TechRadar Reviews

One-minute review

The Asus ROG Destrier Core is a compelling option if you’re searching for a mesh gaming chair and don’t mind paying a little bit more for a refreshingly stylish overall design.

The brand claims that the striking look was inspired by a ‘futuristic cyborg aesthetic’ and, while I personally don’t see the resemblance, the abundance of sharp angles helps it stand out in a sea of generic racing seats. It’s still sleek enough to blend into an office environment, with little details like the attached ROG fabric strap and subtle ‘Republic of Gamers’ engraving that mean it will look just as at home in a high-end gaming setup like any of the best gaming chairs.

It’s very comfortable to sit on too, with its breathable nylon mesh ensuring that heat won’t build up over even the longest gaming sessions. I’ve been using this chair at my desk at TechRadar Gaming HQ for months, and it’s helped me keep cool both during the stuffy summer months and throughout winter when the heating is mercilessly cranked up to uncomfortable levels.

Despite its thin overall profile, it still provides a good level of lumbar support thanks to an adjustable system in its backrest and the ability to tweak seat height and depth to find the perfect sitting position. The included headrest is also a nice touch, offering substantially more comfort and adjustability than the much more static magnetic cushion found on the competing Secretlab Titan Evo 2022.

My only major complaint with the Asus ROG Destrier Core relates to the setup process out of the box. I assemble gaming chairs every other week, and this is one of the few models that I’ve struggled with. The included instructions are perfectly clear, but getting the heavy backrest into position so that you can screw everything together is tricky to do alone, and had me drafting a colleague in to help hold it in position.

Luckily, you’ll only have to do this once - but it is worth bearing in mind that you might need a friend on hand.

(Image credit: Future)Price and availability

• Costs $629.99 / £499.99 / around AU$600
• Available via Asus and online retailers
• Strong competition at this price

The Asus ROG Destrier Core Gaming Chair costs $629.99 / £499.99 / around AU$600. It’s readily available direct from Asus or at online retailers such as Amazon.

This price tag puts the chair towards the upper bracket of the mid-range market, coming in above supremely popular alternatives like the $519 / £414 / AU$724 Secretlab Titan Evo 2022.

What makes the Asus ROG Destrier Core Gaming Chair worth picking in the face of such strong competition? The mesh material and the unique design, namely. Quality mesh gaming chairs are generally expensive, with the likes of the Razer Fujin Pro at an eye-watering $1,049 / £999, so this price tag is not too unreasonable.

Specs

Price

$629.99 / £499.99 / around AU$600

Dimensions

27.8 x 24.1 x 45.2-53.1 inches / 707 x 613 x 1150-1350mm

Max user weight

299.8lbs / 136kg

Min seat height

18.5in / 470mm

Seat width

20in / 510mm

Warranty

2 years

Design and aesthetics

• Unique look
• Quality materials
• Subtle branding

With its distinctly angular look, the Asus ROG Destrier Core is pretty stylish as far as gaming chairs go. Asus has kept the aesthetic very minimalist, with most of the branding confined to subtle details.

This includes a neat fabric strap on the back of the headrest, which doubles as a convenient way to yank the chair around if you want to move it. There’s also a small ‘Republic of Gamers’ engraving on its spine, and a subtle ROG logo on the back of the headrest’s mesh.

Looking at the chair head-on, the only real indication that this is indeed a gaming product is the red ROG emblem emblazoned on the headrest. If this isn’t to your liking, though, Asus also offers a white version of the chair that swaps the red out for a much more subtle silver color.

As you would expect, given the price tag, the materials here are flawless across the board. The nylon mesh is impressively strong, and the armrests benefit from a soft layer of foam padding. The casters are smooth, gliding across surfaces with ease and minimal noise.

This chair has been used heavily throughout its time at our office so far, with someone sitting in it every weekday for months, and in that time, it's sustained very few visible marks or scuffs, which is particularly impressive.

(Image credit: Future)Comfort and adjustability

• Adjustable lumbar support and 3D armrests
• “Mobile gaming mode”
• Highly comfortable to use

There is no shortage of adjustment options with the Asus ROG Destrier Core Gaming Chair. It offers the standard height adjustment via a gas mechanism and the ability to alternate the backrest recline between three levels via a lever on the right-hand side of your seated position. You can also easily reposition the bottom of the seat to increase or decrease its depth with a lever located on the other side.

The armrests can be raised by up to 5.5 inches / 14cm and can rotate a full 360 degrees. They’re a decent size and have a layer of soft foam at the top to make them a bit more comfortable on your elbows.

Raise the armrests as far as possible to enter what Asus calls “mobile gaming mode” - designed to keep your arms elevated so you can hold a phone in front of your face without strain. It feels a little weird at first, but it does a surprisingly good job of improving mobile play if you’re at your desk.

Underneath the backrest is a basic lumbar support mechanism which can be raised and lowered freely, clicking into place. You can also tweak its depth slightly by twisting the two rotating dials on the back.

(Image credit: Future)

The final points of adjustment are in the headrest, which can be raised or lowered in a range of 4.7 inches / 12cm or moved forward and backwards to ensure that it’s snugly against the back of your head. I’m quite tall and can struggle with headrests built into gaming chairs, but the range of adjustment here made it easy to get it into the perfect spot.

Add in the breathability of the mesh material, and you have a chair that remains comfortable even over extended periods of use. I’ve sat in it for hours at a time and haven’t experienced any soreness or fatigue.

(Image credit: Future)Assembly

• All necessary tools included
• Backrest is difficult to align
• I’d recommend having a friend help

Assembling the Asus ROG Destrier Core Gaming Chair is a bit of a chore as the components are quite heavy, which makes them difficult to maneuver on your own.

Due to the shape of the backrest, it’s hard to keep it in place when it needs to be screwed in - so I’d highly recommend making sure that you have a friend on hand to lend a hand.

The instructions are thankfully very clear, and all necessary tools are included in the box, so Asus gains some marks back there.

Should I buy the Asus ROG Destrier Core Gaming Chair?Buy it if...

You’re after a stylish gaming seat
The overall design and aesthetic is one of the highlights of the Asus ROG Destrier Core Gaming Chair. It’s attractive and unique, and wouldn’t look out of place in either an office or a gaming den.

You want a breathable mesh
The Asus ROG Destrier Core Gaming Chair boasts a quality nylon mesh that provides a good level of breathability to stop heat building over as you sit.

Don't buy it if...

You want to save some cash
The Asus ROG Destrier Core Gaming Chair is a compelling package, but there’s plenty of strong competition around this price. The Secretlab Titan Evo 2022, for example, is another comfortable chair that comes in a little cheaper.

Also consider...

If you’re not sold on the Asus ROG Destrier Core Gaming Chair, then these two alternatives are worth weighing up.

Asus ROG Destrier Core Gaming Chair

Secretlab Titan Evo 2022

Razer Fujin Pro

Price

$629.99 / £499.99 / around AU$600

$549 / £469 / AU$799

$1,049 / £‎1,315 / around AU$ 2,600

Dimensions

27.8 x 24.1 x 45.2-53.1 inches / 707 x 613 x 1150-1350mm

51.2 x 27.6 x 19.3in / 130 x 70 x 49cm

28.57 x 16.94 x 36.05in / 725 x 430 x 915mm

Max user weight

299.8lbs / 136kg

285lbs / 130kg

136kg / 300lbs

Min seat height

18.5 inches / 470mm

17.7in / 45cm

18.5 inches

Seat width

20 inches / 510mm

18.5in / 470mm

20.9 inches / 530mm

Warranty

2 years

3 years

5 years

Secretlab Titan Evo 2022
This popular gaming chair is a strong alternative. It’s not a mesh model, but it’s still highly comfortable with plenty of adjustment options. It’s even a little cheaper than the Asus ROG Destrier Core Gaming Chair - and comes in more color options to boot.

For more information, check out our full Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 review

Razer Fujin Pro
If you want another mesh option, then this high-end competitor from hardware giant Razer is worth a look. It’s much more expensive than the Asus ROG Destrier Core Gaming Chair, but delivers a supreme level of comfort.

For more information, check out our full Razer Fujin Pro review

How I tested the Asus ROG Destrier Core Gaming Chair

• Tested for multiple months
• Sat in for hours at a time
• Compared to other gaming chairs

I tested the Asus ROG Destrier Core Gaming Chair over multiple months at the TechRadar Gaming office.

Throughout that time, I used the chair every time I was working from the office, sitting in it for multiple hours at a time. In addition to office work, I tested gaming products like the Nintendo Switch 2 from the seat and was careful to evaluate its mobile gaming mode.

I compared my experience to my hands-on testing of many other gaming chairs, including the likes of the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 and my go-to at-home pick: the Herman Miller Sayl.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed September-December 2025.

TP-Link AXE5400: One minute reviewAsus RP-AX58: Specifications

Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6E
Wi-Fi Speed: 5.4Gbps
Ports: 1x Gigabit Ethernet
Antennae: 4
Dimensions: 348 x 106 x 80mm

Wi-Fi 6E, which the Asus RP-AX58 features, is a bit like the missing link of the Wi-Fi family. It was the first version of Wi-Fi technology to introduce the high-speed 6.0GHz frequency band – in addition to the existing 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz bands used by previous generations of Wi-Fi. However, it never really took off as many people had only just upgraded to Wi-Fi 6, and it wasn’t long before the absurdly fast Wi-Fi 7 came along and made poor old 6E look a bit irrelevant.

The advantage of that, though, is that you can now pick up a high-performance range extender that uses Wi-Fi 6E at a pretty competitive price.

We liked TP-Link’s BE3600 range extender thanks to its ease of use and installation, but its dual-band Wi-Fi 7 performance was actually fairly modest, with a top speed of 3.6Gbps. The AXE5400 (model number RE815XE) is around the same price as the BE3600, but the use of Wi-Fi 6E means that it can provide tri-band Wi-Fi performance and a speed of 5.4Gbps that should be more than adequate for use with most home broadband services.

TP-Link AXE5400: Price And Availability

• How much does it cost? $139.99/£119.14
• When is it available: Now
• Where can you get it: US, UK

The AXE5400 costs $139.99/£119.14, which is slightly less expensive than the TP-Link BE3600 with Wi-Fi 7, even though the tri-band Wi-Fi 6E used by the AXE5400 actually provides stronger performance with a top speed of 5.4Gbps.

It’s not currently on sale in Australia, though, where it looks like TP-Link is skipping a generation and going from an older Wi-Fi 6 model to the new BE3600 with Wi-Fi 7 instead.

• Value: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future)TP-Link AXE5400: Design

• Big, bulky design
• Four external antennae
• Easy-to-use app

It’s safe to say that the AXE5400 is not going to quietly and unobtrusively blend into your home décor.

Its four large external antennae make it one of the biggest and bulkiest range extenders we’ve come across, and with the antennae fully extended the AXE5400 measures a full 348mm high, 106mm wide and 80mm deep (including the plug section that is inserted straight into a mains power socket).

In fact, it’s so large that it actually blocked an adjacent power socket when we set it up in our offices. There’s also a series of status indicator lights on the front panel, which are useful when setting up the AXE5400, but also mean that it may take up even more space in order to keep the front of the unit clear and visible.

The bulky design does serve a purpose though, as the large antennae help to beam the range extender’s tri-band Wi-Fi signal far and wide, and ensure that it obliterates any annoying deadspots in your home. There’s an Ethernet port on the right-hand side of the unit to provide a wired connection too – although, of course, the AXE5400 still relies on Wi-Fi to connect to your main broadband router.

• Design: 3.5/5

(Image credit: Future)TP-Link AXE5400: Features

• Simple installation
• Helpful status indicators
• Plugs directly into mains power socket

It may not support the latest Wi-Fi 7, but the AXE5400 includes plenty of features that enable it to provide strong Wi-Fi performance, and also to help people who may not have used a range extender before.

The use of tri-band Wi-Fi 6E allows the AXE5400 to broadcast a Wi-Fi signal on three separate frequency bands. The 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz bands provide compatibility with older PCs and mobile devices, while the high-speed 6.0GHz band boosts the Wi-Fi performance to a healthy 5.4Gbps – which is significantly faster than dual-band range extenders that use Wi-Fi 7, such as TP-Link’s BE3600, or the Asus RP-BE58.

And, as mentioned, there’s a Gigabit Ethernet port on the AXE5400 to provide a wired connection as well. It also provides a feature called ‘adaptive path selection’ – often just called ‘roaming’ by most other manufacturers – which can monitor a laptop or mobile device as you move from room to room, and decide when to hand the Wi-Fi connection back to your main router in order to maintain the best performance.

Like most range extenders, the AXE5400 will work with routers from any manufacturer, but it also supports TP-Link’s OneMesh system, which allows it to be used as part of a wider mesh networking system if you already own a TP-Link router with OneMesh.

It’s easy to use too (although the annoying Christmas ads that seemed to pop up every now and then within the app were pretty shameless). The TP-Link Tether app can automatically detect the Wi-Fi signal from the AXE5400 and guide you through the process of connecting to the three different frequency bands.

You can use the same name and password as your main network from your broadband router, or create a new name and password just for the AXE5400. There’s even a signal test within the app to help you find the best spot to place the AXE5400 in order to deal with any deadspots in particular rooms within your home. And, for more advanced users, there’s a web browser interface that provides more detailed control over your network settings.

• Features: 4/5

(Image credit: Future)TP-Link AXE5400: Performance

• Tri-band Wi-Fi 6E
• 5.4Gbps Wi-Fi
• 1x Gigabit Ethernet

Our offices are a good place to test range extenders, as we have one office towards the back of the building that does suffer from a very noticeable Wi-Fi deadspot – which is usually managed with the use of some PowerLine adaptors to provide a wired network connection instead.

TP-Link AXE5400 benchmarks

Ookla Speed Test – 2.4GHz (download/upload)

Within 30ft, three partition walls: 140Mbps / 140Mbps

20GB Steam Download - 2.4GHz

Within 30ft, three partition walls: 110Mbps

Ookla Speed Test – 5.0GHz (download/upload)

Within 30ft, three partition walls: 150Mbps / 150Mbps

20GB Steam Download - 5.0GHz

Within 30ft, three partition walls: 150Mbps

Ookla Speed Test - 6.0GHz (upload/download)

Within 30ft, three partition walls: 150Mbps/150Mbps

20GB Steam Download - 6.0GHz

Within 30ft, three partition walls: 150Mbps

Thankfully, though, the AXE5400 dealt with that problem in no time at all, providing a strong Wi-Fi signal on all three frequency bands as soon as I set it up in a hallway just outside that back office.

The office broadband runs at 150Mbps, and even the slower 2.4GHz band on the AXE5400 managed to hit 140Mbps with the Ookla Speed Test. Steam downloads were a little slower at 110Mbps, but that speed is still in line with the 2.4GHz performance of other range extenders that we’ve tested.

Switching to the 5.0GHz band immediately boosted performance, hitting the full 150Mbps with both the Ookla and Steam tests. And, of course, the fastest 6.0GHz band had no trouble maintaining those speeds as well.

If you only have older PCs or mobile devices that use Wi-Fi 5 or 6 on the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz bands then you may not need a tri-band range extender such the AXE5400.

But, if you’re able to make use of that 6.0GHz band, then the AXE5400 is a fast, reliable way of getting rid of Wi-Fi deadspots at a more competitive price than newer Wi-Fi 7 models.

• Performance: 4/5

Should You Buy The TP-Link AXE5400?TP-Link AXE5400 Scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Score

Value

Wi-Fi 6E may be the forgotten member of the Wi-Fi family, but that means you can pick up this tri-band range extender at a very competitive price.

4.5 / 5

Design

The sheer size of the AXE5400 and its four large antenna means that it’s a bit of an eyesore, and may even block an adjacent power socket.

3.5 / 5

Features

The four antennae do earn their keep though, providing tri-band Wi-Fi for maximum compatibility with both older and newer PCs and mobile devices.

4 / 5

Performance

Tri-band Wi-Fi and a top speed of 5.4Gbps means that the AXE5400 can even outperform some of its dual-band Wi-Fi 7 rivals.

4 / 5

Final Score

Good performance, maximum compatibility, and an easy-to-use app make this a great option for anyone that needs to fix a Wi-Fi deadspot.

4 / 5

Buy it if...

You need speed
Tri-band Wi-Fi 6E with a top speed of 5.4Gbps is more than enough for streaming video and online gaming.

You have a new laptop
It may not support Wi-Fi 7, but the Wi-Fi 6E used by the AXE5400 still lets you use the speed 6.0GHz frequency band.

Don’t buy it if...

You’re on a budget
The AXE5400 is a fairly high-end range extender, and there are less expensive options available for under $100/£100.

You don't need super-speed
Many of us don’t really need Wi-Fi 6E, as we’re still using older PCs, consoles, and mobile devices that only support the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz frequencies.

Also Consider

If you're undecided about the TP-Link AXE5400, I've compared its specs with two other options that might be a better fit.

TP-Link AXE5400

Asus RP-BE58

TP-Link RE700X

Price

$139.99/£119.14

$99.99/79.99/AU$150

$119.99/£56.99/AU$123.90

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 6E

Wi-Fi 7

Wi-Fi 6

Wi-Fi Speed

5.4Gbps

3.6Gbps

3.0Gbps

Antennae

4 (external)

2 (internal)

2 (internal)

Ethernet ports

1x Gigabit Ethernet

1x Gigabit Ethernet

1x Gigabit Ethernet

Dimensions

348 x 106 x 80mm

150 x 72 x 87mm

149 x 78 x 36mm

If you do want a range extender that supports Wi-Fi 7 then the RP-BE58 from Asus is a good affordable option. It offers dual-band Wi-Fi running at 3.6Gbps, and can easily handle gaming and streaming video.

This previous-generation range extender from TP-Link is a good budget option for many people. It supports dual-band Wi-Fi 6 with a top speed of 3.0Gbps, which is fine for most domestic broadband services. Read our full review

Asus RP-AX58: One minute reviewAsus RP-AX58: Specifications

Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6
Wi-Fi Speed: 3.0Gbps
Ports: 1x Gigabit Ethernet
Antennae: 2 (internal)
Dimensions: 150 x72 x 87mm

We liked the RP-BE58 range extender from Asus, which provides dual-band Wi-Fi 7 with good performance at a competitive price. However, most people are still using older PCs and mobile devices that don’t support Wi-Fi 7 yet.

There are also many brand-new PCs and laptops now available that don’t have Wi-Fi 7 either (yes, Apple, we’re looking at you). And, of course, there’s no need to buy a range extender with Wi-Fi 7 if you’re still using an old router that only has Wi-Fi 5 or 6. In that case you might want to look at the Asus RP-AX58 range extender instead, which sticks with Wi-Fi 6 and an even more affordable price.

Admittedly, its dual-band Wi-Fi does run at a relatively modest 3.0Gbps, but that should still be more than adequate for streaming video or gaming in most homes, and the RP-AX58 will be a good, affordable option if you just need to boost your Wi-Fi into an upstairs bedroom or other area that suffers from a Wi-Fi deadspot.

Asus RP-AX58: Price And Availability

• How much does it cost? $79.99/£64.99/AU $103.62
• When is it available: Now
• Where can you get it: US, UK, Australia

Sticking with Wi-Fi 6 means that the RP-AX58 is currently available for a very competitive $79.99/£64.99/AU $103.62.

That makes it one of the most affordable range extenders we’ve seen recently, and it’s considerably cheaper than Asus’ RP-BE58 with Wi-Fi 7, as well as rivals such as TP-Link’s BE3600. It’s available in most regions and, as Wi-Fi 6 is a few years old now, you can find it discounted online quite often if you want to shop around.

• Value: 4/5

(Image credit: Future)Asus RP-AX58: Design

• Compact, slimline design
• No cables, plugs directly into mains socket
• 2x internal antennae

The RP-AX58 looks virtually identical to its Wi-Fi 7 stablemate from Asus, with a similar slimline design that hides its two Wi-Fi antennae inside the body of the range extender.

It measures just 150mm high, 72mm wide and 87mm deep and, like most range extenders it’s designed to plug directly into a mains power socket, so its compact design ensures that you can simply plug it into any convenient socket in any room around your home or office.

There’s a Gigabit Ethernet port on the right-hand side of the range extender that can provide a wired connection as well (although the RP-AX58 will still connect to your main broadband router via Wi-Fi).

• Design: 4

(Image credit: Future)Asus RP-AX58: Features

• Supports Asus AiMesh technology
• Compatible with most routers
• App feels a little clumsy

The Asus RP-AX58 provides dual-band Wi-Fi 6, running on the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz frequency bands, which ensures compatibility with most PCs, consoles, and mobile devices.

Its 3.0Gbps performance isn’t going to break any speed records, but it should be more than adequate for use with most home broadband services, and fast enough to eliminate any Wi-Fi deadspots in rooms or other areas that suffer from poor Wi-Fi. The RP-AX58 will work with broadband routers from most manufacturers, but it also supports Asus’ AiMesh technology, which allows it to act as part of a mesh Wi-Fi network in conjunction with Asus’ own routers or mesh systems.

The Asus Extender app has a few rough edges, though. As I’ve seen before, the opening screen of the app displays some jumbled text on the screen of my iPhone (although that’s not a problem on the larger screen of an iPad).

However, even when the text is clear it’s... well... still a bit unclear. The app tells you to enter the ‘default password’ for the Wi-Fi network created by the range extender, when in fact the network doesn’t initially require a password.

It’s only after connecting the RP-AX58 to your existing Wi-Fi network that the app gives you the opportunity to set a password. You can create an entirely new network name and password just for connecting to the RP-AX58, or if you want to keep things simple you can just tell the app to use the same name and password as your existing Wi-Fi network.

The low price of the RP-AX58 means that there’s not much in the way of additional features, but that’s not a problem as long as it delivers the goods when tackling your Wi-Fi deadspots.

• Features: 3/5

(Image credit: Future)Asus RP-AX58: Performance

• Dual-band Wi-Fi 6
• 3.0Gbps speed
• 1x Gigabit Ethernet port

The use of Wi-Fi 6 and a top speed of 3.0Gbps seems almost quaint when compared to the blazing speeds of the latest Wi-Fi 7 devices. Yet few people really need multi-gig speeds for their home or office Wi-Fi, so the RP-AX58 should still provide all the speed you need for most home broadband services.

Asus RP-AX58 benchmarks

Ookla Speed Test – 2.4GHz (download/upload)

Within 30ft, three partition walls: 120Mbps / 120Mbps

20GB Steam Download - 2.4GHz

Within 30ft, three partition walls: 120Mbps

Ookla Speed Test – 5.0GHz (download/upload)

Within 30ft, three partition walls: 150Mbps / 150Mbps

20GB Steam Download - 5.0GHz

Within 30ft, three partition walls: 150Mbps

It worked well with my own Wi-Fi deadspot, located in an office towards the back of a building that my normal office router struggles to reach. I installed the RP-AX58 in a hallway just outside that office and immediately said goodbye to the dead zone – and to the PowerLine adaptors that I normally use to provide a wired connection in that room.

My office broadband runs at 150Mbps, and the slower 2.4GHz band provided by the RP-AX58 was able to provide a perfectly reliable speed of 120Mbps in the back office for Steam downloads and the Ookla Speed Test.

Admittedly, the RP-BE58 range extender from Asus ran slightly faster on that frequency band, hitting 135Mps, but the RP-BE58 is more expensive because of its up-to-date support for Wi-Fi 7, and 120Mbps will still be enough to handle web browsing and streaming video with no trouble.

And, as expected, the faster 5.0GHz band delivered the full 150Mbps available with our office broadband for both Ookla and Steam. Owners of newer devices that support Wi-Fi 7 might prefer a more up-to-date router or range extender that can deliver the higher performance of Wi-Fi 7, but if you just need to boost the Wi-Fi in one or two rooms around your home then the RP-AX58 will do the trick without breaking the bank.

• Performance: 3/5

Should You Buy The Asus RP-AX58?Asus RP-AX58 Scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Score

Value

It’s very much an entry-level option, but the RP-AX58 is an affordable option for dealing with Wi-Fi deadspots.

4 / 5

Design

A slimline design that plugs directly into a mains power socket and doesn’t take up too much space.

4 / 5

Features

Entry-level price means entry-level features, but the RP-AX58 does the job of boosting your home Wi-Fi.

3 / 5

Performance

Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 running at 3.0Gbps is far from breath-taking, but it should still be able to handle most online tasks with ease.

3 / 5

Final Score

It’s last-gen Wi-Fi, but still a perfectly good option for those of us that haven’t upgraded to the latest Wi-Fi 7.

3.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You’ve got a deadspot
It does what it says on the tin – extending the range of your existing Wi-Fi network to reach into a room that struggles with poor Wi-Fi.

You're on a budget
It’s very much a no-frills option, but the RP-AX58 is very good value for money and suitable for use with most home broadband services.

Don’t buy it if...

You’re an early adopter
If you own a PC or any mobile devices that already have Wi-Fi 7, then you should probably spend a little extra for a more modern range extender.

You need 'whole home' Wi-Fi
Range extenders are great for reaching just one or two rooms, but larger homes with several bedrooms may need a mesh Wi-Fi system with greater range.

Also Consider

If you're undecided about the Asus RP-AX58, I've compared its specs with two other options that might be a better fit.

Asus RP-AX58

TP-Link AXE5400

Asus RP-BE58

Price

$79.99/£64.99/AU $103.62

$139.99/£119.14

$99.99/79.99/AU$150

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 6

Wi-Fi 6E

Wi-Fi 7

Wi-Fi Speed

3.0Gbps

5.4Gbps

3.6Gbps

Antennae

2 (internal)

4 (external)

2 (internal)

Ethernet ports

1x Gigabit Ethernet

1x Gigabit Ethernet

1x Gigabit Ethernet

Dimensions

150 x72 x 87mm

348 x 106 x 80mm

150 x 72 x 87mm

It’s one of the biggest range extenders we’ve ever seen, but the four antennae used by the AXE5400 provide tri-band Wi-Fi 6E running at a healthy 5.4Gbps.

The Wi-Fi 7 version of the RP-AX58 is a little more expensive, but also a little faster at 3.6Gbps. It also includes Wi-Fi 7 features such as MLO that further help to boost performance.

January 2026 is going to be the Tom Hiddleston takeover month, with the much-anticipated The Night Manager season 2 hitting BBC from January 1 and Prime Video from January 11. After 10 years, shrewd and aloof spy Johnathan Pine returns... or does he?

Technically speaking, Hiddleston assumes a myriad of identities in the new season, but for the sake of UK security, I won't be revealing what they are. When we pick up with him a decade later, he's still working with the Night Owls. But when he spots a henchman of deceased villain Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie), all hell breaks loose.

The fact there's been a ten-year wait probably plays to The Night Manager season 2's advantage, but these new episodes blow season 1 straight out of the water. They feel sharper, more self-assured yet dares to creatively play in ways that more stringent, straight-up crime dramas in the 2010s didn't dare to.

Hiddleston is just as in control too. In the time that The Night Manager has been away, he's shot to international fame in the MCU. There's something cathartic about bringing him back to his roots, able to play with an outrageous situation (being an MI6 spy) with a sense of grounding (i.e., he's not a superhero).

The drama takes to the global stage in an entirely new way this time around, and it's a refreshing change. Instead of the war zones of the 2011 Egypt revolution, we're heading to the hushed-up drug trades of Colombia. But if you think the two scenarios aren't directly linked, think again.

Tom Hiddleston breathes fresh air into a creatively liberated The Night Manager season 2

If you've ever watched a John le Carré adaptation before, you'll know that second seasons aren't really a thing. However, with Carré's approval before he died in 2020 (according to son and producer Simon Cornwell), a new creative concept has been born. Therefore, The Night Manager season 2 finds itself in an unusual sweet spot – stick to a pre-constructed foundation while taking as many dramatic liberties as it wants to.

Luckily for us, this works incredibly well. The BBC is well-known for its high-stakes, high-quality crime dramas, but in the last few years, the pedal has well and truly been put to the metal. Their output is confident, daring, inviting you to be challenged in a way that you didn't think you would be. When it comes to Jonathan Pine's ever-shifting identity, the challenge remains heightened at all times.

I don't need to spell out the fact the Hiddleston is bloody good as his job, and no matter how difficult or complex the action gets, we're being steered along with safe hands (even if Pine himself isn't making the smartest decisions). He's joined by a smorgasbord of new faces in season 2, with the irresistibly sexy Diego Calva playing opposite as calculated and cool-headed antagonist Teddy dos Santos.

Plop a romantic entanglement between the pair – in the form of smart yet seductive Roxana, played by Camila Morrone – and things only get spicier by the second. I can't quite believe that the BBC has essentially recreated the viral Challengers scene at a pool party in Medellín (you can see a sneak preview in the above trailer), but hey, everyone's throwing caution to the wind these days... and it's hot.

For all the flourish, the basics haven't been lost

See? Challengers, eat your heart out. (Image credit: BBC)

We don't get much in the way of frivolous fun when it comes to The Night Manager – you'll need to tune into Death in Paradise or Black Ops in iPlayer for that. But playing it straight is exactly what's needed, and in a way plays against the genre stereotype all the best streaming services have come to cultivate. For Pine, his business never rests.

Frankly, that's great news. Sure, he might risk his life in the name of fictional entertainment every two seconds, but the payoff is colossal. Not only is Olivia Colman back for more scenes in season 2 (and not just in a half-hearted cameo way, either), but the MI6 is now under the control of Indira Varma's head of operations. She's a slippery one, so watch out for her... that's all I'll say for now.

It's Hayley Squires I want to give the biggest kudos to, though. Ever since her breakout performance in I, Daniel Blake, she's somehow fallen off the radar when it comes to exceptional British acting talent. If Pine is the show-stopper, Squires' character Sally is a true glue that holds the operation together. Without her, nothing would be effectively achieved, and I think that's just as true of The Night Manager season 2 itself.

Basically, we're kicking 2026 off in the most alluring, intricate, and devilishly thrilling way possible. Good things come to those who wait, and we're certainly being rewarded.

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Hisense L9Q: two-minute review

The Hisense L9Q represents the pinnacle of what Hisense can do for home theater projection. It’s a sizzlingly bright 4K ultra short throw (UST) projector that boasts the wide color gamut of triple-laser projectors alongside the accurate color of Pantone Validated hardware.

The Hisense L9Q is a capable streamer on its own thanks to integrated Google TV, and it has fast-enough hardware to run the operating system smoothly. It can also serve as a hub for various video sources with its multiple HDMI ports and an ATSC 3.0 tuner input – a rare feature on the best projectors. And though it doesn’t include a screen like some earlier Hisense L9 models, this version has a variable focus to let it adapt to different setups.

Where most other projectors settle for two or maybe four speakers, the L9Q packs in a whopping ten Devialet-designed speakers in a 6.2.2 configuration for the most impressive sound I’ve heard from a projector. It may not beat actual surround sound speaker systems, but it’s enough to put even the best soundbars to shame.

The L9Q is even a solid gaming projector with its ability to display 4K 60Hz gameplay with low input lag or switch over to 1080p 240Hz for extra smooth visuals and responsive gaming.

It’s a serious package, but it comes with a seriously high-end price at $5,999 / £3,999. That may seem steep, but considering how quickly the prices of TVs ramp up when you go past 75 inches, the math starts to work in Hisense’s favor. The L9Q can put out a 150-inch picture just as easily as it can do 100 inches, and has flexible setup features to get up and running.

For most people who don’t need the added brightness and already have a good sound system, the $3,499 / £2,499 Hisense PX3-Pro will be a more reasonable option. But if you demand the best, the L9Q delivers.

Hisense L9Q Review: price and release date

• First available: September 2025
• MSRP: $5,999 / £3,999 / AU$9,999 (includes 120-inch screen)
  

The Hisense L9Q is available for $5,999 / £3,999. In Australia, the projector comes bundled with a 120-inch screen and sells for AU$9,999. Given that it launched towards the end of 2025, the L9Q is unlikely to see any major discounts until sometime in late 2026.

The Hisense L9Q comes with a full-size remote control and uses the Google TV platform for streaming (Image credit: Future)Hisense L9Q Review: Specs

Screen sizes supported:

80-200 inches

Brightness (specified):

5,000 Lumens

HDR support:

Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG

Optical technology:

3-laser DLP

Smart TV:

Google TV

Connections:

2x HDMI 2.1, 2x HDMI 2.0 (1x eARC), optical audio out, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, USB-C 3.0 (data only), Ethernet, RF antenna

Dimensions:

24.6 x 12.5 x 6.5 inches (623 x 31.7 x 165cm)

Weight:

28.4 pounds (12.8 kg)

TheL9Q has four HDMI ports (1 with eARC and two HDMI 2.1) and supports gaming at 1080p/240Hz (Image credit: Future)Hisense L9Q Review: design and features

• Stunning design
• Projector, sound system, and streamer all in one
• Plentiful connection options

Hisense here has created what I think is its best-looking UST projector yet. The L9Q borrows some of the ideas from the retro-futuristic PX line to deliver a bronze-kissed work of art. Most of the frame of the L9Q is a little boxy, keeping it simple with clean lines, but the front has small channels with power indicator lights and the top bears a curved sort of wave meant to evoke Roman amphitheaters. That’s not just for style either, as the top integrates several speakers. The front is emblazoned with concentric rings and a grille on the front hides even more speakers. Around the side, there are two discs housing yet another pair of speakers.

While the design is very appealing, it’s also functional. The projector sits on four height-adjustable feet to help you level the projector and get a perfectly square image. Where its Hisense L9G predecessor was designed with specific screen sizes in mind (and included those screens), the L9Q is more flexible, offering adjustable keystone and focus to let you adapt it to your needs. The flip side is that the L9Q does not include any screen, which was an addition worth easily $1,000 on earlier models. Whatever screen you do set it up with, the projector can automatically fit the picture to it, though it's a software solution and will reduce the actual image resolution.

Another set of sensors at the top of the projector helps protect your eyes. When these detect someone is close to the projection, they'll dim the display, and after 5 seconds, turn it off entirely. That's good to have since this projector uses bright lasers, and in my testing, the sensors have been fairly responsive.

Another update with the L9Q is that the throw ratio has been reduced to 0.18:1. This lets you get a big image while getting the projector closer to the wall.

Around back, the L9Q has a good selection of connections. You get four HDMI ports, two of which meet the version 2.1 spec. A separate HDMI offers eARC, so you don't have to use up an HDMI 2.1 port for audio output. There's also an optical digital audio output, an Ethernet input, and an RF input for the L9Q’s ATSC 3.0 receiver. The projector even supports a PVR recording system for broadcast TV using an attached storage device. Three USB ports round out the options, with two offering USB 3.0 speeds, and one of those using a Type-C connection.

Even if you don't connect the projector to an external source, you can stream content on the built-in Google TV operating system. While many projectors include built-in operating systems like this, the L9Q actually has the hardware to run it smoothly. In my time testing, the system remained responsive even as I launched and navigated apps, and I could reliably control the projector at all times. The Wi-Fi 6E connection used by the streaming platform is also robust.

Hisense’s included remote is almost the same as what came with the PX3-Pro. It's a long silver handset made out of plastic with the typical Google TV navigation ring. At the top, it features a handful of shortcuts to streaming apps, including one customizable shortcut. There's also a dedicated input select button, which is always handy to have.

One difference between the remotes is that instead of having a control for brightness, the L9Q remote has a channel select button. This and the volume controls are on tall, pill-shaped buttons that are easy to feel out. One great feature of the remote is that it reacts to movement and will light up many of the controls if you simply move it. This is very helpful in the typically dark home theater environment.

• Design and features score: 5/5

Powered by 5,000 lumens, the Hisense L9Q's picture stands out even in bright lighting conditions (Image credit: Future)Hisense L9Q Review: performance

• Wonderfully bright picture with rich color
• Support for 1080p/240Hz gaming
• Potent 10-speaker Dolby Atmos sound

The Hisense L9Q brings UST projector picture quality to new heights. Hisense already impressed me with earlier models such as the L9G and PX3-Pro, but the L9Q carries the torch even further. It’s their brightest projector yet while still providing the stunning color of Hisense’s RGB laser light engine.

Ultimately, its specified 5,000 lumen brightness may be overstated, as maximum brightness comes via a high-brightness mode that results in some horrible color shift. But even without that, the projector beams a brilliant picture. The vivid colors it is capable of don’t mean a sacrifice in accuracy either, as the L9Q is both Pantone Validated and Pantone SkinTone certified.

All of that is delivered with strong contrast. The black levels aren’t so low that letterbox bars disappear completely, especially in darker movie scenes, but when the projector is beaming bright, the bars become hard to see thanks to the projector’s contrast.

The L9Q’s black levels and contrast aren’t quite on the level of the Sony Bravia Projector 7, but it gets closer than most projectors I’ve seen, and it manages it with more vivid color and higher brightness. Not to mention that the L9Q is almost half the price of Sony’s projector.

With most picture presets, you’ll be facing some unfortunate motion smoothing, though, since the projector’s SDR and HDR picture profiles default to using motion smoothing. This has its benefits for some content by smoothing out camera pans and moving objects, but it adds a soap opera effect to movies. The “Film” setting avoids these unsightly artifacts while still keeping judder subdued, however.

The L9Q delivers good focus from corner to corner with manual setup, making the most of its 4K resolution. And the amount of detail you can see with the picture stretching up to 100 inches or larger is exceptional.

Gamers can get plenty from the L9Q as well. Even when it’s beaming a 4K 60Hz picture, it’s able to keep the input latency low enough to make for a fairly responsive experience. Like the Hisense PX3-Pro, the L9Q can drop down to 1080p and crank its refresh rate to 240Hz for super smooth gaming (just make sure to set the HDMI input source to Enhanced Pro or it will top out at 120Hz). I took it for a few runs in Hades, and it was stunningly smooth with virtually no detectable lag.

Though the L9Q did a good job of hiding the rainbow effect most of the time, it is susceptible to it like many other DLP projectors. I didn’t notice it much when watching 4K content, where it only occasionally cropped up and was most visible on white areas of the image. It was also more noticeable while running the projector at 1080p/240Hz.

The projector’s very robust speaker system was an extra pleasant surprise. It uses a total of 10 speakers in a 6.2.2-channel configuration. Four of those speakers are in the front, two on the sides, with four more positioned along the curved top. It’s not as engrossing as a proper surround system or as booming as a double-sub setup (nor is it hitting deep sub-bass), but the sound is weighty, loud, and presents a surprisingly wide soundstage for such a small unit.

With Dolby Atmos audio piping out of the speakers during Star Wars: The Force Awakens, blaster shots seemed to come out from different points in space, there was some height to the TIE fighters flying over, and explosions were properly booming. Ultimately, it’s worth pairing a projector of this quality with an external sound system, but if you don’t, there’s a lot to get from the built-in speakers.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

The L9Q has a very appealing, yet functional design (Image credit: Future)Hisense L9Q Review: value

• High price
• Extra value as an all-in-one system
• No projector screen included in US and UK

The Hisense L9Q is a serious piece of kit, and it has the price to match. At $5,999 / £3,999, you have to expect a lot from this home theater projector, and for the most part, it delivers. Its picture is bright and color-rich, it has powerful built-in sound, and it has Google TV for streaming. But for most people, the $3,499 Hisense PX3-Pro is going to be the more sensible option, since it offers much the same experience but without quite the same brightness, audio power, or extensive connectivity options.

It's kind of a shame that the L9Q doesn't come bundled with a projector screen in the US and the UK, but its flexible lens control means you can pair it with whatever screen you want for the most part. Hisense had offered pre-order customers the option of either a free screen or its HT-Saturn sound wireless speaker system, both of which would have made this an astounding value, but that deal appears to have since expired.

• Value score: 4/5

French speaker and amplifier manufacturer Devialet designed the L9Q's built-in audio system (Image credit: Future)Hisense L9Q

Notes

Rating

Design and features

The Hisense L9Q is gorgeously designed and feature-packed. It has the most robust sound system I’ve heard built into a projector, it offers bright and flexible projection, and it has Google TV and plenty of ports for other video sources.

5/5

Performance

The L9Q’s picture is gorgeous. This projector beams bright, has a wide color gamut, strong contrast, and great clarity. It works well for movies and games alike. And that picture is paired with impressive speakers. Even the operating system runs smoothly, which is not always the case with projectors running Google TV.

5/5

Value

The Hisense L9Q packs a lot into one package. Its price isn’t surprising for even just its projection, but the speaker system makes it even more reasonable. It’s just too bad Hisense isn’t throwing in a screen as well.

4.5/5

Should I buy the Hisense L9Q?

(Image credit: Future)Buy it if...

You want the ultimate UST projector

The Hisense L9Q beams bright pictures and has powerful audio. It plays twitchy video games just as well as it can play cinema masterpieces. And it’s got all the ports you need plus Google TV built-in.

You want powerful built-in audio

The L9Q's speaker system is far more robust than what you’d get from its competition. If you’re looking for a projector that can stand on its own without needing to be connected to an external sound system, this is your best bet.

You need a projector for brighter rooms

Almost no projector is going to look great in a bright room, but there’s a big difference between a 1,000-lumen and a 5,000-lumen projector where viewability is concerned. The L9Q’s high brightness is a big advantage it has over the competition.

Don’t buy it if… 

You plan to always watch in the dark

A huge part of the package here is the brightness. If you’re always going to be watching in a dark home theater, the L9Q’s 5,000-lumen brightness is likely going to be over the top. Better to instead buy the PX3-Pro and apply those savings to a quality screen and sound system.

You want a sub-100-inch picture.

The L9Q can support a smaller picture, but it’s almost unfeasible to get one. With a 5.4-inch gap between the projector and your wall, you’ll get a 100-inch picture. At 2.2 inches, the picture size will be 80 inches.

You won’t use a screen and have imperfect walls

As great as the L9Q itself is, its picture is dependent on other factors. It will look best with a screen, though it can still look great on a bare wall. But due to the extreme angle of UST projection, any imperfections in your wall — warping, pits, texture — will have an easier time showing up in the picture.

Also consider...Comparison: 4K UST projectors

Hisense L9Q

Epson LS800

Xgimi Aura 2

Hisense PX3-Pro

Price:

$5,999

$3,499

$3,499

$3,499

Screen sizes supported:

80 to 200 inches

Up to 150 inches

80-150 inches

80 to 150 inches

Brightness (specified):

5,000 lumens

4,000 lumens

2,300 lumens

3,000 lumens

HDR support

HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision

HDR10, HLG

HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision

HDR10+, HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision

Optical technology:

3 Laser DLP

3LCD, Laser

Dual Light 2.0 (Laser + LED)

3 laser DLP

Smart TV:

Google TV

Android TV

Android TV

Google TV

Connections:

2x HDMI 2.1, 2x HDMI 2.0 (1 with eARC), 1x optical, 1x coaxial, 1x optical

3x HDMI 2.0 (1 with ARC)

2x HDMI, 1x HDMI eARC, optical digital audio out, 3.5mm audio out, 3x USB-A, Ethernet

2x HDMI 2.1, 1x HDMI 2.0 (with eARC), 1x RF, optical

Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800

While it’s no match for the color or audio provided by the L9Q, Epson’s EpiqVision Ultra LS800 can get close to its brightness, offering a picture that works well in brighter rooms. Its use of 3LCD technology also avoids rainbow artifacts, and the projector is a good deal cheaper.

Read our full Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800 review

Xgimi Aura 2

The Xgimi Aura 2 is a competent alternative with a quality picture that also benefits from a wide color gamut. It has an elegant design and a similar throw ratio to the Hisense. It’s not nearly as bright and doesn’t have the same gaming capabilities, but if you’re looking for a sleek UST home theater projector, it is a strong option.

Read our full Xgimi Aura 2 review

Hisense PX3-Pro

If you’re not sure you need the L9Q's high brightness or powerful built-in speakers, then the PX3-Pro is the way to go. It uses similar underlying technology to give you a gorgeous, colorful picture and has the same 240Hz gaming prowess. It’s also a bit smaller. More importantly, it’s substantially cheaper, giving you extra room in your budget for a sound system and quality screen.

Read our full Hisense PX3-Pro review

How I tested the Hisense L9Q

• Tested at home in multiple, real-world viewing conditions
• Presented the display with a variety of media and formats
• I have tested numerous projectors and displays over the last half-decade

I tested the Hisense L9Q at home, in real-world conditions. This saw it faced with ambient light coming in from numerous windows, in-room lighting, as well as ambient noise that both the projector and speaker systems had to overcome. The projector was tested both against a bare, white wall and an Akia Screens CineWhite screen. It was presented with streamed content, HDR and non-HDR, and PC gameplay.

My testing evaluates the projector’s performance with respect to its price and competition from other models that my colleagues and I at TechRadar have tested.

I have been testing projectors since 2021 and displays for even longer.

First reviewed: December 2025

• Read TechRadar's review guarantee

Ninja Crispi Pro: one-minute review

The Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Glass Countertop Air Fryer is the plus-sized version of the Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System. Instead a traditional drawer-style air fryer, the Ninja Crispi Pro is a stand to which you can attach different-sized glass cooking containers. Since the glass containers are separate from the frying mechanism, they can be used for both storing and serving in addition to cooking. The handles stay cool so they can go directly from the fryer to the table without potholders or trivets. Lids are included for storing your food in the glass containers. The Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Glass Countertop Air Fryer comes with two cooking containers, the small one has a 2.5-quart capacity and the large one holds six quarts and can even be used to roast up to a 7.5-pound chicken. There is also a medium four-quart size which is sold separately.

Six cooking modes let you make a variety of dishes: Max Crisp, Air Fry, Bake/Proof, Roast, Recrisp, and Dehydrate. Select your mode, temperature, and cook time as desired. Since the containers are glass and there is a light bulb inside, you can easily keep an eye on your food as it cooks. This is an easy-to-use, flexible air fryer, and all the food I made came out well. Note that with its multiple cooking containers, it does take up a good bit of storage space.

Ninja Crispi Pro: price and availability

• List price: $279.99 (about £209 / AU$421)

The Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Glass Countertop Air Fryer is available at all major retailers both online and in brick-and-mortar stores such as Amazon, Target, Macy's, Best Buy, Ninja's own website, and more. Choose from four color options: Cyberspace (dark gray), Bone (off-white), Rose Quartz, and Ash Gray (light gray). The retail price is $279.99 USD and it comes with two cooking containers including crisping trays and storage lids: 2.5-quart and 6-quart.

• Value score: 4/5

Ninja Crispi Pro: specifications

Price

$279.99

Cooking functions:

Max Crisp, Air Fry, Bake/Proof, Roast, Recrisp, and Dehydrate

Size:

11.8 in L x 12.2 in W x 11.0 in H

Container material:

Glass

Containers included:

6-quart, 2.5-quart

Color options:

Cyberspace (dark gray), Bone (off-white), Rose Quartz, and Ash Gray (light gray)

Ninja Crispi Pro: design and features

• Small and large cooking containers go from air fryer to table to fridge
• Six cooking functions
• Interior light

The Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Glass Countertop Air Fryer has a modular base that sits on the counter and two interchangeable glass cooking dishes, 2.5-quart and 6-quart. Ninja also makes a 4-quart medium size, but that will be sold separately. The cooking dishes have stay-cool handles so they can go right from the fryer to the table. Lids are also included so you can store your leftovers. The glass cooking containers, including the metal crisper plates and storage lids, can be washed in the dishwasher or by hand if you prefer.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

The air fryer itself has a modular base, which can be moved up or down depending on which glass cooking container you'll be using. Place the base at the highest notch to use the small container or at the bottom notch for the large container. There is a middle notch for the medium cooking container (not included.)

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Once you've adjusted your modular base to the correct height, put your food on the crisper plate within the glass cooking dish and slide the dish onto the base. This can be a bit fiddly, but once you get used to doing it, muscle memory kicks in.

The controls are quite intuitive. Power on the air fryer and turn the knob to select your cooking mode: Max Crisp, Air Fry, Bake/Proof, Roast, Recrisp, or Dehydrate. Tap the temp button and turn the dial to adjust the temperature. Tap the time button and turn the dial to adjust the time. Press the center button to start cooking. Illuminate your food at any time by pressing the button with the light bulb icon.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I wouldn't say the Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Countertop Glass Air Fryer is the prettiest appliance I've ever seen; air fryers rarely are. It does take up a bit of counter space. You could store it away when not in use, but it's pretty heavy. The bottom is weighted to counterbalance the cooking mechanism at the top, making it difficult to take in and out for frequent use. You could keep one container in the air fryer on the counter and store the other away to minimize how much counter space it takes up, but either way, it's a space commitment.

Still, the Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Countertop Glass Air Fryer is well-designed for maximum flexibility with its extra-large cooking container, particularly for people with larger families or who entertain frequently. The smaller container is perfect for snacks and smaller portions. Its six cooking functions cover all the bases.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Ninja Crispi Pro: performance

I made a dozen different foods, utilizing all of the different cooking modes, and everything I made came out delicious! As with any air fryer, you'll want to flip or rotate your food partway through cooking. And I noticed that using a small amount of oil or cooking spray made for better results; without it the food was a little bit dry.

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(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I used Air Fry mode to make: potato wedges from scratch, frozen egg bites, frozen veggie burger, tofu from scratch, frozen french fries, fresh vegetables, and frozen "air fryer" Mexican corn. Everything came out well, crispy on the outside and tender inside. I'd actually never made tofu from scratch before and I was surprised how easy and delicious it was!

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(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Roast mode worked beautifully for the Brussels sprouts and mixed peppers I made. Perfectly browned, tender, and delicious. As a vegetarian, I didn't make one, but the 6-quart container allows you to roast a whole chicken of up to 7.5 pounds.

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(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I made a simple two-ingredient "bagel" (greek yogurt plus self-rising flour, and, ok, Everything Bagel seasoning makes three ingredients) in Bake mode, and it came out perfectly. Such a simple and delightful treat made quickly in the Ninja Crispi Pro.

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Max Crisp mode gives you the highest temperature range, which is great for vegetables if you like them blackened as I do. The zucchini and tomatoes I made came out great. The sweet potatoes look frightening but they were deliciously sweet and tender inside!

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I used Dehydrate mode to make dried fruit for the first time. It took a full seven hours on a low temperature, but it worked. The apple chips had a leathery rather than crispy texture, but they tasted good.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Cleanup is pretty easy. The air fryer mechanism doesn't really need to be cleaned other than wiping it down with a cloth occasionally, and it cannot contact water. The glass cooking dishes, metal crisping plates, and plastic lids can be easily washed by hand or in the dishwasher. Sometimes the spatter gets really baked on, requiring some serious elbow grease to remove. I'd imagine this is the case for all air fryers, it's just that you can't see all the spatters in a dark metal cooking drawer. I actually feel better knowing my cooking container is getting completely clean, so it's worth the extra scrubbing to keep it pristine.

• Performance score: 5/5

Should you buy the Ninja Crispi Pro?Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Glass Countertop Air Fryer report card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

This is a pretty expensive air fryer, though if you want that large capacity flexible-use glass cooking dish, it's worth it.

4/5

Design

Designed for maximum flexibility rather than looks, function wins over form.

4.5/5

Performance

Performance was great overall, food was generally crispy yet tender.

5/5

Overall

The air fryer-to-table-to-fridge glass cooking containers plus the ability to cook a 7.5-pound whole chicken make this stand out from the air fryer crowd.

4.5/5

Buy it if

You need to feed a crowd sometimes

You can make up to a 7.5-pound whole chicken or a whole lot of french fries at once in the large 6-quart capacity cooking container. Use the smaller container for smaller portions.

You want to make a variety of foods

Six cooking modes, each of which allows for a range of times and temperatures, mean you can make just about anything. You can even make dried fruit or meat jerky with the more unusual Dehydrate mode that most air fryers lack.

You want a totally removable, functional, and washable cooking container

The glass cooking containers can be washed in the dishwasher or by hand so you know they are totally clean. The plastic handles allow you to comfortably handle the hot containers directly from the air fryer and place them right on the table without potholders or trivets. The included lids let you store leftovers in them.

Don't buy it if

You lack counter or storage space

The Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Glass Countertop Air Fryer is pretty large and heavy, so it won't be easy to put away and take out for every use. It comes with two glass cooking containers, and they don't nest, so you'll need plenty of space to store them.

You want the cheapest possible no frills air fryer

This is a pricey one, you're paying for the flexible glass cooking containers, multiple cook modes, and extra large capacity. You can find much cheaper options that air fry simply and efficiently without all of the extra features.

You prefer an all-in-one drawer-style or toaster-oven-style air fryer

There are plenty of other options if the glass container style doesn't appeal to you. The drawer-style air fryers tend to be cheaper and a toaster oven/air fryer combo could mean one less appliance in your kitchen.

Ninja Crispi Pro: also consider

If you're not sure about the Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Glass Countertop Air Fryer, here are some other options to consider ...

Ninja Double Oven Air Fryer

If you prefer a toaster over that doubles as an air fryer, check out the Ninja Double Oven Air Fryer. You can actually cook two separate dishes at the same time using two different cook modes. This multi-purpose champ maximizes your countertop space.

Read our full Ninja Double Oven Air Fryer review

Kalorik Vivid Touch Touchscreen Air Fryer

More than just a gimmick, this easy-to-use air fryer's touchscreen takes the guesswork out of air frying and countertop cooking. Just a few taps on the screen and you'll have perfectly crisped food in minutes.

Read my full Kalorik Vivid Touch Touchscreen Air Fryer reviewView Deal

Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System

If you love the idea of the Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Glass Countertop Air Fryer but it's bigger than what you really need, check out the original, smaller version. It's actually intended to be portable, so you could even take it with you to potlucks or to the office. This one made our list of the best air fryers.

Check out my full Ninja Crispi review

How I tested the Ninja Crispi Pro

• I tested the various cooking modes multiple times
• I used it for weeks to prepare a variety of food items
• I cleaned it after every use

I love to eat and I do try to eat healthy even though I don't particularly enjoy cooking. I prepare the majority of my meals at home rather than getting takeout. So, I'm always looking for quicker ways to make healthy and delicious food. I tested the Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Glass Countertop Air Fryer by making the following foods: lots of different fresh veggies using different cook modes, frozen egg bites, frozen french fries, fresh french fries from scratch, bagel from scratch, marinated tofu, frozen Mexican corn, frozen veggie burger patty, baked sweet potatoes, and dehydrated apple chips.

Read more about how we test.

Rotel DX-5: Two-minute review

The Rotel DX-5 is a compact, beautifully constructed and very nicely designed stereo integrated amplifier with the emphasis firmly on digital sources of sound. It looks and feels good, it’s quite obviously built to last, and it’s specified to handle hi-res sources via its USB, coaxial and optical inputs as well as TV sound thanks to its HDMI ARC socket. A single line-level analog input deals with your properly legacy equipment (but not a turntable unless it’s pre-amplified).

Because it’s not a network device, it doesn’t have a control app. It has a remote control, though, which looks and feels just as swish as the device it’s controlling – but is more dependent on line-of-sight to the device it’s controlling than is the norm, and by quite a distance.

Sound quality is straightforwardly impressive. The DX-5 is an open, revealing and entertaining listen, one that has a real facility with dynamics and can express rhythms confidently. It retains and contextualise all the detail in a recording, has nicely even frequency response and is adept at unifying a recording even at the same time that it can pick it apart for your inspection. It demands you spend some time considering system-matching, because it’s quite assertive at the top of the frequency range – but other than that, its sound is no kind of chore to enjoy.

Rotel DX-5 review: Price and release date

(Image credit: Simon Lucas / Future)

• Released in April 2025
• Priced $1,499 / £1,399 / AU$2,199

The Rotel DX-5 is on sale now, and in the United Kingdom it sells for £1,399. In the United States the going rate is $1,499, while in Australia you’ll have to part with AU$2,199.

This is not hair-raising money for an integrated stereo amplifier from a renowned brand, but it’s quite stiff if you apply the ‘physical stuff/asking price’ ratio…

(Image credit: Simon Lucas / Future)Rotel DX-5 review: Features

• ESS Sabre ES9039Q2M DAC
• Digital inputs outnumber analog inputs
• 25W per channel into 8 ohms

There’s not a huge amount of space inside the Rotel DX-5, but it seems fair to say it’s been utilised to something approaching ‘the maximum’.

Under the lid, the most space-hungry element is the high-current toroidal transformer – it’s wound in-house, and can churn out 25W of Class AB power per channel into an 8-ohm load (rising to 33 watts per channel into 4 ohms). The crucial business of digital-to-analog conversion is handled by the deeply fashionable ESS Sabre ES9039Q2M chipset – it supports 32bit/384kHz PCM and DSD512 via the amplifier’s USB-B input (some source devices will need a driver to be installed, but not all) and 24bit/192kHz PCM via its coaxial and optical inputs. The DX-5 is certified Roon Tested, and Rotel suggests the machine is capable of a considerable 10Hz - 80kHz frequency response. It’s also claiming vanishingly low intermodulation distortion and signal-to-noise ratio numbers at the same time.

The three digital inputs I’ve already mentioned line up alongside an HDMI ARC socket and a single line-level analogue input accessed via a pair of stereo RCA inputs. Outputs amount to a pair of speaker cable binding posts, a pre-out for use with a subwoofer, and a fascia-mounted 6.3mm headphone socket. Wireless connectivity is handled by Bluetooth, and here it’s compatible with SBC, AAC and aptX HD codecs. A small, discreet Bluetooth aerial is integrated into the rear of the chassis.

The strong implication, then, is that yours is an overwhelmingly digital set-up – and, what’s more, a set-up in which your source devices don’t have digital-to-analog conversion circuitry that can lay a glove on the DX-5’s. That may well be true, but nevertheless it might be nice to see a second analog input if only for flexibility’s sake. The omission of a phono stage for use with a turntable is more understandable, though, despite the record player’s sudden front-and-centre position in any modern stereo system – keeping costs and physical dimensions down do rather make it a bit of a non-starter.

Features score: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: Simon Lucas / Future)Rotel DX-5 review: Sound quality

• Open, detailed and properly defined presentation
• Equally adept with rhythms and dynamics
• Requires some system-matching in order to play nicely

It might be worth starting with the one area where the Rotel DX-5 is anything less than entirely easy to enjoy – this way I’ll be able to finish on a long and enthusiastic high… In the simplest terms, the DX-5 needs a greater degree of care taken with system-matching than many of its price-comparable rivals.

Sources of music or loudspeakers that count ‘high-frequency excitability’ among their attributes will find this trait compounded by the DX-5 – and if the Rotel is part of an entire system that shares this kind of emphasis, you may end up with rather too much of a good thing. Even a tonally warm recording like Otis Redding’s That’s What My Heart Needs enjoys plenty of shine at the top of the frequency range, and unhelpfully trebly tunes like FKA twigs’ Cheap Hotel could conceivably become problematic in a properly unsympathetic set-up. A moment or two spent ensuring you’re not going to provoke the Rotel is time well spent.

But with that out of the way, I think it’s safe to say the remaining news is good without qualification. From the deep and carefully shaped low frequencies to the top end, the tonality of the DX-5 is consistent and even (provided you’ve paid attention to the previous paragraph), and quite carefully neutral – it’s able to describe the fundamental tone of a recording without meaningfully sticking its oar in.

And the same is true of frequency response, again from the very bottom to the very top of the frequency range: the bottom end is detailed and textured, and so well-controlled where onset attack is concerned that the Rotel expresses rhythms with real confidence. The midrange is similarly informative and similarly articulate, and there’s a directness to the way the DX-5 delivers the voices of the two vocalists I’ve already mentioned that makes them sound positive and eloquent. The top end is similarly accomplished in this respect – it’s just as packed with information as the rest of the frequency range, and receives just as much emphasis and drive.

All this good stuff takes place on a large, well-defined and easy-to-understand soundstage – even a fairly complex recording like Bath is Black by Marika Hackman is organised to the point that it’s simple to follow. Each individual element gets the necessary space in which to express itself – but the DX-5 is also able to let these elements cohere into a unified whole. There’s a sense of togetherness that’s not always available when an amplifier is as capable of separation and focus as this one.

The dynamic variation in this recording, where attack, intensity and sheer volume are concerned, is identified and contextualised carefully, and the smaller harmonic variations are given the correct amount of weight too. The Rotel is very talented in this regard, and can put very worthwhile distance between ‘quiet’ and ‘loud’ despite what is, on paper at least, a less-than-promising amount of power on which it can call.

But it’s the facility with detail retrieval that I’ve already referred to that’s possibly the single most impressive thing about the way this amplifier goes about things. From the broad strokes to the most minor transients, it can locate and position any details in a recording in the most naturalistic and convincing manner – which means you’re never in any doubt as to whether or not you’re getting the complete picture.

Sound quality: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: Simon Lucas / Future)Rotel DX-5 review: Design

• 76 x 215 x 251mm (HxWxD)
• Anodised aluminium construction
• Black or silver finish

There may not be all that much of it (it’s a titchy 76 x 215 x 251mm, HxWxD), but what there is of the Rotel DX-5 is nicely designed and flawlessly built.

It uses a luxurious amount of anodised aluminium in its construction, and is a visually and tactile treat no matter which of the black or silver finishes you choose. The industrial design is sophisticated, and nice little touches like the knurling of the volume control and the confidently embossed ‘R’ on the ventilated top of the box don’t do any harm either.

As the asking price demands, the DX-5 is built and finished to an extremely high standard. Nothing about the design or construction of this device suggests a single penny has been pinched, and it feels ready to last for the long haul.

Design score: 5 / 5

(Image credit: Simon Lucas / Future)Rotel DX-5 review: Usability and setup

• Full-colour TFT display
• Heavy, luxurious and unhelpful remote control
• A (very) few physical controls

This is not a wi-fi -enabled device, and so there’s no control app. Getting what you want from the Rotel is done the old-fashioned way.

There’s a big, bright, crisp TFT display in the centre of the fascia – it features an indication of volume level, confirmation of selected input, and some reasonably in-depth set-up menus too. It also has a ‘source selection’ button embedded in its bottom left, opposite the 6.3mm headphone output. There’s an illuminated ‘power’ button on the left of the fascia, and a big, tactile volume dial on the right.

The DX-5 can also be operated using a remote control handset that’s a weird combination of ‘sky-high perceived value’ and ‘marginal usefulness’. Its weighty aluminium construction, sensible button layout and nicely judged dimensions all fall into the first category, while its absolute insistence on being pointed precisely at the sensor on the fascia in order to operate falls strongly into the second. If there’s a remote control that’s more dependent on pin-point line-of-sight in order to be of any use, I’ve yet to encounter it.

Usability and setup score: 3 / 5

Rotel DX-5 review: Value

If it’s the amount of stuff your money buys that’s important, then the DX-5 obviously doesn’t represent the same sort of value for money as an alternative that uses much more metal.

Its specification could be said to be slightly lacking, too, if you squint. But if you concentrate on the quality of componentry, the sophisticated nature of its design, its bank-vault build quality and its lavishly detailed, wide-open sound, there’s unarguable value on offer here. Best not to dwell on the remote control, though…

Value score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Rotel DX-5?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Stuffed to the gills, just one more analog input might have meant full marks

4.5/5

Design

Luxurious anodised aluminium – a tactile treat!

5/5

Sound quality

Consistent, even, neutral, faithfully detailed (just get the system-matching right)

4.5/5

Value

If you want more physical product for your money, it's a tough sell. We all know that's not always the point though

4/5

Buy it if...

Your system is mostly digital
Physical and wireless digital inputs outnumber the analogue equivalent by quite a margin

You admire understated industrial design
There’s nothing shouty about the design here, and it makes the perceived value of the DX-5 all the greater

You enjoy entertaining, insightful sound
Not every amplifier combines forensic levels of detail retrieval with an overall attitude of uncomplicated musicality, but this one does

Don't buy it if...

You’ve more than a single analog source
There are numerous amplifiers that will suit your analog ways better than this one

You don’t have particularly steady hands
The remote control handset insists on being pointed precisely at the IR receiver on the amp’s fasciaView Deal

Your system is already happy to fully attack high-frequency information
Unsympathetic partners in the system, and/or unsympathetically recorded music, can bring the Rotel’s treble reproduction to the foreView Deal

Rotel DX-5 review: Also consider

If you like the Rotel’s dinky dimensions, will happily trade a USB input for a phono stage, and will forgo some tactility in exchange for a more aggressive price tag, the Rega’s excellent Brio mk7 ($1,095 / £799) could be just the ticket. It’s a punchily exciting listen, but capable of deft insight at the same time. Or if you want to retain the size but hang the expense, then Cyrus (who could fairly lay claim to having the idea of full-on sound from a half-pint box in the first place) has just launched its $4,995 / £3,995 AMP 40 – and it’s a bravura performer in every respect.

How I tested the Rotel DX-5

I connected the Rotel DX-5 to a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3 Signature loudspeakers using Chord Company Clearway X speaker cable. I used my Naim Uniti Star as a streamer and a CD player (attached to the sole analog input, of course) and plugged my Colibri-enhanced Apple MacBook Pro into the USB-B socket to get the highest-resolution content possible on board.

And then I listened to lots of music, of many genres and of many file-types and -sizes – probably for longer than was absolutely necessary…

• First reviewed: December 2025
• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

KEF XIO soundbar: Two minute review

The KEF XIO can be installed either on a tabletop (shown above) or flipped up for a flat wall-mount configuration (Image credit: Future / Simon Cohen)

The KEF XIO Dolby Atmos soundbar brings a new level of power, elegance, and versatility to the normally utilitarian soundbar category. And though KEF asks a pretty penny as the price of admission, the XIO delivers a performance that few soundbar systems can match. The fact that it looks just as good hanging on a wall as it does when placed horizontally is the icing on the cake.

As the company’s first Dolby Atmos soundbar, the KEF XIO is not quite as mesmerizing for height and surround effects as the Sonos Arc Ultra or Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus, but it makes up for that small weakness with sublimely clean audio and impressively robust bass. And when it comes to playing music, it’s no contest; the XIO is the best soundbar I’ve ever tested.

There are a few small quibbles. Not enough inputs, a smartphone app that doesn’t do as much as many competitors, and a remote that could do with a few more buttons. But overall, the KEF XIO is a formidable sound machine for all of your entertainment needs.

KEF XIO soundbar review: Price & release date

The KEF XIO's included remote control could use a few more buttons to be truly useful (Image credit: Future / Simon Cohen)

• • $2,499.95 / £1,999.00 (around AU$3,765)
• • Released July 2025

KEF launched the XIO, the company’s first Dolby Atmos soundbar, in July 2025 in a variety of markets, including the UK and the US.

While KEF is well-known and widely praised for its long heritage of producing passive hi-fi speakers, the British brand is no stranger to powered audio. Its LS series of wireless, amplified bookshelf speakers has been a favorite of audiophiles since the first models debuted, and KEF continues to expand its active lineup, most recently with its reboot of its passive Coda speakers as the Coda W.

KEF brings this amplified speaker experience to the XIO, along with its Uni-Q driver technology, and throws in some new innovations for good measure, like its Velocity Control Technology, a sensor-based system that actively monitors the XIO’s four low-frequency drivers to minimize distortion.

At $2,499.95, the KEF XIO lives in a soundbar category dominated by other high-end audio brands, like Bang & Olufsen’s Beosound Stage ($2,900), Sennheiser’s Ambeo Soundbar Max ($2,999.95), and the Devialet Dione ($2,199).

Price isn’t the only thing these models have in common: All are designed to be single-speaker solutions. Although you can add an external subwoofer to the XIO and the Ambeo Soundbar Max, none of these soundbars offers surround channel expansion.

KEF XIO soundbar review: Specs

Dimensions (W x H x D)

47.6 x 2.8 x 6.5 inches (1209 x 71.2 x 165mm)

Speaker channels

5.1.2

Connections:

HDMI 2.1 ARC/eARC out, optical digital audio, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C (service only)

Dolby Atmos/DTS:X

Yes/Yes

Sub included

No

Rear speakers included

No

Features

AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, UPnP, Dolby Atmos Music, 360 Reality Audio, Night Listening mode, Room Correction, native integration of music services including Tidal, Qobuz, Amazon Music, more

KEF XIO soundbar review: FeaturesImage 1 of 2

The KEF XIO rear panel ports include a wired subwoofer output (Image credit: Future / Simon Cohen)Image 2 of 2

The XIO's surface controls (Image credit: Future / Simon Cohen)

• Bluetooth and Wi-Fi with comprehensive streaming support
• Room correction
• Four built-in subwoofers with force cancellation

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. Despite its hefty price, the KEF XIO is a little shy on ports. You don’t get any HDMI inputs to make up for the one it will grab from your TV, and there’s only a single optical port as an alternative for physically connected external devices.

This makes the XIO less desirable for those who want to hook up turntables, Blu-ray players, or game consoles. On the other hand, KEF has included a dedicated subwoofer output, a fairly rare feature on soundbars at any price.

Its wireless connection suite, however, is excellent, with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, plus Apple AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, and UPnP/DLNA support. Depending on your music source and the protocol you choose, you can stream to the XIO at up to 24-bit/384kHz for lossless, hi-res audio playback.

Thanks to all of those wireless protocols, it’s easy to stream from almost any app. You can also access several leading streaming services inside the KEF Connect app, including Amazon Music, Tidal, Qobuz, and Deezer.

Using the KEF Connect app, you can trigger the XIO’s room correction feature. I’d characterize it as semi-automatic: you still need to tell the app how high the speaker is mounted and how big your room is, but after that, it does the rest.

If there’s one area that sets the XIO apart from other soundbars, it’s the driver configuration, especially KEF’s approach to low frequencies. The XIO uses a set of four 2 x 6-inch P185 racetrack subwoofers mounted in horizontally opposed pairs. This force-cancelling arrangement reduces cabinet vibration, while KEF’s newly developed Velocity Control Technology uses sensors and a feedback loop to minimize distortion.

• Features score: 4 / 5

KEF XIO soundbar review: Performance

(Image credit: Future / Simon Cohen)

• Brilliant Dolby Atmos performance
• Astonishing two-channel stereo rendering
• Missing height and surround level adjustment

Can a single soundbar recreate true movie and music magic? While purists may scoff, the KEF XIO is exceptional.

Buried under its low-key exterior is a series of six, 2-inch Uni-Q MX drivers, two 2-inch full-range drivers, and a four-driver subwoofer array, all of which are discretely powered by class D amps, to the tune of 820 watts of total power.

What those specs can’t convey is how great the XIO sounds when it gets going. The performance is smooth, balanced, and immensely powerful. Your neighbors probably won’t agree, but the XIO rewards loud listening better than any other soundbar I’ve tested.

The benefits of KEF’s acoustic design start to reveal themselves at 50% volume. Bass is deeply resonant, yet detailed and at times quite musical. Yes, you can feel it, but it stops just shy of shaking furniture. Could it be further improved with a subwoofer? Sure. But believe me, unless you have a really big room, or aren’t happy unless your vision gets blurred by sub-bass, you don’t need one.

Image 1 of 3

The XIO's speakers include a built-in four-driver subwoofer array (Image credit: Future / Simon Cohen)Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: Future / Simon Cohen)Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: Future / Simon Cohen)

In fact, if you want more of a gut-punch, more immersion, or just more, simply dial up the volume. Doing so had a proportional effect on my smile. The XIO’s sound is so clean, so free from vibration or distortion, you may not even notice as the decibels approach unhealthy levels.

As I ran the XIO through my usual Dolby Atmos test clips from Mad Max: Fury Road, Ford v Ferrari, Unbroken, Dune, and No Time To Die, I was impressed by both the immersiveness and the dialogue clarity. The soundbar also does a decent job with Dolby Atmos Music.

However, I wouldn’t classify the XIO as the best single-speaker Atmos soundbar I’ve heard.

In fact, Sonos’s Arc Ultra ($1,099) can go toe-to-toe with the XIO for thunderous bass, and even edges out the XIO for surround channel effects. Meanwhile, Sennheiser’s Ambeo Soundbar Plus ($1,799.99) runs in the opposite direction, with slightly less low-end punch, but with far more effective surround and height immersion.

It’s not entirely surprising, given that the XIO is KEF’s first kick at the Dolby Atmos can. Moreover, in making the XIO wall-and-surface-mount friendly, it compromised a little on the directionality of its drivers. The side-firing drivers always face out at a 90-degree angle, as do the height drivers. It’s hard to do any kind of beam-forming when that’s the setup.

All of this fades into the background when you stream music. The XIO may not be the king of the Atmos hill, but when it comes to delivering two-channel sound, it’s staggeringly good.

The challenge that all soundbars face with stereo music is achieving sufficient separation of left/right channels. At just over 47 inches, the XIO isn’t any wider than other flagship soundbars, and yet it convinced me I was listening to discrete speakers set much farther apart. When sitting dead center, it gave me a level of stereo imaging I wasn’t expecting, and a nearly perfect phantom center channel. Given that nearly all soundbars have actual center channels, you’d think this would be a no-brainer, but it rarely works out that way.

The KEF Connect app offers only six EQ presets (Default, Movie, Music, Night, Dialogue, and Direct), with no manual equalizer controls. There are no bass/treble or loudness controls either, unless you create a new EQ profile using the app’s Expert mode.

For most content, the Default mode worked best for my tastes, but each preset is enjoyable in its own way. Dialogue mode can improve the intelligibility of TV speech, but it’s also a handy way to improve vocal clarity when listening to Dolby Atmos Music mixes that may push vocals further away.

• Performance score: 5 / 5

KEF XIO soundbar review: DesignImage 1 of 3

The XIO is available in Slate Black (seen here) or Silver Grey fabric finishes (Image credit: Future / Simon Cohen)Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: Future / Simon Cohen)Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: Future / Simon Cohen)

• Fully removable grilles, elegant, understated look
• Wall-mountable
• No visible indicators when surface-mounted

From a design perspective, the KEF XIO is a radical departure from the company’s trademark aesthetics, which puts exposed speaker drivers proudly on display. The XIO, by contrast, is demure, hiding all 12 of its drivers behind elegant, splash-proof fabric grilles in Slate Black (seen here) or Silver Grey finishes.

Those grilles cover all but the central top aluminum surface, which houses the bar’s touch controls on one side, a discrete KEF logo on the other, and a covered driver in the middle.

Though it may not scream “KEF,” it’s a smart choice. Soundbars are generally in your line of sight when watching TV, so the fewer visual distractions, the better. Klipsch went loud-and-proud with the drivers on its Cinema series soundbars, and my eyes kept being drawn to their metallic glint. Want to see the XIO’s drivers? Peel away those grilles and, voila.

Though deeper, at 6.5 inches, than many soundbars, the XIO still comes in under three inches tall, which should keep it from blocking the bottom of most TV screens. It also keeps the XIO from sticking too far off your wall when wall-mounted.

Around the back, you’ll find the XIO’s ports, dedicated buttons to reset the speaker and put it in Bluetooth pairing mode, and something we rarely see on soundbars: a physical rocker switch for power. Typically, soundbars are always on, even if they may drop down to a low-power mode when not in use. It’s nice to see the option to completely power a speaker down when you’re going to be away for extended periods.

Many soundbars can be wall-mounted, but in the case of the XIO, it’s a key feature. The speaker automatically detects its orientation, and KEF includes all the hardware you need to get it on a wall. Just be careful — this box is a beast, at 23.1 pounds. Hiding the power and HDMI cable may prove tricky. The HDMI and power ports are very close to the bottom edge of the speaker. And while the included power cable has an L-shaped connector to minimize its protrusion, the included HDMI cable doesn’t. KEF also includes a backlit remote control.

The XIO’s touch controls let you choose your source, set your volume level, mute the sound, and wake the speaker from its low-power state. Beside the controls is a volume meter – a string of little white LEDs. If you wall-mount the XIO, these indicators will be plainly visible, but when sitting on a surface in front of your TV, they’re invisible, and KEF didn’t include a secondary set behind the front grille.

• Design score: 4 / 5

KEF XIO soundbar review: Setup & usability Image 1 of 2

Once connected to Wi-Fi, the XIO's streaming options include AirPlay, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, and Tidal Connect, with specific services available within the KEF Connect app (Image credit: Future / Simon Cohen)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future / Simon Cohen)

• Easy setup and calibration
• KEF Connect app is a work in progress
• Remote could use a rethink

If all you want to do is crank your TV sound, the XIO only takes a few seconds to install. Plug the HDMI cable into the TV, plug the XIO into a power outlet, and flip the power switch on the back panel. As long as you stick with TV, Bluetooth, or Optical sources, you’re good to go.

But don’t stop there. Using the KEF Connect app, you can join the XIO to your Wi-Fi network, which opens up all of the high-quality streaming options like AirPlay, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, and others. It also lets the app configure the XIO, including the room correction feature, which can’t be initiated from the soundbar or the remote.

These steps only take a few extra minutes (more if a firmware update is required). My only complaint is that KEF insists that you create an online account before it lets you do any of this. The rationale is that, should you wish to control the speaker from other devices, an account ensures that all settings are shared between them. In fairness, Sonos, Bose, and many other soundbar companies require the same thing.

Pro tip: Ensure you add TV as a second wake-up source in the preferences section; otherwise, the XIO won’t automatically power up when you turn on your TV.

The KEF Connect app takes some getting used to. It’s divided into five tabs: Home, Remote, Music, EQ settings, and Device/app settings. And yet, it could probably get away with just the Home and EQ/Device settings sections, since the features of the Remote and Music tabs are duplicated on the Home tab.

Having integrated music service access in the app makes sense, but only if it increases convenience and/or sound quality (versus using the service’s standalone app). The potential is there, but KEF’s execution is weak. There’s a very limited number of services available, with Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube Music being the big omissions. Within each supported service, navigation can be slow as the app populates the available menu items.

Visually, it’s a Spartan experience: Menus are text-only, and album art is presented as tiny thumbnails alongside the playlist, album, or track info. I could chalk this up to KEF’s minimalist aesthetic, but there’s also a lack of a universal search, the single biggest benefit of bringing together music sources in one app.

Having a physical remote is handy. And since KEF’s is an infrared (IR) model (as opposed to Bluetooth or other RF standards), you can use any universal IR learning remote instead (including Logitech’s now-defunct Harmony line). I like that it’s backlit (though just barely) and has an easy-to-use button layout. However, the heart (favorite) button is a bizarre tool. It only lets you pick a favorite function, e.g., Next Source or Set Maximum Volume, and not a favorite album, playlist, or radio station, which you’d normally expect from a favorite button.

I’m also a bit disappointed with the EQ shortcut buttons. For some reason, there are only two, and yet the XIO has six EQ modes to choose from. Why are we limited to just two of our favorites? I think KEF should take a page from Yamaha’s remote control playbook and give us access to all EQ modes.

My biggest critique of the XIO’s usability, however, is the lack of front indicator lights I mentioned earlier. I don’t think you should ever be in the dark when it comes to your soundbar’s selected source or volume level, and unless you consult the KEF Connect app, you won’t know either if you’ve got the speaker setup horizontally. Normally, HDMI-connected soundbars can provide feedback to your TV so that you see an on-screen display of volume level, but this didn’t happen during my time with the XIO.

• Setup & usability score: 3.5 / 5

KEF XIO soundbar review: Value

The XIO's bundled accessories include wall-mounting hardware (Image credit: Future / Simon Cohen)

• Expensive
• Good for Dolby Atmos, superb for music
• Limited expansion options

Soundbars are, first and foremost, all about getting better TV sound. The KEF XIO delivers on that mission effortlessly, with big, bold, and perfectly clean audio. But it doesn’t perform this role significantly better than lower-priced options, specifically, the Sonos Arc Ultra ($1,099).

You can add a subwoofer (wired or wireless) to the XIO, but unlike the Arc Ultra and many others, you can’t add surrounds, which would significantly increase the XIO’s ability to immerse you in a soundtrack.

Still, if you believe a soundbar should be just as killer for music as it is for movies, the XIO rocks, and I have yet to hear a competitive single-speaker system that can touch its music chops.

• Value score: 3 / 5

Should I buy the KEF XIO?

Section

Notes

Score

Features

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth streaming plus room correction but shy on ports

4 / 5

Performance

Excellent Dolby Atmos and stereo music performance with powerful bass for an all-in-one soundbar

5 / 5

Design

Elegant, fabric-wrapped design, but no alphanumeric LED display

4 / 5

Setup & usability

Easy setup and calibration, but app and remote control could use some work

3.5 / 5

Value

Expensive, but unbeatable when it comes to soundbar music performance

3 / 5

Buy it if...

You want a single speaker that can do it all
The KEF XIO belongs to a new generation of soundbars that don’t need dedicated subwoofers to deliver big, bold bass that you can feel. Whether for movies or music, it’s a full sonic experience.

You need to wall-mount your soundbar
The XIO isn’t just wall-mount compatible, it’s designed from the ground up to be hung below a TV. You’ll get the same sound quality as a horizontal placement and you’ll find everything you need in the box — no optional accessories needed.

You don’t own (or plan to own) multiple external devices that need connections
With no extra HDMI inputs and only a single optical input, the XIO is aimed at those who are content to stream wirelessly or source their audio from a connected TV.

Don't buy it if...

You want to expand
Not only are there no wireless surround speakers for the XIO, but there’s also no good option for making it part of a multiroom sound system. You can add it to Google Home or Apple Home apps, but these are only basic options that lack the power and convenience of Sonos, Denon Home, Bluesound, or Wiim.

Your TV doesn’t have Dolby Atmos
Without any HDMI inputs, you’ll be missing out on the XIO’s spatial audio prowess if your TV can’t pass through Dolby Atmos via HDMI ARC.

You want to play vinyl
Without any kind of analog input, you’ll need a turntable that connects via Bluetooth. That might be convenient, but if you’re spending KEF XIO money on sound, you deserve better than Bluetooth for your record collection.

KEF XIO soundbar: Also consider

KEF XIO

Sonos Arc Ultra

Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus

Samsung HW-Q990F

Price

$2,499.95 / £1,999.00 (around AU$3,765)

$999 / £999 / AU$1,799

$799 / £699 / AU$1,299

$1,999 / £1,699 / AU$2,099

Dimensions (w x h x d)

47.6 x 2.8 x 6.5 inches (1209 x 71.2 x 165mm)

2.95 x 46.38 x 4.35 inches (75 x 1178 x 110.6mm)

27.6 x 2.6 x 3.9in (700 x 65 x 100mm)

Soundbar: 1232 x 70.8 x 138 mm (48.5 x 2.8 x 5.4 inch); Subwoofer: 249 x 251.8 x 249 mm (9.8 x 10.0 x 9.8 inch); Rear speaker: 129.5 x 201.3 x140.4 mm (5.1 x 8.0 x 5.5 inch)

Speaker channels

9.1.4

9.1.4

7.1.4

11.1.4

Connections

HDMI out (with eARC), 3x HDMI 2.1 in, optical digital audio, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-A

1HDMI with eARC, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

HDMI eARC, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-A

1x HDMI out (with eARC), 2x HDMI 2.1 in, optical digital audio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

Dolby Atmos/DTS:X

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Sonos Arc Ultra

If you’d like to expand your system over time, Sonos’ excellent Arc Ultra ($1,099) offers a similar starting point to the XIO in terms of TV sound and can be expanded with a variety of wireless subs and surrounds. It’s also one of the best multiroom systems you can buy. However, it won't solve the XIO’s lack of inputs, and it lacks features like Tidal Connect and Google Cast.

Read our full Sonos Arc Ultra review

Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus

If a single-speaker Dolby Atmos system is your goal, but you’d like to spend a little less and get a few more connectivity options, Sennheiser’s Ambeo Soundbar Plus is well worth a look. It’s under $2,000, it’s got the most immersive sound I’ve ever heard from a single speaker, and it has tons of inputs, including 2 HDMI ports, an optical input, and an analog input. Like the XIO, it supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, 360 Reality Audio, MPEG:H, and can even act as an Alexa-powered smart speaker.

Read our full Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus review

Samsung HW-Q990F

If you want to achieve maximum cinematic immersion and don’t mind dealing with a few extra speakers, Samsung’s HW-Q990F is considered by many to be the best Dolby Atmos home-theater-in-a-box product you can buy, and it’s still $500 less than the XIO. It lacks the XIO’s refined looks with its all-plastic construction, but it delivers stellar spatial performance and includes two HDMI 2.1 inputs.

Read our full Samsung HW-Q990F review

How I tested the KEF XIO soundbar

(Image credit: Future / Simon Cohen)

• Used KEF XIO as main audio system for one week
• Tested in basement media room
• Sources: Apple TV 4K, Nvidia Shield 2019, and streamed music from various apps

I spent a full week with the KEF XIO as my main audio system for watching movies, shows, and music in my basement media room. During that time, I played a variety of Dolby Atmos test clips from movies like No Time To Die, Ford v Ferrari, Mad Max: Fury Road, Dune, and Unbroken, paying special attention to details like dialogue clarity, surround sound, and height channel impact.

I streamed most content from an Apple TV 4K connected via an LG OLED TV, which fed the MK2 from its ARC output, but I also connected an Nvidia Shield TV to an eARC extractor so I could hear the XIO’s treatment of Dolby Atmos in Dolby TrueHD.

I evaluated the effect of the various EQ modes as well as the XIO’s room correction feature.

For music, I used a variety of apps, including Apple Music, Tidal, Qobuz, and Amazon Music, listening to a wide range of genres and formats, like Dolby Atmos Music. Some were played from apps on the Apple TV 4K and Nvidia Shield, while others were streamed wirelessly using AirPlay, Bluetooth, Tidal Connect, and Google Cast. I tested several of these within the KEF Connect app as well.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: December 2025

Cuisinart FlexPrep 1.1L Food Processor: one-minute review

Cuisinart is a renowned brand in the kitchen appliance space, and the Cuisinart FlexPrep 1.1L Food Processor proves why. This food processor appliance offers a 1.1L capacity, providing a reasonable amount of space for everyday use without occupying a large amount of storage space. But don’t let its compact size fool you, this is a powerhouse of an appliance.

The FlexPrep 1.1L Food Processor comes with three attachments: a reversible shredding disc (offering fine or medium shredding/grating), a whipping disc for creams, and a sharp chopping blade, which can also be used to purée and emulsify foods or for tasks such as combining pastry. Shredding and chopping take mere seconds, depending on the food type, while this food processor also saves time (and energy) on more tedious tasks, including whipping double cream or blending nuts into butter. We found minimal food to be left unprocessed at the end, or stuck under the disc/blade. Handwashing was fairly easy, too, especially given that the attachments and bowl are dishwasher safe.

(Image credit: Future)

However, results aren’t always even. While this is largely a minor issue, with carrot or courgette gratings being of varied sizes (though still grated), it was more apparent with a couple of tests/ We found that chopping almonds resulted in some being left whole, while others were almost a powder, while puréeing the almonds into a butter results in half of the nuts (those on the bottom half) being more processed than the other.

The power this food processor packs seems to be part of the issue, as its speed can let down its precision at times. You have little control over this power, too, as the FlexPrep 1.1L Food Processor only comes with two main functions: on and pulse. Pulse gives you a bit more control, but we’d have loved to have had the option to increase or decrease the power level as needed. We’d also have liked the inclusion of a slicing attachment, which we’ve seen with similar products, such as the Magimix 4200XL.

These issues are relatively minor, however, and the Cuisinart FlexPrep 1.1L Food Processor is overall a superb kitchen appliance. And, with a £70 price tag, you’d be hard pressed to find a food processor that offers as high quality for such good value.

Cuisinart FlexPrep 1.1L Food Processor: price and availability

• £70 at Cuisinart UK or $89.95 for US model (FP-5)
• Unavailable in Australia
• Available at third-party retailers, including Amazon and Lakeland
• Regular discounts can see it dropped to around £50

The Cuisinart FlexPrep 1.1L Food Processor (Model FP5U) is available in the UK for £69.99 at Cuisinart UK, while the US equivalent model (FP-5) is $89.95. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, this food processor isn’t available in Australia.

This places this food processor firmly in the budget range, and the quality on offer for that price tag is exceptional, especially considering that there are regular discounts on this appliance. It doesn’t offer the variety of functions we see with some of the premium products on our best food processors list, such as the Breville the Paradice 16 ($699.95 / £579.95 / AU$899) or Nutribullet Triple Prep System ($244.99 / £229.99 / AU$349.95), but it’s considerably more affordable.

So, if you want one of the food processors that does the basics well, you can’t go wrong with the Cuisinart FlexPrep 1.1L Food Processor. If you need a slightly larger capacity, but don’t want to fork out for a premium appliance, it’s worth considering the Cuisinart Easy Prep Pro FP8 food processor, priced at £125/ $99.95.

• Value score: 5/5

Cuisinart FlexPrep 1.1L Food Processor: specifications

Review model

FP5U

Number of functions

2

Functions

On and pulse

Number of attachments

3

Attachments

Reversible shredding disc (fine shredding/medium shredding), whipping disc, and chopping blade

Smart control

No

Rated power

N/A

Capacity

1.1L work bowl

Dimensions

5.9in (D) x 13.3in (W) x 8.1in (H) / 150mm (D) x 338mm (W) x 206mm (H)

Dishwasher-safe

Yes (on top rack only)

Guarantee

3 years

Cuisinart FlexPrep 1.1L Food Processor: design

• Storage hub for chopping blade
• BladeLock system for safe handling
• Compact size
• No control over power
• No slicing attachment

Out of the box, the Cuisinart FlexPrep 1.1L Food Processor comes with a compact, silver housing base, a 1.1L work bowl, a lid featuring a feed tube, a pusher for that tube, a stem adapter, a metal chopping blade, a reversible shredding disc (for fine and medium shredding), a whipping disc, and a storage hub for the blades. On the outside of the base are two black buttons: on and pulse/off.

What’s immediately striking is how compact the appliance is. As such, it doesn’t offer a huge capacity, but plenty for those preparing smaller batches of food. The appliance is fairly straightforward to assemble, with the work bowl locking into the base, and then your disc or blade locking into the accompanying stem adaptor, which is then locked into the work bowl. Cuisinart’s BladeLock system ensures the blade or disc remains locked in place when processing or pouring, offering an extra layer of safety. The lid then locks into the work bowl, with the pusher slipping easily (but tightly) into the lid’s food tube.

(Image credit: Future)

Our main issue with the setup was that, while the accompanying user manual is quite thorough, it’s mostly text-based, with very few images, making it initially challenging to ensure we’d set up the appliance correctly before its first use, which is critical when sharp blades are involved. We appreciated the storage hub that allows you to safely store the chopping blades and stem adapter, and fits into the workbowl but wish it could fit the discs, too.

The Cuisinart FlexPrep 1.1L Food Processor’s two buttons make it easy to use, with Pulse used for short bursts of power and On for consistent processing. However, this food processor packs a punch, so while your food can produce results quickly, there’s a fine line between it potentially becoming overprocessed. At one point in our testing, the machine began shaking back and forth on our countertop with the power, and some grated carrot jumped out of the feeding tube as we tried to add more.

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It’s also incredibly loud; we found it registered a 99 decibel reading when chopping onions, comparable to the volume of a boiler room. We also wish a slicing attachment were included, as this is a common function for food processors and would have offered slightly more variety.

Overall, we found this to be a safety-conscious food processor that is easy to use, has a sleek and compact design, and values basic practicality over extra bells and whistles.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Cuisinart FlexPrep 1.1L Food Processor: performance

• Extremely powerful…
• Almost too powerful at times
• Shreds, chops, whips, and more
• Speedy (but sometimes uneven) results

We began testing using the chopping blade to chop a medium-sized red onion. While the user manual includes a user guide for different food types, suggesting the tool, function, and directions to use for each, it offers few instructions for vegetables, bar a suggestion to cut raw ingredients into even, 1cm pieces before inserting them into the work bowl. This user manual also doesn’t suggest optimal quantities of food (or any quantities).

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We were taken aback by how quickly the appliance chopped the onion in its consistent On mode. It took a few seconds (less than 10) for the onion to be entirely chopped, with no unchopped ingredient left under the blade, and the result was largely even cuts, with some outlying larger pieces – though not enough to present an issue. The speed was impressive; however, the power means you should use the Pulse feature for chopping, to have more control and prevent overprocessing.

Chopping bread with this blade, too, produced excellent results. As the user manual suggested, we tore three slices of multi-seed bread into pieces before using Pulse (for just one second) three or four times, before setting the processing to On. It took between five and 10 seconds to produce evenly chopped bread crumbs, with no bread caught underneath the blade.

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Chopping almonds, however, produced less consistent results. We added 250g of whole almonds to the work bowl before using the Pulse setting to break up the nuts. It took around 25 one-second pulses to break up the almonds, but we found that while some of the almonds were chopped well, others in the same bowl were either a powder-like consistency or still whole.

After checking the consistency, we pressed the On button to continue processing to make almond butter. In around 10 seconds, the chopped almonds transformed into almond flour, but it took around six minutes to produce butter. The issue with this was that the bottom half of the work bowl’s produce had become butter, but the top half hadn’t, and wasn’t getting access to the blades as evenly, even when we used a spatula to scrape down the edges (when the appliance was off). The result was very hard butter at the bottom, with smoother butter nearer the top.

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We did, however, find the Cuisinart FlexPrep 1.1L Food Processor a dream when combining shortcrust pastry with this chopping blade. After adding our flour and butter to the bowl, we pulsed the mixture around 20 times before adding a couple of tablespoons of water and setting it to On.

It took around 45 seconds for the pastry to come together, resulting in perfectly mixed pastry. You need to keep a close eye on the appliance when using it for this task, however, as the speed and power of the machine means it your dough can quickly become overworked.

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We next tried the reversible shredding disc, which offers two options: fine shredding or medium shredding. You choose your shred by inserting the disc with the corresponding side (there is small writing that indicates which side is which) facing upwards. We started with a standard courgette on the fine shredding side. A full courgette wouldn’t fit through the feeding tube, so we sliced it vertically down the middle to fit. With the food processor on, we were able to slowly insert the courgette through the tube and into the spinning shredding disc.

The appliance shreds quickly, but you don’t feel it pulling the ingredients in at an unsafe speed. Instead, the pressure you apply feels largely in your control. In less than 20 seconds, or courgette was shredded. While the result was well-shredded pieces, with minimal residue left on the lid, the pieces weren’t all evenly sized: some pieces were shorter and others longer.

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Our results with shredding carrots on the medium shred blade were similar. Again, we had to cut our two carrots down the middle vertically to fit them in the tube, but they grated in less than 20 seconds – though some carrot pieces shot out of the tube as we added more. The carrot was grated well, but again, the pieces weren’t consistently even with each other. Much like with the courgette, this isn’t a huge issue in the cooking process, but it is something we’ve seen achieved by competitors.

Finally, we tested the whipping disc with 240ml of double cream. Whipping cream can be a real chore, but this food processor produced perfectly whipped cream (that we could hold upside down without drippage) in around 40 to 50 seconds. While some residue was stuck under the blade and not entirely mixed in, we were pleased overall with the results.

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Overall, the Cuisinart FlexPrep 1.1L Food Processor offers high-quality results, but not necessarily precision. Its power is its greatest strength, as it offers tremendous speed, but it is also its biggest weakness, as it can easily overwork foods if you’re not careful.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Cuisinart FlexPrep 1.1L Food Processor?Cuisinart FlexPrep 1.1L Food Processor: score card

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

This food processor may not come with the variety of functions seen with premium products, but offers high quality for a budget price tag.

5/5

Design

Its compact size means this food processor won't need a lot of storage room. It's also incredibly easy to use, but we do wish we had more control over its power levels.

4.5/5

Performance

This is a powerhouse food processor, shredding, whipping, and chopping with impressive speed, but this does come somewhat at the cost of precision.

4.5/5

Buy it if

You want a quality, budget food processor

For its budget price tag, this food processor offers quality results. While it can only perform a handful of (fairly basic) functions, it offers excellent value for those who want an affordable food processor to handle day-to-day food prep.

You value speed over precision

This food processor offers a huge amount of power, which means it produces its results with impressive speed. The pieces may not always be even, and you need to keep an eye on it to ensure it doesn’t overwork your food, but if speed is the most important factor to you, this is a great option.

You want to save on storage space

The Cuisinart FlexPrep 1.1L Food Processor is surprisingly compact, taking up minimal room. So, if you’re struggling for storage space, this is an excellent choice.

Don't buy it if

You want a wide variety of functions

The Cuisinart FlexPrep 1.1L Food Processor can shred, purée, chop, whip, and emulsify, but doesn’t come with some of the functions we’ve seen in competitors, such as slicing. If you want an all-singing-all-dancing food processor, this may not be the one for you.

You want control over power levels

While this is a powerful appliance, it can be too powerful at times, and there’s little control over it. If you want a food processor that has more options for power levels, therefore giving you more control over the final results, then you may be better considering an alternative.

You need a large capacity food processor

This food processor’s 1.1L work bowl offers decent capacity for smaller households or for those who plan to use it for smaller batches of food prep, but if you have a bigger household or need to make larger batches, we advise considering a food processor with a larger capacity bowl.

Cuisinart FlexPrep 1.1L Food Processor: also consider

If the Cuisinart FlexPrep 1.1L isn't quite the right food processor for you, here are two alternatives that are worth considering:

Breville The Paradice 16

This premium food processor delivers the precision that the Cuisinart FlexPrep lacks, albeit for several times the price. It's incredibly well made and has an attachment for virtually every kitchen job, from peeling to whisking and everything in between. Highly recommended if your budget will stretch this far.

Read our full Breville The Paradice 16 review

Nutribullet Triple Prep System

Three appliances in one (a food processor, jug blender, and smoothie maker) for much less than buying them separately. Works particularly well for larger quantities, but not so well with small servings, and the pitcher's blades can't be removed for cleaning, which is a shame.

Read our full Nutribullet Triple Prep System review

Edifier S880DB MKII: Two-minute review

As the best small-format active speakers go, the Edifier S880DB MKII are pretty swell. They go toe-to-toe with a great many other low-to-mid-range hi-fi pairs, thanks to a prodigious array of forward-thinking inputs both analog and digital. There’s also a subwoofer output to fully extend the practicality of these little (and surprisingly loud) actives, and a gesture-controlled remote puck to access a bunch of different functions, from input switching and volume control to handling various EQ sound profiles.

Excellent as the S880DB MKII are on paper, between their swish aesthetics and versatile, future-friendly control options, small frustrations abound with the remote control’s reaction time and bass-representation issues inherent to the small-bookshelf format.

These frustrations are just that: small. But they’re made all the larger when other active speaker models in Edifier’s roster, namely the excellent MR5 monitors, are simultaneously cheaper and better-performing.

Ultimately, though, the Edifier S880DB MKII do a lot of things right, and as many things well. I’m thusly inclined to score it kindly, in recognition of what it’s achieved over what it’s competing against. After all, it’s a MKII, and well and truly a well-upgraded successor in a competitive niche.

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)Edifier S880DB MKII review: Price & release date

• $449.99 / £335.99 / AU$595.99
• Launched on 4th September, 2025

Edifier is a key figure in the budget audio space, with a pretty wide-ranging roster of audio bits and bobs that punch well above their figurative weight. I can prove it, too: I was happy enough to review Edifier’s new MR5 monitor speakers some months ago, and happened to think mighty well of their performance (and even mightier of this performance against their frankly astonishing budget price point).

These speakers, though, exist in a different paradigm to the musician-oriented active listening monitors that the MR5 very much are. These are the Edifier S880DB MKII, a second-gen successor set of multidisciplinary active bookshelf speakers that ably straddle a broad set of use cases. Bedroom hi-fi system? Small desk-friendly active monitors? Subsidiary speaker set for your small cinema system? Why not!

This versatility is courtesy of some powerful internal amplification, some smart user-friendly features, and some future-friendly upgrades that make them more able (and better-sounding) than ever before. But do they make the grade, and do their updated features do them justice?

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)Edifier S880DB MKII review: Specs

Type

Active

Tweeters

1.25-inch titanium diaphragm dome tweeters

Woofers

3.75-inch long-throw aluminum diaphragm mid-low drivers

Frequency response

50Hz - 40kHz

Inputs

RCA-in x2; USB-C; Optical; Coaxial

Outputs

3.5mm TRS subwoofer out

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 5.3; LDAC, SBC

Output (total)

88W RMS

Extras

RCA-to-RCA cable; RCA-to-3.5mm aux cable; USB-C-to-USB-C cable; 5-pin DIN speaker connector cable; remote control puck

Edifier S880DB MKII review: Features

• Multifarious inputs, plus sub output
• Hi-res Bluetooth LDAC connectivity
• Handy remote-control surface

The S880DB MKII are a highly connectible set of small-form active bookshelf speakers, designed to settle suavely into a wide variety of different at-home listening scenarios. Being a successor model to Edifier’s OG S880DB, there’s a lot of familiar stuff in here. But that familiar stuff is part and parcel of a pretty comprehensive upgrade, that brings some improved acoustics and techy quality-of-life updates.

The biggest auditory updates come from the new drivers. The 1-inch titanium dome tweeter from the first model has been sized up to 1.25-inch, with a bigger voice coil to match. The mid-bass driver has also had a ground-up redesign, with the impact of more low end, any of which is a gift in small-format speakers such as these.

With their small size, large 88W RMS output and surprisingly broad frequency range, the S880DB MKII are excellent low-profile partners for a home office PC system – and they’ll slide just as effortlessly into a multi-faceted living room hi-fi or home theatre system, with especial thanks to an expansive set of inputs.

On the wired side of the equation, we have two separate channels of RCA input, a Toslink optical in, coax, and an all-new USB-C connection – the latter of which enjoys its own DAC architecture, so you can connect a laptop directly to it without any dongle-y jiggery-pokery. Sadly, this USB-C port doesn’t also provide the option of 5V power – when USB ports are a commodity at your desk, a spare port for powering peripherals (foreshadowing alert!) would be a welcome gift. Also new is a 3.5mm TRS output for optional connection to a subwoofer unit, giving what’s nominally a small-form set of active bookshelf speakers a great deal more oomph potential.

On the wireless side of the equation, the Edifier S880DB MKII are handily equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, up from the previous version’s 5.1, and now supports Sony’s hi-res LDAC codec, too. On-board you’ll find the requisite rear-mounted treble, bass and volume controls, and within, a set of five EQ presets for different sound profiles: ‘Classic’, ‘Monitor’, ‘Dynamic’, ‘Vocal’ and ‘Customized’.

A new 2.4GHz wireless remote-control puck eschews black plastic and clicky buttons in favour of a silver-and-white gesture-control surface. It senses your hand on approach, and can be used to switch audio inputs, access Bluetooth, control the volume and switch between the aforementioned sound profiles. Any and all changes are heralded by a cheery little vibration from within the puck itself. The MKII is also tweakable via Edifier’s ConneX app, which gives you access to the same controls as the remote, and a six-band EQ with which to customize the, er, ‘Customized’ sound profile.

A small OLED screen on the front displays the necessaries – defaulting to your current audio input, but also showing you volume changes and differing sound profiles as you cycle through. It’s subtle, but subtly futuristic. And I like it.

• Features score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)Edifier S880DB MKII review: Sound quality

• Excellent high-end clarity
• Exceedingly powerful for their size
• Unfortunate handling of low end

The Edifier S880DB MKII are loud, and impressively so for the format. I dared, hubristically, to test them at full volume while sat at my desk – a crime for which my ears paid dearly, and for which I undoubtedly owe my neighbour an apology bottle of wine.

When they’re not being loud, they’re being remarkably consistent. Whether listening via RCA-in or Bluetooth, there are no discernible shortcomings on the fidelity front. As for character, these speakers are decent all-rounders, but particularly and delightfully tactile in the upper register. Knik by Portugal. The Man is a delight of swishy cymbals, woozy guitars and stacked chest- and head-voice vocals. It’d be fair to say, generally, that the S880DB MKII speakers are extremely vocal-forward, a function of those tight mid-range drivers and titanium tweeters.

That overall handiness, bolstered by high-end tactility, trades off against an under-representative low end. Knik ends with an explosion of fuzzed-out guitars and blooming bass, all lost to a set of speakers that don’t have the stature to platform them properly. At least, this was the first impression I had of the S880DB MKII, predicated on an initial listen through the automatically applied ‘Classic’ sound profile.

Cycling through other modes revealed a decent wedge more boom on all fronts, the more neutral ‘Monitor’ mode immediately the most musical to my ears. The ‘Dynamic’ mode adds a little treble-y urgency, giving a little more love to transients in the process, while the ‘Vocal’ mode seems to target upper mids, doing exactly what you’d expect it to (with a little compensatory ducking of lower mids). Personally, I don’t see why the Classic sound profile is the default option, when it’s so clearly the worst of the bunch.

Better as the other modes sound, all bear out the same essential conclusion that bass isn’t the S880DB MKII’s strong suit – a fundamental truth of the speakers’ small form. This isn’t to say they’re entirely without punch, though. Across all EQ profiles, they’re tuned exactly as you’d expect a jack-of-all-trades hi-fi device, with plenty of presence for hi-hats, voices, and kick-drum clicks, the latter of which grab you enough to insinuate the oomph you’d otherwise miss much more dearly. And if you crank them, you get plenty of somewhat-indistinct bassy bloom from their ported rear faces.

Of course, Edifier are deeply aware of this form-borne shortcoming, and have even made adjustments towards improving it in this second go-around – including greater low-end extension and a new subwoofer out port. I didn’t have an active subwoofer with which to pair the S880DB MKII, but I’d wager that most potential buyers of such speakers don’t either. Besides which, I wouldn’t want to colour my straight opinion of these things with something ‘else’. All the same, it’s a credit to Edifier that they’re working with the size, rather than against it!

I oughtn’t have spent so long on the lower end of the S880DB MKII’s frequency spectrum, not when there’s so much to love a little further up the graph. Queens of the Stone Age’s Everybody Knows That You’re Insane is an explosive delight, jangly guitars and croon-adjacent vocals giving in to gratifyingly grabby power chords and pingy snares.

Getdown Services’ Blooze, meanwhile, is right at home on these speakers, with a boxy, idiosyncratic mix that attains a woolly, three-dimensional presence on my desk – and brings out the best of the S880DB MKII’s miasmic-bass potential in the process. These are truly some high-definition performers, bringing some densely detailed magic where it counts for most.

• Sound quality score: 3.5/5

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)Edifier S880DB MKII review: Design

• Aesthetically delightful little things
• Breezy to set up and use
• Remote is cool but slow

The Edifier S880DB MKII are incredibly pleasing to behold, with their two-tone, multi-textured, veneer-sandwiched visual design. There are two colorways on offer: one a black-and-walnut affair, the other a white-and-pine-y sorta deal. My review sample matches Nordic pine vibes with a leatherette finish to make something wholly more living-room friendly than other bookshelf-style speakers, many of which fall prey to the same sort-of boring anthracite proclivities, and stick out like lead-stained thumbs accordingly.

The OLED panel on the front runs the risk of being gaudy, but is understatedly smart in execution. It doesn’t clamor for your attention, and only ever shows you whatever you need to know at the time.

As for the practical side of things, it’s as easy as it could be to situate these speakers. Installation is simply a matter of connecting one speaker to the other via the supplied DIN cable, connecting power and making the various audio connections you require. The S880DB MKII have two RCA-ins, USB-C connectivity and Bluetooth 5.3, so you’re unlikely to struggle, though some may understandably miss the convenience of a HDMI ARC option for their telly systems.

Realistically, the biggest challenge you’ll face setting these up is sorting your wireless connections – but Edifier’s made that a breeze, too. You put the speakers in search mode by touching the dedicated Bluetooth space on the remote, and they pop up a moment later in your device’s list of available connections. That’s it. With Bluetooth connected, you can stream audio and access the ConneX app, which also makes messing with your speaker settings breezy as can bee…zy. [Careful now. Ed.]

The only shortcoming on the design front is the remote – and this is in spite of its relatively inspired gesture-control schema. Every time you go to use it, it needs a moment to wake up first; what could be a smooth one-touch experience becomes a couple of frustrated jabs before your request is recognized. It’s hard to design around this, since the alternative is that the remote’s battery drains so much quicker, but it’s still a minor hiccup in an otherwise butter-smooth setup.

If only you could wire it straight to the speakers via a handy 5V-powered USB-C port…

• Design score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)Edifier S880DB MKII review: Value

• Comprehensive feature-set is great
• Performance is better in other, cheaper Edifiers
• Buy these if you value convenience over sound

The question of value is a difficult one to answer with respect to the S880DB MKII. They’re undeniably an excellent prospect as desktop speakers or a small-room sound system, irrespective of their cost; their connectibility, ease of use and perfectly serviceable sound performance make them functionally excellent. But cost is relative, and something else entirely.

The RRP of these speakers is $449.99 / £335.99 / AU$595.99 – not a lot in a world of high-valued mid-range hi-fis and break-the-bank audiophile speaker systems, but still a fair whack to put down (even if what you’re getting is a completed integrated, powered audio system). It’s especially difficult to judge fairly when another set of Edifier speakers – the aforementioned MR5 monitors – are simultaneously cheaper and, to my ears, far better.

The question of value, then, is a question of what value you place on certain things: convenience, aesthetics, fit. The Edifier S880DB MKII are compact, easy to place, easy to look at and handily controllable with a wireless remote – all things that could justify a little uplift in price, but only to those of you that value them.

For me, this is hard. I genuinely like these speakers, and I think they’re pretty faultless for most of the things you reasonably expect from them. But when I enjoy another set of Edifier speakers far more, which cost quite a bit less, it’s difficult to say this is a good-value purchase.

• Value score: 3/5

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)Should you buy the Edifier S880DB MKII?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Fully kitted out, with six different input options and a new sub out for better bass; better speakers and internals than their predecessor.

5/5

Sound quality

Excellent mid-to-high-end communicators, with bright, clear and vocal-forward articulation. Bass is lacking in some sound profiles.

3.5/5

Design

Hard to fault aesthetically, they're unreasonably fetching on one’s desk. Easy setup but remote can feel laggy.

4.5/5

Value

Hard to say these are great value – if only due to the fact that Edifier have a much more capable, and cheaper, set of active monitors on their roster.

3/5

Buy them if...

You value convenience
The Edifier S880DB MKII are hugely convenient active speakers, with a remote control that makes it so easy to switch between the wide variety of inputs – both analog and digital – on offer.

You like your speakers prominently displayed
My favorite thing about the Edifier S880DB MKII is the design. My pair were a dashing cream-and-pine affair, but the black-and-walnut dealies look The Business, too.

Don't buy them if...

You want a fully representative soundstage
The Edifier S880DB MKII’s stereo image is great, but, despite its wide frequency range, it struggles with low-end representation. You’ll want to use that subwoofer output!

You’re not too fussed about a remote control
The S880DB MKII’s remote is a nifty way to access a bunch of helpful controls – but if you’re not too bothered about wireless control, Edifier’s MR5 monitors provide a lot more bang for a little less buck.

Edifier S880DB MKII: Also consider

Edifier S880DB MKII

Edifier MR5

Kanto Ren

Type

Active

Active

Active

Price

$449.99 / £335.99 / AUS $595.99

$349.99 / £279.99 (approx AU$570)

$599 / £599 (around AU$1,199)

Tweeters

1.25-inch titanium diaphragm dome tweeters

1-inch silk dome tweeter

1-inch silk dome tweeters

Woofers

3.75-inch long-throw aluminium diaphragm mid-low drivers

5-inch woofer, 3.75-inch mid driver

5.25-inch aluminium concave cone

Frequency response

50Hz - 40kHz

46Hz - 40kHz

50Hz - 22kHz

Inputs

RCA-in x2, USB-C, Optical (Toslink), Coaxial, Bluetooth 5.3

Dual XLR, dual TRS, RCA, 3.5mm aux, Bluetooth 6.0

HDMI ARC with CEC, USB-C, Optical (TOSLINK), Bluetooth 5.3. RCA, 3.5 mm aux

Outputs

3.5mm TRS subwoofer out

3.5mm headphone out

RCA subwoofer out

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 5.3: LDAC, SBC

Bluetooth 6.0 (two devices): LDAC, SBC

Bluetooth 5.3: AAC, SBC

Output (total)

88W RMS

110W RMS

100W RMS

Extras

RCA-to-RCA cable, RCA-to-3.5mm aux cable, USB-C-to-USB-C cable, 5-pin DIN speaker connector cable, remote control puck, power cable

x1 3.5mm to 3.5mm aux cable, 1x RCA to 3.5mm aux cable, power cable

Remote control, 2x magnetic grilles, power cable, speaker wire, rubber feet

Kanto Ren
Kanto’s Ren speakers are a multiferous hi-fi delight, with a hugely musical sound profile and a peerless level of connectibility. They’re a bit pricier, but that extra cost gets you HDMI ARC as well as some nifty internals, nifty bass representation and even niftier living-room-friendly aesthetic.
Read more in our full Kanto Ren review

Edifier MR5
You don’t have to spend much money to get a set of Edifier speakers with more overall oomph. The Edifier MR5 active monitor speakers are aimed more towards music and music-making than the S880DB MKII’s broad remit – sounding bigger and bolder, but losing some small conveniences in the process.
Read our full Edifier MR5 review here

How I tested the Edifier S880DB MKII

• Tested for 3 weeks
• Used in attic office, as primary desktop listening speakers
• Predominantly tested using audio output from a Universal Audio Volt 4 audio interface, and Bluetooth transmission from a Samsung Galaxy S23 FE

The Edifier S880DB MKII found their home on my attic office’s desk, as a primary pair of monitor speakers for my work setup.

They received audio via RCA-in, from my trusty Universal Audio Volt 4 interface; I also tested the USB-C input directly from my HP Pavilion 15 laptop, and Bluetooth connectivity using my Samsung Galaxy S23 FE smartphone.

Over four weeks, I rotated through some new and familiar artists on Spotify and in my personal digital music library, to get a feel for the S880DB MKII in different musical contexts.

First reviewed: December 2025

Read more about how we test at TechRadar

Nanoleaf 6-in-1 Light Therapy Wand: Two-minute review

It was a surprise to many fans of Nanoleaf's popular smart-lighting products when the brand expanded into wellness, releasing a selection of devices including the Nanoleaf LED face mask and 6-in-1 Light Therapy Wand.

Given its experience in making some of the best smart lights, it makes sense that the brand should know what it's doing when it comes to light therapy, and based on my experience so far, it’s best demonstrated by the new light wand.

Offering six treatments (anti-aging, acne, repair, soothing, heating and cooling), the Nanoleaf 6-in-1 Light Therapy Wand is a veritable facial in your pocket, clad in a stylish sage green and weighing just 201g. I’ve been using it two or three times a week for five weeks at the time of writing this review, and I can already tell that it’s working well for me, and that’s not just because the treatment itself is better.

Specs

Weight

201g

Dimensions

187 x 40 x 55mm (L x W x H)

Temperature

Heating Temperature: 38±3℃

Cooling Temperature: 15±3℃

Wavelengths

Red + NIR: 630nm + 850nm

Blue: 460nm

There are three key reasons why I prize my Nanoleaf light wand over and above the brand’s LED face mask, which I enjoyed, albeit with some reservations.

Firstly, the device is lightweight and very portable, making it an excellent travel companion. This is something I also appreciated about Nanoleaf’s silicone face mask, especially in comparison to the bulky and rigid Shark Cryoglow, and the handheld wand amps up the convenience by being portable enough to stash in a toiletries bag and lasting up to three hours on a single charge.

Each treatment lasts just four minutes, with Nanoleaf recommending two to three sessions per week, meaning the wand can comfortably go weeks without charging, too. It takes three hours to recharge via USB-C, so it’s plenty convenient even if you're traveling.

The second reason I’m drawn back to the Nanoleaf 6-in-1 Light Therapy Wand over its competition in the face-mask market is its versatility. To use the wand, you glide its light panel and metallic face across your skin in a circular motion, choosing one of its six presets depending on your needs.

Each preset is paired with a different combination of temperature, LEDs, and vibration, which I’ve detailed below. Each setting can be adjusted to one of three intensity settings, though I’d always recommend sticking with the factory settings.

Treatment

Light therapy

Temperature

Vibration

Intensity (default)

Anti-aging

Red Light + NIR

Heating

Y

3

Acne

Blue Light

None

Y

3

Repair

Red Light + NIR

Cooling

N

3

Soothe

N

Heating

Y

3

Cooling

N

Cooling

N

1

Heating

N

Heating

N

1

Much like the Shark Cryoglow, there’s a cooling element around the light panel, except here this effect can be used on your whole face rather than just your under-eye area.

Cryotherapy treatments can help to constrict blood vessels under your skin, reducing redness, puffiness and inflammation and helping to tighten pores and improve circulation; all things my acne-prone skin can benefit from.

However, it’s not just cooling that can maximize the benefits of light therapy; some modes instead utilize a heating effect, which can help to loosen debris and cleanse the skin, reduce tension and even stimulate skin regeneration according to some research.

Neither heating nor cooling is too intense, with the former reaching up to 42C and the latter at a lowest temperature of 12C, meaning both treatments can be enjoyed as a relaxing step of your skincare routine.

That’s an excellent segue into the final feather in the Nanoleaf 6-in-1 Light Therapy Wand’s cap, which is the fact that you can use it to apply products to your skin as part of your daily routine.

I loved starting my nightly skincare routine with a round of heating to help open my pores and clear my skin of the day’s grime, and relax myself for bedtime, applying my various lotions and potions and massaging them into the skin while treating it with heat, light and massaging vibrations.

Personally, I think this is what has made all the difference for me (and my skin!) compared to Nanoleaf’s LED-only face mask; my skin is a lot clearer, and after a slightly painful few days where it seemed my acne worsened and came to the fore, weeks down the line it’s settling and looking clearer than it has since I was using Shark’s Cryoglow every day.

(Image credit: Future)

While I love these three benefits, none of this is to say Nanoleaf’s 6-in-1 Light Therapy Wand is perfect. One major design flaw is that you should never look directly at these LEDs, yet it’s really easy during use to slip or misplace the wand and blast bright lights straight into your eyes. Of course this can be remedied with eye masks or keeping them closed, but I personally don’t find jabbing blindly at my face with a hard surface particularly relaxing.

Also noteworthy is that, much like the brand’s face mask, the light wavelengths on offer still aren’t quite within peak performance based on currently available scientific studies; its blue light emits at 460nm versus the recommended 415nm and near-infrared (NIR) at 850nm versus 830nm. Thankfully, though, red light bucks the trend with its 630nm output vs 633nm peak performance.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Nanoleaf’s product isn’t effective; it just means that more premium products that align more closely with scientifically backed peak-performance levels might be better, and the results more noticeable.

As I always caveat when reviewing these products, the science behind light therapy is still in its infancy, and my review experience can be described as anecdotal at best. Still, I have noticed some moderate improvements which, while non-permanent, are helping me manage my adult acne.

(Image credit: Future)Nanoleaf 6-in-1 Light Therapy Wand review: Price and availability

• Price: $99 / £99 / AU$159.99
• Affordable alternative to masks, best price option for wands

At its list price, Nanoleaf’s 6-in-1 LED Light Therapy Wand is an excellent budget-friendly alternative to a full face mask, and even offers some benefits that make it a better choice overall.

Even when compared to other skin-therapy wands, Nanoleaf stands out as a uniquely affordable offering. There are cheaper LED-only wands, yes, and there are similarly priced cooling/heating products at similar price points, but not many (if any) that can do both, and certainly not so affordably.

Nanoleaf 6-in-1 Light Therapy Wand review: scorecard

Category

Comment

Score

Value

At this price, it's better value than most (if not all) budget-friendly LED masks and most wands.

5/5

Design

Handheld, easily portable and stylish enough to leave out on your vanity.

4.5/5

Performance

Light wavelengths aren’t optimal but slightly improved upon Nanoleaf’s facemask, plus added heating/cooling features improve efficacy.

4/5

Nanoleaf 6-in-1 Light Therapy Wand: Should I buy it?Buy it if...

You’re looking for a travel-friendly light-therapy device

Easily slipped in a travel bag and lightweight, this is an excellent travel companion and alternative to a bulkier or unwieldy mask.

You’re on a budget

The Nanoleaf 6-in-1 Light Therapy Wand is a great budget option, especially if you can find it on sale.

Don't buy it if...

You want peak power and performance

With some of the light therapies falling outside of recommended wavelengths, you’re not getting peak performance from this mask, though it’s by no means bad.

You're nervous of eye strain

If you're really careful, you can avoid accidental blasts of LEDs to your eyes, but I found it hard to relax and ensure that I benefitted from the treatments without the occasional slip.

(Image credit: Future)How I tested the Nanoleaf 6-in-1 Light Therapy Wand

I used Nanoleaf’s 6-in-1 Light Therapy Wand for five weeks, primarily trialling its acne treatment, which is my primary skin concern. However I also used its anti-aging setting for a fortnight for good measure, having tried other products against which I could benchmark its effectiveness.

I’ve been testing beauty devices for four years, considering everything from product design and functionality to performance, affordability and any available medical research to assess their efficacy and value for customers. With this particular product, I considered everyday use-cases like travel, charging and beauty routines, researched optimal light wavelength compared to the product’s stated output, and the price and availability of the device to come to a decision on its overall score.

First reviewed December 2025

• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Philips Hue Essential: two-minute review

Philips Hue Essential bulbs are a more affordable version of the company's standard smart lights, and they perform incredibly well considering they're less than half the price. There are a few limitations, though. For example, Philips Hue Essential bulbs offer a maximum brightness of **803**CHECK*** lumens, whereas standard Philips Hue White & Color Ambiance bulbs range from 800 to 1,600 lumens.

In most other respects, the two are very similar, and during my tests there was only one clear instance where the standard bulb really outshone the Essential version.

The Philips Hue Essential bulb's color reproduction was impressive (Image credit: Future)

To see how the two would compare, I set up a pair of lamps – one with a Philips Hue Essential bulb, and the other with an 800-lumen Philips Hue White & Color Ambiance bulb. I added them to the same room in the Philips Hue app, which would enable me to control them simultaneously, and directly compare and contrast their output.

During most of the tests I ran, it was difficult to spot any difference between the two. Both were equally responsive, and produced colors that were identical to my naked eye when I switched between scenes. According to Signify (the company behind the Philips Hue brand), Essential bulbs use different color-matching technology to regular Hue lights; but personally, I had a hard time telling the difference.

Having said that, I did notice a dark band at the top of the Essential bulb, which wasn't present on the premium bulb. This was most apparent with purple and blue light. Note that it isn't something you'll notice if you're using the bulb in a ceiling light, nor in a table lamp, and therefore is unlikely to be a deal-breaker unless you're exceptionally picky.

A dark "halo" is sometimes visible around the top of the Philips Hue Essential bulb (Image credit: Future)

The two were equally bright (as expected), although if I'd used a higher-output White & Color Ambiance bulb, then it would have been appreciably brighter.

However, there's one important difference that you should be aware of, particularly if you're looking for smart bulbs that will produce a natural-looking sunrise and sunset to help you wake up feeling refreshed, or to create subtle ambient lighting in your living room.

With both bulbs dialled down to their dimmest setting, the Hue Essential bulb was much brighter than the more expensive White & Color Ambiance model, as you can see in the photo below. That's because the Hue Essential bulb can only be dimmed to 2% of its maximum brightness, whereas the regular bulb can drop to just 0.2%.

(Image credit: Future)

I also found that the Essential bulb tended to show a slightly warmer cast, due to its narrower white light spectrum (2,200–6,500K compared to 1,000-20,00K for a regular Hue bulb). Depending on your preferred light temperature, the difference could be apparent if you use the two different types of bulbs in close proximity,

I wouldn't mix and match regular Hue and Hue Essential bulbs within the same room. However, they're an excellent option for those wanting to setup a Philips Hue system but have previously been intimidated by the price. They're also great if you're looking to extend your existing system to more rooms in your home, without splashing too much cash.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Philips Hue Essential: price and availability

• Much cheaper than regular Philips Hue bulbs
• Even more affordable when bought as a multipack
• You may also want a Philips Hue Bridge

The Philips Hue Essential range is designed to be an accessible entry point into the world of smart lighting, with the bulbs coming in at a much cheaper price than standard Philips Hue ones.

One Philips Hue Essential bulb (either screw or bayonet) costs $24.99 / £19.99 (about AU$40). If you want several, you can save money by opting for a multipack. A twin-pack costs $44.99 / £32.99 (about AU$70), and a four-pack comes in at $59.99 / £49.99 (about AU$90).

For comparison, a twin-pack of regular 800-lumen Philips Hue White & Color Ambiance bulbs costs $98.99 / £84.99 / AU$149.25, and a four-pack is $185.99 / £169.99 / AU$290.50. That's the starting price for a maximum brightness of 800 lumens; brighter bulbs cost even more.

The Philips Hue Essential bulb (left) has a slightly warmer cast than the regular Philips Hue White & Color Ambiance bulb on maximum brightness (800 lumens) (Image credit: Future)

There's another potential cost to consider, though. Although you can control the color and brightness of your Philips Hue Essential lights using Bluetooth on your phone, for more advanced features (such as applying scenes, setting schedules, and connecting them to smart speakers or switches) you'll also need a Philips Hue Bridge.

A standard Philips Hue Bridge costs $65.99 / £49.99 / AU$99.95, so factor this into your budget when planning your new smart lighting system. There's also a Philips Hue Bridge Pro, but this would be overkill for a new user with a small setup.

At the time of writing, Hue Essential bulbs only seem to be available in Australia as part of a starter kit, costing $170.08 for four bulbs and the Hue Bridge.

• Value score: 5/5

Philips Hue Essential: specificationsPhilips Hue Essential specifications

Fitting base

E26/E27, B22, GU10

Wattage

60W equivalent

Maximum brightness

***806 lumens***CHECK

Colors

16 million colors, 2,200–6,500K white light

Control options

Hue app, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, Matter, and more

Connection options

Bluetooth, Zigbee

Philips Hue Essential: design

• Only three bulb types available
• All options offer tuneable white and colored light
• Maximum brightness of ***802***CHECK lumens

Philips offers only a small selection of Hue Essential bulbs, which makes sense for an entry-level option. There are currently three models available – screw, bayonet, and GU10 spotlights – and these should be fine for most fittings around your home. Here, I tested an E27 screw-fitting bulb.

By contrast, regular Philips Hue lights come in virtually every shape and form possible, including candle and "filament"-style bulbs, LED strips, and gradient lamps to name just a few.

All bulbs in the Philips Hue Essential Series are "Warm to Cool White & Color", meaning they can show eight million colours, plus white light at different temperatures (from 2,200K to 6,500K). Regular Philips Hue smart bulbs are available in three versions:

• Warm white, which lets you tune brightness but not color;
• White Ambiance, which lets you adjust the brightness and temperature;
• White & Color Ambiance, which also lets you pick from eight million colors.

For more details, take a look at my complete guide to the different types of Philips Hue smart light bulbs.

All Philips Hue Essential bulbs offer a maximum brightness of ***803***CHECK lumens. Regular Philips Hue bulbs range from 800 all the way through to 1,600 lumens.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Should you buy Philips Hue Essential bulbs?Philips Hue Essential scorecard

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

Exceptional value at less than half the price of a standard Hue bulb (and even better in a multipack).

5/5

Design

Only available in three formats, but these cover most everyday use cases.

4.5/5

Performance

Compares favorably with original Philips Hue bulbs, but can't dim as low and has a slightly warm cast.

4.5/5

Buy them if

The price of regular Hue lights is off-putting

Philips Hue Essential bulbs are less than half the price of standard Hue lights, making them a much more affordable introduction to smart lighting.

You want to extend your Hue setup into more rooms

If you have a Hue system for your entertainment area, Hue Essential bulbs would be a great way to light areas such as hallways and dining rooms, where you don't need to dial the brightness right down.

Don't buy them if

You want to create subtle ambience

The dimmest setting on a Philips Hue Essential bulb is 2%, compared to 0.2% for a standard Hue light, so you won't be able to make super-subtle effects, and it doesn't make an ideal wake-up light.

You already have regular Hue bulbs in your room

Philips Hue Essential bulbs are very good, but their limitations might be apparent if you use them side-by-side with regular Hue lights. I'd recommend using one or the other in a room, rather than a mixture of both.

Philips Hue Essential: also consider

Govee Wi-Fi LED Bulb

Govee's lights connect directly to your home Wi-Fi network, meaning you can control them remotely via an app without the need for an additional hub. There's a very limited selection of bulb types, though, and during our tests we found their colors lacked vibrancy.

Read our full Govee Wi-Fi LED Bulb review

Nanoleaf Matter Essentials

As the name suggests, these smart bulbs are Matter-compatible, which makes them easy to integrate with a mixed smart home. They're a little cheaper than Hue Essential bulbs, too; but we found setup a little buggy in comparison to the smooth Hue experience.

Read our full Nanoleaf Matter Essentials review

How I tested the Philips Hue Essential bulbs

I tested a Philips Hue Essential E27 screw-fitting bulb alongside a standard Philips Hue Essential White & Color Ambiance bulb in identical table lamps, so I could more easily compare the two. I connected both to my existing Philips Hue setup, and added them to the same zone, which would enable me to control them both at once via the Hue app on my phone, set them to the same colors and brightness, and note similarities and differences.

I also tested them using the "sunset" automation within the Philips Hue app, with various preset scenes, and by tuning the light color and brightness manually.

For more details, see how we test, rate, and review products at TechRadar.

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Google Pixel Buds 2a: Two-minute review

Google’s audio department has had something of a tough go of it – our list of the best earbuds seems far, far out of reach, with buds (or Buds) after buds that fail to impress. After the brand netted only three stars in our Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review, and again only three stars from the Google Pixel Buds A, it’s finally managed to release a pair of true wireless earbuds that aren’t disappointing… if only because our expectations were quite low.

The Google Pixel Buds 2a are a more affordable alternative to the Pro 2, and a significant upgrade on the original A-series buds, bringing features which – if we’re being honest – the previous buds really should already have offered. However, though Google has managed to make a pair of earbuds that are finally pretty OK, the company hasn't managed to make buds that are especially competitive in the grand scheme of things.

Let’s start with a positive: like the past Pixel Buds, these are nice lightweight earbuds that don’t weigh your ears or your pocket down. The fit isn’t reliable though, partly because stem-less earbuds don’t lend themselves well to stability, partly because the tip material doesn’t offer much friction and partly because Google’s eartip fit test invariably failed to work.

Upgrades over the Pixel Buds A bring the 2a up to speed with industry trends: they have noise cancellation finally, and a greatly-improved battery life than the 1a’s embarrassing figure. But the feature list is still svelte: the EQ doesn’t offer much control over your sound, you can’t control your music from the buds, and the ANC is very light-touch.

The sound quality is, for lack of a better word, sloppy. The tuning is just all over the place, with audio parts tripping over themselves and frequent peaking. Individual lines can be detailed and clear but they don’t sit together well at all; an orchestra of the world’s best musicians can still sound poor if led by a hapless conductor.

I’m used to mid-range earbuds sounding cheap and cheerful, sometimes sacrificing audio precision and clarity for a fun, energetic or distinguished sound. Google has seemingly decided to go the other way, and has in doing so, learnt why none of the other manufacturers did so.

At the end of the day, myriad tweaks and improvements over Google’s lackluster previous offerings make these slightly easier to recommend, but they still pale in comparison to many other options available. That’s still true, just to a lesser degree, if you manage to pick them up for a discounted price. All that being said, if you’re offered them as a pre-order or bundle package with a Google Pixel phone, you could do worse.

Google Pixel Buds 2a review: Price and release date

(Image credit: Future)

• Announced and released on August 20, 2025
• Launched for $129.99 / £129 / AU$239
• Seen discounts since release

The Google Pixel Buds 2a were announced on August 20, 2025, almost two years to the day after the release of the Buds Pro 2.

You can buy the buds for $129.99 / £129 / AU$239, although they’re the kind of buds that you’re just as likely to receive as a bundle or pre-order gift for something like the Google Pixel 10.

That’s a mid-range price, higher than the $99 / £99.99 (around AU$130) first-gen A-series buds, but more affordable than the $229 / £219 / AU$379 original asking price of the Buds Pro 2 (in theory – they’ve dropped in price quite a bit since their 2024 launch).

It’s also, unfortunately for Google, a cost which puts the buds slap-bang in the middle of a really competitive price point. The buds don’t have much to endear them against the competition… except perhaps price cuts, as I easily found them for $99 / £99 / AU$198 just months after testing (no, not on Black Friday, during a period devoid of sales).

Google Pixel Buds 2a review: Specs

Drivers

11mm

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Battery life (ANC off)

7 hours (buds) 20 hours (case)

Weight

4.7g (buds) 47g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4

Waterproofing

IP54

Google Pixel Buds 2a review: Features

(Image credit: Future)

• ANC is here, but it's subtle
• 7/20 hour battery life (ANC on)
• Not all of the features work well

A new addition Google has granted the Pixel Buds 2a, over their predecessors at least, is the introduction of Active Noise Cancellation or ANC. Now, your buds will detect sounds around you and strip them out as much as possible. Better late than never, I suppose.

The ANC here is nothing to write home about. It’s present, removing some of the major annoyances from environmental or nearby sounds, but there are plenty of other earbuds (even at this price point) that do a better job of keeping things quiet. The ambient mode is a little better; this feature allows select noises to bypass ANC, so you can hear people talking to you or important beepings (time to unpack the dishwasher). This mode tends to be hit-or-miss at what it allows through, but I found few faults when testing the Buds 2a.

In terms of battery life, the buds hit the average I expect from in-ear buds: 7 hours of listening with ANC on or 10 hours with it turned off, with my own listening matching Google’s predictions. That’s fine, but a nice upgrade from previous Google buds with their lacklustre lives. The charging case brings the total to 20 or 27 hours respectively, which is perhaps a little lower than on most rival buds I’ve tested, but enough for several full recharges.

(Image credit: Future)

Like all good earbuds (read: all earbuds), there’s a phone app you can use to get some extra functionality. It’s called Pixel Buds, although you don’t need it to listen to music if you don’t want it. I wouldn’t blame you either; I spent the first week of my testing time without it, and when I eventually installed it, it didn’t really change the experience.

You can use the app to toggle ANC mode, turn touch controls on or off (but not change what they do; toggling ANC or awakening Gemini are the only two options), find your buds if you’ve lost them, update the buds’ firmware, set up multi-point connection and turn in-ear play detection on and off. So far, the standard array of features.

Pixel Buds offers an equalizer, with a five-band custom mode or a small range of presets. It’s some degree of control over your sound, but not a nuanced one. This option also offers an eartip seal check, so you can figure out which size of eartip to use, but I tried this about 10 times over the course of a week and not once did it work successfully. Every single time, it told me it failed, and that I needed to be somewhere quiet – even if I was home alone in the middle of the night. One time, in the wee hours, I even held my breath so my breathing wouldn’t disrupt it. It still failed.

There’s one feature I do like: there’s a hearing wellness test, which is useful for people who worry they’re listening to music too loud, as it tells you your music volume in dB. Even if you don’t think about that kind of thing, it’s useful to know, just in case you are damaging your ears unknowingly.

• Features score: 3.5/5

Google Pixel Buds 2a review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Lightweight buds
• Problems with fit
• Two color options, IP54

The Google Pixel Buds 2a are some of the smallest earbuds I’ve ever tested. They’re in-ear buds with no stem, weighing 4.7g each, and it’s easy to forget they’re in your ear when you’re listening to music.

That is, when they stay in. Despite the small fin to help the buds wedge in your ear, I found the fit a little unreliable, and they’d sometimes slip when I was walking or running. In theory the earbud fit test should help me ensure that isn’t the case, but you’ve already read about how well it worked out.

There are touch controls if you press and hold the buds, and they’re easy enough to trigger, but they can only be mapped to toggle ANC or enable your smart assistant. You can’t play or pause your music, toggle the volume or, from what Google’s app suggests, answer a call. These are all fundamental functions of other buds’ gesture controls, and I simply can’t understand why they’re not in place here.

(Image credit: Future)

The pebble-shaped case is small and light too, weighing 47.6g. It’s a no-fuss case and it’s easy to remove the buds, though returning them isn’t always as simple: it’s fairly easy to put the wrong bud in each ingress, and only realise your mistake when the case doesn’t shut fully.

You can pick up the buds in two colors: Iris or Hazel, as Google calls them, or violet or black as they actually are. The color choice affects the buds and inner section of the case, though the outer shell itself will always be a white cream. The case picks up scuffs easily, and I was constantly wiping marks off the case after a brief stint in my pocket.

The buds have an IP54 protection against dust ingress and splashes of water, and the case has an IPX4 rating. According to Google, the buds were made with “at least” 41% recycled materials, including the entirety of the buds and charging case magnets, solder paste and battery.

• Design score: 4/5

Google Pixel Buds 2a review: Sound quality

• 11mm driver
• No Bluetooth codec supported
• Sound lacks sparkle

(Image credit: Future)

Google has packed custom-made 11mm drivers into the Pixel Buds 2a; it hasn’t confirmed if these are the exact same drivers as in the Buds Pro 2, but the size is the same. I did most of my listening on the default EQ mode, simply because the presets didn’t seem to actually change the sound all that much.

On first listening, it sounds like the Pixel Buds 2a have it all: clear treble, solid bass and hearty mids. But the more I used the buds, the more I got the impression that something about the tuning was a little off. The elements don’t sit alongside each other well, and there’s an inconsistency to the sound.

In Seventeen Going Under by Sam Fender, as soon as the bass comes in it drowns out the acoustic guitar accompaniment; it’s not very well-defined or handled bass either, sounding too rumbly. Some parts of songs lack energy; the hook that begins Spector’s Chevy Thunder is too shrill and frail, while the guitar accompaniment is bounced down into a distorted mush; somehow in this song, the bass is barely audible.

There are times when the audio quality was enjoyable, especially when there was only one musical line, but that didn’t stay true when more instruments came in. In Vampire Weekend’s A-Punk, the introduction offers clear and detailed music but as more instruments come in, the overall package sounds worse. I also noticed consistent peaking and distorting, for certain instruments (I barely remember what a hi-hat is supposed to sound like after testing the 2a) and when the timbre became too complex.

So it sounds like the issue is with tuning across the frequencies, and not the technical specs, with audio sounding relatively detailed. There’s Bluetooth 5.4 for connectivity, but Google’s online specs sheet makes no mention of support for any advanced Bluetooth codecs.

• Sound quality: 3.5/5

Google Pixel Buds 2a review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

• Decent value at full price
• Better value on sale
• Great value as bundled gift

At their standard price, the Google Pixel Buds 2a are decent value: you get what you pay for, with a nice small body and fine audio quality for a mid-range price.

They’re not fantastic value though, and other buds for the same price can offer you more energetic audio, a fuller complement of features and a more reliable fit.

However, if you buy the Pixel Buds at the reduced cost, that changes… a little bit. They’re still not the most competitive buds even at the lower price, but they’re definitely better value for money.

• Value: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Google Pixel Buds 2a?

(Image credit: Future)Google Pixel Buds 2a score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

They have most of the features you'd hope for, but none of them wow.

3.5/5

Design

The lightweight build is great, though a reliable fit would be appreciated.

4/5

Sound quality

It's detailed sound, but it lacks energy and is woefully under-refined.

3.5/5

Value

You can do better for the price, even if you pick the Buds 2a up at their reduced price.

3.5/5

Buy them if…

You need petite earbuds for your bijou ears
Both the case and the buds of the Pixel Buds 2a are svelte, fitting in your pocket and ear without a complaint.

They're included with a Pixel phone
If you've found the Pixel Buds 2a because you can get them in a deal with a Google smartphone, then it's a package worth taking.

Don’t buy them if…

You like to customize your tunes
The Pixel Buds 2a's equalizer just doesn't give you the flexibility to tweak your music, that rivals do.

You need industrial-strength noise cancellation
Google's ANC doesn't match many rivals, and you don't need to spend any more to lose a lot more annoying background noise.

Google Pixel Buds 2a review: Also consider

Google Pixel Buds 2a

OnePlus Buds 4

Sony WF-C710N

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2

Drivers

11mm

11mm + 6mm

5mm

11mm

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Battery life

7 hours (buds) 20 hours (case)

11 hours (buds) 45 hours (case)

8.5 hours (buds) 30 hours total (with case)

8 hours (buds) 30 hours (case)

Weight

4.7g (buds) 47.6g (case)

4.73g (buds) 40g (case)

5.2g (buds) 38g (case)

4.7g (buds) 65g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4

Bluetooth 5.4

Bluetooth 5.3

Bluetooth 5.4

Waterproofing

IP54

IP55

IPX4

IP54

Sony WF-C710N
Sony's fantastic earbuds are cheaper than the Pixel Buds, while offering a similar design and feature set. They also have great noise cancellation and come in a funkier array of colors.
See our full Sony WF-C710N review

OnePlus Buds 4
For the same price as the 2a, you can buy another smartphone tie-in buds. The OnePlus Buds have great ANC and a bassy sound, so if you like stem-toting earbuds they're a great choice.
See our full OnePlus Buds 4 review

How I tested the Google Pixel Buds 2a

• Tested for one month
• Tested at home, at the gym, on runs and on walks

I tested the Google Pixel Buds 2a for just shy of four weeks, before submitting this review.

The earbuds were paired to my Android phone for the duration of the testing period, and I used them for a variety of tasks including streaming music, watching videos, gaming and taking calls.

I used the buds when at home, when going for walks or using public transport, when at the gym and while on runs.

I've been testing audio products for TechRadar for many years now, including a variety of other mid-range earbuds.

• First reviewed in December 2025

• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Confirmed: Harlan Coben's Run Away is the most fun you can have on New Year's Day without leaving your sofa. In truth, it wouldn't be a festive veg-out session if a new Harlan Coben mystery wasn't waiting for us, with Fool Me Once taking Netflix by storm in 2024. I'm no psychic, but I predict the same happening with Run Away.

Why? We're returning to the tried-and-tested formula of book adaptations after Prime Video's Harlan Coben's Lazarus in October. That's both a plus and a disadvantage depending on how you look at it, but when it comes to Coben's signature craft, we're in safe hands.

Not only that, but this might just be Coben's wildest story yet. Simon (James Nesbitt) is desperately searching for his runaway daughter Paige (Ellie de Lange) after she leaves home for her abusive, drug-addicted boyfriend, Aaron (Thomas Flynn).

When Aaron turns up dead, Simon is the number one suspect. Going against the police, his family, and his better conscience to find Paige, he discovers far more than he ever bargained for.

While that's not ideal news for the Greene family, it's perfect for us. Paige's disappearance is only the tip of an incredibly unhinged iceberg that turns a family tragedy into a web of betrayal, lies, and deceit.

I'm not going to give away any spoilers in this review, so you'll have to trust me when I say that there's no way on Earth you'll be able to guess what's to come... and Coben's final twist is the ultimate hand-clapped-over-mouth moment.

Harlan Coben's Run Away turns belligerent teen drama into a criminal rollercoaster you can't tear your eyes away from

Coben is getting to the stage where his fictional lore rivals that of the MCU or Lord of the Rings, and Run Away is no exception. If you watch all eight episodes in one go, not only will your brain break in half (like mine did), but you might also need a police whiteboard just to keep up with the explosive secret and inscrutable subplots.

It's this sense of immersion that's always made Coben's work the cream of the crop, and partnering his style of writing with a stellar cast not afraid of getting their hands dirty means you've got streamable magic. James Nesbitt was born to play an aloof yet naive father in a British crime drama, with Minnie Driver getting the slightly easier job of mostly lying in a hospital bed.

It's Ruth Jones as Elena Ravenscroft that's the most pleasing addition here (though her character sounds like a Harry Potter extra). The UK has particularly been hellbent on pigeonholing Jones as nothing more than Nessa in Gavin & Stacey, rarely taking notice of her varied existing body of work.

She might be a Queen of comedy, but Jones injects some light-hearted relief into Run Away that perfectly offsets Nesbitt's erratic chaos.

"Sexy prick" DS Fagbenle (Alfred Enoch) is another intriguing layer of the puzzle. In his work, he's incredibly standoffish, but the personal relationship he's cultivating in secret makes you want to step inside his mind and unravel the man we're not properly getting to see. Even when we're getting answers to the big questions, it's nice that something is kept back from us, especially when we don't need it spelled out.

How much are you willing to suspend belief for a whodunnit mystery?

Elena and Simon discuss strategy. (Image credit: Netflix)

The biggest problem with a mind-boggling mystery is when it starts to veer into ridiculous territory. For the first half of Run Away, the drama feels grounded in reality. It's incredibly possible for a teenage girl to lose her way in life thanks to an abusive partner, with her family being broken apart as a result.

But when you start tying in seemingly unconnected murders and cult behavior, things get a little more far-fetched. I know that fictional drama doesn't have to stay true to life, but shows like this also aren't soap operas. Between episodes 5-8, I can picture families across the globe saying to each other, "For God's sake, that's enough now."

For the most part, I think Coben gets away with it... right up until the astonishing final twist. Not only does the reveal feel incredibly unnecessary, but it also changes the entire tone of the story in the last few minutes. It's the secret that tips Run Away over the edge into genuinely unbelievable, and perhaps a case of 'less is more' would have made for a more effective ending.

On the other hand, the narrative beats of the overarching story fit snugly into the Coben formula, and that's either stoic and dependable or more of the same. It's probably important to remember that Run Away is slotting into an existing collection of mysteries, so some level of uniformity is needed. We're dealing with signature Coben drama here, and while that might put some viewers off, I think enough people will find comfort in knowing what to expect – in the broadest sense.

Where Lazarus faltered, Run Away shines. I definitely believe the book-to-screen adaptation is a huge strength for Coben, mining a level of satisfaction we were missing earlier in the year. I was giddy the entire way through watching it, and it's safe to say that I've never enjoyed following a grisly murder more.

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Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker: one-minute review

With the Ninja name comes an expectation of quality. From air fryers and coffee machines to blenders and ice cream makers, Ninja kitchen appliances are among the most popular on the market – with several of their products topping our buying guides lists. The Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker MC1101UK offers the level of quality you’d expect while combining the power of multiple appliances into one compact package. This multicooker offers the capabilities of a rice cooker, slow cooker, steamer, and hob in one appliance, helping reduce your need for kitchen storage space and the amount of washing up after a meal.

The PossibleCooker offers eight main functions: sear/sauté, slow cook, white rice, brown rice, pasta (without drainage), porridge, steam, and keep warm. During our testing, we found results were consistently excellent. The 6L cooking pot offers plenty of space, while the appliance itself isn’t as bulky as you might imagine. And, thanks to a thorough user manual and clear markings inside the pot, it’s easy to ensure your liquid-to-oat/rice ratio is accurate with every cook.

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While this multicooker will likely become a firm favourite in your household, it’s not flawless. Some cooking functions, like rice cooking, take longer than they maybe would on the hob, though the results are worth the wait. And while using the appliance is straightforward, its small digital display is quite basic, indicating a preheating function only via symbols and offering no timer for rice cooking functions.

We also found that the non-stick coating on the inside of the pot began chipping away within a week of testing, despite carefully following the cleaning instructions. Ninja says the cooking pot and lid are dishwasher-safe, but we’d recommend handwashing where possible, especially as it’s easy to do even with stubborn residue.

Overall, for £119.99 ($129.99 / AU$249.99 for non-UK models), the Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker is an excellent value multicooker for households big and small who want more efficiency in the kitchen.

Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker: price and availability

• MC1101UK model costs £119.99 at Ninja UK
• MC1101 model available for $129.99 in US, and AU$249.99 in Australia
• Available at third-party retailers like Amazon, John Lewis, and Staples
• Regular discounts at Ninja and third-party retailers

The Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker MC1101UK (which is the model I tested here) retails for £119.99 at Ninja UK, while non-MC1101UK models are available in the US and Australia for $129.99 and AU$249.99, respectively.

This means it’s more affordable than some of the top picks in our best instant cookers list, including the Instant Pot Pro ($129.99/ £149.99) and the Instant Pot Duo Crisp ($229.99/ £229.99), but just slightly more than the likes of the Instant Pot Duo Plus ($119.99/ £99.99).

Considering the quality of the results, the pot’s 6L capacity, and the functions on offer, we believe it‘s excellent value for money. Especially when you consider what buying a dedicated rice cooker, steamer, and slow cooker would cost combined.

What’s more, we regularly see discounts on this appliance at Ninja and third-party retailers, so keep an eye out for these to pick it up for even less.

• Value score: 5/5

Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker: specifications

Review model

MC1101UK

Color

Midnight Blue

Number of baskets

1 cooking pot

Number of cooking functions

8 cooking modes

Cooking functions and modes

Sear/Sauté, Slow Cook, White Rice, Brown Rice, Pasta, Porridge, Steam, Keep Warm

Accessories

Rice spoon, steam rack, measuring cup, recipe guide

Smart control

No

Rated power

1,400W

Capacity

6L

Time range

Up to 12 hours on slow cooking/keep warm modes

Dimensions (including handles)

280mm (H) x 420mm (W) x 290mm (D) / 11in (H) x 16.5in (W) x 11.4in (D)

Dishwasher-safe

Yes (but we don't recommend it)

Guarantee

2 years

Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker: design

• 6L capacity cooking pot
• Fairly compact and quiet
• Minimal effort needed to clean
• Non-stick coating on pot can easily come off
• Digital display can be confusing

Out of the box, the Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker MC1101UK comes with a silver main unit (with a black control panel), a 6L midnight blue cooking pot, a glass lid, a rice cup, a rice spoon, and a steam rack, plus a thorough user manual and recipe booklet.

Immediately, we were surprised by how compact the appliance is, given its capacity. When assembled, the PossibleCooker takes up less than one kitchen counter space, making it a great choice for those with fewer storage options or a smaller kitchen work surface.

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(Image credit: Future)

On the main unit is a fairly straightforward control panel, listing the eight cooking functions on the left, beside a small digital display. On the right-hand side are arrow buttons for function, time, and temperature, alongside a start/stop button.

The cooking pot has a black non-stick coating inside, with clear lines indicating where to fill up to with water for white rice, brown rice, and oats, corresponding to the number of cups you’ve added. The included recipe booklet provides more thorough instructions on this in its grain and pasta chart, which covers a variety of rice types (and certain pasta), alongside handy cooking tips. So, if, like me, you struggle to get your ratios right, keep it near. This recipe manual also offers guidelines for commonly slow-cooked meats and steamed vegetables, plus some recipes to get you started. We did, however, find the recipes weren’t as flavoursome as they sound, and some of the instructions aren’t particularly clear.

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Using the Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker is straightforward, but we highly advise reading the user manual first to understand how each cooking function works. Though the advice given in the manual can sometimes contradict the recipe book: for example, in the manual it advises to keep the lid on during cooking, while the recipe book recommends removing it after boiling.

To use the appliance, turn it on, use the function buttons to navigate to the relevant function, and then (where applicable) adjust the temperature and timing settings before pressing start. Some functions kick in straight away, while others have a preheat period. This preheat period is indicated by progress symbols (lines) in the display window, but the user manual doesn’t make the preheating process particularly clear, or how long it will last. For searing/sauteéing, these progress symbols are followed by the instruction to add food, but for other functions, this isn’t the case. After several uses, we got to grips with this feature, but it can be confusing initially.

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When running, the PossibleCooker is quiet, but lets out a loud beep when cooking is complete. The appliance has markers indicating which parts will get hot during the process (and not to touch with bare hands), and the user manual makes it clear, too. So, if you’ve got little ones, we advise moving it away from the edge of your counter and ideally positioning it near or under an extractor fan (it gets steamy).

After letting the appliance cool down, the main unit can be wiped down with a cloth, and you can hand-wash the cooking pot with ease – though avoid using anything abrasive on its non-stick coat. However, despite carefully following the instructions, the coat began to chip off around the rim of the pot, possibly due to wear from the lid, within a week. So, while Ninja claims the pot is dishwasher safe, we advise (as we do with any non-stick coated appliance) to only hand-wash for longevity.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker: performance

• Eight cooking functions, including rice and slow cooking
• High quality results across all modes…
• But expect a wait for some products
• Medium slow cook temperature would be beneficial

We started our testing of the Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker MC1101UK by using its white rice function. Cooking perfect rice every time is no mean feat, and this reviewer regularly gets the ratios wrong. Fortunately, the rice chart made it easy. We added two cups of long-grain white rice to the cooking pot and filled it with water to the corresponding mark.

It’s initially a bit unclear whether the appliance is on. Following the progress symbols, the display doesn’t show anything, so you’re left in the dark about how long the rice will actually take to cook. On average, it can take around 30 to 40 minutes to cook this amount of rice. We, however, waited slightly longer.. The result was perfectly fluffy rice, but it took around 40 to 50 minutes. We will caveat, however, that you can expect this wait with some other rice cookers.

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We had the same results with brown rice, which has its own function. This time, we tried the Cajun Dirty Rice recipe from the booklet, which first requires you to cook 360g of brown rice (two cups) using the corresponding function. The booklet suggests this will take approximately 50 to 60 minutes, but we found it took 75 minutes altogether. Brown rice typically takes longer to cook than white, and you may wait longer than the booklet suggests, but the result was perfectly cooked grains once again. Well worth the wait, as long as you expect it. If speed is your priority, though, this may not be the appliance for you.

The Cajun Dirty Rice recipe allowed us to test efficiency and the multi-functionality of the PossibleCooker. After removing the rice, we easily cleaned out the inside of the pot with a cloth, ensuring it was dry before the next use. When you use more than one function of this multicooker for a recipe, expect extra waiting times for the pot to cool enough to be cleaned. Fortunately, the pot was quickly washed up, and I selected the sauté function (which requires a preheat) for the next section: browning off pork and beef mince.

The cooking pot essentially acts as a pot or pan on a hob when this function is selected, though the controls only let you select High, Medium, or Low temperature (giving you less control over the heat). It works a treat, though, and the digital display shows how long the pot has been heated for, so you can easily keep track of your timings. After cooking my minced meat, followed by my veg, I added stock and brought the pot to the boil before folding in the brown rice. The recipe itself was a bit flavourless, but the result was perfectly cooked rice, meat, and veg.

This multifunctionality is also useful when slow-cooking. Rather than the abundance of pots and pans I usually use for my go-to beef stew recipe, we were able to soften the veg in the pot using the sautée function before adding liquid and beef. After four hours at High temperature, we were thoroughly pleased with the results: the beef was tender, the vegetables soft but not mushy, and the sauce reduced and flavoursome without being watery or congealed.

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We had similar results with a Beef Tinga recipe, a Ninja recipe accessed via the QR code on the appliance’s box. This one didn’t require using the sautée function, but allowed us to test the slow cooking function’s capabilities on the Low temperature setting. After adding all the ingredients to the pot and setting the time to eight hours, the meat was melt-in-your-mouth, but the recipe was (again) a bit bland. Our main takeaway here is that the functionality of the appliance is great, but maybe use it for your own recipes.

The steaming and pasta functions are perhaps the only ones that we had a couple of issues with. Following Ninja’s guidelines, we chose to steam 200g of Tenderstem broccoli. The guidelines tell you the amount of water to add to the pot. You then place the provided steaming rack inside the pot and place the broccoli in a single layer across it before placing the lid on top. The digital display, again, showed the progress bar indicating preheating, but it’s not entirely clear what the appliance is doing at that time. Building up its steam?

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Either way, this heating time isn’t taken into account when you set your timer. So, for example, we set our timer for eight minutes as recommended, but the preheating/presteaming process wasn’t accounted for in those eight minutes, so you may need to account for that when cooking. We also found water bubbled around the lid of the pot during steaming, with a little water coming out the top. Overall, the broccoli was steamed well: with a slight crunch but not too floppy. It may have been easier to steam it the old-fashioned way, however.

Pasta, too, offered mixed results. The guidelines in the recipe book recommend the amount of water to add for the weight of pasta you’re using (the lines in the pot don’t apply to this). The booklet advises adding the pasta first, followed by the water, and then select the function. The pasta function seems to work more like the rice function, not giving you control over (or insight into) temperature or time, but telling you when it’s done.

(Image credit: Future)

The draw of the pasta function is that it allows you to cook pasta without needing to drain the water, but the time it takes almost makes it not worth it. After preheating for about six to nine minutes, it’s meant to take around 18 to 20 minutes to cook (again, it’s unclear if preheating is taken into account), but the appliance didn’t beep for over 22 minutes, at which point we stopped the cooking because the pasta was starting to make a skin on the bottom of the pot. While the timings were questionable, and the skin gross, the actual resulting pasta was perfectly al dente. And, in fairness, we didn’t have to drain any water.

Overall, the Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker's results are excellent, but you may need to wait a little longer than you expect from some cooking functions – and spend some time getting used to its quirks.

• Performance score: 5/5

Should you buy the Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker?Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker score card

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

This is a budget to mid-range appliance that's well worth its value when you consider the price of purchasing individual appliances and the quality on offer.

5/5

Design

Compact, quiet, but with a 6L capacity, this appliance is a great fit for bigger and smaller kitchens – and it looks pretty sleek, too.

4.5/5

Performance

While you may need to be patient with some of its functions, this multicooker provides consistently excellent results across its eight cooking functions.

5/5

Buy it if

You want to save kitchen space

If you’re struggling to fit a steamer, rice cooker, and slow cooker in your kitchen cupboard, this multicooker could help you save some space by combining these appliances into one, fairly compact package – without sacrificing capacity.

You want a quality, multi-functional cooker that won't break the bank

The Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker provides excellent results across its eight cooking functions, but at £119.99, it is much more affordable than other premium instant cookers. It’s great value for money considering the quality and multi-functionality on offer.

You suck at making rice

If, like me, you struggle cooking perfect rice every time, it’s well worth considering this appliance. With a handy ratio guide that covers everything from white rice to sushi rice, the PossibleCooker makes rice cooking easy – even if you have to be a bit patient.

Don't buy it if

You'll only use one cooking function

While the PossibleCooker is great value for money, you need to actually get your money’s worth. If you want to use just one of its functions, and don’t care much about the others, you might be better off buying an appliance solely dedicated to that cooking function.

You're impatient

This multicooker provides great results, but you may need to wait a little longer for them. We found that two cups of brown rice took over an hour to cook, pasta took over 20 minutes, and white rice took over 40 minutes. If you can’t be bothered waiting, you may be better with a stove.

You want an multicooker with a pressure cooker built in

If you're not swayed by the PossibleCooker's functions, and would prefer a similarly priced instant cooker with pressure cooker capabilities, we highly recommend the Instant Pot Duo Plus, which retails for $119.99/ £99.99. Instant Pot is the go-to name in instant cookers, and this one has some excellent cooking functions, including pressure cook, slow cook, sous vide, yogurt, and sauté, without breaking the bank.

Astro A20 X: Two-minute review

The Astro A20 X is basically a jazzed-up version of the Logitech G522 Lightspeed - but is that such a bad thing? That latter headset is, in my eyes, one of the best wireless gaming headsets of the year, and many of its strongest qualities have carried forward into the Astro A20 X.

You’re still getting fantastic, well-balanced sound that, despite lacking a bit of bass out of the box, can be easily tweaked to perfection in the strong Logitech G Hub companion software. On PC, there’s support for DTS Headphone:X too, which delivers immersive spatial audio that’s perfect for immersive story titles like Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2.

It features the same excellent detachable 48kHz microphone, which picks up your voice clearly when you’re chatting on services like Discord, and the handy red LED indicator that tells you when it’s muted.

The level of comfort offered by the headset is unchanged, too. It’s lightweight but feels suitably durable, with plush earcups and a pleasantly soft headband. The design looks bulky on my head, but it's hard to complain about this too much when it’s so comfortable to wear.

(Image credit: Future)

So what is actually new this time around? The big new addition isn’t found on the headset itself, but rather what else you get in the box. The Astro A20 X comes bundled with a small Playsync base and two USB Type-C cables. This is its wireless dongle, and it can be plugged into two different systems at the same time.

Tapping a tiny new button found on the back of the headset itself switches between the two systems almost instantaneously, which is a game-changer if you’re like me and use a PlayStation 5 and PC (or Xbox and PC) with the same display. The feature works fantastically, but I can’t help but feel that the use of the Astro branding is a bit of a misstep from Logitech.

Sure, Astro products do generally support multiple platforms - but the headset’s design looks nothing like existing models like the Astro A50 X or Astro A10.

It doesn’t even have an Astro logo on it - bearing the same Logitech G branding as the Logitech G522 Lightspeed. As a big fan of the Astro brand, there’s something a little sad about seeing it lose some of its identity like this.

(Image credit: Future)Astro A20 X: Price and availability

• Costs $179.99 / £169.99 / AU$349.99
• More expensive than the G522 Lightspeed
• Worth it if you use multiple platforms

At $179.99 / £169.99 / AU$349.99, the Astro A20 X is priced just a touch higher than the Logitech G522 Lightspeed, which costs $159.99 / £139.99 / AU$299.99. It can be found at most of the same retailers, meaning Amazon and Best Buy in the US or Amazon, Currys, and Argos in the UK. In Australia, it can be purchased at Amazon and JB Hi-Fi.

Whether the extra $20 / £30 / AU$50 is worth it compared to the Logitech G522 Lightspeed is largely going to come down to your platform preferences. If you use two or more platforms in the same setup, the Astro A20 X makes a lot of sense and will be the more convenient option.

At this increased price point, you will need to consider alternatives like the Razer BlackShark V3 or SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless more seriously, though. That latter model is significantly cheaper at $129.99 / £129.99 / AU$139.95 and offers similarly good audio quality, though you do miss out on the convenient platform switching.

Astro A20 X: Specs

Price

$179.99 / £169.99 / AU$349.99

Weight

10.23oz / 290g

Compatibility

PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Android, iOS

Connection type

Bluetooth, Lightspeed Wireless, Wired USB-C

Battery life

40 hrs (default lighting), 90hrs (RGB off)

Features

Detachable 48kHz / 16 bit omni microphone, Lightsync RGB, Playsync Base

Software

Logitech G Hub (PC) / Logitech G app (mobile)

Astro A20 X: Design and features

• Almost identical to the G522
• New platform switching button and base
• Spatial audio support on PC

Logitech hasn’t taken any risks with the design of the Astro A20 X, making only minimal changes compared to the G522 Lightspeed. On the headset itself, the only noticeable change is two extra buttons on the back of the right earcup.

One is a volume mix rocker that increases or decreases the volume of a call compared to your game, while the other is a little red switching button. This works in tandem with the new Playsync Base - a super compact dongle that connects to two systems with USB Type-C.

The front of the base features two LED lights, which illuminate to denote your selected input device. On the back, you’ll find the two USB Type-C ports and two little switches.

(Image credit: Future)

These switches are labeled Xbox / USB and PC / USB, respectively, and should be selected depending on what you have plugged in. Luckily, a useful guide is printed on the bottom of the Base to tell you what you need to choose if you want to use a PC, Xbox, PlayStation, or Switch.

The Base has two little rubber feet that help it grip the surface of your desk a little better, though I find that it can still slip off from time to time. The base is very, very light, and even just the weight of the plugged-in USB cables can move it around.

The new platform switching aside, the Astro A20 X otherwise boasts identical features to the Logitech G522 Lightspeed, with highlights like PC spatial audio support and customizable RGB zones on each earcup. The colorways of the Astro A20 X are also slightly different from the G522 Lightspeed. There’s still a Black and White option, but both feature red accent colors rather than blue.

(Image credit: Future)Astro A20 X: Performance

• Comfortable to wear
• High quality audio
• Great microphone

Being nearly identical to the excellent G522 Lightspeed, it’s very hard to fault the performance of the Astro A20 X.

It sounds great out of the box, though as with that headset, I would personally use the companion Logitech G Hub software to crank the low frequencies (20Hz, 50Hz and 125Hz) up by 3dB, 2dB, and 1dB then add 0.5dB at the higher end for slightly better all-round sound as the bass is a little weak by default.

You can access all the same good presets of the G522 Lightspeed with the Astro A20 X, too, including a bass boost mode, gaming mode, dedicated FPS mode, and a media mode, or download hundreds of alternatives created by the community.

The microphone is indistinguishable too. It’s high-fidelity at 48kHz and picks up your voice well, though it does tend to allow in background noise, so I would suggest making sure the noise cancellation features of the Logitech G Hub software are on.

Battery life is identical to the G522 as well, and in my testing, I easily managed a touch over 40 hours with RGB enabled, which is a decent result.

On top of all this, the new platform switching feature works flawlessly with no noticeable delay, swapping you over, and has no issues with pairing.

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Astro A20 X?Buy it if...

You play on two systems on one display
The platform switching feature of the Astro A20 X makes it a great choice if you play on a console and PC or two consoles via the same display.

You’d like strong audio and a great mic
The Astro A20 X has the same audio chops as the G522 Lightspeed. It sounds clear and crisp out of the box, with a killer microphone to boot.

Don't buy it if...

You don’t need to frequently swap platforms
If you’re only going to be playing on one system or don’t switch between them often, you're better off with the G522. Moving its dongle between machines isn’t too much of a hassle, and you’ll save some cash.

Also consider...

Not sold on the Astro A20 X? Here are two other options to consider, including the original Logitech G522 Lightspeed.

Astro A20 X

Logitech G522 Lightspeed

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5

Price

$179.99 / £169.99 / AU$349.99

$159.99 / £139.99 / AU$229

$129.99 / £129.99 / AU$139.95

Weight

10.23oz / 290g

10.22oz / 290g

9.5oz / 266g

Compatibility

PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Android, iOS

PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Android, iOS

Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, Mobile

Connection type

Bluetooth, Lightspeed Wireless, Wired USB-C

Bluetooth, Lightspeed Wireless, Wired USB-C

Wireless (2.4GHz via dongle), Wired (USB-C), Bluetooth 5.3

Battery life

40 hrs (default lighting), 90hrs (RGB off)

40 hrs (default lighting), 90hrs (RGB off)

Up to 60 hours

Features

Detachable 48kHz / 16 bit omni microphone, Lightsync RGB, Playsync Base

Detachable 48kHz / 16 bit omni microphone, Lightsync RGB

360-degree spatial audio, retractable ClearCast 2.X mic

Software

Logitech G Hub (PC) / Logitech G app (mobile)

Logitech G Hub (PC) / Logitech G app (mobile)

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Companion App (mobile), SteelSeries GG

Logitech G522 Lightspeed
The Logitech G522 Lightspeed is nearly identical to the Astro A20 X minus the platform switching feature, but it comes in cheaper. You can still use it with multiple systems if you’re willing to manually swap the dongle or Bluetooth pairing each time.

For more information, check out our full Logitech G522 Lightspeed review

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5
The SteelSeries Arcis Nova 5 is an absolute titan of the mid-range headset demographic and becomes a seriously tempting option compared to the Astro A20 X. It’s much cheaper, but still offers great sound - you do lose the functionality of the Playsync Base though.

For more information, check out our full SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 review

How I tested the Astro A20 X

• Tested for multiple months
• Tried with a wide range of games
• Tested with PC, Xbox, and PS5

I tested the Astro A20 X over a period of multiple months, using it with PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. In that time, I played plenty of games with it, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and subsequently Black Ops 7, plus the likes of Astro Bot, Sniper Elite: Resistance, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, Lego Horizon Adventures, Dead Island 2, and more.

Throughout my time with the headset, I compared its performance to a range of other models that I’ve tested, including the Logitech G522 Lightspeed and SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5, plus more premium alternatives like the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro and Astro A50 X.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed September-December 2025

Noise Luna Ring (Gen 2): One-minute review

The Noise Luna Ring 2 is the second generation of the Luna Ring. I reviewed the original in early 2025 and liked that it felt comfortable, offered solid insights, and was impressively accurate for sleep tracking from a first-gen product.

On paper, the Luna Ring 2 doesn’t sound like a huge leap forward and, visually, you’d be forgiven for not immediately spotting what’s changed. The design tweaks are subtle, and if you already own the first Luna Ring I don’t think this is a must-have upgrade.

But taken on its own, this is a good smart ring. A few pain points have been ironed out. The ring is around 10% slimmer, there’s a new charging case which looks great and stores multiple top-ups, battery performance has improved slightly and the app feels quicker to update. I also felt like sleep tracking was more precise this time round, which is probably due to the improved sensor accuracy.

The main advantage here remains the same as last time round, there’s no subscription here. That immediately makes it more appealing than the Oura Ring 4 (the most popular smart ring) if you’re not keen on adding another subscription to your life, especially if you consider that the Oura Ring 4 is more expensive to begin with.

Personally, the best new feature here is Luna’s circadian alignment tools, presenting guidance about when to get sunlight, drink coffee and exercise throughout the day. It includes a “caffeine window” that tries to stop you sabotaging your sleep with badly timed coffee. These are genuinely useful, presented nicely and feel actionable and meaningful than an arbitrary score.

There are still some things I didn’t like here. The app is pretty information dense and yet again the typography choices feel too small and fussy, which makes daily use less enjoyable than rivals. There’s an AI coach here, but it delivers generic chatbot advice rather than anything helpful. And while battery life here is good, it doesn’t quite make it as long as some rivals.

But the biggest issue here is the market. When I first reviewed the Luna Ring Gen 1, I said one of the main problems wasn’t the ring itself but the competition. That’s even more true now. The Oura Ring 4 still offers the most refined overall experience, the Samsung Galaxy Ring is great as long as you’re not on iOS and the Ultrahuman Ring Air and RingConn 2 Air are strong subscription-free alternatives to both. More and more cheaper alternatives are now entering the market too, like the Amazfit Helio Ring, which isn’t as good but is cheaper.

If you want a capable, subscription-free smart ring with strong sleep tracking and don’t mind that it doesn’t look quite as premium as the big names, the Luna Ring 2 is a good choice. It’s just not the obvious pick and even though I like it I’m not sure there’s anything standout here to recommend it over the competition.

Noise Luna Ring (Gen 2) review: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Price is around $329/£299/AU$510
• No subscription fee
• Several color options at the same price

The Luna Ring 2 is available for around $329/£299/AU$510. I say around as pricing seems to vary across regions and I’m writing this during sale season when prices are fluctuating.

It comes in a range of finishes, including Sunlit Gold, Stardust Silver, Rose Gold, Midnight Black and Lunar Black – that last one is a matte shade. All of these finishes are the same price, which is good as some rivals charge more for specific colors or materials. Then again, that could explain why the Luna Ring 2 has a less premium look and feel than rivals, but I’ll get to that later.

That puts it below the Oura Ring 4, which typically retails for $349/£349 at full price, though more premium materials and colors can push that up to $499/£499. What’s more, you’ll need an ongoing membership to unlock full insights, which is a further $5.99/£5.99. The Samsung Galaxy Ring was also more expensive at launch at $399/£399/around AU$750, though it’s hard to compare given it’s not for iOS users.

Meanwhile, subscription-free rivals include the Ultrahuman Ring Air at £329 (it isn’t available in the US at the time of writing) and RingConn Gen 2 Air at $299/£280/AU$570 (approx). You can also find the Amazfit Helio Ring for £119.90 as a budget option.

All of this means the Luna Ring 2 is more affordable than the Oura Ring 4 but not a budget pick. The lack of subscription does help it seem better value, but it’s not so cheap that it’s a no-brainer over the rest.

• Value score: 3.5 / 5

Noise Luna Ring (Gen 2) review: Specifications

Colors

Silver, Black, Matte Black, Rose Gold, Gold

Weight

3-5g (depending on size)

Material

Titanium

Battery life

Up to 7 days

Connectivity

Bluetooth

Waterproofing

Up to 50m/164 ft

(Image credit: Future)Noise Luna Ring (Gen 2) review: Design

• Light and comfortable
• Slightly slimmer than first Luna Ring
• Can look cheaper than rivals, especially in gold

The Luna Ring (Gen 2) is a light and compact ring, weighing between 3g and 5g depending on the size you need. On paper, that’s a small shift from the Gen 1 ring, and Luna says its Gen 2 ring is 10% slimmer and lighter overall. In reality, the difference is subtle. But the Gen 2 is genuinely very comfortable to wear 24/7.

Sizing runs from 6 to 14 and you get a sizing kit in advance, which works the same way as most smart ring brands. It’s based on standard ring sizes, but I still find that different brands fit slightly differently, so the kit is worth using.

The ring itself is made from titanium with a PVD coating and there’s a non-allergenic and seamless inner surface that sits against your skin. It’s rated 5ATM, which means you don’t need to take it off for showers, swimming or getting caught in the rain. Ideal if you’re trying to build a habit of wearing it constantly.

(Image credit: Future)

As for colors, there’s a nice choice here. Stardust Silver, Rose Gold, Sunlit Gold, Midnight Black and Lunar Black, a matte shade. The marketing images make most of them look shiny, and in real life the Sunlit Gold I tested is particularly shiny. Other brands have glossy finishes too, but here it tips over into looking a bit more like a plastic gold ring rather than blending in to look like jewellery, at least to my eye.

The real star of the design in this newer version isn’t the ring itself, but the new charging case that comes with it. Instead of the little charging plinth that came with the Gen 1 version, you now get a compact case that looks more like the cases you get with earbuds, or the Samsung Galaxy Ring. Not only does it pack in lots of extra charges, it’s one of the nicest smart ring charging solutions I’ve used so far.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Noise Luna Ring (Gen 2) review: Features

(Image credit: Future)

• Strong core health and sleep data
• Circadian alignment tools genuinely helpful
• AI integration feels gimmicky

The Luna Ring (Gen 2) follows the familiar smart ring formula, lots of sensors in a tiny band. You get green and red LEDs for heart rate, blood oxygen and skin temperature tracking, photodiodes and a 3-axis accelerometer for movement.

From those, Luna tracks your sleep time, sleep stages and sleep score, resting heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV), respiratory rate and SpO2, temperature fluctuations, stress, activity and menstrual and ovulation tracking, based on temperature and HRV.

There’s automatic detection for walking and running, plus basic workout logging for other exercises. Though, as with most smart rings right now, this isn’t designed to replace a full-on running or fitness watch, but it works well for general movement.

It’s worth noting there’s no VO2 max estimate here, which you’ll find on some rival rings and many of the best smartwatches. If you like that training metric, you might miss it here.

The more interesting additions on the software side are Luna’s “Life OS” platform, which has been updated in this version. It brings new tools like the aforementioned circadian alignment guide and a “caffeine window”. These suggest the best times to get sunlight, eat, exercise and drink coffee based on your patterns, with the aim of nudging you into a more consistent rhythm and protecting sleep.

I found those features genuinely useful and really nicely presented. Even if they don’t transform your sleep overnight, they did gently encourage me to think about my day in a way that’s more aligned with my sleep and rhythms.

There’s also an AI coach here, but I found it quite gimmicky (like most AI integrations these days). It’s essentially a chatbot bolted onto your health data. Now, some people might enjoy asking it questions, but in my testing the nutrition and lifestyle advice felt generic. Responses could be slow and if you already know the basics of health and fitness you might find it a little condescending.

On the integration front, the Luna Ring currently works with Apple Health and Google Fit, which at least lets you pull workouts from other platforms. But there are no deeper third-party integrations yet, so you can’t plug it directly into more specialized training apps or health dashboards, for example.

• Features score: 3.5 / 5

Noise Luna Ring (Gen 2) review: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Sleep tracking feels upgraded
• Battery life is good, not class-leading
• Good app but a bit cramped

Let’s start with the battery, as that’s been updated over the previous version. Noise says you’ll get between 4 to 7 days, which is quite a broad amount of time. During my testing I consistently got just under 6 days out of it, which I think is good. It’s an improvement over the first ring, which only ever reached 4 days.

The charging case can store around 30 days of power before you need to plug it in, which was really handy. Especially considering the charging case is light, small and looks nice.

For content, the Oura Ring 4 and Ultrahuman Ring Air can deliver six to eight days, while the RingConn Gen 2 Air can stretch to 10 to 12 days. So Luna sits in the good but not outstanding bracket where battery is concerned. Good thing it’s got the charging case this time around, which helps – did I mention I love the charging case?

The Luna Ring (Gen 2) will automatically detect walking and running and in my experience it did this reliably. You’re prompted to confirm detected sessions, which is handy.

For other exercise types, you’ll need to log activities manually and there are lots to choose from, including yoga, treadmill, cycling, bouldering, pilates, even surfing. As with most smart rings, it’s not a hardcore training tool, there’s no GPS or dedicated workout models. Think of it more as an everyday health tracker that handles simple workouts reasonably well rather than something you’d use for serious training.

I have mixed feelings about the Luna app. On the plus side, it’s packed with information and you can dig deeper into information about sleep, readiness, activity, temperature and more. In some places, scores are accompanied by short explanations, which I always appreciate more than a bare number.

(Image credit: Future)

However, the presentation of the data still doesn’t quite land for me. Fonts are tiny and a lot of elements are tightly packed together. It’s a subjective complaint, sure, but one that does impact on my day to day enjoyment of using it.

Some of the language and flagging around health data also feels more alarming than it needs to be. For example, waking up to a red exclamation mark on my SpO2 with a blunt “Pay Attention” message isn’t in line with how I think wearables should be talking to us about health. The same goes for some of the coaching prompts, they’re technically accurate, but not particularly warm or human.

Sleep tracking is where the Gen 2 shines, it does a great job at picking up on sleep and wake times, even on nights when my sleep was broken. I often wake up around 3am, read for a few hours, then go back to sleep. The Luna Ring 2 picked up this pattern consistently, where in the past other wearables have not detected the break or not detected me falling back to sleep again. It also detected short naps accurately.

You get a full breakdown of your sleep stages, a nightly sleep score and insights into what’s pushing that score up or down. Over time, trends are handy to see.

(Image credit: Future)

As for whether those circadian tools I mentioned earlier improve my sleep, that’s hard to say definitively, but having prompts about when to get outside, drink coffee or exercise did make me more intentional about my routine.

Finally, there’s the AI coach. I know other reviewers enjoy this kind of feature, but here it still feels like a very basic chatbot sat on top of your data rather than anything geared to personalized guidance. Generic nutrition tips, slow responses and a lack of nuance mean it’s not something I enjoyed using.

Though I will say one of the suggested prompts was “Which health metric needs my attention today?” which does highlight anything noticeable without digging around. Without that I’d say it was a bit useless.

• Performance: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Future)Scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Design

Light, comfortable and slightly slimmer than Gen 1. The gold color looks less premium than rivals. But the charging case is excellent.

4 / 5

Features

Strong core health and sleep tracking with useful circadian alignment feature. The AI coach and lack of VO2 max are my only bugbears.

3.5 / 5

Performance

Accurate sleep tracking, decent activity detection and good but not class-leading battery. App is overall great but needs a design refresh in my opinion.

4 / 5

Value

Cheaper than some rivals and subscription-free but not cheap enough or polished enough to be a really obvious choice over rivals.

3.5 / 5

Should I buy the Noise Luna Ring (Gen 2)?Buy it if…

You want a smart ring without an added subscription
Oura is still the most popular choice, but its monthly membership and initial price make it an expensive choice. The Luna Ring 2 is one of several capable subscription-free alternatives.

You want accurate tracking and plenty of data
I’ve focused a lot on rivals in this review, but taken by itself this is a good device with accurate sleep and recovery tracking, and a generous amount of data and trends to explore.

You want strong sleep tracking without bulk
If you mainly care about sleep and general recovery, smart rings are hugely appealing because you can ditch the bulk of a smartwatch at night.

Don’t buy it if…

You want the absolute best tracking and polish
I was impressed by the Luna Ring 2 overall but the Oura Ring 4 will still deliver the most polished experience in terms of design, app refinement and depth of insights.

You care a lot about premium materials and finishes
If you want your smart ring to double as jewellery, Oura’s rings do look and feel more high-end.

You already own the first Luna Ring
This is a nice step up with a better charging experience and extra features. But if you’re happy with the Gen 1 and not itching for a new ring, there isn’t a killer upgrade here.

Noise Luna Ring (Gen 1): Also consider

Oura Ring 4
Still the best all-rounder for design, app experience and depth of data across iOS and Android. More expensive than the Luna Ring 2 and does require a subscription to unlock its full potential. But for some the extra polish and insights will be worth it.
Read our full Oura Ring 4 review

Ultrahuman Ring Air
A strong subscription-free alternative. With a slick design, polished app and good sleep and recovery tracking. It’s widely considered the second best option after Oura.
Ultrahuman Ring Air review

How I tested the Noise Luna Ring (Gen 2)

(Image credit: Future)

• Paired with an iPhone 16 Pro
• Wore the ring 24/7
• I’ve been testing wearables for 12+ years

I tested the Noise Luna Ring 2 for several weeks, paired with an iPhone 16 Pro. I wore it all day and night, including running outdoors, to gym sessions, during long workdays in coffee shops, evenings at home and, of course, while sleeping. I only took it off to charge it or when showering – yes, it’s waterproof but I never like to risk soap or shampoo messing it up.

Over the past 12 years I’ve reviewed dozens of wearables, including smart watches, fitness trackers and smart rings from Oura, Ultrahuman, RingConn, Motiv, and more. Having got hands-on with so many, I’ve got a strong sense now of what makes a smart ring comfortable, truly useful – from design and comfort to performance, app quality, and long-term wearability – and standout in a busy and competitive space.

• First reviewed in November 2025

• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Of all the older games getting a reboot, refresh or remaster lately, I didn’t have 2009’s Plants vs. Zombies on my bingo card or wish list. In its original form, it’s a fantastic puzzle-meets tower defence game, where sentient and weaponized plants are used to protect an unseen dweller (the player) of a simple suburban house against an expanding variety of zombies.

With cartoon-like visuals and a simple presentation, there wasn’t much more I wanted out of the original PvZ. It also works very well in mobile form on both Android and iPhone.

But along came Plants vs Zombies: Replanted anyway, and I simply had to give it a go to see if it has stood the test of time, albeit with a lick of paint.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PC
Available on: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch
Release date: October 23, 2025

Starting with those visuals, from what I can see support for higher resolutions and HD textures do make this version of PvZ look cleaner and sleeker that the 2009 one. But that arguably comes at the cost of a little charm and art direction, with the bold lines and shadows that helped lower-res assets stand out, somewhat flattened and dulled with an HD sheen. This gives the impression of the graphics looking both more and less refined in certain cases, with mild inconsistencies between the seed packets of plants and how they appear when planted.

This extends a little into the menus too, which seem to mix elements from different versions of the game over the years. In general this is fine but they occasionally felt like something was off with them, perhaps throwing too much into the mix compared to the purity of the original PC version.

(Image credit: Future / Roland Moore-Colyer)

A lack of precise refinement might be a bit of a theme here, as various bugs and glitches initially popped up around the release of Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted. Not many stood out to me other than the odd placement of an asset or two (see the screenshot above), but subsequent patches seem to have paved over a suite of these issues; obviously not ideal, but at least PopCap is taking action.

Art style choices aside, in motion PvZ: Replanted looks fantastic in my eyes. The way the ‘peashooters’ – a cute sentient pea plant that fires, you guessed it, peas – bop to the game’s fun, light and a little jingly music still brings a smile to my face. As does the huge creativity of all the other plants at the player’s disposal.

(Image credit: Future / Roland Moore-Colyer)

Unlocked as you advance through the game's levels, which take place on from the front and back lawns, and escalate from there, these plants vary from offensive, defensive, support and augmenting variants. All have a unique design that shows off the creative and left-field ideas that smaller developers had a bounty of, and the scope to explore, in the noughties.

The same applies to the zombies, which start off with that classic Shaun of the Dead shambling style and evolve into all sorts of fun, and challenging, variants. Developer PopCap’s sense of humour extends from just the design to a virtual almanac that describes the plants and the zombies, along either their individual personalities, in a very wry and quirky way.

Tower defence with brains

(Image credit: Future / Roland Moore-Colyer)

All this means Plants vs. Zombies is a lot of fun today. Not only is the idea of beating back a zombie invasion of a lawn or back yard amusing, it’s rather in-depth too.

Having played PvZ on multiple platforms I’m well-versed at forming established patterns of vegetable, spore, or fruit throwing plants, supported by defensive walls of nut plants, and paid for by carefully laid out grids of sunflowers – sunlight is the main currency of PvZ battles, and needed to fund the deployment of your selected plants.

So far this is all very much the same as the original. And maybe to a fault, as there are the occasional difficulty spikes amid a normally very balanced progression, which I recall being present in the original game.

As an experienced PvZ-er, I’m not against these, and I do enjoy some of the levels that change up how you tackle your defence, such as being given random plants on a conveyor belt rather than pre-selecting them. This injects a dose of chaos, but can fall foul of randomization not landing in one’s favour.

Small changes, like being able to speed up the game’s action can up the challenge, and help speed past the odd slow section where you’re left waiting a wave of zombies but have already got your core defensive lines and sunlight economy sorted. Equally, the light and fun music and just general pleasant vibe of Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is so nice, I never felt like I wanted to hurry through it.

The meat – or should that be marrow – of Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted lies in how it’s combined all of the content from other versions of PvZ into one. There’s the co-op and versus multiplayer modes of console versions, the option to maintain a plant garden that came with the original, and all manner of mini games.

(Image credit: Future / Roland Moore-Colyer)

The latter shine, with one offering bigger sums of sunlight falling from the sky, which means a turbocharged economy and thus a lot more scope to mix up your defences with a host of plants that might be too expensive to use in volume in the standard game mode.

Another mode introduces cloud cover that can reduce the output of your sunflowers or put them to sleep, meaning you need to economise for such eventualities or make use of plants that aren’t directly reliant on sunlight to produce sun. It’s a fun mode that offers a nice challenge for PvZ veterans.

(Image credit: Future / Roland Moore-Colyer)Best bit

(Image credit: Future / Roland Moore-Colyer)

A quirky, creative take on defending against a zombie apocalypse combined with some fun mechanics, means the core Plants vs Zombies experience still impresses today.

All these modes and mini games will keep your attention well after the main adventure part is completed. Some are better than others, but all are worth a quick spin and make Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted a great game to dip into, especially as it even works reasonably well on a Steam Deck.

I still reckon the core adventure mode remains the true highlight, with its charm, style, creativity and well-paced progression on enemies and plant powers.

(Image credit: Future / Roland Moore-Colyer)

Part of me wishes PopCap hadn’t played it so safe with a few more fresh nuances to the adventure to really pull back players well-versed in Peashooter placement, even if that extended to refining the visuals that little bit more.

Nevertheless, I think Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is easily the definitive version of a left-field game that I’ve sunk plenty of time into. And even putting aside nostalgia, it’s a fantastic puzzle and tower defence game that’s so very much worth your time today.

Should you play Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted?Play it if...

You’re after a brilliant tower defence game
Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is simply a wonderful and creative take on the tower defence genre, with a dose of puzzling thrown in for good measure.

You want a fun holiday game With levels and mini-games you can simply jump into, Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is a great game to dip in and out of during the holiday season.

Don't play it if...

You’re a PvZ purist
Changes to the original game’s art style might not appeal to everyone, with visuals looking a tad flat in places.

You have Game of the Year editions of PvZ
Previous versions of PvZ in Game of the Year packages offer nearly as much as Replanted, without the art style changes.

Accessibility

There’s no dedicated accessibility menu in Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted, but you can tweak a few settings like lowering the game’s speed to half speed and opting for a high contrast viewing mode.

As the game is available on multiple platforms, you have the option to play on the platform that most suits you, with PC and mouse control being the one I’d recommend.

How I reviewed Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted

I played some five hours of Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted, getting through most of the adventure mode, which I’ve already finished in previous versions of PvZ, and trying out various mini-games.

I’ve not flirted with the multiplayer options, but they follow the form of previous console releases. I played PvZ: Replanted on my Steam Deck and on my desktop gaming PC, and over that time the game received several updates, which appeared to squash some bugs and refined the remaster. As such, my review covers what I’d consider to be the most complete version of the game.

First reviewed December 2025

Corsair Void v2 MAX Wireless review: one-minute review

If you’re in the market for a new headset, you don’t want to sleep on Corsair’s new Void Max Wireless V2. It’s the upgraded version of the Corsair Void Wireless V2, one of the best wireless gaming headsets we’ve tested, adding Sonarworks SoundID through iCue and simultaneous dual connectivity to the mix, to the tune of a small price increase.

It offers solid connectivity, offering both 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth across PC, PlayStation 5 (using the dongle), Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, and mobile, with an Xbox version sold separately. Plus, with extensive battery life of up to 130 hours over Bluetooth and up to 70 hours over wireless, the Void v2 MAX is comfortable and performs great on test, making it a fantastic headset for long gaming sessions.

Still, I wish it had a wired option, and perhaps a detachable microphone – that would have perfectly rounded out the feature set in this Max version, for me, but it’s nonetheless a fantastic mid-range option with ample fun and useful features.

(Image credit: Future)Corsair Void v2 MAX Wireless review: price and availability

• List price: $149.99 / £119.99 / AU$249
• Announced September 2025
• Lands in the mid-range of wireless gaming headsets

Sitting comfortably in the mid-range price bracket, Corsair’s Void v2 MAX Wireless justifies its price with a neat design, decent customizability and some great sound smarts, offering a slightly more interesting look and experience than the more budget-friendly alternatives. It skips the deluxe design, features and audio specs from much more pricey options like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite while still hitting the mark on most of the must-haves.

It’s $30 / £20 / AU$60 more expensive than the original Void v2 Wireless released in April 2025, and while it largely offers the exact same experience, the added option for simultaneous 2.4Ghz and Bluetooth connectivity in addition to the Sonarworks SoundID through iCue sweetens the deal.

(Image credit: Future)Corsair Void v2 MAX Wireless review: Specs

Corsair Void v2 MAX Wireless

Price

$149.99 / £119.99 / AU$249

Weight

10.7oz / 303g

Drivers

Custom 50mm driver

Compatibility

PC, PS5 (with dongle), Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, Mobile. Xbox version sold separately.

Connection type

Simultaneous 2.4GHz and Bluetooth connections.

Battery life

Up to 70 hours (2.4GHz), Up to 130 hours (Bluetooth)

Features

Custom 50mm Neodymium drivers, omnidirectional microphone, RGB lighting, dual connectivity, custom button mapping

Software

Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio (PC), Corsair iCUE (PC), Tempest 3D Audio (PS5)

Corsair Void v2 MAX Wireless review: Design and features

• Easy, quick connectivity
• Stylish design
• Flip-to-mute mic – but it’s not detachable

There are no significant design changes between the standard and Max versions of Corsair’s Void v2 headset. Out of the box, the Corsair Void v2 MAX Wireless comes with just the headset, USB 3.0 dongle, USB 3.0-to-USB-C charging cable, and a QR code to open out the instruction manual.

Available in white and black, the design of these headsets is sleek yet unmistakably gamer-coded headsets thanks to the two slim RGB light strips. The geometric cups are cushioned with breathable memory foam padding, and the adjustable frame ensures a comfortable fit over your head. There are two buttons on the left: one to turn the headset on and off, and the other is customizable to different functions, as well as a small scroll wheel to control the volume on the side.

(Image credit: Future)

The mic arm can be flipped up to mute input or keep it out of your face when not in use, but it’s a real shame they didn’t opt to make it removable for this more premium option – if they had, these would be more socially acceptable to use in place of the best wireless headphones while you’re out and about. Instead, the Corsair Void v2 MAX Wireless remains confined to my gaming desk. To the same end, I wish they’d offered a dongle adapter with this version; the USB 3.0 receiver feels dated when many consoles and machines are moving towards USB-C.

After charging, it’s simple to set up the headset; if you’re using the dongle, it’ll automatically pair with your headset, or you can pair via Bluetooth by pressing and holding the lower of the two buttons on the left side of the headset. When using the Void v2 MAX Wireless on PC, you’ll want both the Dolby Access app and the Corsair iCUE software; the former allows you to enable Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio, while the latter offers device customisation. When playing on PS5, simply head to the console’s sound settings and enable the Tempest 3D Audio.

(Image credit: Future)Corsair Void v2 MAX Wireless review: Performance

• Superb battery life
• Lightweight and comfortable in use
• Excellent audio performance

As you can expect from Corsair, performance is reliably good across the board. The audio and microphone quality is great, and they’re comfortable to wear, to boot.

I’ve been using the Corsair Void v2 MAX Wireless as my main gaming headset for a month, often playing for hours on end, and I’ve yet to experience any discomfort. Its memory foam cushions, lightweight design and excellent battery life make it a go-to for extended gameplay sessions, whether I’m hooked up to my Nintendo Switch 2, PS5 or my PC.

I’m still not quite over my Baldur’s Gate 3 era, and the Corsair Void v2 MAX Wireless headset was the perfect companion to enjoy the rich audio landscape of the Sword Coast and the lively voice acting of its fantastic cast. The headset’s noise suppression works wonderfully in tandem with iCue software’s EQ, meaning everything was rendered with great clarity and depth. I also spent some time in Valorant on PS5, finding it super easy to pick out environmental cues thanks to the impressive audio clarity and Tempest 3D Audio.

(Image credit: Future)

Dual connectivity worked well on test, and came in handy a few times I wanted to answer calls or listen to a podcast on my phone while playing a less audio-reliant game, and when I used the headset to chat with friends over Discord, I received several comments on the solid microphone quality.

Best of all, I could complete most of my testing without ever needing to recharge the headset, because it offers around 70 hours of battery life via 2.4GHz wireless and an impressive up to 130 hours on Bluetooth; based on my testing, that’s an accurate benchmark from Corsair.

Should you buy the Corsair Void v2 MAX Wireless?Buy it if...

You want long battery life
Offering an impressive up to 70 hours of battery life via 2.4GHz wireless and up to 130 hours on Bluetooth, you can game for days on end without reaching for your charging port.

You want dual connectivity
If you’ve got a burning desire to listen simultaneously across devices or be able to take calls while gaming, this presents an easy option.

You want a great all-rounder
It’s simple to use, comfortable, offers great connectivity, looks great, and performs well on test; what more can you ask for?

Don't buy it if...

You were hoping for Xbox compatibility
Unfortunately, the Corsair Void v2 MAX Wireless isn't compatible with Xbox, although there is a specific model available for Xbox users.

You have a premium headset already
While it’s really impressive for its price point, the Void v2 MAX Wireless isn’t a premium headset-beater, so you’re best off sticking with a pricier model if you already own it.

Also consider...

Still not sold on the Corsair Void v2 MAX Wireless? Here’s how it compares to more of the best gaming headsets.

Corsair Void v2 MAX Wireless

Razer BlackShark V3 Pro

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless

Price

$149.99 / £119.99 / AU$249

$249.99 / £249.99 / around AU$510

$349.99 / £329.99 / AU$649.00

Weight

10.7oz / 303g

12.9oz / 367g

11.9oz / 337g

Compatibility

PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android

PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, iOS, Android

PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android

Connection type

Wireless (via USB 3.0 dongle), Bluetooth

Wireless (via USB 3.0 dongle), Bluetooth

Wireless (via base station), Bluetooth, 3.5mm wired

Battery life

Up to 70 hours

Up to 70 hours

Up to 44 hours

Features

Custom 50mm Neodymium drivers, omnidirectional microphone, RGB lighting, dual connectivity, custom button mapping

Razer TriForce Titanium 50mm drivers, advanced passive noise isolation, detachable microphone, dual connectivity

Custom 40mm Neodymium drivers, retractable microphone, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, dual connectivity, AI-powered noise-canceling mic

Software

Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio (PC), Corsair iCUE (PC), Tempest 3D Audio (PS5)

THX Spatial Audio (PC), Windows Sonic Spatial Audio (PC/Xbox), Tempest 3D Audio (PS5)

360 Sonar Spatial Audio (PC), Tempest 3D Audio (PS5)

Razer BlackShark V3 Pro
It’s a fair bit pricier, but the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro is one of the best gaming headsets we’ve reviewed. Offering much the same features but throwing Xbox compatibility into the mix as well as awesome ANC, it’s a superb set of wireless audio-givers.

For more information, check out our full Razer BlackShark V3 Pro reviewView Deal

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless
Again, a pricier option compared to Corsair’s Void Max v2, but with a few extra features that sweeten the deal, such as a wireless base station for dual connectivity rather than one through Bluetooth, plus a fully retractable mic that makes it a little more discreet if you want to use them while you’re out and about.

For more information, check out our full SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless reviewView Deal

How I tested the Corsair Void v2 MAX Wireless

(Image credit: Future)

• Used as my main gaming headset for four weeks
• Connected to my Nintendo Switch 2, PC and PS5
• Played a variety of games across genres

Typically, I use my iconic Razer Kraken Kitty V2 wired headset, but putting this to one side to try the Corsair Void v2 MAX Wireless granted a better all-round experience and the benefits of dual connectivity. I used it with my Nintendo Switch 2, gaming PC, and PlayStation 5, playing everything from first-person shooters to RPGs like Baldur’s Gate III and Assassin's Creed: Shadows to see how the headset works in different environments.

I used all of the advertised features, and exhaustively used the headset over my four weeks of testing to see what the long-term experience is like and ensure comfort, performance, and software all work as promised.

First reviewed November-December 2025

Read more about how we test

WiiM Sound: Two-minute review

WiiM has been rapidly building a wireless, multi-room streaming ecosystem that competes directly with Sonos and Bluesound. The WiiM Sound is its first wireless smart speaker – an important milestone – and in typical WiiM fashion, it’s an impressive product with design and performance that rivals the best products in its class. However, unlike its previous products, which delivered these attributes for less than the competition, the WiiM Sound carries a premium price.

It sounds great, with a full, powerful sound signature and tons of EQ settings, and the built-in circular touchscreen is a fun feature. But its lack of a hands-free voice assistant and no support for Apple AirPlay limit its value as a smart speaker – especially for the iOS ensconced.

Is it one of the best wireless speakers we've tested for sound, though? And crucially, is the WiiM Sound the speaker to build a new multi-room audio system with? Read on…

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(Image credit: Simon Cohen / Future)WiiM Sound review: Price & release date

• Released October 28th, 2025
• Priced $299 / £299 / €349 (AU$499 approx.)

The price of the WiiM Sound is $299 / £299 / €349 (AU$499 approx) and it's not hard to see that its nearest and most relevant rivals are the either the Sonos Era 100, which costs $219 / £199 / AU$319 officially, (though at the time of writing has some tasty discounts – in the UK, it's currently £159) or the more powerful Sonos Era 300, which costs a more substantial $479 / £449 / AU$749.

So it sits squarely between the two, which is a smart choice. Also sitting here at this price point is the Apple HomePod 2, which is officially $299 / £299 / AU$479. How does the WiiM Sound stack up against the competition? That's precisely what we're here to work out…

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(Image credit: Simon Cohen / Future)WiiM Sound review: Specs

Speaker drivers

2x tweeters, 1x woofer

Amplification

3x Class D amps

Dimensions

5.7” x 5.7” x 7.5” (146 x 146 x 193 mm)

Connectivity

Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 (transmit and receive), 3.5mm line-in, 100 Mbps Ethernet

Streaming support

WiiM Home app, DLNA, Google Cast, Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, Roon Ready

Voice assistant support

Amazon Alexa (via Voice Remote), compatible with Google Assistant

Other features

Room Correction, WiiM multi-room control, WiiM 5.1 home theater, and stereo pair options, hi-res audio up to 24-bit/192kHz

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(Image credit: Simon Cohen / Future)WiiM Sound review: Features

• Very good wired and wireless connectivity, 2-way Bluetooth, but no AirPlay
• Built-in 1.8-inch touchscreen display
• Room Correction via iOS or Android

I’m not sure why WiiM and Apple don’t see eye to eye, but the WiiM Sound is now the fourth new WiiM product to ship without Apple AirPlay support. Because it has Google Cast (and good native service support in the WiiM Home app), this omission only impacts one type of user: Apple device owners who want to stream Apple Music. If that’s you, there’s always Bluetooth as a fallback, but let’s agree this is much less convenient.

Still, that Bluetooth connection is versatile, letting you stream to the speaker or letting you connect a set of headphones so you can listen to the same audio privately.

As more people become interested in analog formats like vinyl, having a wireless speaker with a 3.5mm AUX input is handy. The WiiM Sound has one (and a dedicated Ethernet jack), something you won’t find on either the Sonos Era 100 (unless you buy an adapter) or on the Apple HomePod 2. WiiM’s feature-filled app even lets you set the pre-amplification level on the aux input so that it’s sufficiently loud for your source, without risking distortion.

The most recognizable aspect of the WiiM Sound is its circular touchscreen. It’s a vibrant gem that looks way better in real life than in these images, and I love the option of having a clock face when the speaker isn’t in use. Design-wise, circles are lovely, but as Apple rightly identified with the Apple Watch, sometimes circles aren’t great for user interfaces.

(Image credit: Simon Cohen / Future)

Album art, the thing most folks will want to display while streaming, is always square, which means some of the image is usually hidden. If you want to display track/album info too, you’ll see even less of that cover art.

As a touchscreen, it’s very responsive and easy to navigate, and yet, unless you place the WiiM Sound on a shelf at shoulder height, it can be awkward to use. Thankfully, all of its functions can be replicated from the WiiM Home app, and the most important controls (volume and playback) are accessible from the top touch controls and the included remote.

Speaking of the remote, WiiM knocked it out of the park with the WiiM Voice Remote 2 Lite, a simple and elegant rechargeable Bluetooth unit that feels great in the hand. Or should I say, Apple knocked it out of the park? The similarity to the Apple Siri Remote for Apple TV is immediately obvious. What’s less obvious is that, unlike Apple’s weighty chunk of aluminium, the WiiM version is much lighter due to its partially plastic construction. If you want more heft, you’ll need to buy the regular WiiM Voice Remote 2.

You don’t need a remote for the WiiM Sound (your smartphone does it all) unless you want to access Amazon Alexa. For reasons known only to WiiM, the WiiM Sound will work as an Alexa speaker, but it can’t hear you unless you talk into the remote’s mic.

Your room and a speaker’s position in it can heavily influence your system’s sound, which is why room correction is becoming a highly sought-after feature. The WiiM Sound’s AI RoomFit isn’t as convenient as the HomePod 2’s automatic system, but it works on both iOS and Android, something that Sonos’ TruePlay tuning still can’t do.

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Maybe Sonos is right. I used AI RoomFit on an iPhone 16 and a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, and the iPhone delivered markedly better results, bringing the WiiM Sound much closer to the target EQ curve. Still, even after using the iPhone, the change in equalization in my two test locations wasn’t night and day. The improvements are subtle – a little less boomy-ness, and a less strident upper midrange. Nothing you couldn’t achieve with a few tweaks of your own.

Speaking of Sonos, the WiiM Sound has one of Sonos’ best features: you can use the speaker as part of a stereo pair, or as a surround or center channel in a 5.1 system (when using a WiiM Amp Pro, WiiM Ultra, or Amp Ultra connected via HDMI ARC to your TV).

That’s the kind of flexibility I’ve come to expect from WiiM, and it makes investing in the company’s gear a better long-term play. WiiM hasn’t announced a soundbar product yet, but you can bet it will, and when that happens, I expect the WiiM Sound will be the logical rear speaker companion.

For the sake of brevity, I won’t detail all of the features in the WiiM Home app. Instead, check out my Sonos vs WiiM comparison. But know this: when it comes to software, WiiM is quickly becoming one of the best multi-room systems you can buy…

• Features score: 4/5

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(Image credit: WiiM )WiiM Sound review: Sound quality

• Full, rich sound with excellent bass response
• Technically a stereo speaker, but you won’t get true stereo sound
• Two WiiM Sounds make a great stereo pair or rear 5.1 surrounds

When Audio Pro released its A10 MKII WiiM Edition speaker, I was eager to try it out, hoping that the first WiiM-compatible wireless speaker would be a strong alternative to the Sonos One and Era 100. While the A10 MKII did well with midranges and highs, it felt lacking in the lows – a key strength of Sonos’ smallest speakers.

I was worried the WiiM Sound might suffer from the same issue, but it put my fears to rest as soon as I turned it on. This speaker is everything I’d hoped it would be sonically.

Even before adding EQ tweaks like Bass Booster mode, the Sound delivers a warm resonance that complements acoustic genres like jazz. If a bigger, more bombastic low end is your thing, WiiM’s EQ presets and manual adjustments will happily oblige. It never achieves chest-thumping levels of bass, yet for a speaker of its size, it won’t disappoint. Just be mindful that if you push bass and volume to their limits, there can be some distortion.

Midrange definition and clarity are both very good, and the highs possess a pleasing brightness without becoming sharp or sibilant. One of my favourite test tracks – Birds by Dominique Fils-Aimé – reveals the WiiM Sound’s penchant for balancing subtle vocal details with low-frequency instrumentation.

Given that the WiiM Sound uses a similar acoustic design to the Sonos Era 100, it’s no surprise that these speakers have similar sound quality. However, where the WiiM Sound offers a wider soundstage for a greater sense of immersion, the Era 100 has greater cohesion and definition, especially when you’re listening position is centered on the speaker’s main axis. For more casual listening, or if you’re moving about your space, these two speakers sound very close to one another.

Stereo-pairing a set of WiiM Sounds is a treat, as it almost always is when dealing with great wireless speakers. However, WiiM’s software hasn’t quite caught up to Sonos on this feature. Grouping the two speakers and selecting their left/right channels is a breeze, but if you’ve enabled any kind of EQ tweaks or room correction on these units, there’s no way to synchronize these settings. WiiM says this is coming in the next month or so.

Being able to use the WiiM Sound as 5.1 surround channels is a lot of fun. Using a WiiM Amp Pro, a wired sub, and two bookshelf speakers, the WiiM Sounds provided a flexible and immersive experience, even for downmixed Dolby Atmos soundtracks. The same stereo pairing software caveats apply, however, so care will need to be taken in the settings for each device.

• Sound quality score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Simon Cohen / Future)WiiM Sound review: Design

• Larger than similar speakers
• Fun display
• Matches most decor

At first glance, the WiiM Sound is immediately recognizable by its built-in circular touchscreen. Now that Bose no longer makes its Home Speaker 500, the WiiM Sound is unique. It’s an eye-catching feature guaranteed to be a conversation piece when friends and family come over. I’m not going to lie: despite the fact that it’s completely unnecessary, I kinda love it.

You get a variety of display choices in the WiiM Home App, with more on the way, like custom wallpapers, and the brightness can be set manually or automatically according to your room’s ambient light. If you’d prefer to go distraction-free, it can also be turned off.

The slightly squarish, fully fabric-wrapped body (available in black, seen here, and white) should work with almost any decor. It's a wee bit taller than the Sonos Era 100, and a full inch taller than the HomePod 2. That shouldn’t be a problem for placement – you’ll likely be able to put it anywhere you’ve got an available power outlet.

Including a 3.5mm AUX input was a smart choice on WiiM’s part, since Sonos didn’t do it on the original Play:1 or the subsequent Sonos One. Even the Era 100, which can support analog, requires an optional adapter. However, I’m less crazy about the port’s placement, which is under the speaker, beside the power and Ethernet jacks. I acknowledge that putting it on the rear of the speaker wouldn’t look as good, but I think it would be worth it for the added convenience.

Most folks will likely use the WiiM Sound on a tabletop or counter, but you can also buy wall-mounts. At publication time, I haven’t seen them yet and don’t know the price.

As I mentioned above, the included remote is a really nice touch and, unlike some other remotes I’ve seen, it doesn’t feel like an afterthought.

• Design score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Simon Cohen / Future)WiiM Sound review: setup and usability

• WiiM Home App is powerful but still missing some features
• Touch controls work well
• …It's just too bad that voice control needs the remote

Getting the WiiM Sound set up is as easy as opening the WiiM Home app, plugging the speaker into power, and then waiting a few seconds for the app to detect the speaker. Once it has, you’re less than a minute away from being able to stream music from sources like Spotify and Tidal, and it only takes a few extra minutes to add Google Cast and sign into the music services supported within the app.

While music service support is good, it’s nowhere near as comprehensive as Sonos. You get most of the big names: Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, YouTube Music, Qobuz, Pandora, plus TuneIn, Plex, BBC Radio, and some lesser-known options. What you don’t get is Apple Music, and Spotify only works when you use the Spotify app (via Spotify Connect).

The app also guides you through the optional RoomFit tuning process and helps you sign into Amazon to set up Alexa on the WiiM Sound. Except for a hiccup on Amazon’s end, it was very straightforward and easy to do.

WiiM’s universal search quickly locates any music you have access to, including your personal collection if you have a DLNA server set up (super easy to do via Plex or Twonky) or a shared folder on a PC or NAS.

On the speaker itself, the top controls illuminate automatically when your hand approaches. That’s a slick feature, and it works well, but it would be nice to have them always on.

Now, about that touchscreen. The reason I said it’s completely unnecessary is that it replicates features that are more easily accessible from the WiiM Home app. It’s easy enough to navigate, but other than changing EQ settings and accessing presets, there isn’t that much you can do. Critically, you can’t browse for something to play – there’s no access to your streaming sources – and WiiM chose not to include the radio shortcut that comes with the WiiM Ultra.

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If you’re using the WiiM Home app to manage a single device, like the WiiM Sound, the features work much as you’d expect: You can control the playback queue, select favorites, and create playlists. WiiM’s presets feature is particularly powerful, letting you not only assign a track, album, or playlist to an available slot, but you can also use presets as shortcuts. For example, if you regularly wanted to play vinyl via the Sound, you could set a preset to switch to the line-in input, enable an EQ preset, and pick a specific volume level that’s different from the Wi-Fi level.

The tricky part comes when you add additional WiiM devices to your system. Each new streamer or speaker is treated individually in the sense that all of your streaming accounts must be added again, Google Cast must be enabled, and if the device supports Amazon Alexa, you’ll need to sign in to use it.

Playlists can also be confusing since, unlike in Sonos, they aren’t universal. In other words, playlists are content-sensitive: Tidal tracks can only be added to Tidal playlists, your personal music can only be grouped with other tracks in your library, and in some cases, like Amazon Music, you can’t save items to playlists at all. The same is true for favourites.

The only place you can mix and match content from different sources is in the presets list for each device, as each preset can trigger any audio accessible from within the WiiM Home app.

While the WiiM Home app may not be as playlist- and favorite-friendly as Sonos, it more than makes up for it with its reliability and huge selection of advanced options for power users. Interactions within the app, like changing volume, grouping/ungrouping of devices, and playing/pausing/skipping of tracks, are all snappy.

If you find that your system isn’t performing as you’d expect, there are adjustments you can make. Mesh Wi-Fi users, for instance, have the option of forcing a WiiM device to connect to a specific access point instead of roaming for signals, which can improve network reliability.

• Setup & Usability score: 4/5

(Image credit: Simon Cohen / Future)WiiM Sound review: Value

• More expensive than Sonos
• But also more full-featured
• Worth it for WiiM fans

At $299, the WiiM Sound is $80 more than the Sonos Era 100, arguably its closest competitor. Given that these two speakers have very similar sound signatures, and both exist as part of a larger, multi-room wireless ecosystem, WiiM’s speaker is a costlier option. Still, WiiM offsets its higher price with more features, like an included remote, a built-in auxiliary analog input, and of course, that eye-catching touchscreen.

For WiiM fans looking to build out their multi-room systems, the WiiM Sound is an excellent choice, with better performance than the similarly WiiM-compatible AudioPro Addon A10 MKII WiiM Edition.

The only thing that keeps this smart speaker from a perfect value score is its lack of on-device, hands-free voice commands, something that most competitive models from Sonos, Apple, Amazon, Google, and Denon offer as a standard feature.

• Value score: 4/5

Should you buy the WiiM Sound?

Features

The only thing missing is AirPlay and hands-free voice commands

4/5

Sound quality

Clear, powerful sound with excellent bass response and tons of EQ controls

4.5/5

Design

Simple and elegant, with a gem of a built-in display

4/5

Setup & Usability

A cinch to set up and use, though Sonos fans may find the WiiM Home app lacks some features they’re used to

4/5

Value

As long as you’re not looking for a true smart speaker you can talk to from across the room, there’s a lot here to love

4/5

Buy it if…

You’re looking for a Sonos alternative
It’s no secret that some Sonos users are unhappy with the company’s latest software, and have been looking at WiiM as an alternative. With the exception of the WiiM Sound’s lack of hands-free voice commands and Apple AirPlay, it’s a great way to start a WiiM system.

You’re already all-in on WiiM
If you own one or more of the company’s streamers and have been waiting for a compatible wireless speaker, the WiiM Sound is an excellent choice for expanding your system.

Don't buy it if…

You’re an iPhone-wielding Apple Music user
With no in-app support for Apple Music and no AirPlay, iPhone owners will only be able to stream Apple Music via Bluetooth – a lossy wireless connection. It will still sound good, but that’s not why we invest in Wi-Fi speakers, especially ones capable of 24-bit lossless audio.

You need a true smart speaker
Having a Sonos Era 100 with Amazon Alexa in the kitchen has been super handy. But would I use Alexa if I had to keep reaching for a remote? Nope. And yet that’s how Alexa works on the WiiM Sound. To use the speaker hands-free, you’ll need an Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant speaker somewhere else nearby.

WiiM Sound review: Also considerSonos Era 300 competitors

WiiM Sound

Sonos Era 300

Apple HomePod 2

Sonos Era 100

Price

$299 / £299 / AU$499 (approx)

$449 / £449 / AU$749

$299 / £299 / AU$479

$249 / £249 / AU$399

Speaker drivers

2x tweeters, 1x woofer

4x tweeters, 2x woofers

5x tweeters, 1x woofer

2x tweeters, 1x midwoofer

Amplification

3x Class D amps

6x Class D amps

Not listed

3x Class D amps

Dimensions

5.7” x 5.7” x 7.5” (146 x 146 x 193 mm)

6.30 x 10.24 x 7.28 in / 160 x 260 x 185 mm

5.6 x 6.6 x 5.6 in / 142 x 168 x 142 mm

4.72 x 7.18 x 5.14 in (120 x 183 x 131 mm)

Connectivity

Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 (transmit and receive), 3.5mm line-in, 100 Mbps Ethernet

Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C (3.5mm line-in and Ethernet via adapter)

Wi-Fi (802.11n), Bluetooth 5.0 (not audio)

Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C (3.5mm line-in and Ethernet via adapter)

Streaming support

WiiM Home app, DLNA, Google Cast, Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, Roon Ready

Sonos app, Apple AirPlay 2

Apple AirPlay 2

Sonos app, Apple AirPlay 2

Voice assistant support

Amazon Alexa (via Voice Remote), compatible with Google Assistant

Alexa, Sonos Voice Control

Siri

Alexa, Sonos Voice Control

Other features

Room Correction, WiiM multi-room control, WiiM 5.1 home theater, and stereo pair options, hi-res audio up to 24-bit/192kHz

Dolby Atmos support, Sonos multi-room control, Sonos home theater option, stereo pair option

Dolby Atmos support, Thread/HomeKit smart home hub, auto-calibration, stereo pairing option, Apple TV home theater option

Sonos multi-room control, Sonos home theater option, stereo pair option

Sonos Era 100
The obvious choice for folks who want a great-sounding smart speaker that can work alone or as part of a coordinated whole-home wireless multi-room sound system.
See our in-depth Sonos Era 100 review for more. View Deal

Apple HomePod 2
While not as fully featured or as affordable as the Sonos Era 100, it sounds great and works brilliantly with all of Apple's devices, and of course, Apple Music.
Here's our full HomePod 2 review.

Denon Home 150
Less expensive than the WiiM Sound and a fair bit older, yet it's chock full of features including hi-res audio, built-in Amazon Alexa, USB storage access, and an analog input.
Consult our Denon Home 150 review to see if it's right for you. View Deal

WiiM Sound review: How I tested

(Image credit: Simon Cohen / Future)

• Received two review samples
• Tested individually, in a stereo pair and with the WiiM Amp Pro
• Tested using calibration software – and without it

I received two WiiM Sound speakers and set them up as individual units, as well as in stereo-pair and surround sound configurations with a WiiM Amp Pro. I calibrated both speakers using the WiiM RoomFit tuning feature and compared the before and after results.

I tested both the top touch controls and the circular touchscreen for responsiveness and ease of use.

I streamed audio to them from third-party apps including Tidal, Qobuz, and Amazon Music to test features like Tidal Connect and Google Cast, and I also signed into these services from inside the WiiM Home app to see how they performed when used natively. I used the WiiM Home app on both iOS (iPhone 16) and Android (Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra).

During these sessions, I sampled a variety of genres, such as jazz, rock, classical, and hip-hop, and then repeated the process on the Sonos Era 100 and Apple HomePod 2 to hear how the WiiM Sound compared.

When using the WiiM Sound in surround mode, I played a variety of test clips in 5.1, stereo, and Dolby Atmos to hear how the speakers handled immersive rear channel effects.

You can read TechRadar's review guarantee here.

• First reviewed: December 2025