TechRadar Reviews

Hiring trustworthy, qualified employees is one of the biggest challenges facing businesses, and that’s where background screening platforms like First Advantage come in. As one of the most established names in employment verification, First Advantage helps organizations make informed decisions by providing in-depth background checks, identity verification, and compliance support.

Whether an employer is hiring new staff, screening tenants, or vetting volunteers, the platform provides fast and reliable insights drawn from global databases and public record sources.

Let’s take a look at how First Advantage works, explore its pricing structure, analyze its pros and cons, and determine which types of organizations will benefit most from its services.

For more like this, we've reviewed the best employee background check services.

First Advantage: Pricing

(Image credit: Pixabay)

First Advantage’s pricing is customized based on several factors, including the type and volume of background checks, organizational size, the number of locations, and specific services required. Employers pay per report, with basic criminal checks starting around $20–$30. Comprehensive packages, which can include drug screening, credit checks, employment verification, and international searches, typically cost $50–$100 per report.

Enterprise clients can access volume-based discounts or subscription plans designed for ongoing, high-volume hiring. While this pricing structure benefits large organizations with recurring screening needs, smaller businesses may find it less competitive than budget-friendly alternatives.

First Advantage: Features

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Krakenimages.com)

First Advantage offers an extensive range of background screening tools designed to meet the needs of organizations of all sizes. The platform supports a full suite of services, including criminal background checks at the federal, state, and county levels, as well as employment and education verification to ensure candidate information is accurate and complete. Employers can also incorporate drug and health screenings to help maintain compliance with workplace safety and substance policies. At the same time, credit history checks provide additional insight for positions that handle finances or sensitive data.

Beyond domestic capabilities, First Advantage delivers global sanction and watchlist searches, anti-fraud measures, and international screening in more than 200 countries, making it a reliable option for multinational companies. Each client can create customized screening packages that align with their compliance requirements and risk management goals, giving them control over the depth and scope of investigations.

Both employers and applicants benefit from First Advantage’s self-service portals. Candidates can securely complete consent forms, upload required documentation, and track progress online, while hiring managers gain access to detailed dashboards with real-time status updates and centralized reporting. This combination of breadth, transparency, and automation helps streamline hiring workflows, reduce manual effort, and maintain high accuracy throughout the background screening process.

Check out how AI-powered background checks are becoming a business necessity

First Advantage: Setup

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Implementing First Advantage can range from straightforward to complex, depending on integration needs. Basic users can start within days, while companies requiring system integrations — such as with HRIS platforms like Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, or BambooHR — may need additional configuration.

Setup typically includes:

1. Needs assessment and consultation with a First Advantage representative.
2. Account creation and administrative training.
3. Integration setup with HR or applicant tracking systems (if applicable).
4. Configuration of screening packages, user permissions, and compliance alerts.

Smaller businesses may find this process more involved than lightweight platforms. However, once implemented, the system becomes a seamless part of the hiring workflow.

First Advantage: Ease of use

The First Advantage platform is designed for function and reliability rather than visual flair. Employers have access to detailed dashboards to track candidate progress, view completed reports, and manage compliance notifications.

While many users appreciate its structured workflows and organizational clarity, some reviewers note dated design elements, occasional load delays, and session timeouts that interrupt workflow. The candidate portal, however, receives positive feedback for its simplicity and mobile accessibility, helping to reduce applicant friction during sensitive onboarding steps.

First Advantage: Security and privacy

First Advantage maintains strict security and compliance standards that align with major regulatory frameworks, including FCRA, GDPR, CCPA, and EEOC guidelines. Data encryption, audit trails, and permission-based access controls protect sensitive candidate information throughout the process.

Key privacy and security measures include:

• Secure data encryption in transit and at rest.
• Regular third-party security audits and certifications.
• GDPR-compliant data handling for international screenings.
• Configurable data retention policies to comply with regional laws.

For organizations operating globally, this attention to data protection provides confidence that background checks will remain legally compliant and ethically managed.

First Advantage: Support

Customer support is offered through multiple channels, including phone, email, and ticket-based requests. Enterprise clients may receive access to dedicated account managers or implementation specialists.

However, user reviews present a mixed picture. Some clients report delayed responses or difficulty resolving data disputes, especially when candidates challenge report findings. Documentation and online help resources are solid, but round-the-clock live support coverage remains limited compared to more tech-driven competitors.

First Advantage: The competition

First Advantage competes in a crowded background screening market that includes providers such as Checkr, Sterling Check, GoodHire, HireRight, and Certn. Each competitor offers a slightly different balance of cost, coverage, and user experience, giving employers several viable alternatives depending on their needs.

Checkr is known for its modern design, fast turnaround times, and strong API integrations that make it popular with technology-focused companies and gig-economy platforms. However, it lacks the same depth of international coverage and compliance sophistication that First Advantage provides. Sterling Check takes a similar enterprise-focused approach, offering robust global screening and compliance tools, but it often comes at a higher price point that can challenge smaller organizations.

GoodHire, by contrast, caters more directly to small and mid-sized businesses with transparent pricing and an easy-to-use interface. While it’s a practical and affordable option, it doesn’t offer the same level of scalability or advanced configuration as First Advantage. HireRight also serves larger enterprises with comparable breadth of screening services and strong ATS integrations, though users sometimes report a steeper learning curve and similar pricing tiers.

Newer players like Certn bring AI-driven technology and sleek, cloud-native interfaces to the market, emphasizing speed and user experience over enterprise complexity. Yet, as a younger company, it lacks the long-standing reputation and global compliance backing that First Advantage has built over decades. In this competitive field, First Advantage distinguishes itself through its longstanding industry presence, deep regulatory expertise, and global reliability, making it a preferred choice for organizations operating across multiple geographies or within highly regulated sectors.

First Advantage: Final verdict

First Advantage remains a gold standard in the background screening industry for accuracy, compliance, and global reach. Its ability to tailor screening packages, integrate with HR systems, and deliver fast results positions it as an ideal choice for mid-sized to large enterprises that hire frequently or across multiple jurisdictions.

That said, pricing and usability challenges may deter smaller companies seeking a simple setup or lower costs. For organizations that prioritize compliance, scalability, and comprehensive verification, First Advantage justifies its premium cost — offering peace of mind, reduced hiring risk, and dependable service on a global scale.

T3 Aire 360: two-minute review

It's only been two years since T3 first launched the Aire 360 which was, at the time, the world's first ceramic air styler and it's quickly become one of the best hair dryers on the market. That hasn't stopped T3 revamping and relaunching the styler as what it's calling the "next-generation" T3 Aire 360.

Like the original, the new Aire 360 is a ceramic air styler designed to dry, smooth, and curl hair in a single tool. It launched in the US in March 2026 at $349.99 and is due to launch in the UK towards the end of the summer.

At $349.99 (about £260 / AU$490), the next-gen model is $50 more than the original and the headline upgrades are dual voltage, a shorter handle and a lighter base. Thankfully, the styling system itself that made the original so good has stayed the same.

The CeraGloss ceramic curling barrels remain the tool's best feature: they consistently create bouncy, glossy curls that hold well into the next day. Especially on my fine hair. The ceramic coating makes a visible difference here, not just to the finish but to style longevity. Plastic-barrels just don't come close.

The SoftAire concentrator dries faster than its compact size suggests too. My fine, mid-length hair was ready for styling in just over three minutes, even though the wand shape of the base makes directing airflow at the roots awkward and uncomfortable at times. T3 recommends starting with hair that's around 80% dry before moving to the attachments but this means very little in reality. It takes a fair amount of experimentation (and patience) to get the very best results but the Aire 360 still creates "good enough" styles, even while you're on this learning curve.

The oval brush takes the most practice of the four attachments, which was a surprise given that it's effectively just a hot brush. However, its large size coupled with the 1.3lb / 590g weight of the base feels awkward at times. Its bulk will also only likely suit mid-length to long hair and short hair styles may not see the full benefit.

All that said, the rewards outweigh the effort. The oval brush turns even fine hair into voluminous styles that are hard to achieve with a round brush alone. Elsewhere, at 71dB, the Aire 360 isn't loud and isn't quiet; it's comparable to most standard hair dryers I've tested.

Compared to its closest rivals, the case for the T3 Aire 360 is strong. Not only does it undercut its most like-for-like, ceramic air styler the Shark Glam, it also sits well below the Dyson Airwrap range while matching, and at times bettering both, in terms of performance. If you're buying a multi-styler for the first time, or even looking for an upgrade, you could do a lot worse than this flagship styler.

T3 Aire 360: price & availability

• List price: $349.99
• Available: US only / UK coming summer 2026
• Launch date: March 2026

There are currently two versions of the T3 Aire 360 on sale.

The original launched in 2023 at $299.99 / £249.99. This is currently the only model on sale in the UK. In March 2026, T3 launched what it's calling the next-generation Aire 360 in the US. Since launching the next-gen version, the original has been discontinued in the States and we're assuming that when it eventually comes to the UK later this year, the original will also be removed there, too.

This review covers the next-generation model, which costs $349.99 for the Standard bundle, or $359.99 for the Diffuser version. It's sold directly from T3 as well as Sephora and Amazon in Satin Blush or Milk Grey colorways.

For $50 more than the original, you're getting a lighter, redesigned base, a shorter handle and dual voltage for international travel. The styling system itself – the CeraGloss ceramic barrels, Aire 360 airflow technology, SoftAire concentrator and oval brush – is the same as before.

The T3 Aire 360's attachments include oval brush (left), SoftAire concentrator (top) and two ceramic curling barrels (right) (Image credit: Future)

At this price, the next-generation T3 Aire 360 lands in the thick of what's become a competitive (and growing) multi-styler market. The closest like-for-like in terms of price is the Shark FlexStyle that also retails for $349.99. However, the FlexStyle lacks the ceramic barrels of the T3 version.

To get the same ceramic design and finish, as well as range of attachments, you need to pay an extra $100 for the $449.99 Shark Glam. The Dyson Airwrap is the most expensive alternative, ranging from $549.99 / £399.99 for the Origin up to $749.99 / £579.99 for the latest Co-anda 2x. The most like-for-like comparison is the Airwrap i.d. at $649.99 / £479.99, which adds Bluetooth connectivity and personalized curling options on the Dyson app.

If you already own the first-generation Aire 360, and rarely travel abroad, there's limited reason to upgrade. However, if you're buying a multi-styler for the first time, this is the model to get because it represents considerably better value than the Dyson and Shark alternatives without sacrificing much on results.

• Value score: 4.5 / 5

T3 Aire 360 Next-Gen: specs

Model:

T3 Aire 360 Next-Generation

Wattage:

1,400W

Weight (without cord, approx):

1.3 lbs / 590g

Size (H x W x L, approx):

9.2 x 1.8 x 1.7in / 23.37 x 4.57 x 4.32cm

Airflow settings:

3

Temperature settings:

3

Noise level

71dB average

Attachments:

2x 1.35in CeraGloss ceramic curling barrels; SoftAire drying concentrator; oval brush; vegan leather storage tote

Cord length:

9ft / 2.74m swivel

T3 Aire 360: design

• Slim, lightweight base with a shorter handle than the original
• Four twist-and-lock attachments
• Three heat settings plus cool shot, three speed settings

As has been the case since the Dyson Airwrap put the multi-styler category on the map, the next-generation Aire 360 looks more like a curling wand than traditional hair dryer.

It has a slim, cylindrical shape that, at 1.3 lbs / 590g is almost half the weight of the original Aire 360 and on par with the Airwrap i.d. The handle has been shortened, compared to the original Aire 360, and this makes the whole styler more balanced, even when the attachments are in place.

The styler comes in Satin Blush and Milk Gray; the Satin Blush leans into what's become a crowded market of blush-toned tools but the Milk Gray model that I reviewed is more traditional and understated. I was worried the glossy, plastic finish would pick up fingerprints but it's slightly dusty rather than shiny which makes it easy to grip without leaving marks or smudges.

The speed and temperature buttons (pictured) each cycle through three settings indicated by LEDs, with the power switch sitting just below (Image credit: Future)

All of the controls run down the front of the handle: the top button cycles through the three speed settings; the middle button controls the three temperatures including the Cool shot function, and the power switch sits just below.

Each are within easy reach during styling but don't get in the way, which means you don't have to worry about knocking them mid-session. The heat and speed buttons also sit ever-so-slightly below the surface of the handle, too, meaning every press needs to be deliberate.

At the base of the handle are two LED indicators that show which voltage the styler is running at – 110 V or 220 V – and the filter sits on its own with a magnetic cover that twists off easily. Albeit a little too easy sometimes, mid-style.

The Standard Aire 360 ships with four attachments. The Diffuser bundle adds a ceramic diffuser to the mix. You can get the diffuser with the styler for $359.99 or buy it after the fact for $29.99.

• SoftAire drying concentrator: Softens the airflow for fast drying; works like a traditional blow dryer nozzle but is more compact and directional.
• 2 x CeraGloss ceramic curling barrels (left and right): These use a mix of airflow and ceramic heat to wrap hair and create curls.
• Oval brush: SmoothGrip bristles and T3's CeraGloss ceramic surface smooth and lift. It sits somewhere between a round brush blowout and a hot brush.
• Ceramic diffuser: Gently disperses airflow over natural curls and wave patterns.

The oval brush (pictured) mixes SmoothGrip pins with bristles on a CeraGloss ceramic surface to smooth and lift at the roots without snagging (Image credit: Future)

All of these attachments twist and lock onto the base with a single hand movement and stay in place until you flick the unlock switch on the rear of the handle. The two curling barrels are handed, one for each side of the head, and both have T3's CeraGloss ceramic coating designed to hold the heat more than plastic rivals.

The SoftAire concentrator is small and nozzle-shaped, doing a similar job to a traditional blow dryer concentrator but more compact. The oval brush is then the chunkiest of the four, with SmoothGrip bristles on a ceramic surface. This is designed to smooth and lift at the roots but the size will suit mid-length to longer hair better than shorter styles.

Everything packs neatly into the included vegan leather tote, which is one of those details you don't think much about until you're trying to travel with four attachments and a styling base.

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

T3 Aire 360 review: performance

• Fast and gentle drying
• Curling barrels produce bouncy curls that last well
• Oval brush delivers a smooth, lifted finish but takes practice

The Aire 360's central promise, that it can style hair with airflow and ceramic heat rather than direct, damaging heat, is bold but for the most part, it holds up.

The SoftAire concentrator, which is where most sessions begin, dried faster than I had expected from something so compact; knocking most of the moisture out of my fine, mid-length hair in just over three minutes on the highest heat and speed setting. The wand shape takes some getting used to for just drying; directing airflow at the roots with any precision requires a bit more wrist work than a traditional dryer.

T3 recommends starting with hair that's around 80% dry before moving to the styling attachments but in reality, it's hard to know exactly what this means. If your hair is too wet, it can take a while to get the best finish, but if it's too dry, the style won't hold.

From my tests, I found that hair that's no longer damp but which still feels slightly cool when you run your fingers through it is about right. It's also worth working in sections, and if you're unsure, err on the side of slightly wetter rather than drier.

The styler itself runs warm rather than hot. My hair felt noticeably less frazzled after drying than it does with a traditional dryer and the airflow is powerful enough to be useful but not so aggressive that it sends fine hair flying in every direction. This is a balance that's harder to strike than it sounds.

The gold cool-touch strip (pictured) runs along the top of the SilkiPro Straight body, providing a safe place to grip during use (Image credit: Future)

The curling barrels, which are the Aire 360's best feature in my opinion, are easy to use once you've got the hang of which barrel best suits which side of your head. One barrel makes curls wrap from your face, while the other wraps them towards your face and while this sounds simple, it makes a big difference to the look you're trying to achieve.

To use each one, you move the styler towards a section of hair and the airflow does the wrapping; pulling the hair towards and around the barrel. You then hold the hair in place for around 10 seconds, depending on your hair type, how tight you want the curl and how damp the hair is. It takes a session or two to get the positioning and timing right, particularly on fine hair where letting go too soon can loosen the curl before it's set.

Once you've found the right rhythm, though, the results are impressive: bouncy, glossy curls that look natural and which last well into the next day on fine hair. This is undoubtedly down to the ceramic coating on each barrel. Ceramic holds heat better than plastic and this makes a noticeable difference to the finish; there's a shine to the curl that holds rather than dropping to a frizzy wave by mid-afternoon.

I had expected the oval brush to be the easiest attachment to use but it also required a bit of practice and technique to get the best results because the positioning and size make it awkward to move around your head.

Two LED indicators at the base of the handle (pictured) show whether the styler is running at 110V or 220V (Image credit: Future)

On my fine, mid-length hair it smoothed well and added a lifted, voluminous finish at the roots that's difficult to achieve with a traditional round brush alone, unless you're skilled at blow-drying. The ceramic surface again adds a shine that lasts, and the SmoothGrip bristles are gentle enough that they don't snag or pull.

In my experience, it works best on hair that has a little more moisture than is needed for the curling barrels, for example, and it also rewards the kind of tension and wrist action that takes a few attempts to get right and which can ache after a while. Its large size was also ideal for my hair length, but it will likely have limited benefits to short hair styles.

Noise-wise, the Aire 360 runs at an average of 71dB, it's not offensive but it's not subtle either which is on par with most standard hair dryers.

Across the board, the Aire 360 rewards patience. The first session is unlikely to produce the results you're hoping for, and fine hair in particular needs some experimentation with heat and speed settings before you land on the right combo.

• Performance score: 4 out of 5

How I tested the T3 Aire 360

I tested the next-generation T3 Aire 360 over three weeks, using it as my go-to styler on both wash days and when I wanted to refresh second-day hair.

I have fine, mid-length naturally curly hair, which gave me a good sense of how the tool performs on hair that needs both volume and definition, without being weighed down.

I worked through all of the attachments across a range of scenarios starting with the SoftAire concentrator to rough-dry freshly washed hair, moving to the curling barrels to style, and using the oval brush on days when I wanted a smoother, more polished finish rather than curls. I tested the curling barrels on hair at different levels of dryness and paid particular attention to how well the curls held across different heat and speed settings. I also used the oval brush on both damp and dry hair.

Throughout testing I noted how easy each attachment was to use, how long the results lasted into the following day, and noise levels using the DecibelX app. I didn't test the ceramic diffuser, which is sold separately.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed April 2026

Tribit Stormbox Micro 3: two-minute review

Four years after its predecessor launched, the Tribit Strombox Micro 3 has landed — and it’s been well worth the wait. This new model offers plenty of improvements over what came before, with a higher power output, extended battery life, faster charging, and a refined look. But is it worth picking over the competition? Here’s what I think after a week of testing.

First of all, we have to talk about sound. This speaker may be small, but it packs 13W of output power, which is nothing to sniff at. Its dynamic full-range driver links up with two passive radiators for impressive volume, and genuinely hard-hitting bass. When listening to low end-focused genres like House and Hip-Hop, I was wowed by the speaker’s bass output — it’s powerful and full-bodied, but never seems muddy or compromising to other sounds in the frequency range.

You also get clear mids and articulate treble, with solid balance using the speaker’s default sound signature. Sure, you’re not going to get the high-fidelity, openness, or detail that some more premium options in our best Bluetooth speakers guide offer, but the Stormbox Mini 3 still sounds admirable given its limited confines and tempting low price.

Something else I love about the Stormbox Micro 3 is its plentiful playtime. You get up to 24 hours here — double of what the Stormbox Micro 2 could deliver. Combine that with faster charging speeds and the capability to charge external devices, and you’ve got a seriously strong performer in the battery life category.

Other changes, like improved waterproofing, a newer Bluetooth version, and a novel magnetic base only help to make the Stormbox Micro 3 feel like a worthy successor to the Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 — a model we absolutely loved.

A lot of returning features, including a built-in mic, multi-speaker pairing, and extensive EQ options also stand Tribit’s small-sized speaker in good stead against the competition. The much-beloved JBL Go 4, say, doesn’t have hands-free calling capabilities, has a more humble output power, and lacks the detailed EQ controls you'll get here.

Still, that’s not to say that the Stormbox Micro 3 is perfect. I touched on its revamped design earlier, which gives it a more rounded look and provides the logo with a cleaner, more striking feel. But this speaker still isn’t the prettiest I’ve seen, and the lack of color options hold it back from greatness in terms of design.

Regardless, its dust and waterproofing, drop-proof build, and compact size ensure that the Stormbox Micro 3 is a highly practical model, and one that’s ideal for taking on the go. And many of my other complaints are mere nitpicks — the lack of backwards compatibility with the Stormbox Micro 2 plus a modicum of compression when listening at higher volumes, but these are extremely common gripes for speakers of this size.

All in all, the Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 is a very capable small-sized speaker. And the fact its price has barely changed from last time out makes it a seriously attractive proposition. At $64.99 / £62.99 (about AU$130), it’s an absolute steal, and considering the quality it posts across the board, I’d say that it’s one of the best value Bluetooth speakers I’ve ever tested. As a result, it’s an easy recommendation for me to make.

(Image credit: Future)Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 review: price and availability

• List price of $64.99 / £62.99 (about AU$130)
• Released in April 2026

The Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 was first released in April 2026, about four years after the Stormbox Micro 2. Thankfully, the new speaker comes in at an extremely similar price to its predecessor — it will only set you back about $64.99 / £62.99 (about AU$130), which is a great price given its talents.

Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 review: specs

Weight

0.7lbs / 330g

Dimensions

4.4 x 4.1 x 1.8 inches / 112 x 103 x 45mm

Connectivity

Bluetooth 6.0

Battery life

24 hours

Speaker drivers

1x 48mm dynamic

Waterproofing

IP68

(Image credit: Future)Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 review: features

• Battery life has been doubled to 24 hours
• Lots of customization options with Tribit app
• Multi-speaker pairing, but no backwards compatibility

The Stormbox Micro 3 has had quite the refresh in terms of features. The most striking is its improved battery life — you’re getting up to 24 hours this time out, which is double the amount of playtime you got on the Stormbox Micro 2. Of course, if you’re listening at higher volumes and using the XBass function, you’ll struggle to get that maximum 24 hours, but in my testing I found that number to be pretty accurate.

On top of that, the Micro 3 charges a lot faster than its predecessor. Tribit notes that you can get its lil’ speaker’s battery to 100% from empty in just 2 hours — a big leap from the 2.5-3 hours required to juice up the Stormbox Micro 2.

As we saw last time out, you can also use the Strombox Micro 3 to charge up other devices with a USB-C cable. That’s a pretty handy feature if you need to give your phone or wireless earbuds a boost, for instance, and the higher battery capacity makes this feature feel more worthwhile.

The new Stormbox Micro also has an improved Bluetooth version — it’s using Bluetooth 6.0, which gives you 45m of range, ideal if you want to keep the tunes moving while in a different room.

What’s more, the Stormbox Micro 3 packs 13W of power from its full-range driver (which is accompanied by a couple of passive radiators). That’s better than its predecessor’s 10W, and results in a louder, meatier sound.

Another nice inclusion is the built-in mic, which enables you to take calls hands-free like a speakerphone. I tried this out, and was genuinely surprised by the clarity of my speech. Given that a lot of rivals (JBL Go 4, I'm looking at you) skipped the mic, this was great to see.

You can also customize the sound of this speaker using the Tribit app. There are a nice range of EQ presets, including genre-specific options, and some designed for specific environments, like Outdoor. There’s also a nine-band equalizer, giving users the chance to tailor sound to their specific tastes.

In addition, there’s an XBass mode for those that really want to ramp up the low-end. I steered clear of this, though, as it just made the low-end sound overpowering, and caused the speaker’s battery to drain at a faster rate.

Finally, you can pair the Stormbox Micro 3 with a second, identical unit to activate stereo sound. Typically, audio will be downmixed to mono, so this is a useful feature — I just wish Tribit had let us pair with the Stormbox Micro 2 as well, something that would’ve given owners of that model a better reason to upgrade.

• Features score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future)Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 review: sound quality

• Powerful, well balanced sound
• Seriously commendable bass from such a small speaker
• Lacks the mid and treble range finesse that premium rivals supply

Given its limited confines and low price, the Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 doesn’t sound perfect — you’ll experience some compression at higher volumes, and there are no fancy codecs like LDAC or aptX Adaptive. But still, the speaker performed pretty admirably in my testing.

I’ll start by saying that I spent most of the time using Tribit’s Signature EQ — XBass is here for a bumped-up low end, and there are a few other presets, but the standard tuning had a more balanced, controlled sound, so I rarely felt tempted to deviate from it.

For me, the most impressive thing about the Stormbox Micro 3 is its bass output. So many small-sized speakers fall flat here — even some more premium models sound as if there’s nothing going on whatsoever in the low-end, resulting in a thin, de-energized presentation.

But not the Stormbox Micro 3. In tracks like Harmony in the Distance by M-High, I was struck by the pumping, impactful bass that never sounded lethargic or bloated. Indeed, the low-end hit pretty hard considering this model’s small form-factor, but at the same time, it never drowned out synths in the mids or higher frequency percussion.

In this track, treble also sounded surprisingly sharp, with a rapid decay to ensure drums hit with rhythmic precision. They didn’t have the full-sounding fidelity you’d expect to hear on more premium speakers, though — something I’ll get onto shortly.

Moving over to one of my favorite tracks, Space Cowboy by Jamiroquai, and the Stormbox Micro 3 maintained impressive quality. Vocals were nicely weighted in the mix, and funky bass occupied a well-defined pocket, never seeming over-eager or muddy. At one point, the vocals and bass cut, as the tune built towards its euphoric climax, and the speaker recreated the re-entry of various instruments with finesse, indicating its solid dynamics.

With really deep, demanding records, such as Morning Wonders - Leo Pol Remix by Kolter, Tribit’s tiny speaker still managed to hold its own. The dark, rippling bass was perhaps a little too much for it to handle, but it still put up a valiant effort, while translating the aggressive higher-pitched percussion with control, rather than letting it fly off the handle.

So far, the Stormbox Micro 3 was doing pretty nicely, but I wanted to turn up the temperature, so I decided to test it against a pricier rival from a big name: the Bose SoundLink Micro Gen 2. Now, for all of my gripes with Bose’s small-sized speaker, I have to say it sounds pretty good, with vibrant treble, expressive mids, and clean bass. So how did Tribit’s mini rival compare?

I started with a tech house track, Good Luck from ADR (UK) and OUTTEN, and straight away, I realized how the Tribit replicated low-end sounds with much more confidence and vigor than its Bose counterpart. Despite lacking some low-end punch, the SoundLink Micro Gen 2 produced cleaner overall audio in my view, with more refined clarity in the treble range in particular.

It was similar in Shinchiro Yokota’s Do It Again, with Tribit conjuring up more regimented, full-sounding bass, but less polished highs. The Bose really did struggle with some of the darker sounds, though, and despite its impressive clarity further up the frequency range, you’d expect more given its hefty asking price.

It’s with softer tracks, though, like Yellow Giant Reprise by Tatsuhiko Asano, where the Stormbox Micro 3’s limitations are laid bare. Mids just sounded more detailed, open, and separated on its Bose rival, and although Tribit’s speaker still plated up perfectly clear and non-distorted sound, it failed to offer that premium edge.

Overall, though, this comparison showed me the fantastic sound for pound value of the Tribit Stormbox Micro 3. Sure, it lacked the nuance and grace of the SoundLink 2 in the mid-range and treble, but it still performed solidly in those areas, while also producing far more energized bass and higher volume potential than its Bose rival.

It’s also worth noting that I mainly kept the Stormbox Micro 3 upright, typically while magnetized to my fireplace. It sounded great with this configuration, but you can also lay it flat, which has a less rounded, but still enjoyable sound.

• Sound quality score: 4/5

(Image credit: Future)Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 review: design

• New rounded design still not the prettiest
• Magnetic base with handy silicone strap
• IP68-rated and drop-proof

The Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 looks pretty similar to its predecessor, but it's got a slightly more rounded build and a neater, more striking logo at its center. It’s not the prettiest small speaker I’ve seen — the retro-style Marshall Willen II and modern Bose SoundLink Micro 2 have a more premium, eye-catching aesthetic, although they’re also quite a bit pricer.

What I do like, however, is the practicality of the Stormbox Micro 3. First of all, this new model comes with a magnetic base, which makes it easy to fix to a shower or fridge. I had the speaker attached to the fireplace by my desk, which worked fantastically.

There’s also a strap on the reverse side of the model (carried over from previous iterations), which makes it easy to hook onto a bag, bike, or hook, so this is a very versatile speaker placement-wise. And it’s incredibly compact, which means you could easily chuck it in a bag when it’s out of use as well.

What’s more, the Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 has an IP68 rating, meaning its fully dustproof, and can survive a 1.5m dunking underwater for as long as 30 minutes. That’s an improvement over the previous model’s IP67 rating, and while it’s fairly unessential, it’s pleasing to see Tribit keep up with the likes of JBL’s water-resistant tech.

The Stormbox Micro 3 is also drop-proof, making it ideal for taking on the go. Tribit says that it can survive being dropped from about 1.2m, in-line with US military standards — so you shouldn't have to worry about it taking the occasional tumble.

Other than its average looks, my only complaint would be the Stormbox Micro 3’s lack of color options. You can only grab it in Black at the moment, while its predecessor could be purchased in Blue, Red, or Mint instead. Hopefully more colorways will be released down the line, but that lack of vibrancy is a shame, particularly given the vivid options supplied by Bose and JBL, among others.

• Design score: 4/5

(Image credit: Future)Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 review: value

• Plenty of improvements over predecessor with next to no price bump
• Strong sound at this price-point, with great bass output
• High battery life and durable build make it a slam dunk

When it comes to value-for-money, I’m not entirely sure you can do better than the Tribit Stormbox Micro 3. We already raved about its predecessor's high quality paired with a low price, and things are much the same here.

There’s been next to no increase in list price against the Stormbox Micro 2, in spite of macroeconomic pressures, and you get even more for your money this time. More power, better battery life, a magnetic design, a more rounded look…this is a worthy improvement over a speaker we already loved.

For just over $60 / £60, you’re going to make a few sacrifices. You don’t get the stellar detail, nuance, and open sound that some small-sized rivals can offer — but they’ll come at a significantly steeper price-point. The Stormbox Micro 3 still sounds very good overall too — even if it can be outclassed, the clarity and balance on offer is highly commendable.

And given that the Stormbox Micro 3 performs very nicely in the low-end — an area where a lot of small speakers struggle, you’re getting plenty of bang for your buck as far as sound goes.

I was also delighted by the Stormbox Micro 3’s exceptional battery life, which is higher than a lot of premium rivals. Combine that with a durable build, and almost everything you could want from a small speaker can be yours at a very modest price indeed.

• Value score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Tribit Stormbox Micro 3?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

No backwards compatibility, but excellent battery life, neat mic, and faster charging.

4.5/5

Sound quality

Clear, confident sound with great bass for a speaker of its size, but lacks the refined mids and highs some rivals supply.

4/5

Design

Highly waterproof, drop-proof, and magnetic, but not the most beautiful, and no color options.

4/5

Value

Fantastic quality at a sensational low price.

5/5

Buy it if…

You want a small speaker with plenty of bass
So many tiny Bluetooth speakers fail to offer pumping bass, but not the Tribit Stormbox Micro 3. Its powerful, regimented low-end output separates it from a lot of its competitors — including some pricier models.

You’re always forgetting to charge your gadgets
The Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 is perfect for anyone that hates charging their devices. Its 24 hour battery life is wonderful for a model of its size, and means that you’ll rarely have to plug it in — unless you’re consistently listening at top volumes, that is.

Don’t buy it if…

You want top-class sound quality
Although the Stormbox Micro 3 supplies weightier bass than a lot of its small-sized rivals, it lacks some of the skill and subtlety that some rivals supply in the mid-range and highs. For those in search of incredible audio, I’d suggest going a little larger, with either the JBL Flip 7 or the premium Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Gen.

You’re all about style
Although the Stormbox Micro 3 made some tasteful improvements over its predecessor, it’s hardly the most flashy looking model on the market. The likes of JBL and Bose might do it for you — speakers like the JBL Clip 5 and Bose SoundLink Micro Gen 2 have neat looks, and come in plenty of fun color options.

Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 review: also consider

Tribit Stormbox Micro 3

JBL Clip 5

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4

Price

$64.99 / £62.99 (about AU$130)

$79.95 / £59.99 / AU$89.95

$99.99 / £89.99 / AU$149

Weight

0.7lbs / 330g

0.6lbs / 285g

0.9lbs / 420g

Dimensions

4.4 x 4.1 x 1.8 inches / 112 x 103 x 45mm

3.4 x 5.3 x 1.8 inches / 86 x 134.5 x 46 mm

4.1 x 3.8 x 3.8 inches / 104 x 95.3 x 95.3mm

Connectivity

Bluetooth 6.0

Bluetooth 5.3

Bluetooth 5.2

Battery life

24 hours

12 hours

14 hours

Speaker drivers

1x 48mm full range

1x 45mm full range

2x 40mm active drivers

Waterproofing

IP68

IP67

IP67

JBL Clip 5
The Clip 5 is a bit of an oddball in JBL’s Bluetooth speaker line-up, but I absolutely love it. Everything from its carabiner design through to its awesome audio and lightweight feel helped it to achieve an impressive four-and-a-half star rating from us here at TechRadar, and in spite of its middling battery life, I’d still recommend checking it out if you need a small speaker. Read our full JBL Clip 5 review.

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4
If you want a bass-heavy sound, then the UE Wonderboom 4 is for you. With seismic low-end output, great waterproofing, and stunning design, this thing really has it all. If you want a speaker with brighter colors, this is also a nice option, but it might set you back a little further than Tribit’s model. Read our full Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 review.

How I tested the Tribit Stormbox Micro 3

(Image credit: Future)

• Spent one week testing
• Mainly streamed tunes over Tidal
• Reviewed by someone who’s tested more than 40 Bluetooth speakers

I spent one week testing the Tribit Stormbox Micro 3, predominantly using it at home — both stood upright and resting on its base.

When listening to music, I made sure to stream tunes over Tidal, starting with the TechRadar testing playlist, which features tracks from a wide variety of genres. I also bumped a range of tunes from my personal library, and tried out the speaker’s different sound modes and mic functionality.

More generally, I’ve spent in excess of two years testing audio gear here at TechRadar, which includes everything from the best wired earbuds through to premium wireless headphones. I’ve tried more than 40 Bluetooth speakers during my time here, and personally curated our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers, so I know exactly what is required for a model to stand out in this heavily convoluted market.

• Read more about how we test
• First reviewed: April 2026

Bethesda Game Studios' Starfield is the latest previous Xbox-exclusive, generating buzz with a PlayStation 5 release. But while the sci-fi role-playing game is certainly worthy of the spotlight, its release has stolen some thunder from another recent Xbox-to-PS5 port – South of Midnight – equally deserving of your attention.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PS5 (on PS5 Pro)
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
Release date: March 31, 2026 (PS5 & Nintendo Switch 2), originally released April 8, 2025 (Xbox Series X|S & PC)

Compulsion Games' single-player, story-driven third-person action-adventure scored the 2025 BAFTA for "New Intellectual Property," and after replaying it on the PlayStation 5 Pro, it's easy to see why. Set in the American Deep South, the game spins a folklore-fueled tale filled with magic, monsters, and a stylized presentation that's unquestionably dark and macabre, yet still surprisingly vibrant and uplifting.

Its excellent story, visuals, and sound work are nicely complemented by a fun gameplay mix of combat, platforming, and puzzle-solving, resulting in a compelling package that previously impressed us upon its release last year. But like Avowed, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and other games launched exclusively on Sony's rival platform, South of Midnight is just as good, if not a bit better, on PS5.

A fantastic folklore story

(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Several hours into the Southern Gothic third-person action-adventure, I find myself fighting Two-Toed Tom, an angry alligator that's literally as big as an island. As Hazel – the teen protagonist desperately searching for her mom following a hurricane that washed their home away – I'm repeatedly attacked by the beast's massive tail and maw full of choppers.

But despite this terrifying foe attempting to floss its teeth with my spine, I'm able to feel some sympathy for it. While I won't spoil the specifics, suffice it to say the game's stellar, emotional storytelling and moving use of original music deserves most of the credit. Like many of the game's characters, Two-Toed Tom is afforded the sort of fleshed-out backstory typically reserved for a game's hero.

As a "Weaver," Hazel can access the animal's complex, tragic past, therefore allowing her – and the player – to empathize with it even as she faces it in a fight to the death. But the Godzilla-sized gator is just one example, as Hazel encounters a variety of colorful characters – of the good and evil varieties – from the past and present, who all have engaging stories to tell.

Hazel has the power to see and affect the world's "Grand Tapestry," a sort of invisible fabric that connects all life. Her power allows her to tap into this ethereal quilt's threads to help restless souls, restore balance, and heal traumas. But beyond that premise – which injects a welcome dose of positivity into a genre frequently more focused on stacking corpses – the story serves as a thoughtful coming-of-age tale that sees Hazel discovering her unique place in the world right alongside the player.

(Image credit: Compulsion Games)

Rather than relying on text-heavy lore drops and tedious, exposition-heavy dialog exchanges, however, the game utilizes a number of clever devices to spin an authentic tale rooted in real folklore from the region. While it does include some of those familiar lore collectibles and character conversations, it really shines in its use of visions Hazel sees – from ghosts appearing right before her eyes to mystical realms offering an emotional peek into her missing mother's complex life.

South of Midnight's also packed with polished cutscenes and cinematics, the highlight of which are hand-drawn, storybook-inspired segments that introduce each of its chapters. And to further stress the game's dedication to imaginative, personality-packed storytelling, these scenes are narrated by a giant catfish with a charming Cajun accent.

Of course, the game's excellent score and music also do their part to ensure the narrative and presentation shine as brightly as the gameplay. A Deep South-inspired mix of subgenres and instruments perfectly blends to deliver an ear-pleasing soundscape that never feels like simple background accompaniment, but rather rich, emotionally-charged music organically woven through the story.

This is especially true during some of the boss encounters, which are complemented by lyrical-heavy songs that seem to dynamically react to the on-screen action while telling the antagonist's story.

Familiar, yet satisfying gameplay

(Image credit: Compulsion Games)

While South of Midnight deserves extra credit for giving its big bads their own theme songs, its creative means of unraveling its Southern Gothic yarn is also supported by solid gameplay. Its blend of combat and platforming will feel familiar to anyone who's played a third-person action-adventure in the last decade, but the tried-and-true mechanics still manage to impress thanks to some smart design choices.

For starters, Hazel packs a fun arsenal of magical powers introduced at a rewarding pace. This results in a nice sense of progression that regularly sees you building on previous abilities with brand new tricks. By the time you're at the game's midpoint, you'll be unleashing a satisfying combat cocktail of light and heavy attacks, Force-like spells, special skills learned along Hazel's skill tree, and a useful power that turns foes against each other – performed by an adorable, voodoo-inspired ragdoll named Crouton, obviously.

Best bit

(Image credit: Compulsion Games)

South of Midnight's immersive music is one of its most appealing features throughout, but it especially stands out during certain character encounters and boss battles. It can feel more like a catchy theme song, complete with clever lyrics that organically reflect the on-screen action.

Enemies aren't especially varied, and most encounters play out pretty similarly, but it's still a ton of fun fluidly combining Hazel's growing arsenal of Weaver magic to take down the game's nightmarish creatures. There's also a bit of risk-reward strategy layered in by way of the magic spells' cool-down meters, as well as some limited health resources you need to properly manage.

It doesn't hurt that Hazel's acrobatic skills evolve almost as often as her more aggressive moves. Double-jumps, wall-runs, glides, and a grapple hook-like ability can be seamlessly swapped on-the-fly. Her impressive move set is often leveraged in combat – bringing even more strategic options to the battlefield – but it really shines in dedicated platforming sections.

Being able to string her selection of agile abilities together for exploration, puzzle-solving, and even simple navigation quickly becomes one of the game's obvious strengths. This is especially apparent when attempting to survive one of the game's tension-ratcheting chase sequences.

The PlayStation 5 (in)difference

(Image credit: Compulsion Games)

South of Midnight's visual presentation is gorgeous, imaginative, and clearly driven by passion. Its unique artistic style, which borrows inspiration from stop-motion animation, is especially easy on the eyes on PlayStation platforms. Enhanced for the PS5 Pro, the game packs stunning 4K visuals and maintains a peppy 60 frames-per-second.

That said, the game was no slouch on its launch console, the Xbox Series X. While side-by-side comparisons might reveal minor improvements in graphics and performance on the Sony consoles, the differences aren't dramatic enough to recommend the PS5 versions solely on those merits.

Xbox titles ported to PlayStation platforms often earn my recommendation almost entirely on their ability to significantly crank the immersion through smart, thoughtful DualSense Wireless Controller integration. Sadly, South of Midnight misses an opportunity here, ignoring the full potential of the controller's adaptive triggers and haptic feedback features. It doesn't skimp on rumble and vibration effects, but does lack the layers and nuance present in other ports. The game's awesome opening hurricane scene, for example, could benefit greatly from a deeper use of the tech.

South of Midnight's arrival on Sony platforms probably won't pull you in for its visual and performance bumps alone. That said, its improvements, while not game-changers, do make an already fantastic experience slightly better.

More than that, though, the game's worth a look if you missed it the first time around – especially if you're craving an incredibly unique, artistically absorbing action-adventure that prioritizes narrative as much as gameplay.

Should you play South of Midnight on PS5?Play it if...

You missed out on South of Midnight the first time
Compulsion Games' Southern Gothic action-adventure was one of last year's best single-player experiences, spinning a fantastic story supported by solid gameplay. If you somehow overlooked it last year – or you're a PS5 owner who didn't have access to it – now's the perfect time to fall under its captivating spell.

You're craving a fresh replay of one of last year's best games
Given how good South of Midnight's graphics, storytelling, and music are, it's absolutely worth a replay for its presentation alone. Coupled with its digestible dozen-or-so hour runtime, its graphical and performance bumps – and modest DualSense integration – on PS5 make the platform the perfect place to revisit it.

Don't play it if...

You're a PlayStation 5 owner seeking a significantly different experience
South of Midnight looks and runs great on PS5, and its PS5 Pro Enhanced version is the best way to experience the game on any platform. That said, the improvements aren't so significant that they put the previous Xbox version to shame. Coupled with DualSense features that leave a bit to be desired, South of Midnight isn't dramatically better on Sony platforms.

Accessibility features

South of Midnight returns with the same impressively robust suite of accessibility features it was recognized for its first time around. A number of options for those with audio and visual impairments offer a deeply customizable experience, while the game's abundance of difficulty settings goes far beyond the usual selection of modes, allowing players of all skill levels to tweak and tailor the experience to their specific needs.

How I reviewed South of Midnight on PS5

I weaved Hazel's magic for about a dozen hours on my PlayStation 5 Pro, paying particular attention to graphics and performance, comparing them to the Xbox Series X version I'd previously played.

Additionally, I focused on the game's leveraging of the DualSense's haptic feedback and adaptive trigger features. I played on both my TCL 4K display, with HDR enabled, as well as remotely with my PlayStation Portal. For audio, I tested with my PlayStation Pulse Elite headset, PlayStation Pulse Explore earbuds, and my television's onboard stereo speakers.

First reviewed March-April 2026

Light spoilers follow for Widow's Bay episodes 1 to 6.

Apple TV is home to plenty of award-winning and praise-worthy shows, but there's one genre that the tech giant's entertainment division has so far failed to get right: horror.

It's not been for a lack of trying. The Enfield Poltergeist, Servant, and various other projects have seen Apple dip its toes into terror-filled waters before. For some reason, though, it's struggled to replicate the success it's had with its myriad alternative genre offerings.

So comes the turn of Widow's Bay, a dark comedy horror whose premise and genre mash up look and sound original enough to potentially give Apple its first horror hit. After seeing the first six episodes, I've got to give it credit for being effective at what it does — but it's not the spooky showpiece that'll convince horror devotees to sign up to the streamer.

Paranormal activity

Rhys plays Tom Loftis, Widow's Bay's new mayor and the show's main character (Image credit: Apple TV)

Widow's Bay introduces us to Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys), the eponymous island town's mayor who ran and won its most recent election unopposed.

A high-strung and cowardly mainlander, the ambitious Loftis sees the potential for this small, outdated settlement to become North America's next big tourist attraction.

I wouldn't describe Widow's Bay as particularly terrifying

The problem? Save for a few inhabitants, such as Loftis' emotionally repressed assistant Patricia (Kate O'Flynn), the townsfolk, including renowned oddball Wyck (Stephen Root) don't respect Loftis or want outsiders upsetting their way of life.

Winning over the locals, though, is the least of the Loftis' issues, because the titular town is believed to be cursed. Predictably, no sooner is Loftis' dream of turning Widow's Bay into a cultural hotspot on the cusp of being realized, the very myths that are too preposterous to be true soon make themselves known.

Loftis' assistant Patricia has some skeletons hiding in her closet (Image credit: Apple TV)

Widow's Bay's fright-filled folklore might give the impression that the horror part of its genre dyad is the dominate force at play.

Creepy, unsettling, and dingily atmospheric as it is, though, I wouldn't describe it as particularly terrifying. There are moments that had me saying "nope nope nope" to myself, and I appreciated the eeriness of its rural town setting and ability to dial up the tension where necessary. Nonetheless, for all of its jump scares — ones I'd describe as half-hearted at best — and uneasy ambience, Widow's Bay is definitely more of a dark comedy than a traditional supernatural horror.

I guarantee you'll crack up numerous times

And it's that humor, of which there is plenty, that Widow's Bay successfully hangs its hat on, especially in earlier episodes.

Spearheaded by the ever-excellent Rhys, whose bumbling, crabby, and sceptical Loftis reminded me of a modern day Basil Fawlty, aka the protagonist of iconic British sitcom Fawlty Towers, Widow's Bay is full of laugh out loud moments.

Indeed, whether it's Loftis' never-ending battles with the island port's lazy, incompetent, and/or superstitious natives, Rhys' impeccable comedic timing and delivery of sarcastic, deadpan, and cringeworthy ripostes to said individuals, and its main character's general buffoonery, I guarantee you'll crack up numerous times while watching Widow's Bay.

Sinister undercurrents

Loftis (left) and Wyck (right) don't always get along, and that creates plenty of Widow's Bay's ripe drama (Image credit: Apple TV)

That said, Widow's Bay isn't a laughs-a-minute caper by any means. Indeed, like the supernatural entities that lurk beneath the town's surface, its eclectic cast of characters are similarly haunted by their own demons and trauma-laced pasts.

It's these character-driven storylines that give this series more of an edge than the metaphysical beings that Loftis and company come across, too.

It's Widow's Bay's character-driven storylines that give it more of an edge

For Loftis, it's a decades earlier heart-breaking family incident that, in the present, has bred an increasingly strained relationship with his unruly, weed-smoking teenage son Evan (Kingston Rumi Southwick). In Patricia's case, it's a terrifying ordeal during her own teen years — an event we tentatively learn about in the first three episodes before it's fully reveal in soul-crushing fashion in chapter four.

Evan is tired of being smothered by his overly protective father (Image credit: Apple TV)

Disappointingly, other members of its wonderfully weird cast — Wyck and Rosemary (Dale Dickey) being notable highlights — don't benefit from the same introspective treatment in Widow's Bay's first six entries.

That might be rectified in episodes I'm yet to see. However, apart from the Patricia-starring fourth chapter and the series' sixth episode, the latter being a flashback episode that reveals some hugely important details about why the town is cursed, Widow's Bay is sadly unconcerned with giving its quirkier individuals a episodically specific platform to shine on.

Labeling Widow's Bay as Apple's answer to Twin Peaks is slightly misleading

And that's a pity because, with early installments channeling a 'Monster of the Week' format not unlike legendary sci-fi shows such as The X-Files, there's certainly room for Widow's Bay to spotlight said characters by way of episodic subplots amid its overarching story.

It's missed opportunities like this, plus the apparent lack of interconnectivity between Widow's Bay's various scare-based fables, that imbalance it narratively.

Indeed, with its primary mystery taking center stage in its latter half, its aforementioned 'Monster of the Week' arrangement quickly falls by the wayside. I'll reiterate that I haven't seen passed episode 6, so this criticism may be moot if Widow's Bay ends up tying its paranormal enigmas to its main otherworldly horror in the home straight. If it turns out that there's no throughline, though, I can't help but wonder if, intriguing as each standalone ghost story, why it was necessary to include them unless Widow's Bay was developed as an anthology series instead.

Police chief Bechir is looking for a way out of Widow's Bay (Image credit: Apple TV)

Less of a critique and more an observation are the clear parallels between Widow's Bay and similar new weird programs, such as Prime Video's Outer Range, CBS' The Twilight Zone, and Apple's very own Severance. Fans of one or more of these shows, then, will find Widow's Bay to be right up their alley — as will devotees of Stephen King and John Carpener, albeit through Widow's Bay's somewhat on-the-nose references to their body of works.

Above all others, though, it's hard to overlook the influence that cult classic TV show Twin Peaks has exerted on Widow's Bay.

Indeed, there's no denying that the new Apple TV show was heavily inspired by Twin Peaks' surrealist mystery horror leanings. Set in a small town frozen in time? Yep. A story filled with supernatural elements and dark secrets? Check. Populated with zany, morally gray characters? Absolutely. Offbeat humor? You bet.

That's not necessarily a bad thing — after all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so it's no surprise to see Widow's Bay compared to one of David Lynch's most memorable works. Nonetheless, despite their clear similarities, suggesting that it's Apple's answer to Twin Peaks is, ahead of Widow's Bay's release and accounting for how revered Twin Peaks is, something of an exaggeration.

My verdict

As an overall experience, I've enjoyed my time in Widow's Bay so far, and I look forward to the rest of my stay and seeing not only how its final four episodes wraps up its story, but also if they address some or all of the problems I've outlined above.

Even if they don't fix its clear issues, though, Widow's Bay is the first recommendation-worthy horror show that Apple TV has to offer. If the tech giant can refine the development process of such genre works in the same way it did with, say, its sci-fi offerings, there's no reason why it can't become a regular *ahem* haunt for those who prefer their stories to be as dread-inducing and frightening as possible.

Widow's Bay will launch on Apple TV with a two-episode premiere on Wednesday, April 29. New episodes air weekly after that on one of the world's best streaming services.

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra offers everything the series has come to be known for: top-tier performance, a great display, premium design, rich functionality, fast charging, and an exceptional Leica-backed photography experience.

Despite not deviating from the formula all that much (see last year's similar-looking Xiaomi 15 Ultra), there are some meaningful refinements that help this generation of Ultra, in particular, stand out.

The phone's refined design, with its aluminum alloy frame and composite back, makes it the thinnest Ultra to date, and it's notably lighter than its predecessor, too.

The rear panel plays host to a mammoth 1-inch 50MP main camera sensor, with LOFIC technology for superior dynamic range, while the huge 1/1.4-inch 200MP HPE telephoto sensor grants you optical magnification between an equivalent 75mm and 100mm, by way of a mechanical zoom system.

On the front, you're presented with a stunning 12-bit 6.9-inch 120Hz dynamic LTPO AMOLED display, which is set within thin bezels. It delivers a superb viewing experience, not least because of the 17 Ultra's increased peak brightness ceiling of 3,500nits. The ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor is pretty great too.

As with almost any Android flagship worth its salt in 2026, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, paired to a baseline 512GB of UFS 4.1 storage and 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM. Combine that with the company's latest IceLoop cooling system, and this newest Ultra proves extremely capable in terms of sustained performance, especially compared to its predecessor.

Battery life from the 6,000mAh silicon-carbon cell has improved on last year's Ultra, too, even if it still lags behind key rivals in terms of everyday longevity. At least the 90W wired fast charging now supports standard PPS adapters, and can refill the phone's battery in under 45 minutes.

The HyperOS 3 user experience on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is generally clean and, despite a learning curve for those coming from most other manufacturers' flavors of Android, feature-rich.

It takes a lot of inspiration from iOS 26, but in return, additions like HyperIsland add genuine utility, while Xiaomi HyperConnect gives you impressive interconnectivity with devices running iOS, macOS, Windows, and beyond. An improved five years of OS upgrades and six years of security updates — compared to the 15 Ultra at launch — is a welcome upgrade too.

Xiaomi doesn't shove AI features down your throat in the same way some rival phone makers do, but the 17 Ultra's AI-backed image editing tools are capable enough for light tasks, and let you pull off some nice imaging tricks, like outpainting. Now Xiaomi just needs to work on consistency and reliability with the performance of such features.

As you might expect, the Leica-backed camera experience on the 17 Ultra is outstanding. Shots approach the fidelity of dedicated mirrorless cameras in some situations, and that new LOFIC tech means better dynamic range and sharper imagery, even in low light. Despite losing a rear lens, the new mechanical zoom grants more capture at more focal lengths optically, while Leica presets help dress images with expressive tonal treatments.

There are some handy video tools, alongside the ability to shoot at up to 4K 120fps in Dolby Vision or LOG, but the Xiaomi seems far more focused on improving the still photography experience this generation, rather than pushing the new Ultra as a professional video tool, as it tried to with last year's offering.

Starting at £1,299 / AU$1,799, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra matches or undercuts the best iPhones and best Samsung phones on price; however, it's still one of the most expensive phones on the market. What's more, the limited edition Leica Leitzphone by Xiaomi gives you a few exclusive photographic extras, but pushes for an even higher asking price in return.

This is undoubtedly one of the best camera phones of the moment, and an excellent refinement on Xiaomi's established Ultra format. You just need to be ready to pay a premium for the privilege of using such impressive mobile hardware.

Xiaomi 17 Ultra review: price and availability

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• Released on February 28, 2026 in the UK and Australia
• Priced from £1,299 AU$1,799
• No official US availability

As with its predecessor, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra first launched exclusively in China in late 2025, going on sale in the region a few days later. It wasn't until late February this year that the global version of the phone made its debut; although, as ever with Xiaomi phones, 'global' sadly doesn't include the US.

While any phone with 'Ultra' in its name tends to demand a high asking price when comparing storage and RAM combinations, the 17 Ultra does meet or beat key rivals, such as the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro Max, if only slightly.

For £1,299 / AU$1,799, you get 16GB of RAM and a baseline 512GB too (both higher capacities than you'll get with Samsung or Apple's base entries), but this will remain an unquestionably pricey option for many.

Depending on your region, Xiaomi also throws in several noteworthy extras and free trials. In the UK, for example, your purchase of a Xiaomi 17 Ultra includes three months of both Google AI Pro and YouTube Premium, four months of Spotify Premium, a free screen replacement within the first six months after purchase, and one out-of-warranty repair — with free labor costs, too, so long as it's claimed within your 24-month warranty period.

Model

UK price

EU price

AU price

512GB

£1,299

€1,499

AU$1,799

1TB

£1,499

€1,699

AU$1,999

Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi

£1,699

€1,999

AU$2,299

A variation on a theme, there's also the 'Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi,' which is essentially a 17 Ultra with heavier emphasis on the brand's Leica camera partnership.

This model's defining characteristic is a physical rotating ring around the camera, which lets you control features like zoom, ISO, shutter speed, and more. The phone has an overall design distinct from the standard model reviewed here, with a black and silver finish, plus some additional grip along its metal frame. There are also dedicated 'essential looks' within the camera app, modelled after the iconic Leica M3 and M9 cameras, plus a few other bonuses.

Billed as a 'limited edition' (it sold out almost immediately in the UK, but is still available in other regions at the time of writing), this release commands an even higher premium, costing £200 / AU$300 more than the top-whack vanilla 1TB Xiaomi 17 Ultra.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Xiaomi 17 Ultra review: specs

Dimensions:

162.9mm x 77.6mm x 8.29mm

Weight:

218.4g (Black / White), 219g (Starlit Green)

Display:

6.9-inch Xiaomi HyperRGB OLED

Resolution:

3120 x 1440 pixels

Refresh rate:

1 to 120Hz (LTPO)

Chipset:

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

RAM:

16GB (LPDDR5X)

Storage:

512GB, 1TB (UFS 4.1)

OS (at launch):

HyperOS 3 atop Android 16

Main camera:

50MP 1-inch 23mm ƒ/1.67 Light Fusion 1050L image sensor w/ OIS

Ultra-wide camera:

50MP 14mm ƒ/2.2 Samsung JN5 image sensor w/ 115º FoV

Telephoto camera:

200MP 75mm to 100mm ƒ/2.39 to 2.96, Samsung HPE sensor w/ OIS

Selfie camera:

50MP 21mm ƒ/2.2 sensor w/ 90° FoV

Battery:

6,000mAh Xiaomi Surge Battery (Si-C)

Charging:

90W wired, 50W wireless, 22.5W reverse wired

Colors:

Black, White, Starlit Green

Xiaomi 17 Ultra review: design

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• Thinnest Ultra in the series yet
• Weighs up to 219g
• Black, White, and Starlit Green colorways

Last year's Xiaomi 15 Ultra went against the grain, with its rounded forms and curved cover glass. In contrast, the 17 Ultra is far more on-trend, embracing a flat-edged frame, front and back.

There's still subtle rounding along the edges of its aluminum alloy surround, to ensure the phone still feels comfortable enough to hold, in spite of its large size, but it is more of a slab than its predecessor, which won't suit everyone's aesthetic and ergonomic tastes.

Flattening out does come with some practical benefits, though. Namely, more internal space, which allows for a larger battery and an improved cooling system, and that's despite the 17 Ultra clocking in as the thinnest in the series to date.

As mentioned in my initial Xiaomi 17 Ultra hands-on, at 8.29mm, the 17 Ultra is roughly 12% thinner than its predecessor, not to mention lighter too (by about ten grams), which makes all the difference in terms of pocket-friendliness and wrist fatigue.

The back is hewn from composite fiberglass, which might not seem like a fitting material choice for an ultra-premium flagship phone, but it's better suited to the everyday rigors of use and is a huge contributor to keeping the 17 Ultra's weight down, so I'm all for it.

Future | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-Todd

The sensors across the phone's huge circular camera plateau once again boast a more symmetrical look (after last year's less harmonious lens placement), the new circular metal volume buttons look and feel great, and the Starlit Green finish (pictured) has a unique charm among the current color palette in use by other flagship phones.

While the Xiaomi 17 Ultra comes in four colors in China, internationally, you only have three: Green, Black, and White (there's no Purple internationally).

The phone's IP certifications also vary by region. While its initial Chinese launch cited IP66, IP68, and IP69 ratings against dust and water ingress, once the international release took place, only IP68-grade protection was mentioned in official messaging.

I suspect the global model of the 17 Ultra is just as durable and water-resistant as its Chinese counterpart, even if Xiaomi hasn't paid to have it tested as thoroughly. Nonetheless, this remains a strange regional distinction that I've not seen mentioned elsewhere; rivals from the likes of Honor, Oppo, and OnePlus have pushed for additional IP69K certification, too, which is worth noting.

Alongside that tough aluminum alloy frame, the display is covered by Xiaomi's own Shield Glass 3.0, which the company claims is 30% more drop-resistant than the Xiaomi 15 Ultra's display. Its flatter form also makes applying screen protectors that little bit easier, too, although there is already a thin PET one that comes pre-applied.

The rear camera system, meanwhile, again uses Corning Gorilla Glass 7i as its defence, which, looking at my year-old 15 Ultra's camera, proves to be a suitably resilient option for everyday use.

Xiaomi 17 Ultra review: accessories

Xiaomi does also include a clear case in the box, which is appreciated, but as with its predecessors, you do also have the option of a photography kit, two in fact: a standard and a 'Pro' version.

As well as offering additional protection (with IP54 certification to boot), the Xiaomi 17 Ultra Photography Kit features a dedicated video record button and a two-stage shutter button.

Future | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-Todd

The design gives the phone a more 'camera'-inspired aesthetic (with better grip), in a nice two-tone finish with faux leather (available in black, white, or purple). Bluetooth connectivity makes for easy pairing and setup, but proprietary pogo-pin charging and the need to travel with a dedicated cable make it a little less convenient than it could have otherwise been.

As with previous iterations of the Ultra, rather than a single shell, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra Photography Kit Pro comes in two key parts: a case and a grip. This generation's case includes magnets to allow for connectivity with MagSafe-style accessories, like stands or even lights. It also sports a mounting ring, which lets you attach conventional 67mm ND filters and the like.

Future | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-Todd

As for the grip, it connects directly to the phone's USB port, latching in place. It also doubles as a power bank, thanks to an integrated 2,000mAh battery (which itself charges via a USB port in the grip).

As well as a two-stage shutter key and record button — like the non-Pro camera kit — here you also gain a zoom rocker, a thumb rest, and a customizable dial (a new addition for this generation), which can be programmed to control ISO and the like.

All in all, Xiaomi seems to have paid particularly close attention to refining this generation of Ultra phone, and that carries through to these accessories too.

Serious mobile photographers might dock Xiaomi a couple of points for omitting a teleconverter — the likes of which you'll get with equivalent photography kits for the Oppo Find X9 Ultra and Vivo X300 Ultra — but that doesn't stop this generation from being an excellent refinement on its predecessors.

• Design score: 5 / 5

Xiaomi 17 Ultra review: display

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• Huge 6.9-inch 120Hz 1200 x 2608 OLED screen
• Up to 3,500nits across a 25% APL
• Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor

At 6.9 inches, this is the largest display on one of Xiaomi's Ultras to date, and despite a drop in resolution (moving from 522ppi down to 416ppi), compared to the 15 Ultra, in real-world use, it certainly doesn't feel like a downgrade.

That's thanks in part to a new sub-pixel structure, which Xiaomi calls 'HyperRGB,' granting greater clarity that helps mitigate the generational loss in resolution. The TCL CSOT-supplied screen also features the company's M10 emissive material, which promises improved power efficiency, while support for 12-bit color depth (achieved by pairing a 10-bit panel with frame rate control or 'FRC') adds an extra layer of future-proofing to the viewing experience.

You're also getting a brighter peak output of 3,500 nits (up from 3,200 nits) across a 25% APL (Average Picture Level), rather than a single-point figure, while LIPO (low-injection pressure over-molding) — popularized by the iPhone and previously seen on the likes of the Xiaomi 15T Pro — gives the 17 Ultra impressively thin bezels.

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Pair all that with the underlying OLED tech, and you're getting excellent contrast and an immersive, bright, vivid viewing experience.

Being an LTPO panel, the 17 Ultra's 120Hz refresh rate is truly dynamic too, able to scale between 1Hz and 120Hz, with Xiaomi's tuning serving up consistently higher refresh rates than other 120Hz LTPO phones I've tested of late, across both first and third-party apps.

Xiaomi's display settings let you control the color space with impressive granularity, while also letting you toggle between refresh rate modes, eye comfort tools, and more. It's really only Honor that has gone deeper into the display customization experience.

The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is pleasingly consistent and quick, with the added bonus of being able to unlock the phone when the screen is off, too. All in all, then, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra boasts one of the best mobile displays on the market.

• Display score: 5 / 5

Xiaomi 17 Ultra review: software

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• HyperOS 3 atop Android 16 out the box
• Xiaomi HyperConnect works with Windows, iOS, MacOS and more
• 5 years OS + 6 years security update support

One aspect that's previously hurt the best Xiaomi phones has been longevity; not in terms of battery life, but in terms of software support.

Xiaomi's commitment to OS and security updates has lagged behind the likes of Apple, Google, and Samsung, which — especially when it comes to the brand's pricier phones — undermines their long-term value.

Thankfully, while still not quite on par with those aforementioned competitors, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is closer than ever in terms of software longevity, gaining an extra year of OS upgrade support over its similarly pricey predecessor, with five years of releases, paired to six years of security patches.

Like the base Xiaomi 17, the Ultra arrives with the company's latest HyperOS 3 release (atop Android 16), which comes with its own eccentricities that will take some getting used to, especially if you're accustomed to a cleaner build of Android, as found on the likes of the best Pixel phones and best Motorola phones.

Those making the jump from iOS, however, might actually be surprised by how familiar HyperOS 3 looks and feels. Xiaomi (much like Honor and Oppo) has clearly taken a lot of inspiration from the last few iterations of Apple's iPhone operating system.

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

HyperIsland is one prominent new addition that — as with Honor's Magic Capsule and Oppo's Live Alerts — gives the 17 Ultra some Dynamic Island-like functionality. Active tasks like music playback, timers, and audio recording can run simultaneously, as well as be swiped between and interacted with, all without you having to open up any of their respective apps completely. While unoriginal, it's nonetheless a handy new feature.

Xiaomi's also been ahead of the curve with regard to interoperability, with 'HyperConnect' allowing for fast AirDrop-style wireless file transfer between Xiaomi and Windows or iOS/iPadOS/MacOS devices, long before Samsung or Google even considered adding native AirDrop compatibility.

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

The company's AI features are ever-expanding, and in addition to Google Gemini Live with Camera Share, its native image editing tools — although not best-in-class — are both varied and do a decent job for things like upscaling, outpainting, and object erasure. That's on top of an already powerful set of non-AI image editing tools within HyperOS' native Gallery app.

While Xiaomi is also responsible for some great affordable phones, the HyperOS experience they offer tends to come littered with additional bloatware and even baked-in ads, both of which soil an otherwise rich user experience. Thankfully, when it comes to the company's more premium offerings, those faux pas are pleasingly absent.

• Software score: 4 / 5

Xiaomi 17 Ultra review: cameras

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• Standout 50MP 1-inch main sensor w/ LOFIC + 200MP telephoto w/ mechanical zoom
• Leica presets and APV codec support
• Up to 4K/120fps video recording w/ Dolby Vision

Big sensors remain at the heart of the Ultra camera experience this year. As with the 15 Ultra, Xiaomi's latest phone again boasts a 50MP 1-inch main camera, with a 23mm-equivalent focal length, but Sony's sensor tech has been swapped out for OmniVision's this time around.

The Light Fusion 1050L sensor is among the first to support LOFIC (Lateral Overflow Integration Capacitor) tech on mobile, improving the 17 Ultra's dynamic range by an additional 2.5 stops, compared to the 15 Ultra's main lens. The base Xiaomi 17 (which lacks LOFIC) offers a 13.5EV range, to the 17 Ultra's outstanding 16.5EV stops.

Rather than relying solely on combining bracketed shots for HDR processing, LOFIC grants the 17 Ultra's main sensor additional headroom at a hardware level to prevent highlights from blowing out. This not only improves dynamic range, but also reduces the risk of artifacting, especially with longer exposures and low-light shooting.

The ultra-wide hardware appears unchanged, and there's only a single telephoto in place of the 15 Ultra's pair of sensors, but don't despair. Xiaomi has only gone and given the huge new 1/1.4-inch 200MP HPE telephoto sensor mechanical optical zoom, between an equivalent 75mm and 100mm (3.2x to 4.3x), as well as "optical quality" zoom up to 17.2x (equivalent to 400mm).

Sprinkle all that with a hybrid glass-element lens construction, the first example of an APO Leica lens on a smartphone, and an evolution of the same superb image processing as its predecessors, and the Xiaomi 17 Ultra easily finds its place among the best camera phones of the moment.

Xiaomi 17 Ultra camera samplesFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-ToddFuture | Alex Walker-Todd

Dynamic range is, understandably, the star of the show with the shots produced by the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, but it honestly excels in all sorts of ways.

Colors are vivid without looking cartoonish, skin tones are well reproduced, there's nary a hint of meaningful noise (even in low-light scenes), and the bokeh (further augmented by Xiaomi's and Leica's processing, of course) looks pleasing and natural.

Although the minimum focus distance isn't anywhere near as close as the 15 Ultra, the new telephoto still delivers when it comes to macro photography, while the high-resolution selfie snapper offers crisper visuals too.

The versatility of the triple-lens system is also undeniable and carries across to video capture. Expect impressively smooth transitions when switching between focal lengths, respectable image stabilization, and the ability to shoot at up to 120fps in 4K, with Dolby Vision or LOG capture enabled. 8K 30fps recording is on the table, too.

Within the native camera app, you also have the ability to leverage that new main sensor's LOFIC tech from a dedicated shooting mode, as well as helpful tools like focus peaking with a false color overlay and zebra stripes for correct exposure in Pro Video mode.

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Even with all these inclusions, though, it's clear that, unlike its predecessor, the 17 Ultra is unquestionably built to excel at still photography first and foremost.

While there's a clear difference in image processing when comparing stills to video — namely with the default color science at play — Xiaomi's imaging pipeline can't redeem the low-light video performance offered up by the ultra-wide in low light. By comparison, footage is soft, noisy, and significantly darker than footage captured using the phone's other lenses, undermining its versatility for videographers.

The company has seemingly walked back on its professional video pipeline aspirations for the Ultra series, too. The official Xiaomi Rec. 709 LUT that was introduced with the 15 Ultra (along with accompanying documentation) is no longer available from official sources, while features are seemingly tied to the native Xiaomi camera app.

You can't switch lenses while recording above 4K/60fps (instead, you're locked to either the main or telephoto sensor, once you hit record); there's no native option for industry-standard frame rates, like 23.98, 24, or 25fps; and that aforementioned LOFIC video mode isn't available if you want to use the phone's Pro Video controls.

Third-party apps can bypass Xiaomi's ISP and image processing to give you more direct control of the signal coming off the phone's sensors, as well as the ability to choose from more frame rates and codecs (including the Samsung's new APV codec, meant to rival Apple ProRes), but such apps lose out on support for the phone's mechanical zoom and — for those using the Leitzphone version — the ability to use the physical control ring, too.

• Cameras score: 4.5 / 5

Xiaomi 17 Ultra review: performance

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset
• LPDDR5X RAM & UFS 4.1 storage
• 3D dual-channel 'IceLoop' cooling system

Unless you're Apple, you can't really launch an uber-flagship right now without it sporting Qualcomm's current best mobile chip: the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

It's the same SoC found in the likes of the OnePlus 15, Honor Magic 8 Pro, and the brand-new Oppo Find X9 Ultra, and as you might expect, it's a beast.

Artificial benchmarks place it at the top of the pile and, in the case of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra specifically, it actually outpaced the other 8 Elite Gen 5-powered phones I've reviewed in the likes of Geekbench, if only by a hair.

One of the biggest improvements between the 15 Ultra and 17 Ultra isn't the chip, but rather the newer phone's '3D dual-channel IceLoop' cooling system. Despite the thinner form of this year's Ultra, that new processor, paired to Xiaomi's more thermally conductive 5500mm² vapor chamber, grants the 17 Ultra notably improved power efficiency and heat dissipation.

In real-world use, this means longer high-fidelity gaming sessions. The phone never really dipped below its 120fps maximum (with low settings) or 70fps (at max settings) in Call of Duty: Mobile, even with extended play time. You also gain longer video recording when using that impressive camera system, even at higher resolutions and frame rates.

In side-by-side tests with 3DMark's Wild Life Extreme stress test benchmark, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra repeatedly survived the 20-minute gauntlet, despite a 36ºC increase in temperature over the total run. Compare that to the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, which, despite even being actively cooled beforehand on some runs, had to abandon each attempt due to consistent overheating.

Pair this impressive performance with some of the fastest and most power-efficient RAM and storage standards in the business, and there's little the Xiaomi 17 Ultra can't handle, from a performance standpoint.

• Performance score: 5 / 5

Xiaomi 17 Ultra review: battery life

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• 6,800mAh (China) | 6,000mAh (RoW) Xiaomi Si-C Surge battery
• Supports 90W wired, 50W wireless, and 22.5W reverse wired charging

Similar to Honor, the global models of Xiaomi's phones tend to come with smaller batteries in comparison to their Chinese counterparts, and that's as true as ever with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra.

Even so, the model I reviewed still comes with a sizeable 6,000mAh silicon-carbon power source; that's the same capacity as the battery inside the Chinese Xiaomi 15 Ultra, and 11% larger than the cell inside the international version of the 15 Ultra (which clocks in at 5,410mAh) I reviewed last year.

Factor in this larger cell, more efficient display and chipset, and improved thermal performance, and it's no surprise that the Xiaomi 17 Ultra outperforms its predecessor in terms of real-world longevity. It doled out eight hours of screen-on time in my testing, which is an hour more than the 15 Ultra managed; it's able to stretch to two days of use on a single charge, if you're careful.

While such an improvement here is welcome, that figure still lags well behind rivals like the OnePlus 15, whose 7,300mAh battery helped deliver more than twice the screen-on time.

You no longer need to rely on Xiaomi's own-brand chargers to replenish this phone at top speed.

As with the last few Ultras, Xiaomi hasn't seen the need to up the 90W wired and 50W wireless charging speeds, and honestly, I agree. Even though the smaller Xiaomi 17 benefits from even faster 100W wired charging, I was still able to refill the 17 Ultra in just 45 minutes, with the phone surpassing 80% charge in 30.

You technically have to enable 'Top Speed' charging mode within the phone's settings to get the best speeds possible, but even with the default charging profile, the phone still refills quickly.

Xiaomi's Surge batteries also come with the company's own assurances and protections, plus the promise of 80% retention of its original charge capacity after 1,600 cycles, which means longevity should be ensured over years of use.

Depending on the market in which you pick your 17 Ultra, it likely won't come with a power adapter in the box, but you no longer need to rely on Xiaomi's own-brand chargers to replenish this phone at top speed. Xiaomi has included support for PPS charging at 90W, as well as 22.5W reverse wired charging to boot, opening you up to alternative chargers and power banks, without compromise.

• Battery score: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Xiaomi 17 Ultra?

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)Xiaomi 17 Ultra scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

While undercutting its key rivals, this is still a seriously pricey flagship, especially if you opt for the Leica special edition.

4/5

Design

The thinnest of Xiaomi's Ultra phones to date still manages to fit in one of its largest batteries and offer exceptional thermal performance.

5/5

Display

A gorgeous, expansive, vibrant, dynamic 120Hz flagship-class OLED panel that's exceptionally bright and set within elegantly thin bezels.

5/5

Software

An enhanced software commitment renders this year's Ultra better value long-term, but HyperOS comes with a steep learning curve for the uninitiated. While powerful, it's also a little unoriginal in its approach.

4/5

Cameras

One of the best phones for photography you can buy, thanks to incredible optical hardware and Leica-tuned processing. Video performance is solid but falls short of professional-grade.

4.5/5

Performance

Top-tier performance across its chipset, RAM, and memory, paired to improved thermals, making this a solid endurance champ for gamers and creators.

5/5

Battery life

One of the largest batteries in an Ultra to date. Great fast charging with newfound support for more open charging standards. Now we just need even better longevity.

4/5

Buy it if…

You want a killer camera phone
Leica partnership, hybrid glass APO lens, 1-inch main sensor, 1/1.4-inch telephoto sensor with mechanical zoom; the marriage of photographic hardware and software on the 17 Ultra is Xiaomi's best yet, and lets you capture incredible shots.

You like streaming or gaming
The 17 Ultra has one of the largest and nicest displays out there, which, paired with its improved battery life and top-tier performance, makes it a great option for avid mobile gamers or media junkies who enjoy high-quality streaming on the go.

Don’t buy it if…

You want the best battery life
While Xiaomi has clearly made strides with its silicon-carbon Surge Battery tech, longevity still lags behind comparable rivals in the flagship phone space.

Value is top priority
While the 17 Ultra undercuts Apple's and Samsung's best phones on price in many markets, only those with deep pockets willing to accept its comparatively shorter software support commitment need apply.

Xiaomi 17 Ultra review: also consider

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Samsung's latest Ultra phone is a more incremental upgrade on its predecessor, albeit with that fancy new Privacy Display. You're likely to more readily embrace One UI over HyperOS, and longer-term software support isn't to be sniffed at either. Superior still photography and fast charging grant the Xiaomi an edge over this Ultra, however.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review

iPhone 17 Pro Max
There's little reason to pick the iPhone over the Xiaomi, unless you plan on integrating your smartphone into a professional videography workflow. Video versatility and compatibility give the 17 Pro Max the edge over the 17 Ultra here. Not to mention HyperOS' biggest inspiration is iOS 26. The Xiaomi otherwise offers better hardware, imaging, and features.

Read our full iPhone 17 Pro Max review

Oppo Find X9 Ultra
The 17 Ultra's fresh-faced rival. The Oppo Find X9 Ultra sees a wider release internationally than its predecessor, and offers up some of the most competitive mobile photography specs and features the world has ever seen. I still prefer the look of the 17 Ultra's stills, but you might feel differently. It has a much larger battery, but a slightly higher starting price too.

Read our full Oppo Find X9 Ultra review

Xiaomi 17 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

iPhone 17 Pro Max

Oppo Find X9 Ultra

Screen:

6.9-inch 120Hz 3,120 x 1,440 LTPO OLED

6.9-inch 120Hz 3,120 x 1,440 LTPO OLED

6.9-inch 120Hz 2,868 x 1,320 LTPO OLED

6.82-inch 120Hz 3,168 x 1,440 OLED

Chipset:

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

Apple A19 Pro

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

Storage:

512GB / 1TB

256GB / 512GB / 1TB

256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB

256GB / 512GB / 1TB

OS (at launch):

HyperOS 3 atop Android 16

One UI 8.5 atop Android 16

iOS 26

ColorOS 16 atop Android 16

Rear cameras:

50MP main; 50MP ultra-wide; 200MP 3.2x-4.3x telephoto

200MP main; 50MP ultra-wide; 10MP 3x telephoto; 50MP 5x telephoto

48MP main; 48MP ultra-wide; 48MP 4x telephoto

200MP main; 50MP ultra-wide; 200MP 3x telephoto; 50MP 10x telephoto

Front camera:

50MP

12MP

18MP

50MP

Battery:

6,800mAh (China) | 6,000mAh (RoW)

5,000mAh

4,823mAh (nano SIM) | 5,088mAh (eSIM)

7,050mAh

Charging:

90W wired, 50W wireless

60W wired, 25W wireless

40W wired, 25W wireless

100W wired, 50W wireless

How I tested the Xiaomi 17 Ultra

• Review test period: Two months
• Testing included: Everyday use, web browsing, social media, photography, video calls, gaming, streaming video, music playback
• Tools used: Geekbench 6, Geekbench AI, PCMark, 3DMark, native Android stats

My Xiaomi 17 Ultra sample arrived just ahead of its international launch in February 2026, and I've been using it constantly since then.

It's been with me practically every day, and as such I've spent plenty of time testing the usability of HyperOS 3, conventional usage and multitasking, gaming (with titles like Call of Duty: Mobile and The Division: Resurgence), streaming HDR content, and liberal camera usage.

Beyond putting the camera to the test across a myriad of scenarios, Xiaomi did later send me the official Photography Kit, so I could test its usefulness as an official accessory when shooting out in the wild, too.

I already owned an official 120W Xiaomi charger, which I used to test the phone's fast-charging abilities, once I enabled 'Top Speed' within the battery settings, while real-world use was the main driver for my screen-on time figures.

I've been testing smartphones for the last 15 years, and have the context of the majority of the latest flagships on hand for comparison.

Read more about how we test.

• First reviewed: April 2026

Vantrue Pilot 2: two-minute review

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to stand out in the overcrowded dash cam marketplace. However, Vantrue is having a stab at it with the Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam, which the brand claims is the world’s first model to incorporate thermal imaging. This is certainly a first for me, and having reviewed the best dash cams on the market, this three-channel model plus the thermal camera did sound promising.

The Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam has been in development for a while, with a Kickstarter campaign launching the initial design and production set to commence around now, with deliveries expected in the middle of the year. However, while the thermal imaging is a draw, the main appeal of this package is how it can used to bring a host of smart features to older cars. This is down to the other major feature, the touchscreen hub, which works rather like an infotainment screen of the type you'd see in most modern vehicles.

For me, this is actually the main appeal of the Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam, because the 6.25-inch touchscreen supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as having voice command functionality, Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, and a storage capability of up to 1TB via a micro-USB slot. It can be mounted to a dashboard or similar location in older vehicles with more conventional dashboard layouts. Where it’s less useful is in a modern vehicle with an existing infotainment screen and all the functionality that comes with it.

(Image credit: Future)

Aside from the headline-grabbing features, the Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam is a workmanlike exercise in covering all angles. The cameras comprise one front-facing unit that sticks to the windshield and has a cockpit-facing lens, too, while the rear-facing unit sits in the rear window capturing the view out the back. Meanwhile, the thermal imaging unit is meant to be fixed to the outside of a vehicle, using a clamp and bracket design. It can be attached to the back edge of a vehicle’s hood, or somewhere in the grille area – but note that it relies on a cable connection, so that has to be factored into its fitment.

The camera specifications are solid enough, with f/1.8 large aperture Sony Starvis 2 sensors (5-megapixel MX675 for the front and 2-megapixel IMX662 for the rear) and Novatek NT98530 dual-core processors boosted by 2.0 TOPS AI computing power providing plenty of appeal. The units can function between temperatures of -20℃ ~60℃, meaning they’re suited to all kinds of operating environments.

Meanwhile, the thermal imaging unit boasts a 12μm WLP high-performance vanadium oxide uncooled infrared detector, plus there are four infrared lights for the cockpit camera. There’s GPS, a 2.4G/5.0G Hz Wi-Fi 6 module, along with a supporting Vantrue app for overall management of files.

All things considered, the Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam is a complete package – although there are a few comparable products in the Vantrue range that function similarly, minus the thermal imaging camera. The Vantrue Nexus 5S dash cam is a prime example, and available for just $399.99 (£295 approx).

Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam: price and availability

At the time of writing, the unit sent in for review was an early production model and Vantrue’s pricing was also seemingly tentative. Deliveries of the Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam are set for June, with a suggested price of $805 (£594 approx). Vantrue has also been offering early bird deals with 43% off, bringing the price of the dash cam down to $499 (£368 approx). As menioned above, though, the Vantrue Nexus 5S dash cam is a great alternative and available for just $399.99 (£295 approx). It's just as good, if you're not in need of the thermal imaging camera and/or touchscreen hub unit.

Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam: specsVantrue Pilot 2 dash cam specs

Video

Front+Cabin+Rear：1440p x 1080p x 1440p 30fps

Front+Rear: 1440p x 1440p 30fps

Front+Cabin: 1440p x 1080p 30fps

Front：2560 x 1440p 30fps

Field of view (FOV)

158 degrees front / 160 degrees rear / 165 degrees interior

Storage

MicroSD up to 1TB, 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 / 1.1kg

Battery

Yes

Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam: Design

Make no mistake, the Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam bundle is a chunky one – you'll need some space in order to accommodate the core touchscreen unit plus the cameras. Central to the action is the base or hub unit, which has the touchscreen plus all the connection points for the various cables that come included. Thankfully, Vantrue has marked up all the ports as well as the cables with clear indications as to what goes where. Step-by-step instructions are also included in the box. Note, though, that the design might not work for those with limited cabin space.

Construction of the various components is solid enough, with positive connections for all the ports, so it feels like the package will handle the effects of vibration and general use over time. The quality of the plastic for the cameras and hub feels of a good quality too. Overall, the impression is that the Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam is a premium bundle.

Even novice users will find the design of all the component parts easy enough to plumb in and configure. What is less straightforward is getting everything into place, especially that touchscreen unit, which I found difficult to accommodate in a car with an infotainment screen on the dash. Fitting the front and cockpit-facing camera was a doddle though, using a sticky pad to affix to the windscreen, via a static sheet between the glass and the sticky pad if preferred. The same goes for the rear-facing camera, and both come with familiar barrel-style bodies that will be familiar if you’re familiar with Vantrue products.

(Image credit: Future)

The most unusual part of the overall design is the thermal imaging camera. This is a chunky unit that's designed to be mounted externally. The design itself seemed robust enough to spend its life outside a vehicle, although I’d assume the lens will require regular cleaning to perform optimally. This was also the trickiest part to fit. Vantrue has outlined a variety of ways to mount the external camera in its documentation, with the most obvious method being to clamp it to the rear edge of a vehicle’s bonnet. This took some effort on the vehicle I was using.

Similarly, the instructions didn't make clear what to do with the cable. I’m assuming it needs to be fed through the dash somewhere and then up through the engine bay – which, because I was using a test vehicle, resulted in my simply feeding it through the passenger-side window. Again, this additional step makes initial set-up of the Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam more complicated, alongside placement of the touchscreen hub – if you have a vehicle with no obvious place to put it.

Granted, Vantrue has designed the touchscreen unit with a self-adhesive base and even supplied holes for more permanent fixing. There’s also a bracket that allows it to be angled slightly; but in my test vehicle I still struggled to find a proper home for it. Once fixed in place, though, both the screen and the presentation of the graphics therein were impressive. It all worked nicely with the required finger taps, too.

(Image credit: Future)Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam: Performance

One of the best things about the Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam is the heads-up-style display – aside from finding somewhere to fix it in a modern vehicle, that is. It's the go-to area for the initial setup process, with clear touchscreen options that include formatting the microSD card. Similarly, configuring Apple CarPlay via the on-screen icon and connecting with my phone via Bluetooth proved straightforward.

I'm also a fan of the chunky icons in the system setup area. Using them I could tweak everything from Wi-Fi and warning tones, to making adjustments to the voice control and more general settings. There are also quick-access tabs for audio recording plus rain/fog modes and a parking mode option, too. Like most other dash cam models, the parking modes need to have the dash cam hard-wired into the vehicle, which then unlocks a wider range of features such as 24/7 monitoring while parked up.

I couldn’t really find fault with any of the footage delivered by the cameras in the Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam bundle. The colour and overall quality was excellent, while road signs and license plates were crisp and clear, too. Even the thermal imaging worked as I’d expected, although I still don't see any major advantage to having it over any other dash cam that comes armed with "night vision".

(Image credit: Future)

The major issue I have with the Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam is that it seems like overkill. I can see the setup working in an older vehicle that doesn’t already have a touchscreen, nor other modern day tech accoutrements. However, if that’s the case then this does make it a rather niche product, much like rear-view mirror dash cams. The other issue I experienced was trying to find somewhere suitable to position the hub, where it wouldn't get in the way of the other parts of the cockpit.

Having said all that, I did welcome the delivery of the footage. This was either via a four-way split screen showing all angles, or with only one view displayed on the whole screen. The ability to condense the view slightly and have the app widgets, such as Apple CarPlay, displayed to the left of the picture was also neat. While the cameras delivered great quality and colour, the thermal imaging was notable for displaying objects in a garish green hue in one quarter of the divided screen view. Useful for hunting Bigfoot, perhaps?

Indeed, the thermal imaging camera worked well enough: best illustrated when I pointed it towards myself, creating a ghostly apparition on the screen. However, this camera is designed to be more of a supplement to coverage provided by the other lenses. It might be handy for anyone heading into the great outdoors in a 4X4, for example, which is likely to have plenty of options for mounting it on the exterior. However, on regular vehicles, I’d say this aspect is decidedly niche.

Vantrue reckons it will prove useful when conditions are so poor that it’s difficult to see anything ahead. Personally speaking, if conditions get that bad, I think I’d be pulling over until things improved.

(Image credit: Future)

One important thing to note is that if you want to access the parking monitoring features then you'll need the optional hardwire kit. This does increase the potential of the bundle, although I found the Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam an impressive proposition out of the box simply using a plug-in 12V power supply.

Should you buy the Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam?

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

Thermal imaging matters to you
It might seem like overkill but the Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam comes with a thermal imaging camera. This externally mounted lens is able to spot people and animals in adverse conditions.

You drive an older vehicle
This bundle includes a touchscreen infotainment-style display that definitely makes it appealing to owners of older vehicles that will be lacking any fancy tech.

You like the idea of multiple cameras
The Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam has front and rear-facing cameras, plus cockpit capture and the ability to shoot footage night and day, so it's super versatile.

Don't buy it if...

Thermal imaging seems like overkill
An extra thermal imaging camera will be surplus to requirements if you're simply after a solid three-camera arrangement, making other Vantrue models better value.

You drive a modern car
The Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam has a touchscreen display – which, if you have a modern car with an infotainment system might make it difficult to accommodate on the dash.

Too many cables are a turn-off
Installing the Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam involves wrestling with quite a lot of cabling, plus an optional hardwire kit will be needed for the parking security features.

How I tested the Vantrue Pilot 2 dash cam

• 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 various types of weather
• I connected it to my phone, and downloaded recordings to check their quality

Vantrue loaned me the Pilot 2 dash cam and supplied everything I needed to test it, including a microSD card. The unit was essentially a finished product, although Vantrue flagged that some features weren't quite complete. Android Auto, for example, could not be configured on my test unit; but will be ready come the launch.

The package was plumbed into a test vehicle, using all of the supplied cables and connectors. Vantrue also supplied a hardwire kit, but since the product was reviewed in a test car, bonus features such as parking monitoring weren't tried out – although these are the same as those found in other Vantrue dash cams across the range.

Vantrue also offers its supporting app, which is available for both Apple iOS and Android. I installed the Vantrue app on an Apple iPhone 16, while connectivity of both the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth was also checked in a variety of daily use scenarios and proved reliable.

• First reviewed April 2026

Thermal Master P4: 30-second review

The Thermal Master P4 is the latest addition to the brand's P-series of smartphone thermal cameras, and technically, it eclipses the previous P3 design. Rather than offering a single thermal sensor, it pairs the now-familiar 256x192 VOx microbolometer with a visible light camera, creating a dual-lens design. Thermal Master calls the world's first of its kind in this class, ignoring all the phones with thermal cameras that already have this capability.

That combination unlocks four imaging modes. Users can switch between standard infrared, visible light, IR-Fuse (a blended overlay), and MIX mode, which fuses both streams in real time.

We’ve seen this work extremely well on phones that support the same approach. And the only issue is often that, because each sensor sees a slightly different angle, the two images sometimes don’t align well. This is especially true when working close up.

To address this on the P4, Thermal Master introduced the IR Eraser function that allows rapid toggling between thermal and optical views, which is useful for aligning what you are seeing thermally with the physical layout of the object in front of you.

What the P4 doesn’t deliver is a new thermal sensor. Therefore, it has the same resolution as the P3, with native 256x192 capture enhanced to 512x384 through the X3IR software algorithm. Sensitivity is rated at under 35 mK, and there are 15 professional measurement modes, including point, line, rectangle, and circle tracking. The temperature range runs from minus 20 degrees Celsius to 600 degrees Celsius, with an accuracy of plus or minus 2 degrees Celsius.

There is, however, a significant caveat. The P4 is Android only. There is no iOS version, and Thermal Master makes no suggestion that one is planned. For iPhone users, the P3 or P1 cameras remain the only choices from this brand. It can be used with a PC, though it requires a way to hold the camera, since Thermal Master doesn’t include a tripod or stand.

Overall, for those who work on heating/cooling installations, engines, or power distribution systems, the P4 could be a remarkably useful tool. But its lack of a macro capability makes it unsuitable for electronics repair.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Thermal Master P4: price and availability

• How much does it cost? $400/£360/€400
• When is it out? It is available now
• Where can you get it? Direct from the Thermal Master website, with shipping from regional warehouses in the US, UK, EU, and China. And via online retailers.

The P4 carries a standard price of $499 USD, though at the time of writing, Thermal Master was running a sale that reduced the cost to $399 USD.

Direct from Thermal Master, UK buyers pay £359, which seems a little excessive at current exchange rates compared to the dollar price. European buyers pay €399, which, given that the Euro is stronger than the Dollar, is disappointing.

It is worth noting that Thermal Master states that all listed prices include applicable import duties and taxes for supported regions, thereby removing the risk of unexpected fees at delivery.

Those expecting to find it cheaper on Amazon.com will be disappointed, since it’s the same cost as from Thermal Master. And, the same is true on Amazon.co.uk.

By comparison, the Thermal Master P3 retails at $279 USD (sale from $349 USD), making the P4 a notable step up in price. The FLIR One Pro sits at around $429 USD, so the P4 is in competitive territory. For European buyers, the TOPDON TC001 at roughly $209 USD offers a lower-cost alternative, though it lacks the dual-lens feature set.

Given that this is the same thermal sensor, adding a low specification conventional sensor and charging an additional $120 over the P3 makes the P4 something of a gouge.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• Value score: 3.5/5

Thermal Master P4: Specs

Feature

Specification

Model

Thermal Master P4

Infrared Sensor

VOx microbolometer 256x192 @12 μm

Super IR Resolution

512x384 via X3IR algorithm

NETD Sensitivity

< 35 mK

Temperature Range

-20°C to 600°C (-4°F to 1112°F)

Accuracy

±2°C

Frame Rate

25 Hz

Focus Type

Fixed focus (15 cm to infinity)

Field of View

56.0° (H) x 42.2° (V)

Digital Zoom

15x

Imaging Modes

Infrared, Visible, IR-Fuse, MIX

Measurement Modes

15 modes (points, lines, rectangles, circles)

Colour Palettes

12 options

Compatibility

Android 6.0 and above only (no iOS)

Power Consumption

0.58W from phone

Dimensions

53mm x 29mm x 11mm

Weight

26.5 g

Package Contents

P4 camera, portable case, 50cm extension cable, user manual

Warranty

2 years

Thermal Master P4: Design

• Ultra compact
• Extension cable included, but no tripod
• Dual-lens layout with infrared and visible light sensors
• No iOS support

Before we get into the weeds of what makes the P4 a truly desirable thermal camera, I need to call out how lovely the engineering of this tiny 26,5g camera is.

It’s an all-metal construction that apes a compact camera layout, with a USB port protruding from its top. Therefore, it's clearly designed to be inserted into a phone's USB port and operated entirely via software. That’s good, because buttons on the camera would have introduced forces that would translate through to the USB port unfavourably.

Thermal Master includes a 50cm USB-C extension cable, which makes good sense since getting the camera away from the phone body improves the view, and some rugged designs block attachment with rubber plugs. However, as was an issue previously with the P1 and P3, how are you meant to direct the camera, hold the phone, and operate the software unless you have three hands?

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

I’m not sure, but amazingly, after an outlay of $400, there is still no tripod or stand in the box. Holding the extension cable with the camera dangling at one end while operating the app with the other hand remains an awkward arrangement at best, and I’m rapidly losing patience with the idea that Thermal Master will ever notice this issue.

What is good about this design is that the thermal and visible light sensor centres are only about 10cm apart, reducing the parallax effect between the images. But the camera doesn’t come with a lens cap to prevent debris from getting on either sensor.

The last point is critical and, thankfully, isn’t an issue for this reviewer: the lack of support for Apple iOS. There are no adapters to plug the P4 into an iPhone, unless it has a USB-C port, and the software to use it is not on the Apple App Store.

It may be that this might be addressed by an Apple version in the fullness of time, but it's rumoured that Apple will do away with ports altogether (to avoid being told by the EU to add them) and charge wirelessly, which would scupper Thermal Master and a significant selection of hardware addon companies.

It’s worth noting that the camera can also be used with a PC if it has a USB-C port.

Overall, the construction quality is high, and with dual sensors, it has the credentials to be the best Thermal Master phone accessory. However, the inability of Thermal Master to deliver on both Android and Apple platforms, and the lack of a tripod, serve to undermine this proposition and the relatively high asking price.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Design score: 3.5/5

Thermal Master P4: User experience

• Android 6.0 or above required, no iOS version
• 4 imaging and 15 temperature modes

A key limitation of the P4 is the Android-only compatibility. Thermal Master offers no iOS version of the P4, and no Lightning or USB-C to Lightning adapter is included. iPhone users must look elsewhere in their range.

The Temp Master app is the same software used across the P-series. On the positive side, this means 15 measurement modes, 12 colour palettes, temperature alarm functions, and time-lapse recording are all present.

But the central selling point of the P4 is the dual-lens arrangement, and that brings the MIX mode that combines data from both the thermal and optical sensors. This works brilliantly in most respects, and better than I’ve ever seen it work on phones with thermal sensors.

However, the positioning of the two image sources isn’t always ideal, and that’s not due to the sensors being slightly offset. It’s because the phone is handheld, and the thermal image's refresh rate is much lower than that of a conventional light sensor. Therefore, the conventional light data is always ahead of the thermal, something that wouldn’t be an issue if the phone (or camera) were on a tripod or other support.

This is especially evident when you use the IR Eraser function, a mode that lets you rub on the image with a finger to reveal the live image source beneath. This is a useful mode, but due to the lag of the thermal component, the window is often slightly out of fit with the thermal.

The IR-Fuse mode blends both streams into a single image where the conventional image source takes priority. And, if you want, there is a purely thermal mode. But using that would entirely undermine buying the P4, since you could get the same experience on the P3 for less.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

For general HVAC and building inspection work, the dual-lens feature genuinely adds something. Identifying a damp patch or a failing insulation section is clearer when you can overlay the thermal reading onto a visible light reference. But for PCB work, the P3 with its macro lens and manual focus is still likely the better choice.

I’m inclined to believe that not providing a macro mode was a tactical choice by Thermal Master, since the P3 probably still sells well. Having the P4 come along and cannibalise P3 sales wouldn’t be a smart move.

I suspect, at some point in the future, when the P3 and P4 are end-of-line, a new P5 will appear that offers both the dual sensor capability and a macro mode, but that’s a guess.

The free PC analysis software is a genuine bonus at this price. It supports 2D and 3D thermal editing, report generation, and works with both offline image files and live connections.

If you detect a slight frustration here, it's that this camera has the ability to create some of the best thermal imagery I’ve seen at this price point, but the lack of any way to lock the camera physically or a macro mode, stops it from being the best choice for all thermal requirements.

The P4 is easily better than any thermal camera I’ve seen on a phone, although it costs more than the price of one of those, and you still have to provide the phone.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• User experience score: 3.5/5

Thermal Master P4 Camera samplesMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceThermal Master P4: Final verdict

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

If it weren’t for some obvious issues where the phone or camera should be kept stationary, I might argue that it's worth the extra cost over the P3 for the improved quality of the results. But the P3 had a macro mode that made it useful for those hunting circuit board component issues.

That reduces the potential areas where it can be useful, even if it still leaves plenty of jobs it can do, but at this price, customers will want it all. Something else it appears Thermal Master seems disinclined to offer is compatibility with Apple iOS devices. The P3 supported Apple iOS customers from the outset, so perhaps it's not coming for the P4?

These issues, and the high cost, take some of the shine off what could have been an entirely positive review. For those who don’t use Apple-branded equipment and aren’t bothered by the price or lack of a macro mode, this is a great choice and a notch up from previous devices.

Should I buy a Thermal Master P4?Thermal Master P4 Score Card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

Priced above the P3, but the dual-lens adds some justification

3.5/5

Design

Compact and portable, but no stand. Android USB-C only

3.5/5

User experience

Powerful four-mode imaging is let down by iOS exclusion

4/5

Overall

A capable step up for Android users who need hybrid thermal and optical imaging

4/5

Buy it if...

You need hybrid thermal and visible imaging
The IR-Fuse and MIX modes give the P4 a capability that the P3 and P1 cannot match. If you regularly need to cross-reference a thermal reading with the visible layout of a surface or component, the dual-lens arrangement saves time and removes ambiguity.

You are an Android user wanting the most feature-rich Thermal Master camera
For Android users who want the full feature set from Thermal Master, including 15 measurement modes, four imaging modes, and PC analysis software, the P4 currently sits at the top of the practical range. The P3 is the better pick for PCB work, but for general inspection and field diagnostics, the P4 has more to offer.

Don't buy it if...

You use an iPhone
There is no iOS version of the P4. This is not a minor compatibility issue or a future software update situation. The P4 simply does not work with Apple devices. iPhone users should look at the P3, P2 Pro, or P1 instead.

You need macro focus for PCB work
The P4 uses a fixed focus lens that covers 15cm to infinity. It does not have the adjustable macro capability of the P3, which can focus down to around 8mm for close inspection of PCB components. If circuit board repair or detailed electronics diagnostics is the primary use case, the P3 is the better tool.

Also Consider

Thermal Master P3
The P3 supports both Android and iOS, has a manual focus macro lens capable of detecting 1mA leakage on PCBs, and costs less than the P4. For anyone who needs iPhone compatibility or close-up electronics diagnostics, the P3 is the more complete option despite its lower price. It lacks the dual-lens arrangement but remains the stronger choice for specialist precision work.

Read my Thermal Master P3 review View Deal

InfiRay Xinfrared P2 Pro
A small add-on that can be used with the majority of Android and iOS phones to enable thermal image capture. Plugging into the USB-C port, this tiny device can achieve a resolution of 256 x 192 and has a magnetically attached macro lens.

While this sounds ideal for the very occasional user, it isn't any cheaper than the P3 and has a lower resolution sensor.

Read our InfiRay Xinfrared P2 Pro review

Ulefone RugKing 5 Pro: 30-second review

UleFone has a rugged phone for everyone, or so it seems. The newest addition to the RugKing series is the 5 Pro, a low-cost option available for around $220.

Its calling card is a 20,000mAh battery that Ulefone rates at 110 hours of endurance, which, in practice, translates to several days of real use before you need to hunt a power station or a wall socket. The trade-off is a 629g frame that is genuinely large and heavy. Though anyone who regularly carries tools, kit bags, or works outdoors will probably not find that a dealbreaker.

Beyond the battery, the RugKing 5 Pro earns its moniker through dual IP68 and IP69K certification alongside MIL-STD-810H compliance. It can be submerged, jet-washed, and dropped onto hard surfaces and, allegedly, remain functional.

The addition of a 20MP infrared night-vision camera and a 976-lumen flood flashlight also makes this phone suitable for camping adventures and emergency situations.

Where this design falls short is in processing power and connectivity: the Unisoc T7250 chipset is functional rather than fast, 5G is absent, and the camera maxes out at 1080p video. For the right buyer at the right price, though, those limitations are entirely manageable if they don’t expect too much.

With the cost of memory and storage rapidly increasing, it's likely we’ll see more of these hardware-curated designs, but this isn’t something we’d be inclined to label as one of the best rugged phones around.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Ulefone RugKing 5 Pro: price and availability

• How much does it cost? $270/£205/€235
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? You can get it directly from UleFone or via many online retailers .

As with many rugged phones, the cheapest place to buy this typically isn’t the maker, and the RugKing 5 Pro is no exception.

Direct from UleFone, the price of this phone is $269.99/£201.59/€231,26, depending on where you are based. You can check the site by clicking here.

At the time of writing, it isn’t available via Amazon.com, but I did find this phone for £229.99 on Amazon.co.uk, which seems a significant hike for next-day delivery.

The cheapest option is AliExpress, where the prices are $226.19 (£214.40 / €244.84), making that source the cheapest choice for Americans, but more expensive than the maker pricing for Europeans.

Almost wherever you source this, it isn’t an expensive phone, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t cheaper alternatives.

For less than this phone, the Blackview BL7000 is a great choice, as it features a 50 megapixel main camera with a Samsung JN1 sensor that performs surprisingly well, runs on a Dimensity 6300 chip, and offers 5G connectivity. And, it can be found for $200.

The downside of the BL7000 is that it only offers 7500 mAh of battery, and most of the competitor devices around this cost have 10,000 mAh or less.

But, if battery capacity isn’t a priority, I’d look at the Blackview BL7000, Blackview Fort 1, Ulefone Armor X16 Pro 5G, DOOGEE Blade 10 Ultra or OUKITEL G3. Some of these have 5G, others have better cameras.

And, if you want the same battery with a better SoC, the Blackview Oscal Tank 1 is a good choice.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• Value score: 4/5

Ulefone RugKing 5 Pro: Specs

Display

6.78-inch IPS LCD, 1080 x 2460 (FHD+), 396ppi, 910 nits peak brightness

Processor

Unisoc T7250 octa-core (2x Cortex-A75 @ 1.8GHz, 6x Cortex-A55 @ 1.6GHz)

GPU

ARM Mali-G57 MP1 @ 850MHz

RAM

8GB (with extended virtual RAM support)

Storage

256GB internal + microSD expansion (dedicated slot)

Operating System

Android 16

Rear Cameras

64MP main (OmniVision OV64B) + 20MP infrared night vision (Sony sensor, 2x IR LEDs)

Front Camera

16MP (Samsung CMOS sensor)

Video

1080p max (no 4K)

Battery

20,000mAh Li-Polymer (non-removable)

Charging

33W wired fast charge; 6W wired reverse charging

Wireless Charging

Not supported

Connectivity

4G LTE (no 5G), dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, FM radio, USB-C 2.0 (OTG)

Biometrics

Side-mounted fingerprint sensor

Durability

IP68, IP69K, MIL-STD-810H (2m drop rated)

Display Protection

Corning Gorilla Glass 3

Flashlight

976-lumen flood flashlight

Expansion Port

uSmart side-mounted accessory port

SIM

Dual Nano-SIM + dedicated microSD tray

Headphone Jack

None (USB-C adapter required)

Dimensions

179 x 85 x 26.5mm

Weight

629g

Colours

Black

Ulefone RugKing 5 Pro: Design

• Not pocket-friendly
• Odd button arrangement
• No wireless charging

The RugKing 5 Pro does not pretend to be subtle. Measuring 179 x 85 x 26.5mm and weighing 629g, it falls into a category that goes well beyond oversized and approaches a handheld piece of equipment.

Ulefone has clad the chassis in a polycarbonate and aluminium combination, using rubberised corner guards to absorb impact energy, a formula the company has refined across many generations of its rugged line.

The overall aesthetic follows a well-established Ulefone template: metal banding along the sides, pronounced corner protection, and a carbon fibre texture finish on the back panel. The rear camera module is described as visually distinctive, with a clean arrangement housing the main sensor, the infrared night vision camera, and the two IR illuminator LEDs.

A 976-lumen camping flashlight sits separately on the body and is a practical addition for field use, not an afterthought.

Where the RugKing 5 Pro diverges from most rugged designs is in the button layout, which is a curious combination of conventional and unexpected.

The power button, which doubles as a fingerprint reader, and the volume rocker sit on the right side. On the left, there are two user-programmable shortcut buttons and the SIM tray.

The SIM tray itself accepts two Nano-SIM cards plus a microSD card on a dedicated slot, so you are not forced to sacrifice expandable storage to run dual SIMs, which is a sensible decision for a working phone.

What’s odd is the placement of the user-definable buttons, which, if you have two, are often close together. Here, one of them is where you might expect it for using a talk-to-speak function, but the other is low on the left-hand side. This lower button is remarkably easy to accidentally press while holding the phone, and by default, it activates the camping light, annoyingly.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

The display bezels are reported to be thick by current standards, which is a cosmetic compromise that is difficult to avoid given the structural requirements of the surround. Corning Gorilla Glass 3 is the chosen screen protection, which is not the latest generation but remains practically resilient against the kind of incidental scratching that comes with field use.

The 6.78-inch IPS panel runs at FHD+ resolution, which works out at 1080 x 2460 pixels and a pixel density of 396ppi. Text and images are sharp at normal viewing distances, and colour reproduction is described in third-party assessments as accurate.

The headline display specification is its peak brightness of 910 nits, which is designed to keep the screen legible under direct sunlight. For a phone explicitly marketed at outdoor workers and adventurers, the brightness of this display is an important feature rather than a marketing exercise.

Ulefone has added both Glove Mode and Water Lock Mode to the software. The former keeps the touchscreen responsive when the user is wearing work gloves, which is a well-understood requirement for tradespeople. Water Lock Mode disables touchscreen input to prevent false touches from rain or spray, while keeping the display visible. This is particularly useful for navigation in wet conditions.

Overall, aside from the odd placement of the second custom button, there isn’t much wrong with the external design of the RugKing 5 Pro.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Design score: 4/5

Ulefone RugKing 5 Pro: Hardware

• Unisoc T7250
• AI subscriptions
• 2000 mAh battery

I’m not a huge fan of the Unisoc SoCs, but it's hard to ignore how many phone makers are gravitating to using them, presumably due to cost.

The Unisoc T7250 is an octa-core design built around two Cortex-A75 performance cores running at 1.8GHz, backed by six Cortex-A55 efficiency cores at 1.6GHz. The GPU is an ARM Mali-G57 MP1 operating at 850MHz. Benchmark figures place the AnTuTu score at approximately 256,822, with Geekbench 6 returning around 441 in single-core and 1,426 in multi-core testing.

Those numbers put this firmly in the budget-to-mid-range territory, well behind current flagship processors. For everyday tasks such as navigation, communication, document viewing, and running field-specific applications, the T7250 is serviceable. Where it will show its limits is in graphics-heavy gaming or any processor-intensive creative work.

The 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage are enough for most purposes, but hardly generous. Thankfully, the microSD expansion slot provides additional headroom without compromising the dual-SIM capability.

Android 16 is the operating system, which is notable and puts this phone ahead of many rivals in terms of software currency. Ulefone has also included a suite of AI productivity features, although I’m reasonably sure that it doesn’t offer inherent AI processing powers.

The AI functionality on offer is cloud-based and requires a subscription; I’d avoid it like the plague.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Of greater use is the 20,000 mAh battery, which is enough to keep this relatively low-power device running for at least four days or more. The only caveat to the large battery capacity is that the maximum recharge wattage is 33W.

Even with the provided 33W PSU, the RugKing 5 Pro took an inordinate amount of time to recharge, especially when it was down to the last 10%. This isn’t a phone you want to find that didn’t charge before you are about to leave on a long journey.

A 6W wired reverse charging function turns the phone into a portable power bank, allowing it to top up other devices such as earbuds, a smartwatch, or a colleague's handset via the USB-C port. Wireless charging is not supported.

Returning to the SoC, one critical limitation of this design is that it doesn’t support 5G comms, only 4G LTE, 3G and 2G. Equally, the Wi-Fi is dual-band, covering 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks. Bluetooth 5.2 handles peripheral connectivity. NFC is present for contactless payments and device pairing, which is practically useful even in industrial contexts. FM radio is included.

The takeaway from this hardware platform is that this isn’t for anyone with special performance requirements, unless those are to run for an impressive length of time on its ample battery capacity.

• Hardware score: 3/5

Ulefone RugKing 5 Pro: Cameras

• 64MP and 20MP on the rear
• 16MP on the front
• Three cameras in total

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

The UleFone RugKing 5 Pro has three cameras:

Rear camera: 64MP Omnivision OV64B40 Sensor, 20MP Sony IMX350(Night Vision)
Front camera: 16MP Samsung S5K3P8 SP

The RugKing 5 Pro features a dual-rear-camera setup, which, on paper, appears suitable for capturing video and still images while away from home.

The primary shooter is a 64MP sensor from OmniVision, the OV64B, which handles standard photography. The secondary camera, the veritable Sony IMX350, is the more interesting of the two: a 20MP infrared night vision unit paired with two IR LEDs.

The night vision system allows the phone to capture usable imagery in complete darkness by using IR illumination rather than visible light. This has obvious utility for anyone working in poor lighting, conducting inspections, or exploring environments after dark.

The 16MP front camera uses a Samsung CMOS sensor and is aimed at video calling and documentation, which seems adequate for those jobs.

What’s harder to comprehend is why the Omnivision OV64B40, a 64MP sensor, only captures 1080p video, the same resolution as the 16MP front-facing Samsung sensor.

There is no 4K, or even 2K, capability, which may be a straightforward limitation of the SoC and sensor combination. For a phone at this price point and with this emphasis, that might be seen as an acceptable trade-off, though it is worth noting if the buyer has media production requirements or just expects something better from a 64MP sensor.

For basic image capture, the cameras on this phone are acceptable, but if you want to document a location or journey, I’d pick something that can at least record video at 1080p or higher.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Ulefone RugKing 5 Pro Camera samplesMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark Pickavance

• Camera score: 3.5/5

Ulefone RugKing 5 Pro: Performance

• Battery-efficient SoC
• Dire CPU and GPU results

Phone

UleFone RugKing 5 Pro

Blackview Oscal Tank 1

SoC

Unisoc T7250

MediaTek Dimensity 7050

GPU

ARM Mali-G57

ARM Mali‑G68 MC4

NPU

N/A

MediaTek NPU 550

Memory

8GB/256GB

12GB/256GB

Weight

629g

640g

Battery

20000

20000

Geekbench

Single

441

920

Multi

1424

2466

OpenCL

734

2471

Vulkan

718

3036

PCMark

3.0 Score

8550

11684

Battery

37h 7m

33h 57m

Charge 30

%

15

13

Passmark

Score

6096

6861

CPU

3042

5285

3DMark

Slingshot OGL

1842

5293

Slingshot Ex. OGL

1247

4150

Slingshot Ex. Vulkan

1264

3940

Wildlife

579

2232

Nomad Lite

66

266

For this comparison, I went with another rugged design that offered a 20000 mAh battery that’s close in price to the RugKing 5 Pro; the Blackview Oscal Tank 1.

What’s slightly shocking about these results is how much more powerful the MediaTek Dimensity 7050 is when compared to the Unisoc T7250. Often, it's double the performance, especially when the benchmark requires any GPU support. What makes this deficit even more worrying is that the Dimensity 7050 is a rebranding of an older MediaTek SoC, the Dimensity 1080, a 6nm chip first launched in 2022.

A modern 4nm SoC, such as the Dimensity 7300, would have a GeekBench single-core score of over 1,000 and a multi-core score between 2,500 and 3,000. And, a Wildlife score of nearly 3,200.

To say that the Unisoc T7250 is underwhelming is an understatement. However, being a slug has one virtue, and it's that it makes the 20000 mAh battery last a long time.

In fact, when testing, the benchmark had an issue for some reason and stopped with 35% of the battery capacity still available, so it would have achieved more than 40 hours had that not happened.

The flipside of that coin, and this goes for both phones, is how slowly it recharges. Filling the 20000 mAh capacity from zero could easily take six hours or more, so don’t forget to plug it in before bed.

In short, those looking for CPU or GPU performance need to look elsewhere, but battery life is exceptional because it runs at these levels.

• Performance score: 3/5

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Ulefone RugKing 5 Pro: Final verdict

There are some good things about this phone, especially its battery life, but they are overshadowed to some extent by the subpar SoC, video capture resolution, and a slow-charging battery.

All that said, given the price of this device, are those things an issue? That depends on exactly what the buyer is anticipating using the RugKing 5 Pro for.

If it’s a basic phone that takes over from the daily driver when the owner goes onto a building site, into the jungle or into a wet or dusty environment, then there is a place for it.

My concern is that it won’t take long to find the limitations of this device, and perhaps spending another $50 or more might have avoided those issues from the outset.

But, if all you want is a modern Android platform on hardware that’s abuse-resistant, then the RugKing 5 Pro is an option. But I’d check other phones in its price range for something that’s lighter and uses a more impressive platform.

Should I buy a Ulefone RugKing 5 Pro?Ulefone Armor Pad 5 Ultra Score Card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

Inexpensive for a phone with 20000 mAh battery

4/5

Design

Heavy and thick, with an annoying button layout

4/5

Hardware

Underwhelming SoC, but large battery and decent screen

3/5

Camera

Reasonable for still photography, but only 1080p video

3.5/5

Performance

Slow SoCs and GPU combination, but excellent battery life

3/5

Overall

Cheap, but the performance is lacklustre

3.5/5

Buy it if...

You need a phone for outdoors
The water and dust resistance on this phone is sufficient for extreme weather conditions and even being immersed. But it is heavy, has awkwardly placed buttons, and is unsuitable for small hands.

You need extended battery life
The 20000 mAh battery in this phone can keep it working for a week or more. Just make sure to fully charge it before leaving civilisation.

Don't buy it if...

You need a daily driver
If weight and size matter to you, then give this a miss. At 629g and 26.5mm deep, this is not a pocketable device by any reasonable definition.

You need 4K video
The best video resolution on offer is only 1080p, which is disappointing. It’s better at still images, but there are rugged phones available with much better cameras than this one.View Deal

Also Consider

Blackview Oscal Tank 1
Another inexpensive phone with a 20000 mAh. But in this case, it comes with a superior SoC platform and a better camera cluster than the RugKing 5 Pro. Therefore, you get 4K video recording on both rear and front sensors, and you also get an SoC that supports 5G comms.

Read my full Blackview Oscal Tank 1 review View Deal

Ulefone Armour Mini 20 Pro
A practical, 5G rugged design with an inbuilt camping light, night vision camera, but with less battery than the Tank X, and fewer features. This makes the phone easily pocketable and usable like a normal phone.

Read our full Ulefone Armor Mini 20 Pro review

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

If you’re a large business or enterprise-grade business looking for the best data recovery software, Ontrack EasyRecovery can be a good choice. With more than 40 years of experience, the platform claims a million customers with 120 petabytes of recovered data.

However, instead of taking the provider’s word for it, we’ve put Ontrack EasyRecovery through tests of our own to see if it lives up to its reputation. Read on as we discuss Ontrack EasyRecovery in detail, including its best features, pricing, installation, and in-use experience.

Ontrack EasyRecovery: Plans and pricing

Ontrack EasyRecovery does not offer a unified pricing page where you can view the prices of the different products at a glance. You’ll have to manually click on the “Buy Now” button on various product pages to actually see how much the products cost, which can be a bit of a buzzkill.

That said, we found the pricing pretty competitive and at par with other data recovery software around. For example, its Home version costs $59.99 for a year for Windows and $69.99 for Mac. Similarly, the Professional version costs $99.99, while the Premium plan comes at $129.99. The Technician version costs $199 and covers 3 devices, and lastly, the Toolkit costs $299 for up to three machines.

(Image credit: Ontrack EasyRecovery)

Although Ontrack EasyRecovery offers a free plan, it is one of the most limited versions we have seen across the board. You can recover up to 1GB of data, but with an upper cap of 25MB per file. This makes it impossible to recover any file more than 25MB using the free version.

Ontrack EasyRecovery: Features

On the face of it, Ontrack EasyRecovery may not appear as feature-rich as some competing data recovery tools. However, it stands out as one of the few platforms designed to meet the needs of enterprise-grade users as well as government organizations. This level of adoption speaks volumes about its reliability and advanced recovery capabilities.

(Image credit: Future)

EasyRecovery is available for both Windows and Mac and supports FAT, NTFS, or exFAT file systems, as well as HFS, HFS+, and APFS formatted drives. The best part about it is that you can save the results of your scan and resume the recovery process later.

The provider offers various products catering to a wide range of users – from home users trying to recover deleted, trashed, or virus-infected files to professional users recovering multiple data loss events. EasyRecovery can create disk images, which lets you work on a copy of the drive instead of risking further damage to the original.

Additionally, you can also monitor hard drive health and recover data from CDs and DVDs. There’s also a Premium version, which can repair corrupt photos and videos and clone HDDs and SSDs, enabling seamless migration or backup of entire drives.

Moving up, the Enterprise version is an on-premise technician plan, which can rebuild broken RAIDs and volumes and create virtual RAIDs. This comes in handy in complex scenarios where RAID configurations are broken or disks are missing.

Lastly, there's the Technician version, which offers licenses for commercial use and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux (only this version) devices.

Scanning

The provider offers two scanning modes: full scan and deep scan. However, the actual scanning process is pretty slow. It took me more than half an hour to scan a 500 GB external hard disk with a quick scan. A deep scan can take 4 to 5 hours, depending on the scan location and complexity of file types.

(Image credit: Future)

On average, data recovery software consumes around 8 to 15% of CPU processing power while actively scanning for lost files. However, on my Windows 11 system, EasyRecovery averaged just 3 to 4% CPU usage during the scan.

(Image credit: Future)

While this is impressively low for a typically resource-intensive process, it also raises some concerns about performance. In practice, the lighter CPU footprint appeared to come at the cost of scan depth and overall effectiveness, since the scans were not able to detect certain deleted files from the drive.

Ontrack EasyRecovery: Installation and in-use experience

The interface is modern and quickly navigable. It is easy to go over, and you can find your way to the first scan within a couple of minutes without any hassle. There’s also a handy preview mode, which you can turn on to preview the files being scanned.

However, it appeared more of a cosmetic feature during our tests, since you cannot actually click or recover anything until the scan has finally been completed.

(Image credit: Future)

The left panel shows you the files being scanned in a tree view and file type view, along with the deleted list. However, none of these lists will populate until the scan completes. Comparatively, tools like Wondershare Recoverit and EaseUS let you recover files while the scan is running in the background.

(Image credit: Future)

That said, EasyRecovery offers a handy preview feature where you can preview the files before recovering them. However, it may not work if the files were deleted a long time ago or have been corrupted beyond repair.

Ontrack EasyRecovery: How we tested

We sourced Mozart's album from the Internet Archive, which contains 101 MB of data and 22 files, including 13 JPGs, 4 PNGs, 2 MP3s, and 2 FLAC files, to test data recovery capabilities across various formats. However, since EasyRecovery caps the per-file recovery limit at just 25 MB, we adopted a different approach to test it out.

We scanned our external 1.3 TB NTFS hard drive after copying and deleting certain PDF files and images on it, each within the prescribed limit. After the initial scan was done, we clicked on the file and hit recover. Within a minute, the files appeared in our destination folder with their contents intact.

Ontrack EasyRecovery: Support

Upon visiting the Ontrack website, we couldn’t find a traditional “Support” section. However, the “Contact Us” page is fairly comprehensive, offering multiple options including general inquiries, technical support, job status tracking, and even emergency services. Users can get in touch with Ontrack specialists directly via the contact form or by calling them.

There’s also a dedicated option to track ongoing recovery jobs through a client portal, along with 24/7 emergency services for time-sensitive situations. While the platform does cover some general FAQs on its site, there isn’t much detailed guidance on performing specific recovery tasks. That said, the availability of direct human support and round-the-clock assistance helps bridge that gap for most users.

(Image credit: Ontrack EasyRecovery)Ontrack EasyRecovery: The competition

Arcserve UDP and MiniTool Data Recovery are two popular alternatives to Ontrack EasyRecovery. Both come with comprehensive file recovery options for events such as accidental deletion, virus attack, and disk failure. Arcserve is more geared toward business clients, and it is great at data recovery in environments that use large volumes of data. It is also very effective at minimizing data loss when it comes to cloud applications.

MiniTool is designed more for at-home or small-business use than it is for corporate settings, and the highest tier plan is, in fact, called Personal Ultimate, with a pricing scheme that changes with the duration of your license and not with any additional features or functionality.

Of the three, Arcserve is the best option for enterprise-grade data recovery, while MiniTool can only be used in private or home settings and EasyRecovery provides a great middle-ground for individuals and small or medium-sized businesses.

Ontrack EasyRecovery: Final verdict

Despite its slow scanning process, Ontrack EasyRecovery is very good at its core function, which is finding and recovering lost files. It is one of the few platforms that offers enterprise-grade software for large organizations as well as governments. It can recover data from PCs, RAID volumes, HDDs, SSDs, and even supports Linux systems on higher-tier plans. It is beginner-friendly and easy to navigate with a handy preview feature.

However, its free plan is very limited, as it allows recovering files up to a maximum size of 25MB only, which makes it practically unusable for serious data recovery testing. Overall, if you’re looking for a dependable, no-frills recovery tool backed by strong industry credibility, EasyRecovery is a solid choice.

We've listed the best data recovery service.

DM Disk Editor and Data Recovery Software (DMDE) is a popular name among data recovery loyalists. It’s not as flashy as some other modern tools, but those in the data recovery domain often swear by DMDE’s reliable recovery features.

In this article, we’ve put DMDE to the test to see if all the community chatter about this oldish-looking data recovery software is worth it. Read on till the end as we discuss DMDE’s performance, interface, pricing, and our final verdict based on in-house tests.

DMDE: Plans & pricing

(Image credit: DMDE)

DMDE has one of the most generous free plans we have seen across the board. Its free version allows you to recover up to 4,000 files from a selected directory per request, without any limit on the number of requests you can make.

This means you can potentially use DMDE for free forever if you have the time to recover each directory individually, with a hard upper cap of 4,000 files per directory. However, this usually involves a lot of time and organizational headaches, which is why you should consider one of its extremely affordable paid plans.

You can get started with its Express plan, which costs $9.95 per month or $20 per year. This is ideal for individual users who want to recover a few files every now and then. Alternatively, you can opt for the Standard plan, which costs $48 for a perpetual license. This is recommended for regular home users and small businesses with personal recovery needs.

Lastly, there’s the Professional plan, which costs $95 for a single OS family and $133 for multi-OS. This plan is designed for medium and large enterprises, with several professional features such as read support for E01 disk image files, log support to resume disk copying, DMA mode support in DOS, and I/O handler script customization.

DMDE: Key features

DMDE supports a wide range of operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and even DOS, along with a host of file systems such as FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, HFS+, HFSX, Ext2, Ext3, Ext4, and so on. And if that’s not enough, you can provide DMDE with a custom file type, and the platform can recognize signature patterns to find and recover similar files from your desired location.

Besides this, DMDE is very good at detecting and restoring lost partitions, even after a complete partition wipeout. It can recover boot sectors and partition headers and works with both legacy and modern partition styles, which is very useful if you are trying to restore old systems.

However, it’s DMDE’s RAID reconstructor that sets it apart from other recovery software on the market. Its RAID module allows you to build a virtual RAID from either individual disks or disk images, while supporting RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 4, RAID 5, RAID 6, delayed parity, custom striping, JBOD/spanned disks, along with automatic detection of RAID configurations.

(Image credit: Future)

This lets you recover data even when the original RAID is broken or inaccessible, without needing to rebuild it physically. Since everything is done virtually, your source disks remain safe throughout the process.

Scanning

I was impressed by the number of scanning options DMDE offers. For starters, there are quick and deep scan options that you can choose based on your recovery needs. Besides this, before each scan begins, you can preset various parameters. For example, you can choose which area of the disk to scan or whether you want to scan raw file signatures.

(Image credit: Future)

DMDE’s quick scan is much faster than some other recovery software. However, given its lackluster interface, you won’t see a prominent scanning status bar – only a small battery-style bar. That said, if the scan takes longer than expected, you can save the scans to load later. You also have the option to view the files being scanned by clicking the ‘Open Volume’ option at the bottom.

Once you see the deleted file you want to recover, select the small checkbox on the left and click ‘Recover’. You’ll again see some advanced selection options, where you’ll need to choose the recovery destination and filter out results based on file size, last modified date, and IDs.

(Image credit: Future)

Once you hit ‘Recover’, the files will appear in your chosen destination within a matter of minutes. However, do note that in the free edition, files can be processed from the active panel only. So, you’ll need to open a subdirectory in the active panel before you can recover any files.

DMDE: Installation and in-use

Installing DMDE is a piece of cake – a simple click of the free download button on its website will install the application on your system. Follow the prompts to complete installation, and it will automatically launch on completion.

(Image credit: Future)

Unlike most data recovery software, which welcomes you with a homepage or dashboard, DMDE is pretty vanilla. All you’ll see is a disk selection window, where you’ll need to select the disk you want to scan or choose other features you want to access.

Now, the first thing that struck me was how old the interface looked. DMDE seems to be stuck in the ’90s, and using it feels like you’re cranking up an old motorcycle on a new highway. Needless to say, there’s a steep learning curve involved. You’ll have to fiddle with tiny menu options to find what you’re looking for.

Thankfully, there are ample resources on its website that guide you through the process. Even then, it can take you a few days to get the hang of this oldish-looking software.

DMDE: How we tested 

I installed the free version of DMDE on my Windows 11 system, with 16GB of RAM and a 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-12500H processor. To test DMDE’s versatility, I downloaded Mozart's album from the Internet Archive, which consisted of 22 files – 13 JPG files, 4 PNG files, 2 MP3 files, 2 FLAC files, and 1 torrent file.

I copied this folder onto a 1.36 TB NTFS hard drive and connected it to my Windows 11 system. I then deleted this folder and emptied the Recycle Bin. After this, I ran a quick scan with DMDE. I clicked ‘Open Volume’ while the scan was still running and found the said Mozart folder. I opened the folder to select the files I wanted to recover and clicked ‘Recover’, and within a minute, the files appeared in my chosen destination in perfect condition.

DMDE: Support

(Image credit: DMDE)

Additionally, there’s a FAQ section that covers common issues and usage questions. While it’s not as detailed as we would like, it still gets the job done for most basic queries.

(Image credit: DMDE)DMDE: Final verdict

DMDE is one of the most value-for-money data recovery software solutions we have tested. At an annual cost of $20, you get advanced scanning features that support all common and even customizable file formats across systems like Windows, macOS, Linux, and DOS.

Not only can you recover lost partitions, but DMDE’s RAID reconstructor also allows you to build a virtual RAID while automatically detecting RAID configurations. Its quick scan is fairly fast and allows you to recover files while the scan is still in progress. You also have the option to save scans and resume them at a later date.

The only downside to DMDE is its outdated interface and steep learning curve. You’ll have to find your way around the menus and hidden settings. However, once you get past that, DMDE is a reliable recovery tool that rewards patience with powerful results.

Samsung Galaxy A57 two-minute review

According to sales figures, Samsung's budget-friendly A-series phones generally sell better than their pricier S-series siblings (aka the best Samsung phones). So, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra is the brand's newest flashy flagship, a good deal more buyers are probably considering the Samsung Galaxy A57 instead.

For those not versed in the Samsung taxonomy, here's a quick recap: 'A' = cheap, '5' denotes the place in the lineup (it goes 0-5), and '7' is the generation (this is the 2026 model). That's all to say that the Galaxy A57 is the brand's most advanced mid-ranger of 2026, succeeding the Galaxy A56.

Like the S26 family, this is an iterative upgrade, bringing spec tweaks and a new (but familiar) roster of colors, rather than any truly significant changes. Mind you, a price hike makes those same specs look a little bit less appealing this year, given that you're paying extra for them.

The largely unchanged specs list means you're getting similar highs and lows to last year's model. The A57's display is one standout feature, with the bright, bold screen a blessing for your Prime Video binge or commute-based gaming sessions.

Samsung's software is another treat; One UI largely avoids the problems that befall OS packages on many other mid-range phones, and there's much less feature-bloat here than you'll find on the Galaxy S-series phones.

The perks return, but so do the pitfalls. The A57's Exynos processor is simply no good for gaming, and I'd recommend doing your photo editing on a computer, too. For that matter, pictures taken on the A57 aren't up to snuff, which is a surprise given Samsung's usual pedigree in the field.

If you want a phone that just works, without drowning you in AI or automation features, you'll like the Galaxy A57. It won't suit avid photographers, gamers, or people who want a bit more out of their mobile, but it's a reliable workhorse for the average buyer. Its battery life is also solid, and the slightly shrunk frame will fit in your hands a little better than most large-screen phones.

Galaxy A-series phones are understandably popular, but with the price hike, this latest model is a tad harder to recommend than normal. It's definitely worth picking up if you find a solid discount, but with competitors from Nothing, Google, and various Chinese brands offering more for less right now, Samsung's top-end mid-range phone feels a little less valuable than it should.

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Released on April 10, 2026
• Starts at $549 / £529 / AU$749, but for different variants
• Price hike over Galaxy A56

The Samsung Galaxy A57 was announced on March 25, 2026, alongside the more affordable A37. It went on sale several weeks later, on April 10.

There are three variants of the phone, with availability changing by region. The only model everyone gets costs $609 / £529 / AU$849, and that’s for 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. A cheaper model with only 128GB storage is available in the US and Australia, for $549 / AU$749, while Brits get a super-charged 12GB RAM and 512GB storage model for £699. I tested the 8GB / 256GB model for this review.

For ease of viewing, here are those prices in table form:

Samsung Galaxy A57 pricing

US

UK

AU

8GB / 128GB

$549

N/A

AU$749

8GB / 256GB

$609

£529

AU$849

12GB / 512GB

N/A

£699

N/A

No matter where you live, one thing’s for certain: the A57 has seen a significant price hike versus the Galaxy A56. That model started at $499 / £499 / AU$699 — again for different variants, which the table below details — meaning buyers of the new phone will have to shell out much more than they would have for last year’s model.

Given that the A56 wasn't particularly competitive in terms of price, either, an even higher price tag for the A57 will understandably give buyers pause.

Samsung Galaxy A56 pricing

US

UK

AU

8GB / 128GB

$499

N/A

AU$699

8GB / 256GB

$549

£499

AU$799

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: specsSamsung Galaxy A57 specs

Dimensions:

161.5 x 76.8 x 6.9 mm

Weight:

179g

Screen:

6.7-inch FHD (1080 x 2340) 120Hz AMOLED

Chipset:

Exynos 1680

RAM:

8/12GB

Storage:

128/256/512GB

OS:

Android 16, OneUI 8.5

Primary camera:

50MP, f/1.8

Ultra-wide camera:

12MP, f/2.2

Macro camera

5MP, f/2.4

Front camera:

12MP, f/2.2

Audio:

Stereo speakers

Battery:

5,000mAh

Charging:

45W wired

Colors:

Awesome Navy, Awesome Gray, Awesome Icyblue, Awesome Lilac

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: design

(Image credit: Future)

• Thin and light phone
• Some neat design touches that improve comfort
• Four color options, all sadly lifeless

To some degree, the Samsung Galaxy A57 has inherited a trait from the ill-fated Galaxy S25 Edge: thinness. The phone’s training regimen has seen it shrink to 6.9mm thick, which is thinner than anything else in Samsung’s roster beyond the Edge.

This doesn’t result in a massive overhaul of the Galaxy A’s hand-feel, not with the height and width still stretching the hand, but it’s a nice touch that makes the device look a little more svelte.

There’s clearly also been some weight loss, with the Galaxy A57 tipping the scales to 179g; again, this is a spec beaten only by Samsung’s year-old lean machine.

Samsung has toned down the fun of its A-series color options over the past few years, and it’s no different this time around. I tested the ‘Awesome’ Icyblue (scare quotes my own), and there’s also Awesome Navy, Awesome Lilac, and Awesome Gray (now that’s what I call an oxymoron). So that’s blue, blue, nearly-blue, and gray.

On the right edge of the A57, the power button is within easy thumb reach, and the volume rocker is only a small stretch higher. I appreciated that the phone’s edge slowly curves up just ahead of the power button, which meant it was simple to naturally find the button with my thumb without needing to look.

The A57 has a triple-camera rear module on the back, which looks identical to those of the last few A-series generations, and it doesn’t stick out too far, so the phone didn’t wobble much when I put it flat on a table.

The Galaxy A57 also has an IP68 certification, which means it’s safe against ingress from small particles, and can survive submersion in water of up to 1.5m for up to 30 minutes (that may sound specific, but it’s what the ‘8’ stands for). When a phone has IP68, you can rest assured that it’s safe for all everyday functions.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: display

(Image credit: Future)

• 6.7 inches, 1080 x 2340 resolution
• 120Hz refresh rate, 1,900 nits max brightness
• Super AMOLED Plus gives display punch

The Samsung Galaxy A57 gets a 6.7-inch display, with a thin bezel that's broken up only by a small punch-hole for the front-facing camera.

Like the A56’s panel, it has a 1080 x 2340 resolution and hits a 120Hz refresh rate, so it’ll handle anything Netflix or your chosen mobile game can throw at it.

Colors are bright and vibrant, thanks in part to two upgrades over the previous model: a higher max brightness (1,900 nits) and the use of a Super AMOLED Plus panel, which offers a wider color gamut. It’s been said before, and it’s truer than ever now: it’s hard to find a better screen on a mid-range phone than on a Galaxy A-series device.

The A57 also has what Samsung calls Vision Booster, a feature that turns brightness and vibrancy up to 11 when the device recognizes that you’re watching content outdoors (as in, grappling with the shiny, reflective sunlight on the display). I didn’t have an A56 to test it against, and it’s not a feature that you can manually toggle, but I never had a problem using the A57 while outdoors.

A fingerprint sensor embedded under the phone's display worked well in my experience, never failing to recognize my thumb.

• Display score: 4.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: software

(Image credit: Future)

• Android 16 with One UI 8.5
• Six years of OS updates
• Software is cleaner and simpler than rivals'

Out of the box, the Galaxy A57 runs Android 16, the latest version of Android at the time of its release, with Samsung pledging six major Android updates to the phone.

This isn’t stock Android but One UI 8.5, which the Samsung Galaxy S26 also runs on, except here you get a tuned-down version of that same software.

Some may miss the flagship phone’s various premium features (you don't get generative AI tools like Drawing Assist, for instance), but I actually preferred the Galaxy A57's interface: you don't get inundated with AI features, random reminders, and gimmicky tools that do little.

One feature you do get is an upgraded version of Circle to Search. If you press and hold the home button, you can circle anything on screen and Google search it. The selling point of this feature is that it gives you the ability to find the outfits of people you see online — a pretty niche use case, it must be said — but I found Circle to Search pretty useful for searching for actors I recognized, settings in videos that I wanted to locate, and sports teams that I didn't recognize by their uniforms.

A common feature of mid-range smartphones is bloatware, but the Galaxy A57 is pristine and clean out of the box. You get barely any unwanted pre-installed apps (I can overlook Netflix and Spotify, given how ubiquitous they are), and there are barely any Samsung apps pre-installed either.

I’m a fan of the look of One UI, and it offers loads of customization options. You can bend the wallpaper, color palette, and icons to your will, and add Samsung-made widgets and tools that change how you use the phone.

I like to set up Modes on Galaxy phones, which let me quickly change various settings at the tap of a button. For example, I can design a Game mode, which mutes notifications and boosts screen and performance power, or set up a Sleep mode, which automatically turns on my alarm and switches the display to an eye-friendly grayscale. To easily switch these Modes on and off, I can plonk a carousel on my home page. It's pretty impressive stuff.

• Software score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: cameras

(Image credit: Future)

• 50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, and 5MP macro cameras
• Cameras lack some vibrancy and optimization
• A range of useful camera features

Samsung has been using the same camera setup on its A50-series for years now (the A53 was the last model with a different main sensor), and in 2026, it's starting to show show its age. It’s simply not competitive compared to other similar-priced phones.

The main camera is a 50MP f/1.8 unit, which is joined by a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide lens and a 5MP f/2.4 macro lens. Around the front, there's a 12MP f/2.2 selfie snapper.

In anything shy of blinding sunshine or studio lighting, the Galaxy A57 struggled to capture an adequate level of vibrancy or color detail — for instance, in the camera samples below, you’ll see foliage that looks desaturated and lacks dynamic range. An upgraded ISP (Image Signal Processing) chip was cited as an upgrade with this phone, but it's not made a significant improvement.

Get some strong sunlight, and some colors do seep through, but you can’t control how sunny it is outside, and besides, sunshine didn't always fix the problem. Other phones do well to edit photos to pull out the contrast and boost the saturation if needs be, and I was surprised by how light-touch (read: ineffectual) the Galaxy A57 could be.

For some praise, I'll point to the auxiliary lenses. I was impressed by how consistent the color was between lenses — I often find ultra-wides lack the color of their main siblings — and the lack of distortion on the wide lens. The macro was a little finicky at finding focus on close subjects, but it's definitely more useful than many others I've tested (though it doesn't come close to making up for the lack of a dedicated zoom camera).

Selfies on the Galaxy A57 were a little better, offering some contrast that will make social media pictures look postable, though, as you can see in the pictures below, Portrait mode struggled with fluffy strands of hair.

The A57 offers you a reasonable range of expected camera modes, including Night and Samsung's stalwart Food, and there's also the A-series-exclusive Fun mode, which basically offers you Snapchat filters on your camera app. Single Take isn't available by default, but you can enable it via the Camera Assistant app in the Samsung Store.

Video recording hits 60fps at 1080p or 30fps at 4K, with a slow-mo app that doesn't reveal its framerate.

Once you've taken a photo, you can use a few tools to brush it up in the Gallery app. There's no built-in chatbot to AI slopify your pictures like in the S26 series, and instead, you get Object Eraser and a remaster tool, which auto-applies edits. The latter's actually pretty good, and I found it reliable for adding some zest to the default pictures that otherwise lacked it.

• Camera score: 3.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy A57 camera samplesThis morning picture, taken at sunrise, was captured using the 1x camera.FutureThis view was captured on the ultra-wide camera, to contrast the futher shots.FutureThis view was captured using the main camera, to compare its field of view.FutureThis shot was captured at 2x zoom, using the main lens with digital cropping.FutureThis macro shot shows details you can capture using the lens.FutureWith sufficient light, the A57 performed okay, although it still couldn't adequately capture the zingy colors of a toy like this.FutureAt close distances, the A57 could focus well when not in macro mode.FutureThis selfie was taken in standard mode, to contrast the Portrait mode shot next.FutureThis selfie was taken in Portrait mode, to contrast the standard pic previously.FutureEven in the glorious light of sunrise, the A57 struggled with dynamic range and color.FutureSamsung Galaxy A57 review: performance and audio

(Image credit: Future)

• Samsung's Exynos 1680 chip + 8GB RAM (for most)
• Fine for everyday use, not for gaming
• Bluetooth 6.0 for audio

Samsung’s Galaxy A-series phones have never won awards for their blazing-fast performance — plenty of Chinese mobiles at this price point can run rings around them — and the Galaxy A57 is no different.

The phone has an Exynos 1680 chipset, made by Samsung itself, paired with 8GB RAM in most versions.

Geekbench 6 multi-core benchmark tests returned scores in the 4,400s. That’s a step above the 3,900s we saw in the A56, but less than half of what the S26 Ultra returned, and a big step below similar-priced alternatives I’ve tested recently, like the 8,600-scoring Poco X8 Pro Max. Unfortunately, every 3DMark test I ran crashed, which wasn't necessarily the fault of the phone (sometimes, new devices just don’t like benchmarking software), but it did mean I wasn’t able to dig much further into the A57's numbered performance…

… until I started actually playing games.

The A57 could handle well-optimized games like Call of Duty: Mobile, but only on lower graphics settings. Try to match the display quality with some resolution or graphics effects, and the handset would suffer. It would also heat up a little during longer gaming sessions, which is not something you'll encounter with most Snapdragon-powered phones, for instance.

So, the Galaxy A57 is no performance wunderkind, even if you can play certain titles with compromises. But if you're not a gamer, you can ignore all that, as the phone has all the performance credentials necessary for non-intensive everyday tasks like scrolling and streaming. If I weren't an avid gamer, I'd probably deem the Galaxy A57 powerful enough for me.

Audio-wise, you’re looking at support for Bluetooth 6.0, with the built-in stereo speakers about as passable as on any other phone at this price point. And no, there’s no 3.5mm jack, so you’ll have to use the USB-C port for wired audio.

• Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: battery life

(Image credit: Future)

• Average-sized 5,000mAh battery
• Single day of use per charge
• 45W charging powers the phone in roughly 90 mins

The Samsung Galaxy A57 has a 5,000mAh battery, which is the same size battery as you'll find in the A56, as well as the flagship Galaxy S26 Ultra.

A capacity like this is, in most phones, shorthand for ‘all-day battery life’. That’s no different with the Galaxy A57 — I could use the device as much as I wanted, without worrying that it’d run out of juice.

You won’t get two days of battery life, though — not unless you don’t use your phone very much. For average use, you’ll get about a day and a half all in.

The A57 powers at 45W, so it’s not particularly fast, and with a compatible charger, you’ll get from empty to full in about an hour and a half. When the handset’s plugged in, it’ll tell you how long it’ll take to power up at its current speed, which is a really useful quality of life feature that I appreciated.

• Battery score: 3.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: value

(Image credit: Future)

Samsung's Galaxy A-series phones are reliable and have some great traits, but they don't offer as impressive value for money as their competitors. Bear in mind that A57 isn't cheap; at its price, it's firmly in the 'mid-range' category.

Many rivals at a similar price point will offer you one or two incredible specs along with a few average ones, like a huge battery, incredibly fast charging, a top-end processor, or a telephoto zoom camera. If you wanted the A57's specs from another brand, you'd probably find them for much less money.

Samsung does nothing to sweeten the deal, and so it's hard to argue that the A57 offers particularly exciting value for money. But as reliability and longevity go, there aren't many 'safer' all-round options than this one.

• Value score: 3.5 / 5

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy A57?Samsung Galaxy A57 scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

It's just not priced in a competitive way. Sorry, Samsung.

3.5 / 5

Design

It may come in some pretty ugly colors, but the thin and light phone belies some pretty neat design features.

4 / 5

Display

The A57 has a good-looking screen that works well outdoors.

4.5 / 5

Software

The interface is clean, with no unnecessary extra apps or tools, and you get plenty of software support.

4 / 5

Camera

I was surprised how dull pictures looked, though some modes offer a little bit of fun.

3 / 5

Performance

The Exynos 1680 chipset doesn't cut it for advanced gaming, but the phone's fine for everyday use.

3.5 / 5

Battery

The 5,000mAh battery and 45W charging are roughly average for a mid-priced phone.

3.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You need something lightweight
The A57 is one of the lightest and thinnest phones I've ever seen, and it'll be svelte even if you clad it in a case.

You watch a lot of videos
The phone's great-looking display is a treat for people who spend a lot of time looking at social media or streaming services.

You don't want to pay for annoying features that you'll ignore
Samsung has stripped out the S-series' AI guff to deliver a clean, easy-to-use interface.

Don't buy it if...

You need a great camera phone
There are some useful modes, but the optimization just isn't there for good-looking pictures.

You need lots of performance power
If you need a phone that'll blast through PUBG or CoD: Mobile with ease, this isn't the one for you.

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: Also consider

Interested in the Samsung Galaxy A57 but want to know what else is out there? Here are some other mid-range gems you may want to consider.

Google Pixel 10a
Like the Galaxy A-series, the Pixel A-series offers cut-priced versions of flagships. The Pixel 10a is small and comes in fun colors, with a price slightly below the A57.

Read our full Google Pixel 10a review

iPhone 17e
Apple's own flagship-alternative is much smaller and only has one camera, but it runs faster and is your most affordable ticket to iOS.

Read our full iPhone 17e review

Nothing Phone (4a) Pro
Nothing's mid-range powerhouse undercuts the Galaxy, yet offers you a telephoto camera, a bigger display, and much more processing power. You just have to get over its divisive design.

Read our full Nothing Phone (4a) Pro review

Samsung Galaxy A57

Google Pixel 10a

iPhone 17e

Nothing Phone (4a) Pro

Starting price (at launch):

$549.99 / £529 / AU$749

$499 / £499 / AU$849

$599 / £599 / AU$999

$499 / £499 (about AU$1,000)

Dimensions:

161.5 x 76.8 x 6.9 mm

154.7 x 73.3 x 8.9 mm

146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm

163.7 x 76.6 x 8 mm

Weight:

179g

185g

169g

210g

OS (at launch):

One UI 8.5, Android 16

Android 16

iOS 26

Nothing OS 4.1, Android 16

Screen Size:

6.7-inch

6.3-inch

6.1-inch

6.83-inch

Resolution:

2340 x 1080

2424 x 1080

2532 x 1170

2800 x 1260

CPU:

Exynos 1680

Google Tensor G4

A19 Bionic

Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4

RAM:

8GB / 12GB

8GB

Not specified

8GB / 12GB

Storage (from):

128GB / 256GB / 512GB

128GB / 256GB

256GB / 512GB

128GB / 256GB

Battery:

5,000mAh

5,100mAh

4,005mAh

5,080mAh

Rear Cameras:

50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, 5MP macro

48MP main, 13MP ultra-wide

48MP

50MP wide, 50MP periscope telephoto, 8MP ultra-wide

Front camera:

12MP

13MP

12MP

32MP

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy A57

(Image credit: Future)

• Review test period = 2 weeks
• Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
• Tools used = Geekbench 6, 3D Mark, native Android stats

I tested the Samsung Galaxy A57 for just over two weeks before writing this review, after receiving a test sample from Samsung.

In part, testing was done experientially: I used it as I would any other smartphone, which included taking it on holiday to take pictures, conducting video calls, and streaming music and movies. I also put it through a barrage of 'lab-style' tests like benchmarks on Geekbench and 3D Mark, as well as through battery tests.

I've been reviewing smartphones for TechRadar since early 2019, and in that time have tested all manner of mobiles, including past Samsung Galaxy devices and plenty of other mid-range and affordable Androids.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed April 2026

Looking for the best data recovery software? There are hundreds of applications on the market that claim to bring back your lost data, but not all of them might work for you. This is why we’ve put in the effort to find only the best data recovery platforms that actually work.

In this article, we’ll be reviewing Auslogics File Recovery. Available only for Windows, it can help you recover deleted files, even from reallocated disks, and search multiple drives simultaneously. So, is this the hard drive data recovery software you need? Our Auslogics File Recovery review will help you decide.

Auslogics File Recovery: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Auslogics File Recovery)

Auslogics File Recovery is one of the most affordable data recovery software options on the market, costing just $18.87 per year for three PC licenses. This comes down to around $6 to recover your data on each PC.

However, my biggest complaint with Auslogics is that it has a very limited free plan, which only lets you recover lost applications. You cannot search for or restore images, videos, audio, or documents with the free plan.

In comparison, peers like EaseUS, Wondershare Recoverit, and Stellar Data Recovery allow limited recovery of various file types even on their free versions. But there's a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try the complete Auslogics package risk-free before committing.

Auslogics File Recovery: Features

Auslogics goes beyond the traditional functionalities of a data recovery software, offering several other add-ons for comprehensive system upkeep and recovery. For starters, the software supports all major file types, including NTFS, FAT16, FAT32, and exFAT, on devices such as hard drives, memory cards, and USB storage devices. That said, it cannot recover data from CDs or DVDs.

Even if you have lost a disk partition on your drive, Auslogics' partition recovery feature allows you to scan and restore files from reallocated disks. There's also a pretty useful disk image tool, which allows you to make an exact copy of your drive with all the information on it, including deleted information. This freezes the current state of your drive, allowing you to work safely without risking total disk failure.

Another useful feature is the Wipe Free Space utility, which permanently removes previously deleted files so that they cannot be recovered at a later stage. When you usually delete files on a system, they aren't completely erased. The system marks that space as available, while the actual data sits there until new data overwrites it.

(Image credit: Future)

Auslogics’ Wipe Free Space overwrites the free space with random data, thereby erasing traces of previously deleted files. This can come in handy when you've deleted sensitive information or while selling or donating your hard drive.

Scanning

Auslogics’ scanning is fairly quick. We “quick” scanned 400GB of data on our Windows 11 Intel Core i5 system, which it was able to complete within 7 to 10 minutes. Once the scan is done, you can sort results based on file type and date, and also view them in three modes – list, detailed, and preview.

(Image credit: Future)

However, you can only view the deleted files once the scan is complete. This means that even if you’re trying to recover a small application, you'll have to wait for the entire deep scan to finish, which can take up to two to three hours depending on your disk size.

That said, what I like the most about Auslogics is that it allows you to customize various search criteria before starting the scan for more accurate results.

(Image credit: Future)

For instance, if you remember exactly when the deleted files were last modified or accessed, you can specify that time and date range in the settings.

(Image credit: Future)

Similarly, you can also search by specific file names or choose to skip zero file size and temporary system files. There is also an option to perform a deep scan.

Auslogics File Recovery: Installation and in-use

Installing Auslogics is pretty simple. You will find the free download button on the homepage. Just click on that to start the download and install the file once it completes. The main interface is well designed, with a window divided into three panes. Although it isn’t as modern as EaseUS or Stellar, it is surely an upgrade over DMDE’s old-school interface.

(Image credit: Future)

On the left-hand side, you will see various tools that Auslogics offers, whereas at the center, there is an option to select which items you want to scan.

There is a very handy in-built reports utility that shows you system metrics such as CPU usage, disk and network speeds, and memory consumption at a glance. You can also hit the create system report button to create a pretty detailed report with information like operating system, installed programs, partitions, CPU and cache properties, power management functions, and a whole lot more.

(Image credit: Future)

Instead of digging through multiple Windows settings, you get all critical system insights in one place, saving time and simplifying diagnostics.

Auslogics File Recovery: How we tested

We have tested several data recovery software, and in doing so, we usually download Mozart's album from the Internet Archive, copy them onto an external hard disk, and then delete them to test out the software's capabilities. This album contains a mix of various file types: PNG, JPG, MP3, and torrent.

However, since Auslogics only allows recovering software, we followed a slightly different approach. We scanned our entire Windows 11 system to look for deleted applications. The scan ran for a good 7-10 minutes, after which it pulled up a list of lost software. We randomly clicked on an application and hit restore, which Auslogics was able to do successfully.

Auslogics File Recovery: Support

The company’s website has fairly detailed answers to commonly asked questions, so that’s a good place to start if you run into issues with the software.

(Image credit: Auslogics File Recovery)

You can also submit your queries directly through the “Contact Us” section, which allows you to raise tech support requests as well as media, business, or partnership-related inquiries. This provides a straightforward way to reach the team for more specific concerns that may not be covered in standard support resources. However, there's no live chat or phone option.

Auslogics File Recovery: Final verdict

Auslogics is one of the most affordable data recovery software options you can get, costing less than $10 per PC for an entire year. However, this doesn’t mean that the product compromises on features. You get utilities like partition recovery, which lets you restore files from unallocated spaces, and a disk imaging tool that helps you save failing hard drives by allowing you to create an exact copy.

The software supports various common file types, such as FAT16/32 and exFAT. There is also a handy built-in reports feature that lets you pull complete system information with just a click. The installation is straightforward, and the user experience has been designed with beginners in mind. That said, it is only available for Windows systems, and its free plan does not allow you to recover images, videos, documents, or audio files.

Wondershare is one of the big names when it comes to creative tools and PC utilities. So, it’s no wonder that its Wondershare Recoverit excels as one of the best data recovery software.

It has a superb interface, and behind that you’ll find a robust set of features that can recover photos and video – and, if you’re happy to pay for higher levels, you’ll benefit from video repair options and bootable recovery tools too. There's even support for recovering from NAS and Linux devices depending on the version you buy.

We've put the software to the test to see if it can recover data to the extent it claims. Read on till the end for the full review, along with pros, cons, interface, and user experience.

Wondershare Recoverit: Plans & pricing

(Image credit: Wondershare Recoverit)

Wondershare Recoverit plans start at $59.99 for its monthly subscription, with the annual plan costing $99.99 and the lifetime perpetual costing $129.99. Although this might sound steep for some users, each of these plans covers two PCs, which means you are effectively paying only half to recover data on a single PC.

This is a big advantage over platforms like EaseUS, which offer the same pricing structure but only for a single license. Plus, just like EaseUS, the only difference between these plans is the licensing duration – all other features stay uniform under each plan.

Overall, Recoverit is an affordable data recovery option, especially if you want to recover data from more than one device. You can also bag an extra 10% discount via a code that keeps flashing on the pricing page.

There’s also a free plan you can use to test out Recoverit’s capabilities. However, you can only recover 500MB of data with it, which is much less than what EaseUS (2GB) and Stellar Data Recovery (1GB) offer.

Wondershare Recoverit: Features

Recoverit is one of the few data recovery tools that supports Linux, besides Windows, Mac, and NAS devices. You can recover more than 1,000+ file formats, including photos, videos, and documents, from SD cards, external drives, crashed computers, HDDs, SSDs, GoPro devices, cameras, the Recycle Bin, and much more.

I found Wondershare Recoverit pretty good at recovering fragmented media on my disk. Unlike other tools that rely on signature-based recovery, Recoverit uses advanced machine learning algorithms for pattern-based reconstruction, which allows it to reconstruct missing pixels, corrupted headers, and broken frames.

Besides this, Recoverit has a dedicated video repair engine where you can upload a sample video from the same device, allowing the software to learn its encoding structure and rebuild the corrupted video based on that pattern.

While the provider claims it uses AI for its reconstruction process, saying so would be an overstatement. That said, Recoverit is more advanced with its repair-driven recovery approach, which integrates a multi-stage repair mechanism, but calling it AI-based is not the right approach.

Scanning

One thing that impressed me was Recoverit’s fast scanning speeds. You simply need to select a drive location and hit the scan button to start the process. Much like EaseUS, Recoverit also initially runs a quick scan followed by a deep scan, but at a much faster pace. I was able to scan 640GB of data within 2 hours, whereas Stellar took more than 5 hours for the same.

(Image credit: Future)

The best part is that you can view deleted files while the scan is still ongoing, allowing you to recover them as well. This is better than Stellar Data Recovery, where you have to wait for the entire scanning process to complete before you can recover anything.

Recoverit was also very light on CPU resources, consuming just 6% to 8% of processing power on average, which is very low for a data processing application.

Wondershare Recoverit: Installation and in-use experience

Much like other data recovery software we have tested, Recoverit is also pretty easy to install. You’ll find the free download button on its website, and with just a single click, the installation process is underway.

(Image credit: Future)

However, in my testing, Recoverit takes slightly longer to install compared to EaseUS and Stellar. That said, the in-use and navigation experience is better than both applications.

The interface is pretty sleek and modern, with a dark theme. You'll see all your scannable devices in the central pane. All you have to do is select a drive location to start the scan. I noticed that scanning internal drives was much quicker than external hard disks.

(Image credit: Future)

A handy feature that Recoverit offers is AI-based file detection, where you will see a small banner during the scan in which its engine helps pick certain files for you to recover. While this is a feature different from competitors, I did not find it adding much utility to the process.

Once you select the file and click on recover, you'll need to choose the recovery location, and your files will be recovered almost instantly. However, one complaint is that Recoverit tries to push users towards its paid subscriptions after each scan, which can be pretty irritating after a point.

The biggest drawback, however, is that you must complete the recovery immediately after the scan is done. If you head back to the home page, your current scan results are lost, and you'll have to start from scratch. It would have been better if the free plan offered a feature to save scans for later use.

Wondershare Recoverit: How we tested

To evaluate performance, I began by installing the free version of Wondershare Recoverit on a Windows 11 machine equipped with 16GB RAM and a 12th Gen Intel Core i5-12500H processor.

For the recovery test, I sourced a Mozart album from the Internet Archive, containing 22 files across multiple formats: 13 JPGs, 4 PNGs, 2 MP3s, 2 FLAC files, and a torrent file. This dataset was transferred to a 1.36 TB NTFS hard drive connected to the system.

After confirming the files were accessible, I permanently deleted the folder and cleared the Recycle Bin to simulate a real-world data loss scenario. I then initiated a scan using Wondershare Recoverit.

With a quick scanning process, Recoverit successfully identified and recovered the entire dataset without any missing files, demonstrating reliable recovery performance under controlled conditions.

Wondershare Recoverit: Photo recovery

As you've seen, the user can easily see images and other files that Recoverit has found during the scanning process. You're also able to instantly start restoration just by clicking in a damaged file – perfect if you can already spot the photos you need. Results are filterable with a broader range of variables than on most other apps, so it’s easier to find your lost images, and you’ll get warned if your disk or drive has any issues.

It’s very easy to use, and Wondershare’s app delivers thorough, in-depth scanning results. This is no surprise when you consider that Wondershare uses 35 data recovery patents to get the job done.

We’ve only got minor issues with scans using this app: In our latest review we were only performing quick scans in a small virtual drive, so results were displayed in seconds. Still, in previous reviews we found scans of larger drives are not particularly fast, especially if you deploy a deep scan.

Photo previews aren’t very well-supported. That’s irritating if you want to look at files before committing to restoration. This is also crucial if you're simply installing Wondershare Recoverit to check if it can detect your missing files before paying for a subscription. As we mentioned, the free version of the app also refused to restore any files for us, even those well below the promised 100 MB quota.

Still, there are many impressive aspects to Recoverit beyond the interface. It’s been verified to work with more than 2,000 different devices, including PC and Mac drives and SSDs, USB memory sticks, SD cards, cameras and external hard drives – it’ll hunt down photos on virtually anything. It also supports more than 1,000 different file formats, which is extensive. Photographers will be pleased to see RAW, PSD and CRW files among all of the key mainstream formats.

This app works with formatted drives, raw disks, partitions, and drives with invalid partition tables or excessive fragmentation. It works on Windows and Mac, too. Support is also excellent: it’s available 24 hours per day, and it’s free.

There are loads of extra features available, although some are only included at higher payment tiers. You’re able to create bootable disks and USB drives to recover photography from crashed PCs, and there’s also video repair, scanning and fragment merging on offer. Sadly, those video repair options don’t extend to photographs.

If you do want video repair, you can select "Enhanced Recovery" from within the Utility. This will only work for drives though : you can't choose specific folders. The utility also only supports the more common video formats like MP4, MOV and AVI. There's a feedback option if you want to request more obscure formats like Theora (OGV).

If the files you've recovered are corrupted, you can also try to repair them with Wondershare's Repairit. This is available as a desktop app, online and via e-mail as a service.

Wondershare Recoverit: Final verdict

Wondershare Recoverit is an affordable data recovery platform that uses advanced machine learning algorithms to find and recover lost data files. It supports more than 1,000+ file formats across various devices, including cameras, external hard drives, and USB sticks.

We found it to be one of the best platforms to recover and reconstruct lost media files, thanks to its pattern-based, repair-driven recovery approach. While most data recovery platforms offer a single license at an average of $65 to $80, the Recoverit license for two PCs starts at $59.99.

The interface is just right for beginners, and the installation process is seamless. However, the free plan only allows 500 MB of data recovery, which isn't sufficient for most users. In our testing with the free tier, we also didn't find an option to save scans, which means you'll have to re-scan the drive if you want to recover files multiple times.

We've tested the best free file recovery software.

In this Stellar Data Recovery review, we’ve examined every aspect of one of the best data recovery software programs in the world. Stellar Data Recovery is a popular data restoration application, around for more than two decades now.

It claims to help you recover lost or deleted files across various formats and devices. However, has the application evolved enough to fit modern data recovery needs? We’ve carried out detailed testing of the Stellar Data Recovery platform, highlighting its best features, pricing, installation and hands-on experience.

Special reader offer - $20 off 1-year license
Act now to get a Stellar Data Recovery subscription with a 20% discount, which means you can get a 1-year sub for $79.99. All you have to do is enter the code Techradar20 when you checkout to claim your $20% off the listed price.View Deal

Stellar Data Recovery: Plans & pricing

(Image credit: Stellar Data Recovery)

You get three plans to choose from, starting with the Standard plan costing $59.99 per year. This is the base plan, which allows you to recover lost, formatted, and deleted data from any storage media.

After this is the Professional plan at $89.99 per year, which also facilitates lost partition recovery, data recovery from unbootable systems, RAW hard drives, and damaged optical disks beyond basic recovery in the Standard plan.

The highest-tier plan is the Premium one, costing $99.99 per year, which, in addition to everything in the Professional plan, also allows you to repair corrupt videos and photos and extract thumbnails of images. All three plans can also be bought for a lifetime, costing $99, $149, and $199, respectively.

Besides this, you also get a limited free plan you can use to try out the product before committing to a purchase. It lets you recover 1GB of data, which is less than what EaseUS allows (2GB).

Stellar Data Recovery: Features

(Image credit: Stellar)

Stellar offers data recovery apps for Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android – Linux is not supported yet. It supports a wide range of devices such as hard drives, SSDs, USB sticks, SD cards, external drives, and more.

However, I didn't find its supported file systems on its official product page. Only after digging into its documentation did we find that Stellar supports APFS, HFS+, HFS, along with NTFS, FAT (including FAT16 and FAT32), and exFAT.

Stellar also supports custom file types, allowing you to add raw file formats. You can upload a few files of the same format, and the software detects the file structure and extracts signature patterns to find similar files in your desired location. Alternatively, you can manually define the file extension, header, and footer, which allows Stellar to scan their binary structure and find byte patterns.

(Image credit: Future)

Saying that Stellar offers forensic-level data recovery would be an overkill. However, it does try to get close to such software through its byte-to-byte disk backup and restoration, which it calls disk imaging and recovery. This allows you to generate an image of an entire or a specific range of the hard disk, partition, or volume to recover data from it.

Instead of working directly on the storage device or drive, Stellar lets you perform recovery operations on this image file, reducing the risk of further damage. This comes in handy in case of failing hard drives and prevents permanent data loss.

Additionally, you can also scan encrypted storage as well as FileVault on Macs. Simply provide the password to unlock the drive for recovery.

Scanning

Stellar gives you two options: quick scan and deep scan, with a dedicated toggle button that you can select before starting the process. I chose the quick scan mode to scan an external NVMe hard disk, which took more than 25 minutes to complete, which is way longer than some competitors. As the scan goes on, you can see the list of all folders on your disk, as well as a dedicated file list that divides the data based on file type.

(Image credit: Future)

However, you cannot view the list of deleted items until the scan is complete, which is a bit disappointing. Competitors like EaseUS allow you to recover data while the scan is being run in the background. With Stellar, you have to wait until the scan is complete to be able to recover data.

That said, one good thing about Stellar is that it allows you to pause scans and resume them later. This comes in handy when you are scanning a bulky disk or working on an extended data recovery project.

(Image credit: Future)

Also, the software doesn’t consume a lot of CPU resources. The usage averaged 7-10% while the scans were running, which is pretty modest for a data recovery app.

Stellar Data Recovery: Installation and in-use experience

Installing Stellar is pretty simple. You'll find the free download button on its main website. Click on it and install the .exe file that downloads. Hit “Next” a few times and then click on “Finish” once the installation process is done. The whole process takes about 3 to 5 minutes, and the app launches as soon as installation is done.

(Image credit: Future)

The main interface is pretty modern, where you will find a list of all connected devices, physical disks, and common location addresses for you to recover data from. Since we had hooked up our external hard drive, we selected that location and ran a quick scan, which was a slow process as iterated above.

(Image credit: Future)

Now, the “pause” and “stop” features offered by Stellar are a bit buggy. If you click on “pause”, there is no way for you to go back to the main screen and scan any other drive. You must complete one particular scan first.

And if you click on “stop”, you will have to re-scan the whole drive from scratch the next time. Even if you want to recover a small 10 MB file, you will have to wait for the entire scanning process to complete before you can do that.

There’s also a bit of a learning curve involved with the software, which isn't ideal for beginners.

Stellar Data Recovery: How we tested

I first installed the free version of EaseUS on my Windows 11 system, with 16GB of RAM and a 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-12500H processor.

To test Stellar’s data recovery capability, I first downloaded an album of Mozart's music from the Internet Archive, which consisted of 22 files – 13 JPG files, 4 PNG files, 2 MP3 files, 2 FLAC files, and 1 torrent file. I copied this folder onto a 1.36 TB NTFS hard drive and connected it to my Windows 11 system.

I then deleted this folder and emptied the Recycle Bin. After this, I ran a scan with Stellar to find and recover the folder. Although the scan took longer than expected, Stellar was able to recover all the files in question.

Stellar Data Recovery: Support

Stellar Data Recovery users have access to phone, live chat, and online ticket support. Phone support is available worldwide, but only in English. We tested the live chat briefly and were connected with a friendly, knowledgeable agent within a minute.

There are also a few different self-help options available. The FAQ section provides simple answers to common questions, and the comprehensive knowledge base contains excellent step by step instructions on how to perform basic tasks like data recovery as well as helpful information like which file formats are supported by preview.

Stellar Data Recovery: The competition

There are numerous alternatives to Stellar Data Recovery which could better fit your needs. For example, the Ashampoo Undeleter is significantly cheaper (just $14.99 for a lifetime license) and is great for simple file recovery.

Data Rescue 5 is a more expensive alternative (starting at a $99 one-off payment for five recovery drives), but it comes with a selection of powerful features comparable to those of Stellar Data Recovery.

Stellar Data Recovery: Final verdict

Overall, Stellar does a pretty good job at its core function, which is recovering deleted or lost files. While the app experience is a bit buggy and scans take longer than expected, Stellar still offers decent value for money, considering you can get an annual plan for $59.99.

Features like disk imaging and recovery, which facilitate byte-to-byte disk backup and recovery, and the ability to pause and resume scans are an absolute win. The software is also not heavy on your computing resources, allowing you to go about your work while scans run in the background. All in all, Stellar Data Recovery stands as a reliable and well-rounded data recovery solution.

Check out the best free data recovery software and the best data recovery services.

How we tested Surfshark

There are two parts to our Surfshark review testing: lab testing and real world user experience. We do this to combine objectivity and subjectivity in our VPN reviews.

When I talk about “we” in this review, I’m referring to how Surfshark has performed in our VPN lab testing, as undertaken by TechRadar’s VPN Technical Editor, Mike Williams.

When I say that “I” did something in this review, I’m referring to me, Dan Sung, Editor in Chief of VPN at TechRadar, and I’m offering real world examples and insights from what I’ve learned using this product over many months.

Read more about our Surfshark testing methodology below▼

Surfshark review scores

Below is a breakdown of our Surfshark review scores for each category of testing. Click on the links in the Comments column for a deeper read on our thoughts.

Category

Score

Comments

Total

85 / 100

Excellent value with plenty of feature choice. One of the best value VPNs available. Read more ▼

Price plans & value

10 / 10

Surfshark is the best cheap VPN available. Choose the Surfshark One tier, which includes a full antivirus product, for the best value price plan. Read more ▼

Features

10 / 10

Surfshark’s Alternative ID fake profile feature is one of many useful in-app products in this very well put together VPN. Read more ▼

Server network

9 / 10

Surfshark is slightly lower on server locations than some but its global reach is excellent and the Nexus infrastructure brings huge network benefits. Read more ▼

Read all of Surfshark's review scores ▼

Privacy

9 / 10

Surfshark has very high standards of privacy and extensive privacy features. This is only slightly tarnished by its choice of jurisdiction. Read more ▼

Security

9 / 10

Surfshark scores well for security thanks to its built-in antivirus and its near-flawless kill switch. Its PQE could be more developed though. Read more ▼

Speed

8 / 10

Still the fastest VPN at full tilt but the connection is less consistent than others, and speeds are more average using distant servers. Read more ▼

Unblocking streams

7 / 10

Surfshark unblocks Netflix libraries, Disney Plus, Prime Video and BBC iPlayer but it struggles with some niche streaming services where rival VPNs don't. Read more ▼

P2P & Torrenting

4 / 5

Torrenting is solid and seamless with Surfshark but there's no help from the company itself on how to do it. There's no port forwarding either. Read more ▼

Apps & Compatibility

5 / 5

Surfshark has excellent apps covering all modern platforms. Its iOS app is uncommonly good; iPhone users should definitely consider Surfshark. Read more ▼

Usability

4 / 5

Surfshark is easy on the eye and a pleasure to use. Any quibbles we have on the kill switch toggle are really very minor. Read more ▼

Accessibility

2 / 5

Surfshark is a reasonable choice for partially sighted users but there are better VPNs for accessibility. Language support is average and keyboard-only access is poor. Read more ▼

Customer support

4 / 5

Surfshark has excellent customer service. Its support site is one of the best out there its live chat and email channels bring timely solutions. Read more ▼

Track record

4 / 5

Surfshark has a clean record for data breaches. It passed a no-logs audit in 2025 but that ought to be repeated annually, and we'd like apps and infrastructure audits, too. Read more ▼

Surfshark price plans

• Surfshark starts at $1.99 per month and is the best cheap VPN.
• Surfshark One is the best value of the three plans.
• Surfshark is the only premium VPN company with a 7-day free trial.

Surfshark normally starts at $1.99 per month, which is an excellent price for a top VPN, but there are actually three different Surfshark plans to choose from – Starter, One and One+.

This week, Surfshark is offering TechRadar readers exclusive access to its lowest-ever price. That means you can pick up a 2-year deal for just $1.78 a month, bringing the total cost for 28 months protection to less than $50.

You can sign up for just 1 month, 1 year or 2 years. Obviously, the longer you commit to, the cheaper the price you can get.

Whichever you choose, you get unlimited device connections, i.e. you can install a Surfshark app on as many different devices as you like on a single Surfshark account. There is a fair usage policy you can read on this but you'll be fine with 10-15, or even more devices, unless they’re all on, constantly, and downloading all the time.

Read more about Surfshark's price plans ▼

Even so, this unlimited connections policy is rare among the top VPNs and, for many, a good reason to choose it if you find the 10 device connections of NordVPN, ExpressVPN and Proton VPN, for example, not enough for your needs.

Like all VPNs, though, you do have to pay the total price for the entire length of and Surfshark plan upfront. The graph below is a good comparison of the total cost of each of the best VPN services we recommend at TechRadar.

Do be warned that unlike all other VPN companies (apart from NordVPN) Surfshark adds local tax to its advertised prices at checkout. So, if you’re in the UK, for example, you’ll have to pay VAT on top. And, of course, remember that these prices will fluctuate over the year.

Total price of each Surfshark plan (without tax)

Surfshark Starter

Surfshark One

Surfshark One+

1-month total price

$15.45

$17.95

$20.85

1-year total price

$47.85

$50.85

$94.35

2-year total price

$53.73

$67.23

$113.13

Surfshark is considerably cheaper than its biggest rivals. NordVPN’s cheapest 2-year plan is about 50% more expensive than Surfshark's. ExpressVPN Basic is nearly twice the price!

The table above shows the total prices for each Surfshark tier and plan length.

What sticks out to us from these totals are two things. First, the 1-month prices are terrible. Given Surfshark has a 7-day free trial, we’d advise you to sign up for a week instead and decide in that time if you want to commit for longer. Then, either go for the one or two-year plan.

The second, and more obvious, point on value is that the two-year plans are pretty tempting. You get the second year of Surfshark Starter, for example, for less than $10. That’s pretty compelling at that band, but arguably, it’s not quite as good for Surfshark One with the extra year only effectively half-price.

Per month cost of the three Surfshark plans

Surfshark Starter

Surfshark One

Surfshark One+

1-month price

$15.45/month

$17.95/month

$20.85/month

1-year price

$3.19/month

$3.39/month

$6.29/month

2-year price

$1.99/month

$2.49/month

$4.19/month

In other words, there's little point in going for 1-year Starter plan when the 2-year version isn't much more, but there's a decent argument for only shelling out for 12 months of Surfshark One.

If you’re looking for a real value proposition, though, it’s in the difference between Surfshark Starter and Surfshark One on the 1-year contract – just a couple of bucks, really which feels like a real no-brainer. There’s no point in going for the 1-year Starter when you can pick up Surfshark’s antivirus and ID breach alerts with the One plan instead.

Above is a table of the price per month for each Surfshark plan which is a slightly easier way to appreciate the value offer of each one.

There are cheaper VPNs out there – PrivadoVPN ($1.11) is a good option – but Surshark is an undeniable pound-for-pound sweet spot for price and features.

Score: 10/10

Features: What can Surfshark do?

• Alternative ID is a superb email and postal address protection tool.
• Surfshark is one of very few VPNs with a full antivirus included.
• ID breach alerts didn't spot my leaked credit card information.

Don’t be fooled by the price. Surfshark Starter is a very well stocked bundle.

Alongside the VPN product itself, the most significant feature is CleanWeb. It’s a catch-all name for Surfshark’s advert and cookie consent pop-up blocking system which aims to allow you to surf the web in relative peace.

I've used similar systems from competitors, like NordVPN’s Threat Protection and Proton VPN’s NetShield. You can read more about CleanWeb in the Privacy section of this review.

Margarito Philip Leland – my Surfshark Alternative ID profile. Easy to edit. Ready to copy and paste. Available on all Surfshark plans. (Image credit: Future Publishing)

Alternative ID is an important feature to pay attention to. Other VPN providers, such as Proton VPN, offer fake email addresses that will front for your own while still allowing emails to get through.

Read more about Surfshark's features ▼

You get a randomly generated email address – to use to fill out online forms, or give to people you don’t like, or whatever your need – and it automatically forwards any mail it receives to your real email address. You then cut it off and generate another email alias when you’re done with receiving whatever marketing mail it’s now attracted.

Proton offers this too but Surfshark takes it further.

Alternative ID is, in fact, a broader ID. It’s a name, postal address, email and even phone number (US only) to plug in online and stop scammers, spammers, and everyone else seeing your real details.

Right now, for example, I’m Margarito Philip Leland of 21 North 28th Ave East, Duluth, Minnesota, DOB 07/26/2005. Don’t bother trying to contact me because I’ll have ditched this ID by the time you're reading this article.

Surfshark Starter

Surfshark One

Surfshark One+

VPN

✅

✅

✅

Ad blocker

✅

✅

✅

Cookie pop-up blocker

✅

✅

✅

Alternative ID

✅

✅

✅

Search

❌

✅

✅

Web content blocker

❌

✅

✅

ID breach alerts

❌

✅

✅

Antivirus

❌

✅

✅

Email scam checker

❌

✅

✅

Incogni data removal

❌

❌

✅

Identity theft coverage

❌

❌

✅

I had a go at manually editing my Alternative ID persona. There are 10 email domains to choose from with options from the US, France, South Korea and Armenia, but I found I could write anything I wanted as the first part of the address.

For postal mail, the options I got were Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Germany Portugal and the US. Name and DOB can both be anything you want.

It's a great feature for signing up to services, giving to online stores and registering with news websites without having to worry about the spam. There's a handy quick-copy area on the homepage of the Surfshark app too which made filling in online forms all the faster. There's really very little not to love about it.

The only sad part is that the Alt number part is only in beta right now. It’s also only available in the States and you can’t use it to receive SMS verification codes, sadly, either. Still, I look forward to testing it out once it arrives in Europe.

Surfshark One

If you’re after antivirus too, then it’s time to step up to Surfshark One. PIA and Norton are the only other VPNs we recommend to have a full antivirus built-in along with the VPN.

NordVPN's Threat Protection Pro does have some AV features but it won't scan any apps and files you download, install, and use in real-time – and put a halt to any funny business before it’s too late – like Surfshark will.

The Surfshark antivirus ran daily scans of my entire device when I enabled it, and you can set to have it done at any time of day of your choosing. For obvious reasons, I opted for the dead of night.

You can toggle off either of these scans, and you can even opt out of scans of your storage drives, too.

None of these put our mobile battery life under any particular noticeable stress. With the real-time protection only kicking in when we installed apps and our daily scan set to nighttime when the phone was plugged in anyway, the extra processes were never a burden.

The clean look and feel of Surfshark Search – no sponsored links, no ads, just the search results you're looking for. Available with Surfshark One and One+. (Image credit: Future Publishing)

You can select to exclude certain apps if they keep pulling up false positives but it wasn't something I found I needed to do.

Surfshark One allows you to take the CleanWeb theme a little further with the Web Content Blocker tool, launched in October 2025. Still in beta, it still worked like a charm when I tried it.

It's very similar to Windscribe's content blocker. You choose from a list of eight different kinds of questionable content and decide what you don't want to be accessible through your browser. That includes adult sites, gambling, tobacco and vaping, hate and profanity, and others, as well as sites hosting phishing, scams, and malware.

What's really nice is that I was able to use it as a way of blocking access to these sites on my kids' phones without having to get involved with the often expensive and generally not particularly parental control apps.

That works because Web Content Blocker can be set up differently for each device you have and because you get unlimited devices connected to a single Surfshark account. I also really like that you don't have to have the VPN on to have Web Content Blocker activated, because I don't want the VPN masking my kids' browsing habits from me either.

The menu of content you can prevent access to with Surfshark's new web content blocker tool. (Image credit: Future Publishing)

Surfshark also launched Email Scam Checking for One (and One+) plans at a similar time. The tool uses AI to scan your emails for signs of a scam and flags any concerns found. Right now, it's only available for Gmail, but Surfshark is planning to extend support for the tool in future.

Lastly, and definitely not least, is Surfshark’s own private search engine. It's a super-clean, advert and sponsored results-free experience. Apart from the fact that it didn’t rank TechRadar very high for the term ‘Surfshark review’, I loved using it.

you can search without seeing a single ad, with no cookies or trackers, and Surfshark promises that it won't store anything about your search habits

You can choose any search location you like from a list of about 40 different countries without seeing a single ad, with no cookies or trackers, and Surfshark promises that it won't store anything about your search habits. ‘The real incognito mode’ is how it describes itself. I found it useful for comparing prices of clothing between the US and UK.

It’s actually quite refreshing and a bit of a reminder of what search looked like back in the day. It’s pretty amazing to realise what all of Google’s small changes have done to its experience over time, in comparison, but that’s a discussion for another place.

Honestly, it would take a bit of a push for me to use Surfshark's search all the time – it's hard to break the habit of the last 25 years – but with tabs for Web, Images and Videos only and gloriously uncluttered results, I'll certainly make the effort every now and then.

ID breach alerts

Alerts is a section unto itself in the Surfshark app. It's available in Surfshark One and One+ but I wanted to draw special attention to it because of something that happened while I was writing this review. More on that in a moment

Alerts (or 'ID breach alerts' as you'll find it called in the literature) scans the internet for any data breaches featuring your email addresses, credit card numbers and ID numbers too. It felt a bit strange handing over my info to Surfshark so that it could run those checks but the company promises that it doesn’t retain it.

Now, here's the interesting thing: chance had it that I was the victim of an attempted scam as I was writing this very section. I got a phone call from someone very convincingly pretending to be my credit card provider. They knew my card details, my name, my home address and clearly my phone number too.

They knew my card details, my name, my home address and clearly my phone number too.

They claimed to be from the fraud department and were questioning two transactions apparently made on my card in the UAE for around 27,000 Dirhams, and was I aware of them? Clearly I was not. So, the well spoken operator said they would then refund the amount to my account.

He asked me to open the app where I'd see a request for the refund. I opened the app. There was a request. But it was not for a refund. It was to make a payment of 27,000 Dirhams, about £5000.

"Press Confirm," they said.

"This is asking me to confirm a payment," I replied.

"No, this is the refund. Press confirm."

"No. It says 'payment'. I don't trust you."

They hung up.

I froze my card. I contacted my issuer and, I'm still shaking a bit at how close I just came to being defrauded. With stories about different UK retail stores getting hacked popping up every week, perhaps it's of little surprise.

My compromised credit card showing as 'no leaks found' according to the Surfshark Alert credit card monitoring system. Not a feature that's worked for me. Available with Surfshark One and One+. (Image credit: Future Publishing)

I'm also a little bit scared about my details too, and I'm pretty glad I'm writing reviews about products like Surfshark and that I've got the tools to help deal with this.

So, with that in mind, I put this particular bank card's details into Surfshark's credit card monitoring system. Sadly, Surfshark Alerts said No Leaks Found after scanning for a breach of this information. Hopefully, it will register it as exposed in the coming months but it's been a few weeks and I've seen no change yet.

It doesn't mean that Alerts doesn't work. It's very possible that my information was hacked and not exposed on the internet. It's just a pity that Alerts wasn't able to help in this instance.

If you're looking for a VPN for a very complete set of privacy and security features, then Surfshark is a great option

Alerts did a lot better with my email address. When I put in my general junky email, used for online forms and shops and such – where was Alternative ID when I needed it years ago – I was unsurprised to see 25 leak alerts. Thanks Adobe, DuoLingo, Last.fm, Houzz, Kickstarter MyFitnessPal and a bunch of other sites and services that are lucky I don’t have time to name and shame.

Surfshark detailed what was leaked of mine in each breach and then makes recommendations of what to do next. Probably a good idea to do what it says but, quite honestly, with 25 breaches do deal with, there just isn't enough time in the day. Hopefully, I'll be able to lower that number with every update of this page.

Surfshark One+

Top of the Surfshark price plan tree is Surfshark One+ which adds the Incogni which is designed to prevent the misuse of your personal data online.

If Alerts is your data health examination, then Incogni aims to be the cure. It's a data removal service which is currently only available in the US, UK, Canada, EU and Switzerland because of legal reasons. Those reasons are that, in those regions, data brokers are legally required to remove your details from their records when asked. And that’s what Incogni does on your behalf.

I’ve definitely noticed getting less spam in that time

I’ve actually been lucky enough to use Incogni on a long-term test now for over two years and apart from the odd email report, there’s not much visible that actually happens. I’ve definitely noticed getting less spam in that time but part of that has also been down to being more careful what I sign up for and whether I’m using my real ID or not.

Ultimately, it’s really difficult to evaluate and I wish I could give better advice here given that it's over 60% extra on top of the Surfshark One price.

Thankfully, you can also get up to $1 million in identity theft coverage if you get a One+ plan in the US. A bit like Incogni, it's difficult to tangibly assess the benefits of this without having my identity stolen, but it certainly adds value to the plan, given the massive price jump from a One plan.

While the effectiveness of all of Surfshark's tools is not crystal clear, it's obvious by looking at the VPN feature comparison table that customers get lots of them to use, more so than most other VPN service providers.

If you're looking for a VPN for a very complete set of privacy and security features, then Surfshark is a great option, and at an excellent price point too.

Score: 10/10

Server network and locations

• 100 countries with servers, 142 server locations, over 4,500 total servers.
• Very few servers in Africa but that's similar to other VPNs.
• FastTrack technology to bring higher network speeds in coming months.

Surfshark doesn’t cover quite as many countries (100) and locations (142) as the server network market leader NordVPN (135 countries and 211 locations), but it still gets top marks in this department.

That’s because its global spread is well chosen. It largely keeps up with just as many server countries in the traditionally less well-covered continents of Asia, South America and Oceania as most of its rival VPNs.

In fact, the European server network is as robust as the rest of the pack, too. It’s only Africa and the Middle East where, like ExpressVPN, it's noticeably shorter than NordVPN and Proton VPN.

Server list on the Surfshark Windows app. Plenty of US server locations available. (Image credit: Future)

Surfshark's 34 North America server locations are fine, just short of Proton's 35. But recent improvements to other VPNs mean its far below the likes of NordVPN (74) and ExpressVPN (71).

Read more about Surfshark's server network ▼

Surfshark states on its server list that some of the locations are virtual, and that’s refreshing given that other VPNs hide that. We spot checked the actual likely location of 25 servers on Surfshark’s list. It was accurate in all but one case where the company had accidentally marked Peru down as a virtual server when it really is based in Lima. If there are to be mistakes, then we’re certainly glad that they’re false positive ones.

Sever networks are about more than just quantity, though. Surfshark uses RAM-only servers which brings important benefits that we discuss in the Privacy section.

That's more or less a VPN industry standard but where Surfshark elevates itself is with how it connects those servers together. It's developed a holistic use of all of those pathways in what it calls its Nexus network infrastructure. It connects users to the entire network rather than the single VPN server they're choosing.

Through that system Surfshark can offer a fair few benefits, not least of which is FastTrack smart routing technology which aims to speed up connection by choosing the most time efficient pathways through the network.

It uses globally distributed probes which monitor the Surfshark network in real-time. They keep track of capacity and performance. That way the FastTrack system can figure out how to route VPN traffic to ensure that users get the fastest possible connections while still taking them to the end-point server that they've selected, and with an appropriate IP address.

FastTrack launched in August, 2025. Right now, it's only available on macOS and only when connecting to the Seattle, Vancouver or Sydney servers but Surfshark claims it's made up to 70% speed improvements for customers. We look forward to the company rolling it out across the board soon.

Something a little closer to home for those in Europe is the arrival of Surfshark's first 100 Gbps servers as unveiled in Amsterdam in October 2025. That's a 10 times improvement in server bandwidth designed to cope for the modern demands of 4K streaming, gaming, VR, and remote work.

It's certainly a good headline but, cynicism aside, it's an excellent sign. Surfshark has been a market leader when it comes to investing in the future of its server network in 2025.

Everlink, released in June, 2025, is another network quality boost from Surfshark. It's a patented backup system for your VPN connection. The idea is that if the VPN drops, your app doesn’t disconnect immediately. Instead, Everlink automatically connects you to a new and working server.

It might take a few seconds and, if you happen to be browsing at the time, it’s possible you’ll find a web page that doesn't download properly. But, for the most part, Surfshark says you won’t even notice anything.

We don’t have a test for Everlink yet, but it sounds promising. Dropped connections aren’t just a usability hassle, they also risk data and IP leaks. If Everlink can reduce unexpected disconnections, then that’s very good privacy news.

The other big benefits of Nexus, and its flexible, multi-server pathways, are Surfshark's rotating IP tech, new multi-IP tech, and its excellent MultiHop system. You can read more about those in the Privacy section.

For now, suffice to say that Surfshark's server network is cutting-edge and, from everything we've seen, we're only expecting improvements over the next 12 months.

Score: 9/10

Privacy

• Super clear, user-friendly privacy policy; no-logs system.
• Top privacy features: Camouflage Mode, MultiHop & Rotating IP.
• Subject to possible 'Nine Eyes' international information sharing agreement.

Surfshark operates using a no-logs system. Its servers do record some information to check user access (encrypted credentials, timestamps and billing information) but it’s lost around 15 minutes after each user session. It never stores anything to do with traffic data such as destination IPs, DNS queries, data transferred, downloaded files or browsing history.

This is exactly how a secure VPN should operate and, having read through Surfshark’s privacy policy, we’re satisfied that there’s nothing else amiss here either. Surfshark uses standard good practice all the way.

As privacy policies go, it’s actually incredibly user friendly and worth taking a look at for yourself. It’s organised into a set of easily digestible questions and answers rather than swathes of contract-style legalese.

Surfshark doesn’t have its own, proprietary obfuscation technology like Proton VPN’s Stealth protocol. So, if it’s vital that you’re not spotted using a VPN, Surfshark probably isn’t the best option.

Read more about Surfshark's privacy credentials ▼

Nonetheless, it still offers ‘Camouflage Mode’ which kicks into action whenever you choose OpenVPN. The company says that it hides your traffic to bypass content filters. OpenVPN also means you’ll be on Surfshark’s dedicated Obfuscated Servers which are designed to make it particularly hard for your ISP to see that you’re connected to a VPN.

You can use the OpenVPN protocol in both UDP and TCP form. The former is better when high speeds are important (streaming, gaming or VoIP) and TCP is good for the kind of reliability you need when web browsing, emailing or during P2P file transfer.

If you’d rather err on the side of speed, then just stick with Surfshark's default option of WireGuard. IKEv2 is also a choice on Android, Mac and iOS but not Windows.

Like most of the best VPNs, Surfshark uses RAM-only servers with no hard drives or SSDs where it could store data. That makes it both faster and safer, from the user's point of view.

Any time RAM-only servers are switched off, any data stored on them temporarily is lost. So, if those servers are seized, then the parties taking ownership of them get nothing but the hardware in their hands. Equally, changes from a malicious software attacks could be undone by Surfshark simply turning the servers off and on again – an IT help centre’s dream.

The effect here is that no user data is logged or kept in any way, so you can rest assure that your online activities are kept utterly private by Surfshark.

Surfshark received a number of user complaints when it changed its legal jurisdiction from the British Virgin Islands to the Netherlands, given that the Dutch are part of the Nine Eyes international information sharing agreement but given there are no logs to share, it's hard to see that there’s any real disadvantage here. Don't let it put you off unless you really feel like you need that double layer of protection.

no user data is logged or kept in any way, so you can rest assure that your online activities are kept utterly private by Surfshark

Surfshark has some interesting options for the privacy-conscious when it comes to server connection. Normally, you connect to a server and it assigns you a random IP address until you disconnect and then a different one next time. But you can choose to maintain a static IP instead. This means that it remains the same throughout your session.

Now, in terms of privacy that’s maybe not great. It leaves more browsing behaviour connected to a single IP that a third party could trace from start to finish and therefore have a clearer picture about what a single user is doing. Keep up that browsing behaviour pattern long enough and they might even be able to figure out who you are.

At the same time, a static IP can be useful. There are web services that work by white listing IP addresses. A static IP that’s known and accepted will make it easier to access them wherever you are. It might remove a layer of authentication each time you access.

In general, though, static IPs aren’t a great idea for VPN traffic because it makes it easier to track you. So, we’d recommend enable the Rotating IP option, even if that makes for more CAPTCHAs.

That said, if you do often get blocked trying to access a certain site, and then find a Surfshark server that works, you might want add that location as a favourite and use it as a static IP.

Rotating IPs makes it harder for a website or web service to track you in its logs. In a single, long session, you’ll appear as multiple visitors. So, this is a definite boost to Surfshark’s privacy credentials. Only ExpressVPN offers something similar with its ShuffleIP.

Multihop (available on all Surfshark plans) is fully customisable. Create a connection to travel through any pair of Surfshark servers to help maximize privacy. (Image credit: Future Publishing)

Quite the opposite to a static IP, then, the system automatically connects you via a different IP address after 2-10 minutes – and all without the real world experience of a disconnection. (Streaming was a little more glitchy when using IP rotation, though, so do consider switching it off if you run into problems.)

You get a little status message letting you know when your next IP rotation will be and what address you’re assigned, although, actually, in practice, the timing was often quicker than stated. And, when we checked with WhatIsMyIPAddress.com, the address reported by Surfshark was accurate every single time.

So, how does Surfshark manage to switch your IP without dropping the connection? That's down to its Nexus network infrastructure (see Server Network section), ensuring that there's always a server somewhere along the path to provide online access while the IP on the destination server is switched.

The other excellent privacy application of the Nexus structure is Surfshark’s brilliantly flexible MultiHop VPN system, which is one of the very best out there.

The joined up nature of the Nexus-powered servers means that, unlike other VPNs, you can create your own double jump server pathways between almost any locations available, instead of the small handful of pre-programmed routing options that most other VPN providers offer.

That allows users to design custom, faster MultiHop connections, with start and end point servers which aren’t too far away from you and from one another.

In fact, you can even choose Fastest Location or Nearest Country within the MultiHop menu for the Nexus system to make the best suggestion for you. We particularly like that you can see latency speeds next to the options on the list so that you can really aim for maximal performance.

We checked to see the kind of effect you can expect when using two servers per connection like this. Using a pathway of two servers nearby (in our case, two different Ireland server locations) produced speeds very similar a single hop transatlantic connection which we benchmarked at 391Mbps. It was only once we started picking huge journeys, around the word for the first hop and then back all the way for the second, that we noticed speeds dipping.

Surfshark also launched Multi IP for Mac users in November 2025. This slightly differs from rotating IP, in that it gives you a new IP for every new website or session you start, but consequently serves the same goal of retaining a connection while reducing the ability of third parties to track what you do. Similarly, it also offers slightly less robust protection than a multihop connection. Regardless, it's a super handy feature for Mac users if you're looking to remain secure without risking sacrificing speed.

Of course, there’s no need to sacrifice speed on all your apps and services if you use Surfshark’s split-tunnel feature, Bypasser. It works on all four major platforms and allowed us to pick both individual apps and websites to either specifically exclude or include from the VPN tunnel.

This is a great way of working if you want to use Surfshark for something specific like torrenting, or if you want to watch your local streaming service without confusing it into thinking that you’re trying to tune in from somewhere else.

The only real privacy feature absent from the Surfshark roster is Tor Over VPN. We could still use the Tor browser manually after connecting to Surfshark on our Windows laptop but it’s not built into the app. If Tor's added layer of online anonymity is a feature you need, then you’ll want to use Proton VPN or NordVPN instead.

Unlike other VPNs, you can create your own double jump server pathways between almost any locations

Surfshark’s CleanWeb function takes care of your search by stripping out as many trackers and ads as possible. There’s a bit of a slow down when it comes to page load time but the results are well worth it.

It took all of the cookie consent requests out of our browsing as we read the football pages of the UK and European news sites. And the grey blocks where adverts used to be were certainly less distracting than all the sticky videos and other images that usually get in the way.

If you want to go the whole hog, though, try Surfshark’s very own in-app private search, available on Surfshark One and One+ plans. More details on that in the Features section above.

Score: 9/10

Security

• Excellent kill switch available on all major platforms.
• Decent phishing and malware protection boosted by a browser extension.
• Post-quantum encryption not available on all platforms

Surfshark's choice of VPN encryption, and it's platter of security features, give us plenty of reasons for confidence. It doesn't hit the same heights as the other top VPNs in all of our results below but then it's a fraction of the price of most of them and our tests are pretty exacting.

Surfshark’s AES-256-GCM and ChaCha20 encryption algorithms are pretty standard, solid stuff when it comes to incredibly hard to crack encoding of your internet traffic.

The company uses 2048-bit RSA encryption keys which is easily enough safeguarding. Proton VPN takes things a little further with 4096-bit keys just in case you have extreme security demands.

Kill switch warning on the Surfshark Windows app explaining how kill switches work. (Image credit: Future)

A more pressing for issue for Surfshark is its post-quantum encryption (PQE) credentials. It deserves increasing attention as quantum computers, and their extreme number crunching powers, arrive on the scene.

Read more about Surfshark's security credentials ▼

Surfshark doesn’t have a huge amount to say about PQE on its website, just that “Surfshark has implemented post-quantum protection on top of the WireGuard protocol”.

Not wanting to remain behind the curve as we head into 2026, Surfshark recently announced that post-quantum cryptography (PQC) has been integrated into the WireGuard protocol for more devices.

The measure will enhance user security when it comes to quantum computing threats, like breaches and "harvest now, decrypt later" attacks, and is enabled by default on most platforms. These include Mac, Linux, and Android.

Although iOS and Windows are two big omissions from that list, getting them covered, too, should be the next step in Surfshark's plan of post-quantum protection.

This is nothing out of the ordinary currently. PQE technology in VPNs is still very much in the embryonic stage.

Only ExpressVPN has gone further in its 1200-word blog post about its implementation of PQE in its Lightway protocol.

Surfshark recently announced that post-quantum cryptography (PQC) has been integrated into the WireGuard protocol

Until then, there’s still plenty to keep you safe with Surfshark.

Auto-connect is a handy feature that prevents accidental leaks of your real IP address. It's a great privacy-boosted, and we really like Surfshark's version of it.

Once activated, it automatically connected using the VPN on any network that I specifically didn't mark as Trusted. I didn't want it to auto-connect on my home Wi-Fi, for example, where I want to choose what my ISP does and doesn't see, depending on what apps and services I'm accessing.

What I really like is that I can also choose which VPN server I want Surfshark to auto-connect to. I set it to auto-connect the 'Fastest connection' preset no matter what.

Auto-connect looks and works the same across iOS, Windows and Mac. The only exception is on Android which also allows you to use it on mobile networks too – great for privacy on the go.

The gold standard for IP leak safety, though, is the VPN kill switch and Surfshark’s got full marks in our tests. There’s a kill switch on all platforms, as we would expect.

It comes in two forms: Soft Mode, which blocks your internet access if the VPN unexpectedly drops; and Strict Mode which simply blocks any internet access unless the VPN is connected in the first place.

Strict Mode is the more secure option, certainly, but I found that it slowed my speeds a little. I also encountered more CAPTCHAs and blocked websites during my day-to-day browsing, as well as issues with apps that aren't compatible with the VPN.

Soft Mode is the better option for most people, especially as Surfshark's kill switch performs well by itself.

Surfshark is one of the only VPNs with a full antivirus built in. This is the desktop version. It's available on Surfshark One and One+. (Image credit: Future Publishing)

We tried breaking the VPN connection in a few different ways – turning the router on and off, walking out of range of a Wi-Fi hotspot, stopping services, closing processes and more – and Surfshark blocked the internet every time.

The only difference between Surfshark and the very best in this department, NordVPN, is that Surfshark didn’t always manage to recover the application and reconnect every time. NordVPN’s activated the switch, spotted the precise problem, resolved it, and then got us up and running again without us really noticing that anything had happened.

Surfshark still performed far better than most VPNs, and correctly blocked our internet in every test, though, and that’s what most matters for security.

Surfshark’s CleanWeb feature helps out for security, as well as its ad blocking and cookie consent pop-up blocking features we mentioned in the Privacy section. It cuts out phishing and malware websites too.

We tested CleanWeb with 50 up-to-date URLs for each, from the very newest phishing and malware sites sourced on the day of testing itself.

Surfshark's effectiveness for blocking sites that host phishing attacks is a little subpar, blocking only 48%. It's around half as effective as ExpressVPN (76%) and Proton VPN (88%), and a long way behind NordVPN (92%).

It's also adequate forad blocking, blocking 44% of ads, and if you use the Surfshark browser extension (available on Firefox, Chrome, and Edge) alongside your platform app, you'll maximize its chances of succeeding.

Surprisingly, ExpressVPN and Proton VPN didn't manage to detect and block access to any of the latest malware hosting sites in our last lab test. So, even the fact that Surfshark score 28% is actually a pretty strong result.

What's more, CleanWeb is available with all Surfshark plans, which start as low as $1.99 per month. NordVPN's high scores come courtesy with Threat Protection Pro technology which is not included in its entry level tier. To get the benefits of Threat Protection Pro, you'd need to pay a minimum of $3.89 per month – nearly double the price.

Also, bear in mind that the bar we set for the test above is a high one. The figures above would be considerably higher if we tested CleanWeb, and the others, against threats that were even just two days old. Nonetheless, the biggest names in antivirus, such as Norton, Bitdefender, and Avira deliver results to the same tests that are up above 90%.

So, is Surfshark’s CleanWeb a replacement for the very best dedicated AV? Not quite, but it’s well worth using and, like most of Surfshark's features, a bargain. More to the point, it will protect users against most of the nasties out there. So, do switch it on if you have it.

Score: 9/10

Speed

• Among the fastest WireGuard VPNs to local servers.
• OpenVPN speeds are good too, and long-distance performance has improved.
• Surfshark has considerably higher latency and jitter than other top VPNs.

Previously rated as the fastest VPN available, Surfshark has taken a bit of a dip in our latest round of speed testing but still has a strong claim to that title.

What’s more, we still think Surfshark is a good performer in the gran scheme of things. Anyone looking for a fast VPN should not be put off.

We’ve recently broadened our VPN lab speed testing process. We take even more data points than before and have increased our maximum speed capacity from 1 Gbps up to 10 Gbps.

Read more about Surfshark's speed ▼

Surfshark's fastest protocol, WireGuard – available on all Surfshark apps – clocked the second-fastest download speed when we connected to the nearest server to our lab's speed rig. At a median average of 1021 Mbps, it's fractionally bested by NordVPN's NordLynx, which achieved 1249 Mbps

Over long distance (Europe to the US) Surfshark looked much better than previously, though. Its 935 Mbps score is considerably higher than the competition. That's something to consider if you're set to be accessing far-flung servers on a regular basis.

We were pleased to see download speeds are good with the more privacy-focused OpenVPN protocol on Surfshark, achieving 825 Mbps. This is also more than NordVPN's mere 688 Mbps.

However, Surfshark's speed claims take a further knock when you consider overall performance. For almost all distances and protocols, we recorded latency and jitter rates than were pretty much twice as bad as the other top VPNs.

In real terms, that means we would expect higher levels of lag than usual when gaming and more buffering than most when streaming, the latter of which was certainly true in my home streaming experience. (More on that in the Streaming section just below.)

High jitter can lead to poor quality real-time applications, although I didn't notice any problems when I used Surfshark during WhatsApp voice calls or when video conferencing on Google Meet for work.

All in all, though, it's a mixed picture and not quite what we were hoping for.

A VPN engineer once said to me that, beyond certain speeds, it's really latency that's more important when considering VPN performance. If that's true, then Surfshark's fast download data feels a bit hollow.

Of course, speed testing is only ever a snapshot of a moment, with little regard for comparative server network conditions. All the same, despite the headline figures, we'd hope for a better show from Surfshark next time.

Score: 8/10

Unblocking streaming services

• Surfshark unblocks Netflix libraries, and other services, but with major inconsistency.
• Struggles to unblock US-only YouTube content from other countries.
• CleanWeb needs disabling to stream ad-funded streaming services.

Surfshark isn’t quite in the same league as NordVPN when it comes to unblocking streaming services but it’s mostly a good choice on this front.

Like NordVPN, and most of the best VPN services, all of Surfshark’s servers are optimzed for streaming. I didn’t need to waste any time trying to find lists of streaming servers. I just found the country I wanted and connected to any server on the list.

We tested Surfshark to see if it could unblock Netflix in five different locations and it struggled. It took several attempts to access the US library, and failed entirely in the UK and Australia. That said, we had no issues in Canada or Japan.

Amazon US/UK

Disney+ US/UK

YouTube US

NordVPN

✅

✅

❌

Surfshark

❌

❌

❌

ExpressVPN

❌

✅

✅

Proton VPN

✅

❌

❌

Read more about Surfshark's streaming service unblocking ▼

We also found that Surfshark servers couldn't be used to unblock Amazon Prime Video in the US or Australia, Canada, or Japan, no matter how we tried, though the UK was fine. This is a change from our last test when Surfshark saw success with this service.

YouTube US is one that none of our VPN services managed to unblock this time. We choose a licensed US-geo-locked test video and we weren't able to stream it from the UK with Surfshark or any of the others. This is worth considering if you tend to watch YouTube more than any other platform, although most videos tend not to be geo-specific.

Peacock was another US service Surfshark struggled with. While it would access the site successfully, the stream would then drop out on several instances during a one to two hour watching session. This is something we never experienced with other providers.

Surfshark proved useful at unblocking all of the free streaming services we tried in the UK and Australia, though. It has a cross next to ITV in the table below because Surfshark didn't manage to unblock it at the first attempt but, again, it did succeed after a server switch.

Surfshark had previously had similar issues when trying to access 10Play in Australia but there were no troubles in this round of tests.

BBC iPlayer

ITV

Channel 4

TVNZ Plus

NordVPN Plus

✅

✅

✅

✅

Surfshark

✅

✅

✅

✅

ExpressVPN

✅

✅

✅

✅

Proton VPN

✅

❌

❌

❌

It's worth noting that you may need to disable CleanWeb when trying to watch shows on ad-funded streaming services such as Channel 4 and ITV. CleanWeb's built-in ad-blocker, and the streamer's need to serve reels of ads before and between the programming, don't work well together and cause things to grind to a halt.

The only downside, of course, is that it does leave you without web-based malware blocking for a time. So, make sure you're watching a trusted service. And make sure to turn CleanWeb back on after.

When we tested Proton VPN we found the same problem but the significant difference there is that we could turn off just the ad-blocking of NetShield while leaving the malware protection running. We also didn’t have to disconnect and reconnect to change the setting, unlike with CleanWeb.

Ultimately, if you're not prepared to tinker – and why should you – then NordVPN is the best streaming VPN but let Surfshark's results in this department put you off. It's still good for unblocking streams.

Score: 7/10

P2P and torrenting

• Torrenting supported at all of Surfsharks server locations.
• Search for P2P optimized servers for best performance.
• No port forwarding.

Surfshark works well for torrenting thanks to its high download speeds and reliable privacy.

I opted for the OpenVPN protocol using TCP to be doubly sure my ISP wouldn't be able to see what I was up to. Sure enough, I've had no nasty letters through the post.

Using uTorrent, I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary as I chose a selection of different file sizes to download. Knowing that Surfshark performs significantly better over short connection distances (see Speed section) I made sure to choose the closest server possible.

All of Surfshark’s locations support torrenting but only some are optimised for P2P use and they’re not so easy to find as with Proton VPN or NordVPN, both which have P2P filters on their server choice lists in the apps.

We figured out that you can type ‘P2P’ into the search field of the server location list with Surfshark and the system will narrow to include only the torrenting optimized servers, but even then it’s very hard to tell that that’s what you’re looking at. There’s nothing in the knowledge base or help sections about it. How most people are supposed to discover this is a bit of a mystery.

The actual torrenting experience, though, once connected, is very similar to any of the top VPNs. My connection speed was limited more by the number and quality of peers for the file I tried to download.

Like many VPNs these days, Surfshark does not support port forwarding for reasons of security – understandable given that’s a VPN’s prime function. You can read Surfshark’s take on it here.

The article even suggests a way you can set up port forwarding manually but, if that’s really something you want that much, then you’re best off choosing Proton VPN which supports the feature directly in its apps.

Score: 4/5

Compatibility

• Surfshark is compatible with all modern platforms.
• Exceptionally large feature set available for iPhone users.
• Use browser extensions for maximum privacy.

Surfshark does a good job of keeping consistency in look, feel, and functionality across its suite of apps. In fact, it scores better than most top VPN vendors with almost all of its features supported on mobile as well as desktop.

iPhone users should take particular notice. Surfshark’s iOS app is exceptionally well stocked compared to the normally underpowered versions peddled by most VPN companies. Split tunneling, auto connect, and use of all three of Surfshark’s VPN protocols are present and correct on both major mobile operating systems.

Like all the very top VPNs, Surfshark is compatible with every modern platform you’d care to mention. There are apps for the likes of Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Linux as well as the usual big four of Windows, Mac, Android and iOS.

Features available on iPhone

Surfshark

NordVPN

ExpressVPN

Proton VPN

Kill switch

✅

✅ (automatic)

✅

✅

Autoconnect

✅

✅

❌

❌

Split tunneling

✅ (websites only)

❌

❌

❌

Protocols

WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2

NordLynx, OpenVPN

Lightway, OpenVPN, IKEv2

WireGuard, Stealth

Malware blocking

✅

❌

✅

✅

GPS spoofing

❌

❌

❌

❌

Custom DNS

❌

❌

❌

❌

Read more about Surfshark's compatibility ▼

There are also Chrome, Edge and Firefox browser extensions and these are more important than you might think.

We’d recommend using Surfshark from within your browser to get the most out of the CleanWeb phishing, advert and malware blocking abilities of your VPN, for example. It’ll keep you a little safer online even if the VPN itself is turned off. See the Security section for more details.

But, there's more. Surfshark's browser extensions can mask your real location better than using just using your device's VPN app alone. That's because some websites can ask your browser its country-level location. That’s not something that’s related to your IP address.

We found we got fewer CAPTCHAs when we tried it. Searching Google for VPN-related terms often digs up request for bicycles, buses and road crossing identifications but it was a rare event with Surfshark's Chrome extension on.

We’d recommend using Surfshark from within your browser to get the most out of the CleanWeb phishing, advert and malware blocking abilities of your VPN

The browser extension doubles down on protecting your real location with its ‘Block WebRTC’ feature too. WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communications) is another internet technology which can be used by websites to find your real IP address. Surfshark’s browser extension should stop any red flags by making sure WebRTC doesn’t run on your device.

Putting a VPN onto your router is never a piece of cake but, like most good VPNs, it is possible with Surfshark. It requires a manual installation of the software but, beginners, be not afraid – there is an excellent post on the Surfshark blog of how to get this done, and a supporting article with information for specific routers, protocols (WireGuard/OpenVPN/IKEv3 and firmware (OpenWRT / OPNsense / TP-Link).

Surfshark does a good job of maintaining all of its apps with regular updates to many of them throughout the year.

We took a look at the number of updates that the big VPN providers made to their iOS apps between January and December 2025 for an indicator of how well they support their software. iOS apps are often the least well maintained.

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The real outliers here are CyberGhost and PIA, neither of which appear to be putting much into app development right now.", "keywords": [ "NordVPN", "Surfshark", "ExpressVPN", "Proton VPN", "PureVPN", "Mullvad", "IPVanish", "Windscribe", "CyberGhost", "Private Internet Access", "iOS app updates", "benchmark", "comparison", "performance", "review", "TechRadar" ], "measurementTechnique": "Performance Benchmarking", "variableMeasured": [ { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "NordVPN – iOS app updates", "value": 23, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Surfshark – iOS app updates", "value": 21, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "ExpressVPN – iOS app updates", "value": 25, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Proton VPN – iOS app updates", "value": 22, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "PureVPN – iOS app updates", "value": 18, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Mullvad – iOS app updates", "value": 9, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "IPVanish – iOS app updates", "value": 10, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Windscribe – iOS app updates", "value": 11, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "CyberGhost – iOS app updates", "value": 0, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Private Internet Access – iOS app updates", "value": 3, "unitText": "number" } ]} iOS app updates in 2025

This is the number of updates the iOS apps of each of these VPNs has had in 2025

iOS app updates NordVPN 23 Surfshark 21 ExpressVPN 25 Proton VPN 22 PureVPN 18 Mullvad 9 IPVanish 10 Windscribe 11 CyberGhost 0 Private Internet Access 3 iOS app updates Data ProductValue (number) NordVPN 23 Surfshark 21 ExpressVPN 25 Proton VPN 22 PureVPN 18 Mullvad 9 IPVanish 10 Windscribe 11 CyberGhost 0 Private Internet Access 3 Surfshark's apps are well cared for by the development team. The real outliers here are CyberGhost and PIA, neither of which appear to be putting much into app development right now. 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Looking at the table above, Surfshark is certainly one of the better companies for this with it pretty much on a par with other top VPNs Proton VPN, NordVPN and ExpressVPN.

The overall story for us here is that Surfshark has done a really good job, and we’re confident that it will continue to do so on whatever platform you wish to use.

Score: 5/5

Usability

• Make sure to disable the auto-renew function on set-up.
• Clear and consistent UX across all major Surfshark apps.
• Kill switch mode should be clearer on the UI.

After signing up for a Surshark account (don’t forget to take advantage of the Surfshark 7-day free trial while it’s here), the Surfshark online dashboard is a good place to start.

There’s a handy set-up guide to make sure you get the best of all the features – connecting to the VPN, setting up Antivirus, data leak alerts, Surfshark’s search and how to use Alternative ID. All well worth your time.

It’s also a good place to download your apps and extensions. The Download apps panel is surprisingly complete. There are QR codes to scan and buttons both of which offer direct links to the relevant app stores for smart TVs, browser extensions and Linux as well as the big four laptop, phone and tablet apps. You can even pick up the Android APK for any side-loading you might need to do.

Read more about Surfshark's usability ▼

The only thing to watch out for is that we got a little confused by the Windows app installer. It said “Welcome to Surshark One Security Suite Setup Wizard”, when we’d only purchased Surfsharker Starter originally. Sadly, it wasn’t a free upgrade. Ignore it. That’s how the standard installer lookers.

You can access the help center, view the length left of your subscription and, of course, upgrade to a dedicated IP address and an Alternative ID phone number while you're there, should you wish.

Switch off auto-renew and avoid a nasty price hike

Our top tip of all, though, is to head immediately to the Payments tab in the Your Subscriptions section of the My Account menu where you can switch off auto-renew and avoid a nasty price hike once the term of your original subscription ends. Ignore this at your peril, or face paying about twice what you did originally per month on a 12-month contract.

If you do get stung by Surfshark’s auto-renewal, though, don’t panic. The company cares about its reputation and its customers. A little sweet talk to the customer support within a week and you’re highly likely to get a refund.

User Experience

The Surfshark user experience is pretty much identical across the range. There are differences – Android has a home tab, Windows and iOS don’t, for example – but the look and feel is consistent and all the features and settings are in very similar places.

Like all good VPN apps, there are short explainers next to most of the settings and that’s important because it’s by far and away the easiest way to learn about the product. Only Proton VPN stands out as superior on this front with an info button that opens up some really clear pop-up explainers, that are as easy to understand as they are to dismiss.

There’s no map on any Surfshark app. All server locations are listed in alphabetical order and that’s perfectly sensible and easy to navigate. There’s also a search bar to stop you having to scroll to the bottom for UK, US and everything else that’s useful down there.

You can even search for the kind of server you want, instead of the location. Type in ‘P2P’ if you want one for torrenting, for example. We typed in ‘Frank’ and got not only the main Frankfurt server but also a list of those with static IPs as well as the preset MultiHop route of Frankfurt via the GB-London server.

Surfshark home page running on Android. It's a very clear interface easy access to VPN server selection and connection. There is tabbed access to the settings and product features at the bottom. (Image credit: Future Publishing)

If that’s not fast enough for you, there are connection shortcuts with buttons for your recently used servers, your fastest available connection and your nearest country too. There are also stars next to each server in the list so that you can favourite ones that you like or use most often.

We prefer the tabbed layout on the Windows app compared to the mobile versions but then that’s not a huge surprise given that there’s more space to play with on a laptop screen. The tabs make a bit more sense on a computer (VPN, Alternative ID, Alerts, Antivirus, Search and Settings). It’s quick access to pretty much everything you need right there.

Compare that to the four tabs on Android – Home, Products, News, Settings. News doesn’t really offer much but head to Products and you’ll find a list of the same tabbed sections as on the Windows app. In other words, access to the same areas is one step removed. It’s not a big deal and it still works fine.

The desktop apps are still actually quite small – more than the budget mobile port look and feel of cheaper VPNs like Hide.me, Windscribe and PrivadoVPN but nothing like the luxury of space you get with NordVPN, Proton VPN or ExpressVPN.

We don’t really mind that. It’s still attractive, tidy and maybe a massive VPN software windows is exactly the kind of getting-in-the-way that VPNs shouldn’t do. It’s also kind of fitting of Surfshark’s more reasonable price point.

Surfshark's desktop application is not a full screen desktop experience but I don't have a problem with that. It's neat, tidy, easy to use and doesn't get in the way of your other apps and files. (Image credit: Future Publishing)

It’s also a misnomer to think that its size means less complexity. The Surfshark Windows app has 23 buttons, icons and other areas where you can click something. NordVPN’s Windows app also has 23. Proton VPN comes in at a similar 19.

If you want something really stripped back but still nicely put together, then go for ExpressVPN with its 13 – but then that does mean fewer functions at your fingertips. It depends on what you’d rather trade off.

Probably the only part of the Windows UX that we find a bit odd is the VPN home page itself, or, more specifically, the information that’s on there. There’s data on connection time, VPN IP address, up and download data so far, what protocol you’re using and whether or not CleanWeb is on.

It’ll also tell you when the kill switch is enabled, but, the strange part is that it says nothing about the kill switch at all when it’s off – and that’s exactly when you need to know about the kill switch: when it’s not protecting you!

Oddly, Android users can tell if it’s off because it’s displayed as a toggle rather than the word On or Off.

Is it a problem? Well, potentially but you can avoid it by making sure your kill switch is activated by default. Otherwise, it would be a concern if your real IP was leaking and you didn’t know about it.

That aside, we really have no complaints to make about how Surshark has put its apps together. They’re easy on the eye and generally a pleasure to use.

Score: 4/5

Accessibility

• Middling accessibility score for the Surfshark website.
• Average language support.
• Extremely poor for keyboard-only use.

Surfshark's accessibility credentials are so-so, at best with both the website and number of languages available in-app about average. Keyboard support is really quite poor but Siri voice commands for VPN functionality save the day for iOS users.

We used AccessibilityChecker to scan Surfshark’s home page and it came out with a score of 23%. It’s only a single page but it’s a good indicator of what to expect across its website.

That’s a long way behind the likes of Mullvad (95%) and NordVPN (65%), but in the same ballpark as providers like Proton VPN (35%), ExpressVPN (32%) and Private Internet Access (10%).

The audit report showed that Surfshark’s website passed all navigation tests. It was deemed to also have increasing issues surrounding screen reader support.

Read more about Surfshark's accessibility ▼

Equally, the site uses an appropriate color scheme, and text with strong contrast, even though it didn’t match color contrast standards across a few elements.

There’s clearly room for improvement here, but this isn’t a bad score. If you’re partially sighted, then, there are better options out there than Surfshark.

Looking at Surfshark’s desktop apps, we found that the Windows application supports 13 languages including common options such as English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional.)

There are 13 languages supported on Surfshark. Not as many as other VPNs and a few key options missing. (Image credit: Future Publishing)

But it’s missing others – Arabic, Norwegian, Swedish, Turkish – and many VPNs provide more. Norton VPN supports 26 languages, for instance, and Proton VPN has 28. So, if you would rather have a VPN that talks your native tongue, you might find more luck elsewhere.

Next we tried ditching our mouse. If a user can’t operate a mouse, they should be able to access every feature of the app from the keyboard. Sadly, Surfshark has extremely poor keyboard support.

Pressing Tab allowed us to move around the window, but in many cases the app didn’t highlight the current element (the button, the list, or whatever else we were accessing), leaving us with no idea where we were.

@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Open+Sans:wght@400;700&display=swap'); #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x *, #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x *:before, #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x *:after { box-sizing: border-box !important; margin: 0; padding: 0; border: 0; font-size: 100%; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x { font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; } /* Main Wrappers */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x { position: relative !important; overflow: visible !important; --riv-primary: #2E6E93; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-inner-wrapper { color: #1F2937 !important; background-color: #ffffff !important; padding: 1.5rem 1.5rem 2rem !important; border-radius: 0.5rem !important; box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) !important; margin: 1rem 0 !important; display: flex !important; flex-direction: column !important; } /* Typography */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-chart-title { font-weight: bold !important; text-align: center !important; margin-bottom: 0.5rem !important; color: #1F2937 !important; font-size: 1.5rem !important; line-height: 1.2 !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; text-transform: none !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-chart-subhead { font-size: 1.1rem !important; font-weight: 500 !important; text-align: center !important; margin-bottom: 2rem !important; color: #6B7280 !important; line-height: 1.7 !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; display: block !important; text-transform: none !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .rv-chart-caption { font-size: 15px !important; color: #6B7280 !important; text-align: center !important; font-style: normal !important; font-weight: normal !important; line-height: 1.7 !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; display: block !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .sr-only { position: absolute !important; width: 1px !important; height: 1px !important; padding: 0 !important; margin: -1px !important; overflow: hidden !important; clip: rect(0,0,0,0) !important; white-space: nowrap !important; border: 0 !important; } /* Footer */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bottom-bar { display: flex !important; flex-direction: column !important; align-items: center !important; margin-top: 0.5rem !important; gap: 1rem !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-footer-content { text-align: center !important; width: 100% !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-logo { display: block !important; margin: 0 auto !important; width: 120px !important; max-width: 120px !important; height: auto !important; object-fit: contain !important; } /* Display Mode Controls */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-dropdown-container { text-align: center !important; margin-bottom: 16px !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-dropdown { width: 100% !important; max-width: 350px !important; padding: 8px 12px !important; font-size: 14px !important; line-height: 1.2 !important; border: 2px solid #d1d5db !important; border-radius: 8px !important; background-color: #ffffff !important; color: #374151 !important; cursor: pointer !important; appearance: none !important; background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' fill='none' viewBox='0 0 20 20'%3e%3cpath stroke='%236b7280' stroke-linecap='round' stroke-linejoin='round' stroke-width='1.5' d='m6 8 4 4 4-4'/%3e%3c/svg%3e") !important; background-position: right 12px center !important; background-repeat: no-repeat !important; background-size: 14px !important; padding-right: 35px !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-dropdown:hover { border-color: var(--riv-primary) !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-carousel-title-controls { display: flex !important; justify-content: space-between !important; align-items: center !important; margin-bottom: 16px !important; width: 100% !important; gap: 12px !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-carousel-nav-btn { background: transparent !important; border: 1px solid #d1d5db !important; border-radius: 6px !important; padding: 6px 10px !important; cursor: pointer !important; font-size: 13px !important; color: #6b7280 !important; display: flex !important; align-items: center !important; gap: 4px !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-carousel-nav-btn:hover { border-color: #9ca3af !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-carousel-counter { font-size: 14px !important; color: #6b7280 !important; text-align: center !important; margin-top: 1rem !important; } /* Legend */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-legend { display: flex !important; justify-content: center !important; flex-wrap: wrap !important; gap: 8px 16px !important; margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; margin-top: 1rem !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-legend-item { display: flex !important; align-items: center !important; gap: 6px !important; font-size: 14px !important; color: #4B5563 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-legend-color { width: 12px !important; height: 12px !important; border-radius: 3px !important; } /* Chart Core Styles */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-benchmark-group { margin-bottom: 1rem !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-benchmark-title { font-size: 18px !important; font-weight: 600 !important; margin-bottom: 16px !important; margin-top: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; text-align: center !important; color: var(--riv-primary) !important; flex: 1 !important; min-width: 0 !important; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.3 !important; text-transform: none !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-row, #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-stacked-product { display: flex !important; align-items: center !important; width: 100% !important; margin-bottom: 0.75rem !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-label { width: 150px !important; flex-shrink: 0 !important; font-size: 14px !important; color: #4B5563 !important; padding-right: 10px !important; text-align: right !important; font-weight: 500 !important; display: block !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-container { flex-grow: 1 !important; background-color: #E5E7EB !important; border-radius: 4px !important; height: 25px !important; border: 1px solid #D1D5DB !important; position: relative !important; display: flex !important; align-items: center !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar { height: 100% !important; border-radius: 3px !important; display: flex !important; align-items: center !important; transition: opacity 0.2s ease, width 0.8s ease-out !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar:hover { opacity: 0.8 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-inner-content { display: flex !important; justify-content: space-between !important; align-items: center !important; width: 100% !important; height: 100% !important; padding: 0 8px !important; color: white !important; font-size: 14px !important; font-weight: bold !important; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.3) !important; overflow: hidden !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-inner-label { white-space: nowrap !important; overflow: hidden !important; text-overflow: ellipsis !important; padding-right: 8px !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-inner-value { flex-shrink: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-value-outside { padding-left: 8px !important; font-size: 14px !important; font-weight: bold !important; color: #4B5563 !important; white-space: nowrap !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-label.fv-primary-product { font-weight: bold !important; color: var(--riv-primary) !important; } /* Stacked Bar */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-stacked-bar { display: flex !important; overflow: hidden !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-stacked-segment { height: 100% !important; display: flex !important; align-items: center !important; justify-content: flex-end !important; padding-right: 8px !important; border-right: 1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.3) !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-stacked-segment:last-child { border-right: none !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-segment-value { font-size: 14px !important; font-weight: bold !important; color: white !important; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.3) !important; } /* Grouped Bar */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-grouped-bar-product { display: flex !important; flex-direction: column !important; width: 100% !important; margin-bottom: 1.25rem !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-grouped-product-title-wrapper { padding-left: 150px !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-grouped-product-title { width: 100% !important; text-align: left !important; padding-right: 0 !important; margin-bottom: 0.5rem !important; font-weight: 700 !important; font-size: 14px !important; color: #4B5563 !important; text-transform: none !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-cluster { width: 100% !important; flex-grow: 1 !important; display: flex !important; flex-direction: column !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-cluster .fv-bar-row { margin-bottom: 3px !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-bar-cluster .fv-bar-container { height: 20px !important; } /* Line Chart Grid */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .riv-grid line { stroke: #D1D5DB !important; stroke-dasharray: 3 3 !important; } /* X-Axis */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-x-axis-wrapper { display: flex !important; width: 100% !important; margin-top: 0.5rem !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-x-axis-label-space { width: 150px !important; padding-right: 10px !important; flex-shrink: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-x-axis-chart-space { flex-grow: 1 !important; padding-right: 8px !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-x-axis-wrapper.fv-grouped-x-axis { margin-left: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-x-axis-line { border-top: 1px solid #D1D5DB !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-x-axis-ticks { display: flex !important; justify-content: space-between !important; padding-top: 4px !important; font-size: 13px !important; color: #6B7280 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-x-axis-unit { text-align: center !important; font-size: 14px !important; color: #6B7280 !important; margin-top: 8px !important; display: block !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-x-axis-title { text-align: center !important; font-size: 15px !important; color: #6B7280 !important; margin-top: 8px !important; margin-bottom: 16px !important; line-height: 1.5 !important; padding: 0 1rem !important; display: block !important; font-weight: bold !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-y-axis-title { font-size: 15px !important; color: #6B7280 !important; line-height: 1.5 !important; text-align: left !important; padding-left: 5.83% !important; /* Aligns with Y-axis line inside SVG (35/600) */ margin-bottom: 4px !important; display: block !important; font-weight: bold !important; } /* Mobile / Forced Mobile View */ #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-pie-container { flex-direction: column !important; gap: 1rem !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-grouped-product-title-wrapper { padding-left: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-bar-row, #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-stacked-product, #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-grouped-bar-product { flex-direction: column !important; align-items: flex-start !important; margin-bottom: 1.25rem !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-bar-label, #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-grouped-product-title { width: 100% !important; text-align: left !important; padding-right: 0 !important; margin-bottom: 0.25rem !important; font-size: 14px !important; font-weight: 700 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-bar-container, #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-bar-cluster { width: 100% !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-x-axis-wrapper { margin-left: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-x-axis-label-space { display: none !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-x-axis-chart-space { padding-right: 0 !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-benchmark-title { font-size: 16px !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-logo { width: 60px !important; max-width: 60px !important; } #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x.mobile-view .fv-carousel-nav-btn { padding: 6px 8px !important; font-size: 11px !important; } @media (max-width: 500px) { #fv-chart-1762344716262-c2xu98f4x .fv-pie-container { flex-direction: column !important; 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Worth checking to see if the languages you need for your VPN are included before you subscribe.", "keywords": [ "NordVPN", "Surfshark", "ExpressVPN", "Proton VPN", "PureVPN", "Mullvad", "IPVanish", "Windscribe", "CyberGhost", "Private Internet Access", "Languages supported", "no. of languages available", "benchmark", "comparison", "performance", "review", "TechRadar" ], "measurementTechnique": "Performance Benchmarking", "variableMeasured": [ { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "NordVPN – Languages supported", "value": 13, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Surfshark – Languages supported", "value": 13, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "ExpressVPN – Languages supported", "value": 17, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Proton VPN – Languages supported", "value": 31, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "PureVPN – Languages supported", "value": 12, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Mullvad – Languages supported", "value": 20, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "IPVanish – Languages supported", "value": 8, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Windscribe – Languages supported", "value": 20, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "CyberGhost – Languages supported", "value": 12, "unitText": "number" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Private Internet Access – Languages supported", "value": 18, "unitText": "number" } ]} Language support

Language options available in the Windows apps of each of these VPNs.

no. of languages available NordVPN 13 Surfshark 13 ExpressVPN 17 Proton VPN 31 PureVPN 12 Mullvad 20 IPVanish 8 Windscribe 20 CyberGhost 12 Private Internet Access 18 010203040 number no. of languages available Data ProductValue (number) NordVPN 13 Surfshark 13 ExpressVPN 17 Proton VPN 31 PureVPN 12 Mullvad 20 IPVanish 8 Windscribe 20 CyberGhost 12 Private Internet Access 18 Very average levels of language support for Surfshark. Worth checking to see if the languages you need for your VPN are included before you subscribe. 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Even when we could see we had reached an important element, like the location list, it turned out not to be optimized for keyboard use.

For example, PIA’s Windows app allowed us to scroll up and down to highlight a country, and connected as soon as we hit Enter. That’s easy and intuitive, we figured it out right away.

With Surfshark, we could browse up and down the location list with the keyboard, but hitting Enter did nothing. Experimenting, hitting Tab and then Enter allowed us to connect some of the time, but we regularly got lost and had to use our mouse to start again.

Overall, if you need keyboard support then Surfshark’s Windows app isn’t a good choice. Check out PIA instead.

Score: 2/5

Customer support

• Surfshark has 24/7 live chat, email and site customer support.
• Handy and easy to use on-site knowledge base.
• Email support will reply with a solution within 24-hours.

Surfshark offers customer support via a support site, live chat (24/7) and email (24/7).

We test VPN support sites by searching for common technical terms and issues, and exploring what comes up. Surfshark’s support site scores well for its vast number of articles.

When we searched for ‘DNS’, for instance, the site gave us 120 results including plenty of useful guides. That compares to 60 for ExpressVPN, and only 5 for Hotspot Shield (and only one of those was useful for setup or troubleshooting).

The only subject area almost completely absent was P2P and torrenting but perhaps for obvious thorny legal reasons.

Read more about Surfshark customer support ▼

All the help articles we read were well written, clear, nicely laid-out and very, very non-threatening.

Most Surfshark support users won't need the search, though, because the site is very well organised.

It displays links to its most important articles on the front page, grouped into topics such as ‘Getting Started’, ‘Fixing Issues’, ‘Billing’ and ‘Account’. It’s likely that many visitors will find the article they need in a couple of clicks.

We noticed that some of the support articles were a little out-of-date. Screenshots didn’t always match the latest version of the app, for instance. But that’s not unusual with VPNs that have a large number of articles, and we didn’t spot any guides where this genuinely had a significant negative result, like telling us to take an action which was no longer possible, for instance.

More to the point, all the articles we read were well written, clear, nicely laid-out and very, very non-threatening. Most people will feel confident of following the advice of this resource and rightly so.

Surfshark’s live chat appears to be well staffed. We were able to talk to helpful agents within a couple of minutes of opening a session. Getting some information about how to set the VPN up for P2P seemed like a good idea and the online agent did not let us down.

Surfshark’s live chat appears to be well staffed, and we were able to talk to helpful agents within a couple of minutes.

They said that all of their servers were fit to use for P2P, they suggested OpenVPN, with UDP for better speeds, and to make sure we had the kill switch on. All pretty sage stuff. And the whole chat took less than 5 minutes once we’d gone through a couple of layers of AI bot automation.

Email support isn’t as speedy. Proton VPN replied to a test question in minutes during its last review; Surfshark says it will reply in 24 hours, and our 21-hour wait suggests that’s about right.

Our reply was short, but friendly, accurate, and with an invitation to keep asking if we needed more help, and that earns a thumbs up from us.

Score: 4/5

User reviews

Like all user reviews, you should take Surfshark's scores on the Trustpilot and the mobile app stores with a pinch of salt, but they do paint the picture of a VPN that you can trust.

Across Google Play and the Apple App Store, it holds ratings on par with the very top VPNs. It's 4.3/5 Trustpilot rating is based on over 27,000 reviews. Around 9% of those are 1-star reviews.

Read them, and you'll most likely find that they're complaints over the auto-renewal system that most VPNs use, and it's easy to make sure that you don't become one of those statistics. You can turn auto-renew off from any point after signing up. Please do it.

Google Play

App Store

Trustpilot

NordVPN

4.6

4.7

4.2

Windscribe

4.6

4.6

4.7

Surfshark

4.6

4.7

4.3

Proton VPN

4.6

4.6

2.0

ExpressVPN

4.7

4.7

4.0

Track record: can you trust Surfshark?

• Surfshark has never suffered any hacks or data leaks.
• Apps, logging policy and server infrastructure has all been audited.
• We'd like to see audits undertaken on an annual basis.

Surfshark has not had to suffer the ignominy of any major hacks or bugs that have gone public, and the NIST Vulnerability Database doesn’t have a single item with the keyword 'Surfshark'. That’s quite unusual.

Proton VPN has three old bugs in the database; ExpressVPN has three; NordVPN also has three old vulnerabilities (all from 2018.) Surfshark does have the advantage of being the youngest of all of these VPNs, though, launched, as it was, in 2018. For the record, Proton VPN is only one year older.

It’s a positive sign that hackers and security researchers haven’t found any major issues in Surfshark’s apps.

The biggest uproar was when the company decided to switch its legal HQ from the British Virgin Islands to the Netherlands.

Surfshark did cause controversy when it added a ‘fake news detector’ feature to its browser extension. The idea was to highlight sources of misinformation, but the feature falsely flagged too many legitimate sites. It also raised a few eyebrows for privacy issues with the idea that this automated feature would decide, on its own, whether a particular source was trustworthy or not. Surfshark removed the feature in 2022 and the company hasn’t tried anything similar since.

Read more about Surfshark's track record▼

For sure, the biggest uproar, though, was when the company decided to switch its legal HQ from the British Virgin Islands to the Netherlands, as we mentioned in the Privacy section of this review.

Audited, but not as well or regularly as Proton VPN

Surfshark has had all the significant parts of its processes and infrastructure audited by third parties over the years but it could do with ramping up the frequency.

Surfshark had its no-logs policy reviewed by Deloitte in 2022. The report was released in January 2023 and agreed that Surfshark’s claims matched its real-life user data procedures. More recently its no-logs claims were audited in June, 2025, and, again, everything was found to be ship shape. (The full report is available to Surfshark users.)

It’s good to see any VPN provider have the courage to put itself through a public audit, but we'd like to see Surfshark do this a little more regularly.

Proton VPN has a no-logs audit every year, and Surfshark needs to do something similar. We’d like to see regular audits of the apps, too.

Thankfully, Surfshark has had another infrastructure audit now as of the start of 2026. Conducted by SecuRing, the testing wasn't as intensive as other audits we've seen, but found no major concerns.

It’s good to see any VPN provider have the courage to put itself through a public audit, but this can’t be a one-off event.

So, while it's not doing quite as much as other top VPNs in this regard, there's not a great deal to flaw Surfshark on here either.

Score: 4/5

Final verdict

(Image credit: Future / Gemini)

Surfshark is an excellent VPN. We rate it as the second best VPN for overall use. We also rate it as the best cheap VPN available.

We recommend the Surfshark Starter plan (from $1.99 per month) or Surfshark One (from $2.29 per month) which comes with antivirus built in. Both offer a 7-day free trial.

Surfshark is an excellent VPN. We rate it as the second best VPN for overall use. We also rate it as the best cheap VPN available.

We recommend the Surfshark Starter plan (from $1.99 per month) or Surfshark One (from $2.29 per month) which comes with antivirus built in. Both offer a 7-day free trial.

Who should use Surfshark?

✅ Anyone looking for cheap VPN: You can get two years of service for less than $70 total and there's a 7-day free trial which means you can try it out for nothing.

✅ People who want an antivirus product with their VPN: Surfshark is one of the few VPNs with a full antivirus system. None of NordVPN, Proton VPN nor ExpressVPN offer this. Make sure to sign up to Surfshark One or One+ for antivirus.

✅ P2P users looking for a good torrenting VPN: Surfshark gave us fast speeds when torrenting and is very easy to use.

Surfshark One – get the 7-day free trial

We rate Surfshark One as the best Surfshark plan. It's only a few dollars more than Starter and brings some worthwhile benefits:

✅ Full antivirus
✅ Data leak alerts
✅ Ad-free Surfshark search engine

Best of all, there's currently a 7-day free trial of Surfshark.View Deal

Who should try a different VPN instead?

❌ Streamers: Surfshark can certainly unblock most streaming services from abroad but it can be a little fiddly for some important ones like Disney Plus and ITV. NordVPN is better for streaming.

1. NordVPN – from $2.99 per month
The best VPN overall and best for streaming
If watching geo-blocked streaming services is the main reason you want a VPN, then NordVPN is a better choice than Surfshark. It's our #1 rated VPN overall and unblocked every streaming service in our tests at the first attempt. It's easy to use and excellent at everything else too. The only downside is that it's more expensive than Surfshark but you get what you pay for. Try it for yourself with a 30-day money-back guarantee.View Deal

Surfshark FAQsDoes Surfshark have a free trial?

Yes, a free 7-day trial is available to new users signing up to 1 and 2-year contracts for any of Surfshark's plans.

Is Surfshark VPN owned by China?

No. Surfshark was founded in 2018 by Vytautas Kaziukonis. It has offices in Lithuania and Poland, where the company remains today. Surfshark was registered in the British Virgin Islands until 2021 when its legal home was switched to the Netherlands.

Surfshark merged with NordVPN in 2022. The company offices are on the same campus in Vilnius, Lithuania, but remain separate from one another.

Is Surfshark VPN trusted?

Yes. Surfshark operates according to secure and trustworthy VPN practices. It uses a RAM-only server network and has an audited no-logs policy to prove that it does not collect of store user data. Surfshark has never had a hack or data leak. You can read more about this in the Track Record section of this review.

Is Surfshark blocked by Netflix?

No. We were able to access five different global Netflix libraries. These were Japan, USA, Canada, UK and Australia. Surfshark was able to unblock Netflix in these locations at the first time of trying – so without switching to any different servers and without changing any settings. (Read more about it in the Streaming section of this review.) We recommend Surfshark as a good VPN for watching Netflix wherever you go.

What are the downsides of Surfshark?

Even though Surfshark is excellent for unblocking Netflix streams, it's not quite as great for streaming as some other VPNs, such as NordVPN and ExpressVPN.

Is Surfshark legal in the US?

Yes. Surfshark is legal to use in the US and in all other locations where VPN use is not banned. VPN bans exist in countries such as Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, India, Saudi Arabia and a few other places. Find out more about where VPNs are banned.

Surfshark testing methodology

I’ve tested and written about VPNs for over five years. I’ve had Surfshark installed on my Windows PC and my mobile phone during that time along with nine other VPNs. Of those, Surfshark is my go-to VPN for my phone even when I'm not reviewing it.

I like the Android app and I particularly like having my Alternative ID at hand to copy into registration fields when I’m signing up for new sites and services. You can read my thoughts on Alternative ID in the Features section.

I use Surfshark most days and I update this review with my thoughts on the service and new Surfshark features each month. The latest this time is the Web Content Blocker tool which you can read about in the Features section too.

Our VPN test lab is where we put all VPNs through the same battery of tests to ensure a level playing field. Mike has been lab testing VPNs for over 11 years and has developed TechRadar’s VPN testing methodology over that time.

Read more our Surfshark testing methodology ▼

Each VPN is put through full lab testing every six months. As with all the VPNs, Surfshark has been tested for speed, ad-blocking, anti-phasing and malware, streaming service unblocking, local IP address leaks and the server network has been spot-checked to confirm that the VPN server locations are accurate.

As well as this, Surfshark’s privacy and security credentials have been checked in-lab by reading through the company’s privacy policy in detail and by looking through VPN configuration files and monitoring connection logs to ensure that each VPN protocol will operate appropriately.

Surfshark is my go-to VPN for my mobile phone even when I'm not reviewing it.

I have subjectively user tested the rest of Surfshark’s in-app privacy and security features on my own devices in real-world situations – on my mobile connection, on public Wi-Fi and on my home network too. These include Search, Autoconnect, Alert, and Alternative ID. You can read our findings in the Privacy and Security sections.

As with all of our VPN lab tests, Surfshark’s speed testing took place on our cloud PC set-up over a 10 Gbps line. We took 10 measurements from two different server locations (Dublin and Los Angeles) and recorded both local and transatlantic VPN connection speeds. We did this on both WireGuard (for a measure of the fastest speeds) and on OpenVPN (for those who wish to use a more secure connection).

Surfshark apps running on the four major operating systems in the TechRadar VPN lab. (Image credit: Future)

Our final scores are a median average of each set of 10 to avoid any skew from outlier data points. As with all VPN speed testing, it only provides a snapshot in time but, in our experience, it’s representative of average performance.

I’ve added my real-world user experience of Surfshark's speed performance to Mike’s results. You can read about both in the Speed section of this review

Mike tested Surfshark’s CleanWeb tool (anti-phishing and anti-malware) by exposing it to the 100 latest phishing and malware websites and seeing what percentage of these it could detect and block. You can see results in the Security section where I’ve added my thoughts on what it’s like to browse websites using CleanWeb, whether it makes a difference to the number of ads seen on pages, and whether it was able to reduce cookie consent pop-ups.

To test streaming service unblocking, Mike built a tool to sequentially run through a series of streaming platforms, as accessed from a different set of global locations. These include Netflix access to content libraries in Japan, the US, UK, Australia and Canada, access to Prime Video, Disney Plus, and local free streaming services such as BBC iPlayer, ITV, Channel 4, 10Play, 9Now and more.

The streaming tool checks whether or not Surfshark is able to access these services from abroad. If it fails, we try to access these services using different servers or by making tweaks to Surfshark’s set-up. For us, there’s a big difference in usability between a VPN that we need to tweak and one which will offer access first time.

Surfshark has been tested for speed, ad-blocking, anti-phasing and malware, streaming service unblocking, local IP address leaks and the server network has been spot-checked

I do a lot of streaming from abroad using VPNs – particularly with services such as Peacock, Sling and FuboTV. I regularly use Surfshark on my Windows PC for this. You can read my thoughts about Surfshark’s streaming quality and consistency, as well as Mike’s lab results, in the Streaming section of this review.

Finally, and certainly not least for the lab testing, is kill switches. This is arguably the most important feature we test in the lab. Mike sets up software to record the reported IP address of his test devices and switches on the VPN. He then performs a series of ways to break the VPN’s operation and checks that the kill switch kicks in without registering any leaks of the lab’s actual IP address.

The last port of call in our Surfshark testing was to test out its customer support. Mike puts his VPN knowledge to some pretty fiendish use and approaches live chat and email support with a complicated but not impossible technical query. You can see how Surfshark did in our Customer Support section.

Do take a look at our VPN lab testing methodology for a more detailed idea of Mike’s process.

This review has been fact checked across the VPN team, as well as with information provided by Surfshark. We update this review each month to include any new Surfshark features, or information about the product, to make sure that what you’re reading is 100% up to date and as you would find the product if you downloaded and used it today.

If you notice anything in your experience of using Surfshark that does not tally with what you read on this page, please let us know in the comments, or by emailing us direct, and we will endeavour to provide you with product support information or include corrections and warnings to other users, depending on which is appropriate.

If you’re a small business looking for a reliable data backup and data recovery software, CrashPlan might be what you’re looking for. It allows you to take periodic backups of all system files with unlimited storage, with an option to recover data if you end up accidentally deleting it from your system.

In this article, we’ll discuss the various features CrashPlan offers, along with its pricing, installation, and in-use experience. Stick around till the end to find out if CrashPlan is what you’re looking for.

 CrashPlan: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: CrashPlan)

For small businesses, CrashPlan’s pricing starts at $8/user/month for up to 249 employees. The platform also offers longer-term plans, with its annual cost at $88/user/year and $158/user for a two-year period.

There's also a Microsoft 365 plan which lets you back up Exchange Online, SharePoint, and OneDrive, with pooled cloud storage of 50 GB, costing $4/user/month, or $44/user/year, or $79/user for two years. You can also get additional storage at a cost of $1/month for 100 GB.

The best thing about CrashPlan is that it offers a fully functional 14-day free trial with access to all features it has to offer, including unlimited storage. This allows you to test out the software before purchasing a subscription.

CrashPlan: Features

CrashPlan is primarily a backup solution that lets you take periodic backups of important files and drives on operating systems such as Windows, Mac, and Linux.

CrashPlan uses a time-based versioning system that saves multiple versions of files as they are updated, based on preset time intervals such as 15 minutes, 60 minutes, daily, weekly, or monthly. This allows you to get a more granular history for recent edits, along with all versions stored in backup archives.

(Image credit: Future)

Data recovery is only an additional feature offered by the platform, which works very differently from other data recovery software we have seen.

The likes of EaseUS and Stellar Data Recovery scan for file system metadata to look for files that may have been deleted but not removed from memory. This is possible only if the data has not yet been overwritten. The longer the time elapsed from the point of deletion, the more difficult the recovery becomes.

(Image credit: Future)

However, CrashPlan adopts a very different approach. It first lets you back up files from your system to remote cloud storage and then allows you to download data from that storage even if you have deleted the original files on your system. So this works as long as the data exists in the backup. However, one major downside to this is that there is a hard upper cap limit of 90 days for restoration.

CrashPlan: Installation and in-use experience

CrashPlan is fairly easy to install – you will find a free download button on its website for that. I found the interface to be pretty clean and modern, with a bit of a learning curve involved. There are a fair deal of settings you need to play with to strike the perfect balance between backup and productivity.

(Image credit: Future)

For example, there's an exclusive ‘Backup Sets’ option, which lets you configure which files, locations, and drives you want to be backed up regularly. You can also choose the backup schedule, either keeping it up to date at all times or running backups only at specified times. Besides this, there's also an option to exclude certain files from the backup selection.

(Image credit: Future)

Under the ‘Usage’ Settings section, you'll find other preferences, such as sending alerts when devices are not backed up for a certain number of days or logging you out after a certain period of inactivity. This option is set at 15 minutes by default, which I found to be quite low. We recommend setting it at least 60 minutes so that you don't have to log in repeatedly.

Overall, the in-use experience is pretty good and intuitive with zero lags. That said, you might need a bit of time to get a hang of the platform. There are tons of user guides and YouTube videos to help you around.

CrashPlan: Efficiency 

One of the biggest advantages to CrashPlan is that not only can you set the software to continuously back up files from your computer to the cloud, but also schedule periodic transfers, seamlessly incorporating the application into your workflow.

(Image credit: CrashPlan)

It’s also worth noting that CrashPlan gives you the option to throttle your file transfers to save bandwidth. This setting is sensitive to when your computer is idle, so it’s easy to have the bulk of your uploads take place overnight.

CrashPlan: Support 

If you’re having trouble figuring out how to recover deleted files, you can get in touch with CrashPlan’s support team by live chat, email, or phone. Phone and chat support are only available during normal US business hours Monday to Friday.

Email help is available 24/7, although you may wait several hours for an answer if you send a request during the middle of the night in the US.

For questions about the software and data restoration, CrashPlan also has an extensive online documentation library. Most of the help articles come with walkthrough videos, which is helpful when you’re first learning the software.

How we tested CrashPlan's performance

To test out CrashPlan's capabilities, we signed up for their 14-day free trial and installed the application on our Windows 11 system with a 12th Gen Intel i5 processor. We then chose an MP4 file of around 840 GB to back up on the cloud server. The whole process took 10 minutes.

After this, we went ahead and deleted the file from our system and emptied the Recycle Bin. Then, we restored the same file from the cloud server, which took another 10 minutes or so. The file was not damaged and was restored with all its contents intact.

We repeated the same process with some other files and folders, and each time, CrashPlan was able to restore the files perfectly.

CrashPlan: Final verdict

CrashPlan is a data backup software first, with recovery as an ancillary feature. It is ideal if you are a small business that wants to regularly back up sensitive business data and recover it in case of accidental loss. However, recovery only works for 90 days, beyond which the files may be permanently lost.

The pricing is fairly affordable compared to other backup software, with a modern and sleek interface. However, there is a bit of a learning curve involved, and it would take a few days to get a hang of the platform.

If you're only looking for a dedicated data recovery option, platforms like EaseUS, Wondershare Recoverit, and Stellar Data Recovery might be better options.

If you’re looking for a data recovery tool, especially for your Mac device, Disk Drill can be a good choice. Its deep KEXT-level Mac scans work even on newer versions, along with a very robust Windows, Android, and iOS platform.

Disk Drill's website boasts that any lost data file type can be recovered, from almost any data loss scenario you can think of. But does Disk Drill rediscover the deleted data you're expecting? We’ve put Disk Drill to the ultimate test to find out.

(Image credit: Disk Drill)Disk Drill: Plans and pricing

Disk Drill's pricing is slightly on the higher side, especially its one-year subscription, which costs $89 per year. In comparison, EaseUS costs $69.95/year. That said, you can install Disk Drill on up to three devices, whereas EaseUS offers only a single-device license.

However, you get the best value with Disk Drill if you get its lifetime license, which costs only $149. The prices also remain the same for both platforms: Windows and Mac.

Disk Drill: Features

The best thing about Disk Drill is that it is very inclusive in nature, since it supports both Windows and macOS, and a wide variety of file systems such as FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, HFS, APFS, EXT 2/3/4, and RAW disks.

The application can recognize around 400 file signatures on a host of devices such as SSDs and HDDs, USB flash drives, NAS devices, software RAID arrays, smartphones, and memory cards. This is by far one of the widest coverage ranges offered by any data recovery software.

(Image credit: Future)

Besides simple data recovery, Disk Drill also offers a byte-by-byte backup option, which allows you to clone each sector of your device one by one while dealing with failing hard drives. You also get several ancillary tools, such as SMART monitoring, which checks your device health, and a built-in disk cleanup tool that looks for useless files on your drives.

I really loved its Advanced Camera Recovery feature, which makes it easy to restore fragmented and lost video footage from devices such as drones, DVRs, or cameras. There's also a nifty recovery chance calculator, so that you can check the probability of a file being successfully recovered before attempting to do so.

(Image credit: Future)

Data recovery software usually requires direct access to storage devices to properly scan and recover data. However, this is not possible on newer macOS versions with T2 and Apple Silicon M1 to M5 chips.

This is where Disk Drill comes in handy. It deploys its own kernel extension, known as a KEXT, which allows it to cooperate with the macOS kernel and bypass standard OS-level limitations to access internal drives. Since Apple has been slowly phasing out KEXTs, Disk Drill’s ability to perform deep macOS scans is a significant advantage.

Scanning

The scanning speed with Disk Drill depends on the type of drive you are scanning. If it’s an external hard disk, it can take more than 10 hours to scan 1TB of data, which is way more than other platforms we’ve tested. However, internal drive scans are pretty quick – I was able to scan around 600GB of data within a matter of five minutes.

While the scan is in progress, you can review items that have already been found, including deleted files. This allows you to start the recovery process even before the entire scan finishes.

(Image credit: Future)

You will see a color-coded dashboard that segregates each scan into various file types such as pictures, videos, audio, documents, archives, and so on. There’s also an option to view the files in a standard tree view, just like the file explorer on your PC. You can simply click on any one of them to view scan results and recover them.

However, one issue with Disk Drill is that it doesn’t allow you to save scans. If you head back to the homepage before recovering anything, you’ll have to run the scan all over again.

Installation and in-use experience

While Disk Drill is easy to install, compared to other software we have reviewed before, the process took longer than expected, and the application requires a system reboot before you can start using it. In comparison, other software we have tested launches directly upon completion of installation.

(Image credit: Future)

That said, the interface itself is pretty modern and sleek, with a pitch-black design. On the homepage, you will find a side panel that allows you to access all software features, including data recovery and extra tools.

Once you finish a scan, you’ll see two options at the top: Recover All or Review Lost Data. The Review option lets you look for the exact files and folders you want to restore in an easy-to-view, tree-style format. You also have the option to filter results based on file type, size, date modified, and recovery chances.

(Image credit: Future)

Simply check the box next to the file you want to recover and click ‘Recover’ at the bottom right of your screen. Once you choose a destination, the file is recovered within a matter of a few minutes.

The whole process is seamless and pretty beginner-friendly. We didn’t face any lags or unusual delays throughout the process.

Disk Drill: How we tested

To test Disk Drill thoroughly, I installed the free version of the software on my Windows 11 system with 16GB of RAM and a 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-12500H processor. Then, I downloaded an album of Mozart's music from the Internet Archive. This consisted of 22 files – 13 JPG files, 4 PNG files, 2 MP3 files, 2 FLAC files, and 1 torrent file.

I transferred the folder to a 1.36 TB NTFS hard drive and connected it to my Windows 11 system, after which I deleted it and emptied the Recycle Bin. Then, I ran a scan with Disk Drill, and within a matter of minutes, it found the deleted folder. I simply clicked on it and hit Recover, and all 22 files were recovered in our chosen destination within a few seconds. I repeated this test with local drives on my PC, and the results were similar.

Disk Drill: Support

Disk Drill is easy to use and it's fast. But what happens when you run into problems?

To help you out, a comprehensive selection of tutorials is provided on the website, covering everything from recovering data from specific device types, platforms, and file types. If these documents don't solve your problem, the detailed Lost file recovery university (Disk Drill's knowledge base) almost certainly will.

(Image credit: Disk Drill)

As readers have seen, we were particularly impressed by the knowledge base suggesting that users try to use their own OS built-in utilities to recover data before buying Disk Drill. The support section also provides balanced reviews of other data recovery tools. We particularly recommend the 'Understanding' section of the Knowledge Base, which contains some tutorials on basic subjects like how to recover just one lost file, as well as providing an overview of all Disk Drill features.

Failing that, a live chat service is available, and you can also get in touch with Disk Drill on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and LinkedIn.

Disk Drill: Final verdict

Disk Drill for Windows has lived under the shadow of the macOS “original” for quite some time, but based on our testing, this seems unfair. Disk Drill delivers an impressive data recovery experience, supported by features like deep macOS scanning via KEXT, byte-by-byte backups, and a host of free drive maintenance tools.

Its complete collection of features across platforms and scenarios is impressive, including the ability to mount and read previously unmountable virtual hard drives and recover data from them within a comparatively short timeframe.

Disk Drill spotted all the deleted test files and recovered them quickly, reinforcing its reliability as a recovery tool worth considering. The performance is a bit mixed, with external drive scans turning out to be slower than most of its peers. That said, its interface is a clear winner, thanks to its visually appealing and well-segregated scan results.

Pricing for the PRO version isn’t ideal for home users, although there are discounts for users of existing tools, as well as students and charities. While the pricing is on the higher side, the software delivers good value for those looking for a reliable data recovery option and who prioritize usability over cost.

• Also check out our complete list of the best data recovery software

EaseUS is one of the biggest names in the world of data recovery software, and its Data Recovery Wizard has been around since 2005. After such a long time, you'd hope it's a top option for reliable data recovery. Is it?

Its set of features certainly suggests that it'll get the job done. It claims that it can help you recover lost or deleted files and folders from 2,000+ device types in 1,000+ formats. It can hunt through conventional hard disks and even damaged operating systems, and it supports more file and device types than virtually every rival. It's even got a generous free version alongside powerful paid options.

To find out whether these are simply claims or if EaseUS can actually bring back deleted system data, we’ve put the platform to the test in this detailed review.

(Image credit: EaseUS)EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard: Plans & pricing

EaseUS's pricing tiers are pretty straightforward. You can choose the one-month plan at $69.95 or the one-year plan at $99.95, with the latter being the better choice. Alternatively, you can purchase the lifetime upgrade for $149.95.

There’s also a free version available on its website, which allows you to recover up to 2GB of data at no cost.

Pro tip: If you’re purchasing the lifetime plan, don’t click “buy now” instantly – wait a couple of minutes, and a 20-30% discount coupon may appear.

We also like that all plans offer the same features and differ only in duration. You can also save 20-30% through bundled plans that combine Data Recovery Wizard with EaseUS Todo Backup and iPhone utilities.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard: Features

EaseUS supports 2,000+ storage devices, including USB flash drives, memory cards, cameras, and external hard drives, along with 1,000+ file types such as photos, emails, archives, documents, and videos.

During our testing, we were able to recover JPG, PNG, MP3, and torrent files. The software also handles multiple data loss scenarios, including deletion, formatting, OS crashes, virus attacks, and inaccessible or RAW partitions.

You don’t need to stay in front of your screen during scans – EaseUS allows automatic recovery of scanned files to a selected location. It also allows you to preview files before restoring them, helping ensure you recover the correct files.

Scanning

EaseUS offers two scanning modes: quick scan and deep scan. When you select a drive and hit the scan button, the quick scan mode kicks in first, where the software reads the drive's file directory and master files to find files that were recently deleted and whose directory entry is intact with no data overwritten. This is very quick, often lasting a few seconds or a minute.

(Image credit: Future)

After this, EaseUS enters deep scan mode, where the entire drive is scanned for known file signatures, header-footer patterns, and specific binary codes. Deep scan comes in handy for older files that were lost accidentally or corrupted over time.

During my test, I noticed EaseUS was consuming 1 to 2% of CPU power at rest. However, as soon as we hit scan on the software, the CPU usage jumped to 7 to 8%, often reaching 10% at times.

(Image credit: Future)

This level of CPU usage is pretty acceptable and normal for a workload-heavy software such as a data recovery tool. I was able to comfortably browse the internet and stream videos without experiencing any performance lags while EaseUS scanned the drive in the background.

Installation and in-use experience

The installation experience of the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is pretty seamless. All you have to do is visit its official website and find the free trial button on its homepage, available for both Windows and Mac.

Click on it to download your free version and then double-click the installed file to launch the installer. Wait 3-5 minutes for the installation process to complete, after which you will see the EaseUS home dashboard.

The interface is modern and sleek, with a central pane showing you all your internal and external drives. Searching for lost data is simple, even if you are a complete beginner to data recovery tools.

(Image credit: Future)

Click on the drive from where the data was deleted and hit the “Search for Lost Data” button in the bottom right corner. EaseUS will then perform a complete drive scan to look for existing as well as deleted files. Besides scanning complete drives, you can also search for specific types of files such as pictures, videos, documents, or audio.

One good thing about EaseUS is that it lets you recover files as soon as you see them pop up while the scan is still running. Click on the file you want to recover and tap the “Recover” button in the bottom right.

(Image credit: Future)

You will then have to choose a destination path where you want to save the recovered file. As soon as you click “Save”, a new File Explorer window will open with your recovered file. All of this happens while the scan is still ongoing in the background.

After we recovered an MP3 file of 3.70MB, our free allowance was reduced to just 508.30MB, which was pretty shocking. It's possible that the 2GB limit might apply to the size of the drive being scanned instead of the amount of data recovered.

How we tested

We first installed the free version of EaseUS on our Windows 11 system, with 16GB of RAM and a 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-12500H processor.

To test EaseUS's data recovery capability, we downloaded an album of Mozart's music from the Internet Archive. This consisted of 22 files – 13 JPG files, 4 PNG files, 2 MP3 files, 2 FLAC files, and 1 torrent file. We copied this folder onto a 1.36 TB NTFS hard drive and connected it to our Windows 11 system.

We then deleted this folder and emptied the Recycle Bin. After this, we ran a scan with EaseUS, and within a matter of seconds, it found the deleted folder. We simply clicked on it and hit recover, and all 22 files were recovered in our chosen destination within a few seconds.

I also tried to recover the same set of files from the local drive on my system, which EaseUS did comfortably. We noticed that the scanning process is much faster on a local disk than on an externally connected drive, likely due to the higher data transfer speeds and lower latency associated with internal storage interfaces.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard: Support

(Image credit: EaseUS)

EaseUS offers a fairly comprehensive customer support system, accessible directly from its Support Center. From the dropdown menu, you can quickly navigate to options like Support Center, Download, Chat Support, Pre-Sales Inquiry, Premium Service, and even Manual Recovery Service for advanced cases.

There’s also a handy search bar that lets you instantly look up guides, licensing help, or troubleshooting queries without digging through menus.

For more urgent issues, EaseUS provides direct access to human support. You can reach out via email, call their support number, or use live chat to speak with a representative. This makes it easy to get real-time assistance, whether you're dealing with technical problems or pre-sales questions.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard: Final verdict

EaseUS is an all-round data recovery software that allows you to get back your data in various loss case scenarios, such as deletions, virus infections, or accidental OS crashes. Along with two scanning modes – quick scan and deep scan – the process is fairly quick, with low CPU utilization at around 7 to 8%.

The interface is modern and very easy to use, even for beginners. The pricing is fair and at par with industry standards, although cheaper options exist. There’s a handy 2GB free data recovery option, which lets you test out the platform before getting a subscription.

DJI Lito X1 and Lito 1: One-minute review

DJI's Lito series represents the company's latest bid to own the entry-level camera drone market — and with the Lito X1 and the more affordable Lito 1, it's made a compelling case. Both are compact folding drones in the same pocket-friendly mould as DJI's Mini series, weighing under 250g and earning a C0/UK0 class designation that means you can fly them almost anywhere, including over people.

Out in the field, the Lito models impress on almost every front. Flight performance is smooth and stable; I flew in challenging coastal conditions in the UK and the drones held their own, and despite an 81dB noise rating, both models are surprisingly unobtrusive in the air.

Battery life is a high point too, with up to 36 minutes on a charge comfortably outpacing DJI's Neo 2 and other entry-level rivals. What really sets the Lito apart at this price, though, is its obstacle sensing: full omnidirectional coverage comes as standard on both models, while the X1 adds forward-facing LiDAR for even sharper hazard detection — a significant upgrade over the downward-only sensor on the DJI Mini 4K.

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The DJI Lito X1 drone is well equipped and specced for the asking price. And its sister drone, the Lito 1, is even cheaper. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

On the camera front, both drones punch above their weight. The Lito X1's 1/1.3-inch sensor captures 10-bit 4K 60fps footage with D-Log M support and 14 stops of dynamic range, giving videographers real room to work in post. The Lito 1's 1/2-inch sensor is no slouch either, though it lacks that dynamic range, and isn't as comfortable in lower-light situations.

I'd recommend most buyers stretch to the X1; the small premium over the Lito 1 also gets you LiDAR, 10-bit shooting and 42GB of built-in storage, which is a lot of extras for a modest price jump. Neither drone is perfect: the digital zoom gets noticeably soft at its tightest setting, the X1 has a default tendency to overexpose, and neither camera can rotate to shoot vertical video natively.

At £299 / AU$539 for the Lito 1 and £369 / AU$619 for the Lito X1, DJI has priced this series aggressively. The X1 in particular offers a spec sheet that rivals far pricier drones, making it one of the best-value camera drones available right now. US buyers should note that, like other recent DJI products, the Lito series isn't officially available stateside and can only be sourced through grey market channels. For everyone else, it's an easy recommendation from me.

DJI Lito X1 and Lito 1: Price and release date

• Launched on April 23 2026
• Lito 1 priced from £299 / AU$539, Lito X1 from £369 / AU$619
• Fly More Combo bundles available for both drones

The Lito series was introduced worldwide on April 23 2026, and is available to order now from DJI's website and other retailers – except in the United States where, as with all recent DJI products, there are no plans to bring it to retailers (although buyers may be able to acquire it through certain retailers on the grey market).

As mentioned above, there are two models available at launch: the barebones Lito 1, and the more premium Lito X1. These are priced at £299 / AU$539 and £369 / AU$619 respectively, and are also available in Fly More Combos for £429 / AU$779 and £599 / AU$1,069. The Lito 1 Fly More Combo comes with two additional batteries, a three-battery charging cradle, an RC-N3 controller, and a carrying bag; the Lito X1 features the same, but swaps the RC-N3 controller for the touchscreen-equipped RC 2 model.

The RC 2 controller and battery charging cradle are included in the Lito X1 Fly More Combo, alongside a small but well-designed sling bag. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

The Litos are slotting in right at the bottom of DJI's drone range, alongside models like the Mini 4K, Neo 2 and Flip. In fact, I suspect the Mini 4K is about to be phased out in favor of the Lito, as the Lito is superior in every major respect, but the Neo 2 and Flip will remain, as they offer something a little different.

Is the Lito good value? Yes, in short — it's the same price as the Flip and more expensive than the Neo 2, but offers better battery life than both (significantly so, compared to the Neo 2) and better obstacle sensing than the Flip. In fact, the Lito X1 offers similar specs to the Mini 4 Pro (another drone that I believe may be on the way out of DJI's lineup) at a significantly lower price.

• Price score: 5/5

DJI Lito X1 and DJI Lito: SpecsDJI Lito 1 and Lito X1 specs

DJI Lito X1

DJI Lito 1

Camera:

48MP 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor

48MP 1/2-inch CMOS sensor

Video resolution:

4K

4K

Frame rates:

60, 50, 48, 30, 25, 24fps

60, 50, 48, 30, 25, 24fps

Flight modes:

Cine, Normal, Sport

Cine, Normal, Sport

Storage:

42GB internal, microSD card slot

microSD card slot

Battery:

2590mAh, up to 36 minutes flight time

2590mAh, up to 36 minutes flight time

Charger type:

USB-C / Battery Charging Hub

USB-C / Battery Charging Hub

Weight:

249g / 8.8oz (approx.)

249g / 8.8oz (approx.)

Dimensions:

149 x 94 x 62mm (folded)

149 x 94 x 62mm (folded)

DJI Lito X1: Design and build quality

• Folding sub-250g body, similar to Mini series
• Labelled UK0 / C0 class
• 42GB of internal storage (X1 model only) plus microSD slot

The Lito X1 and Lito 1 are virtually identical in design, with the only real physical difference being a (very) slight variation in the color of their plastic bodies. If not for that, and the product name displayed on their prop arms, the two drones would be impossible to tell apart.

The folding design is reminiscent of DJI's Mini series, and like those drones, the Lito weighs under 250g. As a result it's classed C0 in Europe and UK0 in the United Kingdom, meaning it can be flown almost anywhere, as well as close to and above "uninvolved" people. Additionally, the Lito's folding design means it's one of the few drones out there that I could genuinely say is pocket-sized – although we're talking trenchcoat pocket rather than jeans pocket here.

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

As with most of its drones, DJI supplies the Lito with a plastic cap to protect the camera and gimbal when they're not in use, but no carry case by default — you'll have to upgrade to the Fly More Combo if you want a bag.

In general, the drone is well built, despite its weight. The plastic used for the body is sturdy, with built-in feet/landing gear to prevent the sensors getting damaged when it's sitting on a surface; the propellers, however, are largely unprotected, so some care is required when handling.

The battery slides in and out from the back, which is also where you'll find the USB-C port and microSD slot. The USB port can be used for charging and data transfer, while the microSD slot supports storage. The Lito X1 also includes 42GB of built-in storage space, which can be supplemented with microSD if required, but you'll need a microSD card for the Lito 1.

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

The RC 2 and RC-N3 controllers supplied with the Lito are tried and tested models that we've covered in previous DJI drone reviews. Suffice to say they're solidly built and comfortable in the hand, and the RC 2 has a very impressive built-in touchscreen.

• Design score: 5/5

DJI Lito X1: Features and flight performance

• QuickTransfer uses Wi-Fi 6 to move files quickly to a mobile device
• Both Lito 1 and Lito X1 offer omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, plus LiDAR on Lito X1
• Up to 36 minutes of flight time per battery

The Lito X1 includes a front-facing LiDAR sensor to help map complex environments and avoid collisions, even in low-light conditions (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

• Flight performance score: 5/5

DJI Lito X1: Image and video quality

• Lito X1 has 1/1.3-inch sensor, while Lito 1 has 1/2-inch sensor
• Lito X1 supports 10-bit video and D-log M color profile
• Both drones shoot JPEG and DNG photos at 12MP and 48MP

Most of DJI's drones now record 4K video — even the bargain-basement original DJI Neo — but the Lito X1 and Lito 1 offer a better flavor of 4K than the existing entry-level Mini 4K model's 4K 30fps footage, captured from a 1/2.3-inch sensor. The Lito 1 records 8-bit 4K 60fps video from a slightly larger 1/2-inch sensor (presumably the same one that's in the DJI Neo 2), while the Lito X1 records 10-bit 4K 60fps video using a 1/1.3-inch sensor (which I suspect is the same as the one in the DJI Flip, Mini 4 Pro and Avata 2). Both use a 3-axis gimbal to steady the camera as they shoot.

The Lito X1 also supports the flat D-log M color profile, offering a dynamic range of up to 14 stops when graded in post-production — something that's sure to appeal to demanding aerial videographers who enjoy tweaking their own footage to perfection. You can see both straight-from-the-camera and graded footage in my sample video above, and further down there's another video showcasing the Lito 1's camera which, while certainly a step down from the X1's, is no slouch itself, especially in good lighting.

I'm impressed with the results from both cameras, both video and 12MP/48MP stills (which can be captured in raw DNG as well as JPEG); the Lito X1 is especially noteworthy.

Future | Sam KieldsenFuture | Sam KieldsenFuture | Sam Kieldsen

That being said, these are still entry-level models, and they can't match results from the likes of the DJI Mini 5 Pro or Air 3S. This is especially true when you attempt to 'zoom' in, which is where the sensors' small sizes shows their limitations. You can see examples in my videos, but the digital zooms on both Litos are somewhat disappointing. I also felt that the X1 had a tendency to overexpose its video by default, but even if this isn't tweaked in a future firmware update it's something the user can fix by adjusting the EV.

Overall, it's fair to say that the cameras on the Lito X1 and Lito 1 are really solid by entry-level standards, and a step up over what we've seen on the Mini 4K.

• Image and video quality score: 4.5/5

DJI Lito X1: Testing scorecardDJI Lito X1

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

Both models are great value for their performance and camera quality.

5/5

Design

The folding quadcopter design is a classic for a reason.

5/5

Features and flight

Packed with safety features and a breeze to fly.

5/5

Image and video quality

Strong by entry-level standards, particularly on the X1 model.

4.5/5

Should I buy the DJI Lito X1/Lito 1?Buy it if...

You want a superb entry-level option
With 10-bit 4K 60fps video and LiDAR sensor, the Lito X1 is a huge step up over the Mini 4K, and our favorite new beginner drone.

You need longer battery life
With up to 36 minutes of flight time per battery, the Lito beats DJI's other entry-level drones for stamina.

Don't buy it if...

You want the cheapest good drone
DJI's tiny Neo 2 is even cheaper, and it offers similar image quality to the Lito 1. Its battery life is only half as long, however.

You need the best image quality
The Lito X1 has an excellent camera by entry-level standards, but you'll need a Mini 5 Pro, Air 3S or Mavic for sharp zoomed-in shots.

DJI Lito X1: also consider

DJI Mini 5 Pro

Both small and mighty, the Mini 5 Pro is the current ultralight king. Despite being the same size and weight as the Lito, this drone's 1-inch camera sensor makes it a much better performer for pixel peepers. You'll have to pay for that image quality bump, though – it's around three times the price of the Lito 1.

Read our in-depth DJI Mini 5 Pro review

DJI Neo 2

Even more affordable and lightweight than the Lito, the Neo 2 looks like a toy. But, while it's a ton of fun, it's a seriously impressive flyer, able to track fast-moving subjects while dodging obstacles and fly without a controller. It's upgradeable too, and can be turned into an FPV or long-range flyer with ease.

Read our in-depth DJI Neo 2 review

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)How I tested the DJI Lito X1 and Lito 1

• I tested all flight modes and control methods
• I captured both videos and photos
• I tested the drones' tracking and safety features

About a week before the official launch, DJI sent me both the Lito X1 Fly More Combo and the basic Lito 1 package (including the RC-N3 controller) to test. That gave me a few days to take both drones out and about for real-world flight and camera tests in a range of conditions.

I flew in both windy and calm weather, and was able to test the two drones' cameras in low-light conditions. I tested not only manual flight, but autonomous modes like Spotlight, ActiveTrack and MasterShots, as well as assessing how DJI's battery-life and object-avoidance claims held up to real-world conditions.

After flying, I edited together the videos you see above using DaVinci Resolve 20, including using LUTs and color correction for the D-log M footage I captured with the Lito X1. I also tweaked the DNG raw still photographs I took with both drones using Adobe Lightroom.

• First reviewed: April 2026
• Read more about how we test