TechRadar Reviews

OnePlus Buds Pro 3: Two-minute review

Earlier this year, the OnePlus Buds 3 made their debut with an updated design language and a more balanced sound than anything we'd heard from the company to date. Now, with the arrival of the OnePlus Buds Pro 3, that same approach has been kicked into overdrive; resulting in OnePlus' best noise-cancelling earbuds yet, and by quite a stretch.

Although on paper, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 sport a similar spec sheet to their predecessors, the company has enhanced things at a component level; meaning the familiar dual driver design is now also backed by dual DACs in each earbud, plus a few other hardware tweaks. Pair that with revised tuning from Dynaudio and, while the Buds Pro 3 retain their forebears penchant for bass, there's far more dynamism in that lower frequency range, joined by more balanced mids and crisp highs; right through the volume range.

The Pro 3 are also brimming with features and most of them aren't solely tied to OnePlus devices anymore. You now get decent spatial audio support (with head tracking) that works on a far greater range of Android devices than before (as well as non-Android iPhones). Seamless dual device switching, a low latency game mode and five excellent EQ presets, along with a frankly outlandish bass boost feature and the ability to tune your own profiles too.

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Any downsides? One. As much as the sonic profile has come on – enough to make these true rivals for notable buds from audio-first brands such as Bose and Technics – and despite packing what OnePlus bills as its best noise cancelling yet, ANC (active noise cancellation) is good but not class-leading. Microphone performance is fine too, with acceptable background noise suppression, but the transparency mode does little to differentiate itself from being switched off entirely.

You'll also have to reconcile yourself to the absence of features from similarly-priced rivals, namely conversation-awareness and voice command support. Are these deal-breakers? (I'd suggest they're not, but it's worth noting that they're not here.)

Speaking of deals, despite all the advantages and upgrades over its last few buds, OnePlus hasn't upped the price of the Buds Pro 3 in most markets, including the US, where they cost $179 (with an early bird reduction at the time of writing, to $149). UK buyers will have to swallow a £20 price bump versus the Buds Pro 2, but they too can be had with an early bird offer that knocks them back down to £179. Not bad, eh? 

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Price and release date

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• Launched on August 20, 2024
• Priced at $179.99 / £199 / Australian pricing TBC
• Early bird pricing includes a $20 / £20 discount

The standard OnePlus Buds 3 arrived on the market in February 2024 and six months later (in which time they leaked extensively), the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 launched, on August 20, 2024.

In most markets, OnePlus has set the Buds Pro 3 at the same asking price as the previous OnePlus Buds Pro 2: $179.99 in the US, €179 in Europe and ₹13,999 in India. The exception to that is the UK, where the Buds Pro 3 see a £20 increase to £199, which reframes their standing in the market as a slightly more premium offering, comparatively.

The silver lining is that, at the time of writing, OnePlus is still offering the Buds Pro 3 up with an early bird discount; a $20 reduction to $149.99 Stateside; making them something of a steal, considering the sound quality on offer. That same reduction also carries over to the UK too, so the price drops back down to its predecessor's RRP of £179, for the time being.

Australian pricing and availability hasn't yet been revealed, but as the Buds Pro 3 are already listed on OnePlus' regional website, the implication is that they'll be on sale sometime soon.

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Specs OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Features

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• Check out 'neck vertebrae health' tool
• Broader compatibility than predecessor
• No voice command or conversation awareness

Pairing the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 is as easy as opening up the case near a Google Fast Pair-compatible Android phone. So long as Bluetooth is turned on, all you have to do is choose to connect via the card that pops up on-screen, and that's it. iPhones unsurprisingly don't feature Google Fast Pair but connection is still painless, with a long-press on the pairing button on the side of the case, after which you just have to select the buds from the Bluetooth menu, like usual.

If you're rocking any of the best OnePlus phones, unlocking the full feature set of the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 is as easy as pairing; with access to everything direct from the Bluetooth devices menu. For any other Android phone or iPhone, control falls to the HeyMelody app (which serves up an identical UI).

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

From top to bottom, you're presented with a battery readout, Noise Control (which lets you toggle on ANC, Transparency or turn off both). There's then a noise cancellation sub-menu, where you can select the degree of background noise suppression; that includes three levels, as well as a dynamic 'auto' mode.

The Sound Master EQ sub-menu plays home to the hard work the Danish engineers at Dynaudio contributed to the Buds Pro 3, with five presets (Balanced, Bold, Serenade, Bass and Dynaudio featured), along with an additional BassWave toggle that can be paired with any of the EQ profiles and itself includes a -/+ 5 slider. Rounding out this menu is where you can build your own custom EQ profiles, split into six frequency sliders.

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Hi-Res mode is next, with the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 opting for LHDC 5.0 as its codec of choice here (alongside SBC and AAC). As for devices that support it, in the smartphone space recent OnePlus, Oppo & Realme phones, as well as the top entries amongst the best Xiaomi phones, and Nothing Phone 1 and 2, are all confirmed to support LHDC 5.0, but there are other offerings from brands like Motorola that play nice with older iterations of the codec too.

I preferred the default 'Balanced' EQ profile, with BassWave disabled for general listening, but collectively augmented that configuration with the Golden Sound feature. It takes you through a frequency test for each bud, before building an audio profile unique to your ears; a feature I'd highly recommend you spend the time to set up to get the most out of the listening experience here.

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Next-up is spatial audio, which was available on the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 but only worked with flagship OnePlus phones at launch. Now, support is hugely expanded, available across popular music and streaming apps on all sorts of Android phones, and even iPhones (although iOS isn't using Google's Spatial Audio profile). Optional head tracking is on the table too, which works well in practice.

There are three Buds Pro 3 features exclusively available to OnePlus smartphone/tablet users, but in the grand scheme of things, don't feel like damaging omissions if you're on another platform.

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

The most interesting is the 'neck vertebrae health' tool, which can use the sensors in the buds to assess your neck mobility and even notify you of bad neck posture while you're wearing them. Zen Mode Air serves up relaxing white noise sounds (like 'Summer Waves' or 'Forest Rain' in wonderful high fidelity. Lastly, the Buds Pro 3 supports camera control on OnePlus devices, letting you snap a picture with their on-stem controls, or supply your videos with the microphone feed from the buds, if desired.

Game Mode reduces latency between the buds and your device, turning on automatically on OnePlus devices when they detect you're running a game, while it appears as a toggle in the HeyMelody app for other Android and iOS users.

Multipoint connectivity (branded 'Dual connection' here) is a great inclusion on the Buds Pro 3 that, once setup, lets you seamlessly pause audio on one device and move to another without needing to re-pair to keep listening. This works without issue in practice, tested across OnePlus, Android and iOS devices.

The soundscapes available in Zen Mode Air (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

The last two features at the OnePlus Buds Pro 3's disposal are a fit test – to ensure you have a good seal when wearing them, and a Find My option, which emits a loud tone from the buds when activated, and on Android devices also plugs into Google's Find My Device system; noting the last location they were used.

In short, an absolute mountain of functionality that makes the Buds Pro 3 incredibly versatile for a variety of listening conditions. All that's missing is conversation-aware ANC (which quietens or pauses music when the buds detect someone speaking to you or vice versa) and voice commands; for hands-free playback control or interaction with your device's smart assistant.

• Features score: 4.5 / 5

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Design

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• Stemmed buds w/ chromed outer face
• New top-loading case is better, but wireless charging is backwards
• IP55 rated buds, IPX4 case

OnePlus' Buds Pro line has always sported a stem-style design, originally accented with a chrome-dipped tip aesthetic, while the driver housing has typically been finished in lightly textured plastic. With the Buds Pro 3, however, that chrome finish has crept up to cover the stem and housing completely, which I think is a shame.

While eye-catching, the 'dipped' look of previous entries made for a more distinctive appearance, even at a distance. Many levied criticism at Samsung for the design similarities of its new angular stemmed Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, but the more rounded stems and, now consistent, surface finish of OnePlus' latest buds renders them far more like chrome-clad AirPods Pro 2 doppelgangers, in my opinion.

Look closely and you can see the touch sensitive area on the inside of the stem (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

That said, while the finish more readily holds onto fingerprints than previous iterations, ergonomically, it sits far more comfortably in the ear than any true wireless buds I've worn of late, and that's with the pre-fitted medium silicone ear tips. OnePlus also includes extra small, small and large-size oval-shaped alternatives in the box (along with a charging cable).

Despite the fact that they've gained a little weight, I found the Buds Pro 3 to be more comfortable and secure when worn (over the older Buds Pro 2), even when working out or for extended periods. In-ear detection proved reliable too, pausing and resuming music when you remove or insert either bud, and it works on iOS as well as Android.

The Buds Pro 3 boasts a completely redesigned case that has caused some discord among fans on platforms like Reddit. In place of the squared makeup compact-style case of previous generations – which opened to reveal the buds in their entirety – the Pro 3's buds reside within a new top-loading oval enclosure, that features smooth edges, contrasted against a leather-like textured surface finish.

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(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

I think the new case makes the Pro 3 more pocketable and more likely to retain the buds inside, should you drop it, but some people don't seem to appreciate the change. The USB-C port on the case's underside allows for a quick 10-minute charge to deliver 13 hours of playback (for comparison AirPods Pro 2 deliver just 1 hour of playback from a 5-minute recharge), while a full 100% refill takes approximately 70 minutes.

The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 also, conveniently, include wireless charging too (a full recharge this way takes about 2.5 hours), but for some unknown reason, unlike every other pair of wireless charging-capable buds out there, OnePlus' new case design demands that you place it face down, instead of face up when recharging without cables. It's an unintuitive design move that just takes some getting used to. At least with up to 43 hours of use per charge, you won't have to worry about fiddling with the case on a wireless charger all too often.

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Along with the existing repertoire of stem-based press or press-and-hold controls that previous Buds Pro have sported, the Buds Pro 3 carry across the new swipe gesture added to the OnePlus Buds 3; letting you adjust volume (or switch track) on-ear, by swiping up or down on the front of the stem. Even now, I still sometimes struggle to find the touch-sensitive area consistently, but controls otherwise work reliably.

For added peace of mind, the case is IPX4-rated, while the buds themselves are IP55-rated against dust and water ingress; collectively meaning you should have no issues wearing these when working up a sweat or getting caught in the rain.

• Design score: 4 / 5

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Sound quality

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• Excellent, well-balanced sound profile
• Huge upgrade on predecessor that's comparable to pricier rivals
• Still behind the curve on mic voice isolation and ANC

Perhaps the most divisive aspect of the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 is the audio performance. In a nutshell, this product outputs exceptional sound, with a great default profile, outlandishly lavish bass (without making things muddy), and significantly-improved response in the mids and highs (compared to the Buds Pro 2), that punches above its weight.

The flip side is that, despite the promise of strides made in ANC, microphone performance and transparency mode, the improvements feel significantly more pedestrian.

If you didn't tell me the buds' noise cancellation was dynamic, I wouldn't readily know. ANC performance is good at slightly softening mids, while also trimming low drones and high hisses, but speech and the like still slip through, as do sudden changes in volume in your surroundings. Of course, that's to be expected to a degree, but still, the performance here when massaging away constant, low-level sounds was fine rather than fantastic. 

On calls and when recording your voice, the Buds Pro 3 boast a three-microphone setup, supported by a VPU (voice pick up bone) sensor, however, the results are again just 'fine'. They're more full-bodied than the mics on some other buds around this price point, but plosives in speech tend to get lost when the Buds Pro 3 are trying to iron out background noise at the same time.

While I already touched on a lack of awareness to Transparency mode, any benefit over just disabling it altogether went as far as adding more high frequency sounds back into the buds' passive isolation.

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Microphone-bashing out of the way, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3's excellent sound improvements likely come as a result of the move to dual DACs per driver, per bud; one for the 11mm woofer and one for the 6mm tweeter. Dual DACs, two magnets and a fancy new ceramic-metal composite diaphragm on the woofer, alongside a "small but mighty" 35-micrometer flat voice coil for the high frequencies (likely the biggest contributor the this generation's more balanced sound profile) collectively elevate the standard of OnePlus' audio quality to new heights.

The result is a cleaner, more dynamic sound, with great separation, less crowding in the lower frequencies and more definition in the mids and highs.

• Sound quality score: 4 / 5

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Value

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• Superb sound for the price
• You'll need to pay more for buds with superior ANC
• Discounts bring strong rivals down to a similar price point

If you spend the majority of your time listening on your headphones, rather than talking, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 impress with just how much they improve over the Buds Pro 2, while also serving up excellent sound outright, that belies their $179 / £199 asking price.

With the transitional pricing space they reside in, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 serve as worthwhile alternatives to the likes of more established premium entries, like the Sony WF-1000XM5 (originally $300 / £260 but available today in the UK, at least, for as low as £190) or Technics EAH-AZ80 (available today for around $300 / £240), as well as more budget focused options, like the Bose-certified Moto Buds Plus (approximately $150 / £130).

Headphones today aren't just about listening, however, and so even with their comparatively paltry battery life, if microphone quality, ANC and Transparency mode are major factors for you, you'll likely want to cough up a little extra and go for a known quantity, like Apple's AirPods Pro 2 ($250 / £230) or the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 (about $180 / £250 today).

• Value score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the OnePlus Buds Pro 3? Buy them if… Don’t buy them if… OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Also consider How I tested the OnePlus Buds Pro 3

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• Review test period: 1.5 weeks
• Testing included streaming from different audio sources, including spatial audio supported videos 
• Switched between OnePlus, (other) Android, iPhone and PC devices

I used the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 every day for the duration of the review period, giving them an initial 10-hour burn-in before assessing sound characteristics.

I paired the Buds Pro 3 with all manner of devices, from Android phones made by OnePlus and other manufacturers, as well as iPhones and a Windows laptop. This was partially to test the likes of multipoint, as well as checking which feature, if any, were exclusive to certain device types or operating systems.

I used every feature that the Pro 3's software experience had to offer and tried the buds themselves in all manner of environments, with varying degrees of ambient noise to test features like ANC and microphone quality against.

As a reviewer with 13 years experience, and having reviewed numerous audio products – from Bluetooth speakers to a myriad of true wireless buds at a full range of price points  – I felt confident assessing and scoring the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 in the context of the wider TWS earphones market in which it competes.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed September 2024

Bitdefender Antivirus Free may be the lowest and most basic free antivirus software product in the Bitdefender range, but don’t let that put you off. Sure, there’s no VPN, password manager or parental controls, but Bitdefender Antivirus Free does include precisely the same leading-edge antivirus protection as Bitdefender’s big suites, all at zero cost, and that works for us.

We’re less impressed by the platform support: Bitdefender Antivirus Free is strictly Windows only, a problem when Avast and Avira have free products for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. But if the focus on Microsoft isn’t a problem, could Bitdefender Antivirus Free be the best malware removal and protection suite for you? We put the app through some very in-depth tests to find out.

Getting your Antivirus Free license can take a little work. (Image credit: Future) Bitdefender Antivirus Free: Getting started

You can’t install Bitdefender Antivirus Free without setting up an account. That’s quick, easy and free, but it does mean handing over your email address. Avast Free Antivirus and Avira Free Security can be installed and used without registration or handing over any personal details.

This isn’t just about privacy; there are practical issues, too. Because Bitdefender requires you to log into an account, it knows the number of devices you’re protecting, and currently limits you to a maximum of three. Avast and Avira don’t know who you are, and you can install their apps wherever you like.

We noticed another complication. Bitdefender Free Antivirus is only available if you have a new Bitdefender account with no subscription. If you’re currently protecting three laptops with a Bitdefender Total Security license, for instance, there’s no way to add a free license to give another laptop basic protection. There’s a workaround - create a new Bitdefender account with a different email - but we’d much rather the problem didn’t exist at all.

On the plus side, signing up for a Bitdefender account does get you access to live support, not something we see with other free antivirus. That’s potentially very important, because antivirus issues can be complex. If you run into technical troubles, having access to live expert help could make all the difference.

(Image credit: Future) Bitdefender Antivirus Free: Features

The Bitdefender Antivirus Free dashboard gives easy access to the app’s core antivirus features. Quick Scan speedily checks the most commonly-infected areas of your device; System Scan takes its time to inspect absolutely everything; the Scheduler allows you to set up scans to run automatically when you’re not around, and you can manage Exceptions (files you tell Bitdefender to ignore because it flags them incorrectly) and Quarantine (where Bitdefender securely locks away blocked files.)

The app is missing some of Bitdefender’s more advanced antivirus features. There’s no Rescue Environment, unfortunately, to remove stealthy threats which can’t be touched when Windows is running. That’s bad news if you’re suffering a serious infection, and not a problem we had with Avast Free Antivirus, which supports creating a bootable rescue scanner and has many other scan types.

The app doesn’t have Bitdefender’s ransomware remediation, either, a valuable extra layer which can restore encrypted files after a ransomware attack. 

Bitdefender Antivirus Free doesn’t include any of Bitdefender’s bonus privacy or security tools. There are buttons for the firewall, antispam, parental controls, anti-theft, the performance optimizer and more, but they all display a padlock icon which means they’re not accessible unless you pay to upgrade.

The VPN is one of the few without a padlock, but not because there’s a free version: you just get an option to install a 7-day trial of Bitdefender’s free VPN. That’s still welcome, but if you’re looking for an antivirus suite with a free VPN, Avast One Essential is a better option. Its VPN has major restrictions - can’t change location, no kill switch - but the 5GB a week data allowance is generous, and it might work for simple tasks.

Bitdefender Antivirus Free is best described as ‘basic’, then, but that’s not necessarily bad news. Avira Free Security includes extras like a password manager and software updater to check for missing software patches, but they’re limited, and we suspect most people won’t use them more than once. If you only want quality antivirus, Bitdefender’s stripped-back design may appeal more than the ‘here, have loads of features you don’t need’ approach used by many competitors.

Bitdefender consistently gets great results in independent testing. (Image credit: Future) Bitdefender Antivirus Free: Protection

We begin checking antivirus effectiveness by monitoring results of nine regular tests from top labs including AV-Comparatives, AV-Test, SE Labs and MRG Effitas. The tests measure protection, performance, usability and more, and we combine their scores into a single aggregate figure to give us an overall measure of antivirus effectiveness.

Bitdefender is currently equal first with Avast and McAfee, an excellent result. ESET, F-Secure and Norton are equal fourth, while Avira trails a little in seventh place.

We ran further tests of our own, attempting to access 50 brand new phishing URLs on a Bitdefender-protected system. The results were a little below average, with Bitdefender blocking 64% of threats. (Avast blocked 86% in its own tests, and Avira reached an excellent 90%.)

(Image credit: Future)

Phishing results can vary hugely depending on the test URLs, though, and Bitdefender scored much better on our malware tests. We gave Chrome 50 links to malicious files, and Bitdefender blocked 92% at the domain access or download level, and the remaining 8% as they were saved to our hard drive, for a perfect 100% protection rate. Other free antivirus apps got close - Avira managed 90%, Avast 94% - but Bitdefender is the only provider in recent testing to score 100%. Even most paid apps can’t manage that.

(Image credit: Future) Bitdefender Antivirus Free: Final verdict

Bitdefender Antivirus Free is a great malware-hunting performer, but is still fractionally behind Avast in independent testing. As Bitdefender also leaves out tools which Avast includes, such as a bootable scanning, it means you’re a little less likely to be able to remove an infection if something does penetrate your defenses. 

The difference is fractional, though, and not enough to outweigh your personal preferences in other areas. If you only need Windows antivirus, and you trust Bitdefender more, don’t like Avast’s more pushy marketing or need its stack of extras, Bitdefender Antivirus Free is still one of the very best zero-cost malware hunters around.

We list the best cloud antivirus.

Netgear Nighthawk RS300: One-minute review

Netgear’s range of Wi-Fi routers and mesh systems are always well-designed and offer high-end performance for business and home users who need a fast, reliable Wi-Fi connection. 

They do tend to be pretty expensive, though, as we saw with the recently launched Nighthawk RS700, which weighed in at a hefty £800/$700/AU$1499. That’s a lot of money for a single, standalone router – especially for home users who probably don’t need the blazing 19Gbps Wi-Fi speed offered by the RS700. 

The new Nighthawk RS300 is therefore designed to provide a high-speed Wi-Fi 7 upgrade with a more affordable price tag. As you might expect, the RS300 is slower, offering a top-speed of 9.3Gbps, but that’s still more than fast enough to handle gaming, streaming 4K video, and other demanding online tasks, and it costs just under half the price of the RS700.

Netgear Nighthawk RS300: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• How much does it cost? $329.99/£299.99/AU$1497
•  When is it available? Now 
•  Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia 

Routers and mesh systems that support Wi-Fi 7 are still quite expensive, and Netgear in particular rarely troubles itself with the more affordable end of the market. That’s why we were pleased to see that the Nighthawk RS300 costs a relatively modest $330 in the US, £300 in the UK, and AU$1497 in Australia, which actually makes it the most affordable Wi-Fi 7 router that we’ve seen so far. 

There are, of course, faster Wi-Fi 7 routers, such as Netgear’s own RS700 or the gaming-oriented Rapture GT-BE98 from Asus, but the 9.3Gbps performance of the RS300 is still far faster than most home broadband services. In the US, Netgear states that the RS300 can connect to 100 devices simultaneously, and cover an area of up to 2,500 sq.ft. However, differences in national regulations mean that this area is quoted as 2,000 sq. ft in the UK and some other regions. 

The sting in the tail, as always with Netgear, is its persistent attempts to sell additional subscriptions, such as its Armor security services and Smart Parental Controls - especially when there are rival routers that provide solid parental controls at no extra cost.

•  Value: 4 / 5 

Netgear Nighthawk RS300: Specs Netgear Nighthawk RS300: Design

(Image credit: Future)

•  Tower design provides 360-degree Wi-Fi
•  4x Ethernet ports for wired connections
•  USB for network storage

Unsurprisingly, the design of the RS300 is similar to that of the high-end RS700, with both models adopting a tall, obelisk shape and finished in matte-black. This is in contrast to the more low-profile, winged ‘shuttle-craft’ design that Netgear used for several years on earlier Nighthawk models. Netgear states that this taller design helps the router’s four internal antennae broadcast an “omni-directional” Wi-Fi signal that broadcasts through a full 360-degrees, and reaches right across your home or office. 

However, the lower price of the RS300 means that its plastic casing doesn’t feel quite as sturdy as its high-end counterpart, and I’d probably opt to keep it on a lower shelf or on a table where it’s not likely to get knocked over. 

(Image credit: Future)

But, despite the lower price, the RS300 still provides a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port that can handle high-speed fibre Internet connections (WAN). There are two more 2.5 Gigabit ports to provide high-speed wired (LAN) connections for devices, such as a laptop or games console, that need the best performance for gaming or streaming 4K video. 

For more routine tasks, such as web browsing and email, the router also provides two conventional Gigabit Ethernet ports as well. And, unlike some less expensive routers, the RS300 also includes a USB port that will allow you to connect a USB storage device and share files with other people on your network. I also like the LED status lights on the front panel for all of these ports. These let you see that everything is working properly at a glance without having to check the Netgear app.

•  Design: 4 / 5

Netgear Nighthawk RS300: Features

(Image credit: Future)

•  App is easy to use
•  Simple network set-up
•  Limited parental controls

The RS300 supports tri-band Wi-Fi 7 with a top speed of 9.3Gbps. That’s actually a pretty modest speed for Wi-Fi 7, but it should be more than adequate for most home users and even quite a few small businesses too. 

It doesn’t take long to get up and running; the Nighthawk app allows you to simply scan a QR code to connect to the RS300. You do need to create a name and password in order to use the app itself, but you can then accept the default settings for the new network and connect straight away, or change those settings for extra security. That keeps things simple for home users who may not have much experience with networking and routers, but the Nighthawk app isn’t exactly overflowing with additional features. 

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It creates a single network that merges the three frequency bands – 2.4GHz, 5.0GHz and 6.0GHz – and automatically connects your devices to the fastest band that is available in that particular room or location. Some advanced users might prefer more detailed controls within the app, such as the ability to create separate networks using each frequency band (which is available with the high-end RS700).

There are also very few parental controls included in the app. You do have the ability to create profiles for your children, and use these to pause Internet access at bed-time or dinner-time. However, additional features, such as content filters that can block unsuitable websites and online content, require a subscription to Netgear’s Smart Parental Controls service.

The Nighthawk app does offer a 30-day free trial for this service, and also for Netgear’s Armory security service, but you then have to pay $7.99/month or $69.99/year for the Smart Parental Controls, and $99.99/year for Armor. There are routers from other manufacturers that provide better parental controls free of charge, so that’s an important factor for parents of young children to bear in mind.

•  Features: 3.5 / 5 

Netgear Nighthawk RS300: Performance

• Tri-band Wi-Fi 7
• 2.5Gb Ethernet for broadband connection (WAN)
• 2.5Gb Ethernet for wired connections (LAN) 

Netgear Nighthawk RS300 Benchmarks:

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

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

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

20GB Steam Download - Single merged network

Within 5ft, no obstructions:  150Mbps

Within 30ft, three partition walls: 150Mbps

Netgear’s attempts to “upsell” you with its subscription services are always irksome, but we can’t fault the performance of the RS300. Our office internet connection provides a top speed of 150Mbps, but our aging office router can only manage around 120Mbps for the Ookla Speedtest when connecting to devices that are close by in the same room, while game downloads from Steam struggle along at around 100Mbps. We also have an office at the back of our building where the Wi-Fi signal from our normal router can barely reach, forcing us to rely on a set of wired Powerline adaptors to provide a decent Internet connection.

The RS300 solved all our Wi-Fi problems straight away, immediately hitting 150Mbps for devices in the same room for both Steam downloads and the Ookla Speedtest. It had no trouble zapping its Wi-Fi signal along our L-shaped corridor to reach that back office, either. And, as I walked along the corridor with my laptop, I was pleased to find that the RS300 maintained that 150Mbps speed every step of the way for both Ookla and Steam. 

Larger homes or offices that cover 4,000 sq.ft or more might need one of the best mesh wi-fi systems to reach properly, but most home users and small businesses will find that the Nighthawk RS300 provides a high-speed Wi-Fi 7 upgrade with one of the most competitive prices we’ve seen so far. 

•  Performance: 4 / 5 

Should you buy the Netgear Nighthawk RS300? Buy it if...

 You want a high-speed Wi-Fi 7 upgrade

It’s taken a while, but Wi-Fi 7 routers are finally starting to become more affordable, and the RS300 can handle most domestic broadband services without ever working up a sweat. 

You just bought a new laptop or PC

Wi-Fi 7 is backwards-compatible with older computers, consoles, and mobile devices that only have Wi-Fi 5, 6, or 6E, but it will work best with the latest computers that now have Wi-Fi 7 as well. 

Don't buy it if...

You’re on a budget 

Most domestic broadband services run at well under 1Gb/s, so few of us really need Wi-Fi 7 right now. Plenty of the best Wi-Fi routers, many of which are more affordable, feature Wi-Fi 6 and 6E and will be just fine for the next couple of years.

You have lots of bedrooms

The RS300 has relatively modest range, so some larger homes and offices may need a mesh Wi-Fi system that uses two or more routers to create a mesh network with a greater range and net of coverage. 

Also consider

 Netgear Nighthawk RS700S

The elder sibling of the RS300 is twice as expensive, but it provides Wi-Fi 7 with a mind-boggling speed of 19Gbps, and even 10Gb Ethernet for high-speed broadband connections.

Read our full Nighthawk RS700S review here. 

TP-Link Deco BE63

Larger homes and offices may need greater range rather than raw speed, so a mesh system such as the Deco BE63 can provide Wi-Fi 7 coverage that reaches into every nook and cranny.

 Read our full TP-Link Deco BE63 review here.

• First reviewed in August 2024

Review info

Platform reviewed: PC
Available on: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Release date: September 21, 2024 

A few hours into my first campaign in city-building survival game Frostpunk 2, I was asked whether I thought parents should be able to accompany their kids into quarantine. A mother had been waiting outside, desperate to sit with their unwell child. Relaxing the law could help my trust with the locals; however, it was a risk nonetheless. Ultimately, I thought it was fair to let them in. Within moments of this decision, I was notified the mother had died of the same disease with a second popup letting me hear the thoughts of their bereaved husband, who ‘wasn’t sure how they could manage without them.’

It was painful, and depressing, a fitting ambiance for the broader context of the world. In Frostpunk 2, empathy can often feel inessential, frequently undermined by the brutal but engaging task at hand. However, despite the overwhelming urge to check that feeling at the door, this complex and moreish city builder wants you to learn from your mistakes, consider the alternatives, and often fail dramatically anyway. But regardless of how it goes, you’ll never be left without a story to tell.  

For those unfamiliar with the series, Frostpunk 2 takes place thirty years after the original game, in an alternative history where a volcanic winter has left society in an eternal state of ice. With limited technological resources and a city of vulnerable souls, your job is to steward the remaining civilization to utopia through excavation and exploration in frosty outer wilds - simple, right? But of course, no. The journey is naturally plagued with problems like disease and trust issues. However, if you brave the many (many) storms, your nurtured society can thrive and live on in this eternal freeze.

(Image credit: 11 bit studios)

My first run at Frostpunk 2 was a chaotic balancing act as I acquainted myself with the cohesive medley of systems needed to survive in the icy post-apocalypse. Thankfully, suppose you are a little rusty like myself or a newcomer to the series. In that case, developer 11 Bit Studios softens the landing with variant difficulty settings and a short but sweet tutorial that wraps up the basics of how to play. Through this opening act, you’ll learn to break the ice (literally) to explore, find, and excavate your resources and manage your society through laws and research upgrades. While the bulk of Frostpunk 2’s mechanics come later - and through harsh lessons - this introductory level was the perfect amuse-bouche to the feast that is the rest of the game.

Best Bit

(Image credit: 11 bit studios)

When a law passes, or something (probably damning) happens in your society, a tannoy plays overhead, that's delivered by a warm but sarcastic British voice actor who doesn't hold back with their sass. While almost every statement made me giggle guiltily, a standout came after I passed a law forcing children into apprenticeships where they said, “Don't shield your apprentice from the dangerous aspects of your job; this is how they learn.” It’s a harsh world, and not one aspect of Frostpunk 2 lets you forget it.

Through this introduction, you’ll also get acquainted with Frostpunk 2’s striking visual style, which makes the most of its late-1800s-style setting with burnt orange and copper mechanized industrial buildings and parchment paper script. After spending hours staring into the quiet blue-toned abyss, I found myself leaning towards the warmer parts of my screen almost instinctively to stay snug despite the 26-degree forecast outside. It’s clear that considerable care has been taken with each detail, and I was always pleased to find and inspect the finer notes, like the graffiti details on the drawings that accompany pop-up choices or unique features on character designs.

Get resources or die trying  

(Image credit: 11 bit studios)

Frostpunk 2’s story mode is broken into sections that unlock as you achieve specific parameters, like finding alternate fuel sources, to keep the city of New London afloat. Success leads to another goal, and failure, well, that ends in exile. Despite my best efforts, my attention span was constantly drawn away from my pressing larger goals by the more minor but equally urgent issues like food management and rising crime rates due to youth delinquency. That is, in essence, Frostpunk 2’s central ethos, though - holistically managing and considering your ever-present and ever-changing parameters and goals that come with the cost of keeping thousands of people alive.

(Image credit: 11 bit studios)

As such, there is no easy answer, and I’d often have to sacrifice the quality of life of my workers to maintain the incoming supply of goods to satisfy the consequent demand. It was often a rough decision, especially when my mismanagement got them here in the first place. Soon enough, that would lead to societal discord, which meant appeasement and new regulations to keep them on side. 

Surprisingly, with such harrowing situations and heady topics, I never wanted to disengage from the nightmare, and instead, I fell deeper into the systems, hoping to tunnel my way to success. Where the general ambiance kept me engaged, Frostpunk 2’s off-kilter humor also worked well to lighten the emotional load. Sarcastic tannoys and schadenfreude-filled situations occur often enough that those bitter failures don’t feel so bad, and equally, triumph isn’t to be celebrated too quickly either. 

You can improve your citizens' lives, though, and that’s through innovation. The Idea Tree plays a significant part in your survival throughout Frostpunk 2, and you’ll need to choose avenues to research at a cost of currency and time. There are political factions to consider when bettering your society, too, and no group will agree wholeheartedly. Still, you can invest in projects like Asbestos lining to help keep heating costs down… if you dare.  

It’s not the end of the world  

(Image credit: 11 bit studios)

Speaking of factions, city management inevitably includes politics, and you’ll have to manage the needs of these various groups to keep things running smoothly. This is done through the lawmaking process, where you broker deals in backrooms with certain factions to get enough votes on your side to get laws passed. As with The Idea Tree, not all factions will agree on the best course forward, and it’s your job to decide which direction will do the least harm. 

As much as it pained me to do so, I often sided with religious zealots because their ideals felt a little less harsh than the other factions and because their numbers, thanks to my tinkering, remained so strong. You can easily negotiate too close to the sun here, too, though, as on more than one occasion, I made too many promises and got myself stuck, humbled, and unable to pass any meaningful laws without compromising my vision.

An ominous soundtrack accompanies your endeavors, blending the world's ferocious howling winds with symphonic sounds. As with the visual flourishes, the score feels appropriately solemn, offering fleeting moments of optimism through its clever orchestration. The intricacy of the music speaks to the detail that extends across Frostpunk 2’s vast pool of systems that I’m barely scratching the surface on, - if you haven’t yet got this impression, it’s definitely a game that is best explored for yourself. 

Despite having so much fun with Frostpunk 2, some recurring issues with inconsistent frame rates did rear their head, muddling my otherwise smooth playthrough. Thankfully, due to the game’s slower nature, none of those issues directly impacted my playthroughs by too much, and I’m optimistic that 11 Bit can solve said issues before launch. 

Once you've tried your hand at the main story aspects of the game, you can also jump over to the Utopia Builder mode, which offers a more sandbox approach to the gameplay, allowing you to pick certain parameters of a playthrough before you dive in. Equally as difficult and just as enjoyable, this mode was a great way to throw caution to the wind and test out some of my theories without feeling too heartbroken when I’d inevitably fail.

Accessibility

In Frostpunk 2, you can access the settings menu from the main title page as well as in-game, and you can toggle most features whilst in-game or before starting a session. Here, you can find a slider to toggle the UI text size, as well as an option to slow down game time when messages appear on the screen. For audio, you can set sliders for SFX and Music. Plus, if you have a specific keyboard setup, you can rebind the keys to your preference.  Requested more here.

Should I play Frostpunk 2? Play it if...

You want a city builder with a harsh edge
Managing a city is no small task, and when the post-apocalyptic winds and resource scarcity rear their heads, you won’t always come out on top. 

You think you could be a politician
A significant aspect of success in Frostpunk 2 is managing factions and, subsequently, your council's needs and wants. Making backdoor deals and condemning the unruly is part of the challenge, and it takes some clever maneuvers to stay in favor of your citizens.

Don't play it if...

You want a cozy game to relax with
From child labor to frostbite and disease, Frostpunk 2’s solemn world is full of terror that isn’t for the faint of heart.  

How I reviewed Frostpunk 2

I played Frostpunk 2 on PC in both the Story and Utopia Builder Modes for around 25 hours. During this time, I experimented with various difficulty options, researched different skills in The Idea Tree, and supported a variety of the factions we were presented with.

I played Frostpunk 2 on an AOC 27-inch QHD VA 144Hz gaming monitor with a Logitech MX Master 3S mouse and a Logitech G915 TKL keyboard. For sound, I used my external Creative Pebble V2 computer speakers and my Audio Technica ATH-MX50X headphones, which were plugged into a Scarlett 2i2 interface. My gaming PC has an RTX 3080, and an AMD Ryzen 9 3950X.  

Sony WF-C510: Two-minute review

Sony is one of the biggest players in the audio market but its focus has always seemed to lean towards the elite, top-quality premium earbuds or over-ears market. The Japanese tech giant doesn’t need to break a sweat to keep on top of the best budget earbuds market though, if the new Sony WF-C510 are anything to go by.

The company’s follow-up to 2021’s Sony WF-C500, and a newer and more affordable alterative to the top-rated WF-C700N, these new earbuds come at a time when there’s more and more competition at the low-end of the market. I’d name some competitors but I don’t really need to – not when Sony’s offerings are this good.

In fact, I think the WF-C510 could draw some fans away from the top-end Sony WF-1000XM5 and the new sans-ANC entry-level AirPods 4. Who needs to pay double, triple or even quadruple the price when cheap and cheery gets you this far?

I really liked the sound of the new Sonys; I prefer sound that prioritizes clean treble over thumping bass, and so the Sony WF-C510 tick all my boxes and then some. Home-brewed Sony algorithms and a reasonably responsive equalizer just add to my enjoyment of the audio.

The design is stellar too – the buds stuck in my ears like the Abba songs they played stayed stuck in my head. Thanks to the nice grippy material used for the tips, and each earpiece weighing less than 5g, never once did a bud fall from my ears. I even cycled confidently with them and completed a full workout at the gym without gravity doing its thing to them.

This lightweight design extends to the case too, which is tiny and can easily disappear into a pocket. Unfortunately this does contribute to one of my gripes: the case only offers 11 hours of extra listening time, which is much less than basically any rival on the market.

(Image credit: Future)

That’s extra listening time over what the buds offer by default, but contrarily you can go 11 hours with these without needing to return them to the case. This is a fantastic amount of listening time, and the WF-C510 would be my first port of call over pricier rivals for long trips.

Part of the reason for this long battery life is that the Sonys don’t have ANC (Active Noise Cancellation), which is something I can’t knock the buds for as it’s a feature that’s never guaranteed at this price. Instead, they have an ambient mode which is pretty commonplace in wireless earbuds, but it’s only useful in certain situations so I didn’t use it much.

Noise cancellation isn’t the only feature that the WF-C510s lack: wear detection, low-latency mode, 'find my' locaters and a few other more premium perks don’t rear their heads here. Again, the price justifies this, but it’s something I’d be remiss not to flag – if you’ve got a certain mode or feature you love to use, you’d better check that the Sonys offer it.

Given that this is a two-minute review, I probably don’t have time to go into lots of detail about the other great parts of the Sony WF-C510, but between the responsive and easy-to-use touch buttons, the useful eartip fit test, the range of color options and the audio avoiding all the pitfalls I usually see in budget earbuds, I feel comfortable recommending these over some of the much pricier competitors I’ve tested this year.

Sony WF-C510 review: Price and release date

(Image credit: Future)

• Released in September 2024
• Cost $59.99 / £54.99 / AU$109

The Sony WF-C510 were released in September 2024 as the new entries in Sony’s WF-C line of low-cost earbuds.

You can pick them up for $59.99 / £54.99 / AU$109, and at that price point they’re in contention with our list of the best cheap earbuds. In fact, as of their launch, they’re Sony’s cheapest true wireless earbuds, drastically undercutting the $119 / £89 / AU$199 WF-C700N (which we gave five stars to in our review). The WF-C500 aren’t officially ranged by Sony any more, but they launched for $99 / £89 / AU$149 three years ago, and have seen price cuts from third-party retailers since.

The cheap earbuds market is a competitive one, with fresh competitors hitting the market all the time; in the months before this Sony proposition I've also tested the likes of the Earfun Air Pro 4 and CMF Buds Pro 2 for the same price. And the WF-C510 is my pick of the bunch. 

Sony WF-C510 review: Specs Sony WF-C510 review: Features

(Image credit: Future)

• In-bud battery life is great – but the case less so
• No ANC, but there is 'sound control'
• Headphones app brings some extra features

Something I both love and hate about the Sony WF-C510 is the battery life. 

The buds themselves have a fantastic battery life: 8 hours with sound control on, and 11 hours with it off, makes these Sonys some of the longest-lasting earbuds I’ve tested recently. However, the case itself only offers one extra charge-up, while basically all others on the market give you at least two extra charges. As a result, these buds gave me more battery anxiety on trips than most others I’ve tested.

That 11-hour figure is Sony's. In my testing, with sound control turned off, the right bud lasted for 10 hours and 42 minutes, while the left one was still somehow blasting out music 40 minutes later when my phone ran out of charge. Gaping inconsistency aside, that averages over 11 hours, so I'll concur with Sony's estimate.

Audio fans might be wondering why I’ve referred to ‘sound control’ and not active noise cancellation – this is because the Sonys don’t have ANC, but do offer noise cancellation in the form of an ‘Ambient Sound Control’ mode. This amplifies sounds around you, so you can be aware of what’s going on regardless of how much noise would otherwise be drowned out by your music. It’s a fine mode, with results that are more subtle and nuanced than the similar equivalent that many rival earbuds have, but ambient modes are generally quite situational so I didn’t find myself using it a whole lot.

Of course, ambient noise control isn’t the same as noise cancellation – it’s ANC you may want at home – but the passive noise cancellation offered by the ear-tips was enough to make me happy.

For the rest of the feature set we’re going to have to boot up Sony’s Headphones app, which, while a great addition at this level, has a logo so generic that I kept losing it on my phone’s menu.

(Image credit: Future)

Using said Headphones app, you can see the battery life of the earbuds, arrange which devices they’re connected to (up to two – yes, there's multi-point), toggle ambient mode off or on to a variety of intensities, play with an equalizer (including a test to find the best preset for you, and another to detect which eartips are best for you), set up 360 Reality Audio (Sony’s version of spatial audio), change what the buttons do, and enable Spotify Tap which basically makes Spotify play by default.

The equalizer gives you quite a few presets, with the ability to modify them too, and lots of the rest is par for the course. However, I found the EQ test quite confusing – unlike Nothing Ear’s fantastic automatic detection test, you basically have to ‘blind test’ some presets to see which you prefer. I found the difference between many of them inaudible, and sometimes I liked two equally. Ultimately, the mode is fine for people who know the sound they want (or the parts of recordings they usually augment), but for everyone else it’s perhaps not worth bothering with, although it does add value at this level.

Beyond ANC, there are a few features not present in the WF-C510 that some might miss, although I can’t hold these cheap buds to blame given the price. The major one is wear detection, so you have to pause music manually when you remove the buds. There’s also no low-latency mode which is quite common even amongst cheap buds, or any kind of ‘find my buds’ feature.

Another thing I should note, which is a problem I’ve had with other Sony audio products too, is that by default the volume sounds incredibly low – even when it shouldn’t. It’s because there’s a volume slider in the app, separate to your phone’s one, which I’d recommend you immediately raise to near-full intensity and rely on your phone’s volume rocker for control. The first time I used Sony headphones I thought they were incredibly quiet until I noticed this feature – what I should also note is that the in-app volume resets to 50% if you pair the earphones to a different device and then back to your phone, so you’ll need to rectify it manually. This is an irksome feature for people who are unaware, but even for those of us who’ve been using them for years, it’s an unnecessary extra step that most other earbuds don’t require.

• Features score: 3.5/5

Sony WF-C510 review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Incredibly lightweight case
• Buds fit nice and snug – and don't budge
• Convenient-to-use physical button

The Sony WF-C510 charging case is lovely and svelte – it’s one of my favorite cases for slipping into my pocket or bag. 

A lozenge-shaped slither of plastic, it measures about 6.8 x 2.7 x 3.1 cm (all my measurements – I couldn’t find any on the Sony website) and weighs “approx” 31g (that’s Sony’s exact wording). Vague measurements aside, it’s really slender, with basically enough space for the buds and not much excess (which is probably why it doesn’t provide much charge!). Main points to note here are the USB-C port for charging, a small button for pairing and an LED status indicator. All par for the course, really.

I liked the textured plastic case, but I can see some finding it a bit cheap-feeling, and it does creak a little if you put pressure on it. That’s the trade-off with its light build.

The buds are equally light, weighing 4.6g each. At least Sony has an exact measurement for that! They’re in-ear buds so this particular figure is really important, as heavy in-ear buds (or those that aren't shaped carefully to distribute said weight) sometimes have trouble staying in the ear.

(Image credit: Future)

No issue for the Sonys though: they always felt rigid in my testing, never once falling out or even feeling loose. The box includes larger and smaller alternatives, with the app having an ear fit test, if the default tips don’t fit. 

The fact that they fit and stay securely in my ears sounds simple enough, but so many competing options at double the price can't seem to do it. If you want cheap earbuds that don't budge and sound good, the Sony WF-C510 are it. 

There are a few color options for the aspiring fashionistas out there: black and white are pretty standard, but there’s also light blue and light yellow. The latter hue is modelled by me in the pictures.

One feature of note on the WF-C510s is a button on each bud – it’s quite big, and takes up most of the body of each. It’s a physical button, meaning you have to actually depress it to trigger it, but I found it sensitive enough that it was easy to use. The size also ensures that you don’t have to keep jabbing at the bud, and shoving it into your ear, to trigger the function (which is customizable in the app).

In terms of waterproofing, the buds are IPX4 resistant to water, which means they’ll survive splashes from any angle, but not jets. That’s what the rating stands for but in real life the difference between ‘splashes’ and ‘jets’ isn’t always apparent so I’d recommend doing your best to keep these away from anything wetter than rain or sweat.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Sony WF-C510 review: Sound quality

(Image credit: Future)

• Bright sound; some might miss bass
• High-quality given price
• DSEE improves compressed music

I really like the sound of the Sony WF-C510s – obviously you have to set your expectations to a certain level with low-cost earbuds, but I found the audio high-quality and also certainly distinct in that Sony, "have this sound, and have it good and clear" way.

This is possibly thanks, at least in part, to Sony’s DSEE, which stands for digital sound enhancement engine – basically it’s tech that restores the range of the compressed audio tracks you’re playing from your chosen streaming service. It gives Sony earbuds, including the WF-C510, an edge over similar alternatives, as long as you remember to turn it on via the app.

The driver itself is a 6mm unit, so not necessarily as big as some similar-priced alternatives, but bigger than the more expensive WF-C700N.

The Sony WF-C510s have a slightly forward sound profile (and I say this as a compliment rather than a shortfall), offering clear and pronounced treble sounds like your guitars, vocals and piano parts. This is great for some genres of music, and I enjoyed listening to songs with prominent and distinct vocal lines that were beamed into my ears.

The flip side is that you can’t feel the bass quite as much in certain genres of music, which might be an issue for people who like their bass thumping to their back teeth. You can rectify it to a degree using the in-app equalizer, but not quite enough to please bass-heads.

I was surprised by the lack of peaking or distortion at normal listening volumes, and I had to really push the buds to a painfully-loud volume to hear any crackling, muddying or artefacts.

• Sound quality: 4.5/5

Sony WF-C510 review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

• Look at the price
• Seriously, look at it

I’d consider the Sony WF-C510 great value for money even if the audio was only ‘fine’. It’s not, though, and fans of Sony's typical sound profile (that's most of us) will really love what they’re getting here.

If you’re being offered the Sonys as a gift or bundled with another Sony product, you might think you’re just getting some cheap buds thrown in to sweeten the deal, but trust me when I say these are better than their lowly price suggests.

• Value: 5/5

Should I buy the Sony WF-C510? Buy them if… Don’t buy them if… Sony WF-C510 review: Also consider How I tested the Sony WF-C510

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested for two weeks
• Tested at home, in the office and on trips

The Sony WF-C510 enjoyed two weeks of listening time for this review, and as mentioned earlier I've tested a string of their closest rivals recently, which helped with the comparisons.

I tested the buds while they were paired to my Android smartphone, and I connected them to a different mobile to test multi-point pairing. Mostly I listened to music with Spotify but to fully test the buds I also tried other apps including games and streaming services. Testing was done at home, in the office and on various trips around my city, including walks in the park and gym excursions.

I've been testing gadgets at TechRadar for over five years now, and in that time have used plenty of budget earbuds and other Sony products. Outside of reviewing headphones, my trusty Sony WH-1000XM3 are my go-to headphones so I'm well versed in Sony's audio products and software.

• First reviewed in September 2024

• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

One of the big concerns about choosing the best free antivirus is what key features the provider might have left out. Avira Free Security tries to deal with this worry by not only offering antivirus, but also adding a reassuringly long list of bonus features: VPN, password manager, PC privacy tools, device cleanup, anti-phishing browser extensions, and more.

There are still plenty of restrictions. Browsing protection is limited to browser add-ons, for instance. The VPN doesn’t allow you to choose your location, and it only offers a tiny 500MB data a month (yes; a month.) But does Avira Free Security really give you enough core protection layers to keep you safe from harm? We ran the suite through our intensive series of security tests to find out.

Install and use Avira for free on Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. (Image credit: Future) Avira Free Security: Desktop and mobile

Avira Free Security earned its first big plus point before we even installed it. Unlike Bitdefender Antivirus Free and many others, you can use it without creating an account, or handing over your email address or any other personal information. Avira prefers that you register, and you’ll get a ‘Register’ icon on the dashboard as a reminder, but that isn’t necessary.

With no account, that means Avira can’t limit the number of devices where you can install its software, and you’re free to use it wherever you like. Avira Free Security is also available for Mac, and mobile devices can use Avira Antivirus Security for Android and Avira Mobile Security for iOS.

We’re focusing on Avira Free Security for Windows in this review, but if you’d like to know more about what other platforms can do, or what extras you get in Avira’s paid products, check out our Avira Prime review for an in-depth look.

(Image credit: Future) Avira Free Security: Getting started

Avira’s Windows installer did an excellent job of setting up Avira Free Security on our test laptop, walking us through every stage and keeping us informed of what was happening.

When the process was complete, Avira ran its all-in-one Smart Scan, checking for malware, privacy problems, outdated apps, performance issues, network security problems and more. Although it’s covering a lot of ground, the process is surprisingly quick, and Avira displayed a report of our device ‘issues’ in barely a minute.

Along with telling us our device was ‘virus free’, Avira also explained that we had 684 MB of disk clutter we could delete, five apps were slowing our boot time, three ‘outdated apps’ were missing updates, and there were ‘21 privacy settings to fix.’ Although that sounded intriguing, most of these issues were either no big deal, or we couldn’t fix them with the free version, anyway. Avira’s Smart Scan regularly teased us with lists of ‘problems’, but then, when we clicked ‘Fix’, explained we had to pay for an upgrade to resolve them.

Avira regularly prompted us to install its 60-day free trial. (Image credit: Future)

While that might seem a little annoying, at least initially, it’s no great surprise. You’re getting the app for free; some sort of advertising is inevitable. And there are ways to avoid at least some of these sales pitches.

Once we learned that Smart Scan was mostly about marketing, for example, we dialed down the upselling by running ordinary antivirus scans instead. Quick Scans are just as speedy and focused entirely on the information we needed to know (‘were we malware free?’), without any unnecessary extras: perfect.

Avira scores well in the latest Real-World Protection test. (Image credit: Future) Avira Free Security: Protection

Avira’s paid products are regularly assessed by the top antivirus labs, giving a useful general idea of how Avira compares to the competition.

Avira’s overall results are a little disappointing right now, with the company ranking 7th out of 10 in our aggregate score chart covering nine top reports. (Avast, Bitdefender and McAfee came equal first; Microsoft, Total AV and Trend Micro were bottom of the list.)

The aggregate score covers many areas, though, including Android effectiveness, performance and more. If you’re only interested in Windows protection, the results are much better. Avira managed an excellent third place in AV-Comparatives’ latest Real-World Protection test, for instance (behind Avast and AVG), blocking 99.8% of threats with zero false positives.

It’s important to remember that these results are measuring the performance of Avira’s paid products. That gives us a good baseline to understand how the company compares to the best of the competition, but as Avira Free Security doesn’t have full web protection, it won’t block as many threats.

We tested this by attempting to access 50 shiny new phishing URLs obtained from experts OpenPhish. The results confirmed that Avira Free Security really doesn’t have any web protection, as the app couldn’t block a single site.

Avira delivered mid-range results in our malware blocking tests. (Image credit: Future)

Fortunately, Avira has a separate free Browser Safety extension for Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera. This is more limited because it only protects the browsers where you install it, while system-level protection covers all your apps, but it’s still a huge improvement. We tested the same phishing URLs with Avira Browser Safety installed, and it blocked 90%, as good as a result as we’d expect to see from any paid antivirus.

Malware detection is more challenging, but again, Avira Browser Safety made a big difference. When we attempted to download 50 malicious files, Browser Safety blocked 36% before we could even access the URLs, and another 54% as the files were saved, for an overall protection rate of 90%.

We’ve seen others score higher - Avast Free Antivirus blocked 94% of our test threats in its last review, Bitdefender Antivirus Free an amazing 100% - but 90% is better than many, and it’s not the end of the story. If you do run a dangerous file, Avira’s behavior monitoring layer detects and blocks most threats.

(Image credit: Future) Avira Free Security: VPN and other Tools

Although this review is mostly about Avira Free Security’s core antivirus features, there’s a lot more to it, and we’ll quickly run through what’s on offer here. (Take a look at our Avira Prime review for more detail or if you’re interested in the extra functionality offered by the paid apps.)

Avira Free Security includes a free VPN, but beware, it’s about as basic as you’ll see. It automatically connects you to your nearest location, with no ability to change country. There’s no kill switch in the free version (that’s a paid extra), and you’re limited to a tiny 500MB a month. For comparison, Avast One Free gives you 5GB a week.

Still, the VPN works, it’s reasonably fast, easy to use, and might just about do as an emergency backup for two minutes of browsing on public Wi-Fi.

Avira’s Password Manager covers the basics, collecting credentials when you first type them and automatically completing login forms when you revisit sites. Mobile apps and browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Opera mean you can use it almost anywhere. It’s limited, with no ability to create identities, save details like addresses and fill in forms, but might be handy if you don’t currently have any password manager at all.

(Image credit: Future)

Avira’s Software Updater and Driver Updater tools scan your PC for missing app and device updates, issues which could leave you with security vulnerabilities. These had a little value for us, finding three app updates and one driver on a new laptop. Although it’s good to know about these, Avira Free can’t install the updates automatically (that’s a paid-only feature), leaving us to find, download and install them ourselves.

Elsewhere, Avira’s File Shredder securely deletes confidential files to ensure they can’t be undeleted. There are far more configurable free tools around which do something similar, but it could be useful if you regularly handle documents with sensitive information.

Avira Free Security: Final verdict

Avira Free Security has more features than just about everyone else, but there are more compromises and limits, too. 500MB of data a month is one of the lowest allowances we’ve seen, and while Avast and Bitdefender’s free apps include system-wide web protection, Avira’s is only available for paying customers. It’s still a good product, and if you’re a fan of Avira then it’s worth a look, but everyone else will get better protection from the likes of Avast One Essential or Bitdefender Antivirus Free.

We've also listed the best cloud antivirus.

Alienware AW2725QF: Two-minute review

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

The idea of using pixel doubling to turn a 4K monitor into a native 1080p panel isn't new. But it hasn't been very successful so far. Can the new dual-mode Alienware AW2725QF do anything to change that, or will it prove just another failed attempt at having both high-res visual sizzle and high-refresh speed in a single monitor?

Apart from the dual 4K and 1080p modes, this Alienware panel looks like it has a decent shot of qualifying as one of the best gaming monitors out there. It runs at up to 360Hz and boasts a claimed response time of just 0.5ms. That's seriously fast for an IPS-type LCD monitor.

It also sports HDR 600 certification and both G-Sync and FreeSync support. If there's one area where it's a little lacking, it's connectivity. You do get a USB hub, but there's no USB-C input for single-cable connectivity, which is a pity.

Alienware AW2725QF: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

How much does it cost? $599 / £599 (estimated) / AU$899 (estimated)

When is it available? Available now

Where can you get it? Available in the US

At $599 in the US, the Alienware AW2725QF is fairly pricey for a 27-inch 4K gaming panel that lacks a mini-LED full array backlight. The larger 32-inch Gigabyte M32UC is actually cheaper. So you're really going to have to want that dual-mode functionality.

Whether it's worth the money is a tricky call. It certainly looks a little better at 1080p than the dual-mode LG UltraGear 32GS95UE. But it's ultimately a bit of a niche feature. The good news is that purely as a high-refresh 4K panel, the Alienware AW2725QF is an absolute zinger and nearly worth the asking price simply on those terms.

For now, pricing in the UK and Australia hasn't firmed up. But we expect the market positioning to be pretty similar. In other words, it'll be more expensive than a regular 4K panel of similar specs minus the dual-more functionality.

Alienware AW2725QF: Specs Alienware AW2725QF: Design and features

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

For a monitor from an out-and-out gaming brand like Alienware, the AW2725QF is pretty restrained. Yes, there are a few RGB flourishes including the power button and logos on the rear (all fully configurable) and hexagonal base design. But for the most part, it's pretty businesslike and sober suited, though the slim bezels do make for a suitably contemporary overall vibe.

Is that a disappointment? Might Alienware customers expect something a little more extroverted? Possibly. But fussier styling tends to date faster, so the restraint Alienware has shown here will probably be welcome for most users, as will the solid build quality and full range of adjustment, including tilt, height, swivel and pivot into portrait mode. 

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

The OSD menu is similarly comprehensive with settings for pretty much everything you need.

It's a fairly logical menu and makes it very easy to jump between the 4K and 1080p modes. You simply hit the main OSD menu selector button twice to toggle between the two modes. Less impressive is the display's connectivity.

The two HDMI and single DisplayPort inputs all support the full 4K at 180Hz resolution, which is good. There's also a USB hub that includes two USB-A ports at the rear, plus a USB-A and a USB-C on the lower bezel. But there's no USB-C input and thus no single-cable connectivity option for laptops.

Image 1 of 3

Alienware AW2725QF's hexagonal base (Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)Image 2 of 3

Alienware AW2725QF 's on-screen display for swapping resolutions and other settings (Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)Image 3 of 3

The port selection on the bottom of the Alienware AW2725QF (Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

Some would argue that's fine for a gaming display. Given the limitations of USB-C power supply and the elevated power consumption of a proper gaming laptop, you can't really keep one fully juiced with a USB-C cable.

But it would still make this a more versatile display to offer USB-C upstream connectivity. With a USB-C input, you could share this panel between a gaming desktop and a laptop. And who knows what you might like to do with it in future. With USB-C, you simply have more options and with the price point Alienware has gone for, it's a thoroughly reasonable expectation.

The Alienware AW2725QF also lacks an audio line-out jack, which can be handy for headphones. Again, it's not exactly a deal breaker. But this isn't a cheap display and it's the kind of feature you'd have thought Alienware would throw in just to cover all the bases on a premium monitor.

Alienware AW2725QF: Performance

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

The Alienware AW2725QF's IPS LCD panel makes a very strong first impression. It's extremely bright and punchy, with up to 450 nits in SDR mode and 600 nits peak for HDR. It's also beautifully calibrated in sRGB mode, with rich but accurate colors.

Of course, in default 4K resolution, the pixel density is super sharp and crispy, so fonts look fab. In-game, there's a crazy amount of detail to go with the visual sizzle. This is a very sweet looking panel.

It's also seriously fast for an IPS display. Alienware claims 0.5ms GTG response for the Extreme setting in the display's Overdrive submenu. That does bring in a tiny bit of overshoot and inverse ghosting. But the two less aggressive options are still very fast and look just great. In fact, this panel is fast enough that pure speed is barely a concern. Or a reason to upgrade to an even more expensive OLED.

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

The same can't be said for the HDR performance and more broadly contrast and black levels. This monitor is edge-lit and does not have full-array local dimming. So, there's plenty of light bleed and relatively poor contrast, which goes with the territory with any LCD panel without local dimming. SDR colors also aren't terribly well calibrated in HDR mode, so you'll want to switch between modes depending on content type, which is a bit of a pain.

But what about that secondary 1080p mode achieved via pixel doubling? The idea is that for some game types, such as online shooters, you want more speed not more pixels. So, the 1080p mode offers a boost up to 360Hz refresh and is easy to access.

As for how it looks, well, it doesn't quite look like 1080p on a native 1080p display. It's certainly better than the similar feature on LG's own dual-mode 4K OLED, the UltraGear 32GS95UE-B.

That might be thanks to the conventional RGB subpixel layout of this IPS display. The superior pixel density will help, too. Whatever, the results on the desktop are fairly good, though you wouldn't confuse it with true native. Everything looks just a little jagged and pixelated.

In-game, for the most part, the 1080p mode works better and is very playable to the extent that you forget it isn't true native 1080p much of the time. The exception is that just occasionally, certain details can look quite messy and pixelated. One example is fine foliage and grass. When it happens, it can be pretty ugly.

Pixelated in-game foliage on the AW2725QF's 1080p resolution setting (Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

In the end, there will always be shortcomings with pixel doubling, but this display does it better than any yet, including that LG, which looks soft and blurry by comparison.

Should I buy the Alienware AW2725QF? Buy it if...

You want two monitors in one

The Alienware AW2725Q's dual-mode functionality isn't perfect. But the 1080p mode ups the refresh rate to 360Hz and looks OK in-game most of the time.

You love crispy, speedy visuals

The 4K resolution on a punchy, well-calibrated 27-inch IPS panel looks fabulous, and this is also just about the fastest gaming monitor of its type we've yet tested.

Don't buy it if...

You're expecting a true 1080p native experience

The 1080p pixel doubling mode is the best we've yet seen. But it still doesn't look like a true 1080p panel and adds significant cost to this display...

You love HDR sizzle

The Alienware AW2725Q does have HDR 600 certification. But there's no full-array dimming and it doesn't come close to an OLED panel for HDR or contrast performance.

Also Consider

Gigabyte M32UC

This is a larger 32-inch display, which arguably makes better use of a 4K pixel grid. It's not as fast as the Alienware, but it is a fair bit cheaper and offers better contrast from a VA panel.

 Read our full Gigabyte M32UC review here

Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q

If you want 4K gaming on a very tight budget, you could do a lot worse than the Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q. It's only 60Hz, but has a quality IPS panel and basic HDR support.

Read our full Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q review here

How I tested the Alienware AW2725QF

I rigged up the Alienware AW2725QF as my primary display for a week. The aim was to use it across a wide range of applications to get a really good feel for how it delivers in both 4K and 1080p for everything from daily desktop duties to hardcore gaming sessions.

As a 4K IPS panel, it's actually well suited to precision productivity. But what the Alienware AW2725QF is really built for is gaming, and for the most part it's pretty stellar. I assed everything from color accuracy and response to latency and HDR performance.

It was particularly interesting to see how it stacked up against LG's dual-mode OLED display, not to mention all the other recent OLED monitors, numerous examples of which I've reviewed. Plenty of more conventional 4K gaming panels have passed under my beady gaze, too, so putting the Alienware AW2725QF into context was certainly intriguing.

First reviewed September 2024

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation: Two-Minute Review

When they're in the ear, at first glance the Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation might not look much different to the third-generation AirPods. However, the design has been streamlined for a better fit, while the internal hardware has been upgraded, with many of the best features of AirPods Pro 2 trickling down to Apple's new entry-level earbuds, making them a tempting option among the best AirPods.

For one, both styles of AirPods 4 – these and the standard version, which don’t offer noise cancellation – are powered by the Apple-made H2 chip that stretches the battery life, delivers excellent audio playback, and provides enough horsepower for Apple to offer Adaptive Audio on the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. 

While it doesn't entirely block out the world around you in the way that the best noise cancelling earbuds do – remember these are open-ear earbuds – when paired with music, it can reduce loud rumbles, like a jet engine, down to a drastically reduced sound. 

I think folks who desire the ability to block out the world around them without fully sealing off the ear will find a nice middle ground here. The Transparency mode, as well as how these pick up the user's voice, is very well done and sounds incredibly natural.

You'll also be able to answer or decline calls with a shake of your head and press the stems for easy control, other than for adjusting the volume. Sadly, the ability to swipe to change the volume didn't trickle down from AirPods Pro 2. However, excellent audio quality with a wide soundstage did, and that's paired with support for Personalized Spatial Audio. 

Overall, the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation make a bit more sense over the entry-level for the price and provide some future-proofing, but they also make an impact as powerful open-ear earbuds.

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review: Pricing and Availability

The Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are priced at $179 / £179 / AU$299. They're available from September 20th, 2024, though are available to order already. 

The $129 / £129 / AU$219 entry-level AirPods 4 do not offer noise cancellation, or, as their pricier siblings do, a Find My-enabled case and a couple of other features, but they still offer excellent audio quality and spatial audio support.

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review: Specs Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review: Features

(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

Much like the AirPods Pro 2nd Generation, AirPods Max, or even the third-generation model that they replace, the AirPods 4 – with or without active noise cancellation – offer several useful features, which make them an excellent choice for anyone with an iPhone, or who’s otherwise invested in Apple’s device ecosystem.

After unboxing, you need to flip the lid open and hold the AirPods 4 near your iPhone to start the pairing process. You’ll see a prompt appear on the bottom half of your screen and can click ‘Connect’ to pair the AirPods 4 with your iPhone and your iCloud account for easy syncing between devices. I found that this process took just a few seconds to complete. 

Fast-pairing and quick switching between devices have long been staples of AirPods, with the former dating back to the first generation, and they perform well here. Right after pairing, I was able to begin listening on my iPhone, and I could quickly switch to listening to audio on a 14-inch MacBook Pro or an iPad. Apple’s various platforms will even automatically switch your AirPods between devices based on what you’re actively using or playing audio on,, but I found this to be a little less helpful. 

One very helpful feature here, though, is the arrival of gesture controls. First announced as an upgrade for the AirPods Pro 2nd Generation at Apple’s WWDC in June, these head gestures launch on day one with AirPods 4, allowing you to easily answer or dismiss a call with a simple head shake. Just in my few days of using the AirPods 4 this has come in handy several times, especially when my hands are full or I’m walking around town. It works for phone calls, FaceTime, and other calling apps that use Apple’s APIs.

(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

Aside from nodding your head or saying “yes” or “no”, you can also press the stems, or press and hold, to trigger a few actions. A single press lets you play or pause, while a long press lets you select listening modes. While these open-ear earbuds won’t fully isolate you from your surroundings, the AirPods 4 offer active noise cancellation, transparency, and Adaptive Audio (blending those two) modes. You cannot, however, swipe or down on the stem to adjust the volume – the ability to do this on the AirPods Pro is super-handy, but seemingly, Apple wants to keep that feature for its flagship earbuds.

Apple’s H2 chip – the same chip found in AirPods Pro – powers all of these features, as well as the microphones, custom algorithms, and sensors. As I wrote in my hands-on review, after I tried the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation right after the launch event to quiet down a noisy space, they offer seriously impressive noise cancellation for open-ear earbuds or buds that don’t fully seal off the ear. In that space, with ANC engaged, the sound of the crowded space was muffled, and when music playback began, it was mostly quieted down.

On an airplane, it was much the same experience – you can get some peace and quiet with them, but they won't fully drown out the environmental noise as the AirPods Pro can. Part of this might be due to the fact that your body is feeling vibrations and wants to match them with sound, but I think another factor is that without the full seal and as you move your head, ambient sound has more opportunity to enter your ear. The result is that AirPods 4 block out most sound, but on an airplane – or a train – you’ll still hear the engine roar and even some cabin noise. Still, though, these effectively block out a lot of noise.

I’ve long thought that the AirPods Pro offered the best transparency mode, in which they intelligently let environmental sounds in and lower the decibels so as not to harm your ears. I think the AirPods 4 outpace those, though – with transparency mode enabled here, any sense of roboticness or noise being piped in is pretty much removed; with Conversation Awareness turned on, you can also effectively have conversations with folks quite naturally, at times even forgetting these are in your ears. Your own voice, or in this case my voice, sounds a bit more natural and less processed as well.

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review: Design

(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

The AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation don’t stray too far from the working formula of Apple’s other true-wireless earbuds. They opt for short stems like the AirPods Pro or the AirPods 3rd Generation that these directly replace. The curved portion of hard plastic that sits in your ear has been slightly redesigned and is now more curved, to provide a better fit in the ear.

I found the AirPods 4 to be pretty cozy in my ears. I comfortably wore them for over four and a half hours while on a flight and for countless hours with intermittent usage while working. They still just kind of plop in your ear and rest there. I didn’t have them fall out on any occasion, whether on a turbulent flight, while working out, or while walking indoors and outside in a bustling city. 

(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

The case is downright tiny given the smaller footprint that the left and right AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation take up. It’s much smaller than the AirPods Pro 2nd Generation case, and even the case for the cheaper AirPods 4, and is shorter than the AirPods 2nd Generation’s case. You still flip it open to take out or put back your AirPods 4, and there’s a multi-purpose indicator light on the front.

There’s no back button on the back case for easy pairing, though. Instead, you’ll double-press the back to trigger pairing for other devices, including non-Apple ones. It’s an easter egg that Apple needs to publicize a bit more.

To charge the AirPods 4, you can plug them in via USB-C, though there’s no longer a charger in the box. If you get the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, you can also place them on any Qi-wireless charger or Apple Watch charging puck.

In my testing, I found that with active noise cancellation, transparent, or Adaptive Audio enabled, you’ll get around four hours and 15 to 20 minutes of usage. That’s beyond Apple’s promised four hours of playback with a listening mode enabled. With no mode on, you can get about five to five-and-a-half hours of playback, depending on the volume you’re listening at. A quick five minutes of charging in the case also provides at least an hour of listening.

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review: Sound Quality

(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

To sum up, the AirPods 4 essentially sound as good as AirPods Pro 2nd Generation, and, as with their predecessors, that’s without the buds providing a true seal of the ear. There’s a clear and rich audio mix with a fairly wide sound stage, but the real chef’s kiss here would be the Spatial Audio support.

Powering the audio experience is Adaptive EQ via the H2 chip, and pushing out sound is a custom high-excursion drive and a high-dynamic range amplifier. It’s also worth noting that there’s a single H2 chip in each bud, with audio sent over Bluetooth 5.3 from the connected device. 

This all comes together to give you a balanced representation of the track you’re listening to, but if you’re listening to something that bops with more oomph the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation won’t shy away from raising the lower-end or really offering a surprising amount of bass for earbuds of this size. For instance, with Burnin’ Train by Bruce Springsteen, the track starts off with a rising guitar riff that’s quickly joined by drums, piano, and vocals all across the sound spectrum – it sounds sonically here and in lossless via Apple Music I didn’t notice any distortion or dropouts. 

With a pop/EDM track like Apple by Charli XCX, you can see how the AirPods 4 handle layering of sound, with a surprisingly sharp bass track that doesn’t distort with the singer’s vocals on top at higher frequencies, with various electrical beats in between. The AirPods 4 tend to handle almost all genres well, and even without a full seal, deliver a great balanced mix, although at higher volumes you will have some sound leakage. 

Spatial Audio here essentially gets rid of stereo’s left and right channels, with various elements of a track flowing around you. It’s a more immersive listening experience, and Apple’s implementation here is excellent. I particularly like spinning it with a live track, but I think the album version of Down On The Corner by Creedence Clearwater Revival is one of the best examples. Not to mention, it also works with some movies and TV shows to put you right in the middle of the action.

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review: Value

(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

At $179 / £169 / AU$279 with active noise cancellation or $129 without, AirPods 4 offers a variety of features previously found only on Apple’s most high-end earbuds. The new design language streamlines the AirPods' appearance, as they all look similar. 

If you’re sold on open-ear earbuds or ones that lack silicone tips, AirPods 4 are likely your best bet if you want to be within Apple’s ecosystem. The higher price might only be $70 away from AirPods Pro, but you still get a lot of value for the price: three listening modes, a comfortable open-ear design that doesn’t fall out, solid battery life, and a findable case should they go missing. 

The $129 / £129 edition of AirPods 4 will lose the listening modes and the Find My enabled case, but it still offers a rich, crisp audio experience, all of the handy Apple ecosystem features, and support for Spatial Audio. 

Should I Buy Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation? Buy them if...

If you want an open-ear fit that works in the Apple ecosystem

Replacing AirPods 2nd and 3rd gen, AirPods 4 are the new open-ear, non-ear sealing earbuds that work extremely well with the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac.

Don't buy them if...

If you want the best noise cancellation in an earbud

Considering AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation don't seal off your ear with a silicone ear-tip, these earbuds won't block out all environmental sound. So if you're looking for that consider another pair like AirPods Pro 2nd Gen or one of the best wireless earbuds from elsewhere.

How I tested Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

For the past several days, I've been living with and using Apple's AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation with an iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad Mini, iPad Pro, 14-inch MacBook Pro, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Apple TV 4K. 

I tested audio playback, standard, and Spatial Audio tracks in various locations to gauge and track performance and see if there was sound leakage since these are open-ear earbuds. I threw various tracks across genres at AirPods 4, streamed from Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, and Nugs.net. 

I used active noise cancellation, transparency, and "Adaptive Audio" listening modes in various locations, including at home, in an office environment, while walking around a city, on a train, in a car, and on a plane. I tracked and measured how long the battery lasted with these modes on and off and the charging time. 

• First reviewed September 2024. 

If you want a platform that can do your SEO, content optimization, and website monitoring, all from a single tool, Conductor is a solid choice for you. It goes beyond just boosting traffic and offers various features to dominate your website in its niche. For the SEO part, you get a detailed competitor analysis feature where you can use various filters to compare another site head-to-head. Regarding content, Conductor delivers AI-driven recommendations for keyword insights, content attributes, and even your page health. But that’s not all. We’ll cover various powerful features of Conductor in this review and help you find the right way to utilize it.

• You can sign up for Conductor here.

Conductor: Plans and pricing

Unlike other SEO platforms, Conductor does not have any fixed paid plans for their services. It claims to deliver the perfect plan for its customers by customizing it according to their needs. However, you can expect a bunch of features under their premium plans.

The Intelligence plan comes with best-in-class keyword and audience research, in-depth competitive and content intelligence, and global rank tracking and market share analysis. You can even benefit from automatic performance and ROI reporting, actionable AI-driven suggestions, and seamless direct integrations with platforms like Drupal, Asana, and more.

On the other hand, the Conductor Website Monitoring plan, powered by ContentKing, helps you with continuous website monitoring. Along with that, you get intelligent prioritization of pages and issues, 24/7 dynamic monitoring, and real-time alerting customized with specific rules. It also provides critical technical SEO insights, detailed governance and compliance tracking, and live change tracking with audit trails. So, with these trial plans, you do get an idea of what’s in store for you.

• We've featured the best rank checking tools.

Conductor: Features Explorer

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Conductor's Explorer helps you thoroughly research keywords and your target audience. You can study search volume and take advantage of organic search, social media, and demographic data(with age, occupation, and location insights). With a few blinks, you can transform keyword and topic research into content outlines that can easily be shared with task management tools such as Asana, Trello, and Jira.

Furthermore, Explorer keeps an eye on and analyses your competitor's strategies. This involves monitoring the keyword's performance, content’s impact, and the backlinks profiles. Plus, you get assistance in selecting high-volume and low-competition keywords for your paid search campaign as well.

 Pages Report

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The Keyword Details report from Conductor gives a thorough look at how well your web analytics data is performing in organic marketing. It shows year-over-year data, compares metrics, and gives insights on paid versus organic traffic for your domains and segments. These reports also show the ROI of your marketing strategy by combining multi-channel analytics, search data, and activity tracking into one view.

Plus, you get automatic tracking and reports on how campaigns impact ranking and revenue. Detailed insights on changes to your site, like title tags, meta descriptions, and heading tags, further enhance the useability of these reports.

 Keyword Research

Conductor's Keyword Research boasts over 20 billion keywords. This comes with data on search volume, competition, and trends. You can also choose from thousands of location and device combinations to see data in the most relevant search context for a specific keyword.

What really impresses us is that you can determine the level of competition for your keywords by analyzing the different types of results. This includes featured snippets, videos, or People Also Ask results. While this sounds good, do check all your ranking pages for the same keyword to make sure you’re not cannibalizing your own performance or chances of outperforming your competitors.

Content Guidance

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You can create compelling, relevant, and optimized content by analyzing the top-performing content and identifying gaps. Conductor's Content Guidance comes with real-time AI-generated recommendations for keywords, readability, and structure. This makes sure that you follow industry standards and user preferences. For example, you can take a URL and use the tool to understand the shortcomings as well as advantages of your optimization.

Digital Presence

If you want to define and track the visibility of all your digital content across the Google SERP, social media, owned content, press coverage, and earned media, then the Digital Presence Tracking feature will take care of it. By tracking and analyzing your brand's performance, it offers a holistic view of your digital footprint. In addition, you get brand mention tracking and digital presence analysis to enhance brand reputation. Not to forget, Conductor's Website Monitoring is powered by ContentKing, which provides 24/7 real-time monitoring and alerting for optimal performance.

• We've featured the best SEO keyword research tools.

Conductor: Interface and in-use

The Conductor's interface is neat, intuitive, and easy to navigate. Its well-organized dashboard allows you to access important tools and insights. However, if you are new to the software, these features can be daunting.

Despite that, Conductor integrates seamlessly with a wide range of other platforms. For example, you can create, deliver, and optimize content with advanced design and UX capabilities by connecting your account with Adobe. Likewise, SEMrush improves online visibility management across various channels from a single platform, and Yext boosts business visibility with modern, AI-powered search capabilities.

Similarly, Google Analytics helps track organic content performance and provides detailed reports on website traffic. This is an added advantage, especially when using Google Workspace. It offers real-time monitoring and constructive insights into Google search results through Google Search Console.

Conductor even integrates with project management and collaboration tools like Trello, Jira, and Asana, streamlining workflow and productivity. Dragon Metrics improves ranking and automates reporting, while Talkwalker specializes in consumer intelligence for impactful brand analysis. All and all, there are plenty of tools to help you out with your SEO journey with Conductor.

• We've featured the best onpage SEO tools.

Conductor: Support

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Conductor’s strength lies in their exceptional training and assistance. If you are new to the software, there’s a thorough onboarding program called Seamless Startup. It assures expert guidance on account setup and integration to meet your marketing targets. There is a Role-Based Mastery section that offers expert-led training sessions, focusing on equipping you with the essential skills related to the software.

To keep your team up to date, Conductor includes self-paced learning, live training sessions, and a knowledge base. You can also rely on FAQs, how-tos, and 24/7 Assistance from a global team ready to save your day with their in-product chat and email support.

Conductor: The competition

At times, you might need a tool with specific features to meet your marketing needs. So, Ahrefs, Moz Pro, and Semrush are all great options to consider instead of Conductor. They have their own set of special features and functions that cater to different aspects of SEO and digital marketing.

Ahrefs

If you are looking for strong backlink analysis and a detailed site explorer, Ahrefs is knocking at your door. The platform's strength lies in how it crawls the entire web 24/7 and stores petabytes (1PB = 1000TB) of information about live websites. It helps you to identify link-building opportunities and monitor competitor strategies. Ahrefs is also exceptional in keyword research, offering 28.7 billion filtered keywords and 110 billion keywords. It provides accurate search volume data and difficulty scores to assist you. Furthermore, Ahrefs' site audit tool makes it easy to identify and address technical SEO issues to enhance overall site health. You also get Directory listing, Access Management, API features, Pay by invoice, Audit log, Calendar view, Google Data Studio, and more.

Read our full Ahrefs review.

Moz Pro

If you're looking for a tool that is easy to use and focuses on community and education, Moz is the perfect choice. It offers metrics like Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA) that are commonly used to measure the effectiveness of websites and individual pages. With a 30-day free trial, Moz Pro delivers keyword tracking for Google US and International, Google Mobile, Bing, and Yahoo. It also offers valuable insights into keyword difficulty, SERP analysis, and search volume. On top of it, Moz Pro even has a link explorer to analyze backlink profiles and a Page Optimization Score for your target keywords.

Read our full Moz Pro review.

Semrush

Semrush goes beyond just SEO with tools for PPC, social media, and content marketing. One of its key selling points is its massive database, which boasts over 43 trillion links. This makes it the most up-to-date and extensive resource available. Semrush's keyword research tool is useful for in-depth information on search volume, keyword difficulty, and competitive analysis. That’s not all. Semrush even stands out in areas such as global databases, desktop, and mobile traffic data, search engine volatility by industry, brand mentions for PR, and social media engagement and traffic.

Read our full Semrush review.

Conductor: Final verdict

Conductor won the Gold Medal in the 2023 Search Engine Optimization Data Quadrant by SoftwareReviews. They have been improving their service since 2008, particularly their integration with popular tools like Adobe and Asana. Apart from detailed keyword research and real-time content guidance, their website monitoring feature truly meets the expectations. While Conductor is a top choice, there are other exceptional alternatives like Ahrefs, Moz Pro, and Semrush with better global database and user interface customization. But don’t forget that with free trial options, you can test Conductor anytime and see if it boosts your business.

• Check out the best online marketing services.

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 two-minute review Product info

This model has slightly different names and product codes in different territories:

In the US:

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop with XL HEPA Self-Empty Base RV2610WA

More basic model: Shark Matrix Self-Empty Robot Vacuum RV2310AE

In the UK: 

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum & Mop RV2620WDUK

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Self-Empty Robot Vacuum & Mop RV2620WAUK

For this review, I tested the RV2620WAUK. There may be minor differences between different countries' models.

I’ve been testing robot vacuums for several years and, while I’ve long accepted that no robot will ever allow me to retire from manual vacuuming altogether, I’m forever hopeful one will come close! Shark has an excellent reputation in the vacuuming world, so I was cautiously optimistic when the Shark Matrix Plus Robot 2-in-1 landed on my doorstep.

Some might say the popular tech brand was late to the robot party, at least in the UK. Shark has had success with robot vacuums in the US for a while now, but only added them to its UK lineup in spring 2024. I tested the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Self-Empty, which can vacuum, mop and empty its own bin. Happy days.

As you might expect from Shark, this smart little robot packs plenty of techy features. A major highlight is its 360-degree LiDAR sensors. This light detecting and ranging technology is aimed at quickly and accurately mapping your home and navigating around obstacles and I can confirm the Shark’s works very well. It also has a special air blasting feature, which I haven’t encountered before, that blows out air to push debris away from edges and corners and into the path of the suction channel. Again, I was impressed.

Although it didn’t blow my mind, the mopping results were better than I’ve experienced from a robot in the past. Rather than just dragging a vaguely damp mop pad along the floor, the Shark Matrix Plus Plus’ mop pad oscillates as it goes (100 times a minute, allegedly), to mimic a scrubbing motion. Many people will also love that the bin unit the self-emptying vacuum discharges into doesn’t need to be emptied for 60 days. Unless you have two hairy kids and two hairy dogs that is – I didn't make it past two weeks. 

I tested the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 on the ground floor of my four-bed home for a month. Although it wasn’t perfect and the app wasn’t as slick as I’m used to, I really did rate this robot, especially for those who are tight on money as well as time. I'd have no qualms about giving it a place on our best robot vacuum list. Read on for the full low down on my time testing the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 robot vacuum.

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 specs Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 review: price & availability

• List price: $699.99 / £449.99 
• Available: US and UK

The Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 sells in the US for $699.99 on Shark’s own website. At time of writing, there are seven robots in the range, with the Matrix Plus being the third most expensive, behind two PowerDetect models that come with self-refill water reservoirs in the base and cost up to $999.99. The cheapest Shark robot you can get in the US is the Shark ION, which is just $279.99 but unappealingly basic.

There are just three robot models available in the UK, and the Matrix Plus 2-in-1 I tested boasts the most diverse spec. In the world of robot vacuuming, I’d say its £449.99 price tag is more than reasonable (even allowing for exchange rates, it’s a better deal than in the US), but you can save yourself £100 if you empty the bin manually and get the entry-level model that still mops but doesn’t self-empty. Or, if you mostly have carpets so want a robot that’s more focused on vacuuming, invest £50 more and go for the top spec Shark PowerDetect.  

Whichever side of the pond you are shopping for a Shark Matrix Plus, I’d say the brand has priced it very reasonably, especially when you consider most robots that include mopping capabilities, for example iRobot’s Roomba, cost $1k plus. It’s not entirely flawless, but the Matrix Plus 2-in-1 represents excellent value in terms of build quality, features and cleaning prowess.

• Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 review: design

• Low-key looks
• Compact base station
• Tricky mop insert

The Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 won’t blow your mind with its futuristic looks or striking shape, but it won’t scare the horses either. It’s black and round with a neat little base and sat under the table in our hallway just fine. It arrived nicely packaged, with a great deal of cardboard and other eco-friendly packaging and precious little plastic. 

(Image credit: Future)

Underneath, the design is also fairly innocuous, but I was a tad worried by the corner brush, which has just one brush arm, instead of the usual three-to-five I am used to seeing. The roller head had rubber fins – which tend to be good on solid floors – as well as carpet-friendly brushes, but there was only one roller, and some of the better robots I have tested have two. 

(Image credit: Future)

The base station (which measures H14 x W12 x D9 inches) only caters for dirt; there’s no water reservoir. But the bin capacity is generous and it’s easy to see when it’s getting full due to the vertical strip of transparent Perspex. It also clips in and out easily, as does the filter in the other side of the base station – a large, foam creation that needs cleaning under the tap once a month. I appreciated that the base station has a plastic disc the size of the robot, which is to protect wood floors from getting soggy when the mop attachment is in place.

(Image credit: Future)

On the top of the Shark Matrix Plus are just two buttons, one to power on/off and the other to start/stop, everything else is done by the app, which I will cover in depth lower down this review. 

(Image credit: Future)

• Design score: 4 out of 5

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 review: app

• Good mapping skills
• Scheduling and spot cleaning
• No multi-maps 

To get started, I just had to pop on the side brush, plug in the base (then charge the robot for six hours) and download and connect the app. Do make sure you only connect it to a 2.4 GHz wi-fi network, I wasted about half an hour trying to connect it to my 5 GHz but that was my fault for not reading the instructions. In my defense, the instructions that come with the Shark Matrix Plus are not particularly enlightening, but are enough to get you set up (if you read them properly). 

(Image credit: Future)

Compared to other robots I have tested, the SharkClean app is pretty basic and rather annoying. Hopefully there will be upgrades as Shark gets its head around robot life. It is basic in that it doesn’t allow you to schedule specific rooms or more than one clean per day, it doesn’t let you choose how the robot cleans (perimeter-first works best for our pet-filled home), and you can’t change the power levels once it’s working.

The annoyances generally iron out, but they can be frustrating. Mainly I found it slow to connect, which is annoying when you’ve decided to pop a clean going before you jump in the car. The cleaning reports didn’t always record/save, and I found it hard to move between actions. For example, if it was returning to base, I couldn’t get the app to show me the maps so I could plan the next job. Sometimes the map disappeared completely, or the app froze, and once or twice it wouldn’t acknowledge that we had a robot in the house at all! 

The other downer that didn’t bother me, but might you, is that it will only map one floor. I am happy to use my cordless vacuum upstairs (where it lives) and have never been one for carrying robots up and down levels but if you want to use the robot on multiple floors, you’ll only be able to map one of them. 

It's not all bad news though. The actual map the Shark Matrix Plus created was perfect first time and was created really quickly – in less than 10 minutes. I also found it very easy to add rooms, as well as rugs (to prevent wet carpets in mopping mode) and create a schedule for each day (to coincide with the school run). 

• App score: 3 out of 5

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 review: performance

• Good at corners and edges
• Quieter than advertised
• Mopping a bit basic

Using in vacuum mode

The Shark Matrix Plus comes with the regular vacuum cleaning insert installed, which has a small bin and filter inside and automatically empties its payload back at the mother base. I needn’t have worried about the measly single-arm corner brush, as it did an excellent job of getting dog dander and dust bunnies out from along the skirting boards and corners of cabinets etc. 

(Image credit: Future)

Shallow enough to get under all our freestanding furniture, including the sofas and the kitchen kickboards, the Shark Matrix Plus also had no problem climbing onto chunky rugs or over the wooden thresholds between rooms, many of which have thwarted less agile robots.

Being largely open view with level flooring throughout the ground floor, our home is the perfect setup for robotic cleaning. But I was also hugely relieved to discover the Shark Matrix Plus could hoist itself over the legs of the lounge chairs in our kitchen, which have grounded every other robot I’ve ever hosted. This meant I’d have to lift the heavy chairs onto the sofa out of the way or go and rescue the robot and restart it mid-clean. I was delighted the Shark Matrix Plus glided over them with barely a grunt.

(Image credit: Future)

Another genius benefit of the Shark Matrix Plus is its ‘Matrix’ cleaning system, which essentially means it cleans back and forth and then up and down, in a grid-like pattern. The difference between that and a simple back and forth clean was significant. You can only use Matrix if you’re doing one room, presumably because it takes more time and power, but I liked to use it on the living room because that’s our only carpeted room and the results were much better.

You can also Matrix Clean a 5’ x 5’ area without the app, which is great for random spills. You need to carry the robot to the spot, then press and hold the start button for five-to-seven seconds until it says, ‘starting spot clean’. 

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(Image credit: Future)

I used this spot cleaning function to test the Shark Matrix Plus on an area of flour and oats. As you can see from the photo gallery above, the results were average. It cleared most of the flour, except in the grooves between the wood planks, and left just a few crumbs of oats. I still had to get out my cordless to finish the job, and I only used the low power setting to get the flour out of the grooves, suggesting that my cordless is better than the Shark Matrix Plus, even on its lowest power setting. Annoyingly, there was quite a lot of flour and oats left around the base station when it returned to empty the bin, and I had to get the cordless to clear that up, too. 

(Image credit: Future)

As I work from home, I really appreciated how quiet the Shark Matrix Plus was, my decibel meter recorded just 46 dB in the low power mode, which is the one I mostly used on our hard flooring. This is similar to the sound of bird calls or in a library and was much lower than Shark’s official rating, which presumably has to include the bin emptying sound level. Being so quiet meant I could have it running around in the background when working, except during Zoom meetings, without feeling distracted or annoyed. It is indeed much louder when emptying the bin into the base station, but it’s very short-lived.

On the point of bins, I did love having the extra capacity of the base station as my usual robot requires daily emptying. However, it fell far short of the 60-day emptying schedule advertised – I found two weeks was about the longest I could leave it. 

Our carpets and rugs are all low pile (upstairs, too), so I can’t tell you how well the Shark Matrix Plus might manage on a thick pile rug, but it did well on our wool carpet in the living room and the jute rug in the kitchen. I mean, it’s hard to say how deep down the clean was, but I didn’t feel the need to get another vacuum out afterwards. 

(Image credit: Future)

Using in mop mode

Before mopping, I first had to add rug zones to my map, so it didn’t soak the rugs or carpets. This was pretty easy to do, until it got to the exploration run, which you’re meant to do to make sure you have got the rug placements right. The Shark Matrix Plus wandered close to where I’d marked the kitchen rug, and then went a bit mad, zig-zagging all over it. I decided I didn’t have the patience to worry about it and sent it back to base.

(Image credit: Future)

Once the module is in, the Shark Matrix Plus automatically recognizes it is mopping and – this bit is amazing – it will vacuum and mop at the same time. I’ve only tested one robot vacuum that claimed to mop and was disappointed to discover that it really couldn’t. That other model barely made my floors damp, let alone cleaning them, and because it had to go round and vacuum first, it also took a lifetime to do a terrible job.

By contrast, the Shark Matrix Plus did a much more thorough job and you could see trail marks where it had been, which showed decent coverage. The pad oscillates over the surface, which presumably picks up more dirt than just sliding along. The mop pad was reassuringly dirty when it was done, too. As most of our ground floors are real engineered wood flooring, I also appreciated that the Shark Matrix Plus didn’t flood them in water as that would almost certainly damage them. Oh, and it also managed to find, and skip past, the rugs. 

(Image credit: Future)

In truth, the results didn’t compare with what can be achieved with an actual mop, and it didn’t get very close into the corners or skirtings, but it was good enough for a mid-week freshen up before getting the mop and bucket out on Saturday morning. 

• Performance score: 4 out of 5

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 review: battery life

• Plenty of power
• Charges quickly

The battery life ranges from about 85-110 minutes, depending on what power mode you have it on. This isn't anything to rave about, but it only needed one quick recharge when covering our ground floor in max power, which took around 131 minutes (including charging time) to do all six rooms and the hallway (which the Shark app says is 112sq m worth of cleaning). Once recharged, it would return to the spot it left off and merrily resume cleaning. 

The official Shark stats say the battery takes six hours to fully recharge, but I found it only took about three so perhaps it wasn’t completely empty whenever it went back to base. Either way, I had no complaints about the battery life. 

• Battery score: 5 out of 5

Should you buy the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1? Buy it if…

You hate emptying bins

As I own a robot that requires emptying every single day, I can assure you that you need a self-emptying base station.

You have hairy housemates

The roller is anti-hair-trapping and it works well. There were a few hairs around the middle after a month’s testing but nothing like what I’m used to seeing wrapped around my robot’s rollers. It also has proper HEPA dust filtration.

You want zero drama

Of all the robots I have tried, this was the least needy. It never once got stuck or lost, nor sent me a distress message to say it had ‘fallen off a cliff’ (when in reality it was just straddling the doormat). 

Don’t buy it if…

Tech stresses you out

The app is glitchy and unreliable and not terribly informative, either. There may have been swearing…

You want to clean upstairs, too

The mapping currently only covers one floor level, so choose wisely.

You’re OCD about dirt

Like most (possibly all) robots, the suction power isn’t comparable to manually operated vacuum cleaners – use it for daily maintenance cleaning, then do a ‘proper’ vacuum on the weekend. 

Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 review: also consider

Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1

The Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 and Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 are both powerful robot vacuums with mopping capabilities, but they differ in key areas. The AI Ultra excels in smart navigation and AI-powered obstacle avoidance, while the Matrix Plus offers a better clean thanks to its multi-surface brushroll and Matrix Clean

Read our full Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 review

Narwal Freo X Ultra

The Narwal Freo X Ultra and Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 both offer advanced vacuuming and mopping, but they've very differently priced. For the extra loot, the Narwal Freo X Ultra offers self-cleaning mop pads and autonomous water management, ideal for hands-free maintenance. 

Read our full Narwal Freo X Ultra review

How I tested the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1

• I used this vacuum in my own home for a month
• I vacuumed carpets and vacuumed and mopped hard floors
• I recorded the sound levels using a Decibel Meter App

I used the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 to clean the ground floor of our four-bed, Victorian family home for a month, using it every day on all our downstairs floors, which include terracotta and porcelain tiles, engineered timber, wool carpet and three rugs. The total area is around 120sq m.

I checked out every feature on the app, and did Spot cleans, Matrix cleans and mopping runs. I liked being able to pick specific rooms, so I could just get the main kitchen and hallway done quickly, but mostly I scheduled the robot to work while I was out of the house, so I could arrive home to nice clean floors throughout.

During testing, I used the decibel meter on my iPhone to monitor noise levels and conducted a test to see how the vacuum coped with flour and oats on hard flooring. 

As part of my job as a journalist specialising in kitchens and bathrooms, I’ve been reviewing vacuum cleaners for publication both online and in print for several years now. I’ve tested lots of robot vacuums, and currently own an Anker by Eufy Hybrid X8, which I like well enough, but I liked the Shark Matrix Plus more. 

Read more about how we test

First reviewed September 2024

LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED: one-minute review

I’ve been waiting a long time for a monitor like the LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED. With a brilliant OLED display and a gorgeous 4K resolution, backed up by an ample 240Hz refresh rate and brilliant picture quality, this LG monitor makes OLED technology a must-have for anybody who plays PC games or bases their home life around their computer desk. 

There’s a noticeable quality difference between OLED and IPS monitors when playing cinematic and competitive games alike on a computer, and with this thing sitting on your desk you’re bound to get bang for your buck on the picture quality front.

But while we can celebrate LG for bringing the cost of an OLED monitor down with the 32GS95UE-B, let’s be honest with ourselves – $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,399 is still expensive for a monitor no matter how impressive the tech is. 

Those looking more greater image depth and HDR performance may also want to look elsewhere, as the LG's peak brightness doesn't reach the retina-searing heights of similarly priced Samsung and Alienware models. My biggest bugbear though? Surely we can give peripherals better names than difficult to understand numbers and letters.

LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED: price and availability

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / Techradar)

• How much does it cost? $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,399
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? LG directly and technology retailers in the US, UK and Australia

It’s tough to find a cheap 32-inch gaming monitor – especially one with an OLED panel (with prices often starting well above $800 / £800 / AU$1,000) – but the LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED offers a sensible price-to-cost ratio for enthusiasts. It’s kind of a rarity, considering that it ditches an ultrawide profile and a curved screen for a more standard design, while most OLED monitors elect to have at least one of the aforementioned traits.

Similar monitors are available from Gigabyte and Alienware with significantly lower costs, with the closest competitor being the Samsung Odyssey G8 OLED G80SD (with a listed price of $1,299 / £1,099 / AU$1,999). 

LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED: Design

(Image credit: Techradar / Zachariah Kelly) LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED Key Specs

Screen size: 32-inch
Resolution: 3,840 x 2,160
Brightness: 275 nits full screen, 1,300 nits max HDR
Color coverage: 98.5%
Response time: 0.03ms
Refresh rate: 240Hz (4K) / 480Hz (1080p)
HDR: DisplayHDR True Black400, HDR10
Features: FreeSync Premium Pro, NVIDIA G-Sync, Dual Mode, Pixel Sound, 1 x HDMI, 1 x DisplayPort, 1 x Headphone out, 1 x USB-A upstream, 1 x USB-A downstream

An achilles heel of many gaming displays is the design – thick bezels, beefy stands and a focus on big, obvious branding offen make a monitor look cheap and overdesigned. This is in no way a problem for the LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED.

It’s tempting to head this section off with ‘it’s a big black rectangle with a pentagonal stand’ but we can entertain the monitor more than that. It’s a premium design language that LG and Samsung alike have been leaning into with their high end monitors. 

It’s mature to the point of only having the ‘UltraGear’ and ‘LG’ brand signifier in the front of the pentagon stand, without any branding on the actual display bezels. There’s RGB lighting on the back, allowing you to shine numerous colors onto the wall behind. If you know this feature isn’t for you,  it’s easily turned off through the monitor settings. 

Cables can be fed through the back of the monitor easily thanks to a neat cable management system, and you’re able to raise the panel quite high up off the base.,It would be nice if it could go lower, but we’re being quite picky. The monitor can swivel, tilt and pivot as well if you want to adjust the pitch of the display.

The panel is extremely premium, too. It’s polished with an anti-glare coating that only shows a warped reflection at most in low-light or reflective light situations. This is quite remarkable for an OLED display, as the technology, inherently, can’t go particularly bright. This means it can occasionally suffer in bright rooms, but as I found during testing in my office-bedroom – which is filled with light at all times during the day – I was able to play games with little issue.

LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED: Features

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / Techradar)

The big sales pitch of the LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED is its ‘dual mode’ functionality. At the press of a hotkey (located conveniently under the monitor), this monitor can switch between 4K 240Hz to 1080p 480hz. The first is more ideal for those after more cinematic, graphically beautiful gameplay, albeit at a lower framerate, while the second is intended for high octane competitive gamers after smooth frames.

We can err on the critical side with this feature and note that 4K 240Hz gameplay, at its height, would be difficult for even the most expensive gaming computers to reach in gorgeous single player games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Star Wars Outlaws. I would even go as far as to say that 240Hz is not just difficult to attain but is also very much overkill – 144Hz will suffice for a story-rich game.

The flipside of the feature makes much more sense to me – 1080p gameplay at 480Hz for fast-paced games where you want to see more frames rendered in a second. I can see the benefit of this in a game like Counter Strike 2 and League of Legends – but those high frame rates may even be seen as unnecessary by a competitive gamer. Leveling with you, dear reader, that’s not me – I prefer a pretty picture to a consistently smooth one (though I do like my frames to be above 60FPS). The monitor has a smart cleaning process for when it doesn’t detect an input, refreshing the pixels to avoid burn-in – a common issue with OLED monitors. 

The monitor also comes with FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync. It has a Display Port, HDMI, headphone jack, USB (downstream) and USB (upstream) ports, with support for a 100 x 100 mm wall mount. Satisfying me as someone who likes to watch stuff on their computer in bed, the monitor also has built-in speakers and comes with a Displayport and HDMI cable in the box.

LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED: performance

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / Techradar)

The LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED’s display is matte – not glossy like you’d expect from most displays. The extreme blacks and darker shades that the OLED pulls off in use – and when turned off – are so deep that you’ll at most see a rough reflection of yourself, but not enough to ruin the experience. 

That’s an OLED panel’s entire deal and it leads to better performance on every front – deeper blacks equals  better contrast – the difference between the darkest and brightest parts of an image.

And at the 32-inch size, I’ve found this monitor to be the best way to experience a lot of cinematic games. Star Wars Outlaws and Warhammer 40K: Space Marine II both play exceptionally well on the monitor and look much more gorgeous on the OLED screen than my previous 32-inch Gigabyte M32Q monitor. 

TV shows like The Acolyte and The Bear look equally impressive – particularly The Bear for its attractive use of color sharpness in central objects amid a bland palette. The LG 32GS95UE-B aces it on color clarity.

The speakers are pleasantly surprising, too. I was expecting sound that peaks too readily and sounds washed out, but the 32GS95UE-B performs just about as well as any TV without a separate speaker system. This can be chalked up to LG’s ‘Pixel Sound’ feature, which provides a directed sound experience without any external speaker system.

The monitor performs relatively well on brightness and HDR – though both could be better at this pricepoint. The maximum brightness (1300nits) and enhanced darkness clarity doesn’t fare much better for content than just using the display with HDR disabled (275nits standard luminosity).  

And while it doesn’t fit into any other category in Techradar’s review format, I’ve just got to say it – this name, the LG 32GS95UE-B, is just letters and numbers. They have meanings obviously but it’s extremely difficult to communicate to a customer – so much so that LG just calls the display the ‘32" UltraGear OLED Dual Mode 4K UHD’ on its website, and hence why we’ve been naming it interchangeably throughout this review. Less letters and numbers please.

Should I buy an LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED? Buy it if... Don't buy if... Also Consider LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED: Report Card How I tested the LG 32-Inch UltraGear OLED

As soon as I received this monitor, I got to work unpacking it and setting it up. Pulling it out of the box was easy, as was the process of putting the stand together (no tools were needed, as everything slots and screws into place by hand). As my main space in my home is my bedroom-office, this monitor was switched on at almost all hours whenever I was home. To avoid burn-in, the panel was often turned off for cleaning when not being used.

The main use of the monitor was for gaming using a separate headset. I played a variety of games, including Caravan SandWitch, Team Fortress 2, What The Car, Star Wars Outlaws, Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2, Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon 5.

I also used the monitor for watching Twitch streams, YouTube videos and lots of TV shows, including The Bear and The Acolyte.

• First reviewed September 2024

Dell has long been a staple in the business workspace, known for delivering reliable, high-performance laptops that cater to the needs of professionals across various industries. The Latitude series, in particular, has been a go-to for companies looking to equip their employees with devices that are both robust and versatile.

Recently, I reviewed the Dell Latitude 7350 Detachable, a powerful 2-in-1 device that impressed with its flexibility and portability. Now, this laptop is the standard Dell Latitude 7350—a more traditional laptop that promises the same level of performance but with the stability and feature set expected from the best business laptops.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Dell Latitude 7350: Unboxing and First impressions

The Dell Latitude 7350 comes in minimalist, professional-looking packaging, and it is clear from the beginning that this is more professional than some of the laptops I look at. That could be because of the simple logo, the color, the form factor, or whatever it may be; it's clear that this laptop is meant for business. Upon unboxing, the first thing that surprised me was how light and sleek the device was. It feels very light and portable, which would be fantastic for those daily commuters or those in and out of physical meetings all day, walking from place to place. The Latitude 7350's build quality feels premium, with a sturdy hinge mechanism and smooth finish. All around, this laptop looks and feels great out of the box.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Dell Latitude 7350: Design and Build Quality Specs

Processor: Intel® Core™ Ultra 5 135U, vPro® or Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 165U, vPro®  
RAM: 16GB or 32GB LPDDR5x, 6400 MT/s (Onboard)
Storage: 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB M.2 PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD  Display: 13.3” FHD+ (1920x1200) IPS, Anti-Glare, No-Touch, 250 nits or 13.3” QHD+ (2880x1920) IPS, Touch, 500 nits  Graphics: Integrated Intel® Graphics, Core™ Ultra 5 or Ultra 7
Battery: 3 Cell, 57 Wh, ExpressCharge™ capable
Ports: 2x Thunderbolt 4.0 with Power Delivery & DisplayPort (USB Type-C), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 with PowerShare, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x Universal audio jack, Optional: SmartCard reader, uSIM card tray
Connectivity: Intel® BE200 Wi-Fi 7 (2x2), Bluetooth® 5.4 Technology, Optional: 5G or 4G LTE  
Webcam: 1080p at 30 fps
Operating System: Windows 11 Pro  
Dimensions: Ultralight Laptop: 11.77 x 8.38 x 0.69 inches, 2.18 lbs (0.989 kg) or Aluminum 2-in-1: 11.77 x 8.39 x 0.70 inches, 2.86 lbs (1.297 kg)

The Dell Latitude 7350 Business Laptop features some customizations regarding the chassis and LCD panel. The two main chassis options are an ultralight magnesium version in a deep blue and a more durable aluminum variant in a more typical gray. The ultralight model weighs just 2.18 pounds (0.989 kg), making it one of the lightest business laptops on the market. While slightly heavier, the aluminum chassis offers more durability and additional features like a SmartCard reader, which may be a deal breaker for some.

Dell offers multiple display options, including a 13.3-inch FHD+ touch and non-touch, as well as a QHD+ 2-in-1 variant, all with a 16:10 aspect ratio for enhanced productivity. This is in addition to the multiple variants of the Latitude 7350 already, meaning there are plenty of options for this laptop to be customized to your needs.

The keyboard features a mini LED backlight with a Copilot key, enhancing power efficiency and workflow speed. With the Copilot key, Microsoft's AI is a keystroke away, ready to help you with a boost of productivity when used correctly.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Dell Latitude 7350: In use

The Latitude 7450, the non-2-in-1 variant, is powered by Intel’s latest Core Ultra processors. It offers options ranging from the Core Ultra 5 135U to the Core Ultra 7 165U, making it highly capable for most business applications. I've had the opportunity to use this laptop for the last few days as my primary machine to get work done, and I have a lot of thoughts.

The Latitude 7350’s battery life is impressive, with more than 10 hours of use on a single charge and a basic daily workload. By the third day, I stopped worrying about bringing a portable power station because I was confident in my battery life.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)

I greatly appreciated the lightweight nature of this little 13-inch computer. It has been easy to grab and go while still being large enough for most of my work. For those things that I wish I had more screen real-estate for, I can easily plug into any of the best business monitors with the available ports and get to work.

These days, with the nature of what I do, most of my meetings are virtual. The Dell Latitude 7350 makes these meetings super easy, especially if those meetings are on Zoom or Microsoft Teams (sadly not Google Meet or others, yet). The Latitude 7350 has a collaboration touchpad, meaning that at the top of the standard touchpad are soft buttons in Zoom and Teams to help with effortless collaboration. These controls help with screen sharing, muting, turning the camera off, and showing or hiding the chat window. The collaboration features are top-notch and help make virtual meetings on this laptop a breeze.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Dell Latitude 7350: Final verdict

The Dell Latitude 7350 is a formidable choice for business users who need a lightweight, powerful, and secure device. A solid alternative to some of the best Lenovo ThinkPad laptops, its high price point is justified by the extensive customization options and premium features, making it a worthwhile investment for those who can afford it.

If you are looking for a quality, lightweight, powerful laptop and happen to have a lot of virtual meetings, this laptop should be on your list of computers to consider.

For more productivity hardware, we've tested the best business computers and the best business tablets.

The Sihoo M76A-M101 Ergonomic Office Chair is a lightweight, minimalist chair with one standout feature. It has a clean and simple look, making it suitable for almost any working environment. It is designed to accommodate nearly any body size. My primary team member who uses this chair is 5'1", and it fits her perfectly. What's impressive is that I can also sit comfortably in this chair. Unlike some of the best office chairs designed only for taller individuals, this one can appeal to a wide range of people. Whether you’re short or tall, this chair adjusts to fit your body perfectly, providing the comfort and support needed for long hours at the desk.

Sihoo designed this chair to be lightweight for easy maneuvering, and the breathable mesh keeps you cool even during intense work sessions. Sihoo also added a unique coat rack on the back of this chair. Initially, I thought it was a gimmick, but it turned out super helpful, especially here in Central Illinois, United States, where I live, since the seasons are so dramatic. Coats are needed for a good chunk of the year -- winter, spring, and fall.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Sihoo M76A-M101: Unboxing & first impressions

The Sihoo M76A-M101 comes securely packaged, with all parts neatly organized. The assembly process is straightforward and took about 21 minutes from chair opening to sitting in the chair and adjusting the settings. The chair’s lightweight design is immediately noticeable, making it easy to move even before assembly. Once out of the box, the chair appears modern and sleek, with a design emphasizing functionality over flair. The mesh material feels durable and breathable, and the adjustable components move smoothly. The armrests have a notably cheap feeling; however, they still fulfill their duty. The chair cushion is comfortable, and the backrest is supportive. All around, this is a simple chair. And sometimes, that's precisely what you need — a chair, not a space station.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Sihoo M76A-M101: Design & build quality Specs

Material: High-quality mesh, sponge cushion
Color: Grey
Weight:
Dimensions:
Chair Height: 107 - 125 cm / 42.1 - 49.2 in
Chair Back Height: 61 cm / 24 in
Seat Depth (back to front): 48 cm / 18.9 in
Seat Width: 47 cm / 18.5 in
Chair Depth: 69 cm / 27.2 in
Armrest Height: 22 cm / 8.66 in
Seat Height from Ground: 40.5 - 48.5 cm / 15.94 - 19.1 in
Warranty: 3 years

The M76A-M101 chair by Sihoo is designed with ergonomics in mind. It features a sleek, double-jointed headrest that easily adjusts for neck support, and a larger, higher backrest that enhances overall back comfort. The lumbar support is also highly adjustable, ensuring that users can find the right fit for their lower back. This has proven true for taller and shorter users, which is impressive for such a simple chair.

Despite its lightweight nature, the chair feels sturdy. The flip-up armrests are a convenient addition, especially for those who need to fit the chair under a desk or prefer a more open seating space. Although they could drop down and raise like some other popular chairs, flipping them back entirely gets the armrests out of the way, which is helpful in some settings. The breathable mesh used for the backrest and seat ensures that the chair remains cool and comfortable, even during long periods of use. The seat cushion is soft yet supportive, made from a thick sponge wrapped in high-quality mesh.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Sihoo M76A-M101: In use

The Sihoo M76A-M101 ergonomic office chair has been great to use. As mentioned, my team has been using this chair for nearly two months now. This chair shines in its adjustability. The headrest, armrests, and lumbar support can all be customized to the user’s preference, ensuring a comfortable seating experience. The chair also offers a 120° recline for when you need a quick break and need to kick back.

I briefly mentioned it before, but the most unique part of this chair is the coat rack. Specifically, having a coat rack on the back of your chair has proven helpful if used in an office or a home office. Even in warmer months here in Illinois, the coat rack has come in handy for a rain jacket, and soon, it will come in handy for a winter jacket. This helps keep the jacket off the backrest and, therefore, not have you lean back on the coat, especially if it's wet. It’s a small but thoughtful addition that keeps your workspace tidy by providing a place to hang your jacket or even a hat.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)

While working in this chair, we found the flip-up armrests super helpful. Flipping up these arms while using the chair with some desks has made it easy to slide the chair under the desk.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Sihoo M76A-M101: Final verdict

The Sihoo M76A-M101 is a well-rounded ergonomic office chair that delivers on comfort, adjustability, and practical features. Its lightweight build and easy assembly make it an attractive option for both home and office use. While the coat rack might not be essential for everyone, it’s a nice touch that adds to the chair’s overall functionality. If you’re looking for a versatile chair that fits a range of heights and needs, the Sihoo M76A-M101 is worth considering.

Looking to brighten up your workspace? We've reviewed the best standing desk and the best office desk models you can get.

The Logitech Keys-to-Go 2 is a keyboard that I was excited to try but genuinely thought would be gimmicky since I already operate my day-to-day without a travel keyboard, and until seeing the Keys-to-Go 2, I did not feel as though I was missing out. However, there was something about how Logitech made this portable keyboard that I knew I had to try, and it may answer some questions I had yet to ask.

In short, the Logitech Keys-To-Go 2 is an ultra-slim, travel-friendly Bluetooth keyboard designed for portability without sacrificing functionality. It's ideal for students and professionals looking for a compact typing solution that can work with any Bluetooth-enabled device.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)

It offers a significant redesign from its predecessor with improved durability, scissor-switch keys, and a protective flip cover. Additionally, this keyboard gives Mac and Windows-specific keys, which gives it extra utility as one of the best office keyboards around, working wonderfully with either operating system, smartphones, iPads, or Windows tablets (and while I have not tried it personally, I would assume this works well with ChromeOS and pretty much any Bluetooth device that can pair with a Bluetooth Keyboard).

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Logitech Keys-to-Go 2: Price and Availability

The Logitech Keys-to-Go 2 has three color options: Graphite, Pale Gray, and Lilac. The pricing is honestly pretty great at only $80. It's available to buy just about anywhere, and you can purchase through Logitech or Amazon.

Logitech Keys-to-Go 2: Unboxing and First Impressions

At first glance, I stole the keyboard; I was shocked at how small yet capable this keyboard looked. I loved that it's so thin and lightweight while also having a sleek, protective, built-in, flippable cover to add durability. Though the keyboard is (sadly) not rechargeable, Logitech is kind enough to send pre-installed batteries so I can get to work immediately.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Logitech Keys-to-Go 2: Design and Build Quality Specs

Dimensions: 9.8 x 4.1 x 0.17 inches
Weight: 0.48 pounds (222 g)
Key Mechanism: Scissor-switch keys with 1mm key travel
Connectivity: Bluetooth Low Energy, supports up to 3 devices
Compatibility: iOS, iPadOS, Android, Windows, ChromeOS, macOS
Battery Life: 36 months with 2 CR2032 coin cell batteries
Colors: Graphite, Pale Gray, Lilac
Other Features:
  - Full row of function/media keys
  - Protective flip cover
  - Spill-proof, durable design with recycled materials

Logitech proved that this was a portable, lightweight keyboard in their design. The overall footprint is a mere 9.8 x 4.1 x 0.17 inches, which is tiny yet large enough to have a functioning keyboard. For reference, it's only slightly more compact than the standard Apple Magic Keyboard (see photo). The protective cover protects the keys if the keyboard is tossed in a bag and doubles as a stand to elevate and slightly angle the keyboard.

The keycaps are pleasant and smooth to type on. While it is a compact and smaller-than-average keyboard, I only notice fatigue if I type for extended sessions. And, even there, I can't entirely blame fatigue on the keyboard as I also have arthritis in my wrists, so any kink compared to what I am used to can cause accelerated fatigue. With that in mind, I will say that the arrow and punctuation keys are a bit cramped, but nothing terrible.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Logitech Keys-to-Go 2: In Use

As mentioned above, I was not in the market for a portable keyboard. I have tried having a keyboard in my everyday carry bag a few times, which has always felt overkill. I've got a good thing going with my daily and highly productive setup that fits beautifully in my Nomatic Navigator backpack. When I saw the Keys-to-Go 2, I knew I had to try it. I now wouldn't have to worry about a case for a keyboard adding extra bulk, all to protect a keyboard from getting damaged in my bag in the first place. All around, it felt silly. But, with the Keys-to-Go 2, Logitech has included a flap that protects the keys while elevating the keyboard slightly when folded back.

I was off once I hooked up the Bluetooth nodes to my MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and whatever laptop I was testing that day (it rotates regularly) utilizing the three Bluetooth nodes. I propped my laptop up with a Moft case or adhesive stand and got to work. There was something about having even a bit of separation and the ability to prop my laptop up to an angle that would make utilizing the built-in keyboard very uncomfortable, which made working that first day incredible. I got so much done it blew my mind. The keyboard helped immensely, and I stayed comfortable all day long. In the days following this first day of amazement, I could do something similar with my iPad Pro. Yes, I have a magic Keyboard case that I will usually use when I take my iPad somewhere as my only or primary computing device for the day (or hour). However, this time, I took my iPad and the keys-to-go 2, and honestly, it was a great experience. I set up my iPad using my Moft folio case and got to work without skipping a beat -- I even gained a function row of media controls this way, compared to the Magic Keyboard.

Now, for some of the negatives. I don't love that the keyboard is slightly cramped. I see that as an issue for some people. Further, I don't love that this is not rechargeable. Granted, the battery is supposed to last quite a long time, but the ability to recharge with USB-C would still be great (maybe for Keys-to-Go 3?). Other than that, though, this keyboard has been fantastic and has made for a beautiful addition to my backpack that I barely even notice is there because of its tiny size, lightweight design, and cover, so I don't have to worry and remind myself that it is there in fear of breaking it.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Logitech Keys-to-Go 2: Final Verdict

The Logitech Keys-to-Go 2 is ideal for users seeking a portable, durable, and highly capable keyboard. It's compact and responsive, has three Bluetooth notes, a full-function row of keys, and a Mac/Windows layout. While I wish it had a rechargeable battery, it lasts a long time, and I have had no issues. If you're traveling, use a tablet as your primary device, or want a portable keyboard for some other reason, you need to check out the Logitech Keys-to-go 2.

Looking for more peripherals? We reviewed the best MacBook Pro accessories.

Twinkly Strings: two-minute review

The Twinkly Strings are smart LED string lights that you can use to decorate your Christmas tree or drape anywhere else in your home that's in need of a little festive cheer. Once you've mapped their position using the Twinkly app, you can set them to a solid color, take your pick from dozens of animations, or even use them to create a picture (either a preset from the app, or one of your own).

They come in four lengths: 26.2ft (100 LEDs), 65.6ft (250 LEDs), 105ft (400 LEDs), and 157.5ft (600 LEDs). I tested the 400 LED set, but 250 LEDs would have been ample for my 4ft tall Christmas tree. The LEDs arrive divided in two bundles as shown in the images below, so I hung one set around the tree and the other across the room.

I tested the Twinkly Strings RGB lights, but there's also an RGB+W version, which could be a good choice if you're planning to have the lights up all year round and would therefore enjoy more subtle white lighting at different color temperatures outside the festive period. The RGB lights are available with black or green cables, and if you opt for the RGB+W version, then you can also opt for clear cables that will be less obtrusive when installed more permanently.

The lights are positioned on springy, zig-zag-shaped wires, which are easy to hang and position. They don't become tangled as easily as conventional string lights; the shape of the wire makes them easy to bundle up once you're done, then secure each bundle with the Velcro tie included in the box. Although I had the black version, the wires weren't very visible when tucked among the tree branches. 

Image 1 of 3

I tested the 105ft Twinkly Strings with RGB LEDs (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 3

The strings are divided into two bundles connected by a length of cable, which allows you to spread them out more easily (Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 3

The zig-zag shape of the cable allows it to stretch (Image credit: Future)

Once you've draped the Strings to your liking, open the Twinkly app on your phone (you'll need to create an account if you haven't used it before), switch on the lights and hold the button on the controller until the light turns turquoise. The app will then be able to find the lights, and you can connect them to your home Wi-Fi network. This worked perfectly during my tests, as it did with the Twinkly Line LED strip that I also tested recently.

When that's done and you've installed any necessary firmware updates as prompted, you'll be asked to use your camera to map their layout so that the software can assign the correct color to each bulb to create gradients, patterns and pictures. There are two ways to do this: Easy Mapping, which requires a simple straight-on view of your lights, works fine if they'll mostly be viewed from one angle; and Advanced Mapping, which uses images from multiple angles, and would be useful if you've positioned your Christmas tree in the center of the room or wrapped the lights around something outdoors.

There are two ways to map the Twinkly Strings: Easy, which only requires a front-on view of the lights, and Advanced, which uses images from various different angles (Image credit: Future)

Simple mapping worked just fine for my tree, which was against a wall. Interestingly, the software was able to deduce where the lights on the back were positioned well enough to project a smooth gradient onto the wall, as you can see in this review's main image.

The various preset animations work well, and you can create a playlist that will store them on the Strings' in-line controller, so you don't have to open the app each time you want to change them. Pressing the button on the controller will cycle through your saved options, and holding it will switch them off.

You can save your favorite light settings to the Twinkly Strings' controller as playlists (Image credit: Future)

Some of the preset animations can be synced to music, as indicated by a musical note beside its name. This uses input from your phone, or from the Twinkly Music sound sensor dongle, which is available to buy separately. It would be nice if there was a microphone integrated into the controller, particularly since the Music dongle requires a USB power supply and the lights will already be using one of your electrical outlets.

I also experimented with using the Twinkly Strings to display a picture, but my tree was too small for this to work well. You could get the general idea, but there weren't enough lights visible at once to create a "canvas" with a sufficiently high resolution. It would be much more effective on a larger tree using the full complement of lights.

The Twinkly Strings work with all the major smart home platforms, and I had no issues at all connecting them to Google Home. The app found them immediately and added them to my living room. I was then able to use them like any other smart lights, and create automations that would turn on all the lights in the room at once with a voice command (such as "Merry Christmas"), or at a particular time.

Once you've chosen an animation in the Twinkly app, you can see how it will be mapped to your lights and make changes (Image credit: Future)

If you only have room for a smaller tree (under 4ft) then you may find that the smallest size (26.2ft) is too long, so you might prefer to opt for the shorter Twinkly Dots.

Covering extra large areas isn't a problem, though. While you can't add extensions to the Twinkly Strings, you can group multiple Twinkly products via the app and use them all together as a massive "canvas". 

Twinkly Strings: price and availability

The Twinkly Strings are available globally direct from Twinkly, or from third-party retailers such as Amazon. The price depends on the length of the string, and whether you opt for the RGB or RGB+W lights.

These prices are around a third less than the equivalent Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Festavia string lights.

Govee (Twinkly's main rival for the best smart lights on a budget) doesn't have a product that's an exact equivalent – its Christmas String Lights are more like the Twinkly Dots, with LED beads inside a flexible tube that can be wrapped around objects.

The lights are very attractive in use, and the various sparkling animations are particularly festive (Image credit: Future) Twinkly Strings: specs Should you buy the Twinkly Strings? Buy it if

You want lights you can use all year round

The Twinkly Strings can be used indoors or out, and the RGB+W version have clear cables that will blend into your decor when not in use – they'll be practically invisible until you're ready to get in the party mood.

You like to go all-out at Christmas

One of the biggest advantages of Twinkly's smart lights is the ability to connect multiple devices together via the app and use them all together to create a massive display. 

Don't buy it if

You only want to liven up a small area

Even the shortest Twinkly Strings is 26.2ft long, with 100 bulbs, and it can't be cut to length. If you want to jazz up a smaller area, the Twinkly Dots may be a better choice. They come in a 9.8ft version with 60 LEDs.

You want to keep it classic

The Twinkly Strings offer so many fun options, it would be a shame not to make the most of them by experimenting with colors, animations, and sound reactivity. They can do a classic twinkling effect, but if that's all you want then the smart Strings will be overkill.

Twinkly Strings: also consider

Still not sold on the Twinkly Strings? Here are two other options you might want to consider.

Nanoleaf Smart Holiday String Lights

Like the Twinkly Strings, these festive lights are a more affordable alternative to the Philips Hue Festavia strings. They only come in one length, but it should be suitable for a typical 6ft Christmas tree. Unlike many smart string lights, these are Matter-compatible to help future-proof your festive setup.

Read our full Nanoleaf Smart Holiday String Lights review

Govee Christmas String Lights

These lights take the form of LED "beads" encased in a clear, flexible cable. They're easier to drape than conventional string lights – but the cable is quite noticeable, particularly on a small tree. They're bright and vibrant, though, and make a fun display.

Read our full Govee Christmas String Lights review

How I tested the Twinkly Strings

To test the Twinkly Strings, I wound one half of the 105ft length around a 4ft artificial Christmas tree, and strung the other half across the length of my living room. I used the Twinkly app for Android to connect them to my home Wi-Fi network. and tested both the simple and advanced mapping options to address the LEDs.

I used them together with the Twinkly Line LED strip, connecting the two devices in the Twinkly app, where I could control them as a single device. I also connected them to my Google Home setup and created custom automations to control them.

Read more about how we test.

First reviewed September 2024

Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra Walkie-Talkie: 30-second review

The tough phone market is highly competitive, with each model striving to distinguish itself from the other. The Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra's Walkie-Talkie edition sets itself apart from most other mobiles with a set of usual features, such as Walkie-Talkie, FM Radio, and Endoscope accessory option, combined with an ultra-tough, outdoor-ready design.

While many rugged phones are built tough, the Armor 26 Ultra stands out with its additional functions and features. The headline feature is the phone's ability to function as a walkie-talkie, supporting both mobile radio and DMR modes with UHF or VHF antennas. These antennas are included in the box, providing flexibility for different types of communication and are especially useful where the network signal is low.

In addition to standard apps for streaming services and video conferencing, the Armor 26 Ultra includes a standard FM radio, allowing you to tune into traditional wireless radio stations without relying on digital connections. 

If these features haven't already marked this phone out as something a bit different, then the range of accessories takes its use a step further. Alongside the usual cases and straps, there's a plug-in endoscope, which is invaluable for seeing around bends, inside walls, or behind sinks. 

Performance-wise, the Armor 26 Ultra is solid. It runs a mid-level mobile processor and GPU that's more than enough for most applications and the slightly older Android 13 OS. However, at the core, this phone is designed for work purposes. Its build quality ensures it can withstand being trampled, bashed, thrown, dropped from heights, and submerged in water, making it one of the toughest smartphones available.

The added features, like the plug-in endoscope, are innovative, though the method of attaching it by means of small screws is fiddly, but once installed it's extremely handy. The UHF walkie-talkie feature and FM radio, on the other hand, are well thought through, with a dedicated antenna for UHF or VHF needing to be fitted depending on the system you and the team are using. Using the walkie-talkie feature requires another Armor 26 Ultra or compatible walkie-talkie, but once channels are confirmed, the operation is simple with a recording feature that adds to the functionality. 

Ultimately, the Armor 26 Ultra is unique compared to the best rugged phones we've reviewed. It's perfectly suited for businesses with employees working on-site, and it offers durability and several communication options, from standard 5G mobile networks to more traditional Walkie-Talkies.

Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra Walkie-Talkie: Price & availability

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

• How much does it cost? Starting from $699?
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? You can get it directly from https://www.ulefone.com/

The Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra is priced at approximately $699, making it a premium option in the rugged smartphone market. It is available for purchase directly from the Ulefone official website by clicking here and through various online retailers such as Amazon and AliExpress. 

• Value: 4 / 5

Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra Walkie-Talkie: Specifications Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra Walkie-Talkie: Design

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

The Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra is purpose-built for outdoor use, with every detail designed for ruggedness. The phone is significantly larger and heavier than, say, an iPhone 15 Pro measuring in at 179 x 83 x 25.5 mm and weighing 600g. This size is matched by a robust design featuring angular lines and yellow accents that all come together to emphasise its tough, outdoorsy nature. The exterior is made from hard rubberised plastic that provides shock protection against knocks and drops.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Reflecting the intended market for which the phone is designed there are a range of accessories including a holster-style phone case that clips onto a belt making it ideal for on-site use. The phone's front features a large 6.7-inch touchscreen display, accompanied by a small front camera for video calls. The back houses a tri-camera setup, including a 200MP main camera and a substantial speaker unit that ensures loud audio for the walkie-talkie feature and FM radio.

On the left side, the phone features a dual SIM and TF microSD card slot, a yellow walkie-talkie shortcut button, and contacts for connecting the optional endoscope. The base includes a USB Type-C port for charging and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The right side has a red SOS button, a power button with biometric fingerprint recognition, and volume controls. Finally, a flap on the top conceals the socket for UHF or VHF antennas to enable the walkie-talkie functionality.

While the size and weight of the phone are large and relatively weighty, it has been ergonomically designed and is comfortable and easy to hold.

• Design: 5 / 5

Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra Walkie-Talkie: Features

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

• 15,600mAh battery
• IP68/IP69K and MIL-STD-810H certification

When it comes to features, the Armor 26 Ultra is packed with more than most. Starting with its tough credentials, it has IP68/IP69K and MIL-STD-810H certification, which means it's waterproof, shockproof, and dustproof. It also stands up to military-grade drop testing, making this phone suitable for use on building sites or as a great option if you're hiking off the beaten trail and need a phone that can survive all elements and conditions. To ensure the screen stays intact even after a big drop, it features Corning Gorilla Glass 5, which also offers increased scratch resistance with a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating.

The 6.78-inch Full HD screen has a 120Hz refresh rate, providing smooth motion graphic when gaming or watching videos. The multi-touch display features IPS technology which produces a clear crisp and bright image. The phone supports 5G networks, enabling fast connections to mobile networks for quick downloading of content and files, provided there is a signal, otherwise there's Wifi 6 support if available and the Walkie-Talkie feature. 

Powering the phone is the MediaTek Dimensity 8020 chip with an octa-core CPU and advanced Mali-G77 MC9 GPU, with processing speeds up to 2.6 GHz. It comes with up to 12 GB of LPDDR4X RAM (12 GB + 12 GB Virtual RAM) and 512 GB of UFS 3.1 ROM, expandable to 2 TB with a TF microSD card.

Imaging is another standout feature with a 200-megapixel main camera that uses a Samsung ISOCELL HP3 1/1.4" sensor and EIS for blur-free images. There's a 64-megapixel night vision camera with a Night Elf Ultra 3.0 algorithm and two IR LEDs, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide macro lens with a 117.3° field of view. On the front there's a 50MP Selfie camera.

The phone is powered by a huge 15,600mAh battery, offering up to 1,750 hours of standby time, 56 hours of talk time, and 23 hours of video playback. The rated capacity is actually 7,800mAh with a high voltage of 7.74V, claimed to be equivalent to the larger capacity. Such a large battery could take a long time to charge, but thankfully, the phone comes with a 120W flash charger. It can also charge through the PD protocol with a Type-C to Type-C cable. One of the notable accessories available for the Armor 26 Ultra is the 33W fast charging dock, allowing you to pop the phone into the dock for automatic charging when connected to AC power. This setup is similar to most walkie-talkies and reinforces the phone's design for building sites and similar trades.

A nice feature of this large-capacity battery is reverse charging. If your earbuds, watch, or other devices need a power boost, simply connect them to the phone via a USB cable, and they can use the phone's charge.

The smartphone apps included enhance its features, making it more versatile than other rugged phones. These include the camera app to connect to the endoscope for inspecting hard-to-reach places, the walkie-talkie app for direct communication, and the FM radio app for listening to traditional radio stations even without a digital signal.

• Features: 5 / 5

Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra Walkie-Talkie: Performance

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

• Excellent processing power
• Plenty of storage options

When testing the performance of the Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra, it was essential to consider both its durability and functionality in various applications.

The first aspect to investigate is the build quality and toughness, given its certifications. The Armor 26 Ultra claims to withstand harsh conditions, and our tests confirmed this. The phone was dropped from 1.5 meters onto a hard surface multiple times. Despite its 600g weight causing significant impact, the phone survived with minimal damage. It endured being thrown, trampled on different surfaces, and sustained scratches and dirt without any functional issues.

For water resistance, we submerged the phone in a river for 30 minutes. After ensuring all ports were sealed, we retrieved the phone, wiped it clean, and it functioned perfectly. 

Next, we assessed the Armor 26 Ultra's additional features, such as the endoscope and walkie-talkie functions. Attaching the endoscope was a bit cumbersome, requiring the unscrewing of a bolt on the side to connect the contacts. Once connected and secured, the endoscope provided a clear 720p HD view, allowing users to inspect hard-to-reach areas with the built in LED light helping to throw some illumination where needed. This feature is particularly useful for trades that require detailed inspections in confined spaces.

The walkie-talkie function was tested by pairing the phone with an existing UHF walkie-talkie system. Setting the UHF antenna, included in the box, to the correct frequency was straightforward. The communication was clear, and the ability to record conversations for later review could be a valuable feature. 

Switching the phoens testing to actual use and it seemed that the data processing capabilities were good with it able to handle everyday tasks with ease. Using standard applications like Google Docs, the phone was able to handle the review and editing of documents with ease and the large touchscreen made navigating those documents as well as browsing the internet easy. 

In terms of processing power, the Armor 26 Ultra surpassed expectations for a rugged phone. It handled more intensive applications like Adobe Lightroom and CapCut without issue, enabling quick image enhancements and social media edits. The 5G connectivity ensured fast upload speeds, and it was tested on the Vodafone network in the UK. Benchmarking results showed that while it may not compete with high-end smartphones like the iPhone 15 Pro, it performed exceptionally well compared to other rugged smartphones, often surpassing their performance.

Overall, the Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra proves to be a highly durable options perfect for all weather conditions and ideally suited to trade and construction sites. 

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

• Performance: 3 / 5

Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra Walkie-Talkie: Final verdict

The Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra offers far more than most rugged smartphones. Its tough design ensures it can withstand more abuse than most, and it also surpasses other rugged phones in durability and build quality. The unique feature set, including the ability to convert the phone into a fully functional walkie-talkie, makes it an excellent choice for use on building sites, allowing multiple Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra's Walkie-Talkie Edition devices to keep everyone on-site updated.

For individual tradespeople, the plug-in two-meter endoscope enables the ability to inspect of areas that would otherwise be impossible to access. The built-in traditional wireless radio adds to its overall appeal, especially in locations where internet connections are weak or non-existent.

While the processing power doesn't match that of high-end smartphones, it is sufficient for browsing the internet, making calls, and utilising the various handy accessories available for this phone. For these uses, it has ample power.

The Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra's Walkie-Talkie Edition is a solid choice for use on building sites and by tradespeople. It provides a an excellent option for communication through both standard mobile networks and through the UHF/VHF walkie-talkie function, making it a great choice anyone who needs a rugged smartphone.

Should you buy a Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra Walkie-Talkie?

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

You want a rugged phone for on-site

The Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra is perfect for construction sites with its durable build, walkie-talkie function, and robust communication tools.

You want specialized inspection tools

Tradespeople needing to inspect hard-to-reach areas will find the endoscope functionality invaluable, making tasks easier and more efficient.

Don't buy it if...

You need a lightweight smartphone

If portability is a priority, the Armor 26 Ultra's substantial size and weight might be a drawback, making it cumbersome for everyday use.

You need high-end performance for apps

For those who need top-tier processing power for intensive applications, the Armor 26 Ultra may fall short compared to flagship smartphones.

For more durable devices, we've tested and reviewed the best rugged tablets, the best rugged laptops, and the best rugged hard drives

• View at Narwal
• View at Amazon US

Narwal Freo X Plus two-minute review

The Narwal Freo X Plus is a budget-friendly robot vacuum and mop that does many things well, but a few things fairly badly. If you're just looking at the pros and cons list, the score of this review might not make sense as there are plenty more positives than negatives – but those few negatives can make for a frustrating experience. 

If you're willing to put in the time to understand this model, it could potentially be one of the best robot vacuums for you, especially if you're on a budget. After all, most of the best vacuums that include mopping ability are not going to be this cheap, unless you get something manual like the Bissell CrossWave OmniForce. When it comes to robot vacuums specifically, the price tag for great performance, feature set, and overall functionality goes way up.

The vacuuming performance of the Narwal Freo X Plus is very solid. However, like most budget models that just pull a single stationary pad across the floor, its mopping capability is just passable. Still, you'll generally end up with clean floors. 

However, the Narwal Freo X Plus seems to have a mind of its own. Unless you just set it to clean your whole space in the most thorough way possible, you'll end up with incomplete cleaning cycles. Or it might decide to head off on a different, unassigned job.

At least it has a tiny base station, so that the Narwal Freo X Plus is easier to place than most robot vacuums. Another added benefit is that it's possible to pair and use through a voice assistant like Alexa. All in all, the Narwal Freo X Plus is a somewhat capable robot vacuum that comes with some frustrating aspects, such as its erratic cleaning behavior. But they may be worth dealing with if you're on a budget, or just want to be able to do a basic, whole-home clean.

Everything you'll find in the box (Image credit: Future) Narwal Freo X Plus robovac review: price & availability

• List price: $399.99 / AU$899 (about £310)
• Launch date: March 2024
• Available: US and Australia

The Narwal Freo X Plus is available in the US and Australia, with a list form of $399.99 / AU$899. That puts it in TechRadar's budget price bracket, which is particularly significant when you consider it offers mopping as well as vacuuming functionality. Of course, whether it's a good value buy or not will depend on whether you're okay dealing with its navigational quirks. It will still deliver fairly clean floors, but can be a pain to deal with.

This is not necessarily unique to the Narwal Freo X Plus, as the recently reviewed Ecovacs Deebot N10 Plus came with its own quirky frustrations, not to mention weaker suction power than the Narwal, and it comes with a higher $649.99 / £499 / AU$999 price tag. It is, however, available in the UK unlike the Narwal, and comes with better mopping ability.

One of the strange things about the Narwal Freo X Plus is the fact that the company's flagship, Narwal Freo X Ultra, offers much better cleaning performance along with a range of other bells and whistles. Granted, that one is far more expensive (the Ultra costs $1,399.99 / AU$2,299 – about £1,110), but it's strange to see issues with the software given that it's coming from the same company.

• Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Narwal Freo X Plus specs Narwal Freo X Plus robovac review: design

• Compact base station
• Two side brushes and an anti-tangling brush roll
• Single, stationary mop pad

When taking a look at the Narwal Freo X Plus' design, the first thing that jumps out is in regards to its teeny, tiny base station. Since its only function is to charge the robot vacuum and give it a place to rest, it doesn't need to do a lot. Still, it's cute in its own way, not to mention makes it easier to find a good place in your space for the robot vacuum. Bigger models with self-emptying dustbins and water reservoirs, such as the flagship Narwal mentioned earlier, need a lot more space (although, of course, there are benefits of having these capabilities built-in).

Because it doesn't have self-empty capabilities, the dock is compact (Image credit: Future)

As far as the robot vacuum itself, it has the typical rounded shape. There are two side brushes instead of one, giving it a leg up on the vacuuming front compared to models that only have one side brush. The main brush roll is of the anti-tangling kind so you won't find it wrapped with hair, something that's not always considered on budget robot vacuums.

The underside of the Freo X Plus, with side brushes unclipped (Image credit: Future)

The mop pad is of the single, flat variety that sits along the bottom back half of the unit. While it does apply some downward pressure, it doesn't do much in the way of scrubbing. I'll talk a little more about how this affects its performance below, but just know that this is normal for budget models and that more expensive ones seem to completely abandon this approach in favor of dual spinning mop pads.

Regarding the manual controls, there are just two buttons – a power button and a home button, each with a secondary function (start/pause/resume cleaning and child lock, respectively).

Remove the magnetic cover to reveal water reservoir and dust cup (Image credit: Future)

The Narwal Freo X Plus is a fairly sleek looking robot vacuum in its all-white aesthetic. That's partially because it covers its small water reservoir and dustbin with a glossy white top that stays in place due to some cleverly placed magnets. Both the reservoir and dustbin are easily removable and easy to fill up or empty, respectively.

• Design score: 4 out of 5

Narwal Freo X Plus robovac review: performance

• Very good vacuuming
• Mopping is just okay
• Erratic behavior in how it cleans

There are a couple different factors to consider with a robot vacuum's performance, but the core one is vacuuming. Luckily, the Narwal Freo X Plus does a very good job here. Thanks to having two side brushes, it's able to get debris on either side of it. Since it has an anti-tangle brushroll, it's able to tackle aside from charge cords (the kryptonite of all robot vacuums).

The dustbin is easy to empty (Image credit: Future)

I ran this robot vacuum in a house with two French Bulldogs as well as four adult humans, two of whom have long hair, and it did a great job keeping the floor clean, picking up everything from smaller dust-like particles to debris the size of a leaf. It also picked up hair without issue and without any tangling. I even tested it with a pile of sugar and cereal and it took one pass to suck it all up. 

The Freo X sucked up both fine debris and chunkier spillages with ease (Image credit: Future)

I used it on tile, hardwood floors, and a small but thick bath mat. In terms of just vacuuming, this robot vacuum has the goods regardless of the surface. The Narwal Freo X Plus has 7800 Pa of suction power, which isn't the highest on the market, but based on my tests is still enough to deal with most household cleaning requirements. 

Mopping performance is a little weaker (Image credit: Future)

Its mopping capability is a little less stellar. I would actually describe it as okay. Since it has the one pad, it's only applying downward pressure. So, somewhat dried pieces of mud in the foyer that a robot vacuum with spinning mop pads would pick up are unaffected. More frustratingly, unless I used the highest mopping humidity setting, it didn't always wet the entire area it mopped, leaving slightly streaky results. If you are going to use this robot vacuum for mopping, my recommendation is to use the highest settings and be prepared to regularly refill the water reservoir.

As far as getting to the edges, it does well with vacuuming, thanks to those two side brushes, but doesn't really get all that close when mopping.

It gets nice and close to the edges of rooms when vacuuming (Image credit: Future)

The object avoidance, on the other hand, is pretty good. It won't necessarily give a wide berth to any randomly placed object but it will brush up against it. When I placed the bath mat down, the Narwal Freo X Plus vacuumed right up to it on all sides before deciding it could tackle it. Only then did it vacuum it.

It took a little time, but the Freo X eventually realized it could vacuum my bathmat (Image credit: Future)

Where the Narwal Freo X Plus falls short is in how it decides to clean. When I use the Freo Advice setting in the app, it will take the strangest path. Maybe it's only picking up certain debris on its sensor, but it will clean up maybe 20% of the area that it should. Also concerning, when I run to only clean a particular room, it will decide to move onto another room after finishing its initial job and start vacuuming there instead of returning to the base station. It's frustrating enough that I would rather have it clean the entire space instead of attempting to do any kind of spot cleaning.

• Performance score: 3.5 out of 5

Narwal Freo X Plus robovac review: app

• Easy-to-use app
• Mapping has some shortcomings
• Works well with third-party voice support

The Narwal Freo app is pretty straightforward to use, from setup to choosing the kind of cleaning you want to accomplish (vacuum only, vacuum and mop, and vacuum then mop). It's also a fairly attractive looking app. I didn't ever feel lost navigating to various settings, whether it's adjusting the specific cleaning settings such as suction power or mopping humidity or opening up the schedule to plan a cleaning.

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(Image credit: Future)

The map is pretty easy to use, and you can even see a 3D representation of your mapped space. Of course, it suffers from the same editing shortfalls of a lot of robot vacuum apps, where you're limited on how you partition your space. If you have an open or semi-open floor plan like the space that I often test in, you'll only be able to partition once as you can't section a partitioned space in half.

Erratic route-planning in action (left) and issues with open-plan spaces (right) (Image credit: Future)

On the bright side, setting it up with third-party control – I tested it with Amazon Alexa – was fairly easy to do. The only quirk is knowing the very specific phrases that it can understand. “Alexa, run the robot vacuum” doesn't work, while “Alexa, ask my robot to start cleaning” does.

• App score: 4 out of 5

Narwal Freo X Plus robovac review: battery

• Very long battery life
• Will return to base when getting low

Possibly because the Narwal Freo X Plus is a bit lighter on features than more expensive units or possibly because it doesn't have spinning mop pads, its battery life of up to 254 minutes is quite a bit longer than what I usually see with robot vacuums. For reference, most units these days have up to 210 minutes of use.

While that's more than enough battery life for even fairly large spaces, the robot vacuum will return to its base when necessary for an extra charge before continuing on with its task if it's running out of juice.

• Battery score: 5 out of 5

Should you buy the Narwal Freo X Plus robot vacuum? Buy it if... Don't buy it if... Narwal Freo X Plus robovac review: also consider

Narwal Freo X Ultra
If you want the full-fat version of what Narwal has to offer, the Freo X Ultra is a much more robust cleaning experience with spinning mop pads that self-clean, a self-emptying base station with clean and dirty water reservoirs, and a whole host of features. It's also much, much more expensive.

Read our full Narwal Freo X Ultra review

How I tested the Narwal Freo X Plus

To test the Narwal Freo X Plus, I used it for a couple weeks to vacuum and mop the hardwood floors and a bath mat (to simulate carpeting) in my house. I also tested all the features listed in the app, from mapping to scheduling. I took note of how well the vacuum cleaned the edges of a room as well as around obstacles, not to mention running how the handheld vacuum performed.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed September 2024

The Backforce V Plus is the latest in the line of gaming chairs that can also function as an office chair.

Like so many of the best office chair models we've reviewed, it is designed with both gamers and professionals in mind, blending the two worlds seamlessly. The mix of customizable features, comfort, lumbar support, personalization options, and eco-friendly materials make up a fantastic option for consumers.

Backforce V Plus: Price and Availability

The Backforce V Plus is available for around €499 (roughly $535), with shipping options primarily in Europe. Custom patches and other upgrades can add to the cost. The chair’s price places it in the higher mid-range, competing with some top-tier gaming chairs, but with the unique appeal of eco-friendly materials. It's currently available from the official website by clicking here.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Backforce V Plus: Unboxing and First Impressions

The Backforce V Plus Chair arrives in a dense yet relatively compact box. The chair took a while to build, even for someone who spends quite a bit of time building chairs. The tools and diagrams aren't user-friendly, so allocate some extra time to read the instructions carefully. It took me about 1-2 hours to fully assemble, and having an additional set of hands to help lift and fit parts together is highly recommended.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)

Once assembled, the chair looks impressive—sleek, stylish, and clearly designed with durability in mind, but the effort required to get it there could be off-putting for some.

Backforce V Plus: Design and Build Quality Specs

Weight Capacity: 130 kg
Height Range: 1.51 m to 1.92 m
Materials: Recycled PET fabric, plastic base
Armrests: 4D adjustable
Warranty: 10 years
Price: €499

The Backforce V Plus chair is known for its robust build, made possible by recycled PET fabric. It also offers customization options, such as velcro patches on the backrest's shoulder area, adding a fun gamer element and allowing users to personalize their chairs. 

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)

However, its heavy and bulky design may not be suitable for those with limited space, as it's challenging to maneuver, especially in smaller areas. The chair's eco-friendly materials, including Oeko-Tex 100-certified fabric, make it stand out from competitors, but some users may find the texture slightly rough for long sessions. Despite having a plastic base, as opposed to the aluminum bases of its competitors, the chair remains sturdy and well-built.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Backforce V Plus: In Use

After assembly, the V Plus provides comfortable and ergonomic support. The adjustable lumbar support and synchro-tilt mechanism offer personalized back support, making long gaming or work sessions easier on the body. The armrests are flexible but lack resistance, making them prone to unexpected shifting. We had to be careful not to lean on them aggressively during testing. Despite its sturdy build, the chair's weight makes moving difficult, and the lack of softer fabric limits all-day comfort. While we appreciate using recycled materials, the rough texture might only suit some. Some members of my team don't mind it, while others find the rough material uncomfortable.

Regarding other features, the seat depth and tilt adjustments are intuitive, allowing customization based on body type and preference. One of my team members, who is 5 feet 6 inches tall, has adjusted the backrest, seat depth, armrests, and seat height to fit perfectly.

Initially, the chair felt firm and supportive, perhaps too much so. However, over time, it has softened up.

Backforce V Plus: Final Verdict

The Backforce V Plus is a well-built, comfortable, and eco-friendly gaming chair with strong ergonomic features and customizable options. However, it has its flaws: some buyers may be put off by the challenging assembly process and high price. For those who value durability, sustainability, and personalization, it's a worthy investment.

If you're looking for a home office chair suitable for gaming, this chair is a good option for your home workspace. Additionally, this chair could be an excellent fit if you want the gamer look. However, if you're not into gaming and don't like the gamer aesthetic, there may be a better chair for you.

For more workspace essentials, we've assembled the best standing desk and the best office desk options out there.

Nothing Phone 2a Plus: Two-minute review

Nothing has already confirmed that its next flagship smartphone – the Nothing Phone 3 – won't be making its debut until 2025, but that doesn't mean fans of the brand aren't without new phones to get excited about in the meantime.

In March, we were introduced to the Nothing Phone 2a: a device with all the sensibilities of the current top-tier Nothing Phone 2, but with more modest hardware and a price tag to match. It did well – very well in fact, becoming the brand's best-selling smartphone to date, and proving that a market exists for the company's distinct design aesthetics and forward-looking user experience in a more affordable package.

It's this success (and the long wait for another flagship phone from the company) that likely led to the creation of the Nothing Phone 2a Plus: a new variant of the 2a, announced only four months after the original's arrival.

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

The 2a Plus is much the same phone as its namesake, but rather than being a larger-screened version of the 2a, the 'Plus' in this instance actually refers to the slight uplift in performance, camera hardware, and battery tech boasted by this refreshed model over the standard iteration; although it does also come with a price increase to match.

On sale from September 10 for $50 / £50 / AU$40 more than the equivalent storage capacity Phone 2a, the 2a Plus remains mostly unchanged; with the same transparent polycarbonate-backed design (this time with extra metallic detailing), the same strong 6.7-inch 120Hz AMOLED display, the same rear cameras, same battery capacity, and same software promise.

The higher asking price buys you, among other things, a beefier Dimensity 7350 Pro chip, which delivers on the promised benchmarks of 10% better CPU performance and 30% greater graphical performance, compared to the more modest MediaTek chip powering the standard Phone 2a. You also get 50W charging, compared to 45W on the 2a that's – as you might expect – fractionally quicker (a full charge takes just under, compared to just over, an hour), and a new higher-resolution 50MP front camera (compared to a 32MP snapper on the 2a), which serves up more detail; not to mention the Plus boasts a richer shooting experience, thanks to a new AI-supported 'Vivid' mode.

All in all, the question is not whether Phone 2a users have been short-changed and if there's any point in upgrading (there isn't). Instead, the Nothing Phone 2a Plus edges the needle closer to the performance of the company's current flagship (especially graphically) for a lot less, whereas we saw the standard model as more of an improvement on the original Nothing Phone 1, as you'll read in our original Nothing Phone 2a review.

You still pay a premium for that Nothing aesthetic and unique Glyph lighting, though, meaning similarly-priced rivals offer more in areas like software support, faster charging, or a superior viewing experience, but at the expense of the sense of style that Nothing has cultivated with its products.

Nothing Phone 2a Plus review: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• Priced at $399 / £399 / AU$639
• On sale from September 10, 2024
• US availability via Nothing Beta Program

The Nothing Phone 2a Plus comes in a sole 12GB RAM / 256GB storage variant, which means, in most markets, it comes in at a single price (you can get it with 8GB or 12GB of RAM in India). In Nothing's homeland of the UK, the phone costs £399 (direct from Nothing), £50 more than the original asking price of an equivalent 256GB standard Phone 2a.

Even in the short months since the standard 2a debuted, however, the company has already officially cut its price in key markets. A 256GB 2a costs £329 at the time of writing, meaning you actually pay £70 more for the Plus today.

The assumption is that the Phone 2a will remain on sale until Nothing runs out of stock, at which point the 2a Plus will be the company's sole mid-ranger (the newer phone should also come with a price reduction of its own by that point).

In the US, as with the Phone 2a, the 2a Plus is currently only available through the company's Beta Program. Despite being competitively priced in the market, there are caveats to purchasing this phone in the region; namely a significantly shorter 14-day return period and – as the devices being sold are international models – incomplete support for US carrier bands (i.e. spotty cellular connectivity with major US networks).

If, like the Phone 2, Nothing decides to launch the 2a Plus Stateside officially, the model sold will feature more complete US carrier support, but the company hasn't announced any such plans at the time of writing.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Nothing Phone 2a Plus review: Specs Nothing Phone 2a Plus review: Design

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• Iconic Nothing aesthetic
• IP54-certified polycarbonate body
• Repels scuffs well but back attracts smudges

While the Phone 2a marked a slight departure from the company's previous smartphones, with its main dual camera placed transversely along the center line of the phone's back, rather than being offset in the corner, it otherwise carried across all the hallmarks of the Nothing's now-established design language.

The Phone 2a Plus echoes the standard model's dimensions, weight, and aesthetic identically; there's a transparent polycarbonate back, under which you'll find tracks of faux circuitry, a cluster of diffused LEDs around the camera, which make up the phone's Glyph Interface, and a matte plastic frame, with a power button set into the right side and large volume up and down keys along the left edge.

It's in the color department where Nothing has set the 2a and 2a Plus apart visually. While the standard phone arrived in black or Milk (white) – both variants also sported a red accent – the 2a Plus can be bought in either Black or Grey, with that circuitry no longer color-matching the bodywork, and instead sporting a more eye-catching reflective silver finish.

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It's a simple and effective way to distinguish the Plus from the standard 2a, and it feels a little more premium, too. However, I do miss the cleaner look of both launch finishes of the standard 2a (especially Milk).

In the hand, the proportions and weight of the 2a Plus make it a surprisingly comfortable phone to use one-handed. For its size, it feels beautifully put together, especially for a device that is, externally, mostly polycarbonate. Scuffs and scrapes are repelled surprisingly well; I just wish it didn't hold onto smudges so readily.

Nothing goes into some detail on the stress testing the 2a line is subjected to, for peace of mind, but the build is also independently certified against dust and water ingress with an IP54 rating; not quite as advanced as high-end devices, but perfectly at home for use in wet weather and the like.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Nothing Phone 2a Plus review: Display

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• 6.7-inch 120Hz Full HD+ OLED
• Protected by Gorilla Glass 5
• Sluggish in-display optical fingerprint sensor

Sticking with aesthetics, Nothing's love for flexible OLED panels grants the Phone 2a Plus balanced bezels around its flat 6.7-inch Full HD+ (1084 x 2412) screen; framing things neatly with a 91.65% screen-to-body ratio (for comparison, the pricier Galaxy A55 sports a 86.9% ratio).

The display is protected by both a factory-fitted screen protector and Gorilla Glass 5 (i.e. not Corning's latest and greatest, but respectable in terms of both impact and scratch protection), and after several weeks of use, my device only picked up one or two superficial abrasions.

That upgraded front-facing camera sits neatly at the center of the panel's top edge, while an optical under-display fingerprint sensor hangs down near the bottom bezel. Practically, I think the sensor placement is a little too low, and, surprisingly, the response time of this particular fingerprint reader is well behind what I've come to expect from the technology. We're talking milliseconds here, but I hope Nothing works to improve read speed via subsequent updates, as it lags behind the quality of the rest of the experience served up by the 2a Plus.

The Phone 2a (left), Phone 2a Plus (center) and Phone 2 (right) (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

As for the panel itself, it's the same screen found on the standard 2a, with nice colors, contrast, and a respectable 1,100-nit average maximum brightness (with a 1,300-nit peak). Other reviewers have reported fractionally better brightness scores from the panel on the 2a Plus, compared to the 2a, but anecdotally I never saw a noticeable difference while testing them side by side; both are visible in bright conditions, even if there is plenty of room for improvement.

While the use of OLED tech ensures nice vibrant colors and deep blacks, the 2a Plus doesn't pack LTPO tech, meaning the 120Hz refresh can step down to 30Hz, but no lower, and in fairly sizable increments, too. In practice, the OS tends to err on the side of fluidity, even if that means higher power consumption (you do have the ability to cap it at 60Hz manually, if you prefer).

Nothing doesn't grant a huge amount of control over customizing the viewing experience, beyond including always-on display (AoD) support and Night Light (which warms display color temperature when it's dark or late). You have Alive or Standard color profiles to choose between, with a warm-to-cool slider, too, but again, while appreciated, this is a comparatively bare-bones take on display personalization, compared to what you'd find on equivalent Xiaomi.

• Display score: 3.5 / 5

Nothing Phone 2a Plus review: Software

Nothing OS' stylized weather app (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• 3 years of OS & 4 years security updates
• Launches with Nothing OS 2.6 atop Android 14
• Nothing AI news widget is novel but has provenance issues

Nothing OS fast found a home among fans, thanks to its distinct, minimalist aesthetic, monochrome icon and widget theming, and as the means of interaction with the defining functional design feature of the brand's phones: the Glyph Interface.

Since the original Nothing Phone, the company has continued to build out this experience with new functionality, without straying from the path; ensuring a consistent experience across all its devices at all price points (from the top-tier Phone 2, down to the recently released affordable CMF Phone 1).

Like the standard Phone 2a, the 2a Plus arrives on Android 14 but sports the latest (at the time of writing) Nothing OS 2.6. The experience is as great as every other Nothing Phone, with the look and feel being one of its major draws. It's really nice to use, slick, and responsive on the 2a Plus thanks to that high refresh rate display. The ability to have supersized folders and app icons is a nice, unique bit of personalization and the native widgets are oozing with the dot matrix charm that embodies Nothing OS' visual style.

The new News widget, introduced in Nothing OS 2.6 (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

One of the most interesting additions in Nothing OS 2.6 is a new news widget. Add it to your home screen and select as many topics as you like from a shortlist of seven during the initial setup screen (these include business, entertainment, sports, technology, and more).

Once set up, tap the widget each day to hear an impressively convincing AI-generated version of Nothing's CFO Tim Holbrow read out various stories, covering your chosen topics. It's a novel and convenient way to digest current affairs, and a meaningful implementation of free AI functionality that few other mid-rangers come close to offering. There are, however, some obvious drawbacks.

For one, you have no idea about the provenance of the stories being read out. Even during setup, the widget never cites its sources, and there's no way to dive deeper or access the source material on a story Tim just read to you. There's the obvious risk of AI hallucination to consider with a tool like this, too, not to mention the ethical quandary of fair attribution to the journalists whose work this widget has scraped for content.

While I like the method of delivery, here's hoping subsequent updates iron out at least some of the pitfalls with this otherwise capable news widget.

The 2a Plus' Glyph Interface lit up in darkness (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Despite its lower standing in Nothing's smartphone portfolio, the 2a Plus doesn't lose out on the brand's signature Glyph Interface – the diffused LED segments around the phone's rear camera.

There are far fewer than on the Phone 2, but the trio that are present still fulfill all the same functions: as visual indicators for incoming calls and notifications when the phone is face down, to represent timers and ETAs on supported apps, and as a softer fill light when shooting video. You can also create your own Glyph patterns by downloading Nothing's Glyph Composer app, which is a fun bonus.

While not everyone will appreciate a phone that flashes (you can disable it if you don't like the Glyphs at all), it's another novel and aesthetic-defining characteristic of Nothing's phones and I appreciate its presence; although I wish more third-party developers put it to use, as it doesn't feel like it's being utilized to its full potential.

The Glyph Interfaces on the Nothing Phone 2a (left), Phone 2a Plus (center) and Phone 2 (right) (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

When it comes to software updates, Nothing is great at constantly pushing fixes and features to its devices; it's far more prolific than bigger brands like Motorola or Sony, and they should take note, as it constantly feels like your phone is improving. Nothing's also great at granting its users early access to Android betas, ahead of each OS' full release, which right now means you can technically already get your hands on Android 15, if you're willing to hazard its unfinished state.

The flip side is that software promises have become increasingly competitive in the market, with Apple and, more recently, the likes of OnePlus, Samsung and Google pushing for five, six or even seven years of support on its latest devices.

In the case of the Phone 2a Plus, the promise of three years of OS updates and four years of security updates seems acceptable for the phone's mid-range standing, but looks like a much weaker proposition on the more expensive Phone 2. If Nothing has the resources, being able to up those numbers would keep it competitive.

• Software score: 4 / 5

Nothing Phone 2a Plus review: Camera

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• Same dual 50MP rear sensors as Phone 2a
• Upgraded 50MP front camera
• New Vivid Mode with real time analysis

The Phone 2a's distinct rear dual 50MP sensors (a Samsung GN9 for the main sensor and a Samsung JN1 for the ultra-wide) remain unchanged from the standard Phone 2a, as does the Imagiq 765 ISP (image signal processor) handling things behind the scenes; despite the change in silicon between the two phones.

The more prominent difference is the upgraded front camera, which sees the 2a's 32MP snapper traded for another 50MP JN1 (yes, the same sensor used by the ultra-wide). The result is higher-resolution selfies with a different capture profile and the ability to shoot 4K video on the phone's front, too.

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Low light (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)Image 18 of 20

Night mode (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)Image 19 of 20

Main (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)Image 20 of 20

Ultra-wide (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Side by side, selfies taken on the 2a Plus display greater detail and dynamic range in well-lit scenes. However, the fact that shots are captured at 50MP natively, and not pixel-binned, means blurring and detail loss in low light conditions is prevalent.

Portrait shooting across the front and back sensors can be hit and miss, too, with edge detection from the Portrait Optimizer within Nothing's TrueLens Engine (i.e. its camera software) tripping up from time to time. Otherwise, results are good.

Another camera addition that remains unique to the Phone 2a Plus is Vivid Mode; not even the Phone 2 running the same version of Nothing OS has this feature, at the time of writing. Not only does Vivid Mode change the color science employed to achieve more saturated shots, but it also uses AI to analyze what's in-frame and serves up real-time insight into what it's actually doing.

Within Vivid Mode, the 'result' section grants real-time AI-generated insight into how the camera is processing whatever's in frame. (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

It's another novel use of AI, but one that shows Nothing is thinking about new ways to enhance the mobile photography experience and also give the user more insight into how to compose shots and what to consider. Vivid Mode lends itself well to further improving low-light shots, too.

• Camera score: 3.5 / 5

Nothing Phone 2a Plus review: Performance

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• 3nm MediaTek Dimensity 7350 Pro chipset
• 8GB / 12GB RAM w/ RAM Booster up to 20GB
• Sole 256GB storage variant (non-expandable)

One of the three tentpole upgrades – and perhaps the most significant – that the 2a Plus lords over the standard 2a is a new chipset. MediaTek has once again supplied Nothing with an exclusive variant of its mobile silicon variant, which promises a 10% CPU uptick and up to a 30% graphical performance boost, compared to the Dimensity 7200 Pro that powers the vanilla Phone 2a.

In practice, my benchmark results suggest more modest improvements (about 3.5% better in CPU, 6% in AI, and 12% in GPU performance). That said, this doesn't detract from the fact that this Dimensity 7350 Pro-powered phone is more capable outright; scoring closely to the original Phone 1, as well as more recent rivals, like Samsung's Galaxy A35 and Galaxy A54, along with the Tensor G2-powered Google's Pixel 7 line.

By default, high-fidelity 3D titles like Zenless Zone Zero default to 'low' graphical settings at 30fps and deliver perfectly consistent performance at that level. If you want to dial things up to 'high' at 60fps, though, the 7350 Pro seems happy to be pushed in short bursts; you'll just start to notice heat build-up (there is a vapor chamber to help internal cooling) and the occasional dropped frame after about 20 to 30-minutes of play time, as I did.

Nothing is keeping things simple with a single 256GB (non-expandable) storage option in all markets, with most of the world getting 12GB of RAM. You can also use the RAM Booster tech in Nothing OS to allocate some of that storage as additional memory to give you up to an additional 8GB of virtual RAM), if desired, allowing more apps to remain in suspension in the background.

Beyond the engine of the phone, the performance of its asymmetrical stereo speaker setup also surprised and impressed, with a much fuller and clearer sound than you'd expect for a mid-ranger such as the Plus, not to mention some usable bass, too.

• Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Nothing Phone 2a Plus review: Battery

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• 5,000mAh battery
• Fastest-charging Nothing Phone yet, at 50W
• 7 hours of screen-on time per charge

The 2a Plus is tied for the largest battery capacity on a Nothing Phone, at 5,000mAh, but it trumps the rest of the range – including the Phone 2 and 2a – when it comes to fast charging; with an elevated top speed of 50W.

While we're not approaching OnePlus or Xiaomi numbers here, 50W is decently fast against key competitors; so fast, in fact, that Nothing's own-brand charger 45W can't refill the Phone 2a Plus at full speed. For that, the $39 / £39 CMF Power 65W GaN charger is the next-best thing; especially as Nothing doesn't include a power adapter in-box, just its iconic transparent-ended USB-C cable.

In testing, the Phone 2a Plus reached 40% charge in 15 minutes, over 70% in 30, and a full charge took just under an hour (55 minutes). As you might expect, with only a 5W uptick compared to the standard Phone 2a, the gains in fast-charging are limited; the base 2a hit 30% charge in 15 minutes, just over 60% in 30, and recharged completely in just over an hour, under the same conditions as the Plus.

Screen-on time for the 2a Plus is respectable at 7 hours per charge, which should see most users through a day and a half of use without worry (the Phone 2a offered on average 6 hours and 45 minutes of screen-on time). For added peace of mind, Nothing also states that even after 1,000 charge cycles, the 2a Plus' battery will retain 90% of its original capacity, which is well above the kinds of figures rivals promise; perhaps even an industry-leading claim.

•  Battery score: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Nothing Phone 2a Plus? Buy it if...

You want a great-value Nothing experience
The Phone 2a Plus distills the full-fat Nothing experience down in all the right ways; from design to user experience.

You want a phone that turns heads
Nothing's hardware and software are already eye-catching in a market of black rectangles, but the shiny silver circuitry and Glyph Interface mean the Phone 2a Plus makes a real statement.

Don't buy it if...

You want a meaningful upgrade over the Phone 2a
It's hard to reconcile why the Phone 2a Plus exists alongside the Phone 2a, when the upgrades, while appreciated, don't move the needle all that much.

You want a top performing mid-ranger
The Phone 2a Plus puts more points into style than many of its direct competitors but, as a result, lags behind on performance; even with a beefier chipset than the standard Phone 2a.

Nothing Phone 2a Plus review: Also consider

The specific blend of style and features that make up the Nothing Phone 2a Plus might not be for you after all. If that's the case, what about one of these alternatives?

Samsung Galaxy A35
A more boring design than the Phone 2a Plus conceals comparable performance, better dust and water resistance, an extra camera, and longer software support, all for a little less money.

Xiaomi Poco F6
Faster charging and better water resistance are nice, but the Poco F6 really outshines the 2a Plus on performance. Its near-flagship Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chip serves up way more power and even ray tracing support for the same price.

How I tested the Nothing Phone 2a Plus

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• Review test period: one month
• Testing included: everyday use including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
• Tools used: Geekbench 6, Geekbench AI, GFXBench, native Android stats, Samsung 65W trio charger

On receiving the Nothing Phone 2a Plus, I also picked up the Phone 2 and Phone 2a, to make constant comparisons between the three devices. I lived and worked with the Phone 2a Plus for a month, using it as my main phone for everything from social media use to photography and gaming.

I kept track of battery usage each day and ran several benchmark apps to help compare performance against rival devices I did and didn't have to hand.

As a reviewer with 13 years of experience, and having reviewed previous Nothing phones, I felt confident assessing and scoring the Nothing Phone 2a Plus, both relative to other mid-rangers, and in the context of the wider smartphone market.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed September 2024

As a huge fan of both theme parks and computer games, 2016’s Planet Coaster was in many ways a dream game for me. Since playing Bullfrog’s seminal game, Theme Park, back in the mid-90s, first on the Amiga and then on PC, I have been obsessed with theme park management strategy games. 

As you can imagine, then, the announcement earlier this year that Planet Coaster 2 was to come in late 2024 (pre-orders are now live, and it launches on November 6, 2024), made me very happy given my history with the PC game and theme park sims.

For context, in Planet Coaster, I vividly remember plotting my parks on paper, then creating them in the game, dividing the map into different themes, just like the beloved theme parks I visited as a kid. Building the parks, and rides, of my dreams (and sometimes my guests’ nightmares) captured some of the magic from those magic kingdoms, but Theme Park also reminded players that these parks aren’t just for fun: they are made to create money.

By placing a French Fries stall, hiking up the salt content, and then putting a drinks stall next to it with inflated prices (and extra ice), I was able to squeeze extra money out of my thirsty punters. As a kid, it was my first lesson that capitalism can be evil… but also fun.

But anyway, while the original Planet Coaster gave me hundreds of hours of enjoyment, there were plenty of things that could be improved. So, when I got the opportunity to have some early time with the sequel, I was keen to jump the queue and see what was new.

(Image credit: Frontier Developments) Splash back

The biggest change with Planet Coaster 2 is the inclusion of water park features, including pools, flumes, and new themes. Frontier has experience with this, having worked on the Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 expansion pack (old person speak for DLC) Soaked, which added flumes.

Weirdly, I’m not as interested in water parks as theme parks, but being given more things to play with when designing a park is always welcome.

While water park features aren’t the only new things in Planet Coaster 2, it would have been understandable if Frontier had called it a day there. During my time playing the game, it’s clear just how big an undertaking adding water rides has been.

Of course, there are all the additional art assets and models, but it also introduces an entirely new physics system to accurately simulate water, slides, and more.

For players of the original game, creating pools, adding features, and building water slides will feel familiar. Slides are built piece-by-piece in the same way as rollercoasters, and while new players may feel a bit lost, it’s intuitive enough to get the hang of pretty quickly, while also being flexible enough that you can create some pretty spectacular rides in not much time. 

(Image credit: Frontier Developments)

Whether or not your guests will want to ride your creations, however, is another question. By testing your rides before they open, you’ll be able to see if the ride works as intended (I.E it doesn’t launch the test dummy into the stratosphere due to a misjudged hump),  and you’ll get feedback on how exciting, scary and how nauseous it’ll make the riders. It’s here where the real art of constructing a theme park ride comes in – you’ll need to balance all of those aspects. Too scary and few people will want to ride it, if it makes people too ill then not only will it put people off riding, but you’ll also have to deal with people throwing up all over your lovely park. You can lower these values by making adjustments to the ride – lowing drops and banking corners for example – but if you make the ride too tame, its excitement will drop and people won’t want to ride.

As with the first game, I can tell this part of building your park could be a huge – and enjoyable – time-sink as you try to build the ultimate ride.

In Planet Coaster 2, more customization options allow you to add design elements to the ride, including coaster cars, and while I only had a short time with the game, it’s clear that it’s going to offer a huge amount of tools to help you craft and tweak almost every aspect of your park.

While I wasn’t overly excited by the inclusion of pools and water slides, I ended up really liking them. Building both was fun and intuitive, and the pools especially looked fantastic.

I didn’t notice much of a visual upgrade over Planet Coaster, but that was still a fine-looking game that was both realistic and cartoony. However, the pools in Planet Coaster 2 look fantastic. Clear, realistic water that sparkles under a cloudless sky made me want to crawl through the screen and dive in. It made me nostalgic for the summer – before I remembered that here in the UK we’d just endured one of the wettest and miserable summers in recent memory.

Interestingly, it seems like the weather in Planet Coaster 2 won’t always be perfect. I didn’t see it in action, but the launch trailer shows guests running for shelter during rainy weather, and I noticed a weather forecast icon in the game’s menu.

While the eternally sunny weather of the first game gave us UK players a nice bit of escapism, including different weather conditions for the sequel, more realistic weather in the sequel will add to the realism – and could bring some interesting challenges – and opportunities. Rainy weather could make guest numbers drop, but some carefully placed umbrella stores could help raise profits – especially if you can, like in Rollercoaster Tycoon, up the prices when the rain starts to fall. There’s that evil capitalism working again.

(Image credit: Frontier Developments)

I also got a glimpse of a few new themes – Mythical and Resort – and my mind is already fizzing with ideas of how I can use them in my parks.

Plus ça changing room

As I mentioned earlier, the original Planet Coaster did a lot of things right – but there were plenty of things that needed improvement, and from my short time with Planet Coaster 2, I found some of those were indeed fixed – but I still had a few concerns.

Making paths in the original, for example, could sometimes be annoyingly fiddly, and you could end up with some ugly bodge jobs when trying to make certain things, such as large plazas. The good news is that Planet Coaster 2 mainly fixes this with new path-making tools that make things much more simple, and give you additional settings to tweak, to help you get the desired effects. I found this made creating paths easier – when on the ground, at least. Creating stairs and bridges seemed to be more complicated – but that might just have been me being a bit rusty.

(Image credit: Frontier Developments)

Putting down shops, food stalls, and guest services, such as toilets and new changing rooms (which need to be added for your guests to use the pools), seems a bit over-complicated as well. In the version of Planet Coaster 2 that I played, some shops and facilities were just ‘shells’ – basically empty buildings that were elaborately themed. Placing them in the park didn’t give me the actual facilities themselves – I would have to find those, then either place them in the park, place the shell over them, or add them by editing the shell’s blueprint (the name for ready-made, yet customizable, pre-built elements).

Confusingly, some facilities in the default Planet Coaster theme were included, while other themes just included the shell. I’ll clarify with Frontier about whether this is just because I was playing a limited preview version of the game, or if this will be the case in the full version as well. I hope not.

By searching for the actual shop or facility to add to the shell, I was reminded about another issue that I’ve had with the original Planet Coaster, which seems to be still present in the sequel. It can be difficult to find certain building parts, and while there is a decent tagging system in place that lets you search, you still need to remember where certain things are located, as there are a few different menus where the item could be. Sometimes things are in the ‘Shops and Facilities’ menu. But then there are also the ‘Scenery’ and ‘Building’ menus, which can also have items you need – and you’ll need to remember which menu they are in. When you start expanding the game with DLC, which will be inevitable considering the various expansion packs the original game got, these menus become more unwieldy, so finding things can take even longer.

(Image credit: Frontier Developments)

I was also shown a level in the campaign mode. I felt that the campaign of Planet Coaster was not that engaging – I usually spent my time playing in sandbox mode, with unlimited money. While this gives you more freedom, it also means you miss out on the challenge and management aspects of the game. So, with Planet Coaster 2, I’m hoping to have more reasons to play the campaign and to dig into the (hopefully) more expansive management options.

From what I played, that might not be the case. The level required me to build a park but only in a certain part of the map, for reasons that didn’t make too much sense. However, unless I was being thick (a likely possibility), once in the game I wasn’t given any onscreen guidance for where to build or suggestions on how to hit the goals to allow me to progress. Eventually, a kindly press representative of Frontier took pity on me and informed me I was building in the wrong part of the map.

This confusion, along with not being sure where to find parts to build facilities and how to make paths on higher levels, makes me worried that the interface of Planet Coaster 2 needs a bit of a rethink with more onscreen help and tips. After all, if an (admittedly a bit stupid) longtime player of the original game can get lost, what hope do newcomers have?

(Image credit: Frontier Developments) Open for business

While some doubts remain, from the time I had with Planet Coaster 2 I am very excited to play the full release when it launches in November. It’s a charming and fun game that’s clearly been made by people who love the subject matter.

I can see myself playing this game a heck of a lot, and I can’t wait to see what the imaginative community makes with the new and improved tools – as before, PC gamers will be able to easily add other user’s creations to their own parks via the Steam Workshop.

As a fun toy that lets my imagination run wild, my inner child could not be more excited for Planet Coaster 2. The part of me that enjoys playing challenging games, however, will need a bit more convincing.

Planet Coaster 2 releases on November 6, 2024, on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.

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