Reviews

Asus RT-BE92U: One-minute review

It may not have the built-like-a-tank design and ominous glowing lights that Asus uses in some of its eye-catching gaming routers, but the new RT-BE92U won’t take a backseat to any of its flashier rivals. It’s not much to look at, but beneath that unassuming design the RT-BE92U boasts the latest tri-band Wi-Fi 7, with support for the high-speed 6.0GHz frequency band that is sometimes omitted in less expensive Wi-Fi 7 routers.

It also provides high-speed wired connectivity for home or offices that have fibre broadband, and even provides a USB port that allows you to ‘tether’ the router to a smartphone or mobile device that supports 4G or 5G mobile broadband in case your normal broadband service is interrupted for some reason. And, above all else, it doesn’t constantly pester you to sign up for subscriptions for additional parental controls and security features, as some of its rivals do.

(Image credit: Future)Asus RT-BE92U: Design and features

• Creates Guest, Kids and VPN networks
• USB tethering for 4G/5G mobile broadband
• Free parental controls

Specifications

Wi-Fi:

Tri-band Wi-Fi 7 (2.4GHz, 5.0GHz, 6.0GHz)

Wi-Fi Speed:

9.7Gbps

Ports:

1x 10Gb Ethernet (WAN/LAN), 1x 2.5Gb Ethernet (WAN/LAN), 3x 2.5Gb Ethernet (LAN), 1x USB 3.2

Processor:

Quad-core @ 2.0GHz

Memory:

1GB DDR4

Storage:

256MB Flash

Dimensions:

248 x 102 x 288mm

Weight:

1.1kg

The design of the RT-BE92U is purely functional, consisting of little more than an upright slab of black plastic, with four antennae sticking up into the air (and a fifth antenna hidden inside the body of the router as well). It doesn’t cut corners on features, though, boasting tri-band Wi-Fi 7 with a top speed of 9.7Gbps (or 9,678Mbps if you want to be precise), and a super-fast 10 Gigabit Ethernet port that can double up to provide either a broadband (WAN) connection, or a wired connection (LAN) for a computer, games console or TV.

There’s a 2.5 Gigabit port that can also double up for either WAN or LAN connections, and three more 2.5G ports for wired connections only. Even the humble USB port on the back throws in some extra features too. As well as allowing you to connect a hard drive or solid-state drive that can be shared with other people on your network, the USB port can be used to charge a smartphone or other mobile devices, and can even be ‘tethered’ to your smartphone in order to use its 4G or 5G mobile broadband as an emergency backup in case something interrupts your normal broadband service.

The Asus Router app for iOS and Android also provides an impressive array of features, although it’s not always as straightforward to use as it could be. Somewhat oddly, the RT-BE92U initially creates a new network that doesn’t have any password protection, so you need to move through the set-up process quite swiftly in order to add a password and keep your new network safe. Fortunately, the app does allow you to scan a QR code in order to quickly connect to the RT-BE92U, and you are then prompted to create a new name and password for the new network.

(Image credit: Future)

Once that’s done you have a variety of useful options available, including QoS – quality of service – that gives priority to specific activities, such as gaming or streaming video, that need maximum performance. Most routers will allow you to create a guest network, but the Router app also allows you to create a ‘Kid’s Network’ with a schedule to limit internet access to specific times, and a ‘VPN Network’ for use with popular VPN apps, such as NordVPN and SurfShark.

It even provides a good set of parental controls free of charge, with no need to sign up for an additional subscription. You can create profiles for children of different ages, which automatically block unsuitable content, such as pornography, violence or gambling. Most of Asus’ rivals charge additional subscriptions for parental controls, so the inclusion of all these features at no extra cost is very welcome. Our only complaint is that the Asus app buries many of these features within a maze of dense menus and sub-menus, so it could take a little while to actually find the features you want to use.

• Features: 5/5

Asus RT-BE92U: Performance

• Tri-band Wi-Fi 7 (9.7Gbps)
• 10 Gigabit Ethernet WAN/LAN
• 4x 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet

BENCHMARKS:

Ookla Speed Test – Single merged network (download/upload)

Within 5ft, no obstructions: 150Mbps/150Mbps

Within 30ft, three partition walls: 150Mbps/150Mbps

20GB Steam Download - Single merged network

Within 5ft, no obstructions: 150Mbps

Within 30ft, three partition walls: 150Mbps

The Asus app does at least keep things simple by merging its three frequency bands - 2.4GHz, 5.0GHz and 6.0GHz – into a single network and automatically connecting your devices to whichever band provides the best speed in each room or area within your home.

But, in order to test the faster 6.0GHz band separately, I ran our Ookla Speedtest and Steam download test on two different laptops – an older HP laptop that only supports the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz bands, and a more recent Samsung laptop that supports 6.0GHz.

(Image credit: Future)

I began with the two laptops in the same room as the RT-BE92U, and wasn’t really surprised to find that both laptops breezed along at the maximum 150Mbps provided by my office broadband. The real test, though, came when I walked along a hallway – one laptop perched in the palm of each hand – to an office at the back of the building. My normal office router always struggles to reach this back office, but I was pleased to find that both laptops effortlessly maintained their 150Mbps speeds without even the slightest wobble.

Admittedly, that 9.7Gbps top speed will be overkill for many users, but it’s very good value at such a competitive price. And, with additional features such as USB tethering and free parental controls, the RT-BE92U will be an excellent upgrade for home users and office workers alike.

• Performance: 5/5

(Image credit: Future)Should you buy the Asus RT-BE92U?Asus RT-BE92U scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

The RT-BE92U is competitively priced for a high-end tri-band router with Wi-Fi 7, and it’s also packed with useful features – that don’t require a subscription.

5/5

Features

Great speed and connectivity are just the start. The RT-BE92U also includes good parental controls, network customisation, and USB tethering.

5/5

Performance

It may be overkill for many people, but if you need speed then the RT-BE92U delivers the goods with blazing performance for both Wi-Fi and wired networks.

5/5

Overall Score

What it lacks in eye-candy, the RT-BE92U makes up for with its sheer speed, impressive connectivity and additional features.

5/5

Buy it if:

You have fibre broadband
Along with its high-speed Wi-Fi, the RT-BE92U also provides 10Gb Ethernet for the latest high-speed broadband connections.View Deal

You’re ready for Wi-Fi 7
Newer computers and mobile devices that support the high-speed 6.0GHz frequency band will get the most benefit from the tri-band RT-BE92U.View Deal

Don’t buy it if:

You’re still on Wi-Fi 5/6
Older devices that support Wi-Fi 5 or 6 won’t benefit from the sheer speed of the RT-BE92U, so there’s no need to pay for an expensive Wi-Fi 7 upgrade just yet.View Deal

You’re on a budget
The 9.7Gbps speed of the RT-BE92U will be total overkill for most home broadband services, so you can save money by opting for a more modest performer instead.View Deal

Also consider:

Asus RT-BE92U

D-Link Aquila Pro AI R95

Netgear Nighthawk RS100

Price (as reviewed)

$249.99/£219.99/AU$328.30

$254.99/£180.00

$129.99/£129.99/AU$259.00

Wi-Fi

Tri-band Wi-Fi 7

Tri-band Wi-Fi 7

dual-band Wi-Fi 7

Wi-Fi Speed

9.7Gbps

9.5Gbps

3.6Gbps

Connectivity

1x 10Gb Ethernet (WAN/LAN), 1x 2.5Gb Ethernet (WAN/LAN), 3x 2.5Gb Ethernet (LAN), 1x USB 3.2

1x 2.5Gb Ethernet (WAN), 3x Gigabit Ethernet (LAN)

1x 2.5Gb Ethernet (WAN), 4x Gigabit Ethernet (LAN)

Processor

quad-core 2.0GHz

Not Specified

quad-core 2.0GHz

Memory

1GB RAM

Not Specified

1GB RAM

Storage

256MB Flash

Not Specified

512MB Flash

Dimensions

248 x 102 x 288mm

220 x 238 x 207mm

184 x 66 122mm

D-Link Aquila Pro R95
Its design may look a bit gimmicky, but the R95 goes head to head with Asus, offering tri-band Wi-Fi 7 and a top-speed of 9.5Gbps. Asus wins on parental controls, but D-Link’s ease of use is better for beginners.View Deal

Netgear Nighthawk RS100
If you don’t need blazing fast Wi-Fi 7 then Netgear’s RS100 provides a more affordable alternative. It only supports dual-band Wi-Fi 7, but its top speed of 3.6Gbps is more than fast enough for most home broadband services.

Read our full reviewView Deal

Google Pixel 10a: Two-Minute Review

Google's Pixel 10a is an interesting mid-range smartphone that bucks some of the trends the A-series lineup typically delivers on. It doesn’t get a new processor or upgraded camera hardware this year — instead sticking with the Tensor G4 and the same dual-camera system as the Pixel 9a — and there aren’t many headline-grabbing new tricks. Instead, Google is focused on continuing to deliver strong value.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Pixel 10a still offers a great ergonomic build that feels premium and comes in fun colors, and it also does something rare in modern smartphones: the back is completely flush, meaning there’s no camera bump. Battery life is excellent thanks to the 5,100mAh cell, easily lasting a full day in my testing, and Google has added Satellite SOS support for emergencies. The 6.3-inch Actua display remains bright and smooth with a 120Hz refresh rate, while the 48-megapixel main camera and 13-megapixel ultra-wide offer solid flexibility for everyday photos, portraits, and wide shots.

It’s likely not an upgrade if you already own a Pixel 9a — but then again, you’re probably not considering the 10a if you do. The bigger wrinkle is that the 9a is still widely available and can often be found for less than the 10a’s $499 MSRP. Considering the phones share the same processor, camera system, and battery capacity, the differences — like Camera Coach, the flush back, and new colors — might not be enough to sway everyone.

But if you're in the market for an affordable Android smartphone that doesn’t skimp on everyday performance, camera flexibility, or the latest AI features, the Pixel 10a — like most A-series phones before it — still stands above many other budget Android phones, even if not much has changed year over year.

Google Pixel 10a: Price and availability

Here’s some good news: if you’re already sold, Google’s Pixel 10a is available right now. The 10a is available in four colors – Lavender, Berry, Fog, or Obsidian – and can be configured with either 128GB or 256GB of storage, both pairing 8GB of RAM with the Tensor G4 chip inside.

The Google Pixel 10a starts at $499 / £499 / AU$849 for 128GB or $599 / £599 / AU$999 for 256GB.

Google Pixel 10a: SpecsGoogle Pixel 10a Specs

Dimensions:

154.7 x 73.3 x 8.9mm

Weight:

185.9g

Display:

6.3-inch Actua display

Resolution:

1080 x 2424

Refresh rate:

60-120Hz

Peak brightness:

2,700 nits

CPU:

Google Tensor G4

RAM:

8GB

Storage:

128GB / 256GB

OS:

Android 16

Cameras:

48MP main; 13MP ultrawide

Selfie Camera:

13MP

Battery:

5,100mAh

Charging:

23W

Colors:

Lavender, Berry, God, or Obsidian

Google Pixel 10a: Design

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

• Finally, a fully flush design with no camera bump
• Lavender and Berry are two great colors
• Feels like a premium phone

Yes, the Google Pixel 10a, like every A-Series Pixel before it, is all about value. But true to the line’s nature, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad-looking phone. The Pixel 10a looks very much like a modern member of the Pixel lineup.

The Pixel 10a feels very good in the hand and retains a silhouette similar to that of the Pixel 9a, its predecessor. The metal rails all around are soft to the touch, with a smooth matte finish that makes them easy to hold, and the button placement is easy to work with. The power and volume rockers are on the right; a USB-C port sits on the bottom, flanked by speakers; and a SIM card slot is on the left, pretty close to the top.

I really like the Lavender shade I’ve been testing, and unlike Apple’s iPad Air with M4 take on lavender, Google’s version definitely mixes blue and purple together for a terrific shade. Google has also leaned into vibrant device colors, and the 10a delivers here. You can also get the Pixel 10a in Berry, a pinkish red; Fog, a pale green; or Obsidian, a grayish black.

The rear is pretty much all device color, though. You might be expecting a glass back, but it’s a smooth-finish plastic here. The dual-camera system sits in the top-left corner alongside an LED flash, and there’s a big “G” Google logo centered in the middle.

Google’s Pixel 10a is a good-looking smartphone, but where it really packs a punch is that, even without a case, it can sit flat on a table. No rocking side to side. How? Google has eliminated the camera bump, so the entire rear of the 10a is flush — and I simply love it.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

It’s very rare, but the Pixel 10a is a completely flat phone, and I hope this is something we arrive at in future mainline Pixels as well. I can’t necessarily name another recent release that’s fully flat, and it’s even drawn a few eyes while I’ve been testing the 10a without a case.

That’s certainly a highlight here, and while the 10a also hides support for Qi wireless charging underneath, one downside is that PixelSnap isn’t supported. The Pixel 10a is pretty much identical to the Pixel 9a in this respect, and that’s not necessarily a major problem, considering you might not be considering the 10a if you bought a 9a last year.

Still, the Pixel A-Series typically trickles down some of the best features of the mainline Pixel lineup. In this case, the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro rolled out support for PixelSnap — essentially Android’s version of Apple’s MagSafe — opening those phones up to work with a range of accessories that snap to the back. That includes wallets, magnetic power banks, PopSockets, or even Octobuddys.

It’s a rare omission here and a bit of an odd decision on Google’s part, especially considering the just-released — and yes, more expensive — iPhone 17e supports MagSafe.

PixelSnap aside, though, the Pixel 10a is a great-looking, modern phone that comes in some delightful colors and manages a feat many other phones can’t match: it’s flat. And there’s no price increase.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

Google Pixel 10a: Display

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

• Google’s Actua display remains one of the best
• Great for viewing all sorts of content
• 120Hz support is a major win

Just like the Pixel 10 and Pixel 9a, Google’s Pixel 10a features a 6.3-inch Actua display that’s really a joy to view content on. The panel here is a pOLED with a resolution of 1080 x 2424 at 422 pixels per inch. That’s a lot of tech specs, yes, but the key takeaway is that it’s a great display — albeit the same as the 9a, minus a bit of brightness — to have on a budget phone, and it can go head-to-head with true flagships.

Google notes that the Pixel 10a’s peak brightness reaches up to 3,000 nits (2,000 nits for HDR), but in Future PLC’s lab testing, we found it reached 1,896 nits. I didn’t notice much of an issue during daily testing, including outdoors on sunny days or under bright indoor lighting. Our lab also recorded the Pixel 9a at 2,076 nits — again, just something to keep in mind.

Unlike the iPhone 17e, the Pixel 10a features a 120Hz refresh rate, which is great for watching content or playing games, and it also makes the smartphone feel more responsive. Interestingly, it isn’t enabled by default, so you’ll need to head to Settings to turn it on. While it warns that enabling it will drain the battery a bit faster than 60Hz, it’s worth it for the experience. Colors look punchy and vibrant, with strong contrast, and darker tones look deep. Whether I was scrolling through TikToks or Reels, watching a show on Hulu or Disney+, texting a friend, responding to an email, or browsing the web, everything looked pretty great.

There’s still an optical fingerprint sensor built into the screen, and while it’s not as fast as the ultrasonic sensors found in some higher-end phones, it felt quick and responsive during my testing. Like on the Pixel 9a, it’s centered toward the bottom of the screen, which makes for a pretty ergonomic spot.

As you might expect from a more affordable Pixel, there are thicker bezels around the 6.3-inch screen than you’d find on a flagship. Still, there’s no notch on the Pixel 10a. Instead, there’s a centered hole-punch cutout at the top for the 13-megapixel selfie camera.

To help protect against scratches and drops, the Pixel 10a’s screen is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, an upgrade from the Gorilla Glass 3 used on the 9a. I haven’t noticed any scratches on my unit, despite one or two drops onto the floor indoors — it’s held up well so far.

• Display score: 4 / 5

Google Pixel 10a: Software

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

• Clean Android at its finest
• Deep integration with Google ecosystem
• Gemini, Gemini, Gemini

True to every Google Pixel before it, the Pixel 10a delivers a clean Android experience with plenty of Google customizations. Out of the box, Android 16 looks pretty familiar — you’ll see Google’s own suite of apps preloaded, along with the classic weather widget and Gemini. Yes, Google’s AI suite is well integrated here, but that’s not necessarily new, as it was the same case with the Pixel 9a.

Probably the best features in Google’s AI lineup on the Pixel have to do with phone calls — whether that’s waiting on hold while trying to reach a customer service line or helping block screen calls from potential telemarketers or other spam numbers. These are seriously helpful, and of course, Gemini is always on call when you have a network connection, whether that means typing to the AI, talking to it, or even firing up your camera to let it see.

If you’re already in the Android ecosystem — be it on an earlier Pixel device or another Android phone, maybe from the likes of Samsung — you’ll almost certainly feel right at home on the 10a. It doesn’t necessarily introduce any first-of-its-kind software features, but it does offer the familiar suite of Google-made apps and plenty of AI flair we’ve come to expect.

One new feature, which I’ll dive into a bit more below, is Camera Coach arriving on the 10a. This could prove helpful, especially if you want feedback on how to capture a specific shot or make an ultra-wide photo more unique. It debuted alongside the Pixel 10 lineup and serves as a guiding assistant for the camera, updating its suggestions based on what you’re shooting.

Maybe the best software feature, though, is the promise of software updates for seven years — that’s basically best-in-class. It ensures that your investment in a Pixel 10a will be supported for the long haul, assuming the hardware holds up.

• Software score: 4 / 5

Google Pixel 10a: Cameras

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

• Excellent to have a main and ultra-wide at this price
• No major changes to lenses year over year
• Camera Coach is a nice addition

While it’s not a bad thing — especially since you’re probably not picking up the Pixel 10a if you already own the 9a — the camera setup remains entirely unchanged generation over generation. The Pixel 10a’s rear dual-camera system features a 48-megapixel main camera paired with a 13-megapixel ultra-wide. Both of these are really, really good, with a keen ability to capture sharp, colorful shots with plenty of detail.

What you’re really getting here is flexibility. The 48-megapixel main camera is excellent for everyday shots — whether that’s snapping a quick photo of your dog, capturing a meal, or taking a portrait of a friend. Meanwhile, the 13-megapixel ultra-wide lets you pull back and fit a lot more into the frame, which is great for landscapes, group photos, or architecture.

Portrait mode remains a strong suit for the Pixel 10a as well. Google’s image processing does a great job separating the subject from the background, delivering natural-looking blur and strong edge detection around hair and clothing. Other camera modes — including Night Sight and standard photo capture — also perform well here, producing bright images with plenty of dynamic range.

Where the Pixel 10a falls a bit short is in zoom. Without a dedicated telephoto lens, you’re relying on digital zoom once you move past the standard 1x view. While Google’s processing does a decent job keeping images usable at modest zoom levels, detail starts to soften the further you push it.

There’s also no real improvement over the Pixel 9a here — both phones produce good images, though sometimes it can take snapping a couple of shots to get the one you really want. I would have liked to see at least a small leap this year, but for a $500 phone, the Pixel 10a still fits the bill as a dependable camera. The 13-megapixel front-facing camera might lack the flair of more expensive devices, but it still captures a great selfie with ample space for a few friends in the shot.

• Cameras score: 4 / 5

Google Pixel 10a: Performance

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

• The 10a delivers good performance that’ll deliver every day
• Still running a Tensor G4 chip

Here’s another oddity with the Pixel 10a: it uses the same processor as the Pixel 9a, the Tensor G4. For those who follow speeds and feeds, that likely means this won’t be the fastest-performing smartphone out there, but that’s also not necessarily expected on a $499 phone. Google is really the only one that knows why the 10a didn’t get the Tensor G5 like the Pixel 10 or Pixel 10 Pro — most A-series Pixels typically trickle down the latest processor, again offering excellent performance for a much lower price.

It’s also at odds with the iPhone 17e, which features the A19 chip, nearly identical to the one inside the standard iPhone 17. Overall, that phone feels a bit more responsive, especially for more demanding tasks.

Even with all that said, though, the Pixel 10a still runs well, and for most everyday tasks — and even some light gaming — it performs just fine. AI tasks and processes like image editing or summarization take a bit longer here, especially if they’re handled on-device. The same goes for video exports or more intensive photo edits, but it’s not a real deal-breaker.

I was able to perform nearly all my daily tasks on the 10a, whether that was responding to emails, Slack, or messages, browsing the web, scrolling through TikTok or Reels, or even mixing in some light gaming or video editing. The Pixel 10a handled most of it well, with only a few small speed bumps along the way.

Opening apps – whether basic or more advanced – felt pretty close to instant, and overall, the Pixel 10a offered good performance. It’s not quite as zippy as the Pixel 10 or the Pixel 10 Pro, but again, that’s not necessarily a surprise here.

• Performance score: 4 / 5

Google Pixel 10a: Battery & Connectivity

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

• It will easily last all day
• Still supports fast wired charging
• Satellite SOS is a great addition

Now, as I mentioned above, PixelSnap isn’t supported here, but you can still charge the Pixel 10a wirelessly at up to 7.5 watts or via a wired connection. If speed is your game, you can plug in the Pixel 10a via USB-C and get close to 60% in about 30 minutes. That’s from my testing, and it’s a great result, as you can quickly top up the battery if needed.

That said, with a 5,100mAh battery inside — the same capacity as the Pixel 9a — I didn’t have to reach for the charger very often. I easily made it through a full day filled with plenty of replies, shutter presses, and some gaming while on the go. The Pixel 10a also performed well in Future PLC’s lab battery test, lasting 15 hours and 16 minutes — more than two hours longer than the Pixel 9a in the same test.

Considering it uses the same processor and battery capacity as the previous generation, that likely means there were other improvements or efficiencies, probably on the software side.

Lastly, like the iPhone 17e, Google’s Pixel 10a now supports Satellite SOS. This means that if you’re without service — maybe on a nature trail — and need to contact help, you can do so by following on-screen instructions to connect via satellite. It’s very similar to Emergency SOS via Satellite on the iPhone and is a really nice feature to have, even if it’s one you hopefully never need to use.

• Battery & Connectivity score: 4 / 5

Google Pixel 10a Should you buy?Google Pixel 10a score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Design

An ergonomic, premium feeling phone with a fully flush design.

4.5 / 5

Display

The 6.3-inch Actua display here definetly punches above the price point, and was great indoors or outdoors.

4 / 5

Camera

It's unchanged, but the 10a still offers a flexible main and ultra-wide camera system.

4 / 5

Software

Out of the box, the 10a provides a simple Android 16 expereince that still puts AI features at the center.

4 / 5

Performance

The Tensor G4 isn't brand new, but you likely won't notice it with daily use.

4 / 5

Battery

No PixelSnap is a dissapoint, but the 10a lasts even longer than the 9a.

4 / 5

Value

With an excellent feature, and the same starting price, the 10a remains one of the best value options.

5 / 5

Buy it if...

You don’t want to break the bank

At $499, the Pixel 10a delivers a great mix of features that won’t leave you yearning for more, especially in the camera department.View Deal

You want long battery life

The battery didn’t get any bigger, but the Pixel 10a easily lasts all day – even with heavy use – and can be quickly recharged. View Deal

Don’t buy it if...

You already have a Pixel 9a

The Pixel 10a keeps the same processor, camera system, and battery as the 9a, making it a tough sell if you already own last year’s model.View Deal

Google Pixel 10a: How I tested

I used the Google Pixel 10a for more than two weeks, setting it up fresh and loading it with all of my everyday apps, including Gmail, Slack, TikTok, Instagram, and several work tools. During that time, I used it throughout my daily routine for messaging, emails, social media, photos, navigation, and streaming video to see how it handled real-world use. I also compared the Pixel 10a directly with several other smartphones, including the Pixel 9a, Pixel 10, iPhone 17, and iPhone 17e.

First reviewed March 10 2026.

When I first heard about 1348 Ex Voto, I was instantly intrigued. A medieval Italian setting, sword fights, a dark and dramatic quest with a knight at the centre of it; and a lady knight at that? Count me in!

Review info

Platform reviewed: PC
Available on: PS5, PC
Release date: March 12, 2026

In developer Sedleo's third-person action game set during 14th-century Italy, you play as Aeta, a young nobleman's daughter and trained knight-errant, who is dealing with the loss of her father after pestilence swept through her village.

When the rest of her hometown is massacred by unknown forces and Bianca, her closest companion and former household servant, is suddenly kidnapped, it's up to Aeta, armed with her determination and skill with a longsword, to come to the rescue.

A true knight

(Image credit: Sedleo)

I'm a sucker for a dark tale that follows a character on a high-stakes quest, so the premise of Ex Voto had my attention immediately from the prologue. It's a classic narrative about whether the end can ever justifies the means, and Aeta's unfailing resolve and heroism, as well as her naivety, make for a compelling character amid a setting filled with lawlessness.

The game consists of nine relatively short chapters that take place across rocky landscapes, lush woodland, the ruins of ancient Rome, and the villas of a medieval Italian countryside. I finished it in roughly seven hours, but it's possible to beat it within one sitting if you don't die too often or spend the extra time scouring every corner looking for hidden treasures.

As childhood companions (and later suggested to be lovers), Aeta, played by Alby Baldwin, has an unwavering devotion to Jennifer English's Bianca, so her vow to track down and rescue her from her captors was a journey I was prepared to fall in love with.

As the playable protagonist, I did like Aeta for the most part. Throughout her quest, she is forced into encounters that test her faith, and you witness how resilient she becomes in not just tracking down Bianca but also finding those responsible for all this destruction.

(Image credit: Sedleo)

Heroes like Aeta, who are defined by their selflessness and driven by a strong moral code, are some of my favorite characters in fiction, especially in stories with a woman in the lead role.

Aeta is shaped by the chivalric tales she grew up with, which inspired her to become a knight-errant in the first place, but due to how short the game is, there weren't enough opportunities to dig deeper into her character beyond the vow she made to her god and devotion to Bianca, which felt like a missed opportunity.

Additionally, Ex Voto suffers from too much telling, and not enough showing. The simple premise of the game and Aeta's arduous quest should be strong enough to stand on its own, but her unnecessary commentary just becomes irritating.

I don't typically mind when protagonists have an internal monologue, but it gets to a point. In Ex Voto, instead of simply letting the lovely linear environments tell the story, Aeta often comments on literally everything she sees: whether it be pointing out the obvious, repeating her latest point of interest, or the countless times she proclaims her vow to save Bianca.

The latter is also one of the reasons why I wasn't completely sold on Aeta and Bianca's story. Aside from the short prologue and a few other scenes I won't spoil, the closeness they share just didn't feel real enough to grasp onto. Aeta wants to save Bianca; that's her main goal, but the journey lacks the emotional depth that I expected.

(Image credit: Sedleo)

Baldwin and English's great voice work does most of the heavy lifting in trying to make their bond believable, but their underdeveloped relationship couldn't make me to care too deeply. It's a shame, because these sorts of love stories are a dime a dozen in video games, and it wasn't helped by the disjointed story beats, particularly mid-game.

Each chapter tasks you with getting from one area to the next, on the trail of Bianca and her captors, followed by a short time skip that begins the proceeding chapter. This is a short, linear experience, so there's not much in terms of exploration; you'll mainly be stocking up on provisions, finding trinkets, treasures, and sword parts, or moving boxes or carts to overcome obstacles. And taking down baddies, of course.

Without spoiling anything, I will admit the final act took me by surprise but, because the exploration of Aeta and Bianca's bond felt so underutilized within the story, the climax rang hollow.

Performance woes

(Image credit: Sedleo)

Now let's get the worst of it out of the way. I played 1348 Ex Voto on PC and let's just say I was sorely disappointed in the optimization.

My PC is fitted with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti graphics card, an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X 8-core CPU, and 16GB of RAM, and with this mid-range build, I can typically play some pretty demanding modern games. However, the small indieEx Voto struggled tremendously.

When at high settings at 1440p resolution (though I tried 4K too), locked at 60 frames per second (fps), the game's performance dropped to between 20 and 30fps and stuttering was prevalent, with the same problems persisting even at medium settings.

After fiddling with settings for ages, I eventually resorted to putting the game in low settings and saw a big boost in performance up to 60fps, although the game frequently saw huge dips down to 30fps, especially in areas featuring an overwhelming amount of detail on screen, like in highly detailed woodland or places featuring atmospheric shadows.

Aeta and other characters also suffer the same fate. With all low settings, the realism and emotional weight that are intended to be translated through their models are lost, making them look like puppets, and I would be lying if I didn't say it put me off.

Best Bit

(Image credit: Sedleo)

1348's Ex Voto's strongest facet is its sword-fighting combat system. With two longsword stances on offer, a challenging parry, and a generous selection of upgradable skills, the combat feels the most fine-tuned out of everything the game has to offer.

It's a bummer, because the game's realistic style and appealing, cinematic direction were one of the things that drew me in in the first place. I was essentially forced to sacrifice the gorgeous visuals if I wanted even a crumb of good performance, and even then, it wasn't always perfect.

While less frustrating, I did run into a few annoying bugs, though they weren't game-breaking enough to require me winding back my save. At one point early on, I encountered an awful, yet hilarious issues where a character kept repeating his lines over and over again during a lengthy cutscene. It was so distracting that I couldn't even pay attention to any of the dialogue, and it basically ruined the atmosphere of the entire scene.

Aside from this, and a few other interaction bugs where I couldn't pick up provisions and move a box properly, the main issue revolved around the performance, and I think the game should've been kept in the oven a little longer so Sedleo could smooth out the cracks.

During the review period, I wasn't given the chance to try out the PlayStation 5 version, so I'm really curious if Ex Voto offers a more stable experience than PC.

Stick 'em with the pointy end

(Image credit: Sedleo)

Ex Voto's saving grace is its sword-fighting combat system. Your sole weapon is your longsword, which gives you a one-handed and two-handed stance. The first lets Aeta attack faster in broad strokes, but strikes deal slightly less damage, while the latter attacks slower, with a shorter range, and deals slightly more damage.

One-on-one battles is definitely the game's strongest suit; sword fights feel stylish and rewarding, particularly when you're able to repeatedly execute perfect parries and stagger an enemy by breaking their guard, leaving them open for a killing blow.

Aeta's longsword can also be upgraded by finding different parts along your journey, each with its own attributes that offer alternative fighting styles. The game's skill tree, which consists of four key categories and can be unlocked by finding scrolls in the world, also features additional ways to upgrade your Health, Guard, and Food gauges (which are vital in longer battles) as well as your two stances.

Trinkets are another special item that, when equipped, will impact gameplay with unique effects. Each trinket has a cost, so you can't equip them all, but they do make or break a fight.

You start with the Toy Knight, a trinket that automatically uses all the food in your inventory to prevent death, but you can find a handful more, including one that lets you heal for double, which comes in handy in the latter part of the game when you're up against numerous enemies at once.

If you don't do a good enough job of collecting provisions, you may get soft-locked into fights if you die

Speaking of, Ex Voto has a good variety of foes, along with three main bosses, across its nine chapters, all with their own weapon types and attack patterns that you'll need to learn how to counter by parrying and spending scrolls on the right skills.

There are points in combat where you are overwhelmed by multiple enemies at once, and, in the late game, additional foes spawn out of nowhere to join the fight making maintaining your gauges an even bigger challenge.

These five-on-one (even sometimes more) fights could sometimes feel finicky due to the game's lock-on mechanic, especially when you are pinned in close quarters. If you don't do a good enough job of collecting provisions, you may get soft-locked into fights when you die because of the autosave function.

While I enjoy combat a lot, there is no power scaling in the game so by the time I reached the final boss fight, I'd become so accustomed to the simple mechanics that I was able to beat them easily.

Just as it got in the way of being able to enjoy the visuals, the game's performance also affects gameplay. Not to the extent where it is unplayable, but stutters and small framerate dips are more noticeable in the aforementioned areas when so much is happening on screen.

Should you play 1348 Ex Voto?Play it if...

You like dark, medieval stories about a knight on a quest
1348 Ex Voto is set in 14th-century Italy and brings the era to life through realistic graphics and linear areas to explore.

You like swords and fighting baddies
The game's sword-fighting combat system is the game's strongest feature, letting you parry and stagger enemies in challenging battles.

You like shorter games
1348 Ex Voto consists of nine chapters and takes around seven to nine hours to beat, so if you're looking for a short game to get lost in for a while, you might consider this worth your time.

Don't play it if...

You're hoping for an optimized PC performance
PC performance, right now, is awful and doesn't feel as fine-tuned as it could be. So if you don't want to sacrifice the game's pretty visuals by playing on low settings, best to wait for a performance patch

You're looking for a deep storyline
Although 1348 Ex Voto begins with a strong premise, Aeta and Bianca's close relationship lacks the emotional depth I was expecting and hoping to find, resulting in a weaker overall storyline.

Accessibility features

1348 Ex Voto suffers from a lack of accessibility options, only offering general graphics settings for motion blur and subtitles, and multiple language options. There are also no options to customize your keybinds on PC, which was something I struggled with.

How I reviewed 1348 Ex Voto

I spent roughly eight hours playing 1348 Ex Voto on my gaming PC with my Logitech G G715 wireless gaming keyboard and Logitech G703 wireless gaming mouse, completing the main storyline. I used a Gigabyte M32U gaming monitor, and used my Sony WH-CH520 wireless headphones for audio.

The game doesn't offer any additional performance modes to try out, but I compared the game's visuals and performance to other medieval action games, like Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

First reviewed March 2026

FiiO TT13 review: two minute review

The FiiO TT13 is an impressive and attractive belt-driven turntable with fully automatic operation to take the fear out of playing your records. It's made from aluminium alloy, comes in a choice of black or silver, features integrated LED lighting, and comes with an Audio-Technica AT3600LA cartridge.

What else does the TT13 offer, to recommend it as one of the best turntables we've tested? It has Bluetooth with SBC/aptX/aptX LL/aptX HD but not AAC and it has its own integrated preamp — although unlike similar turntables the preamp can't be switched off. It supports both AC and DC power supplies.

This is a distinctly modern turntable with good clarity and warmth and a bright sonic signature; to my ears it was a little light at the very low end but bass was still clear and well defined.

One thing to note: FiiO's TT13 turntable is clearly aimed at vinyl beginners and is great value for money, but if you're a turntable tinkerer this isn't one for you: the tonearm is designed specifically for Audio-Technica cartridges and lacks balance adjustment to support alternatives.

FiiO TT13 review: price and release date

The integrated lighting is seamless, with a choice of 7 colors and 3 brightness levels (Image credit: Future)

• Released October 2024
• Priced $249 / £239 / AU$249

The FiiO TT13 was announced in May 2024 and released in October 2024. The turntable's list price was $249.99 / £239.99 / AU$248, and in the US there was also a non-Bluetooth model for $239.99. The version sold in the UK and most US retailers is the Bluetooth model but make sure you check the specs when buying; I haven't seen any non-Bluetooth ones in the usual retailers but it's worth confirming that you're buying the Bluetooth one.

As usual with FiiO this is a very competitively priced product: it's coming in at slightly more than the Audio-Technica AT-LP3XBTBK and slightly less than the Sony PS-LX310BT, both of which are also automatic turntables with Bluetooth.

FiiO TT13 review: features

Things are simple round the back: two line outs (but no phono outs) plus support for both AC and DC power. There's also a balance adjuster and a ground, as well as a record size switch. (Image credit: Future)

• Fully automatic operation
• Integrated preamp delivering up to 800mV at 1kHz
• Two op-amps for warmth and low noise

The FiiO is fully automatic and electronically switchable between 33 and 1/3 and 45 RPM, and it comes with a Audio-Technica AT3600LA cartridge.

The TT13 features a built-in phono preamp that can put out up to 800mV at 1kHz, which is more than double the output of some rivals, and that enables you to connect your turntable directly to a pair of active speakers without requiring a separate phono stage. The pre-amp is built around two JRC5532 op-amps that deliver warmth and low noise.

The Bluetooth module here is more advanced than many affordable Bluetooth turntables that stick to the familiar SBC/AAC codecs. The TT13 uses Qualcomm's Bluetooth module for SBC plus aptX, aptX Low Latency and aptX HD.

While this is primarily an entry-level turntable, the TT13 can also use an external power supply for more audiophile setups. It supports both AC (100-240V) and DC (12V-1A). If both are connected, AC takes precedence.

The platter can be illuminated in a choice of 7 colors and in a nice touch the status lights and FiiO logo take the same color.

Features score: 4 / 5

FiiO TT13 review: sound quality

Controls are simple. The power button doubles as a toggle for the illumination system, and the status lights match your chosen color. (Image credit: Future)

• Clear, warm and entertaining sound
• A little light at the very low end
• Bluetooth doesn't include AAC

The TT13 is an excellent-sounding turntable that delivers the kind of sound we've come to expect from FiiO: clear, detailed and entertaining. It's perhaps a little light at the very low end, especially with older rock and indie LPs, and if you're going to be listening over Bluetooth you'll probably want to boost the bass a little bit.

As with other turntables using the same Audio-Technica cartridge it's a good all-rounder balancing clarity with entertainment. While the AT cartridge isn't the brightest in the high frequencies the TT13 is still airy at the top end, and it's particularly entertaining on acoustic and sparsely arranged instruments: while I listened to various artists and genres I had the most fun listening to Talk Talk, mandolin-era REM and Taylor Swift's folky albums. With more rocky and electronic material I found the low end slightly lacking, although nothing a brief EQ tweak couldn't fix and definitely not a deal-breaker.

The Bluetooth module here doesn't support AAC, so you won't get the best sound quality on Apple headphones or earbuds. For other headphones, earbuds and active speakers the TT13 will try to use the best codec available, but that choice isn't controllable from the turntable itself and there's no indication of what codec you're using.

Sound quality: 4 / 5

FiiO TT13 review: design

The illuminated FiiO logo doubles as a Bluetooth status light and a repeat play indicator. (Image credit: Future)

• Solid metal construction looks particularly good in silver
• Integrated lighting is lots of fun
• Some unusual decisions round the back

As someone who grew up in a house of silver separates, I love the look of this turntable in its silver variant (black is also available). FiiO loves a bit of aluminium, and here it's used to great effect with flush-mounted buttons on the top surface and polished metal everywhere. The use of metal means it's a solid device — it weighs a hefty 4kg — and it helps reduce vibration and unwanted noise too.

The most dramatic bit of design is the integrated lighting that illuminates the platter with a choice of 7 different lighting colours. You can adjust the brightness via the supplied remote control and turn it off altogether if you wish. The FiiO logo at the top left of the unit lights up too, doubling as a status light for your Bluetooth connection and for when repeat play is enabled.

There are six buttons on the front top of the plinth: power, speed and pairing on the left, and start/stop, repeat and up/down on the right.

Round the back you'll find a switch to select between 7 and 12-inch records; RCA line outputs; a ground connector; and both DC and AC power sockets. There's also an adjustable potentiometer to adjust the left-right channel balance if it's not quite right — an odd thing to have in a turntable seemingly aimed at vinyl beginners.

Design score: 4 / 5

FiiO TT13 review: ease of use and setup

• Don't connect it to your phono inputs
• "Plug and go" design; easy to get started
• Fully automatic but don't forget the record size switch

Setting up the turntable is simple, and in a nice touch the belt is already wrapped around the platter and has a little paper pull tag that you use to drag the belt over the spindle. The only irritation I encountered was too-strong adhesive on the two "remove this before use" stickers, which required getting the Goo Gone out to remove the sticker residue.

The TT13 comes with a power cable, an RCA cable and a remote control, and the RCA cable also includes a ground wire for your amp. Unusually for a turntable with an integrated phono stage there isn't a bypass switch so you can't turn the preamp off and connect the TT13 to the phono inputs on your amplifier: you'll need to use line level inputs instead. Don't connect it to your amplifier's phono inputs, which are designed for much lower voltages.

Automatic turntables are the easiest turntables to use as they move the tonearm into position and gently lower it into place. The buttons to do that are clear, easy to identify and nicely tactile, and the remote control is simple. Bluetooth pairing is easy too: just press and hold the Pairing button, set your headphones or earbuds to pair and that's all you need to do.

Changing the lighting is simple too. You can cycle through the colours by pressing the power button, and the remote has a brightness button that steps through the three brightness stages and also turns the illumination off. In addition to the lighting under the platter there's an illuminated FiiO logo that doubles as a pairing status indicator, flashing while it seeks your headphones or active speakers.

Although there's an electronic speed toggle on the front to switch between 33 and 45 RPM, there's also a record size selector switch. That's round the back.

Usability and setup score: 5 / 5

FiiO TT13 review: value

• Competitively priced and solidly made
• Limited upgradability
• Lighting makes a nice talking point

This is a really tempting buy for vinyl beginners: it looks great, the red illumination option is a perfect match for IKEA's Kallax fabric boxes and it works nicely with Bluetooth headphones and speakers. It's not the cheapest turntable featuring this Audio-Technica cartridge by any means but it's competitively priced, solidly built and very enjoyable.

Value score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the FiiO TT13?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Fully automatic, good Bluetooth options and a useful remote control.

4/5

Design

Looks more expensive than it is and feels very solid. It's very easy to use.

5/5

Sound quality

Clear, warm and entertaining but slightly light at the low end.

4/5

Value

Competitively priced and the lighting is a big plus, but limited upgradeability.

4/5

Buy it if...

You love a bit of metal
The TT13 looks and feels much more expensive thanks to the extensive use of metal.

You want to light up your life
The integrated LED lighting is entertaining without being garishly over the top.

You like to take it easy
This is a fully automatic turntable and its remote control means you don't even need to get up from the sofa.

Don't buy it if...

You have an amazing preamp
The preamp in the FiiO TT13 isn't switchable: it's FiiO's way or the highway. It's a nice-sounding pre-amp, but if you've already got something better this probably isn't the turntable for you.

You want to change things
This is a plug-in-and-go turntable without adjustable tonearm balance, anti-skate or tracking adjustment.View Deal

You've got a stack of 78s
Like many modern turntables the TT13 is for 45 and 33 and 1/3 records only.View Deal

FiiO TT13 review: Also consider

The $179 / £149 / AU$289 Audio-Technica AT-LP60XUSB is even more affordable than the TT13, but it doesn't look as premium or offer integrated lighting. It's fully automatic with Bluetooth 5.0, and when we reviewed the AT-LP60BT variant we liked it a lot: it's a great starter turntable.

Another key rival here is Sony's $199 / £199 / AU$399 PS-LX310BT, which is another fine starter turntable. The Bluetooth module is quite old, though, with Bluetooth 4.2 rather than the TT13's 5.2.

How I tested the FiiO TT13

• Onkyo amp with wired open and closed back headphones and B&W bookshelf speakers
• Bluetooth via iFi GO Blu Air

I tested the FiiO TT13 over three weeks across a range of genres and eras. On headphones I used an iFi GO Blu Air Bluetooth adapter and Sennheiser DT 990 Pro open-back / DT 770 closed-back headphones; on speakers I listened via my Onkyo A-9010 amplifier and Bowers & Wilkins 607 S2 speakers.

• First reviewed: March 2026
• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Aura Ink: review

Aura makes stunning digital photo frames. The Aura Walden, for example, currently sits atop a sideboard in my home with its sleek frame, slick mount and punchy 15-inch display — and it also sits atop our list of the best digital photo frames.

So when Aura unveils an entirely new frame with a display that's unlike any other I’ve tested, naturally it has my attention. Said frame is the Aura Ink.

The Ink features an energy-efficient 13.3-inch color E Ink display, for a print-like rendering of your images. Unlike other LCD digital frames, the Ink is Calm Tech Certified — consider it a digital detox thanks to its natural, muted display.

Its E Ink Spectra™ 6 display can render millions of colors, but look closely and detail is dotty, despite its 1600 x 1200 resolution and 150ppi density. The Ink lacks the vibrancy and clarity of Aura’s other LCD digital frames, such as the Walden and Aura Aspen, or Lexar’s Pexar and Starlight, but it does work well in bright interiors, especially for artworks and minimalist photography rather than detail-rich photos. Ultimately, it's much closer to the look of printed photos.

The Aura Ink comes in a beautiful presentation box, making it feel every inch a premium productTim ColemanTim ColemanTim ColemanTim ColemanTim Coleman

What’s disappointing, however, is that Aura has kitted the Ink out with a somewhat glossy-finish panel, which can suffer from glare. I suspect it's no worse than the Walden and Aspen frames, but those LCD displays are illuminated, and as such they're significantly punchier.

Given that the Ink reflects light rather than emits it (like LCD does), it is, in reality, a niche frame. It needs the right conditions — well-lit rooms, but not too sunny — to shine, where it's probably my new favorite digital frame. If I had to choose between the Ink and Walden frames, though — and I've observed both side by side — it’s the latter that gets my vote for display versatility, even if it's yet another digital display to look at.

That said, the Aura Ink has super-low power consumption and a run time of around three months without a continuous power supply. No cables are needed, just a quarterly charge (assuming you only change the displayed image once per day).

The Ink has a sleek bezel, slick mount, and slim profileTim ColemanTim ColemanTim ColemanTim Coleman

Eliminating the reliance on ugly trailing cables is a design win. With regular LCD digital frames, cables are a necessary evil, and tricky to hide when mounting the frame on a wall, though they are less of an issue if you’re resting the frame on a surface.

I’ve come across one or two frames which are supplied with a white cable instead of a black one, including the Walden, which goes some way in disguising the cable (assuming your walls are licked with a light shade of paint). But there’s no doubt that a no-cable-at-all setup is the dream option.

Like the Walden, the Ink's display is housed in an attractive frame with a sleek bezel and a 1.5-inch mount (the off-white border between the bezel and the image). It also features a variety of mounting options, being positionable to display images in landscape and portrait format whether the frame sits on a table, bookshelf or other surfaces, or is fixed to a wall.

Aura has made the Ink impressively slimline — it measures just 0.6 inches deep, compared to the around one-inch depth of most other frames I've tested.

Pairing the frame to a device with the Aura app installed is a doddle. You'll be up and running in minutes. Not that a wireless connection with the app is the only method of uploading images to the frameTim ColemanTim ColemanTim ColemanTim ColemanTim ColemanTim ColemanTim ColemanTim Coleman

It charges via USB-C, and the port is easily accessible, which is not something I can say for the Walden's fiddly power input. The USB-C port is for charging only, however — you can't connect devices to add images.

Nor does the Ink have a memory card slot — all image uploads are via the companion app. And it displays photos only; there's no sound. All told, the Ink is as stripped-back as digital frames come.

The Ink shares the same companion app as all Aura frames, which delivers one of the best user experiences in the market and works seamlessly for wireless uploads and display updates, from anywhere with an internet connection.

In fairly dark rooms, the Ink's display will look fairly dimTim ColemanI placed the Ink next to the Aura Walden frameTim ColemanSee how much punchier an LCD display isTim ColemanI think there's a time and place for each type of displayTim ColemanBut perhaps it's the Aura Ink that captures the spirit of photo frames more authenticallyTim Coleman

Updating the displayed image on the Ink is an odd experience if you happen to be looking at the frame at the time. The frame flashes rapidly for the best part of a minute while the pixels of the existing image clear and are refreshed with the new one.

The Ink is limited to a maximum of four image changes per day. This is not Google Photos in a frame, where you might gather around with family, enjoying a rolling image gallery of holiday snaps, but one where you choose your image and live with it for the day or longer.

I was slightly disappointed by the degree of glare on the frame's display. Tim ColemanGlare is far from a dealbreaker, mind you.Tim ColemanBecuase of the tech involved, the display is 'dotty', meaning you can see the colored pixels when looking up close. Tim ColemanThere's less contrast in images versus those displayed on an LCD frameTim ColemanThere's the dotty detail, seen close up. It's not an issue for me as it's not obvious at the typical viewing distanceTim ColemanI've shone an LED light panel on the frame here, and the display becomes a little punchier – that's because it reflects light rather than emitting it. The best environment for the frame therefore, is well lit rooms. Tim Coleman

The real sting in the tail is how much the Aura Ink costs: $499 (pricing and availability for other regions is yet to be confirmed). You really are paying a premium for the E Ink display; even Aura's larger 15-inch LCD digital photo frames cost much less.

I've had the Ink frame in my home for several months, and I'm still somewhat undecided. I think it's the better frame to place on a wall than an LCD type, especially in a bright interior, where it's unbeatable. It's undeniably a premium product, and probably worth paying extra for, especially if you're weary of excessive screen time. However, LCD frames are more versatile.

Aura Ink: price & release date

Aura unveiled the Ink frame in October 2025, and it's available in one display size — 13.3-inch — for $499 in the US. At the time of writing it's not directly available outside the US; previous Aura frames have typically gone on sale globally approximately six months after their US launch, and hopefully the same will be true for the Ink.

I've mentioned the Walden frame a few times, which is a larger 15-inch LCD frame but with a much lower price tag, costing around 40% less. Put simply, you're paying a big premium for the Ink's E Ink display.

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)Aura Ink: specs

Dimensions

14.1 x 11.4 x 0.6 inches (287 x 206 x 25mm)

Display size

13.3-inch

Resolution

1600 x 1200 (150 pixels per inch)

Aspect Ratio

16:10

Touch Screen

No

Sound

No (no video)

Orientation

Portrait or landscape

Storage

N/A

Connectivity

Wi-Fi (but no SD card, and USB for charging only)

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)Should I buy the Aura Ink?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

No local storage, no video or sound, and limited connectivity

3/5

Design

Sleek frame, slim profile, innovative display

4.5/5

Performance

Niche, natural and 'dotty' display; slow and limited image refreshes

4/5

Value

It's almost twice the price of 15-inch LCD frames

3/5

Buy it if…

You want a natural photo frame display
Yes, it's dull compared to an illuminated LCD frame, but the Ink's display is natural, and is one less 'blue light' screen to look at.

You're happy enjoying selected images
The Ink doesn't offer the slideshow-style display of multiple images you get with LCD digital frames and smart displays like the Amazon Echo Show series. Rather, it's designed for appreciating individual images over longer periods.

Don’t buy it if…

You love a punchy display, especially at night
The display reflects light rather than emitting it, so this is not a frame for dark environments or nighttime viewing

You'd rather not rely on an app
With no local storage or external storage connectivity, the Ink relies on Aura's companion app for image uploads.

Aura Ink: also consider

The Aura Ink (left), alongside the 15-inch Aura Walden (right) (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

Aura Ink

Aura Walden

Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame

Display size

13.3-inch

15-inch

11-inch

Resolution

1600 x 1200, 149.5 pixels per inch

1600 x 1200, 133 pixels per inch

2000 x 1200, 212 pixels per inch

Aspect Ratio

16:10

16:10

5:3

Touch Screen

No

Yes

Yes

Sound

No

Built-in speaker

Built-in speaker

Orientation

Portrait or landscape

Portrait or landscape

Portrait or landscape

Storage

N/A

32GB

32GB

Connectivity

Wi-Fi, USB-C (charging only), no SD card slot

Wi-Fi, USB, SD card slot

Wi-Fi, SD card slot, USB-A, USB-C

Aura Walden
At 15 inches, the Walden has the largest display of the three frames in this comparison, and it shares the design traits and companion app of the Ink. The LCD display has a fairly modest pixel density, but it's nonetheless crisp, and the swipe-to-scroll bar on the frame's top is a neat design touch. Read my Aura Walden review

Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame
The Pexar 11-inch is the low-cost option of the three frames in this comparison, but it still features a reflection-free screen and punchy display, with detail-rich 212-ppi pixel density. Read our full Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame review.

How I tested the Aura Ink

• I tested the Aura Ink over several months
• I uploaded a selection of photos from my Android phone
• I placed the frame on various surfaces around my home, in vertical and horizontal formats

Aura sent me its Ink frame and I set it up in my home months before writing this review. Unlike other reviews published soon after the Ink's release, I've actually tested its long battery life – and yes, the three-month battery life based on no more than a single image change per day is accurate.

I've placed the Ink on a sideboard close to a window, in a dim corner of my front room, and various other spaces around the house.

I've uploaded a variety of photos to the frame through Aura's companion app for Android — both minimalist and detail-rich images, in vertical and horizontal formats.

I already have the Aura Walden in my home, so I've been able to make direct comparisons between the two frames.

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

Spoilers for Virgin River season 7 ahead.

Every time a new season of Virgin River is in the offing, my mum and I have a collective, excited freakout until we can binge-watch all 10 episodes. Virgin River season 7 has been right on schedule — but this time, I'm left feeling slightly empty.

If I had to rank the hit Netflix show's existing six seasons, the latest (season 6) would be right at the top. It marked longtime lovers Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson) finally getting married, and boy, did their friends and family bring the best drama along as wedding gifts.

We saw Brady (Ben Hollingsworth) declare his undying love for Brie (Zibby Allen) like the worst kept secret that it is, Brady's girlfriend Lark (Elise Gatien) steal thousands of dollars from under his nose, Brie fending off a marriage proposal from police chief Mike (Marco Grazzini), and Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) going missing and, potentially, being killed off.

For the final 20 minutes of that epic season finale, I didn't know whether I was coming or going, and it might go down as one of my favorite TV moments of all time. Of course, Virgin River can't sustain that level of drama all the time (no show can), but the newly skewed stakes leave a somewhat sour taste.

The best way to describe it is eating an undercooked steak when you ordered it well done. You know that the potential to have exactly what you want is right there, but it's not fully materialized. While that's less than satisfying for season 7, I think it's a tactical decision — meaning that Virgin River season 8 is going to be explosive.

Don't get me wrong — Virgin River season 7 delivers what it needs to

Sure, there might not be the same level of fireworks in Virgin River season 7, but there are resolutions. This is easily the best year of Mel and Jack's relationship yet, settling into married life like a duck to water.

Between these two and the on-off again situationship between Brie and Brady, things certainly feel steamier than ever. Usually, Virgin River intimacy feels shrouded in wholesomeness, rose-tinted to the point that it hardly feels sexy at all. But in season 7, some seriously primal passion starts to take over, and I'm here for it.

While Mel and Jack are steadying the ship, Brie and Brady are daring to dream. If you've been a fan of theirs since season 1, you'll likely feel inclined to do a victory lap of your house soon enough, without giving too much away. They're both wearing their hearts on their sleeves and communicating well, and it finally feels like the entire town has nailed how to truly connect to one another.

As for the remaining season 6 cliffhangers, you'll get answers to all of them. There will be new problems that take their place, even if they currently feel lukewarm in comparison.

It's worth streaming Virgin River season 7 for Mel and Jack's honeymoon alone. It takes them almost 8 episodes to even decide where they're going to go, but the final decision is perfect (and likely one you can guess based on earlier filming location leaks).

The set change also proves that you can never truly run away from your problems... but you can get a tan and kiss a cute guy on a golden beach while being stressed. Frankly, it's the level of life I dream of.

The finale is season 7's biggest letdown, but I'm choosing to see the positives

They've also introduced a rodeo this season. (Image credit: Netflix)

Virgin River has me believing that fairytale-style love is possible, but that doesn't always mean that I'm falling for the show itself. I think the biggest issue lies with the season 7 finale, which falls impossibly short compared with what we were treated to last time around.

No spoilers here, but there are still two big twists to be unveiled at this stage. However, I'm pretty sure both are non-starters, with bad outcomes so unlikely to unfold in a fictional world where fatal scenarios are avoided like the plague.

Still, there's every chance season 8 could prove me wrong, but you see what I mean about these 10 episodes acting as a setup for something more exciting down the line. It's all verging on soap opera silliness, but it's what we've signed up for.

Then there are a few uninspired hitches in the current storyline itself. New character Clay (Cody Kearsley) feels like a rinse and repeat of Jack Schumacher's Yancy Grey in Ransom Canyon. In fact, they both have the same introductory narrative — a hot, closed-off outsider who clearly has family troubles and a gambling debt they need to pay off by entering a rodeo competition.

It's not an amazing sign that Netflix is borrowing ideas from itself, but it's also not the end of the world. It's textbook craft like this that feeds the people what they want, and who am I to deny what works?

It’s often said that if at first you don’t succeed, you should try again. With Nintendo’s Virtual Boy rerelease for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, I wonder if it maybe should have ignored that advice.

On the one hand, the Virtual Boy accessory for the Switch and Switch 2 is the ultimate novelty. The plastic recreation oozes an iconic 90s energy that somehow infected even me — someone born years after the Virtual Boy was discontinued — with a synthetic nostalgia that had me falling in love with its outer design. And as a VR fanatic, it’s a delight to experience one of VR’s earliest consumer interpretations.

On the other hand, Nintendo’s dedication to its history means it has left the headset and its games practically unchanged — which isn’t a good thing here. The Virtual Boy’s game library is as small and terrible as ever, and comfort very much feels like an afterthought.

So the question you have to ask yourself is this: do you want to spend $99.99 / £66.99 / AU$139.95 on a 10-minute novelty that will spend a lot more time on your shelf as a sculpture than on your face?

I firmly believe the answer is an emphatic 'No.'

Nintendo Virtual Boy: Price

The proper Virtual Boy accessory will cost you $99.99 / £66.99 / AU$139.95, though if you simply want to experience the Nintendo Classics collection and don’t want to waste too much money, there’s also a cardboard version that costs $24.99 / £16.99 / AU$29.95. You can pick up either from Nintendo's online store.

While this review isn’t generally positive about the Nintendo headset, if you are going to get one of the accessories, I believe you should at least get the proper non-cardboard version. I don’t believe you should get either for what it’s worth, but the properly recreated model looks rad and could be repurposed as shelf decoration when you’ve finished playing with it after a few short sessions.

(Image credit: Future / Hamish Hector)

• Value score: 1/5

Nintendo Virtual Boy: Design

When Nintendo debuted this VR headset back in 1995, it promised the Virtual Boy would “totally immerse players into their own private universe." It certainly achieved this, though I do prefer my universes with a lot less red and a lot less nauseating.

It turns out plenty of other folks didn’t like what the Virtual Boy was delivering either. Despite predicting millions of global sales by the end of 1995, Nintendo shipped a mere 350,000 units in the US that year, and only around 770,000 globally by the time it was discontinued in 1996.

One of the big issues with the headset was, and still is with this Switch recreation, its design.

Too bulky to even attempt to wear on your head like a Meta Quest 3 — especially if you’re a kid, Nintendo’s typical target audience — Nintendo opted to have the original Virtual Boy rest on a stand. Despite being a lot lighter, the Switch accessory version can also only be perched on a roughly foot-tall stand at its max height. A design decision that created its own comfort conundrum.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

After you’ve struggled to search for an appropriately tall table and/or a stack of books to place the headset on top of, you then have to hunch over to press your face into the console so you can peer into its stereoscopic worlds. This is not a comfortable way to sit for very long, and there’s no other alternative.

Here’s where you brush up against the next poor design decision: the red displays.

To act as a cost-cutting and processing power-saving method, the Virtual Boy’s screens were entirely red, and to mimic this, the Switch accessory uses two planes of red plastic — one for each eye. Opening up the headset, you slot your Switch or Switch 2 with the Virtual Boy software open to play games through this red filter to mimic the classic’s ruby hue.

If you think VR is nauseating at the best of times, just imagine what it would be like if your entire vision were merely shades of red.

Let’s just say my play sessions maxed out at 10 minutes before I needed a lie down — and I can usually stomach hours-long VR gaming if using other headsets.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Though I will say the Switch’s Virtual Boy add-on isn’t a total design flop.

As I mentioned in the intro, the classic Nintendo headset feels definitively like a gadget of the 90s, and half of that is how it looks — something this model recreates perfectly. Unboxing it in our office, even as someone who grew up in the 00s, I did feel like I was living out one of those grainy home videos of a kid ripping open their Christmas gifts.

There’s something magical about the Virtual Boy’s appearance, even if it’s not the most practically useful, though that’s where my praise ends.

• Design score: 2/5

Virtual Boy: Software

The original saw 22 games released before it was canned entirely, but for now, the Nintendo Switch version only has seven: 3D Tetris, Galactic Pinball, Golf, Red Alarm, Teleroboxer, The Mansion of Innsmouth, and Virtual Boy Wario Land. With the March catalogue update for Mario Day, they’ll be joined by two more: Mario Tennis and Mario Clash.

All of these titles are accessed via the Nintendo Classics software included with your Switch Online + Expansion Pass membership, which will cost you $49.99 / £34.99 / AU$59.95 for 12 months.

The smallish collection size isn’t ideal, but it could be overlooked if there were a definite must-play or two amongst the selection. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything exciting enough to make me want to push through the discomfort of using the system.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Wario Land is fun if you’re a fan of Mario’s doppelganger, and I liked Galactic Pinball well enough, but titles I had hopes would be fun — Tetris and Red Alarm — lacked not only entertainment but made me want to hurl. It turns out a spinning red teris board just isn’t the best way to play the game if you like keeping your lunch in your stomach.

You can extract maybe 5 to 10 minutes of novelty from each title, and you might return to a handful when you want to subject your friends to this hardware, but none of them sell this accessory as a bona fide gaming machine.

• Software score: 1/5

Nintendo Virtual Boy: scorecard

Attribute

Comment

Score

Design

From a usability perspective the Virtual Boy gets a very low score for its discomfort and red plastic displays, but the design does at least look wonderfully 90s so It gets some marks back.

2/5

Software

The Virtual Boy's library is small and none of its titles are all that enjoyable, especially given the nausea they can induce.

1/5

Value

The Virtual Boy is a complete novelty, and when there are so many other better things for you to spend your money on this terrible Switch accessory isn't worth it.

1/5

Should you buy the Nintendo Virtual Boy?Buy it if…

You can accept it’s a novelty
If you have plenty of spare cash and can happily accept there’s maybe an hour or so worth of enjoyment to extract from this hardware at the absolute max (over a few sessions), then maybe you could consider getting the Virtual Boy for your Switch or Switch 2.

Don’t buy it if…

You’re on a tight gaming budget
There are way better things to buy for with Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2 — be they accessories or software — than this Virtual Boy clone. Almost any other game or add-on would be better.

You’re new to VR
If this will be your first VR experience it will likely put you off it entirely. This isn’t the best way to experience immersive 3D gameplay, but could be a novelty for existing fans of the medium.

You don’t own a Switch or Switch 2
This Virtual Boy recreation is a Switch accessory, not its own machine. If you don’t own either of Nintendo’s handheld hybrids, this headset is another level of useless.

(Image credit: Nintendo)How I tested the Nintendo Virtual Boy

I used the Virtual Boy for two weeks for this review, though my sessions admittedly didn’t last too long, as it kept making me feel ill. I relied on my Nintendo Switch 2 and its base Joy-Cons to experience this add-on’s VR experiences and used it in our office, at home, and even took it on a flight — it’s even more awful in the air, terrible VR and turbulence don’t mix.

First reviewed March 2026

Read more about how we test

John Carpenter's Toxic Commando is everything that I wanted from a new game by World War Z developer Saber Interactive. It has all the moreish zombie shooting that you would expect from that team, though now noticeably enhanced by thoroughly modernized gunplay that not only looks and feels great, but actually lets you aim down your weapon's sights properly for the first time.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PC
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Release date: March 12, 2026

The charming ‘80s action movie script and a shift to more open levels also lend Toxic Commando a suitably distinct identity compared to its strictly linear spiritual predecessor. The same is true of the addition of vehicles, which benefits from some surprisingly meaty driving mechanics clearly inspired by the success of the studio’s MudRunner and SnowRunner games. Throw in seamless cross-play with up to three friends, and you have the recipe for an incredible time.

The campaign could certainly be a bit longer, and the progression system is definitely slightly too grindy for my taste (even when accounting for multiple playthroughs at each difficulty), but it’s hard to grumble when this modestly-priced release otherwise delivers such strong foundations.

With the promise of post-launch downloadable content (DLC) on the way, this is one co-op adventure that I’m going to come back to time and time again.

Going commando

(Image credit: Focus Entertiainment)

Set in the near future, Toxic Commando takes you to an infested wasteland that’s been walled off from the rest of civilization. Once the site of a high-tech mining operation, it turns out that humanity has accidentally awakened the Sludge God - an occult, ancient being that corrupts everything that it touches with an insidious black ooze.

You’re one of the self-proclaimed toxic commandos, four low-cost, somewhat bumbling mercenaries that have been brought in by the mining company’s desperate CEO to unwittingly assist in the cover-up by blasting everything in your path.

It’s a decent framing narrative that’s explained through cutscenes dripping with ‘80s style, complete with dramatic animated title cards and a pleasingly retro film grain effect. Dialogue is unapologetically cheesy, and while some might find the constant quipping of the four playable characters a tad grating, a handful of well-executed jokes meant that I was eager to watch each successive cinematic on my first playthrough.

Unfortunately, there are some moments where the game’s lower budget becomes evident: the odd bit of floaty animation and a particularly jarring moment where a cutscene late in the game seems to end a few seconds too prematurely immediately spring to mind.

(Image credit: Focus Entertiainment)

Crucially, all nine missions are plenty enjoyable thanks to a good range of objectives and plenty of unique mechanics to explore. They take place in increasingly large semi-open-world maps that offer a surprising amount of freedom. There’s always an objective marker on screen guiding you to the next story location, but you’re able to wander off and explore as a team without any penalties.

This is a massive departure from the very linear structure of World War Z, but taking the time to get to know each environment is vital as you crank the difficulty up. Hidden supply caches feed you a steady stream of valuable ammunition and health items, and rare Sludge Seeds (often nestled behind an army of powerful enemy types) can grant a vital second chance if you run out of lives.

Vehicles are littered throughout the maps to help you get around and are a key part of many objectives. Hopping into an armored all-terrain vehicle with a mounted gun dramatically increases your firepower, for example, while those who choose the comparatively fragile ambulance can give the team a much-needed health top-up.

SludgeRunner

(Image credit: Focus Entertiainment)

Even if you choose the most kitted-out vehicles, you’re never close to invincible thanks to a range of environmental threats. Muddy terrain will stop you in your tracks as your tires lose traction, giving the many, many sludge zombies the opportunity to surround your vehicle and chip away at its overall health.

Most of the cars are equipped with an in-built winch that can be deployed to get you out of sticky situations with a well-placed pull, leading to delightfully frantic moments that have you crying out to your squad, desperately trying to free yourself before foes arrive.

Vehicles require plenty of fuel too, which has to be obtained from your environment and manually topped up whenever needed. There are generally a few cans of it in most locations, but the constant threat of running dry and ending up stranded without a ride adds a nice extra layer of tension.

I do wish the campaign was a little longer with a few more maps (I managed to roll credits in just under ten hours), but there are at least plenty of reasons to replay. There are four classes to choose from, each fulfilling the standard damage-dealing, healing, support, and tank archetypes with substantial ability trees to unlock and some unique specializations.

On top of this, the weapon arsenal is pretty meaty with a varied selection of assault rifles, shotguns, SMGs, pistols, sniper rifles, and so on - not to mention some powerful limited-use heavy gear that you can only acquire in the maps themselves.

Best bit

(Image credit: Focus Entertiainment)

Like World War Z, many of the levels in Toxic Commando have dramatic moments where you have to defend an area from thousands of zombies at once. The sense of scale is superb, and watching your prepared defences and gunfire cut through the oncoming horde is a consistent delight.

In addition to an overall power level that affects its damage, each gun can be fully customized with a modest but impactful selection of attachments. They all come with corresponding visual upgrades, lending a solid sense of progression to kitting out your favorite gear.

When you max out a gun’s level, you can even ‘prestige’ it a la Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, resetting its unlocks in exchange for unique skins. Sadly, leveling everything up is especially grindy and would require you to undertake multiple full playthroughs for each gun. This can be frustrating, basically locking you into committing to a specific one, as high-level weapons are essential for tackling hard and very hard difficulty missions. I’m optimistic that this can be addressed in a post-launch balance update, though.

Some new special enemy types also wouldn’t go amiss. Don’t get me wrong, there's an okay selection here already, but the current roster of ‘tanky ones’, ‘exploding ones’, ‘fiery ones’, and so on isn’t anything that hasn’t been done countless times before in other zombie games. At least they’re endlessly satisfying to mow down.

Should I play John Carpenter's Toxic Commando?Play it if...

You want a highly enjoyable co-op shooter
If you’re looking for the kind of game that’s perfect for some mindless fun with friends after a hard day of work, then John Carpenter's Toxic Commando has you covered with its endless armies of sludge monsters.

You loved World War Z
It’s different, but John Carpenter's Toxic Commando is a strong follow-up to Saber Interactive’s World War Z with a host of interesting new mechanics. Like that game, I’m sure it’s only going to grow and get better with time, too.

Don't play it if...

You’re after more nuanced zombies
The idea of sludge zombie enemies is pretty interesting, but the selection of types here isn't anything that hasn’t been done before. Look to other zombie games like Dying Light or the Resident Evil series if you’re after a more unique take on the undead.

Accessibility features

John Carpenter's Toxic Commando doesn’t have a dedicated accessibility menu or many standard options like colorblind modes, but there are still a few useful settings.

The game features subtitles by default, which can be increased or decreased in size as needed. You can also add a background to make the subtitles a little easier to read. Keyboard and mouse controls can be fully customized on PC, and controller players have the option to enable aim assist.

(Image credit: Focus Entertiainment)How I reviewed John Carpenter's Toxic Commando

I played more than ten hours of John Carpenter's Toxic Commando on PC, which is a 5070 Ti-powered model from retailer Scan. It has a compact Corsair 2000d RGB Airflow case, Asus ROG Strix B860-I motherboard, Intel Core Ultra 7 265K processor, a 2TB WD Black SN770 SSD, 32GB of DDR5 Corsair Vengeance RAM, and an Asus Nvidia 5070 Ti graphics card.

These specs were more than sufficient to run the game on its high visual preset with DLSS set to native. During my time with the game, I completed the entire campaign and experienced a mixture of both solo and co-op play, forcing a handful of my TechRadar colleagues to go commando and face the sludge legion.

I frequently compared my experience to my playthroughs of other zombie shooters, including the likes of Left 4 Dead, Back 4 Blood, and World War Z, in addition to other games by Saber Interactive, like MudRunner and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.

First reviewed February-March 2026

I was six when my Pokémon journey began. In 2004, I got a Game Boy Advance SP and went to a local toy store with my parents to get two games — I chose Sonic Advance 2 and Pokémon LeafGreen.

I’d play FireRed later, as well as Yellow, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, and so on through the series (though I did stop doubling up for most generations from Diamond onwards), but LeafGreen was where it started. So it felt right for me to celebrate the series’ 30th birthday by enjoying the Nintendo Switch rerelease.

It’s everything I remember it being.

Review info

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: February 27, 2026

The look, the sound, the sense of adventure, it's all there perfectly recaptured on Nintendo’s latest system, and on Friday, 27th February, from 6pm until 3am, I couldn’t put this game down — I literally fell asleep on the sofa with my Switch 2 controllers in my hands.

When I awoke — at 1pm the next day — I grabbed a glass of water, nestled back into the groove in my couch, and picked up where I left off. I was in my own personal corner of heaven.

I adore this game. It hits the nostalgia sweet spot in a way only a few titles ever hope to be able to, and at the same time, I think it delivers the quintessential Pokémon experience that anyone can enjoy (be they newcomers or longtime fans like me). In fact, if you have yet to experience the phenomenon, this might be an excellent jumping-in point.

I do, however, feel this special release needed something a little more to completely justify itself to returning fans — beyond being simply existing in a way that isn’t a GBA cartridge.

(Image credit: Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.)Let’s Go

Remakes of the original Red and Green, which kicked off the series, FireRed and LeafGreen follow the same classic beats of the Kanto region that players first experienced in 1996.

You begin in Pallet Town where in Professor Oak’s Lab you choose one of Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle to be your starting companion before heading off on your adventure to catch and train more Pocket Monsters (aka Pokémon), and defeat eight powerful Gym Leaders, the Elite Four, and Kanto’s champion — while also foiling the plans of the evil Team Rocket, and collecting 150 Kanto ‘mons for your PokéDex (Mew isn’t available in the Switch version for now).

There’s a sense of exploration to Kanto that isn’t so present in later titles. While there are hints you can learn by talking to non-player characters (NPCs), there’s not often a clear ‘Go here next’ sign to follow — especially in the middle section of the story, post gym three, where you are much freer to explore the remainder of the map.

(Image credit: Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.)

This imbues FireRed and LeafGreen with a sense that this is a proper adventure rather than a pre-defined story you’re wandering through the beats of.

There’s something tough about the battles, too, that presents a more engaging challenge than the most recent generations. EXP isn’t shared amongst your whole team in these classics, keeping your party at a more balanced level to your foes, and there isn’t an abundance of Pokémon to choose from to build a perfect team early on, like you can in later entries.

I’m playing through the game as a Nuzlocke — a fan-made challenge based on the Pokémon: Hard Mode web comic by Nick Franco which imposes a few extra rules limiting how many ‘mons you can catch, and forcing you to release any that are defeated in battle — and after Nuzlocking later generations, where the concept of losing two companions to a Rattata in a single fight is inconceivable, I haven’t been entirely respectful of the difficulties LeafGreen can present and faced the consequences.

(Image credit: Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.)Hunting for something shiny

You can tell I adore LeafGreen and FireRed as much now as I did the original Game Boy games, but as I’m sitting playing them on my Nintendo Switch 2, I am left wanting more.

Unlike other Game Boy Advance ports on the Switch consoles, these aren’t part of the GBA catalogue you can access via the Switch Online + Expansion Pass membership, which costs $49.99 / £34.99 / AU$59.95 for 12 months. Instead, the games cost $19.99 / £16.99 / AU$30 each.

Best bit

(Image credit: Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.)

The chiptune music is everything. The eeriness of Lavender Town, the tension of Gym Battles, the bombastic adventure exploring the routes between towns, it always perfectly captures the mood and is easily my favorite thing about these games.

There are some advantages to keeping these games separate from the emulator, such as indefinite offline play and Pokémon Home integration, and some of the Nintendo Classics emulator’s tools (like rewind) could enable exploits the series tends to avoid (though that didn’t stop the return of arbitrary code execution with these Switch ports).

However, if Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are asking us to pay a premium for these entries compared to other GBA games on the Switch system, I would have liked something a little more than a simple rerelease (though I do appreciate the inclusion of event tickets, which you can unlock after defeating the Elite Four).

I’m not asking for much. Maybe a new small area to help with filling out the National Dex, challenge mode options like a randomizer or releasing them as a double pack with Ruby and Sapphire.

(Image credit: Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.)

Perhaps I’m just spoiled by still having both of the original cartridges in a box under my bed alongside my aged Game Boy Advance, so I can play the originals whenever I want, but given this is the series 30th birthday, an extra splash of special to these launches would have been a cherry on top of what is otherwise a superb return to Kanto.

Should you play Pokémon LeafGreen and FireRed?Play it if...

You want the best Kanto experience
Whether you're a newcomer or a long-time Pokémon fan these games are the best way to enjoy the series' first region and its story.

You have a second Switch in your home
If you live with family or friends and there's a few Switches in your home these are excellent pickups as you can enjoy multipl;ayer battling and trading like you're back in 2006.

Don't buy it if...

You hate Pokémon
These games define what it means to be a classic Pokémon, in both good and bad ways. If you don't love the typical formula then you won't enjoy these remakes.

(Image credit: Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.)Accessibility

Pokémon LeafGreen and FireRed don't have any specific in-built accessibility features, but they don't need them to be accessible.

The game's turn-based battles and simpler exploration allow you to play completely at your own pace in a way that should be approachable to almost everyone. You only ever need to be able to press one button at a time, so if you can do that, you can enjoy Pokémon LeafGreen.

How I tested Pokémon LeafGreen / FireRed

I have mostly played Pokémon LeafGreen for this review, and I have been enjoying it on my Nintendo Switch 2. To best mimic my classic GBA experience, I’ve played a lot of this game in handheld mode, though I did also play a lot in docked mode — especially during longer sessions where my Switch’s battery life became a concern.

On my Amazon Fire QLED TV, the classic game actually looked pretty good. I was expecting a blurry mess, but the sprites maintained their handheld charm.

My docked controller of choice is usually my 8BitDo Ultimate 2, though I did use my Joy-Cons a lot in my testing, so I could play a little more lazily on my couch.

First reviewed February-March 2026.

Wahoo KICKR Run: One minute review

If you have the budget and the space, the Wahoo KICKR Run is one of the most impressive indoor running experiences you can buy. The deck feels as good as, if not better than, many commercial gym treadmills, with a smooth belt, 15% incline, -3% decline and subtle side-to-side tilt that mimics running on real roads and trails.

RunFree mode, which automatically adjusts the belt to your pace, is genuinely clever and brilliant for intervals (high-intensity bursts followed by periods of recovery pace) and fartlek training (varying the speed) once you have learned how to use it. And if things do get spicy the safety rails and responsive emergency clip give you confidence that you won’t be sent flying.

On the downside, the console is too minimal: you only see pace and incline on the built-in display, so you are pushed into the Wahoo app if you want time and distance, and realistically into using a second screen if you also want to watch a film or TV series while you run.

It is expensive and it doesn’t fold up, and the dependency on an external app will annoy some runners, but as a serious training tool that can replace a gym membership, it absolutely delivers.

Wahoo KICKR Run: Specifications

Component

Wahoo KICKR Run

Max speed

4:00 min/mile (around 15 mph / 24.1 km/h)

Incline range

3% to +15% motorised grade

Side-to-side tilt

±0.5° lateral tilt for simulated camber

Running surface

Approx 69 x 22 in / 175 x 56 cm

Dimensions (L x W x H

Approx 72 x 38 x 58 in (about 183 x 97 x 147 cm)

Weight

Around 410 lb / 186 kg

Motor

3.0 HP continuous motor

User weight limit

Around 250 lb / 113 kg (may vary by region / firmware)

Connectivity

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth; integrates with Wahoo app, Zwift Run and other platforms

Controls

Paddles for quick speed and incline changes; physical safety key and stop button

Extras

Laptop / tablet shelf, two bottle holders, USB charging, transport wheels

Wahoo KICKR Run: Price and availability

• $5,249.99 / £6,000
• Premium price
• Often on sale

Currently available on sale in the US for $5,249.99 direct from Wahoo and major partners. In the UK the device can be purchased from specialist retailers at around £5,999.99. The treadmill is not currently available in Australia.

Whichever region you are in, this is very much a premium treadmill. Even in the US market, reviews place it squarely in the high-end tier alongside Peloton and Technogym models, and often a touch above many mainstream home treadmills.

It is not a casual purchase, but if you normally pay for a gym membership mainly to use a treadmill, it is credible as a long-term replacement.

The KICKR Run itself does not require a subscription just to switch it on and run (unlike other equipment such as Echelon), but its smartest features are woven into Wahoo’s subscription ecosystem. Wahoo’s training subscription costs $17.99 a month / $179 a year in the US, and £14.99 a month / £149.99 a year in the UK. This subscription gives access to Wahoo’s structured workouts, training plans, analytics and content across sports.

• Value score: 4/5

Wahoo KICKR Run: Design

(Image credit: Wahoo)

• Simulates road camber
• Wide access
• Minimal console

Although it is a substantial, non-folding treadmill, the KICKR Run is perfect for a garage or dedicated room and feels sensibly sized rather than monstrous.

The running surface is long and wide enough for fast running, yet the overall frame is trimmed down compared with many gym behemoths, in part because of the lack of an integrated console screen. The deck feels responsive, solid and durable, as good as, or better, than, any gym treadmill.

Full-length safety bars, a safety clip and a big stop button offer security, but the button is very stiff making it difficult to engage. Thankfully the safety clip is fast- acting.

The console is deliberately minimal, with simple read-outs of the elevation and speed. Data such as duration and distance have to be viewed in the Wahoo app, which I found rather irritating. That means your phone becomes a data screen and you need a second device if you want to watch anything while you run.

There are also three mystery buttons which, upon investigation, I discovered control the pages in the app – again, everything about the design is pushing the user towards a Wahoo subscription.

Paddle controls adjust the incline and pace and are a welcome alternative to buttons. Press them lightly for small adjustments, or push further for larger jumps. This feels very intuitive once you have used it a couple of times.

A generous shelf in front of you happily holds a laptop or tablet, so you can watch films or use Zwift while you run. There are two bottle holders and some extra storage for snacks or small items, plus USB charging to keep devices topped up.

The deck can tilt gently side to side by around 0.5°, simulating road camber and adding a subtle feeling of running on real terrain rather than a perfectly flat slab.

In testing it ran happily off a standard 15-amp circuit in a garage without tripping anything. Once in place it has wheels, so you can shuffle it forwards or sideways, but it is not the sort of treadmill you wheel in and out every day.

Rather than leaving you to assemble it yourself, Wahoo’s partners do a proper delivery and setup. Beforehand you share measurements and a short video of the access route and the room so they can confirm it will fit, then they bring it in, build it, and check it is running correctly. That is a big part of why this feels closer to commercial kit than flat-pack gear.

• Design score: 4/5

Wahoo KICKR Run: Features

(Image credit: Lily Canter)

• RunFree mode
• -3% decline and +15% incline
• Paddle controls

The headline feature is the intuitive RunFree mode which uses sensors to gauge your speed. This lets you run at any pace without needing to adjust the belt speed manually.

For easy and moderate running, RunFree feels very natural once you have learned to relax into it. It is particularly good for fartlek workouts and unstructured speed play, in which you simply surge when you feel like it and let the treadmill follow. At higher speeds it can feel a little wild. If you are not ready for the acceleration, you can suddenly feel like you are being pulled along faster than you intended. You quickly learn to keep a hand close to the rails or paddles when you are pushing towards your top pace. Alternatively you can set a pace limit to ensure you don’t go off the rails.

The clever treadmill can also automatically adjust incline and decline, so when you are following a route or a structured session, the hills happen under your feet without manual input (as long as you have a paid Wahoo subscription).

With +15% incline and -3% decline, you can do serious uphill repeats, long uphill hikes, and rare downhill practice – something many gyms do not offer.

• Features score: 5/5

Wahoo KICKR Run: Performance

• Smooth underfoot
• Versatile tilt
• Impressive speed range

In use, the KICKR Run is impressively smooth. The belt feels tight and well-aligned, with none of the looseness or lag that can make you stumble on cheaper machines. The motor keeps up easily with changes in pace, and even under harder efforts the deck feels rock-solid.

With a top speed around 4:00/mile (about 15 mph), it has far more headroom than many home treadmills; realistically, most recreational runners will never touch the ceiling.

Being able to run and hike at 10–15% for prolonged periods makes it a fantastic tool for hill strength, and the -3% decline and lateral tilt make downhill and cambered-road training possible without hunting for the perfect hill outside.

Noise levels will depend on your environment, but in testing it felt in line with other serious treadmills rather than unusually loud or quiet; the limiting factor is more likely to be the sheer presence and weight of the machine than the sound.

• Performance score: 5/5

Scorecard

Category

Comment

Score

Value

Expensive but impressive quality

4/5

Design

Innovative but too app reliance

4/5

Features

Outstanding

5/5

Performance

Exceptional

5/5

Wahoo KICKR Run: Should I buy?Buy it if...

You have a serious budget and want a gym-quality treadmill at home

This is not a budget machine, but if you get what you pay for.

You want proper hill and downhill training

The combination of 15% incline, -3% decline and lateral tilt is rare and excellent for real world preparation.

RunFree suits your training style

If you like to run more by feel than by buttons, RunFree mode and smart grade control will be a genuine upgrade, not just a gimmick.

You already use, or are happy to use, the Wahoo ecosystem

If you have Wahoo sensors, trainers or bike kit, adding the KICKR Run plus a Wahoo subscription ties everything together neatly.

Don't buy it if...

You want a simple, all-in-one treadmill with everything on the built-in screen.

Here, time and distance live in the app, and the console is intentionally minimal.

You dislike relying on external apps and subscriptions

The best experience comes from leaning into the Wahoo app and, optionally, its paid subscription.

You need something compact or foldable

This is still a big, heavy unit; it may be more compact than a commercial gym machine, but you are not sliding it under a bed.

Your priority is a cheap way to move more

There are many under-desk and budget treadmills that will boost your step count for a fraction of the price.

Also consider

NordicTrack Commercial 2950

If you want something more content-led, the NordicTrack pairs a big HD screen with a generous incline and decline range and a deep library of iFit classes.

Read our full NordicTrack Commercial 2950 review

Echelon Stride

If space and budget are tighter, the Echelon Stride is a great beginner option. It is a more compact, auto-folding treadmill that works neatly with the Echelon Fit app, although you do sacrifice some power, cushioning and long-run comfort compared with larger premium machines.

Read our full Echelon Stride review

Technogym Run

At the very top end, the Technogym Run is the pick for those who want a gym-grade experience at home. Its slatted, track-like belt, powerful motor and slick content platform feel seriously premium, but it demands both a dedicated space and a very generous budget.

Read our full Technogym Run review

How I tested

(Image credit: Lily Canter)

Once the treadmill was set up in my garage I used it for longer runs up to 10k, hill reps, easy downhill runs and interval sessions. I used the app to track my sessions and set up a laptop on the console to watch Netflix whilst I ran. The testing period was four weeks.

First reviewed: January 2026

With a throughput of over 11 Gbps, the EnGenius ECW520 wireless access point delivers excellent Wi-Fi 7 performance in a small footprint.

Specifications

Model: EnGenius ECW520

CPU: 1.5GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm ARM CPU

RAM: 1GB

Storage: 256MB flash

Radios: One 6GHz, one 5GHz and one 2.4GHz

Wireless throughput: Theoretical 11Gbps

Ports: 2.5Gb Ethernet with PoE

Weight: 600g

Dimensions: 15.8 cm x 15.8 cm x 3.9 cm

Power Consumption: 25W maximum consumption

MSRP: $189

It connects to the network via a 2.5Gb PoE port and seamlessly extends the range thanks to its mesh capability. A power consumption of just 25W under worst-case conditions means the case barely heats up when normally used.

The out-of-the-box cloud support makes deploying the ECW520 a breeze. The unit provides several operating modes: AP, mesh, or AP with mesh, and packs three full-duplex radios.

The 6 dBi antennas and 23 dBm RF amplifiers result in an operating range of over 10 meters at 500 Mbps throughput. The ease of installation and use, along with its decent wireless performance, make the ECW520 ideal for small offices or work-from-home setups.

(Image credit: Future)EnGenius ECW520: Price and Availability

The access point sells for $189 and includes a mounting wall adapter. The larger ECW526 AP with similar radio performance sports 10Gb ports and costs $299. The ECW536 top-tier AP with 4x4x4 radios supports more simultaneous connections and costs $589.

Engenius access points can only be managed through their cloud services, which start at $50 per device, while the basic free access lacks API support.

(Image credit: Future)EnGenius ECW520: Design

The Engenius ECW520 ships in a tiny box, something surprising for a Wi-Fi 7 access point. This gives a sense of the unit's size: the white plastic case measures 15.8 cm x 15.8 cm x 3.9 cm and weighs 600 g. The metal back panel serves as a heatsink and hosts the module’s ports. Two mounting holes secure the unit vertically to a wall using screws. The unit can also clip onto a plastic base, enabling a faster and easier installation than with just screws.

A single multicolor LED on the front panel provides visual cues about the access point's status. When working normally, the LED emits a blue light. For any other case, the LED blinks either green or blue. The metal back panel features a 12V power socket and a 2.5Gb Ethernet port. A small recessed button is also present and requires a paper clip or pen to reset the AP.

The ECW520 hardware is powered by a Qualcomm CPU and radio chipset. The 1.5GHz quad-core ARM processor has 1GB of DDR4 RAM and 256 MB of flash memory. Three radio modules provide duplex data links at 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz, for an aggregate throughput of 11 Gb/s using the 802.11be standard. The device integrates 23 dBm radio amplifiers and 6 dBi high-gain internal antennas to boost the RF signal.

(Image credit: Future)EnGenius ECW520: In Use

Setting up the ECW520 requires installing the Engenius Cloud app and signing up on the Engenius website. The procedure is complete after scanning a QR code on the back of the access point, which then creates a new device in the mobile app. The AP gets upgraded at this point if a new firmware is available.

The EnGenius cloud service is essential for remote access to the AP. Users can deploy, monitor, and troubleshoot multiple sites from a single interface, either in a browser or, with reduced functionality, from the Cloud To-Go mobile app. Among its most useful features is the Visualized Topology, which provides an overall health report for the network and all connected appliances.

The ECW520 draws power either from the PoE port or a 12V center-positive socket. The access point's power consumption is around 25W with active Wi-Fi connections and radio amplifiers set to maximum gain. At a range of one meter, the ECW520 performs well, achieving a throughput of 2 gigabits per second on the 6 GHz band. Throughput halves at 5 meters, reaching 600 Mbps at 10 meters.

Extending the ECW520's range is achieved with a second unit. The additional AP can either use an existing Ethernet connection or work in a mesh configuration, with only a power adapter connected to it. A mesh works by sharing bandwidth with other ECW520s via a backhaul channel, thereby reducing throughput but providing extra range.

EnGenius ECW520: Competition

The ECW520 packs three duplex radios with high-gain antennas and amplifiers. The simple design targets 2.5Gb PoE infrastructures with cloud management in mind.

The Zyxel NWA130BE has similar features to the ECS520, but it is twice as large. Moreover, its 4 dBi antennas are 2 dBi lower than those in the ECS520, reducing data rates at greater distances from the access point.

EnGenius ECW520: Final Verdict

The ECW520 is a budget-conscious solution that instantly connects to the cloud and delivers over 11 Gbps of throughput over three radio bands.

Thanks to high-gain antennas, these radios provide adequate range for a small home office, with transfer rates of 500 Mbps or more at 10 meters.

The unit is small and discrete, and comes with one wall-mounting panel as an accessory. Since it supports PoE, only one Ethernet connection is required for installation.

Buy if . . . you already have Engenius products and want to get Wi-Fi 7 speed.

Don’t buy . . . if you want to get the most throughput out of your 10Gb wired installation.

We've listed the best WIFI adapters for PC..

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+: Two-minute review

The MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ is a convertible laptop marketed for business users, and includes a stylus to unlock its full creative potential.

It cuts a sophisticated figure, thanks to its dark grey finish and minimal aesthetic. The ultra thin chassis with its soft, curved edges also help to make this an easy laptop to live with, especially if you’re frequently on the move.

Build quality is also excellent. Every material feels premium, and while the hinges for the lid are a little incongruous, they provide a very smooth pivot, which ranks among the best 2-in-1 laptop actions.

The included Nano Pen is engineered to an equally high standard. Like the laptop itself, it’s very compact, and stows away neatly under the front edge of the base, where it also charges wirelessly. It’s easy enough to remove, but putting it back is a little more awkward, since its integrated magnets encourage it to orient incorrectly.

For a laptop this small, it’s impressive that the Flip AI+ manages to include four USB ports (two type-C and two type-A), an HDMI port, and a headset jack. It’s a small shame, though, that a productivity-focused laptop such as this doesn’t feature an SD card reader of any kind.

The Intel Core Ultra 7 355 in my Flip AI+ review unit handled productivity and entertainment workloads with aplomb, while the 32GB of RAM meant it had no problem multitasking. It even managed to run AAA games in a playable state — surprising given there’s no dedicated GPU on board. However, this absence was felt when the Flip AI+ failed to even complete a benchmark test for Adobe Premiere.

(Image credit: Future)

A fair amount of noise is generated even when moderate workloads are undertaken. Some heat can be felt towards the rear as well, reaching the top rows of the keyboard, but thankfully temperatures remained comfortable.

The OLED display of the Flip AI+ is sharp and clear, although it lacks the brightness of the best monitors. Reflections and fingerprints are also visible at times. The touchscreen functions well, though, especially when used with the included Nano Pen; both combine to offer precise and responsive inputs.

MSI Center S is the utility app for the Flip AI+, housing system information and performance tweaks, as well as the ability to enable and customize the Action Touchpad. In the case of the latter, I had to manually update the app for these to work properly, even though I had automatic updates enabled.

The default quick controls for the touchpad are useful and operate smoothly for the most part. However, the brightness slider on the right edge would often trigger unintentionally when I typed, which was frustrating. Another frustration was the momentary freezes and jumps I sometimes experienced when attempting to navigate the cursor.

Fortunately, typing on the Flip AI+ is less fraught. The keys are snappy, although they’re perhaps a little heavier and harsher than I would’ve liked, resulting in the occasional press failing to register. Nonetheless, this is still a board suited to quick typing.

The battery life of the Flip AI+ easily ranks among the best in class. It lasted over 30 hours when I left it to playback a movie on a continuous loop, which is very impressive. It’s also quick to charge, making it a great laptop for those constantly on the move.

The Flip AI+ is undeniably expensive, but considering its premium design, powerful spec, and convertible capabilities, it represents good value. There are certainly cheaper 2-in-1 laptops that offer sufficient everyday performance, but the Flip AI+ is a more complete package. If its touchpad was less frustrating and it had a dedicated GPU, it’d be a hard laptop to beat at this price point.

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ review: Price & availability

(Image credit: Future)

• $1,699.99 / £1,349.99 / AU$$2,999
• Available now
• Good value for the spec

The MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ costs $1,699.99 / £1,349.99 / AU$$2,999 and is available now. Various Intel Core Ultra processors are available depending on region, and in Australia, only the unit with 2TB of storage appears to be available.

If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly convertible laptop, the HP Pavilion x360 14 is a solid alternative. It has a weaker spec than the Flip AI+, and you’ll have to provide your own stylus, but it’s a great device for everyday tasking.

If you want to save even more money on a 2-in-1, the Acer Chromebook Spin 312 is one of the best Chromebooks in this class. Of course, you’ll have to forgo Windows, but if you don’t need the versatility of Microsoft’s OS, a Chromebook can be a useful companion for your studies and light entertainment.

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ review: specs

Price

$1,699.99 / £1,349.99 / AU$$2,999

CPU

US: Intel Core Ultra X7 358H (1.5GHz, 16 cores)

UK: Intel Core Ultra 7 355 (2.3GHz, 8 Cores)

Aus: Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (2.1GHz, 16 cores)

GPU

Intel Graphics (integrated)

RAM

32GB LPDDR5x

Storage

1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD

Aus: 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD

Display

14-inch FHD+ (1920 x 1200), OLED, 16:10, Touchscreen, 100% DCI-P3 (Typical), Low Blue Light & Flicker-free certified by SGS, MSI Nano Pen support

Ports and Connectivity

2x USB-A (3.2 Gen2), 2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 4, DisplayPort, PD 3.0), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x combo audio; Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0

Battery

81Wh

Dimensions

12.4 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches (316 x 222 x 14mm)

Weight

3lbs / 1.37kg

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Thin and premium design
• Plenty of USB ports
• Discreet Nano Pen storage

Credit where credit’s due, MSI has done an admirable job of making the Flip AI+ a stylish machine. Its steely grey finish and minimal proportions impart an elegance not usually found in brand’s designs. What’s more, it’s impressively thin and free from extraneous bulges, even underneath (save from two full-width feet). All this helps to make it an easy device to travel with.

I also appreciated the rounded edges, which are curved more prominently than most. This makes it comfortable to hold and pick up. The thin bezel around the display is another facet of the laptop’s overall sleekness.

All the materials employed in the construction of the Flip AI+ feel premium, especially those of the keyboard and touchpad. They put me in mind of the best MacBooks, which are pretty much the standard bearers for laptop build quality.

(Image credit: Future)

However, the minimalist appearance of the Flip AI+ is somewhat upset by the lid hinges. They look a little cumbersome in relation to the rest of the unit, and create a somewhat unsightly gap between the lid and base. At least they operate smoothly, allowing for easy conversion when you want to use the touchscreen exclusively.

The included Nano Pen is just as compact as the laptop itself. It’s much smaller than many others, but no less upmarket in its design. It charges wirelessly, and the compartment to stow it is discreetly integrated into the underside of the Flip AI+, near the front edge.

This makes it easy to remove, requiring a slight tilt of the base of the Flip AI+ to access. You can even do this one-handed. However, it’s a little more awkward to put back: whenever I tried, the magnets inside the Nano Pen kept trying to flip it around from its correct orientation, requiring more encouragement than I would’ve liked to insert the right way up.

The Flip AI+ features all the essential outboard connections: there are two USB-A ports on the right and two USB-C on the left; the latter support charging of the Flip AI+ as well as external monitor signals. An HDMI port and a 3.5mm combo audio jack are also present, split across either side. Considering how thin and compact the unit is, including this many ports feels generous, although I always lament the omission of an SD card reader on a laptop designed for productivity.

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ review: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Impressive general performance
• Loud under load
• Action Touchpad misfire issue

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ benchmarks

3DMark: Night Raid: 31,643; Fire Strike: 6,517; Steel Nomad: 607; Solar Bay:12,337; Solar Bay Unlimited: 12,434; Solar Bay Extreme: 1,793; Solar Bay Extreme Unlimited: 1,793
Geekbench 6.5: Multicore: 11,670; Single-core: 2,752
Cinebench R23: Multi Core: 10,177; Cinebench R24: Single Core: 116; Multi Core: 628
Crossmark: Overall: 1,785; Productivity: 1,700; Creativity: 2,037; Responsiveness: 1,392
Passmark Overall: 6,809.7; CPU: 22,456.1; 2D Graphics: 780.2; 3D Graphics: 5,363; Memory: 3,581.1; Disk: 48,869.8
BlackMagicDisk: Read: 4,221MB/s; Write: 3,500MB/s
Total War: Warhammer III: 1080p, Medium: 30.2fps
Total War: Warhammer III: 1440p, Ultra: 19.2fps

The Flip AI+ performed well in most of the tasks I conducted. It handled light productivity and entertainment – including 4K streaming – without issue. It also proved to be a capable multitasker, although this was hardly a surprise given the 32GB of RAM my review unit was crammed with.

Even though the Flip AI+ doesn’t have a dedicated GPU, I was impressed with its gaming prowess. It ran Cyberpunk 2077 on the Ray Tracing: Low preset remarkably well. Granted, the visuals were rough around the edges and frame rates were well short of those delivered by the best gaming laptops, but it was still enjoyable enough for casual play.

Video editors and creators will be more disappointed with the Flip AI+, though. It failed to even complete PugetBench’s Adobe Premiere benchmark, despite repeated attempts, due to a certain GPU effect failing to render.

The Flip AI+ also has a tendency to emit a fair amount of fan noise when undertaking workloads, even those that could be described as moderate. This is usually accompanied by some prominent heat at the rear of the unit and on the top row of the keyboard. Mercifully, the temperatures are far from being intolerable, but you’ll certainly notice them.

(Image credit: Future)

As for the display of the Flip AI+, its 1920 x 1200 resolution is clear and sharp, and the OLED technology helps with contrast. It reveals reflections and fingermarks a little too easily, and I wish the maximum brightness setting was higher, but thankfully these grievances aren’t ruinous to the overall visual experience.

Another important aspect of the Flip AI+’s display is its touchscreen functionality. It’s precise and responsive, if a little grabby when used with fingers. However, it handles the included Nano Pen much better. This glides smoothly across the surface, making it ideal for navigation, handwriting, and drawing.

However, the sheer slenderness of the Nano Pen makes using the two side buttons — which are used to erase content, take screenshots, and activate the inbuilt microphone — very awkward when adopting a writing position. Those with daintier digits might have an easier time, but I struggled.

Another standout feature of the Flip AI+ is its Action Touchpad. I found this useful for controlling various parameters, such as volume and screen brightness, quickly. You can also double-tap the left and right corners to open Windows’ Calculator app and the MSI Center S respectively.

However, my initial experience with these functions was beset by various bugs, from the aforementioned quick controls failing to register, to the three custom slots refusing their assignments.

(Image credit: Future)

Thankfully, a manual download to update the MSI Center S to its latest version seemed to fix most of these issues. I was disappointed, though, that this update failed to initiate automatically, since I had this option toggled in the app settings.

I was also disappointed that there was still no way to customize the six default quick controls. But a bigger frustration was the frequent accidental triggering of the brightness quick control, caused by the palm of my thumb when typing. To prevent this I would have to disable all quick controls, since you can’t disable them individually.

This issue aside, typing with the Flip AI+ is mostly pleasant. The keyboard features plenty of useful shortcuts on the top row, including those for Bluetooth settings and Windows’ Snipping Tool. However, disappointingly for a productivity-focused machine, there’s no number pad or even a navigation cluster. There is backlighting, though, which is always cause for celebration in a laptop.

In action, the keys are snappy thanks to their short actuation, which makes for quick typing. However, they’re a little heavier than those in your average laptop, which, in my experience, results in the occasional hit failing to register. Dampening is minimal as well, which can make presses feel a little harsh. These are minor grievances, though, and only stand when compared to the best keyboards around.

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ review: Battery life

(Image credit: Future)

• Phenomenal endurance
• Quick to charge

The battery life of the Flip AI+ is truly spectacular. MSI quotes a longevity of 30 hours, but according to my testing — which involved playing a movie on a continuous loop — it actually exceeded this already remarkable figure by a couple of hours.

To put this into perspective, the most enduring laptop I ever tested was the HP OmniBook 7 14-inch, but even this fell someway short of the Flip AI+ in the same test, mustering just under 26 hours. The Flip AI+ is also quick to charge, taking about two hours to replenish from total depletion.

Should I buy the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+?Scorecard

Category

Notes

Rating

Value

Aside from the lack of a dedicated GPU, the Flip AI+ offers a lot for the money.

4 / 5

Design

Super-thin and with a premium construction, the Flip AI+ ticks all the right boxes in terms of design. Port selection is also reasonable, given the compact form factor.

4.5 / 5

Performance

The Flip AI+ offers great all-round performance, although the absence of a dedicated GPU might disappoint creatives. The touchscreen and Nano Pen are both great, but the Action Touchpad can frustrate.

4 / 5

Battery Life

Pretty much unbeatable. It has a video playback time of over 30 hours, and it’s quick to charge, too.

5 / 5

Final Score

The MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ is a very competent, convertible laptop that represents good value when you consider its build and performance. Only a few minor gripes hold it back from a full-throated recommendation.

4 / 5

Buy it if…

You want an easy-to-use convertible laptop
Light, thin, and well made, the Flip AI+ is easy to use in its converted mode, and the touchscreen and pen function very well, too.

You want a strong spec
Integrated graphics aside, the spec of the Flip AI+ is certainly powerful enough for the needs of many productivity users.

You want to go all day unplugged
I haven’t come across a laptop with a better battery life: it comfortably lasts more than a full day’s worth of use.

Don't buy it if…

You want serious graphical power
Even though I was impressed by how well it ran AAA games, the Flip AI+ isn’t a patch on machines with dedicated GPUs.

You want a fuss-free touchpad
The Action Touchpad is most excellent, but the frequent misfiring of the brightness slider when typing was frustrating.

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ review: Also consider

HP Pavilion x360 14
Another 2-in-1 Windows laptop, the HP Pavilion x360 14 is a competent everyday machine with a premium design and a sharp display, but a much lower price tag than the Flip AI+. There are models without backlit keyboards, but I recommend steering clear of those, given how hard it is to make out the key symbols even in the light. Read our full HP Pavilion x360 14 review.

Acer Chromebook Spin 312
If you want a seriously budget convertible option, the Acer Chromebook Spin 312 is a solid choice. Since it’s a Chromebook, you’ll have to forgo the versatility of Windows, but it’s still a strong-performer with a great display and a compact design that’s suited for travel. Read our full Acer Chromebook Spin 312 review.

How I tested the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested for several days
• Ran our series of benchmarks

I tested the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ for several days, during which time I used it for all manner of tasks, from general browsing and productivity to streaming and gaming.

I also ran our extensive series of benchmarks, designed to assess every facet of a laptop’s performance. I also tested the battery life by running a movie on a continuous loop while the Flip AI+ was unplugged until it died.

I’ve been using laptops for decades and have reviewed a large number of them, from budget affairs and Chromebooks to mid-range productivity machines and high-end gaming models.

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

I've really enjoyed following Steve Carell's career over the years. Whether it's his iconic role as Michael Scott on The Office or his much more serious performance as Alan Strauss in Hulu's The Patient, I've been consistently impressed by what he does.

In HBO Max's Rooster, Carell plays Greg Russo. He's the author of a series of books following a main character called, you guessed it, Rooster. Russo had gained a fandom through that character even though he's not as successful himself, with painful emotions coming to the surface as he returns to the same arts college, Ludlow, where his wife left him 25 years ago.

History repeats itself at this, frankly, cursed college. Russo's daughter, Katie, works there, and she's having her own relationship drama. Her husband Archie has left her for a student, with whom he was having an affair, and everybody knows about it.

Archie is played by Ted Lasso's Phil Dunster, who perfectly encapsulates Archie's self-serving attitude. Much like Dunster's outstanding performance as Jamie Tartt in Ted Lasso, though, he's layered and will find a way to charm you despite all of that. Despite his many, many flaws, it's not impossible to see why Katie married him in the first place.

On his first day, Greg meets college president Walter Mann, played by the always wonderful John C. McGinley. If you liked him in Scrubs, you'll certainly enjoy him here too, as he plays quite the eccentric character with some very strong opinions about the college and the people in it. Every scene involving him is brilliantly awkward, and the cast is a real selling point here.

Given the strained relationship between Katie and Greg, it's hard for him to comfort his daughter, but he does his best anyway. She immediately tries to embarrass him when he gatecrashes her lecture, and is critical of the fact that he's there to check up on her, even though he insists he's just there to guest lecture.

Greg makes his disdain for Archie very clear from episode one, positioning himself as a caring father despite the rampant self-deprecation and awkwardness we often see from him. Scenes between Greg and Archie are among my favorites, and they are played very well by Carell and Dunster.

But there's more to Rooster than just this, and Greg ends up getting into all sorts of unwelcome situations during his time at Ludlow, which was meant to be a simple guest lecturing gig, after all.

These include an unfortunate appearance on the news, run-ins with local law enforcement, and criticisms from students about some of the narrative choices in his novel, especially the over-reliance on sex appeal.

Not all of the topical jokes worked for me, but humor is subjective, so perhaps you'll enjoy those more than I did. It definitely segues into slapstick when it doesn't really need to.

Charly Clive and Phil Dunster play a couple whose broken marriage is the talk of the campus. (Image credit: HBO Max)

Outside of the comedy, though, the series does do serious moments well. Katie is terrible at emotional vulnerability, using sarcasm as a shield, and Greg doesn't quite know how to navigate that. He just isn't as cool and collected as Rooster, despite his efforts to emulate him.

Greg ends up having a tequila-induced heart-to-heart with Dylan Shepard, a bubbly faculty member played by Danielle Deadwyle, where we learn more about his failed marriage, so the series is character-driven from the get-go. They clearly have chemistry too, making me keen to see how it unfolds over the next nine episodes.

Rooster has all the ingredients for a fun weekend watch. With quick episodes that are easy to watch, the Sunday time slot is ideal for this show. Episodes are released weekly, and you can easily slot this into your streaming schedule if you want something light that still gives you plenty to think about.

I did find the way Rooster was filmed a little jarring, but honestly, it didn't take away from the great performances and the important themes explored. It's a fun addition to HBO Max's library, showcasing Carell at his best, where he effortlessly blends humor and seriousness.

Rooster is available on HBO Max in the US and Australia, and Sky Comedy in the UK.

Light spoilers follow for Project Hail Mary.

Project Hail Mary (PHM) is a movie I've been itching to see for some time. The second book penned by sci-fi author Andy Weir to be adapted for the big screen — the first being 2015's extremely well-received The Martian — PHM has all of the ingredients necessary to similarly be critical and commercially successful.

Sometimes, though, said components — the cast and crew, production, and translating a story from page to screen, to name just three — don't gel as well as they should. Color me relieved and delighted, then, that Amazon's latest silver screen vehicle is not only an emotionally resonant and eye-popping visual experience, but also a near-perfect masterpiece that's a shoo-in for 2026's best movies list.

Save our stars

Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, an unassuming teacher sent on a mission to save our Sun (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

A direct retelling of the nonlinear narrative in Weir's 2021 hard sci-fi novel namesake, Project Hail Mary introduces us to Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), a junior high school teacher and infamous former molecular biologist.

Waking from a coma, a disoriented and amnesiac — and, after surveying his surroundings, understandably panic-stricken — Grace finds himself aboard a spaceship 12 light-years from Earth.

Project Hail Mary's overarching narrative is one built on hope, optimism, collaboration, and companionship

Eventually, Grace remembers why he's here: the Sun is dying. In fact, all but one of the galaxy's known stars — Tau Ceti — are waning at an incredibly rapid rate.

Consequently, Grace has seemingly been sent on a one-way mission to discover the root cause of this cosmic phenomenon, learn why Tau Ceti isn't affected by it, and — potentially — find a cure. Fail, and the catastrophic ice age will engulf our world in approximately 30 Earth years. No pressure, then.

Grace is hired by European Space Agency head Eva Stratt (Sandra Huller, right) for the titular mission (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

At a time when the real world seems bleak, PHM's dystopian premise might be the last thing we need right now — and yet, its overarching narrative is one built on hope, optimism, collaboration, and companionship.

Sure, its first act doesn't indicate that'll be the case. Indeed, it plays out like a survival thriller as Grace resigns himself to his fate — that being, getting drunk and living out his days until his supplies run out — rather than embrace his status as Earth's unlikely hero.

Expository flashbacks, which shed more light on the cosmic mystery at large, as well as Grace's personality, backstory, and role in trying to solve said enigma, also paint a vivid picture ofPHM's disaster movie sensibilities, and the supposedly insurmountable task facing our overwhelmed and lonesome protagonist.

With no prior astronaut experience, Grace essentially spends the first act lost in space (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

As I alluded to, however, one of 2026's most exciting new movies isn't an emotionally cold or haunting sci-fi tale like Moon or another Gosling-led film in Blade Runner 2049, but rather a surprisingly funny one, especially once Project Hail Mary becomes a buddy adventure (more on this later).

The integration of humor won't surprise fans of Weir's works and/or anyone who's seen The Martian, which is similarly multi-genre to PHM in its make-up. The same can be said of directing duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller's previous works (The LEGO Movie, 21 Jump Street), which have surprising emotional depth amid their riotously funny moments.

Gosling is given ample opportunity to showcase his aptitude for comedy

Still, Project Hail Mary highlights Gosling's impeccable comedic timing — a talent that, until his performances in recent flicks including 2024 megahit Barbie and 2025 action-comedy The Fall Guy, was severely underutilized. Thankfully, Gosling is given ample opportunity to showcase his aptitude for comedy in chucklesome scenes laced with physical, deadpan, situational, and miscommunication-based humor.

Needless to say, Gosling is as much a tour de force in PHM's quieter and dramatic moments as its amusing and action-oriented ones.

Films of this emotional magnitude and multi-tonality require a certain caliber of actor to anchor them — without one, movies can easily fall apart. But, with its lead star firing on all cylinders, Project Hail Mary has enough emotional thrust to catapult it into the stratosphere.

A Rocky road trip

Rocky is the newest addition to the throng of adorable aliens we've seen on the big screen (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

As any experienced vehicle operator will say, though, you can never have enough fuel in the tank — and, from an emotive perspective, that's where Gosling's adorable alien co-star comes into play.

Indeed, as Project Hail Mary's first trailer and subsequent teasers showed, Grace soon learns he isn't the only one trying to crack the case. Indeed, Rocky (voiced by puppet designer/performer James Ortiz), an eyeless, arachnid-like extraterrestrial, is on the same mission to save the star that its home world, Erid, orbits.

Rocky helps to bring out the best in his new human companion (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

Rocky doesn't appear until the start of the film's second act. Once he does, though, PHM's story subtly shifts from an introspective solo flick to an intimate two-hander as an unlikely yet deeply warm friendship — one that unmistakably becomes the film's emotional core — forms between Grace and his instantaneously lovable new bestie.

Grace and Rocky's bromance is one that evokes the very best on-screen human-alien friendships

A far cry from the uninspiring bond between Jakub Procházka and Hanuš in Netflix's 2024 sci-fi flick Spaceman, Grace and Rocky's bromance is one that evokes the very best on-screen human-alien friendships. Think E.T. and Elliot in E.T: The Extraterrestrial, Han Solo and Chewbacca in Star Wars, and Lilo & Stitch in their eponymous animated and live-action films, and you'll get a sense of how integral Grace and Rocky's dynamic is to Project Hail Mary's entertaining yet perilous plot.

Project Hail Mary is a feast for the eyes (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

And fraught with danger it most certainly is. Eye-bulgingly beautiful and electrifyingly euphonious as PHM is — believe me, you'll want to see this in IMAX or on the biggest Dolby Atmos-supported screen you can — our unlikely heroes' quest is terrifyingly treacherous.

There won't be many films this year that'll restore your faith in humanity like Project Hail Mary will

Nowhere is this more apparent in Project Hail Mary's tentpole set-piece, which sees Grace and Rocky embark on a high-stakes and life-threatening mission that'll go a long way to solving their celestial conundrum. It's an intense, nail-biting action sequence that, combined with Greig Fraser's (Dune, The Batman) visually powerful cinematography and Daniel Pemberton's (the Spider-Verse movies) heart-pounding, otherworldly score, gripped me from start to finish.

I'm not afraid to admit that the final 45 minutes, which include the aforementioned extended scene, had me choked up on more than one occasion, too. No spoilers, but if you welled up or cried watching poignant sci-fi movies like Interstellar and The Iron Giant, or even feel-good genre fare like The Martian, I'd bring some tissues with you.

My verdict

It's the sign of a spectacular movie when you never glance at your watch, so it won't shock you that I consider Project Hail Mary to not only be a spellbinding genre epic, but also a contender — even at this early stage — to be one of the best films of the year.

Okay, the story occasionally strays into predictable territory, but that's the only fault I found with what I expect to be the latest addition to the sci-fi movie pantheon. An edge-of-your-seat, spacefaring comedy-drama that'll resonate through its 'ordinary individuals doing extraordinary things' narrative lens, there won't be many films this year that'll restore your faith in humanity like PHM will. In the words of Rocky himself, go see this "amaze, amaze, amaze" movie as soon as you can.

Project Hail Mary arrives in theaters on March 19 (UK and Australia) and March 20 (US and everywhere else).

Apple MacBook Neo two-minute review

The MacBook Neo is one of the most interesting releases from Apple in a long time, and it comes at an important moment. Thanks to a global memory shortage, a tariffs-loving president in the White House, and other global conditions, consumer electronics are becoming ever more expensive, just as the cost of living has also risen, which means consumers have less money to spend on things like a new laptop.

Apple is generally regarded as a company that sells high-end and expensive devices, which isn’t entirely fair, as I think the Mac mini (M4) is one of the best-value products in the computing space. The MacBook Neo is interesting, as Apple is entering the budget and midrange laptop market for the first time. This is a market that's dominated by cheap Chromebooks and affordable Windows 11 laptops, and while Apple is joining the fray with the MacBook Neo, it’s doing so on its own terms.

That means, as the company is keen to emphasise, that while the MacBook Neo is a more affordable MacBook, it is in no way a cheap, pared-back or limited MacBook.

(Image credit: Future)

You’re still getting a solid and great-looking laptop made out of aluminum (and now in four new colors, harking back to the more fun days when Apple launched brightly-colored Macs), and a bright and vibrant screen with a retina resolution of 2408 x 1506, which is higher (and therefore more sharper and detailed) than the 1080p screens laptops at this price usually sport.

Audio from the built-in speakers is also excellent, the 1080p webcam means video calls look great, and perhaps best of all, the MacBook Neo runs the full version of macOS, and you can run pretty much any Mac app on it.

While its 8GB of unified memory means you won't see the best performance when running multiple apps at once, overall I had no issues at all running various apps for day-to-day tasks, making it ideal for students in particular.

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Best of all is the price: $599 / £599 / AU$899. You’re going to be hard-pushed to find a Windows laptop or Chromebook around this price that can match the build quality and performance of the MacBook Neo; and if you're a student, you can get a further discount that brings it down to just $499 / £499. At that price, it really is a no-brainer.

Of course, there are compromises. As well as the limited amount of memory, the MacBook Neo doesn’t come with a backlight behind the keyboard, so finding the right keys in darker environments can be an issue, and the two USB-C ports use older and slower USB 3 and USB 2 tech.

Despite those compromises, Apple has made easily the best budget laptop you can buy in 2026. While it’s not the cheapest laptop out there, it’s well worth paying a little extra to get such a slick and accomplished laptop at this price. Windows 11 laptop and Chromebook makers have been put on notice, and they’ll need to up their games to match, let alone surpass, the MacBook Neo.

Apple MacBook Neo: Price & release date

• Starts at $599 / £599 / AU$899
• Available to pre-order now, on sale March 11

The biggest selling point of the MacBook Neo is its price, with Apple seemingly pulling out all the stops to keep the price as low as possible.

With a starting price of just $599 / £599 / AU$899 (and a further $100 / £100 discount for education users), this is one of the cheapest Macs Apple has ever made. Sure, the Mac mini (M4) is more powerful, and launched at the same price, but it doesn’t come with a screen, mouse or keyboard, so for sheer out-of-the-box value for money, the MacBook Neo now reigns supreme.

For that starting price you get a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, 8GB of unified memory and a 256GB SSD. The Neo is powered by the Apple A18 Pro chip, with a 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU. The A18 Pro debuted in 2024 in the iPhone 16 Pro, and the fact that the MacBook Neo is powered by an older mobile chip, rather than one of the M-series chips usually found in Macs, is one of the ways Apple has kept the overall price of the MacBook Neo down.

Customization options for the hardware are pretty limited as well, with just the option to double the storage to 512GB for an extra $100 / £100 / AU$200. Considering the current price of storage, this isn’t an obscene amount to pay for an extra 256GB of the stuff — and by going for the larger storage option you also get a Touch ID button on the keyboard that allows you to log in to macOS, pay for things via Apple Pay and more using your fingerprint. This is not an option with the base model of the MacBook Neo.

(Image credit: Future)

The $599 / £599 / AU$899 starting price firmly pits the MacBook Neo against the best budget laptops, such as the HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch and Acer Aspire Go 15 — the first time in a long, long, time that I can say that about a MacBook, and Apple’s build and design quality easily surpasses almost every budget laptop or Chromebook at this price point.

The arrival of the MacBook Neo also means the MacBook Air is no longer the cheapest MacBook model, which makes the new, more expensive, price of the just-announced MacBook Air (M5), which now starts at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,799, a slightly less bitter pill to swallow. Slightly.

While I love the fact that you can now get a MacBook for $599 / £599 / AU$899, the value proposition of the Neo lives or dies on how many compromises Apple has had to make to keep the price low.

One last thing to note here is that in the UK and EU, the MacBook Neo does not come with a charger, just a USB-C cable, as is the case with the M5 MacBook Pro from last year and the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra. It’s likely we’ll see an increasing number of laptops in the UK and EU not ship with chargers in a bid to reduce e-waste — if you don't already have a USB-C charger you’ll need to buy one.

• Price: 5/5

Apple MacBook Neo: Specs

MacBook Neo base configuration

MacBook Neo top configuration

Price:

$599 / £599 / AU$899

$699 / £699 / AU$1,099

CPU:

Apple A18 Pro (6-core)

Apple A18 Pro (6-core)

Graphics:

5-core GPU

5-core GPU

Display

13-inch Liquid Retina Display, 2408 x 1506, 500 nits brightness, 1 billion colors

13-inch Liquid Retina Display, 2408 x 1506, 500 nits brightness, 1 billion colors

RAM:

8GB

8GB

Storage:

256GB

512GB

Keyboard:

Magic Keyboard

Magic Keyboard with Touch ID

Ports:

USB 3 (USB-C) port, USB 2 (USB-C) port, 3.5mm audio jack

USB 3 (USB-C) port, USB 2 (USB-C) port, 3.5mm audio jack

Wireless:

Wi-Fi 6E / Bluetooth 6

Wi-Fi 6E / Bluetooth 6

Weight:

2.7lbs (1.23kg)

2.7lbs (1.23kg)

Dimensions:

0.50 x 11.71 x 8.12 inches (1.27 x 29.75 x 20.64cm)

0.50 x 11.71 x 8.12 inches (1.27 x 29.75 x 20.64cm)

Apple MacBook Neo: Design

• Available in four colors
• No backlit keyboard
• USB 2 and USB 3 ports

Apple has done an excellent job of ensuring that, despite its lower price, the MacBook Neo retains the look, feel and build quality that we’ve come to expect from Apple devices; and when it comes to design, the MacBook Neo blows pretty much all of the competition at this price point out of the water.

Thanks to its aluminum build the MacBook Neo feels solid, robust and impressively premium. It comes in four vibrant colors, and the review sample Apple sent me is the Citrus version, which is a nice bright-looking green. I also had the chance to check out the other colors at the launch event: Silver is the iconic Mac color, Blush is a lovely pinkish shade and Indigo is a dark blue.

As with the iMac redesign a few years ago, it’s great to see Apple return to releasing fun and colorful Macs, and while the MacBook Neo variants look bright, there’s a metallic sheen to them which means they don’t resemble toys.

(Image credit: Future)

The aluminum chassis means the MacBook Neo isn’t quite as light as you might imagine. At 2.7 pounds (1.23kg) it weighs the same as the MacBook Air, and while that’s certainly not a hefty laptop (hence the ‘Air’ moniker), students and kids lugging the MacBook Neo around might notice the weight. It’s also thicker than the MacBook Air.

The MacBook Neo’s Magic Keyboard is slightly colored to match the hue of the laptop, which, as Apple says, creates “a cohesive design aesthetic and [makes] MacBook Neo the most colorful MacBook yet.”

Speaking of the keyboard, it’s here where one of the big differences between the two models of the MacBook Neo can be found. If you go for the more expensive model with 512GB storage you also get a Touch ID button for signing into macOS using your fingerprint. It’s a shame that this is limited to the pricier model, as I find Touch ID to be really convenient — you can also use it to approve installations, insert passwords and make payments — and there are plenty of budget laptops out there that support biometric security.

The base model instead comes with a ‘lock’ button that you can press and hold to lock the MacBook Neo, which is far less useful.

While the keyboard of the MacBook Neo feels as comfortable to use and responsive as the Magic Keyboards on more expensive Macs, it does lack a very important feature: backlighting.

(Image credit: Future)

On other MacBooks, the keyboard backlights illuminate the letter or icon of each key, making them easy to see in low-light conditions. Without backlighting, typing can be more difficult if you’re not in a suitably lit environment, even if, like me, you’re a proficient typer who doesn’t usually need to look at the keyboard.

It’s arguably the biggest sacrifice Apple has made in order to keep the MacBook Neo’s price as low as possible, and while it's not a deal breaker, it’s definitely worth noting, and in dark and poorly lit classrooms and lecture halls the lack of backlighting could become an issue.

Along the left-hand side of the MacBook Neo are two USB-C ports, which are also used to charge the laptop (there’s no fancy magnetic MagSafe 3 port here). While the two USB-C ports are indistinguishable from each other, or from the USB-C ports found on other MacBooks, it’s important to note that both use different, and older, tech.

The USB port nearest the back of the MacBook Neo uses USB 3, which maxes out at 10Gb/s. For comparison, the new MacBook Air M5 comes with Thunderbolt 4 ports, which can handle up to 40Gb/s, and the most recent MacBook Pros with M5 Pro and M5 Max up that tech to Thunderbolt 5, which can handle 120GB/s.

So, while the USB 3 port on the MacBook Neo can handle modern peripherals (such as mice and keyboards), moving large files to and from an external hard drive will be noticeably slower than on many other modern laptops. You can at least plug in a USB-C monitor and use it as a second screen, with support for 4K and 60fps.

The second USB-C port uses the even older USB 2 interface, which limits speeds to just 60MB/s, which is far slower, and only really appropriate for wired keyboards and mice.

This is another big indicator of the MacBook Neo’s (relatively) low price, and while I can understand that Apple needed to make some sacrifices, it could have handled this a bit more elegantly. For a start, having two seemingly identical ports that use very different technology could cause confusion — you might wonder why your USB memory stick is suddenly very slow, or why a peripheral isn’t working correctly if you connect them via the wrong port.

(Image credit: Future)

Also, while using USB 3 technology is an understandable cost-cutting measure (Apple is likely banking on most people not noticing the low speeds compared to more modern USB technology), including USB 2 in a laptop in 2026 feels close to insulting, no matter how cheap the device is.

To be fair to Apple, the rest of the design of the MacBook Neo is free from those kind of compromises. As I’ve mentioned, the aluminum body makes it look and feel far more premium than pretty much any other laptop at this price point, and the screen is another highlight. At 13 inches, and with a resolution of 2408 x 1506, the display might not be the biggest or sharpest screen in Apple’s lineup, but on a laptop in this price range it’s a fantastic addition, considering that most Windows 11 and Chromebook rivals at this price will be limited to 1080p or even lower. The 13-inch screen also helps to make the MacBook Neo nicely portable, especially for kids and students. Perhaps the best thing about the Neo’s display is its brightness — it's able to hit the same 500 nits of peak brightness as the screen on the MacBook Air.

For anyone who's used a budget laptop and been disappointed by the dim or washed-out image quality, the MacBook Neo’s screen is impressively bright and vivid, and with support for one billion colors (and that higher-than-usual resolution), the MacBook Neo easily has one of the best, if not the best, displays on an affordable laptop — though, Apple being Apple, it’s not a touchscreen.

• Design: 4/5

Apple MacBook Neo: Performance

• Uses the same A18 Pro chip that powered the iPhone 16 Pro
• Can run macOS apps
• 8GB of memory is a concern

The MacBook Neo is one of Apple’s most interesting releases in years, and while it uses a chip built by Apple, unlike the other modern MacBooks it’s not an M-class chip; instead it's the A18 Pro, which originally appeared in the iPhone 16 Pro.

Putting a smartphone chip into a laptop might seem odd, but the logic is sound. For a start, Apple has been making mobile chips for a lot longer than it’s been making computing chips (by around 10 years), and the mobile chips it makes these days, especially for its high-end Pro iPhones, are impressively powerful — and you could argue that a powerful mobile chip like the A18 Pro is more capable than a weak laptop chip like those found in many budget devices.

By going with an older iPhone chip, Apple is able to keep the price of the MacBook Neo lower without impacting the performance too much.

(Image credit: Future)Apple MacBook Neo: Benchmarks

Here's how the Apple MacBook Neo performed in our suite of industry-standard benchmarks and game tests.
Geekbench 6.6:
Single - 3,535
Multi - 8,920
Blackmagic Disk Speed Test:
Read: 1,585 MB/s
Write: 1,440 MB/s

So why not use an older computer chip like the M1? As Apple explained to me, the A18 Pro features a 16-core Neural Engine that can handle on-device AI features, including Apple’s much-hyped Apple Intelligence, which is baked into macOS. The M1 chip, which debuted with the MacBook Air in 2020, isn’t able to handle those tasks as well – and the A18 also uses faster memory. So, despite my initial reservations about Apple using a mobile chip for the MacBook Neo, it’s actually quite a shrewd move.

As the A18 Pro is also a 64-bit Arm-based chip, you don’t have to worry about only being able to run iPhone apps on the MacBook Neo. Instead, you can run any Mac app that can run on modern MacBooks.

macOS itself runs well on the Neo, and while it doesn’t feel quite as snappy as when I’m using my MacBook Pro, considering the price difference I was impressed. Because of the less powerful hardware in the MacBook Neo, for the best results it’s worth sticking to the default apps as much as possible. So, rather than loading up Ableton Live 12 and launching a project full of various sounds and instruments, I stuck to the pre-installed Garage Band instead; while it’s a more basic music-making application, it’s still got plenty of great features, and it ran without an issue on the MacBook Neo. Other default apps, such as Keynote, used for presentations, also ran well.

If you want to try more intensive apps you certainly can. As I mentioned earlier, despite running on an iPhone chip, the MacBook Neo can run any Mac app — I even installed Steam, which requires Rosetta to run on non-Intel hardware. You get the same macOS experience as you’d get on the similarly priced Mac mini, as well as on ultra-expensive MacBook Pros or the Mac Studio.

(Image credit: Future)

So, there are no limits as there are with ChromeOS on Chromebooks, where you can only run limited Android apps, or a relatively small selection of Chrome apps. Some budget laptops also come with ‘Windows 11 in S mode’ – a typically terrible Microsoft name, and which is essentially a locked-down version of Windows 11 that can only run apps bought or downloaded through the Microsoft Store, and on which you’re stuck with using Edge as the default browser.

The MacBook Neo suffers from none of these limitations, so in theory you’ll be able to run any app that you could run on a more expensive Mac. This makes the Neo a far more versatile device than a Chromebook or Windows 11 S laptop, and I’d also argue that it’s more useful than the iPad Pro, which despite being far more powerful (and which uses the latest Apple M5 chip), can only run iPadOS apps, rather than full Mac applications.

You can also use your iPhone or iPad with the MacBook Neo, in the same way you can with more expensive MacBooks. So, you can mirror the screen of your iPhone, drag and drop files, make calls and messages, share the clipboard, and use an iPad as a second screen. I paired the MacBook Neo up with the latest M5-powered iPad Pro (an unlikely pairing, I’ll admit, given the price difference between them), and used the iPad Pro as a second monitor, and it worked brilliantly.

So I have to give Apple major props when it comes to ensuring that users of the MacBook Neo do not get a compromised or limited macOS experience — you enjoy the same experience that other Mac owners do, and that’s great to see on a more affordable device.

The only limits, then, are those of the MacBook Neo’s hardware itself, so while you could fire up Blender and work on complex 3D scenes, the Neo is going to struggle, so you'll need to keep your expectations in check.

While I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the A18 Pro chip, I do worry about the 8GB of unified memory, which could limit how future-proof the MacBook Neo will be.

Due to the global memory shortage, which is raising the price of memory, it was an inevitability that the Neo would come with a limited amount in order to help keep the overall price down — and I was actually relieved that we got 8GB rather than 4GB, which some Chromebooks and even some budget Windows 11 laptops still come with.

However, 8GB of system memory doesn’t go very far these days, and there’s no option to upgrade to a MacBook Neo model with more — and you certainly can’t easily open up the laptop and install more memory yourself.

With my MacBook Neo running Safari, Keynote, Garage Band and downloading a game through Steam, around 6.48–7GB of memory was being used at once — that's pretty darn close to the 8GB limit. Once you max out the MacBook Neo’s memory, as with any laptop, things start slowing down considerably.

(Image credit: Future)

The MacBook Neo, like other modern Macs, uses unified memory, which means that 8GB of memory is shared between the system and graphics, so loading up more graphically-intensive tasks puts even more pressure on the memory.

If you’re going to be using a laptop for graphically intensive workloads, or you like to multitask and switch between numerous apps, you’d be much better off investing in the MacBook Air (M5) instead, the base configuration of which comes with 16GB of unified memory.

Again, the memory limits of the MacBook Neo can be avoided by keeping in mind what the MacBook Neo has been designed for, and what it hasn’t. Sticking to more basic apps, and only having a few of them open at once, will ensure you have a smooth and enjoyable experience.

If you’re not prepared to do that, then the MacBook Neo simply isn’t for you — but good luck finding at laptop at this price that will be able to keep up with your ambitions.

The MacBook Neo can also play games, though again you’ll need to keep your expectations in check. However, I got it to run Cyberpunk 2077 at a perfectly playable 30fps (frames per second) using the ‘For this Mac’ preset. Usually a stunning-looking game, on the MacBook Neo it wasn’t quite as impressive due to most graphical presets being set to ‘low’, or turned off entirely (such as advanced ray tracing lighting effects); but the fact that it was playable at all on a 13-inch laptop costing $599 was very impressive. You can also play iPhone and iPad games, and those are much better suited to the MacBook Neo’s hardware.

(Image credit: Future)

Overall, the performance of the MacBook Neo is very impressive for the price It excels at day-to-day tasks, and is flexible enough for you to run most Mac apps without an issue — but if you want a productivity powerhouse, look elsewhere.

One last thing to note here is that, like the MacBook Air, the MacBook Neo has a fanless design, which means it’s practically silent when in use — another big difference from budget Windows 11 laptops, which often get noisy when the fans whirr into life.

• Performance: 4/5

Apple MacBook Neo: Battery life

• Apple claims up to 16 hours of video streaming
• 11 hours of wireless web browsing
• Hit 13 and a half hours in our tests

The MacBook Neo’s A18 Pro chip is an efficient bit of silicon, which isn’t surprising as it was designed to power a smartphone, and Apple promises up to 16 hours of video streaming on a single charge — that's two hours less than what it promises for the MacBook Air, but still an ambitious target.

In Future's battery life tests it managed to last 13 and a half hours before shutting down, which is more than enough for an entire work or school day, though there are Chromebooks out there that can go for a lot longer.

This makes it a great laptop for students who don’t want to have to hunt for a power socket between lessons, and charging the MacBook Neo is fast using the 20W power adapter that’s included in the box (unless you’re in the UK or EU, in which case you don’t get an adapter).

• Battery: 4/5

Should I buy the Apple MacBook Neo?Apple MacBook Neo scorecard

Attribute

Notes

Score

Price

The MacBook Neo offers exceptional value for money, especially if you're able to take advantage of the $100 / £100 student discount.

5/5

Design

It looks and feels a lot more premium than most laptops at this price, and its display is similarly impressive. The lack of a keyboard backlight and slow USB ports are a shame, however.

4/5

Performance

You get the full-fat macOS experience here, and day-to-day tasks pose no trouble at all — but the 8GB of memory means multitasking is less smooth.

4/5

Battery life

16 hours promised, and 13 and a half in our tests is more than enough for going a whole work or school day without needing a charge.

4/5

Buy it if…

You want an affordable laptop
These days, finding a laptop under $600 that’s worth buying is extremely difficult, but the MacBook Neo makes it easy — this is a brilliant laptop for the price.View Deal

You want to get into the Mac ecosystem
Many people with iPhones or iPads don’t have a MacBook, and the Neo’s low price means this is a brilliant choice for your first Mac.View Deal

You're a student
I really don’t think I can recommend any laptop over the MacBook Neo for students. It’s solidly built, has a long battery life, and performs well, and with the student discount offered by Apple it’s even better value for money.View Deal

Don’t buy it if…

You’re a creative professional
The MacBook Neo is aimed squarely at students, small-business owners, and regular folk. If you need a laptop for some heavy-duty creative work, get a MacBook Pro instead.View Deal

You want to stick with Windows 11
If you really don’t want to use macOS, then there are some very good Windows 11 alternatives, but none at this price feel quite as good as the MacBook Neo.View Deal

How I tested the MacBook Neo

• I used it for almost a week
• I ran various apps
• I used it alongside an iPad Pro and other Macs

After seeing the MacBook Neo at Apple’s launch event I was given a unit to thoroughly test. I’ve been using the laptop every day during my review period, using it for a variety of day-to-day tasks such as document creation and browsing the internet.

I also used various apps, including Garage Band, to push the MacBook Neo, and played a bit of Cyberpunk 2077. I also linked the MacBook Neo up to an iPad Pro and my Mac Studio to test out how the MacBook integrates with other Apple products.

I’ve reviewed almost every modern MacBook during my time at TechRadar, as well as other Macs and iPads, plus plenty of Chromebooks and Windows 11 laptops as well, and I've used this experience to help me judge whether or not the MacBook Neo is worth buying for different kinds of user depending on their requirements.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: March 2026

Sennheiser CX 80U: review

Recently, one of my esteemed colleagues shared a brand new term with me: “friction-maxxing”. The term – coined by columnist Kathryn Jezer-Morton – concerns the practice of rejecting modern digital conveniences, and building tolerance for discomfort while resisting the temptations of technological ease. I assure you, all of this is relevant to my verdict on the retro-feel Sennheiser CX-80U wired earbuds — just stay with me a little longer.

So, all of this friction-maxxing talk got me thinking about tech and its role in our lives. Previously, we’d head to a Blockbuster or a local library to hunt down a movie we want to see, whereas we now bear witness to an unending wall of films on Netflix. Once we would have gone to a record store or entertainment outlet, and purchased a new vinyl pressing or CD, but now we just stream tunes via Spotify. And we used to queue up outside video game stores eagerly awaiting a new release, while now, you can pre-order a title from a digital store instantaneously.

We’ve taken so many inconveniences away, but has it come at the expense of the human experiences that stick with us forever? Maybe. But all is not lost. We can still bring some friction back into our lives. For instance, Sennheiser is here, and it’s plugging the wires back into your earbuds, and transporting you away from the ultra-convenient Bluetooth earbuds that dominate today’s market. Yes, I present to you, the Sennheiser CX 80U – a budget-friendly pair of USB-C in-ear headphones, aiming to compete with the best wired earbuds in their price bracket.

The Sennheiser CX 80U are a USB-C adaption of 2021’s Sennheiser CX 80S – essentially the same buds, but ones that use a 3.5mm connector. Like the CX 80S, Sennheiser’s new earbuds use 9.7mm dynamic drivers, with a frequency range of 17Hz-20kHz. The result? Clear full range sound, with powerful bass, clean mids, and vibrant treble. Given that they’re on sale for less than $40 / £35, I was really impressed with the sonic capabilities of these buds and, after two weeks of testing, I’d argue that they’re among the best I’ve tried in the budget category.

When I tuned into Timeless by Shinchiro Yokota, I was treated to full-sounding, impactful bass and exciting yet controlled percussion in the treble range. Piano and vocal chops came through with plenty of clarity in the mids too, and as the track built, the individual layers never got muddied or convoluted.

I was especially pleased with the sense of space that treble sounds have. Highs often sound as if they’re operating in a well-defined pocket, giving them plenty of room to express themselves. For me, this created a great sense of immersion in my tunes, something that many budget rivals fail to offer. Even at peak volumes, the CX 80U’s treble never sounded harsh or tinny, and solid dynamics were maintained at all times.

As a regular user of the Sennheiser IE 200, I like the way that Sennheiser approaches the low-end on its more budget-friendly products. It never feels like bass is bloated or over-emphasized for an attention grabbing, but unbalanced sound. Instead, products like the IE 200 favor an agile, clear interpretation of low-end sounds – a punchy sound, rather than an untamed one. And it’s a very similar story on the CX 80U.

These wired buds offer responsive, clean bass that grabs your attention without spoiling the party for sounds in the mid and treble ranges. For instance, when I tuned into Fascinator by Max Dean, although the sub-bass was a little subdued, mid-bass sounds were rapid and full-sounding, never sounding lethargic or ‘boomy’.

It would be rude not to give the mids a bit of airtime too, so let’s discuss them for a bit. Now, I’ll be upfront, I don’t think you’re getting the most nuanced or detail-oriented mids around with these earbuds. However, they certainly sound clear, and well balanced and very robust for buds in this price-range.

For instance, when I listened to Ventura Highway by America, acoustic guitars in the intro came through with beautiful tonal accuracy, and sounded surprisingly expressive too. But as vocals entered the mix, I couldn’t help but realize that they didn’t sound perfectly separated from those guitars, and lacked the definition in the mix supplied by pricier rivals. This really is a nitpick, though. These budget-friendly buds sound absolutely fantastic, and I’d never expect them to compete with $100 / £100 models.

(Image credit: Future)

I’ve spoken about sound pretty extensively now, so let’s talk about something else that will affect your enjoyment of these buds – their comfort. Now, I have to say that I found the CX 80U to feel very pleasant in-ear. I happily engaged in multi-hour listening sessions, and never experienced discomfort or irritation. For reference, I used the medium-sized eartips, although small and large alternatives are included in the box, helping you to find your perfect fit.

And getting that ideal seal will be pretty important if you want to enjoy the CX 80U at their best. With the right fit, I didn’t only unlock high-level comfort, but surprisingly strong passive noise isolation. When people were chattering away in my office, I genuinely couldn’t hear a word they were saying at around 70% listening volume. On top of that, typing sounds and doors closing barely broke through at all.

That’s pretty amazing when you consider that the CX 80U don’t use fancy foam eartips or any particularly advanced technologies to keep noise out. Sure, they won’t stop you from hearing surrounding traffic or the rumble of a jet engine if you’re taking a flight, but they’ll still dampen surrounding clamors nicely, and that in itself is a major plus.

Sennheiser’s in-ears are well designed in just about every other way too. For instance, I love their classy look, which is marked by rounded buds, attractive silver details, and slim wires. There’s an in-line controller here too, which isn’t too close to the face or too far down, and is attached to the right bud, so you know which side is which.

But unfortunately, the controller seems to house just about every issue I have with the Sennheiser CX 80U – even though my critiques are few and far between. First of all, I was puzzled by the lack of volume controls. There’s a single button that can be used to pause or play tracks or take calls, but that’s all. That meant that whenever I wanted to change volume, I had to pull my phone out – not ideal when you’re on the go.

My second point of criticism – which is admittedly pretty minor – concerns the controller’s built-in mic. I tried recording a voice note, and realized that there was noticeable background static in the recording throughout. My voice was decently clear, in fairness, and the mic isn’t bad overall, but it won’t provide the best call quality around.

But that’s about where my complaints end. Sure, it would be nice if the CX 80U had an IPX4 rating for some protection against raindrops, for instance, but it’s pretty common for buds in this price range to leave waterproofing out.

Otherwise, I have nothing but good things to say about the Sennheiser CX 80U. They sound spectacular for their sub-$40 / £35 price-tag, they’ve got a classy look, and their adoption of USB-C makes them a great fit for modern smartphones and laptops. If you want to bring some friction back into your life with a budget-friendly pair of wired buds, the CX 80U would be my top recommendation.

(Image credit: Future)Sennheiser CX 80U review: price and release date

• $39.95 / £34.99 (about AU$57)
• Launched in January 2026

The Sennheiser CX 80U were announced in January 2026, alongside the Sennheiser HD 400U USB-C wired headphones. They have a list price of $39.95 / £34.99 (about AU$57), planting them firmly in the budget category. They’re available in a single black and silver colorway.

Sennheiser CX 80U review: specs

Drivers

9.7mm dynamic

Weight

0.5oz / 15g

Frequency range

17Hz-20kHz

Waterproofing

Not stated

Connectivity

USB-C

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Sennheiser CX 80U?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Surprisingly good noise isolation, mic is just OK, and controller could use volume buttons.

3.5/5

Sound quality

Clean, agile bass, clear mids, expressive treble – very solid detail for the price.

4.5/5

Design

Classy look, impressive build quality, no waterproofing.

4.5/5

Value

Very cheap and sound more premium than you’d expect – you can’t ask for much more.

5/5

Buy them if...

You want good sound at a low cost
The Sennheiser CX 80U are some of the best-sounding wired earbuds I’ve tested in their price category, offering powerful bass, clear mids, and expressive treble. For less than $40 / £35, they really are worth every penny.

You’ve got an eye (and an ear) for detail
For the price you pay, the Sennheiser CX 80U look seriously classy. Their metallic details and rounded buds make them very easy on the eye, and their comfortable fit ensures that they’re strong performers in the design category.

Don't buy them if...

You want ultimate convenience
As much as I loved using the Sennheiser CX 80U, I wouldn’t say they were the most convenient buds I’ve tested. The main reason for that was their lack of volume adjustment buttons on the controller. This would have made using them on the go a lot easier, as I had to take my phone from my pocket to crank the volume up (or dial it down) every time.

You need your buds to be waterproof
There’s no mention of a waterproof rating for these wired buds, which is pretty common for Sennheiser audio gear. If you want splash-resistant in-ears, I’d recommend trying out the Skullcandy Set USB-C.

Sennheiser CX 80U review: also consider

Sennheiser CX 80U

SoundMagic E80D

Apple EarPods USB-C

Price

$39.95 / £34.99 (about AU$57)

$44 / £39.98 / AU$66

$19 / £19 / AU$29

Drivers

9.7mm dynamic

10mm dynamic

Dynamic

Weight

0.5oz / 15g

0.6oz / 16g

1.1oz / 30g

Frequency range

17Hz-20kHz

15Hz-22kHz

20Hz-20kHz

Connectivity

USB-C

USB-C

USB-C

SoundMagic E80D
SoundMagic may not be quite the household name Sennheiser is (unless you're an audiophile on a budget), but the company produces a lot of great quality affordable audio gear, including the SoundMagic E80D USB-C earbuds. With detailed audio, impressive noise isolation and a genuinely comfortable fit, these buds have a lot going for them. Read our full SoundMagic E80D review.

Apple EarPods USB-C
Here’s a super-cheap pair of wired earbuds that you’ve probably come across before: the Apple EarPods USB-C. These buds have a more open design, leaving out the in-ear seal of the CX 80U and SoundMagic E80D. They’re sleek, well-made, and have a solid built-in mic too. They sound OK for the price, with solid low-end weight, but you won’t get the detail or nuance of Sennheiser’s buds. Read our full Apple EarPods USB-C review.

How I tested the Sennheiser CX 80U

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested for two weeks
• Used in the office and while out and about
• Predominantly tested using Tidal

I spent two weeks testing the Sennheiser CX 80U, and took them with me just about everywhere I went. I tested them at home, at the office, and even on walks, to really grasp their noise isolation capabilities.

Although I used them for streaming the odd bit of video, I predominantly used the CX 80U for music listening. When playing tunes, I predominantly used Tidal, and had them connected up to the Nothing Phone (4a). To begin with, I made sure to run through our TechRadar testing playlist, which features tunes from a wide array of genres. However, I also made sure to tap into some tracks from my personal library.

More generally, I’ve spent two years reviewing gadgets here at TechRadar, and audio gear is a key focus of mine. I’ve reviewed a lot of wired earbuds like the Master & Dynamic ME05 and the JBL Tune 310C, but I’ve also tested IEMs, like the Sennheiser IE 200 and IE 600. On top of that, I’ve gone hands on with some of the best noise cancelling headphones, like the Sony WH-1000XM6, Dolby Atmos soundbars such as the Samsung HW-Q800F, and Bluetooth speakers like the Marshall Kilburn III.

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

Quo (formerly OpenPhone) is a cloud-based business phone system designed for teams that want a modern, app-centric alternative to traditional VoIP or PBX setups.

It blends calling, texting, shared numbers, and AI-powered automation in a single workspace that feels more like a messaging app than a legacy phone console.

This company targets small and midsize businesses, startups, and distributed teams that need professional phone numbers, shared inboxes, and collaboration tools without investing in desk phones or complex hardware.

The service runs on desktop and mobile apps, keeping personal and business communication separate while giving teams a unified view of calls and messages.

A key differentiator is the Sona AI voice agent, which can answer calls 24/7, capture details, generate transcripts, and suggest follow-up actions, effectively acting as a virtual receptionist and note-taker.

When combined with integrations with tools like HubSpot and Salesforce, Quo aims to streamline how teams handle leads, support tickets, and client communication.

Quo: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Quo)

Quo uses per-user, per-month pricing, with tiers that unlock additional AI capabilities, advanced analytics, and more robust integrations as you go up the ladder. This structure keeps it approachable for very small teams that just need core calling and texting, while still scaling for growing companies that want deeper reporting or CRM sync.

Higher-tier plans typically include features like advanced call tagging, more powerful Sona AI automation, and expanded integration options with CRMs and other business tools.

Transparent pricing and no required hardware purchases help keep the total cost of ownership predictable, especially compared with legacy on-premises phone systems that require separate maintenance and equipment.

Quo: Features

(Image credit: Quo)

Quo is built to be deployed quickly, often without IT involvement, which will appeal to small businesses and non-technical founders. Getting started typically involves creating an account, choosing or porting phone numbers, installing the desktop and mobile apps, and inviting team members to join.

Number porting, configuring shared inboxes, and setting up basic call routing rules can usually be completed from the admin dashboard, with guided steps and documentation to reduce friction.

Many customers highlight straightforward onboarding and the ability to get a working phone system live in a short amount of time, especially compared with traditional providers.

Quo: Ease of use

(Image credit: Quo)

Most users describe Quo’s interface as clean and modern, with a layout that resembles familiar messaging apps, lowering the learning curve. The shared conversation view helps new team members quickly understand context, and the separation between personal and business communication on mobile devices supports healthier work–life boundaries.

Features like conversation assignment, internal comments, and automated call summaries cut down on back-and-forth and reduce the need for external note-taking tools.

For teams, having calls and texts in one shared thread for each customer makes collaboration more intuitive than bouncing between email, chat, and a separate phone app.

Quo: Security and privacy

Quo emphasizes secure communication and payment handling, particularly for organizations in regulated industries like healthcare.

Once a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement is in place, Quo can be configured to support compliant communication workflows, with safeguards that align with HIPAA’s Privacy and Security Rules.

For billing and payments, Quo relies on Stripe as a PCI Service Provider Level 1–certified processor, meaning credit card data is never stored on Quo’s servers and is transmitted using strong encryption.

The platform layers on protections like multi-factor authentication for sensitive account changes, regular security audits, and privacy policies that stress minimal data collection, purpose limitation, and user control over personal data.

Quo: Support

Customers often praise Quo’s support team for being responsive, professional, and helpful during onboarding and troubleshooting. Small business users, in particular, note that setup questions and technical issues tend to be addressed promptly, which is important when the phone system is mission-critical.

Quo offers a support site and resource center with documentation on configuration, security, and compliance, though some users have reported issues with the in-dashboard AI assistant not functioning correctly in highly locked-down browser environments. This suggests that while core support quality is strong, the AI help experience may vary depending on security settings and browser constraints.

Quo: The competition

Quo competes with a crowded field of cloud-based communication platforms, including RingCentral, Nextiva, and GoTo Connect, as well as more lightweight app-based services.

Many of these rivals offer robust call routing, analytics, and integrations, but may lean more heavily on traditional PBX paradigms or require more complex configuration.

Where Quo stands out is its focus on an app-first, messaging-like experience and its AI-driven Sona agent, which aims to capture and categorize every call without manual intervention.

However, some power users and larger enterprises may still prefer competitors with more mature contact-center features or deeper native analytics if those advanced capabilities matter more than a streamlined interface.

Quo: Final verdict

Quo is a compelling choice for small and midsize teams that value simplicity, collaboration, and AI assistance as much as traditional phone features.

Its shared inbox model, Sona AI agent, and CRM integrations make it especially attractive for sales, support, and real estate teams that live and die by fast, context-rich customer communication.

There are some trade-offs: users with locked-down environments may encounter quirks with the AI support assistant, and organizations needing advanced contact center tooling may find more specialized options elsewhere.

But for most growing businesses that want an easy-to-manage phone system that feels like a modern messaging app—and that also captures and organizes every interaction—Quo earns a strong recommendation.

The original GreedFall was something of a balm for people starving for a particular flavor of sub-BioWare action role-playing games (RPGs) - games about reading lore codices and speaking to party members about their unresolved family drama.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PS5
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Release date: March 12, 2026

True to form for veteran “Temu versions of bigger RPGs” developer Spiders, it played like an earnest if haphazard version of The Witcher 2. GreedFall: The Dying World - no longer named GreedFall 2 to clarify its position as a prequel to the original - instead attempts to channel the spirit of classic late 90s or early 00s PC games as it becomes a real-time-with-pause tactical RPG.

The other big shift is in your perspective: the original game cast you as a member of a noble house from a Europe-inspired industrialised nation, as it’s in the middle of colonising a new world of feather-wearing, magic-infused natives with a culture built out of thoughtlessly mashed together indigenous stereotypes.

Presumably in response to criticism of their poorly handled parable of the colonisation of North America, Spiders has taken the bafflingly ill-advised decision to make it all an allegory for the transatlantic slave trade instead.

Troubled waters

(Image credit: Nacon)

In The Dying World, you play as a member of a tribe indigenous to the fantasy island of Teer Fradee who is quickly ripped from their home by soldiers and shipped to the mainland in a prison ship. It’s a bold opening for a developer that doesn’t have a great track record for handling this sort of thing with any degree of sensitivity or consideration.

Luckily, creative cowardice wins out, and you are immediately sprung from prison by a woman who is really very sorry about her job being to help ships bring back captured natives for cultish human experimentation. The rest of the game feels very much like a tour of apologism, as we find out that it’s actually only a few bad apples - and not the entire colonial apparatus - that has a penchant for human slavery and torture.

It’s a shame how familiar things are, how quickly the player character becomes second fiddle to more traditional RPG stories starring your roster of deeply uninteresting party members. There is no opportunity for righteous fury at what all of these people have been doing to your homeland. You can’t go on a revenge rampage. You can’t assassinate business leaders.

You just stumble along, being helpful and small while hoping someone in a position of power feels enough remorse to assist you in rescuing other captured natives or find a way home. The best you can hope for is for some official to possibly consider, maybe one day, looking into the whole slavery business.

(Image credit: Nacon)

The lack of player agency can sometimes reach comical levels; you would think a party member becoming a captain of her own massive ship would be a solid ticket back home for the island natives. Raising it as a possibility makes the rest of the party act as if you’re being completely unreasonable to demand such an expensive and time-consuming diversion. It makes far more sense to help everyone else with whatever lingering lifelong mission they’ve been on first.

It’s a bizarre decision for the studio to double down on the biggest weakness of the original game and flub the blank slate they had given themselves. There’s a game about a cool pirate lady going on adventures that they could have made, away from the baggage of the bad ideas they’d had. They’ve ended up with the worst of both worlds, lacking the conviction to focus on the indigenous storyline but also tarnishing the attempt to make a fun RPG about finding lost treasure and killing inexplicable packs of rabid monkeys in the countryside.

The trying world

(Image credit: Nacon)

The combat is also a step back. With GreedFall and Steelrising, it felt like Spiders had finally settled into a comfortable place with its attempts at real-time, vaguely soulslike combat. Here, it has looked at the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 and the rest of the computer role-playing game (CRPG) revival, and tried something more tactical - ending up with a system very close to Dragon Age: Origins.

Exploration is done via a traditional third-person camera, but at the press of a button, the camera pulls out to an almost isometric view, and time freezes - allowing you to get a handle on the details of each foe, queue up individual actions for each party member, and position them for defensive or offensive purposes.

Unpausing keeps you in the tactical view, letting you monitor how things play out and decide when you need to pause again and adapt to the battle as it unfolds. Not that you’ll ever be really surprised by anything.

Most encounters play out the same way; the same way they do in most CRPGs - sending out a tank to draw enemy attention away from your preferred assortment of spell casters, archers and thieves who all chip away at enemy defences or hit them with afflictions or cast favourable buffs on the tank. Sometimes there’ll be an explosive barrel.

It works fine. The studio has done a genuinely commendable job at mapping this sort of thing onto a console controller - you never feel like you’re struggling against the absence of a scroll wheel or a keyboard. You might find yourself struggling to stay engaged in your third, drawn-out battle against a dozen rabid monkeys in a row - as you find yourself pausing and pausing to carry out the same tried and tested tactics you’ve been relying on for 20 hours.

Outside of a few standout bosses, the game rarely throws you a curveball or forces you to think outside of the box.

(Image credit: Nacon)

Fortunately, The Dying World features some robust difficulty and control options - letting you do everything from making it so that a single badly timed or placed spell can result in wiping out your own party or turning the game into a third-person autobattler with infinite health.

If the combat ever starts to feel like a slog, you can essentially make it play itself while you enjoy exploring the world or furthering the narrative. Or if you prefer to turn it into something like a 90s computer classic, you could play the entire thing like it’s a real-time strategy with a fixed isometric camera as you click your way around the environment.

As a Spiders fan in general, this is ultimately a deeply frustrating experience. There’s a lot to be appreciated here. The towns and cities of the continent are a densely packed delight to explore, once you’re finally given the freedom to do so.

There’s a calming quality to being able to sit back and consider your options as you look down on the battlefield. But there’s only so long you can spend clicking on the same combination of skill icons in battles that all overstay their welcome. Only so many times you can grimace as the writing constantly trips over itself.

It’s heart breaking to say, given the effort involved - and knowing there’s a strong likelihood this could be Spiders’ swansong - but this is a world they should have let this world die in peace.

Should I play GreedFall: The Dying World?Play it if...

You enjoy comparing trousers
While GreedFall: The Dying World's encounters leave much to be desired, preparing for them is deeply satisfying if you're the type of person who likes pouring over the statistical details of every item of clothing equipped on your party members. There's a steady trickle of loot to sort through, and all of it is reflected visually, so you'll be agonizing between form and function.

You like looking at cobblestones and trees
The world might be dying, but it's very nice to look at. It takes too long to reach the point where you can freely explore the towns of the continent, but once you do, you'll find they're oozing with detail and atmosphere. Each nation feels genuinely distinct in terms of architecture and personality, while feeling grounded in the same world.

Don't play it if...

You like well thought-out fantasy settings
Focusing on the already poorly conceived and broadly drawn native culture of the original is a perplexing, unforced error. What could have been a course correction only leads to more missteps, as every hour sees some plot beat or piece of dialogue that will make any player who is culturally or historically sensitive suck air through their teeth and tug at their collar.

You are hoping to show off your tactical genius
GreedFall: The Dying World's more complex combat ends up feeling like a tedious slog rather than a true test of your intelligence. Most builds don't feel particularly unique or interesting, offering nothing you haven't seen a thousand times already. All you can really do is shovel in some artificial difficulty in the form of damage modifiers or friendly fire, which grates very quickly.

Accessibility features

The game lets you change a variety of aspects of combat to taste, from friendly or enemy damage levels to when the game pauses automatically or how the camera reacts in certain contexts.

You can determine how much autonomy your party members have during a fight. There are three presets available, which offer different ways to experience and engage with combat, from minimal to exact.

Subtitle options are limited to one background and three sizes, but there are no colourblind settings. Commendably, they have included something that every video game should release with - an Infinite Health toggle switch in the options menu.

How I reviewed GreedFall: The Dying World

I played through the main storyline and the major companion quests of Greedfall: The Dying World for over 40 hours on a stock PlayStation 5 hooked up to a 50” OLED TV. The HDR really shows off the wide range of deep, rich browns and reds that make up the towns and forests you’ll be spending your time in.

I played using the Quality Mode, which caps the FPS at 30 frames per second (fps) - which I found had little impact on the tactical combat. The Performance Mode caps at 60, but the significant reduction in resolution makes the detailed environments appear fuzzy and cluttered.

First reviewed March 2026

Bluesound Pulse Flex: two-minute review

The Bluesound Pulse Flex is a reboot of the brand’s 2018 wireless speaker. Capable of hi-res playback and being part of a multi-room setup, its most obvious rival is the Sonos Era 100. But is it capable of squaring up to Sonos’s entry level option?

First off, it deftly handles the separation of various elements in the mix. Listening to Nervous Tics by Maribou State, I was impressed with how judiciously it balanced each instrument, with the guitar and the arpeggiated synth given plenty of room. Vocals especially always felt like they were given their due deference, sounding fantastically clear and soaring above the rest of the mix.

A big part of this is that the Pulse Flex dedicates plenty of space in the mix for the mids to express themselves, rather than boosting bass and treble as a cheap way of adding punch. Playing Cirrus by Bonobo, I was immediately struck by how energetic the Kalimba sounded and the satisfying resonance and reverb to the chimes. Honestly, its performance in this frequency range is as good as I’ve heard from any of the best wireless speakers in this price range.

That’s not to say it doesn’t have any sonic shortcomings though. For example, as it doesn’t have stereo drivers, it’s only capable of mono playback unless you pair it with another Bluesound speaker, meaning you’re not going to get as satisfying a soundstage as you might otherwise. The speaker’s also surprisingly quiet – I rarely need to run most speakers at more than 50% volume, whereas I had to crank the Pulse Flex at around 65% just to get a similar level of loudness out of it.

There are also some areas of the mix it handles less well than the mids. For example, when playing Us (Pola & Bryson Remix) by Alchemist, I was immediately struck by how subdued the sub felt, particularly compared to a more bass-heavy wireless speaker like the Sonos Era 100. On occasion, transients like hi-hats can also feel like they’re lacking in crispness and bite, suggesting the treble is a little muted.

Of course, this is where many speakers would fall back on their EQ settings as a defence, reasoning that at least you can compensate for their audio weaknesses here, should you wish. Unfortunately for the Pulse Flex, its EQ settings are seriously limited, only allowing you to boost or reduce bass or treble. It also doesn’t have any form of built-in room calibration, meaning it won’t compensate for unfavorable placement.

But while it’s a little lacking in audio features, it makes up for it in terms of connectivity options. Wireless options are impressive enough, with integrated streaming apps, AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth aptX HD. However, it’s the variety of wired inputs that really impressed me – it offers a staggering range for a speaker of this price, including a 3.5mm analog jack, optical in, USB for connecting external drives and USB-C for running a digital input from your PC or laptop.

This smart physical design is echoed elsewhere throughout the Pulse Flex’s build. I’m a big fan of its styling, with its flattened front face and attractive colorways helping it to stand out from the crowd of interchangeable wireless speakers. Meanwhile, the acoustically transparent fabric of its grille and matte plastic of its body feel wonderfully tactile. I only wish that its buttons were slightly less fine, as they’re not as pleasant to press as circular buttons would be.

All things considered, the Bluesound Pulse Flex is an effective speaker for its $349 / £279 price. It offers excellent resolution and handles crowded mixes pretty deftly, as well as making vocals and other mid-range elements shine. Unfortunately, it does lack where sub is concerned and offers too few sound-tweaking features though, so if you’re into a bassier sound or just like tailoring audio to suit your preferences, you might be better off with one of the best wireless speakers instead.

(Image credit: Future)Bluesound Pulse Flex review: price and availability

• Launched on December 16, 2025
• List price: $349 / £279

Having launched on December 16, 2025, the Bluesound Pulse Flex is available direct from Bluesound, as well as from third-party sellers such as Amazon. Its list price is $349 / £279, making it a shade more expensive than the Sonos Era 100, which originally had a list price of $249 / £249 before dropping down to $219 / £199.

For that price, you get your choice of three colorways: Black / Charcoal, White / Pebble Grey and the stunning looking White / Tan finish. Each speaker is mono though, so if you’re dead set on having a stereo, you’ll want to budget for two units, not just one.

(Image credit: Future)Bluesound Pulse Flex review: specs

Speaker drivers

1 x 0.75-inch tweeter 1 x 4-inch woofer

Amplification

Smart DSP amplifier

Dimensions

5.15 x 7.73 x 4.37 inches / 131 x 196 x 111mm

Connectivity

Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.3 aptX HD, 3.5mm optical / analog combo, USB-C, USB-A, Ethernet

Streaming support

BluOS app, Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, Roon Ready

Other features

Multi-room groups, loudness optimization, tone controls, replay gain, mono / left / right settings, volume limits

(Image credit: Future)Bluesound Pulse Flex review: features

• Great range of connectivity options
• Basic EQ settings
• No room calibration tools

Setting up the Bluesound Pulse Flex is pretty simple. Like many other wireless speakers, you simply need to connect to its built-in Wi-Fi using your device’s settings, then authorize it to use your chosen Wi-Fi network. Admittedly, this process failed the first time I tried it but the second time it connected with minimal drama, so I’ll give it a pass here.

The Bluesound app is easy to use overall and offers decent functionality. It allows you to manage your streaming services – including Amazon Music, Deezer, Spotify and Tidal – and group or ungroup all of your Bluesound speakers into a multi-room system. Additionally, it allows you to create presets for its three preset buttons, for example triggering your fave playlist on Tidal at a single tap.

Unfortunately, there are some areas that are much more limited, particularly when it comes to sound-tweaking features. The EQ settings are the most rudimentary you’re likely to get in a wireless speaker, literally only allowing you to boost or duck treble or bass by 6dB either way. There’s no six- or nine-band EQ available here, let alone the innovative parametric EQ offered by Wiim’s speakers, which really limits how much you can rebalance and refine its sound profile.

There’s also no room calibration here. The "flexible placement options" I originally hoped would refer to algorithmic calibration just mean it can be placed on a table, wall or stand-mount. Meanwhile, Bluesound says that its Front Row feature "shares several traits with the equalization principle of loudness compensation". I’m assuming this milquetoast statement means that it is essentially loudness compensation, but your guess is as good as mine here.

(Image credit: Future)

One area I will absolutely give the Pulse Flex its dues though is when it comes to connectivity. For a speaker at this price point, it offers an absolutely chasmic range of connectivity options. Not only do you get multiroom connectivity and hi-res audio at up to 24-bit/192kHz over Wi-Fi but it also offers Bluetooth aptX HD, meaning you can still stream in near lossless quality from devices that don’t offer AirPlay 2.

But, perhaps even more impressive, it offers a whole load of physical ports. Its optical and 3.5mm inputs allow you to hook up digital and analog sources with ease, while its USB-A port lets you play content from an external drive and its USB-C connection means you can stream digital audio straight from your laptop or PC. In comparison, the slightly cheaper Sonos Era 100 only offers a single USB-C port and even then you’ll need the sold-separately Sonos Line-In Adapter to plug anything into it.

All in all, the Pulse Flex has some strong features for its price. But it really is far behind the competition when it comes to sound polishing functionality – these days, I’d expect more granular options than just bass or treble boost and reduction.

• Features score: 3.5 / 5

(Image credit: Future)Bluesound Pulse Flex review: sound quality

• Well-rounded mids and decent treble
• Effective instrument separation
• Lacking in the low-end
• Quite quiet compared to other speakers

Of course, lackingcomprehensive EQ settings is less of an issue if a speaker nails its sound in the first place. The Bluesound Pulse Flex performs reasonably well on this front, although it is lacking in one or two significant areas.

On first playing the Bluesound Pulse Flex, I was impressed with how gorgeously well-rounded the mid-range frequencies were. Playing No Skin by Frameworks, I loved how clearly expressed and resonant those mallet noises were, while the vocals soared clear of the mix. There’s a real warmth and presence to these frequencies that suggest the Pulse Flex doesn’t scrimp in the lower-mid range, a real pet peeve of mine.

When it comes to bass though, it’s immediately apparent that something is lacking. Spinning Us (Pola & Bryson Remix) by Alchemist, I was pleased to hear that the torn edges of its distorted bassline had a real sense of definition when they ripped right up into the lower mids. But there’s often a palpable void where the sub would be, making you keenly aware you’re hearing a reproduction of the recording, rather than a perfect facsimile. A little more emphasis on the low end here would just help ground everything a little better and place it on a firmer footing.

The treble is much less problematic, at least on first impression. Few songs are as good at diagnosing a flaky high end as Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac and certainly it didn’t betray any unnecessary sharpness or limiting. Again the vocals sounded fantastically well-defined, although this did come slightly at the expense of the guitars – these usually sound as taut as piano wire, so it does feel like the treble is occasionally sacrificed on the altar of that expressive mid-range.

Generally, I found the Bluesound Pulse Flex was pretty tolerant of lower quality recordings, which is a real plus if you’re likely to use it in Bluetooth mode – especially if your device doesn’t have Bluetooth aptX HD. Yes, I could detect a bit of downsampling on elements like hats and cymbals and it could be a little less dynamic than I’d like but it honestly wasn’t that different to some of the Bluetooth speakers I’ve tested.

(Image credit: Future)

Give it a slice of hi-res audio and it really shines though. Playing Wasting My Young Years by London Grammar on Tidal’s hi-res tier, it really communicated the gorgeously honeyed timbre of the vocals and yet didn’t crush the piano or guitar too much, allowing both elements to interplay with the long reverberant tail of the vocals. It’s a spacious sound that really allows instruments plenty of room to express themselves.

It is worth noting though that this speaker is mono, unlike rivals like the Sonos Era 100 – as a result, its soundstage is naturally very one dimensional. That’s a shame as the extra width could really help carve out a distinct space for each element. And yes, you could pair two into a stereo pair but that means spending twice the price, which really changes the value you’re getting out of the speaker.

One other minor criticism I have of the Pulse Flex is it’s a bit of a shrinking violet. While some affordable wireless speakers can be overconfident in terms of their output levels, the Pulse Flex seemed a little on the quiet side to me. While I rarely ever play the Sonos Era 100 louder than about 50% volume, I had to boost the Bluesound’s speaker up to 65% - 70% just to get the same subjective volume. Yet if I cranked it up a few more notches to 80% volume, it quickly started to sound harsh and a bit squeezed, even if it wasn’t quite actively limiting yet.

All in all, the Pulse Flex’s sound quality is good. Don’t get me wrong: my socks remained unblown when it came to either bass or volume but it’s performance in the mid-range is surprisingly capable and I liked how deftly it handled the dynamic separation of different instruments. Vocals in particular sound fantastic for a mid-price speaker, so if you’re not as bass-obsessed as I am, you’ll likely find it serves you well.

• Sound quality score: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Future)Bluesound Pulse Flex review: design

• Unique design
• Chic colorways
• Buttons not the most comfortable

Unboxing the Bluesound Pulse Flex, I found its look to be pretty refreshing. In the main part, I think that’s because it eschews the basic cylinder shape that’s become almost ubiquitous in wireless speakers at this price point. Instead, it has a flattened front face – from above, its cross-section gave me gumdrop vibes – making it perfect for nestling into a corner and projecting its sound into the room.

And this flexibility is supported by its Lilliputian size. At 5.15 x 7.73 x 4.37 inches / 131 x 196 x 111 mm, it’s more the size of the Sonos Era 100 than a beast like the Wiim Sound. And weighing in at just 3.55lbs / 1.61kg, it’s not particularly heavy either – not only is that less than the Era 100 at 4.45 lbs / 2.02kg, it was light enough I could easily pick it up and reposition it with one hand.

Elsewhere, its design is a little less adventurous, but still appealing. Both its top and bottom are fashioned out of tactile matt plastic, while its drivers are covered with a fine, acoustically transparent fabric grille – Bluesound’s data sheet alleges this is removable but honestly I couldn’t work out how and felt like I was going to break it every time I tried.

(Image credit: Future)

I’m a big fan of the colorways on offer though. Black / Charcoal looks a little basic to me but the White / Pebble Grey version I tested here is stylish enough. And I flat out love the White / Tan finish, as it would be easy to match with a warm decor.

Along the top surface, the Bluesound Pulse Flex has the standard array of buttons, covering increasing and decreasing volume, skipping forward and backward and play / pause. There are also three shortcut buttons, which work nicely – using the app, I set one to launch our testing playlist in Tidal and it worked pretty seamlessly. But while the buttons themselves are pretty responsive, giving nice clicky feedback, I’m not totally sold on the shape of them, with their slim lines feeling a little too angular under your fingertips.

The good news is those buttons aren’t your only option for controlling the Pulse Flex. It’s also compatible with the Bluesound RC1 Remote Control, meaning you can operate it from the comfort of your couch. The bad news? It’s sold separately so you’ll have to spend an additional $69 / £49 if you want to get your mitts on it.

• Design score: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Bluesound Pulse Flex?

Attribute

Notes

Score

Features

Excellent connectivity like Bluetooth aptX HD, analog / optical in and USB-C. But EQ settings are very basic and there’s no room tuning.

3.5 / 5

Sound quality

Offers hi-res, dynamic sound with well-rounded mids. Bass is a little lacking though and it’s quieter than most speakers.

4 / 5

Design

Lightweight, attractive design with some gorgeous colorways on offer. Buttons work well, although feel less tactile than they could be.

4 / 5

Value

Fairly reasonable price for its quality, although it’s more expensive than the Sonos Era 100, while not offering substantially better sound.

3.5 / 5

Buy it if…

You want polished sound
Not only is the Pulse Flex capable of hi-res playback but it has a pretty polished mid-range, making many instruments and vocals in particular shine.

You want to connect a lot of sources
The Pulse Flex offers a seriously broad range of connectivity options on top of its wireless connectivity, including a 3.5mm jack, optical in, and USB-A and USB-C ports.

Don’t buy it if…

You’re a bass fanatic
The Pulse Flex is a little lacking in the low end. So if you’ve got a soft spot for sub-bass frequencies, it’s probably not going to scratch that itch.

You want advanced sound features
Not only does the Pulse Flex swerve any room calibration tech, but its EQ settings are really quite basic, only allowing you to boost or reduce bass or treble.

Bluesound Pulse Flex review: also consider

Bluesound Pulse Flex

Sonos Era 100

JBL Authentics 200

Speaker drivers

1 x 0.75-inch tweeter 1 x 4-inch woofer

2x tweeters, 1x midwoofer

2 x 25mm tweeters, 5-inch full-range woofer, 6-inch passive radiator

Amplification

Smart DSP amplifier

3x Class D amps

Dimensions

5.15 x 7.73 x 4.37 inches / 131 x 196 x 111mm

4.72 x 7.18 x 5.14 inches / 120 x 183 x 131mm

10.48 x 6.76 x 6.59 inches / 266.3 x 171.7 x 167.4mm

Connectivity

Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.3 aptX HD, 3.5mm optical / analog combo, USB-C, USB-A, Ethernet

Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C (3.5mm line-in and Ethernet via adapter)

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C, Ethernet, aux-in

Streaming support

BluOS app, Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, Roon Ready

Sonos app, Apple AirPlay 2

JBL One App

Other features

Multi-room groups, loudness optimization, tone controls, replay gain, mono / left / right settings, volume limits

Sonos multi-room control, Sonos home theater option, stereo pair option

Multi-room playback, auto self-tuning

Sonos Era 100
Not only is the Sonos Era 100 marginally more affordable than the Pulse Flex, it also serves up substantial bass and a lively, dynamic sound. While not quite as spacious-sounding as the Flex, it does offer more presence, not to mention stereo sound, making it a good choice if your priority is hefty sounding music with a substantial soundstage. Read our full Sonos Era 100 review.

JBL Authentics 200
There’s a reason we’ve rated the JBL Authentics 200 as our best wireless speaker overall. Not only is it pretty keenly priced but it offers rich detailed sound that’s sure to impress. It also has fun, retro styling like physical knobs – remember those? – and vintage detailing. Read our full JBL Authentics 200 review.

(Image credit: Future)How I tested the Bluesound Pulse Flex

• Tested over a week
• Played a wide variety of genres
• Tried out a range of connectivity options

I tested the Bluesound Pulse Flex over the course of a week. To put it through its paces, I played a diverse range of music across many genres, including pop, classic rock, melodic techno and drum and bass. This helped me assess its performance in different frequency bands and ascertain how well it conveyed sparser and busier mixes.

To really get a picture of how it handled different quality recordings, I played music at a range of qualities, from Tidal's hi-res tier to basic AAC files. I also made sure to try out a range of connectivity options, whether that was integrated streaming apps, AirPlay 2 or via Bluetooth.

In terms of my experience, I've been testing speakers for around six years. On top of this, I use a wide range audio gadgets on a daily basis at home. I also produce music as a hobby, giving me a keen understanding for assessing the balance of frequencies and weighing up the expression of various elements of a recording.

• First reviewed: March 2026
• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max): Two-minute review

With the initial release of the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) at the tail-end of 2025, Apple seemed to have settled into a reliable pattern. Coming pretty much exactly a year after the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4, 2024), very few people were surprised by the reveal of the M5 chip and 14-inch MacBook Pro.

However, there are a few things that are different this time around. Alongside the launch of the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025), Apple also revealed the iPad Pro (M5, 2025), unlike with the M4 generation, when Apple launched the iPad Pro around half a year before any Macs or MacBooks got the M4.

@techradar

♬ original sound - TechRadar

So, it’s good to see the MacBook reclaiming its role as a showcase device for Apple’s M-series chips – but there are a few other odd things about this launch. For a start, there’s still no sign of an M5-powered Mac mini or iMac, and we had to wait until March 2026 for the M5 Pro and M5 Max versions of the 14-inch MacBook Pro. Now that the more powerful versions of the MacBook Pro 14-inch have released, I've updated this review to include my opinions of all the MacBook Pro models, with Apple sending me the M5 Pro model, alongside the M5 base configuration.

(Image credit: Future)

The MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) launched at $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,499, which got you the M5 chip with a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB of unified memory, and 512GB of SSD storage.

This was the same price as the previous model with the M4 chip, and at the time it was good to see Apple continues to resist bumping up the price at a time when it feels like everything else is getting more expensive. However, since then, the price of the M5 MacBook Pro 14-inch has increased by $100 / £100 / AU$200, which means it now starts at $1,699 / £1,699 / AU$2,699. This is disappointing, but at least Apple has doubled the base storage capacity from 512GB to 1TB, which makes the price hike slightly more palatable.

It should also be noted that in the UK and EU, the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) doesn’t come with a charger, so if you need one, you’ll have to buy one separately, which diminishes the value somewhat.

The newer M5 Pro and M5 Max models have also had a price rise compared to the previous generation. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro starts at $2,199 / £2,199 / AU$3,499, an increase over the $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,299 M4 Pro model. This gets you an M5 Pro chip with a 15-core CPU and 16-core GPU, 24GB unified memory and 1TB of storage space.

The M5 Max-toting 14-inch MacBook Pro now starts at $3,599 / £3,599 / AU$5,799, again, more expensive than the previous models, and comes with an 18-core CPU and 32-core GPU to start.

Design-wise, the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max) looks exactly the same as the M4 model… and the M3 model. That’s not particularly an issue, as it remains a fine-looking laptop, and the 14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display is still one of the best on the market. But it’s beginning to feel like Apple isn’t interested in making incremental tweaks to its MacBook designs – instead, it takes an all-or-nothing approach.

You get big design overhauls every few generations, like the one we saw with the M3 model (which replaced the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro), but then a few years where it seems like Apple doesn’t want to change anything design-wise.

That means some aspects of the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max) are in danger of being a bit outdated, especially as Apple’s rivals in the laptop market, especially the likes of Dell and Lenovo, seem to be far more comfortable with shaking up the designs of their products.

So, we ended up with the base M5 model of the 14-inch MacBook Pro launching in 2025 that doesn’t feature the new Wi-Fi 7 standard, instead sticking with the older Wi-Fi 6E (the M5-powered iPad Pro, which was released at the same time, does support Wi-Fi 7, so clearly someone at Apple thinks the tech is worth supporting). The ports are also identical to the base model of the M4 14-inch MacBook Pro, so that means an HDMI port, SDXC card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack, and MagSafe 3 port for charging, plus three USB-C ports and Bluetooth 5.3.

This remains a decent selection for professionals, allowing you to hook up a TV or projector, connect multiple peripherals, or insert a memory card, all without needing an adapter. However, the USB-C ports remain unchanged, using Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 technology speeds of up to 40Gb/s. With an increasing number of laptops coming with much faster Thunderbolt 5 speeds of 120Gb/s - most notably including the older M4 Pro and M4 Max versions of the 14-inch MacBook Pro - this is another area where Apple’s reluctance to make even the smallest of changes could see it overtaken by its competitors.

It's a shame the USB-C speeds have remained static, as Apple has updated the SSD, with new technology that gives the M5 MacBook Pro twice the read and write speeds compared to the previous model.

At least with the new M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro 14-inch models, Apple has seen fit to include Wi-Fi 7 support, as well as Bluetooth 6, which makes the base model feel slightly more outdated. The base model also sticks with Thunderbolt 4 for its USB-C ports, whereas the M5 Pro and M5 Max models feature faster Thunderbolt 5 technology.

(Image credit: Future)

Performance-wise, the MacBook Pro 14-inch with the M5 chip is pretty much flawless, with macOS Tahoe feeling fast and responsive, and both preinstalled apps and third-party ones, including Adobe Photoshop and Ableton Live 12, working brilliantly. The problem is, the older M4 model was also a fantastic performer, and for many people, it will probably be hard to notice any significant generational boost. This is definitely not an upgrade I'd recommend to anyone who already has an M4 or even M3 MacBook Pro. However, if you have an older Intel MacBook or are coming from a Windows laptop (perhaps prompted by the end of Windows 10 support), then there's a lot to like about the latest Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch.

Apple's main focus for this release is improving the on-device AI capabilities, and there are some decent gains made here, but if you have no interest in AI, then you might not appreciate these improvements and may be better served by a soon-to-be-discounted M4 model.

Battery life, meanwhile, continues to be among the best of any laptop, with almost 24 hours of constant video looping, and over 18 hours in our web browsing benchmark. It will easily last multiple workdays on a single charge, and performance doesn't dip either.

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max) review: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? M5 model starts at $1,699 / £1,699 / AU$2,699
• When is it available? M5 model went on sale October 22, 2025. M5 Pro and M5 Max models released on March 11, 2026
• No charger for UK/EU customers

The base model of the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) went on sale on October 22, 2025, and when it launched, it started at $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,499, the same price that the M4 model launched at back in 2024. However, since that launch, the price has risen

For the new price you get the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) with a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB of unified memory, and 1TB SSD storage (double the amount the M5 base model orginally came with, making the price increase a tiny bit easier to swallow).

One important thing to note is that in the UK and EU, the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) does not ship with a charger (elsewhere, you’ll get Apple’s 70W USB-C power adapter with the base model).

In the UK, you can add a 70W USB-C power adapter to your order when configuring it for £59, or add a 96W USB-C power adapter for £79, however, rather oddly, it seems that you can only do this if you make other changes, such as adding a Nano-texture display (for £150), or tweaking the amount of memory or storage.

(Image credit: Future)

If you stick with the cheapest base M5 MacBook Pro model in the UK or EU, you have no option to add a charger to your order – you’ll have to buy it entirely separately.

I won’t go into the reasons for this decision (Apple suggests it's pre-empting an EU directive coming in next year, though that doesn’t explain why the UK, no longer in the EU, is also not getting the charger), but it does make an impact on the overall value of the laptop if you do need to buy the charger separately.

The good news, at least, is that you can charge the new MacBook Pro using any USB-C power adaptor, and if it’s powerful enough, the MacBook Pro can utilize fast charging. So, if you already have plenty of power adaptors lying around with USB-C, then you should be able to just use one of those – and it will at least mean you’re not lumbered with yet another charger that you don’t need.

While Apple doesn’t include the actual charger for UK and EU customers, it does at least include the USB-C to MagSafe3 cable, so if you have a wall charger with a USB-C socket, you can make use of the convenient and fast MagSafe 3 port of the MacBook Pro, which holds the charger in place via magnets, making it easy to attach and safe to remove (accidently yanking it out won’t do any damage).

For all customers, you can configure the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) before you purchase it. While there are no variants of the M5, you can add a nano-texture display, which reduces glare and reflections for $150 / £150 / AU$230, boost the memory to either 24GB (for an extra $200 / £200 / AU$300) or 32GB (add $400 / £400 / AU$600), or up the storage to 1TB, 2TB or 4TB (which will cost, respectively, an extra $200 / £200 / AU$300, $600 / £600 / AU$900, and $1,200 / £1,200 / AU$1,800).

Apple faces renewed competition when it comes to premium laptops, with the Dell 14 Premium launching at a lower price of $1,499.99 / £1,499 / AU$2,598.20, while offering a similar level of performance with an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD – oh, and Wi-Fi 7.

After the initial launch of the base M5 model of the MacBook Pro 14-inch at the end of 2025, Apple followed up in March 2026 with M5 Pro and M5 Max versions. These more powerful variants are aimed at creative professionals who need to run intensive tasks, such as rendering complex 3D scenes and emulating different hardware and software platforms, and as such come with even higher price tags.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro starts at $2,199 / £2,199 / AU$3,499, an increase over the $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,299 M4 Pro model. This gets you an M5 Pro chip with a 15-core CPU and 16-core GPU, 24GB unified memory and 1TB of storage space.

Meanwhile, the top-end M5 Max 14-inch MacBook Pro version now starts at $3,599 / £3,599 / AU$5,799, again, more expensive than the previous models, and comes with an 18-core CPU and 32-core GPU to start.

• Price: 3.5 / 5

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max) review: Specs

The Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max) now comes in three pre-configured variants, and when buying from Apple you can tweak some of the options (such as storage and memory) to better suit your needs. Below, you’ll find the three base models:

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max) specs

MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5)

MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5 Pro)

MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5 Max)

Price

$1,699 / £1,699 / AU$2,699

$2,199 / £2,199 / AU$3,499

$3,599 / £1,999 / AU$5,799

CPU

M5 10-core

M5 Pro 15-core

M5 Max 18-core

GPU

10-core

16-core

32-core

RAM

16GB unified memory

24GB unified memory

36GB unified memory

Storage

1TB SSD

1TB SSD

2TB SSD

Display

14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3024 x 1964), 120Hz

14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3024 x 1964), 120Hz

14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3024 x 1964), 120Hz

Ports

3x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), HDMI, SDXC card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3

3x Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C), HDMI, SDXC card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3

3x Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C), HDMI, SDXC card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3

Wireless

Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3

Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be), Bluetooth 6

Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be), Bluetooth 6

Weight

3.4 lbs (1.55kg)

3.5 lbs (1.60kg)

3.6 lbs (1.62kg)

Dimensions

12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61 inches (31.26 x 22.12 x 1.55cm)

12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61 inches (31.26 x 22.12 x 1.55cm)

12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61 inches (31.26 x 22.12 x 1.55cm)

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max): Design

• No new design
• Still looks great
• No Wi-Fi 7 for base model

The Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max) features an identical design to the M4 model, and the M3 before it. While it’s still a very nice-looking (and very well-built) laptop, and looks a lot more modern than the M2-era 13-inch MacBook Pro, which the 14-inch replaced in 2023, it could disappoint anyone hoping for a freshly designed MacBook Pro.

One rumor that keeps on cropping up is that Apple is working on a MacBook Pro with an OLED screen – and if you’re holding out for that, I’m afraid the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025) isn’t the MacBook you’re looking for.

However, the 14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, with a resolution of 3024 x 1964 and with ProMotion variable refresh rates of up to 120Hz, remains one of the best screens you can find in a laptop. The mini-LED backlit panel still allows for excellent contrast, and colors look life-like and vibrant. HDR content looks particularly good on the screen, and while OLED panels might have the edge when it comes to showing true blacks, the screen of the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max) offers deep, inky blacks with no hints of light bleed.

(Image credit: Future)

The high pixel density of the screen at 254 pixels per inch means images look sharp and detailed, and the ProMotion refresh rate means scrolling through websites and documents, watching movies, and even playing games is smooth and responsive.

The model Apple sent me to review comes with the optional nano-texture coating on the display, which minimizes glare and reflections. It leads to a very pleasant matte-like finish, and even under bright studio lights the screen was pleasant to use, without any distracting reflections. Adding the nano-texture coating costs $150 / £150 / AU$230, so you'll need to judge if it's worth the additional cost. I'd say that if you're going to be doing a lot of visual work on the MacBook, and will be using it where there's a lot of ambient light (especially from above or behind you), then it's well worth considering.

The quality of the display means that anyone holding off buying a MacBook Pro until an OLED model is launched is in danger of missing out on an excellent screen. On the other hand, an increasing number of rival laptop makers are kitting out their premium laptops with OLED panels (or at least offering them as an option), so Apple is in danger of getting left behind if it doesn’t update the screen any time soon.

Port-wise, things stay the same as last year’s model, with an HDMI port, SDXC card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack, and MagSafe 3 port for charging. The base M5 MacBook Pro 14-inch model also comes with three USB-C ports, which use Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 with speeds of up to 40Gb/s.

These aren’t the fastest ports, and that might disappoint any professionals who need to move lots of large files quickly. The newer M5 Pro and M5 Max 14-inch MacBook Pros even offer faster speeds, as their three USB-C ports are Thunderbolt 5 and USB 4, which support speeds of up to 120Gb/s. If you're planning on moving large files to and from a USB-C external hard drive, you'll want to go for the more expensive models, then.

(Image credit: Future)

The Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max) remains a sleek-looking professional laptop, available in two colors – Space Black and Silver – with a very good display. I was sent the Space Black version to review, and it really does look lovely. But the lack of any change to the design, no matter how small, makes this release feel particularly incremental (and possibly even inessential if you already have a recent MacBook Pro), so that puts a lot of pressure on the internal upgrades to justify this release.

• Design: 3.5 / 5

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max): Performance

• Very good performance
• AI tools work faster
• Not a massive leap over the M4 model

While Apple has once again played it safe with the design, the changes to the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)’s internals are much more ambitious.

The M5 chip debuted towards the end of 2025 in just three devices: the 14-inch MacBook Pro, the new iPad Pro (M5, 2025), and (rather surprisingly) a new version of Apple’s ultra-niche Vision Pro headset. It features a 10-core CPU made up of four high-performance cores and six high-efficiency cores, which the M5 switches between depending on the tasks you’re performing on the laptop, and whether or not you’re using the 14-inch MacBook Pro while plugged in or while on battery.

With more efficiency cores than performance ones, it’s pretty safe to assume that Apple’s priority with the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) is prolonging battery life and maintaining performance when on battery, rather than raw power. It’s a balance that has served Apple well in the past, with its MacBooks, especially the Pro versions, leading the industry when it comes to battery life and sustained on-battery performance.

Despite having the same number of cores as the M4 chip, Apple claims the M5 offers 20% faster multithreaded performance. Combined with the faster memory bandwidth of 153GB/s (compared to the 120GB/s of the M4, this puts the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025) in a solid position to outdo its predecessor when it comes to running multiple apps at once.

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5): benchmarks

Here's how the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) performed in our suite of industry-standard benchmarks and game tests.

Geekbench 6.5:
Single - 4,288
Multi - 17,926
Blackmagic Disk Speed Test:
Read: 6,619.7 MB/s
Write: 6.517 MB/s
Cinebench R24:
Single-core - 199
Multi-core - 1,141
PugetBench for Adobe CC:
Photoshop: 13,755
Premiere Pro: 69,887
Battery life test (web browsing):
18 hours 14 minutes
Battery life test (video):
21 hours 43 minutes

It certainly felt sprightly as I used it, with multiple apps and web browser windows, including a 1080p video and Apple’s Image Playground generative AI tool, all running seamlessly.

The M5’s 10-core GPU handles graphics tasks, and Apple has included an enhanced shader core and ray tracing engine, which it claims gives the M5 up to 1.6 times faster graphics performance compared to the M4.

If the smaller bump in graphics performance versus the M4 model is a tad disappointing, it seems like Apple has put a lot of effort into the AI capabilities of the M5 chip. The company claims it’s been built from the ground up for AI, and it’s certainly been keen to highlight its AI capabilities in its promotional materials.

Since the launch of the M1 chip, Apple has been including its Neural Engine in its computing chips for on-device AI tasks, and the M5 has an improved Neural Engine, also integrating what Apple calls a ‘Neural Accelerator’ into each core of the GPU to speed up results.

Now, we’re getting dangerously close to impenetrable tech jargon, but as a huge amount of AI tasks are handled by a system’s GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), this approach seems to make sense, and would explain Apple’s bullish claims about the AI performance improvements the M5 benefits from versus the M4. According to Apple’s own numbers (so take it with a pinch of salt, as the company is typically vague about the testing methodology), LLM (Large Language Model) prompt processing is 4.6 times faster than the M4.

(Image credit: Future)

While these numbers might look impressive, the actual real-world benefits of this increase in AI performance are harder to gauge, and really depend on how much you use on-device (as opposed to cloud-based) AI tools.

Apple has continued to add AI tools to macOS Tahoe, the latest version of its operating system, which ships with the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max), and while it’s not quite at the level of AI integration as its rival Microsoft’s Windows 11 is, it’s getting easier to use AI without having to install extra apps. These include Genmoji and Image Playground, which generate images and emojis based on your prompts, and are, ultimately, inessential for most people. You might play around with them a few times, but I can’t imagine many professionals who have forked out for the latest MacBook Pro will use it much, so the fact that the M5 can generate images more quickly will likely inspire more of a shrug of the shoulders than a rush to buy the new MacBook.

I got Image Playground to generate several images based on various prompts, and the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max) did so speedily, giving me various images in a matter of seconds. However, this never seemed to take too much time on older MacBooks, so any performance improvements here are hard to judge.

More useful is Live Translation, which allows you to talk to other people in different languages, and it makes a great case for on-device AI as it means your conversations remain private. On the whole, however, Apple’s AI tools still don’t compete with its competitors, and their faster performance on the M5 chip will do little to get people to buy the latest MacBook Pro on its own.

Third-party apps do much better jobs at showcasing the potential of artificial intelligence, as well as the M5’s improved performance in this area, especially when it comes to Adobe’s Photoshop and Premiere Pro apps. It’s here that the M5’s AI chops get to shine. However, it should be noted that certain tools, such as Generative Extend (which can generate additional frames to lengthen video clips), run on Adobe's Firefly AI generation service, which isn't on device, and therefore doesn't really benefit from the M5 chip. If Apple really thinks AI capabilities are something people look for when buying a MacBook Pro, I feel it's going to have to do more to justify the hype.

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5 Pro): benchmarks

Here's how the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5 Pro) performed in our suite of industry-standard benchmarks and game tests.

Geekbench 6.5:
Single - 4,311
Multi - 28,364
Blackmagic Disk Speed Test:
Read: 12,773 MB/s
Write: 12,775 MB/s
Cinebench R24:
Single-core - 199
Multi-core - 1,141

After reviewing the M5 model of the MacBook Pro 14-inch when it launched in late 2025, Apple sent me the M5 Pro model in March 2026. For day-to-day tasks there is little, if any, performance difference, but that's mainly because the M5 is plenty powerful enough for web browsing, document creation and general use, and the M5 Pro is just plain overkill, so macOS and its standard apps are running at just about as well as possible.

For more intensive apps and workloads, however, including 4K and 8K video editing, creating complex musical projects in Ableton Live 12 and playing around with IK Multimedia's AI-powered ReSing tool, the differences between the M5 model and the M5 Pro become far more apparent, with projects loading a lot quicker. The additional memory (24GB compared to 16GB) means multitasking with multiple apps open at once is much smoother, and because this is unified memory, which means it's used as both system memory and video memory, graphically-intensive workloads like 3D rendering are quicker.

In our Geekbench benchmark results above, you can see how the additional cores in the M5 Pro can make a big difference to performance. Single-core performance is essentially the same, but because the M5 Pro has 15 CPU cores compared to the M5's 10 cores, the overall performance is much higher.

• Performance: 4 / 5

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max) review: Battery life

• Apple promises up to 24 hours
• Hits over 18 hours in our web browsing test
• Supports fast charging

One of Apple’s biggest successes with modern MacBooks is battery life. Thanks to its dedication to power efficiency that started with the M1 chip, and improved upon with each subsequent generation, the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max) is easily one of the longest-lasting laptops you can buy.

This is particularly impressive considering how powerful the M5 MacBook Pro 14-inch is, as usually, the more powerful the components are, the more power-hungry they are as well. The fact that it’s relatively small, and therefore limits the physical size of the battery Apple can fit inside it.

The battery in the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max) is 72.4 watt-hours, and Apple is bullish when it comes to potential battery life, claiming up to 24 hours of video streaming and 17 hours of web browsing.

(Image credit: Future)

Big claims indeed, and I’d usually be sceptical if it wasn’t for Apple’s excellent legacy with MacBook battery life, and in our benchmark tests it scored a very respectable 18 hours and 14 seconds for web browsing.

Meanwhile, almost 16 and a half hours into our looped battery life benchmark test, the MacBook Pro 14-inch’s battery was still at 40%. As I used the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) for day-to-day tasks, it became clear that this is again a powerful workstation laptop that can go multiple workdays on a single charge. It’s extremely impressive.

Just as importantly, thanks to Apple’s commitment to power efficiency with its M series chips, there’s no sign of any negative impact on performance when the laptop is unplugged. It’s quite common for laptop makers to reduce the overall performance of a device (a practice known as ‘throttling’) when it’s on battery power to lower power consumption and prolong battery life.

(Image credit: Future)

While this can be useful in some situations, it does mean that if you want to use a laptop for heavy workloads, it’ll need to be plugged in. With the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5), Apple has once again avoided this problem, and I was able to run demanding tasks such as video editing and music production while using the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) on battery power, and there were no noticeable knocks to performance compared to plugged-in use. Because of this, the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) is easily one of the best laptops for people looking for a device they can use for heavy workloads while travelling.

• Battery: 5 / 5

Should you buy the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)?Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max): Scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

Recent price rises makes this already expensive laptop even pricier.

3.5 / 5

Design

No new design isn't a huge issue, it still looks great, but it means some things, like its USB-C port speeds and Wi-Fi 6E support on the base model are showing their age.

3.5 / 5

Performance

Once again, Apple has made a MacBook Pro that is excellent at all kinds of tasks. However, it's not a huge leap over the M4. Fans of AI tools will like the improvements here, however.

4 / 5

Average rating

If you're new to MacBook Pros, you'll be very happy with this device, but for anyone using a recent MacBook, the lack of any generational leaps will disappoint.

4 / 5

Buy it if...

You’ve not had an M-series MacBook Pro before
The M5 chip’s improvements over the M4 and M3 aren’t big enough to justify upgrading from those devices, but if you’re still on an Intel-powered Mac (or are a Windows user looking to switch), then you’re going to be hugely impressed by this laptop.

You want a portable workstation
The MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)’s small and light design makes it easy to carry around, and the huge battery life and lack of throttling mean you can be productive pretty much anywhere.

You use a lot of AI tools
The M5’s biggest improvements over the M4 are when it comes to on-device AI performance, so if you use a lot of artificial intelligence, this could be the ideal laptop for you.

Don't buy it if... 

You don't need the power
Now that the M5 Pro and M5 Max editions of the 14-inch MacBook Pro are out, you can get even more power - but unless you're a creative professional, you'd be better off getting the new, more affordable, M5 MacBook Air instead.

You think AI is a gimmick
As you'd expect, the MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) runs macOS, Apple's own operating system. If you want to stick with Windows 11, look elsewhere.

You want a large-screen laptop
Apple has now released M5 Pro and M5 Max versions of the 16-inch MacBook Pro, and that's the laptop to get if you want a big screen to work on - but be prepared to pay a lot more.

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max): Also consider

MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5)

MacBook Air 13-inch (M5)

Price

$1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,499

$1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,799

CPU

M5 10-core

M5 10-core

GPU

10-core

8-core

RAM

16GB unified memory

16GB unified memory

Storage

512GB SSD

512GB SSD

Display

14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3024 x 1964), 120Hz

13.6-inch Liquid Retina display (2560 x 1664)

Ports

3x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), HDMI, SDXC card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3

2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3

Wireless

Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3

Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be), Bluetooth 6

Weight

3.4 lbs (1.55kg)

2.7 lbs (1.24kg)

Dimensions

12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61 inches (31.26 x 22.12 x 1.55cm)

11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches (304 x 215 x 11.3mm)

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5)
The 13-inch MacBook Air with the M5 chip is an awesome alternative if you don't need the kind of sustained performance the MacBook Pro 14-inch with M5 chip offers, and it's a lot more affordable as well. There's also a 15-inch model if you'd rather have a larger screen.

Read our full MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) review

How I tested the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5)

• I used both the MacBook Pro 14-inch M5 and M5 Pro models solidly for several days
• I ran multiple benchmarks
• I used them as my daily work laptops

I used the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) for several days as my main work laptop, writing some of this review on it, as well as browsing the web, attending meetings via video call and running our suite of benchmarks. I also played around with video and photo editing during my time with the laptop. With the launch of the M5 Pro and M5 Max versions, I then used the M5 Pro model for a similar amount of time, running the same benchmarks and working on the same projects. I've been reviewing MacBooks for TechRadar for well over a decade, and have extensively used and tested all models of Apple's M-series chips.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: October 2025 (M5 model) and March 2026 (M5 Pro model)