TechRadar Reviews

Nikon ZR: two-minute review

The new Nikon ZR is the first in a new line of Nikon / RED cinema cameras, and instantly makes Nikon a major new player in this space, capable of going to toe-to-toe with Sony, Canon, Blackmagic and Panasonic.

Nikon only acquired RED Digital Cameras 18 months ago, and it's made fast work of producing the surprisingly polished and capable ZR, adorned with Z Cinema Camera and Nikon / RED branding, and available for a tantalizing price that significantly undercuts rivals.

It packs a bunch of Nikon Z6 III tech, including the same 24MP partially stacked full-frame sensor, 5-axis image stabilization, subject-detection tracking autofocus and more, into an extremely compact, weather-sealed cinema camera body.

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We get 6K 60fps video with internal RAW recording, with any one of nine industry-favorite RED color profiles baked in – that's the Nikon / RED amalgamation truly bearing fruit – plus 4K 120fps and Full HD 240fps slow-motion recording.

Handily, shutter angle can be set automatically to 180 degrees, so there's no need to mess around with manual exposure settings, plus the shutter angle can be set to any position between five and 360 degrees manually, should you wish.

The Nikon ZR with new ME-D10 shotgun mic attached – the mic supports the camera's 32-bit float audio capture skills (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

We don't get open gate video recording as in some rivals like the Canon EOS C50, but the ZR has another trick up its sleeve: hold the camera vertically, and its UI automatically rotates, with the vertical orientation embedded in the video files and automatically detected in Nikon's editing software, delivering full-resolution vertical video.

The ZR is the first camera of its kind with internal 32-bit float audio capture, plus what Nikon says is the best-quality internal mics yet – a triple mic combo with Ozo audio and a choice of five directional pickup patterns, including binaural.

Alongside the ZR, Nikon has launched the ME-D10 directional mic (you can see it slotted into the camera's hotshoe in the image above), which is compatible with the camera's 32-bit float capabilities.

This is also the smallest cinema camera I’ve used, yet it still squeezes in a large, brightest-in-class 4-inch vari-angle touchscreen. Naturally, there's no viewfinder.

Nikon has put both its own and RED's branding on the ZR, together with Z Cinema Camera (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

Given its tiny size, there are compromises. We don’t get some of the pro connectivity found in other pricier compact cinema cameras – for example there’s only a micro HDMI port, not a full-size one. However, if you still feel the need to use an external monitor even with the large 4-inch built-in display, all you'll need is a micro-to-full-size HMDI adaptor to get connected.

Sadly, the ZR lacks mounting points for video accessories and, with no grip, you’ll definitely want to rig it up with a grip or a cage for a better hold. That means forking out for ZR-dedicated gear – Nikon outsources to leading accessory maker SmallRig.

However, at just $2,199.95 / £2,199.99 / AU$3,499, no other cinema camera comes close to the ZR for video features – and this aggressive pricing will soften the blow of any additional outlay on accessories.

I can see the Nikon ZR as a go-to b-cam for many pros, especially those already shooting with a RED camera, for whom the color profile matching will make for a seamless workflow. That said, this is a capable video camera in its own right too.

The Nikon ZR is an incredibly capable and polished compact cinema camera with world-first features, and an exciting first step into the filmmaking space for Nikon. Should video lenses soon follow (most Z lenses are designed primarily for photography), along with a higher-end cinema camera with pro connectivity to sit above the ZR, then Nikon will truly find its footing in this space.

The compact body is the smallest in this class of cinema camera, with a fairly simple control layout (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Nikon ZR: price and release date

• Costs $2,199.95 / £2,199.99 / AU$3,499
• There will be various accessory bundles, TBC
• Sales start in October

The Nikon ZR costs $2,199.95 / £2,199.99 / AU$3,499. At that price it significantly undercuts rivals – such a feature set is typically found in cameras that cost around 50% more, and more often in cameras closer to twice the price.

That said, there are no video accessories included, and you'll want to fork out for some in order to enjoy the ZR's handling and feature set to its full potential. These will likely include a grip and / or cage, plus Nikon's new ME-D10 directional mic, which is compatible with the camera's 32-bit float audio format.

Nikon doesn't make its own accessories such as grips or rigs, relying on third parties such as SmallRig to supply those. At the time of writing I don't have pricing for dedicated ZR accessories.

The Nikon ZR is due to go on sale in October 2025.

The ZR is compact cinema camera for run-and-gun filmmaking – an ideal b-cam (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Nikon ZR: specs

Video

6K up to 60fps, Raw internal

Photo

24MP full-frame

Lens mount

Nikon Z

Autofocus

Dual Pixel CMOS AF II

Screen

4-inch, 3.07m-dot, vari-angle

Viewfinder

N/A

Weight

19oz / 540g (body only)

Battery

EN-EL15 (same type as Nikon Z6 III / Z8)

Nikon ZR: Design

• Smallest and lightest cinema camera of its kind; weather-resistant
• Large 4-inch, 3.07m-dot touch LCD with brightest in-class display, no viewfinder
• No mounting points for accessories
• 3x internal mics, Ozo audio with five directional pickup patterns

As far as I know, the Nikon ZR is the smallest and lightest camera of its kind, weighing just 19oz / 540g (body-only). It's also weather-resistant, which is a rarity in the cinema camera world.

There are pros and cons resulting from the tiny dimensions. Drawbacks include enthusiast-level connectivity, like micro HMDI rather than full-size (though you only need an adaptor to remedy this), and the absence of a grip or mounting points for accessories. A camera like the Canon EOS C50 feels more high-end, given its pro-level connectivity.

It feels best to keep things simple with the ZR, making the most of its compact body and powerful features by minimizing the number of accessories in play. A grip is the one accessory I would absolutely look into buying, while if you want to rig up the ZR you'll need a cage, which will in turn allow you to attach accessories such as lights and mics – Nikon has partnered with SmallRig to create grips and cages for the ZR (pricing TBC).

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Despite its tiny body, the ZR packs a large 4-inch touch display. As such, I don't really see the need for attaching a bulky external 5-inch monitor. It certainly helps that the ZR's 3.07m-dot display is wonderful bright and vivid – the brightest in its class, says Nikon. Mind you, I've only used the ZR in a studio; a truer test will be the bright outdoors.

Other cinema cameras, like the Sony FX3 and Canon EOS C50, only have 3-inch displays, while the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K has a mega 5-inch unit. In the case of the Sony and Canon models, I'd absolutely want to add a monitor to my setup.

The camera's top plate is pretty simple: there's a photo / video switch (though sadly the UI remains the same whichever setting you're in, rather than there being dedicated menus for photo and video), record button with rocker, plus three buttons for accessing items such as display settings.

The rear is dominated by the large touch display, which when folded away reveals the Nikon / RED branding. Beside it are a joystick for controls such as autofocus point selection, a menu button (a quick press brings up the main menu and a long press brings up the quick menu, which is a nice touch) and a playback button.

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Battery life promises to be okay, given that the ZR uses the same EN-EL15 battery as the Nikon Z6 III and Nikon Z8. There are no vents or cooling fans, though, which would normally suggest that a camera of this type would be prone to overheating during long recording sessions.

I haven't recorded clips any longer than a few minutes, but I'll be sure to run the camera for longer during my in-depth testing. However, Nikon says the camera's magnesium alloy body is a natural heat sink, and promises that long record times are possible, and based on my experience with previous Nikon cameras I have no reason to doubt it.

There's exciting tech under the hood, too, namely a totally new Ozo audio setup, which comprises three mics. Together, these offer five directional pickup patterns, including front narrow (like a shotgun mic), front wide, rear and binaural 3D stereo.

Nikon says this Ozo system is the best internal mic setup of any camera, and it's supported by a world-first: in-camera 32-bit float audio capture. Nikon's new ME-D10 shotgun mic, released at the same time as the ZR, supports 32-bit float audio too.

Those are impressive audio features for any camera, let alone one at this price point, and I look forward to properly testing them out.

Nikon ZR: Performance

• 6K up to 60fps, 4K up to 120fps, Full HD up to 240fps
• Internal RAW recording and RED color profiles (up to nine in-camera at any time)
• Subject-detection autofocus and 5-axis image stabilization
• 24MP stills, partially stacked full-frame sensor

For the most part, the Nikon ZR has the same photo and video specs as the Z6 III (which we awarded five stars out of five in our in-depth review), which means a full-frame partially stacked 24MP sensor equipped with 5-axis image stabilization.

Add in decent subject-detection tracking autofocus and the ZR is a capable stills shooter, although while this is useful for on-set stills, the main focus of my testing is of course the ZR's video chops.

There's the partially stacked 24MP full-frame sensor and Nikon Z mount (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

Like the Z6 III, the Nikon ZR shoots 6K up to 60fps, 4K up to 120fps and Full HD up to 240fps. There's the option for shooting internal RAW with a 12-bit color depth, or keeping things simple and baking in the look at capture with 10-bit recording.

Given the array of creative styles and color profiles on board, which includes space for up to nine RED color profiles at any one time, you might just feel happy to skip shooting RAW, with its large file sizes and grading demands, and use one of the many baked-in color profiles instead to save editing time and space on your hard drives.

I shot a variety of video clips during a half-day session with a drummer in action inside a studio, including 6K RAW, a few of the RED profiles baked in, and 240fps slow-motion – see my sample video, above.

In this setting, the ZR delivered some superb-looking video. I'll be expanding this first impressions review with more detail about its video and audio quality, once I've had an extended time with the ZR.

The ZR is a decent camera for photos too, with 24MP stills (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Nikon ZR: also consider

Canon EOS C50

Canon announced the EOS C50 just a day before the Nikon ZR. It costs around 50% more, but comes with a top grip. In many ways the two cameras' video features are similar, including video resolution, maximum frame rates, internal RAW recording and autofocus. However, the Canon camera feels slightly more high-end with pro connectivity, while in the ZR's favor are its compact size, larger touch display and, impressively, its sensor-based stabilization.

See my Canon EOS C50 reviewView Deal

Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K

The Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K is pretty much the same price as the Nikon ZR, and in many respects has similar video features: a full-frame sensor with 6K video, 12-bit internal RAW recording and dual base ISO. It also packs a mammoth 5-inch display and has a solid choice of L-mount lenses. However, its slow-motion recording is more limited, while autofocus performance isn't a patch on Nikon's. It's also much bulkier and heavier.

See our Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K reviewView Deal

Sony FX3

The Sony FX3 is an industry-favorite compact 4K cinema camera with superb low-light skills, thanks to its 12MP full-frame sensor. Like the ZR, it's designed to be rugged, with accessories such as its (bundled) top handle. It has the pro connectivity you'd hope for, excellent battery life, and a wide range of video lenses. However, its video recording feels somewhat dated compared to the ZR's 6K internal RAW, and it's practically twice the price. View Deal

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)How I tested the Nikon ZR

• I had just half a day with the ZR
• I paired it with multiple Nikon Z lenses and tried out the new ME-D10 mic
• No third-party accessories were available, so I used the camera handheld

I had the opportunity to shoot with the Nikon ZR for half a day ahead of its launch, using it for an indoor stage-lit shoot of a drummer in action.

Nikon supplied an array of Z-mount lenses for the shoot, of which I used a few primes and zooms. The new ME-D10 directional mic was also available on the day.

Nikon doesn't make its own rigs or cinema camera accessories, relying on third parties such as SmallRig instead. None of these accessories were available to me, so I shot with the ZR entirely handheld, without a grip or rig.

During my limited test time I made sure to shoot in 6K RAW, 240fps slow motion, and to try out various color profiles, focusing on the RED looks.

I have plenty of experience using rival cinema cameras such as the Sony FX3, so I'm well equipped to make an informed initial assessment of the ZR. That said, cinema cameras need to prove themselves as tools their users can rely on shoot after shoot, so check back soon for my in-depth verdict after I've spent more time with the camera.

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

Sachtler Ace M MS Mk II: two-minute review

Many years ago I worked in a camera store, and a regular topic of conversation was how to make tripods sound exciting to customers.

Admittedly, they are accessories that many photographers see as necessary tools, but not ones worthy of the same attention as the latest cameras and lenses. I doubt every photographer would be as actively vocal about a new tripod as they might the release of the Canon EOS R6 Mark III, Leica M EV1, or even an action camera like the DJI Osmo Action 6.

Every so often, however, a tripod comes along that truly defines what every content creator should aspire to own in a camera support. These are the models that usually make it onto our list of the best tripods guide.

Some tripods, like the fabulous Manfrotto One hybrid photo and video tripod, hit the headlines due to their mainstream appeal, while others quietly fill a gap in the market for specific uses and a tightly-targeted customer base, and the Sachtler Ace M MS Mk II is one such model.

Before diving into what makes this set of legs the best for shooting video, it’s important to understand how a video-centric tripod differs in its features compared to one made solely for stills photography.

Unsurprisingly, a photo tripod is all about providing the ultimate stability for sharpness in a single frame. You need these models to allow you to precisely place the camera for a stationary composition. With a video tripod, meanwhile, you need the freedom to move the camera during a shot, to create a cinematic pan that follows the subject.

You need to keep the target in the frame as it moves through the scene, while maintaining smooth, fluid movement that isn’t jerky or rife with distracting micro-vibrations. If you're shooting with one of the best 4K cameras or best cameras for professional filmmaking, you want to ensure the quality of your footage isn't let down by your tripod.

The Sachtler Ace M MS Mk II has a rugged aluminum construction with high-grade plastic joints and control knobs (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

When fully extended, the head can be comfortably raised to head height for dynamic framing opportunities (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

Video models also have a greater provision of accessory attachment points, which allow the user to add audio and lighting equipment, a larger external monitor or teleprompter, for example. The Sachtler Ace M MS Mk II has three 3/8-inch accessory mounting points arranged around the tripod bowl, which not only enables multiple accessories to be added to your system but also allows you to select a position for the optimal balance of the setup.

Speaking of stability and balance, the Ace M MS Mk II features a mid-level spreader to prevent leg creep under the weight of a heavier cine camera system and to ensure that all of the legs are properly spaced. The camera level changing between shots is a pain for photographers, but a potential disaster if it happens mid-video clip. The unit on the Ace M MS Mk II is sturdily constructed, and easily removed when it’s not required.

The bundled spreader is well-made, matching the metal construction of the legs themselves (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

The leg sections slide past each other externally, meaning they can be more easily cleaned after a shoot than a collapsing stacked design (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

I’ve always preferred a mid-level type, rather than ground-level, which might provide good stability in a studio setting but quickly becomes an obstruction and speed killer when on location. It’s ideal that such a spreader is removable, giving users the stability needed for high payloads, but the flexibility to spread the tripod and capture lower-level shots.

The Ace M MS Mk II an aluminum tripod, rather than carbon fiber, and with an aluminum design there is always going to be a weight penalty. None of Sachtler’s tripods could be described as lightweight, but this is not uncommon for video models; indeed, it’s necessary to provide the proper support for the larger gear they will be paired with.

Yet at 4.4kg, the Ace M MS Mk II is still highly manageable compared to other professional video products. The Manfrotto MVH502A, for example, weighs in at 11.7lbs / 5.3kg while supporting up to a 22lbs / 10kg payload. Meanwhile, the Sirui BCT-3203 matches the Sachtler’s weight exactly despite being made from carbon fiber.

Build quality is impressive throughout, from the aluminum tubes of the legs themselves to the high-impact plastic of the control points and bowl surrounds. All of the materials are solid to the touch, notably the plastic components, which have very little give when depressed. All threads and screws are precisely milled, and didn’t exhibit any sticking or slipping when operated during testing.

I liked that there didn’t seem to be many potential points for moisture and dirt ingress. Unlike the common stacked multi-segment leg design seen in many photo tripods, where one section collapses into the other, possibly taking contaminants with it that can cause seizing over time, most moving components are external and can be accessed on the Ace M MS Mk II. This makes cleaning and maintenance easier, and less likely to be neglected post-shoot.

Functionality is also excellent. The many dials, knobs, and locks take some familiarization when you first use the tripod, but every control is smooth and logically placed. The friction controls for both head pitch and pan movements are exceptionally effective, allowing fluid motion in dynamic footage. Meanwhile, when locked, static clips were sharp and generally vibration-free, at least in moderately still air.

There are three levels of friction selectable for rotational panning and for pitch control (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

The knobs and locks on the bundled video head are made from plastic, but still have a knurled, high-quality finish (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

The less rigid microstructure of carbon fiber means it has fewer resonant properties, so it transmits less vibration to the tripod head. Despite this, the overall weight of the aluminum Sachtler Ace M MS Mk II made it more resistant to wind buffeting than my Gitzo carbon tripod, and I was able to capture sharper images once the wind speed increased.

Similar to the excellent Manfrotto One hybrid tripod, the legs of the Ace M MS Mk II can be extended with a reduced number of actions. Rather than having to unlock each leg section individually, unscrewing the mid-level locks raises the head to chest height, and then the lower section can be further extended with the secondary screw locks. It’s not quite as smooth an operation as the Manfrotto One, but it still wins points for speed.

The tripod can be extended to full height in two actions, using the leg locks at the mid-point and base of the legs (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

I must also give a mention of the tripod feet, which are both tough and easy to adjust. By simply rotating them on their screw thread, you can reveal or retract the spikes within, depending on the terrain type on which you plan to use the legs. It might sound like a minor point, but I really appreciate that they are also bright red. The weakness of this screw-thread design is that it’s not too difficult to over-loosen a tripod foot, which then detaches, and standard black rubber feet are easy to miss – I’m ashamed to add up how many tripod feet I’ve ‘misplaced’ like this over the years. Perhaps I’m just careless, but in the heat of a rapid shoot, where you're changing locations a lot, the highly visible color is a thoughtful touch.

The mid-level spreader can be removed when the need arises to place the legs on an incline or when uneven ground makes the setup unstable with it in place (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)Sachtler Ace M MS Mk II: key specs

Maximum height:

66.5 inches / 169cm

Closed height:

30.7 inches / 78cm

Bowl size:

75mm

Materials:

Aluminum

Max payload:

8.8lbs / 4kg

Leg sections:

Two

Tilt Range:

90 to -75 degrees

Attachment points:

3x 3/8-inch accessory threads

Weight:

9.7lbs / 4.4kg

Sachtler Ace M MS Mk II price and availability

The Sachtler Ace M MS Mk II video tripod was launched in April 2024 and is available from several specialist photographic retailers, bundled with the Ace M Fluid Head and flowtech®75 Mid-level spreader. The cost of the kit is $985 / £858 / AU$1,545.

The tripod is available across major markets, in the USA, UK, and Australia, although as this is a specialist video accessory it can be trickier to find at some mainstream retailers, or it is listed but with limited availability. We sourced examples at Adorama in the United States, WEX in the UK, and Videocraft in Australia.

Sachtler Ace M MS Mk II: Also consider

Manfotto One hybrid tripod

The Manfrotto One is probably the best alternative option if you shoot both video content and still photos. It combines several features catered for each type of user. While it lacks a spreader, it does feature a rapid extension system and a balancing center column.

Read our Manfrotto One hybrid tripod review

Should I buy the Sachtler Ace M MS Mk II?

(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)Buy it if...

Video content is your primary focus
The Sachtler Ace M MS Mk II is a video-oriented product from the ground up, so you'll find plenty of tailored features for motion content creation. The included spreader, quick set-up speed, and fluid head are the ideal tools for pro-looking video.

You use a mirrorless camera system
The 4kg payload limit might not be enough if you regularly use a large camcorder or interchangeable lens video camera system. If, however, you make lots of content with your mirrorless system, such as a Canon EOS R5 Mark II, or Sony A7 V, the load-weight balance is perfect.

Don't buy it if...

You don't use lots of accessories
The tripod is designed to support a modular system of accessories, which is in part what you're paying for. If you don't plan on using an external monitor, or a rig such as a Magic Arm, these attachment points will be somewhat wasted on you.

You're a vlogger
While vlogging still requires a good-quality camera support, if you're used to a POV style of filmmaking, you might find the bulk and weight of the Sachtler Ace M MS Mk II more of a hindrance than a help.

How I tested the Sachtler Ace M MS Mk II

• I spent approximately one month testing the tripod in a variety of weather conditions
• I used the tripod to support my camera in various locations, across multiple types of terrain
• I mounted a variety of camera types on the tripod to test stability, from a lightweight mirrorless system to a pro DSLR

To ensure I got a representative idea of the capabilities of the Sachtler Ace M MS Mk II, I took it out on location with me several times over several weeks. These shoots covered landscapes, coastal shots, woodland scenics, and even low-light cityscapes.

I captured video footage and examined frame grabs to assess sharpness in windier conditions or when water was moving around the tripod feet. I also shot some long-exposure still images to get a better picture of the type and direction of vibrations, where present.

I tried using the legs with and without the spreader fitted. I placed the feet on different terrain conditions as a routine part of my test shooting, including waterlogged soil, sand, and concrete. I also used the tripod at various heights to test how stability and vibration absorption changed as the legs were extended.

First reviewed December 2025

Honor Band 10: One-minute review

When I made the jump over to using an Honor phone as my daily driver, it only made sense to leave my old Huawei Band 9 behind and pick up a matching fitness tracker. Enter the Honor Band 10, the Chinese tech brand’s latest affordable fitness tool promising a wealth of smartwatch-lite features at an incredibly low price.

But does the Honor Band 10 actually deliver? Absolutely, although there are one or two rough edges to bear in mind before you rush to add it to your cart. Starting with the good, the sleek design is a winner; there’s only one color available, a basic black, but a charming golden accent around the edges of the sleek 1.57-inch AMOLED touchscreen make it look far more premium than the price would suggest.

Sure, the body of the Honor Band 10 is made from plastic, or ‘durable polymer materials’ according to the manufacturer, but it doesn’t feel cheap and my model hasn’t managed to pick up any noticeable scratches even after months of daily use. Unlike other options on the market, the Honor Band 10 doesn’t have any buttons either, giving it a very streamlined appearance.

When you first take it out of the box you have to turn it on by plugging it into its magnetic changing cable and during use, waking the screen is as simple as raising your wrist or a quick tap on the glass – a very seamless, almost Apple-like experience.

(Image credit: Dashiell Wood / Future)

The battery life is solid, lasting about three days with the always-on-display enabled, but there are plenty of smart features to extend that to over a week. I particularly like the ability to schedule the always-on-display, so you don’t waste any charge keeping a clock on screen outside the times you really need it.

It's compatible with the Honor Health app (which you can sync with the likes of Apple Health easily), which is simple to use and offers access to a good amount of data including the usual overall activity level, daily step count, total calories burned, sleep tracking and your heart rate, in addition to a daily health report. The watch comes with a decent number of faces out of the box in both analog and digital styles, but you can always download more if you’re not happy with them thanks to a wide range of both official and community-made options to choose from.

My one complaint comes from the step tracking on the band itself. It’s a little optimistic, especially compared to my other fitness trackers. I make an effort to hit 10,000 steps per day and when I wore it at the same time as an old Fitbit Charge HR, I found that the Honor Band 10 was off by about ten percent or so in the upwards direction, which isn’t the end of the world given the low price – but could be a good reason to consider a more premium option instead.

There are also some small issues with the smartwatch features. Notifications come through almost instantly, but the media playback controls are very hit-and-miss. I often have to tap multiple times to skip a song, or notice that the song title hasn’t actually updated to reflect what’s playing. This feature is also entirely disabled if you’re using iOS, which is a shame. However, you’re not really missing out on too much in my experience.

Honor Band 10: Specifications

Price

£44.99 (around $60 / AU$90)

Dimensions

43.2 x 28.2 x 8.99mm

Display

1.57-inch AMOLED

GPS?

No

Battery life

14 days

Honor Band 10: Price and availability

• Costs £44.99 (around $60 / AU$90)
• Not available in the US
• Expect frequent discounts

I purchased the Honor Band 10 when it first arrived on the Honor store back in May.

It was priced at £49.99 and cost me a total of £44.99 plus shipping thanks to a £5 launch day discount. I can confidently say that the band is great value at the price I paid, though its going rate has since been lowered to £44.99, with frequent discounts down to £39.99, making it an even more tempting proposition.

Unfortunately, as with other Honor products it’s hard to find in the US as it’s not officially sold. Your best option would be to import the band from third-party sellers on sites like Aliexpress, but you should be aware that you may lose any warranty or support and that compatibility isn't guaranteed.

Honor products are also not officially available in Australia, so expect similar hurdles there.

Scorecard

Category

Comment

Score

Value

The Honor Band 10 is fantastic value, especially if you grab it one of the many sales throughout the year.

4.5/5

Design

The classy buttonless look of the Honor Band 10 helps it stand out from the crowd, though it is still a plastic body.

4/5

Features

There are plenty of features here given the low price, including some that you would usually expect from a more expensive smartwatch.

4.5/5

Performance

The performance is good, but has some compromises. The step counter is a tad optimistic, and media playback controls are a bit iffy.

4/5

Should I buy the Honor Band 10?

(Image credit: Dashiell Wood / Future)Buy it if…

You want a fantastic value fitness tracker
It’s hard to complain about the Honor Band 10 given its rock bottom price tag. You’re getting an awful lot of smart band here for not very much cash.

You love the look
The Honor Band 10 stands out from its biggest competitors with its sleek, buttonless design. It only comes in black, but the gold accent looks lush on your wrist.

Don’t buy it if…

You want perfect accuracy
If you’re after the most accurate possible step counter, then you should probably swerve the Honor Band 10 as it is a little off. You’ll need to spend more to get something significantly better, though.

Also consider

Xiaomi Smart Band 9
This is the budget fitness tracker to beat, and the Honor Band 10 puts up a pretty good fight. The Smart Band 9 is a little cheaper and is more widely available, but I prefer the design of the Honor.
Read our full Xiaomi Smart Band 9 review

Fitbit Charge 6
The Fitbit Charge 6 is double the price of the Honor Band 10, but delivers much more accurate step tracking. It’s the one to choose if that’s your biggest concern, though it comes with its own drawbacks.
Read our full Fitbit Charge 6 review

How I tested the Honor Band 10

I bought the Honor Band 10 back in May 2025 and have been using it daily since. I’ve taken it on plenty of walks in my quest to hit 10,000 daily steps and measured its accuracy against other fitness trackers that I own. I’ve also been using it as a watch – even occasionally glancing at the time throughout the writing of this review.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed November 2025

Dreame Aqua10 Ultra: Two-minute review

Innovation in the world of robot vacuum cleaners is evolving by leaps and bounds – you only have to look at the Dreame Matrix10 Ultra and the Ecovacs Deebot X11 OmniCyclone to see how far we’ve come. While the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra isn’t so groundbreaking, it still boasts industry-leading vacuum suction (30,000Pa) and features I’ve not seen anywhere else – like all brushes getting raised when mopping and the mop getting covered when rolling over a carpet. In fact, this is Dreame’s first robovac to get a roller mop.

While these unique features are welcome additions, the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra shines where it matters the most – cleaning floors. I’ve previously said the same thing in my Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni review, but this Dreame does a better job of vacuuming carpets.

I wouldn’t put too much stock in that 30,000Pa of suction as that spec doesn’t always translate to 100% hair pickup on very dirty carpets, but I’d say it gets close – 98% to 99% – which is much better than most other robovacs I’ve tested. Edge cleaning on carpets, though, is a little disappointing in comparison, but this isn’t unique to Dreame – most side brushes don’t have stiff bristles to sweep up embedded hair, fur and fibres along room edges of wall-to-wall carpets, and suction power isn’t distributed evenly across the entire length of the central bar brush. In fact, even my Dyson V15s Detect Submarine finds it hard to get right to the edge where carpet meets wall – unless I use the crevice tool.

Hard-floor cleaning, however, is 100% pickup of all visible dirt and debris. Importantly, there's very little scattering of larger debris as the side brush is raised when it senses excessive dirt. And mopping by the roller results in perfect stain removal, no matter how old and deep-seated it is. I love that it dries the dust bag after each cleaning run, which means it can safely go over a little wet area and suck up some moisture, although I would still hesitate to send it over a large wet spill.

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Mobility is fantastic, with extremely silent wheels, although the raising mechanism can be heard and the robot dropping back to its normal position after crossing a threshold sounds like something is breaking. And despite some teething issues when I first set it up, I found its navigation abilities quite efficient. I will admit, however, that it does occasionally clean one spot repeatedly even though it’s not excessively dirty, and that eats into its battery life.

Battery use is also affected slightly by the fact that its suction kicks in as soon as the robot exits its dock, so it’s using up precious power even before it gets to its starting point. In my tests, the battery would drop by 1% to 2% depending on which room I would send it to before it began its task. This isn’t a deal breaker for some homes, but it may not finish cleaning larger spaces in one go.

Another minor complaint I have is the app. As nice as it looks, it takes a little getting used to and, even for someone like me who has ample experience with robovacs, I struggled to find some necessary settings (in my case, carpet-cleaning options). Again, not a deal breaker – and I’m yet to meet a robot vacuum with the perfect app (Roborock comes close) – but a touch of streamlining would make it a lot easier to use, especially if you’re going to shell out a four-figure sum on the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra.

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)Dreame Aqua10 Ultra review: Price & availability

• List price: $1,599 / £1,299 / AU$2,999
• Released date: November 2025
• Available in most major markets, including the US, UK and Australia

With a suggested retail price of $1,599 / £1,299 / AU$2,999, there’s no denying that the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra sits firmly in the premium robovac space, although it’s not as expensive as the $1,999.99 / £1,399 / AU$3,499 mop-swapping Dreame Matrix10 Ultra. It’s still a flagship model and has features to justify its high asking price but, if clean floors is what you’re after, you can get something a little cheaper and not compromise on what’s important.

Case in point is the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni: it performs wonderfully well although, like most robovacs, its app leaves much to be desired, and you get flagship cleaning for $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$2,499 at full price. Given how often robot vacuums get discounted, this Deebot can be had for around the $800 / £800 / AU$1,500 mark, if not cheaper. I suspect the Aqua10 Ultra will also see a similar treatment during major sales, but its full price stings a little.

In comparison, the Ecovacs Deebot X11 OmniCyclone brings some cutting-edge tech to the table – fast charging and an agentic AI helper to name just a couple – and does away entirely with the replaceable dust bag. It costs $1,499 / £1,199 / AU$2,999 and potentially offers better value for larger homes.

Dreame, however, is known for pricing its robot vacuums quite high – the X50 Ultra Complete, which uses traditional mop pads instead of a roller and doesn’t have all the fancy features of the Aqua10 Ultra, has a list price of $1,699 / £1,299 / AU$2,999.

• Value score: 3.5 / 5

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)Dreame Aqua10 Ultra review: Specs

Max suction

30,000Pa

Robot dimensions (W x H)

35cm x 120cm (LDS raised) / 35cm x 9.75cm (LDS lowered)

Robot weight

5.8kg

Dock dimensions (H x D x L)

50.5cm x 44cm x 42cm

Dock weight

11.1kg

Robot bin volume

220ml

Dust bag capacity

up to 3.2L

Dock water-tank volume

4L clean / 3.5L dirty

Mop type

Roller

Battery capacity

6,400mAh

Robot max clearance

4.2cm single step / 8cm double step

Navigation

Retractable LiDAR

Dock type

Charge, dusty emptying, roller hot-water washing, roller drying, auto-dispensing one of two detergents

Dreame Aqua10 Ultra review: Design

• First Dreame robovac to get a roller mop
• Boasts step-vaulting feet and a retractable navigation turret
• Boxy and classy dock design with dual-detergent dispenser drawer

The moment I took the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra out of its box, my first thought was, “It looks like a large Marshall speaker!”. If you aren’t familiar with this speaker brand, they’re quite boxy and most of the models I know about have a black finish. This is in no way a complaint; it’s my brain making connections I didn’t expect it to – and I love the look. It’s very classic, with clean lines and metallic accents that ooze ‘premium-ness’. Somehow even the green light around the main control button of the robot while it's charging makes it look fabulous rather than garish.

There are a lot of thoughtful design elements here other than the looks, like soft rubber washers that make it easy to remove the dock cover, a dual detergent dispenser drawer and a retractable navigation puck on the top of the robot. It even comes with a brush to clean the wash tray, which I’ve even used to scrub the dirty-water tank.

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)Robot design

Sticking with the usual round robot, the Aqua10 Ultra isn’t all that different from many of its premium competitors, with a sleek look – a black robot in my case – that’s enhanced by a retracting navigation puck. When docked, the puck stays lowered and has a ring of green light when it’s moving up or down, or when it’s charging – but is unlit when fully topped up and on standby.

The top of the puck is brass coloured and houses the main controls. It looks like a single button that’s divided in two, with one half to power the robot up or down, while the other half is to send it back to its dock (home button).

Around the puck is a fully removable lid, under which you’ll find a dust box which, strangely, is a lot smaller than I’ve seen in competing models. It’s just 220ml and while it’s not affected my cleaning routines, I suspect it will be emptying itself a lot more frequently in homes with pets.

Under the lid is also the Wi-Fi indicator light and the all-important QR code to get you set up with the companion app. Watch out for how much you handle the robot, though, because it’s highly prone to picking up fingerprint smudges that aren’t easy to wipe off (I’m fussy, what can I say?).

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The front of the robot, as with all others like it, is the camera window that houses not one, but two AI cameras with HD quality that, Dreame says, allows it to capture a 3D image of the robot's surroundings. A side sensor window is also visible towards the end of the bumper.

The undercarriage is where all the action is and here’s where the Aqua10 Ultra differs from many of its competitors. Firstly, it has a dual-brush system for better cleaning on carpets and hard floors alike without hair tangles.

Second, it’s the first Dreame robot vacuum to get a roller mop and here too there’s been some innovation. The roller is made from slightly more bristly fibres than fluff or microfibre to allow it to get into cracks or grouting to ‘scrub’ as it passes over hard floors. It also has a fluffer that spins in the opposite direction to the roller to keep the fibres, well, fluffed so it’s effective at all times.

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Importantly, this is the first robovac I’ve tested that actually has a cover for the roller that engages automatically when it senses a carpet. I couldn’t even see the cover when it was doing a mop and went over my living room rug, but no part of my colorful carpet was damp, something I’ve experienced with other robot vacuum cleaners. The roller also extends to clean along edges, although it does miss corners like pretty much every other robovac I’ve tested.

Like its X50 Ultra and Matrix10 Ultra siblings, the Aqua10 also gets the ProLeap system that allows the robot to traverse shallow steps – it can climb 4cm in one step, and another 4cm in a second step if it needs to. It’s no stair climber though, this only helps it get across higher thresholds that some other robots would have trouble with. At setup, the app will even ask you if you want it to use one ‘foot’ at a time, like a human, or raise both feet and roll over.

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I’ve gotten to a point where I wish robovac makers would use stiffer bristles for the side brush because I’ve seen them all struggle to push dirt when moving over carpets, although they work very well on hard floors. It’s the same here – stiffer bristles on my fully carpeted bedroom would have been fabulous. This isn’t a complaint, more a wish for the next iteration.

Dock design

I was sent a black unit for this review, although I’ve seen pictures of a white model too. Either way, the base station for the Aqua10 Ultra looks darn good. Sharp corners and clean lines are reminiscent of mid-Century architectural aesthetics and, as I’ve said before, I get Marshall speaker vibes. And that’s a compliment – I love it!

A lot of thought has gone into the various parts of the base station too. For example, I love that the front cover that hides the dust bag and detergent dispenser is tight thanks to a rubber washer around it, but it comes off and slips on smoothly – no harsh clicks or excessive elbow grease needed as I’ve experienced with other such models that make me feel like I’m about to break something.

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I have to mention the dispenser here before moving on. It has two slots for different solutions (there’s a bottle of detergent and pet odor neutralizer in the box – color-coded so you know which goes in what slot), so you could switch up your detergent use if you wish, but the grip to pull the dispenser out of the base station is designed for right-handed people. That’s not to say left-handers can’t remove it, it will just need a little wrist twisting.

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Above this slot is the covered hatch for the two water tanks, while below is the housing for the robot itself. Inside, the wash tray can be removed for cleaning as necessary and you’ll find a brush in the box to aid with that. In fact, I found the brush to be handy in scrubbing out the dirty-water tank when I’ve forgetfully let a little ecosystem grow inside it.

Handily, the rear of the base station has a niche for your fingers when you need to move it to another location, plus cable management that is missing from some robovacs I’ve previously reviewed.

• Design score: 5 / 5

Dreame Aqua10 Ultra review: Performance

• Arguably the best vacuuming and mopping I’ve experienced with a robovac
• 100ºC/212ºF roller mop washing
• Mostly good navigation and battery life, but it could be better

Getting the Aqua10 Ultra connected to my phone and set up for mapping barely took any time. Before the map creation, though, I allowed the robot to charge fully while I tried to get familiar with the app.

Mapping took no more than seven minutes in the test space for this review, which was a one-bedroom apartment of about 40sqm/430sq ft area. It has mixed flooring, with wall-to-wall carpeting in the bedroom and two types of tile flooring everywhere else. The map was accurate for the most part, but I merged and divided a couple of rooms to delineate the open-plan space.

One thing I loved about the initial mapping process was that I didn’t hear the robot at all. Other such models I’ve tested, I’ve at least heard the wheels – here, not a sound. Wheels are well oiled and very smooth, at least on the tiles in my test space.

I then had some teething issues with the Aqua10 Ultra in that my very first task for it was a single-room clean, which it refused to do. I kept getting a ‘destination not found’ error. Even after a full reset and remapping, the issue didn’t go away. I later got it to do a full-home clean (what Dreame calls “global cleaning” in the app) and everything worked a charm after that, even custom routines or single-room cleans.

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)Vacuuming tests

Dreame lists the suction power at an industry-leading 30,000Pa, but don’t get taken in by that number – a few factors go into how well a robot vacuum can suck up hair, dirt and debris, including airflow through the inside of the bot. That said, the Aqua10 Ultra doesn’t disappoint.

I don’t think I’ve been better impressed by any other robovac as much as I’ve been by this Dreame. I made sure there was a lot of hair embedded into the carpet fibers of the bedroom before its first real test and it did a fantastic job on its Intense setting (there is a Max suction too). On hard floors, Standard is more than enough for regular cleaning tasks, although I would recommend switching it up to Intense if you’re trying to clean up a relatively dirty section of tile or wood.

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The Aqua10 Ultra is a rare robovac that also managed to get bits of dirt out of grout too. I tested this by sprinkling some tea from a bag into spaces between tiles in my kitchen and not a speck of black was visible on the white background after it was done on its Intense suction setting. Other premium models I’ve tested have struggled with this task.

Another vacuuming feature I love is the raising of the side brush. This happens every time the robot senses a very dirty area with larger pieces of debris (oats in testing) to prevent scattering. And that translates to 100% pickup across the entire area.

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The only time I used Max suction power was when I allowed dust and hair to collect on the bedroom carpet over three weeks and pickup was about 98%, with only the edges suffering from a not-so-good vacuuming. The reason that edge cleaning on the carpet suffers is not unique to Dreame, it’s all robovacs – the bristles of the side brush just aren’t stiff enough to push all hair and debris within carpet fibers along room edges towards the central brushes.

I tried the lowest suction setting (Quiet) only once and I wasn’t particularly impressed – it might be fine if your floors are cleaned daily and you don’t have pets or kids.

Mopping tests

Mopping is probably what the Aqua10 Ultra was truly designed to do and it does it very well. Not only is the roller continually washed with fresh water as it’s mopping, but you also get two choices of pressure the roller can apply on floors. The latter might seem like a good thing on paper but, to be honest, Light pressure is fine for daily mopping when the floors are relatively clean. I would think Normal pressure is what most users would need on a regular basis.

With water levels set to high (level 27) to suit the kind of tiles in my test space, I found the Aqua10 Ultra was capable of tackling most dried stains. Dusty footprints are very easy for it to remove, but it also managed to get rid of spilt-and-dried tea. It even got rid of an unidentified caked-in stain close to my living room rug that my previous robot vacuum wasn’t able to mop up.

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

For the first time when testing a robovac I felt comfortable sending it to mop up a small wet spill – and that’s only because Dreame promised that the central and side brushes would be raised. Sure enough, a few drops of water weren’t an issue and any moisture that got sucked into the onboard dust box and, hence, into the dust bag, isn’t going to be an issue as the bag in the dock is dried after every single vacuum or mop-after-vacuum session is complete.

Admittedly this test is based on small spills, like a few drops of water on the bathroom floor or a tiny bit of milk on the kitchen tiles, but I’ve previously avoided sending any robovac over something wet, no matter how small. That being said, I’d still be very hesitant to get the Aqua10 Ultra to clean a larger wet spill as I’d worry about the filter inside the onboard dust box.

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

If you’ve got mixed flooring, you can choose what action the robot takes when mopping – avoid carpets altogether, raise the roller mop or cross without cleaning. I had the Aqua10 Ultra set to mop-raise at all times and, the best part, the roller has its own cover that automatically engages as soon as it senses a carpet.

I’ve never been able to see the cover engage, but I’ve had no damp patches on my carpets, not even the edges or corners where other robovacs would be too slow to raise mops.

Mopping can be done with detergents and a small bottle ships in the box to get you started. Dreame doesn’t specify that the floor cleaner needs to be proprietary, but I’d err on the side of caution and purchase what the brand recommends to avoid damaging the internal mechanisms and voiding warranty.

Dock performance

The standout feature here is the dust-bag drying, which you will need to toggle on in the app under Dock Settings. When switched on, the dock will dry the dust bag with warm air after every cleaning session. This prevents odors building or an ecosystem growing inside if moisture gets trapped when the robot vacuums over a few drops of water or any other small spill.

That's not all, though, because the Aqua10 Ultra also looks after the roller well by washing it at 100ºC / 212ºF. That's as good as sterilization and eliminates any odors, washes out stains and gets the roller ready for its next clean. This feature is optional and, if you don't have pets, you could just have the roller cleaned with warm water, sterilizing it every once in a while. The usual hot-air drying takes place to make sure the roller is dried between uses.

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

The first time I used the Aqua10 Ultra, though, I thought it was using a lot of water, but from the second mopping run onwards, water use has been quite efficient and I didn't need to constantly ensure the clean-water tank was topped up. The only thing that needs doing is ensuring the dirty-water tank is cleaned frequently or you will have nasty odors to contend with. However, not only does the tank have a tight lid, but there's another lid (not hermetically sealed, though) between you and the bad smells. You still wouldn't want to leave dirty water in there for long.

The Aqua10 Ultra dock also allows you to ensure the wash tray is cleaned thoroughly. This is done via the app to start, wherein clean water is poured over the washboard and excess moisture is removed from the roller. The robot will then exit the dock so you can use the provided brush to scrub the tray – just click on finished button on the app when you're done and the dock will take care of the drying once the bot is nestled back in.

Long story short, dock functionality is just as good as the robot's cleaning.

Obstacle avoidance & navigation

Not only does the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra clean well, but its obstacle avoidance is superb. Every robot vacuum I’ve tested until now has gotten thin charging cables entangled with the central bar brush – not so here. Even when unfurled (lying stretched out on the floor), the Aqua10 Ultra’s sensors can spot a cable and it just cleans right along the side without trying to roll over it (as pictured below).

I have one area in my living room where most robovacs get confused – a narrow section of hard floor edged by a wall on one side, a carpet on the other, plus a couch and a slim-legged chair to add to confusing textures. Not only did the Aqua10 Ultra navigate around the legs of the chair well, but it also managed to ensure the strip of hard floor was cleaned each time without the mop rolling over the rug.

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

The automatic 4cm raising of the robot, however, is a little temperamental. Even with a threshold marked in the app – which should tell the robot to rise, step over and carry on – I found the Aqua10 Ultra didn’t often register the threshold and would try to navigate it as any other low-rise obstacle, trying to find the best way over it. When it did rise automatically on its wheels, it was a fun sight to see.

Overall, navigation is great, although I have to note that I had teething issues. Immediately after setup, I wanted to test the robot’s functionality in just one room and it just couldn’t “find the designated area”. A full reset and remapping didn’t fix the problem either. However, it worked just fine if I opted to do a full-house clean (what Dreame calls a “global” cleaning), after which choosing a single room or a zone was fine.

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)Battery life

Running on a 6,400mAh battery, which is quite standard these days, the Aqua10 Ultra should, on paper, give you upwards of 200 minutes of cleaning. In reality, that’s not going to be the case as most users won’t be running it on its lowest settings to conserve battery life.

In my testing, I found battery use inefficient during its first few runs where the drain was quite significant – dropping from full to 40% on Intense vacuuming after running for 30 minutes. That improved to falling to 62% on the same setting for the same duration as I used the bot more.

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Depending on what kind of custom cleaning routine you choose, it’s possible an average one-bedroom home could be cleaned without needing additional time at the mains, but larger homes will definitely have a full-house cleaning interrupted due to battery drain. This is more so if you have mixed flooring as the robot automatically increases suction on carpets.

One small issue that Dreame could consider fixing is not getting the suction to start as soon as the bot leaves the base station. I found that a minimum of 1% battery would always drain before it reached its starting point. That might not seem like much, but that clocks up when it needs to empty its dust box regularly during a single vacuuming session. And unlike the Ecovacs Deebot X11 OmniCyclone, it doesn’t have fast charging to top up a little while its mop is being washed.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Dreame Aqua10 Ultra review: App and voice control

• Nicely designed app, but some setting options are unclear
• Custom routines have limitations
• Voice control is easy, but has limited functionality

The Dreame companion app in its current form isn’t bad at all – in fact, it’s one of the more appealing apps, with perhaps just Roborock outdoing it. However, it took me a while to wrap my head around the app as right from the get go I found no option to start the mapping process. A bit of playing around with it solved that problem, and the resulting map was accurate and I found it easy to edit.

What I love about the editing process is that I could manually add thresholds, something I’ve not seen on any other robot vacuum app – although I will admit that didn’t work as I expected it to (the bot sometimes didn’t even realize it needed to raise itself). In fact, the map adds room names intelligently as it’s being created, but it doesn’t always get it right.

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Dreame gives you a heck of a lot of control over the cleaning routines, like adjusting cleaning parameters such as suction strength or mop water flow rates on a per-room basis, while scheduling, remote control and notifications help keep cleaning convenient. This is the first time I’ve seen a robovac brand offer extensive control over the ‘intelligent’ automatic mode – I could choose my own suction and water levels here, while all other brands use machine learning to set these automatically. Dreame calls this the CleanGenius mode.

It took me a while to figure out how to set up custom Shortcut routines, like Bedroom Clean, or Daily Clean. Even then, I had to ensure I'd saved and tapped on any tick icons or it didn't save anything. Roborock and Ecovacs, on the other hand, have made setting up custom routines a lot simpler.

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

I also couldn’t figure out why none of the carpets in my test space were getting vacuumed as they’re set to be ‘avoided’ by default and the app doesn’t make that clear – even when you choose to vacuum carpets first. These are little things, but small changes could make the app a lot more streamlined and easier to navigate.

I've also noticed that the Dreame app is slower to respond compared to some other brands I’ve tested – it’s just a few seconds of lag between choosing a clean and the robot exiting the dock, but I’ve seen other brands work a little quicker.

Smart home integration with Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant is available, but the Dreame voice assistant is quite quick to respond if you wake it up. The voice commands you give it are limited in nature, like telling it to start a saved Shortcut or returning to the dock, but it’s an excellent hands-free experience. There’s even Matter support on board for future smart home integration if you ever set up a central hub.

• App & voice control score: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)Should I buy the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra?

Attributes

Notes

Score

Value

Competition is high and there are now models with cutting-edge technology at the same price point.

3.5 / 5

Design

With clean lines and a sleek robot, the Aqua10 Ultra looks classic and modern at once.

5 / 5

Performance

Arguably the best robovac I've tested to date, but its battery use might not be best for large homes.

4.5 / 5

App control

A well-designed app with a comprehensive list of features, but the learning curve is a touch steep.

4 / 5

Buy it if...

You have rigorous cleaning requirements

Whether it's vacuuming, mopping or doing both, the Aqua10 Ultra will not disappoint. While it's excellent for homes with pets, expect it to keep emptying its small onboard bin frequently.

You live in a home with plenty of obstacles

Whether that's kids toys, a pet running across the robot's path or just a charging cable you've forgotten to pick off the floor, you can trust nothing is going to get gobbled up or collided with.

You're wary of odors building

With intense hot-water washing for the roller and regular dust-bag drying, the Aqua10 Ultra eliminates any issues with bacterial or fungal growth. Just be sure to clean out the dirty-water tank regularly.

Don't buy it if...

Money is an obstacle

There's no denying the Aqua10 Ultra is expensive, and even with discounts, there'll always be something a lot cheaper. However, at a discounted price, I'd definitely recommend it over many of its competitors.

You don't need too many bells and whistles in a robot vacuum

If you don't have pets or live in a large home, you could well not need all the features the Aqua10 Ultra offers. That could save you a lot of money too.

You live in a home with wall-to-wall carpets

If you don't have hard floors, buying a robovac that mops is a moot point. Not only that, the edges of the rooms will remain dirty as I am yet to meet a robot vacuum that can do edge cleaning on carpets well.

Dreame Aqua10 Ultra review: Also consider

Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni

Despite missing out on some of the features that you'll find on the Dreame, this Deebot proved to be an excellent cleaning machine, even along room edges. Importantly, it's cheaper even at full price, but is now frequently discounted.
Read my Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni review to learn more

Roborock Saros 10R

Our reviewer called it the "perfect hybrid robot vacuum cleaner even for the most cluttered of homes". Improved navigation and a low profile means it can get to places other robovacs will typically avoid. It's also quiet, has excellent vacuum and mop skills, and it's pretty much a master of its trade.
Read our in-depth Roborock Saros 10R review for more details

How I tested the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

For this review, I used the Aqua10 Ultra for a period of five weeks, running it on mixed flooring an average of twice a week (there were times when I ran it about four times in a day for various tests).

I initially had issues with the robot unable to navigate to its designated area, but that issue was solved after it did a full-home clean. The test space, as mentioned earlier in this review, was a small one-bedroom apartment with carpet in the bedroom and tiles everywhere else.

I spent quite a lot of time trying to understand the app, but once things were set up as I wished them to be, running the Aqua10 Ultra was easy. I performed full-home cleans, custom routines, single-room cleans, even zone cleaning for some tests. I used the shower divider in the bathroom to test its ProLeap system to clear thresholds.

I also used the provided detergent and odor neutralizer in the dock.

I put the Aqua10 Ultra through TechRadar's usual tests for vacuuming and mopping (using oats and tea from a bag for the former, and a dollop of chutney for the latter). I also conducted our standard obstacle avoidance test, but paid special attention to how it handles cables as Dreame does advertize it to be excellent.

As you've probably already read, the Aqua10 Ultra passed all its tests with flying colors, and my complaints were mostly minor.

Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners

[First reviewed December 2025]

Paul Feig... we need to have a chat. Bridesmaids was legendary, A Simple Favor was strong, Another Simple Favor was fun, but new movie The Housemaid? Where have things gone wrong?

The director's outlandish comedic vision hasn't been without its hiccups over the years, but I don't think it sits in cohesion with The Housemaid. Adapted from the hit novel of the same name by Freida McFadden, the film follows enigmatic Millie (Sydney Sweeney) who has just taken a live-in nanny job at the wealthy Winchester's house. While husband Andrew (Brandon Sklenar) seems like a breath of fresh air, off-the-rails Nina (Amanda Seyfriend) is much harder to manage.

As more time passes, Nina's behavior gets increasingly more erratic, with plenty of family secrets bubbling up to the surface. Sadly, you can guess what the deepest of those secrets is at around the halfway mark.

It's never a good sign when you can immediately tell that the screenplay hasn't been adapted by the book's author, and for besotted book fans, the film has a more-than-healthy dose of creative licence. Key changes to the novel become more apparent the more you watch, and they make the overarching storyline a lot more violent.

The Housemaid is no longer an accessible crime thriller you want to devour as quickly as possible, but a soft body-horror movie with disturbing undertones and ridiculous B-plots. When the action isn't gory, it's laughable.

How The Housemaid turned from an acclaimed mystery into a cinematic mess

As I've touched on, the biggest problem in The Housemaid is the story itself – or more specifically, how the original tale has been interpreted. The casting wildly contrasts with how characters are painted in the book (Millie is more demure and innocent than Sweeney's version is, for example), and there's a much bigger emphasis on shock factor.

In short, we lose the beautiful subtleties of an unfolding whodunnit in favor of big-impact twists and turns that don't always pay off. If you're not a fan of blood, you'll need to bring a pillow to hide behind. By the time The Housemaid draws to a close, it rivals The Substance in terms of bloodshed and body horror, only in a much softer environment.

Largely, the movie hits the same beats as the novel, only there's another problem even when it's behaving. Scenes that should be serious and reflective become so farcical, you're stifling giggles so the people you're watching with don't think you're sociopathic.

While that isn't going to please everyone, I was thrilled to loudly witch cackle at the most preposterous things. From dialogue (Sweeney has a 30-second monologue about a manky Troll doll that she delivers with all the sincerity of being on her metaphorical death bed) to physical movement (some of Andrew's scenes are a unique laugh, let's put it that way), there is something to inappropriately chuckle at every few minutes.

It almost becomes a game: can you and your friends try not to laugh first while Amanda Seyfried is hurling priceless plates around her kitchen?

The performances are standard for a mediocre movie, but entertainment value varies.

Just two average frenemies here, nothing to see. (Image credit: Lionsgate)

I've been an Amanda Seyfried truther since Mamma Mia!, and she's consistently turned out dazzling performances across the two decades since. Frankly, she's earned the right to have fun making a far-from-serious movie where she can be a pantomime villain.

If you think of The Housemaid like this, Seyfried does the least amount of damage. Brandon Sklenar, however, is in his acting element. In the last two years alone, we've seen him in equally questionable movies such as Drop and It Ends With Us, and he fleshes out morally bankrupt husband Andrew with next to no effort. The man knows the landscape, and he isn't afraid to deliver genuinely terrible script with a completely deadpan expression.

I hate to say it, but Sweeney is the biggest problem I have with the cast. At no point do I buy her double-edged persona as a housemaid and stowaway criminal, and her romantic chemistry with Sklenar is non-existent. Where her natural style works in Euphoria and Anyone But You, it doesn't here.

Millie is a character you could root for, but it's frustrating work. In real-life, you'd have told Nina to stick her stupid housemaid job where the sun doesn't shine, walk out of her minimalist mansion and maybe hit a few objets d'art over on the way. I know why Millie rides her unhealthy situation out, but she's not making the best decisions.

If you're choosing to watch The Housemaid this Christmas, let it be known that a) it's not a Christmas movie, and b) it's perhaps the most painful present you could give yourself. Stay for the unintentional laughs, but brace yourself for anything in between.

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Don't start a flame war with me just yet, James Cameron fans. Avatar: Fire and Ash is a movie that I genuinely enjoyed, but its cinematic baggage is a huge problem.

By 'baggage,' I of course mean the two previous Avatar films. When the original was released back in 2009, I quickly assumed (as did the rest of the world, I think) it would be a historical, record-breaking standalone. Now that the sequels have started landing, however, I think the concept has lost its shine.

The most straightforward way of describing Fire and Ash is that it's exactly the same movie as The Way of Water. For about 90% of its arduously long runtime (wear comfy clothes and book a recliner seat, if possible) the only difference is which natural element has stepped into the spotlight.

I'm even convinced that a pivotal scene has been cut and pasted in from the second film, so strong was the sense of déjà vu I experienced while watching it. There's the same inciting incident, the same challenges, and the same conclusion, for the third outing in a row.

However, if we look at Fire and Ash in isolation, I think that it's the strongest film of the bunch. It has the tightest pacing, the most impressive payoff, and Cameron's overall vision for Pandora gets more spellbinding as time goes on.

It's such a shame that it's brought down by context, much as a young person might be blighted by their family history before they've started to make their way in the world. We can't ignore that our third movie functions as a cog in the overarching Avatar machine... and that machine can only tell one, now fairly grating, tale.

Avatar: Fire and Ash's beauty tricks us into thinking that it's interesting

Usually, when I tell people that I find the Avatar movies boring, they look at me as if I've just kicked their dog. But I stand by my overriding IP argument – we are being hoodwinked into believing that what we're watching is interesting because it's so visually transcendent. In other words, beautiful cancels out boring.

I would give 35 stars, rather than 3.5, to how Avatar: Fire and Ash looks alone if the conventions of reviewing let me. I wanted to reach out and touch the Na'avi, marvelling at the detailed wrinkles, blemishes and intricate patterns being beamed across the big screen (in 3D, no less). I felt grateful to have hours witnessing it with my own eyeballs, worshipping at the altar of a kind of filmmaking that has yet to be matched or replicated.

Now imagine we took all of that away ,and the same story was acted out by humans or fully animated characters (let's hypothetically say in a Pixar movie style). What we're left with is a fairly run-of-the-mill sci-fi story comprised of fighting, disagreements, and themes of discovering your own identity and power. That could be applied to pretty much any movie in this genre, and others do it infinitely better (Aliens and The Abyss are Cameron's best work as it is).

Instead, Avatar is heralded as untouchable because of its astonishing visuals, regardless of the fact that The Way of Water and Fire and Ash are telling the same story, even though Fire and Ash does it more successfully. There are virtually no differences between them, especially if it's been a while since you've seen the second movie. How many times can you recycle the same ideas and get away with it, even if you're James Cameron?

Is everything else brilliant or oddly strange? I can't decide

Fire queen Varang in Avatar: Fire and Ash. (Image credit: 20th Century Studios)

As I've said, Fire and Ash is easily the strongest Avatar entry in isolation. Our fire Na'avi, led by Varang (Oona Chaplin) are an invigorating addition to Pandora's worldbuilding, giving both Jake (Sam Worthington) and Quaritch (Stephen Lang) a run for their money.

We surprisingly get much more whale time than in The Way of Water, and that's sensational news if you're a Payakan fan like me. There are a couple of aquatic creatures introduced that I'd like to have seen more of (there are some strange-but-cute-looking otters), and it remains the most remarkable biome in Pandora. It's also the place where the younger cast members can be the most themselves, and they're collectively the strongest performance in our Na'avi ensemble.

This doesn't include Sigourney Weaver, though. Kiri is a major player in Fire and Ash, and in the full pomp of her "this is what I'm capable of" journey. However, I think it's blindingly obvious that a 76-year-old woman is playing a 14-year-old. The giveaway is in the way Kiri moves, which is clearly the one downside of Cameron's maverick filming approach.

The main detail that bothers me, though – in the sense that I can't decide if it's satisfying or dreadful – is the conclusion. Without giving away what actually happens, there's narratively no need for any further movies. We get complete answers to any loose threads that may have been hanging over the franchise, so what does this mean for Avatar 4 and 5?

My guess is that they will each be a huge departure from what we've seen before, and while I should be grateful for that fact (given my biggest complaint here), that's also a concern. Our trilogy currently feels nicely rounded off, and any future sequels could feel gratuitous... or dare I say, like cash grabs.

But that's a problem for 2029, when Avatar 4 is set to arrive. In the meantime I'll remain conflicted about my enjoyment of Fire and Ash, even though I ultimately feel that it's monotonous. Still, at least you can watch essentially the same movie on Disney+ globally right now if you don't want to see Fire and Ash in theaters or wait for it to arrive on streaming – Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water are already on there, and Fire and Ash will likely join them in 2026.

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UPerfect Delta Max: 30-second review

The UPerfect Delta Max stacked monitor is a great idea, essentially two monitors, one on top of the other, in a clamshell design with a full metal build that makes it easy to transport and connect. However, from the outset, it's not quite as easy as it seems, and the single USB connection only gives you limited options over how the display works. Sure enough, it is able to mirror or extend the display from your laptop, be that Mac or PC, but the additional options just aren’t as well integrated as you feel they should be, and it takes quite a bit of messing around with the options and settings both on the machine and on the monitor to get it configured exactly as you want.

This use doesn’t initially give you the option to use it as a triple monitor system, so, for example, your laptop monitor and then two additional displays, one stacked over the other. Instead, what it gives you is either a mirror of your laptop display on those two monitors or a display extension, but with the same extension being shown on both and not two different screens, as you’d normally expect with a triple monitor setup. It’s a little bit confusing, and if you want to use this with anything other than a relatively high-powered MacBook Pro or higher-end PC, then you’ll also find that you’ll need to plug in external power.

To get the actual configuration that I was expecting in this test, I ended up having to plug in external power to the USB-C port at the base of the monitor than another USB-C into the USB port, and a second HDMI cable into one of the upper clusters of ports and then into the MacBook Pro in order to get that triple-screen array that I wanted.

Then I could either configure the way the monitor displayed the content through my computer's display options, or there were a few additional configuration possibilities through the monitor’s on-screen display, although these didn’t always seem to work.

Essentially, it all works, but it does take quite a bit of figuring out. Thankfully, UPerfect has included a decent amount of cables in the box, so you're not having to search around for extras or purchase anything in addition.

In use, the monitor actually works surprisingly well, and I really do like that small footprint. However, when running several tests, I came across a number of small glitches, such as the monitor would flicker on and off, or one would suddenly go blank when loading up another bit of software. Also, if my laptop went to sleep and then reawakened, which is common, especially when I disappear for lunch, then I'd have to reset the monitor, as it seems to lose its settings.

When I ran through the usual SpyderX benchmarking test to check out the quality of the screen, it also came out pretty well. It highlighted that the screens are perfectly suited for office work; however, this won't be the best portable monitor for creative use, as the AdobeRGB percentage for the gamut was in the high 60s. Really, if you want to do anything creative, you need a monitor that at least comes in around 80% plus. However, for office work, it is a good solution once you figure it out.

UPerfect Delta Max: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? From approximately $450 / £450
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Directly from UPerfect official store or Amazon

The UPerfect Delta Max Touch is widely available online at around the $450 / £450 mark depending on where you buy it. It's available directly from the UPerfect official store and online retailers such as Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

It's worth noting that a non-touchscreen version of the Delta Max is also available, which is otherwise largely the same device with a cheaper price-tag.

• Value: 3 / 5

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)UPerfect Delta Max: Specs

Ports: USB-C power, 2× USB-C, 2 × mini HDMI
Audio: Stereo speakers
Size: Folded footprint approx. 18.5"
Resolution: 1080p (FHD)
Weight: 2.36kg
Accessories: 2 x USB-C cable, 2 x HDMI cable, power adapter

UPerfect Delta Max: Design

The build and design of the Delta Max is extremely well thought through, with the two large 18.5-inch panels set in a clamshell design. Essentially, the two screens fold facing each other, ensuring they're fully protected when transported. The main casing for the monitor is a good, high-quality metal, and there's a very sturdy fold-out stand that folds flat into the design. This enables you to prop it up next to your laptop nice and neatly, and because of that stacked, one-over-the-other design, it takes up a minimal footprint on your desktop.

The full metal design has obviously made this monitor a little bit heavier than some other portable monitors, but because of the quality of the workmanship, I’m not too bothered. Even with the additional weight from the high-quality design, it still comes in at 2.36 kg and has a folded size of 425 x 260 x 20 mm. When unfolded, it extends to 425 x 520 x 10 mm, so it’s actually relatively compact despite the large amount of screen space on offer.

This design also means that you can have it standing next to your laptop, or you can fold it over so the two monitors are in a tent-like position, viewable from either side. That means if you place it in the middle of your desk, people on either side will have a good view of the monitor, something that I really like, especially for presentations where a monitor or projector is not available.

On the left-hand side of the lower monitor are all the connection ports. Starting at the bottom, you have a USB-C port for power, then another USB-C and mini HDMI, which feed the display data connection to the bottom monitor, then you have another set of USB-C and mini HDMI for the top monitor.

The reason for this selection of ports becomes apparent as you start to use the monitor. It essentially enables you to use it as two separate monitors or as an extended display for whatever machine you're plugged into. It’s a little bit confusing in configuration, especially when you start to delve into the on-screen display and all the different display options.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

On the right-hand side of the monitor are the controls and on-screen display functions for the top and bottom monitors. Again, these are set out as a single button and toggle/push switch to enable you to navigate all the settings and options.

When it comes to the actual aesthetic and functional design of the physical monitor itself, it's exceptionally high and one of the best portable monitor designs I’ve come across, making it both ultra-portable and offering plenty of connectivity options.

Beyond the actual design, I also liked the fact that the company has included two very decent HDMI cables and two equally impressive USB cables, so you don't have to go searching around for your own. In the box, alongside those cables, is an AC-USB adapter to supply the monitor with power.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)UPerfect Delta Max: Features

Taking a look at some of the key features of the Delta Max Touch Stacked Monitor, and first of all, there’s the fact that it is touchscreen. On PC systems, it works as expected with any touchscreen functionality, and on Mac systems, it has limited touchscreen functionality. More often than not, as with other monitors, the touch ability on a Mac can be a bit hit and miss.

For basic use and functionality, you can get away with connecting this stacked monitor set-up with a single cable, although as I discovered through the process of this test, at least two cables, one for power, one for display, is more commonplace. And if you want that display to be properly split into two, then you will need three cables to provide two separate video feeds and additional power for reliable viewing.

The clamshell design of the monitor is really well thought out and enables a 360° foldable design. For transport, you can fold it flat so the two screens face each other and are fully protected when you’re carrying it in a bag or backpack. When you arrive at the location, simply fold it out so it stands on your desk with a minimal footprint, or you can fold it all the way over so that the screens are viewable from both sides.

The stand that's incorporated into the design is simple, but it is one of the most effective that I’ve come across. Again, because it’s really good, high-quality, it holds the monitor nicely and stably, with the base of the monitor screen sitting very close to the desktop, it’s all very neat.

On the back of the monitor, there are speakers. Compared with some other portable monitors, they’re okay, but I wouldn’t rely on them as your primary source of audio for anything other than making video calls or watching back online videos. If you are thinking of watching any modern media or you’re using these monitors for media production, then I would highly recommend plugging in an external audio source.

The design of the monitor means it can be used with both Mac and PC systems, with HDMI and USB connections, which essentially means it’ll work with pretty much any modern system from Windows, Linux, Android, and macOS. It is also fully compatible with consoles, most laptops, tablets and smartphones that are able to output to a display.

When it comes to monitor resolution, it has a max resolution of 1920 x 1080 with a refresh rate of 100Hz, so if you want to do a little bit of gaming, then it will be perfectly suitable.

Whilst this monitor has been designed to be portable, it does include a VESA mount on the back, which makes it extremely easy to mount in your home office or at your desk.

When it comes to brightness, the screen is limited to 300 cd/m², which is okay for most office locations. Setting the brightness around 50–60% should suffice for most settings.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

• Features: 4 / 5

UPerfect Delta Max: PerformanceBenchmark scores

Gamut: 4.5
Tone Response: 4.0
White Point: 3.5
Contrast: 5.0
Luminance Uniformity: 2.5
Colour Uniformity: 4.5
Colour Accuracy: 3.5
Overall Rating: 4.0
Colour Gamut: sRGB 89%, AdobeRGB 68%, P3 68%

The UPerfect Delta Max will work with both Windows and Mac systems, but its integration with both is a little bit glitchy from the outset. Through this test, I found that having external power for almost all the machines I used was essential. Otherwise, there was the potential for the monitors to flicker on and off, even when plugged into a MacBook Pro M1 Max or the Minisforum S-S1 Max, which was surprising.

The basic idea of these stacked monitors is excellent, as the design folds closed in a clamshell style, helping to protect each of the large screens. When folding out, the high-quality metal surrounds and casing not only ensure that it stays well protected in transport but also give it a solid feel and a premium look.

Unfolded, the two screens stack one on top of the other, with the bottom screen at a slight angle and the top screen on three solid hinges that can be angled perfectly for use. This area of the design and concept of the monitor is exceptionally well thought out and executed, and if you fold over the top screen, the display automatically flips to the correct orientation.

However, it’s once you start to plug the monitor in that things start to fall apart. Initially, connecting a single USB-C cable between the monitor and the MacBook Pro, both monitors flicker into life, mirroring the contents of the MacBook on the two screens. You then go into the MacBook’s display settings and change the display so that instead of mirroring, it acts as an extension. But by default, the two screens display the same extension. This would be good if you’re in a presentation or meeting and need the display mirrored, but if you’re using it as a workflow display, then really, you want those two screens to act independently.

This is where things get a little bit confusing. Using the controls on the side, you can select different options, including clone mode (which clones screen A and screen B), expansion (which should show screen A and screen B in a three-screen set-up sequence, essentially splitting the screen in two), and stand-alone, which means that each screen can act independently.

As I was testing several mini PCs, this feature, stand-alone, was exceptionally useful as I was able to have both mini PCs up and running with the display stacked, which helped with the testing process. For anyone who runs several machines at the same time, this is an especially useful feature.

However, in a normal case scenario, you want three independent screens connected to a single machine, so that one monitor shows your browser, one for whatever application you're using, and I always like to have Word or Excel open. This is what I expected through that single USB connection to the monitor. However, selecting expansion from the settings on the monitor doesn’t enable this. If you go into your computer settings, I noted that rather than showing two displays, you only get one.

It turns out that to get the screen to split as two separate monitors, as with other multi-monitor systems, you need to plug in a secondary USB-C or HDMI cable into your computer. Due to the fact that I have other devices plugged into my MacBook Pro, I opted to have USB and HDMI plugged into each of the right-hand ports, then linked out to the two ports on the left-hand side of the monitor.

The configuration of the ports is interesting, as you have mini HDMI–USB-C, mini HDMI–USB-C, and another USB. Essentially, they’re broken into pairs: the top HDMI–USB linking to the top monitor, the bottom HDMI–USB linking to the bottom monitor, and the final USB is for power.

Once you’ve worked it all out and connected the monitors, it does kind of make sense. But even then, there do seem to be a few glitches with the system. Whilst the touchscreen option enables you to extend the functionality of your Mac, even though MacBook Pros don’t have touchscreen functionality as standard, the integration isn’t 100%.

Once you do finally figure out all of your settings, the monitors do work well. However, every time I reconnected the monitors, I’d have to go through the same setup process and also remember which HDMI and which USB to plug in, which did become a little bit tiresome.

Having tested the monitors on the Mac, I then switched to a PC laptop. Again, I had similar configuration issues, this time, definitely needing external power in order to get those two monitors to work correctly. Then, when I plugged it into a mini PC, for some reason, it just seemed to confuse the monitor, as there was no main monitor connected to the host machine. It took a while to go through the display settings to sort everything out.

Through the process, I also noticed, highlighted by the Mac, that the screens had a bad description tag. It looks like, whilst they’ve done quite a lot of product design on the look and style of the monitors, when it comes to actual application of use, there are still a good volume of glitches. The volume of cables that you end up needing to get it to work reliably is far more than I would’ve expected, especially compared with many other systems, which is a real shame. Ultimately, it’s a great product and a great concept, just not applied quite as well as it should have been.

At the moment, this is one of those products that has huge potential and one that I personally would really love to see working well. But even before you delve into the screen quality options, it seems that its development hasn’t been completed.

When it comes to the monitor’s actual visual quality, it fares pretty well, with decent colour gamut, contrast, and colour uniformity, all highlighted by SpyderX2 software as being between 4.5 and 5 points. Likewise, internal response and white point also look pretty good on the results, with the only real let-down being the luminance uniformity, which comes in at 2.5. However, this gives an overall star rating of 4, which for any monitor isn’t bad at all.

When it comes to who this monitor is suitable for, it’s clearly office space work, with 89% sRGB colour gamut, 68% AdobeRGB, and 68% P3, so it’s not really that ideal for any creative use. The other point about this monitor is its clamshell design. If you do get it up and running and you’re running presentations in an office without a projector or screen, then the clamshell design, placed in the middle of the desk, is an easy way for everyone around that desk to see exactly what’s going on. For this, it works exceptionally well.

Ultimately, when it comes to performance, it can be quite time-consuming to initially configure, which is disappointing, as you would expect it to be a simple plug-and-play device, since that’s what it’s designed to do. But it just hasn’t been that well integrated.

• Performance: 3 / 5

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)UPerfect Delta Max: Final verdict

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

I really like the idea of the UPerfect Delta Max. It seems like an ideal solution if you're travelling with your laptop and need a compact, easy-to-use monitor to expand your screen real estate. Initial impressions are superb, as the screen features a solid metal surround that gives you a high-quality, premium feel, and with its three large hinges, it all feels of superb quality.

As you fold it out and fold out that rear stand, again, it just reinforces that premium feel, and you start to think that, despite costing nearly £400 / $400, what you have here is something of real value.

Initial setup using a single USB cable into my MacBook Pro and then one of the mini PCs that I was testing duplicated the main screen’s content onto the two displays with no issue. If I were running a meeting and needed screen expansion so that other people could see what I was doing, this screen would be simple to use and straightforward. However, for me, I’d really want this screen as additional real estate when working with documents, applications and email.

This is where things started to fall apart. Whilst the screen itself is good, clear and great for administration work, it took a while to fully figure out the configuration that I needed. In the end, for pure reliability, I discovered that I really needed to plug in power into the base USB port, then connect the first set of ports into either HDMI or USB on my laptop, then connect the second set again into my laptop to split the display output equally between the two monitors. I could then configure them as needed.

The problem was that for most tasks, once set up, it was absolutely fine. However, there were constant glitches; one of the screens would suddenly black out, or suddenly duplicate the other screen’s content or the main display, and trying to reconfigure everything back to how I had it initially was just a complex process.

Having used the monitor for a couple of weeks, I did eventually find a happy medium, but still, there were one too many glitches along the way. Whilst I love the design and the concept of the stacked monitor setup, at present, it's just not reliable enough to meet its full potential.

Should I buy the UPerfect Delta Max?

Value

If the monitors worked as they should, then it would be exceptional value for money. However, the glitches make it expensive and slightly infuriating

3

Design

One of the best designs for portable monitors that I’ve seen. Well-built, robust and full of potential 

4.5

Features

Whilst this is limited to full HD resolution, the suggested features do look attractive. It’s only when you start to use the monitors that you realise how limited this is 

4

Performance

Unfortunately, just one too many glitches through the test affected the performance of what could have been a superb product

3

Overall

While I love the design, there’s just one too many glitches with this stacked monitor system to make it a worthwhile purchase

3

Buy it if...

You need mobile screens
Ideal for professionals or students who need stacked screen space without carrying two separate monitors

You’re short on desk space
Compact vertical layout gives you more viewable area without taking up a wide footprint.

Don't buy it if...

You need a colour-critical display
The Delta Max is not built for professional-grade image or video colour work.

You don't want loads of cables
While this is supposed to be a single cable display, in reality most use requires three.

Minisforum MS-S1 Max: 30-second review

For a machine that just fits the mini PC classification, the Minisforum MS-S1 is something on another level and almost by definition, and this is reflected in the near £2,500 / $2,500 price tag. That price affords the latest components and technology inside, as well as an incredibly solid build. If you're thinking about buying this powerful mini PC, there are a few things to consider.

First and foremost, this isn't your average desktop machine. Sure, it will run all the usual applications like any other mini PC or desktop, but it goes far beyond, with its AI-tuned AMD CPU/GPU providing a perfect localised development workstation for AI or AI-enhanced applications.

It's also worth considering that the major components of this machine are soldered in place, so there's no option, unlike a desktop, to replace the CPU, GPU or RAM. However, there are plenty of options to boost the internal storage capacity, or even boost the graphics with a discrete card, as the machine has space for a full-sized PCIe x16 expansion, though you do need to consider that this is a mini PC, so whatever card you opt for will need to be relatively small.

Looking through the rest of the specifications, all features are cutting-edge, and Minisforum haven’t held back on any part of this machine, with unified RAM, those AI processes, USB4 and PCIe 4.0, with the ability to install up to 8TB of internal storage in the M.2 2280 NVMe SSD slot.

The specification of this machine is impressive, but it’s only once you navigate Windows that you can really start to feel that boost in processing power and the speed at which Windows 11 Pro operates. Applications open almost instantly. When you load Microsoft Office, everything is exceptionally fast and responsive. Copying and pasting huge documents from one application to another presents no issue, and even when you start to load up memory-hungry applications such as Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom, this machine just takes them in.

The real difference comes when you start to utilise the AI features in those applications, and even in Premiere Pro, with the CPU and GPU capable of processing Photoshop, Lightroom, and Premiere Pro’s AI-at-heart features quickly, both locally and utilising remote processing options.

If you are into AI development, then the AI setup is going to work as a perfect starting point, with the ability to install a local LLM such as LM Studio on your machine.

Throughout the test, the machine just impressed. While the AMD Radeon graphics lag slightly behind Nvidia alternatives, it is still incredibly capable, flying through all video production I threw at it, as well as performing well when it came to gaming.

The Minisforum MS-S1 Max is essentially a specialist machine, especially when you consider its price point and the fact that it has been made to fit neatly into a U2 rack system, meaning that whether you use it on your desktop as a very compact and powerful mini PC for content creation, or as a machine that can take full advantage of most programs’ AI-enhanced features, or you’re looking to use the best mini PC for local AI development, the Minisforum MS-S1 Max is an option, especially when you cluster it with others.

What really appeals to me is that because of its small size and its durability, thanks to its full aluminium build, it’s also a great option to utilise in the field, offering a relatively compact and lightweight, yet extremely powerful machine that rivals many desktop video workstations.

Minisforum MS-S1 Max: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? From £2399 / $2499
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Directly from Minisforum or Amazon

The Minisforum MS-S1 Max is widely available and can currently be purchased directly from the Minisforum US for $2,499 and Minisforum UK for £2,399, down from the recommended price of £2,999 / $2,999. I'm also seeing it available on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

• Value: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)Minisforum MS-S1 Max: Specs

CPU: AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (16-core Zen5)
Graphics: AMD Radeon 8060S (Integrated)
RAM: Up to 128 GB LPDDR5x-8000MT/s
Storage: M.2 2280 SSD
Left Ports: 1× USB4 v2, 2× USB-A, Mic jack
Right Ports: 1× USB4 v2, Power, DisplayPort, HDMI, PCIe slot
Connectivity: Dual 10GbE LAN, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Audio: 3.5mm combo jack
Camera: None
Size: Compact chassis; fits on desktop or 2U rack.
OS Installed: Windows 11 Pro
Accessories: Power cable, mounting options

Minisforum MS-S1 Max: Design

While the Minisforum MS-S1 Max is classed as a mini PC, you can tell from the outset that it is something far more, with a matte black industrial design that feels a level up from even standard premium mini PCs. The design is exceptional, with rubber feet on one of the longer edges as well as the base, so you have plenty of options for how to position it on your desk. It’s also been designed to fit directly into a U2 rack, so if you want to place it alongside your server, that’s easy enough.

The size, whilst not as small as most mini PCs, is still relatively compact at 222 x 206 x 77 mm, and it comes in at 2.8 kg, so it's substantially heavier than we usually expect.

However, unlike most mini PCs that remain small and compact yet always come with a power adapter that is almost the same size and weight as the actual machine, here with the MS-S1 Max, the power supply is built-in, so all you need is a standard kettle lead for the power.

Checking over the body of the machine, there are plenty of connectivity options. Very neatly on the front, there’s a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A with 10Gb/s transfer rate and 2 USB4 offering 40Gbps DP 2.0, PD power out (15W), and next to this is a 3.5mm audio combo jack enabling you to use standard headphones and mic.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Round the back, the selection of ports is equally impressive, with an HDMI 2.1 capable of providing 8K at 60Hz or 4K at 120Hz, 2 USB 2.0, 2 USB4 v2 (80Gbps, DP 2.0, PD out 15W), two USB 3.2 Gen 2, two 10GbE LAN RJ45 ports, anti-theft lock, and a reset hole to help clear the CMOS if you’ve been doing some development that’s gone wrong.

All these connections and interfaces are cutting-edge, but most mini PCs would stop there. Here with the MS-S1 Max, there’s a little bit more to it - and a feature that makes this closer to a desktop PC than a mini PC.

Opening up the machine (which is done by removing two screws at the back), the whole backplate and internals of the machine can be removed from the metal casing, revealing the SSD slot and the PCIe 4.0 expansion slot. While the connector is full-size, you will need to be a little bit wary about the size of the expansion card you purchase, but it still gives you plenty of options for discrete graphics and possibly AI enhancement cards in the future.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)Minisforum MS-S1 Max: Features

For a mini PC, the specification and feature list are slightly abnormal, featuring the latest AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395, and this is coupled with an AMD Radeon 8060S GPU. It’s also backed by an AMD Ryzen AI engine that gives this machine the full range of AI potential. The configuration of this machine has been built so that you can run large AI models locally, with all-scenario AI compute that offers up to 126 TOPS and runs 128B+ LLMs locally, such as LM Studio.

One of the other points about this machine is that it’s been designed so that you can either use it as a single machine or as part of a dual-unit 235B cluster or 2U rack cluster to really boost your AI workflow and development. In the marketing material, Minisforum actually state it’ll run the 235B Q4 large model locally if configured in that dual configuration, although that does obviously mean two of these machines and double the price.

If two machines aren’t enough for what you want to do, then that 2U rack deployment is also possible, where even more MS-S1 Max machines can be distributed into a cluster. Again, in the marketing material, Minisforum states that a four-unit cluster is powerful enough to run the DeepSeek-R1671B Q4 large model locally, which is impressive, firstly considering the size of the machines, and secondly, the fact that it comes in at less than $10,000 / £10,000.

What’s impressive here is that Minisforum have created a bespoke cluster design, which means that once configured and wired up, utilising the reserved cascade power-on header, you can then power on and off all machines in one go as if they were one.

As well as the future potential and upgradability into cluster systems, out of the box with just one unit, there are also a few key AI features, such as precise voice recognition with the AI noise-cancelling mic that will support mainstream AI models and help with speech-to-text and other voice commands.

Many of the internal components are also soldered to the motherboard, and it features 128GB of unified LPDDR5X-8000 MT/s RAM.

There an M.2 2280 NVMe SSD slot that’s able to take up to 8TB of storage.

As you look over the body of the machine, there are several things that really stand out. One of those features that’s really appealing is the inclusion of dual USB4 v2 and dual 10GbE LAN ports alongside Wi-Fi 7, enabling ultra-fast transfer speeds from external storage and accessories, and also the ability to connect to a local area network, and more importantly, a system for network editing.

Another of the huge differences between this machine and many others is the volume of I/O options. Including the latest USB4 v2 enables up to 80Gbps transfer rate, but on top of that, it also offers PCIe 4.0 x4, which offers space for full-length x16 slot expansion cards, giving you plenty of capability options from the outset.

As I previously mentioned, unlike other mini PCs, the PSU is actually incorporated into the casing of the machine and offers 320W, which is huge for this size of machine, but obviously needed for all the computing power it holds.

One of the other big features is the design, with the slide-out structure that enables you to slide the main computer out from the casing, so that upgrading and maintenance are exceptionally easy and fast.

There’s a lot going on with the MS-S1 Max, and cooling is essential. Here, they’ve tried to tackle this with an aerospace-grade aluminium chassis that offers both durability and superb airflow through the componentry.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

• Features: 5 / 5

Minisforum MS-S1 Max: PerformanceBenchmark scores

CrystalDiskMark Read: 6061.76 MB/s
CrystalDiskMark Write: 5374.64 MB/s
Geekbench CPU Multi: 19,653
Geekbench CPU Single: 2,904
Geekbench GPU: 95,729
PCMark Overall: 8,425
Cinebench CPU Multi: 34,648
Cinebench CPU Single: 2,042
Fire Strike Overall: 26,639
Fire Strike Graphics: 29,838
Fire Strike Physics: 35,196
Fire Strike Combined: 12,283
Time Spy Overall: 1,106
Time Spy Graphics: 11,056
Time Spy CPU: 10,732
Wild Life Overall: 65,580
Steel Nomad Overall: 2,135
Windows Experience Overall: 9.1

Running through the setup process, it was apparent that the MS-S1 Max was quite a different machine from most of the mini PCs I tested, only the Sapphire Edge Ai 370 having hints of the same AI enhancement. The Windows 11 Pro setup required the usual final steps, signing into Microsoft and Google and downloading and installing updates.

What’s apparent with that Wi-Fi 7 connectivity is the speed at which you can connect to the wireless router (if, of course, your wireless router supports Wi-Fi 7).

Another noticeable point about this machine right from the outset is not only the number of connection options, enabling you to quickly connect up to 4K monitors. It is worth noting at this early point in the testing that the fans kick in from the outset, and this is far from a silent runner. Obviously, a lot is going on in this machine, and like any server, those fans and the cooling are consistent, unlike the almost silent running we’ve become used to with most mini PCs.

I started off with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. These all loaded almost instantly, even when I threw large documents at the machine, including a large PowerPoint presentation I’d already created on another PC. It was very evident just how well this machine can handle those larger files, and again, there was literally no lag or wait time when it came to saving the files down or editing and adjusting images within any PowerPoint presentation.

As I moved over to some of the imaging applications, such as Photoshop and Lightroom, again, it was apparent that the images from the Sony A7 IV and Canon EOS R5C posed absolutely no issue for this machine. Whilst the Radeon 8060S isn’t quite as powerful as some of the discrete graphics cards, the pure power of the CPU and iGPU is more than enough for these two applications. When it came to running the AI features, it proved just how capable this machine was, running those AI functions locally.

Moving on to Adobe Premiere Pro, I went straight in with some Pro 4K footage shot on the iPhone 15 Pro, and instantly, it was apparent that this machine was going to have no problems with that footage. I then went a level up with some RAW footage from the Canon EOS R5C.

While you could see a little bit of slowdown when it came to 4K after effects and grading, it could still handle a 15-minute edit with absolutely no issues whatsoever. If I were going to do a longer edit, I might consider putting in discrete graphics, but for most people, this machine out of the box will handle pretty much anything you throw at it when it comes to video editing.

One key point here was that I needed to transcribe one of the videos, and the speech-to-text was exceptionally fast, including expanding clips in the timeline, where the AI processing really becomes incredibly valuable.

When it came to CapCut (essentially a far lighter video editor than Premiere Pro and ideal for creating social media content for YouTube), there were no issues. Applying templates gave a really smooth experience; editing was fast and extremely agile.

Of course, this being an AI machine, I had to give some of the more in-depth AI features a go. So here I downloaded and installed LM Studio, as it’s free and has a very easy-to-use interface. Again, the performance was exceptional, and I was able to run that language model locally on the machine. While I’m still investigating the full use of LM Studio and its features, I have to say I was extremely impressed with the speed at which it was able to give responses and compute.

Finally, after trying to figure out the complexities of the AI features, I sat back for a little bit of gaming. This is where the machine starts to have a few issues, mainly because the Radeon 8060S, which, while incredibly powerful, does lag behind most discrete graphics cards I’ve recently seen in the latest Asus ProArt P16 laptop.

Still, playing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Hogwarts Legacy, both were more than playable, getting good smooth motion, although not all settings could be turned up beyond medium.

Essentially, this is an extremely powerful mini PC and sits in between a dedicated desktop workstation and a smaller format machine. The power and capability are, of course, reflected in the price. This is a machine that’s been designed with a specific purpose, to utilise the power of AI locally, either as a single machine or as part of a cluster. For that purpose, while the price of the machine might seem high, it actually offers exceptional value for something this powerful and AI-ready.

• Performance: 5 / 5

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)Minisforum MS-S1 Max: Final verdict

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

This isn’t the machine that’s going to suit everyone. Even for content creators, where this machine excels with 4K video editing and image enhancement, there are cheaper and better-suited machines out there. You’ll get the same performance for Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro from machines that cost considerably less and include a dedicated GPU.

Likewise, for gaming, all the games I tried on the system worked perfectly well, even at mid to low effects and graphic settings, but again, there are gaming PCs that are far cheaper and better suited for that purpose.

This machine, then, is really designed for AI developers, engineers, and users who want to investigate what the future of computing holds. The fact that it is a single machine, relatively well priced, and offers plenty of upgrade options, with the ability to put in up to 16TB of internal storage, USB4 V2, and with a PCIe 4.0 slot for expansion cards, gives you plenty of future potential.

What’s really interesting is that this machine is not just designed as a single standard unit, but as one that can be added to, so you can run it as a dual cluster or even build it into a far larger system as your budget and needs increase. For AI developers and engineers, this is an incredibly neat and simple out-of-the-box solution.

So for AI developers, this is a superb option that, while similarly expensive, is actually cheaper than many other alternatives. For everyone else, it would be a nice machine to own, but it might be a little overkill and not really tuned to mainstream use.

Should I buy the Minisforum MS-S1 Max?

Value

Extremely high-end AI computing in a compact box at a surprisingly balanced price

4

Design

Superb design that helps to dissipate heat, offers expansion options and cluster potential

4.5

Features

The big excitement here is the AI CPU and iGPU, alongside PCIe 4.0 expansion and cluster support

4

Performance

Closely matched to mid- to high-end desktops. This mini PC is in another class compared with what we normally expect

5

Overall

AI-focused compact workstation as a perfect option for AI developers

4

Buy it if...

You’re an AI developer

You’re running LLMs, multimodal models, or training workflows locally and need 128 GB RAM with 100+ TOPS AI compute

You want a true creative workstation

It's a top choice if you’re editing 4K video, building 3D models, or running simulations where GPU and fast RAM make a difference.

Don't buy it if...

Budget is tight
While this is at the affordable end of AI development machines, if you’re looking for an affordable mini PC for browsing or light media use, this is complete overkill.

You're focused on upgrading everything

If you want to swap RAM and CPU later, unified memory and soldered components mean limited future-proofing.

Leica M EV1: two-minute review

The Leica M EV1 concept is polarizing: strip out the optical rangefinder that Leica M cameras have been famed for for over 70 years, and replace it with an electronic viewfinder (EVF).

It's yet another example of Leica tweaking and evolving its tried and tested rangefinder series design, however, and another reason that the oldest active lens mount still in production today has many years of life still in it.

You'd think the whole experience of taking photos with the M EV1 would be wildly different – but in fact, for me, in many ways it isn't.

Technically speaking, the Leica M EV1 shares many similarities with the Leica M11 / M11-P and Leica Q3 / Q3 43) – all use Leica's 60MP full-frame sensor, which delivers the most detailed photos among full-frame cameras.

It's like a Leica Q3 / Q3 43 premium compact but with Leica's M mount, which felt pretty intuitive to me straight away, as I've used other Leica M series and Leica Q series cameras extensively.

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)

I can see the appeal for many Leica fans already in camp M EV1 – it has useful elements of Leica's Q series (minus autofocus, tilt screen and video recording), combined with the versatility of the Leica M mount and a wide choice of lenses. For some, that's the best of both worlds.

On the plus side, the EVF offers focus peaking, which is an extremely useful visual aid for manual focusing; trust me, it will increase your percentage of sharp shots compared to being guided by Leica's optical rangefinder, at least when you're manually focusing in the moment, rather than sticking to a set focus distance as some street photographers do. You lose a little of that old school rangefinder magic, but the EVF is way more practical in my experience.

Build-wise, there's greater similarity with the M11 – not just the M mount and interchangeable lenses, but also the control layout and fixed rear screen, although I'd rather have more Q3 attributes in the design.

The EVF has a slightly different profile to the optical rangefinder in other Leica M cameras, but the 2.95-inch fixed screen is the same as the M11's (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

For me, the Q3’s tilt screen is super-useful – I generally find myself switching between the viewfinder and rear screen, and I enjoy waist-level shooting for street photography, for which a tilt screen is hugely useful.

That meant I used the 5.76m-dot viewfinder more often with the EV1, and thankfully it works a treat. Rangefinder-style cameras like the EV1 are fairly inconspicuous too, making them ideal for street photography.

There is of course the other camp, for whom the M EV1 is the worst of both worlds, for whom the M EV1 makes less sense as a package. Sure, it costs less than the M11, but it costs more than the Q3, which is much more camera, with its built-in lens, autofocus, tilt screen and video recording. It's a natural comparison when you take the optical rangefinder out of the equation.

The Leica M EV1 with Leica 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M Asph lens attached (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

The M EV1 makes sense in some ways, especially if you already own multiple Leica lenses, but if you're starting out, or generally shoot with one or two lenses, it doesn't.

Nuts and bolts, the M EV1 makes less sense when I talk about it. However, I have to go with my gut, having used the camera extensively with the Leica 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M Asph lens for a week. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Yes, it feels slightly less organic than the M11, but if you don't mind an EVF then the EV1 feels like the new Leica M camera to go for.

The M EV1 is a compact and discreet rangefinder-style camera, making it ideal for reportage photography. (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Leica M EV1: price and release date

• Costs $8,995 / £6,840 / AU$13,990 for the body only
• Additional leatherette hand grip costs $460 / £340
• Available from October 23, 2025

Price-wise, the Leica M EV1 sits in between the Leica M11 and Leica Q3, which makes sense because an EVF is cheaper to manufacture than an optical rangefinder.

Ultimately, the EV1's list price makes the Q3 / Q3 43 feel like much better value, especially if you're not going to be swapping lenses a lot. The Q3 is much the same camera, for less, with additional features – and you get a built-in lens.

With the EV1, you're paying for the luxury of being able to swap lenses, and every Leica lens costs in the thousands.

Personally, if I had a spare $14,000 / £12,000 for Leica camera gear, I'd rather pick up both the Leica Q3 and Leica Q3 43 over the EV1 with a lens such as the 35mm f/1.4 Summilux, which together cost the same as two Q3s.

The M EV1 is supplied with a black leather strap.

• Price score: 3/5

There's no grip on the M EV1, but an additional leatherette hand grip is available separately (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Leica M EV1: specs

Video

N/A

Photo

60MP full-frame

Lens mount

Leica M

Autofocus

N/A – manual focus only

Screen

2.95-inch fixed touchscreen, 2.3m-dot

Viewfinder

5.76m-dot EVF

Weight

17oz / 484g (body, including battery)

Battery

244 shots (Leica BP-SCL7)

Leica M EV1: Design

• Compact rangefinder design
• 5.76m-dot EVF instead of an optical rangefinder
• Modest-size 2.95-inch fixed touchscreen

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Yes it's a Leica M... without the rangefinder! (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 2 of 7

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The left side of the camera – there are no connections whatsoever (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

The obvious place to start when talking about the M EV1's design is its viewfinder, which is the same 5.76m-dot EVF found in the Leica Q3. It's also placed in the corner of the camera where the rangefinder traditionally sits, easily accessed with your right eye.

I was shooting with Leica's 35mm f/1.4 Summilux lens for this test, often wide open at f/1.4 where depth of field is really shallow, and getting sharp manual focus is historically a challenge with Leica M cameras. This changes somewhat with the M EV1.

Focus peaking is indeed supremely helpful for this manual focus-only camera, outlining the hard edges of your subject that's in focus – I had the camera set to red focus peaking, which in general is the color most easily seen. However, you shouldn't totally rely on the accuracy of focus peaking, especially with a shallow depth of field.

Focus magnification gives you a closer look, making it much easier to make fine adjustments and ensure sharp focusing where it matters, assuming you have time to use it. My ratio of in-focus shots has been much higher using the M EV1 than I would expect with a camera like the M11.

Even with an EVF, a manual focus-only camera will keep you on your toes. Here my reactions weren't up to speed – a mirrorless camera with subject detection autofocus would have nailed this photo (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

As a rangefinder-style camera, the EV1 is really compact, plus the shutter action is dampened for minimal vibration and noise, making for discreet picture taking.

The 2.95-inch rear screen feels a little on the small side, and being fixed it's less useful that a moveable screen, say a tilt or vari-angle type. The quality and feel of the display is top-drawer, though – with 2.3m dots it's packed with detail, and touch response feels smooth.

With the screen being less useful than I would like – I prefer the Q3's tilt screen – I leaned more into using the viewfinder, which is a lovely experience, even if traditionalists will turn their nose up at such a digital display. Sure, you lose a little of the rangefinder magic, but the EV1 is a more practical not just for focusing but also composition.

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Like all high-end Leica M cameras, the EV1 is made in Germany and the body is fully metal – both aluminum and magnesium, with a leatherette finish. This is a classy bit of gear.

The style, profile and control layout of the EV1 are largely familiar – this feels like an M11, save for the omission of an ISO dial (which is a real shame) and of course that new type of viewfinder. I'm a fan of minimalist design, and thoroughly enjoyed shooting with the EV1.

• Design score: 4/5

Leica M EV1: Performance

• Manual focus only
• Poor battery life
• Content credentials included
• 4.5fps for up to 15 RAWs

Battery life, I must say, is pretty poor by today's standards, rated up to 244 shots. It's little wonder given that the camera uses Leica's BP-SCL7 battery with its modest 1,800mAh capacity.

Still, the M EV1 isn't the kind of high-speed photography and video-making heavyweight with which users would quickly drain a battery. The photography process here is slow and considered, and as such I typically got through a whole day without needing to charge the battery (which is done via the USB-C port on the underside of the camera).

Burst-shooting top speeds are a modest 4.5fps. The buffer memory is rated to 3GB, which means you can shoot 15 full-size raw files or 100 JPEGs at that top speed before the camera slows up, assuming you're using a high-speed UHS-II SD card. Put simply, this is no high-speed shooter.

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I love the dual-lock design of the battery door, which is unlocked using the lever, and then fully released by pushing the battery back in a little. (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 2 of 2

Battery capacity is pretty low by today's standards (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

Following the Leica M11-P, the EV1 is equipped with content credentials, which is the most widely adopted industry standard for authenticating the origin of digital images. It does so through a secure digital label, holding details such as names, dates, and any edits made to an image’s metadata.

GPS geotagging data can also be added to images via the Leica Fotos app, which is available on the Apple store and Google Play store for iPhone and Android devices. It's also possible to wirelessly transfer images to your device from the M EV1 through the app, as well as remotely control the camera.

I tested the EV1 before its official launch, which meant that it wasn't registered on the Leica Fotos app. However, I have plenty of experience with the app, such as with the screen-less M11-D, and it's one of the more reliable and pain-free app experiences from leading camera brands.

• Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Leica M EV1: Image quality

• Same 60MP sensor as the M11 and Q3, with digital crops
• Manual focus only
• No video recording

If you want a detail-rich full-frame camera there are none better than those that use this 60MP sensor, as Leica's current crop of M cameras do, along with the Sony A7R V.

Leica offers two digital crop modes: 1.3x and 1.8x, with a reduced 36MP and 18MP resolution respectively. With the 35mm lens I had for this review, those crops give a perspective equivalent to 45mm and 63mm lenses.

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The ISO sensitivity range starts at ISO 64 and tops out at ISO 50,000, so images taken in good light with the base ISO are particularly clean and crisp.

Leica uses the widely adopted DNG raw format, with a 14-bit output and a limited number of color profiles to choose from – I mainly stuck to standard profile, and made color edits to raw files afterwards.

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Sticking with the Leica M ethos, the EV1 doesn't shoot video at all. For video recording with a Leica, you'll need to look to the Leica Q series.

Would it have harmed Leica's reputation to add video recording to an M mount camera for the first time, in the same swoop as an EVF? No! I think the same video recording skills as a Q3 series camera could have been an excellent string to the M EV1's bow.

To conclude, assuming you nail focusing and are using one of Leica's high-quality M mount lenses, then photo quality is top drawer.

• Image quality score: 4.5 / 5

Leica M EV1: testing scorecard Leica M EV1

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

Less than an M11 bur pricier than the Q3, the M EV1's price was predictable

3.5/5

Design

All the premium hallmarks of Leica M, but with one new bold design change that makes sense for some

4/5

Performance

The EVF has a hit on battery life, while burst shooting speeds are slow

3.5/5

Image quality

There's no better full-frame sensor for outright image quality (backed up with Leica glass), but video recording is absent

4.5/5

Should I buy the Leica M EV1?Buy it if...

You own Leica M mount lenses
No Leica lenses? The Q3 could be a better pick. But if you already own Leica lenses, the M EV1 could be the next step in your Leica journey.

It's time for a more practical Leica M
Perhaps your eyesight isn't what it once was, or you're simply wanting a Leica M that's easier to use – the EV1's EVF could make all the difference.

Don't buy it if...

You love the Leica M soul
Yes the hands-on experience with the M EV1 feels largely familiar to other Leica M cameras, but there's no denying it loses a little of the old school soul.

You expect a comprehensively modern digital camera
An EVF makes the M EV1 the modern Leica rangefinder, but it still lacks autofocus, video recording and a handy moveable screen.

Leica M EV1: also consider

Leica Q3

If you're considering the M EV1, then you're probably already okay with using an EVF. And unless you already have a bunch of pricey Leica lenses, the Q3 and / or Q3 43 premium compacts feel like a wiser pick overall – you get the same 60MP sensor but also a built-in lens, the ability to switch to autofocus, a versatile tilt screen, and video recording. Oh, and both Q3 models cost much less.

See my Leica Q3 reviewView Deal

Leica M11

Design-wise there are two key differences between the M11 and M EV1; the viewfinder type – the M11 has an optical rangefinder, while the M EV1 has a 5.76m-dot electronic viewfinder – and the M11 features a handy ISO dial that's missing on the EV1. Besides that, the user experience and image quality are effectively the same. The EV1 costs less than the M11, though.

See our Leica M11 reviewView Deal

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)How I tested the Leica M EV1

• Leica loaned me the M EV1 for a week ahead of its launch
• I had one lens to test it with – the Leica 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M Asph
• I've used the M EV1 as an everyday camera, documenting the world around me

My experience with the Leica M EV1 was wonderfully simple. I had it close to hand for a whole week ahead of the global announcement, with the Leica 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M Asph lens attached to it the whole time.

I'm a fan of this lens for reportage photography, and naturally found myself documenting the world around me, mostly making use of the EVF and focus peaking to manually focus.

Of course, there's a decent range of Leica M lenses to choose from, making the most of the M EV1's design advantages over the Leica Q3 premium compact with its fixed lens.

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

Many software packages and services let you design the perfect house, complete with plumbing, electrics, furniture, and more. Some even go further and expand their canvas to allow you to design the surrounding landscape.

Idea Spectrum Realtime Landscaping Pro 2025 does things differently, focussing primarily on the landscape itself, and its features and quite impressive. it's easily one of the best landscape design software tools around - as long as you own a Windows PC, the only platform it supports.

• You can download Realtime Landscaping Pro from Idea Spectrum by clicking here.

Realtime Landscaping Pro 2025: Pricing and plans

Fine tune your design with numerous changeable parameters (Image credit: Idea Spectrum )

• Far from the cheapest landscaping software out there, but at least you own it outright: no subscription deals, plus you can download a trial version to check it out

Idea Spectrum deserves praise for not treating their software as a service they can let out. Instead, you need to purchase Realtime Landscaping Pro outright - the old fashioned way - for $279. This is quite refreshing in this day and age. Yes, you have to pay more upfront, but that’s one less rental you have to deal with every month.

Additionally, you can upgrade from a previous version: Pro owners of versions 2011 to 2023 can do so for $129, whereas Plus owners from 2011 to 2025 have to pay $149 to get the latest version of Pro.

If you wish to try the software out for yourself, you can also download a free trial which limits some of the features, but will give you a good feel for what’s on offer.

• Score: 3.5/5

Realtime Landscaping Pro 2025: Interface

Design your home in minutes thanks to the help of one of Realtime Landscaping Pro’s handy wizards (Image credit: Idea Spectrum )

• A clean, easy to understand interface, with multiple views and handy wizards to speed up the design process

Realtime Landscaping Pro is designed for you to work in a 3D environment. Should you prefer to focus on a 2D space, Idea Spectrum also offers ‘Realtime Landscaping Photo’ as an alternative.

The interface is very standard: all your tools can be found on a sidebar to the left, with all the objects you can add being located at the top, broken down by category, such as Terrain, Water Features, Utilities, and Building (yes, you can add buildings to your design; you just can’t venture into them). The left side of the interface is your Inspector, showing all of a selected object’s changeable parameters.

Since you can’t explore the inside of the house, you’d be forgiven for thinking the options available for designing the outside might be limited. Although a lot is automated for you, you have a heck of a lot of customisation capabilities. From setting up the structure, to adding windows, guttering, lights, it’s pretty much all there. Plus you can change the types of material, their colour, the wall heights, the pitch of the roof, etc. Everything you need to make a building look great - from the outside. You also have the ability to add ‘window facades’ that make it seem like your house has an interior when looking through the windows.

There are three separate views at your disposal, all accessible via buttons, lower left of the interface: ‘Plan’ is a top-down view - selected by default; ’Perspective’, allows you to see elevation and work in a 3D environment, which we found helped us design better. The third view is called ‘Walkthrough’, and is really there for you to peruse your creation using your mouse and keyboard. As the project is rendered in high quality, there is no way to alter it in that view.

On the whole, the interface is clear, and easy to understand, giving you a large canvas in the centre of the interface to design your project. Should you feel at a loss, Idea Spectrum offers a series of online tutorials to help you familiarise yourself with what’s on offer.

In order to facilitate the design process further, Realtime Landscaping Pro comes with various wizards. One is used for creating houses, as mentioned above, but others are also available to quickly create landscapes, decks, ponds, accents and swimming pools. The concept is very simple: choose a template, place it onto your project and more often than not, you’re done. These templates are fully customisable of course, to help them blend in more perfectly with your landscape.

• Score: 4/5

Realtime Landscaping Pro 2025: Planting

You’ve got over 6,000 plants to choose from, and customize to suit your needs (Image credit: Idea Spectrum )

• An unbelievable inventory of plants which you can customise, choose their size, and set their look. You also have control over the time of day, and season. Your customisation options are as impressive as the number of plants available

Software designed to recreate an outdoor environment should be well stocked when it comes to flora, and this is exactly what Realtime Landscaping Pro offers. You have at your disposal over 6,000 plants, subdivided by category such as Annuals, Succulent, Tropical, etc, to make it easier to find what you’re after. But with so many to choose from, you’ll be grateful for that handy search field as well!

But that’s not all: you get to choose plants ideal for the geographical location you’re designing in - or not - the choice is completely up to you, as you add trees and shrubs that can look great together, but might not survive in the real world. You also get to choose each plant’s age, which mostly just alters their height, as well as the season you’re working in. This is set for your overall design, but you can also supersede that choice for each plant individually if you’re looking for an unusual and striking look, such as having plants displaying their spring appearance, next to others in the fall. Essentially, you can be as realistic and accurate as you please, or as fanciful as you desire.

This level of control extends to the weather, time of day, season, and even the phase of the moon. All of this is available through the ‘Settings’ menu.

You’ll find that each category has a ‘Currently Used’ section, which allows you to reuse objects currently in your project, elsewhere. This only works on your current project though. Should you wish to use the same plants in multiple projects, that’s where the ‘Favourites’ section comes in, making it easy to locate items once, and use them again and again in future works.

• Score: 5/5

Realtime Landscaping Pro 2025: Objects, people, and animation

Change the weather and time of day to suit your needs (Image credit: Idea Spectrum )

• You also have a large list of materials, objects and people to further refine your design, and bring your creation to life with a few fun animations

Plants are but the start of your designing journey. Realtime Landscaping Pro also contains a generous library of 3D objects, from lawn furniture, to cars, as well as a wealth of materials you can use for your walls, driveways, and more.

But what we particularly enjoyed was how you can bring your design to life through animation. Water can shimmer, and fountains flow, for instance. But people - and even animals - can be animated as well. Some can walk, others jog, and a few even swim. Set a path for them to follow and they’ll repeat their action on a loop. Even those sitting or lying around will have some kind of animation set for them, like a head tilt, or a hand movement. All of these help your creation come to life when exploring it in Walkthrough.

Speaking of Walkthrough, you’re able to create movies meandering through your project, although you don’t actually control the movement through your keyboard and mouse, but rather by setting a path for the camera to follow. You can even connect it to an Oculus Rift.

As it stands, this software is very versatile with a wealth of features. It’s simple enough for casual users to have fun with, yet versatile enough for professional use, creating your dream garden, virtually, complete with seasons, and fun animations.

• Score: 4/5

Should I buy Realtime Landscaping Pro?

Set up a video path around your project to create a movie of your design (Image credit: Idea Spectrum )Buy it if...

You’re looking for a detailed landscaping tool with a wealth of features to help you design the project of your (or your clients’) dreams.

Don't buy it if...

You don’t fancy playing with so many features that you can get lost in the minutia, and you find the animations superfluous and creepy.

For more design tools, we've reviewed the best architecture software and the best interior design software.

A few days before I started watching Amadeus, an influx of young people flooded my TikTok For You Page, playing various Bach pieces on different orchestral instruments while remixing each song with modern music. It was all thanks to a passing trend, but it did briefly make me wonder if classical musical was making a resurgence in digital pop culture.

If those same kids watch the new five-episode Sky TV series, I think they'd be astounded. Amadeus goes far beyond a musical education for the uninitiated, delving further into the supposed rivalry between composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri than previous accounts, including Miloš Forman's 1984 film.

Summing this rivalry up in one word would be easy: unhinged. The pair go far beyond the stereotypical boundaries of 'frenemies,' leaving their desperate acts of reconciliation until it's too late. I would never have paired Will Sharpe (Mozart) and Paul Bettany (Salieri) up to portray this, but their chemistry is undeniable.

What's more difficult to explain are the complexities behind this rivalry. To me, the duo's battles put me in mind of a 1700s version of Peggy Mitchell and Pat Butcher, from UK soap opera Eastenders. I'm in danger of losing non-UK readers at this point, but theirs was a connection that spanned decades, ranging from heartfelt consolation to vindictive plotting and literal fist fights. You never knew where you stood with them, and that was a big part of what made them so watchable.

It's not the best analogy I've ever come up with, but the atmosphere of palpable tension punctuated with violent outbursts means you never fully catch your breath. But, while Amadeus is narratively sound, it's visually questionable.

Sky has saved its best show of 2025 until last with Amadeus

If you look at the YouTube comments on the above video, fans of the 1979 stage play by Peter Shaffer, which he adapted for the subsequent movie, aren't pleased that the same tale is about to be retold. However, while it sometimes feels like we can hardly move for TV and film adaptations that cover familiar ground while not bringing much that's new to the party, I don't think Amadeus can be tarnished with the same brush.

Even if both those earlier versions had been flawless (and the three-hour long film is far from structurally sound, in my opinion), another adaptation would be worthwhile if it added a fresh perspective. Luckily for us, that's exactly what Amadeus does.

Without giving too much away, in addition to the story itself the TV series features Shaffer's own journey to writing his play, with the final scene of episode 5 breaking the fourth wall in a way I'm not sure I've ever seen attempted in television. Sky's creative risk-taking has flown under the radar, and the rest of the series is just as ambitious.

Sharpe effortlessly captures Mozart's supposed fiery temperament, and it's the foundation for the rest of the story's chaos. No one episode can contain the multitudes of emotions on show, with either Mozart of Salieri (or sometimes both) crumbling, celebrating, or threatening to jump out of a window (that's our unintentionally hilarious opening, so keep your eye out).

Amadeus throws everything and the kitchen sink at its storytelling, and the charged atmosphere is almost a character in itself.

Some of our cast have 'iPhone face', and that's a problem

Paul Bettany as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus. (Image credit: Sky)

As for the actual characters, both Sharpe and Bettany give the performance of their careers. I do wonder whether Bettany is going extra hard to distance himself from upcoming Marvel series VisionQuest, but perhaps that's just me being a franchise cynic.

Gabrielle Creevy (Constanze Mozart) also hits the right note (sorry) as the long-suffering go-between for the musical rivals, but there's something about the cast that bothers me. To me, the younger members (and by that, I mean under the age of about 40) look as though they have 'iPhone face'. What I mean by this is that, looking at them, you can escape the sense that they've seen an iPhone in their lifetime.

The makeup and costumes in Amadeus are beautiful, but they don't hide the fact that some of the cast just feel too modern. Even so, Sharpe particularly surprised me with his raucous, obscene and ridiculously arrogant take on Mozart.

The five-episode run does suffer from the classic issue of narrative lag between episodes 3 and 4, but when everything else has such a frenetic energy to it, this isn't hard to overlook. This of course includes the music, which Sharpe learned to play (rather than just flailing his hands about while the camera is carefully positioned to conceal that fact that he's not really playing).

As captivating as the scandal, drama and intricacies of Viennese society in the 18th century are, it all comes back to the music. It helps us to understand the world, Mozart and Salieri's struggles and ourselves in the process, and it's pushed me to make some conscious additions to my usual Spotify playlists. Their work is what both tortured composers ultimately wanted to be remembered for, and Amadeus certainly does them justice.

Stream Amadeus from December 21 in the UK using the below deals:

Sky 'Essential TV' package: from £15 per month at Sky
This is the cheapest Sky TV package available. It includes a Sky Stream device as well as access to 'Sky Atlantic', which airs Sky and HBO Originals through the Sky Stream streaming service, Netflix (its 'Standard with ads' tier), Discovery+ and over 100 free to air channels, such as BBC, ITV and Channel 4. This price is for a 24 month rolling contract but you can get it for £18 on a 31 day rolling contract too. Just note that the price will convert to £21 a month after the 24 months. View Deal

Sky 'Ultimate TV' package: from £22 per month at Sky
While it's a bit more expensive, you definitely get a lot more content for the extra £7 compared to the 'Essential TV' package. On top of 'Sky Atlantic', Netflix and Discovery+, Sky Stream and 90 free to air channels, this deal throws in 35 extra channels, such as 'Sky Comedy', 'Sky Crime', National Geographic and MTV. This monthly fee is for a 24 month rolling contract that will go up to £35 a month after the period, but you can also get it for £25 on a 31 day rolling contract. View Deal

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Ring Outdoor Cam Pro: two-minute review

Although probably best known for its video doorbells, Ring offers a range of both indoor and security cameras, including the 2K Ring Outdoor Cam Plus launched earlier this year. However, with the Ring Outdoor Cam Pro, the manufacturer has upped its game by going full 4K for the first time.

Available in black or white (we tested the white version), this new model can be used either outdoors or indoors, with a number of different mounting options to suit your individual set up. Screws and wall plugs are provided for mounting on a wall, fence or even a celling. Alternatively, you can use the built-in stand for placing indoors on a bookshelf or a unit.

Unfortunately, unlike other models in the range, the Ring Outdoor Cam Pro is mains-powered only. There are no battery or even solar charging options available for the unit which means it will need to be located close to a power supply (Ring supplies 6m/20ft power cable with the camera). And although there is POE (Power over Ethernet) version of the camera, this will set you back an additional £100 (£279 rather than £179) – rather a hefty premium in our opinion.

(Image credit: Future)

While the lack of battery/solar power options will certainly deter some buyers looking for a quick, wire-free fix, the use of mains power does enable more advanced high-bandwidth features that battery power simply can’t sustain. Chief among these is 24/7 4K recording, turning the camera from a conventional security unit triggered by motion alerts into a fully-fledged surveillance system. However, this will require a Premium Ring subscription currently costing a hefty £15.99 a month. Another Premium feature is Smart Video Search. Using AI, this allows you to type in a word or phrase such as ‘man wearing a red top’ into the search bar and it will automatically scour the captured footage looking for a man in a red top.

Without a monthly subscription, the camera’s functionality is a lot more basic, restricted mostly to viewing live video streams and basic motion alerts. It’s not possible to save or review past recordings. However, it does include Ring’s Smart Responses feature which will play the automated message ‘Hi, you are currently being recorded’ to intruders letting them know they are being filmed.

(Image credit: Future)

Other basic features not requiring a subscription include a loud 85dB Siren option (once pressed this will sound for thirty seconds) and two-way audio so you can speak to whoever is in view. It’s also possible to set motion alerts for certain times of the day (handy if you use the camera indoors and know other family members will be back in, say, the afternoon/evening ), as well as create different motion zones so – for example – the camera doesn’t pick up passers-by walking past the house or activity in the neighbour’s garden.

Finally, motion sensitivity can be adjusted to reduce the number of motion alerts you get, as security cameras can tend to be a little over sensitive picking up the slightest movement such as a branch swaying on a tree!

Ring Outdoor Cam Pro: subscription options

Ring Home Basic (formerly Protect Basic)
Cost: $4.99 / £4.99 / AU$4.95 per month or $49.99 / £49.99 / AU$49.95 per year
Covers: one doorbell or camera.
Features: cloud storage (up to 180 days), person/package alerts, video previews.

Ring Home Standard (formerly Protect Plus)
Cost: $9.99 / £7.99 / AU$15 per month or $99.99 / £79.99 / AU$150 per year
Covers: All devices at one location
Features: All Basic features plus Extended Live View, Picture-in-Picture, Daily Event Summary and 10% off Ring products.

Ring Home Premium (new tier)
Cost: $19.99 / £15.99 per month or $200 / £159.99 per year (not currently available in Australia)
Covers: All devices at one location
Features: everything in Basic and Standard, plus 24/7 recording and unlimited video storage.

Ring Outdoor Cam Pro: price and availability

• How much does it cost? $199, £179, AU$329
• When is it available? Since November 2025
• Where is it available? UK / US / Australia

Given it’s a high-end security camera aimed at those who want the very best video quality on the market, I didn’t expect Ring Outdoor Cam Pro to be cheap. Nevertheless, its near-£200 price tag puts it at the very top of the range when it comes to price.

For example, you can now buy the Ring Stick Up Cam for under £50. And while the Stick Up Cam only offers 1080p video resolution (compared to 4K on the Ring Outdoor Cam Pro), it is – unlike its high-performance sister model - battery-powered. This gives you much more flexibility when it comes to installation, especially if you want to cite the camera a long distance away from mains power.

Nor is it just the price of the hardware you have to think about when investing in a security camera. There’s also the monthly subscription. Ring isn’t alone in charging a monthly subscription for its premium features, but with prices starting at £4.99 a month it is one of the more expensive. What’s more, if you want the most advanced features, such as 24/7 video recording and Smart Video Search, you will need to pay £15.99 a month – more than many people’s monthly mobile phone subscriptions.

• Value score: 3/5

Ring Outdoor Cam Pro: design

• Solidly built camera
• Various mounting options
• IP65 weather-resistance

When it comes to design, the Ring Outdoor Cam Pro certainly doesn’t disappoint. Standing around 6 inches / 15cm tall, it’s a solid-enough design with a base that can be easily angled to match your needs. Various mounting options are provided for indoor and outdoor use and set up is straightforward enough thanks to an easy-to-use app and a QR code that you can scan with your phone’s camera.

(Image credit: Future)

Plenty of cable is provided although this is divided up with a slightly ugly power adapter (this can be screwed into the wall). On the one side of the power adaptor is the mains cable, on the other is a flatter USB-C cable that goes into the back of the camera.

(Image credit: Future)

Turn the camera around and there’s the 4K lens, offering a 140° horizontal and 85° vertical field of view, plus a small microphone and speaker at the bottom running along the bottom of the unit. Boasting an IP (Ingress Protection) rating of 65 – an improvement on earlier models - the Ring Outdoor Cam Pro offers protection from dust and low-pressure water jets, but isn’t suitable for submersion or high-pressure jets. It can also be used in temperatures as low as -5°F and as high as 120°F (-20°C to 50°C).

• Design score: 4/5

Ring Outdoor Cam Pro: performance

• Retinal 4K resolution
• 10x digital zoom
• Adaptive night vision

One of the first of the manufacturer’s cameras to incorporate Retinal 4K technology (3840 x 2160 pixels), the Ring Outdoor Camera Pro certainly stands out when it comes to performance. Indeed, we found that the higher pixel density, coupled with a 140° field of view and 10x digital zoom, meant it was possible to capture detail from footage filmed during the day that wasn’t previously possible.

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However, night vision was a little bit more of a mixed bag. Ring advertises ‘adaptive and colour night vision’, but the colour functionality requires quite a bit of ambient light to work. Generally, we found that while it was very high quality most of the footage we captured at night was black and white, unless movement triggered one of the nearby security lights.

One area where the Ring Outdoor Cam Pro does excel is ease of use. Like many of Ring’s products, set-up is straightforward and the product’s menus are straightforward to use. Alerts are sent directly to your phone in an instant, complete with details such as ‘person detected’ (providing you subscribe to a Ring plan). It is also linked with the Alexa skill so you can activate the camera with a voice command such as ‘Alexa, show me the garden camera’.

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(Image credit: Future)

Finally, it’s possible to reduce the number of false alerts that you get using the Ring’s innovative Bird’s Eye View feature. This works by combining 3D motion detection (with radar) with a satellite map of your property to track an intruder’s path with pinpoint accuracy! It’s also a good idea to reduce the motion sensitivity of the camera using the onscreen menu.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Ring Outdoor Cam Pro: Should you buy the Ring Outdoor Cam Pro?

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

With a price tag close to £200, the Ring Outdoor Cam Pro is one of the pricier home security cameras on the market. And that’s before you add in the additional cost of the monthly subs.

3.5 / 5

Design

Available in black or white, the Ring camera is well designed with different mounting options both for indoor and outdoor use.

4 / 5

Performance

When it comes to performance, the 4K camera generally excels with 10x digital zoom providing particularly detailed close-ups.

4.5/5

Overall

The Outdoor Cam Pro represents a leap into high-resolution surveillance for Ring. However, the high levels of performance come at a fairly hefty price, especially when you factor in the subscription plan.

4/5

Buy it if

You want high quality video footage

The Ring Outdoor Cam Pro offers exceptional video quality thanks to 4K resolution and 10x digital zoom.

You already have Ring products

This camera fits neatly into the Ring ecosystem, enabling you to link to other Ring products including cameras, video doorbells and alarms.

Don't buy it if

You are on a limited budget

The Ring Outdoor Cam Pro is one of the more expensive models on the market and functionality is limited without spending at least £4.99 on a monthly subscription.

Mains power isn’t available where you want the camera

The high performance levels of this camera, including the option of 24/7 recording, mean that it must be connected to the mains.

Ring Outdoor Cam Pro: also consider

Attribute

Ring Outdoor Cam Pro

Ring Spotlight Cam Pro (Battery)

Eufy 4K S330 Security Camera

Subscription price

From £4.99 a month

From £4.99 a month

None

Viewing angle

140° horizontal, 85° vertical

140° view horizontal, 80° vertical

360° view

Network connection

Wi-Fi (2.4GHz/5GHz)

Wi-Fi (2.4GHz/5GHz)

Wi-Fi/4G

Audio

Two-way audio

Two-way audio

Two-way audio

Video

4K video resolution

1080p Full HD resolution

4K video resolution

Power

Mains-powered

Battery

Battery

Hardware price

£179 (mains only)

£199 (battery model only)

£189 (with solar panel)

Ring Spotlight Cam Pro (battery)

Available in black or white, this outdoor security camera from Amazon-owned Ring boasts two 3000°K spotlights. You can also buy a mains-powered version as well as a separate solar panel.

Read our full Ring Spotlight Cam Pro review

Eufy 4K S330 Security Camera

An extremely innovative battery and solar-powered camera, the Eufy can be used with the supplied 4G Sim card to capture recordings, making it ideal for those who live in areas with poor Wi-Fi/broadband.

Read our full Eufy 4K Security Camera review

How I tested the Ring Outdoor Cam Pro:

• I used the Ring every day for a week
• I set it up myself both indoors and outdoors

To test this camera, I first connected it to the mains plug in my garden and placed it in various positions and in all weathers – including sunshine, rain and heavy wind! I also tested it both during daylight and at night (it was dark in London from about 4.30pm onwards). During this time, I didn’t have any performance issues, despite extremely inclement weather conditions (thanks Storm Bram).

I then moved indoors to complete the testing with the device in various locations including the kitchen and my home office. One of the great things I noticed during the testing period was just how flexible the Ring camera is. All of the fittings are provided for installing on a wall or ceiling. However, it can quite as easily be moved around for placing on a desk or a bookshelf – handy if you go away and just want to monitor a particular area for a short period of time.

Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly: one-minute review

The Tassimo Finesse Friendly from Bosch is a compact capsule-based coffee maker that's an affordable alternative to similar machines from Nespresso and Keurig. It works in much the same way as its rivals, accepting proprietary capsules, piercing them, and forcing hot water through to brew your drink.

Unlike some other small coffee makers, it can also brew milky drinks such as lattes if you use separate pods for the milk and the coffee, with impressive results. The downside is that these capsules (known as T-Pods) can be quite expensive, particularly for drinks with two components.

The Finesse Friendly is very simple to use and clean, with a blank disc stored in a slot at the bottom that enables a quick rinsing cycle between drinks. Its water tank is east to remove as well, though its small capacity (just 23.7oz / 700ml) means you'll be making frequent trips to the sink if you're making more than one or two drinks at a time.

(Image credit: Future)

It's a well-built and likeable little coffee maker, but if you enjoy lattes regularly, you might want to consider learning to use a compact espresso machine with a manual steam wand instead. Although the initial cost will be higher, you could save money in the long run by using fresh milk for your regular brews rather than capsules. Take a look at my roundup of the best espresso machines for options at various price points.

Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly: specifications

Name

Bosch Tassimo Finesse Friendly

Type

Capsule coffee maker

Dimensions (W x H x D)

6.2 x 10.4 x 14.2 inches / 15.7 x 26.5 x 36cm

Weight

6.2lbs / 2.8kg

Water tank capacity

23.7oz / 700ml

Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly: price and availability

• List price £89.99 (about $120 / AU$180), but often discounted
• Widely available in Europe, but not in the US or Australia
• T-Pod capsules can be quite expensive, depending on type

The Bosch Tassimo Finesse Friendly is one of the most affordable capsule coffee makers machines I’ve ever tested. It has a list price of £89.99 (about $120 / AU$180), but is frequently discounted to £49.99 (about $70 / AU$100). That’s even less than the entry-level Nespresso Vertuo Pop. You’ll find all today’s best prices below.

The downside is that although it’s widely available in the UK and continental Europe, it’s not currently sold in the US or Australia.

Although the Finesse Friendly is cheap, Tassimo capsules (known as T-Pods) can be quite pricey particularly if you prefer drinks with milk, which require two pods each. They are widely available online and from supermarkets, and include varieties from brands including Cadbury’s, Costa, Kenco, Jacobs, and L’OR.

(Image credit: Future)

Prices vary widely depending on your chosen drink. For example, a pack of Costa Caramel Latte T-Pods, for example, contains enough capsules to make just eight drinks, and has a list price of £7.25 (about $10 / AU$15). Pods containing just coffee are much more affordable. At the time of writing, a bundle containing 80 Kenco Pure Colombian capsules is £21.38 (about $30 / AU$40).

• Value score: 3.5/5

Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly: design

• Compact and lightweight
• Easy to clean and maintain
• Water tank holds only 23.7oz / 700ml

The Tassimo Finesse Friendly is an exceptionally light and compact coffee maker, which is ideal for small kitchens and easy to tuck away in a cupboard when not in use. Its body is made using 60% recycled plastic, and is available in four colors: black, white, cream, and red. The black version I tested had a tendency to accumulate fingerprints, particularly on the matt-finish sides, but they were easily cleaned off with a damp cloth.

Its drip tray is removable for cleaning, and can be repositioned closer to the dispenser to accommodate espresso cups without splashing.

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It has a single control button, which uses colors and blinks to indicate the machine’s current status. A red light means the machine needs attention, and usually signals that the water tank is running low.

The tank is attached to the back of the machine, and is easy to remove; just angle it slightly and pull upwards. It has a maximum capacity of just 700ml / 23.7oz, so you’ll need to refill it after making two full-size drinks.

(Image credit: Future)

Cleaning the Finesse Friendly is straightforward. Just remove the orange maintenance disc from the slot at the bottom of the machine, place it in the capsule holder with the barcode facing down, close the lid, and hit the brew button just as you would when preparing a drink.

The machine will rinse itself with a cupful of hot water, leaving it clean and ready to use next time. It’s also worth wiping the outside of the dispenser clean if you’ve made a drink with milk, as this has a tendency to splutter.

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(Image credit: Future)

The Finesse Friendly has no water filter, but is easy to de-scale when indicated by the red status light. Just fill the water tank to the line marked ‘calc’, add two descaling tablets (not provided with the machine but available online), insert the cleaning disc, place a cup under the dispenser and hold the start button for about five seconds.

• Design score: 4/5

Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly: performance

The Tassimo Finesse Friendly is extremely simple to use. Just fill the water tank to the maximum line, pull the top of the machine upwards to open it, and place your drink capsule in the opening face-down. Push the lid closed and the light on the control button will light up orange, indicating that the Finesse Friendly is ready to start brewing.

After your drink has finished dispensing, wait until the light stops blinking orange before removing the used capsule.

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(Image credit: Future)

I tested the Finesse Friendly with a couple of different capsules: Tassimo Cinnamon Roll Latte (which Bosch provided with the review machine), and Jacobs Latte Macchiato (which I bought myself). Each variety came with two boxes of pods: one containing the coffee, and the other filled with long-life milk.

Although a latte macchiato is usually my coffee of choice, the cinnamon roll pods were the clear winner. Although it was definitely sweet, the drink had a more mellow flavor than many other coffee pods I’ve tried. In fact, it was so good I ended up buying a second pack.

The tiny Finesse Friendly did a particularly good job of steaming milk, producing a long-lasting layer of creamy foam. During my tests the machine had a tendency to sputter a little, and emitted quite a lot of steam once it had finished dispensing, but this had dissipated by the time the orange light stopped blinking.

In the UK, you can recycle used T-Pod capsules through Podback (a scheme that also accepts used Nespresso, L'OR and Dolce Gusto pods). You'll receive a Podback bag when you receive an order of T-Pods, and you can order more through the Podback website.

You can drop off your Podback bags in most big supermarkets, or take loose capsules to a recycling center with a Podback bin. Find your nearest drop-off point.

• Performance score: 5/5

Should you buy the Boch Tassimo Finesse FriendlyBosch Tassimo Finesse Friendly score card

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

The machine itself is very affordable, but pods for milk-based drinks can be expensive.

3.5/5

Design

Compact and light, made using 60% recycled plastic, but water tank is very small.

4/5

Performance

Heats quickly, foams milk well, and dispenses consistently tasty coffee. Easy to clean and maintain.

5/5

Buy it if

You want a coffee maker that's easy to use

Brewing coffee doesn't get much easier than this. Just add water and a pod, wait a minute, and you'll have a perfectly brewed drink every time.

You want more than just coffee

The Finesse Friendly also makes excellent hot chocolate, and there are plenty of T-Pod capsules available from brands including Cadbury's.

Don't buy it if

You drink several lattes daily

T-Pods for milky drinks can be quite expensive. They're delicious, but you'll go through a pack of capsules very quickly unless you keep them as a special treat.

You want to make drinks for a crowd

The Tassimo Finesse Friendly's small water tank will need refilling after every couple of drinks unless you're brewing short drinks like espresso.

Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly: also consider

If the Bosch Tassimo Finesse Friendly isn't the right coffee maker for you, here are two alternatives to consider.

Nespresso Vertuo Pop

This is another compact pod-based coffee maker with an affordable price tag. The upgraded Pop+ has an extra large water tank, which will be useful if you want to brew drinks for a larger group, and even premium Vertuo pods work out a little cheaper than the most expensive T-Pods.

Read our full Nespresso Vertuo Pop review

Nespresso Pixie

This capsule coffee maker accepts Nespresso Original capsules. Nestlé no longer owns the patent to these, so they're widely available from a huge range of coffee producers, from big chains to small independent roasters.

Read our full Nespresso Pixie review

How I tested the Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly

I used the Bosch Tassimo Finesse Friendly in my own kitchen for three weeks, making an average of two coffees per day. I used tap water, and used the maintenance disc with the rinse program the clean the machine between each drink.

I used Tassimo Cinnamon Roll Latte and Jacobs Latte Macchiato capsules, and used the milk capsule for each drink first before dispensing the coffee through the foam. I compared the results to those from my own Nespresso Vertuo Pop machine.

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

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Soundpeats Clip1: Two minute review

The real measure of whether earbuds are good, is if I keep wearing them after the two-week testing period is over. And judging by how keen I was to keep on using the Soundpeats Clip1, enthused by the best bits of the buds, that they’re easily some of the best open earbuds I’ve tested recently.

The latest clip-style open earbuds from prolific audio maker Soundpeats, the Clip1 follow the manufacturers’ style in being budget alternatives to bigger names, in this case the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds and Shokz OpenDots One. As a budget brand, they’ve made some solid earbuds in the past, but the recent and impressive Soundpeats H3 made me curious to see what else was in the pipeline.

What ended up being next in the pipeline, has quickly become one of my favorite pairs of sub-$100 open earbuds, and definitely the best I’ve tested recently. The Clip1 tick all the boxes you hope for with open earbuds, and then go above and beyond in a few ways.

My favorite of these ways is that Soundpeats offers a listening test; these aren’t the first lower-cost earbuds to offer this once-premium feature, but I’ve never used such a test that’s so simple yet so effective in its results. I couldn’t stop listening to the finely-tuned personal audio mix it delivered me.

Of course the buds also nail the basics; they’re comfortable to wear, grip reliably in the ear when you’re working out and don’t weigh too much. The battery life is solid, the buds are hardy and, in a rare case for clip-ons, they look a bit more refined than the usual children’s-play-thing look.

There are a few rough edges here though. The case feels cheap and plasticky, the touch controls were way too sensitive and the max volume just wasn’t high enough to fit the bill for open-ears. But I enjoyed using the buds enough to overlook some of these concerns.

Soundpeats Clip1 review: Specifications

Component

Value

Water resistant

IPX5

Battery life

8 hours (earbuds), 32 hours (total)

Bluetooth type

Bluetooth 5.4

Weight

5g / Charging case: 55.5g

Driver

12mm

Soundpeats Clip1 review: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Announced on November 12, 2025
• Priced at $69.99 / £74.99 / AU$79.99
• Generally cheaper than rivals

The Soundpeats Clip1 were announced on November 12, 2025, and put on sale immediately after.

They’ll set you back $69.99 / £74.99 / AU$79.99, so they’re fairly cheap as far as clip- or cuff-style earbuds go (especially in Australia). However they’re Soundpeats’ priciest clippers, costing more than the cheap PearlClip Pro and even cheaper PopClip.

In the grand scheme of open earbuds, they’re definitely towards the cheaper end of the spectrum though. If you look for even more affordable options, you’re only finding options from budget brands like Ugreen and Anker, and most top-spec rivals have price tags over the three-figure mark.

Soundpeats Clip1 review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Classy design of buds, but cheap-feeling case
• Lightweight and comfortable
• Poorly-working controls

Despite clip earbuds being nice and small, and therefore generally coming in svelte carry cases, Soundpeats bucks the trend by putting the Clip1 in a fairly large carry case. It’s a large, cheap-plasticky gray shell which weighs 55.5g, and I found it a little harder to open than I’d like, due to the indentation you’re meant to grip being a little shallow.

I’m not saying it’s hard to open, just that you need to consciously think when you’re getting the buds out, which is more brainwork than I generally use for a brainless task like opening a case. At least the buds are nice and easy to whip out, not buried in the case.

Onto the buds themselves: these are, of course, clip-style earbuds which consist of a spherical bud and a counterweight, joined together with a small arch. They weigh 5g and have an IPX5 rating, which means they’re protected from jets of water.

This is hard to state with anything resembling objectivity, but the Clip1 earpiece feels like it has an air of elegance about it; the dainty stem connecting the perfect sphere and little ellipsoid feels more refined than the chunky alternatives I’ve tested before.

Practically speaking, this translates to the feel of wearing the buds too. They were light enough that I barely felt like I was wearing anything, and stayed attached to my ear reliably – there were no drops during testing.

There are touch controls on each bud, but every time I had gestures enabled in the settings, my music would inexplicably pause or skip songs without me touching anything, and so I turned off the feature. I don’t know if I had a faulty unit or if the sensors are just so oversensitive that wind can set them off. At least a different kind of sensor works better: while the two Clip1 buds are identical, so there’s no left or right one, they can automatically detect which ear they’re in to adjust channels accordingly.

• Design score: 4/5

Soundpeats Clip1 review: Features

(Image credit: Future)

• Fantastic listening test
• Battery life is 8 hours, 32 hours with case
• Fewer other features than some rivals

In any earbud, but especially ones designed for fitness use, battery life is important; the SoundPeats Clip1 aren’t a frontrunner in this department but they have a decent battery life and I can’t ask for any more.

The buds last for 8 hours of listening at a time, and the case has enough juice for 32 extra hours before that needs charging. Those respectively hit and exceed what I’ve come to expect for this kind of bud. You won’t see those figures if you use LDAC when listening, but the lack of noise cancellation means you won’t have the battery leeched from that.

Onto the PeatsAudio app on your smartphone. Booting this up, you’re faced with a wall of toggle sliders for things like Dolby Audio, in-ear detection, low-latency game mode, touch controls, LDAC and dynamic equalization.

If you don’t want your dynamics, er, dynamically calibrated, you can also use the in-app equalizer, which offers eight genre-based presets as well as a 10-band custom mode and also a listening test. This latter was a lot quicker and easier to use than equivalents I’ve had to slog through, simply requiring you to press a button if you can hear a sound while it cycles through frequencies and volumes.

I didn’t have high hopes due to the simplicity, but the results it returned (and custom EQ mode) were pretty similar to what I’ve received from similar tests, and greatly improved the music from the default mode… but those are, sadly, spoilers for the next section.

• Features score: 4/5

Soundpeats Clip1 review: Sound performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Single 12mm driver
• Supports Dolby Audio, LDAC, AAC, SBC, more
• Bright audio that perhaps lacks bass

The Soundpeats Clip1 have 12mm drivers squirrelled into those spherical orbs. That fine (rather large) driver spec is enhanced with a wide range of codecs, more than you’d imagine for low-cost buds: they support Dolby Audio, Hi-Res Audio, LDAC, AAC and SBC.

That’s really good… but also possibly overkill on a set of open-ear buds. By virtue of the form factor, you’re getting an even 50/50 mix of music and your surrounding sound, so you’re hearing a crazy train alongside your Crazy Train, a babbling river at the same time as The River, and don’t even get me started on The Divine Comedy’s most popular song. Soundpeats touts the LDAC support as giving you CD-quality audio, and while that’s true, it’s a CD that’s playing from your neighbour’s flat, not yours.

That’s all to say that there’s a cap on how good open-ears can be before drastically diminishing returns, and the Clip1 aren’t in the select community which find a way to bypass the cap. That’s especially true when you bear in mind that their biggest issue is a max volume that’s just not high enough; I could barely hear my tunes while cycling through traffic.

When you get a chance to actually hear the SoundPeats, though, you’ll find that they sound pretty good – as long as you play around with the equalizer, as the default preset doesn’t do the sound justice. No matter how you shake it, the sound profile certainly tends towrds the bright side, with vocals shining through the audio mix, and as someone who prefers treble to bass for workout music, I was happy with that. Sung lines sound crisp and clear, with energy enough to motivate me through my run.

Songs have more audible detail than I’m used to from open-ears; in songs like She Had Me At Heads Carolina by Cole Swindell, you can easily hear the various guitars in the mix, and the panning in Declan McKenna’s Brazil giving the song a lovely dimension.

In all my equalizer fiddling, though, I struggled to bring out much bass. The mode called Bass Boost puts it on the map, and gives it a small amount of refinement, but it’s not exactly powerful or prominent. Yes, it's a regular issue with open-ear designs, but notable nonetheless.

• Sound performance score: 4/5

Soundpeats Clip1 review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

There are a few elements of the Soundpeats Clip1 that I’m really surprised to see. It’s uncommon to see LDAC in buds like these, let alone Dolby Atmos or a listening test that works really, really well.

I’m “surprised to see” them because these are competitively-priced buds, coming in cheaper than some of our favorite open earbuds and a lot cheaper than some of our top-rated clip headphones.

While they’re not the outright cheapest on the market, they still offer fantastic value for money compared to lots of the alternatives which you might be considering.

• Value score: 4/5

Soundpeats Clip1 review: scorecard

Category

Comment

Score

Value

They undercut their similar rivals yet offer great features.

4/5

Design

Reliably, comfortable and lightweight (though it's a shame about the case, letting the side down).

4/5

Features

The battery life is decent and the listening test is great, though I wouldn't mind seeing one or two more extras.

4/5

Sound

I liked the bright audio which lent itself to vocals well, although some might malign the limited bass.

4/5

Soundpeats Clip1: Should I buy?

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

You like personalized audio
Listening tests are becoming a trend, and if you want to try one of the easiest such tests, Clip1 these on..

You need something reliable for workouts
I really put the Clip1 through their paces and never had any issues with them falling out mid-workout.

You're on a budget
Most open earbuds have mid-range prices but the Clip1 are temptingly affordable.

Don't buy them if...

You're going to be in really noisy areas
With no noise cancellation and a low maximum volume, you won't be able to hear your tunes.

You need a small case
Some clip earbuds have svelte carry cases but if you want something that'll fit snug in your pocket, the Clip1 won't deliver.

Also consider

Component

Soundpeats Clip1

Edifier LolliClip

Anker Soundcore AeroClip

Water resistant

IPX5

IP56

IPX4

Battery life

8 hours (earbuds), 40 hours (total)

9 hours (earbuds), 39 hours (total)

8 hours (earbuds), 24 hours (total)

Bluetooth type

Bluetooth 5.4

Bluetooth 5.4

Bluetooth 5.4

Weight

5g / Charging case: 55g

7g / Charging case: 46g

6g / Charging case: 42g

Driver

12mm

13mm

12mm

Edifier LolliClip

Edifier's Dali-esque Lolliclip open-ears have a higher price point than the Soundpeats but a longer battery life and better IP rating at IP56. The equalization isn't on par with the Clip1 though.

Read our full Edifier LolliClip review

Anker Soundcore AeroClip

These buds also cost a little more than the Soundpeats, and they're certainly doing something different design-wise. They sound good but only have IPX4 prorection, and the case holds a lighter battery load.

Read our full Anker Soundcore AeroClip review

How I tested

(Image credit: Future)

The testing period for the Soundpeats Clip1 was two weeks, which is the standard amount of time we give earbuds to make sure they're up to snuff – after a thorough run-in.

I paired the Soundpeats with my Android phone for the duration of the testing, listening on Spotify, Tidal, YouTube, Netflix and several games. I tested at home, on walks around my neighborhood, at the gym and on cycles around the city, so they really got put through their paces.

I've tested countless open earbuds for TechRadar, including other clipping and Soundpeats models. And they're just the tip of the iceberg, as I've been reviewing gadgets for the website for going on seven years now.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: December 2025

LG StanByMe 2: Two-minute review

LG’s StanByMe TV has admittedly been something I’ve glossed over ever since the first-generation model was launched way back in 2021. A 27-inch TV on a rollable stand? “What’s the point?” I always wondered. While a 27-inch TV would’ve been considered ‘big’ in the late ‘90s or early 2000s, we now live in a time where a 48-inch TV is realistically the smallest size we’d put in our living room. And with recent releases from the likes of Samsung reaching up to 115 inches, is there really a place for a much, much smaller 27-inch screen in the home?

LG clearly didn’t share my reservations, as the Korean manufacturer announced a second-generation model at CES in January 2025 that didn’t just introduce a few iterative upgrades, but instead represented a complete overhaul.

The premise is the same – a TV you can move from room to room – but it now offers other notable features, including a QHD panel (an increase from the 1080p full HD of the previous generation) and new viewing modes that allow the user to watch while the screen is off its stand (its predecessor was fixed in place).

I’ll admit that I began this review as a sceptic, but after using the LG StanByMe 2 for a few weeks, I’ve done a complete 180 – this is a genuinely fun, cool, useful TV. It’s not going to replace your main screen for watching movies and TV shows, but that’s also not its purpose.

The StanByMe 2 is a TV that you can have in the kitchen to follow along with recipes, or if you have a small bedroom, you can position it over your bed for late-night binge watching. It’s touchscreen-enabled, so you can lay it flat on a table and have your kids play interactive games on it. You can take it away with you in the car to set up and watch content at a campsite or hotel as it can run on battery for a while. I even used it as a second display attached to my laptop.

The built-in battery promises up to four hours from a single charge (up from 3.5 hours in the previous model). I found this to be pretty accurate, although do note that even when the screen is turned off, it’s technically in a standby mode and will continue to use the battery. I left it turned off over a weekend with a full charge, but it had dropped to 34% on my return three days later. A physical power button can be found on the side of the TV, and a long press will power it down completely.

The idea of the StanByMe 2 may elude people at first, but once you have one in your life, you’ll wonder how you ever did without it.

Picture quality is good, although it won’t rival the best TVs. Its built-in speaker system delivers a pleasing audio performance, and is on par with the performance you’d get from conventional TVs. In virtually all cases, we recommend adding one of the best soundbars to boost the sound. Fortunately, you can connect it to a soundbar thanks to an HDMI eARC port, but I reckon since most people will be using the screen in a fully portable mode – which is exactly how it should be used – a physical connection will prove cumbersome.

The StanByMe 2 also benefits from LG’s webOS operating system. At the time of writing, it uses webOS 24, but the company has confirmed the TV will receive the webOS 25 update, and it is guaranteed to receive software updates for five years, up to webOS 28 (LG generally launches a new version each year).

There’s nothing quite like the LG StanByMe 2 out there and that makes it tricky to score for an objective review like this. There are similar screens on the horizon from the likes of Samsung and its Movingstyle model, but that’s yet to see a wide release – we’ve not had a chance to review it yet here at TechRadar, and I’ve not personally seen it either.

As a lifestyle screen that offers a new way to consume content, the StanByMe 2 excels, but tech as unique as this demands a high price and that’s my biggest issue. As much as I would love to give it a full five stars, I have to dock points purely because of how much LG is asking for it – especially when you compare its cost to traditional TVs.

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)LG StanByMe 2 review: Price & availability

• $1,299 / £1,399.99 / AU$2,199
• Staggered global rollout: US – July 2025, UK – August 2025, Australia – September 2025

The LG StanByME 2 was announced at CES in January 2025 and was made available to buy in the US from July 2025, followed by a UK launch in August and eventually making its way to Australia in September 2025.

In the US, it’s priced at $1,299, which is higher than the RRP of the entry-level LG B5 OLED TV in 48-inch guise ($899.99) and just below the larger 55-inch variant ($1,499.99).

Meanwhile, in the UK, it’s £1,399.99, although at the time of writing this also includes an XT7S Bluetooth speaker that can attach to the TV stand and boost audio performance. For the same money, you can get a 55-inch LG C5 OLED – which we currently rate as the best TV overall.

In Australia, the StanByMe 2 has a list price of AU$2,199 – about as much as the far larger 75-inch TCL C7K will set you back Down Under. The TCL features a much more capable Mini-LED backlit panel, and as our TCL C7K review proves, it impressed us with a “dynamic, bright and surprisingly contrast rich picture”.

The StanByMe 2 can be on the receiving end of discounts, although these are usually reserved for the major sales events such as Black Friday. In fact, during the Black Friday sales in 2025, I spotted it for $999.99 / £1,199 / AU$1,699. These prices are much more palatable, although it’s still possible to find a more capable TV for similar money.

LG StanByMe 2 review: Specs

Screen type:

QHD IPS LCD panel

Refresh rate:

60Hz

HDR support:

Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG

Audio support:

Dolby Atmos

Smart TV

webOS 24 (customized version)

HDMI:

1x HDMI eARC

Battery life:

Up to 4 hours

LG StanByMe 2 review: Features

• QHD IPS LCD panel with extensive HDR support
• Touchscreen for greater interaction
• Built-in battery with up to 4 hours battery life

As I’ve already mentioned, the LG StanByMe 2 is a compact 27-inch TV that uses an edge-lit IPS LCD panel with quad HD resolution (2,560 x 1,440p) and a refresh rate of 60Hz. So, not a ‘proper’ 4K screen, but it does have comprehensive HDR support in the form of Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG HDR formats.

Unlike the TVs we’re all familiar with today, the StanByMe 2’s screen has a matte coating that slightly reduces image quality, but it helps minimize reflections and prevent fingerprints when you’re supporting it for rolling to a different room. The matte coating isn’t the same, or similar, as the anti-glare panel of the Samsung S95F, as that screen is actually able to absorb light and dissipate over the display’s surface. I would liken it more to a PC monitor.

Where the StanByMe 2 also differs from conventional TVs is that it’s touchscreen-enabled. Thanks to this functionality, you’re able to use your fingers to interact with it, whether it be loading up the built-in sketchpad application to doodle or jot down notes, or playing games that come pre-installed (more games are available via the LG app store). I can’t see many people using it to create shopping lists, say, but it can be hung on a wall-mounted hook (included) allowing you to easily see reminders for each day.

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

The touchscreen functionality also means you’re able to swipe between home screen menus and press on any app – YouTube, Netflix, et al – to open it, but that’s all. You can’t use this functionality when you’re within these streaming apps. You can’t press the screen to play or pause content, for example. When using streaming apps, you’ll need to use the remote control or the on-screen controls that appear in the bottom right corner when you touch the display.

Where the StanByMe 2 shines is what LG intended it for – a portable screen that can be used where a larger display would be handy. For example, I used it in the kitchen, where I loaded up a YouTube video telling me how to make the perfect mashed potato. I was able to position the StanByMe 2 over my kitchen island and follow along with ease. Watching the same video on a smartphone screen just wasn’t as effective, and I don’t own a tablet or a smart display. Of course, given the StanByMe 2’s price, it would be cheaper to opt for the smaller devices, but the convenience of having the larger display is something I appreciated.

I also positioned the TV over my dining table, where I sit when I work from home. Again, I found myself streaming YouTube videos to play in the background and would occasionally glance up at the screen. Without the TV, I would either have the same video playing on a separate tab on my computer. I also mirrored the screen of my MacBook Pro thanks to the StanByMe’s AirPlay support, allowing me to use it as a second display. These weren’t groundbreaking changes to my normal routine by any stretch, but I found having the StanByMe 2 on, er, standby, incredibly useful.

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

When it’s connected to the rollable stand, you can plug a mains power cable into its base to use the StanBy Me 2 like a regular TV, but if you remove the power cable, or remove the TV from its stand, the internal battery takes over and you’ll get no more than 4 hours of playtime on a single charge.

However, you’ll need to be mindful that this is only when it's in Eco power mode, which isn’t on by default. If you use the screen in a different mode, then battery life takes a major hit. I turned it on after (unknowingly) leaving it on standby for three days to find the battery had dropped from 100% to 34%. I then watched a 30-minute YouTube video, and the battery level dropped to 9%.

You can power down the TV completely by long pressing on the power button on the left side of the screen. Recharging the battery to full takes around 3 hours in standby mode and 3.5 hours when the TV is in use.

• Features score: 4 / 5

LG StanByMe 2 review: Picture quality

• Good color reproduction
• Decent blacks considering backlight constraints
• No Filmmaker Mode

LG’s QNED81 from 2023 impressed me with its color reproduction despite using an edge-lit system, and the StanByMe 2 – which also uses an edge-lit panel – shows similar strengths. Images are vibrant and punchy, and with brighter, more colorful content – such as A Minecraft Movie – the screen delivers a natural-looking image with convincing real-world textures. Fireball explosions appear as paler oranges or yellows, it must be said, rather than intense reds you’d get on a higher-contrast display, but overall it’s a pleasing presentation.

The StanByMe 2 also handled a 4K HDR demo reel from LG’s YouTube channel better than expected. Blacks looked reasonably convincing and central highlights remained clear and detailed. Compared side-by-side with LG’s flagship G5 OLED , there was a clear difference in quality. The G5 was vastly superior, but that’s to be expected given the vast difference in panel technologies.

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

In dimly lit environments, the StanByMe 2’s brightness performance was more than adequate. LG doesn’t quote a brightness figure and I wasn’t able to measure it myself, but with the panel brightness set appropriately – 100 in most cases – I had no issues seeing detail or maintaining color impact. For darker content, I found ‘isf Expert Dark’ to be the best-performing picture preset. The ‘isf Expert Bright’ over-exposed the image too much for my liking, and Cinema introduced too much of a yellow tinge.

That said, the StanByMe 2’s picture performance is ultimately held back by the limitations of the QHD panel, edge-light system and matte coating. The combination of these means it struggles to render contrast with absolute precision. Larger areas of the panel can light up when they ideally shouldn’t, because the edge-lit system projects light over a greater portion of the screen.

TVs with more advanced backlight systems – such as OLED TVs from LG, Samsung and Sony, or even Mini-LED TVs from more budget-focused brands such as TCL and Hisense – can be more precise with which areas of the image are lit and which aren’t, resulting in more cinematic-looking picture.

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

In the case of the StanByMe 2, then, images can look flat in comparison, especially in HDR scenes that require competent backlighting systems to look their best.

Dynamic Tone Mapping Pro is an included feature on the StanByMe 2, which theoretically analyzes each frame to optimize brightness and contrast, but in practice its impact is modest. With the backlight effectively ‘on’ most of the time due to the panel type, this feature can only do so much.

These limitations are apparent with darker content. In The Batman’s Penguin car chase scene on HBO Max, black weren't inky, but more a very dark charcoal grey. To get the best image, I had to push the panel brightness to 100. The TV also lacks a Filmmaker Mode and the Dolby Vision Filmmaker modes that appear on LG’s higher-end QNED and OLED TV models.

Because of these inherent constraints, the StanByMe 2 is best viewed in dimmer environments and isn’t well suited to being your primary screen for movie watching.

• Picture quality score: 3.5 / 5

LG StanByMe 2 review: Sound quality

• Dolby Atmos support
• AI Sound mode with virtual 9.1.2 up-mix
• Fine for most tasks, but not intense movie watching

As with picture quality, the StanByMe 2’s audio performance isn’t anything extraordinary. But again, this isn’t a TV designed to be your main entertainment system. Instead, it’s designed to be a supplementary screen in your home.

The good news is that the built-in speakers can be reasonably loud and dialogue is clear. What it lacks is low-end presence – especially in movie scenes with explosions. The AI Sound Pro mode is the best option in my opinion, as it helps create a more expansive soundstage.

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

You do have options to improve the audio output, either by physically connecting to a soundbar or other external audio device via HDMI eARC, or wirelessly to a Bluetooth speaker or pair of active speakers. I do think a physical connection will be cumbersome for most users, particularly if the TV is connected to its stand. That said, you could always hang it on the included hook and have a cable trailing down to a soundbar on a unit beneath.

I had a pair of KEF Coda W speakers on hand and, once connected to the LG, the difference was dramatic. I also paired a Beats Pill and even that portable Bluetooth speaker delivered noticeably better sound than the TV’s built-in speakers.

What this experiment really highlighted for me was how the LG StanByMe 2 gives you options, both in terms of how you use it to consume content and how you can get sound out of it. You don’t get such versatility from traditional TVs and this really is where the StanByMe 2 genuinely stands out.

• Sound quality score: 4 / 5

LG StanByMe 2 review: Design

• Multiple viewing modes
• Good selection of connections
• Useful design touches

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

As I’ve alluded to already in this review, the StanByMe 2 isn’t designed to replace a traditional TV. Its headline feature is its ability to be used in a variety of viewing positions. The main position – the one that’s likely to be used the most – sees it being attached to a rollable stand. The first-generation StanByMe was permanently attached to its stand, so it’s great that the new model can detach, expanding its usability.

The stand is relatively heavy at 10.9kg / 24 lbs and its wheels are silent when rolling around, but they’re definitely smoother on hard floors compared to carpet.

The stand has two sections: a fixed-height main pole and an adjustable arm that can raise the screen up and down a few inches. The base plays host to a power point, which is used to charge the TV’s built-in battery.

When you want to detach the TV from the stand to use in tabletop mode, you need to press a large central button on the rear panel of the TV and pull it forward. Because the TV itself is quite light at 4.3kg / 9.5lbs, it’s easy enough to hold onto the screen with one hand, and press the button with the other. And thanks to its lightweight build, you shouldn’t have too much of an issue carrying it around.

To use the StanByMe 2 in tabletop mode, you need to clip in a supplied kickstand on the rear of the screen, and slot the folio cover into two holes along the bottom edge. The folio cover then folds around to the back of the screen and slots into the kickstand.

The final viewing mode is hanging it up on a hook against a wall. The hook needs to be drilled into the wall, so it wasn’t something I could test for this review. I own my home, but with my review sample only being on loan, I didn’t want a hole left in my wall when it was returned. Once the hook is mounted, you can attach a strap to the StanByMe 2 to hang it. You can hang it in either portrait or landscape orientation, and besides watching TV, you could activate one of the many wallpapers or screensavers, which include weather and calendar information, a ‘now playing’ screen when playing music, or a digital photo album.

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

LG’s listing information for the TV also shows a person hanging this strap over their shoulder with the TV in landscape mode – similar to a messenger bag. But who wants or needs to hang a 27-inch TV over their shoulder?

A remote control is supplied with the StanByMe 2, which I expected to be similar to the one used by LG’s other TVs, but there are a few design changes.

Perhaps the coolest function is the fact that the remote can magnetically attach to the top edge of the TV (when it’s in landscape mode) or to the folio cover when it’s in tabletop mode, so you don’t have to worry about losing it.

The biggest difference between this remote and the one you’d get with a regular LG TV is that it loses the Magic Remote functionality, i.e. you can’t use it to move a pointer around the screen as you can on an LG TV. If you have an LG Magic Remote at home, or you purchase one separately, then you can benefit from the pointer function as it’s compatible with the StanByMe 2.

There’s a small selection of connections on the StanByMe 2, including an HDMI eARC for connecting to a soundbar to boost audio output, or to a laptop or PC so the TV can moonlight as a second screen. There’s also a USB-C port on the side for connecting external devices and power banks, and another USB-C port on the top edge for connecting a webcam.

LG says the USB-C port can also charge the screen TV when it’s not connected to the stand, but I struggled to get this working, even when using my MacBook Pro’s power brick. The user manual states you need a charger capable of either 65W (20V/3.25A) or100W (20V/5A) output, a criteria my MacBook’s charger satisfies.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

LG StanByMe 2 review: Smart TV & menus

• Customized version of webOS
• Five years of upgrades promised
• No on-screen adverts!

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

The LG StanByMe 2 uses a customized version of the company’s well-received webOS operating system. If you were to look at the version used here side-by-side with a regular LG TV, you’ll easily spot the differences.

Two rows of apps dominate a large portion of the StanByMe 2’s screen, as opposed to a single line on the company’s regular TVs, with the familiar ‘cards’ for dedicated hubs – Home Office, Game, Music – just above. What’s pleasing to see in this instance is that there aren’t any on-screen ads or promotions in sight. The regular version of webOS will display on-screen adverts and even screensaver ads (unless you turn them off), so their complete absence is a welcome change.

From the home screen, if you move left – either by pressing the left button on the remote’s d-pad, or swiping – you’re met with a screen displaying calendar and weather information, quick access to various wallpapers and a sketch pad.

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

The TV also supports Google Cast and Apple AirPlay, so you can beam content from your phone or laptop directly to it. I used the Screen Mirror function to extend my MacBook’s display and use the LG as a second monitor. It was a seamless process and even moving browser windows over to the LG worked as smoothly as if I had a dedicated monitor physically connected to my laptop.

Setting adjustments are as slick as I’ve come to expect from LG, having used the company’s G-series OLED over the past three generations. Pressing the settings button on the remote brings up a Quick Menu that appears as a transparent overlay in the top left of the screen, which allows you to quickly change picture, sound and other settings.

• Smart TV and menu score: 5 / 5

LG StanByMe 2 review: Value

• Pricey compared to larger, more conventional TVs
• Other rollable TVs exist, which can be found for less
• Ultimately not fantastic overall value

With a price tag of $1,299 / £1399.99 / AU$2,199, the LG StanByMe 2 is undoubtedly expensive compared to traditional TVs, which can cost much less, come in bigger screen sizes and benefit from more capable displays.

Plus, a quick search online reveals similar rollable TVs in markets including the US, UK and Australia. We've not reviewed them here at TechRadar, so can't comment on their performance, but the fact remains the LG StanByMe 2 isn't the only one of its kind.

If you can find it at a discounted price, it’s a lot easier to recommend, because what the TV has going for its uniqueness. LG classes the StanByMe 2 as a ‘lifestyle TV’ and I couldn’t agree more. It’s not going to replace a main TV in your home, but is designed to be an addition that can make your daily routine more convenient.

There’s certainly a case to be made for its existence then, but you’ll need to seriously consider whether it’s worth the premium price tag.

• Value score 2.5 / 5

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)Should I buy the LG StanByMe 2?LG StanByMe 2 score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

It lives up to its lifestyle credentials with a variety of viewing modes, connections and interactivity options.

4/5

Picture quality

It’s not going to replace a conventional TV, but it does more than enough to meet the brief of being a lifestyle screen

3.5/5

Sound quality

Clear dialogue and expansive sound, with the option to improve it via various methods

4/5

Design

A range of viewing modes and some useful physical connection options make the StanByMe 2 one of the most versatile screens out there.

4/5

Smart TV and menus

LG’s webOS platform is always a joy to use and the customized version here continues that trend.

5/5

Value

A fun, cool TV that’s supremely versatile, but there’s no denying it’s expensive compared to traditional screens.

2.5/5

Buy it if...

You want a versatile TV

The StanByMe 2 can be used in a variety of viewing modes and is easy to move between rooms in your home.

You want a smaller TV

At 27 inches, the StanByMe 2 should be easy to accommodate in most spaces, plus it can be taken away with you in the car.

Don't buy it if...

You want the best possible picture quality

The limitations of the LCD panel mean the StanByMe 2 simply can’t deliver the absolute best picture quality.

LG StanByMe 2 review: Also consider

LG B5 (48-inch)

I've already mentioned the LG B5 in this review for several reasons. Most notably, it offers a dramatic leap in picture quality thanks to its OLED panel, and in 48-inch guise, it's often more affordable than the StanByMe 2.

Read our full LG B5 reviewView Deal

Sony A90K (42-inch)

It's quite tricky to find a 'small' screen TV these days, but the Sony A90K continues to be sold in a 42-inch size. It was released in 2022, yet the Japanese brand hasn't felt the need to update it. We've not given it the full in-depth review treatment, but some hands-on time revealed it to be a talented performer. We just wish it wasn't so expensive!View Deal

How I tested the LG StanByMe 2

• Used at home and tried most viewing modes
• Watched a range of content from various streaming services
• Let it run on battery power to test stamina

I tested the LG StanByMe 2 over a period of about 3 weeks at home. I used most of its viewing modes, including attaching it to its stand and using the folio cover. I wasn't able to test its hanging mode, as I wasn't prepared to drill a hole into my wall.

I watched a variety of dark and bright content from a number of streaming services, including The Batman and A Minecraft Movie on HBO Max. I also tested its ability to connect to external audio devices via Bluetooth to improve sound output.

• First reviewed: December 2025
• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Is Goodbye June a Christmas movie, or a movie that simply has Christmas in it? I'm not sure – but what I do know is that you won't stream a more tragically beautiful film this festive season.

It's quite a choice to drop a film that follows a dying woman's last days on Christmas Eve, but I can see why Netflix made the decision. If anything, the timing drives home the importance of hugging your loved ones that bit tighter, and never missing the chance to tell someone you love them.

In a nutshell, mom and grandmother June's (Helen Mirren) cancer has spread, sending her to hospital for what she and her family know will be the last few days of her life. Doting son Connor (Johnny Flynn) and his sisters, highly-strung Julia (Kate Winslet, who also makes her directorial debut), internally angry Molly (Andrea Riseborough) and flighty expat Helen (Toni Colette) spend as much time as they can by their mothers' bedside.

Along with June's ailing husband Bernie (Timothy Spall), the quartet's job is to give June the best send-off possible, despite a myriad of issues and long-held grudges making emotions run even higher than you’d expect in such a scenario.

Reading those last two paragraphs may well have put you in mind of your own family, whether it’s particular people or a similar situation – and that's one of the great strengths of Goodbye June. Our cast might be A-list, but here they're grounded, and their relatability helps to deliver what at times feels more like a fly-on-the-wall documentary than a drama.

The movie is something of a family affair off-screen as well as on, and some more cynical critics might be tempted to brand it as a ‘nepo baby’ creation (Winslet stars and directs and her son Joe Anders writes the script). I actually think their family ties are a huge advantage here... and thank God Winslet is now trying her (very successful) hand at directing.

Watching Goodbye June is like looking into my own past – and you might feel that way too

One of the biggest compliments you can give an actor is that they fully inhabit a role they take on. We’re not watching Helen Mirren play a dying grandmother here, we’re watching June dying.

When I look at June, I see my own grandmother, who died two years ago in similar circumstances, surrounded by her family. Every detail takes me back there, from her haircut and cardigan down to the pearl necklace and the gold ring she can no longer wear.

In a way, I'm projecting here, as I didn't get to be there for my grandmother's final moments – the peace June and her family ultimately find is something I hope my own family did too. But there's something universally relatable in June's situation.

"Masterclass Mirren" (as I'm now calling her) delivers a performance up there with The Queen – so it was a shock to learn from Winslet's press tour that she'd initially refused the role, explaining she never plays characters with dementia or cancer. I'm so glad she broke her own rule for Winslet, and I really think they've created something incredibly special.

There's a scene in Goodbye June where June is left alone in hospital to sleep, and she turns to the window and finally allows herself to shed a few tears after putting on a brave face for everyone else. Mirren conveys vulnerability and traumatic catharsis utterly convincingly, in a scene that will resonate with any woman who has ever lain awake crying in the small hours because life has gotten too much (which is probably all of us).

It's the little details – the family bickering, the gentle ribbing, the chaos of bringing up children, and the occasionally overwhelming reality of simply existing – that make Goodbye June feel so well-rounded, even if I can never watch it over Christmas again.

Whoever thought of Toni Colette for this movie needs a raise

This lot could be a real-life family. (Image credit: Netflix)

What might surprise you given the movie’s synopsis is how tenderly funny Goodbye June is. Even in the darkest of moments, there’s laughter, most often courtesy of Spall and Riseborough.

The film’s casting is inspired across the board. Mirren is an obvious score, and Spall isn't far behind her. If Winslet and Riseborough did a 23 and Me ancestry test and found out they were related, I wouldn't be surprised – Julia and Molly are the most convincingly fractious of siblings, and you’ll absolutely believe that their grudges really are decades old.

For me though, it's Colette as Helen who is the most inspired inclusion. She has the least amount of screentime, and casting an Aussie as Winslet's sister can't have been a subconscious choice (no matter how good Colette is at accents). When her character is revealed as a chakra-aligned free spirit who has emigrated to Florida to expand her practice, it all makes perfect sense.

Helen is the ideal counterweight to her sisters, and provides some measure of solace to lonesome brother Connor. And, by way of a B-plot involving her, Goodbye June also examines late-in-life pregnancy, effortlessly threading back into the idea of June's memory living on.

Anders' script is thoroughly convincing and sharply observed, which is particularly impressive given his relative youthfulness. You can take your pick from any of Goodbye June’s cast and identify exactly which one you'd be, thanks to his expertly drawn character portraits. That said, there’s perhaps a little bit of all of them in us – we feel represented in Julia's overwhelming sense of responsibility, Helen's growing and all-consuming sense of fear, Connor's alienation, or Molly's frustration with the world around her.

Visually, there's definitely a Netflix-specific feel to the movie that's becoming increasingly noticeable across the platform's content. In the context of a Christmas movie, I think it works, akin to a really sad version of The Holiday. But Winslet's vision as a director lifts the movie above the everyday; as much as I hated being told that actors make the best writers and directors while doing my master's degree (I'm not an actor, and I’m sure non-actors in the industry are tired of hearing it too), she makes a convincing case for the notion.

At this point it probably goes without saying that you need to steel yourself to watch Goodbye June, but you’ll be richly rewarded in return.

To witness people enduring great pain, even if those people are fictional characters, asks us to reflect on what truly matters in life, and it can be a deeply affecting – and yes, consoling – experience.

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Boulies OP180: 30-second review

The Boulies OP180 is, like all the OP-designated line, designed for workspaces. It’s perfectly comfortable for home office use, and its compact design without headrest means it won’t dominate the room. But, to my eye, it looks, feels, and performs like a chair for actual offices. One look at it and you can picture a series of OP180’s parked in cubicles or nested around a table in a conference room.

The backrest is of classic mesh that feels very breathable when used for long hours. And the plush cushioned seat surprised me. Alright, it’s not especially breathable, but the thick foam is incredibly comfortable and supportive. I used it for eight-hour work days for weeks, and it feels like the happy medium between the firmness of the Boulies EP200’s mesh seat and the ultra-soft foam seat of the Boulies OP300. If you’ve struggled with finding the right balance, I’d recommend checking out the OP180.

There’s good adjustability here - seat height and depth, backrest height, lockable recline, and tilt are all present and correct. The chair also features 3D armrests.

And that’s where I discovered one of my only real problems with this chair. Yes, they move smoothly backwards, forwards, up and down, and side to side. But there’s no horizontal locking system, unlike with my favorite of the Boulies range, the EP200. Now, this didn’t prove an issue when sitting down for work, but lean on the armrest to rise from the chair and it will slide out of place.

It’s also lacking full lumbar support, instead opting for a contoured S-shaped backrest. Thanks to the tension of the mesh backrest, I can’t say I missed the lumbar support - I felt supported at all times, and for the OP line, it’s perhaps expected. But, I appreciate some users will want that extra lower back support.

Those issues aside, I should mention the price - it’s selling for $290 / £240. It’s one of the best office chairs for the workplace, although I'd prefer a longer warranty length than the two years offered by Boulies. For home offices, I’d still recommend a Boulies chair like the high-back EP200, which still offers superb value for money and a firmer, more breathable experience.

Boulies OP180: Price & availability

The Boulies OP180 is widely available, selling for $290 at Boulies.com and £240 at Boulies.co.uk. However, at the time of review, it’s discounted down to $240 / £170.

That UK price is also reflected over at Amazon.co.uk. I’d suggest that cost is about right for an office chair chiefly designed to be bought in bulk for HQ.

Boulies OP180: Specs

Price (RRP)

$290 / £240

Seat height

17.3 - 20.1in / 44 - 51cm

Seat depth

17.9 - 19.7in / 45.5 - 50cm

Seat width

19.5in / 49.5cm

Backrest height

22.0 - 24.8in / 56 - 63cm

Recommended user height

5’1” - 6’3”

Max weight load

352lb / 160kg

Material

Mesh and foam

Warranty

2 years

Boulies OP180: DesignImage 1 of 3

(Image credit: Boulies // Future)Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: Boulies // Future)Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: Boulies // Future)

The OP180 is a classically designed, compact office chair. Only available in black, it’ll fit right into any professional workspace without looking out of place.

To the rear, there’s a Y-frame support for the backrest. And I like the armrest design, thrusting forward like an Enterprise starship. Sure, that’s hardly a game-changer styling, but it does give the OP180 a more modern feel.

In truth, there’s not much to like or dislike about the design of this chair. It looks exactly as you’d expect - and that’s precisely the point of an office chair like the Boulies OP180. It’s not trying to be the Branch Verve or the Herman Miller Embody, with striking silhouettes and bold color choices. It’s a traditional office chair for professionals.

Boulies OP180: Assembly

Boulies claims it’ll take you five minutes to build the OP180. I wouldn’t say it’s quite that quick - it took me a little under ten minutes after misaligning the screws for the armrest first time around (pro-tip: place the three in loosely first, then tighten each).

Everything you need is in the box, including the hex key, which is the only tool needed to piece it all together. Instructions are clear, with each step illustrated with an easy-to-understand image and accompanying text.

Inside the manual, it also clearly lays out what each under-seat lever does and how to use them to adjust the fit once seated.

Overall, I found assembly to be ridiculously easy. It’s probably the fastest I’ve ever built a chair, and if you’re constructing a lot of these for an office space then yes, you probably could get it down to about five minutes. Six screws later, and after slotting in the spokes of the seat base, the casters, and the backrest, I was done.

Boulies OP180: Comfort & adjustabilityImage 1 of 3

(Image credit: Boulies // Future)Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: Boulies // Future)Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: Boulies // Future)

I wasn’t expecting the OP180 to be as comfortable as it is. That lack of true lumbar support, the high but technically mid-back design made me fear that it would be a literal pain when used for long hours.

I don’t mind admitting I was wrong.

First, I found the plush cushioned seat to be exceptionally accommodating. It’s neither too firm, nor too soft, providing just the right amount of support and softness. For anyone who’s struggled to find a chair with the right balance, this one is absolutely worth exploring.

I’m not typically a fan of foam cushioning on office chairs, as they tend to retain too much heat compared to mesh seats. And while it’s not completely breathable, I didn’t find it got uncomfortably hot when sitting down for those eight-hour days.

While adjustable lumbar support would’ve been nice, it didn’t disrupt the experience when used all-day for work. The contoured, high-tension mesh backrest provided firm lower back support during prolonged use.

Adjustability controls are exceptional. Using the under-seat levers, you can alter the seat height and seat depth, and a quick pull (or push) on the backrest will adjust its height. That gives it real versatility for the workplace, where a range of users might be using these chairs.

Alongside this is the ability to tilt and recline the chair - and yes, unlike some office chairs, both can be firmly locked into place. I appreciated this, but if you prefer a model that keeps the recliner unlocked at all times, you’ll want to look elsewhere.

The chair also features 3D armrests, which can move horizontally, vertically, and swivel in and out with a satisfying click of each turn. Beneath each armrest, you’ll find a trigger - squeeze that and you’re able to raise or lower them to the right height.

My only wish here is that they also acted as a lock to prevent the armrests sliding backwards and forwards. It didn’t alter my seated experience. However, more than once the armrests slipped when too much weight was applied. It feels like an oversight that could be easily remedied in future iterations.

Boulies OP180: Final verdict

(Image credit: Boulies // Future)

The OP180 neatly fits into Boulies’ Office Professional line of chairs. It’s not a showy chair. It’s a classically styled and functional model that’s very well-suited to offices, or even the home office if you prefer a low-profile chair over executive high-back models.

The backrest is breathable, comfortable, and more supportive than you might imagine considering it doesn’t have any true lumbar support. But the foam cushioned seat was the biggest surprise for me - it feels like it’s been engineered to perfectly balance out both the firmness of your standard mesh seats and the soft, almost saggy cushioned seats of other chairs I’ve used.

You have some great control over comfort due to the excellent adjustability controls. Because of this, it’s an ideal pick if multiple people will be using the chair, which, as a fully fledged office chair, is the OP180’s ultimate goal. My only real issue is the lack of lockable armrests - they have a tendency to slide forward when too much force is applied.

Overall, though, I found it a comfortable and supportive choice at a price that’ll suit office managers buying in bulk.

Should I buy theBoulies OP180 office chair?

Buy it if…

✅ You’re kitting out a workplace
With high adjustability, good comfort, and a reasonable price, it is - as intended - a solid pick for offices where more than one person may be using it.

✅ You want a compact office chair
As a mid-back model, the OP180 features a low-profile design that won’t dominate the office or home office.

Don’t buy it if…

❌ You like armrests that lock into place
My main problem with the OP180 is that the 3D armrests have a tendency to slip back and forth when you rise from the chair.

❌ You suffer lower back pain
With no true lumbar support, this isn’t the office chair of choice for those who need additional support for the lower back.

For more workspace essentials, we tested the best standing desks for the home and office.

Manfrotto One hybrid tripod: two-minute review

As soon as you pull the Manfrotto One out of its box, you can tell this is a tripod unlike any other. I’ve used many professional tripods over the years, such as the 3 Legged Thing Punks Brian 2.0 and Gitzo tripod Traveler series 1, but this feels less like a support for your camera gear and more like the center point of an entire system. An extension of the photo kit itself.

If you plan to use the Manfrotto One to its maximum advantage, then you’re likely a serious content creator, working professionally and on demanding assignments. And for such people, everything about the legs is geared towards ultimate stability.

The weight alone will reveal it isn’t made with an entry-level mirrorless camera in mind, rather professional camera bodies and motion-centric gear, amongst the best full-frame cameras and best cameras for video in 2025. I used a range of models with the tripod, from an older pro-level mirrorless setup, via a Leica Rangefinder system, to a medium-format camera. In each case, the legs felt perfectly balanced.

The extra mass of the center column pulls the center of gravity back to the mid axis of the legs, so that even when using a bulky f/2.8 telephoto zoom lens, the setup never felt like it might topple forward, something I always have to be conscious of when using other Manfrotto aluminium and Gitzo carbon fiber travel tripods.

The Manfrotto ONE feels ideally balanced when using both heavy and lightweight camera systems. When using the former, it can easily support the weight, while it won't be easily blown over with the latter (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

The 500X Fluid Head uses the 501PL sliding plate on which to mount the host camera. This can be a little fiddly on small camera bodies (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

Build quality is of the highest grade. There’s a solidity that is almost intimidating, and I wouldn’t advise leaving the Manfrotto One unsecured on the back seat of your car, for fear of the consequences should you firmly apply the brakes. Both aluminum and carbon fiber variants are available, although I only had time with the former.

During my tests the tripod was exposed to a wide range of weather conditions, from the dampness of a peat bog to the harsh salinity of the Tyne and Wear coastline. I was able to quickly and easily wipe the feet and legs clean with no sign of unexpected water or debris ingress. The same ruggedness applies to every knurled screw, flap, and locking mechanism.

The aluminium version of the tripod was used during this review. The legs were easy to keep clean and felt hard-wearing during use in wet and salty conditions (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

The 501PL sliding plate. As is visible in the image, if the plate is attached to a smaller camera in the recommended direction, it can be tricky to operate the lens controls (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

Unless you regularly inflict your tripods to 30m vertical drops, with the proper maintenance I can see the Manfrotto One outliving many of its owners.

Earlier, I mentioned the weight and while this does provide stability, it might prove challenging if you have to carry the tripod far, especially if you have the optionally bundled 500X Fluid Head attached. This alone weighs 1.22 kg, so it isn’t a system for the average holiday shoot. In fact, it may even be a challenge to transport it on-location along with a full system of camera bodies and lenses, if you work alone. I often do and found it necessary to set up for my shoot in two stages; firstly, I put up the legs and attached the head and handle, then I returned to the car to retrieve my camera.

However, if this sounds like a major deal-breaker, it’s important to remember that Manfrotto has designed this product to cater for both photographers and videographers, removing the need to carry two separate tripods for each function. This effectively streamlines the modern content creator’s gear bag and brilliantly plugs a gap in the market.

To that end, the Manfrotto One has a few exotic handling features. Starting with the Fast Leg Technology, the traditional clip or twist locks for leg extension are replaced with a single vertically flipping lever lock per leg. With one action, all three leg sections are unlocked so you can simply lift the head to the desired height and close the levers to fix the legs in place. This makes it exceptionally quick to raise and lower the head, in those moments where individually unlocking each section would cost you successful shots.

The downside is that you need to be able to support the weight of the tripod until you safely close each clip. Ideally, I’d recommend setting up the legs before attaching the head, which is made easy with the next clever innovation.

The XCHANGE quick-release system allows the 500X Fluid Head to be mounted directly onto the XCHANGE base of the center column, a bayonet-like fitting comprising multiple spring-loaded attachment points. To remove the head all the user has to do is rotate the locking ring anti-clockwise. This works almost instantaneously and is by far the most rapid head exchange system I’ve seen in a tripod. You’ll need an XCHANGE-ready head, of which there are not too many examples currently available, or you can adapt another using an XCHANGE base and plate adaptor setup.

The XTEND Fast Leg system uses a single lever clip lock to extend all leg sections at once, speeding up the process of raising and lowering the head (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

The XCHANGE system allows almost instantaneous swapping of heads, rather than having to screw and unscrew a more traditional 3/8" thread, although one is available. (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

While the 500X Fluid Head can be mounted directly on the XCHANGE base, an adaptor is required to mix and match with other heads and tripod models (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

The Q90 and modular column system is not new to the Manfrotto range – I was a fan of the design on my now ancient 190XPROB – but it’s great to see it put to use in a professional tripod of this level. By pressing the base of the center column the user can rotate it by 90 degrees, quickly positioning the camera for flat-lay shots, vertical-orientation panoramas, and dynamic video transitions.

Since the movement is rotational, you’ll still have to watch out for parallax error between panorama frames (where the relative distance between the subject and background changes between segments, introducing stitching challenges), but it’s helpful when speed is of paramount importance. Videographers, meanwhile, will enjoy spinning the camera around a fixed point to introduce movement to their footage. The best option for regular pano creators is to buy an L-bracket to minimize parallax further, or to use a shift lens.

(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

The levelling column is a huge feature for the video-shooting audience. It’s mounted on a ball fixture, so that by flipping up a clamp that’s handily engraved with ‘LVL’, the whole assembly can be pivoted until the head is perfectly aligned with the horizon. On other, larger and heavier video tripods, the levelling process is often a multi-step one which is inevitably slower.

As a frequent landscape and macro photographer, probably my favourite feature is the split center column design, the lower section of which can be removed, again with a single action. This enables easy and rapid ground-level work, without having to laboriously screw off the bottom of the column and reattach it when you suddenly need to use the tripod at its maximum height.

(Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)Manfrotto One hybrid tripod: key specs

Maximum height:

181cm / 71.3 inches

Closed height:

81cm / 31.9 inches

Minimum height (low mode):

30.8cm / 12.1 inches

Materials:

Aluminium/ carbon fiber

Max payload:

33.1 lb / 15 kg (15.4 lbs / 7 kg in Q90 mode)

Leg sections:

Three

Head compatibility:

Manfrotto XCHANGE

Attachment points:

1x accessory thread, 1x weight hook

Weight:

4.77kg / 10.52lb (aluminium), 4.37kg / 9.63lb (carbon fiber)

Manfrotto One hybrid tripod price and availability

The Manfrotto One was released in June 2025 and is often bundled with the 500X Fluid Head, although it can be purchased as a legs-only option. The aluminium legs cost $499.99 / £375 / AU$900, while the 500X Fluid Head kit costs $679.99 / £519 / AU$ 1,200.

The Carbon Fiber model is also available in the above kits and costs $719.99 / £539 / AU$1,250 for the legs only, and $879.99 / £669 / AU$1,500 with the 500X head.

This represents a good price to buy the 500X Fluid Head, which costs approximately $219.99 / £164 / AU$389.95 alone. Meanwhile, the Manfrotto XCHANGE accessory can be purchased by itself for around $54.99 / £39 / AU$80, and the XCHANGE plate for $21.99 / £29 (AU$ price TBC), allowing other heads to be used with the Manfrotto One legs and vice versa.

Manfrotto One hybrid tripod: Also consider

Peak Design Pro Tripod

Peak Design's travel tripods have gained almost legendary status, and the Pro Tripod range employs the best elements of that series. A great build quality is combined with a portable, lightweight design across three variants. Furthermore, a unique non-tubular leg cross-section allows convenient storage when not in use, making the tripod easy to carry. It's a fairly expensive option, but it is significantly less heavy than both the carbon fiber and aluminium versions on the Manfrotto ONE.

Read our Peak Design Pro Tripod

Sachtler Ace M Mk II

If you shoot video almost exclusively, you may benefit more from a completely motion-content dedicated tripod. This one from Sachtler is currently the best video tripod available, for its balance of price, features, and ease of use. It's extremely stable and well-constructed, with a workable maximum payload of 4kg – ideal for mirrorless and compact video camera users.

My Sachtler Ace M Mk II review is currently in progress

Should I buy the Manfrotto One hybrid tripod?

(Image credit: Future/Peter Fenech)Buy it if...

You shoot a variety of photo and video work
As suggested by the name, the Manfrotto One is designed specifically for creators who shoot both types of content. Where, before, you might have had to carry multiple tripods, now you can streamline your gear to a single camera support option.

You value speed of operation
The XTEND leg system and Q90 center column function make changing tripod configurations as rapid as possible. Manfrotto has introduced some seriously clever features here, so if you regularly worry about missing shots because your tripod wasn't set up optimally, the Manfrotto One is for you.

Don't buy it if...

You’re a beginner
For the casual shooter or novice creative, there may be too many features here for you to get to grips with. This is a professional tool meant for high-end assignments, and the many controls and functions take some getting used to.

You only occasionally shoot video
...and you're on a tight budget. It's worth the investment if you combine still and motion media, but otherwise you're not going to get the most from the legs if you mainly shoot photos. It's not cheap and it's quite heavy, so there are more easily manageable options.

How I tested the Manfrotto One hybrid tripod

• I spent around a month with the aluminum version of the Manfrotto One
• I tested its operational speed and efficiency, ease of use, build quality and stability
• I tried the XTEND system and 500X head, and mounted various mirrorless cameras and lenses to it, including a bulky f/2.8 zoom

I spent around a month with the Manfrotto ONE, so I had a good amount of time to use it on a variety of shoots, in a mix of conditions. A local heathland is a regular haunt of mine, and this commonly leaves my tripod feet caked in peat-heavy mud. It's also exposed to the elements. The tripod certainly got wet on a few occasions. However, moisture and dirt were readily wiped off, and the feet showed no sign of excessive scratching after use.

The aluminium version I was using did get cold to the touch (a frequent challenge in winter operations), but the Manfrotto One's hard-wearing plastic components made carrying it more comfortable than directly touching the metal.

Shooting in woodland is always tricky for levelling a tripod head, but the XTEND system and ball-mounted center column made controlling the center of gravity straightforward. Using a range of camera systems, at no point was I concerned that it might topple when set up on a hillside.

Meanwhile, after a coastal shoot, I didn't find the legs prone to seizing, which can happen after exposure to salty air. The 500X head, along with the Q90 rotatable column, made switching to portrait orientation for panoramic photography quick and maintained the balance of the system well.

I shot a variety of exposure durations while waves washed over the feet to see how many vibrations were transferred to the head-mounted camera, and the Manfotto One performed well. At both closed and maximum leg heights, there was no more loss of critical image sharpness than one might expect, although I'd quite like to compare the aluminium and carbon fiber versions for this.

First reviewed December 2025

Creatio is a comprehensive CRM platform that aims to streamline sales, marketing, and service processes for businesses of all sizes. I found its no-code approach to workflow automation and customization really interesting.

The platform is divided into three main modules — Sales, Marketing, and Service — each offering a robust set of features. From lead management and opportunity tracking to multichannel marketing campaigns to customer support ticketing, Creatio covers a wide range of CRM functionalities. However, this breadth of capabilities comes at a price, both in terms of cost and complexity.

Its extensive customization options, while beneficial, can be overwhelming for those seeking a more straightforward CRM. But if you like the idea of building your own no-code CRM by rigorously customizing different aspects of the application, all without resorting to actual coding, this might be a great option.

Creatio CRM core capabilities

As a CRM, Creatio allows users to create detailed customer profiles with a 360-degree view of each contact, including communication history, associated deals, and relevant documents. But the real standout here is its no-code nature, which allows users to customize the platform and create new applications without extensive programming knowledge.

Creatio consolidates information from various touchpoints, providing a complete picture of customer interactions across sales, marketing, and service departments. The platform provides tools to capture leads from multiple sources and guide them through a customizable sales funnel.

I appreciated the ability to set up automated lead scoring rules, which help prioritize prospects based on their likelihood to convert. As leads progress, Creatio allows sales teams to track potential deals, associate them with specific accounts, and manage all related activities in one place.

Creatio CRM uses your historical data and current pipeline information to generate accurate sales predictions. I was impressed by the AI-driven forecasting capabilities, which analyze patterns and trends to provide more precise estimates.

It also offers a wide range of pre-built reports and dashboards covering various aspects of sales, marketing, and customer service performance. That said, where the platform really shines is the drag-and-drop report builder, which lets you customize reports to an uncanny degree.

Apart from the no-code CRM, Creatio has a few things that make it stand apart from most competitors. It offers tools for creating and managing multi-channel marketing campaigns, case management tools, a knowledge base for self-service, and even a visual process designer to automate complex business processes across departments.

There’s a wide range of pre-built connectors to integrate with popular third-party applications, plus custom integration support through an open API.

For employees in the field, Creatio’s mobile app provides access to key CRM functions on-the-go, including contact management, opportunity tracking, and activity logging. I appreciated the offline mode, which allows users to continue working even without an internet connection, with data syncing once connectivity is restored.

How easy is Creatio to use?

(Image credit: Creatio)

Creatio CRM combines powerful features with a user-friendly design, making it a great choice for businesses. While its many capabilities can feel a bit overwhelming at first, I found the interface welcoming and modern, following the latest design trends.

Navigating the platform is easy, thanks to a clear layout and a navigation bar at the top that gives quick access to sections like Sales, Marketing, and Service. Users can customize their home dashboard, arranging widgets and data visuals based on what matters most to them.

Creatio embraces a no-code approach, making it simple to adjust layouts and fields, or even create new sections in the CRM without needing programming skills. The drag-and-drop interface designer is a fantastic tool, allowing users to quickly tailor the CRM to fit their needs. However, those who prefer simpler systems might feel a bit lost with so many options.

Data entry is typically smooth, with smart features that help fill in fields and detect duplicates to keep information accurate. However, during busy times, I did notice some slight delays in data updates, which could be frustrating for users working with urgent tasks.

Creatio has made impressive strides in accessibility, yet there is still room for growth. The platform supports keyboard navigation and has some screen reader compatibility, but certain dynamic elements might be tricky for users who rely on assistive technologies. The overall color contrast is good, which helps with readability, but some areas could use a little more work to fully meet WCAG Guidelines.

The Creatio Academy is a fantastic resource, offering many e-learning courses that cover everything from basic navigation to advanced customization techniques. I particularly enjoyed the guided learning programs. They provide interactive, instructor-led training sessions that focus on practical tasks, which can be very helpful for users eager to master the platform's more complex features.

In general, Creatio works by guiding users through predefined workflows that can be tailored to fit specific business processes. This helps ensure consistency across sales, marketing, and service operations in an organization. However, it may require adjustment for users used to a more flexible way of working.

Integrations

Creatio CRM stands out with its impressive integration capabilities, showcasing its dedication to creating a connected ecosystem for businesses. From my experience, Creatio makes it easy for both technical and non-technical users to navigate its integration features.

The Creatio Marketplace is a treasure trove, offering over 700 ready-to-use add-ons, connectors, and templates. Its range of options helps businesses quickly link Creatio with popular tools and platforms, without extensive development work. I found the setup for these pre-built integrations simple, often just requiring a few quick configuration steps.

Creatio also supports popular iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) vendors. The Zapier connector available in the Marketplace, for example, makes it easy for users to sync contacts, leads, and other important data across many applications.

For those with more advanced integration needs, Creatio offers a powerful API based on the OData protocol. It allows developers full access to Creatio's data model. But while the API provides great flexibility, new developers may find it a bit challenging to understand Creatio's data structure at first. API documentation is thorough, but adding more real-world examples could really help with practical implementation.

Beyond just data synchronization, Creatio's no-code approach empowers users to build complex, automated workflows across different systems. For example, I successfully set up a process that automatically creates a new contact in Creatio when a lead comes in from a marketing tool, and then triggers a follow-up task in a project management app.

Overall, my experience with data synchronization in Creatio has been mostly positive, with real-time updates working well most of the time. Still, I did notice some occasional delays during busy periods, which businesses with high-volume and time-sensitive data might want to keep in mind.

For larger enterprises, Creatio also provides specialized integration options. A great example is the Snowflake Integration for Creatio available in the Marketplace, which helps businesses connect their Creatio instance with Snowflake data warehouses.

Customer support

Creatio CRM has a strong customer support system across various channels. During my time with the platform, I found that it offers phone, email, as well as chat support. Phone support is available during business hours. But email and chat are accessible 24/7. Chat responses are quick, often within minutes.

The support quality is generally high. Representatives seem to know the platform well, too. They offer step-by-step instructions that help solve even the most complex issues easily. However, response times can slow down during busy periods, which raises concerns for busy teams.

Creatio also has a well-organized self-service knowledge base. It includes articles, videos, and guides on various topics. The search function is particularly useful. Additionally, there’s an active user forum for peer support. That said, official responses in the forum can be slow.

Another key feature is Creatio Academy, offering free courses and certifications. It's beneficial for both new and experienced users, with courses structured around practical exercises. I liked how each course is part of a larger learning program, making it easy to follow along.

But, Creatio could improve by adding more region-specific support. While it supports multiple languages, time zone differences can make live support hard to access. Overall, however, Creatio's support is robust and effective. It combines live support, self-service resources, and training courses well. Despite some areas for improvement, the support quality is a major strength.

Creation CRM pricing and plans

Plan

Growth

Enterprise

Unlimited

Price

$25/user/month

$55/user/month

$85/user/mont

Best For

Small to medium-sized businesses looking to automate basic workflows

Corporate and enterprise clients with more complex automation requirements

Large enterprises needing advanced features and unlimited resources

Features

No-code UI designer / 1 GB storage per user / Basic workflow automation

Unlimited workflow runs / Custom branding options / Advanced automation tools

Unlimited database storage / Custom domain name / No-code Magic offer

Limitations

Limited storage and workflow capabilities may restrict scalability for larger organizations

May be overkill for small businesses with simple CRM needs

High cost may not be justifiable for businesses not utilizing all advanced features

Creatio CRM features a flexible pricing model. This model allows customers to tailor subscriptions to their needs, but the cost is increased complexity. It includes three tiers: Growth, Enterprise, and Unlimited.

The Growth plan starts at $25 per user per month. It's aimed at small-to-medium-sized businesses. It covers basic automation and relationship management features. This plan also includes a no-code interface designer, 5 users, and 1 GB storage per user.

Next is the Enterprise plan priced at $55 per user per month. It's for businesses with complex needs. It offers all Growth features, plus unlimited workflows and custom branding. But the Unlimited plan starting at $85 per user per month is the most advanced of the lot. It caters to large enterprises with complex needs. It also includes unlimited storage and attachment space.

Creatio also introduces different user types, such as Restricted Data Input Users, External Users, and Mobile-Only Users, each potentially with different pricing implications. Its pricing also allows adding extra applications or products, such Customer 360, Lead and Opportunity Management, or Case Management. By creating a modular pricing approach, they make it easier to pay for only the features you need.

However, the flexibility can also complicate pricing. Accurately determining costs may require careful consideration. Businesses with diverse needs might find the discounted bundles more cost-effective, such as Sales Creatio, Service Creatio, or Marketing Creatio.

Creatio offers a 14-day free trial, which is useful. However, it doesn't have a permanent free plan. Discounts are often available. For example, the Unlimited plan includes a "No-code Magic" offer, which covers implementation for the first project from a certified partner. However, it's important to consider the extra charges that apply for additional products.

Creatio review: Final verdict

Creatio CRM is a versatile platform for managing customer relations, marketing, and business processes. Its no-code customization allows businesses to adapt easily, without needing technical skills.

The platform boasts strong features, wide integration options, and ongoing innovation. Its pricing, though complex, offers flexibility for specific needs. However, mastering all its features takes time.

I believe Creatio CRM suits medium to large businesses with complex needs and the resources for a full solution. It's also ideal for those wanting to build custom workflows without coding. Smaller businesses or those seeking a simpler solution might find it too complex.

Thinkware U3000 Pro: two-minute review

Thinkware has recently introduced the U3000 Pro Dash Cam as a beefier edition of its existing U3000 model. The company is already well-known for producing some of the best dash cams out there, but this model takes things a step further with Connected Service support. Anyone wanting the ability to monitor their vehicle remotely will find that’s now possible with the Thinkware U3000 Pro, with an optional LTE module that will be sold separately.

Another bonus with the Thinkware U3000 Pro, much like the excellent 70mai 4K T800, is that it's able to work in a three channel setup. That means it can be configured to shoot forward-facing video, capture video out of the rear window and also enjoy an infrared view of the cabin area too. That said, if the LTE module is being used, Thinkware states that the cabin cam component cannot be engaged at the same time. Nevertheless, the latter is a handy option for anyone who needs to keep an eye on occupants, from small children through to anyone transporting passengers.

On paper too, the Thinkware U3000 Pro Dash Cam has an impressive set of features and functions. My two-channel review bundle came with twin cameras that feature Sony Starvis 2 sensors, one 8.4 megapixel IMX687 for the front and one 5.14 megapixel IMX675 for the rear, shooting 4K UHD (3840 x 2160p) at 30 fps or QHD (2560 x 1440p) at 60 fps for the forward-facing unit. The rear backs it up with 2K QHD (2560 x 1440p) and 30 fps, which is all perfectly serviceable.

(Image credit: Future)

This is a slightly different camera to look at too, with a slender body shape for the front that sits neatly tucked up and out of the way of the windshield. That could be a blessing for anyone with a small viewing area at the front. There isn’t any built-in screen though, which means the setup, configuration and day-to-day management of files mainly needs to be done in partnership with the Thinkware app. The app is workmanlike and gets the job done, while built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi covers the connectivity part of the equation without much in the way of fuss.

Like most dash cam models now, this is a unit that can be boosted still further with the optional addition of a hardwire kit. Plumbed into your vehicle’s electrics, the specification is boosted with smart parking modes that enhance the U3000 Pro's appeal. Features including built-in radar and Super Night Vision 4.0 that tap into the power of the Starvis sensors adds up the appeal even further.

Meanwhile, the ADAS (advanced driver assistance) tools and built-in GPS means the Thinkware U3000 Pro Dash Cam wants for nothing. It is, however, priced on the higher side and, and for anyone who prefers a rear screen on their dash cam, it might not fit the bill at all.

Thinkware U3000 Pro: price and availability

The Thinkware U3000 Pro Dash Cam is available now and is priced at $429.99 / £399 for the single channel U3000 Pro (roughly AU$800). Meanwhile, the two-channel variant is priced at $549.99 / £479 (around AU$960). This makes it a premium model, with lots of rival models to choose from, including the aforementioned 70mai 4K T800. Anyone wanting a similar dash cam but not requiring the additional features might prefer to just settle with the original U3000 model, which can currently be found discounted via some retailers.

Thinkware U3000 Pro: specsVanTrue Nexus 5S specs

Video

Front: 4K UHD (3840 x 2160p) @30 fps or QHD (2560 x 1440p) @60 fps
Rear: 2K QHD (2560 x 1440p) @30 fps

Field of view (FOV)

147 degrees front / 156 degrees rear

Storage

MicroSD up to 512GB, Cloud

GPS

Yes

Parking mode

Yes, with constant power cable, not included

App support

Thinkware app

Dimensions

69.8 x 102.6 x 55.5 mm / 2.75 x 4.04 x 2.19 inches

Weight

0.31 lbs / 140.7g front / 0.09 lbs 41.1g rear

Battery

No

Thinkware U3000 Pro: Design

Thinkware has gone down a slightly different route with the design of the U3000 Pro. While many dash cams are either boxy or rectangular, the main unit of the U3000 Pro is a little bit quirkier. The front portion of the body is where most of the bulk is as this houses the lens. This in itself is an interesting idea as its angle can be adjusted to suit the rake of different windshields. I found this very stiff to adjust at first, but I guess that prevents it from changing position due to vibration or rough roads.

The back end of the camera body is thinner and contains the slot for the microSD card and has ports for the cables. At the top, there’s a bracket that slides on to the body once it’s out of the packaging and this has the self-adhesive pad that sticks to either a static sheet or directly to the windshield. I think the design works quite well, with a form factor that isn’t quite as blatantly dash cam-looking as some rivals. Handy for anyone wanting a low-key look.

(Image credit: Future)

On the underside of the camera, facing downward from the roof, are three illuminated indicators that show BT/Wi-Fi, Rec and GPS from left to right. This panel also contains physical buttons – Rec, Power, Wireless and Microphone symbols, for when manual intervention is needed. The easiest way to get set up, though, is to do everything via the supporting Thinkware app.

Thinkware has kept things blocky for the design of the rear-facing camera and, again, I quite like the rectangular shape used here as it’s different from the many barrel-style units out there. The rear camera is linked up to the front-facing main unit via a decent length cable. Meanwhile, my test unit arrived with a 12V cable connector that could be connected to a standard in-car power port. The alternative is to buy the version with the hardwire kit, which unlocks the extra functionality mentioned above.

(Image credit: Future)Thinkware U3000 Pro: Performance

It took me a couple of tries to successfully pair the Thinkware U3000 Pro Dash Cam to my iPhone, for whatever reason, possibly issues with the wireless connection. Once that was sorted, I was easily able to manage the camera and functionality using the options contained therein. Of course, one potential downside for this model is the lack of a built-in screen. However, in its place, the app let me adjust the angle of the camera correctly by showing a view across the bonnet of my car. Those on-camera buttons were useful for basic tasks too, but the app will be the way to go for most users.

Whilst it was operating, the Thinkware U3000 Pro Dash Cam got on with the job in hand without fuss, with the red recording button letting me know that it was capturing content as expected. Once I’d used it for a bit, I got the video off the card and checked it out. I’ll admit that wintry conditions didn’t prove the best for capturing good video but overall, I thought the Thinkware U3000 Pro Dash Cam footage was a bit on the average side. It was undeniably clear, but dark winter conditions seemed to take the edge off the overall look of the content.

(Image credit: Future)

Neither did it didn’t seem to be that good at capturing low light content, while picking out detail including license plates was less impressive than other models I’ve tried. A bit surprising given this model uses the ever-popular Sony Starvis hardware. I thought the detail (such as GPS data, speed and so on) added to the bottom of the footage was a bit on the small side too, especially compared to rivals, although the Wi-Fi and GPS functionality of this model all worked as expected. Overall, the Thinkware U3000 Pro Dash Cam felt good, but not as great as I’d hoped for.

(Image credit: Future)

One important thing to note is anyone wanting to enjoy the parking monitoring will need to do so by enlisting the services of an optional hardwire kit. This does increase the potential of the bundle, especially for anyone wanting the extra parking features that get unlocked by going down the hardwire route.

Should you buy the Thinkware U3000 Pro?

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

You're after an always-on model
The Thinkware U3000 Pro benefits from an optional always-on feature, which offers remote monitoring via your smartphone. However, this requires an optional LTE module to work.

You like a slimline design
Another bonus of the Thinkware U3000 Pro is that the main body is quite compact. This makes it a sensible choice for anyone with a fairly small windshield.

You don't care about a rear screen
While the Thinkware U3000 Pro lacks a rear screen, it can be used easily thanks to the supporting app. This lets users manage every aspect of the dash cam with fuss.

Don't buy it if...

More basic shooting is all that's required
The Thinkware U3000 Pro is just that, a beefier edition of the U3000 Pro, which can be had discounted and while lacking some extra features, it's a solid alternative.

Hard wiring a dash cam doesn't appeal
The Thinkware U3000 Pro will work via a standard 12V car power port if that option is chosen when purchasing. However, any additional features and functions require a hardwire installation.

Footage is vital for piece of mind
The Thinkware U3000 Pro shoots good quality footage in a variety of scenarios. However, I've tested rivals that do it better with the benefit of clearer on-screen GPS data too.

How I tested the Thinkware U3000 Pro

• I installed the dash cam in a car for an initial period of three weeks
• I used it for various day and night journeys in all types of weather
• I connected it to my phone, downloading recordings to check on quality

I tested the Thinkware U3000 Pro Dash Cam overall several weeks, which consisted of using it in a test vehicle and in a variety of weather conditions. This allowed me to try all of the features and functions, aside from the hardwire options due to it being powered via a 12V power port.

In addition, I downloaded the Thinkware app, which was installed on an iPhone 17 and used during the installation process and also for file management duties. The Wi-Fi connectivity between the main camera unit and the app was also tested, which based on the size of the 4K video files was a big part of the testing procedure and everything worked as anticipated.

• First reviewed December 2025