TechRadar Reviews

It is hard to overstate how magical the original Super Mario Galaxy felt when it launched on Wii back in 2007. Gravity-defying levels, soaring orchestrated music, and a sense of wonder that still stands out alongside the other staples in the platforming genre, almost 20 years later.

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: October 2, 2025

In celebration of the Italian plumber's 40th anniversary, Nintendo has re-released this classic alongside Super Mario Galaxy 2 on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 in one enhanced package.

I was curious to see if these classics could shine just as brightly two decades later. The good news is they're as magical as ever, offering the same incredible journeys now with gorgeous visuals and the ability to play the sequel on the go for the first time ever.

Cosmic performance

On Switch 2, both games look fantastic. Docked, you get crisp 4K resolution that makes every planet sparkle. Handheld mode delivers smooth 1080p visuals that feel perfectly tuned for portable play.

I encountered no performance hiccups across either adventure. Frame rates remain locked, load times are snappy, and the vibrant art style still feels timeless. These games were stunning on Wii, but the extra fidelity here makes them genuinely pop on modern displays, like my Samsung S90D OLED TV.

It is worth noting that Super Mario Galaxy did appear on Switch once before, as part of the limited Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection. That version didn't reinvent the wheel, but it gave Switch users access to the game alongside Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. Unfortunately, Nintendo no longer sells 3D All-Stars, an odd choice that has led to inflated prices on the second-hand market.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

This new Switch 2 release offers the same core experience, now enhanced with sharper visuals, better performance, and bundled alongside Super Mario Galaxy 2 for the first time on modern hardware. For fans who missed out on 3D All-Stars, or who simply want the most definitive way to play, this collection is a clear step forward.

The sound design has also aged remarkably well. Koji Kondo’s orchestral score is given room to breathe with a cleaner mix, and it feels cinematic in a way that very few modern platformers achieve.

Hearing the soundtrack through my Sonos Arc Ultra is a reminder of just how ambitious Nintendo was with these titles and genuinely brought me back to my childhood.

In my time playing this game, I've been listening to both games' soundtracks on repeat as I work. In fact, as I write this review, I'm bopping my head to Gusty Garden Galaxy - gorgeous.

Galaxies intertwined

(Image credit: Nintendo)

The core adventures remain intact, so if you've played through either game recently, you might not want to jump back in. Nintendo has a solution, however, offering both games as a complete package or as individual titles, perfect for those who luckily own the aforementioned 3D All-Stars.

Super Mario Galaxy's planet-hopping platforming eases players into its gravity-bending tricks, while Super Mario Galaxy 2 embraces creativity and challenge right from the start. Having them bundled together only highlights how well the sequel doubled down on experimentation.

Galaxy 2 adds Yoshi to the mix, alongside power-ups like the Cloud Flower and Rock Mushroom, each of which introduces new mechanics that feel clever even today. Returning to these levels reminded me how bold Nintendo was in the Wii era, layering complexity onto Mario without losing accessibility.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Nintendo has added some small but welcome touches for this new release. In Super Mario Galaxy, there is an additional chapter in Rosalina’s picture book that fleshes out her story in a way longtime fans will appreciate.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 goes a step further with a completely new tale in its own picture book, offering fresh lore and a reason to revisit the Comet Observatory between levels. These are not game-changing additions, but they add warmth and make this edition feel more than a simple upscaled port.

Wii controls reimagined

As someone who hasn't played 3D All-Stars in nearly five years, one of my biggest questions going back to these games was how well the controls would translate to modern hardware. The original games were designed with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk in mind, leaning heavily on motion controls.

Best bit

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 have some of, if not the, best video game soundtracks of all time. It has been a magical experience reliving my childhood through gorgeous orchestral music that makes me feel just like that famous scene from Pixar's Ratatouille.

On Switch 2, motion is still present with the Joy-Con, but it feels far less intrusive than it once did. You can play comfortably in handheld, docked, or with a Pro Controller, and I found myself gravitating to the latter for longer sessions.

All you need to do is hold down ZR and use the gyro in the Pro Controller to pick up Star Bits. In fact, I much prefer it to the Wii experience, but that might be my cynical 30-year-old brain that no longer appreciates a gimmick.

A trip down memory lane

(Image credit: Nintendo)

The biggest compliment I can give Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 on Nintendo Switch 2 is that these adventures feel as fresh today as they did at launch in 2007 and 2020, respectively.

The level design is inventive and playful, constantly surprising you with new mechanics that rarely outstay their welcome. Few platformers manage to strike the same balance of accessibility and depth.

Nintendo has not tinkered much beyond resolution, performance, and the new story content, but that restraint works here. The design is so strong that all it needed was a modern coat of paint.

Mario’s journey through the stars is still a cosmic marvel

While part of me would have liked to see some new content like we've seen in the past with the addition of Bowser's Fury in the remaster of Super Mario 3D World, I've just enjoyed the simplicity of replaying these classics in 4k.

If you have never played Super Mario Galaxy or its sequel, this is the definitive way to experience them. And if you have, the combination of rock-solid performance, upgraded visuals, and new story content makes these experiences worth revisiting.

Few platformers feel as inventive, joyful, or downright magical as Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2. Nearly twenty years on, Mario’s journey through the stars is still a cosmic marvel.

Should you buy Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2?Buy it if...

You’ve never played Super Mario Galaxy or Super Mario Galaxy 2
These games haven't aged a day, providing some of the best platforming experiences you can have on any console. If you've never played Super Mario Galaxy or its sequel, now is the time to jump on board with gorgeous visuals and buttery smooth performance.

You want to relive the nostalgia of youth
I know I keep talking about the magic of both games' soundtracks, but I've had such a blast replaying both and genuinely felt moved hearing some of this music again. The full experience is nothing short of extraordinary and lives up to modern gaming design almost two decades later.

Don't buy it if...

You own 3D All-Stars
If you already own Super Mario 3D All-Stars, then I think you can skip the original Mario Galaxy here. Luckily, Nintendo offers Super Mario Galaxy 2 on its own, albeit digitally, so if you've already experienced the first in the series recently, you can jump into its sequel on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.

Accessibility

Not much to write home about in terms of accessibility. Both games include an Assist Mode, which increases your life and bounces you back from falls.

Settings allow you to change the way you interact with the camera via thumbsticks and motion controls.

It would've been nice to see more additions to accessibility, but it appears as if Nintendo has kept even the settings faithful to the originals.

How I reviewed Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

I played around 25 hours total, split between both games, and used my OLED TV for a full 4k experience. I played Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition in a mixture of handheld mode on the Nintendo Switch 2 itself and on one of the best OLED TVs, the Samsung Q90D, using the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller.

I had previously played both games on the Wii and had experienced Super Mario Galaxy on Nintendo Switch as part of Super Mario 3D All-Stars.

First reviewed September 2025

The Pecron E3600 power station is built like a tank and offers great autonomy thanks to its 3072Wh LFP battery pack.

Specifications

Battery chemistry: LiFePO4

Battery capacity: 3072Wh

Number of charge cycles: Over 3500 before 20% drop

AC output power: 3600W, surge 7000W

Number of AC outlets: 5

Number of USB sockets: 4 Type A, 2 Type C

Number of 12V sockets: 1 XT60, DC 5521, 1 Car Adapter

Number of extra battery ports: 2, total of 15360Wh

Number of power inputs: 3

Fastest charge time: 1.3 hours

Additional features: Bluetooth and Wi-Fi

Weight: 36kg

A high-efficiency 3600W AC inverter, which can surge to 7200W for short periods, can power both heavy-duty machinery, such as welding machines, and home appliances. Charging the unit takes just over one hour using the fast-charge mode from the grid. Solar charging takes only a bit longer, reaching two hours.

What makes the E3600 unique is its blend of output sockets that includes the RV-friendly TT30. A Wi-Fi interface supported by Bluetooth, along with a well-designed interface, delivers an excellent user experience out of the box, thanks to the bright IPS screen, which offers a clutter-free menu. The E3600 is heavy, weighing 36kg, and will most likely require two persons to lift.

The E3600 typically costs $2299, and is on special for $1259, which is an unbelievable price for a 3kW-class power station. We recommend getting the wheeled trolley for $149. The solar kit bundles the E3600 with a different number of solar panels, with prices ranging from $1559 for a single 300W panel to $3404 for six 300W panels.

(Image credit: Future)Pecron E3600: Design

The E3600 weighs 36kg and measures 44.5 cm x 30.7 cm x 35 cm. The unit is well-packed and ships with numerous accessories, including solar and grid charging cables, a screwdriver, and a nylon pouch. The plastic station feels sturdy, and with two built-in handles, it can be carried around by two people with some effort.

The station packs a 5” color LCD that Pecron uses judiciously, incorporating big icons, some animations, and multiple languages. Ultimately, the display conveys data to the user in a quick and efficient manner. Two push buttons control the output sections, turning them on and off. Other features are available by navigating the menu using the touchscreen.

The E3600 includes a 30A TT30 outlet, ideal for use in an RV, along with four 15A 120V AC sockets. The station supports 100V, 110V, and 120V, with the option found hidden in the display’s menu. The DC outputs are also plentiful. Pecron offers two 15W wireless chargers, both located at the top of the unit. In addition to providing standard six USB sockets, it also features an XT60 12V/30A socket to power small appliances, such as coolers.

The E3600 offers quick charging through an AC input that also supports slower charging times. The power cable is custom-built with a proprietary circular socket, and unlike competitive products, it cannot be substituted with a standard household AC cord. At a power input of 3200W, the fast charge fills the battery in one hour and twenty minutes, with a five percent efficiency reduction due to heat.

(Image credit: Future)Pecron E3600: In Use

A common feature of power stations is to control the unit using a mobile app. The E3600 is no exception; it uses Bluetooth to initiate setup and eventually connects through Wi-Fi. All features available on the main display are also present in the app, including real-time charging and output information, as well as control over AC and DC outputs.

A slow charging mode limits the power to 1800W to accommodate more standard home energy distribution. The mobile app allows further reduction of the charging current. With up to 2400W of DC power at its Anderson inputs, an optimal solar configuration consists of a series arrangement of three 300W panels, since the station’s input allows a maximum DC voltage of 150V.

The unit can power devices at temperatures ranging from -20 to 45 degrees Celsius. Charging, on the other hand, is more restrictive, with an operating temperature ranging from 0 to 45 degrees Celsius. The station protects against short circuits by cutting off power when they are detected, effectively acting as a fuse. Any overcurrent on the input ports is also monitored to reduce the risk of thermal runaway in the batteries.

Pecron’s E3600 packs a UPS mode. When the unit connects to an AC outlet, power typically flows from the grid to output devices, bypassing the battery. The E3600 switches to its battery in under 20 ms when the AC power is removed. This process reduces the battery's charge and discharge cycles, helping to extend the station's life.

Pecron E3600: The Competition

Among the competition to the E3600 is the Bluetti Apex 300. This station has the same characteristics as the Pecron station. It can deliver 3800W to its 20A AC outlets and features a 2700Wh battery, which is smaller than that of the E3600. The number of available sockets is lower; the Apex 300 lacks the TT30 30A socket and does not provide wireless charging.

(Image credit: Future)Pecron E3600: Final Verdict

The E3600 is a great power station for those on a budget who require a large amount of battery capacity. The output options are also numerous, featuring a variety of wireless charging options, low-power DC outputs, and a high-current socket for the camping car. The output power is rated at 3600W, which may seem reasonable on paper, but it can surge to twice its rated power for a short period.

The station is not without drawbacks. It is heavy due to its reliance on LFP battery chemistry. You will need two people to move it around. The UPS mode is functional, but it requires adjusting settings in the mobile app.

Buy the E3600 if ... you are on a budget but need a large amount of battery capacity and output power.

Don’t get the E3600 if ... you are looking for a lightweight power solution.

We've listed the best power banks.

JBL Charge 6: Two-minute review

The JBL Charge 6 portable wireless speaker isn’t as closely related to the outgoing JBL Charge 5 as it might first appear. Oh, in physical terms they’re closely related – but the Charge 6 adds some nice new specification upgrades, as well as a very useful carry handle, in an effort to maintain the Charge’s position as the pre-eminent mid-priced option among the best Bluetooth speakers.

So as well as 45 watts of power and an impressive frequency response of 54Hz - 20kHz, the JBL Charge 6 can be hard-wired via USB-C in order to deliver true hi-res audio. It will run for 24 hours from a single charge – longer if you don’t mind sacrificing some bass response – and can act as a charger for your smartphone.

Two JBL Charge 6 units can form a stereo pair, and it can connect to any Auracast-enabled speakers for as numerous a speaker system as you fancy. An IP68 rating and a predictably robust standard of build and finish means it is happy in pretty much any environment.

And in action, the Charge 6 is a deft and assertive listen with a whole lot of positives about the way it deals with your audio files. Over Bluetooth, it’s punchy and detailed in equal measure, with a nice tonal balance and fairly even frequency response. Up the ante with some hi-res stuff via USB-C and it gains additional dynamism, insight and rhythmic positivity.

Really, only lowering volume to ‘background’ levels can upset it – quite a lot of its direct and expansive nature goes astray when you try to listen quietly. This thing is made for fun.

So yes, ‘Charge 6’ turns out to be a little more than just ‘Charge 5 +1’, and it's as good as speakers this size, at this price, get right now.

JBL Charge 6 review: Price and release date

• Released in April 2025
• Officially priced at $149 / £129 / AU$179

The JBL Charge 6 is on sale now, and in US you can find it for $159, in the the United Kingdom it sells for £169 (unless you decide you fancy the rather lively purple or red finishes, which for some reason are £5 less expensive), while in Australia it goes for AU$229.

That's a similar price to the JBL Charge 5 at its launch, though the older model can now be found in the $120-$140 region regularly, or is £119 in the UK at the time of writing.

The Charge 6 is a good price for this kind of speaker – for example, it's priced similarly to the Sonos Roam 2, which is much smaller and less powerful than this, but the JBL doesn't have the multi-room Wi-Fi skills of the Sonos.

(Image credit: Future)JBL Charge 6 review: Specs

Weight:

1.37kg

Dimensions:

229 (W) x 99 (H) x 94 (D) mm

Battery life (quoted):

Up to 24 hours (28 with boost mode)

Connectivity:

Bluetooth 5.4 with SBC and AAC codecs

Drivers:

53 x 93 mm mid/bass 'racetrack' driver, 20mm tweeter

Aux-in:

No (USB-C audio passthrough)

Charger port:

USB-C

Microphone:

No

Waterproof rating:

IP68

JBL Charge 6 review: Features

• 45 watts of power
• 54Hz - 20kHz frequency response
• 24 hours of battery normally, can be boosted to 28 hours

When it comes to a wireless connection, the Charge 6 uses Bluetooth 5.4 (good) and is compatible with SBC and AAC codecs (less good, but normal).

Unlike a lot of nominal rivals, though, the JBL has a USB-C slot that can be used for data transfer as well as for charging its battery, meaning that if you connect it to an appropriate source, hi-res audio of up to 24bit/96kHz can be yours (very good indeed).

The battery itself will run for around 24 hours (as long as you’re not absolutely blasting the volume), and if you switch ‘playtime boost’ on, that number rises to 28 hours in exchange for a rather obvious curtailing of low-frequency presence.

This is basically as long as battery life gets for portable speakers – certainly for speakers that are actually easy to carry around.

The JBL will even act as a power bank, so you can connect your phone to the USB-C port to charge it if push comes to shove – but this will, of course, eat into the Charge 6’s own battery life. From ‘flat’ to ‘full’, by the way, takes a fairly leisurely three hours.

No matter how the audio information makes it onboard, it’s attended to by 45 watts of Class D power driving a 20mm tweeter and a racetrack mid/bass driver. It's basically the same speaker setup as the JBL Flip 7, but with bigger speakers in all cases and more power – lovely.

In conjunction with the passive radiator at each end, JBL claims this arrangement is good for a frequency response of 54Hz up to 20kHz.

• Features score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future)JBL Charge 6 review: Sound quality

• Big and punchy (but also deft and detailed) sound
• Capable of significant volume
• Loses interest at lower levels

You might think you know what you’re getting, sound-wise, when you look at the Charge 6. And in some ways, you’d be right – give it a stream of Outkast’s The Way You Move and the JBL delivers it with scale and considerable substance. Its sound is big and weighty, and there’s plenty of drive and momentum to ensure the rhythm is expressed with real positivity.

But the Charge 6 is no blunt instrument. It retrieves and reveals plenty of detail, is more than capable of handling the transient or minor events in the recording, and is just as adept at describing the harmonic variations as it is the broad dynamic strokes of ‘quiet’ and ‘loud’. Sure, it’s an energetic and quite forceful listen – but it pays just as much attention to the light and shade of a recording as it does the attack.

Its frequency response is fairly even; there’s a slight skew to the bottom end, sure, but it’s nothing fatal. And its tonal balance is equally well-judged, so there’s crisp presence at the top end to balance the punchy lower frequencies – and in the midrange, the JBL makes the character and technique of a vocalist pretty apparent.

Switch to a 24-bit/96kHz FLAC file of The Past is a Grotesque Animal by of Montreal, served to the Charge 6 via USB-C, and the entire presentation steps on. The soundstage opens up yet further, detail levels enjoy a big uptick, and the amount of space available to each element of the recording makes for greater overall scale.

Dynamic headroom increases, the unity of the frequency range is made more apparent, and the control of low-frequency activity makes for a rhythmically positive and articulate sound.

It’s worth noting that many of these uncomplicatedly enjoyable aspects of music-making are rather diminished should you decide to listen to the Charge 6 at volumes levels of ‘modest’ or below.

The JBL is not especially tolerant of being treated as a ‘background listening’ device, and a fair amount of its directness and assertiveness deserts it in the circumstance. No one puts Baby in the corner, so it seems…

• Sound quality: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future)JBL Charge 6 review: Design

• IP68-rated for dust and waterproofing
• Seven finishes, and useful carry handle
• Reasonably compact at 229 x 99 x 94mm

In broad terms, it’s JBL Charge business as usual here. The speaker is almost cylindrical, with a flattened area on the bottom for it to rest on. Each end of the almost-cylinder features some sturdy rubberization to protect the passive radiator (and its rather alarming ‘!’ branding) at each end.

A few physical controls are arranged across the top, at the rear there’s a USB-C slot, and the entire thing is wrapped in hardwearing fabric.

Changes in design over the outgoing Charge 5 are very few – but they’re all significant. Those rubber end caps are now even more robust than before. The material that covers almost the entire speaker is now 100% recycled material. The controls are in two rows for even greater ease of operation.

The IP rating has risen from a very acceptable IP67 to IP68 – which indicates the Charge 6 is virtually impregnable. And there’s now a flexible, branded carry-handle that fits to the top of the speaker and means it’s more easily portable than before.

A choice of seven different finishes runs from a business-like black to a camo number JBL calls ‘squad’. No matter the color you choose, though, you’ll be in possession of a carefully designed and beautifully built portable speaker.

• Design score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future)JBL Charge 6 review: Usability and setup

• JBL ‘Portable’ control app
• A few physical controls
• Auracast and stereo pairing

The two rows of physical controls on the Charge 6 cover volume up/down, play/pause, power on/off, Bluetooth pairing and Auracast pairing – as long as the other speakers in your prospective group are Auracast-enabled, there’s no practical limit to the number of speakers you can join together or the amount of space you can cover.

Each of the controls is reliable, and very positive in its action – and the ability to pair two Bluetooth devices at a time is very welcome too.

The company’s ‘Portable’ control app is a useful little number too. Here’s where you can form a stereo pair with another Charge 6, check out a number of EQ presets or establish some of your own, check on battery life, and turn on ‘playtime boost’.

It’s a clean and stable app that’s a cut above the sort of thing some rival portable speakers are accompanied by.

• Usability and setup: 5/5

(Image credit: Future)JBL Charge 6 review: Value

If you want it for background listening, look elsewhere for your Bluetooth speaker, and spend less money while you’re at it – the five-star JBL Flip 7 would work nicely.

But if you decide to let it do its thing, the JBL Charge 6 has more than enough sonic talent to justify its asking price – and the fact that it’s so well made, so hardy and so very usefully specified only seals the deal.

• Value score: 5/5

Should I buy the JBL Charge 6?JBL Charge 6

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Can't fault the battery life, USB-C connectivity, or Auracast option – higher-res wireless would be nice, though

4.5/5

Sound quality

Powerful, well-balanced and more detailed than you expect – especially in its USB-C mode

4.5/5

Design

Tougher than ever, made from more recycled material, and with a useful handle

5/5

Usability and setup

Very easy, with just the right amount of controls on the device, and a good app

5/5

Value

Reliable, long-lasting, great-sound – feels like a superb option for the price

5/5

Buy it if…

You want balanced and vigorous sound from your speaker
The Charge 6 may look a bit of a bruiser, but it’s a deft and insightful (as well as bruising) listen.

You like a bit of hi-res audio
Hard-wired via USB-C to an appropriate source, the JBL can be a genuinely hi-res device.

You want ‘portable’ to mean ‘portable’
That new carry-handle makes more of a difference than you might think.

Don’t buy it if…

You are likely to do your listening at modest levels
The JBL gives away quite a lot of its sonic animation at low volume.

JBL Charge 6 review: Also consider

Sonos Roam 2
This hits the Charge 6 more-or-less head-on where price is concerned, and in its own way it's just as adaptable a listen, with multi-room over Wi-Fi on offer instead of USB-C audio and Auracast. Its battery life is relatively miserly, though, and it doesn’t have the outright scale of sound to compete either.
Read more in our Sonos Roam 2 review

Bose SoundLink Plus
This is just as robust as the JBL Charge 6, both in the way it’s constructed and the way it sounds. It doesn’t lose interest at lower volumes, either – but it’s not quite as deft a performer as the JBL, and it’s a little more expensive too.
Read more in our Bose SoundLink Plus review

How I tested the JBL Charge 6

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested for over a week
• Tested in a variety of real-world locations
• Connected wireless and wired, with a variety of file types

I connect the JBL Charge 6 via Bluetooth to an Apple iPhone 14 Pro, an Apple MacBook Pro and a FiiO JM21 digital audio player.

I also connected it to the laptop via USB-C, where the Colibri software on the machine allowed the Charge 6 to play authentically hi-res content.

I listened indoors and outdoors, at a variety of volume levels and to a variety of types of music. And I did all this for well over a working week (and sometimes at the weekend too).

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: September 2025

Gmail is the world’s most popular email platform, with a stunning user base of over 1.8 billion. In other words, over 20% of the world’s population uses Gmail in individual or business capacity.

Given that Gmail is free, easy to use, and is operated by Google, the company behind the world’s leading search engine, it’s no surprise that Gmail is very popular. However, does that translate into Gmail being the best email provider for you? What are its features, and how does it fare against competitors? This guide will answer these questions.

I’ve thoroughly reviewed Gmail to help you determine whether it’s the best email platform for your personal or business needs. Read on to learn about Gmail in detail, including its pricing, ease of use, security, and key features.

Gmail: Plans and pricing

You can use the personal version of Gmail for free. However, like most things, it’s free up to a certain point. Users have up to 15 GB of free storage for pictures, videos, other documents, and other attachments in their email inbox. If you exceed 15 GB, you’ll either need to delete files to free up more space or pay for additional storage.

Extra Gmail storage requires a Google One subscription, with the lowest tier being $20 annually for 100 GB of storage. Ultimately, Gmail offers excellent storage capacity for free – most users don’t surpass 15 GB, except they’ve used Gmail for a long time or use email much more frequently than others.

Businesses can pay for an advanced version of Gmail via Google Workspace. The business tier increases the cloud storage allocated to each employee, and businesses can create emails attached to their custom domain. It’s the same Gmail interface, but with features designed for business use and a custom domain to give employees a more professional appearance.

Google Workspace plans start from $7 per user per month, which provides 30 GB of storage per account, double the free limit. The Standard plan costs $14 per user per month, providing 2 TB of storage per account. The Plus plan costs $22 per user per month and unlocks 5 TB of storage per account. These plans are reasonably priced, given the massive amount of storage space they provide.

Business plans are limited to 300 users, except for the Enterprise plan which has no limit (Image credit: Google)Gmail: Features

Sending and receiving emails are the primary features you’ll expect from Gmail. You can compose emails and send them to your desired email addresses. The maximum number of recipients per email is 500 for free accounts and 2,000 for Google Workspace accounts. However, most users aren’t hitting this limit, so I see no issues here.

I like that Gmail lets you send scheduled emails. You don’t always have to send emails immediately after you type them. Instead, you can set the email to send at a specific time. This feature comes in handy in many endeavors, such as sending birthday wishes ahead of time and sending event reminders to colleagues.

In this era of artificial intelligence (AI), Gmail hasn’t been left behind. Google has invested significant resources in incorporating AI features that have made Gmail much more intuitive than before.

For instance, I enjoyed the Smart Reply feature, which crafts quick, automated responses to emails. The AI system reads your email and suggests quick responses, such as “Well noted, I’ll work on it,” “Here it is,” or “I’ve attached the document here,” among others. The suggested responses are based on the content of the email you’re replying to.

The Smart Reply feature may sound trivial, but it helped me a lot. It gets tiring having to retype mundane responses to personal and work emails – the feature saved me a lot of time here, which I spent creating detailed responses for the emails that needed them.

I also enjoyed the Smart Compose feature, which functions as an AI assistant when typing emails. It can read your mind… just kidding, it can’t. It analyzes the words you’ve already typed and suggests the next words and phrases. It’s right many times, but can be amusingly wrong. The good thing is that you can hit enter whenever it gets the right suggestion and ignore it if the suggestion isn’t right. Smart Compose saved me considerable time when typing emails.

Gmail boasts plenty of features to optimize the user experience (Image credit: Google)

Apart from intuitiveness, security is a key issue when choosing an email platform. Spam attacks have become more sophisticated due to AI tools that have made text generation a breeze. Hence, security is more important than ever, and Gmail delivers well in this criterion.

By default, Gmail has spam filters that analyze incoming emails and rate their likelihood of spam. If found to be spam, an email is automatically sent to the spam folder. From my experience, Gmail’s filters ensnare most spam messages, but some crafty ones occasionally make it through. When I encountered such an email, I immediately blocked the address and deleted their emails.

False positives can also occur. Some legitimate emails, such as password recovery attempts, might be sent to the spam folder, but you can always visit the spam folder and transfer such emails to your main inbox. If you mark an email in the spam folder as “Not Spam,” further emails from that address will land in your main inbox.

Another crucial security feature I liked is “Confidential Mode,” which allowed me to set expiration dates for emails. For instance, I sent an email containing sensitive information to a friend and set it to self-destruct a day after sending. I also set passcodes for specific emails, and the recipient needed this passcode to read the content– I gave them the passcode via SMS and other communication channels.

Likewise, with Confidential Mode, you can prevent recipients from copying, forwarding, or downloading the contents of your email. However, this feature doesn’t prevent users from taking screenshots of the photos and text – it just makes it difficult to transfer the content directly via email, so be careful about the information you send.

Gmail always prompts users to enable two-factor authentication, which adds an extra layer of security to your email account. With this feature enabled, no one can access your account simply by having your Gmail credentials. Logging in also requires a unique one-time PIN sent to your phone number or other Google-linked devices. Without this PIN, no one can log in to your account on a new device.

I advise always enabling two-factor authentication for your Gmail account. This overlooked feature protects you from most malicious attacks. According to Microsoft, two-factor authentication is the antidote to 99.9% of security attacks.

Gmail offers advanced encryption to protect emails during transmission, ensuring they can only be read by the intended recipients. All emails and their attachments are automatically scanned for malware, and any suspicious ones are blocked. Note that the scanning isn’t perfect; some suspicious attachments may slip through, so avoid opening any attachment from an address you aren’t familiar with.

If you’re like me, who frequently sends and receives emails, your inbox can easily get cluttered, and sorting through vast numbers of emails can get tiring. Fortunately, Gmail lets you organize your inbox and make your emails easy to navigate. You can create labels, such as “Work,” “Family,” “Newsletters,” and “Shopping,” and add specific emails to each of them, or automatically label emails based on the sender’s address. Whenever you want to view a specific group of emails, you can simply click on the relevant label.

For example, if you want to read your daily newsletters, you can click on the “Newsletters” label and see the new emails sent from the addresses you’ve previously marked.

Similarly, you can create custom filters to archive, forward, or even delete emails originating from specific addresses. Gmail’s labels and filters help you automate email sorting and reduce the time you spend navigating your messages.

Gmail seamlessly integrates with other Google tools you may be familiar with. For example, you can upload files to Google Drive and attach them to your email by clicking a few buttons. I found this feature handy when sending large files that would have taken a long time for the recipient to download– instead, the recipient could simply access the file online on Google Drive.

Google Meet isn’t the most popular videoconferencing app, but I liked its smooth integration with Gmail. I could start Google Meet calls directly from my Gmail interface and switch back to emails when done, while on the same browser tab.

Other notable integrations include Google Calendar, which allows you to create events from emails and set reminders, and Google Tasks, where you can convert emails directly into tasks on your to-do list.

Gmail: Interface and in use

Gmail’s interface is one of its main strengths. I think the user-friendliness is the main driving force behind Gmail’s popularity, although being affiliated with Google also helps a lot.

I’ve tested many email platforms, and Gmail stands out for its intuitiveness. Everything feels easy to navigate, even as a first-time user. It helps that first-time users don’t have cluttered inboxes that can make navigation more challenging. Yet, even with a packed inbox, I’ve discussed how filters and labels let you simplify navigation.

The features are neatly arranged on the left side of your dashboard, where you can quickly sort through them. You can switch between your main inbox and other folders smoothly. You can sort through spam, trash, sent, scheduled, and other email categories without a hitch. The Compose button is boldly displayed at the top-left corner, and the menu for composing and sending emails is easily understood at a glance.

Gmail’s user-friendly interface makes it easy for even amateur users (Image credit: Google)

You can access Gmail from your web browser or download the app on your desktop (Windows and macOS) or smartphone (iOS and Android). The app works exactly as the website, but has faster loading times and offline access.

Gmail: Support

I’ll rank Google’s support as decent. It’s not the most outstanding, but it isn’t bad either. Users have access to an extensive knowledge base that details all Gmail’s features and provides guidance on troubleshooting common issues.

If you encounter any problems, the knowledge base and official Help Center should be the first places to seek help. Likewise, if you’re a new user who wants to learn the ins and outs of Gmail, the Help Center should be the first place to consult.

Gmail is a free tool, so don’t expect much direct help as a personal user. Google has a support team, but they’re more focused on enterprise customers who pay for Google Workspace and other tools.

For paying Google Workspace subscribers, Google offers decent support. Response times vary according to your plan, but the support team doesn’t take long to reply to email complaints.

Gmail: The competition

Gmail is the most dominant email platform worldwide, but it has no shortage of competitors. Many free email platforms have tried to chip away at Gmail’s market share for a long time, with mixed results. The two rivals I’d like to highlight are Zoho Mail and Proton Mail.

Zoho Mail offers a free version for personal use, just like Gmail. However, this free plan provides just 5 GB of storage, unlike Gmail’s 15 GB. Zoho is more competitive on the business side, with plans that are more affordable than Gmail, although Gmail still offers more storage.

Businesses can subscribe to Zoho Mail for as low as $1 per month per user, while a Google Workspace subscription starts at $6 per month per user. Zoho Mail isn’t as user-friendly as Gmail. In fact, I got confused several times as a new user, but it’s a more affordable email solution for businesses with limited budgets.

Proton Mail is a secure email solution that offers end-to-end encryption, self-destructing messages, password-protected emails, and adherence to robust Swiss privacy laws, among other features. I wouldn’t say it’s more secure than Gmail, as Gmail offers many of the same features optionally. However, Proton Mail is more geared towards privacy and doesn’t have advertisements.

The drawback is that Proton Mail isn’t as intuitive as Gmail, and the free plan is much more limited, e.g., 6 GB storage compared to Gmail’s 15 GB storage. You’ll need a paid plan to enjoy most of Proton Mail’s features.

Gmail: Final verdict

Gmail is an email platform that I recommend any day and at any time, both for personal and business use. I can summarize the reason as “it just works.” Gmail provides the email features you’ll need, even on the free plan.

The paid plans are more expensive than other options, but the intuitiveness and seamless integration with other Google tools make it worthwhile if your business can afford it. Gmail is a solid choice that makes emailing an enjoyable experience.

We've also featured the best email clients.

MSI Stealth A16 AI+: Two-minute review

Some of the best gaming laptops are those that are portable enough for you to take on the go with you, whether it's because you’re a commuter or just because you want to use your laptop in various places - and love to game.

With more options hitting the market over the past year thanks to the release of Nvidia’s 50 series graphics cards, we've been eagerly awaiting MSI's new edition of its Stealth series, the MSI Stealth A16 AI+.

The good news is that the new MSI Stealth A16 AI+ is once again a formidable gaming laptop, deftly balancing powerful performance with a sleek design, making it a candidate for our best thin and lightweight gaming laptops buying guide.

While its battery life leaves something to be desired and it can run hot under pressure, its vibrant OLED screen, robust build, and exceptional gaming capabilities make it a compelling choice for those looking for a portable powerhouse.

It's a strong contender in the competitive gaming laptop market, offering a premium experience for both work and play, but it comes at a (high) price: $2,899 / £2,199. While this is the average price for laptops featuring these specifications, that doesn’t take away from the dent it leaves in your wallet.

(Image credit: Future)MSI Stealth A16 AI+: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? $2,899 / £2,199
• When is it available? Now
• Where can you get it? US, UK, and some European regions

You can pick up the Stealth A16 AI+ for $2,899 / £2,199 which is an average price for laptops which feature the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. You can customize the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ to come with the more powerful RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 GPUs, but this will increase the price by quite a bit - however, even then, the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ remains reasonably priced compared to the competition.

Currently, you can purchase the Stealth A16 AI+ in the US, UK, and select European countries.

While there’s currently no confirmation as to when the device will be coming to other markets, MSI does typically release its products in other regions later down the line.

• Value: 3 / 5

MSI Stealth A16 AI+: Specs

The Stealth A16 AI+ impresses with its potent specs: an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 GPU, 64GB LPDDR5X memory, and a 2TB SSD, making it a future-proof powerhouse for demanding tasks and gaming.

MSI Stealth A16 AI+ 5070 Ti

MSI Stealth A16 AI+ 5080

MSI Stealth A16 AI+ 5090

Price:

$2,899 / £2,199

$3,299 / £2,249

$3,999 / £3,399

CPU:

AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370

AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370

AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370

Graphics:

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090

RAM:

64GB LPDDR5X

64GB LPDDR5X

64GB LPDDR5X

Screen:

16-inch Widescreen Display - QHD+ (2560 x 1600) - OLED - 240Hz

16-inch Widescreen Display - QHD+ (2560 x 1600) - OLED - 240Hz

16-inch Widescreen Display - QHD+ (2560 x 1600) - OLED - 240Hz

Storage:

2TB SSD

2TB SSD

2TB SSD

Ports:

2x USB-A, 1x USB-C, 1x HDMI, 1x Ethernet port, 1x Audio jack

2x USB-A, 1x USB-C, 1x HDMI, 1x Ethernet port, 1x Audio jack

2x USB-A, 1x USB-C, 1x HDMI, 1x Ethernet port, 1x Audio jack

Wireless:

Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4

Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4

Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4

Camera:

HD Webcam

HD Webcam

HD Webcam

Weight:

2.1kg

2.1kg

2.1kg

Dimensions:

355.8 x 259.7 x 19.95 mm

355.8 x 259.7 x 19.95 mm

355.8 x 259.7 x 19.95 mm

(Image credit: Future)MSI Stealth A16 AI+: Design

• Thin and light for its size
• OLED display is fantastic
• Good selection of ports

The Stealth A16 AI+ features a sleek and understated design, perfect for both professional environments and gaming setups. Its chassis feels robust yet surprisingly lightweight, making it an excellent companion for those who need to work or play on the go.

The narrow bezels around the display add to its modern aesthetic and maximize screen real estate, drawing you deeper into your content.

MSI has been generous with port selection, ensuring you're well-connected without the constant need for adapters.

You'll find a versatile array of ports, including multiple USB-A and USB-C ports, an HDMI output for external displays, and an Ethernet port for reliable wired internet.

(Image credit: Future)

This comprehensive connectivity is a significant advantage, especially for gamers who need a load of peripherals or frequently switch between setups. However, if you’re hoping to run a streaming setup from this laptop you may need a USB adaptor so you can hook up a webcam and microphone too (though the included webcam and mic array do a fine job if you're not planning on doing professional-level streaming).

The OLED screen itself is a highlight, offering vibrant colors and sharp detail that enhance everything from those AAA story games to high-definition movies. Its ample size provides an immersive viewing experience, whether you're deep into a creative project or enjoying a casual browsing session. The more I use OLED screens, the more I wish they would become the industry standard.

(Image credit: Future)

Despite its large screen, the overall size and weight of the Stealth A16 AI+ remain impressively manageable for a gaming laptop at less than 2cm thick. It’s also relatively lightweight when compared to alternative gaming laptops on the market at 2.1kg - for example, the MSI Raider A18 HX comes in at 3.6kg.

• Design score: 5 / 5

MSI Stealth A16 AI+: Performance

• Excellent gaming performance
• Good at multitasking
• Can get hot

Benchmarks

These are the results of our benchmarking tests for the MSI Stealth A16 AI+:

3DMark: Night Raid: 38,762; Fire Strike: 30,723; Time Spy: 13,384
GeekBench 6: 2,930 (single-core); 15,398 (multi-core)
CrossMark: Overall: 1,897 Productivity: 1,982 Creativity: 1,765 Responsiveness: 1,729
Total War: Warhammer III (1080p, Ultra): 176fps ; (1080p, Low): 380fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 105fps ; (1080p, Low): 176fps
Dirt 5 (1080p, Ultra): 206fps ; (1080p, Low): 287fps
PCMark 10 Battery Life: 4 hours 57 mins
TechRadar movie test: 4 hours 45 mins

During our testing, this laptop consistently delivered exceptional performance across a variety of demanding applications and, crucially, in the latest AAA gaming titles.

Whether it was playing Cyberpunk 2077 at ultra settings or engaging in fast-paced combat in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, the Stealth A16 AI+ maintained impressively high frame rates, ensuring a smooth and immersive experience.

This was with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti inside, so if you buy a model with the more powerful RTX 5080 or 5090 GPUs, then you're going to get even better gaming performance.

(Image credit: Future)

I was able to render breathtaking visuals without a hitch. Even with ray tracing enabled, the laptop held its own, providing a stunning level of graphical fidelity that truly elevates the gaming experience.

Beyond gaming, the processor handled intensive multitasking and content creation with ease, making it a truly versatile machine for power users.

One thing to note is that the laptop did get quite hot and loud when running games at ultra, opening a lot of intensive programmes at once, or when benchmarking. While it wasn’t too hot to use the keyboard - an issue I’m seeming to face more and more in the world of gaming laptops, it was certainly worth noting.

(Image credit: Future)

The speakers on the laptop are decent - they certainly get the job done - but you won’t be able to take advantage of directional audio within games.

• Performance score: 4 / 5

MSI Stealth A16 AI+: Battery life

• Not brilliant battery life
• Very short when gaming

While MSI promised up to 13 hours of video playback, I found that the Stealth A16 AI+ just didn’t deliver anywhere near this.

During my time testing the MSI Stealth A16 AI+, I noticed that the battery life was closer to around six hours when using the laptop for general browsing or watching videos, which came down to about an hour when playing intensive games.

In our battery life benchmark, we got just shy of five hours in both the PCMark 10 edition and our own TechRadar movie test.

• Battery life: 2 / 5

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the MSI Stealth A16 AI+?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

The value of the laptop is pretty average when compared to alternatives on the market with the same specs.

3 / 5

Design

This laptop has an immaculate design featuring a decent array of ports and remaining light when compared to alternatives.

5 / 5

Performance

You get exceptional performance from this laptop but it does get quite hot and loud.

4 / 5

Battery life

The battery is significantly below the promised lifespan which is very disappointing.

2 / 5

Total Score

This is a well-priced thin and light laptop with some excellent components that means it offers fantastic gaming performance. However, it can get quite hot, and battery life isn't the best.

3.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You need a sleek gaming device
You want a gaming laptop that's also highly portable and can be used for work on the go.

Screen quality is important to you
If you want a vibrant OLED screen for an immersive visual experience, then this could be the laptop for you.

You want a powerful device
This is a powerful machine that can handle demanding AAA gaming titles and intensive multitasking with high frame rates.

Don't buy it if...

You want to go all day without charging
If you want a long battery life for extended use away from a power source then this isn’t the laptop for you.

You are on a tight budget
While this laptop is priced fairly compared to alternatives, this doesn’t mean it won’t put a dent in your wallet.

You are sensitive to laptop heat and fan noise
This laptop gets very hot and loud when you’re using intensive software or playing demanding games.

MSI Stealth A16 AI+ review: Also consider

MSI Stealth A16 AI+

Asus Zenbook A14

Apple Macbook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024)

Price:

$2,899 / £2,199

$1,399.99 / £1,099.99 / AU$2,899

$2,499 / £2,499 / AU$3,999

CPU:

AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370

Snapdragon X X1 26 100 Processor with Qualcomm Hexagon NPU up to 45TOPS

Apple M4 Pro (14-core)

Graphics:

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti

Qualcomm Adreno GPU

Integrated 20-core GPU

RAM:

64GB LPDDR5X

4GB DDR4

24GB unified memory

Screen:

16-inch Widescreen Display - QHD+ (2560 x 1600) - OLED - 240Hz

14.0-inch, WUXGA (1920 x 1200) OLED 16:10 aspect ratio, LED Backlit, 0.2ms response time, 60Hz refresh rate, 400 nits

16-inch, 3456 x 2234 Liquid Retina XDR display (mini-LED, 1,000 nits sustained brightness, wide color P3 gamut, ProMotion technology)

Storage:

2TB SSD

16GB LPDDR5X on board

512GB SSD

Ports:

2x USB-A, 1x USB-C, 1x HDMI, 1x Ethernet port, 1x Audio jack

1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 2x USB-C, 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5mm Audio Jack

3x Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C), HDMI, SDXC card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3

Wireless:

Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4

Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) (Dual band) 2*2 + Bluetooth 5.3

Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3

Camera:

HD Webcam

FHD camera with IR function to support Windows Hello

12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View

Weight:

4.6 lbs (2.1kg)

2.16 lbs (0.98kg)

4.7 lbs (2.2kg)

Dimensions:

355.8 x 259.7 x 19.95 mm

31.07 x 21.39 x 1.34 ~ 1.59 cm (12.23 x 8.42 x 0.53in ~ 0.63in)

14.01 x 9.77 x 0.66 inches (356 x 248 x 17mm)

If you're in the market for a new laptop, here are some alternatives to the MSI Stealth A16 AI+...

Asus Zenbook A14
For those seeking a premium, ultra-lightweight, and highly portable laptop, the Asus Zenbook A14 is an excellent choice. It offers a powerful processor and a stunning OLED display, all within a design optimized for superior portability.

Read our Asus Zenbook A14 review

Apple Macbook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024)
For intensive tasks such as 3D animation or demanding video rendering, the Apple MacBook Pro, with its M4 Pro processor, offers superior performance. Read our Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) review.

How I tested the MSI Stealth A16 AI+

• Tested for two weeks
• Used in a variety of scenarios
• Ran benchmarks and played games

For two weeks, the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ served as my primary laptop for both work and leisure.

I thoroughly integrated it into my daily routine, using it for typical workdays, evenings spent gaming and watching movies, and even general browsing. To assess its portability and performance outside my usual setup, I also brought it to various remote work locations.

Beyond everyday use, I conducted comprehensive benchmark tests using software like 3D Mark and in-game tools to evaluate its performance.

• First reviewed September 2025
• Read more about how we test

De'Longhi Dedica Duo: two-minute review

The De'Longhi Dedica Duo is an excellent entry-level espresso machine that looks great and performs extremely well, despite its modest price tag.

It has a similar appearance to its predecessor, the De'Longhi Dedica Style, but with some key improvements – including a wider drip tray that can accommodate two espresso cups. The steam wand has been upgraded with a cool-touch handle and a knurled control dial for better grip, and the machine is available in a choice of four colors (including three gelato-inspired pastel shades).

The Dedica Duo's accessories, such as the color-coordinated portafilter handle, feel robust. It comes with two pressurized portafilter baskets, a coffee scoop, a pin tool, a descaler pack, a tamper, and a stainless-steel milk pitcher. The water tank is easily accessible at the back, with a hinged lid to keep water fresh, and it can be fitted with an optional water filter.

(Image credit: Future)

The machine is operated by illustrated buttons on top for single shot, double shot, cold brew, and steam. Colored lights on these buttons indicate the machine's status, requiring reference to the manual for full understanding.

Although it takes a little while to heat up, the Dedica Duo delivers a good shot with a fine grind consistently. There is some minor dripping after the pump finishes due to the absence of a three-way solenoid valve.

The Dedica Duo's cold-extraction mode, while slower than preparing hot espresso, is much faster than traditional overnight cold-brewing and produces a full, mellow flavor. This cold brew is versatile, suitable for drinking straight, with milk and ice, or in blended drinks and cocktails.

My only real complaint is that the system of lights to indicate the machine's current status and any problems (such as scale, or air in the system) can be confusing, and you'll find yourself having to refer back to the manual quite regularly while you're getting a handle on things. Other than that, though, this is an easy machine to recommend and worthy of a full five stars.

De'Longhi Dedica Duo: price and availability

• Released in August 2025
• List price of $299.95 / £279.99 (about AU$600)
• Sold in the UK and US, but not yet in Australia

The De’Longhi Dedica Duo launched in August 2025 with a list price of $299.95 / £279.99. At the time of writing (September 2025), it isn't yet available in Australia, but hopefully that will change soon.

At that price, it's one of the most affordable espresso machines I’ve tested in the past year. The Casabrews 5418 Pro is in the same entry-level bracket with a list price of $299.99 (about £220 / AU$460), but it’s clear that Casabrews has cut quite a lot of corners, and it can’t compete with the Dedica Duo for build quality and performance.

• Value score: 5/5

De'Longhi Dedica Duo: design

• Updated design with refined details and new colors
• Wider drip tray to accommodate two espresso cups
• Accessories feel substantial and well made

The De’Longhi Dedica Duo is a compact, smart-looking espresso machine. At first glance it bears a strong similarity to its predecessor, the Dedica Style. It’s almost exactly the same size, but on closer inspection you’ll notice lots of refinements and improvements.

Most noticeably, the Dedica Duo comes in an updated range of colors, with classic stainless steel accompanied by soft shades of white, pink and green, which De’Longhi says were inspired by different flavors of gelato. Candy-colored appliances have become increasingly popular in 2025, and they look good, with a satin finish rather than gloss.

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future)

For me, one of the most notable updates is to the drip tray, which is now considerably wider, making it easier to fit two espresso cups underneath the portafiter when pulling a double shot. If you have a particularly tall cup, you can remove the stainless steel grille and place the cup directly on a removable ridged plate at the bottom of the tray. A nice touch, and one that helps make clean-up easier.

The steam wand now has a cool-touch handle, which is a nice upgrade, and its control dial sports a knurled texture that looks good and provides extra grip. The wand doesn’t bend, but it does pivot, and its angle makes it easy to achieve a good whirlpool movement when texturizing your milk.

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future)

All of the Dedica Duo’s accessories feel robust in the hand, unlike those of some other entry-level coffee machines I’ve tested recently (I’m looking at you, Casabrews). The portafilter handle is satisfyingly weighty, with a textured end that matches the steam wand dial, and is colored to match the body of the machine.

You get two pressurized portafilter baskets (one for single shots and one for doubles), a coffee scoop, a pin tool for clearing the hole of the steam wand if it becomes blocked, a pack of descaler, a weighty tamper that makes it easy to put sufficient pressure on your ground, and a stainless steel milk pitcher (with a fine spout ideal for pouring latte art).

(Image credit: Future)

The machine’s water tank slides onto the back, and has a sturdy-feeling hinged lid to keep water fresh. It can also be fitted with an optional water filter, but this needs to be purchased separately. The tank lifts out easily and is simple to slot back into place. You’ll need to pull the machine away from the wall to do this, but it’s so small and light, this shouldn't present a problem.

The Dedica Duo has a power switch on its right-hand side, and is operated using a set of illustrated buttons on top: single shot, double shot, cold brew, and steam. Pressing combinations of these buttons, or pressing and holding, provides access to certain menus, and the colored lights on them give you information about the machine’s current status, so it’s useful to keep the manual on hand for reference. For example, a solid white light on only the steam button means there’s probably air in the system that needs clearing.

• Design score: 5/5

De'Longhi Dedica Duo: performance

• Steady pressure for consistently extracted hot espresso
• Cold-extraction works well, too, producing a smooth flavor
• System of indicator lights can be confusing

The Dedica Duo is an excellent entry-level espresso machine, providing the steady pressure necessary for preparing consistently good coffee. The Casabrews 5418 Pro I reviewed a few weeks ago was so variable, it had me questioning whether I actually knew how to make espresso at all; the Dedica Duo has restored my faith in my own abilities. It takes a little while to heat up, but once it does, and the espresso buttons on top are illuminated, you can be confident that you're going to get a very good shot. I've been using a fairly fine grind for my coffee, and the results have been faultless.

There's no three-way solenoid, so you can expect a little dripping after the pump has finished, but that certainly isn't the end of the world.

(Image credit: Future)

The Dedica Duo’s star feature is cold extraction, and it works very well. Whereas some other espresso machines I’ve tested recently create "chilled" drinks by asking you to fill a cup with ice and then dumping a shot of hot espresso on top, the Duo’s cold brew mode bypasses the Thermoblock heater and uses ambient-temperature water direct from the tank.

This takes longer than brewing hot espresso (measured in minutes rather than seconds), but it's still a lot faster than preparing cold-brewed coffee in the traditional way (by infusing the grounds in the fridge overnight), yet the resulting flavor profile is very similar. The flavor is full and rounded, but more mellow than the same coffee extracted hot. Whether you drink it straight, add milk and ice, or use it in blended drinks and cocktails, it’s very tasty.

Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: Future)

It’s worth noting that the Dedica Duo isn’t a quiet machine. Unlike some advanced machines from the likes of KitchenAid or Jura, the Duo has no space in its compact chassis for sound-deadening material, so you’ll be able to hear its pump working away at full volume. Pumping water doesn’t take very long, though; but if you’re sensitive to noise then it’s something to be aware of.

For me, the only disadvantage of the Dedica Duo is the system of lights that change colour and/or blink to indicate your machine’s status or any problems. These aren’t always self-explanatory, and until you’ve learned what they all mean, you’ll find yourself referring back to the manual regularly. Perhaps it would be better to have a small row of status lights for common issues in the interest of clarity.

• Performance score: 5/5

Should you buy the De'Longhi Dedica Duo?De'Longhi Dedica Duo score card

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

Very reasonably priced, squarely in the "budget" bracket for an espresso machine of this type.

5/5

Design

Modern and stylish, with thoughtful touches such as a wide, adjustable drip tray and cool-touch steam wand.

5/5

Performance

Brews consistently well hot or cold, with steady pressure from the pump. Status lights can be confusing, though.

4.5/5

Buy it if

You're shopping for your first espresso machine

The De'Longhi Dedica Duo is much better made than most coffee makers in this price bracket, and the designers haven't cut corners to keep its price down.

You have limited space

At just 15cm wide, the Dedica Duo is one of the smallest espresso machines I've ever tested. It tucked in easily beside my toaster, and I'm sure you'll find space for it, even on a countertop that's short on space.

Don't buy it if

You don't want cold extraction

The biggest difference between the Dedica Style and Dedica Duo is the latter machine's cold espresso mode. If you're not intending to use that, you could save some cash by opting for the older Dedica Style instead.

You're an experienced barista already

The Dedica Duo only comes with pressurized filter baskets, so if you want the control of a single-walled basket, you might be better off looking elsewhere.

De'Longhi Dedica Duo: also consider

If the De’Longhi Dedica Duo doesn’t sound like quite the right espresso machine for you, here are two alternatives in the same price bracket, both of which come highly recommended.

De’Longhi Dedica Style

If you’re unlikely to use the Duo’s cold brew function, you could save a little cash by opting for the older Dedica Duo. It doesn’t look quite as modern, and we found it difficult to fit two espresso cups onto its drip tray, but it’s still an excellent little entry-level espresso machine that comes highly recommended.

Read our full De’Longhi Dedica Style review

Breville Bambino Plus

The Bambino Plus is another compact espresso machine that comes highly recommended for beginners making their first foray into speciality coffee. Unlike the two Dedica machines, it has an adjustable steam wand with three texture and temperature settings, making it easier for newcomers to prepare the right type of foam for lattes, cappuccinos and other drinks.

Read our full Breville Bambino Plus review

How I tested the De'Longhi Dedica Duo

I used the De'Longhi Dedica Duo for three weeks in place of my usual coffee machine, and brewed coffee using a blend of fresh Brazilian and Colombian arabica beans, freshly ground using a Sage Dose Control Pro grinder. I used the tamper provided with the machine to tamp the coffee. I tested the steam wand with chilled, full-fat dairy milk and oat milk.

I flushed the machine with hot water before and after brewing to make sure it was clean, and purged the steam wand and wiped it with a damp cloth after making each drink.

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

First reviewed September 2025

A digital calendar is one of the most sought-after tools, both for personal and professional use. It helps you plan your schedule ahead of time and adhere to it, instead of juggling random activities, which often leads to confusion. The best calendar apps are a productivity booster, especially in the workplace.

If you need a calendar app, you have an endless list of options to choose from, both free and paid. Google Calendar is one of the top options known for its simplicity and ease of use. I’ve reviewed Google Calendar extensively so that you don’t have to go through the same hassles. Read on to learn about its pros, cons, features, and what sets it apart from the competition.

Google Calendar: Plans and pricing

Google Calendar is a freemium tool. The free version is designed for personal use, unlocking access to a detailed calendar where you can plan your schedule and receive reminders.

However, the free plan lacks the features designed for business use, such as the ability for employees to create appointment booking pages and reserve conference rooms at the office. It also lacks the collaborative features that businesses get when they pay for a Google Workspace plan.

(Image credit: Google )

Google Workspace unlocks access to the premium features of the Calendar app, as well as other tools like Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Meet. It’s a single stone that kills multiple birds in corporate settings; companies gain access to many valuable tools that help employees collaborate seamlessly and boost their productivity.

Google Workspace has three pricing plans: Starter, Standard, and Plus. The Starter plan costs $6 per user per month. It unlocks 30 GB of storage for each account and the core features of Google Calendar. However, this plan doesn’t include the ability to create appointment booking pages.

The Standard plan costs $14 per user per month. It provides 2 TB of storage per account, which covers information stored on Google Calendar and other Google apps. This plan unlocks the ability to create appointment booking pages and direct integration with Gemini, Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. Gemini is very helpful when using Google Calendar, a topic I’ll dive into later.

The Plus plan unlocks access to everything on the Standard plan and upgrades the available storage space to 5 TB per account. There’s no difference in the core Calendar features available in the Plus and Standard plans. Instead, the difference lies in the Plus plan having advanced security features and access to a digital vault for organizations to retain data for an extended period.

There’s notably an Enterprise Plus plan, but without standard pricing. This plan is targeted at large organizations that want to negotiate custom deals with Google’s sales team.

Each Google Workspace plan has a 14-day free trial period that enables you to test its features. You can also use the free Google Calendar app to test the core features and get a good hint of what to expect on a Google Workspace plan.

Google Calendar: Features

Google Calendar is designed as a daily companion where you can record future events and receive reminders when due. You have a calendar with all the future dates, and you can set events on specific dates and choose to receive reminders at particular times.

For example, you can choose to receive a reminder two days before or a day before an event. A reminder will be sent to your email address or via a push notification if you’ve downloaded the Calendar smartphone app.

Google Calendar lets you add many details when creating an event. First, you'll add the title, location, and time. Then, you can add guests by entering their email addresses, and Google will send them an invitation to the event. If the event happens to be a videoconference or webinar hosted on Google Meet, you can generate a video meeting link that’ll be sent to invitees.

Google Calendar integrates with Gmail, Google Meet, and other Workspace productivity apps (Image credit: Google)

After adding events, you can monitor them easily from your dashboard. Picture a calendar listing all the dates in a year: all the future dates you’ve added events for will be highlighted, and you can click on any date to view the event. You can also switch the calendar view from the whole year to a specific month, week, or day.

What I’ve discussed above are the core Google Calendar features, but there’s much more to the app, especially for paid Google Workspace subscribers. If your business subscribes to Google Workspace, multiple employees can have shared calendars that foster collaboration.

For example, you can create an organization-wide calendar that lets employees keep track of important company events. Any upcoming meetings, holidays, and other events will be posted on this calendar, and each employee will receive reminders.

An assigned administrator can control access to this calendar, i.e., by choosing which accounts can add events to the calendar or can only view existing events. When someone adds an event to the organizational calendar and sets a reminder, all other people with access to the calendar will be notified.

Employees can also share their personal calendars with select colleagues. For instance, a team leader can share a calendar with their subordinates, giving them insight into the team leader’s schedule and the ability to book meetings directly with their team head. Different work teams can create their calendars to keep tabs on each other’s schedules and ensure they don’t set events on conflicting dates.

A memorable feature I used is the Gemini integration. Google unveiled its Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) assistant in 2023, in response to the AI boom spearheaded by OpenAI’s ChatGPT. In 2024, it announced direct Gemini integration with Google tools, including Calendar, for Workspace subscribers.

The integration lets you interact with Gemini directly from your Calendar dashboard instead of using it as a separate app. Gemini can perform many tasks to help you manage your schedule.

For example, I asked Gemini to create events for me rather than spend the time to do everything manually. I asked it about specific events, i.e., “When is [event name] scheduled to be held on the calendar?” This is the tip of the iceberg, as Gemini can do much more. It’s like having a virtual assistant to help you plan your schedule.

Google Calendar can display daily, weekly, or monthly schedules or a list of upcoming events (Image credit: Google )

Users can create appointment booking pages via Google Calendar. Essentially, you’ll create a professional booking page and set your desired dates and time slots for people to book meetings. Colleagues and clients can visit the link and schedule a meeting, and you’ll be notified about every booking.

If you’re a professional who provides consultation services, you can require clients to pay to book a meeting directly from the booking page. This feature works by integrating a Stripe account to accept the payments.

Google Calendar has extensive integrations with other Google tools. For example, the Gmail integration provides a seemingly trivial but valuable feature: When you receive an email about any event, it can be automatically added to your schedule with just a click. Generally, you can convert any email directly into an event on your calendar.

Another example is the integration with Google Chat, which allows multiple people sharing a calendar to chat on the same dashboard. This way, colleagues can chat about calendar-related topics without juggling separate apps or browser tabs.

Google Calendar also has integrations with third-party tools. An example is Slack, a popular business messaging app. The Slack integration enabled me to view upcoming events and receive reminders directly on Slack instead of juggling between it and Google Calendar. I also scheduled meetings directly from Slack, and these meetings were automatically added to my Google Calendar dashboard.

Another third-party integration I tried is Todoist, a well-known task management app. The integration enabled me to sync tasks from Todoist to my Google Calendar dashboard.

I enjoyed using Google Calendar to manage my schedule. It’s not just an effective calendar app but one of the most collaborative ones I’ve used. Other apps may offer more advanced features, but Google Calendar excels at enabling people to create and manage shared calendars. It’s second to none in collaborativeness and simplicity.

(Image credit: Google)Google Calendar: Interface and Use

Simplicity is a highlight of using Google Calendar. It has a noticeably straightforward interface that is easy to grasp. The homepage is the calendar, and you can sort through it to pick any date. Then, you can add an event to the date and set when to receive the reminder.

After setting events, you can always monitor them from your dashboard, which provides a complete view of your calendar. Click on any date in the calendar, and you’ll see any events set on that date. You can switch the calendar between different views (year, day, week, month, or any specific time frame). All the features are neatly arranged and easy to find in the top and left menus.

You can access Google Calendar from your web browser or download the Android or iOS mobile app. The mobile app makes it more convenient to monitor your schedule on the go, with the same features as the web browser version.

Google Calendar: Support

Google Calendar users have access to ample support resources. As a free user, your main support resource is the official Google Calendar help center, although it’s also useful for paid subscribers.

The official help center contains guides concerning all Calendar features. It’s the first place to consult to troubleshoot any issues with the app. In my case, I faced just a few issues with Google Calendar, mainly learning how to use some complex features. The help center quickly resolved these issues.

There’s also an official help community where you can ask questions and get answers from other Google users. This community provides valuable help for free users facing complex issues.

Paid subscribers can access direct support from Google’s team. The team is available 24/7 via email, live chat, or telephone, and is known for resolving customer issues quickly. While free users don’t have access to this direct support, the Google Calendar help center is sufficient to resolve most issues. Google Calendar’s intuitive interface minimizes the amount of help you’ll need in the first place.

Google Calendar: The competition

Apple Calendar and Calendly are the main Google Calendar competitors I’d like to highlight. Both are robust calendar apps with unique pros and cons when compared to Google Calendar.

Just like Google Calendar is extensively integrated with other Google apps and the Android operating system (which is owned by Alphabet, Google’s parent company), Apple Calendar is extensively integrated with Apple apps and the broader iOS ecosystem.

Apple Calendar is pre-installed on iPhones and has a simple, intuitive design similar to Google Calendar. Calendar data is encrypted, and users have full access to their Calendar when offline. However, Apple Calendar lacks the collaborative features offered on a Google Workspace plan. It’s designed for personal rather than business use.

Calendly is a calendar app designed for businesses to automate many scheduling tasks. It has more advanced appointment scheduling features than Google Calendar, including the ability to handle round-robin scheduling and other complex team scheduling demands. Calendly is also much more customizable and has a broader library of third-party integrations than Google Calendar.

However, Calendly is a more expensive option, considering that you’re paying only for a scheduling tool, unlike a Google Workspace subscription that unlocks both the Calendar app and many other Google tools. Calendly is a good option for large businesses with complex scheduling needs, while Google Calendar is more suitable for small-to-mid-sized firms.

Google Calendar: Final verdict

Google Calendar strikes an ideal balance between functionality, simplicity, and pricing. Given the other tools available as part of a Google Workspace subscription, it’s a cost-effective option for small to mid-sized businesses, enabling them to manage schedules effectively and ensure employees stay on the same page.

Google Calendar doesn’t have the most advanced features, but it’s sufficient for day-to-day schedule management, and the intuitive interface makes it a good choice for companies across diverse industries.

We've also featured the best calendar apps and the best productivity tools

Appointment scheduling tools streamline the booking process by letting clients pick their own time slots. You avoid the back-and-forth emails and phone calls. These systems sync with your calendar and send automatic reminders.

Having scheduling built into your website builder offers unique advantages. Your clients never leave your site to book appointments. The integration feels seamless and maintains your brand experience throughout. You can customize the booking page to match your website's design perfectly.

Squarespace's Acuity Scheduling brings professional appointment management to your website. It handles everything from simple consultations to complex group classes. The tool can work independently, but also integrates smoothly with your Squarespace site.

We tested Acuity against other scheduling solutions to see how it performs. Our review covers pricing accuracy, feature depth, and real-world usability. You'll discover whether this tool fits your business needs and budget.

Squarespace Acuity: Pricing

(Image credit: Squarespace)

Acuity subscriptions are separate from your Squarespace site subscription, meaning you can use Acuity on its own or integrate it with your Squarespace website.

There are three plans to choose from for this product, starting with the Emerging plan. This plan is ideal for start-ups and solo entrepreneurs. It costs $20/mo ($16/mo on annual billing) and offers essential appointment management features like calendar syncing and automatic reminder emails.

Next, the Growing plan at $34/mo ($27/mo for a yearly subscription) supports 2-6 calendars and additional perks like SMS reminders and support for packages, memberships, and subscriptions.

Lastly, the $61/mo ($49/mo annually) Powerhouse plan supports up to 36 calendars and includes advanced features like multiple time zones and custom API and CSS integration. In the end, it’s all about picking the right plan based on the size and complexity of your business.

Although you don’t need a Squarespace website builder subscription to use Acuity, building your website on the platform makes it super easy to integrate your site with the scheduling tool. Check out our Squarespace promo codes page to find the best discounts across the Squarespace range of tools.

Squarespace Acuity: Features

(Image credit: Squarespace)

Acuity offers scheduling features that rival dedicated appointment platforms. You get unlimited appointments, payment processing through Stripe/Square/PayPal, and automated email/SMS reminders. The system handles recurring bookings, group sessions, and custom intake forms seamlessly.

Compared to competitors like Calendly, Acuity actually provides more business-focused features. Calendly excels at simple meeting scheduling, but, Acuity supports subscriptions, memberships, and gift certificates. You can create appointment packages and offer multiple services with different durations.

Other website builders offer basic scheduling, but few match this level of depth. WordPress booking plugins require technical setup and multiple extensions. Wix provides simpler booking widgets without advanced payment or business features.

Acuity's integration ecosystem includes 40+ apps through Zapier and direct connections to Google Analytics. However, it lacks some team-specific integrations that Calendly offers, like CRM connections to Salesforce or HubSpot. That's because the focus stays on service-based businesses rather than sales teams.

Squarespace Acuity: Ease of use

(Image credit: Squarespace)

Acuity strikes a good balance between power and simplicity. The setup wizard guides you through essential configurations like time zones, booking intervals, and client permissions. We found the interface intuitive even for non-technical users, though it's more complex than basic schedulers like Calendly.

Its learning curve sits in the middle range among scheduling tools. Beginners can get basic booking running quickly, but mastering advanced features takes time. The "look busy" feature and buffer time settings show thoughtful design for real-world scheduling challenges.

Client-facing booking pages are clean and straightforward. Your customers can select services, pick times, and complete intake forms without confusion. The mobile experience works well, though some users report the timezone selector is small and easy to miss.

That said, Acuity lacks specific accessibility documentation or WCAG compliance features. While most scheduling tools don't prioritize accessibility, this could still be a limitation for businesses serving diverse clients. Its interface relies heavily on visual cues and mouse interaction, which may challenge users with disabilities.

Squarespace Acuity: Tools

(Image credit: Squarespace)

Email notifications

Acuity lets you send automated emails to clients about their appointments, packages, and subscriptions. Currently, you can send various notifications to your clients including initial confirmation, reminders, cancellations, follow-ups, package/gift certificate orders, and subscriptions, including payments, renewals, and cancellations.

If you're on the Growing or Powerhouse plans, you can send text message appointment reminders so your clients don’t miss a booking. Plus, to make sure your team stays on the same page, you can set up internal notifications to keep your staff informed about new, rescheduled, or canceled appointments.

Lastly, to reach out to your clients with promotions, updates, and more, you can also send marketing emails using Squarespace Email Campaigns.

Syncing appointments with third-party calendars

Acuity easily syncs with calendar programs like Google, iCloud, Outlook Office 365, Outlook Exchange, and Outlook.com. Any changes made to your appointments in Acuity, whether canceled, rescheduled, or edited, are automatically reflected in your synced third-party calendar. For instance, Google Calendar updates almost instantly, while Microsoft Calendars may take up to 10 minutes to reflect these changes. Plus, to prevent clients from booking appointments when you're busy, you can also block off time in Acuity for events on your third-party calendar.

You can even let your staff members see Acuity appointments on their personal calendars by syncing their third-party calendars. To do this, simply add them as a contributor if you're using a Squarespace account or as a user if you're logged in with an Acuity account.

Payment processor integrations

Squarespace lets you collect payments for appointments by integrating with popular payment processors like Stripe, Square, and PayPal. Before accepting payments, you must connect at least one of these processors to your Acuity account. However, once connected, you can manage your payment preferences and account settings through the processor’s online portal or mobile app.

Remember, the payment processors used in Acuity are separate from those in Squarespace Commerce, and each comes with its own terms and conditions. For instance, Square’s processing fees differ depending on how the payment is made, while Stripe’s fees vary by country (USA, UK, Ireland, and Australia).

Scheduling blocks

Squarespace Acuity's Scheduling Blocks let you smoothly integrate your scheduling page into your Squarespace site.

This means your visitors can book appointments directly without leaving the site. Setting up a scheduling block is simple; just edit the page, click "Add Block," and select "Scheduling." You can then choose which schedule to display, whether it's your general schedule or one for a specific calendar, appointment type, or category.

Similarly, you can display a calendar from an Acuity account that is not linked to the Squarespace website as a custom link. Plus, for improved privacy, you can password protect your scheduling page, limiting access to only those with the password.

Squarespace Acuity: Integrations

(Image credit: Squarespace)

Acuity integrates with Google Analytics to help you track how clients interact with your scheduler. With its valuable insights, you can refine your booking process and improve appointment rates.

Getting started is fairly simple. Just sign up for a Google Analytics account and follow the guide available on their site. After setting up the integration, it may take up to 24 hours for statistics to start populating in Google Analytics. Acuity will only send events that occur after the integration is live. When using Google Analytics for conversion tracking, keep in mind that conditions are case-sensitive. For instance, entering "Page_view" instead of "page_view" can stop your goals from tracking properly. So, it's better to consult Google's documentation on custom dimensions and metrics for accuracy before you get started.

Further, with the help of API services like Zapier, you can integrate with several third-party apps. Some key integrations include syncing your appointments with personal or business calendars, setting up video conferencing, and connecting with tools for social media, email marketing, accounting, conversion tracking, CRM, or other client engagement applications. These integrations help you to streamline your workflow and enhance your scheduling capabilities.

Squarespace Acuity: My verdict

With its wide range of features, seamless integrations, and flexible pricing plans, Acuity makes it easy to manage scheduling, payments, and client communications all in one place. Whether you just launched your first business or are part of a larger team, you get the tools to improve your booking flow, client engagement, and grow your business efficiently.

But, don’t just take our word for it, it's always best to try out the features for yourself. So, if you have a website on Squarespace or are currently on a free trial, give Acuity Scheduling a test run and see if it meets your expectations.

If you want to learn more about what Squarespace offers, you can read our full Squarespace review here.

Nutribullet Triple Prep System: one-minute review

True to its name, the Nutribullet Triple Prep System is a blender combo that provides the functionality of three kinds of kitchen appliances in one. Nutribullet as a brand may have made its start with personal blenders, but the lineup has expanded to include

Alongside a 1,500 watt motor base, the system includes a long list of accessories: a 64oz pitcher, two travel cups with lids, a food processor work bowl, a shredding/slicing disc, a tamper, a food pusher, and a dough blade. So, it’s pretty much a full toolkit for any home chef looking to whip up smoothies, shakes, soup, dips, and more.

(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)

As expected, during my tests, there was almost no hurdle the Nutribullet Triple Prep System stumbled at. From chopping carrots to crushing ice, the machine proved to be an exceptionally useful assistant in the kitchen again and again. What’s more, it was more user-friendly than many

There are a few problems that held the Triple Prep System back from perfection though. For one, the blades in the pitcher can’t be removed, which makes hand washing a good bit more difficult than it needs to be. As well as that, it doesn’t perform well with very small batches, given its smallest container is 24oz.

Nutribullet Triple Prep System: price and availability

• List price: $244.99 / £229.99 / AU$349.95
• Available in the US, UK, and Australia
• Sold through Nutribullet’s website and other third-party retailers

The Nutribullet Triple Prep System is widely available to buy in the US, UK, and Australia. Across all three of these regions, you can pick up the Triple Prep System directly from the Nutribullet site or on Amazon. When it comes to third-party retailers in the States specifically, some of your other options are Target, Best Buy, and Walmart.

At over $200, the Triple Prep System is undoubtedly on the higher end of the Nutribullet range. It is one of the brand’s most multifunctional machines though, so it makes sense that it would set you back more than the rest. For context, you can get a basic Nutribullet personal blender for as little as $80.

Even with that higher price tag, if it saves you the cost of buying a blender and food processor separately, the Triple Prep System is incredible value for money. That said, it’s probably not a great idea to opt for it if you don’t plan to make use of its full suite of features.

• Value score: 4/5

Nutribullet Triple Prep System: specs

Price

$244.99 / £229.99 / AUS $349.95

Weight

8.7lbs / 4kg

Size (H x W x D)

8.75 x 8 x 7.75 inches / 22.2 x 20.3 x 19.7cm

Travel cup capacity

32oz / 900ml or 24oz / 700ml

Jug capacity

64oz / 1.8 liters

Work bowl capacity

7 cups

Presets

Smoothie, puree, frozen drinks, nut milk, dressing, chop, dough, dip.

Nutribullet Triple Prep System: design

• Plenty of presets to choose from
• Smart attachment recognition
• Slightly large footprint, but accessories nest for storage

One of my favorite features of the Triple Prep System is how it smartly recognizes which container you have attached to the base, and changes which presets are available based on that knowledge. It even modifies the duration of presets depending on which attachment you’re using.

For example, the Smoothie preset runs for 50 seconds with the pitcher and 60 seconds when using the travel cups. More blending time for a smaller container may sound counterintuitive, but your ingredients having less space to move around means that the motor has to process for longer to ensure all of the mix comes in contact with the blades.

(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)

You wouldn’t have to know all that though, because the Triple Prep System makes that change for you. The touch button layout is clean and intuitive: you’ve got start/stop controls, a pulse button, and clearly labeled presets for smoothies, soups, frozen drinks, and food processing tasks. Any preset that isn’t suitable for your attached container conveniently disappears too, helping to make using the machine an almost foolproof experience.

The majority of parts are dishwasher-safe, which offers a welcome reprieve from having to scrub out smoothie remnants and soup leftovers by hand. The extractor blade isn’t suitable for dishwasher cleaning, but given the fixed pitcher blades caused me far more struggle when cleaning than the extractor blade, I didn’t find this to be too much of an issue.

(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)

Given the sheer number of functions this machine serves, its slighter larger footprint feels like a worthy trade. If you cook from scratch or make fancy drinks at home regularly enough, you can probably justify keeping the motor base on your kitchen counter between uses. When you go to store the Triple Prep System away in your kitchen cupboards, you’ll probably find its wealth of accessories and attachments more of a curse than a blessing.

Certain parts of the system (like the shred/slice disc) slot together or into each other so it does seem like there was some effort made to save space. However, it still is a system that requires some generous-sized kitchen cupboards.

• Design: 4.5/5

Nutribullet Triple Prep System: performance

• Consistently great results with smoothies and soups
• Does a great job crushing ice
• Struggles with very small batches

Blenders are Nutribullet’s bread and butter – particularly ones for making smoothies. With that in mind, it made a lot of sense to start my testing there.

The smoothie recipe that’s used during TechRadar’s testing processes is a doozy in a couple of respects. It includes blueberries, which have skin and tiny seeds for the blender’s blades to try to contend with. But it also contains kale: the fibrous leafy vegetable that’s the enemy of many at-home smoothie lovers. While kale is great for sneaking nutrients in your drinks, it can be really difficult to completely break down if your blender isn’t up to the task – and plenty of blenders aren’t.

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(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)

Thanks to the Triple Prep System’s 1,500W motor and the guidance of its smoothie preset, I managed to blitz up a thick, tasty smoothie with virtually no off-putting ‘bits’. Any grittiness from the berries’ seeds disappeared entirely and no chunks of leaf remained.

Roughly the same was true when I tried to replicate the smoothie in one of the travel cups. Upon very, very careful inspection, there were minuscule flecks of unprocessed kale floating in the smoothie but these were few and far between, and weren’t large enough to detect in the mouth when drunk.

Crushing the ice in the travel cup gleaned far less than ideal results so I opted to try it in the pitcher instead. Don’t get me wrong, I was reasonably satisfied with what the travel cup produced: well-crushed ice with some little chunks that escaped the wrath of the extractor blade. However, I wanted to see if the added surface of the pitcher would produce a better end result.

(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)

Sure enough, without much fuss, the pitcher’s blades managed to pulverize the cubes into fine, icy grounds that were just perfect for a snow cone or daiquiri. The Triple Prep System’s volume output hit a peak of 96db during this part of the test (roughly equivalent to some power tools). While this level of noise is certainly not pleasant to be exposed to for too long, it is a good bit higher than the blender’s average which was closer to 87db.

As testing continued, the Triple Prep System continued to impress. After mixing up a hummus recipe in the food processor’s work bowl on the ‘dip’ preset and scraping the sides, I was treated to a creamy dip with zero unincorporated segments of chickpeas. Thicker blends sticking under the blades and on the edge of the container was a notable problem with the Nutribullet SmartSense that I found added extra time to making this simple, delicious recipe. Thankfully, the Triple Prep System avoids the same mistake.

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(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)

Next, I put its shred/slice disc to work on a block of cheese and found that it provided a result that was really consistent. However, the slight inconvenience of chopping the cheese small enough to fit through the narrow gap in the food processor’s lid might make this a less attractive option in the future.

The only real disappointment I experienced during testing was how the Triple Prep System performed making mayonnaise. The pitcher was obviously too large to properly blend a batch, so I opted to use the food processor work bowl instead. The issue is that – even when I doubled the usual recipe – the container was still far too spacious.

(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)

An alternative mayonnaise recipe written specifically for a Nutribullet suggested using a 18oz cup, but the Triple Prep System not only doesn’t include a container that small but doesn’t have any more compact attachments that would allow you to gradually drip oil into the emulsion as it’s blending. So, unless you’re anticipating mixing up an industrial-sized tub of mayo, it’s worth doing this recipe by hand or with an immersion blender.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Nutribullet Triple Prep System?Nutribullet Triple Prep System score card

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

It’s far from the lowest-cost option when it comes to blenders. But given the breadth of tasks it can be used for, it’s very good value.

4/5

Design

Takes up more space than many blending solutions but attachments nest for storage. Build quality is very strong.

4.5/5

Performance

Excels in almost every test. Great for smoothies, hummus, and crushing ice. Struggles with small batches.

4.5/5

Buy it if

You want a complete food prep system

If you're in the market for a personal blender, jug blender, and food processor all in one, the Nutribullet Triple Prep System has you covered.

You’d like a blender with dishwasher-safe parts

Once you’re done blitzing up something tasty, you can just pop your pitcher, processor, or cup into the dishwasher. There’s no need to hang over the sink and wash them by hand.

You struggle with chopping or dicing

If your knife skills are lacking or you just want to save yourself some time and effort in the kitchen, the Nutribullet Triple Prep System is more than suited to stepping in as your sous chef.

Don't buy it if

You just need a blender for drink prep

If you’re not much of a home chef and solely see yourself using your blender for mixing up smoothies and shakes, the Triple Prep System is seriously overkill.

You’re on a super tight budget

At over $200, there are definitely lower-cost blenders you can opt for instead.

Nutribullet Triple Prep System: also consider

If you’re on the look-out for options that are similar to the Nutribullet Triple Prep System, here’s some alternatives worth considering:

Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo

If you need a powerful base and multiple blender cup sizes but don’t care for having a food processor, this is a slightly cheaper and more pared back alternative from the same brand.

Read our full Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo review

Breville the Fresh and Furious

If you’re a home cook but don’t see yourself batch blending too often, it probably makes more sense to opt for a jug blender that’s on the smaller side. While you don’t get travel cups with this blender, it has a variety of useful presets and is ideal for singletons or small families.

Read our full Breville the Fresh and Furious review

How I tested the Nutribullet Triple Prep System

Alongside my usual kitchen tasks, my testing involved using the Nutribullet Triple Prep System to make TechRadar’s standard test recipes.

Throughout this process, I assessed the effectiveness of both manual and preset blending. I used a decibel tracker to determine how loud the blender is during use and after each blend, I cleaned the blender attachments and accessories by hand.

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro: Two-minute review

“I can hear your music,” is something my mother used to tell me when I was young, worried that I’d damage my hearing by cranking my music too loud, and it’s something I’ve heard from multiple people since I started testing even the best open earbuds.

These safety-focused open-fit headphones don’t put the earbud in your ear but just outside it, letting you hear surrounding sounds – but until the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro came along, this also meant that people around you could hear the distant ring of your tunes too.

No more! Xiaomi’s sophomore open-ear offering fixes the problem, with a bespoke 10mm driver that’s designed to eradicate sound leakage, and does a decent job at stopping bystanders hearing your music. My local park was no longer regaled by early-morning Busted and Hansen sprints, which I’m sure the community was overjoyed with.

That driver’s just one of five nestled into each earbud, a surprising spec given that most earbuds have one and even top-end ones have only two or three, and you can see them arranged in a flower-like pattern on each bud. But my first-glance comparison between this layout and the look of the five-camera Nokia 9 PureView, which was the first smartphone to use this many rear sensors, continues further than I’d like. Just as that phone offered a packed spec-sheet that didn’t deliver as promising results in testing, the OpenWear Stereo Pro may have the hardware but can’t seem to make good on it to stand a cut above the rest.

For most of my testing, I listened on the default sound profile and the buds sounded awful, really tinny and compressed – luckily I discovered that changing to one of the other few audio presets clears up lots of my problems, adding depth and range, and I wish I hadn’t written most of this review before discovering that! Oh well, a few hours of rewrites gave me more time to review the buds.

That extra testing time didn’t give me extra insight on the design, which isn’t quite as robust or rigid as open-ears need to be for gym users. Doing exercises that don’t see me stand upright like sit-ups, skull-crushers or anything reclined saw gravity drag the buds away from my ears, though thankfully they were okay when running or cycling.

It’s in the feature set that Xiaomi goes some way in winning me over. I’ve already mentioned the sound leak suppression system but the company has also brought back an easily-toggled voice note recording system, which I’ve found really useful in quickly letting me leave reminders to myself.

Despite winning points back, though, the Stereo Pro level out as being ‘fine’ buds, instead of the solid ones they’d need to be to compete in this rapidly-growing and hotly contested market.

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Price and release date

(Image credit: Future)

• Available from September 24, 2025
• Costs £139.99 (roughly $180, AU$280)
• In line with most open-ears

The Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro were announced in September 2025 at a launch event by the company, which also included the Xiaomi 15T smartphone, some new versions of existing wearables and a few other bits and pieces.

The earbuds cost £139.99 (roughly $180, AU$280). A US release is unlikely given precedent, and an Australian one is possible due to Xiaomi releasing some of its earbuds there, but not guaranteed.

That price puts the Stereo Pro in line with most other open-ears, which generally sit between £100 and £160 (or $/AU$ equivalent), though some of our favorite options sit at the lower end of that spectrum. More on that in the Competition section below.

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Specs

Drivers

Tweeter + 2x balanced armatures + 18x13mm dynamic driver + 10mm driver

Active noise cancellation

No

Battery life (ANC off)

8.5 hours (buds) 45 hours (case)

Weight

9.7g (buds) 72g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4

Waterproofing

NA

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Features

(Image credit: Future)

• Two useful features
• Presets, but no equalizer
• 8.5 hours of listening per charge

Xiaomi puts the battery life of the OpenWear Stereo Pro at 8.5 hours for the buds, a figure which my own testing gave me no reason to doubt. The charging case bumps that up to 45 hours and both are slightly above average, the case figure to a commendable degree.

The Xiaomi Earbuds app for your phone or tablet gives you some extra control over your buds, with the ability to customise touch controls and jump between a few sound profiles (like EQ presets, but without there being an actual EQ). I’ll mention these in more detail later but it’s not quite as much as customization as other buds give you.

The flashy feature that’s designed to make the Stereo Pro stand out from the crowd is a driver which is designed to stop sound leaking. By ‘leaking’, I mean music from the buds that people around you can hear, which is both annoying for them and embarrassing for you (especially if your music taste is poor but trust me, we’re all judging you).

From my testing (and my partner’s, due to her being my guinea pig) the feature does a decent job at reducing sound leaking. It doesn’t totally remove it and sound leaking is still apparent, but it downplays open earbuds’ natural tendency to spread music around (due to the design). It’s most efficient in public areas where it brings your music just quiet enough to be drowned out by background noises.

Another feature present, that Xiaomi has ported over from its standard earbuds, is a recording mode. You can enable this with a gesture command, and it records audio from the buds or, apparently, a built-in speaker in the case.

It’s a useful feature for people who like to record their own voice notes on the go (let’s be honest: it’s a lot easier than using your phone’s notes app) but many countries have laws against recording unawares people, so you’ve been warned.

Throughout testing, I bumped up against a problem that seemed to be a connectivity one, rather than a sound one, though it did affect the audio. Now and then the buds would jump between tunings, from the usual one to an extra-compressed one and back again after a few seconds. There was no way of controlling or pre-empting this. I put it down to a connectivity issue because from time to time the buds would also lose connection for a few moments, a problem likely linked.

• Features score: 4/5

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Very shiny earbuds
• Comfortable to wear but unreliable hold
• Hardy carry case

If you’re familiar with the look of open earbuds, the thing that’ll hit you about the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro is just how shiny they are. The counterweight and bud both come with a sheen so clean you can do your hair in them, making them look really rather premium. You can pick up the buds in gray, white or, like my test unit, rose gold.

And if we’re making judgements based on appearance, seeing the five drivers on the other side, complete with the text ‘5-driver sound system, designed by Xiaomi’ makes a loud statement about the buds’ audio quality.

Each bud weighs 9.7g, which is a little more than some rivals I’ve tested, but it doesn’t tell. They’re comfortable to wear for long gym sessions or trips, though when I wore them for my workout the bud would often move away from my ear if I leant down or lay down. I’ve found this problem in a few other open-ears and it seems to happen most when the material connecting the bud and counterweight is weak, and therefore unable to hold the bud rigidly.

The case is an oval clamshell that retains your color choice from the bud – and again, has a little ‘designed by Xiaomi’ in case you forget who made it (the name appears four times across the case and buds, not counting a little removable information sticker on the case).

Strong magnets grip the Stereo Pro when you put them in the case, so I never needed to fuss much about putting them in perfectly, which was handy when I wanted to sheathe the Xiaomi in a hurry. Features of the case include a USB-C charging port and pairing button but not much else.

Pre-release information provided to TechRadar didn’t mention an IP rating for the buds or case, so keep them safe from rain.

• Design score: 3.5/5

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Sound quality

• Five drivers per bud
• Default sound profile is bad
• Low max volume

(Image credit: Future)

A glance at the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro’s specs list sets up high expectations for the buds’ audio chops, and that’s because each bud has a startling five drivers (most rivals have one).

There’s a tweeter for refining treble, dual balanced armatures aimed again at higher-frequency tones, an 18x13mm dynamic driver that’s targeted at bass and the aforementioned 10mm sound leak reducer. And if that overwhelming hardware list somehow doesn’t impress you, perhaps the support for Hi-Res Audio and LDAC, SBC and AAC codecs will.

After reading all those specs, seeing the five drivers individually presented on the earbuds in a distinct way, and setting up my expectations fittingly, I was pretty shocked to discover that the Stereo Pro don’t sound good at all. In fact, I wrote a pretty scathing review of the sound – and then connected the buds to the phone app (not available immediately because I had early access to my review sample), changed from the default sound profile and found most of my issues vanish. If you’ve just bought these buds, make this change straight away.

In their default sound profile, the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro sound tinny, compressing a multitude of instruments into one sound and losing the details from almost all of them. In rock songs instruments like rhythm guitar, accompaniment keys and backing vocals are muddled and drum lines and more prominent guitar lines are akin to sleigh bells for how jangling they sound. Reverb fills the space that a detailed soundstage should take up.

Changing from the default sound profile really widens instruments, as well as the soundstage (though if you’re a masochist, the in-app toggle to increase the dynamic range turns the tinniness up to 11). It doesn’t make audio sound great, but it brings it in line with other open-ears.

The drivers’ emphasis on higher-end audio helps vocals and guitar solos stand out, and while there’s sufficient bass it sounds ill-defined and loose unless you fix it in the equalizer. Most of the time, it turns songs into a wall of distorted sound in which you can’t make up the textural details. I can see some listeners being okay with this aspect of the buds, especially ones who like high-powered metal music, but bear in mind that if you try head-banging these buds are going to go flying.

The buds don’t even go very loud, so I sometimes struggled to hear music when I was nearby a road.

• Sound quality: 3/5

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

• Your money could go further
• …unless you want those features

As mentioned before, the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro sit around the average price of open earbuds, and also as mentioned, there’s lots of competition.

In fact, some of our favorite options are cheaper, making Xiaomi’s offering feel hard to recommend given that its performance also doesn’t match up.

The exception to this is whether or not the buds’ features sound enough to win you over, but for me, the sound quality is a sticking point.

• Value: 3/5

Should I buy the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro?

(Image credit: Future)Xiaomi Openwear Stereo Pro score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

The decent battery life and useful extras make up for the wobbly connection.

4/5

Design

The buds are flashy and shiny with handy touch controls but the buds aren't held in place reliably.

3.5/5

Sound quality

The Stereo Pro gives unconvincing sound, even when you’ve turned off the poor default mode.

3/5

Value

There's bound to be something that works better within your budget... unless the features appeal to you.

3/5

Buy them if…

You're worried about sound leakage
The new anti-sound-leak driver reduces how much of your music people nearby can hear, so you don't have to feel ashamed when you listen to your guilty pleasures any more.

You take frequent voice notes
If you're the kind of person who likes to record their thoughts, either for voice memos or just to keep notes, the quick recording feature will be useful..

You want something flashy
Not literally flashy, but the Xiaomi's shiny design makes them stand out from the crowd.View Deal

Don’t buy them if…

You want refined audio
You've hopefully already read the sound quality section of this review. Suffice to say, the buds aren't for audiophiles.

You plan to mostly wear at the gym
I found the buds fit mostly well when I was walking, running and cycling, but gym workouts brought the fit problems when I'd bend over or lie down a lot.

Xiaomi Openwear Stereo Pro review: Also consider

Xiaomi Openwear Stereo Pro

Huawei FreeArc

Honor Earbuds Open

Technics EAH-AZ100

Drivers

Tweeter + 2x balanced armatures + 18x13mm dynamic driver + 10mm driver

17x12mm

16mm

17x12mm

Active noise cancellation

No

No

Yes

No

Battery life

8.5 hours (buds) 45 hours (case)

7 hours (buds) 28 hours (total)

6 hours (buds) 40 hours (total)

7.5 hours (buds) 38.5 hours (case)

Weight

9.7g / charging case: 72g

8.9g / charging case: 67g

7.9g / charging case: 52.5g

9.6g / charging case: 88g

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4

Bluetooth 5.2

Bluetooth 5.2

Bluetooth 5.4

Waterproofing

NA

IP57

IP54

IP54

Huawei FreeArc
Our top-rated open earbuds stand out from the crowd for sounding better than any of their rivals. They’re also solid in build and understated in design and, most importantly, undercut the Xiaomi (and most other rivals).

See our full X review

Honor Earbuds Open
Another open earbud that excels in the features department — and roughly matches the Xiaomi in terms of price — comes from Honor. However again the fit is better and the presence of noise cancellation works wonders.

See our full Honor Earbuds Open review

How I tested the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested for two weeks
• Tested at home, in the office, on runs, at the gym and while cycling

I used the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro for two weeks before writing this review, which is the standard TechRadar testing time.

During the testing period I used the buds at home, on walks around my neighborhood, on runs, at the gym, while cycling and on busy public transport. I paired them to my Android smartphone and most of the testing was done on Spotify and Netflix.

I've been reviewing gadgets for TechRadar for nearly six years, which has included lots of Xiaomi gadgets in the past. For the last year I've been reviewing countless open earbuds, and so have a lot of experience in the area with which to compare the Xiaomis.

• First reviewed in September 2025

• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: one-minute review

Nutribullet is a brand most well known for its compact personal blenders which – while suited to blitzing up smoothies and protein shakes – aren’t exactly heavy duty pieces of culinary tech. But models like the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo aim to up the power and functionality without compromising too much on simplicity or affordability.

By combining a full-sized pitcher with Nutribullet’s familiar single-serve cups, and adding a smart auto-cycle that adapts blending power on the fly, it aims to cover the needs of both speedy smoothie lovers and home chefs.

(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)

For the most part, it succeeds. Most everyday tasks are handled quickly and consistently. The SmartSense auto cycle is genuinely useful for hands-off blending and the 1,500W motor packs more punch than most people will ever need.

But all that isn’t without its caveats. The SmartSense Blender Combo struggles with thick or dry blends and requires you to intervene a couple of times during the blending process to ensure all the ingredients are within reach of the blades. You’ll also find that very small batches of dips don’t quite reach high up enough to get blended.

Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: price and availability

• List price: $164.99 / £149.99 / AU$299.95
• Available in the US, UK, and Australia
• Reasonable price for a two-in-one blender combo

In the US, UK, and Australia, the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo is available to purchase on the Nutribullet site. and from third-party retailers like Amazon.

In terms of cost, the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo sits on the mid/high end of the Nutribullet range. Understandably, you’re paying more than you would for a dinky personal blender, but it won’t quite set back as much as a top-of-the-line food processor/blender combo.

Similar models from other brands include the Cuisinart Velocity Ultra Trio

• Value score: 4.5/5

Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: specs

Price

$164.99 / £149.99 / AUS $299.95

Weight

9.81lbs / 4.45kg

Travel cup capacity

32oz / 900ml and 24oz / 700ml

Jug capacity

64oz / 1.8 liters

Blending speeds

5

Presets

Auto (SmartSense)

Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: design

• Five blending speeds and an auto mode
• Pitcher with fixed blades and a vented lid
• Travel cups with extractor blades

The Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo consists of a blender base which can either be attached to the included 64oz pitcher, 32oz travel cup, or 24oz handled travel cup. All three of these add-ons are made from BPA-free plastic, meaning you can enjoy the lightness and durability of the material without worrying about harmful chemicals leaching into your soups and smoothies.

The SmartSense Blender Combo box contents also included a tamper but during testing, I found that it offered very little in the way of practical help. A far more useful tool was a cheap silicone spatula I tend to use while baking. It had the flexibility necessary to scrap the edges of the blender jug, but didn’t tend to get ingredients stuck to it like tamper did.

(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)

Like the rest of the build, the attachments of the SmartSense Blender Combo are sturdy enough to inspire confidence. The only real concern I’d have is the possibility of stains or scratches developing after long-term use, but even this would just be a superficial complaint. Not to mention, a good thorough clean after every use helps to prevent this. Thankfully, attachments for the SmartSense are dishwasher-safe so this task is a little easier.

Blending with the travel cups is done with a separate extractor blade but in the case of the pitcher attachment, the blade is sealed into the base. This means that, when you’re hand-washing your blender (which those of us without dishwashers are cursed to do) it’s a little difficult to clean. Without being able to pop the blade out and wipe it down, it’s best to blitz some warm water and soap in the pitcher to loosen some of the debris that tends to get stuck underneath. This isn’t a dealbreaker, but it definitely adds an awkward extra step to maintaining the machine.

(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)

One great thing about the pitcher’s design is that its lid has a vent which allows you to add ingredients mid-blend and – crucially – allows for steam to escape when making hot recipes. I’ll admit that throughout my years in the kitchen, I’ve occasionally taken my chances blending hot sauces and soups against manufacturers’ instructions. To try to reduce steam production and the chances of the lid blowing off from the pressure, I’d let everything cool down a bit before pouring it in. But even with these attempts to mitigate risk, the likelihood of getting scalded (or at the very least making a mess of your kitchen) means that blending hot food in an unvented blender is a terrible idea. A tiny gap in the lid makes a big difference when it comes to making this blender an even more versatile piece of kitchen kit.

Controls on the motor base are exceedingly simple to navigate. There’s an on/off button, which – alongside powering the machine on and off – also prompts the appearance of rather cute “hello” and “goodbye” messages on the base’s LED screen. The plus and minus buttons are used to adjust between the 5 power settings, but you can skip all that by using the Auto button that activates the load-sensing setting and estimates the right blending speed and time for you.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: performance

• Makes stellar smoothies with virtually no nasty bits
• Crushes ice (with some assistance from you)
• Dry blends were a disappointment

Coming in at 1500W, the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo should have more than enough power to handle most jobs. Testing started with a smoothie recipe from the Nutribullet site consisting of blueberries, milk, banana, and kale.

Fibrous green veg really puts blenders through their paces, so it’s a great way to reveal just how well it performs. Frozen kale tends to produce fewer gritty chunks than its non-frozen counterpart, but it turns out it’s oddly difficult to find pre-frozen kale in the UK, so I just proceeded with the fresh version instead.

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(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)Image 2 of 3

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(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)

Thankfully, the power of the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender managed to blitz away any unpleasant texture to produce a smooth, thick end result. Despite my expectations, the kale didn’t pose any problem for the SmartSense.

In fact, the only inconsistencies that were left after blending were the tiny seeds from the blueberries. Personally, this isn’t the kind of textural inconsistency that gives me the ick but even if it was, it seems a tad unfair to expect a blender under $200 to have the seed-pulverizing powers of something like a Vitamix A3500.

The SmartSense Blender Combo also makes light work of crushing ice cubes, on the condition you scrape the ice from the sides midway through. The blades certainly don’t have any difficulty slicing through rock solid chunks of ice (and in fact, the machine doesn’t even go past 95db while doing it) but the structure of the pitcher means that the ice tends to pool around the edges before it’s done being crushed. The good news is after a little intervention, you should be able to rustle up your own daiquiris or frappuccinos at home no problem.

(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)

Despite delivering a pretty stellar performance in the realm of drinkable delights, the next hurdles for the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender really exposed the machine’s weak points. One of the fatal flaws of the SmartSense Blender Combo is the placement of the pitcher’s fixed blades. They sit just a little too high and don’t cover enough surface area across the pitcher’s bottom so it’s frustratingly easy for ingredients to escape the blender’s vortex.

During the hummus-making phase of testing, I found that the machine consistently created a tasty, well-incorporated dip. However, achieving that result required me to intervene two or three times to redistribute the ingredients and make sure none of my chickpea mixture avoided blending.

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(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)

This blade placement problem majorly impacted my ability to make mayonnaise with the blender too. Due to the sheer size of the pitcher, I found I had to double a normal batch in order to have my yolk/vinegar/mustard emulsion even touch the blades at all.

Even then, I couldn’t maintain a consistent enough vortex to create a satisfying result. If you’re truly set on making mayonnaise with the SmartSense Blender Combo, the best way to do it is to mix up your emulsion by hand and then put it back into the blender for the step where you gradually incorporate oil.

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(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)

One other very notable development during my tests is just how redundant the Auto function felt. While the SmartSense name definitely provides a fancy selling point, I found that I actually didn’t appreciate the automation of the blending process. It’s not like the SmartSense Auto blending ever got things too far wrong but rather I preferred to keep my eye on what I was working on and adjust the power as needed.

I can definitely see the appeal of this for folks who find their attention pulled by kids or pets while in the kitchen, but the removal of control actually made things less convenient in my experience, so I mostly opted for the manual options.

• Performance score: 3/5

Should you buy the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo?Buy it if

You want a blender for drink and food prep

Thanks to the varied attachments and vented pitcher lid, the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo is well suited for whipping up smoothies, shakes, sauces, and soups.

You need a blender with dishwasher-safe parts

If you want to avoid the tedium of washing your blender by hand, you can with the SmartSense Blender Combo.

You’d like a large-capacity blender

The pitcher included with the SmartSense Blender Combo is a hefty 64oz, making it ideal for batch blending multiple servings to enjoy with your family or by yourself over the course of the week.

Don't buy it if

You’re big on dips, butters, and doughs

The SmartSense Blender Combo works best with recipes that contain a decent bit of liquid. If you’re using it to mix up something like peanut butter, you’ll notice that this isn’t its strong point.

You need a personal blender

If you see yourself ever only using your blender for making small servings of smoothies, the SmartSense Blender Combo is a tad OTT.

Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: also consider

If you’re on the look-out for options that are similar to the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo, here’s some alternatives worth considering:

Braun Tri-Force / PowerBlend 9

This jug-style blender sports a slightly higher price tag than the SmartSense Blender Combo, but it’s ranked as our best blender for a reason. It’s super efficient and its unique triangular design prevents the kind of frustrating side stickage seen with the SmartSense. The Tri-Force’s presets also have the kind of true ‘hands-off’ experience you’d expect from an auto mode.

Read our full Braun Tri-Force / PowerBlend 9 review

Nutribullet Triple Prep System

This 3-in-1 bullet blender/jug blender/food processor combo system is a bit of an upgrade from the SmartSense. If you see yourself using your Nutribullet for preparing food just as often (if not more often) than you use it for creating drinks, consider the Triple Prep System instead.

How I tested the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo

Alongside using it for some of my usual kitchen tasks, I put the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo through its paces with TechRadar’s usual test recipes. During my tests, I alternated between using the Auto and manual speed controls to determine the best approach for each recipe. I used a decibel tracker to determine how loud the blender is during use. After each blend, I cleaned the blender attachments and accessories by hand.

Klipsch Flexus Core 300 Soundbar: One minute review

Klipsch Flexus Core 300 soundbar with optional Flexus SURR 200 rear speakers and Flexus SUB 200 subwoofer (Image credit: Future)

The Klipsch Flexus Core 300 isn’t the cheapest Dolby Atmos soundbar you can buy, but those who can afford it will find it matches the best Dolby Atmos soundbars on just about every level.

Now, it might not be the best soundbar for everyone. Aside from the big price tag, it’s also physically big. But it does everything else right. It has all the ports one could want, and it has all the features you’d expect to see in the best soundbars. Most importantly, it sounds really good. And once you set it up with the Dirac Live feature, the sound quality goes from really good to great. It’s that last bit that really puts it over the edge for me.

If you’re looking for a soundbar system that gives a true theater experience at home, the Klipsch Flexus Core 300 is more than capable, and the experience gets even more immersive when you add the accompanying surround speakers and subwoofer.

Klipsch Flexus Core 300 review: Price & release date

Klipsch Flexus Core 300 system packaging (Image credit: Future)

• Price: $1,199.99 / £1,049.00 (about AU$1,830)
• First available: September 2025

The Klipsch Flexus Core 300 soundbar system reviewed here is anything but cheap. In fact,the Core 300 soundbar, with the Sub 200 subwoofer, and Surr 200 surround speakers that I tested will set you back an eye-wateringly high $2,299.97 / £1,827 (about AU$3,500).

Individually, the Core 300 soundbar goes for $1,199.99 / £1,049.00 (about AU$1,830), while the Sub 200 subwoofer is $599.99 / £419.00 (about AU$910) and the Surr 200 surround sound speakers are $499.99 / £359.00 (about AU$760) per pair. There are cheaper versions available of the subwoofer and surround speakers, so you can get away with a lower system cost, but you won’t have the same experience.

Also. Aussies will have to sit this one out (at least at the time of writing).

Klipsch Flexus Core 300 review: Specs

Dimensions (W x H x D)

soundbar: 54 x 3 x 5 inch / 1371 x 76.2 x 127mm; subwoofer: 15.25 x 15.25 x 15.25 inches (387 x 387 x 387mm); surround speaker: 4.1 x 8.75 x 4.31 inches 105 x 222.25 x 109.5mm

Speaker channels

5.1.2 (soundbar), 7.1.4 (with sub and surround speakers)

Connections:

HDMI 2.1 passthrough, HDMI eARC, USB-C, optical digital, subwoofer output, Bluetooth

Dolby Atmos/DTS:X

Yes/Yes

Sub included

Available separately

Rear speakers included

Available separately

Features

4K 120Hz passthrough, Dirac Live room calibration, AirPlay, Google Cast, Google Home support

Klipsch Flexus Core 300 review: Features

The Klipsch Flexus Core 300 soundbar and the optional wireless sub and rear speakers uses wireless dongles to transmit and receive audio signals (Image credit: Future)

• Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support
• Night and dialog
• Can adjust the volume of individual speakers

As you would expect from its price, the Klipsch Flexus Core 300 is feature-filled. It supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and you can add an optional subwoofer (or two subwoofers since dual subs are supported) and wireless surround speakers for a full surround sound experience. On top of that, it has built-in Dirac Live, a calibration software that minimizes the effects of room reflections on the sound.

The Flexus Core 300 features movie and music modes, along with a night mode that compresses the audio dynamic range for late-night viewing. A dialog mode offers three different levels to emphasize the specific part of the mid-range where dialog sits. This is a bit more subtle than what I’ve found on other soundbars, but still effective.

In the app, there are quite a few additional options for fine-tuning the sound. There’s a three-band EQ, and you can adjust the individual volume of each channel if you feel like something is out of balance. The only thing missing, surprisingly, is any kind of voice assistant support – a feature typically found on the more expensive soundbars.

WiFi streaming supports Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, AirPlay, and Google Cast. Google Home is the only supported smart home ecosystem.

• Features score: 5 / 5

Klipsch Flexus Core 300 review: Performance

Both the Klipsch Flexus Core 300 soundbar and SUB 200 subwoofer are large compared to most soundbar systems (Image credit: Future)

• Basic sound quality is very good
• Dirac Live elevates sound clarity
• Immersive soundstage

There are two experiences when listening to the Klipsch Flexus Core 300: with and without Dirac Live. Without it, the soundbar sounds very good. Action movies like The Workman have that oomph you expect from a movie theater experience, where you can just feel the subwoofer. Whether it’s a sound effect of someone getting punched or the low notes in the score that add a sense of foreboding, the sound has an impressive sense of weight to it.

The treble is as good as you would expect from a soundbar this pricey as well, with synths, flutes, and windchimes sounding crisp with no loss of detail.

The mid-range is what suffers the most without Dirac Live as it sounds a bit overstuffed without adjustments and dialogue can get lost just a little bit. You can offset with a three-band EQ that provides a 6 dB boost or cut, and changes to the EQ, even with presets active, are noticeable.

But, the real solution is to use Dirac Live (which I describe below in the usability and setup section). Once you’ve gone through the Dirac Live setup, the soundbar will create a custom EQ profile to adjust for the reflections of soundwaves bouncing around your media room, and the difference is stark. Dirac Live makes this soundbar go from good to amazing, with everything sounding clean, especially in the mid-range.

I watched The Batman, the first episode of The Residence, and an Eagles vs Cowboys football game, along with plenty of music during my testing. No matter how complex the soundtrack or music was, I could hear everything with precision. That alone justifies the Flexus Core 300’s price. Other room calibration systems I’ve tried can be very good, but this one is great.

I also experienced immersive sound when testing the surround sound speakers, even when they were not as widely placed as they should be. For the most part, their presentation was subtle; I would almost not realize that there was audio coming through them until I paid attention and realized that I was hearing the sound of wind.

• Performance score: 5 / 5

Klipsch Flexus Core 300 review: Design

The Klipsch Flexus Core 300 has a bright alphanumeric LED display for control feedback (Image credit: Future)

• Modern, elegant look
• Large soundbar and subwoofer
• Extensive ports

While the Klipsch Flexus Core 300 comes in basic black, there’s something about its look that’s more elegant than a lot of the competition. (A walnut version is also available.) The soundbar and subwoofer both have wood grain showing through the black (not so for the surround sound speakers), and a silver Klipsch logo is featured prominently on each unit.

Now, don’t mistake that elegance for compact. This isn’t Apple. The Klipsch Flexus Core 300 soundbar is 54 inches wide, and the SUB 200 subwoofer is a 15-inch cube. The SURR 200 surround speakers are just under nine inches tall and a bit over four inches wide and deep. If you’re limited on space, this is not the system for you.

Focusing on just the soundbar, I really appreciate that the Klipsch Flexus Core 300 has an alphanumeric LED display that’s bright and sizable enough that it’s easy to read.

As far as controls go, most of the functionality is either on the remote or in the app. The soundbar itself just has power, input, and volume up and down buttons situated off-center on top.

The Flexus Core 300 comes with just about everything portone could ask for, including but not limited to multiple HDMI ports featuring eARC and 4K 120Hz passthrough, along with an optical digital input and RCA subwoofer output. Of course, there’s Bluetooth as well.

Most of your interaction with the soundbar will probably be through the remote. While I wish it was rechargeable instead of using AAA batteries, that’s really the only criticism I can throw at it. It feels good to hold with its rounded back, and the layout allows you to adjust most functions without having to use the app, including switching sound modes and adjusting the volume of the surround speakers and subwoofer.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

Klipsch Flexus Core 300 review: Setup & usability

Klipsch's control app lets you adjust all system functions and is also used for Dirac Live calibration (Image credit: Future)

• Generally easy to set up
• Sub and surround speakers use wireless dongles
• Dirac Live calibration requires silence

Klipsch packs the soundbar, subwoofer, and surround speakers with their own manual, and setting them up is a fairly straightforward process, though not exactly plug-and-play. I’ve set up a few soundbar systems with wireless connections before, and those typically get paired right out of the box. Here, both the subwoofer and surround sound speakers come with their own wireless dongle that needs to be plugged into the soundbar before pairing.

Considering that the sub and surround speakers are separate purchases, that makes sense. But it’s an additional step, and you have to press the pairing button on each external speaker and wait for the soundbar to connect.

If you want to get the most functionality out of Klipsch’s system, you also need to set up the app. This part was easy – all I had to do was connect it to Wi-Fi and answer some personalization questions.

The only thing I found a little difficult was setting up the Dirac Live calibration, which is finicky compared to other automatic calibration systems I’ve used. But then again, Dirac Live is the standard that audiophiles use for room correction.

The soundbar comes with a wired microphone that gets placed around the sitting area, and the calibration process requires complete silence. If a pet passes by or someone calls out during the ten-minute Dirac Live calibration, or if the air conditioner is too loud, then the test will fail and need to be run again.

• Setup & usability score: 4.5 / 5

Klipsch Flexus Core 300 review: Value

Klipsch's SURR 200 rear speakers are easy to setup and deliver immersive surround sound (Image credit: Future)

• Expensive compared to other premium soundbars
• Other premium systems not as well designed
• Competition doesn’t support Dirac Live

As great as the Klipsch Flexus Core 300 Soundbar System is, it’s expensive compared to the competition. That’s especially true if you compare the system to premium models from large manufacturers like Samsung and LG, and not boutique audiophile brands that typically go for even more money.

As far as specific examples go, the LG S95AR is an impressive soundbar system in its own right – I gave it a very favorable review – and comes with surround speakers and a subwoofer without requiring an extra purchase. Its price tag of $1,699.99 (about £1,260 / AUD$2,610) might seem higher than the Flexus Core 300’s price tag of $1,199.99 / £1,049.00 / AU$1,695, but it’s actually a good deal when you consider it’s a complete package. The Klipsch is more aesthetically pleasing and sounds better, but both are quality systems.

The Samsung HW-Q990F, which retails for $1,799 / £1,699 / AU$1,995. Is a feature-filled 11.1.4 system that also makes the Klipsch Flexus Core 300 Soundbar System feel overpriced. Again, there’s a difference in aesthetics and the Samsung (along with the LG) doesn’t support Dirac Live room calibration, although they do provide their own proprietary calibrations.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Klipsch Flexus Core 300?

Section

Notes

Score

Features

Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Night and Dialog mode are all here along with Dirac Live room EQ

5 / 5

Performance

Very good immersion and basic sound quality that is strongly enhanced by Dirac Live

5 / 5

Design

Classy looking and with an LED display, but large for a soundbar

4.5 / 5

Setup & usability

Relatively easy to set up, though Dirac Live calibration can be finicky if you don’t have complete silence

4.5 / 5

Value

As great as this soundbar system is, it’s among the more expensive options

4 / 5

Buy it if...

You want a true home theater experience
This system is probably the closest you can get to a home theater experience with a soundbar. It not only sounds good, but you can feel it.

You want great sound, no matter the room
With Dirac Live, you’ll get clear, balanced sound even if you’re putting the soundbar in a less-than-ideal room

You want all the features
Whether it’s Dolby Atmos, room calibration via Dirac Live, or HDMI passthrough with 4K 120Hz support, you’ll find it here.

Don't buy it if...

You have a small space
This is a big system, and the sound will overwhelm smaller spaces. If you have a cramped or small media room, there are other, much less expensive options that will give you a good experience.

You want a smart home system other than Google
Google Home is the only smart home ecosystem the soundbar supports. Considering that many people use Alexa or Apple HomeKit instead, the limited support is, well, limiting.

Klipsch Flexus Core 300 review: Also consider

Klipsch Flexus Core 300

Samsung HW-Q990F

LG S95AR

Sonos Arc Ultra

Price

$1,199.99 / £1,049.00 (about AU$1,830)

$1,999 / £1,699 / AU$2,099

$1,699.99 (about £1,260 / AU$2,610)

$999 / £999 / AU$1,799

Dimensions (w x h x d)

Soundbar: 54 x 3 x 5 inch / 1371 x 76.2 x 127mm; subwoofer: 15.25 x 15.25 x 15.25 inches (387 x 387 x 387mm); surround speaker: 4.1 x 8.75 x 4.31 inches 105 x 222.25 x 109.5mm

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

Soundbar: 49.2 x 2.5 x 5.3 in (1250 x 63.5 x 134.6mm); subwoofer: 7.9 x 16 x 15.9 in (200 x 406 x 404mm); rear speakers: 6.3 x 8.8 x 5.6 in (160 x 223.5 x 142mm)

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

Speaker channels

5.1.2 (soundbar), 7.1.4 (with sub and surround speakers)

11.1.4

9.1.5

9.1.4

Connections

HDMI 2.1 passthrough, HDMI eARC, USB-C, optical digital, subwoofer output, Bluetooth

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

2x HDMI (1 with eARC), optical, digital, Bluetooth, USB type-A

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

Dolby Atmos/DTS:X

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Samsung HW-Q990F

If you want a powerful, all-encompassing surround sound and Dolby Atmos-equipped soundbar, the Samsung HW-Q990F has about as much going for it as the LG S95AR. Like the LG soundbar, it’s also a bit pricey and has an obscured LED display.

Read our full Samsung HW-Q990F review

LG S95AR

The LG S95AR is a premium surround sound system that sounds great and has a whole list of features, including some that only work with LG TVs (and therefore you won’t find with other soundbar systems). It is a minor update from its predecessor, and expensive, though not nearly as pricey as the Klipsch.

Read our full LG S95AR review

Sonos Arc Ultra

Sonos’ flagship 9.1.4-channel soundbar is less pricey and more compact than the Klipsch, and it can also be extended with the company’s wireless subwoofers and surround speakers. Unlike the Klipsch, there is no HDMI passthrough or DTS support, and the design of the Sonos app prioritizes multiroom music streaming over soundbar functionality.

Read our full Sonos Arc Ultra review

How I tested the Klipsch Flexus Core 300 Soundbar

(Image credit: Future)

• I used the Klipsch Flexus Core 300 Soundbar system for several weeks
• Tested with TV, movies, games, and music

I used the Klipsch Flexus Core 300 Soundbar System regularly for several weeks with TV, movies, games, and music. I tested the different modes and inputs, and I spent a lot of time with the Dirac Live calibration.

I’ve tested plenty of tech gear over the years ,from laptops to keyboards and speakers, and so have been able to use my expertise towards giving an honest and fair opinion, not to mention a critical eye, to any product I test.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: September 2025

Klim Mistral: review

The Klim Mistral is a mid-market laptop cooling pad that has proven particularly popular on online retailers such as Amazon. While it had an original list price of $86.97 / £74.97, shop around and you can pick it up for less, with even Klim selling it direct for $69.97 / £59.97. This seems a pretty decent outlay, especially given it rocks pretty hardcore 4500rpm fans. But how did it perform in practice?

First off, I was pleasantly surprised by its aesthetics. As I remarked in my Klim Wind review, I wasn’t all that enamored by the look of that cooling pad – I still stand by my assessment that it looks like a "cyber-goth butterfly". By contrast, the Mistral is more mature-looking, dropping some of that edgy gamer styling for a cleaner silhouette and a five-color LED light strip – although the latter is cheaper-looking than some, clearly just showing 10 separate RGB LEDs.

There are also plenty of design touches that would imply it offers more professional cooling. For example, it comes with a rubber seal around its rim that will create a high-pressure area designed to force cooling air into your laptop's fans, maximizing their effectiveness. In addition, Klim has supplied heat shields to redirect air flow should your laptop also vent from the rear as well as from beneath; our testing Acer Predator Helios 300 laptop with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU sits firmly in this camp, so I dutifully applied them.

When it comes to ergonomics, the Mistral offers a good range of height settings, offering six in total. The top 29-degree angle is too steep to use the keyboard comfortably, but spot-on if you’re just using the screen, while the lower 19-degree angle felt comfortable for long typing sessions. Conversely, I found the placement of the laptop rests to be a bit uncomfortable – they’re easy to adjust to the height of your laptop, but since they stick up above the lip of the wrist rest, I found they dug into my wrists. However, I find this is a problem with a majority of cooling pads.

So it’s safe to say that after experiencing this mindful design, my expectations of the cooling the Mistral would offer was quietly optimistic – or maybe even loudly optimistic, once I’d seen those two enormous 4500rpm fans built-in. Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed more thoroughly than a college student’s AI-written dissertation.

(Image credit: Future)

As always, I tested the Klim Mistral’s cooling capacity by running a 3DMark Steel Nomad stress test on our testing laptop for 15 minutes with the cooling pad on max power, measuring the device’s temperature before and after. During the test, our laptop rose from 77ºF / 25ºC to 113.9ºF / 45.5ºC, a whopping 36.9ºF / 20.5ºC – for context, we’ve only had one cooling pad perform worse, the $29.99 / £29.77 TopMate C12 Laptop Cooling Pad, which presided over a rise of 41ºF / 22.8ºC. That’s significantly below what I’d expect from a cooling pad at this price.

In fact, I was so baffled that I did something I never do: I gave the Mistral a second chance. I re-ran the test later in the day, in the event that user error had somehow contributed to this poor performance. Ensuring the laptop was sat firmly on top of the seal, I found the results were certainly different – but not in the way I’d hoped. This time, the laptop’s core temperature rose a ludicrous 54.9ºF / 30.5ºC. Given our baseline stress test for our laptop only saw it rise 57.4ºF / 31.9ºC, this would mean the cooling pad shaved off only 2.5ºF / 1.4ºC, which is negligible enough not to be worth the trouble.

Trying to give Klim the benefit of the doubt here, it does warn heavily on its website that only certain types of laptop will work properly with the Mistral. Your computer will need to be between 15 and 17 inches and feature downward ventilation – but our testing laptop did meet both these criteria. I have also seen several online user reviews mention that the design of their laptop meant there were still small gaps around the rubber seal, negating the high-pressure effect intended.

Still, even if the Mistral's poor performance is down to the fact our laptop isn’t the perfect fit for its design, most of the other cooling pads I’ve tested have functioned regardless of the shape of our testing device. Sure, it’s perfectly possible that the Klim Mistral will send a chill through your laptop more icy and severe than your second-grade teacher – but do you really want to roll the dice on that?

(Image credit: Future)

Another thing that Klim warns about on its site is that its supposedly high-performance design can result in a lot more noise. If I’m honest, it didn’t really strike me as much of an outlier here: measuring the combined noise output of the cooling pad and our laptop 10 minutes into our test, it clocked 61dB from a few inches away and 51dB at my head height. That’s pretty much par for the course for medium to high-end cooling pads, so it wasn't really a concern. If you're a bit more noise-sensitive though, you may find your mileage here varies.

Ultimately, I feel like the Klim Mistral’s build and price write checks that its cooling can’t quite cash. Yes, I’ll accept that it might achieve better results if you have the exact design of laptop – but is that something you should really have to take a punt on when spending $69.97 / £59.97? Fundamentally, other options on our list of the best laptop cooling pads offer more predictable performance, whether you’re spending this kind of money or much less.

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Klim Mistral?Buy it if...

You need flexible, ergonomic design
Offering six height settings, the Klim Mistral is easy to adjust to the most comfortable angle needed for any given task.

You want mature looks
Unlike its edgelord-y stablemate, the Klim Wind, the Mistral has far more restrained looks, offering a cleaner outline and some five-color LED lighting.

Don't buy it if...

You don’t want to gamble with your cooling
Fundamentally, I couldn't get the Klim Mistral to perform as it should. If that’s even remotely a risk you don’t want to take, I’d look elsewhere.

You prefer quiet
Given its 4500rpm fans, the Klim Mistral isn’t excessively loud, but nor is it exactly demure. If you don’t want to annoy your room-mates or colleagues, we'd steer clear.

Klim Mistral review: also consider

Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad
For me, this represents the crème de la crème of laptop cooling pads. Sure, it sounds like a hyperventilating vacuum cleaner, but it offers the most effective chilling of any of the products I’ve reviewed. In tests, it only let our laptop’s temperature rise by 14.4ºF / 8ºC – and looked fantastic while doing it, oozing restrained, RGB-lit style. The only real caveat is the price: at $119.99 / £129.99, it costs a pretty penny. Read my full Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad review.

Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad
If you want a cooling pad more in line with the price of the Mistral, the V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad is definitely closer at $89.99 / £116.26. Despite this, it still offers vastly superior cooling to the Mistral, trimming our laptop’s heat rise to just 21.6ºF / 12ºC, making it a decent way to cool your computer without having to step up to the full price of the Llano RGB above. Read my full Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad review.

(Image credit: Future)How I tested the Klim Mistral

• Used it over the course of several days
• Measured the heat rise of a laptop with the pad on maximum settings
• Recorded how much noise it made two-thirds of the way through our stress test

To put the Klim Mistral through its paces, I followed TechRadar’s standard testing procedure. Running a 3DMark Steel Nomad stress test for 15 minutes on our Acer Predator Helios 300 laptop with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU, I set the Mistral on its maximum cooling and measured our laptop’s temperature before and after using a thermal camera. I then compared this to the benchmarks recorded from every laptop cooling pad test we’ve run to date.

In addition, I recorded the combined noise output of the cooling pad’s and our testing laptop’s built-in fans. To do this, I used a sound level meter to measure their volume 10 minutes into the test, recording it both from a few inches away and at my head height (21 inches away). This allowed me to get a sense of both an objective volume, as well as the subjective amount of noise you’re likely to experience in use.

Finally, I made sure I used the Klim Mistral in a variety of scenarios to get a sense of its ergonomics and how comfortable it was in use. I did this by using it to play multiple games and by using it for some of my daily work, so I could build up a meaningful impression of how it works in practice. I bring plenty of experience to this table: not only have I been covering gadgets for many years, but I’m also a creative and gamer, which means I have a lot of experience of pushing my laptops to their limits.

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

Status Audio Pro X: Two-minute review

American audio company Status Audio was hurt by the curse of poor timing with the release of its next-gen premium earbuds and challengers to our best earbuds buying guide. That’s because less than two months after the firm unveiled the Pro X, Apple finally released its latest buds, the AirPods Pro 3, which slightly undercut the underdogs’ latest release in terms of price.

I don’t think Status needs to worry much about competition from Apple, though, because the product distinguishes itself in a few key areas (and, of course, actually works equally as well for Android users).

For one, the Status Pro X has three audio drivers per bud, one more than the AirPods Pro and two more than most earbuds I test. This trio works together to deliver well-defined and high-quality audio that sounds fantastic, making these some of the best earbuds you can try.

The earbuds also look as good as they sound, with the ellipsoid design language carried between the buds and the case to make them look some of the classiest buds I've seen. It's not all for show either as I found the fit reliable.

Status has nailed more of the basics with solid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), handy touch controls and wireless charging in the case.

The main let-down for me was the battery life, which basically scraped five hours if you've got ANC turned on. That's pretty poor when you look at averages on the market, even for high-end buds, and rules them out for certain use cases.

In fact, the overall feature set is a little bit anemic, and there are a few common perks that aren't available on the Pro X. It's clear that the emphasis here is on the audio quality and design, not the handy extras that often justify a higher price.

That's the one department where the AirPods Pro 3 cleanly beat the Status Pro X; don't expect any live translation or heart rate tracking here. But Status has Apple beat in the two other main areas, and that's good enough for me.

Status Audio Pro X review: Price and release date

(Image credit: Future)

• Released in 'batches' every few months from July 2025
• Costs $299 / £272 / AU$470
• Pricier than big-name rivals

The first thing to know about the Pro X is that they’re not cheap gadgets; these are pricey buds that bump elbows with some top-notch rivals.

The official retail price for the Status Audio Pro X is $299 / £272 / AU$470, though it’s worth noting that you can pre-order them for $249 / £226 / AU$384. When I say ‘pre-order’, I don’t mean that the buds aren’t out, but (at the time of writing at least) Status is selling them in waves, with one every couple of months. For the purpose of this review I’m taking the RRP as the real price of the buds though.

That price means the buds cost more than the new AirPods Pro 3, which go for $249 / £219 / AU$429 and roughly match the option that tops our best earbuds list, the Technics EAH-AZ100, which go for $299 / £259 / AU$478.

In other words, I went into this review expecting great things.

One more thing: the Pro X's predecessor, the excellent Status Between 3ANC, cost $249 (approx. £249 / AU$399).

Status Audio Pro X review: Specs

Drivers

12mm driver + 2x Knowles balanced armature drivers

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Battery life (ANC off)

8 hours (buds) 24 hours (case)

Weight

5g (buds) 48g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4

Waterproofing

IP55

Status Audio Pro X review: Features

(Image credit: Future)

• Poor battery life
• Decent noise cancellation
• Fewer features than rivals

According to Status Audio, the Pro X will last for 8 hours of listening time, with the charging case extending it to 24 hours in total. That figure must be for listening with ANC turned off, because when it was enabled, I got a far shorter listening time: roughly four and a half to five hours. That’s not exactly a competitive stat as it falls below average by a considerable way.

A better feature is the noise cancellation which, while not best-in-class, was solid enough to plaster over annoying background noises. The Ambient mode is one of the better examples of pass-through sound I’ve used, with surrounding sounds fed into your headphones without sounding amplified at all.

You can toggle between these modes using the Status Hub app which also lets you customize the touch controls, choose between one of five equalizer presets (plus a custom mode with an eight-band EQ for the audiophiles), find the buds if you’ve lost them (with location tracking and audio cues), set up multi-point connection and toggle whether your voice is hidden by the ANC when you talk in the phone. Hidden in the app’s settings is a Dynamic EQ mode which boosts bass and treble when the volume is low – it’s turned off by default though.

There are a few features which you may expect at this price point that you’re not getting, including surround-sound audio (see 'spatial audio'), toggle-able wearer detection, fit tests or the ability to change codec or music stream bitrate. The slender feature set is something we’ve knocked past Status buds for and while there are more here (the Between 3ANC didn’t let you change touch controls, for example, and GPS buds tracking is a great tool), I’d still like to see a little more to justify the price.

In terms of connection specs, the Pro X supports SBC, AAC and LDAC, at 24-bit/96 kHz. In my testing I didn’t have any connection issues between the buds and my phone.

• Features score: 3/5

Status Audio Pro X review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Classy look for bud and case
• Handy touch controls
• Case supports wireless charging

The Status Audio Pro X are some of the more refined earbuds I’ve tested this year in terms of design. They’re stem-toting buds, although ‘stem’ feels like an odd choice of word for the ellipsoid pillars standing tall from the earbuds.

Despite the size of the stems, which made me worry about the reliability of the ear fit, the Pro X stayed in my ears without any shifting or issues. The touch controls worked well and were easy to use, thanks to the size of the sensor area so you don’t need any precision to pause or skip your music.

The buds have an IP55 rating against dust ingress and jets of water, so don’t submerge them in puddles or sinks if you want them to keep working.

Now onto the case; it’s a small oblong box that weighs about 48g (according to my kitchen scales, though I couldn’t find an official figure from Status Audio). It’s not too huge a case although I did notice it in my trouser pocket. I like how it shares obvious design DNA with the earbuds, though I do feel Status missed a trick by not copying the buds’ two-tone shading.

In a neat addition, the case supports wireless charging, so you don’t need to rely on its USB-C port if you don’t want to.

Something I need to mention is that, during testing, one of the earbud charging connectors in the case stopped working. I wrote this off as an anomalous error and Status were quick to replace the test unit with another one – which didn’t break – but I feel compelled to mention the issue after I discovered a Reddit post in which people shared stories of the same issue happening, albeit in past Status buds.

• Design score: 4/5

Status Audio Pro X review: Sound quality

• 12mm driver + dual balanced armature drivers
• Equalizer plus loads of presets
• Max volume should be higher

(Image credit: Future)

Status is putting all its eggs in the ‘sound quality’ basket with the Pro X. The buds have not one, not two but three drivers: a 12mm dynamic driver and two Knowles balanced armature drivers, with the triumvirate designed to individually hit bass, middle and treble respectively.

This gambit pays off: the Pro X sound fantastic and you won’t find much better on the market in the wireless realm. By default the sound profile is neutral, but the aforementioned app presets let you pull oodles of treble or bass out of your tunes – once you work out what each means, due to the lack of a guide (take a guess which has more bass: Status Signature, Status Audiophile or Knowles Preferred? That’s right, there’s no way of knowing – and that’s the only information you’re given). Whatever your taste, you’ll be able to cater your listening to it.

Treble is distinct and sparkling, while bass is well-defined and mids remain clear and strong. The quality is high, and you can hear the inflection in vocals and the squeak of fingers on a guitar string. There isn’t as defined a soundstage as on some other high-end buds though, beyond the natural separation that you can perceive when the quality of lines is higher.

The Pro X don’t go quite as loud as I would’ve liked either; a few times when I was listening outdoors they didn’t reach the volume or oomph I’d have liked to combat noisy situations, despite the decent noise cancellation.

• Sound quality: 4.5/5

Status Audio Pro X review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

• Let's be clear, these are pricey buds
• …but you can save money with pre-order

It’s always hard to defend the value proposition of top-end buds. After all, premium tech simply doesn’t give you value for money; you can buy decent buds for a third of the price that don’t drop the quality by a third – and the gains sonically here are absolutely worthy if you value them, but they're incremental.

So Status goes a long way to justifying the Pro X’s price with the high-quality audio and premium design, but the question of whether they’re great value for money would be a lot easier to answer if the feature set was more fleshed out.

• Value: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Status Audio Pro X?

(Image credit: Future)Status Pro X score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

The unimpressive battery life and lack of super features hurts the buds

3/5

Design

These look great and fit into ears well.

4/5

Sound quality

The specs don't lie, and three drivers makes the audio sound fantastic.

4.5/5

Value

Can you expect great value from premium tech? This is pretty good, though the feature set would sway the needle.

3.5/5

Buy them if…

You want top-notch audio
The Status Pro X are audiophile's earbuds, not just for the high quality but for the versatility through the equalizer and presets.

You're an Android user
I can see these being a popular alternative to AirPods Pro 3 for their similar price and fantastic audio chops, and actually working on Android.

You like the style
It's hard to be objective when it comes to looks, but if you like the way the Status Pro X looks, they're a good buy.View Deal

Don’t buy them if…

You need long-lasting battery
These buds won't see you through a work day if you listen with noise cancellation.

You're on a budget
If you've set yourself an upper limit to how much you're willing to spend on buds, I'd be surprised if the Pro X fit it.

Status Audio Pro X review: Also consider

Status Pro X

Status Between 3ANC 

AirPods Pro 3

Technics EAH-AZ100

Drivers

12mm driver + 2x Knowles balanced armature drivers

10mm driver + 2x Knowles balanced armature drivers

Custom driver, custom amplifier

10mm driver

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Battery life

8 hours (buds) 24 hours (case)

8 hours (buds) 30 hours (case)

8 hours (buds) 24 hours (case)

12 hours (buds) 17 hours (case)

Weight

5g (buds) 48g (case)

13.6g (buds)

5.5g (buds) 44g (case)

5.9g (buds) 42g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4

Bluetooth 5.2

Bluetooth 5.3

Bluetooth 5.3

Waterproofing

IP55

IPX5

IP57

IPX4

AirPods Pro 3
Apple's latest undercut Status in price a little and have a much more impressive feature set, but don't have the same audio hardware (or impressive looks).

Technics EAH-AZ100
These slightly more affordable earbuds sound great and are small and comfortable to wear, even if they don't have the audio specs of the Status.

See our full Technics EAH-AZ100 review

How I tested the Status Audio Pro X

• Tested for one month
• Tested at home, in the office and on walks

As I mentioned earlier in this review, I tested two review samples of the Status Pro X due to one breaking, and it means the total testing period for the buds exceeded a month, longer than we usually give buds.

I paired the buds with my Android phone and used apps like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, YouTube and WhatsApp for various types of testing. I listened at home, on various types of public transport and on walks around my neighborhood.

I've been reviewing gadgets at TechRadar since early 2019 and have tested many different earbuds in that time.

• First reviewed in September 2025

• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025): Two-minute review

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) is a thin and lightweight gaming laptop with a small design but a large spec, allowing it to perform as well as its bigger rivals.

To look at, it seems more like an everyday machine than a gaming powerhouse. The only giveaway is the diagonal LED strip across the lid, which does little to add interest.

It has an impressively compact form, though, making it a contender for the best gaming laptop that’s practical to carry around. It lacks the bulk usually associated with such devices, being exceptionally thin and light by gaming laptop standards.

The lid is especially lightweight, and it opens easily yet remains stable once in place. Also, the bezel around the display is about as thin as it could possibly be, which helps to maximize screen space.

For such a compact device, the Zephyrus G14 (2025) has a generous selection of ports, even putting much larger gaming laptops to shame. There are two USB-C and two USB-A connections, as well as an HDMI port, a headset jack, and a microSD card reader.

More importantly, though, the performance of the Zephyrus G14 (2025) is also impressive. The 5070 Ti in my review unit provided very high frame rates, even with maximum graphics settings.

The 120Hz OLED display contributed to the smoothness, and also rendered scenes with plenty of vibrancy, brightness, and contrast. What’s more, the 3K resolution offered a super sharp image, which was great for gaming as well as other tasks.

(Image credit: Future)

However, you’ll have to contend with a fair amount of fan noise and blistering heat in the pursuit of this high-end performance. Temperatures around the keyboard are kept to reasonable levels, but the rear and underside of the unit can get uncomfortably hot, even at the slightest provocation.

The keyboard of the Zephyrus G14 (2025) is another highlight. The switches are deep and tactile, offering enough resistance to provide feedback without being onerous to use. The large size of the key caps and their comfortable spacing also makes them good for typing.

The touchpad is similarly excellent, thanks to its large area and smooth surface, although you probably won’t be using this while gaming. What’ll deter you even more is the fact that it can get in the way when using the WASD keys. Thankfully, there’s a shortcut to easily disable its functionality.

Battery life is poor, though. It only managed a little over two and a half hours in our movie playback test, which is short even by gaming laptop standards. The Razer Blade 14 (2025) and the Acer Nitro V 15 can both outlast it by a considerable margin.

At over $2,000, the Zephyrus G14 (2025) doesn’t come cheap. It’s close to more premium models, such as the Razer Blade 14, which is about the best compact gaming laptop we’ve tested. For some – or perhaps many – it may be worth spending that bit more for the Blade, but the Zephyrus G14 (2025) remains a fine pick if you're after a compact and capable gaming machine.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) review: Price & Availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Starts from $2,099.99 / £2,699.99 / AU$3,899
• Available now
• Premium end of the market

The Zephyrus G14 (2025) starts from $2,099.99 / £2,699.99 / AU$3,899 and is available now. Various models are available with varying Ryzen 9 CPUs and RTX GPUs, from the 5060 to the 5080. RAM and storage capacities alternate between 16GB and 32GB, and 1TB and 2TB, respectively.

It’s cheaper than the Razer Blade 14 (2025), even though both base models get an RTX 5060. However, the price gap isn’t huge, and the Blade 14 is one of the best gaming laptops around right now, impressing us with its incredible performance, design, and display.

If you’re looking for the best budget gaming laptop, the Acer Nitro V 15 is a fine choice. You’ll have to settle for an RTX 5050, but it can still game with aplomb. In fact, when I reviewed the Nitro, I was impressed with its 1080p performance. Like the Zephyrus G14 (2025), it can get quite hot in certain areas, but not to the same degree.

• Value: 3 / 5

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) review: Specs

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Base Config

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Review Config

Price

$2,099.99 / £2,699.99 / AU$3,899

$2,499.99 / £2,699.99 / AU$4,999

CPU

AMD Ryzen 9 270 (8 cores, 4.0GHz)

AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (12 cores, 2.0GHz)

GPU

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060, 8GB

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, 12GB

RAM

16GB LPDDR5X

32GB LPDDR5X

Storage

1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD

1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD

Display

14-inch (2880 x 1800) OLED, 16:10, 120Hz, G-Sync / Adaptive-Sync

14-inch (2880 x 1800) OLED, 16:10, 120Hz, G-Sync / Adaptive-Sync

Ports and Connectivity

2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 2x USB-C (1x 3.2 Gen 2, 1x USB 4), 1x HDMI 2.1 FRL, 1x microSD, 1x 3.5mm combo audio, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4

2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 2x USB-C (1x 3.2 Gen 2, 1x USB 4), 1x HDMI 2.1 FRL, 1x microSD, 1x 3.5mm combo audio, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4

Battery

73Wh

73Wh

Dimensions

12.24 x 8.66 x 0.63 ~ 0.64in (311 x 220 x 15.9 ~ 16.3mm)

12.24 x 8.66 x 0.63 ~ 0.72in (311 x 220 x 15.9 ~ 18.3mm)

Weight

3.31lbs / 1.50kg

3.46lbs / 1.57kg

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Non-gaming looks
• Remarkably small and light
• Surprising number of ports

One of the most impressive aspects of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) is that it looks like a normal laptop, lacking the bulk and brash aesthetic of those designed for gaming. This is also helped by the light silver colorway of my review unit, which I found to be an uplifting antidote to the dour shades of many of its rivals (although such a finish is available).

What marks the Zephyrus G14 (2025) out as a gaming device is the diagonal LED strip across the lid and the small shiny embossed logo in the corner. Both are relatively subtle, although the strip is quite incongruous.

Not only is the screen size small for a gaming laptop, but so are all of its dimensions. The lid is especially thin, even beating some of the best MacBooks in terms of how sleek it is. The bezel around the display itself is also about as thin as I’ve ever seen in this class of laptop.

However, the chassis is thicker than you’ll find on many other laptops, and there are a few juts and sharp angles, as well as the thick rubber bars underneath, that sully the smooth planes somewhat. But all things considered, the Zephyrus G14 (2025) remains impressively elegant for its class.

Build quality is also quite good. All the materials feel premium and solid, and there’s only a small amount of wobble to the lid. Crucially, it remains stable once set in position.

(Image credit: Future)

Despite its small size, the Zephyrus G14 (2025) has a generous keyboard layout. There are some useful shortcut keys, including those for disabling the touchpad and toggling performance modes, and even four customizable M buttons. However, some peripheral keys are truncated in size, with the arrow keys being the worst casualty in this regard from a gamer’s perspective.

The LED backlighting on the keyboard is a nice touch, although it can be hard to make out at times, especially when certain colors and RGB patterns are displayed. This appears to be caused by the narrow openings of the key markings and a lack of overall brightness.

The touchpad on the Zephyrus G14 (2025) stretches right from the back edge of the space bar to the very end of the chassis, offering a larger surface area than you’ll find on other laptops this size.

Another surprise is just how many ports there are on the Zephyrus G14 (2025), putting many gaming laptops much larger to shame. It features two USB-C ports, which both support Power Delivery and DisplayPort standards each, although only one supports G-Sync/ Adaptive Sync displays. There are also two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a headset jack, and even a microSD reader.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) review: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Great gaming at max resolution
• Fantastic OLED display
• Gets very hot in places

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) benchmarks

Geekbench 6
(Single Core): 2,939 (Multi Core): 15,680

Cinebench R23
(Single Core): 2,017 (Multi Core): 20,803

Cinebench R24
(Single Core): 117 (Multi Core): 1,192

Crossmark Overall: 1,974

3DMark
Fire Strike: 32,113 Steel Nomad: 3,488 Solar Bay: 71,022 Speed Way: 4,031 Port Royal: 10,119

BlackMagicDisk
Read: 4125MB/s Write: 4015MB/s

25GB Copy Test: 1,729MB/s

Civilization VII
(1080p, Medium): 193fps
(Max Resolution, High): 123fps
(Balanced Upscaling, Max Resolution, High): 94fps

Shadow of the Tomb Raider
(1080p, Medium): 168fps
(Max Resolution, Highest): 118fps
(Balanced Upscaling, Max Resolution, Highest): 158fps

Total War: Warhammer III: Mirrors of Madness
(1080p, Medium): 119fps
(Max Resolution, Ultra): 47fps

Cyberpunk 2077
(1080p, Medium): 371fps
(Max Resolution, Ultra): 143fps
(Balanced Upscaling, Max Resolution, Ultra): 133fps

F1 2024
(1080p, Medium): 256fps
(Max Resolution, Max Quality, No RT): 127fps
(Balanced Upscaling, Max Resolution, Max Quality with RT): 93fps

I found the performance of the Zephyrus G14 (2025) to be excellent. My review unit was equipped with an RTX 5070 Ti, and it handled the AAA titles I threw at it very well. When I played Cyberpunk 2077, I got between 200-230 frames per second on average. This was with the Ray Tracing: Ultra preset selected (which the game chose by default for the laptop) and DLSS Auto scaling and Frame Generation enabled.

This was also with the Zephyrus G14 (2025) running in Turbo mode. As you might expect, this causes the fans to produce a fair amount of noise, but it was nothing the best PC gaming headsets couldn’t drown out.

Dropping down to Performance mode didn’t seem to make much difference to frame rates, and only marginally decreased fan noise. Despite the raucous, though, the fans weren’t able to disperse heat as effectively as I would’ve liked.

During my sessions with the Zephyrus G14 (2025), it became very hot in places. The keyboard and front section of the chassis only remained tepid (thankfully, since this is where you’ll be making the most contact), but the area above the keyboard became too hot to handle.

(Image credit: Future)

The same was true of the underside of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025). Despite the aforementioned ground clearance created by the rubber bars, there’s still not enough for optimal cooling it seems; this is certainly a laptop I’d recommend using with one of the best laptop cooling pads if you can.

The OLED display is pleasingly sharp and vibrant, which makes it great for all kinds of tasks, not just gaming. That aforementioned ultra-thin bezel means the 14-inch display projects a bigger image than you might expect, too.

The keys are tactile, thanks to their surprising resistance and deep travel relative to those of other laptops, even ones designed for gaming. This makes them well suited to the task, while still being light and snappy enough for comfortable typing.

The touchpad is great as well. Its impressive size, along with its very smooth surface, makes navigation easier. However, this will likely be irrelevant for most gamers, since it’s still no match for the best gaming mouse.

What’s more, it gets in the way when you’re using the keyboard, even if you stick to the WASD position. This means you’ll likely want to disable it when gaming, but you’ll be more reluctant to do so while typing, given its usefulness for productivity purposes.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) review: Battery Life

(Image credit: Future)

• Poor battery life
• Quick to charge

The battery life of the Zephyrus G14 (2025) is quite poor. When we ran a movie on a continuous loop, its battery lasted just over two and a half hours. This is way down on its key rivals, such as the Blade 14 and the Nitro V 15, both of which manage over twice that duration.

Thankfully, the Zephyrus G14 (2025) is quick to charge, taking about 90 minutes to fully replenish via the included power adapter.

• Battery Life: 2.5 / 5

Should I buy the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025)?Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) Scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

The Zephyrus G14 (2025) is at the higher end of the market, and there are slightly better rivals for not much more.

3 / 5

Design

The Zephyrus G14 (2025) is surprisingly compact and elegant for a gaming laptop. It also seems built to a high standard.

4.5 / 5

Performance

The RTX 5070 Ti in my review unit handled AAA titles brilliantly, and the display rendered them in their full glory. There’s a worrying amount of heat in places, though.

4.5 / 5

Battery Life

Poor even by gaming laptop standards; there are plenty of rivals that can outlast it. At least it’s quick to charge.

2.5 / 5

Total

The form factor, performance, and display are all excellent, but the heat, noise, and steep price mean you’ll have to assess your priorities before determining whether it’s the right gaming laptop for you.

4 / 5

Buy the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) if...

You want something truly portable
Thanks to its small dimensions and light chassis, the Zephyrus G14 (2025) is easy to carry around, especially compared to other gaming laptops.

You want great performance
Gaming is smooth even with maximum settings, while the 3K OLED display shows them off at their best.

Don't buy it if...

You want something cool and quiet
The Zephyrus G14 (2025) makes a fair amount of noise, and it can get extremely hot in places.

You’re on a budget
The Zephyrus G14 (2025) is expensive, rubbing shoulders with some true icons in the space.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) review: Also Consider

Razer Blade 14 (2025)
For not much more than the Zephyrus G14 (2025), you could also have the Blade 14, which we think is one of the best gaming laptops around at the moment. There’s little to fault here, since its performance, design, and display are all exemplary. It can get quite hot and the keyboard isn’t anything special, but in every other regard it’s a brilliant gaming laptop that’s easy to carry around.

Read our full Razer Blade 14 (2025) review.

Acer Nitro V 15 Intel
If you’re looking to spend a lot less on a gaming laptop, the Nitro V 15 is a great budget pick. You’ll have to settle for an RTX 5050, but I found this offered plenty of power for smooth 1080p gaming. It’s certainly not as portable as the Zephyrus G14 (2025), but that’s the sacrifice you make for the saving.

Read our full Acer Nitro V 15 Intel review.

How I tested the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025)

• Tested for a week
• Used for gaming and other tasks
• Plentiful gaming laptop experience

I tested the Zephyrus G14 (2025) for a week, using it for gaming, working, and general browsing. I also connected various peripherals to it.

I played AAA titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 with various graphics settings, and conducted our series benchmark tests designed to test multiple facets of gaming laptops. I also ran our battery test, playing a movie continuously until the battery depleted.

I've been PC gaming for over a decade, and have used numerous machines in that time, both desktop and laptop. I've also have plenty of experience reviewing gaming laptops, as well as those made for productivity and everyday use.

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

Name.com is best known as a domain registrar, but you might not even know that you're using it. If you've used Wix, you'll likely have got your domain through name.com without giving it a second thought.

Without giving it a second thought seems to be the ethos of name.com which is especially useful for developers who want to build quickly and seamlessly or the less technical ones that don't want to mess around with DNS and might require support when things don't quite go to plan.

Of course, this level of support and innovation doesn't come at the cheapest price but buying a domain isn't always about the lowest bottom line.

Of course, name.com is best known as a domain registrar, and for good reason. It offers one of the largest TLD selections of any registrar with over 600 TLDs, so you can rest assured that you’ll find the exact TLD you’re looking for. From popular TLDs like .com and .co.uk to niche and trendy ones like .ai, .lol, and .cool, name.com has everything.

A standard .com domain will cost you $12.99 for the first year (renews at $27.99), plus $4.99/year for name.com’s advanced security tier, which includes WHOIS privacy, SSL certificate, and protection against spam calls and unauthorized transfers or changes.

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• If you buy Titan Email (Name.com’s paid email hosting, costs $24 per year), they’ll throw in the domain for free for the first year.
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• If you buy both, the best discount (i.e. the Titan Email one) will be applied, so your domain will still be $0 for the first year.
• It’s worth noting that both Google Workspace and Titan Email are available at a flat 50% discount with name.com.

(Image credit: Future)Hosting products: web, cloud, and WordPress

Name.com now offers a decent list of hosting products, ranging from simple web hosting to cloud and one-click install WordPress hosting.

The most basic web hosting plan lets you build a single website and set up 100 email accounts for $6 a month on a 1-year subscription. Note that name.com does not offer multi-year subscriptions for its hosting services. The business plan, which is built for scale, is priced at $13 a month on a 1-year subscription and supports unlimited websites, unlimited email accounts, and unlimited storage.

Every account also includes a free SSL certificate, automated backups every 48 hours, a 99.9% uptime guarantee, and the industry-standard cPanel for easy management. Even better, you’ll get a free domain name for the first year. For example, if you choose a .com domain that usually costs $12.99, it will be free for the first year and then renew at its usual rate from the second year onward.

That said, keep in mind that the privacy bundle for a domain name (around $4.99) is not included in the free package. You’ll have to pay for that separately.

Cloud hosting is also more than decent. Name.com has partnered with DigitalOcean and offers its basic shared Droplets. For a standard 60 GB Droplet, you’ll have to pay $216 a year, and if that wasn’t expensive enough, backups - which are usually free with other providers - will set you back another $72 a year. This is pretty expensive by industry standards.

That said, there are still some strong points on offer: you get global data centers, one-click deployments, and support for popular platforms like WordPress, Ubuntu, Debian, and CentOS. The provider also mentions easy upgrades. However, with cloud hosting, the gold standard is automatic scaling and geo-redundancy. Name.com doesn’t clearly state how many data centers it offers, while other dedicated cloud hosts are more transparent, letting you confirm redundancy before signing up.

Also, this is shared hosting and not managed cloud, so you won’t get managed extras. In fact, the website’s FAQs state directly that you’ll need a base-level understanding of Linux and the command line to take full advantage of this self-managed cloud hosting. So it’s definitely not for everyone.

As for WordPress hosting, name.com offers just a single plan at $29.95 a year. It comes with everything you’d need for a basic website: one-click installation, unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, free daily backups, plugin support, and a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate. However, if you’re looking for more advanced features like staging environments, automatic updates, or optimized caching, you might be better off elsewhere.

All in all, unless you’re looking into name.com’s hosting products to simply get everything (hosting, domain, site builder) in one place, you’ll be better off with a dedicated web host, as you’re likely to get more features there - and at a better price.

Performance & customer support

The last time we tested name.com, it actually cropped up above-par performance, delivering consistent uptime and impressive speeds.

Our latest tests, though, are still ongoing, and we’ll soon update this page to reflect the most recent findings - so stay tuned.

Name.com's hosting is aimed more or less at beginners, and that means the company needs to provide the quality support its target audience requires. The company's knowledgebase is decent enough, with menus and links pointing you to various topics, featured articles highlighting common issues, and there's a search box to help you track down what you need.

We tried a few test searches. The engine regularly reported finding large numbers of articles, but these cover all name.com products, not just web hosting, so we had to scroll through various domain registration and email hosting articles to find what we needed.

The situation picked up once we located more relevant content. There's usually not a lot of detail, but most articles cover the core points, with screenshots to point you in the right direction, and some video tutorials if you prefer.

There's a support team to deal with more complex queries. They're available via telephone and live chat, only for a limited number of hours (7am to 10pm phone and 12pm to 3am Monday to Friday for phone, 2am to 8pm chat), but there's 24/7 ticket support if you need it.

Final verdict

Name.com is a fantastic storefront where you can find everything you need to get an online business underway. It offers excellent and affordable domain registration, along with bundled extras like Google Workspace with Gemini and Titan Email with AI-driven features. On top of that, you also get hosting options, including WordPress hosting.

That said, if your main priority is hosting, you’ll likely be better served by a dedicated web host. While name.com has expanded its hosting range, these services still feel more like strong add-ons that complement its core strength: domain registration.

Whilst many of the best standing desk brands out there often with several models for different sizes and weight capacities etc. Vernal aims to make the customers life simpler by introducing one frame to do it all at a price of £430 (at time of writing).

With a rated load of 120kg, it should be more than enough to lift anything a regular work from home environment can throw at it.

(Image credit: Future)Vernal Standing Desk: Unboxing

The desk came as expected in two parts, one large heavy box for the frame and very flat for the desk top.

The frame was well boxed with all parts separated by protective foam, cardboard and plastic. All the assembling accessories were packaged neatly in one box. The screws, tool etc were in a bandolier of plastic, each section marked in size and part number.

All sections of the desk had nice, large and more importantly low tack sticker labels identifying each part. This allowed easy identification of parts and removal of the labels post assembly without leaving that horrible sticky residue.

The desk top was equally well packaged with large rubber like corner protectors. We opted to go with the 120cm x 60cm walnut laminate desk top, the smallest size on offer from Vernal.

You also get a nice, premium feeling beech wood coaster.

(Image credit: Future)Vernal Standing Desk: Assembly

Assembly of the desk was equally easy. Vernal provided all the tools necessary, namely an M6 Allen Wrench and Phillips Head Screwdriver, so if you have absolutely no tools, you can still put this desk together. We had power tools at out disposal making assembly significantly quicker.

The manual was incredibly clear and easy to follow being like a large book. We start by putting together both the legs, side and mounting brackets together then the desktop. Vernal’s desk tops already have pre threaded metal inserts showing where the mounting brackets are to be screwed in.

This easily done by mounting one set of legs to one side, then sliding the cross bars in before finally sliding the opposite side legs on and screwing it all down. Vernal has also provided the screws as well for non-Vernal desktops along with separate instructions on how to do this.

I chose to put the control panel on the left side and this is where I noted the first issue. The screws appeared to be short, they are only 15mm long. The control panel bracket is quite thick, I measuring the screw against it, I saw that only the tip, about 5mm of it, would bite into the desk.

As expected, on my first try, the screw tore desktop veneer and failed to grip, same thing with the second screw. With no other provided screws, I had to go and rummage in my tool box to get some longer screws.

Once the control panel fiasco was done, it was matter of attaching the control box, connecting all the cables, tidying the underside up before covering it with the decorative cable cover for a neat install and lastly the cable tray hooks.

(Image credit: Future)

The feet are last to go one, before the inaugural flip, they can be positioned center or offset back, the choice/preference is yours. I opted to have it central as I am sure that is how most end users would want it. The desk is then flipped the right way up, to add the finishing touches, two hooks and decorative plates, one on each side.

The last part had me a little concerned, most brands supply all metal parts pre molded or bent to shape. However Vernal has chosen to allow the end user to bend the cable tray themselves along a perforated line.

Whilst I found this easy to do, it did crack the paint on the sheet of metal. I’m not sure how confident others would be doing this for fear of breaking or damaging this part. Hooking on the cable tray is the last part of the assembly save for putting the desk where it needs to go.

(Image credit: Future)Vernal Standing Desk: In use

Over the past few weeks, the desk was put to the test by me and wife who works exclusively form home. The Vernal standing desk was big upgrade from her smaller Ikea desk, just in terms of real estate.

Vernal claims that this desk should be able to lift 120kgs easily with max load of 160kgs. Sitting all my 100kgs on it I found the desk seem to be slow to raise, and it had to stop a few times under the load of me. However, I did not hold this against the desk as carrying 100kgs is unusual for what is an office desk.

Putting the usual office equipment on it, the Vernal desk had no problem lifting and lowering the load smoothly and quietly.

(Image credit: Future)

The control panel is simple in form yet provides all the needed functions for going up, down and three memory functions. I like that the buttons had to be pushed physically into actuate them as some other tested desk will activate simply by you brushing against the control panel. The panel can be switched between metric and imperial measurements and other settings based on button presses.

(Image credit: Future)

The hooks on either side are a nice feature allowing you to hang handphones or other peripherals off the desk rather than crowding it. Each side of the desk has a Vernal magnetic vanity plate on the legs, ostensibly to hide two screw heads. This is a subjective matter but I would have preferred a more subdued such as black engraved rather than the Silver.

I was initially skeptical about the size of the cable tray as it was so large, however this has proved to be a boon for ease of access from all angles of the desk.

What I wasn’t a fan of were the feet of the desk. The feet, whilst planted firmly on the ground has a “decorative” plate on top that extends beyond the actual feet, this plate is thin and more crucially at toe stubbing level as I found to my detriment.

(Image credit: Future)Vernal Standing Desk: Final verdict

Overall, the Vernal Standing Desk is a great desk, for the price and simplicity of only having one model puts them ahead. The assembly, large cable tidy tray, head phone hooks and easy to use control panel make this a breeze to own and use.

However, it is sorely let down by the fact that the screws for the control panel are not adequately long enough, some bending is required by the end user and the most egregiously, the toe stubbing feet of the desk.

We've listed the best office chairs.

Turtle Beach Racer: One-minute review

The Turtle Beach Racer absolutely has the potential to shake up the entry-level racing wheels market. Sim race enthusiasts need not apply; the Racer is a relatively basic offering that ditches higher-end features like force feedback and on-screen displays - the likes of which we see from the Thrustmaster T248R et al. But for more arcade-adjacent racing games like Tokyo Xtreme Racer and Forza Horizon 5, the Racer is a bit of a cheat code to unlocking even more fun from such titles.

I’ve had a blast testing the Turtle Beach Racer over the past week. Don’t let its relatively low price point fool you; it boasts surprisingly good build quality and is impressively versatile to boot.

While a pair of clamps on the base means you can mount the wheel on a desk, the inclusion of a pair of lap rests allows you to sit back and essentially use the Racer more like a traditional controller if you prefer to play on the couch. That’s driven (hehe) home even more with the addition of wireless connectivity via a 2.4GHz dongle compatible with Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC. No PlayStation-compatible version exists at the time of writing.

Put simply, the Turtle Beach Racer is one of the best Xbox racing wheels I’ve tested in a while. There are some small issues, like the slight bump you’ll feel every time the wheel travels past neutral, and the lack of a pedal set (you’ll instead use the rear paddles for acceleration and braking by default) puts a dampener on immersion. But overall, this is a very impressive package for the price, and makes for a great product for first-time wheel owners or younger players.

(Image credit: Future)Turtle Beach Racer: Price and availability

• $179.99 / £139.99 / AU$299
• Available to buy now
• Pricier than some budget models, but comfortably under the mid-range bracket

The Turtle Beach Racer is available to buy now for $179.99 / £139.99 / AU$299. It’s on the higher end of that budget ballpark, but it is comfortably more affordable than mid-range wheels that offer more features like the Thrustmaster T248R and the Logitech G923. It’s also costlier than similar budget wheels like the Hori Racing Wheel Apex ($119.99 / £99.99), though I do prefer what’s on offer here with the Racer at a slightly higher asking price.

Turtle Beach Racer: Specs

Price

$179.99 / £139.99 / AU$299

Weight

7.5lbs / 3.4kg

Dimensions

11.7 x 11.1 x 10.9in x 297 x 282 x 277mm

Rotation

360 degrees

Connection type

Wireless (2.4GHz), Wired (USB-C)

Compatibility

Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC

Battery life

Around 30 hours

Turtle Beach Racer: Design and features

As I mentioned in my initial Turtle Beach Racer preview at Gamescom 2025, it was the product’s build quality that immediately surprised me. It’s not something that many budget-facing wheels are known for, and while the Racer’s build is primarily plastic, it’s of a good quality. Plus, there are a number of flourishes that take the overall build up a notch.

The steering wheel’s rubberized textured grips are extremely welcome, allowing for a slip-free racing experience. The lap rests, meanwhile, are metallic and have a satisfying weight to them. They each have a strip of textured rubber, allowing them to sit firmly in place. The lap rests can be adjusted, too, meaning you won’t necessarily need to squish your thighs together. I preferred to place mine as far out as they could go, and was able to sit comfortably in my Razer Fujin Pro office gaming chair while playing.

On-board buttons aren’t particularly anything to write home about, but they feel good to press and are all within reach of the wheel itself. There’s a good amount here, too. You’re getting a d-pad, face buttons, and three multifunction buttons that you can assign to your preference.

A pair of pressure-sensitive paddles sit on either side of the wheel, and they’re impressively sturdy. That’s important, because you are likely going to use these for acceleration and braking in the absence of a set of pedals. These are the left and right trigger equivalents on the best Xbox controllers, and were assigned as such across all games I tested.

(Image credit: Future)Turtle Beach Racer: Performance

I have very limited desk space at my home office, so I personally think that the inclusion of lap rests with the Turtle Beach Racer is a great, forward-thinking addition to the overall package. What’s important to note here, in relation to performance, is that I felt no loss of control in using the lap rests over the more traditional desk clamps. And having tested both methods for this review, either of them is a fine choice for your racing sessions.

Initially, I did feel as if the default wheel sensitivity was a bit on the low side, across titles like Forza Horizon 5 and Tokyo Xtreme Racer. However, this was quickly remedied with the Turtle Beach Control Center 2 software, which you can download on PC and Xbox consoles. Here, I was able to adjust sensitivity and remap buttons to my liking.

Another issue I had with the wheel is the slightly uncomfortable bump sensation when it returns to neutral. Let go of the wheel, and it snaps back to its default center position almost immediately. This means that while turning left to right, you will feel a bit of a hitch as it passes that neutral zone. I got used to it after an hour or two, but it’s something to keep in mind if you were hoping for an ultra-smooth racing experience.

Besides this hiccup, the Racer is an incredibly enjoyable racing wheel. The pressure-sensitive paddles are a delightful addition and are a decent substitute for pedals if you don’t mind the loss of immersion or tactility. Being able to apply specific amounts of pressure here made several things easier between games, such as drifting in Forza Horizon 5 and long-term tire management in F1 25. If the lap rests are the big winning feature here, then the paddles are certainly the unsung heroes of the package.

I also have to mention the Racer’s wireless performance, and it’s another area the product seriously impressed me. Turtle Beach estimates that the wheel can go up to 30 hours on a full charge. I find this to be accurate, as I didn’t have to charge the device until the tail end of my week of testing.

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Turtle Beach Racer?Buy it if…

You’re after an affordable, value-busting racing wheel experience
While not the absolute cheapest option on the market, the sub-$180 price point is compelling and affords the Racer some nicer materials to boot.

You lack the desk space for a fuller setup
The Turtle Beach Racer’s lap rests are a brilliant, forward-thinking addition that allows the wheel to sit comfortably on your legs, and the snug fit makes for surprisingly comfortable long-term gaming sessions.

Don’t buy it if…

You want immersion above all else
No pedals and no force feedback mean the Racer isn’t aimed at more serious sim racing types. For that, you’ll want to consider pricier options like the Logitech G923 or Thrustmaster T248R.

Also consider...

Not sold on the Turtle Beach Racer? Here are a couple of similarly priced alternatives worthy of your consideration.

Turtle Beach Racer

Hori Racing Wheel Apex

Logitech G920

Price

$179.99 / £139.99 / AU$299

$119.99 / £99.99 (around AU$183)

$299.99 / £349.99 / AU$549.95

Weight

7.5lbs / 3.4kg

3.09lbs / 1.4kg

4.96lbs / 2.25kg

Dimensions

11.7 x 11.1 x 10.9in x 297 x 282 x 277mm

11 x 10.8 x 11.3 / 280 x 275 x 286mm

10.6 x 10.2 x 10.9 / 270 x 260 x 278mm

Rotation

360 degrees

270 degrees

900 degrees

Connection type

Wireless (2.4GHz), Wired (USB-C)

USB-A

USB-A

Compatibility

Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC

PS5, PS4, PC

Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC

Hori Racing Wheel Apex
While not quite as impressive as the Turtle Beach Racer, it’s far from a bad budget option and does include a set of pedals. However, the cheap plasticky build and rather listless-feeling pedals put a damper on the overall racing experience.

Read our full Hori Racing Wheel Apex review

Logitech G920
A mid-range Xbox-compatible offering, the Logitech G920 is the Microsoft counterpart to the PlayStation-facing G923. The brake pedal’s a little stiff by default, but Logitech’s superb build quality and detailed force feedback really win through here.

Read our full Logitech G920 review

(Image credit: Future)How I tested the Turtle Beach Racer

• Tested for one week
• Tested across Xbox Series X and PC
• Played a wide variety of racing titles

I tested the Turtle Beach Racer over the course of a week, playing titles on Xbox Series X Digital Edition and my gaming PC. Games I played with the racing wheel include Forza Horizon 5, Tokyo Xtreme Racer, Old School Rally, and F1 25.

While lacking the multitude of buttons and immersive features that make it worthwhile for sim racing, I found the Turtle Beach Racer to be ideal for more casual, arcade-like experiences. In that regard, features like the lap rests and pressure-sensitive paddles made for an easy and comfortable testing period, and above all, a very fun one.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed September 2025

Nothing Ear (3): Two-minute review

Okay, so it's still hard to stop oneself from playing a game of Spot the Difference concerning Nothing's earbuds offering – but what of it? Apple's AirPods lineup is much the same, no? The problem is that this time (unlike Nothing's last major earbuds release, which came in at $50 / £30 cheaper than their older siblings) there's a price hike involved; and simply put, I'm not quite sure the extra perks here do enough to justify the extra outlay.

Sure, I'd say the new Nothing Ear (3) are they still among the best earbuds of the year – but one option in the duo of buds they replace has dropped so low in price that they've actually jumped into our best budget earbuds buying guide. So you see, to build a case for paying quite a bit extra for the new Ear (3), they'd need to be quite a bit better – and that's where I'm struggling.

To put the pricing into context, their closest rivals now would no longer be Sony's class-leading WF-C710N, which sell for around $120 / £100. No, at $179 / £179 / AU$299, the Nothing Ear (3) aren't exactly rubbing shoulders with the likes of the $299 / £299 / AU$450 Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen), but they have moved up a level – and it's tough company to keep.

There's no head-tracked spatial audio support (the device- and service-agnostic spatial audio option is either 'Static' or 'off') in the Ear (3), and although the ANC is solid and a new 'Super Mic' is fun to play with in calls, it hasn't become the new must-have earbuds feature for me – and if it was going to appeal to anyone, someone who remembers a world of landline phones only was probably the Nothing Ear (3)'s best shot.

My biggest gripe is the battery life, which I'll explain fully later. That said, I experienced no small sense of pride when wearing and showing off the Ear (3), thanks to the new aluminum 'elevated' build quality and finish – along with the return of the fidget-spinner case detail.

Is all of this enough to make the Ear (3) a hit? Perhaps, when you consider that the splendid hearing tests remain, along with advanced EQ tabs and LDAC support – all of which make the sound engaging, if a shade off excellent for dynamic nuance and treble clarity. Oh, and it's worth noting that if you have a Nothing phone, that Super Mic becomes a quick transcription tool, which admittedly makes it much more useful (I don't have a Nothing handset, so I'm typing out this review, dear reader)…

(Image credit: Future)

For anyone scratching their heads as to how many Nothing earbuds iterations we're into now (because it certainly isn't three), Nothing fully admits its earbuds naming strategy to date may not have been the smartest. So to explain, the Ear (3) is an update on the flagship Nothing Ear primarily, but also on the Nothing Ear (a), which both launched in April 2024 on the self-same day – with the cheaper pair still sitting happily at the tippy-top of our best budget earbuds guide.

And here's my problem with that: a quick scan of current prices reveals that the aforementioned five-star Nothing Ear (a) are currently available for $89 / £69, which means they're half the price of the new Ear (3). And honestly, that makes the newest set even harder to recommend…

Nothing Ear (3) review: Price & release date

• Released on September 18, 2025
• Priced $179 / £179 / AU$299

The Nothing Ear (3) come in black or white finishes (no yellow this time around), and at this pricier level – Nothing's previous flagship Nothing Ear arrived with a list price of $149 / £129 / AU$249 – their closest competition may even be Apple's AirPods Pro 3, which retail for $249 / £219 / AU$429.

Yes, there's still a $70 / £40 difference between Apple's new top-tier AirPods Pro and Nothing's best buds, but if your budget stretches a bit further it does bring Apple's flagship earbuds into the conversation. And given that those AirPods now offer heart-rate monitoring, live translation and better stamina, Nothing is squaring up against some stiff competition.

Hello, yellow! (Image credit: Future)Nothing Ear (3) review: Specs

Drivers

12mm custom driver

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Battery life

Buds: 5.5hrs (with ANC; up to 10 hours without) Total with case: 22hrs (ANC on; up to 38 hours without)

Weight

5.2g per earbud

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4 with LDAC, USB-C

Frequency range

20Hz–40 kHz

Waterproofing

IP54 buds

Other features

New Super Mic case, 3 mics per earbud, Nothing X App support, Custom EQ with Advanced options, Static Spatial Audio, Personal Sound (Audiodo)

(Image credit: Nothing)Nothing Ear (3) review: Features

• 'Static' spatial audio and Personal Sound curation
• Total Radiated Power (TRP) up 15%; Total Isotropic Sensitivity (TIS) up 20%
• 'First of its kind Super Mic' in the charging case

Like many of tech's heavy-hitters (Samsung, Sony, Apple, I'm looking at you), Nothing would love to snag you and embroil you in its ecosystem with the promise of walled garden perks – and here, Nothing really does start to come into its own.

The ace up the collective sleeve of Nothing's earbuds prior to now has been that for owners of the Nothing Phone (3), the Phone (2), Phone (1) and Phone (2a) – because Nothing has been far more sensible concerning the naming of its handsets – Nothing has offered instant access to ChatGPT via a pinch-to-speak motion on the stems. Now, users of a Nothing smartphone can use the Super Mic on Nothing Ear (3)'s case to capture transcription of your voice notes, which will sync to your on-device 'Essential Space' for easy location.

Nothing calls Super Mic a "first of its kind" breakthrough, and although it initially struck me as very similar to the 'record' button on the Viaim RecDot earbuds, there are of course those aforementioned walled-garden perks.

Otherwise, Nothing's Super Mic is quite like those little clip-on wireless mics that content creators like to hold very close to their mouths (does this look a bit silly to anyone else?). Nothing calls Super Mic a "breakthrough dual-microphone system driven by ambient-filtering technology."

In a nutshell, the dual MEMS beamforming mics built into the case are designed to hone in on your voice, cutting through surrounding noise (up to 95dB is the claim) for clearer capture in calls or notes – and in my tests, it worked well. On a very blustery day on the cliffs and beaches of the UK's 'Jurassic coast' in Dorset, I found using the Super Mic over the three-mics-per-bud in the earpieces a welcome aid; "much better" was the general feedback from calls.

Voice AI using ChatGPT is coming using Nothing Ear (a) using your Nothing smartphone… (Image credit: Future)

You're also getting Bluetooth v5.4 (the older set used 5.3), and LDAC support for hi-res audio (the Sony-developed codec that lets you stream high-resolution audio up to 32-bit/96kHz over Bluetooth at up to 990kbps), which is a valuable inclusion at any level, but will benefit Android users most since iPhones can't support LDAC natively.

There's now onboard spatial audio wizardry too, irrespective of your phone or the music service you're streaming from – but only the 'static' kind (so you don't get to use your phone as a fixed-point source device) and in my tests, it was a little clunky and not quite as immersive or convincing as similar offerings from Bose, LG or of course Apple.

However, you do get in-ear detection (to pause music when they're out and resume it when they're in), an Auto-Transparency mode to make transparency kick in whenever you're on a phone call, an ear tip Fit Test, Find My earbuds (which issues a trigger sound from whichever earbud you've lost), a Low Lag toggle for gaming, issue-free multipoint to two devices, a Bass Enhancement toggle, an 8-tab EQ graph that lets you adjust both gain and the actual frequency of certain registers (provided you're prepared to switch off the spatial audio augmentation), and Personal Sound.

This last perk is perhaps my favorite, because the tests only take around three minutes – they involve sounds at different frequencies being piped into each ear, getting gradually quieter until you tap the screen to say you hear nothing – but the result (a fully curated personal sound profile) is very good indeed.

Now, the noise cancellation: hit ANC (rather than 'Transparency' or 'Off') and you can pick from High, Mid, Low, and Adaptive profiles. High is not bad at all – and it shouldn't be when the claim is 45dB (effective to 5kHz). The Transparency option is still signified by a woman exhaling, and it's still one of the best prompts in the business (aside from Matt Berry in Cambridge's headphones and earbuds), and it too is perfectly acceptable. But here's the thing: I did not find any of the ANC profiles better than on the Nothing Ear (a), which makes sense because that 45dB claim is the same as the older model.

And when that older model is now half the price of these newer earbuds, you have to be asking yourself if a Super Mic in the case and spatial audio that doesn't offer dynamic head-tracking is worth the extra outlay.

• Features score: 4.5 / 5

The new Ear (a) next to the Ear (2): a fun game of Spot the Difference (Image credit: Future)Nothing Ear (3) review: Sound quality

• LDAC adds to the performance (but the spatial audio can be beaten)
• Forward, full-bodied sound
• A shade off excellent for dynamic nuance

Occasionally in hi-fi circles, you'll come across the 'integrated hi-fi listen versus fun and exciting' sonic debate concerning portable audio. It boils down to this: do you want a faithfully accurate, neutral representation of a recording with everything as intended, or an energetic, potentially more emotive version of the track?

In the second option, certain frequencies might be augmented just slightly, to give you the 'feels' of a live gig from small drivers fitted into your ear. And the odd thing is that what you may think you want may not actually be what your ear prefers (as mystical and strange as that may sound)…

Anyway, the Nothing Ear (3) sit firmly in the latter camp. What you'll get here is excitement, energy, bass clout and oomph. Those with a Sony smartphone (I'm still using the Sony Xperia 1 IV, because it isn't broken, so why would I fix it?) will find LDAC codec files are delivered with extra expanse and detail over more 'vanilla' Bluetooth streaming, but the tuning is the same regardless – very little has been held back.

Streaming Fontaines D.C.'s Starburster is a head-nodding celebration of the track, where drum fills and Grian Chatten's voice leap two-footed into each ear with all of the bite and impetus the group could possibly want, but there is a downside. Some lesser backing vocals and sloping string elements occasionally get lost just slightly; it's hard to compete when so much emphasis and energy is placed on sounds at the forefront.

Yes, there are plenty of ways to tweak things more to your liking in the Nothing X app and here, the eight-tab EQ graph is the place to go – it does help. What I personally would leave well alone is the Bass Booster. It isn't necessary – this is a meaty listen from the box. Also, I'd tone down the treble; I know my own ear is sensitive to these frequencies, but nevertheless, stream Kate Bush's Army Dreamers and if you're anything like me you'll hear occasional harshness through the treble that can become a little wearying.

• Sound quality score: 4 / 5

See how Ear (a) is just slightly bigger than Ear (2), across the board? (Image credit: Nothing)Nothing Ear (3) review: Design

• Solid, cool, pocketable case with 'TALK' button
• IP54 earbuds are secure – but the comfort levels can now be beaten
• Nothing's design language is even more striking now

After switching out to the smaller ear tips (you get four in total now: an XS, S and L options are supplied in addition to the pre-fitted M set), Nothing's ear tip fit test tells me I've nailed the fit.

I say that if you've got smaller ears I really would encourage you to try before you buy – and my guide to the best earbuds for small ears is worth consulting – because I found the driver housing just that little bit harder to accommodate this time around. It could be because of that larger 12mm driver (and "patterned diaphragm" which Nothing claims gives these buds "a 20% larger radiating area when compared to the previous generation"), or it could be because said earpiece is mounted at a slightly different angle to the stem now – see a close-up of Ear (3) next to the Ear (a) above – but they weren't as comfortable this time.

(Image credit: Future)

On this, readers might simply remark "Well, they're based on AirPods, can't really knock them for that – Apple did it first" but here's the thing: AirPods are different now! You might not have spotted it because it's all very new (and the heart-rate monitor and live translation perks have hogged headlines), but the AirPods Pro 3's fit has been completely reworked. I'm working on a full review of those too (they keep me chained up in TR HQ you know) but even at this early stage and during my testing, I can tell you that for me, the AirPods Pro 3 are much comfier than the Nothing Ear (3) now.

Nothing's pinch stems still work really well, but again (and at the risk of sounding like a broken record) it's only as good as the older, cheaper Nothing set. You can still customize what the morse code short- and long-press combinations do for each stem – including volume – and they also work with gloves on, unlike a lot of touch-capacitive solutions.

Now, the new case. If you've got a metallic-finish smartphone, the Nothing Ear (3) are going to look glorious beside it. Aesthetics really is one of Nothing's strong suits, and these earbuds are the ace in the pack. 'Elevated' is the word Nothing's team keep repeating on this; and it's true, they look more high-end now. There's a new custom Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) antenna, engineered to just 0.35 mm thick, that now runs along the still-see-through stems of the earbuds to keep connections stronger than ever. It's the same, but refined – it looks like a more expensive version of what was there before.

And if it's elevation we need to be focusing on, the charging nest is the thing that's, er, risen the most. It is now crafted from a block of 100% recycled aluminum and CNC machine finished through 27 processes. Nano injection moulding also "fuses the metal and transparent plastic without glue, achieving tight ±0.03mm tolerances for a seamless, compact body" according to Nothing, so there's no glue anywhere here. And the shiny 'TALK' button is placed directly under a nice snappy magnet where the case opens. Nothing assures me it has been positioned so that you won't cover it with your hand, and the green light-up LED to denote that you're recording is a strong touch.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

Rarely have I had so many colleagues strike up a conversation with me over a set of earbuds (Image credit: Future)Nothing Ear (3) review: Value

• Great-looking earbuds
• LDAC adds sound-per-pound value
• …but this is higher-end territory, and the Nothing Ear (a) still exist

The older Nothing earbuds were near-rivals for Sony's cheaper earbuds, but that's no longer the case: Sony's excellent affordable WF-C710N cost $119 / £100 / AU$189, so they're in a different category to the $179 / £179 Nothing Ear (3).

And although there's a lot to enjoy in the Ear (3), unless you have a Nothing handset for transcription features, the Super Mic really is just a better mic for calls and certain voice notes – it doesn't support WhatsApp voice notes (yet), which I explain in more depth in my early Ear (3) experiential.

The personalization is very very good, but the audio has suffered a little for me in this iteration, becoming a little harsher through the treble on occasion, probably due to the slightly bigger driver and tweaked acoustic architecture.

• Value score: 3 / 5

Should I buy the Nothing Ear (3)?

Section

Notes

Score

Features

Solid spec sheet, but the Super Mic is really only a standout feature if you own a Nothing phone

4.5/5

Sound quality

Zeal and get up and go to a fault? Almost. They're vigorous and exciting, but there's occasional treble harshness

4/5

Design

Beautiful design language, but the earpieces are no longer among the comfiest around

4.5/5

Value

Given the price of older iterations, it's hard to see huge value for money here

3/5

Buy them if...

You're a content creator
The Super Mic could be just what you're looking for to glean better voice capture – and the general aesthetic of the Nothing Ear (3) is more than Instagram-worthy

You have a Sony or Android phone
Does your phone support LDAC? Hurrah! LDAC is also back in the Ear (3), and that means better-quality wireless audio from your device on the go

You prioritize style
Hey, there's nothing wrong with that! I loved wearing these (and using the case) during my testing. Make no mistake, these are good-looking earbuds.

Don't buy them if...

You have small ears
If your concha (aka ear-well) is particularly bijou, you may struggle here. I find them that bit harder to wear compared to the Ear (a), which were already on the slightly larger side. You have been warned!

You want head-tracked spatial audio wizardry
No dice here; you get a static profile it's true, but it's not as immersive or detailed as something like the LG Tone Free T90Q (head-tracked using Dolby Atmos), or Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen), an admittedly premium proprietary offering that combines adaptive sound profiles with head tracking.

You're on a tight budget
The thing is this: most of the things I loved in the cheaper Ear (a) are still here in the Ear (3), and when those still exist –and for big discounts – the smart money is arguably still on the 2024 product… View Deal

Nothing Ear (3) review: Also consider

Nothing Ear (3)

Nothing Ear (a)

Sony WF-C710N

Price

$179 / £179 / AU$299

$99 / £99 / approx AU$192

$119 / £100 / AU$189

Drivers

12mm custom

11m custom

5mm

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Yes

Yes

Quoted battery life

Buds: 5.5hrs (with ANC; up to 10 hours without) Total with case: 22hrs (ANC on; up to 38 hours without)

Buds: 5.5 hrs (9.5 hours without ANC Total with case: 24.5 hrs (42.5 hrs without ANC)

8.5 hrs (ANC ON) / Max. 12 hrs (ANC off); up to 30 hours with the case

Weight

5.2g

4.8g

5.2g per earpiece

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4 with LDAC, USB-C

Bluetooth 5.3, LDAC, USB-C (no wireless charging)

Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C, Sony 360 Reality Audio, AAC, SBC

Frequency range

20kHz-40kHz

5000Hz range

20Hz-20kHz

Waterproofing

Yes, IP54

Yes, IP54 earbuds; IPX2 case

Yes, IPX4

Other features

Static spatial audio, Super Mic case feature, Personal sound profiles, advanced EQ

Sony 360 Reality Audio

Sony WF-C710N
If you want Sony's 360 reality Audio support as well as its LDAC hi-res codec, this money buys you that – and by "this money", I mean "cheaper than the Nothing Ear (3)". The build is plastic and doesn't feel anywhere near as premium as Nothing Ear (3), but then, they are cheaper… 
Read whether it matters, in our full Sony WF-C700N review

Nothing Ear (a)
I'm putting these here because for the money, they're exceptional – and at half the price of Nothing's premium set, I'm struggling to see why you would pay double the price. Is wireless charging support, a Super Mic, static spatial audio and/or a more advanced EQ tab worth the extra outlay? That's up to you, of course, but to me the smart money may still be with the 2024 set – especially since I prefer the slightly more detailed, marginally less full-bodied audio in the Ear (a). View Deal

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)
You'll have to part with a bit more money to get it, but scale that food chain and you can get the QCUE (2nd Gen) and enjoy really, really good ANC and remarkable spatial audio that works in conjunction with those talented spatial sound profiles.
Learn more in our in-depth Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) review

How I tested the Nothing Ear (3)

(Image credit: Nothing)

• Tested for two weeks, listened against AirPods Pro 3, Bose QCUE (2nd Gen) and Technics EAH-AZ100
• Listened at work (in the office, walking on a beach, on a train) and at home
• Listened to Tidal, Qobuz, Apple Music and Spotify on an iPhone 15 Pro Max, MacBook Pro and heard LDAC on Sony Xperia 1 IV

The Nothing Ear (3) became my primary musical companions for 13 days – after a thorough 48-hour run-in period.

They accompanied me to London (walking brusquely from St. Pancras Station to Waterloo owing to strike action on the London Underground and my need to get a train back to Dorset in 43 minutes!) and at home – where I actually missed delivery of a review sample owing to the efficacy of Nothing Ear (3)'s ANC.

It goes without saying that to better test the comfort levels (and battery life claims), I followed TechRadar's meticulous methodology testing. I also used TechRadar's reference playlist (spanning everything from hip-hop to folk music) on Apple Music and Tidal, and also my own musical selections and podcasts. I wore the Ear (3) to watch YouTube videos (mostly about the Austrian singer Falco, since you ask) from my MacBook Pro.

I’ve been testing audio products for well over five years. As a dancer, aerialist and musical theater performer in another life, sound quality, fit, and user experience have always been imperative for me personally, but having heard how wonderful ANC can be when done well, I know what I'm listening out for here also.

Read more about how we test earbuds at TechRadar

• First reviewed: September 2025

SwitchBot K11+: two-minute review

The SwitchBot K11+ is a scaled-down robot vacuum that's perfect for cramped homes. It delivers solid vacuuming and navigates with surprising speed and confidence, even if it doesn't always avoid all the obstacles it should. If you have a home with lots of nooks and crannies, it will be compact enough to squeeze into them, although note that while it's small in width, it's about standard height.

The dock is perhaps the smallest auto-empty option I've seen – sitting happily out of the way beneath my bed – and packs a surprisingly generous 4L dust bag. For that reason alone, it's a contender for the best robot vacuum for small homes.

The only major disappointment here is the "mop", which takes the form of a disposable wet-wipe that the bot drags across the floor. For the level of cleaning it delivers, it isn't worth the effort of attaching it. In fact, if you ignore the mopping capabilities altogether and just treat the K11+ as a vacuum-only bot, it becomes a far stronger proposition overall.

It isn't perfect, however. Aside from the dodgy mop, the app has a few weird quirks – and the auto-empty function is rather noisy. Overall, though, there's something very charming and appealing about this little bot. At full price it's clear you're paying a bit of a premium for the small size, but discounts are easy to come by, and if you snag one of these it can be very strong value for money.

That's the short version; read on for my full SwitchBot K11+ review.

(Image credit: Future)SwitchBot K11+ review: price & availability

• List price: $399.99 / £399.99
• Available: US, UK
• Launched: September 2025

The SwitchBot K11+ launched in September 2025, and is available to buy direct from SwitchBot, but also via Amazon. At list price it costs $399.99 in the US and £399.99 in the UK. However, at time of writing, there were significant discounts available one both sides of the shore. You're paying a bit of a premium for the dinky size here, although even at full price I think it's decent value for money.

Two of the best cheap robot vacuums on the market, the Dreame D9 Max Gen 2 and the Roborock Q7 M5 are both cheaper and offer far more capable mopping than the K11+, but neither come with an auto-empty dock. You'll be able to pick up better-value auto-empty hybrid robot vacuums if you're happy to go for an older model – a good example is the Roborock Q5 Pro+. Note, though, that the dock is much bigger, and is unlikely to fit under your bed.

• Value for money score: 4 out of 5

SwitchBot K11+ specs

Max suction:

6,000Pa

Robot diameter:

9.8in / 24.8cm

Robot height:

3.6in / 9.2cm

Dock dimensions (W x D x H):

9.4 x 7.1 x 9.8in / 24 x 18 x 25cm

Dust bin volume (base):

4L

Water tank volume:

None

Base type:

Charge, auto-empty

Max threshold clearance:

0.7in / 1.7cm

Smart home compatibility:

Matter (Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home)

SwitchBot K11+ review: design

• Small (but not short) robot with rubber roller and side brush
• Mop is a wet-wipe dragged across the floor, then disposed of
• Compact dock with auto-empty and storage for mop plate

The SwitchBot K11+ is a dinky robot vacuum with an equally compact base. The bot itself measures 9.8in / 24.8cm in diameter, whereas most bots these days are about 13in / 33cm. This means it can clean in narrow spots – although note that at 3.6in / 9.2cm, height-wise it's pretty average, so it won't be sneaking under a low sofa – for example – to clean.

Below you can see it next to the Roborock Saros 10 – while the K11+ is significantly smaller in diameter, its puck makes it taller; the Roborock's puck is retractible.

The pint-sized K11+ next to the more normally proportioned Roborock Saros 10 (Image credit: Future)

On the top of the K11+ you'll find buttons for On and Return to dock. Lift off the cover (which appears to just sit in place – I'd prefer some magnets to hold it a little more securely – and you'll find the dust cup clipped to the side.

There's a raised LiDAR puck, bumpers around the edge, and a camera at the front. Flip the K11+ over and you'll find a rubber roller. Sensibly, SwitchBot has made this almost the full width of the robot, which means the suction area is actually relatively large. There's also an angled side brush, to avoid hair from becoming tangled around it.

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There are a couple of manual buttons, and a raised LiDAR puck (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 4

The rubber roller takes up most of the width of the robot (Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 4

The dust cup clips on the side of the bot (Image credit: Future)Image 4 of 4

The mopping setup is just a wet wipe (Image credit: Future)

The K11+'s mopping capabilities appear to have very much been an afterthought. To launch the function, you attach a wet-wipe to a base plate, and clip this to the underside of the bot, on top of the suction area. The wipe is then dragged across the floor, and disposed of afterwards. Note that the wet-wipe isn't biodegradable.

Although you need to attach the mop plate to activate "mopping", it is possible to specify carpet and no-mop zones on the map, to avoid the mop wiping down any areas that should not be wiped. However, you can't set a no-mop zone where the dock sits.

(Image credit: Future)

Speaking of the dock, the K11+'s station is far smaller than those you find accompanying the vast majority of bots nowadays. In fact, it's significantly more compact than the already-small dock that came with this model's predecessor, the SwitchBot K10+ (specifically, 2.9in / 7.3cm shorter and 0.8in / 2.1cm narrower).

(Image credit: Future)

This dock has TARDIS-like properties, though: lift the lid and you'll find a far larger than usual 4L dust bag. SwitchBot has also added storage for the mop plate beneath the lid – just one of a number of thoughtful design touches (my other favorite is that the handle on the onboard bin doubles up as a clip to secure it in place).

It's far from the most fully featured dock in town, though. There's no mop pad cleaning or refilling of water tanks (because there is no mop pad, nor is there a tank to fill). However, I'd wager that there are plenty of people who'd prefer a smaller dock with a large dust bag to a gigantic one with tanks included.

• Design score: 4 out of 5

SwitchBot K11+ review: performance

• Navigates quickly and confidently, decent obstacle avoidance
• Good suction performance but bin emptying rather loud
• Mopping not worth the effort, and dock can't be in a no-mop zone

When I set the SwitchBot K11+ off on its first cleaning run, the first thing that struck me was its speed. This bot powers up and down floors like there's no time to waste.

Despite that, it seems to do a good job at picking up dust and debris – I paused it before it could auto-empty, and the onboard bin had plenty in it, even though the room had been vacuumed the previous day, and I was using the second-weakest suction mode. (You can choose to clean a room once or twice, and there are four suction options: Quiet, Standard, Strong and Max.)

This dinky bot navigates with speed and confidence (Image credit: Future)

As usual, you can request the bot clean a room or a zone. However, the "Spot clean" function – where a robot will clean an area that's about a square meter or so around a chosen position – was still in beta testing at the time of writing, which is a little annoying if you want to clear a spillage.

Although fairly quiet in operation, the auto-empty process is really rather noisy. However, you can set different auto-empty durations via the app, to save at least some unnecessary disruption.

The auto-empty process is a little noisy (Image credit: Future)

Mopping is a different story. Attaching the wet wipe is fiddly, and ends up with a lot of the wipe on the underside of the base plate. It barely left my bathroom floor damp – imagine trying to clean the entire floor of a room with half a single wet-wipe. It also deposited bits of grime next to every grouting line.

I'll get into the results of the mopping tests in a second, but the short version is that if I owned this bot, I just wouldn't bother with the mopping functionality – in my opinion, it just isn't worth the effort.

The wet-wipe mop setup deposited grime whenever it hit an uneven bit of floor (Image credit: Future)Navigation and obstacle avoidance

As a result of its speed, you might assume the K11+ experiences a fair few collisions, but this isn't the case. On test, it skirted its way around furniture and avoided permanent obstacles with impressive accuracy and reliability.

Ad hoc obstacle avoidance was less consistent. During one cleaning run, the K11+ drove into the dog (who, thankfully, remained unbothered) and then went on to push his water bowl across to the other side of the room.

During my set obstacle avoidance tests it hit my shoe, but on encountering the same shoe a second time, the bot carefully skirted around it before continuing. The K11+ also sucked up a red ribbon I'd used in place of a charge cable, but I wound't say that was surprising – I've yet to find a robovac that can successfully avoid cables, whatever the manufacturers may claim.

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The K11+ didn't always avoid obstacles (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

Definitely tidy away cables before sending it out (Image credit: Future)Cleaning tests

Next I moved on to TechRadar's official suction tests. For this, I sprinkled dry tea (from a tea bag) and a handful of oats onto the carpet, and monitored how effectively the bot sucked them up.

A single pass in Standard mode took care of most of the oats but only the top layer of tea, and a second in Max sucked up the rest of the oat crumbs and a decent amount of tea. That's a good result – the tea test is purposefully tricky (I used a Dyson V15 Detect to clear it completely).

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Tea and oats on carpet, ready for suction tests (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 3

This was what remained after a single pass with the K11+... (Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 3

... and after two passes (Image credit: Future)

Moving onto the mopping tests. This one felt unfair because it isn't so much a mop as a wet-wipe. Nevertheless, I persevered. I smeared a tiny amount of ketchup on a tiled floor and left it to dry, and also spilled a little soy sauce, to see how the K11+ could clear it.

Predictably, it could not. The soy sauce ended up smeared all over the floor and the ketchup was completely unaffected. I sent my Roborock Saros 10 in to clean up after it.

The K11+'s wet-wipe "mop" did not impress in the mopping tests (Image credit: Future)

If I owned this bot, I wouldn't bother with the mopping function at all. For the level of cleaning it delivers, it isn't worth the effort of attaching the wet-wipe. It also limits where you can position the dock, because it can't live in a no-mop zone.

• Performance score: 3.5 out of 5

SwitchBot K11+ review: app

• Pretty well designed and easy enough to use
• Fine-tuning options are limited
• Some minor illogical quirks

Since SwitchBot is a brand that makes a number of smart home products, its app is a hub for any SwitchBot gadgets you might own, rather than being dedicated to robovacs only. That means you'll have to click through twice from the homescreen to reach the K11+'s control options.

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(Image credit: SwitchBot / Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: SwitchBot / Future)

Once you reach the right section, it's much like most other robovac apps I've used. Editing a map is straightforward, and you can easily add no-go zones and merge or split spaces. The control options are more limited than you'll find in other, pricier robot vacuums, but all the main bases are covered.

There are a few niggles, though. I was pleased to find a Boost mode for carpets. However, specifying an area of carpet adds a pattern on top of the map that's so dark you then can't see the robot's cleaning path. Slightly annoyingly, there's an 8-character limit on room names that prevents you from, for example, labelling "Top floor", and bafflingly, there's no "Hall" or "Corridor" type option within the room defaults.

• App score: 3.5 out of 5

Should you buy the SwitchBot K11+?

Attribute

Notes

Rating

Value

Budget / mid-range at full price, but big discounts are common. Paying a bit of a premium for the small size, but still decent value.

4 / 5

Design

Tiny robovac with an equally compact dock. Not exactly feature-packed, and mopping is very basic, but it looks great with some useful design features.

4 / 5

Performance

Vacuuming is solid and navigation is good, but emptying is noisy and mopping isn't worth bothering with.

3.5 / 5

App

Decent app with a few illogical quirks.

3.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You don't have much space for a dock
If you want auto-empty capabilities but don't have room for a massive dock, this bot is perfect – it has perhaps the smallest auto-empty dock I've seen.

You're dealing with lots of dust or hair
Although the dock is small, its internal dust bag is far bigger than you'll find in most auto-empty docs, with space for plenty of dust or pet hair before it needs replacing.

You want a speedy cleaner
The K11+ rattles along at quite a pace, which means despite its small size, it will get your rooms clean quickly.

Don't buy it if...

Your priority is mopping
The mopping here is really very basic, and for most people, not worth the effort.

You don't have lots of dust or hair
If you're dealing with low levels of dust, you could consider not bothering with auto-emptying at all. There are plenty of excellent full-sized bots with very compact, charge-only docks, for less money than you'll shell out for the K11+.

How I tested the SwitchBot K11+

I used the SwitchBot K11+ as my main vacuum for a fortnight, to get a feel for its general cleaning performance and ease of use. I also ran a series of set suction tests to assess this bot's cleaning powers, seeing how effectively it cleared fine (tea leaves) and chunky (oats) spillages. To assess the mopping, I spilled soy sauce and smeared ketchup on a tiled floor. To test obstacle avoidance, I scattered common items you'd usually find around a home across my living room floor to see if it could correctly identify and avoid them.

During my review period, I assessed how easy it was to set up the SwitchBot K11+, how accurately it made its way around my home, and if there were any annoyances with its performance. I compared my experience with other robot vacuums I've tested, both budget and premium models.

Read more about how we test robot vacuum cleaners

• First reviewed September 2025