TechRadar Reviews

If you’ve spent any time researching the best parental control apps, then you will have heard of Qustodio – it’s one of the most prominent names in the sector. It’s been around for over a decade, it’s been trusted by over seven million parents, and the app’s systems have averted over three billion threats.

That’s an impressive resume and, on paper, it’s backed by an impressive slate of features, too. But can Qustodio earn your vote ahead of big rivals like Bark, Norton Family or MMGuardian?

Read on as we put Qustodio to the ultimate test, examining its features and in-use experience to see whether it delivers good value for the price it commands.

Plans and Pricing

(Image credit: Qustodio)

The Qustodio experience starts with a refreshingly straightforward look at pricing, with two paid tiers available.

The Basic package offers core functionality and costs $59.95 a year – the equivalent of just $5 per month.

With the Basic package, you get daily time limits, web filtering, location monitoring, game and app blocking and the ability to pause internet access for your children’s phones. It’s a solid core product with a more generous offer than the basic package you’ll find elsewhere.

However, I found this plan to be a tad too restrictive. For instance, Norton Family ($49.99/year) comes with everything the product has to offer, including Search Supervision and Instant Lock, which Qustodio doesn’t offer.

The Complete product, at $109.95 annually, adds AI-powered alerts, social media monitoring, custom routines, app time limits and additional monitoring, and allows parents to add unlimited devices to the account.

It’s a decent offer, especially when many premium products restrict how many devices you can monitor. Bark and MMGuardian are both pricier than Qustodio, but Norton Family is even cheaper.

There’s a free version of Qustodio, too, that offers web filtering, daily time limits, 7-day activity reports and the ability to pause the internet, but it only protects one device, so it’s understandably limited.

That said, not many parental control applications offer a free plan in the first place. Qustodio’s free plan can come in handy if you want a minimum degree of supervision over your child’s activities without being too intrusive.

Features

Qustodio offers good value, then, and it also serves up a good range of features.

It’s possible to filter out inappropriate apps, games and websites easily, and pick categories for whitelisting, alerting or total blocking. Parents can access alternative recommendations to apps that kids aren’t allowed to access, and even deploy conversation starters, approved by child psychologists, to start conversations about web browsing and internet use.

With Qustodio you can block unknown websites, automatically enable safe searches in common browsers, and receive alerts if your child searches for inappropriate content.

Qustodio offers more than 25 web filtering categories, but there’s no option within the app for kids to request access to particular websites – a feature you’ll find on Norton Family.

(Image credit: Qustodio)

Qustodio allows parents to set screen time allowances for every day of the week, and also set time limits for individual apps – and use the in-built app monitoring and detection to automatically sort over 25,000 apps into categories for easier blocking or accessing.

Besides generalized app blocking, Qustodio offers a dedicated YouTube monitoring feature that allows parents to keep an eye on the kind of videos their child has been watching on YouTube.

On iOS and Android devices, Qustodio can monitor both the app and the website. On Mac and Windows, however, the app cannot be monitored, but the YouTube website remains within its monitoring capabilities.

It’s easy to create different routines and switch between them and, if you need to step in quickly, there’s an option to pause internet access on child devices or block the device completely.

And if parents want to reward their children or be a little more lenient, it’s easy to add screen time and see a new limit once that extra time has been granted.

Different rules can be used to govern screen time use between browsers and apps, there are varying “modes” that alter access for bedtime, leisure time and study time, and custom schedules are very easy to build.

(Image credit: Qustodio)

A straightforward map allows parents to track their child’s location. Not only can you view your child’s last known location, but also a detailed location history showing all the places they have visited over the last 30 days.

While Qustodio supports geofencing, we found it to be more limited than its rivals. Qustodio allows you to set up a geofence with a maximum radius of only 200 meters, which is significantly smaller than what other applications offer. Norton Family, for instance, lets you set a maximum radius of 3,200 meters, whereas Mobicip allows a maximum radius of 1,000 meters.

(Image credit: Qustodio)

Call and SMS tracking and reading are supported on both Android and iOS, with full message details available, and parents can block phone numbers on child devices. You’ll get alerts for suspect content.

(Image credit: Qustodio)

When it comes to reporting on all of this, Qustodio is similarly comprehensive. A real-time dashboard provides easy access to each child's digital activity, including an activity timeline, screen time and browsing history, and parents can access more detailed daily or weekly reports.

(Image credit: Qustodio)

Qustodio is also forging ahead with some AI-based content, too, with AI-powered alerts that notify parents of any worrying searches, conversations or social media activity based on chosen topics or categories. That’s great, but it’s worth noting that Qustodio is a little weak on social media monitoring – it monitors messages on WhatsApp, Instagram and LINE, but that’s it.

Qustodio also offers a handy panic button on Android devices, allowing a child to send emergency alerts in times of dire need. Your child simply needs to tap the SOS button on the Kids App home screen to send alerts to all trusted contacts added to their profile.

(Image credit: Qustodio)

The best part is that even if the child’s device has been locked, they can still access the panic button from the app’s lock screen. Once the child activates the SOS bubble, a message stating that the child needs help is sent to all trusted contacts, along with the child’s location details, which are refreshed every 90 seconds.

The SOS alert can be stopped when the child taps the SOS bubble a second time. However, the trusted contacts feature goes far beyond the SOS bubble. Even when a child’s phone is locked down, they can still call these trusted contacts by tapping the emergency call button.

As usual, though, be prepared that not every feature works on every platform. You don’t get WhatsApp alerts on iOS, for instance, and there’s no location, call or SMS monitoring on Mac OS or Windows. Android is the only platform that features a panic button.

Another important feature that Qustodio misses out on is email monitoring. While you might argue that children hardly use email these days, it is still a very important feature to have because many online services and social media platforms use email for account verification, notifications, and password resets. Email is also a common channel for predatory advances, phishing scams, and inappropriate marketing targeting young teenagers.

Interface and in use

Qustodio has one of the best interfaces we’ve seen on any parental control app. As well as having a straightforward layout that places everything where you’d expect, Qustodio packs its apps and web interfaces with helpful tips and explanations about features and how they work.

A selection of Quick Actions provides fast access to common tasks, and the activity summary does a fantastic job of presenting key data in an attractive and intuitive format.

Child apps are simple enough for even the youngest children to understand what’s going on, and if you’re a parent who wants to dive deeper into the settings, you won’t get lost – the effective UI continues here.

It’s typically easy to get started, too: download the app, register an account, set up child profiles and tick all of the permissions, and you’re ready to start building schedules, monitoring devices and protecting your kids.

Customer Support

Qustodio makes a big deal about ensuring that its service is easy to use for busy parents who may not have a deep understanding of technology, and this attitude extends to its support functionality.

There are loads of helpful articles in the FAQ section, many of which have screenshots, and the guides that illustrate how to set up the app, use basic features and manage your account are particularly good.

If you need support and you use the Basic package, it’s managed through a contact form – sadly there’s no phone support, chatbot or live chat available here, but users report that they always receive helpful, polite form responses within 24 hours.

If you’re a Complete user, you get access to Care Plus. This adds phone support, personalized guidance and ongoing check-ins for parents who want more from their parental control app. And, impressively, Care Plus has an average resolution rate of 97% and an average resolution time of 15 minutes.

While it’s included for free with the Complete package, it costs $10.21/£7.99 to add it to the Basic product.

One drawback of this pricing structure is that if you’re on the Basic plan and encounter a technical issue, you’ll have to rely on automated chatbots and email support, which could take a day or two to resolve your problem. If you need immediate support, it would cost you around $13 extra, which might not be worth the additional expense.

The Competition

Qustodio has increased its prices since we last reviewed it and now falls into the same price range as many other parental control applications. There are still cheaper options available, though.

Norton Family, priced at $49.99 per year, can be a good alternative, especially if you already use Norton’s line of security products. Like Qustodio, it also lacks comprehensive social media monitoring. However, Norton allows your kids to request access to blocked sites, which Qustodio doesn’t, while also offering a wider range of website filtering rules. Unlike Qustodio, however, Norton does not support call or SMS monitoring, which can be a significant difference between the two.

Another affordable option is Mobicip, with pricing starting at just $2.99 per month, which comes to around $36 per year. However, at this price, you do not get social media monitoring or the ability to set time limits for specific applications. That said, this could be a fair trade-off if you’re looking for an affordable alternative to Qustodio.

Bark is probably Qustodio’s best competitor, although it costs around $14/month. It’s far better with social media, but is more limited on iOS and doesn’t provide a full web history.

Final Verdict

Those factors leave Qustodio looking like a particularly strong parental control option. It has superb filtering, scheduling and screen time options, AI-based additions, solid location features and excellent design, reporting and platform support.

Its customer support is great if you have the Complete product, the apps are all easy to use, and the pricing is fair, too – either competing or undercutting many rivals.

Plus, it’s one of the very few parental control applications that offers a free forever plan. Sure, it is limited and does not provide the full range of features, but it still lets you add web filters, pause internet access, and enable Safe Search on your children’s devices, along with seven-day activity reports. This is enough if you simply want to be aware of your children’s online activities without being too intrusive.

The only downside is weak social media monitoring and a relatively small geofencing zone. That social media monitoring drawback could be a dealbreaker for many families but, in almost every other area, Qustodio is a winner – it’s one of the best parental control apps on the market.

• We've also featured the best free parental control software

Marshall Acton IV review

Marshall has refreshed its mid-sized home speaker, which promises enhanced bass, dynamic loudness tech and improved tweeters, among other things. Yes, the Marshall Acton IV looks to be quite the improvement over its predecessor, and after testing it for myself, I have to say, it certainly makes good on its promises.

Let’s start by taking a look at the tech specs. The Acton IV features a single 60W woofer alongside two 25W tweeters, helping it to produce powerful and energetic audio. It also has a frequency response of 37Hz-38kHz, meaning it can extend down seriously deep for such a compact speaker — and you can really feel the bass… more on that later.

One standout difference between the Acton IV and its predecessor is its inclusion of RCA connectivity. This makes it a great option for hooking it up to turntables, for instance, and it’s easy to switch between Bluetooth and RCA mode with the built-in source controls. 3.5mm connectivity is back too, if you want to access lossless audio — something I always look out for when testing the best Bluetooth speakers.

Although these connectivity options are all very welcome, it would have been great to see Wi-Fi playback, given that this is a speaker most people will likely keep at home. Streaming using your home's Wi-Fi network is ideal for such speakers because it provides an even more stable, higher-resoltuion quality than Bluetooth can offer, and means that notification sounds on your source device don’t play through your speaker. Still, there is LDAC this time out — something that Marshall has been keen to integrate into its consumer audio products recently, as we saw with the Marshall Milton ANC. This opens up higher-res wireless playback over Bluetooth (provided you've got a source device that supports it), and it works great if you’re streaming on platforms such as Tidal, for instance.

Despite the omission of Wi-Fi, the Acton IV does include Auracast, enabling you to create a multi-room setup with other products from the brand, such as the Marshall Heston 120 soundbar and Marshall Stanmore IV. Some older models, like the Marshall Acton III can also join the Auracast multi-room setup with the Marshall Heddon streaming hub.

I was also interested to find that the Acton IV connects to the newer ‘Marshall’ app, which has so far been restricted to the brand’s TV audio gear. It feels more intuitive and detailed than the standard app, and features a five-band equalizer, which enables you to set three presets of your liking. You can also customize the speaker’s M button to cycle between these. The app also enables you to cycle between different sources, optimize audio with a placement compensation tool, set a standby timer, and adjust the brightness of the speaker’s LED indicators. Good stuff.

One thing that may dissuade some from picking up the Acton IV is that it lacks baked-in voice assistant support. This means that it can’t act like a smart home speaker in the way that a Sonos model would, say.

(Image credit: Future)

But, by now, you must be wondering: just how good does the Marshall Acton IV sound? Well it’s good news, because it sounds pretty great. Something that instantly struck me, is that the speaker has a very exciting sound signature, with attention-grabbing and relatively prominent bass, as well as energetic, forward-sounding treble.

This was great for livelier genres like dance tracks. For instance, in Get It On by Jansons, higher-pitched drums came through with serious bite, hitting with speed and precision. Meanwhile, pumping bass came through with great impact without ever overshadowing vocal chops and synths in the mid-range. Even with some deeper house tracks, I was truly wowed by the Acton IV’s bass extension. It can reach down into deep dark depths with great confidence, and even the sub-bass was full-sounding and seismic.

Luckily, the Acton IV continued to perform well with more laid-back tracks. In Ned Doheny’s Sing To Me, soulful vocals were nicely weighted, and came through with solid clarity. They weren’t separated to the point that they occupied a unique pocket in the mix, although when I bumped things up in the mid-range, they had a little more space to express themselves. Bass definitely remained fairly weighty, and although this gave the tune a pleasantly funky edge, some may prefer to mess around with different EQ settings.

It’s also worth noting that the Acton IV has a stereo sound configuration, rather than the basic mono that a lot of Bluetooth speakers use. While it doesn’t produce the most amazing stereo imaging I’ve ever experienced, this is understandable for a smaller-sized speaker. In All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix, vocals were well-defined in the left channel, and percussion expanded well beyond the Acton IV’s limited confines. With LDAC on, I also appreciated the speakers attention to detail, with small vocal quirks and subtle percussive elements illuminated to impressive effect.

My main critique of the Acton IV’s audio output relates to its control at higher volumes. Despite including the dynamic loudness tech seen on the Marshall Kilburn III, for instance, I found that the speaker could sound a tad harsh at high volumes. At 90% and above, compression was more noticeable, with highs turning slightly shrill and bass lacking the control I’d experienced at mid-volumes. It's pretty standard for speakers to compress towards maximum loudness, though, and if you’re looking for meatier sound, the mightier Stanmore IV is available.

(Image credit: Future)

Moving on to an area where Marshall speakers always excel now: design. The Acton IV looks very similar to its predecessor, but that’s no bad thing. It has enticing faux leather casing, a neat speaker grille, and a gorgeous golden control panel. Its amp-inspired aesthetic makes it feel like just as much of a statement piece as it is a great-sounding speaker.

The buttons and control knobs are also highly responsive and satisfying to use, and there are even onboard EQ controls for the bass and treble if you want to make some changes on the fly.

But it’s time to address the most crucial question of all: is the Marshall Acton IV worth the money? Let’s start by looking at its price. The Acton IV comes in at $299.99 / £259.99 (AU$430). That’s by no means cheap, and puts the speaker in competition with the Wi-Fi equipped Sonos Play and home speakers like the JBL Authentics 200.

I’d argue that the Acton IV certainly sounds up to scratch for this money. It offers mighty yet refined bass, clean and detailed mids, and vivid highs. It's also decently powerful, and would make a great fit for a small or medium-sized space. However, the lack of Wi-Fi playback may prove to be a deal-breaker for some — it’s the connectivity method many will favor for home speaker use, and again offers better quality and seamlessness than Bluetooth.

Still, its brilliant design, solid set of features and, of course, impressive audio capabilities, means this is still a great home speaker. All in all, I’d recommend the Acton IV if you want a powerful and stylish speaker, even if you’re a little limited on space. If you want something more portable, the Marshall Kilburn III is a great alternative, though, coming with a handle, 50-hour battery life, and waterproofing at a very similar cost.

(Image credit: Future)Marshall Acton IV review: price & release date

• $299.99 / £259.99 (AU$430)
• First released July 2026

The Marshall Acton IV was released in July 2026, just short of four years after its predecessor came to market. It launched alongside the Marshall Stanmore IV, which is essentially just a larger variant of the Acton. It comes in at $299.99 / £259.99 (AU$430), representing a slight price bump in the US, but continuity in the UK, if we’re comparing it against the Acton III.

Marshall Acton IV review: specs

Weight

5.8lbs / 2.6kg

Dimensions

10.24 x 6.73 x 5.91 inches / 260 x 171 x 150 mm

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.3, 3.5mm, RCA

Speaker drivers

1x 4-inch 60W woofer, 2x 0.75-inch 25W tweeters

Waterproofing

Not stated

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Marshall Acton IV?

Attribute

Notes

Score

Features

Nifty app and RCA is a welcome addition, but lacks Wi-Fi playback.

4/5

Performance

Fantastic bass extension and vivid highs with clean mids, some compression at top volumes though.

4.5/5

Design

Brilliant looking speaker with retro, amp-inspired aesthetic.

4.5/5

Value

Not the cheapest, but performance and build help it to earn price.

4/5

Buy it if…

You want a stylish home speaker
Something that stands out with Marshall speakers every time is their design. And the Acton IV is no exception. Its faux leather outer casing, its golden details, its eye-catching grille… it all comes together to make a truly stellar-looking speaker.

You want great sound in a (relatively) compact model
Although the Acton IV is hardly the largest home speaker out there, it really does sound great. It has fantastic bass extension, with clean and hard-hitting low end. Highs are articulate and vibrant too, although mids still get plenty of space to shine. The LDAC codec also helps you access a more detailed listen.

Don’t buy it if…

You want a speaker to take on the road
The Marshall Acton IV is designed for home use. Therefore, it needs to be plugged into the mains to be used, and its lack of a handle, rechargeable battery, or waterproofing, means you’re better off with a model like the Marshall Kilburn III for on-the-go audio.

You want a smart speaker with Wi-Fi
Although the Acton IV is designed for home use, it misses out on some of the properties of a smart speaker, like voice-assistant compatibility and Wi-Fi connectivity for the most seamless playback around.

Marshall Acton IV review: also consider

Marshall Acton IV

Sonos Era 100 SL

WiiM Sound

Price

$299.99 / £259.99 (AU$430)

$189 / £169 / AU$289

$299 / £299 / AU$499

Weight

5.8lbs / 2.6kg

4.3lbs / 2kg

5.5lbs / 2.5kg

Dimensions

10.24 x 6.73 x 5.91 inches / 260 x 171 x 150mm

7.2 x 4.7 x 5.1 inches / 182.5 x 120 x 130.5mm

5.7 x 5.7 x 7.5 inches / 146 x 146 x 193mm

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.3, 3.5mm, RCA

Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C

Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, 3.5mm

Speaker drivers

1x 4-inch 60W woofer, 2x 0.75-inch 25W tweeters

2 x angled tweeters, 1 x mid-woofer

2x tweeters, 1x woofer

Sonos Era 100 SL
Want a Sonos home speaker at an easy-to-stomach price? Then the Era 100 SL is an ideal option. It has Wi-Fi playback, precise and detailed sound, and a gorgeous look, making it well worth its modest price tag. Read our full Sonos Era 100 SL review.

WiiM Sound
Another great Wi-Fi equipped speaker is the WiiM sound, and it sits at a very similar price as the Acton IV. The WiiM sound supplies fantastic sound quality, has a unique and intuitive touchscreen, and voice assistant support. Read our full WiiM Sound review.

How I tested the Marshall Acton IV

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested across multiple days
• Used at our dedicated music testing space at Future Labs
• Mainly streamed music over Tidal

I spent days testing the Marshall Acton IV, listening to hours worth of music, testing its various features, and exhausting every option available in its companion app.

For the most part, I tested the Acton IV in our dedicated music testing room at Future Labs, where I mainly streamed tunes via Tidal on my Xiaomi 17. I started by playing tracks in our TechRadar reference playlist — which features songs from a wide variety of genres — but I also bumped a bunch of tunes from my personal library.

More generally, I’ve spent years testing audio gear here at TechRadar. I’ve reviewed all sorts of tech, from premium wireless headphones like the Sony 1000X The Collexion through to Dolby Atmos soundbars such as the JBL Bar 1300MK2. I’ve also tested more than 50 Bluetooth speakers, including lots of Marshall models, such as the Marshall Middleton II and Kilburn III.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: July 2026

Geekom GeekBook M16: 30-second review

Geekom's GeekBook M16 is a business laptop designed for - as the company states, "enterprise pro, a developer, or an AI enthusiast." You can add general content creators (but not creative professionals) into that mix.

I mostly agree with that, although it's not the AI machine it could've been due to the limitations of the Core Ultra 9 chip it's using.

It's an interesting budget machine in the space. A nicely built, machined chassis that handles general computing tasks well.

Given the $899 price point, there is only one USB4 port, the webcam is only 2MP, and the keyboard and touchpad aren’t the best quality.

That said, the underlying platform is solid, even if you can’t expand the memory, and with a USB 4.0 port, it can be attached to a Dock if you need more ports or more than two displays.

Geekom includes a basic USB-C Dock in the box, so those who need a wired LAN port won’t need a full Dock or adapter.

This isn’t the best business laptop I’ve tested, but it's far from the worst, and demonstrates that you can get relatively recent platforms in these form factors if you are prepared to compromise on some aspects.

Geekom GeekBook M16: Price and availability

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• How much does it cost? From $899
• When is it out? Available now in the USA
• Where can you get it? Direct from Geekom or online retailers

The Geekom GeekBook M16 can be bought directly from Geekom or via online retailers like Amazon.com and Best Buy. Prices start at $899.

TechRadar Pro readers can save an extra 8% when purchasing direct from Geekom or on Amazon when using the code TRGBM168.

The laptop pairs the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.

• Value: 4 / 5

Geekom GeekBook M16: Specs

Item

Spec

Hardware:

Geekom GeekBook M16

CPU:

Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 185H (16 Cores, 22 Threads, 5.1 GHz)

GPU:

Intel Arc GPU

NPU:

Intel AI Boost (35 TOPS CPU+NPU+GPU)

RAM:

16GB LPDDR5 (no upgrades)

Storage:

512GB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD + M.2 2230 free slot

Screen:

16.0-inch IPS LCD, 2560 × 1600 (16:10)

Ports:

1x USB4, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) , 2 × USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps), 1x HDMI 2.0, Audio Combo Jack

Camera:

2MP (1080p) Windows Hello compliant

Networking:

Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4

Dimensions:

14.0 x 9.8 x 0.66in (355 x 250 x 16.7mm)

Weight:

3.8 lbs (1.73 kg)

OS:

Windows 11 Pro (pre-installed)

Battery:

99.99Wh Battery

Power supply:

100W (20V 5A)

Geekom GeekBook M16: Design

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• Magnesium-aluminium chassis
• Diverges from the retail model
• Ports aren't labelled

The M16 is essentially the same machine as the GeekBook X16 Pro, but it comes with only a single SKU that offers less memory and storage. There may be some minor cosmetic differences, like the M16 doesn’t have a MicroSD card slot, but the core components are common, I suspect.

Geekom has machined the GeekBook M16 from a single piece of magnesium alloy, and that heritage shows in the finish.

The Titanium Gray coating feels warm rather than cold to the touch, and there is no flex anywhere across the lid or the keyboard deck. While not the highest quality finish, it doesn’t feel cheap either.

Where the design pitch starts to wobble is the weight. The review unit weighs a whopping 1.73kg on the scales, nearly half a kilogram heavier than the X16 Pro, and that difference is obvious the moment you lift it one-handed. A laptop sold on featherweight portability should not feel like this in the hand.

This weight discrepancy between this and the X16 Pro, I’m confident, is down to the battery that Geekom used in the review hardware, since very little else has changed.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Port selection is generous for something this slim, with two USB-C connections, two USB-A, a full-size HDMI, and a headphone jack.

The frustration is that none of them is labelled with a speed. One USB-C runs at USB4 and the other only at USB 3.2, and there is no visual way to tell which is which, short of plugging something in and checking. For a laptop aimed at people who might use a fast external drive or a high-bandwidth dock, that is a genuine oversight from Geekom, and worth calling out plainly rather than glossing over.

The keyboard includes a full number pad, which is a genuine convenience on a 16-inch chassis and something plenty of rivals leave out. Typing feel is a little on the spongy side rather than crisp, so anyone coming from a firmer keyboard may need a short adjustment period.

The keyboard is workable, but I’m less convinced by the trackpad. It does the job for general navigation and gestures, but it does not feel as refined as the rest of the machine, and precision clicking is not its strong suit.

Those buying a 16-inch laptop clearly want a good display, and the IPS panel on this machine offers 2.5K resolution, a 16:10 aspect ratio, and a 120Hz refresh rate. That extra vertical space suits spreadsheets, documents and code far better than a standard 16:9 screen, and scrolling feels smooth thanks to the higher refresh rate.

Geekom quotes 100 per cent sRGB coverage, which is close enough for everyday creative work without needing a color-calibrated reference screen.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Since many business machines get small upgrades during their working life, I like to take the backs off laptops to see what is possible on that front.

Removing the underside requires removing nine screws with a T5 screwdriver, but once they’re out, it's relatively easy to detach. Inside, the battery can be replaced, and there is an unoccupied M.2 2230 slot.

While the 2230 drive is an easy upgrade, the primary slot is 2280, so I’d probably recommend cloning the supplied drive to a larger one using that slot first.

The capacities of M.2 2230 aren’t great right now.

Also, these days, all memory comes pre-soldered, so the RAM in this system is the maximum it will ever have, even if the processors used on it can address 96GB.

Overall, this is one of those designs that is somewhat bland and lacks any sort of signature feature, but for many customers, that’s exactly what they want.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• Design: 3.5 / 5

Geekom GeekBook M16: Hardware

• Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
• Modest AI capability
• Wasted PCIe lanes

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is the flagship chip from Intel's first Core Ultra family, known internally as Meteor Lake. It packs sixteen cores across three types: six performance cores, eight efficiency cores and two low-power efficiency cores, giving it real flexibility between raw speed and battery-sensitive multitasking.

Turbo clocks reach 5.1 GHz, and in daily use, that translates into a chip that handles heavy browser sessions, office work, and moderate creative tasks without complaint. Cinebench multicore scores sit comfortably above a thousand points, proof that the hybrid layout genuinely pays off rather than existing purely as a marketing slide.

Graphics duties fall to an integrated Arc GPU built from eight Xe cores, clocked up to 2.35GHz. This was the point where Meteor Lake felt like a proper step forward. Games at modest settings run smoothly, video timelines scrub without stutter, and general graphical work feels far removed from the older Iris chips it replaced. It will never trouble a discrete GPU, but for a laptop chip doing double duty as a workstation and a light gaming machine, it earns its keep.

Then there is the NPU, which Intel calls AI Boost on this silicon. On its own, the dedicated neural engine delivers around 11 TOPS. Add contributions from the CPU and GPU, and Intel quotes a platform total of 35 TOPS. That was a genuinely new capability when Meteor Lake launched, letting local AI tasks like background blur, transcription and some generative features run without leaning on the cloud.

The trouble is that time moves fast in Silicon. Microsoft set the bar for its Copilot Plus program at 40 TOPS from the NPU alone, and the 185H simply does not reach it.

Intel's 200 series chips, split between Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake depending on the segment, push NPU performance well past 40 TOPS on the Lunar Lake side. The newer 300 series, built on Panther Lake, goes further still, pairing a stronger NPU with a genuine jump in graphics performance too.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

So is the 185H still worth having? Yes, with a clear head about what it is.

It remains a strong general-purpose chip for everyday work, and its Arc graphics still beat plenty of rivals from its own generation. What it is not is a true Copilot Plus chip, and anyone chasing the latest on device AI features should look at the newer series instead. Judged simply as a capable, well-rounded laptop processor for typical work, there is still very little to complain about here. It has aged into a dependable middle child rather than a has-been, useful for exactly the sort of laptop you might have in front of you now.

Where this design isn’t well-served is that the Core Ultra 9 supports 28 PCI lanes (PCI 5.0 and 4.0), and the ports provided use hardly any of them. Given how much unused PCIe bandwidth was available, why is only one USB-C port USB4 spec? This chipset does support Thunderbolt, and if this were a Mini PC at this price point, I’d be expecting that, but only one USB4 port is poor considering the small army of unused PCIe lanes.

When I look at the number of mini PCs and laptops using this Meteor Lake silicon, I’m inclined to conclude that Intel made far too many of these wafers and now has unused bins clogging the channel they use to move 200- and 300-series chips.

If that’s an accurate analysis, then we’re likely to see more machines like the M16, where Intel attempts to off-load them before they’re four generations back.

• Hardware: 3.5 / 5

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Geekom GeekBook M16: Performance

Laptops

 

Geekom GeekBook M16

Acer Swift Edge 14 AI

CPU

 

Intel Core Ultra 9 185H

Intel Core Ultra 7 258V

Cores/Threads

 

16C 22T

8C 8T

TPD

 

45W

17W-37W

RAM

 

16GB LPDDR5

32GB LPDDR5X

SSD

 

512 GB KINGSTON OM8TAP4512K1

1TB Kingston OM8PGP4102Q

Graphics

 

Intel Arc Graphics

Intel Arc 140V

NPU

 

Intel AI Boost (11 TOPS)

Intel NPU (47 TOPS)

3DMark

WildLife

18,030

20,983

 

FireStrike

7177

8003

 

TimeSpy

3815

4065

 

Steel Nomad.L

2638

2989

CineBench24

Single

94

120

 

Multi

631

389

 

Ratio

6.70

3.24

GeekBench 6

Single

2337

2757

 

Multi

12104

11148

 

OpenCL

33402

29692

 

Vulkan

35602

33890

CrystalDIsk

Read MB/s

5979

4805

 

Write  MB/s

3756

3905

PCMark 10

Office

8133

8206

 

Battery

23h 21m

18h 28m

Battery

Whr

77

65

 

PSU

100W

100W

WEI

Score

8.2

8.8

My comparison machine, the Acer Swift Edge 14 AI, is a smaller display option, but it uses a newer 200 series processor, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V.

As is evident, the improvements Intel made between Meteor Lake and Luna Lake weren’t subtle, and the Core i7 on the Acer performs better pretty much across the board. It’s dramatically better on single-core exercise, even if in some situations the GPU utilisation is slightly better on the older chip.

And, for those wondering about 300 series silicon, like the Intel Core Ultra 7 355 on the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Enterprise Edition, I recently covered, it performs even better.

There is no ‘golden age’ of mobile processors to discover, and the newest ones are genuinely better in almost every respect.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

In testing, this machine lasted 23 hours and 21 minutes, and that’s better than the extra 12Whr of battery capacity the M16 has over the Swift Edge 14 AI might suggest.

I think a factor in this is the amount of RAM, since keeping 32GB of RAM alive for the life of the battery probably uses more power than the 16GB on the M16 consumes. It’s one of the few ways that having less RAM is actually an advantage.

What isn’t covered in these benchmarks is AI, and that’s lucky for the GeekBook, because it would get slapped by any 200 or 300 series processor, even a Core Ultra 5.

Overall, if you are looking for a workman-like system that has decent battery life and performs adequately on office tasks, the GeekBook M16 ticks enough boxes. But it’s not a machine for power users or creatives, unsurprisingly.

For those interested in the screen, I gave it a full analysis using the Datacolor Spyder X2 Ultra, and it was better than I’d anticipated for a side-lit IPS screen.

The gamut representation was 98% sRGB and 78% AdobeRGB and P3, which is fine. The brightness is capped at just over 300 nits, and the contrast is at about 1060:1.

The weaknesses of this panel are a mediocre tone response and poor white point accuracy.

But the usual challenges of luminance and colour uniformity aren’t a big issue here.

Overall, the screen is better than I’ve seen on some big-name brands, even if it can’t compete with the AMLOED displays that some products rock.

• Performance: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Geekom GeekBook M16: Final verdict

Customers of Geekom getting the M16 are getting a much cheaper machine than the spec might suggest. It is roughly the same chassis, screen and platform as the X16 Pro, but with less memory and storage, but 23% more battery.

This is an interesting option for those wanting a reasonably punchy machine but without burning the budget down entirely with the latest processor platforms.

The only thing I’d like to see from this brand is more attention to detail, especially in respect of labelling ports. This would have been less of an issue if both USB-C ports had been USB4, and there are few valid excuses I’d take for why they aren't.

Those points aside, and a trackpad that might have been better, there are many positive things about this design that only a few years ago might have been described as a flagship model.

It isn’t super-cheap, but with rising memory and storage costs, hardware under this lid might look like more of a bargain as time goes by. And, compared with 200 and 300 series machines, it's definitely on the budget-friendly side of the line.

Where I’d be careful with this hardware is deploying it to a student, because it's difficult to assess how much abuse it can take, and carrying this all day might prove tiring.

Should you buy a Geekom GeekBook M16?

Value

Competitively priced for the specification

4/5

Design

Lightweight magnesium chassis, but it needed more USB4

3.5/5

Hardware

Intel Core Ultra 100 Series CPU, and a massive battery for long runtime.

3.5/5

Performance

Not cutting-edge Intel tech, but good enough for many tasks

4/5

Overall

A practical system with enough battery for a long working day that’s less than $900

4/5

Buy it if...

Battery life is important for your workflow
With nearly 100Whr of battery, this machine runs for an inordinately long time on a full charge, and it’s much more than the typical 60-80Whr that most machines using the same Intel platform get given. Having a battery capacity that can run this machine actively for nearly a day is impressive.

You're on a budget
While alternatives typically go for a Core Ultra 5 or 7, this one has the full Core Ultra 9 processor, and that adds cores and performance. The only caveat is that these 100 series chips aren’t great for local AI, and the 16GB RAM capacity is also an LLM limitation.

Don't buy it if...

You need a highly portable machine
If you travel regularly and are sensitive to weight, a laptop that weighs 3.8 lbs or 1.73kg is excessive. Its associated charger doesn’t add much extra, considering it outputs 100W, but that’s the only light at the end of this tunnel.

You like to upgrade

The 16GB LPDDR5 memory is soldered onto the mainboard and cannot be upgraded. Users looking for long-term flexibility or future-proofing may find this limiting, especially if workloads grow more demanding over time.View Deal

Noble Osprey: Two-minute review

Ah, the Noble Osprey; see how the majestic raptor hovers over its prey, watching with beady eyes as the young trout — wait, what do you mean this isn’t the first few words of a David Attenborough narration? Oh. I’m glad you told me that now.

The Noble Osprey are, in fact, a new pair of true wireless earbuds from the premium audio brand Noble. They’re not cheap, relatively speaking (and this is a crowded market), but they do undercut some of the best earbuds on the market to have graced our testing process. They're also more wallet-friendly than other buds from the brand such as the Noble FoKus Amadeus and FoKus Rex5, making them a little more competitive than what’s come before.

Despite this cheaper price, the Osprey also share a few traits with their siblings. They have another distinct marbled look, this time in blue, and again a focus on high-quality audio, with a refined V-shaped sound profile and support for LDAC.

I really wanted to like the Osprey; I tested the FoKus Apollo over-ears which sounded fantastic, and love an earbud that’s focusing on refined, higher-resolution sound instead of an omnipresent thumping bass. But over the several weeks of testing, I repeatedly found myself opting for other buds over the Osprey, which isn’t a good sign.

Unlike the namesake birds, gliding unbothered in the sky, the Osprey are certainly susceptible to the force of gravity… that is to say, they just wouldn’t stay in my ears. I tested the various sizes and shapes of ear tips offered in the box, and even rotated and twisted the buds around uncomfortable angles to see if I could lodge them into my ear, but no cigar.

I don’t mean they wobbled when I went for a run; I could be sitting stock still and they’d slide (I hesitate to use the word 'yeeted', but there it is) straight out of my ears of their own accord. Even cooking or eating was a challenge with them in; they’d fall out so frequently I’d always just remove them — or replace them with a pair I wasn’t testing.

The problem was incessant and it sowed in me a reticence to use the buds. This sentiment colored my entire time with them. I don’t think I’ve ever used a set of earbuds that fit as poorly (well, a tip-toting pair at least; they draw with the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4) as the Noble Osprey.

I'm only laboring the point because it is a real shame. There’s a lot to like in these buds. They look distinctive, offering some of the flair of wired, Shure-adjacent IEMs but without the wire. The case is lovely and small, and holds a fair amount of charge too.

And the audio quality from these Noble earpieces is also good (when you can keep them in), offering a V-shaped presentation but with delicate, sparkling trebles and a refined low-end that’s rich in detail. The use of dual drivers as well as LDAC and Bluetooth 6.0 compatibility ensures you’re getting that extra sonic oomph you’re paying for. I just wish the buds would stay in my ears so I could appreciate the sound quality more…

Noble Osprey review: Price and release date

(Image credit: Future)

• Announced on June 2, 2026, shipped later that month
• Selling for $199 / £199 / AU$292
• Undercuts Noble's other buds, AirPods Pro and Galaxy Buds Pro

Announced on the 2nd June, 2026, the Noble Osprey were shipped to early buyers by the end of the month.

They cost $199 / £199 / AU$292, so they’re priced just a hair below the AirPods Pro 3 or Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, but in the same rough ‘premium wireless earbuds’ area that indicates these are top-tier buds.

Not highest-tier, I suppose, when you consider Noble’s other buds. The Rex5 cost $449 / £419 / AU$699, literally twice as much as the Osprey, so this bird-named pair of buds is still a very affordable model as far as Noble is concerned.

Noble Osprey review: Specs

Drivers

10mm + balanced armature

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Battery life

5 hours (buds), 35 hours (case)

Weight

6.5g (buds), 61g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 6.0

Frequency response

20Hz-40kHz

Waterproofing

TBC

Noble Osprey review: Features

(Image credit: Future)

• Minimum 5 hours listening, 7 hours without ANC
• Passable ANC, but struggles in wind
• App offers EQ, but not much more

The Noble Osprey are earbuds designed for audiophiles, and battery life is often a department that sees culls in favor of driving those various drivers (and powering the necessary antiphase tech for noise nixing). Case in point, the Osprey only last for five hours of listening when you've got ANC enabled.

That timespan extends to seven hours if you turn off ANC, which is a reasonable figure. The 35-hour battery life of the case is also reasonable too, and I've tested plenty of earbuds that don't offer that amount of extra juice.

Talking of the ANC, it's passable, but nothing to write home about — the Osprey won't be joining our best noise-cancelling earbuds guide any time soon. It stripped away the rumble of a bus and dampened the whirr of a nearby washing machine, but didn't offer the near-silence that many rivals do. They often struggled with wind too.

(Image credit: Future)

The Noble Osprey app offers a few useful features, including the ability to customize what the buds' touch controls do, turning off (or on) ANC, and toggling the Bluetooth tone switch.

The main tool, though, is the equalizer, offering a 10-band EQ or the choice between six presets. It's a rather effective EQ, letting you pull the music in various directions, and you can save various custom modes in addition to the presets.

If you don't think you'll use the equalizer, though, the app's not really worth downloading; it doesn't offer that much else, and there's a dearth of extra features that often crop up in consumer-grade earbuds.

• Features score: 3.5/5

Noble Osprey review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Svelte carry case
• Attractive blue marbled design
• Not designed to stick in the ear

You’ve read the introduction, you know that the Noble Osprey buds simply wouldn’t stay in my ears, no matter what I tried. And before the “why didn’t you…” of the comments section: trust me, I test buds for a living, this is not my first rodeo. It took very little motion to dislodge them from my ears: going on walks, sitting on a bumpy bus, moving about while cooking.

This was more than a minor annoyance; I basically couldn’t use them if I wasn’t sitting still at a desk, and even then the fit was unreliable. When they started to slip, they fell fast, tanking the audio quality and, if I tried to push them back into my ears, causing me to accidentally press the on-bud buttons.

Now and then I managed to lodge them in my ears in a way that, temporarily at least, kept them locked in position, and once or twice I managed to go on a walk with the buds. But this wasn’t reliable, caused my ears to ache, and still required me to adjust the fit almost constantly.

(Image credit: Future)

What’s the problem? They’re not the lightest buds I’ve ever tested, weighing 6.5g, but that shouldn’t be enough to hurt the fit. At a guess, it’s the top-heavy weighting of the buds themselves, though the lack of any friction in the tips (or perhaps a fin to help them lodge into ears) doesn’t help either.

Not only is it infuriating to constantly adjust the earbuds in your ear, it runs the risk of knocking the touch controls on each. It’s only a risk, though, and not a guarantee, because I found the controls quite unreliable to trigger.

The Osprey come in a lovely-looking azure charging case — azure until it gets scuffed up, which happened very quickly for me, making it look a little less lovely.

Said case is pretty small, with the buds nestled into it nicely, and it's light in weight, tipping the scales to 61g. I couldn’t find any information suggesting they’re IP rated, but the case certainly feels solid enough to protect the buds from a drop.

• Design score: 2.5/5

Noble Osprey: Sound quality

(Image credit: Future)

• 10mm + BA driver
• Refined V-shaped sound
• LDAC support

Putting aside fit issues (which are hard to put aside when they affect sound quality so frequently — but play nice!), the Noble Osprey sound really good.

Each bud has been kitted out with a 10mm dynamic driver, plus a balanced armature driver, and they combine to create a refined V-shaped sound.

Bass is cohesive and scooping, holding a distinct space in the mix without overriding higher-end frequencies. Treble is sharp and bright, giving vocals sparkle and adding energy to string or brass stings. And while the mids aren’t as prominent in the mix as, say, bass, they hold enough space that music doesn’t feel like there’s some void in the middle.

Songs like Don McCloskey’s First in Flight let the various higher-frequency instruments, and the dancing bassline, all sit separately without descending into one chaotic mush. Acoustic guitars and vocals don’t clash like they do in cheaper buds, like in Charlie Mars’ She Ain’t Coming Back, which retains detail and timbre.

(Image credit: Future)

Helping this detail is the Osprey’s support for LDAC, for an upgrade over SBC or AAC.

The dual drivers bring another benefit: audio spacing. There’s distinct placement and a broad soundstage present in music here. How to get it? Try Yi Nantiro’s Oasis, which sees the harp dance around your periphery, or the London Symphony Orchestra’s recent recording of Holst’s The Planets, in which you can basically point to where each section of the orchestra was seated during the live recording.

The Osprey get pretty loud too if you push them, only distorting when you’re at the highest few volume increments. I didn’t go anywhere near that loud for most of my listening, but I appreciate that you can listen at higher volumes without losing quality.

• Sound quality: 4.5/5

Noble Osprey review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

• Rather affordable compared to audiophile buds
• Expensive compared to consumer-grade ones
• Don't offer the complete package like same-priced rivals do

The Noble Osprey sit with a foot (or claw? Talon?) in two camps. On one side, they're affordable audiophile earbuds, designed for listeners who care about music quality above all else. On the other, they're premium models for the average consumer, who wants a more balanced overall package.

Unfortunately, while the Noble Osprey sound really good, I'm not sure they sound $200 good. The distinction between them and same-price Apple, Bose or Sony rivals isn't pronounced enough, when you consider that those buds tend to offer a more balanced design and wider feature set.

Sure, audiophiles who only consider audio quality might not want those other features, but it's still a high price. For the same cost as the Osprey, you can get other buds that work even better.

• Value: 3/5

Should I buy the Noble Osprey?Noble Osprey score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

The Osprey's ANC does the job, and its battery life is okay, but beyond a useful EQ, there aren't many extra tools.

3.5/5

Design

Despite the portable carry case, and lovely marbling, it doesn't seem like enough thought was put into how the Osprey would sit in the ear.

2.5/5

Sound quality

The Osprey sound great, with a V-shaped profile that belies texture, space and detail.

4.5/5

Value

It's a high asking price, and beyond the sound quality, you're not getting much.

3/5

Buy them if…

You want great-sounding audio
The Noble Osprey sound great, and if that's the one and only thing you look for in wireless earbuds, then they're a good fit for you.

You like the look
Wireless earbuds can look pretty boring, so the Noble Osprey's blue marble pattern sets them apart from the crowd.

You need a tiny carry case
If you find modern earbud cases too big, the Osprey are the antidote: it's smaller than most alternatives I've used.View Deal

Don’t buy them if…

You're not just listening at home
Because of the fit issues, the Osprey just aren't suited to being out and about. If you're only listening while sitting at a desk at home, they might be okay.

You want real budget earbuds
The Noble Osprey might be budget buds compared to other audiophile offerings, but when you look at the grand scheme of earbuds, they're still rather expensive.

Noble Osprey review: Also consider

Want to see what other earbuds your money can get you? Here are some alternatives for roughly the same price.

Noble Osprey

Apple AirPods Pro 3

Sony WF-1000XM6

Drivers

10mm + BA driver

Unspecified

8.4mm

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Yes

Yes

Battery life (ANC on)

5 hours (buds), 35 hours (case)

8 hours (buds), 24 hours (case)

8 hours (buds), 24 hours (case)

Weight

6.5g (buds), 61g (case)

5.6g (buds), 44g (case)

6.5g (buds), 47g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 6.0

Bluetooth 5.3

Bluetooth 5.3

Waterproofing

TBC

IP57

IPX4

Apple AirPods Pro 3
The natural competition at this price point is the AirPods Pro, with a burgeoning feature set (albeit some fit issues too). Don't expect as refined audio, though.
Read our full AirPods Pro 3 review

Sony WF-1000XM6
Another solid rival, and a stem-less option like the Osprey, is Sony's modern flagship. These sound audiophile-tier and have a wide, if not Apple wide, range of extra tools.
Read our full Sony WF-1000XM6 review

How I tested the Noble Osprey

• Tested for one month
• Paired with two different Android phones
• Used for various activities and tasks

I used the Noble Osprey for roughly a month before writing this review, and the writing process added at least a week more of testing time. I began by using the pre-attached ear tips, and cycled through various in-box options, before settling on the two-tiered tips you see in the pictures.

During that span, they were paired to two different Android smartphones: a Motorola Edge 70 Fusion, and a Realme 13 Pro Plus, both times with the app installed on the phone. Mostly, music listening was done with Spotify and Tidal, while Prime Video and Now were used for movies — and various games got a look-in, too. I also used them for some calls and voice notes.

Initially, I used the earbuds for a wide range of tasks, including going for walks around my area, commuting or travelling on various forms of public transport, and while doing activities around my house. Towards the end of the testing process, when the fit issue made other uses frustrating, I only used them while seated at a desk. I completely omitted several tasks that are part of my usual testing process, including gym trips and runs.

I've been reviewing tech for TechRadar since 2019, which has seen me use countless earbuds and audio products.

• First reviewed in July 2026

• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: 30-second review

Before we all get confused, and I well might be, Geekom is selling the GeekBook X16 Pro laptop series in the USA, but it most likely isn’t the model that they supplied me for review purposes.

According to Geekom’s own website, the retail hardware comes with either a Core Ultra 9 185H or a Core Ultra 5 125H CPU, both mobile chips from Intel’s 100 series stable.

These machines come with 32GB of LPDDR5X memory and 2TB of SSD storage, sport Arc graphics and AI Boost.

That’s a decent amount of power for a laptop, and to keep the 16-inch 2560 x 1600 resolution IPS panel running through a working day, it has a 77Wh battery inside.

My review hardware had the same Core Ultra 9 platform and screen, less RAM and storage, but more battery capacity. Apparently, this design went through some late changes, and considering how heavy the review machine was, many of these were positive changes.

The cost savings Geekom made to offer this laptop at the modest asking price of around $1350 mean there is only one USB4 port, the webcam is only 2MP, and the keyboard and touchpad aren’t the best quality.

How much those things impact you will depend on how you are likely to use it, but this laptop isn’t built to the level of a $2000 machine from Acer, Dell, HP or Lenovo.

That said, the underlying platform is solid, even if you can’t expand the memory, and with a USB 4.0 port, it can be attached to a Dock if you need more ports or more than two displays.

Geekom includes a basic USB-C Dock in the box, so those who need a wired LAN port won’t need a full Dock or adapter.

This isn’t the best business laptop I’ve tested, but it's far from the worst, and demonstrates that you can get relatively recent platforms in these form factors if you are prepared to compromise on some aspects.

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: Price and availability

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• How much does it cost? From $999
• When is it out? Available now in the USA
• Where can you get it? Direct from Geekom or online retailers

Geekom built its name on mini PCs, and the GeekBook X16 Pro is one of its first proper laptops. It launched primarily in the United States, where pricing has swung widely between around $949 and $1,599 depending on configuration and whatever promotion happens to be running that week.

At the time of writing, it can be bought directly from Geekom or via online retailers like Amazon.com and Best Buy.

The review unit supplied pairs the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB drive. This does not match either of Geekom's advertised configurations, which list the Ultra 9 185H alongside 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage, or the Ultra 5 125H with 32GB and 1TB.

In the US, the Ultra 9 model with 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage costs $1,349 directly from the maker, the same price at which it can be bought from Amazon.com. The Ultra 5 option with the same 32GB and 1TB of RAM is $999.

The price on Best Buy for the Ultra 9 model is the same $1,349, but curiously, Newegg is asking $2,086.99 for the same hardware.

As Geekom is not a brand with the kudos of other laptop makers, it would seem reasonable to assume that it would undercut the better names. And, it does in general.

But that’s mostly because the big names have moved on to either Ultra 200 or 300 class processors, and therefore, what they’re offering is more powerful.

As an example, the Dell 16 Plus sells for $1429.99 in the USA. It comes with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 1TB of storage. But critically, it has an Ultra 7 256V processor and that comes with ARC graphics. Admittedly, boosting that to 32GB of RAM will jump it to $1,899.99, but you do get a touch screen with that model.

If the Geekom X16 Pro were closer to $1000 for maybe a Core Ultra 7 class CPU, it might be a better value, but from a corporate viewpoint, it needs to be a better deal to push an Intel platform that is already a couple of generations back.

• Value: 3.5 / 5

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: Specs

Item

Spec

Hardware:

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro NM16DM (review hardware)

CPU:

Intel® Core Ultra 9 Processor 185H (16 Cores, 22 Threads, 5.1 GHz)

GPU:

Intel Arc GPU

NPU:

Intel AI Boost (35 TOPS CPU+NPU+GPU)

RAM:

16GB LPDDRX5 (no upgrades)

Storage:

512GB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD + M.2 2230 free slot

Screen:

16.0-inch IPS LCD, 2560 × 1600 (16:10)

Ports:

1x USB4, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) , 2 × USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps), 1x HDMI 1.4, Audio Combo Jack

Camera:

2MP (1080p) Windows Hello compliant

Networking:

Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4

Dimensions:

353 mm × 249 mm × 6.9 mm

Weight:

1.750kg

OS:

Windows 11 Pro (pre-installed)

Battery:

99.99Wh Battery

Power supply:

100W (20V 5A)

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: Design

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• Magnesium-aluminium chassis
• Diverges from the retail model
• Ports aren't labelled

Let’s start by saying that the GeekBook X16 Pro sent to me deviated from the specifications presented for the retail model in several significant ways.

Firstly, it has 16GB of RAM, whereas all retail SKUs have 32GB, and it has 1TB of storage, which isn’t available on the model with the Core Ultra 9 processor.

The biggest difference with my hardware was that it wasn’t the same weight as the retail model is quoted to be, and the reason is undoubtedly that it had a 99.98Whr battery, not the 77Whr that Geekom mentions in the specification.

The specs also mention a MicroSD card slot, but that wasn’t on the review machine.

It’s my assumption, and I can be wrong, that the rest of this equipment is roughly the same as the retail version, but there are no guarantees here.

Geekom has machined the GeekBook X16 Pro from a single piece of magnesium alloy, and that heritage shows in the finish. The Titanium Gray coating feels warm rather than cold to the touch, and there is no flex anywhere across the lid or the keyboard deck. While not the highest quality finish, it doesn’t feel cheap either.

Where the design pitch starts to wobble is the weight. Geekom lists the X16 Pro at 1.27kg, a figure that would make it one of the lightest 16-inch laptops around. The review unit weighs a whopping 1.75kg on the scales, nearly half a kilogram heavier than advertised, and that difference is obvious the moment you lift it one-handed. A laptop sold on featherweight portability should not feel like this in the hand.

This weight discrepancy, I’m confident, is down to the battery that Geekom used in the review hardware. Which is much larger than the one that is on the official spec sheet.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Port selection is generous for something this slim, with two USB-C connections, two USB-A, a full-size HDMI, and a headphone jack.

The frustration is that none of them is labelled with a speed. One USB-C runs at USB4 and the other only at USB 3.2, and there is no visual way to tell which is which, short of plugging something in and checking. For a laptop aimed at people who might use a fast external drive or a high-bandwidth dock, that is a genuine oversight from Geekom, and worth calling out plainly rather than glossing over.

The keyboard includes a full number pad, which is a genuine convenience on a 16-inch chassis and something plenty of rivals leave out. Typing feel is a little on the spongy side rather than crisp, so anyone coming from a firmer keyboard may need a short adjustment period.

The keyboard is workable, but I’m less convinced by the trackpad. It does the job for general navigation and gestures, but it does not feel as refined as the rest of the machine, and precision clicking is not its strong suit.

Those buying a 16-inch laptop clearly want a good display, and the IPS panel on this machine offers 2.5K resolution, a 16:10 aspect ratio, and a 120Hz refresh rate. That extra vertical space suits spreadsheets, documents and code far better than a standard 16:9 screen, and scrolling feels smooth thanks to the higher refresh rate.

Geekom quotes 100 per cent sRGB coverage, which is close enough for everyday creative work without needing a colour-calibrated reference screen.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Since many business machines get small upgrades during their working life, I like to take the backs off laptops to see what is possible on that front.

Removing the underside requires removing nine screws with a T5 screwdriver, but once they’re out, it's relatively easy to detach. Inside, the battery can be replaced, and there is an unoccupied M.2 2230 slot. While the 2230 drive is an easy upgrade, the primary slot is 2280, so I’d probably recommend cloning the supplied drive to a larger one using that slot first.

The capacities of M.2 2230 aren’t great right now.

Also, these days, all memory comes pre-soldered, so the RAM in this system is the maximum it will ever have, even if the processors used on it can address 96GB.

Overall, this is one of those designs that is somewhat bland and lacks any sort of signature feature, but for many customers, that’s exactly what they want.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• Design: 4.5 / 5

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: Hardware

• Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
• Modest AI capability
• Wasted PCIe lanes

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is the flagship chip from Intel's first Core Ultra family, known internally as Meteor Lake. It packs sixteen cores across three types: six performance cores, eight efficiency cores and two low-power efficiency cores, giving it real flexibility between raw speed and battery-sensitive multitasking. Turbo clocks reach 5.1 GHz, and in daily use, that translates into a chip that handles heavy browser sessions, office work, and moderate creative tasks without complaint. Cinebench multicore scores sit comfortably above a thousand points, proof that the hybrid layout genuinely pays off rather than existing purely as a marketing slide.

Graphics duties fall to an integrated Arc GPU built from eight Xe cores, clocked up to 2.35GHz. This was the point where Meteor Lake felt like a proper step forward. Games at modest settings run smoothly, video timelines scrub without stutter, and general graphical work feels far removed from the older Iris chips it replaced. It will never trouble a discrete GPU, but for a laptop chip doing double duty as a workstation and a light gaming machine, it earns its keep.

Then there is the NPU, which Intel calls AI Boost on this silicon. On its own, the dedicated neural engine delivers around 11 TOPS. Add contributions from the CPU and GPU, and Intel quotes a platform total of 35 TOPS. That was a genuinely new capability when Meteor Lake launched, letting local AI tasks like background blur, transcription and some generative features run without leaning on the cloud.

The trouble is that time moves fast in Silicon. Microsoft set the bar for its Copilot Plus program at 40 TOPS from the NPU alone, and the 185H simply does not reach it.

Intel's 200 series chips, split between Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake depending on the segment, push NPU performance well past 40 TOPS on the Lunar Lake side. The newer 300 series, built on Panther Lake, goes further still, pairing a stronger NPU with a genuine jump in graphics performance too.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

So is the 185H still worth having? Yes, with a clear head about what it is. It remains a strong general-purpose chip for everyday work, and its Arc graphics still beat plenty of rivals from its own generation. What it is not is a true Copilot Plus chip, and anyone chasing the latest on device AI features should look at the newer series instead. Judged simply as a capable, well-rounded laptop processor for typical work, there is still very little to complain about here. It has aged into a dependable middle child rather than a has-been, useful for exactly the sort of laptop you might have in front of you now.

Where this design isn’t well-served is that the Core Ultra 9 supports 28 PCI lanes (PCI 5.0 and 4.0), and the ports provided use hardly any of them. Given how much unused PCIe bandwidth was available, why is only one USB-C port USB4 spec? This chipset does support Thunderbolt, and if this were a Mini PC at this price point, I’d be expecting that, but only one USB4 port is poor considering the small army of unused PCIe lanes.

When I look at the number of mini PCs and laptops using this Meteor Lake silicon, I’m inclined to conclude that Intel made far too many of these wafers and now has unused bins clogging the channel they use to move 200- and 300-series chips.

If that’s an accurate analysis, then we’re likely to see more machines like the X16 Pro, where Intel attempts to flog them off before they’re four generations back.

• Hardware: 3.5 / 5

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: Performance

Laptops

 

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro

Acer Swift Edge 14 AI

CPU

 

Intel Core Ultra 9 185H

Intel Core Ultra 7 258V

Cores/Threads

 

16C 22T

8C 8T

TPD

 

45W

17W-37W

RAM

 

16GB LPDDR5X

32GB LPDDR5X

SSD

 

512 GB KINGSTON OM8TAP4512K1

1TB Kingston OM8PGP4102Q

Graphics

 

Intel Arc Graphics

Intel Arc 140V

NPU

 

Intel AI Boost (11 TOPS)

Intel NPU (47 TOPS)

3DMark

WildLife

18,030

20,983

 

FireStrike

7177

8003

 

TimeSpy

3815

4065

 

Steel Nomad.L

2638

2989

CineBench24

Single

94

120

 

Multi

631

389

 

Ratio

6.70

3.24

GeekBench 6

Single

2337

2757

 

Multi

12104

11148

 

OpenCL

33402

29692

 

Vulkan

35602

33890

CrystalDIsk

Read MB/s

5979

4805

 

Write  MB/s

3756

3905

PCMark 10

Office

8133

8206

 

Battery

23h 21m

18h 28m

Battery

Whr

77

65

 

PSU

100W

100W

WEI

Score

8.2

8.8

Before I talk about this comparison, I need to address the elephant reclining on the sofa using this laptop, and that’s the lack of continuity between the review hardware I tested and the retail GeekBook X16 Pro options. While the amount of RAM and the SSD model might well have altered some of these numbers, the one big difference is that the review hardware had a battery with 99.99Whr of capacity, whereas the retail hardware only has 77Whr.

In testing, this machine lasted 23 hours and 21 minutes, and if that is adjusted pro rata to the 77Whr battery size, a projected running time of approximately 1079 minutes, or roughly 17 hours, 59 minutes. If I assume that the retail machine has 32GB of RAM, double that of the review hardware, then that extra overhead in keeping the memory alive would bring the running time down to 17 hours, which is exactly what Geekom is quoting.

That’s a decent amount of time, and should cover even a long working day for those who live to work.

The other benchmarks presented here, I’m less concerned, might be different from a retail GeekBook, since the platform is unlikely to be different to what I tested.

My comparison machine, the Acer Swift Edge 14 AI, is a smaller display option, but it uses a newer 200 series processor, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V.

As is evident, the improvements Intel made between Meteor Lake and Luna Lake weren’t subtle, and the Core i7 on the Acer performs better pretty much across the board. It’s dramatically better on single-core exercise, even if in some situations the GPU utilisation is slightly better on the older chip.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

And, for those wondering about 300 series silicon, like the Intel Core Ultra 7 355 on the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Enterprise Edition, I recently covered, it performs even better.

There is no ‘golden age’ of mobile processors to discover, and the newest ones are genuinely better in almost every respect.

What isn’t covered in these benchmarks is AI, and that’s lucky for the GeekBook, because it would get slapped by any 200 or 300 series processor, even a Core Ultra 5 variant.

Overall, if you are looking for a workmanlike system with decent battery life and adequate performance for office tasks, the GeekBook X16 Pro ticks enough boxes. But it’s not a machine for power users or creatives, unsurprisingly.

For those interested in the screen, I gave it a full analysis using the Datacolor Spyder X2 Ultra, and it was better than I’d anticipated for a side-lit IPS screen.

The gamut representation was 98% sRGB and 78% AdobeRGB and P3, which is fine. The brightness is capped at just over 300 nits, and the contrast is at about 1060:1.

The weaknesses of this panel are a mediocre tone response and poor white point accuracy.

But the usual challenges of luminance and colour uniformity aren’t a big issue here.

Overall, the screen is better than I’ve seen on some big-name brands, even if it can’t compete with the AMLOED displays that some products rock.

• Performance: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: Final verdict

Since the review hardware patently wasn’t the one I was sent, I feel justified in being somewhat coy about endorsing it unreservedly.

What I’m hoping customers of Geekom are getting is roughly the same chassis, screen and platform, but with more memory, more storage and 23% less battery. And, it's much lighter than the one I got, which is difficult to hold in one hand when it's open.

If that’s the case, this is an interesting option for those wanting a reasonably punchy machine without burning through the budget entirely on the latest processor platforms.

The only thing I’d like to see from this brand is more attention to detail, especially in respect of labelling ports. This would have been less of an issue if both USB-C ports had been USB4, and there are few valid excuses I’d take for why they aren't.

Those points aside, and with a trackpad that might have been better, there are many positive aspects of this design that, only a few years ago, might have been described as a flagship model.

It isn’t cheap, but with rising memory and storage costs, hardware at this price might look like more of a bargain in a couple of years. And, compared with 200 and 300 series machines, it's on the budget-friendly side of the line.

Where I’d be careful with this hardware is deploying it to a student, because it's difficult to assess how much abuse it can take, and it's not easy to fit in a smaller backpack.

But with prices on the rise, a machine with this silicon, screen, memory and storage for less than $1500 isn't a bad deal, and it can only get better in the coming months.

Should you buy a Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro?

Value

Not a wonderful deal, but affordable

3.5/5

Design

Unexciting design slightly hampered by a cheap touchpad

3.5/5

Hardware

Intel 100 series, but only one USB4 port

3.5/5

Performance

Decent performance unless you use AI

4/5

Overall

Based system that was built to a price

4/5

Buy it if...

You need a 16-inch display
The IPS panel on the X16 Pro is pretty good, even if it isn't OLED technology. It's not a screen you want to work in sunlight with, but indoors, it's workable.

You're on a budget
The chip in this laptop comes from the first Ultra generation and has all its strengths and weaknesses. It combines excellent efficiency with slightly lacklustre single-core performance and first-generation AI technology.

Don't buy it if...

You like to upgrade
The 32GB LPDDR5x memory is soldered onto the mainboard and cannot be upgraded. Users looking for long-term flexibility or future-proofing may find this limiting, especially if workloads grow more demanding over time.

You want the highest levels of performance
Compared to the latest AMD Ryzen AI machines or the Intel 200/300 series, the processor and graphics in this system aren’t the quickest available. If compute power is paramount, and battery life is less important, then consider a system that uses the AMD Ryzen AI 395 Max+.View Deal