TechRadar Reviews

I'm a big fan of compact desktops. The more I do and grow in my professional career, the more I appreciate their value. Not only are compact desktops great for administrative roles, but also front desks, stationary desktops for employees to be able to utilize, perhaps you have offices where part-timers, or hourly employees need to be able to work and access company data or systems, or maybe the setup that you have you need to have a compact workstation and a laptop doesn't make sense for whatever reason.

Mini PC's are phenomenal in these areas. Now, for this review, I am not going to act like this is the most powerful machine I have worked with and that it is capable of running large LLM Models, a massive codebase, edit 12K videos and teach you how to perform open heart surgery all at the same time, I understand that while there are machines that are built to be powerhouses, this is meant to be a compact machine, it's meant to give you the power that is needed at a reasonable price and a better footprint.

MSI isn't trying to break records with this machine; they are trying to create a machine for everyday users. It wanted to make a machine that can be plugged into any display and perform basic tasks, or run headless and connect to servers, run processes in the background, or something along these lines.

MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: Price and availability

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

The MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is widely available from online retailers like Amazon. I'm seeing prices starting at around the $1000 / £1000 mark depending on where you buy.

MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: Unboxing and First Impressions

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

The Cubi NUC is a simple setup. It's included in a basic package, which consists of power, a VESA mount, and an extended power button, if needed. The VESA mount design is excellent, allowing you to easily use it or forget it exists without altering the layout, restricting access to key ports, or requiring the purchase of an accessory. The VESA mount is ideal for mounting behind a monitor, TV, or display, or for attaching to the underside of a desk, wall, or other surfaces.

Like so many of the best mini PC machines I've used, the size of the Cubi NUC lends itself to plenty of different use cases as well. It's ideal for tucking away in a cabinet at a medical office, on a cart in a hospital, in a digital screen display kiosk, in a classroom, at a welcome desk, and more. That's where a machine like this thrives.

I was pleased to see the port layout, which makes quick-access ports extremely easy to reach, along with a fingerprint scanner for added security. Additionally, for setups and use cases where the computer may be tucked away, mounted, or hidden out of reach, MSI includes an external power button with a long cable, allowing you to place it in a readily accessible area and keep the machine where you ideally want it.

MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: Design & Build QualitySpecs

CPU: Up to Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 288V
Graphics: Up to Intel Arc Graphics 140V
Memory: Up to 32GB
Storage: 1x M.2 2280 SSD
IO: 4x USB-A, 1x MicroSD, 1x Headphone, 2x USB-C Thunderbolt 4, 2x RJ45, 1x HDMI
Wireless: Up to Wi-Fi 7

The design is both minimal and functional. Unlike some machines that place all ports on the back to maintain an ultra-minimal look, MSI understands that this approach is not always the most functional.

Therefore, they opted to divide the ports on the front and back to maximize productivity. The quick access ports are on the front, accessible if the machine is mounted or on top of a desk, and the (typically) one-time-plug-in-and-forget-about-it kind of ports are in the back. This layout facilitates cable management, as it positions the majority of the cables to the back of the desk, or at least away from the user.

For a business machine that isn't competing in any beauty pageants, this design is excellent, focusing on productivity and functionality.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: In use

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

MSI's Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG has been in my fleet (yes, it's a fleet at this point, as I currently have 18 computers in my review queue) for 92 days. In that time, I've had it set up at my secondary desk in my home office, plugged into my BenQ EW2790U on my Flexispot E7 Plus Desk Setup. It's been great for background tasks, writing, emails, and some productivity work as well.

The ease of having a machine always ready to go is fantastic. I like having a server computer that I can remotely access using a VPN, Remote Desktop, or my recent favorite, Chrome Remote Desktop, to modify my network drives. Locally access my Synology, rip content without slowing down my primary machine, transfer data, or perform other tasks that don't require my primary machine.

Having a computer ready to go, plugged in at all times, is also great if you want the least amount of friction possible to get from not working to working and then back to not working again. You just have to sit down, press a key on a keyboard and you are good to go.

The dual network lines came in handy when I tested connecting to my Synology BeeStations and Disk Stations for some updates to the newest DSM software, while I also wanted to connect to my LAN. Granted, Synology allows for LAN access, but I wanted to transfer some content quickly to my NAS as well, making this a perfect solution.

Another great use case for the dual Ethernet would be if you need to connect to a redundant network, a secure network, and a more open network, a server, a network audio controller, or really any other network-controlled device. It’s a little machine like this that can take your workstation, studio, office, or role to the next level, harnessing the simplicity and power of its ease, connectivity, and possibilities as a headless unit to run tasks for you in a more efficient way.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

There are some scenarios where these armrests may not be ideal, but for most, they’ll be fine, or worth the lack of adjustment if you like the style and overall aesthetic and feel of this chair.

Some chairs you give up look and design for overall comfort and features. The Serene Nox by Eureka is the exact opposite, you give up highly adjustable armrests and lumbar for the overall aesthetic.

That’s another element of this chair that you should probably know. You’re not going to want to use this chair with a cheap folding desk, nor at the kitchen table, where your temporary workspace is, you won’t even want to use this chair in a bullpen, you want to use this chair in offices, in executive corner suites, you want this chair at the reception desk of a high end corporation so that it can look the part and still provide comfort.

MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: Final verdict

The MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is not for everyone. In fact, it may not even be for most people. But it's well-specced for those who need an easy office machine. It'll capably handle tasks like a Windows headless unit to run a server, running multiple digital displays, or an always-on machine that can be on dual networks at once.

It’s a discreet and smart machine that may just be the building block to a more efficient chain of automations, or simplified workflows, or introducing AI into your sphere, all without taking up precious real estate on your desk, or locking you into a non-upgradable display that may or may not meet your desired specifications.

Should you buy a MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG?Image 1 of 6

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Image 2 of 6

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Image 3 of 6

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Image 4 of 6

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Image 5 of 6

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Image 6 of 6

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

Value

Upper mid range, strong ports and usability for the right business applications

4 / 5

Design

Sleek, compact, and thoughtful layout and port offering

4 / 5

Hardware

Modern chips, great ports, Thunderbolt, fingerprint sensor

4 / 5

Performance

Quiet, responsive, reliable, great for headless access and server access

3.5 / 5

Overall

A great mini PC for the right user, always-on needs, digital signage, server companions, and perhaps remote access

4 / 5

Buy it if...

You need a compact, always-on, Windows machine
While this may not be the powerhouse your creative department needs, this could be what your development team could use for accessing servers, running background processes, or running digital signage

You want a solid, redunant-backed, connection
Dual LAN ports are vital for those who want a redundant backup for a vital piece of machineryView Deal

Don't buy it if...

You need a machine for your creative department
This is not the machine you want for graphic intensive proceses or workstation-level performance.

You need something portable
While this mini PC is ultra-portable, it's still nowhere close to the power and performance you can get in a quality laptop, so unless there is a unique usecase, check out some of our best laptops.

For more professional-grade computing, we've tested the best business laptops and best business computers.

I've reviewed a number of products from Eureka Ergonomic - office chairs, standing desks - and each one always has a certain style to them that goes beyond the usual office furniture designs. So, when I had the chance to review the Nox genuine leather office chair, I had to check it out.

It doesn't fit the mold of most of the best office chairs I've reviewed, and maybe that's just what makes it a space in the market. This chair has a distinct vibe that will be an absolute dream - if you don't mind the executive price-tag.

Eureka Ergonomic Nox: Price and availability

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

The Eureka Serene Nox is an upgrade to the Standard Serene chair that I have reviewed in the past. The Nox is made of genuine leather and, like the Model T Ford, is offered in only one color: black.

It's currently available direct from Eureka Ergonomic's website, retailing for $750 - although at the time of review, it's down to $600.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Eureka Ergonomic Nox: Unboxing and First Impressions

The Eureka Nox came in quality packaging, nice protective material and a quality box. The setup was quick and painless, only taking about 20 minutes by myself to build. While most chairs have a handful of colorway options, by very nature of the name itself, the Nox comes in black, and only black.

This, paired with the sleek metal frame makes this chair look stunning. The lumbar has a slight pattern to it which is super interesting to look at, and other than that, the angular armrests are artistic over functionality, though they are fine most of the time.

Eureka Ergonomic Nox: Design & Build QualitySpecs

Dimensions: 26.77" D x 26.77" W x 48-51.5" H
Weight: 42.88 lbs.
Weight Capacity: 300 lbs.

This chair doesn't scream but confidently whispers high-end, professional office chair. Whether that is a top-tier executive or Bondian super-villain, I cannot tell yet. It's a bold design, all about strong lines gently tapering at the lumbar support, sweeping padded armrests that glide around the chair to the seat base. It's striking in all the right ways.

The chair has simple, yet capable controls, offering tilt and lock options, height adjustments, and tension control. The lumbar section of the chair provides a good amount of support, but doesn't affect that silhouette, remaining cool, calm, unobtrusive. One part that I noticed even more than the lumbar is the waterfall-style seat, caressing the sides of my legs and alleviating pressure at the same time.

All around, this chair is supportive, firm, yet comfortable, and minimal, all while looking beautiful. It’s perfect for a professional office, an executive suite, the Batcave.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Eureka Ergonomic Nox: In use

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

I’ve had this chair in my rotation for my team for 100 days. Member of my team and I have spent entire days in this chair, all without any discomfort or need to switch to another chair. The lumbar support is not the most aggressive, but that’s okay, not every chair needs to have intense lumbar protrusions.

Even after a full work day, we have not had any complaints of back pain, so I’d be willing to say that lumbar support is a strong suit of this chair. Another interesting note is that even though these armrests are not adjustable, I have yet to have a team member complain. Perhaps that is because when you sit in this chair you don’t expect it to be something that it’s not, you sit in this chair and you feel like an executive.

You could be sitting in this chair in your office with literally nothing to do, no power, on your first day and you’ll feel like you are starting with a leg up due to this chair. That’s just how this chair makes you feel when you sit in it.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

There are some scenarios where these armrests may not be ideal, but for most, they’ll be fine, or worth the lack of adjustment if you like the style and overall aesthetic and feel of this chair.

Some chairs you give up look and design for overall comfort and features. The Nox is the exact opposite, you give up highly adjustable armrests and lumbar for the overall aesthetic.

That’s another element of this chair that you should probably know. You’re not going to want to use this chair with a cheap folding desk, nor at the kitchen table, where your temporary workspace is, you won’t even want to use this chair in a bullpen, you want to use this chair in offices, in executive corner suites, you want this chair at the reception desk of a high end corporation so that it can look the part and still provide comfort.

Eureka Ergonomic Nox: Final verdict

The Eureka Serene sits in a very specific niche. It’s for professionals, it’s for executives, its for those who want something that looks the part, looks professional, looks high end, and looks luxury. This chair isn’t the kind you’d see at a budget operation, but one that you would see at a highly successful firm.

And, as a result, this kind of chair makes anywhere that it is feel a bit elevated. If you are looking for a quality chair that fits an aesthetic first and foremost, then you should absolutely consider the Eureka Ergonomic Nox. But if you’re on a budget, or want something that is more lumbar supportive, than this may not be the best chair for you, maybe send the link to your boss.

Should you buy a Eureka Ergonomic Nox?Image 1 of 8

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Image 2 of 8

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Image 3 of 8

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Image 4 of 8

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Image 5 of 8

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Image 6 of 8

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Image 7 of 8

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Image 8 of 8

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

Value

Premium materials, premium craftsmanship, premium price.

3.5 / 5

Design

Executive office styling, quality materials, statement-making design

5 / 5

Hardware

Quality frame, comfortable seat, smooth recline

4.5 / 5

Performance

All-day comfort, comfortable lumbar, quiet operation, but fixed arms

4 / 5

Overall

Luxury office chair for those who are willing to pay the price for the design

4 / 5

Buy it if...

You want a premium, leather executive chair
The Eureka Ergonomic Nox is a nice chair, but it's really designed for those who want a comfortable chair that looks like a really nice executive chair as well.

You sit for a long time
This chair doesn't have a lot of adjustability, but it may not need it as it focuses on making sure that what features it does have, it does very well.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You need adjustable armrests
While the seat is comfy, and the armrests look pretty, they do not adjust, so if you need some that can move, this chair is not for you

You're on a budget
If you're on a budget and care more about value or functionality than just a certain aesthetic, then check out another chair on our best of list9

For more office furniture essentials, we've tested and reviewed the best standing desks.

Octopath Traveler 0 is a different kind of Octopath game.

It still features the series’ distinctive HD-2D aesthetics, the tried and tested break and boost battle system, and even returning characters and locations. It also mixes things up from the now well-understood formula.

Review info

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Release date: December 4, 2025

The plot, for example, doesn’t feature the namesake eight-character storylines – the octo paths, as it were. Instead, your adventure focuses on your own player-created character for the first time, who is on a quest of retribution against the villains that destroyed their home town – each embodying the vices of Wealth, Power, and Fame.

You are still joined by other adventurers – over 30 in fact, though I haven’t unlocked them all yet – however, they are along for your ride rather than you following each of their distinct journeys like we would in the other series entries.

The eight-person theme isn’t wholly lost, thankfully, with combat being redesigned to feature eight-person parties – a team of four in the front, and four in the back. I’ll go into more details on why I love this change below, but know that it provides a lot more depth and customisation possibilities to party composition without making fights feel too trivially easy.

Something wicked this way comes (Image credit: Square Enix)

Both of these changes make sense; however, when you remember Octopath Traveler 0 isn’t a new game. It’s adapted from the Octopath: Champions of the Continent mobile gacha game. A free-to-play system necessitates a wide array of characters to unlock, can’t have its story focus too much on your party because you might not own those travelers, and would want to allow for bigger teams so you can use more of the cool units you’ve invested in financially.

Now, Octopath Traveler 0 isn’t a gacha game. I’m just saying you can feel remnants of the game it’s based on from what’s presented, and it can feel a little jarring at first because it isn’t Octopath as we’ve known it – in fact, you could convince me it's a lost 2D Final Fantasy at times.

Stick with this adventure, however, and you’ll see it has plenty to offer on an engaging adventure that will keep you entertained for tens and tens of hours – no additional purchases necessary.

Revenge and reconstruction

(Image credit: Square Enix)

As I mentioned in the intro, in terms of its story, Octopath Traveler 0 doesn’t feel very ‘Octopath’ at all. Rather than following eight plots for eight distinct adventurers which coalesce into a finale, you instead follow your own adventure – and can recruit over 30 different heroes to your party.

You create your own custom character for this game and then must face stories focused on the corrupting influences of Wealth, Power, and Fame – where you'll find the meat of the plot.

This focus on a linear story with a more limited opportunity to explore branched tracks is very different from Octopaths that have come before, but it’s not a wholly negative change. My gripe is simply that the less free-form plot feels better suited to a classic Final Fantasy 2D entry rather than an Octopath adventure.

It's not a bad adventure, though, in fact, it's a very compelling one with proper villains you can’t help but hate – a real classic RPG story. I simply found the change of pace a little jarring for this series specifically.

Time to rebuild (Image credit: Square Enix)

There's also the Rekindling the Flame plot, which has the protagonist reconstruct their old home town by finding its surviving residents and rebuilding the long destroyed features that made it a home.

It's not as in-depth as a true cosy town simulator, but it is a delightful change of pace from the action-focused adventure. Plus, channelling your retribution into something more constructive can yield useful benefits – including the ability to power up your allies. So it's worth pursuing even if vengeance is your only goal.

To battle!

While the plot might not feel very Octopath, the turn-based combat feels more Octo than ever. That’s because your group now consists of eight fighters – a four-person front row and a four-person back row – which allows for a much more diverse team composition than the series’ usual four-person limit.

Only the characters in the front row can take actions, but each hero can swap with their partner behind them so that they can take a turn, and there are unlockable skills that allow your back row to support the folks in front of them without needing to take an action, or allow your front row to use a skill and tag out in a single move.

(Image credit: Square Enix)

For example, in my currently build I’ve paired up a cleric who can automatically heal the person in front of them with my squishy spell caster as their health can run low very quickly without support, and my tank who can provoke attacks is paired with an ally who has a skill that lets her fire her bow and instantly tag out – so she can swap in for a quick damage burst and then let my tank keep taking the hits.

Best Bit

(Image credit: Square Enix)

Combat feels like such a step up from the previous game, thanks to the bigger party allowing for more personalization of your team than ever, and setting off an Ultimate Technique never gets old.

The other big change is that your created character has unlocked a special skill called an Ultimate Technique. As the name implies, this charged ability (you can’t just spam it all the time) allows the protagonist to perform a big burst – you can unlock options like performing a mass heal or dealing a powerful strike, among others – that can turn the tide of battle in your favor.

As you improve your town, you'll rebuild the training grounds so other party members can unlock their techniques too – I told you there’s a reason to play house even if your only goal is violence.

None of this is to say fights are trivial thanks to your ultimate moves and larger team. Boss battles and higher-level bouts can still present a challenge if you don’t prepare yourself. You can push your luck into higher-level locations to some extent, but for main quests, you'll find even adventures three or four levels above where you currently are can prove trickier than expected if you aren’t careful.

(Image credit: Square Enix)Octopath or not, it's still delightful

Octopath Traveler 0 is a really enjoyable RPG experience, whether it feels truly Octopath to me or not.

Because all of the changes still work. The cohesive, more solo story is an awesome adventure that feels like the fantasy epic that RPGs have taken players on for decades, and the combat is compelling and with some many team members allows for some really creative and personal party composition.

There’s also been a simplification of path actions, which is a lot easier to follow than the confusing web of abilities offered in Octopath Traveler 2 – even if it strips away the identity of each character further than their lack of a unique plot already does.

If you love the Octopath series, a new adventure through Osterra will appeal, while fans of more typical RPGs may find this entry to be more accessible than ever, given that it follows a more standard story structure.

I’ve had a delightful time on my adventure, and at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.

(Image credit: Square Enix)Should you play Octopath Traveler 0?Play it if…

You want a classic RPG
Octopath Traveler 0 feels like a classic RPG. You've got a meaty plot and robust turn-based combat system to sink your teeth into.

You like to choose your own adventure
While not quite as free and open as Octopath usually is, this entry does feature a branching plot and a wide variety of characters to customize your team around.

You crave 2D beauty
I don't care how many times I see HD 2D aesthetics; they'll always be beautiful, and Octopath Traveler 0 is as pretty as a picture.

Don't play it if…

You want a cozy town builder
While rebuilding your home is a core plot of this story is still mostly focused on combat and adventure than cozy vibes.

You want proper Octopath
If Octopath‘s distinct brand of RPG is what you crave, then you won't hate this title; it just might not quite hit the spot for you.

You hate turn-based tactical combat
Turn-based combat isn’t for everyone, and while Octopath's break and boost system does some things to liven up the combat, it won't make turn-based action everyone's bag.

Acessibility

In terms of accessibility as a turn-based RPG, Octopath Traveler 0 has the advantage that players can take combat at their own pace – you can take 5 seconds or 5 minutes to make a move if you need.

The cutscenes are also played out as text dialogue that you can have play automatically, one message at a time, or at a faster auto speed if you want to rush through. Again, allowing you to enjoy the game at your own pace.

Most major cutscenes are also voiced, making it even easier to follow the plot if you hate excessive reading (as someone who’s dyslexic, voice acting is always a massive help for me).

How I reviewed Octopath Traveler 0

I played Octopath Traveler 0 on my Nintendo Switch 2, mostly playing undocked, but I did make sure to load the game up on my TV too to get a sense of the grander scale it has on a 55-inch QLED screen.

During my playthrough, I tried not just to follow the mainline quest but also to explore the sidequests and other adventuring opportunities to get a feel of the whole experience Octopath Traveler 0 offers.

First reviewed November-December 2025

I'll tell you what wasn't on my Christmas list to Santa this year – unironically enjoying (nay, loving) a Netflix festive film. I've watched a lot of bad ones in this job, but My Secret Santa is undoubtedly the best of the sappy genre.

In a nutshell, it's Mrs. Doubtfire if Robin Williams decided to be a Santa drag king instead of a sassy Scottish pensioner. Instead of a man desperately trying to win his estranged wife back, single mom Taylor (Alexandra Breckenridge) needs fast cash to send her daughter to an elite snowboarding resort.

By being employed there, she'd get a staff discount, but the only opening is for a seasonal Father Christmas. Bing bang boom... she gets the job in a full Santa makeover.

Of course, romance is in the air too. Matthew (Ryan Eggold) recognizes former singer Taylor in a record store, and just so happens to be the new general manager at the resort – you can already guess how it's going to end just by reading this synopsis.

Whichever Netflix casting agent had the foresight to merge Virgin River and New Amsterdam's leading actors together deserves a massive festive bonus, in my eyes. Together Breckenridge and Eggold deliver a genuinely well-crafted tale that perfectly slots into the cozy sub-genre they've both whittled into shape over the years.

If anything, it almost makes up for the fact we're not getting Virgin River season 7 this month (if you squint hard enough, I'm sure Eggold would look enough like Martin Henderson).

My Secret Santa cements Alexandra Breckenridge as the Queen of Netflix

If you suggest I'm solely writing this review as an excuse to write a love letter to Breckenridge's work and further my cause to try and interview her in 2026, I don't know what you're talking about.

She carries My Secret Santa squarely on her shoulders, and she completely pulls off what is, rationally speaking, a completely implausible story. This is the kind of tale she was born to tell, and the movie's happy-go-lucky vibes underpinned by more authentic real-world problems suits her warm and engaging personality incredibly well.

In essence, I don't actually care about Taylor's character arc or her capers while wearing the baggy pants of Father Christmas – I'm just always buying what Breckenridge is selling. It's impossible to not be entranced by her screentime, exuding natural charm in everything she does. You want to be her, you want to be best friends with her... even when she's pretending to be an old man.

As far as Christmas movies go, this one is pretty original

I don't think Alexandra Breckenridge has ever looked better. (Image credit: Netflix)

The biggest compliment I can give My Secret Santa is that it feels current without trying too hard. There are no shudder-worthy TikTok jokes, no trends being jumped on, and nobody trying too hard to fit into a mould that isn't inherently them. Yes, the ending is undoubtedly cringe, but it's in keeping with the spirit of Christmas movies.

Tia Mowry isn't a natural fit as a villain, and there's no huge stakes aside from Taylor's daughter not being able to snowboard. However, we're here to get invested into a romantic connection, not be plunged into terror. Obviously, it's all a bit naff (lacking in taste and style, for my non-Brits), but that comes with the territory.

I can't believe I'm writing this, but I'm already contemplating watching My Secret Santa again (which is essentially the equivalent of pigs flying). I got so much joy, warmth and feel-good vibes from Netflix's latest festive offering, and that's how you know it's a job done well.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

FiiO FT13: Two-minute review

If you’re after a touch of individuality in your wired, over-ear, closed-back headphones, the FiiO FT13 have you covered. These are big, relatively bulky headphones but that does mean that on the outside there’s plenty of room for a quantity of highly polished purpleheart wood, while on the inside you've got a pair of 60mm ‘W’-shaped dynamic drivers that offer a frequency response of 7Hz - 40kHz.

The standard of build and finish is excellent, and the combination of plenty of adjustability in the headband and some judicious clamping force means the FT13 are comfortable in situ. Mind you, the use of lambskin on the inside of the headband, and the choice of suede even more lambskin for the earpads, means vegetarians aren’t going to be comfortable in the slightest.

Inside the big, nicely tactile travel case there’s a choice of four cable terminations, along with a generous length of very credible Furukawa cable that connects to both earcups. These options mean you should be able to connect your FiiO to pretty much any source of sound available.

Once they’re connected, there’s plenty to enjoy. The sound is large and spacious, and thanks to good low-frequency control there’s lots of momentum and rhythmic confidence. The FT13 communicate readily through the midrange, too. If it weren’t for a slight tonal discrepancy at the top of the frequency range and a more obvious rolling off of the same area, they’d be even more obvious front-runners and part of the best wired headphones.

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)FiiO FT13 review: Price and release date

• Released November 5, 2025
• $329 / £269 / AU$499 (approx.)

The FiiO FT13 wired over-ear closed-back headphones are on sale now, and in the United States they sell for no more than $329. The going rate in the United Kingdom is £269, while in Australia you’re looking at something like AU$499, where sold.

The FT13 look, on paper, like a lot of headphones for the money, but with everyone from Austrian Audio to Sennheiser having broadly similar alternatives available, it’s not going to be plain sailing…

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)FiiO FT13 review: Features

• 60mm ‘W’-shaped dynamic drivers
• 7Hz - 40kHz frequency response
• 1.5m Furukawa silver-plated OFC cable

As we all know, FiiO never knowingly underspecifies any of its products. And that’s the case again here – wired headphones may not offer much scope for piling on the features, but the company has given it a proper go.

So, there’s a 1.5m length of Furukawa monocrystalline silver-plated oxygen-free copper cable in the package. This is terminated with two 3.5mm plugs at one end – each earcup must be wired – while at the other FiiO offers a choice. Thanks to a neat plug arrangement, the cable can be terminated with either 3.5mm unbalanced or 4.4mm balanced sockets; the 3.5mm version can accept a supplied 6.3mm adapter, and the 4.4mm version can accept a supplied four-pin XLR adapter. Good luck finding a piece of audio equipment with a headphone socket the FT13 can't connect to.

The cable feeds a pair of 60mm dynamic drivers. These are a ‘W’-shaped design, which makes the active area of an already oversized driver even larger than is the norm. The diaphragm is just 0.1mm thick and is made of a carbon-fiber and wood pulp that’s stiffened by wool fibers until it’s as light and rigid as possible.

The drivers are activated by a light, responsive CCAW (copper-clad aluminum wire) voice coil – it’s a high-efficiency design, says FiiO, and combines with the rest of the hardware to deliver a frequency response of 7Hz - 40kHz. Low impedance (32ohms) and high sensitivity (98dB) mean the FT13 are one of the more easy-to-drive options of their type around.

The headphones feature a long, slender, ‘U’-shaped damping tube above the back of the driver assembly inside the earcup. It’s intended to lower the resonant frequency inside the cavity in an effort to liberate greater low-frequency extension and control, and in combination with a standing wave chamber plus a quantity of resonance-absorbing cotton, FiiO suggests the FT13 offer more passive noise-isolation than any comparable design.

• Features score: 5 / 5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)FiiO FT13 review: Sound quality

• Spacious, well-defined presentation
• Driving, rhythmically positive sound
• Lack a touch of high-frequency presence

Flawless sound is hard to come by no matter how much you’re spending on a pair of headphones, of course, and sure enough the FiiO FT13 are not flawless in the way they sound. In the context of the asking price, though, and balanced against all the ways in which their sound is deft and enjoyable, it doesn’t seem all that reasonable to get too bogged down in their deficiencies.

In any case, those deficiencies are fairly slight. The way they go about reproducing the top of the frequency range means treble sounds don’t have a whole lot in common, tonally speaking, with all the frequency information below here – and they roll off the top end quite pointedly. If it’s real high-frequency attack and drive you value in your headphones, the FT13 are going to be altogether too polite and mild-mannered for your tastes.

Otherwise, though, the news is all quite positive. With a nice fat 24bit/192kHz FLAC file of David Bowie’s Sound and Vision playing, the FT13 create a large, well-laid-out soundstage and keep every element of the recording secure in a little individual pocket of space. They do this, though, without sacrificing any sense of togetherness or performance – they just ensure everyone gets sufficient elbow room.

Low frequency presence is considerable, but bass reproduction here is no blunt instrument. There’s plenty of detail regarding tone and texture available, and this level of variation combines nicely with decent observance of the attack and decay of low-end information. The FiiO describe rhythms confidently as a result. The modulation into the midrange is smooth, and here there’s similarly impressive detail retrieval and tonal fidelity – the double tracking of the vocal in this recording is made obvious, and the small harmonic variations in the voice are identified without being overstated. The FT13 communicate vocal intentions and attitudes really well.

Dynamic headroom is considerable, as a listen to a 24bit/44.1kHz FLAC file of Holy Ghost by Young Fathers makes apparent. The open and spacious sound of the FiiO allows the shifts in volume and attack in this recording to be made plain, and the distance between the quiet/malevolent and loud/even more malevolent passages couldn’t really be any greater. It’s worth noting the FiiO are pretty agnostic in this regard – they are more than happy to dig in and kick off if a recording demands it, but are just as comfortable dealing with the small-scale and understated.

• Sound quality score: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)FiiO FT13 review: Design

• 356g (without cable)
• Magnesium alloy headband and frame
• South American purpleheart wood

Just as in the ‘features’ section, with the FT13 FiiO has taken what might, on the face of it, seem like an unpromising product type where ‘design’ is concerned and done its utmost. Unlike almost every price-comparable alternative, here it’s possible to discern that ‘design’, rather than simply ‘construction’, has happened.

The relatively large earcups are supplied with a choice of earpads. There’s suede (for a warmer sound, so the company says) or lambskin (for a cleaner presentation) and they’re easily swapped, but it should be noted that there’s no vegetarian option. On the outside of the earcups, meanwhile, the polished and lacquered purpleheart wood offers a genuine point of difference. The deep purple colour is entirely natural, the specifics of the grain are obviously unique to each pair of headphones, and its acoustic properties are long-established.

At 356g without the hefty cable attached, the FT13 are far from the lightest closed-back over-ear headphones around. But thanks to a light-yet-robust ‘U’-shaped magnesium alloy frame, some very carefully judged clamping force, and a ball-bearing adjustment mechanism with plenty of adjustability, it’s possible to get comfortable inside the FiiO and to stay that way for extended periods.

There’s a degree of articulation in the earcups, but the FT13 don’t come anywhere close to folding – the case in which they travel is necessarily bulky. It’s a reasonably good-looking case, at least, and the Yaoli linen from which it’s made is tactile, plus there are compartments inside for storing all your very many adapters and cable terminations.

• Design score: 5 / 5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)FiiO FT13 review: Usability and setup

• Select your source of music...
• Ensure you have the appropriate cable termination fitted...
• And away you go

Something would be terribly wrong, wouldn’t it, if the setup and usability of a pair of hard-wired passive headphones was in any way complicated?

The FT13 are about as involved as it ever gets, really. The quartet of options for cable termination means it might take you a beat or two longer to plug into your source of sound than it otherwise would.

After that, ensure you have your favored earcup in place, get comfortable using the headband adjustment mechanism, and you’re in business.

• Usability and setup score: 5 / 5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)FiiO FT13 review: Value

• Standard of build and finish superb
• Lots of available connectivity options
• Excellent sound quality for price

In terms of specification, materials, the standard of build and finish, and the available connectivity options, there’s really no arguing with the value the FT13 offer. In fact, if you consider the generous use of staunchly non-vegetarian materials in their construction, perhaps there’s too much going on here.

But when it comes to performance, the sound quality that’s available here is likeable in lots of ways – and if the balance FiiO has struck is your kind of thing, you’ll find the FT13 offer very acceptable value for money indeed.

• Value score: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)FiiO FT13 review: Should you buy them?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Dizzying array of connections; 60mm dynamic 'W-shaped' drivers; good passive noise-isolation.

5 / 5

Sound quality

Spacious and well-defined, with a driving, rhythmically positive sound; but slight lack of high-frequency presence.

4 / 5

Design

Purpleheart wood offers unique finish; highly adjustable headband finds the midpoint between 'design' and 'construction'.

5 / 5

Usability and setup

Select the termination you want for your music source, and you're away.

5 / 5

Value

No arguing with the standard of build, finish or connectivity terminations, but lack of vegetarian options.

4.5 / 5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Buy them if...

You like a bit of individuality
How many pairs of headphones that feature lots of purple-ish wood can you think of? Exactly.

You have several sources of music
The FT13 come with several different cable terminations.

You enjoy big and organized sound
The FiiO sound every bit as large as they look, and they control their soundstage with real determination.

Don't buy them if...

You’re vegetarian
Suede or lambskin are your options for earcups, and there’s more lambskin on the inside of the headband.

You’re on the small-headed side
These are relatively large headphones with relatively large earcups, and they could swamp those with a smaller-than-average head.

You like a bit of bite and shine to your sounds
The FT13 play it overtly safe where treble response is concerned, and they sound just slightly blunt at the top end as a result.

FiiO FT13 review: Also consider

Sennheiser HD 620S
The Sennheiser HD 620S have none of the FT13’s visual drama, but they most certainly have plenty where it counts - their sound is poised and spacious. They’re not as comfortable as the FiiO, it’s true, but then they’re not as off-putting to vegetarians, either.
Read our Sennheiser HD 620S review for more

FiiO FT13 review: How I tested

• Tested for well over a week
• Used as listening headphones, at home
• Connected to numerous music sources using various different formats, file types and sizes

I connected the FiiO FT13 to the same brand’s M15S digital audio player using the balanced 4.4mm connection, to an Apple MacBook Pro using the 3.5mm jack and a Linn Majik DSM (5th Gen) using the 6.3mm connection. This way I got access to lots of different music, of numerous different formats, file types and file sizes, and I listened to the headphones for well over a week in several different rooms of my house.

The size and the purpleness of the headphones, along with the unwieldy nature of the cable, put me off using them outdoors, though.

• First reviewed: December 2025
• Read more about how we test

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond's title screen is somewhat indicative of the game as a whole. The hypnotic, curvy eye motif and mysterious purple hue are backed by yet another belter of a title screen track; a series staple I'm glad is intact here. The presentation is immediately absorbing, and it's hard to suppress the goosebumps at the feeling that Metroid's 3D subseries is truly back. And then the whole aesthetic is ruined by a massive 'Nintendo Switch 2 Edition' logo slapped dead center of the display.

Review info

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: December 4, 2025

Nevertheless, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond absolutely holds up against the games that came before it. It's leagues ahead of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and its Wii Remote waggling gimmicks and unsatisfying exploration. Beyond also returns to an atmospheric feel very much in line with the original Prime.

The usual biomes are all present here - dense jungle, arid desert, abandoned mines, motorcycle dealership, et al - but all feel richly developed with distinctly alien traces. Ancient ruins, industrial installations, and evidence of twisted experiments lend each major area a rich history long before the arrival of protagonist Samus Aran.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Of course, this is helped by just how gorgeous of a game Metroid Prime 4: Beyond really is. Naturally you'll get the most out of it with the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and its support for 4K resolution. Returning developer Retro Studios clearly put a ton of work into environmental design, and an impressive amount of detail helps most areas stand out as a real visual treat.

But I can't quite say Beyond stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the GameCube masterpieces that came two decades before it. The large open desert is the feature that Nintendo arguably made the most noise about in Beyond's marketing, but its enormous size and barren nature ultimately make it serve little outside of boring, needless padding.

Enemy variety is alarmingly lacking, too, with just a couple of actually threatening types across all areas. Bosses follow suit; they often share simlar types of attacks and don't make much use of the various power-ups you'll accrue throughout the game.

There's clearly some rustiness on display here, 18 years on from the last mainline Prime entry. But when Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is firing on all cylinders, it still delivers a deeply rewarding and satisfying first-person adventure.

Can't complain about the View(ros)

(Image credit: Nintendo)

If you're not caught up on the Metroid Prime games or the Metroid series in general, don't worry; like most games in the long-running franchise, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is designed to be enjoyed as a largely standalone entry. There are callbacks, such as the presence of the Galactic Federation and returning antagonistic bounty hunter Sylux, but don't feel like you have to get up to speed in any sense.

Beyond begins, unsurprisingly, in the same way a lot of these games do. Samus Aran responds to a distress call to aid in pushing back against a Space Pirate invasion at a Galactic Federation base. Things go awry when a mysterious artifact being kept in the base is activated, teleporting Samus and swathes of the base's personnel to the planet Viewros.

Not much is known about Viewros. Like Metroid Prime 2: Echoes' Aether, its existence appears to be something of an anomaly, undiscoverable on any galactic chart. It's on Viewros that we uncover the plight of the Lamorn, a now-extinct alien race that may or may not have invited tragedy upon themselves. The goal, then, is to reactivate Viewros's master teleporter and return Samus and the displaced Gal Fed troopers' home.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

I really like Beyond's story. It's pretty unintrusive, and can largely be discovered through data logs and environmental details via Samus's scan visor. Uncovering the dark fate of extraterrestrial factions isn't anything new for Metroid, but the Lamorn are a particularly fascinating species in their aptitude for psychic abilities and technological prowess.

Much, too, has already been made of the Galactic Federation troopers, with fans worrying that their chatty nature might be at odds with the series' trademark feeling of isolation. I'm happy to say they're really not that bad, and a couple are even quite endearing.

Mackenzie is perhaps the worst offender, but not because of his socially awkward quipping. Rather, like a PlayStation Studios character, he has a habit of spelling out puzzle and progression answers to you before you've even properly had a chance to look around.

There's an element of hand-holding that just isn't welcome, especially when you're prompted to open the map to view an annoyingly unskippable animation showing you exactly where you need to go. That really becomes an issue towards the end of the game when you're just trying to do your 100% item and scan cleanup before the point of no return.

Third eye

(Image credit: Nintendo)

In typical series fashion, Samus loses the lion's share of her abilities after being transported to Viewros. The game doesn't really make a song and dance of it this time, which is just as well; it beats the rather contrived ways Samus has undergone her nerfs in the past.

Best bit

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond's atmosphere is incredible. Paired with some headphones, the world of Viewros comes alive with wonderful audio design. Gorgeous visuals, lighting, and environmental design all really help ground Samus in this otherworldly setting.

Progression in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, then, is as you'd expect if you're familiar with the series. You'll explore through a number of different areas, encountering roadblocks as you go that require you to discover power-ups elsewhere to progress.

On Viewros, Samus is able to inherit the psychic abilities of the Lamorn race. This lets her do things like open special doors, uncover hidden platforms, and make use of a psychic beam power-up that can be momentarily controlled to activate switches or hit multiple enemies.

Otherwise, power-ups are played safe in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Having the 'psychic' label doesn't stop morph ball bombs, the grapple beam, and various beam cannon types from acting the same than they used to. Even modifiers like fire and ice behave like you'd expect; dealing damage over time or freezing enemies solid respectively.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

My guess is that Retro Studios didn't feel the need to push the boat out too much in regards to Samus's abilities. It's a robust kit that plays to the series' strengths of combat and exploration.

This time, though, the ball has been dropped when it comes to the boss fights. In fact, there's not many bosses to speak of, at least when compared to other games in the Prime sub-series. Unfortunately, this lack of quantity has not translated to a higher level of quality.

Bosses all share a handful of similar attacks, such as generating a wave of energy that Samus must jump over, or rolling around the arena at high speeds. They rarely, if ever, require Samus to make use of her various beam types, and it's not until the truly exceptional final boss that Retro presents a challenging and memorable fight - one of the best in the series, actually.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Level design and progression also isn't quite as ambitious or winding as we've seen in past games. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond definitely leans on the more linear side. That's not necessarily a bad thing; some of the series' best games, including Metroid Dread and Fusion, are fairly straightforward entries.

Like those games, Beyond more than makes up for it in the atmopshere department. The dense wilderness of Fury Green, the derelict, harshly-lit laboratories of Ice Belt, and the impressive industral scale of Volt Forge all lend their own unique atmospheric flavor, and it's a joy to scour these environments for items and snippets of lore.

Some areas are more painfully linear than others. There are rather annoying combat gauntlets in Volt Forge and the Great Mines, for example, that require at least a couple trips through for both story progression and late-game item hunting. Mercifully, you're never required to hop between gimmicky visor types in this game like Prime 1 and 2, but they show an occasional lack of care and ambition in overall level design.

At least backtracking for items is a pretty painless and actually quite enjoyable affair here. Once you have a certain beam power-up, you can activate a droid in each biome that will reveal item locations on the map. This, paired with some really handy shortcuts in each level, make going for 100% completion doable and worthwhile on your first playthrough.

Deserted

(Image credit: Nintendo)

But this leads me onto easily the weakest element of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and it's the barren Sol Valley. This is a massive, arid expanse, in the corners of which sit the game's major locations. And good lord is it dull.

Designed for exploration with Samus's new VI-O-LA motorcycle - which she gets partway through an earlier area - Sol Valley just isn't very interesting. It's simply an enormous stretch of desert with very little in it. Presumably, this is stripped back so the original Nintendo Switch can handle while maintaining 60fps performance.

The motorcycle is fun to drive, at least. It's fast and performs turns and drifts in a satisfying manner. It's even equipped with weaponry to help shoot down a few rather pesky enemy types that periodically bother you while you're out and about.

Unfortunately, the mostly flat terrain of the desert doesn't really play to the bike's strengths. There are a few jumps, and chunks of Green Energy crystals that can be smashed and collected for a handful of optional power-ups, but the desert largely just serves as unenjoyable padding in an otherwise pretty short game.

The good stuff

(Image credit: Nintendo)

I've been pretty critical of many elements in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, but I do want to leave this review on a few high notes; things the game does exceedingly well. Samus feels better than ever to control in 3D, with tightened-up movement and improvements to physics in her morph ball form.

When Samus has all her abilities late in the game, and you're uncovering the last few rooms in each major biome, the game really comes alive. Backtracking and 100% item collection is superbly paced, and it feels as satisfying as ever to tear through areas with a fully-kitted bounty hunter.

I also really didn't hate the Galactic Federation troopers Samus partners with at various points in her journey. Yes, it's really annoying when Mackenzie points out the obvious or forces you into an unskippable map animation, but there's good chemistry between each of the team members.

Samus isn't with them for overly long, just a handful of sections. One that really stands out is when she partners with a couple of them to take down a massive gunship. And seeing your base camp in Fury Green evolve over time as troopers file in is endearing; you can even catch dialogue between them if you visit at certain times.

But once again I really just have to gush about how gorgeous of a game Beyond is, in both the visuals and soundtrack department. It's easily the best-looking game on Switch 2 so far, and a 4K 60fps lock (or 1080p at 120fps in performance mode) shows a real technical wizardry on both Retro and Nintendo's part.

Multiple control options are also welcome, and all are a success. You have your standard twin-stick movement more in line with contemporary first-person shooters. Or you can make use of the Joy-Con 2 for gyro aiming. Mouse controls are also excellent, providing a level of accuracy that you can't get on other control types without locking onto enemies first.

Flaws and all, I still think Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a brilliant entry in the series. If the desert was a touch smaller, and there were a few extra rooms to explore in each biome, it'd be on its way to sitting alongside the first two Prime games in quality. But, this is nonetheless a really welcome three-dimensional return for Samus, and I really hope it won't be her last.

Should you play Metroid Prime 4: Beyond?

(Image credit: Nintendo)Play it if...

You want to see what the Switch 2 hardware can do
Beyond is an utterly gorgeous game, to the point where I can't quite believe it's running on Nintendo hardware even with the Switch 2's improvements. Dense, atmosphere-rich environments are backed up by a wonderful soundtrack and audio design, too.

You love the Metroid Prime series
Each game in the Prime series has its own unique set of issues, and Beyond is no different. However, this is still very much a satisfying adventure that holds up well compared to those that came before it.

Don't play it if...

You really don't like massive deserts
Desert-like environments aren't the most inspiring biomes at the best of times, and Beyond's is a real slog to visit time and time again.

You're hoping for a long adventure
At around 15 hours (or less if you're not going for 100%), Beyond is a pretty lean game that may be a bit too short for those looking at the full-fat price tag.

Accessibility

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has some accessibility features worth highlighting, though unfortunately not much. You can enable a background for subtitles for increased legibility, and fully remap button profiles in all control settings. You can also adjust cursor, camera, and stick sensitivity to fine-tune a setup that's right for you.

How I reviewed Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

My playthrough of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond lasted just over 15 hours on Normal difficulty. This was a 100% completion run, with all items and scans collected. That may sound short, but is still very much in line with the length of most Metroid titles, including those within the Prime subseries.

I primarily played in the default control scheme on a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, mixing it up with the support for mouse controls later in the game during some boss fights and item hunts. I also switched occasionally between docked play on an LG CX OLED TV, and handheld play with the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS gaming headset for enhanced audio.

First reviewed November/December 2025

Sony A7 V: two-minute review

Some photographers, possibly even those working at Sony, see the A7 range of mirrorless cameras as the firm’s entry-level full-frame models. On paper alone, this may seem a reasonable suggestion when comparing the specifications to the most premium models. However, the Sony A7 IV, launched in October 2021, carries a 33-megapixel 36x24mm sensor, ISO50-204,800 sensitivity range, 5.5EV in-body image stabilization system, and a top continuous shooting rate of 10 frames per second. It’s by no means a slouch and this is all available for under $2500, so while it might be one of Sony’s more affordable E-mount bodies, it has been able to give pro-spec cameras a run for their money for several years.

On the face of it, the A7 V seems more of an iterative upgrade to its predecessor, rather than a revolution. However, once you dig deeper, there is a lot of exciting new technology to explore. Debuting the new partially-stacked sensor and new Bionz XR 2 processing engine, this camera represents a significant step forward for photography enthusiasts and semi-professionals. It’s more responsive than the A7 IV, both in focusing reaction time and accuracy, and delivers superior performance from the ground up.

Images are sharply detailed, and noise is well-controlled, especially for a model equipped with a 33MP resolution. It certainly matches or outperforms the current generation of competing cameras, such as the Canon EOS R6 Mark II or Panasonic Lumix S5 II, although I’ll be interested to see how low-light capabilities compare to the likes of the Canon EOS R6 Mark III when it inevitably comes to market, which is likely not too far in the future.

(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

If you’ve used other Sony Alpha cameras, you’ll fall right into step with the A7 V. Some might call Sony’s conservative approach to design unimaginative, but it means that you can allow muscle memory to play its part on shoots where speed matters most. A few useful practical refinements notwithstanding, the A7 V is very similar to models that came before it, and on picking it up, you get a feeling of coming home, a comforting sensation when other stressful elements of a photoshoot come into play.

These days, I’m more likely to be blown away by enthusiast-level products than flagships, which rarely offer many surprises, as pro technology trickles down the rankings to more affordable offerings. The niche this camera inhabits has the potential to provide unbeatable value to the greatest range of photographers, and happily, the A7 V fulfills this promise. It’s an impressive upgrade to an already outstanding camera, serving up great responsiveness, useful features and exceptional image quality. I still wouldn’t call it revolutionary, and there are some quirks that I’d like to see refined, but if you’re an aspiring wildlife, event, or travel photographer, I’m confident you’ll fall in love with it, and that it will trouble TechRadar's best cameras and best mirrorless camera guides.

Sony A7 V specsSony A7 V Specs:

Type:

Mirrorless camera

Sensor:

Full-frame (36x24mm) semi-stacked CMOS

LCD:

3.2-inch, multi-articulated, 2.095m dots

Memory:

2x SDXC, 1x CFexpress Type A

Resolution:

33-megapixels

Video:

Up to 4K60p (4K120p in 1.5x crop mode)

ISO range:

ISO 50-204,800

Mechanical Shutter speeds:

30-1/8000sec

Electronic Shutter speeds:

30-1/16000sec

Viewfinder:

3.686m dot, OLED EVF, 0.78x

Processor:

Bionz XR 2

Connectivity:

AX WiFi (WiFi 6), Bluetooth, 2x USB-C, audio

Weight:

659g

(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)Sony A7 V: Price and availability

• Released December 2, 2025
• Body only price of $2,899 / £2,799 (Australia TBC)
• Kit options will be available, including with a new FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II

The Sony A7 V launched worldwide on December 2, 2025 priced $2,899 / £2,799 (body only, Australia TBC), alongside a new FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II kit lens. The lens costs $449.99 / £429 separately (Australia TBC) and will be available separately from February 2026.

Ahead of then, the FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II kit lens can be purchased as a kit with the A7 V for $3,099 (UK / Australia TBC). There will be other kits available, TBC.

This pricing is right on par with the Canon EOS R6 Mark III (and just $100 / £100 more than the Nikon Z6 III was at launch, but which is now available for much less).

• Price score: 4.5/5

Sony A7 V: Design

• Larger 3.2-inch rear LCD
• Versatile multi-pivot articulated monitor
• Hybrid memory card slot

Externally, I’d be very impressed if anyone could distinguish the A7 V from the A7 IV on looks alone. Apart from the name, discreetly emblazoned on the top plate, just to the left of the viewfinder, there isn’t much else to identify the latest iteration. However, a closer inspection reveals a redesigned handgrip. It’s very slight, with a tiny shift to the angle of the shutter button to account for the modest increase in weight from the Mark IV, but it makes a natural refinement to the ergonomics of the camera.

In terms of handling, the A7 V is supremely comfortable to hold, perhaps more so than most other Alpha bodies in the range. Logically, I know there is significant continuity between models, but something about the A7 V felt more balanced to me. I’ve always found Sony cameras to be too boxy for my tastes, especially when shooting for longer periods and when using larger lenses. The A7 V is unmistakably a Sony product, but it just fit my hands a lot better than I remember the A7 IV doing.

Shooting all day around London with the FE 24-50mm f/2.8 G lens, the setup was perfectly balanced, the center of gravity seemingly right where the optics meet the lens mount. This made shooting one-handed a breeze, even when holding the camera at arm's length over my head to shoot a street performer over the heads of a large crowd.

I appreciated that the playback and delete buttons are located on the same side of the camera body and immediately adjacent to each other on the back plate. This is a personal preference, of course, but I find this makes quickly making in-the-field quality control decisions quicker, rather than having to work two-handed and hunting for a control on the opposite side of the body to preview and delete obviously blurry shots.

(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

Another excellent feature that seems unique to Sony cameras is dual-function card slots that fit both SD and CFexpress. As someone with more high-performance SD cards than I’d like to think about, I love this. Although I am gradually filling out my stock of CFexpress, I still like to have the choice, and a camera that supports both, while still allowing dual card functionality with either format is hugely thoughtful.

With a Canon EOS R5 Mark II, for example, you need to take a supply of both card types if you want the benefits of in-the-field backups, while the Canon EOS R6 Mark II requires two SD cards only, delaying investment in CFexpress until a future upgrade (which will no doubt be an expensive ordeal). On Sony cameras, there are no such compromises.

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

It’s a shame the A7 V only has one of the two slots capable of accepting CFexpress Type A, but perhaps this is what you pay the extra money for when buying a camera like the Sony A7R V.

Another excellent design flourish is the extra control wheel above the Auto Exposure Lock button, which by default is set up to adjust exposure compensation in P, A or S modes. I enjoy not having to hold down another button to change this, and the additional dial allows you to amend the aperture and image brightness with single controls each. Naturally, each dial can be reassigned a custom function from within the A7 V’s Operation Customize menu, found under Setup.

(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

The build quality is of an exceptionally high standard. I didn’t have the opportunity to test the camera’s weather resistance – unusual for a British reviewer in November – but nevertheless, there are no obvious compromises in the integrity of the construction. Apart from the hollow battery and memory card bays, no other part of the body reverberates excessively when tapped, giving the sensation of it being milled from a single piece of metal.

All of the dials are beautifully knurled and easy to twist, but with enough resistance that it isn’t too easy to nudge them by accident.

We also can’t talk about the design of the camera without mentioning the versatile dual-hinged main LCD. Sony has gone back and forth with its approach to screen articulation over the years, and as far back as the A99 II DSLR camera, the multi-point design has allowed the user to both tilt and swivel the LCD. Some photographers prefer the vertical tilt format, while others like myself appreciate a full swivel function.

Users of the A7 V don’t have to choose – unlike with the A7 IV which is single-axis vari-angle only – which I found useful when shooting ground-level street photos of graffiti artists under Waterloo Station. It’s a clever strategy also found in recent Lumix cameras, and which I’d like to see more brands adopting.

• Design score:4.5/5

Sony A7 V: Performance

• New Bionz XR 2 processor
• No dedicated AI autofocus processing engine
• Long 750-shot battery life

Speaking of LCD screens, the model featured on the A7 V is both larger and more detailed than its predecessor. It measures 3.2 inches, up from 3 inches on the A7 IV, while resolution has doubled the 1,036,800 dots previously available. I found it to be very crisp, and colors look natural. This is a attribute of camera screens that isn’t talked about enough. Monitors might be super contrasty and saturated as standard, but this won’t always give the most useful preview of the images about to be captured.

The touch sensitivity is just right, and I found it to be more responsive than both the Mark IV and the A7R V, demonstrating the difference that three years can make. It’s not that those cameras were particularly unresponsive, but this latest monitor gave me no sense that it was standing between me and the settings I wanted to access.

I especially liked the reaction time for touch focus; with a single tap the camera activates the AF and immediately snaps to the object selected. I don’t always use touch focus features, but combined with the versatile LCD pivot points, I found myself using them frequently during my testing of the A7 V.

Autofocus itself is smooth and super-fast. Built around a new system of 759 Phase Detection AF points that cover 90% of the frame, the A7 V can focus in lighting as low as -4EV. Although the camera did slow down as ambient lighting dropped, with the rate of focus hunting increasing, it still did a sterling job of finding and tracking the subject. It’s also incredibly precise.

Image 1 of 3

Changing the AF subject recognition mode to Animals, the A7 V could easily keep track of this squirrel's eye (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

Interestingly, the A7 V doesn’t feature a dedicated AI processor, as found on the Sony A1 II. This might surprise many industry observers, in an age where AI is king and excluding such features might seem a retrograde step. However, the new Bionz XR 2 moves all AF computations on-chip, instead of dividing the workload between two units.

Sony says the up-specced processor brings the same benefits of a separate AI engine, namely better AF target recognition, but with the added advantage of reduced heat emissions, superior speed, and improved battery life. After all, powering one chip is better than supplying two.

I didn’t have an A1 II body available to test the cameras side-by-side, but rarely did the A7 V struggle to locate my subject. There are plenty of options to customize subject recognition, and the camera coped well with human figures, cars, and airplanes, in the chaos of Central London and at Heathrow Airport.

Also new to the A7 V are the options to change AF responsiveness and to select an extra small or large AF point. While I didn’t find much need to alter these settings during my test, I could see where this might be of huge benefit. Turning down AF responsiveness if it’s likely that other objects will pass between the camera and the subject, like when shooting across a busy road or players on a football field, will help keep the focus sticky on your subject.

I can also vouch for the stated 750-shot battery capacity. After 300 frames, in the relative chill of a winter afternoon, I still had 75% charge, and by 650 shots, this sat around the 40% mark. This excellent, rival-beating performance included shooting both long still exposures and video.

In terms of shooting speed, the A7 V is one quick camera in operation. Startup is near instantaneous, and exposure assessment is now done at twice the number of calculations per second compared to the A7 IV.

Using the electronic shutter, it’s now possible to capture images at up to 30fps, up from 10fps on the previous camera. Pre-capture is also possible up to a user-selectable 30fps, meaning the camera is always ready and able to cover the action in the briefest of moments. Without wanting to sound like an advert for Sony (remember, this review is completely independent), there were times when I felt I was having to keep up with the camera. This isn’t something I encounter often, and it kept me on my toes.

It’s a very minor point, but I found the shutter release to be just a little too sensitive for my liking. There were a few occasions when I was simply trying out a composition and accidentally fired off a burst of shots – a bit of a laborious situation when the camera makes 30 frames every second! I’d definitely recommend re-assigning focussing to the AF-ON button to work around this.

• Performance score: 5/5

Sony A7 V: Image quality

• Excellent Dynamic Range
• Superior high-ISO performance
• Ultra-effective IBIS system

One of the headline features of the A7 V that is certain to get people talking is the new semi-stacked sensor. This CMOS design has developed somewhat of a bad rep because of its deployment in other cameras with limited success, such as the Nikon Z6 III. There is a risk of significant trade-offs in dynamic range for the additional readout speed a semi-stacked (or partially-stacked) sensor provides. Sony is confident enough, however, to claim a DR of up to 16-stops with the A7 V – that's an additional stop versus the A7 IV – so I couldn’t wait to see how the camera performed in the real world.

I’m not entirely convinced by the 16EV claim, as there were times when there was less highlight texture than I had anticipated, and clipped shadows where I hadn’t expected. However, the results were still impressive. In the majority of shots, there was recoverable detail across the range. From memory alone (and not having yet taken the A7 V into the lab for testing, that’s all I have to work on), I would place the dynamic range on an even footing with models like the 24MP Canon EOS R6 Mark II and Nikon Z6 III. Clearly, Sony deserves some applause for this, as it’s a clear indicator that the A7 V is a next-gen competitor.

Now let’s talk about color. Traditionally, this hasn’t been my favorite aspect of Sony cameras. I’ve always felt that, compared to Canon and Fujifilm models, Sony color science was a bit sterile. Accurate, maybe, but lacking warmth and ‘flavor’. These traits are present in the A7 V, as is to be expected, but I noticed colors seemed more organic than I’ve seen from its stablemates.

The auto White Balance system hardly ever missed a trick, even when shooting wall art comprising overlapping primary colors in mixed natural and artificial lighting: quite possibly a condition that cameras have nightmares about. The A7 V handled the situation beautifully. I could wax lyrical here for three more paragraphs, but I’ll summarize with this: if the camera could cope this well under these conditions, it could cope anywhere.

Dynamic range might not quite manage 16-stops in every image, but matches lower resolution cameras from competing brands (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

I don’t always believe rumors, but in this case the suggestion that Composite RAW capability was to be included on the A7 V has turned out to be true. Previously seen on the Sony A9 III, this mode captures a sequence of RAW files that are then combined to produce a higher-resolution file with reduced noise. It works nicely and does what it says on the tin – if you shoot landscapes or in the studio, this is a great feature for squeezing every oodle of quality out of the sensor.

Of course, it works less well with moving subjects, even when shooting at a high frame rate, so I chose not to use it for street photography. If you can support the camera, it would also be beneficial for capturing poorly-lit interiors at higher sensitivities.

Even without Composite RAW active, the signal-to-noise ratio will put a smile on your face. I spent most of my shoot at ISO 6400 and above, and the camera delivered a commendable balance of sharpness and grain. I wasn’t blown away by the in-camera treatment of JPGs though, and as low as ISO 800, there was smudging of detail through quite aggressive noise reduction. Weirdly, this didn’t seem to get much worse up to ISO 3200.

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

Further proof that the dynamic range is noteworthy is highlight retention at the extended low ISO settings. At ISO 50, which is essentially an overexposed image with the exposure digitally reduced, there was still data present at the right side of the histogram.

One of my favorite features of the A7 V is the IBIS system. Compensating for up to 7.5EV of shake in the center of the frame and 6.5EV at the edges, up from 5.5-stops on the A7 IV, the stabilisation enables hand-held shots at ridiculously slow shutter speeds. I was able to capture usable images at exposures of around one second – unthinkable just a few years ago. This enabled me to capture the movement of objects within the frame while rendering static areas sharp. It’s one of my go-to street and urban photography techniques.

It doesn’t quite match the 8-stop hybrid IBIS-lens-based system seen in the Canon EOS R5 Mark II, Canon EOS R3, and Canon EOS R7 on paper, but it performs exceptionally well.

Image 1 of 7

(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)Image 2 of 7

(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)Image 3 of 7

(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)Image 4 of 7

(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)Image 5 of 7

(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)Image 6 of 7

(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)Image 7 of 7

(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

• Image quality score: 4.5/5

Sony A7 V: testing scorecard Sony A7 V

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

The A7 V is another example of how pro features are becoming increasingly more affordable. It's not cheap, but you get a hell of a lot of camera for the money

4.5/5

Design

There are no surprises from Sony. You might call the similarities with other Alpha cameras unimaginative but why fix what isn't broken?

4.5/5

Performance

The IBIS is superb, allowing hand-held long exposures, while AF is responsive, customizable, and accurate.

5/5

Image quality

Low-light quality is superb, as is auto White Balance. Jpeg processing is heavy-handed, but overall, the camera sets a new standard for enthusiast products.

4.5/5

Should I buy the Sony A7 V?Buy it if...

You want an affordable full-frame camera

It might not be the cheapest camera with a full-frame sensor on the market, but you get a lot of camera for your buck. The A7 V has everything an enthusiast photographer could hope for or need.View Deal

You shoot both stills and video

Like the A7 IV before it, the new camera delivers exceptional video features too, with 4K resolution, 60fps without a crop, and S-Log available for high-end grading.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You are a beginner

There is a lot of camera here. Novices are unlikely to get the most from all of the features available, and the mammoth toolset might even be off-putting. View Deal

You just bought an A7 IV

Let's be clear, the A7 V is a significant upgrade to its predecessor, but with a similar resolution, equal sensor size, and advanced features, the A7 IV is a great camera on its own merits. I wouldn't suggest there's enough difference between the two for an upgrade just yet.View Deal

Also consider Canon EOS R6 Mark II

The EOS R6 Mark III builds on the 24MP Canon EOS R6 Mark II with improved resolution that matches the A7 V, now 33MP. Sony and Canon take different priorities; the A7 V has the partially stacked sensor and video recording up to 4K 60p, while the EOS R6 Mark III's sensor isn't stacked at all, but there's open gate 7K video recording. Both feature incredibly powerful IBIS and autofocus performance. This is a close call. Note, at the time of writing we're still working on our EOS R6 Mark III review.

Nikon Z6 III

Nikon's all-rounder, the Z6 III also features a partially stacked sensor, but with a resolution of just 24MP. That said, video recording is up to 6K 60p, and the Z6 III is blazing fast, also being supported by powerful in-body image stabilization. Launched in July 2024, it has come down in price and can be had for much less than the A7 V.

Read our in-depth Nikon Z6 III review

How I tested the Sony A7 V

• I tested a full production model
• The A7 V body was accompanied by the FE 20-50mm f/2.8 G and FE 70-200mm f/4 Macro G OSS II
• Images were taken in a range of lighting conditions, using each ISO setting so noise levels could be compared throughout the range

I always like to push a camera to the edges of its capabilities and, to that end, I shot using the extremes of the ISO range. In bright light, I set the camera to the extended low ISO of 50, and then explored several low-light locations to test the camera all the way up to the expanded high setting of 204,800. I left the White Balance set to auto throughout the review to see how the camera responded to different lighting conditions. I also shot in RAW+JPG mode, so I had unprocessed files and compressed images for the sake of comparison.

• First reviewed December 2025

I can only think of one time in my life where I've felt so sick watching something I've had to turn off my TV (Raw, the body horror movie by Julia Ducournau). Now, there's a second entry in that list – the new Starz show Spartacus: House of Ashur.

Think Gladiator if Ridley Scott didn't have to adhere to cinema age rating criteria. Blood is well and truly spilled in this version of Ancient Rome, and it's enough to make even the most hardened of horror fans turn green.

Having said that, the legacy sequel (Spartacus originally ran on the network from 2010-2013) is only a horror in how it's delivered. Starz has gone heavy on the spectacle here, and all the gory action distracts us from the fact there's not much that's noteworthy under the show's surface.

There are a few new breakout stars as our returning cast members (Nick E. Tarabay as Ashur, mainly) slip back into their roles like no time has passed. But is this enough to save a show that's reliant on tricks and showmanship?

In a word, no... or at least, not for me. I often found myself wanting to fast-forward through any scenes that didn't have a sword being plunged into somebody's stomach, and I cringed at the gratuitous sex and assault scenes that I knew a historical drama just couldn't resist including.

Shock-factor isn't always an indicator of something good, no matter how entertaining the moment itself is. In fact, I'd probably enjoy episodes more as bitesize bites on TikTok.

Lift the lid on Spartacus: House of Ashur and you'll start to see the problems

Even the above trailer has had to be heavily redacted so it can actually be posted on YouTube. The gore and guts are easily Spartacus: House of Ashur's big selling point, and this means returning fans will definitely not be disappointed.

There are certainly some astonishing and creative maiming, even if the VFX don't always make them look believable. Without giving anything away, my favorite (if that's the right thing to call it) is at the end of episode 2, where Achillia (Tenika Davis) finally gets her own back on the male gladiators who have been expectedly sexist.

Here's the first big dichotomy. The sequel introduces a female gladiator to its ranks as the big 'we have can diverse casting just as effective as Bridgerton's' moment. It's actually a historically accurate decision, but more importantly, it's effective.

Davis is easily the best part of Spartacus: House of Ashur, running literal rings around her co-stars. She's clearly put in a lot of hours of training, and Achillia's attitude to Ancient Rome isn't just refreshing, but a necessary palate cleanser. Claudia Black's Cossutia isn't too far behind, effortlessly swinging from wife to warrior.

As for the rest of the show's female characters, there's a lot left to be desired. It's almost a given that a historical drama will falter to showing degradation unnecessarily because, a) it actually happened and, b) it's an easy way to create on-screen tension.

But wouldn't it be a novel idea to be as forward-thinking narratively as shows are in their casting? Rewrite history for the right reasons, people!

As for the rest, it's all convoluted

Tenika Davis' Achillia is one to watch. (Image credit: Starz)

But let's move onto the meat of the show, as it very much were. Aside from Ashur and right-hand man Korris (Graham McTavish), our men are not as interesting once they've put down their spears and shields. A good 90% of their time is taken up with combat training, so anything else we see (e.g. emotional narrative) is incredibly heavy-handed.

Outside of the impactful fighting, nothing else really lands. There's no point in time that I'm concerned with finding out what happens next, or wondering whether the overall storyline is going to take me somewhere else. Instead, I'm wondering who will have blood gushing out of their legs next.

Still, there are small wins. Episode 1 kicks us off with a surprise Lucy Lawless cameo and Ashur keeps a firm hand on the tiller as the new Dominius. But as I've hammered home by now, we're essentially sitting ringside for a 10-episode long fight we can just about stomach.

Nuance, meaning and complexity? Not present here. Full-throttle entertainment, gore and fighting to the death? Amped up to the max. Whether that's a good or bad thing remains to be seen.

Not signed up to Starz yet and live in the US? Use the below deal to get you started:

Starz subscription: was $10.99 a month now $2.99 at Starz
Want access to one of the best US network's originals and film library? Starz is offering a great discount that gets you 73% off the usual monthly price of $10.99 for your first three months to stream hit series like Outlander, American Gods, Now Apocalypse and more. This is a limited-time offer, but Starz hasn't said when it expires so make sure to be quick if you're interested. You can also get a more than half priced annual plan for just $11.99 right now, which works out to be just $1 a month. View Deal

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless: two-minute review

The Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless is a multi-platform gaming headset that will unlock quality immersive audio. It also offers wired USB-C and low-latency connectivity via a USB-C dongle and a removable mic. While it’s already out in the UK, the US release date is yet to be confirmed.

For a mid-market headset with a list price of £159 (around $210), the MMX 150 Wireless is impressively immersive. When I was stalking opponents on Counter-Strike 2, the soundstage always felt precise, enabling me to detect the direction of firefights or distinguish footsteps as people attempted to sneak up on me.

But I would say it’s in action games where the MMX 150 Wireless really shows off its strengths. While playing The Outer Worlds 2, the world around me felt deep and richly layered. Reverberant industrial sounds and the idle chatter of NPCs are always perfectly positioned, making you feel like you’re sitting at the dead centre of an expansive sphere of sound. And effects are exquisitely detailed – the distorted dialogue of in-game voice recordings always feels convincingly conveyed, like you’re actually interacting with aged comms equipment.

The presets provided in the Beyerdynamic app help polish the sound up even further, even if the overall effect lands more on the subtle side compared to some of the best wireless gaming headsets. Upping trebles and mids, the Shooter preset did a credible job of making gun shots and footsteps even more distinct for when you want to sniff out enemies, while Action mode adds more gravitas, boosting bass and treble to give the world around you more substance.

Mic performance is more of a mixed result, however. Testing it out in-game and by recording some audio, the quality of its audio felt decent, if unexceptional. Its noise filtering was genuinely pretty impressive, though, capturing none of the background noise I was making, from key taps to loud, bassy music. The MMX 150 Wireless’s equivalent of transparency mode was a bit disappointing, though – even though it made my voice sound a lot clearer, it introduced a level of hiss that I’ve never heard from any of the best wireless headphones I’ve tested.

(Image credit: Future)

Focusing more on its physical build now, the Beyerdynamic headset is seriously comfortable – I’ve had pillows that are less plush than these things. Thanks to the velour earpads, they’re super comfy, even during long gaming sessions, while the clamp force is just right for keeping them on your head without squishing your ears. Meanwhile, their height is easy to adjust to fit and offers a pretty expansive range, which is very helpful for my cumbersomely large cranium.

There are a few elements of the design I’m not a fan of, however. Aside from that cushy velour padding, the remaining materials of the MMX 150 Wireless feel a little flimsy – its plastic earcups echo every time you click the buttons, for example, slightly hampering the headset’s high-end feel. And while the white and black colorway I tested is a great match for the PS5, it’s ostentatiously gamer-y enough in its styling that I can’t really imagine myself using it for listening to music on the go.

When it comes to features, this Beyerdynamic’s app has a decent smattering. There’s the aforementioned sound presets, which cover gaming modes from Strategy to Racing and music modes from Bass to Smooth, as well as a custom five-band EQ. On top of this, it allows you to customize the functions behind button taps, switch Sidetone on and off, change the language of voice prompts, alter the auto shutdown time, and set the ringtone level.

Battery life is more than adequate for long gaming sessions. Despite Beyerdynamic listing it online as having a total life of 50 hours, its app actually gave the MMX 150 Wireless an estimated life of 68 hours. Having tested it by playing music over Bluetooth at 50% volume for a full day to see how rapidly its battery depleted, I found this estimate is actually pretty spot on, meaning the MMX 150 Wireless has a pretty generous battery life, especially for this price.

Ultimately, the Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless is a strong performer for its mid-market price, offering detailed, immersive sound and a super comfy build. Sure, I’d generally like a slightly sturdier build from a headset of this price, and I’m not totally convinced by that noisy Sidetone mic mode. But if your biggest priorities are simply plunging yourself into your games and having spot-on situational awareness, you could do a lot worse.

Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless review: price & availability

• Launched on October 5, 2025 in the UK
• US release date TBC
• List price of £159

Having launched on October 8, 2025, the Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless is already in the UK. Unfortunately, there’s no official release date that’s been announced for the US at the time of writing, but we’ll update this review when we have more information.

The MMX 150 Wireless has a list price of £159 – while that translates to around $210, the still unfolding landscape around tariffs makes it hard to accurately predict what the actual retail price will be. There are currently two colorways available for the headset: black and the white version tested here.

(Image credit: Future)Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless review: specs

Price

£159 (around $210)

Weight

0.7 lbs / 336g

Compatibility

PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch 2, Steam Deck

Connection type

Bluetooth, Wired (USB-C), low-latency 2.4GHz wireless (dongle)

Features

Five-band EQ, 10 sound presets, Sidetone mode, custom button settings, plug-in mic with noise reduction

Battery life

50 hours

Software

Beyerdynamic app

(Image credit: Future)Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless review: design / features

• Comfortable and cosy
• 68-hour battery life
• Some materials feel a little cheap

When I put the Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless on, the first thing I noticed was how cosy it feels. Honestly, it’s a little like you’re slipping your head into a velour cocoon. While those earpads aren’t necessarily the most subtle look, I cannot argue that they’re not incredibly comfortable. My only concern here is whether they’ll get a little toasty when summer rolls around – I’m not sure they’ll be particularly breathable or sweat-wicking.

And it’s not just the earpads that feel plush and comfortable: this continues throughout the MMX 150 Wireless’s design. Not only is it lightweight – clocking in at 336g – but its clamp force is pitched just right, keeping them well positioned on your head without unpleasantly squishing your ear cartilage.

It's also easy to adjust to fit. Some brands overthink this – one of the few points I criticized the super-affordable Turtle Beach Atlas 200 on recently was how it was impossible to adjust its height while you were wearing it. Beyerdynamic seems to recognize that sometimes the simplest solution is the most elegant: the earcups here simply raise and lower on a notched band, making it trivially easy to tweak them to the perfect height for you.

Unfortunately, sometimes this no-nonsense approach to design is less effective. In contrast to the luxurious feeling of the headset’s padding, the harder materials feel a little bit cheap. This is most pronounced when using the Control Wheel on the left cup – it’s a shade too clicky, and I found the noise resonates through the plasticky casing. Using more substantial materials here could have definitely made the experience of using these controls feel a little more premium.

And while this may be more of a personal preference, I’m also not totally keen on the MMX 150 Wireless’s styling, with the headset leaning a little too far into the gamer aesthetic for my liking. Don’t get me wrong: there’s no flashing RGB lighting or Cybertruck-esque sharp angles here. But the orange highlights, exposed wires, and the white and black colorway of the model I tested make it pretty clear this is a gaming headset first and foremost – you’re not going to be able to use it to listen to tunes on the subway without drawing a glance or two.

Moving on to the MMX 150 Wireless’s features, it has a decent range of capabilities, even if it’s maybe not quite as talented as some premium headsets.

Its connectivity options are pretty great. You can connect it to any compatible device via Bluetooth 5.3, and for the odd gadget that doesn’t have wireless connectivity, you can hook it up via its USB-C to 3.5mm jack cable. Perhaps the best option for committed gamers though, is its included wireless low-latency dongle – although Beyerdynamic doesn’t get specific about how much latency we’re talking about here, it promises negligible lag between the visuals and audio, something competitive gamers will definitely appreciate.

On paper, the MMX 150 Wireless’s battery life sounds unexceptional for a wireless gaming headset, with many topping its billed 50-hour life. However, when I fired up the Beyerdynamic app, it actually gave me its estimated life on a full charge as being about 68 hours.

Wanting to put this to the test, I set the headset playing music over Bluetooth at half volume for most of the day to see how much it would drain. It took seven hours and five minutes for its charge to drop to 90%, putting its total battery life at something like 71 hours and 10 minutes. Even taking into account the fact that its battery likely doesn’t discharge evenly, that means it will likely deliver that 68-hour life, enabling it to keep up with more headsets on the market.

The Beyerdynamic app offers a decent array of features and sound profiles, enabling me to customize various functions on the MMX 150 Wireless. First off, it offers up access to the headset’s five-band EQ and array of sound presets – these cover a range of scenarios, whether that’s bassy music, spoken words, or game genres like shooters, racing games, or strategy.

The app also allowed me to set which tap patterns of the multi-function button I wanted to play or pause audio, skip tracks back or forward, and switch audio sources. On top of this, it offers options for switching Sidetone on and off – Beyerdynamic’s name for its mic-boosting transparency mode – switching language of voice prompts, setting the headset’s auto shutdown tim,e and dialing in ringtone level.

(Image credit: Future)Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless review: performance

• Rich, immersive sound
• Decent sound presets
• Mic transparency mode a bit hissy

I’m always a bit wary when headsets throw around words like ‘immersive’ without details of specific spatial audio technologies. However, in the Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless’ case, it’s hard to come up with an adjective that feels more apt – strapping it on really does plunge you into the middle of the games you’re playing.

Firing up The Outer Worlds 2, I was impressed with how alive the worlds around me sounded. Strolling around my ship, the crackle of electricity and whirring of machinery really made me feel like I was inhabiting an authentic, mechanical vessel. And the audio is detailed enough to feel visceral at times – carrying out stealth kills, the whoosh of the knife, and the pained gurgle of enemies was just unsettling enough to impress a scintilla of guilt on my jaded conscience.

This sense of immersion is very much supported by the precision of the MMX 150 Wireless’s soundstage, with its positioning of sounds always feeling spot on. During Counter-Strike 2 matches, I found it easier to pinpoint where enemies were than with cheaper headsets. Not only was locating the direction of gunfire much more straightforward, but I could easily tell by the sound of footsteps when someone was attempting to sneak up behind me, giving me a decent edge.

The low-latency dongle made this even more appreciable. Like I say, Beyerdynamic hasn’t explicitly laid out what kind of latency time the USB dongle is capable of, but at least subjectively, I noticed very little gap between the visuals on screen and the crack of shotguns or the thud of the R8 Revolver.

Sound presets were pretty effective, although I’d say their impact was subtle rather than transformative. When applying the Adventure preset during The Outer Worlds 2, it boosted the bass and treble slightly, giving those atmospheric sound effects a soupçon more impact and drama. Conversely, the Shooter preset upped the trebles and mids, emphasising the most useful frequencies for reacting to gunshots in Counter-Strike 2 – although this is perhaps less fun than the booming bass some headsets grant to the game’s rifle shots.

So the Beyerdynamic produces very decent sound for its price – but how well does it detect it? I’m pleased to say that the headset’s mic works well, capturing my voice with decent clarity. I was genuinely impressed with its noise filtering: it didn’t pick up the noise of me hammering away at my keyboard, and even my attempts to overwhelm it by playing pumping EDM in the background barely registered.

While I would have preferred a fold-to-mute mic design, its mute function still works well, cutting out instantly when you click in the Control Wheel. Annoyingly, I did find the action of the buttons and wheel does get picked up by the mic, though, appreciable at the other end as a definite echoey clunk.

The Sidetone mode mentioned above fulfills its brief reasonably well. It definitely made my voice less muted when speaking with the headset on, making it sound much more natural. I’ve clearly been a bit spoiled by the transparency mode of modern wireless headphones, though – Sidetone mode is a much blunter instrument by comparison, introducing a degree of background hiss that I absolutely wouldn’t tolerate from a pair of Bluetooth headphones.

All in all, the Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless offers very decent performance. I enjoy being plunged into its sonic soundscapes, particularly in games with soundtracks that are suitably immersive enough to play to their strengths. It is a shame that the mic isn’t quite as polished, though: it’s the one area where I could definitely tell I was using a mid-range headset, rather than a more premium one.

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless?Buy it if…

You want to be plunged right into your games
With its excellent soundstage, the MMX 150 Wireless puts you right at the heart of the action, giving you an excellent sense of space and fully immersing you in the action.

You prioritize comfort
Not only does this headset cosily cradle your ears with its velour earpads, but its clamp force is just right, keeping them in place without exerting excess pressure on your ears.

Don’t buy it if…

You’re after a sturdy, premium-feeling build
Despite this comfort, though, the rest of the MMX 150 Wireless’s materials leave something to be desired, feeling a little lightweight and plasticky for this price.

You want an unimpeachable microphone
Don’t get me wrong: the MMX 150 Wireless’s mic captures your voice well. But the clonky echo of its buttons on your audio stream and the hiss of its Sidetone mode slightly mar the experience of using it.

Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless review: also consider

Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless

HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7P

Price

£159 (around $210)

$199.99 / £189.98

$199.99 / £174.99

Weight

0.7 lbs / 336g

0.7 lbs / 318g

0.7 lbs / 325g

Compatibility

PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch 2, Steam Deck

PC

PC, PlayStation 5, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch 2, Steam Deck

Connection type

Bluetooth, Wired (USB-C), low-latency 2.4GHz wireless (dongle)

Wireless (dongle)

Bluetooth, Wired (USB-C), low-latency 2.4GHz wireless (dongle)

Features

Five-band EQ, 10 sound presets, Sidetone mode, custom button settings, plug-in mic with noise reduction

DTS Headphone:X Spatial Audio, noise-cancelling mic with LED status indicator

EQ, 200+ sound presets, Sidetone mode, retractable mic with noise reduction

Battery life

50 hours

300 hours

38 hours

Software

Beyerdynamic app

HyperX Ngenuity

Arctis Companion App

HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless
Not only does the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless offer fantastic audio, but it makes the Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless’s battery life look positively ephemeral, offering a truly absurd 300 hours. And while its list price was initially higher than the MMX 150’s, in the US it has spent much of the last year at under $150, making it a bit of a bargain.

Read our full HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless review

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7P
If you want a headset that offers that more premium, substantial build but – crucially – don’t want to pay premium prices for the privilege, this might be the headset for you. It’s made from sturdy metal – it feels robust without sacrificing comfort, while offering true spatial audio and hefty bass. The drawback? It’s only compatible with PC and PlayStation, so Xbox or handheld gamers will want to look elsewhere.

Read more in our full SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7P review

How I tested the Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless

• Tested it over several days
• Tried it out with a variety of devices and games
• Assessed EQ modes and record mic quality

I tested the Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless over the course of several days. First off, I tried the headset out with a range of games, including newer and older titles such as The Outer Worlds 2, Counter-Strike 2, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition, and Two Point Museum. I also tried it on multiple platforms, including our Acer Predator Helios 300 gaming laptop, my Steam Deck, and my PlayStation 4.

To test out the headset’s features, I downloaded the Beyerdynamic app and played with its various settings. I also used it to test out the EQ and sound presets, comparing them to a neutral EQ for the recommended genres of game. Additionally, I tested out the microphone by recording myself talking while gaming, making sure to also test the mute function and how well it isolated my voice from background noise.

I have plenty of experience when it comes to gaming headsets. First off, I’ve been reviewing audio-related gadgets for well over five years and using them for much longer for both listening to audio and making music. Secondly, I’ve been an avid console and PC gamer for over a third of a century – which is a truly terrifying realization.

• First reviewed: November 2025
• Read more about how we test

Panasonic HC-X1200: two-minute review

I’ve been testing camcorders for over five years, to which you might respond, "Aren’t camcorders a relic from a former era?" And in some ways you'd be right. But there's still plenty of life in the product category, and filmmakers who like the traditional handling and built-in zoom of a camcorder will find much to enjoy in Panasonic's HC-X1200.

Even for a seasoned reviewer like myself, though, the HC-X1200's appeal isn't immediately clear. This relatively new and lightweight Panasonic model targets the serious creator or event videographer who needs rock-solid reliability and modern specs without jumping into the $2,000 / £1,500 price bracket.

There are few real video 'features', apart from basic face tracking. And without mod cons like Wi-Fi, this isn't the tool for fast-paced content creators. I like a simple workflow, and the HC-X1200 is certainly easy to pick up and use in full auto mode, with the option to work in manual for more advanced users.

A core strength here is, thankfully, image quality. I was fairly impressed that the camcorder offers 4K recording at 60 frames per second (4K/60p) with 10-bit internal recording, especially since similarly-priced models max out at 4K 30p.

This combination smooths out action footage with enough color latitude for grading later on, although it's nothing like as fast as you'll get from a top-tier action camera.

The main draw of camcorders, as I say, is their built-in zoom range. Sure enough, the HC-X1200’s built-in 24x optical zoom is something you won't get from a mirrorless camera without spending a fortune on lenses that are likely very heavy, too.

It's also worth noting that the HC-X1200's rivals max out at 20x zoom. If you’re an event or documentary shooter, or a wildlife enthusiast as I am, this is the best video camera for zooming in exceedingly far with clarity, stability, and speed. In 35mm terms, it's the equivalent of having lenses ranging from a 25mm wide-angle all the way to a 600mm telephoto in your bag.

(Image credit: Future)

The HC-X1200's design also incorporates three steps of built-in ND filter, and the excellent 5-axis Hybrid OIS. is impressive for static handheld shots and walking scenes.

I didn't get the chance to shoot a wedding during my review loan period with the camcorder. Still, I think I’d be happy to use it for long events like weddings or conferences without worrying about the battery dying or the unit overheating, not least since the heat-dissipating design kept it totally cool while shooting long testing clips.

The HC-X1200 is a relatively affordable camcorder, and that’s because it makes some obvious compromises. Without a proper electronic viewfinder (EVF), it’s not always easy to see settings and frame up scenes in bright sunlight, especially since a lot of data on the screen is printed in tiny writing.

Good video requires good audio, but there are no professional XLR audio inputs. Instead, there’s one 3.5mm mic jack, which means relying on external recorders or less high-end microphones if you’re working on projects where audio is critical. If you're shooting primarily for home or family videos, though, the audio is just fine.

The HC-X1200 is a good-value portable camcorder. Whether you’re new to filmmaking and want something with a long zoom, or you like the traditional handling, the HC-X1200 is a reliable option for long-form capture. Just be prepared to manage audio externally, and work primarily in well-lit conditions.

(Image credit: Future)Panasonic HC-X1200: price and availability

• Priced at $1,299.99 / £1,099 / AU$2,399
• Lens hood included
• Announced in January 2025

The Panasonic HC-X1200 was announced in January 2025 alongside two new 4K camcorders, the HC-X1600 and HC-X2100. It costs around $1,299.99 / £1,099 / AU$2,399.

The HC-X1200 is the entry-level model among these three Panasonic camcorders, without a viewfinder, handle unit, or XLR mic ports. It also lacks Wi-Fi, which feels like a misstep given that this comes as standard on cheaper rival camcorders and creator video cameras.

By my maths, the HC-X1200 is one of the most affordable camcorders for shooting 4K at 60 frames per second. The built-in ND filters also add a lot of flexibility for controlling exposure in bright light. Competing models priced near or below it (the Canon HF G70 or Sony AX43) are typically limited to 4K/30p, and both of those max out at 20x optical zoom power.

Panasonic HC-X1200 specsPanasonic HC-X1200 specs

Sensor:

1/2.5-type (inch) MOS

Effective pixels:

8.29MP

Optical zoom:

24x

F Value:

f/1.8-f/4

Stabilization:

5-axis hybrid OIS

Memory card:

SDHC/SDXC (Up to 512GB)

Recording formats:

MP4, AVCHD

Maximum recording quality:

100 Mbps for 4K 59.94p/50p

Dimensions:

3.7 x 5.1 x 8.2 inches / 893 x 129 x 209mm (H x W x D)

Weight:

1.76lbs / 800g

Panasonic HC-X1200: Design

• Light at just 800g, but not ultra-compact
• Heat-dispersing design for continual recording
• Two manual control rings

The Panasonic HC-X1200’s form resembles a classic camcorder. Made from matte black plastic, the body is long and barrel-shaped, and there’s an adjustable padded strap to aid stable handheld use (right-handed functionality only, though), with a pull-out, articulating LCD screen on the left of the body.

The HC-X1200 looks and feels similar to the Panasonic HC-X1500, which I’ve also tested, but comes in at a lighter weight of 1.76lbs / 800g. Some of the HC-X1500’s added weight comes from the viewfinder and eyecup, and the HC-X1200 is designed as a compact, body-only model, doing without the XLR-equipped handle unit found on its siblings (the HC-X1600 and X2100).

Panasonic calls it a “lightweight 4K 60p palm-style" camcorder, and while isn’t heavy, it might feel cumbersome to use at first if you’ve come from a vlogging-style camera. You’ll need a long padded bag to carry it, too. But the benefit of a camcorder like this is that everything is in the one unit, so you can forget carrying (and swapping out) extra lenses.

On the top is a chunky raised zoom rocker, which I found responsive, but not as naturally placed as on some camcorders. My index and middle fingers had to curve around slightly to reach it, but your mileage may vary.

The HC-X1200 is aimed at prosumers rather than total beginners, so there’s a good array of physical buttons on the camcorder body. There are no fewer than five customizable user buttons on the top, too, which can be set via the menu for controlling functions like face detection and enabling image stabilization.

Several of these are already preset, making them optional, but it’s a good thing to be able to customize the handling for your own preferences, especially since it’s harder to find these buttons in low light.

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future)

Before you even pull out the LCD screen, there are more buttons underneath on the left-hand side, including for the menu, iris, gain, shutter, and a toggle to switch between auto and manual exposure mode. The Menu button is the one you’ll likely use the most, and I would have liked to have felt it raised more than the others to make it easier to find without looking. Small things, though.

Fold out the LCD and there’s the on/off button (presumably positioned as such to stop you pressing it accidentally when the LCD is stowed away), a playback button, a toggle for displaying more or less info on the screen, and, as with most camcorders around this price point, dual memory card slots covered by a slide across a plastic window. A light illuminates to indicate which of the two SD cards is actively recording, which is a nice touch.

The 3.5-inch touch-sensitive LCD monitor is bright, detailed, and fully articulated, which means you can shoot pieces to camera or at low angles easily. As a more compact model, the Panasonic HC-X1200 notably skips an electronic viewfinder, but for this class of camera the generous touchscreen compensates.

My main complaint is the responsiveness of said screen and the layout of the menus, which at times felt slow, confusing, and outdated to a modern user. It’s a shame Panasonic couldn't spend time coming up with a more user-friendly experience, but it’s not a dealbreaker.

Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: Future)

At the rear of the camcorder is the raised recording button (easy to find without looking), plus a full HDMI port, USB-C power port, and single 3.5mm stereo mini jack for external audio input. In some ways, it’s a shame that professional XLR inputs are reserved for the X1600/X2100 handle. However, for a camcorder of this size, it keeps the profile sleek. Underneath, there’s also a standard tripod thread, and it’s a great bonus to be able to check the battery’s capacity with a quick press of the “check button”.

The highlight for me when using the HC-X1200 were the dual manual rings on the lens barrel, which are both smooth and very tactile to use, thanks to the notched markings all the way around them. The ring closest to the lens controls focus, and the other zooms, meaning you can precisely pull focus through a shot, or just get up-close subjects really sharp.

I found it easy to make smooth and on-the-fly adjustments without taking my eye off the action, and the manual rings are also in a more natural place for your hands than the zoom rocker. Just behind the closest ring is a dedicated three-stage ND filter switch (Clear, 1/4, 1/16, 1/64) placed right where my fingers expected it, and I found this essential for managing exposure in bright outdoor settings, even though I’ve not really used this function on other camcorders.

(Image credit: Future)

A big lens hood is supplied with the camcorder, both to protect the lens and shelter it from bright, direct sunlight. There’s a physical toggle to open and close the lens hood, which mirrorless users might take a while to get used to. I do wonder if modern mirrorless users will, like I did a few times, even with years of testing, forget to close the opening once you’ve finished shooting.

The HC-X1200’s design doesn’t try anything new, but that’s okay. It took me a few days to really get to grips with everything – both metaphorically and literally, since the strap needs tightening often – but it balances portability with some core manual controls. It’s an effective, comfortable choice for filmmakers who don’t want to carry around a colossal camcorder.

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future)Panasonic HC-X1200: Performance

• Mediocre low-light performance from the small sensor
• Impressively shake-free footage even at the full 24x zoom
• Versatile f/1.8-f/4 iris opening allows some bokeh

The XC-H1200 is a good video all-rounder, without any of the fancy AI features or autofocus options often marketed at content creators to make filming 'easy'. If you’re looking for a fully automatic workflow, though, the XC-H1200 delivers generally well-exposed and balanced 4K footage.

The 24x zoom range is quite incredible, and you can see in the sample clips how close I was able to get to a grey heron from the other side of a large pond. The zoom action is very smooth, and I like that it can be fine-tuned using the lens rings – great for up-close scenes, or if you want some creative pull-focus shots.

There aren’t any metering modes to choose from, though, and I often found that the exposure, while good overall, would overexpose very bright areas, such as the white feathers of a bird, at the mid-to-far end of the zoom. However, the camcorder’s built-in ND filters became exceptionally helpful on sunny days, as well as a creative tool if I wanted a darker look.

I found white balance to be very accurate on frosty mornings and sunny days, but in artificial light I ended up setting the tone manually. This is Panasonic's prosumer camcorder, so the fact that it lacks color grading isn’t a surprise, and there aren’t options to match colors with other cameras – a feature I’ve previously used with the Canon lineup.

Colors are well rendered, if a little on the dull side, but I found some leeway to boost the vibrancy in post-production without scenes looking artificial or losing detail. With 10-bit color depth set I didn’t notice any banding in bright skies either, as I have with cheaper camcorders and action cameras.

There are several video options to choose from, but only once you’ve stumbled upon the right place in the confusing, unintuitive menu. You can shoot in either UHD 4K or 1080p resolution, and two frequency modes (59.94 Hz for NTSC regions and 50.00 Hz for PAL regions) dictate the available frame rates, all at a maximum bitrate of 200Mbps.

Various encoding options will help those with more experience balance file size and quality, but if you’re new to moviemaking Panasonic doesn’t helpfully explain any of the options, so a bit of research might be needed in order to get the most from them.

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future)

Although it isn’t obvious, the HC-X1200 has the option for smooth slow-motion capture at up to 120fps, but only in HD (1920 x 1080). The idea is to help keep fast-moving subjects in focus, but while the results are definitely usable, the autofocus is the more limiting factor for ultra-fast and erratic subjects. In short, don’t buy this camera expecting to shoot a lot of crisp action.

The HC-X1200’s autofocus isn’t mind-blowing, and Panasonic doesn’t give a lot of detail regarding the mechanics of how it works. There’s nothing like the eye-detection precision of my Canon EOS R6 Mark II, but that’s to be expected at this price point.

Face tracking is easily turned on or off with a button on the body. It’s great for keeping you sharp during vlogging pieces to camera or documentary work, since the camcorder also adjusts the exposure automatically to keep the main face balanced in changing light. If you’re in shifting lighting conditions, this process takes a few seconds to recalibrate, but for interviews in a continuous or evenly lit room, it will cope well.

I was worried about low-light performance, due to the size of the camcorder’s sensor (1/2.5-inch) – usually a recipe for grainy, muddy footage. Out of the camera, the footage I shot at night was a little noisy, but far more usable than other camcorders I’ve tested with the same sensor size. The best results come from shooting at the camcorder’s highest bit rate, and then eking out the mileage with some creative grading.

If you work with dark footage rather than trying to brighten the shadows, the low-light footage is surprisingly usable. Setting the f/1.8 maximum aperture manually also helps. The HC-X1200 is also capable of capturing the invisible infrared spectrum for nighttime footage, but you need to buy an external infrared light source for this, so I didn’t test it.

With the dual SD card slots, you can set up two cards for relay recording (using one as an overflow when the first fills up), or simultaneous recording, so you have a backup. I only used one fast SD card when testing, but I often found the camera would be writing and processing footage for a long time after hitting the button to end recording. On a few random occasions, the camcorder froze, and I had to leave it alone for five minutes or so before, which isn’t ideal if you’ve got limited time with a subject or need to capture a particular moment.

On the plus side, it’s fully possible to record footage for as long as either your memory card(s) or the battery allows, since the heat-dissipating design genuinely delivers unlimited recording times, as Panasonic promises. I accidentally left the camcorder recording in my bag one day, and found I had several hours before the battery had run out.

Panasonic says you’ll get five hours of battery when recording 4K at 30p, and I got at least four and a half hours from one full charge, making this an excellent all-day companion if you have a few spare batteries in your arsenal.

Obviously, image quality is only half of the equation with video, and the HC-X1200’s audio quality falls somewhat short. If you’re a few steps from the camcorder, and ideally facing towards it in a wind or traffic-free zone, your voice is picked up clearly. Outside this ideal scenario – for example, if you’re walking and talking, or near a road – the built-in mic is less capable at picking out individual audio sources.

There are no clever AI algorithms working in the background to help suppress wind noise, as found on action cameras like the DJI Osmo Nano. So the onus is on you as the user to carefully choose the shooting location – in a sheltered spot away from the wind – or add an external mic with a furry wind shield using the 3.5mm jack input.

Image 1 of 1

(Image credit: Future)Should you buy the Panasonic HC-X1200?Buy it if...

You mostly shoot in controlled or good lighting

The HC-X1200 isn't great at adapting to changing light in auto mode, and tends to get grainy in low light.

You don't need XLR inputs

There's a standard 3.5mm stereo mic input. You may need an external audio recorder for pro-grade quality.

Don't buy it if...

You want the flexibility of Wi-Fi

Without built-in Wi-Fi, you can't use a phone or tablet for remote control or livestreaming.

You like using an electronic viewfinder (EVF)

You've only got the LCD for changing settings and framing scenes. The screen is generous, but it can be hard to view in bright sunlight.

Also consider

Canon EOS R10

Keen for a hybrid camera you can shoot stills on, too? Our favourite entry-level mirrorless also offers 4K/60p video, but it's heavily cropped. Low-light performance is better than the HC-X1200 thanks to a bigger sensor, and with the standard kit lens it's about the same price, but of course you don't get that mega camcorder zoom.

Read our Canon EOS R10 review

Canon XA65

I've tested the Canon XA65 for our sister title Digital Camera World, and think it's a great filmmaking camcorder if you're willing to pay a little more. The 20x optical is smaller than the HC-X1200, but it's incredibly versatile. Prosumers should get good use of the detachable handle, which helps with low angles and lets you add two external microphones via the XLR ports.

(Image credit: Future)How I tested the Panasonic HC-X1200

• I tested it for two weeks
• I shot in full Manual and Auto mode
• I used it for video, day and night

Panasonic loaned me the HC-X1200 for two weeks, and although it was raining almost the whole time (welcome to winter in the UK), I did take it with me on a few outdoor adventures, dog walks, and day trips, and I used it as an everyday companion for mainly handheld shooting.

I made direct comparisons with many other camcorders I've tested, as well as video on my now similarly-priced Canon EOS R6 DSLR and iPhone 15 Pro.

I shot videos using different iris settings and zoom lengths, in both fully automatic and manual modes, to compare the ease of use and quality of results from both.

• First reviewed November 2025

If you've ever searched for cheap website hosting, then HostPapa is likely one of the brands you'll have come across. Based in Ontario, Canada, the company has been around for close to two decades.

After a series of aggressive acquisitions, HostPapa today has become one of the bigger hosting brands around. It's what I like to call a one-stop shop, offering everything website owners need, from hosting to security and more.

Overall, HostPapa is a brand that is worth a try if you're in the market for cheap hosting. You''ll just need to be careful at checkout not to select add-ons and be patient with the onboarding process.

HostPapa hosting plans and prices

(Image credit: Future)

HostPapa offers shared, VPS, dedicated, and reseller hosting. Because of its popularity, several WordPress plans are also available. These are built on different platforms, from shared to VPS. Additionally, you can get email hosting, Microsoft 365, premium SSL certificates, and more.

Shared Hosting

(Image credit: Future)

Shared hosting plans range between $2.95/mo and $9.95/mo. These are the rates for 3-year terms. Following that, renewals cost from $8.99/mo to $27.99/mo, depending on your subscribed plan.

The lowest shared hosting plan (Essentials) offers decent specifications for a single website: 1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, and 25GB of NVMe storage. However, remember that this is shared hosting, so hosting resources aren't yours alone.

There's also what HostPapa calls Optimized WordPress hosting, which simply means they pre-install WordPress on your shared hosting account. The prices are identical, as are the specifications.

VPS and Managed WordPress Hosting

(Image credit: Future)

HostPapa offers managed and unmanaged VPS hosting. These plans are a step up from shared hosting. You'll find performance on VPS more consistent, since all the specified resources are yours alone.

The unmanaged VPS plans at HostPapa are, honestly, very cheap. Prices range from $5.95/mo to $59.95/mo, depending on resources provided. The cheapest plan (Start) offers 2 vCPUs, 2GB RAM, and 50GB of storage.

Managed VPS plans are meant for those who don't have the skills (or time) to manage a barebones virtual server. For this, you pay premium rates at HostPapa, ranging from $36.95/mo to $86.95/mo.

The last offering in the VPS segment is HostPapa's Managed WordPress plans. Think of this as Managed VPS plans, which are restricted to WordPress only. As such, prices fall between $19.95/mo to $114.95/mo.

Dedicated Servers and Reseller Hosting

(Image credit: Future)

If you're one of those with much higher hosting requirements, then HostPapa's dedicated servers are what you'll need. These plans offer you a custom-configured server, with specifications that would make boyish hearts go "Whopee!"

Prices on these range from $59.95/mo to $219.95/mo for unmanaged servers. If you want a managed dedicated server, be prepared to fork out the big bucks. Prices in this category range between $109.95/mo to $269.95/mo. The most interesting part here is that there is no price hike on renewal for dedicated server plans.

Reseller hosting ranges between $14.95/mo to $57.95/mo. The specifications for these plans are rather modest since the focus is on white-label services and the number of cPanel accounts assigned to you.

Note: HostPapa does not offer a temporary domain name, so you must either have a domain name already registered or buy one from them to get started.

Getting started at HostPapa

Be careful of what add-ons you select when choosing your HostPapa plan. (Image credit: Future)

Once you've decided which hosting plan you want, click the "Buy Now" button below that plan. You'll then head to a screen where you fill in your billing details and finalize the configuration for your hosting plan.

There are two key things you have to note here:

• Only those opting for shared hosting can choose their data center location. There are three locations available: The United States, Canada, and Europe.
• Pay attention to the optional add-ons. PapaCare Lite is selected by default. If you don't unselect that option, you'll find a significant amount getting billed monthly after the first month.

Onboarding process

HostPapa uses cPanel, making it easy for you to manage your hosting account. (Image credit: Future)

Unfortunately, things don't start moving quickly once you've made your payment. With most other hosts, I've gotten onboarding emails almost immediately. HostPapa made me wait 5 minutes before emailing me an identity verification request.

This means you'll have to scan an ID document and scan your face, either on your phone or via webcam. If you wear glasses and can't see without them, things can get problematic since the facial scan requires you to remove them.

When all of this is done, you can finally access your user dashboard. This is where the magic happens. To get started with your website, click "My cPanel." I used it to install WordPress, which completed in a few minutes.

Speed and reliability

When testing web hosts, we typically sign up for the cheapest plan available. For HostPapa, that was the Essential shared hosting plan. We then upload a pre-built WooCommerce website to standardize our tests.

WordPress benchmark testing

CPU & Memory

Operations with large text data

9.07

Random binary data operations

7.3

Recursive mathematical calculations

4.83

Iterative mathematical calculations

7.86

Floating point operations

5.64

Filesystem

Filesystem write ability

0

Local file copy and access speed

0

Small file IO test

0

Database

Importing large amount of data to database

7.75

Simple queries on single table

8.56

Complex database queries on multiple tables

4.52

Object cache

Persistent object cache enabled

0

Wordpress core

Shortcode processing

4.91

Wordpress Hooks

7.69

Wordpress option manipulation

7.9

REGEX string processing

0

Taxonomy benchmark

7.33

Object capability benchmark

6.74

Content filtering

2.09

JSON manipulations

7.92

Network

Network download speed test

0

Overall

Your server score

5.3

Typically, when an entire test category fails, it indicates that the host may have disabled certain operations. In this case, HostPapa seems to disallow filesystem operation and network speed tests. This has somewhat skewed our HostPapa system benchmark.

However, given the other parameters indicate healthy server operations. HostPapa's shared hosting performed well on CPU and memory operations and showcased impressive database times. All in, that's great news for WordPress fans.

Siege test

Concurrent users

5

9

15

Transactions

1542

2562

4210

Availability

100.00

100.00

95.64

Elapsed time

299.01

299.99

299.93

Data transferred

64.77

112.61

181.76

Response time

0.97

1.05

1.07

Transaction rate

5.16

8.64

14.04

Throughput

0.22

0.38

0.61

Concurrency

4.99

8.98

14.97

Successful transactions

1542

2562

4225

Failed transactions

0

0

192

Longest transaction

4.56

8.11

11.05

Shortest transaction

0.72

0.72

0.36

Siege is our benchmark of choice for load testing. It sends multiple requests according to our parameters to test the server's ability to handle simultaneous transactions. Impressively, HostPapa's cheapest shared hosting account performed quite well.

It handled up to 9 concurrent users easily, with 100% successful transactions. However, this came at a small sacrifice in performance as increased loads resulted in some transactions being somewhat delayed beyond the norm.

Once we hit the server with 15 concurrent users, HostPapa began to struggle. There was a slight uptick in failed transactions and longer completion times for some transactions. Still, a 95% success rate for shared hosting is good.

Customer support and knowledge base

You'll find lots of useful info in HostPapa's knowlege base, (Image credit: Future)

HostPapa has one of the most extensive knowledge bases I've come across. Much of the content is helpful, especially the short guides that teach novices simple things like DNS pointing and basic WordPress tutorials. For those more visual, there are also various video tutorials.

It also offers great customer support via live chat, email, phone, or a ticketing system. If you need more assistance, sign up for one of their short one-to-one training sessions (for free!).

Who should consider using HostPapa?

Let me be honest. HostPapa is cheap and offers decent performance. However, once the cheap introductory pricing wears off, you'll be better off elsewhere. Given the cost of their VPS plans, it would be far more cost-effective to sign on with Cloudways.

Or, if you prefer, consider a WordPress-only expert like WP Engine or Kinsta. They might be more expensive, but you'll get the powerful hosting that you'll need to squeeze every bit of performance out of your WordPress website.

I'd recommend HostPapa only if you're:

• Brand new to web hosting.
• Have price as one of your key considerations.
• Require lots of help getting started with hosting.

Final verdict

While writing this review, I had to remind myself that I was on a web hosting plan that costs $2.95/mo. For that price, HostPapa demonstrated performance that, to me, felt good. However, the onboarding process did turn me off because of the email delays, and the emails didn't come in a logical order which may leave some new users slightly confused.

There are many more pros than cons to this web host, and unless you're playing in the big leagues, the plans here are worth a go. Give it a shot for yourself and see what I mean.

HostPapa FAQsWho owns HostPapa?

HostPapa is owned by Jamie Opalchuk, the guy who started the company back in 2006. He's the CEO of the company and has overseen all stages of its growth, from initial teething to several mergers and acquisitions.

What is HostPapa used for?

HostPapa is a web hosting company. It offers a full range of hosting plans, from cheap web hosting to powerful dedicated servers. The company also offers several associated services, such as Google Workspace, AI-based marketing, and more.

Is HostPapa a good company?

HostPapa is one of the best cheap web hosting providers around. It offers users a wide range of web hosting solutions. It's great for new users, since it still provides cPanel on shared hosting, despite increased licensing costs.

Where is HostPapa located?

HostPapa is a Canada-based company. However, its products and services are available worldwide. The company has several overseas addresses as well, including in Australia, Germany, and the UK.

Is HostPapa good for beginners?

HostPapa products are very GUI-driven, making it easy for beginners to use. You can set up a website in a few clicks, even on shared hosting, thanks to cPanel. If you sign up for WordPress hosting, things are even simpler.

• We've also highlighted the best web hosting

Nothing Phone 3 two-minute review

After several years of standing at the edge of the pool and occasionally dipping its toes in, British phone maker Nothing has finally decided to jump into the cold lido that is the premium smartphone market. Perhaps it took those “no running” signs too literally, because while the Nothing Phone 3 is one of the best Android phones I've tested recently, it hasn’t made enough of a splash to truly threaten its big-name rivals.

The Nothing Phone (3), as it’s officially called – excuse the odd bracketing, but if you're new to the brand, the company is a grammatical law unto itself – marks an ascension from the mid-range Phone 1 and Phone 2. It's now priced akin to the Samsung Galaxy S25 and iPhone 17, and shall be judged accordingly.

In many ways, this is a phone that meets or even exceeds any expectations that such comparisons may evoke. Its quartet of 50MP cameras gives the big-name phones some needed pointers in hardware, especially with its far-reaching periscope lens. The battery is bigger than what Apple or Samsung use in their similarly priced mobiles, and the Phone 3's charging speed likewise outstrips the competition (as long as you don't treat mid-range Android phones from non-Samsung companies as 'the competition', because you can spend less and get more from certain lesser-known devices).

I also like some of the software touches Nothing has brought to its fork of Android. The icons of apps you download will automatically be converted into Nothing's house style, which, on my sample, worked more often than it didn't and maintained a consistency to the Phone 3's design that's rare among smartphones these days.

What I'm about to write next will upset Nothing fans, but it's something that struck me repeatedly through weeks of testing the Phone 3: it's the most novel and ‘Nothing’ touches to the phone's software that might put people off.

Take, for example, the design. Nothing likes a unique, blocky design for its phones, but ‘unique’ isn't the same as ‘good’. The Phone 3 is also a fair bit heavier than the average handset and feels ungainly to hold.

The extra side button that Nothing has added to the edge of the mobile is useful in certain situations, as it lets you take a screenshot with one tap. However, it's poorly placed – I kept mistaking it for the power button – and doesn't do as much as I would've liked. I was longing for it to double as a camera app shutter button, like on the Sony Xperia 1 VII, but no cigar.

As I've already alluded to, I can also see many people finding the software as divisive as the phone’s design, although with Nothing OS, you get out as much as you put in (i.e, if you don’t like its look, you can change a lot about it), which can't be said for every Android fork.

Going into this review, with knowledge of the price in mind, I imagined that the Phone 3 would be a Samsung Galaxy S25 and iPhone 17 rival that would pale in comparison to two of the most popular devices out there. And having used the handset for four weeks, I don’t imagine it’ll challenge those heavyweights in terms of sales.

But at the same time, I do understand the appeal of the Nothing Phone 3. It’s slick, but unafraid of its rough edges; not attempting to be the ‘everyone phone’ but trying to do something different. And you've got to respect that.

Nothing Phone 3 review: price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Released in July 2025
• 12GB / 256GB: $799 / £799 / AU$1,509
• 16GB / 512GB: $899 / £899 / AU$1,689

The Nothing Phone 3 was released in July 2025 in two variations. You can pick up the Phone 3 with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, and that’ll cost you $799 / £799 / AU$1,509, or there’s a model with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, and that sells for $899 / £899 / AU$1,689.

That’s a fairly premium price, and a marked step up from the $599 / £579 / AU$1,049 asking price of the Nothing Phone 2, but the brand is pushing this as its first "true flagship", and so the bump makes sense.

For context, the 256GB model of the iPhone 17 costs $799 / £799 / AU$1,399, and the Samsung Galaxy S25’s lowest-storage variant starts at the same price everywhere except Australia (where it isn’t on sale). Admittedly, for the latter, that’s a 128GB model, but you get the picture – this is the ‘premium’ price to aim for.

If that price increase is too much for you to stomach, you should consider all of the Phone 3's budget siblings, which are already out: there's the Phone 3a, Phone 3a Pro, and Phone 3a Lite.

Nothing Phone 3 review: specsNothing Phone 3 specs

Dimensions:

160.6 x 75.6 x 9mm

Weight:

218g

Screen:

6.67-inch FHD (1260 x 2800) 120Hz AMOLED

Chipset:

Snapdragon 8s Gen 4

RAM:

12/16GB

Storage:

256/512GB

OS:

Android 15, Nothing OS 4

Primary camera:

50MP, f/1.7

Ultra-wide camera:

50MP f/2.2 114-degree

Periscope camera:

50MP, f/2.7, 3x zoom

Front camera:

50MP, f/2.2

Audio:

Stereo speakers

Battery:

5,150mAh

Charging:

65W wired, 15W wireless, 7.5W reverse

Colors:

White, black

Nothing Phone 3 review: design

(Image credit: Future)

• Chunky (9mm) and heavy (218g)
• Unique twists: Glyph Matrix and Essential Key
• Blocky design

It’s been a while since I’ve used a phone that felt quite as chunky as the Nothing Phone 3. Partly, this is down to the 218g heft, putting it in a weight class above many of its premium rivals (it matches the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, despite being smaller in most regards), but partly it’s the sheer blocky design of the thing.

I’m no thin-phone evangelist, but at 9mm thick, the Phone 3 is at the other end of the spectrum from the likes of the iPhone Air. It’s 160.6mm tall and 75.6mm wide, so it’s big, but it’s not Ultra or Pro Max big. But in some ineffable way, it still feels chunkier than its bigger rivals. This is clearly a phone that’s been designed meticulously, yet in a lot of ways it feels poorly thought-out.

Like its predecessors, the Nothing Phone 3 has a robot-like, mechanical-looking back, which is ostensibly see-through so you can see some screws, but not any of the real internals. The two horizontal camera lenses stick out quite far, though the higher, periscope one doesn’t; the orderly part of me hated how slightly offset this camera was. I see the whole aesthetic of the Phone 3 being quite divisive, but if you know enough about the brand to be reading this review, you’ve already decided whether you like it or not.

A new feature for the Phone 3 is the Glyph Matrix, which is an upgrade on the Glyph interface that past Nothing phones had (which were basically just light strips). The Matrix lets you display information like a stopwatch or the battery level, and there are a few games too, like Spin the Bottle and Rock, Paper, Scissors. You can scroll through the options or select them by pressing or holding the white circle midway down the body below it. Many of the Matrix functions that Nothing touts on its website, like photo previews or a torch mode, were not readily available on the phone I tested (at least via the Glyph menu, or anywhere else I checked).

So, the Glyph Matrix is an interesting feature with a few neat use cases, but there weren’t enough useful features to make it a core part of my user experience, and due to the nature of pressing the touch button, I found it easier just to flip over my phone to see the time or battery percentage.

Another feature worth flagging is the Essential Key button, which Nothing has spitefully put exactly where a power button would be on any other handset. Due to this placement, I was constantly accidentally pressing it when I wanted the phone to power up or down; hopefully, experience would eventually teach me not to do this, but it was endlessly frustrating.

The button’s actual function is fine: press it for a screenshot or hold it for a video, both of which you can caption with a written or voice memo, before they’re sent over to the Essential Space. More on that later.

Above the Essential Key is the power button, with the two positioned close enough to each other that, at first glance, you could think they were both part of the volume rocker. The latter is on the left edge of the phone, positioned high enough that I couldn’t reach volume up with my fingers, but could get to volume down.

Due to it being 2025, there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack, so the USB-C port on the bottom edge serves instead. The other important thing to note is the phone's IP68 protection, meaning it’s sealed up from dust and water resistant up to depths of 1.5 meters for up to half an hour.

• Design score: 3.5 / 5

Nothing Phone 3 review: display

(Image credit: Future)

• 6.67 inches, 2800 x 1260 resolution
• 120Hz refresh rate, 4500 nits max brightness
• Protected with Gorilla Glass 7i

Nothing’s apparently still not decided on the perfect screen size. After bumping up the inch count from Phone 1 to 2, it’s now dropped it ever so slightly on the 3; you’re now looking at a 6.67-inch panel, though one with a higher pixel count. That’s 1260 x 2800, for an FHD display.

The screen supports a billion colors with a 10-bit color depth, and it’s noticeable when you’re watching supported content on streaming services or online.

Some more specs: like many premium phones, the refresh rate is 120Hz, with a lower touch sampling rate than previous models at 1,000Hz, but that’s not a spec most people notice. The peak brightness is a glorious 4500 nits, and if the sun had come out once during my testing period, I’m sure I would’ve reaped the benefits of this particular spec.

The screen’s made from Corning Gorilla Glass 7I, which is designed to offer mid-range and budget phones added toughness. Bearing in mind the aforementioned IP68 rating, the handset seems very hardy.

• Display score: 4 / 5

Nothing Phone 3 review: software

Here are the apps pre-installed on the Edge 70 (although I can excuse Ecosia, since that's the one I picked as my browser on load-up). (Image credit: Future)

• Android 15 with Nothing OS 4 atop
• Five guaranteed updates; one already here
• Unique look and many bespoke features

When the Nothing Phone 3 launched, it ran Android 15, but by the time I tested it, the rollout to Android 16 had commenced. That's the first of the five major software updates promised to the phone, taking it to Android 20 if Google keeps its numbering system consistent.

Of course, you've seen pictures of the phone, so you know it doesn't run stock Android. Layered atop Google’s software is the company's fork: Nothing OS 4. This is quite a dramatic change versus Android proper, bringing a new look and extra features.

Design-wise, there's obviously the retro-inspired blocky look, which isn't mandatory but which I opted for. I was impressed by how the system converted app icons for all my downloads into the house style, which kept a consistency across the board that I haven't seen before in forks like this. Admittedly, it stumbled a few times – the NYT Puzzles app lost basically its entire logo, and several of Nothing’s own apps have near-identical logos to one another – but it shows admirable commitment to a look.

There are also a few novel features that are unique to Nothing OS, or are at least rare among other brands. Essential Space is a repository of your screenshots, notes, and memos, with organization tools to create collections. The Recorder app has extra features to focus on voices or environmental sounds, and the Essential Key has a shortcut to quickly begin recording. And, of course, there’s the Glyph Matrix and everything that comes with it.

Nothing OS has some AI tools, like integration with ChatGPT and a wallpaper generation tool, but thankfully, these are optional and turned off by default.

There’s some degree of customization in Nothing OS, as you can change the color scheme, add widgets, and create shortcuts, but you’re not getting as much versatility as in most other Android forks. You can change the icon shapes between Nothing’s versions and the standard Android model, and there’s also a storefront to buy alternatives, although, for the most part, these cost money.

• Software score: 4 / 5

Nothing Phone 3 review: cameras

(Image credit: Future)

• 50MP main, 50MP ultra-wide and 50MP periscope lenses
• 50MP front-facing
• Testing is a work in progress; more samples to come

Nothing has decked the Phone 3 out with a camera array that's easy to remember: 50MP, 50MP, and 50MP. One of those is the main snapper, another has an ultra-wide lens with a 114-degree field of view, and the other has a periscope lens for 3x optical zoom.

I'm particularly glad to see the periscope camera, as lenses like this add a certain 'oomph' to a camera array. Not only is it useful for long-range shots, but it also improves the natural bokeh of Portrait photos and the close-up detail of Macro mode.

The selfie camera is – you guessed it – another 50MP snapper, f/2.2. That marks a megapixel increase over the Phone 2, although both use pixel-binning. I found selfies a little washed-out, and in Portrait mode, the artificial bokeh kept fuzzing out parts of my hair.

(Image credit: Future)

My initial impressions of the Nothing Phone 3's camera are rather positive. Its trio of cameras gives you versatility in your shooting, and the Night Mode detail was great. Autofocus was quick, and some of the extra tweaks, like modifiable bokeh, added nice touches.

Nothing's focus seems to be on fine-tuning the standard camera modes rather than adding brand-new ones, though, which seems at odds with its mode of operations in other areas of the device. But I don't mind if I have access to a periscope camera.

You can see some initial camera samples from my time with the Nothing Phone 3 below, but I'm still playing around with it. In the coming days, I'll add more camera samples as well as some fleshed-out thoughts on the phone's photographic performance. I just need to get around to using the three cameras that aren't the zoom one...

• Camera score: 4 / 5

Nothing Phone 3 camera samplesImage 1 of 6

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 6

(Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 6

(Image credit: Future)Image 4 of 6

(Image credit: Future)Image 5 of 6

(Image credit: Future)Image 6 of 6

(Image credit: Future)Nothing Phone 3 review: performance and audio

(Image credit: Future)

• Top-end Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset
• 12GB or 16GB RAM and 256GB or 512GB Storage
• Stereo speakers or Bluetooth 6.0

Nothing hasn’t given the Phone 3 the very best chipset available, but one so close that you’d only know the difference by looking at its specs sheet. This is the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 from Qualcomm, with that little ‘s’ denoting that this is a step behind the top option (which was the Snapdragon 8 Elite at the time of release, though the Snapdragon Elite Gen 5 has since debuted in newer Android phones like the OnePlus 15).

At the top end of chipsets, though, the performance differences are so minuscule that this really doesn’t matter. When I put the Phone 3 through the Geekbench 6 benchmark tests, the average multi-core score was 6847, and as of the 2025 generation of flagships, any score around 6,500 is the realm of the giants.

I tested the phone on a number of popular mobile titles, and I could always crank the game’s graphics to the max and still enjoy a cracking time. At certain times, including during benchmarking and in certain games, I did notice the phone heat up a fair amount, so be warned if you’re planning on gaming all day.

Depending on which phone you opt for, you’ll get 12GB or 16GB RAM, and I tested a model with the latter. For most people, 12GB is enough, though power users or people buying phones for specific high-intensity use cases might prefer 16GB. The same goes for the storage capacity, which is 256GB or 512GB – I know the former would be enough for me, but if you’re using the handset for work or photography, maybe you’ll want to stretch.

Audio-wise, Nothing has never released a phone with a headphone jack to my knowledge. Instead, you can use a USB-C adaptor, connect headphones through Bluetooth 6.0 or, if you’re home alone and not bothering anyone by using them, the stereo loudspeakers which sound just the same as on every other smartphone.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Nothing Phone 3 review: battery life

(Image credit: Future)

• 5,150mAh battery
• 65W wired charging
• 15W wireless powering, 7.5W reverse

The Nothing Phone 3 has a 5,150mAh battery – I’m told the Indian model has an extra 350mAh on top of that, but the rest of us get slightly less – which is slightly smaller than many of its contemporary flagships but does beat Samsung and Apple’s price-for-price alternatives.

That’s a solid battery capacity, and it facilitates full-day phone use; I don’t imagine many people will need to charge the Phone 3 mid-way through the working day.

I wouldn’t rely on the phone for a second day of use, though, with the big screen, powerful processor, and Glyph lights all demanding juice.

You’ve got the full hat-trick of charging options here. There’s 65W wired, 15W wireless, and 7.5W reverse wireless (that’s when you use your phone as a wireless charging mat for other devices). None of those speeds is the best in the biz, but – in what’s becoming a refrain for this section – they trump the respective charging speeds of the Galaxy 25 and iPhone 17.

• Battery score: 3.5 / 5

Nothing Phone 3 review: value

(Image credit: Future)

The problem with Nothing’s jump into the big leagues is that the brand’s existing fans, who know the company for mid-range mobiles, might feel a little left in the lurch.

Specifically, fans who are used to the usual Nothing value proposition might not feel that the increased price demanded by the Phone 3 is matched by its spec improvements. Case in point, you can get faster charging, a more premium design, and a bigger battery on much cheaper Android phones.

In short, you’re getting what you pay for, but that’s not the Nothing way – you usually get a little more.

• Value score: 3.5 / 5

Should you buy the Nothing Phone 3?Nothing Phone 3 score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

Fans of the brand will be disappointed, but you're getting what you pay for.

3.5 / 5

Design

It'll be divisive in the same way that past Nothing phones have been, but there are some unique touches.

3.5 / 5

Display

It's a good-looking panel that's well-protected and very bright.

4 / 5

Software

Whether you love or hate the look, you've got to admit Nothing has created the most consistent piece of phone software since stock Android.

4 / 5

Camera

Solid hardware with a focus on refining the basics of the smartphone camera experience.

4 / 5

Performance

A powerful chipset is accompanied by lots of RAM and storage.

4 / 5

Battery

It's a decently-sized battery, with a fine charging speed, but there's nothing to write home about.

3.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You like the Nothing aesthetic
If the design of the Phone 3 and its software speaks to you, then you should pick it up right away. Outside of other Nothing phones, no other handsets compare, visually speaking.

You need lots of processing power
The combination of the Qualcomm chipset and loads of RAM makes the Phone 3 a surprisingly capable gaming phone.

You take frequent screenshots
If you're always snapping your phone screen and sharing it with people, the Essential Key is going to prove incredibly handy.

Don't buy it if...

You want a slender smartphone
The Nothing Phone 3 is not a light phone. You really feel it when it's in your hand.

You don't want to spend too much
As the most expensive phone from the brand, this isn't the Nothing phone for people who don't want to spend too much.

Nothing Phone 3 review: Also consider

I keep comparing the Nothing Phone 3 to two particular rivals, so let's take a proper look at them as well as the Phone 3's predecessor.

Nothing Phone 2
The Phone 2 has some scaled-back specs versus the Phone 3, and it misses a few of its unique features. But it's cheaper.

Read our full Nothing Phone 2 review

Samsung Galaxy S25
This handset starts for the same price, but that gets you less storage. Samsung's premium mobile may be a bit boring, but it's powerful and has decent cameras.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S25 review

iPhone 17
Another same-priced phone, this is the option for people who want to use iOS. It's a powerful and long-lasting handset, but with no zoom camera.

Read our full iPhone 17 review

Nothing Phone 3

Nothing Phone 2

Samsung Galaxy S25

iPhone 17

Starting price (at launch):

$799 / £799 / AU$1,509

$599 / £579 / AU$1,049

$799 / £799 / AU$1,399

$799 / £799 / AU$1,399

Dimensions:

160.6 x 75.6 x 9mm

161.2 x 76.4 x 8.6mm

146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2mm

149.6 x 71.5 x 8 mm

Weight:

218g

201.2

162g

177g

OS (at launch):

Nothing OS 4, Android 15

Nothing OS 2, Android 13

OneUI 7, Android 15

iOS 26

Screen Size:

6.67-inch

6.7-inch

6.2-inch

6.3-inch

Resolution:

2800 x 1260

2412 x 1080

2340 x 1080

2622 x 1206

CPU:

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy

A19 Bionic

RAM:

12GB / 16GB

8GB / 12GB

12GB

Unconfirmed

Storage (from):

256GB / 512GB

128GB / 256GB / 512GB

128GB / 256GB / 512GB

256GB / 512GB

Battery:

5,150mAh

4,700mAh

4,000mAh

Unconfirmed

Rear Cameras:

50MP main, 50MP ultra-wide, 50MP periscope

50MP main, 50MP ultrawide

50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto

48MP main, 48MP ultra-wide

Front camera:

50MP

32MP

12MP

18MP

How I tested the Nothing Phone 3

(Image credit: Future)

• Review test period = 3 weeks
• Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
• Tools used = Geekbench 6, Geekbench ML, GFXBench, native Android stats

I used the Nothing Phone 3 for four weeks before writing this review, and continued additional testing during the writing process.

During said process, I used the Nothing Phone 3 as my main smartphone. This meant it was my tool for taking photos, scrolling social media, gaming, and working. Before and after this testing, I also conducted benchmarks, as well as standardized battery and charging tests.

I've been testing smartphones for TechRadar for nearly seven years now, so I have copious amounts of experience in experimenting with gadgets and assessing whether they're right for the general consumer.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed November 2025

HostGator is renowned as one of the best web hosting providers and has been helping customers get online since 2002.

These days the company is owned by Newfold Digital (previously Endurance International Group), the hosting giant who also runs Bluehost, iPage, Domain.com, and Network Solutions.

HostGator's cartoon mascot, cheerful website and low headline prices might leave you thinking it's mostly for consumers and hosting newbies, but in reality the service offers a full range of products for all levels of user.

• Want to try HostGator? Check out the website here

What hosting plans does HostGator offer? 

HostGator's range starts with low-cost shared hosting, simple to manage, but with all the features many sites will ever need.

If you don't have a website already, HostGator's website builder helps you create a starting design in minutes. Editing can be as easy as typing in some text, and dragging and dropping images, contact forms and anything else you need onto the page.

More powerful VPS and dedicated products deliver extra speed and reliability, and are better suited for large or business-critical sites.

There's also a capable managed WordPress range, reseller hosting, domain registration and more.

Shared hosting

(Image credit: Future)

When you sign up for a shared plan, HostGator places your website on a single server, which also hosts many other accounts. As everyone is using the same CPU, hard drive, and network connection, speeds aren't the best and can be more unreliable than VPS plans.

HostGator's shared hosting starts at just $2.75 a month over three years ($10.99 on renewal). It supports 10 sites, and provides everything we'd hope to see: free domain for the first year, 10 GB SSD storage, unmetered bandwidth, WordPress preinstalled, free SSL, the powerful cPanel control panel, and 24/7 support, all protected by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Upgrading to the top-of-the-range plan gets you support for 50 websites, along with a Cloudflare CDN, two extra CPUs, daily website backups for one year, and domain privacy for one year. This plan renews at $21.99 a month, so in my opinion, it's not worth it when you get most of those features included in your plan with SiteGround for $17.99 a month.

Hostinger's shared hosting is an interesting HostGator alternative too. Its plans are priced similarly to HostGator's but you get a lot of paid for add-ons that are part of your plan at no extra cost.

Overall, HostGator's shared hosting is a capable product which has loads of features, but still remains very easy to use. It's just the higher level plans lack some value.

WordPress hosting

(Image credit: Future)

WordPress is a popular platform which can help you build anything from a simple single-page website, to a personal blog, a professional business site or (with help from add-ons like WooCommerce) a full-featured web store.

Other benefits are less visible, though also important. Managed WordPress servers are optimized for WordPress. They supposedly deliver more speed and higher security. The support team has more WordPress expertise and can help solve tricky WordPress-specific issues.

Despite these advantages, the managed WordPress plans are only a little more expensive, with prices starting at $3.50 a month over three years ($16.49 on renewal) for the basic plan.

This looks like a good deal to us, but after the first year, some features like email, domain, and CDN become paid-for addons, which increases the price. For managed hosting, SiteGround and Hostinger offer better value overall.

VPS hosting 

(Image credit: Future)

VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting, like shared hosting, has multiple accounts on the same server. But there aren't as many, and every VPS gets its own resources. If you buy a VPS with two CPU cores and 4GB RAM, for instance, no other account can use them, ensuring your site delivers higher and more consistent speeds. While shared hosting might run into trouble if you have tens of thousands of visitors a month, a good VPS can handle hundreds of thousands.

HostGator has only three VPS plans. The starter product gives you 4 GB DDR5 RAM, 2 CPU cores, 100GB NVMe storage, and 1 dedicated IP from $34.99 a month for 12 months, $53.99 on renewal.

The top-of-the-range plan offers 8 cores, 16 GB DDR5 RAM and 450 NVMe GB storage for $82.99 a month over 12 months, rising to $128.99 on renewal.

These are capable products, all fully managed (which means HostGator offers full support to keep the VPS updated and running smoothly), and should deliver solid and speedy hosting for larger, resource-hungry websites. But other providers typically have a far wider range of plans, and if you're looking for something cheaper, more powerful or configurable, it's well worth checking a few alternatives on the best VPS hosting guide.

It's worth noting that the 30-day money back guarantee does not cover plans purchased on the monthly basis. If you need a VPS for a quick spin then I suggest InMotion Hosting.

Dedicated hosting 

(Image credit: Future)

Choose dedicated hosting and the server, the CPU, the RAM, the network connection is all yours, ensuring you'll never be affected by other site's behavior.

Another big plus for experienced users is the ability to set up the server just as you'd like. You can choose the hardware specs, the operating system, web server and more, and tweak them to suit your precise needs.

HostGator's dedicated server hosting products (like its VPS range) is limited, with only three server configurations.

These start with a 8-core, 32 GB DDR5 RAM and 1000 GB NVMe storage, priced at $141.19 a month over three years, $188.79 on renewal.

The top-of-the-range is an 32-core, 128 GB DDR5 RAM and 3000 GB NVMe storage for $312.19 a month over three years, $391.19 on renewal.

Both systems support Windows as well as Linux, a welcome option you won't see with most web hosts.

These are decent mid-range systems, fully managed with 24/7 support, and good value for what you're getting. But with three plans only, your choice is very limited. If you're looking for something outside of this middle ground, a cheaper or more powerful server, there are many more options available.

HostGator offers some valuable add-ons

Add-ons are something that most web hosts offer. It's an upsell attempt to try to get new users to pay more. It's also something I tend to ignore because of those reasons. However, HostGator is special and you may want to seriously consider some of their add-on services.

For example, you can get:

• SiteLock for $2.99/mo. If you sign up for this security tool separately it'll cost you around $16.58/mo
• Yoast Premium for $2.99/mo. This handy SEO plugin normally costs around $9.80/mo.

You don't have to sign up for these, but Yoast can be very useful for those who aren't familiar with SEO concepts. Although there's a free version of it available, Yoast Premium has much more guidance for new users.

Site migration: Be prepared for some DIY

One of the biggest pains I feel the most at HostGator is that they don't offer free website migrations. At many hosts, this is often part and parcel of their enticement to new customers.

Instead, HostGator wants you to pay them $149.99 to migrate your website from your previous host. Email migration is charged separately, at $99 per account.

Rather than pay these fees, I recommend you consider using a plugin for WordPress sites. UpdraftPlus (it's free!), for example, lets you export your WordPress site. You can then install the plugin on your HostGator account and import those files.

Does HostGator have a website builder?

(Image credit: HostGator)

Website builders are just about the easiest way to start a site. Choose from a selection of designs, drag and drop elements like text blocks, photos, maps and video onto the page, then customize the content to make it your own. Even newcomers could have a good-looking site online within hours.

All HostGator's shared hosting products include a free version of the Weebly site builder. This limits sites to six pages and displays a HostGator link in the footer, but it might work for kids or just learning what a website builder can do.

HostGator has a far better option in its stand-alone Gator Website Builder plan. Instead of asking you to choose a template, then drag and drop page blocks, Gator Builder asks you some questions and then automatically builds a site to suit your needs.

Prices start low at $3.84 a month over two years, $7.68 on renewal, which gets you hosting, a free domain, free SSL, the Gator Builder, and even support for a tiny three-product web store.

The top-of-the-range Gator Builder plan lifts the product limit, helps encourage customers with up to ten email campaigns a month, includes an appointment booking system and allows taking payments with no transaction fees. Those are some valuable e-commerce extras, yet it's still cheap at $9.22 a month over two years, $18.45 on renewal.

Put it all together and Gator Builder is well worth a look, especially for newcomers looking to take their first steps into the web design waters.

If you're looking for more features, try Wix. It's just as easy to get started, but gives you many more design and website tools, and you can try it out and build your first site for free.

GoDaddy's Website Builder also has a surprisingly capable free option (there's email marketing, an appointments system, even the ability to sell online with GoDaddy Payments), along with some business-friendly paid plans. And Bluehost's WordPress-based website builder has 300+ appealing templates, a custom image library and support for unlimited websites, but starts at only $2.95 a month.

Can I build a web store with HostGator?

HostGator doesn't have the same ecommerce-focused products as the likes of Bluehost and GoDaddy, but as we've discussed above, the Website Builder's Express Store plan is a simple solution for smaller web stores.

If you're looking for more power or features, then opting for a specialist WooCommerce hosting plan could make more sense (WooCommerce is one of the best ecommerce platforms around).

Bluehost's baseline WooCommerce plan includes tools to simplify building your site, take payments and collect customer reviews from only $7.45 a month on the annual plan ($18.99 on renewal). InMotion Hosting gives you even more choice, with optimized OpenCart and Magento software, bonus features and a pile of performance-boosting tweaks.

How fast is HostGator?

HostGator's GTmetrix grade (Image credit: GTmetrix)

We assess web host performance by signing up for a shared hosting package, using a standard WordPress template to create a basic site, then watching how it performs in different situations.

Uptime - the proportion of time a website is available to visitors - is a vital factor in hosting success. We test this by using Uptime.com to try to access our test site every five minutes over 14 days, and logging any failures. HostGator managed 99.63% uptime, and although that sounds like a high figure, it's a little disappointing for a short test (most providers manage 100%.)

We measure website load speeds by using GTmetrix to access our test site, then calculate how long it takes to display the main content (a value known as Largest Contentful Paint, or LCP.) The lower a site's LCP, the faster and more responsive it feels.

This time HostGator trampled all over the competition, with an LCP of 0.551 seconds earning it first place out of our last 15 tests. The lead isn't huge - most providers score between 0.600 and 0.800 seconds - but this is an important stat, and a good result for HostGator.

(Image credit: HostGator)

We're also interested to see how a site performs when it's busy. The service k6 helps us figure this out by unleashing 20 simultaneous visitors on the site and monitoring what happens. This time the results were typical of most providers, with our HostGator site handling a very acceptable average of 15 requests per second.

WordPress benchmark testing

CPU & Memory

Operations with large text data

8.92

Random binary data operations

5.41

Recursive mathematical calculations

6.29

Iterative mathematical calculations

7.61

Filesystem

Filesystem write ability

9.18

Local file copy and access speed

9.56

Small file IO test

10

Database

Importing large amount of data to database

9.3

Simple queries on single table

10

Complex database queries on multiple tables

7.57

Object Cache

Persistent object cache enabled

0

Network

Network download speed test

10

Overall

Your server score

8.1

For each host we also perform a WordPress benchmark test. This enable us to get a bird's eye view of how the plan is able to handle core WordPress operations, such as file movement or database operations.

It's here that we find that HostGator offers some impressive scores, outperforming some distinguished brands like Bluehost. However, do note that these are snapshots, and not always indicative of real-world performance.

Siege test

Concurrent users

5

9

Transactions

2012

2322

Availability

96.55

96.19

Elapsed time

299.68

299.62

Data transactions

25.22

29.59

Response time

1.29

0.64

Transaction rate

6.71

7.75

Throughput

0.08

0.1

Concurrency

8.69

4.97

Successful transactions

2012

2322

Failed transactions

72

92

Longest transaction

20.37

11.86

Shortest transaction

0.03

0.03

The siege test is where things get more similar to real-world operations. During this test, we throw increasing numbers of virtual users at HostGator to see how it handles multiple simultaneous transactions.

What we observed was interesting. HostGator tries to process an impressive number of transactions, which was great. Unfortunately, it wasn't able to handle them flawlessly, resulting in some failing.

Overall, however, the failure rate was small (and unsurprising for shared hosting). It's still great performance, in any case.

How easy is HostGator to use?

(Image credit: HostGator)

HostGator's customer portal has a helpful Create Website guide which walks hosting newcomers through their first site-building steps: installing WordPress, choosing another CMS or app, maybe uploading files via FTP. This doesn't do very much, but it's still a welcome touch which could be very handy if you're still finding your way around.

The rest of the portal is little more than lists of links. Click here to open the WordPress dashboard, there to create email accounts, and over there to manage your domains. There's even a Search box to find relevant support documents without opening a separate tab at the HostGator knowledgebase.

This is useful, but HostGator spoils the effect by regularly trying to sell you more stuff. At least eight of the control panel links were mostly about pushing other products. You'll quickly learn which links to avoid, but we don't think that should be necessary. If you've spent maybe hundreds of dollars on a hosting package, we expect its dashboard to focus on helping you use that, not selling you even more.

Fortunately, once you identify the useful links, they point you to some top-quality hosting tools. HostGator's shared hosting plans all come with cPanel, for instance, a very popular platform which has all the features you need to manage domains, emails, web space, databases and more.

Put aside the over-enthusiastic marketing, then, and HostGator is relatively straightforward to operate, even for newcomers to the hosting world.

How good is HostGator's support?

(Image credit: HostGator)

Run into any issues at HostGator and its web knowledgebase could be the quickest route to an answer.

Searching for common hosting terms brings a huge number of hits, but that's partly because there are duplicates or not-so-relevant articles in the list.

When we searched for 'subdomain', the top result was an article called '[Featured] HostGator Datacenter Migration', for instance: not something we'd expect to come first. And the next three articles were titled 'What is a subdomain name and how to create one', 'Please read before creating a subdomain' and 'How to create a subdomain' (a blog post.) What we really want is a single comprehensive page, but here we'd probably open and read all three.

The various articles mostly have a lot of helpful content, and they can also be filtered according to their category. If you're only interested in cPanel guides, say, or video tutorials, you can view those results only with a click.

When you finally reach your chosen article, there's usually a lot of helpful content, but we found this wasn't always well maintained. The How To Create a Subdomain piece has broken image link icons where its screenshots used to be, for instance, making it less than useful as a tutorial.

If you can't find what you need, there's real live help available 24/7 via telephone, live chat and email.

Our experience with HostGator support has been excellent over the years, and it was broadly positive in this review. Email queries received speedy and accurate replies, and although we waited a lengthy 19 minutes to get a response on one live chat session, once the agent arrived he did a good job of identifying our fictional test problem and pointing us to the best and easiest solution.

Final verdict

HostGator has some of the best shared hosting plans around, speedy, great value, with a pile of features and responsive support on tap when you need it. Its high-end VPS and dedicated plans can't match the power of the best of the competition, but there's still a huge amount to like here for both home and big business users.

HostGator FAQs

(Image credit: HostGator)What payment types does HostGator accept?

HostGator accepts payment via card or PayPal.

Does HostGator offer refunds?

HostGator offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for shared, WordPress, VPS, and dedicated hosting plans. However, this only applies if you aren't on monthly plans.

There are other exclusions, but they're more typical. For example, domains, setup fees and third-party products and services aren't protected by the guarantee, much the same as we see with other providers.

HostGator's uptime score (Image credit: Uptime)Does HostGator have an uptime guarantee?

HostGator's shared and reseller hosting servers have a 99.9% uptime guarantee, much the same as the rest of the shared hosting competition.

The company also says you could receive a credit of one month's fees if this target isn't hit. How might this work? The small print simply says if the service falls short of the 99.9% figure, you 'may' receive one month of credit. But you also may not, presumably. All you can do is talk to the Billing department and ask.

That's better than nothing, but we prefer a guarantee to spell out how this works. Scala Hosting, for instance, says you get 0% credit for downtime of 0.1% or less; 10% if downtime is up to 0.2%; 20% if downtime is up to 0.3%, and so on. The company still gets to define what 'downtime' means, but it's still doing a better job of defining your rights.

Dedicated servers are covered by a separate guarantee where you're credited depending on the amount of time your server is down, a simpler and more straightforward scheme.

Where are HostGator's data centers?

HostGator states that it hosts most websites at two main data centers in Provo, Utah, and Atlanta, Georgia, with 'some [servers] residing in other locations.'

In reality, you have many more choices in data center locations at sign-up. Aside from the US data centers, you can also select from Germany, Brazil, Spain, France, Australia, the UK, and India.

Where to find IP Address on HostGator (Image credit: HostGator)What is my HostGator IP address?

Sign into HostGator's customer portal (portal.hostgator.com).

Find your hosting package in the list, and click its Launch cPanel button.

The IP address for the server hosting your IP address is displayed as 'Shared IP Address' in the right-hand General Information box.

(Image credit: HostGator)What are HostGator's nameservers?

If your website domain isn't managed by HostGator, you may need to set it to use HostGator's nameservers to connect the domain to your new web space.

Unlike some providers, there aren't fixed values such as 'ns1.hostgator.com' and 'n2.hostgator.com' which you can use everywhere. The names you need, and how to find them, vary depending on your product and where it's hosted.

To find the details you need, log into HostGator's customer portal (portal.hostgator.com).

Click Hosting in the left-hand sidebar.

Click Manage for your website domain, then the Settings link.

Your nameservers are displayed in the 'Server Info & Settings' box.

(Image credit: HostGator)How do I cancel a HostGator product?

To cancel a HostGator product, first log into the company's portal (portal.hostgator.com.)

Find your hosting package in the list, and click Manage Package.

Click Billing, scroll down and click Cancel Package.

Read and follow the instructions carefully to cancel your HostGator plan.

Check out the latest Hostgator coupon codes to get discounts this month.

GreenGeeks is an American web hosting provider with 55,000 customers, managing 600,000 websites, and has a lengthy 17 years of experience in green hosting.

The company goes well beyond simple energy-saving; it calculates its energy consumption each year, then pays for three times that in green energy and puts it back into the grid. That's not just carbon neutral, it's carbon reducing, with up to 615,000+ kWh/year replaced.

In addition, GreenGeeks has another simpler and more straightforward way to showcase its environmental credentials: for every hosting account set up on the platform, the company plants one tree.

What types of hosting does GreenGeeks offer? 

(Image credit: Future)

GreenGeeks offers low cost shared hosting, ideal for personal users and simple business websites.

WordPress and WooCommerce hosting allows you to build anything from a personal blog to a small web store.

VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting is a powerful technology which gives your site access to more CPU, RAM and other system resources. It's a smart choice for large or high-traffic sites, where top speeds are vital, and downtime could be a disaster.

While GreenGeeks does offer dedicated server hosting plans, these seem out of the norm for them. The plans are listed on their site, but you have to contact them to sign up.

Next, we'll break down GreenGeeks' various hosting types, find out what they have to offer, and which might be the best solution for you.

GreenGeeks shared hosting

Opt for shared hosting and your website is stored on a single web server along with several others. The benefit of this type of hosting is it's easy to use, and because everyone shares the server costs, it can be very cheap. But the disadvantage is all sites share the server's CPU, RAM, network connection and more, so you don't get the best stability or speeds.

GreenGeeks starter shared hosting plan, the Lite plan, more than covers the basics, with 25GB storage, unmetered bandwidth, free SSL, a free domain, a free migration to import your current site from another host, nightly backups, and top-quality industry-standard hosting tools, including Softaculous to automatically install WordPress and 150+ other apps, and cPanel for all your other hosting management needs. What’s more, it also offers 50 email accounts, which is much better than IONOS offering just one email account on all its shared hosting plans.

It's a decent package with enough power for personal users and small websites, and is priced low in the first year at $2.95. However, it’s well worth noting that costs jump to $12.95 on renewal, at little more than the best of the competition.

The mid-range ‘Pro’ plan adds 50 GB storage and support for unlimited websites (the Lite plan supports only a single website), along with on-demand backups (save a copy of your site whenever you like) and a WordPress repair tool. It's more capable, and at $4.95 a month in year one, $17.95 on renewal, it's also competitively priced.

The Premium plan is aimed at small businesses with high traffic sites or web stores. It adds extra resources and high-end business-friendly extras, including premium SSL and smart object caching (a clever technology which uses the Memcached and Redis tools to accelerate website speeds). It's a capable package worth considering for demanding sites, and looks fairly priced at $8.95 a month in year one, $29.95 on renewal.

GreenGeeks WordPress hosting 

WordPress is one of the most popular website creators around, and it's easy to see why. Its huge range of add-ons can handle the most advanced of business and web store projects, yet it's also accessible enough for home users to build simple family sites.

GreenGeeks' WordPress hosting is essentially the shared hosting plan - same names, same prices - with a little extra focus on some helpful WordPress-related features.

The plans include free migration of your WordPress site from a previous host, for instance. You get on-demand WP backups, with automatic updates of WordPress and its plugins, and 99.9% uptime. GreenGeeks uses the LiteSpeed server and LS Cache plugin to optimize speed. Unusually, the company doesn't just offer to scan your website for malware: the website says it'll also help clean your site if anything malicious shows up.

The malware pledge is unusual for a budget hosting plan, but otherwise there are no real surprises here. If you're happy with GreenGeeks' shared hosting and only need the WordPress basics, these plans have you covered. But if not, take a look at DreamHost’s professionally managed WordPress hosting range. Here, you get a high-performance cloud server environment, support for up to one million visitors a month, specialist WordPress support, 1-click staging for easier website testing, and excellent security, too.

While it’s admittedly not as cheap as GreenGeeks (the starter DreamPress plan is $16.95 billed monthly on a yearly subscription), it’s very good value for money for accelerated performance and business-critical sites. Even better, DreamHost is recommended by WordPress.org - the makers of WordPress. This is because DreamHost has greatly contributed to WordPress’s development in the last 10 years.

GreenGeeks VPS hosting 

A VPS (Virtual Private Server) is one physical server divided into several smaller private pieces. Each gets its own set of server resources, not shared with other users, making for a far more powerful setup. A good VPS can run a large blog with hundreds of thousands of visitors monthly.

GreenGeeks has only three VPS plans. All confusingly listed with 'special prices'. When I asked GreenGeeks they told me there is nothing special about these prices at all and they're not likely to change for a while.

The cheapest plan is $69.95 for 4 GB RAM, 4 vCPU, 75 GB SSD storage, and cPanel. The next plan up is $125.95 for 8 GB RAM, 6 vCPU, and 150 GB Storage. The highest tier plan is $179.95 for 16 RAM and 6 vCPU.

There are a lot of positives here. As I mentioned, these are managed plans, which means GreenGeeks maintains the server for you (updating the operating system, installing security patches, monitoring the service for issues). A strong set of features includes free SSL, a free migration, cPanel server management, and the excellent Softaculous to automatically install WordPress or 150+ other apps. All plans have a generous 10TB bandwidth allowance, and prices are low considering what you get. Security is fantastic, too, with DDoS protection, custom security rules, and real-time 24/7 monitoring.

If you're looking for a lower to mid-range VPS, or new to this type of hosting and unsure exactly what you need, GreenGeeks is well worth considering. But with only three plans, and no configuration options, there's not a lot of choice, and many users will be better off elsewhere.

InMotion Hosting which features on our list of the best VPS hosting services, has a far wider range of plans, and is fairly customizable, too. The cheapest ‘Essential’ VPS is priced at $20 a month on a 2-year term and comes with 2 vCPU, 2GB RAM, 40GB SSD storage, and 10TB bandwidth, as well as robust security features. What’s more, you also get support for unlimited websites, 24/7/365 support from knowledgeable professionals, and a class-leading 100% network uptime and power guarantee - this is significantly better than GreenGeeks’ 99.9% uptime.

GreenGeeks green hosting

GreenGeeks has been a ‘Green Power Partner' since 2009, recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. A highlight of GreenGeeks is that regardless of which plan you choose - shared, dedicated, VPS, or reseller - you are going to get a 300% green energy match. This means that it puts 3 times the energy that it consumes back into the grid. For this, it has partnered with Poland’s Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF).

As the best green web hosting provider, GreenGeeks also plants one tree for every hosting account it provisions - this is thanks to its partnership with One Tree Planted. So, if you are environmentally-conscious and want to make a difference in the world by reducing carbon emissions, there’s hardly an option better for you than GreenGeeks.

Does GreenGeeks have a website builder? 

GreenGeeks has followed the trend with its newly introduced AI-driven website builder. (Image credit: Future)

In the past, GreenGeeks included a free version of the Weebly website builder with its hosting packages. However, it has now followed the trend by introducing an AI-driven website builder.

It's easy to use, and aside from visual design, the AI website builder offers other useful features that add great value. For example, you won't need a separate AI writing tool since AI content creation is included.

GreenGeeks' AI website builder only requires you to enter your business information. From there, it will auto-generate a design, then let you put the finishing touches by personalizing colors, content, and placement of design elements.

You can also use AI to generate images, which is an added cost-saving measure. No more worries about credits and limits.

Can I build a web store with GreenGeeks? 

(Image credit: Future)

GreenGeeks has a WooCommerce hosting range which is very capable of building a top-quality web store (WooCommerce is one of the best ecommerce platforms around). As with GreenGeeks' WordPress range, though, this is really just the shared hosting range underneath, with the same names, features, and prices.

This isn't necessarily a problem. The plans can automatically install WooCommerce for you within seconds, and it really does have the power to handle even the largest and most demanding stores. However, because these are general-purpose shared hosting plans, GreenGeeks doesn't offer you any helpful ecommerce extras or specialist WooCommerce support.

That makes these more suitable for experienced users with some ecommerce experience, who are happy to set up and learn WooCommerce largely on their own. Plus, you can also purchase a dedicated IP address for your eCommerce store through GreenGeeks - for as little as $48/year.

If that's not you at all, there are other options. As we discussed above, website builders are not only the easiest way to create a site, but many also support adding a web store. Most builders have only a fraction of the power of WooCommerce, but they're enough for many stores. HostGator's Gator website builder and Hostinger's website builder can build basic stores for a few dollars a month, while GoDaddy and Wix cost more but include many extra features.

How easy is GreenGeeks to use? 

(Image credit: Future)

GreenGeeks starts with a basic but helpful onboarding process for all new users. There's also an option to simply close the window for the process if you've had some experience and already know what you're doing.

Your first point of entry is the GreenGeeks control panel, which is refreshingly simple. Technical language is kept to a minimum, and sensibly-named options in a left-hand sidebar (Websites, Hosting Plans, Domains, Affiliate Programs, Support) make it easy to find what you need.

Even when you drill down to more complicated areas, GreenGeeks does its best to keep life straightforward. Create an email account at DreamHost, for instance, and it prompts you with 12 options, including some you may never know existed (do you want to get daily warnings if your Inbox is nearly full?) GreenGeeks just asks you to enter an email address and password. You can still tweak more advanced settings; they're just not displayed up-front.

(Image credit: Future)

GreenGeeks provides users with top-quality, industry-standard tools to manage all the most complex tasks. With shared hosting plans, you get a custom dashboard that lets you install a variety of apps. WordPress installation is also available directly from the sidebar, which makes sense given its popularity.

For more advanced users, you can head directly into cPanel, which provides access to Softaculous, a handy app installer. cPanel also lets you perform tasks such as setting up email accounts, domain management, SEO tools configuration, and more.

This dual-management system can be a little confusing to some, but it can be very helpful for beginners to web hosting. The GreenGeeks dashboard is much simpler to use than cPanel and doesn't overcrowd you with a ton of options.

How fast is GreenGeeks? WordPress benchmark testing

CPU & Memory

Operations with large text data

8.08

Random binary data operations

6.33

Recursive mathematical calculations

3.86

Iterative mathematical calculations

7.32

Floating point operations

1.99

Filesystem

Filesystem write ability

0

Small file IO test

0

Small file IO test

2.53

Database

Importing large amount of data to database

5.09

Simple queries on single table

8.05

Complex database queries on multiple tables

4.58

Object Cache

Persistent object cache enabled

0

WordPress Core

Shortcode processing

3.84

WordPress Hooks

6.02

WordPress option manipulation

8.08

REGEX string processing

0

Taxonomy benchmark

6.01

Object capability benchmark

5.2

Content filtering

7.23

JSON manipulations

5.47

Network

Network download speed test

6.86

Overall

Your server score

4.7

One of the things we do to assess performance is benchmark a host's core WordPress performance. This allows us to see its performance in key WordPress operations quickly.

Unfortunately, GreenGeeks didn't come out smelling like roses after this assessment. The scores were dragged down by performance in several critical areas, like file handling and network capability.

Siege test

Concurrent Users

5

9

15

Transactions

46

34

16

Availability

55.42

31.48

12.31

Elapsed time

299.63

299.24

299.21

Data transactions

0.31

0.3

0.15

Response time

6.96

8.57

48.41

Transaction rate

0.15

0.11

0.05

Throughput

0

0

0

Concurrency

1.07

0.97

2.59

Successful transactions

55

46

106

Failed transactions

37

74

114

Longest transaction

37.2

22.27

49.97

Shortest transaction

0.04

0.04

0.04

Aside from core WordPress benchmarks, we also run Siege tests to see how well a host can handle the traffic load. What came back on GreenGeeks had me initially surprised, and not in a good way.

From experience, most web hosts handle five or fewer concurrent users fairly well, with a higher failure rate as load increases. GreenGeeks seemed to struggle even with an initial five-user load, failing almost half of the time. That doesn't look very promising, even for a shared hosting plan.

Aside from speed, another aspect of a web host's performance is the ability of its servers to maintain consistent uptime. GreenGeeks officially offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee, which aligns with industry standards for shared hosting.

However, some rivals, such as InMotion Hosting offer a rock-solid 99.99% uptime guarantee; then there are Liquid Web and DreamHost, which knock it out of the park with 100% uptime guarantees.

What is GreenGeeks support like? 

(Image credit: Future)

GreenGeeks offers 24/7 support via live chat, email tickets, telephone, and a website knowledgebase.

The support section of their site is quite remarkable, being better equipped than most others I've seen. Aside from general knowledge base questions, it also has sections for tutorials and webinars that you can sign up for.

For example, the Getting Started with GreenGeeks guide links to articles on registering and setting up domains and DNS, creating email accounts, building your website, and managing your bills and accounts. That's good to know and will point you in the right direction.

If the knowledge base doesn’t work for you, then you can always contact the support team. We raised some test questions to see how it performed, and the results were excellent.

Final verdict

GreenGeeks' performance in its shared hosting plans is less than awesome. The main positives here are the customer experience journey and their excellent green hosting credentials. At least prices are pretty decent if you're signing up as a new user.

If you must have an eco-friendly hosting provider for any reason, then this is hands down the best choice. It also has a robust support section and a great customer support team.

Their plans also come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so sign up for an account and try it on for size - all without risking a single penny.

GreenGeeks FAQsWhat payment types does GreenGeeks support?

GreenGeeks accepts payment via card only.

Does GreenGeeks offer refunds?

GreenGeeks has a simple 30-day money-back guarantee for all its main hosting products, regardless of the length of subscription. Unlike some providers, there's no 30 days for this hosting product range, 15 days for that, something else again for monthly plans (GoDaddy only gives you 48 hours for subscriptions of less than a year). It's 30 days and that's that.

There are some restrictions for add-on products. You won't get your domain registration or SSL certificate fees back, for instance, but that's common to most hosts. (Although, as a plus this time, GoDaddy does offer refunds on some domain purchases.)

More significantly, renewal fees aren't included. At SiteGround, you can cancel 15 days after renewing, and the company will give you all but your first month's fees back. At GreenGeeks, the small print warns you must cancel your account at least five days before the renewal date 'to ensure the billing date can stop any renewal charges', and if you forget, and you're charged, you've no right to a refund.

Does GreenGeeks have an uptime guarantee?

GreenGeeks claims to offer a '99.9% uptime guarantee', but that's no more than a hope, or a goal. If your site is down for more than 0.1% (or 43.83 minutes a month), you won't get any form of compensation.

Some hosts do significantly better. SiteGround also has a 99.9% network uptime guarantee, for instance, but if your downtime is actually 99%, you'll get a month of free hosting, and there's another free month for every further 1%.

(Image credit: Future)Where are GreenGeeks’ data centers?

Sign up with GreenGeeks and you can choose whether your site will be hosted in its US, Canadian, Netherlands or Singapore data centers.

That's better than many providers, and good news for performance. If your website has a mainly European audience, for instance, hosting your site in the Netherlands means visitors are closer to your server, automatically giving you a little extra speed.

(Image credit: GreenGeeks)What is my GreenGeeks IP address?

Log into the GreenGeeks control panel.

Click Hosting, find your hosting account in the list and click Manage.

Your website server's IP address is displayed as 'IP' in the Server Information panel.

What are GreenGeeks' nameservers?

GreenGeeks shared hosting nameservers are chi-ns1.websitehostserver.net, chi-ns2.websitehostserver.net and ams-ns1.websitehostserver.net.

How do I cancel a GreenGeeks product?

You can cancel a GreenGeeks hosting plan from the website cancellation request form.

Choose the service you'd like to cancel, complete and submit the form. You'll receive an email from GreenGeeks, click the Confirmation link, and your request is processed within seven days.

Although this sounds simple enough, there are a couple of potential gotchas.

First, the company automatically renews your package 24 hours before the hosting date, so don't leave this until the last minute.

And second, when you're prompted to enter your email address in the cancellation form, you must enter the same address linked to your GreenGeeks account. If you don't, the cancellation won't be accepted, and if the renewal date is close, there's a chance you'll be billed again before you realize there's a problem.

PrivadoVPN Free serves as an example of what free VPNs can, and arguably, should be more widely capable of. Unlike many of the best free VPNs, PrivadoVPN free offers not only a strong mix of locations, 13 to be exact, including 4 in the US, but also impressive speeds and even some capacity to unblock streaming content across streaming services such as Netflix.

While the 10GB data cap is a limitation, and it does lack any sort of feature offering, the performance you can expect from PrivadoVPN Free matches even some paid VPNs, making it a great entry point to VPNs should you be wary of paying. Plus, if you want to upgrade, PrivadoVPN is among the best cheap VPNs available.

The current Black Friday VPN deal means you can pick up the PrivadoVPN paid plan for a total of $30 for two years of service.

Features

PrivadoVPN Free doesn't excel at its feature offering as, frankly, it doesn't have one. That said, you do get a solid array of traditional VPN capabilities included in the free plan.

You can access OpenVPN, WireGuard, and IKEv2 protocols, you get access to a kill switch and split-tunneling capabilities, and you can use GeoJump to spoof your GPS location to the location of the VPN server you connect to.

The biggest omission from PrivadoVPN Free is Control Tower. Control Tower is PrivadoVPN's ad, malware, ransomware, and crypto blocker. It also serves as a parental controls hub, giving options to block adult content, substance-related sites, and social media sites, including Facebook, TikTok, X, and YouTube. Plus, it works to block any phishing attempts.

While full protective software is often omitted from free VPNs, PrivadoVPN's omission of Control Tower is made all the more noticeable by its lack of other features. There's no access to multihop or Onion over VPN connections, no password management capabilities, no encrypted storage, no data breach identifiers, nothing. But, this does make PrivadoVPN Free a strong option for value should you not need any of these extras.

Features score: 5/10

Server network

PrivadoVPN Free offers 13 server locations, dropping from the 67 listed as available on its paid service. Despite this, 13 locations is impressive for a free VPN service. Plus, when you consider those locations include the UK, India, Germany, Argentina, the Netherlands, Brazil, France, Canada, Mexico, and four locations in the US, you get a good spread of locations to choose from.

If you're looking for servers in the Middle East, Africa, or Asia, PrivadoVPN Free won't be a stellar choice, no, but for most unblocking needs, be that for streaming or general browsing, 13 locations more than have you covered. Especially when you consider many free VPNs won't offer more than five.

Server network score: 9/10

Apps

PrivadoVPN Free supports a good range of operating systems. It's available on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Android and Amazon Fire TVs, and Chrome. PrivadoVPN's most glaring limitation is Linux, where, instead of simply offering a Linux client, PrivadoVPN expects you to install your own OpenVPN configuration from PrivadoVPN onto a third-party client. If you're on Linux, then it's probably worthwhile looking at other free VPN alternatives.

Apps score: 7/10

PrivadoVPN Free is available on a whole host of platforms, and is consistently designed across most platforms. (Image credit: Future // Rob Dunne)Ease of use

PrivadoVPN Free is impressively simple to set up. Going through the steps to set up an account leads you to receiving an email to verify your email address and confirm your account – you're also provided with an extremely complex username which is completely unnecessary unless you were to completely lose access to the email account you use.

Once loaded into the app, PrivadoVPN Free offers little to be confused by. A large icon to connect dominates the view on mobile devices, and the desktop experience is almost exactly the same. While this does make the app impressively simple to navigate and understand, no matter what device you're on, it would be nice for the desktop experience to feel less as though the mobile app had been simply migrated over.

Finding the few customisations you can make is simple enough, icons direct you towards the necessary settings and options, and anything you need can be changed via toggles or selection boxes, making for quick and easy optimisation depending on how you intend on using the service.

Ease of use score: 9/10

PrivadoVPN's Windows app bears many resemblances to its mobile apps, notably lacking any kind of full screen mode. (Image credit: Future // Rob Dunne)Speed and performance

PrivadoVPN Free's performance is one of the biggest factors in its rise to the top of our best free VPN rankings. In our latest round of testing, PrivadoVPN Free was easily the fastest of all the free VPNs. We recorded an average local download speed of 564 Mbps.

That's down a little on last time's speed snapshot of 671 Mbps but still considerable faster than Windscribe Free (430 Mbps) and Hotspot Shield Basic (385 Mbps)

While it's likely these speeds won't consistently remain at these heights forever, achieving this puts PrivadoVPN Free among the fastest VPNs we've tested, including across paid providers.

So, if you're looking for the fastest free VPN available right now, PrivadoVPN Free is the clear winner.

Speed and performance score: 10/10

Unblocking

PrivadoVPN Free has a greater unblocking capacity than most free VPNs, mainly because it can manage it at all. On the free plan, we were able to access Netflix in the US and the UK. We had mixed results accessing Disney+, with some occasions of access and others without.

We were more successful accessing BBC iPlayer, Channel 4, and ITV, but had no success whatsoever with the likes of Amazon Prime Video, 9Now, or 10Play. Given that free VPNs often outright fail to unblock any streaming services, this result is seriously impressive.

It also proved to be pretty effective for torrenting. However, the combination of high-speed servers and a 10GB data cap means it’s pretty easy to churn through your allotted bandwidth for the month, so be careful how much you download.

Unblocking score: 8/10

Privacy and security

PrivadoVPN Free's biggest letdown is its lack of a third-party audit. Yes, it has a strong no-logs policy, and yes, it's in a privacy-focused jurisdiction, but the lack of a third-party audit means none of this can be wholly trusted quite yet.

Something that does come to its aid is that its no-logs policy is the same across both its paid and free options. This means PrivadoVPN isn't doing what many free VPNs do and uses its free status to find ways to monetize your data to cover the costs of running the service.

If you want to learn more about PrivadoVPN’s overall stance on security, you can check out our PrivadoVPN review here.

Privacy and security score: 8/10

Track record

Given that PrivadoVPN only entered the VPN space in 2019, there isn't a huge deal to talk about in terms of negatives, which is a good thing. So far, the service hasn't experienced any security breaches, nor has it had any concerning interactions with law enforcement, or had any serious flaws found.

The next step to solidifying this for PrivadoVPN will be the completion of a third-party audit and the publication of any kind of transparency report that can shed light on user data requests they may be receiving.

Track record score: 9/10

Customer Support

Customer support options for PrivadoVPN Free aren't extensive. While there is a live chat system, it's not staffed all day, meaning you can be left using its, admittedly extensive, knowledge base to try and find answers you might need.

Should this not give you the answers you seek, there's also the option for email contact with a support agent, which proved to be equally effective during testing.

Customer support score: 6/10

Pricing and plans

PrivadoVPN Free offers an impressive amount of value compared to its free plan. While you are limited to a single connection and you only get 10GB data per month, you can still use the service past this limit, just at 1 Mbps speeds rather than over 950 Mbps.

The biggest feature PrivadoVPN Free misses out on compared to its paid plan is Control Tower, which, as mentioned previously, serves as a protective measure and parental control hub for devices connected to PrivadoVPN. Alongside that, you also gain access to unlimited simultaneous connections, all 67 server locations, and the full suite of connection customisation options.

In reality, getting those added features from only $1.11 per month is a very good deal, but given how much you get with the free plan anyway, PrivadoVPN Free proves itself to be an impressive value for no money.

Pricing and plans score: 8/10

Should you use Privado VPN Free?

It's difficult to flaw the performance of PrivadoVPN Free as a free VPN service. Were it not for its 10GB data limit, PrivadoVPN Free would sit a a clear margin above other free VPNs, especially given its proven capacity to unblock some streaming services, which is a rarity among free VPNs.

If you're likely to go through 10GB quickly, the 1 Mbps throttled speeds thereafter should be something of a concern, even if it's welcome to know that you won't be cut off completely, but this does leave PrivadoVPN Free short of the likes of Proton VPN Free which offers a truly unlimited connection.

That said, PrivadoVPN Free stands above free VPN competition despite these flaws. Plus, the few features you miss out on mean realistically there's an audience of VPN users who could genuinely use PrivadoVPN Free day-to-day, without noticing its limitations, and without feeling insecure in a way often felt when using other free VPNs.

Total score: 79/100

PrivadoVPN Free alternatives

NordVPN – from $2.99 per month
The best VPN overall
NordVPN is one of the most well-rounded VPN services on the market, offering a combination of top-tier security, blazing-fast speeds, and advanced features. It's been fully audited multiple times to confirm both their no-logs policy and the safety of their apps, and alongside a suite of extra security features, it makes NordVPN one of the best choices for keeping your data safe. You can give it a shot yourself with a 30-day money-back guarantee. View Deal

Surfshark – from $1.99 per month
The best cheap VPN (and also the fastest)
Surfshark is a budget-friendly VPN that doesn’t skimp on quality, offering unlimited simultaneous connections on a single subscription. It also comes with advanced privacy tools like Alternative ID, which allows you to generate new identities on the fly. While it doesn’t have a free VPN tier, it’s priced on par with PrivadoVPN at $2.49 a month when you buy in for two years. You can try it out now with a 30-day money-back guarantee.View Deal

ExpressVPN - from $3.49 per month
A beginner-friendly VPN package
ExpressVPN has built a reputation as one of the most reliable and secure VPN providers which is well deserved. It’s a slightly more expensive VPN than most of the other top-tier providers, but in return, you’re getting access to a high-speed server network that spans 148 locations in 106 countries. It’s particularly effective at unblocking streaming platforms, including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and HBO Max, and works in countries with restrictive internet policies.View Deal

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

NordVPN is currently the best VPN we’ve tested. It has long been known for its features, high speeds, and extensive server network, and our tests not only proved that this is true, but arguably truer than ever.

Despite this, NordVPN isn't perfect. It’s not the best cheap VPN we test, its apps could use some TLC on platforms like Fire Stick, and, although it's not NordVPN's main purpose, its antivirus and antimalware tools could be improved significantly. So, let’s dive into why all that still doesn’t stop NordVPN from ranking as the top VPN provider currently available.

Features

While NordVPN’s vast feature array isn’t instantly apparent when loading it up on any device, it doesn't mean the tools aren't there. Clicking through the left-hand panel on computers, both MacOS and Windows, or tapping along the bottom of your Android or iOS phone reveals the breadth of offerings NordVPN provides.

For a start, if you want to add an extra layer of protection to your standard VPN connection, NordVPN offers both Double VPN, which acts as NordVPN’s multihop solution, and Onion over VPN, which combines your NordVPN connection with the Tor network for improved online anonymity.

Onion over VPN proved to be the more temperamental of the two in testing. Still, given its immense security, this is understandable. We found the Netherlands-based entry point was a more effective way to access the network without massively impacting speeds than the alternative in Switzerland. In fact, the route was only slightly slower than a standard NordVPN connection.

Double VPN was more reliable with only minimal load time delays, regardless of which server we connected to.

One of NordVPN’s biggest selling points outside the core VPN product is Threat Protection Pro, an additional security suite available on Plus plans and above. Included in this is malicious and phishing domain blocking, ad and tracker blocking, malware and vulnerability scanning, scam and fraud alerts, and URL cleaning – and there are even more tools listed in the fine print.

Image 1 of 1

NordVPN's Threat Protection Pro is one of the VPN's key features, adding to its value. With a wide array of tools to keep you secure while searching, downloading, and streaming online. (Image credit: Future)

In daily use, we found it to be reasonably effective, though it did, somewhat humorously, try and block certain assets and links from loading on competitor VPN sites.

Outside of this, while it thankfully didn’t find any risks on our test machines, it did a good job of tracking any files we downloaded and scanning links to ensure safety, though the tool as a whole did seem to use a tad more processing capacity on our Windows 11 desktop machine than we’d have liked.

Meshnet is the final unique tool in NordVPN’s arsenal. By creating a secure local area network (LAN), Meshnet enables easy, secure access to other devices added to the network from wherever you are. This means you can retrieve and share files or images, and even play games with friends, with up to 60 devices able to connect at a time.

In testing, Meshnet proved simple to set up, especially since it can be downloaded for free on any compatible device, and we were able to use it quickly to transfer images and files between our Windows testing desktop, an iPad, and an Android phone.

Features score: 10/10

Server network

NordVPN’s server network is broad, but not massively superior to its closest competition. It currently boasts over 8,000 servers across 127 countries, which puts it comfortably among the best VPNs in terms of country coverage.

Despite this, it falls short in certain regions like the Middle East and Africa. Here, Proton VPN's coverage is more extensive despite spanning fewer countries overall – even if only by one at the time of writing.

As with most VPNs, NordVPN doesn’t have servers in high-censorship regions such as Russia and China, so we can’t dock points for that.

Server network score: 9/10

Apps

NordVPN’s apps are among the best available, though that doesn’t mean they’re flawless. In terms of coverage, NordVPN is available across everything from major platforms such as Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android to smaller platforms such as Fire TV Stick and Apple TV.

You can also access NordVPN directly in your browser with extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.

Across the majority of platforms, NordVPN's apps are well-designed and intuitive. We found that layout to be simple enough for any beginner to understand without feeling overwhelmed, although they're not as straightforward as ExpressVPN's apps.

Plus, as we will detail later, many apps share similar user experiences, allowing for easy transitions between devices.

Image 1 of 3

The NordVPN home screen on Windows presents everything you need in a layout simple enough for most people to use without issue. Image 2 of 3

Threat Protection Pro can be accessed via the main menu or the side panel, and gives you instant access to the various tools at your disposal. Image 3 of 3

NordVPN's settings menu is both clear and informative, giving you the information you need to quickly find the setting you want to adjust.

The biggest letdown for NordVPN is its Linux client. NordVPN for Linux still lacks a GUI, meaning you’re left using command lines to use the VPN rather than experiencing the much simpler systems accessible elsewhere.

Alongside this, depending on your generation of Fire Stick, you may encounter a more rudimentary version of NordVPN, which, while entirely functional and effective, looks nowhere near as clean.

NordVPN’s latest improvement to its apps came to its Firefox extension. We were pleased to see the update give the extension a complete overhaul, adding extra features, such as location spoofing, to its functionality, as well as improving overall security.

Despite this, you’ll likely find, as we did, that the experience is still a tad slower than you’d get across mobile or desktop devices.

Apps score: 8/10

Ease of use

As mentioned, NordVPN’s apps are simple enough, though they're not our top choice for VPN newbies.

On our Windows 11 test desktop, we found the setup process impressively simple, thanks to NordVPN’s setup wizard. This was, usefully, replicated on macOS.

Once loaded, NordVPN greets you with several key features: the VPN, Threat Protection, and Meshnet. Navigating to other features is done via the icons on the left-hand side of the app, and we had no difficulty checking out the kill switch, split tunneling, and VPN protocols.

Mobile presents a similarly balanced experience; setup is as simple as downloading NordVPN from the respective app store and either signing in or signing up. The majority of what you see will directly correlate with the experience on a computer, be that Windows or Mac, with a quick connect option and the option to scroll through specific servers.

However, Meshnet is presented in a much smaller fashion among the server list, and Threat Protection doesn’t appear at all on your initial menu.

Accessing NordVPN features on mobile is as simple as clicking through the buttons at the bottom of the screen. (Image credit: NordVPN)

NordVPN's browser extension experience mirrored the experience we had when testing its mobile apps: quick to connect, reactive, and clutter-free.

Plus, despite missing out on some features, as we’ve already mentioned, it works similarly enough to mobile that we had no issues switching between platforms without feeling confused.

Using NordVPN on your TV, be that via the TV app store or a Fire Stick, Apple TV, or similar device, presents a slightly different layout. Opting for something simpler and closer to that of ExpressVPN, which is a definite win, and we found it to be impressively effective and easy to navigate, even when finding features outside the basic VPN.

We encountered some stumbling blocks when using the older Fire Stick interface, which, perhaps understandably, presents a more convoluted interface than its more modern counterparts.

Ease of use score: 8/10

Speed and performance

NordVPN has long been among the fastest VPNs we’ve tested, and our latest round proved no different.

Using NordLynx, NordVPN’s WireGuard-based VPN protocol, we recorded average download speeds of 1256 Mbps to our nearest VPN server and 626 Mbps to a server on the other side of the Atlantic.

That's not bad at all but it's still pretty comfortably bettered by Proton VPN (1521 Mbps / 1242 Mbps) and ExpressVPN (1479 Mbps / 1374 Mbps), although it's important to note that ExpressVPN's quoted speeds are through using the Lightway Turbo protocol which is only available using the ExpressVPN app for Windows.

How we perform speed tests

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Our testing setup uses a cloud PC with a 10 Gbps connection. We use this to record VPN speeds between its Dublin location and a given VPN server. Then, to calculate the averages, we use multiple speed testing sites at different times of the day while connected to the various protocols of each VPN. You can find out more in our VPN testing methodology.

NordVPN's OpenVPN speeds are arguably the best of all, though. They're certainly the most consistent, with the local download average recorded at 974 Mbps and long distance at 857 Mbps. Only ExpressVPN (1038 Mbps / 808 Mbps) managed better but only by a fraction.

Compare that to Surfshark (978 Mbps / 430 Mbps), which dropped by half over long distance, and Proton VPN (240 Mbps / 173 Mbps) which did not fare well with OpenVPN speeds at all.

Speed and performance score: 9/10

Unblocking

Putting NordVPN to the test in unblocking scenarios was, as ever, successful. We used NordVPN with Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, 10Play, 9Now, iPlayer, and Channel 4. We even stretched our testing across Netflix libraries in the US, Japan, Canada, the UK, and Australia.

NordVPN performed flawlessly across all our tests. Regardless of the device we used, including our Windows 11 test desktop, Fire Stick, iOS, and Android, we had no issues accessing any streaming services, nor did we encounter any sudden VPN detection warnings. Full marks there, then.

Plus, as we’ve already mentioned, NordVPN’s speeds were superb. This meant we never encountered slow loading times or buffering, even when connecting across different countries.

Unfortunately, NordVPN only offers a handful of server locations that are P2P-friendly. Plus, while speeds are impressive, the lack of port forwarding capability means you can't make the most of any torrents you're seeding. If that's a problem, it's worth checking out Proton VPN.

Unblocking score: 10/10

Privacy and Security

NordVPN’s security capabilities are built from the ground up. It supports two protocols, OpenVPN and NordLynx, NordVPN’s proprietary protocol built on WireGuard.

OpenVPN is the industry standard for a high-security connection, while WireGuard, and specifically NordLynx, is built for speed and usability with mobile devices, but is also impressively secure.

The encryption methods partnered with these protocols are AES-256 on OpenVPN and ChaCha20 on NordLynx. Against current technologies, these methods are some of the most trustworthy and secure available.

If you're worried about quantum computing, NordVPN is already on the case. Post-quantum encryption was introduced to the NordLynx protocol in September 2024, and NordVPN continues to secure itself further in preparation.

Alongside its secure protocols and encryption methods, NordVPN employs a strict no-logs policy, meaning no browsing data is logged by its servers.

This policy was most recently audited by Deloitte at the end of 2024, and the results, as always, were positive. Deloitte did not find any issues or concerns. As NordVPN's fifth overall no-logs audit, the provider is clearly committed to transparency, proving that you can trust it not to keep logs.

What’s more, being headquartered in Panama means NordVPN isn't subject to data retention laws, meaning it wouldn’t have any data to hand over should it face an unavoidable warrant.

Threat Protection Pro offers one of the best VPN antivirus soltutions currently, despite some issues. (Image credit: Future)

Within NordVPN itself are several additional security features. Firstly, the provider offers a kill switch and DNS leak protection. Thankfully, finding the killswitch takes a matter of seconds within the apps, and should you have any concerns surrounding DNS leaks, you can use NordVPN’s free DNS Leak Checker to settle doubts.

We’ve mentioned NordVPN’s Onion Over and Double VPN capabilities already, and, while our testing environment isn’t exactly the environment they’re intended for, we were successful in using both connections to access data in a timely manner.

Threat Protection and Threat Protection Pro are the final security functions NordVPN has up its sleeve. Both aim to provide the same added layer of protection; however, standard Threat Protection works via DNS blocking and requires a VPN connection, while Threat Protection Pro is a standalone system with more advanced capabilities.

This differentiation manifested in testing, as Threat Protection only managed to block 24% of malware links and 34% of phishing links, whereas Pro blocked 79% of malware links and 87% of phishing links.

In practice, we’d always recommend you use a dedicated antivirus software alongside anything a VPN provides, but either way, Threat Protection Pro’s results are a solid foundation to build upon.

As mentioned already, when we put it to the test, we were pleasantly surprised with how it performed, despite a couple of interesting site block attempts and an unusually high demand on our processing power. It was simple to set up and forget about.

Privacy and security score: 10/10

Track record

NordVPN’s track record is nearly flawless. Its most recent misstep came in 2018 when it was discovered that one of its Finnish servers was compromised through an undisclosed remote access management system.

Despite being left by the data centre providers rather than NordVPN, it prompted a complete overhaul of how NordVPN approached security.

Since this overhaul, no further issues have occurred, with NordVPN continuing to invest in improving the core service, server network, and security. As already mentioned, NordVPN has undergone numerous security and no-logs audits, both before and since the incident.

This, therefore, serves as strong evidence of the work NordVPN has put in and provides reassurance that no such issue might recur.

Track record score: 8/10

Customer support

NordVPN offers a whole host of ways to get in touch if you run into roadblocks. The first port of call is typically the 24/7 live chat manned by an AI chatbot.

This live chat was useful to a degree, but is only really capable of directing you to relevant support articles or escalating your case to a human support agent.

The limitations of the chatbot were apparent during testing while trying to troubleshoot issues we encountered with our connection, but thankfully, human support agents were quick to identify and resolve the problem.

Should you require a different avenue of support, NordVPN also offers an email ticketing system, though, as you’d expect, replies tend to be slower.

If you'd rather do your own problem-solving, you can sprawl through a wide array of support articles, video guides, and FAQs, all of which we found pretty helpful throughout testing, to find the answers you need.

Customer support score: 9/10

Pricing and plansNordVPN pricing

- 1-month plans: $12.99/month (Basic) $13.99/month (Plus) $14.99/month (Complete – US-only) £12.09/month (Ultimate – non-US) $17.99/Prime (US-only)

- 12-month plans: $4.59/month (Basic) $5.49/month (Plus) $6.49/month (Complete – US-only) £5.99/month (Ultimate – non-US) $8.49/Prime (US-only)

- 24-month plans: $2.99/month (Basic) $3.89/month (Plus) $4.89/month (Complete – US-only) £4.79/month (Ultimate – non-US) $6.89/Prime (US-only)

NordVPN is one of the best cheap VPNs available, though it doesn’t quite beat Surfshark when it comes to value for money.

Plans start from $2.99/month, but as with most VPNs, the cheapest plans are billed upfront, so you'll pay $71.76 immediately. This does include three months free as a bonus right now, however. If you’re in the UK, this deal is £2.29/month, or £61.83 (plus VAT) upfront.

The issue NordVPN's plan have is that they vary by country – an issue shared by ExpressVPN. If you're in the US (or elsewhere in the world), your plan options differ from those available in the UK.

So, in the US, the best subscription you can buy is the NordVPN Prime plan, costing $6.99/month ($165.36 upfront). Whereas in the UK, your best choice is the Ultimate plan, costing £4.79/month (£129.33 upfront, plus VAT).

The difference between these plans is that while the Prime plan in the US gives you everything NordVPN offers, plus the full NordProtect suite, the Ultimate plan gives you Cyber insurance covering scam loss and ID theft.

Luckily, its best-value plan, the Plus plan, is available on any side of the pond. Costing $3.89/month ($93.96 upfront) in the US and £2.89/month (£78.03 plus VAT upfront) in the UK, which includes all of NordVPN’s VPN features, Threat Protection Pro, and NordPass with data breach scanning.

So if you’re looking for the best subscription to start your NordVPN journey with, this is the one we’d recommend.

Pricing and plans score: 8/10

Should you use NordVPN?

Yes, you should use NordVPN. It ranks as our best VPN for a reason - it doesn’t have any major weak points that dent its armour or give us reason to be concerned about its security or capabilities. Its speeds are superb, its unblocking capabilities are flawless, and it’s got a full suite of airtight security measures.

That said, in some specific circumstances, you might look elsewhere. Want the absolute best speeds out there? Check out Surfshark. Want security that no one comes close to matching? Look for ExpressVPN. Want server coverage in underserved locations? Proton VPN is your bet.

What makes NordVPN special, however, is that if we couldn’t recommend these providers, for whatever reason, NordVPN would provide a near-identical experience that, to most, would leave you wondering what the difference truly is.

Overall score 89/100

1. NordVPN – from $2.99 per month
The best VPN overall
Our latest testing proves that NordVPN continues to lead the pack in terms of providing the best VPN experience possible. Offering a superbly quick and secure VPN, alongside privacy tools designed to safeguard your sensitive data, NordVPN offers an impressive package for a surprisingly low cost.View Deal

NordVPN alternatives

1. Surfshark – from $1.99 per month
The best cheap VPN (and also the fastest)
Surfshark is a more budget-friendly option, offering unlimited simultaneous connections and similar speeds to NordVPN. There’s also a security suite called Surfshark One, which offers features you won’t get anywhere else, such as an identity generator and Surfshark’s private search engine. Try it risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.View Deal

2. ExpressVPN – from $3.49 per month
The best VPN for beginners and the most secure
ExpressVPN offers comparable speeds and security features to NordVPN, with a slightly higher price tag. In return, you get access to a worldwide network of VPN servers powered by an in-house VPN protocol designed to obfuscate your connection so ISPs can’t disconnect you from the internet. ExpressVPN’s unblocking capabilities are practically unparalleled, and you can trial them yourself with a 30-day money-back guarantee.View Deal

3. Proton VPN – from $2.49 per month
A superb all-round VPN and online security alternative
Proton continues to provide one of the most widely known (and respected) security suites available. Offering features such as secure emailing, a password manager, and, of course, a VPN, Proton offers a solution for almost any online security dilemma you may have. View Deal

NordVPN FAQsIs there a NordVPN free trial?

No, currently NordVPN doesn’t offer a free trial. Instead, you can take advantage of a 30-day money-back guarantee should you want to give NordVPN a trial before committing to it long term.

Is NordVPN good for streaming?

Yes, NordVPN is currently the best VPN for streaming. In our testing, it successfully unblocked services, including Netflix (In the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Japan), Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, 9Now, 10Play, and more.

Can I use NordVPN on multiple devices?

You can use NordVPN on up to 10 devices simultaneously. Should you need more devices than this, we’d recommend looking at Surfshark, which offers unlimited simultaneous connections.

Two-minute review

The Echo Show 8 (2025) is the fourth-generation model of Amazon’s second-smallest smart display, offering a great canvas for hallways, living rooms, offices and beyond. Announced in September 2025 alongside the Echo Dot Max, Echo Studio (2nd-generation) and the Echo Show 11.

Adopting a similar design language to the Echo Show 10 (2020), the Echo Show 8’s speaker is now the base for a floating, thin display, rather than the slightly clunky wedge shape design of previous generations. It’s a lovely change that makes the speaker feel far less utilitarian in the home like many of the best smart displays it's competing against, but there’s a casualty; there’s now no physical camera shutter. You can still mute and blind the Echo Show 8 with a button on the device, or fully switch off the camera in the app (or, of course, cover it with a sticker), but it’s an unfortunate loss for those who want that extra layer of built-in privacy and peace of mind.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

The new 8.7-inch screen is wonderful to use with minimal lag, and the speakers are pretty accomplished. Everything, from reading recipes to Alexa queries, is zippy thanks to the new AZ3 Pro chip, topped by a great streaming experience. There’s also a great array of smart home features, including the Omnisense technology as well as Thread, Matter, and Zigbee support.

Overall, it's a powerful boost for Amazon's second-smallest smart display, and if you can get past the lack of a physical privacy shutter and the slightly cluttered interface, it's a real crowd-pleaser, and easily one of the best Alexa speakers available today.

(Image credit: Future)Echo Show 8: Specs

Echo Show 8 (4th-gen, 2025)

Size

21 cm x 15 cm x 13 cm (W x H x D)

Display

8.7-inch HD touchscreen with 1340 x 800 resolution

Camera

13 MP with auto framing

Audio

1x 2.8-inch woofer and 2x full-range drivers

Connectivity

Zigbee, Matter & Thread Border Router, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth

Processor

AZ3 Pro with AI Accelerator

Sensors

Ambient Temperature Sensor, Presence Detection, Camera

Privacy features

Microphone & camera enable/disable button, dedicated physical and in-app camera controls, voice recording management – but no physical camera shutter.

Echo Show 8: Design

• Fresh redesign akin to the Echo Show 10 (2020)
• Bright and beautiful floating display
• No physical camera shutter

The Echo Show 8 gets a fresh new look, modeled after the Echo Show 10 (2020) with a round, pill-shaped speaker base and a floating thin screen. It’s a much more sophisticated look than the Echo Shows of yore, and doing away with the chunky wedge shape is drastically improves the smart display’s appeal. It does, however, make the whole thing a little more space-consuming at 21 cm x 15 cm x 13 cm (W x H x D).

Its speaker base is clad in a mesh fabric, following the suit of other newer smart speakers and similar to the materials used in Apple’s HomePod and Google’s new Home Hub speakers. Inside are housed two full-range, front-facing drivers for spatial sound and a 2.8-inch woofer.

The screen is an all-around upgrade; it measures 8.7 inches (versus the previous generation’s 8 inches) with a resolution of 1,340 by 800 pixels, (versus 1,280-by-800). It’s fully attached to the base, meaning you can’t adjust the height or the orientation; a slight missed opportunity, but the price jump doesn’t quite cover such engineering, perhaps. It's a shame, though, as the Echo Show 10 offered this function, but neither the new Show 8 nor 11 could fit it in.

(Image credit: Future)

Centered at the top of the screen is the 13 MP camera with auto framing; of note is that there’s no more physical privacy shutter, presumably to allow for that lovely thin screen, but that does mark a downgrade for the privacy-conscious. While settings in-app and the on-device mute button do cancel the camera feed, you can just as easily grab an affordable stick-on shutter or use a bit of tape.

On the right side of the screen are the mute buttons and volume rocker, and the rest of the controls are touch-based on the screen.

You win some, you lose some in the world of tech, and the victims of a lovely, more sophisticated design are unfortunately handy screen-adjusting mechanisms and a physical camera shutter. For a lot of customers, neither will be missed, but both are nice to have in a pinch.

• Design: 4.5/5

• Design: 4/5

Echo Dot Max next to an Echo Dot (5th-gen) (Image credit: Future)Echo Show 8: Performance

• Zippy and responsive touch screen, decent audio
• Sensors are accurate and genuinely useful
• User interface a little cluttered

In performance, the Echo Show 8 is broadly the same as the Echo Show 11, owing to the components being the same; however, the screen experience differs somewhat.

Starting there, the display is vibrant, clear and plenty bright, making it easily visible from a few meters away unless you need to make out detailed text. The smaller screen real estate means it suffers a little more under the weight of Amazon’s suggested content (i.e. the recipes, TV shows and products it wants you to engage with) than its 11-inch sibling, but I found setting up a photo album for the Echo Show to shuffle through reduced the amount of advertising and recommendations.

Otherwise, the user interface (UI) was easily operated, responding quickly to touch controls. Widgets do feel a little squashed in places, and some buttons within apps can be awkwardly small, but it’s nowhere as bad as trying to do anything more than adjusting volume and brightness on the Echo Show 5.

Every now and then, there’s a slight stutter to an animation, with some customers reporting mild to moderate issues with input delay. I did find that to be the case with the Echo Show 11 I tested, but the Show 8 was very reliable for me on test. You can swipe down the control center to quickly toggle settings and access various hubs, and swipe left on the screen for your customizable widgets. Just be mindful that the screen is an absolute fingerprint magnet when you’re liberally swiping around.

(Image credit: Future)

The speaker on the Echo Show 8 is the same as the Echo Show 11, but I ran the same tests in case the larger screen impacted the sound quality. As long-time Amazon speaker users will know, audio quality is never the main selling point for Echo devices; the performance is often admirable for the size and price, but not one for the audiophiles (though the Echo Studio and Echo Dot Max buck that trend somewhat).

I streamed lossless tracks from Spotify to test the audio quality, starting with Luafey’s Falling Behind. Her jazzy vocals came through warmly with great clarity, underpinned by the lively but slightly dulled staccato of an acoustic guitar. Older tracks began to show the cracks, however. Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain was muddy, with the vocals sinking further into the track than usual; however, the bass was still nice and punchy.

That drive isn’t consistent, though, and some tracks suffer more from the muddiness. Portishead’s Glory Box was flat all around, losing that breathy quality to the vocals and flattening the usually well-rounded bass, and Jeff Buckley’s rich, haunting vocals are thoroughly buried in the higher layers of Last Goodbye. Still, at this price and size, it’s a pretty accomplished speaker, and Amazon has done well to create a truly room-filling sound out of this smart display.

(Image credit: Future)

Inside the Echo Show 8 are a range of sensors that can be used to set up Routines with Alexa and help you monitor your home. There’s an auto-framing 13MP camera centered at the top of the screen, just like in the last generation, and the onboard microphones are great for clear audio on video calls or drop-ins. Also housed in the Echo Show 8 are temperature, motion and brightness detectors, all of which worked well in my testing, as did the facial recognition and personalization features that underpin the seamless Alexa experience.

Alexa and VegaOS generally run well, and the Echo Show 8 is fantastically responsive thanks to the AZ3 Pro chip. Queries are rapidly responded to (sometimes prematurely), with Alexa delivering suggested recipes, playing music and summoning your favorite TV shows and movies in double time. I had a few hiccups trying to watch shows on Netflix and YouTube on the Echo Show 11; but the Echo Show 8 worked perfectly out of the box, and Alexa has come on leaps and bounds when it comes to searching and playing your requested media.

We don’t yet have Alexa+ access in the UK, but we’ve got a full Alexa+ review coming soon that will give the full low-down about its performance on a range of Echo devices.

• Performance: 4/5

(Image credit: Future)Echo Show 8: Price and availability

• List price: $179.99 / £179.99 / AU$349
• Announced September 2025, released November 2025

Announced in September 2025, the Echo Show 8 costs $179.99 / £179.99 / AU$349 and is available in black and white. Of note, this marks a $30 / £30 / AU$100 price increase versus the last generation, which sold for $149.99 / £149.99 / AU$249.

Broadly, this cost increase is due to the design overhaul, which greatly modernizes Amazon’s second-smallest smart display. It’s not a huge jump in price, and it feels somewhat justified given the improvements to the performance and display. There’s also an optional (and stylish) stand, which will set you back $39.99 / £34.99 / AU$69.95.

Still, it's worth highlighting the value of the device depends in part on whether or not you're bothered by Alexa+. Right now, its early access programme is exclusively available in the US, and this device automatically enlists you for that service, but elsewhere in the world we're effectively losing a selling point for the same price for the foreseeable future.

• Value: 4/5

Should I buy the Echo Show 8?Buy it if...

You’re upgrading from older Echo Shows

Especially if you want Alexa+ to work at peak performance, the Echo Show 8 is a must-have; but the refreshed design, zippy AZ3 chip and lovely display also mark significant improvements.

You make good use of smart home features

From its omnisense technology to its smart home connectivity, the Echo Show 8 is fully equipped with clever features to make your home work for you.

Don't buy it if...

You want a physical camera privacy shutter

Sure, you can mod this yourself or disconnect the feed in the app, but some people will just want absolute privacy out of the box.

You’re on a budget

With its new price point, the Echo Show 8 isn’t affordability-first anymore; it’s by no means premium, either, but you could buy a very capable older smart display for less.

Amazon Echo Show 8: also considerScorecard

Value

4/5

Price increase versus older models, but in line with redesign and feature additions.

Design

4/5

Big design upgrade versus the Echo Show 8 (3rd gen)

Performance

4/5

Sound is decent enough, especially for the size of room this display is best-suited for

If you're not sure the Amazon Echo Show 11 is the right Alexa smart speaker for you, here are further options to consider from Amazon:

Echo Show 8 (4th-gen, 2025)

Amazon Echo Show 15 (2nd gen)

Echo Show 5

Price

$179.99 / £179.99 / AU$349

$299 / £299.99

$89.99 / £79.99 / AU$129

Size

21 cm x 15 cm x 13 cm (W x H x D)

410 x 260 x 36mm (W x H x D)

147 x 91 x 82 mm (W x H x D)

Display

8.7-inch HD touchscreen with 1340 x 800 resolution

15.6-inch HD touchscreen, 1920 x 1080 resolution

5.5-inch touchscreen, 960 x 480 resolution

Camera

13 MP with auto framing

13MP wide angle camera with shutter

2 MP

Audio

1x 2.8-inch woofer and 2x full-range drivers

2x 2-inch woofers & 2x 0.6-inch tweeters

1x 1.7-inch driver

Connectivity

Zigbee, Matter & Thread Border Router, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth

Zigbee, Matter & Thread Border Router, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth

Matter, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth

Processor

AZ3 Pro with AI Accelerator

AZ2 neural engine

MediaTek's 8169 B chip

Sensors

Ambient Temperature Sensor, Presence Detection, Camera

Camera, presence detection, ALS RGB, Accelerometer

Camera, presence detection

Privacy features

Microphone & camera enable/disable button, dedicated physical and in-app camera controls, voice recording management – but no physical camera shutter.

Microphone and camera enable/disable button, dedicated physical and in-app camera controls, voice recording management, physical camera shutter.

Microphone and camera enable/disable button, dedicated physical and in-app camera controls, voice recording management, physical camera shutter.

Echo Show 15

If you’d rather have a wall-mounted solution and the added benefit of a Fire TV remote, the latest Echo Show 15 is an excellent option. It has fewer sensors but functions more as a small TV or household management display than it does an entertainment center.

For more information, check out our full Echo Show 15 review.

Echo Show 5

For a smaller option that just covers the basics, the 3rd-generation Echo Show 5 offers a lot of the core functions from the Echo Show product line, but it’s less technically advanced and feature-filled.

How I tested the Echo Show 8 (4th gen, 2025)

• I used it pretty much non-stop for a week
• I tested its smart home features and sensing
• I performed our standard audio and movie streaming tests

To put the new Echo Show 8 through its paces, I used all of the advertised features over a week of testing. I tried setting up automations that use its various sensors and connectivity options to ensure everything worked seamlessly, and used Alexa for my everyday household tasks.

I also tested the speakers using a variety of tracks in different genres to see how well the speakers can replicate music for a wide range of customers, and used streaming services like Netflix and YouTube, as well as Amazon Prime Video both to assess the display’s performance and the general user experience.

I’ve been testing smart speakers for four years, and use an Alexa-based smart home setup every day. I’m well-acquainted with the system and its features, but I’ve also spent a lot of time in other ecosystems to learn the pros and cons of each.

Two-minute review

The Echo Show 11 is Amazon’s latest mid-size smart display, releasing alongside the latest Echo Show 8, Echo Studio and the new Echo Dot Max. It’s a new screen size for Amazon’s smart displays, but it’s technically the successor to the Echo Show 10 (2020) with a slightly larger screen.

That being said, its positioning isn’t quite as secure as some of its siblings, nor its predecessor. It lacks some of the features we loved from older generations (and in particular from the Echo Show 10 (2020)), and it’s largely packing the same specs as the Echo Show 8, with the main difference being the larger screen.

Still, it’s far from a bad smart display, and still sees improvements over older devices; it’s powered by the latest AZ3 Pro chip, the screen is now 1080p, audio performance is decent, and there are ample smart home features and connectivity benefits, including the addition of Matter and Thread support.

(Image credit: Future)

The refinements to the Echo Show 10’s floating display design are small but mighty, making the whole speaker feel more sleek and less clunky. That is, of course, barring the removal of the rotating screen and a physical camera privacy shutter – but these two features might just be the deciding factor for some customers when choosing the best smart display.

As of writing, it’s also worth noting that there seem to be some software issues when it comes to streaming. I tested the Echo Show 8 alongside the 11 and had no such challenges, so it seems like a bug, albeit one I have seen a fair few consumers complain about online. Still, it’s early days for the product, and I’d expect this to be ironed out within the coming weeks.

Overall, it’s a great option for kitchens and offices, and I’m delighted to see Amazon paying more and more attention to aesthetics with its newer smart speakers. I just wish that didn’t come at the expense of utility.

(Image credit: Future)Echo Show 11: Specs

Product name

Size

26 cm x 18 cm x 13 cm (W x H x D)

Display

11.95-inch HD touchscreen with 1920 x 1200 resolution

Camera

13 MP with auto framing

Audio

1x 2.8-inch woofer and 2x full-range drivers

Connectivity

Zigbee, Matter & Thread Border Router, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth

Processor

AZ3 Pro with AI Accelerator

Sensors

Ambient Temperature Sensor, Presence Detection, Camera

Privacy features

Microphone & camera enable/disable button, dedicated physical and in-app camera controls, voice recording management – but no physical camera shutter.

Echo Show 11: Design

• Refines on Echo Show 10 (2020) design
• Bright and beautiful floating display
• No physical camera shutter

Much like the Echo Show 10, the Echo Show 11 sees a thin and light display mounted on a rounded speaker stand. While the Echo Show 10 may have introduced Amazon’s newer floating display design language, the Echo Show 11 refines it, squashing the height of the speaker a little into a pill shape and expanding the screen to a lovely 11.95-inches. These subtle changes make an impact, making the latest Echo Shows much more appealing for the home versus the older wedge-shaped devices.

The net size is still pretty minimal at 26 cm x 18 cm x 13 cm, comprised of the mesh fabric-covered speaker base and affixed screen. This marks a slightly negative departure from the Echo Show 10, which allowed you to adjust the screen for optimal viewing; it’s an important feature if you’re often using the device in your kitchen and don’t want to stoop down every time you need to check a recipe.

Otherwise, the screen is a solid upgrade; as well as the size boost, the screen now offers a resolution of 1920 x 1200 (versus the Echo Show 10’s 1280 x 800 pixels). In use, the color HD display is rich and bright, easily enjoyed even from wider viewing angles.

At the center of the top of the screen is its 13 MP camera with auto framing, but there’s no physical privacy shutter this time. This is likely due to the design constraints of thin screens, but privacy-conscious buyers might not like the change. You can kill the camera feed in-app or use the on-device mute button, but you can also just as easily grab an affordable stick-on shutter or a bit of tape.

Located on the screen’s right side are the mute buttons and volume rocker, and the rest of the controls are touch-based on the screen. The speaker houses a 2.8-inch woofer and two front-facing, full-range drivers that can deliver spatial audio.

Overall, it’s a great all-around upgrade for Amazon’s mid-sized screen, and I doubt anyone will disagree that it’s a much-needed improvement, visually. The whole unit feels a lot more premium and of better build quality, but it’s taken a long time for Amazon to come this far. It’s a shame that two really useful, functional design features had to come at the cost of a fresh look, too.

• Design: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future)Echo Show 11: Performance

• Zippy and bright touch screen, decent audio
• Sensors are accurate and help with home automation
• Streaming features didn’t work very well

So we know the Echo Show 11 looks good, but how is it in use? In short, it’s fast, facile and feature-filled, but it doesn’t always stick the landing.

Let’s start with the display. It’s bright and beautiful, perfect for enjoying TV and movies up close or to glance at your calendar or reminders from across the room. It is, of course, cluttered with suggested content a lot of the time, but that’s par for the course with Echo Shows (as well as other smart displays), and it becomes far less of a problem if you set up an album of your favorite photos to display throughout the day.

The user interface (UI) is generally quite clean and easy to navigate, with widgets rendering nicely on the large canvas screen. Recipes are easy to follow, video content is bright and vibrant, and animations are pretty slick, barring the occasional stutter.

Touch controls are quick and responsive most of the time, though I have had to reboot it a few times after it becomes unresponsive. Some users have also reported some mild to moderate issues with input delay; however, I couldn’t replicate these issues myself. Interestingly, I’ve not faced these issues on the Echo Show 8 I tested in parallel to the 11-inch model, so I have to assume it’s an issue with the UI’s screen optimization. The touch interface is easy to navigate, though; swipe down for the control center and left for your widgets. The screen hasn’t got any smudge-proofing, though, so it becomes grubby rather quickly with regular use.

(Image credit: Future)

Audio performance follows suit with other Amazon Echo devices I’ve tested; it’s not one for audiophiles (those would be better off with the Echo Studio or even the new Echo Dot Max) but the performance is nonetheless decent for its price category.

I tested the speakers by streaming lossless tracks through Spotify, starting with Laufey’s Falling Behind, which was rendered warmly through the Echo Show 11’s speaker base. It had lost some of the crunch from the bossa nova-style acoustic guitars, but Laufey’s voice shone through with great clarity. Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain was muddy, losing the vocals a little more than usual, but still packed a good punch with clear highs.

Overall, it lacks drive, and some tracks make that clearer than others; Jeff Buckley’s haunting vocals get lost in the weaving higher layers of Last Goodbye, while Portishead’s Glory Box felt flat overall, compressing those wonderfully breathy vocals and the big fat bass into a thoroughly clipped mid-range. Still, the clarity and volume are impressive, especially at its size and price point, and the speakers really are room-filling; I had to stand a good 5m away before I felt the volume drop become noticeable.

(Image credit: Future)

The Echo Show 11 houses a range of sensors, too. The camera, centered at the top of the screen, is the same as the last generation; a 13MP auto-framing peeper that works as described, accompanied by microphones that offer great, clear audio pickup for video calls or quick drop-ins to check on your pets and loved ones. Elsewhere, its temperature, motion and brightness detectors all work as expected, and can be used for Alexa Routines. Facial recognition, personalization and screen scaling all work smoothly in the background, just the way all smart devices should.

As always, the range of compatible software and services is great, with a native app for Netflix and Prime and browser-based access to most of the more popular streaming services. For some reason, however, the Echo Show 11 I tested had an issue with launching and searching on streaming services via voice control at first. Using the control center to manually open apps worked fine, so I had to perform a hard reset before I could summon streaming apps hands-free.

Speaking of Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa is faster than ever with the AZ3 Pro chip on board, and replies come incredibly quickly – once or twice, before I’d even finished speaking. Asking for recipes elicits lightning-quick responses, music loads quickly even through third-party services, and all of Alexa’s standard commands work as expected. I’m based in the UK, so I couldn’t test Alexa+, but we’ll have a full separate review soon.

• Performance: 4/5

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)Echo Show 11: Price and availability

• List price: $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$429
• Announced September 2025, launched in November.

Priced at $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$429, the Echo Show 11 is the middle child of Amazon’s smart displays inbetween the Echo Show 5 and 8 and the larger, wall-mountable Echo Show 15 and 21. It’s available in black or white, and there's also a stylish optional stand, which costs $34.99 / £34.99 / AU$69.95.

The Echo Show 11 largely packs the same specs as the smaller Echo Show 8, rather than carrying over some of the defining features from the Echo Show 10 such as its rotating screen. That does make it marginally more affordable than the Show 10 ($249.99 / £239.99 / AU$399.99), but it’s still $40 / £40 / AU$80 more than the latest Echo Show 8.

I’m not entirely convinced that the larger screen alone justifies the price difference between the Show 8 and Show 11; I'd have hoped to see one or two extra premium features exclusive to this slightly larger screen to convince me it has a reason to exist beyond offering more real estate (often swallowed up by suggested content in standby mode). Plus, the price drop from the Echo Show 10 comes at the expense of features I’d really like for this more functional screen. Still, fundamentally it’s still a relatively affordable smart display and a huge upgrade if you have a 5+ year-old Echo Show 5, 8 or 10.

Value: 3.5/5

• Value: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Echo Show 11?Buy it if...

You’ve got an older Echo Show

Whether you just fancy a change or specifically want one that makes you more Alexa+ ready, the Echo Show 11 is a solid purchase that brings some much-needed attention to design and performance.

You use a lot of smart home features

Packing in a range of smarts from Omnisense technology to its smart home connectivity, the Echo Show 11 is well-equipped to help you automate and monitor your home.

Don't buy it if...

You want a physical camera privacy shutter

For peace of mind, that physical shutter is a must-have, and while you can mod your own, it’s a shame to see this dropped from the design.

You don't desperately need the screen size

You can save some money by opting for the slightly smaller Echo Show 8, which packs pretty much identical features and perforance barring the screen size.

Amazon Echo Show 11: also considerScorecard

Value

3.5/5

Despite being cheaper than the Echo Show 10 it replaces, it's slightly less feature rich, and can't step out of the better value Echo Show 8's shadow.

Design

4.5/5

Refines the Echo Show 10's floating display design, great improvements to the screen, but removes the privacy shutter.

Performance

4/5

Muddy but powerful, room-filling audio with a decent enough streaming experience once you work around slight software bugs.

If you're not sure the Amazon Show 11 is the right Alexa smart display for you, here are further options to consider from Amazon:

Echo Show 11

Amazon Echo Show 15 (2nd gen)

Echo Show 5

Price

$219.99 / £219.99 / AU$429

$299 / £299.99

$89.99 / £79.99 / AU$129

Size

26 cm x 18 cm x 13 cm (W x H x D)

410 x 260 x 36mm (W x H x D)

147 x 91 x 82 mm (W x H x D)

Display

11.95-inch HD touchscreen with 1920 x 1200 resolution

15.6-inch HD touchscreen, 1920 x 1080 resolution

5.5-inch touchscreen, 960 x 480 resolution

Camera

13 MP with auto framing

13MP wide angle camera with shutter

2 MP

Audio

1x 2.8-inch woofer and 2x full-range drivers

2x 2-inch woofers & 2x 0.6-inch tweeters

1x 1.7-inch driver

Connectivity

Zigbee, Matter & Thread Border Router, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth

Zigbee, Matter & Thread Border Router, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth

Matter, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth

Processor

AZ3 Pro with AI Accelerator

AZ2 neural engine

MediaTek's 8169 B chip

Sensors

Ambient temperature sensor, presence detection, camera

Camera, presence detection, ALS RGB, Accelerometer

Camera, presence detection

Privacy features

Microphone and camera enable/disable button, dedicated physical and in-app camera controls, voice recording management – but no physical camera shutter.

Microphone and camera enable/disable button, dedicated physical and in-app camera controls, voice recording management, physical camera shutter.

Microphone and camera enable/disable button, dedicated physical and in-app camera controls, voice recording management, physical camera shutter.

Echo Show 15

If you’d rather have a wall-mounted solution and the added benefit of a Fire TV remote, the latest Echo Show 15 is an excellent option. It has fewer sensors but functions more as a small TV or household management display than it does an entertainment center.

For more information, check out our full Echo Show 15 review.

Echo Show 5

For a smaller option that just covers the basics, the 3rd-generation Echo Show 5 offers a lot of the core functions from the Echo Show product line, but it’s less technically advanced and feature-filled.Echo Show 15

If you’d rather have a wall-mounted solution and the added benefit of a Fire TV remote, the latest Echo Show 15 is an excellent option. It has fewer sensors but functions more as a small TV or household management display than it does an entertainment center.

For more information, check out our full Echo Show 15 review.

Echo Show 5

For a smaller option that just covers the basics, the 3rd-generation Echo Show 5 offers a lot of the core functions from the Echo Show product line, but it’s less technically advanced and feature-filled.

How I tested the Echo Show 11 (2024)

• I tested it at home for a week
• I tested its smart home features and sensors
• I performed our standard audio and movie streaming tests

To test Amazon’s Echo Show 11, I tried all of the advertised features over a week of testing, from Alexa queries to Omnisense monitoring and automations to streaming.

I played music from a variety of genres, as well as the spoken word, to test the speakers and examine how well the Echo Show 11 replicates sound, and also watched movies and TV through streaming services like Netflix and YouTube, as well as Amazon Prime Video to test out the display’s performance and general user experience.

I’ve been testing smart speakers and other smart home devices for years, and my home runs on an Alexa-based setup. While well-acquainted with Amazon’s system and its features, I’ve also tested other ecosystems to learn the differences, strengths and weaknesses.

Proton VPN is one of many internet privacy products developed by Proton, the team of scientists and privacy advocates behind Proton Mail. The suite Proton offers is certainly impressive, but how does its VPN hold up against dedicated VPN providers like NordVPN and ExpressVPN?

The answer is pretty well. The completely free tier is something no other competitor on our top five list offers. With no ads and the same privacy guarantees as paid accounts, it’s an ideal way to trial the service. The paid version?

Starting, currently at $2.49 per month, it’s about the average for a top-tier VPN. Stay with me and I’ll go into whether the paid features are worth paying for, as well as how Proton VPN stacks up to the rest of our top five for speeds, unblocking capabilities, privacy, and overall value for money.

Features

There are lots of extra features built into Proton VPN’s paid version of the app, most of which are designed to either enhance your privacy or make the VPN harder to block.

For example, there’s Secure Core, which sends your VPN traffic through an initial hardened, physically owned VPN server in a high-security location before sending it on to a second endpoint VPN server. This secures the traffic you’re sending twice, so you can connect to locations without worrying that the endpoint server you use might be hacked, exposing your IP. Although it’s overkill for everyday use, it’s useful if you’re connecting to countries where VPNs are being heavily monitored by the government.

At the other end of the spectrum, there’s Alternative Routing. When enabled, this routes your VPN traffic along a route provided by external third-party servers such as AWS. While this does allow servers outside of ProtonVPN’s remit to see your home IP, it also allows you to connect to services that are otherwise blocking access from Proton VPN’s servers. You’re not going to get past an ISP’s DPI monitoring with this, but it’ll get you access to some sites that would otherwise detect you’re using a VPN.

As you can see so far, Proton VPN provides expert features that fit specific use cases. The same is true of the VPN over Tor feature, which allows you to access the Tor network directly from certain Proton VPN servers. Not everyone will need to access the Tor network, but if you’re a journalist or whistleblower, it might be the standout feature here when you need the extra anonymity.

Not everything is about privacy, though. Proton VPN uses a technology called VPN Accelerator, which uses multithreading and advanced TCP routing to provide you with better speeds when connecting to servers on the other side of the planet. It doesn’t do much when you’re connecting to servers you have a good connection with, but in situations where there’s high latency or excessive packet drop, it allows you to keep a significant portion of your bandwidth where you’d otherwise be slowed to a crawl by network instability.

Of course, there are all the conveniences here too. The VPN also includes a NetShield Ad-blocker, which blocks ads, trackers, and malware, enhancing both privacy and browsing speed. There’s also a kill-switch and split tunneling across all its apps, as well as DNS leak protection thanks to Proton VPN’s own private encrypted DNS servers.

Features score: 8/10

Server network

Proton VPN’s server network is impressive, to say the least. While the rest of our top 5 (barring Surfshark) offer more locations, Proton VPN is right up there for countries to choose from, offering a staggering 126. Although this leaves it just one short of NordVPN (127) when it comes to country coverage, there are some significant differences in terms of where they cover.

What sets Proton VPN apart is the focus on serving areas of the world that have been traditionally underrepresented by VPNs, such as Africa (with 26 locations) and the Asia (with 44 locations), both of which are more than any other provider on our top five list.

Of course, if you’ve already started doing the numbers, you’ll realize that this comes at the cost of offering less impressive coverage in Europe and North America than its competitors. This isn’t to say that Proton VPN doesn’t offer an acceptable range of locations, but if you need state-by-state coverage across the US, you’re better off looking at Private Internet Access instead. Similarly, ExpressVPN has you covered if you want in-depth access to Europe.

Server network score: 8/10

Apps

There’s a Proton VPN app for every major platform, including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux. There’s some feature disparity between versions of the app, but you can expect roughly the same experience from all of them, including the Linux app, which is a full GUI program. It’s roughly on par with the Windows version, whereas the macOS version doesn’t offer OpenVPN or split tunneling. Not ideal, but all of the security features are available across every platform.

There’s an interesting quirk in Proton VPN’s desktop app design that sets it apart from the rest of the apps in our top 5. When you unfurl the home menu, it displays a map of every VPN location you can access. It’s a very cool piece of design flair, which, when combined with the pleasing purple and black color scheme Proton VPN has going on, results in a piece of software that looks like something out of a spy film.

Proton VPN recently unveiled a major revamp to some of its apps, including its previously less appealing mobile apps. This update has improved not only the customisability of the service, but also how intuitive it feels to use across different platforms, since the apps now match almost entirely across all major platforms.

The Chrome version is rated significantly lower than the other browser extensions from our top 5 VPNs, but it seems a little unfair. With a score of 2.4 on the Apple App Store, many reviews seem to focus on the lack of a free version of the browser add-on. This isn’t the case anymore, as ProtonVPN has recently released a free version of all its browser apps. Some of these complaints are a little more valid, though. While I haven’t noticed it myself while testing the Chrome extension out, there are a lot of complaints about it requiring multiple log-ins to keep connected, which is an easily avoided frustration for users.

Apps score: 8/10

Ease of use

There’s nothing very difficult about the install process, and once you’re logged in, Proton VPN is easy enough to deploy. There’s a guided tour you can take to check out some of the more advanced features, but it’s easy to ignore if you just want to get started. You click the quick connect button, and you’re connected to the nearest server.

For everything else, Proton is functional if a little intimidating for new VPN users. The world map interface lets you plot out your Secure Core connection by hand, giving you a much better idea of how each location will impact your overall connection path. It’s a great way to optimize your connection speed, but it's a little more involved than just clicking a button and closing the app.

Ease of use score: 8/10

Speed and performance

Our latest testing across Proton’s protocols indicates an overall increase in its average speeds.

Over its fastest VPN protocol, WireGuard, Proton VPN (1521 Mbps) was second only to Surfshark (1615 Mbps) when connecting to our nearest VPN server.

What's more Proton VPN (1242 Mbps) maintained that excellent performance over a transatlantic server connection far better than Surfshark (355 Mbps). Proton VPN (1242 Mbps) was second only to ExpressVPN's Windows-only Lightway Turbo protocol (1373 Mbps) this time.

Our latency and jitter readings didn’t pick up anything particularly alarming either.

How we perform speed tests

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Our testing setup uses a cloud PC with a 10 Gbps connection. We use this to record VPN speeds between its Dublin location and a given VPN server. Then, to calculate the averages, we use multiple speed testing sites at different times of the day while connected to the various protocols of each VPN. You can find out more in our VPN testing methodology.

Sadly, Proton VPN's OpenVPN speeds are less than we’d hope, only measuring 240 Mbps (local) and 173 Mbps (long distance). Compare that to ExpressVPN (1038 Mbps / 808 Mbps) and NordVPN (974 Mbps / 857 Mbps) and it's quite a difference.

To be clear, these are all speeds that will completely suffice for almost all your internet activity. If you’re on fibre, you might struggle a little to get the most out of your connection while you’re downloading, but otherwise, it’ll handle 4K streaming without any issue at all.

Speed and performance score: 7/10

Unblocking

Given Proton VPN promotes itself as a privacy-first VPN, you'd be forgiven for thinking streaming might not be a strong suit. However, that’s thankfully not the case. We’ve tested the servers against a wide range of streaming services, including regional variants of Netflix (US, UK, Japan, Canada, and Australia) as well as other streaming giants like Amazon Prime and Disney Plus.

In all cases, the Proton VPN servers provided instant access to the services we tested. All you have to do is pick the location you want to watch from and get streaming.

We also tested Proton VPN with more regional services such as BBC iPlayer, Channel 4, ITVX, 10Now, and 9Play, all of which were easily accessible from Proton VPN.

As for torrenting? It’s a breeze. Proton VPN supports port forwarding, so you can easily connect to other peers in a P2P network. There are also a few P2P optimized servers available on Proton VPN, which allowed me to fully connect to the rest of the swarm when downloading Linux ISOs to test.

Unblocking score: 10/10

Privacy and Security

Like every other tool from the Proton team, Proton VPN has been built from the ground up for privacy and security. Depending on which platform you’re using Proton VPN on, you’ll have the choice between OpenVPN, WireGuard, and its proprietary Stealth protocol. OpenVPN and WireGuard have both been stress-tested a thousand times over by real-world deployments and audits, so you don’t have to worry about accidentally choosing an insecure protocol when setting up the service.

WireGuard is built to always use the most secure encryption by default, while Proton has set up its OpenVPN deployment to use AES-256, which is about as secure as can be.

Stealth is an obfuscated version of WireGuard that runs over TLS, making it look like normal encrypted browsing data to anyone who’s trying to analyze your traffic to spot a VPN in use. It’s mainly useful for ducking past enterprise rule-based firewalls, but your mileage may vary in how well it works on DPI-based firewalls that ISPs in countries with harsh internet restrictions use.

Of course, Proton has a strict no-logs policy, which has been verified by multiple independent audits, most recently from Securitum in July of 2024. This marks its third consecutive annual no-logs audit, all of which are available to see on Proton VPN’s website without registering for an account.

Most providers, including ExpressVPN, will ask you to sign up first, but Proton VPN is demonstrating a commitment to transparency that few VPN providers can match.

While Proton VPN doesn’t use RAM-only servers to run its service, they do employ full-disk encryption on all of its servers, which essentially achieves the same thing. None of your browsing or connection data is ever written to disk, and anyone who attempts to remove one of the servers by force would be completely unable to decrypt the hard disk without an encryption key. Not that they’d find anything useful, anyway.

Proton VPN’s Secure Core architecture adds an extra layer of protection by routing traffic through multiple servers in privacy-friendly countries, effectively defending against network-based attacks. Forward Secrecy is implemented, generating a new encryption key for each session to ensure that even if a key is compromised, past browsing history remains secure.

I can’t say Proton VPN’s malware blocking was particularly good, though. To test it out, we picked 100 brand-new phishing URLs from the anti-phishing experts at OpenPhish and connected to each one with Proton VPN open to see how they’d do. At 11% of malware sites blocked and only 19% of phishing results, Proton VPN could do far better.

Privacy and security score: 8/10

Track record

When you claim that you’re a privacy-first company, you’re going to get a lot of eyes on you. Proton VPN is no exception, which means that some privacy issues from related products tarnish its reputation slightly. In 2019, ProtonMail was forced to log the IP address of a climate activist after a law enforcement request, which significantly undermined its perception as a private email provider.

However, Swiss law works slightly differently for VPN providers. They cannot be compelled to carry out bulk surveillance by either foreign law enforcement or the Swiss government, so Proton VPN as a product is significantly less vulnerable to the same sort of requests.

As for individual accounts, Proton VPN has to comply with legally valid cases brought forth by the Swiss courts, even if these are made by a foreign entity. However, Switzerland has no official ties to EU, NATO, or US intelligence sharing pacts, and tends not to recognize law enforcement requests from countries with a poor judicial reputation.

Track record score: 9/10

Customer support

More so than other VPNs in our top 5, Proton VPN feels like it expects you to do a bit of reading to get the most out of your VPN. There’s an incredibly comprehensive knowledge base that very clearly outlines how the whole app works, as well as offering a ton of solutions for common troubleshooting problems. The live chat is only for paying customers, so if you have any trouble signing up, you’ll have to email them or send a support ticket.

Speaking of, its live support isn’t 24/7, unlike NordVPN. Instead, you’ll need to get in touch with a support representative between 9 AM and 5 PM CET. While my interactions with the Proton VPN support staff have been useful, if delayed a little bit (there’s a 24-hour turnaround on any issue when you open a ticket), there have been some poor interactions that resulted in a 2.4 score on Trustpilot.

Customer support score: 7/10

Pricing and plans

Proton VPN starts at $2.49 a month with the currently Black Friday VPN deal. That makes it a very good offer, right now, coming in significantly lower than NordVPN Basic ($2.99) and ExpressVPN Basic ($3.49).

A Proton VPN subscription protects 10 devices on a single plan. Upgrading your plan to Proton Unlimited won’t remove this restriction, but it will give you access to Proton Drive, Mail, Calendar, and Pass for another three dollars a month. If you’re trying to migrate all of your data away from another provider like Google, this is a truly great deal.

There’s also a free version that only offers 10 locations (The US, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Poland, Switzerland, Singapore, Mexico, Canada, and Japan) but does so with no ads or restrictions whatsoever.

You won’t get access to all of the premium features, such as Multi-Hop or Secure Core, but it’s functional enough if you need a secure VPN to cover a single device without paying for it.

Pricing and plans score: 10/10

Should you use Proton VPN?

If you’re looking for a free VPN, get Proton VPN. With an unlimited bandwidth policy, no time-outs, and no ads, Proton VPN is just about the best free VPN you can get today. As a paid VPN? You could do a lot worse. Proton VPN will satisfy just about everyone who uses it, but it falls short in a few key areas where other VPNs simply work better.

It’s fast when it counts, but Surfshark and NordVPN both consistently outdo Proton VPN. All the rest of our top five perform better than Proton VPN at both European and North American locations, especially ExpressVPN and PIA, respectively. Still, these are minor complaints at best. Proton VPN has an extensive list of privacy-focused features, and you can try all of them for yourself with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Overall score: 83/100

Proton VPN – from $2.49 per month
A great pick for small businesses

Proton offers a huge package for an impressively low cost. Offering services such as email, a password manager, and, of course, an impressive VPN, Proton offers a close competitor to Surfshark in terms of breadth of offering and value. Despite falling short in some areas of our testing, it's a surefire solution to anyone's day-to-day security concerns and offers speeds and security more than good enough to put your mind at ease.View Deal

Proton VPN alternatives

1. NordVPN – from $2.99 per month
The best VPN overall

A VPN with a focus on security, NordVPN not only offers a high-speed VPN but also a built-in antivirus, URL safety checkers, additional server protection with Double VPN, and an ad-blocker using their encrypted DNS solution. It’s slightly more expensive than Surfshark but offers a VPN service second to none. View Deal

2. Surfshark – from $1.99 per month
The best cheap VPN (and also the fastest)
Don't be fooled by the price tag. Surfshark isn't just cheap, it's a full-blown privacy suite with the best value-for-money toolkit I've seen in the market so far. Beyond its great features and even better pricing, it's also the current champion in our speed tests, and has been for a while. Check out this budget-friendly privacy demon with a 30-day money-back guarantee and see how it compares to ExpressVPN.View Deal

3. ExpressVPN – from $3.49 per month
The best VPN for beginners and the most secure

With its lightning-fast speeds and excellent unblocking capabilities, ExpressVPN is one of the best choices out there if you’re willing to pay a premium for performance. Its apps are incredibly polished, and its custom VPN protocol, Lightway, combines high speeds with obfuscation to allow you to connect from anywhere on the planet. View Deal

Proton VPN FAQsHow does Proton VPN keep your data safe?

Proton VPN is based in Switzerland and adheres to a strict no-logs policy, verified by independent audits. It also employs strong encryption standards in addition to security features like Secure Core.

Does Proton VPN work with Netflix?

Yes, Proton VPN successfully unblocks Netflix in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and Japan. Its speeds are also more than enough to watch 4K content, which makes it a good choice for streaming.

Is Proton VPN good for torrenting?

Proton VPN supports P2P file sharing on dedicated servers. They also use a combination of powerful encryption techniques and audited privacy practices, ensuring your IP won’t be leaked while torrenting.

Two-minute review

Amazon announced its new Echo Dot Max alongside the new Echo Studio, Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 in September 2025, heralding a new generation of its mid-range smart speakers and smart displays with a focus on better audio, Alexa+ compatibility, smart-home connectivity and a fresh new design-led look that brings them closer in terms of appearance to competitors from Google and Apple.

Although its name suggests that it succeeds the 5th-generation Echo Dot released in 2022, technically, the Echo Dot Max model replaces the 4th-generation Echo speaker, which is quietly phasing out across global markets. Regardless, Amazon is pitching the Max as more of a ‘Pro’-grade improvement to the Echo Dot than a direct follow-up, and it's gearing up to be one of the best smart speakers in Amazon's current line-up.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

So, what does the ‘Max’ moniker get you versus the standard model? According to Amazon, a two-way speaker system that offers three times the bass, faster processing thanks to the new AZ3 chip, and a stylish re-fit – oh, and it’s twice the price.

Broadly speaking, these upgrades all pay off in one of the best Alexa speakers I've tested: music is noticeably more bassy and carries more weight, Alexa is quick to respond, and the design looks more chic than the rather basic base model. Each of these points comes with a caveat, though: yes, the audio is decent with some smart features for home theatre fans, but still not enough to satisfy audiophiles, and I wouldn’t argue that audio is always strictly “better” than the regular Echo Dot. The speaker’s processor is clearly superior, but without Alexa+ to put it to the test, that difference is hard to notice. The redesign is lovely, but the front-facing controls are a little awkward to use.

All in all, given that the Echo 4th-gen offers a solid audio experience and is only marginally larger, and that Amazon didn’t bring back the 3.5mm jack it removed between the 4th and 5th-generation Echo Dot, calling this Echo Dot a ‘Max’ model feels only partially justified, and it’s hard to tell quite who Amazon has made this speaker for at times.

If ‘Max’ denotes its Alexa+ compatibility, well, that service is still in Early Access and exclusively available in the US as of writing, with no firm plans for global rollouts. From what we do know so far in the US, reception has been mixed. If ‘Max’ denotes audio performance, then yes, the speaker is impressive for its size, but it's still far from audiophile-approved.

Still, I enjoyed my time with the Echo Dot Max, and it's exciting to see this new direction for Amazon's smart speakers take form.

(Image credit: Future)Echo Dot Max: Specs

Echo Dot Max

Dimensions

4.27 x 4.27 x 3.9 inches / 10.8 x 10.8 x 9.9cm

Speakers

0.8-inch tweeter and 2.5-inch woofer

Processor

AZ3

Connecivity

Zigbee, Matter, Thread Border Router, eero

Voice assistant

Alexa

Weight

17.8oz / 505.3g

Echo Dot Max: Design

• New, more premium materials
• Neat and petite
• Control placement isn’t great

The Echo Dot Max, along with the new Echo Studio, features a new design language – a chunkier knit-fabric exterior, new front-facing controls, and a slightly larger frame than the standard Echo Dot.

Star Wars fans will surely delight in this Death Star-esque design refresh, but if you regularly use touch controls on your Echo speakers you might not love the new button placement. Prodding the controls leads the speaker to scoot across the surface, so you have to hold onto it during use – not a deal-breaker, but a little annoying.

The iconic blue Alexa ring has also moved to surround the control panel, and as with some more recent Echo speakers, it can also show the volume percentage and provide other status cues like notifications, connectivity issues and mute mode. Under the hood, the Echo Dot Max packs a 0.8-inch tweeter and 2.5-inch woofer as well as the new AZ3 chip.

On the rear is a single power port, and just like the last-generation Echo Dot, there’s no 3.5mm jack on this model. That feels like a slightly more glaring omission; this is a really useful utility for streaming music through a better home audio system via the Echo, and while its removal from the 5th-gen Echo Dot could just about be excused given its price and positioning, it’s unfortunate that it hasn’t made a return in this pricier model.

While I do like the new fabric-mesh coating and control panel, overall the Echo Dot Max redesign ends up being more inconvenient in manual operation, and it really is a shame that Amazon opted not to include the 3.5mm jack. The heavier, more robust Echo Studio suits the new form factor quite nicely, but the Echo Dot Max, especially in the purple colorway I tested, isn’t quite as convincing in its Death Star-ness.

• Design: 4/5

Echo Dot Max next to an Echo Dot (5th-gen) (Image credit: Future)Echo Dot Max: Performance

• New two-way speaker system
• Decent audio features and performance
• Alexa is zippy

Amazon’s new Echo Dot Max is a solid all-rounder, with iterative upgrades to the 5th-gen Echo Dot, but it generally comes in just below the 4th-gen Echo base model.

The Echo Dot Max is the first Echo Dot from Amazon with a two-way speaker system. There’s a single 20mm tweeter and a 6cm woofer, meaning your favorite playlist will fill the room better than ever before. However, it’s marginally less powerful than the 1.73-inch speaker found in the 5th-gen Echo Dot, and the Echo 4th gen’s 3-inch woofer and two 20mm front-firing tweeters offer a better all-around audio experience. It’ll be a matter of taste, in some cases, as well as positioning that determines if the Echo Dot, regular Echo or the Echo Dot Max is technically ‘better’ for your audio needs, but it’s nonetheless impressive.

The Echo Dot Max can be surprisingly loud, with lovely clear vocals and highs. Laufey’s Falling Behind is plenty warm and rounded, and while you lose the crispness on the syncopated acoustic guitar hits, the vocals still poke through well. Tracks with less complexity in the rhythm and bass come out quite cleanly, and at times fare better than when played on the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 I tested alongside the Echo Dot Max. Jeff Buckey’s Last Goodbye is an excellent example of this, with his dulcet tones ringing out gorgeously, and Bowie’s vocals are also beautifully clear on Heroes, even as the intensity amps up throughout the track.

Other tracks feel far flatter through the Dot Max, which can’t always deliver a rounded, powerful bass; Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain is missing the punchy drive of the drums and feels weaker all round, and the same goes for Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush, where what should be the driving, insistent rhythm lacks the force to lift the emotion of Bush’s chirping vocals. Glory Box by Portishead is far less muddied and clipped than when I played it on the Echo Show 11 and 8, though it still feels compressed too much into the mid-range, and can’t deliver the nicely rounded bass I love in the track. For its size and price, it’s still impressive, and I can forgive its weaknesses, but I wouldn’t say it quite delivers the ‘Max’ experience I’d expect based on audio quality alone.

However, the Echo Dot Max redeems itself with the audio smarts it packs under the hood, including Lossless High Definition and Automatic Room Adaptation. In practice, that means the speaker is able to adapt its audio to wherever it’s placed, and it’s the first time we’ve seen this tech in an Echo Dot. I really value immersive sound over and above a speaker’s power, so these audio smarts make the Echo Dot Max much more to my liking.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Soon, the Echo Dot Max will gain another feather to its audio cap; you’ll soon be able to connect up to five Echo Dot Max or Echo Studio speakers plus an optional Echo subwoofer to Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd-gen), Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd-gen), or Fire TV Cube (3rd-gen) to use Amazon’s new Home Theatre feature. Simply set it up using the Alexa app and Amazon’s voice assistant will automatically configure the placement and tune the sound using its spatial awareness sensors for an immersive surround sound experience. This setup will support Dolby Atmos from selected streaming services, and you’ll be able to control volume with voice commands or a Fire TV remote.

The Echo Dot Max has the same temperature and ultrasound motion sensors as the Echo Dot (4th gen), but also adds a new Wi-Fi sensing capability. All of these worked well on test, and are great for setting up even smarter Alexa Routines. For instance, I set up an automation that turns on my smart lights when I enter a room as well as one that turns on my electric heater when the temperature drops too low for my liking.

When it comes to the more standardized Alexa features, the Echo Dot Max performs as expected. If you’ve used more recent Echo devices, you likely won’t really feel the speed boost from the AZ3 chipset, but it’s a marked difference compared to older models. Alexa responds in rapid fashion, pulling up information and executing commands quicker than ever; it’s unlikely that the base version of Amazon’s voice assistant can actually get much quicker without pre-empting your query – and given that Alexa on the Dot Max actually cut me off once or twice, we should be careful what we wish for here.

Of course, all that new computing power is really in service of powering Alexa+, which, at the time of writing, is not available in the UK, where I’ve been testing the Echo Dot Max. We’ve got a full review of Amazon’s agentic AI platform coming soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that or check back here for updates.

Personally, I enjoyed my time with the Echo Dot Max. Along a similar vein to my verdict on the design, I'm not sure its performance improvements justify the price increase, and the fact it won't quite be good enough for audiophiles yet still offers better audio makes it hard to place in Amazon's line-up of Echo Speakers.

• Performance: 4/5

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)Echo Dot Max: Price and availability

• List price: $99 / £99 / AU$199
• Released November 2025

The Echo Dot Max sits in the mid-range of Amazon’s Echo family, positioned as a step up for Echo Dot fans who want a slight boost to audio, and better AI experiences when Alexa+ is eventually available to them. It’s available in black, white, and a bold purple colorway.

It’s $50 / £50 / AU$100 more expensive than the 5th-generation Echo Dot, which for the foreseeable future, is still available for purchase. For that extra cost you do get some decent improvements, but it still can’t beat the 4th-generation full-size Echo for audio, which sold at a similar price point.

For me, the differences between the Echo Dot and Max models aren’t quite enough to justify the jump in list price; and especially not when one of the key selling points – that being Alexa+ compatibility – is only available in Early Access the US at the time of writing, and costs more on top – unless, of course, you have an Amazon Prime subscription. I probably wouldn’t buy this at list price, but as we all know, Amazon loves a juicy discount around sales events.

• Value: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Echo Dot Max?Buy it if...

You want room-filling audio

While I’m 50/50 on whether or not the Echo Dot Max’s audio performance can be considered truly “better” than the regular Echo Dot, it’s certainly better at filling a space thanks to the addition of Lossless High Definition, and Automatic Room Adaptation.

You’re upgrading from an older Echo speaker

More recent Echo smart speakers pack fairly similar specs and performance, but the AZ3 chip brings a marked improvement.

Don't buy it if...

You are an audiophile

It’s impressive what the Echo Dot Max does within the boundaries of its size and price point, but the speaker is still far from perfect and won’t render your favorite tracks perfectly.

You don’t like Death Stars

I’m being a little tongue-in-cheek here, but the design won’t be for everyone - especially if you’re a fan of using the manual controls, which, when pressed, can push the speaker across surface.

Amazon Echo Dot Max: also considerScorecard

Value

3.5/5

Far from pricey, but doesn't quite live up to its premium positioning or price point

Design

4/5

New design shape may be divisive, control panel a bit annoying, but lovely build quality

Performance

4/5

You win some, you lose some; smart, both in sound and home automation, but not quite powerful enough.

If you're not sure the Amazon Dot Max is the right Alexa smart speaker for you, here are further options to consider from Amazon:

Echo Dot Max

Echo Dot (5th-gen)

Echo (4th-gen)

Dimensions

4.27 x 4.27 x 3.9 inches

3.53 inches x 3.94 inches x 3.94 inches

5.7-inch x 5.7-inch x 5.2-inch

Speakers

0.8-inch tweeter and 2.5-inch woofer

1.73-inch front-firing speaker

3.0" (76.2 mm) neodymium woofer and two 0.8" (20 mm) front-firing tweeters with Dolby Audio support

Processor

AZ3

AZ2 Neural Edge

AZ1 Neural Edge

Connecivity

Zigbee, Matter, Thread Border Router, eero, Wi-Fi 6

Zigbee, Matter, Thread Border Router, eero, Wi-Fi 6

Zigbee, Matter, Thread border router. Dual-band Wi-Fi, eero, Bluetooth

3.5mm audio line-in/out.

Weight

505.3g

328g

970g

Also consider Echo Dot (5th-gen)

The 5th-gen Echo Dot is the predecessor to the Echo Dot Max, and while its audio specs aren’t quite as adaptable, the sound quality will be slightly better for some owing to the slightly more powerful speaker.

For more information, check out our full Echo Dot (5th-gen) review.

Also consider Echo (4th-gen)

The 4th generation of Amazon’s base model Echo speaker may be getting long in the tooth, its audio performance is admirable, it’s often on sale at bargain prices, and offers a similar performance.

For more information, check out our full Echo (4th-gen) review.

How I tested the Echo Show 15 (2024)

• I used the Echo Dot Max as part of my personal smart home setup
• I played lossless audio through Spotify
• I tried the standard Alexa and other advertised features.

I tried all of the advertised features of the Echo Dot Max (barring Alexa+, which is not currently available in the UK) to examine its value for money, performance and how successfully Amazon’s redesign accounts for user experience.

In addition to using Alexa for a variety of tasks like browsing, searching and connecting to third-party apps and services, as well as controlling smart home devices, I also used my Echo Dot Max as a speaker for lossless tracks streamed through Spotify. I tested a range of genres of music and different moods to see how well it represented some of my favorite tracks and testing playlist.

I’ve been using Alexa speakers for years, and professionally testing smart home devices for 3+ years. In addition to my at-home Alexa setup, I’ve also used both Google and Apple devices to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the most popular smart home ecosystems.