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With protagonist Fox McCloud appearing in a surprise cameo in the recent Super Mario Galaxy Movie, it’s clear that Nintendo wants to bring its niche on-rail space shooter series to a wider audience. To that end, this new Star Fox makes a lot of sense. It’s a remake of the 1997 title Star Fox 64, which is beloved by fans and a good starting point if you’ve never played one of the games before.

Review info

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: June 25, 2026

The problem for me is that this is far from the first time that Nintendo has brought Star Fox 64 back. I grew up with the Nintendo 3DS, and experienced it as Star Fox 64 3D. This was followed by some hands-on time with the Wii U reimagining Star Fox Zero, and then finally a playthrough of the original release when it came to Nintendo Switch via Nintendo Switch Online.

Every single mainline Star Fox game that’s come out since I was about eight years old has been a version of Star Fox 64, and now, as an adult, I’m getting yet another one in Star Fox for Nintendo Switch 2.

I really wish the gaming giant had been a little bolder with this release, adding even just a smidge of new gameplay to freshen up the old campaign. Still, Star Fox 64 is a cult classic for a reason, and thanks to its strong base, this remake is still plenty of fun to play through for what is, hopefully, one last time

Into the Lylat Wars

(Image credit: Nintendo)

The premise is simple, if a little unconventional. You’re a dashing fox in a universe populated by anthropomorphic animals where civilization has managed to crack space colonization despite an apparent lack of opposable thumbs.

Rather than rooting through sci-fi bins, you’re the leader of a mercenary squad (staffed by you, the bird-like Falco, the lagomorphic Peppy, and slimy Slippy toad) that lends its services to the highest bidder — in this case an intergalactic army that’s waging war against the evil scientist dictator Andross.

Fully voiced and animated cutscenes to convey all this information are one of this remake’s biggest new additions, and they feel like a natural inclusion. They’re not super long or expansive by any means, but all flow well and are decently acted throughout even if there are a few moments where the animation can look a bit cheap.

They provide some much-needed downtime in between each of the levels, which are hectic, high-score challenges that see you steering your ship, the Arwing, through intense battles. The action unfurls in a largely on-rails format, but that doesn't mean that this isn’t a degree of strategy to it.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

You can swerve all across the screen, hitting barrel rolls to deflect incoming fire and blasting your laser canons. Your craft very much exists in a 3D space, so enemies often come up behind you, requiring evasive maneuvers like somersaults or hitting the brakes.

There's a boost too, which, deployed at the right time, can see you zooming under falling debris or through closing gaps — often picking up a power-up or two in the process. It’s all remarkably smooth to control, and sections where you pilot other vehicles keep the stages feeling fresh.

Each campaign is extremely short, taking just over an hour to complete, and has you working your way through a map of the galaxy littered with 16 unique planets.

Best bit

(Image credit: Nintendo)

The challenge mode lets you replay all of the levels from the campaign but with some new tricky objectives. These reward you with unlocks like profile badges and lore to read, and I can already see it being a huge hit with completionists.

You can’t visit all of them in one playthrough, which, alongside the two main story paths, gives you plenty of reasons to replay it at least a couple of times. That said even when you bear that in mind, the experience is still pretty fleeting and doesn’t feel befitting of the $49.99 / £41.99 / AU$84.95 digital (or $59.99 / £44.99 / AU$99.95 physical) asking price.

This is especially true if you’ve played all the other versions of Star Fox 64, as you’re basically just paying for a new, admittedly quite pretty, coat of paint.

There is thankfully a new battle mode to try out, and it’s pretty good on the whole. It’s in an online 4v4 player versus player (PvP) format, with one team playing as the Star Fox squad and the other cast as their rivals Star Wolf. Each of the three maps has its own associated game mode, ranging from simple control point capture to fighting to drag limited space cargo back to base.

I’ve had a great time with it so far, though I can imagine that online populations will quickly dwindle given the small map pool. Hopefully a post-launch update will add some more.

Should I play Star Fox?Play it if...

You’ve never tried Star Fox 64
If you’ve never experienced Star Fox 64 before, then Star Fox is the best version that’s readily available right now. The updated graphics are pleasant, and it feels fantastic to control.

You find it on sale
My main issue with Star Fox is its high asking price. If you can find it heavily discounted, then it’s well worth picking up.

Don't play it if...

You’re sick of the Nintendo 64 game
If you’ve played the previous Star Fox 64 remakes, then I would recommend skipping Star Fox. It looks pleasant, sure, but it really doesn't add much new beyond its cutscenes.

Accessibility features

As with most first-party Nintendo releases, the accessibility features here are thin. Subtitles are used throughout the game, though their appearance cannot be customized. You can invert the axis of the control scheme and disable features like controller rumble, but that’s basically it.

How I reviewed Star Fox

I played Star Fox on Nintendo Switch 2 for roughly eight hours, experiencing all of its major campaign routes, unlocking every planet, and trying out challenge mode.

I also dived into its multiplayer offering, using my earlier hands-on experience with other players when trying it at Nintendo HQ and testing matches against bots. I mainly played the game in handheld mode using the Joy-Con 2 controllers, though I did briefly test it in docked mode on a 4K Samsung TV to ensure the performance and Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller support is up to scratch.

First reviewed June 2026

• A Google Home Speaker is revealed in an early unboxing
• The sound quality and app interface are reportedly impressive
• However, the power cable can't be removed from the device

The brand new Google Home Speaker is about to finally go on sale, but an early unboxing video posted online reveals a design decision made by Google that a lot of users are likely to be less than pleased about: the power cable can't be removed.

You can check out the unboxing over on Reddit (via Android Authority), which shows off the aesthetics of the device that we've known about since the first official reveal last October — as well as giving us the revelation about the power cable.

The Nest Mini device that the Google Home Speaker is more or less replacing does have a removable USB-C power cable, which means when it's not in use, you can tidy it away more easily. On the other hand, the Nest Audio — another speaker now discontinued since the new model arrived — has a fixed power cable.

It seems that a removable power cable is something that quite a few smart speaker owners care about. "This is a nightmare for repairability, for which I am a massive proponent," writes the original unboxer.

Some positives, one negative

As per the information supplied in the video, the Google Home Speaker comes with a USB-C cable that's around 5 feet (1.52 meters) in length that can't be unplugged. There's a 30W power brick on the other end that can be removed.

On the plus side, our unboxer reports that the sound quality from the speaker is good, that the app component has a "cool" interface, and that setting up the device is straightforward — apparently it takes less than 10 minutes.

As with the Nest Mini, there are apparently touch controls available on top of the speaker, as well as hidden lights to report status information and volume levels. On the whole the first impressions from this user are positive ones.

It's just the power cable situation that's drawing criticism: "the non-removable cord killed it for me" writes one poster (who is apparently worried about cats playing with the cord), while the original poster says they're "extremely disappointed in the engineers". Another comment takes a dim view too: "The reason is always money."

Nespresso machines make brewing consistently tasty coffee easy, without any of the mess of using fresh coffee grounds — and they're going cheap for Amazon Prime Day. As TechRadar's resident coffee expert and trained barista, I've rounded up a collection of my five favorite Nespresso machines — all of which happen to be on sale for Prime Day in both the US and the UK.

• Prime Day coffee deals in the US
• Prime Day coffee deals in the UK

There's something here for every coffee-lover, whether you want a super-simple machine that makes consistently tasty coffee and will fit into the tiniest kitchen, or a premium coffee maker that can whip up a latte at the press of a button. All of these Nespresso machines have been tested and recommended by our team of reviewers, so you can be confident they'll all deliver great results.

1. Ninja Prestige DualBrew SystemFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFuture

Can't decide between espresso and drip coffee in the morning? The Ninja Prestige DualBrew System (also known as the Espresso & Coffee Maker Barista System) does both. This all-in-one caffeine station makes delicious espresso using Nespresso Original-style capsules (I tested it with some I bought from a local coffee roaster), which you can brew in three different sizes, with a height-adjustable drip tray so you can use your favorite cups with no splashing. Want to turn your shot into a cappuccino or latte? Use the milk frother on the back of the machine.

On the left-hand side of the DualBrew System you have a feature-packed drip coffee maker, with features including a timer (so you can prepare everything before bed and wake to freshly-brewed coffee in the morning), a drip-stop valve, and a smart hotplate that keeps your coffee hot without scalding it. It's one of the best drip coffee makers I've tested — and it even makes cold-brew.

Read our full Ninja Prestige DualBrew System review

This is the cheapest this two-in-one coffee maker has been in 2026, and a great buy for Prime Day if you love both drip and espresso, and don't have space in your kitchen for two machines.View Deal

The UK deal on the DualBrew System is even better; this is the cheapest it's ever been by a long shot. I really don't need another coffee maker at home, but with 32% off, even I'm tempted.View Deal

2. Nespresso Lattissima OneFutureFutureFutureFutureFuture

Most Nespresso machines just make espresso, but the Lattissima One (made by De'Longhi) also includes an automatic milk frother for lattes, cappuccinos and macchiatos at the tap of a button. It's ideal if you're the only coffee-lover in your household and want a personal machine for preparing single servings.

Like the Ninja Prestige DualBrew System above, it takes Nespresso Original capsules, which means you have a huge choice of drinks from big brands and indie roasters alike. After testing your tap water with the litmus strip provided and setting the hardness on the machine, just drop in a pod and use the three buttons to choose your preferred size and type of drink.

Our reviewer Emily Peck was surprised by how quietly the Lattissima One went about its work, and found the resulting coffee delicious. She had to consult the manual to check what each button does (they perform multiple functions) but once she had that down, she was making great coffees with ease.

Read our full Nespresso Lattissima One review

The Lattissima One always gets some good discounts during sales events, and Prime Day 2026 is no exception. This is Amazon's best price this year, and the deal applies to both the black and white models.View Deal

The Lattissima One is even cheaper in the UK for Prime Day, and you'll get the biggest saving if you opt for this attractive pastel green version. It comes with a starter set of Nespresso capsules too.View Deal

3. Wacaco NanopressoFutureFutureFutureFutureWacaco NanopressoWacaco NanopressoWacaco Nanopresso

The Nanopresso is an ingenious little coffee maker that relies on elbow grease rather than an electric pump to extract your espresso. The standard version works with ground coffee only, but it's even more convenient if you opt for the version with an adapter for Nespresso Original capsules. After all, who wants to carry loose coffee grounds around when they're exploring the great outdoors?

Our tester noted that it feels durable and rugged (ideal for throwing in a backpack), and although you'll need to familiarize yourself with the various unusual-looking components before taking it out for the first time, you'll soon be able to assemble it and start brewing in moments.

"All you need is access to hot water and some kind of stable surface to set everything up," said our tester, who was seriously impressed by the resulting espresso. "The Nanopresso actually had us asking why coffee had become so complicated, when all you really need for a wake-up call is a small and mighty piece of kit like this," she concluded. Why indeed?

Read our full Wacaco Nanopresso review

Amazon has knocked the Nanopresso down to its lowest-ever price for Prime Day, paired with a Nespresso Original adapter so you can use it with either ground coffee or pods as the fancy takes you.View Deal

There's also a 20% discount on the same portable coffee-making setup in the UK. Like the US deal, this is a record-breaking price cut, so if you're looking for an espresso maker for summer camping expeditions, this could be the one.View Deal

4. Nespresso Vertuo PopFutureFutureFutureFuture / Jennifer OksienFuture / Jennifer Oksien

The Nespresso Vertuo Pop is made by Breville (Sage in the UK), so you can be confident that it's well-made and durable, despite its budget price tag. This mini Nespresso machine is always an affordable option, and it's even cheaper in this week's Amazon Prime Day sale. It takes dome-shaped Nespresso Vertuo capsules, which include a wide variety of regular and flavored coffees, including special editions like Coconut and Vanilla (designed to be made over ice) and Pistachio Vanilla.

Our tester Jennifer Oksien called it "a fabulous entry-level coffee maker", and owning one myself, I'm inclined to agree. It heats up in about a minute (just power it on and wait until the light on top stops blinking), after which you can simply slide in the pod, press down the lid, and hit the brew button. There are no options to choose between different drink sizes because Vertuo pods do that for you — the machine detects which one you're using and uses the appropriate amount of water without you doing a thing.

Read our full Nespresso Vertuo Pop review

The Vertuo Pop+ has a larger water tank than the classic Pop, so you can make drinks for two before it needs refilling. This pistachio green version is usually more expensive than other colors, but it's down to a record-low price this Prime Day.View Deal

Nespresso machines don't get cheaper than the original Pop, and the Coconut White version has received a major Prime Day price cut. It's not quite a record low (it was a couple of pounds less back in 2023) but it's still a huge saving.View Deal

5. Nespresso Vertuo NextFutureFuture - Joel BurgessFutureFuture

The Nespresso Vertuo Next is a step up from the Pop, and is noticeably taller, with a larger water tank, more space for your cup, and a bigger bin for used capsules. It's a piece of cake to use as well, and our tester Sophie Bird deemed it the simplest coffee maker she'd ever used — and considering how many coffee machines we test here at TechRadar, that's saying something. She timed the whole brewing process from start to sip, and found it took just 100 seconds, making this an excellent option if you're pressed for time in the morning.

She found the Vertuo Next virtually mess-free as well, noting that there was no splashing when the machine was dispensing coffee — largely thanks to the height-adjustable drip tray. The Vertuo Next is taller than the Pop above, so you can comfortably use larger cups (such as your favorite takeaway cup), and has a bigger water tank for larger brews.

Read our full Nespresso Vertuo Next review

$80 off a top-notch Nespresso machine? Don't mind if I do! This deal applies to the Vertuo Next in stylish gray or navy blue. It dropped to $90 yesterday though, so it might be worth holding out until Thursday to see if it goes back down again.View Deal

The US deal is great, but coffee aficionados in the UK are even luckier, with the Vertuo Next selling for less than half price this Prime Day. It's almost as cheap as the Vertuo Pop, so take a minute to consider which will work best for you.View Deal

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: sign up for a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire TV, Ring & Blink from £24.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: AirPods Pro 3 for a record-low price
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja, Tefal & Sage
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from under £10
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Father's Day: up to 50% off gifts & drinks
• Headphones: up to 50% off
• Laptops: from £149.99
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £125
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Eufy & Roborock
• Wearables: Garmin & Huawei from £36.99

While you might think this week is all about Amazon Prime Day, Best Buy has launched a rival 'Tech Fest Sale,' with discounts from top brands like Fitbit. The retailer is slashing prices on its best-selling models, with prices starting at just $79.99.

• Shop Best Buy's top Fitbit deals

I've listed the top 5 Fitbit deals from Best Buy below, which include record-low prices on its top-rated activity trackers and smartwatches. Fitbit watches are packed with insightful health and fitness features, including heart rate monitoring and the ability to track exercise, sleep, and stress.

Today's deals include the Inspire 3 and Charge 6, as well as the Sense 2 and Versa 4 smartwatches. I've listed the all-new, already affordable Google Fitbit Air, priced at just $99.99.

Keep in mind that, unlike Amazon Prime Day, Best Buy's Tech Fest Sale doesn't require a membership to shop its deals. These are limited-time offers, and Best Buy's sale ends on Sunday at Midnight.

The best Fitbit deals at Best Buy

Today's cheapest Fitbit deal is the ultra-slim Fitbit Inspire 3 on sale for $79.95 - just $10 more than the record-low price. Made for everyday wear, the Inspire 3 offers 24/7 heart rate monitoring and tracks sleep, workouts, stress, and more.View Deal

Not only is the Fitbit Charge 6 one of our favorite fitness trackers, but it's also one of the best Fitbits overall. The Charge 6 features a sleek design and offers fitness basics, with 41 exercise modes and up to 7 days of battery life. Today's rival Prime Day deal from Best Buy is a record-low price.View Deal

The feature-packed Fitbit Versa 4 is down to $149.95 at Best Buy's Tech Fest sale. The top-rated smartwatch features a built-in GPS for tracking runs, walks, and bike rides. Plus, it provides a daily readiness score to help you determine whether your body is ready for a workout or recovery, based on helpful insights.View Deal

You can snag a $50 discount on the Fitbit Sense 2, bringing the price down to $199.95. The Sense 2 is one of Fitbit's most advanced health and fitness smartwatches, capable of tracking sleep and stress and featuring smartphone notifications, contactless payments, and GPS.View Deal

While Google's newest Fitbit, the Fitbit Air, isn't on sale, it's already at an affordable starting price of $99.99. The screenless, lightweight Fitbit Air offers standard health and fitness tracking features and delivers an impressive week's worth of battery life.View Deal

Shop more Best Buy Tech Fest deals

• Shop Best Buy's full Tech Fest Sale
• Apple: MacBooks & iPads from $299
• Appliances: up to 40% off major appliances
• Cameras: up to $1,000 off Canon & GoPro
• Gaming: PS5 & Switch games from $14.99
• Headphones: up to $160 off Bose & Sony
• Kitchen: up to 50% Ninja & Nespresso
• Laptops: from $119
• Phones: up to $250 off Samsung, Apple & Google
• Samsung Micro RGB TVs: score first-time discounts
• Smartwatches: up to $250 off Samsung & Google
• Soundbars: up to $1,000 off Sonos & Samsung
• TVs: from $69.99
• Vacuums: save up to $330 on Dyson & Shark

• Grand Theft Auto 6 physical copies come with a digital download code instead of a disc
• Fans hoping to secure a physical copy are disappointed
• One said it's "Such a bummer as a physical collector"

Physical copies of Grand Theft Auto 6 won't include a disc. Instead, they'll come with a download code, and some fans aren't pleased.

Rockstar has finally announced the price for GTA 6 and when pre-orders go live, as well as unveiled the two editions players can choose from: Standard and Ultimate.

Both versions are available physically and digitally; however, the studio has said that the physical editions won't feature a disc as expected, but rather a digital download code in the box.

One explanation for this could be is that Rockstar is trying to minimize the potential for leaks as much as possible, even if that means physical copies won't come with a disc.

Some fans who were eager to get their hands on a physical edition of the most anticipated game of all time are upset, to say the least.

"Obviously I’m going to get this game but 13 years of waiting & this is all physical editions are getting? A f****** code in a box? For the biggest game to ever launch & that’s all the effort you’re putting in for physical? So damn disappointed man," one said.

A user on Reddit wrote, "Such a bummer as a physical collector. Hopefully they start printing disks after release but that’s probably copium on my part".

"This is beyond ridiculous. So everybody has to pay the insane digital price without any discounts whatsoever. Such a lame and greedy move," another added.

There are some who are also considering skipping the day one purchase in hopes of a disc being produced later down the line, but again, there's still the risk of spoilers. For now, it looks like all players will own a digital license for the game instead.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S at $79.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition.

Pre-loads will begin seven days in advance, on November 12.

• Sony has announced a new camera sensor designed for phones
• It has an unusual pixel structure that improves its resolution
• The company highlights it as being a particularly good fit for telephoto cameras

Telephoto cameras are often a weak link in smartphone camera arrays. Many phones don’t offer them at all, and those that do often use smaller sensors or fewer megapixels than their wide and ultra-wide counterparts. But a new Sony sensor could deliver a big telephoto upgrade if the best camera phones incorporate it.

The Sony LYTIA 610 is the industry’s first mass-produced sensor to have an ‘RB2×2 On Chip Lens (OCL) pixel structure.’ We won’t get too weighed down in technical details, but the upshot is that, according to Sony, this design achieves both “improved resolution and excellent autofocusing” at the same time.

There’s a greater than 20% improvement in spatial resolution (meaning its ability to resolve fine details) compared to conventional Sony sensors with the same pixel size, and the company specifically highlights telephoto cameras as benefiting from all this.

(Image credit: Sony)

Plus, this sensor also offers an improved readout speed, allowing for 4K 120fps video recording and 4K 60fps HDR recording. So it could prove beneficial for videos as well as photos.

Reducing the performance gap

Sony also notes that this sensor “reduces the performance gap with the large sensors used on main cameras and suppresses variations in image quality across multi-lens camera systems, enabling a more uniform shooting experience.” So, in other words, if this is used for telephoto cameras, then you’re less likely to get noticeably inferior shots than when taking wide or ultra-wide photos.

This is all achieved without increasing the sensor or pixel size from Sony’s more conventionally designed LYTIA 601 sensor, which some phones currently use for their telephoto cameras. Potentially, then, this new sensor could deliver improved results without much of a price hike or a larger space requirement.

Of course, it remains to be seen which, if any, phones will actually use this sensor, but aside from Sony’s own Xperia handsets, you’ll also find Sony cameras in at least certain phones by Google, Xiaomi, and even Apple, among other brands. So there are any number of future handsets that could potentially get a telephoto boost from this sensor.

Amazon Prime Day is one of the best events for deals on home cooking appliances, including air fryers, which I turn to every time I lack the time or patience to use the oven.

If you love your air fryer just as much as I love mine, but think you could be getting more out of it, some of our highest-rated air fryers from our favorite brands are some of the star appliances in Amazon's monster sale — with the king of dual basket air fryers, Ninja, being one of them.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

One of our five-star appliances, the Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone air fryer, has dropped to £164.99 from £239.99 in the UK — an advanced air fryer for less than £170 is a rather nice sight to see. On the other hand, the equally good Ninja Crispi portable air fryer is now $152.99 down from $179.99 in the US, so there's something for everyone on both sides of the Atlantic.

If Ninja isn't the brand for you, fear not, there's a plethora of other trusted brands with discounted appliances — most notably the Instant Vortex Plus air fryer which you can grab for just $69.99 (was $149.99). I've been using this model for the past two years, and there's a reason why I've stuck with it.

Today's best dual basket air fryer deals in the US

The Ninja Crispi's main selling point is that its glass bases double as food containers, making them perfect for meal prep. The larger one is 3.8L, providing enough space to feed up to six people while also allowing simultaneous cooking of a whole 1.2kg chicken and vegetables. This Prime Day deal is $20 shy of the record-low price we saw during Black Friday.

Read our full Ninja Crispi reviewView Deal

Though it looks more like a mini oven than your standard air fryer, this has seven functions that cover every base when it comes to cooking. Investing in an air fryer oven can help you cut back on the number of small appliances you have taking up countertop space.

Read our full Cusinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven reviewView Deal

For just under half price, you're getting an air fryer that's dependable as well as affordable. Right now, it's much better value than it was during last year's Prime Day and Black Friday events, and I'm confident you'll be getting your money's worth.

Read our full Instant Vortex Plus air fryer review View Deal

An air fryer allows you to enjoy your favorite fried foods with less oil, and this Ninja XL model is perfect for families. The 6.5-quart capacity drawer is enough to make meals for the whole family, and preset functions make air frying, roasting, reheating, and dehydrating easy.View Deal

Today's best dual basket air fryer deals in the UK

The Ninja Foodi Max is the ultimate air fryer for many and it's now down to a great low price at Amazon. It offers six different functions, including Max Crisp, air frying, roasting, baking, reheating, and dehydrating. With two baskets, you get two independent cooking zones with the option to have them sync or match up, depending on your needs. Its extra large capacity is perfect for family cooking or batch cooking as it gives you plenty of room for a 2kg chicken or 1.4kg of fries in each compartment.

Read our full Ninja Foodi max Dual Zone air fryer review View Deal

Record-low price: This dual-basket fryer to yo-yo in price, but this is the first time we've seen it drop below £100 since Black Friday last year. For a dual basket model and 13 different cooking methods, how can you go wrong?View Deal

Ninja's recent space-saving air fryer is just £5 more than its lowest-ever price, which is still a bit of a steal for the popular and well-rated appliance. We loved it at TechRadar, awarding it full marks in our review and even putting it in our best air fryer buying guide. Well-built and great-looking on any countertop, it offers five cooking levels across two drawers and two racks, while the 9.5L capacity is ideal for medium to big families.

Read our full Ninja Double Stack air fryer review View Deal

The Instant Pot Vortex's 12L cooking basket makes cooking for larger parties and families, packing eight cooking settings including grill, roast, and dehydrate. Given its large cooking space, you can add a divider to cook two different foods at once. View Deal

Here's a best-ever discount on Ninja's portable air fryer — and a great Prime Day deal. This bundle includes the PowerPod lid, plus two resealable glass containers to carry your dishes until you're ready to cook. According to our testing, it cooks exceptionally quickly, is easy to use and a breeze to clean, making this one of the best air fryer deals I've seen this year.

Read our full Ninja Crispi reviewView Deal

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: get a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire, Ring & Blink from £13.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: up to 33% off AirPods & Apple Watch
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja & Tefal
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from £5
• Fans: from £20
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Gaming: £90 off PlayStation 5
• Headphones: up to 50% off Beats & Sony
• Laptops: from £149
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £79.99
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Shark & Roborock
• Wearables: up to 30% off Garmin & Oura

• Apple avoids setting off your iPhone when its execs say “Hey Siri” at events
• One enterprising engineer decided to find out why
• By analyzing the keynote’s audio, they solved an intriguing mystery

Siri has just been given the brain transplant it's needed for years, but it's always been good at detecting the words "Hey Siri" — so much so that accidental summonings have been a common problem. But an audio engineer has just explained how Apple cleverly avoided Siri popping up on your phone during its recent WWDC 2026 keynote.

As revealed by Techexplain on Substack, it all comes down to the audio frequencies embedded in Apple’s keynote video. Once Apple’s audio engineers made a few subtle tweaks, the company’s presenters could say “Hey Siri” as much as they liked without risking millions of phones going off around the world.

To find out what was going on, Techexplain downloaded the audio and video from the WWDC event. They fed that into a spectrogram analyzer, which is an app that can visualize audio frequencies as colored graphs and bands. When the WWDC video was examined, it revealed that a few frequency bands in the 3kHz to 6kHz range had been removed from the audio.

And this is the key to the video not invoking Siri. Without those four frequency bands, the Siri assistant lurking on your device did not hear the phrase “Hey Siri” — even though Apple’s presenters said it repeatedly throughout the show.

Wait, how exactly does this work?

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple’s solution might sound odd. After all, doesn’t Siri listen out for the trigger words being spoken? If those words were present in Apple’s video, shouldn’t Siri have been activated?

Well, not quite. Your iPhone contains an “always-on processor” chip whose job is to constantly sample background audio, which is then fed into a neural network. The audio is converted into a spectrogram and the neural network analyzes it to look for a specific frequency pattern — in this case, the sibilant sound that occurs when you say “Siri.” And yep, you guessed it, those sibilant sounds mostly exist in the 3kHz to 6kHz range.

In other words, what Siri is actually listening out for is a frequency rather than the words being spoken. It means that if Apple’s engineers remove the 3kHz to 6kHz bands from the WWDC keynote, Siri won’t “hear” its name being spoken — even if that’s exactly what the presenters are doing.

It’s a clever trick that helps ensure Apple’s presenters can speak naturally without the need to avoid saying “Siri.” At the same time, it avoids setting off millions of iPhones and annoying their owners when “Hey Siri” is uttered. It’s an ingenious solution that solves a thorny problem in a satisfyingly elegant way — and we wouldn’t expect anything less from Apple.

• Meta's end-to-end ads platform takes care of creation, testing and launching
• With access to context, ads can be highly customizable
• Users are already seeing 4x ROI

Meta says marketing has now crossed the 'AI threshold', pushing its suite of tools as an end-to-end platform that covers ad creation, testing and launching.

The company is now positioning product data as a key element, with AI capable of building and optimizing the most effective ad format for each individual viewer in real time thanks to the context and knowledge it gets from sellers' catalogs.

As a result, Meta envisions advertisers' roles evolving from content generation to managerial roles focused on providing the right context via product catalog data, brand assets and other creative materials.

Meta's AI changes marketing for good

At Cannes Lions 2026, the company announced a series of improvements designed to position its AI-powered marketing tools as an end-to-end platform, including a shared space where marketers can collaborate and make changes to campaigns.

Meta is also introducing brand memory, enhanced text generation tools and translations.

A collaboration with WPP has also opened up the platform to agencies so that third parties can step in to run ads for their clients.

According to Meta's blog post, advertisers are now seeing a $4.13 revenue return on their $1 advertising investments, marking a 25% increase since 2022.

At the event, the company also stressed the importance of creators in today's economy. Creator Marketplace and Partnership Ads Hub are now merging into the Meta Creator Marketing Hub so it's easier for creators to run schemes and work with brands.

Facebook creators are also being added to the Creator Marketplace, which previously only included Instagram creators.

"With these new updates, we’re accelerating our ecosystem and giving marketers, advertisers, and agencies a platform that compounds performance," Meta concluded.

• The Drama is coming to HBO Max on July 31
• The movie's streaming release follows a successful theatrical run
• The Drama received mostly positive reviews from critics

The Drama is finally coming to HBO Max, with confirmation that it will arrive on one of the best streaming services on July 31.

A24's black comedy The Drama caused quite a stir with its dramatic marketing, teasing engagement photos of Robert Pattinson and Zendaya's characters. Even before I knew what it was about, I knew it would be a must-watch.

The Drama follows Emma and Charlie, whose relationship is tested by an unexpected revelation during the week before their wedding. What follows ensures that the movie definitely lives up to its name — that's all I'll say.

What did critics say about The Drama?

The Drama received mostly positive reviews, earning a 71% Rotten Tomatoes score, and there was plenty of praise for the two leads.

According to the critics' consensus: "Flirting with complex themes, The Drama walks a tonal tightrope with impressive poise thanks to career-highlight performances by Robert Pattinson and Zendaya."

The audience score is just as favorable, with the verdict being: "Elevated by remarkable performances, The Drama wrestles with questions of trust and forgiveness, drawing out profoundly uncomfortable emotions that linger long after the credits roll."

The movie is joining an impressive line-up of A24 movies from recent releases to the studio's earlier work. If you're a fan of black comedy and drama movies, you won't want to miss The Drama.

Unfortunately, there's still a little while to wait until it arrives. But we've got you covered, as you can check out our best HBO Max movies round-up to get more recommendations for what to watch.

• GTA 6 pre-orders will officially begin at midnight local time
• The Standard Edition will cost $79.99 and the Ultimate Edition will cost $99.99
• Pre-loads will begin seven days ahead of launch, on November 12

Rockstar Games has unveiled the editions for Grand Theft Auto 6 and confirmed when fans can secure their pre-orders.

GTA 6 pre-orders are scheduled to begin on June 25 at midnight local time for the Standard and Ultimate Editions. The Standard Edition will cost $79.99, and the Ultimate Edition will cost $99.99.

As Rockstar details on its website, the Ultimate Editions "amplifies this experience with an exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and action threaded across all aspects of Jason and Lucia’s story."

Players who pre-order the Standard or Ultimate Edition before November 20 will also receive the Vintage Vice City Pack, which comes with a collection of items that "flash back to when the neon burned brightest."

Those who pre-order digital versions of GTA 6 can begin pre-loading on November 12, seven days in advance of the game's launch on November 19.

The physical version of GTA 6, which contains a download code inside the box, will be available starting November 12 to support pre-loading.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, June 23 (game #842).

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

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

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

NYT Strands today (game #843) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Just chill

NYT Strands today (game #843) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• STEEL
• MOVE
• ZERO
• MUCH
• TEAR
• BARD

NYT Strands today (game #843) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 15 letters

NYT Strands today (game #843) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 5th row

Last side: right, 5th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #843) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #843, are…

• BEER
• SELTZER
• KOMBUCHA
• JUICE
• WATER
• SODA
• SPANGRAM: BEVERAGECOOLERS

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

The weather is scorching hot in the UK, so my mind automatically went to words connected with staying cool. 

However, I realized after spotting BEER that we were instead looking for cooling beverages — or BEVERAGECOOLERS according to the lengthy spangram.

My cooling beverage of choice — iced tea — didn’t make the cut, but as a second best I’d go with a KOMBUCHA, which is a bit of an upgrade on a regular tea drink but part of the same family, like a distant fancy auntie.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday, June 23, game #842)

• FOOD
• BLOCK
• ARMOR
• BUILDING
• PORTAL
• STORAGE
• TOOL
• SPANGRAM: MINECRAFT

What is NYT Strands?

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

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

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Tuesday, June 22 (game #1610).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,400 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

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

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

Quordle today (game #1612) - hint #1 - VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

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

Quordle today (game #1612) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #1612) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

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

Quordle today (game #1612) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

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

Quordle today (game #1612) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• E

• G

• N

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

Quordle today (game #1612) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1612, are…

• SOBER
• ECLAT
• GOOSE
• NINNY

After a year-long win streak I’ve been having a really rough time of Quordle recently and lost again today — another case of having too many options and picking the wrong words.

I think after a successful run I might have to change my start words again. I’ll consult Claude and see what it suggests, seeing as it knows everything!

Daily Sequence today (game #1612) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1612, are…

• CRIER
• SCUBA
• PLAIN
• HUTCH

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1611, Tuesday, 23 June: ARDOR, DADDY, SERVE, SHEAR
• Quordle #1610, Monday, 22 June: WAXEN, APNEA, CHIME, WAVER
• Quordle #1609, Sunday, 21 June: ABBOT, NOTCH, DREAD, LURID
• Quordle #1608, Saturday, 20 June: SLAIN, TAMER, VIPER, FALSE
• Quordle #1607, Friday, 19 June: ALOUD, POINT, GLOBE, GROIN
• Quordle #1606, Thursday, 18 June: LATCH, BRAWL, STEEL, CRUSH
• Quordle #1605, Wednesday, 17 June: HOIST, PLUSH, GROUP, LEMUR
• Quordle #1604, Tuesday, 16 June: SLAIN, PLUCK, PINTO, SLICE
• Quordle #1603, Monday, 15 June: GAUNT, SNEAK, ROUTE, POKER
• Quordle #1602, Sunday, 14 June: WIMPY, WISPY, VIRAL, NYLON
• Quordle #1601, Saturday, 13 June: DEALT, STEED, BELIE, GULLY
• Quordle #1600, Friday, 12 June: TENTH, SHOAL, JELLY, UNIFY
• Quordle #1599, Thursday, 11 June: GAMMA, SPILL, SALVE, RURAL
• Quordle #1598, Wednesday, 10 June: BELIE, TEACH, GUEST, NOOSE
• Quordle #1597, Tuesday, 9 June: VENOM, UNITE, SHIRT, ANGER
• Quordle #1596, Monday, 8 June: CURSE, DROVE, SNOWY, DEBUG
• Quordle #1595, Sunday, 7 June: QUERY, AXION, LILAC, SWORD
• Quordle #1594, Saturday, 6 June: SIEVE, PHONY, GIVER, KNOWN
• Quordle #1593, Friday, 5 June: RECUR, SCOUT, SCOWL, CHORD

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, June 23 (game #1108).

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

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

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

NYT Connections today (game #1109) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• HUMPTY DUMPTY
• TOASTER
• PINK FLOYD
• MONEY
• KOOL-AID MAN
• HELTER SKELTER
• CHINA
• RUSH
• CHICK FLICK
• DEADPOOL
• LUGGAGE
• GENESIS
• CLIFFORD
• MUMBO 
• JUMBO 
• KING CRIMSON
• MR. KRABS

NYT Connections today (game #1109) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Adult groups of the 1970s
• BLUE: They share a color in common 
• GREEN: Nuptial presents 
• PURPLE: Sounds similar

Need more clues?

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

NYT Connections today (game #1109) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: PROG BANDS
• BLUE: RED CHARACTERS 
• GREEN: CLASSIC WEDDING GIFTS 
• PURPLE: RHYMING COMPOUND WORDS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1109) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1109, are…

• YELLOW: PROG BANDS GENESIS, KING CRIMSON, PINK FLOYD, RUSH
• BLUE: RED CHARACTERS CLIFFORD, DEADPOOL, KOOL-AID MAN, MR. KRABS
• GREEN: CLASSIC WEDDING GIFTS CHINA, LUGGAGE, MONEY, TOASTER
• PURPLE: RHYMING COMPOUND WORDS CHICK FLICK, HELTER SKELTER, HUMPTY DUMPTY, MUMBO JUMBO

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

Not being familiar with the work of KOOL-AID MAN put me at a disadvantage today and was the reason for my single mistake.

While I knew that CLIFFORD of Big Red Dog fame, DEADPOOL and MR. KRABS favored the color red. I was less certain about the fourth, so selected HUMPTY DUMPTY in the belief that he favored a thick red belt across his eggy mid-riff. Fortunately, I corrected my error at the next opportunity.

I am kicking myself that I didn’t see the RHYMING COMPOUND WORDS — I did fleetingly think that they could all be album titles by the yellow group of PROG BANDS but went for the CLASSIC WEDDING GIFTS instead.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, June 23, game #1108)

• YELLOW: DANCE STYLES FOXTROT, MODERN, SWING, TAP
• GREEN: IN A MONOPOLY BOX DEED, HOTEL, MONEY, TOKEN
• BLUE: CONTENT SORTING OPTIONS ONLINE FEATURED, POPULAR, RECENT, TRENDING
• PURPLE: THINGS WITH MANTLES/ MANTELS EARTH, EMPEROR, FIREPLACE, YANKEES

What is NYT Connections?

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

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

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

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

Finding a genuinely capable desktop computer for under $400 is harder than it sounds — most machines at this price make uncomfortable compromises somewhere. The Kamrui Hyper H2 Mini PC is currently $460 (was $600) at Amazon for Prime Day.

• Shop Amazon's Prime Day deals

My daughter is heading into her second year at Penn State this fall, and she needed a proper desktop setup for her dorm room without taking up half her desk or blowing the back-to-school budget. A mini PC made a lot more sense than a bulky tower — something capable enough to handle coursework, video calls, and the inevitable browser tab overload of university life, but compact enough to tuck behind a monitor and forget about. After studying all the options, this is the one I landed on.

This is one of the few machines at this price that doesn’t feel like a compromise. A 10-core Intel processor, a fast PCIe 4.0 SSD, 16GB of RAM, and triple 4K display output — in a chassis that fits in the palm of your hand.

Today's top mini PC deal

A proper desktop PC that happens to be the size of a thick paperback book. It’s powered by the Intel Core i5-14450HX — a 10-core chip that outperforms older i7 chips used in many office machines — paired with 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 512GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD that loads apps and files noticeably faster than the budget SSDs in most similarly priced machines. Connect up to three 4K monitors simultaneously via HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C. Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, dual Ethernet ports, six USB 3.2 ports, and Windows 11 Home pre-installed. Upgradeable to 64GB RAM and 4TB storage across dual M.2 slots.View Deal

The Intel Core i5-14450HX is the genuine headline here. Most mini PCs at this price use low-power mobile chips designed for thin laptops — efficient, but not particularly fast. The i5-14450HX is different: it’s a 10-core (2 performance + 8 efficiency), 16-thread HX-series chip with a 4.8GHz boost clock, drawn from Intel’s laptop gaming platform. Armchair Arcade’s benchmarks put its Geekbench 6 single-core score at 2,510 and multi-core at 10,324 — the single-core figure is essentially identical to a desktop Core i7-12700, which retailed for several hundred dollars on its own when it launched.

The 512GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD is the other spec worth highlighting. Budget mini PCs typically ship with older PCIe 3.0 or even SATA SSDs. PCIe 4.0 doubles the theoretical bandwidth, and in practice means noticeably faster boot times, quicker app launches, and snappier file transfers — the kind of difference you feel every time you sit down at the machine. The dual M.2 slots mean you can add a second SSD later without replacing anything, and the RAM is user-upgradeable to 64GB across two SO-DIMM slots.

Triple 4K display support is a feature most people wouldn’t expect at this price. Via the HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C outputs simultaneously, the Hyper H2 can drive three 4K@60Hz monitors — the kind of setup that day traders, developers, financial analysts, and video editors typically associate with much more expensive workstations. One reviewer specifically called out how well it handles multi-screen productivity workflows with sustained workloads, noting it’s where the i5-14450HX platform genuinely shines.

The dual Ethernet ports are an unusual feature at this price point and are worth calling out for the right buyer. Two RJ45 ports mean you can simultaneously connect to two separate networks — useful for IT professionals, home lab setups, network-attached storage configurations, or simply keeping work and personal network traffic separated. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 handle wireless connectivity.

The chassis itself is compact — small enough to mount behind a monitor via VESA, sit on a desk without taking up meaningful space, or pack in a bag for travel. Passive ventilation handles thermal conditions adequately for everyday workloads, though sustained all-core CPU loads will push the machine toward its thermal limits, a common characteristic of high-performance chips in compact chassis.

One honest caveat: integrated Intel UHD graphics are not a GPU replacement. For casual media playback, video calls, and 4K display output, they’re perfectly adequate, but demanding 3D workloads and modern titles at high settings are beyond what integrated graphics can deliver. This is a productivity and everyday-use machine first — and a very good one — not a gaming rig.

To me, the Kamrui Hyper H2 is the kind of deal that’s hard to walk past if you’re in the market for a compact, capable everyday desktop. Check out more options in our guide to the best mini PCs.

Also consider

Our top pick overall, the M6 Ultra is suitable for just about anyone who wants a mini PC for work and study. In our review we called it an "affordable mini PC that promises performance for office users, creators, students, and even the mid-level gaming community."View Deal

The NucBox K13 is a superb mini PC for those that want more performance. It comes equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor, 16GB of LPDDR5X memory, and a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD. Interestingly, it boasts AI acceleration up to 115 TOPS, dual USB4 ports, 5G Ethernet, and support for triple 4K displays. In our review we called it a "thoughtfully engineered slice of modern computing." View Deal

The Rmatamini P99S comes has an Intel Xeon E5-2698v3 processor, GeForce GTS450 2G, 16GB DDR3 RAM and 256GB SSD.View Deal

• See all mini PCs at Amazon

We're in the midst of (a very hot) summer, and I'm sure many of you out there are raring to go on your travels this season. But if you're about to jet off on your vacation, then it's best to be as prepared as possible. And you know what you need to make your travels as seamless and enjoyable as possible? Some top-tier tech.

I'm a Senior Reviews Writer here at TechRadar, and have tested hundreds of gadgets over the years, from premium noise-cancelling headphones through to power banks and misting fans. So, I've got the lowdown on all the travel tech essentials you need to make this summer one to remember — for all the right reasons, of course.

I've included seven must-haves, with a small speaker, travel chargers, and even a compact clothes steamer on the list. Everything here has either been tested by me, or someone on the TechRadar team, so I'm confident that each item will serve you well on your adventures this summer and beyond. So, without further ado, let's dive right into my top picks!

1. Noise cancelling headphones: Sony WH-1000XM6

Oh look, it's me wearing the Sony WH-1000XM6! (Image credit: Future)

Ah, Sony WH-1000XM6, my beloved. These are, in my view — and the view of many at TechRadar — the best headphones you can buy right now.

The XM6 have it all. Class-leading active noise cancellation works great, even on flights with jet rumbles and screaming children. They sound incredible, with brilliant balance across the frequency range, as well as plenty of low-end punch and excitement to make energetic tunes sound their best. And they're foldable too, making them incredibly compact when you're on the move.

These come with a handy magnetic carry case, 30 hours of battery life, and excellent touch controls. Sony's Sound Connect app also makes it easy to tailor sound to your liking and make any subtle changes you need. They're simply the best, but I'll let you find that out for yourself.

2. Small speaker: JBL Go 5

This small speaker is ideal for getting ready or listening to tunes by the beach (Image credit: Future)

The JBL Go 5 launched recently, and when I reviewed it, the speaker genuinely took my breath away.

It's exactly how to do an upgrade right, offering better sound, a more flashy design, and even better durability than its already impressive predecessor, the JBL Go 4. I love its edge lighting, its well-balanced sound with clean bass and rich mids, and also its broad feature set, which includes EQ options and multi-speaker pairing.

Despite improving on what its predecessor had to offer, the Go 5 is available at a very similar price, typically coming in at around the $55 / £40 mark, and if you need excellent sound, solid battery life, and high level (IP68) waterproofing on a budget, then it's the best small Bluetooth speaker to buy right now.

3. Power bank: Anker Nano Power Bank 10K 45W

With an integrated cable and speedy charging, this power bank is ideal for on-the-go use (Image credit: Future)

I genuinely bring this Anker power bank with me everywhere. It's the definitive portable battery for travel for a few key reasons.

The first is its size. This model is absolutely tiny and can easily slip into a pocket or small bag, no problem. Second, it's incredibly practical. There's an integrated USB-C cable, making charging on the go totally seamless. And finally, it's a fantastic performer. That 45W max wattage means fast-charging is easily accessible on even some of the best phones.

A 10,000mAh capacity should also mean it can charge a pair of wireless headphones as well as your handset, so if you want an ultra-practical, lightweight power bank to bring on the go, the Anker Nano Power Bank 10K 45W is my number one recommendation.

4. Travel charger: Anker Nano Charger 45W with USB-C Cable

It's compact, high-performing, and even comes with a USB-C cable (Image credit: Future)

If you need a travel charger for your phone, tablets, and wireless earbuds, then look no further than the Anker Nano Charger 45W, which comes with a USB-C cable in the box — a nice touch!

I've used this one a lot myself, and it's great for travel. Why? Well, it's incredibly compact and packs in quite a bit of power, meaning you can make use of fast charging without lugging a massive brick around. If you're using a travel adapter, the model's low weight also means it won't awkwardly get weighed down or stick out, which is a huge plus.

This charger is well-built, foldable — helping it to slide into your pocket — and highly affordable. It really has it all, so if you're still using a slow charger, then take things up a notch with this awesome Anker alternative.

5. Portable fan: Shark ChillPill

Take a ChillPill with this awesome portable fan (Image credit: Future)

In the UK, it's absolutely scorching right now. It feels like I'm fighting for my life here with the combination of high humidity and near record-breaking temperature. And when you're on your summer travels, I'd wager that it will be similarly blazing in a number of countries. What you need, then, is a portable fan.

We're big... fans... of the Shark ChillPill here at TechRadar, and awarded it a 4.5 star review recently. It has good battery life, is filled with a range of cooling options, and even has a mister for when you need a healthy blast of cold.

The build and design quality is strong here too, and the straightforward controls make it a joy to use. Yes, it's a little expensive, but we've seen it pop up on sale from time to time, so if you want to stay chilled on the move, then I'd strongly suggest picking this lil' gadget up.

6. Philips Shaver S9000 Prestige

(Image credit: Future)

OK, so not everyone will need this, but if, like me, your facial hair seems to grow back in the blink of an eye, the Philips Shaver S9000 Prestige will be a great addition to your travel tech arsenal.

With multiple speed settings to suit your desired sensitivity, wet and dry shaving versatility, interchangeable heads (including a beard trimmer), and spectacular handling, the S9000 Prestige is a true all-rounder.

This model also has solid battery life and I rarely need to juice it up. But it comes with a wireless charging pad for when you're running low on power. There's also a cleaning device thrown in the box, and a carry case for whenever you're on the move.

I've found that the S9000 Prestige is kind on my skin, which is pretty prone to razor burn, and its flexible foil shaver is great at getting into those hard to reach areas around the nose, for instance. It launched at a fairly high price, but you can regularly swipe it up on sale now, so why not give it a go?

7. Clothes steamer: various options

OK, in all honesty, I've not actually got a travel clothes steamer, but when some colleagues of mine heard that I was writing this piece, they were clear that it's a must have.

After all, how many times have you been on holiday or out on a business trip and realized that our garments look a little creased? For me, it's a few times too many. With a compact clothes steamer, you can wave goodbye to pesky creases and wrinkles in a flash.

So, I have a few recommendations from the team that I'm here to share with you. For our US readers, Managing Editor of News & Deals, Jacob Krol, suggests the Conair Handheld Garment Steamer. This affordable model boasts "turbo steam power," comes with a 3-in-1 attachment, and has a water tank that's good for 20 minutes of steaming. Not bad, eh?

Over the pond, our Managing Editor of Social & Engagement, Josephine Watson, had a couple of recommendations. The first, the Tefal Pure Pop Slim Handheld, is cheap, comes in a range of funky colors, and heats up in just 15 seconds for super speedy action. Josephine told me that her bridesmaid friend bought this model in order to save a wedding dress disaster — and luckily, it worked. Talk about coming in clutch.

Josephine also recommended the Russell Hobbs Steam Genie 2in1 Handheld, even claiming she would trade her firstborn for it. Pretty high praise. This model has a 150ml water tank, can heat up nice and swiftly, and claims to kill up to 99.9% of bacteria within 60 seconds.

The Amazon Kindle Colorsoft is an outstanding color ereader — in our review, we awarded it four and a half stars, calling the scrolling and zooming "kind of amazing" and declaring it "the fastest, smoothest e-reader [we'd] ever used, whether reading in color or just black and white text".

Right now, the standard version has a tasty 36% discount in the Amazon Prime Day sales (and the Colorsoft Signature version, with twice as much storage, has 21% off), but before you hit that buy button, maybe you want to check if this is truly the best ereader for your needs? If so, you've come to the right place.

• View the full Amazon Prime Day sale

If you're intent on a color ereader, the biggest competitor is probably Kobo. At regular prices, the Kobo Clara Colour would have the budget-friendly edge over the Colorsoft, but it's pricier right now. However, if you're in the market for something more feature-rich, check out the Kobo Libra Colour. This one earned a perfect five stars in our review, and it has the edge over the standard Colorsoft because you can use it for scribbling down notes as well as reading (although you will need to purchase a stylus). If you wanted to do that on a Kindle, you'd need the Colorsoft Scribe, which is — spoiler — the priciest option in this guide, by a significant margin, and almost the same price as buying a Kindle, a Kindle Scribe and a Kindle Colorsoft separately.

Another option is the Boox Go Color 7 Gen II, but we'd struggle to recommend it because the display just isn't quite up to scratch — it has a yellow tinge, and the text lacks sharpness, which is unforgivable given the high price. Read on for the best prices on all the key color ereader options, or hop to the bottom of the page for a specs comparison table, so you can see how they match up.

Take it technicolor

Amazon Kindle Colorsoft 16GB — No Ads

Kobo Libra Colour

Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition 32GB

Amazon Kindle Scribe Colorsoft 64GB

Kobo Clara Colour

Pros

• Responsive color display
• Compact and lightweight
• Good battery life
• Relatively affordable

Cons

• 6 inches can be too small for some users
• Black-and-white text lacks contrast

PocketBook Verse Pro Color

BOOX Go Color 7 Gen II

Specs comparedMore Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
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• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
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• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
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More Amazon Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: sign up for a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire TV, Ring & Blink from £21.99
• Apple: AirPods Pro 3 for a record-low price
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja, Tefal & Sage
• Essentials: household goods from under £10
• Laptops: from £149.99
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £125
• TVs: from £129.99

The gaming monitor market is filled with high-quality displays that offer enough features to provide the most immersive gaming experience. OLED monitors are right at the forefront of monitors in achieving the latter, with exceptional deep black levels thanks to their high contrast ratio.

It's not all just about the panel type, though. The display resolution, refresh rate, response times, and brightness levels all play a significant part in allowing monitors to blossom, and all of those aspects also determine pricing (outside of potential market condition changes).

That's exactly where the LG UltraGear 45GX950A-B comes into play. It's a 5K2K ultrawide OLED monitor, which means its display resolution is 5120x2160, with even sharper image quality than a 4K display. It's easily one of the best gaming monitors in 2026, and is the kind of monitor that would define an 'ultimate endgame' gaming experience in terms of visuals.

Despite the obvious and eventual GPU upgrade I'll have to make when using a 5K monitor, it hasn't stopped me from keeping my eyes peeled for it, particularly whenever it receives a significant price drop.

The LG UltraGear 45GX950A-B is one of the most immersive gaming monitors on the market, and arguably the best OLED ultrawide money can buy, with an immersive 800R curvature and 5K2K resolution,View Deal

Expand your gaming immersion with the LG UltraGear 45GX950A-B 5K2K OLED ultrawide, ready to completely enhance gaming experiences across the board, thanks to its 800R curvature and 5K display resolution.View Deal

Fortunately, it's Prime Day, which means you can find it for $1,429.69 (was $1,999.99) on Amazon in the US, and for £1,472.49 (was £1,649) in the UK. However, the competition on the horizon is enough to make you consider waiting a little while before jumping all in on the UltraGear display.

Having used the LG UltraGear 45GS95QE OLED ultrawide — which is very similar to the GX9, with the only difference being its 3440x1440 resolution — I can say that the step up in resolution would make LG's 5K2K display worth every cent, despite its high price.

(Image credit: Dell / Alienware)

With the new Alienware AW3926QW 5K2K OLED ultrawide slated for launch by the end of June, LG's top-of-the-line monitor might have its money's worth. Thanks to the AW3926QW's 39-inch display size, there's a higher pixel density at 5K2K, meaning image quality will be much sharper than what the LG GX9 has to offer.

It is an RGB stripe tandem OLED panel, which reduces text fringing and provides significantly higher and more consistent brightness compared to other OLED monitors.

Most importantly, the big takeaway is that the AW3926QW's price is rumored to be at $1,100 (around £824 / AU$1,572). That's a very generous and affordable price tag, since other monitors with the same specifications are far more expensive.

The great thing is that more details on pricing should be coming very soon, so there's a good reason to weigh the options between the two monstrous displays.

Tim Cook has long taken a strong stance against the infringement of Apple users' privacy – and the general erosion of privacy. That's been the case whether he's shown support for end-to-end encryption or if he's railed against the monetization of user data.

The rise of data protection

Almost a decade ago, the European Union (EU) introduced the most radical reformations to data protection laws in a generation with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Quote of the day

This article is part of TechRadar Pro's QOTD project to provide an insight into the minds of the brightest and most recognized figures in the technology industry today and in years gone by. Read the full series here.

Several months later, the (now outgoing) Apple CEO spoke at the 40th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners with a speech that targeted Apple's fellow technology rivals with both barrels.

He pointed out that billions of dollars were changing hands – and countless decisions were being made based on data points harvested from our interactions on digital platforms. These may include clicks of a Like button but also the information we have shared, often without understanding the full implications.

Your very own digital profile

Cook projected a dystopian future in which each person would be represented by a digital profile that's been devised based on analysis of the countless data points systems have gathered.

The purpose of this form of behavioral profiling, he suggested in his speech, could range from more effectively monetising your information to targeting you with more extremist content in one direction or another.

For example, we've since seen the way that social media platforms and similar sites have been highly effective in populist political movements, including the U.K. 'Brexit' decision to leave the EU. There are also fears this sort of power has been weaponized, to use Cook's phrase, by foreign adversaries.

Nearly 10 years on from the introduction of GDPR, there are fears that the rise of AI – which is turbocharging some of the fears the outgoing Apple boss raised – is undermining the laws and that newer, more modern regulations are needed.

I love cameras and Lego, so imagine by delight when I received the shiny new Lego Creator 3-in-1 Retro Camera for Christmas in 2023. The charming set, which features an SLR camera with moving parts and a film door, has lived on my desk at home ever since I completed the build on a wet winter day shortly after.

If you know someone with a soft spot cameras and Lego too (looking at you), I can heartily recommend the set, which has fallen in price to $15.99 at Amazon (was $19.99). Being part of the Creator 3 in 1 series, there are three builds to choose from; an SLR film camera, camcorder or TV set.

Honestly, the SLR build was already plenty enough for me without the other two options. There are neat touches including a film crank, a viewfinder to peek through, and a film door that opens and closes, plus film rolls that you can slot inside the camera.

FutureFutureFutureFuture

• For more deals, check out our Amazon Prime Day live blog

I've also spotted another camera-themed set in the Prime Day sales; the Lego Ideas Polaroid OneStep SX-70 for $65.66 at Amazon (was $79.99). As someone who owns an original SX70 instant camera which dates back to the 1970s — which I got refurbished into fully working order by Retrospekt — it's a dream set that I have my eye on this week.

I'm sure the Polaroid SX70-themed set would put just as big a smile on my face as the real thing did, as they are so thoughtfully created sets now available for much less than the full price — and you can grab the best prices today through the links below.

Not in the US? I've included links to the best deals in your region, further below. Happy building!

Today's best camera-themed Lego set deals

As part of the 3-in-1 Lego series, there are three different possible builds in this retro camera set; SLR, camcorder and TV, all for just $15.99. View Deal

I actually own an original Polaroix SX70 instant camera, which dates back to the 1970s, so when I saw the SX70-themed Lego set it immediately made its way to my wishlist. Now with 18% off, I'm seriously tempted.View Deal

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34