TechRadar Reviews

Sony UBP-X800M2 4K Blu-ray player review: One minute review

The Sony UBP-X800M2 is the company’s flagship 4K Blu-ray player, and it’s one that sits at an affordable price ($289 / £299 / roughly AU$481). It supports Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks and plays a wide variety of disc formats, including SACD. It also features built-in Wi-Fi for streaming from apps such as Netflix and Prime Video.

The Sony UBP-X800M2 delivers picture quality that competes with the best 4K Blu-ray players, showcasing accurate textures, bold colors and excellent contrast. It also demonstrates superb upscaling with both regular Blu-rays and DVDs getting a picture quality uplift. It may not maintain film grain as accurately as the rival Panasonic DP-UB820 (something for film purists to bear in mind), but it’s still an excellent player. Paired with one of the best TVs, it will serve any home theater system well.

The X800M2’s interface is on the dated and plain side, but it’s very responsive and easy enough to navigate. There are plenty of settings on offer for both video and audio, but frustratingly, its Dolby Vision setting needs to be switched off or on depending on the disc. The player itself is reassuringly sturdy for the price, though the lack of an alphanumeric front panel display is a disappointment.

While the X800M2 may not offer as much as the Panasonic DP-UB820 and doesn’t provide the same value as the step-down Sony UBP-X700, it is still a fantastic 4K Blu-ray player. Pair it with one of the best OLED TVs, and you’ll be happy.

Sony UBP-X800M2 4K Blu-ray player review: Prices & release date

The UBP-X800M2 provides multiple connections, though not as many as the rival Panasonic DP-UB820 (Image credit: Future)

• Release date: May 2019
• Price: $289 / £299 (roughly AU$481)

The Sony UBP-X800M2 is Sony’s flagship 4K Blu-ray player, sitting above the Sony UBP-X700. At launch in May 2019, it cost $299 / £350, putting it in direct competition with Panasonic’s mid-range 4K Blu-ray player, the Panasonic DP-UB820.

Several years on from launch, prices have remained largely unchanged for the X800M2 in the US, though discounts appear sporadically. In the UK, stock is becoming thin, with most units available second-hand. In some cases, prices have even gone up (quite dramatically in some places), but I'd only recommend buying it at or around its initial launch price.

Sony UBP-X800M2 4K Blu-ray player review: Specs Sony UBP-X800M2 4K Blu-ray player review: Features

The Sony UBP-X800M2 has a quick 30 second disc load time (Image credit: Future)

• Dolby Vision HDR support
• SACD playback
• Built-in Wi-Fi for streaming

The Sony X800M2 has comprehensive disc support including 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD (in multiple formats), CD and SACD, the latter of which is not supported by many 4K Blu-ray players including more premium ones like the Panasonic UB9000.

For HDR formats, the X800M2 supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 but not HDR10+. (The Panasonic DP-UB820, the X800M2’s closest rival, supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+.)

The X800M2 supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X (bitstream) and decodes Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD soundtracks. Hi-res audio is also supported via USB, including 24-bit files and DSD (11.2 mHz).

The X800M2 features two HDMI outputs, a coaxial digital audio output, a USB port for audio and video file playback, and an Ethernet port. It has built-in Wi-Fi for streaming, with access to some of the best streaming services, including Netflix and YouTube, and BBC iPlayer pre-installed for UK-based customers. There are no analogue audio outputs as found on the Panasonic DP-UB82, but there is a Bluetooth wireless output for headphones. I tested this feature when watching La La Land, and the connection was solid with only minimal delay.

The X800M2 is responsive during use and its menus are easy to navigate. There are a good number of picture settings, including multiple 4K upscaling options, and there are audio presets to improve the quality of lower-resolution files. While easy to navigate and read, the interface itself is on the plain side, and it has the same outdated look as its more budget Sony UBP-X700 counterpart.

A frustration that carries over from the Sony UBP-X700 is that Dolby Vision must be manually turned on and off per disc; it does not work automatically like on Panasonic players. Instead, with the Dolby Vision setting turned on, the X800M2 forces Dolby Vision on regardless of the disc's content.

• Features score: 4.5 / 5

Sony UBP-X800M2 4K Blu-ray player review: Performance

With the UBP-X800M2, pictures have fantastic contrast (Image credit: Future)

• Superb picture reproduction
• Effective upscaling
• Fast load times

The X800M2 demonstrated a short load time in my testing. It took roughly 30 seconds from a disc being loaded into the disc tray to the first logos appearing on screen, which is 5-10 seconds faster than the Panasonic DP-UB820 and a full 30 seconds faster than the Panasonic DP-UB150.

For testing, the X800M2 was connected to a Panasonic MZ1500 OLED TV.

The X800M2 demonstrated superb picture quality. When viewing a 4K Blu-ray of The Batman, black levels were rich and deep, and contrast was powerful. Textures and details were true-to-life, and the Dolby Vision HDR added extra visual punch. It was a similar story with Oppenheimer: black and white scenes were presented with a full range of gray tones, creating a balanced and dynamic image.

Colors were also presented with plenty of vibrant punch. In the opening sequence of La La Land (in HDR10), the full array of brightly colored clothing on display looked natural, yet vivid. The same was true for a later scene where Mia’s yellow dress is shown against a dark backdrop, though I noticed that the X800M2 has a cooler color palette than my reference Panasonic DP-UB820 player.

The X800M2 also demonstrated brilliant upscaling. Watching the Blu-ray version of The Batman, the picture was very close to the 4K version, with only slightly softer-looking textures. A DVD of The Amazing Spider-Man didn’t quite hit 4K quality, but the clean upscaling of textures improved picture quality.

While the X800M2 demonstrated mostly accurate reproduction with films, it did smooth out some film grain, which is something purists will want to take note of. One scene I watched from a Blu-ray of Thief has a high level of film grain, and while this was mostly maintained, the picture looked overly cleaned up compared to the same disc played on the Panasonic DP-UB820. The same situation held for The Batman, an intentionally grainy movie.

The X800M2 played Dolby Atmos soundtracks flawlessly and CD playback was also issue-free.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Sony UBP-X800M2 4K Blu-ray player review: Design

The UBP-X800M2 has a solid, sturdy design, but the lack of an alphanumeric LED front display is disappointing (Image credit: Future)

• Solid, premium design
• No front-panel display
• Cheap remote

For a mid-range player, the X800M2 has a premium build quality, with a weighty, solid chassis comprised of metal and plastic. The design is typical plain black, but it looks sleek and minimal compared to rival 4K Blu-ray players.

Similar to its step-down X700 counterpart, the X800M2 does not have an alphanumeric LED display on its front panel, making it difficult to easily tell where you are in a movie or see what screen/functions you’re using. It’s disappointing that Sony’s flagship player lacks this feature, which is one that Panasonic’s players provide.

The X800M2’s supplied remote is functional, but sadly feels cheap. It’s an improvement on the smaller one supplied with the Sony X700, but it’s still not as easy to use as the remotes supplied with Panasonic’s 4K players.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Sony UBP-X800M2 4K Blu-ray player review: Value

The UBP-X800M2 has great overall picture quality but it does favour a cooler color palette, shown here during La La Land (Image credit: Future)

• Good features and performance for the price
• Step-down X700 is a better value

At $289 / £299, the Sony UBP-X800M2 is a great mid-range 4K Blu-ray player, but one that sits in an awkward spot. It has great features, including Wi-Fi for streaming, and its picture quality and responsiveness are excellent for a mid-range 4K Blu-ray player. In the UK, however, the similarly priced Panasonic DP-UB820 with its more comprehensive HDR support is probably the better option. And in the US, the step-down Sony X700 is significantly cheaper than the X800M2 and offers better overall bang for your buck.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Sony UBP-X800M2 4K Blu-ray player?

The UBP-X800M2 does maintain film grain in older movies such as Thief, but there is some smoothing happening (Image credit: Future) Buy it if...

You want superb picture quality
The X800M2's delivers refined detail, brilliant contrast and bold colors, especially with 4K Blu-rays. View Deal

You watch a lot of Blu-rays and DVDS
Your regular Blu-rays and DVDs will benefit from the X800M2's upscaling prowess, which improves textures and colors. View Deal

You want a feature-packed 4K Blu-ray player
With Dolby Vision HDR, Wi-Fi for streaming and a good number of connections and settings, the X800M2 is a well equipped 4K disc player. View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You want the best value 4K Blu-ray player
The step-down Sony UBP-X700 has similar features and picture for less. And the Panasonic DP-UB820, though slightly pricier, offers significantly more features for the money.View Deal

You don't want to mess with settings
When switching between Dolby Vision and non-Dolby Vision discs, the X800M2 has a frustrating setting that needs to be changed each time.View Deal

You want a modern interface
As you may end up spending time in the settings menus, be prepared to deal with a dated interface. View Deal

Also consider

Sony UBP-X700
The step-down Sony 4K Blu-ray player from the X800M2, the UBP-X700 delivers similar features and performance for less, demonstrating better value. Yes, the X800M2 might beat its picture quality, but not enough to justify the price difference.

Read our full Sony UBP-X700 reviewView Deal

Panasonic DP-UB820
Our best-in-class 4K Blu-ray player choice, the DP-UB820 offers full HDR support and more connections than the X800M2. It may be pricier than X800M2, but the DP-UB820 delivers the ultimate bang for your buck.

Read our full Panasonic DP-UB820 reviewView Deal

Panasonic DP-UB150/154
A more budget 4K player than the X800M2, the UB150/154 doesn't offer the same performance or features. It's still worthwhile if you're on a strict budget, as it supports a wide variety of discs and HDR10+ high dynamic range.

Read our full Panasonic DP-UB150/154 reviewView Deal

How I tested the Sony UBP-X800M2 4K Blu-ray player

• Tested using a variety of discs including 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD and CD
• Tested with Panasonic MZ1500 OLED TV

For my testing of the Sony UBP-X800M2, I connected it to a Panasonic MZ1500 OLED, a TV with Dolby Vision HDR support.

To test the X800M2's video and audio quality, I predominantly used reference scenes from 4K Blu-rays, including The Batman, La La Land, Top Gun Maverick, and more.

I used several regular Blu-rays, including Thief, and DVDs such as The Amazing Spider-man to analyse the X800M2's upscaling.

I also evaluated the X800M2's video and audio settings, its menu layout and its streaming capabilities.

• First reviewed: April 2025
• Read TechRadar's Reviews Guarantee

Turn-based role-playing game (RPG) Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is easily an early game of the year contender. It has some of the best visual execution and artistic design I’ve ever seen, some of the most beautiful environment and world building I’ve immersed myself in, and also some top-tier, multifaceted combat that has changed me from a skeptic to a turn-based convert.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PS5, PS5 Pro
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
Release date: April 25, 2025

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 deftly carves out its own style despite the clear influence of JRPGs (Japanese role-playing games) that it so readily wears on its sleeve, but not once does it feel like it’s purely imitating other games, or tamely reimagining established elements.

Instead, it delivers a sublimely sombre story with fantastic performances, in a world full of breathtakingly beautiful environments, that has some exhilarating, slick, and rewarding combat that is fantastic to get your teeth into.

There are a few wrinkles along the way that affect some elements of the game such as dialogue, progression and navigation, and the overall pacing a little, but this effort Sandfall Interactive’s small team of developers is as good as some of the best RPG games, and is definitely an early contender for game of the year discussions.

(Image credit: Sandfall Interactive / Microsoft) A world worth fighting for

As I have touched upon, there are three core elements of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 that combine to create its brilliance.

The first is the immensely high-quality and breathtaking setting, environments, and art direction. The entire game is a visual treat, with every map, level, environment, and locale designed with intelligence, but also aesthetic brilliance.

Each and every place in the game is itself a staggeringly beautiful environment. From Giants Causeway-esque volcanic rock coastal areas, to strangely underwater (but not actually underwater) zones and huge mountainous areas where each cliff is a face, to icy stalactite riddled caves and all kinds of lush landscapes in between, there’s never a dull moment.

Navigating is a simple joy too: you can seamlessly switch between characters with the press of a button, and Lune’s smooth gliding movement (the character’s alternative to sprinting) is one of the many simple things that Clair Obscur does tremendously.

This environmental excellence even extends to the overworld used to navigate between the main areas of the game. Much like the map, it has a wonderfully painterly quality to it, and you can move your characters around from a different perspective, almost like miniatures on a tabletop game.

You can engage in battles in this overworld-come-map too and navigate it like almost any other part of the game, while also deploying your camp - your expedition’s hub area where conversations and upgrades happen.

(Image credit: Sandfall Interative)

Each main area in the game is largely linear, with some tucked-away ends with rewards for those who explore. You’ll come across expedition flags regularly, too. These remnants of expeditions past act a little like bonfires from Souls games: you can heal your party, tinker with skills and attributes, and replenish your supplies at the cost of spawning defeated enemies.

Everything is further enhanced by the wonderful acting and voice work provided by the game’s cast. Dressed in the dark fantasy Belle Époque aesthetic, stars such as Charlie Cox, Ben Starr, Jennifer English, Kirsty Rider, and Andy Serkis give emotive and powerful performances.

The design of non-player characters (NPCs) and foes contributes to the overall level of artistic brilliance, too. The former are quirky beings named Gestrals, who appear as if they’ve been designed around Salvador Dali’s impressions of living paintbrushes, and the latter come in a variety of forms that beautifully complement the areas in which you find them. There’s some repetition here and there, but generally, each was a joy to face - though a lot of that joy comes from the combat, more on that below.

All in this wonderfully stylish execution and presentation has a cinematic quality at times, and it sometimes feels like you’re playing in a stylish film from French cinema. It’s an incredibly imaginative and unique setting, and with such strong placemaking, it will be a game world that stays with me.

(Image credit: Sandfall Interactive) Masterfully crafted combat

More than anything else, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s combat is quite possibly the biggest accomplishment in the entire game - despite my heaped praise above.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has what I’d call ‘active turn-based combat’. Built upon the staple turn-based action found in JRPGs, the game adds a small tweak - a tweak that was one of the main things that drew me in initially.

This affects the ‘passive’ part of turn-based combat - i.e. between turns or as enemies engage make their moves, and inserts active actions like dodging and parrying. There are also quick-time events (QTEs) in your moves to enhance the impact and power of your attacks.

This not only means that you can still influence both attack and defense throughout each turn, but the execution of these also elevates the combat masterfully. Foremost because the parries, dodges, and QTEs are all extremely well balanced and can be game changers once you’ve mastered them. They aren’t always essential, and they are hard to time perfectly, but when you nail them, it can turn a losing encounter into a winning one in a split second.

Within each battle, your characters can perform a basic attack to gain one action point (AP), fire their free aim weapon at the cost of one AP per fire, use a potion, or execute one of their many skills, should you have enough APs available.

The points requirement can be an obstacle, but you can swiftly gain APs by dodging and parrying perfectly. This places extra importance on the combat’s active elements, though thankfully, it never feels like you’re being forced to play a specific way.

And there’s also a whole lot more to the combat than APs, dodging, and parrying. An incredible amount more, and the game offers plenty of cogs to its combat wheel that can be a total blast to experiment with as you form impactful loadouts and combinations.

For example, as well as their own weapon types - that you can, of course, upgrade as you go - each character has their own unique skill tree with a variety of options that do different levels of damage for different amounts of action points. There are also Pictos (a sort of rune that can be equipped to offer boosts), three of which can be equipped by characters in their loadout at any one time.

Best bit

(Image credit: Sandfall Interative)

Successfully navigating your way through a battle against multiple enemies turn by turn - either fully planned or on the fly - is superbly satisfying, especially when clawing back victory from what looks like certain defeat by complementing your characters’ attacks and capitalizing on enemy weaknesses.

Lumina points can also be applied to characters, which enables them to make use of Pictos equipped by other party members. Then there are also base attributes which can be boosted with each level-up, and that change in importance depending on the characteristics of the weapon you have equipped.

While each character has a host of skills to use, none ever feel unobtainable as the game isn’t shy about giving you plenty of the items that let you reset attributes and skills. I ended up with nearly two dozen of these left over at the end of my playthrough, despite having used a fair few.

So if you really like skill swapping and experimentation, then you’ll be well served here and you’ll be rewarded for getting to know each style, especially as grander skills open up later in the game. With so many systems to get stuck into, there’s a chance that they may be overwhelming - especially given their unique names and terms - but I appreciate the freedom to create your own style.

Combine this with each party member being very different and can be played in a multitude of different ways due to all of the above, and the options you have are wonderful.

Some of my favorite moments of the combat are when it feels like a chess game - perhaps even after a failure or two first planning multi-character moves in advance to make the most of buffs and a good sequence of blows on an enemy. However, I have also really enjoyed being able to react, relying on parrying and dodging to overcome an unforeseen challenge, reacting on the fly.

(Image credit: Sandfall Interative) A superbly sombre story

Forming the bedrock for the wonderful combat and beautiful lands is the extraordinarily gripping story. You play as a party of expeditioners embark on a mission to eliminate the ‘Paintress’ and her effect on the island of Lumière, which means that every year, people above an ever-decreasing age perish is what’s referred to as a Gommage.

Following each Gommage, the populace sends out an Expedition to try and slay the Paintress, with each previous to the 33rd attempt being unsuccessful. Finding out what happened to the past expeditions through lost journals adds further depth to the worldbuilding, pulling you in and ensuring you want to find out more and more.

I was locked into the narrative extremely quickly, with the actors' performances combining beautifully with the setting and the pacing of the setup. There’s no barrage of lore here, though: it hooks into you right from the off. And as the story progresses, you get to know the characters more, get invested in their relationships, and see and meet a variety of interesting parties that all play a part in the narrative.

I’m eager not to reveal any spoilers, as it is riveting throughout and wholly unique in games I’ve played. It’s immediately intriguing, always engaging, and perpetually sombre, dark, and melancholy - though never quite truly bleak. It’s not so relentlessly miserable that it would make folks turn off, but it’s never very far from relentlessly melancholy.

(Image credit: Kepler Interactive)

That’s not to say it’s totally without fault, as some minor frustrations are present.

Dialogue can be a bit disjointed at times, and there are multiple instances where you need to press X to say “Yeah”, for example. This is on top of some more baffling omissions, such as having no journal for quests or minimap, and not being able to quickly compare weapons in character menus or when trading. There are also times when areas drag on a bit, or multi-cutscene narrative moments go on for a while.

Those minor qualms aside, and they are very minor, never impacting on my experience enough to put me off, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a wonderful, beautiful, sombre, exceptional game that I can’t recommend highly enough.

Should you play Clair Obscur: Expedition 33? Play it if...

You’re after a visual and audio spectacle
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a treat for all the senses. It’s one of the most stunning games I’ve played in terms of its art and environment design, but also audio and voice acting.

You’re not usually into turn-based combat
I’m no turn-based combat lover, but the action in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is fantastic. Mixing both planning-essential turn-based combat with active elements and complementing attacks between party members, the action is always gripping and perpetually rewarding.

You want to be engrossed in a gripping narrative with top-notch acting
If games’ stories are what you value most, then you’ll not be let down by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s wonderful writing and immersive story.

Don't play it if...

You’re looking for simple and straightforward combat
While I feel that the combat in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is generally one of the game’s great strengths, with so many elements and unique phrases, and terminology, it may be overwhelming for those who prefer combat to be straightforward.

You’re after a cheerful experience
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is not a truly bleak slog by any means, but it’s certainly not a cheery tale either. If you’re looking for something that’ll be spirit-lifting and feel-good, then this isn’t it.

Accessibility

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has a smattering of accessibility options that can be tinkered with. The headline is the three difficulty levels present, which you can switch between at any time to find the right challenge for you.

There’s also an auto quicktime mode for executing attacks during combat, which can certainly take some of the stress out. However, there’s no such mode for defence, which feels like an, albeit very specific, oversight.

Elsewhere, there are customisations for subtitles and good colorblind options, along with camera adjustments, but there are no control customization options available by default.

(Image credit: Sandfall Interative) How I reviewed Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

I played Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 for more than 40 hours, completing the main storyline (in about 30 hours) as well as visiting every corner of the map I could and carrying out a host of side quests.

I reviewed the PlayStation 5 version of the game on my two PS5 setups: a PS5 Slim combined with an Acer X32QFS gaming monitor and a Yamaha SR-C20A soundbar; and a PS5 Pro teamed with a Samsung Q6F 55-inch 4K QLED TV and Samsung soundbar.

When using a headset, I opted for a SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 on the PS5 Slim, and a set of Sennheiser HD 550 headphones, or a SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless headset with my PS5 Pro. I used a regular DualSense Wireless controller with both machines and played many hours of the game on my PlayStation Portal, too.

I tested the game thoroughly in both its graphics modes, Performance and Quality, and preferred the former, playing the vast majority of the game in it. The smoothness of the framerates - and extra quality on PS5 Pro - made for a slicker experience, especially in the exhilarating combat, but whichever mode you choose, you’ll be treated to an absolute spectacle, visually.

First reviewed April 2025

Retro-Bit Sega Saturn Wireless Pro Controller: one-minute review

(Image credit: Future)

Retro-Bit’s Sega Saturn Wireless Pro Controller is a gamepad revival done right. It successfully recreates the look and feel of Sega’s original unit, while adding some very welcome modern flourishes that (mostly) help it to feel like a solid contemporary option - especially for some fighting games and retro game compilations.

The original Sega Saturn controller has always been a winner in my book, with its six face buttons and glorious ergonomic D-pad. That experience has been replicated on Retro-Bit’s version, but you can also expect handy additions in a pair of Hall effect sticks, trigger buttons, and, of course, wireless connectivity. As a result, this could be one of the best Nintendo Switch controllers for you if you get regular use out of those Nintendo Switch Online retro game libraries.

It’s also an impressive value proposition, with a price firmly in that budget-friendly bracket, costing about the same as a standard Xbox Wireless Controller. You’re getting compatibility with PC, Mac, and Nintendo Switch here with the included 2.4GHz dongle. But the package also includes a Sega Saturn-compatible V2 receiver, so if you’ve got a Saturn lying around, this is an excellent modern wireless option for that system.

There are some mild annoyances to wrestle with, namely in terms of so-so build quality and the thumbsticks being a little too small for my liking. The newly added Home and Select buttons in the center are also placed in rather cramped fashion. But overall, in terms of retro-inspired controllers, Retro-Bit’s Sega Saturn model is certainly among the best.

Retro-Bit Sega Saturn Wireless Pro Controller review: Price and availability

• $49.99 / £44.99 (around AU$78)
• Costs about the same as an Xbox Wireless Controller
• Available at Retro-Bit and Amazon

The Retro-Bit Sega Saturn Wireless Pro Controller is available to purchase now, either from Retro-Bit’s website or Amazon, for $49.99 / £44.99. In terms of pricing for PC-compatible gamepads, this falls squarely in range of the Xbox Wireless Controller or the GameSir T4 Kaleid.

This is rather impressive value, given the pad’s wireless connectivity options and smart additions like Hall effect thumbsticks though the retro nature of it makes it tough to recommend for a wide range of genres, including first-person shooters or strategy games.

But for some of the best fighting games like Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves or Street Fighter 6 (thanks to that six-button layout), it’s a great pick. It’s also a fine choice for the many retro game compilations we see today, including Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics and Castlevania Dominus Collection.

Retro-Bit Sega Saturn Wireless Pro Controller review: specs

(Image credit: Future) Retro-Bit Sega Saturn Wireless Pro Controller: design and features

Aesthetically, Retro-Bit’s Sega Saturn Wireless Pro Controller is designed after the console’s MK-80116 gamepad. All the original colors are accounted for here, from the pink Start button and triggers to the green, yellow, and blue face buttons. If authenticity is the goal, Retro-Bit has nailed it.

The controller maintains that old-school ‘boomerang’ style silhouette that was common among the fourth and fifth console generations (think the Super Nintendo, Sega Mega Drive / Genesis, and indeed the Saturn). That also means shorter grips and face buttons that are on average larger than what we see on many of the best PC controllers of today.

Despite the retro design, the Sega Saturn Wireless Pro Controller still sits incredibly snug in the hands - its edges perfectly rounded to allow for a comfortable play position. All six face buttons are easily reachable, and the large D-pad rests firmly under your left thumb.

While I like the new additions to this controller, their placement is a little off. The new Home and Select buttons, as well as the two Hall effect thumbsticks, are a little too close to the center of the pad for comfort.

Things aren’t too bad with the sticks (even though they’re a bit smaller and shallower than what I’m used to), but you’ll really have to stretch your thumbs in order to reach those central buttons, to the point where I often found myself looking down at the controller to register their position relative to my thumbs.

Build quality is also something that I wish was slightly better. It’s not overtly nasty by any means, but the controller does feel quite hollow, and you can hear the D-pad shaking about when you rock it around in your hands. The face buttons also feel slightly loose, and the sticks are noticeably notchy as you move them around.

(Image credit: Future) Retro-Bit Sega Saturn Wireless Pro Controller: performance

Thankfully, some of those design shortcomings don’t do much to ruin an otherwise comfortable and responsive play experience. This controller is a particularly good fit for fighting games, as mentioned earlier. The six-button layout is great for Street Fighter 6, and allows your light, medium, and heavy inputs for both punches and kicks to be reachable with your right thumb.

That also frees up the bumpers and triggers for other inputs or macros. In the case of Street Fighter 6, that meant easy macroing for actions like Drive Impact, Drive Rush, and throws. And for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, which is a four-button game, those extra two face buttons came in handy for throw and REV macros.

Helping this along is the truly excellent D-pad. At first, I was unsure of it, as, like the face buttons, it is quite loose-feeling. But during play, it feels exceptionally tight and responsive. Directional inputs for special moves simply weren’t an issue here, thanks to its rounded nature, and I found I could pull them off much more reliably than with traditional four-way D-pads found on other controllers.

Fighting games aside, the Sega Saturn Wireless Pro Controller was also an excellent choice for retro (and retro-styled) games and compilations. I had a blast playing through beat-em-up Streets of Rage 4 with this gamepad. Side-scrollers really benefit here too, with the likes of Touhou Luna Nights, Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection, and Nintendo Switch Online games including Super Metroid and Shinobi 3 feeling well-suited.

On the other hand, I would argue that the controller isn’t the best fit for more contemporary games, particularly first-person shooters. The thumbsticks, while a nice addition, simply don’t have the smoothness to offer a satisfying play experience. Their relative closeness also means that your thumbs may barge into each other as you rock the sticks around.

(Image credit: Future) Should I buy the Retro-Bit Sega Saturn Wireless Pro Controller? Buy it if...

You love fighting games
Whether you’re playing modern greats like Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves or stone-cold classics like Street Fighter 3: Third Strike, the Sega Saturn Wireless Pro Controller is an excellent gamepad choice for fighting games.

You’ve got a soft spot for retro design and feel
The controller absolutely nails it in terms of replicating the Saturn controller’s look and feel. Modern implementations like Hall effect sticks and wireless connectivity only sweeten the deal.

Don't buy it if...

You only play more modern games
The Sega Saturn Wireless Pro Controller isn’t designed for the big-budget AAA games of today. And while I don’t personally take issue with that, it’s not one to purchase for your blockbuster single-player adventures or Black Ops 6 multiplayer progression.

Retro-Bit Sega Saturn Wireless Pro Controller review: Also consider

If the Sega Saturn Wireless Pro Controller isn’t quite what you’re looking for, consider these similarly priced alternatives.

GameSir Super Nova
GameSir is now well-known for producing superstar controllers that punch above their weight, and that’s no exception with the Super Nova. With Hall effect sticks and tons of customization options, it’s a contemporary choice that doesn’t leave much off the table.

Read our full GameSir Super Nova review

Horipad Turbo
It’s not the most glamorous controller out there, but it’s a solid budget pick nonetheless for PC and Nintendo Switch. Buttons and sticks feel surprisingly nice for a gamepad of this price, and the addition of a Turbo button is a good fit for old-school games.

Read our full Horipad Turbo review

How I tested the Retro-Bit Sega Saturn Wireless Pro Controller

• Tested for a week and a half
• Played primarily on Nintendo Switch and PC
• Compared to the Xbox Wireless Controller and the Horipad Turbo

I tested a variety of games, both old and new, with the Sega Saturn Wireless Pro Controller on both PC and Nintendo Switch over the course of a week and a half. While I unfortunately don’t have a Sega Saturn on hand for testing there, I got plenty of play time with fighting games like Street Fighter 6 and Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves.

I also played a number of retro collections, including Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics and Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed April 2025

JBL Flip 7: Two-minute review

Meet the news boss, handily better than the old boss and even more of a class-leader than before. JBL has not rested on its laurels with the Flip 7, the latest version of its all-conquering portable Bluetooth speaker series, and the result is an obvious front-runner that will leave its nominal rivals gasping.

You get plenty of power (35 watts, in fact) to motor its two-driver speaker array. You get 14 hours of playback (16 if you’re happy to do without some low-frequency presence). You get Auracast compatibility and the chance to listen to genuinely hi-res content if you hard-wire the Flip 7 to an appropriate source via its USB-C socket. You get access to a good control app, the ability to form a stereo pair with another JBL Flip 7, and your choice of quite a few vibrant finishes.

What’s almost best is the sound the JBL makes. By the standards of small-ish portable speakers, it’s an open and detailed listen, punchy but controlled at the bottom end, has impressive dynamic headroom and the sort of clarity and positivity that eludes all but the very best Bluetooth speakers at anything like this price.

Best of all, though, is the fact that all of this talent, tactility and robustness is yours for $149 / £129 / AU$179. There isn’t as complete an alternative available for anything like as aggressive a price as this.

JBL Flip 7 review: Price and release date

• Released March, 2025
• Officially priced at $149 / £129 / AU$179

The JBL Flip 7 went on sale during March 2025, and in the United States it costs $149. That translates to £129 in the United Kingdom, and around AU$179 in Australia.

That the majority of its most obvious competitors have been directly inspired by previous Flip models is neither here nor there – class-leaders are there to be shot at, and this seventh generation of Flip has a lot to live up to as well as some good alternatives to deal with.

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas) JBL Flip 7 review: Specs

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas) JBL Flip 7 review: Features

• 45 x 80mm mid/bass driver, 16mm tweeter
• Bluetooth 5.4
• 60Hz - 20kHz frequency response

For wireless connectivity, the Flip 7 uses top-of-the-shop Bluetooth 5.4 – it’s compatible with SBC and AAC codecs, which is not anyone’s idea of ‘top-of-the-shop’ but in the context of the product is perfectly adequate.

For the first time, here’s a JBL Flip that can be hard-wired to a source of music. The USB-C socket is used for charging the speaker’s battery, of course, but it can also be used for data transfer and, when connected to an appropriate source, it’s able to churn out genuinely high-resolution (24bit/96kHz) stuff. Just hold down the big, bold ‘play’ button on the speaker as you plug in your USB-C cable and you’ll be ready to go.

No matter your method of getting content on board, it’s delivered to your ears by a 45 x 80mm ‘racetrack’ driver taking care of midrange and bass, and a 16mm tweeter for the higher frequencies. The big driver gets 25 watts of power in order to do its thing, and the tweeter another 10 - and there’s no denying that a 35 watt output in a product of this size is plenty. It’s an arrangement that JBL reckons is good for a frequency response of 60Hz - 20kHz.

Another Flip first is Auracast compatibility. So, as well as being able to form a stereo pair with a second Flip 7 (albeit none of the previous models), you can hook up as many Auracast-enabled products as you like into a single entity for simultaneous playback.

Meanwhile, JBL’s proprietary ‘AI Sound Boost’ technology analyzes the music that’s playing on the fly in an effort to minimize distortion and (according to the company) liberate greater scale and bigger bass. An opposing technology is ‘PlaytimeBoost’ – it reduces low-frequency activity in an effort to eke out additional battery life.

• Features score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas) JBL Flip 7 review: Design

• Choice of seven finishes
• IP68 -rated
• Carry strap and carabiner

‘Rugged’ isn’t too strong a word to describe the Flip 7's design. Anyone familiar with previous Flips will recognize the almost-cylindrical shape, the eminently grabbable 70 x 183 x 72mm (HxWxD) dimensions and the rubber’n’fabric construction. By the standards of affordable portable Bluetooth speakers, the Flip 7 looks and feels built to last, especially if you choose the camouflage (or ‘squad’) finish. That said, the other six available colours are all nice enough in their own way and you’ll certainly find something to suit you.

‘Rugged’ is definitely the word to describe this speaker’s durability, though. An IP68 rating is class-leading, and means the Flip 7 is basically immune to dust or moisture unless you really go out of your way to try and disprove that idea. The beach, the pool, the festival… none of these environments should present any kind of problem to the JBL. And the company has enhanced the Flip 7’s portable go-anywhere credentials by fitting a little detachable fabric carry-strap and providing a carabiner in the packaging.

Build quality is great, the choice of materials is judicious, and the standard of finish is beyond reproach. I like to try and find a 'yes, but…' where the design and construction of a product like this is concerned, but frankly I’ve got nothing.

• Design score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas) JBL Flip 7 review: Sound quality

• Detailed, direct and confident sound
• Plenty of punch and dynamic headroom
• Rhythmically adept

JBL has turned out plenty of very good portable Bluetooth speakers in its time, and its ‘Flip’ series has generally been very good indeed. So when I say the Flip 7 is the best so far, I don’t say it lightly.

In every area of sonic performance, the Flip 7 outperforms its asking price to an almost startling degree. Operating wirelessly and with a Qobuz-derived 16bit/44.1kHz file of Fugazi’s Waiting Room playing, the JBL is a confident and entertaining listen. It digs deep into the low frequencies, hits with real determination, and shapes bass sounds with such conviction that rhythms are given full expression. There’s plenty of variation at the bottom end, too, thanks to detail levels that are the equal of those higher up the frequency range.

The midrange is balanced and communicative, so a voice as idiosyncratic as Teddy Hill’s during I Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) is loaded with character as well as the minutiae of his technique. It exists in a nice little pocket of space, thanks to an open and well-defined soundstage that seems to defy the physics of a small device with a couple of drivers facing dead ahead. The top of the frequency range is bright but not edgy, and just as detailed as everything going on beneath it. Overall tonality is nicely natural and consistent from top to bottom.The Fugazi tune is a good showcase for the JBL’s ability where big dynamic shifts are concerned, but Anxiety by Doechii is an even better demonstration of the speaker’s ability to deal with the more minor, but no less important, dynamics of tonal and harmonic variation. The Flip 7 is an attentive, eloquent performer with the sort of directness of sound that makes every tune seem somehow alert and alive.

Really, there’s no meaningful downside. It’s possible to interfere with the sonic balance JBL has hit upon by playing fast and loose with the seven-band EQ in the app, of course, but why would you? The Flip 7 sounds just right exactly as it comes out of the box.

• Sound quality: 5/5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas) JBL Flip 7 review: Usability and setup

To be fair it’s difficult to get ‘usability and setup’ wrong when it comes to affordable Bluetooth speakers, but that doesn’t mean some brands haven’t given it a good go. JBL, though, is not one of those brands and the Flip 7 can be set up and used by anyone of reading age.

Control is available using the big, rubberised buttons on the device itself – ‘play/pause’, ‘volume up/down’, ‘Bluetooth pairing’, ‘Auracast’ and ‘power on/off’ are available. The JBL ‘Portable’ app that’s free for iOS and Android is also available - and it’s as stable, as logical and as useful an app as we’ve all come to expect from the company. It offers an indication of battery life, the ability to create a stereo pair, allows you to switch ‘PlaytimeBoost’ on or off, and features a seven-band EQ as well as a selection of presets. You can check for firmware updates and wireless connect multiple speakers for what JBL is confident is “an instant party”.

Some 14 hours of battery life is not to be sniffed at, of course – it turns ‘usability’ into an all-day event. And with ‘PlaytimeBoost’ switched on, you can go for as many as 16 hours if you don’t mind a little shortfall in bass power.

• Usability and setup: 5/5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas) JBL Flip 7 review: Value

If you’ve read this far, I’d hope you understand the JBL Flip 7 is approaching ‘no-brainer’ status. It offers very decent value for money in every respect: it’s properly made and finished, is built to survive fairly major disasters, looks and feels good, and sounds better than any price-comparable alternative. It has some very useful extended functionality and will play for hours at a time before it needs charging.

What else do you want? Jam on it?

• Value score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas) Should I buy the JBL Flip 7? Buy it if…

You enjoy energetic, detailed sound
The JBL is adept where rhythms, dynamics and detail levels are concerned, and it is a lively, entertaining listen at the same time.

You’re in any way careless
A class-leading IP68 rating means the Flip 7 is your best choice in pretty much every circumstance.

You like a long listen
As long as you’re not listening at top volume, the Flip 7 should run for an easy 14 hours between charges. That should be long enough, let’s face it.

Don’t buy it if…

You want to involve your older Flip speakers
Flip 7 will only pair with other Flip 7s, it has no backwards compatibility.

You’re in a hurry
Charging from ‘flat’ to ‘full’ takes a relatively leisurely two-and-a-half hours.

JBL Flip 7 review: Also consider

Sonos Roam 2
The Sonos Roam owes a lot to the JBL Flip range, and the current Roam 2 costs a chunk more than a Flip 7, but it’s a very good speaker nonetheless. As long as you can live with the knowledge that the Sonos control app might suddenly burst into flames again, it’s well worth considering.
Read more in our Sonos Roam2 review.

Tribit Stormbox Flow
You could also sacrifice some of the JBL’s hardwearing go-anywhere appeal and save yourself a few quid while gaining a stack of battery life and consider the Tribit Stormbox Flow. No, it’s no looker and no, it’s not exactly a featherweight, but the sound is good and 30 hours of playback at a time is straightforwardly impressive.
Read all about it in our Tribit Stormbox Flow review.

How I tested the JBL Flip 7

• Tested for about a week, mainly indoors but also by the sea
• Played a variety of music types
• Listened to the Qobuz app on iPhone smartphone, FiiO M15S high-res audio player and via USB-C

I used the JBL Flip 7 on my desktop, of course, but it’s an ideal candidate for use on the pebbly and windswept beaches around the United Kingdom's south coast too, and so I took it with me whenever I was near the sea.

I wirelessly connected it to an Apple iPhone 14 Pro and a FiiO M15S, and used its new USB-C functionality to hard-wire it to an Apple MacBook Pro, too. It was nothing but a pleasure to listen to every time.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: April 2025

Zapier Interfaces is a relatively new addition to the Zapier suite of apps. It helps extend Zapier’s popular workflow automation capabilities into the realm of no-code app development.

You can use Zapier Interfaces to build custom front-end interfaces, such as client portals, and dashboards that integrate seamlessly with Zapier's automation tools.

In this review we’ll look at the platform’s features, interface and ease of use, integration and extensibility, deployment and maintenance, pricing and documentation, and how it stacks up against its peers.

Zapier Interfaces: Features

Zapier Interfaces provides a visual, drag-and-drop interface builder that you can use to create layouts, and add all kinds of components, without writing code.

You can throw in components such as forms, Kanban boards, link cards, AI prompts, chatbots, and more into your apps. Each of these components can be easily customized, and you can also adjust the layout, colours, and fonts to align the look and feel of your apps to your brand.

(Image credit: Zapier Interfaces)

The platform also offers pre-built templates that cater to several common business use cases. You can start with these templates, and then customize them as per your needs to help save time. There are templates that’ll help collect customer feedback, capture leads, build client portals, onboard new employees, and more.

The core strength of the platform lies in its seamless integration with existing Zapier Zaps. You can easily use Interfaces to connect the various components to Zap triggers and actions, and create automated workflows to power your custom apps.

Zapier Interfaces also integrates with Zapier Tables to help manage and display data. For instance, you can use the platform to create a form to capture customer information, which upon submission triggers a zap to create a new record in a Zapier Table to store the data.

Also, apps created with Zapier Interfaces are responsive, and work across various screen sizes whether viewed on desktops, tablets, or smartphones.

Zapier Interfaces: Interface and Ease of Use

Zapier Interfaces has an intuitive interface that’s easy to get started with.

There are two broad categories of interfaces you can create with the platform. Forms capture information, and Customer Portals, which can be public, or require login. You also have the option to start with a template, or from scratch.

If you start from scratch, the platforms will ask you to select a component to build your first page.

(Image credit: Zapier Interfaces)

Remember, you can have multiple components on a single page. Besides components that gather or display information, you can also add decorative components, such as media, and dividers to the pages.

Components in a page are displayed on the left-side of the platform’s builder. You can click on a component to edit it in the right-hand pane.

Depending on the tye of component, it’ll have various settings for you to adjust and tweak, such as its appearance and behavior. For instance in the Text component you can use markdown to format the text, adjust the component’s width, and change alignment of both the text, as well as the component itself.

Interactive components, such as Forms, give you more customization options, which will vary depending on the type you use. These are usually divided into three tabs. If you add a Form component, you can add and remove fields from the Content tab.

You can also point the form to an existing table, or create a new one from under the Data tab. Then there’s the Actions tab under which you define the action that takes place when something happens on the component.

For instance, in the Form component, an action can be triggered when the user hits the submit button, such as displaying a confirmation message that the form has been submitted. This is also where you create a Zap, or point to an existing one, to automate workflows.

Every page also has a Page Options button on the top that you can use to alter the page’s name, meta title, and even the URL.

In the left sidebar of the builder, you get more options to further personalize and manage different aspects of your interface, such as its theming, and branding, and more.

Zapier Interfaces: Integration and Extensibility

A standout feature of Zapier Interfaces is its deep integration with Zapier's extensive ecosystem, which supports thousands of popular apps. This integration allows you to build apps that interact with a wide range of services, including CRM systems, marketing automation platforms, and productivity tools.

You can also link your apps to Zapier Tables to store and retrieve your data. Click the Linked Assets button in the sidebar to see a list of all the connected Zaps and tables in a particular page.

(Image credit: Zapier Interfaces)

Zapier Interfaces also allows you to build apps that accept payment via Stripe. The platform also has a chatbot component that you can use to create a ChatGPT-powered AI chatbot.

The component is currently in beta, but it worked flawlessly for us. You give it a directive on how it should respond to users. Very helpfully, the platform already adds a detailed directive that you can tweak as per your needs.

Zapier Interfaces: Deployment and Maintenance

As it is with no-code apps, deploying apps built with Zapier Interfaces is pretty straightforward.

Click the Settings icon in the left sidebar, where you get the option to specify your own custom subdomain for your app. You can also publish the app to your own domain by heading to the Custom domain option in the sidebar.

By default, all apps are accessible to anyone with the URL. However, you do get the option to control who can view your app by heading to the Access & Users option in the sidebar. Here you get a couple of options to restrict access. You can either lock access with a password, or to a specified set of users.

(Image credit: Zapier Interfaces)

Zapier Interfaces also lets you invite and collaborate with other users using the Share button in the top-right corner.

The sharing interface also has an Embed tab that you can use to embed pages from your app inside another website. You’ll be able to select the page you wish to embed, and adjust its height and width.

Zapier Interfaces: Pricing and Documentation

Zapier Interfaces offers a free tier that provides you with access to enough components and features to explore the platform.

For advanced features, such as custom branding, custom domains, access to OpenAI models, components like Stripe, and more, you can opt for one of the paid plans.

The $20/month Pro plan unlocks access to all components and lets you create a maximum of five apps with up to 20 pages. But to publish apps to custom domains, you’ll need to switch to the $100/month Advanced plan, which also increases the number of publishable apps to 20, with up to 50 pages in each.

In terms of documentation, Zapier Interfaces has a handful of tutorials that’ll help you familiarize yourself with the platform. You’ll find step-by-step guides to create and manage apps, as well as on using the various components.

Zapier Interfaces: The Competition

In the no-code app development space, Zapier Interfaces competes with platforms like Bubble, and Adalo, which offer more extensive development capabilities.

These platforms offer more functionality, and allow for greater customization, but have a steeper learning curve than Zapier Interfaces. Also, while most of its competitors excel at building general purpose web apps, Zapier Interfaces distinguishes itself by its seamless integration with the Zapier ecosystem.

Zapier Interfaces: Final Verdict

Zapier Interfaces provides a versatile platform that you can use to create client portals, dashboards, or internal tools that can enhance your business processes, without writing any code.

However, it's important to recognize its limitations in terms of customization, and extensibility as compared to other general purpose no-code platforms. Its main selling point is its close integration with Zapier workflows.

As we’ve said before, Zapier Interfaces is not designed to be a full featured web app development platform. Instead look at it as a platform to add custom user interfaces to your existing Zapier workflows.

If you want to build apps that automate and interact with data from Zapier's integrated apps, the platform is a wonderful option. Its ease of use and tight integration with the Zapier ecosystem makes it a good choice to help design, deploy, and manage custom web apps that complement your automated Zapier workflows.

Also check our list of the best productivity tools.

Codev is a no-code platform that relies exclusively on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help transform natural language descriptions into web apps. In this review we’ll delve into its features, interface, ease of use, integration and extensibility, deployment and maintenance, pricing and documentation, and compare it with its competitors.

Codev: Features

Codev is one of the simplest no-code platforms, which also makes it one of the easiest to get started with, even for first timers.

As we’ve mentioned, Codev is one of the growing number of no-code platforms that leverages AI to create apps. The use of AI makes it dead simple for non-developers to create web apps without writing a single line of code.

All you need to do is describe your app idea in regular English, and Codev will take care of the rest. The platform will analyze your input to build your app together with all the necessary components, styling, and functionality for the app.

You can then again use AI to keep refining the app. Very helpfully, the platform will keep track of all the iterations of the app, and you can revert to any previous version with a single click.

You can also upload images to the platform, which you can then ask it to use in the app. This is helpful for things like app logos, custom headers, product images, and such.

Besides AI, the platform also lets you customize the broader look, and feel of your apps with just a few clicks. You can, for instance, change the primary color to align the app to your brand, adjust the corner radius, and switch between light or dark modes.

(Image credit: Codev)

Codev can work with the open source Firebase-alternative, Supabase, which uses PostgreSQL to add databases to your apps. You can also use it to roll in authentication services, like user sign ups and logins.

By default, all Codev apps are responsive, which means they can adapt to different screen sizes and devices. This ensures that your apps provide a consistent user experience across desktops, and smartphones.

When you are done, you can also transfer your project to a GitHub repo, which is a helpful feature if you need to make manual code edits to your apps.

Codev: Interface and Ease of Use

Thanks to its limited number of features, Codev has a simple, and straightforward interface, unlike many of its peers. This makes it very approachable, especially if you are new to no-code app development platforms.

Once you’ve entered the prompt, the platform will start building the app, and detail each and every step.

Remember however, that you can only add authentication services, and databases to your app at the start of the app creation process.

One of the good things about Codev is its verbosity. The platform details each and every step in the app creation process. For instance, it’ll tell you how it’s going about putting together the backend (the database structure), and assembling the frontend (user interface).

It’ll also list all the features it has implemented, like contact listing with search, contact creation with form validation, and such. Codev will also list all that you can do with the app in simple language. Finally, the platform will also offer suggestions on how you can improve the first iteration of the app.

Once it’s done building the app, you can preview it on the left side of the screen. By default, the preview shows the desktop view, but you can also switch to the mobile view.

You can also optionally rate the output as well, based on how closely the app meets the requirements you specified in the AI prompt. The platform keeps track of all iterations of the app above the preview. Interestingly, you can switch, and preview any version, before you decide to revert to an older instance.

(Image credit: Codev)

There’s also a button to view the error log, in case it ran into any during the build. If you do get an error, you can use the Attempt Fix button to let the platform resolve the issue on its own.

Unlike many of its peers, Codev doesn’t include a designer to help fine tune the various elements in your app, such as the titles. However, you can use the Select Element option to hover, and mark the elements you want to refine. You can then describe how you’d like to modify these elements to Codev’s AI.

Codev: Integration and Extensibility

Codev relies on the Next.js framework to power its apps. The platform also does

Server-Side Rendering (SSR) and Static Site Generation (SSG) to pre-render the web apps on the server, which helps improve its initial load times, and SEO ranking.

The platform also uses the Prisma Object-Relational Mapper (ORM) to simplify database interactions, and make it easier to build data-driven apps.

As we’ve pointed out earlier, Codev gets its database from Supabase. Earlier, the platform offered a code download feature, but you can now hook it up with your GitHub account, and ask it to transfer your web app to a GitHub repo.

This is especially useful for advanced users who want to manually make changes to the code, or perhaps collaborate with other developers. Remember though, there’s no provision to upload the exported code back into Codev.

Codev: Deployment and Maintenance

Once your app is ready, you can publish it with a single click. By default, the platform will publish the latest version of the app. However, you can publish any of the earlier versions as well.

(Image credit: Codev)

As with its peers, Codev too publishes apps to its own subdomain. The advantage of this is that you don’t have to distract yourself with the nitty-gritties of web hosting. That said, you do have the option to deploy the app to your own custom domain.

Remember however, that any changes made to the app will not be reflected in the deployed version automatically. Instead, you’ll have to manually republish the app, while ensuring you select the latest version of the app.

Codev: Pricing and Documentation

Codev's pricing model offers flexible options in order to cater to a wide range of users, from startups to larger businesses.

The Free tier offers a limited number of features, but is good enough for exploring the platform. You can use it to query the AI 15 times a month, with a maximum of five messages a day.

If that number’s too low for you, there’s the $19/month Lite plan that offers 50 additional AI queries per month, with no daily limits. You can have up to five private projects in this plan, and publish projects to a custom domain as well. This plan also lets you transfer the code for your app to your GitHub repo.

If you are looking to publish more than one app, switch to the $49/month Pro plan, which allows you to publish an unlimited number of apps to an unlimited number of custom domains. The plan also offers an additional 150 AI messages, gives you early access to new features, and access to the platform’s developers.

In terms of documentation, Codev has a handful of tutorials that cover best practices for writing effective prompts, supabase setup, and authentication. The share update, and details about new features via their official blog.

Support is dispensed through Codev’s Discord channel, and Pro users can also seek support from the platform’s developers.

Codev: The Competition

Codev competes against three other platforms, all of which make extensive use of AI to democratize app development.

First up, is the newly launched Hostinger Horizons, which offers more integration like payment gateways. And while it won’t send code to your GitHub repo, it does let you download and edit it offline. Also, unlike its peers, you can interact with Horizons AI using several non-English languages, as well as through voice prompts.

Then there’s Lovable, which can do everything you can with Codev, and then some. For instance, it offers two-way sync with GitHub, pre-built templates, a Figma-like visual editor, and more.

Codev: Final Verdict

Codev’s best feature is its use of AI to design, and debug the app, which makes the platform usable by non-programmers as well.

However, Codev has a limited set of features, as compared to its peers. It also doesn’t have a visual GUI editor, nor any templates to jump start the app creation process. The platform also can only make web apps, and not mobile apps, or even progressive web apps (PWAs).

All things considered, Codev comes across as a barebones AI-powered no-code platform that offers the bare minimum features you need to spin up a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) with minimal effort.

Here’s a list of the best laptops for programming.

Cuktech 20 Power Bank: review

The Cuktech 20 Power Bank has a high power output and large capacity, designed for charging laptops and similar devices while traveling. As you would expect from a battery of this ilk, it’s quite a handful. It’s thick across its depth, although thankfully it’s not as wide, nor is it as heavy as I was expecting.

This makes the Cuktech 20 Power Bank reasonably portable all things considered, although it’s slightly more cumbersome than some rivals with similar specs.

Thankfully, the Cuktech 20 Power Bank is still airline safe despite its size, since it falls below the TSA’s 100Wh limit. It’s also useful that this is clearly labelled on the side, so if an agent is ever doubtful, you can at least show them.

Cuktech has tried to inject some interest into its appearance as well, with its two-tone design and translucent front panel, and I did appreciate the linear texture on the sides, which aids grip and feels premium to the touch. However, this is still a rather austere looking brick, albeit one that’s perhaps a bit more sleek than some of the best power banks.

One of the standout features of the Cuktech 20 Power Bank is the screen, which displays various information, such as the battery life and estimated charging time, as well as the wattage, voltage, and amperage for each port in real time. There’s also a handy indicator to tell you whether a port is delivering or receiving power.

Although this information is certainly useful, it’s a shame the display area is quite small. It’s also a shame that given its size, the Cuktech 20 Power Bank only has three ports, as other power banks of this ilk can squeeze in one or two more. Still, at least two of them are USB-C, and both are input and output capable.

The first USB-C port has an output of 140W, whereas the second tops out at 60W. The USB-A port, meanwhile, has a maximum power output of 30W. Despite this, the maximum output doesn’t quite add up to 230W, but 210W – which is still plenty of power for a brick this size.

Charging via all three ports simultaneously is also supported, while an additional trickle charging mode is available for charging low current devices, such as earbuds and smartwatches, which can be activated by double pressing the power button.

It took just under two hours for the Cuktech 20 Power Bank to charge an HP Chromebook Plus, which has a 58Wh battery, from empty to full via the most powerful USB-C port, which is a solid performance. The estimated time given by the bank was accurate for the most part too, closely matching that of the Chromebook’s, although figures went awry at the tail-end of the charge.

The Cuktech 20 Power Bank lost 82% of its charge in the process, which unfortunately means you’ll likely only get one laptop charge out of it, but this is expected given the capacity – and if it did have more juice in the tank, it would likely exceed flight limits. Charging the bank itself took two hours from empty to full in, which is another impressive performance.

When charging the bank itself, it’s a shame that the screen goes off, although fortunately this can be changed in the settings. Also, there’s a handy LED strip running vertically below it that repeatedly fills up to indicate charging, which also looks stylish – for what that’s worth.

I should mention, however, that my first attempt to charge the Cuktech 20 Power Bank failed. After 30 minutes or so, I noticed it wasn’t receiving any charge, despite my cable being attached correctly. I’m not sure if this was because the bank was expecting to deliver an output rather than receive an input, but a simple re-plug fixed the issue. I can also report that I only experienced this once during my testing, so I can only presume this was a one-time glitch.

If you’re looking for another large yet flight-ready power bank, the Anker Laptop Power Bank is a great alternative. It’s slightly cheaper than the Cuktech 20 Power Bank, but it has more convenient features, such as two built-in USB-C cables, one of which can be looped to create a carrying handle. It has less total power than the Cuktech 20 Power Bank (165W), but this is still plenty for many people’s needs.

But if you do need over 200W of total power, in a reasonably portable and flight-ready package, the Cuktech 20 Power Bank is a solid pick for charging laptops and the like on the go.

(Image credit: Future) Cuktech 20 Power Bank review: price & specs

(Image credit: Future) Should I buy the Cuktech 20 Power Bank? Buy it if…

You want plenty of power
With 210W of total power, the Cuktech 20 should be enough for all kinds of devices.

You still want to fly with it
Despite its power and size, the Cuktech 20 is still airline safe, which is helpfully labelled on one side.

Don't buy it if…

You want something small
The Cuktech 20 does a good job of keeping things compact, but it's undeniably thick, which can be inconvenient.

You want something cheap
With all that power comes a high price, and there are some equally capable but slightly cheaper alternatives out there.

Cuktech 20 Power Bank review: Also consider

Anker Laptop Power Bank
Not only does it have the same capacity as the Cuktech 20 Power Bank, the Anker Laptop Power Bank has features two integrated USB-C cables, one of which doubles as a handy carrying loop. It’s about the same size and weight as the Cuktech 20 Power Bank, and is similarly flight-ready, but costs slightly less. At 165W, it’s less powerful – but still not exactly what you’d call weak. Read our Anker Laptop Power Bank review.

Astro A50 Gen 5 review: one-minute review

(Image credit: Future)

Logitech’s Astro sub-brand has a sizeable lineage, offering competition-grade audio solutions for years now, and the A50 Gen 5 is able to easily maintain that status quo at a (slightly) lower price point than the Astro A50 X, one of the best wireless gaming headsets we tested last year.

Much of the Astro A50 Gen 5 is built on the same very impressive foundation. It’s packing graphene drivers, which not only sound great but also contribute very little in terms of weight, while the whole design feels well-built without ever feeling uncomfortable for longer periods of use.

Audio sounds excellent, with a broad soundstage that packs in plenty of bass without distortion and plenty of high-end without tinniness, and I found myself using it for listening to music almost as much as I did for gaming.

Dolby Atmos and Windows Sonic are included, as well as the option to pipe in Bluetooth audio from an external source — ideal for anyone looking to crank up a podcast or playlist while grinding in their favorite game.

That flexibility is a common theme with the A50 Gen 5, too, since it can be connected to multiple platforms. While its pricier ‘X’ branded sibling can switch HDMI inputs with a button press, the A50 Gen 5 can do the same for audio.

The same mic from the A50 X is here, too, crystal clear in pressurized competitive moments (or as competitive as you can get within my own skill level) and easy to fold up if you’d prefer to just use the headset as a pair of very nice headphones.

Add to that a fantastic 24 hours of battery life, plus the convenience of being able to rest the headset on the docking station so it’s always ready to go and you’ve got a compelling package — and that’s before touching on Logitech’s G Hub software, which features custom equalizers and Blue voice adjustments.

It’s still not exactly affordable, but if you’re looking for a headset that can work across all platforms, it may be cheaper than buying a dedicated one for each.

Astro A50 Gen 5 review: Price and availability

• List price: $299.99 / £299.99
• Cheaper than Astro A50 X by around £70/$80
• Available worldwide

For $300 / £300, you get a solid package here. Aside from the fantastic headset, that base station really is nifty.

It's well constructed, offering a really handy way to keep your headset charged, while it’s hard to find fault with the build quality of the A50 Gen 5 headset itself.

It’s more premium than mid-range headsets that lean on plasticky shells, and similarly priced SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro.

That rival arguably feels more headphone-like in its design, but offers similar versatility from multi-platform and dual-source output. If you want something that looks a little less like a gaming peripheral, that might be the way to go.

(Image credit: Future) Astro A50 Gen 5 review: Specs

(Image credit: Future) Astro A50 Gen 5 review: Design and features

• Lightweight headset with fold-down mic
• Graphene drivers are lightweight but offer big sound
• Fabric ear cups are comfortable and avoid sweat build-up

Sat next to the pricier A50 X, you’d be hard-pressed to spot the differences, although the red cables on the Gen 5s versus the black cables on the A50 X are a bit of a giveaway.

The A50 Gen 5 comes in black or white, with magnetic cushions that can be taken off and swapped if you feel they’re getting to the end of their life (although even after well over a year of the premium version, it’s not ever felt that way to me).

The mic is identical, too, folding down to mouth level, while the side panel on the other side contains all the inputs. There’s chat and audio mixing on the headset itself, as well as Bluetooth functionality for piping your music through.

It’s comfortable for long periods thanks to being lighter than the old Logitech Pro X headsets I’ve used in the past, while the ear cups never feel like they get too hot. In fact, I prefer them to the colder, more leather-like alternatives (although you can buy a leatherette conversion kit from Logitech).

Onto the docking station, then, and while there’s no HDMI connectivity on the back, there are four USB ports. One is reserved for power, so the math enthusiasts will recognize that there are three ports left.

The ports are labeled for PC, PS5, and Xbox, meaning Switch is absent, but you can plug it into any of them.

You may need to provide your own USB-C cables, though — Logitech only provides one for power and a single cable to connect up other consoles.

(Image credit: Future) Astro A50 Gen 5 review: Performance

• 24-hour battery life plus added convenience of docking station
• 24-bit PC audio, 16-bit on consoles but you’re unlikely to hear the difference
• Connects via USB-C to docking station, but no HDMI ports

The Astro Gen 5, at least to my relatively trained ears as a musician, sounds the same as its premium sibling.

Footsteps from enemies in Call of Duty: Warzone and Black Ops 6 are crisp and easy to place, while the direction of gunfire is discernible even with short bursts.

Overwatch Hero callouts sound crisp, while more cinematic titles like Assassin’s Creed Shadows feel particularly impressive, notably when rain is falling on rooftops.

It’s worth noting that there’s no Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), but despite having a relatively large head, I felt the seal around my ears was tight enough where that never felt like a major concern. Your mileage may vary, though.

Perhaps most impressively, the A50 Gen 5s are fantastic for non-gaming audio, too. If you want to kick back with music, the balanced soundstage pairs with the comfortable headset to make everything feel nice and fresh.

I found listening to rock epics was a great experience, with piano and percussion dancing around each other nicely, while there’s plenty of bass when the situation calls for it, but without the distortion you may get from cheaper headsets.

You can play around with a mixer in the Logitech G app, too, while the aforementioned earcup controls are ideal for adjusting chat and game audio.

Still, audio output is only one-half of the coin, and while I have tended to keep mics folded up in favor of a desktop option with older setups, the mic here is crystal clear at all times.

The Logitech G app on PC can tap into the company’s Blue mic filtering to adjust to get you sounding sweet as a whistle, but even right out of the box, it feels as though you could be standing right next to a teammate as you work on strategies.

(Image credit: Future/Lloyd Coombes) Should you buy the Astro A50 Gen 5? Buy it if...

You’re a console and PC player
Being able to switch between your console and PC audio at ease is a huge help for multiformat setups.

You want a clear mic
Whether on Discord or console-based party chat, the mic on the Astro A50 Gen 5 is one of the best we’ve tested.

Don't buy it if...

You’re not looking for multiformat functionality
The Astros are great, but there are comparable headsets with a focus on a single platform that will set you back a lot less.

Also consider...

Still not sold on the Astro A50 Gen 5? Here’s how it compares to two similar products.

Astro A50 X
It’s hard not to compare the pricier variant of the Astros with this version. The main draw is those HDMI ports on the base station, which means you can switch between inputs with a button press. If you’re not looking for that functionality, though, you’ll lose very little with the A50 Gen 5s.

For more information, check out our full Astro A50 X review

Razer BlackShark V2 Pro
Less interested in the multiformat chops of the Astro Gen 5s? The BlackShark V2 Pro remains top of our list of the best wireless headset list thanks to fantastic audio, great battery life, and a premium build — but it’s only for PC.

For more information, check out our full Razer BlackShark V2 Pro review

(Image credit: Future/Lloyd Coombes) How I tested the Astro A50 Gen 5

• Tested over multiple weeks
• Used on a gaming PC with an RTX 4070 Ti, PS5 Pro, and Xbox Series X
• Party chat across multiple games used to test the mic, as well as Discord on PC

I spent my time using the Astro A50 Gen 5 across PC and console, switching between Call of Duty Warzone and Black Ops 6, indie multiplayer title The Headliners, and EA FC 25.

For testing the mic, I played some heated games of Overwatch 2, Marvel Rivals, and Destiny 2 to ensure comms were clear.

First reviewed April 2025

Read more about how we test

Fujifilm GFX100RF: one-minute review

Fujifilm's GFX100RF is the brand's first-ever compact camera with a medium-format sensor, marrying the image quality of the 102MP GFX100S II with an impossibly-small Fujifilm X100 VI rangefinder-style body.

'Compact' is perhaps a stretch, but that's the category that this premium camera falls under by virtue of its built-in lens, which is a super-sharp 35mm f/4 optic with a 28mm equivalent focal length.

Fujifilm has prioritized compact lens proportions over aperture versatility, and the maximum f/4 aperture and lack of optical stabilization are potential dealbreakers. However, for pixel peepers and resolution-craving photographers, the GFX100RF's quality is unmatched in this class, even outdoing the Leica Q3.

Here is the silver version of the GFX100RF. It's also available in an all-black version. (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

Beyond its image quality, the GFX100RF feels premium in every way. The top plate, machined from a single 500g block of aluminum, is a delight and packed with useful controls, some of which are unique and add a touch of flair, such as the aspect ratio dial.

Fujifilm has somehow managed to include a vast number of external controls without the camera feeling crowded, and it's both unfussy and versatile in use – and a special mention must go to the bright tilt touchscreen that neatly folds away into the body.

Armed with Fujifilm's latest X Processor 5 chip and autofocus skills, the GFX100RF is also a capable performer, even if this medium-format snapper doesn't compete with the speed of smaller-format rivals.

Ultimately, this is a camera that makes a lot of sense, even if its quality will be overkill for most people, as is it price (though I reckon it's good value for what you get). Professional photographers with a penchant for street and landscape photography in particular will find no better compact camera than the characterful GFX100RF.

Fujifilm GFX100RF: price and release date

• List price is $4,899 / £4,699 / AU$8,799
• It's available from early April 2025 in two versions, with a silver or a black top plate
• A premium strap, protective lens filter, lens hood and lens adapter are included

The GFX100RF is a premium medium-format compact with a price tag to match, costing $4,899 / £4,699 / AU$8,799. Still, that's cheaper than the full-frame Leica Q3, and you get a bunch of accessories in the box: a premium strap, protective lens filter, lens hood and lens adapter.

When you consider it's an all-in-one medium-format package with its built-in lens, the GFX100RF feels like pretty good value – other GFX cameras will cost you more, without a lens. For example, the GFX100S II, which shares the same sensor, launched at $4,999 / £4,999 / AU$8,699. However, the GFX100RF is triple the price of the APS-C format Fujifilm X100VI compact camera.

The GFX100RF is available from early April 2025 in two versions, one with a silver top plate, the other all-black.

• Price score: 4/5

Fujifilm GFX100RF: specs Fujifilm GFX100RF: design and handling

• Top plate is machined from a 500g ingot of aluminum
• All-new aspect ratio dial offers popular aspects from legendary analog cameras, including 65:24
• Rangefinder-style body with a 5.76m dot EVF and tilt touchscreen

Cameras machined from a single ingot of aluminum are like buses – you wait an age for one, and then two come along together. First there was the Sigma BF, and now we have the Fujifilm GFX100RF – and I can't overstate just how lovely Fujifilm's premium compact feels in the hand.

It's effectively a premium Fujifilm X100VI, with a negligible size difference between the two cameras (at least when it comes how comfortably you'd carry these cameras around), and is available in black, with a silver or a black top plate – I had a first look with the former, and completed my in-depth review with the latter, and the black-and-silver version gets my vote.

Given that the GFX100RF is a medium-format camera, it's staggering just how compact and lightweight it is. It weighs just 26oz / 735g with battery and card included – that's lighter than any other Fujifilm GFX camera body without a lens attached, and that weight of course includes the built-in lens.

Fujifilm has seemingly prioritized compact lens proportions over aperture versatility. The lens is tiny, and it's super-sharp (more about that in the image quality section of this review), but its maximum aperture is f/4, and it isn't stabilized. Also, if you'd like the GFX100RF fully weather-sealed and lens flare minimized you'll need to add the protective lens filter and hood, which bulk the package out.

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Fujifilm has allowed itself some design touches, such as a dedicated aspect ratio dial, that at first feel quirky but which are very well implemented and ultimately logical given the tech inside, and could just transform how you approach composition.

The front switch, which on the X100VI is used to switch between its optical (OVF) and electronic viewfinder (EVF) displays, here toggles between various aspect ratio and digital teleconverter display options. These include the following: a frame line of your chosen ratio and crop over the full 4:3 image area; the cropped-out area greyed out but still visible; and the cropped-out area black – meaning all you see is the image area of your chosen aspect ratio.

Personally, I would have much preferred the same type of hybrid viewfinder as that utilized by the X100 series of cameras, but here we have an EVF alone.

I know plenty of X100VI users that only use its EVF, but I'm a fan of its optical display, especially since it allows you to see a little outside your frame, which is super-handy for timing street photography shots as your subjects walk into the frame. T

Still, the 5.76m-dot 0.5-inch display works like a charm, and I really appreciate those aspect ratio and digital crop display options. What's more, the 3.2-inch tilt touchscreen is beautifully designed, sitting flush in the body yet easily pulled out, and is clear and bright – Leica should be taking notes.

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Then there's the stacked set of controls that include the crop lever, a command dial and the on/off switch – a lovely design touch, as is the shutter speed / ISO dial.

A joystick makes menu navigation and autofocus selection a doddle. Every control is well made and built to last, while a raised bump on the camera's front provides some grip, though I'd hardly call this a grippy camera.

Ports-wise, on the left side as you're holding the camera there are mic input and headphone out, plus USB-C and micro HDMI, while on the right side are twin SD card slots. There's a hotshoe on the top for accessories such as an external flash.

Overall, it's a comprehensive set of controls for this type of camera, without creating the feeling that there's too much going on around the camera's exterior. I've been able to make quick adjustments with ease, and I haven't really come across any niggles throughout my review period.

• Design score: 5/5

Fujifilm GFX100RF: features and performance

• 6fps with continuous AF, for up to 1,000 JPEGs
• Incredible 820-shot battery life
• Fujifilm's best autofocus performance
• No optical or in-body image stabilization, just electronic stabilization for video

It's fair to say the Fujifilm GFX100RF prioritizes quality over outright speed – such are the trade-offs with a high-resolution medium-format camera.

Still, the GFX100RF is one of the speedier medium-format cameras around, with 6fps burst shooting that'll keep going for up to 296 JPEGs or 40 raws – not bad for such big file sizes. Naturally, you'll need to fit the best possible memory card into the camera, which would be a UHS-II V90 SD card.

You also get Fujifilm's latest autofocus system, which is packed with subject-detection tracking modes that cover humans, various animals and vehicles. Fujifilm hasn't quite got autofocus speed and accuracy to Sony and Canon levels yet, but it's not too far off, plus there's arguably less need for such power in a compact camera with fixed wide-angle lens.

It was good to know, though, that when I composed portraits, focusing was pin-sharp on my subject's eyes.

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When I was first being briefed on the GFX100RF, I had to ask Fujifilm if it had its numbers right when I saw an 820-shot battery life quoted – that's 2-2.5x the number of shots you'd typically expect from such a camera, so it seemed unlikely.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Fujifilm does indeed have its numbers right. Such staying power could be attributed to the camera's leaf shutter, which is a typically less power-hunger shutter than the type used in most other cameras – this is a camera that'll comfortably last all day.

I've already mentioned how the maximum f/4 aperture is, for me, the biggest drawback to the GFX100RF, and the fact that there's no optical stabilization would be a close second. I'm typically a handheld photographer, preferring not to use a tripod, and optical stabilization is a saving grace for maintaining sharp image quality, especially given such high-resolution output.

Neither is there in-body image stabilization (IBIS), which is understandable for such a camera; but no optical stabilization? That's a big miss for photographers. Should you dabble with video, there is digital stabilization, which does a decent job of smoothing out camera shake.

• Features and performance score: 4/5

Fujifilm GFX100RF: image and video quality

• 102MP sensor and 35mm f/4 lens combine for class-leading edge-to-edge clarity
• Maximum f/4 aperture will be a drawback for many users
• Fujifilm's full suite of Film Simulations; video resolution maxes out at 4K

If image resolution and edge-to-edge clarity matter most to you, there's no better camera than the Fujifilm GFX100RF. It marries a class-leading 102MP medium-format sensor with a super-sharp lens – trust me, I've pixel peeped a range of images, and detail is pin-sharp from the center of the frame right out to the very edges.

And I noted these findings while directly comparing the GFX100RF with the Leica Q3, which is an even pricier 61MP full-frame premium compact that previously set the bar for image quality.

Such quality means the GFX100RF is ideal for street and landscape photography, especially given its 28mm full-frame equivalent focal length. Furthermore, the 102MP sensor unleashes unmatched cropping potential; even if the dedicated 36mm, 50mm, and 63mm effective focal length digital crop options don't reach as far as the Leica Q3's 35mm, 50mm, 75mm and 90mm options, each option has more pixels.

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This photo utilizes the crop mode with an effective 50mm focal length to get the framing I hoped for from the position I had to take the photo from. Image size is still a huge 35MP. (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 2 of 6

Here's the full 4:3 image area of the 102MP sensor (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 3 of 6

This is the 65:24 panoramic aspect ratio, which I think works really well here (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 4 of 6

To finish my process, I opted for the Acros Film Simulation with red filter – a monochrome color profile that brings out the richness in sunny skies (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 5 of 6

The aspect ratio dial is an addictive tool. Sure, you can bring in such an effect in editing software, but doing so at the time impacts your creative process. (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 6 of 6

Back to the full 4:3 aspect ratio (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

I had a blast experimenting with different aspect ratios via the dedicated dial, too, and became hooked on the 65:24 panoramic aspect ratio, constantly seeing the world around me in panorama.

Still, the GFX100RF won't be for everyone. For me, despite its quality, the limitations of the lens' maximum f/4 aperture are a major drawback. That, and the complete lack of image stabilization for photography, both optically and sensor-based, limited the scenarios in which I could get sharp handheld images, even with the lens' subtler leaf shutter.

Furthermore, I love using a lens' maximum aperture for shallow depth of field, even with a lens as wide as this, and for that the 28mm f/1.7 lens of the Leica Q3 is the better pick.

Within its practical use-cases, however, and with the the help of Fujifilm's known and much loved Film Simulations color profiles, I've been able to create images that you'd struggle to believe were made with a compact camera.

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Fujifilm's standard color profile has a high-contrast look. I'm a bigger fan of the natural look (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 2 of 7

Despite the limited f/4 maximum aperture, it's still possible to get shallow depth of field if the focus distance is close (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 3 of 7

I was able to get properly sharp detail in this night scene using a 1/75sec shutter speed and ISO 3200 sensitivity (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 4 of 7

The GFX100RF's impressive dynamic range has kept detail in the sunkissed top left of the building here. Many other cameras would rely on a HDR mode to do the same. (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 5 of 7

The 28mm focal length is ideal for street photography (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 6 of 7

I'd rather a shallower depth of field for this portrait, but alas it's not possible with the GFX100RF (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 7 of 7

Detail is pin sharp, everywhere in the frame (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

Optically, if I was to nitpick – and I say this having made direct comparisons with the excellent Q3 – the GFX100RF is slightly prone to lens flare with the sun in the shot. In such instances it's all the more important to utilize the lens hood that comes with the camera, and keep the lens and / or protective filter clean from dust.

Chromatic aberration is well controlled, while bokeh is only okay – the GFX100RF's lens is not the one to pick for buttery smooth backdrops.

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Chromatic aberrations are essentially absent in this scene – impressive. However, bokeh is only okay (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 2 of 3

You get lovely sunstars with the GFX100RF, but it is a little prone to lens flare. (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 3 of 3

Slightly underexposed here, but tones are really nice. (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

Video specs are solid if unspectacular. Fujifilm has focused on getting 4K quality right, rather than wowing us with 8K resolution. There's 4K up to 30fps in H.265 All-Intra 4:2:2 10-bit, or Full HD up to 60fps, with bitrates up to a staggering 720Mbps.

Using such a high-quality bitrate will naturally create huge file sizes, for which you'll need to use the fastest possible UHS-II V90 SD card. It's also possible to shoot 4K in the even higher-quality ProRes format with a 1,877Mbps bitrate and up to 60fps, but only to an external SSD.

This video quality is backed up by handy video tools, such as a 4EV ND filter and digital-only image stabilization (only for video) that smooths out shake in handheld footage. So while most users will be shooting primarily photos with the GFX100RF, it's possible to shoot some lovely looking 4K video too.

• Image and video quality score: 5/5

Fujifilm GFX100RF: testing scorecard Should I buy the Fujifilm GFX100RF? Buy it if...

You want the best possible detail
The GFX100's 102MP sensor and high-quality lens render detail to a scale – and with edge-to-edge sharpness – previously unseen in a compact camera.

You like experimenting with different looks
Don't be fooled into thinking the fixed 35mm f/4 is restricting – with 102MP to play with, you can crop into images for a perceived tighter lens, and play with various aspect ratios.

You love the retro Fujifilm vibes
From its rangefinder style design to its range of Film Simulations color profiles, the GFX100RF embodies what has made Fujifilm so popular over the last decade.

Don't buy it if...

You want a bright lens
For me, the single biggest drawback is the limitations that come with the maximum f/4 aperture, specifically low-light performance and shallow depth of field potential.

You lack a steady hand
The GFX100RF is should be ideal for handheld use, except that there's no optical or sensor-based stabilization on board. For sharp images, you'll need to utilize a fast shutter speed, a very steady hand, or a tripod.

You're as interested in video as photography
It's possible to squeeze lovely video quality out of the GFX100RF, but there's no doubt that it's primarily designed for photographers.

Fujifilm GFX100RF: also consider Leica Q3

I thought compact camera quality peaked with the 60.3MP Leica Q3, but then along came the 102MP Fujifilm GFX100RF. That said, there's plenty going for the Q3, especially its gorgeous 28mm lens with a wider f/1.7 maximum aperture, and its macro focus mode. Want to know more? I've directly compared these two premium compacts in real-world tests in a GFX100RF vs Q3 article.

Read our in-depth Leica Q3

Fujifilm X100VI

The GFX100RF will be overkill for most people, and for those people its smaller cousin, the popular X100VI, could be a wiser, thriftier choice if you can stomach back-order lead times. Both are rangefinder-style cameras, with the X100VI featuring a hybrid viewfinder that can switch between optical and electronic displays, whereas the GFX100RF just has an EVF. It's 40MP APS-C sensor and 35mm f/2 lens impress too – for many scenarios you might not really notice a quality difference between the pair, and the smaller X100VI is a third of the price. For outright image quality though, the GFX100RF is unmatched.

Read our in-depth: Fujifilm X100VI

How I tested the Fujifilm GFX100RF

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)

• I had a pre-launch briefing session and hands-on time with the camera
• Fujifilm subsequently loaned me the camera for a 10-day period
• I've used the camera extensively, and made direct comparisons with the Leica Q3

My time with the GFX100RF was briefer than I would have liked, but plenty long enough for me to get a real feel for the camera and its capabilities.

Taking a deep dive into its key features, including that incredible 102MP sensor, the digital crop and aspect ratio options, and color profiles, has led me to write separate articles, as has my direct comparison with the Leica Q3, another premium fixed-lens compact.

I've also pushed the camera's performance, namely its burst shooting and video recording, and pixel-peeped the quality of the f/4 lens, analysing edge-to-edge detail and bokeh.

First reviewed April 2025

GameSir Cyclone 2: two-minute review

(Image credit: Future)

The GameSir Cyclone 2 is a wireless gamepad compatible with PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile, thanks to its various connectivity options.

Its design hardly pushes the boat out, with a near-identical form and layout to the Xbox controller. However, the translucent panels and RGB lighting at least add some vibrancy.

It’s also hard to fault the Cyclone 2 for build quality. It’s light yet solidly constructed, while the plastics are refined for the most part; however, in some areas – notably the grips – the Cyclone 2 fails to match the premium feel of some of the best PC controllers around.

The buttons, on the other hand, are engineered to a higher standard. I personally liked their mouse-click-esque actuation, which eschews the heavily damped approach of more traditional gamepads – although I’m sure there will be gamers who won’t find this as desirable. Thankfully, the sticks should prove less divisive, as I can’t imagine any who wouldn’t appreciate their smooth operation and premium feel.

One aspect of the Cyclone 2 that’s less impressive, however, is the charging dock. Unlike the excellent dock included with the GameSir Super Nova, the one here is less stable, takes up more real estate, and is too difficult when aligning the charging pins, which can easily result in the Cyclone 2 failing to charge even when seated.

GameSir Connect can be used to customize the functions and features of the Cyclone 2, with a wealth of options available – more so than I’ve seen in other gamepad software, in fact. There are multiple curve profiles and deadzone settings for the sticks and triggers, as well as plenty of rebinding options; you can even substitute motion controls for mouse and joystick inputs.

The Cyclone 2 is also impressive when it comes to performance. Those clicky buttons are certainly responsive, while the D-pad offers slightly more dampening but still provides plenty of feedback – a combination that results in accurate and easy actuation.

(Image credit: Future)

The TMR sticks also live up to their promise with their ultra-precise and smooth inputs, while the triggers offer plenty of control despite having less travel and resistance than your typical gamepad.

I didn’t experience any connectivity issues with the Cyclone 2: it linked easily to my PC, Nintendo Switch, and Android smartphone. However, switching between devices on the fly isn’t the most seamless and requires you to memorize various button combinations to achieve this.

I wasn’t able to test the battery life to its limits during my time with the Cyclone 2, but I can say that after a couple of days of varied use, it remained green. Unfortunately, I can’t be more accurate than this, as no percentage is given for battery life in Connect, which is an oversight. GameSir does claim it can last around 10 hours, though, which is on the lower end of the spectrum.

In line with GameSir’s other offerings, the Cyclone 2 is well-priced compared to some of its rivals. It costs the same as the GameSir Super Nova, which uses the technically inferior Hall effect stick technology rather than TMR, but slightly less than the GameSir Tarantula Pro, which has the latter.

GameSir Cyclone 2 review: Price and availability

• $49.99 / £49.99 / AU$79
• Available now in two colorways
• Well-priced compared to rivals

The Cyclone 2 costs $49.99 / £49.99 / AU$79 and is available now in two colorways: Phantom White and Shadow Black. The edition that includes the charging stand is only slightly more at $55.99 / £55.99 / AU$89. All editions come with a 2.4GHz USB-A dongle and a USB-A-to-C cable.

It’s the same price as the Super Nova, another gamepad from GameSir with a similar design and feature set. This uses Hall effect joystick technology, though, which isn’t considered quite as accurate or as energy efficient as TMR.

If you’re after another TMR controller, then GameSir has another offering in the form of the Tarantula Pro. This is more expensive than the Cyclone 2, but not by much, and it has more buttons to play around with. However, it adopts a layout akin to the best PS5 controllers (despite not being compatible with the console), with its symmetrical sticks and long grips, which some gamers may balk at.

GameSir Cyclone 2 review: specs

(Image credit: Future) GameSir Cyclone 2 review: design and features

• Familiar design
• Good build quality
• Many customizations available

The Cyclone 2 has a familiar look and layout, following the fashion of the best Xbox controllers (despite not being compatible with the platform), with its asymmetrical joysticks and thick body.

Two colorways are available to choose from, although I personally prefer the white option with its red and gold accents, which looks more slick than its black counterpart. Both variants feature a translucent front plate and underlying RGB strips, which add more interest to proceedings.

Build quality is impressive too, considering the price of the Cyclone 2. The light yet solid chassis feels good in the hand, as does its smooth texture. There’s some pitting on the handles to aid grip, but this doesn’t feel as luxurious as the rubberized and silicone materials used by more premium gamepads.

The buttons and sticks are all generously spaced apart yet still easy to access, and feel solid with little wobble. The sticks follow suit, and their thumb pads offer sufficient levels of grip and comfort while feeling durable at the same time.

The two back buttons are similarly well-designed, and they perfectly align with my natural finger placement. Combined with their large size and ergonomic shape, they’re more practical than other back buttons I’ve experienced.

One design drawback concerns the charging dock, which is included with certain editions. It tries to adopt a more interesting form with its splayed legs, but this makes it impractical as it takes up an unnecessary amount of space.

(Image credit: Future)

It also fails to provide a stable platform for the Cyclone 2, as it’s all too easy to knock the controller from it. What’s more, the charging pins are awkward to align, and there were numerous occasions where I’d failed to seat the pad correctly to initiate charging. The dock included with GameSir Super Nova is far superior, and I wish the same design had been used here.

It’s also a bit of a shame that the face buttons can’t be swapped around to match the platform you’re playing on, as you can with the Super Nova, since the Cyclone 2 lacks the same magnetic, removable face plate.

The Cyclone 2 can be customized using GameSir Connect, the brand’s peripheral software for PC. There are an impressive number of tweaks available here, more so than in other tools I’ve tried. You can rebind the buttons to other controller inputs, or to mouse and keyboard inputs. There’s also a macro creator, and up to three inputs can be assigned to a single button, with Continuous Trigger and Turbo modes available.

There are curve and deadzone adjustments for the triggers and sticks as well, while motion controls have plenty of parameters to tinker with, including the ability to substitute them for joystick inputs or even mouse movements. However, this latter feature failed to work with the first review unit I received, even after troubleshooting, so another test unit was issued, which thankfully did work. Hopefully, this isn’t a pervasive issue, but it’s worth mentioning given it’s a potential cause for concern.

GameSir Cyclone 2 review: performance

• Responsive inputs
• Super smooth joysticks
• Clicky buttons won’t be for everyone

In the main, the Cyclone 2 is a joy to game with. Those clicky face buttons feel very snappy and precise, although I’m sure there will be gamers out there who’ll lament the lack of dampening and prefer the more traditional feel.

The D-pad, however, provides slightly more dampening, but still retains the snappy, tactile feel that provides plenty of feedback. It’s also very easy to use, with plenty of accuracy to avoid mispresses. When playing Tekken 8, it was very conducive to the rapid succession of directions, including quarter-circle rolls, which were comfortable to perform.

What’s more, the TMR joysticks held true to their claim, as they felt smoother and more precise than their Hall effect counterparts – although the difference isn’t massive. This was a real boon when I played FPS games such as Goldeneye 64 on the Switch.

The triggers on the Cyclone 2 are quite light and have less travel than those on other controllers. However, I didn’t have any issues performing controlled movements, such as when modulating the throttle and braking while playing Art of Rally. The motion controls proved accurate as well, as I found when aiming bows in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Connecting the Cyclone 2 to various platforms was easy enough, even via Bluetooth, and was as amenable in this regard as the best Nintendo Switch controllers. Hot-swapping between platforms, however, is a little more onerous, as you have to remember various button combinations for changing modes; at least the Home button LED provides some indication on this front. It’s a shame the Cyclone 2 doesn’t include a handy flip switch on the back to toggle between 2.4GHz and Bluetooth modes, as the Super Nova does. But from a performance perspective, I found little wrong with its connectivity.

I didn’t manage to test the battery of the Cyclone 2 to exhaustion, and rather annoyingly, Connect relies on imprecise color codes rather than percentage points for life remaining.

I can say, though, that after a few days of play, the Cyclone 2 remained green, which seems reasonable. However, having reached out to GameSir, it estimated that the Cyclone 2 can last about 10 hours, which is disappointingly low compared to many other wireless controllers – and surprising given that TMR technology is supposed to be more energy efficient.

(Image credit: Future) Should I buy the GameSir Cyclone 2? Buy it if...

You want plenty of customization
I don’t think I’ve come across gamepad software that offers more customizations than Connect – just about every tweak you could want is here.

You want precise inputs
The clicky buttons and ultra-responsive TMR sticks make the Cyclone 2 a sharp and smooth gamepad.

Don't buy it if...

You want plenty of dampening
If you like soft, cushioned button presses, then the Cyclone 2 probably isn’t for you.

You want a long battery life
GameSir’s 10-hour estimate is nothing special, and many other wireless controllers can do better than this.

GameSir Cyclone 2 review: Also consider

If you're after some great alternatives to the Cyclone 2, then take a look at these recommendations:

Xbox Wireless Controller
The default for many PC and Xbox players, Microsoft’s first-party pad is simple yet capable. Its ergonomics are excellent, while its ubiquity means you can often find one for well below its original price. It doesn’t have anywhere near the same customization options as the Cyclone 2, though, and relies on traditional potentiometer stick technology.

Read our full Xbox Wireless Controller review

GameSir Tarantula Pro
If you want another TMR option, the Tarantula Pro is a great alternative to the Cyclone 2. We found its performance excellent, offering plenty of precision and feedback, while we were also impressed with its sheer number of buttons and features. It’s more expensive than the Cyclone 2, but not by that much.

Read our full GameSir Tarantula Pro review

How I tested the GameSir Cyclone 2

• Tested for several days
• Used on various platforms
• Plentiful gaming experience

I tested the Cyclone 2 for several days, during which time I used it on PC, Nintendo Switch, and Android.

I played a variety of games, including Tekken 8, Art of Rally, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and GoldenEye 64, all of which provide a thorough test for the various inputs of controllers.

I’ve been gaming for over two decades, and during that time, I’ve experienced many different gamepads across many different platforms. I’ve also reviewed a number of controllers previously, including other GameSir models.

• First reviewed April 2025
• Read more about how we test

Unboxing & first impressions Specs

(Image credit: Future)

Frame Material and Build Quality: Made with a powder-coated aluminum base, with scratch-proof nylon casters.
Dimensions: Height: 87cm, Width: 51cm, Depth: 56cm
Weight: 8.5kg
Upholstery Options and Materials: Made from a wide range of premium materials, leather, vegan leather, and mesh.
Maximum Payload: 110kg (approximately 17 stone)

Straight away, the chair’s packaging gives an idea of its quality - it is well packed, with each piece individually protected, and the parts are heavy and fit well together.

Admittedly though, this chair is difficult to assemble. Undoubtedly the chair takes two people to put together, and it isn’t an easy task. The instructions weren’t as clear as they could’ve been, and all-in-all, this took about 30 minutes for us to build. We actually managed to assemble it back-to-front at first, but we'd had a long day, so that's probably user error.

The chair is assembled in two halves, so make sure you have a fair bit of room before you start. It's a little fiddly, and there are a fair few parts that you need to keep track of - but it's worth the effort.

The quality of the seat is undeniable, the backrest is thick but breathable, and the material is cool and comfy. As you first sit down, there’s no wobbles or flimsiness, and you can definitely feel the care that has gone into the design.

Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? $499
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available only in the US - you can find the chair here

At $499, the Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro covers the middle ground between some of the most expensive chairs around, and the most premium office chairs.

It is a bit of a step up from the Ergonomic chair ($359), but comes with six more points of adjustment, and a much sturdier build - having taken on five years of customer feedback.

• Value: 4 / 5

Design & Build quality

The Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro looks simple and elegant, you wouldn’t guess it was such a hassle to assemble.

The premium quality of the parts gives the chair a durable feel and a clean appearance, with the mesh design means the chair has great airflow, and the materials give it a really cool feel - even in direct sunlight.

I'm a one of those people who can never sit still, but with all the adjustments that this chair allows, I can get comfortable however I'm sitting, even if I do then switch my position a few minutes later!

I've also got a cat who loves to sit on my lap, and I'm happy to report that the base of the chair is more than wide enough for me to comfortably cross my legs (and for anyone wondering - the material does not collect cat hair at all!).

Particularly great for me (although probably not great for my posture), is the back rest, which you can adjust to pretty much any angle - and the ergonomic support means my back hasn't hurt even after 9 hours of use - and sadly, yes, I have tested this.

The wheels are bigger than expected, but make the chair feel very stable and allow me to swivel off to the printer when I need to.

The chair also has the option for vegan leather, so is suitable for a wide range of customers.

There’s very little wobble at all in the build, except a slight shake in the arms - but the height-adjustable armrests have a nice smooth surface and padding, and are wide and secure enough to keep things like notepads, pens, or even mugs on if you're feeling risky and have your hands full.

A small piece of the back support did snap off quite soon after unboxing the chair, which looked to have been damaged in transit (see below) but overall the quality is fantastic.

(Image credit: Future) In use

The chair sits quite low, I’m 5”7 on a tall day, and the highest the chair goes isn’t as high as I would expect. I can plant my feet firmly on the floor when its at its highest, which isn’t usual in my experience.

There are a lot of options to adjust the chair, with the height, the headrest, arms rests, the recline, and also the seat position. This can make the process of adjusting slightly fiddly, since there are so many different levers. However, it’s great to have such a customizable experience.

The arms rests are a little too easy to adjust for my liking - and knocking them a little means they sometimes rotate a bit by accident. That being said, the arm rests are wide and comfortable, and can even be removed if needed.

The recline on the chair is easy to navigate, but can be a little sticky. I've definitely had a few hours stuck in an ever so slightly too relaxed position so far, but eventually managed to get it sorted.

(Image credit: Future) Final verdict

On the whole, I’ve had a great experience with this chair. I've been using it for a few months now and can say it has made my work from home days a lot more comfortable.

I've personally chosen to remove the top head rest, as it sat a little awkwardly against my neck, so if you're on the shorter side, bare that in mind. That being said, it was easy to remove, it is adjustable, and I don't find myself feeling like anything is missing.

As long as you can find a friend (or maybe two) willing to help with the set-up, it’s worth it. The chair is sturdy and fantastically comfortable, and stays cool even if you’ve been using it all day. I've moved house since I first got this chair, and must admit this was one of the most difficult things to transport thanks to its size and weight, but I did make sure to bring it with me since I enjoy it so much.

It's on the expensive side and it is a little bulky, but if you're looking to invest in a good quality chair that will last, then I recommend considering this chair as an option.

If you’re looking for a reliable chair for everyday use, the Ergonomic Chair Pro is certainly worth considering.

BenQ GP520: One minute review

The BenQ GP520 is a promising projector for those on a tight budget. At $1,499, it provides a much cheaper alternative to the Hisense C2 Ultra and JGMO N1S Pro 4K. While there are plenty of other examples of the best projectors that can compete near its price, the BenQ GP520 has a solid edge where brightness is concerned. An LED light source lets it hit a high of 2,600 ANSI Lumens, and that’s plenty to provide a pleasing image even if you don’t completely black out your viewing space.

The GP520 beams a sharp and modestly colorful 4K picture and supports HDR10+ high dynamic range. In the right viewing conditions, it can look downright great for a projector at this price, and even has solid motion handling.

BenQ rounds out the GP520 with a potent pair of speakers that will do the job when you don’t have time to sort out a better sound system, and it has integrated Google TV for streaming. The projector is small and easy to move about, making it viable as a go-anywhere all-in-one theater system. While there are plenty of ways the GP520 could be better, it’s a great option for those on a budget.

BenQ GP520 review: Price & release date

There are no optical adjustments on the GP520, which uses automatic keystone and autofocus, and even framing and obstacle avoidance, to configure its picture for new setups (Image credit: Future)

• Release date: October 2024
• Price:$1,499 / £1299 / AU$ 2,199

The BenQ GP520 is a recent entry to the market and comes in at a modest price. At $1,499, it’s a small bargain next to the BenQ W2720i, and is cheaper than the BenQ X300G and BenQ X3100i in the company’s gaming projector lineup. It doesn’t have the gaming chops of those latter projectors, but it delivers a big, bright 4K picture for the money.

BenQ GP520 review: Design & features

The GP520's included Google TV remote control (Image credit: Future)

• Compact, all-in-one design
• Multiple tripod holes for mounting
• Google TV

Like many recent mainstream home projectors, the BenQ GP520 has a simple, boxy design. With a compact, gray case and a blue accent around the lens, it looks a lot less like office equipment than other BenQ projectors. Inside, it packs an LED DLP projection system, dual 12-watt speakers, and the Google TV streaming platform. It’s a compact projector that’s easy to move and set up in new positions.

While some competitors have started including gimbal stands for angling their projectors, the GP520 has simple rubber feet that can extend to make small angle and tilt corrections. That said, the GP520 is equipped with tripod holes on the top, bottom, and rear for adaptable setups. You’ll want a rather sturdy tripod to secure this projector, though.

The GP520 will automatically configure its picture for new setups, including keystone and autofocus adjustments, and even framing and obstacle avoidance. Aside from focus, these are all digital adjustments that reduce the resolution of the 4K picture.

The BenQ GP520 runs the Google TV smart TV system, and while this provides plenty of functionality for finding and streaming content, the hardware running it isn’t so capable. After making a selection or trying to access a menu, the OS will hang up for one or several seconds. For instance, trying to access the picture settings menu from the main menu, the delay was long enough for me to be convinced the system had glitched (it didn’t).

Around back, the GP520 offers up a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports (one with eARC), a 3.5mm audio output, two USB-A ports (one for service only), and a USB-C port. That last one is special, as it not only supports 20 watts of charging power for a connected device but also serves as a DisplayPort input.

The back of the projector also features a small vent for exhausting heat, and while plenty of heat comes out of the back, the fans are not very loud. On top, it has buttons for volume, Bluetooth pairing, and power. The sides of the projector are covered in large grills that allow air to flow in and sound to come out of the speakers. While the GP520 is compact, BenQ uses a large and heavy external power brick that could get in the way of a convenient and tidy setup.

The remote included with the GP520 is basic and feels a bit cheap, but it does the job. It has the typical Google TV layout with a circular navigation dial, a microphone button for voice controls, and quick buttons for home and back. Interestingly, it includes a zoom control to quickly shrink the image down and blow it back up, and also has a dedicated button to automatically adjust keystone and focus. Thankfully, the remote has a shortcut button to change inputs, making it much quicker to jump from the somewhat slow Google TV operating system to any other input without getting bogged down in unresponsive menus.

• Design & features score: 3.5/5

BenQ GP520 review: Picture & sound quality

Black levels can look elevated on the GP520, but it manages to easily draw out detail from dark shadows in movies like Dune (Image credit: Future)

• Crisp, bright 4K picture
• Color is a bit lacking
• No gaming features

The BenQ GP520 puts on a good show, beaming a picture with 2,600 lumens of brightness. In a well-lit room, you’ll want to stick with content like cartoons and TV, but if you can draw the curtains and dim your space, the GP520 is good for movies. Enemy of the State had great visuals and solid contrast on my 100-inch screen, even with light slipping through my blinds during the day. Black levels weren’t incredibly deep, but it still looked good.

Watched in these same conditions, a 4K Blu-ray of Dune looked excellent in the GP520’s HDR10 picture mode. The picture had sharp detail, and there was also detail in dark shadows, such as fabrics and the Harkonnen armor. Occasionally, the projector exhibited judder during panning and tilting shots, but it was very subtle. There’s also an Auto HDR picture mode, but this shifts to a cooler color temperature and introduces the soap opera effect along with other odd motion artifacts.

Elevated black levels seen on the GP520 can be a little distracting when it displays letterboxed movies or larger areas of black, but contrast is nonetheless quite good. The GP520 performed well in Paul’s duel with Jamis toward the end of Dune. I’ve seen other projectors struggle greatly with this fairly dark scene, but the GP520 presented it clearly and brought out plenty of detail, including in Jamis’ face.

The GP520's Google TV smart interface (Image credit: Future)

The GP520 falls a bit short on color, though, with its LED light source only covering 81% of the DCI-P3 color space. That leaves plenty of room for improvement, but such improvement will generally come from more expensive triple laser projectors, like the JMGO N1S Pro or Hisense C2 Ultra. This won’t hold the GP520 back with some movies, such as the aforementioned Enemy of the State, but it loses a little punch with content that benefits from especially vibrant color, like Cyberpunk Edgerunners.

The speakers on the GP520 pack a punch for a system of this size. The balance is a little crisp, putting a lot into the mids and rolling off the bass. Sub-bass is absent, so you’ll miss some meat from movies, TV, and games.

While the projector can run games with a reasonably low latency, it can’t switch to 1080p display and bump up the frame rate like some of its competitors. Regardless of resolution, the refresh rate is capped at 60Hz.

• Picture and sound quality score: 3.5/5

BenQ GP520 review: Value

Connections include two HDMI 2.1 ports (one with eARC) and a USB-C port with DisplayPort support (Image credit: Future)

• Brighter than similar options
• Affordable price for a 4K projector
• All-in-one design enhances value

The BenQ GP520 may not be the best projector around, but it’s offering an excellent value. For one thing, it’s a complete package with integrated speakers and a streaming software that lets you power it up and start watching without any extra gear. It’s also offering solid performance for the money, with a picture that’s plenty bright, crisp, and with HDR10+ support. It could use a bit more color richness, a deeper black floor, and the option to increase refresh rate at lower resolutions, but for straightforward movie and TV watching, it’s quite good.

At $1,499, the BenQ GP520 sits in a proper place, steering clear of some of its more colorful triple-laser competition but offering better brightness compared to similarly priced projectors.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Should I buy the BenQ GP520?

(Image credit: Future) Buy it if...

You want a bright picture
The BenQ GP520 scores high marks for its brightness, which helps it perform better in rooms with some ambient light. View Deal

You want a solid all-in-one at a great value
The BenQ GP520 checks all the boxes. It’s a bright 4K beamer with robust stereo sound and integrated Google TV. You can find this combination in other systems, but BenQ drives a hard bargain at $1,499.View Deal

You want setup flexibility
The BenQ GP520 may not have any optical adjustments, but it does have some decent flexibility thanks to its support for multiple tripod mounting locations and its ability to flip upside down, stay upright, or even tilt vertically. View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You want a gaming projector
BenQ may be a big name in gaming, but the GP520 isn’t particularly well-suited for it. It caps out at 60Hz while some of its competitors can jump up to 120Hz or even 240Hz and deliver lower lag in the process.View Deal

You want the best picture for your money
Rivals from JGMO and Hisense may not be able to go as bright as the GP520 at the same price, but their triple-laser light sources make for absolutely stunning visuals. As long as you can control the ambient light in your viewing area, they’ll prove more impressive. View Deal

You like motion smoothing
Some devices do motion smoothing well, but the GP520 isn’t particularly adept at it. It can make panning shots and moving objects look smoother, but it introduces obvious visual artifacts into other sorts of motion. View Deal

Also consider

JMGO N1S Pro
This triple-laser projector won’t beam quite as bright, but that may not be obvious when you’re appreciating its absolutely stunning color.

Read our JMGO N1S Pro review View Deal

BenQ W2720i
At a considerable markup, the BenQ W2720i steps up the visuals with better color and more advanced optics. This also allows for better positioning control for the image without relying too much on digital adjustments. It’s a little dimmer and a lot bigger, though, so it won’t work for everyone.View Deal

Xgimi Horizon Ultra
This model combines LED and laser projection for a bright and colorful picture, plus it has a more elegant design to fit in with your decor. But it also won’t be as bright for the money.

Read our full Xgimi Horizon Ultra reviewView Deal

How I tested the BenQ GP520

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested at home in multiple, real-world viewing conditions
• Presented the display with a variety of media and formats
• I have tested numerous projectors and displays over the last half-decade

I tested the BenQ GP520 at home, in real-world conditions. This saw it faced with ambient light coming in from numerous windows, in-room lighting, as well as ambient noise that both the projector and speaker systems had to overcome. The projector was tested both against a bare, white wall and an Akia Screens CineWhite screen. It was presented with streamed content, HDR and non-HDR, and PC gameplay.

My testing evaluates the projector’s performance with respect to its price and competition from other models I and colleagues at TechRadar have tested.

I have been testing projectors since 2021 and displays for even longer.

For a more detailed explanation of how we test TVs at TechRadar, check out the link.

• First reviewed: April, 2025
• Read TechRadar's review guarantee

Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo: two-minute review Product info

This model has slightly different names and product codes in different territories:

US: Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo FA052DV
UK: Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo FA050UK

For this review, I tested the US version. There may be minor differences between different countries' models.

The Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo is a lightweight, portable fan that is outfitted with a rechargeable battery, meaning you can unplug it and take it out and about with you on warm-weather excursions. But the most exciting thing about it is that it comes with a misting function for extra cooling clout.

When you live in a state like Texas, you understand the need for a fan. They're not just indoor necessities. During the summer, my family always has a fan on the porch to cool us down – but we've never had a misting fan. As a result, I was ecstatic to test the Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo Misting Portable Fan.

Testing this compact fan was a joy, especially in April when the days grew warmer here in North Texas. The tiltable design made it easier to focus the airflow and I was thoroughly impressed by how far away I could feel the five different fan speeds and the BreezeBoost mode. While the battery life won't last you all day (far from it) and the fan can't oscillate, it's still an excellent cooling companion. I'm also a fan of the design. There's a range of cute colors (in the US only – sorry UK shoppers), and overall it's more attractive than others on the market.

I plan on using the Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo Misting Portable Fan all summer. Keep reading to see why it's the best fan I've tested this season. Or, if you want more power and are happy to sacrifice some portability to get it, check out this fan's larger sibling – read about that model in TechRadar's Shark FlexBreeze fan review.

Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo review: price & availability

• List price: $129.99 / £129.99
• Launch date: March 2025
• Available: US, Canada, UK

The Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo Misting Portable Fan launched in March 2025 and is available in the US, Canada, and the UK. It comes with a list price of $129.99 / £129.99 and can be purchased direct from Shark or via a range of third party retailers like Amazon, Walmart and Target. In the US, the fan is available in six colors (all the same price), but in the UK it's charcoal or nothing.

At that price, it's a mid-range fan. Considering it's rechargeable, portable, and has misting capabilities, I'm inclined to say that the price of the fan is decent, though not exactly amazing value. The full-sized FlexBreeze is a fair bit pricier at $199.99 / £199.99 / AU$249.99.

If you just want a basic desk fan, you'll be able to find one for much cheaper. Similarly, corded non-portable fans in that price bracket deliver far more features, including things like oscillation, a timer function and app control. However, you're paying for the convenience of it being portable here, and if that's your priority then it's a decent buy.

Also bear in mind that Shark runs regular sales, so you could well snag it for less than list price.

• Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo specs Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo review: design

• Small, lightweight fan with handle to easily transport
• Vertical tilt design up to 45 degrees
• Integrated refillable mister

The Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo Misting Portable Fan is a small tabletop fan that's less than 12 inches tall and weighs only 5lbs. It has a rechargeable battery, allowing you to unplug the fan and move it from one place to the next with the handle on the top.

Lookwise, it's an attractive modern fan that comes in six different colors. I tested the 'dove' option, a cream color that matches the lighter tones in my house. Pink, purple, and soft mint green colors could add some fun to your space. (Note, in the UK it's charcoal only.)

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future)

There is no assembly necessary with the Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo Misting Portable Fan. It comes put together, so you only need to charge it fully before the first use. The charging cord plugs into the back of the fan and then into the wall.

The fan can tilt up or down within 45 degrees, allowing you to narrow the focus of the airflow however you see fit. There are no oscillating features. In that way, it's very different from something like the Shark TurboBlade, which launched around the same time, and is designed to shoot out jets of air in any different direction.

Buttons that control the different settings can be found along the top of the fan. The power button in the center. To the left of that is a fan button that lets you cycle between fan speeds of 1-5, and a BreezeBoost mode. Green indicator lights correlating to the fan speed and boost mode sit below the buttons.

(Image credit: Future)

There is also a battery symbol next to the lights, and the color of the battery symbol indicates the amount of battery left. If it's green, the fan's battery is 70-100% charged. An amber light indicates that the battery is 30-69% charged, while a steady red light notes a 6-29% charge. When the battery light blinks red, the fan is about to die because the battery is 5% or lower.

To the right of the power button is a button with three droplets. This is the misting setting. There is a fill port at the top of the fan, right below the handle. The water mists from a port on the face of the fan, which must be opened when the mister is in use.

Sound wise, the fan emits a 46 dB rating on the lowest setting, and a 63 dB rating on the highest speed of 5. When placed on BreezeBoost, a turbo-like mode, the fan emitted a 67 dB sound rating. If none of those numbers mean anything to you, just know that the fan isn't loud or bothersome. I could barely hear it when sleeping at night and I had to go in the room where it was located to make sure it was still on (even if I was in the next room over).

• Design score: 4 out of 5

Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo review: performance

• Can feel the airflow of the fan 30 feet away when on BreezeBoost
• Two misting modes, lasting a max of 55 mins before needing a refill
• Vertical tilt is useful, but I'd love an oscillation option

There is a lot more to the Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo Misting Portable Fan than meets the eye. Though this tabletop fan is small, it packs a big punch in terms of airflow and power.

The first thing I wanted to see was how far away I could feel the airflow. When placed on BreezeBoost – the most powerful mode – I could feel the airflow 30 feet away. That's the full length of my house, so I didn't really have a way of testing if I could feel the airflow further away. When set on the lowest fan speed, I felt the airflow 17 feet away.

Depending on the layout of your house, you could likely feel the airflow between a couple of rooms. The only thing that would make this fan better would be the ability for it to oscillate horizontally or even vertically. At the moment, you can only tilt the fan up or down 45 degrees by hand to direct the airflow. This is not the biggest drawback, but something to note.

(Image credit: Future)

I tested the mister outside. I wasn't sure how much water it would create, though after testing it, I'd say you could use the mister inside for a bit and you shouldn't have a problem with damp floors.

There are two mister modes – consistent and interval. As you'd expect, the consistent mode pushes out a constant stream of mist, while the interval mode stops and starts. When the water drop flashes, that's when you know the interval mode is on.

(Image credit: Future)

The mister isn't overwhelming. In fact, you need to be about 2-4 feet from it to really feel the spray. I found that the wind typically blew it away (usually upwards) at about the four foot mark. This isn't a mister that will soak you.

The water emptied in 20 minutes when I used the consistent setting. According to Shark, the mister has a maximum misting time of up to 30 minutes per tank on any speed, but it looks like that figure is a little optimistic. On interval, the mister is meant to last up to 60 minutes on any fan speed; it lasted about 55 minutes for me.

• Performance score: 4 out of 5

Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo review: battery life

• Lasted 1hr 30 on max fan speed, and 4hrs 13 on middle mode
• Shark states up to 12 hours of use on lowest speed
• Takes 2 hrs 30 mins to charge from flat

While I could have kept the Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo Misting Portable Fan plugged in and had an infinite source of power, because it's a portable fan, I wanted to test the battery life. The fan takes 2 hours 30 mins to charge. It lasted 4 hours and 13 minutes on the 3 fan speed level, which is better than what Shark estimates (a four-hour battery life on that level) The fan also exceeded the estimated battery life of 1.5 hours on the fan speed of 5.

I set the fan on BreezeBoost, and the battery lasted 1 hour and 50 minutes. I'm inclined to believe that the battery might last longer than Shark's reported maximum cordless run time of 12 hours on fan speed 1.

In terms of battery run time, this Shark fan is about what I expected. If you took this fan to a tailgate, four hours of battery life is fairly good, as long as it's a comfortable enough temperature to keep the fan speed at 3. If you live in super-hot areas, you might want the fan to last more than 1 hour and 50 minutes when using the BreezeBoost option.

Hopefully, there's an outlet nearby to recharge the fan. I wouldn't say this portable fan is a great choice for a day at the lake, especially since the 1 or 2 speed level likely won't offer enough airflow to keep you super cool, but it's better than nothing if the wind isn't blowing. Plus, at those two speed levels, you'll get a lot more hours of use.

Performance score: 4 out of 5

• Performance score: 4 out of 5

Should you buy the Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo? Buy it if...

You want a fan you can take out and about

This fan can be used cordless, and comes with a handle for on-the-go cooling. It also looks good, and if you're in the US you can choose from a range of summery pastel color options.

You want a misting fan

Misters are great for summer days, especially when you want to sit on your porch without dying of a heat stroke. This portable fan lets you enjoy mist anywhere in your yard or house without needing an outlet nearby.

You want a powerful fan that can reach long distances.

No matter the fan speed, this fan can direct airflow long distances. On the lowest fan setting, I could feel the airflow 17 feet away – and on BreezeBoost mode, 30 feet away.

Don't buy it if...

You aren't bothered about portability

If you don't need it to be lightweight, you'd be better off with this fan's big sibling: the original FlexBreeze. It can still be used cordlessly, and unlike the HydroGo, it does oscillate.

You want to control your fan remotely

If you want to change the fan speed or turn on the mister, you're going to have to walk over to the fan and press a button. It would have been nice to at least have had a remote control, and even better if the fan settings could be adjusted within an app.

You need a portable fan with a super long battery life

Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo's battery life is decent but it's not going to last you all day at the lake, unless you're willing to use the lowest fan speeds. In fact, you only get a little over four hours on the 3-speed level and less than two hours on BreezeBoost mode.

How I tested the Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo

Testing the Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo Misting Portable Fan was easier than testing most fans due to its portable nature. I used it around my house – in my bedroom, living room, and kitchen, as well as in outdoor spaces like my backyard and on my front porch. I even packed it in my car and tested it two hours away at my parent's house. Testing occurred in April when temperatures reached the mid-80s in Texas, so it was nice to experience the misting feature on warm days.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed April 2025

Glide is a no-code platform that allows users to create web apps without writing any code. It helps non-programmers build functional and responsive apps by leveraging data from Google Sheets, Airtable, and several other data sources.

In this review, we will examine Glide’s core features, user interface, ease of use, integration and extensibility, deployment and maintenance, pricing, documentation, and its competitive landscape.

Glide: Features

Glide allows you to build apps directly from your existing data. The platforms can connect to your data from various sources, including spreadsheets like Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, Airtable, data warehouses like BigQuery, relational databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, and cloud databases like Google Cloud SQL.

If you’re starting from scratch, you can also use the platform’s own Glide Tables, or Glide Big Tables if you need an enterprise-scale database.

Best of all, you can use the platform to visually create relationships, and look up values across all your tables. And whenever your data changes in Glide, it instantly syncs directly back to your original data source.

(Image credit: Glide)

To keep your data safe, Glide lets you control who can manage, view, and edit your apps with granular permissions. You can also restrict who can access or download specific rows of data based on an email address.

Another advantage with Glide is that you don’t have to rely on external automation tools. You can instead use Glide Workflows to automate tasks, which comes in handy when you need to manage processes such as sending emails, and data updates.

You can start these workflows from app interactions, schedules, emails, and more. There’s also a Webhook workflow that kicks in when it receives data from external services, such as Stripe, or TypeForm.

The platform also keeps a track of all the workflow runs to help you review their execution, and rectify any errors. That said, you can still use external workflow builders like Zapier and Make, with Glide.

In addition to starting with existing data, you can also create an app from an AI prompt, or from its existing collection of templates. Glide has templates for common business apps including CRMs, customer portals, inventory management systems, sales dashboard, and more.

Glide also lets you roll AI capabilities like natural language processing, and computer vision into your apps. The platform, very helpfully, also has a set of AI templates that you can customize as per your requirements. The platform is also beta testing a new feature that will help you build custom components that don’t exist in Glide by prompting AI.

Glide: Interface and Ease of Use

When you first sign into Glide, it’ll ask you to create an app using an AI prompt. The platform will then build the app, and suggest ways to improve your app.

As we mentioned earlier, in addition to using the AI prompt, you can also create an app from existing data. In this case, you’ll have to point Glide to your data wherever it resides. It’ll then look through the data, and automatically create an app for you.

In either case, you’ll end up in the Layout editor that’ll help you refine, and fine tune your apps.

(Image credit: Glide)

Here, use the left sidebar to add, and manage screens to your apps, and also add components to the screens. The platform has several different kinds of screens, and each one relates to your data in a different way. There’s a Data tab on the bottom of the sidebar that you can use to quickly view the data for the currently selected screen.

In the middle of the screen you can preview, and interact with your app. You can switch between the mobile, and desktop views, and also view the screen as it would appear to different users.

On the right side of the interface, you can configure each screen and its components, tweak their appearance, and bind them to your data.

From the top of the interface, you can switch out from the Layout editor to tweak other aspects of your app. The Data tab takes you to the Data editor where you can view and edit the data. On the left, it’ll list all the imported and synced tables. From here you can modify your data, add new tables, sync external data sources, and more.

The Workflows tab brings up the Workflow editor, where you can create different types of custom Workflows. You can either create a workflow from scratch, or customize one of the six existing ones. For instance, there’s one that will intercept emails, and use AI to extract data and add them to your tables. Another will automatically respond to an email with AI.

Then there’s the Settings tab from where you can adjust your apps’ name, appearance, and other settings. When you’re done, use the Publish button in the top right corner to make your app public. All apps created with Glide are responsive, which means they look good on both desktops, and smartphones.

Glide: Integration and Extensibility

Glide not only allows you to connect to various data sources, but you can connect multiple data sources to a single Glide app. For instance, you could combine data from a PostgreSQL database with business data stored in Google Sheets.

You can also use Glide to connect your apps to all over 50 useful third-party business tools. For instance, you can get your app to interact with Asana to create, and delete tasks, and projects, or with DocuSign to sign a document, generate content with Google Gemini, and OpenAI, and a lot more.

(Image credit: Glide)

Integrations in Glide can provide different features that can be used in various ways. Depending on the integration, you may need to grant permissions or enter secrets such as an API key. The project has detailed documentation on how to add and configure each of the supported integrations.

Glide: Deployment and Maintenance

Once you’ve created an app, use the Publish button to make it live. As it is with most no-code platforms, by default, all apps are published to a Glide subdomain.

The platform will also generate a QR code that you can scan to access the app from your smartphone. All Glide apps are Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), which means your device will give you the option to install, and use it like a native app.

Once an app is published, you can move it to a custom domain, or unpublish it. By default, all apps will be available to a restricted set of users. However, you can easily make the app accessible to anyone.

(Image credit: Glide)

Also, since Glide apps are basically web-based, any changes you make to the app, or to the data in the connected data source, will automatically be reflected in the app without any manual intervention. This makes maintenance incredibly easy, and ensures that all users have access to the latest version of the app.

Glide: Pricing and Documentation

Glide has a tiered pricing model, starting with a feature-restricted Free tier. For instance, Free users can browse through the list of Free templates, but will need to upgrade to a paid plan to use them.

Paid plans start with the $60/month ($49/month billed annually) Maker plan. You can use this plan to connect your app with Google Sheets, import data from Excel, or CSV files, or use Glide’s own data sources.

The $249/month ($199/month billed annually) Business plan lets you use Airtable, and Excel as additional data sources over the Maker plan. To unlock all of the supported data sources, you’ll have to switch to the Enterprise plan, which is priced according to usage.

Also, remember that each plan also restricts the number of rows you can have in your app, and the list of available features. Furthermore, with the Maker plan you can only make your app available to users who sign in using a public email service, such as Gmail, or an education domain (.edu).

To complicate matters further, each plan has a limited number of updates. These are like credits that you consume to change, and sync data from external sources like Google Sheets, and Airtable. However, these don’t apply if you use Glide’s own data sources.

In terms of documentation, Glide has enough text and video resources to help you get started with the platform. It’ll teach you how to use the platform’s essential functions such as automations, and workflows. You can take your questions with the platform to Glide’s forum boards, though users on the paid tiers get priority support as well.

Glide: The Competition

There are lots of other no-code platforms, but Glide mainly competes with Softr, which also allows you to build apps from your existing business data.

While it originally started as an interface on top of Airtable, Softr too can now work with popular third-party databases, ranging from simple options like Google Sheets, to relational databases like PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, and more. Glide however offers its own in-house data sources.

When compared to Softr, Glide offers a more robust platform with built-in workflow capabilities, and very handy AI-powered features. But that also gives it a stepper learning curve as compared to Softr.

Then there’s Bubble. Unlike Glide, which helps create data-driven apps for internal use, Bubble is more versatile, and can help create all kinds of SaaS platforms. Also, while Glide can create PWAs, if you want to create native mobile apps, there’s Adalo, which like Bubble can be used to spin up all kinds of business apps.

Glide: Final Verdict

Glide is a good option if you’re looking to quickly build data-driven apps without much effort. The platform combines ease of use with powerful features, which help make it appealing to both beginners and experienced users.

However, Glide has a complex pricing plan, and might turn out to be a little more expensive than its peers, depending on your exact use case.

That said, it has a lot going for it in terms of its seamless integration with popular data sources, intuitive interface, visual editors, and built-in automations, and customization options. These features make Glide a must try option for anyone looking to convert their existing business data into visually appealing PWAs.

These are the best IT Automation software.

Thunkable is a popular cloud-based no-code platform that helps users build mobile apps even without having any prior coding experience. It has gained considerable attention due to its intuitive interface, powerful features, and support for both Android and iOS app development.

In this review, we’ll analyze various aspects of Thunkable, including its features, interface and ease of use, integration and extensibility, deployment and maintenance, pricing, documentation, and competition.

Thunkable: Features

Thunkable offers a wide range of features that cater to the needs of different users, from beginners to more advanced builders.

One of Thunkable's biggest strengths is its ability to build apps for both Android phones and iOS devices, and tablets, at the same time. Users can create apps that work across both platforms without needing to write platform-specific code.

Thunkable's core strength lies in its intuitive drag-and-drop interface. The platform also offers a large collection of pre-built components to cover a wide range of functionalities. Users can easily add essential user interface components like buttons, sliders, as well as media components, sensors, and more, to their apps, with a simple drag-and-drop.

(Image credit: Thunkable)

This visual approach helps make the platform highly intuitive, particularly for those with little or no coding experience. While it doesn’t offer templates as many of its peers, there are also sample apps that you can remix and customize to meet your requirements.

Another wonderful feature is Thunkable’s Scratch-inspired block-based programming system, that you can use to define your app’s logic. You create logic by dragging and connecting blocks to create event handlers, control flow, and perform actions. This makes programming easier and more accessible.

Another interesting feature is Thunkable’s ability to let you infuse Artificial Intelligence (AI) into your apps for things like image and voice recognition. The platform can also integrate with OpenAI for adding generative AI functionality to your apps.

Thunkable: Interface and Ease of Use

Thunkable's interface is clean and intuitive, which makes it fairly user-friendly and accessible to beginners. As we’ve said before, the platform's drag-and-drop system makes it easy to design and build apps without any coding knowledge.

Thunkable’s interface is broadly divided into two tabs, namely Design, and Blocks.

You use the Design tab to create the UI of your app by dragging elements like buttons, labels, switches, and such to the canvas. You can also customize each element's properties, such as color, size, and layout, to match your app's branding and requirements.

Each app can have multiple screens, and each screen has its own Design tab. This allows you to create different views or pages within your app, each with its own layout and components.

The Blocks tab is where you add the logic and functionality to the app. Again, you just drag and drop to connect code blocks to define the app's behavior, which can be everything from reacting to a button press, and handling user input, to accessing device’s sensors, and interacting with external services.

(Image credit: Thunkable)

Similarly, the other sections, particularly, Data, Assets, and Cloud Variables, help you easily manage various aspects of your app's data and resources. There’s also the Settings section where you define different details of your app, such as its name, default layout, some important Android and iOS publishing settings, and more.

Thunkable also provides a couple of mechanisms to test and preview your apps. There’s the Web Preview that you can use to test the app from within the browser itself. Then there’s the Live App that can help test your apps in your mobile phone. Any changes you make to the app are reflected instantly in the device.

Thunkable: Integration and Extensibility

Thunkable offers a wide range of integrations with popular services and tools, such as Google Maps, Stripe, Firebase, Airtable, Google Sheets, Xano, RevenueCat (for in-app purchases, and subscriptions), and more.

The platform also allows you to connect your app to any Application Programming Interface (API). You can also use it to connect to a database, or integrate with external data sources, including Google Sheets, and Airtable, to store and manage data within your app.

There’s also the Web Viewer component that allows you to display websites in your apps. More importantly though you can use this component to run HTML and JavaScript commands. This flexibility enables you to extend the platform's capabilities and customize apps beyond the platform’s built-in capabilities.

Thunkable also integrates with Figma, a popular web-based design tool that offers more design versatility. You can compose the interface for your app in Figma, and then import it into Thunkable.

Thunkable: Deployment and Maintenance

Thunkable also helps simplify the deployment and maintenance process for all mobile apps you create with the platform. Once an app is ready, you can easily publish it to the Google Play Store and Apple App Store directly from Thunkable.

Remember though, the Apple and Android app publishing processes are quite different. For instance, to publish with Apple, you first complete the process in the Thunkable publishing wizard, and the app file is sent directly to your Apple TestFlight.

On the other hand, to publish with Android, you receive an email from Thunkable with your app's Android App Bundle (AAB) file, which you download and then submit to the Google Play Store for review.

(Image credit: Thunkable)

You’ll still have to do some running around to register, and submit the app to the relevant app store. However, Thunkable provides step-by-step guidance to help you submit new apps and subsequent updates. This helps streamline the otherwise complex app submission process, especially for first timers.

Thunkable: Pricing and Documentation

Thunkable offers a tiered pricing structure, including a free tier with limited features, and paid tiers with more advanced capabilities. The free tier is suitable to explore, and experiment with the platform, while the paid tiers are necessary if you want to deploy your apps.

Premium plans are priced on a monthly or annual basis. The Builder plan costs $59/month or $37/month billed annually, and can be used to put custom branding, and publish one app each on the Apple or Google app stores.

If you want to publish multiple apps, you’ll need to switch to the Advanced plan that costs $189/month or $99/month billed annually. In addition to unlimited apps, this plan will also let you roll in in-app payments, and ads in your apps.

Thunkable provides comprehensive documentation, including text and video tutorials, to help users get started and make the most of the platform. The documentation covers everything from the basics of app creation to advanced integration, database management, and app deployment.

Thunkable also maintains an active community forum where users can share projects, ask questions, and get help from other users.

Thunkable: The Competition

Thunkable faces competition from several other no-code platforms that also cater to mobile app development, particularly Adalo, which too primarily focuses on mobile apps, and offers a similarly intuitive drag-and-drop interface.

One area where Adalo scores over Thunkable is in terms of the number of third-party integrations. Thunkable, on the other hand, is good for defining more advanced backend capabilities. This means you can build more versatile apps with Thunkable, while Adalo is easier to get started with.

However, Thunkable’s lack of templates can be an issue for first timers, though of course they can remix one of the demo apps to get a rolling start. And although both platforms don't let you publish mobile apps on the free plan, Thunkable’s free plan is more restrictive than Adalo's.

Thunkable: Final Verdict

Thunkable has everything you need to build and roll out mobile apps without coding. It’s both easy to use and offers advanced functionalities to experienced campaigners. The drag-and-drop interface, pre-built components, and the Scratch-inspired logic system makes it a good option for both beginners and intermediate users.

That said, as with any platform, there is a learning curve when it comes to more complex functionality. For example, while the drag-and-drop interface simplifies app design, integrating third-party APIs, creating, and managing complex database structures, or building advanced app logic might require a bit of time to master.

Also, while the block-based logic system is relatively easy to learn, it can make it quite cumbersome to define complex app logic, especially when working on larger projects.

We’ve looked at the best Large Language Models (LLMs) for coding

Honor 400 Lite: Two-minute review

Squint, and you could mistake the Honor 400 Lite for an iPhone 16 Pro Max. Honor is clearly enamored with Apple's whole approach to smartphones, or more likely the enduring popularity of the very best iPhones, and it's evidently not afraid to wear that admiration on its sleeve.

The prospect of a £250 phone with a Dynamic Island (or 'Magic Capsule') and Camera Control (or 'AI Camera Button') is an undeniably enticing one. Honor has executed those two elements well, delivering a budget Android phone that feels slightly different from its rivals. That's hard to achieve in a staid smartphone market.

However, in the process of seeking to offer an iPhone-style experience on the cheap, Honor appears to have taken its eye off the ball in some fundamental areas. The Honor 400 Lite doesn't perform as well as many of its peers, while its camera system feels undercooked.

Meanwhile, Honor's MagicOS feels as cluttered and unappealing as ever, emulating the basic look of iOS without achieving the same level of refinement. It's good to see a six-year update promise, though, which is among the very best in its class.

(Image credit: Future)

Solid battery life and a good 6.7-inch OLED display also help the Honor 400 Lite's cause, though its 35W charging speeds are nothing to write home about, and that sizeable notch probably won't appeal to those who watch a lot of movies and TV shows on the go.

Ultimately, the Honor 400 Lite is a budget phone designed to appeal to those who equate 'iPhone' with 'smartphone', but who lack either the resources or inclination to spend upwards of £600 on their next handset.

It'll serve such people reasonably well, but those same people should know that they won't be getting the most from their money. There are faster, more robust, and just plain better phones in the sub-£300 bracket.

Honor 400 Lite review: price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Released on April 22, 2024
• On sale in the UK and Europe for £249.99 / €269
• Only one variant (8GB RAM / 256GB storage)
• No US or Australia availability

The Honor 400 Lite was announced in April 2025 and is due to go on sale in the UK and Europe on May 22. Honor smartphones aren't sold in the US, while an Australian launch for the Honor 400 Lite is also off the cards at the time of writing.

It'll be available in just one variant in these territories: 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. This sole model will cost £249.99 / €269 (about $330 / AU$520).

At this price, the Honor 400 Lite is competing with a whole host of affordable phones, including the Samsung Galaxy A26, the Poco X7, and the Motorola Moto G75 5G. All of these rivals have superior water resistance, while the Moto G75 5G also has MIL-STD-810H durability.

Samsung's phone has wider availability and that familiar One UI software, while the Poco X7 has a clear performance edge.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Honor 400 Lite review: specs Honor 400 Lite review: design Image 1 of 3

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• Clearly iPhone-influenced design
• Magic Capsule notch supplies widgets and selfie light
• Skinny, lightweight all-plastic build
• Dedicated camera shutter button

Honor wouldn't be the first company to take a page out of Apple design playbook, but the Honor 400 Lite takes it to the next level. It looks more like an iPhone (specifically the iPhone 16 Pro Max) than pretty much any other phone I've seen.

Yes, you have the flat-edged look with the curved corners, just like the Google Pixel 9a and Samsung Galaxy S25. But the similarity runs to the smaller details, too. The camera module looks extremely similar to that of the iPhone 16 Pro, with only a triangular motif marking it out.

Flip the Honor 400 Lite onto its front, and there's an extended floating notch that looks a lot like Apple's Dynamic Island. Honor calls it the 'Magic Capsule', but it serves a similar function.

Honor's psychedelic-sounding notch facilitates tiny heads-up widgets when doing things like playing music or running a timer. Tap one of those widgets, and it'll expand slightly to a larger, width-spanning version.

(Image credit: Future)

One thing the Honor 400 Lite's Magic Capsule doesn't copy from Apple is a truly secure Face ID system, with no 3D Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensor to capture the required depth information. That's doubtless a cost issue, as the flagship Honor Magic 7 Pro does include such a feature.

Instead, the Honor 400 Lite's extended notch gives you a dedicated selfie light, though it has fairly limited utility. It'll technically allow you to record videos and take video calls in very low lighting, provided you really want to convey that mid-noughties webcam vibe.

A more consequential addition is the AI Camera Button, situated a little way below the volume and power buttons on the right-hand edge. It's another direct lift from Apple, with a similar look and somewhat unsatisfactory positioning to the iPhone 16's Camera Control.

It too serves as a dedicated camera shutter button, complete with two-stage operation for locking focus and a swipe-to-zoom facility that might actually be better than Apple's. It also serves as a two-tap camera shortcut, while a long press will bring up Google Lens, much as it brings up Visual Intelligence on an iPhone.

Hold the Honor 400 Lite in your hand, and all the iPhone comparisons flake away. This is an all-plastic affair, despite the metal-effect frame. It's well-built, with no creaks and a subtle pearlescent finish to the rear.

It's also very light, given its large 161 x 74.6mm footprint, at just 171g, while it's only 7.3mm thick.

You'll also notice the uneven bezel, which gets thicker at the corners and across the chin. That's a sure sign that we're shopping in the £250 category here, though a 93.7% screen-to-body ratio is still pretty decent for a budget phone.

• Design score: 3.5 / 5

Honor 400 Lite review: display Image 1 of 2

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• Solid 6.7-inch FHD+ OLED
• Gets nice and bright
• Only a mono speaker

Honor has equipped the 400 Lite with an accomplished 6.7-inch OLED display, with an FHD+ (1080 x 2412) resolution and a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz.

These are all specifications that we've come to expect in the £250 category, and they see the Honor 400 Lite matching the likes of the Poco X7 and the Samsung Galaxy A26.

Not many budget phones can boast a 3500-nit peak brightness, however. PWM dimming of 3840Hz, meanwhile, cuts perceptible flickering and potential eye strain.

In general use, I found this to be a really pleasant display to use, at least once I'd switched away from the ramped-up 'Vivid' color mode to the more muted and natural 'Normal'. It's big, sharp, color-accurate, and responsive, while its brightness scales evenly from very dark (great for low-light viewing) to quite bright.

It's a shame the Always On Display function doesn't meet the description, however, requiring a screen tap to activate.

Also a shame is Honor's enduring insistence on packing its affordable phone with a single downward-firing speaker. It doesn't feel like too much to ask for a solid set of stereo speakers, even at this price.

• Display score: 4 / 5

Honor 400 Lite review: cameras

(Image credit: Future)

• 108MP main camera struggles with HDR and night shots
• Poor 5MP ultra-wide
• Only 1080p/30fps video

Honor has simplified the camera setup from last year's Honor 200 Lite, with the pointless 2MP macro camera dropping out altogether.

This leaves you with what appears to be the same pair of cameras, specifically a 108MP 1/1.67" f/1.8 main sensor and a 5MP f/2.2 ultra-wide.

The main camera is a competent shooter under ideal conditions, capturing plenty of detail. It's even good enough to produce fairly convincing 2x and 3x crops in the absence of a dedicated telephoto.

There are issues with this main camera, however. It seems to struggle with HDR scenarios, either failing to lift very dark shady areas or otherwise blowing out background highlights.

I also noticed some odd processing effects, including a strange halo effect around distant birds in front of a blue sky.

(Image credit: Future)

Night shots, too, aren't very good, with poor detail and bags of noise. The lack of OIS here is quite evident.

The ultra-wide, meanwhile, is of a pretty substandard quality, lacking in detail and failing to match the tone of the main sensor.

The selfie camera has also changed since the Honor 200 Lite, dropping from a 50MP f/2.1 unit to a 16MP f/2.5. It captures adequate shots with reasonably rich colors, but again struggles with blown-out highlights.

The provision of an LED light is an interesting one. It definitely improved the clarity of my low-light selfie shots and videos when I activated it manually, but is it strictly necessary when most phones simply use a white screen for the job? I'm not so sure.

Talking of video, the main camera maxes out at a weedy 1080p at 30fps. That's a pretty poor effort when rivals such as the Galaxy A26, Moto G75 5G, and Poco X7 can all record at 4K.

• Camera score: 3 / 5

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(Image credit: Future) Honor 400 Lite review: performance

(Image credit: Future)

• MediaTek Dimensity 7025 Ultra is merely adequate
• Solid 8GB of RAM
• 256GB of storage

The Honor 400 Lite is equipped with a MediaTek Dimensity 7025 Ultra chipset, which isn't a very strong performer even within the budget phone category.

I've used a phone with this chip before in the Redmi Note 14 5G (which didn't ship in the UK), and I was left pretty unimpressed. Suffice it to say, the Honor 400 Lite did nothing to change my mind on this component.

Across CPU and GPU benchmark tests, it's outgunned by the Moto G75 5G, the Samsung Galaxy A26, and the Poco X7.

I'd like to say that this doesn't matter in practical terms, but that's not the case. There's a generally wallowy feel to everything from unlocking the phone to app startup and even basic animations.

It would be unfair to call this performance halting or stuttery, but everything seems to take a beat longer than it should. I'd be tempted to let it off the hook given the price, but the Poco X7 (to use one example) feels nice and snappy by comparison.

Indeed, while the Poco X7 is capable of running Genshin Impact quite well on Medium settings, the Honor 400 Lite needs to run it at Low or even Lowest if you're to maintain a decent frame rate.

The solitary model available in the UK gives you a solid 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which is most welcome.

• Performance score: 3 / 5

Honor 400 Lite review: software

(Image credit: Future)

• Android 15 with MagicOS 9
• Six years of OS updates and security patches

With the Honor 400 Lite, you're getting Android 15 fresh out of the box, coated in Honor's latest MagicOS 9 UI. It's not my favorite Android skin by any stretch of the imagination.

Honor evidently doesn't think much of the flowing, vibrant UI design that Google baked into the latest version of Android, preferring instead the square icons and split notification menu of Apple's iOS.

The two UIs really look uncannily alike in places, right down to the look of the Settings menu and the lock screen. The aforementioned Magic Capsule drives this familiar sensation home with its Dynamic Island-style mini-widgets.

Sadly, such an admiration for Apple's work doesn't extend to the company's no-nonsense approach to bloatware. You'll find Facebook, Booking.com, TikTok, Amazon Shopping, ReelShort, LinkedIn, and the Temu shopping app all sitting on the second home screen straight from first boot-up.

There's also a Top Apps folder with four more third-party apps. It's a little excessive, if far from unusual, on Android.

Elsewhere, there's a whopping great themed 'Essentials' folder on the main home screen containing nine of the company's own apps, and another large folder filled with AI-suggested apps that I never found remotely useful.

(Image credit: Future)

Honor also provides its own App Market, which feels completely pointless with the Google Play Store present and accounted for (Honor is no longer part of Huawei, so it isn't hampered by the same sanctions).

There's a smattering of AI features here, including some Google-affiliated ones such as Smart Vision (essentially Google Lens), Google Gemini, and Circle to Search.

Honor has implemented a feature called Magic Portal that somewhat overlaps the latter Google provision, permitting you to draw around text and images before opening up a shortcut menu for sharing the resulting snippets to other apps. It's nowhere near as smart as Circle to Search, but it can actually be quite useful in this more localized on-device application. Or it would be, if the knuckle-based input system wasn't so flaky.

Favourite Space is a folder to quickly stash these hastily scrawled-out snippets. However, given the large number of superfluous preinstalled apps, I'm not sure why there isn't a standard Favourite Space app. I encountered numerous references to it and saved several snippets before it offered to create a shortcut (in the shape of an app icon) on the home screen.

When it comes to image editing, Honor offers a reasonably effective AI Eraser for deleting unwanted objects and people. AI Outpainting is a bizarre but technically impressive feature that essentially turns your regular shots into ultra-wides, using AI to infer what might be just out of frame. It kind of works in terms of creating convincing (though not accurate) images, but I'm not sure why you'd ever want to make use of such fakery beyond a tech demo.

Perhaps the most positive aspect of Honor's software provision on the 400 Lite is the promise of six years of OS and security updates. That's right up there with the Samsung Galaxy A26 in this budget class.

• Software score: 3 / 5

Honor 400 Lite review: battery life

(Image credit: Future)

• 5,230mAh battery
• 35W wired charging
• No charger in the box

Honor has supplied a larger-than-average 5,230mAh battery with the 400 Lite, which is significantly larger than the 4,500mAh battery of the Honor 200 Lite.

It results in predictably strong stamina. I found that I was able to go through a day of moderate to heavy usage, with 4 hours 40 minutes of screen on time, and be left with 58%.

You could conceivably go through a full two days here, though more intensive applications and mixed network use will, of course, drain that battery much faster.

In an increasingly common move, there's no charger supplied in the box. Honor claims that if you buy the dedicated 35W Honor Wired SuperCharge charger, the phone can power up to 100% in 75 minutes.

In my experience, you don't necessarily need to go out of your way to secure the official brick. While a Xiaomi 120W Hypercharge brick trickled along at a glacial pace, a Samsung 65W Super Fast charger got the job done in just 72 minutes.

As charging rates go, that's not especially quick. The Poco X7, with its 45W charging support, can get its similarly sized battery up to 100% in 50 minutes. The Moto G75 5G only supports 30W charging, but that budget rival also includes wireless charging, which the Honor 400 Lite does not.

• Battery score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Honor 400 Lite? Buy it if...

You'd really like a super cheap iPhone
Honor's design and software decisions reflect an admiration for Apple's iPhone and iOS, but the package on offer here is a fraction of the price.

You want manual camera control
The Honor 400 Lite's AI Camera Button offers a handy two-stage camera shutter button, as well as a camera shortcut.

You want a big phone, but not a heavy one
The Honor 400 Lite gives you a big 6.7-inch display, but the phone itself only weighs 171g.

Don't buy it if...

You want to play lots of games
The Honor 400 Lite runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 7025 Ultra processor, which is far from the fastest in this class.

You want a crisp UI
Honor's MagicOS is pretty cluttered and charmless, and a world away from stock Android.

You take a lot of night shots
In the absence of OIS, the Honor 400 Lite is far from the best low-light shooter.

Honor 400 Lite review: also consider

The Honor 400 Lite isn't the only classy affordable phone on the market. Here are some of the better alternatives to consider.

Motorola Moto G75 5G
Motorola's tough little phone is unusually robust, performs better, and has wireless charging, though its LCD screen is inferior.

Read our full Motorola Moto G75 5G review

Poco X7
The Poco X7 leaves the Honor 400 Lite in the dust on performance, has a better camera setup, and gives you stereo sound. We haven't yet reviewed it fully, mind.

How I tested the Honor 400 Lite

• Review test period = 1 week
• Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, gaming, streaming video, music playback
• Tools used = Geekbench 6, GFXBench, 3DMark, native Android stats, Samsung 65W power adapter

First reviewed: April 2025

This review first appeared in issue 343 of PC Pro.

Businesses that don’t want to commit to long-term contracts for cloud collaboration services should check out HiDrive from web-hosting company Ionos. You can choose between four plans, and all are available on affordable monthly contracts so you can cancel them with minimum notice.

Ionos doesn’t offer free trials but you can try it out for next to nothing, with a one-year HiDrive Business contract currently costing a piffling 50p per month for five users and 1TB of cloud storage. We wanted to see everything HiDrive has to offer so we tried out the Pro plan, which costs £20 per month, starts with 2TB of cloud storage for ten users, enables support for the SMB/CIFS, FTP/SFTP, Rsync, SCP and Git protocols, and rounds it off with data backup services for users’ personal devices.

The HiDrive admin portal is simple to use, and you create new users by sending email invitations. For greater security, you can globally enable two-factor authentication (2FA) and assign admin rights to selected users, although roles aren’t supported so they will have full access to all settings.

Automatic backups can be run regularly and Ionos provides a handy app (Image credit: Future)

After creating their account, users can download the Windows or macOS desktop syncing app. This worked fine on our Windows 11 clients, and the latest version sees a redesigned interface with easier access to all features.

Users choose the cloud folders they want synchronized to their local mapped drive and how to respond when external storage devices are inserted. Along with encryption of data in flight and at rest in the HiDrive cloud servers, the Pro plan enables end-to-end encryption, although this is left in the hands of each user who can choose to apply this from the desktop app and manage their own keys.

Device backups are also controlled entirely by users. They can enable this for selected folders, schedule it to run regularly and recover data from the app or their own portal. A concern is that total cloud storage is not per user but shared among them all and, as admins have no control over device backups, they’ll need to monitor usage closely.

HiDrive doesn’t do file versioning, but all plans provide automatic backup of cloud data. Admins can run this as often as every four hours, retain data for up to a year, and users can access the backups from their portal and restore selected items to a cloud folder or download them as ZIP files.

There’s a simple web portal, and the desktop app offers user-managed backup services (Image credit: Future)

Each user has a personal repository in their portal for creating folders and uploading files to them. They can choose to share selected items in this area with anyone, including external collaborators, by emailing a web link with optional password protection, read/write privileges and expiry dates.

Sharing files between team members is handled by a “Common” area in the web portal. Only account administrators are allowed to create new folders within this and determine which users have read or read/write access, after which they become accessible in their own portal.

No Outlook or Gmail plugins are provided so all sharing and file upload requests must be sent from the user portal, with the latter limiting maximum file sizes to 2GB. HiDrive doesn’t integrate with any third-party apps, but users can load popular files such as Word documents or Excel spreadsheets from their portal and edit them in a browser without needing the relevant app installed.

Small businesses that want simple cloud file-sharing services will find Ionos HiDrive Pro ticks a lot of boxes. App integrations and collaboration tools are minimal, but it’s easy to use and, although cloud storage is shared, it’s still comparatively good value.

We also ranked the best website builders for small businesses.

This review first appeared in issue 343 of PC Pro.

Epson’s WorkForce Pro WF-C5890DWF will appeal to small workgroups with big print demands who need to keep a close eye on running costs. This versatile multifunction A4 inkjet printer can churn out mono and color pages for only 1.4p and 6.3p respectively, while a monthly duty cycle of 5,000 pages means it can take a lot of print punishment.

The WF-C5890DWF offers plenty of features, combining print, copy, scan and fax functions with USB, gigabit wired or 802.11n wireless, Wi-Fi Direct and AirPrint connectivity. The color flatbed scanner provides a 50-page automatic document feeder (ADF), there’s an 80-page multipurpose feeder at the back and the standard 250-sheet tray can be augmented with up to three 500-sheet cassettes.

Slotting into a drawer under the paper tray, Epson’s ink packs offer plenty of choices with K available in 3,000 (L), 5,000 (XL) and 10,000 (XXL) page capacities while C, Y and M come in L and XL page volumes. There’s very little difference between them for overall running costs, but note that the “Initial” packs supplied with the printer are only good for around 300 pages.

Installation is swift – Epson’s utility discovered the printer on our network, downloaded the latest software, installed a desktop status monitor, ran an automatic firmware upgrade and offered to load a wealth of free utilities. The Scan 2 desktop software includes a TWAIN driver with plenty of network scan controls, Document Capture Pro manages personal scan jobs and saves them for fast one-click access, while Epson’s iOS and Android mobile apps provide remote print and scan tools.

You can keep an eye on consumables from the printer’s web console and register it with Epson’s Connect remote print service. This assigns a customizable email address to the printer so remote users can print documents by sending them as mail attachments.

Epson provides great cloud support as well as mobile apps (Image credit: Future)

Scanning and faxing to the cloud couldn’t be easier. After adding personal Box, Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive and OneDrive accounts at the Connect portal, they’ll appear in the printer’s touchscreen menu. The panel presents more icons for copying documents and scanning them directly to computers, network folders, FTP and email servers, a local USB stick and Windows PCs using Web Services on Devices (WSD).

Performance depends on the selected resolution. A 25-page Word document printed at standard mode in precisely one minute but dropped to only 6.4ppm with the driver’s high mode selected. We also saw this with our 24-page color DTP document, which averaged 23ppm and 6.1ppm for each mode. The good news is that the standard setting is fine for text: print quality is sharp enough for general office use, with only fonts smaller than 12pt showing hints of dusting. Color quality is another winner, with graphics and photos looking sharp and detailed without any signs of banding in large single-color areas.

Using Document Capture Pro to scan a 20-page sheaf of bank statements to a PC as a searchable PDF returned speeds of 22ppm. Duplex scans take much longer, though, as the ADF has to flip each page to scan both sides, with a double-sided scan of the same test document averaging only 4.3ppm.

You won’t need a high resolution for document archiving as output quality at 200dpi is fine for these tasks, with Epson’s OCR services correctly converting every word on the statements down to 6pt fonts. The software provides plenty of scan management tools along with a good range of output formats, and each PC that has it installed appears in the printer’s touchscreen menu for quick scan selection.

Epson’s WorkForce Pro WF-C5890DWF ticks all the right boxes for busy workgroups with high print and scan demands. The starter ink packs are a bit stingy but ongoing running costs are low, it offers great output quality and packs in an impressive range of user-friendly scan services.

We've also ranked the best cloud storage for photos.

With the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 – and indeed with this year's Razr Plus and base-model Razr – Motorola emphatically wants you to judge its book by the cover. If the Razr series stood out before with its unique colors, this year’s Razr, Razr Plus, and Razr Ultra phones cry out for attention with the most unique materials I’ve ever seen on a phone lineup.

The Motorola Razr Ultra 2025, a new high-end for the Razr family that doesn’t compromise on performance, durability, or design materials, is launching on May 15, with pre-orders starting May 7. It uses materials like real wood and Italian Alcantara, a suede-like synthetic fabric, in addition to the familiar vegan leather finish that I’ve enjoyed on past Razr phones. The cheaper Motorola Razr 2025 will feature a textured nylon-like finish, as well as a more sturdy acetone, among other options.

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Is it weird that I’m starting my hands-on review of the new Motorola Razr Ultra by talking about the materials? It’s even more weird that Motorola didn’t talk about the materials to start its Razr launch event. It didn’t talk about design, or durability, or performance. It didn’t mention the new titanium hinge until the very end, and the impressive new Snapdragon 8 Elite processor was an afterthought.

The time I went to a phone launch and they forgot to launch the phones

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Motorola launched the Motorola Razr 2025 family by talking about – surprise! – AI. Cue a collective groan. Moto spent an hour slogging through AI features – similar to the features, incidentally, that Apple is getting in trouble for failing to launch. Features that let the phone gather a wealth of information about you, and what you are doing at any given moment, to remember and recite later in response to your questions.

I seriously thought Motorola had forgotten about its new phones as it paraded partners and executives on stage to talk about partnerships and executions. The executive in charge of partnerships for Pantone appeared (in a taped video) to talk about working with Motorola. Not Pantone’s color chief or creatives. The business-partners guy.

Just as my cynicism was building, Motorola marched Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas on stage, looking nervous and amateurish, to talk about the way Motorola will be integrating and offering more Perplexity features on upcoming phones. Buyers will get a few months of free service to use what our friends at Wired called “a Bullsh*t Machine,” an AI that has been proven to plagiarize journalists’ work.

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Fine, Motorola – if you’re not going to talk about your new phones until the end of the presentation, I’ll do the same. I loved last year’s Motorola Razr Plus 2024… until I got to the AI features. I found an AI image generator that created images that fell into bigoted stereotypes. It was the first image generator on a phone that allowed bigoted stereotypes of humans – a real milestone.

Further, most of the AI features Motorola promised at the Razr Plus 2024 launch never materialized. The phone was supposed to be able to listen to your calls, and even pay attention to your conversations in person, to take notes and relay answers later. Those features are still unavailable.

By the time this new Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 launches, the AI features Moto promised back in 2024 might be offered to beta software testers, at best. But that isn’t keeping Motorola from claiming that the new phone will be able to do all of the same things the old phone was never able to manage.

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

This is very sad, because Motorola may have created its best foldable phone ever – a phone that finally rivals flagship foldables from Samsung like the Galaxy Z Flip 6. Instead of focusing on the phone, though, Motorola is trumpeting Moto AI, but smartphone AI has proven to be a less-than-worthless feature so far, perhaps even doing more harm than good.

Through the end of the two-hour launch event, Motorola never said the complete name of the new device – the Motorola Razr Ultra – even one time. There was no discussion of pricing or availability until we got a fact sheet sent over email later in the day. It felt like Motorola was so excited to talk about its new partnerships with Perplexity and Swarovski, among others, that it forgot to mention the new phones.

Actually, there were new Motorola RAZR phones, and they spoke for themselves

Enough with the AI; onto the new phones! With the 2025 Motorola Razr family, Motorola leans even harder into the idea that you should absolutely judge a book by its cover. And honestly, what covers these are.

The Razr Ultra 2025 isn't just a phone; it's a statement piece, a fashion accessory that happens to make calls, take photos, and pack some serious performance under the hood.

The partnership with Pantone, which gave us past year's Peach Fuzz and Mocha Mousse, reaches new heights. Every colorway for the new Ultra feels deliberate, curated, and tied to a specific material choice that elevates the phone beyond simple plastic and Gorilla Glass.

The Motorola Razr (2025) in Spring Bud next to the Razr (2024) in Peach Fuzz (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

This year, the Razr Ultra (2025) comes in colors that include Pantone Rio Red, Scarab, Mountain Trail, and Cabaret. The Razr (2025) is available in colors that include Pantone Spring Bud, Gibraltar Sea, Parfait Pink, and Lightest Sky. While the Pantone names are evocative, the materials are the real story.

Motorola is bringing back wood! Yes, actual wood graces the Mountain Trail variant, a fantastic and welcome throwback to the days of the customizable Moto X. My biggest regret as a phone collector is that I didn't buy the Moto X phone with real teak wood. The new Motorola Razr Ultra is available with a wood back that comes from responsibly sourced wood. It's not teak, but it's totally gorgeous with the golden trim finish.

Holding the wooden Razr Ultra evokes a warmth and organic texture that's missing from the cold metals and glass dominating the market. It felt premium, unique, and surprisingly durable during my initial hands-on time. I hope it weathers nicely after a few years of use.

Then there’s the Alcantara finish, which adorns the Pantone Scarab model. This soft, suede-like material feels fantastic – grippy, luxurious, and resistant to fingerprints. It adds a tactile dimension that’s genuinely pleasant, and reminds me of driving my Porsche – the one I don’t actually own – through the countryside.

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Razr (2025) in Spring Bud (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)Image 6 of 6

Razr (2025) in Gibraltar Sea, the Nylon color (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

My only slight reservation here is the Scarab color itself; while sophisticated, it feels a bit… ominous compared to the vibrancy Moto usually brings. It’s a muted, dark greenish-grey that might appeal to those wanting subtlety, but it feels like a missed opportunity compared to the potential vibrancy Alcantara can hold. I would have liked to see a light-blue Alcantara, or a Mocha Mousse version.

The Rio Red and Cabaret options, paired with vegan leather, promise the more eye-catching hues we've come to expect. I was surprised that Motorola is offering two reddish hues on the same model, but they clearly know more about colors than I do.

Motorola is banking on design diversity, offering something that stands out in a sea of smartphone sameness. But as I noted last year with vegan leather, material choices have implications. Wood requires careful sourcing from FSC-approved (Forestry Stewardship Council) sources, and Alcantara, while luxurious, is still a synthetic material. The eco-conscious narrative is complex, and today’s economic climate is not making eco-friendly choices more profitable.

The Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) – finally a true Razr flagship phone

The Alcantara Razr Ultra on top of the FSC-certified wood Razr Ultra (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Beneath the surface, has the Ultra moniker been earned? Let's delve into the hardware, because there are significant changes inside, potentially addressing my lingering hesitations from previous generations.

The new Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 gives the Razr family a high-end option that matches the competition. Motorola used to sell one phone as the Razr Plus in the US and the Razr Ultra in the rest of the world. This year, these are distinct models.

The Razr Plus 2025 is very similar to last year’s Razr Plus 2024 and Razr 50 Ultra, but the new Razr Ultra 2025 – that’s Razr 60 Ultra for most of the world – is a whole new beast.

It’s also an expensive beast, sadly. Last year’s Motorola Razr Plus / Razr 50 Ultra cost $999.99 / £999.99 / AU$1,699, and Motorola perpetually offered a $300 discount for that phone, at least in the US, making it one of the most affordable phones you can buy, foldable or not.

The Razr Plus (2025) [left] next to a Razr Plus (2024) [right] (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

This year’s Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 starts at a whopping $1,299 / £1,099.99 (AU pricing was TBC at publication time). That’s more than a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and more than an iPhone 16 Pro Max. It’s the same price as Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra, the most feature-packed phone you can buy (that doesn’t fold in half).

Thankfully, the Moto Razr Ultra 2025 works to earn that price bump. While the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 in last year's Razr Plus was capable, it wasn't a true, top-tier flagship chip. The Razr Ultra 2025 rectifies this emphatically by incorporating the Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile platform. I’ve been very impressed by the Snapdragon 8 Elite phones I’ve tested so far this year, especially the OnePlus 13. The new chipset offers top-notch performance and superlative battery life.

The new Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 also comes with a substantial boost in memory and storage – now starting at a whopping 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage (with a 1TB option available). This phone should feel instantly faster, and I’m expecting it will be significantly more future-proof. Last year's 8GB/256GB starter configuration of the Moto Razr Plus 2024 feels almost quaint by comparison.

Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) hands-on review: Display

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Motorola also continues its winning streak on flip phone displays. The external cover display, already a standout feature, retains its vibrancy and gets a boost to a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. It remains the most usable and versatile cover screen on any flip phone, bar none.

Moto’s philosophy of allowing most Android apps to run natively on this outer screen is still its killer app, making quick interactions genuinely useful without my needing to open the phone. Enhancements for apps like Google Photos and Spotify were welcome last year, and I expect further refinements here. Sadly, the only app Motorola demonstrated on the cover display was the new Perplexity AI app.

Okay, that's a lot of bloatware on such a small screen (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Unfold the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 and you're greeted by a gorgeous 7.0-inch AMOLED panel (6.9-inches on the Razr and Razr Plus). It’s an HDR10+ certified, Dolby Vision-capable screen with a sharp 464ppi pixel density. Like the cover screen, it boasts an adaptive LTPO refresh rate up to 165Hz and pushes brightness even further to a dazzling 4500 nits peak, though we’ll have to test those claims in Future Labs before we confirm their accuracy.

Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) hands-on review: Cameras

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Now, let's talk about the Achilles' heel of foldable phones like the previous Razr Plus: the cameras. Foldables inherently struggle here due to space constraints. Last year's jump to 50MP on the Plus sounded good, but came with smaller individual pixels, relying on pixel binning. I was hopeful, but ultimately found the results good, not great. This year, the Razr Ultra seems to be taking the camera situation much more seriously, with upgrades across the board.

The main camera is still a 50MP sensor, but the specs suggest a significant improvement. It uses quad pixel-binning technology to produce 12.6MP images, but the effective pixel size resulting from this binning is now a much larger 2.0μm (up from 1.6μm effective last year, which itself was binned from 0.8μm native pixels on the sensor).

This, combined with an f/1.8 aperture, OIS, and instant all-pixel PDAF, could translate to much better low-light performance and overall image quality. Motorola is also touting Pantone Validated Color and Skin Tones. This is a new development for Pantone, so we’ll have to test the Razr cameras to see if they deliver on this promise.

Capturing a candid of Mr Mobile through the front cameras (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Instead of last year's 2x zoom on the Plus, the Ultra brings back a dedicated 50MP ultrawide camera with a 122-degree field of view. This sensor also uses quad pixel binning for 12.6MP shots with an effective 1.2μm pixel size, and it doubles as a macro camera.

While I appreciated the utility of the 2x zoom for portraits last year, a high-resolution ultra-wide often proves more versatility for landscapes, group shots, and creative perspectives. The macro capability is a nice bonus, if Motorola can match the macro performance we’re seeing from the best camera phones.

Even the front-facing (internal) camera gets a massive bump to 50MP, again using pixel-binning technology for 12.6MP images with a 1.28μm effective pixel size and an f/2.0 aperture. This is a huge step up, and promises much better selfies and video calls when the phone is open.

On paper, this camera system looks like the upgrade I was hoping to see. It genuinely seems that Motorola has invested in larger, better sensors across the board, and larger sensors are the best upgrade for a new camera.

Of course, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and extensive testing will be needed to see if the processing and software can truly leverage this hardware potential and finally make the Razr camera competitive with the best camera phones from Samsung, Google and OnePlus. My fingers are crossed.

Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) hands-on review: Battery life

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Battery life and charging get a significant boost on the new Motorola Razr Ultra – a nice turn, since this is often a compromise on thin foldables. The 2025 Razr Ultra packs a much larger 4,700mAh battery, a substantial increase from the 4,000mAh cell in the Razr Plus 2024. Alongside the efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset inside, this should make a noticeable difference to daily endurance.

When it does need topping up, charging speeds have also dramatically increased. We now get 68W wired charging (up from 45W, though the charger is sold separately) and faster 30W wireless charging (doubling last year's 15W).

There’s even 5W reverse-wireless charging to juice up earbuds or other accessories. This comprehensive power upgrade addresses a key user concern, and adds significant practical value for the new, more expensive Razr Ultra.

Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) hands-on review: Durability and design

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Perhaps most importantly, the new Razr family will be more durable than ever before. The Razr Ultra 2025 boasts an IP48 rating. The '8' signifies the same strong water resistance as before (up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes in fresh water).

The '4', however, is new to Razr, and crucial. It indicates protection against solid objects larger than 1mm. This means better defense against things like crumbs, pocket lint, or grit getting into the hinge mechanism – a common worry for foldable owners.

It's not full dust proofing (like an IP68 rating on a traditional phone), a limitation it shares with competitors like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, but it’s a welcome step towards greater peace of mind for everyday use.

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(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

All these upgrades – the bigger battery, potentially larger camera modules, improved hinge protection, premium materials like wood – come with another slight cost: weight. The Razr Ultra 2025 tips the scales at 199g. That's roughly 10g heavier than last year's Motorola Razr Plus 2024, and this new Razr Ultra is the heaviest flip phone currently on the market.

However, let's keep things in perspective. It’s still remarkably pocketable when closed, and it’s significantly lighter than many traditional flagship slabs. For context, the Motorola Razr Ultra is about an ounce (around 28g) lighter than the iPhone 16 Pro Max, despite offering a similar main display size and battery cell. In my brief handling, the extra weight wasn't bothersome, and it even added to the premium, dense feel.

Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) hands-on review: Software

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The phone runs Android 15 out of the box, and the software experience felt typically Moto – clean, fluid, with useful additions rather than heavy-handed skinning. The powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chip ensures everything flies.

Regarding AI, the conversation feels similar to last year. Google's Gemini is likely deeply integrated, benefiting from the NPU on the new chipset for faster on-device processing.

Moto's own Moto AI features, like the intriguing 'Pay Attention' recording / summarization tool previewed last year, remain something I’m waiting to see fully realized. I can keep waiting, but Moto needs to demonstrate a clear, reliable, and secure AI strategy soon.

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The hardware is now undoubtedly capable; the software execution remains the question mark, much like last year. I also sincerely hope Motorola improves its track record on major Android version updates, which lagged significantly for the 2023 models.

Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) hands-on review: Not the final verdict

The Alcantara is nice but the fake stitching really sells it (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

So, has the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 earned its 'Ultra' suffix? Based on this initial hands-on, I'd say yes. Motorola has not only doubled down on its flip-phone design leadership with exciting materials like real wood and Italian Alcantara, and refined color partnerships, but it has also decisively addressed key hardware shortcomings.

The move to a true flagship processor, the doubled RAM/storage, the significantly larger battery with faster charging, and the promising, across-the-board camera sensor upgrades represent a major leap forward. The improved IP rating adds practical durability.

The Motorola Razr (2025) in Lightest Sky (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

While I can’t deliver a final verdict until I’ve had time to test this phone with a full review – especially focusing on camera performance and real-world battery endurance – the Razr Ultra 2025 feels like the most complete, comely, and compelling Razr yet.

If the high price has you flummoxed, just wait. As we saw last year, Motorola's list prices are often just a starting point. Keep a close eye out for carrier deals, trade-in offers, and big discounts soon after launch – some patience might save you a significant chunk of change. If you’re too excited to wait, the hardware upgrades might make paying full price feel more justified, especially if those cameras finally deliver.

You might also like...

• The best Motorola phones 2025: top Edge, Razr, and G models
• Your next Android bargain? Major Motorola leak teases details of multiple 2025 phones
• Motorola’s new cheap phone offers great value for money

Red Magic 10 Air: Two-minute review

With the Red Magic 10 Air, Nubia has essentially taken last year's Red Magic 9 Pro, squeezed it into a much slimmer and less obnoxious design, and charged a lower price for the privilege of owning this newer model.

As repurposing jobs go, it's a very canny one. The Red Magic 10 Air is a highly capable gaming phone that costs less than $600 / £450, and you won't find better performance for the money.

While it runs on a chip that's no longer top of its class, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 remains an excellent runner. It'll handle the latest games extremely fluidly, which is really what matters here.

Nubia's new slimmed-down design is the best it's ever come up with, certainly within the gaming phone space, and it hasn't even had to compromise on battery life to achieve this trimmer body. With a 6,000mAh cell, the Red Magic 10 Air will last two days of normal usage quite easily.

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While the Game Space gaming UI is still there to let you manage and customize your games, Red Magic OS remains one of the busiest and cheapest-feeling UIs on the market. It's better than it's ever been, but that's really not saying much.

Another continued weak point is the phone's photographic provision. This twin 50MP camera setup will get you adequate pictures in most scenarios, but you can do better even for this sort of money.

Meanwhile, the phone's in-display selfie camera may be good for media content, but it makes for truly terrible selfies.

Ultimately, if you're shopping for a gaming-capable phone for less than £500, the Red Magic 10 Air is one of your best bets – especially if you want a phone that doesn't stretch the lining of your pockets.

We'd still like to see further refinement to the hardware and particularly the software, but the Red Magic 10 Air successfully carves out a new niche, even if we're not 100% sure there's a market for it. Until the day that Asus decides to create a mid-range ROG phone (if that day ever comes), this is the most unassuming gaming phone on the market.

Red Magic 10 Air review: price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• From £439 / $579
• Launched on April 23, 2025
• Flare model expected in June 2025
• Not available in Australia

The Red Magic 10 Air is on sale now, having commenced open sales on April 23, 2025. The Flare model, with its fetching orange finish, is expected to go on sale a little later, in June 2025.

Pricing starts at $579 / £439 for the Twilight and Hailstone models with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. You can bump that spec up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage (as reviewed here) in all three finishes for $699 / £559.

As always with Red Magic devices, this is a hugely competitive price for the level of performance being supplied. The Air might not be as capable as the Red Magic 10 Pro, but it's also $70 / £140 cheaper than that phone's launch price.

At $579 / £439, it undercuts the Poco F7 Pro – another mid-range performance-focused phone with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip – by £60.

The Red Magic 10 Air is not available in Australia at the time of writing.

• Value score: 4.5 / 5

Red Magic 10 Air review: specs Red Magic 10 Air review: design

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• Much slimmer, lighter, and more subtle than Pro
• 520Hz capacitive shoulder trigger buttons
• Only IP54 rated
• Customizable Magic Key

The Red Magic 10 Air is by far the best-looking gaming phone Nubia has ever made, as well as the easiest to live with.

Nubia has significantly stripped back the garish gamer aesthetic, providing a mostly clean etched glass back with only subtle Red Magic branding. Even the RGB lighting has been stripped right back, with just a small ring light positioned above the two rear cameras in its own housing.

My test model is in the Hailstone shade, which is a pleasingly shimmery white. You can also specify it in Twilight (black), while a Flare variant is coming in June for those with a yearning for something more eye-catching. The latter offers a bold orange finish with a black frame, together with a transparent-effect strip running the length of the rear panel.

That 'Air' name needs to be taken in context. A thickness of 7.85mm and a weight of 205g both sound pretty normal for a regular phone, but they work out to be extremely compact for a gaming phone.

(Image credit: Future)

Nubia has still managed to equip its latest phone with a large battery, a meaty vapor chamber cooling system, and a handful of extra controls positioned around its aluminum frame – all requirements of the gaming phone format.

Those controls include a pair of 520Hz capacitive shoulder buttons, which can be mapped to gaming controls. This makes competitive shooters such as Warzone Mobile and the new Delta Force, in particular, much more intuitive to play.

The most interesting design tweak, aside from that slimmer body, is the move from a physical hardware switch for entering Nubia's Gamespace UI to a more generic button. Yes, it lacks the tactile clunk of the original, but it gains versatility by being remappable.

While it defaults to the Gamespace UI for launching and managing games, it can be reassigned to a camera shortcut, a mute/silent button, or for turning on the torch.

Like the Red Magic 10 Pro, the Air is only rated to an IP54 level of dust and water resistance. This is well short of the Poco X7 Pro and its flagship-level IP68 rating.

One other signature Red Magic feature is the lack of a visible notch, which means that video and gaming content is completely unobstructed.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Red Magic 10 Air review: display

(Image credit: Future)

• 6.8-inch AMOLED
• 2,480 x 1,116 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate
• 1600-nit peak brightness

Glancing at the specifications of the Red Magic 10 Air's display, it instantly becomes clear what Nubia has done here. It's essentially using the screen from last year's Red Magic 9 Pro.

While that means it's not quite as big, sharp, bright, or responsive as the Red Magic 10 Pro, it still makes for an excellent media canvas.

This is a 6.8-inch 120Hz AMOLED with a 2,480 x 1,116 resolution (aka 1.5K). No, you don't get the Red Magic 10 Pro's 144Hz refresh rate, but you could count on one hand the number of consequential games that really make use of this spec. The new Delta Force shooter is the most recent and notable example, but it's a rarity.

It's more of a shame to lose the 10 Pro's bolstered brightness, though a 1,600-nit peak still proves plenty bright enough in all but the sunniest of conditions.

Colors look vibrant yet natural, at least once you switch away from the default 'Colorful' setting to the better-balanced 'Standard' one. It's a thoroughly pleasant display to use day-to-day, as well as for gaming.

On the audio front, two stereo speakers provide nice spacious sound with a reasonable level of depth – for a mid-range phone, at least – and DTS-X Ultra certification.

• Display score: 4 / 5

Red Magic 10 Air review: cameras

(Image credit: Future)

• 50MP main with OIS
• 50MP ultra-wide
• Improved 16MP selfie camera
• Up to 8K/30fps video

On the Red Magic 10 Air, Red Magic has stuck with broadly the same camera system as the Red Magic 10 Pro, with one very minor tweak.

The main camera here is a 50MP 1/1.5" OmniVision OV50E with OIS and a 7P lens. The other camera is a 50MP 1/2.88" OmniVision OV50D ultra-wide. There's no dedicated macro camera this time, which is of absolutely no consequence.

These cameras have been present in the past few Pro generations, and they've never impressed. They fall at the lower end of the mid-range camera quality scale, with occasional blown-out highlights in scenarios that call for HDR mode, and unnaturally vibrant colors in general.

Fed with the right amount of light, you can capture solid shots with decent detail. Those punched-up colors ensure that none of your shots will look boring or washed out, and human subjects look quite nice and defined. Portrait mode, too, is reasonably effective at accentuating the subject even without proper depth mapping.

Zoomed shots crop in on the main sensor, and remain serviceable at 2x, but turn to an increasingly noisy mess at 5x and 10x. Night shots, however, look quite crisp and clear, courtesy of a decent-sized sensor and OIS.

The ultra-wide shows a drop-off in detail and depth, as you'd expect from a significantly smaller sensor, but it's not terrible. The tone is broadly consistent with that main camera, which is always welcome.

You also get the same 16MP front camera this time, with the same ruinous in-display configuration. This makes for some of the worst selfie shots you're likely to see in a 2025 phone of any price.

The video recording provision is pretty decent for a mid-range phone, utilizing the Red Magic 10 Air's flagship chip to support 8K/30fps or 4K/60fps.

• Camera score: 3.5 / 5

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(Image credit: Future) Red Magic 10 Air review: performance Image 1 of 2

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• Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip is an oldie but a goodie
• 6,100mm² vapor chamber cooling
• 12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM
• 256GB or 512GB UFS 4.0 storage

The 'Red Magic 9 Pro on a diet' vibes continue with the Red Magic Air 10's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. This was the chip of choice for the 2024 Android flagship crowd.

It's since been superseded by the brilliant Snapdragon 8 Elite, as seen in the Red Magic 10 Pro, but that doesn't mean this older chip is obsolete. It remains a very strong runner, and one that continues to be competitive in 2025, especially with either 12 or 16GB of RAM to help it out, as there is here.

In CPU benchmark terms, the Red Magic 10 Air comfortably beats the Pixel 9 Pro XL with its Tensor G4, which is one of the top flagship phones at the moment. I encountered the usual GFX Bench quirk that Nubia phones exhibit, where the GPU frame rate results seem less impressive than they are, but rest assured that this thing flies on practical graphical tasks.

Crucially, it's capable of running the most advanced games on high settings and fluid frame rates. It's a known fact that mobile game development hasn't kept pace with mobile chip technology, which means that the likes of GRID Legends, Genshin Impact, and Warzone Mobile run beautifully on last year's top chip.

It also runs relatively cool. While the Red Magic 10 Air loses the active fan cooling of the Pro series, a 6,100 mm² vapor chamber keeps things from getting too toasty.

A stability score of 89.8% in the demanding 3DMark Solar Bay Stress Test brings the Red Magic 10 Air out ahead of most 2025 flagship phones, if well short of the Red Magic 10 Pro and Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro. This tells you that the phone will broadly maintain its performance over slightly longer gaming sessions.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Red Magic 10 Air review: software

(Image credit: Future)

• Red Magic OS 10 on Android 15
• Busy but fluid and customizable UI
• Dedicated Game Space gaming UI

Nubia has stuck with the same software as on the Red Magic 10 Pro, which means you get Red Magic OS 10 sat atop Android 15.

It's never been an especially appealing interface, with little artistry or subtlety to the icons, menus, and wallpapers. However, Nubia has cleaned up its act significantly over the past few years, and the Red Magic 10 Air offers Red Magic OS at its least obnoxious.

There are no longer any ugly widgets on the home screen when you first boot the phone up. I didn't spot too many typos or glitches, either.

Most of the apps you'll see first are from Google, with the exception of Nubia's own pointless web browser. The second home screen is where all the bloatware lives, including uninvited downloads of TikTok, Facebook, MoboReels (third-rate video clips), MoboReader (a third-rate ebook reader), Booking.com, WPS Office, and Goper (where you can manage all your Nubia devices).

If MoboReader and MoboReels feel somewhat low-rent, wait until you've seen what lives to the left of the home screen in place of Google Feed. Nubia has supplied a bunch of dubious 'Recommended apps', some even worse recommended games, and a bunch of assorted news stories. It all feels very cheap.

(Image credit: Future)

With all that said, Red Magic OS 10 is customizable and functional, and it scrolls along at a fair old lick.

Nubia's Game Space game management UI has always been a highlight, insomuch as it caters well to the target demographic. Press that red button, and you'll be taken into a landscape UI that lets you launch games, tweak the phone's performance output, play with screen sensitivity, and manage in-game plug-ins. Think enhanced zoom and sound equalizers in shooters.

AI implementation is pretty minimal compared to many other contemporary phones, despite that meaty AI-ready chip. You get real-time voice translation, Google's usual Magic Editor, Gemini preinstalled, and that's about it. Suffice to say, this isn't the phone to go with if you're excited by the cutting edge of mobile AI.

The Red Magic 10 Air is set to receive three years of Android version updates and three years of security updates. That's an advance on the flagship Red Magic 10 Pro's one Android version and three years of security updates, though it's still not among the best on the market, even at this price.

• Software score: 3 / 5

Red Magic 10 Air review: battery life

(Image credit: Future)

• 6,000mAh battery
• Two days of regular usage
• 100W wired charging (international version)

Given that Nubia has slimmed the Red Magic 10 Air down significantly compared to the Pro line, you'd expect something to give on the battery capacity front.

Something has indeed given, but only relatively speaking. Out goes the mammoth 7,050mAh battery of the Red Magic 10 Pro; in comes a still-huge 6,000mAh cell.

In general use, I found that this sizeable battery was quite comfortably capable of lasting through two days of moderate usage. A day with 3 hours and 15 minutes of screen-on time left me with 62%.

The international version of the Red Magic 10 Air comes with a 100W charger, but the model I was sent only had the 80W charger that comes with the Chinese model. I say 'only', but it was still able to get from empty to 100% in a creditable 51 minutes.

As with the rest of the Red Magic range, there's no wireless charging provision here. That's even more forgivable at this lower price, though.

It's a shame there's no second USB-C port, as with the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro. I found gaming while charging quite tricky, as reaching the right-hand shoulder button proved particularly awkward.

• Battery score: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the Red Magic 10 Air? Buy it if...

You like to game, but don't want to fill your pocket
The Red Magic 10 Air isn't exactly a small phone, but it isn't as obnoxiously big as other gaming phones.

You don't have more than $600 / £450 to spend on your gaming phone
Red Magic phones are always great value, but the Air comes in at less than $600 / £450. It's a gaming phone bargain.

You hate notches
Nubia uses an in-display notch for its phones, which means it doesn't get in the way of video and gaming content.

Don't buy it if...

You take a lot of selfies
Selfies on the 10 Air are bad – really, really bad – thanks to that in-display notch.

You appreciate a clean UI
Red Magic OS is busy and ugly, and a world away from Google's stock Android.

You're a hardcore mobile gamer
The 10 Air is undeniably a gaming phone, but if you're someone who spends hours playing mobile games every day, the Red Magic 10 Pro or the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro will serve you better.

Red Magic 10 Air review: also consider

The Red Magic 10 Air isn't the only gaming-ready mid-range smartphone on the market. Here are some of the alternatives to consider.

Xiaomi Poco F7 Pro
Perhaps the closest competitor to the Red Magic 10 Air, Xiaomi's budget performance champ runs the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, the same-sized 6,000mAh battery, and costs only a little more money. It also packs an even better screen and a way better selfie cam.

Read our full Xiaomi Poco X7 Pro review

Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro
Shop around and you'll still be able to find the Red Magic 9 Pro or the Red Magic 9S Pro selling brand new, probably for a decent price. These phones have the same screen and processor as the Red Magic 10 Air, but a slightly larger battery and superior cooling.

Read our full Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro review

How I tested the Red Magic 10 Air

• Review test period = 1 week
• Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, gaming, streaming video, music playback
• Tools used = Geekbench 6, GFXBench, 3DMark, native Android stats, Red Magic 80W power adapter

First reviewed: April 2025