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• Someone may have ported Grand Theft Auto 5 to Nintendo Switch
• Performance appears poor and reaches 22FPS at most
• It makes me wonder what Grand Theft Auto 6 could look like running on Switch 2

While we wait for Grand Theft Auto 6, someone has seemingly managed to port Grand Theft Auto 5 to the Nintendo Switch.

The port was apparently created by M0jso and posted to Reddit, where footage apparently shows a native v2699 (2023) version of the 13-year-old game, running on the original Switch, albeit rather poorly.

The performance overlay shows that the frame rate reaches 22FPS at most, and declines to 11FPS in some places, but it does appear to be playable.

A user explained that the footage had been taken down a while ago, but it looks like the project is in progress again. M0jso showcased more videos on X, explaining that rendering can be broken in some places, crashes are frequent, but they have seemingly managed to play GTA 5 on a real Switch console.

However, overall, performance appears poor, and the odds of the game reaching console or PC-level quality seem slim. It made me wonder what GTA 6 could look like running on the Nintendo Switch 2, a more advanced system that boasts 4K and 1440p resolutions and 60FPS.

For now, Rockstar hasn't shared any plans to port the game to Switch 2 - a PC version hasn't been announced either - but we've seen demanding games such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Hogwarts Legacy functioning on the console with minor frame rate issues.

That being said, GTA 6 will be a massive game, with a map possibly even bigger than Cyberpunk 2077 and GTA 5's. Not to mention the dense locations and level of detail that PS5 and Xbox Series X will also need to contend with.

While the game's performance features haven't been revealed yet, reports have claimed that it's likely to run at 30FPS on PS5 consoles due to CPU limitations, which could make the likelihood of a Switch 2 port rather slim.

According to Digital Foundry, GTA 6 running at 60FPS on current-gen might be pushing it, but a 40FPS mode could be possible.

There's still just under five months to go before the game launches on November 19, so we could learn more about performance, potential graphics modes, and even get a third trailer soon.

I can't say that I've been paying too much attention to what's happening at San Diego Comic Con, but I certainly didn't expect new Big Bang Theory spinoff Stuart Fails to Save the Universe and the DC universe to be mentioned in the same breath.

According to Nerdist, DC President Jim Lee made a surprise appearance at the HBO Max show's panel in Hall H, confirming that multiple DC characters will cameo later in the season.

“Some of the DC characters they have in it, I think, are some of the best versions I’ve seen of those characters,” Lee said during the panel.

In other words, watch out James Gunn. With Supergirl failing to make much impact earlier this year, maybe Stuart Fails to Save the Universe actually is the best DC Universe iteration we'll get in 2026.

If you've been watching the teaser trailers closely, you might have seen underrated characters such as Gotham villain Mr. Freeze have already featured. But if creators really want to bring the existing Big Bang Theory lore full circle, the show can't omit the superhero that's been staring us in the face for years.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe's DC crossover need to include The Flash to commemorate — or spite — Sheldon

Even if you've only watched one episode of Big Bang Theory in your lifetime, my campaign for The Flash to join the Stuart Fails to Save the Universe x DC episode hopefully won't come as a surprise.

He's Sheldon's (Jim Parsons) favorite DC superhero, and the reason why, nearly every time we see him, he's sporting the iconic T-shirt with the Flash logo.

We're going to be on tenterhooks for all of the new show's 10-episode run to see if Sheldon makes a cameo appearance, and dropping in The Flash as a potential clue could be a really fun way for the creators to mess with us.

On the flip side, a Flash cameo could also work to either spite or celebrate Sheldon. The reason why Stuart (Kevin Sussman) is in this multiverse mess in the first place is because he broke a device built by Sheldon and Leonard (Johnny Galecki); bringing his favorite superhero closer to home could be a great way to apologize.

However, this is a multiverse show, so The Flash likely won't be appearing in the Sheldon we know's reality. So if another Sheldon met the Flash instead... our one would be furious. That, in itself, is hilarious.

At this point, I'm purely speculating. We've got no idea which DC characters will appear in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, nor do we know exactly which episode they will be in. Regardless, we can definitely assume that the crossover will be an epic one.

Not every AI workload belongs in the same place. Large language models often fit logically in the cloud because they can serve as general-purpose engines that improve with scale and draw value from broad, up-to-date knowledge.

But the AI workloads moving into production are not just text and language, and we’re increasingly seeing enterprises adopt multimodal models for AI video, audio, and image generation and seeing massive advantages across compute usage, control of IP, and ability to customize the look and feel of creative output.

For these types of creative production, the raw material they’re using to build is not the open web. Instead, it’s often footage, branded assets, or unreleased IP that already lives within the organization’s walls. In these instances, there’s a clear need for running the models closer to where that content already resides.

That’s because creative production is iterative by nature, and that volume of iteration and generation brings with it real cost pressures when drawing on the cloud.

As a founder, I’ve watched this transition play out repeatedly: companies adopt AI pilots, usage skyrockets, and suddenly finance teams are trying to understand which teams, workflows, or model calls are driving up the bill.

Cost predictability becomes an infrastructure question

Once AI tools become part of daily work, usage no longer behaves like an experiment. Every generation, agent action, video render, or workflow step carries a cost. The equation becomes much harder to forecast once adoption spreads across teams and AI agents.

For companies with high-volume creative workloads, running more of their inference locally, at the edge, or in private environments gives greater control over unit economics and makes AI spending easier to manage over time.

This is particularly important in creative production environments, like filmmaking and gaming, all the way to marketing campaign creation and internal training, where teams often generate dozens of variations of an asset, sequence, campaign concept, or interface.

In an environment where a single workflow can generate thousands of API calls per day, the difference between cloud and local inference can determine whether an AI strategy is sustainable or requires constant budget justification.

Data control will shape deployment choices

Long-term, data control has potential to be a primary driver for enterprises to move toward more flexible AI architectures. Businesses have become increasingly sensitive about where and how their information is stored, how long it stays there, who has access to it, and how it can be used.

Those questions become more serious when AI is mapping physical environments, working with unreleased creative assets, production files, or other material that was never meant to move freely outside controlled systems.

When it comes to AI video generation, which can involve multiple iterations on sensitive creative assets and IP, teams may prefer to run their models within their own environments. In these cases, local or private deployments are less about rejecting the cloud and more about giving companies a way to use AI without handing over access to sensitive information.

As AI becomes more embedded in business-critical work, these choices will involve more than IT architecture because they affect what a company can build, what risks it takes on, and how much control it keeps over the systems producing its work.

The future is optionality, not a single deployment model

The cloud has proven to be essential for many AI workloads, especially when companies need elastic compute, access to frontier models, or the ability to support highly variable demand.

A more realistic future is one in which enterprise AI becomes hybrid by necessity, with different workloads running in different environments based on the needs of the business rather than the convenience of a single deployment model.

Some workloads will run in the cloud because scale matters most, while others will run locally because latency, interactivity, and iteration matter more, and still others will run on-prem to prioritize privacy, compliance, customization, or ownership.

The organizations that prepare for this transition will be the ones that stop treating deployment as a binary choice and start asking which workloads require which level of control.

This pressure only intensifies when we consider where creative production is heading. The same models that teams use to generate video are now evolving into world models: systems that can predict and simulate the physical world, moment to moment, in real time.

Workloads like these will be defined by interactivity and latency, and a generation that waits on a round trip from the cloud and back won’t be able to cut it.

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• OpenAI now accounts for 1.1% of all tracked brand impersonations, ranking top 10
• Microsoft and LinkedIn still account for a joint 34.2% of all impersonations
• Basic cybersecurity hygiene can prevent many attacks

New research from Check Point has revealed ChatGPT is becoming increasingly targeted in brand phishing attempts, with the company now appearing in the top-10 list alongside heavy hitters like Microsoft, Google and Apple.

Though ChatGPT only accounted for 1.1% of all tracked brand phishing attempts, this marks the first time it's appeared in the top-10 and reflects continued growth for attackers.

It sees a similar number of attacks to PayPal (1.3%), WhatsApp (1.4%) and Facebook (1.9%), but at present, it's far behind Microsoft, which when combined with its LinkedIn subsidiary, accounts for more than a third (34.2%) of all tracked brand impersonations.

ChatGPT is growing as an impersonated brand

One example from the second quarter of this year saw fake ChatGPT Plus payment failure emails copying OpenAI's branding, but directing victims to a fraudulent payment page to maliciously collect their payment information.

As for Microsoft, fake support pages warned customers that they needed to update Office for security fixes, but the download actually installed malware on victim devices.

Attacks on OpenAI are fairly ironic, because it's likely to company's own AI tools (among plenty of others) that actually helped attackers to write many of the attacks at lightning pace.

Overall, tech companies were targeted most, followed by social media platforms in a similar vein, and then banking apps.

Despite fluctuations in terms of which brands are targeted and how campaigns look, the general attack vector remains unchanged, with cybercriminals targeting vulnerable users and emphasizing urgency to trick people out of sharing information, credentials and payment details.

Security experts warn potential victims to be weary of clicking on unknown URLs and opening unexpected communications, as well as to protect their accounts with passkeys and secure multi-factor authentication (MFA).

• Former Nippon Ichi Software CEO Sohei Niikawa has criticized Sony's decision to end the production of game discs
• The Disgaea creator says the company doesn't "understand the feelings" of physical game fans
• He adds, "If they’re going to go as far as eliminating physical packages, they may as well eliminate the hardware too"

Former Nippon Ichi Software CEO and creator of the tactical role-playing video game series Disgaea, Sohei Niikawa, has objected to Sony's plan to end disc production, saying the company might as well eliminate hardware too.

Sony announced its decision earlier this month, calling it a "natural direction" for the company that will come into effect by January 2028. It means that in the future, PlayStation owners won't be able to purchase discs for new games.

Fans have been vocal about their anger at the decision and have called on Sony to change its mind. Even Former PlayStation Worldwide Studios boss Shawn Layden has called the plan to move all-digital "a fairly dramatic decision."

Now, speaking to Noisy Pixel at Anime Expo 2026, Niikawa has also criticized Sony, saying that while he understands the plan "From a purely business perspective," it will hurt PlayStation fans.

"I think physical editions of games are very important," Niikawa said, explaining that fans who buy physical copies can hold a "great deal of value" and memories, and can even be taken to events to be signed by their creators.

"Physical games are important because they can carry that kind of meaning," he said.

"I can understand why the people at Sony would make that decision. However, the executives who decided it have probably never experienced coming to an event like Anime Expo and having someone approach them with a physical game to ask for an autograph.

"I don’t think they understand the feelings of those fans, and they may never have considered what physical editions mean to the people who value them."

He added, "If they’re going to go as far as eliminating physical packages, they may as well eliminate the hardware too. A television would be enough. Why would you need the console? If you’re going to get rid of physical games, you may as well go all the way."

For now, Sony appears firm in its decision, and analysts have determined that it won't change its mind, despite the backlash, arguing that "Digital is just too lucrative," in the current business.

Circana's Mat Piscatella also believes that Sony is taking advantage of the current digital market, and recently reported that only seven PlayStation games have sold more than 100,000 physical units year-to-date in the US.

Before COVID-19, fraudsters largely operated in line with the standard workweek, active between 9 am – 5 pm and tapering off at the weekends. Then, during the pandemic, fraud started to spike at off-peak times, including late at night and on weekends.

This suggests that fraudsters started to intentionally target businesses when staff weren’t manning the systems, or that they started viewing it as more of an opportunistic or recreational activity.

Today, the pattern has been upended again. In the ever-increasing digital era, AI-assisted tools are not only automating processes for criminals, enabling them to scale operations quickly, but they are also making fraud cheaper and harder to detect. Fraud has now evolved into an ‘always-on’ threat that flows like water, seeking cracks to exploit.

Yet, the latest AI attack vectors have also become somewhat of a distraction for businesses. Simpler, low-tech methods still persist but have become a blind spot in many companies’ security.

The focus on solving the high-tech issue has drawn attention away from the low-tech issue, creating a renewed vulnerability to rudimentary attacks. The key is learning to combat AI-powered identity-based attacks, while also tightening loopholes that are enabling rudimentary fraud attempts to slip through the cracks.

Ultimately, that means implementing a broad set of layers – combining identity verification, biometric authentication, liveness detection, and so on – to catch the different spectrums of attack.

The new face of fraud

Modern fraud is coordinated and intentionally mimics legitimate users and devices to evade detection.

Fraud rings now use automation and device emulation to run high-volume attacks. But rather than launching hundreds of fraudulent applications at once, attackers are submitting small batches over time, enabling them to disappear before issues are identified.

We’re also seeing slight spikes in fraudulent activity from 2-4 am. This suggests deliberate coordination, where attackers are exploiting times when both users and security teams are least likely to respond quickly. This creates a larger window to abuse compromised identities before detection and remediation occur.

Fraudsters are also increasingly exploiting human behavior. There’s been an upward trend in phishing, deepfake impersonations, and romance scams, with each tactic targeting a different vulnerability, whether that’s trust, emotional attachment, or even fatigue. Thames Valley Police has warned that romance fraudsters deliberately keep victims talking late into the night, using exhaustion to erode judgment.

However, businesses have been slow to adapt to the new face of fraud. Because modern users demand speed and simplicity, companies continue to drive UX changes that reduce friction during critical times, like onboarding.

But in many cases, this has become an Achilles heel. Too many organizations are optimized for minimizing user friction without balancing that with continuous protection. They set automated controls which alone are no match for fraudsters who are exploiting human behavior and deliberately operating below detection thresholds.

Two security changes are having a big impact in bolstering defenses against these attacks. First, more adaptive security approaches that detect social engineering signals through behavioral and contextual cues, for example. Second, inserting more varied and unpredictable identity checks that make it significantly harder for attackers to rely on automated or scripted tactics.

Proactive approaches, such as red teaming or fraud simulation exercises, can also help organizations identify weaknesses before they are exploited.

AI has made fraud cheaper, not just smarter

As far back as 2019, AI was used to mimic a CEO’s voice for financial exploitation. Deepfake AI technology has come a long way since then. Injection attacks, where manipulated or synthetic media is fed directly into systems to bypass the camera, surged by 40% in 2025 compared to 2024, and deepfakes now account for one in every five biometric fraud attempts.

That’s because AI has helped to commoditize fraud at a massive scale. AI-assisted tools have lowered the barrier to entry, making it available to anyone with access to a laptop and a credit card.

Fraud-as-a-service platforms sell ready-made kits, credential dumps, deepfakes, and stolen data online. This is one reason why digital forgeries, often created using open-source models, now make up 35% of all fraudulent document submissions.

As these techniques become standardized and widely available, static identity checks (like selfies) are no longer sufficient. An identity that appears legitimate at onboarding can be compromised later on, requiring organizations to continuously verify trust rather than treating identity as a one-time event.

Yet low-tech methods still find success

Despite the increased volume of AI-powered threats, the most common points of entry remain startlingly simple. Many fraudsters still rely on remarkably low-tech methods. For example, in selfie-based identity verification, 90% of attacks involve basic presentation methods, such as using someone else’s photo on a screen, an image of an ID, or showing a printed copy to the camera.

Organizations that focus exclusively on advanced techniques leave themselves exposed to the most basic ones.

By requiring users to move in a specific, unplanned way, systems can distinguish real individuals from 2D images, masks, injected media such as deepfakes, or simple spoofing attempts such as a video of a video or a photo. Partnered with behavioral analysis and real-time risk signals, these tactics provide a strong countermeasure.

As fraud becomes distributed and industrialized, the organizations best positioned to respond will be those that pursue an identity-centric security approach. We need to stop viewing identity checks as a one-and-done moment and start seeing it as an ongoing process throughout the customer journey.

The goal is to make identity security invisible to legitimate users and unavoidable for fraudsters. In a world where fraud no longer sleeps, security strategies can’t afford to either.

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• Boox has teased a tiny 'Picco' ereader
• It has just a 3.97-inch screen, likely making it a rival to Xteink devices
• It has a front light and a microSD card slot, and may well run Android, but lots of questions remain

There’s a lot more to ereaders than Kindle and Kobo these days, both in terms of brand names and form factors, and one such brand is set to offer a new, truly tiny form factor for reading on.

Boox (via GoodEreader) has just teased the Boox Picco, which is set to be the first device in a new ‘Tile’ product line. It has just a 3.97-inch screen, making it far smaller than even the phone-sized Boox Palma 2 Pro. In fact, it’s even marginally smaller than the recently launched Xteink X4 Pro.

Xteink has so far had the micro ereader market almost to itself, with this latest model having a 4.3-inch display. It’s debatable whether an even smaller screen is better or worse, but the Boox Picco may have some advantages over the X4 Pro.

Most notably, there’s a good chance it will run Android, since Boox devices typically do. This would mean you could install apps like the Kindle and Kobo ones, rather than having to sideload books as you do on Xteink ereaders.

Beyond that, we know that the Picco has a monochrome epaper display, a front light, and a microSD card slot, all of which are in line with the Xteink X4 Pro.

(Image credit: Boox)Great potential but lots of unknowns

I love the idea of the Xteink devices but my main hesitation in buying one is the lack of Android, so now I’m going to wait and see if this is a better alternative. But it might not be, as there’s still plenty we don’t know about the Boox Picco.

For one thing, arguably the USP of Xteink devices is their ability to magnetically attach to the back of phones, and there’s no word on whether the Boox Picco will be capable of the same. Still, this seems an obvious inclusion, so whether through built-in magnets or an optional magnetic case, I’d think it’s likely.

Also, it remains to be seen how attractively priced the Picco will be — the Xteink X4 Pro is $109 / £84 / AU$159, so Boox probably can’t afford to charge much more than that if it wants this to be a hit.

Plus, while Android is likely, it’s not guaranteed. With this being such a small device, Boox might opt for a simpler operating system.

Even if it does run Android, there’s a high chance that this will run a very old version, as is often the case with Boox devices. That would make it potentially less secure, and therefore something I’d be reluctant to sign into my accounts on. It would also mean that apps might cease being compatible with it in the next few years.

Still, I’m cautiously hopeful that this could be the tiny ereader of my dreams — there’s no word on a release date yet, but I expect we’ll learn more soon.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE: two-minute review

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE is a 10.9-inch tablet that sits between premium flagship slates and more modest mid-rangers. Launched in April 2025, it offers a rich, vibrant display, a robust build, and smart productivity tools. So, a year after its release, is it still worth your money?

Honestly, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE holds up pretty well. Not only is it relatively svelte at 6mm, it feels premium in the hands thanks to the sheer edges and satin finish. It also has a sturdy build, with its IP68 rating meaning it should happily shrug off both dust and dunkings in over 1m of water. The only part of its design I’m a little cooler on is the colorways it arrives in — some primary shades would add some interest in this parade of blues and grays.

Fortunately, the Tab S10 FE’s display doesn’t fall into this trap. While it might not quite knock the best tablets off their podium, its screen delivers sumptuous color — reds and blues, in particular, look super vibrant when sitting side by side. Whites aren’t quite as warm as I’d like, and it isn't the brightest display I’ve ever tested, but blacks feel surprisingly deep for an LED display and overall it achieves solid contrast.

The Tab S10 FE’s charms aren’t all surface level, though — it’s also capable of superb performance, given its Exynos 1580 chipset is less powerful than even some of its rival mid-rangers’. For productivity tasks, I experienced zero noticeable slowdown, even with a heap of apps open and video streaming in one half of multi-window mode. Gaming strained it a little:eh device became pretty warm during play, although mostly at higher graphics settings.

Having since been upgraded from the One UI 7 it was released with to 8.5, the Tab S10 FE’s OS feels light and versatile. Bloat is relatively minimal compared to some tablets, although I did find it a little irritating that a few of the apps that are preinstalled aren’t usable without paying money. But this aside, One UI is definitely one of the smoother Android skins I’ve used, offering effective gesture controls and easy-to-use multitasking functionality.

(Image credit: Future)

The Tab S10 also comes crammed with productivity tools and fun features. "Circle to Search" is an impressive feature that allows you to search images and text on-screen by circling it with the stylus. The "Handwriting Help" feature corrects the alignment and shape of your letters — a massive help if you suffer clumsy penmanship like I do — while the "Solve Math" function is accurate, albeit a little finicky. "Face Effects", like jawline correction and skin-tone tweaking, in photos feel a little bit borderline to me, though.

And you’ll keep getting the most out of all of these productivity tools for a long time, thanks to the Tab S10 FE’s extensive battery life. Even with a capacity of 8,000Ah, my battery test revealed the device should comfortably see you through 20 hours, which is likely to cover you for several days of real-world use. It’s none too shabby when charging, either: thanks to its 45W charging, fully topping up the battery took just 1 hour and 44 minutes, which is pretty speedy.

All told, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE is an impressive tablet for the price. It may not have the most powerful chipset on the market but it’s a fantastic slate for taking notes, sketching, and other productivity tasks; the display is bold and beautiful, and its battery will comfortably last twice as long as that of the similarly priced iPad Air. As long as you’re not looking for something to game on, you’re unlikely to be disappointed.

(Image credit: Future)Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE review: price & availability

• Launched on April 10, 2025
• List price from $549.99 / £539 / AU$849
• Available with 8GB / 12GB RAM and 128GB / 256GB storage

Launched on April 10, 2025, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE is available now. The list price for the Wi-Fi-only version sits at $549.99 / £539 / AU$849, or it costs $649.99 / £639 / AU$1,049 for the 5G version.

The Tab S10 FE’s base spec offers 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, but you can also pick it up with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It comes in three colorways: Silver, Blue or the Gray version I tested here. Regardless of which version you opt for, you’ll get Samsung’s S Pen as part of the package — which is a great bonus, given how much functionality it unlocks.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE review: specs

Dimensions

254.3 x 165.8 x 6.0 mm (10.01 x 6.53 x 0.24 inches)

Operating system

Android 15 (One UI 7), upgradable

Chipset

Samsung Exynos 1580

Weight

497g (Wi-Fi) / 500g (5G)

RAM

8GB / 128GB model, 12GB / 256GB model

Storage

128GB / 256GB (up to 2TB expandable via microSDXC)

Display

10.9-inch IPS LCD, 2304 x 1440 pixels, 90Hz, 16:10 aspect ratio

Cameras

13MP rear camera, 12MP ultrawide front camera

Battery

8,000mAh (45W wired charging support)

Connectivity

Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, USB Type-C 2.0, 5G (cellular model only)

(Image credit: Future)Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE review: design

• Thin and light
• Solid build with IP68 rating
• Unadventurous colorways

First off, there’s something about the Galaxy Tab S10 FE's flat, unbevelled design that feels pleasingly tactile in my hands. Those chiseled edges make it feel more sturdy and substantial, while the satin finish to its metal feels wonderfully tactile beneath your fingertips. Despite its mid-market price, it definitely has a premium feel to it.

Having said that, Samsung is hardly lighting the world on fire with the range of colors the Tab S10 FE comes in. As I’ve mentioned above, your options are Gray, Silver and Blue — with the latter definitely the most standout of the three, and the Gray I tested here a little too safe. I do think it’s a shame Samsung didn’t offer the device in some more adventurous hues, especially given the Apple iPad 11-inch (2025) includes vibrant shades like yellow and pink in its lineup.

The Tab S10 FE isn’t the most expansive slate I’ve ever used, with an area of just 6.53 x 10 inches / 165.8 x 254.3mm — for reference, that’s just a little shy of the iPad 11-inch at 9.79 x 7.07 inches / 248.6 x 179.5mm. But, on the plus side, the S10 FE is pretty slight, measuring in at just 17.64 oz / 500g and 0.24 inches / 6mm thick. That’s not quite as slim as the 0.2 inch / 5.1mm Apple iPad Pro 13-inch or the 0.22-inch / 5.6mm Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus, but it’s still trimmer than a lot of tablets out there.

Despite this dainty build, though, the Tab S10 FE is no delicate flower. In fact, it offers an IP68 rating, which means it should happily shrug off dust and grit, as well as survive an accidental dunking in at least a meter of water — something that is far from a given with many tablets. Keen to put this to the test, I gave it a dunking in 6 inches / 15cm of water in TechRadar’s testing tank for several minutes, and it emerged thoroughly soaked yet fully functional.

• Design score: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Future)Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE review: display

• Vibrant colors
• Strong contrast
• Could be brighter

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE doesn’t necessarily offer IMAX-scale viewing. Its display measures 10.9 inches and you lose a tiny bit of that to its rounded corners, so if you’re after something more expansive, the 13.1-inch Tab S10 FE+ might suit you better. However, its screen still performs impressively, with only a few small caveats.

To test what the display could do, I streamed some Blue Planet II in 4K. I was immediately impressed by the level of detail it was capable of: for example, the black-and-white lines flashing across a scintillating cuttlefish felt super sharp and well defined. While the Tab S10 FE’s 249.26ppi pixel density isn’t quite as detailed as the Apple iPad 11-inch (2025)’s 264ppi, the majority are unlikely to spot a huge difference in most scenarios.

Contrast also feels impressive, especially for an LCD panel. Even when side-by-side with the dappled sunlight, the depths of the ocean appeared inky black and well defined. Whites are also strong, although they run a little cooler than I’d expect — for example, the plumage of a wandering albatross and its fledgling chick looked a touch too blue for my tastes.

Fortunately, the Tab S10 FE’s hues are incredibly true to life elsewhere. Against the cobalt blue of the water, the bright red innards of a Lion’s mane jellyfish looked breathtaking, with the image not looking all that different to the Super Retina XDR OLED display in my flagship iPhone 16 Pro. For a mid-range tablet, Samsung’s Tab S10 FE sure offers some vibrant color performance.

Aside from those slightly cool whites, the only other area where the Tab S10 FE’s performance is less impressive is in terms of brightness. It offers 800-nit peak brightness outdoors in High Brightness mode, but its usual peak is 600 nits, meaning it isn't blazingly bright. That would be less of an issue if the S10 FE’s display wasn’t so reflective, but I did find it occasionally struggled to compete with the shine of the fluorescent lights overhead in TechRadar’s testing labs.

Despite this, the Tab S10 FE’s display is undeniably solid for its price, offering tantalizing viewing for a mid-market slate.

• Display score: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Future)Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE review: software

• Clean, agile OS
• Great Circle to Search and Handwriting Help tools
• Some slightly questionable Face Effects

Running One UI 8.5 built upon Android 16, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE feels light and easy to navigate. And compared to some tablets I’ve tested in recent months, it’s not crammed with bloat — I’m glad not to see Temu preloaded onto my device for the umpteenth time.

Which is what makes it all the more frustrating that some of the handful of apps that are preinstalled on the Tab S10 FE — such as LumaFusion and Clip Studio Paint — you have to pay for before using. Pre-loading my device with apps that are essentially just adverts for services you want me to sign up for just feels a bit grimey.

That’s a shame, because elsewhere Samsung’s OS feels light and offers decent productivity tools. Loading two apps in multi-window view is as simple as dragging two fingers from the side of the screen and loading the second app you’d like to use. Meanwhile, you can create multiple desktops to keep discrete workflows separate, making it a solid tool for working on the go.

Some of Samsung’s native apps are also pretty powerful. Using the drawing app Penup and the S Pen, I whipped up a sketch of my cat in an ukiyo-e style. Not only did the app make downloading and customising multiple watercolor and ink brushes straightforward, it quickly allowed me to add layers and a reference photograph to use. It even offers built-in functionality for exporting live drawing videos, which is a neat function for digital artists.

Baked into One UI 8.5 are multiple image manipulation tools. Removing irksome objects from your photographs is a pretty common feature these days, but Samsung’s Circle to Erase tool largely works well. It quickly removed an errant seagull and a hot-air balloon from a sunny evening selfie I'd snapped — although for reasons I can’t quite understand, it also half-mangled the corner of our blanket for no reason that I could fathom.

Some of Samsung’s built-in Face Effects are a little bit more dicey in my book. though. While I understand why you might want to fix blemishes or slightly smooth out complexions, tools for "fixing" people’s jawlines and lightening / darkening people’s skin tone honestly feels borderline for me in an era when looksmaxxing and colorism are very real trends. Meanwhile, the Reshape tool for tweaking facial and body features is horrifying in pretty much every sense — ethics aside, all I could really achieve with this feature was transforming myself into a Cronenbergian monster, which I’m not sure people are clamoring for on social media.

Fortunately, Samsung offers some other tools that are less contentious. Circle to Search stumped me at first, as I couldn’t seem to trigger it using the stylus or any context menus. Eventually, I worked out that you have to hold down the Home button to trigger the context-aware AI — and the results were then genuinely impressive, allowing me to quickly identify a weedy seadragon from a video or a bumblebee crawling across a rhododendron.

Samsung’s Handwriting Help tools are also pretty impressive. They deftly aligned my drifting script to the horizontal, although I found the claims that they'd "correct my letter shapes" to be a little overblown. Although, given that my handwriting looks like it was produced by a five-legged spider after too many espressos, I’ll admit this was a pretty boss-level challenge. And, more impressively, Samsung’s handwriting recognition almost invariably translated my jittering chicken scratch perfectly, something my own family can’t even do.

One of the more unique features the Tab S10 FE offers is its ability to solve calculations and equations for you. Write out a problem you’re struggling with, stick an equals sign after it and ping: an answer appears like magic. Or doesn’t. About half the time, the rabbit resolutely refused to pop out of the hat, leaving me to erase and rewrite functions over and over until it recognized them. And some sums proved more unreliable than others — root functions, in particular, seemed to throw up a lot of incorrect answers, although there’s a chance either my heinous handwriting or 25-year-old math knowledge is letting me down here.

For the most part, using the Galaxy Tab S10 FE’s software feels smooth and practical. I could just do without the paid bloat and the creepier of the photo-editing features.

• Software score: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Future)Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE review: performance

• Great productivity performance
• Games run well, for the most part
• Gets warm under heavy loads

Underneath the hood, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE runs the Exynos 1580 chipset and comes with either 8GB of RAM (on test here) or 12GB. That chipset will net you similar performance to, say, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, but it won’t really rival any of the Snapdragon 8 series or the current generation of Apple silicon chips.

When handling everyday productivity tasks, this still translated to pretty credible performance. While browsing the Internet with multiple tabs open, I never noticed any substantial slowdown or unusual behaviour. Typing this section of this review, the Tab S10 FE didn't show any noticeable lag or hanging, even with multiple apps open in the background. Always one to push things to their most absurd extreme, I even tried streaming Louis Theroux’s My Scientology Movie in multi-window mode as I typed, and — blow me down — both Google Docs and iPlayer continued to run as smooth as a frog slathered in peptide face cream.

This stable performance extends to gaming as well. Loading up Call of Duty: Mobile, I was generally impressed with how stably it ran, even with the hi-res graphics packs downloaded. Even if there was the tiniest hint of jitter on the odd occasion, I never found it impacted my gameplay all that much — I was still able to click heads consistently enough to pick up multiple MVP awards in a row.

Unfortunately, playing Genshin Impact proved a bumpier ride, though. Defaulting to the lowest graphics setting, the game looked pretty awful on the Tab S10 FE, rendering everything with blocky, jagged visuals. Yet switching the graphics settings even to Low threw up a warning I was overclocking the tablet’s CPU. I was expecting this would make the game unplayable on Medium settings, but actually it still ran pretty slickly.

Which leads me to suspect that the issue lies more with the Tab S10 FE’s cooling than that medium-range chipset. Even while playing Call of Duty: Mobile, I found the device warmed up considerably after about three matches back-to-back, while playing Genshin Impact the device started to get a touch toasty after just 10 minutes. This means that you’ll probably be fine if you nerf the graphics settings, but you might not want to red-line it quite as much as I did if you’ll be playing for extended periods.

• Performance score: 3.5 / 5

(Image credit: Future)Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE review: battery

• Lengthy 20-hour battery life
• Fast 45W charging

According to Samsung, the Galaxy Tab S10 FE’s battery should last you around 20 hours, which was pretty much spot on according to my tests. After continuously streaming a video in 2K for five hours, its battery had dropped to 74%. Even allowing a little wiggle room for how uneven battery discharge curves are, Samsung’s estimates seem pretty on the money, so you should happily be able to use this tablet for several days running without it dying on you.

Even when it does run out of juice, it shouldn’t take long to top up using that 45W charging. During my testing, I found it took 1 hour and 44 minutes to go from 0% to 100% — given its 8,000mAh battery capacity, that’s really very decent.

Taking all of this into account, the Tab S10 FE’s battery life is pretty competitive. While 8,000mAh is far from the largest capacity you’ll find out there, its diminutive display and efficient chipset means it can outlast more premium tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus. It might not quite be able to rival the Honor MagicPad 4, our pick for the best tablet for battery life, but it’s still seriously long-lived.

• Battery score: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

Good price for a gorgeous tablet that’s great for work, studies and streaming content. Perhaps not the best pick for gamers, though — especially given its specs are more modest than some similarly priced Android tablets.

4 / 5

Design

Slim and light, yet feels seriously well built. The IP68 rating means it will shrug off dust and accidental dunkings in water with ease. But a few more playful colorways would be welcome.

4 / 5

Display

Wonderfully vibrant colors, bold contrast and decent resolution. Whites are a little cool, though, and more brightness would help it overcome its shiny screen.

4 / 5

Software

Smooth, easy-to-use OS not too troubled by bloat and packed with productivity features. Some very smart tools such as Handwriting Help and Circle to Search. Not a fan of the preloaded apps you’d have to pay to use or the slightly creepy Face Effects.

4 / 5

Performance

Exynos 1580 chipset isn't top-of-the-range but enjoys excellent power for productivity, and decent if unexceptional gaming performance. Warms up quickly when playing demanding titles, though.

3.5 / 5

Battery

Lasts for 20 hours, despite its modest 8,000mAh capacity. And can be charged from empty to full in just over 100 minutes, thanks to 45W charging.

4.5 / 5

Buy it if…

You want a great slate for work and study
Whether it’s multitasking tools, drawing apps, handwriting polishing and recognition or automatic math formula solving, the Tab S10 FE is absolutely crammed with features for making your work easier.

You want a battery that lasts and lasts
Although its 8,000mAh battery doesn’t sound like much, it’ll comfortably last 20 hours before you have to charge it. That means it’ll happily outlast a lot of tablets on the market.

Don’t buy it if…

Gaming is your number one priority
The Tab S10 FE will comfortably run most games you throw at it. But you won’t be able to max out the graphics settings, and it can get pretty warm during intense sessions.

You’d be using it in bright sunlight
While the Tab S10 FE’s display is far from dull, its 800-nit peak brightness isn’t quite enough to overcome the reflective screen. If you want to watch shows in the garden, the iPad Pro’s 1600-nit peak brightness will serve you better.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE review: also consider

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE

Honor MagicPad 4

OnePlus Pad 3

Dimensions

10.01 x 6.53 x 0.24 inches / 254.3 x 165.8 x 6.0mm

10.76 x 7.04 x 0.19 inches / 273.4 x 178.8 x 4.8mm

11.40 x 8.25 x 0.24 inches / 289.61 x 209.66 x 5.97mm

Operating system

Android 15 (One UI 7)

Android 16 (MagicOS 10)

Android 15 (OxygenOS 15)

Chipset

Samsung Exynos 1580

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite

Weight

497g (Wi-Fi) / 500g (5G)

450g

675g

RAM

8GB / 12GB

12GB / 16GB

12GB / 16GB

Storage

128GB / 256GB

256GB / 512GB

256GB / 512GB

Display

10.9-inch IPS LCD, 2304 x 1440 pixels, 90Hz, 16:10 aspect ratio

12.3-inch OLED, 3000 x 1920 pixels, 165Hz, 15.6:10 aspect ratio

13.2-inch IPS LCD, 3392 x 2400 pixels, 144Hz, 7:5 aspect ratio

Cameras

13MP rear camera, 12MP ultrawide front camera

13MP rear camera, 9MP front camera

13MP rear camera, 8MP front camera

Battery

8,000mAh (45W wired charging)

10,100mAh (66W wired charging)

12,140mAh (80W wired charging)

Connectivity

Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, USB Type-C 2.0, 5G (Cellular model only)

Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, USB Type-C 3.2

Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, USB Type-C 3.2

Honor MagicPad 4
The Honor MagicPad 4 has a more powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset, a larger, higher-res OLED display, an even longer-lasting battery, and faster charging than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE. It’s also slimmer and lighter, while costing a similar price. So what’s the catch? It isn't available in the US or Australia, meaning this tablet is strictly for British eyes only.

Read our full Honor MagicPad 4 review

OnePlus Pad 3
There’s a reason the OnePlus Pad 3 is our pick for the best Android tablet for most people. It rocks the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset — the most powerful included in any of the tablets mentioned here — that makes it great for productivity and gaming. Meanwhile, its display has a higher resolution than its rivals here, and a 7:5 aspect ratio that makes it great for watching movies.

Read our full OnePlus Pad 3 review

(Image credit: Future)How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE

• Tested it over a week
• Tried out a wide variety of tasks, from work to games
• Used specific tests to assess screen, performance and battery life

I tested the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE over the course of a week. During that time, I used it for a range of purposes, whether that was productivity tasks such as writing this review, playing games, or watching TV and movies. I also tried out a range of the tablet’s pre-loaded software —for example, using the Notes app for taking notes or Penup for drawing.

When it comes to specific tests, I assessed the Tab S10 FE’s display by streaming Blue Planet II to see how its display delivered brightness, color, contrast and resolution. I tested performance by playing multiple games and using various apps in multitasking mode. Finally, I tested the battery by streaming 2K video at medium brightness for 5 hours to see how much it was depleted during that time.

In terms of personal experience, I’ve been reviewing phones and tablets for TechRadar for several years now and writing about tech for far longer. I’ve also tested a wide range of drawing tablets, giving me a lot of experience in commenting on color fidelity and stylus performance.

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

Back in November, Google surprised-dropped an update for its Android-based Quick Share tool that allowed Pixel 10 users to share files to iPhones via AirDrop. Four months ago to the day, Samsung followed suit by rolling out the same functionality to the best Samsung phones, and at the time of writing, over 30 different Android phones can now seamlessly send and receive files to and from Apple’s iPhones.

Yesterday saw the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 8, and Galaxy Z Flip 8, and because they all run One UI 9 (which is based on Android 17) straight out of the box, all three new phones have access to AirDrop via Quick Share.

So, as any humble tech journalist would do when opening up their Galaxy Z Fold 8 unit for the first time, I immediately sent a picture of myself to my iPhone Air and back again. For testing purposes, you understand. Here’s how quick the process was:

@techradar

♬ Sway with Me - The Onlife Soul

As above, this functionality is not unique to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 nor particularly new to Android phones more generally any more — but I realised while watching Galaxy Unpacked that we hadn’t yet published an article showcasing AirDrop via Quick Share in all its seamless file-sharing glory. So there you go, readers — I know you’ve all been on tenterhooks for eight months straight. This is a big deal.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Incidentally, if you own an Android phone that currently supports AirDrop via Quick Share, you’ll have to select ‘Everyone (10 minutes)’ in the Quick Share settings menu to ensure your device is viewable to the iPhone you want to send or receive your file to. On iPhone, you’ll have to select ‘Everyone for 10 minutes’ from the Bluetooth menu in Control Center. Happy file-sharing!

The Samsung 990 EVO Plus is one of our favorite internal SSDs, offering an excellent balance of speed, efficiency, and reliability for anyone looking to upgrade a compatible desktop or laptop. The 4TB model is currently selling for $599.99 at Newegg, which is its lowest price in the past 30 days.

While this isn't the cheapest 4TB NVMe drive available, it offers sequential read and write speeds of up to 7,250MB/s and 6,300MB/s, making it a great choice for large file transfers, and running demanding applications and creative workloads.

The 990 EVO Plus supports both PCIe 4.0 x4 and PCIe 5.0 x2 interfaces for wide compatibility with modern systems. Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0 improves sustained performance during large transfers, while the nickel-coated controller helps keep temperatures under control and maintain power efficiency.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the 4TB 990 EVO Plus SSD if...

The biggest reason to choose the 990 EVO Plus is its balance of speed, efficiency, and compatibility. It supports both PCIe 4.0 x4 and PCIe 5.0 x2 systems, making it suitable for a wide range of modern desktops and laptops. Samsung's Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0 also improves sustained large-file performance, while the nickel-coated controller helps maintain efficiency during extended workloads.

❌ Skip the 4TB 990 EVO Plus SSD if...

If you're simply looking for the lowest cost per terabyte, there are cheaper alternatives available. Many everyday workloads also won't fully benefit from the drive's maximum transfer speeds, so budget-focused buyers may find a more affordable PCIe 4.0 SSD offers enough performance for basic computing needs.

Today's top Samsung 990 EVO Plus SSD deal

PCIe 4.0 x4 and PCIe 5.0 x2 M.2 2280 NVMe SSD with 4TB capacity, sequential speeds up to 7,250/6,300MB/s, Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0, Host Memory Buffer, nickel-coated controller, and Magician software support.View Deal

Why we recommend it

Samsung makes some of the most dependable consumer SSDs, and the 990 EVO Plus is a great example. The drive offers sequential read speeds of up to 7,250MB/s, with writes up to 6,300MB/s, which makes boot times, application launches, and large file transfers far speedier than on older drives.

Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0 helps maintain performance during sustained workloads, while the nickel-coated controller improves thermal efficiency. Support for both PCIe 4.0 x4 and PCIe 5.0 x2 means the drive works with a wide range of modern desktops and laptops.

Price Context & Historical Value

At $599.99, this is Newegg's lowest price in the past 30 days. Although the 4TB 990 EVO Plus launched at an MSRP of $344.99 in 2024, SSD prices have risen dramatically since then as AI demand has pushed up NAND flash memory costs across the industry.

This deal is more attractive in today's market than the launch comparison might suggest. Both Amazon and Newegg were selling the 4TB drive for $1,049.99 until just days ago. Now, both retailers have it at $599.99. You can buy it at Amazon here.

For more savings on storage, we're always tracking the best SSD deals.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

Before buying, make sure your desktop or laptop includes an M.2 2280 slot supporting PCIe NVMe drives. While the 990 EVO Plus works with both PCIe 4.0 x4 and PCIe 5.0 x2 platforms, older systems may not benefit from the drive's full performance.

• Shop all internal SSDs at Newegg

The Garmin Cirqa is a strong new addition to Garmin's ecosystem of devices. It's a screenless fitness tracker like a Whoop band, working with the Garmin Connect app to track sleep, workouts, and health metrics. You can read all about what happened when I tested the Garmin Cirqa against a heart rate monitor during its UK launch event here.

One under-the-radar announcement most people have glossed over is that even though most features are subscription-free, you need a Garmin Connect+ subscription to access Garmin Coach. This is Garmin's digital coaching feature, offering personalized training plans for its users to help achieve their strength, running, or cycling goals.

The reason this is important is that it's the first time Garmin Coach has been locked behind a paywall. It used to be that more expensive watches came with Garmin Coach features, while less expensive watches didn't. That was it. This latest development means we could see future budget-friendly Garmin offerings, such as the successor to the Garmin Forerunner 70, get Garmin Coach capabilities but keep them locked behind Connect+ in order to keep costs down.

While this is very much in line with how Fitbit and Apple run things on their fitness apps, it's a big change for Garmin and one that could rile existing users. We've seen how the Garmin community reacted to Connect+ when it was first introduced last year — negatively, with many people fearing new watch features would be locked behind a paywall, as ongoing subscriptions are very profitable for tech companies.

At least it's still substantially better value than Whoop's pay-annually mandatory subscription model.

Garmin acquires TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic

(Image credit: TrainingPeaks)

Garmin has acquired TrainingPeaks and its sibling platform TrainHeroic. TrainingPeaks is an incredibly popular cross-platform programming software where users can download and use fitness plans and communicate directly with coaches. It's available on lots of different devices, not just Garmin watches.

Naturally, many people are afraid this means TrainingPeaks will become a Garmin-exclusive piece of software, and anyone who currently uses, for example, an Apple Watch Ultra 3 will be left in the cold. Even those that use it on Garmins may fear another subscription will be required.

Our homes editor and ex-fitness editor Cat Ellis uses TrainingPeaks to train for her marathons. She said: "I use TrainingPeaks and a Garmin watch, so I’m interested in what the future will hold as the two become intertwined — but also concerned for owners of non-Garmin devices. It seems plausible that owners of devices from other brands — such as Polar, Suunto, and Amazfit — might be left out if Garmin folds TrainingPeaks plans into Garmin Connect+.

"I’m also curious how Garmin might integrate TrainingPeaks. Will there be a separate Connect+ membership tier that unlocks access to TrainingPeaks plans? What about plans from coaches that TrainingPeaks users currently pay for separately? It’s going to be an interesting time."

Cross-platform confirmation

(Image credit: Future)

TrainingPeaks & TrainHeroic MD Lee Gerakos told DC Rainmaker that "TrainingPeaks will continue to operate as a cross-platform ecosystem, enabling athletes and coaches to use the devices, platforms and services that best suit their needs."

TrainingPeaks users can breathe a sigh of relief, for now — but it's not hard to connect the dots. Garmin's most recent, highest-profile product puts its coaching features behind a paywall at the same time it announces the acquisition of one of the most popular third-party coaching platforms. Garmin could be aiming to improve its coaching platform to get more people to join Connect+.

This isn't a bad thing per se — much of the criticism levelled at Connect+ was that its offering was a bit thin — but the pressure will be on for Garmin to keep its existing users, along with existing TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic users, happy with how the new coaching features are implemented.

• Survey finds 92% of UK workers struggle to mentally switch off outside of work
• Only 1% said they never check emails, messages, or perform work tasks out of hours
• The Always-On Workforce Report 2026 surveyed 1,500 professionals

A new report into the out of hours activities of British employees has found that workers seem to really like being at work – either that, or they have difficulty in switching off from the intensity of their contracted hours.

The Always-On Workforce Report 2026, conducted by MyPerfectCV, found 92% of the 1,500 professionals it surveyed said they are carrying out work tasks and answering emails and messages beyond their contracted hours.

In addition, workers have admitted to working while off sick, and feeling guilty when requesting annual leave - and interestingly, a significant chunk of the respondents stated that management expectations drive their inability to switch off.

Working while sick

Of particular concern are the report’s findings that concern sickness. Of the 1,500 respondents (500 from the UK, and 1,000 across Spain, Italy, France, and Germany), 91% of UK workers admitted working while off sick. Moreover, 34% “frequently” worked while feeling unwell rather than taking a sick day, with 57% admitting to doing the same “occasionally.”

The survey’s conclusion to these statistics is they point “to a culture of presenteeism where employees feel compelled to push through illness rather than prioritise recovery.”

Meanwhile, annual leave also remains a problem for British workers. Employers have a duty responsibly manage annual leave requests, refusing or rejecting requests with plenty of notice, and only refusing by citing valid business reasons, such as staff shortages. Yet according to this survey, 31% admit to anxiety asking for their statutory holidays.

The mental disconnection struggle is real

One interesting result from the report is what is behind the inability for UK workers to “switch off.” 50% of those surveyed blamed heavy workloads, while not-inconsiderable 44% put it down to management expectations.

55% of employees admitted to checking emails, responding to messages, and carrying out work tasks every day, which seems to point to a blurring of the boundary between professional and personal time. It is notably higher than the European equivalent of 29%.

Not switching off from work can have serious impacts on personal relationships and mental health. To underline this, 34% said that they always find it “difficult to disconnect from work mentally during their time off.”

"Being 'always on' isn't defined by one behaviour - it's the accumulation of small decisions to stay connected," noted Jasmine Escalera from MyPerfectCV.

"Whether it's checking emails on holiday, responding after hours, or working through illness, the lines between work and personal time have become increasingly blurred for many UK employees."

• Proofpoint 2026 AI‑Era Ransomware Report found 54% of victims paid attackers despite warnings
• 37% faced repeat extortion after paying; 2% paid but never regained access to files
• Experts urge prevention: phishing awareness, offline backups, and AI‑powered endpoint protection

Security researchers Proofpoint have seemingly proved once again that paying ransomware actors does not guarantee they’ll walk away for good - in fact, they’ve proven that in many cases, they’ll simply come back for more because they know they can get paid.

The company's “2026 AI-Era Ransomware Report”, based on a survey of almost 1,000 security professionals across 12 markets, found globally, more than half (54%) of affected organizations paid their attackers to regain access to locked files and prevent them from sharing stolen documents on the dark web.

This is despite repeated pleas by law enforcement and the cybersecurity industry not to engage with the attackers and not to, under any circumstances, pay the ransom demand. Proofpoint argues that the real-world pressure organizations suffer when faced with disruptions is, in many instances, simply too big to tolerate.

Asking for a second payment

The logic behind the “don’t pay” argument is simple - by paying, the victims are motivating the attackers to do more damage, and are funding future attacks. At the same time, there is no guarantee that the decryption keys will work, that the attackers will really delete the files they had stolen, and that they won’t strike again in a few weeks.

This final argument has now been proven. While around half (56%) of victims paid one ransom and regained access, more than a third (37%) faced a second extortion demand soon after paying. Another 2% paid and never regained access at all.

Instead of paying the ransom demand, the industry suggests businesses protect their premises by educating their employees on the dangers of phishing, keeping updated backups in offline storage, and running (if possible, AI-powered) endpoint detection and protection services across the entire tech stack.

Via TechCrunch

I've been testing and writing about robot vacuums for nearly a decade here on TechRadar Australia and one of the standouts for me in the past 12 months was (if you'll excuse the pun) an absolute dream machine.

If you read my in-depth Dreame Aqua10 Ultra review, you'll know just how impressed I was with its overall performance, and my nitpicking complaints were mostly to do with how its battery gets used, which honestly isn't even a complaint — perhaps more of an observation.

It is, however, a premium model that I've only very rarely seen discounted. Its slightly cheaper sibling, the standard Dreame Aqua10 Roller, though, is almost as good and also currently 44% off on Amazon, and just AU$69.35 more than its Prime Day price.

That's still a sight better than having to pay nearly three grand for the Ultra version.

With 30,000Pa of suction and a roller mop that promises streak-free mopping, this is a full-featured robovac that offers very few compromises. It's even able to clear relatively high thresholds of up to 6cm, so it can get to places lesser models can't. Note that this offer is not Prime eligible, although delivery is free if you are subscriber — it'll just take a little longer to reach your door.View Deal

The differences between Aqua10 Roller and its Ultra sibling may seem like a long list, but trust someone who's still using the latter in her own home — it's overkill and not worth the extra cash.

So what are those differences? Well, for starters, the LiDAR turret doesn't lower itself automatically on the standard Roller version, but that's not unique to it, especially at this price. It also misses out on the 3D mapping that the Ultra version does but, again, a 2D map is pretty much all most people will need (floors, after all, tend to be pretty flat). And it gets a single-compartment soap dispenser instead of the dual-slot one in the Ultra which, again, isn't necessary unless you want to use an odour-neutralising solution as well.

For your money, you're still getting a whopping 30,000Pa of suction which, going by how well my Ultra version utilises it, will do very well on carpets and I am in awe at how well the roller mop works on the Dreame. There are plenty of intelligent features available on the Aqua10, including intelligent stain removal, so if you think your robovac has forgotten its navigation path and is circling, that's likely just its sensors picking up extra dirt in a small area and getting the bot to clean repeatedly for a thorough job.

It's also a machine that promises excellent edge cleaning, since it uses the exact same side brush and extending roller mop as the Ultra model. And the Roller even has the same automatic mop cover, which comes on as soon as it detects carpet to keep the mop head clean and your carpet dry.

While the Roller doesn't quite match the Ultra's ability to move over thresholds and steps up to 8cm tall, it's capacity to tackle heights up to 6cm is still above average, and means it can potentially head into patio areas if your sliding door frames aren't very high.

If it performs anywhere as well as my Ultra model, I think the Dreame Aqua10 Roller will be hard to beat at its current discounted price.

Amazon Kindle Scribe (2025): Two-minute review

I've used the 2024 release of the Kindle Scribe (2nd generation) for two years and I've loved every minute of it. I didn't think there was a better E Ink display to write on (and read on for that matter) and I definitely didn't think it could be improved. Yet that's exactly what Amazon has done with the 2025 (3rd generation) Kindle Scribe with frontlight.

The epaper display is still one of the best to read and write on, but it looks even brighter and, indeed, it is bigger, with 11 inches of screen real estate to use. That's fantastic for note-taking and drawing, but unnecessary for a device that also doubles up as an ereader.

Despite the additional height, the 3rd generation Kindle Scribe is both marginally thinner and lighter than its predecessor, but it is hard to hold in the hand for long periods of use — I constantly felt the need to place it on my lap or a table even when reading, but more so when jotting notes. Moreover, the lack of a broad bezel means it's very easy to trigger a page turn as the thumb rests so close to the edge of the display.

The thinner chassis is solidly built, although there's still no waterproofing (as is the case on most digital notebooks), so be careful if you decide to use it by the pool, the bath or the kitchen sink. And definitely keep it away from the sea's salty water to avoid corrosion.

The new stylus is also redesigned and, while it might feel too smooth for some users, I adore it! It never slipped once, even with sweaty palms, and, personally, gave me one of the best writing experiences I've had on a digital notebook (with the exception of the ViWoods C1 ceramic stylus possibly). Additionally, the magnetic hold to the side of the device is the strongest I've seen to date on any such device.

The homescreen interface has been refreshed and is quite practical in my opinion, and renaming the previous Notebooks tab to Workspace kinda makes sense to me. There are a few new features here: a handful of fresh templates in Workspace, a Smart Shapes feature that some users might find useful and, importantly, Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive connectivity for seamless cloud transfer of files. There's even AI-enable search that can trawl through handwritten notes to give you a concise summary to answer your query.

What I'm struggling with is justifying its high price tag. While everything is now a lot more expensive, the extra screen real estate and handful of new features don't go a long way in explaining the significant price increase over its predecessor but, then again, the base model now has double the storage at 32GB and it sure is a very fast performer.

As someone who's extensively used reMarkables and Boox alternatives, I think the 3rd generation Kindle Scribe definitely gives its competitors a run for their money. I'd still only consider picking it up when discounted and only if you don't already have a previous Scribe and are embedded in the Amazon ecosystem.

Book credits: Anirudh Kanisetti and Juggernaut Books (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)Amazon Kindle Scribe (2025) review: price and availability

• First announced October 2025 in the US; available to buy since December 2025
• Released in the UK and other select markets in early 2026, available in Australia since mid 2026
• List price: from $499.99 / £449.99 / AU$849

The 3rd-generation Kindle Scribe is expensive — at a starting price of $499.99 / £449.99 / AU$849, it's $100 / £70 / AU$200 more than its predecessor's entry cost, but it does go some way in justifying the increase.

Firstly, as I've already mentioned, the entry model now has 32GB of storage compared to 16GB, plus the display is 11 inches (previously 10.2 inches). There are a few new software features that make it a better digital notepad compared to the 2nd-gen Kindle Scribe from 2024, but it's still hard to justify paying full price when color E Ink devices don't cost much more.

That said, color E Ink isn't where it should be in 2026 and I wouldn't recommend the $629 / £569 / AU$999 Kindle Scribe Colorsoft over this monochrome sibling.

On the other hand, the reMarkable Paper Pure, which also offers 32GB of storage, but a 10.3-inch screen and a minimal interface that's not conducive to reading is a lot cheaper with a starting price of $399 / £359 / AU$629. Even the 64GB Boox Go 10.3 (Gen II) Lumi is cheaper at $449.99 / £429.99 / AU$729.

I would still recommend the 3rd-gen Kindle Scribe if you want both a reading and note-taking device in one, but perhaps consider picking it up when it's discounted, which it invariably will be during a major sale, more so once Amazon discontinues the 2024 edition (which it invariably will).

However, if you already own the 2024 version, I wouldn't recommend the 3rd-gen as an upgrade as you won't miss much. And as long as it's available to buy, the 2nd-gen is definitely better value even at full price.

• Value score: 3.5 / 5

The little Kindle logo on the bottom corner of the 2025 Scribes is a new addition (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)Amazon Kindle Scribe (2025) review: specs

Display type:

E Ink Carta 1300

Screen size:

11 inches

Resolution:

300ppi

Processor:

Undisclosed quad-core chipset

Frontlight:

Yes (warm and cold) with ambient light sensor

Storage:

32GB / 64GB (non-expandable)

Battery:

Undisclosed capacity rated for up to 12 weeks

Speaker:

No

Water protection:

None

Software:

Linux-based

Connectivity:

Wi-Fi (2.4GHz + 5GHz); Bluetooth 5.1 USB-C

File support:

13 document, 4 image, 1 audio

Dimensions:

189 x 245 x 5.4 mm (7.4 x 9.6 x 0.21 inches)

Weight:

400g (without case and stylus)

Amazon Kindle Scribe (2025) review: design and display

• 11 inches of beautiful, bright E Ink Carta 1300 screen real estate
• Sturdy, premium build, but slim bezels can be an issue
• Thinner and lighter than previous generation, with newly designed Premium Pen

It might not seem all that different from the previous two Kindle Scribes, but the 3rd-gen model with frontlight is a different beast, at least physically. As already mentioned, it's now a little taller thanks to an 11-inch display, but it's ever-so-slightly thinner (5.4mm vs 5.7mm) and lighter than the second-generation Scribe (400g vs 433g).

How Amazon has managed that is beyond my understanding, but it's a welcome change as it helps negates a little bit of the hand and wrist fatigue the extra height adds during handheld use over longer periods of time.

That, sadly, is exacerbated by the fact that the broader bezel from the previous generations is no longer there beside the screen where your thumb could rest. Now, all four sides are surrounded by even yet narrow bezels that can trigger a page turn if your finger or palm even remotely touches the edge of the screen. It's something you can get used to but, even then, I think all the new 2025 Kindle Scribes are best used while on a table or desk, or your lap.

Other than that, the Kindle Scribe still looks like a premium device with a very sturdy build, despite being thin and light, with minimal embellishments for a clean look. Unlike the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, though, the 3rd-gen model only comes in the usual Graphite (previously called Tungsten) variant, and I do wish another chassis color was available. You're also not going to get any waterproofing here like with the other Kindles.

The 3rd-gen Kindle Scribe (right) is a bigger screen than the 2024 release (left) (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

What I'm thrilled about, though, is the new stylus. Amazon has redesigned the Premium Pen, which is now a white, smooth-bodied styls with a slightly sharper nib that adds better control to marking on the screen. The smoothness of the pen's body might make it harder to hold for some users, but I didn't have any issues with slipping, even if my palms ended up being sweaty for whatever reason.

Better yet is the magnet that attaches the pen to the side of the tablet, which is arguably the strongest I've come across on any such device. Even without a case, the Pen has never come off inside my bag when taking it in or out of a pocket. And I do mean never — it has shifted in angle, sure, but not completely fallen off. That's just my experience, though.

You still get an eraser on the top and the customizable shortcut button, as well as five spare tips in the box. What you don't get is the aforementioned sleep case, which you will need to purchase separately, but there are options galore directly from Amazon and third parties.

The white Premium Pen may not suit everyone, but I love it more than the 2024 Kindle Scribe stylus (in black) (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

As much as I would love to wax lyrical about the stylus, it's the 11-inch E Ink Carta 1300 display that's the star of the show here. It was already fantastic on the 10.2-inch 2024 Scribe, but now it just seems a touch better.

I'd like to say it's because of the 100nit peak brightness that makes it look nicer, but even with the LEDs dimmed, it's the cleanest, almost-white display I've used on an epaper tablet that still manages to seem like paper. In fact, I much prefer it over the duller-looking E Ink Kaleido 3 display on the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft.

The flush screen is protected by a top layer of glass that also has an anti-glare coating. You also get the standard 300ppi resolution which, despite being spread over a larger area, still renders text and writing in sharp clarity, and it's arguably one of the most responsive screens on an epaper device to date.

• Design & display score: 4.5 / 5

Amazon Kindle Scribe (2025) review: Software

• Refreshed homescreen setup which is cluttered with Kindle Store recommendations
• Cloud service access is very welcome
• More writing tools but not necessarily of note (pun not intended), but new a AI feature could prove useful

It's not a complete makeover, but the homescreen setup on the top of the 2025 Kindle Scribes is different to what was previously on the older models. There's easy access to what Amazon is calling a Quick Note — just tap on it and it opens up an empty notebook for you to start writing on — beside which is a single column of your recently opened items (now called Jump Back In) that were previously arranged horizontally.

By default, the Quick Note takes up more than half the left side of the screen, but it can be shrunk by tapping double arrows, which then separates your recently opened items list into two columns, thus adding more, whether that be notes or ebooks.

I like this setup better as it's a quick glance at a fair few recently opened items, rather than you needing to scroll horizontally, plus you can see what you wrote in the Quick Note without needing to open it.

The new homescreen design is better than before, but it's still cluttered once you scroll down (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Below this section is a whole lot of what I think is clutter but some users who are embedded in the Amazon ecosystem would appreciate. These include the Recently Added items list, followed by new-feature intros and several Kindle Store recommendations based on your reading habits, which is what I really detest — it just feels like overkill and I much prefer Kobo's homepage which looks neater to me.

While the bottom navigation menu still has four items, the previous Notebooks tab is now called Workspace and it has a few extra templates that I personally couldn't find much use for. I would have loved a dedicated journal template but... oh well. Otherwise, everything else is carried over from before, with limited pen and brush options that artists perhaps won't be very happy with.

Active Canvas works even on sideloaded books...Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar..as does the side marginSharmishta Sarkar / TechRadarI do wish the library would allow subfoldersSharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar

The biggest improvement here (across all three 2025 Scribes in fact) is the addition of Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive support. As someone who uses the former, it's made file transfer a lot easier than using the email sharing option that has previously been the clunkier norm.

There is, however, a caveat when it comes to PDFs: you can't actually mark them up after exporting them if you need to do so. The only way to reflect changes is to export the file and open in Google Docs to edit. Despite that, I still think access to cloud services is a huge improvement and I hope Amazon rolls it out to the older Scribes as well.

Also new is a feature called Smart Shapes that you can access from the stylus menu in a note — if you need to create, say, flowcharts, you can roughly draw a circle or triangle and it will automatically get converted into a proper (or neat) shape. It's not something I personally found useful, but I think it could be for students, teachers and scientists.

Smart Shapes could prove useful for some users (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

The AI-powered handwriting conversion and summary creation tools from the previous generation is available here, as are the ebook annotations (Active Canvas) and side-margin notes from before, but AI search in your notes is new. It allows you to enter a keyword or phrase and all your notes, including handwritten ones (uh-huh, that's different, innit?) will be scanned to give you an AI-generated summary. It's another feature that I don't see everyone needing, but if you have a copious amount of notes on the same subject (like I occasionally do), it can be handy.

I should note that all this software improvement takes up a heck of a lot of storage. For example, when I looked into the Device Options on my 3rd-gen Scribe and Colorsoft units, I only had about 22GB and 21GB of usable storage respectively out of 32GB. This is still a good amount, but 11GB is still a heck of a lot of space to give up for power users who might want to store a lot of ebooks, audiobooks and documents on the device. To put it into context in another way: there was a time when 8GB storage was the norm in an ereader, meaning the Scribe software wouldn't even fit into an older ereader!

Software score: 4 / 5

Amazon might offer 32GB of storage, but you can't use all of it (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)Amazon Kindle Scribe (2025) review: User experience

• Despite its size, it's one of the best screens to read on
• New stylus writes wonderfully, although writing and drawing features are still comparatively limited
• Handful of new templates added for note taking

I have a few Kindle devices at home, including three of the 2024 releases, and yet I'm not really a Kindle fan because of how much the user interface forces you into the Amazon ecosystem.

However, the 3rd-generation Kindle Scribe with frontlight has come very close to changing my mind — I am willing to put up with the homescreen clutter because of how good reading and writing is on that glorious E Ink display. It's hands down the best epaper tablet I've tested in 2026 (it's a delayed review as it wasn't released in Australia, where I'm based, until June this year).

Amazon has made it easier to transfer files, although file support is still lagging behind the competition (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)Reading

As I've already said, the 300ppi resolution looks a little better on this Scribe than it did on the previous generation because Amazon has optimized the display very well to render text in sharp clarity.

I've seen some users complain that the Scribes don't look as good as the Paperwhite, but it's important to keep in mind that the 7-inch Kindle has less surface area with the same amount of pixels as the 11-inch version, so the pixel size on the larger device will be slightly bigger. And that makes a difference, but not so much that it stands out. You have to look really carefully to see that kind of difference.

I am a big fan of the ambient light sensor on the display, which means the screen automatically dims or brightens up depending on whether I'm indoors or outdoors, or how bright or dark it might be around me. In other words, it automatically gives me a pleasing brightness for nighttime reading.

I may not need large fonts, but no matter the light setting, text is crystal clear (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

The larger screen makes it an ideal choice for comic book fans but, then again, color makes them more enjoyable while you'll be reading them in grayscale. The bigger screen, however, is fantastic for those who prefer larger fonts, so you aren't turning pages after a few sentences and, thus, conserving a little battery.

The Kindle font support is still not as good as flexible as on a Kobo or a Boox device. For example, sideloaded EPUBs added to the device via the Send To Kindle platform render well, but I found a few MOBI files that didn't open as expected but work perfectly fine on my Kobo Libra Colour.

I am, however, very grateful for Amazon's cloud storage where anything in your library previously added to older devices are accessible on any new Kindle.

Writing & drawing

I didn't think Amazon could better the writing experience from the previous-generation Scribe, but lo and behold, a redesigned stylus has achieved just that. As I've previously stated, the pen is the real hero when it comes to epaper writing tablets and the white Premium Pen with a slightly sharper nib glides very well over the glass and yet has just the right friction.

Then again, a pen choice is very personal and some users might prefer more friction, which is understandable. Personally, my experience was perfect, allowing me very good control over the marks I made in a note.

Some writing templates are useful, but not all (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

What I'm not necessarily too enthused by are the limited writing tools. I think Kobo's Advanced Notebooks are still a better option compared to what Amazon offers on the Scribe, although Android devices give you even more features and tools if you think you'd need them.

While there are some new templates for notes, I think their use would be very limited to select users, and I would have much preferred if Amazon had, instead, added more pen options. I may not be able to draw to save my life, but I can see how this limitation might affect artists. For everyday doodling, my colleague Lance Ulanoff finds the Kindle Scribe better than his iPad for drawing, especially when outdoors.

Writing and drawing limitations aside, the physical experience of putting words down on the 2025 Scribe is par excellence and, for that, I can't deduct too many marks.

User experience score: 4.5 / 5

Renaming Notebooks on the 2024 Scribe (bottom) to Workspace on the 3rd-generation model (top) is neither here nor there (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)Amazon Kindle Scribe (2025) review: Performance

• The fastest Kindle yet, with page turns barely visible (unless animated)
• Absolutely no ghosting, even with image-heavy ebooks
• Battery life takes a small hit compared to previous generation

Amazon doesn't reveal what hardware components it uses under the hood of its devices — all we know is that there's a quad-core chip with an indeterminate amount of RAM — to keep things ticking along, but whatever there is sure makes the 3rd-generation Scribe the fastest Kindle yet.

In fact, I think I might go so far as to say it's arguably the fastest ereader and epaper writing tablet I've tested to date. I make that claim based on my recent Boox Go 10.3 (Gen II) Lumi review that I was testing at the same time the Amazon device and, despite being a 2026 release, was so significantly slower than the 2025 Scribe, specifically in terms of page turns.

On the Scribe, you can barely discern a page turn, unless you have the animation turned on of course. Several times during my two-week test period with the Scribe I didn't even think a tap registered until I saw the words on the new page. The time I did notice a blip was when the device was doing a full refresh.

Like its predecessor, there's absolutely no ghosting here, whether you've got image-heavy or word-heavy books. Not even a faded mark appears overlaid on notes, and I do wish Boox would learn how to achieve that.

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Battery capacity is another spec that Amazon doesn't reveal, but it does say that it can last up to 12 weeks on a single charge when used for about 30 minutes a day. It's definitely doable, but I think battery life on the previous 2024 edition was slightly better. Potentially more LEDs (another spec that Amazon doesn't reveal) to power a larger display could be the main culprit here, but it doesn't take too much of a hit in comparison.

In my use case, with up to four hours of reading and about 30 minutes of writing each day saw the battery nearly empty in five days. That's with the ambient light sensor on, so no manual brightness adjustments were made and that does put pressure on the battery. Sleep timer was set to 30 minutes and Bluetooth was off, although Wi-Fi was always on. Similar use with the 2024 Kindle Scribe saw the battery drain in approximately seven days for me with the same settings.

Recharging, however, seems to be remarkably quick on the 2025 version of the Scribe with frontlight, with my unit taking just about 20 minutes to top up from 21% down when plugged into a 60W wall charger. That's with the screen switched off, though. If I charged it while the device was in use, it took close to two hours via the same adaptor and USB-C cable.

On the other hand, my Kindle Scribe Colorsoft drains even quicker and takes a heck of a lot longer to recharge.

• Performance score: 5 / 5

With limited settings options, the Kindle UI is easy to wrap your head around (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)Should I buy the Amazon Kindle Scribe (2025) with frontlight?

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

It's frightfully expensive and, despite, being larger with a few new features, it's still hard to recommend at full price.

3.5 / 5

Design & display

The 11-inch E Ink Carta 1300 display is bright and full of contrast — it's the headline act here. But the larger build makes it hard to use handheld for too long, especially without a broader bezel.

4.5 / 5

Software

The refreshed homepage setup is nice, and cloud services are a welcome addition. But not all new features will have as much value to the average user.

4 / 5

User experience

The new Premium Pen may not be to everyone's liking but I can't fault it, although I still think Amazon should have added more writing tools. As an ereader, though, it's fantastic, albeit too large if that were its sole purpose.

4.5 / 5

Performance

It's the fastest E Ink writing tablet I've tested to date, although its battery life has taken a small hit compared to previous generations.

5 / 5

Buy it if...

Money is no object and you want the best Kindle Amazon has made to date

Whether that's the screen for reading or writing, or just how impressive its overall performance is, the 3rd-generation Kindle Scribe is worth auditioning if you need a digital notebook.

You want to read and write on the same device with an easy-to-use interface

I might personally find the homescreen on the Scribe cluttered, but that doesn't detract from the fact that Kindles are easy to use. And if you want large fonts while reading or you're a habitual margin scribbler and note taker, there's enough here to take care of your digital reading and writing needs.

You want to access your files easily on any device

Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive support aren't new — Boox has been offering that long before even Kobo decided to, but it sure is new for a Kindle. So for fans of the Amazon ecosystem, access to cloud services is a welcome addition, although there is a small caveat with editing PDFs on any device.

Don't buy it if...

You want better bang for your hard-earned buck

As good as it is, the 3rd-gen Scribe isn't worth buying at full price. As long as the 2nd-gen edition is still available, that offers better value (despite the missing new features) or you can opt for an alternative from another brand, many of which are slightly cheaper.

You read a lot of comics and graphic novels

I wouldn't recommend the even-pricier Kindle Scribe Colorsoft for comics, manga and graphic novels because color E Ink still has a way to go to be worthwhile, but you'd find buying an iPad or an Android tablet for colorful pages much cheaper and more enjoyable.

You want a dedicated writing or drawing tablet

For the average note taker, the Scribe is fine, but you need more writing or drawing tools, you're better off considering a reMarkable or a Boox device instead. Professional artists should definitely looks elsewhere.

Also consider

The 3rd-generation Kindle Scribe with frontlight is easy to recommend and, for some users, it might even justify its high price tag. For anyone else, know that there are alternatives to consider, and they'll actually save you a little cash even at full price.

reMarkable Paper Pure

While a reMarkable doesn't exactly double up as an ereader, it's perfect as a dedicated digital notebook. Its minimal interface is fantastic, it now offers more storage than the reMarkable 2 is replaces and it's slightly cheaper than its Amazon counterpart.
Read our in-depth reMarkable Paper Pure review to learn more

Amazon Kindle Scribe (2nd gen)

I'm fairly certain this older Scribe will be discontinued soon (as Amazon is wont to do with previous-generation Kindles), but as long as it's available, it's better value. You won't miss the additional screen real estate, and I'm hoping Amazon will roll out some of the new software features available on its successor to make it even better than it already is.
Read our full Amazon Kindle Scribe (2024) review for more details

How I tested the Amazon Kindle Scribe (2025)

The 3rd generation Kindle Scribe (left) might be better, but the 2024 edition (right) is better value (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

I sadly had the 3rd-generation Kindle Scribe for just two weeks for this review, but I ensured I spent as much time as I could with it. As I've previously mentioned, I spent an average of 4-5 hours with it each day during that time, sometimes more, both reading and writing.

I was able to access my existing library as soon as I signed into my Amazon account, but I also uploaded some new EPUBs using the Send To Kindle web platform. I also connected the Scribe to my Google Drive account to transfer a couple of PDFs to the device, but I also saved select notes to the cloud, which automatically upload as PDFs with handwriting (no automatic text conversion takes place, but you can manually trigger that on the Scribe if you wish).

I tried the Smart Shapes feature and used the new AI search to test if it would be able to summarize my own review notes for me, which is successfully did. Handwriting conversion was also tested, albeit using a colleague's scrawl (I hate to admit but I can't scribble chicken scratchings no matter how hard I try).

Kindle Unlimited and Audible were also accessed on the device, and I was able to pair a JBL Bluetooth speaker for listening.

Learn more about how we test devices here at TechRadar

[First published July 2026]

• Nvidia's Rubin-generation AI servers run coolant that is often hotter than a hot tub as it enters a closed loop at up to 45°C and leaves at around 55°C, with no performance penalty in tow
• The principle leveraged here is that of a temperature gradient with server chips still running hotter than the coolant, allowing heat transfer to occur seamlessly
• The approach allows Nvidia to roughly conserve 2.6 million gallons per megawatt annually to near zero and could save a 50MW site over $4 million a year in cost

Nvidia's Rubin generation is the first of its kind in multiple ways, but the one that sticks out possibly is the fact that it is 100% liquid cooled, implementing it as a core design feature at a platform level with every single chip and networking component covered by a closed loop.

The reference design by Nvidia aims to allow for AI factories that effectively consume zero water by implementing a closed loop circuit that does not leverage evaporative water cooling 99% of the time.

The approach goes a step further by potentially eliminating industrial chiller plants from the equation by using liquid cooling where the temperature is as much as 45 degrees Celsius for coolant entering the system and approximately 55 degrees Celsius while exiting it.

A numbers game for a data center that crunches them at an industrial level

Nvidia's approach is not the first of its kind in terms of thermal design or implementation; however, IBM beat it by 16 years, using 60-degree coolant to cool its prototype supercomputer at ETH Zurich.

The premise was the same: a much lower carbon footprint, significantly lower power consumption, and a loop that is filled once and left alone. What Nvidia adds is scale — its Vera Rubin-based DSX design extends the approach across an entire facility rather than a single machine.

"The NVIDIA DSX reference design for AI factories has zero water consumption — we have eliminated massive amounts of power usage and pretty much all water usage," said Ali Heydari, Nvidia's director of data center cooling and infrastructure.

The coolant is a 3:1 water-to-propylene-glycol mix, and it pulls heat away from chips running far hotter than the coolant itself with ease.

The savings are not only water-based: industrial chiller plants cut their energy costs by roughly 4% for every degree they raise their operating temperature, and Nvidia estimates that a 50-megawatt hyperscale facility could save over $4 million annually in cooling-related energy and water costs by adopting its design.

With cooling historically accounting for as much as 40% of a data center's total power bill, Nvidia's approach is ambitious, but it is one that should pay for itself quickly — eliminating server fans altogether while allowing chillers to run only where necessary, and at considerably lower power than a loop demanding colder coolant.

It must be noted that DSX is a reference design: a set of best practices for building an AI factory, not a census of what the industry has actually built, where many designs still consume very large amounts of water even as AI data centers continue to pop up in drought-affected regions of the US.

Nvidia might seem to be championing a "greener" AI data center for the future, at least in its own designs, but that is only part of the story — and the part it leaves out is a little less flattering. Nvidia did not adopt hot-water cooling because it is elegant, or green, or clever, though it is all three. It adopted it because its accelerators became so power-dense that moving air across them was no longer physically viable, and once you are committed to liquid cooling, running it hot is simply the efficient way to do it.

The sustainability win is real, and it is a consequence of a thermal problem Nvidia created for itself by building the most power-dense chips in the industry. Hot water isn't the trick. It's the bill coming due, paid in the most efficient currency available.

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 Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, July 23 (game #1138).

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 #1139) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• SPARK
• CANTER
• LLAMA
• JOG
• WALK
• YAK
• SINGLE
• NONE
• RAMBLE
• PROMPT
• FRYER
• DRONE
• REFRESH
• STRIKEOUT
• BABBLE
• HOME RUN

NYT Connections today (game #1139) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Chat for too long
• GREEN: Baseball terms
• BLUE: Reboot the brain
• PURPLE: Sounds divine

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 #1139) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: TALK AT LENGTH
• GREEN: OUTCOMES FOR A BATTER
• BLUE: BRING TO MIND, AS A MEMORY
• PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF RELIGIOUS ROLES

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

NYT Connections today (game #1139) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1139, are…

• YELLOW: TALK AT LENGTH: BABBLE, DRONE, RAMBLE, YAK
• GREEN: OUTCOMES FOR A BATTER: HOME RUN, SINGLE, STRIKEOUT, WALK
• BLUE: BRING TO MIND, AS A MEMORY: JOG, PROMPT, REFRESH, SPARK
• PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF RELIGIOUS ROLES: CANTER, FRYER, LLAMA, NONE

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

Yesterday, “baseball” was one of the tiles and today it appeared to be one of the categories. However, I was wary of a trap so decided to steer clear of HOME RUN, WALK and STRIKEOUT until later in the game — not least because I couldn’t see a fourth obvious baseball term.

Instead, I decided to collect WALK, RAMBLE, JOG and CANTER in a group I was thinking signified slow movement. Alas, I was very wrong. Finally, I saw the correct group for RAMBLE and was on my way.

Feeling brave, I added SINGLE to my baseball list and landed the OUTCOMES FOR A BATTER group and then successfully saw the four tiles connected to BRING TO MIND, AS A MEMORY. Close to a STRIKEOUT, but far from a HOME RUN.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, July 23, 2026, game #1138)

• YELLOW: SPHERICAL THINGS: BASEBALL, GLOBE, MARBLE, ORANGE
• GREEN: IN AN ANXIOUS STATE: EXCITED, FEBRILE, FRENETIC, INTENSE
• BLUE: PARTS OF AN AIRPORT: APRON, HANGAR, RUNWAY, TERMINAL
• PURPLE: ENDING IN GEOMETRY TERMS: APPOINT, DEPLANE, FELINE, JANGLE

What is NYT Connections?

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

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

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

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

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, July 23 (game #872).

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… There’s more where that came from

NYT Strands today (game #873) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• SOFTEN
• NEXUS
• STORE
• VOTES
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NYT Strands today (game #873) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 11 letters

NYT Strands today (game #873) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

• First side: left, 1st row

• Last side: left, 2nd row

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

NYT Strands today (game #873) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #873, are…

• EXTRA
• SURPLUS
• EXCESS
• LEFTOVER
• SPARE
• UNUSED
• SPANGRAM: ANDTHENSOME

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 hints

“There’s more where that came from” can be a threat of further punishment or a promise of more enjoyment, depending on the circumstance.

However, this train of thought got me nowhere and it wasn’t until a hint gave me EXTRA that I understood that we were looking for words that were synonyms of “supplementary” — as in there’s more where that came from, whether you need it or not.

I have a friend who runs a company called EXCESS, so not seeing that was embarrassing, while the spangram also eluded me. Not my finest of games.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, July 23, game #872)

• ADMIRAL
• LIEUTENANT
• COMMANDER
• ENSIGN
• RECRUIT
• SPANGRAM: NAVYRANKS

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 Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Thursday, July 23 (game #1641).

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

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

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

Quordle today (game #1642) — 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 #1642) — hint #2 — repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

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

Quordle today (game #1642) — 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 #1642) — 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 #1642) — hint #5 — starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• D

• E

• L

• P

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

Quordle today (game #1642) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1642, are…

• DOLLY
• EDIFY
• LAGER
• PRANK

This was another game where I felt very attuned with Quordle and got home with a few compromised guesses.

For LAGER I wanted to guess “large” but the position of the letter E ruled that out, while for PRANK my first thought was “crank” but the C had already been used.

Daily Sequence today (game #1642) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1642, are…

• SHRUB
• SCRUB
• MERGE
• GIANT

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1641, Thursday, 23 July: LADEN, EVICT, WOVEN, SHIRE
• Quordle #1640, Wednesday, 22 July: COYLY, SINGE, AWASH, AWOKE
• Quordle #1639, Tuesday, 21 July: TRUSS, AXIAL, SWINE, THING
• Quordle #1638, Monday, 20 July: ICING, SLICK, GAILY, RISEN
• Quordle #1637, Sunday, 19 July: SPURT, ACRID, THRUM, BLEEP
• Quordle #1636, Saturday, 18 July: KNAVE, TIGHT, BLEAT, CHAOS
• Quordle #1635, Friday, 17 July: CUMIN, PALER, GRASS, INBOX
• Quordle #1634, Thursday, 16 July: IGLOO, PLAIT, YEAST, AROMA
• Quordle #1633, Wednesday, 15 July: PROXY, BRICK, BROTH, SURGE
• Quordle #1632, Tuesday, 14 July: EBONY, AVOID, RODEO, CUTIE
• Quordle #1631, Monday, 13 July: VOICE, BISON, BURNT, BUILT
• Quordle #1630, Sunday, 12 July: STAIN, BINGO, LARVA, DICEY
• Quordle #1629, Saturday, 11 July: WORTH, PRONG, DINGO, DRUID
• Quordle #1628, Friday, 10 July: GREET, STEAK, DUSKY, HAUTE
• Quordle #1627, Thursday, 9 July: CRUMP, PHONE, SHINY, STONY
• Quordle #1626, Wednesday, 8 July: GHOST, TREND, EXALT, ALONG
• Quordle #1625, Tuesday, 7 July: ARRAY, SUITE, KIOSK, BOULE
• Quordle #1624, Monday, 6 July: TRAWL, SPICE, PIANO, SHARK
• Quordle #1623, Sunday, 5 July: PINEY, SWOON, TITLE, PINTO
• Quordle #1622, Saturday, 4 July: ARGUE, MOTEL, OPERA, TRUCE

Listen up, music fans: the best streaming service in the world* just got even better.

I'm talking, of course, about Qobuz — the French streamer that we consider to be the best music streaming service for high-res audio and which has just rolled out a bunch of updates that fix some of its biggest problems.

And, to be clear, it did have a few. While Qobuz is without question the best music streamer if you care more about audio quality than anything else (and are you really a music lover if you don't?), it has traditionally lagged behind the likes of Spotify when it comes to user experience and features.

This update brings a bunch of nice quality-of-life changes that make it a slicker, easier platform to use, as well as adding some sorely missed features that most of us have come to expect these days — for instance, lyrics.

Let's dig in.

* According to me, not TechRadar as a whole

Fixing a hole

There were two big things that jumped out to me when I switched from Spotify to Qobuz in late 2025.

One was the incredible leap in audio quality; oh my word, you have not lived until you've heard Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in glorious 24-bit / 192kHz quality on a decent hi-fi.

The second was how bare bones the app experience was. Spotify is many things, and not all of them good, but its app is generally a joy to use. In contrast, the Qobuz interface felt distinctly lacking, as if so much effort had gone into making the music sound good that they hadn't spent much time making it look good too.

This new update changes that as follows:

1. The Qobuz player has a fresh new look

(Image credit: Qobuz/Future)

The first change is on the face of it a relatively superficial one: the player that displays when you're listening to music has been redesigned. However, I'd actually rate this as pretty consequential.

For instance, the player now changes color to match the artwork of whatever you're listening to. Who cares? Well, me. Immersion is a massive part of the music-listening experience, and opening the app to see that its background is of a similar hue to the album art helps to keep you in the mood. After all, if you're listening to Joy Division or The Cure, you don't want a bright yellow sunny screen to snap you out of your intentional gloom.

There's more to the overhaul than just the colors, though. The fact that the player stays visible during navigation is appreciated, while the split-screen tablet mode — which I haven't tried yet — promises to make multi-tasking easier still.

2. You now get lyrics!

This is a big one. I've been on the Qobuz Beta for several months and so have had access to lyrics on the app for a while — and frankly, I can't imagine (musical) life without them. After all, there's only so many times you can listen to Total Football by Parquet Courts before you really, really need to know whether he's genuinely saying something rude about Tom Brady at the end. (He is.)

It is fairly astonishing that it's taken this long for Qobuz to add lyrics to the service, admittedly, but better late than never eh?

The lyrics also scroll as the song is playing, with the current line highlighted, and there's even translation of foreign-language lyrics via single button press.

One caveat: your experience may differ depending on what you listen to. My tastes are geared more towards the relatively obscure alternative rock side of things, and some of my favorite tunes either don't have lyrics at all or don't have the fancy scrolling-and-highlighting-and-translating options. But hopefully the catalogue will expand over time.

3. There's a new Explore section

(Image credit: Qobuz/Future)

One of the big differences between Spotify and Qobuz is in how rarely the latter service tries to persuade you what to listen to. In many ways this is a plus point; for all of its supposed algorithmic expertise, Spotify never really knew me too well. And I definitely didn't need to be told that I should be listening to some high-energy party playlist just because it was a Friday, thank you very much.

Qobuz's new Explore section shows how it should be done. Simply click the icon when listening to any song and you'll be shown an excellent overview of related content: albums by the artist, playlists that feature them, magazine articles about them (yes, Qobuz has a built-in magazine), more from the same label, similar artists, similar releases, and genre classics.

It's a one-stop-shop for music you might well want to listen to next, and its contextual nature really lifts it above the competition and makes it far more useful than most.

4. You can easily go deeper

Want more than what the Explore section offers? You can go deeper still by clicking the Info icon. This already existed on Qobuz, serving up credits for the musicians on the track and the label behind it. But it's now been expanded to give easy access to an artist bio, label bio, info about the audio quality and the ability to follow artist and label.

5. The queue finally makes (some) sense

Qobuz's queue feature was definitely not its strongest point in the past, although many of the criticisms I've seen aimed at it are based entirely on the fact that it doesn't work exactly like Spotify's; not worse, it's just slightly different.

Anyway, it's another area that's received a freshening up here: it's easier to see what's coming up next, you can easily add or remove tracks from the queue with a swipe, you can reorder by dragging and dropping. Simple things, but things that make it slicker to use and so are welcome all the same.

What's next?

Qobuz probably still has some work to do on the user-experience front if it wants to convert more people from Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal. The desktop apps lack some of the enhanced features now found in the mobile versions, for instance, and I still have some major frustrations around playlists in particular — not least the 2,000 track limit that has broken some of my favorite collections.

But that's for the future. For now, I can rejoice in the fact that the gap between Qobuz's audio chops and its user experience has been sharply narrowed. If you love music I recommend you give your ears a gift and try it out.

The new Qobuz features are available now on the service's iOS and Android apps for mobile and tablet.