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Philips Barista Brew: two-minute review

The Philips Barista Brew is an espresso machine that can either hand-hold you through brewing espresso by automating part of the process, or leave you to do everything manually once you’ve built up your confidence. It’s a nice idea that should help smooth out the typical learning curve.

The machine heats quickly, and has a useful pressure gauge on the front that lets you see whether you’ve achieved the optimal pressure while pulling a shot of espresso. The controls are simple to understand and use, and although the Barista Brew takes longer to master than some other machines I’ve tested recently (such as the De’Longhi La Specialista Touch), once accustomed to its idiosyncrasies, you’ll be able to create consistently good coffee with minimal fuss (and only a scattering of grounds on your kitchen worktop).

For me, the Philips Barista Brew had two main drawbacks: the automatic dosing and the tamper. Both issues are solvable, though; but they do mean that this is a good coffee machine rather than a great one.

On its default settings, the Barista Brew ground far too much coffee for a double shot of espresso, and I needed to reduce the grind time by half to get an appropriate dose. Changing settings isn’t too difficult using the instruction booklet, but I can’t help but feel that the presets should be better configured, since making big changes to the standard settings may be outside the comfort zone of people new to coffee-making.

I found it hard to achieve the optimum pressure using the Philips Barista Brew with its "calibrated" tamper, and my coffee tended to extract too quickly – even when very finely ground. Swapping to a conventional solid tamper solved the problem, however. (Image credit: Future)

My other issue was the tamper, which is spring-loaded and limits the amount of pressure you can put on the coffee puck. Despite the coffee being finely ground, my shots often poured too fast, and the pressure gauge on the front of the machine showed that it was failing to reach the optimal nine bars.

I found a few solutions. Grinding the coffee more coarsely means it takes up more space (imagine the difference between a bucket full of sand and one full of rocks), with it usually resulting in a faster pour because water will find its way through the grounds more quickly. But here, if you dial the grinder just right, you may be able to tamp hard enough to cancel out that effect.

Another option is to simply grind more coffee, so there's more for the tamp to compress; but this feels like a waste of beans. As with any espresso machine, add too much to your basket and it will make contact with the brew head when you insert the handle, which will stop the water passing through properly.

(Image credit: Future)

Finally, you can stick with your preferred grind size and dose, and use a simple third-party tamper to compress the puck rather than Philips' spring-loaded unit. While this one feels nice in the hand, I can’t help but feel it’s over-engineered.

Nevertheless, it’s important to bear in mind the price of the Barista Brew when you’re comparing it to others in the same category. Although I found the De’Longhi La Specialista Touch easier to master, the Barista Brew is much cheaper at its currently reduced price when you buy direct from Philips. If you don’t get along with the "calibrated" tamper, you can buy a good-quality unit separately and still pay a lot less.

It’ isn't perfect, but the Philips Barista Brew is very good for the price, and is definitely one to consider if you’re looking for a compact, all-in-one espresso machine that won’t break the bank.

Philips Barista Brew: price and availability

• List price $649.99 / £580.99 (about AU$1,000)
• For sale in US and Europe
• Dual-hopper version also available

The Philips Barista Brew launched in January 2024, with a list price of $649.99 / £580.99 (about AU$1,000). However, it can often be found at a discount if you shop around – for example, at the time of writing, it’s available direct from Philips for £449.99. You’ll find all today’s best prices below.

That’s about average for a semi-automatic espresso machine of this type, and is almost exactly the same price as the similarly specced De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo. If you want a machine that will hold your hand with features such as automatic milk texturizing or a color touchscreen (like the De’Longhi La Specialista Touch), for example, you should expect to pay a little more.

This version of the Philips Barista Brew comes with a single bean hopper, but there’s also a model with a dual hopper that can hold two different beans at once and switch between them on-the-fly. That model is slightly more expensive at $699.99 / £624.99 (about AU$1,100) before discounts.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Philips Barista Brew: specs Philips Barista Brew: design

• Stylish-looking and compact
• Easy-to-use controls for coffee and milk
• Grinder is messy to use

The Philips Barista Brew is quite compact compared to most of the best bean-to-cup coffee machines, and surprisingly light, too. This is largely down to its chassis, which is made mostly from black plastic, with brushed stainless steel only on the front. It’s a stylish appliance, and will look quite at home in a modern kitchen.

The machine is operated using a series of buttons found along the front, with a dial on the side for dispensing hot water and steam. There are three drink options (single espresso, double espresso, and americano), and you can adjust the brew time and coffee dosage manually by following the clear guidance in the instruction booklet.

(Image credit: Future)

The version of the Philips Barista Brew I tested comes with a single bean hopper, but there's also a version with a two-part hopper that allows you to switch between different beans on-the-fly – a welcome feature for those of us who prefer decaf in the afternoon. The dual-hopper version is only a little more expensive, and is well worth considering.

The hopper sits on top of a ceramic burr grinder that offers 15 grind settings, which are adjusted by rotating the hopper. The burrs move smoothly, and dismantling the grinder for cleaning proved straightforward. The machine comes with a small cleaning kit that includes a brush for this purpose.

Even with the powder ring fitted on the handle, coffee tended to fly out of the grinder (Image credit: Future)

The grinder can be set to dispense a timed dose of coffee, or operated manually by pushing the portafilter handle against the back of the machine (tilting it slightly upwards to hit a switch).

The water tank sits on the back of the Philips Barista Brew, and is easy to lift off using its robust handle. Some other reviewers have called it narrow and difficult to clean, but it’s actually wider than those of many other coffee machines I’ve tested this year, and it was perfectly possible to get my hand inside with a cloth and towel. The only downside is that it isn't supplied with a water filter.

Look behind the drip tray to find a nicely designed pin tool for clearing the steam wand (Image credit: Future)

The steam wand has a good range of motion, and can be adjusted using a cool-touch silicone handle. Should it become clogged, you’ll find a double-ended pin tool for clearing any blockages tucked away behind the drip tray, where it’s unlikely to be found by children, or become lost. The sharper end of the pin even has a safety cap to protect your fingers.

The Barista Brew comes with a 48mm portafilter and four filter baskets – single and double-walled, for single and double shots. The double-walled (pressurized) baskets are more forgiving if you haven't quite nailed your coffee-making technique just yet, and make it easier to make a consistently well-extracted shot.

The calibrated tamper feels nice and weighty in the hand, but limits how much pressure you can put on the puck (Image credit: Future)

The portafilter handle has a rubberized area at the front of the basket, which makes it easy for you to stabilize it on the edge of your kitchen counter while tamping, without the need for a separate mat. It also has a powder ring that twists onto the basket that’s intended to keep things tidy during grinding, although I found it didn't prevent grounds flying out.

You also get the usual stainless steel milk pitcher, which is perfectly well made, and a "calibrated" tamper that only lets you compress the ground coffee a certain amount. It's an interesting idea, but in practice I struggled to get a properly extracted coffee because it wasn't tamped down hard enough.

Finally, the Barista Brew has a cup-warmer on top – something I always appreciate, but which is usually missing from espresso machines in this price bracket.

• Design score: 3.5/5

Philips Barista Brew: performance

The Philips Barista Brew is fundamentally a very good coffee machine, and once you’re familiar with its quirks you’ll be able to make consistently good espresso. However, its guided brewing features aren't quite as straightforward as it might first appear – and in some cases, it’s easier to do things yourself.

The Barista Brew heats quickly, and its set of clearly labelled buttons are intuitive to use once it’s up to temperature. The standout design feature is the large central pressure gauge, which lets you see how well your coffee is extracted before you even taste it. Some higher-end coffee makers I’ve tested will determine whether the pressure was too high or too low and offer feedback on a color touchscreen, but the analog pressure meter does the job just as well.

The machine’s pump is quiet in operation, too, averaging 60dB during use (about the same as a dishwasher or normal conversation). Some coffee makers can reach up to 70dB, so the Barista Brew definitely sits towards the more comfortable end of the scale.

The powder ring is a nice addition, but doesn't fully prevent coffee spraying out during grinding (Image credit: Future)

My main issues with this machine involve grinding and tamping. The Philips Barista Brew offers a grind time setting to help with dosing. Just turn a dial on the front of the machine to decide how much coffee to dispense, hold the grind button to toggle between single and double shots, and tap it again to start grinding. Unfortunately, even when turned down to one of the lowest settings, the machine ground far more beans than I actually needed – even though I was using one of the finest grind sizes. I had to scoop out a good portion of grounds before I could consider tamping them down.

It was much easier to ignore the dosing button and do things the old-fashioned way: use a digital scale to weigh the handle, zero the scale, push the handle against the back of the machine until the dosage looked right (about 18g for a double espresso), weigh it again, and make any tweaks to achieve the correct weight.

The Barista Brew can pull a well-balanced espresso, once you're used to its quirks (Image credit: Future)

The grinder was also a bit messy. The Philips Barista Brew has a powder ring that twists onto the top of the basket before grinding, which should direct ground coffee inside. However, in use I found that ground coffee still had a tendency to shoot out onto my work surface and the rest of the machine. Coffee grounds were particularly prone to accumulating on the funnel directly below the grinder, which needed wiping after every use. It seems this issue is likely caused by static electricity.

According to Philips, the spring-loaded tamper is calibrated to help you create a perfect puck; but during my tests, I found it didn’t apply as much pressure as I'd like. As a result, water ran through the grounds too quickly, and the machine failed to reach the optimum nine bars of pressure, even with very finely ground coffee (as shown on the pressure gauge).

Therefore, the resulting drinks were often under-extracted and a little sour-tasting –something verified by my colleague Peter Berenski, the resident coffee-buff at TechRadar’s sister site, Tom’s Guide. The video below shows a typical under-extracted double espresso pouring in just 15 seconds rather than the ideal 28 seconds.

You can get around this issue by using a third-party 58mm tamper; the "calibrated" unit supplied with the machine feels like a solution in search of a problem. The machine would be better with something simple. You can also try grinding your coffee more coarsely, so that the same weight of grounds take up more space, or simply use more beans – but this feels like a waste.

On a happier note, the machine’s steam wand is excellent. You don’t have precise control over the pressure (the dial on the side of the machine simply lets you choose between steam and water), but once it’s up to temperature, it maintains good pressure for the length of time it takes you to texturize your milk.

Automatic milk systems can be a nice touch for new users, but a manual wand delivers more flexibility, letting you adjust your technique for dairy or non-dairy milks.

• Performance score: 3.5/5

Should you buy the Philips Barista Brew? Buy it if

You’re looking for an affordable espresso machine

The Philips Barista Brew is often available at a healthy discount, and is one of the most affordable bean-to-cup machines you can buy.

You’re already comfortable with the fundamentals

If you already know how to dose, tamp and steam, the Philips Barista Brew will be a piece of cake to use.

Don't buy it if

You’re intimidated by manual controls

The Philips Barista Brew offers guided brewing features, but in my experience it works best when you take coffee-making into your own hands. If you want more assistance, a model such as the Ninja Luxe Café may be a better option.

You want to keep your kitchen pristine

The Philips Barista Brew’s grinder has a tendency to propel coffee across your worktop, and grounds accumulate around the chute. A barista towel will be invaluable.

Philips Barista Brew: also consider

De'Longhi Dedica Style EC685

If you’re on a tight budget, this little manual coffee maker is one of the best you can buy. You’ll need a separate grinder, but that will deliver greater flexibility because you can choose one with a wider range of grind settings.

Read our full De'Longhi Dedica Style EC685 review

Breville Barista Touch Impress

Want an espresso machine that offers more of a helping hand than the Philips Barista Brew? The Barista Touch Impress (branded as Sage in the UK) will assist you in creating the perfect puck, with a lever-operated smart tamping system. It’s much pricier than the Philips machine, though.

Read our full Breville Barista Touch Impress review

How I tested the Philips Barista Brew

I put the Philips Barista Brew through its paces for a week, using both the pressurized and single-wall baskets to compare the results. I dialled in the grinder to achieve good extraction, and used both the automatic dosing system and manual grinding options. I used fresh arabica beans from a local coffee roaster, and chilled whole milk bought immediately before testing.

I compared coffee made using the Philips Barista Brew to coffee made with my own Gaggia Classic manual espresso maker and Dualit ceramic burr grinder.

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

First reviewed May 2025

• JPMorganChase open letter calls for urgent industry-wide action on SaaS risks
• Third-party SaaS models expose critical infrastructure to cascading cybersecurity threats
• Firms rely on insecure integrations that collapse trust boundaries between systems

JPMorganChase, the largest bank in the world, has warned about the dangers of SaaS technology used by organizations across the world every single day.

Writing in an open letter, CISO Patrick Opet outlined growing concerns that the speed of SaaS adoption has outpaced security development.

In particular, Opet noted that vendors have prioritized rapid feature delivery over secure architecture, creating systemic vulnerabilities across the software supply chain.

A call to arms

“An AI-driven calendar optimization service integrating directly into corporate email systems through "read only roles" and "authentication tokens" can no doubt boost productivity when functioning correctly,” Opet said.

“Yet, if compromised, this direct integration grants attackers unprecedented access to confidential data and critical internal communications.”

Opet went on to warn thousands of organizations are now embedded in ecosystems that depend heavily on a small group of service providers - so if one is compromised, the ripple effects could be devastating.

"Modern integration patterns dismantle these essential boundaries, relying heavily on modern identity protocols (e.g., OAuth) to create direct, often unchecked interactions between third-party services and firms’ sensitive internal resources," Opet said.

"In practice, these integration models collapse authentication (verifying identity) and authorization (granting permissions) into overly simplified interactions, effectively creating single-factor explicit trust between systems on the internet and private internal resources. This architectural regression undermines fundamental security principles that have proven durability."

JPMorganChase has already experienced a number of third-party breaches over the past three years, requiring swift action to isolate compromised partners and mitigate threats. These incidents have emphasized the risks tied to highly connected third-party ecosystems.

"Fierce competition among software providers has driven prioritization of rapid feature development over robust security," Opet wrote.

"This often results in rushed product releases without comprehensive security built in or enabled by default, creating repeated opportunities for attackers to exploit weaknesses. The pursuit of market share at the expense of security exposes entire customer ecosystems to significant risk and will result in an unsustainable situation for the economic system."

He also cited new threats emerging from token theft, opaque fourth-party dependencies, and privileged access without sufficient transparency.

"The most effective way to begin change is to reject these integration models without better solutions,” Opet concluded. “I hope you’ll join me in recognizing this challenge and responding decisively, collaboratively, and immediately.”

You might also like

• Cybersecurity is now critical for business growth, CEOs say
• Stay with SaaS or move to DaaS? The pros and cons of using emerging data services
• It's time to start intense scrutiny of SaaS apps as more organizations fall prey to exploits

The president says a third term is "not something I'm looking to do," and the US.. economy is in a "transition period."

(Image credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

French police say they rescued the father of a wealthy crypto entrepreneur, the second ransom case linked to the crypto world this year.

(Image credit: Ahn Young-joon)

Some of the most-wanted vinyl releases aren't new records; they're remastered versions of old favorites. But those remasters might not sound as good as you hope even when played on the best turntables – and in some case they might actually sound worse than the originals.

Remastering – creating a new master copy of the record that's then copied to discs and/or digital – is commonplace because it's a great way for record companies to sell you a record all over again. And it's catnip for music fans, because it promises to take an album you already adore and make it even more magical.

With a lot of old music, remastering really does deliver a massive improvement, so for example it can give you the clarity and low-end thump that's often lacking from early rock records because not everyone making music or playback kit really knew what they were doing back then. But for some remasters, it might be wise to wait until others have taken the plunge before deciding if you want to sign up.

It's all about the loudness war. If you've heard of it, you've probably heard of it in the context of digital music: CD, and more recently digital files. It existed before digital, but it was more of a skirmish until digital formats entered the battlefield.

The loudness war is what you get when records are being made to sound as loud as possible on digital formats and low-quality speakers, even if that takes all the dynamics out of the performance. And while vinyl is an analog medium, not a digital one, that doesn't mean it can't be collateral damage.

A very fine turntable can't help if the wax isn't right (Image credit: Audio-Technica) 1, 2, 3, 4, I declare a loudness war

In a fascinating post, Jeff from Magic of Analog, Vinyl, Digital and Spatial Sound sets out the issue: some vinyl releases have been made from master copies that were created for a digital release, and that can be a problem.

Making vinyl records is as much of an art as a science, and there are physical limits to what you can do – so for example, if the bass is boosted too much in the recording, when that translates into the etching on the record, the needle can move so much it bounces out of the groove on some turntables, particularly cheaper ones.

With digital, that's not a problem, so when the song's being mastered the bass can turned way up – and that's fine… unless you then use that digital master to make the vinyl version.

The key weapon in the loudness war is compression, which reduces the dynamic range of music. Dynamic range is the distance between the loudest bits and the quiet bits, and it's what makes music breathe; artists use dynamics to make their music more involving. To paraphrase Spinal Tap, if everything's turned up to 10, where do you go from there?

Compression can turn it up to eleven and keep it there.

Used judiciously, compression can make a song sound better, and more punchy. But too much of it can create a wall of volume, and that's something you hear every day: it's why ads on TV are so loud, because they're heavily compressed so they'll get your attention.

In music, if you overcook things too much you get Californication.

How to avoid catching Californication

When the Red Hot Chili Peppers released Californication in 1999, it sounded dreadful – and the band will almost admit that now. "When it comes on the radio you want it to be the loudest thing that comes on," drummer Chad Smith told SiriusXM about the "too hot" mastering.

Producer Rick Rubin got mastering expert Vlado Mello to achieve exactly that. The resulting album was indeed the loudest thing that came on the radio. But it also sounded distorted. "Audiophiles were getting upset about it," Smith admitted.

Audiophiles were right to be. What's mastered to sound massive on a cheap radio (or in a more modern sense, on tinny laptop or smartphone speakers) is not being mastered to sound good on a McIntosh system or even something as good as a pair of AirPods Pro 2, and when you listen to it on decent kit it can be positively painful, tedious and tiring.

If you're going to spend the money on gear like this, you've got to make sure the sound you're putting into it is worthwhile (Image credit: Future / Howard Kneller)

There's a lot of music out there that's been given the loudness war treatment since its original release. Jeff uses Prince's Purple Rain as an example, comparing the waveforms of the CD master with the 2015 remaster. The former looks like a song with lots of dynamics, and sounds that way too: it ebbs and flows like rainfall. The latter is like being thrown off Niagara Falls.

Jeff says the same applies to some remastered records by Bruce Springsteen, David Gilmour, Norah Jones and others – although some genres such as jazz, blues and classical are pretty safe for loudness pacifists.

What does this mean for vinyl buyers? The short answer is: it depends. There are some absolutely astonishing remasters out there – The Beatles' 2014 remasters are rightly regarded as masterpieces, pun fully intended – and remasters that are made specifically for vinyl are usually approached with respect rather than a desire to assault your eardrums unless, of course, that was the artists' intent.

The ones to watch out for aren't the audiophile editions, the reverent restorations. They're the cynical cash-ins made from masters that were only ever destined for digital. Know your enemy – and be careful out there.

You might also like…

• Toshiba's wireless portable turntable is the Sound Burger of 2025 – just don't take it to beach parties
• Audio-Technica's new glowing, floating turntable is as cool as it is strictly limited edition
• Vertere's DG X turntable is both sonically gifted and easy to use, and for 'serious' hi-fi, that's rare

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 Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, May 4 (game #693).

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 #694) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• TORPEDO
• BAT
• COAST
• LEVEL
• САРЕ
• BATON
• PLATEAU
• HOAGIE
• SETTLE
• CRUISE
• CIGAR
• CASTLE
• FLOAT
• FLATTEN
• FANG
• DRIFT

NYT Connections today (game #694) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Easy street
• GREEN: Resident of Transylvania
• BLUE: Same as it ever was
• PURPLE: A shape in common

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 #694) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: GLIDE
• GREEN: ASSOCIATED WITH COUNT DRACULA
• BLUE: STOP CHANGING 
• PURPLE: THINGS THAT ARE LONG AND CYLINDRICAL 

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

NYT Connections today (game #694) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #694, are…

• YELLOW: GLIDE COAST, CRUISE, DRIFT, FLOAT
• GREEN: ASSOCIATED WITH COUNT DRACULA BAT, CAPE, CASTLE, FANG
• BLUE: STOP CHANGING FLATTEN, LEVEL, PLATEAU, SETTLE
• PURPLE: THINGS THAT ARE LONG AND CYLINDRICAL BATON, CIGAR, HOAGIE, TORPEDO

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

It probably says a lot about me that I didn’t get the purple group because I thought we were searching for bread products, as in the TORPEDO roll, a HOAGIE sandwich… er, to be honest it wasn’t a long sidebar

Still, this was one of those rare easy Connections days – a CRUISE around four groups you could say, rather than something to sink your metaphorical FANGs into.

I’m pretty sure I got ASSOCIATED WITH COUNT DRACULA not because of Transylvania’s famous resident, but because I’ve been watching a lot of What We Do In The Shadows. One of the greatest TV comedies of the past decade imho, about a group of four vampires who live in Staten Island. It’s wonderful.

My favourite WWDITS character is Colin Robinson, an energy vampire, who prefers to drain mental energy from his victims rather than blood – making him far more believable than the regular type of vampire. We all know someone like Colin.

Having said that, doing a daily column about Connections is exactly the kind of job Colin Robinson would do. Er…

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, May 4, game #693)

• YELLOW: QUALITIES OF OVERCOOKED MEAT CHEWY, DRY, STRINGY, TOUGH
• GREEN: PLAY SOME ELECTRIC GUITAR JAM, NOODLE, SHRED, SOLO
• BLUE: INGREDIENTS IN BUBBLE TEA BOBA, MILK, SUGAR, TEA
• PURPLE: PLANETS/ DWARF PLANET WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGED BLUTO, CARS, DARTH, GENUS

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.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands 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 Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, May 4 (game #427).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

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

NYT Strands today (game #428) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… On the side

NYT Strands today (game #428) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• KEYS
• STIR
• MEEK
• FORTS
• HOST
• RICE

NYT Strands today (game #428) - hint #3 - spangram letters How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 11 letters

NYT Strands today (game #428) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: right, 4th row

Last side: right, 1st row

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

NYT Strands today (game #428) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #428, are…

• STEAK
• HOME
• CURLY
• WAFFLE
• CRINKLE
• SHOESTRING
• SPANGRAM: FRENCH FRIES

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

FRENCH FRIES or Freedom Fries as some like to call them, or Chips as we say in the UK, are the single reason why the potato is by far the best vegetable. That you can get so much flavor, crispy wonder and variety from of a bland starchy tuber is a miracle.

Today’s search, has of course made me hungry, although I didn’t exactly work up an appetite doing it (no thermometer headaches today), and got me wondering what my favourite type of "fry" is.

If push came to shove I think I’d have to go for a fat chip shop chip (aka STEAK fries) drowning in salt and vinegar with some curry sauce “on the side”.

Right, that’s enough of this puzzling, I’m off to the chippy!

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, May 4, game #427)

• PLANET
• EMPIRE
• SPACE
• LONG
• TIME
• GALAXY
• REBEL
• SPANGRAM: OPENING CRAWL

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle 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 Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, May 4 (game #1196).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

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

Quordle today (game #1197) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1197) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1197) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1197) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1197) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• W

• C

• S

• Q

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

Quordle today (game #1197) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1197, are…

• WREAK
• COWER
• STEAD
• QUEUE

Well, that was fun! Getting QUEUE ended up being easy and instead of a rare letter tripping me up it was a common four-letter ending.

I went through three wrong -REAK words before finally getting to WREAK and just one shot at my final word.

Fortunately, with five letters in the wrong positions, COWER just needed some rearrangement.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1197) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1197, are…

• ASCOT
• HAUTE
• RECUT
• IMPLY

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1196, Sunday, 4 May: PINCH, SMOKE, SCARY, CANNY
• Quordle #1195, Saturday, 3 May: PLUSH, VERGE, WROTE, CONDO
• Quordle #1194, Friday, 2 May: CAUSE, RISEN, MACAW, SMELT
• Quordle #1193, Thursday, 1 May: IDIOM, EXILE, SPOOF, DRAPE
• Quordle #1192, Wednesday, 30 April: BATON, TORSO, ANNEX, DROWN
• Quordle #1191, Tuesday, 29 April: HOVER, HENCE, OCTAL, COPSE
• Quordle #1190, Monday, 28 April: JAUNT, ALLOW, FRUIT, BURNT
• Quordle #1189, Sunday, 27 April: PRIOR, YOUTH, CREDO, CHIDE
• Quordle #1188, Saturday, 26 April: LINGO, LOCUS, THROW, CLICK
• Quordle #1187, Friday, 25 April: SHALT, WRATH, MAMBO, HUMPH
• Quordle #1186, Thursday, 24 April: CHOKE, COLOR, FRAME, CAIRN
• Quordle #1185, Wednesday, 23 April: VALET, PUPAL, CREEP, DRIFT
• Quordle #1184, Tuesday, 22 April: POUTY, CHEST, BROOM, TEPEE
• Quordle #1183, Monday, 21 April: SHARD, PRINT, SUMAC, LEACH
• Quordle #1182, Sunday, 20 April: DINER, HORDE, SHONE, FUGUE
• Quordle #1181, Saturday, 19 April: GRADE, LAUGH, RAINY, EXULT
• Quordle #1180, Friday, 18 April: DEBUT, GLADE, BASTE, PESTO
• Quordle #1179, Thursday, 17 April: SPRAY, RAMEN, SHELF, COURT
• Quordle #1178, Wednesday 16 April: STUMP, GRAFT, CHORD, INPUT
• Quordle #1177, Tuesday 15 April: SLEET, MERIT, HARSH, FORAY

The Trump administration's tariffs are already having an impact on the nation's ports. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with Mario Cordero, CEO of the Port of Long Beach, about the effect.

Could Xintong become the first Chinese player to be crowned world champion?

For everyday use, exercising and lengthy listening time, three is the perfect number for a headphones collection. Let me explain.

Soundbars are an effective way of boosting your TV’s built-in sound, as the built-in speakers even on the best TVs can’t match the quality of their picture.

The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is one of the best soundbars on the market, delivering punchy, immersive performance across movies and music at a mid-range price.

The mid-range soundbar market is extremely competitive, with various brands offering alternatives to the Sonos Beam. One such brand is Sony.

I recently got to test the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6, a 3.1.2 channel soundbar, side-by-side with the Sonos Beam. The Theater 6 comes with a subwoofer in-box, something that isn't the case for the Sonos Beam (though it does have effective bass for an all-in-one soundbar).

How would these two similarly priced soundbars fare against one another? I hooked them up to the Panasonic MZ1500, a brilliant OLED TV, and used some reference 4K Blu-rays to test that out.

A quick note first: the Sony Theater 6 is a better value in the UK. The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is priced at $449 / £449 / AU$799, and the Sony Bravia Theater 6 is priced at $649 / £499 / (roughly AU$1,000 converted from US price), meaning you’re getting a closer price match in the UK.

The case for Sonos Image 1 of 2

The Beam delivers impressive sound for its size (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future)

The Beam could be seen as having one big obstacle to overcome out-of-the-box: no included subwoofer. For that reason, you’d think it would have significantly weaker bass compared to the Bravia Theater 6, but that didn’t exactly turn out to be the case.

Watching a chase scene from The Batman, the Beam delivered punchy, weighty bass for a compact soundbar, perfectly capturing the rumble of the Batmobile’s roaring engine. The same was true watching Top Gun: Maverick, as the ignition of the Darkstar jet’s engine in the Mach 10 scene was impactful.

Speech clarity was another area where the Beam performed well despite its size. Watching various musical performances from A Complete Unknown (the Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet), vocals were delivered precisely without sacrificing other elements in the mix. In Wicked, Elphaba’s soaring, powerful vocals in the ‘Defying Gravity’ scene were delivered accurately through the Beam. I also found myself preferring the Beam over the Bar 6 when it came to the music sequences in A Complete Unknown.

The Beam’s sound connected to the action on screen as well, accurately placing effects such as screeching tyres and careering cars in The Batman, and the jets in Top Gun: Maverick.

The case for Sony Image 1 of 2

The Bravia Theater Bar 6 delivers impressive bass and height effects, and it has a wide soundstage (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future)

The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 external subwoofer gives it one big advantage over the Sonos Beam. Although the Beam is great for its size, it cannot compete with Bar 6 when it comes to bass.

Sony’s mammoth sub means the Bar 6’s bass is room-filling and delivers plenty of heft. Watching the same scene from The Batman, the rumble of the Batmobile’s engine was more powerful and engaging than what the Beam could muster – I even had to turn the bass level down. Bass was also tightly controlled and nuanced. For sheer sound power, the Bar 6 was the winner in this contest.

With two height speakers positioned on the soundbar, the Bar 6 does a better job of delivering height effects than the Beam. The sound of rain throughout The Batman was more prevalent, even during the Batmobile chase with its propulsive score and loud explosions. And in the Mach 10 scene from Top Gun: Maverick, where the Darkstar jet flies over Admiral Cain, the trajectory of the jet was more accurately mapped by the Bar 6 than by the Beam.

The Bar 6 soundbar is significantly wider than the Beam (37 inches / 950mm to the Beam’s 25 inches / 651mm), which gives it a wider soundstage. During the defying gravity scene in Wicked, the winds and direction of sound felt more immersive on the Bar 6 as Elphaba took flight on her broom, although the Beam also did a credible job here. And activating the Sound Field mode on the Bar 6 made the sound even more immersive.

During the musical performances in A Complete Unknown, the Bar 6 delivered a fuller, more spacious sound than the Beam. For instance, as Dylan and Joan Baez played at the Newport Folk Festival, the applauding crowd sounded clearer on the Bar 6, and the vocals and guitars had a more sprawling, expansive quality.

Beam vs Bar 6: the verdict Image 1 of 1

Which soundbar is better will ultimately depend on your circumstances (Image credit: Future)

Both the Beam and the Bar 6 are great examples of how effectively mid-range soundbars can improve a TV’s sound, and both have their unique strengths. The Beam shines with music-related content and has an impressive soundstage and bass considering its size.

But the Bar 6 with its included subwoofer has the more powerful bass, a wider soundstage thanks to its wider size, and upfiring speakers that deliver more accurate height effects than the Beam.

Which soundbar is ultimately better will depend on your circumstances. If you have a smaller space, the Beam will be more than enough. But if you have a medium-sized room and are looking for more powerful, spacious sound, the Bar 6 is the way to go. If you’re in the US, it will be tough to ignore the $200 price gap between the two. The Beam arguably delivers better bang for your buck in that case, but in the UK, it’s a much closer contest.

Since I’m in the UK, I’d choose the Bar 6 over the Beam, but the latter is a fantastic example of what an all-in-one soundbar can do. In the end, you’re spoilt for choice with these two great soundbars.

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Israel said it would retaliate after four people were injured and flights temporarily suspended.

(Image credit: Ohad Zwigenberg)

• Apple is rumored to be splitting the iPhone launch schedule
• The changes could be made in 2026
• Apple wants to boost sales of all four flagship models

For many years now, we've got used to Apple launching its best iPhones all together every September – most recently the iPhone 16 series – but if a new report is to be believed, that scheduling could be set for a major shakeup in the years to come.

According to The Information (via MacRumors), Apple is planning to stick to September releases for the Pro and Pro Max models, while shifting the other iPhones to springtime in the US (so presumably around March time).

The idea is that splitting up the iPhone launches like this will "rejuvenate long-stagnant sales", the report from The Information says. There also seems to be some uncertainty over how well the upcoming, ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air is going to sell.

It seems these changes aren't planned for this year, but will instead be put into place next year – with the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone 18 Air launching in September 2026, and the standard iPhone 18 and quite possibly the iPhone 18e then arriving in March 2027.

All change

The high-end iPhone 16 Pro Max on launch day (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The Information acknowledges there are risks involved in shaking up this long-established schedule. However, it's thought that it'll persuade consumers to upgrade more regularly, while also easing the production pressure on Apple's manufacturing partners.

Another reason for the switch: to make room for the foldable iPhone, expected sometime in 2026. Pushing the less expensive iPhones to a launch window earlier in the year will mean more production capacity for a new model.

None of this is confirmed yet, of course: we'll have to wait and see what Apple does in the months ahead. It's possible that Apple itself hasn't fully decided whether or not to try and mix up its release schedule in 2026 and 2027.

If the company does go through with it, it's going to be a substantial shift in the annual phone launch calendar. We've already seen Samsung and Google move their flagship phone launches to earlier in the year – and it's possible that these moves are part of the reason Apple is thinking about a revamp of its own.

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• Minisforum's G1 / G1 Pro mini PC takes its design cues from Sony's game console
• The device supports desktop-class RTX 5060 GPU with up to 120W draw
• It's powered by a Ryzen 9 8945HX CPU and 350W PSU in console-sized case

At the recent Japan IT Week Spring event, Chinese mini PC maker Minisforum unveiled two exciting new systems: the MS-A2, which is a superfast AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX CPU powered follow-up to the MS-A1 micro workstation (but really the spiritual successor to the MS-01), and the G1 / G1 Pro gaming mini PC.

It’s fair to say the latter takes more than a few design cues from the Sony PlayStation 5, with a vertically oriented white chassis and a center-mounted black I/O strip that closely mimics the PS5's iconic silhouette.

Spotted by PC Watch, the G1 / G1 Pro is Minisforum’s latest living-room-friendly system aimed at gamers who want desktop-level power in a console-style form factor. The slim, upright unit - reportedly scheduled for release in the third quarter of 2025 - is the direct successor to Minisforum’s AtomMan G7 Ti.

Not just for gaming

The standout feature of the new mini PC is support for a desktop-class GeForce RTX 5060 graphics card (up to 120W), installed using a low-profile, dual-slot configuration. Minisforum says users will eventually be able to upgrade the GPU themselves.

Inside, the system is powered by AMD's Ryzen 9 8945HX processor, making it well-suited for demanding gaming workloads - or other creative tasks, if you like the look of the PS5 but aren’t that into gaming.

Storage support includes up to two M.2 SSDs, and there's a built-in 350W power supply to help reduce cable clutter in a media center setup.

Despite its compact size (216 x 315 x 57.2mm), the G1 series offers two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports, three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, HDMI 2.1, two DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, 5 Gigabit Ethernet, and audio I/O jacks.

By combining console-style design with true gaming hardware, Minisforum aims to deliver a compact alternative to traditional towers without compromising performance or upgradeability.

Pricing and global availability have yet to be announced but, as with the MS-A2, more details are expected soon.

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• Check out our list of the best mobile workstations for any budget
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Shokz OpenRun Pro 2: One minute review

The Shokz OpenFit Air are probably the best running headphones for people in the 5k to half-marathon distance bracket who want to be able to hear their surroundings when they train and race. Offering a very reasonable 6 hours on a full charge, the battery life will get most people through a full marathon, too, although more expensive Shokz options give double the playtime.

Open-ear headphones like the OpenFit Air sit around and over your ears rather than in your ear canal like the best wireless earbuds. This pair is particularly light, at just 8.7g per bud, and you barely feel them on when you're jogging along a bumpy country lane or doing burpees in a virtual class. The design incorporates a flexible silicone ear hook, and this holds them securely in place without creating any pressure or discomfort during long listening sessions.

While they fit a wide range of ears and sit alongside glasses, the open design won't be for everyone. Music is brought to a confusing backdrop when you're near heavy traffic or crowds, and some people will still want active noise cancellation. Of course, many professional running and cycling races have rules on the type of headphones you can use. For safety, you need to be able to hear other runners, marshals, and cars, and the OpenFit Air allow you to do this.

Unlike Shokz's best bone-conduction headphones, open-ear options like the OpenFit Air use tiny speakers to transmit sound. Shokz calls it Air Conduction via DirectPitch, which is a fancy way of saying that sound waves move through the air to hit your ear, as is sort of the case with the best earbuds anyway.

It feels like Shokz has carefully considered its target market with OpenFit Air. The headphones were released in June 2024 as a more affordable open-ear option compared to the original Shokz OpenFit and the Bose Ultra Open earbuds. With IP54 water and sweat-resistance, they're not just for runners either, but yogis, walkers, and cyclists. Other key features include touch controls and multipoint pairing for switching been a phone and a desktop or smartwatch.

Given that the more expensive OpenFit 2 headphones were released in January with almost double the battery life and physical buttons, and that the Shokz OpenRun Pro offer such fantastic bass for runners, are the Shokz OpenFit Air too much of a Goldilocks option? Over more than three months of testing, I've loved wearing them and loved hearing them. They don't suit all my listening needs, but they've been hooked around my ears more than I ever imagined.

Shokz OpenFit Air: Specifications Shokz OpenFit Air: Price and availability

• Cost $119.95 / £94 / AU$199
• More affordable than the OpenFit
• Well-priced for the quality and design

At $119.95 / £94 / AU$199, these headphones are cheaper than the Shokz OpenFit 2 ($179.95/£129.95) by some way. It's fair to say that those offer better waterproofing and more than double the battery life on a single charge, but not everyone needs 11 hours of juice in one go. Contrasting with other options from the brand, the OpenRun Pro2 bone-conduction headphones come in at $179.95/£169, and they give you up to 12 hours of audio.

The OpenFit Air headphones are cheaper than other brands targeting runners and fitness fanatics. The Beats Fit Pro at $199 / £199 / AU$299.95, give up to 6 hours of playback. But they're an in-ear bud, making it a harder comparison. Then there's the premium Bose Ultra Open earbuds at $299 / £249.95 / AU$449.95, which aren't marketed for runners in quite the same way but offer a similar fit and premium audio.

You'll always be able to find cheaper options, of course. The Soundcore V20i by Anker also keep your ear canal bud-free and cost around $40 / £50 / AU$89.99, with four mics to chop out surrounding noise on calls. Without testing, it's hard to say how they compare, but they're marketed for everyday use and light running.

Personally, if I'm going to put a pair of headphones through a lot of wear, tear, and sweat, I'm just not sure I can justify a very expensive option. I think the OpenFit Air are brilliant value when you balance the design, battery life, and functionality they give the average runner.

• Value: 4 / 5

Shokz OpenFit Air: Design Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Lauren Scott)Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: Lauren Scott)Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: Lauren Scott)

• Memory alloy core with a silicone outer
• Super light: only 8.7g per earbud
• Resist dirt and sweat, even in white

The way that Shokz approaches design and packaging for the OpenFit Air feels sleek. The buds, which are made from a mixture of a flexible, matte silicone surface and a metallic ring, come in a solid snap-shut charging case with a USB-C port at the back.

Of the three colorways for the OpenFit Air—white, black, and pastel pink—I reviewed the white pair. While I love white tech, I was worried they’d get grubby with regular wear in sweaty workouts. Three months in, however, and they still look as good as new. Unlike in-ear headphones, they don’t trap sweat, so I wager they’ll last longer even under heavy use. It's worth noting that the IP54 water resistance rating is okay for light rain and sweat, but below the IP55 rating of the Shokz Open Run Pro.

The OpenFit Air are my first pair of open-air headphones, and when I first tried them on, I was amazed at their lightness (just 8.7g each). They fit neatly around my small ears, whereas other headphones can dwarf them. But I was dubious about them staying on during exercise. The flexible silicone ends wrapped around my ears snugly, and I felt confident about taking them for a run. To see how well they'd fit a wider range of ears, I asked my partner, who has larger lugs than I do, to try them too, and the adaptable ear hook gave a good fit and sound without putting pressure on the ear (below).

(Image credit: Lauren Scott)

• Design: 4.5 / 5

Shokz OpenFit Air: Features

(Image credit: Lauren Scott)

• Touch controls are easy to press accidentally
• A few equalizer options within the app
• Four microphones for clear voice calls

Unlike the Shokz OpenFit, the Air has a multi-point pairing mode feature. This means you can connect them to your phone and say, a Bluetooth running watch, then switch between the two quickly. I paired them with Android, iOS, and Windows, plus a Garmin Forerunner watch, and found a seamless transition between them. There's no ear detection, so if you take the buds out, they keep playing, and you'll need to cut the audio off at the source.

By design, given that the OpenFit Air are meant to keep you aware of your surroundings, there’s no noise cancellation feature. But there are four microphones on the left bud, with a Qualcomm cVc 8.0 voice recognition algorithm designed to filter out background noise. I tested the mics for voice calls as a listener and a talker, and the sound was clear on both ends, apart from in very heavy wind. The mics are only in the right earbud, so obviously you'll need to wear that one to be heard.

The OpenFit Air has no physical buttons for the volume, pausing, or skipping tracks. Instead, there’s a touch-sensitive interface on the main body of each headphone, which presents a few problems. Although the design keeps the headphone exterior smooth (where buttons would likely gather dirt or sweat), it’s easy to touch these controls accidentally.

(Image credit: Lauren Scott)

Reaching up to adjust my ponytail or removing a layer would brush them enough to create a loud, confused beep. By default, you have to hold down your finger on the side of either headphone to raise or lower the volume. And when running at even a moderate speed, this feels awkward. You can change which gestures do what in the Shokz app, but the clunky control lets down an otherwise seamless feature set.

Otherwise, the free Shokz smartphone app is satisfyingly simple. It also offers basic info about the buds and case battery levels, and there are five preset EQ settings for changing the audio balance. For the most part, I kept the buds on Bass Boost and enjoyed the richer sound it offered.

• Features: 4 / 5

Shokz OpenFit Air: Performance

(Image credit: Lauren Scott)

• 6 hours of battery and 28 hours from the case
• A 10-minute gives 2 hours listening time
• Leaks sound at high volumes, as open-ears do

I wasn't expecting the Shokz OpenFit Air to deliver the same bass and immersive listening as my Bose QuietComfort Over-Ear headphones, but I did want to be able to enjoy my eclectic library of tunes while running. I started using the headphones while training for a half marathon, and although it took me a while to get used to the open-ear design and the ambient noise that was intentionally let in, I learnt to love them.

Sound comes from custom 18 x 11mm dynamic drivers that Shokz has engineered for balanced bass, mid, and treble frequencies. I felt there was a decent amount of bass on pumping tracks like The Veldt by deadmau5, but I also enjoyed quieter, minimalist piano from Ludovico Einaudi when I wanted my runs to take on a more soulful vibe. During podcasts, with multiple people talking, I often had to crank up the volume to hear exactly what was being said.

The headphones let in background noise to keep you safe on runs and walks, lest you get into a spot of bother when crossing roads or tracks. When I was running in the city centre, the music was hard to hear, rather than the main event, but that's sort of the point here. It's not a flaw with the headphones, just something to bear in mind if you're not sure you always want to hear your surroundings. In a busy hipster gym, for example, I still don my over-ear headphones to block out distracting noises and focus on my own workout. But for HIIT classes at home, the OpenFit Air are again the ideal, lightweight companion.

There's noise leakage from the headphones, but it's not obtrusive until you get to three-quarters of the full volume. I'd never wear the OpenFit Air in my open office, or on the bus or train, but for walks around the countryside where I wanted to listen to a podcast and keep my ears open to birdsong, wildlife, and farm machinery, the balance of both was perfect.

Traditional in-ear buds can give me an earache after a few hours, and over-ear headphones neckache. By contrast, the Shokz OpenFit Air are the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever worn, so much so that I often forget they’re there. I can wear them with sunglasses arms sitting on top, and I've also seen several users reporting comfort when wearing a helmet, although I haven’t yet tested this.

I've worn the Shokz under a bandana or woolly hat during colder runs and found no more discomfort from having them slightly pressed to my head. Whether it's to be recommended or not, when pottering on a day off, I often wear the Airs for as long as the battery lasts.

Speaking of battery, I've found that impressive too. Shokz says you'll get up to six hours of battery life from the buds and a further 28 hours by popping them in the case to charge them up. This is close to what I've experienced; on one day when I wore the OpenFit Air from a full charge, I timed 5 hours 45 minutes of use. Similarly, the buds lasted me a full weekend of travel with top-ups from the case on the go.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

Shokz OpenFit Air: Scorecard

(Image credit: Lauren Scott) Should I buy the Shokz OpenFit Air? Buy it if...

You want to hear your surroundings

As a regular city runner and race-goer, the fact I could hear traffic and situational noise while running was one of my main reasons for getting the Shokz OpenFit Air. Even at full volume, you can hear your favourite audio while still being aware of your surroundings - and that helps to keep you safe.View Deal

You want a comfortable fit

I have small ears and have always found traditional earbuds uncomfortable. The OpenFit Air rest gently on your ears and don't cause any discomfort after long listening periods or intense workouts.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You want noise isolation

Obviously, the open-ear design of the OpenFit Air lets in ambient noise like traffic and talking. If you’re after something that blocks out sounds from the outside world, that’s not what these are designed for.View Deal

You're a swimmer

The OpenFit Air are sweat and splash-resistant, but not definitely aren't designed for water submersion. If you’re a triathlete or keen swimmer who needs proper waterproofing, look for headphones with an IP67 rating instead.View Deal

Also consider

Shokz OpenSwim Pro

These are specifically designed for swimmers and are fully waterproof. With 32GB of built-in MP3 storage, you can access around 8,000 songs when bobbing about underwater (where Bluetooth can't reach). And the open-ear design gives situational awareness out of the water.

Read our Shokz OpenSwim Pro reviewView Deal

Shokz OpenRun Pro 2

While the OpenFit Air aren't specifically for runners, the OpenRun Pro 2 are. The difference is in the wraparound headband design that's super stable during intense runs, and the buttons, which you'll probably find easier to use than touch-sensitive controls when you're moving at pace.

Read our Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 reviewView Deal

How I tested

• Used daily for over three months
• Listened to podcasts, music and phone calls
• Ran two half marathon races wearing them

I've spent more than three months wearing the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2, and during that time have used them for all my outdoor runs – including two half-marathon road races and a rainy 10k on bumpy terrain.

I wore them on daily dog walks in the countryside when I still wanted to hear wildlife and farm machinery. I also used them for at-home HIIT workouts, to test how well they stayed on while I was star-jumping, doing burpees, and generally moving around erratically. I didn't use these buds in the gym or the office as I need heavier noise cancellation there.

I connected the earphones to my iPhone 15 Pro and Garmin running watch to see how easy it was to connect and switch between the two devices. I listened to all sorts of audio, from classic music on the radio, to voice calls with my family, to podcasts and audiobooks, and the indie rock from my teenage years. I also tried all four EQ settings available in the Shokz app.

Lastly, to test the microphone, I took several calls both at home and in a city centre with background traffic, noting both how it performed for me and asking the person on the other end to tell me how they found the sound quality.

The Studio, streaming now on Apple TV+, seeks to answer one central question: Can you make great art and still make a billion dollars doing it? And in case you were wondering, the answer is no, but we’re going to have a lot of fun along the way!

The Studio follows the daily trials and tribulations of Matt Remick, played by Seth Rogen, who lands his dream job as head of Continental Studios, a movie studio whose job is to make 'movies' not 'films', you know, the sort of movies that make a lot of money at the box office, but aren’t necessarily going to win an Academy Award.

I got into all of this cause I love movies. Now I have this fear that my job is to ruin them

Matt from The Studio

The problem is that Remick is a film devotee who dreams of making great films, the sorts of films that mean something to people. The kind of films that are actually shot on film. Unfortunately, his efforts get thwarted at every step, normally by his own cowardice and eagerness to abandon all his principles in order to keep his job, often with hilarious results.

What follows, over ten immaculately-crafted and performed episodes, is an ensemble comedic performance worthy of every award going. Think of the great workplace-based comedies like The Office or Parks and Recreation, but put them into the world of LA hotels, parties and movie sets dripping in all the luxury and celebrities that only Hollywood can provide. And that's not to mention the supporting cast that casually throws acting giants like Kathryn Hahn and Bryan Cranston into the mix.

Many of the celebrities and movie directors here are playing themselves, so many in fact that the cameo list (courtesy of Collider) is longer than the cast list on most feature films.

We get treated to appearances by Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, Zack Snyder, Charlize Theron and more all playing exaggerated versions of themselves. In fact, there are so many celebrities in each episode that some of them, like Ben Stiller, just appear in the background and aren’t even part of the plot.

But it’s not just that The Studio has some of the sharpest satirical writing you’ll find in any TV show, it’s made in such a captivating way. Long, single-camera shots are used almost all the time with whip pans across the screen at dizzying speed putting you right in the conversation, which is further fueled by a jazz drumming accompaniment that feels improvised, as if the drummer was playing live while the actors riff their lines back and forth at each other. The drumming often reflects the mood of the scene, starting slow and building to a crescendo, then tense and tight when it needs to be before signaling a sudden breezy change of atmosphere when a key plot point is resolved.

• Watch The Studio on Apple TV+ in the US
• Watch The Studio on Apple TV+ in the UK
• Watch The Studio on Apple TV+ in Australia

Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn, Chase Sui Wonders and Seth Rogen in The Studio. (Image credit: Apple)

The one moment when you realize that The Studio isn’t just another Apple TV+ show on one of the best streaming services, but is something genuinely special is halfway through episode one when Remick is trying to find a director for his ridiculous Kool Aid movie. Martin Scorsese actually appears, playing himself, pitching his movie script to Remick, who despite being handed the gift of one of the world’s all-time great directors wanting to actually direct his ridiculously dumb movie, then goes on to fumble the ball spectacularly with hilarious results.

There are so many other great set pieces that you’re guaranteed at least one genuinely unbelievable moment in each episode, but I don’t want to spoil the fun. Let me just say that the burrito incident sticks out in my mind in particular.

When you consider how much money Apple TV+ is losing a year (current estimates are around the $1 billion dollars mark) to make TV like this, I wonder if we’ll look back at 2025 as a high point in ridiculously good streaming shows and if we’ll ever see their like again, because The Studio is up there with the best Apple TV+ shows.

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