Feed aggregator

House Republicans narrowly adopted a multitrillion-dollar budget framework on Thursday, paving the way for lawmakers to begin work on many of President Trump's top policy priorities.

(Image credit: Kayla Bartkowski)

• Nintendo says it wants to "future-proof" the Switch 2 like the original Switch
• Since game sizes are getting bigger, Game-Key Cards will allow for more games on the platform
• Nintendo wants to "make sure that people can be publishing games" on the Switch 2

Nintendo wants to ensure that the Switch 2 is "future-proof", and it's trying to achieve that with its new Game-Key Cards.

In a recent interview with Nintendo Life following the Switch 2 Direct, Nintendo of America senior vice president of product development and publishing Nate Bihldorff discussed the company's new Game-Key Cards and how they will allow for more games on the platform, no matter the size.

When asked if Game Keys will be exclusive to third-party titles, Bihldorff said he doesn't know any specific roadmap for who's going to use the keys and that they're "just another way that we can have games on our platform".

"Obviously, there's a finite amount of memory on a game card, and if you happen to be a publisher who has a game that's bigger than that, that would still be a way of you being able to get a retail version of your game onto the system," he explained. "Probably the only way. Game sizes have gotten really big, so [Game Key] is just providing another avenue."

Bihldorff added, "The Switch lasted eight years. We really want to future-proof [Switch 2] and make sure that people can be publishing games on it, and I think that'll speak to that."

Nintendo confirmed after the Switch 2 Direct that Game-Key Cards will contain a download "key" and don't feature the full game data like other physical editions.

We know games like Bravely Default and Street Fighter 6: Year 1-2 Fighters Edition will only have a Game-Card Key, while new titles like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza will offer standard physical game cards like the original Switch.

The Nintendo Switch 2 officially launches on June 5, 2025, and will cost $449.99 / £395.99 or $499.99 / £429.99 for a Mario Kart World bundle.

Pre-orders are now live in the UK, but US pre-orders and Canada pre-orders have been delayed as Nintendo assesses the potential impact of tariffs.

You might also like...

• Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders live: latest UK stock updates as My Nintendo Store's pre-order date arrives, while US pre-orders remain delayed
• Here are the Nintendo Switch 2 launch games that you'll be able to pick up and play on June 5
• Nintendo seemingly confirms the Switch 2 GameCube controller only works with GameCube games

• 180-inch screens from just 4 metres away; designed for up to 200 inches
• AI-powered optimization of compressed streaming video
• HDR-PRO with HDR10, HLG, and HDR10+

BenQ has announced two new 4K projectors as part of its Home Cinema Series: the premium W5850, which is designed for theater-grade large screens; and the W4100i, which promises cinema-grade visuals for home theater rooms to rival the best projectors.

The 2,600 lumen W5 is "designed for the ultimate cinematic experience". It's capable of up to 200-inch screens with a shorter throw ratio of 1.0 to 1.6. That enables it to deliver a 180-inch display from just four meters away.

The W4100i has a 3,200-lumen LED light source, Android TV and AI Cinema Calibration mode, which BenQ says ensures "cinema-grade visuals" from streaming content.

(Image credit: BenQ) BenQ Home Cinema Series: key features

Each of the Home Cinema Series projectors meets key industry standards including 100% DCI-P3, and Delta E<3 (with high-end models such as the W5850 achieving Delta E<2).

There's BenQ's own HDR-PRO technology, which enhances contrast through multi-stage processing – Global Contrast Enhancer, Local Contrast Enhancer, and Dynamic Black – and the tech supports HDR10, HLG, and HDR10+.

There's built in noise reduction to enhance compressed streaming content, and the latest version of BenQ's AI Cinema Mode. This is a real-time image composition analyzer that dynamically adjusts HDR, color saturation and sharpness, significantly improving the appearance of the compressed video content from the major streaming services.

AI processing is big among the best TVs, but hasn't made an impact on projectors much yet – that's clearly starting to change.

Connectivity includes HDMI 2.1, SPDIF and eARC with support Dolby Atmos and 7.1 surround sound. There's also a low-latency Fast Mode that promises a fast 17.9ms response time for movies, sports, and games.

We only have UK pricing so far, with the BenQ W4100i set for a £2,999 (about $3,890 / AU$6,225) price, while the W5850 is set to cost £4,599 (about $5,960 / AU$9,550).

You might also like

• The best 4K projectors
• The best projectors of all kinds and applications
• The best portable projectors for entertaining anywhere

Trump announced a 90-day pause on most country-specific tariffs, but left other duties in place. Here's a look at where things stand and what could happen next.

(Image credit: Saul Loeb)

• US businesses were prime targets for ransomware actors in Q1 2025
• Manufacturing, IT, and services, were particularly hit
• SMBs are a bigger target than enterprises

So far in 2025, US businesses were prime targets for ransomware attackers, taking up almost half of all incidents of that nature this year, according to a new report from threat exposure management platform NordStellar, whose researchers analyzed dark web data to compile the Q1 2025 statistics.

As per the report, there were 2,440 new ransomware cases made public on the dark web, up 84% compared to the same period in 2024 (1,325). Of that number, 990 (41%) were US businesses.

That makes the United States the most affected country globally by far, since second-placed Canada had “only” 105 cases. The UK is third with 74, followed by Germany (56), France (42), and India (42).

Monitor your credit score with TransUnion starting at $29.95/month

TransUnion is a credit monitoring service that helps you stay on top of your financial health. With real-time alerts, credit score tracking, and identity theft protection, it ensures you never miss important changes. You'll benefit from a customizable online interface with clear insights into your credit profile. Businesses also benefit from TransUnion’s advanced risk assessment tools.

Preferred partner (What does this mean?)View Deal

Manufacturing, IT, professional services

According to NordStellar’s cybersecurity expert Vakaris Noreika, this is because the US has plenty of rich business targets: “A high concentration of wealthy businesses with cyber insurance that includes ransom coverage make the US a desirable target for hackers,” Noreika explained.

“The economy of the US is highly digitalized and most businesses depend on interconnected systems, cloud technologies, and remote work environments — all factors that create more opportunities for ransomware attacks to infiltrate.”

Ransomware criminals seem to be particularly interested in businesses in manufacturing, since this industry recorded 273 cases. IT was second with 172 cases, and professional services was third with 116. Surprisingly enough, these are mostly SMBs, not enterprises. Companies with a revenue of $10M-50M, employing 51-200 people, were most-hit in Q1.

Ransomware continues being one of the most destructive and disruptive cybercriminal operations out there. Every day the threat grows, as cybercriminals find new ways to deploy encryptors and abuse AI in their attacks:

“The soaring number of ransomware attacks is more than just a trend — it's an ever-growing threat for businesses worldwide,” Noreika said. “Ransomware groups are getting more sophisticated, exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities faster, and leveraging ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) to expand their reach. Many organizations still struggle with unpatched systems and weak credential security, thus, becoming easy targets. No business, regardless of size, is immune.”

You might also like

• The growing threat of ransomware for SMBs
• Take a look at our guide to the best authenticator app
• We've rounded up the best password managers

• People are writing messages to the Sora development team in its image browser
• The requests are mainly begging for new features or changes
• Others are saying thank you for how much fun they’re having with the app

One of my favourite things about Sora, OpenAI’s incredible AI video generator, is that you can see what everybody else around the world is making with it. People generate both still images and video in Sora, and because you can see exactly what they’re creating as one big gallery, you get to have a peek into what the current AI generation trends are.

Of course, the boxed action figure trend is still going strong, and before that it was the Studio Ghibli-style images. But today I noticed that there are a lot of appeals directly to the developers appearing in Sora's image gallery.

These take the form of people holding up notice boards with messages like “Sora team, we need 16:9 image generation!” and “Sora team, we need a stand-alone app!”, begging for new features to be added, or protesting about their image generation policies, in the hope that the Sora team see them.

It’s quite fascinating seeing how people have taken a technology and used it for something completely different to what it’s designed to do.

Protesting to the Sora team about their image policies. (Image credit: OpenAI) Serendipitous innovation

I’m sure there must be a word for taking a technology and using it in unexpected ways that it wasn't intended for, but I can’t think what it is. 'Serendipitous innovation' is quite close, as is 'transmogrification', but they’re not quite there.

Whatever the word is, it’s fascinating to me to see the innovative uses people have come up with for AI.

Of course, there’s no evidence that the Sora team will act on any of these requests, but you’ve got to imagine that they’re always keeping an eye on what people are creating with their software, and it probably will have some influence.

Some people simply want to thank the Sora team. (Image credit: OpenAI) Accessing Sora

Sora works by you first creating an image from a prompt, and then creating a video from a prompt that is based on that image.

Sora isn’t a stand-alone app (which is one of the things people are commonly requesting), it exists only as an option inside ChatGPT Plus and ChatGPT Pro in the web browser. When you click on Sora, the whole interface changes and you’re in the video generator app.

If you click on Images you can see all the images that people are creating, and if you click on one, you get to see the actual prompt that they used to create it.

This can be really useful when designing your own prompts, or as people have recently discovered, if you want to try and get a message to the developers to ask for new features.

(Image credit: OpenAI) You might also like

• ChatGPT 4o image generation is so good we will never be able to trust iPhone renders again
• ChatGPT images are so good it’s almost impossible to tell if they are fake, and that’s got me worried
• Midjourney V7 gives the AI image-maker power, speed, and correctly shaped hands

• WhatsApp update rolls out new Meta AI chatbot in more countries
• It's represented by a small blue circle in chats and is in chat search too
• Many WhatsApp users aren't happy that the feature isn't removable

If you've been wondering what the mysterious new blue, purple, and green ring symbol in WhatsApp is, you're not alone – and this wider rollout of Meta AI in the messaging app is proving controversial, to say the least.

The new circle or ring in the bottom-right corner of your chats is a shortcut to Meta's AI chatbot, effectively its take on ChatGPT. The feature rolled out in the US and Canada some time ago, but it's recently started arriving in countries across the EU, including the UK and Australia.

Because the EU is something of a heartland for WhatsApp, where the total number of users eclipses those in the US, the feature is back in the limelight – and it isn't proving particularly popular, according to various Reddit threads.

The biggest complaint is that there's no way to turn Meta AI off. It sits prominently in your chat section, looking a bit like a bug, and has also now conveniently been integrated into the chat search bar, which says "Ask Meta AI or Search."

The mysterious Meta AI shortcut button floats in the bottom-right corner of your chats section. Meta AI is also now incorporated in chat search at the top of the section. (Image credit: Meta / Future)

That naturally raises privacy concerns, though Meta has been keen to address them in its Help pages. It says that "your personal messages with friends and family are off limits" and that, while "AIs can read what is shared with them," your "personal messages remain end-to-end encrypted."

That said, your chats with Meta AI aren't encrypted and Meta says, "don't send messages to Meta with information you don’t want it to know."

If you happen to chat with Meta AI, intentionally or not, the best option is to delete the chat afterward. You can do that by going to the chat, swiping left on it, tapping 'more', and hitting 'delete chat'.

Analysis: Get used to it, or prepare to jump ship

Meta AI's capabilities in the WhatsApp app vary by region, with image requests currently possible in some countries but not in others (Image credit: Meta)

Despite some vocal online protests, it's pretty clear that Meta AI isn't going anywhere in WhatsApp. At last year's Meta Connect 2024, Mark Zuckerberg boasted that Meta AI was already one of the world's most-used AI assistants, with almost 500 million monthly active users.

Meta's ticket to increasing that figure is by tapping into WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. Meta AI is now based on the new Llama 4 model, which shows that Meta is keen to continually upgrade its assistant and make it a WhatsApp chatbot staple – whether we want it or not.

One Member of the European Parliament has even raised the feature to the Executive Vice-President and Commissioner, questioning whether or not the lack of an option to remove it "aligns with EU rules."

Maybe we'll see Meta in the dock with the EU again soon.

Alongside the lack of a 'disable' option, the other main criticism of Meta AI in WhatsApp is that it simply isn't very good. Having dabbled with it in the app, I've also encountered its limitations. It often misunderstands what you've asked or contradicts itself. For example, I asked if it could analyze images – it asked me to upload one, then said, "I can't understand images yet."

In short, Meta AI still feels a world away from ChatGPT and also starts with the disadvantage that it's been thrust in your face within other apps rather than consciously chosen.

The solution for irked WhatsApp users will be to tolerate it or move to alternatives like Signal – a popular choice for privacy but one that may not be as popular among your friends.

You might also like

• WhatsApp patches worrying vulnerability which allowed hackers to share .exe files as images
• I laughed about Signalgate until I made my own massive privacy mistake
• Meta launches new Llama 4 AI for all your apps, but it still feels limited compared to what ChatGPT and Gemini can do

• Over 100,000 malicious emails were detected and blocked by HMRC
• These were sent between November 2021 and September 2024
• Critical infrastructure remains a top target for cybercriminals

New research has revealed that over 105,000,000 malicious emails have been blocked by HMRC in the last three years, outlining the escalation of cyber threats against the UK Government and critical infrastructure.

This information, obtained through a Freedom of Information request (FOI) by the Parliament Street think tank, shows a surge between November 2022 and October 2023 of 40,346,532, a significant increase from the almost 24,000,000 blocked in the same period the previous year.

Critical infrastructure is proving a seriously attractive target for cyber criminals, especially given the urgency of the services they provide and the rise in geopolitical tensions. Consequences of attacks on these providers can be severe, even life threatening, and over two fifths of critical infrastructure has suffered a cyber breach to date.

Monitor your credit score with TransUnion starting at $29.95/month

TransUnion is a credit monitoring service that helps you stay on top of your financial health. With real-time alerts, credit score tracking, and identity theft protection, it ensures you never miss important changes. You'll benefit from a customizable online interface with clear insights into your credit profile. Businesses also benefit from TransUnion’s advanced risk assessment tools.

Preferred partner (What does this mean?)View Deal

A change in gateway

According to the request, HMRC has changed its supplier of its email ‘gateway’ which blocks and categorizes emails, meaning it can no longer break the information down into malware, phishing, spam, or other categories.

There is a recognition by the Government that this is an urgent issue, with the new Cyber Security Bill introduced to protect critical infrastructure by providing essential IT services, covering over 1,000 providers.

This comes after top security officials labeled Britain “shockingly vulnerable” to cyberattacks, pointing to services like the NHS and national power grid - both using third party vendors that aren’t subject to the stringent security regulations that public institutions must follow.

“These numbers show just how relentless cybercriminals are when it comes to targeting government institutions,” says Andy Ward, SVP International at Absolute Security.

“Security teams need to be able to isolate and shut down compromised systems immediately to stop attacks from spreading. With cyber threats becoming more sophisticated, having the right tools and defences in place is more important than ever to protect the UK’s Government Departments."

You might also like

• Take a look at our picks for the best antivirus tools around
• Tackling the UK's cybersecurity skills shortage
• US regulator OCC notifies Congress of major security breach

Commentary: The Northern Irish golfer's pursuit of glory at Augusta is this weekend's must-watch sporting spectacle.

Before the rise of AI-driven cyber threats, phishing attempts were often easy to spot. Poor grammar, overly manipulative language, and unsolicited requests were telltale signs of malicious attacks.

With the implementation of offensive AI used by threat actors, these phishing attempts have become harder to identify. While Secure Email Gateways (SEGs) have also implemented defensive AI to combat these threats, these emails are still reaching users’ inboxes.

The AI email security gap

AI and Machine Learning (ML) models in SEGs are primarily trained on historical data, enabling them to recognize phishing patterns. While this retrospective approach is effective for identifying known threats, it struggles to keep pace with rapidly evolving attack techniques. Offensive AI enables threat actors to generate highly professional, industry-specific phishing emails using minimal effort or time investment. These attacks can mimic the jargon and technical terms of targeted sectors, making malicious emails appear legitimate, and allowing them to bypass SEGs.

Despite embracing AI capabilities with open arms, SEGs are still struggling to keep up with these sophisticated phishing attempts. While AI can efficiently identify repetitive patterns and filter out bulk threats, it remains reactive. This gap between offensive and defensive AI leaves organizations vulnerable to novel phishing techniques.

How attackers bypass SEGs

Cybercriminals continuously develop new methods to circumvent SEGs, often manipulating legitimate services or introducing novel techniques that AI models have yet to encounter. Some of the most effective tactics include:

QR codes: Embedding malicious links within QR codes can be challenging for AI systems to analyze automatically. This attack method requires the employee to scan a code on their phone, removing the physical protection on their enterprise systems. The most recent innovative QR code technique involves rotating and embedding one QR code within another so a SEG scanning a QR code will get a different result than a victim who is instructed to scan the code sideways.

Malicious attachments: Disguising harmful links within seemingly benign attachments, such as PDFs or Microsoft Office documents, allows attackers to exploit the trust associated with common business communication.

URL obfuscation or redirection: Threat actors use legitimate services to mask malicious links, redirecting victims to phishing sites.

SEG-encoded links: Since SEGs rewrite incoming email URLs to scan for threats, attackers can embed pre-encoded URLs from other SEGs, tricking security filters into marking them as safe.

Malicious HTML files: Attackers attach malicious HTML files that, when opened, direct users to phishing sites or prompt credential entry.

These various techniques highlight the adaptive nature of phishing threats and techniques employed by threat actors that are used to bypass email security defenses.

The necessity for a strong security culture

As phishing attacks evolve, introducing novel threats that AI tools may not yet recognize, human ingenuity becomes a vital component of a comprehensive, layered defense strategy. This makes the cultivation of a strong security culture within organizations essential. While AI excels at routine pattern recognition and data filtering, human intuition and vigilance remain indispensable for identifying and responding to complex or ambiguous threats.

Building a robust security culture starts with communicating the significance of email security and positioning employees as the first line of defense. Creating a non-punitive environment where staff feel empowered to report suspicious activity is key to enhancing overall security.

This can be achieved by implementing user-friendly reporting tools, enabling quick identification and response to live threats, and offering interactive training sessions tailored to the unique risks faced by the organization. These initiatives ensure employees are equipped with the knowledge to spot and report phishing attempts effectively.

Recognizing and rewarding proactive security behaviors not only boosts engagement but also reinforces the value of individual contributions to organizational safety. By integrating these elements of a strong security culture, organizations can leverage human ingenuity alongside AI-driven defenses to create a formidable, multi-layered approach to threat protection.

Combining the power of AI efficiency and human ingenuity

While defensive AI can offer significant advantages, it is not infallible. The most effective defense against sophisticated phishing attacks combines AI-driven capabilities with human insight. AI excels at managing repetitive tasks and flagging potential issues, but human analysis is crucial for interpreting context, assessing nuances, and making informed decisions in ambiguous situations.

As phishing strategies continue to evolve, organizations must recognize that AI alone is not enough. By investing in a strong security culture that empowers employees to serve as vigilant defenders and complementing this with the power of advanced AI tools, organizations can establish a resilient, multi-layered defense against cyber threats.

We've featured the best encryption software.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

Brooklyn residents can choose from a wide range of providers. These are our top picks that offer fast and reliable plans.

• Adobe’s preparing for the next generation of AI agents
• More autonomy will unlock more creative time
• 75% of Photoshop users now use AI

Adobe has spilled the beans on exactly where it sees agentic AI playing a role in the workforce, and spoiler alert, humans won’t be displaced by the tech despite our concerns.

Described as “tech that’s capable of conversing, acting and solving complex problems,” agentic AI marks the next stage of the artificial intelligence wave, promising more autonomy to free up workers’ time for more productive and creative tasks.

In a blog post, Adobe’s Digital Media business CTO Ely Greenfield noted some of the areas that Adobe’s suite of apps have already seen major improvements with AI and AI agents, but the message remains clear – humans are at the center of creativity.

Adobe wants AI agents to help… not replace… human workers

“We’ve always believed that the single most powerful creative force in the world is the human imagination,” Greenfield commented.

In Acrobat, for example, AI Assistant can understand and interact with documents to help workers process huge amounts of data more efficiently, and custom agents are already on the way for role-specific tasks like research or sales assistants.

Maybe one of the most impressive use cases for Adobe’s AI is for enhancing the existing work of creatives – in Photoshop, users can use the models for context-aware edits like blurring backgrounds and removing people, while the tech also facilities with rough cuts, color adjustment and audio mixing in Premiere Pro.

Boating the generation of “more than 20 billion commercially safe, production-ready assets globally” since Firefly’s launch around two years ago, Adobe claims that more than three in four Photoshop users now use generative AI.

Greenfield also referenced another blog post highlighting Adobe’s creative-friendly approach to artificial intelligence, stressing that user data is “never” used to train Firefly.

Concluding, the CTO highlighted the company’s plans to “help every creator, at every skill level, work across every medium.”

You might also like

• These are the best AI tools and best AI writers
• Boost your output with the best productivity apps
• Adobe Premiere Pro updates bring some serious AI power

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, April 10 (game #669).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #670) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• CITRUS
• CITY
• RED CARPET
• ALL OUT
• AMERICAN
• FLAG
• KART
• BETWEEN
• SUNSHINE
• GALAXY
• LEAFY GREENS
• WORLD
• UBER RATING
• LAND
• STEADY
• SUPPLEMENTS
• TOWN

NYT Connections today (game #670) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Nutrients
• GREEN: Mall names 
• BLUE: Shine on
• PURPLE: Start with something that rhymes with “no”

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #670) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: SOURCES OF VITAMINS 
• GREEN: PLACES USED IN RETAIL SUFFIXES 
• BLUE: PLACES TO FIND STARS 
• PURPLE: WORDS AFTER "GO" 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #670) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #670, are…

• YELLOW: SOURCES OF VITAMINS CITRUS, LEAFY GREENS, SUNSHINE, SUPPLEMENTS
• GREEN: PLACES USED IN RETAIL SUFFIXES CITY, LAND, TOWN, WORLD
• BLUE: PLACES TO FIND STARS AMERICAN FLAG, GALAXY, RED CARPET, UBER RATING
• PURPLE: WORDS AFTER "GO" ALL OUT, BETWEEN, KART, STEADY

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 1 mistake

My mistake today came, as for many others I am sure, in thinking that Mario game titles was a common thread. Wrong!

After my bad start I got the four groups in order – I’m on a two-day streak doing this and it’s quite satisfying.

For PLACES TO FIND STARS the giveaway was UBER RATING. Having never thrown up in a car, canceled a ride a minute before they arrived, or given unwanted route instructions I’d consider myself to be a model passenger but I’m still under the magical 4.8 that supposedly results in a better service.

I have no idea what I did wrong to get the score drop – well, apart from insisting I Bluetooth my Polish ambient jazz mix. I get it, everyone has their own music taste, but everyone needs a little Sneaky Jesus, Krzysztof Komeda, and Klawo in their lives.

Plus, I find it makes the journeys go really quickly – the drivers can’t wait for me to leave!

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, 10 April, game #669)

• YELLOW: SHADES OF YELLOW CANARY, GOLD, LEMON, MUSTARD
• GREEN: SUPPLY MINE, RESERVE, STORE, WELL
• BLUE: ANTI-SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS BAH, COAL, GRINCH, NAUGHTY
• PURPLE: SPANISH WORDS ELLA, GUSTO, MAYO, SOY

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Many 16- to 18-year-olds surveyed said AI offers instant help, feedback and a nonjudgmental setting that makes math more accessible and understandable.

Google Pixel 9a: Two-minute review

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The Google Pixel 9a is a solid Android phone that punches far above its weight in important ways, even if the new direction for A-series phone design is a letdown. I'll try not to spend this whole review dwelling on how ugly this phone is – the photos speak for themselves – but I was surprised that Google abandoned its excellent Pixel design for this phone.

The Pixel 9a performs as well as the Pixel 9 in almost every way. It takes photos that look nearly as good as the pics I get from my Pixel 9 Pro. It has most of the latest AI features that make the Pixel a compelling choice for Google fans. I just wish it looked like a Pixel.

Don’t get me wrong; I love the color of the Peony review sample that Google sent me. Actually, TechRadar got two samples, and both were pink, so clearly Google likes this color as much as we do. The color is a perfect match with the Peony silicone case that Google supplied, and I kept the phone covered for most of my time testing it.

The Pixel 9a, Pixel 9, and Pixel 9 Pro (left to right) (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Putting the phone in its case was like putting lipstick on a pig. For the Pixel 9a, Google took the sharp, stylish, distinctive design language it used the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro and threw it in the garbage.

This phone is flat and boring. The camera bump is apologetic, rather than the bold statement the bump on the Pixel 9 makes. You would be forgiven for mistaking this phone for a cheap Motorola or Nokia, or an off-brand phone you find in the back of your carrier store.

I don’t get it. The best explanation I can muster is that the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro camera bar is expensive to produce, and the A-series phones are supposed to be a bargain. But Google cut plenty of other corners on this phone that should have offset the cost of a better design.

For instance, the camera sensors are much, much smaller than the sensors on the Pixel 8a. The main sensor is less than half the size, and that’s a massive drop for the most important spec in terms of camera quality. The Pixel 9a still manages to snap great photos, but this downgrade should have saved Google enough money to pay for a fancy new dress.

The Pixel 6a, Pixel 7a, and Pixel 8a (left to right) all look like the other Pixel phones in their series (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The Pixel 8a also launched with the same 8GB of RAM as the Pixel 8. The Pixel 9a keeps the 8GB of memory, but the Pixel 9 now offers 12GB (and the Pixel 9 Pro packs 16GB!), which makes a difference when it comes to running all of the AI features on the phone.

The Pixel 9a has a larger battery than the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro, even though all three phones have a 6.3-inch display. However, in my time with the Pixel 9a, battery life was good but not extraordinary, and our Future Labs tests show that its battery life is somehow not measurably better with that larger cell inside.

Is the Pixel 9a a letdown? Not at all! Google’s AI features remain the most useful smartphone AI tools you’ll find – I regularly use the AI phone call features to hang up on spammers, wait on hold for me, or record an especially important phone call.

Google Gemini on the Pixel 9a has also gotten much better – and it even improved during my two weeks with the phone, as Google added the ability for Gemini to use the camera and discuss what it sees.

For the price – $499 / £499 / AU$849 – you won’t find a phone that feels so polished and capable. You may find more camera features on a phone like the Samsung Galaxy A56, but you won’t get better photos than you’ll take with the Pixel 9a, especially not macro shots, which is the Pixel 9a’s new specialty.

Trying to beautify the Pixel 9a as best I can (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

You might find snappier performance elsewhere, but the Pixel 9a’s Tensor G4 chip is powerful enough to for Google to guarantee seven years of major Android and security updates, and that’s the best promise you’ll get in this price range. If you need a bargain phone and you don’t want to replace it, like, ever, the Pixel 9a would be the first phone I recommend.

Except for one small thing: the Pixel 8a might be just as good. The Pixel 9a isn’t much faster, and it doesn’t do anything the Pixel 8a can’t do, other than offering the latest Google AI features. If the AI aspect of Google’s phones isn’t enticing, you might be just as satisfied saving even more money and getting the Pixel 8a, especially if it goes on sale again soon.

Actually, if you’re considering the Pixel 9a and you want the best possible bargain, you may want to wait a bit longer. The Pixel 8a went on sale in May of 2024 and the price dropped by $100 for one deal in the US in August. The current global economic uncertainty aside, Google loves to goose sales of its A-series phones with a great deal, so look out for price drops on the Pixel 9a. Or just buy the Pixel 8a – because at least that phone looks like a Pixel.

Google Pixel 9a review: Price and availability

The Pixel 9a in Obsidian, Porcelain, Iris, and Peony (top to bottom) (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

• Priced at $499 / £499 / AU$849 for 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM
• Available in Peony, Iris, Porcelain and Obsidian

The Pixel 9a is available now for $499 / £499 / AU$849, after a delay caused by a mysterious 'passive component' issue. My review sample did not seem to have any performance problems or build-quality issues, so I guess we’ll never know what held back the Pixel 9a for a few weeks.

The Pixel 9a costs the same as last year’s Pixel 8a did at launch, but this year there's no competing iPhone SE at an even lower price to consider. Apple has effectively vacated the $500 phone market by selling the new iPhone 16e for a laughable $599 / £599 / AU$999.

If you’re looking for a $500 phone, the Pixel 9a is one of your best options, along with the Samsung Galaxy A56. Samsung hasn’t started selling that phone in the US as I write this, but we have reviewed it, and we know it’s coming to the US later this year.

See! A bargain phone can look cool, not clunky (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

You might also consider the Nothing Phone 3a Pro, a quirky Android that costs $459 / £449 / AU$849, though it’s only available in the US through a beta program.

Of all the phones in this price range, the Pixel 9a should get software and security updates for longer than the rest. The Pixel gets a seven-year promise, while Samsung gives you six years, and the rest of the Android world promises three or fewer.

• Value score: 5/5

Google Pixel 9a review: Specs

The Pixel 9a hiding behind the Pixel 9 because it knows that it's ugly (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The Pixel 9a uses the same Google Tensor G4 chipset as the Pixel 9 Pro and the rest of the Pixel 9 family. This is Google’s biggest strength with its bargain phones, because the Tensor contains the magic sauce that lets Google promise seven years of major OS updates for its latest phones (though none of them have actually been around for seven years, yet).

The Tensor G4 isn’t a performance beast, but it’s good enough for the Pixel 9a to get by, albeit with a bit of sluggishness. The initial setup process especially was a slog, as the phone gets bogged down when you try to download a lot of apps and then, you know, use them.

The paltry 8GB of RAM inside became noticeable when I used the AI features, and the Pixel 9a inexplicably doesn't have the new Screenshots app that debuted on the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro. That app gathers all of your screenshots and runs them through the AI so you can ask questions about what it sees; I guess 8GB of RAM is not enough for that level of on-device processing.

I'm very nervous about the next seven years with this phone, if we’re already seeing Google omit features on day one that the rest of the Pixel 9 phones have. I suspect that whatever Android update the Pixel 9a gets in seven years will be only a portion of what the rest of the Pixel phones will receive, but at least security holes should be plugged.

Google Pixel 9a review: Design

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

• A major departure from Pixel design
• The ugliest Pixel phone ever

Let’s start with a compliment: I like the colors. I like the Peony pink and the lavender Iris hues, and even the Porcelain and Obsidian look premium, not basic. I also like that the cases match perfectly with the phone, giving the handset some needed dimension and texture.

Okay, that’s all the nice I have in me for this phone's design. I’m only being mean to the butt-ugly Pixel 9a because I really liked the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro redesign, and I can’t believe Google didn’t carry the new look down to the bargain basement.

The Pixel 9a is just a flat slab of plastic broken by a round camera bump. It has no personality or character – it looks like somebody punched a Pixel 9 square in the nose and flattened its whole face.

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The Pixel 9a has the same-size screen as the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro, but the bezels are noticeably thicker. The phone is nicely rounded, like the Pixel 9, but the back is a matte-finish plastic, not shiny glass. Google says 23% of the Pixel 9a is recycled materials, by weight.

To be fair, the Pixel 9a is thinner than the Pixel 9 if you count the camera bump – that bar adds 3mm to the thickness of the latter phone. If you really want a phone that is borin… er, flat, this is a good pick.

Google also says the Pixel 9a is the most durable Pixel A-series phone yet. It can withstand a dunk in up to 1.5m of fresh water for 30 minutes, so feel free to drop it in the toilet and give it a flush, then rinse it in the sink.

• Design score: 3/5

Google Pixel 9a review: Display

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

• Very bright and colorful display
• Questionable Adaptive Display settings should be turned off

The Pixel 9a has an excellent screen that's very bright and colorful, continuing Google’s dominance in this aspect of the smartphone world. This would be a great display for a phone at any price, but it’s a standout feature on a bargain phone; you won’t find a better or brighter screen on a phone this cheap.

I was feeling a bit let down by the display for my first few days with the Pixel 9a, but then I turned off the Adaptive Display mode and things got much brighter. For some reason, Adaptive Display was keeping my phone very dark no matter where I used it, but when I took control the experience got exponentially better.

The screen can refresh at up to 120Hz, but frankly I’m not sure the phone can keep up with any content moving that fast. Scrolling through the apps and settings menus felt more stuttery on the Pixel 9a than on the Pixel 9 Pro, and I can only assume that more RAM would pick things up.

The phone has Gorilla Glass 3 on the front, which is durable but not as scratch-resistant as the latest Gorilla Glass Victus materials. I noticed some hairline scratches on the screen after only a week of use, although these weren't distracting. The back of the phone is plastic, not glass, so it should be more durable.

• Display score: 4/5

Google Pixel 9a review: Software

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

• A polished version of Android, with many updates to come
• Doesn’t have all the features of the rest of the Pixel family

The Google Pixel 9a launches with Android 15 on board, and it should get updates through Android 22 in 2032, if humanity survives that long. Google has only been making this seven-year promise for three years, so we can’t be sure what those eventual updates will look like, but Google also regularly drops new features, or brings newer features to older phones, in software updates it calls Pixel Drops.

Google’s version of Android is the most refined you can get, with the fewest extraneous features. Where Android used to be known for its heavy customization options, now you’d have to download a whole new launcher app if you want to organize your app list into folders or tweak the interface behavior. Today’s Android is simpler, and better for it.

You can no longer group apps into folders or even change the order of the app list (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Google also has some of the most useful AI tools on its smartphones; and, where other phone makers have the same features, Google does it better. For instance, Google’s Voice Recorder app is the best at transcribing what it hears into text. It will label individual speakers, and you can simply tap on a word to jump to the moment in the recording when it was spoken. Samsung and other Android phone makers have similar software, but it doesn’t work as well; not even close.

I especially like Google’s AI calling tools. When I get a mysterious phone call, I can have Google’s AI answer and screen the call; spammers always hang up at this point. If I’m on an important call that I need to remember details of, I can have the AI record and later transcribe the call. My caller will be alerted to the fact that they're being recorded, so there’s no privacy concern.

Gemini Live isn't interesting to look at, but it's fun to talk to the machine (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Google’s Gemini Live conversation tool also got a nice boost on the Pixel 9a. Just before this phone launched, Gemini Live went multi-modal, so it can now talk to you conversationally while it looks through your camera. I pointed Gemini at the blank wall beneath my TV and asked for suggestions on how to decorate it. Gemini suggested that I add plants, then we switched the conversation to what plants I could buy that I wouldn’t kill in a month.

Of course, there are plenty of AI slop tools on the Pixel 9a as well. There's the standard image-generating tool that probably shouldn’t exist, for legal and ethical reasons, and it can now create images of human beings, which was forbidden in the past.

I have a big problem with these tools. They're bigoted by nature. If I ask Pixel Studio for an image of ‘a successful person,’ I get five images of young, able-bodied people. The selection may be racially diverse, but it still holds onto so many stereotypes that it should simply not be on a phone.

If I ask Pixel Studio for an image of ‘a Jewish man,’ I get the most stereotypical caricature of Jewish identity: an older man with a full beard and a head covering. If I ask for ‘a Palestinian man,’ it refuses to create anything, which is its own harmful erasure and stereotyping, as if any image of a Palestinian man should be considered potentially harmful.

Image 1 of 3

I asked Pixel Studio for "A Jewish man" and got these three images in a row (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)Image 2 of 3

I asked Pixel Studio for "A Jewish man" and got these three images in a row (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)Image 3 of 3

I asked Pixel Studio for "A Jewish man" and got these three images in a row (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Sorry, this Pixel has no business creating images of people if it resorts to stereotypes. I’m not sure when it became acceptable for a smartphone to reinforce bigotry, but it’s not something I’ll ever be comfortable with. Google should remove this capability from Pixel Studio immediately.

• Software score: 2/5

Google Pixel 9a review: Cameras

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

• Surprisingly good photos that look like Pixel 9 Pro pics
• Astonishing macro capabilities that rival my DSLR – seriously

I've been pleasantly surprised by the Pixel 9a’s camera capabilities. This phone continues the A-series tradition of producing photos that look almost identical to the shots you’d get from the Pro-series device, albeit at a much lower resolution.

The Pixel 9a has a 48MP camera, but it uses a pixel binning technique and will only produce images that are 12MP. Even the raw files it produces are 12MP or less.

That’s fine by me! I think 12MP is the perfect size for sharing, whether you send photos to friends or post them to your favorite social app. You won’t be able to zoom in later, and you might miss the fine details, but 12MP is a good compromise for a bargain phone. To be fair, the Pixel 9 has a 50MP camera and that phone also limits its photo output to 12MP.

I was expecting the Pixel 9a cameras to be much less capable, because the sensors have been reduced in size compared to the Pixel 8a, and are much smaller that the sensors you’ll find on the Pixel 9 or Pixel 9 Pro. The Pixel 9a uses a half-inch sensor for the main camera, compared to the three-quarter-inch sensor on the Pixel 9.

That doesn’t sound like much, but that’s the diagonal measurement, and the actual area of the sensor in the Pixel 9a is 57% smaller than that of the sensor the Pixel 9. That means it captures much less light, which affects every other aspect of photography.

There's much bigger sensors under that big Pixel 9 bump (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Thankfully, Google’s AI photography magic has never been more powerful. Photos look great, nearly identical to Pixel 9 Pro photos, until you zoom in close. Then things get muddy, but the Pixel 9a produces images with accurate colors and good lighting. The iPhone 16e might be a little bit better, but it’s also much more expensive, and it lacks some of the Pixel 9a’s great features.

I was blown away by the new macro photography capabilities on the Pixel 9a. I shoot macro photos often with my Nikon D750 and Tamron 100mm macro lens, so I broke out the full-frame camera for a comparison test. The results were truly shocking.

Without a flash, the Pixel 9a totally outperformed my Nikon. I couldn’t hold the camera still enough for the 1/4 second exposure that it required, but the Pixel 9a had no trouble grabbing a sharp shot in the same dim light. Even with a flash attached, my Nikon wasn’t much more sharp than the Pixel 9a. The Pixel even managed to expose a wider swath of the subject than my Nikon at f/16.

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)This macro shot was taken with the Pixel 9aImage 2 of 2

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)This macro shot was taken with a Nikon D750 DSLR with a Tamron 100mm macro lens

Usually, macro photography on smartphones is a gimmick performed with a pathetic 3MP camera, but on the Pixel 9a it’s so good, at full resolution, that it offers a whole reason to consider this phone. If you like shooting macro, you’ve probably never seen a smartphone that can get this close and take photos this sharp.

• Camera score: 3/5

Google Pixel 9a review: Camera samples Image 1 of 5

That is very close up (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)Image 2 of 5

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)Image 3 of 5

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)Image 4 of 5

A Long Exposure photo (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)Image 5 of 5

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future) Google Pixel 9a review: Performance

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

• Adequate performance but not what I’d call fast
• The AI features always slow things down

The Pixel 9a performs as well as the Pixel 9, for better and for worse. It was able to handle all of my favorite apps and all of Google’s features with little trouble, as long as I wasn’t asking the AI for anything. Except for some hiccups during my initial setup, when the interface ground to a halt while installing numerous apps and backup data, I had no trouble using the Pixel 9a as my primary work phone.

It’s still slow, objectively and subjectively. The menus and interface do not feel as snappy on the Pixel 9a as OneUI does on the Galaxy S25, for instance. It isn’t as smooth and responsive as iOS on any recent iPhone. Some apps take a bit longer to open, and when switching between apps it takes longer for the screen to populate.

I was still able to run all of my necessary apps, take video calls while browsing the web, and play my favorite games, including Call of Duty Mobile – I had to turn the settings down for better performance, but I had fun playing.

The Pixel 9a sends much of its AI computing to the cloud, and this slows down whatever process you're engaged in. Pixel Studio, for instance, generated images much faster on the Pixel 9, and it was even faster on the Pixel 9 Pro. Apparently RAM does make a big difference with these AI features.

• Performance score: 3/5

Google Pixel 9 Pro review: Battery

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

• The larger battery doesn’t translate to longer life
• Charging speeds are also slower, but there’s wireless

One of the big advantages Google highlights with the Pixel 9a is the larger battery – a 5,100mAh cell that's bigger than the batteries in the similarly-sized Pixel 9 or Pixel 9 Pro. I didn’t see any benefit, though.

The phone lasted through a full day of use most of the time, except on days when I did a lot of work with the AI tools and cameras. Even then, battery life was acceptable, if not exceptional.

I’m not sure why this phone isn’t lasting much longer than the Pixel 9, even though its battery is 8.5% larger. Our Future Labs testing concurs. In our battery rundown test the Pixel 9a lasted at most 13 hours and eight minutes, while the Pixel 9 lasted 13 hours and 18 minutes in the same test.

That’s not terrible, but you can find longer-lasting phones in this price range. The Nothing Phone 3a Pro lasted more than an hour longer in Future Labs. The OnePlus 13R is only a bit more expensive, and it’s our battery-life champion, with hours more battery life than the competition.

The Pixel 9a does include wireless charging, which isn’t common on a bargain phone. Nothing Phone and OnePlus omit wireless charging on their budget models, though they do have much faster wired charging than Google offers.

The Pixel 9a can only charge up to 23W, which isn’t very fast. The battery wasn’t even halfway charged after 30 minutes, and it took more than an hour to get to 100% from 1%.

• Battery score: 3/5

Should you buy the Google Pixel 9 Pro? Buy it if...

You want a great bargain camera for close-ups
While it lacks zoom, Google’s bargain Pixel has some of the best macro photography capabilities I’ve seen.

You want a solid phone to keep for a very long time
The Pixel 9a is durable, and it'll get seven years of Android and security updates. That makes it a keeper if you want a bargain phone that will last.

You want the best AI phone features
There’s a lot of AI on this phone, but the best features work with the actual Phone app to help screen calls and record important conversations.

Don't buy it if...

You want a pretty phone that you can show off
Get a case for this ugly phone, or put a bag over its head. I don’t know why Google uglified its Pixel like this, but it hurts.

You don’t want to support bigoted AI image generators
AI image generator tools that produce only stereotypes reinforce bigotry. This software isn’t acceptable on my smartphone and it needs to go.

Google Pixel 9a review: Also consider

Samsung Galaxy A56
You can’t buy the Galaxy A56 everywhere yet, but we got to review Samsung’s top bargain model, and it won us over with a high-quality build and great performance.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy A56 review

Nothing Phone 3a Pro
Like the anti-Pixel 9a, this phone is all about the cool design and showing off. The Nothing Phone doesn’t want to hide in a case, it wants to dance and party!
Read our full Nothing Phone 3a Pro review

How I tested the Google Pixel 9a

I used the Google Pixel 9a for almost two weeks. I tested the phone on AT&T’s network in the greater New York area, throughout the city and suburbs. I used the Pixel 9a as my primary work phone with all of my work accounts and apps, as well as a personal phone for photos and gaming.

I tested the Pixel 9a with a Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Buds Pro 2. I connected the phone to my car and tested Android Auto. I connected an Xbox wireless controller for gaming.

I tested the Pixel 9a camera against the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro, as well as the iPhone 16 and Galaxy S25. For macro photo comparisons, I compared against my Nikon D750 camera with a Tamron 100mm macro lens.

Future Labs tests phones using a mix of third-party benchmark software and proprietary, real-world tests. We use Geekbench, CrossMark, JetStream, WebXPRT and Mobile XPRT, and 3DMark for performance testing. We test a phone's performance on tasks using Adobe Premiere Rush. We also measure display color output and brightness.

For battery testing, we have proprietary rundown tests that are the same for every phone, and we determine how long it takes for the battery to run down.

Read more about how we test

Why you can trust TechRadar

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

First reviewed April 2025

If you can get fiber broadband, your home might be worth more. But a lack of equitable access to fast internet puts people at a disadvantage in building wealth.

I tested the $499 Pixel 9A for two weeks and was impressed by how many features Google added without raising the price. Let's hope tariffs don't change that.

• A new PS Portal update will be released today with new features aimed at improving the user experience
• Players will be able to capture gameplay during cloud streaming and sort their games
• A new queue function has been added when a streaming server is full, among other features

A new PlayStation Portal update arrives today, bringing a ton of new features aimed at improving the user experience while using Cloud Game Streaming Beta.

As detailed in a new PlayStation Blog post, the first new feature players can expect is a sort function on the catalog screen, allowing users to sort games by recently added to PS Plus (the default), name, and release date.

Probably the most exciting new feature of the update is the ability to capture gameplay during cloud streaming.

By pressing the Create button once, the Create menu will be displayed; pressing and holding will take a screenshot, and pressing twice will start or finish recording a video clip.

Like the PlayStation 5, images and videos captured will automatically be uploaded to the cloud server and can then be accessed via the PlayStation App. It's noted that "captures will be stored for 14 days after they were created".

Another improvement allows players to queue when a streaming server is full. An estimated wait time will be displayed on the screen, and when a spot opens up, the game session will automatically start.

(Image credit: Sony)

Gameplay will also now pause depending on the situation, including when the player opens the PS Portal quick menu, when they press the power button once to enter rest mode, or if a system error message is displayed.

Finally, users will receive a system notification when their streaming session is about to end due to inactivity of over 10 minutes, and a user feedback screen has been added at the end of sessions to rate the quality of the experience.

The new PS Portal update should be rolling out today, but TechRadar Gaming found that a 92.26MB download is currently available to download as of 12PM BST today.

Sony added that since Cloud Streaming (Beta) is still an experimental offering, "the features available during the beta period may change over time and may not reflect the final experience".

You might also like...

• Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders live: latest UK stock updates as My Nintendo Store's pre-order date arrives, while US pre-orders remain delayed
• Microsoft announces an Xbox Games Showcase and The Outer Worlds 2 Direct double feature for June
• Hades 2 will be a Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 exclusive at launch, but don't worry it's still coming to other platforms later

Vertere DG X: two-minute review

Put $5,400/ £4,150 / AU$8,500 Vertere’s way and in return you get a beautifully constructed DG X turntable, a strange-looking but remarkably capable Groove Runner X tonearm, and a cartridge that’s a lot more serious than the model name ‘Lite Sabre’ might lead you to believe. Although this review is titled 'Vertere DG X' for brevity, I'm reviewing the full package here: Vertere DG X / Groove Runner X / Lite Sabre – and what a package it is.

What’s more, you get a proper power supply and equally capable cables too. You even get a dust-cover. The DG X package is simplicity itself to set up – all the hard work has been done in the factory – so your sonic gratification need not be deferred very long at all.

And gratification is really what the Vertere DG X is dealing in – it'll be the reason it soon features in our pick of the best turntables, at any rate. It might lack the last scintilla of audio bolshiness, and not be quite as willing as some alternative designs to really attack those recordings that are, let’s face it, asking for it. But in every other respect it’s a thrillingly accomplished listen. Where control, balance, tonal fidelity, frequency response, rhythmic expression and all the other stuff that goes into making a rounded and convincing presentation, the DG X barely puts a foot wrong. And it’s engaging and entertaining at the same time – which is by no means a given no matter how much you’re spending on a record player.

(Image credit: Future) Vertere DG X review: Price & release date

The Vertere DG X / Groove Runner X / Lite Sabre package was released on March 20, 2025, and in the United Kingdom it’s yours for £4150. In the United States it sells for $5400, while in Australia the going rate is AU$8500.

There are two equally important things to bear in mind when considering this asking price. The first is that there are plenty of very capable turntable/tonearm/cartridge combinations available at this sort of money from extremely well-regarded manufacturers. The other is that Vertere itself is now firmly established as an extremely well-regarded manufacturer…

(Image credit: Future) Vertere DG X review: Features

• Microprocessor-controlled belt drive (33.3 and 45rpm)
• Tri-point articulated tonearm bearing system
• Vertere DC-2 bespoke power supply

Somehow ‘features’ seems too weak a word to describe the lengths Vertere has gone to, and the engineering mania that has been brought to bear, to deliver the DG X / Groover Runner / Lite Sabre package. Still, it’s the word I’ve been given to work with – so here goes…

The DG X turntable has a main bearing housing made of precisely machined brass alloy, with a tungsten carbide thrust ball. Its non-magnetic stainless steel spindle is mirror polished, and it features aluminium alloy plinth interface clamps. The drive system is made up of a machined acetal motor spindle thrust bearing, a machined aluminium alloy pulley along with a resonance control disc of the same material. The platter it turns is also (mostly) of machined aluminium, and Vertere supplies a cork/neoprene/nitrile mat which has, so it claims, a positive effect on the resulting sound. 33.3 or 45rpm speeds are electronically selectable via microprocessor-controlled motor drive – a silicon drive belt does the donkey work.

The Groover Runner tonearm, meanwhile, is 240mm long and an unusual flat shape. It’s made up of two bonded lengths of five-layer polymer – the idea is to minimise the resonance peak inherent in the more common tube arm designs. It’s a tri-point articulated design, and uses three captive silicon nitride balls with a machined non-magnetic bearing point. It’s similar in this way to the far more upmarket Vertere SG 1 turntable’s tonearm assembly. The azimuth setting mechanism and stainless steel counterweight have been updated - there’s now a locking aluminium alloy counterweight screw – and there’s a secondary weight that’s adjustable along much of the length of the tonearm to help with cartridge-matching.

The tonearm beam features a magnetic rest, so the arm doesn’t need to be clipped into place when it’s not active. The lift/lower mechanism is insulated, and is fixed to the non-resonant bearing pillar. The arm is pre-fitted with a new moving-magnet cartridge called Lite Sabre – it might seem a slightly flippant, pun-tastic name at first, until you realise it’s designed to offer a lot of the performance of the company’s considerably pricier Sabre MM cartridge. Naturally it’s optimised in every respect to be the perfect partner to the arm and the turntable it’s wedded to.

Power is supplied by Vertere’s DC-2 ‘Challenger’ 30V DC unit that was, until very recently, a cost option. Some very acceptable stereo RCA connection cables are included in the package too – so as far as the DG X system goes, you have everything you need to get up and running.

• Features score: 5 / 5

(Image credit: Future) Vertere DG X review: sound quality

• Sky-high detail retrieval
• Rhythmically positive and assured
• Tightly unified overall presentation

I may as well get this out of the way from the get-go: the Vertere DG X package isn’t a complete all-rounder. It very nearly is, but in one respect this turntable falls fractionally short. That’s not to say it wouldn’t be ideal for your purposes, of course – but nevertheless it’s something you should be aware of.

Basically, the DG X isn’t quite as attacking or driving as it might be. With a fairly assertive recording playing (a chunky reissue of Pere Ubu’s The Modern Dance, for instance) there’s not quite the charge or the onslaught the material demands. It’s not that the DG X is overly polite – it’s prepared to bare its teeth if it absolutely has to. But other price-comparable rivals are more willing to blitz through the recording than this record player is.

And with that out of the way, I’m free to discuss all the very many ways in which the DG X is an admirable, engaging and thoroughly convincing listen. Where to start?

With frequency response, maybe? It’s absolutely even from top to bottom; the DG X delves deep into the lower frequencies and reaches high at the top end, but no area of the frequency range is overstated and no area is underplayed. It’s even-handed and unified, and the overall presentation is brilliantly naturalistic as a result.

Tonally, too, the Vertere is expertly judged. There just doesn’t seem to be any significant input into tonality from the DG X – so when you listen to something warmly analogue like Heart of the Congos by The Congos, ‘warmly analogue’ is what you get, and when you listen to something rather more chilly and austere like Kraftwerk’s Trans Europe Express what you get is chilly an… well, you get the picture. The tonal balance of this record player seems to be dictated by the music it’s playing rather than any idea of what’s ‘correct’, and it’s an impressively balanced listen as a result.

Detail levels, across the board, are sky-high – and the DG X seems to have no problem identifying the most transient episodes in a recording and placing them into context with just the right amount of weighting. Despite its attention to detail, though, it never sounds analytical or dispassionate – it simply has a happy knack for extracting every shred of information in the groove of your record and handing it over in a completely unforced manner.

Rhythms are confidently expressed, thanks to the sort of low-frequency control and authority the Vereter demonstrates, and even the gimpy tempos of Tony Allen’s Lagos No Shaking roll along as if they’re the most natural and simple thing in the world. The attention the DG X pays to harmonic variations is fanatical, and it has the sort of effortless power to put significant distance between the quietest and the most vehement moments of a recording. When the horns really start to blare, the increase in volume and intensity is made absolutely apparent.

And all of this good stuff happens without sacrificing the sort of unity and singularity of presentation for which the vinyl format is routinely prized. There’s a sense of togetherness and of performance to the way the Vertere presents music that’s extremely persuasive – and this is the case even when it’s playing music that never was a performance. Four Tet’s And They All Look Broken Hearted sounds as whole and as singular as any recording by a band playing all together in the studio.

• Sound quality score: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: Future) Vertere DG X review: Design

• 130 x 469 x 384mm (HxWxD including dust cover)
• Black, white or red gloss finishes
• Adjustable feet

Fundamentally, the DG X looks like a record player, but Vertere has managed to design just a little individuality into it. The company will of course tell you that everything it’s done, it’s done in the name of performance – but the fact that the result is a turntable that’s just slightly individual and even mildly dramatic in the way it looks can’t have disappointed Vertere either.

The main plinth, with its racy little angular cutaways on each of its four sides, is made up of three layers of cast acrylic arranged in a non-resonant sandwich. The filling is clear, and internally illuminated for a little visual pizzazz; the upper and lower sections are available in gloss black or gloss red as well as the gloss white of my review sample.

The substructure is a black-coated zintec steel chassis, and the entire arrangement is supported on three threaded feet that are topped (or, more correctly, bottomed) with resistive felt. They’re adjustable, naturally, so you can be sure your DG X is perfectly level. A spirit gauge is provided so you can make absolutely certain.

On the rear of the plinth, along with an input for the mains adapter, there are a pair of gold-plated RCA output sockets. Like almost every electrical element of this package, they have selectable shielding – choose from ‘signal’, ‘chassis’ or ‘floating’.

The DG X is supplied with a tinted acrylic dust-cover, and as is appropriate in the overall context of this turntable, it is designed to be as resistant to resonance as is possible. With the dust-cover attached to its hinges, the all-in weight of the Vertere is 8.5kg.

• Design score: 5 / 5

(Image credit: Future) Vertere DG X review: Usability & setup

• Pre-fitted and pre-adjusted cartridge
• Simple anti-skate adjustment
• Both counterweights factory-set

It’s not unheard-of for an upmarket and shamelessly ‘audiophile’ turntable to be simple and straightforward to set up – it’s just quite rare. So it’s nice to be able to add the Vertere DG X package to the list.

As the Lite Sabre arrives connected to the Groove Runner X tonearm, everything that needs to be done has already been done in the factory. Tracking weight adjustment? Vertical tracking angle? Anti-skate, azimuth and counterweight? All taken care of. All you have to do is position the tonearm and plug its cable (which is terminated with what looks very much like a microUSB socket) into the body of the plinth and you’re in business. Well, once you’ve made a connection to an amplifier and to mains power, anyway.

And as far as usability goes, well, this is a record player – there’s next-to-nothing to it. The speed control is on a switch on the top left of the plinth as you look down on it - short presses toggle between 33.3 and 45rpm, and a long press switches the deck either on or off. Put a record on the mat, set it turning at the correct speed, lower the tonearm – and you’re in business.

• Usability and setup score: 5 / 5

(Image credit: Future) Vertere DG X review: Value

‘Value’ is a slightly tricky consideration where products like this, at this sort of money, are concerned. After all, shouldn’t spending north of £4K on a turntable guarantee impressive build quality, flawless finish and stunning sound quality?

If you’ve read this far then you know all of this is covered by the Vertere DG X – and you also know that if you’re going to take full advantage of what this record player has to offer, you’ll need a similarly expensive system with which to do so.

There’s no disputing this product’s credentials, and by extension the value for money it offers. Ultimately, it’s going to depend on whether or not you enjoy the way the DG X looks, and even more importantly, the way it goes about doing the audio business…

• Value score: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: Future) Should I buy the Vertere DG X? Buy it if…

You enjoy a full and unequivocal account of your records
The DG X package doesn’t scrimp on the details - quite the opposite, in factView Deal

You think this sort of money should by everything you need in a record player
From power supply and cables to a pre-fitted and pre-adjusted cartridge, the Vertere is ready to goView Deal

You like a bit of thoughtful design
The DG X is just individual enough in its design to count as ‘interesting’View Deal

Don't buy it if…

You want sonic blood and thunder
The DG X is talented in very many ways, but it’s not the most attacking listenView Deal

You don’t have particularly steady hands
The Groove Runner X tri-point articulated tonearm can feel perilously loose. It isn’t, of course, it just feels it…View Deal

You own lots of 78rpm recordings
Plenty of alternative designs can indulge your throwback ways… View Deal

(Image credit: Future) Vertere DG X review: Also consider

Technics SL-1300G
The Technics SL-1300G will set you back $2,999 / £2,799 – but by the time you’ve specified an appropriate cartridge you’ll be rapidly closing in on Vertere DG X money. Sturdy and purposeful in appearance where the Vertere is relatively slender and delicate, the Technics is a potent and unshakably stable listen with plenty going for it where rhythmic expression and detail retrieval is concerned.
Read more on the Technics SL-1300GView Deal

Rega Planar 10

…Or you might go to the other visual extreme and consider the Rega Planar 10 – at $5,000 / £4,350 or so without a cartridge it’s a pricier proposition than the Vertere, and that money doesn’t seem to buy you very much stuff at all. But rest assured the Rega is a stunningly complete performer without a significant shortcoming to report on… View Deal

(Image credit: Future) How I tested the Vertere DG X

How did I test the Vertere DG X / Groove Runner X / Lite Sabre? After setting it up, I connected the turntable to a Naim Uniti Star using the supplied RCA connections. The Naim was then connected to a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 Signature loudspeakers (bolted to their bespoke FS-700 S3 stands) using QED XT40i speaker cable.

Then, I spent well over a working week listening to as much music as I could, of many different genres, and of many different qualities of pressing, in an effort to find something the Vertere couldn’t get along with. And if this sounds in any way arduous, I assure you it wasn’t.

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

U.S. stocks fell a day after posting spectacular gains over President Trump's decision to pause many of his tariffs. Now, some of that relief is starting to fade.

(Image credit: Charly Triballeau / AFP via Getty Images)