TechRadar Reviews

Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema: Two-minute review

The Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema takes instant cameras in a new direction, and let me tell you, it’s heaps of fun. It’s a 3-in-1 digital ‘hybrid’ instant camera; being a stills camera, an instant printer and the very first Instax that shoots video.

We know the instant photography part already: the Mini Evo Cinema packs much of the same lo-fi tech as the Mini Evo – 5MP digital photos through a 28mm f/2 lens, which are saved onto micro SD, that you can select in the camera’s gallery or through a companion app to print instantly onto Instax Mini paper. In this case, the printing process uses an analog-style lift and twist lever.

But it’s the camera's design where things get really interesting. This is a nostalgic, slimline Super 8 camera-style body – which is supposedly inspired by Fujifilm’s ‘Fujica Single-8‘ from 1965 – that easily sits in the hand with the shutter button at your trigger finger.

And for me, it’s the video features that drew me in rather than the traditional Instax photography experience, even if each of the three functions seamlessly blend together.

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(Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 2 of 4

With the viewfinder added (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 3 of 4

There's a fixed 28mm f/2 lens (with digital zoom lever) selfie mirror and flash light (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 4 of 4

The viewfinder gives a clear view of the 1.5-inch LCD display (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

Then there's the main event – the Eras Dial™, with a look for every decade spanning the last 100 years. Fujifilm says these looks ‘pay homage to the characteristics, media and playback devices that defined that time’. My brief hour with the Evo Cinema wasn't nearly enough time to decide which ones were my favorites, and I definitely didn't have the time to fine tune each of those 10 profiles spanning 1930 through to 2020.

There's a scale of 1-10 for various 'expressions' of each decade, adjusting either the strength or the look of each style. So yes, that makes 100 styles, all of which work for photos and videos.

Fujifilm is no stranger to introducing never-before seen controls in its recent cameras, from the Film Mode in the fun X half to the aspect ratio dial in the serious GFX100RF, it keeps delivering surprising new features, and the Eras Dial™ is more than just a novelty.

Image 1 of 4

There's the Eras Dial™. Also note the lift and twist lever for printing, cine / stills switch and another level which operates a digital zoom (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 2 of 4

And here's the 1.5-inch LCD display (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 3 of 4

The camera is really slimline (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 4 of 4

The grip is possibly a little chunky. Nonetheless, I could hold it comfortably (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

Even videos can be shared through an Instax Mini print – the Mini Evo Cinema selects a frame from the video and prints it with a QR code for access to that clip through Fujifilm’s servers.

I was given a print with a QR code attached, which took me online to the highlight reel that a Fujifilm X-Photographer (a brand ambassador directly associated with Fujifilm) had created. You can also check out and share photos and videos using the free Instax Mini Evo app, including making short video edits from your 15 second video clips.

I'm yet to try the app with the Evo Cinema photos and videos I shot on launch day, but will surely do so for my full review.

Here's the camera alongside a print for every one of the 10 decades featured in the Eras Dial. It's no coincidence that a pack of Instax Mini film produces 10 prints. (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

Inside the box, you get the camera, viewfinder eye cup for the 1.5-inch 170k-dot LCD screen (see it in action, below), a grip extension and a strap.

The Mini Evo might look toy-like, but it is in fact a premium-feel product, everything from the grip to the dials, switches and buttons feel solid.

Performance, on the other hand, during my hands-on was pretty sluggish – the Evo Cinema's wheel of death appeared almost every time I recorded a video, taking a few seconds to be ready to use again. I'll reserve judgement until I complete a full review.

The Evo Cinema handles well, and is such a clever concept - packing Instax tech into a polished, Super 8-style body (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

I actually think the Mini Evo Cinema is the most intriguing Instax camera to date – it feels like the Instax camera that the digital generation has been waiting for.

Its Super 8-style body is a perfect form to host Instax Mini printing, and the multi-media output makes this feel like a camera that'll keep my interest for much longer than a simple instant photography Instax. This is a proper good times camera.

True, I’ve only had an hour or two using the Instax Mini Evo Cinema, but it already feels like the one that appeals to me the most in the many years that I've been testing Fujifilm products. If I was to sum the Mini Evo up in a single word, it would be fun. Fujifilm is having a real go at making cameras fun again with a string of quirky products, and the Evo Cinema could just top the lot. I'll report back soon once I've had more time with it.

Sample photos – 1930 through to 2020

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1930 (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 2 of 10

1940 (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 3 of 10

1950 (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 4 of 10

1960 (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 5 of 10

1970 (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 6 of 10

1980 (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 7 of 10

1990 (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 8 of 10

2000 (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 9 of 10

2010 (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 10 of 10

2020 (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

The 10 photos above cover each of the 10 settings in the Eras Dial™, from 1930 to 2020. I kept the 'expressions' control to its auto setting rather than experiment with the 10 different looks available for each of the decades on the dial. Stills are recorded as JPEGs onto microSD, at 1920 x 2560 pixels.

Sample video – 100 years in a minute

I repeated the process for video, capturing each of the 10 Eras Dial™ looks. The lo-fi video quality is captured at 600 x 800 pixels for every setting except 2020, which is a higher quality 1080 x 1440 pixels.

Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema: price and release date

• Costs $419 / £329 (around AU$650)
• There's viewfinder, grip extension and strap accessories included
• Sales are expected from January 28, 2026

The Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema is due to go on sale globally from January 28 2026, with a price of $419 / £329 (that's around AU$650).

In the box you'll also find the viewfinder attachment, grip extender, strap and USB-C cable. A purpose-made leather case will be available too, for $40 / £35 (about AU$65).

Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema: specs

Video

1080 x 1440 x ('2020' setting only) 600 x 800 for all others

Photo

5MP, 1/5-inch sensor

Format

Instax Mini

Lens

28mm f/2

Autofocus

Yes

Screen

Fixed 1.5-inch, 170k dots

Viewfinder

A clip-on viewfinder is supplied for the screen

Dimensions

39.4 mm x 132.5 mm x 100.1 mm (excluding projecting parts)

Weight

270g (excluding film pack and recording media)

How I tested the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema

• I had just one hour with the Evo Cinema ahead on its launch day
• I used it with the viewfinder and grip accessories
• I tried all the Eras Dial™ settings for photo and video

I had just one hour with the Evo Cinema on its launch day, during which time I got a feel for how it handles. I recorded the same video in a studio of a model, using every one of the 10 Eras Dial™ settings, and repeated that process for photos, printing out each one.

I've tried the Evo Cinema with and without its viewfinder and grip accessories. I'm yet to try out the Mini Evo app. The optional case was not available for a look on launch day.

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

Light spoilers follow for The RIP.

I'm a big fan of movies where Ben Affleck and Matt Damon co-star. I've greatly enjoyed films in which just one of them appears, but there's no denying that projects they're both in – Good Will Hunting, Dogma, and Air to name three – have a certain magic about them.

Color me intrigued, then, when the first trailer for The RIP, the first movie in almost three years they share screentime in, dropped in late 2025. A crime thriller with a talented cast and seemingly twisty-turny plot, it bore the tell-tale signs of being Netflix's next hit movie.

Enjoyable as the ride is, though, The RIP is simply a serviceable film. While engaging up to a point, it lacks originality and the shock value storytelling necessary to stand out from the genre pack.

Are we the good guys?

Damon and Affleck lead The RIP's all-star cast (Image credit: Netflix)

Inspired by true events, The RIP introduces us to Lieutenant Dane Dumars (Damon) and Sergeant J.D. Byrne (Affleck), who spearhead a crime-busting taskforce known as the Tactical Narcotics Team – or T.N.T for short – in Miami, Florida.

When an anonymous stash house tip-off comes in one evening, Dane rounds up the troops – J.D, Mike Ro (Steven Yeun), Numa Baptiste (Teyana Taylor), and Lolo Salazar(Catalina Sandino Moreno) – to investigate. Arriving at a property where the skittish Desi (Sasha Calle) lives, the group soon discovers an eye-bulging $20 million haul hidden in the attic.

The suspicious nature displayed by each character is what'll keep you engaged

Considering the size of the stash, it's not long before trust and tempers start to fray over whether they should call it in or, for reasons that become clear later, pocket the money. And, when outside forces – the DEA, a local cartel, and another mysterious faction – become aware of what's been found, Dane, J.D., and co. must establish who they can rely on and if they'll even survive until morning.

Lolo and Numa aren't given much to do in Netflix's latest crime thriller (Image credit: Netflix)

So, The RIP is yet another examination of institutional corruption within the law enforcement service? In a nutshell, yes. As with any tale involving crooked cops, though, the suspicious nature displayed by each character is what'll keep you engaged throughout its near-two-hour runtime as you try to determine who'll betray whom.

The RIP's unexpected turn... will surprise some viewers, but I expected more from it

That said, The RIP would've better sustained the momentum of this particular brain-tickler if it weren't hell-bent on positioning Dane as the officer who appears to be behind the money-stealing suggestion.

Indeed, The RIP's trailers and its first act go to great lengths to install him as the prime suspect. Spoilers notwithstanding, things aren't as simple as they appear. Nonetheless, I would've been more invested in trying to solve the mystery before the third act's grand reveal if The RIP had actively explored the duplicitous nature and motives of other T.N.T. members much earlier, and in more depth, than it does.

Can Mike be trusted? You'll have to watch The RIP to find out (Image credit: Netflix)

Whether it's through characters' actions or serpentine narratives, similar genre fare like Prisoners, Memento, and Gone Girl – ironically, the last of that trio also stars Affleck – and classic whodunits keep you guessing from the get-go and/or right up to their climax.

Try though it might to elicit the same sort of jaw-dropping response when its big twist happens, The RIP hasn't built up the necessary tension to draw such a reaction when the time comes. It doesn't fall flat per se, and I'm sure the unexpected turn will surprise some viewers, but I expected more from a movie whose primary intention is to entertain via the unpredictability and apparent unreliability of someone within the T.N.T's ranks.

Acting on impulse

Affleck and Damon give typically great performances in The RIP (Image credit: Netflix)

So, The RIP is sorely lacking in the storytelling department, but what about the performance of its star-studded cast?

Damon and Affleck's on-screen chemistry shines as bright as ever

As if it were ever in doubt, Damon and Affleck's on-screen chemistry is as engrossing as ever. The effortlessly natural rapport they exhibit ensures that Dane and J.D's bond is as tight and magnetic as the actors' own relationship. The pair bounce off one another with ease throughout, as their testosterone-driven characters butt heads with their superiors – and each other – in spicy and dicey circumstances.

The RIP's leads are ably backed up by their fellow actors, with Yeun and Calle giving particularly compelling performances. However, other prominent supporting cast members, Moreno and 2026 Golden Globe winner Taylor, are underused, with their characters occasionally being sidelined by the direction of the plot.

Desi has more than a bit-part to play in one of 2026's new Netflix movies (Image credit: Netflix)

Additionally, I wish there had been more scope to develop the dynamics between the group's ensemble. Doing so would've gone a long way to explain each individual's actions, and further ratcheted up the tension and melodrama when accusations begin to fly as near-total mistrust sets in.

In fact, barring The RIP's examination of Dane and J.D's brotherhood, it's J.D and his FBI-employed brother Del's (Scott Adkins) topsy-turvy relationship that's arguably scrutinized in more detail than Dane and/or J.D's associations with their fellow T.N.T members. That might not matter to some, but it's an oversight I struggled to look past.

If it's action you want alongside – or instead of – your crime-based thrills, The RIP is a tad undercooked in that department. Indeed, the first of its slim gun-toting and vehicle chase sequences doesn't materialize until an hour has passed. Even then, while they're undeniably adrenaline-fuelled, the gunplay and rubber-burning set-pieces aren't as chaotic or seat-gripping as I'd hoped.

My verdict

No matter how you slice it, The RIP feels like a star-powered movie that was tailor-made for the Netflix generation. That being, a safe, not-so-memorable film that its so-called 'second screen-viewing' fanbase will enjoy for what it is before moving on to the next thing the Netflix algorithm suggests for them.

It's certainly not the worst film I've watched on the world's best streaming service – far from it, in fact. But, whether it was down to my heightened expectations for the latest Damon/Affleck venture, or myriad other reasons, it just didn't click for me – and that is a crime in and of itself.

The RIP launches worldwide on Netflix on Friday, January 16.

Hori Adventure Pack for Nintendo Switch 2: review

It’s no secret that the Nintendo Switch 2 is an expensive piece of kit, so if you recently got your hands on one, it’s crucial to keep it protected. So, in steps the Hori Adventure Pack for Nintendo Switch 2 – a sturdy cross-body case that’s licensed by Nintendo itself.

This model is a little different from others I’ve tested, due to its versatile design. It can be held like a typical case, thanks to a built-in handle, which adjusts automatically as you lift it up. But there’s also a strap that enables you to wear the Adventure Pack like a cross-body bag. You can change the tightness of the fit to suit you, and it works pretty well. Personally, I don’t think this looks all too stylish, but if you need free hands, the strap is a welcome option. When you don’t want to use said strap, it can easily slot into a mesh fabric pouch on the reverse side of the case, ensuring that it looks tidy at all times.

A big positive of the Hori Adventure Pack is its generous storage space. It’s a little too small to hold your console, dock, and all the wires – well, you could cram them all in, but it’s going to be a very tight squeeze. Still, there’s plenty of room for your console inside, and the case’s outer pocket is large enough to house some of the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories.

(Image credit: Future)

There’s a specific pouch to hold your Nintendo Switch 2 console with the Joy-Con 2 controllers attached. It’s a touch narrow, so you’ll have to carefully place your system inside, but there is a velcro strap to keep it secure. You’ll also find six game cartridge slots inside the case – not the highest amount I’ve seen, but enough for a short trip away, for example.

Looks-wise, the Hori Adventure Pack is decent. It has a rubber-like handle and upper half, which looks fairly stylish, but is susceptible to picking up dust and marks. The rest of the case is made up of a scratch-resistant fabric and a net to conceal the carry strap. It comes in all black and isn’t anything flashy, but it will suit those who prefer an understated aesthetic.

Is this the most sturdy case I’ve tested? Well, perhaps not – it doesn’t have the tough exterior of the Nacon Protection Case XL for Nintendo Switch 2, say. But it’s still a pretty resilient model. It has a padded, robust feel to it, and when I dropped the case from waist height, there weren’t any signs of damage.

(Image credit: Future)

Let’s finish things off by talking about value. This case is typically priced at $34.99 / £26.99 / AU$54.95, which is reasonable given the amount of storage space on offer and the versatility of its design. I’ve also seen Hori's Adventure Pack go on sale in some territories, with its price dropping as low as £18.89 on My Nintendo Store in the UK.

Considering that the official Nintendo Switch 2 Carrying Case will set you back $39.99 / £20.99 / AU$39.95 – a stylish choice, but one that has a lot less storage space – I think you’re getting good bang for your buck from the Adventure Pack. All things considered, then, this is a strong case from Hori, and its combination of a unique design with a modest price tag ensures that it's well worth considering.

Hori Adventure Pack for Nintendo Switch 2 review: price & specs

Price

$34.99 / £26.99 / AU$54.95

Dimensions

12.6 x 5.7 x 3.9 inches / 320 x 146 x 100mm

Weight

0.7lbs / 300g

Number of game card slots

6

Compartments

4

Handle

Yes

Color

Black

(Image credit: Future)Should you buy the Hori Adventure Pack for Nintendo Switch 2?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Design

Versatile build, sturdy feel, solid look, but not the most flashy and can pick up marks.

4/5

Storage

Plenty for console and accessories, OK amount of game slots, not enough room to house dock.

4/5

Value

Comes at a modest price considering its robust build and generous storage.

4/5

Buy it if…

You want a bag-style case
Perhaps the most enticing aspect of the Hori Adventure Pack is its ability to double up as a traditional case with a handle, while also serving as a cross-body bag. That versatility makes it incredibly practical when taking your Switch 2 on the go.

You want to store your accessories too
Unlike the official Nintendo Switch 2 case, there’s plenty of room in the Hori Adventure Pack to store a few accessories, such as the Hori USB Camera for Nintendo Switch 2.

Don’t buy it if…

You need room for your Switch 2 dock
Although you can pack a few accessories into this case, it’s not really ideal for housing your dock. I tried inserting mine, and although it just about fit inside, the fit was realistically too tight. If you want a case that does it all, your best option is the official Nintendo Switch 2 All-In-One Carrying Case.

You’re looking for something flashy
This case isn’t the most eye-catching or premium-looking, although it’s certainly very practical. If you want something sleek and colorful, then I’d suggest checking out the Belkin Charging Case for Nintendo Switch 2.

Hori Adventure Pack for Nintendo Switch 2: also consider

Nintendo Switch 2 Carrying Case & Screen Protector
This slim and stylish case is still one of my favorites, and my go-to if I’m not taking my dock on the go. It doesn’t have as much storage space as this Hori model, but it’s lightweight and sturdy, and even comes with a basic screen protector.

Read our full Nintendo Switch 2 Carrying Case & Screen Protector review.

Nacon Protection Case XL for Nintendo Switch 2
This one’s not available in the US or Australia, but if you’re in the UK, it’s a top-tier option. With a sturdy build, enough room for your dock and system, and plenty of game card slots, it really is the full package. It’s very cheap for the amount of storage space available, which helped to earn it a stellar four-and-a-half-star review.

Read our full Nacon Protection Case XL for Nintendo Switch 2 review.

Hori Adventure Pack for Nintendo Switch 2 review: how I tested

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested over the course of multiple days
• Took it with me to the office and on walks
• Trialled by a Nintendo Switch 2 owner and life-long gamer

I took my Switch 2 on the go inside the Hori Adventure Pack for multiple days in a row. During this time, I also packed in a couple of accessories and made sure to try out both the handle and strap carrying methods.

In order to get a measure of this case’s durability, I dropped it from various distances and also gave the exterior a good scratch. After this, I checked for any wear and tear to ensure the model was as sturdy as advertised. I also compared this case to rivals on aspects like storage space and looks.

More generally, I’m a day-one Nintendo Switch 2 owner, a lifelong gamer, and an experienced tech reviewer with a ton of experience with Switch 2 accessories. I’ve trialled a range of products, including cases, but also screen protectors like the DBrand Prism 2.0, and cameras, like the Hori Piranha Plant Camera for Nintendo Switch 2.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed: December 2025-January 2026

Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS: One-minute review

Sony launched its original FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS back in 2015, just two years after the company revealed its innovative A7 full-frame mirrorless camera to the world.

While the Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS has been a reliable macro lens for Sony macro photographers, it’s been the only first-party Sony option for over a decade, so all eyes were on Sony when it announced its new Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS in September last year.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a review sample, as well as a Sony A7R V with its large 61MP full-frame sensor, so I was able to zoom into its huge images to assess the new FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro's sharpness and image quality.

(Image credit: Dan Mold)

As a lover of macro photography who regularly shoots everything from close-ups of interesting textures to insects and mushrooms to pocket watches, I was particularly keen to see how the new Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS performed.

At $1,498 / £1,399 / AU$2,599 it's among the most expensive consumer full-frame macro lenses on the market, and 70% more expensive than its predecessor. So should owners of the now decade-old Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS rush out to buy one?

Simply put, no. The older, more affordable version will suffice for the majority of casual shooters. However, for serious professionals shooting on Sony systems the Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS will be well worth the high asking price, delivering as it does incredible image quality, rock-steady stabilization, 1.4x magnification and teleconverter compatibility.

Simply put, it's the best Sony lens for macro photography fans, though you'll have to be prepared to put a sizable dent in your wallet to get one.

Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS: Price and availability

• Priced at $1,499 / £1,399 / AU$2,599
• ALC-SH173 lens hood and soft case included
• Announced in September 2025

The Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS retails for $1,499 / £1,399 / AU$2,599, and is the successor to the now decade-old Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS, which can be picked up now for around $1,050 / £819, though this price hasn’t changed all that much since it was released back in 2015. The Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS was always going to be a more expensive option with new tech, advanced features and more modern conveniences, and it works out 70% more expensive in the UK, or around 40% more expensive in the US.

Is it worth the extra money? For casual shooters probably not, but for serious working pros I think the extra upgrades, better stabilization and stunning image quality make it good value for money. It’s also a much stronger competitor to the Canon RF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM, which Canon users have been enjoying since April 2021, and a true competitor for which has been sorely missed in Sony’s range up until now.

For those on tighter budgets there is of course the original Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS. There are also third-party options like the Sigma 105mm f/2.8 Macro DG DN Art and Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di III Macro VXD – while both of these lack optical image stabilization, they are considerably cheaper, and will be a better choice for those on stricter budgets looking to get into macro photography.

Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS: SpecsSony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS specs

Type:

Macro lens

Mount:

Sony FE

Sensor:

Full-frame

Focal length:

100mm

Max aperture:

f/2.8

Minimum focus:

0.26m

Filter size:

67mm

Dimensions:

81.4 x 147.9mm

Weight:

22.7oz / 646g

Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS: Design

• Focus ring has a clutch mechanism to switch between AF/MF and Full AF quickly
• Switches on lens barrel for focus distance limiter, OSS, iris ring lock and declicking
• Quite long for a 100mm macro lens, measuring 147.9mm
• Built to be compatible with Sony's 1.4x and 2x teleconverters

The Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM is very similar in terms of size and weight to the older FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS, although it has the benefit of being a little more zoomed in at 100mm, and offers a higher maximum magnification of 1.4x over the older optics’ standard 1:1 life-size reproduction ratio, so macro lovers will be able to get even closer. It’s about 7% heavier at 646g and is 2.4mm wider in diameter, and it’s about 17mm longer. So far, it’s bigger and better in every way.

I have no issues with the lens being a little larger; it feels really nice and secure in the hand, and the large focus ring, which is about 1.5 inches wide, is perfectly positioned for your thumb and forefinger to wrap around. Like the old model, the new macro lens uses a push/pull clutch, allowing you to push or pull the entire focus ring to quickly switch between AF/MF and Full MF.

There's also an AF/MF switch on the side of the lens barrel, which shouldn’t create quite as much motion. The manual-focus ring also has a focus distance scale on the lens barrel, which comes in handy when you want to specifically dial in a magnification such as 1:1 life-size, or go even closer.

(Image credit: Dan Mold)

Other switches on the side of the lens include a full-time DMF toggle to enable the Direct Manual Focus to override the autofocus when needed, which I found to be very useful. There’s also a focus limiter switch which can be set to Full, 0.26-0.7m or 0.5m to infinity to speed up autofocus operation when you know you’re working with subjects either very close or far away, as it prevents the camera from hunting outside the set range.

There’s also a dedicated switch for enabling OSS (Optical Steady Shot), Sony's optical image stabilization tech. It’s rated for 4-4.5 stops on the FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro, which is an improvement over the 3-4 stops you got with the older model. Even more stabilization can be achieved with Sony bodies that have sensor-based IBIS, though Sony doesn’t give an exact figure of how much stabilization can be achieved.

(Image credit: Dan Mold)

To add context, both of Sony’s lenses are the only optically stabilized macro lenses for Sony FE mount – as mentioned, the Sigma 105mm f/2.8 Macro DG DN Art and Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di III Macro VXD don’t have optical stabilization, though they are considerably more affordable as a result.

Also on the outside of the lens barrel you’ll find an iris ring to control the aperture, which can be locked in the ‘A’ position if you prefer to set this via the camera body. The aperture click can also be enabled or disabled via a switch – helpful for videographers who prefer a smooth action when filming. We’re also treated to two customizable focus-hold buttons on the side of the lens barrel.

(Image credit: Dan Mold)

As one of Sony’s top-flight G Master lenses, the Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM is of course weather sealed, and to that end there's a rubber seal around the metal lens mount.

In the box you’ll also find its ALC-SH173 lens hood, and a soft case to keep it protected when stored or in transit.

(Image credit: Dan Mold)

A rather odd feature that I’m glad to see included on the new Sony lens, and one I can’t recall seeing on other recent macro lenses, is the ability to use the Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM with Sony’s SEL14TC and SEL20TC teleconverters to extend its macro capabilities even further.

While I don’t think this is essential, I do think some wildlife and nature photographers who already own these extenders for long telephoto lenses will benefit greatly and get extra use out of them. However, more casual shooters will probably still find better value in a set of extension tubes that usually cost around $100 compared to the SEL14TC and SEL20TC which both cost $598 / £479 / AU$799 and also allow you to get closer to your subject.

That said, as somebody who owns a 180mm f/2.8 macro lens, I can see the merit of using a 2x teleconverter as a cheaper and more convenient alternative to owning a telephoto macro lens as well as a 100mm one.

Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS: Performance

• Excellent image quality but autofocus not the fastest
• OSS makes it easier to shoot handheld close-up photos
• 1.4x magnification and teleconverter support make it easier to get closer

As one of Sony’s top-flight G Master lenses you’d expect the Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM to deliver a solid performance, and I’m delighted to say that this is very much the case.

Considering that the lens has not one, but four of Sony’s XD Extreme Dynamic linear motors the autofocus wasn’t the snappiest I’ve ever seen from a mirrorless lens. Instead it took a little moment to smoothly transition the focus, although this will perhaps be preferred by videographers.

That said, Sony claims the autofocus is 1.9x faster than its predecessor so it's still a decent improvement, and the autofocus was accurate once it acquired the subject. I also found it invaluable to have the ability to pull the focus clutch ring to engage full-time manual focus at any time.

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Image quality is excellent, with the lens employing both flourine and Nano AR II coatings on the front element to make it oil and water-repellent, and to counter flare when shooting towards a light source. The lens features 17 elements arranged in 13 groups, two of which are XA (extreme aspherical) elements and two of which are ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements.

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(Image credit: Dan Mold)

Of course, depth of field is limited when shooting close-up at f/2.8; however in-focus areas of images look very sharp, even when shooting wide open. Flare was controlled well, contrast was punchy, and images were free from chromatic aberration. The sharpness of the lens was able to meet the resolution of the 61MP Sony A7R IV I tested it with, producing beautifully clean images with virtually no distortion or vignetting.

In my tests shooting handheld I was able to take sharp shots at around 4-4.5 stops slower than would normally be required, though this was paired with a Sony A7R IV, which has sensor-based IBIS that also helps. This meant that where a shutter speed of 1/100 sec was required to take a sharp shot I was able to lower my ISO or close the aperture until my shutter speed was 1/5 sec and still get a usably sharp image when shooting handheld – impressive!

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This test shot of some snowdrops was taken with the Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS without the teleconverter attached (Image credit: Dan Mold)Image 2 of 4

Shooting at the same distance from the snowdrops I attached the Sony 2x teleconverter which allowed me to get close-up macro results from a greater working distance, effectively turning the lens into a 200mm f/5.6 (Image credit: Dan Mold)Image 3 of 4

A close-up shot a snowdrop taken with the Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS lens (Image credit: Dan Mold)Image 4 of 4

A close-up shot a snowdrop taken with the Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS lens and Sony 2x Teleconverter (Image credit: Dan Mold)Should you buy the Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS?Buy it if...

You want to upgrade from the Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS

The new Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS has plentiful upgrades that make it the ultimate macro lens for Sony shooters.

You're a working professional

As one of Sony's top-flight G Master lenses, the 100mm optic is expensive but can deliver for working pros shooting close-ups of still life setups, nature and product photography.

You need teleconverter compatibility

The Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS has been designed to work with Sony's 1.4x and 2x teleconverters, effectively turning the lens into a 140mm f/3.5 or 200mm f/5.6 respectively.

Don't buy it if...

You're on a budget

This is one of the most expensive macro lenses on the market, so Sony's older FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS or third-party options will be a better choice for those on stricter budgets.

You don't need the extra magnification

Sony's new macro lens can go to 1.4x magnification, but the old Sony FE 90mm macro can go to 1x magnification, which is still perfectly suitable for close life-size macro shots.

You need a portrait lens

If you're looking for a short telephoto lens for portraiture the Sony FE 100mm will do a decent job, but it's not your best bet. A lens such as an 85mm f/1.4, or 135mm f/1.8 will give you the faster apertures needed for artfully blurred backgrounds.View Deal

How I tested the Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS

• I used the lens for a month, capturing close-up shots of nature as well as controlled still-life setups at home
• I paired it with the 61MP Sony a7R IV full-frame body, zooming in on images to assess resolution and clarity
• I took shots throughout the aperture range, focusing up close and further away, and used the lens with Sony's 2x teleconverter

I used the Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS with a Sony A7R IV for a month to give the lens a thorough testing over an extended period. Sony also kindly loaned me its SEL20TC 2x teleconverter, and I also took test shots with this sandwiched between the lens and camera body to see what difference it made.

The lens became my go-to for taking close-up shots over this time, and in particular when we had a cold snap in the UK, where I'm based – I loved heading out with it to capture stunning details of frost patterns and ice.

I took a range of pictures with in-camera lens corrections both enabled and disabled to see the difference. I also shot in raw and JPEG formats, and shot at all of the various apertures to gauge how things like corner sharpness and vignetting changed throughout the range.

• First reviewed January 2026

Audeze Maxwell 2: one-minute review

Audeze is known for enthusiast-level audiophile hardware. When that tech drips down to the Maxwell gaming line, reviewer and consumer alike have an important question to ask: Can we actually hear a difference versus the competition?

The answer in this case is a resounding, 90mm driver-powered ‘yes’ in the form of the new Audeze Maxwell 2 wireless gaming headset that rattles your eardrums and stupefies you into a kind of aural nirvana. In 15 years of reviewing audio equipment from gaming to studio product categories – and do excuse me while I do a little sick in my mouth at the pompousness of this statement – I’ve rarely heard such a well-rounded and emotive frequency response.

It’s important to keep that in mind, because although there is good reason to be critical of this headset as a consumer release, it really can’t be faulted in raw audio terms. If great sound is all you care about, money no object, then you’ve already read all you needed to in this review. Go and enjoy your new headset.

But gaming headsets have become an incredibly crowded vertical, and in the race to win our attention and money, manufacturers have really spoiled us with features lately. Broadcast-quality noise-cancelling mics, simultaneous 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth connections, and even active noise cancellation have started to feel like table stakes in the flagship model end of the market.

That places a lot of importance on the secondary features of this follow-up to the original Audeze Maxwell. After all, it follows a prior model (the 'Gen 1', if you will) that gobbled up acclaim and awards like a ravenous James Cameron on a nineties Oscars night. The Gen 1 Maxwells are available for around $100 / £100 less than the new 'Gen 2s', and sadly, there’s no single must-have feature about the newer incarnation that justifies spending more money.

The Gen 2s do feature the company’s SLAM Acoustic Management, a marketing buzzword for ‘better audio’ more or less, along with Bluetooth connectivity, a wider headband for better weight distribution, and redesigned physical controls that do indeed feel pleasant to locate and operate. But given that the newer model is 2.4oz / 70g heavier than its predecessor, elements like the headband design upgrade feel less like a win and more like a necessity.

So here I am in the very strange position of reviewing a stellar headset that I can’t fully recommend, because so much of what makes it stellar was also true of the outgoing model.

(Image credit: Future/Phil Iwaniuk)Audeze Maxwell 2: price & availability

• List price: $349.99 / £339.99 / around AU$520 (Xbox version)
• Significantly more than the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless but less than the Nova Elite
• Maxwell V1 is still available and cheaper

You’d expect a premium price from an Audeze headset. The company has made its name by delivering no-compromise sound from audiophile-grade equipment, and a lot of that tech has found its way into the Maxwell gaming line. You can hear and feel the quality difference compared to the vast majority of gaming headsets immediately, even versus some of our favourite options like the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro and the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless.

There’s a slight price difference between the PS5 and Xbox versions of this headset, both of which are also compatible with PC and mobile devices via Bluetooth. The PlayStation option is slightly cheaper at $329.99 / £339, while the Xbox version has a $349.99 / £369 list price. This makes it significantly cheaper than the other recent audiophile gaming headset of the time, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite, which retails for a chonky $599.99 / £599.99.

It’s not just the sound that communicates where the money’s been spent. The build quality and presentation are also wonderful, like something you’d find waiting for you on an eye-wateringly expensive first-class plane seat. The only caveat, as you’ll read numerous times throughout this review, is that the outgoing model is currently going cheaper, and it’s fundamentally just as good.

(Image credit: Future/Phil Iwaniuk)Audeze Maxwell 2: Specs

Audeze Maxwell 2

Price

$349.99 / £339.99 / around AU$520

Weight

17.2oz / 490g

Drivers

90mm Planar Magnetic

Compatibility

PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch|2, MacOS, iOS, Android

Connection type

Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless, wired 3.5mm/USB-C

Battery life

80 hours

Features

Detachable hypercardioid 16-bit/48KHz high bandwidth mic with FILTER AI noise removal, internal beamforming mics, 24-bit/96kHz high-resolution audio, patent-pending SLAM technology, Bluetooth support for Auracast, LE Audio, LDAC, and AAC

Software

Audeze App (PC and mobile)

Audeze Maxwell 2: Design & features

• Chunky and imposing looks, but very heavy
• Pro audio finish with impressive materials choices
• Control layout takes some getting used to

One thing’s for certain: you’re extremely unlikely to misplace this headset. Weighing in at 17.2oz / 490g (Or around 16.2oz / 460g if you remove the magnetic earcup plates) and featuring deep, luxurious cushioning around formidably large cups housing 90mm drivers, this is a strikingly solid model that conveys quality and longevity as soon as you cast your eyes over it. Brushed gunmetal finish, soft memory foam cushioning, and a new inner headband suspension strap with breathable holes combine to create an aesthetic that communicates the Maxwell 2’s mission: audiophile-grade gear in the gaming market.

I love that look, personally. I’m especially impressed by little details like the pin-sharp Audeze logos on each earcup, beneath the magnetic covers. Remove the detachable mic, and this is definitely a pair of headphones you wouldn’t mind being seen in public wearing.

There’s a downside to that: it’s an especially heavy model. Weight doesn’t have a linear relationship with discomfort, of course, and manufacturers can do plenty to minimise the effect of 17.2oz / 490g sitting across your cranium. But if you are prone to discomfort when wearing bulkier cans, this particular attribute is worth keeping in mind.

Personally, I found the comfort levels high for two to three hours of use. I do feel the weight across the top of my head, and also in the increased clamping force of the earcups around my ears, but not to such a degree that I need a break. It’s January as I write this in the UK, so heat isn’t an issue, but I could imagine the pleather earcup cushions might be more of an issue in hotter climes, as with any headset that has a lot of clamping force.

Moving on to the layout of its physical controls, redesigned for this Gen 2 model, I’m impressed overall. I love to have a physical chat mix dial on the headset, and sure enough, there’s a nice notched scroller with beautiful actuation on the rear-left earcup, just below the volume scroll wheel. On the right-hand cup are the power button and mic mute toggle switch, the latter of which is recessed so much that it can be slightly fiddly to operate, but it feels like the switch itself is of a high-quality, durable standard. The only fiddly aspect of the layout is the pairing button on the front of the left earcup, the position of which takes a little while to commit to memory.

(Image credit: Future/Phil Iwaniuk)Audeze Maxwell 2: Performance

• Sound with a genuine wow factor
• AI mic noise cancellation is hit or miss
• App support for further tweaks

Now we’re into the section where the Maxwell 2 shines. It takes a lot of clever designers, engineers, and the right suppliers to achieve audio this good, and, particularly in the gaming vertical, most manufacturers have simply never taken the commercial risk of spending this much to reach this level of fidelity.

Audeze has the advantage of having honed its tech in the enthusiast space, giving the company a library of designs and parts to refer to when designing a gaming model. We saw the fruits of that labour in the original Maxwell, and now those same 90mm drivers with their frankly preposterous 10Hz-50KHz frequency response have been tuned further with Audeze’s SLAM technology.

The marketing materials say this technology allows for “heightened spatial immersion, precise and punchier bass response”, and I can’t argue with that. Apparently, it’s all down to the physical construction of the drivers, not a software-level boost, and that’s always firmer ground to establish audio fidelity on.

The overall fidelity standard has raised its game in gaming headsets lately, so the difference between contemporaries like the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro or SteelSeries Arctis Pro Nova Wireless and this model isn’t as night and day as might have been the case five years ago, when ‘gaming’ models were still artificially boosting their low end at the cost of clarity. Rather, it’s that every component part of the aural landscape is that bit clearer and more emotive.

(Image credit: Future/Phil Iwaniuk)

The bass response is huge, but tight. It doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the EQ spectrum, leaving room for sparkly high-end frequencies to chime. Human speech sounds true-to-life, indicating a well-tuned midrange response, while the stereo landscape feels impressively vast when you listen to the right sources. Try out some binaural recordings, and you’ll hear what I mean.

If audio reproduction is peerless – and it is – then audio output is a different story. The mic on this Gen 2 model features AI-assisted noise cancellation, and not to blame everything on Skynet’s malicious invasion of our lives, but it doesn’t work very well in my experience.

I’ve tested this headset using every connection type available, including digital and analog wired connections, but whenever I enable the AI noise cancellation, I get a muffled sound in Discord. That’s likely due to Discord and Audeze’s noise cancellation technologies working counterproductively over the top of each other, but whatever the cause, it’s a shame to have to turn off the noise cancellation.

After some tuning, the mic sounds much better. But at this price point, the expectation is for a mic with out-of-the-box quality. Similarly, there are some other chinks in the armor when you dig around in the connectivity options. Simultaneous Bluetooth connection is only possible with a digital or analog wired connection, rather than with the 2.4GHz wireless via the dongle – another feature you’d hope for at this price.

I can’t knock the 80-hour battery life, mind you. That’s an incredible figure, and charging is easy enough via a USB-C connection just below the mic.

(Image credit: Future/Phil Iwaniuk)Should you buy the Audeze Maxwell 2?Buy it if...

You’ll stop at nothing for incredible sound
It was never in doubt – there’s no comparison to the fidelity, punchiness, and emotion generated by the 90mm drivers inside these earcups.

You’re all about that bass
The bass response from these drivers is like sprinting into a brick wall - with a tailwind.

You want audiophile headset looks
So long, RGB, and tribal designs. Hello to a grown-up aesthetic that you’d be happy to wear in the street.

Don't buy it if...

You can find a Gen 1 for sale instead
It’s practically just as good, and it’s available for less. Sorry, Gen 2, but it just makes sense to buy the older model.

You need the utmost mic quality
There are some issues with Discord’s noise cancellation and the AI-powered Audeze version.

Simultaneous Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless is a deal-breaker
If this is a must-have for you, then you'll need to look elsewhere, though you can achieve simultaneous digital or analog wired with Bluetooth, though.

Also consider...

Does this Audeze model put you ill at ease? Consider these premium wireless alternatives.

Audeze Maxwell 2

Razer BlackShark V3 Pro

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless

Price

$349.99 / £339.99 / around AU$520

$249.99 / £249.99 / around AU$510

$349 (£329, AU$649)

Weight

17.2oz / 490g

12.9oz / 367g

11.85oz / 336g

Drivers

90mm Planar Magnetic

Razer TriForce Bio-Cellulose 50 mm Drivers Gen-2

40mm neodymium

Compatibility

PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch|2, MacOS, iOS, Android

PC, Xbox Series X (Xbox version only), PlayStation 5 (PlayStation version only), iOS, Android

Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, Mobile

Connection type

Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless, wired 3.5mm/USB-C

Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless (Hyperspeed dongle), USB wired, 2.5mm wired

Wireless (2.4Ghz via dongle), Wired (USB-C), Bluetooth 5.3

Battery life

80 hours

70 hours

Up to 60 hours (2 x fully-charged batteries), Infinite Power System

Features

Detachable hypercardioid 16-bit/48KHz high bandwidth mic with FILTER AI noise removal, internal beamforming mics, 24-bit/96kHz high-resolution audio, patent-pending SLAM technology, Bluetooth support for Auracast, LE Audio, LDAC, and AAC

ANC, Razer HyperClear full-band 12mm mic, THX Spatial Audio

40mm Neodymium, ANC, magnetic drivers, 360-degree spatial audio, retractable ClearCast 2.X mic

Software

Audeze App (PC and mobile)

Razer Audio App, Razer Synapse

SteelSeries GG/Sonar (PC)

Razer Blackshark V3 Pro
Quite simply, the best all-round gaming headset on the market today. The V3 Pro version features ANC, a great mic, and a comparable 70-hour battery life, bested only in raw audio fidelity by the Audeze Maxwell 2.

For more information, check out our full Razer Blackshark V3 Pro review.

Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless
Featuring SteelSeries’ unique dual-battery charging solution, premium looks, plus ANC implementation, the Nova Pro Wireless is a premium headset option with few faults.

For more information, check out our full SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless review.

How I tested the Audeze Maxwell 2

• Weeks of solid use on PC, Xbox, and Mac
• All connection types tested
• Put through its paces in gaming, movies, music and work calls

When a headset with audio fidelity chops as formidable as this arrives, there’s only one thing for it: you play lossless classical music, as loud as your ears can withstand, until entering a stupor. That’s stage one of testing this headset.

Given that there are several connection options and multi-device compatibility, I checked each option off to ensure functionality and fidelity. I also updated the firmware via the Audeze software before poking around in the app options.

Given that the higher weight looked like it might be an issue, I wore the Maxwell 2 all day during my workday for a week straight, which included using it for work calls. That also gave me a chance to take feedback on the mic quality using different chat clients, which is where I identified that the Discord issue isn’t a universal noise-cancelling problem.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, Baby Steps sounds fantastic through these things.

First reviewed December 2025-January 2026

Read more about how we test

There's been a murder – and I'm not just talking about the plot of Agatha Christie's Seven Dials. In fact, I'm talking about the Netflix adaptation itself. The infamous crime author has sold between 2-4 billion copies of her work, but somehow, the TV version of The Seven Dials Mystery feels absolutely criminal.

Not to brag, but I'm ordaining myself as an expert here. Back in the 2000s, UK TV channel ITV had the monopoly on Poirot and Miss Marple adaptations, and I've grown up watching them. Add in movie classics like Peter Ustinov's Death on the Nile and devouring her books from the age of 14, and I'm an application away from joining the Agatha Christie fan club.

If we're comparing Agatha Christie's Seven Dials to everything I listed above (and it would be pretty hard not to), its must-miss energy is down to two things: the original novel and the changes made to the streamer's adaptation.

But before we dig deeper into that, don't let my instant negativity put you off too much. With a star-studded cast and a three-episode runtime, there is some merit to binging it... perhaps when you're trying to do some last-minute ironing on a Sunday afternoon.

The only person who will likely be breathing a sigh of relief is Kenneth Branagh, whose trilogy of Poirot movies received a widespread panning from critics and audiences alike. Personally, I only thought A Haunting in Venice was an out-and-out disaster, but he definitely won't be a crime-themed punching bag after this.

The Seven Dials Mystery is the wrong Agatha Christie story to adapt for Netflix

I would confidently bet £10 (or $10 / AU$10 for my US and Australian friends) that you've never heard of The Seven Dials Mystery before. Not only was it not a big hitter like And Then There Were None or Murder on the Orient Express, but the novel it takes characters from, The Secret of Chimneys, was a much bigger success. The Seven Dials Mystery released to mostly bad reviews from critics, and all three of these points together aren't the best groundings for an adaptation.

Is the original book really one of Christie's best? I don't think so. It's definitely got a more light-hearted tone, but that only really comes across if you were actually from the 1920s. The overarching mystery doesn't really stick, and it's all a bit too complicated for its own good.

None of these things are Agatha Christie's Seven Dials' fault, more what it's got to contend with. There were a million better stories for the biggest streaming service in the world to choose for its own original content, particularly if it wants to build up a visual back catalog of Christie's work.

Sparkling Cyanide, Crooked House or Cards on the Table might have made for shrewd choices, especially given as their narrative structures are all a lot more sound. But here's when we begin to run into our other problem.

If you've seen any of the latest TV Agatha Christie adaptations over the last decade – which have either been for the BBC or direct to Britbox – you'll have noticed a subtle downward spiral of quality. From Kim Cattrall's Witness for the Prosecution to Anjelica Huston in Towards Zero, no new series has seemed to garner favor with anyone watching.

So, are the glory days of adapting Agatha Christie for the small screen over? It certainly feels that way for the standalone novels. I think a streaming service like Netflix could score some points with a Miss Marple reboot, but even that's a big ask.

The changes Agatha Christie's Seven Dials make to the original book don't work either

Martin Freeman lives his best detective life and I'm genuinely pleased for him. (Image credit: Netflix)

WARNING: spoilers for Agatha Christie's Seven Dials ahead.

When Murder, She Wrote and Columbo used to air in the 1980s, viewers quickly caught on that whoever was the biggest star in an episode was also the murderer – so much so that creators then had to change their casting tactics. Clearly, we don't learn anything from history, as the biggest stars in Agatha Christie's Seven Dials are the ones who give the game away.

Without giving the ultimate whodunnit away (although you could just read the book if you want an answer), Lord Caterham has been changed to Lady Caterham in this adaptation, and that's a huge problem. Frankly, casting executives could and should do anything to have Helena Bonham Carter in their production, and she's as dazzling and zany as you'd expect in the limited screentime she has.

However, she also gives away the secrets of the Seven Dials in a way that wouldn't have happened had our lady still been a lord. It's an incredibly silly blunder that knocks the central pins of storytelling to a ground, and I can't believe the decision came from the same man who made Broadchurch.

If you want to keep some mystery until the end, I'd almost recommend skipping episode 2 entirely. You can work out all the connections and logistics at play by the halfway point – something the Queen of Crime would never have let happen on her watch, even if it was one of her weaker stories.

So, what am I really getting from this streaming experience? A feeling of being let down and not seeing enough of Bonham Carter. Shoutout to Martin Freeman though, who's clearly having the time of his life playing make believe in a game of Netflix Cluedo.

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Kodak Charmera: Two-minute review

It took me a while to get my hands on the Kodak Charmera – such is the viral popularity of this $30, 30g keychain digital camera, that it sold out on its release day late last year (with what felt like minimal advertising), and it only came back in stock as I publish this review a month later. Who knows, it might be out of stock again by the time you read these words.

And I can see the appeal – the Charmera is cheap, tiny, retro, it’ll easily fix to your keyring, and it’s an actual working camera with a screen.

What's more, there are six 1980s-inspired colorways, plus a limited edition see-through version, and you don’t know which version you’ll get since it comes in a 'blind box'. That’s got gift idea written all over it.

When I unboxed mine, cue disappointment – the black version with rainbow frontage – the one pictured on the box that appealed to me the least. Still, inside the box, a nice poster, a collector card, and a small charging cable.

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I charged the Charmera up and slotted the thumb-sized camera into my pocket where it would live for the following weeks.

The Charmera shoots tiny 1.6 megapixel JPEG photos and HD video (1400 x 1080p at 30fps) through a fixed 35mm f/2.4 lens, has seven photo filters and four animated borders to choose from, stores onto micro SD (which needs to be purchased separately), and has a (predictably) tiny internal battery that is recharged through USB-C.

There’s a tiny 16:9 LCD screen with live view that in practice is even smaller given that images are captured in 4:3, a miniscule LED light that illuminates closeup subjects, and possibly the smallest viewfinder I've ever used, which is novel and in a way works.

Honestly, that’s about all the features and design aspects worth knowing about, but what is the Charmera actually like to use?

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Menus are simple enough to navigate; turn the camera on, and you select either photo, video, or set date using the three buttons on the rear, with the playback button doubling as select.

The power button doubles up as a back button, and then there's the shutter button to shoot photos and video. It takes barely a minute to figure this all out.

Everything about the Charmera is tiny: a tiny thumb-sized body, tiny screen, tiny images. And it's actually kind of fun to shoot with...in the moment. I was certainly charmed by the Charmera, and I think many others will be too.

It's when you plug the camera into a computer or hook up the memory card to view any images taken with the Charmera that the warm fuzzy feeling quickly vanishes.

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The Charmera's photo quality is about the worst I've seen from a digital camera in my lifetime – and I've been shooting digital since consumers could, when 16MB memory cards existed (yes, megabytes).

With a resolution being a truly retro 1.6MP and a barely existent dynamic range, photos are more impressions than anything else. A collection of pixels, pieced together.

And that's me commenting on the regular color profile. Use any one of the monotone filters, and things get super abstract.

Photos are like one of the novel, abstract filters you get with a decent digital camera. I guess such dated quality could charm some. For me, it screams short-lived novelty; for others, it could be the camera they always have with them.

My own gripes aside, I also think that the Charmera is so small and so distinct, that I'll keep it on me every day for the months to come.

It's a conversation starter. A whimsical capturer of moments (assuming it's tiny battery isn't flat when you pull it out of the pocket – that'll happen).

The Kodak Charmera certainly ain't good quality. But that's hardly the point, is it? This is a cheap, charming retro gift for the photography lover in your life, that should get more use than a foot spa or marmite-scented deodrant (the UK's most unwanted Christmas gift for 2025). That's the hope from me as someone who hates waste.

The Charmera is far from being one of the best compact cameras, even the best cheap compact cameras, but I don't expect that to slow down its sales.

Kodak is killing it right now with multiple best-selling cheap cameras – like the recent Ektar H35N half-frame film camera, and the PixPro C1 – and the Charmera could just be the pick of the pack in terms of concept (not quality). It's a marketing masterstroke. Who knew a keychain camera could be so popular?

Kodak Charmera: price and availability

• Announced in November 2025 and sold out in a day
• Priced at $30 / £30 / AU$54.95

The Kodak Charmera costs $30 / £30 / AU$54.95 for a single 'blind box', or you can buy the whole set of 6 for $180 / £180 to guarantee getting each colorway. There's a 1 in 48 chance of scoring the limited edition transparent version.

Scalpers have been selling the Charmera for extortionate prices, and some retailers have bumped the price a little, but you should be able to pick up the Charmera for its fair, original price through one of the links below.

Kodak Charmera: specsKodak Charmera Specs

Sensor

1/4-inch

Resolution

1.6MP

Video

1440 x 1080p at 30fps, AVI format

Lens

35mm f/2.4

Screen

Really, really small

Viewfinder

Even tinier

Dimensions

58 x 24.5 x 20 mm

Weight

30g

Battery life

200mAh, rechargeable

Memory

Micro SD (1GB to 128GB)

Should I buy the Kodak Charmera?

(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Buy it if...

You're looking for a cheap gift for the photography lover in your life
I can personally think of multiple people in my life who would love to receive a Charmera.

You'd appreciate a cheap, always with you camera that isn't your phone
It weighs 30g, is about the size of your thumb, shoots bad photos that could appeal to anti-tech heads and it costs $30 / £30. The Charmera is an easy sell.

Don't buy it if...

You want decent photo quality
It's no exaggeration to say the Charmera produces the worst quality photos I've seen for quite some time – they're awful from a technical standpoint.

You need a reliable camera
For me, the Charmera would be a whole lot more useful as an every day carry if its battery life wasn't so bad.

Also consider Camp Snap Camera

Another perfectly executed cheap camera is the original Camp Snap, available for around twice the price of a Charmera. Think of it as a digital version of the single-use camera – a larger, screen-less 4MP shooter with retro design. I'm a fan.

Read my Camp Snap Camera review

Pros

• Cute looks
• No screen
• Point-and-shoot simplicity

Cons

• Poor image quality
• Glare from photo counter when using viewfinder
• Low power LED flash

How I tested the Kodak Charmera

(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

• I got the Charmera last year and it's mine to keep
• I've used it sporadically over a couple of months
• I've tried the various color filters and animated borders

I'm not going to dig into technicals of how I've tested this novel point-and-shoot camera. In short, I've rattled off hundreds of photos in good light and bad, played with the various color filters and shot short video clips. Image quality is predictably bad, but short battery life is particularly unfortunate.

First reviewed January 2026

The Microsoft-owned Clipchamp is distinct from most video editors, since the main draw here is that you can edit videos in your browser (provided that browser is either Chrome or Edge).

There’s an obvious advantage to that - as long as you’re logged in to your account, you can work from any computer. There's no need to check you have top-end computer specs and you don’t need to install any additional software.

Now, this isn't going to compete with Premiere Pro, Final Cut, or any of the other best video editing software I've used. As the name suggests, it's a lot more basic than those apps, and a lot of its use depends on adding content to pre-built templates.

I took a look at how easy it is to use the tool, and whether Clipchamp has a place in the creative workflow.

• Try out Clipchamp by clicking here

Clipchamp: Pricing & plans

(Image credit: Microsoft // Future)

• Generous free option with no watermarks
• Premium subscription with Microsoft 365

Being able to edit online is one thing, being restricted to only a couple of browsers is another. I’m not a fan of being forced to work with a specific browser. Personally, I like Firefox and Safari, but Clipchamp is only compatible with Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. If you already use these browsers, great, but if you don’t, you’ll have to decide from the outset if that restriction will put you off using this video editor.

As for the price, Clipchamp comes in two flavours: ‘Free’ and ‘Premium'.

‘Free’ is surprisingly generous, letting you work on projects up to 1080p, have access to what they call ‘AI editing tools’ for audio and video, grant you the ability to record your computer’s screen, webcam, and audio, and all without any watermark anywhere, which is pretty cool.

As for ‘Premium’, its projects can be up to 4K, and you gain access to premium stock assets, filters and effects (‘Free’ only has a basic assortment of those).

Unfortunately, though, you can't get a Premium subscription as a standalone. Instead, Clipchamp is bundled with Microsoft Office 365, so if you’re not one for subscribing to business software, you’ll have to decide if Clipchamp Premium is worth getting for between $100 and $130 a year - which is quite hefty for an online video editor - or whether a tool like Canva Video might be the better pick. On the bright side, if you already subscribe to Office, then you can have fun with Premium right now.

Clipchamp: Getting started

(Image credit: Microsoft // Future)

• You absolutely need a Microsoft login for personal accounts

You can choose to use your email address, or log in through your Google or Microsoft account… except if you choose to work on personal projects, Clipchamp will then inform you only Microsoft accounts are able to do that.

And that’s after giving your email address, created a password, and clicked on many, many emails and buttons,

Making it clear what the state of play is from the get-go would’ve saved me a lot of time. It doesn’t really endear you to the service you’re about to explore.

However, I decided to put that little hiccup - something that could easily be fixed with a few lines of text at the login page - to the side, and set off exploring the online service.

Clipchamp: Interface & experience

(Image credit: Microsoft // Future)

• Impressive considering it's browser-based
• Good interface with easy to use tools
• Experience marred by tiny preview section and lots of buffering

The home page looks fine. You’ve got a sidebar on the left to gain access to your settings and ready-made templates, among others, while the bulk of the page is devoted to tips and tricks to encourage you to try new features (I was offered recording from a webcam, and using digital voices to turn your text into speech). You’ll also see a few featured templates, a button to edit by yourself, and another with the help of AI, and at the bottom, all your previous projects.

Nothing new here really in terms of design and layout, but it’s simple and clear, which helps you get to where you wish to go.

I thought I’d try out the manual editing first, as that’s my usual bread and butter… And I must say, it works really well. To the left is a sidebar containing all available tools. From there, you have access to any media you uploaded to the service, a library of stock assets, text tools and transitions, templates (again), and a section dedicated to recording media. This includes webcam, a connected camera, your desktop, or a microphone (all of which worked really well). This is also another place where the ‘text to speech’ option can be accessed.

All well and good.

When it comes to editing, it’s all about dragging. Drag a clip from your library to the timeline to add it to your project. Repeat the process, to build up your edit. Drag a clip’s edges to resize it, drag an entire clip to move it around; select an item in the timeline for its changeable parameters to appear in a sidebar to the right. It’s all pretty intuitive and standard fare.

The one thing that annoyed me is how small the preview section is. This is generally the part of the interface that needs to be as big as possible, so you can see what you’re working on. Here, it’s tiny.

Worse still, dragging the playhead along the timeline doesn’t update what you see in that preview section, so you can’t quickly scroll to another part of your edit and carry on working: you have to wait for the buffering to end.

That’s an obvious downside to working online, but it’s also a frustrating one if you’re used to working fast. If you’re a casual editor, you might be fine with that though.

Clipchamp: Recording

(Image credit: Microsoft)

• All options work well
• Choose your text-to-speech narrator wisely

You get four recording options in Clipchamp: Camera, Screen, Camera & Screen, and text-to-speech. These work exactly as you’d expect - grant the app access to your mic and webcam, select which window, tab, or desktop to record, hit Share.

It’s not a bad shout if you need a no-fuss one of the best free screen recorders for no-fuss, no-hassle set-up and use. It's also useful for recording piece-to-camera videos and webinars.

The built-in text-to-speech software is slightly different. It’s like a robot narrator. Input content into the text field, choose a language and voice that fits your video, then tinker with the pitch and speed to create something that passes for human speech.

The variety across the board here is excellent. However, some voices were much more natural than others, closer to ‘realistic’ smart speaker voices than the usual stilted robots found in Microsoft apps. Save the sound clip and you can drag it onto your timeline like any other media.  

Clipchamp: AI editing

(Image credit: Microsoft // Future)

• Not truly AI
• Automatic algorithms, and not very clever ones at that

Now, might AI overcome some of the buffering I experienced? After all, if the algorithms do the work for you, it should be a much easier affair.

To be honest, this was one of the most disappointing aspects of Clipchamp. I can live with a bit of buffering. But the claims of AI editing are laughable.

First things first, I uploaded some footage - and that process is absolutely fine. Then I had to like or dislike a bunch of themes, or select the option ‘choose for me’.

When it comes to orientation, it’s either landscape or portrait (the more numerous options I found when editing manually weren't present this time round). There is an option to choose from a handful of songs and fonts, or just accept the default selection that’s been presented, and then export.

As the algorithm does its thing, I was offered various ways to save the project: save to the desktop, upload it to an online storage service such as OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox, or to social media sites such as YouTube, TikTok or LinkedIn.

Then came the big reveal.

I have to say, I wasn’t impressed with the output. Sure everything was edited for me, but the choices were anaemic.

I uploaded widescreen shots and requested a vertical video suitable for social media. The algorithm didn’t crop my footage. It just presented it with massive black bars top and bottom. This was not what I was expecting.

The editing was also unimpressive. Oh and the preview section during export could also be bigger (what is it with Clipchamp and tiny preview sections?)

I tried multiple times, and noticed the edit seems to follow the order the clips were in, and it didn’t even edit to the beat of its chosen song. I mean, really, that should be a basic feature for an AI tool.

If, like me, you’re not happy with the results, you can always ‘Keep Editing’, i.e., take the work already done by the machine, and refine it to your liking in the manual editing section. That could definitely save some time. Frankly, I’d bin the whole thing and start properly from scratch. But maybe that’s just me.

Should I buy Clipchamp?

(Image credit: Microsoft // Future)Buy it if…

You’re looking for an way to edit online, with some simple tools that are well implemented, and best of all, the free tier doesn’t watermark your output!

Don’t buy it if…

You’re not a fan of having to wait for the interface to catch up with you, you’d appreciate a bigger preview section, and are far from impressed by the lamentable AI feature.

For more editors, we've tested and reviewed the best free video editing software and the best video editing apps.

HP Omen Max 16: Two minute review

Many of the best gaming laptops on the market feature Nvidia’s latest 50 series graphics cards, and while these are perfect for those who are looking for a powerful device, they typically come at an exceptionally high price point.

Enter the latest HP Omen Max 16, which comes with a more affordable pricepoint when compared to its rivals, though it will still leave a significant dent in your wallet.

The HP Omen Max 16 is a formidable machine designed for high-end gaming, and from the moment you power it on, its capabilities shine through, offering smooth gameplay and crisp visuals.

While it features a more traditional gaming laptop aesthetic with a slightly bulkier build, its performance under pressure is where it truly excels. The Omen Max 16 manages heat impressively well, maintaining optimal performance even during extended gaming sessions, and its display offers a truly immersive visual feast.

This laptop is a strong choice for gamers who prioritize raw power and a high-quality visual experience, and it's well-equipped to handle the most demanding AAA titles - all for a price that's (slightly) more sensible than other gaming laptops at this end of the market.

(Image credit: Future)HP Omen Max 16: Price and availability

• How much is it? Starting at $2,599 / £1,999
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available in the US and UK

The Omen Max 16 is available for $2,599 / £1,999. This price positions it competitively within the high-performance gaming laptop market, especially considering the specifications it offers.

While it's certainly not a budget option, it provides excellent value for serious gamers looking for top-tier hardware without reaching the ultra-premium price points of some alternatives. For example, the MSI Stealth A16 AI+, which boasts an Nvidia 5070 Ti - less powerful than the 5080 featured in the Omen Max 16 - comes in at $2,899 / £2,199.

The laptop is currently available in the US, UK, and several European countries. While there's no official word on wider global availability, HP typically expands its distribution to other regions over time.

• Value: 4 / 5

HP Omen Max 16: Specs

The HP Omen Max 16 is equipped with a powerful Intel Core i9-14900HX processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 GPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a fast 1TB NVMe SSD. These specifications combine to create a powerhouse capable of handling the most demanding games and applications with ease.

HP Omen Max 16 AH0007NA

Price

$2,599 / £1,999

CPU

Intel Core i9-14900HX

GPU

GeForce RTX 5080

RAM

32GB DDR5

Storage

1TB PCIe SSD

Display

16.1-inch QHD (2560 x 1440) IPS - 240Hz

Ports

3x USB-A, 1x USB-C (Thunderbolt 4), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x Ethernet, 1x Audio Jack, 1x SD Card Reader

Wireless

Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4

Dimensions

369 x 259.4 x 23.9 mm

Weight

2.5 kg

(Image credit: Future)HP Omen Max 16: Design

• Dated design
• Keyboard looks great
• Excellent screen

The Omen Max 16 embraces a bold, aggressive design that is characteristic of gaming laptops - while you could take it into an office environment or on the go, you might get some strange looks.

Personally, I find this aesthetic quite dated, so it’s not really the best option for me, but this won’t be the case for everyone. One thing I will note, however, is that the RGB keyboard is stunning thanks to the semi-transparent keycaps.

Its chassis is sturdy, and while it's not the slimmest laptop on the market, its build quality feels premium. The laptop's larger footprint accommodates its powerful components and effective cooling system, but it does also mean that this device will be taking up a fair amount of space on your desk or in your bag if you’re intending to take this laptop on the go with you.

(Image credit: Future)

HP has provided an ample selection of ports, ensuring you can connect all of your gaming peripherals without the need for an extra USB adaptor. You'll find multiple USB-A ports, a versatile USB-C port with Thunderbolt 4 support, an HDMI 2.1 output for connecting to external monitors, an Ethernet port for stable online gaming, an audio jack, and even an SD card reader.

However, it's worth noting that if you’re intending to run a streaming setup off of your gaming laptop, you may need more ports in order to plug in a microphone and higher-resolution webcam.

The 16.1-inch QHD IPS display is a highlight, offering vibrant colors, sharp details, and a smooth 240Hz refresh rate. While it’s not as good as an OLED panel, IPS still offers decent image quality, and is capable of an impressive range of colors. This screen provides an incredibly immersive visual experience, making games and movies truly pop. The high refresh rate ensures fluid motion, and there's no hint of screen tearing.

• Design: 4 / 5

HP Omen Max 16: Performance

• Excellent performance
• Efficient cooling
• Fans can get loud

HP Omen Max 16 Benchmarks

Here's how the HP Omen Max 16 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

Geekbench 6 (Multi Core): 16,800; (Single Core): 3,150
Crossmark Overall: 2,050
3DMark Fire Strike: 35,890; Night Raid: 42,100; Time Spy 15,720
Total War: Warhammer III: (1440p, Ultra): 140 FPS; 1440p, low): 290 FPS
Cyberpunk 2077 (1440p, Ultra): 90 FPS; (1440p, Low): 160 FPS
Dirt 5 (1440p, Ultra): 180 FPS; (1440p, Low): 260 FPS
PCMark 10 Battery Life: 5 hours 10 mins
TechRadar movie test: 5 hours

The performance of the HP Omen Max 16 gaming is exceptional, consistently delivering high frame rates across a wide range of demanding games.

Whether battling in the latest AAA titles or engaging in intense competitive multiplayer, the laptop maintains smooth and responsive gameplay. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 graphics card, paired with the Intel Core i9-14900HX processor, easily handles graphically-intensive games, even with settings cranked up to 'ultra'.

(Image credit: Future)

During extensive testing, titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Alan Wake 2 ran beautifully at high resolutions with ray tracing enabled, showcasing the laptop's ability to render stunning visuals without compromise. In each game I tried I got high frame rates with no stuttering and no issues whatsoever, and beyond gaming, the Omen Max 16 handles resource-intensive tasks such as video editing, 3D rendering, and complex multitasking with remarkable efficiency, making it a versatile machine for power users.

One of the standout features is its cooling system. Despite running demanding applications, the laptop manages heat impressively well. While the fans do become quite loud under heavy load, they are effective at keeping internal temperatures in check, preventing thermal throttling and ensuring sustained performance. The keyboard area remained comfortable to use, even during prolonged gaming sessions, which is a testament to the efficient cooling design.

The speakers provide decent audio, clear enough for general use, but for the best results, I'd suggest picking up one of the best PC gaming headsets to take advantage of directional audio.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

HP Omen Max 16: Battery life

• Surprisingly good battery life
• Almost a full day's regular use, about two and a half hours of gaming
• Charges fast but uses a proprietary charger

While HP promises a decent battery life for general usage, in real-world testing, the Omen Max 16 delivered an average of around five to six hours for light tasks such as web browsing or video playback.

This is a respectable figure for a powerful gaming laptop. However, as expected with high-performance hardware, engaging in intensive gaming or demanding applications significantly reduces battery life, typically down to about one and a half hours.

Our PCMark 10 battery life benchmark and TechRadar movie test both lasted around 5 hours, which aligns with typical expectations for this class of device. For extended gaming sessions, keeping the laptop plugged in is essential.

• Battery Life: 3 / 5

Should you buy the HP Omen Max 16?HP Omen Max 16 Scorecard

Value

The HP Omen Max offers competitive pricing for its high-end specifications.

4 / 5

Design

It has a robust, traditional gaming aesthetic with a good port selection.

4 / 5

Performance

Expect exceptional performance for AAA gaming and demanding tasks.

4.5 / 5

Battery Life

Average battery life, typical for a high-performance gaming laptop.

4.5 / 5

Total

Overall, the HP Omen Max 16 offers excellent gaming performance for a competitive price. The design, however, feels a bit bulky and dated.

4 / 5

Buy the HP Omen Max 16 if...

You want powerful gaming performance
If you're looking for a laptop that can handle the latest AAA titles at high settings with ease, this will be the laptop for you.

Image quality is important to you
The vibrant, high-refresh-rate display offers an immersive visual experience.

You don't want to get burnt
The HP Omen Max 16 manages heat well, ensuring sustained performance during long gaming sessions.

Don't buy it if...

You prioritize portability and having a laptop with a slim design
The HP Omen Max 16's design is robust but bulkier than ultra-portable alternatives.

You need all-day battery life
While decent for a gaming laptop, it won't last a full workday or long gaming sessions unplugged.

You're on a very tight budget
The HP Omen Max 16 offers good value for its specs, but it's still a high-end device with a corresponding price tag.

Also consider

Asus ROG Strix Scar 17
For those seeking an even larger screen and potentially more aggressive aesthetics with top-tier performance, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 is a strong alternative that often features cutting-edge components.

Read our full Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 review

Alienware m18
If screen size and sheer power are paramount, the Alienware m18 offers an expansive display and extreme performance, often at the very top end of gaming laptop capabilities.

Read our full Alienware m18 review

How I tested the HP Omen Max 16

For a period of two weeks, the Omen Max 16 served as my primary device for both work and leisure activities. I integrated it into my daily routine, using it for typical office tasks, extensive gaming sessions in the evenings, and general media consumption.

To assess its portability and performance outside of a stationary setup, I also used it in various remote working environments. Beyond everyday usage, comprehensive benchmark tests were conducted using industry-standard software such as 3DMark and GeekBench, alongside in-game benchmarking tools, to rigorously evaluate its performance across different scenarios.

• First reviewed January 2026

Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender: one-minute review

The Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender with 26oz Travel Tumbler is ideal for people who want to quickly make smoothies, iced coffee, and other frozen beverages on the go. Just put your ingredients into the tumbler, screw on the blade lid, screw the blade lid onto the 1,200-watt motor base, and press one of the four blend mode buttons. There are three intelligent preset programs: Smoothie, Ice Crush, and Blend. These modes combine pulsing, blending, and pausing so you don't have guess. Unscrew the tumbler and screw on the drinking lid, grab a straw if you like, and you're on your way.

All three of the removable parts (tumbler, blade, travel lid) are easy to clean and dishwasher-safe. The base, which stays stable on your counter with suction cups, doesn't need to be washed. Simply wipe with a damp cloth if spills happen.

The Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender is aesthetically pleasing, with four whimsical colorways. The travel tumbler resembles trendy water bottle styles.

Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender: price and availability

• List price: $119.99 (about £90 / AU$180)
• Not widely available outside the US

The Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender with 26oz Travel Tumbler is available at all major retailers in the US, both online and in brick-and-mortar stores. Find it at Ninja's own website or at Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Amazon, and many more. It comes in four fun colorways: Lavender Lemonade (purple and yellow, as seen in my photos), Blue Raspberry (light blue and seafoam green), Watermelon Bubblegum (sage green and pale pink), and Cyberspace (gray and steel blue). It retails for $119.99 (about £90 / AU$180)

It's not widely available outside the US at the time of writing, though you may be able to find it imported via Amazon Marketplace.

• Value score: 4/5

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(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender: specifications

Price

$119.99

Blending functions

Three intelligent programs blend automatically: Smoothie, Ice Crush, and Blend. A fourth button, Pulse, lets you choose.

Size

7.2 in L x 6.69 in W x 12.91 in H

Container material

Plastic

Container included

26-ounce travel tumbler

Color options

Lavender Lemonade (purple and yellow, as seen in my photos), Blue Raspberry (light blue and seafoam green), Watermelon Bubblegum (sage green and pale pink), and Cyberspace (gray and steel blue)

Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender: design and features

• Blend directly into the travel tumbler
• Four blending modes (three are automatic)
• 1,200-watt motor

Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender with 26oz Travel Tumbler is well-designed for its purpose. The powerful 1200-watt motor quickly and easily blends ice and frozen fruit for smoothies, iced coffee, and other frozen beverages to go. The tumbler is large but the tapered base fits into most cars' cupholders.

The tumbler has measurement markings on it, so you can combine your ingredients directly into it. The six-ounce marking also serves as the minimum liquid marking, since you must use at least six ounces of liquid in order for the BlendBOSS to blend properly. There is also a max fill line near the top, at the 24-ounce mark. This gives you space at the top to add whipped cream or other toppings after you're done blending.

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There are four buttons on the base of the Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender. Three of them are automatic settings that use a combination of pulses and pauses to take the guesswork out of blending. The first button, Blend IQ, runs for 60 seconds. The second, Smoothie IQ, runs for 55 seconds. Ice Crush IQ is the third button, and it goes for 50 seconds. The fourth button, Pulse, is the only manual button. Any blender can be pretty loud, though this one isn't louder than others I've used. The IQ buttons allow you to walk away while your treat is blending, so you don't even have to listen to it up close.

The base is pretty big and heavy for a tumbler blender, probably due to its 1200-watt motor. It does have two suction cups on the bottom to keep it from moving around when you blend. The blade lid and the travel lid both screw on securely and easily. The travel/chug lid has a button so you can pop it open, revealing the chug opening. When you close it, the lid is leak-proof.

I did have one issue with the chug lid. If you do indeed chug directly from the lid (as opposed to using a straw), the top of the lid falls down on your head when you're taking your last sips. I found that pretty annoying, and found myself either using a straw or removing the lid entirely and just drinking directly from the tumbler.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender: performance

I made a number of different recipes to test out the Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender, including several different smoothies, pancake batter, pasta sauce, and an iced drink. In every case, the blender was super fast and blended everything completely. Even the spinach in one of my smoothies was blended so fine that I couldn't see or taste the spinach at all. The ice in my iced lemonade was essentially turned to a slushy snow. I did try blending smoothies with less than the recommended amount (six ounces) of liquid, and ended up having to stop the blender, take off the blending lid, and stir around the contents. Everything else I made (with the proper amount of liquid) blended just perfectly without my having to do anything besides press the start button.

In the images below, I was making a smoothie with frozen blueberries and spinach, and it came out perfectly smooth. There were no chunks of blueberry skin or spinach.

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Below are photos of the iced lemonade I made. The BlendBOSS turned ice into snow incredibly quickly and thoroughly.

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I got a little creative below, making a protein pancake batter from cottage cheese, eggs, and oats. The result was a smooth liquid with no chunks at all.

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Next I made some pasta sauce. Here I blended a can of whole tomatoes and cottage cheese. I didn't even do a whole blend cycle, a few seconds was all it took to turn that into sauce. I poured the contents of the blender into a pot I had on the stove with olive oil and browned garlic.

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• Performance score: 5/5

Should you buy the Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender?Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender report card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

This is fairly expensive for a tumbler blender, but it's also pretty powerful.

4/5

Design

This is a cute blender; it all works well except for the chug lid dropping on my nose when chugging.

4.5/5

Performance

Blending performance was excellent, whether using the automatic IQ buttons or the manual pulse button.

5/5

Overall

This small but powerful blender will fill just about all of your blending needs as long as you use enough liquid.

4.5/5

Buy it if

You want to make smoothies and iced beverages on the go

Iced coffee, smoothies, protein drinks, or other frozen beverages are made perfectly smooth and ready to go in seconds. The included tumbler is cute, holds up to 26 ounces of liquid, and fits into most cars' cupholders.

You want to make other blended foods too

Make sauces, soups, batters, salad dressing, and more. As long as you put in enough liquid (about 6 ounces), this blender can handle it.

You want easy cleanup

Cleaning up couldn't be easier. Blend a drop of liquid detergent and water to quickly hand wash the tumbler, blade lid, and chug lid. Or, put all three in the dishwasher if you prefer. A quick swipe with a damp cloth is all you need for the base.

Don't buy it if

You like super thick smoothies

Since this is a gravity blender, you do need sufficient liquid. I tried using less and had to stop mid-cycle to scrape down the sides. It did work, but it's pretty messy to stop in the middle like that. You definitely want to use more liquid.

You like to chug directly from the travel lid

When I tried that, the flap kept falling on my nose, which was annoying. That's a problem easily solved by using a straw or just removing the lid entirely. But if you're a dedicated chugger, it's something to keep in mind.

You don't need that much power

There are definitely less powerful portable blenders you can buy that are substantially smaller and cheaper. If you're mixing protein powder or making mostly liquid drinks with just a little ice, save your money and get one of those. The BlendBOSS will be more blender than you need.

Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender: also consider

If you're not sure about the Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender, here are some other blenders you might like

Vitamix A3500

Vitamix has been my own blender of choice for over a decade. If you need power, you need a Vitamix. Love a thick, chunky smoothie with no liquid at all? A Vitamix can handle it.

Read our review of the Vitamix A3500

Nutribullet Magic Bullet Portable Blender

If you don't need as much power as the BlendBOSS has to offer, this cheap and cheerful little portable blender will be enough for you. Plus the whole thing is portable and rechargeable.

Read our review of the Nutribullet Magic Bullet Portable Blender View Deal

How I tested the Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender

• I tested all four blender buttons
• I used it for weeks to make a variety of beverages and foods
• I cleaned it after every use

I made a variety of smoothies, all of them with the minimum amount of liquid and heavy on the frozen fruit and ice. I made a cherry-yogurt-almond milk smoothie, a banana-yogurt-almond milk smoothie that included a number of powders and seeds, and a banana-blueberry-spinach-hemp seed smoothie. I made an iced lemonade beverage that included ice, water, and lemon balsamic vinegar. I made protein pancake batter with equal parts egg whites, cottage cheese, and dry oatmeal. I made pasta sauce with cottage cheese and canned whole tomatoes (added to browned garlic and olive oil on the stove.) Everything I made blended perfectly smooth with no evidence of seeds or skins.

Read more about how we test.

When you think of the best video editing software, you more often think of the big players like Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, and even DaVinci Resolve. The problem is, these professional-grade tools can feel intimidating.

And that's where CyberLink PowerDirector 365 comes in. It offers high-end tools and editing workflow, wrapped up in an easy-to-understand interface that's suitable for beginners.

So, we look a look at the latest version (v24) to see how PowerDirector stacks up.

CyberLink PowerDirector 365: Price & availability

• Competitively priced subscription
• Often discounted

Like so many software packages these days, PowerDirector is only available on a subscription. You do have a couple of options though: pay $80 for the year for it alone, or combine it with PhotoDirector for $145 annually.

That’s the basic price, but you’ll find CyberLink often offers steep discounts for its software. For instance, as of this writing, you can get these for $60 or $93 respectively.

It’s definitely much cheaper than Adobe Premiere Pro, and it would take 4 years of you paying for PowerDirector at full price to exceed the cost of Apple’s Final Cut Pro. So price-wise, it’s pretty good.

Even better, you can download the software and start using it for free to make sure it works as you intend it to. You’ll encounter limitations, such as a watermark output, and a host of advanced tools and effects which are off limits to you, but the essential ones aren’t.

CyberLink PowerDirector 365: Interface

(Image credit: CyberLink // Future)

• Well-organized interface
• Clear navigation

Launch PowerDirector and you’ll be graced with its welcome screen. From there, you can of course click on ‘New Project’ and get into the editing side of things (more on that in a minute), but that’s not all that window has to offer. You’ll find a handful of large icons, most of which offer quick drag-and-drop effects.

They’re there if you’ve already got a video clip or exported project which you wish to alter with one specific effect throughout. Click on one of those icons, a pop up window appears, drop a clip onto it, and the software will get working. Convenient, yes, but editing this isn’t. So let’s check out the editing side of things.

We’ve reached the stage now in terms of interface development, that if you’ve seen one video editor, you’ve pretty much seen them all. I don’t view that as a bad thing: it makes it easy to switch between them; aside from having a sidebar on the right instead of on the left, or similar, it should take you seconds to find your way around PowerDirector’s interface.

You’ll find a list of icons, top left, which control the top third of the interface. These allow you to switch between your clips, and specific functions, such as titles, transitions, effects, and so on. Top right is the preview section; it’s linked either to your timeline (which takes up the bottom half of the interface) or any selected clip in your media section.

Unlike Premiere Pro, the interface isn’t customisable. You work with what you get. It’s even more inflexible than Final Cut Pro - and I thought FCP was strict! - but at the end of the day, that’s not entirely a bad thing: it means you can sit in front of any computer with PowerDirector installed and know where everything is. That’s a big plus in my book. But the price for that familiarity is a rigid interface. A price worth paying? That would depend on your preference and workflow.

CyberLink PowerDirector 365: Tools

(Image credit: CyberLink // Future)

• Everything you need to edit a video
• Free to add effects, transitions, and titles
• No keyboard controls

Everything you need to edit a video project is there for you to use. The timeline has multiple layers, so you can end up making a relatively complex movie. You’ll find various animated titles, Transitions, Effects, Particles, Stickers, and more, all ready to spruce up your edit. They are all excellent and well crafted.

If you’re on a subscription, it’s all available to you, but if you’re working with the free version, you’ll encounter some serious limitations: most of these tools are ‘premium’ ones; you can recognise them thanks to a small black crown inside a yellow circle, top left of a tool’s icon. Despite that, you’ll still be able to insert them into your project, but when it comes to exporting it, you’ll be offered the option of forking out some of your money to be able to use them, or having them automatically removed prior to rendering.

Some tools can’t be accessed unless you log in to your CyberLink account (which is free to setup). That’s because they’re AI-based and require credits to function. You do get 100 credits per month with a subscription, and any additional credit packs are reduced by 50% as long as you keep paying, but you can also get these packs at full price while using the free version. They start at 100, and go up to 2,000, and obviously the more you buy, the cheaper each individual credit gets.

Editing is simple, but it could be easier, mind you. Maybe it’s because I’m used to more professional editors: I use the keyboard a lot when editing, and other programs allow me to use the JKL keys to playback in reverse, stop and go forward respectively; using the left and right arrow keys moves me back or forward one frame, and the up and down arrow keys jump me to the next or previous edit point…

And there are so many others. These greatly speed up my work. Unfortunately, PowerDirector doesn’t have any of those, which forces users to rely more on the mouse or trackpad. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you’re not used to such shortcuts, but the lack of options certainly is.

CyberLink PowerDirector 365: Latest updates

(Image credit: CyberLink // Future)

• Strong push for AI-based tools,
• AI credits required, but not consumer-friendly implementation
• Devs regularly adding new features

One of the great things about PowerDirector, is that new features are regularly released - whether they’re new effects to celebrate a forthcoming festive season, or new tools. At the time of review (January 2026), CyberLink is making an increasing push for AI-based tools which are, as you’d expect, powered by separately purchased credits.

One of the newest additions is ‘Video Generator’. The way it works is, you choose a style from a list of thumbnails, add your own photo, and PowerDirector will transform it to match that style and animate it as well for 5 or 10 seconds, for good measure.

The one that appealed to me the most was the ‘AI Anime Video Effect’, as it transforms your clip into animation. You have 17 styles to choose from, and the process is designed to turn 10, 20 or 30 seconds of video into your preferred style.

The only problem I can see with such features, is you have to pay before you see the results. You do get a tiny preview of the effect based on some placeholder image by mousing over the thumbnail, but truth be told, that’s really not enough.

What if ‘Vivid’ didn’t work as an anime style for your project, but ‘Classic’ would’ve been better? Well, you’ll have to pay again. The idea and concepts are good, but the implementation doesn’t feel consumer-friendly to me.

CyberLink PowerDirector 365: Final verdict

(Image credit: CyberLink // Future)

CyberLink PowerDirector 365 remains one of the best video editing software for beginners, as well as intermediate editors.

It's packed with all the tools most general users will need for content creation - and at a fraction of the price of higher-end and premium software. Especially if you manage to grab a discounted subscription. Bonus points for offering a free, if limited, option.

I like the overall workflow and the number of features that keep coming to PowerDirector. I even enjoyed using the AI tools here. But the fact that you need to keep buying credits without the ability to simply preview the AI generation means it loses a star in my review. For me, that doesn't feel fair to users.

Beyond that, though, there's not much I don't like about PowerDirector 365, especially for those who want to create professional-looking videos without the steep learning curve I often see in other video editors.

Should I buy CyberLink PowerDirector 365?

(Image credit: CyberLink // Future)

Buy it if...
You want a video editor that is simple to use, is affordable (or even free), and gets regularly updated with new tools and fun effects, transitions, and animated texts.

Don't buy it if...
You feel you need a video editor that’s more fluid, and you’re not a fan of the ‘pay before you see’ model that’s used for the AI tools.

For more editors, we've tested and reviewed the best free video editing software

Ricoh ScanSnap iX2400: 30-second review

The Ricoh iX2400 is a simple office document scanner that enables you to load up to 100 sheets of A4 paper into its auto feeder. You can then hit scan, and the entire stack of paper will be scanned and formatted, ready for review in a couple of minutes.

In August last year, I tested the more advanced iX2500, which is essentially the same machine with network connectivity. This stripping back of any type of wired or wireless network connectivity will appeal to those who are increasingly security-minded.

This does mean that the machine is only accessible from a single device, and if you want to use it from your desktop, laptop, or another person’s computer, then you’ll have to physically reconnect the hardware via USB. That’s not too much of an issue; it just isn't as convenient as the more expensive option.

In terms of performance, there’s little to no difference. It handles multiple A4 documents, bills, or even old photographs being scanned in colour, or for that matter, black and white, with absolute accuracy and speed.

The scanning speed is extremely fast. You can use the button on the front of the machine to directly scan or go through the software. Another slight change compared to the iX2500 is the lack of a touchscreen. This is a very stripped-down version, which will likely suit most people, especially when you consider the savings in price.

I’ve been using the machine in the office to scan agreements, household bills, and more over the past month, and, as I found with the iX2500, it’s just an extremely quick and easy way to keep on top of your household or small business administration.

The user interface with the software still feels a little dated. It looks like something left over from the 1990s and doesn’t seem to have progressed design-wise. However, it functions exceptionally well, enabling you to scan documents in various formats and resolutions for later use and even upload directly to the cloud.

One useful aspect of the ScanSnap iX2400 is the OCR capability. If you're scanning a whole series of documents, you can activate the option to create a searchable PDF, which converts the printed word into fully searchable documents using OCR technology.

If you’re working in a smaller office and are likely to leave this machine connected to a single computer or laptop, then it’s a good value, if not overly cheap. However, if you need broader accessibility or network integration, paying a bit extra for the iX2500 definitely makes sense. Either way, in any office, this machine, or one extremely similar, is a great asset.

Ricoh ScanSnap iX2400: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? £310 / $399
• When is it out? Now
• Where can you get it? Widely available

While the price of the ScanSnap iX2400 is lower than the more advanced network-connected iX2500, it still carries a relatively hefty price of $399 / £310. It’s widely available, including from major online retailers such as Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

• Value: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)Ricoh ScanSnap iX2400: Design

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)Specifications

Ports: USB 3.2, Power input
Connectivity: USB only (USB 3.2 Gen 1)
Size: 292 × 161 × 152 mm
Weight: 3.2kg
Accessories: USB cable, AC adapter, ScanSnap Home software licence

The iX2400 has been designed as a compact piece of office equipment. At first glance, you might mistake it for a standard desktop printer. The compact profile is available in both black and white. For this review, I looked at the black option, which is stylish and fits neatly on a desktop surface or shelf.

The quality of design is extremely good. The whole thing feels very solid, clearly designed for office use and daily operation, rather than occasional home use. This is also reflected in the premium pricing.

Checking over the machine, it’s a bit more simplistic than other versions I’ve reviewed. On the front is a single scan button, which, when connected to a computer, enables fast scanning of any documents. On the back, unlike other ScanScap options, there’s only a USB-C port—no Wi-Fi or network connection.

It weighs in at 3.2 kg, and with its compact size of 292 x 161 x 152 mm, it feels heavier than expected.

The design, while simple, is clever. The fold-up lid becomes the 100-sheet feeder holder, securely holding documents, A4, A5 paper or photographs ready for scanning. The adjustable guides are linked, so moving one moves the other, securely positioning whichever paper size you’re scanning.

The machine is also a duplex scanner. What’s interesting here is that rather than feeding documents through twice to scan both sides, it uses a dual-scanning system that captures both sides of each sheet simultaneously. If you’re scanning a photograph, it recognises there’s only one side to scan. Settings can be adjusted using the software.

As documents are scanned, they exit from the bottom of the machine into a pull-out tray, which helps keep things neat. At the machine’s speed, if you're scanning 100 documents, having the tray extended makes sense; otherwise, paper can scatter.

Whether you're using the machine occasionally or keeping it on your desktop, the compact design makes it minimalistic. During the review, I had it set up on one of my test benches, linked to a workstation connected to the network. It was convenient, and when I needed to move it, the small size and solid build made it easy to pack away and store.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

Ricoh ScanSnap iX2400: Features

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

For simplicity, the iX2400 is one of the easiest document scanners I’ve reviewed. To get started, just remove the tape that keeps it safe in transit, plug in the power and USB cable, download and install the software, and you’re ready in under five minutes.

Then, simply load the software on your computer, insert your documents, and press scan. The scanner and software handle the rest, scanning content directly into the application where you can view, email, or share the results.

If you want more control, you can select the format, PDF, Word, image, or upload directly to the cloud via ScanSnap's own service (with an account), or connect to Microsoft Teams or Google Drive.

Everything is set up with sensible defaults. The only additional step I’d recommend is activating OCR if you want to make scanned documents searchable, especially when exporting to PDF or Word.

You have multiple options: duplex scanning, scanning up to 100 documents into a single file or as individual files. It supports duplex scanning at up to 45 pages per minute (90 IPM) with a resolution of up to 600 DPI.

While the scanner is designed to be simple and straightforward, you can delve into the settings to adjust image quality, which is useful when scanning old photographs. There are also quality and distribution settings within the software. While functional, it does look dated, especially in terms of design.

• Features: 4.5 / 5

Ricoh ScanSnap iX2400: Performance

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

The iX2400 is the base model in the range, and it keeps things simple. It connects to your computer via a USB-C cable, with no network port or Wi-Fi. This makes it an offline-only solution, which I find appealing, particularly for scanning secure financial or NDA-related documents.

The setup was extremely easy. Without needing to worry about Wi-Fi or network placement, the single USB-C cable was all that was required. With the software installed, the machine was instantly recognised and ready to use.

To test, I inserted a stack of photographs and hit the scan button, more out of initial curiosity, once the machine was set up, rather than as a focused part of the test. I was surprised at the speed at which it got to work, and within a few seconds, 20 images were displayed on-screen.

Being familiar with ScanSnap software, I’d already set up scanning profiles for saving files to specific folders, which are then backed up to my NAS. It’s quick and easy to do, although the software’s interface does look dated, and the guides take some time to get used to.

While basic scanning is obvious, advanced options like OCR require a bit more digging. On the scan screen, you’ll see options for different document types, documents, business cards, receipts, and photos, along with colour mode, scan side, image quality, rotation, and file format.

OCR is off by default to reduce processing time. To enable it, you must click the 'Options' button next to the file format (when PDF is selected). Then, tick the 'Searchable PDF' box. This does increase processing time slightly, but it results in a fully searchable file, essential for NDAs and invoices.

You can also password-protect documents during scanning, a useful security feature for personal or sensitive information.

During testing, I scanned most of the paperwork accumulated over the past month. While it wasn’t a huge amount, using the duplex option sped things up. Unlike some scanners, native duplex scanning in this machine means very few (if any) jams.

I liked being able to insert a mixed batch, A4 sheets, A5, and business cards. It handled each without issue, scanning in the correct format.

Compared to one of my flatbed scanners, this machine is also incredibly quiet. Even when scanning 100 sheets, the noise level is minimal and short-lived.

This scanner is clearly designed for office use, not creative workflows. You can scan up to A4-sized photos, and the quality is decent, but it’s not suitable for colour-critical archiving. For casual scanning of old 5x6 prints, the quality suffices, but dedicated photo scanners are better for that use case.

While simpler than the iX2500, I personally prefer the design and simplicity. Plugged into an old PC, it’s now part of a dedicated admin area alongside a laser printer. It might feel a bit retro, but the offline functionality and security make it ideal for handling sensitive personal documents.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)Ricoh ScanSnap iX2400: Final verdict

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

When starting a small business, you often overlook the small peripherals that larger businesses take for granted. But as paperwork builds up, even in a paperless office, keeping on top of it becomes time-consuming.

Now, with this scanner, I can scan everything directly, place documents in relevant folders, and make them searchable for future reference. It’s also useful for receipts, which I scan on the go for my accountant. While there’s no direct integration with Xero, you can connect it to services like QuickBooks.

Personally, I like the ability to connect to Google Drive and Microsoft Teams, both of which I use in different areas of my work. Scanning documents directly to cloud storage is helpful, especially for sharing photographic examples and documentation with students and colleagues.

While it lacks network and Wi-Fi connectivity, the iX2400 makes perfect sense for small businesses or home offices. The cost might seem high for a scanner, but Ricoh has carefully considered small business workflows, and it will save you hours of time, especially near the end of the tax year. It’s a quick and reliable way to digitise and organise paperwork.

If you don’t already have a decent scanning solution or are still using a flatbed scanner, my recommendation this year is to purchase a Ricoh ScanSnap iX2400. It may lack network connectivity, but the time and stress it saves will be worth the investment.

Should I buy the Ricoh ScanSnap iX2400?

Value

The price puts it at the premium end of the market, but its speed and ease of use make it exceptional value for money

4

Design

The compact design means it will fit almost any office, and the high-quality build ensures it will withstand daily use with ease

4

Features

The feature set is basic, with no network connection, but if you prioritise security and simplicity, it's perfect

4

Performance

The scanning speed is incredibly fast and ideal for business use

4.5

Overall

The scanning speed is incredibly fast and ideal for business use

4

Buy it if...

You scan in bulk
If you frequently scan large volumes of paper and need a fast, jam-free, reliable desktop scanner, it's ideal.

You want a simple set-up
It's a great choice if you just want a scanner that works without fuss, plug it in, press a button, and scan directly to file or cloud.

Don't buy it if...

You need wireless scanning
This won't meet requirements if you require Wi-Fi or mobile device scanning for flexible office or team setups.

You're using it for creative workflows
Avoid the scanner if you're looking to digitise photos or images with color-critical accuracy; this device is best for documents.

For more office essentials, we've rounded-up the best home printers and the best scanner deals around.

Light spoilers follow for all six episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

HBO's Game of Thrones (GoT) franchise could use a boost right now. The eponymous show's incredibly divisive finale is still being discussed to this day, and while House of the Dragon's (HotD) first season repaired some of the damage its forebear's last-ever episode caused, its most recent eight-part installment was similarly not without criticism for narratively spinning its wheels.

The hope, then, is that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (AKotSK) will course-correct HBO's Thrones-Verse once more – and it does. It may lack Thrones' apocalyptic stakes and the ongoing fiery family feud that permeates HotD, but HBO's latest retelling of another George R.R. Martin book series more than makes up for it with a rib-tickling, haunting, and triumphant tale of beating the odds.

A knight's tale

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms authentically adapts George R.R. Martin's 'The Hedge Knight' novella (Image credit: Steffan Hill/HBO)

Based on The Hedge Knight, the first entry in Martin's 'Dunk and Egg' novella trilogy, and set a century before Game of Thrones, AKotSK tells the story of Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) – or, to use his less formal moniker, Dunk.

After burying his deceased mentor and hedge knight – the term used for a wandering, chivalrous sword-for-hire – Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb), Dunk travels to Ashford Meadow to try and win its latest tourney and prove his worth as a noble warrior. There, he encounters Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), an unruly but intelligent boy who implores Dunk to let Egg be his squire. Thus begins a fellowship that, unbeknownst to the pair, will forever etch their names into Westeros' history.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms isn't averse to dialling up the humor when required

AKotSK's premise – one that positions it as a dirt-covered folktale (think of street-level scenes from GoT and HotD, and you'll get the idea) – sets it out as an unusually intimate story compared to its more illustrious and narratively epic siblings, but that's intentional.

It doesn't possess the multi-House fight for The Iron Throne or the grimdark, apocalyptic events of Game of Thrones, nor does it come close to matching the destructive intrafamilial warfare on display in House of the Dragon. And, sure, high-ranking clans – the Targaryens and Barathons being the most noteworthy – feature throughout AKotSK, so characters from privileged backgrounds have increasingly prominent parts to play in the HBO Max TV Original.

Ser Arlan of Pennytree is the first mentor that Dunk ever had (Image credit: Steffan Hill/HBO)

Nonetheless, even with its more introspective, grounded narrative, AKotSK is no less dramatic, action-oriented, tragic, or amusing than its larger-scale brethren. In fact, where the last of those descriptors are concerned, it's no contest that AKotSK is the funniest live-action adaptation of Martin's literary works so far.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is no less dramatic, action-oriented, tragic, or amusing than its larger-scale brethren

Whether it's slapstick moments, black comedy, toilet humor, fish-out-of-water moments involving Dunk, or the clever use of smash cuts and cutaway shots in present-day and flashback sequences, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms isn't averse to dialing up the amusement when required.

The jokes are never overused and don't outstay their welcome, either. Instead, they enliven and brighten proceedings, especially in early episodes as Dunk navigates socially awkward interactions, and they allow AKotSK to strike a more optimistic, lighter note than HBO's other Thrones interpretations.

Aerion Targaryen (left) is this season's primary antagonist (Image credit: Steffan Hill/HBO)

As I alluded to earlier, that's not to say that AKotSK eschews what's made previous Game of Thrones adaptations so absorbing.

Amid the whimsy and hilarity, an underlying tension is always gently simmering in the background, but only threatens to boil over from the high-fantasy drama's midpoint. Here, AKotSK takes a sobering, emotionally-strung turn that not only significantly raises the stakes for Dunk, but also douses the series in a tragic light, with multiple tear-jerking moments that hit me hard despite the limited time I'd spent with its supporting cast. If it's adrenaline-fueled action, suspense-filled spectacle, and moving melodrama you're after, episodes 4 through 6 deliver the goods in spades.

Hedge your bets

Audiences will instantly fall in love with Egg and Dunk (Image credit: Steffan Hill/HBO)

Before those episodes arrive, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms relies on the endearing, odd-couple partnership between its protagonists to drive its comedy-drama-based story forward.

At times akin to a two-hander, AKotSK wastes no time introducing its protagonists to each other – the pair crossing paths less than 10 minutes into its premiere. In doing so, it dispenses with the sluggish, exposition-filled opening that some viewers might deem necessary for a series that's not only set in a new period of the Thrones timeline, but also introduces numerous new characters to those who haven't read Martin's literary works.

It's clear from Dunk and Egg's first encounter that Claffey and Ansell have great chemistry and rapport

It's clear from Dunk and Egg's first encounter, though, that Claffey and Ansell have great chemistry and rapport. Highlighting this efficacious, buddy cop-like relationship as early as possible gives us a charming albeit at times testy friendship to invest in and rally around as the show unspools its secrets and other shock-value moments.

Westeros hasn't seen the likes of a buddy-cop pairing like Dunk and Egg's (Image credit: Steffan Hill/HBO)

Ansell is as paramount to the successful portrayal of Dunk and Egg's dynamic in a live-action capacity as his senior scene-partner. Indeed, with a performance and acting capabilities that belie his tender years, Ansell faithfully captures Egg's boisterousness, foolhardiness, cleverness, and impunity with ease.

Peter Claffey delivers a towering performance in every sense of the word

It's Claffey, though, who truly steals the show as AKotSK's naive yet chivalrous loner.

An unassuming hero despite his evident stature, Dunk is a righteous man in a not-so-righteous world whose worldview is constantly tested by external forces. Initially ostracized by those at the Ashford Meadow tourney and plagued by bouts of impostor syndrome throughout, he's a seemingly oafish individual whose imposing frame hides a deep vulnerability that Claffey inhabits with real poise and emotional precision.

It's a towering performance in every sense of the word and, while I know fans will get a kick out of his portrayal from the outset, I can already see the superlatives that'll be thrown Claffey's way after his bellowing, scene-jolting speech in episode 4's final minutes, and tear-jerking moments in AKotSK's final two chapters.

Baelor Targaryen isn't as fearsome as he appears, I promise! (Image credit: Steffan Hill/HBO)

It would be remiss of me not to spotlight members of the supporting cast, too. Daniel Ing's Lyonel Baratheon steals every scene he's in, while Finn Bennett's Aerion Targaryen is a pantomime villain of menacing proportions. Bertie Clavell's Baelor Targaryen, Sam Spruell's Maekar Targaryen, and Shaun Thomas' Raymun Fossoway are also captivating presences whenever they appear.

If I have one major gripe about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, I wish more time had been spent building out certain character arcs and relationships. Great though it is, not enough screentime is devoted to Dunk and Egg's bond. I'd similarly point the finger at some of its eclectic supporting cast of characters, too, all of whom operate on Dunk's orbit but, where some individuals are concerned, are given short shrift from a character development perspective.

I wish more time had been spent building out certain character arcs and relationships

At 30 to 40 minutes per episode, AKotSK's short runtimes – compared to GoT and HotD – might make its week-to-week release model unbearable and/or draw complaints from viewers who may feel short-changed by their brevity.

However, I didn't mind the pace at which its plot progressed, nor did each episode's length feel curt in conjunction with the short story that The Hedge Knight tells. In fact, I'd say the addition of original storytelling components actually increases the duration of certain chapters, and – whisper it so book purists can't hear me say this – bolster its narrative.

My verdict

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a undeniably triumphant underdog tale. What begins as an unsuspecting story about two misfits fated to find each other soon evolves into a rip-roaring crowd-pleaser that'll have you running the emotional gamut, particularly in its latter half.

Okay, its primary theme – that being how friendship and co-operation trumps all – is clichéd. Nevertheless, given the fractured state of our own world, in which division runs riot across the sociopolitical spectrum, it's a timely message to heed.

With HBO recently announcing that AKotSK will return for a second season, we'll witness more of Dunk's rags-to-riches story down the road. And frankly, if it's as good as AKotSK's debut outing, I'll watch everything the Game of Thrones prequel's lovable underdogs get up to on their history-defining adventures.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres on Sunday, January 18 (North and South America) and Monday, January 19 (everywhere else). Learn more about it ahead of launch via my guide to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra: 30-second review

GMKtec is an established brand that makes a wide selection of mini PCs, and the M5 Ultra is a follow-up to the previous M5 and M5 Plus models (see my M5 review and the M5 Plus review).

The original M5 used a Ryzen 7 5700U, a Zen 2 architecture chip, the M5 Plus used the Zen 3 era Ryzen 7 5825U. And, the new M5 Ultra goes Zen 4 with a Ryzen 7 7730U.

From the outside, these all look remarkably similar, but internally, the M5 Ultra is 2023 technology and not the 2022 and 2021 tech used in the previous generations.

While the number of cores remains the same, the Ryzen 7 7730U offers better CPU and GPU clock speeds and better power efficiency.

However, it still uses DDR4 memory, and the best USB it has to offer is USB 3.2 Gen 2. Those wanting USB4 need to consider the M7 Ultra that I’ll be reviewing on Tech Radar Pro shortly.

But what made the original M5, and then the M5 Plus, so popular was their competitive pricing, and the M5 Ultra is also remarkably cheap, especially if you buy it ‘barebones’ and provide your own memory and storage.

With a starting price of under $260 for a barebones machine, this is a well-specified NUC system that has enough power for general office tasks once you’ve added memory, storage and an OS.

And with dual 2.5GbE LAN ports and easy internal upgrades, this is a highly flexible system that can be repurposed if required.

While this system doesn’t offer the raw performance of Ryzen AI or Ryzen 9 systems, or the latest USB4 technology, it’s a logical replacement for older desktop systems.

The inclusion of dual LAN ports, dual M.2 slots, and easily upgradable RAM might see this system join our best mini PC round-up, purely on the basis of flexibility and great value.

GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? From $260/£210/€240
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Direct from GMKtec and via online retailers

The M5 Ultra is available in a range of SKUs from GMKtec directly, though through online retailers, these are either ones with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, or 32GB of memory and 1TB of drive space.

It's also available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, among other online retailers.

And I'm seeing a few sites selling ones with those memory capacities and storage mixed up, but the cheapest option is to buy this system directly from GMKtec as a barebones system.

If you have spare DDR4 SODIMMs and a Gen 3 NVMe module to install, that could get you this system for only $259.99 in the US, £209 in the UK and €239.99 across the EU.

The review specification costs $489.99 for US residents via GMKtec.com, £382 for UK residents, and €439.99 for Europe, direct from GMKtec in Germany.

What’s most striking here is the difference between the barebones and populated system, which can be interpreted as 1TB of storage and 32GB of DDR4 being worth almost half the cost of the system. Therefore, if you have those things, the barebones makes more sense, and if you don’t, then the intermediate SKU with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage is worth considering, as it could save you $90 on the whole system.

Looking for machines that use this same processor, these are thin on the ground. According to my searches, these include the AceMagic Kron Mini K1, Kamrui E3B Mini PC, GenMachine Ren7000 and FakestarPC Fanless Mini PC. Of these, I’ve only got direct experience with AceMagic, and this brand typically delivers quality construction and innovative designs.

The Kron Mini K1 bears an uncanny resemblance to the M5 Ultra, and sells for $408.49 via Amazon for a system with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Making it cheaper than the equivalent M5 Ultra. Also from Amazon, the Kamrui E3B Mini PC is $479. I couldn’t find either the FakestarPC Fanless Mini PC or GenMachine Ren7000 available.

The fact that so few designs exist for this platform suggests that not many Mini PC makers thought it was a good idea, and the few who did pitched it as a mid-range device, where a good portion of the cost is determined by how it is outfitted with memory and storage. And it's worth noting that if you go barebones with this gear, the price doesn't include the Windows 11 Pro license.

• Value: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra: Specs

Item

Spec

CPU:

AMD Ryzen 7 7730U ( 8C/16T, up to 4.6GHz)

GPU:

AMD Radeon Vega 8, up to 2.0 GHz

NPU:

N/A

RAM:

32GB DDR4-3200 (16GB x 2) expandable to 64GB

Storage:

1TB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 3

Expansion:

1x M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 3

Ports:

1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 2x USB 2.0, 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x 3.5mm Audio

Networking:

2x 2,5GbE Realtek RTL8125, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2

OS:

Windows 11 Pro (pre-installed)

Base Power:

15W

PSU:

19V 3.42A 65W

Dimensions:

128.8 x 127 x 47.8 mm

GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra: Design

• Basic build quality
• VESA mountable
• Easy internal access

If this NUC has a significant weakness, it's that it's entirely built from plastic. And, if you look at some of my images, you might notice that the one I was sent already got a scuff along the way.

Because it might not be the most durable case, mounting it on the rear of a monitor using the VESA bracket GMKtec provides could be a strategic move to keep it out of harm's way.

I think part of the issue here is that GMKtec has used a fine paint finish on its enclosure that highlights any contact rather than ignoring it.

Better considered are the port positions, where the USB options are liberally distributed with both Type-A and Type-C ports on the front, and more Type-A ports on the rear. There is only one USB-C port, and all the ports with USB 3.2 Gen 2 specifications are on the front.

The rear has to USB 2.0 ports for mouse and keyboard, two video outputs (one each of HDMI and DisplayPort) and dual 2.5GbE LAN ports.

That last option makes this platform perfect for a hardware firewall, since you could buy it barebones, add some memory and install a Linux firewall distro on it extremely cheaply.

One interesting sidenote to the LAN ports is that GMKtec has taken to putting a label over the ports, suggesting that if you want to use the machine immediately, then don’t connect the network. Microsoft seems oblivious to how annoying it is for new owners to wait while Windows 11 devours the medieval feast of updates to the distribution installation. Why Microsoft hasn’t bundled these into the base install, I’ve no idea, but it probably rhymes with the word decrepitude.

Sadly, because this is Windows, eventually connecting the network will become a necessity, but at least warning people that this comes with a downside was good on GMKtec’s part.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

As with all the GMKtec Nuxbox designs I’ve seen, access to the inside is remarkably straightforward.

On this model, the top of the machine can be easily pulled off, and that reveals four screws that hold a plastic fan mount, blowing air on the system, which can be removed. With this part out of the way, the memory and storage are all available to be replaced or, in the case of the storage, upgraded.

There are two SODIMM slots for DDR4, which on the review hardware were occupied with two 16GB modules. The maximum addressable memory by the AMD Ryzen 7 7730U is 64GB, so you could install two 32GB modules to achieve that. But, from an economic point of view, I’d consider choosing a system that used DDR5, rather than adding more RAM to a DDR4 system.

The M.2 situation is even better, since this machine has an unused 2280 M.2 NVMe slot. While both the M.2 slots in here are only Gen 3, and not Gen 4, for those with the modules, you could use two 8TB sticks, giving a combined storage of 16TB. That would hold a decent media collection or a significant amount of data.

Overall, within the limitations of a system that uses DDR4 and PCIe 3.0, the M5 Ultra provides the best possible options and makes what is already a flexible solution even more adaptable.

• Design: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra: Hardware

• AMD Ryzen 7 7730U
• DDR4 Memory
• PCIe Gen 3 M.2 Slots

As I mentioned earlier, not many systems have used the AMD Ryzen 7 7730U, and maybe some of the reason is that this is a Zen 3 architecture CPU that was officially released with other 7030 series Barcelo-R chips in early 2023.

These were the tail end of AMD’s TSMC 7nm FinFET products before they shifted to 6nm on the 7025 series and then 4nm fabrication with the 7040 series. The first 7040-series chips with Zen 4 architecture appeared only three months after the Ryzen 7 7730U, so it never had much of an opportunity to develop a following.

That’s a shame, because the 7020 series it replaced only used the Zen 2 architecture, didn’t have any Ryzen 7 models, and had a maximum of four cores (eight threads). However, the 7020 series did at least support DDR5, which this processor did not, reverting to DDR4.

That’s the critical choice that erodes much of the performance benefit of having eight cores and sixteen threads.

This design also offered built-in USB ports, avoiding the need for PCIe lanes to be used for that function. This was also one of the last CPU designs to use the older Vega 8 GPU before the RDNA2 680M appeared with the 7035 series.

In short, this CPU and GPU combination where at the cusp of a major change, and the timescale between the rollover to DDR5, RDNA2 graphics and 4nm fabrication took away this silicon as an obvious choice for system builders.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

It’s a guess, but a good number of these chips were probably made, and AMD might have a significant number that they are willing to sell cheaply now, which would explain their appearance here.

One downside to this architecture compared to later designs is that it only supports PCI Express 3.0 and has only 16 usable lanes, giving it the equivalent of 8 PCIe 4.0 lanes in later series.

Because it has built-in USB technology that isn’t a huge issue, but it does limit the M.2 slots here to Gen 3 mode, so buying Gen 4 drives for this machine is pointless. There are sufficient lanes for dual PCIe 3.0 M.2 slots, and for dual 2.5GbE LAN ports, since this system doesn’t have USB4 or other bandwidth-eating options.

Overall, the AMD Ryzen 7 7730U was a slightly odd choice, and its existence would suggest that in 2023, at the very least, AMD was strategically all over the place.

Releasing a new series when you intend to stomp on it within three months now looks like a severe lack of planning, and this system is one of the ripples of those rock-in-the pond choices.

• Features: 3.5 / 5

GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra: Performance

Mini PC

GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra

Alliwava U58

CPU

AMD Ryzen 7 7730U

AMD Ryzen 7 5825U

Cores/Threads

8C 16T

8C 16T

RAM

32GB DDR4 (2x16GB)

32GB DDR4 (2x16GB)

Storage

1TB NVMe

512GB SSD

Graphics

Radeon Vega 8

Radeon Vega 8

3DMark

WildLife

6711

8218

FireStrike

3154

3764

TimeSpy

1264

1402

Steel Nom Lt.

1035

1307

CineBench24

Single

78

85

Multi

414

473

Ratio

5.29

5.59

GeekBench 6

Single

1806

1978

Multi

5939

7941

OpenCL

12823

16925

Vulkan

11472

15457

CrystalDisk

Read MB/s

3624

3650

Write MB/s

2642

2717

PCMark 10

Office

5581

6445

WEI

8.1

8.1

I’ve not seen any other system with this processor, so I decided to compare it to another mini PC that also uses older AMD chip technology - the Alliwava U58 I recently reviewed.

Where the M5 Ultra uses the AMD Ryzen 7 7730U, U58 uses the AMD Ryzen 7 5825U, a 5000 series processor from exactly a year earlier, in January 2022.

On paper, these processors have the same number of cores and threads, the same DDR4 memory technology, the same base and boost clocks, and very similar Vega 8 GPUs.

It’s tempting to think that the 7730U is just a rebranded 5825U, and there is some truth in that.

However, in these tests, for reasons I can’t fathom, the Alliwava U58 performs better or the same as the GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra across a wide range of benchmarks.

Typically, the U58 is 10% better, but in some of the graphics tests, it manages to be even more superior.

Not sure why this is the case, but due to the U58 only having a single 1GbE LAN port, and a single M.2 slot, I’m still not convinced that it’s the better option.

Perhaps a firmware upgrade of the M5 Ultra might bring it up to a similar performance level at some point. However, if you want more power, then I’d avoid systems that use DDR4 and pay the extra to have a DDR5 system.

• Performance: 3.5 / 5

GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra: Final verdict

(Image credit: GMKtec)

This is an odd system, as it ended up with a CPU that few system builders considered and even fewer made into machines.

Looking at the performance, the reason is obvious, because it didn’t deliver a dramatic improvement over previous generations, and it was overtaken by new products in three months.

That said, it works perfectly well in this context, and for someone with spare DDR4 handy, it’s an inexpensive system that is dramatically better than an Intel N300-powered NUC or a Ryzen 5 system.

What GMKtec got right with the M5 Ultra is that it supports a decent amount of memory, has dual M.2 slots and dual 2.5GbE LAN ports, which increases the number of roles that this system could occupy exponentially. There are plenty of medium-power NUCs around, but like the U58 I mentioned in the benchmarking, they don’t have the LAN ports or the storage expansion options.

Those who are interested in those features, and perhaps less concerned with raw performance, might find the GMKtec M5 Ultra an interesting proposition.

Should I buy a GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra?

Value

Affordable system, especially barebones

4/5

Design

Mostly plastic, but the port layout is logical

3.5/5

Features

Odd processor, but easy upgrades

3.5/5

Performance

Not the fastest Ryzen 7, but powerful enough for most jobs

3.5/5

Overalls

Flexible and easy to upgrade at a bargain price

4/5

Buy it if...

You want a low-cost NUC
Even with memory and storage, this NUC is affordable, and barebones, it's a bargain. It might not be the fastest Ryzen around, but it's quick enough for daily Office tasks.View Deal

You want a flexible mini PC
Compared to some NUC designs, this one is very flexible. With two 2.5GbE LAN ports, it could be used as a hardware firewall, a media server, or in a dozen other contexts. The power and performance of this platform allow it to drive up to three monitors for promotional graphics, and it has more than enough power for typical office tasks.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You want ultimate performance
This is a value-led mini PC, so it's not going to be as powerful as machines loaded with the fastest processors - for top performance, check out mini PCs using the AMD Ryzen AI platforms like the Ryzen AI Max+ 395, with 16 cores and 32 threads.View Deal

Also consider

Geekom A5
The Geekom A5 mini PC delivers a decent user experience for office work in a small, easy-to-deploy package. It doesn't have a second M.2 slot, but it does have a SATA and a place for a 2.5-inch drive.
In testing it produced almost identical performance to the M5 Ultra, using its AMD Ryzen 5 7430U CPU.

Check out my Geekom M5 review View Deal

GMKtec NucBox M5 Plus
Another mid-tier mini system, this time the prior design from the same brand as the M5 Ultra. This one utilises the AMD Ryzen 7 5825U (8 cores, 16 Threads) CPU and features 1TB of onboard NVMe storage. Where this is slightly better than the A5 is that the second M.2 slot is 2280, and it has dual 2.5GbE LAN ports.

Check out my GMKTec NucBox M5 Plus review View Deal

After spending several days exploring its features and capabilities, I've come away impressed with the value Workbooks CRM, a cloud-based platform aimed at midsize businesses, delivers. It is clear that Workbooks is one of the best CRM platforms on the market. This is a fully-integrated CRM solution, not just a collection of modules. It provides tools for sales, marketing, support, order management, and more in a unified interface.

What really sets Workbooks CRM apart is its hands-on approach to implementation and support. The vendor works closely with each customer to tailor the system to their unique needs and provides ongoing consulting to ensure they get the most from the platform.

While it may lack the vast third-party app marketplace you find on platforms such as Salesforce CRM, Workbooks more than makes up for it with attentive service and an extensive feature set at a very competitive price point.

At TechRadar Pro, we recognize that choosing a CRM is one of the most critical infrastructure decisions a business can make. Our experts don't just skim feature lists; we perform hands-on, multi-day testing to see how these platforms perform under pressure.

For our Workbooks review, we navigated the entire user journey - from initial setup and data migration to complex workflow automation and financial reporting. We evaluated its unique approach to see if it truly saves businesses money or simply adds administrative complexity

So, let's dive in and examine the platform in more detail.

Workbooks core capabilities

The Workbooks CRM dashboard is easy to navigate. (Image credit: Workbooks)

Workbooks CRM offers a centralized database for contact management and account administration. I can easily store and organize detailed information about my customers, including their contact details, communication history, and any relevant notes. The system automatically links contacts to their associated accounts, giving me a clear overview of the relationships between individuals and organizations.

It also makes it easy to log all my customer interactions, including emails, calls, meetings and notes. I especially appreciate the ability to restrict access to sensitive notes, ensuring that private information like contracts and agreements stays secure. The platform also excels at mapping relationships between people and organizations, allowing me to visualize my entire business ecosystem, including customers, partners, suppliers, and even competitors.

When it comes to sales, Workbooks offers a comprehensive set of tools for lead and opportunity management. I can capture leads directly from my website using customizable web-to-lead forms, then track the effectiveness of my marketing campaigns by integrating with Google SEO tools. Workbooks automatically routes new leads to the appropriate sales rep and provides a clear view of my entire sales pipeline. Built-in sales forecasting helps me predict revenue and track quotas.

On the customer service side, Workbooks streamlines case management with its ticketing system. When a customer submits an issue, Workbooks automatically creates a ticket, assigns it a reference number, and routes it to the correct team member based on rules I define. I can set priorities based on urgency and monitor SLA compliance to ensure my team is meeting its commitments to customers.

Workbooks comes with a wide array of pre-built reports covering sales activity, pipeline health, forecasting, and more. Dashboards are fully customizable, so I can put the KPIs that matter most to my business front and center. If you need a report that isn't available out of the box, you can easily create your own using Workbooks' reporting wizard. However, I have found the report-building process to be a bit less user-friendly than some other areas of the system.

For employees in the field, Workbooks CRM offers mobile-optimized versions of all its core features, so I'm never out of touch when I'm away from my desk. I can quickly pull up a contact's information, log a call, or update an opportunity from my smartphone. GPS integration allows me to easily log visits to customer sites, and I can even dictate notes via voice recognition. Workbooks CRM has clearly put a lot of thought into empowering users to enjoy maximum productivity wherever they are.

Finally, while Workbooks CRM covers all the essentials quite well, its extensibility is somewhat limited compared to larger players like Salesforce. It doesn't have the same vast ecosystem of pre-built connectors for third-party apps and integrations. This can be a challenge for data-driven enterprises that rely on multiple sources of business intelligence, but smaller organizations should find it suitable for meeting their needs.

How easy it Workbooks to use?

As someone who has used a variety of CRM platforms over the years, I found that Workbooks offers one of the smoothest user experiences in the market. The layout is clean and uncluttered, clearly inspired by the aesthetic flaunted by an earlier generation of Windows PCs. It’s gentle enough for new users to get up and running quickly, while still providing robust features for power users and administrators. I was able to start using basic functions with minimal training, thanks to the logical organization of menus and features.

The platform offers a high degree of flexibility to tailor the CRM to your specific business needs. I was able to easily modify field names, create custom workflows, and build personalized dashboards to track my key metrics. Workbooks also provides an extensive library of templates and configuration options, allowing me to set up the system to mirror my unique sales process.

In terms of onboarding and training, Workbooks offers a wealth of resources to help new users get acquainted with the platform. The company provides detailed documentation, video tutorials, and regular webinars to guide users through the various features and best practices. I found the step-by-step guides particularly helpful when I was first learning to navigate the system.

Workbooks also offers formal training courses, both online and in-person, for those who want a more structured learning experience. These courses cover everything from basic navigation to advanced administrator functions, and include hands-on exercises to reinforce learning. Every trainee receives a comprehensive manual that serves as a valuable reference guide long after the initial training.

Perhaps most impressive is the level of personalized support Workbooks CRM provides during the implementation process. The vendor assigns a dedicated success manager to work closely with each client, providing guidance on configuration, data migration, and user adoption strategies. This white-glove approach ensures a smooth rollout and helps organizations start realizing value from the CRM as quickly as possible.

Workbooks integrations

Out of the box, Workbooks offers pre-built integrations with several popular applications, such as Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), Microsoft 365, and Mailchimp. Setting up these integrations is a breeze, often requiring just a few clicks and minimal configuration. While the number of pre-built integrations available in Workbooks is nowhere near as vast as Salesforce or HubSpot CRM, it’s still enough to serve the needs of most small-to-medium-sized businesses.

For more specialized needs, Workbooks offers a robust API that allows developers to build custom integrations with other systems. The attached API documentation is comprehensive, with detailed descriptions of endpoints, request and response formats, and code samples. For those of us who need to use custom integrations but aren’t comfortable using the API, Workbooks also integrates with iPaaS vendors like Zapier for seamless no-code automation.

Workbooks also has a pretty unique approach to data synchronization. The platform uses a sophisticated conflict resolution system to ensure that data remains consistent across integrated systems. If a record is updated in multiple places, Workbooks CRM intelligently determines which changes should take precedence based on factors like timestamp and user permissions. This gives me confidence that data is always accurate and up-to-date.

In addition, the 2026 version of the Business Edition now features deeper, real-time sync with cloud accounting platforms like Xero and Sage Intacct, further reducing the gap between the sales quote and the final invoice.

CRM integrations can pile up over time, often leading to unnecessary sprawl. That’s why Workbooks CRM offers tools for monitoring and managing integrations using a single dashboard - so you don’t lose track. The Integration Hub allows administrators to view the status of all integrations, monitor sync logs, and troubleshoot issues. This can be incredibly useful for resolving sync errors or performance bottlenecks.

Overall, I've been quite satisfied with Workbooks' integration capabilities. While it may not have the largest ecosystem of third-party integrations, the platform more than makes up for it with its iPaaS integrations, API, and real-time data synchronization features. The integrations I've used so far have performed well, plus there’s always the option to build your own using iPaaS tools or the API.

How good is Workbooks customer support?

In 2024, I was invited to attend a Workbooks customer summit where I had the chance to talk with several businesses that use the Workbooks CRM platform. During this time, a key theme became clear - customers feel that Workbooks goes above and beyond when it comes to supporting them in getting the most from their CRM.

Owain Williams, Editor - CRM & Website Builders

Workbooks offers a comprehensive range of support channels to ensure that users can get help whenever and however they need it. The primary support channel is email, with a dedicated support email address that is monitored during regular business hours. I've found the email support to be highly responsive, with most of my inquiries receiving an initial response within an hour or two.

For more urgent issues, Workbooks also provides telephone support. The support team is available by phone during extended business hours, and I've always found them to be friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to help. On the rare occasions when I've encountered a technical issue with the platform, the support team has worked diligently to diagnose and resolve the problem in a timely manner.

In addition to the live support channels, Workbooks offers a wealth of self-service resources to help users find answers on their own. The online knowledge base is particularly impressive, with a vast library of articles, tutorials, and FAQs covering every aspect of the platform. The articles are well-written, thoroughly illustrated, and frequently updated to reflect the latest features and best practices.

Workbooks also maintains an active user community forum, where users can ask questions, share tips, and learn from each other's experiences. The forum is moderated by Workbooks staff, who often chime in with expert advice and guidance. I've found the community to be a valuable resource for discovering new ways to use the platform and connecting with other users in my industry.

Finally, beyond the usual support channels, every customer is also assigned a dedicated Customer Success Manager who serves as their primary point of contact and advocate within Workbooks. They take the time to understand each customer's unique needs and goals, working closely with them to ensure they are getting the most value from the platform. I really liked this white glove approach to customer service, which is often missing from other small business CRMs.

Workbooks pricing and plans

(Image credit: Workbooks)

Plan

CRM Edition

Business Edition

Events Edition

Price

$43/user/month

$88/user/month

$183/user/month

Best for

Small to medium businesses needing core CRM functionality

Organizations requiring advanced features including order management

Businesses running large scale events

Features

Contact management; Sales pipeline tracking; Marketing automation

CRM Edition features; Order processing; Invoicing & credit notes

Event publishing; Ticket sales; Attendance check in

Limitations

Does not include order management and invoicing capabilities

Higher cost may be prohibitive for smaller businesses

Significant jump in costs to unlock all events tools

Workbooks CRM review: Final verdict

When evaluating a CRM platform, it's crucial to consider not just the raw cost, but the value it delivers relative to that cost. In my experience, Workbooks CRM offers exceptional value for the price, thanks to its flexible pricing model, robust feature set, and generous free trial period.

Unlike many competitors that offer complex tiered pricing or charge separately for different modules, Workbooks has just 3 straightforward plans: CRM, Business, and Events.

CRM Edition

- Best for: Small to mid-sized sales and support teams that need a centralized 360-degree view of their customers without complex back-office requirements.

- What you get: This plan provides the core essentials for managing the customer lifecycle. It includes robust tools for contact and account management, lead tracking, and pipeline management. Beyond just sales, it features a full suite for customer service, including helpdesk ticketing and case management. Users also benefit from Google and Office 365 integrations, basic reporting, and the ability to send professional quotations directly from the platform. It is a streamlined choice for businesses focusing primarily on relationship building and service delivery.

Business Edition

- Best for: Organizations that want to bridge the gap between sales and finance by managing the entire quote-to-cash process within a single system.

- What you get: The Business Edition includes every feature found in the CRM Edition but adds powerful commercial and financial capabilities. This plan allows you to manage orders, generate invoices, track supplier contracts, and issue credit notes - all without leaving the CRM. It is specifically designed to integrate with accounting and ERP software, ensuring that your sales team and finance department are looking at the same real-time data. It is the ideal choice for companies that want to eliminate manual data entry between their CRM and their billing systems.

Events Edition

- Best for: Professional event organizers, trade association managers, and marketing teams that run large-scale seminars, conferences, or exhibitions.

- What you get: This plan includes everything in the Business Edition but adds a comprehensive Event Management layer. You can manage every detail of an event from a single dashboard: venue logistics, speaker sessions, sponsor tracking, and registration management. Crucially, it integrates these events directly into your sales pipeline, so a ticket purchase or booth booking automatically updates the customer's financial record and the salesperson’s opportunity view. It’s designed to eliminate the need for separate, disconnected event platforms like Eventbrite or Cvent.

After thoroughly evaluating Workbooks CRM across 6 key categories, I've come away impressed with the platform's capabilities and value proposition. Workbooks excels in its core CRM functionality, providing robust tools for sales, marketing, and customer service. The platform is intuitive and user-friendly, with extensive customization options to tailor the system to unique business needs.

While the third-party app marketplace is not as extensive as some competitors, Workbooks offers seamless integrations with iPaaS vendors and a flexible API for custom development.

But the most striking takeaway from this review is Workbooks' dedication to customer success. The hands-on implementation support, comprehensive training resources, and responsive ongoing service set Workbooks apart in the CRM market. Coupled with transparent and affordable pricing, Workbooks delivers exceptional value for growing businesses.

With a strong track record of innovation and a clear vision for the future, Workbooks is well-positioned for continued success. For mid-market organizations seeking a full-featured CRM with outstanding support, Workbooks CRM is a no-brainer.

Workbooks CRM FAQWhat core features does Workbooks offer?

As a CRM, Workbooks provides a variety of different features - all those you’ve come to expect from a leading CRM. These include tools for sales teams, such as lead and opportunity management, sales reporting, and forecasting, as well as many others designed to aid marketing, such as campaign management, email marketing integrations, and web-to-lead forms. Workbooks also offers customer service features and functionality to aid in a company’s finances, including order management, invoicing, and contract management.

What implementation options are there for Workbooks?

Workbooks offers various implementation options, including a "SelfStart" option for those who want to configure the system themselves, a "JumpStart" option for sales, and a "Shared Success" approach where their consultants work with you to tailor the system to your needs.

It’s also worth noting that businesses don’t have to stick with a single pricing plan for their users. They can mix and match licenses, having different users on different editions - such as having some on the CRM Edition and others on the Business Edition.

Is there a Workbooks mobile app?

This is something that is particularly important in the age of hybrid work - and Workbooks has businesses covered. Workbooks has a mobile platform that allows users to manage contacts, log calls, and update opportunities on the go. Moreover, a significant UI overhaul in late 2025 has made the platform much more intuitive for field agents, with a "Mobile-First" design that prioritizes voice-to-text logging and geolocation mapping.

If the CRM industry is a zoo, Salesforce is an 800-pound gorilla. It’s one of the best CRM software platforms on the market, powered by cutting-edge AI tools and hosted on the cloud. It also has separate modules for managing customer relationships across sales, service, marketing, commerce, and more, making it a great fit for almost any team in any business.

With over 150,000 customers worldwide, Salesforce CRM has been a driving force in the digital transformation of businesses for over two decades.

However, its dominance doesn't necessarily mean it's the best fit for every organization. In this in-depth Salesforce review, I'll dive into the platform's core capabilities, ease of use, integrations, customer support, value for money, and company trajectory to help you determine if it’s the right choice for your business.

My hope is to present you with a well-rounded perspective of Salesforce’s core CRM offerings. At TechRadar Pro, we don't just aggregate data sheets; we live in the software we review. Our expert testers spent dozens of hours inside the Salesforce ecosystem - from setting up the initial Sales Cloud workspace to stress-testing the AI agents and building custom reports.

Our reviews are 100% independent. We never accept payment for product rankings or positive coverage, ensuring our verdict is based solely on hands-on performance, ease of use, and real-world business value.

While not every feature will be available on every module, Salesforce makes it very easy to build your own version by combining different aspects of its suite into a package called Customer 360. You can read our dedicated Salesforce Sales Cloud CRM review here.

Salesforce CRM core capabilities

At its core, Salesforce provides a robust set of CRM features to effectively manage customer relationships throughout the entire lifecycle. On the whole, I've found the core relationship management capabilities to be quite intuitive.

Contact management is straightforward, with the ability to capture detailed information like communication preferences, activity history, and custom fields relevant to my business. I can easily store and organize detailed information about individual contacts, including their role, communication preferences, and interaction history. Plus, the account hierarchy feature is particularly useful for managing complex B2B relationships with parent and child companies.

You can easily score leads based on criteria like demographics, behavior, and engagement. A visual kanban-style lead workspace allows you to drag-and-drop leads through different stages of the sales cycle, from new to qualified to converted. I appreciate the flexibility to customize lead stages and automate assignment rules based on unique sales processes.

I can track deals across every stage, from lead generation to closed-won or closed-lost. Salesforce’s opportunity record provides a complete view of the deal, including products, competition, quotes, and revenue projections. There’s also a collaboration forecasting feature, which allows sales managers to view and adjust team forecasts while providing executives with real-time visibility into the sales pipeline.

Speaking of visibility, Salesforce provides a wide range of standard reports out of the box, covering everything from sales performance to customer service metrics. I've been impressed with the report builder, which allows me to easily create custom reports using a drag-and-drop interface. The ability to schedule and share reports with key stakeholders will improve your team's efficiency and accountability.

Apart from this, Salesforce's mobile app is a useful addition for field sales reps. I can access and update critical customer information, track activities, and even close deals right from my smartphone or tablet. Push notifications keep me informed about important updates, like when a key opportunity stage changes. Salesforce’s mobile experience is intuitive, mirroring the desktop version, ensuring a seamless transition between various devices.

While it hasn't been too long since Salesforce introduced its AI module, Einstein, the pace of change in this field has been rapid. As such, for Salesforce's Spring '26 release cycle, its Einstein AI has been superseded by Agentforce, a new AI platform focused on autonomous AI agents that can execute tasks. Salesforce is now an agentic platform. AI agents no longer just suggest text; they can autonomously perform account research, qualify leads, and even handle Tier-1 and Tier-2 customer service inquiries within defined guardrails.

Salesforce's Agentforce has replaced Einstein, introducing agentic AI to the CRM. (Image credit: Salesforce)

While it offers a wealth of features, I have encountered a few limitations with Salesforce, too. For example, the email templates can be basic compared to other marketing automation platforms. The forecasting tool, while powerful, does require some setup and training to leverage.

Speaking from a more general perspective, Salesforce CRM also features a bit of a learning curve and has a pricing structure that’s somewhat prohibitive for small businesses.

But overall, I've been impressed with the core capabilities of Salesforce CRM. The platform provides a comprehensive set of features to manage the entire customer lifecycle, from lead to loyalty. While there may be a learning curve for some advanced functionality, the benefits in terms of productivity, collaboration, and customer insights far outweigh any challenges.

How easy is Salesforce CRM to use?

Salesforce’s layout is clean and well-organized, with key features and data easily accessible from the navigation menu and dashboard. The use of consistent iconography and naming conventions makes getting around the platform easy and fast. However, given the sheer breadth of features on offer here, a certain learning curve is expected.

It also allows administrators to tailor the user interface to match their organization's specific needs and terminology. I've been able to create custom fields, page layouts, and workflows that align with unique sales processes. While the customization options are extensive, Salesforce provides a user-friendly setup menu and guided wizards to help admins make changes without needing to write code.

Trailhead, Salesforce’s learning platform, offers a wealth of onboarding and training resources to help new users get up to speed quickly. It takes a gamified approach to training, with bite-sized modules and hands-on challenges that cover everything from basic navigation to advanced features. I think that this is an engaging and effective way to onboard new team members, with the added benefit of allowing them to learn at their own pace.

In addition to Trailhead, Salesforce offers extensive documentation, how-to guides, and community forums where users can find answers to common questions and best practices. The Salesforce Success Community is a particularly valuable resource, connecting users with experts and peers who can provide guidance and support.

It has to be said that ine of the biggest complaints about Salesforce has always been its complexity. In late 2025/early 2026, Salesforce addressed this with a redesigned UI. Its new AI-powered Sales Workspace interface consolidates lead research, prospecting, and meeting preparation into a single view, significantly reducing tab fatigue.

Trailhead is a valuable resource for businesses that are rolling out Salesforce to multiple individuals and teams. (Image credit: Salesforce)

Based on my own experience, I think that most users can navigate the basic features and perform essential tasks with Salesforce within a few days of training. More advanced features and customizations may take a few weeks to master, but the platform's intuitive design and robust support resources make the learning process manageable.

Whilst this flexibility is a strength for enterprise customers, it can also be overwhelming for small businesses and probably isn’t the best CRM for startups that don’t have an extensive onboarding budget or lots of ramp-up time. Salesforce’s initial setup and configuration process is a great example of this, requiring a significant time investment and a certain level of technical knowledge to get everything configured optimally.

Despite the issues, however, I've found that the long-term benefits of Salesforce's scalability far outweigh the initial setup hurdles. Once the platform is tailored to your organization's specific needs and processes, it becomes an incredibly powerful and efficient tool for managing customer relationships.

Salesforce CRM integrations

Salesforce provides both pre-built integrations and an open API for custom data exchange. Beyond that, there’s comprehensive documentation, code samples, and developer resources to support integration development and usage.

With the AppExchange marketplace, Salesforce offers a vast library of pre-built integrations and applications from partner companies. These out-of-the-box solutions cover various business functions, such as marketing automation, customer support, accounting, and more.

With over 3,000 pre-built apps already available, businesses can easily find and deploy integrations that align with their specific requirements. Popular integrations include Mailchimp for email marketing, Zendesk for customer support, QuickBooks for accounting, and Jira for project management.

For businesses with unique integration needs, Salesforce provides a robust and well-documented API. The Salesforce REST API allows developers to access and manipulate data programmatically, enabling custom integrations with internal systems and external applications.

Salesforce’s API supports standard HTTP methods and exchanges data through JSON or XML responses, making it compatible with a wide range of programming languages and tools. It supports various protocols and data formats, such as REST, SOAP, and bulk data operations, giving developers flexibility in designing integrations.

Salesforce also provides robust data management capabilities to maintain data integrity during integrations. Features like data mapping, transformation, and cleansing ensure that data is properly formatted and synchronized between systems. Additionally, Salesforce's data governance tools help enforce data quality standards and compliance requirements, giving businesses confidence in the accuracy and security of their integrated data.

During my time with the CRM, Salesforce's integration capabilities appeared reliable and performant. Pre-built integrations from the AppExchange worked quite seamlessly. Plus, the API was stable and responsive, allowing for efficient data exchange and real-time updates. Data synchronization was consistent and timely for both pre-built integrations and custom ones.

However, it's important to note that the success of integrations largely depends on proper implementation and adherence to best practices. Salesforce’s Developer Community provides guidelines and recommendations for integration development, such as understanding limits, securing data, and implementing authentication methods. Custom integrations can be built using popular programming languages like Java, C#, and Python, making it accessible to a wide range of developers.

One major recent integration addition focuses on improving the quality of interoperability. For instance, in late 2025, Salesforce completed its acquisition of Informatica, making it a core part of the Data Cloud ecosystem. This means users can now perform "intelligent integration" where the CRM automatically flags data quality issues, deduplicates records, and ensures data governance across your entire tech stack before that data ever reaches your sales reps

Additionally, Salesforce's partner network includes a wide range of integration specialists and consultants who can assist businesses in designing and implementing complex integration solutions. Plus, the company releases regular updates and new features that expand its integration capabilities and improve overall performance.

Salesforce CRM customer support

Salesforce offers several different support channels, including both live and self-service options. Users can reach out for assistance via phone, live chat, and email, depending on their preference and the urgency of their issue. Based on user testimonials, support representatives appear to be knowledgeable, patient, and genuinely interested in providing a satisfactory resolution.

Live chat offers quick and convenient assistance for less complex queries. Representatives are more than happy to offer step-by-step guidance or direct you to relevant resources. For more involved queries, you can contact the support team via phone at +1-800-664-9073. Email support, while not as immediate as phone or chat, is a reliable enough option for less urgent matters, with representatives typically responding within a day or two.

In addition to live support, Salesforce offers a vast collection of self-help resources under the umbrella of Salesforce Help. It’s a comprehensive knowledge base that covers every aspect of the platform, from basic setup to advanced customization. The articles, videos, and documentation are all well-prepared, easy to follow, and frequently updated to reflect the latest features and best practices.

Part of the larger self-help infrastructure of Salesforce Help, there’s also Trailhead. It’s a guided and gamified learning module that offers an interactive way to quickly familiarize yourself with the platform’s most important features and functionality. You can use Trailhead to upgrade your Salesforce skills, earn badges for each milestone, and then promote your services and expertise through the associated community.

Speaking of community, Salesforce Trailblazer connects users from around the world to share knowledge, ask questions, and collaborate on solutions using a dedicated forum. A quick look at the platform shows you how active and helpful the community is, thanks to both internal experts and other users. Every day, the community forum highlights active members to reward them for their participation. This makes sure that users feel rewarded for helping others navigate the platform and troubleshoot their issues.

In terms of response times, Salesforce generally meets or exceeds industry standards. Customer satisfaction with Salesforce support is consistently high, as demonstrated by a 4.5-star rating on platforms like G2 and TrustRadius. While the learning curve for new users is steep, Salesforce’s generally reliable and helpful support system makes it much easier to adopt.

That said, there is always room for improvement. Some users have reported longer wait times during peak hours or when dealing with particularly complex issues. It also seems that the quality of help received is directly influenced by the support tier you’re on. Customers who purchase Premier+ Support or Mission Critical Support receive priority access to better agents. Meanwhile, standard users are mostly stuck using the self-service options.

Salesforce CRM security

Salesforce CRM's security credentials represent one of the platform’s strong points. The CRM uses a shared responsibility model, with Salesforce providing a secure infrastructure and the customer being responsible for configuring and managing the security of their data within the platform.

Among the features that Salesforce employs to guarantee customer security is encryption, both at rest and in transit. For instance, all data transmitted between a user's device and Salesforce servers is protected by industry-standard Transport Layer Security encryption. At the same time, all data stored on Salesforce servers is encrypted using a unique key for each organization. Salesforce uses industry-standard AES-256 encryption, considered a highly secure encryption method.

In addition, for businesses with particularly stringent security and compliance needs, Salesforce offers an additional paid add-on called Salesforce Shield. This allows for more comprehensive encryption of sensitive data within standard and custom fields, files, and attachments. It even offers the option for customers to "Bring Your Own Key" (BYOK) for enhanced control. By exclusively managing their digital assets, organizations gain an extra layer of protection.

Salesforce CRM pricing and plans Salesforce CRM pricing plans

Plan

Price (per user, per month)

Features

Limitations

Starter Suite

$25

Basic CRM functionality, including sales pipeline, prospect tracking, contact management, and reporting. It includes email marketing campaigns and omnichannel customer service.

Designed for small teams and has limited customization and reporting capabilities.

Professional Suite

$80

All Starter Suite features plus more advanced CRM tools like workflow automation, collaboration features, and improved reporting.All Starter Suite features plus more advanced CRM tools like workflow automation, collaboration features, and improved reporting.

Lacks some advanced features found in higher-tier plans.

Enterprise

$165

Includes all Professional Suite features, plus advanced reporting, additional custom objects, and increased API call limits.

Can be expensive, and even at this tier, some features (like AI-powered chatbots) may be paid add-ons.

Unlimited

$330

All Enterprise features, along with priority support, a dedicated success team, and expanded customization options. Includes AI lead scoring and forecasting KPIs.

The most expensive plan, and not all features are included; some may still be paid add-ons. You cannot downgrade from this plan.

As one of the most expensive CRM solutions on the market, Salesforce demands a significant investment, but it also delivers a robust platform that can grow with your business. A per-user pricing model allows for flexibility as your team grows, but it can become costly for larger organizations.

Salesforce employs a tiered pricing model with four main editions: Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, and Unlimited. The Essentials plan starts at $25 per user per month while the Unlimited plan costs $300 per user, per month.

However, Salesforce offers a breadth of features even in lower-tier plans. Essentials, while basic, still includes features like account and contact management, opportunity tracking, and email integration. But, advanced capabilities like lead scoring and collaborative forecasting are only available from Professional, while workflow automation is restricted to Enterprise and Unlimited.

The company offers a 14-day free trial. After that, Salesforce offers annual billing for all plans except Essentials, which can be paid monthly. While opting for annual billing often comes with a discount, it requires a larger upfront investment and less flexibility for businesses with fluctuating needs.

Apart from the core plans, Salesforce also offers various add-ons that can enhance the CRM's functionality. While these can provide excellent value for businesses with specific needs, you should calculate costs thoroughly to make sure the investment justifies the ROI.

When comparing Salesforce to other CRM solutions, it's important to consider the total cost of ownership. While the initial price may be higher, Salesforce's extensive customization options, robust app ecosystem, and scalability can provide you with more long-term value. Its ability to integrate with a wide range of third-party applications can also lead to increased efficiency and productivity, potentially offsetting the higher cost.

But for smaller businesses or those with simpler CRM needs, Salesforce’s pricing may prove prohibitive. Unless you need all the advanced functionality, there are more affordable options on the market that offer similar core functionalities at a lower price point.

Saleforce trajectory

Salesforce has maintained its position as the dominant player in the CRM market, consistently innovating and expanding its offerings. As of 2023, it commanded 21.7% of the global CRM market share, easily outpacing its nearest competitors, Microsoft (5.9%), Oracle (4.4%), SAP (3.5%), and Adobe (3.4%).

In the current fiscal year, Salesforce reported a total revenue of $34.86 billion, 11% more than last year. Meanwhile, the company's subscription and support revenues, which form the core of its business model, grew by 12% to $32.54 billion. Its growth trajectory is supported by strategic acquisitions, such as Tableau and Slack, which have expanded its capabilities and reach.

Going beyond the financials, Salesforce's user community is one of the largest and most active in the software industry. Its ecosystem, including customers, partners, and developers, continues to grow rapidly. Right now, 150,000+ businesses utilize its services globally.

As a CRM, Salesforce was named a leader in various analyst reports, such as The Forrester Wave and IDC MarketScape, which evaluate solutions based on criteria like market impact, vision, and capability. The company's Pledge 1% initiative, which encourages companies to donate 1% of equity, product, and employee time to charitable causes, has garnered participation from over 15,000 companies worldwide.

Looking ahead, Salesforce's trajectory appears promising, with projections indicating continued growth in both market share and revenue. The company's focus on integrating AI-driven insights into its platform is expected to further enhance its offerings and maintain its competitive edge.

With regular updates, an active user community, and strategic partnerships through Salesforce AppExchange and Partner Innovation Awards, Salesforce continues to operate as the undisputed leader of the CRM space - despite competition from giants like Microsoft, Oracle, and Adobe.

Salesforce CRM review: Summary

After a comprehensive evaluation of Salesforce CRM, I have found that the platform excels in several key areas, offering a robust set of core capabilities and extensive integration options. It’s a great choice in particular for medium-to-large enterprises, with a pricing structure and learning curve that may not be the best CRM for small businesses.

Salesforce CRM FAQWhat are the main benefits of using Salesforce CRM?

The core advantages of making Salesforce your organization’s chosen CRM include improved sales productivity, enhanced customer service, streamlined marketing efforts, and better data-driven decision-making. By automating tasks and providing real-time analytics, it helps businesses increase efficiency and drive revenue growth.

Is Salesforce a good fit for small businesses?

Although Salesforce may be better known for its enterprise-level solutions and can be a significant investment, it also offers a "Starter Suite" designed for small businesses. However, its pricing and complexity can be a barrier for firms that don’t have huge budgets or IT teams. As such, some small businesses may find more value in more affordable or less complex CRM solutions, such as Freshworks or Zoho.

What’s the difference between Sales Cloud and Service Cloud?

With the plethora of different solutions under the Salesforce umbrella, the different tools on offer can be somewhat confusing. To clear things up, it’s important to get the difference between Sales Cloud and Service Cloud clear in your head.

While Sales Cloud is designed for sales teams to manage the sales process, including lead and opportunity tracking, contact management, and sales forecasting, Service Cloud is for customer service teams, providing tools for case management, a knowledge base, and omnichannel support (phone, email, chat). Essentially, both are designed to improve customer relationships, but in different ways.

What is the Salesforce AppExchange?

The Salesforce AppExchange is an online marketplace for third-party developers and partners to list and sell applications and integrations that extend Salesforce's functionality. It's a key part of the Salesforce ecosystem, offering thousands of pre-built solutions for various business needs.

Tribit QuietPlus 81: review

If you’re looking for an ultra-cheap pair of noise cancelling headphones, the Tribit QuietPlus 81 appear to be a very tempting option indeed. With a list price of just $49.99 / £49.99 (about AU$75), they pack a lot in – ANC, a ton of playtime, and a neat, foldable design. But are they really worth checking out?

Well, in a lot of ways, these headphones are impressive. Above all, I was blown away by their ultra-long battery life. You get 70 hours with ANC on, and a whopping 110 hours with ANC off. That means you’ll barely have to charge these cans, ideal if you’re someone that’s on the go quite a bit… or are just forgetful like I am.

Like the best headphones around, these also have pretty extensive EQ options. There are a range of genre and situation-specific presets, but you can also set your own with the included 10-band equalizer. This means that you can create the sound that works best for you – an important inclusion, given that these headphones do not sound great out of the box.

Yes, I understand that these are incredibly cheap, and I didn’t have big expectations for these headphones, sonically speaking. But still, I think there are better-sounding options in the budget category – more on those in the ‘Also consider’ section. But essentially, these cans just lack the clarity, dynamism, and detail that others offer.

When listening to Black Eye by Allie X, synth beat intro lacked the razor-sharp delivery that makes it so impactful. The drum machine that follows sounds pretty deep, but also quite bloated, leaving the track devoid of its intense, energetic character. With the standard ‘Music’ tuning, instruments in the treble range are concealed, but even with a custom setup, I wasn’t able to get the expressive sound I was chasing.

Moving over to 12 O.C Riddim by M-High – a track that’s great for testing the low-end capabilities of headphones – and the picture was fairly mixed. High-pitched percussion in the build up again lacked the vibrancy and edge I was looking for, and although the headphones could reach down to the track’s dark depths, bass wasn’t agile or clean enough for a truly immersive listen.

Just generally, these headphones lack the refined sound you’d expect from a budget model like the 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51. With a custom EQ, you can get adequate sound when listening at mid-volumes, just don’t expect to get anything out of the ordinary for $50 / £50 headphones.

(Image credit: Future)

Let’s get onto another crucial area and discuss ANC. So, these headphones can be used in normal mode, transparency mode (for enhanced awareness), and with noise cancelling on. I spent most of my time testing the headphones with ANC on, and in honesty, it was about as good as I’d expected.

When working in the office, I could still hear chatter and typing with volume set to 70%. On walks, traffic noise was still pretty prominent too, as was the sound of passerbys talking. Sure, these dampen surrounding sounds decently enough, but they’re unlikely to impress on the noise cancelling front.

One feature that interested me on these headphones, though, was their ability to trigger transparency mode in an instant. You can simply hold down on the right earcup, and hear your surroundings – as seen on the excellent Sony WH-1000XM6. Is this the most responsive? No – the feature doesn’t activate instantly as it would on the XM6. But still, it’s fairly effective, and a worthwhile inclusion.

More generally though, controls on the QuietPlus are pretty poor. After a firmware update, I was able to access ‘customizable touch controls’, but I couldn’t set playback control to the right ear cup… that’s limited to physical button controls. These buttons are black on black, and are slightly hard to read – and the volume controls being bound to one small-sized button is very impractical.

Touch controls themself are fairly responsive, but all they can do is activate XBass mode – which doesn’t sound good – or summon a voice assistant. I personally would’ve preferred standard touch controls to play, pause, or skip music – as seen on a model like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen).

There are a few other features to explore, like a lower-latency game mode, wired listening via a 3.5mm slot, and hearing protection. You can find just about everything you need in the Tribit app, although this is a pretty rudimentary piece of software – something I flagged in my review of the Tribit PocketGo.

In terms of design, these headphones are hit and miss. They’re foldable, which makes them pleasingly compact, and their adjustable headband makes them easy to fit. One thing that's not too well-designed is the packaging. The box says these headphones offer "ULTRA LONG BATT" and "SMOOTH TALKING"... that's one way to make a first impression.

Anyway, in spite of their use of ‘protein leather cushioning and memory foam’, I found the QuietPlus 81 to be a little uncomfortable for extended use. To me, they’re a little tight-feeling, and padding on the headband feels a little thin. Looks-wise, however, these headphones are solid. They don’t look ultra plasticky, and the earcups have a rounded look, which is fairly appealing.

In the end, then, would I recommend the Tribit QuietPlus 81 headphones? Unfortunately, the answer is no. There are certainly some commendable qualities on offer here, like that brilliant battery life and ten-band equalizer. But sonically, these fail to beat out rivals in their price category. Combine that with some unremarkable ANC and features, and I’d say you’re better off putting that $50 / £50 towards a pair of the best cheap headphones instead.

(Image credit: Future)Tribit QuietPlus 81 review: specs

Drivers

40mm dynamic

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Battery life

70 hours ANC on; 110 hours ANC off

Weight

283g

Connectivity

Bluetooth 6.0, 3.5mm

Frequency range

20Hz-20kHz

(Image credit: Future)Tribit QuietPlus 81 review: price and release date

• $49.99 / £49.99 (about AU$75)
• Launched in December 2025

The Tribit QuietPlus 81 headphones were released in December 2025, and are available via Tribit’s website directly, or over on Amazon. They have a list price of $49.99 / £49.99 (about AU$75), which plants them firmly in the budget category.

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Tribit QuietPlus 81?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Excellent battery life, but unremarkable ANC and clunky app.

3/5

Sound quality

Can get pretty deep, but audio is pretty muddy and lacks dynamism.

2.5/5

Design

Not particularly comfortable, poor controls, but decent looking.

2/5

Value

Cheap, but quality doesn’t match up to other budget rivals.

3/5

Buy them if...

You want ANC for less
The Tribit QuietPlus 81 provide active noise cancelling capabilities for less than $50 / £50. Sure, it’s not the most amazing ANC around, but these headphones will still dampen noise from your surroundings decently.

You want headphones with a whole lot of battery life
With 110 hours of battery life with ANC off and 70 hours with it on, the Tribit QuietPlus 81 supply a whole lot of playtime. That’s more than the majority of budget rivals, and makes them ideal for those who don’t want to charge their headphones all too often.

Don't buy them if...

You want some comfy cans
In my experience, the QuietPlus 81 weren’t very comfortable. There’s not much padding on the adjustable headband, and they were a slightly tight fit, meaning they’re not ideal for longer listening sessions. If you want some seriously comfortable headphones, my top recommendation would be the Anker Soundcore Space One Pro.

You’re looking for good sound quality
The underwhelming audio of the Tribit QuietPlus 81 is one of their key flaws, and sees them lag behind some of the budget-friendly competition. If you want better audio at a still-low price, I’d recommend one of the options down below.

Tribit QuietPlus 81 review: also consider

Tribit QuietPlus 81

1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51

OneOdio Focus A6

Price

$49.99 / £49.99 (about AU$75)

$89 / £99 / AU$130

$55 / £55 (about AU$110)

Drivers

40mm dynamic

40mm dynamic

40mm composite

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Yes

Yes

Battery life

70 hours ANC on; 110 hours ANC off

65 hours ANC on; 100 hours ANC off

75 hours ANC off; 40 hours ANC on

Weight

283g

246g

240g

Connectivity

Bluetooth 6.0, 3.5mm

Bluetooth 5.4, 3.5mm

Bluetooth 6.0, USB-C audio passthrough

Frequency range

20Hz-20kHz

20Hz-40kHz

20Hz-40kHz

1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51
The 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 remain as the top budget pick in our guide to the best noise-cancelling headphones, and for good reason. With genuinely good ANC, seriously impressive audio, and plenty of playtime, they feel like the ultimate cheap pair of headphones. They’re often on sale for less than their already phenomenally low list price, and I’d certainly recommend them over these Tribit cans. Read our full 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 review.

OneOdio Focus A6
These ultra-cheap headphones really impressed us with their comfy fit and quality build, their exhaustive suite of features, and their genuinely good sound quality. You really can’t do much better than this for cans sitting around the $50 / £50 mark, so these are well-worth checking out. Read our full OneOdio Focus A6 review.

How I tested the Tribit QuietPlus 81

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested for one week
• Used in the office and while on walks
• Predominantly tested using Tidal

I spent one week testing the Tribit QuietPlus 81, during which time I took them just about everywhere I went. Whether I was on a walk, working in the office, or doing chores at home, I made sure to have the headphones at hand – allowing me to test the quality of their ANC in a wide range of settings.

When listening to music, I predominantly made use of Tidal, but I did dip into Spotify from time to time as well. As always, I commenced my testing by running through the TechRadar testing playlist, which features songs from a wide range of genres, but I also tuned into a heap of tracks from my personal music library.

On top of that, I made use of the various features on the QuietPlus 81, messing around with the customizable controls, ANC modes, and custom equalizer. More generally, I’ve been a Reviews Writer here at TechRadar for almost two years, during which time I’ve tested a whole lot of headphones, including premium releases like the Sennheiser HDB 630 and budget alternatives like the Baseus Bowie 30 Max.

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

The Honeywell Home X2S Smart Thermostat is an easy-to-use Energy Star certified thermostat. It’s not the most sleek or modern-looking device, but it does the job.

The Honeywell Home X2S Smart Thermostat is compatible with up to 2 heat/2 cool conventional, up to 2 heat/1 cool heat pump with electric backup, hot water heat, forced air (gas, oil, or electric.) It isn't compatible with electric baseboard heat (120-240V).

This thermostat comes with detailed installation instructions, but we found it beyond us and ended up hiring a professional to do it. Installation does require a C wire, though Honeywell Home does sell an adaptor kit if your home lacks one. Once the thermostat was physically installed in my home, I had no trouble at all setting it up with the app and getting it working. And it works beautifully.

You’ll need to download the First Alert by Resideo app initially to set up your schedule. You can create a 5-1-1 day cycle, 5-2 day cycle, 7-day cycle, or set up one-week increments. You can also create a vacation schedule, even after you've left. Toggle on the Auto Away feature to allow the thermostat to update automatically based on your phone's location. You can also have the app send you filter change reminders. The First Alert app can also control any of their other home devices you may own, such as CO2/smoke alarms, security cameras, air quality filters, water leak sensors, and more.

(Image credit: Future)

Don't like using a separate app? You can also control the thermostat with your ecosystem of choice, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple HomeKit (Matter certified.) I'm an Apple user, and I did not find that Siri voice control worked properly. However, Control Center worked just fine.

You can also manage the thermostat the old-fashioned way, toggling through the menu with the six buttons next to the display.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)Honeywell Home X2S Smart Thermostat: Price and availability

The Honeywell Home X2S Smart Thermostat was announced at CES in January 2025 and was released for sale in the US and Canada in the spring of 2025. As of this writing, it retails for $79.99 in the US but isn’t for sale yet outside of North America. You can find it at Amazon, Walmart, and tons of other major retailers online and in brick and mortar stores.

This model, otherwise known as RTH2CWF/U X2S Smart Thermostat, replaces Honeywell Home’s RTH6580 WiFi 7-day Programmable Thermostat, which retailed for a similar price. It’s not as fancy-looking as some of the models you’ll find on our roundup of the best smart thermostats, but it gets the job done.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)Honeywell Home X2S Smart Thermostat: Design

Honeywell Home X2S Smart Thermostat comes in just one colorway. Honeywell Home calls it “white,” but I’d call it dove gray and off-white to be more specific. It measures 3.44 in/87 mm high, 5.13 in/130 mm wide, and 1.188 in/29.5 mm deep. It has a basic black-on-gray LCD display that lights up when you press a button. When dormant, the thermostat screen shows Mode, Current Temperature, Set Temperature, Status Display, Fan, and Time. It’s much easier to read when lit up, but it can be read when dormant as well.

The thermostat comes with detailed directions, so you can install it yourself if you’re fairly handy. I ended up calling a professional to install it, since I was unable to do it myself and I was having some other work done as well. It didn’t take the professional long at all. Installation does require a C-wire (24 VAC), which my home didn’t have. Honeywell Home does sell an adapter kit in case your home doesn’t have this wire. You also need to have WiFi 2.4 or 5GHz (802.11 b/g/n) in order for the smart features to work properly. Once you install Honeywell Home’s UWP wall plate, future upgrades will be easier, since you can just change the thermostat without redoing all of the wiring.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

The Honeywell Home X2S Smart Thermostat is Energy Star certified. You’ll need to download Resideo’s First Alert app on your smartphone in order to set up the thermostat. It’s also the easiest way to control the thermostat. But once you’ve set it up, you can control it manually on the thermostat itself, or with Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, or Google Assistant. The thermostat is Matter-certified.

The thermostat is compatible with up to 2 heat/2 cool conventional, up to 2 heat/1 cool heat pump with electric backup, hot water heat, forced air (gas, oil, or electric.) It does not work with electric baseboard heat (120-240V).

You don’t need to waste money heating or cooling your home unnecessarily when you’re away. Set up the thermostat’s schedule for a 5-1-1 day cycle, 5-2 day cycle, 7-day cycle, or one-week increments. You can also set up a vacation schedule. Toggle on the Auto Away feature to allow the thermostat to update based on your location.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)Honeywell Home X2S Smart Thermostat: Performance

The Honeywell Home X2S Smart Thermostat was only released months ago, but it looks like something from an earlier time. It’s not unattractive, but it doesn’t look particularly modern either. You can fully operate with the buttons just like you could in the 'old days', but you’ll have to go through a lot of menus to do so. It’s easier just to operate it within the app.

(Image credit: Future)

I hate to put yet another app on my iPhone, but this one, First Alert by Resideo, is important for the best experience with the Honeywell Home X2S Smart Thermostat. I did try controlling it from Control Center on my iPhone, but features are limited there. I also tried voice commands to Siri, but it didn’t work well. The thermostat definitely 'heard' me and changed the temperature, but it did not go to the temperature I said.

Using the First Alert app, the Honeywell Home X2S Smart Thermostat works great. I set it to heat my home to 68°F/20°C during the day and 63°F/17°C at night. Since my husband and I both often work from home, I didn’t set a daytime “away” temperature, though I could. I did take a nine-day vacation and set up a special vacation schedule, which worked beautifully. I checked multiple times on my vacation to make sure my home was only heated enough to avoid the pipes freezing. My home was comfortably warm when I returned on a particularly cold January day.

(Image credit: Future)

The Honeywell Home X2S Smart Thermostat is compatible with Apple HomeKit (Matter enabled), Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa. The First Alert app makes it easy to change the temperature, set up a daily/weekly schedule, turn your fan on and off, switch from heat to cool, and create vacation settings. You can also track your HVAC runtime in the app. You can also run other First Alert products via the app, such as air filters, smoke/CO2 alarms, security cameras, and water leak/freeze detectors.

I found that the Honeywell Home X2S Smart Thermostat worked quite well in heating my home to my specifications. I like being able to set the schedule to my precise daily needs, and being able to set up vacation mode even while already away on vacation. I feel like there is a lot less wasted HVAC use, as the thermostat makes it easy to set up a tailored schedule.

Should you buy the Honeywell Home X2S Smart Thermostat?Buy it if

You want a reasonably-priced smart thermostat

While not the cheapest option on the market, there are certainly pricier ones out there. You can find this one well under the retail price if you shop around.View Deal

You only want to pay to heat and cool your home when you’re in it

Set up granular daily and weekly controls tailored to your schedule. Plus you can set up Auto Away so the thermostat updates based on your phone’s location and Vacation Settings as needed.View Deal

You want a flexible smart thermostat

The First Alert app is very easy to use, but you can also control the thermostat with your home’s ecosystem of choice. You can also go old school and use the buttons on the thermostat itself.View Deal

Don't buy it if

You don’t want to deal with another app

Yes, you do have to install the First Alert by Resideo app to get the thermostat set up. However, you could delete it later and just use your home’s ecosystem assistant or the buttons to control it.View Deal

You’re not handy and don’t want to pay a pro to install it

My husband is pretty handy (I’m not) but we ended up having to pay a pro to install the thermostat. Your mileage may vary.View Deal

You prefer to use voice activation

I had no trouble using Control Center on my iPhone to control the thermostat, but Siri’s voice activation didn’t work for me.View Deal

Honeywell Home X2S Smart Thermostat: alternatives to consider

If you're in the market for a smart thermostat and you're not sure Honeywell Home X2S Smart Thermostat is the one, here are some others you might consider checking out.

Google Nest Learning Thermostat (Gen 4)

This one topped our Best Smart Thermostat list due to its great looks, automatic heating schedule creation, and the fact that it compensates for outdoor temperature. It doesn’t require a C wire, which may make installation easier. However, it’s not compatible with Apple HomeKit.

Read our full review: Google Nest Learning Thermostat (Gen 4)View Deal

Hive Thermostat (2024)

This one is compatible with Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit. You can also use the Hive app if you don’t have any of them. The thermostat has a clear touchscreen display instead of buttons and it makes home heating more efficient.

Read our review: Hive Thermostat (2024)View Deal

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Sony Inzone E9: Two-minute review

Sony makes it very clear who the Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones are for. Developed in partnership with eSports team Fnatic, these wired in-ear monitor (IEM) style earbuds are squarely aimed at competitive first-person shooter (FPS) players or those with a generous budget aspiring to become one.

Retailing for $149.99 / £129 / AU$209, they’re competing closely with some of the best gaming earbuds like the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds, but don’t deliver the same all-round performance. If you’re looking for something that will elevate your experience in some of the best story games like God of War Ragnarok or Cyberpunk 2077, then these are certainly not it.

The Sony Inzone E9 headphones are highly comfortable to wear and come with a superb carrying case, but the unapologetically flat sound is not going to help cutscenes or action sequences sound their best. The GameBuds, or even Sony’s own but more expensive Inzone Buds, are clearly better choices, but it's hard to fault the Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones for that, as that’s obviously not what they’re for.

(Image credit: Future)

They really come into their own in a competitive first-person shooter (FPS) setting, pairing well with games like Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. Here, the lack of bass prevents explosion and gunfire sound effects from overwhelming your senses, allowing you to focus on the impressive directional reproduction instead. The direction of key audio cues like footsteps is crystal clear and remarkably easy to discern, potentially giving you an advantage over those without such specialised audio gear.

The noise isolation is exquisite, thanks in no small part to the excellent seal of the headphones in your ears. A plethora of ear tips is included in the box to make it easy to find the perfect fit, and the included USB-C audio box stores EQ profile settings to make for a hassle-free setup every time - ideal if you’re competing in tournaments and need to access the same settings on a new machine.

Sony Inzone E9: Price and availability

• $149.99 / £129 / AU$209
• Available directly via Sony
• Also at a range of retailers including Amazon

The Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones are priced at $149.99 / £129 / AU$209. This is a significant investment for a pair of wired gaming earbuds, with top wireless options like the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds costing not much more at $159.99 / £159.99 / AU$359.

In addition to traditional gaming options, the Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones are also competing with the pricey in-ear monitor (IEM) earbuds favored by some FPS players. Here they come in at a very similar price to relatively affordable models from other big brands, such as the $149.99 / £129.99 Sennheiser IE 200. The Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones are made specifically for gaming, however, setting them apart from most of the market and helping to justify the price.

The Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones are available directly via Sony in the US and UK. They can also be found at a wide range of retailers, such as Best Buy in the US or Amazon in the UK. In Australia they’re in stock at both JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman.

Sony Inzone E9: Specs

Price

$149.99 / £129 / AU$209

Weight

0.16oz / 4.7g

Compatibility

PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, mobile

Connection type

Wired (3.5mm / USB-C with audio box)

Battery life

N/A

Features

USB-C audio box, spatial audio

Software

Inzone Hub (PC)

Sony Inzone E9: Design and features

• IEM style design
• Included USB-C audio box stores settings
• Fantastic carrying case

The Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones will have a familiar design if you’ve used a pair of IEM earbuds before.

They’re lightweight, with rounded earbuds connected to a rigid section of cable that hooks around the top of your ears. Two colorways are available: black and white. Both are rather plain, but the abundance of Inzone logo branding printed on the earbuds does give them some character.

Sony has definitely made some smart decisions when it comes to practicality, particularly with the length of the headphone’s cable. At 5.9ft / 1.8m, I found that it was more than long enough to comfortably reach my ears directly from my gaming PC’s 3.5mm headphone jack without the need for a cable extender. If you play on a console, you won’t have any issues hooking it up to your controller.

I also appreciate the clear left / right marking that’s printed on each earbud, with the latter presented in a bright red that makes it easy to spot at a glance.

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A wealth of alternate ear tips come in the box, with a total of eight pairs to choose from. This includes standard silicone rubber ear tips and more foamy noise isolation earbud tips, both in four sizes (ranging from extra small to extra large). These are Sony’s widespread EP-EX10A and EP-NI1010 series tips - so replacements are easy to find if you need them later down the line.

You get a USB-C audio box for use with PCs, too. This can be used to store settings from the compatible Inzone Hub software, like your desired equalizer pre-sets or custom profiles. It also lets you use a dedicated spatial sound mode, giving a good impression of sound in a 3D space, albeit at the cost of some overall fidelity.

(Image credit: Future)

Between uses, you can store everything in the included carrying case that benefits from a surprisingly unique design. It’s divided into two compartments (one for the earbuds and the other for the audio box) joined together by a springy rubberized strip.

The underside of the strip has little magnetic buttons, clipping down to keep everything in place. It might be a bit hard to imagine, but it works really well and is much more practical than the cheap pouches included with most earbuds these days.

You also get a little Inzone-branded cable tidy, which is a neat bonus.

Sony Inzone E9 review: Performance

• Clear sound
• Highly tuned for FPS games
• Underwhelming with other genres

The Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones have quite a flat sound profile out of the box, though this is presumably intentional. There’s not a lot of bass leading to quite an unexciting sound. Playing through some Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and Assassin’s Creed Shadows on PS5, key story moments felt a tad muted with the backing music missing the punch needed to really drive the emotion home.

You can address this somewhat by tweaking the EQ settings in the compatible Inzone Hub software, but there’s only so much that you can do to increase the bass on hardware that’s not designed for it. For story-focused games, the results were never punchier than what you get out of the box with the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds and far less effective than even cheap wired over-ear sets like the Corsair HS50.

This lack of bass makes a lot more sense when you jump into a competitive shooter like Counter-Strike 2. Flashbangs and grenades are no longer overwhelming and don’t threaten to deafen you if you’re playing at higher volumes. Gunfire is more subdued, helping you stay focused in firefights.

The sound is crystal clear too, with an impressive level of directionality that makes it easy to track enemy movements using key sounds like footsteps. It’s very impressive, especially given how well the effect holds up in more frantic situations. Diving into an explosive match of Nuketown in Black Ops 7, I was able to accurately hear where nearby opponents were moving, even against the constant barrage of explosions conjured by grenades and killstreaks.

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The detail is excellent, which is borderline essential in tense extraction shooters such as Escape From Tarkov, where being able to discern the subtle snapping of a twig can often mean the difference between life and death. If you’re currently one of the many people devoting every waking moment to Arc Raiders, I could see the Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones being worth the asking price on this fact alone.

Despite offering no active noise cancellation (ANC), the Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones do a commendable job of blocking out background noise by virtue of the strong seal of their fit. No, it’s not as effective as the ANC of the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds, but it is good enough to drown out household sounds and conversations with the volume set at a decent level.

Although very uncommon in the IEM market, I’m also a little disappointed that the Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones don’t come with a small built-in microphone. It’s not a dealbreaker by any means, but it did mean that I had to reach for my Final VR2000 gaming earbuds when I wanted to chat with a friend while playing an Xbox Series X game.

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones?Buy it if...

You’re a die-hard FPS fan
If you’re an FPS-head shopping for a pair of earbuds that you want to use exclusively to play the latest shooters, then the Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones could be a very worthwhile investment.

You want every possible advantage
The directionality offered by the Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones is excellent and could mean the difference between a win and a loss in a competitive gaming setting. Pick up a pair if you want to ensure you have every possible advantage.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You want a general use pair
The flat sound profile of the Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones means that they’re not ideal for general use. At this price, there are loads of strong alternatives if you want something designed for a wider selection of genres with a microphone to help you chat with friends.

Also consider...

Not sure whether the Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones are worth it for you? Check out these two compelling alternatives.

Sony Inzone E9

SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds

Sony Inzone Buds

Price

$149.99 / £129 / AU$209

$159.99 / £159.99 / AU$359

$199 / £179.99 / AU$249

Weight

0.16oz / 4.7g

0.19oz / 5.3g (each bud); 1.7oz / 48.7g (case)

0.2oz / 6.8g

Compatibility

PC, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Mobile

GameBuds for PlayStation: PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, Meta Quest 2/3, mobile; GameBuds for Xbox: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, Meta Quest 2/3

PS5, PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch, Mobile

Connection type

Wired (3.5mm / USB-C with audio box)

2.4Ghz (via USB-C), Bluetooth 5.3 (mobile)

2.4GHz wireless (via dongle), Bluetooth 5.3

Battery life

N/A

Up to 40 hours (buds 10 hours; case 30 hours)

Up to 24 hours (buds 12 hours; case 12 hours)

Features

USB-C audio box, spatial audio

360° Spatial Audio, Qi Wireless Charging Case, 6mm neodymium drivers, four-mic ANC, transparency mode, in-ear detection/sensor, IP55 rating, fast charge, companion app with more than 100 presets

360 spatial sound, optimization for your ear, tap controls. 8.4mm drivers, IPX4 waterproof

Software

Inzone Hub (PC)

Arctis Companion App (mobile), SteelSeries Sonar (PC)

Inzone Hub (PC)

SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds
The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds are a brilliant all-rounder. They’re wireless, compatible with most platforms, and offer superb sound that can be fully customized to your liking. They have microphones for chatting, plus effective ANC built in.

For more information, check out our full SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds review

Sony Inzone Buds
If you’re shopping for something specifically in the Inzone product line but don’t care about competitive FPS games, then the more general Inzone Buds are a better pick. They offer spatial sound, ANC, and a low-latency wireless connection.

For more information, check out our full Sony Inzone Buds review

How I tested the Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones

• Tested for nearly three months
• Used with a wide range of platforms
• Compared to lots of other products

I tested the Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones over a period of roughly two and a half months. During that time, they were my primary gaming earbuds across all of my usual platforms. This included PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC.

I tried the earbuds with a wide selection of games, ranging from story-based titles such as Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater to some of the most popular FPS games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Black Ops 7, Valorant, and Counter-Strike 2.

Throughout my time with the earbuds, I compared their performance to my hands-on testing of a wide range of other gaming audio devices across the price spectrum.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed December-January 2026

I’ve reviewed over 50 desks in the last few years, and I have a pretty good feel for what not only makes for the best standing desks, but also what the standards are, what is consistent across brands, and what makes some stand out compared to others.

What I'm saying is, it’s not often that a desk’s differences stand out as easily as the Marinamantra Flow. Most noticeable is that the Flow allows you to use it while sitting on the floor, at standard sitting height, and while standing up. I can't think of many, if any, other desks that offer that right now (most I test are sitting or standing-only).

The Flow has been getting nearly daily use in my workspace for three months. In that time, I’ve used it for late-night working sessions, testing monitors, testing laptops, writing, coding, responding to emails, handling virtual meetings, building forts for my kids underneath, giving my children rides up and down the world's tamest rollercoaster, and more.

This is one of those desks that you want to use, one that you enjoy using, and almost feels fun every time you go to get started.

Marinamantra Flow: Price and availability

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

The Marinamantra Flow is retailing for $1049 on the Marinamantra Flow website.

At the time of review, you can choose between a white or black frame, with a desktop size of 26 x 58in.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Marinamantra Flow: Unboxing and First Impressions

Again, I’ve done a good number of these now, but this desk was unique. The assembly wasn’t overly hard, but due to the unique design, the scissor legs, and the felt-covered undercarriage, this desk had a way of stamping itself on my memory.

The closest thing I can compare it to is the Lilipad standing desk. But where the Lillipad retracts so low is because it's designed to be stowed away after use, the primary reason the Flow reaches those low heights is to enable floor-sitting.

Unboxing and setting up was different than all the other desks I have set up, but not difficult. I just felt like, for the first time in a long time, like I was having to pay attention to the instructions rather than relying on past desk building experience.

Marinamantra sent all the proper tools, though I still used my Hoto electric screwdriver when I could just to help speed up the screwdriver process a little bit. The legs came connected together, so I simply had to get them connected in the proper location on the underside of the desk and then latch them in place.

Once I got everything attached, I added in the felt undercarriage and cabling, and then we were ready to flip over and get to work.

Marinamantra Flow: Design & Build Quality

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

The felt cable tray is shockingly good. At first, I thought it was clunky and perhaps a gimmick. But once I got everything put together, I realized it was very helpful for keeping the built-in desk cables tucked away, leaving only what I add visible. If desired, and if I wanted to build out a more complex desk here, I could tuck more cables in that felt liner, though I’d want to take it off to make sure that I am not getting cables stuck in the tracks.

Speaking of cables, one thing this does right is that it has power through the leg. I’ve started to see desks do this now. The first one I noticed doing it was the Secretlab Magnus Pro. Since then, I’ve seen a few more taking that approach, helping with cable management, not having a cable dangling down from the top of the desk at whatever height it may be, all the way down to either outlet height or the floor. This seemingly small element really helps declutter the workspace.

I also like that there are two outlets on the desktop that run through the same power line that goes out of the base, plus the power for actually raising and lowering the desk, of course. Marinamantra chose to have one of those available outlets in the back of the desk, in the built-in cable tray, which is excellent, and another in the front, making it super easy for the user to power whatever they need.

At first, I wanted another outlet on the back of the desk, but after getting everything set up, I realized I wouldn’t even use it for my setup, and if I did need it, it's easy enough to add an additional power strip.

Marinamantra Flow: In use

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Specs

Desktop size: 28 x 56in
Lifting capacity: 176lb / 80kg
Height range: 14.9 to 47in

I’ve had this desk on the second floor of my home for the last three months. I’ve used it for at least 5 days a week during that time, sometimes for many hours at a time.

Since assembling it, I’ve raised and lowered the desk an obnoxious number of times, I’ve used both power ports, I’ve run my forearm on the control panel and accidentally changed the height, and I’ve even caught my kids playing under the desk, treating it as a fort. So far, stability is solid, height adjustments are smooth, though there are some clicking sounds from the legs when adjusting, and the desk itself has held up well.

I’m 6’2”, so for me, having a desk that can reach my preferred standing height is not always possible. But the Marinamantra Flow can get my preferred height and drop all the way down to a great seated or floor-sitting height without any problem. It’s probably due to the scissor-leg style instead of the standard leg, but that comes with trade-offs as well.

I love how smooth it moves up and down, and the incredible range, dropping so low and also so high, but as a taller individual, having the legs cross right where my knees means I have to contort my legs around the scissor legs if I’m pulled all the way into the desk. The only spot I can kick my legs out is in the dead center, so using anything to rest my legs on would not work with this desk, nor would kicking my legs out with a chair that has a leg rest.

Speaking of the legs, another thing that I noticed, perhaps because I previously used the Lilipad desk, is that the caps on the legs are mediocre. I can tell that this is a first-generation desk from Marinamantra. However, with that being said, it’s a spectacular attempt at a new desk style in almost every way,

Back to the legs, the power inlay through the legs makes a bigger difference than I originally thought. I expected it to be helpful, but not a game-changer. But for this style desk, which, for me, has stayed relatively minimal and straightforward, I haven’t needed anything more than what has been given.

I have a simple, yet powerful setup. I have an Anker Prime Docking Station plugged into the power port on the back of the desk, with the dock sitting on the top left, plugged into that I have the power line that runs to my laptop, a USB-C desk lamp. I ran one to the right side where I plug in my iPad, hard drive, or iPhone, and that’s about it. I can plug in some other drives or accessories on the dock itself, but beyond that, I have intentionally kept it pretty clean and straightforward.

There's something about this desk that makes me want to keep it simple in the best way. The front power port has come in super handy for charging my chair (review coming soon), yes, you read that right, or for other miscellaneous things I need to charge or plug into power in this room.

Last but not least, I’ll talk a little bit about the control panel. It’s simple, it reminds me of Ergonofis, and it works pretty well. In fact, it may be a bit too sensitive. My wife bumped it a few times with her forearm while we wrapped presents on this desk, and it sprang into height-adjusting action.

Marinamantra Flow: Final verdict

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

The Flow is a fantastic first-generation standing desk from Marinamantra, and it gets the fundamentals right. It’s designed to be minimalist, though it could be built out for more if you wanted, and it’s got a few great features up its sleeve that other desk companies could learn from.

If you are looking for a desk that can drop down to the ground, and then back up to meet the height of even some of the tallest people around, it's worth checking out.

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For more office furniture, check out our guide to the best office chairs we've tested.