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Apple TV Plus was crowned our Streaming Service of the Year of 2024 for good reason. The streamer consistently delivers high-quality content month after month. For January 2025, there are four standout TV shows we're especially eager to watch. New seasons of three already-popular titles and a new mystery-thriller that has all the makings of a binge-worthy box set.

As one of the best streaming services, we have high expectations for Apple TV Plus in 2025. Luckily, it looks like it’ll continue to shine by offering a diverse range of genres, perfect for cosy nights during the chilly winter season. These four highlights are just a glimpse of what’s making its way onto our watchlist.

With January release dates to mark on your calendar, there’s plenty to look forward to in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, you can check out the best Apple TV Plus movies and best Apple TV Plus TV shows already available.

Severance season 2

Fans have been waiting years for a new season of Severance, and this January it finally lands (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

• Age rating: TV-MA
• Creator: Dan Erickson
• Arriving on: 17 January 2025

Widely regarded as one of the best sci-fi TV shows in recent years, fans will be thrilled to know that Severance season 2 is finally here. Arriving on January 17, 2025, the new season promises to pick up right where it left off – on one unforgettable cliffhanger.

The series follows Mark Scout (played by Adam Scott), who leads a team at the mysterious company Lumon Industries. Employees in Mark’s department undergo a procedure called “severance,” which splits their memories between their personal lives and work lives, supposedly to create the perfect work-life balance.

But, as you’d expect, tampering with the human mind on such a scale comes with staggering consequences. Honestly, the less we reveal, the better – this show is a mind-bending, mysterious, and thrilling experience with a stellar cast and a truly unique premise.

Prime Target

Leo Woodall (The White Lotus, One Day) plays maths whizz Edward in new Apple TV Plus show Prime Target (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

• Age rating: PG-13
• Creator: Steve Thompson
• Arriving on: 22 January 2025

Prime Target is a brand new title from Apple. It follows the story of Edward Brooks (played by Leo Woodall who you might recognize from The White Lotus and One Day), a bright young maths postgraduate who is on the brink of a new discovery. His research into the patterns of prime numbers has the potential to unlock a key to control every computer system in the world. But as he gets closer, he learns that someone is determined to shut his idea down.

Enter Taylah Sanders (played by Quintessa Swindell). She's an NSA agent who becomes an unlikely ally for Edward as they work together to uncover a conspiracy at the center of his research. We're expecting this show to be a crime-meets-mystery-meets-thriller with some twists and turns.

Eva the Owlet season 2

Eva (voiced by Vivienne Rutherford) in the show Eva the Owlet, which is getting a second season this coming January 2025 (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

• Age rating: TV-Y
• Creator: Annabeth Bondor-Stone and Connor White
• Arriving on: 24 January 2025

If you're looking for a kid-friendly new addition to your Apple TV Plus library, you'll only have to wait until 24 January 2025, when a new season of animated show Eva the Owlet lands on the platform.

Eva the Owlet follows Eva, a spirited young owl who loves adventure. Living in the woodland world of Treetopington, she’s always dreaming up big ideas and sharing them with her best friend, Lucy, who lives right next door. It's fun, cute and an easy watch with kids if you've already binged all of the other new shows on this list.

Mythic Quest season 4

Ian Grimm and Poppy Li star in Mythic Quest, a TV show about a video game design company (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

• Age rating: TV-MA
• Creator: Charlie Day, Megan Ganz, and Rob McElhenney
• Arriving on: 29 January 2025

For those who haven't seen the first three seasons, Mythic Quest takes viewers behind the scenes of a fictional video game studio, where a quirky team works to maintain the world’s most popular multiplayer game of the same name.

Led by the visionary, but often egotistical, creative director Ian Grimm (played by Rob McElhenney of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia fame), the team has to navigate the chaos of office politics, creative clashes, and the high tension of the gaming industry. It's a must-watch if you like comedy shows, you're already a fan of Rob McElhenney or you're just interested in the gaming industry. The highly-anticipated fourth season is the last big show to land on Apple TV Plus in January 2025, catch it on the streamer on the 29th.

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We’re filling out our CES 2025 prediction bingo cards at TechRadar right now, and I’m going to lose - because mine just has 25 boxes that all say ‘new Lenovo ThinkBook Twist’.

Yeah, I’m probably not getting what I want from Santa for CESmas this year, which is the return of Lenovo’s boldest (and weirdest) laptop design, the ‘twistable’ ThinkBook. What that basically means is that the display hinge is mounted in the exact center of the panel base, and can rotate on an axis - letting you spin the screen around and ‘close’ the lid to turn it into a tablet.

We reviewed the old ThinkBook Twist way back in 2013 and thought it was pretty decent, even though today the form factor has been made effectively redundant by 360-degree hinges for an easier and more intuitive switch into ‘tablet mode’. But that’s not the one I really want, no: I want a new-and-improved version of the award-winning ThinkBook Plus Twist I saw at MWC 2023, which had displays on both sides of the lid: a conventional OLED touchscreen, and a full-color E-Ink panel on the reverse.

Weird and wonderful

I know, this is an extremely silly design for a laptop at first glance. I’m not here to dispute that; watching Windows 11 run at about four frames per second on an E-Ink display was a bizarre experience, even if it did technically function fine.

But E-Ink has fantastic potential as an alternative to more power-hungry (and therefore less environmentally damaging) display types. It’s also gentler on the eyes, and works great for any activity that doesn’t demand a high refresh rate; Lenovo calls spinning the display around to use the E-Ink panel as the primary screen ‘typewriter mode’, which as a writer I find strangely endearing.

The ThinkBook Plus Twist looks like this with the lid closed - don't worry, that E-Ink display is surprisingly durable. (Image credit: Future)

Of course, a more practical use for this sort of external E-Ink display is to display information while the laptop is in sleep mode with the lid down; since E-Paper panels only require electricity when they’re changing what appears on the screen, it can show you the time, battery life, local weather, notifications and more without you even needing to open the laptop up - and all while using virtually no power.

The future of E-Ink

In ‘standard mode’ with the lid open and the OLED display facing you, the ThinkBook Plus Twist just feels like an ordinary - though fairly premium - Lenovo laptop, capable of doing everything you’d expect. But when flipped into typewriter mode, that power-guzzling OLED panel shuts off, significantly boosting your battery life for lengthy writing stints away from a wall outlet.

I want to see more laptop makes - and the tech industry as a whole - commit more to the electronic paper format. E-Ink was revolutionary, but since its debut, it’s stagnated somewhat, largely relegated to overpriced Kindles.

Yet it has such potential: I can envisage many use cases beyond simple handheld devices. Every time I drive into a certain nearby city after dark, I get positively flashbanged by an enormous LED billboard that I loathe with a deep, fiery passion. But if that billboard was made using E-Paper, it would not only be less blinding (thus making the road safer and reducing local light pollution) but it would also use less electricity. If more tech companies take the time and effort to invest in this technology’s improvement, that could become a reality.

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Blueair Blue Pure 411i Max / Blue Max 3250i : two-minute review

Blueair offers similar air purifiers under different model names in the US and UK. In the US, this air purifier is known as the Blueair Blue Pure 411i Max, but as I’m located in the south of England, I tested the UK model, Blueair Blue Max 3250i.

The Blueair Blue Pure 411i Max is available to purchase at the Blueair website and Amazon for a list price of $169.99, but can occasionally be on offer for a discounted price. In the UK, the Blueair Blue Max 3250i is priced at £169 at multiple retailers including Very and Amazon, and also sees a price drop now and then.

(Image credit: Future)

Despite being compact and impressively light for its capabilities, there’s a lot to love about the Blueair Blue Max 3250i. The two touch buttons make it simple to power on the air purifier and to cycle through auto mode, night mode, and fan speeds one to three. The simple design is composed of the white plastic top section that houses the working parts, and a simple yet efficient base that consists of a lightweight frame within the changeable particle and carbon filter, plus a machine-washable fabric pre-filter outer layer. The neatness of the seam isn’t perfect, but other than this it is a great way to capture dust before it reaches the single-use filter, and is available in a range of colors making it effortless to switch things up if desired.

The Blueair Blue Max 3250i does a great job for the price, rivaling some of the best air purifiers. For the most part, the fan speed remained on the lowest setting when the Blueair Blue Max 3250i was left in auto mode. This came as no surprise to me, but I’ve seen some customer reviews complaining that this air purifier doesn’t do anything. In fact, the Blueair Blue Max 3250i is purifying, and it’s capable of clearing more than just the PM2.5 it detects, such as VOCs when manually operated – it just doesn’t possess the capability to detect these things automatically. That's fine, in my professional opinion, considering the low price.

(Image credit: Future)

During testing, it took just ten minutes for the contamination from spraying dry shampoo to be detected and cleared by the Blueair Blue Max 3250i. It continued to impress me over the days I tested it, being sensitive enough to detect the drop in air quality when I used hair products in the next room.

In terms of noise levels, I didn’t experience any issues with the Blueair Blue Max 3250i. I found that I could sleep or watch TV with it in the room without it being disruptive.

I’m a big fan of the Blueair Blue Max 3250i, both for its innovative design, and its good performance for a low price, so I can envision it finding its way into our choice of the best air purifiers in the near future. So if you're in the market for a low-cost air purifier that won't shock you with extortionate costs for replacement parts, this is the one for you. If you'd like to learn more, read on for our full review to get all the facts.

Blueair Blue Pure 411i Max / Blue Max 3250i review: price & availability

• List price: $169.99 / £169
• Available: in the US and UK under different product names

The Blueair Blue Pure 411i Max is available to purchase from the Blueair US website for $169.99, and at the time of writing has a Black Friday deal slashing the price down to $119.99 at Amazon US. The comparable UK model, the Blueair Blue Max 3250i, can’t be purchased from the Blueair website but is available at many major UK retailers, including Argos, Very, and Amazon. The list price is £169 for the Blue Max 3250i at Amazon, and a Black Friday deal has knocked the price down to an even more impressive £113.

I was pleasantly surprised that the Blueair Blue Max 3250i performed so well and had such a considered design considering its price tag, making it fantastic value for money. Replacement components won’t break the bank either, with replacement Particle and Carbon filters costing just $29.99 / £35 – this is particularly impressive as Blueair states that these filters can last between six to nine months.

• Value for money score: 5/5

Blueair Blue Pure 411i Max / Blue Max 3250i review: specs Blueair Blue Pure 411i Max / Blue Max 3250i review: design and features

• No display
• Simple to use
• Machine-washable pre-filter

I became a fan of the design aspects of the Blue range when I reviewed the impressive Blueair Blue Pure Mini Max. The standout design feature is the attractive machine-washable fabric pre-filter covering most of the purifier’s outer. This design proves innovative, as directly behind the pre-filter cover sits the particle and carbon filter (this can be upgraded to Smokeblock or Allergenblock filters if desired), which surrounds a simple plastic frame. This makes the base of the purifier super lightweight for its size, weighing in at 7.5 lbs / 3.4 kg. The Blueair Blue Max 3250i can purify an area of 219 sq ft / 48 sq meters yet still remains fairly compact, measuring 18.9 X 10.6 X 10.6 in / 481 x 269 x 269 mm. I’m very pleased with the reduced amount of materials used on the body of the Blueair Blue Max 3250i, but my concern with this construction is that the exposed filter could be prone to damage.

(Image credit: Future)

I’ve never seen a design quite like this, as most air purifiers have plastic casing to protect the inner filters whereas the body of the Blueair Blue Pure Mini Max is simply some structural plastic sitting within the particle and carbon filter, covered in the washable pre-filter. This goes to explain its very light weight of 2.5 lb / 3.4kg but could make it vulnerable to damage.

Despite its minor flaws, it’s a nice touch that Blueair made the pre-filter part of the overall aesthetic, which has meant less material and wasted plastic, which we’re always happy to see at TechRadar. It’s also an advantage that they are machine washable and extras can be purchased in a range of colors, just in case you don’t want to wait for one to dry, or want to switch things up occasionally.

Not only is it delightfully light, it’s dinky in size, too. Measuring just 11.4 x 6.8 x 5.9 inches / ‎172 x 172 x 289mm. This cylindrical 360-degree design enables the Blueair Blue Pure Mini Max to be placed in a variety of spaces, as there’s plenty of opportunity for it to pull air in.

(Image credit: Future)

As was the case with the Mini Max, the seam of the fabric pre-filter could be neater as it is a little puckered and bulges in places, but this is less noticeable on the Blueair Blue Max 3250i as the overlapping seam doesn’t stand out as much over the larger area.

The controls on the top of the Blueair Blue Max 3250i are simple, there are just two touch-operated buttons, a power button, and a fan button that cycles between auto mode, sleep mode, and fan speeds of one to three when pressed. There’s no LED display to view the air quality data; however, there’s a light on the front of the unit that changes color to indicate the air quality score, ranging from Excellent to Very Polluted, and a light below each fan mode to indicate which is currently being used.

Real-time quality levels are easy to view on the Blueair app, but there’s no detailed data to review, simply a colored graph showing the air quality rating over time. I found I was able to use a pinching motion to zoom in and out of the graph, which allowed me to view more detail of the air quality changes over smaller increments of time.

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Blueair Blue Pure 411i Max / Blue Max 3250i review: performance

• Quiet operation
• Clears PM2.5 contaminations quickly
• Detects and reacts to PM2.5 that originates in other rooms

Getting the Blueair Blue Max 3250i set up was quick and simple. The user manual was easy to follow, containing first-time setup instructions including how to connect it to my home Wi-Fi, which proved to be a breeze. It also included instructions on how to remove and wash the fabric pre-filter, which I appreciated. Upon installing the Blueair app, I was given the option to use it without creating an account, but I chose to so I could enter my location and view the outdoor air quality data too.

Connecting the Blueair Blue Max 3250i to the app was blissfully straightforward, taking less than three minutes after switching the air purifier on to view my indoor air quality. As I was using the Blueair Blue Max 3250i in my living room, I selected “Living room” as the product name, but there was an option to add a custom name should I have been using it in an office or nursery, for example.

(Image credit: Future)

It’s worth noting that although it’s claimed the Blueair Blue Max 3250i’s electrostatic and mechanical filtration captures airborne particles as small as 0.1 microns, it will not detect anything smaller than PM2.5. PM2.5 is particulate matter over 2.5 microns in size, including dust, pollen, mold, and bacteria. Other far more expensive air purifiers, such as the Molekule Air Pro, can monitor and react to VOCs along with PM2.5. These volatile organic compounds can come from paint, furniture, carpets, and cleaning products, and are often the main offenders behind lower air quality, so having an air purifier capable of detecting these contaminants would be advantageous.

However, just because an air purifier doesn’t detect these contaminants doesn’t mean it isn’t tackling them, but it won't be aware of them so won’t initiate higher fan speeds in their presence. Considering the low price of the Blueair Blue Max 3250i though, it’s not surprising that it doesn’t have this capability, but this is something to bear in mind if you want a purifier that you can leave to its own devices to tackle all the common contaminants.

(Image credit: Future)

According to the Blueair Blue Max 3250i, the air quality in my living room was considered excellent, so it remained at a low fan speed when I put it into auto mode. To test how sensitive the sensors were to contaminants, and how quickly they reacted to them, I sprayed some dry shampoo roughly three meters away. Within two minutes the Blueair Blue Max 3250i detected the dry shampoo, raising the contamination reading to 56 on the graph within the app over about thirty seconds, which it classed as very polluted. Within three minutes of spraying the dry shampoo, the reading had lowered to 25, classed as good; within six minutes, it returned to excellent.

It was at this moment that my fluffy cats chose to pay a visit, and interestingly, the air quality reduced slightly again, raising the score, so it appeared to detect their fur or dander in the air. Within a minute of them leaving, the score gradually dropped further than before, so it appear that the Blueair Blue Max 3250i’s particle sensors were doing a good job.

I continued to be impressed by how sensitive this air purifier was to changes in air quality over a week of testing. I would be surprised to hear the fan speed ramping up, before realizing I’d used my dry shampoo in the next room. I’ve not encountered a cheap air purifier that possessed this level of sensitivity before.

(Image credit: Future)

When it came to viewing the testing data on the air quality graph on the Blueair app, I found that it wasn’t very easy to view data over multiple days. Whenever I viewed the graph, the data was in real time and I would need to scroll along for some while. I could change from hourly readings to readings across a day or month, but when I scrolled back to a previous day and switched to hourly view to see more detail, it returned to the current day and time. This meant that I could only see this level of detail by scrolling all the way back to my chosen day when in hourly view, which wasn't ideal. The air quality graph didn’t give the full picture of how contaminated the air had become after I sprayed the dry shampoo. It communicated the highest score as being 22, despite reaching 56 in reality. This lack of detail isn’t unheard of, though, as I found that the Molekule Air Mini+ also failed to relay all readings if they were cleared quickly.

I found the Blueair Blue Max 3250i to be easy to sleep next to when in sleep mode, and I found that I couldn’t hear it over the TV when operating on fan level 2. Some other air purifiers can prove deafening at higher fan speeds, but this was not the case with the Blueair Blue Max 3250i.

Overall, though, I was very impressed with how sensitive the Blueair Blue Max 3250i was, how quickly it responded to contaminants, and how swiftly it dealt with them. The level and quality of features are great for the price, and this is only the second non-VOC detecting air purifier that I’ve found myself growing a fondness for, with the other being the Blueair Blue Mini Max.

• Performance score: 4.5 out of 5

Should I buy the Blueair Blue Pure 411i Max / Blue Max 3250i? Buy it if...

You want good results on a budget
I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m highly impressed with this air purifier. It’s repeatedly proven itself sensitive, responsive, and fast-acting, making it a great performer for the cost.

You need something lightweight
The Blueair Blue Max 3250i isn’t just light for its size; it’s lightweight in general. With barely any body material in its base, it is very easy to pick up and move, making it a good choice for anyone wanting to use it in multiple rooms.

You want something simple
With only two onboard buttons to operate the air purifier and a simple-to-use app, the settings of the Blueair Blue Max 3250i are easy to get a handle on.

Don't buy it if...

You want detailed air quality readings
With a low-cost piece of tech, there’s always going to be an element of compromise. In this case, the contamination detected is limited to PM2.5, and the app doesn’t give any detail on indoor air quality aside from an overall score.

You want something to fight off the nasties on its own accord
As this air purifier can’t detect VOCs, it won’t automatically react to strong odors or finer particles, so settings will need to be altered manually if a higher level of purifying is required.

You want something robust
Despite the advantages of such a lightweight air purifier, there’s no denying that the base design could be at risk of damage should anything make contact with it.

Blueair Blue Pure 411i Max / Blue Max 3250i review: Also consider

Levoit Core 300S Smart True HEPA
We rated this little air purifier a commendable four-and-a-half stars thanks to its performance and smart features. It is cheaper than the Blueair Blue Max 3250i, but there were delays in response time, and it doesn’t offer washable pre-filters. For more information, why not check out our full Levoit Core 300S True HEPA air purifier review.

Molekule Air Pro
I know, I know, the cost difference here is vast, however, if you happen to be looking for an option with medical-grade materials, FDA medical device clearance, and fantastic VOC detection, then this is hands down the product to go for. If you'd like to find out more about this air purifier's skill set, take a look at our full Molekule Air Pro review.

How I tested the Blueair Blue Pure 411i Max / Blue Max 3250i

• I used the Blueair Blue Max 3250i for a week and a half
• I tested how much of an impact it had on the surrounding air quality
• I tested how easy it was to operate and live with

I checked how easy was to get the Blueair Blue Max 3250i set up, how easy it was to operate, and how portable it was.

I tested it in different rooms in my home, and observed how quiet it was at night time and whether it disturbed my sleep.

I assessed its design and structure, paying close attention to quality and any sustainable elements.

I reviewed the impact it had on the air quality in my environment, and how well it handled cooking smells.

• First reviewed: November 2024
• Read TechRadar's Reviews Guarantee

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