Reviews

Specs

Type: color laser printer

Functions: Print only

Connectivity: Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi

Data storage slots: USB Host

Print speed: 33ppm

Max paper size: Letter/A4

Print quality: 600x600dpi; 38,400x600dpi (enhanced)

Memory: 512MB

Apple AirPrint: yes

Consumables included: 4 x set-up cartridges (1,200 black, 1,000 color pages)

Dimensions/Weight: 421 x 427 x 288 mm (WxDxH)/36lb/16.3kg

The HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw (or 4202dw in the UK) is an office-oriented color laser printer capable of fast high-volume printing. It improves significantly on the HP Color LaserJet Pro 3201dw with faster print speeds, increased paper and toner capacity and an upgradable modular design.

This makes it well-suited to a busy workgroup of around ten people, but I’m sure its slick and relatively compact design will also appeal to home-based workers. For me, the enhanced black print quality is an attraction, while its somewhat expensive toner cartridges aren’t, so let’s see how it performs overall.

HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Design and build

(Image credit: HP // Future)

Crisp corners, strict symmetry and refreshing blue panels ensure the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw stands out from all the other off-white office printers. It’s compact enough to share your desk at home and its modular design can be expanded with the addition of a 550-sheet paper tray to suit a growing business.

The blue drawer at the bottom can hold up to 250 sheets of Letter or A4 paper, the standard amount, while the blue panel above reveals a 50-sheet multi-purpose tray, which is more useful than the usual single sheet. The output tray on top is also deeper than most, holding up to 150 sheets.

To access the toner cartridges, you press a button on the side of the printer to make that blue panel hinge all the way open. Another tiny flap on top of the printer hides a handy USB Host port. Always a welcome feature. All other ports are hidden on the rear panel.

Despite being a fairly costly step up from the HP Color LaserJet Pro 3201dw, there’s still no touchscreen, just a four-line LCD with a rotary dial beneath it. Some users might like this retro design choice, but I found it annoying. Overall, I think the design and build quality inspires confidence.

HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Features & specifications

(Image credit: HP // Future)

HP has endowed this mid-price printer with plenty of features and a pretty high specification. It can duplex print, of course, and has dual-band Wi-Fi 5 with AirPrint and Mopria compatibility. There’s a USB Host port in addition to the usual square USB-B port and HP has even-thrown in a USB-A to USB-B data cable.

It has wide media compatibility with 33 choices appearing on the menu when you come to identify the type of paper you loaded. It can take any size sheet up to letter, legal or A4 with the heaviest paper it can handle being 200 g/m² which is actually fairly thin card. It has HP’s Wolf Pro Security software built in and an adequate 512MB memory.

The print speed is given as 33 or 35ppm (pages per minute) depending whether printing on Letter or A4 paper and that was broadly confirmed by my testing. That’s about equal to the Xerox C320, but slower than HP’s black and white printers.

The HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw can take large cartridges capable of holding enough toner for up to 7,500 black and white pages and can be expanded to hold up to 850 sheets of paper if you buy the extra paper tray. That kind of capacity should meet the needs of any SME (small to medium enterprise) and HP suggests a monthly duty cycle of up to 50,000 pages.

HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Setup and operation

(Image credit: HP // Future)

With the set-up cartridges already pre-loaded, this printer is almost ready to print out of the box. The setup guide runs to 5 pages, but you won’t need it. Just load your paper, turn on and follow the on-screen prompts. I found that initiation took longer than usual because of the dial interface. Like a safe cracker, you need to turn it this way and that to enter every letter of your wi-fi password. Unlike some of HP’s printers, there’s no inbuilt Bluetooth to hand the setup of this printer straight to the HP Smart app on your mobile device.

The next model up in this series is the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4301dw multifunction printer, which does have a touchscreen, and I can see HP’s logic. A single-function device doesn’t have enough settings to justify the expense of a touchscreen. But that doesn’t stop most rival printers at this price having one.

The free HP Smart app for Android or iOS gives you an alternative to the dial interface, but you’ll still need to scroll through the paper types at the machine each time you switch media.

HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Performance

(Image credit: HP // Future)

The HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw performed very well in my tests, achieving strong print quality in all categories, but most notably with text documents. Black text on plain paper looks especially dark and crisp with unusually sharp definition.

This must be down to HP’s 6-bit resolution enhancement technology (RET) which has the effect of boosting the native 600x600dpi engine to a claimed 38,400x600 in best black mode. Basically, with 64 levels of gray (6-bit), the printer is multiplying 600 dots x 64 to give you 38,400 dots.

Mixed color documents also look impressive, thanks to the vivid nature of HP’s LaserJet toner. It’s applied evenly too, so there’s less of that banding you see when shading blocks of black or solid color. Photographs also fare well here, especially when I switched to laser photo paper.

Laser photo paper is only slightly heavier and glossier than regular paper, which is one reason lasers aren’t as good as inkjets when it comes to photos. The other reason is you can always see the dots that make up the 600x600 dpi laser photo and that’s still the case here. Even so, this laser printer is better than most and certainly good enough for printing eye-catching images on brochures and handouts.

HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Consumables

(Image credit: HP // Future)

The consumables cost for the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw is competitive for monochrome prints, but slightly higher than average for color prints. And there’s only a limited amount of pre-loaded toner. It ships with four setup cartridges which should yield up to 1,200 black or 1,000 color pages, which is about half the toner you get in HP’s standard carts.

The extra high-yield carts, however, can deliver up to 7,500 and 2,200 black and color pages respectively and it’s these expensive carts that give the lowest cost per page (CPP). With the black cartridges having a much higher yield than color, but small difference in price, you have monochrome pages with a pretty good CCP of around two and half cents and color pages costing more than 15 cents.

HP uses software to block any cartridge without a genuine HP chip, so I wouldn’t recommend buying cheaper third-party toner. Given the high quality of its monochrome output in particular, the answer is to buy this printer if you print predominantly in black and white.

HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Maintenance

(Image credit: HP // Future)

Like other low-maintenance laser printers, the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw combines the optical drum with the toner cartridge, so drum replacement is not a consideration. On the downside, it explains why the cost of its cartridges is relatively high.

HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Final verdictHP // FutureHP // FutureHP // FutureHP // Future

There’s a lot to like about the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw. Its slick and compact design, the rapid duplex print rate and the enhanced black print quality for a start. Having two paper inputs is very convenient, while the option to add a third is sensible future-proofing for a growing business.

I’m not so keen on the rotary dial interface — I would have preferred a touchscreen — and it’s a pity it can’t handle paper heavier than 200 g/m². A bigger concern is the relatively high cost of HP’s color cartridges, but that still doesn’t put me off.

The high quality of its black and white output and the more competitive price of its black toner make this an ideal printer for anyone who needs to print a high volume of predominantly monochrome pages.

For more top-rated options, check out my guides to the best home printers and the best laser printers I've tested.

Ahrefs is a leading SEO tool with tried-and-true features like keyword research, rank tracking, backlink tracking, content research, and site audit capabilities. It remains one of the most powerful SEO platforms available in 2026, now enhanced with cutting-edge AI features for content optimization and brand visibility tracking.

While the pricing is premium and AI tools require additional investment, the platform's industry-leading backlink index, rich keyword database, and innovative use of AI make it a great choice for serious SEO professionals — even though there are a few caveats.

Let's get into more of that now.

• You can sign up to Ahrefs here.

Ahrefs: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Ahrefs)

Plan

Starting rate (paid annually)

Stating rate (paid monthly)

Starter

$29/month

$29/month

Lite

$129/month

$108/month

Standard

$249/month

$208/month

Advanced

$449/month

$374/month

Enterprise

$1,499/month

$1,499/month

Ahrefs has fully revamped its pricing structure for 2026, now offering five subscription tiers plus several optional add-ons to meet diverse user needs. All plans include access to core tools like Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, and Site Audit, with higher tiers offering increased limits, historical data access, and advanced features.

Starter Plan ($29/mo): The newest addition to Ahrefs' lineup, the Starter plan provides entry-level access to Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, and Site Audit with 100 credits per month. This plan is ideal for individuals testing Ahrefs or running small-scale projects. Note that this plan only supports monthly renewal and doesn't allow purchasing additional credits or users.

Lite Plan ($129/mo): Ahrefs' Lite plan costs $129/mo ($108/mo if billed yearly) and remains ideal for solo marketers, freelancers, and small businesses. It supports up to 5 projects with 6 months of historical data and allows tracking of 750 keywords. Users get 500 credits per month and 100,000 crawl credits for site audits. The plan includes 1 user with the option to add up to 2 more at $40/mo each.

Standard Plan ($249/mo): The Standard plan is priced at $249/mo ($208/mo if billed yearly) and caters to freelance SEOs and marketing consultants. It supports 20 projects with 2 years of historical data and unlimited monthly credits. Keyword tracking increases to 2,000 keywords with 500,000 crawl credits per month. Additional features include Portfolios, Content Explorer, and Batch Analysis. The plan includes 1 user with the option to add up to 5 more at $60/mo each.

Advanced Plan ($449/mo): The Advanced plan costs $449/mo (or $374/mo, if billed annually) and is designed for SEO agencies and larger marketing teams. It supports 50 projects with 5 years of historical data and includes all Standard features plus Looker Studio integration and advanced Site Explorer capabilities. Keyword tracking extends to 5,000 keywords with 1.5 million crawl credits per month. The plan includes 1 user with the option to add up to 10 more at $80/mo each.

Enterprise Plan ($1,499/mo): The Enterprise plan has increased from $999/mo to $1,499/mo and requires an annual commitment. It's designed for large enterprises with custom needs, supporting up to 100 projects with unlimited historical data. The plan includes 3 users (with unlimited additional users at $100/mo each) and allows tracking of 10,000+ keywords with 5+ million crawl credits. Exclusive features include API access, SSO, audit logs, and advanced security controls.

All plans now include the new Social Media Manager feature in beta. Ahrefs also offers a free Webmaster Tools plan with limited access to Site Explorer and Site Audit, perfect for website owners who want to monitor their own sites without a full subscription.

Optional Addons:

Brand Radar AI: Starting at $199/month

AI Content Helper: $99/month

Content Kit: $299/month

Report Builder: $99/month

Project Boost Pro: $20/month per project

Project Boost Max: $200/month per project

• We've featured the best onpage SEO tools.

Ahrefs: FeaturesAI Tools

Ahrefs has significantly expanded its AI capabilities in 2025-2026, introducing several features that help marketers optimize content, track brand visibility in AI search results, and automate repetitive SEO tasks. These AI-powered tools represent a major evolution in how the platform addresses the changing landscape of search and content discovery.

Brand Radar AI stands as Ahrefs' most ambitious AI feature, tracking how brands appear across major AI platforms including ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and Claude. With a database exceeding 239 million prompts, Brand Radar monitors brand mentions, analyzes share of voice against competitors, identifies topic gaps where competitors appear but you don't, and correlates AI citations with web mentions from Ahrefs' massive index.

AI Content Helper ($99/month as an add-on) transforms content optimization by analyzing your draft against top-ranking pages and identifying topical coverage gaps. Rather than focusing on keyword density, it uses AI to identify core topics for your target keyword and scores how well your content covers those topics in real-time as you write. The tool provides color-coded sentence analysis showing which subtopics are covered, word-for-word recommendations for improving topic depth, and an integrated AI chat assistant that can provide feedback, brainstorm ideas, and help refine your writing.

AI Content Grader (available only for Enterprise customers) serves as a lighter version of Content Helper, assessing topic coverage of your content versus the top three SERP competitors using a traffic light grading system. This tool is particularly useful for quickly evaluating existing content and planning updates without the full content creation workflow.

Beyond these flagship tools, Ahrefs has embedded AI throughout its platform. AI Keyword Suggestions in Keywords Explorer help brainstorm lateral keyword opportunities your competitors may have overlooked. AI Search Intent Analysis goes beyond traditional intent categories (informational, navigational, transactional, commercial) to provide granular breakdowns showing exactly what percentage of traffic goes to each specific intent type. AI Keyword Translator automatically translates keyword lists into 40+ languages while preserving local dialect nuances, making international SEO research significantly faster.

Finally, the upcoming Patches feature will use AI to automatically fix simple technical SEO issues on your website with one click, eliminating the need for developer involvement for common problems like missing meta tags or broken schema markup. The platform also includes AI detection in Site Audit, which can identify pages with AI-generated content, and an "Ask AI" feature throughout the interface that helps with specific tasks like rephrasing content, generating alternatives, or explaining data.

 Site Explorer

(Image credit: Ahrefs)

The Site Explorer is a powerful tool for analyzing a website's SEO performance. It presents insights into organic search traffic, backlink profiles, and paid search activities. Apart from its core purpose, Site Explorer presents several advanced features that help in the analysis and strategic planning of SEO experts.

For example, if you want to analyze your competitors' best-performing web pages, you can do it under “Top Pages.” This tool goes through a specific website and lists down the top-performing pages that are getting the most traffic. Through this, you can create several strategies for targeting the right keywords and ranking along your competitor's popular articles.

Our next favorite feature is the "Outgoing Links" report which presents a list of where a site is sending its traffic through external links. This can help in identifying potential partnership opportunities for your website or even ensuring that outbound links are to reputable and relevant sites, which is super important for maintaining a site’s E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).

Apart from that, Site Explorer's "Content Gap" tool lets you compare your site's keyword profile against those of your competitors. It simply identifies keywords for which your competitors rank but your site does not. This is such a useful tool that even the talented SEO experts at TechRadar use it.

The fun doesn’t end here. You also get an "Internal Backlinks" report, which analyzes the internal link structure of a website and helps in optimizing site architecture for better crawl ability and distributing link equity effectively across pages. Lastly, it also provides a "Broken Links" report, identifying both broken inbound and outbound links. Fixing these links can improve user experience and site health. 

 Keywords Explorer

(Image credit: Ahrefs)

Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer not only excels in providing detailed keyword metrics and suggestions but also offers several other features that enhance keyword research and strategy development. For instance, it includes a "Keyword Difficulty" score, which helps users quickly assess how challenging it might be to rank for a specific keyword based on the strength of the current top-ranking pages. This score is calculated using a variety of factors, including the number and quality of backlinks pointing to the top-ranking pages, making it a reliable indicator of the effort required to compete.

It further helps you understand the reader behavior with the "Clicks" data, which estimates the total number of clicks that the search results for a keyword receive. This metric is super useful as it goes beyond mere search volume to give an idea of actual traffic potential, considering factors like SERP features that might affect the click-through rate for organic listings.

Additionally, Keywords Explorer offers a "Return Rate" metric, which measures how often people search for a keyword again. This insight is valuable for identifying keywords that could bring recurring traffic to your site.

We also tested its SERP analysis features that show the presence of features like featured snippets, site links, and image packs in the search results for a keyword, providing pointers on how to optimize content to achieve these high-visibility positions. And to top it all, Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer even integrates with other tools available on the platform. This helps you transition from keyword research to site audit or content exploration, making it a great solution for anyone looking to enhance their SEO and content marketing efforts with data-driven insights.

Site Audit

(Image credit: Ahrefs)

Probably this feature is like that doctor who tells you what’s wrong with your website in terms of SEO. Site Audit scans your entire site to find out everything from technical SEO problems to content-related issues. Plus, it doesn't just highlight what's wrong, but it also delivers actionable tips to easily fix those issues.

To test it, we gave it a sample site and it got back to us with various helpful insights such as broken links, missing alt tags, slow-loading pages, and much more. It even categorized issues into errors, warnings, and notices based on their potential impact on our SEO, making it easier to prioritize fixes. What we loved even more is the visual representation of data, through charts and graphs, which gives a clear perspective of the current condition of the website.

The competitor analysis feature is another key component, offering the ability to track competitors' backlink growth and keyword rankings. This competitive intelligence can inform strategic decisions and help users stay ahead in their niche.

Additionally, if you want to track your competitor's backlinks and keyword ranking, you can use the Competitor Analysis feature. It gives a detailed insight into your peer's SEO strategies and helps you in staying ahead in your niche.

Rank Tracker

(Image credit: Ahrefs )

If you want to monitor your website's ranking for targeted keywords on the SERP, you can use the Rank Tracker feature present in Ahrefs. It's particularly useful for tracking the effectiveness of your SEO strategies and understanding how changes in your website or external factors influence your rankings.

First off, Rank Tracker can help you track your website’s ranking positions across different search engines and locations, presenting insights into how well your pages perform in various regions. This is crucial for businesses targeting a global audience or aiming to improve their local SEO. It further provides updates on ranking positions, showing whether your site’s rankings for specific keywords have improved, declined, or remained stable over time.

It further helps you level up your SEO game by offering visibility and traffic forecasts based on your ranking positions. These projections can help you estimate the potential traffic you might gain from improving your rankings for certain keywords, making it easier to prioritize SEO tasks. Not just that, you can see which keywords trigger special search results like featured snippets, local packs, or knowledge panels. 

 Content Explorer

(Image credit: Ahrefs)

Content Explorer focuses on analyzing the performance of your website’s content across different topics and niches. It guides users on content creation, outreach, and strategy decisions by explaining what content resonates with your readers and earning backlinks for your site. As you open the tool, you need to enter the website to analyze its content. Once searched, it provides many insights about the content, including the referring domains, page traffic and its value, URL Rating, organic keywords, and social shares. 

What makes it even easier to understand is the graphical representation of the metrics along with the timeline to help you further understand the behavior of your website’s specific content. While we ran a scan for one of our sites, it gave us the entire data along with useful metrics. We even sorted the list in various formats like relevance, domain rating, Twitter shares, and date, which made the list even more helpful. 

After doing the proper analysis, we even tried exporting the list for other team members, and Ahrefs did it seamlessly in a .CSV format, where we also had the option to choose the number of rows we wanted. Plus, if you run a website with multiple languages, you can further analyze the content based on different languages, giving a good summary of the website’s content map.

• We've featured the best rank checking tools.

Ahrefs: Interface and in-use

Like a lot of software these days, Ahrefs is used through a web browser, and we like the robust online interface, however it has no dedicated desktop program or smartphone app. The web app puts a ton of information into each page, with explanations for important features available via convenient info-bubbles. You can rely on The Dashboard to give you an overview of your projects, with each of the five core components having its own landing page. Finally, most elements provide more info via clickable links making them interactive for greater insights into the many graphs, charts, and metrics. 

Ahrefs: Support

If there’s one thing that Ahrefs does best besides SEO, it might be its customer support. It offers support access 24/7 via email, which is helpful for technical issues that require longer conversations and screenshots. For quick fixes and general queries, live chat is available during business hours.

We have had multiple occasions to verify Ahrefs' support quality here at Techradar. Most recently, we asked them about their link intersecting feature, and within minutes, a team member assisted us with it. 

(Image credit: Ahrefs)

Moreover, the platform's Help Center is packed with detailed articles, guides, and FAQs for self-service assistance, while a collection of tutorial videos and webinars provides visual learning options for users at all levels. 

Ahrefs also has an active online community for peer support and hosts sessions for direct feedback to the development team. This comprehensive support ecosystem helps you navigate the platform's features, resolve issues promptly, and maximize your SEO efforts.

Ahrefs: The competition

Ahrefs provides similar functionality to other major SEO tools like SEMrush and Moz, and they all offer similar price points for basic plans. Historically Ahrefs has been the more expensive option, recent pricing updates have made it more in line with its competitors.

Carefully consider which features and data limits work best for your budget, because different products prioritize different features at different price points. SEMrush’s basic plan, for example,  offers 10 times the page crawls as Ahrefs’, but no API access or historical data, unlike the latter. 

• We've featured the best keyword research tools.

Ahrefs: Final verdict

If your primary focus is building a robust backlink strategy, conducting detailed site audits, and diving deep into competitive analysis, Ahrefs is a clear winner. Its extensive backlink database and detailed site audit reports offer valuable insights for improving your website's SEO performance.

Ahrefs' strength in finding your competitors' strategies through its Site Explorer and Keywords Explorer tools can give you a real competitive edge in your SEO game. And with the new AI tools, their feature-heavy toolset is more accessible than ever.

For businesses and professionals prioritizing link building and detailed analytics on backlinks, along with a strong toolset for keyword research and site audits, Ahrefs provides an equally comprehensive solution. Its user interface is designed to accommodate both seasoned SEO experts and those new to SEO, which makes it a versatile choice for many.

• Find the best online marketing tools here.
• We've featured the best content marketing tools here.

Semrush was launched in 2008 by a group of IT and SEO specialists to make the digital competition fair and transparent. Today, it's one of the most popular and powerful platforms used by marketers to grow their website’s traffic and keep up with the SEO industry.

It offers a wide range of features, including keyword research, competitive analysis, site audit, on-page SEO checker, and many more. With the introduction of Semrush One, it has also added complete visibility tracking across AI search engines like ChatGPT and Gemini. In this detailed review, we’ll cover Semrush’s core features, pricing plans, use cases, and much more.

• Sign up for an exclusive 14-day free PRO trial here

SemRush: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Semrush)

Plan

Starting Rate (paid annually)

Starting Rate (paid monthly)

Pro

$117.33/month

$139/month

Guru

$208.33/month

$249/month

Business

$416.66/month

$499/month

Semrush One Starter

$165.83/month

$199/month

Semrush One Pro+

$248.17/month

$299/month

Semrush One Advanced

$455.67/month

$549/month

Semrush underwent a significant evolution in October 2025 with the launch of Semrush One, which fundamentally changed how the platform approaches search visibility. The company now offers two main product lines: the Classic SEO Toolkit and the bundled Semrush One platform.

SEO Classic

The Pro Plan now costs $139.95/month (or $116.16/month billed annually), representing a $10 increase from previous pricing. This entry-level plan is ideal for freelancers, startups, and in-house marketers managing up to 5 projects. You can track up to 500 keywords, generate 10,000 results per report, and access 3,000 reports daily. The plan includes essential SEO, PPC, and research tools, covering keyword research, website audits, backlink analysis, competitor analysis, and advertising tools.

The Guru Plan remains at $249.95/month ($208.33/month annually) and targets agencies and mid-sized businesses. This tier includes everything in Pro plus the Content Marketing Toolkit, historical data access (12 months), multi-location and device tracking, and Looker Studio integration. You can manage up to 15 projects, track 1,500 keywords, and generate 30,000 results per report. This plan has become particularly popular among growing marketing teams needing more robust data analysis.

The Business Plan stays at $499.95/month ($416.66/month annually) for large agencies and enterprises. It expands to 40 projects, 5,000 tracked keywords, and 50,000 results per report. Exclusive features include Share of Voice metrics, extended limits, API access, PLA (Product Listing Ads) analytics, and free migration from third-party tools. This tier is designed for organizations with extensive marketing operations requiring deep data insights.

Semrush One

Semrush One represents a major strategic shift, bundling the Classic SEO Toolkit with the AI Visibility Toolkit into a unified platform. This integration addresses the evolving search landscape where AI platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini, and Perplexity are reshaping how users discover information.

The Starter Plan ($199/month or $165.83/month annually) combines the equivalent of Semrush Pro with AI visibility tracking. You can monitor up to 5 websites, track 50 prompts daily across major AI platforms, and monitor 500 keywords. This plan saves $40/month compared to purchasing Pro ($139.95) and AI Visibility Toolkit ($99) separately.

The Pro+ Plan ($299/month or $249.17/month annually) includes all Starter features plus historical data, monitoring for up to 15 websites, 100 tracked prompts, and 1,500 keywords for daily tracking. This tier particularly appeals to growing agencies managing multiple clients.

The Advanced Plan ($549/month or $457.50/month annually) offers comprehensive capabilities for large agencies, including API data integration, MCP (Model Context Protocol) access, free migration from third-party tools, monitoring for 40 websites, 5,000 keywords, and 200 prompts daily.

AI Visibility Toolkit

Available separately at $99/month per domain, this toolkit can be added to existing Classic SEO subscriptions. However, purchasing Semrush One provides better value and integration. The toolkit tracks brand mentions and visibility across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, Gemini, and other AI platforms. Additional domains cost $99/month each, and extra users require $99/month per seat. Prompt tracking can be extended at $60/month for 50 additional prompts.

ContentShake AI

This AI-powered content creation tool is available as a standalone subscription at $60/month or included within higher-tier plans. It generates SEO-optimized articles, provides topic ideas, creates outlines, and publishes content directly to platforms. The tool supports seven languages and integrates Semrush's competitive data with AI writing capabilities.

Additional costs

Semrush plans are designed for single users. Additional user seats cost extra: Pro plans add users at one rate, while higher tiers have different pricing structures. The platform also offers various add-ons including Base Report ($10/month) and Pro Report (pricing varies) for enhanced integrations. The AI Writer Chrome Extension is free with limited features (50 rewrites/month for non-subscribers).

All plans include a 14-day free trial for new users (7 days for some toolkits), though Semrush has implemented a strict refund policy limited to seven days after purchase for annual subscriptions only, available as a one-time offer.

SemRush: FeaturesAI tools

Semrush has aggressively expanded its AI capabilities, transforming from a traditional SEO platform into a comprehensive AI-powered marketing suite. The platform now offers multiple AI-driven tools addressing content creation, visibility tracking, and optimization across both traditional search engines and emerging AI platforms.

ContentShake AI represents Semrush's flagship content creation tool, combining ChatGPT's generative capabilities with real-time SEO data from Semrush's extensive database. Unlike standalone AI writing tools, ContentShake AI leverages Semrush's competitive intelligence, analyzing top-ranking content to generate articles optimized for both search engines and user engagement.

ContentShake AI also generates royalty-free AI images and supports seven languages including English (American and British), French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Dutch. You can customize tone of voice, readability level, and brand style, with the platform maintaining consistency across all generated content.

Content Toolkit encompasses multiple AI-powered features beyond ContentShake. The AI Article Generator creates data-driven content for both Google and AI search engines, AI Search Optimizer helps make content visible across traditional search results (Google) and AI-powered platforms like ChatGPT. Meanwhile, Semrush's Content Repurposing feature uses AI to transform website content into shareable assets for social media, email campaigns, and other channels. Topic Finder analyzes Semrush data to suggest trending content ideas while the SEO Brief Generator creates structured outlines for readers and search algorithms.

AI Visibility Toolkit addresses the paradigm shift toward AI-powered search experiences. Launched as a standalone product in early 2025 and integrated into Semrush One in October 2025, this toolkit monitors brand presence across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI platforms.

Visibility Overview provides an AI Visibility Score showing how frequently and prominently your brand appears in AI-generated responses compared to competitors. Brand Performance Analysis tracks how AI platforms describe your brand, identifying which content they cite and whether mentions are positive, neutral, or negative. Semrush also offers the AI Readiness Audit, which checks technical and structural issues that could block AI systems across 25+ on-page factors.

Keyword research tools

(Image credit: SemRush)

SemRush does in-depth keyword research and offers tons of details, including search volumes that often stretch into millions for high-traffic terms, user intent classifications (informational, commercial, navigational, transactional), and competitive density scores on a scale from 0 to 1.0. This is crucial to tweak your SEO strategy to match your audience's behavior precisely.

Plus, its competitive analysis doesn't just skim the surface but goes deep. By analyzing your competitors' organic search metrics, SemRush finds out not just the keywords they're ranking for but also delivers a visibility score that reflects their prominence on SERPs. This is instrumental in identifying not just any keywords but the right ones that can improve your SERP positioning.

The tool's keyword magic feature is also pretty impressive, as it offers over two million keyword ideas from a single seed keyword. This vast pool of suggestions opens up avenues for content strategy expansion and reveals less obvious yet potentially lucrative keyword opportunities.

We also love SemRush’s Gap analysis feature which takes a comparative approach and directly contrasts your keyword profile with up to five competitors. It's not merely about volume but it dives into keyword difficulty scores and SERP features occupied by competitors. This comparison explains strategic gaps in your SEO approach and offers a roadmap to prioritize efforts on keywords where you can realistically outperform your rivals.

Moreover, if you’re looking for “not provided” keywords, SemRush also integrates with Google Analytics and Google Search Console to bring such keywords to light and present a complete picture of your organic search landscape. This integration is super-friendly for bridging the gap between estimated search data and actual visitor behavior on your site.

Again, SemRush is designed to help you out with extensive tasks. For this, you get to manage and segment up to 2,000 keywords under the Keyword Manager. This feature is particularly useful for large-scale campaigns or agencies managing multiple clients.

Content optimization tools 

(Image credit: Semrush)

SemRush content optimization tools analyze and provide recommendations on keyword usage to make your content more SEO-friendly. They not only identify which keywords to use but also mention the number of times to use them. This is guided by insights acquired from your competitor's performance.

Plus, you can integrate Semrush into your Google Docs, WordPress, and even MS Word account. It offers extensive writing assistant tools that use AI to brief you on important metrics about your content, including its formatting, SEO optimization, tips to improve readability, and many more. They do this by evaluating your content for factors like sentence length, complexity, and overall structure and offering suggestions to enhance readability. This is crucial, as accessible content tends to perform better in terms of user engagement and search engine rankings. The best part? You get all this live along with your writing tools. This saves a lot of your time during editing and improves your content significantly. And, if you use a separate tool for plagiarism checking, SemRush will also solve that issue, as it has its own originality checker. The tool scans a vast database, flagging potential duplicates so you can maintain the uniqueness of your content, which is critical for ranking purposes.

PPC keyword research tools 

(Image credit: Semrush)

SemRush's PPC Keyword Research Tools present highly searched terms to niche long-tail keywords, with volumes varying from a few searches per month to several thousand. This information helps you identify both high-traffic and low-competition opportunities.

Cost-per-click (CPC) analysis is another area where these tools deliver extensive data. CPC values can range from as low as $0.05 in less competitive niches to over $50 for highly competitive terms. This insight helps you make informed decisions on budget allocation and bidding strategies.

We’re also big fans of Semrush’s competitive analysis feature, which points out rivals’ strategies and reveals opportunities for optimization and outperforming competitors. This insight includes data on competitors' ad spend, the keywords they are bidding on, and their past ad performance. By gaining this information, you can identify gaps in their strategy and take an upper hand.

Lastly, you also gain access to localized data with Semrush. This helps you improve the relevance of ads in specific demographics and regions to increase your engagement rates and the overall efficiency of PPC campaigns.

On-[age and technical SEO

(Image credit: Semrush)

Semrush's Site Audit tool is designed to crawl websites in detail by simulating search engine crawling behaviors. While doing this, it pinpoints and prioritizes on-site issues, covering more than 130 checks for SEO health, including HTTPS security protocols, core web vitals, and issues like duplicate content.

Among the On-Page and Technical SEO tools, the On-Page SEO Checker is our favorite, as it goes beyond keyword optimization. Utilizing Semrush's extensive dataset, it provides tailored recommendations by analyzing SERP positions, backlink profiles, and content quality. Plus, it predicts how much traffic you might get and compares your site with competitors.

Also, if you face difficulty deciding what to include in your article, the SEO Content Template tool can be of great use to you. It generates content creation blueprints by analyzing top-performing pages for selected keywords. Moreover, It advises on text length, backlink sources, and multimedia inclusion tailored to Google's SERP features preferences.

Link building and backlink analysis 

(Image credit: Semrush)

Semrush's Backlink Analytics tool examines websites' backlink profiles by identifying link-building patterns and pointing out opportunities for growth. It does this by separating links by type, attributes, and quality. Besides this, it also tracks how backlink profiles change over time to understand patterns on how these links are won.

We all know how harmful backlinks can affect SEO health. Keeping that in mind, SemRush also offers a Backlink Audit feature that identifies potentially harmful backlinks. This process involves integrating with Google Search Console to evaluate link quality using over 45 different toxic markers. With this, you can easily manage and reject harmful links directly on the platform.

Its link-building tools further help to simplify your outreach process. It suggests potential link-building opportunities based on competitor backlink profiles and keyword priorities. We also love how Semrush manages outreach campaigns and evaluates the authority and relevance of suggested sites. Also, the way it organizes prospects by campaign for the efficient execution of targeted link-building strategies greatly streamlines the process.

SemRush: Interface and in-use

SemRush’s interface is user-friendly and effective, so whether you're a beginner or an experienced digital marketer, you won't have issues navigating its extensive toolset. The dashboard is also neatly organized, so you have tools for SEO, PPC, and content marketing at your fingertips. What we love the most about this setup is the ease with which we can switch between tasks.

Though the platform's broad range of features might initially confuse a beginner, this variety showcases SemRush's strength as a vast digital marketing tool. Overall, SemRush offers a mix of complexity and user-friendliness and delivers a powerful resource for diverse digital marketing activities.

SemRush: Support

(Image credit: SEMRush)

SemRush offers multiple support options to help you fully utilize its capabilities. If you're new to the platform or want to improve your understanding of its features, you can schedule a session with an expert. These experts walk you through the platform and demonstrate how to make the most of its extensive features.

For those considering an upgrade or needing a solution for their specific requirements, the sales team is always available to assist and guide you through the different options to find the perfect fit for your needs.

SemRush also caters to users who prefer to explore and learn independently. It offers many self-help resources, including user manuals, instructional videos, and FAQs. These materials are designed to help users navigate the platform and address any questions they may have.

SemRush: The competition

SEMRush is broadly aligned with competing SEO services in terms of both pricing and the feature set. For example, Moz Pro, one of its top competitors, has roughly comparable subscriptions (although a lower entry tier) at the price points of $99, $179, $249, and $599 per month, with each upgrade adding higher limits and new features.

Also, keep in mind that some platforms have more affordable plans than either SEMRush or Moz Pro. For those who don’t need everything included in the Pro subscription, or if $120 per month is over your budget, then consider a service with a lower barrier to entry.

SemRush: Final verdict

If you’re looking for an SEO tool to enhance your website’s SEO, PPC, and content strategies, SemRush is probably among the top options. While we did face a learning curve to use its comprehensive features, its interface is remarkably user-friendly. We appreciate the supportive resources and expert guidance SemRush provided, as it helps maximize the investment.

The plans offered by SemRush are also designed to accommodate the needs of all businesses, whether a small team or an enterprise. Despite the plans being costly, the substantial value SemRush adds to online marketing efforts justifies the price, making it an excellent investment if you're looking to boost your website.

• You can signup to SEMRush here.

Centr: One minute review

Not many fitness apps have the name of a bona fide Hollywood star on them. Chris Hemsworth, the actor who plays Thor, puts his money where his muscles are with Centr, a holistic workout app that manages just about every aspect of your fitness journey. The app packs content on food to helping you plan rest days, and, of course, the exercise sessions themselves, and it does a pretty great job across all aspects.

There are daily workout classes accessible within the app, as well as self-guided workout plans that incorporate both strength training and cardio, with ratios based on your chosen goal. I was impressed with is the diversity of workouts on offer; while I’ve primarily used Fitbod over the last couple of years, that particular app essentially just keeps rotating exercises and workouts forever, with no real plan outside of the user setting a goal.

That made Centr’s way of working, with exercise plans spanning days and weeks, much easier for me to stick to, especially as it does a great job of layering in rest days or active recovery. Centr can work with the equipment you have, whether that’s bodyweight-only exercises, a full gym, or anywhere in between, and the whole app feels thoughtfully designed so that it’s easy to switch out exercises or substitute in different weight amounts.

Aside from workouts, there’s a really impressive recipe section that made me want to invest more in meal plans, and mindfulness tools for winding down after a hard day’s work. One of my favorite features is that your plan is viewable online via the Centr website, making it easier to plot your progress or prepare included recipes on your laptop.

The rub is that all of this comes at a high price, at least if you’re paying monthly. $30 a month will be a tough pill to swallow for many more casual users, but you can save a ton by going for the $139.99 / £114.99 / AU$360 annual plan. There is a free trial, but you can only enjoy that for a week, so be sure to make the most out of it.

For those looking for a holistic fitness and wellbeing tool, Centr will tick a lot of boxes. Not only is it packed with features, but the app is much easier to navigate than some rivals that do less.

(Image credit: Centr)Centr: Price and availability

• Monthly cost is high at $29.99 / £19.66 / $29.99 per month
• Annual plan considerably lowers costs to $11.67 / £9.58 / AU$13.33 per month
• iOS and Android

Centr is available worldwide on the App Store and Play Store, meaning it’s ideal for both iOS and Android users.

It works out to $29.99 / £19.66 / $29.99 per month, which is more than many of its rivals like Fitbod or PUSH, but paying for a year brings that down to $11.67 / £9.58 / AU$13.33 per month, a sizeable drop.

Centr: Scorecard

Category

Comment

Score

Value

Pricey per month, meaning annual membership is the only real way to go.

4/5

Design

The initial quiz is handy for setting things up, and the app is easy to use.

5/5

Features

Wide variety of programs (including equipment-free options), mindfulness and even recipes.

5/5

Performance

No body scan workouts, but very detailed instructions and very easy to follow as a result.

4.5/5

Centr: Should I buy?

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

You want more than just workouts

Centr incorporates mindfulness tools and recipes, meaning there’s more than just planning and tracking workouts included.

You want to build muscle sustainably

Because it factors in rest days and longer-tail workout regimens, Centr is an ideal choice for anyone looking to build sustainable muscle.

Don't buy it if...

You want to focus on workouts alone

There are cheaper alternatives that don’t have meal plans and other optional inclusions, meaning you can focus your budget elsewhere.

You want a cheap workout app

Even with all of those features, Centr is expensive, costing twice what you can get from the likes of PUSH or Fitbod.

Also consider

Centr

Fitbod

Push

Platforms

iOS/Android

iOS/Android

iOS/Android

Price

$29.99 per month, $120 annually

$15.99 per month, $95.99 annually

$15.49 per month, $89.99 annually

Devices

iPhone, Android phone, Apple Watch

iPhone, Android phone, Apple Watch

iPhone, Android phone

Guided Content

No

No

Yes

Video Content

Yes

Yes

Tes

Fitbod

Fitbod is more squarely focused on tracking weight exercises, but has an easy-to-use interface with great video tutorials for each one.

Read our full Fitbod review

PUSH

PUSH is all about building muscle, and leans on the tried and true progressive overload technique to keep you pushing ever further.

Read our full PUSH review

How I tested

I took Centr to the gym over the course of three weeks, working out with the app installed on my iPhone 15 Pro Max and then an iPhone 17 Pro Max. I also used the web interface to more easily read the recipe guides.

Fluance Ri91: Two-minute review

The Fluance Ri91 floorstanding speakers are the third pair of Fluance's line-up that I’ve reviewed here at TechRadar with each model sounding better than the last – I don't mind sharing that this testing has turned me into a bit of a fan.

The Fluance Ri91 represent a modernized addition to the competitors for our list of the best stereo speakers – like the Fluance Ri71, they are a step up for the company since they include support for Bluetooth including aptX, plus an HDMI ARC input. Add in the reasonable price for what they are, and they're very tempting indeed.

There are issues with the Fluance Ri91, but they're minimal. Sure, the sound is a bit mid-focused, but most people looking for pleasing audio will appreciate this fact (and they sound great overall anyway). The lack of a phono preamp isn't a dealbreaker, and is easily remedied if needed.

The only real concern I have is about build quality, because the original pair of these speakers I received had an issue with the HDMI port (quite a major one: it didn’t work).

That said, the Fluance Ri91 speakers come with a warranty, and the replacement pair the company sent presented no issue during review.

Considering how expensive floorstanding speakers can get, I think these speakers at $799 (about £640 / AU$1,270) are very easy to recommend for any music lover or budding audiophile.

(Image credit: James Holland)Fluance Ri91 review: Price and release date

• $799 (about £640 / AU$1,270)
• Released in March 2025

Being the big brother of the Fluance Ri71 I recently reviewed, the Fluance Ri91 is appropriately a bit more expensive, but thoroughly reasonable at $799 (about £640 / AU$1,270).

While the Fluance Ri71 is available in both the US and UK, the Ri91 reviewed here seems to only be available in the US.

At least these floorstanding speakers are available through a number of retailers like Amazon, Macy’s, and Walmart, as well as directly from the brand itself.

Fluance Ri91 review: Specs

Dimensions

41.73 x 8.5 x 10.24 inches / 106.0 x 21.6 x 26.0 cm

Weight

Active Speaker: 41.89 lb (19 kg) Passive Speaker: 40.79 lb (18.5 kg)

Active or passive

Active

Subwoofer

No (has sub out)

Frequency response

40Hz - 30kHz

Dolby Atmos / DTS:X enabled

No

Maximum output

150 watts

(Image credit: James Holland)Fluance Ri91 review: Features

• Comes with HDMI ARC input
• Bluetooth supports aptX HD
• Doesn’t come with phono preamp or Wi-Fi streaming

The feature set of these sorts of speakers – even active ones – is going to be pretty limited compared to what you find in the best soundbars, despite the addition of an HDMI port. But that’s because they’re not trying to do the same thing. The features here are focused on convenience and helping getting the best stereo sound possible.

Regarding convenience, it first should be noted that the Fluance Ri91 are an active set of floorstanding speakers, meaning that they don’t need an external receiver for power or connections. Also on the convenience front is the HDMI-ARC input, which is new for Fluance on the Ri91 and the Ri71 bookshelf speakers that were released at the same time.

There's Bluetooth 5.0 and aptX HD support for wireless streaming, with the allowing transmission of higher-res audio. That’s greatly appreciated for those using hi-fi-level streaming services – but not that there's no Wi-Fi, or for the highest-res support, except for wiring in the old-fashioned way.

These speakers pump out 150 watts of class D power using two 6.5-inch woven glass drivers and a 28x35mm AMT in place of a traditional tweeter. There’s no subwoofer, but there is a bass port at the bottom of each speaker cabinet.

All the connectivity is on the back of the active speaker, which is the right one by default, though you can hold the mute button down for three seconds and switch the configuration. Besides the ARC-supported HDMI port, there are also two RCA inputs, and a subwoofer out, along with the speaker wire hookups.

Lastly, while you can (and should) connect one of the best turntables to these speakers, the Fluance Ri91 do not come with a built-in phono preamp, so you’ll need to make sure your record player has one built in (or get an external one) to make sure the signal going to the speaker is loud enough.

• Features score: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: James Holland)Fluance Ri91 review: Sound quality

• Sound great when turned up and a little muffled when not
• Somewhat mid-focused
• Better for music than for movies

The Fluance Ri91 sound very good. And for any audiophiles out there, they sound like what you would expect from floorstanding speakers that cost about $800. They’re not going to wipe the floor with speakers that cost the price of a new car, but they’re good enough to blow away people that are not in the audiophile world, or are new to it.

I played all sorts of artists to test them, from John Coltrane to Kendrick Lamar to Smashing Pumpkins. I also listened to music from the ’60s and ’70s. After all my listening, a few things became clear.

First, as somewhat behemoth speakers, they don’t really come alive until you turn the volume up, in some instances even sounding a tiny bit muffled when lower. Also, when I was initially listening at lower volumes, I felt like I wasn’t getting a lot of low end. Turning them up fixed all these issues.

The sound was expansive when loud, with plenty of low-end, though you might want to add a sub if you listen to a lot of Hip Hop or EDM, as some songs didn’t translate as well. The high-end was clear and detailed, and the mid-range was rich, though it is a bit upfront.

Unfortunately, there’s no EQ for the mids, so you have to turn up the treble and bass a little if that bothers you (I prefer to cut the mids a bit when dealing with this problem, but obviously couldn't here).

I also used the Fluance Ri91 for some movie watching and gaming. The sound quality is there, but being a more traditional stereo setup makes this not as ideal for the immersive home theater experience.

With music, I can feel the wide stereo soundstage with accurate imaging when the speakers are correctly set up. With movies, it can feel a little one dimensional, especially at lower volumes.

Now, that’s not to detract from the Fluance Ri91, as they shine for a more traditional listening experience, and that’s what they’re really meant for. They do work well enough for movies and gaming, but using them right after testing a surround-sound system really highlights that these are speakers for listening to music first.

• Sound quality score: 4 / 5

(Image credit: James Holland)Fluance Ri91 review: Design

• Tall and hefty as floorstanders
• Good connections and controls on one speaker
• Has EQ controls on remote

The Fluance Ri91 are fairly imposing, standing at just under 42 inches tall. And with a weight of about 40 lbs per speaker, they’re hefty as well. It’s a good thing that they look good (available in walnut, black, or white) since these aren’t the kind of speakers you can tuck away discreetly.

There’s a Bluetooth pairing button on the back, and two additional controls on the active speaker, one being the power switch. The other is a volume dial that sits atop the back of the speaker that can also be pressed in to change inputs.

But you’re more likely to use the included remote for any adjusting. The remote is pretty straight forward with all the usual stuff like volume controls, power, input, etc. But it also includes a Treble and Bass Boost and Cut that’s helpful for fine tuning the audio a little bit.

My only real issue with the Fluance Ri91 are some concerns about quality assurance. Not only were the styrofoam packing the speakers came in disintegrating, but the HDMI input didn’t work in my first pair, so I had to request another test unit.

The speakers were promptly replaced for me, and come with a two-year warranty for regular buyers.

• Design score: 4 / 5

(Image credit: James Holland)Fluance Ri91 review: Setup and usability

• Setup is simple and straightforward
• Positioning the speakers takes some time but is worth it
• Using them is fairly intuitive

The functional setup of the Fluance Ri91 is very straightforward. Take each speaker out of the box, connect the active one to power, and connect the two speakers together with the included speaker wire. Then pop in the batteries for the remote and connect whatever sources you want. Flip the power switch and you’re good to go.

Of course, you should correctly set up the speakers to get the best sound and that can take a little time (and a measuring tape) – I found that you needed to be careful with positioning them next to walls. But it doesn’t take that long and it’s worth it.

Using the Fluance Ri91 is just as simple. The included remote is not all that complicated, and the color-coded LED indicator on the active speaker not only lets me know what source I’m on, but will flash when certain settings are reached, such as the mid, low, or high point for EQ settings.

• Setup and usability score: 5 / 5

(Image credit: James Holland)Fluance Ri91 review: Value

• These are Fluance’s most expensive speakers
• Some other quality options at the same price
• The Ri91 are more feature-heavy than the competition

It's interesting to compare the Fluance Ri91 with the company’s previous floorstanding entry, the Ai81, which is a little cheaper at $599, versus to $799 for the Ri91. The Ri91 replaces the silk dome tweeter of the Ai81 with an AMT one, not to mention also includes an HDMI port.

Interestingly, the Ai81 reaches down to 30Hz instead of 40Hz like the Ri91, so does have a little more bass without adding a subwoofer. On the flipside, the Ri91’s 30kHz upper range is more impressive than the 20kHz of the Ai81 and is something I value more than the deeper bass.

Since Fluance generally fits into that budget-premium range, the Fluance Ri91’s price tag is about what one would expect. They’re not in the thousands like most boutique audio brands, but have some competition at the same price, such as the Q Acoustics M40 HD. The Q Acoustics were a little more expensive when released in 2024, but go for the same amount now, not to mention are also available in the UK and Australia.

Plus, the two products stack up fairly well against each other, though the Fluance Ri91 do include an HDMI port, 50 more watts of power, and a wider frequency response, probably thanks in part to those AMT tweeters.

• Value score: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the Fluance Ri91 speakers?Score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

The feature set is pretty good for this type of speaker, including aptX. No, phono preamp or Wi-Fi streaming, though.

4.5 / 5

Sound quality

While not ideal for TV, these speakers sound great, particularly when turned up.

4 / 5

Design

Good port selection and imposing look only held back by build quality concerns.

4 / 5

Setup and Usability

Easy to set up and use, though one should make sure to spend some time on speaker placement.

5 / 5

Value

The price is very good for floorstanders, especially considering the feature set.

4.5 / 5

Buy them if…

You want loud and expansive, impressive sounding audio
These speakers sound really good when they’re really loud. If your criteria is loud and good, then get the Fluance Ri91.

You need extra connectivity
The included HDMI ARC port and aptX HD over Bluetooth support is something that sets these speakers apart, especially from other models at this price point.

You can’t quite justify audiophile prices
Audiophile speakers can get really expensive. These sound good while still staying under a grand. That’s pretty good for a new pair of floorstanding speakers.

Don’t buy them if…

You’re in a small space
These speakers are a bit underwhelming at low volume (and they take up a lot of space), so if you have limited space, go for the Ri71 instead.

You want pristine, neutral audio
These speakers sound very good, but are not the right pick for anyone looking for very neutral sounding audio.

Fluance Ri91 review: Also consider

Q Acoustics M40 HD
Like the Ri91, these sound massive. They also bridge the gap between big speakers and not needing a lot of space as they’re a bit smaller than the Ri91 making them a good alternative if you don’t have a big space.

Read our full Q Acoustics M40 HD review

Kanto Ren
The Kanto Ren has it all in terms of connectivity – USB-C, HDMI, Bluetooth 5.3. Plus it comes in interesting colors, though it will pick up every fingerprint. It’s lovely with a full, robust sound. However, the bass can get a little flabby.

Read our full Kanto Ren review

How I tested the Fluance Ri91

• Used regularly for a few weeks
• Listened to all kinds of audio
• Tested the various controls and ports

I used the Fluance Ri91 for a few weeks at home, listening to all sorts of genres of music – Hip Hop, EDM, Top 40 Pop, Rock, Jazz, and Folk, among others – to get a better feel for these speakers. They were also tested with some TV and computer games. I tested the various controls and ports as well.

I’ve tested a lot of tech gear over the years from laptops to keyboards and speakers, and so have been able to use my expertise towards giving an honest and fair opinion, not to mention a critical eye, to any product I test.

• First reviewed: February 2025
• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

The people at Paylocity recognize that HR teams want to do more – but they’re often bogged down in tedious administrative tasks.

To that end, Paylocity’s HR and payroll solutions place a strong focus on automation, process simplification, and ease of compliance to give your teams the time they need to think strategically and have a greater impact.

There’s a lot of emphasis on employee experience in this tool, too, thanks to a smart set of employee engagement features. The most recent addition to the app is an AI assistant that can streamline your experience.

Paylocity believes that by combining technology with humanity, it can produce the ideal, all-around HR and payroll solution.

Paylocity: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Paylocity)

As with most HR solutions, Paylocity’s pricing is devised on a case-by-case basis, with no concrete costing information provided on the company’s website.

While this enables you to pick the modules you need and build a package that is suited to your business, the lack of pricing transparency can make initial budgeting and comparison difficult, and adding plenty of modules could see your pricing scale quickly.

The company says that sample pricing ranges from $18 to $32 per employee per month, with potential setup fees as an additional cost. Those figures tally with what we’ve seen on third-party sites that list approximate pricing for the Paylocity solution.

Paylocity: Features

(Image credit: Paylocity)

With a name like Paylocity and a company ethos that “everything leads back to payroll,” it’s no surprise that this app features strong financial functionality.

Its payroll options are completely customizable, and once you’ve built processes that work for your organization, you can review and run a complete payroll in a few clicks – reducing manual work for your HR teams.

Data flows directly into the payroll system from your employee database, and the system automatically flags employees with discrepancies. It’s both fast and easy to set up general ledger mapping.

Paylocity’s Payroll Readiness Dashboard highlights critical tasks that need attention before your next payment, and a tax geolocation system can audit your staff to ensure they’re paying the correct taxes. It’s also possible to pay local and global employees from the system when using Paylocity.

If your business has grown and has global needs, Paylocity also offers global payroll services alongside consulting, compliance, and treasury management, though these services may incur additional fees because Paylocity is primarily designed for US payroll requirements.

Paylocity’s excellent payroll capabilities are paired with good core HR features. You get centralized document storage and custom, automated workflows across the platform – alongside automation templates to make deploying those workflows even easier.

There’s plenty of personalization available here, too, because you can add unlimited custom fields for tracking and reporting that reflect your organizational needs.

On top of all this, real-time analytics and dashboards that help you analyze your workforce and make smarter, data-based decisions, and AI-powered tools throughout the app improve search functionality and answer your basic questions.

(Image credit: Paylocity)

Paylocity’s reporting and analytics revolve around a module called Modern Workforce Index. This insight and benchmarking tool is a relatively new addition to the solution, and it collates sentiment, utilization, and organizational health data to track the health of your business when compared to the rest of the market.

It’ll track how employees are using Paylocity to inform discussions around ROI, it’ll suggest how you can make improvements, and illustrate your progress over time.

The employee self-service module enables your staff to access and modify payroll and HR data via web browsers and the Paylocity mobile app.

Paylocity’s time and attendance management tools include automated policy enforcement, real-time notifications, and in-depth analytics – so you can easily spot trends, plan shifts, monitor budgets, and reduce administrative overheads.

The app offers AI-enhanced shift recommendations, open shift claiming and shift swapping, and a range of time capture options, from badges and biometrics to apps, kiosks, and smart watches. Geolocation, fingerprint validation, and facial recognition are all supported.

Paylocity’s in-built social network supports greater employee collaboration and engagement, and it’s available on the mobile app too. It’s got a company feed, “ask an expert” options, and AI-assisted announcement creation. Users can even “follow” particularly active colleagues.

A module called Employee Voice collects automatic feedback from your staff that you can then use for analysis and reporting, and you can build customized employee recognition programs with rewards linked to your budget to foster connections throughout your workforce.

The tool’s community engagement features are particularly impressive, so it’s no surprise that Paylocity describes them as a “crown jewel” of the app.

Guided benefits support is available for both providers and employees, so deployment and enrollment are easier, and you’ll get notifications about eligibility changes and benefit requests.

(Image credit: Paylocity)

Paylocity supports a broad range of benefit options and can manage flexible benefits, too, and the system will help you manage benefit compliance at the same time. It also enables you to look after your technology, with an asset management module that tracks hardware assignments and locations – perfect for keeping track of laptops, smartphones, and other equipment.

This solution also includes a broad slate of recruitment options, including candidate screening, headcount planning tools, and self-service interview scheduling. HR teams can use automated job posting to over 20,000 job boards alongside integrations with LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, and Indeed.

Pre-written templates and AI tools accelerate job requisition, and you can keep recruitment moving by sending emails and text messages from within the platform. It’s even possible to define roles and compensation from within Paylocity by browsing market data – and then create and send personalized offer packages to candidates.

Once talent is recruited, onboarding is bolstered by automation, in-built compliance tools, background checks, pre-boarding tasks in the mobile app video welcomes, auto-assigned training, and team introductions.

Employee performance is monitored using easy feedback collection, 360-degree reviews, and talent assessment templates. Training is handled by an interactive environment that features a vast library of courses, and you can use Paylocity to create, define, and manage your compensation strategy using company and market data. The system supports annual increases and customized bonus payments.

Paylocity supports hundreds of third-party integrations, including Microsoft 365 and Dynamics, Google Workspace, Dropbox, Slack, HubSpot, and QuickBooks.

Hundreds more integrations are available in the Paylocity Marketplace across categories like benefits, finance, compliance, health, and recruiting. The solution also includes API support for creating your own integrations.

As usual with HR solutions, you’ll only get many of these features if you include those modules in your custom package. With Paylocity, we’d advise you to check the international payroll situation before you invest.

Paylocity is a US-first business, and while the company does offer global payroll services, you may need to use additional third-party integrations to ensure smooth operations.

Elsewhere, while Paylocity offers good analytics, reporting, and customization, SAP is stronger for reporting; you’ll find more in-depth customization with some rival products, and the mobile app doesn’t have feature parity with the desktop product.

Paylocity: Ease of use

(Image credit: Paylocity)

There’s no denying that Paylocity is packed with features – and there’s no denying that the team has done a decent job with the interface.

It’s consistent and straightforward, with a navigation pane on the left and a dashboard that’s packed with quick links to common actions. That dashboard presents loads of information, including key details about pay, budgeting, timesheets, urgent tasks, activity, and more.

The dashboard is customizable – you can rearrange the location of the widgets or remove them entirely – but you can’t build your own, and the data displayed in each widget is hard-coded.

Employee and equipment records are well-designed and easy to navigate, and the reporting section is comprehensive, with dozens of options quickly available if you know where to look.

The payroll module does a great job of presenting your payroll options and enabling you to easily start your next run. The community section is great, with a social media-style feed, team-specific groups, and easy-to-spot pinned announcements.

The Modern Workforce Index is one of the more colorful parts of the app, with a dial that gives an easy indicator of your company’s score – and you can dive further into the data to track sentiment, health, and organization across a variety of charts.

Paylocity’s interface does a good job of collating the tool’s wealth of features, but it has some minor downsides.

The data-rich, busy interface could prove overwhelming at first, especially for users who aren’t familiar with complex software packages, and if you want a visually attractive interface, then you would be better off shopping elsewhere.

We’ve seen user sentiment online suggest that implementation experiences vary – some customers experience smooth deployments, while others describe a lengthy implementation due to the complexity of the software.

Paylocity: Support

(Image credit: Paylocity)

Paylocity offers live phone support from 6am to 7.30pm Central Time between Monday and Friday. While it’s not unusual for HR solution providers to restrict phone support to working days, not many offer the breadth of hours as Paylocity, so that’s a plus. It’s also possible to email Paylocity for live, responsive support during those hours, too.

The company assigns customers an account manager and support team to help with implementation and ongoing questions.

As with many HR solution providers, Paylocity offers an online knowledge base, an AI assistant to answer product questions, and a selection of live webinars and on-demand training sessions.

Paylocity: The Competition

Paylocity targets its solutions at businesses of all sizes, though it traditionally focuses on SMBs. While that’s a lucrative and popular part of the market, it brings it up against some strong competitors.

There aren’t many solutions that are as effective as Paylocity when it comes to payroll, but if you’d like to explore your options, then RUN Powered by ADP is a strong contender for smaller businesses, and ADP Workforce Now is the company’s offering for larger organizations.

If you’d like more automation in your HR workflows, then Rippling should be on your list of potential options, and BambooHR is an all-rounder that’s worth consideration, too. And if you need an enterprise-level option, add SAP SuccessFactors to your list of contenders.

Paylocity: Final verdict

Paylocity is one of the most feature-rich HR and payroll solutions you’ll find anywhere, and it’s particularly strong when it comes to financial features, automation, and employee engagement – its community tools are excellent, and the app does a good job of collating so much data and sentiment into useful, actionable information.

There are some trade-offs, though: the depth of functionality available here means Paylocity could seem overwhelming, especially for inexperienced users, and we’ve seen reports of lengthy implementation procedures. There’s no transparency on pricing, either.

That said, if you’re a mid-sized business looking for a powerhouse HR and payroll solution, Paylocity is a strong contender.

Six years since the last game (and after a brief trip over to Ancient China in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty), Team Ninja’s premier soulslike series returns with Nioh 3. And my word, was it worth the wait.

Review information

Platform reviewed: PC
Available on: PS5, PC
Release date: February 6, 2026

Nioh 3 will feel familiar to fans of the other two titles in, but it’s clearly taken inspiration from other Team Ninja games that were released in the interim. Here we have the addition of a semi-open-world akin to Rise of the Ronin, and even a new style shift mechanic that isn’t wholly unlike the moveset variety of Ninja Gaiden 4 or Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.

In short, Nioh 3 feels like a culmination of most things Team Ninja has put out over the past decade. It’s a brilliant evolution of what makes the series so special in the first place, maintaining that lightning-fast combat and dizzying build variety.

Meanwhile, the formula has evolved to bring something entirely fresh to the table. As much as I adore Nioh 2 and think it’s one of the best soulslike games out there, I don’t know if I can go back after the brilliance of Nioh 3.

Though as much as I’ve loved my time with Team Ninja’s latest outing, there are undoubtedly blemishes. Performance on PC is a bit all over the place; graphics options are plentiful, but the game does struggle in denser environments and has a habit of forcing DLSS, at least on my rig.

As for the game itself, Ninja Style - which I love, by the way - does feel a little over-tuned. Few enemies are able to keep up with your high evasion in this style, and the trade-off of not being able to replenish your stamina via a Ki Pulse (an ability that refills a portion of stamina with a carefully-timed R1 press) isn’t much of a downside.

Aspects of Nioh 3 like this, as well as the ability to fast-travel between shrines, freely respec at any time, and the sheer versatility offered by the style switching system, make for a game that feels overall a little easier than prior entries.

While not as much of a cakewalk as Wo Long felt at times (with its immensely generous parry system, especially), there’s a much more lenient difficulty curve in Nioh 3 that should feel more welcoming to newcomers, but could frustrate series diehards who may not feel reasonably challenged until much later sections of the game.

Shifting across time

(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)

In the original Nioh, players took on the role of a set character - Irish swordsman William. Nioh 2 gave us agency to create our own characters, albeit relegating us to an unnamed protagonist.

Nioh 3, meanwhile, feels like a combination of both. We play as a character known as Tokugawa Takechiyo, though we still have full control over their appearance and gender via the returning character creator.

Best bit

(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)

Nioh 3’s dual styles are a real breath of fresh air for the series, and a multi-faceted mechanic in its own right. The game rewards strategic use of both Samurai and Ninja styles, but if you prefer one or the other, it’s still perfectly playable from start to finish. You just might find that some areas and bosses give you a bit of a harder time if you stick to just one style.

After a brief tutorial section, Takechiyo is thrust back in time to the Warring States period of Japanese history when their brother, Kunimatsu, enacts a coup brought on by jealousy of Takechiyo being chosen to succeed the seat of the shogun. There, players will side with Tokugawa Ieyasu in an effort to prevent legendary warlord Takeda Shingen - in league with an army of yokai - from claiming the seat for himself.

It all starts off in typical Nioh fashion. You’ll pair up with (or face off against) known figures from the Warring States period, including Hattori Hanzo and Ii Naotora. And roving bandits will be the least of your worries, as once again, Japan has been overrun by yokai - demonic entities that take on several monstrous forms.

The Nioh games usually take place over a number of years, but Nioh 3 has expanded this concept and features events across multiple generations at various periods of time - each one offering a whole new map to explore. I was greatly surprised at the variety of locales on offer, and Team Ninja has done a wonderful job providing a broad range of settings, some of which very much came out of leftfield.

It takes two (styles)

(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)

So how’s combat, then? Well, Team Ninja has taken a boldly different approach this time around. The core gimmick of Nioh 3’s combat is its dual styles. Samurai Style is, broadly, Nioh as you know it.

You can switch between mid, high, and low stances for a variety of different moves depending on your weapon type of choice. New here, though, are Martial Arts, which you can activate upon filling a gauge by landing attacks or successfully guarding. The style feels a good bit stronger and weightier than what I was used to in Nioh 2.

That provides a noticeable divide between Samurai and Ninja styles. The latter, then, is a much more agile form. You move much quicker in combat, and your dodging ability and attack speed are greatly enhanced. As mentioned, Ninja’s trade-off is that you can’t recover Ki via Ki Pulses, as you can in Samurai Style. However, you recover Ki very quickly while in this form, thus offsetting the drawback a fair bit, at least in the first half of the game before the challenge level really ramps up.

Ninja Style was definitely my preferred way to play much of Nioh 3. And given that Samurai and Ninja have their own unique weapon types and armor sets - of which you can form loadouts for both - you certainly can pick one style and stick with it. But as I progressed through the game, I found plenty of scenarios that played to the strengths of both.

Ninja’s ability to use magic, for example, makes it great for crowd control and dispatching enemies with elemental weaknesses. Samurai is fantastic in one-on-one duels against tougher opponents, though, as proper use of Martial Arts can quickly drain an opponent’s Ki for a quick and easy critical hit.

Get out there

(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)

Nioh 3’s shift to open field level design brings many, many worthwhile changes with it. You’ll no longer pick missions from a simple map screen. Instead, more detailed levels are baked into a larger, explorable environment.

Each explorable area is divided into smaller parts, each with an exploration level. You’ll passively increase this as you explore, including finding new shrines, treasure chests, or clearing bases overrun by bandits or yokai. Increasing the exploration level of an area will gradually reveal things you can find within.

Getting as much exploration done as possible is certainly worth it, too. You’ll often find textbooks that allow you to learn new skills and Martial Arts, as well as no shortage of Samurai and Ninja’s Locks. These automatically grant you a skill point for their respective style and the weapon types therein. No longer do you have to grind out weapon usage in order to earn these skill points. If you find a new weapon type you’re desperate to try, you can load some points into it with little hassle.

That’s doubly true in Nioh 3, as you can freely reset and reallocate skill points at zero cost. I love this change, as it means you’re more actively encouraged to settle into a build that’s right for you.

Like in Code Vein 2, if you fancy a quick build change in Nioh 3, it’s blissfully easy to do. This also goes for your more general stats, which you level up at shrines. And handily, a diagram on this screen will let you know which stats work best for each weapon type. Super convenient, and means you’ll be spending less time stressing over builds, and more time trying them out.

Thorough exploration also ties into the revamped Titles system, which is now broken down into categories and offers various permanent buffs and stat increases, such as healing item drop rates, stealth effectiveness (yes, you’ll really be racking up the backstabs in Nioh 3), and general melee attack damage against certain foes. Basically, actions like taking over bases or simply dispatching enemies in either Style will earn you points in their respective categories, which you can periodically redeem in the Titles menu.

There’s just a lot of stuff that contributes to your overall power in Nioh 3. To the point where it can make the first couple of chapters a bit of a cakewalk. Bosses, by and large, still present a steep challenge, and you’ll still run into a fair few gatekeepers to your progress. But overall, I’d say Nioh 3 is a touch easier than its direct predecessor.

Feeling the heat

(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)

That is, of course, until you reach one of several Crucible areas. Crucibles are another addition I really love. Effectively acting as mid and end-of-chapter levels, a Crucible is an enormous yokai realm that comes with various gameplay modifiers - one of which is a reduction to your maximum health upon taking damage.

This makes Crucibles particularly dangerous. However, the rewards for exploring within are very much worth it, as it’s in these areas that you’ll typically find higher-end gear and earn more experience generally upon killing enemies. Crucibles are definitely a step-up in difficulty, and the demonic tone shift within them provides a suitably climactic bookend to each major area.

I didn’t think it was possible for Team Ninja to one-up Nioh 2 in as many ways as it has with Nioh 3, but I’m beyond pleased that it does. It’s a fresh-feeling take on the soulslike formula in general, combining Nioh’s satisfyingly quick action with a richer, more fleshed-out world to explore.

The game could definitely use some work on PC in the performance department, and there are certainly some enemy types I wish the developer had left in the past (the snake-like Nure-Onna is the bane of my existence). But crucially, it’s a game I’ve often been unable to put down, if only to see what kinds of wonderful locations and bosses await around each and every corner.

Should I play Nioh 3?Play it if...

You want an awesome open world to get stuck into
Nioh 3’s shift to an open-field format follows in the footsteps of Elden Ring and Code Vein 2, in providing a richly-detailed, explorable world that’s jam-packed with things to see and do. Exploration objectives aren’t overwhelming, either, with a reasonable amount to find in each designated area.

You like changing gameplay styles on the fly
Samurai and Ninja styles add yet another layer of depth to Nioh’s excellent combat. Shifting between the two depending on the situation is a wonderful little puzzle in and of itself, but the game doesn’t discourage sticking with one or the other if you’d prefer.

You were hoping for a smoother difficulty curve
Nioh 3 does an excellent job of easing new players into its brand of challenge. An easier early game compared to its predecessors is great for those who want to get to grips with exploration and testing out new builds. Still, it’s by no means an easy game, with later chapters and Crucible sections making damn sure of that.

Don't play it if...

You’re not keen on loot-heavy games
Unlike most of its peers, Nioh 3 (like the other games in the series) isn’t shy of showering you with loot on a near-constant basis. Enemies erupt into weapons, armor, and trinkets upon death, meaning inventory management can quickly become an issue.

You need to clear your backlog first
Nioh 3 is a massive game. Even after my 50 or so hours with it, I certainly hadn’t seen and done absolutely everything the game has to offer. If you’re the completionist type, I definitely still recommend Nioh 3, but be sure to make room for it before getting stuck in.

Accessibility

Nioh 3 has some basic accessibility options. Full controller assignment and keybinds are supported. Furthermore, subtitle options include size and the ability to display the speaker, and sound effect captions.

Colorblind settings are limited, but there does exist an option to alter the color perception settings of important text and loot rarity color patterns. There is also an option for the game to play a sound effect when you get near an object that you can interact with, such as doors, characters, and items.

How I reviewed Nioh 3

My playthrough of Nioh 3 lasted around 50 hours, including the main campaign and a huge chunk of exploration and side objectives.

I played the game on PC (via Steam) for this review, with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 GPU and primarily using the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 as my controller of choice. I also made use of the Nacon RIG 900 Max HS gaming headset to experience the game’s atmospheric audio design.

First reviewed February 2026

Constant Contact was founded in 1995 by Randy Parker, initially known as Roving Software before switching to its current name in 2004. It's one of the oldest email marketing software tools in existence. Since its inception, it has since expanded from a simple email marketing tool into a full-fledged online marketing platform for different types of campaigns, including social media, web, and SMS. 

Constant Contact has acquired a lot of other companies to expand, such as CardStar, a loyalty rewards app, and Bantam Live, a social CRM startup. In 2015, Constant Contact itself was sold to IT company Endurance International for $1.1 billion. In 2021, private equity firm Clearlake Capital acquired Endurance International and spun off Constant Contact as a standalone business.

(Image credit: Constant Contact)Constant Contact: Plans and pricing

Plan

Starting Rate (paid annually)

Renewal Rate (paid annually)

Lite

$10.20/month

$12/month

Standard

$29.75/month

$35/month

Premium

$68/month

$80/month

Lead Gen & CRM

Contact sales

$449/month

Note: Annual pricing reflects 15% discount for 12-month prepayment. Nonprofit organizations receive 30% discount. SMS add-on available for US customers starting at $10/month for up to 500 messages. Premium plan includes 500 SMS messages monthly.

Constant Contact restructured its pricing in 2025, moving away from Core and Plus plans to three main tiers: Lite, Standard, and Premium. The platform no longer offers a free plan, but provides a generous 60-day free trial that's 2x the industry standard.

The Lite plan starts at $12/month for 500 contacts and includes basic email marketing features, one welcome automation template, drag-and-drop email editor, social posting, AI writing assistance, and 300+ integrations. However, it's limited to one user and allows only 10x your contact count in monthly sends. This plan suits solopreneurs or small businesses with minimal automation needs.

The Standard plan begins at $35/month for 500 contacts and adds subject line A/B testing, three automation templates, email scheduling, resend to non-openers, advanced segmentation, social advertising capabilities, and allows up to three users. Monthly email sends increase to 12x your contact count, making this the most popular choice for growing businesses.

The Premium plan starts at $80/month for 500 contacts and includes everything in Standard plus unlimited automation templates, unlimited custom segments, unlimited users, 500 SMS messages monthly, advanced reporting with heatmaps, SEO recommendations, lookalike ad targeting for social media, and 24x your contact count in monthly sends.

For businesses requiring comprehensive CRM capabilities, Constant Contact offers a separate Lead Gen & CRM plan starting at $449/month, developed in partnership with SharpSpring. This includes advanced marketing automation, lead scoring, sales pipeline management, and centralized analytics.

Pricing scales with contact list size across all tiers. For example, at 2,500 contacts, Lite costs approximately $45/month, Standard costs $80/month, and Premium costs $130/month. Lists exceeding 50,000 contacts require custom pricing quotes. The platform offers a 15% discount for 12-month prepayment and 30% discount for nonprofit organizations. A 30-day money-back guarantee applies to all new subscriptions.

(Image credit: Constant Contact)How does Constant Contact use AI?

Constant Contact introduced its AI Content Generator in 2023 and has continued expanding AI capabilities across the platform. AI features are accessible on all paid plans with no additional credit-based pricing requirements, which is a big relief for budget conscious startups. According to Constant Contact, nearly half of surveyed small businesses now use the AI tools to write emails, subject lines, or social posts.

Their core AI offering is the AI Content Generator, which helps create email copy, subject lines, SMS messages, and social media posts directly within the interface. You simply provide a few keywords, select the desired tone (friendly, professional, informative, urgent, etc.), and the AI generates customized content.

Then, Campaign Builder uses AI to set up multi-channel marketing campaigns with just a few clicks. You select your campaign goals while AI handles the heavy lifting of campaign structure and coordinates messaging across email, social media, and SMS channels.

BrandKit represents another practical AI addition on their part. By simply entering your website URL, you can automatically extract your logo, brand colors, and imagery, creating a library of customizable branded assets that can be reused across emails, social posts, and other marketing materials.

While these AI features provide valuable time-saving benefits, Constant Contact emphasizes that AI-generated content still requires human review and editing. It highlights businesses like like Sky Candle Co. and the Spanish restaurant Lunya, which have successfully integrated these AI tools into their workflows.

Constant Contact: Features

For business owners that are novices at design, Constant Contact has over a hundred customizable templates- already optimized for mobile. Another neat feature will scan your website and auto-generate a template themed for your website’s colors and images.

Editing of these templates is a snap with drag-and-drop layouts or image and text boxes. Users with coding skills will appreciate the feature to create an email template based on a custom code.

To build your contact list, Constant Contact offers the option to enter your contacts one by one, import them from a spreadsheet or file, or import them from Gmail or Microsoft Outlook. 

With your contact list complete, you then create segments, which enables you to target, for example, customers who haven’t opened an email in a while via a special promo or update. 

Constant Contact also integrates with Shopify and WooCommerce, enabling you to create contact list segments based on what customers have purchased. With Constant Contact’s integration with ecommerce, customers can also shop your store directly from their inbox.

We also appreciate the email automation tools. Automation can reduce the workload, with such features as the ability to send an automatic resend of the email to a non-opener.

(Image credit: Constant Contact)Constant Contact: Interface and in use

An ease to set up and get started with, Constant Contact takes just a few minutes to register a new account. With your account created, you’ll be queried with a few questions about your business and any existing contact lists. 

Intuitively simple to set up, the web interface makes it pretty easy to find what you’re looking for, be it campaigns, contacts, or reports.

Constant Contact also has apps available for both iOS and Android. While the app is sleek and the ability to draft emails and organize contacts on the go has its appeal, the usefulness is extremely hindered by the inability to edit draft email campaigns created on desktop. By way of example, users that want to draft a campaign on their work computer, and then edit it from their iPad later will be disappointed.

Constant Contact: Support

Constant Contact offers direct support through email, live chat, and telephone. You can chat with a live support agent from Monday through Friday or contact them via phone from Monday to Saturday (hours and department phone numbers vary depending on your region). There's also an online community where you can interact with other users and exchange solutions to each other's problems. 

This platform also offers many other support resources for users. There's the Knowledge Base, which contains a lot of articles and user guides for all features concerning the platform. You can also find video tutorials to learn about the platform in an interactive way. Likewise, Constant Contact hosts regular webinars for users to interact with marketing experts and ask questions. If you're finding it difficult to run email campaigns, you can hire a marketing professional from Constant Contact's directory.

Constant Contact offers excellent customer support, which is one of its main selling points. 

Constant Contact: The competition

For the budget conscious, Mailchimp is a worthy competitor to Constant Contact. It offers most of the same email marketing basics, such as templates and list segmentation- at a lower price. Even further, Mailchimp offers a free plan if you have under 2,000 contacts, making it ideal for users who are just starting out.

For businesses that have webinars as a core component, it might be worth looking into GetResponse, to allow for easy integration of webinars with your email contact list.

Constant Contact: Final verdict

Constant Contact easily makes the shortlist of names people think of when it comes to email marketing, and there’s plenty of reasons why. Constant Contact is easy to set up and use, offering high levels of support and security.

However, the shortcoming is that there’s nothing really setting Constant Contact apart from its competitors among email marketing services. At least Constant Contact offers a 60-day free trial, so it’s worth checking out. However, temper your enthusiasm as you can’t expect game-changing innovation at these levels.

Constant Contact can stand out with the separately featured and more comprehensive CRM plan, but as with the Constant Contact Website Builder, we'll consider that in its own review.

We've listed the best landing page creators.

HP Laptop 14: Two-minute review

The HP Laptop 14 is a budget laptop that aims to combine a compact form factor with just enough performance for everyday use. Its appearance won’t exactly set the world alight, especially when it’s finished in the anodyne gray colorway. However, it looks smart enough, with the clean lines and unsullied contours lending a subtle elegance.

These aspects are complemented by a thin and light chassis, which makes the HP Laptop 14 easy to ferry around. However, the price paid for this lithesome build is the cheap-feeling construction, which falls short of the best laptop builds.

Having said that, I was pleased to find the lid hinge operated smoothly and provided plenty of stability. It also allows the display to recline quite far, but stops short of 180 degrees.

The HP Laptop 14 has a sparse selection of ports. The two USB-A ports are welcome, but there’s only one USB-C interface, and it doesn’t support power or display signals (there’s an HDMI port for the latter, at least).

(Image credit: Future)

My unit was equipped with an Intel Core i5, which provided adequate performance. It could handle light browsing and productivity, as well as high-quality video streaming — but not much more. With 8GB of RAM on board, the HP Laptop 14 struggled to cope with multiple tabs open, especially when the content involved media, as I experienced frequent stutters and momentary freezes in such instances.

Given the lack of a dedicated GPU, it’s also no surprise that the HP Laptop 14 doesn’t handle games well, either. Cyberpunk 2077 was virtually unplayable, even on the lowest preset. Fortunately, there isn’t much heat or noise when heavy workloads such as this are conducted.

The 1080p display is just about sharp enough for UI elements and the like to appear crisp, but in truth the resolution is starting to feel its age on laptops. Worse, however, is the tendency for shadows or reflections to obscure the visuals if the viewing angle isn’t perfect, which is frustrating.

I was much less frustrated with the keyboard in the HP Laptop 14. The comfortable spacing and light actuation of the keys makes them ideal for quick typing, and although there’s less dampening than I would’ve liked, the resultant harshness wasn’t too detrimental.

The touchpad is also effective, providing a smooth surface and precise inputs. It’s not particularly large, which might hamper navigation somewhat, but for basic use it suffices.

Less effective is the battery life of the HP Laptop 14. It managed just under eight hours in our movie playback test, which puts it on the lower end of the spectrum for laptops of this class. There are many mid-range offerings capable of enduring for a full day and beyond.

The starting price of the HP Laptop 14 might seem very reasonable, but the base spec would struggle with even rudimentary tasks by modern standards. And the more powerful models are still too weak to truly compete with others in the mid-range, which leaves the HP Laptop 14 lagging behind the times.

HP Laptop 14 review: Price & Availability

• Starts from $539.99 / £299 (about AU$585)
• Base spec is cheap
• Expensive higher-spec models

The HP Laptop 14 starts from $539.99 / £299 (about AU$585) and is available now. Interestingly, in the UK, it seems to be marketed under a different name — the HP Pavilion SE — and there doesn’t appear to be an equivalent model in Australia.

The base spec is undeniably cheap for a Windows laptop, especially in the UK, but the Intel Core i3 it’s equipped with is unlikely to offer smooth sailing for modern workloads. The spec I tested isn’t particularly cheap, either, dashing its hopes of being one of the best budget laptops around.

• Value: 3 / 5

HP Laptop 14 review: Specs

Base configuration

Review configuration

Price

$539.99 / £299 (about AU$585)

$629.99 / £599 (about AU$900)

CPU

US: Intel Core 3 100U (up to 4.7GHz, 6 cores) / UK: Intel Core i3-N305 (up to 3.8GHz, 8 cores)

US: Intel Core 5 120U (up to 5.0GHz, 10 cores) / UK: Intel Core i5-1334U (up to 4.6GHz, 10 cores)

GPU

Intel UHD Graphics (integrated)

Intel Iris Xe Graphics (integrated)

RAM

8GB DDR4

8GB DDR4

Storage

US: 256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD / UK: 128GB UFS

256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD

Display

US: 14-inch HD (1366 x 768), IPS, micro-edge, anti-glare / UK: 14-inch FHD (1920 x 1080), IPS, micro-edge, anti-glare

14-inch FHD (1920 x 1080), IPS, micro-edge, anti-glare

Ports and Connectivity

1x USB-C (5Gbps), 2x USB-A (5Gbps), 1x HDMI 1.4b, 1x combo audio; Wi-Fi 6, US: Bluetooth 5.3 / UK: Bluetooth 5.4

1x USB-C (5Gbps), 2x USB-A (5Gbps), 1x HDMI 1.4b, 1x combo audio; Wi-Fi 6, US: Bluetooth 5.3 / UK: Bluetooth 5.4

Battery

41Wh

41Wh

Dimensions

12.7 x 8.5 x 1.3 inches (323.7 x 215 x 32.5mm)

12.7 x 8.5 x 1.3 inches (323.7 x 215 x 32.5mm)

Weight

3.1lbs / 1.41kg

3.1lbs / 1.41kg

HP Laptop 14 review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Minimal looks and weight
• No keyboard backlighting
• Limited USB-C functionality

The HP Laptop 14 has a sensible yet sleek style. It doesn’t inspire much excitement, with the dull gray colorway of my unit hardly helping matters, but the subtle elegance of the body becomes apparent the deeper you look. The clean lines and angles, coupled with the absence of any unnecessary contours, all help to elevate it beyond the utilitarian fare often found in this sector.

In keeping with its minimal appearance is the compact form factor. The base and lid are pleasingly thin, and the overall unit is quite light. The materials don’t feel particularly premium though; the plastics are smooth enough, but they lack solidity. Despite trying to look like some of the best MacBooks, the HP Laptop 14 fails to match their formidable construction.

That said, the hinge for the lid offers reassuring stability, preventing the display from wobbling when hammering away on the keyboard and touchpad. The recline angle is quite generous as well, although unfortunately, it doesn’t extend all the way to 180 degrees.

(Image credit: Future)

The keycaps feature prominently embossed lettering, so you really feel them under your fingertips. I’m not sure whether this is an intended design choice or merely unrefined design; regardless, I like their tactility, even if they don’t feel particularly premium. However, I was decidedly less impressed with the lack of backlighting, which is an egregious omission for any laptop keyboard in my view.

Despite the truncated layout, you get navigation keys on the right, which helps with productivity tasks. But the lack of a number pad, coupled with the shortened up and down arrow keys, are a hindrance for such work.

There aren’t many ports on the HP Laptop 14, but the essential ones are present. There are two USB-A ports, one either side, which is something I welcome. However, there’s only type-C, and it can’t deliver enough power to charge the HP Laptop 14, or support external monitor connections. At least you get an HDMI port for the latter purpose; it’s an interface that’s an increasingly rare sight on modern laptops.

• Design: 3.5 / 5

HP Laptop 14 review: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Shoddy multitasking abilities
• Non-existent gaming capability
• Poor display viewing angles

HP Laptop 14 benchmarks

3DMark: Night Raid: 8,971; Fire Strike: 2,132
Geekbench 6.5 (Single Core): 2,230; (Multi Core): 5,468; GPU (Vulkan): 11,161; GPU (OpenCL): 9,169
Geekbench AI (Single Precision): 1,741; (Half Precision): 761; (Quantized): 3,583
Cinebench R23 (Multi Core): 5,580
Cinebench R24 (Single Core): 98; (Multi Core): 358
Crossmark: Overall: 1,295; Productivity: 1,373; Responsiveness: 1,132; Creativity: 1,279
Passmark: Overall: 2,904; CPU: 12,395; 2D Graphics: 509; 3D Graphics: 1,985; Memory: 2,217; Disk: 13,797
BlackMagicDisk: Read: 348MB/s; Write: 2,493MB/s
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 7 hours and 46 minutes

The HP Laptop 14 was a mediocre performer during much of my testing. It can handle light workloads, such as word processing and streaming video. However, it’s prone to slowdowns and momentary freezes when multiple browser tabs are open, so this isn’t the best machine for those seeking multitasking capabilities.

As expected given the modest spec of my unit, high-end gaming is out of the question for the HP Laptop 14. Even with the lowest graphical preset selected, it failed to run Cyberpunk 2077 in any sort of playable state, blighted by copious amounts of stutter and horrendous frame rates as it was. Suffice to say, it’s not going to trouble the best gaming laptop models, but at least there’s little heat or noise generated in the process.

What’s more, the 1080p resolution feels a little outdated on a laptop display this size. The UI elements are crisp enough, and I certainly wouldn’t say it was unpleasant to look at, but when you consider many mid-range laptops now have 2K resolutions and above, the HP Laptop 14 falls behind the competition. The worst aspect of the display, though, is its very limited viewing angles. If it’s not set perfectly, on-screen content will darken to the point of obscurity, or reveal prominent reflections.

(Image credit: Future)

On a more positive note, the keyboard of the HP Laptop 14 is largely pleasant to use. The keys have a very light actuation and react quickly, while at the same time having a generous amount of travel. Altogether, these aspects make for easy and snappy typing. The spacing of the keys is comfortable, too. There’s just about enough dampening to reduce harsh feedback, although I did feel the keyboard enclosure compressing inwards as I typed away – a constant reminder of the HP Laptop 14’s subpar construction. Fortunately, this didn’t negatively affect the typing experience.

The touchpad is sufficient, offering smooth and precise inputs for the most part. There were, however, occasions where stuttering seemed to occur, as the inputs of my swipes failed to register properly, which was mildly frustrating. It’s also a little on the small side, but I didn’t find this compromised basic navigation. And while my right thumb palm frequently made contact with the touchpad while typing, such instances didn’t result in any misplaced taps or cursor swipes.

• Performance: 3 / 5

HP Laptop 14 review: Battery Life

(Image credit: Future)

• Middling battery life
• Not very quick to charge

The battery life of the HP Laptop 14 is mediocre for this class of laptop. It lasted just under eight hours in our movie playback test – a score many of its rivals can beat. This includes other HP models, such as the OmniBook 7 14-inch, which achieved an astonishing 26 hours in the same test, showing just how high the bar is for modern laptop longevity – though, of course, that's a much more expensive laptop.

Charging isn’t as fast as other laptops, either. It took over three hours to fully recharge from empty; many of its rivals can achieve the same at least an hour quicker.

• Battery Life: 3 / 5

Should I buy the HP Laptop 14?HP Laptop 14 Scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

The base model is cheap, but I wouldn't recommend it. Higher spec models are too expensive.

3.5 / 5

Design

The compact form and tidy looks are commendable, but the cheap-feeling materials and limited connectivity options are drawbacks.

3.5 / 5

Performance

Disappointing for the price. The display is also poor at keeping reflections and shadows at bay.

3 / 5

Battery life

Not great; many rivals can outlast it by a long way.

3 / 5

Total Score

The small footprint and minimalist design of the HP Laptop 14 are strengths, but it's too expensive given the mediocre performance. Many rivals offer better value for money.

3 / 5

Buy it if...

You’ll be doing a lot of typing
The generous spacing, light actuation, and relatively deep travel of the keys make for an easy-going typing experience.

You want a sleek design
It won’t melt your heart, but the subtle elegance and compact form factor are sufficiently appealing.

Don't buy it if...

You want the best performance
Even light multitasking can cause the HP Laptop 14 to come unstuck, and any form of gaming is pretty much out of the question.

You want the best display
Many other laptop displays in this class have higher resolutions and don’t suffer from the same viewing angle problems.

HP Laptop 14 review: Also consider

HP OmniBook 7 14-inch (2025)
It might have a higher starting price than the HP Laptop 14, but we’ve seen some serious discounts on this excellent laptop. It beats the HP Laptop 14 hands down in just about every category, making it one of the best mid-range laptops you can buy right now.

HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch
If you’re looking for high-performance but don’t mind forgoing the Windows environment, then a Chromebook Plus model, such as this HP Chromebook Plus, might be ideal for you. It’s a great performer across many areas and has a decent display offering much better viewing angles than the HP Laptop 14. All these attributes make it not just one of the best Chromebooks, but also one of the best student laptop picks. Read our full HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch review.

How I tested the HP Laptop 14

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested for several days
• Used for a variety of tasks
• Ran numerous benchmarks

I tested the HP Laptop 14 for several days, during which time I used it for general browsing, light productivity, and streaming videos.

I also put it through TechRadar’s series of benchmark tests, designed to assess every aspect of a laptop’s performance. I tested the battery life by running a movie on a continuous loop until it shut down.

I have reviewed a large number of laptops across a wide range, from small budget-friendly models to large gaming-oriented behemoths. I’ve also reviewed other computing devices, including tablets, Chromebooks, and desktop PCs.

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

To many, Highguard promised to be the anticipated spiritual successor to hit battle royale Apex Legends. After all the developer, Wildcard Entertainment, is made up of Respawn Entertainment veterans, and links to Apex and Titanfall were mentioned in the new title's marketing.

Platform reviewed: PC
Available on: PS5, PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Release date: January 26, 2026

At first glance, the comparison holds: it’s a squad-based 3v3 shooter with fantastic-feeling gunplay, a similar weapon progression system, a comparable art style, and, perhaps most importantly, the same shadow-drop release strategy (well – until an early The Game Awards reveal gave away the secret). But I’ve spent 15 hours in Highguard in its first week, and I’m not convinced that it can hold people’s attention as long as Apex has. It still feels a few major and minor tweaks away from being a Legendary hit – but a few months’ wait could see it transform into a gem.

Highguard is set in a fantasy-meets-guns world, and sees you loot and shoot in matches lasting between six and 30 minutes. Rounds take place in medium-sized maps, and they see each squad scavenging for supplies and gear, before trying to carry a spawning Shieldbreaker artifact to the opponents’ base and, if successful, embark on a raid wherein they must plant and defend explosives to lower a base’s health.

That’s a thoroughly truncated version of how the rounds work. Highguard can be a little complicated at times, and the game does little to clear up what various limited-respawn rounds or overtime timers actually mean. I’d played at least 10 matches before it all became clear: this is just Capture the Flag and Search and Destroy, with extra frills.

(Image credit: Wildcard Entertainment)

As of launch, these Raid battles are all that's available: no single-player, no other round styles.

The heart of the action

At its core, Highguard is a fantastic shooter. It feels crisp, frenetic, responsive; firing guns, traversing the environment and juggling hero powers all feels amazing. The tense and tactical squad combat ported over from Apex feels even more heart-pounding when you’ve got an objective to destroy or enemy carrying a Shieldbearer to fell. But that nourishing main course is surrounded by a few lukewarm entrees.

Take Wardens: the game launched with eight, but they’re not all equal. You’ll scarcely play a match without someone picking Kai, whose instant ice walls dictate the movement of battles, or Una and their summonable grenade-lobbing wisps. But other heroes barely get used, with powers that are too situational to be worth picking.

(Image credit: Wildcard Entertainment)

Similarly, the guns aren’t balanced at launch. Assault rifles, the revolver, and sniper rifles are all solid, but close-quarters guns like shotguns and SMGs don't justify inventory space, either for their slow time-to-kill, lack of function over distance, or simply being outclassed by a similar weapon. You can only carry two guns, after all (plus a raid weapon, like a sledgehammer or rocket launcher), so it pays to choose wisely.

Possibly the most damning part of the game, and the thing that stops it from matching Apex, is that it can grow repetitive. Matches feel similar: you’re always spawning in the same spots, picking the same wardens, using the same guns, playing on the same small maps, and opening chests to find the same restricted pool of loot.

This latter is the problem that needs fixing the most. There are no health pick-ups, since it refills on its own. There are no ammo pick-ups, since you spawn with all you’ll need. Attachments don’t exist. There's little need to hunt for the perfect weapon, since you spawn with whichever guns you'd like. And since gear rarity is tied to progression, with better weapons and shields spawning in each subsequent round, there’s no need to keep opening chests in the hopes of a rare game-changer until you're on the last round, when every chest has them.

(Image credit: Wildcard Entertainment)

I found myself longing for the battle royale title, where the rhythm of the match would be dictated by randomness: where the drop ship began, and what gear and power-ups I found.

Repetitive gameplay can suit some shooters like Call of Duty, where you’re always seconds from a gunfight. But in Highguard, you’ve got minutes of downtime spent mining for resources or waiting for the Shieldbreaker to spawn, in which to ponder “could I be doing something better with my time?”.

At launch, there are five maps, chosen at random. They all consist of some main areas: your enemy’s base and your team’s base, which you choose from a limited pool before the match begins. The number of loot chests feels inconsistent between them, but generally predictable in each: the red gun chests and blue support chests are largely in those three central points.

(Image credit: Wildcard Entertainment)

Despite what some online commenters say, I never found the maps were too big; you’re always told where the Shieldbreaker will spawn next, and where air support crates will drop, so it’s easy to make an informed decision as to where the enemy will be – and they're quick to traverse, with ziplines and a mount-summoning system that feels ripped straight out of Elden Ring.

Taking the High(guard) road

It’s a little hard to review Highguard, given that the game will change in the short and long term. Wildcard has promised at least a year of season - sorry, Episodes, coming every other month.

These promise new wardens, weapons, matches, bases, and cosmetics, and I see the game only getting better as the year goes on. They come alongside numerous patches and tweaks, with two coming in the first week of release.

A 5v5 mode was released due to negative first-impression response from gamers, but it plays far worse than 3v3, given how the game is clearly optimized for six players. And a few changes to raid rounds, including reduced attacker lives and a longer respawn timer, mean you spend more time twiddling your thumbs and less time fighting.

(Image credit: Wildcard Entertainment)

Both, in my eyes, make the game worse, but they show the developers’ eagerness to experiment and make changes. I’m hopeful that many of the issues other players and I have had with Highguard can be fixed in the near future.

The in-game store updates every few days, with daily and weekly challenges too, so there are still reasons to come back in the short term. And, thankfully, there are plenty of cosmetics to buy via earned-in-game currencies (though you can spend money on premium ones, if you like).

One other thing I hope to see more of in the future? Some story, other than a few brief lines heroes exchange at the beginning of matches, and what can be inferred from the maps, the fantasy-meets-guns world is a total mystery. Something about a new continent? About some kind of academy? Factories? Your guess is as good as mine, but I'm eager to learn more. Apex basically told its entire story through character introduction trailers, and I suppose Highguard will be the same.

Should you play Highguard?Play it if...

You love tense, tactical, crisp gunplay
Apex's tight and crisp gunplay is back here in force, and it'll particularly appeal to gamers who love objective-based styles of online shooter.

You're playing long after release
Wildcard’s long road map for Highguard ensures it’s only going to get better, so the older the publish date of this review is, the more it’s worth recommending… hopefully.

You're curious
Highguard is free to play, and even its microtransactions feel unobtrusive. If you're even the least bit curious, there's no harm in trying it out.

Don't play it if...

You want long-range or close-quarters firefights
The long-distance Battlefield-style large-map play, and close-quarters Call of Duty-style firefights, exist together in Highguard. Don't play if you only like one or the other.

You're expecting a battle royale
Due to the Apex link, many people were likely hoping Highguard would be more of the same. It plays similarly, but scratches a very different kind of itch.

Accessibility

Highguard has a small handful of accessibility features: subtitles and support for ten languages (including English, Spanish, and French).

That's not the biggest list I've ever seen, but just like the in-game content, it's possible that Wildcard will improve this over time.

Visually, many of its features can be turned off to improve performance or cater to visual accessibility. You can remove chromatic aberration and motion blur, toggle the FOV slider, and tweak the quality of effects, shading, foliage, and more.

How I reviewed Highguard

At the time of writing this review, my play time for Highguard on Steam stands at 15 hours. A small handful of those will be from opening day issues: failing to get into the tutorial, games crashing, and loading issues. But I’d estimate at least 12 of those are playing various raid matches. I made sure to play multiple rounds with each character, although there are some I found myself favoring more.

I also briefly tested 5v5 mode when it came out, and checked back in for each patch during the first week.

I played on my custom-built PC, which uses an RTX 3060 Ti, Asrock Z590 Phantom Gaming, and 16GB RAM. I played both on Wi-Fi (22Mbps average speed) and Ethernet (70Mbps average speed). My monitor is the Eve Spectrum 4K 144Hz, and I alternated audio between the Creative Pebble Nova speakers and AKG N9 headphones. For controls, I used the Clutch GM41 Lightweight mouse and the Logitech G213 Prodigy keyboard.

First reviewed February 2026

JBL Boombox 4: two-minute review

The JBL Boombox 4 is the latest high-end option in JBL’s popular consumer Bluetooth speaker lineup, and so has some pretty big shoes to fill. Its predecessor, the JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi has become a mainstay recommendation for anyone searching for one of the best Bluetooth speakers on audio forums or social media thanks to its durable design, impressive sound, and decent level of portability.

All of these qualities remain true in this slightly more expensive follow-up, so the biggest question is whether the JBL Boombox 4 is actually an upgrade. For my money, the answer is yes.

Where the Boombox 3 offered a three-way system with a dedicated subwoofer, the Boombox 4 relies on a two-way system that replaces the subwoofer with a passive radiator. On paper this might seem like a bit of a downgrade, but in the real world the Boombox 4 sounds just as clear as the 3 Wi-Fi, though actually enhanced by noticeably richer bass.

It’s also significantly louder, capable of reaching up to an eardrum decimating 105dB – that’s about as loud as your average car horn and more than enough to ensure it can be heard across even large outdoor venues. Just be warned that the sound starts to hollow out the closer you get to these absurd volumes, though that’s to be expected in a speaker of this relatively modest 20 x 10 x 8inch / 51 x 26 x 21cm size.

(Image credit: Future)

I’m sure some audiophiles will argue the Boombox 4 reproduces sound less faithfully than the Boombox 3 Wi-Fi overall and that some of the mid-range is sacrificed for this loud and booming tuning. To that I would say go buy a Bose Soundlink Max, and steer clear of a product line that’s explicitly designed for party settings where loudness and bass are king.

Unlike the Boombox 3 Wi-Fi, there’s also no audible difference in performance when the Boombox 4 is unplugged (on paper you do lose about 5W of power in each of the two woofers, though I would challenge anyone to notice without a spectrogram) which makes it a more practical pick for events.

Adding to that practically is the fact that the JBL Boombox 4 is also more futureproof than any older model to date. It features a user replaceable battery (make sure you buy the JBL Battery 600, as there are a few similar looking models on the official website) so you don’t need to worry about your expensive speaker becoming e-waste after a few years thanks to battery degradation.

JBL even now sells battery charging cradles that allow you to keep a topped up cell on hand as a useful spare. You’re also getting Auracast support, letting you pair it up easily with any compatible models, such as the recently released JBL Grip or JBL Flip 7.

Are all these changes enough for existing Boombox 3 Wi-Fi owners to justify running out to drop $549.95 / £449.99 /AU$699.95 on a new speaker? I don’t think so given the lofty price tag, but if you’re buying for the first time, then this new version is a clear, and forward-thinking, choice.

JBL Boombox 4 review: price and release date

• Costs $549.95 / £449.99 /AU$699.95
• Launched in September 2025
• Has already dropped by almost $100 / £100

The JBL Boombox 4 launched in September 2025 and retails for $549.95 / £449.99 /AU$699.95 officially. That’s about $100 / £100 more than you can find the older JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi right now, though you should note that the Boombox 4 has already received some significant discounts at times.

Indeed, at the time of writing it can be yours for $449.95 / £355.99 via the official JBL website, with the potential for even better deals at retailers like Amazon – this goes great way towards close the gap between the two models.

At similar prices, the JBL Boombox 4 is the best bet as it boasts newer features like the Auracast support, plus louder sound, richer bass, and that user replaceable battery for longevity.

The JBL Boombox 4 is available in three colorways: the green camo inspired Squad, a cheerful Blue, and rather basic Black

JBL Boombox 4 review: specs

Weight

13lbs / 5.89kg

Dimensions

20 x 10 x 8inch / 51 x 26 x 21cm

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4, USB-C (lossless)

Battery life

Up to 28 hours

Speaker drivers

2 x 65W RMS Woofer, 2 x 40W RMS Tweeter (on battery power) / 2 x 60W RMS Woofer, 2 x 40W RMS Tweeter (on AC power)

Waterproofing

IP68

(Image credit: Future)JBL Boombox 4 review: features

• Two bass boost modes with basic lighting
• Playtime boost for extended battery life
• Auracast support and robust companion app

The JBL Boombox 4 is loaded with all the bells and whistles that you would expect from a modern JBL speaker. There’s Bluetooth 5.4 support, plus the option to use a USB-C cable for lossless audio playback (or even charge your phone in a pinch).

It’s got Auracast with a pairing button to activate the feature, which allows you to easily pair (nearly) countless compatible speakers together. There are also two optional bass boost modes, Deep and Punch, toggled via a dedicated button or in the JBL Portable app.

Although Punchy is definitely my preference of the two, I tended to stay away from either, because while they do increase bass noticeably, they tend to overpower the sound leading to a much less pleasant listening experience.

With Deep bass activated, the JBL logos on the two massive passive radiators on each end of the speaker illuminate in a bright pulsing orange which then turns white when Deep is enabled. It’s a lovely effect, but I do wish there was a way to turn it on independently of these bass modes, or even just the option to customize the colors of either. You can at least disable it entirely if you wish.

Aside from your usual power, Bluetooth pairing, play, pause, and volume controls, the rest of the major features are accessible via the excellent JBL Portable app. This includes a range of equalizer settings plus a screen to create your own using a seven-band EQ.

If battery life is a concern, you can turn on Playtime Boost – a feature also found in other JBL speakers, and that my colleague Harry Padoan strongly recommends in other models. It enables you to squeeze out an extra few hours of playtime, but in this case it leaves the Boombox 4 sounding incredibly hollow, with little bass and a totally obliterated mid and high range. It's good to have just in case, but you’re probably not going to want to use this unless you’re really desperate.

This is especially true given the already superb battery performance of the speaker. JBL quotes a battery life of up to 28 hours, though I was able to push it above the 35 hour mark on lower (but still very listenable) volume,s which is impressive.

If you slap the volume up on max and enable a bass boost mode, you can expect a figure around the five to 10-hour range depending on your choice of music – enough to last for the bulk of a party and trigger a few noise complaints.

• Features score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future)JBL Boombox 4 review: sound quality

• Clear sound with booming bass
• Sweet spot below 70% volume
• Prone to distortion in certain instances

For the most part, the JBL Boombox 4 delivers sublime sound – especially if you keep it below around 70% volume (that’s still plenty loud enough for a party unless you particularly loathe your neighbors, mind you).

The energetic percussion of Readymade by Ado packs a serious punch without diminishing the quality of the dramatic vocals, which come clearly with an impressive amount of detail, or the treble. The hectic Mirror Tune by Zutomayo demonstrates strong instrument separation in spite of the bold bass, with a rich and full sound that is a delight to listen to on repeat. Japanese hip-hop anthem Harenchi by Chanmina produced a delightfully rich sub-bass while simultaneously maintaining plenty of low-end detail.

I initially feared that more gentle tracks like Cö Shu Nie’s undress me and Artificial Vampire would be spoiled by overemphasized bass, but thankfully found them to be delightfully bouncy and detailed throughout.

As you start taking it louder, the sound does begin to strain, as the drivers reach their limits. It’s most noticeable above the 70% mark, where the mid-range becomes thin in the mix, and the treble relatively tinny, but this is a reasonable compromise when you’re pushing a speaker of this size this loud.

Importantly, the bass remains strong regardless of your chosen volume level, meaning that this is going to be a crowd-pleaser if you need to crank it up to fill a large space.

Unfortunately, the experience is not completely perfect. One track I tested, the recently released Butterfly by Wednesday Campanella, was noticeably distorted in the lower treble, leading to an unpleasant sibilant sound that grated on the ears.

There is some sibilance present in the original track, but the JBL Boombox 4 definitely brings it to the fore more than any other audio device that I’ve tested – even other Bluetooth speaker models by JBL.

The cause of this is unclear and, hopping online, I soon was able to find a few users complaining of a similar effect in a handful of other songs by a range of artists. To be clear, this is not a widespread issue across my music, and I only noticed it occurring in one song out of the hundreds that I tested, so I’m not docking too many points for it, but it is unfortunate that the listening experience falls just short of flawless across the board.

Hopefully it’s the result of some kind of software issue, and will be remedied in a future update.

• Sound quality score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future)JBL Boombox 4 review: design

• Hefty look and feel
• Classic rugged JBL design
• Easy to use controls

It’s impossible to fault the JBL Boombox 4 on an aesthetic front if, like me, you’re already a big fan of the brand’s now iconic rugged designs.

This speaker is a behemoth, with an overall shape reminiscent of a handheld battering ram. It’s clad in a thick fabric that’s remarkably resistant to cuts and grazes, with a massive handle on top. Despite being constructed primarily from plastic, with just a small strip of metal on top, the handle feels very solid with some pleasant textures that make the speaker a little easier to haul around.

Although lighter than the Boombox 3 Wi-Fi, which weighed a hefty 14.7lbs / 6.7kg, the Boombox 4 is still quite heavy at 13lbs / 5.89kg, so it’s not one that you’re going to want to carry around too frequently even resting on your shoulder in classic boombox fashion. Still, it’s portable enough to bring to a party or out to the park.

Each end of the Boombox 4 features a massive passive radiator surrounded by inches of thick rubber. I haven’t consciously dropped my review model from a great height, but this seems like it would be enough to provide some decent protection if the worst was to happen. Each radiator features a JBL exclamation mark logo, which illuminates with LED lighting when the speaker’s bass boost modes are enabled.

On the bottom there’s a flat rubber base flanked by two grippy strips. Look closely and you’ll see the screws necessary for removing the battery – a slightly fiddly affair, though this shouldn’t be too surprising given the speaker’s IP68 waterproof and dustproof rating, meaning it can take a full dunking in a pool.

On the rear of the speaker is a small rubber flap that hides the charging port to use with the included power adapter and a USB-C port for lossless audio. You can’t charge the speaker via USB-C, though you can use it as a power bank for your other devices if you need to.

In terms of controls, you get the usual JBL affair of play/pause, volume up and down, plus power, Bluetooth pairing, and Auracast. This is in addition to a button with a ‘B’ icon that toggles the bass boost modes. It’s all very intuitive and easy to use, and the most important buttons are illuminated to help you see them at night.

• Design score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future)JBL Boombox 4 review: value

• A high-end party speaker
• You’re paying for the design
• Still, good value if you have the budget

There’s no getting around the fact that the JBL Boombox 4 is expensive. At $549.95 / £449.99 / AU$699.95, it’s significantly pricier than more budget-oriented competitors such as the Tribit Stormbox Blast 2 and even JBL’s own previous generation model, the JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi.

Of course, you are paying a premium for the quality of the design and construction, not to mention the excellent software, so those on a strict budget are better saving their cash and settling for something else.

If you are willing to splash out that much, or manage to find the speaker at one of its many attractive discounts, you’re going to be very happy with what you’re getting for your cash.

• Value score: 4/5

Should you buy the JBL Boombox 4?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Everything you could want in a modern party speaker, with smart additions like a removable battery and Auracast.

5/5

Sound quality

Almost perfect party sound with booming bass and excellent clarity. It’s a shame a small number of songs suffer from distortion, though.

4.5/5

Design

Rugged, durable, and good looking. It’s impossible to fault the JBL Boombox 4 here.

5/5

Value

This is a premium speaker for those with a big budget. There are cheaper alternatives out there, but the build quality is worth it.

4/5

Buy it if...

You crave a high-end party speaker
The JBL Boombox 4 is a brilliant party speaker, with booming bass and loud sound that’s going to be more than enough to fill even large outdoor venues.

You want a future proof buy
While the JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi is often cheaper, the Boombox 4 benefits from forward thinking features like the addition of Auracast and a user replaceable battery.

Don't buy it if...

You’re on a tight budget
This is a premium product aimed at those with a hefty budget. You can still find great sounding party speakers for much less, so if you want to save some cash you could be better served with alternatives like those below.

JBL Boombox 4 review: also consider

JBL Boombox 4

Tribit Stormbox Blast

JBL Xtreme 4

Price

$549.95 / £449.99 / AU$699.95

$199.99 / £162 (about AU$300)

$379.95 / £329.99 / AU$499.95

Weight

13lbs / 5.89kg

11.6lbs / 5.3kg

4.63 lbs / 2.1kg

Dimensions

20 x 10 x 8inch / 51 x 26 x 21cm

14.4 x 4.1 x 3.1 inches (366 x 104 x 79 mm)

11.69 x 5.87 x 5.55 inches / 297 x 149 x 141mm

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4, USB-C (lossless)

Bluetooth 5.3

Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C

Battery life

Up to 28 hours

30 hours

24 hours

Speaker drivers

2 x 65W RMS Woofer, 2 x 40W RMS Tweeter (on battery power) / 2 x 60W RMS Woofer, 2 x 40W RMS Tweeter (on AC power)

2x 30W woofer, 2 x 15W tweeters

2 x 30W woofers, 2 x 20W tweeters

Waterproofing

IP68

IPX7

IP67

Tribit Stormbox Blast
The Tribit Stormbox Blast doesn’t look anywhere near as nice as the Boombox 4, but it still delivers meaty, room-filling sound at a fraction of the price. It’s the party speaker to go for if you want the most possible bang for your buck.

Read our full Tribit Stormbox Blast review

JBL Xtreme 4
The Boombox 4’s little sibling could also be a good pick if you want something a bit more portable. It offers talented sound, strong battery life, and a useful shoulder strap for hauling it around.

Read our full JBL Xtreme 4 review

JBL Boombox 4 review: how I tested

• Tested for over three months
• Used at home and outside
• Tried in group settings

I spent more than three months with the JBL Boombox 4, much to my neighbors' chagrin. During that time I endeavoured to put it through its paces by testing its audio capabilities with a wide range of music. I mostly relied on my personal Apple Music library, but also tried tracks from YouTube Music and Tidal.

I used the speaker at home, outside, and brought it with me to a variety of social events over the Christmas period. I tested its battery life by setting the volume level to roughly a fifth and playing a looping playlist over multiple days, recording the hours taken for it to gradually trickle down to zero.

I compared it against my hands-on use of not only the Boombox 3 Wi-Fi, but also other JBL speakers that I own including the JBL Flip 7, JBL Grip, JBL Go 4, and more.

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

Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A: two-minute review

Several camera brands are riding the wave of sudden popularity in compact digital models that we’ve seen over the past couple of years. I suppose we should have seen an uptick in interest coming, once photographers started using smartphone cameras for ‘serious’ work, and while the format has never truly vanished completely, the humble compact seems to be returning to the mainstream.

The Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A (known as the Ixus 285 HS A outside the US) is indistinguishable from its predecessor, the ‘A’ in the name being the only external feature that can be used to tell them apart. The biggest internal differences are the replacement of a full SD card slot with a microSD type, which is either an advantage or a nuisance, depending on how you look at it. Apart from some minor changes to Wifi security, that’s about it when looking for ‘new’ features. So, in short, if you didn’t like the 2016 version, which went viral because of TikTok and that fact Kendall Jenner has one, the 2025 edition is unlikely to be for you.

Image quality is perfectly acceptable for point-and-shoot uses which, let’s face it, is the main reason you’d buy a compact camera in the first place. It isn’t going to win awards for critical sharpness or low light performance like it’s big brother the Canon EOS R6 Mark III, nor is it going to become a Netflix filmmakers tool, like the Nikon ZR, but it provides maximum portability and a practical solution for casual travel photography.

The Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A/ Ixus 285 HS A compact camera is incredibly small and fits into a pocket (Image credit: Peter Fenech)

Its 20.2MP 1/2.3-inch sensor is back-illuminated, which goes some way to improving signal-noise ratio in reasonable lighting, but it falls short once the ambient lighting levels drop. Images are fairly mushy under interior lights, where the ISO must be raised above 400.

I’m glad Canon didn’t feel tempted to squeeze on more pixels, which is something many smartphone manufacturers do to grab the headlines, as any more would have been a step too far in my opinion. The flash doesn’t help much as it’s small and not very powerful, plus it tends to bleach detail, creating an ugly exposure fall-off inherent to direct flash photography in darker environments.

However, you’ll probably find this flash effect is one of the reasons for people to buy the camera. It’s an incomprehensible reversal of consumer aspirations for image quality, but the ‘disposable camera look’ of the 80s, 90s and 2000s is to Gen-Z what honey is to ants. Images from cameras such as this are edgy and original to this age group, while to mine (millennials and others with more grey hairs than they’d like generally known) they bring a wash of nostalgia.

The zoom is very handy, supported by a surprisingly effective image stabilization (IS) system that keeps shots steady as low as 1/25sec at the long end of the focal range in my tests. The screen, meanwhile, isn’t super-detailed but matches the baseline quality of the files the sensor is capable of turning out.

All-in-all, the Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A / Ixus 285 HS A is a fun, trendy, and highly usable compact camera that, as long as you buy it with realistic expectations, is sure to bring you joy and great memories.

Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A specsCanon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A specs:

Type:

Digital compact

Sensor:

1/2.3 type back-illuminated CMOS

Sensitivity:

ISO 80-3200

Shutter speeds:

5 – 1/2000sec

LCD:

7.5 cm (3.0”) LCD (TFT), Approx. 461,000 dots

Memory:

MicroSD

Lens:

4.5 – 54.0 mm (25 – 300 mm Efl) f/3.6 – f/7.0

Video:

Full HD (1080p)

Photo:

20.2MP

Burst rate

2.5fps / 7.2fps (5MP)

Dimensions:

99.6 x 58.0 x 22.8 mm

Weight:

5.15oz / 146g

(Image credit: Peter Fenech)Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A: Price and availability

• Released September 9 2025
• Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A costs $379.99 / £369.99 / AU$549
• The camera is currently sold out in most markets due to high demand

The Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A is available for $379.99 in the USA. The camera is sold as the Canon Ixus 285 HS A in the UK and Australian markets and can be found for £369.99 / AU$549 depending on the retailer.

Due to the incredible demand for the camera, many resellers are currently out of stock in most markets, with back-ordering often available.

• Price score: 4/5

Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A: Design

• Small and compact body which is easy to carry in a coat pocket
• There is no touchscreen LCD, which seems and odd omission
• Telescopic 12x zoom lens closes to a flat profile when the camera is off

On picking up the Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A you realise you’d forgotten how impressively small compact cameras could be, despite their sometimes exceptional zoom ranges. Compared to an interchangeable lens camera, or even the average smartphone, this Powershot camera is positively tiny. It comfortably fits in a coat or trouser pocket and, unlike a smartphone, the lens is conveniently folded away behind a protective shutter, reducing the possibility of scratches.

Despite its diminutive proportions, the camera is easy to handle. All of the buttons are within easy reach of the thumb and can be pressed comfortably. Most of these are recessed into the camera body, making it less likely to press them by accident - always a potential issue on a device that lives in your pocket, but without the protection of a locked touchscreen.

For someone with larger hands such as myself, it can be a challenge to hit the right button on the first attempt without knocking its neighbours, since they are all so close together. I didn’t encounter too many occasions where I was required to work quickly with the PowerShot though, so it didn’t prove too inconvenient.

(Image credit: Peter Fenech)

The mode switch on the top right of the body, next to the shutter button, makes it simple to flick between Automatic and custom shooting modes, although there aren’t too many of those. The Auto mode is the basic point-and-shoot mode for stills and video, but by navigating through the menu system, it’s possible to switch the camera into Program mode for more manual control.

Just as on higher-end cameras, Program mode looks after the shutter speed and f-stop, but enables the user to select the ISO along with color profiles and other more custom settings. There is no Tv or Av modes like you might find on the main dial of a Canon EOS R8, or even the entry level mirrorless Canon EOS R100, however, so you are reliant on the internal light meter to do its job well.

The middle position is the Creative Shot mode, which curiously shoots five additional frames each time you fire the shutter, each one having a different effect applied. I guess this is a quick way to capture unique shots for social media, but the effects themselves are questionable.

Finally, Hybrid Auto captures a short video ahead of the final still photo, creating a sort of behind-the-scenes style clip that could be used to accompany an image in an Instagram Reel or on TikTok. You can tell it’s this user demographic the Elph 360 HS A is aimed squarely towards.

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The main LCD isn’t especially mind-blowing, not least because it isn’t touch-sensitive. I understand this keeps the cost down, but in the smartphone age it seems a strange omission. I guess it really leans into the ‘blast from the past’ theme and while I was unhappy at first, I quickly grew accustomed to going without. In fact, I ended up enjoying the neo-vintage effect this created and suddenly, I was back in High School again. Technology-wise, the 2000s were literally simpler times.

The resolution can’t keep up with many of the most recent smartphones and tablets, at approximately 461,000 dots, and images do look a little washed out. Even magnifying the preview image doesn’t reveal much about the sharpness and contrast of the saved file. However, shots from this camera aren’t meant to be seen up close or in-print, so the screen is good enough for checking the basics of composition and exposure, in anticipation of sending your images to the web.

The new microSD memory card format might bug some users, especially if you have a collection of full-size SD cards in your collection. However, since many potential buyers will be coming from a smartphone anyway, it shouldn’t be too unfamiliar. If you buy a microSD card with an SD adaptor, you can enjoy the best of both worlds should you need to re-use it in a larger format camera.

• Design score:4.5/5

Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A: Performance

• Relatively limited 180-shot battery life
• Integrated optical IS system is very effective in low light
• Rapid autofocus with subject tracking
• No RAW file shooting capability

Despite having a smaller sensor and often lower resolution than interchangeable lens cameras, compacts also regularly suffer from reduced processing power, caused by the use of a derated version of a processing engine found in higher-end models. This keeps costs and size down, but negatively impacts performance, including startup times. Thankfully, the Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A doesn’t lag too much, and takes only a couple of seconds to be shot-ready from pressing the power button. There weren’t any instances where I felt I had missed a shot because the camera wasn’t ready. It’s impressive for a model in this price bracket.

Similarly, there isn’t excessive buffering after each shot, perhaps helped by the fact you can only shoot JPEGs, with no RAW mode available. This limits maximum file size, but the result is still a sporty camera with respectable reflexes. There’s more of a delay after a burst of images, namely in the Creative Shot mode where a sequence of six shots is created in one go, putting the DIGIC 4+ processor under more strain.

The iSAPS (Intelligent Scene Analysis based on Photographic Space) technology is said to improve the performance of the white balance, autofocus, and auto exposure systems – the camera put in a reasonable performance on all fronts.

The AF system isn’t up to the standards of the Dual Pixel CMOS AF system seen in cameras like the Canon EOS R5 Mark II or EOS R10 or even the PowerShot V1. These models not only provide full phase-detection AF capability, but also have far more latitude for customization of subject sensitivity and tracking behavior. That said, the PowerShot Elph 360 HS A isn’t slow to focus, especially in good light.

It was able to pick out details in the landscape, at both wide and long focal lengths with minimal hunting, and rarely did I find it had back or front-focused. It struggled more at close focusing distances, using the Macro shooting mode. I couldn’t get the camera to find the area of the subject I wanted it focus on, and so it took several attempts to guide it in the right direction. I didn’t expect much else since even dedicated macro lenses can show their AF weaknesses at minimum focus distance. Moreover, the 1cm working distance is praiseworthy.

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(Image credit: Peter Fenech)

The Creative Shot mode captures a sequence of five additional images, each with creative effects applied. Some are more attractive than others

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The zoom range is a reason alone to buy the camera over using a phone. It offers a full-frame equivalent of a 25-300mm lens – a 12x optical zoom. This covers both standard-wide and telephoto lengths. The zoom travel is rapid and smooth, making in-clip zooming possible during video shooting, although the internal mic does pick up the noise of moving components. Within about five seconds from hitting the power button, I was racked out at the longest focal length and focused on my subject.

AF tracking isn’t the camera’s strong point, especially at these telephoto settings. But once again, it’s good enough for the types of scenarios you’d be using such a camera. The AF points aren’t as thoughtfully spaced and positioned as on an enthusiast-level camera, and they rely on a contrast detection-based system, which is always going to be slower and more prone to hunting. This is particularly noticeable in low light, and on a couple of occasions the camera failed to focus entirely.

• Performance score: 4/5

Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A: image quality

• The sensor is smaller than on smartphones such as the iPhone 17 Pro
• Low-light images feature quite heavy detail loss through noise reduction
• The lens is sharp and can reveal good detail at lower ISO settings

That 1/2.3-inch sensor is significantly smaller than the unit found on the latest iPhone, which is of the 1/1.28-inch format. It’s hard to imagine that phones have overtaken compact cameras in this way, but it’s also important to remember that the iPhone starts at around $1,100 while the Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A retails for about $379. That’s a pretty big price gap. Yes, the iPhone isn’t a dedicated photographic tool, but it’s a technology powerhouse and one of Apple’s flagship products. The PowerShot is a proverbial drop in the ocean in the percentage it contributes to Canon’s yearly turnover.

Even with a 20-megapixel resolution, the pixels are fairly small, with an approximate pixel pitch of 1.19 micrometers. This limits their light-gathering capacity, which you can see in the signal-noise ratio from ISO400 and above. At the lowest sensitivities the situation is much better, and outdoors the resolution is rather good. It’s under these conditions that you get to see what the lens is capable of, and it impresses in its sharpness. I was especially enamored by its micro contrast, which lends a great deal of texture to stone walls, tree bark and other granular materials.

In flatter tones like the sky, or smooth areas of berries and other glossy surfaces like car paintwork, noise is far more noticeable – it isn’t as effectively hidden amongst subject texture. By ISO800 the mushiness starts being hard to ignore, and at around ISO1600 colors take on a washed-out, insipid character.

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Auto White Balance is fairly accurate, although it is readily confused by saturated color in the frame. Under mixed lighting it will tend to favor one end of the kelvin scale or the other. However, it will then cope unexpectedly well under interior lighting. Exploring the corridors of a 14th-Century castle-turned-hotel, there wasn’t a lot of external light penetrating the small windows in the three foot thick stone walls, so the low illumination and warm artificial light posed a great challenge – true for any camera.

The PowerShot Elph 360 HS A managed to figure out the fluorescent lamps and warm-toned walls, preventing over saturation without unpleasantly neutralizing everything by adding too much blue. A fantastic result for a point-and-shoot camera with limited color control.

Dynamic range, meanwhile, suffers quite a lot from the pixel size, and it doesn’t take much before the photosites are saturated and clipping of the highlights starts to occur. This is even more of a problem in the absence of RAW capture although, while you can actually retrieve a decent amount of shadow detail, once the highlights are blown there’s nothing to bring back.

Video is limited to FHD, although I was surprised once again by the quality in difficult lighting. Grain is definitely visible, but footage can look fantastic. For the TikTok generation, whose buying habits are responsible for bringing the camera back in the first place, it could be genuinely useful.

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The wide end of the zoom (Image credit: Peter Fenech)

The 12x optical zoom is far more powerful than what is available on most smartphones

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And the telephoto end (Image credit: Peter Fenech)

I must also give a special shoutout to the IS system, which demonstrated it could be remarkably effective at reducing camera shake. There were multiple cases where I tapped the shutter release, audibly heard the length of the exposure duration and instinctively went to delete the resulting shot, confident it would be unusably blurry. But to my surprise, there was very little.

In summary, the Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A is a fun little camera to use, that keeps the compact camera flame burning. It’s limited in its capabilities, but it does what it is designed to do very well: taking the joy of an ultra-portable camera and de-coupling it from your phone’s myriad other functions.

• Image quality score: 3.5/5

Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A: testing scorecard Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A:

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

If you want a separate camera that isn't buried amongst the other features of your phone, getting it for up to $700 less than the latest top-line handsets is good value

4/5

Design

The button layout is logical and makes good use of the body real estate. It's not that robust, but is fine for everyday usage

4.5/5

Performance

The fast start up and processing times are impressive, while the autofocus puts in a respectable performance for the camera type

4/5

Image quality

It wouldn't be fair to give the camera top marks for image quality. It struggles in all but the best light. However, auto WB is great and the sensor turn in images with a nostalgic feel

3.5/5

Should I buy the Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A?Buy it if...

You want a simple point and shoot

If you don't want too many bells and whistles, which even smartphones can overdo these days, this compact will make shooting images easy and fuss-free.View Deal

You're travelling light

Where absolute portability is your priority, the Elph 360 HS A won't take up much space in your bag or pocket. It is also discreet, so won't draw too much attention on the street or in the bar.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You want the best images

The quality of the files from the camera are fine, but the small sensor and lack of RAW mode are always going to limit what can be achieved in terms of detail and color capture.View Deal

You want to take creative control

This isn't a camera for professional use. There is no manual, aperture or shutter priority modes, so high-end or experienced shooters may feel cut off from taking control over their images. Once again, there is no RAW mode so this lack of input extends to the digital darkroom.View Deal

Also consider

Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VII

It's a bit long in the tooth in digital terms, plus it is far more expensive, but if you want a camera with professional features that still minimizes size and weight, this is a great choice. The sensor is a little bigger, too, so expect better image quality, while you can also enjoy 4K video recording and a burst rate of 20fps.

Read our in-depth Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VII review

Panasonic Lumix TZ99

Offering a 30x zoom, this compact is genuinely useful for telephoto imagery, such as wildlife and sports. It certainly makes it a great travel companion. You also benefit from a touchscreen and full PASM modes, accessed from a dial on the top plate. The low light performance isn't the best, considering the price, but it will be an upgrade from the Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A 

Read our in-depth Panasonic Lumix TZ99 review

How I tested the Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS A

• I tested a full production model over the course of a week
• I tried the camera in a range of lighting conditions, including low light
• Images were viewed at 100% on-screen and processing applied to assess detail extraction possibilities.

I ensured the camera was tested in some of the harshest lighting conditions it could be presented with, to see how it coped at the extremes of its design. I took it into the dark interior of a castle, which relied heavily on fluorescent lights, creating pools of contrast. I used the camera at every ISO setting and, although I could not alter the aperture, I used every focus length to test the sharpness continuity.

I shot in Auto Mode, Creative Shot Mode, and Program Mode to explore how these impacted the user experience. I used the Low light Mode and compared the images to those where I had applied more manual control over the exposure settings.

I then processed some sample images to see how much detail could be recovered from the shadows, although the shots that appear here are unedited out-of-camera Jpeg.

• First reviewed January 2026

I'm not just a Muppet Show fan; I've idolized Jim Henson for most of my life. Few shared his creative gifts. He was prolific and smart and used puppetry to tell stories in new and novel ways that we'd never seen before, and have scarcely seen since his untimely death in 1990.

Henson's Muppets helped make Sesame Street possible, a show I grew up watching in the 1960s and early 1970s. The original The Muppets Show, which aired from 1976 to 1981, expanded the Muppets' world and reach, introducing a new cast of characters to work with the original leader and (adult in the room) Kermit the Frog (voiced by Jim Henson).

Aimed at a more mixed audience consisting of families, The Muppet Show, set in the vaudevillian-style Muppet Theatre, offered a blend of cornball jokes and winks at the more adult audience. From the start, the mayhem revolved around a line of starry celebrity guests. Half the fun was seeing how these sometimes button-downed stars would act among the all-puppet cast.

The Muppet Show special event will stream on Disney+ soon. (Image credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)

Their apparent acceptance of these fabric creations as real helped the audience accept them and their antics as well. There were few shows I looked forward to more each week than The Muppet Show. It was appointment viewing for my family. I know I laughed and watched with fascination at all of Henson's incredible creations and how they extended the state of puppet art and artistry.

By the time the show went off the air, I was in high school and perhaps a little less interested in the Muppets (or perhaps I was just feeling the natural peer pressure to be less interested). Also, the Muppets had graduated to films, first with the incredible The Muppet Movie, the 1979 breakthrough film, which finally merged the Muppet Show and Sesame Street puppet casts, and it's just about perfect.

No other subsequent Muppet film quite reached those heights, though The Muppets Take Manhattan was at least memorable and I have a fondness for 2011's Muppet Movie revival.

The Muppets returned to television briefly in 2015 with the poorly received The Muppets. which tried, without success, to do for the Muppets what The Office did for corporate life. It failed.

By contrast, the new The Muppet Show is a largely faithful recreation of the original show. It is, at times, a charming and nostalgic trip back. Seeing each character, like Scooter, Fozzie the Bear, Gonzo, Beeker, and others, feels like reuniting with old friends.

Kermit remains a strong central presence, and his interplay with the self-involved Miss Piggy is as dysfunctional as ever.

For devoted Henson fans, it's not always easy to listen to the slightly different voice characterizations of Kermit over the years. Steve Whitmire did it for decades after Henson unexpectedly died. In recent years, it's been Matt Vogel. Like Whitmire before him, Vogel does his best to sound like Henson. It's close, but also distracting if you know the original. New fans will not have this problem.

Don't call it a reboot

Kermit the Frog was originally voiced by Jim Henson. (Image credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)

While the structure of this 'Special Event' largely follows a format set up during the second season of the original show, there is a nod here that this is, on some level, a sentimental return after a long hiatus.

As the camera pans over Muppet Theatre's backstage lighting, The Rainbow Connection plays gently on a piano in the background. We see Kermit walking past black and white photos of the original show's iconic celebrity guests. The scene shifts to a close-up of Kermits' coffee cup, and then the camera pulls back to reveal Rowlf playing the piano beside him.

"Rowlf, have you been playing this whole time?" Kermit asks before Rowlf responds: "Well, what did you think it was, some kind of sentimental montage in your head?" That forth-wall-breaking and quick shift of tone from sentiment to humor is classic Muppet Show.

The Muppets Show special event is almost the same as the original series. (Image credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)

The rest of the format is a virtual duplicate of the original show. There's a short bit between the celebrity guest – in this case, Sabrina Carpenter – and one or more of the Muppets, this time Miss Piggy. It, like most of the bits, is more likely to elicit a groan than outright laughs. After the iconic, giant yellow The Muppet Show curtain drops down, Kermit pops out of "O" in "Show" and enthusiastically announces: "It's the Muppet Show!"

While the show is mostly bits and musical performances, there is a storyline running through the episode in which Kermit, in an effort to please everyone, has wildly overbooked the show. Everyone is so excited to be back that they all want to participate. That returns later to inspire the show's most inspired bit.

The Studio star Seth Rogen executive produces the show, and while his brand of sharp adult humor is in short supply here, Kermit's opening monologue does sound like it might have Rogen's fingerprints on it: "We are so excited to be back on the very stage where it all started, and then ended, and then is maybe starting again, depending on how tonight goes."

The old Peanut Gallery

Waldorf and Statler are back in the peanut gallery. (Image credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)

Statler and Waldorf sit in their usual box and make cranky commentary that sounds right at home in a vaudeville show. The joke about the Muppets being broke might be funnier if we didn't know that Disney now owns the Muppets franchise.

Carpenter's performance of Manchild in an old-west saloon populated by Muppets is affecting mainly because of Carpenter's talents and considerable charm. The physical humor is vintage Muppets, though some parents might wonder at the violence (she hits one puppet over the head with a bottle).

There's a live audience populated with humans and Muppets who provide live applause. However, I can't tell whether the laughter is also real, a laugh track, or being prompted by the audience handlers, compelling people to laugh.

Rogen makes a brief appearance in The Muppet Show. (Image credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)

Rogen does appear, though he's cut from the show and is ultimately relegated to the audience.

Gonzo also appears but feels underused in his daredevil bits.

There's a Bridgerton-inspired "Pigs in Wigs" segment that falls flat. Piggy's cutting comments just sound mean, and the banter falls somewhere between confusing and uncomfortable. The recasting of Pepe the Prawn as Missy Piggy's lover is a funny sight gag, but as is often the case, the writers seem unsure what to do with Pepe beyond the initial gag.

At one point, Miss Piggy asks, "What is happening here?" and I kind of had the same question.

The less said about the all-rat performance of The Weekend's Blinding Lights, the better. it reminding me a bit of one of those Kids' Bop renditions of popular songs and not in a good way.

Saved in the end

Pepe the Prawn and Miss Piggy during the Bridgerton-inspired "Pigs in Wigs" act. (Image credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)

As the show starts to come apart at the seams, Kermit apologetically tells Carpenter that they're "still working out a few kinks," to which Carpenter replies: "That's alright, I love a kink." It's one of a handful of nods to the adult audience that I think it's safe to assume will sail over most kids' heads.

Maya Rudolph also appears as an audience member who falls in love with a large blue Muppet. She's also at one point declared dead. Don't worry, it's all played for laughs, though I do wonder if kids watching will be momentarily concerned as their parents are horrified.

Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker during the Muppet Labs segment. (Image credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)

I enjoyed the Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker Muppet Labs segment, but again, Beaker's eyes popping out might frighten younger children.

The Kemit-Sabrina Carpenter Islands in the Stream duet is particularly affecting, until Miss Piggy shows up, sabotages it, but ultimately completes the performance. This is in keeping with a show where everything goes wrong.

Scooter and Gonzo (Image credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)

By and large, this Muppets special event felt like a show trying desperately to find its footing, that is, until the finale, which I found surprisingly touching.

Kermit can't put on every promised act and leaves the Muppet crew feeling frustrated. Then he stands on stage and says, "I can't say the show has gone exactly as we planned....maybe we're a little rusty...I hope you at least enjoyed some of it." It sounds almost too honest, too real.

Kermit doesn't announce another act. Instead, he starts singing acapella Queen's Don't Stop Me Now. Rawlf joins in on piano and then the entire Muppets cast joins in. It becomes the most joyous number of the entire show, and, if I'm being honest, it was the first thing in the new The Muppets show that left me wanting more.

Verdict

Miss Piggy, Lew Zealand, Kermit (Image credit: Disney/Mitch Haaseth)

The Muppets Show revival is not the best version of the show that's ever existed. It's far from the worst, either. The cornball vaudeville vibe was part of its original charm, but I just don't know if it's smoothly translated into 2026.

I think the writing might need to be updated a bit as Rogen and company figure out where the show and its audience live. This is an audience raised on social video and with humor that's much smarter than what was presented in 1976, or this show 50 years later.

As Carpenter proved, celebrity star power will still help carry the day, but the core of the show remains the puppets. If jokes and performances aren't as sharp and knowing, or just as charismatic as Carpenter's, we may not see future episodes.

Disney+'s The Muppet Show special event streams to subscribers globally on February 4, 2026.

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(Image credit: SurferSEO)

Besides these functions, SurferSEO offers a keyword research tool that identifies keywords and assesses their relevance, potential traffic, and competitiveness. This assists you in selecting the keywords to concentrate on and enhances your chances of SEO success.

Moreover, the audit tool provided by SurferSEO thoroughly evaluates your webpage against factors to pinpoint any issues hindering your page from achieving higher rankings in search results. This tool provides recommendations for on-page optimization, including speed improvements, structural modifications, and more. 

In addition to the premium tools mentioned above, SurferSEO presents two absolutely free and equally beneficial tools. The first is the keyword surfer Chrome web extension that enables you to conduct searches within your browser and view search volume data along with a comprehensive list of keyword suggestions paired with their scores and search volume. The second free tool is an AI-powered article outline generator designed to help you create SEO content based on your needs. This tool can streamline brainstorming sessions, research activities, and writing tasks and save time.

Installation, setup, and compatibility

SurferSEO can be accessed through any web browser on any device. You must create a SurferSEO account and log in to use the tool. In addition to the keyword Chrome extension, SurferSEO offers a paid plugin for WordPress. This plugin provides comprehensive SEO features, including content planning, on-page optimization, and content audit tools. 

To install the SurferSEO plugin on your WordPress website, log in to your WordPress admin panel, go to the plugins section, and search for "Surfer." Then, follow the instructions on the screen to install and activate the plugin. 

There are also integrations for Jasper, Google Docs, and Contentful. 

(Image credit: SurferSEO)

Whether you're a beginner or an advanced user, the company offers a variety of tools to help you and your team maximize SurferSEO's capabilities.

Firstly, the company provides an extensive knowledge base that covers all aspects of SurferSEO's features and functions. This resource is an excellent starting point for beginners, as it explains how to use the tool. Additionally, it's an excellent resource for advanced users, as it will enable them to find answers to specific questions they may have quickly.

Secondly, the company has a rapidly growing community group, which is a fantastic resource for users to connect. It's a place to ask questions, share tips, and learn from others' experiences. The community group is an excellent place to network with other professionals in your industry and get insights into how they're using SurferSEO.

Thirdly, the company's blog offers a wealth of information on SEO, keyword research, and content optimization. The blog is regularly updated with new articles and tips, making it an excellent resource for staying up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices.

Lastly, the best tool for learning how to use SurferSEO is Surfer Academy. This resource offers both onboarding training tools and continuing education programs. The onboarding training tools provide a step-by-step guide on how to use SurferSEO, while the continuing education programs help users stay up-to-date with the latest features and functions.

As you can see, the company offers a range of comprehensive resources to help you and your team make the most of SurferSEO. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced user, these resources will provide you with the knowledge and support you need to succeed.

Plans and pricing

(Image credit: SurferSEO)

Plan

Starting Rate (Paid Annually)

Starting Rate (Paid Monthly)

Discovery

$49/month

$59/month

Standard

$99/month

$119/month

Pro

$182/month

$219/month

Peace of Mind

$299/month

$359/month

Enterprise

$999/month

$999/month

Unlike some SEO optimization tools we’ve reviewed, SurferSEO is very open about what it charges for its services. All prices are prominently displayed on the SurferSEO website across their Pricing page.

The entry-level Standard package is priced at $99 per month for small business owners and freelancers. This package allows you to optimize 30 documents a month using the Content Editor and track 25 prompts in ChatGPT to assess your AI visibility.

For $182 per month, Surfer Pro lets you track 50 AI prompts at a time across AI search engines like Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Mode, and of course, ChatGPT. Beyond that, Surfer's Peace of Mind plan lets you track 100 AI prompts, optimize unlimited documents with the Content Editor, perform advanced SERP analysis, and build custom integrations with API access. There's also a Discovery plan for $59/month that lets you analyze 10 documents a month, but it limits access to other features and isn't promoted heavily by Surfer.

Setting up a free SurferSEO account takes about one minute. You can get started immediately once you pay. But, Surfer no longer offers a 7-day free trial, which was swapped in 2024 for a 7-day money-back guarantee instead. Some users claim that you can get Surfer to extend the money-back guarantee to 30 days by contacting their support team.

SurferSEO often offers special promotions for new customers. You also get the usual annual discount if you sign up for the yearly plans.

Final verdict

When searching for SEO optimization tools, you'll notice they are similar. They all come equipped with keyword research tools and content editors, and many are now incorporating AI technology. However, a few, like SurferSEO, go above and beyond by offering additional features such as audio tools and a SERF analyzer. 

If you're searching for a comprehensive SEO optimization tool, SurferSEO is a reassuring choice. It offers a seamless setup process, is available at various price points, and is enriched with a growing list of AI-based features, which are increasingly vital in the industry. It also provides a comforting array of training tools, including a blog, knowledge base, private SurferSEO community, and live training from the Surfer Academy. 

By providing detailed insights and clear guidance, SurferSEO empowers marketers to optimize their content effectively and compete successfully in search engine rankings. Whether you're a seasoned SEO professional or just starting, integrating SurferSEO into your SEO strategy could significantly enhance your online presence and drive more organic traffic to your site.

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Yamaha True X Surround 90A review: two minute review

The Yamaha True X Surround 90A is a 5.1.2-channel soundbar system enters into a competitive world of soundbar surround solutions that’s been dominated by the likes of Samsung, JBL and Sonos for the past few years. While it’s an impressive system, its price and a few little setbacks hold it back from beating the best soundbars.

The Surround 90A has a good number of features, such as Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Auro-3D support, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for music streaming, and a good number of sound modes. While it has a strong number of connections too, it’s a shame that its HDMI passthrough doesn’t support 4K at 120Hz, a feature I’ve come to expect at this price level.

Sound performance of the Surround 90A is excellent overall. It delivers exceptional power and detail, rendering surround effects with real clarity and mapping sound with pinpoint accuracy. And for music, it delivers a wide soundstage with plenty of clarity and balance. It’s a shame though that while speech is mostly good, it can get lost at times, and the Surround 90A’s compact rear speakers can struggle in the overall mix against the other powerful soundbar and sub. Still, it’s mostly impressive.

The Surround 90A is a premium-looking soundbar, with a metal finish and fabric grille giving it a premium feel. It’s on the weighty side, but feels well-built as a result. While its subwoofer performs well, it’s a shame Yamaha couldn’t take cues from Samsung’s impressive small but mighty subwoofer on the Samsung HW-Q990F to keep the size down. The rear speakers feel premium enough, but a bigger, better-performing pair of speakers would have been more desirable.

Initial setup of the Surround 90A can be confusing at first, with the pairing of the rear speakers and HDMI settings feeling a bit cumbersome in comparison to seamless setup from Samsung or JBL. Once you're set up, however, controlling the Surround 90A and adjusting settings is simple and intuitive, and inputting commands feels smooth.

The Surround 90A’s biggest setback however is its price. At $3,499 for the full system, or $2,799 for just the soundbar and subwoofer, the Surround 90A is significantly pricier than rival soundbars such as the Samsung HW-Q990F, JBL 1300Mk2 or even a full Sonos system consisting of a Sonos Arc Ultra, Sonos Sub 4 and two Sonos Era 100 speakers – and while it does outshine some of these soundbars in performance, it doesn’t do so enough to justify the large price gap.

Yamaha True X Surround 90A review: Prices & release date

(Image credit: Future)

• Released in November 2025
• US price: $3,499 (full system), $2,700 (soundbar & sub only)
• UK price: £2,199, but very limited availability

The Yamaha True X Surround 90A is the brand’s 2025 flagship soundbar surround system, sitting above the In the US, it is available as the full system with the optional rear speakers, priced at $3,499, or as just the soundbar and sub, priced at $2,799.

It's also available in the UK for £2,199, but I've been told it's only available through retailer Sevenoaks, and only in its physical retail store. (That's singular – there's one store.)

Since its release in late 2025, prices have remained the same. This does put it at the premium end of the soundbar system market.

Yamaha True X Surround 90A review: Specs

Dimensions

Soundbar: 1180 x 85 x 143mm (46.4 x 3.3 x 5.6in), Subwoofer: 241 x 378 x 414 mm (9.4 x 14.8 x 16.2in), Rear speakers: 88 x 220 x 88 (3.4 x 8.6 x 3.4in)

Speaker channels

5.1.2

Connections

1x HDMI eARC, 1x HDMI in, 1x digital optical output, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, Auro-3D

Dolby Atmos / DTS:X

Yes / Yes

Sub included

Yes

Rears included

Yes (standard in UK, optional is US)

Yamaha True X Surround 90A review: Features

(Image credit: Future)

• Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Auro 3D support
• Control via MusicCast app
• 4K HDMI passthrough, but no 120Hz support

The Yamaha True X Surround 90A offers 5.1.2 channels, a step-down compared to similarly priced rivals such as the Samsung HW-Q990F, which delivers 9.1.4 channels. The soundbar unit itself consists of 19 drivers, however, with seven making up the front left and right and center channels and the remaining 12(!) making up the height channels. Yes, that's six speakers per height channel.

The rear speakers come with two front facing drivers each (note no up-firing drivers on these) backed by two passive radiators and finally, the subwoofer uses a 17cm main driver.

In terms of connections, the True X Surround 90A has an HDMI eARC port and HDMI In that supports 4K and both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ passthrough but unfortunately not 120Hz for gaming (again something the HW-Q990F has), optical out and USB which is used for updates only.

The Surround 90A supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X for movies and music and is the first soundbar to support Audo-3D, an Atmos alternative. Auro-3D actually gets its own button on the supplied remote, listed as “3D Music”, a sound mode which uses Auro-3D as an upmixer for stereo content.

Other sound modes include Straight, Surround:AI and All. There is also a Stereo sound mode option for those looking for a more traditional sound profile for stereo tracks.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are both supported for music streaming, including direct support for streaming services including Spotify, Amazon Music HD, Deezer and QuBoz. Other streaming services such as Tidal can be linked and controlled via the MusicCast app. There’s also AirPlay 2 support, but no Google Cast.

Speaking of the MusicCast app, this is where EQ and volume adjustments for each speaker can be made, as well as features such as Clear Voice and Bass Extension can be activated.

One thing that is missing is a room calibration feature, something I’d have expected on a soundbar of this price. Again, it’s something the Samsung HW-Q990F and Sonos setups offer, and would have been a nice addition to a premium soundbar.

• Features score: 4 / 5

Yamaha True X Surround 90A review: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Exceptional accuracy and detail
• Impressive power and control
• Rear speakers can struggle in the mix

While the Surround 90A may not have the features of its rivals, it certainly has the performance. The Surround 90A makes full use of every one of its 5.1.2 channels to deliver a brilliant overall sonic experience.

The Surround 90A’s real strength first comes in its positional accuracy. Watching The Mask, as the titular character tears around in the form of a tornado, the sound is accurately mapped to each channel, moving around the soundbar in-sync with the movie. Other sound effects such as ricocheting bullets and a runaway cartoon clock are delivered with accurate directionality by the Surround 90A’s units.

Watching The Batman, the screeching of tyres and blaring car horns of passing traffic during the Batmobile chase again follow across the front and rear channels with real precision. While the ‘Straight’ sound mode delivers a solid overall experience, the AI skeptic in me was surprised to find that I liked using the Surround:AI mode, which created an even more specific positional feel, with a greater soundstage.

Power is another one of the Surround 90A’s strengths. The bass response from the subwoofer is impactful and powerful, accurately delivering the rumble of the Batmobile’s engine in The Batman. Bass also feels very tightly controlled, as each tone change of the Batmobile’s thunderous engine was crystal clear and tightly rendered by the Surround 90A subwoofer.

(Image credit: Future)

The Surround 90A’s soundstage is wide and immersive. Watching the Darkstar flight test sequence in Top Gun: Maverick, the sound of the wind whipping past the cockpit and the creaking of the metal plates made me feel like I was inside the cockpit myself.

Dolby Atmos effects are well presented, as the sound of jets flying overhead is authentically delivered. Height channels can actually be adjusted in the MusicCast app, which allows you to find the sweet spot for your room, despite the lack of auto room calibration.

I found speech to be delivered well overall, especially when it came to vocals in music. Watching The Sound of Music, Julie Andrew’s vocals in songs like Do Re Mi or My Favorite Things are crystal clear, powerful and beautifully rendered.

I found in some scenes that voices could get a bit lost, though. The Batmobile chase from The Batman has limited speech, but I found with soundbars such as the Samsung HW-Q990F, it was still clear. With the Surround 90A, this dialogue was harder to pick up in the mix.

Another setback was the rear speakers. While they delivered solid detail throughout my testing, not having an up-firing speaker on each speaker felt like a missed opportunity. It meant Atmos height effects weren’t as clear as I’d found on HW-Q990F or Sonos setups with Era 300 rear speakers. I also found the rear speakers needed a volume boost in the MusicCast app and even then, they sometimes got lost in the mix.

Moving onto music, the Surround 90A is excellent. First playing Bad Bunny’s Baile INoLVIDABLE in Dolby Atmos, the Surround 90A delivers a wide soundstage with precise detail. The percussion, horns and vocals are all delivered with real clarity and plenty of room-filling power.

Switching to stereo tracks such as Dir en Grey’s Un Deux, the crashing drums, powerful guitars and bass and Kyo’s soaring vocals all have plenty of punch. Activating the 3D Music sound setting adds another layer to the track, widening the soundstage and creating a dome-like effect and making everything feel bigger.

The Surround 90A is great with more delicate genres too such as jazz. All throughout the bass from the subwoofer is delivered with excellent, precise timing.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Yamaha True X Surround 90A review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Premium materials and finish
• Solidly built
• Bulky subwoofer

The Surround 90A’s main soundbar unit measures in at 1180 x 85 x 143mm (46.4 x 3.3 x 5.6in) making it an average size for a large soundbar nowadays. The subwoofer itself is on the bulkier side at 241 x 378 x 414 mm (9.4 x 14.8 x 16.2in) and despite the power and control it delivers, the HW-Q990F proves that a smaller sub can still deliver equally impressive performance.

Finally, the rear speakers, called the WS-X30A, which can be used as individual Bluetooth speakers, measure in at 88 x 220 x 88 (3.4 x 8.6 x 3.4in).

The main soundbar itself is made with a burnished, black metal that is weighty, clocking in at 11kg (24.3lbs). It has a clear front LED display where current sources can be easily read and a fabric grille. All these combine to make for a premium looking soundbar that feels its price tag.

The subwoofer is made of a more traditional plastic finish and clocking it at 12.7kg (28lbs) plus its bulky dimensions, it’s not the easiest to store out of sight.

The rear speakers themselves have a nice fabric material that again feels premium, and are of a portable size if you're inclined to use them as Bluetooth speakers elsewhere.

• Design & build score 4 / 5

Yamaha True X Surround 90A review: Setup & usability Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future)

• MusicCast app for control
• Initial setup can be fiddly
• HDMI settings needed to be adjusted

I found the initial setup of the Surround 90A to be a mixed bag. While turning on the soundbar and connecting it to the subwoofer was simple enough, connecting and setting the rear speakers was a bit trickier.

They have to be put into pairing mode after holding the connect button for three seconds, this button is then pressed again to select whether said speaker is the left or right rear, and then it needs to be registered in a menu which is accessed on the TV itself.

Once this was done, I also found the TV source (HDMI eARC) wasn’t working. Diving into the same settings menu, I discovered I had to turn on HDMI Control and Pass-through in the HDMI settings menu.

The LG G5 I used for testing and the connected Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray player then worked through the soundbar. This was not the same plug-in-and-play approach I found with the Samsung HW-Q990F.

Once everything is connected, you can either use the supplied remote control for basic operation – changing sound mode, volume, source – or the partner MusicCast app.

Once the soundbar was paired, control through the MusicCast app was intuitive, where EQ and volume levels including height channels could be easily changed. Even streaming music and connecting an associated streaming app was easy.

• Setup & usability score: 3.5 / 5

Yamaha True X Surround 90A review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

• Pricey compared to competition
• Missing some features expected at this price
• Good overall performance

The Surround 90A’s biggest downfall is its price tag. At $3,499 for the full system, it’s a premium priced soundbar system and much pricier than rival soundbars such as the Samsung HW-Q990F ($1,699), JBL Bar 1300Mk2 ($1,699) and even a Sonos setup of the Sonos Arc Ultra, Sonos Sub 4 and two Sonos Era 100 speakers, totaling $1,976.

While the Surround 90A’s overall performance is impressive, with great power, control and accuracy for both movies and music, it doesn’t justify the performance gap with bars like the Samsung HW-Q990F, which I found had better height channels thanks to its more robust rear speakers.

While it is brilliant for music, it’ll be tough to justify the price gap between it and a full Sonos system, especially if said Sonos system features Sonos Era 300s as rears.

• Value score: 3 / 5

Should I buy the Yamaha True X Surround 90A?

(Image credit: Future)

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Wi-Fi streaming and Auro-3D support, but 4K HDMI passthrough is limited to 60Hz

4 / 5

Performance

Impressive power, accuracy and detail but voices are occasionally quiet and rear speakers can struggle for scale.

4.5 / 5

Design

Very premium, solidly built and sleek design but subwoofer is rather bulky.

4 / 5

Setup & usability

Intuitive control app but initial setup can be fiddly and HDMI settings need to be adjusted.

3.5 / 5

Value

Much pricier than rivals and despite impressive performance, not strong enough to justify price gap.

3 / 5

Buy it if

You want a powerful, detailed soundbar
The Surround 90A delivers serious power with hefty bass and impressive detail with a wide soundstage and pinpoint precision.View Deal

You want a premium looking soundbar
The Surround 90A is made of a burnished metal that is reassuringly solid and sleek. Its rear speakers (Bluetooth units in their own right) also look great. View Deal

You want a soundbar for music
Whether its stereo or Atmos music streaming, the Surround 90A delivers. Its wide soundstage helps to create an expansive listening experience that gives music room to breathe. View Deal

Don't buy it if

You want the best value flagship soundbar
The Surround 90A is significantly pricier than other flagship soundbar systems such as the Samsung HW-Q990F and JBL 1300MK2: and it doesn't have the superior performance to justify the price gap. View Deal

You want the best soundbar for gaming
The Surround 90A has one HDMI input and although it supports 4K passthrough, it doesn't support 4K 120Hz. Look to the Samsung HW-Q990F for this. View Deal

You want the most complete surround sound experience
The Surround 90A delivers very good overall sound that's powerful and accurate. Its rear speakers however can get drowned out and voices can sometimes be quiet. View Deal

Also consider

Yamaha True X Surround 90A

JBL Bar 1300MK2

Samsung HW-Q990F

LG S95AR

Price

$3,499 (full system), $2,700 (soundbar + sub) / £2,199

$1,699.95 / £1,299.99 / AU$2,299.95

$1,999 / £1,699 / AU$2,099

$1,699.99 (about £1,260 / AU$2,610)

Dimensions

Soundbar: 1180 x 85 x 143mm (46.4 x 3.3 x 5.6in), Subwoofer: 241 x 378 x 414 mm (9.4 x 14.8 x 16.2in), Rear speakers: 88 x 220 x 88 (3.4 x 8.6 x 3.4in)

Soundbar: 40.6 x 2.3 x 5.4 inches / 1030 x 58 x 136mm; subwoofer: 12.4 x 10.9 x 10.8 inches / 315 x 277 x 275mm; surround speakers: 8 x 2.3 x 5.4 inches / 202 x 58 x 136mm

Soundbar: 48.5 x 2.8 x 5.4 inches / 1232 x 70.8 x 138 mm; subwoofer: 9.8 x 10.0 x 9.8 inches / 249 x 251.8 x 249 mm; surround speakers: 5.1 x 8.0 x 5.5 inches / 129.5 x 201.3 x 140.4mm

Soundbar: 49.2 x 2.5 x 5.3 inches / 1250 x 63.5 x 134.6mm; subwoofer: 7.9 x 16 x 15.9 inches / 200 x 406 x 404mm; surround speakers: 6.3 x 8.8 x 5.6 inches / 160 x 223.5 x 142mm

Speaker channels

5.1.2

11.1.4

11.1.4

9.1.5

Connections

1x HDMI eARC, 1x HDMI in, 1x digital optical output, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, Auro-3D

1x HDMI eARC, 3x HDMI in, digital optical, USB (playback US-only), Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3 (surround speakers use 5.4)

1x HDMI eARC, 2x HDMI 2.1 in, digital optical, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3

1x HDMI eARC, 1x HDMI in, digital optical, USB

Dolby Atmos / DTS:X

Yes / Yes

Yes / Yes

Yes / Yes

Yes / Yes

Sub included

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Rear speakers included

Yes (UK as standard, optional version in the US

Yes

Yes

Yes

JBL Bar 1300MK2
The JBL Bar 1300MK2's has detachable rear speakers, plenty of power and accuracy and three HDMI inputs for devices. While actual performance between the JBL and the Yamaha Surround 90A is close, the 1300MK2 is significantly cheaper and has more features on offer.

Read our full JBL 1300MK2 reviewView Deal

Samsung HW-Q990F
One of the best value soundbar systems on the market, the HW-Q990F delivers an immersive, powerful home cinema experience and has tons of great features including 4K 120Hz passthrough. While the Yamaha may have better musical performance, it's again much pricier than the HW-Q990F and doesn't have the performance or features to justify the price gap.

Read our full Samsung HW-Q990F review View Deal

How I tested the Yamaha True X Surround 90A?

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested in TechRadar's TV testing lab
• Tested with movies, including 4K Blu-ray, and music streamed over Wi-Fi
• Tested over a week

The Yamaha True X Surround 90A was connect to the LG G5 OLED TV and Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray player for the duration of my testing.

I first started with some casual listening to establish the best sound modes for critical viewing. For movies, I landed on Standard and Surround: AI and for music, I used 3D Music.

Once I began my critical testing, I used reference scenes from movies I use to test sound on the best TVs and other soundbars. These include The Batman, Top Gun: Maverick and The Sound of Music, among a few other discs.

For music testing, I used Tidal for both Stereo and Atmos music. I listened to q wide variety of genres including Metal, Jazz, R'n'B and Pop.

• First reviewed: January 2025
• Read more about how we test

If you could condense every RPG ever made down to its core components, stir them into a hearty stew, and then feast on the resulting concoction you’d get Dragon Quest VII – the most RPG to ever RPG.

Its grand plot takes our heroes – a plucky band of budding upstarts hungry to explore the wider world – on an adventure across not only the globe, but through time too as they seek to defeat a great evil that has brought terror to their land. They’ll develop their skills in their chosen class (or Vocation as the DQ series prefers to call them), and use their abilities to battle a wide variety of monsters in turn-based combat.

As trope-fuelled as it gets, I nevertheless found I simply couldn’t put Dragon Quest VII Reimagined down – to that point that several times during this review process my TV had to check if I was still there as it had been on for so long.

Review info

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Release date: February 5, 2026

It helps that the story and characters are utterly engaging, but that was true for the original. Reimagined knocks things up a few pegs by boasting a litany of excellent quality of life updates that would make anyone forget the original released over 25 years ago.

While still turn-based, the combat has had a major tune up. With powerful ‘Let Loose’ effects, auto-battle options, the ability to speed up animations, or even take out enemies in the overworld before a fight can break out, the combat of Dragon Quest VII Reimagined feels faster while accessible.

You can still experience the meatiness of grinding through turn-based bout after turn-based bout, but in those moments when you’re tired of weaker foes you can much more easily power through to the next objective than you could in similar RPGs.

(Image credit: ARMOR PROJECT / BIRD STUDIO / SQUARE ENIX)

There’s also a tweak to the Vocation system. Moonlighting, when unlocked, lets you choose two jobs at once. This not only creates opportunities for more creative builds, but also makes it less of a slog to unlock the higher-tier vocations which ask you to first master lower-tier ones.

Of course I can’t ignore Dragon Quest VII Reimagined’s most noticeable glow up: the aesthetics. Many a 2D game has lost its charm in the transition to 3D, but with its toyish diorama-like look Reimagined bucks this trend by heaping the charm on by the shovel load. To call it beautiful is an understatement, and yet – as is so true for every way this title has been ‘reimagined’ – the graphical changes feel true to the original's stylings, which were of course provided by the late great Akira Toriyama.

If you love classic RPGs, or if you’ve never quite gelled with them: play Dragon Quest VII Reimagined. You won’t regret it, I promise you.

In with the old, in with the new

I touched on several of Dragon Quest VII Reimagined’s reworks in my intro, but let’s go into some of them in a little more depth – starting with one I didn’t mention yet: custom difficulty options.

You can, of course, choose the basic Easy, Normal, and Hard difficulties when you boot up this game, but you could instead tweak different settings to suit your challenge preferences.

For me that’s making enemies stronger, my characters’ attacks weaker, but keeping progression at a normal pace – landing my difficulty as a sort-of Hard-lite. Though, I have now slowed down my progression to make the game a little more challenging – with the settings menu letting you make tweaks anytime during your playthrough.

(Image credit: ARMOR PROJECT / BIRD STUDIO / SQUARE ENIX)

Then let's talk combat. I thought I’d feel auto-battling is a cheat, but it only serves to make those easier mob fights feel like less of a slog than I’ve found they can be in other turn-based RPGs. We’ve all been there – wishing an enemy wouldn’t spawn because we’re tired of the same-old fights we’ve mastered – and with auto-battle, I can just use these moments to quickly grab a drink or snack while still progressing my adventure.

Just a word of advice: tougher fights will always warrant full player control.

Precise controls will let you prepare your synergies, and let you choose when to activate your Let Loose ability – rather than the auto-battler just firing off as soon as possible. When characters are sufficiently ‘worked up’ – I’m not 100% sure what causes this (it was probably explained in some text I skipped through) – they can let off a powerful effect and still take an action on their turn.

Best bit

(Image credit: ARMOR PROJECT / BIRD STUDIO / SQUARE ENIX)

I adore the monster designs in the Dragon Quest series. Despite being undeniably monstrous, I love the quirkiness every enemy is imbued with through its animations, name, and stylings. It plays very well into the child-like wonder of this game, and every new encounter made me chuckle.

This gimmick, especially when combined with moonlighting – which gives you two options when letting loose for greater versatility – can turn the tide of a battle, and has saved me from a pinch or two without making bouts feel trivial (an ideal sweet-spot).

What these improvements do mean is Dragon Quest VII Reimagined feels a lot more accessible than other titles in this genre.

Given its slower pace, turn-based gameplay is generally quite accessible as players can take five seconds to five hours to decide and input a move (and there’s no Expedition 33-esque parry mechanic to fuss over between your turns). At the same time this slower pace can transform into a grind that not everyone enjoys, which is why some classic remakes have turned to something different like with Final Fantasy VII Remake.

(Image credit: ARMOR PROJECT / BIRD STUDIO / SQUARE ENIX)

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined finds its sweet spot by instead offering these tools like battle speed-up, auto battle, instant victories and moonlighting to keep everything that makes turn-based excellent, while eliminating as many of its deficiencies as possible.

A critical hit!

To make matters better, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined only has one major fault and that’s I wish finding tablet fragments felt more special in the early game.

Things do pick up eventually, but at first too many pieces are simply found on the floor of people’s homes. I wish more of these supposedly rare artifacts would be treated with respect – locked behind a mini boss fight, or puzzle, or side mission.

As it stands, the loop of Reimagined’s first 10-or-so-hours can become repetitive when you reexplore lands in the present day after saving them in the past – as you simply wander around, searching every home and talking to strangers until someone gives you the broken stone you’re seeking.

(Image credit: ARMOR PROJECT / BIRD STUDIO / SQUARE ENIX)

I’d also say the game can feel a bit too easy at times – especially after unlocking moonlighting and extra party members. This was even after I slowed myself down by going to full-on Hard mode. I did still find bouts that posed a challenge, but I had to be careful to not over-level with auto-battle and make fights easier than I wanted.

Otherwise I’d say Dragon Quest VII Reimagined hits the mark in so many ways. The combat is well-tuned, the music is a delight, and I’ve already gushed about the visuals but know that I could say I love them a hundred times more.

This is the quintessential RPG experience, and one everyone should experience – I’d especially recommend it to my fellow Nintendo Switch 2 players, this was the console I reviewed it on, and it shone in both handheld and docked mode.

Should you play Dragon Quest VII Reimagined?Play it if…

You’re an RPG purist
Even with its reimagined elements this title feels true to the original version and its genre in a way that purists will adore.

You’re not an RPG purist
This title threads the needle of genuinely appealing to both newcomers and genre fanatics. If you hate RPGs, I genuinely think Reimagined could be what converts you.

You have a Switch 2
I’m sure this title is excellent on its other platforms, but I felt it really shone on the Nintendo Switch 2, and might have cemented itself as one of the system’s must-play games.

(Image credit: ARMOR PROJECT / BIRD STUDIO / SQUARE ENIX)Don’t play it if…

You hate cuteness and cliché
I found the style, monsters and story of Reimagined to be undeniably charming with a healthy dollop of silliness, though I did speak to some who didn’t vibe with this game to quite the same level as me.

You want something short
As with many others in the RPG genre, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined will keep you hooked for a long while. Things are a tad speedier than the original thanks to elements like auto-battle, but if you’re a fan of shorter experiences this ain’t it.

Accessibility

The pace of turn-based action already allows for more accessible gameplay than more action-packed titles, but Dragon Quest VII Reimagined does boast a few specific accessibility tools such as all of its dialogue being written out on screen, and there being a handful of colorblind modes that should help with the odd puzzle section.

(Image credit: ARMOR PROJECT / BIRD STUDIO / SQUARE ENIX)How I tested Dragon Quest VII Reimagined

I played Dragon Quest VII Reimagined on my Nintendo Switch 2, predominantly in docked mode but I did still spend plenty of time with this title in handheld mode while I travelled. Otherwise I used mostly standard hardware, except for relying on my 8bitdo Ultimate 2 controller for a lot of my docked experience.

On my Amazon QLED TV the visuals looked absolutely gorgeous, and he iconic Dragon Quest soundtrack came through my Sonos Beam Gen 2 soundbar and Sub Mini setup nicely too. Though both elements they still shone through on the Switch 2’s LCD and in-built speakers.

Throughout my whole testing process I didn’t experience any noticeable performance issues – everything ran as smoothly as I could want.

First reviewed February 2026

Oukitel Industry RT10: 30-second review

The Oukitel Industry RT10 is the latest in the company's line of rugged tablets, and with a large 11" FHD screen, tough design, 5G connectivity and a barcode scanner built in, it instantly looks set to impress.

Sure enough, getting started with the tablet is straightforward, and once Android 15 has run through the final stages of setup, you can delve straight into the usual Google Workspace applications.

The large screen is instantly pleasing with a relatively decent brightness that makes it clear to see in bright conditions. The resolution for this size of screen is, however, limited to FHD. So, while the screen is pleasing to look at, the resolution is relatively low, resulting in workflow applications such as Google Docs and Sheets feeling a little more cramped on screen than you might expect for the size of the screen.

The touchscreen is good and responsive, and while that responsiveness is affected by moisture, through the test, it proved to be solid in performance. The only other slight quirk with the screen is that the surface is quite reflective, so while the display is clear, those reflections can be troublesome out in the field.

In use, the Google apps all work smoothly, as does browsing the internet both through the WiFi signal and when connected to a 5G network using a Vodafone SIM.

While general performance is good, as soon as the mid-range MTK Dimensity 7300 processor is pushed, the performance starts to drop off. Adobe Lightroom runs fine and is generally fast, but as you start to push the system with complex video edits in CapCut or playing graphically intensive games, you will start to see the limits of this tablet. Straight CapCut edits with footage shot on the phone, however, are fluid enough.

Where this tablet really excels is with its rugged credentials. It survived some time underwater, being dropped, and left out in the rain with no adverse effects on performance or functionality.

The battery life was also exceptionally good, with the 15,000mAh battery keeping the tablet powered for several days between charges with mid to heavy use. There's also a dedicated barcode scanner on the side unit. This has been designed to work with dedicated industry apps and isn't an out-of-the-box solution. Essentially, Oukitel has supplied the industry hardware; you need to provide the software solution for your business.

If you need a robust tablet for work and don't need cameras or huge amounts of processing power for anything more than evaluating documents, getting online, and sending back site images, the Oukitel Industry RT10 is one of the best rugged tablets in its price range.

Oukitel Industry RT10: Price and availability

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

• How much does it cost? $699 RRP
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? You can get it directly from the Oukitel website

The Oukitel RT10 Industry is currently available directly from the manufacturer's website here - with a discount price of $999 / £733 until February 16.

• Value: 4 / 5

Oukitel Industry RT10: Specifications

CPU: MediaTek Dimensity 7300
Graphics: Likely Mali-G-series (not officially confirmed)
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB
Left Ports: USB-A, RJ45
Right Ports: USB-C, SIM tray
Connectivity: 5G, WiFi 6, NFC, Fingerprint reader
Audio: Unspecified (likely mono or stereo)
Camera: Rear: 64MP + 20MP + 5MP / Front: 32MP
Size: Approx. 11-inch screen; weight TBC
OS Installed: Android 15

Oukitel Industry RT10: Design

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

• Robust
• Touch Screen
• Bar Code Scanner built in

As you'd expect from a rugged tablet, the design and build all support this device being used in situations that would ordinarily see any other tablet break. The outer edges are reinforced with rubberised plastic, and the overall design mixes metal panelling and tough plastic to ensure a robust build designed to be ready for any environment.

While most tablets are slimline and feature a stylish, minimalistic look, the Oukitel Industry RT10 is somewhat more bulky. The mix of rubber, metal, and plastic enables a far easier grip on the exterior and ensures that, whatever the weather, you'll always have a good purchase on the casing. When it comes to size, it measures 266.5 × 178 × 22.5 mm and weighs 1.28 kg, substantially more than most.

While my review sample arrived as just the tablet, as with previous iterations of the Industry RT range, there will be cases and other accessories available. A row of Pogo Pin contacts along the base makes it likely that a keyboard will also be an optional accessory.

The front of the RT10 is dominated by the large 11" screen with FHD resolution. Whilst this is lower than most modern tablets, it's around average for this style of tablet.

Taking a look around the tablet body, on the first of the longer edges, there's a USB-C port for data and charging alongside a 3.5mm audio jack for headphones; both of these ports are covered by a rubber flap to stop water ingress. Next to these are the TF/MicroSD and SIM card slot.

On the other side is the barcode scanner, microphone, two multifunctional buttons that you can assign your own apps or functions to, volume up and down, and the power/biometric fingerprint button.

On top, there's a LAN port, which is unusual for a tablet but reinforces the industrial use, and a USB Type-A port. Finally, on the side is the POGO pin contact interface for connection to accessories such as a keyboard.

On the back of the tablet are two large speakers, an industrial fingerprint scanner, again, as with the barcode scanner, dedicated software is required, a main camera, a macro camera, and a night vision camera.

There's also an NFC contact point for wireless communication between devices.

While the tablet is large and bulky, it is comfortable to hold, and in the box, along with the tablet, is a metal handle that can be easily attached.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

• Design: 3.5 / 5

Oukitel Industry RT10: Features

This is a tablet that has a focus on industrial use, with barcode and finger print scanners, cameras, a battery, LAN ports, and SIM card compatibility, fulfilling a feature set that will be required by anyone working on site. The tablet is also IP68/IP69K certified, so if you get caught in the rain or even drop this tablet into a puddle, it's fully waterproof.

Taking a look at the hardware, inside the heart of this RT10 is a Dimensity 7300 SoC CPU, coupled with a Mali-G615 MC2 GPU. This combo is decidedly mid-range, so while it should provide the power required for work-based apps, for anything that requires more graphics or processing power, it is likely to struggle.

The CPU and GPU combo is backed by 16GB of 3200 MHz RAM and 512GB of internal storage, and you can boost this with a 1TB MicroSD card.

One of the big features of this tablet is the battery capacity at 25,000mAh, which will keep this tablet running without issue for a full day's work and performed impressively throughout the test. This battery also supports up to 33W fast charging.

Connectivity is a major factor in this tablet. As well as WiFi 6, it also supports 5G with a SIM inserted. Through this test, I utilised a data SIM with unlimited data and no cap to maximise the full potential of the tablet.

As well as the more standard features of a tablet computer, the RT10 includes a few additions that tailor it to industry. These include the fingerprint scanner on the back, the barcode scanner on the side, and the RJ45 Ethernet port at the top. This means that if you're gathering on-site data or running industrial software, this tablet is designed to easily integrate into your workflow and bespoke software.

Supporting the hardware is an array of three cameras, main, macro, and night vision, which again have been designed for data capture, on-site images, and recording, rather than for content creation.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

• Features: 4 / 5

Oukitel Industry RT10: Performance

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Disk Speed Read: 2032 MB/s
Disk Speed Write: 449 MB/s
Geekbench CPU Multi: 3161
Geekbench CPU Single: 1021
Geekbench GPU: 2504
Solar Bay: N/A
Slingshot: 7165
Slingshot Extreme: 5361
Wild Life Extreme Overall: 3296
Wild Life Overall: 3303
Steel Nomad Overall: 359

While other rugged tablets are a blend of consumer and industrial, with simply the rugged outer shell differentiating them from standard devices, the RT10 is very different when it comes to some of those added extras such as the scanners and ethernet port.

The design and aesthetics are, however, very stereotypical of the genre, with large rubberised corners and a mix of metal and plastic that make it heavier and bulkier than its consumer equivalents.

It feels solid, and throughout the test I dropped, submerged, and left it in the rain, all of which had little effect on the actual working of the device. It is simply designed to withstand a lot more than most. However, as so often with the design of these rugged tablets and phones, there's just a bit too much styling. The metal grids that protect the speakers on the back are a catch-all for mud and grit, and even after a good clean, it was nearly impossible to fully rid them of dirt.

While the mud encrusted on the back doesn't affect performance, it just feels like a bit of an oversight for something that's designed to be used outdoors.

The exterior has a few additional features that make it very handy, including a large camping-style light on the back. This kicks out plenty of illumination and is great for ambient lighting. It's similar to the lights that have been appearing on the backs of rugged smartphones over the past few years and is a welcome addition.

The array of cameras is also useful and very functional. It's worth noting that there's a professional edge to these, while they're good, they're designed for documentation rather than creative endeavour. Essentially, they're fine for taking images on site, and quickly enhancing those images using Lightroom was all smooth, with the CPU and GPU handling the image data without issue.

Likewise, the video quality is OK, with definition and clarity looking good in bright conditions, but struggling under lower light. The footage can appear grainy and lack detail. Again, in bright conditions, the quality is good enough for site visits and recording rather than content creation.

While shooting video, I was interested to see how the tablet would handle light video editing using CapCut. As the application is highly optimised, editing footage shot on the tablet was smooth, and effects could be applied with ease. This footage was all HD, so far from taxing the mid-level processor.

Moving to more everyday use, the tablet handled Google Docs and Sheets with ease. It's a bit of a shame that the screen is limited to FHD resolution, as while that does make everything nice and easy to read, it doesn't offer much screen real estate for navigating documents.

Through daily use, the battery life stood out. As I shot video and images, edited, browsed the internet, and answered emails, the battery slowly depleted. But used over an average working day, it should be more than enough to last several days between charges under intensive use.

Some of the more industry-focused features, such as the barcode scanner on the side and finger print scanner on the back, will need compatible software in order to function. Unfortunately, there's nothing installed on the tablet by default that enables this feature and most off the shelf apps tried wouldn't recognise the scanners as a more bespoke solution is required.

Overall, for a rugged tablet, the focus here is very much on industry, with solid all-round performance when it comes to computing power and additional specialist features that will appeal in certain sectors.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

• Performance: 3.5 / 5

Oukitel Industry RT10: Final verdict

There are plenty of rugged tablets on the market, many offering individual features that stand out to very specific market sectors. The RT10 is a great example of a rugged tablet with a very defined audience, with the barcode scanner on the side and finger print scaner for security on the base, which, with the correct app installed, enables fast scanning and data collection.

The fact that it has a decent array of cameras, mid-range processing power, and a LAN port, as well as the ability to utilise both WiFi and cellular networks, makes it an extremely versatile option for a multitude of industries.

While throughout the week of use, there were plenty of features I liked about this tablet, I was disappointed by the lack of screen resolution. While the screen is bright and crisp, at this size, it makes the contents appear overly large, resulting in Google Docs and Sheets feeling bigger on screen than they need to be. That said, it does have the side effect of making everything very easy to read and edit.

The barcode scanner is a major feature of the tablet, but with no app installed or option to activate it in available apps, it looks to be a feature that needs to be integrated into custom applications or enterprise-level software. During the review, I tried several standard solutions but was unable to get the scanner to activate.

Likewise, the computing performance is mid-range, but for a tablet aimed at the commercial sector, the fact that it handles workflow apps smoothly while struggling a bit with higher-end graphic processing isn't an issue.

For more intensive apps, such as Lightroom and CapCut, that use images and video shot on the tablet, it handles the data with ease. Essentially, if you're recording on-site imagery, this is a great solution if you're wanting a rugged tablet for content creation then it's not.

If you need a rugged tablet that can be used in the field, withstands more than most, has a dedicated barcode reader, LAN port, and a battery life that far exceeds the longevity of most tablets, then this is a great option.

Should you buy an Oukitel Industry RT10?

Value

Relatively expensive for the processing power, but has features that few other tablets offer

4 / 5

Design

Standard tough design that's a little overstated with the rear metal panels

3.5 / 5

Features

Excellent range of features with the battery and dedicated scanner, although software integration is needed

4 / 5

Performance

Average tablet performance and a platform that's primed for business-tuned software solutions

3.5 / 5

Overall

Niche tablet designed to integrate with your company's dedicated software platforms

4 / 5

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)Buy it if...

You work outdoors and on job-sites
As a rugged tablet fully focused on professional use, the Oukitel Industry RT10 delivered long battery life, robust reliability, and full connectivity when working in remote or changeable environments.

You rely on data capture
One of the most interesting features of the Industry RT10 is the built-in barcode scanner - and it also capably handles file transfers, while the hardware ports mean you don't need to carry extra gear.

Don't buy it if...

You're working on pro-grade photos and videos
Unfortunately, this tablet lacks a high-resolution, color accurate display and powerful image processing for professional work.

You're looking for simple inventory solution
The barcode scanner instantly makes you think this could be an out-of-the-box solution for inventory. However, custom software is required to utilize the feature.

We reviewed the best rugged laptops and the best rugged phones - see what passed the drop-test

HP OmniBook 7 14-inch: Two-minute review

The HP OmniBook 7 14-inch AI Laptop, to give it its full name, is an everyday workhorse with an elegant and upmarket design, setting it apart from much of the competition.

Its minimalist appearance is certainly fetching. The absence of any superfluous details makes it better-looking than your average workaday laptop, as does the light gray body, which contrasts well with the darker keycaps.

Not only does the OmniBook 7 look good, but it also feels good. The finish of both the entire unit and the keys is super smooth, and contributes to the laptop rivalling some of the best laptops out there.

Build quality is also impressive: both the base and the lid are sturdier than those on many other laptops I’ve tested. This feat is all the more impressive given just how light and thin the OmniBook 7 is — although it's a little thicker underneath than its slender sides might lead you to believe.

Most of the essential ports are present and correct. There are two USB-A and two USB-C ports. The latter are used for charging the OmniBook 7, and they also support external monitor connections. An HDMI port is also available for this purpose, and is an increasingly rare sight on modern laptops. However, I wasn’t thrilled with the ordering of many of the OmniBook 7’s ports, with the locations of the USB and HDMI ports being particularly inconvenient.

(Image credit: Future)

The general performance of the OmniBook 7 is impressive. It can handle light productivity and multi-tab browsing with ease, and can stream ultra-HD content without stuttering or buffering. I did notice a few minor slowdowns when performing certain media actions, but these were negligible.

For a laptop with no dedicated GPU, the OmniBook 7 surprised me with just how competent it is at gaming. You certainly won’t be getting high frame rates in AAA titles, even at modest settings, but Cyberpunk 2077 ran in a passable state that allowed for some casual playtime. I’ve certainly experienced my fair share laptops with similar integrated graphics that fail to reach even this low bar.

Some fan noise was apparent at times, even when moderate loads were undertaken. However, I didn’t find it loud to the point of distraction, and temperatures never exceeded lukewarm.

The display is also excellent. Its 1920 x 1200 resolution complements the 14-inch canvas very well, with the interface being clear and sharp. Colors are vibrantly rendered, too, and the deep contrast was very welcoming. I noticed some reflections on screen, but they didn’t obscure content prohibitively.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the OmniBook 7, though, is its battery life. It lasted an incredible 26 hours during our movie playback test, a time that ranks among the very best in the sector. It was also quick to fully recharge, taking just over two hours.

The starting price of the OmniBook 7 is high, in some territories more than others, but we’ve seen it on sale for significantly less (in UK markets, at least). And considering how it just about gets everything right, even exceeding expectations in some areas, the OmniBook 7 is one the best mid-range laptops around right now.

HP OmniBook 7 14-inch review: Price & Availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Starts from $949 / £699 / AU$2,499
• Prices vary according to region
• Expensive compared to some rivals

The HP OmniBook 7 14-inch starts from $949 / £699 / AU$2,499 and is available now. Configurability varies across regions, with the US seemingly only getting one model, which features an Intel Core Ultra 5, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage.

This certainly isn’t cheap; however, we’ve seen sizable reductions on variants in the UK and Australia which make them much better value. It’s more expensive than the HP OmniBook 5, but that model is significantly down on power compared to the 7.

It’s also cheaper, at least in some regions, than the Dell 16 Plus. This is another fine laptop, featuring a similarly lightweight yet sturdy design, as well as great performance and a high-quality display. It’s a larger device with a full-size keyboard, so it might be a better choice for those looking for more productivity pedigree. Like the OmniBook 7, though, it has integrated graphics, which means weak gaming and creative performance compared to laptops with dedicated GPUs.

• Value: 4 / 5

HP OmniBook 7 14-inch (2025) review: SpecsHP OmniBook 7 14-inch (2025) Specs

HP OmniBook 7 14-inch (2025)

US

UK

Australia

Price:

$949

£699

AU$2,499

CPU:

Intel Core Ultra 5 225U (up to 4.8GHz, 12 cores)

Intel Core 5 220H (up to 4.9GHz, 12 cores)

Intel Core Ultra 5 225H (up to 4.9GHz, 14 cores)

GPU:

Intel Graphics (integrated)

Intel Graphics (integrated)

Intel Arc 130T (integrated)

Memory:

16GB LPDDR5

24GB LPDDR5

32GB LPDDR5

Storage:

512 GB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD

1TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD

512 GB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD

Display:

14-inch 2K (1920 x 1200), IPS, anti-glare

14-inch 2K (1920 x 1200), IPS, anti-glare

14-inch 3K (2880 x 1800), UWVA

Ports:

2x USB-C (1x Thunderbolt 4, 40Gbps, Power Delivery 3.1, DisplayPort 2.1; 1x 10Gbps, USB Power Delivery 3.1, DisplayPort 1.4a), 2x 1 USB-A (1x 10Gbps, 1x 5Gbps), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x combo audio

2x USB-C (1x Thunderbolt 4, 40Gbps, Power Delivery 3.1, DisplayPort 2.1; 1x 10Gbps, USB Power Delivery 3.1, DisplayPort 1.4a), 2x 1 USB-A (1x 10Gbps, 1x 5Gbps), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x combo audio

2x USB-C (1x Thunderbolt 4, 40Gbps, Power Delivery 3.1, DisplayPort 2.1; 1x 10Gbps, USB Power Delivery 3.1, DisplayPort 1.4a), 2x 1 USB-A (1x 10Gbps, 1x 5Gbps), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x combo audio

Battery (WHr):

68Wh

68Wh

68Wh

Wireless:

Intel Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3

Intel Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3

Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4

Camera:

5MP IR with privacy shutter

5MP IR with privacy shutter

5MP IR with privacy shutter

Weight:

3.12lbs (1.42kg)

3.12lbs (1.42kg)

3.12lbs (1.42kg)

Dimensions:

12.36 x 8.92 x 0.59in (314 x 226.6 x 15mm)

12.36 x 8.92 x 0.59in (314 x 226.6 x 15mm)

12.36 x 8.92 x 0.59in (314 x 226.6 x 15mm)

HP OmniBook 7 14-inch review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Premium, elegant design
• Strong build quality
• Impractical port locations

In line with many of HP’s modern laptops, the design of the OmniBook 7 is best described as minimalist. The light silver colorway is sensible but less austere than other monochromatic rivals, while the darker keyboard shade provides a pleasing contrast. And like a great deal of Windows laptops in general, the OmniBook 7 emulates the pristine appeal of the best Macbooks — and I have to say, it’s largely successful on this front.

Complimenting its light colorway are its thin dimensions. This is especially evident on the sides of the unit, which help to disguise the somewhat thicker underside. Ultimately, though, the OmniBook 7 is still thinner and lighter than many other 14-inch laptops.

Strange as it is to say, I also admired the corners of the OmniBook 7, which are rounder than most. The same is true of the keycaps, and together these elements help to soften the OmniBook 7’s appearance even further.

Build quality is commendable, too. Despite the lightweight construction, both the body and the lid are remarkably sturdy. The hinge of the latter operates smoothly, and I experienced next to no wobbling when open. However, I wish it reclined a little further; the somewhat limited angle might be a problem for those wishing to place the OmniBook 7 on a stand.

(Image credit: Future)

While the materials used in the OmniBook 7 aren’t as premium as those employed in high-end laptops, they don’t feel cheap; the body has a silky smooth finish, while the keycaps have a slightly grainy texture that enhances their tactility. They’re also backlit, which I pretty much consider an essential feature in a laptop keyboard.

You’ll find the usual connectivity options on the OmniBook 7. There’s a USB-A port on each side and two USB-C ports on the right. Also on the right is an HDMI port, while on the left you’ll find a 3.5mm combo audio jack as well.

The ordering of these ports is somewhat inconvenient. The USB-C ports are close to the middle of the unit — not an ideal place for the power cable to extend from. Also, the HDMI port is placed ahead of the USB-A port, which could result in crossing cables if both are occupied simultaneously.

It’s also a shame that the OmniBook 7 misses out on extra ports, such as an SD card reader, but given the compact nature of the unit, this is somewhat forgivable.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

HP OmniBook 7 14-inch review: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Excellent general performance
• Surprisingly capable for light gaming
• Vivid, high-contrast display

HP OmniBook 7 14-inch (2025) benchmarks:

3DMark Night Raid: 16,266; Fire Strike: 3,692; Steel Nomad: 345; Solar Bay 6,232; Solar Bay Unlimited: 6,281; Solar Bay Extreme: 748; Solar Bay Extreme Unlimited: 753;
GeekBench 6.5 Single-core: 2,324; Multi-core: 10,247
CrossMark Overall: 1,604; Productivity: 1,536; Creativity: 1,779; Responsiveness: 1,341;
HandBrake - 4K to 1080p average FPS: 47.72

The OmniBook 7 is a very capable all-round performer. It can handle the kinds of tasks you’d typically demand from a mid-range laptop. Light productivity is dispatched with aplomb, while the 16GB of RAM helps to facilitate browsing with multiple tabs open.

It streamed video at high resolutions with little buffering, although I did experience a small amount of lag when performing common actions, such as playing and pausing content, or when toggling full screen mode. However, such instances were too minor to cause frustration.

What surprised me most of all about the OmniBook 7 was its gaming performance. Despite lacking a dedicated GPU, it managed to run demanding titles, such as Cyberpunk 2077. Granted, it was far from the smoothest experience, hitting less than 30fps on average at the High preset with Ray Tracing disabled. But it sufficed for a quick and casual session. What’s more, it remained admirably cool and quiet throughout.

(Image credit: Future)

More impressive was the WUXGA display. It might fall short of many other laptops with sharper resolutions, but given the 14 inches of real estate on offer, is beautifully crisp and clear. Brightness and color reproduction are also excellent, as is the deep contrast. I did notice some reflections, but these were never prominent enough to disrupt the viewing experience.

The keyboard in the OmniBook 7 is mostly competent. The spacing between the keys is generous, while the short travel and light actuation allow for quick, snappy typing. However, while I found them satisfying to hit, they lack the dampening of some of the best keyboards around. Also, the lack of extra keys, such as a navigation cluster and a number pad, might hamper those looking for serious productivity pedigree.

I found no such drawbacks with the touchpad in the OmniBook 7. It feels superb and translates inputs precisely. I also found it to be the perfect size: small enough to avoid encroaching on wrist space when typing, yet large enough to make navigation and gesturing easy.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

HP OmniBook 7 14-inch review: Battery Life

(Image credit: Future)

• Best-in-class battery life
• Quick to charge

The battery life of the OmniBook 7 is remarkable. When I ran a movie on a continuous loop unplugged, it lasted just shy of 26 hours. This is one of the best scores we’ve seen, and eclipses other laptops known for their longevity.

The charging time is also impressive, taking just over two hours to go from empty to full.

• Battery Life: 5 / 5

Should I buy the HP OmniBook 7 14-inch?HP OmniBook 7 14-inch (2025) Scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

Starting prices are high, especially in some regions. We have, however, seen some huge discounts.

4 / 5

Design

Super light and thin, with sleek looks and a premium feel. Port locations are a little impractical, though.

4.5 / 5

Performance

Brilliant general and multitasking performance, and the excellent display makes content pop. It's even capable of some light gaming.

4.5 / 5

Battery Life

Simply unbeatable; it can playback a video for over a full day. It's also quite quick to charge.

5 / 5

Total

The HP OmniBook 7 does everything you could want from a mid-range laptop, and more. If you find it on sale (as we have), it's hard to beat for value.

4.5 / 5

Buy the HP OmniBook 7 14-inch if...

You want great everyday performance
The OmniBook 7 is quick enough for all your general tasking and entertainment needs. It’s even capable of some light gaming, despite not having a dedicated GPU.

You want a great battery life
The OmniBook 7 can last for hours and hours before it runs out of juice. It’s among the most enduring laptops on the market.

Don't buy it if...

You want serious gaming performance
Although I was impressed by how well it ran AAA titles, its lack of dedicated graphics inevitably puts it leagues behind what the best gaming laptops can achieve.

You’re particular about cable management
The ordering of the ports along both sides of the OmniBook 7 is somewhat impractical, especially when the power adapter is connected to one of the USB-C ports.

HP OmniBook 7 14-inch (2025) review: Also Consider

HP OmniBook 5 14-inch (2025)
It might be a step down from the OmniBook 7, but we were very impressed with the OmniBook 5 when we reviewed it. In particular, we were enthralled by its display and battery life — two areas where the OmniBook 7 shines even brighter. Its overall performance was somewhat disappointing, but considering its very competitive pricing, these flaws are somewhat forgiven.

Read our full HP OmniBook 5 14-inch (2025) review.

Dell 16 Plus
The Dell 16 Plus shares many of the same traits with the OmniBook 7, including a lightweight yet solid design, great performance, and a pleasing display. However, since it's larger, it has the advantage of a full-size keyboard which includes a number pad, handy for those with productivity in mind. Again, like the OmniBook 7, it lacks graphical prowess due to the integrated graphics it’s saddled with, so avid gamers and creators should look elsewhere.

Read our full Dell 16 Plus review.

How I tested the HP OmniBook 7 14-inch (2025)

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested for several days
• Used for productivity, entertainment, browsing
• Plentiful laptop reviewing experience

I tested the HP OmniBook 7 for several days, during which time I used it for light productivity tasks, streaming content, gaming, and general browsing.

I ran our suite of benchmarks, which test every facet of a laptop's performance. I also ran a movie on a continuous loop to test battery life.

I have reviewed countless laptops in my time, ranging from budget and mid-range efforts to top-tier machines designed for high-end gaming and other intensive workloads. I've also reviewed a plethora of other computing devices, including desktops and tablets.

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

Hootsuite has been building its reputation as one of the best social media management tools since 2008. If you need social media management or analytics, it's one of the oldest options available in the market. However, it's worth noting that recent concerns about its contracts with the US Department of Homeland Security and ICE, which include its social listening features, have caused a stir in the industry.

Hootsuite's current incarnation lets you manage multiple social media accounts, all from within one interface that allows quick and easy administration. On top of that, Hootsuite can schedule content for later publishing on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, and X.

• Sign up for a Hootsuite plan

There’s a limited free trial that’ll help you get started and explore its potential, but paid-for plans are the only way to keep using the platform long-term, which you'll find outlined in detail throughout this review.

We've spent hours testing social media management platforms like Circleboom, Buffer, and HubSpot. Each of them is promising, but offers something different in terms of core usability.

Let's dive into our Hootsuite social media manager review now.

• Best small business software of 2024

Hootsuite: Plans and pricing

Plan

Starting Rate (Paid Annually)

Renewal Rate (Paid Annually)

Standard

$199/month

$249/month

Advanced

$399/month

$499/month

Enterprise

Contact sales

Contact sales

Hootsuite has something to offer all sorts of social media managers and in any kind of business environment. There’s even a 30-day trial available for those who want to dip their toes into social media management tools.

But if you’re looking to use it long-term, Hootsuite's paid plans start at $199/month per user for teams that require up to 10 accounts.

(Image credit: Hootsuite)

Going deeper, the Advanced plan costs $399 per month per user, while the beefy Enterprise package requires contacting sales for a quote but delivers hefty performance and high-end customization.

Interestingly, Hootsuite is currently running a promotion that gives you 10% off if you skip the trial completely. But compared to its rivals, Hootsuite's plans are more on the moderate-to-expensive side, suitable for growing organizations and enterprises only.

• Best business intelligence platform of 2024

(Image credit: Future)Hoosuite: Basic features

As is the case with any software program, the Standard edition of Hootsuite will offer much less in the way of features and functions compared to the Advanced or Enterprise plans.

The Starter plan offers unlimited post scheduling, timing recommendations, Canva integrations, and a hashtag generator, plus a variety of other features. The limitations are that you can only work with 10 social accounts. If you want to add more, you'll need to upgrade to the $399/month plan for unlimited social accounts.

While many people enthuse about Hootsuite, a frequent bone of contention for some is the way the Hootsuite interface looks, feels, and behaves. It’s been improved over the years and the latest edition is perhaps the best to date, but it can be an acquired taste, especially compared to upstart rivals that focus on UI.

Nevertheless, setting up a Hootsuite account is easy using an email and password combination to get going. Once you're into the interface, adding social networks is a slick procedure and these can be managed via a central dashboard.

Hootsuite also offers up a full range of tools for monitoring and managing each social network. A real benefit is the ability to integrate any one of over 150 apps into your workspace, which further boosts the appeal.

(Image credit: Future)Hoosuite: Professional features and AI

Hootsuite's entry-level Standard plan lets you plug into 10 social media accounts, with the ability to schedule unlimited posts and to access all communications in one inbox.

Those with more muscular social media requirements will prefer the Advanced edition, which comes with the ability to integrate with unlimited social accounts, plus extended functionality like custom reporting and approval workflows.

Hoosuite also adds on extra "social listening" analytics, employee advocacy, an advanced inbox, and review management. Take a look at Hootsuite's website to check which plans it has available now.

• Best of the best: TechRadar's definitive buying guides

Hootsuite has significantly enhanced its platform with AI through OwlyWriter and the newly launched OwlyGPT in 2025. You'll find these tools integrated throughout the platform, designed to speed up content creation and eliminate writer's block.

OwlyWriter AI helps you generate social media captions in seconds. You can create posts from scratch by providing a simple prompt, or paste a URL and let it summarize articles into engaging social content. The "Get Inspired" feature generates endless post ideas based on keywords you provide, perfect for filling your content calendar. OwlyWriter can also identify your top-performing posts and suggest fresh ways to repurpose them.

OwlyGPT takes things further with new capabilities introduced in 2025. It can now generate original images to accompany your posts (currently in beta). Just describe what you need and it creates graphics automatically. The tool also personalizes output by analyzing your past posts and mimicking your brand voice, ensuring consistency even when multiple team members create content. OwlyGPT uses Talkwalker's social listening technology to incorporate real-time insights from live social feeds, making your content more relevant and timely.

The platform provides various copywriting formulas like HOOK, AMP, WIIFM, and AIDA to boost engagement and conversions. You get 300 AI tokens that renew monthly on paid plans, with each caption creation using one token. This gives you plenty of capacity for regular content generation without running out.

All Hootsuite plans include OwlyWriter AI at no extra cost. The AI integrates seamlessly with Hootsuite's scheduling, approval workflows, and compliance tools, so you maintain control over what gets published.

(Image credit: Hootsuite)Hootsuite: Analytics and reporting

There’s a whole area within Hootsuite that will let you tackle analytics, especially if you’ve gone for a beefier package. Depending on your tier, Hootsuite offers options for taking a deep dive into your social media stats, all of which can subsequently be compiled and readied for detailed reporting.

Hootsuite helps "prove" your social media ROI, useful in e-commerce or with cash-strapped startups and scale-ups. The service also offers ways to boost your engagement by tracking engagement across time.

If you’re looking for visual data to take back to your bosses, Hootsuite is great with graphic reporting. Advanced plan users will really appreciate the quality and power of the reporting potential in the higher-end editions. You’ll struggle to get that same impressive reporting in cheaper editions, though.

On top of these features, Hootsuite offers specific tools for monitoring social media, including getting customer feedback and protecting a brand from negative publicity. By putting all social media data in one place, keeping track becomes much easier.

(Image credit: Hootsuite)Hootsuite: User interface

Having that central dashboard at your disposal makes Hootsuite a breeze to the administrator, even when working with multiple accounts. There are some quirks, which may not suite everyone’s taste, but the platform feels stable on the whole.

The Enterprise plan is a good one to chose if you have staff members who might feel the benefit of the 24/7 priority support that comes as part of the package. (Hootsuite also publishes online documentation and guides for many of its features.)

There's a lot more to the interface than initially meets the eye, too, including some great integrations with Dropbox, Google Drive, and others, which offer a more seamless experience for busy social media executives. The software can also be used in conjunction with many of the Microsoft business apps, adding additional appeal especially to corporate users.

While the UI might not be as flashy as some of its rivals, Hootsuite gets the job done and we had very few problems finding our way around the online website or apps.

• Best online marketing service of 2024

(Image credit: Hootsuite )Hoosuite: Support

You'll really want to invest in the Enterprise plans if you think your staff will need the benefit of 24/7 support. That may mean more of an outlay, but to keep staff going if they get stuck along the way is often worth a little more expense.

Hootsuite also has a dedicated help center that makes a good place to start if you’re looking for assistance with the package. Yet unsurprisingly, some of the best ways to contact support involve using social media companies like Facebook and Twitter.

(Image credit: Hootsuite)

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

• Best content marketing tool of 2024

Hootsuite: The competition

Not everyone will want all of the extra functionality provided by a business-focused edition of Hootsuite. There are plenty of alternatives in the social media arena however, with the likes of Sprout Social, Buffer, Sendible, Loomly, and Zoho Social all being perfectly decent competitors worth considering.

There's not enough space to go into loads of detail about all of these offerings, so we recommend checking out Hootsuite's feature list, seeing if what you need is there, and then checking out its rivals should that feature be absent.

One thing we would say is that lots of Hootsuite's rivals don't offer the full range of services, especially in the Enterprise plan, and so it can be seen as something of a Swiss army knife.

(Image credit: Hootsuite)Hootsuite: Final verdict

Hootsuite continues to have plenty of appeal to all levels of social media managers, though anyone at the lower end of the business spectrum will find it a bit on the costlier side.

You’ll get more done with the beefier plans too ($399+) and the Enterprise edition packs in everything needed to handle social media for a global organization. We appreciate the depth of features on offer here, but feel conflicted about the removal of the free and more budget-friendly plans that were available before.

• Sign up to Hootsuite

Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene: two-minute review

The Clean+Wash Hygiene is the second in Dyson's hard floor cleaner line. Like its range-mate, the Dyson WashG1, it stands out for not using suction at all, but instead harnessing a mixture of 'agitation, hydration and separation' to get your hard floors squeaky clean.

The absence of suction means this cleaner is significantly lighter than most true wet-dry vacuums, and it also means it can operate relatively quietly. On test, I couldn't see a compromise in performance, either: I was very impressed with how effectively the Clean+Wash Hygiene picked up all kinds of messes, including chunky particles like oats, using just its cleverly designed roller.

Liquid waste is separated from solid, and one USP here is that all the waste is stored in the floorhead itself. Dyson says this is good news for longevity, because there are no pipes to get grimy or blocked up. I did find the emptying process a little fiddly, and the floorhead was drippier than other hard floor cleaners I've used.

There's a self-clean cycle that runs fresh water through the system. It will likely require you to empty the dirty water tank and refill the clean one mid-cycle, but otherwise it's effective at removing dirt from the roller. Dyson has also an added hot air drying here – it's noisy but again, effective. Even after the muckiest of cleaning task, my roller looked good-as-new afterwards.

Bar some minor quibbles, I was impressed with this cleaner. Whether it's worth the asking price is another thing – I've tested some of the best wet-and-dry vacuums on the market, and there's little that stands out as truly exceptional here, unfortunately.

That's the short version; read on for my full Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene review.

(Image credit: Future)Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene review: price & availability

• List price: £429.99
• Available: Now in the UK, US and AU to follow
• Launched: December 2025

The Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene went on sale in the UK in December 2025, at a list price of £429.99. It's due to become available in the US and in Australia in 2026, but I don't have any specifics or pricing yet – based on UK pricing, it might be around $600 / AU$850.

That's in the premium band for a hard floor cleaner, and although the build quality is excellent and plenty of thought has clearly gone into the design, I don't think it does quite enough to justify the price tag. For that kind of money I'd expect to see the option of suction, and special features like dirt detection, automatic adjustment, and even foam / steam functions.

• Value for money score: 3 out of 5

Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene specs

Cleaner size (H x L x W):

43.1 x 9.6 x 11 inches / 109.6 x 24.4 x 28cm

Dock size (H x L x W):

9.4 x 11 x 10.1 inches / 24 x 28 x 25.7cm

Weight (empty):

8.4lbs / 3.8kg

Clean water tank volume:

0.75L

Dirty water tank volume:

0.52L

Max runtime:

45 mins

Dock cable length:

5.9ft / 1.8m

Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene review: design

• Streamlined and relatively lightweight, and can lie flat
• Waste is stored in the floorhead, and separated into solids and liquids
• Self-clean function and hot air drying on the dock

The Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene is a lightweight hard floor cleaner with a handful of interesting design features. Rather surprisingly given this brand's heritage, there's no suction here – instead, it uses hydration and agitation to remove dirt from hard flooring.

The roller spins at speed, and is continually fed with fresh water, as the dirty stuff is scraped off. It can handle mixed solid-and-liquid spills, and to a certain extent also dust and other dry debris (although it won't be as effective as a regular stick vacuum here).

(Image credit: Future)

The roller is densely packed with fibers to make it as absorbent as possible, and Dyson has added wiry bristles that stick out a bit, for extra scrubbing power. There's also an anti-tangle comb behind the roller to prevent hair wrap. On one side the roller goes right up close to the edge of the floorhead, but on the other there's a decent chunk of casing. The roller can be removed for rinsing as required.

One of the areas where Dyson tends to shine in its floorcare range is maneuverability, but I didn't find the Clean+Wash Hygiene quite as nimble as I expected. Don't get me wrong, it's far from cumbersome – it's streamlined in design and pivots smoothly, but it felt a little less agile than something like the Dyson WashG1. I was impressed that it could lie completely flat to the ground, until the whole thing is just 4.44 inches / 11.3cm tall. A small wheel on the back of the handle helps it maneuver smoothly in this mode.

(Image credit: Future)

The dirty water compartment is integrated into the floorhead itself – similar to the mopping floorhead on the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine. The thinking is that because the dirt has nowhere to really travel, there's no tubing to get clogged up. Liquid ends up in a dirty water tank, and solid waste is filtered out into a separate tray. The two compartments are removed as one, but getting them apart and then back together again is a little fiddly compared to other wet-dry vacuums I've tested... not to mention messier.

(Image credit: Future)

There are three hydration modes to choose from, and a Boost mode to add extra water for tackling dried-on dirt. Dyson proudly claims the 750ml clean water tank will cover an area of 350 sqm, leaving such a fine sheen of moisture that your floors will be dry within 60 seconds. There are no other special modes, such as automated setting adjustment.

(Image credit: Future)

One major upgrade on the Clean+Wash Hygiene compared to the WashG1 is that Dyson has introduced hot air drying on the dock. So after mopping, you run a self-clean cycle which runs fresh water over the roller. Then it's dried using wafts of warm (185F / 85C) air, saving you from having to remove it and put it out somewhere to dry.

• Design score: 4 out of 5

Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene review: performance

• Efficient, relatively quiet cleaning of liquid and solid spills
• Floorhead a little drippy, and self-clean cycle uses a lot of water
• Mop drying rather noisy but effective

I started by filling up the clean water and embarking on a whole-floor clean. The roller saturated fairly quickly without any pre-wetting, and left an very light, even sheen of water on my vinyl flooring. It's easy to toggle modes, and the screen spells out remaining cleaning time so you'll never unexpectedly run out of battery.

Because there's no suction, it's relatively quiet in operation, and the runtimes are long too. The Clean+Wash Hygiene can last up to 45 minutes per charge.

Cleaning

To assess its capabilities more closely, I tested how the Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene handled a range of tricky cleaning challenges. I started with soy sauce mixed with oats. It gobbled up all the oats in one forward and backward pass in Med mode – impressive, given there's no suction here.

(Image credit: Future)

Then I decided it was time to bring out the big guns. I smeared maple syrup, crunchy peanut butter and Marmite (a super-sticky, viscous spread) on a vinyl floor. This time it struggled a bit. I unleashed Boost mode, and it took about 20 seconds of back-and-forth to clear the mess. That's a decent result – this test is purposefully very tricky. Plus, there was no sticky residue left behind.

Like every wet-and-dry cleaner I'm aware of, this machine is only suitable for perfectly flat floors. It can't deal with uneven surfaces such as flagstones, and it won't get into the cracks between tiles either – although it does do a better job of this than some, thanks to those bristles in the roller.

Maintenance

After my mopping session, it was time to clean out the waste. Although I see the logic in separating liquid from solid waste, and I acknowledge the potential long-term maintenance benefits, the emptying process does feel fiddlier than usual.

Unlike on the WashG1, you can't get your hand inside the dirty water tank to clean it out. The design of the tank also makes it very difficult to see when it's filling up, although it will inform you on screen.

I also found the floorhead had a tendency to drip or leak dirty water when handled. No wet-dry vacuum is perfect in this respect, but this Dyson machine seems especially bad for it, perhaps because the waste compartments are relatively complicated in design, with lots of separate elements.

(Image credit: Future)

Next, I embarked on a self-clean cycle. This starts by flushing the system with fresh water to get rid of lingering dirt. Almost immediately, the machine paused and asked me to refill the clean water tank. After relaunching, it paused again and asked me to empty the dirty water.

I'd recommend doing both these things before launching a self-clean cycle, and again afterwards, to avoid annoying disruptions. The process uses more than half a tank of fresh water, so it'll almost certainly be required.

(Image credit: Future)

Flushing complete, the dock then begins to dry the roller with hot air. This part is surprisingly noisy too, although it only lasts around half an hour. (On other machines I've used, the drying lasts longer but is much quieter, and on some advanced models you have the option of short-and-noisy or long-and-quiet.) Afterwards, I inspected the roller and it was almost completely dry, with no dirt to speak of.

• Performance score: 4 out of 5

Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene: Scorecard

Attribute

Notes

Rating

Value

Well-built and solid quality, but little in terms of features to justify the premium price.

3 / 5

Design

Streamlined, lightweight and can lie flat. Slightly fiddly and messy waste disposal setup.

3.5 / 5

Performance

Effective at cleaning solid and liquid spills, even without suction. Self-clean works well too.

4 / 5

How I tested the Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene

I used the Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene for a couple of weeks on my hard floors. Aside from day-to-day use, I ran a series of dedicated cleaning tests to see how it coped with different kinds of messes, including liquid-solid spills, sticky and viscous substances. I compared my findings with other hard floor cleaners, and assessed if this model offered strong value for money.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed January 2026