Technology

LG Gram Pro 16 review: Two Minute Review

Thin. Light. And a big screen. Say less. Add in a surprising amount of power for this form factor, and you have the LG Gram Pro 16. There’s a lot to like with this laptop, including some interesting LG-specific software and a very impressive battery life. The only thing that might give me pause in recommending it as one of the best laptops out there is its very high price.

Now, I should clarify that there is a version of the LG Gram Pro 16 that skips the Aerominum material of the pricier version (more on that later) and has the most basic integrated graphics instead of the Intel Arc B390 Graphics included on the configuration reviewed here. Even though the Intel Arc B390 Graphics in the review unit are also integrated, it’s surprisingly on par with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050.

So that version might be one of the best Ultrabooks out there for someone who wants that thin and light package with a big screen but doesn’t need all the bells and whistles. But that version pales in performance. Of course, the LG Gram Pro 16 reviewed here is much more expensive. I don’t want to tell you to wait for a sale, but its price is its biggest drawback.

The LG Gram Pro 16 is very portable thanks ot its light weight, thin design, and powerful battery. (Image credit: Future / James Holland)LG Gram Pro 16 review: Price & Availability

• How much does it cost? Starting at $2,699.99 (about £2,010/ AU$3,830)
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available in the US

While the LG Gram Pro 16 is available in US, UK, and Australia, the 2026 configuration, which has the model designation of 16Z90U (or 16Z95U for the AMD powered ones), is mostly just available in the US at the time of writing. It most certainly will make it to the UK, and one configuration is sold in Australia with an MSRP of AU$4,199, though it’s already discounted to AU$2,899. This configuration comes with a Intel Core Ultra 7 355 CPU, 32GB RAM, Intel Arc graphics, and 1TB of storage. It also features a 2560x1600 touchscreen.

For the US, there are seven configurations. The cheapest one, not accounting for any slashed prices, goes for $2,699.99, which has an Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU and its integrated graphics, 32GB RAM, 512GB storage, and that same 2560x1600 touch screen. The price starts to creep up with more storage (though some models have a 1TB SSD but 16GB of RAM and are maybe fifty bucks more).

The most expensive model doesn’t have a touchscreen, but does have slightly higher resolution with a 2560x1800 screen. More importantly, it comes with an Intel Core Ultra X7 CPU, integrated Intel Arc graphics B390 Graphics which have the power of an Nvidia Geforce RTX 4050, 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

The Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra is a good laptop to compare the LG Gram Pro 16 to. Its price tag of $2,449.99 / £2,999 (around AU$6,000) for a laptop with an Nvidia RTX 5060 GPU and 1TB of storage, similar CPU, and similar screen is also expensive, though less expensive than the LG Gram Pro 16 at its maxed out configuration. Or, if you look at the Dell 2026 XPS 16, you’ll find a very similarly priced and specced laptop that also comes with an OLED screen (again comparing to the max configuration).

I think there are a few reasons that LG costs more. The first is that they’re using a new material called Aerominum for the chassis, and semi-relatedly, weighs under three pounds, unlike either of the other mentioned laptops. Hopefully as LG keeps using Aerominum, the price will come down.

• Value score: 4 / 5

LG Gram Pro 16 review: specs

The LG Gram Pro 16 has about seven different configurations at the time of writing, all with slightly different combinations of CPU (Intel Core Ultra 7, AMD Ryzen AI 7 450, Intel Core Ultra X7), RAM (16 or 32GB), storage space (512GB, 1TB, or 2TB), and graphics, with the cheapest configuration utilizing the basic integrated Intel Graphics and more substantial configurations using the Ryzen AI 7 450’s integrated AMD Radeon 860M graphics or at the top of the price range, Intel’s integrated but powerful Arc B390 GPU.

Base

Review / Max

Price

$1,399.99 (about £1,040 / AU$1,980)

$3,499.99 (about £2,600 / AU$9,000)

CPU

Intel Core Ultra 7

Intel Core Ultra X7

GPU

Intel graphics

Intel Arc B390 Graphics

RAM

32GB LPDDR5X

32GB LPDDR5X (Dual Channel, 8533MHz)

Storage

512GB M.2 SSD

1TB M.2 SSD

Display

16-inch diagonal, WQXGA (2560x1600) touch IPS @120Hz

16-inch diagonal, WQXGA+ (2560x1800) non-touch IPS @120Hz

Ports and Connectivity

USB 3.2 Gen1 (x2), USB 4 Gen3x2 Type C (x2, with Power Delivery, Display Port, Thunderbolt 4), HDMI, Aux out

USB 3.2 Gen1 (x2), USB 4 Gen3x2 Type C (x2, with Power Delivery, Display Port, Thunderbolt 4), HDMI, Aux out

Wireless

Intel Wi-Fi 7 (WiFi7, 2x2, BT Combo) and Bluetooth 6

Intel Wi-Fi 7 (WiFi7, 2x2, BT Combo) and Bluetooth 6

Camera

FHD IR Webcam with Dual Mic (Face recognition)

FHD IR Webcam with Dual Mic (Face recognition)

Dimensions

2.97 lbs (1.35 kg)

2.64 lbs (1.2 kg)

Weight

14.1 x 9.9 x 0.49~0.5 inches / 358.1 x 251.5 x 12.4~12.7 mm

14.1 x 9.9 x 0.49~0.5 inches / 358.1 x 251.5 x 12.4~12.7 mm

On the exterior, there are two different screen options. The less powerful models come with a 2560x1600 resolution, some of which have touchscreens including the cheapest configuration. The more powerful ones with either the Ryzen or Intel Arc graphics have a slightly sharper 2560x1800 resolution – none of them touchscreen.

LG Gram Pro 16 review: Design

• Light, thin, but with a big screen!
• Keyboard doesn’t have much travel
• Good ports, but not ideal port placement

First things first, the LG Gram Pro 16 reviewed here is like all the other LG Grams, as it manages to be light and portable while still providing a pretty large screen. Those things are typically mutually exclusive. Yet here, you get a 16-inch screen in a package that weighs under three pounds. And since the bezels are pretty thin, it’s only fourteen inches wide. Plus, it’s half an inch thick.

It’s taken me a while to figure out why the LG Gram Pro 16 comes with such a high price tag. Part of it is the robust components. Part of it is the engineering to get it so light and thin. But part of it is, in my opinion, the use of a proprietary material called Aerominum instead of the usual aluminum alloy or plastic. It feels like plastic but is a little tougher, and the LG Gram Pro 16's chassis is made from it. There is, however, a little bit of give in the bottom shell where the venting is.

The LG Gram Pro 16 has both USB-C ports on the same side. (Image credit: Future / James Holland)

Since the LG Gram Pro 16 is so thin, the keyboard doesn’t have much travel. Because of this, I don’t really enjoy typing on it for long periods of time. It’s fine. It’s accurate. And it doesn’t bother me when browsing or more casual use, but it just doesn’t have much cushion. I can feel the keys bottom out on every press. At least, it’s a full size keyboard.

The trackpad, on the other hand, is nice to use. It’s also big, though I have to be careful to not accidentally touch it when typing as it is sensitive, and I’m somewhat lazy with my hand placement. And if you use all the different gestures Windows is capable of, the trackpad will register them.

Lastly, I’m appreciative of the port selection, but less so the port placement. A laptop like this doesn’t need anything beyond the two USB-4 type C, two USB, headphone jack, and an HDMI port that it comes with, but the LG Gram Pro 16 makes the same mistake that many laptops do. If you have two USB-C ports and that’s the only way to power the laptop, put one on each side and not on the same side. The power cable it comes with is not that long, and I’ve created a few tripping hazards trying to charge just because of the port placement.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

LG Gram Pro 16 review: Performance

• Plenty of power for demanding tasks, though with some adjustments
• Mostly great suite of additional software
• Good audio, camera, and mic performance

LG Gram Pro 16 benchmarks

3DMark: Solar Bay: 25,811; Steel Nomad: 1,607
Geekbench 7.0: (Single Core) 2,254; (Multi Core) 17,471
Crossmark: Overall: 1,981; Productivity: 1,763; Creativity: 2,334; Responsiveness: 1,716
HandBrake 1.11.1: 4:01
Total War: Warhammer III: Mirrors of Madness (1080p): 61.7fps; (2880x1800) 29.7fps
Cyberpunk 2077: (1080p, Ray Tracing): 18.29fps; (1080p, Ray Tracing off) 50.07fps
Battery Life (PCMark 10): 15:34:02

Between the Intel Core Ultra X7, Intel Arc B390 Graphics, and 32GB or RAM the LG Gram Pro 16 I’m reviewing has, it’s a fairly powerful computer. Despite the fact that the Intel Arc graphics are integrated and not actually a discrete GPU, it compares favorably to an Nvidia Geforce RTX 4050 (which is admittedly entry level for discrete graphics).

That means that I can take this somewhere to do a little work – maybe write this review, for instance – and then switch to a demanding video game like Starfield, South of Midnight or Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 for a bit of fun. While the computer struggles a little at the highest settings for these games, it’s also running at a 120Hz refresh rate.

Now, I assume that many people wanting to read about the LG Gram Pro 16 care about its gaming capabilities, but those are among the more demanding tasks you can ask from a computer. If it can run one of those games, it can handle photo and video editing (we also have benchmarks to show how they would handle those tasks). It can handle recording audio. This is a powerful computer, though, as a gaming computer, it just barely clears the bar of running those more demanding titles.

The keyboard is full size, but a little shallow. (Image credit: Future / James Holland)

Now, since LG proudly advertises the AI capabilities of this laptop – if you look on the website, the thumbnail puts “AI” next to the computer’s name as if it’s part of it – it makes sense that AI is all over this thing.

When I open LG’s My Gram app, which is the LG Gram Pro 16’s software interface for fine-tuning its performance, I see things like AI microphone and speaker optimization settings (you can also register your voice so that the laptop only hears / recognizes it), AI cooling for the fan settings, and an AI mode for the battery settings where it adjusts battery usage based on what it’s learned about how one uses their computer and how to allocate battery based on that. The My Gram software can also turn off the screen automatically when you walk away from the laptop.

LG also includes its own LLM tool for interacting with the laptop: AI Gram Chat. Instead of letting you write prompts to generate an image or a short story, it is made as almost an interactive interface for the computer. I can ask it to summarize a document, change settings, or troubleshoot, to name just a few things it's capable of.

The unique software suite on the LG Gram Pro 16 isn’t limited to AI-focused apps. LG Gram Link is an interesting one that’s included, and lets you quickly share files with other compatible devices, like other LG Grams from 2021 and on, LG TVs and smart monitors, and mobile devices. You can download the LG Gram Link for both Android and iOS, so you’re not limited to an LG device.

The last thing worth mentioning on the software front is that, as interesting as those other apps are and as expensive as this computer can be, you’ll still be subjected to dealing with a free McAfee trial. Since I don’t use or like McAfee, it’s an annoyance with its constant pop-ups. And it’s a piece of software that makes you jump through hoops to uninstall. I don’t like it. Minus five points to LG.

For a laptop, the audio here is pretty good. There’s almost no low end to speak of, but that’s the case for most laptops. Content, whether it’s a movie or music, sounds clear without sounding harsh. If you want excellent audio, get some wireless headphones, but if you don’t have any, the speakers on this laptop are good enough.

Those who are stuck on video calls all day will be happy to know that the webcam looks pretty good. There’s some graininess in low light situations, which is to be expected, but the image is clear and smooth. Plus, you can do the auto framing where the camera zooms in on your face like a 70’s Western. The eye contact feature and background effects are also here. Just be aware that there’s no physical shutter to block the camera. And the built-in mic is similarly capable for Zoom and voice calls.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

LG Gram Pro 16 review: Battery life

• Very long battery life
• Has some AI features to extend battery life even longer

LG claims that the Gram Pro 16’s 77Wh battery can last for 27 hours when playing back video when using its AI Battery Efficiency feature). And it might just be able to do that. But I like to test battery life without any special features or tricks. I want to get a good sense of what the battery itself is capable of.

During use, it did in fact last quite a while. I was able to actually play computer games unplugged without running the battery completely down in an hour or two, though it did take a hit. And I would use it unplugged multiple days at a time without charging. Running the PCMark 10 battery benchmark for office use with all the settings midway between performance and battery took almost 17 hours. A chore to sit through, but a great indicator of how good the battery life is.

Using the LG Gram Link app, you can share files between devices. (Image credit: Future / James Holland)

• Battery Life score: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the LG Gram Pro 16?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

If you compare the LG Gram Pro 16 to similarly specced laptops trying to do the MacBook Pro 16 thing, they’re all at the same somewhat hard-to-stomach price.

4 / 5

Design

I might have some issue with a few choices on this laptop, but it’s thin and light while still offering a big screen. That’s hard to find.

4.5 / 5

Performance

In that thin and light chassis is a pretty powerful computer, able to handle pretty powerful tasks along with its own AI apps. Just beware the McAfee popups.

4.5 / 5

Battery Life

Even without LG’s battery efficiency, the battery on this laptop lasts a very long time.

5 / 5

Final Score

If price is no object, the LG Gram Pro 16 is a very impressive computer. It’s the full packet (but a light one).

4.5 / 5

Buy it if…

You want thin, light, and powerful
This laptop comes in under three pounds and is half an inch thick, yet you can run a lot of demanding software on it.View Deal

You need long battery life
The LG Gram Pro 16 surprised me with its battery life, especially after experiencing its power. I think you’ll be surprised by it too.View Deal

You want to drag and drop files between devices
Using LG Gram Link, you can share files between devices. So, if you want to send a couple pictures from your phone to the laptop for editing, the app makes it simple.View Deal

Don't buy it if…

You have any budget concerns
The LG Gram Pro 16 is just priced too high. While I hazard to guess that it’s the use of a new type of material, its price tag is just out of reach for most people.View Deal

You don’t like McAfee
This is bloatware. Yes, it can be removed, but you get an added inconvenience to counteract the laptop’s actual conveniences like LG Gram Link.View Deal

LG Gram Pro 16 review: Also Consider

If our LG Gram Pro 16 review has you considering other options, here are two laptops to consider...

Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra

Thin. Light. With a 16-inch screen. Sound familiar? Well, the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra checks those boxes too. Plus, it’s similarly expensive. However, it does come with more powerful graphics (and a bigger issue with heat).

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra review

Dell XPS 16 (2026)

The Dell XPS 16 is a premium laptop that’s thin and light with a big screen like the LG Gram Pro 16. Plus, it comes with an OLED screen for about the same price. Its port selection is a bit more limited, however, and it’s a pound heavier.

Read our full Dell XPS 16 (2026) review

How I tested the LG Gram Pro 16

• Tested for a couple weeks
• Used it for work, gaming, and streaming
• Messed with its AI capabilities

I used the LG Gram Pro 16 for a couple weeks. I used it for work, including typing up most of this review (along with the requisite online research). I used it to stream video. I even did some serious gaming. I also played around with the AI and first-party software.

After spending time with the LG Gram Pro 16, it’s clear that this is meant for those who want a large screen in a thin, light package without sacrificing power. That might be a big ask, but LG has done it for a price.

I’ve spent the last few years reviewing tech gear for gaming and otherwise, where I’ve gotten a feel for what to look for and how to put a piece of kit through its paces to see whether it’s worth the recommendation.

• First reviewed: August 2026

Thinking of buying an Amazon Echo Show? The best time to do it is during an Amazon Prime Day sale. It's a safe bet that the vast majority of Amazon devices — including Echo Shows — will be heavily discounted during these events, and it's very rare to see these kinds of price-drops at any other time of year.

Nowadays, we have two Prime Days every year: one around July and one around October. And of course they don't just last a day. That would be silly. You can expect at least two days of deals, and maybe more. The next Amazon Prime Day is imminent: it's scheduled to run on 6 and 7 October.

Traditionally, you had to be a Prime subscriber to take advantage of the Prime Day deals. That's still sort-of the case, but increasingly we're seeing 'Prime Day' pricing appearing ahead of the official events, and the deals are open to everyone. That's the case this year with the Echo Show range (as well as a bunch of other Amazon devices, actually).

• Shop Amazon's full US early Prime Day sale / UK early Prime Day sale

There are significant discounts live already across almost the entire Echo Show range in both the US and the UK. I've rounded up all the current pricing directly below, or you can scroll down further for more information on the deals — including how they compare to previous offers — and my advice on how to choose.

US links

Amazon Echo Show 5 (newest gen)

Amazon Echo Show 8 (newest gen)

Amazon Echo Show 11 (newest gen)

Amazon Echo Show 15 (newest gen)

Amazon Echo Show 21 (newest gen)

UK links

Amazon Echo Show 5 (newest gen)

Amazon Echo Show 8 (newest Gen)

Amazon Echo Show 11 (newest Gen)

Amazon Echo Show 15 (newest gen)

Amazon Echo Show 21 (newest Gen)

Amazon Echo show: buying advice

Normal bargain-hunting rules dictate you should wait for a product to return to the cheapest price it has ever dropped to, before now. However, in the case of Prime Day, Amazon does like to switch things up. For instance, the most recent Prime Day was in June 2026; the deals appearing now aren't exactly the same, and in some cases prices are slightly higher than we saw in June.

However, I'd still recommend buying the model you want now, as I don't expect prices to drop any further during this event. Unless, of course, you wanted to gamble and wait until the next Prime Day to see if your desired model gets a bigger discount. (Risky tactics because in general, prices are trending up.)

(Image credit: Future)

What's slightly sneaky is that Amazon has increased the list price alongside those discounts, to make the deal appear better than it is. For instance, in the US the Echo Show 11 has fallen to the same price it was in June: $149.99. However, because Amazon has raised the 'original' price, it's showing as a 40% discount now, whereas in June it was only 32% off.

For reference, here are all the discounts and list prices for the June 2026 Prime Day. I'll start with the US:

• Show 5: $59.99 (list price $89.99) — 33% off
• Show 8: $124.99 (list price $179.99) — 31% off
• Show 11: $149.99 (list price $219.99) — 32% off
• Show 15: $249.99 (list price $299.99) — 17% off
• Show 21: $319.99 (list price $399.99) — 20% off

And here were the deals in the UK:

• Show 5: £49.99 (list price £89.99) — 44% off
• Show 8: £114.99 (list price £179.99) — 36% off
• Show 11: £139.99 (list price £219.99) — 36% off
• Show 15: £239.99 (list price £299.99) — 20% off
• Show 21: List price £399.99 — no discount

Which one should I buy?

I assume if you've got this far, you know what an Amazon Echo Show is and what it's for. But just in case: these are speakers / displays that act as hubs from which you can control your smart home. The different options range in capabilities and screen size — the number at the end of the product name indicates the size of screen.

If you want the biggest and best screen, you should buy the Show 21, which has a 21-inch, full HD display. The Show 15 and Show 11 also have full HD screens, but they're smaller.

If price is your main consideration, it's the littlest option that comes in cheapest. The Echo Show 5 is very compact, and less than half the price of the next model up. However, there are concessions you're making for that low price: the display isn't HD, there's one basic speaker and the camera is only 2MP.

You might get better value for money by opting for an Echo Show 8 or 11, which both offer a jump up in specs compared to the Show 5. Both have two full-range drivers and a 2.8-inch woofer, plus a 13MP camera with auto-framing. The 8 has a HD display and the 11 has full HD. You can see exactly how all the specs compare in the table below.

Model:

Show 5

Show 8

Show 11

Show 15

Show 21

Current gen:

3rd gen, 2023

4th gen, 2025

1st gen, 2025

2nd gen, 2024

1st gen, 2024

Screen size:

5.5 inch

8.7 inch

11 inch

15.5 inch

21 inch

Screen specs:

Touchscreen

HD touchscreen

Full HD touchscreen

Full HD touchscreen

Full HD touchscreen

Audio:

1.75-in speaker

2x full-range drivers and 1x 2.8-inch woofer

2x full-range drivers and 1x 2.8-inch woofer

2x 2in woofers, 2x 0.6in tweeters

2x 2in woofers, 2x 0.6in tweeters

Camera:

2MP

13MP with auto-framing

13MP with auto-framing

13MP wide angle with auto-framing

13MP wide angle with auto-framing

Video support:

Prime Video app

Prime Video and Netflix app

Prime Video and Netflix app

Full selection via Fire TV app store

Full selection via Fire TV app store

Fire TV built in:

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

Smart home hub built in:

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Dimensions (W x D x H):

5.8 x 3.6 x 3.2in / 14.7 x 9.1 x 8.2cm

8.2 x 5 x 5.9in / 21 x 13 x 15cm

10 x 5 x 7.2in / 26 x 13 x 18cm

16.1 x 10.1 x 1.4in / 41 x 3.6 x 26cm

21.4 x 13.2 x 1.5in / 54 x 3.8 x 34cm

The company, founded by Tesla veterans, is expanding manufacturing in Colorado to keep up with demand from RV enthusiasts.

The 2026 streamer from Amazon features a new remote and support for HDR10 and Samsung’s HDR10 Plus.

• New Spectre variant exploits processor prediction behavior in just-in-time compilers
• Researchers demonstrated practical attacks against Intel-based Linux systems
• Vendors released mitigations as security teams assess performance tradeoffs

The dreaded Spectre vulnerability which had chip manufacturers scrambling for a fix a few years ago, has returned, experts have claimed.

Security researchers from the Vrije Universiteit in the Netherlands and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Italy published a new report, detailing a type of attack they call Branch Target Reuse (BTR).

They labeled it the first practical in-place Spectre v2 attack that targets just-in-time (JIT) compilers - and it's a lot to decompile (pun intended), so let’s break it all down.

Spectre and Meltdown

Modern microprocessors come with a feature called “speculative execution” - they speculate what a program’s next moves might be, and load them in advance, so that when one scenario actually happens, it can be executed rather quickly.

They also monitor recurring patterns and try to remember them, but this also opens the doors to so-called “side-channel attacks”, which allow threat actors to steal information by observing indirect clues from a system (timing, power consumption, etc.), rather than accessing them directly.

Back in 2017, security researchers discovered that speculative execution can be abused via side-channel attacks, giving birth to two vulnerabilities: Spectre and Meltdown. Given how widespread the flaws were (practically all chips were affected), and their potential severity, the entire industry rushed to fix the flaws with software patches. Some succeeded, but the overall effort was more of a fiasco than a success. Many chips were throttled significantly, and some computers were entirely bricked.

Spectre and Meltdown were eventually fixed, but since then, there have been countless copycats and variants. We now have a new variant, called Branch Target Reuse (BTR).

BTR

When a processor wants to “remember” a recurring theme, it stores it in something called the Branch Target Buffer (BTB). At the same time, there is an element called “JIT”. Short for just-in-time, it is a compiler that translates code into native machine instructions during program execution, rather than before it runs. In practice, JIT creates code at memory address X, later running it numerous times. The CPU learns the pattern and tries to repeat it.

So when JIT deletes the code and puts something else at the same address X, that’s where the problems begin, since the CPU still tries to jump to X first. That is called Branch Target Reuse. The CPU will eventually realize that the old habits no longer work, but it’s the moment in between that the researchers managed to exploit.

What makes BTR particularly dangerous is the fact that there is no need for a new malware to exploit it. Threat actors can simply use the fact that machine-code bytes can mean different things when execution begins at a different byte offset.

In the paper, the researchers detail two proof-of-concept (PoC) exploits that can target Intel-based Linux kernels, revealing the root password hash even with the constant binding defense provided by cBPF. The expected leakage rate is 5.7 KB/sec for Intel Raptor Cove chips and 5.4 KB/sec for Lion Cove which, according to The Register, is “slow but enough for an unprivileged user to coax a sensitive password hash out of a vulnerable system.”

Linux kernel developers and Oracle responded with mitigations. The bugs have now gotten two CVEs: CVE-2026-64507 and CVE-2026-64508. Mozilla decided to focus more on site isolation, and while IBPB is most likely effective, it will slow the machine down. “Update your OS and software as soon as vendor patches are available,” the researchers said. “Both the Linux kernel and Oracle have released patches.”

The Branch Target Reuse paper, which can be read on this link, was peer-reviewed and accepted by ACM CCS 2026, a major academic cybersecurity conference, due to take place in mid-November this year in The Hague, Netherlands.

Via The Register

Celebrity Traitors Season 2 arrives tomorrow, but if you're travelling and at risk of missing out, you needn't worry.

BBC iPlayer is the free home of the popular UK series, meaning if you're a UK resident on holiday, you'll be stuck without due to the BBC limiting access to only those on home soil. Thankfully, a VPN can fix this, and I've found the cheapest way to ensure you don't miss out on the chaos: PrivadoVPN.

PrivadoVPN ranks among the fastest VPNs we've tested and offers the best free VPN alternative too. But, more importantly, it's also a top streaming VPN for BBC iPlayer.

When I tried using PrivadoVPN to watch the last series of Celebrity Traitors, it was flawless. I connected to a UK server quickly, and never experienced any buffering or dropouts.

What's more, unlike alternatives such as NordVPN, PrivadoVPN costs only $1.11 per month. This means you can get two years of stress-free streaming access for only $30. That's over $60 less than an equivalent NordVPN plan.

PrivadoVPN: Only $1.11 per month for 27 months of protection

PrivadoVPN is the cheapest way to access the new season of Celebrity Traitors without compromising your stream quality. It's by far the fastest VPN available right now. Plus, it's got all the essential security features you need from a VPN, and servers in 66 cities worldwide so you can be secure anywhere. Interested? PrivadoVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it risk-free. View Deal

PrivadoVPN's streaming performance excels beyond iPlayer too. We put it through rigorous testing with global Netflix libraries, Prime Video, Disney+, and more, and, compared to far more expensive alternatives, it proved effective.

Its biggest hurdle was Prime Video which, like many VPNs, it failed with altogether. Aside from that, it worked with all the global and local streaming services we tested it with, despite its budget price. This is helped by its servers in 49 countries being regularly optimized for streaming.

It’s super lightweight and delivers more impressive results than you’d expect for its size.

• Singapore police charge a man over a deepfake AI image
• The picture shows a crocodile in a public recreation area
• A total of 10 years of jail time could be attached to the charges

We know that AI apps can produce images that are often indistinguishable from real photos, and these pictures may get you into trouble with the law too: a man in Singapore faces a jail term of up to 10 years after allegedly sharing an AI-generated image of a crocodile in a popular public recreational area.

The man is Ye Lin, a 30-year-old from Myanmar (via PetaPixel), and the area is Pandan Reservoir. After the picture was shared on August 20, Singapore's national water agency shut down rowing and canoeing activities on the water while trying to find the semiaquatic reptile.

After determining the image was fake, the agency reported Ye Lin to the police, and the man could now be looking at a serious stretch inside when he turns up to court in November. On the charge of sending a false message, Ye Lin could face up to three years in prison, a fine of up to S$10,000 (about $7,835 / £5,895 / AU$11,235), or both.

Then there's the charge of obstructing justice, which can put you inside for up to seven years, lead to a fine (though it's not clear how much), or both. The accused man is reportedly planning to plead guilty and will be hoping the judicial system takes a lenient view on his AI deepfakery.

Communicating falsehoods

Pandan Reservoir (Image credit: Adhirk/CC BY-SA 3.0)

"The Police will not hesitate to take action against anyone who communicates falsehoods," said the Singapore Police Force in a statement. "Apart from causing fear and inconvenience to members of the public, such falsehoods also result in public resources being unnecessarily deployed to deal with these incidents."

It's not immediately clear how the image came to be widely circulated: according to the police, Ye Lin only shared the image with one of his colleagues rather than posting it online. He then deleted the image and the Gemini app he used to make it "in an attempt to conceal his actions" the police said.

The reactions online show some sympathy for Ye Lin, with many arguing that the original offense wasn't particularly egregious, especially as he didn't share the image widely. However, questions are being asked about why the man didn't step in and tell the authorities the picture was faked after the reservoir was closed off.

If the image was indeed made by Gemini, as the Straits Times reports, then it should've come with an invisible, embedded watermark identifying it as being generated by AI. It's not clear whether this watermark was removed somehow, or whether no one thought to check once the picture started circulating.

Today Samsung debuted a pair of new Tablets: the Samsung Galaxy Tab S12+ and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra. I’ve been taking the Ultra for a spin ahead of its October 7 launch and have been loving the massive display.

But the price hike, and minimal upgrades leave me questioning if it really needed it launch.

There’s a lot that’ll be familiar here for owners of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra when it comes to the S12 series. The AMOLED screen is still 14.6-inches with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1,600 nits peak brightness, the battery is still 11,600mAh with 45W charging (and boasts the same promised 23 hours of video playback as the S11 Ultra), and the S12 Ultra tablet is still IP68 rated meaning it could spend 30 minutes underwater at a depth of 1m and survive the experience.

The tablet is as thin (5.1mm) as it was before, with the same Silver and Gray color options to choose between as before. The only notable change is the chipset — the new 3nm processor boasts an up to 19% faster CPU, 17% better GPU performance, and a 51% improvement to its NPU processing for your AI needs — though there is also a new heat chamber for better heat dissipation, plus a new four-channel speaker setup for more immersive audio than last generation’s dual-speaker build.

I’ve been trying the Ultra model out and enjoying it so far — relying on it as a solid laptop alternative with the book keyboard cover attachment (sold separately), and also as a great mobile gaming and TV-watching device while I travel (a full review will be coming soon) — but considering how similar it is to the last generation, I am left wondering if Samsung should take a leaf out of Apple’s book and abandon its annual refresh approach to Galaxy Tab launches.

(Image credit: Future)

The Tab S12+ is an interesting beast. There was no S11+, so it’s a replacement for the S10+ from 2024, but there’s also no regular S12 launching alongside these models, so it's kind of the successor to the S11 too.

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S12+ boasts a 12.6-inch AMOLED screen with the same 1,600 nits peak brightness as the Ultra. It also has the same chipset as the Ultra model, but there's a smaller 10,600mAh battery (unsurprising, since it's physically smaller).

Besides the lower battery capcaity and screen size it also lacks the Ultra’s 8MP ultra-wide rear camera — but otherwise has the same 13MP main on its back, and 12MP ultra-wide on its front.

Because the S12+ is billed as a step-up model, despite there not being a base S12 to step up from, it does mean Samsung’s cheapest 2026 model is a lot more pricey than its cheapest 2025 tablet (more on that in a second).

For someone on a budget thinking of upgrading, it’s a real shame the best option from Samsung might be a tablet that’s a year old, but unless we get a regular Tab S12 (I’m not holding my breath) that’s the position we find ourselves in.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra (Image credit: Future | Nico Arboleda)Coming for the iPad Pro?

As we’ve come to expect in 2026 — though it still stings to see every single time — the tablets will cost more than what has come before. The Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra will set you back $1,399 / £1,399 (about AU$2,650) — up from $1,299 / £1,269 / AU$2,099 – meanwhile the S12+ costs $1,199 / £1,199 (about AU$2,270) for its cheapest model. (Australian pricing TBC for the new devices).

For both tablets the cheapest configuration comes with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, with both also having a 512GB model, and the Ultra boasting a 1TB model that also ups the RAM to 16GB, though these configurations will cost more.

At these prices, Samsung is pitching its S12 lineup against Apple’s iPad Pro lines, but thankfully the prices are a little cheaper. Compared with the 2025 iPad Pro launch prices, Samsung’s tablets would be pricier — however Apple hiked its prices by up to $200 / £200 / AU$400, putting its 11-inch iPad Pro on-par with the S12+, and making its the 13-inch iPad Pro $100 / £100 pricier.

Should Apple be worried? (Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

There are factors to consider beyond price, of course. The Samsung tablets have larger screens than their respective rivals and a longer quoted battery life, and come with the S Pen stylus in the box, while the Apple Pencil is sold separately.

But Apple’s tech is lighter — 444g and 579g compared with 553g and 692g — and while we need to do some more testing, Apple silicon tends to outperform its rivals.

All that aside, there’s plenty to still love about the S12-series Galaxy Tabs. I’ve been using the Ultra for a couple of weeks now and it’s genuinely a very useful machine. I’m currently writing this story using the tablet and its keyboard attachment (multitasking across documents, web pages, and my photos app with ease).

But again I’m left wondering if it really needed to exist considering the lackluster hardware upgrades and price increase. Right now I’m not sure, but let’s see how I feel when my review is ready

• Dots will decide how to work autonomously toward a goal you set
• They have their own cloud computer and browser for safety
• Only Pro and Business Premium users are getting access for now

OpenAI has launched a new type of always-on AI agent within ChatGPT designed to take ongoing actions for work rather than waiting for individual prompts.

The new GPT-6-powered feature, Dots, means ChatGPT can keep working on tasks between conversations, only bringing things back to the user when they require specific attention or permission.

Designed to be more of an autonomous agent, the company explains that users only need to set goals and boundaries, and the Dots should be able to go about working out what happens next.

ChatGPT's Dots ramp up the 'autonomous' in agentic AI

The fundamental difference for ChatGPT's Dots is that they each have their own cloud computer and browser, giving them an environment within which they can interact with the broader web, use apps, run code and work with other plugins, keeping users' computers totally separate and free of any potential damage an autonomous agent could otherwise take.

A Dot's activity is shown as either being in progress, scheduled or completed, with some example use cases spanning checking a user's calendar to provide them with a morning report, or reviewing information from connected services and apps.

And to make Dots even more like proactive colleagues, the company has already added them into Slack and Teams, with text support also coming soon.

Built-in safeguards also promise to pause or stop a Dot's work if their system detects malicious instructions or behavior.

They're coming first to Pro and Business Premium users at no additional cost, and only work towards a set goal will consume usage limits – conversations with dots are totally free. Dots need to be set up on the desktop app or a browser first, but from there, they'll also be available to interact with on the mobile app.

OpenAI didn't share plans for a broader rollout, but given its previous deployment phases, it's possible that Dots could extend to other subscription types in the future once early users get to grips with real-world use cases and costs.

Artificial intelligence is becoming part of almost every workflow. Developers are using it to write and test code, customer support is turning to it to handle routine queries, and security teams are using it to analyze alerts and support investigations. Digital forensics and incident response (DFIR) is no exception.

But as digital forensics work has evolved over the last few decades, one lesson remains consistent. Tools can support investigations, but investigators remain responsible for the quality of the conclusions they reach. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into workflows across industries, the challenge is understanding where AI tools can assist and where human expertise remains essential – and importantly, where organizations should draw the line.

Where AI adds value

For digital forensics and incident response teams, some of AI's most promising applications are also its most practical.

With 90 percent of criminal investigations and prosecutions now involving a digital element, DFIR teams are being asked to process enormous volumes of data. As of February of this year, more than 20,000 devices remain in the digital forensics backlog in England and Wales alone.

Data is spread across endpoints, cloud environments, communications platforms and user accounts, and AI can help investigators triage. It can process that information more efficiently and help to identify potential leads, spot connections between datasets, and highlight other sources of evidence that may require further examination.

For example, it can help investigators correlate relevant activity across multiple devices, accounts and data sources, supporting the reconstruction of events timelines that would otherwise take days to piece together manually. It can also help practitioners organize information and structure reports, allowing them to spend less time on administrative work and more time on analysis.

Used appropriately, AI can reduce the time spent on manual, repetitive work and allow skilled practitioners to spend more time on the analysis and decision-making that moves their work forward.

The danger of treating AI as an answer

The challenge is that AI often appears so authoritative that people become overly reliant on its outputs.

One of the most important lessons from digital forensics is that every tool has limitations. Experienced investigators understand that forensic tools can be wrong. AI is no different. The greatest risk of AI is using it without having the foundational knowledge needed to recognize when it is wrong.

AI is like your junior analyst on their best day. It can identify patterns, highlight areas of interest and help move work forward. But no organization would allow a junior analyst to make the final decision in a sensitive investigation without oversight and accountability. AI should be approached in much the same way.

Problems arise when organizations treat AI-generated outputs as answers rather than something that needs to be validated by someone with the expertise to challenge them. AI can help you reach a conclusion, but it shouldn’t be the conclusion in and of itself.

Knowing where to draw the line

There are many areas where AI can accelerate and enhance work, but there are some areas where AI should never be used. Organizations need to pay attention to where those boundaries lie.

In digital forensics, AI can help identify information that warrants further examination. It can support analysis and help investigators work more efficiently. But it shouldn’t be blindly trusted to reach investigative conclusions or determine innocence or guilt.

Those decisions carry legal, professional and life-changing consequences, making human judgement and accountability non-negotiable.

The same principle extends beyond digital forensics. Organizations in every sector are now deciding how much responsibility should be handed to AI. The answer will vary depending on the use case, but the underlying question remains the same - what safeguards are in place to prevent people becoming overly reliant on AI outputs, and how will they know when those outputs are wrong?

Building frameworks for responsible adoption

These are exactly the questions currently being addressed by the new practical frameworks for the use of AI in digital forensics and incident response. They encourage organizations to consider how much risk a task carries, how outputs will be reviewed, and where human oversight should remain mandatory.

Using AI in DFIR requires strict governance because the stakes are so high. Mistakes are taken seriously when someone’s life is on the line, or a wrongful conviction could take place. However, it shouldn’t take consequences this severe for organizations to work towards protecting the integrity of their decision-making and ensuring humans remain in the driving seat.

Rather than racing to embed AI into every process, organizations should establish governance frameworks first – including what AI should never be in charge of – then start with low-risk use cases where outputs can be easily reviewed or reversed. From there, they can expand capability and explore how AI can help their teams do their jobs better, acting as a force-multiplier rather than the final arbiter.

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• Windows 11 26H2 is here and Microsoft says it's a "predictable and low-disruption update"
• There are users on social media who very much disagree, and are expressing their nervousness in varying degrees
• However, the 26H2 update could trigger the rollout of features that your PC hasn't yet received, so it might prove very useful

Windows 11's annual update has arrived, and while 26H2 doesn't bring in notable new features, it should trigger the rollout of functionality from earlier this year – if you still don't have some of those bits and pieces.

As Microsoft explains: "Windows 11 version 26H2 … delivers the latest Windows innovations with a streamlined update experience designed to minimize disruption and help you stay secure, productive, and up to date."

As with last year's update, this is what Microsoft calls a "small enablement package", meaning it's a minimal download with a quick installation that happens in a single reboot. All it's effectively doing is flicking a switch to turn on some preloaded code, with no actual new features delivered as such.

There's a key point to note here though, because as Microsoft says, this update "activates new features already included in the operating system through previous monthly servicing updates."

So, if you haven't yet had a feature rolled out to you – such as Microsoft's change to more speedily load apps, or the ability to reposition the taskbar, or the various changes for the Start menu – applying the 26H2 update should ensure that anything missing reaches your PC.

It's also worth bearing in mind that installing a new version of Windows 11 extends your support timeframe (through to October 2028 in the case of 26H2).

Analysis: skeptics aplenty

(Image credit: Unsplash)

I say that installing version 26H2 should mean that any missing Windows 11 features are enabled on your PC, because obviously there's no guarantee, but if you've been hankering after a particular piece of functionality, there's a good chance you'll get it by applying this upgrade (certainly with older features, anyway).

As ever, though, it's never a great idea to rush to download any update, at least in my opinion, because of the danger that some unforeseen bug has crept in. Microsoft talks about this update being small and "designed to minimize disruption", and it should be a clean enough installation in theory, but people have been burned before – and the reaction on Reddit shows that quite clearly.

Posting in response to Microsoft calling 26H2 a "predictable and low-disruption update", one Redditor summed up the broad feeling in the thread by saying: "Well, now I'm really suspicious." Another poster simply says: "Uh oh."

And there are countless jokes or sarcastic barbs about how 26H2 will be just great because AI coded it, such as: "Don't worry they told Copilot not to make any mistakes with this update."

Another Redditor takes a similar attitude to myself: "I'll wait 3 weeks and then see what the situation looks like before updating."

There's no need to jump right on this update, so it just seems prudent to hold fire for a short while and see if any annoying incidents happen that move the needle on the glitch-o-meter.

Let's hope not, and then at some point later in October, you can apply version 26H2 and with any luck you'll get any features that have missed out your PC in Microsoft's rollout schedule. Speaking of which, it's notable how many more folks are complaining about Windows 11 being very slow to deploy new capabilities this year, but that said, you can't exactly blame Microsoft for being cautious given that bugs remain a big problem for its desktop OS.

Slowing down to a treacly pace with feature rollouts isn't exactly an ideal solution, though, is it? Microsoft needs to address some more deep-seated issues with its testing processes here (and no, I won't shut up about this until something is actually seen to be happening at the company in this regard).

Logitech G316 X 98: One-minute review

The G316 X is Logitech’s new gaming keyboard, featuring mechanical switches and an integrated display for good measure.

In typical Logitech fashion the G316 X sports a minimalist appearance, available in monotone colorways (black or white), and free of unnecessary details or angles. The vibrant RGB backlighting is a nice touch, though, as is the thin LED strip at the top.

These smart looks are complimented by exceptional build quality. The chassis is solid yet light, while the PBT keycaps feel great thanks to their subtle texturing and sturdy fit, putting the G316 X's construction up there with the best gaming keyboards.

Also worth highlighting are the adjustable feet. Rather than plastic flaps that fold out, the G316 X enlists soft rubber blocks that you remove and turn over when you want to adjust the tilt angle from four to eight degrees. The integrated screen, however, is a letdown. It may look good, but it's small and displays no real information.

(Image credit: Future)

Thankfully, G HUB — the software used for customizing the G316 X — is more useful. There are numerous assignments available, including the ability to map up to five inputs to a single key. There are also three different mapping layers for you to play around with.

Thanks to its stock tactile switches, I enjoyed gaming with the G316 X. Their solid, thocky response imparts plenty of feedback, yet they're still snappy enough to feel quick. They’re damped enough to remove harshness from impact, but they’re not the quietest switches around.

In addition to gaming, I also found the G316 X great for typing. My one small complaint is that the feet don’t tilt the board quite enough for my liking. Nevertheless, I still found it sufficiently comfortable to use without a wrist-rest — not something I can say about every gaming keyboard.

The G316 X isn’t the most affordable mechanical keyboard around, but it's cheaper than some of its key rivals. It’s a shame its screen is merely a gimmick and it lacks wireless connectivity, but the G316 X is still a strong choice for those after a solid-feeling experience.

(Image credit: Future)Logitech G316 X 98 review: Price & availability

• $119.99 / £109.99 / AU$199.95
• Available now in black or white
• Cheaper than some rivals

The G316 X costs $119.99 / £109.99 / AU$199.95 and is available now. It comes preinstalled with tactile switches, although these are hot-swappable. There are two colorways to choose from: black or white.

It's quite expensive for a wired mechanical keyboard, although cheaper than those from other premium brands. For instance, it comes in lower than the HyperX Origins 2 1800, and a lot less than the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% — the latter is one of the best-made and best-performing examples in the sector, though.

In today’s marketplace, however, there are more budget-friendly gaming keyboards available. The MonsGeek FUN60 Ultra, for example, offers multiple wireless connectivity options, but also analog switches that feel great and offer plenty of tweakability.

Logitech G316 X 98 review: Specs

Layout

98%

Switch

Mechanical (Tactile)

Programmable keys

Yes

Dimensions

15.1 x 5.5 x 1.6 inches (384 x 140 x 40mm)

RGB or backlighting

Yes (customizable)

(Image credit: Future)Logitech G316 X 98 review: Design and features

• Minimalist looks with bright RGB
• Premium-feeling materials and build
• Practical adjustable feet

The G316 X has a retro-modern look, sporting an ultra-square form and minimalist design. There aren’t any odd angles or contours that sometimes blight gaming peripherals; the only flourishes here are a translucent green Escape key and volume wheel, and an LED strip between the number and F rows.

These are actually quite attractive, as is the bright customizable RGB backlighting against the white option of the keyboard, in particular.

Although the G316 X is made of plastic, it’s one of the best around. It’s solid yet light — the ideal combination. The PBT keycaps help lend the board a premium feel, featuring a subtle texture that makes them satisfying to touch.

Like many gaming keyboards, the G316 X comes with adjustable feet, but they’re not of your typical fold-out type. Instead, they’re rubber blocks that you have to remove and flip over to switch the tilt angle from four to eight degrees.

This may appear a less elegant solution at first, but it’s actually rather clever. The static design provides greater stability, so there’s no danger of the blocks closing in when moving the board around. Also, their large surface area and rubber material delivers a better grip.

(Image credit: Future)

Ironically, it’s the integrated LED screen that turns out to be the least sophisticated aspect of the G316 X. It may look sharp, but it’s seriously lacking in functionality, merely displaying a few basic animations when adjusting the volume or or playing back media — none of which are helpful.

The 98% layout is compact yet practical, even including a dedicated number pad, although there are a few navigation keys absent that I would’ve liked to see remain. There aren’t many default Fn shortcuts labelled on the keys, either.

Thankfully, you can make your own shortcuts using Logitech’s G HUB peripheral software. There are plenty of assignments available here, and three different layers in which to arrange them. There’s even the ability to assign up to five inputs to a single key.

You can also customize the Game Mode button next to the aforementioned screen in order for it to disable more keys beyond the Windows key. However, you won’t find many performance-based settings to play with, beyond the ability to adjust the polling rate, which has a maximum value of 8KHz.

(Image credit: Future)Logitech G316 X 98 review: Performance

• Excellent feedback from tactile switches
• Great for gaming and typing
• Tilt angle is limited

The standout aspect of the G316 X is its stock tactile switches. I found they provided plenty of feedback, actuating with a solid and noticeable thock, yet they still able to rebound quickly, making them feel snappy. There’s just enough dampening to prevent presses feeling harsh, but relative to many other gaming keyboards, it’s minimal. This means the G316 X can be quite loud when you’re hammering away.

I found the board comfortable when gaming with the WASD keys. This is thanks to the adjustable feet, which make up for the lack of wrist support and reasonably thick base. However, I wish they tilted the layout a little further for optimum comfort: I often hit the back edge of the spacebar, although its curved design made this less of an issue than it might have been been otherwise. It also seems like it’s damped to a greater degree than the other keys, which makes it all the more gratifying to press.

The spacing between the keycaps is ideal: they’re not so close that you’ll hit the wrong key, nor so far apart that reaching them is a stretch. I also found them surprisingly easy to type on, despite their relative tallness. Not only does the aforementioned tilt angle mitigate their height, but their prominent indentations guide your fingers to the correct key, helping to prevent typos.

Should I buy the Logitech G316 X 98?Scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

Not cheap, but compared to other upmarket rivals, the price is reasonable.

4 / 5

Design and features

Solid yet light, and the double-sided feet are clever. It’s a shame about the lack of navigation keys and shortcut labelling, though.

4 / 5

Performance

The tactile switches are satisfyingly solid and provide plenty of feedback, although I wish there was slightly more of a tilt angle for maximum comfort.

4 / 5

Overall

The G316 X is a fantastically thocky mechanical keyboard that's comfortable enough to just about get away with no wrist support.

4 / 5

Buy the Logitech G316 X 98 if…

You want solid switches
The stock tactile switches provide plenty of feedback and pleasing resistance, yet are still snappy enough to compete.

You want solid feet
The rubber blocks underneath are stable and grippy, and can be flipped over to adjust the tilt angle.

Don't buy it if…

You want an interactive screen
The one here serves little purpose, while others feature settings menus and display useful game-related information.

You want the best value possible
Although the G316 X is well priced compared to other premium models, there are numerous gaming keyboards — mechanical and otherwise — that offer greater features for a lower price.

Logitech G316 X 98 review: Also consider

HyperX Origins 2 1800
The HyperX Origins 2 1800 is another wired gaming keyboard with mechanical switches and hot-swappable hardware, but it's slightly less expensive than the G316 X. It still has a premium build and great performance, though. However, its customization software is less involved, and I didn’t find its stock keycaps very amenable to typing.

Read our full HyperX Origins 2 1800 review.

MonsGeek FUN60 Ultra
If you want great value, the FUN60 Ultra is a fine choice. Its analog switches feel superb and offer plenty of scope for customization and tweaking. And to cap it all off, the whole board is surprisingly well made, too.

Read our full MonsGeek FUN60 Ultra review.

(Image credit: Future)How I tested the Logitech G316 X 98

• Tested for a few days
• Used for various tasks besides gaming
• Plenty of gaming keyboard experience

I tested the G316 X for a few days, during which time I used it not only for gaming, but also for typing and web browsing.

I played Counter-Strike 2, which is great test of a peripheral’s accuracy and responsiveness, as well as S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, which makes wider use of keys beyond those in the WASD area, helping to test the ease of access and comfort in reaching such keys.

I’ve been PC gaming for over a decade, and have used many different keyboards in that time. I also have a wealth of experience reviewing them, from budget models to state-of-the-art offerings from esteemed brands.

• First reviewed: September 2026
• Read more about how we test

Razer Blade 16 (2026) two-minute review

Razer's latest Blade 16, is by far, one of the best gaming laptops I've ever tested. The spec on this thing is off the charts. It's got an Nvidia RTX 5090, with 175W of juice behind it, an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H, and no less than 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM running along at an outstandingly zippy 9,600 MT/s.

Razer's crammed all of that performance into a form factor that puts Dell's thin and light XPS line to the sword, and it still manages to keep thermals in check, and ensures power delivery is on point as well.

Speaking of design, this thing is stunningly clean. Razer's taken the humble laptop form factor and made it its own. It's simple, elegant, and sleek in almost every area.

From the keyboard to the trackpad, to the ports, it just oozes premium. It's got an RGB keyboard, of course, and (surprisingly) that green Razer logo etched and illuminated on the back (perhaps the only thing that's a little underwhelming), but aside from that, there's little here to indicate that it's a gaming laptop.

(Image credit: Future)

The screen lives up to the rest of the spec; it's a gorgeous 2560 x 1600 OLED offering, spitting out a staggering 240 Hz too, with inky deep blacks. It's hard to fault, and paired with that GPU, there are few games here that don't hold up in their ultra presets. Cyberpunk 2077 and Total War: Warhammer 3 both pulled framerates well into the hundreds.

The only two negatives are the lack of an Ethernet port and the fact it has a price tag so large that you could almost use it as a down payment on a house.

Razer Blade 16 (2026) review: Price and availability

• Available globally now
• Insane price tag for the spec, paying for design
• Soldered RAM so choose memory up front

You can pick up your very own Blade 16 right now, no matter where you are on the planet. Prices start at $3,499 US, £3,499 and AU$5,999 for the base spec.

That stock model isn't entirely different from our review unit either (genuinely a nice thing to see), the only downgrades come in the form of the SSD, dropping from a 2TB unit, to a 1TB model, and the GPU choice, with the base version featuring an RTX 5070 Ti, instead of our juiced up 5090.

You can also upgrade to an RTX 5080 if you so desire, and there's an option to bump up to 64GB of RAM as well if your bank account can stretch that far in the AI age.

It's also worth noting, demand is quite high (or supply low), so depending where you are in the world, you might see a lot of these units on pre-order, or out of stock (amazingly given the price tag).

It's worth noting you can swap the SSD out, if you're handy with a torx screwdriver.

Razer Blade 16 (2026) review: Specs

Base

Review

Price

$3,499.99 / £3,499.99 / AU$5,999.95

$4,899.99 / £4,799.99 / AU$8,399.95

CPU

Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (4.9 GHz, 16 Cores)

Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (4.9 GHz, 16 Cores)

GPU

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090

RAM

32GB LPDDR5X

32GB LPDDR5X

Storage

1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD

2TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD

Display

16-inch OLED (2560 x 1600), 16:10, 240Hz

16-inch OLED (2560 x 1600), 16:10, 240Hz

Ports and Connectivity

1x Thunderbolt 5, 1x Thunderbolt 4, SD Card Reader, 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack, WiFi 7, Bluetooth 6.0

1x Thunderbolt 5, 1x Thunderbolt 4, SD Card Reader, 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack, WiFi 7, Bluetooth 6.0

Battery

90Whr

90Whr

Dimensions

355 x 250.5 x 17.4mm (14.0 x 9.9 x 0.6in)

355 x 250.5 x 17.4mm (14.0 x 9.9 x 0.6in)

Weight

4.71lbs (2.14kg)

4.71lbs (2.14kg)

Razer Blade 16 (2026) review: Design

• Clean, premium aesthetic and feel
• Impressively thin and light
• Lacks an Ethernet port

I've tested a lot of "premium" laptops over the last 11 years of my career, and the result is almost always a mixed bag. Some manufacturers often skimp on the chassis, and just bump up the internal hardware, or shift the screen to a higher res. In the case of the Blade 16 though I can say, hand on heart, that this thing is stunning.

The aluminum chassis has a beautiful cool soft-touch satin finish. The edges are clean cut, and smooth with tighter radial bends, bevels are there, but impressively subtle, and everywhere you look, that design philosophy is mimicked, from the keys, to the typeface, to the trackpad, even to the ports, and the bezel that surrounds that beautiful OLED display.

Razer truly has mastered the art of building a laptop that blurs the lines between gamer and professional, without compromising on either front, and it's a joy to behold.

(Image credit: Future)

The only flaw, in my opinion, is the Razer logo on the back of the unit. By default, it's Razer's iconic hard-lit, green, three-headed snake which stands out a touch compared to the rest of the design.

From a hardware perspective, the kit is exemplary. Razer's paired an outstandingly colorful OLED display with an RTX 5090, that's fully unlocked with a chonky 175W TGP. The screen itself only comes in at 2560x1600 in a 16:10 aspect ratio, but it gives it a pixel density of around 189 PPI, which is about 37% denser than your standard 32-inch 4K affair. And that's backed up with a 240Hz refresh rate and Vesa's DisplayHDR TrueBlack 1000 certification too.

(Image credit: Future)

I'm a big fan of that pairing as well. Laptop makers often fall into a trap where they try to just cram as many pixels as possible into a product at this price tag. Marketing loves it because "number bigger" and "bigger numbers sell," but it honestly demolishes overall frame rates when going for the 4K or 3K option, and I'd argue that you can't really tell the difference between 190 PPI and 280 PPI anyway. Pairing the high-end RTX 5090 with 1600p gives you a far better, well-rounded experience across anything you throw at it, and allows you to take advantage of higher refresh rates.

(Image credit: Future)

Port selection is overall pretty solid too. You've got Thunderbolt 5 and 4 here (both of which support power delivery), along with a healthy complement of USB-C ports, and even an SD card reader, if you're heavy into the ol' photography. There's an HDMI 2.1 out as well, although sadly no dedicated Ethernet, but you do get Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 thrown in as standard.

Also, one thing to bear in mind: given the form factor, RAM is soldered by design, so what you buy is what you get — there's no possibility of upgrading this in the future.

Razer Blade 16 (2026) review: Performance

• Outstanding gaming performance
• Solid at computational tasks
• SSD could be better

Let's address the elephant in the room first. SSD performance is OK, and just OK at that. The Blade 16 (2026) uses a Lexar NM790 PCIe 4.0 SSD either in a 1TB or 2TB config, depending on what you pick.

It's a relatively affordable drive coming out of China, based on YMTC's 232-layer TLC NAND flash, and a MaxioTech MAP1602A controller. There's no DRAM cache on the thing, and it's single-sided and more than reliable enough, but just don't expect it to burst through benchmark results and computational tasks quite like something from SanDisk's labs or the PCIe 5.0 league. Still, we should be thankful because if Razer had picked that, this thing could've cost twice as much.

Razer Blade 16 (2026) benchmarks

3DMark: Fire Strike: 36,218; Steel Nomad: 5,911; Time Spy: 21,661
Geekbench 6.6: Multicore: 16,971; Single-core: 2,895
Cinebench 2024: Single Core: 128; Multi Core: 1,234
Crossmark: 2,098
Total War: Warhammer III: 1080p, Medium: 289.2fps
Total War: Warhammer III: 1800p, Ultra: 116.7
Battery Life (PC Mark Gaming): 1 hour and 41 minutes

In-game though, this thing is outstanding. I ran a plethora of benchmarks against it, including our standard suite which we've used for products like the Alienware 15 and other laptops, alongside just running it at full-tilt, on ultra presets at max resolution to really get a solid idea of how it performs.

At 2560x1600 this thing with its RTX 5090 just shatters expectations. Cyberpunk 2077 on the Ray Tracing: Ultra preset, no DLSS, no Multi Frame Gen (MFG) hit 35 fps. With DLSS set to Quality and MFG on, you're seeing that figure jump up to 115.6 fps on the average.

(Image credit: Future)

Total War: Warhammer 3 saw 116 fps across its benchmark too. In our standard 1080p medium tests (which we do for consistency) results were off the charts: 290 fps in Total War, 310 in Cyberpunk, 166 in Final Fantasy XIV. These are genuinely impressive results.

The thing driving the bulk of that performance is the 175W TGP (that goes for the 5070 Ti and 5080 models too). It allows the chip to run at full tilt, with max clock speeds for the 5090 tapped out at 2,812 MHz, and it averaged 2,100 MHz under testing conditions, with an average temp of just 65C.

The CPU by comparison was a little toastier, at 93C when maxed out at its peak 4.9 GHz during the runs, with max GPU wattage coming in at 165W out of that 175W maximum. Nice.

(Image credit: Future)

Intel's Core Ultra 9 doesn't disappoint, and it scored a healthy 128 points in Cinebench's single core test, the highest single core result I've seen for a laptop by some margin.

Razer Blade 16 (2026) review: Battery life

• 280W charger juices up quick
• Battery life solid given the spec
• Did not finish the video test

On the battery life front, perhaps unsurprisingly given the phenomenal spec pulling power from this thing, it didn't last quite as long in PC Mark's gaming test as you'd expect, but 81 minutes is still a comfortable time, and quite close to what we saw with the (admittedly far cheaper) Alienware 15 DA15265, trailing it by eight minutes.

Try as I might, however, I couldn't get it to run the full PC Mark Video benchmark for any prolonged period without crashing. With a manual benchmark, utilising YouTube and a looped hour long video, it survived for about 3.5 hours before giving up the ghost (although do bear in mind that is with Wi-Fi enabled, which defers to our usual results).

The good news is that the power brick is exceptionally fast at charging the Razer Blade 16 (2026), perhaps unsurprisingly given it delivers 280W of juice.

Should I buy the Razer Blade 16 (2026)?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

Razer's Blade 16 does not represent good value for money. You're paying for design, cooling and RAM above all else. But the performance the form factor are rare anywhere else, and that does command a premium.

3 / 5

Design

Aside from a missing Ethernet port, there's little to moan about the Blade 16, with a healthy port selection, and an outstanding aesthetic tied with a beautiful design and incredible screen, it's hard to fault it.

5 / 5

Performance

Gaming performance is exceptional and the CPU more than delivers, particularly when tied to that beautiful OLED display, the SSD could be better, but then the price tag would see a hit as a result.

5 / 5

Battery life

81 minutes in gaming and about 3.5 hours on video streaming. It's enough, but you'll want to keep the charger handy during longer streaming sessions.

4 / 5

Final score

Only let down by its high price, and the lack of an Ethernet port, there's little to not love about this thing, if you've got the cash to buy it.

4.5 / 5

Buy it if…

You're looking for a laptop that blurs the lines between professional and gamer
With an incredible hardware spec, and performance that delivers not only in-game but in any professional app you throw its way, the Blade 16 is undoubtedly a brilliant laptop.View Deal

You love a crisp smooth OLED that looks great no matter what you throw at it
It's just utterly stunning to look at and use, with enough pixel density to keep even the most eager of 4K enthusiasts happy. With exemplary colors and a 240 Hz refresh rate, there's little to dislike about it.View Deal

Don't buy it if…

You're after good value for money
This ain't it chief. At near five grand in the UK and US, and nine grand in Oz, it's ridiculous money for a ridiculous spec. It's good, but you're paying mainly for design here, not the spec.View Deal

You just need a gosh darn Ethernet port
Seriously? All this money and not a single Ethernet port? On a gaming laptop? Tut tut Razer…View Deal

Razer Blade 16 (2026) review: Also Consider

Alienware 16 Area-51

Big bold and beautiful, the Alienware 16 shares a lot of the same ideology as Razer's Blade 16, 2560 x 1600 screen, 240Hz refresh rate, RTX 5090, it's all there, the only downsides? No HDR support, and the battery life isn't quite as good. Still it's a heck of a lot cheaper.

Read our full Alienware 16 Area-51 reviewView Deal

Razer Blade 18 (2026)

The Blade 16's older brother, with a similar top-line spec sheet, but a far larger screen that justifies the 16:10 3840 x 2400 resolution. If you want a gaming laptop that feels like a gaming laptop, but with a bit more pizazz, and aren't so worried about having the latest CPU, then the Blade 18, might just be the right pick for you.

Read our full Razer Blade 18 reviewView Deal

How I tested the Razer Blade 16 (2026)

• Tested in a variety of different locations
• Benchmarked across our usual suite + ultra presets at full res
• 11 years of experience benchmarking and testing all manner of expensive laptops

I've spent years testing and benchmarking some of the world's most expensive laptops, from MSI's ultrabooks, to Asus, to Alienware's and even Razer's so the Blade 16 isn't new territory for me. I set it up as my daily driver and used it over a period of three weeks, to get to grips with it for my professional work and during relaxation time as well, and it delivered on all fronts.

As for testing, I benchmarked it in line with all of my other TechRadar laptop reviews, which focus on a medium 1920 x 1080 preset, to have a consistent baseline for everything we review.

I also tested it at Ultra on its native 2560 x 1600 resolution, to get a good understanding for how it'd be used, in its true config, then compared those results to my knowledge testing other high-end gaming laptops like this for PC Gamer, and other brands.

• First reviewed: September 2026
• Read more about how we test

Last October, a massive DDoS attack suspected to be linked to the Aisuru botnet disrupted some of the biggest names in gaming. Steam, Riot Games, PlayStation Network and Xbox experienced simultaneous outages, affecting games including Counter-Strike, Dota 2, Valorant, and League of Legends.

Researchers investigating the event estimated that the attack may have peaked at 29.69 Tbps, which would make it one of the largest DDoS attacks ever recorded.

These are top-tier, sophisticated technology companies with significant resources devoted to staying online. Yet even at this level, major disruptions still happen. That raises a more useful question than simply how large the attack was: Why can the DDoS defenses that organizations have invested in heavily, still leave them exposed when it matters most?

Why Availability Outages are a Revenue Problem in Gaming Gaming accounted for 19% of DDoS attacks observed by Gcore in H2 2025, making it the third-most-targeted sector, behind technology and financial services. Overall DDoS activity in Gcore's dataset increased 150% year over year.

For a gaming company, availability is arguably the biggest part of the product. If players cannot authenticate, stay connected, or play at all, users, and therefore revenue, go down. The consequence of extended disruption is a lack of trust, affecting the bottom line.

For example, an outage during a major launch or tournament for a gaming company is catastrophic because it’s occurring exactly when they’ve put time and resources into ensuring maximum player demand. A failed launch window means marketing dollars, player acquisition, and revenue all take a hit.

How configuration drift creates DDoS protection gaps

Configuration drift is the growing mismatch between deployed DDoS controls and the changing environment those controls were configured to protect. Gaming is especially vulnerable to this because the product changes constantly.

Studios are always shipping updates because players expect it. To stay relevant and exciting (and profitable), they need to always be launching a major update or new title, or expanding to a new region or user base.

Constant changes mean constant risk. Every new change is a chance for a system or safety net that was in place during deployment to fail. For example, let’s say a studio launches a new matchmaking service. Traffic to that service may be routed differently, but the mitigation policy protecting the original service doesn't automatically follow it. Now you’ve got a gap. The DDoS protection may be the same, but the environment around it isn't.

In addition to product, feature, or service releases, any change to the IT ecosystem may have an impact on the environment the security controls were configured to protect. Those changes accumulate. This is called configuration drift. And it becomes the default, not the exception.

Why point-in-time DDoS testing cannot keep pace with continuous change

This problem is especially concerning in gaming, but any company operating a fast-moving digital service faces some version of it. Point-in-time red team testing alone can't provide current evidence about DDoS protection across a continuously changing environment. If point-in-time testing happens in January, and then the environment materially changes in February, what exactly does the January result tell the team in August?

Despite this, point-in-time testing still has real value: it tells a studio how well its people and procedures respond on the day the test is run. The issue is that the change is continuous. And the release and testing cycles are running on different clocks.

A game studio might make meaningful production changes every week while its formal testing schedule runs, say, quarterly or semiannually. Every change between those two points potentially creates a gap between the environment that passed the test and the environment players are actually using.

Point-in-time testing was never built to validate configuration coverage across an entire, constantly changing attack surface. For gaming companies, that leaves too much time between an environmental change and knowing whether existing DDoS protections still cover it.

What gaming security teams should change

Because gaming infrastructure is constantly changing, DDoS validation needs to be ongoing rather than relying on scheduled point-in-time testing or waiting for major events like a new launch or a tournament. This gives security teams current evidence that their protections continue to work even as infrastructure and services evolve.

That ongoing process should account for changes to public-facing services and how existing protections respond to them. Did this change alter what is exposed, how traffic reaches it, or how existing DDoS controls respond?

When ongoing validation identifies a DDoS gap, teams should investigate how it emerged rather than treating it as an isolated vulnerability to patch. If a configuration change exposed one service, the same change or pattern may exist elsewhere in the environment. Finding the vulnerability should prompt teams to look for similar exposure across other services.

What this means for any always-on digital business

Players don’t care about protection deployments, whether their preferred game passed its last point-in-time test, or if an outage is caused by the technology itself or an outside attack. The game works, or it doesn't.

Gaming makes the consequences of these vulnerabilities unusually visible. When availability is part of the product, even a small weakness can become a business problem the moment attackers find it.

For any always-on digital business, leaders need to pay attention to how their defenses can keep pace with the environment they are responsible for protecting, especially as it changes. The same lesson applies to any company whose customers expect its digital services to be always available.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

Corsair Harpoon V2 Wireless review: Two-minute review

The Corsair Harpoon V2 Wireless is (as the name suggests) the second iteration of Corsair's Harpoon RGB Wireless, sporting a redesigned casing and improved internal components.

Back when we reviewed the Harpoon RGB Wireless in 2019, we gave it a well-deserved four and a half stars, citing its excellent value for money, solid ergonomics, and good battery life. If I cast my gaze back seven years to the heady days of the pre-COVID era, I do remember wireless gaming mice being more of a luxury item, and the Harpoon brought this functionality to a wider audience thanks to its extremely competitive pricing.

But times have changed, and it's now far easier to get your hands on a wireless gaming mouse from a household-name PC hardware brand without breaking the bank. Mice like the MSI Versa 300 Wireless 8K, Cooler Master MM311, and Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless have made the market a lot more competitive than it was in 2019, so does the Harpoon V2 Wireless earn its place among the best gaming mice?

(Image credit: Future)

For the most part, I'm pleased to say that yes, it certainly does. Considering the price point, this is an exceptionally well-constructed mouse that offers great gaming performance and a decent (though admittedly not expansive) feature set. I do have one particular issue with the Harpoon V2 Wireless, which you've probably already deduced from the headline of this article, but it's far from a dealbreaker.

Let's address that issue right away, then. It's small. Not tiny – I've personally reviewed more ridiculously compact mice than this – but definitely on the smaller side for a gaming mouse. Compared to the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike and NZXT Lift Elite that I use regularly at home, it's almost a full centimeter shorter in the body.

This isn't inherently a massive problem, as the ergonomic design of the Harpoon V2 Wireless makes it easy to grip and move around. But as a palm gripper, I found that my fingers rested too far forward in the most comfortable position, prompting me to adopt more of a claw-type grip, which proved a bit uncomfortable in longer sessions. The thumb buttons are also a bit further forward than I would expect; most mice with two thumb buttons will keep the split between them lined up with the back edge of the main mouse button, but they're closer to the front here, which made pressing the back one feel a bit less intuitive than I'd like.

Now, I'm a big guy. I'm 6'4", and the meat paddles I call hands are obviously going to be bigger than what the vast majority of PC gamers are using to manipulate their peripherals. With that in mind, I'm not going to knock Corsair down too hard here – because outside of this personal gripe, the Harpoon V2 Wireless is a generally great gaming mouse. But it bears mentioning, so if you're a similarly club-fisted PC gamer, this won't be the right mouse for you.

(Image credit: Future)

Now, let's get to the good stuff. The Corsair Harpoon V2 Wireless has a sleek matte plastic body with two translucent main buttons. Despite its small size, it nonetheless offers a sensible amount of weight with very balanced distribution, preventing any uneven handling for users who regularly lift the mouse clear of the pad. Each side has a textured triradiate patterning that greatly helps with grip, though I do worry that it might easily become dirty with extended use. The shape is asymmetrical, with no left-handed version available – sorry, southpaws.

In terms of buttons, you get the two main pointer buttons, two thumb buttons, a textured rubber scroll wheel with regular click input (no tilt inputs), and an additional button behind the wheel that is set to switch between DPI profiles by default. All of these are remappable using the downloadable Corsair iCue software, but even better, you can achieve whatever hardware tweaking you desire (including adjusting DPI presets, RGB lighting, and custom button macros) via the Corsair Web Hub without needing to install any additional software.

If you'll allow me a moment to go on a brief tangent, I'd like to wax lyrical about the Web Hub for a paragraph. Corsair isn't the only PC hardware manufacturer to have recently embraced the notion of browser-based equipment tweaking, but it's certainly on the cutting edge. Keychron and Royal Kludge offer similar web-app tools, but they're limited to keyboard tweaking only. Corsair's Web Hub offers a broad range of customization options with zero downloads required, and I love it for that.

(Image credit: Future)

Anyway: back to the Harpoon V2 Wireless. The outer casing feels pleasingly durable, with a good, firm click to the two main buttons, which are rated for 100 million clicks. The thumb buttons are a little spongy, but not to a concerning degree; it's rare to see a gaming mouse with genuinely sturdy thumb buttons, to be honest.

The scroll wheel also has a good, robust click, and a satisfyingly smooth rotation that doesn't feel too smooth; I could still get a feel for the individual increments if I slowed down, but scrolling up and down web pages or text documents was nice and swift.

(Image credit: Future)

The underside of the mouse also houses the sensor, which is Corsair's own Marksman model and supports up to 26,000 DPI. Yes, sensitivity limits in gaming mice are getting a bit silly these days, but I'm sure there's an esports pro out there somewhere who can actually tell the difference between a 22K and a 26K mouse. I found the sensor to be excellently responsive and accurate during my testing, playing a number of games including Marathon, Warframe, Marvel Rivals, and Valorant.

(Image credit: Future)

Battery life is also excellent. Corsair advertises up to 140 hours of use, and while that probably means disabling some extra features like the RGB lighting, I didn't need to charge the Harpoon V2 Wireless even once during the week I spent testing it. As far as battery longevity goes, you won't need to be charging it often, which is great.

It charges via a high-quality braided USB-C to USB-A cable that comes in the box, and naturally you can use it in this wired configuration if that's what takes your fancy. Wireless connection offers two modes: Bluetooth or a 2.4GHz connection via a USB dongle. This sort of dual-mode wireless connectivity is pretty common in gaming mice these days, since the 2.4GHz connection offers lower latency than Bluetooth.

(Image credit: Future)

On the topic of that USB dongle: it's concealed in a slot on the underside of the mouse when not in use, which is accessed by completely removing one of the two PTFE skates. I did find that having the skate be removable like this (as opposed to a separate slot for the dongle between the skates, which is commonly seen on other wireless mice) meant that it was a bit more susceptible to debris like dust and fibers getting stuck under the edges. I do have a dog who is a notorious shedder, so users without pets might not find they experience this problem, but it was irritating to repeatedly need to remove hairs and dust from the skate.

Still, that's genuinely a very minor criticism. The Corsair Harpoon V2 Wireless is an excellent choice of gaming mouse for the majority of users, delivering great performance and a durable, high-quality design at a competitive price point, so if your hands are average-sized or smaller, this mouse is an easy recommendation.

Corsair Harpoon V2 Wireless review: Price & availability

(Image credit: Future)

• $69.99 / £64.99 / (around AU$100)
• Available now worldwide
• Solid value proposition

The Corsair Harpoon V2 Wireless is slightly more expensive than its predecessor, priced at $69.99 / £64.99 / (around AU$100) and available directly from Corsair in the US and UK (Australian buyers will need to use third-party vendors like Amazon).

Despite the minor price hike, I remain strongly inclined to say that the new Harpoon remains very good value for money. Wireless gaming mice aren't the pricey products they once were, but considering the seven years of inflation we've had since the original Harpoon RGB Wireless hit the market, I'd say that price point is highly competitive. Additionally, gaming mice are something you'll often see discounted during sale events like Black Friday, and even a mild price cut would take this mouse into genuine bargain territory.

Should I buy the Corsair Harpoon V2 Wireless?Scorecard

Value

Mid-range pricing for a very high-quality gaming mouse. If you spot it discounted, it's an absolute bargain.

4.5 / 5

Design

Comfortable and ergonomic, with solid build quality. However, it's rather small, so users with bigger hands might not find it as comfy.

4 / 5

Performance

Tri-mode connectivity is swift and effective, battery life is good, and the sensor is sharp and accurate.

4.5 / 5

Final score

A great all-rounder as far as compact wireless mice go, the Corsair Harpoon V2 Wireless is a solid product that deserves to stand among the best gaming mice.

4.333 / 5

Buy it if…

You want something comfortable
With 80g of weight and a sleek, ergonomic chassis featuring grippy side panels, the Harpoon V2 Wireless is comfortable to use for all grip types.

You want straightforward performance
Other gaming mice might offer more bells and whistles, but the Harpoon V2 Wireless brings strong performance at a reasonable price.

Don't buy it if…

You want plenty of inputs
The Harpoon V2 Wireless only has six programmable buttons, so gamers looking for lots of input options might be disappointed here.

You've got big hands
While it's still usable, PC gamers with particularly large paws might want to avoid this one, since it's very compact.

Corsair Harpoon V2 Wireless review: Also consider

Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro
If you want to play like the pros, this is the mouse for you. We loved how well it performed when we reviewed it, and were even taken by its fantastic optical scroll wheel. It’s costlier than the Harpoon V2 Wireless, but the V4 Pro is just about the best pure gaming pointer right now in our eyes. Read our full Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro review.

Logitech G502 X Plus
The G502 line has been acclaimed by gamers for years, and this edition is no less impressive. It has more buttons than the Harpoon V2 Wireless, all of which are programmable. It also has an ergonomic shape, although it’s much larger, so not ideal for those looking to shed the weight. Read our full Logitech G502 X Plus review.

How I tested the Corsair Harpoon V2 Wireless

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested for one week
• Used for working and gaming
• 8+ years of experience reviewing PC hardware

I replaced my usual mouse, the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike, with the Corsair Harpoon V2 Wireless for one full week, using it not only for my daily work at TechRadar but also for personal projects and gaming.

I played a wide range of games, including Marathon, Warframe, Esoteric Ebb, and my current addiction, Slay the Spire 2. I found that the Harpoon V2 Wireless was responsive and (mostly) comfortable, though lengthier sessions with the claw grip I had to use with this mouse did result in some minor hand cramp – though of course, this won't be a problem for regular claw-grippers, or users with smaller hands.

I've been testing and reviewing PC hardware from mice to graphics cards for more than eight years now, starting my tech journalism career at Maximum PC magazine before moving over to TechRadar. I put every ounce of knowledge and experience at my disposal into my reviews, so you can be confident that you're getting an in-depth and bias-free analysis.

• Read more about how we test
• First reviewed: August 2026

• iFi unveils UP Play and UP Play Max dongles
• Questyle reveals Dongle Pro 2
• All USB-C dongles for low or medium prices

If you don't love the way your headphones sound, it's not necessarily a sign to head to our list of the best headphones and pick up a brand-new pair. Maybe the problem isn't the cans, but how you cast your music to them.

A simple USB-C dongle plugged into your source might be all you need to get much better-sounding music. These small pieces of kit, generally designed for phones and games consoles, expand your source device's Bluetooth capabilities to allow for lower latencies, and improve bandwidth while allowing for advanced codecs, thus greatly improving your sound.

Three new USB-C dongles have just been released, so you've got plenty of options. The new products come from well-known audio brands iFi and Questyle too, and they certainly won't eat into your budget like a new phone will… 

Questyle's here in style

(Image credit: Questyle)

Let's start with Questyle, because it's only releasing the one new product. This is the QCC Dongle Pro 2, which follows on from last year's QCC Dongle Pro which we gave a near-perfect review to.

This Bluetooth transmitter is largely designed for iPhones, which typically don't allow for the kind of lossless wireless streaming that Androids get, but the brand also lists various games consoles as particular uses too (no mention of Android, though).

The Dongle Pro 2 uses Bluetooth 6.1, for a more reliable connection than a phone has by default, and lets you stream in LDAC, various aptX, LHDC and LC3 codecs. It also supports Snapdragon Sound.

All this means that you can enjoy higher-res music streaming on the Dongle Pro 2, and you can also connect multiple devies using Auracast. Questyle's app also lets you change audio codecs and manage which devices are connected.

This can be yours for the cost of $99 / £129 (roughly AU$230 — Questyle's website does ship to Australia, but the price is still in USD).

What's up with iFi

(Image credit: iFi)

Then there's iFi's offerings, and the brand has two new devices: the UP Play ($59 / £59, about AU$110) and UP Play Max ($89 / £89, roughly AU$180).

Again, these seem primarily designed for Apple devices, and iFi says the Play "triples the level of detail in audio sent from Apple devices" which goes up to 4x for the Play Max. That seems to be the main distinction between the two devices.

They're also designed to offer noise suppression in calls, so they can be used for clear calling on your phone, or impeccable audio when gaming. Like the Questyle, they offer Auracast compatibility, the codec list seems to match with aptX and LDAC.

Unlike the Questyle, iFi specifies that Androids will also benefit from the Play and Play Max, as they're easier to use than fiddling around in your headphones settings to turn on codecs. The dongle also lets you pair multiple headphones at once, so you can listen with another person (or play games or watch videos).

iPhone owners are clearly the target here though. iFi calls AAC, which they use for wireless music, "ageing" and pitches its UP Play dongles as filling in a needed void.

Historically, the cybersecurity conversation in banking and fintech has centered on detection: can we spot the intrusion, flag the anomaly, catch the fraud pattern before it does damage? We developed incredibly sophisticated tools that can sift through thousands of ‘signals’ every time a customer makes a payment, ranging from how long it took them to type their card number to, sometimes, their social media activity.

That framing assumed a certain tempo: human attackers probing and exploiting at human speed, or automated scripts operating faster but without the intelligence to adapt dynamically or discover novel vulnerabilities. AI changes that assumption.

PYMNTS reported this month that OpenAI could not rule out its highest cybersecurity warning level for its upcoming Astra model, a threshold that signals a model may be able to independently discover and develop working zero-day exploits, or carry out attacks with minimal human direction.

Around the same time, the International Monetary Fund reached a similar conclusion in a note on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity in the financial sector.

The IMF's argument is the one banks should be listening to: AI does not need to invent a whole new type of attack to change the risk equation. AI-enabled attacks may not look fundamentally different from attacks carried out by humans.

What changes is their speed, scale and capacity to adapt. It changes the equation by accelerating vulnerability discovery and exploitation across shared technologies, turning what used to be isolated incidents into correlated disruptions that hit several institutions at once.

Why AI cyberattacks are so dangerous

Banking has never run on bespoke, siloed technology. It runs on shared foundations: core banking platforms, cloud infrastructure, payment rails, identity systems and a long chain of third-party software. Few of these systems are built entirely from scratch. Modern financial infrastructure relies on layers of commercial software, cloud services and open-source libraries.

That makes development faster and can strengthen security through shared scrutiny, but it also creates common dependencies. In the wrong circumstances, that can become analogous to thousands of doors relying on the same key.

An attacker who needs weeks to find a working exploit gives defenders time to patch, monitor, and respond. An AI system can potentially find that same exploit in seconds, and in the most autonomous cases execute a multistep attack with limited ongoing human involvement – 27 seconds is the current record.

The IMF frames this as a dual-use problem: the same capabilities that let AI find vulnerabilities faster for defensive purposes are the ones that let it find them faster for offensive purposes.

This is not a hypothetical for payments specifically. Payment infrastructure has so many overlapping systems at the intersection of common software, cloud dependency, and dense third-party integration that a single exploit becomes an ecosystem-wide issue.

A vulnerability in a widely deployed component can therefore propagate risk far beyond a single institution, particularly where common cloud services, software libraries or third-party platforms are involved.

Why prevention alone isn’t enough

For a long time, resilience strategy has leaned heavily on prevention: patch faster, test harder and review more code before release. All of that still matters. But when discovery and exploitation can happen faster than a conventional patch cycle, prevention alone is no longer sufficient.

The answer is a shift from periodic defense towards continuous resilience: architectures designed to detect, isolate, contain and recover while an attack is unfolding.

The IMF's recommendation points the same way the PYMNTS piece does: institutions need architectures built to limit the blast radius of a successful breach through segmentation, disciplined access controls, zero-trust design, and closer oversight of third parties. Detection, containment, and recovery need to operate at a speed that is comparable to the speed of the threat, not the speed of the last board-approved incident response plan.

That has equally important implications for how banks govern AI within their own security operations. AI tools will increasingly play a role in detecting vulnerabilities and responding to threats, but the degree of autonomy granted to those systems must be an explicit governance decision. Institutions need clear boundaries around what AI can access, what actions it can take independently and where human intervention remains mandatory.

Why boards need to make AI cybersecurity a priority

This is where the conversation has to move from the security team to the boardroom. Segmentation and access control are technical decisions, but the appetite for AI autonomy in critical infrastructure is a governance decision. Who decides what an AI system is permitted to touch? Who is accountable when it acts on a high-level objective in ways nobody fully anticipated? How quickly can exposure be contained once it is identified?

There is no vendor, platform, or piece of infrastructure that resolves this on its own. The institutions that manage this transition well will be the ones that treat architectural resilience, not just threat detection, as a standing governance priority, and that know precisely what their systems, and the AI operating within them, can reach.

The capability curve is not waiting for banks to finish their next audit cycle. Resilience now has to be designed for the speed of the attack it is meant to withstand.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

• The next basic Amazon Kindle has seemingly leaked
• It looks to have some small design changes from the previous model
• But it's a shame there's no sign of a new smaller size

It looks like Amazon is gearing up to launch a new Kindle, as images of a new model — which you can see above and below — have been leaked by WinFuture. This is the Amazon Kindle 12th Gen, so it’s the basic model — not a Kindle Paperwhite or Kindle Colorsoft.

From the shared images, it seems this new device will have more rounded corners than the Amazon Kindle (2024), and the power button will be moved from the bottom to the top. The site has also shared that we can expect this Kindle to come in black, green, light blue, and purple shades, and that, interestingly, there might be two versions — one with a recessed screen and one where the display is flush.

Alongside this, Amazon is apparently planning a new Kindle for Kids, though no major changes are expected here, with it apparently being essentially the same as the current device, just shipping with a different cover included.

A leaked image of the Amazon Kindle 2026 (Image credit: WinFuture)A smaller device could be a big hit

It remains to be seen whether the new 12th-generation Kindle will bring many spec upgrades, but regardless, it’s not the device I want. Lately I’ve fallen in love with compact ereaders like the ViWoods AiPaper Reader and the even smaller Xteink X4 Pro, and I'm spending more time reading on them than my Kindle Colorsoft — but Amazon doesn’t offer anything in these sizes.

So, that’s what I really want to see — especially something truly tiny like the Xteink devices, since one of their main issues is the difficulty in getting books onto them, which presumably isn’t a problem you’d have with a tiny Kindle.

And I’m not alone in this desire — a Reddit thread about this new Kindle leak included comments like “I was kind of hoping for a mini Kindle announcement,” and “I thought I would want a bigger size… until I got a smaller one and practically never touched my Paperwhite again.”

And while these tiny ereaders seem like they should be niche devices, they’re presumably selling well, given that an increasing number of brands like Onyx Boox and Honor have started getting in on them too.

So, hopefully we’ll see a tiny Kindle eventually, but for now, it seems you’ll have to make do with the standard sizes.

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