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JLab Go Pods ANC: Two-minute review

I’ll admit that it was with reticence that I agreed to test earbuds clearly angling for the title of ‘cheapest ANC buds’ but let me dispel any similar cynicism you may have: the JLab Go Pods ANC are, for their price, excellent.

Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised, because these new cheap earbuds come from esteemed affordable audio brand JLab, which has a lot of experience with affordable audio options. But anyone who’s tried to save a buck by buying lower-cost tech knows that you can’t take anything for granted, even with legacy brands.

Let’s first address the selling point in the headline: are these the best noise-cancelling earbuds on the market? No, but if you add 'cheap' to that question, quite possibly. They are cheap, they do have noise cancellation, and they certainly are earbuds. Plus, they’re really good at what they do, and so I can give them a tick there. But are they the cheapest buds with ANC?

I was expecting to be able to find plenty of cheap Amazon rivals with ANC, but I was wrong; one or two ANC-toting options from unnamed brands sit at the same price as the JLabs here, but there’s not much on offer for less that also has ANC. So from the right angle, the Go Pods ANC tick that box too.

What same-price rivals probably don’t offer is decent audio quality. For budget earbuds these sound really good, with (depending on how you set up the equalizer) crystal-clear treble, hearty mids or scooping bass, and a broad soundstage that you don’t often get in buds twice the price.

The ANC itself also works well, plastering over background sounds with little tact but with heart. That said, the transparency mode is a nightmare which will cause you to hear every little thing going on around you with frightening accuracy.

Like all good earbuds, the JLabs are also nice and lightweight, so you can wear them for ages without getting earache. Similar can be said of the tiny plastic carry case, which completely disappears into a trouser pocket.

I can’t pretend that these earbuds are perfect, and they do have a few things which annoyed me during testing. For one, JLab has replaced a charging port with a charging cable, so you plug the case into something, rather than plugging something into the case, to power it up. Good in theory, but functionally I found it less useful than the standard option which every other company uses, of simply letting you plug a cable into the case.

The in-box ear tips also didn’t offer much in the way of grip, so when I walked or ran in the buds they had a habit of falling out pretty quickly. This is a problem you can solve with the added expense of third-party eartips (or using ones you have left over from your last earbuds).

But even as earbud shortcomings go those aren’t the biggest I’ve ever faced, or even a huge issue at all in the case of the first one. Know this: these are fantastic-value earbuds.

JLab Go Pods ANC review: Price and release date

(Image credit: Future)

• Released in summer 2025
• Costs $36.99 / £29.99 (roughly AU$60)

The JLab Go Pods ANC were announced in May 2025 and put on sale in the months after. It took them barely any time to go on offer, but more on that in a moment.

The default retail price for these buds is $36.99 / £29.99 (roughly AU$60), so they’re some of the most affordable noise cancelling earbuds you can find, and the few alternatives I can find at this price tag almost all come from unknown brands on Amazon.

I say ‘default price’ because only a few months after release, the Go Pods ANC can easily be found for a discount. In the US I found them for $29.99 and in the UK they’re at £24.99, making these super-cheap buds even cheaper. And that’s before Black Friday.

JLab Go Pods ANC review: Specs

Drivers

10mm

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Battery life (ANC off)

7.5 hours (buds) 26 hours (case)

Weight

4.2g (buds) 27.6g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4

Waterproofing

IP55

JLab Go Pods ANC review: Features

(Image credit: Future)

• Battery life of just 5 hours with ANC on
• Good ANC but iffy transparency
• JLab app brings a few useful extras

During my testing time, I didn’t once have any kind of connection issue with the JLab Go Pods ANC, so you don’t need to worry about them having an unreliable Bluetooth link.

The buds have some extra features via the JLab app, though it’s mostly just some customization and tweaks rather than anything truly novel.

It took my while to get my head around the Noise Control Modes tool, which lists ANC on, off and Be Aware mode, but with toggles by all of them, so it’s easy to turn two or all three of them on at the same time… right? That’s what I thought, until I realized that toggling these selects whether you can switch to them via the buds via touch controls. The real way to switch ANC modes is to physically select the mode you want, not toggle its slider.

Another option via the app is an equalizer, which comes with three unnamed presets and a custom mode. It’s a 10-band equalizer so it’s pretty advanced, and audiophiles will be able to get a lot of depth in how they customize their tunes.

(Image credit: Future)

Running down its list, the app also lets you set a max volume limit for safety, change what touch controls do, switch between a Music Mode and Movie Mode (which seems to increase the sound spread but decrease quality) and… set up a workout interval timer? That’s not exactly a standard headphone feature but it might prove useful to a few people.

The battery life of the Go Pods sits at 7.5 hours, according to JLab – that’s with ANC turned off and, from my testing, you’re looking at about 7.5 hours with it turned off which isn’t exactly a competitive figure. The company puts the extended play time offered by the charging case at 26 hours.

One final thing we probably need to touch on is the ANC itself – is it any good in these cheap buds? Surprisingly, it really is. It hushes your surroundings pretty substantially, and while it obviously doesn’t reach the heights of rivals in the market – a light background hum always got through, and sharper noises weren’t dimmed as much – it’s a lot better than JLab could have got away with for the money.

I wasn’t as impressed, though, with Be Aware mode (JLab’s take on Transparency). While using it I was too aware – not only did it not cancel noise, it seemed to amplify every little thing that occurred around me in a jarring experience overall.

• Features score: 4/5

JLab Go Pods ANC review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Both buds and case are super lightweight
• Case has a built-in charging cable
• Ear tips don't offer much grip

The JLab Go Pods ANC have one small design difference that sets them apart from the vast majority of other samey wireless earbuds, and it’s built into the case.

The buds’ charging case is a 4.52 x 6 x 2.61cm pebble which opens lengthwise along the side; it’s made of plastic so it only weighs 27.6g (for context, most buds I test have cases double that weight). This is all to say that it’s quite small and very light.

While most charging cases are nondescript save for perhaps a logo and a USB-C charging port, JLab does away with the latter and replaces it with its own USB-C cable; you can plug this into a port to easily power up the buds.

In theory I get why JLab would use this instead of a simple port: it means you can power it up via your phone or laptop without needing an extra cable. In practice though I found it annoying, as it meant I couldn’t use the standard USB-C charger I bring for my other gadgets. I couldn’t power up the case from my phone if I was also charging said phone, and I couldn’t plug it into wall outlets on public transport or adaptors at my home (all of which use standard USB).

Onto the buds: these weigh 4.2g each so they continue the Go Pods style of being lighter than the competition. They’re stem-style buds, consisting of a large body, tips angled slightly downwards and a flat stem bearing JLab’s logo.

(Image credit: Future)

There are touch controls on each of said logos, which worked reasonably well although there were a few mis-touches when I was readjusting the buds or times when one press would be picked up as two. Also the default controls are a little odd so I’d recommend jumping into the app to customize them yourself.

I really appreciate low-weight buds like the Go Pods as they were easy to use for long periods of time without feeling any ache or wear. That was only the case if I was sitting still though.

The in-box eartips seem to offer so little friction that they may as well be made out of WD40: as soon as I went for a walk, or heaven forbid a run, the earbuds began slipping from my ears (yes, I tried all three options included in the box). Even putting in or removing the buds normally, you can feel how little they’re inclined to stay in the ear – not great for active people.

While the case doesn’t have any official protection, the buds have an IP55. This means they’re mostly protected against dust ingress and can withstand low-press jets of water (including rain and sweat) but aren’t suitable for swimming.

The JLab Go Pods ANC come in three color versions: black, lilac and green, and as you can tell I tested the former.

• Design score: 3.5/5

JLab Go Pods ANC review: Sound quality

• Single 10mm driver
• Can handle regimented bass and clear treble
• High max volume

(Image credit: Future)

I’m going to wager that your expectations for the JLab Go Pods ANC’s audio chops probably match what mine were going into the testing: you see the price and shudder at the thought of those cheap buds you bought on Amazon once and know what to expect. But banish the thought.

The JLab Go Pods ANC actually sound pretty good; I’m not sure I’d pick them over something like the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro but for the price, they’re surprisingly capable.

By default (that is, with the JLab Signature equalizer mode), music sounds bright with defined treble and mids, and a laudable breadth of soundstage so you can hear different passages and harmonies in the music surrounding you.

There’s clearly a little distortion crackling away when too many different instruments are playing at once, or when the hi-hat gets going, but only in mixes that can trouble much pricer buds too.

I’ll admit that I largely listened with some heavy equalizer tweaks, but I was surprised by how much bass the Go Pods were capable of when asked. There’s scope for hearty, scooping bass with the right song and right EQ set-up. But even without this set-up, lower-register lines felt well-defined.

The buds’ max volume is really high – higher than you’d ever normally need, unless you accidentally held down the ‘volume up’ button on your phone like me – and doesn’t distort as much at louder settings as many other buds do.

• Sound quality: 4/5

JLab Go Pods ANC review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

The JLab Go Pods ANC are basically the cheapest noise-cancelling earbuds that are actually worth buying.

Because of their feature set and audio quality, these aren’t just ‘good for the price’; they’re good full stop. JLab didn’t need to offer them for such a low price but in doing so, it’s made them a fearsome value proposition.

• Value: 4.5/5

Should I buy the JLab Go Pods ANC?JLab Go Pods ANC score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

The ANC is good, as is the general feature set, though the battery life is poor.

4/5

Design

The buds are lovely and lightweight, but the eartips don't stick well and I'd have preferred a charging port.

3.5/5

Sound quality

For the price, the JLabs sound really good: cheap and cheerful.

4/5

Value

These offer fantastic value for money given how cheap they are.

4.5/5

Buy them if…

You're on a (low) budget
If you've set yourself a budget for earbuds and it isn't a big one, then there are going to be very few alternatives to the Go Pods ANC.

You want noise cancellation
Noise cancellation is a feature which is common on expensive earbuds but not so much on cheap ones. That's not the case with the JLabs though.

You want to charge from your phone
The charging case's cable attachment lets you power up your buds from your phone, great if you rarely have access to a power point.View Deal

Don’t buy them if…

You're not willing to provide your own eartips
I didn't rate the in-box ear tips, so I'd recommend the buds mostly to people who would be willing to buy their own (or, more likely, have leftovers from your last buds).

You need a long-lasting battery
If you're listening with noise cancellation, you're only getting five hours of listening time, which isn't a competitive figure.

JLab Go Pods ANC review: Also consider

JLab Go Pods ANC

JLab Go Pop ANC

Earfun Air 2

JBL Wave Beam

Drivers

10mm

10mm

10mm

8mm

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Yes

No

No

Battery life

7.5 hours (buds); 26 hours (case)

7 hours (buds); 24 hours (case)

9 hours (earbuds), 40 hours (total)

8 hours (buds) 24 hours (case)

Weight

4.2g (buds) 27.6g (case)

4.1g (buds); 22g (case)

4.5g (buds) 45g (case)

8.8g (buds) 39.5g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4

Bluetooth 5.4

Bluetooth 5.3

Bluetooth 5.2

Waterproofing

IP55

IP55

IPX7

IP54

JLab Go Pop ANC

Forgive the incredibly similar name. These buds cost just less than, or the same as, the Pods depending on where you live, and have a similar feature set with the design being the biggest difference.

See our full JLab Go Pop ANC review

Earfun Air 2

These buds have a similar design to the JBLs but miss noise cancellation. They're cheap, but not quite as affordable as the Go Pods.

See our full Earfun Air 2 review

JBL Wave Beam

Another low-cost option that has a similar stem-toting design is the JBL Wave Beam. This has a smaller driver and no noise cancellation but it won't break the bank and has a fairly good battery life.View Deal

How I tested the JLab Go Pods ANC

• Tested for four weeks
• Tested at home, in the office, working out and on walks

I tested the JLab Go Pods ANC for about four weeks, which is longer than the standard TechRadar testing process, but is a testament to their audio chops.

I used the buds while they were connected to my Android phone, mainly for Spotify but also for streaming movies, games and listening to voice notes. I used them while at home, at the gym, on runs and on walks around my neighborhood.

I've been testing gadgets for TechRadar for over five years now and in that time have used other JLab products as well as some of their biggest competitions.

• First reviewed in August 2025

• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

• Reflective LCD reduces energy use while raising doubts about mainstream adoption
• Eazeye Monitor 2.0 consumes only 7 watts during operation under normal use
• Outdoor performance improves with ambient light instead of artificial backlight

The Eazeye Monitor 2.0 is a 24-inch reflective LCD screen designed to function as an energy-efficient alternative to traditional LCDs and expensive e-ink monitors.

Unlike standard panels which depend on backlighting, this unit reflects ambient light to create its image.

The manufacturer promotes this approach as more comfortable for extended viewing and as a way to reduce strain. It also lowers energy usage, with reported consumption averaging 4W and peaking at 7W.

Full HD resolution and 60Hz refresh rate capability

The main appeal of the Eazeye Monitor 2.0 reflective LCD technology lies in visibility in bright environments.

Conventional laptop panels often wash out under direct sunlight, even when brightness is maximized.

In contrast, reflective LCD designs are meant to gain clarity from ambient light.

The manufacturer provides demonstration images suggesting that the Eazeye 2.0 maintains legibility outdoors where a standard display appears dim.

While this could make it practical as a business monitor for travel or fieldwork, actual performance may depend heavily on lighting conditions and user expectations.

From the perspective of installation, the device behaves much like a portable monitor, and its power is supplied through a separate USB-C connection.

The Eazeye Monitor 2.0 ships with HDMI and USB-C cables, a stand, and a power adapter. Users open the kickstand, adjust the tilt, and connect through either HDMI or USB-C for video input.

At 2.2kg and measuring just over 54cm in width, it remains light enough to move between desks or to pair with a laptop outdoors. There is also an audio jack that supports external speakers if needed.

The company positions the Eazeye 2.0 as an alternative to costly e-ink products.

Alternative models, such as the 23.5-inch DASUNG and BIGME color monitors, exceed $1,650, whereas this reflective LCD is listed at $999.

However, it only delivers a 1920x1080 resolution with a 60Hz refresh rate, which is lower than some premium e-ink options but higher in responsiveness.

For certain tasks like office work or casual use, that may be sufficient. But whether it can serve as a reliable monitor for video editing or as a primary business monitor is less certain, given its color reproduction limits and modest resolution.

The Eazeye Monitor 2.0 combines paper-like readability with reduced power draw, qualities that might suit users who work outdoors or require an energy-saving secondary screen.

Yet at nearly $1,000, it sits in an uncertain space between affordable portable displays and specialized e-ink panels. It may attract professionals seeking a niche tool, but broad adoption remains questionable.

Via CNX-Software

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• FBI warns Russian hackers are targeting an old Cisco security flaw, so patch now

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• Researchers discover new PromptLock ransomware
• PromptLock is AI powered - presenting new concerns for security teams
• AI is already shaking up the cyber landscape

Security researchers from ESET have identified the first known AI-powered ransomware, which serves as a warning for security teams as generative AI has, and will, continue to make cyberattacks much more accessible for criminals.

Researchers Peter Strycek and Anton Cherepanov discovered the proof of concept, which they dubbed ‘PromptLock’, which, ‘leverages Lua scripts generated from hard-coded prompts to enumerate the local filesystem, inspect target files, exfiltrate selected data, and perform encryption.’

"Although multiple indicators suggest the sample is a proof-of-concept (PoC) or work-in-progress rather than fully operational malware deployed in the wild, we believe it is our responsibility to inform the cybersecurity community about such developments," the researchers wrote.

Use in the wild

The PromptLock malware uses OpenAI’s gpt-oss:20b model - an open weight model released in August 2025, and this is run locally through the Ollama API to generate malicious Lua scripts ‘on the fly’.

Lua scripts are cross-platform compatible, the researchers point out, meaning they function on macOS, Linux, and Windows. The malware can then exfiltrate, encrypt, and potentially destroy any data it chooses after scanning user files, presumably to determine which would be most valuable.

Security teams have been warning for months that the AI-powered future of ransomware is coming soon, and although PromptLock has not yet been observed targeting victims in the wild, it’s clear it's only a matter of time before this happens.

Not only does GenAI make life a lot easier for wannabe hackers by lowering the barrier of entry, but LLM’s also spit out different results even when given the same prompt. This makes them unpredictable and particularly difficult for defenders to detect, as the pattern of behavior is more erratic and hard to spot.

Via:The Register

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As a veteran of covering Apple’s iPhone launches, I can rather confidently say that the iPhone 16 will drop in price when the so-called iPhone 17 is launched and subsequently released.

Judging by previous iPhone launches, my educated prediction is that the iPhone 16 will stick around as Apple’s cheaper alternative to the new phones, with its price likely to be some $100 / £100/ AU$150 cheaper than at launch.

Such a price drop isn’t huge, but it’s not bad either, given the rumors aren’t pointing towards a significant generational upgrade for the iPhone 17. The much-rumored iPhone 17 Air could shake things up if it replaces the standard iPhone and its Plus stablemate, but I’m not so sure that’ll happen.

While I bemoan the lack of a 120Hz display, the current iPhone 16 is still a great phone for most people and has the performance needed for Apple Intelligence and most phone-centric tasks, all slotted neatly into Apple’s ecosystem.

So presuming Apple keeps it in its line-up, it’ll be a good potential purchase if you’re after one of the best phones for a lower price. Expect prices to go from $799 / £799 / AU$1,399 to $699 / £699 / AU$1,249.

Up in the air

Equally, there’s the wrinkle of the iPhone 16e. This is already a cheaper take on the iPhone 16, so if it drops in price, it could become a more compelling ‘affordable’ iPhone than it was at launch; see our iPhone 16e review for Lance Ulanoff’s critique.

As such, there’s scope for Apple to discontinue all the iPhone 16 and keep the ‘e’ variant at its mid-range phone.

Speaking of discontinuation, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will very likely be retired; Apple has done this in the past and will surely want to push people who want to go pro to opt for the iPhone 17 Pro.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s game over for finding a cheaper iPhone 16 Pro model, as third-party retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Currys will very likely have such iPhones in stock and will want to clear their shelves of the phones to make space for newer models.

So, I predict that you’ll be able to find a cheaper iPhone 16 Pro come the end of September and going into the Black Friday period, which now lasts weeks rather than a day. And I’d say the same applies to all iPhone 16 models sold outside of Apple, with deals likely to pop up on them as the Holiday season draws closer.

All of this is why I suggest you don’t by an iPhone until the next Apple event, scheduled for September 9 has come and gone, as even if the new iPhones don’t appeal to you, you’re sure to find a cheaper older iPhone as a result.

As it happens, I head up TechRadar's Deals team along with the phones and tablets division, so my crack crew of bargain-seekers will be keeping an eye out for impressive iPhone deals, among other stuff, to flag to you. So keep a weather eye on TechRadar in the coming weeks.

If you have any questions about the upcoming iPhones, feel free to drop me a line or comment below if you have some burning thoughts on what Apple could do next with its smartphones. So that’s that right? Well, not entirely.

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The Food and Drug Administration approved the next round of COVID-19 vaccines, but is restricting them to people at high risk for COVID complications.

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Kirby and the Forgotten Land's Star-Crossed World DLC is fun and looks great, but there isn't enough of it.

For a limited time, you'll be able to watch a full season of hits like Ghosts and Matlock for free.

Dreame AirPursue PM20: two-minute review

The Dreame AirPursue PM20 is an air purifier with a whole load of tricks up its sleeve. The USP is the 'Follow' mode, whereby the large, cup-shaped head will swivel to follow you wherever you go in a room, blasting purified air in your direction. In practice, it's very impressive to watch. There's also 'AI Purify' – an Auto mode by another name – whereby the AirPursue will monitor for five specific pollutants and adjust settings to clear them when they're detected.

Aside from these and two more special modes, and a variety of manual control options, the appliance can also heat or cool the air as required. So it's positioned to rival not only the best air purifiers on the market, but the best fans, too. Not bad for the brand's first ever purifier.

When it comes to air purifiers, I'm often left wondering how I'm meant to know if they're actually doing anything. Not so with the AirPursue PM20, which offers real time pollutant readings within the Dreame companion app, so you can watch at any moment as it cleans the air in your living room or bedroom. It's able to sense and remove 14 different pollutants (although that doesn't include CO2), and gives each one a rating so you can tell how good or bad the air quality is.

All that functionality comes at a bit of a price, and replacement filters aren't especially cheap either (deals are appearing already, and I think it's decent value for what you're getting). While the design is sleek and modern, there's no getting around the fact it's really rather large, although Dreame has helpfully added wheels to make it easy to maneuver from one room to another,

The PM20 is geared towards use in medium or large rooms, with a CADR to match (400 m³/h). If you have a smaller space you'd be better off with the PM10 sister model, which has a has a CADR of 300 m³/h.

Keep reading to see how well the Dreame AirPursue PM20 cleaned the air in my historic home and gave me more peace of mind.

(Image credit: Future)Dreame AirPursue PM20 review: price & availability

• List price: US$999.99
• Launch date: June 2025
• Availability: US and Canada

The AirPursue PM20 is Dreame's first ever air purifier, and launched in June 2025. It's available to buy direct from Dreame or via Amazon in the US and Canada, with a list price of $999.99. (The smaller AirPursue PM10 costs $899.99 at list price.)

You can take that list price with a pinch of salt, because at time of writing this review the PM20 had only been out a month and was already attracting significant discounts on Amazon (it dropped to $769.99 during the Prime Day Sale). Even with that discount it's still a premium purchase, though.

The only additional cost associated with this air purifier are the replacements for the carbon filter and the high efficiency composite filter, which are $59.99 and $99.99 respectively. They have to be replaced between 6 and 24 months, depending on how hard they're put to work.

Considering that this air purifier has multiple modes, speeds, heating capabilities, app and voice integration, and AI settings, I'd say the price tag is reasonable. In fact, I've seen more expensive air purifiers that have fewer features. However, it's still a decent investment, so if you're on a tighter budget there are plenty more affordable options about.

• Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Dreame AirPursue PM20 specs

CADR:

400 m³/h

Size:

14.9 x 14.9 x 33.4 in

Control:

Buttons, remote, app, voice control

Filters:

HEPA-13, carbon

Modes:

1-10, AI Purify (Auto), Pet Purify, Comfort, Cooling, Heating (77-104F)

Contaminants detected:

PM1, PM2.5, PM10, HCHO, TVOC

Other readings:

Overall air quality status, temperature, humidity

Oscillation:

45, 90, 180 degrees, or 'AI follow'

Timer:

12 hours

Heating:

78-104F

Dreame AirPursue PM20 review: design

• Large air purifier that can also operate as a fan or heater
• Smart capabilities, AI detection, and app integration
• Provides specific information about pollutant levels

The Dreame AirPursue PM20 arrived assembled, allowing me to plug it in and immediately start purifying the air within my home. The only setup required of me was connecting the air purifier to the Dreame app and tap a button in the app to authorize the voice command function.

In terms of appearance, the Dreame AirPursue PM20 reminds me of a mini R2-D2, with its bulbous head, cylindrical body, and the wheels placed on the bottom. I was so glad for the wheels as I could move the air purifier around the house without having to pick it up – as I may have mentioned, it's not small. In the air purifier world, it also bears a striking resemblance to the Dyson Big+Quiet.

(Image credit: Future)

The head has a small, square LCD screen that displays air pollution levels via colored graphs. Buttons on the head allow you to turn the purifier on and off and cycle through information on the LCD screen like air pollutant, temperature, and humidity readings, and the filter life.

Inside, the PM20 is outfitted with two filters. First, a high efficiency composite filter (HEPA-13 grade) which removes indoor pollen, dust mites, haze, bacteria, viruses, and other fine materials, and which must be replaced every 16-24 months (the app notifies you). Second, a carbon filter, which is used to remove indoor kitchen fumes, pet odor, TVOC, formaldehyde and other harmful gases. The replacement time for the carbon filter is every 6-12 months.

There more going on with this air purifier's design that can't be seen. It's outfitted with dual-flow modulation technology, which means the air flows in and out of the head and the body. It can apparently project air forward up to 10 meters.

The airflow fan speed can be adjusted between 1 and 10 and the wind direction can be set on 45, 90, or 180 degrees. You can also utilize various special modes:

• AI follow – directs pure air at whoever is in the room
• AI purify / Auto – monitors for 5 pollutants and switches on when detected
• Pet purify – enhanced airflow specifically geared towards pet hair and odors
• Comfort – quiet, long-range air projection
• Cooling
• Heating – set between 78 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit

The most exciting of those is AI follow, where the purifier head will follow you as you move within a room. If there is more than one person in the room, the purifier will toggle between the two people's positions.

Because I tested the AirPursue in the summer, I usually used the Cooling mode, but I was also pleased to learn it would earn its space in winter by doubling up as a heater. I found Comfort mode was a great option when sleeping at night because it lowered the fan speed so the noise wasn't bothersome.

(Image credit: Future)

Speaking of which, noise-wise, the air purifier is not that loud. On the lowest fan speed, it has a dB rating of 54. I measured the highest speed at 67 dB.

With the remote, you can adjust the direction of the fan, change the fan speed, turn on the heating function, and choose between the different modes. I preferred managing the settings in the app or with voice commands.

• Design score: 5 out of 5

Dreame AirPursue PM20 review: performance

• Detects and clears pollutants quickly
• Can cool or heats spaces while purifying them
• App makes it easy to control purifier and monitor pollutants

My house was built over 100 years ago, and as a historic building it produces a lot of dust and allergens. Not to mention, it was probably updated at various times when pollutants weren't necessarily monitored or regulated. As someone who has asthma and allergies, I'm always looking for ways to make my home – where I work, sleep, and live – healthier. After testing the Dreame AirPursue PM20, I feel a lot more confident and comfortable breathing in my own house.

To speak plainly, I love the Dreame AirPursue PM20. It was easy to move it between rooms with the wheels. Once I connected it to the app, I dove in. I was glad to discover that the air quality of my house is better than I thought. I gleaned this information from the overall air quality score. However, thanks to the Dreame sensors, I was able to see the exact levels of harmful pollutants – PM1, PM2.5, PM10, HCHO, and TVOC – present in my home.

I didn't know what these pollutants meant, but the app provided definitions of each one. For instance, I learned that HCHO is a “common indoor pollutant, the release period of formaldehyde from furniture, paint, and adhesives lasting for years". Not only that, but the Dreame app tracked the pollutant reading and provided a value range for each pollutant, and then labelled the reading as either excellent, good, moderate, or poor. I was able to track the pollutant readings at any moment and even by days and weeks within the app.

Click to enlarge (Image credit: Dreame / Future)

To see how well the Dreame AirPursue PM20 detects pollutants and clears them, I ran a test with dry shampoo. I began by screenshotting the readings (prior to spraying the dry shampoo) to gain an air quality baseline. Then I sprayed dry shampoo about two feet in front of the air purifier. Within the app, I saw the air purifier recognize the pollutants from the dry shampoo within about 10 seconds.

From there, I monitored the air purifier, noting the initial increase in pollutant readings. The purifier cleaned the room within about 11 minutes. The TVOC reading was the only pollutant that didn't quite reach the original reading after 11 minutes (it was 2 points higher). In fact, the TVOC reading fluctuated over the next few hours within one to two points of the original reading. At least it remained well within the 'excellent' air quality range.

(Image credit: Future)

Most of the time, I set the Dreame AirPursue PM20 on a fan speed of 10, and the wind direction at 180 degrees. Sometimes, I used the AI Follow feature which means the head of the purifier followed me around the room, literally purifying the air around me. This feature was cool to see in action, and reliably well on test.

I don't have pets, so I didn't need the Pet Purify mode, but I know that it could be helpful for those who do share their home with four-legged friends, especially in removing odors (the purifier cleared kitchen odors within my house in minutes). The Comfort mode was great to use at night; it was quieter than my ceiling fan.

Like a few Dyson fans, the Dreame AirPursue can also be used as a fan or heater. Because I was testing in Texas in July, I mostly used the Cooling more, but the Heating option will be ultra-helpful in winter (it lets you adjust the temperature between 78 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The 12-hour timer was nice, but for the most part, I turned the purifier on and off at my own will.

(Image credit: Future)

I didn't have any issues with this air purifier. The only thing to keep in mind is that when the fan speed is set to 10 (or the highest speed), you must raise your voice and move near the air purifier to use the voice command. That wasn't a big deal to me, because I usually used the app on my phone to adjust the settings as I always forgot the voice commands and would have to look them up in the app anyways (helpfully, Dreame lists the voice commands here for reference).

Overall, I think the Dreame AirPursue PM20 does what it says it will do and brought me a lot more peace of mind. I feel better knowing that I'm breathing cleaner air in my home day or night.

• Performance score: 4.5 out of 5

Should you buy the Dreame AirPursue PM20?

Attribute

Notes

Rating

Value

A premium air purifier occasionally discounted but well priced considering the control and features. Filters represent and ongoing cost.

4/5

Design

Large but stylish. Can operate as a fan or heater as well as a purifier. Manual control or a selection of special modes – including one where the pure air follows you around. Easy to read, real-time pollution readings. Control via app, voice or remote.

5/5

Performance

Detects and cleans pollutants efficiently. The app makes it easy to monitor pollutants, understand how clean your air is, and adjust the settings.

4.5/5

Buy it if...

You want to monitor and understand the air quality in your home

The Dreame AirPursue PM20 senses 14 different pollutants, and you can watch it clean in real time by monitoring the pollutant readings in the app. This also offers in-depth explanations and notes where the readings fall within the safe and unsafe ranges.

You want an air purifier that heats or cools in different directions

Air purifiers emit bursts of air. Dreame capitalized on this feature by adding some cooling and heating features to the PM20. Adjust the fan speed between 1-10 or let your air purifier push out heated air (between 78-104 degrees) in the winter. You can even adjust the direction of the airflow between 45-180 degrees or set the purifier to follow you as you move in the room.

You want multiple control options

Control the Dreame AirPursue PM20 with a button, voice command, app, or remote. Or simply set it on AI purify and let the purifier automatically adjust the settings to keep your home clean.

Don't buy it if...

You just want something simple

The Dreame AirPursue PM20 has plenty of tricks up its sleeve, but if you don't fancy all those special features then there are plenty of cheaper, still effective purifiers to choose from.

You live in an apartment or small space

The Dreame AirPursue PM20 is geared towards use in bigger spaces (although it does have a sibling model for smaller rooms). Standing at nearly 3 feet tall and over a foot wide, it's also too large to tuck out of the way.

You want a purifier that reads and scrubs CO2

The one thing that the Dreame AirPursue PM20 can't do is read CO₂ levels. Some air purifiers can sense CO₂ and even scrub it, though you'll likely pay more for them.

How I tested the Dreame AirPursue PM20

I used the Dreame AirPursue PM20 for a few weeks in July in my 105-year-old home in Texas. I used the purifier in various rooms to get a variety of readings, as well as testing each of the windspeed settings and special modes. To get a more objective view of how efficiently it cleared air, I also sprayed dry shampoo a few feet from the purifier to see how quickly the purifier detected it and cleared it from the room.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed July 2025

• Nvidia’s H20 chip became collateral in a heated geopolitical clash
• Nvidia’s revenue stream risks serious disruption with the Chinese market tightening
• Chinese tech giants hesitate to abandon Nvidia hardware for weaker alternatives

China’s recent decision to tighten restrictions on Nvidia’s H20 chip sales has drawn attention not only because of the technology involved, but also because of the circumstances which triggered it.

Reports indicate comments made by U. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in mid-July 2025 were viewed as both “insulting” and brash by China's government.

In a televised interview, Lutnick stated Washington’s strategy was to ensure Chinese developers became “addicted” to the American technology stack.

Rising tensions after controversial remarks

“We don’t sell them our best stuff, not our second-best stuff, not even our third-best,” Lutnick had told CNBC.

“You want to sell the Chinese enough that their developers get addicted to the American technology stack, that’s the thinking,” he added.

The Chinese considered this remark unnecessarily arrogant, and it is now engineering a move that presents sustained sales headwinds for Nvidia, a company that has long viewed the country as a major market.

The H20 chip, developed specifically for China after export controls restricted access to more advanced models, had become a key product for local AI firms.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited Beijing recently, and stressed the firm’s commitment to staying competitive in the region.

Still, with China accounting for at least 15% of Nvidia’s total revenue, any disruption to H20 orders represents a serious challenge.

Washington and Beijing had previously struck a framework agreement earlier in 2025 allowing H20 sales to resume in China while Beijing restored some rare earth exports.

That deal was interpreted as a step toward stabilizing relations. Yet by late July 2025, Chinese regulators such as the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Ministry of Industry and Technology began advising firms to halt new H20 orders.

This guidance, framed as a response to Lutnick’s remarks, highlights the fragility of recent progress.

Alongside the restrictions, Beijing has promoted the use of domestic chips, including those from Huawei.

However, doubts remain about their effectiveness, and DeepSeek had to delay the launch of its new R2 model after difficulties training with Huawei Ascend processors.

Chinese tech giants like Alibaba, Baidu, and ByteDance have also been reluctant to fully switch, citing stronger performance from Nvidia hardware compared with local alternatives.

The episode illustrates how political statements can rapidly alter corporate fortunes, especially when national security and technology leadership are at stake.

While Nvidia has disputed claims of security risks tied to its products, Beijing’s regulators appear determined to limit reliance on US-made chips.

Whether Chinese firms can scale up to fill the gap remains uncertain, but what is clear is that Lutnick’s words have accelerated a process of decoupling that may unfold far quicker than industry analysts initially expected.

Via Financial Times

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(Image credit: Ezra Shaw)

Ask anyone in the luxury business about what well-heeled Chinese customers demand and the answer is almost unanimously pointed towards technology. But Bentley’s CEO, Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser, has just claimed that digital will never be luxurious.

"It will be maybe expensive, but not luxury," Walliser told Newsweek, going on to state that there will be always be a need for good craftsmanship.

While many modern luxury brands will agree, there has been a huge shift in what the next generation of wealthy individuals want, with Istituto Marangoni, a leading private school of fashion, art and design, claiming that China will account for 25% of the global personal luxury goods market by 2030.

Gen Z and Millennials, who account 70% of luxury spending, are looking more towards advanced AI assistants, immersive virtual reality and the latest innovations in technology, rather than overt displays of wealth.

Walliser doesn’t deny the need to embrace new and emerging technologies, seeing as the company is slated to launch its first dedicated EV next year. But he does go on to say in his Newsweek interview that luxury is linked to material and craftsmanship, like art.

"Digital art is not so successful. I will not say that it does not exist, but is it the breakthrough? No, it's not," he goes on to explain.

Bentley has recently been doubling-down on its efforts to deliver hand-crafted and highly bespoke vehicles to those willing to pay for it.

A recent ‘Ombre by Mulliner’ gradient paint finish, for example, is said to take 56 hours of handcraft to deliver and costs around £50,000 / $67,000 / AU$105,000, according to one CarWow configurator.

Similarly, its One plus One Batur convertible features an interior hand-finished by Bentley's Mulliner division with contrasting driver and front passenger seats, complete with a bespoke, two-piece luggage set at the customer’s request.

As a result, three in four Bentleys are leaving Bentley’s Crewe HQ with bespoke Mulliner content. More than ever, according to Newsweek.

Analysis: Ignoring digital is dangerous

(Image credit: Bentley)

While the luxury automakers continue to lean heavily on their brand history and traditional production methods, the market has seen a significant downturn in China, which was once considered a major source of sales for the likes of Rolls-Royce, Bentley and more.

There have been changes in luxury taxes and financial uncertainty that will have impacted trade, but the boom in the EV industry has also opened up a sizable technological chasm between the east and the west.

What’s more, younger generations across the globe are increasingly looking for the latest digital features, advances in AI and automated driving technology as key reasons to make a purchase.

Xiaomi, for example, sold more than 135,000 SU7 models in China last year, despite being its debut EV, while Porsche managed to shift just 56,887 units of all of its models during the same timeframe.

In fact, most of the major German luxury brands are struggling in China for this very reason. Although it is still to be seen whether the likes of Xiaomi, Yangwang and more will make an impact beyond their domestic market.

Despite the fact that ultra-luxury brands tend to feel the economic impacts to a lesser extent, navigating the digital world remains a tricky task, as they don’t want to lose their identity but also want to avoid alienating new buyers thanks to a lack of technology.

Aston Martin’s recent pairing with Apple CarPlay Ultra is an excellent example of this, as the software proved excellent and arguably what CarPlay users have been demanding for years, but the masses of Apple-controlled screens also made the vehicle feel less special.

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• NeoLogic raises $10 million to advance CMOS+ CPUs, reducing circuit complexity
• CMOS+ enables 6-32 input gates, reducing power use and die size
• First processors expected in 2026, targeting energy efficient AI data center workloads

NeoLogic has raised $10 million in in Series A funding as it works to change how processors are designed.

Founded in 2021, the Israel-based company (with a US presence planned for the future) is not focusing on transistor scaling, the traditional path of the semiconductor industry, but rather on reducing the complexity of circuits.

Its CMOS+ technology integrates standard CMOS gates with reduced complexity gates, cutting transistor counts by as much as three times at any process node.

Up to 50% lower energy use

Conventional CMOS is limited by fan-in, with gates typically handling no more than four inputs.

Designers rely on tree structures to handle higher inputs, which increases both chip area and power use.

NeoLogic’s CMOS+ enables single stage gates that handle between 6 and 32 inputs, shortening the critical path while reducing area and energy consumption.

The company says processors built with CMOS+ can lower power use by up to 50 percent and reduce chip area by up to 40 percent while keeping latency on par with current designs.

These improvements are compatible with existing CMOS manufacturing processes, from 130nm down to 2nm, as well as standard EDA tools, so adoption won’t require new infrastructure.

By cutting die size and improving yield, CMOS+ provides cost advantages at advanced nodes, where wafer costs and development expenses rise sharply.

It’s more than just gates, however, as CMOS+ also offers power efficient registers, buffers, and arithmetic blocks. Together, NeoLogic says, these elements give chip designers a new infrastructure that simplifies processor design while achieving better power and area tradeoffs.

“We are backing NeoLogic as they push the boundaries of computing with their breakthrough approach to energy-efficient processors," said Talia Rafaeli, Partner at KOMPAS VC, which led the latest funding round. "The team’s deep technical expertise and innovative CMOS+ technology position them to impact the AI data center space significantly.”

NeoLogic sees CMOS+ as a way to deliver more efficient computing without departing from established tools and processes. It has begun demonstrating its first processors to customers and expects deployment in data centers starting in 2026.

Via eeNews Embedded

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• Improvements are heading to the Google Home app
• Camera feeds should be more reliable and quicker
• The updates are rolling out for Android and iOS devices

It's not been the best of times for the Google Home ecosystem, what with a crescendo of user complaints rising about buggy devices and apps in recent weeks. Google is now at least bringing some improvements to the Google Home app for Android and iOS, connected to Nest cameras and doorbells.

In a somewhat apologetic post on the Google Nest Community message boards, a member of the Nest team outlines the improvements. While the reported bugs with Google smart home kit aren't addressed directly, they are alluded to.

"We also wanted to take a moment to thank you all," the post reads. "While we may not always hit the mark, we remain committed to listening to our users and building intuitive, reliable, and high-performing camera features for your home."

If you do own a Nest camera of some description, here are five of the most notable upgrades heading your way.

1. Faster previews

Camera previews will now show a cached image from a previous live view: while it means the view might be slightly out of date until it's fully loaded, it does mean you'll be able to identify which camera is which more quickly if you've got several set up in the app.

2. Improved gestures

Gestures have been simplified, so you can now switch between the timeline and events views with a single swipe. Expanding and collapsing live views, and dismissing camera feeds, are also now controlled with one swipe, making it easier to get around the app.

Swipe gestures now work more intuitively (Image credit: Google)3. Better notifications

Notification previews have been improved as well, so on both Android and iOS you'll see a static thumbnail together with a large animated preview – the intention is that you get a better idea of what the alert is about without having to open up the Google Home app.

4. Accurate reporting

Google says that the Google Home app is now better at reporting whether your cameras are online or offline, so you know the status of every camera at all times. The same under-the-hood optimizations should mean live streaming performance is better too.

5. Smoother performance

Speaking of performance, further tweaks made by the Google Home team are going to reduce latency, reduce the likelihood of "no video available" errors, and ensure camera streams can be recovered more quickly when they're switched off and then back on.

These improvements come on top of previous upgrades added by the Google team, which they also mention in the same post: they include increased clarity for videos, a more seamless timeline experience, and a quick seek feature for jumping through video clips.

As well as these software enhancements, it looks very much like new hardware is on the way, as four new Nest devices have recently leaked. Despite lots of evidence to the contrary, it seems that perhaps Google hasn't forgotten about the smart home after all.

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