TechRadar Reviews

Netgear Meural Canvas II review

The Netgear Meural Canvas II is a premium 27-inch digital photo frame that will allow you to show off your photos at a huge size. But that’s only half of its talent: it's also an art frame designed to screen a wide variety of visual art, offering an optional subscription that will unlock access to over 30,000 artworks. This will likely make it appealing to those who want to show off photos of their family, and also enjoy art by a range of artists from Katsushika Hokusai to Gustav Klimt.

Getting started with the Netgear Meural Canvas II is straightforward… for the most part. Once you’ve downloaded the app, you’ll navigate to the Canvas tab, then click to add a new device. Scan the QR code that displays on the Canvas II’s screen and you’re good to go. However, it isn't always totally foolproof. On one occasion, I was forced to set up the frame again – after resetting the Canvas II, every time I scanned the QR code, it threw up an error about not being able to connect to the Wi-Fi. Eventually, I resolved the issue by connecting it via an Ethernet cable for initial setup; but it’s worth being prepared, just in case you experience similar setup gremlins.

Adding photos to the Meural Canvas II is a breeze. Select "upload" from the app and you can send either individual shots or even link whole albums, letting you easily add all your snaps of Ibiza 2022 in one go. Meanwhile, you can buy individual artworks from the Meural app for $3.95 / £3.99, or access over 30,000 free with a Meural membership. Again, adding these is as simple as selecting the artwork in question and tapping "Send to Canvas".

Once you’ve set up and loaded your Meural Canvas II with photos and art, the first thing you’ll likely notice about it is that substantial display, which can rival any of the best digital photo frames can offer. Netgear’s digital art frame is gargantuan – at 27 inches, it exists right on the nexus between a photo frame and the Samsung Frame, the gorgeous art-focused TV screen. Not only does this mean it will show off your favorite snaps and paintings at a large size, butunlike much smaller frames, it doesn’t look swamped by space when you mount it on your wall.

(Image credit: Future)

While such epic screen estate is a definite plus, it does have an impact on detail levels. Stretching its relatively modest 1920 x 1080 resolution over such a large area does mean the Meural Canvas II has a relatively low pixel density of just 80ppi. Compare this to the super-crisp 212ppi density offered by the Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame, and you can see that you won't be getting the sharpest picture on the market. However, to put this in perspective, this is no worse than a mid-market 4K 55-inch TV such as the LG C4 and, given the frame is designed to be viewed across the room, you’re unlikely to notice too much blurriness unless your face is basically pressed up against its display.

This was absolutely my experience living with the Meural Canvas II. Even on that expansive screen my photos looked crisp from most vantage points. Monochrome shots of the grand ceiling of the Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba showed off the intricate filigree of its vaulting in exquisite detail, while a color macro photo of the head of a thistle displayed the fine threads of its wispy thistle-down. When it comes to art, Blossoming Acacia Branches by Vincent van Gogh looked so detailed that his daubs of thick yellow oil appeared three dimensional.

Color reproduction is also impressively accurate. Whether I was displaying snaps of fireworks exploding into a haze of violet sparks and smoke, or blooming rhododendrons in a riot of reds and amber, every hue was faultlessly replicated. Meanwhile, Hilma af Klint’s Altarpiece No. 1 showed every color and tone of her prismatic pyramid flawlessly, never causing them to become oversaturated. I honestly couldn't spot the difference between the images on my iPhone 16 Pro’s camera and on the Meural Canvas II, which is a definite compliment given the iPhone’s almost slavish commitment to precise color reproduction.

At 300 nits, the 27-inch model I tested also felt plenty bright enough, without losing the impact of its blacks. Rocky outcroppings and distant valleys in my snaps of Fuerteventura displayed impressive levels of contrast, perfectly balancing the bright sunlit highlights with the dark shadows. And the screen's brightness is sufficient to continue to enjoy your artwork in direct sunlight. Don’t get me wrong: the sun does dull the image slightly, but its ambient light sensor boosts the brightness to compensate and that matte, anti-glare finish assures there’s very little in the way of reflections or glare.

(Image credit: Future)

The Netgear Meural Canvas II’s beauty goes beyond that screen, though. Its overall design is gorgeous; the perfect blend of minimal chic and authentic materials. Those thick white bezels make a convincing mount for your images, further reinforcing its artistic cred, while the range of finishes in which it's available – matte black, matte white, dark wood and light wood – make it super easy to complement your decor.

When it comes to your mounting options, the Meural Canvas II doesn’t come with a stand, which is perhaps understandable, given I’m not sure I’d trust a plastic stand to support its substantial bulk. I wasn’t able to test out its wall-mounting system – I rent and can’t quite justify losing my security deposit in the spirit of journalistic curiosity. Nevertheless, its mount seems easy enough to use, and for $49.95 / £45.99 can be upgraded to a swivel mount that will allow you to spin the frame’s orientation without removing it from the wall.

When you’re not using the app, you can control the frame using hand gestures, swiping through the air in front of it to change between your artwork, view metadata providing additional info on artwork and photos, or to navigate through menus. It’s all very Minority Report… if Tom Cruise had spent half that film frantically waving his hands and getting increasingly bewildered like a technophobic relative trying to use TikTok. I’m being only slightly hyperbolic here: occasionally, the frame would pick up the return stroke of my gestures, recoiling in the opposite direction – this was fine when just navigating artwork, but occasionally became quite irritating when trying to tweak complex settings buried down in multiple submenus.

Ultimately, aside from the odd UI quirk and the slightly lower pixel density, the Meural Canvas II is a fantastic picture frame. But the big stumbling block for most people will likely be that price. Starting at $599.99 / £649.99, it isn't going to meet anyone’s definition of cheap, particularly when you factor in the optional $8.95 / £8.99-a-month art membership. So if you can’t afford this kind of outlay, you might be better off with one of the best digital photo frames. However, if you can stretch to it, the Merl Canvas II is a thoroughly worthy purchase, offering a window to a world of art in your living room.

(Image credit: Future) Netgear Meural Canvas II review: price & release date

• From $599.99 / £649.99
• Announced ‎September 6, 2019
• Meural membership costs $8.95 / £8.99 a month or $69.95 / £69 a year

First announced back on September 6, 2019, the Netgear Meural Canvas II retails for the not-insignificant sum of $599.99 / £649.99 for the 21-inch version or $699.99 / £822.99 for the 27-inch version. However, right now it’s reduced down to $399.99 and $499.99 respectively on Netgear’s US site right now.

For context, the Canvas II’s closest rival for the title of the best premium digital photo frame for art fans is the 27-inch Vieunite Textura Digital Canvas, which retails for £490 (around $620). That means even the smaller sized 21-inch Canvas II is pricier.

Meural membership is an additional cost. Costing $8.95 / £8.99 a month or $69.95 / £69 a year, it offers access to over 30,000 artworks, expands cloud storage from 4GB to 20GB, allows you to push images to multiple Canvas products, and offers up to 60% off premium content. However, if you’re happy just displaying your own photos and artwork, you’re by no means obligated to upgrade, so you shouldn’t necessarily let this put you off.

(Image credit: Future) Netgear Meural Canvas II review: specs

(Image credit: Future) Should I buy the Netgear Meural Canvas II? Buy it if…

You want a huge digital frame
At 27 inches, the Meural Canvas II is the biggest digital photo frame you’ll find – at least without buying a full TV screen. If you really want to show off and make a statement with your photos and art, it really can't be beat.

You want easy, ethical access to art
Yes, you’ll need to pay an additional subscription to access the Meural’s full library of official artwork. But with a catalogue of more than 30,000 pieces and a scheme that remunerates artists fairly for their work, it’s a great way to celebrate art and artists in your home.

Don’t buy it if…

You want to save some money
The Netgear Meural Canvas II is unashamedly costly. While I’d argue it gives an adequate return on your investment, it’s one of the most expensive frames we’ve seen – and the 27-inch version even comes at a similar price to the $799.99 / £799 4K 43-inch Samsung Frame TV.

You just want to show off a few holiday snaps
As mentioned above, this is a premium art frame and comes at considerable cost. That means that if you’re not that excited about its art-displaying functionality, nor desperate to see your photos at maximum size, plenty of smaller frames will probably suit you just fine.

Netgear Meural Canvas II review: also consider

Vieunite Textura Digital Canvas
The Vieunite Textura Digital Canvas is one of the strongest arguments we can think of against buying the Canvas II. It’s similarly bright, crisp and colorful; it also comes with a 27-inch screen, yet is available for considerably less money. There are a few image cropping quirks that the Canvas II doesn’t experience, and there’s no membership that offers unlimited art access here. But you can buy pieces to display from around £4 ($5 / AU$9) each and there are plenty of free images available. Read our full Vieunite Textura Digital Canvas review.

Aura Walden
If you don’t necessarily need a massive 27-inch display, the Aura Walden is your best choice for a premium digital picture frame. Measuring 15 inches, it’s super crisp and bright; it has a gorgeous yet understated design; and its app is both easy to use and allows friends and family to share their snaps to your frame. Read our full Aura Walden review.

How I tested the Netgear Meural Canvas II

• Tested the product over multiple weeks
• Tried it out with a variety of photos and artwork
• Have many years of experience working with photography

I tested the Netgear Meural Canvas II over a period of several weeks. I uploaded a wide variety of my own photos using the Meural app and also loaded a range of artworks onto the screen.

I made sure these images covered a wide variety of subjects, both portrait and landscape, and everything from monochrome landscapes to vibrant pictures of blossoms and leaves. I tested the frame in multiple positions to assess its performance in different lighting conditions, as well as trying it in both horizontal and vertical orientations.

I have extensive experience in photography, whether that’s the years I spent shooting on my Canon DSLR, or the snaps I now take on my iPhone 16 Pro. I’ve taken around 40,000 photos in the past and I’ve also got around a decade of experience preparing images for print, which has given me a lot of insight around spotting issues with image resolution and color reproduction.

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

The BenQ PD2730S is a stunning display recently launched by BenQ, explicitly designed for creative professionals who seek exceptional clarity, precision, color reproduction, and connectivity. This monitor boasts a sharp 5K resolution and a wide color gamut, offering more input/output options than the (in)famous Apple Studio Display.

For creative professionals, a quality display is one of the most essential things in their arsenal of technologies. Whether they are in the video, photo, design, or something similar, knowing that what you have on your screen is accurately being shown and is not washed out or misrepresented.

For a good reason, the Apple Studio Display is known as the gold standard for monitors in the creative space right now. Granted, it's remarkably pricy, doesn't have great inputs, and has a few other downsides, but when it comes to color reproduction, it's hard to beat.

BenQ decided to disrupt that market, offering a more versatile, affordable Apple Studio Display alternative with this newest release - and they might have just done it.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) BenQ PD2730S: Price and Availability

The BenQ PD2730S has just been officially publicly released at $1200 through the BenQ official website and B&H for now. For UK, Australian, and European readers, it's slightly more widely available, and retails for around £1000 / AU$2000 / €1199.

At that price, the PD2730S is cheaper than the Studio Display but slightly more expensive than the shockingly cheap (and limited) ASUS ProArt PA27JCV.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) BenQ PD2730S: Unboxing & first impressions

Over the years, I've looked at a lot of BenQ Monitors. Each of their monitors has come in the same basic and secure packaging, keeping the display safe even through the test of transit and ensuring minimal waste. The packing is professional and minimal, precisely as I expected.

In the box are the monitor, the stand upright, the stand base, cables, documentation, and the excellent HotKey Puck G3 that BenQ is known for. If you're unfamiliar with the puck, it is a wireless controller that gives you quick access to changing settings on the monitor without reaching behind or under the monitor and messing with a joystick or a handful of random buttons.

The monitor is sharp and professional, with a plastic backing, though it doesn't look bad. The bezels are minimal, and the back has a VESA mounting option, meaning that this monitor can fit just about anywhere, be it with the included base, an ergo arm from BenQ, or any other VESA arm.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) BenQ PD2730S: Design & build quality Specs

Panel Type: 27-inch IPS with Nano Matte coating
Resolution: 5120 x 2880 (5K)
Brightness: 400 nits peak
Contrast Ratio: 2000:1
Color Gamut: 98% P3, 100% sRGB
Refresh Rate: 60Hz
Response Time: 5ms (GtG)
HDR Support: VESA DisplayHDR 400
Ports:
• 1 x Thunderbolt 4 (90W PD)
• 1 x Thunderbolt 4 downstream
• 2 x USB-C
• 3 x USB-A 3.2
• 1 x HDMI 2.1
• 1 x DisplayPort 1.4
• 1 x Headphone jack

Stand Adjustments: Height (up to 150mm), Tilt (-5° to 20°), Swivel (60°)
VESA Mount: 100 x 100mm
Speakers: 2 x 3W stereo
Included Accessories: HotKey Puck G3 wireless controller

The BenQ PD2730S is a gorgeous 27-inch panel. It has a beautiful Nano Matte coating, helping to manage reflections and providing a clear viewing experience. I've seen some hate for this kind of texture as it's been made popular by the Apple Studio Display. However, I like a slightly matted display. I can see things better and more smoothly, and I'm not distracted by the reflections of the world behind me.

The monitor casing is made from a classy-looking plastic with a premium feel, helping to make the monitor lighter. I wouldn't have minded some extra weight to add a more elegant case, but I don't frequently carry this monitor around either. I'm more of a set it up right once and then leave it (for a few weeks until I change around my desk setup again to add a new gadget).

I have been using this monitor on a VESA monitor arm from Corsair. If you prefer to use the stand that comes with the monitor, or you don't have a monitor arm you want to use, the one that BenQ designed to go with this monitor is sleek and offers comprehensive adjustments, including height, tilt, and swivel. It's pretty sharp-looking.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) BenQ PD2730S: In use

I got the BenQ PD2730S a few weeks ago to test pre-release, and so far, my experience has been nothing short of excellent. It's a spectacular picture with the 5K resolution, and unlike some 5K monitors I have tried, this one scales wonderfully with both PC and Mac.

I've tested this monitor with everyday work and some basic photo and video editing—nothing too fancy, but I could see how great this screen was even with those tests.

As mentioned earlier, I use this monitor mostly in my home office. So, 400 nits wasn't a huge problem. I tested it next to my beloved BenQ MA3020U, which has a peak of 600 nits, and I could tell a difference. Not to mention my iPhone 16 Pro with a peak brightness of 2,000 nits.

Moving on, the color accuracy on this monitor was immediately something that I paid attention to. Since this monitor is designed for a creative and visually demanding workforce, it is vital to knock it out of the park. The PD2730S factory calibration ensures accurate colors out of the box, covering 98% of the P3 color gamut. In short, it looks great, works great, and produces excellent results, making it one of the best video editing monitors and best photo editing monitors for those who don't want to shell out for the Apple Studio Display.

One of the things that makes this a better option than the Apple Studio Display is the ports and overall connectivity. You can only use the Studio Display with Macs. With the PD2740S, you can use it with any device and with multiple different inputs. The PD2740S has Thunderbolt, HDMI 2.1, and DisplayPort 1.4 as options to provide feedback to this display.

This is a gorgeous display, easy to use, and, dare I say, a pleasure to use. It's an excellent option for those who need a 5K display in their workflow.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) BenQ PD2730S: Final verdict

For professionals who want a premium 5K display without Apple’s ecosystem limitations, the BenQ PD2730S delivers more flexibility, better connectivity, and built-in ergonomics—all at a lower price point. It’s an easy choice for those who need a pro-grade display that works seamlessly with both Mac and PC setups without sacrificing adjustability or requiring extra dongles.

While Apple’s Studio Display is a strong contender for macOS users, it lacks port variety, adjustability, and cross-platform flexibility. The BenQ PD2730S delivers comparable display quality, better ergonomics, and broader compatibility, making it the better all-around choice for creatives who don’t want to be locked into Apple’s ecosystem.

For more high-resolution displays, we rounded-up the best 5K and 8K monitors.

Branch is a company I have grown to appreciate over the years. I looked at the Branch Duo Standing Desk in 2023, and elsewhere, we've reviewed the Branch Ergonomic Chair around the same time.

Since then, I've had the Branch Softside Chair in my rotation of personal chairs I keep in my home. Branch may not be the most prominent and flashiest of companies, which may play to their advantage. They have fewer options, yet their quality is fantastic. Little wonder the company's Verve is our pick for best office chair.

The Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro is a premium office chair aimed to take what was loved from the Ergonomic Chair and make an even better offering for remote workers, designers, and anyone needing all-day support, all without breaking the bank. Branch added more adjustability, upgraded the lumbar support, and added the forward tilt feature. In short, they are the cheaper chairs with the same high-end features found in the big-name chair companies.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro: Price and Availability

The Ergonomic Chair Pro is offered on Branch's website for $599 for the base model and an extra $79 to get the headrest. They can be shipped for free and are provided on Branch's website.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro: Unboxing & first impressions

The Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro comes in relatively compact packaging, protecting the components well but not too over-zealous with packing material. I could get everything out of the box with minimal effort and zero frustration. The assembly took about 15 minutes, though I used an electric screwdriver to help speed up the process.

One of the things I've noticed right out of the gate - or box - is the quality of the base. The base is made of aluminum, giving it a higher weight capacity and a more durable seat.

Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro: Design & build quality Specs

Material Options: Mesh, Vegan Leather, Leather
Overall Dimensions: 25″W x 24″D x 38″-41.2″H (or 41.5″-45″H with tall cylinder)
Seat Height: 17”-19.9” (or 19.3”-22.9” with tall cylinder)
Seat Depth: 16.7”-19.7”
Armrest Height: 24”-29.8” (or 26.3”-32.8” with tall cylinder)
Tilt Range: 26°
Weight Capacity: 275 lbs
Assembled Weight: 42 lbs
Base: Powder-coated aluminum
Casters: Scratch-proof nylon

Branch has always intentionally chosen to be minimal in what they do and how they look. This chair is a continuation of that. The sleek, professional look with multiple colorways and material options shows they want versatility. Still, the Aluminum base, smooth casters, high-density seat, and quality material choice are what make this chair shine.

The best way I can describe this is to explain that I am now a father of three, and my wife and I want a fourth (in due time). I never wanted a minivan, and I still don't. But, the genius marketing at the newly revitalized Kia caught me. They marketed the Kia Carnival as an MPV -- a Multi-Purpose Vehicle. Do you know what it is? It's an SUV, with sliding doors like a van. Nevertheless, the marketing worked, and now I own a Kia Carnival for my wife and the kids.

So, why do I mention a not-so-minivan vehicle when discussing a chair? This chair's price tag and simplicity may make it look like another run-of-the-mill, simple chair you can get anywhere. But, what's hiding beneath that over-used language of "ergonomics" is a fabulous experience that is precisely what you need it to be, without unnecessary frills. Like how the Kia Carnival disguises its practicality behind sleek marketing, the Branch ergonomic Chair Pro hides its premium ergonomic experience behind an unassuming professional design.

At first glance, it may seem like just another ergonomic office chair, but the details make it stand out. The high-density foam seat provides long-lasting comfort without making your butt sweat or getting too cold (but whose butt is ever too cold?). And, the adjustable lumbar support helps hold frail backs like mine (I'm not that old yet, but boy, do I feel like I am). The 5D armrests allow me to put my arms exactly where I choose. Granted, they wobble a bit, but outside of this slight wobble, the rest of the build quality, choice of materials, and features make this chair feel like something at a much higher price point.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro: In use

This chair has been a part of my ever-growing fleet of ergonomic chairs for 166 days while writing this review. In that time, I have rotated the chair around through my team to make sure that I am not just fluffing up my thoughts on Branch and making this chair out to be better than it is (like I try to lie to myself that owning an MPV is better than owning a minivan).

However, what we all keep coming back to is that this chair is fantastic. The 14 customization points lend themselves to being comfortable because they are made intentionally and not gimmicky. The forward tilt for active seating is another feature that helps this chair stand out. This allows individuals to maintain a more engaged posture, leaning forward and not just slouching back. This helps your core and your posture, but more importantly, it is usually only found in very high-end chairs, not budget-friendly chairs like this.

I wish I could end my review here and not mention anything poor about this chair, but there is one weak link. While the 5D armrests provide high levels of flexibility and adjustability, they feel loose and tend to rattle. I've even noticed it when I am midday, foot tapping, leg shaking, moving throughout my day, I've heard the rattle. Now, I'm the kind of guy who straps down the extra length on my children's car seats because hearing any amount of rattling drives me mad. However, with this chair, I heard rattling, and the armrest felt loose, even when I knew it was tightened down during assembly (and checked several times).

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro: Final verdict

The Branch Ergonomic Chair is a near-perfect sleeper-build-budget ergonomic chair. It's under $500, has fantastic adjustability, forward tilt, excellent materials to choose from, and is comfortable for all-day working. The one downside is some mediocre armrests, but all things considered, this chair is still fantastic.

De'Longhi La Specialista Touch: two-minute review

The De'Longhi La Specialista Touch is one of the best espresso machines for those taking their first steps into the world of coffee and wanting a guiding hand along the way. It's one of the most affordable models around with a built-in grinder, and is surprisingly compact considering just how many features are on offer. Don't let its small plastic chassis fool you – this is a seriously good coffee machine.

De'Longhi's Smart Bean system helps tailor brew settings to suit your preferred beans, without the need for any specialist knowledge, while the smart dosing and tamping system will see you create a well-measured, even puck without any channelling or cracking, which can lead to poor extraction.

The results are reliably excellent, and tinkering is encouraged once you've built up some confidence, with room for nine custom drinks alongside the extensive menu of customizable options.

The steam wand is another standout feature, with options for manual and automatic milk texturizing. Its integrated temperature probe helps new users avoid overheating their milk when steaming freehand, and the auto frother includes options for both dairy and plant-based milk.

The only real drawbacks I found concerned cleaning and maintenance. After a while, the grinder started to feel a bit sticky when dialling in settings, but De'Longhi's manual and instructional videos don't show how to disassemble and clean it (they only show cleaning the exterior). There also doesn't seem to be an option to flush the group head after brewing an espresso.

The cold brew function is fine, but doesn't produce such a well-rounded and full-bodied drink as the Jura J10 I reviewed recently. However, this machine is a fraction of the price of the J10, and aimed at a very different user. If you're considering investing in your first coffee maker, the La Specialista Touch is definitely worth your consideration.

De'Longhi La Specialista Touch: price and availability

• Launched in March 2025
• Costs £699.99 / $1,099 (about $900)
• Not yet available in the US

The De'Longhi La Specialista Touch launched in March 2025, and has a list price of £699.99 / AU$1,099 (about $900). At the time of writing, it isn't yet available in the US.

The price puts this coffee machine in the middle of the La Specialista range, costing less than the La Specialista Opera and Maestro, but less than the La Specialista Arte, Arte Evo and Arte Compact. As the name suggests, what differentiates this machine from the others is its touchscreen, which makes it super easy to operate and especially well suited to beginners.

The De'Longhi La Specialista Touch is surprisingly small, and won't dominate your kitchen counter (Image credit: Future) De'Longhi La Specialista Touch: specs De'Longhi La Specialista Touch: design

• Compact and lightweight, with a metallic-finish plastic case
• Large touchscreen and user-friendly interface
• Includes tools to assist with dosage and tamping

The De’Longhi La Specialista Touch is compact for such a fully featured semi-automatic coffee machine. In fact, it’s the smallest in the La Specialista range, measuring just 17.5 x 15 x 14.6 inches / 44.5 x 38 x 37cm. I should note that the photos in this review were shot in TechRadar's roomy test kitchen, not my small apartment. Its case is made mostly from plastic with a metallic silver finish, which keeps the weight down considerably compared to stainless steel, and is easy to clean with a damp cloth.

It’s operated via a vivid 3.5in color touchscreen, which is responsive and surprisingly resistant to fingerprints. The interface is well designed, with menus supported by diagrams and illustrations, and additional information available at every stage via a "Help me" button, which gives new users extra guidance without adding visual clutter.

The machine is operated via a bright 3.5in color touchscreen (Image credit: Future)

The water tank slots neatly onto the back of the unit, and the machine is supplied with a testing strip so you can configure it to suit the hardness of water in your area (this is important, because limescale build-up can affect the performance of the probes that detect the water level in the coffee machine’s boiler). The tank is easy to fill and carry thanks to its built-in handle, but you’ll need a long-handled brush to clean inside; it’s too narrow for all but the smallest of hands.

The portafilter handle feels reassuringly weighty in the hand, and I particularly liked the knurled metal at the end. It’s supplied with two non-pressurized, single-walled baskets: one for single shots and another for doubles.

The water tank has a capacity of 1.8qt / 1.7 liters, and slots onto the back of the machine (Image credit: Future)

Unlike some other machines in this price band, the La Specialista Touch doesn’t have a pull-down tamper that will add just the right amount of pressure to your coffee grounds. You have to take things into your own hands, but there’s a set of tools to make that less daunting for new users.

These include a dosing and tamping guide that attaches above the basket before grinding to funnel grounds neatly into the basket; a rubber tamping mat that sits on your work surface and keeps the filter handle steady; and an "advanced tamper" that lets you see when you’ve achieved the perfect dosage, and whether you need to add or remove some ground coffee. If you need to remove some, there’s a handy dose adjustment tool that you can place on top of the basket and twist to take a little off the top.

You get a set of accessories to help you dose your coffee consistently without using scales (Image credit: Future)

It’s a smart system that reduces the risk of user error by eliminating the need to weigh anything, although it’s also worth noting that you can’t use the grinder without the guide in place.

The La Specialista Touch is designed to accommodate different-sized cups, with a little platform that you can place on top of the drip tray when using espresso cups. This helps to avoid splashing and preserve the crema as you pull your shot.

On the right-hand side you’ll find the steam wand, which has both manual and automatic settings, and is partnered with a temperature probe to help new users avoid creating custardy, overheated milk. There are automatic settings for both dairy milk and plant-based substitutes, which is a welcome addition. Things are changing, but some machines are still set up exclusively for dairy.

The drip tray is thoughtfully designed and practically impossible to spill when you're carrying it to the sink (Image credit: Future)

The only accessory I'd have appreciated is a knock-box for disposing of used pucks, since new users can easily knock the basket out of the handle and into the bin – but that’s a small wish. Everything supplied here feels solid and dependable.

The drip tray is also particularly well designed. It’s mostly enclosed until you choose to disassemble it for cleaning, with a pouring spout at the back for easy emptying.

• Design score: 5/5

De'Longhi La Specialista Touch: performance

• Guided brewing with auto adjustments for different beans and roasts
• Milk texturizing is excellent (manual and automatic)
• Rinsing and cleaning features could be better

The De’Longhi La Specialista Touch guides you through the process of brewing a perfect shot of espresso one step at a time, helping you achieve the consistent results that are the hallmark of a good coffee maker. The Bean Adapt Technology system automatically recommends ideal grinding and dosing settings to suit your chosen coffee, and takes the mystery out of setting up the optimum brewing process.

After loading your beans into the hopper, you’ll be asked a few basic questions about what you’re using: arabica or robusta, and the roast. The machine then uses this information to adjust the water brewing temperature and pre-infusion length (how long the grounds are allowed to soak before the shot is pulled).

Twist the tamping guide onto the portafilter and push it underneath the grinder to dispense your coffee without mess (Image credit: Future)

Many other machines stop there, but the La Specialista Touch goes further, giving you a hand with dosing your beans as well. When you’re ready to start, twist the tamping guide onto the basket, then push it under the grinder until it hits a button at the back of the machine and hold it still until grinding stops automatically.

Once the dose has been dispensed, you’re prompted to use the "smart tamper" to press down evenly (using the rubber mat for stability) and make a note of where the guide line ends up. If it reads +1 or +2, you have too much coffee and need to use the dosage adjuster to trim a little off the top. This twist-on tool is excellent, and allows you to remove just a few grounds without disturbing the whole coffee bed.

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The tamper lets you see whether you have an appropriate dose of coffee, or if you need to add some more or trim a little off the top (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

It's easy to produce a perfectly even bed of coffee (Image credit: Future)

If the smart tamper reads "OK" then you’re ready to proceed to the next step, and if it reads -1 or -2 then you need to top it up a little. Push the handle under the grinder again to dispense some extra coffee, then tamp again. Dosing beans by volume rather than weight seems strange if you’re used to using scales, but it’s a valid method of dosing and the tools supplied with the La Specialista Touch make it pretty foolproof.

When you’re done, just enter the name of your beans using the on-screen keyboard, and you’re all set. Experimenting with different beans is part of the joy of coffee-making, so I appreciate the ability to create multiple profiles for different beans.

The machine’s grinder has 15 settings, and when brewing each drink, you’ll be prompted to dial it in. Your preset options are:

• Espresso
• Cappuccuno
• Cold brew
• Latte macchiato
• Latte
• Flat white
• Hot milk
• Long black
• Americano

The machine can also dispense hot water, and in addition to customizing any of the presets, you can also create profiles for nine personal recipes. You’re not bombarded with options, but you are encouraged to tinker and experiment with brewing times and grind sizes to achieve the taste you prefer.

I was curious to test the cold brew function, particularly after experiencing the impressive results of the Jura J10, which was able to create a drink with a strikingly similar flavor profile to coffee brewed cold the traditional way, overnight.

Before starting the cold brew process, the De’Longhi La Specialista Touch will run cold water through its circuit to bring the temperature down (a sensible choice), then the water is passed slowly through the freshly ground coffee at low pressure. This machine doesn’t use the same "pulsing" brewing method as the J10, as you can see from the steady dripping in the video below.

The resulting cold brew americano (in this case) was smooth, but didn’t display the richness of the same drink made using the J10, with a thinner mouthfeel. It was okay, but not on the same level as traditionally cold-brewed coffee.

However, milk texturizing was excellent, with the Auto LatteArt system preparing your milk according to the drink you’ve chosen from the menu. Simply fill the pitcher to between the "maximum" and "minimum" lines, then select the option for dairy or an alternative. Next place the pitcher under the wand, adjust the wand to the angle marked "A" and you’re ready to begin. The wand will automatically incorporate air into the milk, then heat it to the correct temperature.

The Auto LatteArt system works well to create different milk textures (Image credit: Future)

Achieving different textures for different drinks can be tricky, and I was impressed by how well the Auto LatteArt system managed to create different proportions of foam and steamed milk for various drinks. I’d say that the foam on my latte macchiato was a bit too aerated for my liking, but cappuccinos and caffe lattes turned out consistently well.

I also appreciated the temperature probe for manual steaming. Strictly speaking, it isn't necessary (I usually just use my hand on the side of the pitcher to judge temperature), and there will always be a degree of latency before temperature changes in the pitcher register on the machine’s display. Nevertheless, it’s a thoughtful addition for a machine designed to give new users a helping hand.

The only area where the De’Longhi La Specialista Touch seems to be lacking is maintenance. After some time I found that the grinder was becoming trickier to adjust – a sign that it had started to collect debris and coffee oils, and therefore required cleaning. De’Longhi’s instruction manual and cleaning video only describe cleaning the hopper and outside of the grinder using the brush supplied with the machine, so I’ve contacted the company to find out whether it’s possible to disassemble the grinder to access the burrs. I’ll update this review once I’ve heard back.

Having browsed through all the menus, I also haven't found a setting for rinsing the groupset between brews, and there’s no button to purge old grounds from the grinder if you’re changing the grind size – both of which are surprising.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the De'Longhi La Specialista Touch? Buy it if

You're looking for your first espresso machine

The De'Longhi La Specialista Touch will help you brew great espresso, even if you're a complete beginner. Using it you'll develop your coffee-making skills so you can move to the next level. It's a machine that can grow with you, or let you stay in your comfort zone.

You're a little intimidated by technicalities

It's not fully automated, but the La Specialista Touch doesn't assume prior knowledge and makes brewing espresso a simple process.

You have a small kitchen

A fully manual machine such as the Gaggia Classic will take up even less space, but if you want a semi-automatic espresso maker then this is one of the most compact models available today.

Don't buy it if

You're time-poor

Dosing correctly using the smart tamping tools takes time, so if you want your coffee as quickly as possible then a fully automatic bean-to-cup machine would be a better choice.

You already use a coffee grinder

If you're already happy dialling in, grinding, and dosing your coffee, then you won't need all the features offered by the De'Longhi La Specialista Touch.

De'Longhi La Specialista Touch: also consider

Breville Bambino Plus

You'll need a separate grinder, but this is one of the best small espresso machines around. In fact, it's the one the trainer recommended when I completed my SCA training. Note that Breville products are branded as Sage in the UK.

Read our full Breville Bambino Plus review

Breville The Barista Touch Impress

A more premium semi-automatic espresso machine, the Barista Touch Impress is larger and pricier than the De'Longhi La Specialista Touch, but gives you even more of a helping hand to create the perfect drink thanks to its Impress puck system. One of the best coffee makers around.

Read our full Breville The Barista Touch Impress review

How I tested the De'Longhi La Specialista Touch

I used the De'Longhi La Specialista Touch with my favorite Burundi and Panama Winter Blend from local coffee shop Mokoko, fresh that week. I tested the water in the TechRadar test kitchen (hard) and configured the machine accordingly during the startup process. I used fresh water each time I began using the machine, and emptied the tank at the end of the day.

I used the Bean Adapt Technology system to configure the machine for my coffee, and dialled in the grinder so an espresso shot was extracted in about 28 seconds.

(Image credit: Future)

I tested the milk frother using unhomogenized whole milk, freshly bought the same day and fridge-cold.

First reviewed March 2025

Acer Nitro NGR300: One-minute review

This is going to be a quick one because there just isn’t much to say about the Acer Nitro NGR300. As a PC and mobile controller, it probably would’ve made a decent purchase had it been released close to a decade ago. Around that time, there was much less in the way of wireless controller options, and they didn’t nearly have the feature sets we take for granted today.

At face value, it isn’t a horrible controller. I quite like its aesthetic, and it performs perfectly well while gaming - feeling responsive whether you’re wired via USB-C or wireless via Bluetooth. A word of warning, though; Bluetooth is the only wireless option here, so you may need to source a Bluetooth adapter separately in the case your setup doesn't have it built in.

In 2025, however, there isn’t much of a reason to purchase the Acer Nitro NGR300. And perhaps the brand knows this, too, as it only seems to be available in the UK (at least at the time of writing). When it comes to the best PC controllers, there are so many options that cost the same or are cheaper than the Nitro - while simultaneously offering contemporary features like Hall effect sticks, 2.4GHz wireless connectivity, and more.

(Image credit: Future) Acer Nitro NGR300: Price and availability

• List price: £49.99
• Limited to UK-only availability
• There are cheaper options available with more features

Much like the Acer Predator controller, the Acer Nitro NGR300 only appears to be available in the UK. However, it’s £20 cheaper than the Predator, coming in at £49.99. If you’re purchasing from abroad, you’re looking at roughly $64.99 / AU$100. The trade-off here is that the Nitro lacks the 2.4GHz connectivity and Nintendo Switch compatibility of its counterpart.

That being said, it’s still very difficult to recommend the Nitro when competing models like the GameSir T4 Kaleid ($41.99 / £41.99) and the 8BitDo Ultimate C Bluetooth controller ($29.99 / £24.99) come in much cheaper. With these, you’re also getting more features. In the Kaleid’s case, you’ve got drift-resistant Hall effect sticks and tactile microswitch buttons. For the Ultimate C, while lacking Hall effect, it makes up for it with 2.4GHz connectivity and Nintendo Switch compatibility as well as PC and mobile.

Acer Nitro NGR300: Specs

(Image credit: Future) Acer Nitro NGR300: Design and features

• Simple, yet cool look
• Cheap-feeling build quality
• Turbo button function works as you’d expect

I do quite like the look of the Acer Nitro NGR300. While certainly an understated design, the subtly textured pattern bearing the ‘Nitro’ emblem is a really nice touch. Acer clearly knows how to do a lot with a little when it comes to overall looks, and it’s easily my favorite thing about this gamepad.

(Image credit: Future)

That’s about where the positives end when it comes to design and features, sadly. Overall build quality feels cheap and overly plasticky; a letdown even with that relatively budget-friendly price tag.

Sticks and face buttons both feel solid, in fairness, but I’m not at all a fan of the incredibly mushy D-pad that leads to some imprecise inputs. The bumpers and triggers are also relatively wide, with the latter also feeling quite listless when pressed.

The standout feature here is certainly the dedicated Turbo button. If you’ve used the feature on other controllers - which lets you assign a button to hold for continuous inputs - then it’s the same here. It’s certainly handy for old-school beat ‘em ups and action RPGs (role-playing games), but by no means is it the unique selling point it may have been all those years ago.

Acer Nitro NGR300: Performance

• Performs adequately in both wired and wireless modes
• It’s a Bluetooth controller, but it’s not compatible with Switch
• Relies on AA batteries for wireless play

Once more, there’s not much to write home about in terms of performance with the Acer Nitro NGR300. As a standard controller experience, it is comparable to similarly basic pads like the Xbox Wireless Controller, albeit lacking the strong comfort factor of that model.

(Image credit: Future)

In my testing, which included PC and mobile games like Final Fantasy 14 Online, RoboCop: Rogue City, and Zenless Zone Zero, I found the Nitro to be perfectly suitable for a variety of genres. It was also impressively responsive when used wirelessly over Bluetooth connection on mobile. I’d still argue that the best mobile controllers are better suited to gaming on the go, but the Nitro is serviceable in this regard.

The big sticking point for me - besides the lack of 2.4GHz connectivity - is that the Nitro relies on AA batteries for power. While not entirely unheard of in the present day (it’s also the default option for the Xbox Wireless Controller), I much prefer having a built-in battery that can charge up via USB-C.

Acer claims you’ll get up to 25 hours of battery life (as it did with the Predator), but this will naturally vary depending on the brand. With the included Energizer batteries, I managed to get around 15-20 hours of play.

Should I buy the Acer Nitro NGR300? Buy it if...

You have an abundance of AA batteries lying around
On average, the Nitro’s battery life is actually quite decent, lasting longer than some models including the 8BitDo Ultimate C. If you regularly use AA batteries for various devices and have a lot of them, then the Acer Nitro is a decent pickup.

Don't buy it if...

You’d prefer a controller with more modern features
The Acer Nitro lacks several features we take for granted today, such as Hall effect sticks, remappable buttons, Switch / console compatibility, a built-in charging solution, or 2.4GHz connectivity.

Also consider...

Not sold on the Acer Nitro NGR300? There are at least a couple of better and more affordable alternatives out there, such as…

Horipad Turbo
A solid alternative to the Acer Nitro that offers most of its features for less. You’re getting a Turbo button here and, while not wireless, has Nintendo Switch compatibility and comes in a range of fun designs.

Read our full Horipad Turbo review

GameSir Nova Lite
Simply one of the best budget controllers on the market today. The Nova Lite offers a range of connection types as well as Hall effect thumbsticks, a beautiful design and Switch compatibility alongside mobile and PC.

Read our full GameSir Nova Lite review

How I tested the Acer Nitro NGR300

• Tested for 15-20 hours (the time it took for the AA batteries to run out of juice)
• Tested across PC and mobile games
• Compared to the GameSir Nova Lite and Horipad Turbo

I tested the Acer Nitro NGR300 controller over a period of about 15-20 hours in total, after which the included Energizer AA batteries ran out. I primarily played on PC, which is its primary platform, having been unable to connect the controller to my Nintendo Switch. That said, Acer does not list the Switch as a supported platform, but as a Bluetooth device, I figured it was worth a try.

I compared my time with the Acer Nitro to that of its companion controller, the Acer Predator, as well as the GameSir Nova Lite and Horipad Turbo - all three of which I ended up preferring over this model. That’s due to a range of factors, including better features, compatibility, and connectivity options being available in the competition.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed March 2025

Leica SL3-S: two-minute review

Leica has taken the same product approach as other mirrorless camera makers, offering a high-resolution model in the 60MP Leica SL3 and a lower-resolution but more effective hybrid camera in the 24MP SL3-S.

Leica has had a long technology partnership with Panasonic, and the SL3-S has a lot (no, really, a lot) in common with the Lumix S5 IIx on a technical level. Physically, though, it’s very different. The SL3-S has a bigger, heavier body but with a super-streamlined control layout, with only three buttons on the rear having a specific labelled function.

It’s customizable to the nth degree, and it’s easy to assign new functions to the buttons as you go along, too. This approach does mean, however, that you'll need the patience to set it up to your liking in the first place, and a good memory for the functions you’ve assigned to the various buttons and dials.

It’s a nice camera to use, if heavy, and the info display panel on the top plate is a welcome feature when so many mirrorless camera makers don’t bother with these any more. The 5.76m-dot EVF may not have the very highest resolution on the market, but it’s clear and sharp and easily good enough. The rear screen is slightly disappointing. It has a tilt mechanism only, not a vari-angle pivot, and in our tests it just wasn’t bright enough for easy viewing outdoors, even with the brightness pushed up to maximum.

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I tested the SL3-S with the Leica Summilux-SL50mm f/1.4, and between them, the combo produced images of exceptional clarity and definition for a 24MP camera. The dynamic range seems about average for a camera of this type, but the JPEGs have very good tonal range from shadows to highlights, and at ISO 6400 (and beyond) noise levels are remarkably low.

The autofocus performance seemed pretty good when tracking humans and animals for video, though this isn't really a run-and-gun camera, and it's probably a little heavy for a gimbal too. It’s probably fair to consider this a filmmaking tool, not a vlogging camera.

The stabilization is only rated at five stops but seems to deliver its claimed maximum reliably, which you can’t always say for other cameras. This provides a very steady platform for handheld static shots, and can even cope with careful camera movements and walking-while-filming, though the results can soon get a little ‘choppy’.

Overall, the SL3-S is very expensive if you consider its specifications alone, but what you are also buying is quality – not just in the camera’s build and finish, but in the thought that’s gone into its control layout and interface. The results, too, are absolutely first rate. The Leica SL3-S is truly a class act in every sense.

Leica SL3-S: price and release date

• Leica SL3-S body only: $5,295 / £4,500 / AU$8,990
• Leica SL lenses start from around $2,195 / £1,850 / AU$3,490
• On sale now

The Leica SL3-S is undeniably expensive, costing almost three times as much as the Panasonic Lumix S5 II / S5 IIx, which many would say it’s based on. Despite the technical similarities, however, this is a very different camera physically, with all the build quality and design finesse that you would expect for the brand. Also, this is by no means the most expensive full-frame mirrorless camera on the market; there are several which cost a good deal more, albeit with higher or more specialized specifications.

The overall cost of ownership of the SL system is perhaps not quite as high as many might expect, either. Leica’s own SL lenses are more expensive than similarly specced alternatives from other brands, but still in the same ballpark – and not as terrifyingly expensive as some M-mount optics, either. And you can, of course, use any Sigma or Panasonic L-mount optics – though anyone prepared to invest in the SL3-S would probably prefer to stick to Leica SL glassware.

• Price score: 3/5

Leica SL3-S: specifications Leica SL3-S: design and handling

• All-metal magnesium and aluminum body, synthetic leather cover
• IP54 weather sealing
• Tilting rear screen

The Leica SL3-S's physical controls are minimalist in the extreme. Apart from three buttons on the back, none of the control dials or function buttons are labelled. You can make up your own control layout! (Image credit: Rod Lawton)

The menu system is superb. One press of the Menu button displays a quick settings screen and a second press displays the full menu system. Leica has a knack of making every camera feature quickly accessible (Image credit: Rod Lawton)

The first thing you notice about the Leica SL3-S is the simplicity of its external design and controls. On the back there are buttons marked Play, Fn and Menu, but beyond that every other control is unmarked, and can be set to any function you choose. These include two large control dials on the top, a thumb dial on the back and five function buttons on the front, top and back of the camera. There’s also a joystick for AF point selection, menu navigation and more.

Customization is super-easy. A long press on a function button brings up a menu where you can change the assigned function to something else. It’s a clever and efficient bit of interface design that’s typical of Leica, although it might not suit everyone. Some will prefer labelled buttons and dials that have a definite function, even if you can’t change them, to having to remember how you set the various buttons up.

Also, given that this is a hybrid camera where you need to be definite about whether you're in stills and video mode, wouldn’t it have been better to have a clearly labelled switch for that? An unmarked function button hardly seems adequate.

The tilting rear touchscreen is fine for indoor use, but can be hard to see outdoors, even with the brightness turned up to maximum (Image credit: Rod Lawton)

The status LCD on the top plate is a major bonus, allowing you to see key camera and exposure settings at a glance (Image credit: Rod Lawton)

The SL3-S offers two card slots, one for CFexpress Type B and one for SD UHS II cards (Image credit: Rod Lawton)

Another issue I had during testing was that I was constantly finding the focus point was somewhere other than where I left it – a common issue with touchscreens, of course – and on one occasion I found the focus area type had changed, and I don’t know why. I also found the zoom magnifier activating randomly while the shutter release was half-pressed, and I never could figure out what I was pressing to make that happen. All this is user error, of course, but it’s just a pity that the SL3-S design, beautiful as it is, leaves so many opportunities for such mistakes.

The 5.76m-dot EVF is excellent, but the 2.33m-dot rear screen less so. Even at full brightness it’s not always easy to see clearly for outdoor shooting. For video, you might have to rely more on the EVF than you would like – though of course for any kind of serious filmmaking you would quite likely have the SL3-S rigged up with an external monitor anyway.

• Design and handling score: 4/5

Leica SL3-S: performance

• Superb stills quality
• Great high-ISO performance
• Excellent JPEGs
• Highly effective stabilization
• Good AF tracking, though not the best

The SL3-S's single-shot autofocus is fast and effective, even when shooting wide open at f/1.4 – the depth of field here was razor-thin (Image credit: Rod Lawton)

This image was shot at ISO 16,000 and the quality is holding up extremely well, with perfectly acceptable noise levels and good fine detail. A little lower down the ISO scale at ISO 6,400, the image quality is remarkable (Image credit: Rod Lawton)

Leica SL lenses are more expensive than Panasonic or Sigma L-mount alternatives, but all the ones I've tried have been optically superb. This was taken with the Leica Summilux-SL50mm f/1.4 supplied for this review (Image credit: Rod Lawton)

This image shows the kind of spatial depth you can achieve with a full-frame camera and a fast prime lens. I didn't need to shoot this scene at f/1.4, but doing so has separated the trees in the middle distance from a beautifully blurred foreground and background. (Image credit: Rod Lawton)

You might argue that the SL3-S is ‘only’ a 24MP camera, but it produces the crispest, clearest images you’re ever likely to see from a camera with this resolution. Part of the credit undoubtedly has to go to the 50mm f/1.4 Summilux lens Leica provided for this review – this is a massive lens for a 50mm f/1.4, but it’s spectacularly sharp and aberration-free, and from edge to edge too. This is a lens you can confidently use wide open at f/1.4 without any hesitation.

The JPEGs from the SL3-S are very nice indeed. The camera achieves an excellent tonal range right into darker areas without seeming to sacrifice any midtone contrast. You can get blown highlights in JPEGs from overexposed skies, but you can recover highlight detail from the raw files, of course – though the SL3-S’s raw dynamic range seems no better or worse than that of rival cameras.

High-ISO performance is excellent. I shot a series of low-light interiors at ISO 6,400 expecting to see some significant deterioration in image quality, but the images looked really, really good. I should have set the ISO a lot higher!

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I was impressed by the IBIS too. Leica only claims five stops of compensation, but I think you probably get all of this pretty reliably, so this is perhaps Leica just being conservative. I’ve used plenty of other brands that claim higher levels of shake compensation but simply don’t deliver it.

Some have remarked that the SL3-S's AF tracking isn't quite as good as that of the Lumix S5 II/S5 IIx, but I couldn’t see any obvious weaknesses in my testing with human face / eye tracking, and the animal tracking, even though it’s still only in beta, was extremely good at keeping up with my feisty young terrier on a beach walk. Of course, it’s one thing the AF system knowing what it should be focusing on, but it will also depend on your lenses having fast enough AF actuators to keep up.

I honestly think, though, that if you’re into fast and immersive POV filming, this isn’t the kind of camera you would choose; the SL3-S will be much more at home on a tripod for more staged video productions.

• Performance score: 5/5

Leica SL3-S: testing scorecard Should I buy the Leica SL3-S?

(Image credit: Rod Lawton) Buy it if...

You're more concerned with quality than cost
And by that I mean not just quality of output, but quality of design, construction and operation.View Deal

You're already invested in the Leica SL system
If you're a Leica shooter looking for a more adaptable and versatile content tool than the SL3, this is it.View Deal

You have an SL2-S
If you're struggling a little with the contrast AF tracking performance of the older Leica, upgrading to the SL3-S is a clear win.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You primarily need the video capabilities
The SL3-S is not a good buy if you’re not interested in Leica’s premium design aesthetics – the Lumix S5 II/S5 IIx will do a grand job for a lot lessView Deal

You’re going to use Sigma or Panasonic lenses
The SL3-S makes the most sense with Leica’s own SL glassware, which is typically big and expensive, alas.View Deal

You’re going to shoot in hazardous conditions
Yes, the SL3-S does have IP54 weather sealing but, frankly, its sheer cost makes it a slightly nerve-racking choice for extreme filming. Use something cheaper!View Deal

(Image credit: Rod Lawton) How I tested the Leica SL3-S

• I had a one week SL3-S loan from Leica
• It was sent along with the Leica Summilux-SL 50mm f/1.4 ASPH lens
• I made photos and videos of various subjects, including animals and landscapes

I was able to use the Leica SL3-S for a few days to shoot a variety of subjects. For one shoot I chose a country walk via a yachting marina, and for another I took the SL3-S to a country estate to check out its low-light capabilities for interior shots. I also took it on an urban architecture expedition to get an idea of its dynamic range and detail rendition.

I tested its video capabilities too, particularly its stabilization and autofocus tracking, with a dog-walk on a windy beach. The aim was to find out how well the stabilization worked for static handheld shots and also a walking run-and-gun style. My pet dog was a big help in testing the AF tracking performance, including Leica’s animal tracking AF system, which is still in beta.

In particular, I wanted to try the SL3-S in shooting conditions that required a variety of settings changes, often from one shot to the next, to get a proper idea of how the Leica’s innovative control system actually worked in the field.

Honor Earbuds Open: One minute review

I’ve long been a naysayer of open-ear earbuds, despite (or probably because of) testing a huge number of them. However the first few months of 2025 brought a slew of impressive such buds to make me change my mind, and the Honor Earbuds Open is one of the ringleaders of the operation. While making it onto our list of the best open-ear earbuds is a relatively low bar, the Honors hurdle over it with ease.

Open-ear earbuds, for those of you who don’t know, are wireless earbuds that don’t sit in your ear, but rather very near your ear canal, to allow outside noises to get in too (useful for if you want to hear public service announcements on a commute, the noise of traffic that you’re nearby or light conversation). While Shokz popularized the category, most tech brands are now starting to reveal their own takes on an open-fit approach (production of such designs is reportedly up 600%, according to rival Huawei), and Honor is simply the latest company to take up the challenge. But the Chinese electronics firm, perhaps best known for its aspirational smartphones, has done a very good job here.

Given their design quirks, you have to forgive a few things with open-ear buds. But the slam-dunk of the Honor Earbuds Open is that they deliver everything you want in normal headphones, not just gimmicky "Ooh I can still hear you" ones.

For example, the Honors sound great, a compliment I’ve never once paid to open-ears. They offer energetic bass, bristling treble and a soundstage that’d be most welcome on normal earbuds, let alone ones that don’t even sit within your ears.

The fit is fantastic too, which is often the area that ruins otherwise-great open-ears. The Earbuds Open fit comfortably and securely, whether I was lounging at home, working out at the gym, cycling or going on runs. It was easy to forget I was wearing them at times!

Honor has also offered a feature that is incredibly rare in open-ears: active noise cancellation. When I first saw that the buds had this, I was baffled; after all, the entire point of open-ears is that they allow you to hear surrounding sounds. However in practice, it worked really well, with its light-touch implementation ensuring you can hear important environmental sounds without drowning your music in the hustle-and-bustle of city life.

A few issues affect the Honor Earbuds Open, most annoyingly the limited battery life which rules these out for long-distance runners. I also found the touch controls a little annoying to use, and you can easily mark any earbuds down for some of the features they don’t offer (an equalizer here) but none of these are deal-breakers… as you can probably tell, from the glowing review score and verdict.

The unfortunate release right at the same time as a cheaper, better-sounding rival (more on that in the 'Also consider' section) will only hurt the Honors, but they remain some of the best open-ear headphones on the market right now.

Honor Earbuds Open review: Specifications Honor Earbuds Open review: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Announced in February 2025
• Priced at £149.99 (roughly $200, AU$300)
• Not on sale in Australia or US

The Honor Earbuds Open were announced at annual tech conference MWC in February 2025, alongside a few other Honor gadgets.

You can pick up the buds for £149.99 (roughly $200, AU$300). Honor doesn’t seem to have a huge presence in the US or Australia, so I wouldn’t expect to see the buds go on sale in either region.

That’s a price slightly north of what some impressive rivals cost, (see the Shokz OpenFit Air, priced £119, which is around $150 or AU$229) but there are also big-name open-ears that cost a lot more, and the difference between Honor’s buds and its close rivals isn’t huge.

Honor Earbuds Open review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Light-weight buds that are comfortable to wear
• Comes in black or beige
• Cigarette-case holder

The Honor Earbuds Open case reminds me of a cigarette case from an old movie. It’s wide and flat, incredibly slim and opens in a clamshell-style to reveal the curled earbuds hidden underneath. More practically, this compact design makes the case particularly easy to slip into pockets without it being a burden.

The case weighs roughly 80 x 61 x 20mm, and weighs 52.5g, so it’s smaller than a lot of other open-ear cases.

Now onto the buds: you can see the pictures, and you know what open-ear buds are like (hopefully, at least, if you’re considering buying some!). Like sport earbuds, they have a round-the-ear hook, holding the bud itself close to your ear and, hopefully, steadily in place.

Evidence of how easily-bendable the hook is. (Image credit: Future)

I found the Honors to be some of the more comfortable open-ears I’ve tested, thanks to the light weight (7.9g) and their soft plastic material. They also held the bud surprisingly close to the ear, which probably helps explain the superior audio quality which we’ll get to.

Rarely, for a pair of open-ear buds that isn’t being marketed towards athletes, the buds are secure enough for intense sports. I took them for several runs and gym workouts and never had an issue – they stay in place just fine.

Each bud has a touch control, which you can toggle by double- or triple-pressing the body of the bud (the silver bit in the images). It readily picked up my touch every time, but since you have to repeatedly hit the part of the bud that hangs down, I found myself repeatedly pushing it into my ear when I wanted to pause, which was a little bit annoying.

Two other things to note: firstly, you can pick up the buds in black or beige (which Honor calls Polar Gold). Secondly, they have an IP54 rating, which means they’re splash- and dust-proof – but don’t get them too wet.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Honor Earbuds Open: Features

(Image credit: Future)

• ANC is rare showing for open-ears
• A few extra features with Honor app
• Battery life is only 6 hours (40 for case)

The Honor Earbuds Open are the first open earbuds I’ve ever seen that have noise cancellation. What the point of noise cancellation is on an earbud form factor that people pick to let in outside sound I won’t understand, but it worked surprisingly well, so I can’t complain.

It’s by no means industry-leading noise cancellation, but its ‘less-is-more’ approach worked wonders. The open-ear frame lets you hear important sounds around you like train station announcements, the engines of nearby vehicles or calls from people in shops you’ve just left letting you know you’ve left your credit card behind. And the noise cancellation removes the unimportant sounds: distant traffic, annoying screeching trains and horrible weather conditions. Honor has found the Goldilocks spot for ANC: just right.

I personally chose to keep ANC off, not because I love hearing winds announcing that it was about to rain half-way through my 15k run, but because the battery life needs it. The buds only last for 6 hours of listening time when you’ve got ANC off, and even less when it’s on – I’d estimate about 4.5 hours. The charging case brings that total up to 22 hours which again isn’t great, and many rivals beat it.

(Image credit: Future)

If you download the Honor AI Space app on your smartphone, you get access to a few extra features. One of these is the ability to toggle the ANC on and off, another is the ability to connect to multiple smartphones, and you can also find your earbuds or change what the gesture controls do.

There’s technically an EQ toggle, but you can only change it between two modes: ‘Original’ and ‘Workout amplifier’, the latter of which I tested when I was working out and also in a more controlled sound environment. From what I can tell, the latter reduces the bass and the audio quality in favor of more volume and treble; I can see the reasoning for these changes, but they’re not pronounced enough for it to be worth the switch.

Another feature I need to flag is AI Translate; Honor’s website says you need the Honor Magic 7 Pro to use it, but it worked fine on my Realme phone. This is basically an interpreter app that lets you converse with someone in two of eleven languages, using both your phone’s speaker and the earbuds.

From what I can tell, and coming from someone who’s monolingual, it seemed to work well. It’s just a curious feature to come packaged with earbuds, especially when you could equally download and use Google Translate’s app.

• Features score: 4.5/5

Honor Earbuds Open review: Sound

(Image credit: Future)

• Large 16mm drivers
• Impressive treble and bass
• No equalizer

I was ready to declare the Honor Earbuds Open the best-sounding open earbuds I’d ever tried; unfortunately, another pair of open-ears I was testing alongside them somehow managed to just pip them to the post, but they’re still great to listen to. I regularly forgot that I was listening to open-ear buds!

Tech-wise, the Honors each boast a 16mm dynamic driver each, which is bigger than on most rivals I’ve tested. And it tells.

Perhaps the most noticeable improvement the Honor Earbuds Open offer over other open-ears I’ve tested is that they have this thing called ‘bass’ – I can’t remember the last buds with this form factor that I’ve tested that have any noticeable amount of bass, a natural side-effect of buds hovering above ears. However the Honors offer warm and energetic low tones, perfect for thumping workout tunes.

But that’s not all: the buds have crisp treble, which is another useful component that lets the Earbuds Open cut through noise, and a pronounced sound stage that makes songs sound detailed and rich when you’re wanting to enjoy your tunes.

The only audio problem I faced was one that’s pretty common in all kinds of wireless earbud: mid sounds fell by the wayside a little compared to treble and bass. But in the eternal words of Meat Loaf “two out of three ain’t bad”, and the Honors are the first open-ears I’ve tested that I’ve actually been glad to put on my ears.

• Sound performance score: 4.5/5

Honor Earbuds Open review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

Given that the open-ear bud market is still rather new, it’s hard to make decisive statements about the price categories for this kind of audio product. But I’d roughly say that these are at the cheaper end of the mid-range market.

With that in mind, there are definitely cheaper options available to you, although picking them up will naturally saddle you with worse-sounding earbuds (except in one case; more on that below). But there’s more to life than audio quality and some more affordable buds are better for certain uses, with longer battery life or more robust builds.

So if you’re looking for any passable pair of open-ears, the Honors might not offer you great value for money, but if you really care about good-sounding audio they’ll arguably be worth the higher price.

• Value score: 4/5

Honor Earbuds Open review: scorecard Honor Earbuds Open: Should I buy them?

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

You need workout and non-workout open-ears

While many open-ear buds are best for exercising purposes, the Honors were equally good for that and for general use.

You need noise cancellation

There are very few open-ear buds that offer Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) but the Honors do – and in use, it is effective.

You need earbuds that translate for you

Admittedly a very niche use case, but if you need an on-the-go translator, I can't think of another pair of earbuds that offer it as a feature!

Don't buy them if...

You need a longer battery life

If you want to listen for long periods of time, whether it's through a full work day or a long run or a journey, the Honors won't help you much.

You like to fiddle with your audio mix

It's pretty easy to find wireless earbuds with some kind of EQ tab, even many open-ears, so the Honors won't suit people who like to tinker with their tunes.

Also consider

Huawei FreeArc

These open-ears from Honor's ex-parent-company Huawei are cheaper than the Earbuds Open, plus they sound better and have a few more features. The battery life is even worse though.

Our full Huawei FreeArc review is just days away… 

OpenRock Pro

These open-ears have a fantastic battery life, and they're really sturdy too, perfect for fitness users.

Read our full OpenRock Pro review

How I tested

(Image credit: Future)

I used the Honor Earbuds Open for two weeks in order to write this review. I tested them at the same time as two rival open-ears: the Huawei FreeArc and EarFun Openjump, which provided ample opportunity for comparison.

Through the review I used them alongside my Android smartphone, largely for music streaming on Spotify but also for streaming TV shows and playing games. As mentioned through the review I used them at home, on walks around my neighborhood, on cycle rides, on runs and at the gym.

I've been testing gadgets for TechRadar for over six years now, and have reviewed, amongst other things, many other open-ear earbuds.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: March 2025

MSI is well known for its gaming laptops and desktops, graphics cards, motherboards, monitors, and other PC components. Fairly recently, they also decided to break into networking, adding a line of routers and mesh Wi-Fi to take on TP-Link and others head-to-head.

The biggest selling point that MSI promotes with the Roamii BE Lite is that this is a Wi-Fi 7 Mesh router. Which is great, but the bummer is that there is no 6Ghz channel. So, while it does provide the Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) Standard, it only has 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz frequencies, no 6Ghz - confusing, I know.

The MSI Roamii BE Lite targets users who want affordable Wi-Fi 7 connectivity in their homes (or small businesses) and want a multi-gig WAN/LAN port. Regardless of location, the Roamii BE Lite has excellent security features, which protect your digital assets and family and ensure reliability.

As long as you don't require a 6GHz channel, this is one of the best Wi-Fi mesh systems for the money, but for those who want those 6GHz speeds, this system may not be the right fit for you.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) MSI Roamii BE Lite: Price and Availability

The MSI Roamii BE Lite is sold for $210 / £210 as a two-unit system. This includes the main router and a secondary node that you can place throughout your home office or small business to extend your mesh network further. It's available through Best Buy, Amazon, and many others, all of which can be found on the MSI Website.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) MSI Roamii BE Lite: Unboxing & first impressions

The MSI Roamii BE Lite came very well packaged -- partially because the two triangle units could lay over one another and partially because of the sleek packaging that still protected the units. The box had two nodes: power adapters, an ethernet cable for the primary node to connect to a modem, and wall-mounting brackets. Though I would never mount something like this to the wall, it's nice for MSI to include this for those needing it.

I just finished reviewing the TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro mesh router, so I was not shocked to see a taller, white, similarly sized router. However, the change in shape, moving from a cylinder to a triangle, was a nice change-up. The smooth, modern white finish blends nicely without being too prominent, especially in my home office. Another thing that I noticed right away was that both nodes had ethernet ports, meaning that, just like in the TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro, I could use it to extend my ethernet network (in a way) without running ethernet cables through my walls.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) MSI Roamii BE Lite: Design & build quality Specs

Wireless Specification: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)
Bands: 2.4GHz (up to 688Mbps) and 5GHz (up to 4,323Mbps)
Antennas: 4 internal
Processor: 1.5GHz quad-core CPU
Memory: 2GB DDR4 RAM
Storage: 256MB flash memory
Ports per Node:
• 1 x 2.5GbE WAN/LAN
• 2 x 1GbE LAN
Coverage: Up to 5,800 sq ft with two nodes
Security: WPA2/WPA3, FortiSecu suite with parental controls

As mentioned, the nodes are sleek and minimal in a soft white, triangular tower shape. The MSI Roamii BE Lite is durable, sturdy, and not too large. The triangular shape has a smooth edge and can easily blend in with my home office. While some routers may attempt to attract attention, the Roamii BE Lite does not -- they try to blend in.

One downside of this router is that there are no USB ports, meaning I cannot easily attach storage to my network via a basic drive. I would need a Synology DiskStation or BeeStation, which is precisely what I did -- more on that below.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) MSI Roamii BE Lite: In use

Setting up the MSI Roamii BE Lite was very easy. I downloaded the companion app, and I followed simple step-by-step instructions. Since I didn't want to start a new network, and in my situation, I wanted to replace my old router to try this one out, I kept my network settings the same, using the identical SSID and Password. My devices (for the most part) could reconnect to the new router without issue. A few smart devices took a little while, but most of my devices (I have around 70 connected devices in my house at any given time) could jump to the new router.

My 2.4GHz devices connected without a problem, and so did my 5GHz. However, I quickly noticed that I was missing the 6GHz band when working on my iPhone 16 Pro, my iPad Mini 7, and some of my laptops for testing. While it's not a huge deal, it is noticeable at some slower speeds -- but then again, I'm the person who checks that stuff and pays attention to it.

According to MSI, you can get about 5,800 sq ft of coverage with these two nodes. For medium to large homes or smaller offices (compared to, say, a State Farm Corporate), this is perfect. So far, I've not noticed any dead zones, nor have I seen a drop in connection when walking around my home and home office. As mentioned, I always have a large number of devices in my space. So far, while testing the Roamii BE Lite, I haven't noticed any devices struggling to stay connected as more get connected, nor have I noted any that have been flat-out pushed off the network due to limited connections.

One of the areas that MSI promotes very heavily for the Roamii BE Lite is the security and parental controls they have baked into their app and router. This includes parental controls, access scheduling, filtering, network scans, and more. In short, this means that if you need to control who can be on the Wi-Fi, or when, or what is seen, this is a great option. I am also hyper-aware of who and what is on my network. Because of this, I have loved doing network threat scans (okay, love may be a bit too dramatic), and it's great peace of mind knowing that there is built-in security to help protect my network's integrity.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) MSI Roamii BE Lite: Final verdict

Overall, the Roamii BE Lite is good at what it does. In 2025, especially from a gaming-heavy company, they'd include a 6GHz band. However, the 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands work well. That, plus the great price, makes this a great budget buy. If you are looking for maximum connectivity, the highest speeds, true Wi-Fi 7 feature sets, or that 6GHz band, this is probably not the unit for you.

For more connectivity solutions, we reviewed the best small business routers.

Gtech StyleOnic: two-minute review

In the hunt for the best hair straighteners, Gtech may not be a brand that immediately jumps to mind. However, with the launch of the StyleOnic Turbo ION hair straightener (and Gtech DryOnic hair dryer alongside) the brand known mainly for its excellent vacuum cleaners has moved into haircare.

Designed to reduce frizz, boost shine, and make styling easy, the StyleOnic uses ionic technology and ceramic plates to create smooth, sleek results, and soft curls. It also features an LED display that shows each of the 10 precise temperature controls, ranging from 140 C / 285 F to 230 C / 445 F, making it suitable for a wide range of hair types and styles.

In testing, the StyleOnic performed well at straightening my long, fine, naturally-curly hair; heating up quickly and gliding smoothly without snagging. It wasn't as smooth as other straighteners, like the GHD Chronos (learn more in my GHD Chronos review), but still impressive. The beveled edges make it easy to create curls or waves, although the results were often inconsistent – largely because I often had to squeeze the 1 in / 2.5cm plates together harder than I would have liked to make sure the whole hair strand was evenly styled, which caused my hand to ache.

I liked the lightweight, slim dimensions of the StyleOnic. It weighs 8.4oz / 239g and measures 9.8in / 25cm and these dimensions, coupled with its heat-protective case, makes it great for travel or storage. However, the styler itself has a cheap-looking build, caused by its mix of materials and colors. Elsewhere, it's difficult to press the temperature button because of where it's positioned on top of the styler. I often struggled to get enough purchase to change the setting without the plates hitting together.

I feel like these flaws are a sacrifice you make for the StyleOnic's price, though. Gtech isn’t trying to compete with salon-grade brands like GHD or Dyson, but instead offers a practical, relatively affordable alternative with a focus on convenience. This makes it a worthwhile option if you prioritize portability and ease of use over high-end design and flawless performance. Just don't expect miracles.

Read on for my full Gtech StyleOnic review...

(Image credit: Future) Gtech StyleOnic review: price & availability

• List price: £99.99
• Available: UK only
• Launched: January 2025

The Gtech StyleOnic costs £99.99 and is only currently available in the UK direct from Gtech, or a range of third party retailers. Gtech is yet to confirm if, or when, it will be sold in other regions. For this price, you get the styler, a protective heat glove and a storage bag.

The Gtech StyleOnic sits alongside other lower mid-range models including the BaByliss Hydro-Fusion and Bellissima Italia Creativity Infrared. One of my favorite stylers, the mdlondon STRAIT, is marginally more expensive at £109 but is one of the closest like-for-like models in terms of design, features and specs.

In the STRAIT's favor are its longer plates – 11cm vs the Gtech's 8.9cm. This makes them better suited to different hair lengths and make it great for curling. It also offers 11 temperatures versus the Gtech's 10 settings. Beyond this though, both the StyleOnic and STRAIT are very similar with digital displays, swivel cords, auto-shut off features and a range of colors.

The Gtech StyleOnic slightly takes the edge against the BaByliss model by offering twice number of temperature settings. BaByliss doesn't have a digital display but everything else is near-on identical, from its ceramic plates, ionic technology, shape and size.

The Bellissima model is a better option if you have damaged hair. The infrared technology – one of the biggest hair trends of the moment – styles the outer layers of the hair without stripping moisture from the inside. The rest of its settings are the same, although the clunky design of the Bellissima leaves a little to be desired.

All this considered, the Gtech StyleOnic is good value for money in terms of the range of settings and features it offers, and the safety extras you get as standard. Little separates it from other straighteners in its price bracket and it's not reinventing the wheel, but it's a solid debut nonetheless.

• Value score: 4 out of 5

Gtech StyleOnic specs Gtech StyleOnic review: design

• 1 inch wide, ceramic-coated plates
• 10 different heat settings
• Longer-than-usual plates

Having recently reviewed the Gtech DryOnic hair dryer, and been really impressed with its classy, premium design, I was a little disappointed with how the StyleOnic looks.

I tested the Oyster model and while I liked the satin finish of the cream-colored areas, and the gold accents on the plates and controls, they were let down by the black, glass band found on the top – which houses the LED display. This mix of materials makes the StyleOnic not only look cheap, but feel cheap in the hand.

At the base of the styler is a 2m / 6.5ft cord. This is shorter than the 3m average, and while it'll be fine if you have a power outlet positioned near your dressing table area, it'll get annoying quickly if you don't.

(Image credit: Future)

Above the display, where the black glass meets the cream plastic are two thin buttons – one turns the straighteners on and off; the other is used to cycle through the 10 heat settings. Rather than having specific styling modes, the StyleOnic Turbo ION relies on you knowing which heat setting best suits your hair type. This is great in terms of versatility, but can take some experimentation.

The 10 temperature settings are:

• 140 C / 284 F
• 150 C / 302 F
• 160 C / 320 F
• 170 C / 338 F
• 180 C / 356 F
• 190 C / 374 F
• 200 C / 392 F
• 210 C / 410 F
• 220 C / 428 F
• 230 C / 446 F

If you have thicker or longer hair, or your hair has been damaged from chemicals or over-styling, you'll get much more use and benefit from having such a wide temperature range. I've never needed such a wide range because my fine hair is pretty malleable. However, I welcomed the ability to drop or increase the heat as and when needed.

It takes over a minute to heat up to the maximum 230 C / 445 F, which is more than twice the length of rival stylers from the likes of GHD and T3. However it should be noted, the 30-second heat-up time of these alternative stylers takes their respective plates to ~185 C / 365 F, which is considerably cooler than Gtech's model.

To switch the styler on and adjust the temperature, you need to apply a fair amount of pressure to the buttons for them to register. However, because these buttons are positioned on the outer side of the top plate, it’s difficult to get enough grip to do so. To apply the necessary pressure, you first have to squeeze the plates together to prevent the styler from shifting and becoming a safety hazard. Or you have to place your fingers on the underside of the arm, which can feel dangerous when the plates are on.

(Image credit: Future)

You can see when the straightener reaches your chosen temperature via the LED display and even though I don't love how big the display is, from an aesthetic point of view, it does make it quick and easy to see the setting at a glance.

The plates are the standard 1 in / 2.5cm wide and 3.5 in / 3.8cm long but the StyleOnic is noticeably lighter and more compact than other straighteners I've tested. It weighs just ‎8.4oz / 239g and measures 9.8 x 1.5 x 1.5" / 25 x 3.8 x 3.8cm. This makes it compact and light enough for easy handling and for packing in a suitcase or bag, without being too small to work on longer hair.

I also appreciated other smaller touches which helped to alleviate some of my design disappointment. Namely the travel lock, which helps keep the plates closed when not in use; a 30-minute auto shut-off; its travel case and safety glove.

• Design score: 3.5 out of 5

Gtech StyleOnic straightener review: performance

• Wide range of temperatures suit multiple needs and hair types
• Beveled edges great for curling
• Smooth but inconsistent styling

Given Gtech’s reputation for practical, well-designed home appliances, I was hoping the StyleOnic would follow suit. While it can't quite compete with more expensive straighteners I've tested, the StyleOnic still does a good job of creating frizz-free, smooth styles. Albeit with some caveats.

The straightener isn't the fastest. Not just in terms of heat-up time, but in how long it took to style my hair. I found I needed to make multiple passes at times to fully straighten sections, even on higher settings. This increased styling time (to an average of four minutes) as well as the potential heat damage.

The StyleOnic also isn't the smoothest flat iron I've tried (that prize goes to the GHD Chronos), but its ionic technology and ceramic plates do smooth and seal the hair well. While the styler's beveled edges make curling easy, allowing for waves and movement without leaving sharp creases.

(Image credit: Future)

Across the board though, performance varied and these results were inconsistent. That's largely because of the way the plates are positioned.

Both plates 'float' within their respective arms, which means they move slightly to follow the flow of your hair. However, they sit closer to each other at the tip of the styler than where they meet at the hinge. This is deliberate, to allow you to create different sized curls, but it also means the pressure on the hair isn't consistent all the way down the plates. I found the best way to guarantee a more even finish was to squeeze the arms harder than normal, but that caused my hand and wrist to ache.

(Image credit: Future)

If you get the pressure and temperature just right, the style not only looks great but it lasts for hours, though. Curls that would usually drop stayed defined and in place until I got home from a night out. Plus, the swivel cord gives plenty of room and movement, and the weight of the straightener is balanced enough that it helped relieve some of the aching from gripping the plates together.

As my hair is naturally curly, I usually only use a flat iron to knock out this frizz rather than straightening it completely. Super sleek, straight styles tend to leave my thin hair looking limp and flat, and this was the case with the Gtech StyleOnic. This says more about my hair than the styler itself, though. If anything, for people with thicker, coarser hair or for those looking for super sleek styles, this may be a positive, and exactly what you're after.

• Performance score: 3.5 out of 5

Should I buy the Gtech StyleOnic? Buy it if...

You like or need precise heat control

The StyleOnic's 10 temperature settings, which can be seen at-a-glance using the built-in LED display, cater to a range of hair types and needs.

You want a practical, affordable styler

The Gtech StyleOnic offers practicality and function for its price, even if this does mean it lacks premium build quality.

You value safety features

Its 30-minute auto shut-off and travel lock give extra security and peace of mind when using the StyleOnic.

Don't buy it if...

You want a premium look and feel

The mix of materials on the StyleOnic makes it feel and look less high-end than some rivals.

You need ultra-fast styling

It takes longer to heat up, and style your hair, using the StyleOnic compared to other competitors.

You find fiddly controls frustrating

The power and temperature control buttons require firm pressure and are awkwardly positioned, making them poorly suited to people with mobility needs or similar.

How I tested the Gtech StyleOnic

• Tested a range of temperature settings
• Created a range of straight and curly looks

For my Gtech StyleOnic Turbo ION hair straightener review, I spent two weeks using it as my main hot styling tool. I created a series of looks for different occasions including straight, curly and wavy styles and put the range of temperature settings to the test. I timed how long the styles took to complete, how well they lasted and monitored the finish and condition of my hair.

First reviewed: February 2025

Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro review: One-minute review

If you can count on Chinese tech brand Xiaomi to do one thing in its gadgets, it’s to load them up with top-end spec and then sell them for a relatively competitive price, and that’s exactly what it’s done with the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro.

This new mid-range slate is a relative rarity given Xiaomi’s focus on low-end tablets over mid-range ones (it doesn’t sell top-end ones to match the price of the iPad Pro or Samsung Galaxy Tab S10). It follows the Pad 6 which was released in the west in 2023, and it comes amidst many other Android tab rivals all vying for a spot in our list of the best tablets, including the recent Honor Pad V9 and Oppo Pad 3 Pro. It’s this latter that competes closely with the Xiaomi, in terms of specs and price – more on that later.

As is often the case with Xiaomi’s gadgets, the brand has laden the Pad 7 Pro with top-tier specs. It has one of the most powerful chipsets on Android devices right now, plus a screen resolution and charging speed that aren’t currently available on any rival products right now.

So it’s spec-heavy but it has its issues too. There’s a fingerprint scanner built into the power button that proved quite unreliable, the battery drained pretty quickly during gaming, and the tablet could heat up quite a bit. I also found some of the AI features to be unreliable.

Given its display size, the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro could be considered an Android-powered iPad Pro 11 rival. It's less powerful but costs less and has a better-looking display... and the Xiaomi's accessories are just as pricey as Apple's versions.

So if you've been considering buying a fairly powerful tablet but don't need the top-end trappings of an iPad Pro, or the price tag that comes with it, the Xiaomi is a solid option. However if you're not as picky a buyer, you'll find that the Xiaomi doesn't offer quite as much value for money as more affordable options that you'll find detailed below.

Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro review: price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Released in Februay 2025
• Starts at £449, but only on sale in limited regions
• Accessories cost a pretty penny

The Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro was unveiled in February 2025 alongside a suite of other gadgets from the company including the Xiaomi 15 series of smartphones, the Xiaomi Buds 5, a new smartwatch and the base model Xiaomi Pad 7.

You can pick up the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro for £449 (around $581 / AU$900, though it’s not on sale in the US or Australia). That price will get you 8GB RAM and 256GB storage but I’d recommend you pay an extra £50 (around $70, AU$100) for the higher-spec 12GB RAM and 512GB model, which gets you a lot more power. Add that premium again and you can get a special matte glass model of the higher-spec tablet, which will provide a more premium design but the same internals.

At that price, this is a mid-range slate, designed not as an entry into the tablet world but for people who are looking for a series tab with a lot of power but not all the trimmings and trappings of a top-price premium alternative.

Price-wise it sits between the standard iPad and the iPad Air, or at about £100 more than the non-Pro Xiaomi Pad 7. We’ll get to a few competitors later but suffice to say, you can expect a fair amount if you’re paying this much for a tablet.

I’ll briefly touch on accessories too: these don’t come with the slate but you can buy them separately. There’s a keyboard stand for £119 and a Focus Keyboard £179, and these are imitations of Apple’s Keyboard Folio and Smart Keyboard respectively. The main difference with the latter is that it has a trackpad and lets you tilt the display over different angles. Then there’s the stylus, which costs £89, and a standard cover-stand that costs £45.

• Value: 3 / 5

Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro review: specs

Here are the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro's specs at a glance:

Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro review: design

(Image credit: Future)

• Lightweight and pretty thin
• Three color options plus one matte alternative
• Unreliable fingerprint scanner

You may find the look of the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro familiar, and that’s because it boasts the same flat-edge unibody look that most slates have been using since the iPad Pro was introduced 7 years ago. Oh well: if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, and it’s popular for a reason: the design is svelte and slender, easily slipping into a bag and looking good to use.

The exact measurements of the Pad 7 Pro are 251.22 x 173.42 x 6.18mm, so it’s pretty slim. It weighs 500g, according to Xiaomi.

When held landscape the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro has a USB-C charging port on the right edge, but no 3.5mm jack, I’m sorry to say. There’s a volume rocker and a power button, and the latter doubles as a fingerprint scanner, but it wasn’t the most reliable sensor. When attached to a keyboard, I found that the lip of the folio overshot the edge of the tablet, so I had to angle my finger just right to press my finger on the sensor.

(Image credit: Future)

The keyboard case adds quite a bit to the bulk of this otherwise-thin and portable tablet. However, its added protection is worth the extra size, in my eyes, as gadgets like this are prone to scratches and bumps.

You’ll want to add a case or keyboard if you plan to lay the slate flat on a table. That’s because the square camera bump on the back of the Pad is pretty pronounced, so it’ll wobble quite a bit if you don’t use the case to level it out.

You can buy the tablet in gray, blue or green, and the aforementioned matte glass version is also gray – I didn’t test this model, so can’t talk about what difference it makes.

Xiaomi’s website doesn’t list an IP rating for the Pad 7 Pro and I’d take that to mean that there isn’t significant protection against dust or water. Try to avoid getting the thing wet, or getting into a situation where fine particles could get into the ports (that includes sand, you beach-readers!).

• Design: 4 / 5

Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro review: display

(Image credit: Future)

• 11.2-inch display and 3:2 aspect ratio
• 2136 x 3200 resolution and 144Hz refresh rate

The Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro has an 11.2-inch screen, making this a potential alternative to the smaller-sized iPad Pro which also has an 11-inch screen. Both have the same 3:2 aspect ratio, but the Xiaomi has more pixels.

Its resolution is 2136 x 3200, which Xiaomi classifies as 3.2K – enough for any movie, TV show or game you’d want to enjoy on the slate. In all my testing and research, I haven’t found a tablet with a higher resolution (and all Apple and Samsung options have fewer pixels), so if you want something really high-res, this is for you. It equals a 345 pixel-per-inch density.

(Image credit: Future)

The refresh rate is 144Hz, which only a handful of video games can hit, but by default the slate runs on an adaptive mode which changes the refresh rate depending on your task.

The max brightness is 800 nits, which is fairly luminous and it’ll make the colors in your chosen TV show pop more. However when I used the tablet in a coffee shop, I did struggle to see the screen due to glare from sunlight.

One other display feature to mention is that there’s official support for Dolby Vision here, a visual standard that’s used for movies if you stream from certain apps like Netflix.

• Display: 5 / 5

Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro review: software

(Image credit: Future)

• Android 15 with HyperOS 2 laid over the top
• AI features are hit-or-miss
• Some bloatware

The Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro runs on Xiaomi’s version of Android, HyperOS 2, which runs on top of Android 15. I couldn’t find official confirmation from Xiaomi for how long it plans to support the tablet with software updates.

HyperOS, for better or worse, doesn’t change many layout or design features of Android. Android has been in iPadOS’ shadow as a tablet-oriented operating system and while it’s come on leaps and bounds in the last few years, with features like split-view apps and a redesigned user interface, there are still some annoyances, like how squished the quick settings menu is.

Instead, Xiaomi has jumped on the AI bandwagon by loading the Pad 7 Pro full of features that bear the ‘AI’ name – though some didn’t work right, and a few didn’t work at all. I could never find a way to enable the AI art feature, for instance, which lets you circle your own works in the Mi Canvas app to create AI-generated images.

Using my own photos, the AI: 1) thought movie posters on my wall were documents, and wouldn’t let me edit any part of the picture except the posters 2) provided completely incorrect transcripts when I asked it to recognize text and 3) failed to identify items I wanted removed from shots.

Plus, you need to create a Xiaomi account, sign in and install these features to use any of them, so they’re not available out of the box, and features are spread between separate menus in the Gallery app instead of being in one place.

(Image credit: Future)

Some AI features worked better, like the speech-to-text conversion from the recorder app, so it’s not all doom and gloom. I find AI features incredibly situational at the best of times, and didn’t use any of the Pad 7 Pro’s during day-to-day use, so their unreliable nature won’t affect your using the tablet if you don’t plan to utilize these tools. Notably, they only seem to work from the Pad 7 Pro’s pre-installed apps; I couldn’t use the AI writing tool on Google Docs, for example.

As with many Xiaomi devices there’s bloatware with apps like LinkedIn, WPS Office and Gemini pre-installed, but it’s not as dramatic as on many phones from the company.

A few features make the Pad 7 Pro useful as a working tool, like the ability to wirelessly connect it to a Windows or Mac PC as a screen extension (without downloading any extra apps on either) or to turn it into a working hub for other Xiaomi gadgets you own.

• Software: 3 / 5

Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro review: performance and cameras

(Image credit: Future)

• Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 provides lots of processing power
• 8GB/12GB RAM and 256GB/512GB storage
• 50MP rear camera and 32MP front-facing

Xiaomi has packed up the Pad 7 Pro with a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, a chipset that was designed as a slightly less powerful alternative to the top-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. So the Xiaomi Pad isn’t the most powerful slate on the market, not as long as Apple is offering desktop-class M2 and M4 chips in the iPad Air and iPad Pro, but it can still hold its head up high for most functions.

I tested a variety of games on the tablet and never saw serious stuttering or lagging, with titles able to run their highest graphics options if they were available. Perhaps for super-power-hungry tasks like video editing you might need a little more power, but for 99% of buyers, I’d say the 8s Gen 3 is enough. However when gaming, a common Snapdragon problem did arise: the slate could get pretty hot if I gamed for too long in one session. Take breaks!

(Image credit: Future)

In terms of speakers, there are four around the tablet. These provide Dolby Atmos audio for supported apps and Xiaomi has also included a Volume Boost feature that does exactly what you’d expect. However, movies and music only sound one step better than listening on a smartphone, and I found myself opting to use Bluetooth headphones when streaming movies.

The rear and front cameras of the Pad 7 Pro are both surprisingly high-res; you’re getting a 50MP camera on the back and a 32MP one on the front. There are a few photography modes (Portrait and Night on the rear camera), but you’re not getting nearly as many as on a smartphone.

A small LED mounted on the top bezel of the slate, just next to the front camera, lights up green when either camera is on; a bonus for privacy-conscious users.

• Performance: 4 / 5

Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro review: battery

(Image credit: Future)

• 8,850mAh battery drains surprisingly fast
• 67W charging powers up tab quickly
• Battery health tech

Keeping the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro powered is a 8,850mAh battery, which is in the same ballpark as its competitors.

Xiaomi estimates that you can keep the tablet running for 19 hours of video playback with that battery, but while I didn’t personally watch Netflix for that long in my testing period, I did find the battery would drain a little quicker than I’d expect.

At least the tablet charges quickly: with 67W powering, this is one of the fastest-charging slates you’ll find on the market. Xiaomi’s says it should take about 80 minutes to power from empty to full and I’d concur.

If you worry about battery health, the slate also has two chips that Xiaomi designed for its smartphones; one helps extend the device’s battery life and the other ensures that fast charging doesn’t damage the battery capacity.

• Battery: 3/5

Should you buy the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro? Buy it if…

You care about screen fidelity
If your tablet use case necessitates lots of on-screen pixels, then the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro's high-res display will be perfect for you.View Deal

You want power on a budget
It's not the cheapest tablet, and it's not the most powerful, but the Xiaomi is a lovely marriage between value and power.View Deal

You're not great at remembering to charge
Tablets often take ages to charge, which isn't great for those of us who constantly forget to plug in the slate. The Xiaomi's 67W powering helps a lot with that.View Deal

Don’t buy it if…

You want accessories on a budget
I was surprised to learn how expensive the Xiaomi's accessories are. If you're on a budget but want a stylus or keyboard, you might want to look elsewhere.View Deal

You're reliant on AI features
If you are buying a tablet for its AI-enabled features, then you might find the Xiaomi doesn't reach expectations.View Deal

Also consider

Not convinced by the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro? Here are a few other options to consider:

iPad Pro 11 (2024)
You get more with the iPad: more processing power, more storage and lots of Apple features. However it costs a lot more, doesn't have as high-res a display and charges a lot slower.

Read more about the iPad Pro (2024)

Oppo Pad 3 Pro
Oppo's Android tablet costs roughly the same as the Xiaomi, and its specs are very similar too. Slight differences distinguish the two, but nothing huge.

Read our full Oppo Pad 3 Pro review

How I tested the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro

I used the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro for three weeks before writing this review, alongside the keyboard folio which you see in some of the accompanying pictures. The model used was the higher-spec option.

My use cases involved streaming movies, TV shows and music across various apps, playing several games titles, writing articles for my job and reading news stories online.

I've been reviewing products for TechRadar since early 2019, covering everything from tablets and smartphones to headphones, fitness trackers, and electric scooters.

Why you can trust TechRadar

☑️ 100s of smartphones reviewed
☑️ 15 years of product testing
☑️ Over 16,000 products reviewed in total
☑️ Nearly 200,000 hours testing tech

First reviewed March 2025

Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel: One-minute review

The Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel is an officially licensed, direct drive, 11Nm force feedback-enabled racing wheel that comes in variants compatible with Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC. For this review, I've been testing the PlayStation model.

Designed for serious sim racing, it combines extreme analog fidelity with rock-solid build quality and easy-to-reach button placement compared to the previous model, the Logitech G923. In use, the experience is enhanced through mechanical feedback not just from your virtual wheels, but from your engine too, thanks to Logitech's Trueforce technology, absolutely transforming games like Gran Turismo 7 and EA Sports WRC.

The wheel is not compatible with every racing game, and while it does feature a G923 compatibility mode for slightly older games, it can still be a pain getting it to work properly with PC games like rFactor 2. What isn't a pain, however, is setting it up for console play, with supreme plug-and-play simplicity on PS5, boosted further by an excellent attachable desk clamp for those lacking a full sim rig.

With gorgeous build quality, noticeably quiet running, and thumb-risking force feedback strength, this is a recommended solution for a console sim racer, just as long as you've got pockets deep enough to at least get the Pro pedals with it.

(Image credit: Future) Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel: Price and availability

• List price: $999.99 / £999.99 / AU$1,799.95
• A PC-only version is available for $749.99 / £799 (around AU$1,630)
• Logitech offers regional discounts when bundled with related products

The Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel has been available since September 21, 2022, costing a shade under $1,000 / £1,000, and that's just for the wheel alone. You'll need to pair it with the Pro Racing Pedals for about $350 / £350, plus you might need a sequential shifter and/or handbrake too (plus a frame to mount it all to) if you're really serious about sim racing. However, while all direct drive wheels are expensive, Logitech's force feedback here is noticeably stronger and has greater fidelity than, for instance, MOZA's PC-only, entry-level DD offering, which offers 5Nm for the base model.

Logitech's baby is also cheaper than Fanatec's flagship DD wheelbase, the Podium Wheel. You could also argue nobody really needs 25Nm of torque like Fanatec offers; 5Nm is plenty for a good racing feel, and the Logitech Pro Racing Wheel offers more than double that, at 11Nm, as well as advanced features like a quick-release system for changing wheel rims and a small built-in screen for adjusting wheel settings on the fly. So while it doesn't have the physical grunt of the best on the market, it's more than enough for what you'll need and the build quality and realistic feedback are worthy of the price, even if it would be more of a no-brainer if it were some £200 / $200 cheaper.

Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel: Specs Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel: Design and features

• New 'thumb sweep' button orientation
• Two dials plus left digital thumbstick
• Modular design for desk clamp

The wheel rim itself is not dissimilar to the outgoing G923 it replaces, however the button placement has been optimized. X and Triangle are a little bit of a stretch with your thumb tips when the wheel is held in the racing style 9 o'clock / 3 o'clock position, but L2 and R2 are easily reachable.

The share and menu buttons don't require your hands to leave the wheel to reach them, though they are tucked down further. They also flank the two dials, which are placed 90 degrees to each other, so one is best used with your left hand's fingers, while the other is best used with your right thumb. Both dials click in as additional 'push' buttons you can map in-game.

A particular standout feature is the removable logo plate at the bottom of the wheelbase, which can be replaced with the included desk clamp. Not all high-end sim racing wheels come with a desk clamp, but with the addition of two protruding flat-edged sections of plastic, the wheelbase grips any desk remarkably well.

(Image credit: Future)

So well, in fact, you can easily dial up the force feedback without any risk of it coming away and flapping about, destroying your desk and/or computer. It's very solid and an absolute joy to use with pedals under the desk, backed up against the wall so they don't skid as you fight against the loadcell brake pedal to get your car stopped for a hairpin.

In terms of comfort, the stitching on the rim does feel rough against your thumbs, especially when you've spent hours rallying with the force feedback strength turned up. Expect red palms and calluses if you're planning to fight the car through stages for hours. That aside, the wheel is a good size, feels like a premium product, and those magnetic shifters look, feel, and sound great.

You may be interested in getting a different rim (the wheel part you hold) at some point in the future because the included rim is a little plain compared to Fanatec's McLaren GT3 wheel, or Thrustmaster's Ferrari SF1000, for example, the latter of which features a large, full-color display in its center.

This Logitech wheel doesn't even have any lights on the rim itself, let alone a screen for data. It's just a high-quality steering wheel with great control layout and feel. Logitech does have more rims coming to take advantage of that quick-release system, but nothing obviously electronics-heavy has been shown yet.

(Image credit: Future) Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel: Performance

• Surprisingly quiet operation
• Super smooth force feedback
• Incredibly low latency

If you've used strong force feedback wheels in the past, you might be used to quite a lot of noise from the motor and the fans. However, neither phenomenon is exhibited here. There is a fan inside to keep the feedback motor cool, and naturally, that will be needed the longer you use it and the higher the strength is set. But it wasn't noticeable at any point of my playtest, and you're not blasted with weird-smelling air like you are with some other wheelbases, which is very welcome.

As for the force feedback itself, you don't get the 'cogging' feeling of a belt-driven system where the teeth connect unevenly with the belt; instead, you simply feel strong forces pulling against your hands. It's brilliantly done. Trundle down a straight and you'll feel the slight grain of the asphalt, drive down a muddy lane and you'll feel every bump. And hitting a high curb gives you a real kickback through your hands.

But perhaps the best use of the feedback tech is how it feels to rev your rally car on the startline of EA Sports WRC. You'll swear there's an engine under your palms. It's beautifully done.

(Image credit: Future)

But what also stands out is just how responsive it all is. Waggle the steering wheel and your on-screen hands match your movements incredibly quickly, looking like 1:1 movement in some situations, with just the merest hint of latency if you see-saw the wheel quickly while using a PC monitor.

It's among the best I've ever seen and feels ultra-responsive as a result. Logitech's Trueforce technology makes supported games feel remarkable just to feel the car in motion, even when you're not turning.

There really isn't much more the wheel could do to make you feel like you're in contact with a real road. It's superb. And if you find these environmental effects too bitty, there are smoothing options and most games even let you reduce or disable track effects. However you want your racing to feel, it can likely be done with this wheel.

Should I buy the Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel? Buy it if...

You play serious racing games but prefer to do it on console
If you just want the absolute best-feeling console racing experience and balk at PC gaming's tendency towards tinkering, this is absolutely for you. It just works brilliantly.

You don't have a racing seat/frame so need to mount your wheel to a desk
The included desk clamp and base design is so good, that it arguably feels as good as a bucket seat frame rig if you're in a comfortable office chair.

Don't buy it if...

You're on a budget
This is seriously expensive stuff and don't forget you need to buy the pedals too. Cheaper wheels do offer force feedback effects that push against your hands as you bump into cars etc. so you don't need to spend as much as the price of a real-life second-hand car.

You want to buy just one wheel for all your consoles
This wheel only comes in PlayStation/PC, Xbox/PC, or PC-only flavors. You can't just use a different rim for Xbox like you can with some other brands' PlayStation wheelbases, like Fanatec.

Also consider...

Not sure whether you should drop so much on a flagship wheel? Here’s how it compares to two cheaper, but still great alternatives.

Thrustmaster T598
This Thrustmaster wheel is compatible with PS5/PS4 and PC and is the current best entry point into direct drive sim racing on console. 5Nm is often said to be the sweet spot for force feedback strength, so while it isn't as strong as others on the market, the smooth, 'cogless' feel of this wheel provides a similar experience but at about half the price. It is comparatively plasticky, but if you want premium materials, you'll need to pay a premium price.

For more information, read our full Thrustmaster T598 review

Logitech G923
This is a great alternative for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 gamers because it's so much cheaper - and even comes with decent pedals - yet still features Logitech's TrueForce technology. It isn't Direct Drive, however, and the comparatively paltry 2.3Nm of force isn't going to jump out of your hands through brute strength, but even so you will enjoy a precise and dynamic sim racing experience without breaking the bank.

For more information, read our full Logitech G923 review

How I tested the Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel for PlayStation

• 100% completed My First Gran Turismo and played several other racing sims on PS5
• Moved over to PC to test rFactor 2, Dirt Rally 2.0, Project CARS 3 and more
• Played with an at-desk clamp and monitor setup, and also a full racing seat frame with Viewsonic ultra-wide gaming monitor

I tested the Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel for a week across several racing sims on PS5 and PC, including EA Sports WRC, F1 23 and F1 24, Dirt Rally 2.0, Gran Turismo 7, My First Gran Turismo, and rFactor 2, among others. Completing My First Gran Turismo from scratch to 100% was an absolute blast since you can feel everything the car is doing.

I mounted the wheel to a racing seat and played using a ViewSonic VP3881A 38-inch IPS WQHD+ ultrawide monitor for wonderfully immersive PC racing. I also mounted it to a desk and played on a 32-inch 4K Samsung R550UQP monitor using a launch model PS5, as well as with a Dell Nvidia RTX 2070-enabled gaming laptop.

I also tried playing less serious games like Disney Speedstorm (which didn't recognize the wheel at all on PS5) and the amazing New Star GP, which you can drive to some extent, but can't do the pit stops since the left stick isn't analog. But the most fun of all was undoubtedly EA Sports WRC on PS5, which feels like it was made specifically for this wheel.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed March 2025

TCL QM6K: Two-minute review

Affordable Premium is the modus operandi of the TCL QM6K TV, and it fits that bill quite well. It offers a handful of features that you won’t find on budget TVs like Dolby Vision IQ and Dolby Atmos support. And the company’s own Halo Control technology does a great job of minimizing backlight blooming in pictures.

Combined with its affordable price, it should rank among the best TVs for those wanting to thread the needle between premium performance and value.

This TCL does have some shortcomings that may paint other, slightly more expensive TVs as worth the extra cash. The speakers aren’t all that great, though very few TVs have mastered this and you should get one of the best soundbars regardless. More concerning is the fact that the screen has some minor vignetting in the corners.

That said, those issues are very small ones that you probably won’t even notice if you’re not doing a head-to-head comparison. It mostly does everything right, especially from an end-user point of view. Its picture is vibrant and sharp. It has a speedy 144Hz refresh rate. And it’s easy to use.

The TCL QM6K's remote control is sturdy and serviceable, but lacks a play/pause button for streaming (Image credit: Future) TCL QM6K review: Price and release date

• Release date: February 2025
• 50-inch: $749.99
• 55-inch: $799.99
• 65-inch: $999.99
• 75-inch: $1,299.99
• 85-inch: $1,999.99
• 98-inch: $2,999.99

The TCL QM6K series is TCL’s first TV release of 2025 and is only available in the US. The series ranges in size from 50 to 98 inches.

The 65-inch version I tested retails for $999.99, while the other models range from $749.99 to $2,999.99. At those prices, the value of the QM6K series is good, but all sizes are already seeing discounts, with the 65-inch model I tested now selling for around $800.

TCL QM6K review: Specs TCL QM6K review: Benchmark results

The QM6K's connections include two HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 144Hz support (Image credit: Future) TCL QM6K review: Features

• Dolby Vision IQ helps in bright rooms
• IMAX Enhanced for IMAX content
• Hands-free Google voice assistant

There’s quite a handful of features on offer here. I’ll touch on things like HDR, hands-free voice support, Halo Control, and the game accelerator in other sections, but there’s still plenty to talk about.

Dolby Vision IQ is something I always appreciate, but especially with this TCL since the only logical place for me to set it up was in a room that gets a lot of ambient light. What Dolby Vision IQ does is adjust the brightness of the TV according to the level of ambient light in your room so you can still see what’s on the screen when it’s bright, and then dim the picture for a more pleasurable viewing experience at night.

Along with the ‘Adaptive Brightness,’ as Dolby Vision IQ is called in the menu, you can toggle a blue light filter to minimize eye strain.

In the same vein as Dolby Vision IQ is the non-IQ version which adapts the brightness according to the content on the screen, whether it’s sports, a movie, or a video game. The QM6K also supports the HDR10+ high dynamic range format.

While there are the usual picture mode suspects including Filmmaker mode, there’s also an IMAX Enhanced mode to support IMAX content on 4K Blu-rays and streaming services such as Disney Plus.

• Features Score: 4.5/5

The QM6K's Halo Control technology is great at eliminating blooming effects in high-contrast pictures (Image credit: Future) TCL QM6K review: Picture quality

• Good color and contrast
• Very good at eliminating blooming
• Some minor vignetting in the corners

Our TCL QM6K benchmarks cite HDR peak brightness at 559.8 nits (Filmmaker mode) and 695.5 nits (Standard mode). For HDR fullscreen brightness, it measured 476.8 nits (Filmmaker mode) and 594.4 nits (Standard mode). Both of those results are about average for a budget mini-LED TV. For color gamut coverage, the QM6K benchmarked at 94.7% for UHDA P3 and 71.2% for BT.2020, both of which are average results.

In use, the results are more impressive, especially for those upgrading to mini-LED from an older standard LED TV. The QM6K’s brightness can’t quite outmatch the sun in a brightly lit room, and there are screen reflections, so be aware of that when figuring out the TV placement. However, it’s bright enough for most applications and the contrast with or without HDR (this TV supports Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG) not only allows colors to pop but also reveals shadow details in dimly lit scenes. I used the Disney movie Coco as a touchstone for colors and found that they were clear, distinct, and vibrant.

The QM6K’s 500 local dimming zones allow the backlight to turn off completely enough that deep blacks blend into the TV’s bezel. On a more budget TV, black might appear as more of a dark gray, but here it came across as a true, deep black.

On top of that, the QM6K utilizes TCL’s Halo Control technology so that bright objects on the screen won’t bleed into dark backgrounds, an effect referred to as halos or blooming. Sometimes, I find proprietary tech to be a gimmick or something that makes just a subtle difference. That’s not the case here. Halo Control technology performs exactly as advertised.

The QM6K has a native 120Hz refresh rate with up to 144Hz VRR (Variable Refresh Rate). Between this and the motion blur-related settings in the menu, programs were consistently pretty smooth looking. For instance, the testing of this TV started with a Super Bowl party via YouTube TV. The action on the field was clear and solid the entire time. I also did a little gaming and will discuss that below.

About the only issue I have with this TV’s picture quality is that there is some very minor vignetting in the corners of the screen. Now, if I’m looking at it head on, I can’t see it, but go off axis just a little bit and it’s fairly visible. It is millimeters of vignetting so you’ll barely notice it, but it’s there.

• Picture quality score: 4/5

The back-mounted speakers in the QM6K's built-in 2.1-channel Onkyo speaker system (Image credit: Future) TCL QM6K review: Sound quality

• Built-in 2.1-channel Onkyo speaker system
• Audio is boxy-sounding
• Virtual spatial audio support

The sound quality on the TCL QM6K unfortunately doesn’t buck the trend slim modern TVs have with poor audio. Its 2.1-channel, 40W Onkyo speaker system is mostly good, but its limitations are also noticeable.

Highs are clear and have plenty of resolution and detail. If you’re watching a live performance like a Tiny Desks Concert on PBS, sounds like cymbals and flutes are properly reproduced. Also, dialogue is very easily understood, even without the dialogue boost available in the settings, as there’s a little bit of a mid-range boost. The mid-range is fairly rich and full, though a very noticeable frequency dip makes everything sound boxy and a bit cheap.

The bass is there but is fairly muted. Even though there’s a built-in subwoofer, you get just a little bit of low-end rumble. The soundstage is not exceptionally wide, being confined to the size of the TV’s screen, though the trajectory of sounds is accurately tracked.

Lastly, there is virtual processing for Dolby Atmos and DTS: X. It’s nice having these features on hand as it gives a sense of space to any supported content. But as is typically the case, the sound is limited by the physical confines of the speakers and their placement.

• Sound quality score: 3.5/5

The QM6K's support feet (Image credit: Future) TCL QM6K review: Design

• Relatively thin
• Ports including two HDMI 2.1 with 144Hz support
• No dedicated remote play/pause button

The TCL QM6K series comes in a wide range of screen sizes, so whether you want something for a smaller(ish) setup or a home theater, there are options.

From the front, there’s not a whole lot that sets it apart from the competition. The bezels are thin enough to disappear during viewing, except on the bottom where it’s a little thicker. It’s a little more interesting in the back where it has a slightly sloped shape that not only keeps it fairly thin but allows the two raised speaker ports situated near the top room to breathe. More importantly, its ports are situated so they face directly to the side for easy access.

As far as the ports go, there are four HDMI inputs (two HDMI 2.1 with one supporting eARC), an optical digital audio output, Ethernet and RF inputs, as well as USB 3.0 and USB 2.0.

Navigating the TV is mostly done through the remote. Most of the usual suspects (in terms of buttons) are here, from a directional wheel with a button in the center to settings, input source, and sponsored buttons (Netflix, etc.). There’s also a voice button for hands-free usage that in my testing mostly went well, though I apparently don’t always enunciate as clearly as it wants me to. The only thing I don’t like about the remote is that there’s no dedicated play/pause button for streaming.

• Design score: 4/5

The QM6K's Google TV smart interface (Image credit: Future) TCL QM6K review: Smart TV and menus

• Nice mix of recommended content on home page
• Menu diving is easy
• Hands-free voice control

The TCL QM6K uses Google TV for a Smart TV interface, and it’s a treat to use. While I’m used to the Roku or Apple TV way of interfacing – namely, a grid of app tiles – the Google TV Smart OS gives a nice variety of information, and is a less ad-filled OS than one would get with an Amazon Fire TV stick. The menu options are For You (you need to sign in with your Google Account to get tailored content recommendations here), Apps, TCL ( free content) plus a few other selections on the left side while the more utilitarian selections such as Settings are on the right.

Below that and taking up the upper half of the screen is a rotating carousel of featured content. Continuing below are various rows of content such as “previously watched,” installed apps, “continue watching,” genre groupings, and several other suggestions. The interesting thing is that most of the selections on the screen link to the actual content instead of the apps to get to the content, making things just a bit more convenient.

Of course, not everything is going to pop up on this main page, so you’ll still want to go digging if you’re like me and like more esoteric content. I subscribe to the Criterion Channel, for instance, and have yet to see any suggestions from that service pop up.

The settings menu, which is integrated into the Google TV Smart OS, is intuitive. So, despite there being a bunch of different settings to play with, from different modes, and contrast options, to presets like Gamma, I never got lost when I was in the menu settings.

Being a Google TV, hands-free voice control is available. Just say “Hey Google” to interact with the far-field mic array built into the TV if you don’t feel like messing with the remote.

• Smart TV & menus score: 4/5

Gaming is smooth and responsive on the TCL QM6K (Image credit: Future) TCL QM6K review: Gaming

• Fast refresh rate that benefits even more from a game accelerator
• Ation always looks smooth and clear
• Has a dedicated settings menu when gaming

Gaming on the TCL QM6K TV is a treat. It not only has a 120Hz native refresh rate, but supports up to 4K 144Hz VRR (with Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync) and 288Hz at 1080p resolution. Our benchmarks show an input lag (Game mode) of 13.1ms, which is not the best we’ve seen, but in practice didn’t affect the gaming experience.

When testing the TV, I connected a PlayStation 5 and played several games including Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection (the only PS5 game I have been able to get to run at 120 fps), Ride 5, and Dead Island 2. As I discussed earlier, the colors are vibrant and the contrast lets images pop off the screen. No matter how fast the action, the gameplay was smooth and clear no matter if I was turning the corner on a course or trying to fight off an overwhelming horde of zombies.

It helped that when I turned on the PS5, the TV automatically changed to a Game Mode that also allowed me to mess with the refresh rate as well as turn on higher contrast settings. There’s also a dedicated ‘Game Master’ menu overlay that you can pull up using the remote to change settings without exiting the game. It’s a nice feature.

• Gaming score: 4.5/5

The QM6K with included accessories (Image credit: Future) TCL QM6K review: Value

• Punches above its weight in terms of value
• Some comparable models with similar features
• Better at eliminating blooming than other budget mini-LED TVs

The TCL QM6K punches above its weight in terms of value. And that’s even before considering the price has already dropped from the current $999 for the 65-inch size to around $800.

For comparison’s sake, the 65-inch version of the Hisense U7N is priced similarly at $999 and has many of the same features. It has higher peak and fullscreen brightness but also suffers from some backlight blooming – something TCL has managed to minimize with the TCL QM6K.

The Roku Pro Series TV fits into a similar value category but was released at a slightly higher price of $1,199 for the 65-inch. Of course, we’re seeing $400 off at the time of writing, which lets the Pro Series directly compete with the TCL. This TV also comes with some of the most important features like Dolby Vision IQ and has better sound thanks to a shadow box design that also allows for it to sit flush on the wall when mounted. However, the TCL again has that Halo Control tech and more extensive gaming support.

• Value score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future) Should I buy the TCL QM6K? Buy it if...

You want premium but at a value price
The TCL QM6K offers much more than cheaper TVs, and is a great upgrade for those who don’t want to spring for the price of a flagship TV.

You want an easy-to-use TV
Google TV and the settings menus are straightforward to navigate. Most people will find this TV easy to interact with.

You’re a gamer
Not only is there a 144Hz refresh rate but a gaming accelerator that upscales to double the refresh rate along with support for Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync

Don't buy it if…

You’re very fussy about picture quality
While the picture looks good, the slight vignetting and less-than-average brightness will be irksome if you’re used to looking at top-of-the-line TVs

You want a TV with great sound
The QM6K has good overall sound, but a slightly boxy quality makes it best paired with an external soundbar.

Also consider...

Roku Pro Series
The Roku Pro Series falls into a similar almost premium but reasonably priced category. While it has limited HDMI ports and the brightness is nothing to write home about, it has a wonderfully intuitive remote with hands-free voice control and a shadowbox design that not only allows for better sound but flat positioning when mounted.

Read our full Roku Pro Series review

Hisense U7N
The Hisense U7N might have some backlight blooming, unlike the TCL QM6K, and also suffers from poor audio quality. But it has quite a bit more brightness, not to mention many of the same features such as Dolby Vision IQ, 4K 144Hz support, and Google TV.

Read our full Hisense U7N review

Samsung Q60D
Samsung's budget QLED TV is cheaper than the TCL QM6K and delivers good overall picture quality, but lower brightness. This TV's Tizen smart interface is more sophisticated than the TCL's Google TV, and it also provides built-in cloud-gaming, which is a feature the TCL lacks.

Read our full Samsung Q60D review

(Image credit: Future) How I tested the TCL QM6K

• I used the TCL QM6K TV for a month
• Tested with both TV, movies, music, and games
• Benchmark measurements conducted by Future US testing lab

I used the TCL QM6K TV regularly for a month, testing it with movies, TV shows, sports events and games. I tested the various features, such as Dolby Vision IQ, to see if they work as advertised. I also spent time listening to the audio as well as paying attention to the picture quality.

After spending some time with this TV, it’s clear that it is meant for more budget-minded consumers looking to upgrade to a premium experience but don’t want to spend quite what most flagship TVs go for.

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

You can read an in-depth overview of how we test TVs at TechRadar at that link.

• First reviewed: March 2024
• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

The Autonomous ErgoChair Ultra 2 is the most recent chair offering from Autonomous after years of making great chairs.

I have reviewed many of them, including the ErgoChair Pro, ErgoChair Mesh, several desks, and other items from Autonomous. They are known for high-quality gear, rivaling that of Herman Miller and other notoriously fabulous companies. These chairs are created with quality materials, and there is some evident care of quality and performance when designing and building these chairs.

The ErgoChair Ultra 2 is designed for professionals, gamers, remote workers, and everywhere. It's a chair that can seamlessly traverse all the things you may take place at your workstation, just like you do, all while looking great and feeling comfortable. How does it compare to the best office chairs we've reviewed? I took it for a test run to find out.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Autonomous ErgoChair Ultra 2: Price and Availability

The Autonomous ErgoChair Ultra 2 is available on the Autonomous website for $599 - discounted to $499 at time of review - and includes a 5-year warranty. You can check it out by clicking here.

The company offers offer the chair in two variants, one with the headrest and one without. They also offer the chair in two colorways, black and grey.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Autonomous ErgoChair Ultra 2: Unboxing & first impressions

When the chair was delivered, I ran upstairs to find a massive box on my front porch. Upon unboxing the chair, I realized this was partly because Autonomous sends the chair with the armrests already attached.

While this made the box a bit bigger, it also made the building experience much faster overall. All I needed to do was screw in four bolts and four screws, which took a matter of minutes.

Right away, the striking white exoskeleton caught my attention. It's sharp, distinct-looking, and beautiful while staying professional-looking.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Autonomous ErgoChair Ultra 2: Design & build quality Specs

• Materials: Exoskeleton frame, mesh back, high-density foam seat.
• Weight Capacity: Up to 320 lbs.
• Seat Depth: Great thigh support for extended sitting.
• Base: Metal for extra durability.
• Adjustments:
• Seat height & depth.
• Tension adjustment for recline control.
• Armrest height, depth, and angle.
• Headrest: Optional (I skipped it because it looks cooler without it).

The ErgoChair Ultra 2 is the flagship offering from Autonomous, which has three current chairs. It's got all the best features, the best design (if you ask me), and arguably the most comfortable.

I chose the grey colorway to get the brilliant matte white exoskeleton contrasting the black mesh back. This mesh back helps with breathability as well as comfort. Unlike leather or cloth, mesh enables you to stay calm even on warmer days, or if you run warm like I do, it helps with circulation and keeps you from overheating due to your chair.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Autonomous ErgoChair Ultra 2: In use

Not only did the Autonomous ErgoChair Ultra 2 not take long to build, but it also didn't take long to love it. I took two minutes to adjust it to my preferred settings, lengthening the thigh depth, setting the seat height, tightening the tension (my preferred), and changing the armrests to be the right height. Once I got this dialed in, I could complete a day without discomfort or desire to change chairs. The mesh back is super comfortable for my back, the seat is soft yet supportive, and the tension is perfect for when I want to lean back compared to when I don't want to, and I like that resistance.

It's been several weeks since I had this chair in my rotation, and I have not felt the need to change the tension or any other settings after that initial setup. During this time, I also loved seeing the exoskeleton design. I work with many chairs, and to the average person, they all look the same. The ErgoChair Ultra 2 has that striking and identifiable back, which helps it stand out - in a good way.

If you're working from home, having a good workspace can be a game changer for your work. I'm not saying you need to drop thousands on outfitting the dream home office, but having a nice chair that won't hurt your back, promote slouching, or make you want to get up in discomfort can be the difference between actually getting work done and wishing you could. Granted, a good chair doesn't automatically make your job more efficient, but I can say from experience that if I have a great chair, I want to spend time at my desk.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Autonomous ErgoChair Ultra 2: Final verdict

The Autonomous ErgoChair Ultra 2 is a near-perfect chair for your home workspace, the office, or anywhere between. It offers fantastic, all-day comfort while looking great and blending in various workspaces. Yes, the design is a bit more modern than other ergonomic chairs, but if you want one that looks the part and blends in, you can choose the black colorway, which has everything all-black.

In the crowded competitive shooter market, Fragpunk is a breath of fresh air. This is a more casual first-person shooter (FPS) than the likes of Counter-Strike 2 or Valorant, geared towards generating quick bursts of adrenaline-fueled fun rather than forcing you to contend with any particularly complex strategy.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PC
Available on: PC (Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS5 TBC)
Release date: March 6, 2025

This is a blessing and a curse, as it leads to snappy matches that are a blast in its flagship casual mode but often leaves things feeling frustratingly random in a proper competitive format. This wouldn't necessarily be a deal-breaker for those players who prefer to keep things relaxed, but there are other issues that drag the experience down.

Card counter strike

(Image credit: Bad Guitar Studio)

If you’ve ever played a match of Counter-Strike, then you’ll know roughly what to expect here as Fragpunk follows the same kind of format. Two teams of five players face off in multiple rounds, with the attacking side seeking to place a converter (read: bomb) at a designated site on the map. For the defenders, the goal is to prevent it from going off at all costs - usually by killing the entire enemy team before it’s placed or defusing it at the last moment.

Sides swap at half time, with the first team to win four rounds crowned the victor. So far nothing special, but developer Bad Guitar Studio mixes things up through its marquee addition: Shard Cards. These are powerful buffs that can fundamentally change how each game plays out.

In the standard Shard Clash mode, both teams are offered a selection of three random cards between rounds. To activate a card, the team needs to spend a certain number of Shard Points which are awarded to each player depending on their performance in the match. As the most powerful cards often require five or so points to activate, multiple players will need to pick them in order to reap the benefits - a clever way to reward more closely coordinated teams.

The effects of each shard card vary massively, opening the door to loads of exciting gameplay possibilities. Some of my personal favorites include one that hilariously teleports damaged foes back to their spawn point and another that covers the entire map in snow and ice - causing both teams to slide around chaotically.

Of course, I can't help but also mention a card that allows your team to lay eggs, yes eggs, by crouching for a few seconds and then consume them for a quick health boost. Is this the kind of randomness that you would want to decide a tight competitive match? Absolutely not, but it’s a blast if you’re not taking things seriously.

Who needs balance, anyway?

(Image credit: Bad Guitar Studio)

If the Shard Cards weren’t enough, Fragpunk also features thirteen hero-like Lancers with their own special abilities. Each character has three and they range all the way from borderline useless (I’m looking at Corona’s underwhelming dash and Jaguar’s puny electric traps here) to completely overpowered. There are even multiple characters that can turn nearly invisible, letting you get behind the enemy team in seconds.

I favored the ancient undead mummy Serket for this purpose, as she can scout out nearby enemies as a hard-to-see beacon before teleporting to it in a flash. In her cloaked state enemies are displayed as these vague tornadoes, presumably to conceal which way they’re facing so it’s a little harder to appear right next to them undetected, though I am still routinely able to wipe out three or four players from the rear without much opposition.

Best bit

(Image credit: Bad Guitar Studio)

The Shard Cards are definitely the best part of Fragpunk. On top of those that I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I love the one that makes enemy heads gigantic for easy headshots and another that gives your team a double jump.

The character Broker then boasts a one-hit rocket launcher, while Hollowpoint has a super powerful sniper rifle that can be summoned with the click of a button. Every Lancer has an eye-catching design, which shines thanks to the cartoony cel-shaded art-style, and given the sheer breadth of themes they embody there’s going to be at least one that mechanically or aesthetically appeals to you.

Unfortunately, the Lancers do bring the game’s dire monetization to the fore. Outside of the small handful that you start with, they cost about $5 / £4 worth of Fragpunk Coins - the most valuable of the three in-game currencies - each. You can buy them with the more common Gold too, but they’re incredibly expensive and would take weeks, if not months, of grinding to obtain. Some of the strongest characters are locked behind this paywall, which leaves a bit of a sour taste.

Worse still, almost every part of the main menu seems like it's trying to sell you something and is clogged with endless tabs talking about events, challenges, bonuses, limited-time store offers, and more. This is on top of a pushy subscription service (which gives you monthly bonuses and access to every Lancer as long as you’re subscribed) and two types of battle pass, though I can’t really complain about the latter as it’s reasonably priced and has a decent number of rewards.

Not here for the long haul

(Image credit: Bad Guitar Studio)

The selection of maps here is solid, but none particularly stand out in terms of layout or theme, and the weapons are broadly fine in design terms. There’s definitely some more balancing work to be done between the nine weapon categories, though, as the two submachine guns and assault rifles seem disproportionately powerful.

There’s practically no reason not to use them, as they excel at seemingly any range. In contrast, the marksman weapons (a middle point between assault rifles and sniper rifles) are pathetically weak and, as a result, almost never seen in matches. Still, this could be easily remedied with a few patches.

Less simple to fix are the arcade modes, which are generally poor. The likes of Free for All and Sniper Deathmatch are completely uninspired and the bizarre Outbreak mode (the game’s take on Halo’s thrilling Infection) is comically badly designed. Every match that I played devolved into the human team camping in the same handful of impenetrable corners, leaving the zombie side unable to do much more than wait for the match timer to tick down to zero. It’s not remotely fun for either group and I’m already noticing queue times increasing, presumably as other players begin to realize this.

This all leads to an online game that can be a delight at time but fails to deliver a well-rounded experience. As it’s a free-to-play game I’d still recommend checking out Fragpunk if you’re a fan of the genre and want a few hours of entertainment, especially if you have a few friends willing to squad up, but I doubt that it’s going to become an FPS staple in the years ahead.

Should I play Fragpunk?

(Image credit: Bad Guitar Studio) Play it if…

You want a more casual shooter
Fragpunk is often bizarre and, on the whole, is very approachable. This makes it a good casual alternative to the likes of Counter-Strike 2 or Valorant.

You enjoy silly abilities
If you love experimenting with weird and wonderful abilities, then Fragpunk is for you. There are loads of Lancers to try, plus a huge number of impactful Shard Cards.

Don’t play it if…

You’re a competitive fan
If you live for serious competition, then Fragpunk is best avoided. Matches can be dictated by cards entirely outside of your control and many Lancers are very unbalanced.

You want to live the side modes
The selection of Arcade modes in Fragpunk is a letdown. If you’re looking for that kind of experience, you’re better off with the likes of Overwatch 2.View Deal

Accessibility

There are few accessibility features in Fragpunk and no dedicated accessibility menu. The game can be played with either keyboard and mouse or a controller. It also offers a dedicated colorblind mode and the ability to tweak the appearance of important colors in the settings menu.

How I reviewed Fragpunk

I played Fragpunk for over 15 hours on PC, using my desktop computer with an Nvidia RTX 3060, 32GB of RAM, and an Intel Core I5-11400F. I relied on an Asus ROG Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition mouse, plus an Endgame Gear KB65HE keyboard. For display output, I used a Sony Inzone M9 II monitor.

Throughout my time with the game I directly compared my experience to my thousands of hours of playtime in other competitive shooters, namely Counter-Strike 2 and Valorant. I also considered the likes of Overwatch, Overwatch 2, and Team Fortress 2 given the conceptual similarity between Fragpunk's Lancers and the heroes of those games.

First reviewed March 2025

Personal information is often scattered across numerous platforms in today's digital landscape.

PeekYou aims to serve as a comprehensive people search engine that consolidates an individual’s online presence into a single, accessible profile. This review will explore PeekYou's features, assessing its functionality, accuracy, and the ethical implications of its data aggregation practices.

As social media footprints grow and online identities become increasingly complex, services like PeekYou raise important questions about privacy and access to personal data. We will evaluate whether PeekYou fulfills its promise of providing a unified view of an individual’s digital presence, consider the potential benefits and drawbacks of using the service, and ultimately determine its value in the ever-changing landscape of online information retrieval.

Plans and pricing

PeekYou primarily operates as a free people search engine, setting itself apart from many competitors that rely on subscription-based models for detailed information. This means users can typically access a significant amount of information, including aggregated social media profiles, web mentions, and publicly available data, without any direct costs.

However, PeekYou does offer additional services, such as reputation management tools and professional data solutions, which may involve fees or customized pricing. Since PeekYou focuses on aggregating already public information, it does not employ the same "pay for more" structure found in other people search websites.

It's important to note that PeekYou emphasizes online presence rather than conducting deep background checks. As a result, its monetization strategy differs from those that sell comprehensive reports. For the most precise and up-to-date information regarding any potential paid services, it's best to visit PeekYou's official website.

How it works

PeekYou aggregates publicly available information from a variety of online sources. Unlike traditional people search engines that primarily rely on public records, PeekYou focuses on compiling an individual's digital footprint. It crawls and indexes data from social media platforms, websites, blogs, forums, and other online repositories where personal information may be found.

When a user performs a search on PeekYou, the platform creates a profile that links various online presences associated with the searched name. This profile may include social media accounts, photos, videos, web mentions, and other content that has been publicly shared. The platform employs algorithms to identify and connect related data, aiming to provide a comprehensive overview of an individual's online presence. Since the information is gathered from public sources, PeekYou does not have a paywall for its main people search function.

Features

PeekYou stands out with its unique features that focus on aggregating an individual's online presence. Its main function is to create a comprehensive digital footprint by indexing publicly available information from various online sources, including social media platforms, websites, blogs, and forums.

One of its key features is the ability to generate detailed profiles that connect different online identities related to a searched name, offering a consolidated view of an individual's activities across the internet. Unlike many competitors, PeekYou provides its core search functionality for free, relying on the aggregation of already public information. This allows users to access a significant amount of data without needing a paid subscription.

Moreover, PeekYou goes beyond basic contact information to explore a person's broader online identity, including photos, videos, web mentions, and social media interactions. While it offers additional services for reputation management and professional data solutions, its main appeal lies in its capacity to synthesize a person's digital footprint into a single, accessible profile.

Interface

PeekYou's interface is designed to provide a visually rich and information-packed profile of individuals, reflecting its focus on aggregating online presence. When users conduct a search, they are typically presented with a results page that features profile pictures and summaries of potential matches, offering a quick visual overview.

By clicking on a profile, users are taken to a page that compiles the individual's publicly available online information. This page often includes links to social media accounts, photos, videos, and other web mentions, creating a consolidated view of their digital footprint. Although the interface aims to be comprehensive, the large volume of information can sometimes feel overwhelming. Nevertheless, the layout is generally well-organized, allowing users to navigate between different sections of the profile easily.

The visual presentation of profile pictures and social media icons contributes to a more engaging experience compared to text-heavy people search engines. The interface emphasizes displaying the connections between various online presences, which is central to PeekYou's functionality.

The competition

PeekYou operates in a competitive data aggregation and people search industry. Its competitors include companies that specialize in sales intelligence and marketing data, as well as those focused on identity verification and general people search. Notable competitors include ZoomInfo, Versium, and others.

Final verdict

PeekYou is a platform designed to help users find and connect with people, verify identities, and gather information. Its extensive database can uncover details that are often not easily accessible through standard search engines. This can be particularly useful for reconnecting with lost contacts, conducting background checks, or verifying online identities.

However, there are some drawbacks to using PeekYou. The accuracy of the information can vary, as it relies on publicly available data that may be outdated or incorrect. Privacy concerns also pose a significant issue, as the platform compiles and displays personal information that individuals may prefer to keep private.

Additionally, search results can sometimes be overwhelming, requiring users to sift through large amounts of data to find relevant information. PeekYou is most beneficial for individuals or professionals who need to conduct detailed people searches, such as recruiters, investigators, or those looking to reconnect with long-lost acquaintances. However, users should remain aware of the potential privacy implications and the importance of verifying the information they find.

Check out our pick of the best free people search finder service

In an era where online information is readily accessible and increasingly scrutinized, search engines have become standard tools for various purposes, ranging from reconnecting with lost contacts to conducting background checks.

ZabaSearch, a long-standing player in this field, claims to provide access to many public records, including contact details, addresses, and other personal information.

This review will examine ZabaSearch's functionality and effectiveness, focusing on its usability, accuracy, and ethical considerations related to its data aggregation practices. We will explore whether ZabaSearch fulfills its promises, assess the potential benefits and drawbacks of using the service, and ultimately determine if it is a reliable resource in the complex landscape of online people search platforms.

Plans and pricing

ZabaSearch operates on a “freemium” model, providing some basic information for free, such as names, ages, and addresses. However, access to more detailed information, including phone numbers and comprehensive reports, requires a paid subscription. Monthly plans start at approximately $25 for unlimited reports.

How it works

ZabaSearch is a comprehensive online platform that aggregates publicly available information from a diverse array of legal sources. These sources predominantly include official public records, such as phone directories, property records, voter registration lists, court records, and various other accessible databases. By tapping into these resources, ZabaSearch aims to facilitate user searches by consolidating pertinent information in one location.

When users initiate a search on ZabaSearch, the platform employs sophisticated algorithms to scan its extensive database for matching entries. It efficiently cross-references the inputted search criteria—such as names, locations, or phone numbers—against its compiled records. The result is a user-friendly summary that may include various details such as names, addresses, approximate ages, and in some cases, associated individuals.

While the platform provides access to basic information at no charge, more granular data often necessitates a paid subscription. This premium content can include sensitive details like unlisted phone numbers, detailed background checks, criminal history reports, and additional personal data that may be relevant for more thorough investigations.

It is critical for users to understand that the accuracy and reliability of the information offered by ZabaSearch are heavily contingent on the source material from which it derives its data. Public records vary in their accuracy, completeness, and timeliness. Therefore, while ZabaSearch can be a valuable tool for gathering initial information, users should exercise caution and verify the results through additional research or official channels when necessary.

Features

ZabaSearch is primarily a people search engine that aggregates publicly available information about individuals. Its main function allows users to find contact details, mainly addresses and occasionally phone numbers, by entering a name. A significant aspect of ZabaSearch is its "freemium" model; it provides basic information like names, ages, and addresses for free, while more detailed data—such as unlisted phone numbers or background reports—requires a subscription.

The platform indexes a wide variety of public records, including phone directories, property records, and voter registration lists, with the goal of offering a comprehensive overview of an individual's publicly accessible information. The interface is relatively straightforward, making it easy for users to conduct searches. However, the accuracy of the search results depends heavily on the currency of the underlying source data. In summary, ZabaSearch's key features include basic people searches, a freemium access model, aggregation of public records, and varying levels of detail based on subscription status.

The competition

ZabaSearch operates in a competitive landscape of online people search engines, facing direct competition from several established players. Its main competitors include platforms like WhitePages, which provides similar services for finding contact information and background details. Other notable competitors are AnyWho, known for its people search and reverse phone lookup capabilities, and Intelius, which offers more extensive background check services.

Additionally, websites like PeekYou and PeopleFinders compete in this space, providing various levels of information aggregation and search functionalities. These platforms all compete for users by offering access to public records, contact details, and background information, though they differ in their pricing models, data accuracy, and the comprehensiveness of their databases. The competition is intense, prompting these services to continuously update their data and address user privacy concerns.

Interface

ZabaSearch offers a straightforward and user-friendly interface that makes navigation easy. The homepage prominently features a search bar where users can enter a name, city, and state to begin their search. Results are displayed in a clear list format, providing basic information such as names, ages, and addresses.

The design prioritizes simplicity by avoiding complex graphics and menus, making it accessible for users with varying levels of technical skill. Although the layout is functional, it may seem outdated compared to more modern websites. The site primarily focuses on delivering search results quickly and efficiently rather than prioritizing elaborate visual aesthetics.

The overall layout allows users to scan results, helping them quickly identify potential matches. However, this simplicity may also mean that advanced filtering or sorting options are limited.

Final verdict

In conclusion, ZabaSearch has both advantages and limitations. On the positive side, its "freemium" model allows users to access basic information without any immediate cost, and it aggregates public records, which can be helpful for locating individuals or verifying addresses. However, the accuracy of the information provided depends on the quality of the source data, which can sometimes be outdated or incomplete. Additionally, the need for a paid subscription to access detailed information raises concerns about accessibility and value.

The ethical implications of having personal data readily available cannot be overlooked, as privacy remains a significant issue. While ZabaSearch can be a useful tool for certain purposes, users should tread carefully, being aware of the potential for inaccuracies and carefully considering the privacy implications before using its services. Overall, ZabaSearch offers a functional, but not flawless, service within the competitive landscape of online people search engines, and users should exercise discernment when interpreting its results.

Take a look at the best free people search finder service

The Autonomous SmartDesk 5 is a beautiful desk. It's sleek and modern and has been purposefully designed to appeal to the creative and "sleek-tech-loving" markets. On the purchasing page, Autonomous touts that many big-tech employees have purchased this desk from Google, Microsoft, Meta, Apple, and more.

Over the last several years, the concept of something being "what Apple would do" has been a common way to describe things. Apple has a distinguished way of designing simplistic and minimalistic beauty in their products. I see Apple or Google releasing this desk. It's clean, well-designed, minimal, smooth, elegant and beautiful, and in this regard, it's one of the best standing desks I've tested.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Autonomous SmartDesk 5: Price and Availability

The Autonomous SmartDesk 5 is sold for $599 through the Autonomous website by clicking here, and through selected retailers. They have bulk discounts if you're buying for the office, and they have two height options. Three colorway options allow you to pick the best color for your space.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Autonomous SmartDesk 5: Unboxing & first impressions

The packaging for the Autonomous SmartDesk 5 is well-organized and very secure. All parts arrived in excellent condition without a scratch or a dent in the pieces. In one box, I got the desktop itself; in another, I got the legs, feet, and other accessories.

Right off the bat, I loved how smooth the desktop texture was and how simple the setup was. All the necessary parts were in the box, though I used my electric screwdriver set to speed things up.

Once everything was put together, I quickly grabbed a mouse to check just how great the tracking was since this is something that Autonomous heavily promotes. The mouse on the desk's surface was accurate, responsive, and uncomfortable. Granted, I still prefer the feel of a deskpad, but that may be due to familiarity. I tried out an Apple Magic Mouse, a Logitech MX Master 3, a Logitech MX Anywhere, a mouse from ProtoArc, and even a Dell mouse. All of them tracked well on the surface of the Smart Desk 5.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)

I'm happy to see C-shaped legs on this desk. I've tried a lot of different desk leg types, and for most people, C-shaped is the way to go. It helps get the legs out of the way of your... well, legs... and pushes them back so you won't knock your knees while twisting around in your fancy ergonomic chair.

Another thing that I loved was the cable management. I'm used to having this be a feature or add-on that I must assemble or figure out independently. There are some offerings from Ergonofis, and I have come to love some more from Flexispot, but they have frequently been add-ons. With the Smart Desk 5, though, it's built-in. There is a nice drop-down that tucks things away nicely. However, I had to add another power strip on the back right of the desk because my desks usually need more than four outlets, but hey, that's just me. You could run a simpler desk. I would like to have mine ready for anything and serve multiple purposes.

The last thing I'll mention on first impressions is the control surface. This reminds me of the Beflo Tenon or several others moving to this surface-mounted control panel. While these are super nice not to hit your chair on, using the desk is a very different experience. For example, if you are someone who uses a desk pad, now you need to keep an eye out for not hitting this pad, or if you rest your arms on the desk, lean on the desk, or put things on your desk other than work, all of those are scenarios in which you need to watch out, but all in all, it's not a bad thing at all.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Autonomous SmartDesk 5: Design & build quality Specs

Dimensions: 53”L x 29”W x 1.2”H
Frame Type: C-frame design
Motor Type: Dual motors
Height Range: Adjustable from 24" to 50"
Weight Capacity: Up to 330 lbs
Surface Material: High-density fiberboard (HDF) with smooth-touch finish
Color Options: Meteor Grey, Titanium White, Stone Desert
Control Panel: Integrated touchscreen
Cable Management: Built-in system with power outlets

The Autonomous Smart Desk 5 is made of a 1.2-inch HDF material on the desk, with a C-shaped frame, legs, rounded edges, and three modern colorways. In addition to these high-quality materials, Autonomous includes bag hooks, a touchscreen built into the top of the desk, and fantastic cable management, helping the design feel streamlined and minimal while staying highly functional and beautiful.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Autonomous SmartDesk 5: In use

I've had this desk in rotation for a while now, and it's been great so far. There have been a few instances where the touchscreen takes a second to respond, but other than that, this desk is terrific. As you can see in the photos, I have it set up with a single BenQ RD320UA monitor, the Grovemade Studio Pad and vertical laptop holder, the Logitech MX Master 3, the SM3 Slim Mechanical Backlit Bluetooth Keyboard, a cheap desk shelf off Amazon and a few other accessories.

I wanted to create a relaxing yet multi-functional workspace for one of my team members, and the SmartDesk 5 is the perfect candidate. It's decent, not too big or small, and the material is gorgeous in most locations. I've had this desk set up in a couple of different places to test it out, and in all of them, this grey looked stunning.

As I mentioned, the touch control can be slow to respond sometimes. Regardless, having the three-height presets has been great. I could set this desk at an excellent sitting height, a great "working on something height," and a wonderful "standing and working" height. Sadly, I wish to move the studio pad down a hair more, but it stops at the top of the built-in keypad. However, this is not the end of the world.

While the materials used, the great size, the smooth mechanics, the sleek top, and the rounded edges are all great, the actual great feature of this desk is the cable management. As I mentioned, it's not only great but easily expandable. I added a power strip (admittedly, one I had from FlexiSpot) to the back right of the desk to give me some more outlets since I knew this would be a powerful, multi-use desk. Other than that, having the drop-down for quickly accessing and adjusting, having the spot to wrap cables, and having it all lift and tuck away is beautiful, and I hope other desk companies are taking note.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) Autonomous SmartDesk 5: Final verdict

As a desk for the masses, the SmartDesk 5 delivers. It's an all-around excellent desk; it's beautiful, sleek, smart (heh, SmartDesk), functional, and durable. It's built for professionals, though it could be used by gamers, home officers, creatives, or anyone looking for a quality desk.

In Atomfall, you play as a total unknown, risen from a bunker and confronted by a bleeding scientist begging for help. Whether you assist them or not is up to you, but what’s important to know is that you’re in the Windscale Atom Zone, you shouldn’t be here, and ‘it’s all gone wrong’.

One more thing, actually, is that the only way out is through the ‘Interchange’... whatever that is. Armed with a keycard and literally nothing else, you emerge from the dingy, dilapidated bunker into a gorgeous world flush with as many blooming flowers as there are gun-toting lunatics.

From this point on, the choice of where you go is entirely up to you, the only obstacle in your way being how long you can stay alive. Decisions make up most of Atomfall, an intriguing role-playing game (RPG) that takes cues from Bethesda’s beloved Fallout series. It dances between enthralling and frustrating, but all told, Atomfall is a hilarious jaunt through rural Britain that begs the question – why aren’t more survival games set in the north?

Review info

Platform reviewed: PS5
Available on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC
Release date: March 24, 2025

On my journey out of the bunker, I opted for a conflict-averse route, trailing past a ringing telephone booth and down toward the central plot point on the horizon: a dangerous-looking power plant featuring a plume of swirling purple around it. Down the country lane, I came upon a ginger bearded straggler, Nat, who generously caught me up on the town gossip.

Between bouts of endearing slang, Nat explains that the ‘boffins’ are all gone after an incident at the plant and that all that remains are loons and outlaws. Before taking my leave, Nat offered me one more piece of information: there’s a trader down the way who could help me find some survival goods.

Chasing leads is a major part of Atomfall's semi-apocalyptic gameplay loop. In place of specific missions or levels, your job is to chinwag with as many willing non-player characters (NPCs) as possible to find clues about what is happening and who you could be.

The other half of your time is spent managing your heart rate as you bludgeon strangers and loot as much ammunition, bandages, and cornish pasties as your inventory will allow. It’s a simple set-up that’s surprisingly challenging, with essential items like cloth and gunpowder appearing sparsely across the map, limiting your ammo and healing supplies.

Thankfully, if you did want to make things slightly more beginner-friendly, Atomfall’s comprehensively customizable difficulty options allow you to tweak specific gameplay aspects like item drop rates and NPC aggro into a specific ‘playstyle’.

(Image credit: Rebellion) Knackered and afraid

There is a series of central districts to explore as you wander across Atomfall’s approachably sized map, with pathways connecting each area. Some are clear to find and appear as menacing metal doors, while others are obscured and hidden within cave systems, or behind enemy lines.

You can crawl under broken doors, vault over fences and windows, and squeeze between cracked cement blocks in search of new spots, and I was impressed by how vulnerable I felt while trying to navigate the claustrophobic housing clusters, ruins, and mines. I certainly didn’t explore every nook and cranny in my campaign, but the shortcuts I earned soon became a blessing, aiding with the fatigue of sprinting between one district to get to another.

On its recommended difficulty setting, Atomfall’s map doesn’t add specific waypoints when you pick up leads to follow and instead requires you to discern your next move with the information at hand. Some folks will help you orienteer, but for the most part, it’s you and your sense of direction.

At first, this fed into my decision anxiety, and I wasn’t sure where to turn, though soon enough, I let my intuition take the wheel, dashing through fields, flashing my sickle at anyone who looked at me the wrong way and getting into a few heavy-handed scraps. It’s a refreshing approach to exploration that leads to many thrilling encounters, far from the typical hand-holding we’ve come to expect in contemporary RPGs.

As you chart Atomfall’s major districts you’ll come face-to-face with the factions that ultimately come to define your experience in this morally-murky playground. There’s the brutish British infantry known as Protocol, the heretic-hating Druids, and vicious, Droog-like Outlaws. In the wild, you can also find curious outliers like trapped scientists, rogue traders, stately poshos and infected monsters who all have their own prerogatives, the last one being your brains.

Unfortunately, Atomfall’s narrative isn’t nearly as thorough as Fallout: New Vegas and the questions it lays up don’t all have satisfying answers. But there are still tough — if not a little predictable – decisions to be made in its endgame. Best of all, the lead ensemble of NPCs is a memorable bunch who approach this imagination-stoking situation with challenging perspectives, colored in with witty dialogue.

Best bit: Not elementary, my dear Watson

Progressing in Atomfall isn’t just about firepower. To move forward, you’ll also have to dust off your best deerstalker and investigate the motivations behind the various factions that litter the broken British landscape. Alongside conversing with the straight-faced locals, you can pilfer their belongings and find secret notes that allude to their true feelings, summoning campaign-changing leads that are worth following up on. You can also shoot first and ask questions later, of course – just be sure not to take everything at face value.

Atomfall hides a creative post-currency trading system between its complex moral figureheads. Instead of trawling the dales for pounds and pennies, the items you collect accrue a ‘weight’ that can be counterbalanced with another trader’s goods.

Bread isn’t as valuable as a gun, and you’ll need quite a few baker's dozens to earn one. While personally, I think bread is more valuable than a weapon, the process helped to push me into the wilds in search of better bits and bobs — and inevitably into mysterious, illuminating outposts, I would have never found otherwise.

Alas, if bartering doesn’t tickle your fancy, there’s also a crafting system where you can turn the objects you find into functional parts and subsist that way. With plenty of systems at play and a small-but-handy skill tree, I soon felt as if I was tailoring my playthrough as I went, and would find it hard to replicate in another playthrough. Ultimately, Atomfall’s greatest strength is how it makes following your nose so consistently alluring.

(Image credit: Rebellion) Fighting words

Yet despite all the engaging interactions with leaders and citizens, Atomfall’s more limited gameplay suite can shatter some of the immersion. For example, I could go into the pub and chat with the owner about trading. Then, walk behind him, steal his stuff, and sell it back to him, no questions asked.

Certain areas are restricted, signified by a ‘Trespassing’ graphic at the top of the screen. However, the distinction felt at odds with my actions—Why was I more likely to get punished for robbing an empty house than a town hall in front of a military captain?

At one point, I tested the boundaries by killing a soldier in the light of day. With no comrades around, I silently took him out and fled the scene briefly. Upon my return, it appeared nothing had changed, with soldiers spouting the same few lines as if one of them hadn’t been murdered.

The captain didn’t seem bothered, either. Beyond the major and often-material impact of major decisions (as well as a few tannoy announcements), I didn’t get the moment-to-moment sense that anyone was all that aware of my plots and schemes, or who I was planning to betray for the narrative I wanted.

(Image credit: Rebellion)

And while Atomfall’s combat is appropriately desperate, it’s also a bit janky and lethargic, lacking a few conventional coats of polish. Particularly, the enemy AI is aberrant, and will often react in an unusual manner that can shut down your dreams of a rewarding stealthy infiltration. Lacklustre platforming also takes the wind out of the game’s sails, with what may feel like simple maneuvers often taking a few tries.

Despite these limitations, Atomfall does well to keep you on your toes with enemy-shaped speedbumps (read: massive robots) and some slick side quests. There were also plenty of instances where I felt frustrated enough to want to put down the controller before I realized the solution could be much simpler if I approached it from a different angle.

At its best, there are shades of a deeper RPG here, but it doesn’t quite have the mechanical backing to fulfill this proposal. Even so, while the systemic scope of Atomfall isn’t massive, the small world it conjures feels rich and full all the way to its atmospheric finale – or at least the atmospheric finale I chose.

Should you play Atomfall? Play it if...

You love a northern British accent
While many games on the market opt for the BBC British accent, Atomfall leans hard into its Cumbrian setting, providing a variety of accents – beyond British alone – that are a joy to hear.

You want to experience a British post-apocalypse
Technically, Atomfall is a localized event rather than a full-blown apocalypse. Still, seeing a world-shattering event set around the Cumbrian dales is a rare experience that Rebellion does well to imagine.

Don't play it if...

You want fine-tuned gameplay
An intriguing premise does well to paste over the sharper edges of Atomfall’s combat and platforming, which are both fairly mediocre.

Accessibility

You can alter your accessibility settings from the pause menu anytime while playing Atomfall. There are multiple options to tweak your playstyle including combat, survival, and exploration. Each option can be toggled between Assisted, Casual, Challenging, and Intense. Combat impacts the enemy aggression and spawn numbers, Survival affects how frequently loot drops and how generous trading is, and Exploration affects your map and traversal options.

You can toggle how frequently you would like the game to autosave, as well as manually save at any point from the pause menu. From the Gameplay submenu in settings, you can also toggle on Pause Game in Menus to ensure you won’t get into trouble when looking at your inventory or the map.

Where combat is concerned, players can toggle on Melee and Aim Assist, Snap Aiming, and Automatic Fire and Reload. There are also sliders to control Aim, Look, and Hip Fire sensitivity from the Control submenu of the setting. From here you can also switch the controller vibration and adaptive triggers on or off.

For audio, there are multiple sliders to control specific streams of audio such as background SFX and Music. Plus for subtitles, you can change the subtitle color, speaker color, and subtitle box opacity to suit your preferences.

(Image credit: Rebellion) How I reviewed Atomfall

I completed Atomfall’s main story on PlayStation 5 in approximately sixteen hours and experienced two of its multiple endings. I teamed my PS5 console with an AOC 27-inch QHD VA 144Hz gaming monitor, a regular DualSense controller, and external Creative Pebble V2 computer speakers.

First reviewed March 2025

Xiaomi 33W 10,000mAh Power Bank: review

The Xiaomi 33W 10,000mAh Power Bank is a small power bank with an integrated USB-C cable for added convenience, making it ideal for light travelers. The smart, minimalist looks are welcome too. The Ice Blue colorway I had looked classy, but there’s a Tan variant if you want something a little lighter. Both models are elegant and complement the sleek form of the Xiaomi 33W 10,000mAh Power Bank.

In keeping with its uncluttered approach, there’s no screen or interface to speak off, aside from a power check button and four discreet LED dots to indicate battery and charging status. Despite their small size, they’re pleasingly bright, which makes them easy to see at a glance or at a distance.

I also appreciated the small form factor, with its square shape taking up little room. This is all the more impressive considering its 10,000mAh capacity, as not even some of the best power banks this size have such a small footprint. However, it’s thicker than some of them, and while the Xiaomi 33W 10,000mAh Power Bank isn’t exactly heavy, it’s not the lightest either.

The plastic material body feels reasonably premium, as it’s smooth to the touch and feels solidly constructed. However, the stress relief for the integrated USB-C cable seems quite flimsy, and I wouldn’t trust it to withstand too many bends or prolonged squashing, so I’d be careful when packing it deep inside a bag. I also wouldn’t use it as a carrying handle, although in fairness, Xiaomi doesn’t mention this as a feature.

Unfortunately, the housing that keeps the jack end stowed away isn’t as secure as I would’ve liked either. It does preserve the perfectly flat contours of the bank, though, as the jack sits flush with the side panel when stowed.

In addition to the integrated cable, the Xiaomi 33W 10,000mAh Power Bank also has a USB-A port and a USB-C port. Three-way simultaneous charging is supported too, as well as two-way 30W fast charging.

Charging performance is good, as it managed to charge my Google Pixel 7a, which has a 4,385mAh battery, from empty to full in just over 90 minutes, which is a solid performance.

More impressively, the Xiaomi 33W 10,000mAh Power Bank only lost one of its four LED dots, which means you should get between 2-3 full charges of a smartphone out of it. Charging the bank itself takes somewhere between three and a half to four hours, which is reasonable for this battery size.

For the price of £19.99 (about $26 / AU$41), the Xiaomi 33W 10,000mAh Power Bank represents good value. Not many power banks with this capacity take up so little real estate, nor have an integrated cable in addition to two extra ports. The cable might not endure as much punishment as others, but for light traveling the Xiaomi 33W 10,000mAh Power Bank should make for a convenient companion.

(Image credit: Future) Xiaomi 33W 10,000mAh Power Bank review: price & specs

(Image credit: Future) Should I buy the Xiaomi 33W 10,000mAh Power Bank? Buy it if…

You want something small
Not many power banks with this capacity are so small, and it’s quite easy to tuck away in a pocket.

You want multiple charges
The Xiaomi 33W 10,000mAh Power Bank only lost one bar after fully replenishing my smartphone, so you should get at least a couple of charges from it.

Don't buy it if…

You’re going to take it on adventure holidays
The Xiaomi 33W 10,000mAh Power Bank is built well enough, but the stress relief for the integrated isn’t the sturdiest, and the jack housing isn’t the most secure.

You want something thin
It may be short across its length and width, but it’s quite thick in terms of depth, which arguably might be the most important dimension for some.

Xiaomi 33W 10,000mAh Power Bank review: Also consider

Iniu B41
The Iniu B41 has the same capacity as the Xiaomi 33W 10,000mAh Power Bank but is slightly cheaper, although it has less power and doesn’t have an integrated cable. It does, however, include a handy flashlight. And while it’s longer than the Xiaomi 33W 10,000mAh Power Bank, it’s thinner, which might be preferable for some users. The port selection is slightly different too, with two USB-A ports and one USB-C port. Read our Iniu B41 review.

VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank review

The VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank is a small power bank with a design that makes it a fashion accessory as well as a portable battery. The Cath Kidston crossover means you get the brand’s illustrative designs. The bee print finish of the model I had was rather subtle, with its cream background and the small drawings lacking any vivid colors.

If you want a little more vibrancy, two more finishes are available, both floral in nature, and incorporate bright shades of red and green. All schemes have a high-gloss finish, which VQ claims is scratch-resistant. After spending a couple of days with it, I didn’t notice any blemishes.

Other nice touches include the small power button integrated on the bezel, and the equally discreet LED dots indicating the battery life of the VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank. These are integrated on the front panel in the bottom right corner, and are barely noticeably, designed to intrude as little as possible on the Cath Kidston design. The problem is, however, that they’re hard to see even when they’re lit up, and are virtually invisible when looking at them from an angle, which is less than ideal.

What is more practical, though, is the pleasingly light and slim form factor, making it easy to carry in a bag or pocket. However, while the VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank is built quite well, it isn’t up there with the very best power banks. The plastic panels do flex somewhat, and while the joins to the bezel are strong enough, I did notice a few wide gaps in places. Also, the power button doesn’t quite sit flush with the bezel as perhaps it should, although it’s at least easy to use.

The VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank features one USB-C, one USB-A, and one Lightning port – disappointingly, though, only the USB-A can be used for charging devices, as the other two are for input only. This is especially baffling in the case of the Lightning port, as this is a now-defunct standard for older Apple devices, so quite what it’s doing here as an input is a mystery.

What’s also unusual is that VQ doesn’t provide a power output figure, although it does list the voltage and amperage for both the input and the output, so with some basic math, its total wattage should be 20.5W.

Charging my Google Pixel 7a from 50% to full took about two and a half hours, which is an adequate performance. The bank depleted by one dot, meaning it should be able to handle two roughly full charges. Charging the VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank itself from about half full took just over two hours, which again isn’t an overly impressive effort.

The VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank is more expensive than other popular power banks with similar specs, so it seems you’re paying for its looks more than anything else. Unless you really must have the Cath Kidston design, there are better value picks out there.

(Image credit: Future) VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank review: price & specs

(Image credit: Future) Should I buy the VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank? Buy it if…

You want some flair
The Cath Kidston designs certainly add more interest and personality than many other power bank finishes.

You want something easy to carry around
The VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank is small, thin, and light, so this is an easy power bank to take on your travels.

Don't buy it if…

You want the best build
The overall construction is good enough, but the chassis isn’t rock solid, and there are some questionable gaps where the panel meets the bezel.

You’re want the best performance
The VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank doesn’t have enough power to charge smartphones fast, and only the USB-A port can actually charge devices, which is a shame.

VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank review: also consider

Ugreen 5000mAh Magnetic Wireless Power Bank
For about the same price as the VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank, the Ugreen provides a similarly small and sleek form, but with the added bonuses of a USB-C port for both input and output, and a MagSafe wireless charging pad for use with the best iPhones and other Apple products. It might lack the style of the VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank, but it makes up for it in performance. Read our Ugreen 5000mAh Magnetic Wireless Power Bank review.