silver screen for the first time. Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner/The Hulk has also been tapped to appear in Spider-Man 4 if online gossip columns are to be believed. There's speculation that three big Spider-Man villains could pop up in Brand New Day, too.

Away from its potential castings, I also want to know if it'll be another multiversal film or not. I'd prefer Brand New Day to be more of a street-level story for the wallcrawler, but considering No Way Home made over $1 billion globally thanks to its multiversal Spider-Man team-up, I wouldn't be surprised if some parallel universe shenanigans have been woven into its plot.

I don't expect Spider-Man 4's first few days of filming to confirm or deny any or all of these rumors. Nevertheless, whether some of them are officially addressed by Marvel and/or Sony, or we discover more details by way of any leaks that emerge from its set, I'm hoping we learn something new about its cast and plot ahead of Spider-Man 4's July 31, 2026 launch date.

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• Wix and Alibaba are fusing services
• Wix users get to easily tap into Alibaba’s B2B marketplace
• Alibaba users get to build great-looking storefronts easily

Alibaba and Wix have announced a new partnership, which will see customers of both platforms benefit from the other's features and services.

In a press release shared with TechRadar Pro, the two companies said the collaboration will fuse Alibaba’s wholesale ecosystem with Wix’s website builder and ecommerce infrastructure.

Under the deal, Wix merchants will get access to Alibaba’s B2B marketplace by simply downloading the Alibaba Seller App through the Wix Marketplace. Among other things, this will allow them to become Global Gold Suppliers, connecting directly with millions of verified global buyers.

At the same time, Alibaba’s sellers get to build branded B2B and D2C storefronts using Wix’s AI-powered solutions. Through the partnership, they will be able to use Wix’s ecommerce automation solutions, as well as built-in marketing, simplifying brand identity development and reaching a global audience - easily.

Win-win

The partnership centers around three key initiatives - seller App Integration for easy onboarding and cross-platform product syncing, curated sourcing from Alibaba.com's wholesale marketplace, tailored for Wix merchants, and access to Wix's AI suite for Alibaba.com sellers to quickly build and scale their digital storefronts.

Executives from both companies framed the move as a win for small businesses navigating the complexities of global trade.

“Our partnership with Wix simplifies the complexities of international trade,” said Kuo Zhang, President of Alibaba.com, “offering small businesses streamlined solutions for sourcing, selling, and expanding their global reach.”

For Nir Zohar, President of Wix, the move “opens powerful new opportunities for our users to tap into international wholesale markets, while also giving Alibaba.com merchants the ability to create stronger, more direct connections with their customers.”

The rollout will be phased, the two companies said in the press release, with a number of features and enhancements already planned for the future. Among them are AI-powered product discovery, automated onboarding processes, and intelligent product-matching tools.

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The Witcher 4 has now been officially revealed, with an announcement trailer confirming that the game will focus on Ciri as the main protagonist. This latest look does give us an idea as to the overall darker vibe of this new game, though it doesn't contain any hints on a possible release window.

Ever since developer CD Projekt Red announced The Witcher 4 and referred to the game with its codename of 'Polaris', fans have been studying the teaser image shared alongside the upcoming game's announcement. It depicts a Lynx medallion, and could point to a new Witcher school that'll feature in what is set to be the first in a new trilogy.

While we wait for further news on The Witcher 4, here's everything that's been revealed about the game so far. As more details are shared by the developer, you'll find this page updated - we're as excited as you are so can't wait to get more details.

The Witcher 4: cut to the chase

• What is it? The next mainline game in The Witcher series
• When can I play it? TBC
• What can I play it on? TBC
• Who is making it? CD Projekt Red

The Witcher 4 - what we know so far

(Image credit: CD Projekt RED)

There are few details available about The Witcher 4. The announcement official blog post only confirms it's in development and that it's being built in Unreal Engine 5. We do now have a trailer, which confirms Ciri as the protagonist. Even so, aside from an admittedly gorgeous cinematic sequence, the trailer holds few concrete details related to the story.

Unfortunately, you're probably not playing The Witcher 4 until 2027 at the earliest, according to CD Projekt's latest financial update. Hopefully it'll be well worth the wait.

Over the years, CD Projekt Red has said plenty about what a future Witcher game would involve:

"The first three 'Witchers' were by definition a trilogy, so we simply could not name the next game 'The Witcher 4'," Kiciński said in an interview. "This does not mean, of course, that we will leave the world of The Witcher."

It would appear that the team has since had a change of heart in this regard, with the game having been officially revealed as The Witcher 4. It's possible that this could be a placeholder name, but seeing as we're following an older Ciri, it does seem to follow The Witcher 3.

At the end of The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine, monster hunter Geralt was alive and well. Well, he was alive, at least. But his story arc had ended, the Wild Hunt was over. That doesn't mean he won't return in this new Witcher game, though we do now know that he won't be the main character.

The developer said as much back in 2013: "We are not killing the world and walking away from it, but we will definitely want to make this game the finale in a big way," executive producer John Mamais told Polygon. "We might even include Geralt in later games potentially. We just need to talk about it and figure out what we're going to do next."

In 2015, speaking to IGN, Senior Writer Jakub Szamałek confirmed that the studio felt that The Witcher 3 was a natural endpoint for Geralt: "[he] has had such an amazing adventure, and his saga is already so long and complex that this seemed like a good point to think about an appropriate finale for the story.”

The confirmation that the medallion shown in the game's announcement picture is a lynx certainly suggests that the game will take things in a new direction. Potentially, that introduces an entirely new Witcher school.

The author of the Witcher books, Andrzej Sapkowski, signed a new deal with the company to "further solidify their relationship". So. the studio is free to pull from any one of his short stories or novels. (If you want to get caught up, here's how to read The Witcher books in order.)

The Witcher 4 trailer

The Witcher 4 was fully revealed during The Game Awards 2024. The cinematic trailer, which can be viewed above, shows a young girl being prepared for sacrifice to a monster. Ciri intervenes, following the young girl and facing off against the creature. It's clear that Ciri is early on in her Witcher journey, but manages to best the monster in combat, making use of some new abilities.

So far, we've only had one trailer for The Witcher 4. Keep an eye on the official The Witcher YouTube channel for new trailers, or find them in this section once they are released.

The Witcher 4 engine

(Image credit: Unreal Engine)

This is a relatively massive factor that's confirmed for The Witcher 4, and one we're certainly excited about. Back in the Spring of 2023, the development team confirmed that The Witcher 4 would be built on Unreal Engine 5 - instead of the studio's own engine, REDengine.

The latter was used on The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 so has its merits, but, in brief, moving to Unreal Engine 5 means the studio has more access to wider features, solutions, and tools that can make environments more detailed, more realistic, and have a great sense of overall visual fidelity than ever before.

As a note, this does mark the beginning of a partnership with Epic but does not mean the game will be an Epic Game Store exclusive. This partnership lead to a technical demo reveal for The Witcher 4, showing off an early technical build of the game running on a base PS5 at 60fps (June 3, 2025). You can check out the video below:

The Witcher 4 FAQ

(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)Who will be the main character in The Witcher 4?

Ciri will be the main character in The Witcher 4. This was confirmed following the official reveal trailer that aired at the end of The Game Awards 2024.

Will The Witcher 4 be on PS5?

CD Projekt RED is yet to confirm The Witcher 4 platforms. Given that there's no release window, it's possible that we could be waiting until next-gen for it to launch. The Witcher 3 originally launched for PS4, Xbox One and PC, so we're expecting The Witcher 4 to be multi-platform as well, at least until the developers reveal otherwise.

Will Geralt be in The Witcher 4?

While The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and its two expansions rounded off Geralt's trilogy incredibly well, there has been a constant desire from fans to know whether Geralt will be in The Witcher 4.

Thanks to recent comments from Geralt's voice actor, it does seem that the character will feature in The Witcher 4, but won't be the protagonist. Spotted by VGC, Geralt's voice actor, Doug Cockle, spoke as a guest on a YouTube channel known as Fall Damage. During the spot, he revealed some rather interesting tidbits about the upcoming game.

"What we know is that Geralt will be part of the game, we just don't know how much," Cockle said during the interview. "The game won't focus on Geralt - it's not about him this time. We don't know who it's about, I'm excited to find out, I wanna know!"

Of course, we now know that The Witcher 4 will focus on Ciri, though hopefully we'll see Geralt in some form or another.

Has Ciri been recast for The Witcher 4?

Eagle-eared fans were quick to notice that Ciri sounds very different in the recent The Witcher 4 cinematic trailer, which debuted at The Game Awards 2024 last week. This led many to speculate online that the character has been recast.Now we know that this is definitely the case as, in a new statement given to gaming blog The Gamer, developer CD Projekt Red confirmed that Irish actor “Ciara Berkeley was cast as Ciri for The Witcher 4 Cinematic Reveal Trailer.”

The Witcher 4 news

(Image credit: CD Projekt RED)

Geralt voice actor says CD Projekt Red's decision to make Ciri the star of The Witcher 4 is 'really exciting'
Doug Cockle, the voice behind Geralt in the first three The Witcher games, has shared his enthusiasm for the switch to Ciri, saying there are "all kinds of reasons" that make the choice exciting, mainly for how her role in the books is portrayed.

The Witcher 4 officially announced at The Game Awards 2024
In a surprise turn of events, CD Projekt Red has unveiled the first official look at The Witcher 4 at The Game Awards 2024, and yes, Ciri is the playable protagonist.

CD Projekt Red announces The Witcher 4 has now entered "full-scale production"
CD Projekt Red has provided an update on the development of The Witcher 4, stating that the upcoming game is now in "full production".

The Witcher 4 will have a focus on freedom
Sebastien Kalemba, game director at CDPR, was speaking at the very end of 2023 about creating new takes on RPG gameplay and features for The Witcher 4. The intent is to push the boundaries of RPG games and there's a desire to "tell something more intense, with also more intense gameplay."

A huge chunk of CD Projekt Red's workforce is now working on The Witcher 4
At the end of November 2023, CDPR revealed via an earnings report that the production team working on The Witcher 4 had grown to around 330 people actively working on the game. This number is set to grow to over 400 by mid-2024 as production gathers real steam. As first reported at the time of this news, 330 represents just under half of CDPR's development staff.

CDPR is already running internal demos of The Witcher 4 on consoles
Learning its lesson from Cyberpunk 2077, the devs at CDPR are already going to great lengths to test their next project - and do so from the early stages. As reported by our sister site GamesRadar+, in an interview with Inven Global, CD Projeckt Red engineering director Colin Walder has confirmed that, learning from Cyberpunk 2077's disastrous launch on consoles in 2020, "For our next project, Polaris, we're already running our demos and internal reviews on the console from the very beginning." This means that The Witcher 4 is already being tested on consoles to ensure that when the day comes, it'll have a better chance at sticking its landing.

The Witcher 4 has its Game Director
Sebastian Kalemba, the former Lead Animator on The Witcher 3, has been announced as the Game Director for The Witcher 4. They announced this on Twitter, stating that they aim to 'raise the bar.'

Polaris, and a brand new trilogy
In early October 2022, CD Projekt RED announced a bunch of new titles via Twitter, including a new The Witcher trilogy. Polaris (what we've been calling The Witcher 4) will kick off the new saga, which will then play out over 6 years from the first release. This is obviously a huge undertaking, so we'll have to wait and see whether it pays off.

The Witcher 4 teaser image sparks many theories
When The Witcher 4 was first announced it used the image we have as our header here - that of a partially snow-covered Witcher medallion - and it sparked much debate about which school it was, and whether that gave anything away. As reported by our brethren at GamesRadar+ at the time, the medallion was initially thought to be of the School of the Cat - which would imply a connection to Ciri as she came into possession of one after seizing it from Leo Bonhart. However, this was then debunked on Twitter when community director Marcin Momot reacted positively to a fan asking whether it was actually the medallion from the School of the Lynx.

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• A huge leak has revealed Apple’s Mac plans for the next 18 months
• It contains data on close to 20 upcoming Mac desktops and MacBooks
• There are a few intriguing surprises nestled inside the leak

Apple is known for keeping its upcoming products a closely-guarded secret, but that doesn’t stop information leaking out from its fortress-like walls. That’s just happened again, and this time a mother lode of Mac data has seemingly emerged from inside the company’s labs.

This leak comes from AppleInsider, and the news outlet says it sourced it from “our own data and information shared with us.” It includes records on close to 20 of the best Macs that Apple is set to release over the next year or so, giving us a rare sneak peek at the company’s future plans.

AppleInsider’s sources shared product codenames and other related information, which AppleInsider has used to piece together what might be on the menu. In some cases, this takes the form of simple common sense: Apple is planning to upgrade all of its MacBooks to the M5 chip series, for example.

There are a few interesting tidbits, though, such as AppleInsider’s contention that an M5 iMac might be in the works, alongside a new Mac Pro with either an M3 Ultra or M5 Ultra chip. Both the iMac and the Mac Pro have gone years without a significant upgrade.

We can also glean an intriguing detail about Apple’s M6 MacBook Pro, which is likely to launch in late 2026. Rumors have claimed that this could come with an extensive hardware overhaul (including an OLED display), but the device’s alleged identifier numbers – K114 and K116 – imply that the laptop might retain its current size options.

If the 14 and 16 in K114 and K116 correspond to screen measurements, that suggests that the M6 MacBook Pro could be keeping its current 14-inch and 16-inch options.

Nearly 20 new Macs in the works

(Image credit: Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Almost all of the report’s device codenames could be matched with existing devices based on past releases.

For instance, the Mac mini with M4 Pro chip used the J773s model number, so the new J873s codename in AppleInsider’s data likely corresponds to an M5 Pro variant. Yet there was one mysterious device that could not be identified, and AppleInsider speculates that it could be the much-rumored MacBook powered by Apple’s A18 chip. Time will tell on that one.

Besides the expected models we’ve discussed above, AppleInsider’s report omitted model identifiers for a few Macs you’d expect to see. While the outlet discussed the Mac mini with M5 Pro chip, for example, it says it was not informed about the entry-level M5 Mac mini – although it added that this device is surely a given if the M5 Pro model is also in development.

There’s a lot of data to sift through in AppleInsider’s report, so we’ve put it into a table below for simple viewing. We’ve included predicted release dates alongside the Mac models, although these are only estimates and could change over time. The table only includes devices with identifier numbers provided by AppleInsider, so variants like the M5 Mac mini are not present.

Mac model

Predicted release date

Mac mini (M5 Pro)

2025

iMac (M5)

2025

14-inch MacBook Pro (M5 Pro)

Fall 2025

14-inch MacBook Pro (M5 Max)

Fall 2025

16-inch MacBook Pro (M5 Pro)

Fall 2025

16-inch MacBook Pro (M5 Max)

Fall 2025

Mac Pro (first variant, likely with Ultra chip)

Late 2025

Mac Pro (second variant, likely with Ultra chip)

Late 2025

Mac Studio (Max chip)

2026

Mac Studio (Ultra chip)

2026

13-inch MacBook Air (M5)

Early 2026

15-inch MacBook Air (M5)

Early 2026

14-inch MacBook Pro (M6 Pro)

Late 2026

14-inch MacBook Pro (M6 Max)

Late 2026

16-inch MacBook Pro (M6 Pro)

Late 2026

16-inch MacBook Pro (M6 Max)

Late 2026

MacBook (A18 Pro)

?

As this is all merely rumored information, we’ll have to wait to see how accurate it proves to be. Much of it lines up with previous reports, though, so it might not be entirely wide of the mark – which makes it a handy resource if you're thinking of upgrading your Mac in the near future.

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• Apps would hide on a device as soon as they're installed, to avoid removal
• They would serve unwanted, out-of-context ads to victims
• The apps were removed from the Play Store

A major ad fraud campaign comprising hundreds of Android applications has been discovered and dismantled, security researchers HUMAN have said.

The IconAds campaign worked by displaying ads without proper context, or user consent - and to make matters worse, once the apps were installed on an Android device, they would hide their icons from the users, making it more difficult to find and uninstall.

In total, the campaign counted 352 Android apps, and during peak activity, it had 1.2 billion bid requests a day, the researchers said.

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Smuggling through

We don’t know on how many devices the apps were installed, but we do know that they managed to sneak past Google’s defenses and into the Google Play Store, and the majority of traffic came from Brazil, Mexico, and the United States.

This has now been remedied, and these apps removed. However, it’s safe to assume that new ones will emerge soon: "Many IconAds-associated apps have short shelf lives before being removed from the Play Store," HUMAN researchers said.

"With the several evolutions of this threat, researchers expect continued adaptation, with new apps published and new obfuscation techniques added."

The campaign has been active since at least 2019, when the first apps were uploaded to the app repository.

Google’s mobile app store is generally considered safe. However, its defenses are not impenetrable, and every now and then, malicious apps get through, at least for a short while.

For that reason, users should never blindly trust apps, even when coming from such a reputable source. Instead, they should always mind the download count and user reviews. Newly released apps with fewer downloads have a higher chance of being malicious, and many cybercriminals spoof user reviews, so it is important to carefully read them. Nowadays, most of them are generated by AI and sound superficial and bland, and user accounts have generic names, often similar to one another.

Via The Hacker News

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• The EU Commission presented a Roadmap on how it intends to ensure that law enforcement has effective and lawful access to citizens' data
• Politicians seek to establish a precedent for the decryption of private data
• The Roadmap is part of the ProtectEU strategy, first unveiled in April 2025

EU law enforcement bodies could be capable of decrypting your private data by 2030.

This is one of the ambitious goals the EU Commission presented in its Roadmap on June 24, 2025. A plan on how the bloc intends to ensure police officers' "lawful and effective" access to citizens' data.

The Roadmap is the first step forward in the ProtectEU strategy, first unveiled in April 2025 – but privacy experts have already begun raising the alarm.

How the EU plans to achieve lawful access to data

ProtectEU represents the EU Commission's internal strategy to bolster the security of the European bloc in the years to come.

It stems from the work of the High-Level Group (HLG) carried on under the so-called Going Dark initiative. The group was tasked, by the EU Council in June 2023, to develop a strategic plan "on access to data for effective law enforcement."

Specifically, the group's final report, published in March 2025, referred to end-to-end encryption as "the biggest technical challenge" to the investigative work of law enforcement agencies, explicitly targeting the use of the best VPN services, encrypted messaging apps, and similar tools.

The Roadmap marks a key part of the strategy, providing more detail on how lawmakers plan to address what they refer to as "the growing challenges of accessing critical digital evidence" during criminal investigations.

(Image credit: Bjorn Bakstad, via Getty Images)

The plan focuses on six key areas:

• Data retention. The EU Commission is expected to carry out an impact assessment with the aim of extending the EU's data retention obligations and reinforcing cooperation between service providers and authorities.
• Lawful interception. Lawmakers seek to explore measures aimed at improving cross-border cooperation for lawful interception of data by 2027.
• Digital forensics. The goal here is to develop technical solutions that allow authorities to analyze and preserve digital evidence stored on electronic devices.
• Decryption. Next year, the EU Commission is set to present a Technology Roadmap on encryption to identify and evaluate decrypting solutions. These technologies are expected to equip Europol officers from 2030.
• Standardisation. The Commission is said to be committed to working alongside Europol, industry stakeholders, experts, and law enforcement practitioners to standardize the new approach to internal security.
• AI solutions for law enforcement. Lawmakers also seek to promote the development and deployment of AI tools by 2028. These solutions will enable authorities to lawfully and effectively process large volumes of seized data.

What the experts are saying

Experts have long warned against proposed plans to break encryption, meaning the technology responsible for scrambling data into an unreadable form to prevent unauthorized access.

Now, according to Internet Society's Senior Director, Robin Wilton, another move towards the decryption of private data is concerning.

"Efforts to develop decryption techniques almost inevitably introduce new vulnerabilities that could be exploited by anyone with the motivation and know-how; they may also encourage the 'hoarding' of vulnerabilities, which is contrary to good cybersecurity practice," Wilton told TechRadar.

These comments echoed previous warnings from technologists, cryptographers, and privacy advocates who were "deeply concerned" by the EU plan to weaken encryption.

The EU initiative Going Dark has now been launched by the EU Commission. They call it ProtectEU.It’s a rebranding of Chat Control. New name. Same old propaganda.The EU Commission’s goal is to “access encrypted data in a lawful manner, safeguarding cybersecurity and…April 4, 2025

A surge in cyberattacks worldwide has pushed government bodies, including the FBI and CISA in the US, to encourage citizens to switch to end-to-end encrypted services to fight back against these threats.

The European Commission itself even previously acknowledged encryption as a necessary measure to protect the integrity of cyberspace.

This is probably the reason why a similar proposal to create a backdoor into encryption, the so-called Chat Control bill, has been failing to attract the needed majority since 2022.

Now, lawmakers promise to be committed to finding the right balance between "allowing for efficient and future-proof solutions to facilitate law enforcement’s lawful access to digital information, while respecting the right to privacy and maintaining high levels of cybersecurity," said EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner.

For Wilton, policymakers must never forget one simple fact: "Strong encryption isn’t the enemy of security – it’s the starting point for it."

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