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Dell 16 Plus review

Sat, 11/01/2025 - 01:43

Dell 16 Plus: Two-minute review

Dell’s 16-inch laptop lineup has become a staple in the company’s catalog, known for striking a balance between portability and performance. Offering both 14- and 16-inch display options, these devices typically deliver reliable build quality with a design that feels solid yet travel-friendly. Most importantly, the line of laptops usually comes at an aggressively affordable price. The same goes for the latest Dell 16 Plus, one of the best Dell laptops you can buy today.

Starting at $799 / £1,454.23 / $1,598, the 16 Plus features the latest Intel Lunar Lake chips, up to 32GB RAM, and up to 2TB of SSD storage.

Other features include a full QWERTY keyboard and number pad, a 16-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, an FHD webcam with privacy slider, and more. Of course, internal components can be pushed a little higher for additional cost.

For those who are always on the move and need a truly portable device, the Dell 16 Plus delivers with a relatively lightweight build at around four pounds. When closed, it measures under an inch thick, making it easy to slip into most backpacks without adding bulk.

This makes it one of the best student laptops for those who need more screen real estate, or someone who needs a laptop to do occasional web browsing, word processing, number crunching, and some light media needs on the creative or consumption front. The low price comes at the cost of missing features like an SD card reader slot or even a touchscreen display.

Anyone looking to watch the occasional YouTube or Netflix video or listen to music while plugging away, the 16 Plus is a bit of a mixed bag. When it comes to the display, as mentioned earlier, the 120Hz refresh rate display is beautiful to look at despite lacking HDR.

The 2.5K (2560 x 1600) resolution does a fine job in making text and images clear and legible. Meanwhile, eye strain is reduced thanks to ComfortView Plus and TUVRheinland certification. When it comes to audio quality, it might be best to use external speakers or headphones, especially if in a loud room.

Though the lower and mid volume levels allow for some nice sonic nuance, that falls apart at higher volume levels. It doesn’t help that overall bass is on the weaker side of things as well.

Adding to the portability is a solid battery that Dell promises will work up to 20 hours. However, our tests didn’t show that much battery life, the results were still good enough for most people.

Overall, the Dell 16 Plus stands out as a solid mid-range option for users who value portability, respectable performance, and a budget-conscious price point, even rivaling those of the best laptops on the market. While it may fall short for power users or gamers, its sleek build, reliable battery life, and sharp display make it a worthy companion for everyday productivity and media tasks.

Dell 16 Plus: Price & availability

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

How much does it cost? Starting at $799 / £1,455 / $1,598

When is it available? Available now

Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia from Dell.com and other retailers

Available now, the Dell 16 Plus can be purchased from Dell’s online store alongside other retailers in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. There are also a variety of options at different price points as well.

Starting in the U.S., the 16 Plus can be purchased between $799 and as high as $1,299 with the same GPU and display spread across them. Our review unit sat at the lowest cost while the mid-priced configuration rounded out at around $949.99. That’ll net potential buyers an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V CPU, 32GB RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. At the highest pricepoint comes an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V, 32GB RAM and 2TB SSD storage packed in.

Interested buyers living in the UK have a slew of customization options that’ll range between £1,454.23 and £2,143.61. The lowest-end model comes with an Intel Core Ultra 5 236V, integrated Intel Arc, 16GB and 512GB SSD storage. Interestingly enough, the lowest price point lacks a backlit keyboard and fingerprint scanner. The highest priced configuration comes with an Intel Core Ultra 7 265U, Integrated Intel Graphics, 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD. Also, this tier also allows for a touchscreen as well.

Finally, Australian citizens have a few options, including an AU$1,598 configuration with an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V, 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD. The highest option at AU$2,197 has an Intel Core Ultra9 288V, 32GB RAM, and 2TB SSD. Both of those configurations have the same Integrated Intel Arc Graphics GPU and 16-inch 2560 x 1600 display.

Compared to other ultra-thin laptops, including the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition and MacBook Air, the Dell 16 Plus is the most affordable option at its base level while offering similar performance.

If you want the macOS experience and don’t mind losing about an inch of display real estate, the MacBook Air might be a better option. On the flip side, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition performs nearly the same.

Value: 4.5 / 5

Dell 16 Plus: Specs

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The Dell 16 Plus is available in several configurations and options.

Dell 16 Plus (Review)

Dell 16 Plus (Mid Configuration)

Dell 16 Plus (Highest Configuration)

Price:

$799.99

$949.99

$1,299.98

CPU:

Intel Core Ultra 7 256V

Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, 8 cores

Intel Core Ultra 9 288V, 8 cores

GPU:

Intel Arc 140V (8GB)

RAM:

16GB LPDDR5X

32GB LPDDR5X

Screen:

16-inch 2560x1600

Storage:

1TB

2TB

Ports:

1 USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) port

1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type-C® port with DisplayPort™ 1.4 and Power Delivery

1 Thunderbolt 4 port with DisplayPort 2.1 and Power Delivery

1 HDMI 2.1 port

1 Universal Audio jack

1 USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) port

1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type-C® port with DisplayPort™ 1.4 and Power Delivery

1 Thunderbolt 4 port with DisplayPort 2.1 and Power Delivery

1 HDMI 2.1 port

1 Universal Audio jack

1 USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) port

1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type-C® port with DisplayPort™ 1.4 and Power Delivery

1 Thunderbolt 4 port with DisplayPort 2.1 and Power Delivery

1 HDMI 2.1 port

1 Universal Audio jack

Wireless:

Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE201, 2x2, 802.11be, Bluetooth wireless card

Camera:

1080p at 30 fps FHD camera, dual-array microphones

Weight:

3.96 pounds

Dimensions:

Height: 0.67 in. (16.99 mm) X Width: 14.05 in. (356.78 mm) X Depth: 9.87 in. (250.60 mm)

Dell 16 Plus: Design

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Fairly boring design helped by nice portability
Full numberpad alongside keyboard
An SD card slot would have been nice to have

The Dell 16 Plus features a chassis made with sustainable materials like recycled and low-emissions aluminum, recycled steel and ocean-bound plastics. For the envornmentally-conscious individual, they’ll be happy to know that the laptop has EPEAT Gold with Climate+ and ENERGY STAR certification.

Though the colorway may look a bit boring with the silver chassis with a gray keyboard, it goes a long way toward being more functional than sleek. The Dell 16 Plus weighs around four pounds, and when closed is about an inch thick. The top display half has a Dell logo, and the bottom does feature a rubber strip which raises the laptop at a slight angle for comfort.

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

On the sides is where users will see various ports. A singular USB-A and headphone jack on the right while the left side has duel USB-C ports and HDMI port. The left side also has a small LED light to give battery status when charging as well. Unfortunately, there isn’t an SD card slot which means users are going to need an adapter for more creative tasks.

Once open, users are going to notice the 16-inch display which has a standard FHD webcam with a manual privacy slider at the top. The bottom portion of the display is connected to two hinges that fold back to 180 degrees. Regardless of what angle the laptop is in, it’s pretty sturdy.

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The full-size keyboard, complete with a number pad, offers a satisfying typing experience with well-balanced tactile feedback and minimal noise.

Integrated into the top-right corner of the number pad is a fingerprint scanner that also serves as the power button, working reliably in everyday use. The trackpad is impressively smooth and responsive, making navigation feel seamless—though the physical click could be more refined.

Design: 4 / 5

Dell 16 Plus: Performance

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

General performance, like web browsing and co-pilot AI, is fast and smooth
There are several performance settings in the Dell Optimizer app
Not good for heavy creative workloads or AAA gaming

Dell 16 Plus benchmarks

Here's how the Dell 16 Plus performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

GeekBench 6 (single-core): 2,718; (multi-core): 10,914
3DMark Night Raid: 32,114; Time Spy: 4,065; Steel Nomad: 624
Crossmark Overall: 1,691; Productivity: 1,641; Responsiveness: 1,276; Creativity: 1,916
Civilization VII (1600p, High): 19 fps; (1080p, High): 36 fps
Web Surfing Battery Informant: 13 hours 3 minutes

During my time with the Dell 16 Plus, I was impressed by its ability to handle demanding multitasking without noticeable slowdowns, even with 20 to 30 Google Chrome tabs open.

Whether I was drafting this review in Google Docs or managing projects in Asana, everything ran smoothly. The laptop also performed well when launching apps like Tidal, Microsoft Mahjong, and even Adobe Photoshop.

In terms of creative workloads, Photoshop handled high-resolution images comfortably, though performance dipped when working with numerous complex layers.

Similarly, Premiere Pro worked well for 1080p editing, but more demanding 4K projects introduced occasional lag and slowdown. The Intel Core Ultra 7 256V is a fairly powerful mobile CPU that works well with the 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD storage.

As with many Intel Arc GPUs, the Dell 16 Plus faces some limitations in gaming compatibility, especially with older titles and newer AAA releases.

Given the 2.5K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, don’t expect demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 to run smoothly on the integrated GPU, which offers around 8GB of VRAM.

However, CPU-driven games like Sid Meier’s Civilization VII fared better, averaging around 59 FPS on medium settings at 1080p and approximately 37 FPS at native 2.5K resolution.

Naturally, performance dropped further when pushed to high settings at either resolution.

It’s a shame as the display looks fantastic with crips characters and text that are easily readable and that ultra smooth 120Hz refresh rate that looks outstanding in motion.

Image quality is great as well, despite lacking HDR as colors look bold, contrast is nice alongside brightness. Users who want to watch the occasional YouTube video and Netflix movie have something they can champion between work-focused tasks. Helps that the display is compatible with Dolby Vision as well.

Through the Dell Optimizer app, there are four settings for thermal management, including one optimized through AI.

During heavy Google Chrome usage, we noticed the bottom half of the laptop wasn’t too warm, and the fan noise wasn’t loud. The rest of the settings include cool, quiet, and ultra performance.

As I mentioned earlier, the 16 Plus is an adequate mid-tiered laptop that’ll work great for people who just need something to browse the web and do lighter, more general tasks, just expect too much from it.

Performance: 4 / 5

Dell 16 Plus: Battery life

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Average battery life is around 13 hours

During our week and some days span with the Dell 16 Plus, rigorous daily use meant that I was able to get a real feel for how battery life would work on the laptop.

Though Dell promises up to 20 hours, we were able to squeeze 13 hours on one charge. A lot of that has to go with the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V alongside Dell’s Optimizer, which does a great job of balancing performance and power usage.

For sure, the 16 Plus will be more than enough for bi-coastal travelers and could technically make a flight from Los Angeles to London with a few hours to spare.

While working on the laptop during a full day, I only needed to charge it once through one of the USB-C ports on the left side. To charge from around 0 percent to around 50, it took around 40 minutes with a little under two hours to fully charge. When it comes to battery life, the 16 Plus holds its own among the best available at the moment.

Battery life: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Dell 16 Plus?

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Notes

Rating

Value

The $799 starting price works wonders for anyone looking for a quality Windows laptop that’s seriously portable.

4.5 / 5

Design

A boring looking laptop, the Dell 16 Plus, is thin, lightweight and also offers a number pad to its keyboard. Just understand this doesn’t have an SD Card slot and only one USB-A.

4 / 5

Performance

Performance is pretty standard when it comes to general computing tasks. Apps like Google Chrome and Tidal open quickly. Just understand its heavier creative tasks and higher tier gaming performance. A shame considering the display can run 120Hz.

4 / 5

Battery

Battery life is really great on the laptop thanks to a great CPU and accompanying software from Dell. Even charging to full doesn’t take too long.

4 / 5

Final rating

4 / 5

Buy the Dell 16 Plus if...

You need an affordable general tasks laptop
The Dell 16 Plus performs well for anyone who wants to do activities from multi-tab Google Chrome browsing to light photo editing for a sub-$800 price tag.

You want a lightweight design with a full keyboard
The laptop design is around four pounds and less than an inch tall when closed. A full keyboard with ten-key numpad makes this one of the best in its class.

You’d like a nice display
The 16-inch, 120Hz display looks great when trying to lightly edit photos, handle general computing tasks, and some light gaming for titles with low-level visual fidelity.

Don’t buy it if…

You want a better webcam
The Full-HD webcam isn’t the best in less-than-ideal lighting scenarios, and there aren't many software features, though the manual privacy slider is a nice touch.

You’d like something a bit more powerful
Users who want to do more heavy lifting in the gaming department to make better use of that 2.5K display running at 120Hz may be a bit disappointed.

You need better speakers
The speakers lack some serious bass and sound fairly hollow. Unless you want to get some external speakers or headphones, you'll be disappointed.

Also Consider

If my Dell 16 Plus review has you considering other options, here are two other laptops to consider...

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition
A slightly more expensive option is the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition, which outclasses the Dell 16 Plus's audio/visual capabilities while offering a touchscreen. Of course, that’s if users can get past some design issues.

Read the full Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition review

Apple Macbook Air 15-inch (M4)
Creatives looking for a lightweight and affordable laptop may find the MacBook Air 15-inch a great option, so long as you're OK with losing an inch in display real estate and lack of Wi-Fi 7.

Read the full Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) review

How I tested the Dell 16 Plus

Tested for around a week and a half
I used productivity and creative apps like Google Chrome, Tida, and Adobe Suite
Played lighter-weight games through Xbox Gamepass

I spent about a week testing the Dell 16 Plus, using it daily to get a solid sense of its performance and everyday functionality.

I used TechRadar's standard suite of benchmarks, including 3DMark, CrossMark, and built-in gaming benchmarks for games like Civilization VII.

Most of my work was done through Google Chrome, which gave me easy access to tools like Google Docs, Gmail, Asana, and Slack.

To evaluate the audio and display quality, I streamed music through Tidal and watched several YouTube videos, both of which helped showcase the system's speaker and vibrant screen.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed November 2025

Categories: Reviews

Robin Hood is coming to Amazon's MGM+ with an epic vengeance, but it doesn’t need to be so steamy

Fri, 10/31/2025 - 15:00

Don't tell Amazon, but my heart sank when I first heard that yet another Robin Hood adaptation was coming to MGM+. But after watching it, I've mostly been won over. As it turns out, you can teach an old dog new tricks.

I've always been of the firm belief that the 2010 Robin Hood movie starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett is the best we've had (I didn't grow up watching the animated Disney movie from 1973, so I'm discounting that). However, newcomer Jack Patten in the titular role and Lauren McQueen as Marian are a breath of fresh air.

Straight off the bat, the new series has taken a huge risk by putting two unknown actors in its lead roles, and this is a large part of why I think the 10-episode series is so successful. They're perfectly counterbalanced by heavyweights Sean Bean (Sheriff of Nottingham) and Connie Nielsen (Eleanor of Aquitaine), though for me it's Nielsen who has the most to offer us (more on this later).

That's not all that's working, though. Creators Jonathan English and John Glenn have fleshed our the Robin Hood origin story to great effect, turning an elusive urban legend into Rob, a boy who wants to do right by the people he loves. This fantastic sense of basic narrative structure also means we have some epic cliffhangers... but there are issues in Sherwood Forest, too.

Robin Hood is the perfect example of good storytelling done well with unknown faces

Instead of a distant rogue who takes from the rich and gives to the poor (though we do see this a little bit as the series progresses), the notion of who we know Robin Hood to be is instantly called into question. This version of Rob has a nickname, complicated relationships with his home and family and a lot of love for their way of living that is constantly being threatened.

Our opening episodes deftly use their time to flesh Rob out into the 3D character he's never truly been before, and this is our starting point for seeing his story in a completely new light. Though he maintains an intimately close bond with Marian (Patten and McQueen's chemistry feels as natural as breathing), it's never explicit, and we're nurturing a beautiful Romeo and Juliet-style connection right along with them.

I can't give all the credit to our leads for the narrative satisfaction, though. It's incredible how many movies and TV shows these days don't get the basics right – I'm aware I sound about 87 saying this, but as a trained scriptwriter, it annoys me endlessly.

English and Glenn know exactly what they're doing here, and uprooting the story of Robin Hood from its very beginnings allows the overall plot to stay tight and on message. Yes, there are definitely episodes that are more boring than others (there's a lot of Rob and his 'merry men' sitting around despairing in the woods), but each episode cliffhanger is an absolute blinder.

Without fail, a curveball is swiftly delivered in each episode's last 30 seconds, turning what we've learned so far on its head. This means you can't do anything else with your time other than immediately watch next episode, and I love the feeling of investment those moments give me. Frankly, I'd say it's the best part of the whole series.

Amazingly, we don't need to see every time somebody gets it on

The Marian-Rob courtship remains innocent. (Image credit: Amazon)

While physical scenes between Rob and Marian are wholesome and harmless, I couldn't believe my eyes at how unnecessarily explicit the rest of Robin Hood is. This falls particularly on Priscilla of Nottingham (Lydia Peckham), who gets back at her dad by trying to hold physical power of the chief of the guards.

Add Rob's mates getting it on in the serving chambers of Eleanor's castle, and it all feels a bit icky. Entire scenes of dialogue are acted out in questionable positions, and you already know that the women are near naked while the men remain mostly clothed.

It's 2025, and we can get across the point that women are using their 'feminine wiles' as power without including graphic sex scenes that don't serve to drive the plot forward. It's certainly not a feminist move by any stretch of the imagination – even though there will be an intimacy coordinator on set, these are creative decisions being made by men, at the end of the day.

These scenes also weirdly undermine Connie Nielsen's Eleanor of Aquitaine, who is undoubtedly the best written character in the entirety of Robin Hood. Every word that leaves Nielsen's mouth is a piece of sage wisdom, using her own wiles to coordinate attacks and alliances through international correspondence.

It's a masterclass in the continued underestimation of women throughout history, having their stories rewritten while in fact making their own in a man's world. Clearly, Nielsen has cornered the market for playing royalty, taking everything we love about Lucilla in Gladiator and expanding it in all the best ways. If Amazon gave us a spinoff focussed entirely on her, I wouldn't be mad about it.

I might be nitpicking here, but overall, I'm impressed. I won't be lobbying for more takes on the Robin Hood legend any time soon, but MGM+ has proved what is possible in the tired-out realm of adaptations.

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Categories: Reviews

Europa Universalis 5 is an instant grand strategy classic and developer Paradox at its best

Fri, 10/31/2025 - 12:00

Playing Europa Universalis 5 as a long-time fan of Paradox grand strategy games is like going into the star gate in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Everywhere you look, whirling past you, you see influences from its predecessors and contemporaries. "Oh, look, you can change production methods like in Victoria 3, the rulers are like they are in Imperator, and the levy system feels like Crusader Kings 2!"

Review info

Platform reviewed: PC
Available on: PC
Release date: November 4, 2025

If you have yet to play any of the Europa Universalis series, they have always been one of Paradox's beefier offerings, focused on early modern history. This fifth instalment has effectively cranked up the scale and given you a microscope with which to observe the minutiae of your nation.

Let's begin with the time period that it covers – your game starts in 1337, a year that saw the start of the Hundred Years War, Petrarch visiting Rome for the first time, and, apparently, the founding of Berkshire's Bisham Priory. The next few centuries are yours to seize control of, one way or another, and you can do this on an hour by hour basis, should you choose.

It starts more than a century before games in Europa Universalis 4, allowing for some extra time in the late Middle Ages, before knights give way to hussars. This also neatly allows the game to introduce situations, a new feature in EU5 that makes certain events play center stage, more than they did in its predecessor.

For example, when the Hundred Years' War kicks off (pessimistically still named that in 1337), it's easy to, at a glance, see the strength of each side and who is in whose alliance, which lets you check whether you can tip the balance. Situations spring up throughout the game and include such historical moments as the struggle between the Guelphs and Ghibellines and the Reformation.

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

This new starting point also comes with a price – the Black Death will start raging its way around the world after a few years. In both of my campaigns as Castille and as Holland, my population was halved by the pandemic. In EU4, a plague meant losing income or autonomy; here, it actually matters on a much greater scale. The game models your nation's population whether you are a one-province minor or a great power, and each dead subject means one less job, one less soldier, one less bit of productivity for your nation. It's my favorite change in the game, and represents a trend away from abstractions and towards more concrete, important measurements of a nation's abilities.

Best bit

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

Fighting for new colonies in North America with the English. They thought that they had me, but they didn't bank on me being allies with France, who promptly stomped them.

Abstractions were everywhere in EU4. Your provinces could be developed, but that didn't really mean much beyond being slightly richer and the province having a few more buildings. Administrative, diplomatic, and military points, known as mana, functioned as your ability to develop provinces, to promote generals, and to research new technologies, which were very limited in number. Mana doesn't exist here, beyond some ratings that allow you to see what your rulers and courtiers are best at. You develop provinces by directing a minister to do so, while research is now based on more concrete factors like your people's literacy.

The tech tree is a genuine delight, too – the number of techs is boosted by a ridiculous degree, with each of the game's ages, bar the very first, having more than 100 techs. It's much more like a tech tree that you might find in Civilization than the, once again, abstracted variant encountered in EU4.

Choosing a national focus at the start of a new age also unlocks certain specific techs, and you can focus on administrative, diplomatic, or military techs. As you progress along the techs, you'll unlock new laws to codify, new government reforms to shape your state, and more. States are more fluid than in previous instalments, too – gone are national missions that could railroad your progress.

Here, you can shape your nation however you like along various axes representing things like centralization vs decentralization, aristocracy vs plutocracy, and traditionalist vs innovative. These can be changed at any point by assigning one of your cabinet members to influence the nation, while government reforms represent powerful ways to change your nation's central ethoses.

Call of Ducats: Early Modern Warfare

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

The genre EU5 occupies is often referred to as map painting games, and, as you'd expect of a game that kicks off with the Hundred Years' War, waging wars is integral. You can't just let your neighbors have that tasty trade good, after all. The military aspect of the game feels like a mesh of EU4 and the Crusader Kings series.

As mentioned, you can call up levies, but you can also (and should) build a professional military, too. Capturing forts and cities gives you a zone of control, so focusing on those rather than individual provinces is the order of the day. It's far from exhilarating, but it does interweave wonderfully with the game's systems.

Soldiers and sailors are people, so calling up either land or naval levies reduces the population in their home area. This means that for each levy called up, local food production and raw materials output drop, and troopers lost from your levies are lost from your wider population. If your military is professionalized, you won't be calling up big Bjorn the farmer anymore, so he can keep tilling his land, making them a potentially better value proposition.

War is more expensive than it's ever been in the series, and not only because of the effects on population. You also need to factor in upkeep costs and the ability for your soldiers to find food, a new resource, while doing their grim duty. How you do this isn't particularly well-explained (one of the game's few pain points), so until you figure it out you can expect to wind up with quite a few of your men dropping dead from attrition. The Clausewitz quote that "War is the continuation of policy with other means" is made very plain here, and it affects your country to a massive degree.

A map that's truly off the charts

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

What a map it is to paint, though. Just staggeringly enormous, with a dizzying number of countries to play as, from the Aak'u to Zutphen. Everywhere you look, you notice little touches. Some are obvious, such as the way that all but the smallest nations will be made up of multiple locations, allowing for more development options for small countries, with each area having a good that you extract with a Resource Gathering Operation (RGO).

Others are more subtle, such as the increase in the size of the Holy Roman Empire, which is made up of many more states than it was previously, or that zooming in on a location shows individual buildings that you've built, and hovering over them will tell you what they are.

The only problem that I've noticed is that native peoples seem to be underrepresented; there's really not that many of them, particularly in North America, and that's a real shame. I imagine it will improve over time with DLC, but at the moment, they're thin on the ground.

In addition to the traditional fare of grand strategy games, that is, landed powers, you can also play as landless nations for the first time. You can, for example, play as the Bank of Peruzzi or the Hanseatic League and be a kingmaker without ever actually owning any land directly. Landless nations are pretty sparse in terms of options at the moment, but I still appreciate it, as playing a bank seems like ‘playing tall’ (developing your nation rather than conquering others' lands) taken to its logical conclusion.

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

Whichever type of nation you play as, you'll be up against AI that feels more aggressive than in previous games. In multiple games, I saw France (and it is always France) conquer chunks of Aragon or gobble up German provinces by the pfund. Whether I was fighting them as Spain or allying with them like a remora fish allies to a shark as Holland, they were a major force to be reckoned with. I was at one point able to break EU4 over my knee, but the same strategies don't seem to work here, so be prepared to learn it all over again.

Speaking of learning, EU5 is both the most accessible and most complex that the series has ever been. New automation features allow you to hand off control over taxes and trade to the AI, should you choose, and it's pretty darn good at it, too. This is pretty necessary, as until you've paid your deposit, measured in, conservatively, tens of hours, you're going to have some trouble reading the UI.

It's often not particularly clear how to do certain things or which menu you need to open to do them (I'm looking at you, RGO construction menu). The tutorial is noticeably better than in earlier Paradox titles, but still leaves some things unexplained, which is frustrating.

The only other small nitpick that I have with the game is that it recycles a good number of events and achievements from EU4. I appreciate that completing, say, the Lion of the North achievement is going to be different in this game, but I'd have preferred some fresh challenges. Similarly, as you roll from month to month as an experienced EU4, you'll recognise some of the event pop-ups and their options.

Despite these small issues, Europa Universalis 5 represents a huge leap forward for the series. While writing this review, I've been pondering who I would like to play as next, which economic approaches to use, and what other parts of the world I want to see. Monumentally complex but more accessible than ever before, it is already a grand strategy classic and already a worthy replacement for its predecessor.

Should you play Europa Universalis 5?

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)Play it if...

You want a game that takes a deep dive into both politics and economics
This is a game that has a ridiculously in-depth economic system and the ability to shape your nation's politics in radically different ways.

You've ever enjoyed a grand strategy title or would like to give them a try
This is an essential title for those who are experienced with grand strategy games, but the automation features make it ideal for newcomers.

You're a history buff
Covering nearly 500 years of history, you'll experience some of the world's most important moments.

Don't play it if...

You don't want to invest significant time into learning a game
This is a game that you have to invest a decent amount of time in before really understanding how it all works. Expect your first few games to be very sub-optimal.

You want to play as native peoples, particularly in North America
Native peoples are sadly quite lacking in EU5 at release, with North America being particularly empty.

Accessibility

Accessibility features are pretty lacking in Europa Universalis 5, but there is a colorblind mode, which is likely the most important accessibility feature for a game like this. A high-contrast map mode would be a great addition, as would the ability to change the game's font.

How I reviewed Europa Universalis 5

I played as both Castille and the Netherlands, and also tried playing as the Bank of Bardi, giving me a good look at several different nation types. In addition to this, I took part in colonisation and exploration, the Reformation, and several other key events throughout the game. I played the game on my PC, which has an Intel i7 12700f CPU, 32GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card.

First reviewed October 2025

Categories: Reviews

Zenfolio website builder review 2025

Fri, 10/31/2025 - 11:50

Our Zenfolio review delivers all the information, insight, pros and cons you need to make an informed decision on whether this is the right portfolio website builder for you.

Finding the best website builder for your portfolio is a crucial step in showcasing your work, demonstrating your talent, and getting in front of a new and potentially profitable audience. Which is best for you will depend on several factors ranging from your technical skills to how you want to represent yourself online.

Zenfolio is one of the best portfolio website builders on the market, offering a host of tools built specifically to help photographers get their work online and grow their photography businesses.

Our experts have tested the Zenfolio portfolio website builder, assessing areas including ease of use, tools, and features to help you make an informed decision on whether it might be the best option for you.

Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Zenfolio)

Plan

Paid annually

Paid monthly

Portfolio

$7/mo

$9/mo

PortfolioPlus

$11.50/mo

$23/mo

ProSuite

$20/mo

$40/mo

Zenfolio offers three paid plans with both monthly and annual payment options. There’s also a 14-day free trial that you can use to test the platform and get a feel for its features and tools

Portfolio plan

At the cheaper end of the spectrum sits the Portfolio plan. This plan includes a great selection of templates, 15GB of photo storage, and the ability to connect your own domain name.

PortfolioPlus plan

Upgrading to the PortfolioPlus plan and you will have access to everything in the Portfolio plan, along with a more powerful site editor, 150GB of photo storage, and the ability to sell prints, digital copies, and videos directly from your website.

ProSuite plan

Finally, the ProSuite plan gives you everything in the PortfolioPlus plan, plus you will gain access to a suite of powerful features designed for professional photographers, including automated client campaigns and an all-in-one booking, invoicing, and payment solution. You'll also get access to its helpful QR code workflow.

Zenfolio features

Zenfolio boasts an excellent list of photo-specific features (Image credit: Zenfolio)

Zenfolio’s photography portfolio website builder is backed by a suite of advanced features to help you get the most out of your site. Below we list some of the most noteworthy.

When you sign up for a new Zenfolio account, you will have access to a suite of free photography website templates, mobile-friendly themes, a drag-and-drop editor, and more.

Showcase your work through public galleries to help you gain more clients. Then, you can create custom photo galleries complete with password protection to help you share work with existing clients. Alternatively, set up a simple online store using Zenfolio's ecommerce platform to sell photos, videos, or other content.

You will also have access to a suite of advanced marketing tools, with a focus on helping you grow your social followings. Integrations are available for all major social media platforms, and there’s even a range of SEO tools to help you increase your organic search traffic.

Zenfolio also offers BookMe, an advanced tool that automates booking, scheduling, gallery creation, and commerce for professional photographers.

BookMe streamlines and simplifies a photographer’s daily workflow by automating a multitude of functions that traditionally added hours to a photographer’s workday. The BookMe feature comes as standard on the ProSuite plan or can be added at an additional cost to other plans.

NextZen update

In the summer of 2025, Zenfolio launched NextZen, which it describes as a totally reimagined platform, built to speed up the workflow from shoot to sale.

This update included several new features across the board, including new AI tools for creating galleries and tagging work, as well as dedicated features for streamlining high volume photo processing. It also rolled out custom pricing for individual photos and upselling prompts that can help maximize profit via client orders.

New, modern website template options have also been added, along with improvements to the client experience with enhanced “Favorites” management across multiple galleries.

Interface and in use

The Zenfolio editor is simple and intuitive (Image credit: Zenfolio )

To get started with Zenfolio, you can either sign up for a premium plan or take advantage of the 14-day free trial. No credit card information is required to begin the free trial, and the only things you need to provide are a name and email address.

Once you’re signed up, you will be guided through a simple four-step setup process. Here, you will be able to specify the type of site you want, select an initial design, upload a few photos, and add SEO information.

The website editor itself is quite simplistic, but it does come with enough tools for you to customize your design. Change color schemes, rearrange or re-order design elements, and add your own content for a truly personalized portfolio.

Finally, there’s an impressive media management area that lets you upload and organize your photos and videos. Create custom galleries on different pages, add password-protected client galleries, and showcase your work for prospective customers.

Support

There are various support options available (Image credit: Zenfolio)

Zenfolio offers numerous support services, including live support and a range of self-help resources. Reach out to the customer service team via live chat, online ticket submission, or email, and expect an answer quite quickly.

You can also book a free one-on-one setup session to get connected with a Zenfolio expert who can help you get your site started.

Or, take advantage of the great range of self-help resources, which include detailed guides, full webinars, and more.

Zenfolio competition

As far as portfolio website builders go, Zenfolio certainly isn’t a bad option. However, there are some alternatives that are certainly worth considering.

For example, Wix is known as the world’s most powerful website builder. Take advantage of the platform’s power to build a highly functional, personalized portfolio. It’s similarly priced to Zenfolio, and there are numerous add-ons available through the Wix App Market that you can use to add extra portfolio functionality to your site.

Squarespace is another decent option, particularly for those who value high-quality designs over all else. It’s known for its excellent portfolio templates, highly attractive designs, and impressive editing tools. And while Squarespace certainly isn’t the easiest website builder to use, its section-based editor allows a passable amount of design flexibility.

Zenfolio review: Summary

At the end of the day, there’s a reason why Zenfolio is one of the world’s top-rated portfolio website builders. It offers an array of tools to help you showcase photo and video content, along with eCommerce features to help you sell your work, a beginner-friendly editor, and more.

On top of this, Zenfolio is very competitively priced, has great customer support, and boasts a noteworthy media organization portal.

The bottom line: If you’re looking for an affordable, highly functional portfolio website builder, Zenfolio should certainly be among your top options.

Categories: Reviews

Lenovo Legion Go S (Steam OS) review: what a difference SteamOS makes

Fri, 10/31/2025 - 04:16

Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS): Two-minute review

Lighter, cheaper, and more portable than the OG Lenovo Legion Go, the Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS) has a lot going for it.

First is its starting $649.99 / £699 / $1,329 price tag, which makes it much cheaper than most of the best budget gaming laptops on the market. And weighing just under two pounds, the Legion Go S is substantially lighter, too.

The result is a compact beauty that can play most of the games in your Steam library, although you might have to adjust a few settings.

The not-so-secret sauce in the Go S is the AMD Ryzen Z2 Go, or AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme if you're willing to pay a bit more for better performance. In my case, the Z2 Go brings solid performance to a remarkably compact system.

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Can you play some of the more demanding games out there, like Cyberpunk 2077? Not really, unless you're willing to make some serious compromises on graphics quality and resolution, but there are plenty of AAA titles that will run beautifully on a device that fits nicely in the palms of your hands.

There are some caveats to consider. The Go S suffers from a short battery life, just like the best gaming laptops, and it has a slightly smaller display with a lower resolution than the original Lenovo Legion Go. And unlike its chunkier brethren, the joysticks on the Legion Go S aren't detachable.

But the biggest concession on the SteamOS version of the handheld is the platform. While there is a version of the Legion Go S with Windows 11 installed, almost everyone using the SteamOS version is going to use Valve's Steam storefront exclusively.

Sure, you could find a way to dual-boot another OS or jury rig a way to get GOG or the Epic Games Store installed on SteamOS, but it's going to be a bit of a hassle, especially for more casual users. For the hard-core Steam fans like me, though, it's not just a non-issue; it's part of the Lenovo Legion Go S's appeal.

Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS): Price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

How much does it cost? Starting at $649.99 / £699 / $1,329
When is it available? It is available now
Where can you get it? It is available in the US, UK, and Australia

The base model of the Legion Go S is available now in the US, UK, and Australia, starting at $649.99 / £699 / $1,329. It comes with the new AMD Ryzen Z2 Go SoC, 16GB RAM, a 512TB SSD, and an 8-inch, 120Hz IPS touchscreen.

There is also the more powerful Z1 Extreme configuration that sells for $829.99 / £699 / AU$1,599. It has more RAM and storage, and it sports the more powerful AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme SoC that powered the original Legion Go.

This is a good bit more expensive than the base Steam Deck, but the slightly more powerful Z2 Go processor in the Legion Go S will get you 50% more RDNA 2 compute units to help with performance.

Value: 4 / 5

Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS): Specs

Lenovo Legion Go S (Steam OS) base configuration

Lenovo Legion Go S (Steam OS) max configuration

CPU

AMD Ryzen Z2 Go

AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme

GPU

Integrated AMD Radeon Graphics (12 RDNA 2 GPU Cores)

Integrated AMD Radeon Graphics (12 AMD RDNA 3 Cores)

Display

8-inch WQXGA (1920 x 1200p) LCD, 16:10, 120Hz, 500 nits, 97% DCI-P3

Memory

16GB LPDDR5X-6400

32GB LPDDR5X-6400

Storage

512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD (2242, 2280 compatible)

1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD (2242, 2280 compatible)

Battery

55.5WHr

Connectivity

WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3

Ports

2 x USB4, 1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 1 x microSD card

Dimensions (W x H x D)

11.77 x 5.02 x 0.88 ins | 299 x 127.55 x 22.6mm

Weight

1.63 lbs | 740g

Specs: 4 / 5

Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS): Design

(Image credit: Future)

Excellent hand feel with ergonomic grips; sturdy build
Hall-effect sticks, responsive triggers, handy top/bottom port layout
Louder fans than I’d like during long, heavy sessions

Personally, I’m a big fan of the original Legion Go, bulky as it is. But the Legion Go S (SteamOS) has its own unique appeal, starting with the color.

The midnight blue chassis is a nice change from the black and white we’ve been getting lately from PC gaming handhelds.

The hard plastic casing fits comfortably in my hands with textured hand grips as a bonus. It’s not fingerprint proof, but it is resistant, holding off most smudging until I get my hands in a batch of freshly popped popcorn with truffle oil. Then all bets were off.

(Image credit: Future)

Similar to the Windows 11 version of the Legion Go S, the controllers don’t detach, and there's no kickstand like on the Legion Go. It’s a shame, but the Go S is noticeably lighter than the Legion Go, weighing in at only 1.63 pounds compared to the latter’s 1.88 pounds, with controllers, so it's not that much of an issue.

The asymmetrical analog anti-drift joysticks are sturdy and provide accurate input, and I especially appreciate that they don’t detach as easily as the Go’s joysticks.

The D-Pad is fine, but it’s a little too stiff to deliver the precision needed to input quarter or half-circle inputs for fighting games. However, the buttons, shoulder, and rear bumpers deliver firm feedback with a nice, gentle click. A tiny square under the right joystick acts as one of the tiniest touchpads I’ve ever seen.

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future)

Despite not being OLED, the 8-inch 2560 x 1600p WUXGA display on the Legion Go S is absolutely stunning.

The near technicolor vibrance of Hades II was a feast for the eyes as I threw out barrages of attacks against seemingly endless waves of enemies.

Cuphead and its 1930s-style animations also looked lovely when I wasn’t cursing the screen out after yet another defeat. In both cases, the display’s 120Hz refresh rate ensured smooth rendering without any noticeable latency, which in games like these can make all the difference.

(Image credit: Future)

In addition to the Steam button that summons a sidebar with your usual tabs (Home, Library, Store, etc), you also have a Quick Access button, which gives you a sidebar where you can toggle performance profiles and settings such as brightness, audio, and Wi-fi. It’s a seamless way to quickly interact with key features without having to completely exit your game.

Design: 4 / 5

Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS): Performance

(Image credit: Future)

The Z2 Go is more than enough for casual or less-demanding AAA games, but visually robust titles struggle
Surprisingly good audio quality
Controls are responsive and comfortable for long sessions

Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS) benchmarks

Here is how the Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS) performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

Assassin's Creed Mirage (Highest, 720p): 32 fps; (Highest, 1200p): 21 fps
Black Myth: Wukong (1200p, Medium): 19 fps; (1200p, Cinematic): 12 fps; (720p, Cinematic): 17 fps; (720p, Medium): 39 fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (Ultra preset, 1200p): 3 fps; (720p, Ultra perset): 6 fps
Dirt 5 (Very High, 1200p): 20 fps; (Medium, 720p): 50 fps
Doom: The Dark Ages (Handheld preset, 1080p, FSR Balanced): 37 fps
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Highest, 1200p): 16 fps; (Highest, 720p): 30 fps

It’s one thing to play Cuphead or Hades II on a PC handheld, but it’s quite another to play the likes of Cyberpunk 2077, God of War, or Baldur’s Gate III.

And yet, there I was, dying for the umpteenth time as I worked my way through Black Myth: Wukong. Thanks to the handheld’s Z2 Go processor, the game played smoothly on lower settings, consistently reaching frame rates approaching 40 fps at 720p.

I also tried playing the game on Cinematic, and that didn't work nearly as well. At the highest performance setting at 720p, the game really chugged along at an unplayable 17 fps.

Games such as Baldur’s Gate 3, Hades II, and Hollow Knight, however, ran smoothly with maxed-out settings, letting me quickly immerse myself in the gameplay.

While not as captivating as the original Go’s QHD panel, the display's colors are vibrant, and details are crisp. This is especially true on Hades II, a technicolor beauty of mythic proportions.

(Image credit: Future)

One thing the Legion Go S has in common with its bigger brother is the audio. After weeks of playing this thing, I’m still surprised at how loud the Go S actually gets.

And while it can’t compete with the best gaming headsets, more often than not, I found myself vibing to the soundtrack of whatever game I was playing. In-game dialogue is crisp, while sound effects like explosions have some weight behind them. And on instrumentals, particularly string instruments like violins, there wasn’t any distortion.

I don’t know if it’s just because the Legion Go S is lighter, but the controls felt much better than on the original Legion Go, with my thumbs nestled comfortably into the concave seat of the analog sticks.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The bumpers and triggers depressed with a firm click, as did the buttons, and using the D-Pad during Black Myth: Wukong to switch stances was a comfortable, fluid experience.

In order to keep the Go S from overheating, Lenovo outfitted the device with several preset Thermal Modes. These set an appropriate fan speed for a corresponding performance level, and while fan noise is negligible on the Quiet or Balanced settings, Performance is a whole other story. There’s also a separate option to optimize fan speeds to make things simpler.

As for thermals, when I wasn't pushing the Legion Go S too hard, the high-contact touch points like the D-Pad, X, Y, A, B buttons, underside, display, etc., never got especially hot, though things got noticeably warmer during more intense sessions. It never felt uncomfortable, though, even during extended play.

Performance: 3 / 5

Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS): Battery life

(Image credit: Future)

Since the Legion Go S is basically a handheld gaming laptop, don’t expect it to last as long as a Nintendo Switch 2.

During my gameplay testing, the Legion would typically last about 2 hours and 30 minutes on Balanced settings before it shut down, though if you do utilize the Legion Go S's SteamOS desktop for non-gaming tasks, I was able to stretch this out to about 8 hours and 30 minutes, but no one is going to use the Legion Go S for that kind of thing regularly enough to matter.

Overall, then, the Legion Go S is more than good enough for a work commute, but if you’ve got a long flight or train ride, you’ll definitely want to keep a charger nearby.

Battery life: 2 / 5

Should you buy the Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS)?Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS) scorecard

I test gaming PCs for a living, and the Quoted Tech Shield is a great entry point for getting into PC gaming

Thu, 10/30/2025 - 16:54

Quoted Tech Shield: Two-minute review

The Quoted Tech Shield is the latest pre-built gaming PC from boutique Canadian PC maker, and it's an ideal gaming PC for anyone looking to get started playing the latest AAA games.

Everything about the Shield feels like it’s made to bring first-time PC gamers into the hobby by offering great components, easy setup and access to internals, and simple repairs (and warranties) in case things go awry.

The configuration I received, the Shield Extreme—which currently retails for CA$1299 (US$927, £975, AU$1,993)—features an AMD Ryzen 7 9700X CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card, 32GB DDR5 RAM, and 2TB SSD storage. This is a fantastic spec for blistering-fast framerates at 1080p and with very respectable framerates at 1440p, though some settings tweaks might be necessary for QHD gaming.

First-time PC gamers might not immediately appreciate just how easy everything is to set up. I have reviewed dozens of gaming PCs over the years, and I can say that few gaming PCs make it this straightforward to get going, while lower-quality PCs can be a downright nightmare.

This extends to the easy access to the internals through a pin-drop hinged door, and the relieving lack of complicated bloatware that plagues most pre-built PCs.

Probably the most impressive part of the Shield is its three-year parts and five-year labor warranties, which deliver peace of mind for first-timers navigating their way through the intricacies of a gaming PC by ensuring a more reliable and less complicated experience than many established competitors.

(Image credit: Future / Ural Garrett)

Those positives don’t mean that there aren’t some issues potential buyers should understand before buying.

Most of the Quoted Tech Shield’s problems are with the case design and port selection.

First, the Shield skips out on USB-C ports entirely, which might complicate things if you want to buy the best gaming mouse and best gaming keyboard you can afford to complement your new PC, as many modern peripherals are making the move to USB-C.

The overall case design also feels a bit fragile, and more serious PC gaming enthusiasts may have an issue with the lack of personalization software—especially RGB aficionados, as the Shield only has a few pre-configured RGB effects that you can cycle through with buttons on the top panel. That said, the Shield is all about keeping things simple, so the lighting presets might actually be a plus for some users.

Overall, however, the Quoted Tech Shield makes up for its faults by delivering fantastic 1080p and strong 1440p performance, quiet operation, and a user-friendly design to account for future upgrades. Combined with its generous three-year parts and five-year labor warranties, the Shield is unquestionably one of the best gaming PC options available for an inviting, low-risk PC gaming experience without the intimidation of traditional PC building or more complicated pre-built offerings.

Quoted Tech Shield: Price & availability

(Image credit: Future / Ural Garrett)

The Quoted Tech Shield starts at $1299 CAD (about USD $930 / £975 / AU$1,995)
Available now in the US, UK, and Australia through Quoted Tech's website

The Quoted Tech Shield can be purchased through the company's website, starting at $1299 CAD (about US$930 / £975 / AU$1,995).

There are eight different configurations ranging from the starting 1080p esports build to high-end 4K set-ups, which will set you back CA$3,049 (about US$2,205 / £1,820 / AU$3,530).

My Quoted Tech Shield "Extreme" configuration targets 1440p gaming, and will set you back CA$2,449, or about US$1,775 / £1,465 / AU$3,530.

Overall, these are respectable price points for a gaming PC at any level, though those looking for something cheaper or more premium can easily do so.

Value: 4 / 5

Quoted Tech Shield: Specs Quoted Tech Shield specs

Starting configuration

Review configuration

Max configuration

Price

$1,299 CAD (about USD $930 / £975 / AU$1,995)

CA$2,449 (about US$1,775 / £1,465 / AU$3,530)

CPU

AMD Ryzen 5 7500F

AMD Ryzen 7 9700X

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D

GPU

Nvidia RTX 5050

Nvidia RTX 5070

Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti

Memory

16GB DDR5-5600

32GB DDR5-5600

Storage

1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD

2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD

Connectivity

WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, 1Gbps Ethernet

Ports

9xUSB-A

CPU Cooling

120mm Tower Air Cooler

PSU

650W 80+ Bronze (Non-modular)

750W 80+ Gold, Full Modular

Dimensions (L x W x H)

40.5 x 21.0 x 42.5 cm

Weight

25 lbs | 11.34kg

35 lbs | 15.88kg

Specs: 4 / 5

Quoted Tech Shield: Design

(Image credit: Future / Ural Garrett)

Internals are easily accessible through the hinged side panel
Chassis is very basic and lacks customizable RGB lighting
No USB-C ports

One of the best things about the Quoted Tech Shield design is how simple everything is, from the side panel that’s opened with a simple pin-drop hinge to the easily removable front panel screen for quick fan maintenance.

There isn’t a part that doesn’t have easy access on this gaming PC, making future upgradability a straightforward process, especially for those who are new to PC gaming.

That does come at the cost of a case that doesn’t necessarily feel durable. In fact, I would go further to say that the overall design of the chassis feels somewhat flimsy compared to others on the market.

(Image credit: Future / Ural Garrett)

Though the all black colorway looks great, the case feels like it's made of very thin steel; something that was apparent when our review unit arrived and the rear panel port panel and front screen panel had small dents in them. As such, the Quoted Tech Shield isn’t the type of gaming desktop that you'll0 want to move around too much if you're concerned about its aesthetic.

The RGB lighting will also strike you as entirely simple or entirely problematic, depending on your tastes. The Quoted Tech Shield prides itself on not offering bloatware, which I genuinely love, but that means you need to cycle through preset RGB color schemes via a button on the top panel. Thankfully, one of the settings allows users to turn off the lighting completely.

(Image credit: Future / Ural Garrett)

When it comes to port selections, there are plenty of standard USB-A ports, including three top-panel USB-A ports, as well as a pair of 3.5mm jacks for a headset and a dedicated mic. That’s more than enough for many gamers, content creators, and everyone else in between.

The biggest problem comes from the lack of a USB-C ports, as many accessories are making the switch to this interface, so you might have to invest in USB adapters to use new peripherals in the future.

Design: 3 / 5

Quoted Tech Shield: Performance

1080p performance is outstanding
1440p performance is respectable
Don’t expect any performance customization options

The plug-and-play design of the Quoted Tech Shield Extreme configuration I received is complemented by its impressive gaming performance. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 serve as a solid middle ground between basic gaming and high-end 4K performance, with very high frame rates at 1080p resolution and great performance at 1440p, even without having to rely on frame generation.

As mentioned previously, this is great for those who don’t feel like thinking much about customizing performance modes, wattage usage, fan speed, and the like.

CPU benchmarks vs competition

Quoted Tech Shield

Alienware Aurora ACT1250

NZXT Player PC

Lenovo Legion Tower 5

Geekbench 6 (Single)

3,355

3,071

3,081

2,594

Geekbench 6 (Multi)

16,234

20,010

18,984

13,554

Cinebench R23 (Single)

2,223

2,257

2,263

1,693

Cinebench R23 (Multi)

19,778

35,446

35,226

17,376

Cinebench R24 (Single)

136

137

104

Cinebench R24 (Multi)

1,157

1,979

1,923

934

Crossmark Overall

2,311

2,301

2,298

1,846

Crossmark Productivity

2,147

2,152

2,159

1,734

Crossmark Creativity

2,628

2,548

2,495

2,127

Crossmark Responsiveness

1,960

2,069

2,166

1,454

For the more competitive side of gaming, the Shield Extreme will work perfectly in both 1080p and 1440p.

Games like Battlefield 6, Fortnite, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and Valorant ran well past 100 fps at 1440p with settings maxed out. Meanwhile, Marvel Rivals at max settings averaged around 60fps at 1440p. All of this was without relying on upscaling, much less frame generation, so you can definitely push the visual framerate much higher for a smoother experience.

GPU benchmarks vs competition

Quoted Tech Shield

Alienware Aurora ACT1250

NZXT Player PC

Lenovo Legion Tower 5

3DMark Fire Strike

45,474

44,913

45,049

43,845

3DMark Steel Nomad

5,308

5,224

4,967

5,495

3DMark Speed Way

5,898

5,741

5,855

5,960

3DMark Port Royal

14,318

14,062

14,139

14,302

For non-competitive titles, especially newer, more visually demanding games like Assassin's Creed Shadows and Black Myth: Wukong are going to need upscaling to maintain high frame rates at 1440p, though native-only gamers can still get high framerates at 1080p with settings maxed out without ray tracing.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows ran at about 58 fps at 1080p on ultra high settings without upscaling, while it hit around 33 fps on average without upscaling. Likewise, with Black Myth: Wukong, I was able to achieve an average of 55 fps at 1080p with Cinematic settings, and about 30fps at 1440p on the same settings without upscaling.

The worst results were for Cyberpunk 2077, which hit around 20fps on the Ultra preset at native 1440p. Turn on DLSS 4 with the transformer model set to balanced, without frame generation, and at 1440p, I consistently hit an average of 74 fps.

Gaming benchmarks (average FPS) vs competition

Quoted Tech Shield

Alienware Aurora ACT1250

NZXT Player PC

Lenovo Legion Tower 5

Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra)

Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1080p, Highest)

204

202

201

207

F1 2024 (1080p, Very High)

104

119

Total War: Warhammer III: Mirrors of Madness (1080p, Ultra)

180

181

182

172

General computing and creative content curation worked well outside of gaming. Opening multiple tabs in Google Chrome didn’t lead to any slowdown or OS hangs, while Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro not only ran well but also exported files fairly quickly.

Overall, the Quoted Tech Shield proves itself as a strong, no-fuss gaming desktop that balances accessibility with performance, making it an appealing, well-rounded choice for both casual gamers and multitasking creators.

Performance: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Quoted Tech Shield?

(Image credit: Future / Ural Garrett)Quoted Tech Shield scorecard

Notes

Rating

Value

Regardless of which configuration you go go for, the Quoted Tech Shield offers a nice no-frills purchase backed by a nice warranty package.

4 / 5

Specs

With a very wide selection of configurations, there's a build to target every gaming resolution.

4 / 5

Design

The easy access through the pin-drop hinge is great for upgrades and maintenance. However, the chassis feels flimsy, lacks USB-C ports, or any customizable RGB lighting.

3 / 5

Performance

Though performance benchmarks favor 1080p more, 1440p resolutions run just fine at acceptable frame rates.

4 / 5

Total Score

Despite being held back by some questionable design choices, the performance, upgradability, and warranty-protection of the Shield are more than enough to recommend this PC, especially for PC gaming newcomers.

3.75 / 5

Buy the Quoted Tech Shield if…

You are looking for respectable 1080p / 1440p performance
The AMD Ryzen 7 9700 CPU matches well with Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5070 for high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p from visual spectacles to competitive leaning games.

You need easy set-up and upgrade potential
Opening and closing the case is as simple as pulling the pin drop hinge. Also, anyone new to PC gaming has an easy guide to set it up.

You want some great customer-friendly additives
A three year warranty on parts will be clutch for those who have issues going down the line and five years of labor warranty couldn’t be more of a cherry on top.

Don’t buy it if…

You need a USB-C port
Many modern PC gaming accessories utilize USB-C ports, and the Quoted Tech Shield has none, forcing you to use an adapter for USB-C peripherals.

You want a more durable case
Despite having easy access to internal components and even fans, the overall chassis feels somewhat flimsy and prone to denting.

You want customizable RGB lighting
The no-frills package of the Quoted Tech Shield means no bloatware. This also means that RGB lighting is cycled through a handful of presets via a button on the top panel.

Also Consider

If my Quoted Tech Shield review has you considering other options, here are two other gaming desktops to consider...

Alienware Aurora ACT1250
The Alienware Aurora gaming desktop is an iconic gaming PC, and its latest iteration features fantastic performance at a decent enough price, though internal component access and upgradability are more limited.

Read the full Alienware Aurora ACT1250 review

Lenovo Legion Tower 5
The Lenovo Legion Tower 5 is a fantastic gaming PC with solid hardware and one of the best first-party apps for tweaking performance in the Lenovo Advantage tuner. It's a bit cramped though, making future upgradability a bit more complicated.

Read the full Lenovo Legion Tower 5 review

How I tested the Quoted Tech Shield

I tested the Quoted Tech Shield for a little over a week
I ran our standard battery of benchmark tests, as well as games like Ninja Gaiden 4, Battlefield 6, Dying Light: The Beast, Valorant, and Forza Motorsport (2023).

I spent a little over a week testing the Quoted Tech Shield, using TechRadar's standard benchmarking suite and real-world experience across a range of demanding tasks.

During work hours, I used Google Chrome for multitasking—running several tabs for productivity tools and browsing sessions—alongside Adobe Creative Suite for video editing and design work.

For gaming, I split my time between games like Dying Light: The Beast, Black Myth: Wukong, and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II to measure performance in visually demanding titles.

For competitive gaming, I spent time with Battlefield 6, Valorant, and Marvel Rivals.

I've been reviewing gaming PCs for several years now, so I know exactly how a gaming PC at this level should perform, so you can trust that anything I recommend is worth the investment.

First reviewed October 2025

Categories: Reviews

I've tested several of the latest budget gaming laptops recently, and the Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 is the best value of them all

Thu, 10/30/2025 - 14:20

Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9: Two-minute review

The Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9 aims to take the lead as the best budget gaming laptop on the market, and in terms of performance for the price, it pretty much nails it.

At first glance, you’d be hard-pressed to distinguish it from any other workaday laptop. It lacks the bulk and RGB lighting of its rivals, which may be a positive or a negative depending on how you feel about the modern gamer aesthetic.

Regardless, it certainly looks and feels premium. Smooth materials with elegant finishes are featured all over, with the keyboard being a particular highlight, thanks to the solid placement and subtle texturing of the keys.

What’s more, the LOQ Essential 15 is pleasingly light, which makes it more portable than a lot of the competition. However, while build quality is good, the LOQ Essential 15 isn’t as sturdy as the best gaming laptops on the market, since there’s a fair amount of flex to both the chassis and the lid.

There’s a welcome selection of ports on the LOQ Essential 15, featuring all the interfaces a gamer would need. There’s even an SD card reader, which isn’t something you often see on a gaming laptop. Most of these ports are located on the left, and there are none on the back, which may prove inconvenient depending on your particular setup.

(Image credit: Future)

The LOQ Essential 15 comes preinstalled with Lenovo Vantage, a utility app for viewing system information and adjusting performance settings. This is one of the best utility apps I’ve come across, providing plenty of useful information and tweaks. It also has a very clear interface, and during my time with it, it ran without a hitch.

Less impressive, however, was the outright performance of my review unit. The Intel i5 and RTX 3050 combination in my review unit struggled to run the latest AAA titles smoothly, especially if you enable even the slightest amount of ray tracing. At least the heat and fan noise were kept to a minimum throughout.

Thankfully, the display on the LOQ Essential 15 is more impressive. Despite the 1080p resolution stretching across 15 inches, the interface always looked clear and sharp. There’s plenty of vibrancy, too, and although the maximum brightness isn’t particularly high, the worst reflections are kept at bay.

The keyboard feels a little cramped when gaming, and the lack of travel and dampening hampers feedback somewhat. It’s a different story, however, when typing, as the snappy clicks and ergonomic layout make this easy. And since the touchpad is quite small, it doesn’t get in the way when typing, either.

With its reasonable price tag, the LOQ Essential 15 is certainly a tempting proposition. While there’s plenty of quality here, the middling performance and keyboard hamstring its gaming prowess somewhat. If you can live with these drawbacks, though, the LOQ Essential 15 is still worth considering if you’re after a budget gaming laptop.

Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9 review: Price & Availability

(Image credit: Future)

Starting from $569 / £689 / AU$742.35
Available now
Budget end of the market

The LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9 starts from $569 / £689 / AU$742.35 and is available now in the US, UK, and Australia. Various RTX GPU options are available as well, from the RTX 2050 all the way up to the RTX 5050. There are also different Intel and AMD CPUs available. RAM capacities range from 8GB to 32GB, while storage ranges from 512GB to 4TB.

The starting price on the LOQ Essential 15 is about as low as I've seen for a laptop of this quality. Better yet, I’ve seen the latest models with their RTX 50-series GPUs on sale at a significant discount, making them an even better value despite being more expensive.

However, there might be cheaper gaming laptops out there, depending on your region. The MSI Cyborg 15, for example, starts at a cheaper price in the UK and is similarly specced with a high-quality design.

If you're able to spend a little more, there’s also the Acer Nitro V 15, which—while more expensive than the LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9 in the US—is a better gaming laptop right now, in my view, thanks to its more capable performance.

Value: 4 / 5

Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9 review: SpecsLenovo LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9 review configuration

Price

£799

CPU

Intel Core i5-12450HX (2.4GHz, 8 Cores)

GPU

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050, 6GB

RAM

16GB DDR5

Storage

1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD

Display

15.6" FHD (1920x1080), IPS, 144Hz, Anti-glare

Ports and Connectivity

2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x RJ-45, 1x 3.5mm combo audio, 1x SD card reader; Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2

Battery

57Wh

Dimensions

14.15 x 9.29 x 0.78-0.90in (359.3 x 236 x 19.9-22.95mm)

Weight

3.9lbs (1.77kg)

Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9 review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

Premium feel
Not the sturdiest
Great utility app

If you didn’t know, you could easily mistake the Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9 for a mainstream laptop. It has the same form and looks, without any of the extraneous bulges or aggressive aesthetics typical of many gaming laptops.

It looks quite elegant, owing to the subtle sheen of the finish. It’s also impressively thin and light for a laptop in this class, which makes carrying it around easier. The materials look and feel fairly premium, although the LOQ Essential 15 isn’t as sturdy as others, with some flex to various panels and the display enclosure.

The keyboard is a more premium affair, with a smooth yet noticeable texture to the keycaps. They have the typical Lenovo ergonomic shape, although they seem less indented than other models from the brand.

There are plenty of handy shortcuts on the F row, including one to open Windows 11 settings, which I wish would feature on every laptop. There are also some unlabelled Fn shortcuts, such as Fn+Q, which toggles performance modes. I only happened to chance upon it when looking at Lenovo’s website.

You can also find it listed in a pre-installed app called Lenovo Hotkeys, in addition to a plethora of other useful shortcuts. For instance, you can also instantly toggle the refresh rate between 60 and 144Hz with Fn+R.

(Image credit: Future)

One of the most disappointing aspects of the keyboard, though, is the lack of backlighting. Higher spec models have it, but it’s still a fairly egregious omission on base models. Not only does it add spectacle, it also serves a practical purpose by helping with key location when gaming in dimly-lit rooms, as is often the case for many.

What won’t disappoint is the number of ports on the LOQ Essential 15. All those relevant to gamers are present: there are two USB-A ports and one USB-C, as well as ethernet and HDMI interfaces. There’s even an SD card reader, which isn’t always seen on gaming laptops, but it's great for creator-gamers who might use their laptop for both work and play.

The placement of the ports might prove more divisive, though. All but two are loaded on the left-hand side, and there are none on the back. This layout might be inconvenient for certain setups; personally, I like to see at least the power port on the back.

The LOQ Essential 15 comes preinstalled with Lenovo Vantage, which is one of the best first-party utility suites I’ve come across. It contains a wealth of useful information and settings to tweak, especially the gaming section, which naturally has various cooling and performance modes to choose from.

What’s more, Vantage is clear and easy to navigate, and I didn’t experience any bugs or glitches when using it—not something that can be said about every first-party software.

Design: 4 / 5

Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9 review: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

Middling 1080p performance
Vibrant, non-reflective display
Keyboard lacks gaming prowess

Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9 benchmarks

Geekbench 6 (Single Core): 2,207; (Multi Core): 8,297
Cinebench R23 (Single Core): 1,588; (Multi Core): 9,774
Cinebench R24 (Single Core): 94 (Multi Core): 562
Crossmark Overall: 1,441
3DMark Night Raid: 37,229; Fire Strike: 11,392; Steel Nomad: 998; Solar Bay: 23,855; Solar Bay Unlimited: 25,530; Solar Bay Extreme: 4,391; Solar Bay Extreme Unlimited: 4,436
BlackMagicDisk Read: 3,502MB/s; Write: 3,063MB/s
Civilization VII (1080p, AMD FSR, High): 200fps; (1080p, High): 136fps
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1080p, Highest, Balanced upscaling): 98fps; (1080p, Highest, SMAA x4, no upscaling): 53fps
Total War: Warhammer III: Mirrors of Madness (1080p, Ultra): 28fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra, Balanced upscaling): 57fps; (1080p, Ray Tracing: Ultra, Balanced upscaling): 34fps; (1080p, Ultra, no upscaling): 37fps
Marvel Rivals (1080p, Ultra, Balanced upscaling): 33fps; (1080p, no upscaling, Low): 49fps

My review unit of the LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9 was equipped with an Intel Core i5 CPU and an RTX 3050 GPU, so as you might expect, gaming performance wasn’t exactly top-tier. When I played Cyberpunk 2077 with the Ray Tracing: Low preset, fps figures were in the high thirties and early forties on average, with some significant stuttering in busy scenes.

Personally, this stuttering didn’t derail the experience for me, but it was certainly noticeable and will likely bother more elite players. Disabling Ray Tracing altogether and applying the Ultra preset barely made a difference to frame rates or the stuttering, albeit the latter occurred with slightly less frequency.

Almost as soon as I started playing, the area around the WASD keys warmed up, but thankfully, it never peaked above lukewarm. The rest of the chassis stayed cool, save for the portion above the keyboard – but even this area remained touchable.

There is some fan noise during heavy workloads, but it’s quieter than others in this category, and nothing the best PC gaming headsets couldn’t drown out.

The display is also quite impressive. It’s remarkably clear and sharp, especially when you consider its 1080p resolution is stretched out over 15 inches. It’s also pleasingly vivid, and although it isn’t quite as bright as I would’ve liked, it still does enough to fend off troublesome reflections.

(Image credit: Future)

Harder to praise is the keyboard. It’s great for typing, thanks to the light and snappy actuation, as well as the generous spacing and aforementioned shape of the keys. What’s more, despite the inclusion of a number pad, the layout doesn’t feel cramped.

For gaming, however, the keyboard is less fit for purpose. In the WASD position, my fingers suddenly felt more confined, perhaps due to the relatively small size of the keys themselves. They also have little travel and next to no dampening, both of which result in a lack of feel, certainly when compared to the best gaming keyboard switches.

Thankfully, the touchpad on the LOQ Essential 15 rarely gets in the way when gaming or typing, thanks to its small size. However, this also means that navigation is more awkward than with larger pads, although this may be a moot point, since even the best touchpad is no match for the best gaming mouse.

Performance: 3.5 / 5

Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9 review: Battery Life

Great playback result
Power-hungry Balanced mode
Very quick to charge

The battery life of the LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9 is quite good by gaming laptop standards. It managed to last close to eight hours during our movie playback test, which bests many others in this sector. However, this is still below the standards of the best laptops for general use, as some can achieve more than double that time.

In my PCMark Gaming battery test, the LOQ Essential 15 lasted about 32 minutes, which is significantly down on rivals. This was with the Balanced mode applied in Vantage, which also applies the Balanced mode in Windows 11 itself (the same mode used for the movie playback test).

This score doesn’t seem to square with its playback result, so your day-to-day use will land somewhere in the middle of the two results. I can only presume this is because Vantage’s Balanced mode is more eager than its rivals’ counterparts to boost power to the GPU while gaming. Charging performance is much better, though, taking a mere hour to go from empty to full.

Battery Life: 3.5 / 5

Should I buy the Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9?Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9 Scorecard

Notes

Score

Value

The LOQ Essential 15 offers exceptional quality for its starting price, but different configurations will vary in overall value.

4 / 5

Design

Remarkably thin and un-gamerish with premium-seeming materials, though it's not the most solidly constructed.

4 / 5

Performance

It won’t handle the highest settings in AAA titles, but it still just about suffices to have a good time. The display is good, too.

3.5 / 5

Battery Life

Good for this class of laptop, but still behind more general laptops. Vantage’s Balanced mode lets the side down a little, too.

3.5 / 5

Total Score

The Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9 is a well-made gaming laptop that's even more impressive thanks to its low starting price. The design quality makes up for the middling AAA performance, but overall it’s one of the best values you're going to find in a budget gaming laptop.

3.75 / 5

Buy the Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9 if...

You don’t need a flashy design
It might not be the most exciting thing to look at, but the materials look and feel more expensive than its price tag suggests.

You want a good display
Vivid and surprisingly sharp for a 1080p resolution. It also does a fine job of combating reflections, despite not being the brightest around.

Don't buy it if...

You want the best gaming keyboard
Although it’s perfectly fine for typing, the keyboard isn’t ideal for gaming.

You want top-tier performance on a budget
With an RTX 30-Series GPU inside, the LOQ Essential 15 couldn’t achieve the high frame rates of more recent GPUs, so you'll have to pay extra for better performance.

Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9 review: Also Consider

Acer Nitro V 15 Intel
Although it's considerably more expensive than the LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9, it’s still within the budget realm as far as gaming laptops are concerned. What’s more, it has a much beefier spec, featuring an RTX 5050 in its base model. This means the 1080p performance is far superior, although the corollary is a fair amount of heat.

Read our full Acer Nitro V 15 Intel review

MSI Cyborg 15
The Cyborg 15 is another gaming laptop with an invitingly low price. In fact, even the model with the RTX 3050 is significantly cheaper than the LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9. It doesn’t have the same level of quality, though, and the display isn’t quite as good, but the keyboard is much better.

Read our full MSI Cyborg 15 review

How I tested the Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9

Tested for several days
Gamed and benchmarked
Wealth of gaming laptop experience

I tested the LOQ Essential 15 Gen 9 for several days, during which time I used it for gaming, working, and general entertainment.

I played AAA titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 at various settings, and ran our comprehensive series of benchmark tests. This included those for the battery life.

I’ve been PC gaming for over a decade and have experienced numerous systems and components during that time. I’ve also reviewed many gaming laptops before, ranging in their price points and specs.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed October 2025

Categories: Reviews

The Corsair Novablade Pro is an exceptional leverless fighting game controller that puts quality and customizability first

Thu, 10/30/2025 - 08:00

Corsair Novablade Pro: One-minute review

I’ve spent the past week testing the Corsair Novablade Pro, and I’ve come away extremely impressed with this leverless fighting game controller. Like the more budget-friendly 8BitDo Arcade Controller and other contenders for the best fight stick, there’s no traditional joystick here; opting instead for a pure button layout that handles everything from movement to motion inputs.

What’s immediately striking about the Novablade Pro is its luxurious build quality. Made from high-quality plastic and metal materials, it also avoids the trap many leverless controllers fall into of being too bulky. In comparison, the Novablade Pro is remarkably thin, making it easy to play at home or out with you at in-person tournaments.

The Novablade Pro is also incredibly easy to customize to your liking. The magnetic aluminum face plate can be easily removed, allowing you to swap out buttons, keyswitches, or the face plate itself should you desire. Remapping buttons and creating your own layout profiles is also simple, with onboard function controls dedicated to such actions.

And that’s something I’d recommend looking into, as the default black face plate is unfortunately effective at picking up prints and smudges from your gaming sessions. And trust me, when you’re deep into a tense Tekken 8 ranked session, that’s going to be unavoidable.

Lastly, I’m personally not the biggest fan of the pressure-sensitive keyswitches Corsair has opted for here. Don’t get me wrong; they work great and let you fully customize button travel time, but I personally prefer the more tactile and immediately clicky switches found on the 8BitDo Arcade Controller and from manufacturers like Sanwa. But I must stress that this is purely a preference thing, and not necessarily a knock on the Novablade Pro itself.

(Image credit: Future)Corsair Novablade Pro: Price and availability

$249.99 / £229.99 / AU$349
Compatible with PS5, PS4, and PC only
Matches the Victrix Pro KO on price

The Corsair Novablade Pro is available to buy for $249.99 / £229.99 / AU$349 (the latter as per a listing at JB Hi-Fi in Australia) and comes in one configuration, compatible with PS5, PS4, and PC. The product is available to buy from Corsair’s own website or participating retailers in your region.

This is a fairly mid-range to premium price tag for a leverless controller, coming in much pricier than the 8BitDo Arcade Controller’s $89.99 / £75.99 (around AU$136), but matches the price of the Victrix Pro KO at $249.99 / £229.99 / AU$399.95. In the latter regard, this positions the Novablade Pro as a competitively priced product, and one you might want to consider if you’ve also been looking at Victrix’s output.

Corsair Novablade Pro: Specs

Price

$249.99 / £229.99 / AU$349)

Weight

3.9lbs / 1.8kg

Dimensions

12.6 x 9.1 x 1.2in / 320 x 231 x 30mm

Compatibility

PS5, PS4, PC

Connection type

Wireless (2.4GHz, Bluetooth), Wired (USB-C)

Battery life

Around 40 hours

Software

N/A

Corsair Novablade Pro: Design and features

Almost everything about the Corsair Novablade Pro feels carefully considered for customizability and a premium, high-end play experience. You’re looking at a very high-quality build here, with an aluminum finish for the face plate and rock-solid plastic for the unit itself and its buttons. The underside is completely covered in textured, non-slip rubber, providing utmost stability on flat surfaces.

As is pretty standard for leverless controllers, there are 15 buttons and keyswitches on the Novablade Pro. At the top, there are six dedicated function buttons that encompass actions like pausing, profile switching, activating tournament-ready modes (which prevent pausing or resets), and, of course, a power button. Off to the top right, you’ve got L3 and R3 buttons as well as a DualSense-like touchpad.

To the right of said touchpad are five additional function buttons aligned vertically, and these can be used for mapping various button macros, something I found handy in various fighting game training modes for recording inputs, resetting positions, and the like.

The rear of the controller has a really handy USB-C cable lock, along with a slider that can both unlock and lock it in place. This keeps your cable nice and secure with minimal disconnection risk if you opt for a wired connection via USB-C.

I have to mention the Novablade Pro’s excellent RGB lighting, too, which is something I initially thought would be distracting during games. That couldn’t be further from the truth; the lights aren’t overly bright, and customizable color coding helps you to visually identify which buttons are where at a glance. This can all be customized on the controller, of course, on a per-profile basis.

The face plate can be removed by placing a finger underneath the notch at the top and easily pulling it free. Underneath it, you’ll find a 2.4GHz dongle for wireless connectivity, as well as switches for swapping between platforms (PS5, PS4, and PC) and connectivity options (Bluetooth, 2.4GHz, or wired).

The plate itself is quite a fingerprint magnet, though, so I’d recommend routinely wiping it down after play sessions, or swapping it out for other compatible face plates - especially if you like to alter your controller’s looks (and support commissioning artists while you’re at it!).

(Image credit: Future)Corsair Novablade Pro: Performance

As mentioned, Corsair definitely has intermediate to professional-level fighting game players in mind with the Novablade Pro. This is apparent with its choice of pressure-sensitive keyswitches. This is a standout feature of the controller, and you can fully alter the travel time of your buttons from 0.1mm all the way up to 4mm. So, you have the choice of sharply immediate presses or longer ones, depending on the situation. I found that this could also prevent mispresses with certain buttons by not pushing them in all the way.

Personally, I do prefer the clicky, more tactile results of microswitches. I find them to be more satisfying to press, as was the case on the 8BitDo Arcade Controller, which I reviewed previously. By no means does this make the Novablade Pro deliver an unsatisfying or inaccurate play experience. The buttons here still feel great, bouncy, and responsive. That’s just a matter of personal preference on my end, but something you may want to consider based on your own experience with leverless controllers.

Otherwise, the Novablade Pro is exceptionally responsive, no matter what type of connection you go with, though I would suggest avoiding Bluetooth connectivity altogether. It’s not bad here, but in general, it offers a slightly higher degree of input latency compared to 2.4GHz and especially wired. On PC, both wired and 2.4GHz connections offer a 1,000Hz polling rate, level with some of the best PS5 controllers and best PC controllers. Though due to the PS5 and PS4’s design, you’ll only get that 1,000Hz polling rate with a strictly wired USB-C connection. Again, something to keep in mind if you’re playing on console.

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Corsair Novablade Pro?Buy it if…

You want a premium leverless experience
The Corsair Novablade Pro, from build to performance, is all about quality. It’s rare that controllers I test have build quality and attention to detail at this level. So I can wholeheartedly recommend it if you’re looking for a premium experience.

You love customizability
15 buttons, plenty of functions, and five custom profile slots mean you’ll very likely be able to find setups on a per-game basis that work just right for you.

Don’t buy it if…

You’re a leverless beginner
It’s costly, for one thing, but the Novablade Pro’s high amount of utility can be a little daunting if you’re brand new to the leverless world. In this case, I’d recommend dipping a toe in with a cheaper model like the 8BitDo Arcade Controller.

Also consider...

If the Corsair Novablade Pro isn’t quite what you’re looking for, consider the following two alternatives.

Corsair Novablade Pro

Victrix Pro KO

8BitDo Arcade Controller

Price

$249.99 / £229.99 (around AU$399)

$249.99 / £229.99 / AU$399.95

$89.99 / £75.99 (around AU$136)

Weight

3.9lbs / 1.8kg

2.7lbs / 1.225kg

2.42lbs / 1.1kg

Dimensions

12.6 x 9.1 x 1.2in / 320 x 231 x 30mm

13.35 x 9.23 x 0.8in / 235 x 334 x 22mm

11.9 x 7.9 x 0.9in / 301 x 201 x 22mm

Compatibility

PS5, PS4, PC

PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC (PlayStation and Xbox models sold separately)

Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC (Switch and Xbox models sold separately)

Connection type

Wireless (2.4GHz, Bluetooth), Wired (USB-C)

Wired (USB-C)

Wireless (2.4GHz, Bluetooth), Wired (USB-C)

Battery life

Around 40 hours

N/A

Around 20 hours

Software

N/A

Ultimate Software V2

Victrix Pro KO
It’s priced the same as the Novablade Pro, and pretty comparable in terms of specs and capabilities. While wired only, it’s certainly worth considering if you want a highly customizable pad, and there’s even an Xbox version available if you play on those consoles.

Read our full Victrix Pro KO review

8BitDo Arcade Controller
An excellent introduction to the world of leverless controllers. It’s affordable, but still impressively versatile with 15 tactile buttons, profile creation, and a superb lightweight build that makes it a perfect travel companion.

Read our full 8BitDo Arcade Controller review

(Image credit: Future)How I tested the Corsair Novablade Pro

Tested for one week
Played a variety of fighting games on PS5 and PC
Compared to the 8BitDo Arcade Controller and Victrix Pro KO

I tested the Corsair Novablade Pro over the course of one week, and having now got a proper feel for leverless controllers after the 8BitDo Arcade Controller, I felt incredibly comfortable with the Novablade Pro’s layout and high build quality.

I played a variety of the best fighting games with it across PS5 and PC, including Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, and Guilty Gear Strive.

In my time with the Novablade Pro, I was able to compare it directly to a cheaper model I also have in for testing - the 8BitDo Arcade Controller - and one of comparable price and features in the Victrix Pro KO. Both being some of the best fight sticks around. If you’re after a premium leverless controller, you likely won’t be disappointed here. Especially given its superb build quality and high level of customization.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed October 2025

Categories: Reviews

The Witcher season 4 review: Netflix nixes logic for confusing and overwhelming fantasy, but the payoff is worth it

Thu, 10/30/2025 - 03:01

After two years of waiting, The Witcher season 4 has finally returned to our screens – and boy does it feel like we've been waiting that long in the worst possible way.

The hit Netflix show is a complex one to keep up with at the best of times, and that's even more exaggerated when so much has happened in the interim. Liam Hemsworth has taken over from Henry Cavill in the role of Geralt of Rivia, we've got a whole host of brand-new roles who make up his rag-tag crew, and Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu) is far from finished wreaking havoc with his unhinged chaos magic.

Add in the remaining witches of Aretuza, the White Flame and the introduction of infamous savage Leo Bonhart (Sharlto Copley), and there's a lot of plates spinning. Unfortunately, I don't think season 4 does the best job of easing us back into the drama, and that's to the detriment of the first four episodes.

However, I implore you to stick with it, even when it feels like you need a specially-made dictionary to decode what's going on. Episodes 5-8 might just be some of the strongest in the franchise, and the stakes are getting bigger and better for what promises to be an explosive final (and fifth) season.

This is possibly the only time I'd advocate in favor of Netflix's split-season drop – while shows like Emily in Paris season 4 and Wednesday season 2 really didn't need to be released in two goes, The Witcher seasons 4 and 5 are part of the same ongoing story.

By the end of season 4, the fictional engines are finally up and running, but are now left to thaw while we wait for season 5 to be announced. Good things come to those who wait, but is this a step too far?

The Witcher season 4 starts off as a slog, and that's a storytelling problem

For at least the first two episodes of The Witcher season 4, I didn't know if I was coming or going. Unless you're a diehard fan of the books and games or have rewatched the previous three seasons in preparation, you're going to be as lost as a kid on their first day of high school.

As someone who doesn't fit into either of those categories, I think episode 1 has done a particularly poor job of bringing us up to speed. We're reminded that Geralt, Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) and Ciri (Freya Allen) have been separated after the fallout of the Battle of Aretuza, but the details are woolly.

Instead of a traditional 'previously on...' recap that would have worked a lot better – or a standalone recap on the platform like Netflix has done with The Witcher before – we're reminded of how things stand through a young girl reading a book about the legend of The Witcher. It's clear she's going to be important in season 5, but the creative risk isn't helpful to getting the simple understanding that we need.

By the halfway point of season 4, you're back in the swing of things. Geralt has become a side plot in his own story, and the action we are seeing often feels like the CGI budget has obviously been spent on Stranger Things season 5 instead.

While there's a distinct cutback on nudity and intimate scenes this season (which was a conscious decision from showrunner Lauren Schmidt-Hissrich), those that do still appear feel somewhat gratuitous. I hate to sound like my Nan, but it's the swearing that rubs me up the wrong way the most in season 4. There's often no linguistic blueprint from the show, swinging from Ye Olde English to "I'm gonna f**cking kill you" in seconds.

The second half of The Witcher season 4 is where it truly shines

Geralt's new gang in The Witcher season 4. (Image credit: Netflix)

Get through these issues in the first four episodes, and you're onto a winner in the second four. Where I've been harsh on the first half of season four, I couldn't sing the praises of episodes 5-8 loud enough. They're some of the strongest in the franchise, upping their visuals, storytelling, and worldbuilding to deliver something we genuinely don't want to stop watching.

Rather than our final episode being the pinnacle of the season, I think it's actually episode 6. Here, we see Vilgefortz and Yennefer come face-to-face in the Battle of Montecalvo, something that's been hugely expanded on from the original books. The action sequences are dynamic and push creative boundaries, while there are plenty of genuine surprises in store (that may or may not change the game for season 5).

I've also got to take a moment for the new cast member who's the actual star of season 4: Laurence Fishburne. Though fans were quick to criticize his casting as thoughtful vampire Regis, Fishburne brings the perfect balance of wisdom and curiosity. It's honestly a wonder that he's not been cast in an old-world fantasy series before this, but now he's truly part of the furniture.

Now viewers are more settled back into The Witcher's lore and overarching narrative, these later episodes in the season also take more creative risks. Without giving too much away, we've got full-out musical numbers, animated sequences and unlikely alliances waiting for us, and I think each has spinoff potential (but more on that another time).

Is The Witcher season 4 the best outing Netflix has had so far? No – and that's largely because it's a placeholder for season 5. In order to give us the jaw-dropping ending we're all waiting for, the show has to give us a lot of context and build-up ready for that moment, and we have to ride out the underwhelming bits as a result.

If anything, think of this as season 4 part 1. Just like the Deathly Hallows or Mockingjay movies in Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, the calm comes before the storm... and what a storm The Witcher season 5 is going to be.

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Categories: Reviews

This vacuum is ultra lightweight and comes with a useful auto-empty base – but it's its impeccable edge cleaning that really impressed in my tests

Wed, 10/29/2025 - 15:00

Levoit Aero: two-minute review

The Levoit Aero is a lightweight, nimble stick vacuum that comes with a convenient auto-empty charging base. It's one of the most lightweight vacuums I've used, and comes with a smaller-than-usual floorhead that tucks easily into tight spaces. I also appreciated the clear display, which tells you which suction level you're in and how much battery you have left.

While it's not the most outright powerful cordless vacuum I've used, it's great for everyday cleaning and especially good when it comes to edge cleaning. I found that even in the Minimum power mode it lifted most dirt from my floors, although I did need to bump up to Med or even Max mode to clear chunkier debris. The edge cleaning was outstanding, however.

Battery life is good but not great – while the Max mode lasts an impressive 15 minutes, in Min mode it only runs for 40 mins, which is short for a lowest-power option. I missed having a battery-maximizing Auto mode, where the power adjusts intelligently based on dirt levels or floor type.

The auto-empty base is a big effort-saver and works well, although there does seem to be a flaw that means the dustbin flap on the vacuum itself doesn't always close securely afterwards, which meant some cleaning sessions began rather messily.

Keep reading for a deeper dive into what the Levoit Aero vacuum cleaner has to offer, and how it compares to the rest of the best cordless vacuums on the market.

(Image credit: Future)Levoit Aero review: price & availability

List price: $499
Available: October 2025
Availability: US

The Levoit Aero Vacuum Cleaner launched in October 2025, with a list price of $499. It's available in the US on the Levoit website. This price includes the self-standing stick vacuum, charging dock that doubles as an auto-empty base, four accessories, and an extra dust bag.

In the wider market, this vacuum sits on the cusp between mid-range and premium. I'd usually expect better battery life and some smart features for this price, although the inclusion of the auto-empty dock does help justify the higher price somewhat. It's perhaps worth keeping an eye out for any deals over Black Friday.

Other auto-empty vacuum options include the Shark PowerDetect Cordless Clean&Empty, which is cheaper and better value at $429.99, and the Roborock H60 Hub Ultra which is pricier and worse value at $599.99.

Value for money score: 3.5 out of 5

Levoit Aero specs

Weight:

4.4 lbs / 2kg

Bin size (vacuum):

Not stated

Bin size (dock):

3.5L

Max runtime:

40 mins

Charge time:

< 4hrs

Size (H x W x L):

43.3 x 9.8 x 7.7in / 110 x 25 x 19.5cm

Filter:

HEPA

Max suction:

180AW

Modes:

Min, Med, Max, Turbo

Levoit Aero review: design

A lightweight, streamlined stick vacuum that can stand up on its own
Display screen shows battery life and suction power
Auto-empty station that doubles as a charger

The Levoit Aero vacuum cleaner is a cordless stick vacuum that can stand on its own when the head and shaft are locked in place. At only 4.4 lbs / 2kg, it's incredibly lightweight, which makes it easy to maneuver on the floor or use to grab dust on high ceilings.

The vacuum cleaner is black and white, and looks sleek and modern. It differs from some other vacuums in that the 0.45L dust bin is positioned on the front of the vacuum, rather than the back. Above the dustbin is a small display screen and the power button.

(Image credit: Future)

Upon pressing the power button, the suction level and battery countdown timer appear on the display screen. If I want to move between the different suction level options, I have to hit the four-square button below the power button to scroll through them. My pre-launch test model had three suction modes: Min, Med and Max. Now the vacuum is on sale, there seems to have been a fourth mode added, called Turbo. The Max suction power hasn't changed, though – it's still 180AW.

(Image credit: Future)

Like pretty much every stick vacuum, the design is modular and can be reconfigured for use as a handheld by removing the main wand. Four accessories are provided, including a 2-in-1 crevice tool, 2-in-1 combination tool (for vacuuming hair and such from furniture), a mini motorized brush, and an extension hose. There's also an attachment clip that can be added to the vacuum wand for easy detail tool storage.

(Image credit: Future)

The charging station is slim with a round base and a hidden dust bag with a generous 3.5L capacity. When you dock the vacuum, the charging station pulls the dirt and debris from its dustbin into the larger dust bag, so you don't need to worry about emptying it manually.

In terms of noise, the vacuum cleaner has an average sound rating. When the Min suction level is being used, it emits a sound rating of 79 dB. On Med and Max suction level powers, the rating is 81 and 83 dB respectively.

Design score: 4 out of 5

Levoit Aero review: performance

Easy to maneuver with helpful accessories
Superb edge cleaning
Little maintenance required on a day-to-day basis

Upon powering on the Levoit Aero vacuum cleaner, it automatically begins running on the Med suction level. Most of the time when vacuuming my house, I used this suction level, no matter the floor type, as it resulted in top-notch cleaning. The vacuum is very lightweight, and the vacuum head swivels easily, allowing me to vacuum around furniture without having to move it. I also noticed that the vacuum head is smaller in width than some of the other vacuums I've tested, which allows me to vacuum in tighter spaces. Better yet, the vacuum can flatten to 180 degrees, so I'm able to reach further under furniture, as long as I squat down to the ground.

(Image credit: Future)

To see just how well the vacuum works, I ran the same test on two different floor types. I sprinkled dry tea and oats on my hard floor and on one of my thickest rugs, then I turned the vacuum on the lowest suction level – Min – to see how well it picked up the different materials.

I was really impressed by how well the Levoit Aero vacuumed both the tea and the oats from the rug on the lowest power level. It only took one pass, in a forward or reverse direction, for the vacuum to pick up the dried tea. Similarly, the vacuum picked up the oats perfectly when pushing the vacuum in a forward motion. When reverse cleaning over the oats, some pieces got stuck behind the wheels. This didn't surprise me as I've seen this happen with other vacuum cleaners I've tested.

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future)

The results were a bit different when running the same test on my hard floors. When vacuuming over the dry tea in a forward direction with Min suction power, all the tea was picked up. However, I was surprised when I vacuumed over the dried tea in reverse because a lot of tea got caught behind the wheels. I did not expect this.

Unfortunately, the Levoit Aero struggled with vacuuming the oats no matter if I was vacuuming forward or in reverse. Most of the time, the vacuum head pushed the oats away from the vacuum, unless I went very slowly over them. The Min suction level didn't seem to be powerful enough to suck up the oats, so I adjusted the power to Med and Max. It's perhaps no surprise that on the Max suction level, the oats were more easily suctioned into the vacuum.

(Image credit: Future)

To test the edge cleaning, I poured some dry tea along the edge of a wall. The vacuum only needs to rest against an edge for all the debris to be picked up in a single pass, no matter the suction level. You won't need a crevice or edge cleaning tool to clean along the bottom of walls, cabinets, or appliances.

(Image credit: Future)

Four accessories come with the purchase of this vacuum: a 2-in-1 crevice tool, 2-in-1 combination tool (for vacuuming hair from furniture), a mini motorized brush, and an extension hose.

I used the 2-in-1 crevice tool to vacuum windowsills, blinds, baseboards, and the corners of ceilings. It worked wonderfully, though I did notice that it worked best on the Med or Max suction level. My only complaint is that when I was using the tool as a brush, it would sometimes snap down to a crevice tool when I didn't want it to.

This is because the button that transforms the tool between a brush and a crevice tool is located on the top of the brush. If I barely hit the button or tapped the edge of the tool against the edge of a windowsill, it would transition to a crevice tool. I'd then have to stop cleaning and re-click the brush tool into place. This happened a lot, which makes me think the button needs to be placed along the sides of the tool instead, or that the mechanism that holds the brush in place needs to be stronger.

(Image credit: Future)

The 2-in-1 combination tool did a pretty decent job suctioning hair from my furniture. I think this had to do with the fact that there is a little rough strip of material in the middle of the brush that catches hair and helps pull it up from the fabric. That said, I found that I had the best results when using this tool with max power.

The mini motorized brush is essentially a vacuum head that is about half the size of the regular vacuum head on the Levoit Aero. I used it to clean around my toilet and between my oven and the wall, spaces where I usually can't reach with a regular vacuum head. This was definitely my favorite accessory, and it did a fantastic job cleaning those tricky areas. I wish, however, that the mini motorized brush had the ability to swivel, to make it easier to vacuum in tight spaces. (I haven't come across a mini motorized tool that can swivel, but I think vacuum makers are missing a trick here.)

(Image credit: Future)

It's unlikely that you'll use the extension hose often, except perhaps to clean your car. In that case, you'd probably connect the extension hose to the handheld portion of the Levoit Aero and then add the mini motorized brush to the end.

I tried seeing if there was any practical use for the extension hose in the cleaning of my house and didn't really find one. To be fair, I was able to connect the hose between the handheld and the shaft, which enabled me to swing the vacuum under the bed to vacuum hard to reach spots. This sort-of worked, but I didn't have much control over the direction of the vacuum head. Since the Levoit IQ can flatten to the ground, it's probably better to just squat and vacuum under furniture rather than use the extension hose in this manner.

(Image credit: Future)

After using the vacuum, I set it on the charging base and let the base automatically pull the debris and dirt from the dust bin into the dust bag. This meant that on a day-to-day basis, I wasn't really doing any maintenance. When the dust bag fills, the vacuum will inform me on the display, and I'll have to replace the dust bag. The foam, felt, and station filters need to be washed at least once a month and replaced every three months. The HEPA filter has to be washed every two months and replaced every 6 months.

My biggest gripe with the Levoit Aero vacuum cleaner has to do with the dust bin. Half the time when I removed the vacuum from the base, the dust bin flap would be open. I didn't always realize this until I started to clean and noticed that the dirt and debris falling back to the floor. Sometimes, the dustbin opened when I was cleaning. I'm not sure how it opened on its own or why, but it was frustrating to have to re-clean an area twice in a row.

(Image credit: Future)

It's increasingly common for a premium vacuum to have automation features that enables it to adjust suction based on floor type or dirt detected. I have come to appreciate when a vacuum has the ability to read the cleanliness of a floor, because even though the Levoit Aero Vacuum has a headlight on the front of the vacuum head, I can't always see when there is dirt or not. At this kind of price, I'd expect some kind of automation features.

That said, the Aero is still a solid vacuum cleaner with phenomenal edge cleaning and the capability to pick up most all debris with the Min suction level (most large debris can be picked up on the Med power level). It's a good option for those who have mostly hard floors and like the convenience of an auto-empty charging base.

Performance score: 3.5 out of 5

Levoit Aero review: battery life

Lasts up to 40 mins in Min mode with main floorhead attached
A decent 15 mins in Max mode, and 30 mins in Med mode
Takes three hours to recharge on charging base

One of the great things about the Levoit Aero vacuum cleaner is that it displays the battery life on the screen, so you don't have to wonder how much time you have left to vacuum your house. The battery life depends solely on the suction level you're using, so if you're using the Max suction level, you only get 15 minutes of battery life. The Med suction level results in a 30 minutes of battery life, while the battery lasts 40 minutes when using the Min mode.

15 minutes for a Max suction level is pretty decent, and 30 minutes is very acceptable in Med mode. However, most vacuums these days will last longer than 40 minutes on their lowest suction level. My house is 1,600 square feet, and I was able to vacuum everything in 40 minutes, though I had to rush slightly.

(Image credit: Future)

Couple of notes here: Levoit quotes a Max of 70 minutes' cleaning per charge, but if you read the fine print, that's with the Crevice tool attached, rather than the main floorhead. On the current version of the vacuum, Levoit also seems to have added a fourth mode – Turbo, which sits above Max. The brand promises 6 minutes of cleaning per charge in Turbo with the main floorhead attached. I wasn't able to test this mode as it didn't exist on my review model.

It takes three hours for the base to fully recharge the battery, which is fairly speedy. If you can't clean your house completely before needing to recharge, it might be helpful to know that the battery recharges to 20% after 30 minutes.

Battery life score: 3.5 out of 5

Should you buy the Levoit Aero?

Attribute

Notes

Rating

Value

On the cusp between mid-range and premium. Decent value when you factor in the auto-empty base, although I'd usually expect auto features at that price.

3.5 / 5

Design

A super lightweight stick vacuum cleaner with four suction levels, a screen displaying the battery countdown, and an auto-empty station.

4 / 5

Performance

Smaller floorhead can tuck into tight spaces, and edge cleaning is excellent. Not the most powerful vacuum I've tested, but great for everyday light cleans.

3.5 / 5

Battery life

15 mins in Max mode is good, but 40 in Min is rather short. Recharge is speedy at 3 hours.

3.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You want a lightweight vacuum

The Levoit Aero vacuum cleaner barely weighs more than 4 lbs, making it easy to maneuver and clean your home. Most people will be able to lift the vacuum cleaner above their head or reach far under beds without tiring.

You like vacuums with little maintenance

This vacuum comes with a charging base that doubles as an auto-empty station, meaning it automatically empties the dustbin each time you place it on the base to charge. Filters and dust bags will need to be cleaned or replaced but such tasks aren't a weekly occurrence.

You like knowing how much battery you have left

Some vacuum cleaners indicate battery life by bars or pie charts, which can be confusing. The Levoit Aero lets you know the exact amount of time left before the battery dies thanks to a countdown on the display screen.

Don't buy it if...

You have a lot of carpets

While the Levoit Aero is well-equipped to vacuum some rugs and low pile carpet, those whose houses are half or mostly covered in carpet would do better with an upright vacuum or a heavier, more powerful cordless stick vacuum – check TechRadar's best vacuum for carpet guide for our top recommendations.

You need more than 40 minutes to vacuum your house

Despite Levoit claiming that this vacuum offers up to 70 minutes of battery life, it only lasts 15-40 minutes depending on the suction level you use. If your house is particularly large or requires a lot of complicated cleaning maneuvers or use of different accessories, the battery might not last.

You want a vacuum with smart features.

This vacuum lacks any smart features. On the one hand, this makes it easier for everyone to use (not just the technologically-savvy), however, if you're looking for a vacuum that can detect dirt on the ground or provide cleaning stats, this isn't the product for you. View Deal

How I tested the Levoit Aero

I tested the Levoit Aero vacuum cleaner in my 1,600-square foot home. As someone who has laminate and wood flooring – as well as some thick rugs – I was able to get a sense of how well the vacuum suctions fine and large materials through a series of tests. I also utilized the various accessories on my baseboards, windowpanes, blinds, and furniture to provide thorough insight into the value of this vacuum cleaner.

Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners

Tested May 2025 (launch delayed to October 2025)

Categories: Reviews

I’ve spent more than 40 hours slaying fiends in Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, and it’s a triumphant revival of two legendary RPGs

Wed, 10/29/2025 - 10:00

Here goes, I’m going to try and review two games in one. Yes, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is a revival of the legendary series’ first two titles, combined into one shiny package. Square Enix and Artdink are back again after their triumphant remake of Dragon Quest III, bringing a similar promise forward. A promise of significantly revamped visuals, full voice acting, new in-game content, and a much more user-friendly experience for modern gamers.

Review info

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: PS5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X and Series S, PC
Release date: October 30, 2025

And good news, Dragon Quest fans, this is yet another brilliant remake, sure to win the series new admirers and satisfy long-time fans simultaneously. With this 2-in-1 release, the so-called Erdrick trilogy is complete, as the first two chapters in the Dragon Quest story follow up on the events that took place in the third game. A little confusing, I know.

For anyone unfamiliar with the first two stories, allow me to introduce you. In Dragon Quest I, you play as a solitary Hero who is descended from Erdrick. In the past, Erdrick foiled the dastardly plans of a character known as the Lord of the Underworld and restored peace to the land of Alefgard. But now, the scheming Dragonlord has made an unwelcome return, and it is up to you, and you alone, to deliver the land from evil.

And then, after the Hero of Dragon Quest I was able to save Alefgard again, we move to Dragon Quest II, where you take control of four young princes and princesses, themselves also descended from Erdrick. After foul beasts suddenly invade Alefgard, it is up to the band of young nobles to honor Erdrick’s legacy and ensure the realm’s safety once more.

So, how engaging are these stories? And just how well do these remakes bring the world, combat, and characters of classic Dragon Quest into the modern era of gaming? Having played this duology for well over 40 hours on my Nintendo Switch 2, I’ll break it all down for you below.

A remake fit for a king

(Image credit: ARMOR PROJECT / BIRD STUDIO / SPIKE CHUNSOFT / SQUARE ENIX)

I want to start by discussing some of my general feelings about the duology before I speak about the two games individually.

As soon as you’ve been thrust into either title’s fantasy world, you’re treated to a delicious cocktail of sublime HD-2D graphics, wonderful voice acting, and head-spinningly beautiful music. No, seriously, the score here is majestic. It’s grandiose, orchestral, and emotive – it really does complement the medieval-inspired fantasy world to absolute perfection.

Meanwhile, the duology is a visual delight. Character sprites are detailed and faithful to the series' origin, while light is used in a way that makes each environment feel deeply natural. The polish on display through each building, mountain, and piece of equipment makes the game a joy to look at.

Square Enix is the pioneer of the HD-2D graphical style, so it may not be a huge surprise that it nailed the visuals, but I was still bowled over by the appearance of each new area and enemy I encountered.

Best bit

(Image credit: ARMOR PROJECT / BIRD STUDIO / SPIKE CHUNSOFT / SQUARE ENIX)

This one’s easy. My favorite moment by far was the Hero’s interaction with Robin ‘Ood in DQI. The dialogue is hilarious and had me laughing out loud – voice acting here is top-notch, too. When you battle it out against the masked figure and his band (well…two guys) of merry men, it is challenging – but not overwhelming. It’s just a wonderful segment of the game.

As I mentioned above, the voice acting across both games is top-notch, too. There’s so much character running through the veins of each performance.

Comedic moments are delivered with expert timing, while moments of heartbreak feel raw and convincing. I criticized Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles for a few flat-sounding performances and small inconsistencies, but this wasn’t the case here at all.

But one thing that was slightly disappointing was the decision to only partially voice the main story. A few segments have no voice acting whatsoever, which can really break up your immersion in the action. As the voice acting is so great, I would have loved it to have featured throughout, although this is a minor gripe in the grand scheme of things.

Me against the world

(Image credit: ARMOR PROJECT / BIRD STUDIO / SPIKE CHUNSOFT / SQUARE ENIX)

Right, let’s drill into both games in a little more depth. Naturally, I started with Dragon Quest I, and I had a fantastic time during my playthrough.

In this title, it’s you against the world. No, really, there are no additional team members to recruit. You’ve got to fight your way through enemy encounters – where you can sometimes be significantly outnumbered – totally by yourself.

This remake does a masterful job of making you feel like David in his plight against Goliath. Especially because combat is no longer one-on-one only – you can face large groups of enemies now. I faced some absolutely gruelling turn-based battles during my time playing, both from aggressive hordes of foes and ruthless standalone bosses.

Luckily, the game has an auto-save feature, so if you die (spoiler alert, this will probably happen quite a bit), you can continue from the point of the last successful battle. This means you can rapidly progress through the game without having to trek through entire areas from the beginning. What an addition!

At times, I did feel like the odds were stacked a little too far against me. A few bosses, like the very last one, caused me a fair bit of bother. But the game gives you the tools to overcome your challenges. If I went away and grinded up against random enemies, I was always able to level up enough to best my enemies. Levelling increases stats like HP, MP, strength, and resilience (defense), and you’ll often learn new abilities and spells too.

(Image credit: ARMOR PROJECT / BIRD STUDIO / SPIKE CHUNSOFT / SQUARE ENIX)

Scrolls have also been added, which can be found scattered across the world, and contain abilities that can be learned at any time. They’ll disappear after use – a bit like how TMs used to work in Pokémon (in the good old days, at least). Combine that with Sigils, which can ‘soup up’ the skills you already possess, and you’ve got everything you need to crack through the Hero’s quest.

At its core, Dragon Quest I is still a classic JRPG. You’ll have to grind now and then. Sometimes, you’ll get straight up unlucky and get wiped out in an instant.

Turn-based combat is fairly simple too – it just comes down to attacking, defending against incoming attacks, and healing. But when you master the balance of those three actions, seemingly basic battle becomes addictive, surprisingly strategic, and straight up exhilarating.

Narrative-wise, there’s nothing crazy going on. The kingdom is in trouble, you’re tasked with saving it, and you overcome the threat. It’s really classic stuff, but I found beauty in the simplicity, with endearing characters like the faeries, Princess Gwaelin, and of course Robin ‘Ood. And there have been plenty of new additions to the plot, with new battles, character dialogue, and areas to explore. I’m a big fan of this one.

Me… and my three pals against the world

(Image credit: ARMOR PROJECT / BIRD STUDIO / SPIKE CHUNSOFT / SQUARE ENIX)

Moving on to Dragon Quest II now, and the added variation of having four members in the party is very refreshing. That’s one additional team member than the original game had, but it still feels like your party is excellently balanced.

I found myself dying a lot less in the sequel, with the expanded team enabling me to dedicate one unit to healing, and others to hitting hard with magic and physical attacks, for instance. As a result of the larger team, you’ll have to manage scrolls a little more carefully, though – you have to consider who will suit the relevant ability best before waving goodbye to your scroll forever!

The world is more developed in the sequel, with multiple kingdoms established through Erdrick’s descendants. Said world is vast (and expanded for this remake), the runtime of your adventure is considerably longer than DQ I, and the amount of content additions is larger than that found in the revamped editions of DQ I and indeed DQ III. I found the story to be engaging, and I felt compelled to explore the world that lay before me.

And that’s because both of these games, especially the sequel, reward curiosity handsomely. If you take that extra time to look around a castle, to wander off into a random part of the overworld, or even search the local inn, you’re almost certain to find something of interest. I’m talking scrolls, money, armor, weapons…you name it! You can also find mini medals now, which can be redeemed for swanky prizes.

(Image credit: ARMOR PROJECT / BIRD STUDIO / SPIKE CHUNSOFT / SQUARE ENIX)

There are just so many excellent quality of life additions across both games. Difficulty options are there if you want to make things a touch easier…or if you want to punish yourself and turn up the heat. Fast-travel has been refined, there are more customization settings, and objective markers make for a much more accessible user experience.

If I were to nitpick, I’d argue that the new UI is still too basic, and menus could’ve been both a little more stylish and developed. For instance, the ‘Misc.’ menu feels quite cluttered, holding everything from unit status, through to system settings and traveller’s tips. It does appear faithful to its classic JRPG roots, though, which some may still appreciate.

Overall, I had the adventure of a lifetime during my playthrough of Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake. Not only did it run like a dream on my Nintendo Switch 2, but I felt genuinely excited to fire this game up every single time. I knew there would be new items to discover, new enemies that would probably beat the life out of me, and new areas to soak in. Combine that with a legendary score, excellent voice acting, and a gorgeous visual overhaul, and you’re looking at a very special remake indeed.

Should you play Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake?

(Image credit: ARMOR PROJECT / BIRD STUDIO / SPIKE CHUNSOFT / SQUARE ENIX)Play it if...

You’re a fan of classic JRPGs
If you love the old school JRPG formula, then this duology is going to rock your world. The bones of DQ I and II are very much intact; they’ve just been fleshed out with some top-notch quality of life updates like voice acting, revamped visuals, and expanded storylines.

You’re looking for a challenge
These games aren’t the easiest I’ve played, I’ll be honest. I found the remake of Dragon Quest I to be especially tough, even though I played on the standard Dragon Quest difficulty. But having said that, I was able to overcome each challenge by re-strategizing and/or grinding.

Don't play it if...

You don’t dig the HD-2D visual style
I know that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, even though I love the HD-2D style. But of course, if that’s not for you, I’d suggest skipping this duology. If you’re into more modern, 3D RPGs, you’ve gotta play Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, game of the year for sure (and it’s not close).

Turn-based combat isn’t your thing
And if you don’t really like turn-based combat, this certainly won’t tickle your pickle. You’re getting that traditional ‘I hit you, now you hit me’ formula with simple menus, which I personally really like, but if you’re after a more action-based system, it might not be your thing.

Accessibility features

You can adjust the camera to a zoomed-in mode if you prefer, and adjust aspects like text and battle speed using the system settings menu. You can also toggle controls like running, removing the need to hold down a button.

Voices can be set to English or Japanese, with text available in a wider range of languages, such as Simplified Chinese, French, Italian, and Spanish. There is no color blind mode, unfortunately.

How I reviewed Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake

(Image credit: ARMOR PROJECT / BIRD STUDIO / SPIKE CHUNSOFT / SQUARE ENIX)

I spent more than 40 hours playing Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, playing through the main story of both titles and tackling a bunch of side content. I played both titles in the ‘Dragon Quest’ mode, which is the normal difficulty equivalent.

As I downloaded the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game, I was able to split my time fairly evenly between TV and handheld play. When in docked mode, I had my console hooked up to the Sky Glass Gen 2 television and the Marshall Heston 120 soundbar. In handheld mode, I sometimes connected my Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones to the Switch 2 via a 3.5mm cable.

Personally, I’ve reviewed a variety of games here at TechRadar, including a number of RPGs like Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army and Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter. I’m also a seasoned RPG player, with some of my favorite games of all time including Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, Yakuza 0, and Final Fantasy VII (the original, of course).

First reviewed October 2025

Categories: Reviews

I tested the VanTrue Nexus 5S dash cam – it's a rare, high-quality quadruple cam for complete coverage, inside and out

Wed, 10/29/2025 - 08:09

VanTrue Nexus 5S: two-minute review

I thought the 70mai 4K T800 three-dash cam bundle, which I reviewed recently, was one of the best dash cams I’d tried in a while. It’s still my first choice currently, because it’s such a well-rounded package; however, anyone wanting to top that particular trio of cameras now has the VanTrue Nexus 5S, which goes one better and offers full four-channel coverage. Overkill? Or a sensible option now that our highways and byways seem to be peppered with less-than-great drivers? I’m going with sensible I think.

The bundle consists of two cameras, with the front-facing unit also boasting a rearward or cabin-facing lens. Meanwhile, the second camera mounts on to the rear windshield and has a pair of lenses, one of which shoots video out of the back of your vehicle while the other lens captures the cockpit from a rearward perspective. This means the VanTrue Nexus 5S captures 360-degree coverage using the combined field of view of its lens combo. It’s a neat idea.

VanTrue’s thinking is that a lot of accidents occur from the side, so having this complete recording overview means all points are covered. The other benefit is the inward-facing cameras are useful for keeping tabs on occupants in the back, most notably small children and what they’re getting up to while you’re behind the wheel.

The 1944p, 1080p, 1080p, 1080P at 30fps combined video capture provided by Sony IMX675 chips and Starvis 2 tech delivers great results in less-than-ideal conditions.

(Image credit: Future)

Although the VanTrue Nexus 5S is a bumper bundle, it’s actually easy to set up and manage all of the content. This is down to 5G Wi-Fi for quick and easy transfer of files, while there’s a very good VanTrue app to help with the task. The package boasts all of the latest features and functions too, with voice control proving handy for hands-free operation, while the option to hardwire the unit into a vehicle will unlock a 24/7 parking mode. This is in addition to everyday essentials that include GPS tracking and buffered motion detection. The latter means all four cameras record 10 seconds before, during and after any event.

While the VanTrue Nexus 5S dash cam package comes with everything you need to get started, including the twin camera units, all cables, clips and mounting accessories, you can add to it. There’s the option of a two-level hardwire kit, a wireless remote control unit, and a CPL filter for diffusing light coming into the main camera lens, while you'll likely need a 512GB microSD card, given the volume of files created by the combo.

VanTrue Nexus 5S: price and availability

The VanTrue Nexus 5S dash cam is available direct from VanTrue in the US for $399.99, which puts it in the premium arena, but it still seems like good value given its four-channel capabilities. The VanTrue Nexus 5S dash cam can be purchased in the UK from Amazon, which currently has it priced at £299.99. Again, this is a higher price for a dash cam, but the bundle does justify its cost. UK purchasers can also buy it direct from VanTrue if preferred, though it’s currently slightly pricier there than at Amazon, at £339.99.

VanTrue Nexus 5S: specsVanTrue Nexus 5S specs

Video

Front: 2592 x 1944p
Rear: 1944 x 1080p
Interior x 2: 1944 x 1080p @30fps

Field of view (FOV)

158 degrees front / 160 degrees rear / 158 degrees interior / 160 degrees rear

Storage

MicroSD up to 512GB, Cloud

GPS

Yes

Parking mode

Yes, with constant power cable, not included

App support

VanTrue app

Dimensions

6.8 x 3.8 x 5.6 inches / 17.5 x 9.7 x 14.3cm

Weight

2.42lb / 1.1 kg

Battery

Yes

VanTrue Nexus 5S: Design

My VanTrue Nexus 5S dash cam review unit arrived in a large white box that contained the twin camera units that make up the core of this bundle. The front-facing camera is quite a chunky thing, and I’d imagine it might seem a little obtrusive in a car with a smaller windshield, but I tested it in an SUV and had no issues.

At the front, the lens protrudes from the body of the camera unit, while at the back there’s a rotatable inward-facing lens and a landscape screen. The latter can be used for initial setup purposes, with four buttons along the bottom that you press to cycle through the options.

Once it's been powered up, the same screen delivers all of the views from any camera that’s plugged in. The front-facing lens gets the bulk of the screen real estate, while cabin views, and the video being captured by the rearward-facing lenses, are shown in small boxes within the bigger screen. The main screen also displays the icons for the various features and functions, so I was able to see which of them were working and which – Wi-Fi for example – was switched off. I think the overall look, feel and visual quality here is excellent.

There’s a mounting bracket that clicks on to the camera, and this then slides into a piece of plastic with a 3M self-adhesive pad that fixes either directly to the windshield or to a standard static sheet for easier removal. Usefully, the mounting bracket can also be slid off the sticky pad base for removal too.

(Image credit: Future)

Meanwhile, the rear-facing camera unit is a fairly standard barrel-type design, which is slightly larger than some models I’ve tested. It also has a rotatable lens for the rear view, so this can be tweaked to capture the view of the road correctly depending on the slant of the rear glass. I got lucky and found my guesswork during setup got my views just about right, but if not, the view displayed on the screen can help you make adjustments before hitting the road.

I did have to double check the manual to find the microSD card slot, which is hidden behind the end of the main camera unit. You need to open the circular cover with the orange button, and the card then pops into the slot behind. Cable-wise, there’s plenty of length for reaching to the back end of the vehicle for connecting the rearward camera, while the main unit has another cable that runs into a standard 12V vehicle power port. An optional hardwiring kit will unlock the usual parking features and functions.

(Image credit: Future)VanTrue Nexus 5S : Performance

I was expecting the VanTrue Nexus 5S dash cam to be a bit of a fuss to get up and running, but it was surprisingly straightforward. Plugging it into the 12V power socket in my vehicle, I found it quick and easy to configure the unit. This is a simple step-by-step process during which I set the date, time and various functionality preferences, although it seemed to have everything right by default anyway. When I plugged in the rear camera, the screen became full of views from all four lenses, which was an impressive sight.

I did get the angle of capture about right from the off too, so there was little reconfiguring or adjustment needed. The cameras themselves offer solid video content from all angles, with all the trip details added along the bottom of the screen including date, time, speed and so on. I could also hear the stills capture working every so often, usually when I hit a more pronounced bump or sizable pothole, which would automatically trigger the function. All content is stored in its own dedicated folder on the card, which I found easy to get from the camera to my phone using the app.

(Image credit: Future)

File management was smooth too, considering the volume of files created by a four-lens capture arrangement, with the 5GHz wireless transfer capability helping here. Looking at the video on my phone, I'd say the overall quality and clarity was up there with any other premium rival. The performance in low-light conditions as also dependable, and I was impressed by the details all four lenses could pick out. In fact, the cabin detail was almost too impressive for something that's really just a compliment to the all-important exterior-facing video.

(Image credit: Future)

One important thing to note is that if you want to access the parking monitoring features you'll need the optional hardwire kit. This does increase the potential of the bundle, although I found the VanTrue Nexus 5S dash cam to be an impressive proposition out of the box.

Should you buy the VanTrue Nexus 5S ?

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

Twin cameras just aren't enough
The VanTrue Nexus 5S packs no less than four lenses, with the added benefit of a rear cabin dash cam. It's ideal for 360-degree coverage for many types of vehicle.

You prefer a dash cam with a screen
Another bonus with the VanTrue Nexus 5S is its impressive landscape-oriented rear screen, which provides a great view of all camera positions.

You're happy to hardwire the camera
You'll need the optional hardwiring kit to enable this, but the 24/7 parking features add extra value to this comprehensive bundle.

Don't buy it if...

Four cameras is simply overkill
Not everyone wants or needs the 360-degree coverage offered by the VanTrue Nexus 5S, and there are plenty of dual- or single-camera models that also measure up for quality.

You prefer plug-and-go installation
The VanTrue Nexus 5S dash cam is actually very easy to install, but positioning the units and plumbing in the cables does take a little more time than for a single unit.

Your windshield space is limited
The VanTrue Nexus 5S bundle features a front-facing camera that's quite bulky, so it's worth checking the dimensions if your screen area is relatively small.

How I tested the VanTrue Nexus 5S

I installed the dash cam in an SUV for an initial period of two weeks
I used it for various day and night journeys in all types of weather
I connected it to my phone, and downloaded recordings to check their quality

VanTrue loaned me the Nexus 5S dash cam and supplied everything I needed to test it, including a microSD card.

I tested the package over a period of a couple of weeks, after plumbing in all of the hardware and wiring. The box contained everything I needed, although the microSD card was an extra which VanTrue also supplied. I didn't hard-wire the bundle into my loan vehicle, however, and so I was unable to test the additional parking features.

During the course of testing I downloaded the VanTrue app, which proved useful for managing the files generated by a four-camera arrangement. I was using the app on an Apple iPhone 17, and it's also available for Android devices. While transferring files between the cameras and the app I was able to check the efficacy of the 5GHz Wi-Fi, which enabled me to transfer multiple files quickly and easily.

First reviewed October 2025

Categories: Reviews

Google Sites website builder review 2025

Wed, 10/29/2025 - 06:55

Google Sites is a simple website builder that stands out, mostly, for its complete lack of cost and complexity. While it may not offer the sophisticated features of premium builders like Wix or Squarespace, it still offers some limited utility through its integration with Google Workspace.

While it's hard to recommend Google Sites among the best website builder platforms, it still presents a viable entry point for first-timers, hobbyists, or students looking for one of the best free website builders to get online without cost. It serves mainly to keep users within Google's product ecosystem, offering unlimited websites, storage, and bandwidth at zero cost.

However, most businesses serious about their online presence quickly encounter its limitations. With no ecommerce or blogging features and very limited room to grow, Google Sites is merely a gateway and not a replacement for serious website building solutions like Wix.

Google Sites: 2-minute review

Google Sites is a relic of Google's early attempts to democratize web development by removing traditional barriers like cost, complexity, and technical knowledge requirements. As part of Google's free suite of productivity tools, it integrates seamlessly with Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Workspace, allowing users to create collaborative websites as easily as sharing a Google Doc.

However, Google Sites occupies a unique position in the website builder market by deliberately limiting features rather than expanding them. While competitors like Wix and Squarespace compete on advanced functionality and design sophistication, Google Sites focuses exclusively on simplicity and collaboration.

This makes it excellent for internal company sites, educational projects, and basic portfolios, but inadequate for ecommerce, professional marketing sites, or any project requiring custom code or advanced SEO optimization. Sites can serve as an entry point but not as a comprehensive solution, with most users eventually migrating to more feature-rich platforms as their needs grow.

What is Google Sites?

Google Sites is a free web-based website builder that allows anyone with a Google account to create simple websites without any coding knowledge or technical expertise. Think of it as the website equivalent of Google Docs, it uses the same drag-and-drop approach but for building web pages instead of documents.

You can create unlimited websites, add text and images, embed content from other Google services like Drive and Forms, and share your site with others for collaborative editing — all through a simple browser interface.

Google automatically handles all the technical aspects of web hosting, security, and mobile optimization, so you don't need to worry about servers, databases, or responsive design. Your finished website gets stored in your Google Drive like any other file, and you can publish it instantly to a free Google subdomain (like yourname.sites.google.com) or connect a custom domain if you have a paid Google Workspace account.

Features

(Image credit: Google Sites)

Google Sites deliberately prioritizes simplicity over feature richness, offering a streamlined set of tools designed for basic website creation rather than comprehensive web development. It includes 17 pre-designed templates, a drag-and-drop editor, basic text formatting options, image galleries, embedded content capabilities, and integration with Google Workspace.

These features are executed competently within their limited scope — the drag-and-drop interface is intuitive, templates are mobile-responsive, and Google service integration works seamlessly. But the feature set targets specific user groups like educators, small businesses, internal teams, and professionals looking to create extremely basic online experiences.

Google Sites is really good within collaborative scenarios where multiple users need to edit content simultaneously, using the same sharing and permissions system used across Google Workspace. However, the platform lacks essential features that competitors consider standard. There's no blog functionality, limited options for SEO, no ecommerce capabilities, minimal third-party integrations, and restricted customization options.

Compared to feature-rich alternatives like Wix (800+ templates) or Squarespace, Google Sites feels deliberately constrained. Advanced users will quickly encounter limitations in custom HTML, CSS modifications, advanced forms, marketing tools, and analytics integration beyond basic Google Analytics. The platform lacks password-protected pages, contact forms, and the ability to add custom code or scripts.

At zero cost, Google Sites offers exceptional value for its intended use cases, but the feature limitations mean most users outgrow the platform as their website needs evolve. The pricing model essentially trades advanced functionality for accessibility. Perfect for getting started, but inadequate for long-term professional web presence.

Tools

(Image credit: Google Sites)

Google Sites has a focused selection of built-in tools designed for straightforward content creation and collaboration. It emphasizes integration with Google's ecosystem rather than offering extensive standalone features, making it ideal for users already invested in other products within Google Workspace.

Drag-and-drop editor

Sites' core website building tool uses a simple UI where users can add, move, and modify elements by simply dragging them into position. An editor includes basic content blocks for text, images, embedded content, and layout elements, with real-time preview capabilities that show exactly how the site will appear to visitors.

Google Workspace integration

Sites seamlessly embeds content from Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Maps, and Calendar directly into web pages. This allows users to display live documents, spreadsheets, and presentations that automatically update when the source files change, making it easier for teams to share dynamic content.

Collaboration tools

Multiple users can simultaneously edit website drafts using the same sharing system as Google Docs, with commenting, suggestion, and version control capabilities. Site owners can control permissions for different collaborators and manage who can view the published website separately from editing access.

Template system

Google Sites offers 17 pre-designed and mobile-responsive templates covering basic website types like portfolios, project sites, and informational pages. While limited compared to competitors, these templates provide professional starting points that automatically adapt to different screen sizes.

Publishing and domain management

You can instantly publish sites to free Google subdomains or connect custom domains through Google Workspace. Sites' publishing system includes basic privacy controls, with the ability to make sites public, restricted to specific users, or accessible only to people with a link.

Ease of use

(Image credit: Google Sites)

Logging in with your Google account at sites.google.com will take you to the Sites editor. Google Sites offers an extremely minimalist environment, where you can choose to start a site with a blank page or use one of the few available templates. Launching your first project opens a very sparse-looking and minimalist editor. If you choose a template, it will be loaded for you and ready to be customized.

The bulk of the window is taken up by a preview of the current page. A toolbar on the right displays a list of widgets. You have the ability to add text boxes, images, embed code, and connect to your Google Drive. You have a handful of layout options, as well as tools to create collapsible text, image carousels, and a table of content among others. Additional options let you connect to other Google services like YouTube, Calendar, Map, Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms and Charts.

There’s also a Themes tab which gives you a choice of six header and site styles, along with simple tweaks to your colours and font. There’s a good amount of flexibility when adding text and images. And when you add an image to the header, it’s automatically ‘adjusted for readability’, which alters its settings. If you don’t like the result, you can always click on the button lower right of the image to revert it. There doesn’t seem to be a way to manually alter the photo.

While the editor always displays your site in Desktop mode, tapping the preview button enables viewing your site in desktop, tablet or mobile views. The editor isn't exactly powerful, but it's more capable than it initially seems. Sadly, Google has mostly stopped making updates to Sites, although there is a possibility for renewed interest in the platform thanks to the success of Google Gemini.

Pricing

(Image credit: Google Sites)

Google Sites operates on a completely free model for personal use, letting you create unlimited websites with no hosting fees. This makes it one of the most cost-effective website builders available, as users can build, host, and maintain their sites indefinitely without any subscription costs. The platform includes generous storage quotas and doesn't count embedded Google documents, calendars, or videos against storage limits.

For businesses requiring custom domains and advanced administrative features, Google Sites integrates with Google Workspace plans starting at $6 per user per month for Business Starter, $12 per user per month for Business Standard, and $18 per user per month for Business Plus. These paid plans unlock custom domain hosting, enhanced security features, and administrative controls, but the core website building functionality remains the same.

Security

(Image credit: Google Sites)

Google Sites benefits from Google's enterprise-grade security infrastructure, implementing multiple layers of protection for user data and websites. All data transmission uses HTTPS encryption with TLS 1.2 or higher and automatic SSL certificates ensure secure connections without user intervention. Sites also leverages Google Cloud Armor for DDoS protection, providing always-on monitoring and automatic attack mitigation to safeguard websites from volumetric network attacks.

Google Sites inherits the same security standards as other Google Drive files, with automatic backup and recovery options preventing data loss. But additional security features are available, like regular automatic security updates, fine-grained sharing controls, and integration with Google's Advanced Protection Program. You can also set precise permissions to control website access, ranging from public visibility to specific individuals or groups.

Support

(Image credit: Google Sites)

Google Sites support operates through Google's standard help system, primarily offering self-service resources through the Google Help Center. You can access documentation, tutorials, and community forums, but direct support options are limited for free account holders. The platform relies heavily on its intuitive design philosophy to minimize support needs, though this can leave users stranded when encountering complex issues.

Google Workspace subscribers receive enhanced support options, including phone and chat support depending on their plan tier. For example, Business Standard and Business Plus plans typically include faster response times and more comprehensive assistance. However, even paid support focuses primarily on account and billing issues rather than design guidance or website troubleshooting.

Google’s support ecosystem includes active community forums and third-party resources, but no dedicated website building support like with competitors like Wix or Squarespace. Users mostly rely on community-generated content and unofficial tutorials, which can be inconsistent in quality and currency.

Alternatives

Google Sites occupies a unique niche in the website builder market by prioritizing simplicity and cost-effectiveness to an uncanny degree. It’s an ideal entry point for users creating basic informational sites but lacks the advanced features required for professional marketing or e-commerce operations.

Primary competitors include Wix, WordPress.com, Squarespace, Weebly, and specialized platforms like Webflow. Wix offers superior design flexibility and hundreds of templates, while Squarespace provides professional aesthetics and better SEO tools. Meanwhile, WordPress.com delivers more robust content management capabilities. However, none of these alternatives offer zero cost websites, unlimited hosting, and free real-time collaboration.

Google Sites: Summary

Google Sites delivers exactly what it promises: a completely free, user-friendly website builder that removes traditional barriers to web publishing while integrating seamlessly with Google's productivity ecosystem.

Its strength lies in collaborative website creation for educational, internal, and basic informational purposes, offering unlimited sites and hosting at zero cost with enterprise-grade security.

However, the platform's deliberate simplicity becomes a significant limitation for users requiring advanced features like ecommerce, sophisticated SEO tools, or extensive design customization. While it’s just usable as an entry-level solution for budget-conscious users, most will eventually outgrow its capabilities and need to migrate to more feature-rich platforms.

Google Sites review: FAQsIs Google Sites really free?

Yes, Google Sites is entirely free for personal use with a Google account. You can create unlimited websites, use Google hosting, and access all core features without any subscription fees or hidden costs. The only limitations are storage quotas (which are generous) and the inability to use custom domains without a paid Google Workspace account. Even with these restrictions, you get more value than most paid website builders offer in their basic plans.

Can I use my own domain name with Google Sites?

Custom domains are only available through paid Google Workspace plans, starting at $6 per user per month. Free Google Sites accounts must use Google's subdomain format (yourname.sites.google.com). While this limitation may seem restrictive, the subdomain is perfectly functional for most use cases, and the upgrade cost is reasonable if custom branding becomes essential for your project.

How does Google Sites compare to WordPress or Wix?

Google Sites prioritizes simplicity over functionality, making it ideal for basic websites but inadequate for complex projects. WordPress offers superior content management and customization options, while Wix provides more templates and design flexibility. However, neither matches Google Sites' combination of zero cost, unlimited hosting, and collaborative editing capabilities. Choose Google Sites for simple, collaborative projects; select WordPress or Wix when you need advanced features and don't mind paying for them.

Can multiple people edit a Google Sites website simultaneously?

Yes, Google Sites supports real-time collaborative editing using the same system as Google Docs. Multiple users can simultaneously edit website content, leave comments, and track changes with full version control. This collaborative functionality is one of Google Sites' strongest features, making it exceptional for team projects, educational assignments, and organizational websites where multiple contributors need editing access.

What happens to my Google Sites if I delete my Google account?

Your Google Sites will be permanently deleted along with your Google account, as they're stored within Google's ecosystem. Unlike some website builders that allow account transfers or data exports, Google Sites doesn't offer migration tools to preserve your content outside of Google's platform. Always maintain backups of important content and consider the long-term implications of building your web presence on a free platform tied to a specific account.

Categories: Reviews

Some of my favorite earbuds from last year just got a massive upgrade and the sound is excellent – bar one key issue

Wed, 10/29/2025 - 05:30

Creative Aurvana Ace 3: Two-minute review

Earbuds specialist Creative is back with another fully-fledged assault on our list of the best earbuds with its Aurvana Ace 3. And like 2024’s Aurvana Ace 2, one small piece of tech makes these a shoo-in for audiophiles’ wish-lists.

The Creative Aurvana Ace 3 are the latest earbuds to have thoroughly modern solid-state drivers by tech manufacturer xMEMS, which are designed to bump up the phase consistency and allow audio to be dynamic while still coming from small drivers (and by ‘small’, I mean ‘ones that fit in tiny earbuds’). People who are put off by tech jargon may be scratching their head and preparing to tab out, but the gist is that the buds are designed to sound especially great. They do.

I said this about the Ace 2, and it’s true again: the buds provide high-quality well-defined sounds, bristling with energy and with a cosy, all-embracing soundstage. Fantastic. Audio spec-wise, though, the Aurvana Ace 3 take this pairing of xMEMS driver and a 10mm dynamic driver, and copy it wholesale. No hardware changes, but given what I thought about the previous buds, that’s no bad thing.

Instead, Creative has made improvements across the board to lots of other aspects of the previous buds that needed some help – mostly, but more on that in a moment – and brought some extras which make it easy to award the buds a higher star rating.

The battery life of the Ace 3 is greatly improved from the previous buds, touch controls feel a little bit more intuitive, the maximum volume has seen a bump, there’s LDAC support and the equalizer has a more palpable impact on sound quality. Plus, the introduction of a sound profile test (in collaboration with experts Mimi) provides you with a bespoke sound mix and, in my humble opinion, it’s one of the best listening tests I’ve taken in a pair of earbuds.

One area hasn’t seen a major improvement, and it’s ANC – noise cancellation still isn’t on par with rivals. And if you’ve just tabbed out to read my Ace 2 review, and were curious about the strange screaming sound the buds could make when in ANC mode, you’ll be confused to hear that it’s back – but only for ambient mode.

I first noticed this when I cycled to the cinema early on in my testing. I used ambient to be safe on the road but when I stepped into the foyer while removing my buds, I started getting odd looks: they were making a loud, shrill screaming sound, one far more pronounced than on the Ace 2. It stopped when I put the buds in the case, but on other occurrences, this wasn’t a reliable way to silence the noise; on one occasion they started making the sound out of the blue a few seconds after I’d cased them. It’s a shame, but having experienced the issue with the Ace 2, I did not request a fresh sample since I knew it had happened before. I’ve also occasionally faced it with other buds – it’s an odd side-effect of how noise cancellation works. Still, it's my job to notice these things and the simple fact is that many of the rival earbuds I have tested over the years do not suffer from this issue (and that is largely why this set of earbuds get the star rating you see above). If you use ambient and ANC sound profiles a lot, this will likely affect your decision on whether or not to purchase Creative's Aurvana Ace 3 earbuds – excellent audio performance or not.

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Price and release date

(Image credit: Future)

Announced on October 1, 2025
Priced $149.99 / £139.99 / AU$259.95
Price increase, decrease or no change depending on where you live

The Creative Aurvana Ace 3 were released on October 1, 2025, roughly 18 months on from the release of their predecessor.

Oddly, at the time of writing it seems difficult to buy the buds from anywhere other than Creative's own website, but I'll keep checking since major third-party retailer support is expected.

Anyway, the Creative Aurvana Ace 3 can be bought for $149.99 / £139.99 / AU$259.95, a fairly mid-ranged price for earbuds. For a bit of context, the Ace 2 sold for $149.99 / £169.99 / AU$229.95 so the new buds are cheaper in some places, more expensive in others but the same in the US.

That’s quite a competitive price point. Furthermore, out of all my favorite pairs of buds I tested in 2025, none are more than $50 / £40 above or below that (that’s about AU$80, but not all of the pairs were actually released in Australia, making it a harder comparison). You’ve already read the introduction though; you know the Ace 3 hold their own.

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Specs

Drivers

xMEMS solid state driver + 10mm dynamic driver

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Battery life

7 hours (buds) 26 hours (case)

Weight

4.7g (buds) 43g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.3

Frequency response

5 - 40,000Hz

Waterproofing

IPX5

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Features

(Image credit: Future)

7-hour buds battery, 26-hour with case
ANC doesn't cut the mustard
Highly intuitive sound profile test

One of my gripes with the Aurvana Ace 3’s predecessor was that the Active Noise Cancellation (or ANC) didn’t match up to rivals. Unfortunately that’s no different here and if there are improvements they’re not on par with the big leaps rivals are making. The buds will dampen surrounding sounds but you can still hear most of what’s going on around you – essentially, the ANC still leaves a lot to be desired.

The Ambient mode is a little worse though, and sadly the buds seem to amplify all surrounding whispers to deafening proportions when in this configuration. That’s not the worst of it either; the older Ace 2 had an odd ANC issue which would cause the buds to make a squealing sound when held tight in the hand, and while I didn’t have this issue with the Ace 3 in standard ANC mode, it was a lot more pronounced when I was in Ambient. Thankfully, simply using the buds in ANC mode (or with ANC off) stopped me facing this issue, but it’s something to know about if you often use ambient modes in earbuds.

Another problem of the Ace 2 that’s been nipped in the bud is battery life; no more 4 hours of listening time, or 16 hours in the case. The figure’s been nearly doubled, to 7 hours per earbud and 26 hours from the case. That’s still far from industry-leading (some buds can go for 8-10 hours now before needing a jolt of juice), but it’s a welcome upgrade nonetheless. Just note: listening with ANC or LDAC enabled will give you a lower stat, and I got 5.5 hours with ANC on.

(Image credit: Future)

The Creative app reveals some of the earbuds’ best features; if you buy the Aurvana Ace 3, don’t be one of those people who never bothers downloading the companion software. The standards are here: you can customize the buds’ touch controls, toggle ANC, play with an equalizer and set up Auracast (although I wish the buds’ assistant wouldn’t loudly announce that it was scanning for broadcasts every time I opened the app).

There’s more: the Ace 3 has perhaps the best listening test I’ve used on a pair of wireless earbuds. It’s easy to use, not overly long and delivers noticeable results that significantly improve music. Creative’s partnership with audio profiling company Mimi for the buds pays dividends.

The buds connect to your phone via Bluetooth 5.4, and they support low-latency mode for gaming and movies as well as LDAC if you don’t mind your battery life taking a hit. I had a few issues with Bluetooth connectivity, most of which were solved by my returning the buds to the case for a few seconds and then trying again, though the app struggled to detect the buds when I began testing and it took quite a few tries to get it working.

Features score: 3.5/5

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

Understated purple hue
Lightweight case and buds
IPX5 rating

The Creative Aurvana Ace 3 earbuds have benefitted from big changes, but these are definitely not reflected in the design. I had to get right into the nitty-gritty of my review of the predecessors to discover that the case is in fact 3g lighter, at 43g, but to me they’re identical (other than a slight color difference).

That’s no bad thing given how the distinctive hue and zingy inside help the Aurvana stand out from the line-up. It doesn’t quite translate on camera, but the case has a purple sheen that catches the light well.

A few tiny design tweaks and a slightly lighter build do little to differentiate the Ace 3 buds from the Ace 2, but again there are no complaints on my part. They fit like a dream, didn’t feel achy even after long listening sessions, and stuck strong in my ear even when I was at the gym or cycling.

I had a little bit of trouble with the touch controls, as finding the exact correct spot at the top of the stem takes some practice. It doesn’t help that there’s no single-tap gesture, so you need to hit the right spot at least twice in a row to trigger a command. But I still found it a lot more usable than the Ace 2’s, especially when I’d gotten the knack.

One thing to note is that the buds have an IPX5 rating, which means they’re protected against jets of water. This is fine for rain or sweat but it’s not the highest kind of protection you see on earbuds – the new AirPods Pro 3 have an IP57 rating, for example, which means that Apple's newest can actually be submerged in up to one meter of water and survive (for a limited time).

Design score: 4/5

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Sound quality

xMEMS + 10mm dynamic driver
Range of codecs supported
For natural-sounding detail and clarity, the audio quality is sublime

(Image credit: Future)

The bad news: while the Creative Aurvana Ace 3 enjoys a series of improvements across the board, that's not the case in the sonic department. The good news: that's because last year's buds were such a slam dunk that no upgrade was necessary to the sonic recipe.

So we're looking at a fancy xMEMS solid state driver paired with a 10mm dynamic driver. The first of those is the selling point: they can deliver high-quality, natural-sounding audio that's as true as possible to the artist's (well, sound engineer and producers') vision. The effect on your ears is that music is imbued with a sparkle and energy that you're simply not getting on lesser buds: it's palpable that these aren't electronic signals being blasted into your ears, but real musical instruments being played by real people (well, unless you listen to electronic music, that is).

The glorious bagpipe solo of John Farnham's You're The Voice rocks just as much as the later guitar solo and anthemic vocals, and you can hear the vibrato of The Boss' voice in Dancing in the Dark when it comes up on shuffle next. Next up is Chesney Hawkes' The One and Only, and I've never heard the harmonies as powerful and succinct as with the Ace 3.

(Image credit: Future)

I've been focusing on treble and mids because there's no denying that the Aurvana maintain their predecessors' lovely neutral sound; you're not getting your tunes blown out by thumping bass like many cheap and mid-range earbud makers love to do.

Despite that, bass is lovely and scooping, enough that you can picture the bassist's fingers walking on the string. And when lower pitches are important, the Ace 3 delivers; Sayonara by The 502s offers a well-defined bassline that sits harmoniously against the brass stings without either losing any energy (see, I can use musical examples from the last half-century!). The encompassing soundstage of the buds gives all of the instruments in a busy composition like this enough breathing room that you don't miss a note or a line.

All of these points could equally be made about the Ace 2 (well, except Sayonara, which wasn't out when those buds were released), but that's not to say that nothing's new in the Aurvana Ace 3. The addition of LDAC and aptX Lossless means the buds are better at supporting lossless audio and there's also now support for Snapdragon Sound, which will have a similar effect if your broadcasting device also is compatible.

Sound quality: 4.5/5

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

A textbook example of getting what you paid for
Ace 2 discounts may make it a tempting alternative

At $149.99 / £139.99 / AU$259.95, you’re getting what you pay for with the Creative Aurvana Ace 3 – they deliver a good sound quality and commendable feature set at a price that’s a little higher than some people can afford, but sits as a much more tempting alternative to many of the top-end buds on the market.

Don’t buy these expecting a bargain, but you’re certainly getting bang for your buck. Rather, you’re not getting bangs, but getting nice, well-tuned audio.

The messy price increase / decrease / maintenance of the Creative Aurvana Ace 3 compared to its predecessor, make a value comparison hard, especially with the older buds having seen a pretty significant price cut since release. The improvements may win over some people, but if all you care is the sound quality, you can save money with the Ace 2.

Value: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Creative Aurvana Ace 3?Creative Aurvana Ace 3 score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

The ANC isn't great but the battery life is okay and the sound personalization is great.

3.5/5

Design

These are lovely little buds that fit well, look good and don't weigh you down.

4/5

Sound quality

The detailed, crystal-clear and naturalistic audio all create one wonderful musical package.

4.5/5

Value

The price is chosen well: you get as much as you pay for.

3.5/5

Buy it if…

You want a guiding hand with your sound mix
The Mimi customization mode is all but guaranteed to help you find a music mix for you – if you’re not keen to mess around with an equalizer, it’ll sort you right out.

You need buds that are lightweight
Even amongst other stem earbuds, the Aurvana Ace 3 are lovely and light, and you can listen for hours without feeling anything (or until the battery runs out). Perfect for people who readily feel buds in the ear.View Deal

Don’t buy it if…

You listen in ambient mode
I’ve already mentioned the strange screaming issues with ambient mode. If you tend to listen with ambient mode turned on, perhaps consider other earbuds.

You want a bassy sound profile
Some people need warm-sounding bassy buds, and the Aurvana Ace 3 are too neutral to give you those thumping rhythms that might help at the gym.

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Also consider

Creative Aurvana Ace 3

Nothing Ear (3)

Soundpeats H3

Drivers

xMEMS solid state driver + 10mm dynamic driver

12mm

12mm + dual balanced armatures

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Battery life

7 hours (buds) 26 hours total ( withcase)

5.5 hours (buds) 22 hours total (with case)

7 hours (buds) 37 hours total (with case)

Weight

4.7g (buds) 43g (case)

5.2g (buds); 61g (case)

6g (buds); 53g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.3

Bluetooth 5.4

Waterproofing

IPX5

IP54

IPX5

Soundpeats H3
A pair of similar-costing earbuds, the Soundpeats use a cocktail of drivers to offer fantastic-sound music with an equally neutral sound profile. In fact they’re pretty similar in a lot of ways, but with a different design and a feature set that gains and loses various aspects of the Ace 3.
Read our full Soundpeats H3 review here

Nothing Ear (3)
Another pair of buds with a great personal hearing system, albeit one for a little more money, is Nothing’s latest pair of earbuds. The battery life and price leave something to be desired, but Nothing earbuds have long graced loads of our ‘best-of’ lists and the (3) is no exception.
Check out our full Nothing Ear (3) review here

How I tested the Creative Aurvana Ace 3

(Image credit: Future)

Tested for 2 weeks
Tested at home, on walks, and the gym and while cycling

The testing period for the Creative Aurvana Ace 3 was just over two weeks, and the buds were connected to my Android phone for the entirety of the testing process.

I mostly listened to the buds using Spotify, both with Lossless and standard quality, but I also watched some Netflix and played some games with them. I tested in loads of environments: at home, at my office, on walks around my neighborhood, on buses and trains, while cycling (in ambient mode for safety, of course), and while at several different gyms.

I've been testing gadgets for TechRadar for over six years now, which has included plenty of other similar-price earbuds, the previous Aurvana Ace last year and certain other Creative products.

First reviewed in October 2025

Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Categories: Reviews

After a couple weeks of using the Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250), I’m as impressed as I am perplexed by it

Wed, 10/29/2025 - 03:00

Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250): Two-minute review

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)

The Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250) is a hard computer to pin down just because its configurations vary so wildly. It’s almost like the Tower Plus is more of a concept than an actual model with the only thing really remaining the same are its most barebones aspects, such as its chassis and ports. There’s such variation in availability of CPUs, RAM, GPUs, and storage that you can configure this tower to be an efficient budget option or a robust gaming or creative content machine.

Despite the fact that you can end up on opposite sides of the desktop spectrum depending on the configuration you choose or customize, it has an argument for consideration among the best desktops. The flexibility in customization it offers is a point in its favor if you’re okay spending a little time picking out what exactly you need. But even if you get a lower-end build, it’s made to be expanded upon at a later date; so if you want to save up and get a discrete graphics card at a later date, you can.

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)

I also appreciate the amount of ports on offer, particularly accessible on the front. Really, there’s not much to dislike with the Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250). Sure, the wired keyboard and mouse Dell included are not much more than functional. But they work well enough and I expect most people to probably want to upgrade to one of the best keyboards or mice anyway.

Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250): Price and availability

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)

How much does it cost? Starting at $949.99 / £849.01 (about AU$1,460)
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

Since Dell is one of the biggest brands in the world, the Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250) is available just about everywhere. The only real issue to keep in mind is that, while those in the US and UK have access to the full gamut of customizations, potential users in Australia only have a list of about eight more premium (in price and components) configurations. That means no budget machines for Oceania, at least for this model.

As far as the Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250)’s price, it’s all over the place since the customizations vary so wildly. The only consistent factor is that whatever configuration you get will be well-priced, if not quite a steal, for what you end up with. The cheapest configuration with an Intel Core Ultra 5 and integrated graphics has an MSRP of $949.99 / £849.01 (about AU$1,460), though it is discounted by $200 on Dell’s direct site at the time of writing (all the configurations are on the US site).

The maxed out configuration goes for $3,679.99 / £3,399.00 (about AU$5,630), but that gives you an Intel Core Ultra 9, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080, 64GB of RAM, and 4TB of SSD storage. Backing off on the RAM from 64 to 32GB and the SSD from 4TB to 1TB, both still more than enough for the vast majority of people, gets you a lot closer to $2,500.

The review configuration with its slightly weaker CPU and GPU (both the Intel Core Ultra 7 and RTX 5070 are still quite robust) gets you a surprisingly decent price tag of $1,899.99 / £1,899.00 / AU$3,399.00 for what’s still a fairly powerful gaming machine.

For comparison’s sake, let’s take a look at the NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition) I reviewed not too long ago. It comes with an Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF, RTX 5070, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB SSD. This lineup targets more dedicated gamers and is on offer for $1,999.99.

So, the Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250) is priced right, though it’s not quite a knockout in terms of value. That is, unless you get it at one of Dell’s regular discounts - in which case it becomes a very tempting deal.

Value: 4 / 5

Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250): Specs

There are a lot of options to choose from with the Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250). The CPU ranges from the Intel Core Ultra 5 255 10-core CPU to an Intel Core Ultra 285K 24-core option. The GPU offering is even wider as you can either stick with Intel integrated graphics or get a wide variety of Nvidia GeForce Now GPUs, starting with the RTX 3050 and 4060 Ti to just about every offering of the 5000 series except for the 5090 (the 5080 is the most premium option).

RAM ranges from 16 to 64GB, while the SSD goes from 512GB to 4TB in various configurations, such as getting two 1TB drives instead of one 2TB drive.

Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250) base configuration

Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250) review configuration

Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250) max configuration

Price:

$949.99 / £849.01 (about AU$1,460)

$1,899.99 / £1,899.00 / AU$3,399.00

$3,679.99 / £3,399.00 (about AU$5,630)

CPU:

Intel Core Ultra 5 255

Intel Core Ultra 7 265K

Intel Core Ultra 9 285K

Graphics:

Intel UHD Graphics

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 (12GB)

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 (16GB)

RAM:

16GB DDR5

32GB DDR5

64GB DDR5

Storage:

512GB SSD

1TB SSD

4TB SSD

Ports:

Front Ports:

3x USB 3.2 Type-A Gen 1, USB 3.2 Type-C Gen 2, Headset jack, SD card slot

Rear Ports:

4x USB 2.0 Type-A, 2x USB 3.2 Type-A Gen 1, Thunderbolt 4 (includes 4K video output), HDMI (includes 4K video output), RJ45 Ethernet Port, 2.5GbE, 2x Stereo Audio (Line In / Line Out), S/PDIF Optical, Kensington lock slot

Front Ports:

3x USB 3.2 Type-A Gen 1, USB 3.2 Type-C Gen 2, Headset jack, SD card slot

Rear Ports:

Front Ports:

3x USB 3.2 Type-A Gen 1, USB 3.2 Type-C Gen 2, Headset jack, SD card slot

Rear Ports:

Wireless:

Wi-Fi 7 2x2 BE, Bluetooth

Weight:

Starting at 19.00 lb (8.62 kg)

Dimensions:

14.68 x 6.81 x 16.80 inches (372.90 x 173.00 x 426.90 mm)

You can also upgrade the power supply (and you might be limited in choice depending on the other components selected), which is strangely paired with colorway, though the Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250) only comes in platinum or graphite. You can also upgrade, for a fairly nominal fee ($29), to the wireless Dell Pro Keyboard and Mouse combo.

Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250): Design

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)

Discreet office-style look
Plenty of ports
Future upgradeability is a big boon

Despite the fact that you can soup the Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250) into a gaming machine, it fits the aesthetic of an upscale office the same way that a Dell 14 Premium laptop does. It’s clean and minimalist looking with fairly neutral colors, either platinum or graphite (aka gray or black), and some well-placed venting to not only help with cooling efficiency but also keep it from looking too boring. It’s also just a bit on the smaller size for a regular ATX-style desktop tower.

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(Image credit: Future / James Holland)Image 2 of 3

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(Image credit: Future / James Holland)

As far as ports go, the Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250) is fully stocked. There’s a plethora of USB ports as well as Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI (on top of the inputs on the graphics card), but more importantly, there are some easily accessible ones on the front including three USB, a USB-C, headphone hack, and a microSD card reader.

But none of that is unexpected. The one thing that the Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250) does that I only really see in gaming machines for enthusiasts is an eye toward expansion in its setup. Not only can you upgrade the RAM to hold up to two 32GB sticks of RAM, but there are two M.2 SSD slots along with two regular hard drive slots, as well as three PCIe slots for later additions or upgrades in the graphics card department.

Design: 4.5 / 5

Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250): Performance

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)

It can be as powerful as you want it to be
Review configuration is a powerhouse
Can handle demanding gaming and editing tasks

It’s hard to really pin down the performance of the Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250) just because computers are rarely more than the sum of their parts. A computer with an Intel Core Ultra 7 265K CPU, 32GB or RAM, and a Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 GPU is going to perform similarly to any other computer with similar hardware.

Now, sometimes manufacturers do cut corners or have issues with cooling efficiency that can make a difference. The difference between the configuration I reviewed with those components I just mentioned and the most basic configuration is going to be night and day to the point of feeling like different computers (because they are).

Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250): Benchmarks

Here's how the Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250) performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark: Fire Strike: 38910; Time Spy: 21176; Port Royal: 13981

GeekBench 6.4 2985 (single-core); 19181 (multi-core)

Handbrake 1.9.2: 2:06

CrossMark: Overall: 2230 Productivity: 2130 Creativity: 2426 Responsiveness: 1986

Cyberpunk 2077: 68.42 FPS (1080p), 19.43 FPS (4K), 73.20 FPS (Ultra, upscaling)

Monster Hunter Wilds: 81.57 FPS (1080p), 39.22 FPS (4K)

That basic build is great for anyone who wants a working desktop that they want to upgrade at a later time or just want something cost effective to get them online and doing regular productivity work. Keep in mind that the most affordable model runs on Ubuntu Linux, not Windows (but all other Dell Tower Plus configurations run Windows).

The model I reviewed ran like a gaming computer, however. In fact, it did very well even running beautifully with a 120Hz 4K monitor. I never had any performance issues; there was no stuttering or screen tearing when gaming, and no noticeable slowdown during any other kind of use.

The difference between my review model and a regular gaming computer is simply aesthetics. It was able to get over 80 FPS in 1080p and almost 40 FPS in 4K when running Monster Hunter Wilds, for instance.

And its results in Cyberpunk 2077, specifically its almost 70 FPS in 1080p and 20 FPS in 4K (not including DLSS upscaling) give a good idea of the RTX 5070’s limitations more than anything else. For powerful gaming performance, you’ll probably want the 5080.

If you’re looking for a desktop that can handle other demanding tasks, the Dell Tower Plus is capable of doing that as well. Its benchmark of 2:06 in Handbrake represents how quickly it can convert video, for instance. And any horsepower that can be used for gaming does well for 3D design and video editing as well.

Lastly, I want to mention that when I tried to push this computer, mostly by running demanding games, it still operated fairly quietly. That’s not always the case with powerful computers.

Performance: 4.5 / 5

Should you buy the Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250)? Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250) Scorecard

Withings U-Scan brought my urine analysis home and I need a drink – of water

Tue, 10/28/2025 - 23:05

I'm dehydrated. How do I know? Withings U-Scan told me so, and it's based on what may be the best source for this information: my own urine.

I know. Blech. But also, wow; home urine analysis in about the time it takes you to, well, use the bathroom.

I first learned about the Withings U-Scan home urine analysis system back in January at CES 2025. It sounded kind of incredible. The device could take the lab-style analysis that usually requires you to go to a doctor's office, pee into a cup, and hand it over to a lab technician who would then send it to a lab for analysis, and transform it into a compact system that fits in any toilet.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

That's more or less what we got here, a $379.95 / £319 rechargeable device that does all of that in one... er... sitting.

It's not perfect. It might require that you change your bathroom habit, it uses replaceable cartridges that'll cost you $99.95 / £89.95 every three months, and it cannot yet, as was promised earlier this year, recognize different people's pee. Essentially, it's a urine analysis system for one and can only be activated through the Withings app on your phone.

Even so. I'm impressed.

Withings U-Scan Review: Design and setup

Withing's U-Scan is a large white puck that you press between your palms to twist and open so you can install the carousel of measurement tabs. There are a total of 44 of these tiny, chemically sensitive strips in each carousel. Every test takes two strips for a total of 22 urine tests. Most people will only test once a week. The circuit board and algorithm live inside U-Scan, so that all analysis is done there.

Twisting the device open and closed is not easy, but in some ways, this gives you confidence that it is fully water-tight.

When it's open, you set up your app and connect it via Bluetooth to the U-Scan by pressing a button on the inside. It also connects to your home network's Wi-Fi. This process is pretty painless, as is installing the carousel of test tabs. The app, by the way, can connect to Apple Health to gather all your relevant health data and to share Withings' insights with Apple Health.

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(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

U-Scan also ships with three sizes of toilet clips and guides you on which one to use based on your toilet's style. There's also a charge tank, which doubles as a bath to wash the device after the first three months of use (the charge is rated to last three months, too). It even ships with gloves so you don't have to touch a device you've spent the last three months peeing on.

U-Scan can, depending on which carousels you use, test for either nutrition or kidney health. In the latter, the system keeps track of calcium levels, an excess of which can lead to the development of painful kidney stones.

My test unit, though, arrived with the nutrition carousel, which looks at acidity, vitamin C, ketones, and hydrostatus.

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

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)Withings U-Scan: Getting started

Proper placement of the Withings U-Scan in your toilet is critical, and this is where I learned that, if I wanted to measure my urine, I'd have to sit down to pee.

You see, the puck and its attachment hanger are placed dead-center at the front of the toilet; the clip hangs over that front lip.

The smooth back of the U-Scan faces you and, if you pee on it, the other side is designed to capture and direct that pee into a reservoir that pulls the liquid inside.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Since the system does not know when it's being peed on, you have to first open the Withings App and then select measurement. After that, you have two minutes to pee.

I went through this process three times before I successfully got a reading. The first time, there was an unidentified error, and the second time, the system accused me of not peeing sufficiently. Fortunately, it didn't waste any test strips in either case.

Finally, I peed long enough to get a reading. I knew the system was doing its work because there are somewhat noisy motors that make the urine collection and the tiny internal lab work possible.

Within minutes, I had my first reading. If you don't see it, you can quickly sync your phone app to the device.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

I was pleased to see that my pH or bio-acidity was "In Target", as were my vitamin C and ketone levels. The only thing that didn't look right was my hydrostatus, which came in low. When I opened that reading for details, the app told me, "Your hydration level is lower than optimal. Increase your water intake to reach a better balance."

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)Withings U-Scan: Verdict

As my wife said to me, somewhat sarcastically, when I told her about my reading, "Oh, good, I guess you don't have to go to the doctor."

I'd like to think that, but this is not an FDA-cleared device and is not intended as a medical substitute. Instead, it's a wellness product that gives you indicators but not the final word.

Still, it's nice to get some early warning signals on nutritional issues and, yes, I would love to avoid painful kidney stones in my lifetime.

I do not look forward to the cleaning process and think it's a shame that it's not yet useful for all the people peeing into that toilet in my home. Withings told me that the feature is coming, but did not provide a timeline.

The price is not terrible for what it does, but I'm not thrilled about paying another $99 every three months to check my urine. That's the one area that will likely give many people pause and may relegate this for use with people who really need frequent urine analysis. I'm probably not one of them.

Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to drink a big glass of water.

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Categories: Reviews

I tested a 3-in-1 MagGo iPhone and Apple Watch charger that juiced my watch so fast, I'm never going back to anything slower

Tue, 10/28/2025 - 16:00

Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Pad review

The Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Pad is a conveniently designed tabletop charger capable of charging an iPhone, Apple Watch, and compatible earbud cases. It has a list price of $99.99 / £89.99 / AU$199.95 on the Anker website and is available for purchase at Amazon too. I was provided the Stone Black model of the Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Pad, available here in the UK, the US, and Australia. Those over the pond in the US get an additional color choice of Shell White, too.

The design of the MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Pad is simple but attractive. All visible materials look good-quality, and there are some attractive little details like the metalized finish on the foldable stand of the iPhone charger. The top surface and sides of the charging station have a soft matt finish that didn’t appear to scratch easily, which proved advantageous as my very long (and very pink) nails can prove problematic for some matt finishes.

(Image credit: Future)

The Apple Watch and iPhone charging modules fold down to the 0.53 inch / 14mm deep base pad, but while the former sits below surface level, the iPhone charging pad sits at least 0.2 inches / 5mm above, which raised questions regarding how it would fair if packed into a drawer or bag.

The Apple Watch charger was easy to push up from underneath; however, the iPhone charging module proved more tricky to raise to a standing position. Again, I needed to push from underneath the base, but it proved awkward as the hinges of the iPhone charger’s arm were quite stiff, making it hard to extend and position it to the angle I wanted. The rigidity of the hinges meant they were sturdy enough to maintain the position while the phone was in situ though, so that’s a silver lining at least.

(Image credit: Future)

As expected due to the large surface area, the Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Pad gets dusty easily. For the most part, this is easily remedied by a quick wipe thanks to the smooth surface, but the, presumably silicone, ring of the AirPods charging area tends to get a little attached to its fibery friends. Anker states this charger is “easily portable”, and whilst this may be true in terms of the slab-like design, its 12oz / 340g weight makes it too heavy to be as travel-friendly as some of the best wireless chargers.

I appreciated that the format of the charging station meant every charger was easily accessible and I could see each of my devices. The only downside to this is that it takes up a lot of surface space and, while I prefer this format to that of other well-performing chargers, such as the ESR Qi2 3-in-1 Watch Wireless Charging Set, at 9 x 3.37 inches / 229 x 86mm, the Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Pad wouldn’t prove convenient if there’s limited free space on your desk or nightstand.

(Image credit: Future)

The Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Pad took just thirty-five minutes to charge a 3,095mAh iPhone 13 Pro to fifty percent, and a full charge took an hour and fifty-eight minutes, which is a fairly average speed compared to the other 3-in-1 MagSafe chargers I’ve tested.

That makes the iPhone charging speed almost twenty minutes faster than the Anker 3-in-1 Cube with MagSafe, and twenty minutes slower than the fastest wireless charger I’ve tested to date, the Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Stand – but that wasn’t surprising, seeing as I’ve yet to find another wireless charger that comes close to matching this speed.

Where the Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Pad proved above-average was with the speed of its Apple Certified Quick Apple Watch Charger. I did a double-take when it’d finished charging my series 9 Apple Watch, as it took just 55 minutes to revive it fully. This impressive speed makes it the fastest Apple Watch charger I’ve tested to date, with an eight-minute difference knocking the Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Foldable Pad off the top spot.

(Image credit: Future)

Overall, I found the Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Pad to be a convenient and attractive charging station. I was happy with the charging speeds, and the outer materials appeared good quality.

Anker and I will have to agree to disagree on it being “easily portable”, and the hinges and folding of the iPhone module could be improved, but aside from this, it made a nice addition to my desktop. If you’re still considering your options, why not take a look at our selection of the best wireless chargers to see if there are any formats you’ve yet to consider?

Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Pad review: Price & specs

Price

$99.99 / £89.99 / AU$199.95

Model number

A25M1

Total power output

15W

Devices charged

USB-C

Yes - power in

Wireless charging

MagSafe / Qi2

Weight

12 oz / 340g

Dimensions

9 × 3.37 × 0.53 inches / 229 x 86 x 14mm

Should I buy the Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Pad?Buy it if…

You want to have visibility of your devices
While this charger could prove a bit of a space invader, I loved that I could place it behind my keyboard as I worked at my desk, allowing me to observe the charging progress and view notifications as they came in.

You want a fast Apple Watch charger
The Apple-certified Apple Watch charger of this 3-in-1 charging station revived my series 9 Apple Watch to full charge in just 55 minutes, making it the fastest I’ve tested to date, and shortening the time I spent without my Watch on my wrist.

Don't buy it if…

You want a super-fast iPhone charger
While the charging speed was good, there are some faster chargers out there. The fastest I’ve tested happens to be from Anker too, which I talk about in more detail in the Also Consider section below.

You want something compact
If you’re looking for a 3-in-1 charging solution that won’t take up a load of surface space, or that can easily fit in any bag and be carried around all day, this charging station is not the one, due to its weight and the iPhone charging pad not folding completely flat.

Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Pad review: Also consider

Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Stand
Another fantastic 3-in-1 Anker charging station, this stable and somewhat quirky charger offers even faster charging speeds taking just an hour and thirty-eight minutes to fully charge an iPhone 13 Pro, and an hour and four minutes to charge a Series 9 Apple Watch when I tested it. Despite the difference in charging speeds, at the time of writing, the 3-in-1 stand and the 3-in-1 Pad are the same price, making it a choice between faster charging, or a design that’s easier to store. If you’d like to hear more about this alternative, why not take a look at my full Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Stand review?

Categories: Reviews

I tested the new Insta360 X4 Air action camera, and now I’m addicted to 360 video

Tue, 10/28/2025 - 07:00

Insta360 X4 Air: two-minute review

It’s been just over six months since the release of the Insta360 X5, which showed up bang on cue to replace the highly praised X4 from 2024. The TechRadar team loved both of these models, placing them amongst the best 360-degree cameras, and you’ll see quite a few of them around the office. Now, in what may feel like Christmas come early for 360 video devotees, Insta360 has released the X4 Air, a smaller and even more portable package designed to fill a gap in the market.

Viewing the X4 Air side-by-side with the X5 – or the X4 for that matter – there are some fairly noticeable differences. Firstly, given the name, it’s no surprise to find that the X4 Air is smaller and more lightweight. If the X4 could fit easily into your coat pocket, the X4 Air can find a home in the pocket of your jeans, making it possible to travel through busy locations and be ready to capture video on the go without being noticed.

Despite the shrunken proportions, the body of the X4 Air retains the solid feel of the X4, and I was confident that the camera would fare better than I would in the city center rainstorm I was caught in during my testing.

The camera is quick and easy to set up and use, even if you have limited experience with videography or 360 capture. The screen is a little fiddly to use, given its small size, but this can be remedied by pairing the X4 Air with your smartphone and using the feature-packed Insta360 app to control the camera remotely. All of the menus are easy to navigate, and I had the camera customized to my requirements in no time.

The X4 Air has the flatter back-plate design of the X4 rather than the geometric pattern found on the more recent X5 (Image credit: Future)

The dual sensors in the X4 Air are smaller than those in the X5, but larger than the 1/2-inch units on the X4. I was greatly impressed by the dynamic range and noise performance of these chips in high-contrast and low-light settings. Colors were still punchy and shadows clean, despite the X4 Air not having the PureVideo Mode seen on the X5. The 8K footage looked fantastic straight out of the camera, and reframing using the app or Insta360 Studio desktop software was quick and easy.

There might not be enough reasons for X4 users to switch to the X4 Air, but assessed by itself, the camera is a great 360 shooting machine that made me fall back in love with the format. If you’re an avid explorer, or even a pro videographer looking to capture some more exciting angles, the X4 Air is a solid choice.

Insta360 X4 Air specsInsta360 X5 specs

Type:

360 camera

Sensor:

1/1.8-inch x 2

LCD:

2.5-inch touchscreen

Memory:

MicroSD

Dimensions:

45 x 112 x 25mm approx

Weight:

5.8oz / 165g

Image 1 of 3

Everything about the X4 Air is familiar, just condensed into a smaller body. This makes it super-portable, although it can be tricky to work with on the move (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: Future)Insta360 X4 Air: Price and availability

Launched worldwide on October 28 2025
Standard edition costs $399.99 / £359 / AU$639.99
Starter Bundle available for $439 / £389 / AU$699.99

The Insta360 X4 Air was released on October 28 and is priced $399.99 / £359 / AU$639.99, which is quite a bit below the price of the X4 / X5 at launch ($499.99 / £499 and $549 / £519 respectively). Considering that the X4 Air is technically an update to the X4, this seems a fair price to pay for the larger sensor and access to the replacement lens system.

Beyond the standard bundle above, Insta360 is also offering the X4 Air in a Starter Bundle, which includes the camera, a 114cm Invisible Selfie Stick, Lens Cap, and an extra battery which, given the limited battery life, is definitely a useful backup. This option can be picked up for $439 / £389 / AU$699.99, which is good value to get you up and running.

Price score: 4.5/5

Insta360 X4 Air: Design

45 x 112 x 35mm in size, 5.8oz / 165g in weight
Waterproof to 49ft / 15m
2.5-inch screen, USB-C 3.0 input and microSD card slot

If you’ve used an Insta360 camera before, you’ll fall right into step with the X4 Air. It shares much of the design philosophy with its stablemates, just in a smaller package. Let’s not forget that the Insta360 X4 is by no means a large piece of equipment, so I was initially concerned that by minimizing the body further it would result in some impractical control layout compromises. However, the changes that have been made are sensible ones, and feel more like refinements of the X4’s layout than unappealing but necessary drawbacks.

The front of the X4 Air looks simple, and not unlike a compact smartphone, albeit with an oversized camera lens. The area is dominated by the 2.5-inch touchscreen, and below that a single round button that's assigned to shutter triggering by default. This replaces the dual-control design of the X4 and X5, giving the X4 Air a more streamlined feel.

I actually think I prefer having one large shutter button in the bottom-center of the camera body to the X4’s smaller shutter control at the bottom-left. During testing, I found it easier to find and press the large button without looking, a minor advantage to many prospective users, perhaps, but as a regular street and travel photographer, being able to get a camera up and running immediately as I pull it out of its case is something I’ve come to appreciate greatly.

Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Future)

The X4 Air is waterproof to 49ft (15m) which is more than the X4's certified 33ft (10m) maximum depth. Each compartment is verified as sealed when no orange markers are visible

Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: Future)

As you’d hope for in an action camera, the build quality is robust, and capable of withstanding a few knocks and scrapes. Despite the reduced weight, the X4 Air doesn’t feel noticeably flimsier than the X4, another area I was concerned about, although I suppose Insta360 could only change the construction integrity so far before the camera stopped being fit for purpose.

I really like the textured grip pattern adorning the sides of recent Insta360 cameras. It gives the impression of solidity, and makes them feel like true tools made for outdoor use. On paper, I know action cams are often waterproof, but I often still have trust issues with submerging a valuable piece of technology; the X4 Air will go a long way to easing your nerves if you're like me.

Another major upgrade over the standard X4 is the replaceable lens system. New to the latest generation of Insta360 cameras, the ability to easily swap out a cracked or scratched lens for a new one yourself, without having to send the whole camera away for an off-site repair, saves both money and time. It’s a very neat concept that frees you to take a few more risks with your camera, placing it in some more extreme positions for exciting angles, for example, with less concern that you are about to write off your Insta360 completely. It’s a multi-step process that requires some practice to do confidently, but the additional $29.99 (£29.99) cost for a replacement kit is good value for the peace of mind it provides.

The X4 Air weighs exactly the same as an iPhone Air – surely no mistake on Insta360's part from a marketing point of view. At 165g, it’s not going to add a perceptible amount of extra load to your camera bag, and can even be transported in a coat pocket with ease when heading out for a day of exploring. Due to its size, I found myself taking the X4 Air with me everywhere, on the off chance a shooting opportunity presented itself.

Design score:4.5/5

Insta360 X4 Air: Performance

Quick focusing
Intuitive reframing
Disappointing 88-minute battery life

I was a little slow to embrace 360 video shooting, probably because I was put off by how fiddly I thought processing and editing footage would be (I’ve had some bad experiences creating virtual tours for assignments, which left me traumatized, obviously). Right from the off, working with the Insta360 X4 Air via the mobile app was a breeze, however. Once you go through the usual activation and connection processes, which require Bluetooth for two-way communication between your smartphone and the camera, you can use the phone screen to preview the scene in far more clarity than on the camera monitor.

It’s easy to pair your devices, and preview clips and images stored in the camera roll, while there's also the option to download files to your phone for editing. It is possible to work on files stored on your memory card mounted in the X4 Air, but this can slow down processing considerably. The app interface is fairly user-friendly, although some of the more advanced functions could feel a bit overwhelming to beginners.

In use, the X4 Air is highly responsive, being quick to start up and begin shooting. The audible ‘beep’ as the camera boots up is quite loud out of the box, potentially drawing some unwanted attention in quieter environments such as a museum or church; you can adjust the volume once the camera is on, although even after I'd muted it the tone still sounded on startup, which maybe have been an issue with my sample unit.

The touchscreen is nicely sensitive, and I experienced little to no lag when swiping to reframe 360-degree footage while recording. Admittedly, the preview image isn’t the highest quality you can find on a camera; it looks comparatively low-resolution if you’re accustomed to using a recent phone screen or interchangeable lens camera. Equally, the small size means tapping icons on-screen is a challenge if, like me, you have hands that are on the large side. This is why I’d recommend using your X4 Air paired to a phone instead, where practical.

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Future)

As on all of the Insta360 range, the front and rear lenses are quite bulbous, making them prone to damage. This is where the handy lens replacement and lens guards are a real bonus

Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future)

The stated battery life of 88 minutes isn’t especially impressive, so carrying multiple replacements is a good idea if you’re away from home for any length of time. The charging time is fast though, meaning it’s easy to top up on power during a short coffee break at a cafe using the supplied USB-C cable. In my review sample, I found the USB connection quite loose, and some jiggling was required to ensure stable charging.

I did notice the X4 Air’s body heated up quite rapidly, even when not recording. I liked that the screen switches off automatically when not in use, to save battery, but keeping the camera on and at the ready for shooting means it still gets warm in the hand. It’s nothing extreme, but I do wonder how the camera would perform over extended shooting times in hot environments.

The camera is quick to focus, although again I’d recommend using a connected phone screen for assessing critical sharpness. The on-camera screen is too small for you to be completely confident that you have the subject in focus, although with such a deep depth of field at this focal length and given the smaller sensor, you don’t have to worry too much about obvious back-focusing.

Performance score: 4.5/5

Insta360 X4 Air: Image quality

New dual 1/1.8-inch sensors
Can record 8K 30fps or 6K 50fps video or 72MP photos (360-degree)
No PureVideo mode for low-light

With a sensor more than 1.6x smaller than the Insta360 X5's, you would expect a tradeoff in absolute image quality. Smaller pixels are the necessary compromise that allows the X4 Air’s diminutive size, and if you buy one, you’re likely doing so because a manageable size and weight are your top priorities. Considering the compact proportions of the camera body, Insta360 has done well to optimize the internal engineering, and the sensor is actually larger than the chip used in the X4 by almost a millimeter.

I jumped in at the deep end when testing the X4 Air, taking it to the low-light conditions of a Christmas-themed market at a local garden center. Despite the limited ambient light, footage was clean and detailed. Straight out of the camera there was very little discernible noise in shadow areas, and the image seemed sharp, free from the excessive mushiness that is the tell-tale sign of harsh in-camera noise reduction. Colors were also vibrant without being unnatural.

I genuinely think the video was superior in this area to that from my older semi-professional APS-C format DSLR cameras, which either made colors flat and dull in high-ISO footage, or wildly overcompensated by making them glow like a Tim Burton movie. This clip was quickly edited in the Insta360 Studio desktop app, which comes supplied with royalty-free music for social media use.

The dynamic range was perfectly acceptable, and while highlights tended to clip quickly in high-contrast lighting, the X4 Air did a good job of capturing shadow detail. I loved that a Log mode is available on the X5: I-Log produces a much flatter profile, allowing for more advanced color grading during post-processing while retaining more shadow and highlight data. This worked well, and although Netflix is unlikely to certify the camera any time soon, it does open up a wealth of cinematic styling opportunities. While this is not available on the X4 Air, there is a flat profile in its place, which isn't quite the same, but serves a similar function. Edited footage still offered more scope for color control than clips with pre-applied contrast and color profiles.

Meanwhile, the Active HDR mode and Adaptive Tone setting are highly effective at preserving highlights. It’s worth mentioning that HDR shooting isn’t possible above 30fps. The frame rate is also limited to 50fps rather than the higher 60p available on the X4.

Shooting outside in good light produced the best results. The automatic white balance system also copes well in direct sunlight, although taking full control over the color temperature is possible through the menu, giving you more consistency between clips. This gives 360 footage a truly immersive and life-like feel, perfect for capturing the essence of a location while traveling.

Image quality score: 4.5/5

Insta360 X4 Air: testing scorecard Insta360 X4 Air

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

Considering it's technically an upgrade to the X4, the X4 Air is significantly cheaper, which is welcome. There is the matter of the DJI Osmo 360, though.

4.5/5

Design

There have been few compromises to enable the more compact size, though handling can be a little fiddly.

4.5/5

Performance

For such a small 8K camera, the X4 Air manages to cope with processing time, heat dissipation and startup.

4.5/5

Image quality

The reduced sensor size from the X5 does limit low-light performance, but noise levels are still excellent, as are colors and dynamic range

4.5/5

Should I buy the Insta360 X4 Air?Buy it if...

You value portability above all else
There may not be much of a reason to switch from another recent Insta360 camera model, but if you regularly travel and want to be discreet in how you shoot, the X4 Air is a truly pocket-friendly video camera.

You need 8K video
Arguably, 8K is overkill for many users, but it does open up cropping and reframing possibilities. Getting 8K capability in such a portable package is great for high-end videography purposes on the go.

You're new to 360 video
The reduced price point compared to the X4 and X5 means the X4 Air represents an affordable entry point into the Insta360 system. You get many of the same great features, but with less investment, making it a good choice to test the water and see if this type of videography is your thing.

Don't buy it if...

You just bought an Insta360 X5
....unless you want both! While I wouldn't necessarily say the X4 Air is worth changing to if you already own an X5, which is the higher-end model, you might still consider owning both if you're a 360 fanatic and want a smaller backup body.

You want maximum image quality
While the image quality is impressive, the X5 has the larger sensor and benefits from PureVideo mode for low-light and night shooting. For professional use, you might value absolute image integrity over diminutive size.

Also consider Insta360 X5

The top-of-the-range model in the Insta360 family, the X5 is larger but more powerful. It enables recording up to 5.7K at 60fps, and features dual 1/1.28-inch sensors with larger pixels and greater light-gathering capacity. It also features the newer PureVideo mode that's missing on the X4 and X4 Air, providing superior performance under poor lighting. The build quality and control layout are familiar, but with the added benefit of a larger LCD.

Read our in-depth Insta360 X5 review

DJI Osmo 360

It was only a matter of time before DJI entered the 360 video market, and it debuts with an impressive offering. We immediately rated it highly during our review, most notably for its price, which undercuts Insta360 by quite a margin. Its square design won't be to everyone's taste, but the build quality is good, and you also get a generous 128GB of built-in storage.

Read our in-depth DJI Osmo 360 review

How I tested the Insta360 X5

I tested a full production model running release firmware over several days
I use the camera both mounted on an invisible selfie stick and handheld
I recorded videos in varying lighting conditions, both indoors and outside

Having reviewed action cameras on and off for several years, I went into this test with high expectations. I spent roughly a week using the Insta360 X4 Air alongside an X5 for the purposes of a comparison. I shot footage on both cameras under the same conditions to evaluate how each camera handled noise and tonal range, then examined both out-of-camera footage and color-graded I-Log clips to evaluate image quality.

First reviewed October 2025

Categories: Reviews

IT: Welcome To Derry is a welcome expansion of Stephen King’s huge novel – here’s why it’s a must-watch this Halloween

Tue, 10/28/2025 - 04:46

With Halloween coming up soon, now is the perfect time for fans to watch It: Welcome to Derry. Anyone who has read Stephen King's huge novel, titled 'It', will know just how much ground it covers, so there's plenty of scope to dive even deeper – and this new HBO Max show does exactly that.

While King's novel spans 27 years, focusing on the late 1950s and mid-1980s, documenting the periods of time where the evil entity 'It' awakens to terrorize Derry, the series focuses on the 60s, so it covers an era we haven't yet seen explored.

In a similar vein to the iconic Georgie scene from the 2017 movie It Chapter One, It: Welcome to Derry starts with the disappearance of a young boy. This prompts some other children in the town to try and figure out what happened, as well as getting to the bottom of why they're experiencing disturbing visions.

Meanwhile, a young Black soldier, called Major Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo), arrives in Derry as part of a mysterious military mission, alongside his wife Charlotte (Taylour Paige). The town of Derry is largely white, too, which provides some important narrative around civil rights issues at the time.

At the time of writing, only the pilot has aired on HBO Max with the second episode arriving on Halloween (fittingly) in the US. I've seen the first five episodes and I can confidently say this is a solid pilot, which sets up the rest of the series, but fans may have some frustrations with one major decision.

While Derry and its residents are all integral to the It storyline, fans will no doubt be keen to see Bill Skarsgård back as Pennywise. He delivered a great performance in It Chapter One and its sequel IT Chapter Two, but he has been used sparingly so far in the TV series. But who knows what the future will hold?

Having said that, the suspense is fun and I haven't seen the final three episodes, so it's very likely we'll get to see more of him as the show progresses. Considering Andy and Barbara Muschietti are once again at It's helm, following on from their movies, I'm confident they'll take the show in the direction it needs to go.

(Image credit: HBO)

It feels like we've needed a show like IT: Welcome to Derry for a while now. According to a post on Threads as seen by MovieWeb, even Stephen King himself was impressed with it. That's high praise from an author who has famously hated some adaptations of his work, so if you don't take my word for it, listen to King.

From my perspective, it was great to be transported to Derry at a slower pace than what a movie can deliver. Pacing the story across eight episodes means we get to see more characters, more scenarios, and take our time exploring a town we really wish we could leave, because it's so fascinating.

The show also sets up some great relationships, too. I can't spoil exactly what, but I did find myself invested in certain dynamics and fearful for what might happen to characters I've already grown to love.

There's plenty of easter eggs for Stephen King fans to enjoy including connections to The Shining, and I think it's well worth people sticking around to watch the second episode and beyond as there's plenty to horrify and delight in equal measure coming up.

Expect some jumpy moments, body horror and plenty of surprises. You're in for a good time if you're already a fan of It and if you're new, then maybe this series will encourage you to seek out the book and the original movies too.

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Categories: Reviews

I've been a PC gamer for decades, and the Alienware Aurora gaming desktop is the only gaming PC you need

Mon, 10/27/2025 - 16:48

Alienware Aurora (ACT1250): Two-minute review

When the rebooted Alienware Aurora R16 launched some years ago, we praised it as a capable pre-built gaming desktop that balanced a unique design with capable performance.

This time around, the Alienware Aurora gaming desktop (ACT1250) brings the same distinctive and compact design that feels more office-friendly, yet still has that Alienware flair, thanks to its sleek aesthetic.

Starting at $1,399.99 / £1,699 / AU$2,798.40, the Aurora delivers solid performance across the configuration stack, though higher-spec configurations will obviously see the best performance. It also features some really clever ventilation alongside easy access to its internals, though the interior is rather uninspiring.

For many, the proprietary motherboard and limited upgradability, once configured, are also slightly problematic.

All that said, one thing that just might make this the best gaming PC around is the wide variety of configurations on offer, split between RTX 5060, RTX 5060 Ti, RTX 5070, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5080 GPUs, and Intel Core Ultra 7 and Core Ultra 9 CPUs, with lots of options for storage and memory.

My $2,049.99 / £2,148.98 / AU$3,699.30 review build came packed with an Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF, Nvidia RTX 5070, 32GB DDR5 RAM, and 1TB SSD. That’s just enough for 1440p gaming at respectable frame rates, though our benchmarks showed that there hasn’t been much of a framerate gain in many games over the Aurora R16 from 2023.

(Image credit: Future / Ural Garrett)

However, the latest models can play more recently released games like Doom: The Dark Ages and Black Myth: Wukong at good frame rates if settings expectations are managed.

On the other hand, a game like Cyberpunk 2077, which was already fairly old back in 2023, doesn’t gain significant FPS with the 50-series GPU either, unless you use multi-frame generation, which can sometimes introduce a distracting input latency under heavy load.

That said, the new RTX GPUs do feature better AI upscaling through DLSS 4, and the Alienware Command Center app does help a bit when attempting to fine-tune performance.

Other customization options, such as the various RGB lighting settings for the power button, light ring, and other lights, can be managed through the app, too.

Right now, the Aurora R16 remains a striking desktop that blends futuristic design with solid performance, but its limited, post-purchase upgradability and plain interior may disappoint enthusiasts. And while the new 50-series GPUs bring improved AI upscaling and reliable 1440p gameplay, raw framerate gains over the previous generation are modest.

However, for gamers who prioritize style, customization, and dependable out-of-the-box performance, the Alienware Aurora gaming desktop (ACT1250) still stands as one of the best pre-built options on the market.

Alienware Aurora (ACT1250): Price & availability

(Image credit: Future / Ural Garrett)

How much does it cost? Starting at $1,399.99 / £1,699 / AU$2,798.40
When is it available? It is on sale now
Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

The Alienware Aurora (ACT1250) gaming PC is available now in the US, UK, and Australia, starting at $1,399.99 / £1,699 / AU$2,798.40.

My review configuration costs $2,099.99 / £2,198.98 / AU$3,749.30, and is built for solid 1440p performance, though there are cheaper and more expensive builds available that target 1080p and 4K gaming.

The cheapest option for US buyers is a rig featuring an Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD for some quality 1080p gaming, while those looking for a more maxed-out gaming desktop can get an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, Nvidia RTX 5080, 64GB, and up to 8TB (2x4TB) SSD storage.

My review configuration is actually cheaper than the 2023 Aurora gaming desktop that featured the mid-tiered 40-series of Nvidia’s GPU by around $100, so the price of the Aurora desktop hasn't really gone up.

Despite the new CPU and GPU, though, benchmarks aren’t necessarily better, which means users could find a mid-tier 40-series version of the gaming desktop somewhere for cheaper and get roughly the same native performance, so the biggest draw here is the multi-frame generation.

Value: 4.5 / 5

Alienware Aurora (ACT1250): Specs Alienware Aurora (ACT1250) specs

Base configuration

Review configuration

Max configuration

Price

$1,399.99 / £1,699 / AU$2,798.40

$2,099.99 / £2048.99 / AU$3,498

$4,009.99 / £4,410.19 / AU$5,663.90

Windows 11 Home

Windows 11 Pro

CPU

Intel Core Ultra 7 265F

Intel Core Ultra 9 285F

GPU

Nvidia RTX 5060

Nvidia RTX 5070

Nvidia RTX 5080

Memory

16GB DDR5-5200

32GB DDR5-5200 (16GB in Australia)

64GB DDR5-6400 (32GB DDR5-5200 in Australia)

SSD

1TB SSD

2 x 4TB SSD (8TB total, 1TB in Australia)

PSU

500W

1000W

CPU Cooling

Air Cooler

240mm AIO Liquid Cooler

Chassis

Solid side panel

Clear side panel

With a wide array of configuration options on offer with the latest Nvidia RTX 50-series and Intel Core Ultra 200-series chips, you won't have any trouble configuring a system to your specific performance needs.

The lack of easy upgradability once you have the system in hand, though, does take away from the overall package, but for a prebuilt system, it's hard to beat.

Specs: 4 / 5

Alienware Aurora (ACT1250): Design

(Image credit: Future / Ural Garrett)

No major design changes from last year's model
Plenty of ventilation and easy access to internals
Rather boring internals make the glass panel less appealing

The 2025 refresh of the Alienware Aurora gaming desktop carries forward the Alienware Aurora R16’s familiar strengths and weaknesses, setting the stage for its enhanced cooling and port design.

This includes the extensive cooling and ventilation system, which combines a side hexagonal array, top exhaust, and front stadium intake. According to Alienware, this makes the desktop around 20 percent quieter and about seven percent cooler than the Alienware Aurora R15.

Beyond the looks is a rig that also offers plenty of ports in both the front and rear, which should serve users of all kinds, from content curators to the most serious gaming enthusiasts.

The front ports include a global 3.5mm headset jack, three USB-A ports, and one USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) with PowerShare technology. In the rear, there’s a line-in and line-out port, optical audio port, two USB-C ports, four USB-A ports, and a 2.5 gigabit Ethernet port. Unfortunately, there’s no six-channel 3.5mm audio connection for those who want surround sound set-ups.

It doesn’t help that the cramped space inside will make it difficult for anyone who wants to add something like a sound card into the mix. That extends to how hard it’ll be to upgrade to bigger GPUs in the future as well. At least access to the inside is made easy through one simple screw and latch.

All together, the latest Aurora gaming desktop keeps the sleek, futuristic look of its predecessor while delivering improved cooling, quieter operation, and a wide range of ports. However, limited internal space and upgrade challenges remain its biggest drawbacks, making it best suited for gamers who prioritize style and ready-made performance over long-term expandability.

Design: 4.5 / 5

Alienware Aurora (ACT1250): Performance

(Image credit: Future / Ural Garrett)

1440p performance doesn’t significantly improve over the 40-series edition
Alienware Command Center can help fine-tune performance
Higher-spec or base-spec configurations provide a better value

When looking at the performance of the latest iteration of the Alienware Aurora gaming desktop, the 1440p performance of my review unit looks and feels very impressive, but if you look back to the 2023 benchmarks on this system's predecessor, the refreshed CPU and GPU pairing doesn’t translate into a dramatic leap in raw power.

CPU benchmarks

Alienware Aurora ACT1250

NZXT Player PC

Lenovo Legion Tower 5

Geekbench 6 (Single)

3,071

3,081

2,594

Geekbench 6 (Multi)

20,010

18,984

13,554

Cinebench R23 (Single)

2,257

2,263

1,693

Cinebench R23 (Multi)

35,446

35,226

17,376

Cinebench R24 (Single)

136

137

104

Cinebench R24 (Multi)

1,979

1,923

934

Crossmark Overall

2,301

2,298

1,846

Crossmark Productivity

2,152

2,159

1,734

Crossmark Creativity

2,548

2,495

2,127

Crossmark Responsiveness

2,069

2,166

1,454

For instance, Cyberpunk 2077, which remains one of the most demanding titles despite its 2020 release, manages only about 16fps at native 4K on the older build, and with the new Core Ultra 7 and RTX 5070 combo, performance nudges only slightly higher to 17fps. That makes DLSS upscaling essential, though even then, don’t expect substantial gains in titles from the past couple of years.

In more recent tests, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II averaged below 30fps at 1440p max settings (rising to roughly 40-50fps with DLSS), while Doom: The Dark Ages delivered 40-50fps with path tracing enabled.

Meanwhile, Forza Motorsport (2023) held a steady 60fps at 1440p with ray tracing on, maintaining the same level with DLSS active. One great thing about the 50-series is that DLSS 4 does a much better job at preventing (or at least greatly reducing) the ghosting effect that has plagued upscaling tech since the beginning.

GPU benchmarks

Alienware Aurora ACT1250

NZXT Player PC

Lenovo Legion Tower 5

3DMark Fire Strike

44,913

45,049

43,845

3DMark Steel Nomad

5,224

4,967

5,495

3DMark Speed Way

5,741

5,855

5,960

3DMark Port Royal

14,062

14,139

14,302

One factor that can boost CPU performance is the option to choose between air or liquid cooling, which not only supports higher frame rates but also helps extend the overall lifespan of the components.

Another way to boost frame rates is through the Alienware Command Center app that comes pre-installed. Here, users can customize settings for games, change performance settings, and customize the RGB lighting too.

Gaming benchmarks (Average FPS)

Alienware Aurora ACT1250

NZXT Player PC

Lenovo Legion Tower 5

Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra preset)

Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1080p, Highest)

202

201

207

F1 2024 (1080p, Very High, DLSS Quality)

104

119

Total War: Warhammer III: Mirrors of Madness (1080p, Ultra)

181

182

172

Outside of gaming, the Aurora R16 handles creative tasks with ease. It smoothly manages Adobe Photoshop projects with multiple high-resolution layers with no slowdown, while 10-minute 1080p videos in Premiere Pro render and export in seconds, and 4K projects finish within just a few minutes.

This makes it a reliable option not only for gamers but also for content creators who need a system that balances performance across both worlds.

Though the Alienware Aurora ACT1250 may not deliver a massive performance leap over past generations, it refines the experience with smarter cooling, better DLSS support, and versatile software controls.

For gamers and creators alike, it remains a sleek, capable desktop that balances style with reliable all-around performance.

Performance: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: Future / Ural Garrett)Should I buy the Alienware Aurora (ACT1250)?Alienware Aurora (ACT1250) gaming desktop scorecard

Notes

Score

Value

The Alienware Aurora ACT1250 balances style and power across a wide range of price points. For gamers who value design and performance over long-term upgrades, it’s an easy recommendation.

4.5 / 5

Specs

With a lot of configuration options available and the most up-to-date hardware, you have a wide range of specs available with this PC. The proprietary motherboard and limited expandability isn't great though.

4 / 5

Design

Though there haven’t been any tweaks to the Aurora Desktop over the past couple of years, it still stands out as something futuristic despite issues with the proprietary motherboard, which limits upgradability in areas.

4.5 / 5

Performance

Don’t expect max settings at 1440p resolution without using DLSS upscaling, as native performance is good but not great compared to other mid-tier offerings. Those who want 1080p and 4K performance will be satisfied on that end of the spectrum for sure.

4.5 / 5

Final Score

The refreshed Alienware Aurora ACT1250 gaming desktopremains a futuristic-looking gaming desktop that delivers solid 1080p and 4K performance across price points, even if its mid-tier value and limited upgradability hold it back.

4.38 / 5

Buy the Alienware Aurora (ACT1250) if…

You want a gaming desktop with a stunning design
The sleek compact design blending an all-black colorway with smart RGB lighting feels so above what’s out there with other gaming desktops, and it’s backed by smart ventilation.

You need specific spec options for 1080p, 1440p and 4K gaming
Regardless of what potential buyers are looking for, there are a wide variety of performance options split between CPU, GPU, RAM and storage. Despite utilizing the Nvidia’s new 50-series of graphic cards, the prices remain respectable.

Don’t buy it if…

You want a desktop with a bit more space
The more compact gaming desktop may look fantastic, but while finding space for upgrades is possible, it’s limited.

You want the best 1440p performance
My benchmarks show that 1440p performance was only marginally better than the previous Aurora R16 with 40-series GPU, despite the upgrade to the newer RTX 5070.

Also Consider

If my Alienware Aurora (ACT1250) review has you considering other options, here are two gaming desktops to consider...

NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition)
With very similar specs to the Aurora ACT1250, the NZXT Player PC is a little cheaper than the Aurora PC I tested, but it has nowhere near the configurability of the Aurora either.

Read the full NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition) review

Lenovo Legion Tower 5 (2025)
The Lenovo Legion Tower 5 also features comparable specs to the Aurora ACT1250, as well as a similar starting price and a good degree of configurability, but its smaller chassis likewise makes expandability a challenge.

Read the full Lenovo Legion Tower 5 (2025) review

How I tested the Alienware Aurora gaming desktop (ACT1250)

I tested it using games like Doom: The Dark Ages, Ninja Gaiden Black II, Forza Motorsport (2023), and Senua's Saga: Hellblade II
I ran TechRadar's standard suite of PC benchmarks
I used creative software like Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro for long stretches

built-inOutside of the standard PC benchmarks I run for my reviews, including builkt-in gaming benchmarks in titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Black Myth: Wukong, I also tested modern games including Doom: The Dark Ages, Ninja Gaiden Black II, Forza Motorsport (2023), and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II for its real-world gaming performance.

For day-to-day tasks, I used it as my day-to-day work PC for about two weeks, including extensive creative work through Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed October 2025

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