Feed aggregator

• The non-profit group behind Wikipedia has lost its legal challenge against the Online Safety Act
• The Wikimedia Foundation opposes the possibility of being subjected to the most stringent rules
• London's High Court said the decision isn't a "green light" for Ofcom to implement new rules if they impede Wikipedia's operations

The non-profit behind Wikipedia has lost its legal fight against the Online Safety Act – but it may still be on the right track to resist mandatory age checks.

On Monday, August 11, 2025, London's High Court dismissed the judicial review that the Wikimedia Foundation issued in May to challenge the categorization under the upcoming implementation of the law.

The judge stressed, however, that the decision doesn't give "Ofcom and the Secretary of State a green light to implement a regime that would significantly impede Wikipedia’s operations," leaving therefore room for further legal recourse.

Not age checks on Wikipedia – for now

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Starting from July 25, 2025, all online platforms that display adult-only or potentially harmful materials are required to verify their users' age before allowing them to access such content.

Besides the most obvious names, social media apps like Reddit, X, or Bluesky, dating apps such as Grindr, and even the music streaming giant Spotify are amongst the websites you may not expect to have been impacted by age verification.

This is because, under the latest implementation of the Online Safety Act, these platforms fall into Category 1 of the scope of the law. This categorization requires providers to follow the most stringent rules, including a duty of care to shield minors from so-called "legal but harmful content."

This is exactly what Wikipedia is worried about – and tried to challenge in Court. The group has argued, in fact, that forcing its UK volunteer contributors to get verified would undermine their rights to privacy, safety, free speech, and association.

Commenting on the Monday ruling, the Wikimedia Foundation said: "While the decision does not provide the immediate legal protections for Wikipedia that we hoped for, the Court’s ruling emphasized the responsibility of Ofcom and the UK government to ensure Wikipedia is protected as the OSA is implemented."

Could the Wikipedia case set a precedent?

While the goal of the UK's Online Safety Act of protecting children online is certainly crucial, its implementation has so far been met with a strong backlash among technologists, politicians, and everyday users alike.

Privacy experts are especially concerned about how the UK's current age-checking solutions could lead to data breaches and misuse. Others are also worrying about "a risk of overreach" that could lead to undermining people's rights to free speech and access to information.

While calling to repeal the Online Safety Act, millions of Brits have also turned to the best VPN apps to avoid giving away their most sensitive data to access a host of content on the web.

Whether other providers could (and will) follow Wikipedia's legal path is too early to know. Yet, this development certainly opens up a precedent for similar platforms to challenge the UK's Online Safety Act's categorization.

You might also like

• Age verification requirements have landed in the UK – how the internet will change, and what about your privacy?
• No, VPNs don't guarantee absolute anonymity – but too many users still think they do
• VPN demand skyrockets in the UK as age verification checks are enforced

Sony's eighth-gen console is just as relevant as ever. These are the all-time best games on the PS4.

Syria’s trying to emerge from a multi-layered financial crisis since opposition fighters toppled the regime late last year and formed a government. It’s been given a boost by the US lifting most sanctions, but efforts are hampered by a lack of liquidity.

If you want the fastest phone, it would be hard to choose between the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max. The two run head-to-head in every benchmark Olympics, and each can claim victory in some event or other.

My question is, why do you need the fastest phone? I review all of the best phones for weeks at a time, and I can promise every flagship phone you’ll find is already fast enough – and maybe even too fast.

Smartphone speed relies on many components, but the most important is the application processor – the CPU. That’s the Apple A18 Pro in the best iPhone and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite (ahem, for Galaxy) in the fastest Androids.

Samsung makes its own chips, but they aren’t as fast as Qualcomm’s best platform, which is why Samsung phones use somebody else’s CPU. Actually, Samsung Semiconductor makes the chips, and they might as well be a whole different company from Samsung Mobile Experience, the phone division.

The Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL use the Tensor G4 chipset (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

What about Google? Google designs its own chips, similar to Apple, and then has them produced by a foundry company like Samsung or TSMC. In fact, Google and Samsung Semiconductor worked so closely in the past that Google’s Pixel chips were accused of being repackaged Samsung Exynos products, with all the baggage that implies.

The upshot is that Google’s Tensor chips have never won a benchmark contest. Google has never announced ‘the world’s fastest phone,’ only the ‘fastest Pixel.’ But here’s the truth – it doesn’t matter. Google’s best Pixel phones have never suffered because of slower performance.

Google phones haven't been the fastest for a long time

I’ve been using Pixel phones for years - since before they were Pixel phones. I had the first Google Nexus One phone, and that may have been the last time Google raced for the speed trophy.

The Nexus One came with the first 1GHz mobile processor I’d ever seen, the Qualcomm Snapdragon S1. It enabled amazing features like live wallpapers: colorful pixels chasing around a grid behind the app icons. Live wallpapers are still available on most phones today, but they’ve fallen out of fashion because they are still a processing and battery hog.

The Pixel 9 Pro is the fourth fastest phone on my list of the Best Android phones. The Galaxy S25 Ultra and S25 Plus are both faster, and so is the OnePlus 13. But my SIM card lived in my Pixel 9 Pro for more time than any other Android phone. It’s a great phone, even though it isn’t the best at most things. It’s just great, with features that I find invaluable, and it works reliably well.

I have all these phones, and I usually pick the one in the middle, the Pixel 9 Pro (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

I have never noticed a performance lag on any Pixel in recent years. I reviewed the Pixel 7 Pro, the Pixel 8 Pro, and the Pixel 9 Pro, and I kept every one of those phones in my pocket long after the review ended because they were such a delight to use.

I can use literally any phone one can buy in the US. If performance truly mattered, I would choose a faster phone.

I chose the Pixel because it’s best at making calls and typing messages. My Pixel 9 Pro is the best phone for managing notifications and screening out Spam calls. It has solid cameras and the best-in-class photo editing that I need (with or without AI).

Leaks are dumb, but benchmarks leaks are the dumbest

That’s what makes this time of year so frustrating. Google has announced its upcoming Made By Google event: the annual Pixel parade. It’s even teased the Pixel 10 family with new colors coming. The leaks are dripping out fast, like always, and they come with the same complaints as last year.

Every year, somebody leaks Pixel benchmarks for the upcoming phones. Every Pixel phone this year will likely use the rumored Google Tensor G5 chipset, like every Pixel in 2024 used the Tensor G4 platform – from the Pixel 9a to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. That means a benchmark test for any Pixel 10 model might give us a hint about the performance of the whole Pixel 10 family.

The Pixel 9a uses the same Tensor G4 as the Pixel 9 Pro (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Pixel benchmark leaks are never good news if you care about owning the fastest phone. So every year, I read the technorati complaining that Pixel phones won’t keep up with the next iPhone (or frankly any iPhone from the last 2 years), and it’s going to be killed by Samsung’s best. Ugh, spare me, please!

Google could make a faster Pixel, but why?

I don’t know why Google chooses a slower chipset for its Pixel phones. I can guess, but it doesn’t really matter. Is Google saving money? Are the phones saving power? Is the chip really more focused on AI edge computing than raw processing? It doesn’t matter. Pixel phones are fast enough.

In fact, Pixel phones can do everything Google says they can do, unlike some faster phone makers. I’m still waiting for the promised AI features from Apple and Samsung, but I don’t remember Google overpromising Gemini’s ability to make career decisions for me (Siri) or turn out the lights when it detects I’m asleep (Bixby).

I wonder if my iPhone 16 Pro is too fast. Why does it need all that power? I don’t play AAA games on my phone because they don’t really exist. I’m not a music producer or a video editor, and I only record video in 4K Pro-Raw once when I first buy the phone – until I see how big the video files get.

What if - and hear me out - these phones are needlessly fast? (Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

Why is my Galaxy S25 Ultra this fast? There’s still a delay when I use most AI features, as the phone communicates with various AI clouds. But Android has even fewer high-powered apps than iOS.

I can play Call of Duty at the highest settings with phones that are much slower than this Galaxy, and the real benefit of Qualcomm’s latest platform is its efficiency – every Snapdragon 8 Elite phone has demonstrated incredible battery life compared to other Android phones.

If you’re worried about Pixel 10 or Pixel 10 Pro Fold performance because of some benchmark results you saw leaked online, I don’t wanna hear about it. That’s not what Pixel is about, and I’m sure the Pixel 10 will look great, even without the benchmark crown.

You might also like

• New Google Pixel 10 rumor suggests it could ditch physical SIMs and go eSIM only
• The Pixel 9 Pro was our Phone of the Year in 2024, but I can't see a repeat in 2025 – here’s why
• If the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold gets this rumored upgrade, I’ll recommend it over any other folding phone

The satellite internet provider's Residential plan is down from $120 to $99 a month in some areas, and you can get the Residential Lite Plan for $65 monthly (down from $80).

• Sandisk and SK Hynix propose flash-powered high-bandwidth memory to handle larger AI models
• High Bandwidth Flash could store far more data than DRAM-based HBM for AI workloads
• Energy savings from NAND’s non-volatility could reshape AI data center cooling strategies

Sandisk and SK Hynix have signed an agreement to develop a memory technology which could change how AI accelerators handle data at scale.

The companies aim to standardize “High Bandwidth Flash” (HBF), a NAND-based alternative to traditional high-bandwidth memory used in AI GPUs.

The concept builds on packaging designs similar to HBM while replacing part of the DRAM stack with flash, trading some latency for vastly increased capacity and non-volatility.

AI memory stacks to handle larger models at lower power demands

This approach allows HBF to provide between eight and sixteen times the storage of DRAM-based HBM at roughly similar costs.

NAND’s ability to retain data without constant power also brings potential energy savings, an increasingly important factor as AI inference expands into environments with strict power and cooling limits.

For hyperscale operators running large models, the change could help address both thermal and budget constraints that are already straining data center operations.

This plan aligns with a research concept titled “LLM in a Flash,” which outlined how large language models could run more efficiently by incorporating SSDs as an additional tier, alleviating pressure on DRAM.

HBF essentially integrates that logic into a single high-bandwidth package, potentially combining the storage scale of the largest SSD with the speed profile needed for AI workloads.

Sandisk presented its HBF prototype at the Flash Memory Summit 2025, using proprietary BiCS NAND and wafer bonding techniques.

Sample modules are expected in the second half of 2026, with the first AI hardware using HBF projected for early 2027.

No specific product partnerships have been disclosed, but SK Hynix’s position as a major memory supplier to leading AI chipmakers, including Nvidia, could accelerate adoption once standards are finalized.

This move also comes as other manufacturers explore similar ideas.

Samsung has announced flash-backed AI storage tiers and continues to develop HBM4 DRAM, while companies like Nvidia remain committed to DRAM-heavy designs.

If successful, the Sandisk and SK Hynix collaboration could create heterogeneous memory stacks where DRAM, flash, and other persistent storage types coexist.

Via Toms Hardware

You might also like

• Forget talking to a human ever again - Apple is rolling out AI chatbots in its customer service app
• These are the best business laptops available to buy right now
• And you should take a look at the best office chairs we've tried

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Aug. 13, No. 528.

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Aug. 13, #794.

Here are hints and the answer for today's Wordle for Aug. 13, No. 1,516

Dreame's new lineup includes many of the premium features from the X50 Ultra, including threshold crossing.

The smart camera system includes two 2K resolution cameras for a complete view of the outside of your home.

Few will forget the tumultuous few weeks during 2023 when OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman was fired and then returned to his position at the pioneering Artificial Intelligence company. Perhaps it's no surprise that such a startling turn of events is now fodder for a major motion picture.

Little is known about the Amazon Studios/MGM production beyond a smattering of casting news and rumors. What we do know is that Andrew Garfield (star of The Social Network) is cast as Sam Altman, and Monica Barbaro is playing former Interim OpenAI CEO Mira Murati. Beyond that, we have a handful of stars, including Cooper Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, and Billie Lourd, who remain unassigned to roles (none of them seem a good fit for Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella). On Tuesday, Chris O'Dowd (Black Mirror, The IT Crowd) joined the list, but without any details on who the Irish actor would be playing.

No doubt, the film is full of high drama, some absurdity, and juicy roles, but perhaps none will blend it all like the casting of X owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 with Altman before walking away in 2018, has been a thorn in Altman's side for almost a decade – even during the Altman firing turmoil. Musk inserted himself, highlighting an unsigned letter full of accusations against Altman.

Things between the two men haven't improved. In recent days, Altman and Musk have tussled over ChatGPT's position in the Apple Store. Musk contends Apple is unfairly highlighting and promoting its AI partner over X's AI offering, the freshly updated Grok.

Sparks are flying

Musk tweeted this week: "Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation. xAI will take immediate legal action.”

To which Altman replied: "This is a remarkable claim given what I have heard alleged that Elon does to manipulate X to benefit himself and his own companies and harm his competitors and people he doesn't like.”

Clearly, an on-screen depiction of their toxic relationship could be cinematic gold. But who will play Musk opposite Garfield's Altman?

Ike Barinholtz (The Studio) has been rumored, but nothing is confirmed. Could O'Dowd be the true "Musk" in waiting?

From our perspective, though, there's no question which of the two should play Musk. Anyone who's spent any time around him knows Musk has an odd, quirky, and off-kilter energy. O'Dowd is too low-key key but Barinholtz? If you watched any part of Apple TV+'s Emmy-nominated The Studio, you know Bariholtz, who plays studio exec Sal Saperstein, has just the right blend of kinetic energy, unpredictability, and odd pathos to pull it off.

At least that's our hope. A movie called Artificial about the darkest days of OpenAI's history won't be worth watching unless it gets very, very real.

You might also like

• Sam Altman says the super-powerful ChatGPT-5 Pro might be coming to Plus accounts, but with one big limitation
• ChatGPT users are not happy with GPT-5 launch as thousands take to Reddit claiming the new upgrade ‘is horrible’
• ChatGPT just created the most ironic movie plot for Final Destination 7, and I would actually stream it over other truly awful installments in the franchise
• Google Gemini has started spiraling into infinite loops of self-loathing – and AI chatbots have never felt more human

I chatted with Hawley and cast about the show's biggest themes and why it's a must-watch.

When Apple announced a big overhaul of the iPhone's Camera app in iOS 26 back in June, I was very happy indeed. The current app in iOS 18 is a confusing mess, so a redesign was long overdue – and I've recently been test-driving the new Camera app in the iOS 26 public beta.

As TechRadar's former cameras editor, I've experienced more than my fair share of annoying interfaces. And while Apple's current Camera app is far from the worst offender, it does very much feel like my garden shed – with several years of clutter combined with no real attempt at organization.

Well, the good news is that Apple's definitely rolled up its sleeves and attacked this redesign with relish. The Camera app looks very different, so much so that you'll initially wonder where it's tidied everything to. Overall, I'd call it a success so far, but with a few reservations...

The likes1. The clean minimalism

The iOS Camera app (left) is a lot busier than the new iOS 26 one (right) (Image credit: Apple)

First, the good news – the new Camera app in iOS 26 is much cleaner and simpler than the old one in iOS 18.

There are now fewer buttons to accidentally press, and the consistency of the Liquid Glass redesign makes everything feel more cohesive and less confusing.

To help reduce accidental taps, Apple has opened up more space around the shutter button. Fortunately, the shutter still supports its usual shortcuts – hold and swipe right to shoot video, or hold and swipe left for burst mode. Fun fact: did you know the latter is called QuickTake, after Apple's forgotten digital camera?

But perhaps the biggest improvement over the old Camera app are the new Liquid Glass menus...

2. The pop-up menus

(Image credit: Apple)

My least favorite feature of the current Camera app is its Camera Control menu. That's the one you open by tapping the confusing shortcut arrow at the top of the screen, or by swiping up anywhere in the viewfinder.

Fortunately, Apple has given this a complete overhaul. Gone is the little horizontal row of hieroglyphics for features like Photographic Styles and Night Mode.

Now, when you swipe up from the bottom of the screen to reveal a much clearer grid of options (housed inside Liquid Glass, naturally), with labels for each. Simply, it's much better.

Unfortunately, the other big minimalist change – the simple Photo and Video tabs – is slightly less successful, but more on that in the dislikes...

3. The improved video menu

(Image credit: Apple)

I tend to shoot more photos than video on my iPhone, but I've always been frustrated by the fiddly video settings menu in the iOS Camera app.

Luckily, that's now been fixed in iOS 26. Rather than having to tap the resolution or frame rate several times to scroll through various options, you now get the improved Liquid Glass panel above.

Like in Photo mode, you can swipe up to access separate video options (flash, exposure, and action mode), which are now easier to understand at a glance. The Video experience is still straightforward overall compared to Apple's Final Cut Camera app, but that makes sense for a point-and-shoot experience.

The dislikes1. The new nav bar

(Image credit: Apple)

In theory, I love the simplicity of the new navigation bar at the bottom of the iOS 26 Camera app. It starts with just Video and Photo options visible. To reveal the other modes – Timelapse, Slo-Mo, Cinematic, Portrait, and Pano, to name all of them – you just swipe left or right.

But a couple of niggles have given it a bit of a learning curve. Firstly, the default scrolling setting sees both the Liquid Glass toggle and the navigation bar behind it moving simultaneously, which is a little disorientating. It also makes it difficult to see the options underneath your thumb.

(Image credit: Apple)

Fortunately, in more recent betas, Apple has added a new option in the Camera Settings in a section called Mode Switching, where you'll find a toggle for 'Classic Mode Switching'. This makes it behave more like the previous Camera app, where you're directly swiping the wheel underneath, while the toggle stays central.

Hopefully, this makes it to the final version of the Camera app. I initially also found it tricky to see the navigation bar options underneath my thumb, but then discovered you can still scroll through them by swiping the screen instead. While minimalism is an improvement overall, I think some will be initially flummoxed and find it trickier to choose some of the photo and video modes.

2. The lack of a Pro mode

(Image credit: Apple)

I've been hoping to see a Pro camera mode come to iPhones for a few years now, but iOS 26 has gone firmly in the other direction. Does that potentially open the door for a photo equivalent of Apple's free Final Cut Camera app for video? Maybe, but there's no sign of one of those either.

To be fair, some of the best camera apps like Halide, ProCamera, and Camera Obscura more than adequately fill that gap, and Apple is perhaps wary of Sherlocking them, which is when Apple kills a popular app by building the functionality into its own software.

But if we have a simple Liquid Glass toggle for Video and Photo, why can't there also be one for Basic and Pro photo modes? That would be a lot easier than switching apps for something like manual focusing, and would turn the iPhone into an even better rival to the best compact cameras.

That still doesn't look likely, so for now to the best alternative is to set up your iPhone Camera app with some of the useful tools hidden in the settings menu. I typically turn on the Grid and Level, select Apple ProRaw in the Formats section, and then go to Preserve Settings to enable Camera Mode and Exposure Adjustment, making my iPhone behave more like a camera.

But for more tweaks, check out my guide on how to set up your iPhone 16 (or older model) to take great photos.

You might also like

• iOS 26 beta 6 brings more surprise upgrades to your iPhone – and I'm already using my favorite one
• iOS 26 reveals a new real-time translation gesture for AirPods 4 and Pro 2, and it could make your French phrase book a thing of the past
• iOS 26 beta gives Apple Maps an AI upgrade – and it might be enough to tempt you from Google Maps

Get some peace of mind knowing you can check your glucose directly from your phone or smartwatch with these top glucose monitors as chosen by our experts.

OdinLake Ergo Butterfly 753: two-minute review

After spending a few weeks parked in the OdinLake Ergo Butterfly 753 at work, I can confidently say it’s one of the most thoughtfully designed ergonomic chairs I’ve used, and I’ve used many of the best office chairs in my time.

Much like the OdinLake Ergo Max 747 I reviewed last year, the all-mesh FlexBreath material is the major feature of this chair (apart from the design), as it is what you’ll spend all your time interfacing with. Fortunately, it's a much higher quality mesh than a lot of similar breathable chairs, almost like sitting in a comfy hammock. OK, maybe not that comfortable, but it’s not that far off.

Using it in TechRadar’s component testing lab, I was struck by both its excellent ergonomic support and its breathability. I spend a lot of time in that lab with components bleeding off heat into the air like you wouldn’t believe, but the chair kept me cool through most of it.

On the design front, the split-back butterfly spine of the chair isn’t just an aesthetic flourish—it moves with my body, offering targeted support for both my upper and lower back, something you really don’t get elsewhere, and once you feel it, you get it. The dynamic lumbar system also subtly shifts to match my posture, so whether I’m leaning forward to type or reclining to read, my spine stays supported.

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The WireControl adjustment paddles in the armrests, meanwhile, are very intuitive. Instead of awkwardly fumbling under the seat, I can reach paddles just beneath the armrests to tweak height, tilt lock, and tilt tension. The seat depth is easy to adjust, and the recline range—up to about 135°—lets me shift from focused work to relaxed lounging without losing comfort. The headrest, while firm, provides consistent neck support during long video calls, and the optional footrest adds even more comfort to the mix if you want it.

Assembly was fairly straightforward, with only two large pieces taking up 80% of the work. These pieces, namely the seat itself and the back, are both rather heavy, so make sure you have some help if you need it to put the chair together.

Normally $999, the OdinLake O3 Ergo Butterfly 753 is often on sale for $899 on OdinLake’s website, sans footrest, which definitely puts it into the premium tier for office chairs. It's also available from OdinLake's European storefront, where it's currently discounted from €869 down to €782 at the time of review.

It’s undeniably an investment, but it’s an investment in your comfort and is backed by an impressive 15-year warranty on the frame (5-year warranty for other parts), so if you are tempted to invest in the chair, you’ll at least have some peace of mind about its longevity.

Unfortunately, the chair is only available to ship to the lower 48 states, so Hawaii and Alaska residents, as well as anyone outside the US, are out of luck. For everyone else in delivery range who spends serious time at their desk, the OdinLake Ergo Butterfly 753 delivers some seriously impressive comfort with durable construction and enough adjustability to set it exactly where you need it.

OdinLake Ergo Butterfly 753: Price & availability

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

• How much is it? Currently $899 at OdinLake's website
• When is it available? It is available now
• Where can you get it? Only ships within the continental United States

In the US, the OdinLake Ergo Butterfly 753’s list price is $999 for the chair itself (currently discounted to $899), while adding the footrest will cost you extra, setting this in the premium tier as far as office chairs go. You can check it out by clicking here.

OdinLake doesn’t offer shipping to Hawaii, Alaska, or international addresses - those US buyers, though, do get free shipping on their orders.

However, there is a European store for UK and EU users. You can see it by clicking here.

Given all its features—the FlexBreath mesh, dynamic ergonomic support, 4D armrests, and back bar—as well as its robust warranty, this price isn’t out of line with its competitors.

• Value: 4 / 5

OdinLake Ergo Butterfly 753: Specs

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Maximum height

32.7 ins

Weight

75 lbs

Materials

FlexBreath Mesh, aluminum alloy, plastic

Maximum recline

135 degrees

Armrests

4D

Maximum weight load

350 lbs

Warranty

Frame: 15-years | All other parts: 5-years

OdinLake Ergo Butterfly 753: Assembly

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

• Assembly took about 30 minutes
• Two people might be required
• Courtesy work gloves are a great touch

One thing I appreciated about the OdinLake Ergo Butterfly 753 is how straightforward it was to assemble. From unboxing to sitting down for the first time, the whole process took me just under 30 minutes—and I was fairly lackadaisical about it, too.

Every part was individually wrapped and labeled, which meant no guesswork about what went where, and the work gloves included with the hardware to keep my hands clean while assembling it is a fantastic touch that other chair makers really need to copy. The included hardware also came with some extra screws, which is a helpful touch, especially for those of us who are prone to drop and lose sight of the one piece of hardware that keeps everything together.

Instructions were clear and well-illustrated, and you can also watch OdinLake’s short assembly video online, which walks through each step visually. I’ve assembled enough chairs in my time that I barely had to look at the instructions, especially with so few parts to pull together. All this makes it almost impossible to make a mistake. The heaviest lift—literally—was attaching the seat to the base. This chair isn’t light, so lifting and aligning parts by yourself might be difficult. If you’re not comfortable handling bulky pieces alone, having a second person for that step would help.

All the pre-drilled holes lined up perfectly, and the included Allen wrench was comfortable enough to use without causing hand strain. Once assembled, the chair felt rock-solid immediately—no wobbles, no loose elements, no “settling in” period. Even the casters slotted in smoothly without resistance.

Overall, the assembly process reinforced the impression of quality. There was no cutting corners in how the chair was packaged, how the parts fit, or how easy it was to get it from box to office. If you’re going to have to assemble a chair yourself, this is exactly the kind of experience you want.

• Assembly: 4.5 / 5

OdinLake Ergo Butterfly 753: Design

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

• Innovative 'winged' design for upper back support
• Rather heavy, even with partial plastic construction
• Clever controls positioning in the arm rests

The OdinLake Ergo Butterfly 753’s design balances modern ergonomics with innovative and eye-catching flourishes.

The FlexBreath mesh is the star of the show, in my mind. It’s tightly woven, so it’s supportive, but it never feels rigid or scratchy, which is a major problem with other mesh fabric chairs I’ve sat in. The mesh material also stays cool even when I’ve been seated for hours. From the front, the chair is sleek and professional; from the back, the butterfly-shaped support frame turns it into a bit of a conversation piece, and the optional footrest can really elevate your office game and make your coworkers jealous.

That said, those butterfly ‘wings’ on the back might look like they’re metal, but they are actually plastic, which is a slight letdown compared to the rest of the premium build. Unfortunately, I think a sacrifice had to be made here simply for physics’ sake, as the chair is heavy enough as it is, so adding substantially more metal probably isn’t practical (especially if you plan on leaning all 135 degrees back into the chair).

Another excellent design touch is the horizontal bar at the top of the chair’s back. While it looks like a visual flourish, it’s actually super convenient for moving the chair around while you’re not in it, providing a solid grip to reposition the chair. Given that the chair weighs about 75 lb, this handle makes maneuvering far less awkward.

The aluminum alloy base and internal frame give it a reassuring solidity, with casters that glide smoothly and silently across the hard flooring of our NYC office.

Controls are also incredibly intuitive. Height and tilt adjustments are handled by paddles under the armrests—no bending down and hunting for levers—, as the 4D armrests offer height, width, depth, and angle adjustments. The armrests are on the firm side, so there are definitely those who’ll want to have softer padding, but your mileage may vary.

Overall, the design of the OdinLake O3 Ergo Butterfly 753 feels like it was made by someone who actually uses a chair for 8–12 hours a day, from the comfort of the mesh to the dynamic lumbar and upper back support, delivering practical, stylish ergonomics that make getting through a workday much easier than it would otherwise be.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

OdinLake Ergo Butterfly 753: Performance

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

• Dynamic lumbar support
• Very comfortable FlexBreath mesh
• Well-supported seat for long stretches of work

In daily use, the Butterfly 753 proved itself as more than just a pretty frame—it’s a genuinely high-performance ergonomic tool. The split-back design with its independent upper and lower sections allowed me to change postures frequently without ever feeling unsupported. The dynamic lumbar system was especially impressive.

The tilt function is equally adaptable. With the tilt lock disengaged, I could gently rock while reading, which felt more natural than being locked into a rigid position. The range—up to roughly 135°—is perfect for switching between deep focus and one of those office moments where you just need to lean back, run your closed eyes, and let out some kind of tired sigh. Meanwhile, the tilt resistance is adjustable, so I could fine-tune it to my body weight (it supports up to 350 lbs) and preferred recline position.

The seat comfort is likewise excellent. The mesh offers a slight flex that distributes my weight evenly, avoiding the pressure points I’ve experienced with padded foam seats over long sessions. The seat depth adjustment also let me keep my feet flat, which helps prevent circulation issues in the legs—as evolved hunter-gatherers forced to work long, stationary hours in an office, every little bit helps.

The headrest is supportive during calls and writing sessions, though it’s mesh and relatively firm, so if you’re the type who likes a little pillow or cushion on your chair, you’ll have to source that yourself.

The armrests, meanwhile, are adjustable in four dimensions but are definitely on the firm side. If you’re suffering from elbow pain due to resting them on hard surfaces, you might not like these armrests very much.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the OdinLake Ergo Butterfly 753?

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)OdinLake Ergo Butterfly 753 Scorecard

Value

While not cheap, this isn't the most expensive premium office chair on the market.

4 / 5

Assembly

While the back and seat parts of the chair are heavy enough to require two people to put it together, the chair is otherwise very easy to put together.

4.5 / 5

Design

The Ergo Butterfly 753 offers some excellent features and aesthetics that you won't easily find elsewhere.

4.5 / 5

Performance

At the end of the day, an office chair needs to be comfortable over a long stretch of time, and the Ergo Butterfly 753 has comfort for days.

4.5 / 5

Final score

The flexible mesh fabric of this chair is some of the best I've ever experienced, and the dynamic lumbar and butterfly upper back support make this chair a gamechanger.

4.38 / 5

Buy the OdinLake Ergo Butterfly 753 if...

You need truly customizable support
The various position settings and dynamic lumbar support make this incredibly comfortable for a lot of body types.

You need something breathable
If you spend a lot of time sitting in your office chair, getting air circulation on your back and legs can mean the difference between comfort and misery, and this chair has the former in spades.

Don't buy it if...

You're on a tight budget
While this isn't the most expensive office chair on the market, it's not cheap.

You need more actual cushioning
If you're someone who needs actual cushions to feel comfortable, especially on your armrests, this chair might not give you what you need.

Also consider

Herman Miller Aeron (Classic)
A trusted mesh office chair with polished adjustability and long-term durability, though it lacks a headrest and has a shorter warranty.

Read the full Herman Miller Aeron review

OdinLake Ergo Max 747
If the OdinLake Ergo Butterfly 753 is slightly too rich for your blood, the also very comfortable Ergo Max 747 is a slightly cheaper alternative.

Read the full OdinLake Ergo Max 747 review

• Originally reviewed August 2025

The formal bid is nearly twice Perplexity's valuation, but other interested parties might be backing the deal.

Required by Congress, the reports no longer single out things like rigged elections or sexual violence against children as human rights violations.

The National Hurricane Center expects the storm to strengthen over the next several days and says it could become a hurricane by late Thursday.

Trump's expansion of federal authority over Washington, D.C., is in many ways unprecedented, but calls to mind other times the city has been under tighter federal control.

(Image credit: National Archives)