TechRadar Reviews

OWC Envoy Pro Elektron: 30-second review Specs

Capacities available: 480GB, 1TB, 2TB and 4TB
Size: 12mm x 76 mm x 52 mm
Weight: 85g
Enclosure material: Aluminum
Connector: USB 3.2 Gen 2
Technology: OWC Aura Pro III PCIe 3.0 NVMe M.2 2242 Solid-State Drive
Warranty (in years): 3 Year OWC Limited Warranty
Rated R/W speeds (MB/s): upto 1011MB/s depends on system
Software bundle: OWC Innergize for Mac and Windows

The OWC Envoy Pro Elektron joins the company's range of compact portable storage solutions designed for creatives.

We've tested the best portable SSDs but this one really caught our eye. The overall look and style are minimalistic, with the small design easily slipping into a jacket or kit bag pocket without adding much weight or bulk. The exterior is simple, featuring an all-metal build with a status light on the front, a USB Type-C port at the back, and a logo on top. On the base are two rubber strips along with a model info label.

The simplicity of the design also reflects the toughness of the drive. As soon as you lift it from the desk you can feel the additional weight afforded by that reinforced case. It's not heavy, but it's heavier than you'd expect for such a small device. This extra weight comes from the thick metal casing that is not just designed to protect the drive from minor knocks, but to survive being run over, thrown, and generally subjected to conditions that would ordinarily destroy a drive of this type.

That robust build continues throughout the design with the USB Type-C port, which, despite being open to the elements and without a protective rubber cap, still enables the drive to be IP67 certified. The drive is essentially built like a tank and able to survive being crushed (though perhaps not by an actual tank) as well as being submerged in water. Sure enough, in testing, the drive withstood more than most, and even after being run over and submerged, it continued to function without issue.

While the drive's strength is its main feature, speed is another important consideration. Inside is an NVMe SSD, enabling ultra-fast transfer rates. While it doesn't feature the latest connection technology, its data transfer speeds are still impressive and more than enough for HD and 4K video editing, image manipulation, and audio editing.

If you need a drive that can withstand the elements and rough handling while providing ample storage capacity and speed, the OWC Envoy Pro Elektron is an excellent choice—and one of the few with this level of protection.

OWC Envoy Pro Elektron: Price & availability

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

The OWC Envoy Pro Elektron is available in multiple storage capacities, typically ranging from 4800GB to 4TB. Pricing for the drive varies depending on the capacity, starting around £129 ($129 USD) for the 4800GB model and going up to approximately £529 ($529 USD) for the 4TB version. Availability is through major online retailers, including OWC's website, Amazon, and other electronics and computer accessory stores.

• Score: 4/5

OWC Envoy Pro Elektron: Design & build

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

The OWC Envoy Pro Elektron has been designed to be small and compact at 12mm x 76mm x 52mm, making it ideal for slipping into a jacket or kit bag pocket, taking up minimal space. While small and extremely simple in design, the all-metal aluminium casing adds a bit of weight at 85g, more than you'd expect from a device of this size but reassuring in terms of durability. With an IP67 rating, this is up there with the best rugged hard drives we've reviewed - a happy middle-ground for who need a robust, portable SSD.

The drive connects via a single cable that handles both data transfer and bus power, which is common for compact external drives. A nice touch from OWC is the inclusion of a USB Type-C cable with a Type-A adapter to maximise compatibility across different machines. On the exterior, there's a status light at the front that glows bright blue when the device is connected and flashes during transfers to indicate that the drive is in use—standard but useful features.

Aside from the single USB Type-C 3.2 port at the back and the status light, there are no other buttons or ports, keeping the exterior sleek and minimalistic. Another nice addition and finishing touch are the two rubber strips on the base, these provide better grip when the drive is placed on a desk or other surfaces, preventing it from sliding around during use.

• Design & build: 5/5

OWC Envoy Pro Elektron: Features

OWC is an interesting company, very much driven by the real-world use of its products. It's not difficult to find professionals who swear by OWC gear. The Envoy Pro Elektron is designed as a compact, go-anywhere portable SSD that's simple in design yet capable of quickly transferring and storing large quantities of data, all while withstanding extreme conditions.

Starting with speed, which is usually the headline feature of any external SSD, OWC quotes several different transfer rates for the drive. The blister pack states transfer rates of up to 1011MB/s, while the website cites 996MB/s in real-world tests, highlighting similar benchmarking software to what we use here at techradar.com.

The drive is also USB 3.2 Type-C, offering up to 10GB/s transfer rates via the single bus-powered cable connection. It's great to see OWC opting for the most common generation of USB 3.2, ensuring that on almost every modern system, you'll likely achieve the quoted speeds. This contrasts with many manufacturers that produce drives using USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, which is often throttled back to slower speeds for machines that aren't equiped with that exact connection type.

This connection also means the drive is fully compatible with a wide range of devices, including Macs, PCs, iPad Pros, and Chromebooks.

The standout feature of the drive, as mentioned earlier, is its durability. It is crushproof, dustproof, and waterproof to IP67, meaning it can survive being submerged in water up to 1 metre deep for 30 minutes. The durable, aircraft-grade aluminium casing is impressive and helps dissipate heat when the drive is working hard. As the drive is solid-state, there are no fans, so cooling is entirely passive through the case—this reduces potential points of failure and ensures the drive operates completely silently

Due to its design and connection type, the drive can launch apps on a Mac, which is handy if you have a Mac with a smaller internal SSD and need to offload larger or less frequently used apps to external storage.

It's also worth mentioning that the drive is Innergize enabled, software from OWC. This software enables you to monitor and manage the drive's health and performance and apply firmware updates as they become available

• Features 5/5

OWC Envoy Pro Elektron: Performance

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings) Benchmarks

CrystalDiskMark: read: 1031.21MB/s Write: 971.73MB/s
AJA: read: 899MB/s Write: 914MB/s
ATTO: read: 984.62MB/s Write: 952.85MB/s
AS SSD: 915MB/s Write: 901.10MB/s
Blackmagic Disk Speed Test: Read: 668.2MB/s Write: 921.2MB/s

The small Envoy Pro Elektron's size and simplicity means that it hardly adds any weight or bulk to you kit bag. Although the drive feels heavier than expected at first glance, it's still extremely light at 85g—lighter than most larger external hard drives with similar capacity.

The drive includes a 38cm USB Type-C cable, which comes with a handy USB Type-A adapter. Together, they make for a neat package that can easily slip into any small side pocket.

In use the drive connected quickly and for the first test, it was formatted to APFS for use with Mac systems. Upon first connection, the software guides you through the formatting and system compatibility setup, in just a couple of simple clicks you're done and the drive is ready to use. We ran several tests running some of the best video editing software and best audio editors for performance.

Used with Logic and Final Cut Pro X, the drive performed as expected, handling work as a fast, reliable drive with transfer speeds more than sufficient for most 4K ProRes edits. During long editing sessions, the 1TB capacity was slightly limiting, but with 2TB and 4TB versions available, there is greater flexibility. Speed and performance remained consistent throughout, with the drive becoming warm but never hot. Notably, there was no noise from the drive, although the Mac's fans spun up occasionally as the M1 Max processor was pushed.

When switching to a PC, the drive required reformatting to ExFat. In Premiere Pro and Audition, the drive again performed well, handling data transfer demands without issue and becoming warm but again not hot.

In real-world tests, the drive provided the storage and transfer speeds required by the applications. While the 1TB capacity may be limiting for video, it's a good size for audio and image work.

Benchmark testing showed the drive performed exceptionally well, with varying results depending on the application used. Read and write speeds were fast across the board, confirming the drive is an ideal companion for most content creators.

Beyond performance testing, the IP67 rating called for a durability check. The first test was to run over the drive, and aside from a few scratches and some dirt, it survived. Plugged back into the Mac, it was instantly recognised, and performance matched the speeds recorded prior to the test.

Next, the drive was submerged in water for 30 minutes. After drying and clearing water from the port, it was plugged in again and mounted without issue.

After these tests, the drive's exterior showed marks and scratches as expected from such handling, but it continued to perform exceptionally well despite the tough conditions.

• Performance: 5/5

Should you buy the OWC Envoy Pro Elektron?

If you need a fast, high-capacity portable SSD, the OWC Envoy Pro Elektron is a great choice on many levels, although you are paying extra for its robust build.

As a portable SSD, its compact size and light weight are appealing. With a range of capacities, it caters to a variety of users—from musicians and photographers to videographers and general content creators. The transfer rates make it an ideal solution for anyone needing a fast working drive capable of handling high-definition multi-track audio and 4K video editing.

What really sets this drive apart is its toughness and small size. You can easily pack it into any bag or jacket pocket without adding noticeable weight. Unlike other SSDs, you don't need to worry about the drive if it gets wet or bashed around in transit—this drive will survive, making it a great choice for those on the road or travelling.

The speed will meet most creative demands for a wide range of users, but the rugged build and IP67 rating will particularly appeal to broadcast industry professionals, content creators, and musicians. The OWC Envoy Pro Elektron serves as a reliable on-the-go storage solution.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings) Buy it if...

You need a durable, portable SSD. 

The OWC Envoy Pro Elektron is designed to withstand tough conditions while delivering fast, reliable storage for on-the-go professionals

You want fast transfer speeds for content creation. 

With NVMe SSD and USB 3.2, this drive offers excellent transfer speeds for tasks like 4K video editing, music production, and image manipulation.

Don't buy it if...

You're looking for the latest USB technology. 

This drive uses USB 3.2, which is fast but lacks the latest Gen 2x2 speeds found in some competitors.

You need a budget-friendly SSD. 

The OWC Envoy Pro Elektron's rugged design and advanced features come at a higher price, which might not be ideal for casual users.

For more storage, we reviewed the best external hard drives and best external hard drive for Mac.

One-minute review

The Razer Iskur V2 is an excellent seat, with many compelling features that put it right up there with some of the best gaming chairs and most comfortable gaming chairs today. Its flagship innovation is its 6D lumbar support, offering six directions of adjustment which the manufacturer claims is a world first.  

This is effectively an in-built lumbar pillow, with an adjustable height and depth that can be easily tweaked via knobs on each side of the backrest. It’s a similar system to that found with the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 and the original Razer Iskur model but has the unique ability to swivel and pivot alongside your body rather than just being a static part of the chair.

If you’re like me and frequently shift around while you sit, the additional comfort that this brings will be immediately noticeable. The 6D lumbar support system keeps the lumbar pillow pressed up against your back as you lean, ensuring that you always maintain the correct posture. The feeling definitely took some getting used to at first and might be a poor fit for those who prefer a more relaxed sitting position, but I found that it offered some of the best support that I have ever experienced in a chair at this price.

The 4D armrests are also a standout inclusion. They’re constructed with plenty of durable metal elements and feel completely stable and solid while still offering all of the adjustability that you could feasibly need. That’s not to say that the rest of the chair isn’t uniformly high-quality though. I tested the stylish Black / Green colorway and the upholstery was flawless across the board. The casters are also superb, as is the thick metal chair base.

My only complaint is more of a nit-pick than anything else and relates to the included head pillow. It’s a nice bonus and is very comfortable and soft, but I found that it was quite difficult to keep attached to the chair. It uses a rather unwieldy strap which, despite my best efforts, sometimes allowed it to slide right off the top of the backrest and onto the floor. 

This is not a complete dealbreaker of course, as many prefer to avoid head pillows entirely, but it is the one area where the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 takes a clear lead. That chair’s magnetic neck pillow is simply better and would make it my choice if you know that you really need one.

(Image credit: Future) Price and availability

• $649.99 / £599.99 
• Available via Razer and Amazon 
• EPU leather and fabric options 

The Razer Iskur V2 costs $649.99 / £599.99. This is about $130 / £185 more than the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022, which is going to be its biggest competition in this price range. Although I think the build quality and features of the Razer Iskur V2 are great even when factoring in the cost, the question of which you should choose is going to come down to your usage habits.

If you often use a dedicated lumbar pillow, the Razer Iskur V2 is the clear winner. A lumbar pillow is not included with the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 and the Secretlab Lumbar Pillow Pro is sold separately for $79 / £69, taking a decent chunk out of that price difference. I also found the 6D lumbar support system to be superior to a conventional pillow, which definitely justifies the added expense.

The Razer Iskur V2 comes in two finishes: EPU leather and fabric. EPU leather is available in both a striking Black / Green and a more plain Black, while the fabric only comes in a dark gray. All of these options should pair nicely with many of the best gaming desks, which tend to come in darker colors.

Specs Design and aesthetics

• Very attractive design
• Lovely EPU leather finish
• Feature-rich 6D lumbar support system

The Razer Iskur V2 follows quite a conventional gaming chair design, with that recognizable racing seat look. Although it's nothing revolutionary, the overall aesthetic is elevated by some excellent little details. My Black / Green model features some bright green stitching which adds some pleasant contrast to the chair’s silhouette. There’s also quite a subtle carbon-fiber-like texture on its trim, adding another visual element to keep things interesting.

It's a little different on the seat itself, though, which has an almost scaly look. This extends to the 6D lumbar support system, which sits at the bottom of the backrest where you would normally position a traditional lumbar pillow.

(Image credit: Future)

On the right-hand side of the backrest, you’ll find an adjustment knob, which increases or decreases the depth of the 6D lumbar support system. It offers a fantastic range of adjustability, increasing the support system’s curvature by quite a large degree. As someone who has always preferred quite a firm lumbar pillow, I was able to find the absolutely perfect setting in a matter of minutes. There is an adjustment knob on the other side of the backrest too, designed to raise or lower the 6D lumbar support system. The effects of this knob are much less pronounced, but it does let you raise or lower its position on your back by a few centimeters.

The armrests are generously sized and topped with quite a soft rubber material. Plenty of metal is used across the chair’s construction, from the armrests to the chair base, and everything feels impressively durable.

While the 6D lumbar support is built-in to the chair and can't be removed, a separate head pillow is included in the box. It’s very soft with a plush exterior and an adjustable strap that attaches it to the top of the backrest. 

(Image credit: Future) Comfort and adjustability

• Very spacious
• Brilliant levels of comfort
• Head pillow is a bit annoying

The Razer Iskur V2 is fantastic in terms of comfort. It has a generously sized seat, with much more space than the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 but doesn’t feel overly large. The same is true of the backrest, which I found almost perfectly followed the overall curve of my back and shoulders without ever seeming too tight or cramped. The 6D lumbar support system is seriously comfortable, especially after you spend a few moments finding your ideal settings. I sat on the chair for hours at a time throughout my testing period and never found it to cause any kind of stiffness or discomfort.

The included headrest is also pleasant but, unfortunately, no matter how much I tightened the strap I found that it would end up all over the place. It would loosen itself and slide further down my back over the course of a few hours or even end up on the floor as I repositioned my shoulders to sit upright. It’s a bit of a shame, as this one setback stops the Razer Iskur V2 from offering a simply perfect level of comfort.

When it comes to adjustability, you have the option to tweak the depth and position of the 6D lumbar support system on top of everything that you would expect from a premium gaming chair. This includes gas lift height adjustment up to 90mm, a backrest recline up to 152 degrees (which can be locked at your desired angle), the ability to enable a seat title and determine its tension, plus 4D armrests.

Each of these armrests is controlled via three buttons, one allows you to twist it or move it inwards and outwards, another lets you twist or move it from front to back, while the last lets you adjust its height. All of the adjustments are intuitive to use and detailed extensively on the Razer support website.

(Image credit: Future) Assembly

The assembly of the Razer Iskur V2 is absolutely flawless and is easily among the smoothest that I’ve experienced with a gaming chair. All the required tools are included in the box, alongside a nifty pair of gloves to protect your hands. Every important screw is already in the right position when the chair arrives, making the process extremely straightforward. You simply have to take each set of screws out, slot the chair together, and then put them back in.

The armrests come pre-attached, though you might want to tweak their position out of the box, and an exceptionally clear instruction sheet is included too. The process took me just under 20 minutes and, while I am very experienced with putting chairs together, I would have no qualms recommending this to someone who has never built a gaming chair before.

(Image credit: Future) Should I buy the Razer Iskur V2? Buy it if...

You love lumbar support
The standout feature of the Razer Iskur V2 is its excellent 6D lumbar support system. It’s superior to a conventional lumbar pillow, offering greater comfort if you frequently shift around in your seat.

You want a great looking chair
The Razer Iskur V2 looks superb, with a sleek design that has plenty of subtle details to help set it out from the crowd. If you’re a fan of Razer’s aesthetic, this would be a great addition to your setup.

Don't buy it if...

You need a more secure head pillow
The head pillow can be a bit of an annoyance, especially if it comes loose while you’re playing. Consider something like the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022, which uses magnets in its pillow, if you’re a big head or neck pillow user.

Also consider...

If you’re not completely on board with the Razer Iskur V2, then these two alternatives are worth considering.

Secretlab Titan Evo 2022
The Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 is definitely the Razer Iskur V2’s biggest competition. It comes in cheaper and offers a similarly high quality build, though does not include any lumbar support out of the box.

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

Razer Fujin Pro
If you’re after a Razer chair but have an even more generous budget, then the Razer Fujin Pro is the absolute cream of the crop. It’s highly adjustable and very comfortable.

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

(Image credit: Future) How I tested the Razer Iskur V2

• Tested for a month
• Used for work and gaming
• Compared against other gaming chairs

I tested the Razer Iskur V2 for over a month, using it every day in our London office. During that time I sat on the chair for extended periods and tested it with a mix of productivity tasks and gaming via cloud streaming services such as Amazon Luna.

In my time with the chair, I endeavored to test all of its available features and carefully compared the experience with my hands-on testing of other chair models including the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022, AndaSeat Phantom 3, Herman Miller Sayl, and more.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed October 2024.

Garmin Dash Cam Mini 3: one-minute review

When it comes to compact dash cams, Garmin proves with the Mini 3 that it’s still the market leader. This is a tiny dash cam that shoots Full HD with HDR at 30 fps, and is so small it practically disappears behind your rear-view mirror, for a near-seamless installation. It also has a decent voice control system, and the smartphone app works well for adjusting settings and downloading stored footage.

That said, the Mini 3 is a very small upgrade on the three-year-old Garmin Dash Cam Mini 2 and, other than an integrated polarizing lens, offers no real incentive to upgrade. If you have an earlier Garmin Mini dash cam, then keep it. But if you’re looking for a very small Full HD dash cam, this one has to be at the top of your list, it's one of the best value dash cams out there.

Garmin Dash Cam Mini 3: price and availability

Launched in September 2024, the Mini 3 is part of a new family of dash cams from Garmin. As with previous generations of Dash Cam Mini, the 3 is Garmin’s entry-level model.

Available now, the Mini 3 is priced at $149.99 / £149.99 / AU$249. This makes it slightly more expensive than the Mini 2, which arrived back in the summer of 2021. The new model is available now.

Garmin Dash Cam Mini 3: specs

(Image credit: Future) Garmin Dash Cam Mini 3: Design

The new Garmin Mini 3 looks almost identical to its predecessor, except for how it’s now designed to be mounted horizontally instead of vertically. This helps it hide more neatly behind the central rear-view mirror of most cars, and means the microSD card slot and microphone mute button are now on the bottom of the device instead of the side.

There’s still a USB port on the right-hand side, but this has been upgraded to USB-C, and there’s still a big button on the rear for manually saving footage. This can be handy for when you witness an incident but aren’t directly involved.

(Image credit: Future)

Garmin’s fantastic (and fantastically simple) windshield mount returns once again with the Mini 3. This attaches to the dash cam with a ball-and-socket joint, then sticks to the windshield with an integrated adhesive pad. There’s plenty of adjustability, but the ball of the mount is gripped tightly enough by the socket of the dash cam to prevent it from moving as you drive.

Also included in the box is a USB-C to USB-A cable and an adapter for plugging the dash cam into your car’s 12-volt socket. The adapter has a pair of USB-A connections, so you can power the dash cam and charge your smartphone at the same time. I’d have preferred a pair of USB-C ports instead, given that’s what almost all smartphones now use, but that’s a small criticism.

As with previous generations of Garmin Dash Cam Mini, a microSD card is not included in the box, so you’ll need to provide your own.

(Image credit: Future) Garmin Dash Cam Mini 3: Performance

Despite its tiny proportions, the Mini 3 records HDR video at Full HD. It does so through a 140-degree lens with a built-in polarizing filter designed to cut down on windshield reflections. Apart from the addition of the filter, this is the same specification as the Mini 2 – and, as a result, the footage produced by the Mini 3 looks pretty similar too.

That’s no bad thing. Footage is sharp and clear, with nicely balanced exposure and enough detail for easily reading vehicle license plates, street signs and road markings; all the things you rely on a dashcam to pick up with great clarity. There were practically no reflections at all in the footage we captured, even on a sunny autumn day, and although not Hollywood quality, the 1080p video (at 30 frames per second) looked plenty good enough for such a tiny dashcam.

Nighttime footage isn’t as clear, of course, but even well after sunset there’s enough detail to work out what’s going on. Vehicles and road markings are clearly visible, however number plates cannot be read as reliably as they can during the day. I also noticed some reflection on the windscreen from my car’s infotainment display, but this was upwards in the top of the camera’s view and well out of shot.

Day and night, the Garmini Mini 3 produces very good footage, especially considering how tiny this dash cam is. Although I obviously couldn’t test the crash detection function, I noticed how the dash cam saves a portion of footage when the driver brakes firmly. So even if you don’t actually hit anything, you’ll have evidence of what could have been a near-miss. As ever, the sensitivity of the dash cam can be adjusted in the app settings menu, which is handy if you find it triggers too easily, such as over speed bumps or potholes.

(Image credit: Future)

As for additional features, the Mini 3 has access to Garmin’s voice control tech. It’s always worked pretty well, throughout the history of the Garmin Dash Cam range, and is equally good here. You can ask the dash cam to manually save a recording, or turn the microphone on/off. It’s a nice-to-have but something you’re unlikely to use frequently.

As with other Garmin dash cams, the Mini 3 has a parking mode that alerts your smartphone when a collision is detected while parked. However, this requires a hardwiring kit to give the camera a constant source of power (sold separately), an active WiFi connection and a subscription to Garmin’s Vault cloud storage service. For some buyers this will add unnecessary expense and complexity, but if you can provide the all-important WiFi connection it can turn your dash cam into a round-the-clock surveillance system.

Another fringe-case feature of Garmin dash cams is how up to four can be synced up together. That way, you can have one facing forwards and one rearwards, then even a couple facing to the sides if you have a large vehicle that might benefit from 360-degree recording. Remember though, each dash cam will need a 12-volt or USB socket for power.

(Image credit: Future) Should you buy the Garmin Dash Cam Mini 3?

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

You want a distraction-free dash cam
Since there’s no screen, there’s absolutely nothing to distract you. It’s even possible to mount the Garmin Mini 3 behind the rear-view mirror, so it’s almost completely out of the driver’s sight.

You can manage without GPS
If you just need video – without speed, direction and location data – this is the dash cam for you. GPS data can be added to recordings if you sync the Mini 3 with a compatible Garmin dash cam equipped with GPS.

You don’t need 4K video
Unless you have a big budget, there’s every chance you can do without 4K video from your dash cam. The Full HD footage of the Mini 3 looks plenty good enough for its purpose, and compared to 4K takes up far less storage space too.

Don't buy it if...

You already have the Mini 2
The new Mini 3 is a very small upgrade on the three-year-old Mini 2, so if you still have that dash cam and it’s working fine, we recommend you stick with it.

You want GPS
As with the previous two generations of Mini, Garmin’s smallest dash cam lacks GPS. This adds location, speed and direction-of-travel data to your recordings, so if you feel you need those metrics you’ll have to look elsewhere.

You prefer dash cams with displays
Since it’s so small, the Mini 3 has no display. This means you’ll need to use the free Garmin drive app to adjust settings and check the camera’s point-of-view during the setup process. It also means you can’t view footage on the dash cam itself, and instead recordings need transferring to your phone or computer.

How I tested the Garmin Dash Cam Mini 3

• I installed the Mini 3 into my own car
• I used the dash cam during several journeys, during the day and also at night
• I set up the dash cam using the Garmin Drive smartphone app

I installed the Garmin Dash Cam Mini 3 in my own car and used it over the course of a couple of weeks. This included journeys during the day and at night, and gave me a good opportunity to inspect how the camera performs in various lighting conditions. I also tried out the Garmin Drive app, which is used to see a live view of the camera and adjust settings during the setup process.

• First reviewed October 2024

While I could sum up this review in six words – like the PX13 opposite, only bigger – that doesn’t do the ProArt P16 justice. Yes, it shares many of the same design hallmarks and specs as its little brother, but this 16in laptop can justly be called a graphics workstation.

The bigger chassis means more room for fans and cooling systems than the PX13, and the CPU benefits from a maximum thermal design power (TDP) of 70W rather than 65W. Asus evidently can’t make room for a GeForce RTX 4080 within this still-slender chassis, instead sticking to the RTX 4070 found in the top-end PX13. What you do get, if you select the 2TB model, is 64GB of RAM; the 1TB/32GB version costs £2,600 inc VAT.

I tested the more expensive unit, and it was a few per cent ahead of the PX13 throughout my tests. In Cyberpunk 2077 and Dirt 5 it averaged 102fps and 122fps at 1080p High, compared to 91fps and 99fps. It was a similar story in the demanding SPECperfview 2020 viewsets: taking Catia, 3ds Max and Creo as examples, the P16 returned 67, 99 and 110, while the PX13 scored 65, 96 and 109. These scores are admittedly humbled by the towering monsters that are the best workstations.

(Image credit: Future)

Honors were even in our rundown tests, where the P16’s larger 90Wh battery evened out the greater power consumption required by its 16in panel. Here, though, a battery life of around nine hours under light use seems eminently reasonable compared to laptops with similar graphical power – usually gaming laptop machines – and I can’t imagine that many people will want to lug this 1.9kg beast around with them despite its slim dimensions. If you want to use that CPU at full power, you’ll need to find space in your bag for the 200W power supply, too.

This uses a proprietary connector, so both USB-C ports are free for connecting peripherals. The faster USB 4 port sits on the left, alongside HDMI, USB-A and 3.5mm connectors, while a slower USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port is on the right alongside a second USB-A port and full-size SD Express 7 card reader. There’s no RJ45 port, which is a shame when there’s so much spare space, but Wi-Fi 7 offers some compensation.

Asus doesn’t squeeze in a number pad, but don’t expect a roomier keyboard than the PX13 as a result. So far as I could tell, they’re identical from the size of the keys to the half-height cursors and the single-height Enter key. That’s fine when you’re tight for space, as is the case for the PX13, but I would like separate Home, End, PgUp and PgDn keys on a laptop of this size, and for the cursors to be full height and separated out. At least Asus has increased the size of the glass-coated touchpad, which comes complete with the DialPad I describe opposite.

(Image credit: Future)

The main beneficiary of Asus’ decision not to include a number pad is the audio. Speakers sit on either side of the keyboard, with bass, depth and subtlety to match standalone speakers. Then we come to the expanse of screen, with a 3,840 x 2,400 resolution to play with – a fraction beyond 4K. It’s Pantone calibrated while an average Delta E of 0.43 speaks to its colour accuracy. Gamers should note that it peaks at 60Hz while HDR video editors won’t be impressed by a 500cd/m2 peak when viewing HDR content. Asus states a 400cd/m2 maximum for SDR, but I measured a more modest 377cd/m2.

I’ve no complaints about color coverage (100% of DCI-P3) or the level of user control, as the MyAsus app lets you pick from four colour profiles: native, sRGB, DCI-P3 and Display P3. You can also use MyAsus to play around with microphone settings, but I found the mics worked fine in the default mode. As did the 1080p webcam, although streamers might have hoped for a higher resolution.

More surprising is that Asus supplies Windows 11 Home rather than Pro, while a single-year C&R warranty is basic. Thankfully, the P16 is built like a tank, while the matte black metal chassis proved resistant to my fingerprints and scratches.

You can also access this laptop’s internals if you want to upgrade the SSD, or even add a second one in the spare slot. However, all the RAM is embedded on the motherboard, so if you want 64GB, take the hit at the time of purchase. And it is a hit; the main reason this machine doesn’t earn five stars is that I expect near-perfection for this price and, while I can forgive sacrifices in an ultraportable such as the PX13, I’m less forgiving when there’s this much space to play with. All that said, the ProArt P16 is a remarkably well-made and powerful laptop and, niggles aside, it will be a superb workhorse for years to come.

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Review info

Platform reviewed: PS5
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
Release date: September 19, 2024 

If I had a nickel for every time a soulslike was inspired by Italian source material, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it’s happened twice. This second time around it’s Enotria: The Last Song, following on from 2023’s excellent Lies of P.

Enotria is more inspired by Italian folklore rather than a single piece of media, however, and it forms the backdrop of a visually striking world with loads to love about its setting and worldbuilding. To many, this alone is worth playing Enotria for - just to see how gorgeous and creative its environments get.

It’s a game that’s otherwise sadly let down by a convoluted mess of gameplay systems - from swathes of equipment and ability categories to the use of Italian nomenclature for items and status effects. It can be quite to wrap your head around, and that’s before getting to some rather weightless-feeling combat and lackluster boss encounters. However, I still think Enotria is worth a playthrough for its stunning environmental design and occasionally clever level layouts. 

Life of the party

(Image credit: Jyamma Games)

In a world inhabited by puppet-like humanoids, you are the Maskless One, a being that can assume various forms (and thus playstyles) by wearing a variety of masks you find throughout the game. Said masks change the Maskless One’s appearance and provide unique bonuses. One mask, for example, might boost heavy attack damage, while another can increase the number of replenishable healing items you can carry.

Masks form the base of your loadouts, of which you can set up to three. Within a single loadout, you can equip up to two weapons, four active skills (known here as ‘Lines’), six passive abilities which can be unlocked via a skill tree, a parry stone that grants unique effects upon successfully guarding, as well as an ‘Aspect’ which can boost or take away from the game’s five governing stats.

Best bit

(Image credit: Jyamma Games)

Enotria’s art direction is simply sublime. The gorgeously detailed environments are vividly colored, often sun-drenched, creating quite a pleasant atmosphere that isn’t common in the soulslike subgenre.

It’s all rather a lot to take on board, and Enotria doesn’t do a particularly good job of explaining it all - even in its early tutorial segments. As a result, you can spend a lot of time wondering just how each individual piece of your loadout will actually benefit you. This is exacerbated by the game’s tricky terminology. 

Elemental damage effects, item names, and even the speed at which a weapon is swung are all written in Italian. I can’t complain about this too much, as it fits with the game’s overall setting and themes, but it does have an impact on readability. By the end of the game, I still had to glance at tutorial notes to remember what effects like ‘Fatuo’ or ‘Gratia’ did to enemies. Maybe I should’ve just booted up Duolingo...

Thankfully, the four main status effects - Dizzy, Wicked, Radiant, and Sick - are easier to understand. But beyond that, they’re much different and more interesting than your usual poisons, paralysis, and so on, in that they all carry a beneficial effect in addition to a negative one.

Dizzy, for example, reduces your overall defense, but also buffs your damage and stamina regeneration rate. Radiant is super cool, causing you to regain health points (HP), but being attacked will trigger an explosion that will deal massive damage to you. I absolutely love this and shows that Enotria does think outside the box in many of its gameplay aspects; I just wish it was all explained a little better in-game. 

All the world's a stage

(Image credit: Jyamma Games)

One thing that doesn’t need explaining is Enotria’s stunning world design. Its sun-drenched environments pop with vivid color, something I’m really not used to seeing in the best soulslike games which are usually suitably dour in tone. Definitely play Enotria on an HDR-capable display if you can; the game is certainly suited for it.

I was also really impressed with Enotria’s level design overall. While not quite reaching FromSoftware levels of intricate, Enotria presents plenty of winding streets, alleyways, nooks, and crannies that encourage the player to go off and explore, all while keeping the critical path easy to follow. It strikes a great balance between linearity and optional exploration.

The game does sadly fall quite short in the combat department. While serviceable for a soulslike, weapon strikes often feel lacking in impact, leading the whole affair to feel fairly listless. It’s not awful by any means, but not as engaging as some of its contemporaries including Lies of P and of course Elden Ring. 

The game is also fairly easy overall; upgrade materials are plentiful, as is experience (EXP) needed to level up. In fact, I’d hit level 60 just a handful of hours into my first playthrough. It’s a relatively short game, too, especially for a soulslike. You can handily clear the game within 20 hours, which enables Enotria to execute very good pacing, and the game does not outstay its welcome.

Sadly, boss fights are also quite a let down with many encounters following the Dark Souls 2 formula of ‘big dude in armor’. There are some standouts with really striking designs - like Zanni The First Mask with his twisted, monstrous form - but even they fall short in the difficulty department. Going up against a towering major boss, only to clear it in less than a couple of minutes on my first attempt was a common occurrence, which certainly felt anticlimactic. 

Accessibility

There aren’t a ton of accessibility options in Enotria: The Last Song. However, what’s here is welcome. There are colorblind modes for deuteranopia, tritanopia, and protanopia and you can even adjust their strength on a scale of zero to 10. There is also subtitle support for 13 languages (as well as an Italian dub for voiced audio, which is a nice touch).

Should I play Enotria: The Last Song Play it if...

You want a distinct soulslike experience
Cool status effects, impressive loadout customization, and excellent level design all make Enotria worth playing through at least once. 

You love original and offbeat art direction
There isn’t a single game that looks like Enotria, and it accomplishes its setting, tone, and art direction all phenomenally well. 

Don't play it if...

You’re after a meaty and challenging experience
The relatively short runtime and often listless, easy combat are arguably the weakest parts of Enotria. The boss fights in particular, are a sharp letdown. 

How I reviewed Enotria: The Last Song

My playthrough of Enotria: The Last Song lasted about 14 hours and I experienced most of the game’s boss fights and locations with plenty of exploration and item hunting mixed in. I also endeavored to try out a bunch of different loadouts via the Mask system.

I played Enotria on PS5 with a DualSense Edge controller on an LG CX OLED TV, almost exclusively in its 60fps performance mode which I found to hold up extremely well with little if any frame drops at all. The 30fps graphics mode is similarly stable and provides an impressive bump in detail, though I found the game to be more enjoyable and fluid at the higher framerate option.

First reviewed October 2024.

Theragun Pro: One-minute review

We’ve seen multiple versions of the Theragun Pro, and every time the upgrades have been incremental but very welcome.

This is the crown jewel in Theragun’s lineup, after all, and it’s powerful and practical; however, it might be too pricey for some. Still, if you can afford the cost of entry, there are few better options.

While it lacks some of the massage-adjacent features of the smaller Sense, it’s a dream to use for just, well, self-massage. It’s got a sizeable battery, and a spare included (that’s a combined five hours between them which means none of those frustrating moments where you get back from a run and need to plug it in for a while), while also packing a rotating arm which you won’t find on the company’s other offerings (at least not anymore).

There’s an OLED screen, as has become standard, with guided massage routines, and the hefty 60lbs / 27kg force rating means it can hit as hard as you need it to.

In fact, other than the price, my only real complaint is that it’s a rather sizeable massage gun, which likely rules it out for travel.

Theragun Pro: Specifications Theragun Pro: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Available now
• Priced at $599 / £499/AUD$799

The latest version of the Theragun Pro is expensive, at $599, but it’s regularly discounted closer to $500/£499/AUD$799. Just be sure you’re picking up the latest version if you want that quieter motor.

Sadly, they’re named the same, but you can tell if you’ve got the older version because it has a black inner ring on the colored circle on the body.

• Value score: 5/5

Theragun Pro: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• One color option
• Adapter included
• Multiple attachments

The Theragun Pro looks how you’d expect a modern Theragun model to look, with that distinctive circle and a comfortable handle.

There’s only one colorway, with the black body surrounding a metallic blue trim, but it looks good, and I prefer it to the white version of the Sense. As mentioned above, though, it’s chunky – I’ve got large hands so I was fine, but my partner found it a little trickier to get her hands around it when administering a back massage.

Thankfully, it’s not uncomfortable, just a little unwieldy. It’s nice and easy to switch between attachments (more on those shortly), while there’s an OLED display that offers the option to jump right into a guided massage routine or just get started quickly – ideal for a post-gym blast.

• Design score: 5/5

Theragun Pro: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Powerful motor
• Power adapter included
• Six attachments

With 60lbs / 27kg of force, the Theragun hits as hard as you can take, and I particularly appreciated the QX150 motor, paired with the extendable arm, for hitting those hard-to-reach spots while still offering consistent output.

There are six attachments in the box, as has become Theragun’s standard, meaning you can expect Standard Ball, Dampener, Thumb, Wedge, SuperSoft, and Micropoint options. They come in their own case, too, while the unit itself has a case. Speaking of accessories, I’m really pleased the power adapter, missing from the Theragun Sense, is included here.

I’ve been using the guided massage functionality to work over multiple muscle groups after the gym or a 5K run, and I’ve found that it’s reduced a lot of the tightness in my hamstrings and calves, helping me feel like I can get out again sooner.

There are four routines included, with an OLED screen making it easy to switch between them; Sleep (for bedtime routines), Warm-up and Recovery (which are obvious), and one for a quick blast of massage via Theragun Break.

The motor is quieter than the previous generation, which makes it more conducive to using later at night, while the customizable speed range means you can go as fast or as slow as you want - or can handle.

• Performance score: 5/5

Theragun Pro: Scorecard Theragun Pro: Should I buy it?

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

You’re looking to recover more quickly

I’ve seen a definite uptick in my recovery times, meaning I’m able to exercise more regularly.

View Deal

You want a lot of power

The Theragun Pro is one of the more powerful options available, meaning it may work better than softer touch models.

View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You want something more portable

Theragun offers drastically smaller options, like the Mini, for regular travelers.

View Deal

You’re just getting started

Not sure self-massage is for you? It might be worth considering a cheaper option before dropping so much cash on the Theragun Pro.

View Deal

Also consider

Theragun Sense

This smaller Theragun model is much easier to travel with, and has features like breathing exercises, too.

Read our full review

Bob & Brad D6 Pro

Another large massage gun, this powerful option is ideal for experienced self-massages and offers plenty of guidance if you’re OK reading the manual.

Read our full review

How I tested

I tested the Theragun Pro multiple times a week, after a weightlifting session at the gym or a run, as well as using it before bed to wind down.

Oura Ring 4: One minute review

The Oura Ring Generation 4 is better than the Samsung Galaxy Ring – provided, that is, you subscribe to the $5.99-a-month Oura Ring membership program. It’s more comfortable thanks to the lack of nodules, it’s got theoretically better heart rate, blood oxygen and skin temperature recognition thanks to the way its sensors are designed, an AI ‘Oura Advisor’ service, sophisticated women’s health tracking insights, ‘stress’ and ‘resilience’ metrics along with all the features available on the app to previous-gen Oura Ring users.

It’s a wonderfully-designed Ring, supremely comfortable to wear at night thanks to the lack of protruding inner nodes, easy on the eye, and available in six metallic finishes, all externals comprised of tough titanium. The redesigned app is great, providing detail and context missing in other smart rings with the use of timelines and easy-to-add ‘tags’. Battery life is good, with the Oura Ring matching expectations and lasting around six days as advertised with multiple workouts.

Automatic workout tracking also works terrifically, and is now able to be used for more than walking and running. The ring is able to correctly identify up to 40 different workout profiles, and I really enjoyed this aspect: it correctly identified running and yoga after I listed them as two of my most common workout types. I tried one of the guided meditations from the app’s Explore content section and felt as though it was comparable to other mindfulness services, like the Calm app. It really does feel like a futuristic wearable in every respect, from its design to its performance.

However, it’s also pricier than its contemporaries. The Samsung Galaxy Ring and Ultrahuman Ring Air are expensive wearables, but once you buy them, that’s it. The Oura Ring is also a premium device, starting at $349 / £349 (Australia pricing is TBC) with the added subscription acting as a paywall to access almost all features other than your Readiness, Activity and Sleep scores. I can understand a premium device demanding a premium price (I recently gave the pricey Garmin Fenix 8 a coveted five-star rating) but the ongoing nature of the subscription means the Oura Ring does lose half a point in the value stakes.

Garmin also continues to add new features to its devices via software on a regular basis, just like Oura. Unfortunately, Oura makes you pay for these, and only gives you a one-month free trial; comparable services, like Fitbit Premium, often give you six months free as an incentive to sign up. That said, it’s a really excellent service, and I can’t recommend it enough – if you can afford it. If you’re on a budget, though, rival smart rings offer almost as much versatility in a better-value package.

Oura Ring 4: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• $349 / £349, with Australia prices TBC
• $5.99 subscription (priced in USD across all regions)
• Some colors incur an additional cost

As previously stated, the Oura Ring 4 starts at $349 / £349, with Australia pricing TBC as it’s currently unavailable in that region. Some designs and colorways cost more, with Rose Gold being the most expensive at $499 / £499.

The Oura Ring Membership, which is required if you want to unlock the ring’s full potential, costs $5.99; you get one month free when you purchase the ring. As mentioned above, If you’re going to buy the ring, you really have to subscribe to see its full potential.

The Oura Ring’s closest rival, the Samsung Galaxy Ring, costs $399 / £399 (around AU$750). That’s $50 / £50 than the base-model Oura Ring, but with no subscription attached, and other smart rings tend to hover around this price or cheaper. I don’t think the subscription is poorly priced, but as with a Whoop or a Fitbit, it smarts to pay a premium for the device, only to then have to keep paying in order to access your own data.

• Value score: 3/5

Oura Ring 4: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Simple and elegant
• More comfortable than the Generation 3
• Redesigned app

The Oura Ring 4 is beautifully designed, and makes several leaps forward ahead of its competitors. All colorways are made of titanium now, with options of Black, Silver, Brushed Silver, Gold, Stealth (gray) and Rose Gold available. A notch on the underside of the ring shows which orientation it should be worn in.

It doesn’t have the concave design of the Samsung Galaxy Ring to protect its surface: its body is more of a traditional ‘straight’ wedding ring design. It’s tough, and should withstand a bit of beating up, but if you care about the look of your ring you will want to go careful. After a week of wear I can see some very light scratching on the surface of my Brushed Silver model, and I’m certainly too nervous to wear it to the gym without gloves.

However, the important changes here are on the underside of the ring. Gone are those skin-contact nodes, and in their place are flat sensors. These sensors are, Oura says, better at detecting signals than those on the previous models, and the ring can now be twisted 30 degrees in any direction and still take an accurate sensor reading thanks to the option of new pathways for the LED’s signals to travel. The other upside of the ring’s lack of three-dimensional nodes is that it’s more comfortable than ever to wear, especially for sleeping. It’s quite thick for a ring (but not for a smart ring, I suppose) but unlike even the best smartwatch it can be worn either to bed or during the day, and in either case you could genuinely forget you’re wearing it.

The Ring now has more sizing variety than ever, ranging from sizes 4 to 15. The larger sizes offer slightly longer battery life, up to eight days in comparison to the old Oura Ring’s maximum of seven. Of course, it also means those with slender fingers and thicker fingers can get an Oura Ring too.

The app has also seen a comprehensive redesign. Following the lead of Fitbit Premium, all content is organized across three tabs (Today, Vitals and My Health), with additional granular features available via a drop-down menu at the top-left of the screen. It’s simple and intuitive to navigate, showing your scores at the top of the page and providing options to break each one down into more detail if you want to. It’s really intuitive to use, and a logical progression from the old app.

• Design score: 5/5

Oura Ring 4: Features

(Image credit: Future)

• Sleep, Activity and Readiness scores
• Underpinned by other metrics such as Resilience
• AI health tool

There’s a whole bunch to talk about here. The Oura Ring 4 goes some way towards making itself a real fitness tracker, rather than a passive health monitor, by automatically detecting up to 40 kinds of workouts. It still doesn’t have onboard GPS (understandably, as it’s tiny) but it can crib from your phone’s GPS if you enable location settings.

The three main scores are Sleep, Activity, and Readiness, and each one can be broken down into an inordinate amount of granular detail. Activity, for example, can be broken down into separate factors such as ‘move every hour’, ‘meet daily calorie goals’, ‘training frequency’ and so on. The Timeline, a feature unique to Oura as far as I know, allows you to add context to binary data by adding tags at certain points like ‘alcohol’ or ‘yoga’ or ‘grief’. If a tag doesn’t suit your needs, you can save your own note, which creates a comprehensive health journal, and a better reason to scroll back through the app.

You can identify trends using specific information, such as deep-sleep states or heart-rate variability over a year. Other interesting metrics include Resilience, which details how well you respond to sources of stress, and Cardiovascular Age, to identify how healthy your heart might be. If you’re 32 and you have the heart of a 25-year-old, it’s likely that you’re doing pretty well. If you have a 45-year-old heart? You might want to do a bit more cardio.

Elsewhere, the app packs an AI health tool called Oura Advisor under the beta-testing program, Oura Labs. Asking this AI questions like “How can I improve my running speed?” offers good (if generic) advice, and responds to follow-up questions. Women’s Health tracking is reportedly detailed and accurate (although, of course, I haven’t tested this particular feature myself). All this builds on an absolute ton of app-based features that were already available in previous versions, ready for health nerds to dive into. Full marks.

• Features score: 5/5

Oura Ring 4: Performance

(Image credit: Future/Matt Evans)

• Battery performs as described
• Metrics are interesting and easy to navigate
• Automatic workout tracking is responsive

I really enjoyed using the Oura Ring 4. I drained its battery down, which for my Size 10 ring took five and a half days of constant use, including several workouts. It was comfortable to wear, and I only took it off a handful of times, such as when doing the washing up. The Ring picked up two separate runs automatically, and offered comparable stats to my smartwatch, minus the more specific stride and cadence information I get from Coros.

Sleep tracking was highly accurate: Oura boasts some of the best sleep tracking in the business, said to be comparable to a professional polysomnography machine, and it didn’t disappoint. It clocked a night of ‘fair’ sleep when my wife and I stayed with a friend, including the correct periods of wakefulness and an accurate wake-up time, rising to ‘good’ when I was back in my own bed the following evening. I added a ‘stay elsewhere’ tag to that night on my Timeline, and I can reuse that tag whenever I sleep in a bed that’s not my own from now on.

(Image credit: Future)

The metrics I received were interesting and easy to navigate (however, they are orientated for long-term use, so Oura is still calculating things like my Cardiovascular Age as it requires around two weeks of use to do so), and the in-app meditation content was more or less comparable to alternatives such as Calm. I completed several different sessions, and enjoyed the experience both times.

• Performance score: 5/5

Oura Ring 4: Scorecard Oura Ring 4: Should I buy?

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

You’re excited about wellness

Data nerds are going to love the depth they can go into with this tiny device.

You want to track sleep

Oura’s sleep-data harvesting is pretty much the gold standard.

You hate smartwatches

This is the device to replace your smartwatch while you wear a snappy analog number.

Don't buy it if...

You’re on a budget

Oura’s ongoing subscription is essential, making its already-premium price a bit of a slap in the face.

You need GPS

Need dedicated GPS data for outdoor sports? Save your cash and get a good running watch.

You like staying connected

Want a wearable for maps, checking Whatsapp messages, and taking calls? Smart rings aren’t for you.

Also consider How I tested

I wore the Oura Ring for a week, draining the battery down completely and sleeping with it every night. I went on several runs, comparing its health stats to those from a Coros smartwatch, and tried some of its in-app meditation content. I tested Oura’s Health Advisor service, the Timeline functionality, and dove into the app as much as possible.

Theragun Sense: One-minute review

While massage guns are more popular than ever, they can do so much more. That seems to be the thinking behind the Theragun Sense, a relatively compact massage gun that acts as a masseuse.

Expect guided massage routines, a whisper-quiet profile, and even breathing exercises, making it a fantastic all-rounder.

There are more powerful massage guns around for deeper, sports massages, but the size and additional features on offer make the Theragun Sense a great option - especially for $300 or less. Even better, you’ll find four massage attachments and a carry case inside the box, so you have everything you need right from the jump.

Theragun Sense: Specifications Theragun Sense: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Available now
• Priced at $299.99/£275/AU$449

The Theragun Sense launched late last year, and you can find it at a discount already. Amazon offers it for under $230/£250/AU$400 fairly regularly, but even at full price, it’s definitely competitive with other massage guns we’ve tested.

• Value score: 5/5

Theragun Sense: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Relatively compact
• Subtle biometric sensor
• Black and white color options

If you’ve seen a Theragun massage gun, you’ll likely know what to expect here, with a comfortable, firm build that weighs less than you might expect.

The company’s “patented ergonomic grip” is present and accounted for, but unlike other models, you won’t be able to extend the end to be straighter (that’s a Theragun Pro feature).

The upshot of that is that the Sense is much smaller and lighter than many comparable models, Theragun or otherwise, with a weight of just 1.6 lbs/0.7kg. That’s particularly key here because of the breathing exercise we’ll come to later but also means you can enjoy an impressive massage without needing to switch arms quite as regularly.

The Theragun Sense comes in Black and White colorways, but both have a rose gold trim to them. That’s unlikely to bother many users, but it’s interesting that both share the same secondary color.

Attachments are easy to swap out, you’ll just need to pull on them until they come loose, but they do slot back in with a satisfying ‘click’.

The big draw here is the display, which sits atop four directional buttons and a central confirmation one. Not only are the menus easy to navigate (with a Quick Start option a single button press away), but they also give step-by-step massage guidance to help you move between important muscle groups.

You can also use the included companion app on your phone, too, if you’d prefer, and that ties into the biometric sensor under the handle - but more on that shortly.

Charging is done via USB-C, with the port at the front of the unit. There’s a cable included, but no power adapter, sadly.

• Design score: 5/5

Theragun Sense: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Comes with multiple attachments
• Nifty carry case
• Breathing exercises are nice

The Theragun Sense offers what I would call a great ‘casual’ massage for newcomers. That may explain the cheaper price point compared to the Theragun Pro, but it’s also packing its own internal tutorial via the display to help you know when to switch between locations on the body.

That makes it ideal for partners and housemates, too, letting you ask them to hit the more unwieldy spots on the lower back, for example. It hits hard enough, but you’ll want something like the Bob and Brad D6 Pro for a harder massage.

There are four attachments included (Dampener, Standard Ball, Thumb, and Micro-point), as well as five speeds - all of which are impressively quiet.

If you use the biometric sensor with your finger, you can enjoy moment-to-moment heart rate, and that ties into the Therabody companion app for iOS and Android.

One of my favorite features, and one I admittedly didn’t know I needed, was the option to use the Sense for breathing exercises. Users sit with the device against their chest, and while it certainly feels unnatural at first, I found myself enjoying the process after a couple of attempts.

With some massage guns coming with dense instruction manuals, I was impressed at the potential of the companion app for helping educate users on when to massage effectively.

• Performance score: 5/5

Theragun Sense: Scorecard Theragun Sense: Should I buy it?

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

You’re not just interested in post-workout massages

The Theragun Sense is great for self-massage, but the breathing exercise functionality adds an extra dimension.

View Deal

You’re a regular gymgoer

Still, its compact nature makes it ideal to keep in a gym bag for those bigger sessions.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You want something more powerful

While it packs a punch, there are more aggressively powered massage guns if that’s what you’re looking for.View Deal

You’re not interested in breathing exercises

The Theragun Pro adds more power at a higher price point, but will likely be better for any injury concerns.

View Deal

Also consider

Bob & Brad D6 Pro

Another large massage gun, this powerful option is ideal for experienced self-massages and offers plenty of guidance if you’re OK reading the manual.

Read our full review

Theragun Pro

A larger Theragun that packs more power at the cost of portability, the Pro is ideal for longtime masseurs.

How I tested

I tested the Theragun Pro multiple times a week, after a weightlifting session at the gym or a run, as well as using it before bed to wind down.

Victrola Stream Sapphire: Two-minute review

The Victrola Stream Sapphire is another first from Victrola, bringing Sonos compatibility and lossless Wi-Fi vinyl streaming together in one hefty unit. Very few of the best turntables on the market boast anything like the feature-set this deck aims to deliver. An Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge, supported gamely by a nice carbon-fibre tonearm, produces exactly the fidelity you’d hope, and with minimal tracking errors out of the box. Its wireless fidelity is impressive, too, though an Ethernet connection or a supercharged Wi-Fi plan will be necessary to unimpededly avail of it.

The Victrola Stream Sapphire's convenience, particularly in tech-forward households, is plain to see. What isn’t, however, is quite how this convenience commands a four-figure price point. For one, the Sapphire shares a great deal in common with its less expensive range-mates, and even lacks some of their better features. Meanwhile, a noisily starting platter, flabby tonearm lift and sharp front plate indicate quality control issues.

The Victrola Stream Sapphire is, quite frankly, a bit of a disappointment. It has the bones of a good record player, and some compelling tech-y foresight with its multifarious connectivity, but it doesn’t do altogether much to convince you of its retail price, even with its most compelling elements in mind. If you’ve the cash, and a hankering for unparalleled convenience in wirelessly casting vinyl around your tech-futurist home, this was made for you – and you alone.

Victrola Stream Sapphire review: Price and release date

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)

• $1299.99 / £1499.99 / approx. AU$2890
• Launched on October 1, 2024

The Victrola Stream Sapphire is the latest in Victrola’s 'Stream' range of turntables and, unsurprisingly, bears a great deal in common with the Stream Carbon – the brand’s (and, indeed, world’s) first Sonos-compatible record player.

The Stream Sapphire, however, is a first of all its own – combining as it does Sonos compatibility with Wi-Fi-borne UPnP audio streaming, to create a truly connectible wireless record player. This peerless connectivity comes at a price, though, with the Sapphire commanding a not-insignificant $1,299.99 / £1,499.99 / approx. AU$2,890.

Victrola Stream Sapphire review: Specs Victrola Stream Sapphire review: Features

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)

• Sonos and Lossless UPnP Wi-Fi streaming
• Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge
• Upgraded motor

The Victrola Stream Sapphire is a plussed-up version of the brand's Stream Carbon. It retains its chassis’ form and its carbon-fibre tonearm construction, but also features some key upgrades – including a quieter motor, a heavier plinth (with a real walnut veneer) and an Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge. The biggest difference, though, is in its wirelessness.

The Stream Sapphire shares the rare wireless Sonos connectivity of Victrola’s Stream series, but also boasts UPnP compliance – this means that your turntable can stream lossless audio to any Wi-Fi-enabled speaker or audio device in your home tech ecosystem.

This is a phenomenal prospect for the tech-futurist homesteader, where seamless, wireless and simultaneous playback in every room is made not just possible but easy – to say nothing of the ease with which you can target specific zones for listening in. And all this, of course, in glorious 24-bit/48kHz. This wireless connectivity is obviously killer, but it’s not going to be ubiquitously useful as a feature; this premium turntable targets a narrow slice of a wide commercial market, and stakes a great deal of its retail price on its appeal to that slice.

As such, the turntable forgoes some basic features that the average user might look for, such as a bypass switch for the phono preamp, or even an on-off switch for the auto-stop function (both of which, incidentally, you will find on the much cheaper, Bluetooth-enabled Victrola Stream Onyx). Even though the Stream Sapphire has some wow-worthy connectivity options, it falls short in some basic ways – ways in which considerably cheaper players are excelling.

• Features score: 3/5

Victrola Stream Sapphire review: Sound quality

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)

• Undeniably excellent dynamics
• Rich, complete sound representation
• Stable playback

Victrola’s less expensive Stream turntables, which share some similarities, have previously caught flak for occasional instability in-play. Thankfully, the Stream Sapphire’s motor is indeed improved, providing a good deal more torque and doing away with much of the imprecision that plagued its range-mates. There was initially a bit of a disconcerting squeak when starting and stopping records, though this did seem to abate with time.

Via RCA, the Stream Sapphire sounds excellent. The Ortofon 2M Blue does a great deal of the heavy lifting, with an incredible full range of frequency responsiveness that, at some points, seems to test the readiness of the Sapphire’s built-in preamp. Indeed, it’s a rare turntable that lays bare the shortcomings of my own austere living room hi-fi.

The preamp is good, though, and handles the wide dynamic range of Pile’s All Fiction incredibly well. Nothing’s squashed or sausaged, and every leap or fall is felt in near-exactly the way you’d like to feel it in the room, with the band. This dynamic acuity serves everything incredibly well, from sharp and explosive drums in Loops and Poisons to a compelling sparseness in quieter moments (Blood, Lowered Rainbow).

Plaid’s Peel Session 2, meanwhile, is a textural delight across the board, from plinky synth-pings to smooth, fulsome sine-wave basslines. It’s refreshing to listen to records and not be immediately hit by some shortfall in EQ. To clumsily borrow a phrase from the Super Smash Bros. lexicon: everyone is here!

Stealing Sheep’s Big Wows gamely combines the glisten and glitter of the 1980s shimmer-synth arpeggiation with the raw and robust attack of live instrumentation, all of which play ball even through my admittedly undersized bookshelf speakers. Instrument placement in the stereo field is fantastic, as are the vocals, which are otherwise handled unsurprisingly well. Pile’s Rick Maguire sears in over his maximalist arrangements and Stealing Sheep’s three-piece harmonies couch themselves ideally within their synthy beds.

It's not all praise. I need to pull the Stream Sapphire up on some slight overcorrection in places. Plaid’s wubbie low-end can sometimes overwhelm, and sometimes airier treble moments can build up to excess. The 2M Blue cartridge is also quite sensitive to surface dust, so you can expect poorly cleaned records to be a bit poppier (in the literal sense) than usual. But these are trifles against the greater successes of the unit, which is generally a stable and hugely responsive thing.

Wirelessly, the Stream Sapphire sounds as good as its specs promise – when it works. The Sonos connection is prone to ‘skipping’, i.e. losing connectivity, even when latency and performance settings are set with performance over fidelity in mind. Incidentally, selecting ‘Prioritize Connection’ in the Victrola Streaming App’s Streaming Mode menu results in some of the most 'YouTube 2007' sound transmission you’ve ever heard (worse, arguably, than the skipping).

Reliability aside, there’s a lot to like when the Sonos streaming works at its best – Queens of the Stone Age’s Songs for the Deaf is big, rich and fully present, making the most of the Sonos One’s unduly massive bass responsiveness. This turntable will undoubtedly represent a great deal of worth for those with an extensive intra-home Sonos setup, but perhaps only with a great internet connection as well.

• Sound quality score: 4/5

Victrola Stream Sapphire review: Design

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)

• Some neat digital functionality
• Inconsistent setup experience
• Missed lessons from prior models

It’s hard to talk about the Stream Sapphire’s design without harping on for some time about less tangible aspects of its design – namely, the various digital fenagling associated with getting it to do the Streaming bit of being a Stream turntable.

Using the Victrola Stream app appears simple enough; the app has a handy step-by-step instructional on physically putting your turntable together, which will be a cause of relief for a fair few less confident setter-uppers. But here's where the wheels come off a bit. If this writer has to engage with a button labeled ‘Wi-Fi Setup’ again in their natural life, there will be a reckoning.

Even after successful Wi-Fi Setup (cue Sideshow Bob-esque ‘uunnnrhrnrnrhrnrhr…’), you can look forward to around half an hour of vainly swapping between apps to have one technology see the other – an effort not helped by the sometimes-confusing deployment of the illuminated knob on the Sapphire, which does nothing unless actively connecting or attempting to connect. This lack of feedback is a patience killer.

This fenagling is eventually (and thankfully) rewarded, and from here you can start to appreciate the Victrola app’s nicer touches – such as its in-app ‘Simultaneous Mode’ for playing wired and wirelessly. Thanks to this, your wireless speakers can work in concert with your wired hi-fi, without any real (further) headache. There’s even a slider for ‘knob illumination’, from which you may derive as much mirth as you’d like.

While the Stream Sapphire has its fair share of ‘new bits’, UPnP connectivity and improved motor inclusive, it still has more in common with its predecessors than it has to distinguish it. This turntable had an opportunity to repeat and improve upon the Stream range’s design and, while it’s succeeded in some places, it has fallen unfortunately flat in others.

The Stream Sapphire has especially earned this writer’s ire for using the same practically useless dust cover design as its Stream and Hi-Res siblings: a single folded (and slightly reinforced) sheet of plastic that sits on the platter and over the tonearm, and which can only be used between records. When you’re spending this much on a turntable, you’re invariably coming across the kind of audiophiles that have Big Opinions™ about playing records under closed dust covers – but one senses that this isn’t what governed Victrola’s thinking here.

The turntable also features the same tonearm assembly as its siblings. This tonearm assembly is fine, great even, but not for a four-figure turntable where you’d expect to be able to adjust VTA (Vertical Tracking Angle). VTA isn’t the be-all-end-all that some would claim, but it should be something you’re empowered to adjust yourself.

In short, the Stream Sapphire has some nifty tricks, and a nifty walnut veneer to encase them in, but while much of its charm might have worked with its cheaper models, this model falls disappointingly short.

• Design score: 2.5/5

Victrola Stream Sapphire review: Value

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)

• Great sound, but not for its price
• Quality control issues raise questions
• Fewer QoL features than cheaper Victrola units

The Stream Sapphire sounds inarguably good, thanks to both the quality of the cartridge and the unusual quality of wireless connectivity on offer. It’s a rare thing on this digital front, too, combining Sonos and UPnP capability in a convenient manner never before seen in a turntable. But do these grand designs translate to cold, hard value? In this writer’s opinion: no.

More specifically, these features don’t feel nearly enough to justify the Stream Sapphire’s price – not when other, essential expectations from this price bracket aren’t being met. Though its sound reproduction is excellent, conventional wired turntables less than half the price are as good if not better – as such, the price tag is only justifiable by its digital, wireless performance, which is inconsistent in its own way.

Furthermore, you’d expect a higher level of quality control for the price you pay, rather than encountering issues with the turntable's most essential mechanical aspects. For my review unit, the tonearm lift system felt broken, its lever loosely flabbing about either extremity of its reach and only catching the lift in a seemingly incidental manner. The aluminium front panel was also burred enough in some places to catch my fingers.

Further still, you’d expect a great deal more in difference between this unit and its half-priced Sonos-streaming predecessor, or even its near-$1000 / £1000 cheaper little sibling in the Bluetooth-friendly Hi-Res Onyx. The similarities between this and its budget counterparts are many, and there are even some features conspicuously missing.

In all, the Victrola Stream Sapphire is an incomparable, even untouchable device, but merely for having no direct competitors whatsoever. It’ll appeal to those who can afford to spend four figures on tech convenience, and few else – which is a good thing, as myriad better deals can be had for a fraction of the price.

• Value score: 2.5/5

Should you buy the Victrola Stream Sapphire? Buy it if...

You’ve invested in some hot UPnP speakers
There are some incredible Wi-Fi-compliant speakers on the market from such vaunted brands as KEF and Devialet. If you’ve spent the money on these, the convenience of the Stream Sapphire may be worth the cost to you.

Your house is Sonos’d up to the nines
If you’ve spent thousands on a fully integrated, through-home Sonos setup, and want the best Sonos-capable wireless turntable money can buy, this is absolutely the product for you.

You value convenience more than money
Setting up a cohesive at-home digital audio-streaming network isn’t easy. If you’ve the cash to buy something like this, and hate the idea of building your own hi-fi master-stack from scratch, then the Stream Sapphire is pretty much designed with you in mind.

Don't buy it if...

You want the best analog fidelity
This is, of course, angled at those wanting a primo vinyl-streaming experience – but if you want your records to sound their absolute best in the analogue sense, there are better-specced turntables with your name on.

You’re happy to DIY your hi-fi
The built-in Sonos and UPnP connectivity is novel, but not inherently as valuable as the Stream Sapphire’s asking price. You could buy a better-sounding, more reliable turntable, a DLNA-compliant media hub, and a full complement of compatible wireless home assistant speakers, all for a good deal less than this turntable alone.

Victrola Stream Sapphire: Also consider

Victrola Stream Carbon
Victrola’s Stream Carbon is the Stream Sapphire’s vastly cheaper ancestor, and the first to market in the Stream range. This turntable provides the very same Sonos compatibility – and strikingly similar specs otherwise – for significantly less.
Read our Victrola Stream Carbon review here.

Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2
Cambridge Audio is one of the definitive hi-fi brands, and its Alva TT V2 is a definitive turntable in its own right. A direct-drive motor, a high-fidelity moving coil cartridge, and aptX HD Bluetooth connectivity place the Alva TT V2 in the upper echelons of possible fidelity.
See our full Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 review

How I tested the Victrola Stream Sapphire

(Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)

• Tested for 3 weeks
• Used in living room hi-fi setup as primary turntable
• Predominantly tested through Cambridge AV amplifier and Celestion speakers
• Wireless testing conducted with Sonos One

The Victrola Stream Sapphire became my primary living room turntable for three weeks. The RCA outputs fed my dependable Cambridge Audio Azur 540R amplifier and Celestion F1 bookshelf speakers. For wireless connectivity, I must give thanks to dear friend Joe Lynch for the lending of his Sonos One-centered sound system (and our shared perspiration in connecting to it). I used personal favourite records with which I am intimately familiar, and with which I was able to get a feel for the Stream Sapphire’s character both wired and wirelessly.

First reviewed: October 2024

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XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad: One-minute review

The XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad could be the perfect product for you, especially if you’re a creative looking for a highly competent but not so highly priced slate.

The XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad at its core is a fairly typical Android tablet – you get front and rear cameras, all the usual apps and a bunch of connectivity options. However, you’re also getting a slate that’s optimized for digital art, with a textured X-Paper display, included stylus and pre-installed drawing software. And the actual drawing experience is high quality here – you get a faithful recreation of the pen-to-paper feel, decent responsiveness and solid color accuracy.

Lag can rear its head from time to time and processing power isn’t top quality, meaning you’re not exactly getting top-tier performance, but for the price you pay, that’s not too bad a sacrifice. After all, this slate has a pretty modest list price of $499.99 / £539.99 / AU$799.99, especially given the fact that a stylus, interchangeable nibs and a case are all included in that – value-wise, that places it among some of the best drawing tablets.

(Image credit: Future)

But that’s not all, you’re also getting solid battery life here – around 13 hours at medium-brightness – and plenty of storage, which can be upgraded with a microSD card. Combine that with a slim, relatively lightweight design and anti-glare screen tech and you’re looking at an ideal pad to take with you on the go.

It might not best some of the latest Apple iPads in areas like style or processing power – and the included stylus here might not have incredible levels of technical or aesthetic finesse, but if value is the key to your heart, the XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad is still well worth considering.

(Image credit: Future) XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad review: Price and release date

• $499.99 / £539.99 / AU$799.99
• Launched in January 2024

The XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad released in January 2024 – at the time being described by its creator as “the industry's first professional and mobile standalone drawing tablet”.

It launched with a list price of $499.99 / £539.99 / AU$799.99, but I’ve already spotted it going for considerably cheaper. On the official XP-Pen site, I’ve seen the Magic Drawing Pad go for as little as $429.99. It’s also regularly available for £449.99 on Amazon UK. That price includes the X3 Pro Pencil, protective case, charging cable and drawing glove. This is a good value pad, especially given the fact it performs most of the functions you’d get from the best Android tablets. Given the inclusion of a stylus and case, the list price is even cheaper than what you’d expect from a more affordable mid-range tablet, like the Apple iPad 10.9 (more on this in the ‘Also Consider’ section).

XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad review: Specs XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad review: Design

• Slim, relatively lightweight design
• Satisfying 12-inch X-Paper display
• Included case doesn’t quite hit the spot

(Image credit: Future)

Something that’s instantly likable about the XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad is its slim, attractive design. This slate is only 6.9mm thick and weighs 599g / 1.3lbs, meaning that it's pleasingly light, but not quite featherweight – finding a sweet spot between high portability and build quality. You get a nice-sized display here too. At 12.2 inches, you’ll have plenty of room to play with, but the pad still won’t be overly large for the average desk or workspace.

Another aspect of the display that I found pleasing was the textured X-Paper surface, which did a solid job of emulating the typical pen-to-paper experience (more on this later). This TFT-LCD display is ideal – both in look and feel – for sketches and also cuts out both glare and blue light emissions. This makes it a suitable choice no matter the environment you’re drawing in, whether indoors in low light or outside in the shimmering sun. My only slight complaint here is that the auto-adjusting brightness sometimes gave me a darker display than I would want – though this was nothing a swift manual adjustment couldn’t fix.

This slate, as you’d hope, is fairly minimalistic when it comes to physical features. There are two microphones and four speakers, as well as rear and front cameras – all of which is great if you want the typical tablet experience. But other than that there’s just a USB-C charging port, power, and volume buttons. It might be better if the power and volume buttons were on the same side – just for ease-of-use – but they work well regardless.

As well as the Magic Drawing Pad itself, you get the X3 Pro Pencil and interchangeable nibs (see Stylus section for more), a drawing glove, charging cable and adapter, and a protective case. I have medium-large-sized hands and personally found the drawing glove fit nicely, but I think it would suit most regardless. It’s a handy addition for those – like me – who sometimes find themselves accidentally scribbling/issuing commands with their palm or pinky finger.

The case, meanwhile, wasn’t my favorite. The outer blue color is nice enough, but the opaque reverse side just shows a ton of fingerprints after handheld use. Additionally, the pen holder is on the back of the case, which is practical when carrying the tablet around, but not so good for when you need to put the pen down for a minute during use. Finally, there’s no way to prop the tablet up with this case, so you’ll have to keep it flat unless you have a suitable stand already. This is, of course, quite a minor issue and there are other cases – including some with stands – available if you’re not satisfied with this one.

• Design score: 4/5

XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad review: Performance

• Pretty authentic pen-to-paper drawing experience
• Responsive and accurate in-use
• Comes with standard tablet features despite specialist profile

(Image credit: Future)

Luckily, this slate isn’t just a good looker, though. Yep, it performs very nicely, especially given its pretty modest price tag.

What I really enjoyed with the XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad was how it recreated the pen-to-paper experience very faithfully. Whether I was drawing a picture or writing out words, scribbling on the matte screen typically felt very silky. The only time it didn’t was if I applied a high amount of pressure onto the slate’s surface with the stylus. When doing this, I’d feel a bit of resistance from the surface – just as if it was some textured paper – but this was extremely satisfying and only made the drawing experience feel more authentic. Further, I never felt frustrated by accidental smudging and it was a rarity for me to catch commands unintentionally. Combine that with the excellent-feeling screen and you get a super-smooth drawing experience.

When I tried drawing on both ibisPaint X and an Adobe creative platform, there wasn’t any noticeable jitter, which was especially helpful when drawing straight lines. Lag, meanwhile, wasn’t totally absent. This was pretty limited for the most part, but when I zoomed in and sketched some pictures of a fruit bowl I realized a slight delay in the contact-to-drawing conversion process. Lag wasn’t bad enough to trouble me at any stage particularly, however, so take this more as a nitpick than a denunciation of the Magic Drawing Pad’s quality.

The wider user-experience flows nicely too, even if the slate’s processing capabilities aren’t next-level. I did find, on occasion, that there was a bit of delay when scrolling through menus, especially with multiple tabs open, though this was nothing too grating. The Magic Drawing Pad did great with all the typical tablet stuff and whether I was browsing the net, checking emails, or even watching YouTube videos, it got the job done. It was, admittedly, a little odd watching video content on this slate – I’m not sure its display type and brightness capabilities are so well-suited for such activity – but if you want it, it's there and it works without issue. What was slightly less odd was the inclusion of front and rear cameras. Now, neither of these offer top-drawer quality, but they’re useful if you want to snap a photo for stenciling or reference.

On top of that, this pad does a very nice job of replicating colors, making for high-quality end-products if you’re sketching something from scratch. You get 109% sRGB coverage here, meaning colors are reproduced faithfully and accurately. Pair this with a very respectable 2160 x 1440 resolution and you get a vibrant, eye-catching slate that’s well-suited for either casual or professional use.

If you are using this thing professionally, you may be worried about storage space – but that’s not likely to be an issue here. The Magic Drawing Pad is packed with 256GB of internal storage, but you can add an additional 512GB with a microSD card – that should do it. You’ll also be able to draw for hours on end thanks to this slate’s 8,000mAh battery. This should give you approximately 13 hours worth of battery life, though this number will be a bit smaller if you’re using the slate at high brightness levels during outdoor use, for instance.

• Performance score: 4/5

XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad review: Stylus

• 16k pressure levels
• No need to pair or charge
• Comfortable feel and slim-look

(Image credit: Future)

The XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad comes with an X3 Pro Pencil, which is a straightforward, yet sleek-looking instrument. It uses electro-magnetic resonance tech, as well as a dedicated X3 Pro chip to enable a more stable, accurate and natural-feeling drawing experience.

Something I loved about this pen straight off the bat was its simplicity. You don’t have to mess around with pairing or charging it. That’s especially great if you’re out and about and don’t want to run out of juice half way through a drawing. It’s also very comfortable to use, with a slim feel and medium length. If you’re not totally happy with the nib-size of the pen, though, you’re in luck. This slate comes with a collection of interchangeable nibs so you can find the right thickness or sharpness no matter what masterpiece you’re crafting.

But how does it fare on a more technical level? Not too badly. The X3 Pro Pencil isn’t particularly flashy. There’s no tilt functionality, which professional users may find a little bit disappointing, and there’s no customizable options for grip thickness or similar. However, it does still have a shortcut button that I found particularly useful for undoing drawing errors quickly – though you can set this button to perform a number of other functions too. On top of that, the pressure level is excellent and up to industry standard. XP-Pen claims that this stylus is the “world’s first” with 16k pressure levels, though going so far beyond the 8,000 mark – which will be plenty for many artists – may feel a little gimmicky to some.

• Stylus score: 4/5

Should I buy the XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad?

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

You’re a pro looking for an affordable slate
XP-Pen is marketing this tablet as a professional-standard standalone option for creatives and, ultimately, it lives up to the claim. You’re not getting the perfect package – for instance, the included stylus skips on tilt capabilities and processing power isn’t top-tier, but you still get vibrant colors and a pleasing pen-to-paper feel.

You want standard tablet functionality
What makes this a great-value product is the inclusion of typical tablet functionality alongside specialized drawing features. You don’t need to connect the Magic Drawing Pad to your laptop or PC – it has the Android 12 OS built-in, making it perfect for on-the-go use. It also comes equipped with front and rear cameras, Google Play store and all the usual apps, making it an excellent multi-purpose pick.

Don't buy it if...

You want top-level processing power
If you want the best performance on the market, the XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad may not be for you. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t have too many issues with this slate, but there were a couple of instances with noticeable lag when drawing or scrolling through apps with multiple tabs open.

You want ultimate customizability
The included X3 Pro Pencil does have interchangeable nibs and a multi-function shortcut key, but that’s as far as it goes customization-wise. On top of that, there aren’t any color options for the slate or pen.View Deal

XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad: Also consider

Apple iPad 10.9 (256GB)
In reality, the XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad is something of a departure from typical drawing pads and closer to an all-purpose tablet. As a result, it only seems right to recommend one of the best tablets, the Apple iPad 10.9. This is a pleasingly affordable tablet with a beautiful display and design, not to mention it comes in a range of enticing color options. The catch? You’re gonna have to pay extra for an Apple Pencil for drawing as well as cellular connectivity if you need internet connection when out and about. Read our full Apple iPad 10.9 review.

Wacom Movink
OK, so the Wacom Movink might not be a fully standalone drawing tablet, but if you’re looking for a high-quality slate to compose and edit digital art, it's still an exceptional option. Sure it’ll set you back a bit more than the XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad, but with a gorgeous OLED display, impressive portability and the highly customizable Wacom Pro Pen 3, you’re still highly likely to be satisfied with the Wacom Movink. Read our full Wacom Movink review.

XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad review: How I tested

• Tested over the course of one week
• Used in the office and outside in sunlight
• Trialed multiple drawing/editing platforms

(Image credit: Future)

I got to spend one week with the XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad, during which I exhausted all of its core functions, from using drawing tools to taking photos and watching YouTube videos.

When drawing or editing pictures, I made sure to trial multiple platforms. I predominantly used the pre-installed ibisPaint X, but I also tapped into Adobe creative cloud software. I used the included X3 Pro Pencil throughout the entire testing process.

In order to test anti-glare tech and get a feel for its portability, I took the XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad out and about and drew on it in natural daylight. I also get to spend plenty of time with the slate in the office, in both artificial and low-light settings.

• Read more about how we test
• First reviewed: October 2024

Hexgears Immersion A3: Two-minute review Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future)

The Hexgears Immersion A3 is a low-profile gaming keyboard with a few neat tricks up its sleeve. It will probably appeal to a fairly niche audience, but if you’re one of those people, it could be just what you’re looking for.

What do I mean by that? Well, this is a keyboard with hot-swappable switches, low-profile keycaps, and a dedicated mini display for changing the RGB backlighting. Those aren’t things everyone will care for, but they’re certainly nice to have if you’re a keyboard enthusiast. Its typing feel is comfortable and it’s solid when it comes to anti-ghosting and input lag, with no problematic keys or combinations that I could detect.

While those are all encouraging signs, the Hexgears Immersion A3 falls short in other areas. Its White Rain linear switches are an acquired taste – not as fast as standard linear switches, but not as comfortable for typing as their clickier siblings. They’re the sort of thing you really need to try to understand if you like them – and that’s not easy for everyone to do.

Still, the Immersion A3 is priced pretty fairly and is by no means a bad keyboard. It grew on me over my time using it, and you might find it’s got the right combination of features for your needs. But it lacks that certain must-have element that makes it a true necessity – there are no special features for gaming, for example – so it isn’t quite able to elevate itself into our picks for the best keyboard around.

Hexgears Immersion A3: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? $129.99 / £99.99 (around AU$195)
• When is it available? Available now 
• Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

The Hexgears Immersion A3 costs $129.99 (about £100 or $195 AUD). That’s reasonable (but perhaps a smidge high) considering you get hot-swappable mechanical switches, a really solid build and a built-in mini display.

It can be bought from the Hexgears website and third-party retailers like Amazon.

Hexgears Immersion A3: Design Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: Future)

The most important thing when considering any keyboard is its typing feel, so we’ll start there. The unit I was sent to review came with a set of White Rain switches, which are silent linears made by Kailh. I’m not usually a fan of linears – being someone who writes all day, every day, I prefer clicky switches in my keyboards – and my first impression with the White Rain switches was not good at all. They felt heavy and spongey, much more so than regular linear switches, which means they lose a lot of the speed you expect from this type of switch. Compared to something like the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro and its absolutely rapid linear switches, for example, the difference is night and day.

But the longer I used Hexgears’ White Rain switches, the more they grew on me. Sure, they still don’t compare to the comfort and accuracy of a good set of clicky switches. But they have a few things going for them that make them better for typing than a lot of linear alternatives.

For one thing, they are very quiet, which is ideal for use in the office. For another, their sponginess means they are very soft when pressed. I often find linear switches’ lack of tactility leaves me bottoming out the keys, leading to sore fingers after a few hours. That was never an issue with Hexgears’ Immersion A3.

As well as that, the keyboard’s switches are hot-swappable, so you can replace them if you don’t like them. The Kailh switches used by Hexgears come with two connection pins, so bear that in mind that if you want to change them.

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future)

Hexgears has opted for low-profile keycaps made of polycarbonate plastic. They attract smudges like there’s no tomorrow, but they feel smooth and comfortable in use. Unfortunately, the shine-through RGB backlighting is weak due to the lights’ north-facing arrangement, which makes them hard to see when you glance down at the keys.

I also found the low-profile keycaps to be less than ideal for gaming: in the heat of the moment, their smooth, compact design was harder to quickly operate by touch than chunkier traditional keycaps.

Visually, the Immersion A3 looks lovely. Its chassis comprises a brushed metal top plate and sturdy plastic undersides, giving the whole thing a rock-solid feel. On the back are some flip-out feet, but they definitely don’t tilt the keyboard as high as I’d like. Still, its tenkeyless layout is minimal without being overly sparse and comes with a few extra buttons at the top for Bluetooth connectivity and operating the mini display (more on that later). There aren’t any dedicated media buttons, but they’re instead integrated into the function row of keys.

The Immersion A3 comes with an interactive mini display in the top-right corner. This is used to adjust the lighting, show the time or even display an animated GIF, which you can load up using the HexDrive app. You control the display using a dimpled flipper and four buttons to the left of the screen. This is a bit of a sub-optimal arrangement – not only does this extra row of buttons make the keyboard noticeably taller, but a press on the flipper doesn’t actually register until the very bottom of its range of movement, so you sometimes find yourself pressing it without anything happening. It also feels like Hexgears could have perhaps incorporated the buttons into the display or the function row in a more space-saving way.

Hexgears Immersion A3: Performance

The Immersion A3’s typing feel is comfortable and it’s solid when it comes to anti-ghosting and input lag, with no problematic keys or combinations that I could detect. Switching between devices and connectivity methods is fast and responsive. Hexgears says you’ll get 50 hours of life out of its battery and I had no issues here either.

On the software side is the HexDrive app. This lets you create macros, adjust the RGB lighting, save profiles and more. It’s a pretty basic app and its design is very barebones, but it’s useable, if a little confusing at times. There’s no macOS version, though, so you’ll have to go without if you’re not of the Windows persuasion.

Speaking of macOS, the Immersion A3 works with Apple’s computers, and you can switch the layout from Windows to macOS by pressing and holding the Function and Tab keys together. That means you can ensure keys like Option and Command work as expected.

Other than Windows and macOS, the keyboard also works with iOS, iPadOS and Android over Bluetooth. You can connect to a computer using Bluetooth, the included 2.4GHz wireless receiver, or the USB-C to USB-A cable that’s included in the box. If you use Bluetooth, you can switch between three different connected devices, which is a nice touch.

Should you buy the Hexgears Immersion A3? Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future) Buy the Hexgears Immersion A3 if…

You like its looks

The brushed metal top plate is classy and striking, and coupled with the low-profile keycaps, it gives a pleasing visual effect.View Deal

You want the flexibility of hot-swappable switches

The keyboard’s Kailh switches can be swapped for other options, giving you more choice in how your board feels. View Deal

You want a ‘softer’ linear switch

The White Rain switches in my review unit are slower but softer than traditional linears, which might be to your liking.View Deal

Don’t buy it if…

You’ll be doing lots of fast-paced gaming

The low-profile keycaps and heavier linear switches aren’t the best fit for shooters and other intense games, and the keyboard lacks special features like rapid trigger mode that you find on some rival devices.View Deal

You rely on stronger backlighting

This keyboard’s north-facing RGB lights mean the backlighting isn’t as bright as it could be, which makes it a little harder to read the keys when required.View Deal

You want to use it with a Mac

Hexgears’ app doesn’t work in macOS and the keyboard doesn’t switch its layout between Windows and Mac, meaning some buttons aren’t where you expect them to be when using Apple’s computers.View Deal

Hexgears Immersion A3: Also consider

Corsair K100 Air Wireless

The Corsair K100 Air Wireless is a low-profile gaming keyboard that’s absolutely jam-packed with features. At $279, it’s a lot more expensive than Hexgears’ offering, though.

Read our full Corsair K100 Air Wireless reviewView Deal

Lofree Flow Lite

More of a typist’s tool than a gaming board, the Lofree Flow Lite features linear switches, a volume roller and a rock-solid design. It costs $159.

Read our full Lofree Flow Lite reviewView Deal

How we tested the Hexgears Immersion A3

I tested the Hexgears Immersion A3 by using it day-to-day to write articles, browse the web and play games. I connected it to a Windows PC and to a Mac and tried the features of its HexDrive companion app on Windows.

First reviewed October 2024

The Kindle e-reader was the original ‘Amazon device,’ and the heart of its e-reading lineup has long been the Paperwhite. So much so that Panos Panay, Amazon’s head of devices, described it as the “most loved Kindle” and the one that, as he admitted, owners with the current or previous-gen models are hesitant to upgrade.

That reluctance notwithstanding, Amazon has set out to make the best Paperwhite yet, with the all-new Kindle Paperwhite and more premium Kindle Paperwhite Signature. There are a lot of similarities between the two – both are thinner, lighter, and faster than the previous Paperwhite, with a better, larger 7-inch display that’s designed to be easily readable in any conditions.

It’s still only black-and-white, though – you’ll need to opt for the new Kindle Colorsoft if you want a color display for comics and the like – and is only for reading – get a Kindle Scribe, or maybe a Remarkable, if you want to write.

(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

The new Paperwhite's colors are fantastic, and Raspberry is certainly my favorite. While I haven’t read a book on it yet, I got to spend some time with the Signature Edition at Amazon’s hands-on launch event. So, let’s talk through the new Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition.

Pricing and Availability

If you’re a Kindle lover, here’s some good news – the new Paperwhite and Paperwhite Signature Edition are shipping now. The Kindle Paperwhite costs $159.99 / £159.99 (we’re waiting for Australian pricing to be confirmed) and comes in a matte, soft-touch Raspberry, Jade (a green), or Black.

The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition costs a bit more at $199.99 / £199.99 (again, we’re waiting for Australian pricing to be confirmed) and comes in metallic variants of those same three colors – aptly named Metallic Raspberry, Metallic Jade, and Metallic Black, which have some extra sparkle thanks to aluminum flakes being sprinkled in. That extra spend also doubles the storage to 32GB, and adds wireless charging capabilities and an auto-adjusting light sensor.

Both are shipping now, and Amazon has also debuted a bunch of new cases, including color-matched ones.

Kindle Paperwhite (2024): One Minute Review

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

As soon as I lifted up the new Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition – technically now the 12th generation – it was clear that Amazon has focused on refining an already successful model. It’s the most popular e-reader in the Kindle lineup, and the one we’ve recommended for most people, at least with the last generation.

It’s still very comfortable to hold with just a hand, and while the back is more reflective on the Signature Edition, it’s still easy to get a grip. Amazon says the Paperwhite weighs in at just 211 grams, which is a good bit under half a pound at just 0.47lbs or 7.5oz. I found it easy to navigate the interface with just one hand, though I think most folks will use both. You’ll still turn pages, scroll through your library, and adjust settings like font size, brightness, or warmth, by touching the screen.

The thinness here shouldn’t be underestimated either – it’s super portable, and at just 7.8-millimeters thick, which is a small but considerable decrease from the 8.1mm of the previous Paperwhite. Just take a look at the photos; it’s thin, and it has a good center of gravity for easily holding it. It’s also still waterproof, so you can safely read in the bathtub or by the pool, and with an anti-reflective coating over the display, it’s easy to see the screen even in bright sunlight.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

The display here is a bit bigger than on the last-gen Paperwhite, and feels more front and center thanks to thinner bezels all around. It measures 7 inches diagonally, up from 6.8 inches on the previous version, and has 300 pixels per inch (ppi) resolution. Amazon says it also boasts a higher contrast rate, making it easier to read displayed text in any lighting.

I found that the text looked plenty inky, and it was easy to make out what was on the page… err, screen. The same goes for scrolling through Manga or a Comic on the Paperwhite; this is still very much a screen that’s easy on the eyes, and it’s even easier if you have the Signature Edition, thanks to its light sensor, it will automatically adjust the brightness and temperature throughout the day for better clarity.

What might be most impressive, though, is the speed, and how close to instant the new Paperwhite feels. Thanks to a new custom processor under the hood and a new Oxide back panel, the Paperwhite can refresh and update the E Ink display in record time. It’s 25% faster – at least what Amazon promises for both models – and it really shows when scrolling through a library or zooming through pages.

The Kindle Paperwhite simply flies. Unless you’re a speed reader, being able to quickly flip pages may not help, but it should make the Kindle Paperwhite feel more like a real book, or faster, since it can update what’s being displayed even quicker. This could make a really big impact, especially if you’re upgrading from an older model.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

You’ll also have plenty of room to store your books and other documents, with 32GB of storage on the Paperwhite Signature Edition or 16GB on the standard model. Remember, you can offload books to the cloud as well, should you run out of space.

The only physical button for the Kindle Paperwhite still lives on the bottom, slightly off-center to the right, next to the USB-C port. You’ll use this to jump into the Kindle’s interface from the lock screen’s E Ink lock screen or to put the Paperwhite to sleep. The USB-C port may not see much action either, as Amazon promises up to 12 weeks of use on a full charge, and judging by my experience with previous models, it may last even longer, depending on use. This is also an improvement of the previous generation, which topped out at 10 weeks. You can also charge your Kindle wirelessly if you get the Signature Edition, which is convenient as you can simply lay it on a charging pad to ensure it’s always topped off.

All-in-all, with a larger display to let you see more of whatever you might be reading (it’s likely a reread of Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen for me, or diving into The World’s Worst Assistant by Sona Movsesian), an even lighter design that does indeed suggest ‘paper’, faster performance, and even better battery life, there’s a lot to like here.

And at $159.99 / £159.99, or $199.99 / £159.99 with the bells and whistles of the Signature Edition, it’s a bit more than the previous generation, which was $149.99 for the standard and $189.99 for the Signature Edition. We’ll need to spend a bit more time with it, and do some serious reading, but from our early impressions, fans of previous Paperwhites will be happy with the latest one, and those looking for a Kindle that can go anywhere will be equally pleased.

It wouldn’t be a Kindle family without a junior member. Arriving alongside a new Kindle Paperwhite, a Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, first ever color Kindle – the Colorsoft – and a next-generation Kindle Scribe that’s been dubbed a 2-in-1 by Amazon device’s chief Panos Panay, is the all-new entry-level Kindle.

The new Kindle costs $109.99 / £ 94.99 (we’re waiting for Australian pricing to be confirmed). It remains pretty basic – although there is a new color option, a sage-green shade that Amazon calls Matcha, but if you’re alright with a few compromises, there’s no doubting the portability and appeal here.

I got to spend a bit of time with the newest, most affordable Kindle on the block, and while it looks nearly identical to its predecessor aside from the fresh paint job, Amazon has made some upgrades to arguably the most important aspect of the Kindle experience – what it’s like to read on the device.

Pricing and Availability

Whether you’re hunting for a gift or simply want a new Kindle, Amazon isn’t making you wait. The all-new core Kindle is up for order now in either Matcha or Black priced at $109.99 / £94.99, and it starts shipping now. We’re waiting on Amazon to confirm pricing and availability for the e-reader in Australia.

Amazon Kindle (2024): One-Minute Review

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

Amazon’s entry-level Kindle still features a 6-inch E Ink display at 300ppi (pixels per inch), but it can now get as bright as the Kindle Paperwhite and offers higher contrast, just like the other new Kindles. In my brief demo, text was inky black, and I could comfortably read what was on the page without feeling any eye strain. Further, considering that lighting in the hands-on space in which I got to try out the new Kindle was varied and frequently changing – at times there was bright glare from the sun and at other times no sun at all – I could still make out what was on the display at most angles. However, if you want supreme viewing angles, you’ll want to opt for the Paperwhite or Paperwhite Signature Edition. Still, with the improved brightness – now matching the more expensive Kindles – you can better enjoy reading in a range of conditions.

If you want to read in bed after a long day's work, the Kindle is fit to do that too, with four LEDs built in to illuminate the display. You cannot adjust the warmth of light here; it’s just standard LEDs for backlighting whatever you’re reading. Turning the light on and off and adjusting brightness is done onscreen with your fingers. That’s also the same method for controlling everything else. You can tap the right of the screen or swipe from right to left to turn the page forward, and do the opposite to go back a page, tap at the bottom of the display to adjust how the book is displayed, and at the top for everything from quick settings to going to the home screen.

There’s also the promise of faster page turns and general navigation, with Amazon promising a 10% speed boost. We’ll need to spend a bit more time with the new Kindle, and likely put it head-to-head against the previous generation, to fully test Amazon’s claims, but the reading experience felt plenty fluid in my hands-on time, and I didn’t notice any hiccups or speed bumps.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

You’ll still find the power button – which is the only physical button – on the bottom of the Kindle next to the USB-C port. Amazon again promises battery life of up to six weeks, which is half the battery life of the new Paperwhite and two weeks less than the Kindle Colorsoft, although still plenty long enough. There’s still 16GB of storage inside, which should equate to plenty of room for all your e-books.

It’s essentially the same compact e-reader as before, measuring 6.2 x 4.3 x 0.32 inches / 157.5 x 109 x 8mm. That last spec is only 0.2mm thicker than the Paperwhite, meaning this is still plenty thin, and it won’t weigh you down either at just 5.6oz / 158g. The coolest part of the design, though (aside from, in my opinion, the new Matcha color), remains the fact that the Kindle can fit in most jacket pockets or a small bag. That’s pocket-sized reading, pardon the pun.

Going by size alone, the new Kindle is very demure – and judging by Kindle Tok (a trending term on TikTok), I think the TikTok community will be on board – but for me, the new Matcha color is really delightful. It’s cutesy, in keeping with the demure trend, but it’s also just a nice shade, and a welcome pop of color amid a sea of mostly black, grey and silver tech. It’s truthfully a pale sage-green, and I prefer it over the Denim that the last-generation Kindle was offered in.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

At $109.99 / £ 94.99, it’s not just an affordable e-reader from Amazon, but it checks off the basics in a familiar build that still screams Kindle. If you can live without a bigger display that you can adjust the warmth on or a super long battery life, it’s still the core e-reading experience from the brand.

If the main thing holding you back from buying the 2-in-1 Amazon Kindle Scribe was that it wouldn't let you scribble on books or in the margins, I have some good news for you.

Amazon's latest Kindle adds markup capabilities (of a sort) and throws in a subtle yet spiffy redesign for the big-screen eReader and notetaker and its stylus companion. There's even a small yet important helping of generative AI.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff) Pricing and availability

Amazon unveiled the 2024 Kindle Scribe on October 16 along with a new Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, and its first color E Ink device, the Kindle Colorsoft. The Kindle Scribe lists for $399.99 and will ship in December.

The look of it

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Amazon Kindle Scribe has never been your typical Kindle e-reader. At 10.2 inches, the screen is more than three inches larger than the biggest Kindle screen (currently the new 7-inch Paperwhite). In addition to touch, it supports high-precision pen input thanks to a Wacom Digitizer panel below the surface.

The new Amazon Kindle Scribe 2024 edition doesn't change any of that. Size, weight, and specs are the same as last time, but the reader does look different all the same. The metal body is now a brighter green and, in an unheard-of move, Amazon surrounded the display with a wide white border.

As Amazon's Kindle VP Kevin Keith told me, it is much harder to hide things like components and sensors behind a thick white bezel. Still, I get the intention; that white border is intended to make the thin and light e-reader look even more like a giant white piece of paper. It's a pretty good effect.

The Pen probably got a bigger redesign, with refined looks and now an elastomer eraser nub on the back end that feels like a real eraser when used on the Scribe's screen.

Display: 10.2

Storage: 16 GB, 32 GB, or 64 GB

Dimensions: 196 x 230 x 5.8mm

Weight: 433g (Pen: 17g)

Am expansive display

(Image credit: Future / Jake Krol)

The E Ink display remains a wonder. It has just enough roughness to feel like paper and that's especially effective when you put the new stylus to work on it. There's just enough friction to feel like you're dragging a real pen across paper.

When you combine it with the 300 ppi resolution and near-zero latency, it's easy to forget that you're writing and drawing on a digital panel and not real, if slightly gray, paper. These capabilities are largely unchanged from the original Scribe, though the redesigned pen does feel better in the hand, and the eraser is now fun to use. Though I was surprised that when I erased digital ink, the little rubber nub seemed to leave some actual elastomer crumbs on the display – this may be taking verisimilitude a tad too far.

While my hands-on time was brief, it was enough that I could try out writing, reading, and drawing on the large display. It's all quite satisfying, but it's also not necessarily what defines this new Amazon Kindle Scribe.

Intoducing Active Canvas

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The new Kindle introduces Active Canvas, which finally adds some in-book notetaking to the Scribe experience. It was not live yet on most of the demo units I tried, but I got a few solid demonstrations and think that this will please those who thought the original Scribe was lacking this key feature.

Active Canvas is simple. If you want to annotate a book, you can just start writing right on top of the section in the book. As you write, the text under where you're writing fades away, and then a box appears, and the book text automatically flows around it. You select a check to set the box, which you can then resize, but more importantly, that annotation remains anchored to the text in the book. I watched as an Amazon rep resized the font, and the annotation held fast.

Amazon is also adding expanded margins for annotations that will similarly anchor to positions in the book. That feature, which I did see working in demos, will ship sometime after Amazon ships the Scribe.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff) A dose of AI

The Amazon Kindle Scribe wouldn't be a new product in 2024 if it didn't get a little dollop of AI. In this case, it's a two-pronged attack: Refinement and Summarization.

Again, I could not try these features out for myself, but I did watch closely as another Amazon rep demonstrated them.

Refinement seems tailor-made for me and my very messy handwriting.

The Scribe has extensive note-taking features, but I find it fairly useless if all my notes are not organized or clarified in some fashion. The Refinement feature is a good first step. It uses a cloud-based generative AI to read and clean up my notes.

The process, which starts with you selecting a little quasar-like icon in the upper right corner of the screen, takes 15-to-20 seconds and sends the encrypted data to Amazon's Bedrock Gen AI server. The system returns an incredibly cleaned-up version of your notes. They look handwritten, but that's because they're now in Amazon's custom handwriting font, which can be easily resized.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

This process certainly makes the notes more glanceable, but I think it's the Summarization feature that will change things the most for avid Kindle Scribe notetakers.

It goes through the same process of selecting the AI icon, but you then have to choose if the system is to summarize the current page or all your pages in that note file. I, naturally, would always choose the latter.

What's returned looks like a brief, handwritten, and concise summarization of what can be quite lengthy and messy notes. Unlike your own handwritten notes, it's the kind of thing that you might be comfortable sharing with coworkers.

Amazon uses a variety of LLMs (large language models) to figure out all handwritten notes. When I asked Amazon Kindle VP Kevin Keith which LLMs it was employing he demurred, telling me instead, "We continually look for the best models, and that's what's great about Bedrock. You can change out different models."

There was, by the way, no mention of Alexa AI or Alexa AI integration in these new Scribe tools, which is a shame but perhaps we'll see it in future Scribe and its Gen AI updates.

The pens' the thing Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)Image 2 of 3

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(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Because Amazon Kindle Scribe uses Wacom digitizing technology, the Scribe Pencil needs no power source. So, while you can magnetically attach it to the side of the e-reader, it doesn't need that connection to juice up. The pen could be unattached for months and still work.

That's pretty impressive when you consider all this pen can do. It's got a high degree of pressure sensitivity, tilt recognition, and a newly redesigned eraser. In my experience, the latency was essentially zero. It kept up with fast and slow strokes.

It's fun to use, and that big canvas cries out for an illustration. It's also nice that the pen ships with the Kindle Scribe.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff) Battery life

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Amazon Kindle Scribe is rated for 12 weeks of battery life, but that's if you keep the WiFi off. Your battery life will also vary based on how often you use the lights to illuminate the reflective screen in the dark and how much you annotate your books. Still, battery life will invariably be "weeks" and not "days" or "hours" with a Kindle.

Unlike some of the smaller Kindles like the new Paperwhite and Colorsoft, the Scribe is not water resistant, so just keep that in mind if you take it to the pool or beach.

(Image credit: Future / Jake Krol)

Squarespace is known as being one of the best website builders, popular amongst small, medium, and growing businesses due to its range of easy to use, yet powerful website builder building features. But what happens when your business outgrows the standard subscription options offered by Squarespace?

That’s where Squarespace Enterprise comes in.

Squarespace Enterprise has been designed to help agile teams within large organizations launch new projects without the need to rely on development support. The platform allows users to manage multiple sites, integrate with complex systems, and offers top-tier security. In this guide, we dive into Squarespace Enterprise, uncovering everything from its standout features to security measures.

Looking to get the best deal on your Squarespace subscription? We have listed the top Squarespace promo codes currently available.

Squarespace Enterprise features

Customizable templates

With Squarespace Enterprise, team administrators can create, edit, and delete templates directly from the Design Library, while other users can generate new sites from these pre-made templates. This helps businesses maintain brand and style consistency, whilst still providing a team with the tools they need to build great websites.

Once you create a custom template, just click on “Convert to an Organisational template,” and it’ll be available to your team. Along with that, most of your site's content, such as pages, sections, blocks, and CSS, will also carry over.

However, some settings like API keys, linked files, and third-party integrations must be added manually after conversion. Apart from this, you can customize fonts, colors, layouts, and content blocks to match your brand identity. Plus, since these templates are responsive, they adapt to any screen size for a consistent viewing experience.

Page draft

The page draft feature allows users to draft changes to a live site page in a way that doesn't impact the original content. This means teams can create and refine page drafts, and even share them with others for collaboration before making them live.

Once the draft is finalized, a website manager or administrator can publish it, replacing the existing live page with the updated content. Your editors can't directly publish these drafts, but they can share the draft URL with other contributors for feedback and collaboration. However, remember that you can't edit site-wide settings, such as headers, footers, or style settings, in a draft. Plus, drafts cannot be created for collection pages.

Enterprise account dashboard

Think of the Enterprise Account Dashboard as a central hub that lets you manage all your company-owned sites and team permissions from one place.

As a team admin, you can quickly change roles and permissions across multiple sites. The dashboard can be customized with tags and filters to help you organize projects, track progress, and assign tasks efficiently.

You can also tweak the dashboard to fit your brand’s aesthetic by updating your organization’s name, logo, and header color. Similarly, it lets users publish a website directly from the dashboard, but remember to adjust the site’s availability from Private or Password Protected to Public.

Setting up single sign-on

With Squarespace Enterprise, you can easily set up Single Sign-On (SSO) to control access to your site or specific pages.

By integrating SSO, you can create secure internal sites that are accessible exclusively to employees. This means they can log in to the system using the existing authentication systems, such as Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, ClassLink, or Google, without any hassle. Aside from that you get automated provisioning and de-provisioning through SCIM API endpoints as well.

Additionally, to maintain confidentiality while hosting events, your company can create a dedicated website that only employees can access via the company's SSO. Similarly, if your company has multiple departments or teams, you can control access to different site sections via page-level SSO for group-specific content. Squarespace lets you customize the login screen to match your brand using the background panel to add a background image, video, or colors. Whereas with the Branding & Text panel, you can edit the company logo or text, add a headline, or include more details in the body text.

Squarespace recommends collaborating with the IT team to set up SSO for the site and specific pages.

Squarespace Enterprise pricing

You can reach out to Squarespace for a custom Enterprise package tailored to your business needs. Squarespace Enterprise also offers volume plans starting at 25+ websites, with consolidated billing for simpler management of purchases and renewals.

Squarespace Enterprise support

Apart from 24/7 email and chat support (Monday to Friday,
4 am to 8 pm EST), all Squarespace plans give you access to the Squarespace Help Center, tutorials, guides, webinars, and an active community forum to connect and learn from other professionals.

With the Squarespace Enterprise plan, you get SEO training and access to personalized SEO consultations for product/brand-specific advice.

Squarespace also offers white-glove tech support and product training. This means you get personalized help with development best practices, advice on third-party integrations, and

Quality Assurance (QA) testing. With the Enterprise plan, you even get customized training sessions to ensure your team knows how to use all the features of Squarespace effectively.

Squarespace Enterprise security

Squarespace Enterprise prioritizes your website's security and reliability to protect your data and business operations. With 99.9% uptime, your site remains accessible, avoiding downtime that could impact traffic.

Squarespace has also passed the SOC 2 audit, showcasing its commitment to rigorous security controls and customer data protection. For further security, Squarespace gives you free SSL certificates with industry-recommended 2048-bit keys and SHA-2 signatures for all websites, including those with custom domains. This approach helps your site rank higher on search engines while ensuring encrypted connections.

Plus, the platform complies with PCI-DSS standards, meaning all your payment transactions are secure and in line with industry best practices. For businesses that need more personalized security measures, Squarespace even has security evaluations and expert advice to align your business-specific goals.

Squarespace Enterprise: Verdict

Squarespace Enterprise indeed comes with many benefits for digital businesses.

As a Squarespace Enterprise customer, you get access to custom business website templates, website drafting features (including unlimited website trials), design consultations, private product training, SEO training, security evaluations, quality assurance testing, integrated SSO, dedicated account management, and priority email support.

Plus, before any commitments, you can chat with Squarespace’s support who will guide you on all the details about the program. So, if your business is expanding and you need a platform to help you scale, Squarespace Enterprise is a strong choice.

Learn more about what Squarespace offers in our full Squarespace review.

Color me not surprised but genuinely pleased that Amazon has finally delivered its first color Kindle.

In the 17 years since the first Kindle first arrived, e-reader display technology has moved at a glacial pace, especially when compared to, for instance, the iPhone, which was released that same year. While that product has seen significant updates across every aspect of the mobile device, Amazon's Kindle has more or less tried on different outfits, from the giant DX to the oddly-shaped Oasis. Amazon and its display partner E Ink gradually improved the pixels per inch to a robust 300 and the contrast ratio to something approaching paper (marked with the breakthrough product Paperwhite). Along the way, we got touch screens and far better LED support lighting for when there isn't enough sunlight.

Nothing, though, has felt like a breakthrough or something that might fundamentally alter our Kindle e-reader experience. Not until today, that is.

I get that a color screen in our world of Ultra HD, Super Retina, and QuadHD displays might seem quaint but delivering color on an e-reader is no trivial matter. E Ink display technology is the opposite of active. It's a physical technology where tiny black and white balls are energized to turn to the black or white side to generate an image. Once the image is on your E Ink screen, it takes zero energy to keep it there. E Ink displays generally only use battery power when refreshing the screen. It's why your Kindle battery lasts weeks instead of hours (WiFi and the LED lighting will eat up the most juice) and why these screens are not intrinsically designed for full color.

And yet, I just spent an afternoon with Amazon's new Kindle Colorsoft and was pleasantly surprised at the richness of color. While it is nowhere near as vibrant as an LCD or OLED display, it is a significant step forward for e-reader technology.

Pricing and availability

Amazon announced the Kindle Colorsoft on October 16 along with a new Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite 12 gen, and Kindle Scribe. The Kindle Colorsoft lists for $279.99 with 32GB of RAM and ships on October 30.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff) It's Paperwhite plus color

Amazon's first color e-reader is still built on the foundation of what is ostensibly its best Kindle: the new Paperwhite Signature edition. That means it has the same 7-inch screen (up from 6.8 inches), wireless charging, and a thin and light, virtually waterproof chassis. It's still a 300 ppi Oxide backplane display, and in black-and-white mode, it offers page turns that are virtually as fast as those of the non-color display.

The 4000-color capabilities come by way of a filter co-developed with E Ink that uses Nitride LEDs to assign pixel-level colors. This is in contrast to the color E Ink Gallery 3 display on the new Remarkable Pro, which uses colored particles to generate on-screen colors. Amazon Kindle VP Kevin Keith told me Amazon chose the color filter because the other technology suffers from too much flashing, ghosting, and latency.

Amazon Kindle Colorsoft specs

Display: 7 inches

Resolution: 300 ppi (150 ppi color)

Dimensions: 127.6 x 176.7 x 7.8 mm

Weight: 219 grams

Amazon chose to move forward on a color Kindle now because it saw the opportunity to build a better color filter with E Ink and rebuild the display stack to support it. In other words, Amazon saw a chance to do a color Kindle its way. "Everything we do is customized. None of it is off the shelf. It's all customized by our display engineers and every level of the stack is created by our team," said Keith.

Part of that stack is the new oxide backplane (also found in the new Kindle Paperwhite), which replaces the amorphous silicon of previous models. This change improves the refresh speed (on the Kindle Paperwhite, it's by a full 25% faster than on the last model, but it's' slightly slower here and noticeably so on the color images) and the contrast ratio.

It turns out that the oxide backplane and Nitride LEDs were also crucial to maintaining the contrast. "The [color] filter pulls down the contrast ratio a little bit," Kieth told me, "and we were able to use the backplane and the LEDS to boost the contrast back up. If we hadn't done that, it would dramatically make the reading experience worse."

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Even though Kindle e-readers eat most of their energy on page refresh, and you would think faster refreshes would eat more power, the opposite is true. The oxide backplane has a higher peak voltage than amorphous silicon, 24v versus 15v, which helps it drive faster page refreshes and richer contrast. One Kindle engineer explained to me that because the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Colorsoft are spending less time building these pages, they're saving energy.

There is, however, a battery hit. The Kindle Paperwhite is now rated for 3 months of battery life, while the Kindle Colorsoft, which has a slightly larger battery, offers up to 8 weeks. I know that's still a lot of use for one charge, but it is worth noting that the color display comes with a cost.

Keith told me the Nitride LEDs are more color-friendly than the white LEDs used on previous Kindles. "Then we use these coatings to focus the light through individual pixels instead of mixing colors together. The Nitride LEDS are key to that but it's also with these coatings that they put through the display stack that enables the focus to happen." Put another way, Keith explained, it's focusing the light through individual pixels of color instead of just a spray that mixes color together.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff) A color experience

With each generation, Amazon's best Kindles get closer and closer to a paper (or paperback) experience. Like the Kindle Paperwhite Signature on which it's based, the Kindle Colorsoft is about 2mm larger than the last Paperwhite, but it's also thinner and lighter. The larger screen, going from 6.8 inches to 7 inches diagonally, is simply icing on the cake of an ultra-thin book-like experience.

The new color display brings living color to all the book covers in your Kindle Library. It doesn't matter if you downloaded the book last week or five years ago; if it had a color cover, then the book jacket will be in color today on the Kindle Colorsoft.

If you're like me, then you spend most of your time reading lots and lots of black-and-white text on your Kindle. Sometimes, I scroll through my Kindle Library and pause on one of the few graphic novels because I sometimes read these colorful tomes on an iPad. When I consider reading them on the E Ink Kindle, I always pass because I can't see the point of reading them in the comparatively dull monochrome.

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(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Naturally, the experience on the Kindle Colorsoft is significantly different. It's built to deliver a relatively rich color experience that dives below the surface of a cover and into, for instance, the richly drawn and colorful panels of a Deadpool comic book.

Viewing the panels in direct sunlight and indirect light, I thought the colors looked good and warm but not particularly vibrant. They're clear and easy on the eyes (no blue light!), but you should not expect the visual punch you'd find from, say, an iPad, iPhone, or Samsung Galaxy Tab display. E Ink, even color ink brought to you by some clever color filter, will never be the same as a backlit display.

It's a level of color that I think works as a proxy for print. It has that kind of feel and holds up to the same kind of scrutiny.

Unlike true print, though, the Kindle Colorsoft screen supports pinch and zoom. I found I could zoom in and use gestures to move around a graphic novel page. Granted, the redraw on some of this was a bit pokey; you could see the Kindle Colorsoft screen doing its color work. Keith told me the system automatically does more flashing with color to remove ghosting. "If we don't do that, you'll start to see images behind images," added Keith.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

In another experience, I viewed a National Geographic book full of wildlife imagery. Again, the images are sharp and colorful but a bit muted. I also read some anime that looked pretty good. One thing I did do with a couple of the Kindle Colorsofts was raise the brightness to 100% to try and improve the vibrancy. After my all-too-brief hands-on time, I learned that while you cannot turn off color mode on Colorsoft, there is a color vibrancy setting; I have no idea if that's on by default, though.

The color abilities even play out in highlighting content, offering four highlighter colors. Those colors are not just for variety. You'll be able to search based on highlight color, and if you open your Kindle app on the iPhone or iPad, those same highlighted colors will appear there, too.

While I was generally pleased with the color performance, there is no escaping one important and niggling fact: color mode is only 150ppi. That's right – half the resolution you will see when reading a monochrome book on the same device, and everything looks so good at that reduced resolution is an achievement in itself.

It's hard to draw conclusions from my limited hands-on time, especially because the lighting situation was so inconsistent. Bright light bouncing off skyscrapers and into the demo space was a kind of harsh yet indirect light that didn't necessarily suit the Kindle Colorsoft's new screen technology. To truly assess the color and overall image quality, I need to move this device to my test bed, or rather bed, where I do all my Kindle reading.

You see, that's the real test for Kindle Colorsoft. Can I comfortably and enjoyably read these new color images from the comfort of my favorite reading spot.

Cisco’s Catalyst C1300-8MGP-2X enterprise-class Ethernet switch manages small and medium-sized networks at speeds up to 10Gb.

Specifications

CPU: Dual Core ARM 1.4GHz

RAM/Flash: 1GB/512MB

Ports: Four 1Gb, Four 2.5Gb

PoE budget: 30W per port, a total of 120W

Processing throughput: 41.66 Million packets per second

Dimensions/Weight: 26.8 cm x 32.3 cm x 4.4 cm/2.64 kg

It has eight wired interfaces, a 120W PoE, and two 10G SFP sockets. The compact fan-less unit consumes 20W when idle. As with all Cisco switches, a PC interface is available on the front panel to speed up installation through a Type-C USB socket, providing backup for the switch settings.

The Catalyst 1300 series uses a customized Linux OS and sports a dual-core network CPU, enabling an intuitive dashboard and fast packet processing with lower network latency. The high-end hardware simplifies network setup and provides security, and QOS features out-of-the-box. Cisco networking appliances integrate seamlessly with other devices, such as access points, through their cloud platform.

Is it the best network switch for your needs, though? Read on...

C1300-8MGP-2X: Price and availability

The Cisco C1300-8MGP-2X is available on Amazon for $718 and has a lifetime warranty. The eight-port unit supports 1Gb, 2.5Gb copper Ethernet, and 10Gb through SFP modules.

(Image credit: Future) C1300-8MGP-2X: Design

The C1300-8MGP-2X is a compact unit measuring 26.8 cm x 32.3 cm x 4.4 cm and weighing 2.64 kg. As with other models in the C1300 series, all network and debugging ports are on the front. The back has two large heatsinks with no fan, which makes the switch ideal for an office where minimum noise is essential. Each side of the white enclosure has one screw hole for rack-mounting.

The front panel hosts eight RJ45 connectors, divided into two bandwidth groups. Four 1Gb Ethernet ports on the left provide around 30W each for PoE purposes to connected devices. The right offers a similar arrangement but with 2.5Gb Ethernet ports. The copper ports have a total PoE power budget of 120W. Two SFP slots support up to 10G modules and complete the list of interfaces.

Copper ports display their status on individual LEDs. The one LED per port approach differs from the previous model, which used two LEDs showing port activity and PoE warnings. As a result, the C1300 LEDs are more challenging to understand during troubleshooting. A reset button helps to restore factory settings should the switch become inaccessible.

Under the hood, the C1300 uses a Marvell dual-core 1.4GHz ARM processor, 1GB of RAM, and 512MB for application storage. The processor connects to two network ASICs that route packets at a maximum throughput of 10Gb per second to the eight copper ports and two SFPs. The processor can do packet analysis on the fly, significantly reducing latency while making the network more reactive to sudden changes.

(Image credit: Future) C1300-8MGP-2X: In Use

The switch boots in less than two minutes. The system LED on the left shows progress and blinks green during the boot process, eventually settling on a solid green if all goes well. For each port, a single LED shows activity but not link-up speed. PoE is available as Ethernet becomes ready across the ports. Unlike older models, the SFP connectors do not share resources with any copper ports; using SFP will not turn off any copper port.

The C1300-8MGP-2X includes several new features compared to its predecessor. Bluetooth support is through a USB dongle, allowing remote and secure wireless access to the CLI and GUI. The PoE is undisturbed during reboots, allowing connected devices to retain power. Finally, a built-in REST API makes automation possible.

With an aggregated bandwidth of 56Gbps, the C1300-8MGP-2X should be enough for speedier 2.5G and 10G network appliances such as a NAS or a VPN. The processor can forward up to 42 million packets per second, thus maintaining minimum network lag. Moreover, the PoE budget of 120W makes connecting several outdoor devices, such as high-resolution cameras, a breeze. The unit consumes 20W idle with one 2.5G copper and one SFP connection.

The C1300 requires registration to be accessible from the Internet. For this, the Cisco Business mobile app initiates the installation using a QR code at the back of the case. The app offers most features available on the cloud, with many configurations done in less than four steps. The switch processes packets on Layer 2 and 3, providing security through VLANs or blocking unknown IPs.

(Image credit: Future) C1300-8MGP-2X: The competition

The Engenius ECS2510FP targets a similar audience as the C1300-8MGP-2X switch. Its eight 2.5Gbps ports and double PoE power budget make it a serious contender, priced at less than $500. However, the ECS2510FP has two fans, which makes it impossible to use on a desk. The power consumption is also higher than the eight ports in the C1300 series, making it more costly in the long run.

C1300-8MGP-2X: Final verdict

With the new Catalyst C1300-8MGP-2X switch, Cisco improves on a tried and trusted platform, adding more security and practical features that make setup and configuration easier. The SOHO-type switch with a dual-core CPU is well equipped to fully utilize the quad 10 Gb and quad 2.5 Gb Ethernet ports. The companion mobile app is responsive and implements most of the functionality found on the cloud. Being passive, power consumption and noise are minimal, making the unit ideal in a small office.

The main drawbacks are the higher MSRP compared to similar units available elsewhere and the ports' status shown on a single LED.

you need a reliable switch with PoE and supporting 10G Ethernet.

you are on a tight budget.

We've listed the best mesh Wi-Fi systems.

It’s 2020, the height of COVID-19 lockdowns, and the Oculus Quest 2 – an affordable yet capable VR headset – has exploded in popularity because everyone wants to feel like they aren’t trapped inside. Had the virtual reality dancing game Just Dance VR launched in this era of VR gaming I’m confident it would be considered one of the best VR games of the day.

Review info

Platform reviewed: Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S
Available on: Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S, Meta Quest 2
Release date: October 15, 2024

The immersive 360-degree dance sessions are bursting with color and good vibes. And if you have someone to play with – especially local co-op via pass-and-play – it’s hilarious to watch as you each flail about or fire up your competitive spirit as you aim to demolish the high score they just set.

And if you live alone, you can hop into the multiplayer hub world to Just Dance with players from anywhere in the world.

But in 2024, the year we’re actually getting this Just Dance VR port, the game already feels out of date thanks to a setlist of years-old tracks that don’t compete with the 2024 chart toppers found on Just Dance 2025 which was also just released. Factor in that Just Dance VR doesn’t take full advantage of its 360-VR stages, as well as lacks a mixed reality mode like some other recent VR rhythm games – which makes modern XR titles feel more approachable to newcomers – and I can’t help but feel this title will struggle to find an audience even amongst Just Dance fans.

A Little Just Dance Never Killed Nobody

If you were expecting anything other than Just Dance but in VR then you’ll be disappointed. Everyone else can groove along with the series’ signature dancing gameplay.

For the uninitiated, unlike Beat Saber, Samba de Amigo, or other rhythm games, Just Dance VR isn’t simply about striking poses or smashing blocks to a beat, it’s about following the on-screen coach as best as you can while they take you step by step through an actual dance routine. There’s a track that clues you into what move you’re about to perform, but otherwise, it’s basically a gamified dance lesson.

And the coach isn’t simply in a comfy tracksuit and hoodie like an 'IRL' coach, they’re dressed to the nines in thematic outfits that perfectly match the immersive stage they’re performing in or the vibe of the artist they’re performing to – like the rebellious band captain who leads the charge as Hollaback Girl blasts through their high schools’ speaker system. Seeing the vibrant splashes of color and slight absurdity of it all, you can’t help but crack a smile while you play through Just Dance VR’s best levels.

As you progress you’re judged based on the movements of your hands as an estimate for how well you’ve performed the dance as a whole. Though estimate is the keyword here.

My biggest gripe with the dance scoring system is that it feels entirely arbitrary. No matter how poorly I know I’ve performed, I still manage to get at least five stars on pretty much every track because I vaguely wave a hand in the right place. I don’t say this as a flex, I say that because it feels like I’ve been handed a participation trophy.

I know, I know, as a family-friendly game, there’s nothing wrong with Just Dance’s kinder approach to judging dance skill, however for me the inflated scoring system doesn’t encourage me to push for that five-star Superstar rating over several playthroughs. Because my achievements feel undeserved, I instead feel like any further success would feel equally unrewarding.

But these disappointments could be brushed aside if the tracklist featured some amazing music that I could have a blast dancing to.

Wake Me Up when the tracklist’s better

Unfortunately, Just Dance VR’s track selection feels lackluster, and especially dated next to the modern chart-topper-packed setlist of Just Dance 2025 which was also released on October 15.

Where the flat edition offers dances to Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter, Exes by Tate McRae. Lovin’ On Me by Jack Harlow, and Yes, and? By Ariana Grande (via DLC) – to name just a selection of its best tracks – the VR version instead boasts Beauty and a Beat by Justin Bieber (Ft. Nicki Minaj), Dark Horse by Katy Perry, and Lights by Ellie Goulding.

Best bit

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

I Just Dance VR for pass-and-play, it's so much fun to watch other people try their best to match the couch's moves.

That’s not to say some of the VR picks aren’t fantastic – I love Hollaback Girl, Don't Stop Me Now, and Thank u, next as much as anyone, even in 2024 – and Just Dance games have pretty much always featured a mix of older or newer songs.

This VR game doesn’t feature that mix, just a lot of older stuff – it’s like opening a pack of Jelly Babies and mostly seeing the colors you aren’t a fan of.

So for people looking to pick up a new Just Dance game in 2024 this VR entry doesn’t feel like the one they should go for – doubly so when you factor in that many of the best tracks (at least the ones I liked the most) are also playable in Just Dance 2025 via the Just Dance Plus subscriptions service.

There is something to enjoy in Just Dance VR. The vibrant forgiving gameplay will definitely appeal to a younger audience – as the series always has – and in terms of VR rhythm games it is somewhat unique in that it’s actively teaching you a full-body dance rather than having you simply smash targets, which could appeal from a VR perspective. It's just not the best Just Dance game to release in 2024; so if you have access to a Nintendo Switch, PS5, or Xbox Series X or Series S you’ll probably be better served by Just Dance 2025 which delivers basically identical gameplay with a much wider range of excellent music choices.

Is Dancity pronounced Dan-City or Dance-City? (Image credit: Ubisoft) Should you play Just Dance VR? Play it if...

You love silly party games
Just Dance VR excels as a pass-and-play title. Throw the live Quest feed up on a TV or stream it to your phone and you'll have a good laugh playing this with your friends and family.

You want a child-friendly VR game
Vibrant colors, accessible controls, and a forgiving scoring system make this an ideal choice for younger VR players.

Don't play it if...

You have another console
If you have a Nintendo Switch, PS5, or Xbox Series X then Just Dance 2025, which also just released, may be a much better choice given its music selection.

You're looking for a challenge
As a game, Just Dance VR feels a lot more forgiving than other rhythm games. There is difficulty in perfectly matching the dance moves, but it's hard to track your full-body motion in VR to judge yourself, and the in-game scoring system doesn't seem to mind if you make mistakes.

Accessibility

As VR games go, Just Dance VR is fairly accessible. You do need to be able to stand and have a full range of movement to perform the game’s routines, but it does offer comfort controls like teleportation-style movement for navigating its hub world which should vastly reduce motion sickness compared to smooth analog stick movement.

Dancing in levels can be a tad disorienting so make sure you have a large, clear play space (so you don’t accidentally kick or trip over something). I was a little surprised that this title doesn’t offer a mixed reality mode – like we saw for Samba de Amigo VR – as these blended reality games are typically easier for VR newcomers to get accustomed to, and would reduce the potential of you bumping into a hazard as you dance.

How I reviewed Just Dance VR

My first few play sessions were on my Meta Quest 3, however, when I received the Meta Quest 3S to test for my Meta Quest 3S review I swapped to playing Just Dance VR exclusively on that headset. I played through most tracks at least once and explored the hub worlds – Dancity and the Apartment – to try the different mini-games they offered and test the teleportation movement.

I wasn’t able to test the online multiplayer functionality, but my partner and I did a couple of pass-and-play sessions to experience couch co-op (and laugh at how silly we both looked). This almost meant I could get her thoughts on the title as she has a lot more experience with the Just Dance series than I do.

My Quest 3 was outfitted with the Razer head strap and silicone facial interface, but the Meta Quets 3S I used was exactly as it comes out of the box.

First reviewed October 2024

JLab Go Pop ANC: one-minute review

The JLab Go Pop ANC have all the hallmarks of an instant budget favorite. These wireless earbuds pack in plenty of quality in the audio department, with particularly impressive bass and treble, strong active noise cancellation and a tiny, lightweight design.

By covering these core essentials, it's already hard to believe the JLab Go Pop ANC are only $29.99 / £29.99 / AU$69.99. However, JLab has gone beyond the basics by including companion app compatibility, which lets you fully customize touch controls – a great addition for the amount you expend.

Earbuds in this price range don’t often feature ANC and although you won’t get the near-silence that some of the best wireless earbuds might offer, overall quality here is good. It’s certainly enough to keep conversations muted and loud noises dulled when you’re out in public. Similarly, sound quality – although not mind-blowing due to a relatively narrow soundstage – is still up-to-standard, thanks to energetic bass and treble output.

With a great seven hours worth of battery per bud (with ANC on), high-comfort feel and IP55 waterproof rating, you’re getting more than your money’s worth from the JLab Go Pop 4, so don’t be surprised if they appear in our guide to the best budget wireless earbuds sometime soon.

(Image credit: Future) JLab Go Pop ANC review: price and release date

• $29.99 / £29.99 / AU$69.99
• Launches on October 15 in the US
• Expected to launch in Q1 2025 in the UK and Australia

The JLab Go Pop ANC are set to launch on October 15 in the US and although there’s no confirmed release date for the UK and Australia, it seems likely you'll see them on sale sometime in the first quarter of 2025. We’ll keep you updated with full availability info as it comes.

I tested the Black color variant, but if you want to jazz things up a bit, you’ll also be able to grab them in either Fuchsia or Teal. But arguably the main draw of these wireless earbuds is their ultra-low price. They’ll be just $29.99 / £29.99 / AU$69.99 at launch, so you’re going to be hard pressed to find better value ANC buds.

JLab Go Pop ANC review: specs

(Image credit: Future) JLab Go Pop ANC review: features

• Solid ANC
• Companion app compatibility
• Customizable touch controls

The JLab Go Pop ANC surprised me in that they offer a fairly personalized user experience.

At the core of this is the JLab app, which offers a handful of tasty options. This includes customizable touch controls for each earbud, allowing you to choose between play/pause, volume controls, skip/previous track, voice assistant and EQ controls. I personally love touch controls, but if you find them irritating, fear not – you can deactivate them entirely in the JLab app.

I touched on EQ options there – and these are very good. There are three presets – JLab Signature (a fairly exciting sound with more of a bass/treble focus), Balanced, and Bass Boost. You can also alter EQ to your personal taste with a Custom option. In a similar vein, there are also Music and Movie modes to choose from, depending on the sort of media you’re consuming.

The main event, though, is ANC. You can adjust the strength of this with an in-app slider or simply switch between Noise Canceling and Be Aware mode – the latter of which lets in more ambient sound. And ANC quality itself is good overall. You’re not going to get the near-silence you'd expect from some of the best noise cancelling earbuds, though. What the Go Pop ANC can do is effectively dull external noise – I was unable to clearly make out conversations when in the office and playing music at medium-high volume. You can’t ask for much better at this price-point.

Finally, you’re getting good battery life out of these buds. They can survive for approximately 24 hours with a fully juiced charging case and you’ll get seven hours out of each earbud with ANC on. When testing this over the course of an entire work-day, I found the seven-hour timeframe to be accurate after listening at medium-high volume.

• Features score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future) JLab Go Pop ANC review: sound quality

• Sparkling treble; impressive bass
• Mids not so prominent
• Limited tinniness and distortion

For some super-cheap wireless earbuds, the JLab Go Pop ANC fare well in the audio-quality realm. It’s worth noting upfront, you’re not getting great audio here. The soundstage is pretty narrow and details won’t be fully realized. As you’d anticipate, there’s nothing fancy on offer like ‘lossless’ audio codecs, so if you’re an audiophile, it might be worth looking elsewhere (and perhaps spending a little more too).

But for buds like this, none of that matters all that much. For the most part, I used the default JLab Signature EQ setting and found that bass was surprisingly impactful and treble was sharp enough to add some flair to the overall listening experience.

When listening to I Want You by Moloko, instrumental separation was admittedly quite limited, with the complex mix a little constrained. However, the actual punch of the bass was still satisfying, synths had a cutting, prominent edge and there was little-to-no tinniness, even at high volumes.

I also tried tuning into Black Eye by Allie X. The track’s all-action intro was replicated well; the depth of the drum machine came through nicely and the dynamism of the bouncing bass line – which connects up to the lower-mid range – was responsive. I didn’t sense incredible agility or explosiveness when listening to this track, but for some budget wireless earbuds these replicated the intended energy accurately.

If you’re really into podcasts, these earbuds might not be ideal for you, though. Mids can be pushed a little bit towards the background, so vocal-heavy media doesn’t always sound perfectly clear. Of course, you can make EQ adjustments in the JBL app to partially offset this, but these earbuds are really at their best when leaning into their strengths in the lower and higher-end frequencies.

Audio is decent for calls, however. I made a phone call, Messenger video call and Google Meet video call and the quality was decently clear across the board. The only problem here is that higher-pitched sounds have a bit of a hiss, but this is a pretty common issue, even with a lot of the more expensive wireless earbuds out there.

• Sound quality score: 3.5/5

(Image credit: Future) JLab Go Pop ANC review: design

• Pleasingly lightweight
• Super-small build
• Admittedly a tad cheap-looking

Something that I instantly loved about the JLab Go Pop ANC was their ultra-lightweight, compact build. These factors combine to give them a truly minimalistic profile – both in terms of feel and aesthetic. I happily kept these buds in across multiple full work days without any irritation or discomfort.

Looks-wise, I have mixed feelings here. Given their price, I wasn’t expecting beautiful quality, but I still wasn’t won over by the plastic JLab logo etched on the outside of each bud. That is me nitpicking, though. Ultimately, these are a little cheap-looking across the board, from bud to charging case, but they aren’t off-putting by any means.

Another design aspect that could be better is the color options. Don’t get me wrong, the fact there are options at all is a nice touch – but both the purple/maroon Fuchsia and the Teal colors didn’t do it for me. They lack vibrancy, but don’t have a mild, classy look either, floating in an awkward middle ground. The classic Black will be perfectly fine for most, however.

Practically speaking though, these are very well designed. The charging case is tiny, perfect for carrying in your pocket. It also has a USB-C cable that's folded inside the base of the case, which is incredibly handy for charging on-the-go (although if you were hoping for a new USB-C to USB-C cable for general use, you'll be disappointed; this one's permanently attached to its product). The buds themselves are also IP55 rated, meaning they’re both sweat and splashproof – ideal for workouts or if, like me, you live in a rainy English city.

• Design score: 4/5

(Image credit: Future) JLab Go Pop ANC review: value

• Incredibly cheap wireless earbuds
• Very impressive sound quality at this level
• ANC at this price-point a rarity

OK, spoiler alert, these get full marks in the value department, but honestly, reader, I expect you saw that coming. ANC, app compatibility and solid audio quality all for less than $30 / £30 / AU$70 – that’s truly exceptional.

ANC especially is a massive win for wireless earbuds in this price range. It’s quite unusual to find this feature for so little – not to mention that the actual ANC quality is admirable. In the context of its cost, the sound quality is strong here too. Sure, it’s nothing mind-blowing and audiophiles will likely find a few faults – but their exciting sound signature is still very much enjoyable.

• Value score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future) Should I buy the JLab Go Pop ANC? Buy them if...

You’re on a budget but want ANC
Active noise cancellation at $29.99 / £29.99 / AU$69.99? Go on then. There aren’t too many competitors offering ANC for this little and given the actual quality is good here too, these buds are an absolute steal.

You want some small, lightweight buds
These buds are absolutely tiny – even their case is as diminutive as it gets. On top of that they feel about as heavy as a feather, which combined with their high-comfort fit makes them ideal if you want to lock in for a long listening session.

Don't buy them if...

You’re an audiophile
Right, so as much as the sound quality here is great for the price, it’s still not going to be enough to impress audiophiles. There are no fancy Bluetooth codecs here like LDAC and the soundstage is a tad narrow. As a result, audiophiles, you’ll almost certainly have to splash a bit more cash to get the rich sound quality you crave.

You’re a fashionista first, listener second
For all their perks, I can’t lie, these buds haven’t won me over looks-wise. The plastic JLab logo on the buds isn’t the easiest on the eye and the color options weren’t my thing either. If you want to look a bit more stylish, it may be worth looking at another strong budget option, like the (still) amazing Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW.

JLab Go Pop ANC: Also consider

EarFun Air Pro 3
The EarFun Air Pro 3 are probably the closest competitor to the JLab Go Pop ANC when it comes to pound-for-pound value. With solid ANC and sound quality, Bluetooth LE Audio support and a lightweight design they hit all of the right notes. Their stem-like look might not be for everyone, so weigh up whether that more out-of-the-box appearance is for you before picking them over these brilliant JLab buds. Read our full EarFun Air Pro 3 review.

Sony WF-C700N
Right, these are admittedly a fair step-up over the JLab Go Pop ANC price-wise. However, I’ve seen these go on sale for as little as $98 / £67 on Amazon UK and US respectively – that’s great value. I personally own these buds and you get impressive, customizable sound, plenty of fun features and perfect comfort levels. The ANC here is very competent too, so given that these are budget earbuds, you’re not sacrificing much at all on quality. Read our full Sony WF-C700N review.

JLab Go Pop ANC review: How I tested

• Tested over the course of one week
• Used in the office, at home and while on walks
• Predominantly tested using Spotify on Samsung Galaxy S24 FE

I tested the JLab Go Pop ANC over an intense week-long period, keeping the buds in for the majority of my work days. I used them at the office, while at home and when on walks to grasp the competency of ANC in multiple environments.

Although I predominantly tested these wireless earbuds using Spotify on the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, I did also try using them while using both Tidal and YouTube. When listening to music, I ran through the TechRadar testing playlist, which features tracks from a wide variety of genres but also tuned in to hours worth of bangers from my personal library.

Where appropriate, I compared these to my Sony WF-C700N earbuds on metrics such as comfort, audio quality, ANC capabilities and features.

(Image credit: Future)

• First reviewed: October 2024
• Read more about how we test

Review info

Platform reviewed: PS5
Available on: PS5, PC
Release date: October 4, 2024 

Until Dawn has leaped from the shadows to reacquaint fans with yet another creepy horror game classic. But while this new version of Sony and Supermassive Games' playable slasher flick spawned from the 2015 PlayStation 4 original, it's not being billed as a ‘remaster’ or ‘remake.’

Perhaps that's because Until Dawn brings a bit from both camps. Like most remakes, it's been rebuilt from the ground up – a fact that's showcased in every frame of its stunning, Unreal Engine 5-fueled visual presentation. But save for a few other tweaks and additions, the rest of the experience will feel very familiar to anyone who braved Blackwood Mountain nearly ten years ago.

The result is a definitive, director's cut-like offering that retains the appeal of its predecessor, while also making it a whole lot prettier. It’s potentially one of the best PS5 games right now, but that's not to say Until Dawn is perfect. Even more changes, extra content, and a cheaper price tag would've been appreciated. 

 Mostly familiar frights

(Image credit: Sony)

Until Dawn's core gameplay, story, and characters (including strong performances from Rami Malek, Hayden Panettiere, and Peter Stormare) mostly remain unchanged from the original. Once again, players are put in the quaking boots of eight young adults who've reunited one year after a tragic, mysterious event put two of their friends – twin sisters – on "Missing Person" posters. Hoping to honor their pals, and also put the painful past behind them, the group meet at the same remote mountain estate where the girls were lost.

Unsurprisingly, things go south before the friends can crack their first beer, leading the player to navigate them through a living nightmare that lasts, well, until dawn. As the scared crew begins to splinter – like typical horror movie victims – players take control of the individual characters on their separate paths. What differentiates Until Dawn from most games though, is the fact that any of the protagonists can die. Depending on how you steer the story, you may reach the credits with everyone still breathing – or all eight in body bags.

Whether or not they survive or die largely depends on a few things, most notably your dialog choices along the way and how well you perform quick-time events. It's a unique, risky formula that Supermassive pretty much nailed, and new developer Ballistic Moon has smartly not messed with. The result is a highly cinematic, character-driven, story-focused – but not narratively linear – experience that essentially makes you feel like you're playing a horror movie.

Cinematic slasher 

(Image credit: Sony)

While its gameplay loop is largely unchanged, Until Dawn's visual presentation has received a scary-good makeover. Entirely rebuilt in Unreal 5, the game has been brought up to speed with – and sometimes surpasses – PlayStation 5's prettiest first-party stunners. 

In fact, the first thing that hits you when you fire up the game isn't the business end of a psychopath's blade, but the striking character close-ups. The incredibly realistic models sport the sort of nuanced details – from facial stubble and pores to birthmarks, blemishes, and, of course, blood – usually reserved for live actors. 

But while I spent an embarrassing amount of time studying the imperfections on Peter Stormare's face, it was the lighting work that regularly had me pining for a photo mode (which is unfortunately not included). The varied, specific effects that came from different sources, including moonlight, lanterns, lighters, flashlights, smartphones, and more literally stopped me in my tracks on several occasions. 

Of course, the presentation is at its breathtaking best when all these enhancements combine to deliver something truly eye-popping. Fairly early in the 8 or so-hour story, for example, you'll find yourself clutching a lighter as you navigate a narrow, dark hallway. You'll immediately spy the slick effects cast on the walls and items surrounding you, but you'll also want to stop and stare at your bespectacled character's face. On top of the aforementioned facial details being realistically lit by the tiny, dancing flame, you can see its flicker reflected in his glasses while its glow illuminates the individual hairs on his parka's fur hood. 

A definitive edition, with a scary price 

(Image credit: Sony) Best bit

(Image credit: Sony)

Having played the original multiple times, I found myself enjoying the remake more for its stunning visuals than its jump scares. The best moments were any that saw its graphical upgrades – from the enhanced lighting work to the richly detailed character models – firing on all cylinders. 

The lighting and character models steal the show, but they're not the only upgrades the game has received. Adding to the nerve-fraying atmosphere is the DualSense Wireless Controller's adaptive trigger, haptic feedback, and other immersion-ratcheting features. Like the lighting work, these inclusions never settle for a ‘one size fits all’ approach, but are rather nuanced and situational. 

So while you probably expect the feel of your footsteps to change organically when you proceed from a snow-covered dirt path to an icy wooden bridge, you might be surprised when the rumble of a power generator delivers a different sensation than a reverberating boiler. A less subtle, but no less effective trick, includes the DualSense mimicking your pounding pulse while you're tasked with keeping the controller completely still.

Until Dawn has also stripped out its predecessor's fixed camera for a closer, over-the-shoulder view that offers far more freedom. In a game that's often controlled with quick-time events, it feels good to have a bit more leeway when simply exploring, taking in the sights, or searching for collectibles. And on the topic of shiny trinkets, this updated take has also added more hidden totems, and creepy wood carvings that trigger deadly premonitions when interacted with.

(Image credit: Sony)

Until Dawn's most notable enhancements undoubtedly deliver a more cinematic, immersive experience, ensuring the game is back in my regular nightmare rotation. Still, I would've liked to see these updates complemented with some fresh content or new features that better justify its $60 price tag. 

The story's prologue has been, er, fleshed out a bit more, and new post-credits scenes do offer some fun surprises. But these inclusions, while welcome, generally feel like director's cut extras rather than significant additions. All that said, if you've never played the original or you're a super-fan looking to have your pants scared off all over again Until Dawn's got you covered like a blood-soaked sweater. 

Accessibility

Keeping in line with Sony's more recent first-party releases, Until Dawn features far more accessibility options than its predecessor. Before starting the game, it offers multiple selections for subtitles and a screen reader. Once inside the game, you can dig deeper into these specific features by going into the settings menu. Various other adjustments, from content censoring and camera movement to gameplay difficulty and even the ability to disable the game's "don't move" challenges, can also be tweaked in the settings menu. 

Should I play Until Dawn?

(Image credit: Sony) Play it if…

You're a horror fan seeking your next fix
Until Dawn is as close as you'll come to a playable slasher movie. It's also incredibly accessible, so even if you're not much of a gamer – but love the idea of interacting with a horror movie – you’ll be able to dive right in. 

You loved the game, but haven't returned to Blackwood Mountain since
Until Dawn is the same game you remember, but with significantly better visuals and other presentational upgrades that complement its cinematic qualities. It's the definitive version of the horror classic. 

Don’t play it if…

You remember the original well
While Until Dawn looks a whole lot prettier and benefits from a few other tweaks, its story and core gameplay are unchanged. If the original was a one-and-done for you, the remake won't convince you to come back.

How I reviewed Until Dawn

I spent about fifteen hours playing Until Dawn, completing its eight or so-hour campaign before replaying some portions to test out the choice-driven dialog systems and other features – like keeping characters alive – that encourage replayability. 

I paid particular attention to the various graphical upgrades, as well as the new DualSense integration. I also fired up the original version to compare both the visual and the new over-the-shoulder camera.

I played on my PlayStation 5, using a DualSense Wireless Controller, on a budget model TCL 4K display with HDR. I primarily tested with the television's stereo audio but also played for a few hours with PlayStation's Pulse Explore earbuds. I also paired the latter with PlayStation Portal, which made for some especially spooky sessions while tucked into bed.

First reviewed October 2024.