TechRadar Reviews

Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike: One-minute review

In an effort to shake up the gaming mouse market, Logitech has introduced the G Pro X2 Superstrike, with its unique customizable haptics that it hopes will elevate your game.

It doesn’t look particularly spectacular, with its simple symmetrical shape and lack of fancy accoutrements, such as RGB lighting. Its two-tone design is quite striking, though.

I found the Pro X2 Superstrike comfortable to hold, thanks to its basic ergonomic form, although those with smaller hands might find it a bit too cumbersome. The build quality is exceptional, up there with the best gaming mouse constructions. The materials feel smooth and durable, while all buttons and the scroll wheel operate with a satisfying solidity.

At 61g, the Pro X2 Superstrike isn’t heavy, either. It’s a shame, though, that most of the weight is concentrated towards the front. This can make lift-offs a little awkward as the rear has a tendency to tilt upward.

The Pro X2 Superstrike can be customized using Logitech’s G HUB software. It offers plenty of configurability, from DPI sensitivity to remapping, as well as featuring various adjustments for the Pro X2 Superstrike’s Haptic Inductive Trigger System (HITS). There’s also a Bunny Hop (BHOP) mode for preventing accidental scroll wheel flicks.

(Image credit: Future)

In action, the Pro X2 Superstrike performs well. It glides smoothly, albeit with slightly more friction than some other gaming mice, and all buttons operate easily and trigger consistently. Also, I didn’t experience any miscrolls when using the middle click, even with the BHOP mode disabled.

The headline HITS feature allows for meaningful adjustments to the actuation point and haptic feedback of clicks, which can make a big difference to feel. You can set them to be very fast and light, or slow and heavy.

However, there’s no analog functionality or controller emulation, which means neither modular inputs nor dual binding is possible. This feels like a missed opportunity, given there are analog keyboards that offer these abilities.

Rapid Trigger isn’t as pronounced as you get from such keyboards, either. There are only five settings to choose from, and the difference between the slowest and fastest settings isn’t huge. Quite how useful the pros will think RT in a mouse remains to be seen, but it’s still nice to see a gaming mouse trying something different.

I experienced no wireless connectivity issues during my time with the Pro X2 Superstrike. It’s a shame there’s no Bluetooth mode, as many other gaming mice at this price point include such support. Battery life is impressive, though: in my experience, Logitech’s claimed 90-hour endurance seems to hold true.

Ultimately, the Pro X2 Superstrike seems more like a promising proof-of-concept – until more can be extracted from the haptic system, it remains something of a gimmick. The price-to-features ratio of the mouse also means that it doesn’t offer the best value for money, given the competition at this end of the market. The Pro X2 Superstrike is an excellent performer all things considered, but it’s perhaps best suited to the elites.

Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike review: Price & availability

(Image credit: Future)

• $179.99 / £159.99 / AU$$299.95
• Available now
• High-end of the market

The Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike costs $179.99 / £159.99 / AU$$299.95 and is available now in one colorway: a black and white finish known as Lunar Eclipse.

This places the mouse at the top end of the market. It’s about the same price as the Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro, a similarly pro-focused symmetrical wireless gaming mouse. We were very impressed with this model, thanks to its lightweight build and lightning-quick performance – not to mention its phenomenal 150-hour battery life and superb optical scroll wheel.

For something cheaper but more versatile, there’s the HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 Pro. Unlike the Pro X2 Superstrike, it features a DPI selector button and multiple wireless connectivity options (2.4GHz and Bluetooth). It games very well, too, although the prominent slope of the mouse buttons mightn’t be for everyone.

Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Superb build quality
• No DPI button
• Numerous customizations via G HUB

Logitech hasn’t exactly pushed the envelope in terms of looks, but nevertheless, the Pro X2 Superstrike is still a pleasing piece of design. Its soft form is antithetical to the more angular and aggressive gaming mice – and it’s all the better for it.

The two-tone design also makes it look less anonymous than it otherwise would be. The black buttons contrast starkly with the white finish, while the small logo and various wordings add interest.

The symmetrical shape is neat and ergonomic, although those with smaller hands might have a hard time gripping it fully, since it’s quite large. It’s not heavy, though, as it weighs just 61g, with most of that mass concentrated at the front end.

The Pro X2 Superstrike bear’s Logitech’s typical high levels of build quality. The plastic chassis feels solid and super smooth, which is certainly welcome but doesn’t offer much purchase. Fortunately, optional grip tape is included for the sidewalls and mouse buttons.

Underneath the Pro X2 Superstrike are two skates: the front one is quite large, while the back one is thin and runs around the bottom curve. If these skates don’t provide enough glide for your liking, you can replace the stock lid for the dongle compartment with one that has a skate on it (included in the box).

All buttons operate sufficiently, although the scroll wheel isn’t the sturdiest: there’s a fair amount of lateral play, but thankfully this didn’t pose an issue during normal use. A bigger issue for some might be the lack of buttons, especially those for cycling DPI or a sniper button.

(Image credit: Future)

Fortunately, there’s plenty of scope to customize the buttons that are present using Logitech’s G HUB software. All inputs can be remapped to a multitude of alternatives, from system and mouse adjustments to individual keys and recorded macros.

The Pro X2 Superstrike can also make use of the brand’s ubiquitous G-Shift function, which allows you to assign any button as a ‘shift’ to access a second layer of binds. With this, I managed to create my own DPI button by designating the middle click as the G-Shift and setting the G-Shift layer of the rear side button as the DPI cycler. I kept the middle click functionality present by assigning it to the G-Shift layer of the right mouse button.

G HUB’s most notable adjustments for the Pro X2 Superstrike, though, concern its Haptic Inductive Trigger System (HITS). You can alter the actuation point, Rapid Trigger setting, and haptic feedback of both mouse buttons – either in tandem or individually.

There are 10 actuation points to choose from, which is quite a generous range, given the relatively short travel of the buttons. There’s also a visualizer that moves in real time with the pressure you exert, allowing you to see precisely where your chosen actuation point is.

(Image credit: Future)

Unfortunately, however, there’s no such visualizer for the Rapid Trigger; a setting where it’s more important to see how your adjustments work, I’d argue. Another disappointing aspect of the Pro X2 Superstrike’s Rapid Trigger implementation is that there are only five levels to choose from. This contrasts starkly to some of the best gaming keyboards, which offer far more scope in their settings. Haptic feedback for the Pro X2 Superstrike also has five levels, but I feel this is an appropriate number for this particular parameter.

G HUB also lets you toggle the Bunny Hop (BHOP) mode of the Pro X2 Superstrike, which is designed to prevent accidental flicks of the scroll wheel. It does this by preventing a single notch from registering; only the second will, so long as it’s within a certain amount of time of the first. This timeframe is adjustable between 100ms and a full second.

As is standard on pretty much all peripheral software, G HUB provides DPI adjustments, too. This includes five customizable presets, where you can set DPI values between 100 and 44,000. Each of these also has its own lift-off distance setting, although pros might be disappointed with the lack of metrics: the three options to choose from are low, medium, or high, with no measurement in millimeters given.

Overall, though, G HUB is clearly laid out and easy to navigate. I didn’t experience any technical hitches or bugs during my time with it, either.

Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike review: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Great-feeling clicks
• Limited usage for haptic buttons
• Front-heavy design not for everyone

The performance of the Pro X2 Superstrike should meet the expectations of elite gamers. With its 8K polling rate, aiming is fast and accurate, while gliding is smooth – although there’s a little more friction than what the smoothest pointers provide. However, the skate-lined dongle lid certainly improved matters, and I can’t say my aiming was adversely affected when playing fast-paced shooters such as Counter-Strike 2.

That front-heavy design proved more of an issue, though. Whenever I lifted the Pro X2 Superstrike before swipes, the whole unit wanted to swing backwards, which forced me to grip harder than I would’ve liked to. I managed to acclimatize to this way of playing to a degree, but it remained a grievance I held with the Pro X2 Superstrike, albeit a minor one.

The middle click is very stable and easy to operate, while the prominent notching of the scroll wheel meant I never felt the need to enable BHOP mode.

The HITS buttons, though, are the standout feature of the Pro X2 Superstrike. The adjustments you make here can translate to radical differences in feel, from light and fast to heavy and slow. When you find the sweet spot, clicks manage to be snappy, impactful, and comfortable all at the same time, which is quite the feat. They always feel very nicely damped, more so than those of other gaming mice – unless you have the haptic feedback on its lowest setting, in which case there's virtually no sensation at all.

Logitech also claims the haptic clicks in the Pro X2 Superstrike reduce latency by up to 30ms compared to traditional microswitches. I can’t say I honestly noticed an increased responsiveness over other gaming mice I’ve tried, but they’re certainly not any slower.

(Image credit: Future)

The effect of the Rapid Trigger function is also hard to discern. The difference between the slowest and fastest settings is subtle; pro players may well be more attuned to them, but I don’t think the implementation of RT in the Pro X2 Superstrike is anywhere near as drastic as that of analog keyboards.

The haptic buttons also fall short of such boards in other ways. For instance, you can’t dual bind by making use of partway clicks, as you can with partway presses of analog keys.

Also, the Pro X2 Superstrike can’t emulate the graduated control of gamepad triggers and joysticks, as some analog keyboards can. Granted, the functionality doesn’t always work as well as you might hope, but I still think such emulation on the mouse would be useful for certain games.

What’s more, PC games don’t make use of intricate haptic feedback (at least currently). One of the great things about the PS5 is the haptic triggers of its DualSense. This really does add immersion by imparting an impressive array of sensations, corresponding with the type of game being played and the gameplay context. This aspect is a large part of why it’s one of the best PS5 controllers around.

(Image credit: Future)

While it’s nice to be able to adjust the haptics of the Pro X2 Superstrike, the system is limited by comparison. Once you’ve found your ideal setting, you’ll have little incentive to change it, and you’ll find clicks don’t necessarily feel any better than those of best gaming mice with conventional switches.

I have fewer complaints about the connectivity of the Pro X2 Superstrike. The 2.4GHz USB dongle provides a fast and stable connection, and I didn’t experience any drop-outs or lag. One odd glitch, though, was that my last selected DPI setting took a while to kick in whenever the mouse awoke from its sleep. It’s also a shame a mouse this expensive doesn’t have additional Bluetooth support to allow for hot-swapping between multiple devices.

The battery life of the Pro X2 Superstrike is very impressive. After several days of use, it only declined by about 20%, and it seems that Logitech’s 90-hour claim holds water.

Should I buy the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike?Scorecard

Value

Pro gamers might see more value in the Pro X2 Superstrike than casuals, given the relative lack of buttons and extra features for the price it commands.

3 / 5

Design

It’s hard to fault the build quality, save from the slightly loose scroll wheel. It’s a shame there’s no DPI button, but at least G HUB offers plenty of customization options.

4 / 5

Performance

The haptic buttons are a joy to use, but how much use the average player will make use of their adjustability is open to debate. The unbalanced weight can pose swiping issues, too.

4 / 5

Average rating

The Pro X2 Superstrike is certainly a gaming mouse fit for pros, and its haptic clicks are an admirable attempt at innovation. But its high price, combined with its lack of buttons and Bluetooth connectivity, mean it’s less appealing for the wider gaming community.

4 / 5

Buy it if…

You want to change your click feel
Clicks feel great, and the ability to change actuation and haptic feedback will please exacting gamers.

You want a premium design
The chassis is smooth and solid but also light, while the buttons seem durable and operate easily.

Don’t buy it if…

You’ll be using it with multiple devices
Since there’s only one way to connect wirelessly, switching between devices isn’t as seamless as it could be if it had Bluetooth as well.

You have high hopes for haptic clicks
Don't get me wrong, the HITS mouse buttons are great – but we’re yet to see any mice or PC games themselves realize their full potential.

Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike review: Also consider

Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro
Razer’s ever-popular DeathAdder series perhaps finds its peak in the V4 Pro. We gave this a glowing review when we tested it, due to its improvement over of the previous generation in just about every area. The optical scroll was also a delightful addition. Read our full Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro review.

HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 Pro
The Pulsefire Haste 2 Pro is another gaming mouse built for the pro crowd, but it’s considerably cheaper than the Pro X2 Superstrike. What’s more, it features an always-useful DPI button and Bluetooth connectivity (in addition to 2.4GHz), letting you swap between multiple devices on the fly. These two things are absent from the Pro X2 Superstrike. Read our full HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 Pro review.

How I tested the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested for several days
• Used for gaming and general use
• Experience reviewing gaming mice

I tested the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike for several days. I used it for gaming as well as general browsing and light productivity.

I mainly played Counter-Strike 2 – a great test for gaming mice, given its reliance on fast and accurate shooting.

I’ve reviewed plenty of gaming mice previously, from a broad range of brands and varying greatly in their form-factors, feature-sets, and price points. I brought this experience to bear when reviewing the Pro X2 Superstrike, by keeping in mind some of the best I’ve experienced as points of comparison.

• Read more about how we test
• First reviewed March 2026

Russell Hobbs Everyday Espresso Machine: one-minute review

The Russell Hobbs Everyday Espresso Machine is an entry-level coffee maker with an unusual twist: in addition to a regular portafilter for ground coffee, it comes with a holder for Nespresso Original style coffee capsules. A handy option if you’re making the switch from pods to fresh beans, or sharing a kitchen with someone who prefers a different brewing method.

It’s very cheap too, with a list price of just £149.99 / AU$189.95 (about $200). For comparison, my two top-rated budget coffee makers, the De’Longhi Dedica Duo, and Philips Baristina, are $299.95 / £279.99 (about AU$600) and $449.99 / £299.99 / AU$599. respectively.

At that price it’s no surprise that the Everyday Espresso Machine is made almost entirely from plastic, but it still looks smart on your kitchen counter with its silver and matt black finish, and guests won’t guess how little you spent.

The budget price is reflected in the accessories though, which are quite bare-bones. In addition to the two portafilters, you get just two filter baskets, a lightweight scoop/tamper combo, and a pin tool for clearing the steam wand. There’s no milk pitcher, water filter, or water hardness testing strip included in the box.

The Russell Hobbs Everyday Espresso Machine accepts both ground coffee and capsules (Image credit: Future)

What really matters is performance, and I was pleased to find that the Everyday Espresso Machine could brew a decent shot with fresh coffee once I’d identified the best grind size, and extraction was consistent. However, I found I had to grind my coffee much coarser than I would usually to avoid under-extraction, and the puck of coffee grounds was always quite wet at the end, which suggests that although the pressure was lower than optimal.

Brewing with coffee capsules was easy, but again, it was a soggier experience than I’d like, and the used pod ended up sitting in a puddle in the portafilter after brewing.

The steam wand is the real problem, though. It feels flimsy, wobbling as you move it into position, and its lower section is too short, making it hard to submerge in your milk pitcher. Worst of all, it has an air intake hole that creates so much foam, I had to stop steaming my milk while it was still cold to prevent the jug overflowing. The large bubbles aren’t fine or stable enough for a latte, which is a shame when you’ve just brewed a perfectly good shot of espresso.

If you take your coffee black and want to shift between pods and grounds, this might be a good option for you. Otherwise though, I’d recommend saving up a little more cash and opting for the much more solidly-made De’Longhi Dedica Duo instead.

Russell Hobbs Everyday Espresso Machine: price and availability

• Available in the UK and Australia for £149.99 / AU$189.95
• Not currently sold in the US
• One of the cheapest espresso machines I've tested

The Russell Hobbs Everyday Espresso Machine is available in the UK direct from Russell Hobbs for £149.99 (about $200). It’s known as the Russell Hobbs Heaton Espresso Machine in Australia, where it retails for AU$189.95. It’s not sold in the US at the time of writing.

It’s one of the most affordable coffee makers I’ve tested here at TechRadar, and even cheaper than my favorite budget espresso machine, the De’Longhi Dedica Duo, which has a list price of $299.95 / £279.99 (about AU$600).

• Value score: 4/5

Russell Hobbs Everyday Espresso Machine: specifications

Name

Russell Hobbs Everyday Espresso Machine

Type

Manual espresso machine (ground coffee and pods)

Weight

6lbs / 2.74kg

Water reservoir capacity

1.58 quarts / 1.5 liters

Milk frother

Manual steam wand

User profiles

None

Russell Hobbs Everyday Espresso Machine: design

• Accepts ground coffee and Nespresso Original capsules
• Steam wand is disappointing
• Plastic components have a strong odor

The Russell Hobbs Everyday Espresso Machine is compact, and exceptionally lightweight. Upon weighing it, I found that the whole unit is just 6lbs / 2.74kg, including the plug and water tank, which could be a real advantage if you need a coffee maker you can tuck away in a cupboard between uses.

The Everyday Espresso Machine’s exterior is entirely plastic except for the drip tray and steam wand, but as you can see from the photos here, it doesn’t look cheap, and the silver-colored panels on the front give a convincing look of brushed steel.

The water tank has a robust handle for easy carrying, though it can only be used when the hinged lid is open (Image credit: Future)

It does, however, have a noticeable plastic odor when new. The instructions running the machine without any coffee to rinse it before making your first drink, but I'd actually suggest doing this a few times to wash away any taste (and flushing the steam wand thoroughly as well to avoid tainting your milk).

As with all coffee makers, you should wash the water tank, portafilters and baskets before use. These are safe to hand-wash with soapy water, and the tank has a reassuringly solid-feeling handle for easy carrying, which is a welcome touch.

The Everyday Espresso Machine comes with two portafilters: one for ground coffee and one for Nespresso Original style coffee capsules. The one for capsules has a conical insert, which holds the coffee pod and pierces the bottom when pressure is applied so water can penetrate.

The attachment for coffee capsules contains small spikes that pierce the pod when the machine applies pressure. (Image credit: Future)

There are just two filter baskets for ground coffee (single and double shot size). Both of these are pressurized, which makes sense for a beginner-level machine because they're more forgiving than single-walled baskets if your grind isn't perfect.

You get a double-ended tamper/coffee scoop, which is standard issue for a budget espresso machine. It doesn't feel very satisfying to hold, and it's not as easy to use as a more solid tamper with a smooth metal finish, but it gets the job done.

The Everyday Espresso Machine's steam wand pivots out from the left-hand side of the machine, and is controlled using a large, tactile dial. Unfortunately, during testing I found that the bottom part of the wand was too short, meaning it couldn’t reach far enough down into my milk pitcher.

There's a small collection of accessories, including a plastic tamper/scoop, and two pressurized filter baskets (Image credit: Future)

The wand also has a pinhole in the side, which is intended to create extra foam when you steam your milk. Unfortunately,during my tests I found it created lots of very large bubbles, and made it impossible to create smooth, pourable microfoam. In fact, it created so much foam, I had to stop steaming before my milk was hot to avoid it overflowing.

• Design score: 3/5

Russell Hobbs Everyday Espresso Machine: performance

• Consistent results when grinder is dialled in
• Water pressure seems to be lower than usual
• Doesn't heat or foam milk properly

The Everyday Espresso Machine is simple to use, with just two brew buttons, but unlike most espresso machines, these don’t correlate to a single or double shot. Instead, the first button brews a double shot, and the second a quad (intended to be divided between two cups). The drink volume is customizable, but it's something to be aware of.

The machine heats quickly, though the cup-warmer on top isn't very practical. Like the rest of the machine's chassis, it's made from insulating plastic, so it'll barely be warm even half an hour after the machine has come to temperatures.

I was pleased to find that, although some components feel flimsy, the Everyday Espresso Machine does feel more robust than the Casabrews 5418 Pro. The filter baskets fit into the portafilter handle properly without feeling loose, and the handle locks nicely into place.

My first few shots of espresso pulled very slowly, and I found that I had to grind my coffee much more coarsely than usual to get good results. The puck of ground coffee was still quite wet once I'd finished brewing, which suggests that the pressure was low, but once I'd found the best size, the results were consistent.

Once you've dialled in your grinder, you should be able to achieve consistently well extracted shotsFutureYou can tinker with the drink volume if the standard settings are too largeFuture

Brewing with a Nespresso capsule is straightforward; just place it in the conical holder provided, put the holder in the portafilter handle, and carry on as though you were using coffee grounds. The process is quick and easy, but messier than using a standard Nespresso machine. Usually brewing with pods is a neat process, but the Everyday Espresso Machine leaves water in the portafilter that tends to spill when you release the handle.

If you’re only really interested in brewing from capsules, I’d recommend picking a simple dedicated Nespresso machine instead. The Nespresso Vertuo Pop (for Nespresso Vertuo pods) or the Nespresso Pixie (for Nespresso Original capsules) are both affordable options.

Brewing with a coffee capsule is surprisingly messy, and I found the portafilter always ended up full of water after brewing. (Image credit: Future)

For me, though, the steam wand is the weakest point. As mentioned previously, this is an espresso machine with a dairy intolerance; it incorporates too much air into the milk, so you have to stop steaming before it’s sufficiently heated, and it’s too short to use comfortably. The heat-resistant silicone handle is a nice addition, but the whole wand wobbles when you move it.

The steam wand is barely long enough to use with a typical milk pitcherFutureThe wand has an air intake hole, which results in an excessive volume of large bubblesFuture

Whether I chose oat or dairy, the wand simply made lots of very large bubbles, which might look impressive if you've not used a coffee maker before, but are no practical use. This might be an entry-level machine, but new users need proper tools too, and this steam wand misses the mark.

• Performance score: 3 / 5

Should you buy the Russell Hobbs Everyday Espresso Machine?Russell Hobbs Everyday Espresso Machine: score card

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

One of the cheapest espresso machines I've tested, and looks like it should cost a lot more, but some components are flimsy in use.

4 / 5

Design

The plastic chassis is light and easy to move, but has a strong aroma that takes a while to wear off. Steam wand isn't well designed.

3 / 5

Performance

Can brew a decent espresso, importantly, but generates less pressure than optimal, so an extra coarse grind is necessary. Milk foaming is poor.

3 / 5

Buy it if

You're on a tight fixed budget

This is a very cheap coffee maker, and if you absolutely can't spend any more, it's one of the better options, Russell Hobbs is a reputable brand with good after-sales service.

You want to brew both pods and grounds

There aren't many coffee makers that can do both, so if this is a key requirement, the Everyday Espresso Machine may be the one for you.

Don't buy it if

You enjoy milky drinks

The Everyday Espresso Machine can make a lot of big bubbles, but the results aren’t useful for coffee. You can’t make fine foam, or even heat the milk properly with its strange, stubby steam wand.

You have an extra $50 in your pocket

If you can afford to be a little flexible on price, you can get something much better for your kitchen.

Russell Hobbs Everyday Espresso Machine: also consider

If you're not sure whether the Russell Hobbs Everyday Espresso Machine is the right coffee maker for you, here are two other options for your shortlist. For more recommendations, take a look at my complete guides to the best espresso machines and best Nespresso machines.

De'Longhi Dedica Duo

I've mentioned this little espresso machine several times in this review, and it remains the standard by which all other budget coffee makers are judged. Its performance and build quality belie its bargain price, and you'll often find it available for a discount now that it's a few months old. Highly recommended if you only want to brew from ground coffee, not pods.

Read our full De'Longhi Dedica Duo reviewView Deal

Nespresso Pixie

Prefer pods to beans? The Nespresso Pixie is an excellent, no-frills machine that accepts Original style capsules, and doesn't make a wet mess when brewing them. If you want to make lattes, this machine is available bundled with the Nespresso Aeroccino milk frother for a discounted price.

Read our full Nespresso Pixie reviewView Deal

How I tested the Russell Hobbs Everyday Espresso Machine

I used the Russell Hobbs Everyday Espresso Machine in my kitchen for a week, comparing it with my usual Gaggia Classic coffee maker.

I used it with freshly roasted coffee beans, ground using a Sage Dose Control Pro coffee grinder, and I adjusted the grind size until a double shot of espresso dispensed in around 30 seconds. I used the steam wand with fresh fat dairy and oat milk.

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

RedMagic 11 Air: Two-minute review

Like its lightweight predecessor, the RedMagic 10 Air, the RedMagic 11 Air represents a smart piece of repurposing. It takes the RedMagic 10 Pro and slims down the package, losing a few pounds (not to mention some camera capabilities) and resulting in a temptingly approachable gaming phone.

At an asking price of less than $500 / £500, you’re getting a hugely capable performer with a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and ample memory. It’s not up there with the very fastest phones on the market, thanks to the inclusion of a slightly older chip, but it’s still capable of running the most demanding games at high frame rates.

Thanks to remappable trigger buttons and parent company Nubia’s custom Game Space gaming UI, it’s a well-optimized way to play competitive online games like Call of Duty: Mobile.

RedMagic has improved on its first Air phone in a couple of ways, most notably by reinstating the physical cooling fan for superior sustained performance. You also get a superior 144Hz display and a significantly larger 7,000mAh battery.

(Image credit: Future)

You could argue that this is all a case of Nubia strengthening where it was already strong while neglecting the rest of the package. None of our key complaints about the RedMagic 10 Air have been addressed.

RedMagic OS continues to be a messy, clunky Android UI. The camera system, too, continues to underwhelm, with selfies a particular low point. Even at this low price, you can get a much better photographic experience if you’re willing to compromise on gaming output.

Indeed, in certain ways, the RedMagic 11 Air represents a downgrade from its predecessor, with a clumsier design and an inferior ultra-wide camera.

If gaming is a priority, however, you won’t find a more capable device for less than $500 / £500.

There’s ample room for improvement, but this Nubia sub-brand continues to supply the best value gaming phones on the market.

RedMagic 11 Air review: price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• From $499 / £439 / €499
• Launched on February 11, 2026

The RedMagic 11 Air hit shelves on February 11, 2026, in a choice of two colors and two memory/storage variants. It’s available from redmagic.gg as well as selected retail partners.

Pricing starts at $499 / £439 / €499 for 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The model we’re reviewing here, with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, costs $629 / £529 / €599.

While the phone is confirmed to be available in Australia, RedMagic only provides a ‘global’ price of $499 (which works out to about AU$725) for the 256GB model and $599 (about AU$864) for the 512GB model on its website.

There aren’t too many phones at this kind of price offering this level of performance. In the official reviewer’s guide, Nubia itself reveals that it views the Poco F8 Pro as its most direct rival, but even that starts at £549, and isn't available in the US.

• Value score: 4.5 / 5

RedMagic 11 Air review: specsRedMagic 11 Air specs

Dimensions:

163.82 x 76.54 x 7.85mm

Weight:

207g

Display:

6.8-inch AMOLED (2,688 x 1,216) up to 144Hz

Chipset:

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite

RAM:

12GB, 16GB

Storage:

256GB, 512GB

OS:

Android 16

Primary camera:

50MP 1/1.55-inch sensor

Ultra-wide camera:

8MP 1/4.0-inch sensor

Front Camera:

16MP 1/2.77-inch sensor

Battery:

7,000mAh

Charging:

80W wired (international)

Colors:

Phantom, Prism

RedMagic 11 Air review: design

(Image credit: Future)

• Slimmer and lighter than the bulky Pro line
• Has regressed from the appealing RedMagic 10 Air design
• Cooling fan reinstated

I described the RedMagic 10 Air as “by far the best-looking gaming phone RedMagic has ever made" in my RedMagic 10 Air review. Sadly, I don’t think the RedMagic has managed to keep up the good work.

After last year’s model eased back from the Pro line’s overt gamer aesthetic with a clean etched glass back and subtle branding, the RedMagic 11 Air steps right back on the gas.

There are only two fairly nondescript colors in Phantom (black) and Prism (white), but both have the brand’s signature semi-transparent finish. This allows some fake circuit board details to show through, as well as a sprinkling of RGB lighting around the camera and within the new side vent.

As looks go, it’s not to my taste, nor is it likely to appeal to anyone else above the age of 30. Perhaps that youthful air (pun unintended) is the whole point.

(Image credit: Future)

Cheapened looks aside, the truly impressive feat here is that RedMagic has managed to reimplement a mechanical cooling fan (hence the RGB-adorned side vent) without adding any real bulk to the phone.

At 7.85mm thick and 207g, the RedMagic 11 Air is about the same thickness and only 2g heavier than the RedMagic 10 Air before it. What’s more, with dimensions of 163.8 x 76.5mm, the newer phone actually has a smaller footprint than its 164.3 x 76.6mm predecessor.

An IP54 dust and water resistance rating makes a return to the spec sheet, which is far from the best out there. However, an aluminum alloy Frame and Corning Gorilla Glass 7i screen (with Gorilla Glass 5 on the back) provide a suitably tough exterior.

There are a handful of extra gaming-oriented controls on the edges of the phone. On the right edge, flanking the power and volume buttons, are the brand’s signature 520Hz capacitive shoulder buttons. In many games, these can be mapped to key controls – think aim and shoot in Destiny Rising or brake and accelerate in GRID Legends.

On the left edge of the phone, there’s a red Magic Key button dedicated to booting up the Game Space UI, which offers quick access to installed games and individual game settings. It’s still remappable, should you wish to attribute it to a more generic function like a camera or flashlight shortcut, but it’s now a rather bland rectangle instead of the 10 Air’s dimpled circle.

• Design score: 3.5 / 5

RedMagic 11 Air review: display

(Image credit: Future)

• 6.85-inch AMOLED
• 2688 x 1216 resolution
• 144Hz refresh rate
• 1800-nit peak brightness

If the RedMagic 11 Air’s design represents a disappointing climb down from the good work started in the RedMagic 10 Air, then the phone’s display is a marked improvement.

One of the letdowns with the RedMagic 10 Air was that it followed directly on from the RedMagic 10 Pro with its much-improved display. I’m glad to report that the RedMagic 11 Air adopts the latter’s upgraded panel.

It’s a slightly bigger 6.85-inch OLED than before with a sharper 2688 x 1216 resolution (up from 2,480 x 1,116) and a more fluid 144Hz maximum refresh rate (up from 120Hz). The top brightness of 1,800 nits is an upgrade, too, compared to the RedMagic 10 Air’s 1,600 nits.

All of these improvements have positive ramifications for gaming, though relatively few games are able to output frame rates over 120fps.

In general use, this is a sharp, bright display that outputs vibrant colours by default. These can be toned down using the flexible Color Mode menu in Settings.

Another pro-gaming feature is the implementation of an under-display front camera. This offers a blissfully unbroken view of gaming and indeed video content, though it also has a pretty disastrous impact on selfies.

• Display score: 4.5 / 5

RedMagic 11 Air review: cameras

(Image credit: Future)

• 50MP main with OIS
• 8MP ultra-wide
• 16MP selfie camera
• Up to 8K/30fps video

Photographic expectations are always quite low when a new RedMagic phone rolls around. ‘Aggressively priced gaming phone’ is not a description that gets us thinking of excellent snaps.

However, the RedMagic 11 Air’s camera system is a disappointment even by such modest standards. There hasn’t been any positive movement on the photographic front since last year’s RedMagic 10 Air. In fact, there’s been some regression.

While the RedMagic 11 Air packs the same 50MP 1/1.55" f/1.9 main camera sensor as its predecessor, there’s now an inferior 8MP 1/4.0" f/2.2 ultra-wide. The latter is both smaller and less pixel-packed than its predecessor, which isn't the direction of travel we've come to expect.

You still don’t get a third camera sensor either, which means that there’s no dedicated telephoto camera for zoomed shots.

This main sensor isn't a terrible performer. In decent lighting, it can grab reasonably sharp shots with rich (albeit not hugely natural-looking) colours. Night shots, while far from best-in-class, are fairly clear, aided by OIS and strong image processing from the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC.

That new 8MP ultra-wide doesn’t get anywhere close to the main sensor, though, neither in terms of sharpness nor contrast. The tone can be markedly different, in fact, and can suffer from blown-out highlights.

That lack of a telephoto camera makes for some seriously limited zoomed shots, too. The detail quickly falls away past 2x, with 5x and 10x snaps badly lacking in crispness.

The weakest performance, however, is reserved for the RedMagic 11 Air’s 16MP under-display front camera. As we’ve mentioned, RedMagic has made the decision to prioritize an obstruction-free display in the name of an optimal gaming experience. That’s been achieved at the expense of any kind of quality on selfies. They’re some of the worst you’ll find on any phone, making faces look fuzzy and indistinct. Yuck.

Video recording is pretty good, at least on paper, with support for 8K at 30fps or (more usefully) 4K at 60fps. But really, if you have any serious ambitions to capture the world around you, you'll do yourself a favor and go with a non-gaming phone.

• Camera score: 3 / 5

RedMagic 11 Air review: camera samplesFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureRedMagic 11 Air review: performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Snapdragon 8 Elite chip isn’t the latest, but it’s fast
• Cooling fan reinstated
• 12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM
• 256GB or 512GB UFS 4.1 storage

RedMagic has fitted its latest Air device with a straight-up generational performance upgrade, via Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite chip.

That’s no longer the latest or most capable chip on the market – you’ll need to go for the slightly more expensive RedMagic 11 Pro if you want the ultimate mobile gaming performance – but it’s still more than fast enough to run advanced games at high settings. Especially if you opt for the higher model with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, which is the one I was testing – though the baseline 12GB variant should provide ample performance for most. I was able to run Destiny: Rising and GRID Legends on higher settings with pleasingly smooth frame rates.

CPU and GPU benchmark results, too, are broadly in line with the 2025 flagship phone brigade, which in turn aren’t too far off 2026 phones like the OnePlus 15.

What’s more interesting is how the RedMagic 11 Air performs over sustained periods. Thanks to the return of a dedicated cooling fan (on top of a meaty vapor chamber), the phone yielded consistent results across 3DMark’s high-end stress tests.

A stability score of 95% in the demanding 3DMark Solar Bay Stress Test is better than any modern flagship phone, not to mention the RedMagic 10 Air (which managed 89.8%). This implies that the SoC doesn’t have to throttle back due to high running temperatures, which is what typically happens with non-gaming phones under prolonged GPU load.

It’s not the absolute fastest phone on the market, then, but the RedMagic 11 Air is still a strong performer – and it can stay fast for longer than most.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

RedMagic 11 Air review: software

(Image credit: Future)

• RedMagic OS 11 on Android 16
• Fluid but ugly UI
• Dedicated gaming interface

RedMagic phones have always punched above their weight on raw performance, but the software experience has been universally below par. The RedMagic 11 Air doesn’t do anything to change that dim outlook.

This is the same RedMagic OS 11, layered on top of Android 16, that I wrote about towards the end of 2025 with the RedMagic 11 Pro.

It’s a perfectly functional take on Android, with fluid animations and the usual menus in broadly the right places. But it’s also ugly, with clumsy interface elements (there’s a blank app icon simply marked ‘Unknown’ on my test unit) and a largely redundant widget that serves as a manual control for the fan.

Above this widget can be found More Games and More Apps folders, offering download prompts for poor-quality sponsored apps. Suffice to say, you almost certainly won’t want any of these cluttering up your storage.

Don’t forget those preinstalled TikTok, Facebook, and Booking.com apps, either, nor RedMagic’s own web browser. Inessential, one and all.

Scroll to the left of the Home Screen, and you’ll find not the classic Google Feed, but an unpleasant home-brewed amalgam that includes step-counting and weather widgets, as well as a universal search bar towards the top.

(Image credit: Future)

Beneath that, a Recommended apps banner that’s filled with those aforementioned cheap and not-so-cheerful sponsored apps. A little lower down, an extended news pane supplying assorted local stories, very few of which were of any interest to me.

Hopefully, a firmware update will revert this to a Google Feed, as was the case with the RedMagic 11 Pro. As things stand, it's a total waste of screen space.

As always, the high point here is RedMagic’s Game Space UI, which can be accessed through the Magic Key button. This lets you access your games while also adjusting game-related settings.

You can switch between CPU and GPU profiles, letting you either extract more performance or battery life from your gaming session. You can also adjust screen sensitivity and ratios, or – in certain popular games – play with custom plug-ins that automate certain in-game tasks.

During gameplay, you can swipe in from the corner of the screen to access an abbreviated version of this UI, which is also where you can map those shoulder buttons.

RedMagic is committed to providing the 11 Air with just two major OS updates (meaning Android 17 and 18) and five years of security update support. It’s far from the best in this regard, even within the mid-range market.

• Software score: 3 / 5

RedMagic 11 Air review: battery life

(Image credit: Future)

• 7,000mAh battery
• Multi-day usage
• 80W wired charging

As we hinted at in the Design section, the RedMagic 11 Air still ranks as a pretty hefty bit of kit compared to non-gaming phones.

On the positive side, this means that the brand hasn’t felt obliged to compromise on battery capacity, unlike genuinely skinny phones like the iPhone Air or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

Indeed, RedMagic has actually increased the size of the battery since the RedMagic 10 Air. At 7,000mAh, it’s almost 17% bigger than before, and isn’t too far off the class-leading OnePlus 15.

If you don’t go heavy on media consumption, you can conceivably achieve multi-day battery life on a single charge. That means extending beyond the two-day mark that we would formerly have classed as 'very good'.

Naturally, that’s not what the RedMagic 11 Air is designed for. Rather, the extra battery capacity lets you indulge in an extended session of Dredge (other Lovecraftian fishing games are available) on your commutes to and from work without having to worry about the phone making it to bedtime.

In this international model, there’s support for 80W wired charging. No, it’s not the 120W that China gets, but it’s still pretty decent, and you get that charger in the box.

A full charge for me took a smidgen over an hour, but there is a Turbo charge option in the Battery Settings menu that can speed this up further.

You don’t get the RedMagic 11 Pro’s wireless charging provision. That's a shame, though it isn't particularly surprising given that the feature was only recently introduced to the range, not to mention the budget status of the Air.

• Battery score: 5 / 5

Should I buy the RedMagic 11 Air?RedMagic 11 Air score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Design

RedMagic’s design has always been somewhat gauche, but it’s disappointing to see the 11 Air taking a backward step from its predecessor on this front.

3.5 / 5

Display

Big, sharp, bright, and fluid, this is an excellent display for the money, and a genuine step up from the RedMagic 10 Air before it.

4.5 / 5

Performance

It’s not the fastest phone on the market, but the RedMagic 11 Air will outperform virtually all of the 2025 Android crowd. Crucially, it stays fast over longer periods.

4.5 / 5

Camera

You don’t expect a good camera system from a gaming phone, but the RedMagic 11 Air’s is even worse than its predecessor, thanks to a downgraded ultra-wide.

3 / 5

Battery

With a meaty 7,000mAh battery, the RedMagic 11 Air will last multiple days of normal usage, and will still get you through a full day of heavy gaming.

5 / 5

Software

RedMagic OS 11 is functional, with some powerful custom gaming flourishes. However, it’s also ugly, with a disappointing level of support.

3 / 5

Value

For just $499 / £439, you’re getting a phone that performs as well as if not better than the 2025 class of flagship phones.

4.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You’re gaming on a budget
You’re getting sustained flagship performance for less than $500 / £450 here. No other phone can quite match that value proposition.

You’re in the anti-notch brigade
If you would do anything to get rid of the display notch, including accepting terrible selfies, then the RedMagic 11 Air has you covered.

You love that nerdy PC gaming aesthetic
With a boxy shape, a faux-transparent case, RGB lighting and a cooling vent, the RedMagic 11 Air aesthetic screams ‘adolescent gamer’.

Don't buy it if...

You want to take decent pictures
The main camera isn’t a write-off, but the 8MP ultra-wide is a downgrade and the 16MP selfie camera is an abomination.

You want the very best gaming phone possible
It’s very capable, but the pricier RedMagic 11 Pro is the phone to get if you want the ultimate mobile gaming performance.

You appreciate software design
This is an ugly custom Android UI, with pointless widgets and ample bloatware.

RedMagic 11 Air review: also consider

The RedMagic 11 Air is a capable mid-range gamer, but it isn't your only option.

Poco F8 Pro
RedMagic itself cites the Poco F8 Pro as a key rival. It’s not quite so hardcore in the gaming stakes, and it costs a little more, but performance is broadly comparable and it’s much nicer to use day to day.

RedMagic 11 Pro
The RedMagic 11 Pro is your step-up model, offering superior performance, a better camera, even better battery life, and wireless charging – albeit at a higher price.

Read our full RedMagic 11 Pro review

How I tested the RedMagic 11 Air

• Review test period = 1 week
• Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, gaming, streaming video, music playback
• Tools used = Geekbench 6, 3DMark, native Android stats, RedMagic 80W power adapter

First reviewed: January 2026

How to Make a Killing was one of my most anticipated new movies of 2026. Unfortunately I was left feeling underwhelmed by A24's latest venture, which doesn't stand up against a catalog of greats.

Remakes are risky enough as it is, but Kind Hearts and Coronets is an especially tough act to follow. The iconic 40s movie brought something new to the table, with Alec Guinness especially stealing the show as he played eight members of the same wealthy family.

It was a solid black comedy that even stands up today, making How to Make a Killing feel unnecessary and sadly, boring. Unlike its predecessor, the 2026 movie offers nothing new, aside from a fresh cast of modern day actors that do their best. But it really is difficult not to compare it to the source material, and that's where the disappointment lies.

Had this been an original thriller movie, perhaps my opinion would've differed. But unfortunately, How to Make a Killing feels very soulless and it doesn't have the charm of the movie that inspired it.

Even Glen Powell, who has previously delivered great performances in Twisters and Chad Powers, can't really save this movie. His leading role as Becket Redfellow shouldn't feel boring, especially as he's a serial killer with an intriguing motivation.

Director John Patton Ford impressed audiences with Emily The Criminal, which has a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score. So it's disappointing that How to Make a Killing has fallen flat, when we know he's capable of creating a really great movie.

Considering this is a movie about a man who murders his wealthy family as an act of revenge, it is disappointing that it ended up being as boring as it is. Becket's mother was exiled after she became pregnant as a teenager, and on her deathbed, told a young Becket that he should fight for the life he "deserves" to have. He does, but it's not all that exciting to watch.

There are some positives to be found in this movie, though. Margaret Qualley always delivers a great performance, no matter what she's in. She blew me away as Sue in The Substance, which I called the best body horror of 2024.

She's entertaining to watch here, too, as Julia Steinway, Becket’s childhood friend and crush, whom he hopes to win the heart of. Scenes involving them are perhaps my favorite part of the movie, and I did like some of the humor, but ultimately, this is a disappointment for A24, a studio I usually have a lot of love for.

If you're in the mood for a run-of-the-mill dark comedy with a few laughs and some notable names, you might want to see this now that it's out in theaters, or perhaps wait to see if it arrives on any of the best streaming services.

Disappointingly, it's one of those forgettable movies that you'll likely watch just once. But perhaps it will do its job of keeping you entertained for a couple of hours.

How to Make a Killing is in theaters worldwide now.

D-Link D501: 30-second review

Connectivity for travellers is never consistent and can be a real challenge if you need to move large amounts of data to and from your remote system.

For those who operate in major global cities and across much of Europe, the answer has been to use 5G mobile networks, which provide broadband-level performance for suitably capable phones and laptops.

The D-Link 501 is a USB device designed to attach to a laptop or tablet that doesn’t have a 5G modem installed, which can easily add that technology without even a driver.

Simply insert a suitable mobile SIM card into the D501, connect it via the provided USB cable, and you can access 4x4 MIMO 5G comms.

The caveat is that this is a Sub-6 GHz connection only, with no mmWave support, unlike what is common in the USA. Therefore, it doesn’t have the highest 5G connection speeds, but those it can achieve are still better than 4G.

Another snag is that it isn’t especially cheap, at around six times what you might pay for a similar device that connects to 4G services.

And, the final elephant in this room is that adding a 5G modem to a modern business laptop generally costs less than this device. A typical overhead for a Dell laptop to get an unbuilt 5G modem is $200, though they only offer this feature on models like the Dell Pro Max and Dell Precision 3590. The D-Link D501 can be added to any machine with a USB-C port, including tablets and other devices, so it could be shared between devices or even people.

As I’ll talk about later in this review, there is an aspect to this device and any 5G dongle or hotspot, and that’s the variability of the service it uses. For those who aren’t near a good 5G environment, there is little point in spending this much on a mobile network modem. Conversely, if you work somewhere with good 5G coverage, it could offer a significant improvement over 4G LTE.

It’s hard to assess whether this is one of the best 5G modems, since so few devices are available.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)D-Link D501: price and availability

• How much does it cost? £236/€323
• When is it out? Available now in Europe
• Where can you get it? Via D-Link resellers

From what I understand, and this might change, the D501 is available across Europe, including the UK, Norway and Germany. The cost in the UK is £241 via Amazon.co.uk, and it’s €323 in Germany.

It isn’t sold outside these regions, and certainly not in the USA.

Even if someone imported one to America, there's a significant technical obstacle. The D501's 5G bands are n1/3/5/7/8/20/28/38/40/41/71/75/76/77/78 D-Link. Cross-referencing with US carrier deployments, this is where things get telling: the key US mid-band frequencies are n77 (used by AT&T and Verizon) and n41 (T-Mobile).

Whilst n41, n71, and n77/78 are on the spec sheet, notable US-specific bands such as n2, n12, n25, n30, n66, and n70, all widely used by US carriers for both 5G and LTE, are entirely absent. This means even an imported unit would have very patchy support on US networks.

Alternatives include the Netgear M6, which offers Wi-Fi sharing, but it’s currently £549.99 on Amazon.co.uk and $433 at Amazon.com.

Another Wi-Fi sharing choice is made ironically by D-Link, the DWR-978, a 5G NR AC2600 Wi-Fi mobile hotspot. That only quotes a speed of 1.6Gbps, but it's cheaper at £144.99.

TP-Link makes the Archer NX210, an AX1800 spec 5G Router that costs around £190.

These examples make the D501 seem on the pricey side, but if you look at 4G LTE modems that do a similar job, those cost between £25 and £40.

And, I’m not talking about unknown brands. A classic example is the D-Link DWM-222W 4G LTE AX300 Wi-Fi 6 USB Adapter, capable of up to 150 Mbps downloads, which sells for only £40.80.

You should conclude that the portability of the D501 comes at a premium over less elegant devices, or those that only support 4G LTE.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• Value score: 3/5

D-Link D501: Specs

Feature

Specification

Model

D-Link D501

Connection Type

5G NR / 4G LTE / DC-HSPA+ / HSPA / WCDMA

Max Download Speed

Up to 3.4 Gbps (theoretical, 5G NR Sub-6)

MIMO

4x4

5G Bands (Sub-6)

n1/n3/n5/n7/n8/n20/n28/n38/n40/n41/n71/n75/n76/n77/n78

4G LTE Bands

B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B28/B32/B38/B40/B41/B42/B43/B71

3G Bands

B1/B5/B8

mmWave Support

No. Sub-6 GHz only

USB Interface

USB 3.1 Type-C

SIM Card

Nano SIM (4FF)

Antenna

Foldable external

Wi-Fi Hotspot

No

LED Status

Blue (5G) / Green (4G LTE) / Red (no service or error)

OS Compatibility

Windows / macOS / Linux (plug-and-play, no drivers)

Dimensions

95 × 41 × 22.5 mm

Power

USB-powered via USB-C

D-Link D501: design

• Simple but elegant
• Highly portable
• USB-C

The D501 is built around one clear design objective: to easily disappear into a bag. At 95 x 41 x 22.5 mm, it is genuinely pocket-sized, and the foldable antenna tucks flat when not in use. It comes with a 20cm USB-C cable, which avoids the issue of a directly inserted USB device that destroys the port it's connected to if something unfortunate occurs.

The single-LED status indicator keeps things simple: blue for 5G, green for 4G/LTE, red for no service or error. There is no screen, no buttons and no physical controls.

Everything routes through a browser interface for any configuration beyond basic SIM insertion. Build quality is consistent with D-Link's Taiwan manufacturing standard and is solid enough for the price. It draws power entirely from the host USB-C port, so there is no charging or other preparation to manage.

The beauty of this design is that it's entirely driverless, allowing it to operate across the widest possible range of systems. It might have been a nice touch if D-Link had included a USB-C to USB-A adapter, but these are pennies for you to add to the package.

While you are buying that extra, you might also want to find a small carry pouch to keep the D501, USB-C cable, adapter and the Quick Start paperwork. Although the paperwork is so short in content, you could probably leave that at home.

Based purely on how simple and elegant this device is, I’ve scored it highly for Design, because how easy it is to deploy and use makes it much more likely to be adopted.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Design score: 4.5/5

D-Link D501: In use

• No drivers
• Web interface
• Performance expectations

Those who designed the D501 did so, realising that the majority of people deploying this equipment aren’t likely to be IT professionals. The non-technical user is likely to appreciate that there is no driver to install, and if the SIM is already installed, it's merely a matter of plugging the D501 to get it working.

There is a web interface for those with more technical knowledge to manually configure the device, but for most deployments, this shouldn’t be necessary.

For most users, a basic overview of how to recognise a laptop connected by Wi-Fi (or wired LAN) over one using the mobile network is all that’s required.

I’m based in the UK, so that colors my view of this device and how it works with the typical services that are available to UK customers.

That said, the D501 covers a wide range of Sub-6 GHz 5G and 4G LTE bands, making it broadly compatible with UK and European carrier infrastructure. The key 5G bands used by major UK carriers are all present:

These include Primary 5G on n78 for EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three, and also B20 and B3 LTE on most networks.

The inclusion of n71 (600 MHz) in the hardware is notable for US market users on T-Mobile, and n28 (700 MHz) extends rural 5G reach in markets where lower-band 5G is deployed. The absence of mmWave (FR2) bands is the only meaningful gap, limiting the device to sub-6 GHz 5G.

The lack of mmWave could be a deal-breaker for some, but what it does offer is sufficient for the vast majority of real-world use cases, as mmWave coverage remains geographically sparse.

Connection stability is the D501's most important untested variable. The theoretical specification is strong as 4x4 MIMO provides both throughput headroom and resilience against signal variation compared to simpler 2x2 designs. The USB 3.1 interface eliminates the connection bottleneck present in older USB 2.0 dongles.

I’ve seen some customers report intermittent disconnections with certain carriers, but I didn’t experience that at all with O2 (GiffGaff) in the UK.

Why this might be happening, I’m unsure. But it certainly seems to be carrier-related, and it might require a firmware update from D-Link to resolve this issue. I checked, and a later firmware was available than the one that came on the D501, so I installed that.

I’m not a huge fan of web interfaces that don’t check for you, and this one had the tools to install new firmware but no way to find out whether the current version had been superseded. I’ve seen this lots with modems and routers, and I don’t care for it.

The firmware did improve my throughput, so it was worth installing.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

In terms of data transfer performance, my 5G service isn’t great, although it did connect, which is more than my phone typically achieves with the same SIM.

It’s also worth noting that doing this inside a building doesn’t help, and for those in a hotel, it might be helpful to get a USB extension and place the dongle outside, either near a window or, ideally, on a balcony.

Needless to say, using 5G, I got nowhere near the quoted performance levels, but I can’t blame that on D-Link. As an experiment, I tried switching to 4G LTE, but it didn’t show any improvement and was, in fact, slower than NR5G-NSA, which the D501 automatically connected to.

Going outside did make a massive difference, although I was still only achieving around 30Mbps up and down. Inside, the results were at best around 40% of that level.

As frustrating as this all was, the connection was at least solid and usable.

Do I think this hardware could achieve 3.4Gbps? No, not even if it was right next to the mast, because you wouldn’t have exclusive access to the frequencies, even then. I’m sure it could get 500 Mbps in ideal conditions, but 300 Mbps would be a reasonable expectation if you live or work near a mobile mast that supports 5G. For the MIMO aspect of this device to function properly, you can’t be on the edge of a 5G area, as I am.

To put this into perspective, the O2 network I use offers an average UK-wide 5G speed of only 80.1 Mbps, and the maximum you can expect is around 320 Mbps. If I were with Vodafone, then I might see 545Mbps, and allegedly on Three, that could be over 900Mbps, but that’s as good as it gets in the UK. So forget 3.4Gbps, it’s not happening with this technology in the UK.

The takeaway here is not that the D501 is a good or bad 5G modem. It's that, unlike a wired network, the performance isn’t predictable, other than it will invariably be less than the theoretical limits promoted by the makers.

(Image credit: D-Link)

• In Use: 4/5

D-Link D501: Final verdict

The discussion here is less about the D501 and more about what alternatives exist if you don’t use this device. The obvious one is to buy a cheap 5G phone and connect it to the laptop via a USB-C cable or Wi-Fi sharing. If phones had USB 3.1 specification USB-C ports, then this would be the best choice, but almost all of them use only USB 2.0 on the charging/data port.

Using Wi-Fi would work, but again, most phones are limited to dual-channel at best connections, and that’s not remotely the throughput that 5G can offer.

There are some 5G hotspots that will work, including the D-Link F530 and Netgear M6, but these cost more than the D501, and because they share the same Wi-Fi 6 channel, there is extra latency and potential wireless interference.

There are plenty of 4G hotspots and dongles, and they are much, much cheaper. However, the majority are only capable of 150 Mbps, which is dramatically less than the D501's theoretical 3.4 Gbps. It comes down to whether you just need a connection or want the headline-level connectivity that 5G promises.

It’s also worth noting that if you get a D501 and a good connection, you might eat through an entire month of data allowance in just a few minutes if you’re not careful.

Therefore, the device's cost might be a minor expense in this exercise compared to the 5G SIM contract you will need to make best use of it. Also, research which carriers offer the best 5G performance, since some are distinctly better than others.

Those things accepted, this hardware provides a seamless connection to the 5G network for anyone with a modern laptop, and the cost of that, for many businesses supporting a mobile sales team, might be one they are willing to eat.

But don’t expect miracles, because some geographic locations just aren’t 5G-friendly.

Should I buy a D-Link D501?D-Link D501 Score Card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

Not cheap when compared to a 4G dongle

3/5

Design

Remarkably compact, easy to use and carry

4.5/5

In Use

Plug and play, if 5G will play

4/5

Overall

Excellent 5G travel router with a few caveats

4/5

Buy it if...

You need 5G connections on the road
For a laptop without the capability to take a SIM and network over 5G, the D501 is the next best thing, and as you can adjust the position of the antenna, it might be even better.

Don't buy it if...

You want to share the connection
The D501 hardware doesn’t support Wi-Fi sharing, although you could configure this via the laptop. There are other 5G routers available with an inbuilt Wi-Fi access point that are better suited to sharing a 5G connection.

You are travelling to the USA
While you can use this device in the USA to connect to some carriers, it wasn’t built for that region and lacks some channels and mmWave support. Avoid trying to make this device work globally.

For more connectivity solutions, we've reviewed the best business routers

After Paramount+ dropped the first trailer for The Madison, I knew that Taylor Sheridan's new standalone series would be heading in a completely different direction to anything we've seen before. In short: less Yellowstone and Marshals, more Ransom Canyon and Virgin River.

I love being right as much as the next person, but this tonal shift could have gone one of two ways. With The Madison being so widely (and incorrectly) reported to be a direct Yellowstone spinoff early on, fans have willingly shaped their own misconceptions of what might be waiting in store.

Truthfully, the fact that the Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell-led drama is a world away from Kevin Costner and co's legacy is the ace up it's sleeve... and Sheridan's jump into new TV territory has arguably gifted us his strongest show of all time.

Pfeiffer plays Stacy Clyburn, a well-to-do New Yorker who comes from the Upper East Side social scene, and is frankly rolling in money. She's married to Russell's Preston, a reluctant city bod who wants nothing more than to retreat to the cabins he's built in the Montana wilderness.

After a family tragedy, the entire gang is uprooted, including begrudging daughters and grandchildren who have clearly never seen a blade of grass in their entire lives. What ensues is a messy outpouring of grief, loss and love that immediately tugs at the heartstrings.

Life is cruel, overwhelming and unpredictable, which is something that Sheridan has always impeccably understood. It's only further testament to his craft — and why the 'Sheridanverse' exists in the first place — that he can effortlessly transition from cowboy feud to everyday tragedy.

Marshals: A Yellowstone Story wishes it could be as good as The Madison

The Madison is beautiful simply because it's got the basics right. Our inciting incident is completely unexpected, as is the following resolution. As a result, one family, who couldn't seem more like strangers if they tried, face an impossible situation.

I've not seen anybody portray grief on TV as vulnerably and honestly as Pfeiffer does in a long time. There are no dramatic crash outs, no sitting on the bathroom floor in floods of tears, and no sudden realizations that actually, everything is going to be okay.

Instead, Stacy goes through the motions in a catatonic state. Devoid of emotional range and ability to feel, she reminds us that grief is something you have to learn to move forward with, rather than move on from. Pfeiffer bares all (metaphorically) to get this across, and it's incredibly easy to see why she's the talent of a generation.

Stacy's daughters, standoffish Abigail (Beau Garrett) and hapless Paige (Elle Chapman) are the ideal, if not insufferable, companions. Each teaches the other something about themselves they don't want to address, resulting in literal catfights, harsh truths and even harder lessons learned.

Amazingly, Sheridan and his cast balance out the scales of searing drama with genuinely laugh-out-loud humor. Episodes 2 and 3 amp the comedic factor up to the max as living in a wooden cabin (complete with an outdoor toilet) becomes less of a novelty.

'Soap opera' isn't a negative — and it's certainly not beneath us

Any still is basically Michelle Pfeiffer looking moody in a beautiful setting. (Image credit: Paramount)

Of course, Yellowstone fans are bound to say that The Madison is too soft or far-fetched for them, but as we well know, there's nothing that signals strength quite like emotional honesty. Team this with wildlife living and the jaw-dropping Montana views that we already know and loved, and Sheridan's melding the best of both worlds into something unmissable.

Yes, it's all a bit soap opera-y. But when did that become such a dirty term? Back in the day, it was the main TV format for building community, championing representation and allowed us to access thoughts and feelings we didn't always realize were there. Get off your high horses, people... we're not in serious cowboy town anymore.

Frankly, Marshals: A Yellowstone Story must be wishing for this kind of magic. It's been absolutely astonishing to watch how much public interest has dropped off since its debut episode was released, with fans hailing it as nothing more than a run-of-the-mill CBS police procedural. With my pessimistic hat on, they're right, with Marshals straying too far from the core beliefs that made Yellowstone the success it was.

Think of The Madison as the Western redo that's up there with Landman in terms of star quality. Sometimes you have to go back to the beginning to get something right, and I think streaming and society are both all the richer for having the Clyburns around.

Paramount+ 'Premium' annual plan: was $155.88 now $119.99 at Paramount+
This is a standard bundle deal, but it's worth knowing about. The 'Premium' plan throws together the Paramount+ library you know and love, cuts out the commercials, and adds all Showtime's titles for just $10 a month. Watch Tulsa King and Yellowjackets in equal measure with the best of both thanks to this streaming deal. Choose between the plan's monthly or yearly rate, and enjoy a seven-day Paramount+ free trial off the bat. There are also Paramount+ coupon codes to take advantage of, so don't ignore those. View Deal

Asus RT-BE92U: One-minute review

It may not have the built-like-a-tank design and ominous glowing lights that Asus uses in some of its eye-catching gaming routers, but the new RT-BE92U won’t take a backseat to any of its flashier rivals. It’s not much to look at, but beneath that unassuming design the RT-BE92U boasts the latest tri-band Wi-Fi 7, with support for the high-speed 6.0GHz frequency band that is sometimes omitted in less expensive Wi-Fi 7 routers.

It also provides high-speed wired connectivity for home or offices that have fibre broadband, and even provides a USB port that allows you to ‘tether’ the router to a smartphone or mobile device that supports 4G or 5G mobile broadband in case your normal broadband service is interrupted for some reason. And, above all else, it doesn’t constantly pester you to sign up for subscriptions for additional parental controls and security features, as some of its rivals do.

(Image credit: Future)Asus RT-BE92U: Design and features

• Creates Guest, Kids and VPN networks
• USB tethering for 4G/5G mobile broadband
• Free parental controls

Specifications

Wi-Fi:

Tri-band Wi-Fi 7 (2.4GHz, 5.0GHz, 6.0GHz)

Wi-Fi Speed:

9.7Gbps

Ports:

1x 10Gb Ethernet (WAN/LAN), 1x 2.5Gb Ethernet (WAN/LAN), 3x 2.5Gb Ethernet (LAN), 1x USB 3.2

Processor:

Quad-core @ 2.0GHz

Memory:

1GB DDR4

Storage:

256MB Flash

Dimensions:

248 x 102 x 288mm

Weight:

1.1kg

The design of the RT-BE92U is purely functional, consisting of little more than an upright slab of black plastic, with four antennae sticking up into the air (and a fifth antenna hidden inside the body of the router as well). It doesn’t cut corners on features, though, boasting tri-band Wi-Fi 7 with a top speed of 9.7Gbps (or 9,678Mbps if you want to be precise), and a super-fast 10 Gigabit Ethernet port that can double up to provide either a broadband (WAN) connection, or a wired connection (LAN) for a computer, games console or TV.

There’s a 2.5 Gigabit port that can also double up for either WAN or LAN connections, and three more 2.5G ports for wired connections only. Even the humble USB port on the back throws in some extra features too. As well as allowing you to connect a hard drive or solid-state drive that can be shared with other people on your network, the USB port can be used to charge a smartphone or other mobile devices, and can even be ‘tethered’ to your smartphone in order to use its 4G or 5G mobile broadband as an emergency backup in case something interrupts your normal broadband service.

The Asus Router app for iOS and Android also provides an impressive array of features, although it’s not always as straightforward to use as it could be. Somewhat oddly, the RT-BE92U initially creates a new network that doesn’t have any password protection, so you need to move through the set-up process quite swiftly in order to add a password and keep your new network safe. Fortunately, the app does allow you to scan a QR code in order to quickly connect to the RT-BE92U, and you are then prompted to create a new name and password for the new network.

(Image credit: Future)

Once that’s done you have a variety of useful options available, including QoS – quality of service – that gives priority to specific activities, such as gaming or streaming video, that need maximum performance. Most routers will allow you to create a guest network, but the Router app also allows you to create a ‘Kid’s Network’ with a schedule to limit internet access to specific times, and a ‘VPN Network’ for use with popular VPN apps, such as NordVPN and SurfShark.

It even provides a good set of parental controls free of charge, with no need to sign up for an additional subscription. You can create profiles for children of different ages, which automatically block unsuitable content, such as pornography, violence or gambling. Most of Asus’ rivals charge additional subscriptions for parental controls, so the inclusion of all these features at no extra cost is very welcome. Our only complaint is that the Asus app buries many of these features within a maze of dense menus and sub-menus, so it could take a little while to actually find the features you want to use.

• Features: 5/5

Asus RT-BE92U: Performance

• Tri-band Wi-Fi 7 (9.7Gbps)
• 10 Gigabit Ethernet WAN/LAN
• 4x 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet

BENCHMARKS:

Ookla Speed Test – Single merged network (download/upload)

Within 5ft, no obstructions: 150Mbps/150Mbps

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

20GB Steam Download - Single merged network

Within 5ft, no obstructions: 150Mbps

Within 30ft, three partition walls: 150Mbps

The Asus app does at least keep things simple by merging its three frequency bands - 2.4GHz, 5.0GHz and 6.0GHz – into a single network and automatically connecting your devices to whichever band provides the best speed in each room or area within your home.

But, in order to test the faster 6.0GHz band separately, I ran our Ookla Speedtest and Steam download test on two different laptops – an older HP laptop that only supports the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz bands, and a more recent Samsung laptop that supports 6.0GHz.

(Image credit: Future)

I began with the two laptops in the same room as the RT-BE92U, and wasn’t really surprised to find that both laptops breezed along at the maximum 150Mbps provided by my office broadband. The real test, though, came when I walked along a hallway – one laptop perched in the palm of each hand – to an office at the back of the building. My normal office router always struggles to reach this back office, but I was pleased to find that both laptops effortlessly maintained their 150Mbps speeds without even the slightest wobble.

Admittedly, that 9.7Gbps top speed will be overkill for many users, but it’s very good value at such a competitive price. And, with additional features such as USB tethering and free parental controls, the RT-BE92U will be an excellent upgrade for home users and office workers alike.

• Performance: 5/5

(Image credit: Future)Should you buy the Asus RT-BE92U?Asus RT-BE92U scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

The RT-BE92U is competitively priced for a high-end tri-band router with Wi-Fi 7, and it’s also packed with useful features – that don’t require a subscription.

5/5

Features

Great speed and connectivity are just the start. The RT-BE92U also includes good parental controls, network customisation, and USB tethering.

5/5

Performance

It may be overkill for many people, but if you need speed then the RT-BE92U delivers the goods with blazing performance for both Wi-Fi and wired networks.

5/5

Overall Score

What it lacks in eye-candy, the RT-BE92U makes up for with its sheer speed, impressive connectivity and additional features.

5/5

Buy it if:

You have fibre broadband
Along with its high-speed Wi-Fi, the RT-BE92U also provides 10Gb Ethernet for the latest high-speed broadband connections.View Deal

You’re ready for Wi-Fi 7
Newer computers and mobile devices that support the high-speed 6.0GHz frequency band will get the most benefit from the tri-band RT-BE92U.View Deal

Don’t buy it if:

You’re still on Wi-Fi 5/6
Older devices that support Wi-Fi 5 or 6 won’t benefit from the sheer speed of the RT-BE92U, so there’s no need to pay for an expensive Wi-Fi 7 upgrade just yet.View Deal

You’re on a budget
The 9.7Gbps speed of the RT-BE92U will be total overkill for most home broadband services, so you can save money by opting for a more modest performer instead.View Deal

Also consider:

Asus RT-BE92U

D-Link Aquila Pro AI R95

Netgear Nighthawk RS100

Price (as reviewed)

$249.99/£219.99/AU$328.30

$254.99/£180.00

$129.99/£129.99/AU$259.00

Wi-Fi

Tri-band Wi-Fi 7

Tri-band Wi-Fi 7

dual-band Wi-Fi 7

Wi-Fi Speed

9.7Gbps

9.5Gbps

3.6Gbps

Connectivity

1x 10Gb Ethernet (WAN/LAN), 1x 2.5Gb Ethernet (WAN/LAN), 3x 2.5Gb Ethernet (LAN), 1x USB 3.2

1x 2.5Gb Ethernet (WAN), 3x Gigabit Ethernet (LAN)

1x 2.5Gb Ethernet (WAN), 4x Gigabit Ethernet (LAN)

Processor

quad-core 2.0GHz

Not Specified

quad-core 2.0GHz

Memory

1GB RAM

Not Specified

1GB RAM

Storage

256MB Flash

Not Specified

512MB Flash

Dimensions

248 x 102 x 288mm

220 x 238 x 207mm

184 x 66 122mm

D-Link Aquila Pro R95
Its design may look a bit gimmicky, but the R95 goes head to head with Asus, offering tri-band Wi-Fi 7 and a top-speed of 9.5Gbps. Asus wins on parental controls, but D-Link’s ease of use is better for beginners.View Deal

Netgear Nighthawk RS100
If you don’t need blazing fast Wi-Fi 7 then Netgear’s RS100 provides a more affordable alternative. It only supports dual-band Wi-Fi 7, but its top speed of 3.6Gbps is more than fast enough for most home broadband services.

Read our full reviewView Deal

Google Pixel 10a: Two-Minute Review

Google's Pixel 10a is an interesting mid-range smartphone that bucks some of the trends the A-series lineup typically delivers on. It doesn’t get a new processor or upgraded camera hardware this year — instead sticking with the Tensor G4 and the same dual-camera system as the Pixel 9a — and there aren’t many headline-grabbing new tricks. Instead, Google is focused on continuing to deliver strong value.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Pixel 10a still offers a great ergonomic build that feels premium and comes in fun colors, and it also does something rare in modern smartphones: the back is completely flush, meaning there’s no camera bump. Battery life is excellent thanks to the 5,100mAh cell, easily lasting a full day in my testing, and Google has added Satellite SOS support for emergencies. The 6.3-inch Actua display remains bright and smooth with a 120Hz refresh rate, while the 48-megapixel main camera and 13-megapixel ultra-wide offer solid flexibility for everyday photos, portraits, and wide shots.

It’s likely not an upgrade if you already own a Pixel 9a — but then again, you’re probably not considering the 10a if you do. The bigger wrinkle is that the 9a is still widely available and can often be found for less than the 10a’s $499 MSRP. Considering the phones share the same processor, camera system, and battery capacity, the differences — like Camera Coach, the flush back, and new colors — might not be enough to sway everyone.

But if you're in the market for an affordable Android smartphone that doesn’t skimp on everyday performance, camera flexibility, or the latest AI features, the Pixel 10a — like most A-series phones before it — still stands above many other budget Android phones, even if not much has changed year over year.

Google Pixel 10a: Price and availability

Here’s some good news: if you’re already sold, Google’s Pixel 10a is available right now. The 10a is available in four colors – Lavender, Berry, Fog, or Obsidian – and can be configured with either 128GB or 256GB of storage, both pairing 8GB of RAM with the Tensor G4 chip inside.

The Google Pixel 10a starts at $499 / £499 / AU$849 for 128GB or $599 / £599 / AU$999 for 256GB.

Google Pixel 10a: SpecsGoogle Pixel 10a Specs

Dimensions:

154.7 x 73.3 x 8.9mm

Weight:

185.9g

Display:

6.3-inch Actua display

Resolution:

1080 x 2424

Refresh rate:

60-120Hz

Peak brightness:

2,700 nits

CPU:

Google Tensor G4

RAM:

8GB

Storage:

128GB / 256GB

OS:

Android 16

Cameras:

48MP main; 13MP ultrawide

Selfie Camera:

13MP

Battery:

5,100mAh

Charging:

23W

Colors:

Lavender, Berry, God, or Obsidian

Google Pixel 10a: Design

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

• Finally, a fully flush design with no camera bump
• Lavender and Berry are two great colors
• Feels like a premium phone

Yes, the Google Pixel 10a, like every A-Series Pixel before it, is all about value. But true to the line’s nature, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad-looking phone. The Pixel 10a looks very much like a modern member of the Pixel lineup.

The Pixel 10a feels very good in the hand and retains a silhouette similar to that of the Pixel 9a, its predecessor. The metal rails all around are soft to the touch, with a smooth matte finish that makes them easy to hold, and the button placement is easy to work with. The power and volume rockers are on the right; a USB-C port sits on the bottom, flanked by speakers; and a SIM card slot is on the left, pretty close to the top.

I really like the Lavender shade I’ve been testing, and unlike Apple’s iPad Air with M4 take on lavender, Google’s version definitely mixes blue and purple together for a terrific shade. Google has also leaned into vibrant device colors, and the 10a delivers here. You can also get the Pixel 10a in Berry, a pinkish red; Fog, a pale green; or Obsidian, a grayish black.

The rear is pretty much all device color, though. You might be expecting a glass back, but it’s a smooth-finish plastic here. The dual-camera system sits in the top-left corner alongside an LED flash, and there’s a big “G” Google logo centered in the middle.

Google’s Pixel 10a is a good-looking smartphone, but where it really packs a punch is that, even without a case, it can sit flat on a table. No rocking side to side. How? Google has eliminated the camera bump, so the entire rear of the 10a is flush — and I simply love it.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

It’s very rare, but the Pixel 10a is a completely flat phone, and I hope this is something we arrive at in future mainline Pixels as well. I can’t necessarily name another recent release that’s fully flat, and it’s even drawn a few eyes while I’ve been testing the 10a without a case.

That’s certainly a highlight here, and while the 10a also hides support for Qi wireless charging underneath, one downside is that PixelSnap isn’t supported. The Pixel 10a is pretty much identical to the Pixel 9a in this respect, and that’s not necessarily a major problem, considering you might not be considering the 10a if you bought a 9a last year.

Still, the Pixel A-Series typically trickles down some of the best features of the mainline Pixel lineup. In this case, the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro rolled out support for PixelSnap — essentially Android’s version of Apple’s MagSafe — opening those phones up to work with a range of accessories that snap to the back. That includes wallets, magnetic power banks, PopSockets, or even Octobuddys.

It’s a rare omission here and a bit of an odd decision on Google’s part, especially considering the just-released — and yes, more expensive — iPhone 17e supports MagSafe.

PixelSnap aside, though, the Pixel 10a is a great-looking, modern phone that comes in some delightful colors and manages a feat many other phones can’t match: it’s flat. And there’s no price increase.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

Google Pixel 10a: Display

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

• Google’s Actua display remains one of the best
• Great for viewing all sorts of content
• 120Hz support is a major win

Just like the Pixel 10 and Pixel 9a, Google’s Pixel 10a features a 6.3-inch Actua display that’s really a joy to view content on. The panel here is a pOLED with a resolution of 1080 x 2424 at 422 pixels per inch. That’s a lot of tech specs, yes, but the key takeaway is that it’s a great display — albeit the same as the 9a, minus a bit of brightness — to have on a budget phone, and it can go head-to-head with true flagships.

Google notes that the Pixel 10a’s peak brightness reaches up to 3,000 nits (2,000 nits for HDR), but in Future PLC’s lab testing, we found it reached 1,896 nits. I didn’t notice much of an issue during daily testing, including outdoors on sunny days or under bright indoor lighting. Our lab also recorded the Pixel 9a at 2,076 nits — again, just something to keep in mind.

Unlike the iPhone 17e, the Pixel 10a features a 120Hz refresh rate, which is great for watching content or playing games, and it also makes the smartphone feel more responsive. Interestingly, it isn’t enabled by default, so you’ll need to head to Settings to turn it on. While it warns that enabling it will drain the battery a bit faster than 60Hz, it’s worth it for the experience. Colors look punchy and vibrant, with strong contrast, and darker tones look deep. Whether I was scrolling through TikToks or Reels, watching a show on Hulu or Disney+, texting a friend, responding to an email, or browsing the web, everything looked pretty great.

There’s still an optical fingerprint sensor built into the screen, and while it’s not as fast as the ultrasonic sensors found in some higher-end phones, it felt quick and responsive during my testing. Like on the Pixel 9a, it’s centered toward the bottom of the screen, which makes for a pretty ergonomic spot.

As you might expect from a more affordable Pixel, there are thicker bezels around the 6.3-inch screen than you’d find on a flagship. Still, there’s no notch on the Pixel 10a. Instead, there’s a centered hole-punch cutout at the top for the 13-megapixel selfie camera.

To help protect against scratches and drops, the Pixel 10a’s screen is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, an upgrade from the Gorilla Glass 3 used on the 9a. I haven’t noticed any scratches on my unit, despite one or two drops onto the floor indoors — it’s held up well so far.

• Display score: 4 / 5

Google Pixel 10a: Software

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

• Clean Android at its finest
• Deep integration with Google ecosystem
• Gemini, Gemini, Gemini

True to every Google Pixel before it, the Pixel 10a delivers a clean Android experience with plenty of Google customizations. Out of the box, Android 16 looks pretty familiar — you’ll see Google’s own suite of apps preloaded, along with the classic weather widget and Gemini. Yes, Google’s AI suite is well integrated here, but that’s not necessarily new, as it was the same case with the Pixel 9a.

Probably the best features in Google’s AI lineup on the Pixel have to do with phone calls — whether that’s waiting on hold while trying to reach a customer service line or helping block screen calls from potential telemarketers or other spam numbers. These are seriously helpful, and of course, Gemini is always on call when you have a network connection, whether that means typing to the AI, talking to it, or even firing up your camera to let it see.

If you’re already in the Android ecosystem — be it on an earlier Pixel device or another Android phone, maybe from the likes of Samsung — you’ll almost certainly feel right at home on the 10a. It doesn’t necessarily introduce any first-of-its-kind software features, but it does offer the familiar suite of Google-made apps and plenty of AI flair we’ve come to expect.

One new feature, which I’ll dive into a bit more below, is Camera Coach arriving on the 10a. This could prove helpful, especially if you want feedback on how to capture a specific shot or make an ultra-wide photo more unique. It debuted alongside the Pixel 10 lineup and serves as a guiding assistant for the camera, updating its suggestions based on what you’re shooting.

Maybe the best software feature, though, is the promise of software updates for seven years — that’s basically best-in-class. It ensures that your investment in a Pixel 10a will be supported for the long haul, assuming the hardware holds up.

• Software score: 4 / 5

Google Pixel 10a: Cameras

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

• Excellent to have a main and ultra-wide at this price
• No major changes to lenses year over year
• Camera Coach is a nice addition

While it’s not a bad thing — especially since you’re probably not picking up the Pixel 10a if you already own the 9a — the camera setup remains entirely unchanged generation over generation. The Pixel 10a’s rear dual-camera system features a 48-megapixel main camera paired with a 13-megapixel ultra-wide. Both of these are really, really good, with a keen ability to capture sharp, colorful shots with plenty of detail.

What you’re really getting here is flexibility. The 48-megapixel main camera is excellent for everyday shots — whether that’s snapping a quick photo of your dog, capturing a meal, or taking a portrait of a friend. Meanwhile, the 13-megapixel ultra-wide lets you pull back and fit a lot more into the frame, which is great for landscapes, group photos, or architecture.

Portrait mode remains a strong suit for the Pixel 10a as well. Google’s image processing does a great job separating the subject from the background, delivering natural-looking blur and strong edge detection around hair and clothing. Other camera modes — including Night Sight and standard photo capture — also perform well here, producing bright images with plenty of dynamic range.

Where the Pixel 10a falls a bit short is in zoom. Without a dedicated telephoto lens, you’re relying on digital zoom once you move past the standard 1x view. While Google’s processing does a decent job keeping images usable at modest zoom levels, detail starts to soften the further you push it.

There’s also no real improvement over the Pixel 9a here — both phones produce good images, though sometimes it can take snapping a couple of shots to get the one you really want. I would have liked to see at least a small leap this year, but for a $500 phone, the Pixel 10a still fits the bill as a dependable camera. The 13-megapixel front-facing camera might lack the flair of more expensive devices, but it still captures a great selfie with ample space for a few friends in the shot.

• Cameras score: 4 / 5

Google Pixel 10a: Performance

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

• The 10a delivers good performance that’ll deliver every day
• Still running a Tensor G4 chip

Here’s another oddity with the Pixel 10a: it uses the same processor as the Pixel 9a, the Tensor G4. For those who follow speeds and feeds, that likely means this won’t be the fastest-performing smartphone out there, but that’s also not necessarily expected on a $499 phone. Google is really the only one that knows why the 10a didn’t get the Tensor G5 like the Pixel 10 or Pixel 10 Pro — most A-series Pixels typically trickle down the latest processor, again offering excellent performance for a much lower price.

It’s also at odds with the iPhone 17e, which features the A19 chip, nearly identical to the one inside the standard iPhone 17. Overall, that phone feels a bit more responsive, especially for more demanding tasks.

Even with all that said, though, the Pixel 10a still runs well, and for most everyday tasks — and even some light gaming — it performs just fine. AI tasks and processes like image editing or summarization take a bit longer here, especially if they’re handled on-device. The same goes for video exports or more intensive photo edits, but it’s not a real deal-breaker.

I was able to perform nearly all my daily tasks on the 10a, whether that was responding to emails, Slack, or messages, browsing the web, scrolling through TikTok or Reels, or even mixing in some light gaming or video editing. The Pixel 10a handled most of it well, with only a few small speed bumps along the way.

Opening apps – whether basic or more advanced – felt pretty close to instant, and overall, the Pixel 10a offered good performance. It’s not quite as zippy as the Pixel 10 or the Pixel 10 Pro, but again, that’s not necessarily a surprise here.

• Performance score: 4 / 5

Google Pixel 10a: Battery & Connectivity

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

• It will easily last all day
• Still supports fast wired charging
• Satellite SOS is a great addition

Now, as I mentioned above, PixelSnap isn’t supported here, but you can still charge the Pixel 10a wirelessly at up to 7.5 watts or via a wired connection. If speed is your game, you can plug in the Pixel 10a via USB-C and get close to 60% in about 30 minutes. That’s from my testing, and it’s a great result, as you can quickly top up the battery if needed.

That said, with a 5,100mAh battery inside — the same capacity as the Pixel 9a — I didn’t have to reach for the charger very often. I easily made it through a full day filled with plenty of replies, shutter presses, and some gaming while on the go. The Pixel 10a also performed well in Future PLC’s lab battery test, lasting 15 hours and 16 minutes — more than two hours longer than the Pixel 9a in the same test.

Considering it uses the same processor and battery capacity as the previous generation, that likely means there were other improvements or efficiencies, probably on the software side.

Lastly, like the iPhone 17e, Google’s Pixel 10a now supports Satellite SOS. This means that if you’re without service — maybe on a nature trail — and need to contact help, you can do so by following on-screen instructions to connect via satellite. It’s very similar to Emergency SOS via Satellite on the iPhone and is a really nice feature to have, even if it’s one you hopefully never need to use.

• Battery & Connectivity score: 4 / 5

Google Pixel 10a Should you buy?Google Pixel 10a score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Design

An ergonomic, premium feeling phone with a fully flush design.

4.5 / 5

Display

The 6.3-inch Actua display here definetly punches above the price point, and was great indoors or outdoors.

4 / 5

Camera

It's unchanged, but the 10a still offers a flexible main and ultra-wide camera system.

4 / 5

Software

Out of the box, the 10a provides a simple Android 16 expereince that still puts AI features at the center.

4 / 5

Performance

The Tensor G4 isn't brand new, but you likely won't notice it with daily use.

4 / 5

Battery

No PixelSnap is a dissapoint, but the 10a lasts even longer than the 9a.

4 / 5

Value

With an excellent feature, and the same starting price, the 10a remains one of the best value options.

5 / 5

Buy it if...

You don’t want to break the bank

At $499, the Pixel 10a delivers a great mix of features that won’t leave you yearning for more, especially in the camera department.View Deal

You want long battery life

The battery didn’t get any bigger, but the Pixel 10a easily lasts all day – even with heavy use – and can be quickly recharged. View Deal

Don’t buy it if...

You already have a Pixel 9a

The Pixel 10a keeps the same processor, camera system, and battery as the 9a, making it a tough sell if you already own last year’s model.View Deal

Google Pixel 10a: How I tested

I used the Google Pixel 10a for more than two weeks, setting it up fresh and loading it with all of my everyday apps, including Gmail, Slack, TikTok, Instagram, and several work tools. During that time, I used it throughout my daily routine for messaging, emails, social media, photos, navigation, and streaming video to see how it handled real-world use. I also compared the Pixel 10a directly with several other smartphones, including the Pixel 9a, Pixel 10, iPhone 17, and iPhone 17e.

First reviewed March 10 2026.

When I first heard about 1348 Ex Voto, I was instantly intrigued. A medieval Italian setting, sword fights, a dark and dramatic quest with a knight at the centre of it; and a lady knight at that? Count me in!

Review info

Platform reviewed: PC
Available on: PS5, PC
Release date: March 12, 2026

In developer Sedleo's third-person action game set during 14th-century Italy, you play as Aeta, a young nobleman's daughter and trained knight-errant, who is dealing with the loss of her father after pestilence swept through her village.

When the rest of her hometown is massacred by unknown forces and Bianca, her closest companion and former household servant, is suddenly kidnapped, it's up to Aeta, armed with her determination and skill with a longsword, to come to the rescue.

A true knight

(Image credit: Sedleo)

I'm a sucker for a dark tale that follows a character on a high-stakes quest, so the premise of Ex Voto had my attention immediately from the prologue. It's a classic narrative about whether the end can ever justifies the means, and Aeta's unfailing resolve and heroism, as well as her naivety, make for a compelling character amid a setting filled with lawlessness.

The game consists of nine relatively short chapters that take place across rocky landscapes, lush woodland, the ruins of ancient Rome, and the villas of a medieval Italian countryside. I finished it in roughly seven hours, but it's possible to beat it within one sitting if you don't die too often or spend the extra time scouring every corner looking for hidden treasures.

As childhood companions (and later suggested to be lovers), Aeta, played by Alby Baldwin, has an unwavering devotion to Jennifer English's Bianca, so her vow to track down and rescue her from her captors was a journey I was prepared to fall in love with.

As the playable protagonist, I did like Aeta for the most part. Throughout her quest, she is forced into encounters that test her faith, and you witness how resilient she becomes in not just tracking down Bianca but also finding those responsible for all this destruction.

(Image credit: Sedleo)

Heroes like Aeta, who are defined by their selflessness and driven by a strong moral code, are some of my favorite characters in fiction, especially in stories with a woman in the lead role.

Aeta is shaped by the chivalric tales she grew up with, which inspired her to become a knight-errant in the first place, but due to how short the game is, there weren't enough opportunities to dig deeper into her character beyond the vow she made to her god and devotion to Bianca, which felt like a missed opportunity.

Additionally, Ex Voto suffers from too much telling, and not enough showing. The simple premise of the game and Aeta's arduous quest should be strong enough to stand on its own, but her unnecessary commentary just becomes irritating.

I don't typically mind when protagonists have an internal monologue, but it gets to a point. In Ex Voto, instead of simply letting the lovely linear environments tell the story, Aeta often comments on literally everything she sees: whether it be pointing out the obvious, repeating her latest point of interest, or the countless times she proclaims her vow to save Bianca.

The latter is also one of the reasons why I wasn't completely sold on Aeta and Bianca's story. Aside from the short prologue and a few other scenes I won't spoil, the closeness they share just didn't feel real enough to grasp onto. Aeta wants to save Bianca; that's her main goal, but the journey lacks the emotional depth that I expected.

(Image credit: Sedleo)

Baldwin and English's great voice work does most of the heavy lifting in trying to make their bond believable, but their underdeveloped relationship couldn't make me to care too deeply. It's a shame, because these sorts of love stories are a dime a dozen in video games, and it wasn't helped by the disjointed story beats, particularly mid-game.

Each chapter tasks you with getting from one area to the next, on the trail of Bianca and her captors, followed by a short time skip that begins the proceeding chapter. This is a short, linear experience, so there's not much in terms of exploration; you'll mainly be stocking up on provisions, finding trinkets, treasures, and sword parts, or moving boxes or carts to overcome obstacles. And taking down baddies, of course.

Without spoiling anything, I will admit the final act took me by surprise but, because the exploration of Aeta and Bianca's bond felt so underutilized within the story, the climax rang hollow.

Performance woes

(Image credit: Sedleo)

Now let's get the worst of it out of the way. I played 1348 Ex Voto on PC and let's just say I was sorely disappointed in the optimization.

My PC is fitted with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti graphics card, an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X 8-core CPU, and 16GB of RAM, and with this mid-range build, I can typically play some pretty demanding modern games. However, the small indieEx Voto struggled tremendously.

When at high settings at 1440p resolution (though I tried 4K too), locked at 60 frames per second (fps), the game's performance dropped to between 20 and 30fps and stuttering was prevalent, with the same problems persisting even at medium settings.

After fiddling with settings for ages, I eventually resorted to putting the game in low settings and saw a big boost in performance up to 60fps, although the game frequently saw huge dips down to 30fps, especially in areas featuring an overwhelming amount of detail on screen, like in highly detailed woodland or places featuring atmospheric shadows.

Aeta and other characters also suffer the same fate. With all low settings, the realism and emotional weight that are intended to be translated through their models are lost, making them look like puppets, and I would be lying if I didn't say it put me off.

Best Bit

(Image credit: Sedleo)

1348's Ex Voto's strongest facet is its sword-fighting combat system. With two longsword stances on offer, a challenging parry, and a generous selection of upgradable skills, the combat feels the most fine-tuned out of everything the game has to offer.

It's a bummer, because the game's realistic style and appealing, cinematic direction were one of the things that drew me in in the first place. I was essentially forced to sacrifice the gorgeous visuals if I wanted even a crumb of good performance, and even then, it wasn't always perfect.

While less frustrating, I did run into a few annoying bugs, though they weren't game-breaking enough to require me winding back my save. At one point early on, I encountered an awful, yet hilarious issues where a character kept repeating his lines over and over again during a lengthy cutscene. It was so distracting that I couldn't even pay attention to any of the dialogue, and it basically ruined the atmosphere of the entire scene.

Aside from this, and a few other interaction bugs where I couldn't pick up provisions and move a box properly, the main issue revolved around the performance, and I think the game should've been kept in the oven a little longer so Sedleo could smooth out the cracks.

During the review period, I wasn't given the chance to try out the PlayStation 5 version, so I'm really curious if Ex Voto offers a more stable experience than PC.

Stick 'em with the pointy end

(Image credit: Sedleo)

Ex Voto's saving grace is its sword-fighting combat system. Your sole weapon is your longsword, which gives you a one-handed and two-handed stance. The first lets Aeta attack faster in broad strokes, but strikes deal slightly less damage, while the latter attacks slower, with a shorter range, and deals slightly more damage.

One-on-one battles is definitely the game's strongest suit; sword fights feel stylish and rewarding, particularly when you're able to repeatedly execute perfect parries and stagger an enemy by breaking their guard, leaving them open for a killing blow.

Aeta's longsword can also be upgraded by finding different parts along your journey, each with its own attributes that offer alternative fighting styles. The game's skill tree, which consists of four key categories and can be unlocked by finding scrolls in the world, also features additional ways to upgrade your Health, Guard, and Food gauges (which are vital in longer battles) as well as your two stances.

Trinkets are another special item that, when equipped, will impact gameplay with unique effects. Each trinket has a cost, so you can't equip them all, but they do make or break a fight.

You start with the Toy Knight, a trinket that automatically uses all the food in your inventory to prevent death, but you can find a handful more, including one that lets you heal for double, which comes in handy in the latter part of the game when you're up against numerous enemies at once.

If you don't do a good enough job of collecting provisions, you may get soft-locked into fights if you die

Speaking of, Ex Voto has a good variety of foes, along with three main bosses, across its nine chapters, all with their own weapon types and attack patterns that you'll need to learn how to counter by parrying and spending scrolls on the right skills.

There are points in combat where you are overwhelmed by multiple enemies at once, and, in the late game, additional foes spawn out of nowhere to join the fight making maintaining your gauges an even bigger challenge.

These five-on-one (even sometimes more) fights could sometimes feel finicky due to the game's lock-on mechanic, especially when you are pinned in close quarters. If you don't do a good enough job of collecting provisions, you may get soft-locked into fights when you die because of the autosave function.

While I enjoy combat a lot, there is no power scaling in the game so by the time I reached the final boss fight, I'd become so accustomed to the simple mechanics that I was able to beat them easily.

Just as it got in the way of being able to enjoy the visuals, the game's performance also affects gameplay. Not to the extent where it is unplayable, but stutters and small framerate dips are more noticeable in the aforementioned areas when so much is happening on screen.

Should you play 1348 Ex Voto?Play it if...

You like dark, medieval stories about a knight on a quest
1348 Ex Voto is set in 14th-century Italy and brings the era to life through realistic graphics and linear areas to explore.

You like swords and fighting baddies
The game's sword-fighting combat system is the game's strongest feature, letting you parry and stagger enemies in challenging battles.

You like shorter games
1348 Ex Voto consists of nine chapters and takes around seven to nine hours to beat, so if you're looking for a short game to get lost in for a while, you might consider this worth your time.

Don't play it if...

You're hoping for an optimized PC performance
PC performance, right now, is awful and doesn't feel as fine-tuned as it could be. So if you don't want to sacrifice the game's pretty visuals by playing on low settings, best to wait for a performance patch

You're looking for a deep storyline
Although 1348 Ex Voto begins with a strong premise, Aeta and Bianca's close relationship lacks the emotional depth I was expecting and hoping to find, resulting in a weaker overall storyline.

Accessibility features

1348 Ex Voto suffers from a lack of accessibility options, only offering general graphics settings for motion blur and subtitles, and multiple language options. There are also no options to customize your keybinds on PC, which was something I struggled with.

How I reviewed 1348 Ex Voto

I spent roughly eight hours playing 1348 Ex Voto on my gaming PC with my Logitech G G715 wireless gaming keyboard and Logitech G703 wireless gaming mouse, completing the main storyline. I used a Gigabyte M32U gaming monitor, and used my Sony WH-CH520 wireless headphones for audio.

The game doesn't offer any additional performance modes to try out, but I compared the game's visuals and performance to other medieval action games, like Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

First reviewed March 2026

FiiO TT13 review: two minute review

The FiiO TT13 is an impressive and attractive belt-driven turntable with fully automatic operation to take the fear out of playing your records. It's made from aluminium alloy, comes in a choice of black or silver, features integrated LED lighting, and comes with an Audio-Technica AT3600LA cartridge.

What else does the TT13 offer, to recommend it as one of the best turntables we've tested? It has Bluetooth with SBC/aptX/aptX LL/aptX HD but not AAC and it has its own integrated preamp — although unlike similar turntables the preamp can't be switched off. It supports both AC and DC power supplies.

This is a distinctly modern turntable with good clarity and warmth and a bright sonic signature; to my ears it was a little light at the very low end but bass was still clear and well defined.

One thing to note: FiiO's TT13 turntable is clearly aimed at vinyl beginners and is great value for money, but if you're a turntable tinkerer this isn't one for you: the tonearm is designed specifically for Audio-Technica cartridges and lacks balance adjustment to support alternatives.

FiiO TT13 review: price and release date

The integrated lighting is seamless, with a choice of 7 colors and 3 brightness levels (Image credit: Future)

• Released October 2024
• Priced $249 / £239 / AU$249

The FiiO TT13 was announced in May 2024 and released in October 2024. The turntable's list price was $249.99 / £239.99 / AU$248, and in the US there was also a non-Bluetooth model for $239.99. The version sold in the UK and most US retailers is the Bluetooth model but make sure you check the specs when buying; I haven't seen any non-Bluetooth ones in the usual retailers but it's worth confirming that you're buying the Bluetooth one.

As usual with FiiO this is a very competitively priced product: it's coming in at slightly more than the Audio-Technica AT-LP3XBTBK and slightly less than the Sony PS-LX310BT, both of which are also automatic turntables with Bluetooth.

FiiO TT13 review: features

Things are simple round the back: two line outs (but no phono outs) plus support for both AC and DC power. There's also a balance adjuster and a ground, as well as a record size switch. (Image credit: Future)

• Fully automatic operation
• Integrated preamp delivering up to 800mV at 1kHz
• Two op-amps for warmth and low noise

The FiiO is fully automatic and electronically switchable between 33 and 1/3 and 45 RPM, and it comes with a Audio-Technica AT3600LA cartridge.

The TT13 features a built-in phono preamp that can put out up to 800mV at 1kHz, which is more than double the output of some rivals, and that enables you to connect your turntable directly to a pair of active speakers without requiring a separate phono stage. The pre-amp is built around two JRC5532 op-amps that deliver warmth and low noise.

The Bluetooth module here is more advanced than many affordable Bluetooth turntables that stick to the familiar SBC/AAC codecs. The TT13 uses Qualcomm's Bluetooth module for SBC plus aptX, aptX Low Latency and aptX HD.

While this is primarily an entry-level turntable, the TT13 can also use an external power supply for more audiophile setups. It supports both AC (100-240V) and DC (12V-1A). If both are connected, AC takes precedence.

The platter can be illuminated in a choice of 7 colors and in a nice touch the status lights and FiiO logo take the same color.

Features score: 4 / 5

FiiO TT13 review: sound quality

Controls are simple. The power button doubles as a toggle for the illumination system, and the status lights match your chosen color. (Image credit: Future)

• Clear, warm and entertaining sound
• A little light at the very low end
• Bluetooth doesn't include AAC

The TT13 is an excellent-sounding turntable that delivers the kind of sound we've come to expect from FiiO: clear, detailed and entertaining. It's perhaps a little light at the very low end, especially with older rock and indie LPs, and if you're going to be listening over Bluetooth you'll probably want to boost the bass a little bit.

As with other turntables using the same Audio-Technica cartridge it's a good all-rounder balancing clarity with entertainment. While the AT cartridge isn't the brightest in the high frequencies the TT13 is still airy at the top end, and it's particularly entertaining on acoustic and sparsely arranged instruments: while I listened to various artists and genres I had the most fun listening to Talk Talk, mandolin-era REM and Taylor Swift's folky albums. With more rocky and electronic material I found the low end slightly lacking, although nothing a brief EQ tweak couldn't fix and definitely not a deal-breaker.

The Bluetooth module here doesn't support AAC, so you won't get the best sound quality on Apple headphones or earbuds. For other headphones, earbuds and active speakers the TT13 will try to use the best codec available, but that choice isn't controllable from the turntable itself and there's no indication of what codec you're using.

Sound quality: 4 / 5

FiiO TT13 review: design

The illuminated FiiO logo doubles as a Bluetooth status light and a repeat play indicator. (Image credit: Future)

• Solid metal construction looks particularly good in silver
• Integrated lighting is lots of fun
• Some unusual decisions round the back

As someone who grew up in a house of silver separates, I love the look of this turntable in its silver variant (black is also available). FiiO loves a bit of aluminium, and here it's used to great effect with flush-mounted buttons on the top surface and polished metal everywhere. The use of metal means it's a solid device — it weighs a hefty 4kg — and it helps reduce vibration and unwanted noise too.

The most dramatic bit of design is the integrated lighting that illuminates the platter with a choice of 7 different lighting colours. You can adjust the brightness via the supplied remote control and turn it off altogether if you wish. The FiiO logo at the top left of the unit lights up too, doubling as a status light for your Bluetooth connection and for when repeat play is enabled.

There are six buttons on the front top of the plinth: power, speed and pairing on the left, and start/stop, repeat and up/down on the right.

Round the back you'll find a switch to select between 7 and 12-inch records; RCA line outputs; a ground connector; and both DC and AC power sockets. There's also an adjustable potentiometer to adjust the left-right channel balance if it's not quite right — an odd thing to have in a turntable seemingly aimed at vinyl beginners.

Design score: 4 / 5

FiiO TT13 review: ease of use and setup

• Don't connect it to your phono inputs
• "Plug and go" design; easy to get started
• Fully automatic but don't forget the record size switch

Setting up the turntable is simple, and in a nice touch the belt is already wrapped around the platter and has a little paper pull tag that you use to drag the belt over the spindle. The only irritation I encountered was too-strong adhesive on the two "remove this before use" stickers, which required getting the Goo Gone out to remove the sticker residue.

The TT13 comes with a power cable, an RCA cable and a remote control, and the RCA cable also includes a ground wire for your amp. Unusually for a turntable with an integrated phono stage there isn't a bypass switch so you can't turn the preamp off and connect the TT13 to the phono inputs on your amplifier: you'll need to use line level inputs instead. Don't connect it to your amplifier's phono inputs, which are designed for much lower voltages.

Automatic turntables are the easiest turntables to use as they move the tonearm into position and gently lower it into place. The buttons to do that are clear, easy to identify and nicely tactile, and the remote control is simple. Bluetooth pairing is easy too: just press and hold the Pairing button, set your headphones or earbuds to pair and that's all you need to do.

Changing the lighting is simple too. You can cycle through the colours by pressing the power button, and the remote has a brightness button that steps through the three brightness stages and also turns the illumination off. In addition to the lighting under the platter there's an illuminated FiiO logo that doubles as a pairing status indicator, flashing while it seeks your headphones or active speakers.

Although there's an electronic speed toggle on the front to switch between 33 and 45 RPM, there's also a record size selector switch. That's round the back.

Usability and setup score: 5 / 5

FiiO TT13 review: value

• Competitively priced and solidly made
• Limited upgradability
• Lighting makes a nice talking point

This is a really tempting buy for vinyl beginners: it looks great, the red illumination option is a perfect match for IKEA's Kallax fabric boxes and it works nicely with Bluetooth headphones and speakers. It's not the cheapest turntable featuring this Audio-Technica cartridge by any means but it's competitively priced, solidly built and very enjoyable.

Value score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the FiiO TT13?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Fully automatic, good Bluetooth options and a useful remote control.

4/5

Design

Looks more expensive than it is and feels very solid. It's very easy to use.

5/5

Sound quality

Clear, warm and entertaining but slightly light at the low end.

4/5

Value

Competitively priced and the lighting is a big plus, but limited upgradeability.

4/5

Buy it if...

You love a bit of metal
The TT13 looks and feels much more expensive thanks to the extensive use of metal.

You want to light up your life
The integrated LED lighting is entertaining without being garishly over the top.

You like to take it easy
This is a fully automatic turntable and its remote control means you don't even need to get up from the sofa.

Don't buy it if...

You have an amazing preamp
The preamp in the FiiO TT13 isn't switchable: it's FiiO's way or the highway. It's a nice-sounding pre-amp, but if you've already got something better this probably isn't the turntable for you.

You want to change things
This is a plug-in-and-go turntable without adjustable tonearm balance, anti-skate or tracking adjustment.View Deal

You've got a stack of 78s
Like many modern turntables the TT13 is for 45 and 33 and 1/3 records only.View Deal

FiiO TT13 review: Also consider

The $179 / £149 / AU$289 Audio-Technica AT-LP60XUSB is even more affordable than the TT13, but it doesn't look as premium or offer integrated lighting. It's fully automatic with Bluetooth 5.0, and when we reviewed the AT-LP60BT variant we liked it a lot: it's a great starter turntable.

Another key rival here is Sony's $199 / £199 / AU$399 PS-LX310BT, which is another fine starter turntable. The Bluetooth module is quite old, though, with Bluetooth 4.2 rather than the TT13's 5.2.

How I tested the FiiO TT13

• Onkyo amp with wired open and closed back headphones and B&W bookshelf speakers
• Bluetooth via iFi GO Blu Air

I tested the FiiO TT13 over three weeks across a range of genres and eras. On headphones I used an iFi GO Blu Air Bluetooth adapter and Sennheiser DT 990 Pro open-back / DT 770 closed-back headphones; on speakers I listened via my Onkyo A-9010 amplifier and Bowers & Wilkins 607 S2 speakers.

• First reviewed: March 2026
• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Aura Ink: review

Aura makes stunning digital photo frames. The Aura Walden, for example, currently sits atop a sideboard in my home with its sleek frame, slick mount and punchy 15-inch display — and it also sits atop our list of the best digital photo frames.

So when Aura unveils an entirely new frame with a display that's unlike any other I’ve tested, naturally it has my attention. Said frame is the Aura Ink.

The Ink features an energy-efficient 13.3-inch color E Ink display, for a print-like rendering of your images. Unlike other LCD digital frames, the Ink is Calm Tech Certified — consider it a digital detox thanks to its natural, muted display.

Its E Ink Spectra™ 6 display can render millions of colors, but look closely and detail is dotty, despite its 1600 x 1200 resolution and 150ppi density. The Ink lacks the vibrancy and clarity of Aura’s other LCD digital frames, such as the Walden and Aura Aspen, or Lexar’s Pexar and Starlight, but it does work well in bright interiors, especially for artworks and minimalist photography rather than detail-rich photos. Ultimately, it's much closer to the look of printed photos.

The Aura Ink comes in a beautiful presentation box, making it feel every inch a premium productTim ColemanTim ColemanTim ColemanTim ColemanTim Coleman

What’s disappointing, however, is that Aura has kitted the Ink out with a somewhat glossy-finish panel, which can suffer from glare. I suspect it's no worse than the Walden and Aspen frames, but those LCD displays are illuminated, and as such they're significantly punchier.

Given that the Ink reflects light rather than emits it (like LCD does), it is, in reality, a niche frame. It needs the right conditions — well-lit rooms, but not too sunny — to shine, where it's probably my new favorite digital frame. If I had to choose between the Ink and Walden frames, though — and I've observed both side by side — it’s the latter that gets my vote for display versatility, even if it's yet another digital display to look at.

That said, the Aura Ink has super-low power consumption and a run time of around three months without a continuous power supply. No cables are needed, just a quarterly charge (assuming you only change the displayed image once per day).

The Ink has a sleek bezel, slick mount, and slim profileTim ColemanTim ColemanTim ColemanTim Coleman

Eliminating the reliance on ugly trailing cables is a design win. With regular LCD digital frames, cables are a necessary evil, and tricky to hide when mounting the frame on a wall, though they are less of an issue if you’re resting the frame on a surface.

I’ve come across one or two frames which are supplied with a white cable instead of a black one, including the Walden, which goes some way in disguising the cable (assuming your walls are licked with a light shade of paint). But there’s no doubt that a no-cable-at-all setup is the dream option.

Like the Walden, the Ink's display is housed in an attractive frame with a sleek bezel and a 1.5-inch mount (the off-white border between the bezel and the image). It also features a variety of mounting options, being positionable to display images in landscape and portrait format whether the frame sits on a table, bookshelf or other surfaces, or is fixed to a wall.

Aura has made the Ink impressively slimline — it measures just 0.6 inches deep, compared to the around one-inch depth of most other frames I've tested.

Pairing the frame to a device with the Aura app installed is a doddle. You'll be up and running in minutes. Not that a wireless connection with the app is the only method of uploading images to the frameTim ColemanTim ColemanTim ColemanTim ColemanTim ColemanTim ColemanTim ColemanTim Coleman

It charges via USB-C, and the port is easily accessible, which is not something I can say for the Walden's fiddly power input. The USB-C port is for charging only, however — you can't connect devices to add images.

Nor does the Ink have a memory card slot — all image uploads are via the companion app. And it displays photos only; there's no sound. All told, the Ink is as stripped-back as digital frames come.

The Ink shares the same companion app as all Aura frames, which delivers one of the best user experiences in the market and works seamlessly for wireless uploads and display updates, from anywhere with an internet connection.

In fairly dark rooms, the Ink's display will look fairly dimTim ColemanI placed the Ink next to the Aura Walden frameTim ColemanSee how much punchier an LCD display isTim ColemanI think there's a time and place for each type of displayTim ColemanBut perhaps it's the Aura Ink that captures the spirit of photo frames more authenticallyTim Coleman

Updating the displayed image on the Ink is an odd experience if you happen to be looking at the frame at the time. The frame flashes rapidly for the best part of a minute while the pixels of the existing image clear and are refreshed with the new one.

The Ink is limited to a maximum of four image changes per day. This is not Google Photos in a frame, where you might gather around with family, enjoying a rolling image gallery of holiday snaps, but one where you choose your image and live with it for the day or longer.

I was slightly disappointed by the degree of glare on the frame's display. Tim ColemanGlare is far from a dealbreaker, mind you.Tim ColemanBecuase of the tech involved, the display is 'dotty', meaning you can see the colored pixels when looking up close. Tim ColemanThere's less contrast in images versus those displayed on an LCD frameTim ColemanThere's the dotty detail, seen close up. It's not an issue for me as it's not obvious at the typical viewing distanceTim ColemanI've shone an LED light panel on the frame here, and the display becomes a little punchier – that's because it reflects light rather than emitting it. The best environment for the frame therefore, is well lit rooms. Tim Coleman

The real sting in the tail is how much the Aura Ink costs: $499 (pricing and availability for other regions is yet to be confirmed). You really are paying a premium for the E Ink display; even Aura's larger 15-inch LCD digital photo frames cost much less.

I've had the Ink frame in my home for several months, and I'm still somewhat undecided. I think it's the better frame to place on a wall than an LCD type, especially in a bright interior, where it's unbeatable. It's undeniably a premium product, and probably worth paying extra for, especially if you're weary of excessive screen time. However, LCD frames are more versatile.

Aura Ink: price & release date

Aura unveiled the Ink frame in October 2025, and it's available in one display size — 13.3-inch — for $499 in the US. At the time of writing it's not directly available outside the US; previous Aura frames have typically gone on sale globally approximately six months after their US launch, and hopefully the same will be true for the Ink.

I've mentioned the Walden frame a few times, which is a larger 15-inch LCD frame but with a much lower price tag, costing around 40% less. Put simply, you're paying a big premium for the Ink's E Ink display.

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)Aura Ink: specs

Dimensions

14.1 x 11.4 x 0.6 inches (287 x 206 x 25mm)

Display size

13.3-inch

Resolution

1600 x 1200 (150 pixels per inch)

Aspect Ratio

16:10

Touch Screen

No

Sound

No (no video)

Orientation

Portrait or landscape

Storage

N/A

Connectivity

Wi-Fi (but no SD card, and USB for charging only)

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)Should I buy the Aura Ink?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

No local storage, no video or sound, and limited connectivity

3/5

Design

Sleek frame, slim profile, innovative display

4.5/5

Performance

Niche, natural and 'dotty' display; slow and limited image refreshes

4/5

Value

It's almost twice the price of 15-inch LCD frames

3/5

Buy it if…

You want a natural photo frame display
Yes, it's dull compared to an illuminated LCD frame, but the Ink's display is natural, and is one less 'blue light' screen to look at.

You're happy enjoying selected images
The Ink doesn't offer the slideshow-style display of multiple images you get with LCD digital frames and smart displays like the Amazon Echo Show series. Rather, it's designed for appreciating individual images over longer periods.

Don’t buy it if…

You love a punchy display, especially at night
The display reflects light rather than emitting it, so this is not a frame for dark environments or nighttime viewing

You'd rather not rely on an app
With no local storage or external storage connectivity, the Ink relies on Aura's companion app for image uploads.

Aura Ink: also consider

The Aura Ink (left), alongside the 15-inch Aura Walden (right) (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

Aura Ink

Aura Walden

Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame

Display size

13.3-inch

15-inch

11-inch

Resolution

1600 x 1200, 149.5 pixels per inch

1600 x 1200, 133 pixels per inch

2000 x 1200, 212 pixels per inch

Aspect Ratio

16:10

16:10

5:3

Touch Screen

No

Yes

Yes

Sound

No

Built-in speaker

Built-in speaker

Orientation

Portrait or landscape

Portrait or landscape

Portrait or landscape

Storage

N/A

32GB

32GB

Connectivity

Wi-Fi, USB-C (charging only), no SD card slot

Wi-Fi, USB, SD card slot

Wi-Fi, SD card slot, USB-A, USB-C

Aura Walden
At 15 inches, the Walden has the largest display of the three frames in this comparison, and it shares the design traits and companion app of the Ink. The LCD display has a fairly modest pixel density, but it's nonetheless crisp, and the swipe-to-scroll bar on the frame's top is a neat design touch. Read my Aura Walden review

Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame
The Pexar 11-inch is the low-cost option of the three frames in this comparison, but it still features a reflection-free screen and punchy display, with detail-rich 212-ppi pixel density. Read our full Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame review.

How I tested the Aura Ink

• I tested the Aura Ink over several months
• I uploaded a selection of photos from my Android phone
• I placed the frame on various surfaces around my home, in vertical and horizontal formats

Aura sent me its Ink frame and I set it up in my home months before writing this review. Unlike other reviews published soon after the Ink's release, I've actually tested its long battery life – and yes, the three-month battery life based on no more than a single image change per day is accurate.

I've placed the Ink on a sideboard close to a window, in a dim corner of my front room, and various other spaces around the house.

I've uploaded a variety of photos to the frame through Aura's companion app for Android — both minimalist and detail-rich images, in vertical and horizontal formats.

I already have the Aura Walden in my home, so I've been able to make direct comparisons between the two frames.

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

Spoilers for Virgin River season 7 ahead.

Every time a new season of Virgin River is in the offing, my mum and I have a collective, excited freakout until we can binge-watch all 10 episodes. Virgin River season 7 has been right on schedule — but this time, I'm left feeling slightly empty.

If I had to rank the hit Netflix show's existing six seasons, the latest (season 6) would be right at the top. It marked longtime lovers Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson) finally getting married, and boy, did their friends and family bring the best drama along as wedding gifts.

We saw Brady (Ben Hollingsworth) declare his undying love for Brie (Zibby Allen) like the worst kept secret that it is, Brady's girlfriend Lark (Elise Gatien) steal thousands of dollars from under his nose, Brie fending off a marriage proposal from police chief Mike (Marco Grazzini), and Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) going missing and, potentially, being killed off.

For the final 20 minutes of that epic season finale, I didn't know whether I was coming or going, and it might go down as one of my favorite TV moments of all time. Of course, Virgin River can't sustain that level of drama all the time (no show can), but the newly skewed stakes leave a somewhat sour taste.

The best way to describe it is eating an undercooked steak when you ordered it well done. You know that the potential to have exactly what you want is right there, but it's not fully materialized. While that's less than satisfying for season 7, I think it's a tactical decision — meaning that Virgin River season 8 is going to be explosive.

Don't get me wrong — Virgin River season 7 delivers what it needs to

Sure, there might not be the same level of fireworks in Virgin River season 7, but there are resolutions. This is easily the best year of Mel and Jack's relationship yet, settling into married life like a duck to water.

Between these two and the on-off again situationship between Brie and Brady, things certainly feel steamier than ever. Usually, Virgin River intimacy feels shrouded in wholesomeness, rose-tinted to the point that it hardly feels sexy at all. But in season 7, some seriously primal passion starts to take over, and I'm here for it.

While Mel and Jack are steadying the ship, Brie and Brady are daring to dream. If you've been a fan of theirs since season 1, you'll likely feel inclined to do a victory lap of your house soon enough, without giving too much away. They're both wearing their hearts on their sleeves and communicating well, and it finally feels like the entire town has nailed how to truly connect to one another.

As for the remaining season 6 cliffhangers, you'll get answers to all of them. There will be new problems that take their place, even if they currently feel lukewarm in comparison.

It's worth streaming Virgin River season 7 for Mel and Jack's honeymoon alone. It takes them almost 8 episodes to even decide where they're going to go, but the final decision is perfect (and likely one you can guess based on earlier filming location leaks).

The set change also proves that you can never truly run away from your problems... but you can get a tan and kiss a cute guy on a golden beach while being stressed. Frankly, it's the level of life I dream of.

The finale is season 7's biggest letdown, but I'm choosing to see the positives

They've also introduced a rodeo this season. (Image credit: Netflix)

Virgin River has me believing that fairytale-style love is possible, but that doesn't always mean that I'm falling for the show itself. I think the biggest issue lies with the season 7 finale, which falls impossibly short compared with what we were treated to last time around.

No spoilers here, but there are still two big twists to be unveiled at this stage. However, I'm pretty sure both are non-starters, with bad outcomes so unlikely to unfold in a fictional world where fatal scenarios are avoided like the plague.

Still, there's every chance season 8 could prove me wrong, but you see what I mean about these 10 episodes acting as a setup for something more exciting down the line. It's all verging on soap opera silliness, but it's what we've signed up for.

Then there are a few uninspired hitches in the current storyline itself. New character Clay (Cody Kearsley) feels like a rinse and repeat of Jack Schumacher's Yancy Grey in Ransom Canyon. In fact, they both have the same introductory narrative — a hot, closed-off outsider who clearly has family troubles and a gambling debt they need to pay off by entering a rodeo competition.

It's not an amazing sign that Netflix is borrowing ideas from itself, but it's also not the end of the world. It's textbook craft like this that feeds the people what they want, and who am I to deny what works?

It’s often said that if at first you don’t succeed, you should try again. With Nintendo’s Virtual Boy rerelease for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, I wonder if it maybe should have ignored that advice.

On the one hand, the Virtual Boy accessory for the Switch and Switch 2 is the ultimate novelty. The plastic recreation oozes an iconic 90s energy that somehow infected even me — someone born years after the Virtual Boy was discontinued — with a synthetic nostalgia that had me falling in love with its outer design. And as a VR fanatic, it’s a delight to experience one of VR’s earliest consumer interpretations.

On the other hand, Nintendo’s dedication to its history means it has left the headset and its games practically unchanged — which isn’t a good thing here. The Virtual Boy’s game library is as small and terrible as ever, and comfort very much feels like an afterthought.

So the question you have to ask yourself is this: do you want to spend $99.99 / £66.99 / AU$139.95 on a 10-minute novelty that will spend a lot more time on your shelf as a sculpture than on your face?

I firmly believe the answer is an emphatic 'No.'

Nintendo Virtual Boy: Price

The proper Virtual Boy accessory will cost you $99.99 / £66.99 / AU$139.95, though if you simply want to experience the Nintendo Classics collection and don’t want to waste too much money, there’s also a cardboard version that costs $24.99 / £16.99 / AU$29.95. You can pick up either from Nintendo's online store.

While this review isn’t generally positive about the Nintendo headset, if you are going to get one of the accessories, I believe you should at least get the proper non-cardboard version. I don’t believe you should get either for what it’s worth, but the properly recreated model looks rad and could be repurposed as shelf decoration when you’ve finished playing with it after a few short sessions.

(Image credit: Future / Hamish Hector)

• Value score: 1/5

Nintendo Virtual Boy: Design

When Nintendo debuted this VR headset back in 1995, it promised the Virtual Boy would “totally immerse players into their own private universe." It certainly achieved this, though I do prefer my universes with a lot less red and a lot less nauseating.

It turns out plenty of other folks didn’t like what the Virtual Boy was delivering either. Despite predicting millions of global sales by the end of 1995, Nintendo shipped a mere 350,000 units in the US that year, and only around 770,000 globally by the time it was discontinued in 1996.

One of the big issues with the headset was, and still is with this Switch recreation, its design.

Too bulky to even attempt to wear on your head like a Meta Quest 3 — especially if you’re a kid, Nintendo’s typical target audience — Nintendo opted to have the original Virtual Boy rest on a stand. Despite being a lot lighter, the Switch accessory version can also only be perched on a roughly foot-tall stand at its max height. A design decision that created its own comfort conundrum.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

After you’ve struggled to search for an appropriately tall table and/or a stack of books to place the headset on top of, you then have to hunch over to press your face into the console so you can peer into its stereoscopic worlds. This is not a comfortable way to sit for very long, and there’s no other alternative.

Here’s where you brush up against the next poor design decision: the red displays.

To act as a cost-cutting and processing power-saving method, the Virtual Boy’s screens were entirely red, and to mimic this, the Switch accessory uses two planes of red plastic — one for each eye. Opening up the headset, you slot your Switch or Switch 2 with the Virtual Boy software open to play games through this red filter to mimic the classic’s ruby hue.

If you think VR is nauseating at the best of times, just imagine what it would be like if your entire vision were merely shades of red.

Let’s just say my play sessions maxed out at 10 minutes before I needed a lie down — and I can usually stomach hours-long VR gaming if using other headsets.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Though I will say the Switch’s Virtual Boy add-on isn’t a total design flop.

As I mentioned in the intro, the classic Nintendo headset feels definitively like a gadget of the 90s, and half of that is how it looks — something this model recreates perfectly. Unboxing it in our office, even as someone who grew up in the 00s, I did feel like I was living out one of those grainy home videos of a kid ripping open their Christmas gifts.

There’s something magical about the Virtual Boy’s appearance, even if it’s not the most practically useful, though that’s where my praise ends.

• Design score: 2/5

Virtual Boy: Software

The original saw 22 games released before it was canned entirely, but for now, the Nintendo Switch version only has seven: 3D Tetris, Galactic Pinball, Golf, Red Alarm, Teleroboxer, The Mansion of Innsmouth, and Virtual Boy Wario Land. With the March catalogue update for Mario Day, they’ll be joined by two more: Mario Tennis and Mario Clash.

All of these titles are accessed via the Nintendo Classics software included with your Switch Online + Expansion Pass membership, which will cost you $49.99 / £34.99 / AU$59.95 for 12 months.

The smallish collection size isn’t ideal, but it could be overlooked if there were a definite must-play or two amongst the selection. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything exciting enough to make me want to push through the discomfort of using the system.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Wario Land is fun if you’re a fan of Mario’s doppelganger, and I liked Galactic Pinball well enough, but titles I had hopes would be fun — Tetris and Red Alarm — lacked not only entertainment but made me want to hurl. It turns out a spinning red teris board just isn’t the best way to play the game if you like keeping your lunch in your stomach.

You can extract maybe 5 to 10 minutes of novelty from each title, and you might return to a handful when you want to subject your friends to this hardware, but none of them sell this accessory as a bona fide gaming machine.

• Software score: 1/5

Nintendo Virtual Boy: scorecard

Attribute

Comment

Score

Design

From a usability perspective the Virtual Boy gets a very low score for its discomfort and red plastic displays, but the design does at least look wonderfully 90s so It gets some marks back.

2/5

Software

The Virtual Boy's library is small and none of its titles are all that enjoyable, especially given the nausea they can induce.

1/5

Value

The Virtual Boy is a complete novelty, and when there are so many other better things for you to spend your money on this terrible Switch accessory isn't worth it.

1/5

Should you buy the Nintendo Virtual Boy?Buy it if…

You can accept it’s a novelty
If you have plenty of spare cash and can happily accept there’s maybe an hour or so worth of enjoyment to extract from this hardware at the absolute max (over a few sessions), then maybe you could consider getting the Virtual Boy for your Switch or Switch 2.

Don’t buy it if…

You’re on a tight gaming budget
There are way better things to buy for with Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2 — be they accessories or software — than this Virtual Boy clone. Almost any other game or add-on would be better.

You’re new to VR
If this will be your first VR experience it will likely put you off it entirely. This isn’t the best way to experience immersive 3D gameplay, but could be a novelty for existing fans of the medium.

You don’t own a Switch or Switch 2
This Virtual Boy recreation is a Switch accessory, not its own machine. If you don’t own either of Nintendo’s handheld hybrids, this headset is another level of useless.

(Image credit: Nintendo)How I tested the Nintendo Virtual Boy

I used the Virtual Boy for two weeks for this review, though my sessions admittedly didn’t last too long, as it kept making me feel ill. I relied on my Nintendo Switch 2 and its base Joy-Cons to experience this add-on’s VR experiences and used it in our office, at home, and even took it on a flight — it’s even more awful in the air, terrible VR and turbulence don’t mix.

First reviewed March 2026

Read more about how we test

John Carpenter's Toxic Commando is everything that I wanted from a new game by World War Z developer Saber Interactive. It has all the moreish zombie shooting that you would expect from that team, though now noticeably enhanced by thoroughly modernized gunplay that not only looks and feels great, but actually lets you aim down your weapon's sights properly for the first time.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PC
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Release date: March 12, 2026

The charming ‘80s action movie script and a shift to more open levels also lend Toxic Commando a suitably distinct identity compared to its strictly linear spiritual predecessor. The same is true of the addition of vehicles, which benefits from some surprisingly meaty driving mechanics clearly inspired by the success of the studio’s MudRunner and SnowRunner games. Throw in seamless cross-play with up to three friends, and you have the recipe for an incredible time.

The campaign could certainly be a bit longer, and the progression system is definitely slightly too grindy for my taste (even when accounting for multiple playthroughs at each difficulty), but it’s hard to grumble when this modestly-priced release otherwise delivers such strong foundations.

With the promise of post-launch downloadable content (DLC) on the way, this is one co-op adventure that I’m going to come back to time and time again.

Going commando

(Image credit: Focus Entertiainment)

Set in the near future, Toxic Commando takes you to an infested wasteland that’s been walled off from the rest of civilization. Once the site of a high-tech mining operation, it turns out that humanity has accidentally awakened the Sludge God - an occult, ancient being that corrupts everything that it touches with an insidious black ooze.

You’re one of the self-proclaimed toxic commandos, four low-cost, somewhat bumbling mercenaries that have been brought in by the mining company’s desperate CEO to unwittingly assist in the cover-up by blasting everything in your path.

It’s a decent framing narrative that’s explained through cutscenes dripping with ‘80s style, complete with dramatic animated title cards and a pleasingly retro film grain effect. Dialogue is unapologetically cheesy, and while some might find the constant quipping of the four playable characters a tad grating, a handful of well-executed jokes meant that I was eager to watch each successive cinematic on my first playthrough.

Unfortunately, there are some moments where the game’s lower budget becomes evident: the odd bit of floaty animation and a particularly jarring moment where a cutscene late in the game seems to end a few seconds too prematurely immediately spring to mind.

(Image credit: Focus Entertiainment)

Crucially, all nine missions are plenty enjoyable thanks to a good range of objectives and plenty of unique mechanics to explore. They take place in increasingly large semi-open-world maps that offer a surprising amount of freedom. There’s always an objective marker on screen guiding you to the next story location, but you’re able to wander off and explore as a team without any penalties.

This is a massive departure from the very linear structure of World War Z, but taking the time to get to know each environment is vital as you crank the difficulty up. Hidden supply caches feed you a steady stream of valuable ammunition and health items, and rare Sludge Seeds (often nestled behind an army of powerful enemy types) can grant a vital second chance if you run out of lives.

Vehicles are littered throughout the maps to help you get around and are a key part of many objectives. Hopping into an armored all-terrain vehicle with a mounted gun dramatically increases your firepower, for example, while those who choose the comparatively fragile ambulance can give the team a much-needed health top-up.

SludgeRunner

(Image credit: Focus Entertiainment)

Even if you choose the most kitted-out vehicles, you’re never close to invincible thanks to a range of environmental threats. Muddy terrain will stop you in your tracks as your tires lose traction, giving the many, many sludge zombies the opportunity to surround your vehicle and chip away at its overall health.

Most of the cars are equipped with an in-built winch that can be deployed to get you out of sticky situations with a well-placed pull, leading to delightfully frantic moments that have you crying out to your squad, desperately trying to free yourself before foes arrive.

Vehicles require plenty of fuel too, which has to be obtained from your environment and manually topped up whenever needed. There are generally a few cans of it in most locations, but the constant threat of running dry and ending up stranded without a ride adds a nice extra layer of tension.

I do wish the campaign was a little longer with a few more maps (I managed to roll credits in just under ten hours), but there are at least plenty of reasons to replay. There are four classes to choose from, each fulfilling the standard damage-dealing, healing, support, and tank archetypes with substantial ability trees to unlock and some unique specializations.

On top of this, the weapon arsenal is pretty meaty with a varied selection of assault rifles, shotguns, SMGs, pistols, sniper rifles, and so on - not to mention some powerful limited-use heavy gear that you can only acquire in the maps themselves.

Best bit

(Image credit: Focus Entertiainment)

Like World War Z, many of the levels in Toxic Commando have dramatic moments where you have to defend an area from thousands of zombies at once. The sense of scale is superb, and watching your prepared defences and gunfire cut through the oncoming horde is a consistent delight.

In addition to an overall power level that affects its damage, each gun can be fully customized with a modest but impactful selection of attachments. They all come with corresponding visual upgrades, lending a solid sense of progression to kitting out your favorite gear.

When you max out a gun’s level, you can even ‘prestige’ it a la Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, resetting its unlocks in exchange for unique skins. Sadly, leveling everything up is especially grindy and would require you to undertake multiple full playthroughs for each gun. This can be frustrating, basically locking you into committing to a specific one, as high-level weapons are essential for tackling hard and very hard difficulty missions. I’m optimistic that this can be addressed in a post-launch balance update, though.

Some new special enemy types also wouldn’t go amiss. Don’t get me wrong, there's an okay selection here already, but the current roster of ‘tanky ones’, ‘exploding ones’, ‘fiery ones’, and so on isn’t anything that hasn’t been done countless times before in other zombie games. At least they’re endlessly satisfying to mow down.

Should I play John Carpenter's Toxic Commando?Play it if...

You want a highly enjoyable co-op shooter
If you’re looking for the kind of game that’s perfect for some mindless fun with friends after a hard day of work, then John Carpenter's Toxic Commando has you covered with its endless armies of sludge monsters.

You loved World War Z
It’s different, but John Carpenter's Toxic Commando is a strong follow-up to Saber Interactive’s World War Z with a host of interesting new mechanics. Like that game, I’m sure it’s only going to grow and get better with time, too.

Don't play it if...

You’re after more nuanced zombies
The idea of sludge zombie enemies is pretty interesting, but the selection of types here isn't anything that hasn’t been done before. Look to other zombie games like Dying Light or the Resident Evil series if you’re after a more unique take on the undead.

Accessibility features

John Carpenter's Toxic Commando doesn’t have a dedicated accessibility menu or many standard options like colorblind modes, but there are still a few useful settings.

The game features subtitles by default, which can be increased or decreased in size as needed. You can also add a background to make the subtitles a little easier to read. Keyboard and mouse controls can be fully customized on PC, and controller players have the option to enable aim assist.

(Image credit: Focus Entertiainment)How I reviewed John Carpenter's Toxic Commando

I played more than ten hours of John Carpenter's Toxic Commando on PC, which is a 5070 Ti-powered model from retailer Scan. It has a compact Corsair 2000d RGB Airflow case, Asus ROG Strix B860-I motherboard, Intel Core Ultra 7 265K processor, a 2TB WD Black SN770 SSD, 32GB of DDR5 Corsair Vengeance RAM, and an Asus Nvidia 5070 Ti graphics card.

These specs were more than sufficient to run the game on its high visual preset with DLSS set to native. During my time with the game, I completed the entire campaign and experienced a mixture of both solo and co-op play, forcing a handful of my TechRadar colleagues to go commando and face the sludge legion.

I frequently compared my experience to my playthroughs of other zombie shooters, including the likes of Left 4 Dead, Back 4 Blood, and World War Z, in addition to other games by Saber Interactive, like MudRunner and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.

First reviewed February-March 2026

I was six when my Pokémon journey began. In 2004, I got a Game Boy Advance SP and went to a local toy store with my parents to get two games — I chose Sonic Advance 2 and Pokémon LeafGreen.

I’d play FireRed later, as well as Yellow, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, and so on through the series (though I did stop doubling up for most generations from Diamond onwards), but LeafGreen was where it started. So it felt right for me to celebrate the series’ 30th birthday by enjoying the Nintendo Switch rerelease.

It’s everything I remember it being.

Review info

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: February 27, 2026

The look, the sound, the sense of adventure, it's all there perfectly recaptured on Nintendo’s latest system, and on Friday, 27th February, from 6pm until 3am, I couldn’t put this game down — I literally fell asleep on the sofa with my Switch 2 controllers in my hands.

When I awoke — at 1pm the next day — I grabbed a glass of water, nestled back into the groove in my couch, and picked up where I left off. I was in my own personal corner of heaven.

I adore this game. It hits the nostalgia sweet spot in a way only a few titles ever hope to be able to, and at the same time, I think it delivers the quintessential Pokémon experience that anyone can enjoy (be they newcomers or longtime fans like me). In fact, if you have yet to experience the phenomenon, this might be an excellent jumping-in point.

I do, however, feel this special release needed something a little more to completely justify itself to returning fans — beyond being simply existing in a way that isn’t a GBA cartridge.

(Image credit: Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.)Let’s Go

Remakes of the original Red and Green, which kicked off the series, FireRed and LeafGreen follow the same classic beats of the Kanto region that players first experienced in 1996.

You begin in Pallet Town where in Professor Oak’s Lab you choose one of Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle to be your starting companion before heading off on your adventure to catch and train more Pocket Monsters (aka Pokémon), and defeat eight powerful Gym Leaders, the Elite Four, and Kanto’s champion — while also foiling the plans of the evil Team Rocket, and collecting 150 Kanto ‘mons for your PokéDex (Mew isn’t available in the Switch version for now).

There’s a sense of exploration to Kanto that isn’t so present in later titles. While there are hints you can learn by talking to non-player characters (NPCs), there’s not often a clear ‘Go here next’ sign to follow — especially in the middle section of the story, post gym three, where you are much freer to explore the remainder of the map.

(Image credit: Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.)

This imbues FireRed and LeafGreen with a sense that this is a proper adventure rather than a pre-defined story you’re wandering through the beats of.

There’s something tough about the battles, too, that presents a more engaging challenge than the most recent generations. EXP isn’t shared amongst your whole team in these classics, keeping your party at a more balanced level to your foes, and there isn’t an abundance of Pokémon to choose from to build a perfect team early on, like you can in later entries.

I’m playing through the game as a Nuzlocke — a fan-made challenge based on the Pokémon: Hard Mode web comic by Nick Franco which imposes a few extra rules limiting how many ‘mons you can catch, and forcing you to release any that are defeated in battle — and after Nuzlocking later generations, where the concept of losing two companions to a Rattata in a single fight is inconceivable, I haven’t been entirely respectful of the difficulties LeafGreen can present and faced the consequences.

(Image credit: Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.)Hunting for something shiny

You can tell I adore LeafGreen and FireRed as much now as I did the original Game Boy games, but as I’m sitting playing them on my Nintendo Switch 2, I am left wanting more.

Unlike other Game Boy Advance ports on the Switch consoles, these aren’t part of the GBA catalogue you can access via the Switch Online + Expansion Pass membership, which costs $49.99 / £34.99 / AU$59.95 for 12 months. Instead, the games cost $19.99 / £16.99 / AU$30 each.

Best bit

(Image credit: Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.)

The chiptune music is everything. The eeriness of Lavender Town, the tension of Gym Battles, the bombastic adventure exploring the routes between towns, it always perfectly captures the mood and is easily my favorite thing about these games.

There are some advantages to keeping these games separate from the emulator, such as indefinite offline play and Pokémon Home integration, and some of the Nintendo Classics emulator’s tools (like rewind) could enable exploits the series tends to avoid (though that didn’t stop the return of arbitrary code execution with these Switch ports).

However, if Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are asking us to pay a premium for these entries compared to other GBA games on the Switch system, I would have liked something a little more than a simple rerelease (though I do appreciate the inclusion of event tickets, which you can unlock after defeating the Elite Four).

I’m not asking for much. Maybe a new small area to help with filling out the National Dex, challenge mode options like a randomizer or releasing them as a double pack with Ruby and Sapphire.

(Image credit: Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.)

Perhaps I’m just spoiled by still having both of the original cartridges in a box under my bed alongside my aged Game Boy Advance, so I can play the originals whenever I want, but given this is the series 30th birthday, an extra splash of special to these launches would have been a cherry on top of what is otherwise a superb return to Kanto.

Should you play Pokémon LeafGreen and FireRed?Play it if...

You want the best Kanto experience
Whether you're a newcomer or a long-time Pokémon fan these games are the best way to enjoy the series' first region and its story.

You have a second Switch in your home
If you live with family or friends and there's a few Switches in your home these are excellent pickups as you can enjoy multipl;ayer battling and trading like you're back in 2006.

Don't buy it if...

You hate Pokémon
These games define what it means to be a classic Pokémon, in both good and bad ways. If you don't love the typical formula then you won't enjoy these remakes.

(Image credit: Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.)Accessibility

Pokémon LeafGreen and FireRed don't have any specific in-built accessibility features, but they don't need them to be accessible.

The game's turn-based battles and simpler exploration allow you to play completely at your own pace in a way that should be approachable to almost everyone. You only ever need to be able to press one button at a time, so if you can do that, you can enjoy Pokémon LeafGreen.

How I tested Pokémon LeafGreen / FireRed

I have mostly played Pokémon LeafGreen for this review, and I have been enjoying it on my Nintendo Switch 2. To best mimic my classic GBA experience, I’ve played a lot of this game in handheld mode, though I did also play a lot in docked mode — especially during longer sessions where my Switch’s battery life became a concern.

On my Amazon Fire QLED TV, the classic game actually looked pretty good. I was expecting a blurry mess, but the sprites maintained their handheld charm.

My docked controller of choice is usually my 8BitDo Ultimate 2, though I did use my Joy-Cons a lot in my testing, so I could play a little more lazily on my couch.

First reviewed February-March 2026.

Wahoo KICKR Run: One minute review

If you have the budget and the space, the Wahoo KICKR Run is one of the most impressive indoor running experiences you can buy. The deck feels as good as, if not better than, many commercial gym treadmills, with a smooth belt, 15% incline, -3% decline and subtle side-to-side tilt that mimics running on real roads and trails.

RunFree mode, which automatically adjusts the belt to your pace, is genuinely clever and brilliant for intervals (high-intensity bursts followed by periods of recovery pace) and fartlek training (varying the speed) once you have learned how to use it. And if things do get spicy the safety rails and responsive emergency clip give you confidence that you won’t be sent flying.

On the downside, the console is too minimal: you only see pace and incline on the built-in display, so you are pushed into the Wahoo app if you want time and distance, and realistically into using a second screen if you also want to watch a film or TV series while you run.

It is expensive and it doesn’t fold up, and the dependency on an external app will annoy some runners, but as a serious training tool that can replace a gym membership, it absolutely delivers.

Wahoo KICKR Run: Specifications

Component

Wahoo KICKR Run

Max speed

4:00 min/mile (around 15 mph / 24.1 km/h)

Incline range

3% to +15% motorised grade

Side-to-side tilt

±0.5° lateral tilt for simulated camber

Running surface

Approx 69 x 22 in / 175 x 56 cm

Dimensions (L x W x H

Approx 72 x 38 x 58 in (about 183 x 97 x 147 cm)

Weight

Around 410 lb / 186 kg

Motor

3.0 HP continuous motor

User weight limit

Around 250 lb / 113 kg (may vary by region / firmware)

Connectivity

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth; integrates with Wahoo app, Zwift Run and other platforms

Controls

Paddles for quick speed and incline changes; physical safety key and stop button

Extras

Laptop / tablet shelf, two bottle holders, USB charging, transport wheels

Wahoo KICKR Run: Price and availability

• $5,249.99 / £6,000
• Premium price
• Often on sale

Currently available on sale in the US for $5,249.99 direct from Wahoo and major partners. In the UK the device can be purchased from specialist retailers at around £5,999.99. The treadmill is not currently available in Australia.

Whichever region you are in, this is very much a premium treadmill. Even in the US market, reviews place it squarely in the high-end tier alongside Peloton and Technogym models, and often a touch above many mainstream home treadmills.

It is not a casual purchase, but if you normally pay for a gym membership mainly to use a treadmill, it is credible as a long-term replacement.

The KICKR Run itself does not require a subscription just to switch it on and run (unlike other equipment such as Echelon), but its smartest features are woven into Wahoo’s subscription ecosystem. Wahoo’s training subscription costs $17.99 a month / $179 a year in the US, and £14.99 a month / £149.99 a year in the UK. This subscription gives access to Wahoo’s structured workouts, training plans, analytics and content across sports.

• Value score: 4/5

Wahoo KICKR Run: Design

(Image credit: Wahoo)

• Simulates road camber
• Wide access
• Minimal console

Although it is a substantial, non-folding treadmill, the KICKR Run is perfect for a garage or dedicated room and feels sensibly sized rather than monstrous.

The running surface is long and wide enough for fast running, yet the overall frame is trimmed down compared with many gym behemoths, in part because of the lack of an integrated console screen. The deck feels responsive, solid and durable, as good as, or better, than, any gym treadmill.

Full-length safety bars, a safety clip and a big stop button offer security, but the button is very stiff making it difficult to engage. Thankfully the safety clip is fast- acting.

The console is deliberately minimal, with simple read-outs of the elevation and speed. Data such as duration and distance have to be viewed in the Wahoo app, which I found rather irritating. That means your phone becomes a data screen and you need a second device if you want to watch anything while you run.

There are also three mystery buttons which, upon investigation, I discovered control the pages in the app – again, everything about the design is pushing the user towards a Wahoo subscription.

Paddle controls adjust the incline and pace and are a welcome alternative to buttons. Press them lightly for small adjustments, or push further for larger jumps. This feels very intuitive once you have used it a couple of times.

A generous shelf in front of you happily holds a laptop or tablet, so you can watch films or use Zwift while you run. There are two bottle holders and some extra storage for snacks or small items, plus USB charging to keep devices topped up.

The deck can tilt gently side to side by around 0.5°, simulating road camber and adding a subtle feeling of running on real terrain rather than a perfectly flat slab.

In testing it ran happily off a standard 15-amp circuit in a garage without tripping anything. Once in place it has wheels, so you can shuffle it forwards or sideways, but it is not the sort of treadmill you wheel in and out every day.

Rather than leaving you to assemble it yourself, Wahoo’s partners do a proper delivery and setup. Beforehand you share measurements and a short video of the access route and the room so they can confirm it will fit, then they bring it in, build it, and check it is running correctly. That is a big part of why this feels closer to commercial kit than flat-pack gear.

• Design score: 4/5

Wahoo KICKR Run: Features

(Image credit: Lily Canter)

• RunFree mode
• -3% decline and +15% incline
• Paddle controls

The headline feature is the intuitive RunFree mode which uses sensors to gauge your speed. This lets you run at any pace without needing to adjust the belt speed manually.

For easy and moderate running, RunFree feels very natural once you have learned to relax into it. It is particularly good for fartlek workouts and unstructured speed play, in which you simply surge when you feel like it and let the treadmill follow. At higher speeds it can feel a little wild. If you are not ready for the acceleration, you can suddenly feel like you are being pulled along faster than you intended. You quickly learn to keep a hand close to the rails or paddles when you are pushing towards your top pace. Alternatively you can set a pace limit to ensure you don’t go off the rails.

The clever treadmill can also automatically adjust incline and decline, so when you are following a route or a structured session, the hills happen under your feet without manual input (as long as you have a paid Wahoo subscription).

With +15% incline and -3% decline, you can do serious uphill repeats, long uphill hikes, and rare downhill practice – something many gyms do not offer.

• Features score: 5/5

Wahoo KICKR Run: Performance

• Smooth underfoot
• Versatile tilt
• Impressive speed range

In use, the KICKR Run is impressively smooth. The belt feels tight and well-aligned, with none of the looseness or lag that can make you stumble on cheaper machines. The motor keeps up easily with changes in pace, and even under harder efforts the deck feels rock-solid.

With a top speed around 4:00/mile (about 15 mph), it has far more headroom than many home treadmills; realistically, most recreational runners will never touch the ceiling.

Being able to run and hike at 10–15% for prolonged periods makes it a fantastic tool for hill strength, and the -3% decline and lateral tilt make downhill and cambered-road training possible without hunting for the perfect hill outside.

Noise levels will depend on your environment, but in testing it felt in line with other serious treadmills rather than unusually loud or quiet; the limiting factor is more likely to be the sheer presence and weight of the machine than the sound.

• Performance score: 5/5

Scorecard

Category

Comment

Score

Value

Expensive but impressive quality

4/5

Design

Innovative but too app reliance

4/5

Features

Outstanding

5/5

Performance

Exceptional

5/5

Wahoo KICKR Run: Should I buy?Buy it if...

You have a serious budget and want a gym-quality treadmill at home

This is not a budget machine, but if you get what you pay for.

You want proper hill and downhill training

The combination of 15% incline, -3% decline and lateral tilt is rare and excellent for real world preparation.

RunFree suits your training style

If you like to run more by feel than by buttons, RunFree mode and smart grade control will be a genuine upgrade, not just a gimmick.

You already use, or are happy to use, the Wahoo ecosystem

If you have Wahoo sensors, trainers or bike kit, adding the KICKR Run plus a Wahoo subscription ties everything together neatly.

Don't buy it if...

You want a simple, all-in-one treadmill with everything on the built-in screen.

Here, time and distance live in the app, and the console is intentionally minimal.

You dislike relying on external apps and subscriptions

The best experience comes from leaning into the Wahoo app and, optionally, its paid subscription.

You need something compact or foldable

This is still a big, heavy unit; it may be more compact than a commercial gym machine, but you are not sliding it under a bed.

Your priority is a cheap way to move more

There are many under-desk and budget treadmills that will boost your step count for a fraction of the price.

Also consider

NordicTrack Commercial 2950

If you want something more content-led, the NordicTrack pairs a big HD screen with a generous incline and decline range and a deep library of iFit classes.

Read our full NordicTrack Commercial 2950 review

Echelon Stride

If space and budget are tighter, the Echelon Stride is a great beginner option. It is a more compact, auto-folding treadmill that works neatly with the Echelon Fit app, although you do sacrifice some power, cushioning and long-run comfort compared with larger premium machines.

Read our full Echelon Stride review

Technogym Run

At the very top end, the Technogym Run is the pick for those who want a gym-grade experience at home. Its slatted, track-like belt, powerful motor and slick content platform feel seriously premium, but it demands both a dedicated space and a very generous budget.

Read our full Technogym Run review

How I tested

(Image credit: Lily Canter)

Once the treadmill was set up in my garage I used it for longer runs up to 10k, hill reps, easy downhill runs and interval sessions. I used the app to track my sessions and set up a laptop on the console to watch Netflix whilst I ran. The testing period was four weeks.

First reviewed: January 2026

With a throughput of over 11 Gbps, the EnGenius ECW520 wireless access point delivers excellent Wi-Fi 7 performance in a small footprint.

Specifications

Model: EnGenius ECW520

CPU: 1.5GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm ARM CPU

RAM: 1GB

Storage: 256MB flash

Radios: One 6GHz, one 5GHz and one 2.4GHz

Wireless throughput: Theoretical 11Gbps

Ports: 2.5Gb Ethernet with PoE

Weight: 600g

Dimensions: 15.8 cm x 15.8 cm x 3.9 cm

Power Consumption: 25W maximum consumption

MSRP: $189

It connects to the network via a 2.5Gb PoE port and seamlessly extends the range thanks to its mesh capability. A power consumption of just 25W under worst-case conditions means the case barely heats up when normally used.

The out-of-the-box cloud support makes deploying the ECW520 a breeze. The unit provides several operating modes: AP, mesh, or AP with mesh, and packs three full-duplex radios.

The 6 dBi antennas and 23 dBm RF amplifiers result in an operating range of over 10 meters at 500 Mbps throughput. The ease of installation and use, along with its decent wireless performance, make the ECW520 ideal for small offices or work-from-home setups.

(Image credit: Future)EnGenius ECW520: Price and Availability

The access point sells for $189 and includes a mounting wall adapter. The larger ECW526 AP with similar radio performance sports 10Gb ports and costs $299. The ECW536 top-tier AP with 4x4x4 radios supports more simultaneous connections and costs $589.

Engenius access points can only be managed through their cloud services, which start at $50 per device, while the basic free access lacks API support.

(Image credit: Future)EnGenius ECW520: Design

The Engenius ECW520 ships in a tiny box, something surprising for a Wi-Fi 7 access point. This gives a sense of the unit's size: the white plastic case measures 15.8 cm x 15.8 cm x 3.9 cm and weighs 600 g. The metal back panel serves as a heatsink and hosts the module’s ports. Two mounting holes secure the unit vertically to a wall using screws. The unit can also clip onto a plastic base, enabling a faster and easier installation than with just screws.

A single multicolor LED on the front panel provides visual cues about the access point's status. When working normally, the LED emits a blue light. For any other case, the LED blinks either green or blue. The metal back panel features a 12V power socket and a 2.5Gb Ethernet port. A small recessed button is also present and requires a paper clip or pen to reset the AP.

The ECW520 hardware is powered by a Qualcomm CPU and radio chipset. The 1.5GHz quad-core ARM processor has 1GB of DDR4 RAM and 256 MB of flash memory. Three radio modules provide duplex data links at 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz, for an aggregate throughput of 11 Gb/s using the 802.11be standard. The device integrates 23 dBm radio amplifiers and 6 dBi high-gain internal antennas to boost the RF signal.

(Image credit: Future)EnGenius ECW520: In Use

Setting up the ECW520 requires installing the Engenius Cloud app and signing up on the Engenius website. The procedure is complete after scanning a QR code on the back of the access point, which then creates a new device in the mobile app. The AP gets upgraded at this point if a new firmware is available.

The EnGenius cloud service is essential for remote access to the AP. Users can deploy, monitor, and troubleshoot multiple sites from a single interface, either in a browser or, with reduced functionality, from the Cloud To-Go mobile app. Among its most useful features is the Visualized Topology, which provides an overall health report for the network and all connected appliances.

The ECW520 draws power either from the PoE port or a 12V center-positive socket. The access point's power consumption is around 25W with active Wi-Fi connections and radio amplifiers set to maximum gain. At a range of one meter, the ECW520 performs well, achieving a throughput of 2 gigabits per second on the 6 GHz band. Throughput halves at 5 meters, reaching 600 Mbps at 10 meters.

Extending the ECW520's range is achieved with a second unit. The additional AP can either use an existing Ethernet connection or work in a mesh configuration, with only a power adapter connected to it. A mesh works by sharing bandwidth with other ECW520s via a backhaul channel, thereby reducing throughput but providing extra range.

EnGenius ECW520: Competition

The ECW520 packs three duplex radios with high-gain antennas and amplifiers. The simple design targets 2.5Gb PoE infrastructures with cloud management in mind.

The Zyxel NWA130BE has similar features to the ECS520, but it is twice as large. Moreover, its 4 dBi antennas are 2 dBi lower than those in the ECS520, reducing data rates at greater distances from the access point.

EnGenius ECW520: Final Verdict

The ECW520 is a budget-conscious solution that instantly connects to the cloud and delivers over 11 Gbps of throughput over three radio bands.

Thanks to high-gain antennas, these radios provide adequate range for a small home office, with transfer rates of 500 Mbps or more at 10 meters.

The unit is small and discrete, and comes with one wall-mounting panel as an accessory. Since it supports PoE, only one Ethernet connection is required for installation.

Buy if . . . you already have Engenius products and want to get Wi-Fi 7 speed.

Don’t buy . . . if you want to get the most throughput out of your 10Gb wired installation.

We've listed the best WIFI adapters for PC..

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+: Two-minute review

The MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ is a convertible laptop marketed for business users, and includes a stylus to unlock its full creative potential.

It cuts a sophisticated figure, thanks to its dark grey finish and minimal aesthetic. The ultra thin chassis with its soft, curved edges also help to make this an easy laptop to live with, especially if you’re frequently on the move.

Build quality is also excellent. Every material feels premium, and while the hinges for the lid are a little incongruous, they provide a very smooth pivot, which ranks among the best 2-in-1 laptop actions.

The included Nano Pen is engineered to an equally high standard. Like the laptop itself, it’s very compact, and stows away neatly under the front edge of the base, where it also charges wirelessly. It’s easy enough to remove, but putting it back is a little more awkward, since its integrated magnets encourage it to orient incorrectly.

For a laptop this small, it’s impressive that the Flip AI+ manages to include four USB ports (two type-C and two type-A), an HDMI port, and a headset jack. It’s a small shame, though, that a productivity-focused laptop such as this doesn’t feature an SD card reader of any kind.

The Intel Core Ultra 7 355 in my Flip AI+ review unit handled productivity and entertainment workloads with aplomb, while the 32GB of RAM meant it had no problem multitasking. It even managed to run AAA games in a playable state — surprising given there’s no dedicated GPU on board. However, this absence was felt when the Flip AI+ failed to even complete a benchmark test for Adobe Premiere.

(Image credit: Future)

A fair amount of noise is generated even when moderate workloads are undertaken. Some heat can be felt towards the rear as well, reaching the top rows of the keyboard, but thankfully temperatures remained comfortable.

The OLED display of the Flip AI+ is sharp and clear, although it lacks the brightness of the best monitors. Reflections and fingerprints are also visible at times. The touchscreen functions well, though, especially when used with the included Nano Pen; both combine to offer precise and responsive inputs.

MSI Center S is the utility app for the Flip AI+, housing system information and performance tweaks, as well as the ability to enable and customize the Action Touchpad. In the case of the latter, I had to manually update the app for these to work properly, even though I had automatic updates enabled.

The default quick controls for the touchpad are useful and operate smoothly for the most part. However, the brightness slider on the right edge would often trigger unintentionally when I typed, which was frustrating. Another frustration was the momentary freezes and jumps I sometimes experienced when attempting to navigate the cursor.

Fortunately, typing on the Flip AI+ is less fraught. The keys are snappy, although they’re perhaps a little heavier and harsher than I would’ve liked, resulting in the occasional press failing to register. Nonetheless, this is still a board suited to quick typing.

The battery life of the Flip AI+ easily ranks among the best in class. It lasted over 30 hours when I left it to playback a movie on a continuous loop, which is very impressive. It’s also quick to charge, making it a great laptop for those constantly on the move.

The Flip AI+ is undeniably expensive, but considering its premium design, powerful spec, and convertible capabilities, it represents good value. There are certainly cheaper 2-in-1 laptops that offer sufficient everyday performance, but the Flip AI+ is a more complete package. If its touchpad was less frustrating and it had a dedicated GPU, it’d be a hard laptop to beat at this price point.

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ review: Price & availability

(Image credit: Future)

• $1,699.99 / £1,349.99 / AU$$2,999
• Available now
• Good value for the spec

The MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ costs $1,699.99 / £1,349.99 / AU$$2,999 and is available now. Various Intel Core Ultra processors are available depending on region, and in Australia, only the unit with 2TB of storage appears to be available.

If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly convertible laptop, the HP Pavilion x360 14 is a solid alternative. It has a weaker spec than the Flip AI+, and you’ll have to provide your own stylus, but it’s a great device for everyday tasking.

If you want to save even more money on a 2-in-1, the Acer Chromebook Spin 312 is one of the best Chromebooks in this class. Of course, you’ll have to forgo Windows, but if you don’t need the versatility of Microsoft’s OS, a Chromebook can be a useful companion for your studies and light entertainment.

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ review: specs

Price

$1,699.99 / £1,349.99 / AU$$2,999

CPU

US: Intel Core Ultra X7 358H (1.5GHz, 16 cores)

UK: Intel Core Ultra 7 355 (2.3GHz, 8 Cores)

Aus: Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (2.1GHz, 16 cores)

GPU

Intel Graphics (integrated)

RAM

32GB LPDDR5x

Storage

1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD

Aus: 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD

Display

14-inch FHD+ (1920 x 1200), OLED, 16:10, Touchscreen, 100% DCI-P3 (Typical), Low Blue Light & Flicker-free certified by SGS, MSI Nano Pen support

Ports and Connectivity

2x USB-A (3.2 Gen2), 2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 4, DisplayPort, PD 3.0), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x combo audio; Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0

Battery

81Wh

Dimensions

12.4 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches (316 x 222 x 14mm)

Weight

3lbs / 1.37kg

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Thin and premium design
• Plenty of USB ports
• Discreet Nano Pen storage

Credit where credit’s due, MSI has done an admirable job of making the Flip AI+ a stylish machine. Its steely grey finish and minimal proportions impart an elegance not usually found in brand’s designs. What’s more, it’s impressively thin and free from extraneous bulges, even underneath (save from two full-width feet). All this helps to make it an easy device to travel with.

I also appreciated the rounded edges, which are curved more prominently than most. This makes it comfortable to hold and pick up. The thin bezel around the display is another facet of the laptop’s overall sleekness.

All the materials employed in the construction of the Flip AI+ feel premium, especially those of the keyboard and touchpad. They put me in mind of the best MacBooks, which are pretty much the standard bearers for laptop build quality.

(Image credit: Future)

However, the minimalist appearance of the Flip AI+ is somewhat upset by the lid hinges. They look a little cumbersome in relation to the rest of the unit, and create a somewhat unsightly gap between the lid and base. At least they operate smoothly, allowing for easy conversion when you want to use the touchscreen exclusively.

The included Nano Pen is just as compact as the laptop itself. It’s much smaller than many others, but no less upmarket in its design. It charges wirelessly, and the compartment to stow it is discreetly integrated into the underside of the Flip AI+, near the front edge.

This makes it easy to remove, requiring a slight tilt of the base of the Flip AI+ to access. You can even do this one-handed. However, it’s a little more awkward to put back: whenever I tried, the magnets inside the Nano Pen kept trying to flip it around from its correct orientation, requiring more encouragement than I would’ve liked to insert the right way up.

The Flip AI+ features all the essential outboard connections: there are two USB-A ports on the right and two USB-C on the left; the latter support charging of the Flip AI+ as well as external monitor signals. An HDMI port and a 3.5mm combo audio jack are also present, split across either side. Considering how thin and compact the unit is, including this many ports feels generous, although I always lament the omission of an SD card reader on a laptop designed for productivity.

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ review: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Impressive general performance
• Loud under load
• Action Touchpad misfire issue

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ benchmarks

3DMark: Night Raid: 31,643; Fire Strike: 6,517; Steel Nomad: 607; Solar Bay:12,337; Solar Bay Unlimited: 12,434; Solar Bay Extreme: 1,793; Solar Bay Extreme Unlimited: 1,793
Geekbench 6.5: Multicore: 11,670; Single-core: 2,752
Cinebench R23: Multi Core: 10,177; Cinebench R24: Single Core: 116; Multi Core: 628
Crossmark: Overall: 1,785; Productivity: 1,700; Creativity: 2,037; Responsiveness: 1,392
Passmark Overall: 6,809.7; CPU: 22,456.1; 2D Graphics: 780.2; 3D Graphics: 5,363; Memory: 3,581.1; Disk: 48,869.8
BlackMagicDisk: Read: 4,221MB/s; Write: 3,500MB/s
Total War: Warhammer III: 1080p, Medium: 30.2fps
Total War: Warhammer III: 1440p, Ultra: 19.2fps

The Flip AI+ performed well in most of the tasks I conducted. It handled light productivity and entertainment – including 4K streaming – without issue. It also proved to be a capable multitasker, although this was hardly a surprise given the 32GB of RAM my review unit was crammed with.

Even though the Flip AI+ doesn’t have a dedicated GPU, I was impressed with its gaming prowess. It ran Cyberpunk 2077 on the Ray Tracing: Low preset remarkably well. Granted, the visuals were rough around the edges and frame rates were well short of those delivered by the best gaming laptops, but it was still enjoyable enough for casual play.

Video editors and creators will be more disappointed with the Flip AI+, though. It failed to even complete PugetBench’s Adobe Premiere benchmark, despite repeated attempts, due to a certain GPU effect failing to render.

The Flip AI+ also has a tendency to emit a fair amount of fan noise when undertaking workloads, even those that could be described as moderate. This is usually accompanied by some prominent heat at the rear of the unit and on the top row of the keyboard. Mercifully, the temperatures are far from being intolerable, but you’ll certainly notice them.

(Image credit: Future)

As for the display of the Flip AI+, its 1920 x 1200 resolution is clear and sharp, and the OLED technology helps with contrast. It reveals reflections and fingermarks a little too easily, and I wish the maximum brightness setting was higher, but thankfully these grievances aren’t ruinous to the overall visual experience.

Another important aspect of the Flip AI+’s display is its touchscreen functionality. It’s precise and responsive, if a little grabby when used with fingers. However, it handles the included Nano Pen much better. This glides smoothly across the surface, making it ideal for navigation, handwriting, and drawing.

However, the sheer slenderness of the Nano Pen makes using the two side buttons — which are used to erase content, take screenshots, and activate the inbuilt microphone — very awkward when adopting a writing position. Those with daintier digits might have an easier time, but I struggled.

Another standout feature of the Flip AI+ is its Action Touchpad. I found this useful for controlling various parameters, such as volume and screen brightness, quickly. You can also double-tap the left and right corners to open Windows’ Calculator app and the MSI Center S respectively.

However, my initial experience with these functions was beset by various bugs, from the aforementioned quick controls failing to register, to the three custom slots refusing their assignments.

(Image credit: Future)

Thankfully, a manual download to update the MSI Center S to its latest version seemed to fix most of these issues. I was disappointed, though, that this update failed to initiate automatically, since I had this option toggled in the app settings.

I was also disappointed that there was still no way to customize the six default quick controls. But a bigger frustration was the frequent accidental triggering of the brightness quick control, caused by the palm of my thumb when typing. To prevent this I would have to disable all quick controls, since you can’t disable them individually.

This issue aside, typing with the Flip AI+ is mostly pleasant. The keyboard features plenty of useful shortcuts on the top row, including those for Bluetooth settings and Windows’ Snipping Tool. However, disappointingly for a productivity-focused machine, there’s no number pad or even a navigation cluster. There is backlighting, though, which is always cause for celebration in a laptop.

In action, the keys are snappy thanks to their short actuation, which makes for quick typing. However, they’re a little heavier than those in your average laptop, which, in my experience, results in the occasional hit failing to register. Dampening is minimal as well, which can make presses feel a little harsh. These are minor grievances, though, and only stand when compared to the best keyboards around.

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ review: Battery life

(Image credit: Future)

• Phenomenal endurance
• Quick to charge

The battery life of the Flip AI+ is truly spectacular. MSI quotes a longevity of 30 hours, but according to my testing — which involved playing a movie on a continuous loop — it actually exceeded this already remarkable figure by a couple of hours.

To put this into perspective, the most enduring laptop I ever tested was the HP OmniBook 7 14-inch, but even this fell someway short of the Flip AI+ in the same test, mustering just under 26 hours. The Flip AI+ is also quick to charge, taking about two hours to replenish from total depletion.

Should I buy the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+?Scorecard

Category

Notes

Rating

Value

Aside from the lack of a dedicated GPU, the Flip AI+ offers a lot for the money.

4 / 5

Design

Super-thin and with a premium construction, the Flip AI+ ticks all the right boxes in terms of design. Port selection is also reasonable, given the compact form factor.

4.5 / 5

Performance

The Flip AI+ offers great all-round performance, although the absence of a dedicated GPU might disappoint creatives. The touchscreen and Nano Pen are both great, but the Action Touchpad can frustrate.

4 / 5

Battery Life

Pretty much unbeatable. It has a video playback time of over 30 hours, and it’s quick to charge, too.

5 / 5

Final Score

The MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ is a very competent, convertible laptop that represents good value when you consider its build and performance. Only a few minor gripes hold it back from a full-throated recommendation.

4 / 5

Buy it if…

You want an easy-to-use convertible laptop
Light, thin, and well made, the Flip AI+ is easy to use in its converted mode, and the touchscreen and pen function very well, too.

You want a strong spec
Integrated graphics aside, the spec of the Flip AI+ is certainly powerful enough for the needs of many productivity users.

You want to go all day unplugged
I haven’t come across a laptop with a better battery life: it comfortably lasts more than a full day’s worth of use.

Don't buy it if…

You want serious graphical power
Even though I was impressed by how well it ran AAA games, the Flip AI+ isn’t a patch on machines with dedicated GPUs.

You want a fuss-free touchpad
The Action Touchpad is most excellent, but the frequent misfiring of the brightness slider when typing was frustrating.

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ review: Also consider

HP Pavilion x360 14
Another 2-in-1 Windows laptop, the HP Pavilion x360 14 is a competent everyday machine with a premium design and a sharp display, but a much lower price tag than the Flip AI+. There are models without backlit keyboards, but I recommend steering clear of those, given how hard it is to make out the key symbols even in the light. Read our full HP Pavilion x360 14 review.

Acer Chromebook Spin 312
If you want a seriously budget convertible option, the Acer Chromebook Spin 312 is a solid choice. Since it’s a Chromebook, you’ll have to forgo the versatility of Windows, but it’s still a strong-performer with a great display and a compact design that’s suited for travel. Read our full Acer Chromebook Spin 312 review.

How I tested the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested for several days
• Ran our series of benchmarks

I tested the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ for several days, during which time I used it for all manner of tasks, from general browsing and productivity to streaming and gaming.

I also ran our extensive series of benchmarks, designed to assess every facet of a laptop’s performance. I also tested the battery life by running a movie on a continuous loop while the Flip AI+ was unplugged until it died.

I’ve been using laptops for decades and have reviewed a large number of them, from budget affairs and Chromebooks to mid-range productivity machines and high-end gaming models.

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

I've really enjoyed following Steve Carell's career over the years. Whether it's his iconic role as Michael Scott on The Office or his much more serious performance as Alan Strauss in Hulu's The Patient, I've been consistently impressed by what he does.

In HBO Max's Rooster, Carell plays Greg Russo. He's the author of a series of books following a main character called, you guessed it, Rooster. Russo had gained a fandom through that character even though he's not as successful himself, with painful emotions coming to the surface as he returns to the same arts college, Ludlow, where his wife left him 25 years ago.

History repeats itself at this, frankly, cursed college. Russo's daughter, Katie, works there, and she's having her own relationship drama. Her husband Archie has left her for a student, with whom he was having an affair, and everybody knows about it.

Archie is played by Ted Lasso's Phil Dunster, who perfectly encapsulates Archie's self-serving attitude. Much like Dunster's outstanding performance as Jamie Tartt in Ted Lasso, though, he's layered and will find a way to charm you despite all of that. Despite his many, many flaws, it's not impossible to see why Katie married him in the first place.

On his first day, Greg meets college president Walter Mann, played by the always wonderful John C. McGinley. If you liked him in Scrubs, you'll certainly enjoy him here too, as he plays quite the eccentric character with some very strong opinions about the college and the people in it. Every scene involving him is brilliantly awkward, and the cast is a real selling point here.

Given the strained relationship between Katie and Greg, it's hard for him to comfort his daughter, but he does his best anyway. She immediately tries to embarrass him when he gatecrashes her lecture, and is critical of the fact that he's there to check up on her, even though he insists he's just there to guest lecture.

Greg makes his disdain for Archie very clear from episode one, positioning himself as a caring father despite the rampant self-deprecation and awkwardness we often see from him. Scenes between Greg and Archie are among my favorites, and they are played very well by Carell and Dunster.

But there's more to Rooster than just this, and Greg ends up getting into all sorts of unwelcome situations during his time at Ludlow, which was meant to be a simple guest lecturing gig, after all.

These include an unfortunate appearance on the news, run-ins with local law enforcement, and criticisms from students about some of the narrative choices in his novel, especially the over-reliance on sex appeal.

Not all of the topical jokes worked for me, but humor is subjective, so perhaps you'll enjoy those more than I did. It definitely segues into slapstick when it doesn't really need to.

Charly Clive and Phil Dunster play a couple whose broken marriage is the talk of the campus. (Image credit: HBO Max)

Outside of the comedy, though, the series does do serious moments well. Katie is terrible at emotional vulnerability, using sarcasm as a shield, and Greg doesn't quite know how to navigate that. He just isn't as cool and collected as Rooster, despite his efforts to emulate him.

Greg ends up having a tequila-induced heart-to-heart with Dylan Shepard, a bubbly faculty member played by Danielle Deadwyle, where we learn more about his failed marriage, so the series is character-driven from the get-go. They clearly have chemistry too, making me keen to see how it unfolds over the next nine episodes.

Rooster has all the ingredients for a fun weekend watch. With quick episodes that are easy to watch, the Sunday time slot is ideal for this show. Episodes are released weekly, and you can easily slot this into your streaming schedule if you want something light that still gives you plenty to think about.

I did find the way Rooster was filmed a little jarring, but honestly, it didn't take away from the great performances and the important themes explored. It's a fun addition to HBO Max's library, showcasing Carell at his best, where he effortlessly blends humor and seriousness.

Rooster is available on HBO Max in the US and Australia, and Sky Comedy in the UK.

Light spoilers follow for Project Hail Mary.

Project Hail Mary (PHM) is a movie I've been itching to see for some time. The second book penned by sci-fi author Andy Weir to be adapted for the big screen — the first being 2015's extremely well-received The Martian — PHM has all of the ingredients necessary to similarly be critical and commercially successful.

Sometimes, though, said components — the cast and crew, production, and translating a story from page to screen, to name just three — don't gel as well as they should. Color me relieved and delighted, then, that Amazon's latest silver screen vehicle is not only an emotionally resonant and eye-popping visual experience, but also a near-perfect masterpiece that's a shoo-in for 2026's best movies list.

Save our stars

Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, an unassuming teacher sent on a mission to save our Sun (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

A direct retelling of the nonlinear narrative in Weir's 2021 hard sci-fi novel namesake, Project Hail Mary introduces us to Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), a junior high school teacher and infamous former molecular biologist.

Waking from a coma, a disoriented and amnesiac — and, after surveying his surroundings, understandably panic-stricken — Grace finds himself aboard a spaceship 12 light-years from Earth.

Project Hail Mary's overarching narrative is one built on hope, optimism, collaboration, and companionship

Eventually, Grace remembers why he's here: the Sun is dying. In fact, all but one of the galaxy's known stars — Tau Ceti — are waning at an incredibly rapid rate.

Consequently, Grace has seemingly been sent on a one-way mission to discover the root cause of this cosmic phenomenon, learn why Tau Ceti isn't affected by it, and — potentially — find a cure. Fail, and the catastrophic ice age will engulf our world in approximately 30 Earth years. No pressure, then.

Grace is hired by European Space Agency head Eva Stratt (Sandra Huller, right) for the titular mission (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

At a time when the real world seems bleak, PHM's dystopian premise might be the last thing we need right now — and yet, its overarching narrative is one built on hope, optimism, collaboration, and companionship.

Sure, its first act doesn't indicate that'll be the case. Indeed, it plays out like a survival thriller as Grace resigns himself to his fate — that being, getting drunk and living out his days until his supplies run out — rather than embrace his status as Earth's unlikely hero.

Expository flashbacks, which shed more light on the cosmic mystery at large, as well as Grace's personality, backstory, and role in trying to solve said enigma, also paint a vivid picture ofPHM's disaster movie sensibilities, and the supposedly insurmountable task facing our overwhelmed and lonesome protagonist.

With no prior astronaut experience, Grace essentially spends the first act lost in space (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

As I alluded to, however, one of 2026's most exciting new movies isn't an emotionally cold or haunting sci-fi tale like Moon or another Gosling-led film in Blade Runner 2049, but rather a surprisingly funny one, especially once Project Hail Mary becomes a buddy adventure (more on this later).

The integration of humor won't surprise fans of Weir's works and/or anyone who's seen The Martian, which is similarly multi-genre to PHM in its make-up. The same can be said of directing duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller's previous works (The LEGO Movie, 21 Jump Street), which have surprising emotional depth amid their riotously funny moments.

Gosling is given ample opportunity to showcase his aptitude for comedy

Still, Project Hail Mary highlights Gosling's impeccable comedic timing — a talent that, until his performances in recent flicks including 2024 megahit Barbie and 2025 action-comedy The Fall Guy, was severely underutilized. Thankfully, Gosling is given ample opportunity to showcase his aptitude for comedy in chucklesome scenes laced with physical, deadpan, situational, and miscommunication-based humor.

Needless to say, Gosling is as much a tour de force in PHM's quieter and dramatic moments as its amusing and action-oriented ones.

Films of this emotional magnitude and multi-tonality require a certain caliber of actor to anchor them — without one, movies can easily fall apart. But, with its lead star firing on all cylinders, Project Hail Mary has enough emotional thrust to catapult it into the stratosphere.

A Rocky road trip

Rocky is the newest addition to the throng of adorable aliens we've seen on the big screen (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

As any experienced vehicle operator will say, though, you can never have enough fuel in the tank — and, from an emotive perspective, that's where Gosling's adorable alien co-star comes into play.

Indeed, as Project Hail Mary's first trailer and subsequent teasers showed, Grace soon learns he isn't the only one trying to crack the case. Indeed, Rocky (voiced by puppet designer/performer James Ortiz), an eyeless, arachnid-like extraterrestrial, is on the same mission to save the star that its home world, Erid, orbits.

Rocky helps to bring out the best in his new human companion (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

Rocky doesn't appear until the start of the film's second act. Once he does, though, PHM's story subtly shifts from an introspective solo flick to an intimate two-hander as an unlikely yet deeply warm friendship — one that unmistakably becomes the film's emotional core — forms between Grace and his instantaneously lovable new bestie.

Grace and Rocky's bromance is one that evokes the very best on-screen human-alien friendships

A far cry from the uninspiring bond between Jakub Procházka and Hanuš in Netflix's 2024 sci-fi flick Spaceman, Grace and Rocky's bromance is one that evokes the very best on-screen human-alien friendships. Think E.T. and Elliot in E.T: The Extraterrestrial, Han Solo and Chewbacca in Star Wars, and Lilo & Stitch in their eponymous animated and live-action films, and you'll get a sense of how integral Grace and Rocky's dynamic is to Project Hail Mary's entertaining yet perilous plot.

Project Hail Mary is a feast for the eyes (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

And fraught with danger it most certainly is. Eye-bulgingly beautiful and electrifyingly euphonious as PHM is — believe me, you'll want to see this in IMAX or on the biggest Dolby Atmos-supported screen you can — our unlikely heroes' quest is terrifyingly treacherous.

There won't be many films this year that'll restore your faith in humanity like Project Hail Mary will

Nowhere is this more apparent in Project Hail Mary's tentpole set-piece, which sees Grace and Rocky embark on a high-stakes and life-threatening mission that'll go a long way to solving their celestial conundrum. It's an intense, nail-biting action sequence that, combined with Greig Fraser's (Dune, The Batman) visually powerful cinematography and Daniel Pemberton's (the Spider-Verse movies) heart-pounding, otherworldly score, gripped me from start to finish.

I'm not afraid to admit that the final 45 minutes, which include the aforementioned extended scene, had me choked up on more than one occasion, too. No spoilers, but if you welled up or cried watching poignant sci-fi movies like Interstellar and The Iron Giant, or even feel-good genre fare like The Martian, I'd bring some tissues with you.

My verdict

It's the sign of a spectacular movie when you never glance at your watch, so it won't shock you that I consider Project Hail Mary to not only be a spellbinding genre epic, but also a contender — even at this early stage — to be one of the best films of the year.

Okay, the story occasionally strays into predictable territory, but that's the only fault I found with what I expect to be the latest addition to the sci-fi movie pantheon. An edge-of-your-seat, spacefaring comedy-drama that'll resonate through its 'ordinary individuals doing extraordinary things' narrative lens, there won't be many films this year that'll restore your faith in humanity like PHM will. In the words of Rocky himself, go see this "amaze, amaze, amaze" movie as soon as you can.

Project Hail Mary arrives in theaters on March 19 (UK and Australia) and March 20 (US and everywhere else).