Technology

I’ve been a tech journalist and reviewer for about eight years, and in that time I’ve had most Apple Watch models on my wrist at one point or another. I’ve always loved how Apple’s wearable looks, and how it’s an extension of the iPhone in all the ways that matter, making it easy to triage notifications, check the weather, control music, and more.

It’s also been an ideal fitness companion since I began using one with the Series 0 back in 2015, but while my current Apple Watch Series 11 is a fantastic device, I’ve been testing alternatives — and there’s one thing many of them do that Apple Watch doesn’t… until now.

Apple Watch is finally getting the feature I’d buy a Fitbit for

In case you missed it, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 will introduce a new ‘Readiness’ feature to watchOS.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because Google and Fitbit, Garmin, Whoop and others have been offering a similar feature for years. Google’s Daily Readiness Score acts as a sort of fulcrum between all captured metrics, including heart rate, sleep, exercise, rest, and much more. It takes all of those data points and turns them into a single, easy-to-parse number that shows how prepared your body is for the day ahead.

The idea is that if you’ve had a rough night of sleep, have had a lot of stress, or just haven’t been moving much, you’ll get a lower score, which suggests you’ll probably want to take it easy.

On the flip side, if you’re well-rested and have been smashing your workouts with energy to spare, you’ll get a higher score to help push you to keep it up.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been begging, on this very site and elsewhere, for Apple Watch to take a leaf out of Fitbit’s book. The best Apple Watches excel at making fitness tracking easy and accessible to all, and this felt like the biggest missing piece of the puzzle after years of very welcome improvements.

How does it work?

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple went to great lengths to highlight that the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 offer the most accurate heart rate sensing in a wearable (which presumably includes the best smart rings, too). A big part of this is a revamp to the underlying sensor technology that Apple Watch uses, with the new hardware checking for heart rate readings 60 times more frequently than last year’s models, as well as 24 times as many HRV readings at night.

Because there’s a lot more data to work with, Apple’s algorithms and the S11 chip are able to more accurately determine your readiness score. It also ties into the Vitals app, which arrived with watchOS11, to allow you to more easily spot patterns and trends in health data, and understand how your body is responding to exercise and daily life.

So, will I put my money where my mouth is? It’s hard to say. I moved from the original Apple Watch Ultra to an Apple Watch Series 11 last year, and absolutely love my current wearable. That makes it hard to justify the upgrade, as much as I’ve been banging the drum for this feature for almost a decade. Maybe next year…

• RAND report claims the civilian space contractor workforce in the US can not support rebuilding lost satellites within 12 to 24 months of a war with either Russia or China
• The benchmark timeline is based on RAND's own assumptions and calculations surrounding a protracted war with either regional superpower
• The report highlights labor gaps that are as dire as 19:1 in certain cases when it comes to engineering replacements

A new report has warned the United States might struggle to replace satellites lost in a space war because it lacks the requisite workers.

The report, "Breaking Glass, Missing Hands", was sponsored by the Vice Chief of Space Operations and conducted by RAND Project AIR FORCE, the Department of the Air Force's own federally funded research center, as part of a fiscal 2024 project titled "In Emergency, Break Glass."

It does not, however, focus on the Department of the Air Force's internal workforce or Space Force civilian employees; instead, it highlights shortfalls in the civilian sector.

An overly ambitious reconstruction timeline?

RAND's report identifies shortfalls in three groups: engineers with bachelor's degrees or higher, skilled touch labor (technicians and assemblers), and advanced-degree specialists in electro-optical sensing and radiation hardening.

None of these are easy to replace or replicate in a short period, but one must consider that the 12- to 24-month target is one RAND has self-assessed in an industry that can take as much as a decade to replace satellites on average.

RAND notes that no such formal requirement exists, adding that the creation of the Space Force in 2019 could be read as a tacit acknowledgment of near-term dependence on space.

The people the report is most worried about, interestingly, are cleanroom technicians, welders, and solderers, not scientists, because of the labor shortages in play that already come to roughly nineteen jobs for one qualified individual.

This is further exacerbated by RAND essentially trying to set a somewhat aggressive standard that the Pentagon has yet to define formally. It also cited security clearance delays as a hiring bottleneck, with initial Secret investigations averaging more than 87 days in fiscal 2024 and Top Secret cases running close to six months.

Interestingly, RAND notes that in a conflict where the adversary can destroy systems faster than the United States can launch replacements, building exact replicas with known vulnerabilities may accomplish little, especially in a protracted war.

It also offers a startlingly small remedy for what it paints as a significant problem: RAND's recommendations cost an estimated $4 million a year for scholarships and internships, $1 million a year for outreach and recruitment, and a one-off $800,000 feasibility study on retraining workers from adjacent industries.

This is a minuscule amount compared to the roughly $32 billion the US Space Force is expected to have in play for Fiscal 2027, clocking in at just 0.016 percent of that figure, and 0.003 percent of the $185 billion earmarked for the Golden Dome project.

A war might not be required to exacerbate the issue, however; the White House's space transportation policy released in August targets more than 1,000 launches and reentries by 2030, up from roughly 200 a year today. A wartime surge without the requisite employees in training or in reserve could only further complicate those goals.

• RAND report claims the civilian space contractor workforce in the US can not support rebuilding lost satellites within 12 to 24 months of a war with either Russia or China
• The benchmark timeline is based on RAND's own assumptions and calculations surrounding a protracted war with either regional superpower
• The report highlights labor gaps that are as dire as 19:1 in certain cases when it comes to engineering replacements

A new report has warned the United States might struggle to replace satellites lost in a space war because it lacks the requisite workers.

The report, "Breaking Glass, Missing Hands", was sponsored by the Vice Chief of Space Operations and conducted by RAND Project AIR FORCE, the Department of the Air Force's own federally funded research center, as part of a fiscal 2024 project titled "In Emergency, Break Glass."

It does not, however, focus on the Department of the Air Force's internal workforce or Space Force civilian employees; instead, it highlights shortfalls in the civilian sector.

An overly ambitious reconstruction timeline?

RAND's report identifies shortfalls in three groups: engineers with bachelor's degrees or higher, skilled touch labor (technicians and assemblers), and advanced-degree specialists in electro-optical sensing and radiation hardening.

None of these are easy to replace or replicate in a short period, but one must consider that the 12- to 24-month target is one RAND has self-assessed in an industry that can take as much as a decade to replace satellites on average.

RAND notes that no such formal requirement exists, adding that the creation of the Space Force in 2019 could be read as a tacit acknowledgment of near-term dependence on space.

The people the report is most worried about, interestingly, are cleanroom technicians, welders, and solderers, not scientists, because of the labor shortages in play that already come to roughly nineteen jobs for one qualified individual.

This is further exacerbated by RAND essentially trying to set a somewhat aggressive standard that the Pentagon has yet to define formally. It also cited security clearance delays as a hiring bottleneck, with initial Secret investigations averaging more than 87 days in fiscal 2024 and Top Secret cases running close to six months.

Interestingly, RAND notes that in a conflict where the adversary can destroy systems faster than the United States can launch replacements, building exact replicas with known vulnerabilities may accomplish little, especially in a protracted war.

It also offers a startlingly small remedy for what it paints as a significant problem: RAND's recommendations cost an estimated $4 million a year for scholarships and internships, $1 million a year for outreach and recruitment, and a one-off $800,000 feasibility study on retraining workers from adjacent industries.

This is a minuscule amount compared to the roughly $32 billion the US Space Force is expected to have in play for Fiscal 2027, clocking in at just 0.016 percent of that figure, and 0.003 percent of the $185 billion earmarked for the Golden Dome project.

A war might not be required to exacerbate the issue, however; the White House's space transportation policy released in August targets more than 1,000 launches and reentries by 2030, up from roughly 200 a year today. A wartime surge without the requisite employees in training or in reserve could only further complicate those goals.

Valerion VisionMaster Max: One-minute review

The Valerion VisionMaster Max is an interesting amalgamation. While it sits in the footprint that has become popular with many home theater projectors aimed at the masses, it brings high-end capabilities found in far fewer models. This makes it a powerhouse in the space with flexible optics, making it easy to get a pristine 4K picture in the position and at the size you want.

With its RGB laser light source, the VisionMaster Max offers bright and stunningly colorful visuals. But more impressive than that is its ability to deliver them alongside a deep black floor — something a lot of projectors struggle with. Of the compact projectors I’ve tested, the VisionMaster has come closer than any to rivaling the Sony Bravia Projector 7’s black levels, which were virtually perfect in a dark home theater.

This sets the VisionMaster Max up nicely for success. Combining its display prowess with a solid streaming platform in Google TV and plenty of connections for additional home theater gear make it all that much stronger, helping it stand alongside many of the best projectors.

What holds it back is the same thing that hinders many high-end theater devices: its price. At $4,999 / £4,349 / AU$5,999, it’s a lofty option next to rivals like the Hisense C2 Ultra and Xgimi Horizon 20 Max, both of which undercut it by thousands. Its black level may be hard to touch, but these other models are otherwise very competitive.

With the VisionMaster Max at full price, I’d direct most people to Xgimi. But if there’s ever a sizable discount on it and some bonus bundled items (like the Thunderbeat 4.1.2 wireless sound system), it could be worth your while, especially if you like a deep, dark cinema environment.

Valerion VisionMaster Max review: Price and release date

• Release date: October 2025
• Price: $4,999 / £4,349 / AU$5,999 

The Valerion VisionMaster Max first got teased well before its arrival at IFA 2024 and became part of a crowdfunding campaign shortly after. It was over a year after the announcement before it actually landed.

Now that it’s here, it comes with a $4,999 / £4,349 / AU$5,999 price tag. That puts it into competition with basically every projector we’ve tested. In the time between announcement and launch, the projector space has heated up considerably, and there are some new models on the horizon that could also make its high-end specs look a little more commonplace.

Though the price is on the high side, at the time of writing, Valerion is offering the VisionMaster Max with some extra accessories included that add considerably to the value. These include projector screens, a Thunderbeat 4.1.2 wireless sound system, and an external lens that can increase the projector’s throw distance. We’ve also spotted a slightly discounted price from some third-party retailers.

(Image credit: Future)Valerion VisionMaster Max review: Specs

Screen sizes supported

40 to 300 inches

Brightness (specified)

3,500 Lumens

Optical technology

3 Laser DLP

Smart TV

Google TV

Connections

2x USB-A, 1x 3.5mm audio out, 1x S/PDIF, 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x HDMI 2.0 (eARC), 1x Gigabit Ethernet

Dimensions

7.3 x 10.2 x 9.2 inches / 185.4 x 259.1 x 233.9mm

Weight

15.4 pounds / 6.99kg

Valerion VisionMaster Max review: Design & features

• Wide range of optical adjustments alongside effective automatic adjustments
• Full-featured system with broad support for different formats
• Stylish design

All of Valerion’s projectors share a near identical DNA, so it’s unsurprising to see that the VisionMaster Max has only subtle differences compared to the VisionMaster Pro 2 I tested earlier this year.

The VisionMaster Max is a compact projector measuring only a little over 10 inches in its biggest dimension. It packs all of its hardware into an elegant box with a glossy front and metallic ribs that wrap around the top and sides of the projector. It even has a cover to hide all the ports in the back when not in use for that extra touch of elegance.

The rear includes a good selection of ports with two high-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports and an HDMI 2.0 port that can handle eARC audio transmission. A 3.5mm jack and S/PDIF port can also handle audio output, giving you plenty of options. There are also two USB-A ports (one with USB 3.0 speeds) for powering accessories or connecting local media. A Gigabit ethernet port rounds out the selection here, offering fast networking speeds, though the Wi-Fi 6E can also provide plenty of bandwidth for streaming wirelessly.

(Image credit: Future)

The front of the VisionMaster Max is where we see the most difference. It has a large, unobstructed glass cover for its projection lenses. This ties into the extra optical adjustments it allows. The lens supports both motorized zoom, letting it shift from a 0.9:1 to a 1.5:1 throw ratio, and offers a +/- 105% vertical lens shift, helping ensure a perfectly fitted image from more location. The projector even has a system for attaching an external lens that lets it shift out as far as a 2.0:1 throw ratio.

The base of the projector includes three legs for adjusting its angle and tilt, though it also has mounting screw points to let you set it up with ceiling mounts or tripods. Valerion has a metal gimbal stand that works as well, giving it similar flexibility to projectors like the Hisense C2 Ultra or JMGO N1S Ultimate.

You get a fully integrated system with the VisionMaster Max. It includes Google TV and a 24W stereo sound system. The Google TV platform is also run on a quicker processor than most projectors offer, making it far more responsive to use.

Beyond the basics, the VisionMaster Max proves fairly feature-rich. It supports automatic image adjustments to make setup quick. The automatic adjustments can handle optical zoom, keystone, focus, and screen fit, and it proved quite adept in my testing, even when the original projection was all over the place (though manual, optical adjustments can still help ensure you're getting the best picture quality by avoiding digital cropping).

The projector supports high-quality formats and can display HDR10+ and Dolby Vision content, and it can pass through DTS:X and Dolby Atmos audio. It supports 24 and 48 fps content as well as a variety of 3D formats. It also is geared up for gaming with low-latency 4K/60Hz support as well as 1080p/120Hz and 1080p/240Hz modes for even faster response.

(Image credit: Future)

One downside of Valerion’s design for the VisionMaster Max is that it packs far brighter projection into the same footprint as its dimmer siblings. That means it has to work harder at cooling. At full brightness, its fans are constantly running. While they’re not obnoxiously loud or shrill, especially in a large room, they’re still adding a bit of noise.

The VisionMaster Max’s remote is a good one, but could have done more to make more of its features quickly accessible. It provides basic Google TV navigation as well as a quick toggle for autofocus and input selection. At the bottom of the remote, it has four pairs of buttons that include four streaming app shortcuts, volume controls, a mute button, and a menu button.

Unfortunately, these aren’t arranged in a way where you can simply feel out the button you want to press in the dark. Though the remote does light up some of its controls for visibility in the dark, it only illuminates a few of the basic navigation ones, not the full legend.

(Image credit: Future)

• Design & features score: 4.5/5

Valerion VisionMaster Max review: Picture quality & performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Stunning color alongside serious brightness and impressive black levels
• Sharp 4K picture and faster 1080p option

With a $4,999 / £4,349 / AU$5,999 price tag and plenty of new projectors hitting the market with brightness to rival it, the VisionMaster Max had a high bar to clear. Fortunately, it is absolutely brilliant. It provides its 4K projection with solid edge-to-edge clarity.

I’ve seen RGB-laser projection systems one after another, and they always impress with their extremely wide color gamut. The VisionMaster Max brings that capability alongside high enough brightness levels to use in all sorts of settings.

For casual viewing, I often found the VisionMaster Max’s 3,500 ISO Lumens (a specification which bore out in testing) plenty for all sorts of content without needing to close the blinds or even turn off my living room lights. More often, I found I would dim the projector or adjust its iris to lower the brightness when viewing in a dark room.

(Image credit: Future)

The VisionMaster Max pairs those high highs with low lows. A lot of projectors struggle to keep their black levels deep, but this one excels. Its black levels are among the deepest I’ve seen, with only Sony’s $9,999 / £6,999 / AU$13,999 Bravia Projector 7 having been deeper in my recent testing.

While faint light is visible during very dark scenes, brighter scenes see the black pixels of letter boxes fade away entirely. Like the Bravia Projector 7, the black levels are deep enough that you’ll want to consider light absorbing materials elsewhere in your viewing space to avoid light reflecting back onto the projected image and sullying the darkness.

All this combines to make for a wonderful picture. The bright sands of Arrakis dazzle in Dune while all of the detail in the shadows remains. And the colorful world of Pandora in Avatar never looks more splendid than when it’s beaming out of a RGB laser projection system.

Admittedly, the VisionMaster Max can produce over-saturated images in some of its color profiles, and it will suffer from the soap opera effect on occasion. But both of these issues are easily tamped down with Filmmaker Mode or custom picture settings.

(Image credit: Future)

The DLP rainbow effect is present on the VisionMaster Max, but about as subtle as I’ve seen from any DLP projector. And that’s before enabling the projector’s special anti-rainbow effect setting, which helps at the cost of a little extra whining noise from the projector.

Going beyond cinema, the VisionMaster Max also happily knocks it out of the park for gaming. Its gaming profile is responsive at 4K/60, but the projector can also swap over to 1080p/240Hz, where it proves stunningly responsive. I blasted my way around levels in Hollow Knight with excellent fluidity that helped me keep pace with the combat.

Naturally, the speakers aren’t quite a match for the projection. But in a small room, they offer punchy audio that’s plenty loud enough to drown out the fan noise. They don’t sound too boxed in, and when it’s called for, they can really boom. Still, they’re better paired with an external audio system, and if you happen to pair it with a Hisense audio system like the HT-Saturn, it can support additional features as if it were a Hisense projector itself.

• Picture quality & performance score: 4.5/5

Valerion VisionMaster Max review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

When it was first announced, the VisionMaster Max had seemed like it would be an unmatched entrant into the market with only extremely high-end projectors ready to rival it on image quality without managing to offer the more friendly and compact design it offered. Models like the Hisense C2 Ultra and JMGO N1S Ultimate could compete somewhat on features, but don’t quite keep up with the VisionMaster Max’s image quality and more flexible optics.

But the market has just shifted with the introduction of the Xgimi Horizon 20 lineup — a far more formidable alternative that’s way cheaper, competitively bright, and featuring a newer DLP chip that can offer VRR for gaming. It also offers advanced optics offering flexible projection.

Still, the fact that Valerion’s projector is arriving so late to the party without some of the new features hurts its value a bit next to the new models landing now at much lower prices.

• Value score: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Valerion VisionMaster Max?

(Image credit: Future)Valerion VisionMaster Max Scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Design and features

The VisionMaster Max does a great job of integrating everything you need into a compact and elegant unit. It offers good connectivity, a solid streaming platform, and viable audio in a pinch. It’s also got great optical adjustments that are rare from projectors with its design.

4.5/5

Picture quality and performance

The picture beaming out of the VisionMaster Max is stunning. It gets the rich color of RGB laser projection alongside simply excellent black levels that most of its rivals can’t match. Plus, it can drop down to 1080p/240Hz for ultra-fluid gaming.

4.5/5

Value

The VisionMaster Max undercuts some high-end systems like Sony’s Bravia Projector 7 to score some big points. But its specs aren’t quite as competitive against a new batch of ultra-bright projectors hitting the market with VRR-capable chips and much lower price tags.

3.5/5

Buy it if...

Contrast is a big deal to you
The VisionMaster Max is an excellent projector for its visuals, and its contrast is perhaps one of the key assets it has over its competition. Darker black levels help hide letterboxes, digital image adjustments like keystoning, and ultimately help make the rest of the visuals pop.

You want a projector that’s pretty good at everything
The Valerion VisionMaster Max is good in the daytime and stunning at night. It’s great at gaming. It has good audio and supports great options for external sound. It’s even a strong streamer thanks to its fast internals. You won’t face much compromise here.

You can still afford a sound system on top of it
You’re getting a truly excellent visual experience from the VisionMaster Max, but its audio won’t keep up. For a great home theater, an external speaker system is a must here. (Though it’s worth checking to see if Valerion is bundling the Thunderbeat 4.1.2 wireless sound system when you’re shopping)

Don't buy it if...

You’re mostly after gaming
New projectors supporting VRR are right on the horizon, and they’re offering competitive brightness and lower prices. It’s worth holding off to see how they perform before doling out for the VisionMaster Max if you plan to do a ton of gaming.

You’re not going to darken the room often
The VisionMaster Max works decently in a lit room, but its best performance shows only in the dark. If you’re not planning on blacking out your viewing area on the regular, you’ll be just about as well served with a cheaper alternative that doesn’t have the impressive black floor of the VisionMaster Max.

Valerion VisionMaster Max review: Also considerComparison: projectors

Valerion VisionMaster Max

Sony Bravia Projector 7

Xgimi Horizon 20 Max

Price

$4,999 / £4,349 / AU$5,999

$9,999 / £6,999 / AU$13,999

$2,999 / £2,599 / AU$5,999

Screen sizes supported

40 to 300 inches

90 to 130 inches

40 to 300 inches

Brightness (specified)

3,500 lumens

2,400 lumens

5,700 ISO lumens

HDR support

HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision

HDR10, HLG

Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG, IMAX Enhanced

Optical technology

3 Laser DLP

Laser SXRD

Triple laser DLP

Smart TV

Google TV

N/A

N/A

Connections

2x HDMI 2.1, 1x HDMI 2.0 (with eARC), 1x optical, 1x 3.5mm

2x HDMI 2.1

2x HDMI (x1 eARC), 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, 1x 3.5mm, 1x optical audio out

Sony Bravia Projector 7
Here’s what we had to say in our full Sony Bravia Projector 7 review:

“The Bravia Projector 7 commands a high price, but it does so with a jaw-dropping image. Its color could be richer, but I’ve never seen such impressive black levels from a projector. The picture here is so good, you’ll need to tailor your theater around it to maximize performance; otherwise, you’ll be wasting your money.”

Xgimi Horizon 20 Max
If the Valerion VisionMaster Max is too expensive, this is the cheaper alternative I think gets closest in performance. Here’s what we had to say in our full Xgimi Horizon 20 Max review:

“The Xgimi Horizon 20 Max is a brilliant 4K portable projector. It delivers high brightness, strong contrast and bold colors, along with solid built-in sound, responsive gaming performance and tons of useful setup features. The picture requires some adjustment, but the payoff is worth it.”

How I tested the Valerion VisionMaster Max

(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 Valerion VisionMaster Max 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.

• First reviewed: September 2026
• Read TechRadar's review guarantee

Valerion VisionMaster Max: One-minute review

The Valerion VisionMaster Max is an interesting amalgamation. While it sits in the footprint that has become popular with many home theater projectors aimed at the masses, it brings high-end capabilities found in far fewer models. This makes it a powerhouse in the space with flexible optics, making it easy to get a pristine 4K picture in the position and at the size you want.

With its RGB laser light source, the VisionMaster Max offers bright and stunningly colorful visuals. But more impressive than that is its ability to deliver them alongside a deep black floor — something a lot of projectors struggle with. Of the compact projectors I’ve tested, the VisionMaster has come closer than any to rivaling the Sony Bravia Projector 7’s black levels, which were virtually perfect in a dark home theater.

This sets the VisionMaster Max up nicely for success. Combining its display prowess with a solid streaming platform in Google TV and plenty of connections for additional home theater gear make it all that much stronger, helping it stand alongside many of the best projectors.

What holds it back is the same thing that hinders many high-end theater devices: its price. At $4,999 / £4,349 / AU$5,999, it’s a lofty option next to rivals like the Hisense C2 Ultra and Xgimi Horizon 20 Max, both of which undercut it by thousands. Its black level may be hard to touch, but these other models are otherwise very competitive.

With the VisionMaster Max at full price, I’d direct most people to Xgimi. But if there’s ever a sizable discount on it and some bonus bundled items (like the Thunderbeat 4.1.2 wireless sound system), it could be worth your while, especially if you like a deep, dark cinema environment.

Valerion VisionMaster Max review: Price and release date

• Release date: October 2025
• Price: $4,999 / £4,349 / AU$5,999 

The Valerion VisionMaster Max first got teased well before its arrival at IFA 2024 and became part of a crowdfunding campaign shortly after. It was over a year after the announcement before it actually landed.

Now that it’s here, it comes with a $4,999 / £4,349 / AU$5,999 price tag. That puts it into competition with basically every projector we’ve tested. In the time between announcement and launch, the projector space has heated up considerably, and there are some new models on the horizon that could also make its high-end specs look a little more commonplace.

Though the price is on the high side, at the time of writing, Valerion is offering the VisionMaster Max with some extra accessories included that add considerably to the value. These include projector screens, a Thunderbeat 4.1.2 wireless sound system, and an external lens that can increase the projector’s throw distance. We’ve also spotted a slightly discounted price from some third-party retailers.

(Image credit: Future)Valerion VisionMaster Max review: Specs

Screen sizes supported

40 to 300 inches

Brightness (specified)

3,500 Lumens

Optical technology

3 Laser DLP

Smart TV

Google TV

Connections

2x USB-A, 1x 3.5mm audio out, 1x S/PDIF, 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x HDMI 2.0 (eARC), 1x Gigabit Ethernet

Dimensions

7.3 x 10.2 x 9.2 inches / 185.4 x 259.1 x 233.9mm

Weight

15.4 pounds / 6.99kg

Valerion VisionMaster Max review: Design & features

• Wide range of optical adjustments alongside effective automatic adjustments
• Full-featured system with broad support for different formats
• Stylish design

All of Valerion’s projectors share a near identical DNA, so it’s unsurprising to see that the VisionMaster Max has only subtle differences compared to the VisionMaster Pro 2 I tested earlier this year.

The VisionMaster Max is a compact projector measuring only a little over 10 inches in its biggest dimension. It packs all of its hardware into an elegant box with a glossy front and metallic ribs that wrap around the top and sides of the projector. It even has a cover to hide all the ports in the back when not in use for that extra touch of elegance.

The rear includes a good selection of ports with two high-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports and an HDMI 2.0 port that can handle eARC audio transmission. A 3.5mm jack and S/PDIF port can also handle audio output, giving you plenty of options. There are also two USB-A ports (one with USB 3.0 speeds) for powering accessories or connecting local media. A Gigabit ethernet port rounds out the selection here, offering fast networking speeds, though the Wi-Fi 6E can also provide plenty of bandwidth for streaming wirelessly.

(Image credit: Future)

The front of the VisionMaster Max is where we see the most difference. It has a large, unobstructed glass cover for its projection lenses. This ties into the extra optical adjustments it allows. The lens supports both motorized zoom, letting it shift from a 0.9:1 to a 1.5:1 throw ratio, and offers a +/- 105% vertical lens shift, helping ensure a perfectly fitted image from more location. The projector even has a system for attaching an external lens that lets it shift out as far as a 2.0:1 throw ratio.

The base of the projector includes three legs for adjusting its angle and tilt, though it also has mounting screw points to let you set it up with ceiling mounts or tripods. Valerion has a metal gimbal stand that works as well, giving it similar flexibility to projectors like the Hisense C2 Ultra or JMGO N1S Ultimate.

You get a fully integrated system with the VisionMaster Max. It includes Google TV and a 24W stereo sound system. The Google TV platform is also run on a quicker processor than most projectors offer, making it far more responsive to use.

Beyond the basics, the VisionMaster Max proves fairly feature-rich. It supports automatic image adjustments to make setup quick. The automatic adjustments can handle optical zoom, keystone, focus, and screen fit, and it proved quite adept in my testing, even when the original projection was all over the place (though manual, optical adjustments can still help ensure you're getting the best picture quality by avoiding digital cropping).

The projector supports high-quality formats and can display HDR10+ and Dolby Vision content, and it can pass through DTS:X and Dolby Atmos audio. It supports 24 and 48 fps content as well as a variety of 3D formats. It also is geared up for gaming with low-latency 4K/60Hz support as well as 1080p/120Hz and 1080p/240Hz modes for even faster response.

(Image credit: Future)

One downside of Valerion’s design for the VisionMaster Max is that it packs far brighter projection into the same footprint as its dimmer siblings. That means it has to work harder at cooling. At full brightness, its fans are constantly running. While they’re not obnoxiously loud or shrill, especially in a large room, they’re still adding a bit of noise.

The VisionMaster Max’s remote is a good one, but could have done more to make more of its features quickly accessible. It provides basic Google TV navigation as well as a quick toggle for autofocus and input selection. At the bottom of the remote, it has four pairs of buttons that include four streaming app shortcuts, volume controls, a mute button, and a menu button.

Unfortunately, these aren’t arranged in a way where you can simply feel out the button you want to press in the dark. Though the remote does light up some of its controls for visibility in the dark, it only illuminates a few of the basic navigation ones, not the full legend.

(Image credit: Future)

• Design & features score: 4.5/5

Valerion VisionMaster Max review: Picture quality & performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Stunning color alongside serious brightness and impressive black levels
• Sharp 4K picture and faster 1080p option

With a $4,999 / £4,349 / AU$5,999 price tag and plenty of new projectors hitting the market with brightness to rival it, the VisionMaster Max had a high bar to clear. Fortunately, it is absolutely brilliant. It provides its 4K projection with solid edge-to-edge clarity.

I’ve seen RGB-laser projection systems one after another, and they always impress with their extremely wide color gamut. The VisionMaster Max brings that capability alongside high enough brightness levels to use in all sorts of settings.

For casual viewing, I often found the VisionMaster Max’s 3,500 ISO Lumens (a specification which bore out in testing) plenty for all sorts of content without needing to close the blinds or even turn off my living room lights. More often, I found I would dim the projector or adjust its iris to lower the brightness when viewing in a dark room.

(Image credit: Future)

The VisionMaster Max pairs those high highs with low lows. A lot of projectors struggle to keep their black levels deep, but this one excels. Its black levels are among the deepest I’ve seen, with only Sony’s $9,999 / £6,999 / AU$13,999 Bravia Projector 7 having been deeper in my recent testing.

While faint light is visible during very dark scenes, brighter scenes see the black pixels of letter boxes fade away entirely. Like the Bravia Projector 7, the black levels are deep enough that you’ll want to consider light absorbing materials elsewhere in your viewing space to avoid light reflecting back onto the projected image and sullying the darkness.

All this combines to make for a wonderful picture. The bright sands of Arrakis dazzle in Dune while all of the detail in the shadows remains. And the colorful world of Pandora in Avatar never looks more splendid than when it’s beaming out of a RGB laser projection system.

Admittedly, the VisionMaster Max can produce over-saturated images in some of its color profiles, and it will suffer from the soap opera effect on occasion. But both of these issues are easily tamped down with Filmmaker Mode or custom picture settings.

(Image credit: Future)

The DLP rainbow effect is present on the VisionMaster Max, but about as subtle as I’ve seen from any DLP projector. And that’s before enabling the projector’s special anti-rainbow effect setting, which helps at the cost of a little extra whining noise from the projector.

Going beyond cinema, the VisionMaster Max also happily knocks it out of the park for gaming. Its gaming profile is responsive at 4K/60, but the projector can also swap over to 1080p/240Hz, where it proves stunningly responsive. I blasted my way around levels in Hollow Knight with excellent fluidity that helped me keep pace with the combat.

Naturally, the speakers aren’t quite a match for the projection. But in a small room, they offer punchy audio that’s plenty loud enough to drown out the fan noise. They don’t sound too boxed in, and when it’s called for, they can really boom. Still, they’re better paired with an external audio system, and if you happen to pair it with a Hisense audio system like the HT-Saturn, it can support additional features as if it were a Hisense projector itself.

• Picture quality & performance score: 4.5/5

Valerion VisionMaster Max review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

When it was first announced, the VisionMaster Max had seemed like it would be an unmatched entrant into the market with only extremely high-end projectors ready to rival it on image quality without managing to offer the more friendly and compact design it offered. Models like the Hisense C2 Ultra and JMGO N1S Ultimate could compete somewhat on features, but don’t quite keep up with the VisionMaster Max’s image quality and more flexible optics.

But the market has just shifted with the introduction of the Xgimi Horizon 20 lineup — a far more formidable alternative that’s way cheaper, competitively bright, and featuring a newer DLP chip that can offer VRR for gaming. It also offers advanced optics offering flexible projection.

Still, the fact that Valerion’s projector is arriving so late to the party without some of the new features hurts its value a bit next to the new models landing now at much lower prices.

• Value score: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Valerion VisionMaster Max?

(Image credit: Future)Valerion VisionMaster Max Scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Design and features

The VisionMaster Max does a great job of integrating everything you need into a compact and elegant unit. It offers good connectivity, a solid streaming platform, and viable audio in a pinch. It’s also got great optical adjustments that are rare from projectors with its design.

4.5/5

Picture quality and performance

The picture beaming out of the VisionMaster Max is stunning. It gets the rich color of RGB laser projection alongside simply excellent black levels that most of its rivals can’t match. Plus, it can drop down to 1080p/240Hz for ultra-fluid gaming.

4.5/5

Value

The VisionMaster Max undercuts some high-end systems like Sony’s Bravia Projector 7 to score some big points. But its specs aren’t quite as competitive against a new batch of ultra-bright projectors hitting the market with VRR-capable chips and much lower price tags.

3.5/5

Buy it if...

Contrast is a big deal to you
The VisionMaster Max is an excellent projector for its visuals, and its contrast is perhaps one of the key assets it has over its competition. Darker black levels help hide letterboxes, digital image adjustments like keystoning, and ultimately help make the rest of the visuals pop.

You want a projector that’s pretty good at everything
The Valerion VisionMaster Max is good in the daytime and stunning at night. It’s great at gaming. It has good audio and supports great options for external sound. It’s even a strong streamer thanks to its fast internals. You won’t face much compromise here.

You can still afford a sound system on top of it
You’re getting a truly excellent visual experience from the VisionMaster Max, but its audio won’t keep up. For a great home theater, an external speaker system is a must here. (Though it’s worth checking to see if Valerion is bundling the Thunderbeat 4.1.2 wireless sound system when you’re shopping)

Don't buy it if...

You’re mostly after gaming
New projectors supporting VRR are right on the horizon, and they’re offering competitive brightness and lower prices. It’s worth holding off to see how they perform before doling out for the VisionMaster Max if you plan to do a ton of gaming.

You’re not going to darken the room often
The VisionMaster Max works decently in a lit room, but its best performance shows only in the dark. If you’re not planning on blacking out your viewing area on the regular, you’ll be just about as well served with a cheaper alternative that doesn’t have the impressive black floor of the VisionMaster Max.

Valerion VisionMaster Max review: Also considerComparison: projectors

Valerion VisionMaster Max

Sony Bravia Projector 7

Xgimi Horizon 20 Max

Price

$4,999 / £4,349 / AU$5,999

$9,999 / £6,999 / AU$13,999

$2,999 / £2,599 / AU$5,999

Screen sizes supported

40 to 300 inches

90 to 130 inches

40 to 300 inches

Brightness (specified)

3,500 lumens

2,400 lumens

5,700 ISO lumens

HDR support

HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision

HDR10, HLG

Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG, IMAX Enhanced

Optical technology

3 Laser DLP

Laser SXRD

Triple laser DLP

Smart TV

Google TV

N/A

N/A

Connections

2x HDMI 2.1, 1x HDMI 2.0 (with eARC), 1x optical, 1x 3.5mm

2x HDMI 2.1

2x HDMI (x1 eARC), 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, 1x 3.5mm, 1x optical audio out

Sony Bravia Projector 7
Here’s what we had to say in our full Sony Bravia Projector 7 review:

“The Bravia Projector 7 commands a high price, but it does so with a jaw-dropping image. Its color could be richer, but I’ve never seen such impressive black levels from a projector. The picture here is so good, you’ll need to tailor your theater around it to maximize performance; otherwise, you’ll be wasting your money.”

Xgimi Horizon 20 Max
If the Valerion VisionMaster Max is too expensive, this is the cheaper alternative I think gets closest in performance. Here’s what we had to say in our full Xgimi Horizon 20 Max review:

“The Xgimi Horizon 20 Max is a brilliant 4K portable projector. It delivers high brightness, strong contrast and bold colors, along with solid built-in sound, responsive gaming performance and tons of useful setup features. The picture requires some adjustment, but the payoff is worth it.”

How I tested the Valerion VisionMaster Max

(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 Valerion VisionMaster Max 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.

• First reviewed: September 2026
• Read TechRadar's review guarantee

• Ford CEO hits back at US government's China claims
• Ford’s new Fathom electric pick-up uses technology licensed from CATL
• The affordable Fathom is part of Ford’s new Universal EV platform

Ford has hit back at criticisms from US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy that the automaker is becoming overly reliant on Chinese car companies, with Chief Executive Jim Farley telling The Wall Street Journal that these are “basic misunderstandings, mistruths, whatever words you want to use.”

The global automaker, which is winding up production of its current F-150 Lightning, is preparing a smaller, more affordable electric pick-up for the masses.

Dubbed Fathom, it will start at $28,350 (around £20,970 / AU$39,540) before destination fees and is the result of work by Ford’s “skunkworks” team, which was assembled to find ways to innovate in the EV space while keeping costs down and competing with increasingly capable Chinese electric vehicles.

However, the Transportation Secretary accused Ford of “actively intertwining its future with Chinese state-backed enterprises,” including a plant that licenses technology from Chinese battery giant CATL, according to the WSJ.

Ford announced in 2023 that it would begin manufacturing its own lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries at the newly formed BlueOval Battery Park Michigan in Marshall.

(Image credit: Ford)

The company subsequently confirmed that the plant would use technology and expertise licensed from China-based CATL, but Ford would own and operate the facility and assemble the batteries in the US.

Production of the LFP battery cells destined for Ford’s affordable electric pick-up is now ramping up, with Ford saying it is on track to ship batteries in 2026. Farley is adamant that the arrangement does not amount to handing control of Ford’s future to China.

“We’re not enabling the Chinese to come here,” Farley told the WSJ. “Actually, you could argue the opposite is the case.”

In a statement published by Ford HQ on its media site, the company said that it is the "most American automaker".

"We produce more vehicles in the US, employ more hourly manufacturing workers and export more vehicles from the US than any other automaker", it added.

Despite a retirement in its current form, the F-150 Lightning itself isn't being killed off entirely, either. Ford says production of the current version will end this year, with a next-generation F-150 Lightning EREV planned to offer more than 700 miles of combined range using a battery and gasoline-powered generator.

Analysis: All hopes rest on Fathom

(Image credit: Ford)

Ford’s CEO has called the creation of its new Universal EV platform, which it hopes will underpin a whole host of new EVs, the company’s “Model T moment,” stating that the platform will help bring electric trucks and vehicles to customers at a more affordable price.

Full details of the Fathom are still to be revealed, but we do know that it will cost less than $30,000 before destination charges when it goes on sale, with a starting MSRP of $28,350 (about £20,970 / AU$39,540). It will use one of Ford’s new LFP battery packs and feature a NACS charging port.

It will also pack bidirectional charging, allowing owners to power tools and other accessories from the batteries, and every Fathom will have the hardware required for Ford’s next-generation BlueCruise hands-free highway driving system.

Four doors, five passengers, a generous rear bed and a front trunk for extra storage will all come as standard, while Ford is targeting a midsize footprint with more passenger space than a Toyota RAV4.

Ford hopes that its electric trucks will finally hit home with a mass-market audience, thanks to the technology on offer and extremely competitive pricing.

Although it will count the Jeff Bezos-backed Slate truck as a key competitor, that pick-up is priced from less than $25,000 (about £18,490 / AU$34,870) before destination charges.

• Ford CEO hits back at US government's China claims
• Ford’s new Fathom electric pick-up uses technology licensed from CATL
• The affordable Fathom is part of Ford’s new Universal EV platform

Ford has hit back at criticisms from US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy that the automaker is becoming overly reliant on Chinese car companies, with Chief Executive Jim Farley telling The Wall Street Journal that these are “basic misunderstandings, mistruths, whatever words you want to use.”

The global automaker, which is winding up production of its current F-150 Lightning, is preparing a smaller, more affordable electric pick-up for the masses.

Dubbed Fathom, it will start at $28,350 (around £20,970 / AU$39,540) before destination fees and is the result of work by Ford’s “skunkworks” team, which was assembled to find ways to innovate in the EV space while keeping costs down and competing with increasingly capable Chinese electric vehicles.

However, the Transportation Secretary accused Ford of “actively intertwining its future with Chinese state-backed enterprises,” including a plant that licenses technology from Chinese battery giant CATL, according to the WSJ.

Ford announced in 2023 that it would begin manufacturing its own lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries at the newly formed BlueOval Battery Park Michigan in Marshall.

(Image credit: Ford)

The company subsequently confirmed that the plant would use technology and expertise licensed from China-based CATL, but Ford would own and operate the facility and assemble the batteries in the US.

Production of the LFP battery cells destined for Ford’s affordable electric pick-up is now ramping up, with Ford saying it is on track to ship batteries in 2026. Farley is adamant that the arrangement does not amount to handing control of Ford’s future to China.

“We’re not enabling the Chinese to come here,” Farley told the WSJ. “Actually, you could argue the opposite is the case.”

In a statement published by Ford HQ on its media site, the company said that it is the "most American automaker".

"We produce more vehicles in the US, employ more hourly manufacturing workers and export more vehicles from the US than any other automaker", it added.

Despite a retirement in its current form, the F-150 Lightning itself isn't being killed off entirely, either. Ford says production of the current version will end this year, with a next-generation F-150 Lightning EREV planned to offer more than 700 miles of combined range using a battery and gasoline-powered generator.

Analysis: All hopes rest on Fathom

(Image credit: Ford)

Ford’s CEO has called the creation of its new Universal EV platform, which it hopes will underpin a whole host of new EVs, the company’s “Model T moment,” stating that the platform will help bring electric trucks and vehicles to customers at a more affordable price.

Full details of the Fathom are still to be revealed, but we do know that it will cost less than $30,000 before destination charges when it goes on sale, with a starting MSRP of $28,350 (about £20,970 / AU$39,540). It will use one of Ford’s new LFP battery packs and feature a NACS charging port.

It will also pack bidirectional charging, allowing owners to power tools and other accessories from the batteries, and every Fathom will have the hardware required for Ford’s next-generation BlueCruise hands-free highway driving system.

Four doors, five passengers, a generous rear bed and a front trunk for extra storage will all come as standard, while Ford is targeting a midsize footprint with more passenger space than a Toyota RAV4.

Ford hopes that its electric trucks will finally hit home with a mass-market audience, thanks to the technology on offer and extremely competitive pricing.

Although it will count the Jeff Bezos-backed Slate truck as a key competitor, that pick-up is priced from less than $25,000 (about £18,490 / AU$34,870) before destination charges.

• Ukrainian firm Drone Fight Group has delivered three Humvees fitted with its Kaban remote-control kit
• The Kaban kit bolts on without modifying the vehicle's structure, allowing crews to switch between remote and manual modes depending on their needs
• The primary control link here is Starlink, with analog video and radio communication as a fallback, in addition to an automatic stop if connections are not found

Ukraine has begun converting American-supplied Humvees into remotely operated ground vehicles using a bolt-on kit that leaves the original vehicle intact and routes its control signals through Starlink.

The system is called Kaban, Ukrainian for "boar." Developer Drone Fight Group says it has delivered three converted High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles to Ukrainian formations: the 3rd Army Corps, the 429th Separate Unmanned Systems Regiment "Achilles," and the 49th Brigade.

With over 5,000 Humvees in service in Ukraine thanks to US military aid and grants, the Kaban retrofit could have far-reaching impacts in a war zone where automation is increasingly being used on both sides.

What does Kaban offer the Ukrainian military?

Rather than designing a purpose-built robot and waiting for it to reach production, Kaban turns existing hardware units into an unmanned platform on demand. This is crucial in a war where economics dictate much of the conflict, and both sides often have to repurpose aging military hardware to meet their needs.

Kaban installs without modifying the vehicle's structure, and operators can switch between remote and manual driving. This is crucial, as a converted Humvee is still essentially a manually driven vehicle with an add-on, and a crew can physically drive it when the mission requires a person behind the wheel.

SpaceX's Starlink functions as the primary control link for Kaban deployments. The system also supports analog video transmission and radio control as backup channels, letting it hedge its bets in an environment where any single link can be blocked or targeted, rendering devices that rely on it useless.

From the control station, an operator gets vehicle movement plus headlights, infrared illumination, searchlights, two-way audio, and telemetry from the vehicle's onboard computer. Navigation runs on a digital map where the operator plots routes and drops markers, with a predicted trajectory overlay to help maneuver the Humvee.

If the on-device GPS is jammed or spoofed, which is a routine occurrence near the line of contact, the operator can correct the vehicle's position manually instead of losing it to attackers. If the link fails entirely, however, Kaban brings the vehicle to an automatic stop.

The move to a satellite link is a paradigm shift on a battlefield that has recently relied heavily on short-range radio or spooled fiber, both of which require the controller to be nearby. The satellite link essentially lets operators deploy and control military hardware from a much greater distance, improving their safety.

Optional equipment the Kaban can come with for retrofitted Humvees includes thermal cameras, searchlights, net launchers to catch incoming drones, and platforms for launching Ukraine's own drones, making it a highly versatile option on the battlefield.

The news comes as the world sees a massive ramp-up in Ukrainian ground robotics. Ukraine's Ministry of Defense recorded more than 100,000 UGV logistics and evacuation missions in 2026 till August 20, logged in the DELTA combat management system.

Most of those, however, are purpose-built platforms that concentrate on one particular aspect of the military's needs. Kaban bets that the faster route to fleet-scale automation runs through the vehicles a military already owns, a proposition that could have an impact far beyond the Russia-Ukraine war, as militaries worldwide continue to observe the conflict.

• Ukrainian firm Drone Fight Group has delivered three Humvees fitted with its Kaban remote-control kit
• The Kaban kit bolts on without modifying the vehicle's structure, allowing crews to switch between remote and manual modes depending on their needs
• The primary control link here is Starlink, with analog video and radio communication as a fallback, in addition to an automatic stop if connections are not found

Ukraine has begun converting American-supplied Humvees into remotely operated ground vehicles using a bolt-on kit that leaves the original vehicle intact and routes its control signals through Starlink.

The system is called Kaban, Ukrainian for "boar." Developer Drone Fight Group says it has delivered three converted High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles to Ukrainian formations: the 3rd Army Corps, the 429th Separate Unmanned Systems Regiment "Achilles," and the 49th Brigade.

With over 5,000 Humvees in service in Ukraine thanks to US military aid and grants, the Kaban retrofit could have far-reaching impacts in a war zone where automation is increasingly being used on both sides.

What does Kaban offer the Ukrainian military?

Rather than designing a purpose-built robot and waiting for it to reach production, Kaban turns existing hardware units into an unmanned platform on demand. This is crucial in a war where economics dictate much of the conflict, and both sides often have to repurpose aging military hardware to meet their needs.

Kaban installs without modifying the vehicle's structure, and operators can switch between remote and manual driving. This is crucial, as a converted Humvee is still essentially a manually driven vehicle with an add-on, and a crew can physically drive it when the mission requires a person behind the wheel.

SpaceX's Starlink functions as the primary control link for Kaban deployments. The system also supports analog video transmission and radio control as backup channels, letting it hedge its bets in an environment where any single link can be blocked or targeted, rendering devices that rely on it useless.

From the control station, an operator gets vehicle movement plus headlights, infrared illumination, searchlights, two-way audio, and telemetry from the vehicle's onboard computer. Navigation runs on a digital map where the operator plots routes and drops markers, with a predicted trajectory overlay to help maneuver the Humvee.

If the on-device GPS is jammed or spoofed, which is a routine occurrence near the line of contact, the operator can correct the vehicle's position manually instead of losing it to attackers. If the link fails entirely, however, Kaban brings the vehicle to an automatic stop.

The move to a satellite link is a paradigm shift on a battlefield that has recently relied heavily on short-range radio or spooled fiber, both of which require the controller to be nearby. The satellite link essentially lets operators deploy and control military hardware from a much greater distance, improving their safety.

Optional equipment the Kaban can come with for retrofitted Humvees includes thermal cameras, searchlights, net launchers to catch incoming drones, and platforms for launching Ukraine's own drones, making it a highly versatile option on the battlefield.

The news comes as the world sees a massive ramp-up in Ukrainian ground robotics. Ukraine's Ministry of Defense recorded more than 100,000 UGV logistics and evacuation missions in 2026 till August 20, logged in the DELTA combat management system.

Most of those, however, are purpose-built platforms that concentrate on one particular aspect of the military's needs. Kaban bets that the faster route to fleet-scale automation runs through the vehicles a military already owns, a proposition that could have an impact far beyond the Russia-Ukraine war, as militaries worldwide continue to observe the conflict.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, September 11 (game #1188).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

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

NYT Connections today (game #1189) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• TURN SIGNAL
• WEATHER
• POSTER
• BUMPER STICKER
• VANITY PLATE
• CURSOR
• SPOILER
• TROLL
• SMOKE DETECTOR
• FUZZY DICE
• SPAMMER
• NERD
• RED
• EYELIDS
• HOOD ORNAMENT
• LURKER

NYT Connections today (game #1189) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Vehicle adornments
• GREEN: Chatroom characters
• BLUE: Flickering on and off
• PURPLE: Add a word that means “be aware”

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #1189) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: WAYS TO PERSONALIZE A CAR
• GREEN: PEOPLE IN AN ONLINE FORUM
• BLUE: THINGS THAT BLINK
• PURPLE: ______ ALERT

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

NYT Connections today (game #1189) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1189, are…

• YELLOW: WAYS TO PERSONALIZE A CAR: BUMPER STICKER, FUZZY DICE, HOOD ORNAMENT, VANITY PLATE
• GREEN: PEOPLE IN AN ONLINE FORUM: LURKER, POSTER, SPAMMER, TROLL
• BLUE: THINGS THAT BLINK: CURSOR, EYELIDS, SMOKE DETECTOR, TURN SIGNAL
• PURPLE: ______ ALERT: NERD, RED, SPOILER, WEATHER

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

I missed the chance of completing the groups in difficulty order (yellow-green-blue-purple) by getting ___ ALERT ahead of THINGS THAT BLINK, but this was already a far from perfect game.

My two mistakes were logical, in my mind, as I tried SPOILER for both WAYS TO PERSONALIZE A CAR and PEOPLE IN AN ONLINE FORUM.

Speaking of bumper stickers, I recently spotted a niche one at a music festival that featured a picture of David Byrne with a speech bubble saying “How do I work this?” and “How did I get here?” and the legend “Keep honking — I have found myself behind the wheel of a large automobile” — lyrics from the Talking Heads classic Once in a Lifetime.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, September 11, 2026, game #1188)

• YELLOW: PEOPLE HIRED FOR AN EVENT: BAND, FLORIST, PHOTOGRAPHER, PLANNER
• GREEN: INTERNALIZE: ABSORB, DIGEST, PROCESS, TAKE IN
• BLUE: WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF-CARE: EXERCISE, JOURNAL, MEDITATE, UNPLUG
• PURPLE: THINGS THAT ARE PUSHED METAPHORICALLY: AGENDA, ENVELOPE, LIMITS, LUCK

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, September 11 (game #1188).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

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

NYT Connections today (game #1189) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• TURN SIGNAL
• WEATHER
• POSTER
• BUMPER STICKER
• VANITY PLATE
• CURSOR
• SPOILER
• TROLL
• SMOKE DETECTOR
• FUZZY DICE
• SPAMMER
• NERD
• RED
• EYELIDS
• HOOD ORNAMENT
• LURKER

NYT Connections today (game #1189) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Vehicle adornments
• GREEN: Chatroom characters
• BLUE: Flickering on and off
• PURPLE: Add a word that means “be aware”

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #1189) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: WAYS TO PERSONALIZE A CAR
• GREEN: PEOPLE IN AN ONLINE FORUM
• BLUE: THINGS THAT BLINK
• PURPLE: ______ ALERT

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

NYT Connections today (game #1189) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1189, are…

• YELLOW: WAYS TO PERSONALIZE A CAR: BUMPER STICKER, FUZZY DICE, HOOD ORNAMENT, VANITY PLATE
• GREEN: PEOPLE IN AN ONLINE FORUM: LURKER, POSTER, SPAMMER, TROLL
• BLUE: THINGS THAT BLINK: CURSOR, EYELIDS, SMOKE DETECTOR, TURN SIGNAL
• PURPLE: ______ ALERT: NERD, RED, SPOILER, WEATHER

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

I missed the chance of completing the groups in difficulty order (yellow-green-blue-purple) by getting ___ ALERT ahead of THINGS THAT BLINK, but this was already a far from perfect game.

My two mistakes were logical, in my mind, as I tried SPOILER for both WAYS TO PERSONALIZE A CAR and PEOPLE IN AN ONLINE FORUM.

Speaking of bumper stickers, I recently spotted a niche one at a music festival that featured a picture of David Byrne with a speech bubble saying “How do I work this?” and “How did I get here?” and the legend “Keep honking — I have found myself behind the wheel of a large automobile” — lyrics from the Talking Heads classic Once in a Lifetime.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, September 11, 2026, game #1188)

• YELLOW: PEOPLE HIRED FOR AN EVENT: BAND, FLORIST, PHOTOGRAPHER, PLANNER
• GREEN: INTERNALIZE: ABSORB, DIGEST, PROCESS, TAKE IN
• BLUE: WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF-CARE: EXERCISE, JOURNAL, MEDITATE, UNPLUG
• PURPLE: THINGS THAT ARE PUSHED METAPHORICALLY: AGENDA, ENVELOPE, LIMITS, LUCK

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, September 11 (game #922).

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

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

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

NYT Strands today (game #923) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Don’t obsess

NYT Strands today (game #923) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• EACH
• STEED
• BEAR
• GONE
• GUNGE
• TRIFLE
• LIFE

NYT Strands today (game #923) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 7 letters

NYT Strands today (game #923) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

• First side: left, 4th row

• Last side: right, 5th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #923) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #923, are…

• LIBERATE
• FREE
• RELEASE
• DETACH
• UNLOOSE
• SPANGRAM: LETITGO

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 hint

I didn’t understand today’s theme at first and even after spotting LIBERATE I still needed a hint (FREE) before I finally got going.

I first heard of the phrase LETITGO in the 1990s, when a Buddhist rapper explained the concept to me and how it had helped them deal with fame and pressure.

Initially, I’d thought it was about possessions rather than feelings, but it’s a philosophy I adhere to in the main. That said, in my opinion, certain people in the world deserve all the negative energy we can fire in their direction — letting it go would just be letting them off the hook.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, September 11, game #922)

• BRIDGE
• BARGE
• SHIP
• DOCK
• PIER
• LIGHTHOUSE
• SPANGRAM: ONTHEWATERFRONT

What is NYT Strands?

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

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

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, September 11 (game #922).

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

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

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

NYT Strands today (game #923) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Don’t obsess

NYT Strands today (game #923) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• EACH
• STEED
• BEAR
• GONE
• GUNGE
• TRIFLE
• LIFE

NYT Strands today (game #923) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 7 letters

NYT Strands today (game #923) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

• First side: left, 4th row

• Last side: right, 5th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #923) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #923, are…

• LIBERATE
• FREE
• RELEASE
• DETACH
• UNLOOSE
• SPANGRAM: LETITGO

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 hint

I didn’t understand today’s theme at first and even after spotting LIBERATE I still needed a hint (FREE) before I finally got going.

I first heard of the phrase LETITGO in the 1990s, when a Buddhist rapper explained the concept to me and how it had helped them deal with fame and pressure.

Initially, I’d thought it was about possessions rather than feelings, but it’s a philosophy I adhere to in the main. That said, in my opinion, certain people in the world deserve all the negative energy we can fire in their direction — letting it go would just be letting them off the hook.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, September 11, game #922)

• BRIDGE
• BARGE
• SHIP
• DOCK
• PIER
• LIGHTHOUSE
• SPANGRAM: ONTHEWATERFRONT

What is NYT Strands?

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

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

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Friday, September 11 (game #1691).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today — or scroll down further for the answers.

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

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

Quordle today (game #1692) — hint #1 — VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

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

Quordle today (game #1692) — hint #2 — repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

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

Quordle today (game #1692) — hint #3 — uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1692) — hint #4 — starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

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

Quordle today (game #1692) — hint #5 — starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• B

• R

• S

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

Quordle today (game #1692) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1692, are…

• SUPER
• BRUSH
• RESET
• SOWER

Even though I only had three possibilities from my remaining letters I had doubts that my final word was SOWER.

Until this point though it had been stress free, so I needed a bit of risk to feel as if I'd achieved something.

Daily Sequence today (game #1692) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1692, are…

• EARTH
• PEACH
• SKIFF
• WAGER

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1691, Friday, 11 September: PLUSH, PAINT, RIVAL, AFOUL
• Quordle #1690, Thursday, 10 September: AGENT, EXILE, TITAN, PUREE
• Quordle #1689, Wednesday, 9 September: HAPPY, GONER, SMACK, MOTIF
• Quordle #1688, Tuesday, 8 September: FLUNG, DIARY, HALVE, BERTH
• Quordle #1687, Monday, 7 September: VISIT, CLANK, FEVER, OCEAN
• Quordle #1686, Sunday, 6 September: PILOT, HONOR, BOWEL, TAUNT
• Quordle #1685, Saturday, 5 September: GNASH, GEEKY, WHELP, PUTTY
• Quordle #1684, Friday, 4 September: QUICK, BEEFY, TRUCK, SNAIL
• Quordle #1683, Thursday, 3 September: SIGMA, ESSAY, MERRY, LLAMA
• Quordle #1682, Wednesday, 2 September: INCUR, FELLA, TITAN, FROZE
• Quordle #1681, Tuesday, 1 September: NASAL, ROUTE, ANKLE, MIGHT
• Quordle #1680, Monday, 31 August: ALIVE, LOUSE, ABOVE, MOSSY
• Quordle #1679, Sunday, 30 August: USING, SORRY, FILET, PIPER
• Quordle #1678, Saturday, 29 August: OVINE, ALLOY, VOICE, CARVE
• Quordle #1677, Friday, 28 August: WAIST, EDICT, BONUS, DEUCE
• Quordle #1676, Thursday, 27 August: SHEEN, TRICE, WAGON, BEVEL
• Quordle #1675, Wednesday, 26 August: OPIUM, EPOCH, BESET, FINER
• Quordle #1674, Tuesday, 25 August: BLESS, FELON, PORCH, CHOSE
• Quordle #1673, Monday, 24 August: MAJOR, VERGE, CRUSH, SCOFF
• Quordle #1672, Sunday, 23 August: CHASM, BLAME, PARER, BYLAW

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Friday, September 11 (game #1691).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today — or scroll down further for the answers.

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

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

Quordle today (game #1692) — hint #1 — VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

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

Quordle today (game #1692) — hint #2 — repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

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

Quordle today (game #1692) — hint #3 — uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1692) — hint #4 — starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

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

Quordle today (game #1692) — hint #5 — starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• B

• R

• S

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

Quordle today (game #1692) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1692, are…

• SUPER
• BRUSH
• RESET
• SOWER

Even though I only had three possibilities from my remaining letters I had doubts that my final word was SOWER.

Until this point though it had been stress free, so I needed a bit of risk to feel as if I'd achieved something.

Daily Sequence today (game #1692) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1692, are…

• EARTH
• PEACH
• SKIFF
• WAGER

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1691, Friday, 11 September: PLUSH, PAINT, RIVAL, AFOUL
• Quordle #1690, Thursday, 10 September: AGENT, EXILE, TITAN, PUREE
• Quordle #1689, Wednesday, 9 September: HAPPY, GONER, SMACK, MOTIF
• Quordle #1688, Tuesday, 8 September: FLUNG, DIARY, HALVE, BERTH
• Quordle #1687, Monday, 7 September: VISIT, CLANK, FEVER, OCEAN
• Quordle #1686, Sunday, 6 September: PILOT, HONOR, BOWEL, TAUNT
• Quordle #1685, Saturday, 5 September: GNASH, GEEKY, WHELP, PUTTY
• Quordle #1684, Friday, 4 September: QUICK, BEEFY, TRUCK, SNAIL
• Quordle #1683, Thursday, 3 September: SIGMA, ESSAY, MERRY, LLAMA
• Quordle #1682, Wednesday, 2 September: INCUR, FELLA, TITAN, FROZE
• Quordle #1681, Tuesday, 1 September: NASAL, ROUTE, ANKLE, MIGHT
• Quordle #1680, Monday, 31 August: ALIVE, LOUSE, ABOVE, MOSSY
• Quordle #1679, Sunday, 30 August: USING, SORRY, FILET, PIPER
• Quordle #1678, Saturday, 29 August: OVINE, ALLOY, VOICE, CARVE
• Quordle #1677, Friday, 28 August: WAIST, EDICT, BONUS, DEUCE
• Quordle #1676, Thursday, 27 August: SHEEN, TRICE, WAGON, BEVEL
• Quordle #1675, Wednesday, 26 August: OPIUM, EPOCH, BESET, FINER
• Quordle #1674, Tuesday, 25 August: BLESS, FELON, PORCH, CHOSE
• Quordle #1673, Monday, 24 August: MAJOR, VERGE, CRUSH, SCOFF
• Quordle #1672, Sunday, 23 August: CHASM, BLAME, PARER, BYLAW

• Intel says it has processed more than one million wafers on High-NA EUV scanners
• The figure includes tool certification, R&D, and production combined
• ASML's total figure of 1.35 million High-NA wafers made to date puts Intel at roughly three-quarters of the world total to-date

Intel Foundry and ASML used the recent SPIE Photomask Technology and EUV Lithography conference in Monterey to announce the former has now processed more than one million 300mm wafers on ASML's High-NA EUV scanners.

The milestone is a key achievement for the chipmaker, which was only recently being considered an also-ran in the AI race, even as pressure continued to build up around its foundry ambitions.

A resurgent Intel, however, has seen its stock price soar nearly 155% year-to-date and an increasing number of collaborations, even as Nvidia and the US government took stakes in the corporation to gain exposure to its foundry business.

What does a million wafers mean in the nutshell?

The joint press release by Intel and ASML carefully notes that the 1 million figure includes Intel's own R&D projects, tool certification runs, and volume production of its Core Ultra Series 3 CPUs, also known as Panther Lake.

One can therefore not read this as one million commercial-grade Panther Lake wafers already being produced by the company, and neither company is touching base on offering a number.

Despite this, it is a huge achievement for one of the largest pioneers in semiconductors, especially when one considers that ASML's head of High-NA product management, Greet Storms, said the company's EXE systems had collectively exposed more than 1.35 million wafers, with ten systems running at four customers and three more being shipped or installed.

This makes Intel's share of the total exposed wafers roughly 74% of the total ASML mentioned in a list that has some of the world's largest foundry players, including TSMC, Samsung, and SK Hynix.

For investors, this matters because Intel has a lead none of its competitors do: it is the only company running High-NA on shipping product, and by ASML's own numbers, it has done most of the world's High-NA wafer exposure by itself.

It could also be that Intel's actual production figures might be much lower in an industry where most of the competition continues to tread cautiously when it comes to High-NA EUV; TSMC, for example, does not plan to begin High-NA volume production until 2030, even as Intel has considerably bet the farm on the tech, which costs as much as $350 million apiece, and the first-mover advantage it offers.

• Intel says it has processed more than one million wafers on High-NA EUV scanners
• The figure includes tool certification, R&D, and production combined
• ASML's total figure of 1.35 million High-NA wafers made to date puts Intel at roughly three-quarters of the world total to-date

Intel Foundry and ASML used the recent SPIE Photomask Technology and EUV Lithography conference in Monterey to announce the former has now processed more than one million 300mm wafers on ASML's High-NA EUV scanners.

The milestone is a key achievement for the chipmaker, which was only recently being considered an also-ran in the AI race, even as pressure continued to build up around its foundry ambitions.

A resurgent Intel, however, has seen its stock price soar nearly 155% year-to-date and an increasing number of collaborations, even as Nvidia and the US government took stakes in the corporation to gain exposure to its foundry business.

What does a million wafers mean in the nutshell?

The joint press release by Intel and ASML carefully notes that the 1 million figure includes Intel's own R&D projects, tool certification runs, and volume production of its Core Ultra Series 3 CPUs, also known as Panther Lake.

One can therefore not read this as one million commercial-grade Panther Lake wafers already being produced by the company, and neither company is touching base on offering a number.

Despite this, it is a huge achievement for one of the largest pioneers in semiconductors, especially when one considers that ASML's head of High-NA product management, Greet Storms, said the company's EXE systems had collectively exposed more than 1.35 million wafers, with ten systems running at four customers and three more being shipped or installed.

This makes Intel's share of the total exposed wafers roughly 74% of the total ASML mentioned in a list that has some of the world's largest foundry players, including TSMC, Samsung, and SK Hynix.

For investors, this matters because Intel has a lead none of its competitors do: it is the only company running High-NA on shipping product, and by ASML's own numbers, it has done most of the world's High-NA wafer exposure by itself.

It could also be that Intel's actual production figures might be much lower in an industry where most of the competition continues to tread cautiously when it comes to High-NA EUV; TSMC, for example, does not plan to begin High-NA volume production until 2030, even as Intel has considerably bet the farm on the tech, which costs as much as $350 million apiece, and the first-mover advantage it offers.

If you're looking for a coffee maker that will make preparing a delicious brew as simple as possible, you're in the right place. I test over a dozen coffee makers each year here at TechRadar, and here I've put together the three I think are the most beginner-friendly, and accessibly priced too.

There are scores of sophisticated bean-to-cup machines around that will brew complex coffee drinks at the tap of a button, but they require a lot of cleaning and are usually very expensive. All the options here are simple to maintain and affordable, making them a better choice overall if you're new to brewing.

Here I've picked three different machines for different brewing styles: a drip coffee maker for brewing a large pot of coffee with minimal hassle, a simple bean-to-cup espresso machine that requires minimal maintenance, and an easy-to-use capsule coffee maker that eliminates the need to handle beans or grounds entirely.

Breville Luxe Brewer ThermalFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFuture

Brewing a batch of drip coffee is, fundamentally, a very straightforward process — you just pour hot water onto ground coffee and let it drip into a carafe — and the Luxe Brewer Thermal keeps things simple while providing a handful of genuinely useful customization options.

In my tests, the default settings worked well, but if you don't get just the right flavor from your beans, you can tweak the bloom time (how long the coffee is pre-infused with hot water), bloom temperature, brew time, and brew temperature to fine-tune the extraction.

The machine can also prepare a batch of cold-brewed coffee. Load it up with ground coffee (the Luxe Brewer Thermal comes with a handy guide to help you measure out the optimal amount), add water to the line on the tank, remove the carafe lid so it doesn't begin to drip, and press the button to start. Your coffee will be steeped cold for 24 hours, and the machine will beep to alert you when it's ready.

Read our full Breville Luxe Brewer Thermal review

Philips BaristinaFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFuture

This is the smallest and cheapest bean-to-cup coffee maker I've ever tested, and it's so easy to use, it's ideal for beginners and a great option for anyone thinking of making the switch from coffee capsules.

Just load your beans in the top, fill the water tank, push in the empty portafilter handle, and slide it to the right. The Baristina will grind the perfect dose of coffee into the basket, tamp it down, then slide the whole handle to the left and pull the shot for you.

It's a piece of cake, and much easier to clean than a typical automatic espresso machine because there's no moisture or debris building up inside an enclosed case. The only drawback is that it can't steam milk (unless you pick up a bundle with the standalone milk frother), but Philips has just launched an updated version — the Baristina Latte — that solves that particular issue. I'm very much looking forward to testing it

Read our full Philips Baristina review

Bosch Tassimo Finesse FriendlyFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFuture

Friendly by name, friendly by nature — unlike most coffee pod machines, the Finesse Friendly can create rich foam using pods of long-life milk for lattes and cappuccinos in an instant.

You can get plain milk for regular cappuccinos and lattes, or capsules of flavored milk designed to pair with a particular coffee capsule (like cinnamon roll latte, for example). I'm not usually a great fan of flavored coffee capsules, but Tassimo pods are genuinely tasty, and not overwhelmingly sweet.

The Finesse Friendly is cheap too, and is often discounted to £49.99 (about $70 / AU$90). The downside is that the capsules can be quite expensive, particularly for drinks that require two pods (one for coffee and one for milk). It still works out cheaper than an elaborate takeout habit, but bear in mind that this machine isn't currently available outside Europe unless imported.

Read our full Bosch Tassimo Finesse Friendly review

If you're looking for a coffee maker that will make preparing a delicious brew as simple as possible, you're in the right place. I test over a dozen coffee makers each year here at TechRadar, and here I've put together the three I think are the most beginner-friendly, and accessibly priced too.

There are scores of sophisticated bean-to-cup machines around that will brew complex coffee drinks at the tap of a button, but they require a lot of cleaning and are usually very expensive. All the options here are simple to maintain and affordable, making them a better choice overall if you're new to brewing.

Here I've picked three different machines for different brewing styles: a drip coffee maker for brewing a large pot of coffee with minimal hassle, a simple bean-to-cup espresso machine that requires minimal maintenance, and an easy-to-use capsule coffee maker that eliminates the need to handle beans or grounds entirely.

Breville Luxe Brewer ThermalFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFuture

Brewing a batch of drip coffee is, fundamentally, a very straightforward process — you just pour hot water onto ground coffee and let it drip into a carafe — and the Luxe Brewer Thermal keeps things simple while providing a handful of genuinely useful customization options.

In my tests, the default settings worked well, but if you don't get just the right flavor from your beans, you can tweak the bloom time (how long the coffee is pre-infused with hot water), bloom temperature, brew time, and brew temperature to fine-tune the extraction.

The machine can also prepare a batch of cold-brewed coffee. Load it up with ground coffee (the Luxe Brewer Thermal comes with a handy guide to help you measure out the optimal amount), add water to the line on the tank, remove the carafe lid so it doesn't begin to drip, and press the button to start. Your coffee will be steeped cold for 24 hours, and the machine will beep to alert you when it's ready.

Read our full Breville Luxe Brewer Thermal review

Philips BaristinaFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFuture

This is the smallest and cheapest bean-to-cup coffee maker I've ever tested, and it's so easy to use, it's ideal for beginners and a great option for anyone thinking of making the switch from coffee capsules.

Just load your beans in the top, fill the water tank, push in the empty portafilter handle, and slide it to the right. The Baristina will grind the perfect dose of coffee into the basket, tamp it down, then slide the whole handle to the left and pull the shot for you.

It's a piece of cake, and much easier to clean than a typical automatic espresso machine because there's no moisture or debris building up inside an enclosed case. The only drawback is that it can't steam milk (unless you pick up a bundle with the standalone milk frother), but Philips has just launched an updated version — the Baristina Latte — that solves that particular issue. I'm very much looking forward to testing it

Read our full Philips Baristina review

Bosch Tassimo Finesse FriendlyFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFuture

Friendly by name, friendly by nature — unlike most coffee pod machines, the Finesse Friendly can create rich foam using pods of long-life milk for lattes and cappuccinos in an instant.

You can get plain milk for regular cappuccinos and lattes, or capsules of flavored milk designed to pair with a particular coffee capsule (like cinnamon roll latte, for example). I'm not usually a great fan of flavored coffee capsules, but Tassimo pods are genuinely tasty, and not overwhelmingly sweet.

The Finesse Friendly is cheap too, and is often discounted to £49.99 (about $70 / AU$90). The downside is that the capsules can be quite expensive, particularly for drinks that require two pods (one for coffee and one for milk). It still works out cheaper than an elaborate takeout habit, but bear in mind that this machine isn't currently available outside Europe unless imported.

Read our full Bosch Tassimo Finesse Friendly review

Make no mistake: This is not a Chromebook, and it won’t be cheap.