TechRadar Reviews

Fluance Ri71: Two-minute review

If you’ve looked into mid-range speakers from Fluance like the Fluance Ri71 powered speakers reviewed here, you’ll see people talk about how they’re good for the price. There have been plenty of caveats and plenty of hedging since, after all, the speakers are manufactured in Taiwan. Never mind that they’re designed in Canada or the fact that, regardless of where they’re from, they’re just good speakers.

Having reviewed these speakers, I can honestly say that the Fluance Ri71 sound great and not just for the price. Yes, they may not quite reach the heights of something from Dali or KEF, but they still have a fairly neutral, detailed sound that works for all genres. The price tag is an added bonus as they’re among the best stereo speakers out there for anyone not wanting to spend over $500.

I do wish there were also USB or USB-C port to connect to a computer and the placement of the volume wheel is not ideal. Though I like the look of a naked speaker (and therefore don’t count it as a negative), they don’t come with a grille for those who care. There’s really not much to complain about here.

Really, the Fluance Ri71 speakers are an easy recommendation for anyone looking for powered bookshelf speakers. And though there’s no spatial audio or surround sound, they work pretty well for TV, too.

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)Fluance Ri71 review: Price & release date

• Released March, 2025
• Priced $399.99 / £333.32 / AU$620 (approx.)

With a price tag of $399.99 / £333.32 / AU$620 (approx.), the Fluance Ri71 sits right in mid-range territory.

You can certainly find some powered bookshelf speakers for triple the price (and not necessarily triple the performance) – you can also spend quite a bit less. Fluance’s own Ai41 powered speakers come in at $249 (£255, AU$471), but those are smaller with less power and a less refined sound.

The Fluance Ri71 are available in the US and in the UK (via Amazon). Though Fluance maintains a presence on Amazon AUS (for Australia), the Ri71 don’t seem to be available Down Under at this time.

Fluance Ri71 review: Specs

Weight

6.4 kg (active speaker); 5 kg (passive speaker)

Dimensions

310 x 185 x 199 mm

Subwoofer

No (has sub out)

Frequency response

46 Hz - 30 kHz

Dolby Atmos / DTS:X enabled?

No

Maximum output

120 watts

Fluance Ri71 review: Features

• Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX HD and AAC codecs capable of almost lossless streaming
• Included HDMI is ARC-enabled for use with a TV
• No spatial audio or Wi-Fi streaming

Powered bookshelf speakers such as the Fluance Ri7 bridge the gap between a traditional speaker setup and what people want out of a modern sound system. That means there are some great quality-of-life features on hand, while some things a casual listener might expect or hope for are just not here. So, neither spatial audio, surround sound nor Wi-Fi streaming are part of the package, but that’s generally the case with this type of speaker setup and not really a knock against them in my opinion.

What is on hand, however, is a decent amount of connectivity including Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX HD and AAC codecs for close-to lossless streaming. In the past, there’s been a noticeable difference in quality between Bluetooth audio and that sent through a wired signal because the latter doesn’t have to compress the sound. But that’s no longer the case. There’s a small difference but, in my opinion, it’s very hard to notice.

There’s also an HDMI port on hand, meaning these speakers can be used with a TV. The built-in offerings on most TVs generally suck, so having a good pair of speakers is always a welcome upgrade. And while they might not be as feature-filled as some of the best soundbars around the same price tag, they still offer a better stereo soundstage. And (usually) better sound. Since the HDMI connection is ARC-supported, you can control the volume with one remote.

• Features score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)Fluance Ri71 review: Sound quality

• Decent low end without subwoofer
• Impressively detailed high end
• Immersive, if polite-sounding

While you shouldn’t rely too much on a speaker’s frequency range as a gauge of sound quality, the range of 46 Hz - 30 kHz does tell us a few things. At 46Hz, the low end is not all that low, but is comparable to other powered bookshelf speakers, with many having a higher cutoff.

The Fluance Ri71 also has bass ports at the bottom of the speaker cabinet to accentuate what it can reproduce. That means that, while you don’t quite have that very low rumble you might hear in electronic dance music or an action scene in a movie, you still get a well-balanced if slightly restrained bass response. Listening to anything with heavy 808 usage (that deep bass you hear in hip-hop and EDM) is going to lack a little oomph.

On the high end of that aforementioned range, 30kHz is pretty impressive, with that extended high end potentially coming from the AMT tweeters. Either way, that’s much better than the 20kHz range around which many speakers sit. Now, many of us probably can’t hear up to 30kHz but what this extended range, plus the fast response of those tweeters, mean is that there’s not only an immediacy to higher-end sound but a clarity to themtoo.

It’s almost as if someone pulled a blanket off the band I’m listening to and all of sudden I can hear intricacies of the ride and the sweetness of the strings. Or, if you prefer the more boring way of saying it, the music feels less compressed and less filtered.

The midrange feels a little pulled back, which makes everything sound more polite. It can make rock music sound just a little aggressive, for instance. Unfortunately, you can only boost or cut the high or low end.

As far as soundstage goes, the Fluance Ri71 sound good wherever you place them but really benefit from spending the time to actually adjust them to your ears. You’ll know it’s right when you can hear the “center channel” in the middle as if there were a speaker there.

They also do a good job with sound imaging. I feel that I have a solid grasp of where an aural element is in the mix beyond just left, right, and center, which makes the listening experience all the more immersive.

• Sound quality score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)Fluance Ri71 review: Design

• New AMT tweeter is the most unique design choice here
• Unusual placement of controls
• No digital connectivity beyond HDMI

The Fluance Ri71 have a look and general design much like any other active bookshelf speakers. There are two of them standing at about 12 inches (310mm) in height. Each speaker cabinet is fairly rectangular in shape, though they do taper near the back.

And they come in the kind of “looks good in an office” colorways one would expect. Specifically, they’re available in white, walnut, and black. One thing I do appreciate is the fact that the white and black (reviewed here) still have noticeable wood grain. Of course, these are made of MDF wood, but that’s most bookshelf speakers these days for you.

As far as the actual drivers go, each speaker cabinet comes with a 5.25-inch (133.3 mm) woven glass fiber driver and an AMT (air motion transformer) tweeter, along with a long, thin bass port beneath to emphasize the low end. Besides any upgraded internal bracing, the AMT tweeter is the new star of the show. These tweeters are different than the regular tweeters insofar as they offer a faster response and more detail, though placement is a bit more precise.

Since these are powered bookshelf speakers with 120 watts coursing through them via a Class D amp, there are some on-unit controls on the right speaker. There’s a volume wheel on the back at the top, a strange place considering these dials are usually more accessible on the front. You can press the volume wheel to change inputs (an LED indicator on the front changes color depending on the input). Then, there’s a treble and bass wheel on the back along with the power and a Bluetooth pairing button.

Port-wise, I was disappointed to not see any digital connectivity such as USB or USB-C, since I do a lot of my listening through streaming services via my laptop, but it does at least have that aforementioned ARC-supported HDMI, allowing me to change the volume using the TV remote. There’s also the typical RCA inputs as well as a sub-out port.

Because of the placement of the various wheels, the remote is quite handy. Besides power and volume, you can change input, adjust the treble and bass, mute, and turn off the LED on the speaker.

• Design score: 4/5

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)Q Acoustics 3020c review: Setup and usability

• Basically plug and play
• Bluetooth will automatically look to pair
• Placement is important, like any bookshelf speakers

Since the Fluance Ri71 are powered bookshelf speakers, they’re very easy to set up. The active speaker with all the ports goes on the right and the passive one goes on the left. Then you just have to connect the passive speaker to the active with the included speaker wire that’s helpfully color-coded red and white. The tips on each side are soldered solid so you don’t have to worry about little pieces of speaker wire splintering off.

While it would have been even more convenient for the tips to have banana plugs, you just have to insert the appropriate tip in the exposed hole and screw down the top. Keep the colors the same on both sides and it will take less than a minute to connect the two speakers. Then plug in the power cord and turn it on.

From there, you just need to plug in the desired source or connect via Bluetooth – pairing is simple as the speaker will automatically start the process if it’s not already done so – and you’re good to go.

Of course, remember that bookshelf speakers do require a little bit of finesse in their placement for the best sound, but that goes for all bookshelf speakers and is something I’ve covered in another article in greater detail. You want a précis? Basically, just have them an equal distance from each other, and you, with them pointed at you. You're welcome.

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)

• Setup and usability score: 5/5

Fluance Ri71 review: Value

• More than a few alternatives have USB
• HDMI is a bit rarer on bookshelf speakers
• Well-priced, but not a steal

Since the Fluance Ri71 are firmly in mid-range territory, you’ll probably end up comparing them to models from Q Acoustics, Audioengine, and Kanto. Take the Q Acoustics M20 HD for instance, which at $499 is a little pricier yet is considered one of the better affordable powered bookshelf speakers here at TechRadar. It has full, uncompressed sound and has the ability to flip which speaker is left or right. It also comes with a USB port, though lacks an HDMI.

A step up from that, at least financially, is the Kanto Ren, another excellent alternative. It goes for $599 / £599 / €719 and comes with all the connectivity one could want, whether it’s Bluetooth 5.3, HDMI, or USB-C. It also sounds great, with excellent clarity, though its bass can get a little flabby.

The point in comparing the Fluance Ri71 to these other speakers that these are excellent speakers and you’ll be happy with them, if you’re looking to stay under a certain price point. But the ones that are just a little pricier are justifiably so, even if it’s mostly on account of having a special feature or extra port. The Fluance Ri71 are a good price, but they’re not a steal.

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)

• Value score: 4/5

Should you buy the Fluance Ri71?Fluance Ri71 Score Card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

With HDMI ARC and Bluetooth aptx HD, there’s not much more one could ask for, outside of Wi-Fi streaming.

4.5/5

Sound quality

Neutral sound, plenty of detail and still a surprising amount of low-end, the Fluance Ri71 sound a treat.

4.5/5

Design

Awkward controls, and no USB connectivity; the AMT tweeter is a nice design upgrade.

4/5

Setup and usability

Despite the control placement, very easy, especially with the remote.

5/5

Value

Despite the connectivity quirks, a wonderful-sounding speaker for a reasonable price. Has competition at the price.

4/5

Buy them if...

You want detailed, almost neutral audio
The Fluance Ri71 have a clarity that feels almost polite, but is always a pleasure to listen to. These are the kind of speakers that make you feel like you can hear every detail.

You need HDMI
If you also want to use your bookshelf speakers for TV, having an HDMI port is critical, especially one that supports ARC, meaning you can use your TV remote to control the volume.

You want to stay under $500
Appropriately but well priced, the Fluance Ri71 don’t quite offer what more expensive speakers do, but they sound good enough that you won’t care. And you can put that extra cash back in your pocket.

Don't buy them if...

You need USB-C connectivity
If your main way of listening to music is connecting your laptop directly to powered speakers, then you’ll be disappointed having to use an old school RCA adapter. A lot of laptops don’t have an HDMI out (and some don’t even have an AUX port).

You want easy on-unit access to the volume
The volume wheel is awkwardly placed. That’s mostly a non-issue with the remote, but if you care or happen to lose all your remotes, you won’t like the fact that the volume wheel is at the back of the speaker.

Fluance Ri71 review: Also consider

Q Acoustics M20 HD
The Q Acoustics M20 HD are excellent bookshelf speakers at a slightly higher price point. They offer USB connectivity, but not HDMI. The left and right speaker configuration can also be reversed. They also have a detailed, uncompressed sound.
Read our full Q Acoustics M20 HD review

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

How I tested the Fluance Ri71

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

I used the Fluance Ri71 for a few weeks, listening to all sorts of genres of music like hip-hop, EDM, Top 40 pop, rock, and folk to get a better feel for these speakers. They were also tested with some TV shows and computer games. I tested the various controls and ports as well.

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

First reviewed: November 2025

Read more about how we test at TechRadar

Epson Pro Cinema LS9000: One minute review

The Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 is the latest, and least expensive, member of Epson's LS series of projectors. At $3,999 / £2,999 / AU$7,299, this entry-level dedicated home theater projector is notably cheaper than comparable options from JVC and Sony, yet still comes with a bevy of great features and performance to match.

Epson’s Pro Cinema LS9000 follows in the footsteps of the Epson LS12000 model that currently sits a the top of TechRadar’s Best Projectors list. The Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 aims to continue this excellence, employing the same 15-element glass VRX lens structure, laser light engine, and 3LCD technology as the LS12000.

Similar to the step-up LS12000, the Pro Cinema LS9000 supports 4K 120Hz signals, has relatively low input lag for gaming, and is compatible with the HDR10+ high dynamic range format. Its motorized lens shift, zoom, and focus make setup adjustments easy, and out of the box in Natural picture mode, it delivers accurate colors and a crisp image.

Even with all the great inclusions, some missing features reflect the LS9000’s entry-level status. The most glaring is a lack of dynamic tone mapping, which is also missing from the other LS series projectors that were originally released a few years ago, but is starting to show up in some less expensive home theater models. With a rated 2,200 lumens brightness (white and color), it’s also best suited for a home theater room with decent ambient light control, as opposed to a multi-purpose living space with light streaming in through windows.

Still, the Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 offers incredible performance for the price. It’s a solid projector that’s easy to set up, but still offers the ability to tweak and play with image settings that a new (or frugal) home projection enthusiast is sure to love.

Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 review: Price & release date

The LS9000's 2,200 lumens brightness spec is comparable to many other home theater projectors (Image credit: Future)

• Release date: July 2025
• Price: $3,999 / £2,999 / AU$7,299

The Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 made its debut in July 2025 at the Audio Advice Live show in Raleigh, North Carolina. It’s the least expensive of Epson’s Pro Cinema laser projectors, coming in at $3,999 / £2,999 / AU$7,299. For comparison, the Home Cinema LS11000 retails for $4,499 (up from $3,999 when released) and the LS12000 now goes for $5,999 (up from $4,999 at release).

Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 review: Specs

Screen sizes supported:

50-300 inches

Brightness (specified):

2,200 Lumens

HDR support:

HDR10, HDR10+, HLG

Optical technology:

3LCD laser diode

Smart TV:

N/A

Connections:

2x HDMI 2.1 (one with eARC), 2x USB-A (one 300mA for optical HDMI power, one 5V/2A for power and firmware), Mini USB (service), RJ45 (control), RS-232c, 3.5mm (12V trigger)

Dimensions (H x W x D):

7.6 x 20.5 x 17.6 inches (193 x 520‎ x 447mm)

Weight:

28 pounds (12.7kg)

Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 review: Design & features

The projector's connections include two HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 120Hz support (Image credit: Future)

• Motorized zoom, focus, and lens shift
• 4K 120Hz support
• Motorized lens cover

The Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 shares the same look as its bigger siblings, the Pro Cinema LS12000 and Home Cinema LS11000, and the high-lumen Epson QB1000 released in late 2024. The chassis is large and a bit heavy (the Sony Bravia Projector 7 weighs less, but the JVC DLA-NZ5 weighs a little more), but I find the design and its black color to look sleeker than its heft lets on. All connections are on the back panel alongside touch controls if the remote is misplaced.

The look is not where the similarities to the LS11000 and LS12000 end. Inside, the LS9000 uses the same VRX lens with a 15-element glass structure and has Epson’s 4K 3LCD design architecture with three 0.74-inch LCD panels.

As is the case with all Epson projectors, the LS9000 uses pixel-shifting technology to achieve a 4K resolution from 1080p chips. Some enthusiasts complain about this not being “True 4K” and as lesser than the use of native 4K chips, but the 4K image from the LS9000 (and every other Epson that uses pixel-shifting technology) is detailed and crisp, especially from a normal viewing distance. The chip also allows for a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz.

The laser light source is specified for 2,200 lumens of both color (IDMS rated) and white (ISO rated) light output and has up to 20,000 hours of life in all modes. This is where the LS9000’s performance separates from the LS11000 and LS12000, which are rated at 2,500 and 2,700 lumens, respectively, and partially accounts for the difference in pricing. The blue laser diode array emits light through a fixed yellow phosphor (first released with the LS12000), as opposed to a phosphor wheel, to create white light, and the laser light source and fixed phosphor allow it to run silently.

The lower lumen output makes the LS9000 more suitable for a dark room – or at the very least, a light-controlled room — than the more expensive, higher light output projectors. But as I’ll discuss below, it still delivers enough brightness for daytime viewing.

There’s a generous +/- 24% horizontal and +/- 96% vertical powered lens shift on the LS9000, along with powered zoom (a ratio of 1-1.2) and focus that can be controlled from the remote to make setup adjustments easy. The projector’s throw ratio is 1.35-2.84:1. There’s also vertical and horizontal keystone correction (+/- 30 degrees), but with the amount of lens shift available, keystone correction likely won’t be necessary (and should always be avoided, if possible, as it can negatively affect the picture).

The LS9000 is compatible with an anamorphic lens kit (sold separately) and third-party options. A memory feature allows you to save image adjustments and lens positioning for different aspect ratio setups, and the lens is also protected by a motorized lens cover that opens and closes with the power cycle.

The LS9000 supports HDR10, HLG, and HDR10+ high dynamic range, and has two HDMI 2.1 inputs that support 4K 120Hz. While that’s great news for gamers, the projector doesn’t support ALLM, so you’ll need to manually switch the image processing from Fine to Fast for the lowest input lag. HDMI2 also supports eARC, so if you decide to connect a streaming stick directly to the projector, you can send out audio including Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, DTS Master Audio, and DTS:X formats.

One thing missing from the Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 is dynamic HDR tone mapping. Instead, there’s an HDR Dynamic Range slider that allows you to manually adjust the brightness of the HDR image.

The projector’s remote is a bit chunky, but the keypad is backlit and has all the necessary buttons to make easy adjustments while viewing. There are dedicated buttons to call up features like Fine/Fast (for gaming), different lens memory positions, signal information, lens adjustment, and color modes.

• Design & features score: 4.5/5

Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 review: Picture quality

The LS900 has a sizeable, fully backlit remote control with numerous buttons to make adjustments directly, bypassing onscreen setup menus (Image credit: Future)

• Accurate image in Natural picture mode
• HDR10+ support
• No dynamic tone mapping

The LS9000 has five different picture modes — Dynamic, Vivid, Bright Cinema, Cinema, and Natural — and they are the same for both standard and high dynamic range sources. Each mode produces a watchable image out of the box, although all of them have some degree of blue tint to the grayscale, with Natural being the most accurate choice for both SDR and HDR.

The default color temperature setting of 6500K is still slightly on the blue side, but switching it to 6000K causes the color temperature to be a little too red. If you choose to do a professional calibration, you can use two different picture modes – one for SDR and one for HDR – and save them with the Image Memory setting.

Out of the box SDR measurements in Natural picture mode had an average Delta E of 2.8, with some grayscale reaching above 4 because of the blue bias. A calibration can get all dE down below 2.1, with many under 1. UHDA-P3 color gamut coverage measured 90.25%, while BT.2020 came in at 66.86%.

Brightness in Dynamic mode with my unit was 2,062 lumens, but that’s still within the measurement tolerance of ISO lumens, and due to the positioning of my projector, the image was zoomed in a bit, which causes the brightness to come down. It’s enough brightness for a watchable image in a room with ambient light (even with Natural picture mode, which is visibly less bright than other modes), but there’s a loss of shadow detail due to the light reflecting on the screen.

Where the projector really excels is when the lights are off. Colors look accurate and inviting, detail in both SDR and HDR is sharp, and the projector exhibits great contrast and shadow detail with the Dynamic Contrast setting at High Speed. The contrast isn’t as impressive as on the LS12000, which I evaluated a few years ago, but for the price, the LS9000 does an excellent job.

The LS9000 excels for dark room viewing (Image credit: Future)

The HDR image does require some tweaking at times. Occasionally, bright highlights can cause some clipping — such as when the shark cage is lowered into the water in The Meg, and we can see the bright sun refracting through the ocean water. In this instance, I adjusted the dynamic range slider from its default of 8 to 10 (which slightly backs off the scene brightness).

Through most of my viewing, I played around with the slider, not just to address high brightness clipping, but also to see its effect on image depth. Generally, I found myself setting it between 8 and 10, with the Battle of Pelennor Fields in Return of the King at 8 and day scenes during Mad Max: Fury Road at a 9 for a bit more depth. None of the adjustments were life-altering, and I wouldn’t suggest changing the dynamic range slider mid-movie, but you’ll learn your preferences. This is where dynamic tone mapping is missed.

Home theater projectors have historically struggled to provide input lag low enough for gaming, but with two HDMI 2.1 ports that are capable of 4K 120Hz, the LS9000 is screaming to be used as a gaming projector. The Image Processing menu allows you to select a setting of Fine or Fast (which provides a lower input lag). With the Fast setting and a 4K 60Hz signal, the lag measured at 20ms (it’s 44ms with the Fine setting). Unfortunately, there’s no ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), so you’ll need to manually switch the setting when you game or watch content.

Input lag is low enough on the LS9000 to satisfy a non-competitive gamer (my son still enjoyed his time playing Minecraft). During my second playthough of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which relies on dodge and parry reactions during combat, I was able to still make it through combat without issue. Someone who regularly plays first-person shooter games will likely feel a difference between the LS9000 and one of the best gaming TVs, but for the vast majority of us, the Epson will deliver a great gaming experience.

• Picture quality score: 4.5/5

Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 review: Value

The LS9000's 1.35-2.84:1 throw ratio allows for installations at the rear of the viewing space (Image credit: Future)

• Great performance for the price
• Solid gaming projector
• Missing an important home theater feature

The Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 is not only the least expensive model in the LS series, it’s one of the most affordable premium home theater projectors – the JVC DLA-NP5, which is a lamp-based model, retails for $6,000, as does the Sony VPL-XW5000ES, which came out three years ago.

Not only is the LS9000 brighter than both of those projectors, it also has a collection of features neither of them has, including a high-quality laser light engine, HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K/120Hz and eARC support, an excellent lens with motorized adjustments and lens cover, zoom and image memory, and 2,200 lumens of brightness.

There are still some compromises that must be made. Its biggest flaw is a lack of dynamic tone mapping, which we’re seeing in projectors half the price of the LS9000, like the Valerion VisionMaster Pro2. The LS9000 also doesn’t have 3D support, isn’t as bright as the step-up options from Epson, and is missing ALLM for gaming. But even so, the projector delivers a detailed picture with accurate color, which looks very engaging in a dark room. Also, the 20ms input lag time and 4K 120Hz support make gaming a joy on the big screen.

• Value score: 4/5

Should I buy the Epson Pro Cinema LS9000?

(Image credit: Future)Epson Pro Cinema LS9000

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Design and features

Motorized zoom, focus, and lens shift, along with 4K 120Hz and HDR10+ support

4.5/5

Picture quality

Accurate color in Natural mode, along with solid contrast, fine 4K picture detail, and low input lag for gaming

4.5/5

Value

A very good value compared to other 4K home theater projectors, most of which cost several thousands more

4/5

Buy it if...

You’re building your first serious home theater
If you’re making the jump from a basic projector to one truly designed for a 4K home theater, the LS9000 delivers an incredibly pleasing picture that rivals home theater offerings from JVC and Sony.View Deal

You also want a great gaming experience
It might not have ALLM, but the Pro Cinema LS9000 supports 4K 120Hz, and its input lag is low enough for all but the most competitive gamers.View Deal

You want HDR10+ support
Since the LS9000 doesn’t have dynamic tone mapping, watching HDR10+ content (with its dynamic metadata) will deliver the best dynamic content.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You want dynamic HDR tone mapping
The LS9000, like its bigger siblings, doesn’t support dynamic tone mapping, instead relying on a manual dynamic range slider to adjust the HDR image.View Deal

You plan on watching with lots of ambient light
While 2,200 lumens is a good brightness spec, ambient light causes the image to look a bit washed out, which makes seeing shadow detail difficult.View Deal

Watching 3D movies is a priority
3D isn’t supported by the Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 (or by the LS11000 and LS12000), so you’ll need to look elsewhere for your 3D fix.View Deal

Also considerComparison: projectors

Epson Pro Cinema LS9000

Epson Pro Cinema LS12000

JVC DLA-NZ700

Sony Bravia Projector 7

Price:

$3,999

$4,999

$8.999

$9,999

Screen sizes supported:

50-300 inches

50 to 130 inches

30 to 150 inches

90 to 130 inches

Brightness (specified):

2,200 lumens

2,500 lumens

2,300 lumens

2,200 lumens

HDR support

HDR10, HDR10+, HLG

HDR10, HDR10+, HLG

HDR10, HDR10+, HLG

HDR10, HLG

Optical technology:

Laser 3LCD

Laser 3LCD

Laser D-ILA

Laser SXRD

Smart TV:

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Connections:

2x HDMI 2.1 (1 with eARC)

2x HDMI 2.1 (1 with eARC)

2x HDMI 2.0

2x HDMI 2.1

Epson LS12000

The LS12000 is the step-up model in Epson's Pro Cinema projector lineup. Rated for 2,700 lumens, it has a brighter picture than the LS9000 and also supports HDR10+ high dynamic range and a 4K 120Hz refresh rate for gaming. Other than brightness, the LS9000 and LS12000 are mostly similar when it comes to features and performance.

Read our Epson LS12000 review View Deal

JVC DLA-NZ700

The JVC DLA-N700 is a big jump up in price over the LS9000, and it lacks Epson's 4K 120Hz support. At a rated 2,300 lumens, brightness is about the same, but the JVC features a native 4K display chipset and sophisticated dynamic HDR tone mapping to augment its HDR10+ high dynamic range support.

Read our JVC DLA-NZ700 reviewView Deal

Sony Bravia Projector 7

Like the JVC DLA-N700, Sony's entry-level projector is a big step up in price over the Epson, costing around $10,000. Its brightness spec is the same 2.200 lumens and it lacks the Epson's HDR10+ support. What you are getting with the Sony is 4K 120Hz and ALLM support for gaming, along with a native 4K display. It also has dynamic HDR tone mapping and Sony’s XR Processor for projector, which improves detail and clarity of images blown up to a cinematic size.

Read our Sony Bravia Projector 7 reviewView Deal

How I tested the Epson Pro Cinema LS9000

• Evaluated under various viewing conditions
• Measured and calibrated with professional software and hardware
• I am ISF-certified and have years of experience reviewing projectors

The Epson LS9000 laser projector was connected to my ceiling mount, approximately 11 feet from an Elite Screens CineTension 3 ISF-certified CineWhite screen. Using the Epson’s zoom and lens adjustment controls, the image was adjusted to fit the 100-inch diagonal screen.

I watched a wide range of content with both ambient light from the sun and ceiling lighting during the day and a dark, light-controlled environment at night. Movies and TV shows were streamed with an Apple TV 4K from the Disney+, HBO Max, and Hulu apps. I also used a Kaleidescape Strato V for high-quality movie playback, along with 4K Blu-ray discs played on an Oppo UDP-203 disc player. Games were played on an Xbox Series X.

For objective measurement testing, I used an X-rite i1 Pro 3 spectrophotometer, Murideo Seven-G 8K pattern generator, Konica Minolta LS-100 luminance meter, and Calman calibration software by Portrait Displays. Input lag tests were made with a Leo Bodnar 4K lag tester.

I’ve been testing projectors and other displays for a couple of decades, and am an ISF Level III certified calibrator.

• First reviewed: November 2025
• Read TechRadar's review guarantee

Elementor has become a go-to website builder for many WordPress users. It offers a drag-and-drop interface that lets you build WordPress sites visually. It powers over 16 million websites worldwide, from small blogs to enterprise ecommerce stores.​

We’ve tested all of the best WordPress website builders and Elementor consistently comes out on or near the top. This Elementor review draws from our reviewers' years of WordPress experience to help you make an informed decision.​

Elementor pricing and plans

I found Elementor's pricing competitive but potentially confusing.

The free plugin offers basic functionality, but you'll need Pro for serious WordPress design work. Elementor Pro comes in four variants, with prices ranging from $4.99 to $16.99 a month when billed yearly. They also offer WordPress hosting, ecommerce bundles, and custom rates for enterprises.

Plan

Starting rate /mo (paid yearly)

Starting rate /mo (paid every 2 years)

Starting rate /mo (paid every 3 years)

Free

$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

Essential

$4.99

$4.69

$4.49

Advanced Solo

$6.99

$5.99

$5.79

Advanced

$8.25

$7.09

$6.79

Expert (25 sites)

$16.99

$14.99

$13.99

Expert (1,000 sites)

$33.25

$29.99

$27.99

Elementor plans: Explained

Best for trying Elementor out
Starting at: $0.00/mo

Like all of the best free website builders, Elementor’s free plan comes with limitations. It lacks many advanced features such as the Theme Builder, WooCommerce Builder, and premium widgets.

It’s a great way to test Elementor out, but serious users will need to upgrade to a paid plan. View Deal

Best for single websites
Starting at: $4.49/mo

You get one website license with 50+ Pro widgets and the Theme Builder. This plan lacks advanced marketing tools and ecommerce features, making it suitable only for basic sites.View Deal

Best for single stores
Starting at: $5.79/mo

This includes 86 Pro widgets, WooCommerce Builder, and popup builder. I appreciated the form integrations and ACF/CPT support for dynamic content. If you want to sell online, this unlocks the advanced tools you’ll need. View Deal

Best for freelancers
Starting at: $6.79/mo

Three website licenses make this ideal for freelancers. You get all Advanced Solo features plus priority support. I found this the sweet spot for most users.View Deal

Best for agencies and businesses
Starting at: $13.99/mo

25-1,000 site activations to suit growing agencies. You get all Pro features included with premium support. The price jump is significant, though.View Deal

Getting started with Elementor: Reviewer's experience

Step 1: Installation

Go to the WordPress plugin store to download Elementor. (Image credit: Elementor)

I installed Elementor from the WordPress plugin directory.

Once I activated the Elementor plugin, I found a setup wizard with helpful tooltips guiding me through initial configuration. I created an Elementor account and installed the default “Hello Biz” theme as part of the setup process.

After activating the plugin, I also had the option to purchase the Pro version and upload the Pro zip file through the WordPress admin panel.​

Step 2: Choosing a template

You can start with a blank canvas or pick from one of Elementor's clean templates. (Image credit: Elementor)

Next, I wanted to switch up my starting template.

I navigated to Templates > Website Templates in the WordPress admin. Elementor presented me with 100+ pre-made design kits. I could filter by category or search specific designs. A preview function also let me see layouts before importing.​

I selected a simple business template by clicking the Apply button. I had the option to import either the entire template with all placeholder content, or only certain parts of it. It loaded instantly into my editor.

Step 3: Customizing a page

The website editor is intuitive and easy to navigate. (Image credit: Elementor)

To customize my landing page, I navigated to the Pages tab in my WordPress dashboard and clicked on the “Edit with Elementor” option under the page I wanted to customize. This opened the page builder.

For each page, I could add sections and columns to create layouts. The drag-and-drop system felt seamless, with every change appearing instantly on screen.​

Step 4: Adding widgets

Widgets make it easy to add functionality to your website. (Image credit: Elementor)

Elementor's widget panel was nested on my left.

I could drag a widget onto the page and drop it exactly where I wanted it.​ Clicking the widget opened customization options. Three tabs — Content, Style, and Advanced — organized all settings.

Elementor’s contextual settings adapted to whatever element I clicked. I adjusted fonts, colors, and spacing without touching any code.

Step 5: Publishing the site

When you're ready you can launch your website. (Image credit: Elementor)

I clicked "Publish" when satisfied with my design. My site went live immediately. Elementor's revision history was a nice addition, since it could revert to earlier designs anytime if something felt off.​

A built-in caching system optimized my pages automatically. My test site loaded quickly, especially without installing many other plugins.​

Elementor business tools

Elementor gives users access to the following business tools:

• Flexible landing page editor
• WooCommerce store builder
• Advanced form builder with integrations​
• Roll-based access manager

Elementor delivers solid business functionality for ecommerce and lead generation. I liked the deep WooCommerce integration in particular. However, the CRM features felt underdeveloped compared to dedicated platforms.​

Read more about Elementor's business tools ▼

Landing page editor

Landing pages can help you clearly communicate key marketing message. (Image credit: Elementor)

Building landing pages with Elementor felt straightforward. The template library provided conversion-focused designs ready for customization. I modified headlines, images, and call-to-action buttons within minutes.​

The landing page templates integrated seamlessly with form widgets. I connected forms to email marketing platforms for automatic list building. Each template prioritized mobile responsiveness, which saved design time.​

WooCommerce integration

WooCommerce is one of the most popular ecommerce platforms in the world. (Image credit: Elementor)

Elementor's premium WooCommerce integration lets you customize every aspect of your store, from product pages to checkout flows. Its visual editor made styling product grids and single product layouts effortless.​

I could add WooCommerce-specific widgets like product meta, add-to-cart buttons, and customer ratings. It also integrates with popular payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal for direct purchases.

Form builder

Elementor's built in form builder makes it easy to collect essential visitor data. (Image credit: Elementor)

Creating forms felt easy with Elementor's form widget. I built contact, lead capture, and multi-step forms without any additional plugins. The form builder offered unlimited fields with full styling control.​

I could also connect forms directly to Mailchimp, HubSpot, and ActiveCampaign. And the HoneyPot spam protection added security without any extra setup.​

Role-based access settings

Access settings can help larger teams and agencies better manage website workflows. (Image credit: Elementor)

Elementor lets you control who accesses the editor and what they can modify. You navigate to Elementor > Role Manager in WordPress and configure permissions for each user role.​

There are three main permission levels. "No access to editor" completely blocks users from opening Elementor. "Access to edit content only" allows users to modify existing content without adding or removing elements. Full access grants unlimited editing capabilities.

Version 3.19 has also added Element Manager integration, letting me customize which widgets appear for specific roles.​​

Elementor marketing tools

You can promote your business and website with Elementor’s marketing tools:

• Popup design with triggers​
• CRM integrations for HubSpot, ActiveCampaign​, etc.
• Email marketing integrations
• Call-to-action widgets

Elementor's marketing toolkit covers essential lead generation and conversion optimization. The popup builder and landing page features stood out during testing. Email marketing felt limited without third-party integrations, though.​

Read more about Elementor's marketing tools ▼

Popups and notifications

Pop ups are a great way to get key marketing messages in front of potential customers. (Image credit: Elementor)

I could create several popup types using Elementor's Popup Builder. It supports email capture popups, notification bars, and two-step opt-ins. I enjoyed the visual editing experience, which matches the main page builder.​

With display conditions, Elementor lets you have impressive targeting flexibility. I could design popups to trigger based on scroll depth, exit intent, inactivity, and specific page elements. I also tested a two-step opt-in popup combining a yes/no prompt with a follow-up form. It worked exactly as described.

CRM automation

You can use other plugins to massively extend the functionality of your website. (Image credit: Elementor)

I was able to set up connections to HubSpot and ActiveCampaign. Elementor's form submissions triggered automated workflows in both these platforms.

That said, setting up automation required technical knowledge. I had to look up their API documentation and learn Elementor’s webhook configurations. This might challenge non-technical users.​

Email marketing

Although Elementor doesn't offer built in email marketing, you can use plugins from the top email marketing providers. (Image credit: Elementor)

Elementor doesn't include built-in email marketing functionality.

Instead, it integrates with popular platforms like Mailchimp, SEND, and ActiveCampaign. I connected Mailchimp through the form widget settings.​

Integration required API keys from Mailchimp. Once configured, captured leads automatically synced to my email lists. I also used Elementor's design tools to create branded signup forms matching my email campaigns.

CTA widgets

A strong call to action can massively increase website conversions. (Image credit: Elementor)

Elementor offered dedicated CTA widgets for marketing campaigns. I customized button styles, added icons, and set hover effects. The widgets supported internal links, external URLs, and popup triggers.​

The pixel-perfect placement flexibility helps with conversion optimization. But if you want A/B testing, you'll need a third-party plugin for that.

Elementor support

Your support package depends on the plan you choose. (Image credit: Elementor)

Elementor Pro users access official support through ticket submission and live chat. Free version users rely on community forums and documentation. Support operates Monday through Friday with varying response times based on plan tier.​

I submitted a test support ticket during my review. The response came within 24 hours with a detailed troubleshooting guide. But the AI chatbot could answer basic questions instantly before escalating complex issues.​

However, user sentiment reveals mixed experiences.

Reddit threads show frustration with renewal price increases and slow support responses. One user reported opening six tickets with minimal resolution. G2 reviews praise ease of use but note the learning curve. Capterra users appreciate constant updates but mention WooCommerce plugin compatibility issues.​

Test results: Elementor

Attribute

Notes

Rating

Value for money

Competitive pricing initially, but renewal rates increase significantly over time. Pro features justify the cost for agencies.

★★★⯪☆

Ease of use

Intuitive drag-and-drop interface with visual editing. Learning curve exists due to extensive options.

★★★★☆

Design

100+ design kits provide exceptional design flexibility. Responsive controls offer granular customization.

★★★★★

Business tools

Solid WooCommerce integration and form builder. Limited native analytics and CRM capabilities.

★★★★☆

Marketing tools

Excellent popup builder and landing pages. Email marketing requires third-party integrations.

★★★★☆

Support

Responsive ticket system for Pro users. Community sentiment reveals inconsistent experiences and price frustration.

★★★☆☆

Competitor comparison: Elementor

Below we show you how Elementor stacks up against Divi and Beaver Builder:

Platform

Best for

Our overall rating

Free plan

Paid plans start at

Ease of use

Support

Elementor

WordPress flexibility

★★★★☆

Yes

$4.92/month

★★★★☆

Live chat, tickets, community

Divi Builder

Design variety

★★★★☆

No

$19.00/month

★★★★☆

Email, community forum

Beaver Builder

Performance optimization

★★★★☆

Yes

$9.92/month

★★★⯪☆

Email, forums

How we tested the Elementor website builder

Every website builder review on Techradar is based on hands-on testing. I installed Elementor on multiple WordPress sites, built test pages across different niches, and measured performance metrics. Each feature was scrutinized through practical application, not just documentation review.​

We've been reviewing business software since 2012 at TechRadar Pro. For complete details on our evaluation process, read about how we test website builders.

Elementor review: FAQsIs Elementor free to use?

Yes, Elementor offers a free version with basic page-building capabilities.

You get 40+ widgets, 30+ templates, and the drag-and-drop editor. However, advanced features like Theme Builder, WooCommerce Builder, and popup builder require Elementor Pro. The free version limits you to content editing within existing theme structures.​

How do I install Elementor on WordPress?

Navigate to your WordPress Dashboard, click Plugins > Add New, search for "Elementor," then click Install and Activate. For Elementor Pro, download the plugin zip file from your Elementor account at my.elementor.com, upload it through WordPress Dashboard > Plugins > Upload Plugin, then activate your license key.​

What's the difference between Elementor and Elementor Pro?

Elementor Pro includes 100+ widgets and templates versus 40+ in the free version, plus Theme Builder for headers/footers, WooCommerce Builder, popup builder, form integrations, and priority support. The free version limits customization to page content only, while Pro controls every site element including 404 pages.​

Can I speed up my Elementor website?

Yes, activate Elementor's performance experiments including Optimized DOM Output, Improved Asset Loading, and Improved CSS Loading under Settings > Features.

You can also optimize images, enable caching plugins like WP Rocket, minimize unnecessary plugins, and consider a CDN. Reduce sections, widgets, and columns in your designs.​

Does Elementor work with all WordPress themes?

Elementor works with most WordPress themes, though compatibility varies.For best results, use themes specifically built for Elementor or the Elementor Hello theme.

The Theme Builder feature in Elementor Pro lets you override theme templates entirely, reducing compatibility issues. Some themes may conflict with Elementor's styling.​

PowerA Wired Earbuds for Nintendo Switch 2: one-minute review

The PowerA Wired Earbuds for Nintendo Switch 2 are a simple yet effective way to enjoy handheld gaming sessions in seclusion. These buds are licensed by Nintendo and aim to deliver dynamic sound, ergonomic comfort, and clear mic quality. And they largely deliver on that, though there are some notable flaws to uncover.

For wired buds that typically cost $24.99 / £19.99 / AU$39, and regularly fall to a considerably lower cost, I wasn’t expecting all too much from the PowerA Wired Earbuds for Nintendo Switch 2. And although they don't do anything special sonically speaking, they still have all the fundamental talents required for solid-sounding in-game experiences.

For instance, they offer up clear dialogue quality – something all of the best gaming earbuds should do. When playing through the spectacular Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, speech-heavy scenes never sounded muffled or obscured, even when the game's imposing orchestral soundtrack entered the fray.

You're not going to experience beautifully separated vocals or a wide open soundstage, but for the price, you still get the clean sound quality required to enjoy the best Nintendo Switch 2 games or beautiful in-game soundtracks.

(Image credit: Future)

The convenient mic mute slider is very handy if you're making use of GameChat via Nintendo Switch Online. Simply flick it up and your pals won't be able to hear you whatsoever.

However, I would've liked the inbuilt mic to sound a bit better, as I could make out static in the background while using it. Don't get me wrong, my words were still easily discernible when performing a quality test – just don't expect above average mic performance.

Looks-wise these wired earbuds aren't all too flashy. They're black and red – much like the right Joy-Con 2 controller, and come with a handy carry case. The build quality of these buds is fairly average given that they're made of plastic, but that's fine considering their extremely budget-friendly cost. And in fairness, I still found them to be pretty comfortable, which isn't always the case for me when searching for the best wired earbuds.

So, at the end of it all, would I recommend the PowerA Wired Earbuds for Nintendo Switch 2? Well, that would depend. I’ve seen these drop as low as £11 in the UK, so if you’re on a tight budget, they’d give you decent overall audio with equally decent comfort, as well as a tidy carry case. However, there are some notable drawbacks, like a flawed mic and a basic build.

If you’ve got a bit more cash to play with, I’d perhaps check out some more premium wired earbuds, or even a headset from our Nintendo Switch 2 accessories guide. But for low-cost buds that get the job done, these Nintendo-licensed in-ears are still worth a look.

(Image credit: Future)PowerA Wired Earbuds for Nintendo Switch 2 review: price and release date

• Ultra-budget list price of $24.99 / £19.99 / AU$39
• And I've already spotted them going for even less
• Launched in October 2025

These wired earbuds launched shortly after the Nintendo Switch 2 itself, and have a list price of $24.99 / £19.99 / AU$39. However, I've already spotted them on sale for less in some territories, dipping as low as £11 in the UK. It should be noted that any 3.5mm, USB-C, or Bluetooth earbuds should work fine with your console – it's just the inclusion of a mute mic slider that makes these ideal for GameChat use. PowerA’s wired buds are available in a single Black and Red design – the same color scheme as the right Joy-Con 2 controller.

PowerA Wired Earbuds for Nintendo Switch 2 review: specs

Drivers

8mm dynamic

Weight

0.7oz / 20g

Frequency range

20Hz-20kHz

Waterproof rating

Not stated

Connectivity

3.5mm

PowerA Wired Earbuds for Nintendo Switch 2 review: design and features

• Simple yet fairly effective design
• Convenient mic mute slider
• Secure and relatively comfortable fit

Design-wise, these in-ears are basic. They’re black and red, which is on-brand for the Switch 2, and they have the console’s logo on the outside of each bud.

They’re made of plastic and, in honesty, feel pretty cheap – but then again, they are. You get a variety of different-sized ear tips to help find your ideal fit, as well as a drawstring bag to store the buds away – that’s a very nice inclusion considering their moderate price.

These earbuds are quite comfortable, although I did find they were a tad large in-ear. Still, I could keep them in for well over an hour without feeling fatigued, and they had a pretty secure fit – something that’s not always guaranteed with wired in-ears.

Thanks to their secure seal, you also get decent enough noise isolation – just don't expect the silence-inducing effects of active noise cancellation or the passive isolation that pricier foam ear tips provide.

The most significant feature on-board is the inbuilt mic and mute slider. This handy slider is what sets the buds apart from typical wired buds you may have laying around, and makes them ideal for GameChat use on Switch 2. The mic itself is functional but as you may expect at this price-point, nothing particularly special. More on that in the Performance section...

(Image credit: Future)PowerA Wired Earbuds for Nintendo Switch 2 review: performance

• Decent audio with fairly clean dialogue
• Mic performance could certainly be better
• Solid overall quality given modest price-tag

Sonically speaking, I won’t pretend the PowerA Wired Earbuds are anything particularly special. But they get the basics right, with generally clear audio for private gaming sessions.

To find out if PowerA’s in-ears could compete with some of the best gaming earbuds best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories, I made sure to test them out with a variety of games. I started with Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, a title I’ve been absolutely glued to since its release.

This game is pretty dialogue-heavy, so I was glad to discover that speech was generally well-defined in the mix, ensuring I didn't need to rely on subtitles. When the grandiose orchestral soundtrack swooped through the backdrop, voices still remained clear – sure, it wasn’t as if they were elegantly separated out and thrust to the fore, but that’s something I’d expect from more premium buds.

I wanted to see how they’d cope with a more chaotic Nintendo Switch 2 title, so I switched over to Mario Kart World, and again, I was pretty satisfied with the audio on offer. In Free Roam mode, the hum of my vehicle’s engine was replicated with solid low-end power, and the high-pitched grind of my wheels while drifting didn’t sound tinny or uncontrolled.

Treble could get edgy at top volumes – something I also realized when listening to Phendrana Drifts on the Nintendo Music app. But if you’re listening at medium loudness or lower, that shouldn’t be all too apparent. More generally, soundtracks come through nicely using PowerA’s buds – the jazzy tunes featured in Mario Kart World were always enjoyable, with expressive sax in the mid-range sounding clean and never getting smothered by the fairly impactful bass.

Even if you’re not going to be wowed by a wide soundstage or incredible separation, PowerA’s wired buds perform well enough on the audio front. If you’re looking for a more premium listening experience or want exceptional wired earbuds for music, though, I’d suggest heading over to our best wired earbuds guide instead.

But how about mic performance? Well, this is where things get a little shaky. I used the Test Microphone function on my Switch 2, which allows you to make a brief recording, and the results were about as good as I’d expected. My voice was relatively clear, and every word was discernible. However, there was some noticeable sibilance, and there was obvious static in the background.

Don’t get me wrong: these won’t make you sound like you’re underwater as some cheap buds do, but mic quality is just acceptable. One benefit, though, is that there’s an in-line controller with a slider to disable or enable the mic, which is handy if you need to swiftly silence yourself while using GameChat.

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the PowerA Wired Earbuds for Nintendo Switch 2?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

In-line mic could be better, but they offer a useful mute slider and decent noise isolation.

3/5

Sound quality

Imperfect but generally clean audio for clear dialogue, footsteps, and sound effects.

3.5/5

Design

Basic look, relatively comfortable in-ear feel, convenient carry pouch.

3.5/5

Value

Low price, solid overall quality.

4/5

Buy them if...

You want good value buds for solo gaming sessions
If you want a steady pair of wired earbuds for private gaming sessions, these will certainly do the trick. Even though they do nothing special, you get generally clear audio and a secure in-ear fit, so you can enjoy in-game audio without splashing very much cash at all. The built-in mic and carry pouch also ensure you get plenty of bang for your buck.

You’re looking for a lightweight option to bring on the go
These earbuds only weigh 0.7oz / 20g, and can easily be stored away in the included carry pouch. I’ve kept that pouch in the official Nintendo Switch 2 Carrying Case when I’ve been out and about lately, and they’re a good backup option if my Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones run out of battery life on the go.

Don't buy them if...

You’re expecting great mic quality
Although my voice sounded clear while using the in-line mic here, it was certainly flawed. You’ll notice some sibilance and background static, so for anyone seeking out top-class mic quality, you’ll need to seek a little more. I’d recommend the SteelSeries Tusq gaming headset, which we found to offer excellent mic quality.

You want top-tier audio
As you’d expect for less than $25 / £20 / AU$40, you’re not getting particularly impressive sound quality from PowerA’s Switch 2 earbuds. They supply clear overall sound, but you won’t get that deft separation, wide soundstage, or ultra-detailed listen that more talented models can supply.

PowerA Wired Earbuds for Nintendo Switch 2: also consider

PowerA Wired Earbuds for Nintendo Switch 2

Skullcandy Set USB-C

Turtle Beach Battle Buds

Price

$24.99 / £19.99 / AU$39

$31.99 / £29.99 (about AU$50)

$30 / £25 / AU$45

Drivers

8mm dynamic

9mm dynamic

10mm dynamic

Weight

20g

15g

23g

Frequency range

20Hz-20kHz

20Hz-20kHz

20Hz-20kHz

Waterproof rating

Not stated

IPX4

Not stated

Connectivity

3.5mm

USB-C

3.5mm

Skullcandy Set USB-C
These Skullcandy buds have a spot in our best wired earbuds buying guide thanks to their admirable audio output, comfortable in-ear fit, and sleek look. Their lack of volume controls shouldn’t matter for Switch 2 usage, and their USB-C connectivity means they can easily be used with most modern smartphones as well as your console.

Read our full Skullcandy Set USB-C review.

Turtle Beach Battle Buds
Over in our guide to the best gaming earbuds, the Turtle Beach Battle Buds hold the title of best budget choice. They’ve got a handy detachable mic, decent sound quality, and of course, are satisfyingly cheap.

Read our full Turtle Beach Battle Buds review.

How I tested the PowerA Wired Earbuds for Nintendo Switch 2

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested for one week
• Used in the office, while out and about, and at home
• Tried with Switch 2 games and Nintendo Music app

I tested the PowerA Wired Earbuds for Nintendo Switch 2 over a week-long period, taking them out for on-the-go play, as well as using them on lunch breaks at the office, and when working from home.

To assess performance, I made sure to use them with a range of Switch 2 games, including Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake and Mario Kart World. It also felt fitting to use them with the Nintendo Music app and spin a few classic soundtracks. When using the in-line mic, I ensured that I performed a test using the Switch 2’s built-in testing software.

More generally, I’ve been a Switch 2 owner from launch, and I’ve reviewed tons of gadgets here at TechRadar, where I’ve tested tons of audio gear and gaming accessories. I’ve reviewed everything from top-tier wired earbuds like the Sennheiser IE 600 through to cheap models like the JBL Tune 310C. And I’ve also tested a range of Nintendo Switch 2 cases, cameras, screen protectors, and software.

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

Hisense U65QF: Two-minute review

The Hisense U65QF TV joins a growing list of lower-cost mini-LED TVs that provide a striking step up in performance from doorbuster-style sub-$500 TVs.

The Hisense U65QF TV isn’t that different from other budget mini-LED TVs, such as the TCL QM6K or Roku Pro Series. Its benchmarks are mostly in line with the competition, and it also does a good job with sound – a factor I’m seeing addressed more and more in mid-range and budget examples of the best TVs.

One unique U65QF feature that sets it apart from most of its Google TV-using competition is its Fire TV interface and Alexa integration, which lets you use an Amazon Echo speaker to open apps like Netflix and perform other voice-activated tasks. Of course, if you’re not in the Alexa ecosystem, then this isn’t as big a selling point.

Overall, this is a good-performing TV that may win you over due to the simple fact that it typically sells at a lower price than its budget mini-LED TV competitors.

Hisense U65QF review: Price and release date

The U65QF's remote features most controls you'll need on its keypad, but lacks an input selection button (Image credit: Future)

• Release date: June 2025
• 55-inch: $799.99
• 65-inch: $999.99
• 75-inch: $1,299.99
• 85-inch: $1,999.99
• 100-inch: $3,499.99

Pricing on the Hisense U65QF is about what I would expect for a budget mini-LED TV, with the 65-inch model listing for $999.99. Now, that is the TV’s MSRP, and it's already available at a discount at more than one online retailer.

The Hisense U65QF is only sold in the US, as other territories get a different U6 version that uses a different smart TV platform. If you’re outside of the US and reading this review, I would wager that most everything outside of the Smart TV section would still be pertinent to the Hisense U6.

Hisense U65QF review: Specs

Screen type:

QLED with mini-LED

Refresh rate:

Up to 144Hz

HDR support:

Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG

Audio support:

Dolby Atmos, DTS Virtual:X

Smart TV:

Fire TV

HDMI ports:

4 (2x HDMI 2.1)

Built-in tuner:

ATSC 1.0

Hisense U65QF review: Benchmark resultsHisense U65QF review: Features

The U65QF's connections include two HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 144Hz support (Image credit: Future)

• Comprehensive HDR support
• Filmmaker Mode picture preset
• Integration with Alexa ecosystem

The Hisense U65QF’s feature set is in line with other TVs at this price point. Its comprehensive gaming support includes the Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+ Adaptive, HDR10, and HLG high dynamic range formats, along with Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual:X audio. It also has two HDMI 2.1 inputs with up to 144Hz high refresh support for gaming consoles and PCs.

The U65QF can automatically change inputs when a source is powered on, as well as switch the picture mode if enabled in the menu. Filmmaker Mode is an available picture preset – one that disables post-processing to show a movie as originally intended. There is also some AI implementation, such as AI upscaling, AI smooth motion, and an AI sports mode.

As a Fire TV, the U65QF supports hands-free voice interaction through Alexa, and it can be integrated into the Alexa ecosystem. While I don’t personally have an extensive Alexa ecosystem in my home, I was able to control the Hisense U65QF using an Amazon Echo speaker located in my kitchen.

Also on tap are Apple AirPlay, display mirroring, and Matter Casting, as well as an ambient mode if you want the TV to display artworks and other images when it's in standby mode.

• Features Score: 4/5

Hisense U65QF review: Picture quality

The U65QF has better-than-average picture brightness for a budget mini-LED TV (Image credit: Future)

• Benchmarks in line with the competition
• Good contrast and local dimming
• Very minor vignetting

The Hisense U65QF’s picture compares well with most TVs in its price range. Brightness is impressive for a budget mini-LED TV, with the Hisense outperforming competitors such as the Roku Pro Series and TCL QM6K on that front. If you’re upgrading from a budget TV, you’ll probably be wowed by the picture's brightness and contrast.

Color gamut coverage is about what we expect from TVs at this price point. We measured 95.6% for UHDA-P3 and 71.2% for BT.2020. The U65QF’s 2.6 average color point accuracy (any score below 3 is undetectable by the human eye) is also very good for a budget TV.

Beyond benchmarks, pictures for the most part look great on the U65QF. Detail is impressive, and its local dimming delivers good contrast without much in the way of backlight blooming.

Action generally looked smooth – I watched scenes from Mission Impossible 7 to test, and I could easily make out what was happening on screen. Sports were also a pleasure to watch on this TV.

Similar to other TVs I’ve tested at this price point, there is some very minor vignetting in the screen’s corners, though it’s only really noticeable if you look for it.

• Picture quality score: 4/5

Hisense U65QF review: Sound quality

The U65QF's built-in 2.1-channel speaker system includes a back-mounted subwoofer (Image credit: Future)

• Good dialogue clarity
• Decent bass
• Dialog and leveling modes, five-band EQ

In my experience, most TVs have subpar sound quality, which is why I was surprised by the performance of the Hisense U65QF’s built-in speakers.

To test this, I watched sports (Eagles football, specifically), played video games, and watched movies like Mission Impossible 7. I also did some music-specific testing via YouTube. The first thing I noticed was that there was actually a decent amount of bass. It wasn’t the same as having an external subwoofer, but I still got a bit of that rumble when there were big explosions or action-packed movie scenes.

Dialogue sounded pretty clear as well, though a bit of harshness could be heard with music tracks.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that there’s a five-band EQ in the settings, which is always appreciated. There is a dialog mode that did a good job of boosting voices as well as a leveling mode that compresses the sound so the quiet parts are loud and the loud parts don’t jump up too much in volume – a good choice for watching at night.

• Sound quality score: 4/5

Hisense U65QF review: Design

The U65QF has an appealingly thin screen bezel for a budget TV (Image credit: Future)

• Very thin bezel
• Good amount of ports but placement not great for cable management
• Remote has voice access for Alexa

While the Hisense U65QF doesn’t reinvent the wheel, its design is good considering the price.

The bezel is thin enough that one sees all picture when looking at the TV instead of a thick border around the screen. Turning the TV around, the surface is fairly smooth with mostly just the built-in subwoofer visible. All the ports except for power are located on the lower left side, with most accessible from the side and some from the back. This is a pretty typical placement, but it doesn’t allow for much in the way of cable management.

The port selection here is fairly solid. Along with the four HDMI ports (including two HDMI 2.1), the TV also has an optical digital audio output and USB and RF antenna connections.

The controls, on the other hand, consist of a single button for power that can also be used to change inputs. I do wish there was a little more here, like a find the remote button, but the single on-unit button is fairly standard for TVs these days.

All the real controls, of course, are on the remote, which is standard fare like most of the rest of the TV. Most necessary controls are here, with the exception of an input selection button. The main unique feature is the Alexa button, which works just like the usual hands-free button except that it uses Alexa specifically, meaning that you have access to your Alexa ecosystem through the remote.

• Design score: 4/5

Hisense U65QF review: Smart TV and menus

The U65QF's Fire TV smart interface is serviceable, but features ads on the home screen (Image credit: Future)

• Amazon Prime Video-centric with ads
• Dynamic-looking interface with autoplay by default
• Can’t fine-tune settings unless already watching

The Hisense U65QF’s Fire TV smart TV platform features a large banner cycling through various content at the top, a row with settings and input icons and app tiles that split the screen in half, followed by rows of suggested content. Its defining feature is that the suggested content leans towards the Amazon Prime Video library. Also, there are literal ads for products (I’m looking at a banner for Purina at the bottom of my screen as I type this).

Navigating the Fire TV interface is pretty intuitive. Really, my only gripe with it is that it defaults to autoplaying anything selected in the banner, though this can be turned off in settings.

Fire TV seems to have a few more content categories than I typically see with Smart TVs, which creates some clutter. The only really odd part of the interface is that you can’t access all the advanced settings (brightness, color, motion, clarity and so on) until you’re actively watching something.

For example, if you go into the settings menu from the homepage, you’re limited to just a few options like “Light Sense,” “Light Sense Shift,” “Backlight,” and “Local Dimming,” though you can at least adjust those per input.

• Smart TV & menus score: 3.5/5

Hisense U65QF review: Gaming

Gaming is smooth and responsive on the Hisense U65QF (Image credit: Future)

• Two HDMI ports with 4K 144Hz support
• Gameplay is smooth and clear
• No game-specific settings

Gaming on the Hisense U65QF is a lot like gaming on other TVs in this price range. For starters, it supports a 4K resolution at up to 144Hz refresh rate through two of the HDMI ports, a necessity for next-generation consoles like the PlayStation 5. There’s also HDR support that can be finetuned via the onscreen menu plus FreeSync Premium VRR.

With Dolby Vision enabled, the TV automatically changed its picture mode to “Game Mode” when the input switched to my PlayStation 5 console. Plus, it automatically changes the input to my console when powered up (I did have to turn that setting on in the menu).

When gaming, images look crisp thanks to the 4K resolution and smooth thanks to the TV’s high refresh rate. Its 13.2ms lag time isn’t the best we’ve seen, but it was barely perceptible when killing zombies in Dead Rising 2.

I tested this TV with fast-paced action such as Dead Rising 2 as well as more cinematic fare like Death Stranding. Both played well, with my only real complaint being that there’s no dedicated gaming settings menu.

• Gaming score: 4/5

Hisense U65QF review: Value

The U65QF's included accessories (Image credit: Future)

• High MSRP, but it’s already discounted
• Other mid-range QLED TVs have similar price points
• Take advantage of Hisense’s regular sales

The MSRP for the 65-inch Hisense U65QF TV I tested may be $999, but it’s already available at some outlets for under $600, making it a great value.

The TCL QM6K has a similar MSRP and discount, but also lower screen brightness and not quite as good built-in speakers. If you’re willing to spend a few hundred dollars more, the Hisense U8QG has even better picture quality and a better design, and can be found in the $1,000-1,200 range.

The Roku Pro Series (2025) is another TV with a great picture and design and good built-in sound, and it’s priced roughly between the Hisense U65QF and U8QG.

• Value score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future)Hisense U65QF

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Along with Dolby Vision and HDR10+ HDR support, the U65QF features Alexa Ecosystem integration

4/5

Picture quality

Good overall picture quality for the price, with better than average brightness

4/5

Sound quality

Surprisingly good sound with clear dialogue and a decent amount of bass

4/5

Design

Thin bezel for an all-picture look, though the port placement makes cable management a bit tough

4/5

Smart TV and menus

The Fire TV OS is easy to use, though I wish advanced picture settings were accessible without playing content

3.5/5

Gaming

Gaming on this TV is a good experience thanks to Game Mode, though there’s no gaming-specific menu

4/5

Value

At MSRP, the price isn’t special, though it’s already getting big discounts

4.5/5

Should I buy the Hisense U65QF?Buy it if...

You want great bang for your buck
The Hisense U65QF is already on sale, making it a very competitive option among budget mini-LED TVs.

You use Alexa
The TV’s Alexa integration is something you can really take advantage of if you’re already bought into the Alexa smart home ecosystem.

You want to skip the soundbar
The audio quality is good enough that if you want to skip a (cheap) soundbar in your setup, you probably won’t miss it.

Don't buy it if…

You want a clean, minimal look
If you have other devices to plug in, such as a console or soundbar, the cables are going to stick out the side. If you want a clean look, there are other TVs with better cable management, such as the Roku Pro Series.

You want a super-bright picture
The U65QF’s brightness is above average for a budget mini-LED TV, but step-up models such as the Hisense U8QG have more than twice as high peak brightness and also an anti-reflection screen for daytime viewing.

Also consider...

Hisense U65QF

TCL QM6K

Roku Pro Series

Hisense U8QG

Price (65-inch)

$999

$999

$1,199

$2,199 

Screen type

QLED w/ mini-LED

QLED w/ mini-LED

QLED w/ mini-LED

QLED w/ mini-LED

Refresh rate

Up to 144Hz

Up to 144Hz

120Hz

Up to 144Hz

HDR support

Dolby Vision IQ/HDR10+/HDR10

Dolby Vision IQ/HDR10+/HDR10

Dolby Vision IQ/HDR10+/HDR10

Dolby Vision IQ/HDR10+/HDR10

Smart TV

Fire TV

Google TV

Roku

Google TV

HDMI ports

4 (2x HDMI 2.1)

4 (2x HDMI 2.1)

4 (2x HDMI 2.1)

3x HDMI 2.1

TCL QM6K

The TCL QM6K is just as good value and sells for around the same price as the Hisense U65QF TV with discounts, though it doesn’t have quite the same peak brightness or audio quality. What it does have is a great picture quality with vibrant colors, good contrast, and a lack of blooming.

Read our full TCL QM6K review

Roku Pro Series
The Roku Pro Series falls into a similar-priced category. Its picture brightness is slightly lower than the Hisense, but it has Roku's wonderfully intuitive smart TV interface and a shadowbox design that not only allows for better sound but flat positioning when mounted.

Read our full Roku Pro Series review

Hisense U8QG

The Hisense U8QG is pricier and comes with a fantastically bright screen with low reflectivity. It also has a 4.1.2 sound system built in for those wanting to skip a soundbar, though its subwoofer has some limitations.

Read our full Hisense U8QG review

(Image credit: Future)How I tested the Hisense U65QF

• I used the Hisense U65QF TV for a few weeks
• Tested with TV, movies, music, and games
• Benchmark measurements conducted by Future US testing lab

I used the Hisense U65QF TV regularly for a couple of weeks. I used it with TV, movies, music, and games. I tested the various features to see if they work as advertised. I also spent time listening to the audio as well as paying attention to the picture quality.

After spending some time with this TV, it’s my opinion that this TV is ideal for those who want a premium TV without the premium price tag, and for those locked into the Alexa ecosystem.

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

You can read an in-depth overview of how we test TVs at TechRadar at that link.

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

OnePlus 15: Two-minute review

If a smartphone genie offered me three wishes for my dream phone, I couldn't have created a device as great as the OnePlus 15. It delivers more than the most demanding smartphone fans could wish for, with priorities that reflect the ways I really want to use my phone.

My three wishes? First, I'd wish for a battery that lasts all day. The OnePlus 15 watches my dream phone fall asleep then parties hard for another day and a half. I let this phone go uncharged for three days during my review and I still had some juice left. And that’s not to mention the incredibly fast charging speeds.

My second wish would be for a durable phone, water resistant with glass that is tough enough it won't break if I drop it. OnePlus makes its flagship phone more durable than any Samsung or Apple phone you can buy. I watched last year’s OnePlus 13 survive a run through a dishwasher, and the OnePlus 15 is even tougher than that. Bring on the hot water jets!

My final wish would be to get back some of the great smartphone features we've lost over the years. I remember when Android phones were about personality and customization. Now you can't even organize your app drawer on a Pixel phone.

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The OnePlus 15, on the other hand, is the phone for people who love smartphones. You can customize it, but it looks great even if you don't. It has a ton of unique widgets that add functions to your home screen, or you can hide those on a separate shelf.

Oh, and it has an IR blaster. Remember when phones had those? Every Galaxy S6 could change the channel on your TV (or the bar TV playing Fox News), and the OnePlus 15 brings that back. It can act as a universal remote control, a feature I treasure when I lose my TV remote after I turn out the lights.

The OnePlus 15 is great at everything you want to do on your phone. For gaming, it's a next-level handheld. I was able to play games with Settings in the Experimental realm. The OnePlus 15 pushes past limits you never noticed on other smartphones, and there are enough game developers on board to make the advantage worthwhile.

Call of Duty looked as good on my phone as it does running on a console, with an even better frame rate, and I say that as a long time gamer, not a casual interloper.

What's the catch? Well, you might have to explain to people who OnePlus is when they ask about your phone, because most people I talk to have never heard of them.

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

That's because OnePlus doesn't sell its best phones in carrier stores. You won't see the OnePlus 15 available free with a contract and a trade on AT&T or Vodafone. That means you pay more up front, which is a shame. Lots of my friends would love this phone, but don't have hundreds to shell out. At least OnePlus usually has decent trade-in offers when you buy directly from the company.

There are a few other shortcomings, but they don't amount to much when you consider this phone competes with the base model iPhone 17 and Galaxy S25, even though it offers as much as an Ultra or Pro Max.

We used to call this a flagship killer. Now I just call it the best phone you can buy, and the first phone I've tested that deserves a perfect score.

OnePlus 15 review: Price & availability

(Image credit: Blue Pixl Media)

• Black version costs $899.99 / £899 for 12GB RAM and 256GB storage
• Other colors available for $999.99 / £999 with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage

The OnePlus 15 is a flagship smartphone, but it isn’t the most expensive flagship around. It costs more than the iPhone 17 but less than the iPhone Air. It’s more expensive than a Google Pixel 10, but less than the Pixel 10 Pro. The Galaxy S25 Plus is more expensive than the black OnePlus 15 with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

Sadly, the best colors are only available on the more expensive model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. I’m sure the lower-spec OnePlus 15 performs admirably, but my review sample is the Sand Storm model with more goodness inside. It’s not a necessary upgrade, but even at this $999.99 / £999 price, it’s a great deal for such a powerhouse phone.

OnePlus only makes one flagship – there isn't a Pro or an Ultra or an XL model with better cameras or a faster chip. While Samsung and Apple lure you in with aspirational models that cost more than $1,000 / £1,000 / AU$2,000, the OnePlus 15 is the company's best phone, not a step down.

In the past, OnePlus has offered great trade-in deals that knock at least $100 off the price in the US, but it hasn’t announced similar offers for the OnePlus 15.

I’d still recommend this phone at its full price. You won’t find a more capable phone without paying hundreds more, and even the most expensive phones – the Galaxy Z Fold 7 or Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max come to mind – can’t beat the OnePlus 15 in the things it does best.

OnePlus 15 pricing

Storage

US Price

UK Price

AU Price

256GB

$899

£899

AU $TBD

512GB

$999

£999

AU $TBD

• Value score: 5 / 5

OnePlus 15 review: Specifications

You can use the OnePlus 15 to change channels on a TV (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The OnePlus 15 features a unique spec list that highlights it's capabilities. It's the first phone most of us can buy with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset inside, and that platform seems to pay dividends in performance and power management.

The OnePlus 15 has a 7,300 mAh battery inside, which should make the phone enormous, but it's actually just as thin as an iPhone 17. That huge battery equates to the best battery life I've ever experienced on a smartphone. The OnePlus 15 also has 80-100W charging (80W on my US review sample), and it can charge wirelessly up to 50W, if you have a OnePlus AirVOOC charger.

The display on the OnePlus 15 can refresh up to 165Hz in gaming mode. It can also force itself to draw 120fps consistently on certain competition games like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.

OnePlus 15 specifications

Dimensions:

161.42 x 76.67 x 8.1mm

Weight:

211g

Display:

6.78-inch LTPO OLED

Resolution:

2772 x 1272 pixels

Refresh rate:

1-120Hz; 165Hz for select games

Peak brightness:

1,800 nits

Chipset:

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen5

RAM:

12GB/16GB LPDDR5X Ultra/Ultra+

Storage:

256GB/512GB/ UFS 4.1

OS:

OxygenOS 16.0 based on Android™ 16

Main cameras

50MP main; 50MP ultrawide; 50MP 3.5x telephoto

Selfie camera:

32MP

Battery:

7,300mAh

Charging:

80-100W wired; 50W wireless

Colors:

Infinite Black, Ultra Violet, Sand Storm (tested)

OnePlus 15 review: Design

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

• Incredible durability - can withstand more than you’ll encounter
• Restrained colors and design compared to past OnePlus flagships

I’ve tested phones that were as durable as the OnePlus 15, and phones that packed a battery just as large or larger. They were as big as school buses and just as heavy. The OnePlus 15 is a marvel of design because it looks simple and refined – totally normal. It isn’t trying to be gorgeous; it’s just a very nice looking smartphone.

Astonishingly, the OnePlus 15 packs the largest battery of any smartphone I’ve tested, but it’s only a hair thicker than the iPhone 17, which has a battery almost half the size.

Does that mean the OnePlus 15 could have been much thinner with a normal battery? Who cares, apparently nobody wants a thin phone with a small battery. The OnePlus 15 is the phone you’ve been asking for instead of the iPhone Air.

The OnePlus 15 is more restrained than previous OnePlus phones, and while I miss the navy blue curves of the OnePlus 13 and the swirling jade green OnePlus 12, I understand the impulse to be less flashy. Those camera bumps were very large. The phones were downright wobbly.

Image 1 of 4

The OnePlus 12 design, especially in Flowy Emerald, was gorgeous, but divisive (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)Image 2 of 4

That camera bump is admittedly very large (Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 4

The OnePlus 13 tried for classier color options, but the cameras still stand out (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)Image 4 of 4

OnePlus reps said its own fans were asking for a smaller camera bump on the back (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The OnePlus 15 looks like it could descend from the same lineage as the Google Pixel 10. It has a prominent camera bump that feels precisely machined, taking up a square of the corner on the back. The curves of the phone, the camera bump, and the camera lens windows are all symmetrically aligned on the same axis.

The color options for the OnePlus 15 are a bit staid compared to previously flashy hues, but each comes with its own benefits. My review unit came in the Sand Storm color that OnePlus claims is slightly more durable than the rest, owing to the electrified way the color is applied to the frame. The lilac color will be more limited, which only makes me want it more.

• Design score: 5 / 5

OnePlus 15 review: Display

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

• Excellent display for gaming with special features
• Bright, colorful, and incredibly responsive

The OnePlus 15 has a display made for serious gaming. That doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy its benefits if you don’t play hardcore, online multiplayer games. It’s still incredibly bright and colorful. But for gaming it stands out like no other phone I’ve tried.

How fast is the OnePlus 15 display? You’re going to need to find the Experiment settings in Call of Duty Mobile to truly take advantage of what this phone can do. For a number of games, the OnePlus 15 can refresh up to 165 Hz. For the rest of its functions, it refreshes from a 1Hz always-on sleep screen to 120Hz.

I was a big fan of the OnePlus 13 fingerprint sensor, and I’m pleased to report the OnePlus 15 has the most consistent scanner I’ve used on a phone this year. While Samsung phones regularly fail to register my fingerprint, the OnePlus 15 opened the first time I tried, every single time. Only Apple’s FaceID system is this consistent and quick, other Android makers haven’t been able to match this convenience.

Is this the best display around? Our lab tests say the Google Pixel 10 Pro is much brighter, with better color. I definitely preferred the Pixel 10 Pro for taking photos outdoors, but the OnePlus 15 still has a great display, and its fast response time pushes it to the top.

• Display score: 5 / 5

OnePlus 15 review: Software

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

• Oxygen OS 16 is a polished and friendly version of Android
• Plenty of features to reward power users and iPhone switchers alike

OnePlus has its own version of Android 16, Oxygen OS, and it's a very elegant design that takes great advantage of the sharp resolution of the display. You get plenty of tools like a widget shelf and a pop-up sidebar, or you can just ignore all of those an enjoy the uncluttered, effective look.

There are tons of unique features built in that are actually useful and don't require too much digging. If you're daring, try the Zen Space, which will lock you out of your own phone for a minute. No joke, no half measures. Nothing you do can get you back in. Like I said, it's daring.

I like Oxygen OS, it's clearly inspired by iOS without feeling derivative or amateur. It rewards OnePlus owners who know other OnePlus owners with special sharing and communication features that work between devices. If you're an iPhone owner considering a switch, this is the first Android stop I'd recommend on your bus out of Apple town.

Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

There are AI tools on the OnePlus 15, and even a button that will take a screenshots to save to a special AI mind space. This is similar to Google’s Screenshot app on its Pixel phones, and it's an unobtrusive way to let AI collect your personal data on your own terms. The OnePlus AI also did a fine job transcribing my recordings, which is an AI tool I use frequently across my devices for meetings and interviews.

OnePlus says this phone will get four years of major Android updates, hopefully taking Oxygen OS 16.0 all the way up to Oxygen OS 20, though we’ll have to hold OnePlus to this promise. It will get six years of security updates as well, even after the OS updates stop.

• Software score: 5 / 5

OnePlus 15 review: Cameras

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

• Versatile cameras with effective zoom that captures great detail
• Best action camera for fast-moving subjects in any light condition

With the OnePlus 15, you get a versatile camera array that rises to any occasion. For hundreds less than a Pixel 10 Pro XL or Galaxy S25 Ultra, you get a camera with the same capabilities – especially a real 3.5x optical zoom lens.

The photos I got from the OnePlus 15 were usually just as good as pics from the best camera phones, and in some cases the OnePlus 15 shots were the best. Compared to the Pixel 10 Pro and Galaxy S25 Ultra, for instance, the OnePlus 15 camera achieves more clarity edge to edge in most photos.

The OnePlus 15 does have some special tricks up its sleeve. It's the best camera phone I've used when I am shooting a fast moving subject. For my kid’s football games, the combo of zoom plus action mode means I get shots with the ball hovering in mid air, taken from high up in the bleachers. Other phones can manage the same zoom, but not the same speed.

Maybe there are too many modes in the camera, but there are some I'm dying to try, like the underwater mode that balances for the blue light and gives you controls to use when the screen doesn't work. I'll need to wait until it's warmer for that one.

Is the OnePlus 15 the absolute best camera phone? I still think the iPhone 17 Pro is tops, but for the price, the OnePlus 15 offers unique features and excellent quality, and it surpassed my expectations once again.

• Camera score: 5 / 5

OnePlus 15 review: Camera samplesImage 1 of 6

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(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)OnePlus 15 review: Performance

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

• Stellar performance from Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
• Gaming mode pushes display to 165 Hz for superlative gamers

As one of the first smartphones with the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset inside, I knew the OnePlus 15 would be incredibly fast, but I usually wonder where all that speed goes? Thankfully, OnePlus offers concrete examples for gamers, and if you haven't taken mobile gaming seriously before, maybe it's time.

I usually test phones by playing Call of Duty Mobile with my Xbox controller on Bluetooth. I max out the settings and play multiplayer games to test the frame rate. Not only did the OnePlus 15 play CoD better than any previous phone I've used, I maxed out all the settings, including every option in the Experiment mode, and the game ran just as smoothly. It looked like a current-gen console game running on my phone.

The OnePlus 15 even supports a 165Hz display refresh rate, which means some games will be able to run at a theoretical 165 fps. Those include: Clash of Clans, Brawl Stars, Real Racing 3, Standoff 2, Blood Strike - FPS for all, and of course Call of Duty.

Even if you're not a gamer, you'll still appreciate the smooth performance of the OnePlus 15 in everyday tasks. Oxygen OS offers a variety of visual transitions between your home screen panels, for instance, as well as other pop-up features. All of these respond instantly as you tap and swipe.

We'll probably see a slightly faster version of this chipset when the Samsung Galaxy S26 is launched in early 2026, but the big question will be what Samsung does with so much power. Will the next Galaxy have a high-refresh rate display and a stable of games ready to run fast? Or will that power be squandered on AI? The benchmarks might give Samsung a future win, but the OnePlus manages to put all of its power to use, for once.

• Performance score: 5 / 5

OnePlus 15 review: Battery

(Image credit: Blue Pixl Media)

• Unbelievable battery life - lasted 3 days in my testing
• Super-fast charging, wired or wireless (with a OnePlus charger)

Last year’s OnePlus 13R was my pick for the best phone to buy for battery life, but this year’s OnePlus 15 raises the bar higher than I thought possible. Its battery seems obnoxiously large on paper, but the phone feels no heavier or thicker than any other flagship smartphone. Is there really a 7,300 mAh cell inside? Our Future Labs test say yes, indeed, and it’s more impressive than it sounds.

How long should a smartphone last? A day? Two day? I woke up on Wednesday with a fully charged OnePlus 15. I went to bed on Friday night and the phone still had battery power in the single digits. It lasted nearly three full days of use. You can leave your charger at the office for the weekend without worrying too much.

Even better, bring the charger along, because the OnePlus 15 charges faster than any other phone you’ll find. In 30 minutes of charging with the included 80W charger (it can charge to 100W in regions outside the US) I had more than 80% battery life. In less than 45 minutes I was fully charged.

That means you might get a week of real world use from this phone with just over an hour sitting on the wired charger. Want to go wireless? Like everything else on the OnePlus 15, wireless charging will demolish your expectations. This phone can charge faster on a OnePlus AirVOOC wireless charger than an iPhone 17 Pro can charge with wire.

Too bad it doesn’t have magnets built-in, then, but I highly recommend getting a OnePlus case. All of the new OnePlus 15 cases have magnets that align the wireless charging with your favorite MagSafe accessories, but I highly recommend splurging on AirVOOC. A few moments on a charging stand and you’ll be ready for hours more play time.

• Battery score: 5 / 5

Should you buy the OnePlus 15?OnePlus 15 scorecard

Value

Priced less than competitors’ Pro and Ultra models, with features that blow those flagships out of the water. I wish it were available on a payment plan, but it’s a fantastic value nonetheless.

5/5

Design

A more refined design gives up flashy colors and a ginormous camera bump for extreme durability and classy looks. It’s astonishing OnePlus got so much tech into this phone, especially the huge battery.

5/5

Display

Excellent display is bright and colorful, and capable of extreme gaming performance with the right titles. It can refresh up to 120Hz, or up to 165Hz on select games, and you can really see the difference when you play.

5/5

Software

Smooth and polished version of Android 16 in Oxygen OS, with plenty of useful customization options and features, and just the right touch of AI (that you can also ignore). This phone also has 4 years of updates on the way.

5/5

Cameras

Excellent camera quality beats anything at this price range and aims to be one of the best camera phones you can buy. For action shots and detailed zoom photos, the OnePlus might be the best choice, but all of my pics looked good and there are camera modes I still want to try.

5/5

Performance

Top notch performance makes this phone a benchmark champ, and OnePlus puts all of that power to use in fantastic gaming. Max out the graphics on your favorite title, this phone can defeat whatever monsters you throw its way.

5/5

Battery

Unbelievable battery life thanks to a massive cell hidden inside the svelte design. This phone beats everything by hours and hours - it lasted almost three days in my real world testing. Also it charges super fast, if you ever need to charge it.

5/5

Buy it if...

You want battery that lasts and lasts and lastsThis isn’t just the best battery life, it is so far ahead that it’s practically into next week while the iPhone is still charging today

You play the latest multiplayer mobile gamesGames on the OnePlus 15 look more like current-gen console titles than the mobile games you’ve seen before. The difference is striking

You need durability to survive a volcanic eruption
Exaggeration? The OnePlus 15 is the only phone I’ve seen certified to survive intense, high-temperature water sprays. This phone is Jurassic tough

Don't buy it if...

You don’t have the cash to shell out up frontSadly, OnePlus doesn’t have the best distribution, so you probably won’t be able to pay for this phone on a monthly plan

You love magnets and everything that contains magnets
It’s too bad there aren’t magnets built into the OnePlus 15, but the case options all have magnets, if magnets are your thing

You’re a pro photographer who uses only smartphones for some reason
The OnePlus 15 camera is one of the best, but the iPhone 17 Pro is still better all around for pixel peeping perfectionists who can’t accept less

Also consider...

Apple iPhone 17 Pro
If you want an iPhone that is as powerful with cameras this good, you’ll have to go for a Pro model, and it still can’t match the OnePlus battery.

Read our in-depth Apple iPhone 17 Pro review

Google Pixel 10 Pro
The Pixel 10 Pro is durable with a great design and fantastic software. It just lacks the battery life, performance, and even camera quality of the OnePlus 15.

Read our in-depth Google Pixel 10 Pro review

OnePlus 15

Apple iPhone 17 Pro

Google Pixel 10 Pro

Price:

$899 / £899

$1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,999

$999 / £999 / AU $1,699

Processor:

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

Apple A19 Pro

Google Tensor G5

Display:

6.78-inch OLED up to 165Hz

6.3-inch 1-120Hz OLED

6.3-inch 60-120Hz OLED

Battery Test Results (HH:MM:SS)

26:25:00

15:21:36

13:43:30

How I tested the OnePlus 15

I have been using the OnePlus 15 for more than two weeks as my primary business phone, with all of my personal and work accounts loaded onto the device. I used the phone on AT&T’s 5G network in the greater New York Area, including around our Times Square offices and my home in Connecticut.

I used the OnePlus 15 as my camera, testing almost every camera feature (I couldn’t test the Underwater mode). I connected the OnePlus 15 to my OnePlus Watch 3, my OnePlus Buds Pro 3, and many other Bluetooth headsets and devices. I used Android Auto in my Kia and my friends’ Acura and Subaru cars, and connected to Bluetooth in an older BMW.

I've been testing phones for more than 20 years, since the days of BlackBerry and Palm OS smartphones and Samsung flip phones. I've tested hundreds of devices myself, and our Future Labs experts have tested hundreds more.

Future Labs tests phones using a mix of third-party benchmark software and proprietary, real-world tests. We use Geekbench, CrossMark, JetStream, WebXPRT and Mobile XPRT, and 3DMark for performance testing. We test a phone's performance on video editing tasks using Adobe Premiere Rush. We also measure display color output and brightness.

For battery testing, we have proprietary rundown tests that are the same for every phone, which we use to determine how long it takes for the battery to run down.

First reviewed November 2025

Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus: Two-minute review

I’ve tested quite a few pairs of Earfun earbuds before, but before I’d even had a chance to get the new Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus into my shell-likes, I’d already seen countless rave reviews of them from other websites. Suffice to say, the press at large finally discovered Earfun (not just audio-savvy types like me) and their impressions are glowing.

I can’t pretend to have reviewed every Earfun proposition – the budget brand puts out far more products than any one person could hope to review – but I’ve used multiple of its in-ears and over-ears, and some of them have made it into TechRadar's list of the best cheap headphones we (and I) have tested.

So what about the Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus, so good that Earfun had to name it four times (then add a 'Plus' moniker, to make things a bit more confusing)? They’re – drumroll please – absolutely fine. More of the cheap-and-cheerful same that I’ve come to expect from the brand, but with a few rough edges that mean they’re not the best earbuds I’ve ever used. No, not even at this low price.

The 'Plus' presumably signifies a more advanced model of the Earfun Air Pro 4 I tested in late 2024, although with more titles than a character from Downton Abbey it’s hard to be sure. Those were decent and cheap headphones with a few too many EQ modes for their own good and a lack of refinement in the audio department, and the Plus has added a few things – but not fixed any of those issues.

As with other buds from the brand, my favorite thing about the Air Pro 4 Plus is the stand-out feature list, which rivals alternatives that’d cost you twice as much. There’s a stellar battery life, a listening test, dual-device connectivity and multiple other options. When you put some Earfuns in, the ball’s in your court.

The things is, loads of features can also become a problem – there are six different ANC modes (counting ‘off’, I’ll admit), one of which has its own slider. How to tell which mode you should be using at any one time is anyone’s guess (unless you want it ‘off’, which is a pretty easy pick).

The buds are nice and lightweight, surviving long listening periods as well as gym workouts and runs well, and the case is pretty svelte too. These are solid picks for your commute or while you’re sitting in the office.

If you’re an audiophile, though, these won’t tick your boxes; they’re not the best buds in terms of sound, even for their price. I’ll get to some better-sounding options below, but the feature set makes a great case for why you should consider buying these anyway.

Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus review: Price and release date

(Image credit: Future)

• Released on September 26, 2025
• Costs $99.99 / £89.99 (around AU$280)
• Slight price increase over non-Plus model

The Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus – I’m going to get really sick of writing that whole title out across this review, I can tell – were released on September 26, 2025, and could be bought on that day.

The official price of the earbuds is $99.99 / £89.99 (around AU$180) . Amazon lists those costs as the discounted price, and $119.99 / £109.99 (around AU$220) as the original price, but as far as I can tell they’ve never been sold for that higher price, making it look like a bit of an underhanded method to present the usual price as discounted. On Earfun’s website, the cheaper price is presented as the normal one, and so I’m taking that as my guide price for the purposes of context and comparison.

That price puts them as a hair pricier than the $89.99 / £79.99 (roughly AU$140) Air Pro 4, and roughly the same as the Air Pro 3. They’re among the priciest buds for Earfun but that’s not saying much, as the brand specializes in affordable audio.

At that cost, I’d still call the Air Pro 4 Plus ‘cheap earbuds’, although they’re toeing the border and bumping up against some real heavyweight rivals in the triple-figure-price-tag camp.

Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus review: Specs

Drivers

Balanced Armature driver + 10mm dynamic driver

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Battery life (ANC off)

12 hours (buds) 54 hours (case)

Weight

5g (buds) 54g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 6

Frequency response

Not listed

Waterproofing

IP55

Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus review: Features

(Image credit: Future)

• 8-hour buds battery, 54-hour with case
• Confusing ANC modes
• Loads of handy features in app

I love a meaty battery life in earbuds, and Earfun clearly concurs. With 54 hours of listening time in the tank, you’re not going to need to worry about powering the buds daily (or even weekly, depending on your listening habits).

That’s the figure for the case, and the buds themselves last 12 hours if you’re listening with ANC turned off or 8 hours if it’s turned on. Both are great figures, slightly better than on the non-Plus model, that’ll assuage any battery anxiety you might have.

You get a few extra features with Earfun Audio, the tie-in smartphone app. You can toggle wear detection, customize the buds’ touch controls, choose which Bluetooth codecs are in use, change some microphone settings, find your headphones if you’ve misplaced them, and set up dual device connection.

I’m always surprised by the number of features Earfun offers in its earbuds, with many premium alternatives having half as many. Sometimes that gets a little overwhelming though, like in the case of noise cancellation. Not counting ‘off’ or a useful Ambient mode, there are four different modes: Ear Adaptive, Environment Adaptive, Wind and Manual Adaptive (which lets you use a slider to choose its intensity).

(Image credit: Future)

Even after having read the descriptions multiple times, and having used other Earfun products with these modes, I can’t tell the difference between Ear and Environment, or Environment and Wind, and have no idea how to choose which of these modes to use. Even if I could work out the use case for each mode, there’s no way you’re going to catch me going into the app to change modes every time the wind picks up a little bit.

The app offers an equalizer with myriad presets, a ten-band custom mode or a sound profile test to create a personalized mix. This latter isn’t quite as accurate as rival modes, but generally speaking you have to spend a lot more money on alternatives with listening tests, so it’s a welcome presence in this budget option.

Through the entire testing process, I never once had any Bluetooth drop-out issues with the buds, and it was reliably quick to pair. You can probably thank the use of Bluetooth 6 for this, which is a much more advanced version of wireless connection than most rival buds have.

• Features score: 4.5/5

Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Understated purple hue
• Lightweight case and buds
• IPX5 rating

It’s in the name: the ‘Air’ part of Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus describes the case. It’s lovely and light, weighing 54g, and the ‘clamshell’ style of opening means it’s easy enough to open and remove the buds. No fiddling involved.

Now onto the buds; they’re nice and lightweight too, hitting the scales at about 6g, although they seem a little bit bigger than the non-Plus models (at least, based on my recollection, and I’m sure a justification will be clear when we get to the sound quality section).

The Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus are stem-style buds, with the earbuds attached to your ear via a tip, and a stem dangling down, just like AirPods.

(Image credit: Future)

Each bud has a touch control, which you can trigger by tapping the circle at the top of the stem. I found them easy to press, albeit a little too sensitive when I was readjusting the buds in my ears.

The buds have an IP55 rating, which means they’re protected against limited dust ingress and jets of water. This latter means they’re not suitable for water submersion, so don’t take them for a swim. One of the benefits of a plastic build material ensures that the buds are hardy against drops and knocks.

I took the Earfuns to the gym a few times and they never fell out, and while they felt a little loose when they accompanied me on a run, they never actually did fall out. This was with the default tips, but the box comes with a few alternatives to account for various ear sizes. They were comfy to wear too, and I didn’t face any aches or strains after extended listening periods.

• Design score: 4/5

Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus review: Sound quality

• BA driver + 10mm dynamic driver
• Range of codecs supported
• Treble and mids still miss some pizzazz

(Image credit: Future)

Perhaps the biggest advances the Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus brings over its siblings – and other cheap buds – is in the audio specs department.

There are two drivers: a 10mm composite dynamic driver which handles the bass and midrange, alongside a balanced armature driver which focuses on providing high-frequency response and high audio detail.

If that wasn’t enough, the Earfun supports a range of audio codecs and features that you’d expect from pricey buds: LDAC, aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive Snapdragon Sound and Hi-Res Audio Wireless Certification to be precise.

The spec improvements certainly bring some benefits over past Earfun buds I’ve tested, with well-defined bass and a slightly more pronounced sound stage, but the augments don’t do enough to make these sonic equals to some of the other budget buds on the market.

(Image credit: Future)

Treble remains somewhat dampened, with vocals missing that sparkly energy and depth that you’d want from a song, and mids still hopelessly lost in the mix. As I mentioned before, the bass improvements ensure it’s tactfully-tuned, and doesn’t drown out other parts of a song as much as in the non-Plus pair, but that also makes these buds less tempting for bass-heads.

Using the equalizer, you can pull out some strings to improve the sound – I liked Vocal Enhancement which added some force to the sung word and expanded the sound stage, but it increased the risk of peaking on certain instruments and made sibilant lines sound tinny. For certain other sounds I went for Bass Boost 1, which doesn’t send the bass into overdrive as you’d expect, but adds clarity and dimension to low-frequency lines. As a bass player myself, it got surprisingly close to replicating the sound of actually playing a bass guitar.

I don’t want to be too down on the Air Pro 4 Plus – it sounds perfectly fine, and I don’t imagine many people will be disappointed by how it sounds. But as someone that’s tested plenty of rivals, I’d be remiss not to point out that it’s not the top dog.

• Sound quality: 3.5/5

Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

• Feature set is great for price
• Audio quality is more what you'd expect

As with its many past earbuds, Earfun has packed a great number of features and some impressive specs into a relatively low-cost set of buds.

Perhaps not all of those features are as fleshed-out as they would be on a pricier pair of buds, but their very presence in the first place is great for people who don’t want to pay more.

My only caveat would be that you could get even more bang for your buck by buying one of Earfun’s other, cheaper options.

• Value: 4/5

Should I buy the Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus?Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

You're getting loads of features for the price, and a fantastic battery life, even if the ANC situation is confusing.

4.5/5

Design

They're nice and light, and reliably stick in the ear.

4/5

Sound quality

There are a few issues, but nothing that you can't overlook with the price.

3.5/5

Value

You're getting an impressive feature set for the price you're paying.

4/5

Buy it if…

You need buds for the long haul
Thanks to the case offering 54 hours of listening time, these buds will be great for people who can't regularly get to a charging point.

You like tweaking with your music
There are loads of presets, a 10-band equalizer and your own personal sound thanks to the listening test. Great for people who like their own music.View Deal

You need something lightweight
I liked how easy it was to forget about the Earfun; when the buds were in my ears, and while the case was in my pocket.View Deal

Don’t buy it if…

You need fine-tuned music
I didn't mind listening to the Air Pro 4 Plus, but they're not my favorite cheap buds ever, at least when it comes to audio quality.

You need the best noise cancellation
The ANC was fine, but due to the myriad options and my confusion on which to pick, it's hard to say how to get the best of the buds.

Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus review: Also consider

Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus

Skullcandy Method 360

Sony WF-C710N

Drivers

Balanced Armature driver + 10mm dynamic driver

12mm

5mm

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Yes

Yes

Battery life

12 hours (buds) 54 hours total (with case)

11 hours (buds) 29 hours total (with case)

12 hours (buds) 30 hours total (with case)

Weight

5g (buds) 54g (case)

11g (buds); 77g (case)

5.2g (buds); 38g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 6

Bluetooth 5.3

Bluetooth 5.3

Waterproofing

IP55

IPX4

IPX4

Sony WF-C710N
These top-rated and similarly-priced earbuds from Sony have fantastic noise cancellation and a great range of the company's features. A few of the Earfun's features are missing, like LDAC, but it's still a top-rated pick (and it looks funky too).
Read our full Sony WF-C710N review here

Skullcandy Method 360
These are perhaps my favorite sub-$100 earbuds of the year so far. They've got a lovely bassy sound, a funky look (both for the buds and the case) and a snug fit that kept them safe in the ear. The case is absolutely huge, though.
Check out our full Skullcandy Method 360 review here

How I tested the Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested for 2 weeks
• Tested at home, on walks, and the gym and on runss

I used the Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus for about two weeks to write this review, which is about enough time to write that entire name.

During the test process, the buds were mostly paired to my Android smartphone. I used them in a wide variety of environments including at home, at the gym, on walks around my borough, on runs and to the shops. I played games, listened to Spotify, Tidal and Qobuz and watched YouTube videos as the main ways to test, but used them as my daily blowers too, so there are a plethora of other tasks I used them for.

As mentioned in the introduction, I saw quite a bit of coverage on the Earfun before writing my review, however I never read into reviews beyond the positive headlines in order to avoid their biasing my opinions.

Also as mentioned, I've used other Earfun earbuds in the past, as well as plenty of other cheap alternatives in my six-plus years testing tech for TechRadar.

• First reviewed in November 2025

• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

DJI Neo 2: one-minute review

The DJI Neo was a cheap beginner drone that represented a push in a new direction for the brand: it was designed primarily for shooting very short clips and photos for social media, and its size and simplicity (it could be flown without a controller) made it a carry-anywhere device.

A year on, the DJI Neo 2 is here, and I'm happy to report that it retains the core appeal of the original model – affordable, simple and small – while also packing some meaningful improvements.

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

For me, the headline upgrade is the addition of an omnidirectional obstacle avoidance system. One of the Neo's weaknesses was a tendency to crash, particularly when you were using one of its automated flight modes, but the new setup, with combined vision and LiDAR sensors, makes collisions a lot less likely.

The camera has also been improved, with better image stabilization thanks to a new two-axis gimbal, higher frame-rate options for 4K video, and slightly improved sensitivity. And there's now almost 50GB of onboard storage, up from 22GB on the original model.

For automated flight modes I liked the new onboard screen, which is much more informative and useful than the icon-based indicators on the Neo.

Aside from these tweaks, things are much the same as on the Neo, for better or worse. Flight time is still a little on the short side, so investing in multiple batteries is recommended, while on the control front, the option to supplement autonomous flight with manual control from a smartphone running the DJI Fly app or a full-blooded twin-stick controller makes the Neo 2 far more than a simple selfie drone.

DJI Neo 2: release date and price

• Released November 13 2025
• Base kit costs £209 / AU$409, Fly More Bundle costs £349 / AU$709
• Not officially available in US

DJI announced the Neo 2 on November 13 2025, a little over a year after the launch of the original Neo. It's available to order immediately in most of the world, in the following options:

DJI Neo 2 (drone only) from £209 / AU$409; DJI Neo 2 Fly More Combo, which includes the drone plus three batteries and a charging hub, from £289 / AU$549; DJI Neo 2 Fly More Combo, which includes the above plus an RC-N3 controller, from £349 / AU$709; and DJI Neo 2 Motion Fly More Combo, which includes the batteries and hub plus a motion controller and FPV headset.

When the original Neo arrived last year, it was priced from £169 / AU$299, so the Neo 2 is a slightly pricier prospect. However, given its extra features and functionality, I think the extra cost is justified, and it's still one of the cheapest non-toy drones on the market.

As with all recent DJI products, the Neo 2 is not coming to the US market. DJI has released the following statement: "The DJI Neo 2 will not be officially available in the US market through official websites following the global launch on November 13. DJI remains committed to the U.S. market and is optimizing our strategy to best serve our customers amidst evolving local conditions."

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)DJI Neo 2: specsDJI Neo 2 specs

Camera:

12MP 1/2-inch CMOS sensor

Video resolution:

4K

Frame rates:

4K up to 60fps (100fps when using remote control)

Video transmission range:

04 for 10km (FCC), 6km (CE/SRRC/MIC)

Flight modes:

Manual Control, Follow, Skiing Follow, Cycling Follow, SelfieShot, Dronie, Helix, Rocket, Circle, Boomerang, Dolly Zoom, Spotlight

Storage:

49GB on-board

Battery:

1606mAh / up to 19 minutes flight time.

Charger type:

USB-C / Battery charging hub

Weight:

5.6oz / 160g (inc. transceiver)

Dimensions:

167 x 171 x 54mm (inc. transceiver)

DJI Neo 2: design and handling

• Non-folding design with enclosed propellers
• 160g weight with Digital Transceiver fitted (151g without)
• 49GB of built-in storage

The overall look of the Neo 2 is similar to last year's original – this is a small, non-folding 'whoop'-style quadcopter with integrated propeller guards and a nose-mounted camera. But on closer inspection there are some key differences.

One major departure is an extra pod on the back, complete with rabbit-ear antennas. This is a Digital Transceiver, which comes pre-installed on certain versions of the drone and allows it to connect to DJI accessories like controllers and headsets. Without it, the Neo 2 can only be flown with a smartphone or completely controller-free.

For me, the most welcome change is the inclusion of a small display on the front, which indicates which flight mode the drone is in. It's a big improvement on the Neo's light-up icons, which I always found confusing. This display, along with the three buttons arranged along one side of the drone, makes controller-free flight much simpler this time around, and meant I didn't feel the need to pull out my phone and connect to the DJI Fly app so often.

Image 1 of 5

The Neo 2's tiny screen is a major upgrade over the original's icon indicators (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)Image 2 of 5

These buttons are used to choose the flight mode and begin an automated flight. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)Image 3 of 5

The transceiver allows you to fly the Neo 2 with a controller. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)Image 4 of 5

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)Image 5 of 5

The battery charging hub makes topping up multiple batteries a much easier process. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

These changes haven't greatly affected the shape or weight of the drone compared to the original, and at around 160g with the transceiver or 151g without, it falls well under the key 250g threshold. In the EU, it's a Class 0 model, and with these classifications coming to the UK soon it means the Neo 2 can be flown in most locations, closer than 50m to uninvolved people and over people (but not over crowds).

The build quality is what you'd expect from a DJI drone: despite the lightweight plastic, it feels solid and well built. An included plastic cover fits on to protect the camera when it's not in use, and extra prop guards come pre-installed to protect both the propellers and the fingers of users from harm. These can be removed, should you need to replace the propellers.

I had no fears about tossing the Neo 2 into my backpack when travelling, although I was a little surprised that the Fly More Combo DJI sent me to review didn't come with some kind of carrying bag or case.

The Neo 2's batteries pop in and out easily, and can be charged either inside the drone or using the optional three-battery hub. The drone has its own USB-C port for both charging and data transfer, and like the original model there's no microSD card slot for storage expansion. The built-in storage has been upgraded though, from the Neo's 22GB to 49GB. That's enough for about 105 minutes of 4K 60fps footage or 175 minutes of 4K 30fps footage.

DJI Neo 2: features and performance

• Range of built-in flight modes and QuickShots
• Also compatible with DJI controllers
• 49GB of built-in storage space

The Neo 2 is first and foremost a selfie drone, designed for capturing quick shots of you and yours for your holiday album or social media. To that end, it comes with a range of built-in automated flight modes, plus QuickShots, which is designed to record a video or take a photo while flying in a preset and predictable manner. To see some of these in action, check out the video embedded in the next section of this review.

The Neo 2 also features pretty impressive tracking capabilities, allowing it to follow the user using just its camera, filming as it does so. It can do this while you're on foot, on a bike or even skiing, and having tested the first two methods I can say it's very adept at doing this.

You can set it to follow you at various angles and distances, and I found it easiest to set these using the DJI Fly app, connected to the Neo 2 via Wi-Fi. The drone's own screen and buttons can be used for this too, but it's just simpler and more reliable to do it using your phone in my experience.

The Fly More Combo comes with a DJI RC-N3 controller, which allows you to fly the Neo 2 like a 'standard' DJI camera drone (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

I also flew the Neo 2 using touchscreen controls and the DJI Fly app on a smartphone, and the RC-N3 controller. The app flight controls are quite rudimentary, but the drone responded well to them, and I think they're fine for getting it into a particular position for a photo or video.

With the controller, the flight experience becomes much more like a traditional DJI camera drone, and the drone flies nimbly and responsively here – albeit with less wind resistance and speed than a fully-fledged Mini, Air or Mavic drone.

As with the Neo, the Neo 2 is also suitable for FPV flying, if you have a set of compatible DJI Goggles and RC Motion Controller. I wasn't able to test this out personally, unfortunately.

The Neo 2 can stay airborne for around 18 minutes in ideal conditions, but in real-world use, this tends to be closer to 10 minutes (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

Perhaps the biggest flight upgrade on the Neo 2 is the addition of omnidirectional object sensing, which prevents the drone from crashing into trees, fences and the like during its automated flights. It even uses LiDAR for the forward-facing sensor.

Given that the original had essentially no object avoidance at all, it's a game-changer, and in my tests it worked well. For example, rather than flying into tree branches behind it, I noticed it dropped in altitude to get underneath them – impressive stuff from such a small, affordable drone.

Battery life is about the same as the original Neo: 18 or so minutes in ideal conditions. In real-world use, I found it to be closer to 10 minutes, so if you're planning on flying for extended periods then the Fly More Combo, with its extra batteries and charging cradle, feels like a sensible option.

DJI Neo 2: image and video quality

• 1/2-inch image sensor
• 4K video capture up to 100fps
• 12MP JPEG photography

The camera is mounted on a two-axis gimbal and includes electronic image stabilization. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

The Neo 2 offers a modest image quality upgrade, but uses what appears to be the same 12MP 1/2-inch sensor as its predecessor. The camera is now mounted on a new two-axis gimbal which, partnered with the RockSteady electronic image stabilization brought over from the original Neo, manages to keep the horizon level while shooting.

In higher winds, there's a little less stability to the camera than I'd expect from a full-blooded DJI camera drone – but then this isn't one of those, and it performs excellently for a drone in this price bracket.

The camera provides a 119.8-degree field of view, with a full-frame equivalent focal length of 16.5mm, which is wide without adding too much corner distortion. The aperture is fixed at f/2.2, making the camera slightly faster than the Neo's f/2.8 lens. ISO range has been improved too, and now runs from 100 to 12800 in most shooting modes.

The Neo 2 isn't a "serious" camera drone in the same way as many of its DJI stablemates, but can still manage 4K capture at up to 60fps (or 100fps when using a controller). I think the footage and 12MP photos look more than acceptable straight from the camera, but if you're expecting pro-level quality you're going to be disappointed. There are no options to shoot in anything other than the Standard color profile for video, and no RAW option for photos. There's no way to fit ND filters on the camera either.

If you can live with these limitations and take the Neo 2 for what it is, you should be more than happy with its camera performance. I know I was – for such a small and simple drone, it delivers results that are ideal for social media sharing.

Image 1 of 4

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)Image 2 of 4

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)Image 3 of 4

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)Image 4 of 4

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)DJI Neo 2: testing scorecardDJI Neo 2

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

Not quite as cheap as its predecessor, but still superb value

5/5

Design

Small, lightweight and well constructed

4/5

Performance

Lots of control options, now with obstacle avoidance

5/5

Image and video quality

Simple stuff, but gets the job done

4/5

Should I buy the DJI Neo 2?

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)Buy it if...

You want a simple, small drone
With the option to fly controller-free, the Neo 2 keeps things beautifully simple – and its obstacle avoidance makes crashing much less likely than was the case with the original Neo.

You’re on a limited budget
The Neo 2 is affordable compared with some of DJI's more advanced drones, especially if you buy the base kit. It's a great way to get into drone flying.

You already own DJI FPV accessories
If you already own a DJI FPV controller (Motion 3 or FPV 3) and DJI Goggles N3 or 3, the Neo 2 gives you a lightweight, restriction-free alternative to the Avata.

Don't buy it if...

You want advanced photo and video capabilities
The Neo 2 is designed with capturing quick shots and clips in mind. Despite its 4K resolution it's not a 'serious' camera drone – you'll need to move further up DJI's range for those.

You want a 'real' FPV drone
While FPV flight is possible by adding a headset and controller, the prohibitive combined cost means you're better off buying a DJI Avata 2 instead. It's better suited to the job too.View Deal

DJI Neo 2: also consider DJI Mini 5 Pro

If you're more interested in image quality than simplicity and affordability, but still want something small, I don't think there's a better 250g-ish drone than the DJI Mini 5 Pro. Its 1-inch sensor delivers incredible videos and photos, and it's a brilliantly easy drone to fly thanks to a raft of safety features.

Read our in-depth DJI Mini 5 Pro review

HoverAir X1

The HoverAir X1 Pro is perhaps a better overall selfie drone than the DJI Neo 2, thanks to its incredible tracking capabilities and clever folding (and highly pocketable) design. However, it's a lot pricier, and in my opinion that makes it a bit less appealing than the cheap and cheerful Neo 2.

Read our in-depth HoverAir X1 Pro review

How I tested the DJI Neo 2

• All main features and functions tested
• Flown with the DJI RC-N3 Controller, direct app control and without app
• Flown outside in dry but breezy conditions

I tested the DJI Neo 2 outdoors during the autumn of 2025 in the UK, in dry but fairly blustery weather conditions. The aim was to test all the functions, features and flight modes of the drone in real-world situations, in order to properly assess its capabilities and limitations.

Of the control options available on the drone I tested voice control, palm take-off without the use of the DJI Fly app, app control, and the DJI RC-N3 Controller. I was not able to test its FPV abilities, lacking the necessary gear to do so.

First reviewed November 2025

Technics SL-1300G turntable: two-minute review

Technics has a new direct-drive turntable, and because it’s part of the company’s upmarket ‘Grand Class’, it’s engineered to within an inch of its life and has a price-tag that will make you swallow hard.

Mind you, it’s not as if the company doesn’t feel like it’s offering value for money with the Technics SL-1300G. Between the twin-rotor ‘cogless’ motor, transformerless power supply, elaborate tonearm arrangement and overall sensation of bank-vault build quality (the platter alone weighs almost 4kg), the SL-1300G is a substantial proposition in every respect. Apart from the small matter of a cartridge, that is – Technics doesn’t provide one and you should probably budget another $500 or so on one of the many reputable brands who will sell you something appropriate.

Once you’ve swallowed this particular pill, there’s a great deal to enjoy about the SL-1300G. It sounds an absolute treat in the right system – its ability to analyze, contextualize and generally peer deep into the grooves of your records in a hunt for information is remarkable. And it balances this attitude with a sort of thrillingly musical, thoroughly absorbing and effortless naturalistic stance that makes every listen as entertaining and engrossing as can be.

In fact, as long as you take a moment to ensure your system isn’t going to goad the Technics into overdoing the high frequencies – it’s right on the edge where treble sounds are concerned, and won’t take much of a push to tip it over – there’s really nothing of any significance to complain about.

One of the best turntables on the market? It's definitely in the conversation.

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Technics SL-1300G turntable review: price and release date

• $3,299 / £2,799 / AU$4,999
• Launched in September 2024

The Technics SL-1300G direct-drive turntable is on sale now, and in the United States it's priced at $3,299. In the United Kingdom it’s more like £2,799, while in Australia it costs AU$4,999.

Not cheap, is it? And it’s not the end of your spending, either – Technics doesn’t supply a cartridge. So what is it offering for what is quite a lot of money (with the need to spend a fair bit more)?

After all, it’s not as if you’re short of high-quality alternatives…

Technics SL-1300G turntable review: features

• 230mm S-shaped aluminum tonearm
• Twin-rotor ‘coreless’ direct drive motor
• Low-noise, high-speed switching power supply

For the feature-set of the SL-1300G, Technics has allowed itself to be influenced by a couple of the more widely acclaimed turntables of the last couple of years: its own SL-1200G and SL-1200GR2. After all, if it ain’t broke etc and so on…

The motor that turns the SL-1300G’s platter is a variation on the one fitted to the SL-1200G, a model that launched in 2018 with a $4,000-plus price-tag attached. It’s based on the ‘coreless’ direct drive principles Technics first introduced in 2016: by removing the motor’s iron core, rotational instability (‘cogging’, as it’s colloquially known) can be reduced to vanishing point. In this implementation, a twin-rotor design reduces rotational vibration and minimizes the load on the bearings too.

The SL-1300G uses the Delta Sigma (ΔΣ) motor control software and drive system from last year’s SL-1200GR2, finessed and optimized for this application. The company’s prowess where PWM (pulse width modulation) is brought to bear in an effort to minimize even minor rotational inaccuracies along with errors in the drive signal. Because if you can deliver smooth, consistent rotation, argues Technics, you deliver smooth, consistent sound.

Further measures have been taken to ensure mechanical and, by extension, sonic accuracy. The SL-1300G uses a low-noise switching circuit that makes the more common transformer power supply redundant, which in turns makes the requirement for vibration-suppressing technologies that transformers tend to require redundant, too. Any residual noise in this transformerless power supply is identified by ‘current injection’ technology that applies inverse phase current to eliminate it. This, suggests Technics, is more effective than the common or garden ‘regulator’ alternative.

On the outside, the SL-1300G uses a rigid and lightweight aluminum pipe tonearm – it’s your classic static-balance S-shape and is 230mm long before the headshell is fitted. Technics supplies a headshell, of course, but what is conspicuous by its absence is a cartridge. The company is prepared to go on, at length, about how this omission allows you to select your preferred cartridge free from its interference, but it seems to me that a sum of money like this spent on a turntable ought to buy you the cartridge the manufacturer thinks is most appropriate. And, what’s more, to find it pre-fitted to the headshell.

The tonearm is connected to the surface of the turntable via gimbal suspension with a high-precision bearing. There’s anti-skate adjustment, a multi-part counterweight, tonearm lock and tonearm lift all incorporated. Getting the signal from the tonearm and out to an amplifier occurs via a pair of gold-plated stereo RCA outputs recessed deep beneath the main body of the SL-1300G. Technics supplies a pair of absolutely bog-standard RCA cables more commonly associated with turntables costing about 10 per cent of the price of this one.

• Features score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Technics SL-1300G turntable review: Sound quality

• Notable clarity, detail and low-frequency presence
• Energetic and dynamic attitude
• As confident at the top end as it dares to be

Some record players have a very specific character or attitude, or a comfort zone out of which they are unwilling to tread. The Technics SL-1300G, it’s safe to say, is not one of those record players. There isn’t a style of music it sounds uncomfortable with – as far as attitude is concerned, “it’s all good” seems to cover it.

During the course of this review I listen to everything from a heavyweight reissue of Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating in Space by Spiritualized to a ‘pre-loved’ (for which read ‘second-hand’) copy of The Strip Goes On by Orchester Werner Müller and many points in between, and at every turn the Technics covers every base. It’s a vibrant, energetic and engrossing performer, but it’s capable of forensic levels of analysis and insight at the same time.

Its frequency response, from the top of the range to the bottom, is smooth and even. Its overall tonality (with the mild exception of the top of the frequency range, which I’ll come to shortly) is neutral and natural. And its ability to allow music to just flow in the most confident and convincing manner is, even by the vaunted standards of the vinyl format, impressive in the extreme.

It digs deep and hits hard at the bottom of the frequency range, but both where control and insight are concerned it’s a spectacular performer. Bass sounds are solid and varied, with ample detail regarding tone and texture made available, while the SL-1300G controls the attack or decay of individual notes or hits with such purpose that rhythms are expressed in compelling fashion. It’s similarly accomplished in the midrange; there’s no fleeting detail that evades it, no secret of a singer’s technique or emotional state to which it’s not party. It communicates in absolute torrents, and in the most unforced and vivid manner – the balance it strikes between ‘analysis’ and ‘entertainment’ is outstanding.

Despite the significant levels of drive and attack it can summon, it never sounds stressed or uncontrolled. Though it can create a large and spacious soundstage, it presents music as a tightly unified whole, a singular event – the impression of performers operating in symphony, as opposed to a collection of individuals, is palpable.

Really, it’s only at the top of the frequency range that there are any noteworthy issues, and they can be mitigated without too much difficulty. The SL-1300G is a forthright and assertive performer where treble response is concerned, demonstrating as much confidence as is practical. Unlike the rest of the frequency range, though, the top end here is provokable – inserted into a system that’s similarly uninhibited where treble sounds are concerned, it’s possible that high frequencies could become a little edgy or strident.

So, a degree of system-matching is in order. The Technics won’t thank you for pairing it with speakers and/or amplification that share its high-end enthusiasm. Once you get over that particular hurdle, though, there’s nothing much else you need to do except sit back and revel in the sound this turntable produces.

• Sound quality score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Technics SL-1300G turntable review: Design

• Black or silver finish
• 173 x 453 x 372mm (HxWxD)
• 13kg

Broadly speaking, the SL-1300G looks like a record player. More specifically, it looks like a Technics turntable. Whether or not you think that’s a good thing is a matter of taste, but there’s no denying that the company’s turntables have a reasonably strong visual identity.

From top to bottom, there’s no mistaking the SL-1300G as the product of any other company. Its 173 x 453 x 372mm (HxWxD) includes a sturdy Perspex dust cover, and its two-part chassis stands on four equally sturdy, extremely pliant and frankly over-engineered silicone rubber insulators – because Technics deals in nothing as straightforward as ‘feet’, of course.

The chassis itself is a rigid and profoundly vibration-resistant construction. The base is made of bulk molding compound and is topped by a die-cast aluminum plate, and further vibration damping is achieved by reinforcing ribs deployed between the tonearm assembly and the motor.

As is usual with Technics turntables, the SL-1300G features a ‘power on/off’ button above a ‘start/stop’ button on the bottom left of the top plate. There are also a pair of speed-selection buttons for ‘33.3’ or ‘45’ – press them at the same time and your turntable will be able to turn at 78rpm.

All in, the SL-1300G weighs a chunky 13kg - and a full 3.6kg of this is accounted for by the platter. It’s a three-layer item, with an aluminum main body, a 2mm layer of brass across the top and a hefty quantity of deadening rubber covering the whole of the rear surface. It offers considerable vibration damping, impressive resonance rejection, smooth rotational stability and significant inertial mass. In essence, it’s the same as the platter fitted to the (appreciably more expensive) SL-1200G.

Every SL-1300G is balanced after it’s assembled – because if the weight distribution of the turntable is uneven, the rotation of the platter can cause noise and vibration. How do you know your SL-1300G has been balanced in the Technics factory before it’s packaged up? By the little ‘BALANCED’ sticker on the underside of the platter.

• Design score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Technics SL-1300G turntable review: usability and set-up

• Source and fit a cartridge
• Bin the supplied RCA cables in favor of something more appropriate
• Do the usual stuff regarding counterweight, anti-skate and so on

Unusually for the ‘usability and setup’ section, I’m going to have to talk about the need for you to spend yet more money. Because if you don’t, the SL-1300G is nothing more than an elaborate (and good-looking) doorstop.

If you want to get a sound out of your SL-1300G, you’ll need to research, source, purchase and fit an appropriate cartridge. I’d suggest something in the region of $500 will buy you something that will do this record player some justice. Cartridge fitting and setup are among the most fiddly things you can do (in life, let alone in the context of your audio system), so try to be patient. And then when you’ve done that, you really should consider binning the freebie RCA interconnects Technics so graciously supplies in favor of something that’s actually up to the job.

Once that’s done, though, usability is a doddle. The direct drive motor gets the platter up to speed in well under a second, and the tonearm lift operates with precision. ‘Putting a record on’ has never been any less painful than it is here.

• Usability and setup score: 4/5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Technics SL-1300G review: Value

• Superb build quality and materials
• Real longevity
• But you have to spend even more money to get it working

It depends how you look at it, I suppose. In terms of engineering prowess, the quality of materials and the way they’re put together, in terms of longevity and simple pride of ownership, the Technics SL-1300G represents very good value indeed. And that’s before you factor in the many admirable aspects of the way it sounds.

But given that this record player doesn’t actually function until you’ve spent quite a lot more money on a cartridge, plus a fair few bucks upgrading the cables connecting it to your amplifier, it’s perhaps not the cast-iron value for money it at first appears…

• Value score: 4/5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Should I buy the Technics SL-1300G?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Twin-rotor ‘coreless’ direct drive motor reduces rotational vibration and minimizes load; high-precision aluminum tonearm.

5/5

Sound quality

Notably clear and detailed; energetic and dynamic; confident at the top end.

4/5

Design

Gorgeous styling and perfectly balanced out of the factory. What's not to like?

5/5

Usability and setup

No cartridge supplied is a problem; RCA cables could also do with changing.

4/5

Value

High-quality materials and finish, but having to pay even more on top of a hefty price tag grates.

4/5

Buy it if...

You admire uncompromizing engineering
The engineering rigor that’s been brought to bear here is almost enough to make you want an SL-1300G before you hear what it can do.

You’re in any way careless
It’s not difficult to damage a stylus, of course, but you’ll have to go some if you want to damage any other part of this Technics.

You like sound quality that’s big on both insight and entertainment
The SL-1300G’s ability to pore over your records in the hunt for information at the same time as sounding uncomplicatedly musical never gets old.

Don't buy it if...

You’d like Technics to select (and fit) the most appropriate cartridge
I really don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect your $3,299 turntable to come with an optimized cartridge pre-fitted to the headshell.

Your system is treble-happy to start with
As part of an unsympathetically toppy system, the SL-1300G will only exacerbate things where treble response is concerned.

Technics SL-1300G review: also consider

Cambridge Audio Alva TT v2
For approximately half the price of the Technics SL-1300G you can buy a direct drive turntable with a switchable pre-amp and pre-fitted cartridge, and that can wireless transmit an aptX HD Bluetooth signal to any wireless receiver – yep, it’s the Cambridge Audio Alva TT v2, and these days it represents corking value for money.
Read the full Cambridge Audio Alva TT v2 review.

Rega Planar 10
Or you could go to the other extreme and drop $5,999 on a Rega Planar 10 with Alpheta 3 cartridge. It’s a fully manual belt-driven design that makes almost as big a deal of what it leaves out as it does the stuff it includes but, when it comes to sonic fidelity and veracity, nothing else at anything like the price can touch it.

How I tested the Technics SL-1300G

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

• Tested over the course of one week
• Listening to various types of music

I connected the Technics SL-1300G up to my home system using the supplied RGA cables. Then, I spent well over a working week listening to as many different types of music as I could, of many different genres, and varying qualities of pressing to give the SL-1300G as much of a workout as I could. And, to be honest, I enjoyed doing it.

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

Two weeks ago, I had a minor interest in the new game from Embark Studios. Fast forward to the middle of November, and Arc Raiders has quickly become one of my favorite multiplayer experiences ever.

That might sound like hyperbole, but this excellently crafted world with near-perfect sound design, very fun action, and the ability to make every moment feel like a movie has truly elevated Arc Raiders as one of the best PS5 games.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PS5 and PC
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Release date: October 30, 2025

2025 is one of the best years for video game releases in recent memory, from incredibly thought-provoking and beautiful experiences like Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the gorgeous hand-crafted world of Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight: Silksong, or the chaotic fun of Donkey Kong Bananza.

In a year where it’s almost impossible to select a shortlist for Game of the Year at the upcoming Game Awards, I’m absolutely shocked to say that an extraction shooter stands above the rest, and truly warrants your attention.

A world worth climbing up to

If you’ve not heard of Arc Raiders yet, it’s a new multiplayer PvPvE (player versus player versus environment) game from the developers of the hugely popular game-show style first-person shooter, The Finals.

On paper, Arc Raiders is an extraction shooter, an increasingly popular video game genre pioneered by titles like Escape from Tarkov and Hunt: Showdown. The difference is that, while extraction shooters pride themselves on unforgiving gameplay (die and you lose everything you’ve looted during your session), Arc Raiders captures the widespread appeal and console player base that few, if any, of the genre have been able to.

(Image credit: Embark)

The premise is simple: Earth has fallen to an alien mechanical force called the Arc, pushing humanity underground. As a raider, you need to venture “Topside” to salvage materials amongst rusted towns and shattered highways, and lands inhabited by very dangerous drone-esque robots.

Arc Raiders thrives in its atmosphere. I’ve been playing the game on PS5 Pro in my living room with a soundbar and on my gaming PC connected to open-ear headphones; in both environments, the game grabs all my attention - the world design is just absolutely ace.

Whether you’re hearing other players get attacked by drones across the map, the sound of car alarms going off in the near distance, or slowly crouching through claustrophobic corridors, Arc Raiders makes you feel part of the world, and because of that, the last thing you want to do is die.

(Image credit: Embark)It’s ok to be alone

(Image credit: Embark)

My biggest worry with online multiplayer games is feeling excluded because, as I grow older, I have fewer and fewer friends who want to team up after a long day at work for some intense online shooter action. In fact, the older I get, the more I avoid multiplayer games altogether, opting for tranquility and emotional connection with story-driven games instead of the thrill from explosions and gunshots.

But Arc Raiders is different; it tries to match solo players with other solo adventurers, and the instilled fear from the AI means other players are often more valuable alive than if you were to choose to kill them. On my first adventure as a solo raider, I experienced the magic of the game and instantly knew I would fall in love with it.

Crawling around corners in Dam Battlegrounds, one of the four maps at launch (each has different events that cycle throughout the day, and evening raids that make things feel more like a horror movie than a heist adventure), I could hear players conversing through the game’s proximity chat.

As soon as I popped my head out, one guy screamed, “FRIENDLY? ARE YOU FRIENDLY?” I paused, frantically looked for the button to toggle my microphone, and just before he started to shoot, I screamed back, “DON’T SHOOT, I’M NICE”.

(Image credit: Embark)

Both players, who had just met each other in the game mere minutes before I arrived, were super friendly, insisting we team up and help each other find rare weapons and other essential materials to kick-start our Arc Raiders journey.

As we breached containers, opened lockers, and fought enemies ranging from robotic spiders to loud Snitches that alert other Arc to your location, we stumbled on a fourth player. “FRIENDLY? ARE YOU FRIENDLY?” my newfound friend screamed again. No sound, but the player standing in front of us, like a criminal on trial, nodded their head and started to jump on the spot.

Best bit

(Image credit: Embark Studios)

Arc Raiders social interactions are complex and often intense, but sometimes you spend time wandering the world with a complete stranger for no other reason than to protect each other - it's social multiplayer at its finest.

In the midst of the commotion, the other player we’d been exploring with unmuted their mic and said “NO VOICE? NO LIKE!” and started spraying bullets into the mute custodian. In a split second, I had decided I wanted to instill humanity and fairness into my Arc Raiders experience and gunned down my comrade, protecting the microphone-less player and choosing fairness over all.

My friend turned foe said, “I didn’t hear them speak, but I’ll die a warrior’s death. I love you all, goodbye.” In that moment, I punched them in the face, knocking them out for good, and I never played with them again. If any moment needed to convince me that Arc Raiders was special, it was that, and from there I made sure to tell every single one of my friends to fork out the cash and join me Topside.

The best heist movie ever. Every single time

The best thing about the anecdote I just shared is that if you were to ask any one of the 4 million plus people who have purchased and played Arc Raiders for a similar moment, they’ll all have their own stories.

From dancing in a group, being betrayed by your best friend you only met for the first time 23 minutes ago, or crawling to an extraction point to make it back to safety with your last dying breath, every single time you play Arc Raiders, there’s a new plotline and new chapter added to the story.

Arc Raiders is one of those special moments in multiplayer video game history. It feels like the Fortnite moment for extraction shooters, where a more accessible product captures the hearts of a mainstream audience, and we all start to wonder how we managed without it.

Back in 2017, Fortnite took over the world, and for many, many people, we all remember the first time experiencing the cartoon battle royale. Whether you love or hate Fortnite, its impact cannot be understated, but before its existence, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds was already offering an excellent battle royale experience.

The same could be said for Arc Raiders, while other extraction shooters offer more intense combat, more unforgiving repercussions, and a higher skill level, none provide the polished experience that Embark has created here. Many of my friends who are casual gamers or even those, like me, who love video games but are sick and tired of online multiplayer, have all fallen in love with Arc Raiders. And, best of all, every single one has a blast playing solo or in a squad.

You don’t need friends who play video games to get the most out of Arc Raiders, if anything, the most impactful moments I’ve experienced have come from solo play, from meeting random looters and teaming up, from fighting dangerous robots, and from getting betrayed by the people who claim their friendly but rob your dead body after attacking when you least expect it.

(Image credit: Embark)

Arc Raiders has well and truly rekindled my love for multiplayer video games, and after 60 hours, I’m still itching to play more. The gameplay loop just hits the spot; you don’t want to die, but you want to take the risk for the big reward. Rinse and repeat.

If you’ve not played Arc Raiders yet, this review is your sign to get on board. Embark is a studio that listens and respects its players, and because of this, there’s a thriving community growing around this game.

Arc Raiders will get even better with time, and Embark has promised years of content updates to keep the gameplay fresh. After the beta, I wasn’t sold, purely because extraction shooters need to make a player fear the loss of equipment, and with the knowledge that nothing would carry over to the main game, I kind of just didn’t care. That said, after playing the full game for two weeks, Arc Raiders is now my vote for 2025’s game of the year, and I’m honestly shocked that I’m even thinking that.

2025 will go down as one of the best years ever for video games, and what better way to cap it off than with a multiplayer game for the ages, engulfing what made us fall in love with gaming in the first place: The ability to capture our imaginations.

Should you play Arc Raiders?Play it if...

You've been craving a new online multiplayer experience
Arc Raiders offers one of the most unique multiplayer experiences I've ever played, and as someone who's been waiting for a game to capture my attention, Arc Raiders truly fits the bill.

You love great atmosphere
The world feels lived in, strange, and dangerous. The sound design alone is worth the price of admission, turning every abandoned highway and rusted rooftop into a set piece that keeps you on edge.

You want a game with a long future
Embark has committed to ongoing support, new content, and community-driven updates. If you like jumping into a game at the start of something bigger, now is the time.

Don't play it if...

You hate PvPvE tension
Even if Arc Raiders is approachable, the constant push and pull between AI enemies and human players won’t appeal to anyone who prefers to explore in peace. The world is always out to get you; this is no cozy game.

You struggle with high-stakes loops
Extraction shooters naturally create stress. Losing your gear can sting, especially if that final sprint to safety goes wrong. If you prefer to switch your brain off and play without pressure, this might feel too intense.

Accessibility

Arc Raiders is filled with accessibility features to set the game up exactly as you want it. With multiple control schemes and basic controller remapping, there are different ways to play depending on your needs and preferences. You're able to change your gun's crosshair and color to make sure that you get the best experience for your needs.

Voice chat is quite an important aspect of Arc Raiders; however, if you don't want people to hear you speak, you can opt to mask your voice using one of Embark's AI-powered filters. There are also options for multiple text sizes as well as options to help those who are colorblind.

How I reviewed Arc Raiders

I played over 60 hours of Arc Raiders on PS5 Pro connected to my Samsung S90D, one of the best OLED TVs, as well as on an Nvidia RTX 5090-powered gaming PC connected to a Samsung OLED gaming monitor. Both experiences have been truly excellent, with near-perfect performance regardless of your hardware. Graphical fidelity and frame rate are the only differences I noticed when playing on my high-end rig, but I didn't feel like the PS5 version was a slouch by any means.

I tested Arc Raiders solo, with a friend, and in a group of three. At launch, I had some very minor disconnection issues, but this appears to be fully rectified at the time of writing. I used the microphone on the PS5 DualSense Controller as well as my Sennheiser HD490 Pro open-ear headphones connected to a Fosi K7 DAC.

I've played a whole host of multiplayer shooters over the years. While I'm a novice to extraction shooter video games, I've done my research and watched lots of gameplay to understand the genre.

First reviewed November 2025

Harkening back to the golden age of the eerie indie horror boom in the mid-2010s, Little Nightmares 3 is a puzzle platforming adventure that sees one of the era’s most successful franchises return to our screens, but this time under new management.

Although the first two games were developed by Tarsier Studios, Little Nightmares 3 is the first to be developed by Supermassive Games instead, and it unfortunately shows. Finding your footing with a new IP is one thing, but building on one with a dedicated following makes for a challenge that Supermassive just couldn’t face.

Review info

Platform reviewed: Xbox Series S
Available on: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, PC, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: October 10, 2025

The tell-tale sign is how similar Little Nightmares 3 is to its predecessors, and in that it lacks originality. Puzzles are repetitive and often overly simplistic, and many of the mechanics added to the game feel underutilized and can even affect the pacing. That’s especially true if you’re playing single player.

Rather than any true innovation, Little Nightmares 3 is Supermassive adding co-op, dusting off its hands, and serving you an uninventive, repetitive rehash of the older games.

This sounds harsh, but there is still some good in what’s been taken from the previous entries; it’s still plenty atmospheric, delivering gorgeously haunting visuals and sound design, as well as some great (albeit sparingly few) moments of tension and excitement. It just lacks a lot of the same creativity and represents a missed opportunity to do something new.

On the road to nowhere

(Image credit: Supermassive Games)

Little Nightmares 3 has players plunging once again into the gloomy liminal space between sleeping and waking, this time with two new protagonists: Low and Alone. These two can be played in online co-op (though frustratingly, not local co-op), or you can pick one of the two to lead through the adventure solo.

But what does this look like in practice? In short, a lot of running, climbing, and unending tunnels to crawl through. At times, Little Nightmares 3 can be likened to a trick question in a school exam. Puzzles are broadly pretty easy and repetitive, and there were several times I was entirely stuck just because I was looking for more complicated answers to my problems.

Once in a while, that’s fine; and many games cleverly play on that experience, but here it just feels lazy and uninspired. Very few moments offer any real challenge, and while I’ve never found Little Nightmares puzzles particularly difficult, it takes the first three of the game’s four acts before a puzzle genuinely makes me stop to think.

Best bit

(Image credit: Supermassive Games)

Little Nightmares 3 finds its footing as it enters its final chapter. Here, puzzles feel narrative-driven, and particularly I enjoyed the time-hopping that allows you to see The Institute in its former glory.

It’s especially frustrating that it takes so long to bring the heat, given how short the game is, too. With only four acts and the first two feeling especially brief, I’d have hoped to see as many rooms as possible brimming with obstacles, scares, and action, but the vast majority just involve pushing and or mounting a box, pulling a switch, or opening a hatch and pootling along to the next room for more of the same.

This slow pace is doubly frustrating in single-player mode, wherein you spend a fair chunk of time waiting for your companion to catch up and join you in moving an otherwise impassable object or trying to figure out if you need to command them to interact with their weapon to progress.

Low and Alone are also armed with a bow and arrow and a wrench, respectively, with which the heroes must navigate through the treacherous landscape of the Nowhere, avoiding and defeating enemies to find the mirror portal and escape the nightmare. The game doesn’t really utilize these tools particularly well; every now and then, Low will need to smash through a doorway or Alone will shoot down something suspended mid-air by a rope, or there’ll be a short combat sequence where the greatest challenge is working around the game’s depth of field to nail the enemy.

Alone in the world

(Image credit: Supermassive Games)

While navigating levels often errs on tedium, there’s certainly plenty to look at. This goes a great length to increase the appeal of the game, but if you’re here for great scares, you might be disappointed. Again, that’s something that gets better as the game continues, with enemies becoming progressively more creatively creepy.

The bond between Low and Alone is another highlight, though it’s a fairly low bar. Their wordless, evolving companionship through the nether opens new avenues for gesture and emotion, and puts its individual stamp on the franchise. It takes a while to flourish, though – by which I mean there’s next to no story development or emotional tension between the two until the final chapter.

In a game this short that reduces the impact of the intended gut-punch ending, which fell quite flat for me when compared to Little Nightmares 2’s diabolical ending.

(Image credit: Supermassive Games)

As far as world-building and narrative go, Little Nightmares 3 would have done well to lean more on its predecessors. It makes total sense for Supermassive to err on the side of caution when it comes to the established lore, but when there’s just so much great material to build on, and next to none of it connects with Low and Alone’s adventure, barring some Easter eggs here and there.

The biggest let-down for me, however, is certainly the enemies and bosses. Part of what made enemies in older games feel so haunting was that these surpassed childlike imagination; well-realized and challenging horrors we’d hope no child would ever dream of. In Little Nightmares 3, they feel much more derivative; a giant, decrepit baby doll, a miserly old hag with extra arms to grab you with, a ventriloquist, and a giant facility manager don’t exactly scream “otherworldly horror” to me.

Overall, there’s enough to like about Little Nightmares 3 to recommend it to the casual player, and if you missed the first two, it’s no bad way to be introduced to the core concepts underpinning the franchise. If, however, you’re a big fan like me and want something that evolves upon Tarsier’s hard work, you’ll find it difficult to settle in. It’s by no means a bad game; it’s just not a great one.

Should you play Little Nightmares 3?Play it if...

You want a co-op adventure
Introducing co-op mechanics makes the game a whole lot more playable, and while not utilized to its full potential, there’s plenty of fun to be had.

You like the Little Nightmares aesthetic
Little Nightmares 3 broadly captures the look and feel of the previous games, so if atmospheric spookiness is your priority, you’ll have a lot of fun with this sequel.

Don’t play it if…

You like a good puzzle
Puzzles in Little Nightmares 3 aren’t terribly challenging or inventive, especially once you figure out the basic formulas from earlier levels.

You want the true next chapter to Little Nightmares
Low and Alone’s adventure is an entirely different narrative thread to Mono and Six, the protagonists from the last two games.

Accessibility features

There’s decent coverage for accessibility needs in Little Nightmares 3; from configurable controls to highlight toggles for characters and interactive elements.

There are also separate volume sliders for sound effects, music, playable characters and enemies, toggles for color-blind mode, axis inversion, camera shake and also indicators for when a character is off-screen.

How I reviewed Little Nightmares 3

I played the game to completion (circa. 8 hours) playing on my Xbox Series S with an Xbox Wireless Controller. I tested it using standard settings on my Sony KD-49XH8096 TV using Logitech Multimedia Z200 speakers.

When playing Little Nightmares 3, I compared my experience not only to the former two titles but also to other puzzle platform horror games like Limbo and Inside.

First reviewed November 2025

CMF Headphone Pro: two-minute review

Anyone familiar with Nothing and/or its affordable sub-brand CMF (often written as "CMF by Nothing", but the company has seemingly dropped the last two words of its traditional moniker for this particular product) knows that a normal-looking set of headphones was never going to be on the brand's bingo card.

And true to form, the CMF Headphone Pro neither look normal nor behave normally for the level – and I mean that in a good way. They're modular, with the option of buying extra ear pads if you want an even more striking look (pistachio with orange, anyone?) and there are three thoroughly abnormal on-ear controls, too, including an 'Energy Slider', an excellent 'Multi-function roller' and an 'Action button'. All of which I'll get into later.

How's the sound? Actually, really good for the level – easily as detailed, nuanced and energetic enough to skip to the top of our best cheap headphones guide. And while they won't compete with the more flagship models in our best headphones roundup for neutrality or audiophile-grade insight (and the noise nixing won't challenge pricier sets from Bose, Cambridge or Apple in our best noise-cancelling headphones list), there's clarity, a great circumaural delivery, two types of spatial audio, LDAC and hi-res wired connectivity.

And all of this means I can't – nay, won't! – pick too much fault for the money, especially when I've compared them to Nothing's original Headphone (1) and actually preferred the audio in the newer cans…

(Image credit: Future)

Oh, and that's before I get granular on the fact that the CMF Headphone Pro include one of the most detailed hearing tests of any set of cans I've ever tried at the level, which the headphones use to create a remarkable personal profile for your listening. It's something I thoroughly recommend you take soon after buying them.

OK, your EQ is limited to three tabs if you want to create a preset yourself, you don't get a hard-shell case (or even a USB-C charger) in the box and the 'Energy Slider' feels a little surplus to requirements when they're a bit bassy to begin with (although some will love it – particularly grime and drum 'n' bass fans). But the battery life is nothing short of excellent for the money and for me, the sound quality more than atones for these minor drawbacks.

All in all, you could do so much worse for $99 / £79 – and having seen a few healthy discounts already, I find myself recommending them even more urgently…

(Image credit: Future)CMF Headphone Pro review: price & release date

• $99 / £79 / AU$179
• Launched on September 29, 2025

The CMF Headphone Pro launched on September 29, 2025, with a list price of $99 / £79 / AU$179, but in the UK I've already seen them discounted to £49 (at the time of writing, Black Friday approaches). This is huge because for that money you won't regret this purchase, I assure you.

At their regular list price, the CMF Pro Headphone's closest competition is likely the 2024 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 at $89 / £99 / AU$130, which also boast a great battery life and perhaps edge it for ANC efficacy, but the build is a tad flimsier, including the buttons. Also the 1More's app is neither as seamless or enjoyable and to be honest, the design doesn't exactly wow me – not like the CMF Headphone Pro's does, anyway.

Meanwhile, Nothing's own flagship Nothing Headphone (1) launched on July 15, 2025 with asking fees of $299 / £299 / AU$549 – ie. at least triple the price of the CMF Headphone Pro, depending on where you're buying. So, you know, food for thought there…

CMF Headphone Pro review: Specs

Drivers

40mm (nickel-plated diaphragms; 16.5 mm copper voice coil; dual chamber design)

Active noise cancellation

Yes (low; mid; high; adaptive)

Battery life

50 hours ANC on; 100 hours ANC off

Weight

283g

Connectivity

LDAC, AAC, 3.5mm - 3.5mm hi-res certified

Frequency range

20Hz-20kHz

Waterproofing

None

(Image credit: Future)CMF Headphone Pro review: features

• Excellent Personal Sound curation
• Class-leading battery life
• Premium-feel companion app

Here's the thing with the CMF Headphone Pro: they surprise you at every turn. The Nothing X companion app is slick, chic and helpful. Make no mistake, the experience here is thoroughly Nothing, which is to say that it still feels premium, rather than budget-grade.

The excellent hearing test software – which takes roughly three minutes and involves struggling to listen to ever-quieter tones piped first into your left ear, then your right – creates a graph of your hearing in each ear, then one of the best Personal profiles I've had the pleasure of testing at this level.

Aside from support for the more hifalutin LDAC Bluetooth codec, the CMF Headphone Pro also offer wired 3.5mm Hi-Res certified listening, albeit only when they're powered on, rather than passively. I hooked them up to my FiiO M15S (which is a fair bit smaller than the FiiO M23 player) and Teenage Fanclub's Satan was every bit as jagged, petulant and angsty through the ragged intro as I could've wished for, even at 45 per cent volume.

There's a dual connection toggle in the app which essentially means multipoint is on the menu and why you'd ever toggle it off I don't know – it becomes essential very quickly for chopping and changing between music from my phone and team meetings on my laptop.

(Image credit: CMF)

Also here in the Nothing X app, you'll find noise cancellation in low, mid, high, adaptive and off increments, as well as a transparency option. The transparency profile in particular is very good, augmenting nearby voices in a useful way and without making frequencies within my music go tinny and unpleasant.

The ANC is fine rather than fantastic at dulling extraneous noise (the claim is up to 40 dB noise reduction, although that feels optimistic to me), but it does so without upsetting my music's timbre and detail. Ultimately I'd rather have it than not, which is not something I say about all budget noise-nixing software and at this level that's more than good enough. Serious, weapons-grade active noise cancellation really does still require climbing further up the food chain, because I've yet to find anything for this money that offers Bose-grade ANC. OK? OK, good to make that clear.

While I'm on the subject of mics (because these are imperative for the aforementioned ANC), the Headphone Pro come with three of the what Nothing calls "HD microphones" and with that same metallic wind-resistant mesh around each of them, they do look almost identical to those on the Nothing Headphone (1). Aside from ANC, these mics provide Clear Voice Technology in a bid to keep your voice sharp in calls. Now, I've been told my dulcet tones were indeed audible and clear in calls, but perhaps because the cups are quite big and the padding so ample, passive isolation is also good to the point that I could barely hear my own voice when talking. There's no sidetone-adjacent tech to boost your own speech either. Would I expect that at this level? No, but it's my job to point it out as a very minor issue.

Elsewhere, there are two flavors of device- and streaming service-agnostic spatial audio: cinema mode or concert mode. Cinema mode broadens the soundstage a touch, for clear dialog and decent pew-pew bullet effects in movies; concert mode is all about plonking you in the middle of a concert. Neither offers a dynamic, head-tracked presentation with your phone as the source device, mind, but I still enjoyed concert mode for lowering me into the melee a touch more.

• Features score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future)CMF Headphone Pro review: sound quality

• Punchy, expressive and zealous – a true circumaural listen
• Nuance and detail with both wired and LDAC listening
• Limited in-app EQ options; energy slider gives mixed results

I'll talk a lot about the energy slider to amp up the treble and bass in the 'design' section of this review, below (since this unusual button is a key part of the headphones' design) but know this: if you want the most detailed, layered, unadulterated sound, you should probably leave this kind of tinkering alone.

There's a low lag toggle in the app to minimize issues when watching content, but I keep that off to test the sound over LDAC. And here, Billie Eilish's WILDFLOWER is emotive, textured, layered and underpinned by inky-deep and resonant keys.

Uh Oh by Tate McRae is a great test of the CMF Headphone Pro's bass impact and, let me tell you, if you like to feel a beat in your molars, these headphones can oblige. It's a head-nodding, cohesive mix with snap and crisp leading edges of notes, particularly through those zealous bass registers.

Switching to Girls Like You by Maroon 5 and I hear the intentional blurring of the axe in the intro, with Adam Levine's vocal upfront, up-close and central in an expansive and exciting soundstage. It’s Amazing to Be Young by Fontaines D.C. is a similar story – and here I perceive treble elements in the intro that lesser headphones can’t reach, along with oft-overlooked happier inflections is Grian Chatten's voice.

(Image credit: Future)

It's an emotive mix overall, but Nothing has just about stayed on the right side of faithful here, rather than succumbing to parlor tricks to get you in the feels – unless you want to deploy those with the slider. Every Other Freckle by alt-J is a good one to to prove this. I really get the sense that Joe Newman wants every other freckle, even at 50 per cent volume, with certain lines (like ‘let me be the wallpaper that papers up your room’) jumping out more readily in what is a highly complex track.

Did I listen against the original Headphone (1)? I did. And while the presentation is a touch more neutral in the inaugural (and much more expensive) product, I did feel that the CMF opens the audio out just a touch more. It's also a more full-throttle listen to boot.

Could the CMF Headphone Pro offer even more detail – even more nuance through the rise and fall of each musical passage? Yes, of course, but if the ultimate in audiophile sound quality had been achieved for this money we could all go home. There are compromises in terms of true neutrality and an ounce or two of clarity here and there over much pricier options. But know this: for the money, these headphones sound a lot better than I expected.

• Sound quality score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future)CMF Headphone Pro review: design

• Nothing isn't afraid to be different – but no cassettes on your ears here
• Extension arms are silent; comfort is good
• On-ear controls work well, but the Energy Slider is a tad gimmicky

If you'd asked me to sketch what I thought a set of headphones made by Nothing's budget sub-brand CMF should look like, I can confidently tell you that I would not have drawn the CMF Headphone Pro.

Where the CMF Buds Pro 2 are all angular lines, slightly odd circle and grid motifs, brushed matte plastic (available in dark gray, blue, or red and with a silver rotary dial in the corner of the case), the CMF Headphone Pro come in totally different light green, light gray or darker gray glossy finishes with a resoundingly cushioned, polyurethane synthetic leather and memory foam build across the headband and ear pads.

My review sample is giving two tubs of pistachio ice cream and, for me, the build quality is rock solid for the level. The band is comfortable over the crown of my head, extends silently and offers decent clamping force without ever hurting. The ear cups are generously padded and rotate to lie flat (although they don't concertina up into the band for easier storage) and the buttons are not at all flimsy.

So let's explain what's going on with those, shall we? On the left ear cup, in between two mics you'll find power/pairing, your 3.5mm in and an 'Energy Slider'. The function of this solid little slider can be switched between 'Bass Tuning' and 'Treble Tuning' in the Nothing X app.

I cue up Kehlani's Folded to toy with the bass slider and ramping things up does augment the low end, albeit to the point of marginal bloating – but hey, it's a way of replicating that authentic 'standing just a little too close to a big (possibly blown?) sub at a gig' feel. Switching to the treble option and the track does sound a little too sweet and even tinny when moving the slider through its range, but then I know from various hearing tests that my own ear hones in on treble frequencies in most mixes. Having been on the fence about all of this for a week or so, I've decided that it does add novelty and for some grime tracks it might be a winner.

(Image credit: Future)

On the right ear cup and above the USB-C port, there's a little circular button with a red dot at the center. In the X app, this is simply called 'Button' and your options here are a single press or long press. A single press can handle voice assistant access, noise control, spatial audio profiles or even switch the mics on or off (there's another on this ear cup). A long press? That can perform any function from this same menu.

But above this is where I think Nothing has really knocked it out the park, because this brings me to the 'Roller' in the controls menu. And as well as being able to roll this to quickly tweak the volume (seems like a small thing but really isn't – especially when you're on the go) you can press and hold it to scroll through noise-cancellation profiles, single press it to pause and resume playback or answer/hang up on calls, double press to skip a track or triple press to go back.

There's no IP rating for rain or dust ingress, which isn't unusual at the level (or even a rung higher up) but because you also only get a simple fabric bag for transportation, you might want to think carefully about taking these out in the rain.

One other thing: you get a 3.5mm cable in the box, but no USB-C charger cable – much less an actual wall plug for it. In 2025, you almost certainly have one of these already in the wings, waiting for the job, but if you were hoping for an extra (or one in the CMF Headphone Pro's winsome pistachio green, say), you'll be disappointed.

• Design score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future)CMF Headphone Pro review: value

• An excellent all-round budget package
• No charger or hard-shell case – but these are minor omissions
• As a sound-per-pound proposition, there's top value here

I mean look, for this money I struggle to argue with even basic headphones, provided they sound good for the level. But the CMF Headphone Pro are not basic headphones – just see the hearing test software and extra on-ear controls for that. They're a lot better than basic and a lot better than their fee suggests.

Market saturation does of course drive pricing and here, that's very good for us.

OK, those wanting bubble-of-silence ANC will not find their ideal set of cheap headphones here (the ANC is adequate, it just isn't shutting out the entire world), but those wanting zealous, bass-blasting sound and/or a quirky design that actually is not a case of style over substance just found a great inexpensive option to step out with.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Should I buy the CMF Headphone Pro?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Excellent battery life, LDAC, top-tier app, adequate ANC

4.5/5

Sound quality

Big bass energy and commendable detail, with phenomenal hearing tests for the level

4.5/5

Design

Finessed, yet unusual – even among CMF by Nothing's other audio gear. You love to see it.

4.5/5

Value

Great audio, incomparable design, OK ANC, amazing battery life and a super-low price.

4.5/5

Buy them if…

You’re after a budget buy – but with good sound
With a list price of $99 / £79 / AU$179, but dropping even as I type, CMF by Nothing has aimed these headphones squarely at the budget market and priced them to sell out quickly. And given the audio quality and hearing test software to create a profile just for your ears, you won't find me suggesting you don't buy them…

You love on-ear whistles and bells
I actually really enjoyed playing with the various sliders and rollers on the CMF Headphone Pro – and while they're not exactly a gateway audiophile-grade sonic clarity, they do mean you can tweak the volume easily without grabbing your oh-so-pinchable phone, on the commute.

You like to style your own way
These headphones are not the same as the swathes of Sony dupes out there in the budget sector. And if a striking mint-or-pistachio green hue isn't enough for you, CMF sells alternate ear cups in a striking orange color for a nominal fee ($25 or £19). Mint!

Don’t buy them if…

You want bubble-of-silence ANC
The CMF Headphone Pro's solution is acceptable for the money, but it won't nix jet-engine noise on your next long-haul flight. For that, though, you'll need to climb the ranks a little, with something like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) or the Apple AirPods Max. And by "climb the ranks", I mean that there'll be a surcharge.

You want auto-off when you remove them
No dice here, sadly, but it's perhaps the one area where they're lacking in terms of features I'd hoped to see.

You need to hear your own voice in calls
Certain pricier cans offer tech called 'sidetone' or similar, to pipe the sound of your own voice into your ears as you converse on calls. The CMF Headphone Pro don't have this, but the good news is that it's only an issue when the passive isolation is as good as it is in these headphones… 

(Image credit: Future)CMF Headphone Pro review: also consider

CMF Headphone Pro

1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51

Earfun Wave Pro

Sony WH-CH720N

Price

$99 / £79 / AU$179

$89 / £99 / AU$130

$79.99 / £79.99 (about AU$13)

$149 / £99 / AU$259

Drivers

40mm (nickel-plated diaphragms; 16.5 mm copper voice coil; dual chamber design)

40mm dynamic

40mm dynamic

30mm dynamic

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Battery life

50 hours ANC on; 100 hours ANC off

65 hours ANC on; 100 hours ANC off

55 hours ANC on; 80 hours ANC off

35 hours ANC on; 50 hours ANC off

Weight

283g

246g

268g

192g

Connectivity

Bluetooth version not stated; LDAC, 3.5mm

Bluetooth 5.4, 3.5mm

Bluetooth 5.3, 3.5mm

Bluetooth 5.2, 3.5mm

Frequency range

20Hz-20kHz

20Hz-40kHz

20Hz-40kHz

7Hz-20kHz

Waterproofing

None

None

None

None

1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51
Head over to our best headphones guide and our pick of the budget cans is the product you see written in bold, above this sentence. They're a bit normal, looks-wise, but after that there's nothing average about their performance – including the stamina. The ANC probably just edges it over the CMF Headphone Pro, too, although the build quality and companion app don't feel as good. Read our full 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 review to learn more.

Earfun Wave Pro
For quite some time, the Earfun Wave Pro also held the title of best budget option in our guide to the best over-ear headphones – and it’s not difficult to see why. Think similarly stupendous battery life, above-average sound and a neat design, all at a temptingly low price. Not into the quirky aesthetic of the CMF Headphone Pro? Read our full Earfun Wave Pro review.

CMF Headphone Pro review: How I tested

• Tested for four weeks
• Used at home, on the Eurostar to Paris, at the (blustery) beach
• Predominantly tested using Tidal and Apple Music, or wired to my FiiO DAP

I tested the CMF Headphone Pro over a period of four weeks, using my MacBook Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and LDAC-toting FiiO M15S as source devices.

I listened to everything from my heavy rotation Three Bean Salad podcast on a long walk on Weymouth's blustery beach, to Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska '82 Outtakes on the Eurostar train to Paris from London. I listened in both wired and wireless modes and found much to celebrate in terms of audio chops across the frequencies and energy.

I maxed out the battery and got 49.5 hours from them using ANC too – which, given their 50-hour claim at 50 per cent volume is no meat feat.

I've been testing audio products full time since 2019, first on TechRadar's sister publication What Hi-Fi? as a lowly Staff Writer, then Senior Staff Writer at TechRadar and, since early 2024, Audio Editor (hey, career progression is gradual sometimes in journalism… and that's fine when you've got music).

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

EDITOR'S NOTES:

Vista has now partnered with Wix to offer a more comprehensive (but still free) website building experience for it's users. To learn more about Wix you can read our full Wix review.

Vistaprint is a popular brand best known for its custom printing products: business cards, calendars, invitations, posters, photo gifts, t-shirts and more. The company also provides some interesting digital services, including what it hopes is one of the best website builder platforms to enable anyone to quickly create their own professional website.  

Vistaprint is designed to help anyone build a simple website and maintains all the basics you need: a drag-and-drop editor, unlimited pages, support for all the regular content types (text, images, videos, maps, contact forms, menus, more), and responsive templates to ensure your site looks good on all device types. 

There's an unusual plus for anyone who already uses Vistaprint to produce other business products. The website builder can access images or logos you've previously uploaded, making it simple to coordinate the website with any other marketing materials.  

Here's a snapshot of Vistaprint's plans and prices (Image credit: Vistaprint)Plans and pricing 

Vistaprint has three main plans available, all of which you must pay for. You can test any of the plans free for up to 30 days, but after that you’ll need to choose a plan and start paying either by month or by year. All plans are cheaper when purchased annually. 

The Get Personal plan costs $2.81 per month when you sign up for the yearly plan. It includes access to a Vistaprint subdomain, free stock images in the library, an SSL Certificate, and access to Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools. This plan works great for building a website to showcase your resume, or sharing a personal portfolio or blog.  

The Get Professional plan is perfect for small businesses who are looking for support with their SEO. This plan costs $10.12 per month when paid annually. It includes better tools for SEO, website activity reports, an email address, and your own domain. 

The Get Paid plan has a lot more features than any of the other plans and is surprisingly affordable. It costs $14.06 per month when you use the yearly subscription. This plan includes everything the other plans have but also has ecommerce capabilities. 

You can create an online store, add shopping carts, and there’s room for a donation area too. This plan has everything you need to sell products and services online or market your business to a wide audience. This plan allows you to add unlimited products to your website. You can change your plans at any time (downgrade or upgrade). 

Here's a few of the templates available (Image credit: Vistaprint)Interface

Vistaprint's interface is clear and simple, and it's easy to compare plans and see what you're going to get. Select the most appealing option and you're prompted to hand over your contact details: name, email and physical address, and your phone number, or simply login if you already have a Vistaprint account.

The Vistaprint design process starts by choosing a template. These are organized into 24 industries, many of which are further broken down into subcategories, which initially looks very impressive. You don't just get an Animals & Pet Care industry, for instance: subcategories include Boarding Kennels & Catteries, Animal Grooming, Dog Breeder, Pet Sitting & Dog Walking, Pet Supply Shop, Pet Training, and Veterinary.

These are some of Vistaprint website builder's key features (Image credit: Vistaprint)Features

The editor enables building sites from pre-formatted content blocks, rather than the more common individual widgets. Select Add Content > Text, for instance, and you're offered no less than 16 layouts, including text with icons, captions, images, as quotes, in boxes, grids and more. Drag your preferred option onto the page, the editor shows where it can be placed, and when you drop it, the block takes up the full width of the page at that point.

Other content blocks include headers, images, videos, a calendar, social links, a contact form, a web store and more. These cover the basics, but little more, and there's very little integration with other services. You can display a bar with links to your social media accounts, for instance, but there's no option to embed content such as a tweet or a Facebook post. 

This block-based approach makes it very simple to build a site. You don't have to drag in a layout widget, set a number of rows or columns, insert whatever text or images you need and set their properties manually, because the content block has everything you need built in. 

Vistaprint also offers many other services (Image credit: Vistaprint)The competition 

There are many other website builders available - Wix, Squarespace, and Webnode are just a few of the options. If you compare Vistaprint (just the website builder) with other web hosts on the market, then it’s definitely a web host for beginners. However, Vistaprint offers many more services besides web building that not many other web hosts do - you can create your own business cards, put your company’s logo on T-shirts, or personalize your website. The wide variety of marketing tools Vistaprint provides for your business makes it very different from other website builders.  

Final thoughts

Vistaprint website builder is great for anyone looking to build a basic site. For anyone still in the learning stage of website building, you can easily get started without taking too much time. You can even use the free 30 day trial to help you decide if it’s the right platform for you.  

• We've featured the best small business website builder

You might also want to check out our other web hosting buying guides:

• WordPress
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• Dedicated server
• Small business
• Windows
• Managed
• Green
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• Colocation
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• Best website hosting

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Web.com has now been integrated into the Network Solutions website builder. If you already have a Web.com website, you can login to Network Solutions with the same credentials.

With many of Web.com's features being transferred, you can read our full Network Solutions website builder review to learn more.

Our detailed Web.com review examines a website builder that has undergone significant changes following its integration with Network Solutions. Web.com, which has been helping small businesses create user-friendly online experiences since 1997, has now been reworked for even more ease of use with AI. But for those seeking advanced website building options, check out our guide to the best website builders.

TechRadar reviewers have spent thousands of hours testing 140+ website builders to bring you authoritative insights. Web.com offers a straightforward approach to website creation with over 200 templates and AI-assisted design tools. While it provides solid functionality for basic websites, it faces stiff competition from more advanced platforms like Wix, our top pick for the best website builder in 2025.

Web.com, now the Network Solutions Website Builder, emphasizes simplicity over complexity, making it appealing to users who want to get online quickly without technical expertise. However, its focus on ease of use comes at the cost of advanced customization options that more experienced users might expect.

Save 50% on your web.com annual subscription with this code

You can now save a generous 50% when you subscribe to the web.com website builder on an annual basis. Simply enter the code BUILD50 when you checkout to apply the discount. View Deal

Web.com: 2-minute review

Web.com positions itself as a beginner-friendly website builder that prioritizes simplicity. The platform offers a section-based editor rather than true drag-and-drop functionality, which simplifies the building process but limits design flexibility. With over 200 templates covering various industries and AI-powered tools for content generation, Web.com provides a solid foundation for small businesses and individuals looking to establish an online presence quickly.

The company's recent integration with Network Solutions has led to a radical shift in its business model. Founded in 1997, Web.com has built a reputation for serving small businesses. But its acquisition and merger with the Network Solutions brand combines decades of web hosting and domain expertise. Still, this provider occupies a middle ground between ultra-simple platforms and professional-grade tools — though there are better alternatives currently available in each category.

What is Web.com?

Web.com, or Network Solutions Website Builder, is a website building platform designed to help individuals and small businesses create professional websites without coding knowledge. Think of it as a digital toolkit that provides everything you need to build a website — templates, design tools, hosting, and domain registration. The platform uses what's called a "section-based" editor, which means you build your site by adding pre-designed sections (like headers, galleries, or contact forms) rather than placing individual elements wherever you want.

Network Solutions targets website creators who want to get online quickly without dealing with technical complexities. It handles the behind-the-scenes technical aspects like hosting, security, and maintenance, so you can focus on creating content and managing your business. The platform also includes AI-powered tools that can help generate website content and suggest design improvements, making it even easier for beginners to create professional-looking sites.

Features

Web.com positions itself as a complete website building platform with marketing and ecommerce. (Image credit: Network Solutions)

Web.com positions itself as a complete website building platform with marketing and ecommerce, designed for simplicity over flashiness. The platform offers a solid foundation of essential features, including over 200 templates across four main categories, AI-powered content generation tools, and integrated marketing capabilities through SocialBooster, AdSpend, and email marketing platforms.

Its section-based editor, while marketed as drag-and-drop, provides a more structured approach to website building that streamlines the design process for beginners but limits creative freedom for advanced users.

The platform's feature set is clearly geared toward small businesses and beginners who need to establish an online presence quickly without technical complexity. Web.com also includes practical business tools like appointment scheduling, Google Analytics integration, and basic SEO.

The AI copywriting tool helps generate SEO-friendly content for various purposes, while the marketing suite provides social media scheduling and advertising campaign management. However, the platform lacks the kind of app marketplace found in competitors like Wix, which offers over 800 apps compared to Web.com's basic built-in tools.

Tools

Web.com provides a suite of tools designed to help users build, manage, and grow their online presence. (Image credit: Network Solutions)

Web.com provides a suite of tools designed to help users build, manage, and grow their online presence. The platform combines website building capabilities with marketing tools and business features to create an all-in-one solution.

Website builder

The core website building tool uses a section-based editor that allows users to add and customize pre-designed sections. While marketed as drag-and-drop, the interface is more structured, with elements that can be moved within defined parameters to maintain design consistency.

AI-powered content tools

Web.com includes AI tools for generating website content and marketing ideas. These tools can help create text for different sections of your site and suggest improvements to enhance user engagement.

E-commerce features

The platform offers built-in e-commerce capabilities including unlimited product listings, multiple payment options, abandoned cart recovery, and inventory management. Higher-tier plans include marketplace selling and advanced inventory features.

Marketing suite

Web.com provides integrated marketing tools including SocialBooster for social media management, AdSpend for advertising campaigns, email marketing capabilities, and MyLinks for creating custom branded links.

SEO and analytics

The platform includes SEO health checks, Google Analytics integration, and website analytics tools to help users track performance and improve search engine visibility.

Ease of use

Web.com prioritizes simplicity throughout the user experience, making it particularly accessible for beginners. (Image credit: Network Solutions)

Web.com prioritizes simplicity throughout the user experience, making it particularly accessible for beginners. The onboarding process includes an AI chatbot that helps generate a starter website, though some users find its initial setup process underwhelming compared to more sophisticated builders. A section-based editor keeps your design process focused, by providing pre-built sections that can be customized and rearranged to create a unique website.

The interface features a clean, intuitive design with a left-side menu containing essential tools like Pages, Blog, and Appointments. Adding new elements is straightforward — you simply click the blue + icon to access different content blocks like buttons, text, galleries, and Google Maps. The platform shows layout guides at the bottom of the editor, helping users understand how elements can be positioned within each section.

While the simplified approach makes Web.com very beginner-friendly, it does limit design flexibility for users who want more control over their site's appearance. You can't change templates for existing pages, and the selection of blocks and elements is more limited compared to advanced website builders. However, the platform compensates with reliable performance, featuring 100% uptime in testing and fast loading speeds averaging 1.2 seconds for the Largest Contentful Paint metric.

Pricing

Web.com's offers significant new-user discounts, with prices reduced by 67-100% for a 12-month term for every new user. (Image credit: Network Solutions)

Plan

Starting rate (paid annually)

Renewal rate (paid annually)

Website Builder

$1.99/month

$16.99/month

Website + Marketing

$3.99/month

$21.99/month

Ecommerce

$9.99/month

$29.99/month

Web.com's offers significant new-user discounts, with prices reduced by 67-100% for a 12-month term for every new user. But on the flip side of that, you can expect a sharp incline in subscription fees once the initial term has passed.

But while the entry-level pricing is higher than many competitors, Network Solutions' overhauled pricing removes any significant price hikes for those looking to upgrade. Web.com's most expensive plan costs $29.99/month during renewal, even with the upgraded features and hardware needed to support ecommerce.

Security

Web.com provides essential security features including SSL certificates and secure website hosting across all plans. (Image credit: Network Solutions)

Web.com provides essential security features including SSL certificates and secure website hosting across all plans. The platform offers automatic SSL certificate installation and renewal, ensuring data encryption between websites and visitors. However, the company isn't particularly transparent about its comprehensive security measures, and some security features that competitors include for free may require additional payment.

The platform includes basic security monitoring and protection through its hosting infrastructure, though it lacks some advanced security features found in enterprise-grade solutions. Web.com's integration with Network Solutions brings additional security expertise from a company with 45 years of experience in web services, potentially strengthening the overall security posture. Users seeking enhanced security should consider the platform's SiteLock integration, which offers cloud-based scanning and real-time threat detection.

Support

(Image credit: Network Solutions)

Network Solutions offers a wide range of ways to get in touch with its team, including an online chat feature, phone support, and email support. You could reach out at any time of the day or night, which is great if your team is spread across time zones.

Another great thing is the knowledge base articles. These resources are incredibly helpful, especially for newbies who don't know much about building websites from scratch. There are step-by-step tutorials for setting up your account, as well as more general advice on topics such as SEO optimization and social media marketing.

Alternatives

WordPress.com is one of the most popular website building tools in the world today, and for good reason. It's easy to use and completely customizable, making it ideal for businesses of all sizes and types. The platform also comes with plenty of features, including customizable themes and plugins that can help you create an effective and attractive website in no time at all.

Wix is another great alternative to Web.com website builder if you are looking for something that's easy to use while still providing plenty of features and customization options. With Wix, you can create a professional-looking site without any coding knowledge or technical skills at all—all you need is a drag-and-drop interface and a few clicks of the mouse.

Squarespace is another excellent alternative to Web.com if you want something that's both powerful and easy to use at the same time. Squarespace lets users customize their websites quickly and easily with its intuitive drag-and-drop editor as well as dozens of templates designed specifically for businesses in mind.

Web.com: Summary

Web.com serves as a solid choice for beginners and small businesses seeking a straightforward website building experience with AI-powered assistance. The platform excels in ease of use, performance reliability, and customer support, making it particularly suitable for users who prioritize simplicity over advanced customization.

However, its section-based editor limits design flexibility, and the steep renewal pricing structure may deter cost-conscious users in the long term. While Web.com's recent integration with Network Solutions adds credibility and technical expertise, the platform faces strong competition from more feature-rich alternatives that offer better value propositions.

Web.com: FAQsHow do I create a website on Web.com?

Creating a website on Web.com is easy and straightforward. All you need to do is sign up for an account, select the type of website you want to create (such as an e-commerce store or portfolio site), and then customize it with your own design elements and content.

You can even add features like contact forms, galleries, blogs, and more. Once you’re happy with the design of your site, click “Publish” and your new website will be live for everyone to see.

Can I build an online store with Web.com?

Yes, Web.com offers a dedicated plan for those who want to build an online store. The plan comes with a host of dedicated ecommerce features including secure online payments, the ability to sell via platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and marketplaces, as well as promotional tools such as discount codes and abandoned cart delivery.

Does Web.com offer a free trial?

Unfortunately, Web.com does not offer a free trial of its website builder service at this time. However, they do offer several different pricing plans to suit any budget, so if you have some money saved up you can try out its service without breaking the bank.

Can I create a web page with Web.com?

Yes. With Web.com’s easy-to-use tools, you can create a basic web page in no time at all - no coding experience required.

EDITOR'S NOTES

SiteBuilder has now been absorbed by Network Solutions website builder platform. You can read our full Network Solutions website builder review to learn more about what the platform has to offer.

SiteBuilder is a website builder that makes it easy to create a site quickly. One great bonus to SiteBuilder is the affordable plans. You can purchase the Pro plan for as low as $4.00 per month when you sign up for two-years. If you’re new to building your own website, SiteBuilder isn’t hard to start using.  

• Interested in SiteBuilder? Check out the website here

You can easily browse the website without being overloaded by tons of features and confusing technical language. Everything is kept simple and easy to see. However, the downside is that there’s limited information on the website and not as many details as there could be. But if you’re looking for a web builder that’s easy to start (and less expensive) SiteBuilder has more affordable options.  

• Also check out our roundup of the best website builder software

Here's a snapshot of the plans and prices (Image credit: SiteBuilder)Plans and pricing 

SiteBuilder has three main plans on the website. There’s no free version listed which is difficult especially if you want to test the web builder before purchasing it. However, there is a great support system available for you to ask questions you have. Here’s a quick summary of the plans and prices: 

The Pro plan costs $4.00 per month when you sign up for the two-year plan. It comes with a mobile optimization feature, web hosting, your own domain name, and website statistics. This plan is the most popular one and good for anyone new to building a website. 

The Premium plan costs $4.80 per month as long as you choose the two-year plan. It includes web hosting, customizable templates, $100.00 in advertising credits, and priority support to help with your questions. This plan is very close in price to the previous plan. 

The Ecommerce plan costs $7.20 per month (with the two year plan). You’ll have access to all the features in the Premium plan (such as a domain name, web hosting, and advertising credits) and you’ll also be able to make an online store to sell your products.  

It's easy to access plans and browse the website (Image credit: SiteBuilder)Interface

The interface is clean and the website is well-organized. For example, it’s easy to compare various website builder plans or to contact the customer support. SiteBuilder offers live chat, so we tried it. This worked really great, with an agent responding to us within four minutes and giving useful answers to our product questions. If that's still not enough, there's phone support available. The live chat and phone support are well worth having, and it was very helpful to be able to reach out.  

Marketing tools and the editor are key features (Image credit: SiteBuilder)Features

SiteBuilder's editor offers a surprising number of ways to customize most site objects. Click in a text box, for instance, and you're not just able to edit, style or align the text. You can change the color of the box, change its border width and radius, add drop shadow or glow effects, make low-level font changes to letter and line spacing, or even apply a host of text animation effects (fades, flips, bounces, shakes, fly-ins and more).

That's not all. SiteBuilder pages are constructed from sections, and if you click the space around a header (or an image, or a gallery, or any other section element) you'll find many more customization options. Some of the settings replicate what you can do with an element, but at the section level. Adding behaviors allows objects to control other functions, perhaps playing or stopping a video, submitting a form or navigating around the site. And interesting site-level options include the ability to show a section on all web pages with a click.

There's a lot of power here, but it does come at the expense of some on-screen clutter. Just hovering your mouse over a section is enough for the editor to display one section-level toolbar, and left-clicking displays the full section toolbox.

There's a powerful integrated photo editor, too, with more functionality than some standalone apps. It can crop, rotate or resize your images, adjust brightness and contrast, tweak colors and tone, fix red-eye and whiten teeth, add captions, frames, overlays and stickers. It’s also capable of tweaking sharpness or applying focus effects, and allows you to draw freehand on the image, create vignettes, paint a custom color splash effect, and more.

There's helpful customer support (Image credit: SiteBuilder)The competition

There’s so many web builders out there (Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress to name a few). So what’s unique about SiteBuilder? The editor stands out along with the customer support center. You can easily look through lists of questions or search ones you have. Also, once you've created a blog, it appears as a new page in the SiteBuilder editor, and can be customized like any other. If you don't like the default photo backgrounds then you can replace them with something simpler, and you can add new text to tell readers about yourself and what the blog is for. 

Final thoughts

SiteBuilder's wide selection of templates and versatile editor are capable of building some quality sites. The prices are a good range too for what is included in each plan. There’s not very many media features, but SiteBuilder is easy for beginners to use, especially if you want to create a website quickly.  

• We've featured the best small business website builder

You might also want to check out our other web hosting buying guides:

• WordPress
• Cloud hosting
• E-commerce
• Dedicated server
• Small business
• Windows
• Managed
• Green
• Business
• Colocation
• Email hosting
• Resellers
• VPS
• Shared
• Cheap
• Best website hosting

Gone are the days of It's A Wonderful Life! and Miracle on 34th Street – it's a given that modern Christmas movies are unironically bad, and the new Netflix film A Merry Little Ex-mas is no exception.

This sounds like a dig, but I don't really mean it as one. Sure, I'd prefer to spend my time watching the best movies creators have to offer, but Christmas films in the 2000s play by their own rules. We're almost willing them to be awful, totally zoning out and thinking about absolutely nothing while we binge them in the cold winter months.

Starring Oliver Hudson and Alicia Silverstone as a couple who are trying to "consciously uncouple" (aka divorce) during the festive period, A Merry Little Ex-mas delivers the no-thoughts goods. It's the same way you have to occasionally read a rubbish book just to feel something again... there are no stakes and nothing important to note. Just you, a cosy blanket, and vibes.

Given I actually get paid to talk about film and TV for a living, and have to earn that responsibility, I need to dig a little deeper into A Merry Little Ex-mas via the standard industry criteria (e.g. saying "it's vibes" doesn't quite cut it). As you might expect, it doesn't score very highly in those areas.

A Merry Little Ex-mas has nuggets of gold amid its seasonal rubbish

First, let's set the scene. Kate (Silverstone) and Everett (Hudson) are getting divorced simply because they seem fatigued by each other. While the entire town knows about it, each is keeping a secret: Everett is dating someone new (Jameela Jamil), while Kate plans to move away to Boston after their youngest goes off to college.

Kate wants the family to have one last Christmas as a unit, adhering to all the traditions they've made over the years. As their secrets spill out, however, a normal Christmas is the last thing that Kate and Everett have, and it's incredibly clear that their feelings for each other haven't gone away either.

From my brief synopsis, you can probably work out exactly how A Merry Little Ex-mas ends, and I can basically guarantee that you are correct. This is one of the many problems the new movie has, if we're really scrutinizing it.

Not only can we see the conclusion coming with our eyes closed, but the overarching storyline and B-plots are all too ridiculous to believe. As an act of rebellion to try and make Everett jealous, Kate immediately dates a young guy called Chet (Pierson Fodé), who is the most stereotypical American muscle man you've ever seen.

The fact this chiseled dude just happens to be working at every business in town and on board with Kate's jealousy plan is as unbelievable as the fact Tess (Jamil) moved her luxurious life to suburban American for a man she's only know for just four weeks.

Every decision everybody makes is a questionable one, including the team's collective decision to make Harry Potter great again (you'll see what I mean, but really? In 2025?) There's nothing believable enough to sink your teeth into, you just have to go off of pure whimsy.

Our cast are putting in solid performances, but there's nothing remarkable. You'd think putting grown-up Cher Horowitz from Clueless and Sabrina the Teenage Witch (Melissa Joan Hart) in a film together as BFFs would be a slam dunk, but Joan Hart isn't included as much as she could be.

It's quite literally all smiles and rainbows. (Image credit: Netflix)

But that doesn't mean everything in A Merry Little Ex-mas should be written off. If you're a Hallmark fan, or live to consume rubbish, the new Netflix movie is literally made for you.

Every frame looks like the quintessential American holiday you want to immerse yourself in, both picture-perfect and wholesome at every turn. Add a level of 'hamming' to proceedings (by which I mean everything that happens borders on being camp) and you've the perfect cocktail of Sunday viewing.

There's also an incredible amount of representation that isn't made into an unnecessarily big deal. Kate has two dads, who own the local hardware store and are responsible for the biggest amount of laughs in this otherwise humorless film.

They shower her in nothing but love, and it's clear they've been an integral part of the grandchildren's childhoods too. It's a beautiful relationship to watch, and a timely reminder of how the 2020s blended family can be easily included onscreen.

My star of the show? Jameela Jamil. She's been so busy being brilliantly herself (her Substack is must-subscribe reading), that I think we've forgotten just how brilliant of an actress she is. Tess is the antithesis of who she really is, but you'd never be able to tell if you didn't know her. I'm aware that's how acting works, but you get my point.

Will I be rushing to press play on A Merry Little Ex-mas again? No, and I doubt I ever will. Was it a nice, mind-numbing way to spend a Sunday evening curled up in bed? You bet.

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Lenovo Go USB-C laptop power bank review

I rely on a power bank daily, and only the most powerful options can keep up with the demands of laptop charging or topping up portable gaming devices.

While there are plenty of great options in our guide to the best power banks, most don’t have built-in cables, so you need to carry some extras when on the go.

And that’s where the Lenovo Go slots in, with up to 65W output and a built-in cable that hides away in the power bank itself, so it's ready to go whenever needed.

Aside from the cable, it also has both a USB-C and a USB-A port and can charge three devices at once.

The Lenovo Go features a typical 20,000mAh, 74Wh (though the unit itself says 77Wh) capacity, which makes it ready to take on flights without permission, and capable of topping up a laptop at least once or keeping your phone charged for days. It’s also enough to give the 50Wh battery in the Steam Deck a full charge.

The Lenovo Go power bank includes a built-in 44 cm USB-C cable. (Image credit: Future)

At 170 × 72 × 23 mm (6.69 × 2.83 × 0.91 inches), it’s reasonably compact, and the 390 grams (0.86 lb) weight is fairly typical considering the capacity. The design is slim enough to slip into a bag (including briefcase-style laptop bags) without adding bulk.

The built-in USB-C cable is 44 cm (17.3 in) long and wraps around a recess in the power bank for storage. While secure and easy to deploy, it’s very slightly fiddly to put back into place neatly once you are finished charging.

The USB-C end is slightly bulky, so it may not fit in some USB-C ports with tight access, such as phones with thicker cases.

Image 1 of 7

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 7

The power bank shows the remaining capacity with LEDs – each representing a 25% increment. (Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 7

The power bank includes USB-A and USB-C ports on the end. (Image credit: Future)Image 4 of 7

The built-in USB-C cable has a handy pull tab to help release it. (Image credit: Future)Image 5 of 7

(Image credit: Future)Image 6 of 7

The USB-C connector on the end of the cable has a slightly bulky protective cover, so may not fit in tight ports. (Image credit: Future)Image 7 of 7

The built-in USB-C cable is tough, but does not sit neatly unless firmly pushed back in. (Image credit: Future)

The power bank uses a simple four-LED system to display remaining capacity in 25% steps, which works fine but isn’t quite as nice as a digital readout. The plastic shell feels solid in hand and is quite tough, and despite rattling around in my bag for a few weeks, it shows no signs of undue wear.

The Lenovo power bank does face stiff competition from similar-spec power banks, such as the often slightly cheaper Anker 20,000mAh 87W power bank. The Lenovo is slightly slimmer (but longer) and lighter, but to give comparative value for money, it needs to be picked up when on sale.

Image 1 of 4

The power bank is about the same horizontal dimensions as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, but of course much thicker. (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 4

(Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 4

The power bank looks chunky compared to the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i laptop, but it's slim enough to slip into a bag without adding bulk. (Image credit: Future)Image 4 of 4

(Image credit: Future)

The Lenovo Go USB-C laptop power bank outputs USB PD3.0 spec voltages on the USB-C cable and USB-C port – 5V 3A, 9V 3A, 15V 3A and 20V 3.25A. This means it will happily fast charge most phones, laptops and other devices like handheld gaming machines at up to 65W. The USB-A port supports the QC3.0 protocol, with 5V, 9V, 12V or variable from 3.6V to 12V, at up to 18W.

Notably, it doesn’t support PPS (Programmable Power Supply), so it won’t do 45W Samsung Super Fast charging like the Iniu P50 can.

The Lenovo power bank also doesn’t output 12V on the USB-C ports, which isn’t a problem for most users, but it’s still worth mentioning. There aren’t many devices that exclusively need 12V USB-C charging, but, for example, a 12V option is needed to get the fastest charging on DJI Mini drone batteries.

So while the Lenovo doesn’t have the latest protocol support, for normal use it’s still more than capable of fast charging any of your devices.

Lenovo Go USB-C laptop power bank: Price & specs

You can buy the Lenovo power bank directly from Lenovo or various other marketplaces and retailers.

List price is $140.99 / £84 / AU$138, but it's often sold for much less during sale events, so it's well worth waiting for a discount if you don't need it right away.

The power bank has a standard 1-year warranty, and we are a little disappointed that Lenovo didn’t offer at least 2 years.

 

Price

$140.99 / £84 / AU$138

Capacity

20,000mAh / 74Wh

Single Port Output

65W

Number of Ports

3

USB-C

2x in/out

USB-A

1x

Dimensions

170 × 72 × 23 mm (6.69 × 2.83 × 0.91 inches)

Weight (measured)

391 g (0.86 lb)

Phone charges

3 to 4 times

Laptop charges

0.5 to 1 times

Lenovo Go USB-C laptop power bank: Test results

Many power banks make bold claims, but in real-world testing they don't live up to the hype. So to weed out the duds, I do comprehensive testing to verify charge voltages, confirm protocol support and log capacity tests.

Overall, the Lenovo power bank gives solid results considering it is slimmer and lighter than many similar-spec options and has a built-in cable.

Test

Usable Capacity

Efficiency

Score

65W laptop charging

61.5 Wh

83.1%

3.5 / 5

30W laptop charging

62.5 Wh

84.4%

3.5 / 5

20W phone charging

65.3 Wh

88.2%

4 / 5

10W charging

68.1 Wh

92%

4.5 / 5

For 65W laptop charging, the Lenovo Go outputs 61.5Wh of the rated 74Wh available, giving a typical 83.1% efficiency rating. Lenovo also rates the power bank at just 48Wh when outputting 65W (20V 3.25A), so the real-world test results of 61.5Wh are much better.

I will note, though, that after it hits about 45% capacity remaining, it does renegotiate to a slower charge rate to protect the battery cells. This is fairly typical, and when testing it on a laptop that is being used the lower average power draw does not trigger this mode.

At an average 30W output when running a laptop, efficiency is slightly better, at 84.4%.

For phone charging at 20W, the Lenovo power bank hit an excellent 88.2% efficiency, and if charging slowly at 10W, it can output 92% of the rated capacity.

The power bank is rated for 74Wh by Lenovo online, but the actual power bank notes 77Wh. This is a slight over-provisioning of capacity by Lenovo, which is a good thing, and for the efficiency calculations above I used the 74Wh rating.

The Lenovo power bank includes detailed specs on the sticker underneath. (Image credit: Future)

When pushed hard with a sustained maximum output until empty (such as when charging a laptop), the Lenovo power bank reached a warm but not problematic 42°C (108°F), while phone charging only saw it reach 28°C (82°F). While it’s generally best to charge a laptop on a desk, the Lenovo power bank stays cool enough that I would have no problem using it in a bag.

The power bank can charge at up to 100W via the built-in cable or USB-C port and takes about 1.5 hours to top back up.

Rated Output Capacity

2400 mAh / 48Wh at 20V 3.25A

PPS support

No

Included cable

Built-in, 5A

IN1 (USB-C port)

5V⎓3A; 9V⎓3A; 15V⎓3A; 20V⎓5A

IN2 (USB-C cable)

5V⎓3A; 9V⎓3A; 15V⎓3A; 20V⎓5A

OUT1 (USB-C port)

5V⎓3A; 9V⎓3A; 15V⎓3A; 20V⎓3.25A

OUT2 (USB-C cable)

5V⎓3A; 9V⎓3A; 15V⎓3A; 20V⎓3.25A

OUT3 (USB-A port)

5V⎓3A; 9V⎓2A; 12V⎓1.5A

Should I buy the Lenovo Go power bank?Buy it if…

You need laptop charging
The 65W output is ideal for quick top-ups.

You want a power bank with a built-in cable
The 44 cm cable helps cut down clutter in your bag.

Don't buy it if…

You need PPS charging
The Lenovo power bank does not support PPS so it can’t hit the full Samsung Super Fast charge speeds.

You are after a more affordable option
While not too bad when on sale, the Lenovo power bank is expensive at list price.

Also consider

The Lenovo Go laptop power bank is a great option for everyday laptop and phone charging, but below are a few other options if you are looking for something different. For even more recommendations, check out our guide to the best power banks. Or, if you are planning a holiday soon, get a full rundown on the airline rules when traveling with power banks.

Iniu P50 power bank
Need something smaller for charging a phone? With 45W fast-charge capability and a 10,000mAh (37Wh) capacity, the Iniu P50 is a great power bank to slip into your bag when on the go.

Read our full Iniu P50 power bank review

ZMI No.20
This power bank uses premium components, has a large 25,000mAh (90Wh) capacity and is able to fast-charge anything from a phone to a laptop at up to 100W.

Read our full ZMI No.20 review

What's your favorite power bank for everyday carry? Or is there a specific model you think I should test?

Let me know in the comments below.

How I test power banks

I get hands-on with every power bank I test and conduct extensive evaluations in both lab and real-world scenarios. Using tools like the ChargerLab POWER-Z KM003C, I measure charge voltage, check protocol support, and log capacity tests.

Each power bank is also tested with everyday devices, including phones, tablets and laptops, and is connected to a programmable load tester for multiple charge cycles. I carry a selection daily in both pockets and bags to assess their durability and ability to withstand everyday use.

All measurements and weights are personally verified, ensuring accuracy beyond the manufacturer’s listings. It’s worth noting that many power bank reviews don’t do this sort of testing, so they should be taken with a grain of salt.

Want to know more? Read about how we test.

It's been a long time coming, but Football Manager 26 is finally here. With 2025 being the first year we haven't seen a new Football Manager game — or Championship Manager before it — since 1992, it was clear that when Sports Interactive decided to cancel last year's planned entry to the highly regarded football management simulation game, it must've been in a bad way.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PC
Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S
Release date: November 4, 2025

It was always an ambitious sequel, with the developers being transparent about the switch to the Unity engine, with plans to use it for a huge graphical leap. For a modern-day football game, the matchday experience should be the flagship feature, but until now, it wouldn't have looked out of place on an original PlayStation. On Unity, it now looks at least like a PlayStation 2 game.

What's funny is that I'm not exaggerating in the slightest, but it isn't a criticism by any means. It isn't quite the dramatic jump forward we long-term virtual managers were hoping for, but it's still an improvement. Match intros have league-specific cutscenes, player animations are much more fluid, and the way the ball travels looks way more realistic. Football Manager is more than just the match engine, but this is hopefully a solid start to consistent graphical improvements over the course of the next few entries.

(Image credit: SI/Sega)A couple of highlights

That will, unfortunately, be a running theme because Football Manager 26 is, for all intents and purposes, still very much a beta. There are improvements, and the important thing to keep in mind amongst all of the drawbacks is that this is still Football Manager at its core.

You're still going to be hooked, playing for hours on end, sacrificing sleep to try and take your beloved local club to glory… It's just that, despite all the hype and excitement around 26 being a full revamp for the series, it has significantly missed the mark.

Alongside the visually improved match engine, though, there is one other area where Football Manager 26 has genuinely improved on: tactics. For the first time in series history, you can now use two tactics simultaneously: one when you're in possession of the ball, and another when you're out of possession. The available player roles for any given position change, you can use an entirely different formation, the whole works. It adds an extra dynamic to tactics that we didn't have prior, and is one of the only genuine selling points for the new game.

I'd also be remiss not to mention the inclusion of women's football for the first time ever, and done to an impressive degree, too. There are 14 women's leagues across 11 countries, from the world-famous Women's Super League in England to the not-so-well-known Adran Premier next door in Wales.

Sports Interactive has 40 researchers dedicated to just the women's game, and even though there's no denying the mode won't be as popular as managing in the men's leagues, it's a great step for representation and is crucial in helping the sport become as recognised as it deserves to be.

(Image credit: SI/Sega)Delivered a year late yet still undercooked

Unfortunately, even with the post-launch 26.0.4 update, Football Manager 26 is still a buggy, feature-barren, poor excuse for a full-priced video game launch, especially one that has 20+ years of history and consistency to fall back on.

There are so many missing features in this year's instalment that were available in previous iterations of the game, including but not limited to: International management, touchline shouts, squad depth tab, live cup draws, the data hub, create-a-club mode, versus mode, challenge mode, transfer deadline day, end of season summaries/fanfare, advanced match stats, the ability to save preset line-ups, and so many more slightly less significant removals that I could be here all day.

Best bit

(Image credit: SI/Sega)

Even though it still pales in comparison to other modern football games, the match engine is a huge visual upgrade, and one that's long overdue.

Not to mention the heaps upon heaps of not-quite game-breaking, but still infuriating bugs. Being able to select bench players to take penalties in a shootout, in-match text commentary that doesn't make sense, long text wrapping and obscuring other text… again, these are just a few examples of a considerably long list.

Even though Sports Interactive revealed touchline shouts were effectively useless, providing only the most minimal of morale boosts when performed correctly, I still find my muscle memory looking for them in almost every match.

That placebo effect was very real in Football Manager 2024, and while I understand the need to revamp them before bringing it back as a feature, it's perhaps the one I miss the most. That and transfer deadline day, specifically, thanks to missing out on a signing because the paperwork wasn't filed until 15 minutes after the deadline, which was something the dedicated deadline day mode in FM24 would've prevented. Damn fax machine.

(Image credit: SI/Sega)Teaching an old dog new tricks

Finally, there are the many, many UI changes. As more and more players pick up Football Manager on console — despite for the longest time, it being a PC exclusive — development caters more towards them, leading to a complete UI overhaul.

As a diehard, decade-plus player, it was hard to get used to. Even though I know how the game works at its core, I had to learn where everything was again, and it was beyond frustrating when I'd go somewhere I expected something to be, and it inexplicably wasn't, so I had to resort to the search function.

I hesitate to call it bad UI design, though, because there's every chance I only dislike it because it's such a drastic change from what I'm familiar with. If you present a brand new player with both Football Manager 24 and 26 side by side, task them with learning each one, then ask which they prefer? I suspect their answer may be 26, even if we veterans are finding it tough.

As mentioned before, though, this is still Football Manager. It may be one of the worst launches the series has had, receptively from both critics and fans alike, but if you love the series despite all of its flaws, you're going to enjoy Football Manager 26.

Especially the improved tactics and match engine, because playing tiki taka with Manchester United, in a way I know for a fact we could never do in real life, is so worth it when compared to the match engine we put up with in the series prior to now. This game is essentially a beta for Football Manager 27, and it should be treated as such.

(Image credit: SI/Sega)Should you play Football Manager 26?Play it if...

You're a Football Manager diehard
Those committed to the series will truly appreciate the in-possession/out-of-possession tactical changes, and if you've exhausted your time with FM24 then this is the logical next game for you to pick up and get stuck into.

Don't ply it if...

You were looking to continue enjoying some staple features of the series
If you take great delight in some of the features that have been removed for this latest iteration, such as international management, create-a-club mode, saving lineups, and more, then you'll likely be disappointed here.

You're not happy essentially being a beta tester for Football Manager 27
Football Manager 26 is a half-baked product, and you’ll have a more complete experience playing FM24. It may not look quite as pretty during matches, and you’re forgoing slightly more in-depth tactical options, but 24 has far more features, and you’d be hard-pressed to find many bugs, if any, while FM26 has the distinct air of being a step onto something bigger in the future.

Accessibility features

As Football Manager has always been mostly spreadsheets, accessibility options come in the form of larger text, a color blind mode, the option to toggle flashing commentary when a goal is scored, and plain colours for commentary text to help distinguish them from a background.

The game also supports 19 different languages, has a number of camera settings when mid-match, but there are no difficulty modes or anything of that ilk, as they aren't required.

How I reviewed Football Manager 26

As with every Football Manager game, I began a one-season save with my beloved Manchester United, with an aim to place as high as possible in the league, but also not worry about long-term finances or transfers. At the time of writing, I have played around 17 hours of playtime according to Steam.

I've toyed around with the new tactics considerably, spent lots of time scouting and signing players that can make an immediate impact, and also sold a few (it really helps when Saudi Arabian clubs come in with ridiculous offers for your squad players).

I tested managing in the women's game for a short while, too, and experienced plenty of bugs. All of this was played on a Windows 11 PC via Steam. Football Manager 26 isn't particularly intensive, as the series has famously been able to run on basically any hardware, but my gaming PC sports an RTX 3080 and 32GB of memory.

First reviewed November 2025

Roborock F25 Ultra: two-minute review

The Roborock F25 Ultra is a premium cordless upright wet-and-dry cleaner that seeks to outshine the competition with its three USPs: a sanitizing steam function, grease-busting hot water mopping and adjustable power-assisted wheels.

And outshine the competition it does: this is the best wet-and-dry vacuum I've tested. On test, I found the steam function excelled at lifting dried grime and killing bacteria, while the hot-water mopping dissolved sticky kitchen spills with ease. Powerful suction makes it an exceedingly dab hand at sucking up liquid and debris spills like cereal, porridge, soup and wine. There's a built-in floor cleaning fluid tank for even dispensing, too.

Although rather heavy, the power-assisted wheels make the F25 Ultra super-easy to drive, and you can even hook up the companion app, lie it down and remote-control it under low-slung furniture if you desire. Once you're finished cleaning, a thorough self-cleaning mode takes care of the majority of maintenance. All the user has to do is periodically empty the contents of its dirty water tank into the toilet bowl.

While I would have preferred a full-width roller for true edge cleaning, the F25 Ultra is an excellent performer in all disciplines. Whether all this state-of-the-art tech is worth the asking price is open to debate but I'm personally very much smitten.

(Image credit: Future)Roborock F25 Ultra review: price & availability

• List price: $599.99 / AU$1,499
• Launched: Fall 2025
• Availability: US and Australia

The Roborock F25 Ultra was unveiled at IFA in September 2025, and is available to buy in the US and Australia. At time of writing, the Roborock F25 Ultra isn't available in the UK or Europe but I suspect it'll be launched this side of the Atlantic in due course.

At full price, it costs $799.99 / AU$1,499 – although I'm not sure it'll be sold at that price very often, because while I've been writing this review I've seen it for $599.99 and $549.99 in the US, and AU$899 in Australia. It's available to purchase direct from Roborock as well as via a range of third-party retailers, including Amazon.

That's quite a slice of cash for a hard floor cleaner given that you can find something similar without the bells and whistles for substantially less, including Roborock's base-level F25 LT which comes with the bare essentials like standard mopping and a slightly lower suction power of 20,000Pa.

Nevertheless, if you want a true state-of-the-art hard floor cleaner that covers all bases from sucking up spills to hot water mopping and hygienic steaming, the F25 Ultra is most definitely worth splashing out on.

• Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Roborock F25 Ultra specs

Type:

Cordless wet-and-dry vacuum

Water tank volume:

Clean 1L, dirty 0.72L

Weight:

11.5 lbs / 5.2kg

Dimensions (H x W x D):

43.1 x 10.4 x 9.7 in / 109.6 x 26.5 x 24.6cm

Max runtime:

60 mins

Max suction:

22,000 Pa

Modes:

Sponge, Auto, Steam, Hot Water

Detergent dispenser:

Yes

Lie flat:

Yes (4.9in / 12.5cm tall)

Hot water cleaning temp:

187F / 86C

Steam temp:

356F / 180C

Self-clean cycle:

Yes (steam at 356F / 180C; water at 194F / 90C)

Self-dry:

Yes (5 min fast dry; 30 min quiet dry)

Roborock F25 Ultra review: design

• Hot water mopping and new steam function
• Power-assisted wheels and the ability to remote control via an app
• LED headlamps, and can lie flat to the ground

I always get a bit excited whenever Roborock announces a new product (this brand makes some of the very best robot vacuums I've tested) and, believe me, this new addition to its F25 range of hard floor cleaners is definitely cause for a spot of childlike jumping up and down.

But it wasn't always like this. I remember Roborock's first attempt at making a hard floor cleaner. It was called the Dyad and it wasn't great, it must be said, mostly because it was cumbersome, difficult to maneuver, and it couldn't stand up on its own. I'm sure the latest range of Dyads have improved but I still can't see them holding a candle to the newer F25 range.

I've already tried out the Roborock F25 ACE, but this newer model excites me even more because it comes with a 356F / 180C steam function and hot-mopping feature. These are a godsend for blitzing ingrained stains that most hard floor cleaners' standard mopping functions may have trouble removing.

(Image credit: Future)

While it's difficult to muster up much enthusiasm about the styling of most wet-and-dry cleaners, for my money the models in the F25 range are the best lookers I've laid eyes on in a long time. Nevertheless, it's what goes on beneath the skin that matters most and in this regard the F25 Ultra trounces much of the opposition by dint of its three main USPs: the aforementioned steam function, the newly added hot mopping option and its adjustable power-assisted wheels.

But before I discuss these in detail, let's take a closer look at the design, starting with the floorhead. While the F25 Ultra's 720ml dirty water tank is housed on the main body like most wet-and-dry models, its fresh water reservoir is positioned lower down on top of the brushhead housing, and this not only lowers the weight on the handle while providing instant line-of-sight to its water level, it also reduces the body's overall profile which means it can be lowered parallel with the floor for reaching deep under low-slung furnishings like sofas and beds. In fact, there's a tiny wheel behind the handle section for this purpose, but more on that in a moment.

(Image credit: Future)

The 870ml clean water reservoir features two sealed fillers, one for fresh water and a much smaller one for adding the contents of Roborock's supplied 200ml bottle of floor cleaning solution. Both liquids are mixed automatically during cleaning and you'll be pleased to learn that the floor solution lasts for many cleaning sessions. To fill the fresh water tank, simply grab its rose-gold handle while pressing on a latch behind to lift it off its plinth.

The F25 Ultra's floorhead measures 10.5in / 26.6cm in width. However, the cloth roller itself measures 9.8in / 25cm with 0.4in / 1cm of space at one outer edge and 0.2in / 0.6cm at the other. That's par for the course for most models of this nature, but I recently reviewed a Eureka RapidWash 730 that uses a split roller that runs the full width of the housing, even protruding a couple of millimeters beyond the housing on one side. I'd like to see other manufacturers adopt this innovative approach because it allows for cleaning right to the very edge.

According to the product blurb, the F25 Ultra's brush housing is equipped with 32 outlets for heating the water to 187F / 86C as it hits the roller, and six steam outlets delivering a volume of 2,000mg/min at a whopping 356F / 180C. The roller itself exerts a force of 33 Newtons – equivalent to 7.4 lbs / 3.36kg of deep scrub-ability – while a pair of ‘jaw scrapers' behind the roller help keep the floor streak-free and the roller tangle-free. The floorhead also has a set of bright LEDs that emit a purple hue for cleaning the darker recesses of a home.

(Image credit: Future)

The F25 Ultra comes with four main cleaning modes – Sponge, Auto, Steam and Hot Water. All modes are accessed via the mode button positioned on the main handle, along with the on/off button and another button for selecting the self cleaning function when the unit is placed in the charging dock.

Although confusingly named, Sponge mode is for sucking up large liquid and debris-based spills so you don't have to get down on hands and knees with a handful of paper towels. This single suction task is one of the main reasons why these wet-and-dry machines are so popular. Spilt bowl of cereal or bowl of soup? Check. Small water leak around the sink? Check. Dog sick in the kitchen? Check. You get the gist.

(Image credit: Future)

In Auto mode, the F25 Ultra uses a sensor to detect dirt and automatically adjust cleaning intensity to clear it. This mode leaves only a thin veneer of dampness in its wake and is the best option for light day-to-day mopping duties. But when the going gets tough, you also have the option of either hot water mopping or, for deep down germ-killing cleanliness, the power of steam.

In fact, you can tell that the machine is steaming because there's a plume of the stuff wafting up from the front like some special dry ice effect at a rock concert. According to Roborock, this steam function is also suitable for use on wooden flooring and I second that because I detected no tell-tale signs of damage on my floors.

(Image credit: Future)

If you find pushing and pulling vacuum cleaners around a bit of a workout, you'll love this model's adjustable power-assisted wheels. With a brushless motor in each wheel and some AI-enhanced tech to govern it all, Roborock's SlideTech 2.0 system functions like a power-assisted electric bicycle. As soon as you push or pull the cleaner, the wheels instantly provide a level of self-propulsion that feels extremely natural while making the unit feel really light in the hand.

The adjustable power assistance also applies to the turns, giving the F25 Ultra the ability to effortlessly glide around furniture and walls with 70-degree steering. And unlike its predecessor, the F25 ACE, the motorized wheels are disengaged the moment you stand it up.

Couple this dextrous motorized ability with the wherewithal to remotely control the F25 Ultra via the excellent Roborock app and you have a hard floor cleaner that you can quite literally drive under the entire length of a super king bed by lowering the handle to the floor and steering it using the app's virtual joysticks.

Whenever you have finished a task, simply place the unit into its square tub-shaped dock and tap the self-clean button on the vac's handlebar to automatically engage the cleaning process which washes the roller and areas around it with hot water at temperatures between 194F and 356F (90C to 180C) before drying the roller with hot air at a substantial 203F / 95C. When it's finished cleaning, chuck the contents of the F25 Ultra's dirty water tank into the toilet bowl.

The Roborock F25 Ultra weighs 11.46 lbs / 5.2kg which is about average for a hard floor cleaner. While it's light enough for most able bods to haul up a flight of stairs, a carrying handle on the rear wouldn't have gone amiss.

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Roborock F25 Ultra review: performance

• Stupendous suction power sucks up solids and liquids easily
• Groundbreaking steam function clears even dried stains
• Very easy to push, pull and maneuver

I tested this model in a number of disciplines. Firstly, I used it as a bog-standard mop on my engineered wooden flooring and was pleasantly surprised by how little water it left behind – just a thin perfectly uniform film with no streaking or signs of missed areas.

Some models I've tested have had a habit of leaving a small pool of water around the roller when turning the unit off. But, like the Eureka SpeedWash 730, this model gave a quick blast of suction just before it switched itself and I have no pools of water to report. I'm happy with that.

Image 1 of 4

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 4

(Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 4

(Image credit: Future)Image 4 of 4

(Image credit: Future)

My second test was using the Sponge mode to collect a nasty spill using a variety of wet and dry ingredients, including oats, ketchup, milk, a crushed biscuit and an egg for extra grunginess. Cleaning up something as disgusting as this the conventional way involves a pile of paper towels and a pair of Marigolds. But not with this gunk swallower, which I would say performed better than any model of this nature that I've so far reviewed. It quite literally sucked up every last vestige of the mess without leaving any sign that anything was there.

(Image credit: Future)

All I had to do was unclip the dirty water tank and empty its revolting contents into the toilet. Hint: there's a recessed yellow handle on top of the firm-fitting dirty water tank that's designed to release the lid. If you try to force the lid off, there's a very good chance of spilling everything all over your legs.

For my third test I switched it to hot water mopping and it took about a minute for the roller to feel warm. While I was a bit nervous of using this mode for too long on my wooden floor (hot water seeps more easily), I was mightily impressed by the results when I tested it on some ingrained stains left behind by the dogs.

My final test used the new steam mopping feature on two patches of dried soy sauce stains on my bathroom's tiled floor, but they may as well have been wet because the combination of steam and the fast-spinning roller obliterated both stains in a single pass.

(Image credit: Future)

It's good to know that, according to Roborock, the F25 Ultra's steam function is wooden floor-friendly. My floors are made from engineered wood and I've seen no evidence of any harm after using this model's steam function. (As an aside: the act of mopping wooden floors can leave them looking tired and a bit dull, but I've started using Bona Wood Floor Gloss Finish, which works a treat to counter any dryness and leaves a beautiful sheen. Here's more on how to clean a hardwood floor, if you're looking for some general guidance).

The Roborock F25 Ultra's self-cleaning system automatically washes the roller mop in hot water followed by an efficient drying sequence using wafts of hot air to keep odors and mildew at bay.

In terms of battery usage, Roborock states a running time in Auto mode of 'up to 60 minutes'. I sadly don't have the floor space to have kept it running in Auto mode till the battery ran out or my wooden floors would have been soaked and possibly damaged. However, I did test both the hot water and steam modes which use a lot more battery power and the hot water function gave me 20 minutes of mopping while the steam function continued to operate for another five minutes. I call that a very decent set of stats and more than enough time to cover three or four average-sized rooms using a mix of all three cleaning functions.

• Performance score: 5 out of 5

Should you buy the Roborock F25 Ultra?

Attribute

Notes

Rating

Value

Expensive at full price, but discounts are very common. You're getting an awful lot of practical and efficient tech for your money.

4 / 5

Design

Fully featured and looks great too. A smidge away from 5 stars due to its fractionally short roller.

4.5 / 5

Performance

Exceptional in all disciplines, whether it's mopping the kitchen, cleaning up big spills or steam-cleaning the bathroom.

5 / 5

Buy it if...

You want something for tough stains

With its mix of powerful suction, hot water mopping and steam cleaning, the F25 Ultra can handle the toughest of stains and spills.

You aren't as nimble as you used to be

The F25 Ultra's power-assisted wheels make it feel light and easy to maneuver, and you can even remote-control it into awkward spaces.

You need something to sanitize floors

The steam function here is ideal for sanitizing flooring, as well as for lifting dried dirt.

Don't buy it if...

You just need something for light cleaning

There are cheaper, less powerful wet-dry vacuums that can handle day-to-day cleaning of hard floors.

You have lots of stairs

The F25 Ultra is quite heavy to carry, and if you're going to be mopping on different levels, you might want to opt for something lighter.

Roborock F25 Ultra: alternatives to consider

Roborock F25 Ultra (reviewed)

Roborock F25 ACE

Dyson WashG1

Type:

Cordless wet-and-dry vacuum

Cordless wet-and-dry vacuum

Cordless wet cleaner

Water tank volume:

Clean 1L, dirty 0.72L

Clean 0.74L, dirty 0.72L

Clean 1L, dirty 0.8L

Weight:

11.5 lbs / 5.2kg

10.4 lbs / 4.7kg

10.8 lbs / 4.9kg

Dimensions (H x W x D):

43.1 x 10.4 x 9.7 in / 109.6 x 26.5 x 24.6cm

45.6 x 13.9 x 21.4in / 115.7 x 35.2 x 31.6cm

44.9 x 8.9 x 11.8in / 114 x 22.5 x 30cm

Max runtime:

60 mins

60 mins

35 mins

Max suction:

22,000 Pa

22,000 Pa

None

Hot water mopping:

Yes (at 187F / 86C)

No

No

Steam cleaning:

Yes (at 356F / 180C)

No

No

Self-clean cycle:

Yes (hot water, steam, hot air)

Yes (hot water, hot air)

Yes (cold water)

Detergent dispenser:

Yes

Yes

No

Roborock F25 ACE

The ACE sits lower down the F25 range. It's still an exceptional cleaner has most things the Ultra does, but lacks steam cleaning and hot water mopping.

Read TechRadar's full Roborock F25 ACE review.

Dyson WashG1

Dyson's wet cleaning effort relies on agitation and hydration to clear spillages and lift stains – there's no suction here. The WashG1 isn't as fully featured as the F25 vacuums, but it does have a clever separation system for solid and liquid waste.

Read TechRadar's full Dyson WashG1 review.

How I tested the Roborock F25 Ultra

I knew what to expect with the F25 Ultra since I reviewed its stablemate, the F25 ACE, earlier this year. Hence putting it all together and setting it up was a breeze.

The first thing I did was let it charge, before taking it for a spin in the kitchen to see how well it performed at general light-duty mopping. I then tried out the hot water mopping function on some dog stains followed by my main suction test using both liquids and solids. Finally, I tried out the steam function to see how well it removed a couple of dried soy sauce stains.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed November 2025

BattlerGC Pro: one-minute review

I’ve spent this past week being seriously impressed with the BattlerGC Pro.

To me, it’s everything a modern take on the iconic GameCube controller should be, making it one of the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories to date. Compatible with Switch and Switch 2 as well as PC, its real ace in the hole is the included wireless GameCube adapter, which works brilliantly with Nintendo’s sixth-generation purple wonder as well as its successor, the Wii.

While the Nintendo Switch 2 GameCube controller is a great recreation, it’s very much a case of ‘what you see is what you get.’ The BattlerGC Pro takes that template and fully modernizes it, bringing Hall effect sticks, remappable rear buttons, and multiplatform compatibility to the table. Its d-pad and clicky triggers, especially, are a monumental improvement over Nintendo’s official controller.

The BattlerGC Pro is probably not going to be your go-to for many of the best Nintendo Switch 2 games, given its adoption of the GameCube controller’s unorthodox face button layout. But it’s a dream to use with Nintendo Switch Online’s growing GameCube library. And of course, compatibility with original hardware and PC means it’s excellent if you still have a GameCube or Wii game collection, or you enjoy your games enhanced via emulation.

There are some slight issues to make note of here. Battery life isn’t particularly impressive, and the Home button is smack in the center of the pad, meaning you really have to reach your thumbs over to press it. But these are very tiny blemishes on what is otherwise a very accomplished retro-facing controller.

In short, don’t feel like you have to shell out for a second-hand WaveBird to enjoy wireless play on GameCube or Wii. The BattlerGC Pro is much more cost-effective and, ultimately, a much better controller overall.

(Image credit: Future)BattlerGC Pro review: price and availability

• List price: $69.95 / £59.99 / AU$99.95
• Available to buy now from Retro Fighters or regional retailers
• Slightly pricier than the official Switch 2 GameCube controller ($64.99 / £58.99 / AU$89.95)

You can pick up the BattlerGC Pro controller today for the retail price of $69.95 / £59.99 / AU$99.95. It’s available in various colors from manufacturer Retro Fighters’ website (Black, Purple, and a translucent ‘Glacier’ color, too), or regional big box retailers.

The BattlerGC Pro actually comes in slightly more expensive than the official Nintendo Switch 2 GameCube controller, which retails at $64.99 / £58.99 / AU$89.95. That said, I think the features offered by the BattlerGC Pro - not to mention its multiplatform compatibility - certainly make it well worth the extra asking price.

BattlerGC Pro review: Specs

Price

$69.95 / £59.99 / AU$99.95

Weight

7oz / 198g

Dimensions

6 x 3 x 2.8in / 152 x 76 x 71mm

Compatibility

Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, GameCube, Wii, Wii U (requires Wii U GameCube adapter)

Connection type

Wireless (2.4GHz, Bluetooth, GameCube adapter), Wired (USB-C)

Battery life

Around 10 hours

(Image credit: Future)BattlerGC Pro review: design and features

Like the OG Xbox’s ‘Duchess’ to the ‘Duke’ controller, the BattlerGC Pro looks and feels like an intelligent revision of the Nintendo GameCube controller. Or more accurately - given the feature set - the wireless WaveBird variant.

Years and years of third-party controller features and refinements have clearly informed the design of the BattlerGC Pro.

First of all, the BattlerGC Pro does address some of the original GameCube controller’s shortcomings. There are two shoulder buttons here as opposed to just the one, and the triggers have been completely redesigned. As has the d-pad, which is slightly bigger and offers a more satisfying press. The thumbsticks can also click inwards now, offering L3 and R3 button inputs. But for the most part, that GameCube layout remains unchanged.

The rear of the BattlerGC Pro houses two remappable buttons, as well as a switch for swapping between 2.4GHz and Bluetooth wireless connectivity options. You’ll also find a small ‘program’ button back here, which can be held in conjunction with other buttons to assign those remappables to your liking.

I’m a huge fan of the GameCube’s aesthetic, and it’s been successfully replicated and modernized with the BattlerGC Pro. The color scheme is on point, from the purple casing to the green, red, and yellow of the A and B buttons and C-stick, respectively. New additions are made tastefully, and are discreet enough (like those remappable buttons) that they don’t intrude on that classic GameCube look.

(Image credit: Future)BattlerGC Pro review: Performance

One look at that GameCube-style button layout should be enough to tell you that the BattlerGC Pro is not designed with modern games in mind. I confirmed as much by jumping into Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment and Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, and had to actively look at the controller to reorient myself.

But realistically, you’re not buying the BattlerGC to enjoy the latest releases on Switch 2 or PC with. It’s specifically designed for use with GameCube titles, or other games that aren’t hampered by a reliance on that unorthodox button layout. On this front, the BattlerGC Pro really delivers.

I sampled games across systems that the BattlerGC Pro is compatible with. Starting with Luigi’s Mansion and F-Zero GX on Nintendo Switch Online, then moving onto original GameCube hardware with killer7, Tales of Symphonia, and Phantasy Star Online Episode 1 & 2, using that wireless GameCube adapter, which slots into the console’s controller ports. The pairing process was blissfully simple, too; I just had to hold in the Home button, and the adapter recognized the controller in seconds.

The experience felt incredible across both platforms and certainly helps to breathe new life into the GameCube library. Even over a wireless connection, input latency was impressively untraceable. There’s just something so nice about revisiting an older platform with a wireless connectivity solution.

The biggest disappointment, though, is definitely with the BattlerGC Pro’s battery life. 10 hours is far from awful, but do expect to be topping it up a lot more often than Nintendo’s own Switch 2 GameCube controller, as well as the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller.

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the BattlerGC Pro?Buy it if...

You own original GameCube or Wii hardware
The BattlerGC Pro presents a fantastic excuse to dust off your GameCube or Wii console and get stuck in with some classic games. Especially with its wireless connectivity options.

You want a multiplatform-capable retro-friendly controller
Compatible with both Switch consoles and PC, as well as Wii and GameCube, the BattlerGC Pro is great for arcade-style titles on more modern platforms, as well as the classics.

Don't buy it if...

You hate the GameCube controller layout
The GameCube controller’s weird button layout certainly isn’t for everyone. And you’re going to be stuck with it here.

You were hoping for more battery life
At just 10 hours, the BattlerGC Pro does falter somewhat on battery life. Consider the official Switch 2 GameCube controller or the Switch 2 Pro Controller if you want to charge your pad up less often.

BattlerGC Pro review: Also consider

If the BattlerGC Pro isn’t impressing you, here are a couple of strong Switch 2-facing alternatives for you to consider as well.

BattlerGC Pro

Nintendo Switch 2 GameCube controller

Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller

Price

$69.95 / £59.99 / AU$99.95

$64.99 / £58.99 / AU$89.95

$84.99 / £74.99 / AU$119.95

Weight

7oz / 198g

7.4oz / 210g

8.3oz / 235g

Dimensions

6 x 3 x 2.8in / 152 x 76 x 71mm

5.5 x 3.9 x 2.6in / 140 x 100 x 65mm

5.8 x 4.1 x 2.4in / 148 x 105 x 60mm

Compatibility

Switch, Switch 2, PC, GameCube, Wii, Wii U (requires Wii U GameCube adapter)

Nintendo Switch 2

Nintendo Switch 2

Connection type

Wireless (2.4GHz, Bluetooth, GameCube adapter), Wired (USB-C)

Wireless (Switch 2 native)

Wireless (Bluetooth), Wired (USB Type-C)

Battery life

Around 10 hours

Around 25-30 hours

Around 40 hours

Nintendo Switch 2 GameCube Controller
Specifically designed for use with Nintendo Switch Online’s GameCube game library, the Switch 2 GameCube controller is a warts-and-all re-release of the original. It adds gyro aiming and a GameChat button for online play, but expect a very similar-feeling pad overall. Great battery life, too.

Read our full Nintendo Switch 2 GameCube Controller review

Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller
Easily the best controller for Switch 2. It offers impressively smooth thumbsticks, rock-solid build quality, and class-leading battery life of around 40 hours. It’s pricey, but worth every penny and a massive upgrade over the Joy-Con 2 controllers.

Read our full Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller review

How I tested the BattlerGC Pro

• Tested for one week
• Used across Switch 2, PC, and original GameCube hardware
• Compared to the official Switch 2 GameCube controller and Switch 2 Pro Controller

I tested the BattlerGC Pro for this review over the course of a week. While I primarily used it to play games on Nintendo Switch 2 - including Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer, and Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S - I also had the chance to try it out with original GameCube hardware.

This is an edge the BattlerGC Pro has over the likes of the Switch 2 GameCube Controller and Switch 2 Pro Controller - its multiplatform capabilities. I can highly recommend it to those who own an original GameCube or Wii console, thanks to its wireless connectivity solution.

First reviewed November 2025

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