At Seagate’s recent 2025 Investor and Analyst Conference, CEO Dr. Dave Mosley and CTO Dr. John Morris outlined the company’s long-term roadmap for hard drive innovation.
This hinted at the possibility of 150TB hard drives, the largest HDD ever, by groundbreaking 15TB platters, but cautioned that this milestone remains at least a decade away.
The foundation of this future lies in Seagate’s HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording) technology, currently being deployed through the company’s Mozaic platform.
10TB per platter on track for 2028“We have high confidence in our product roadmap through Mozaic 5. And notably, the design space for granular iron platinum media that's in Mozaic 3 looks very viable to get us up to 10 terabytes per disk,” said Dr. Morris
That 10TB-per-disk benchmark is expected to be reached by 2028. “We do have confidence that we can provide a path to 10 terabytes per disk in roughly this time frame,” Morris added, explaining that spin-stand demonstrations of new technologies typically take five years to reach product qualification.
Looking beyond 10TB, Seagate is exploring how to extend the capabilities of its Iron Platinum media.
“We believe that there's another level of extension of that granular iron platinum architecture that could theoretically get as high as 15 terabytes per disk,”
Such an achievement would pave the way for 150TB hard drives by stacking 10 platters per unit. However, he warned, “beyond 15 terabytes per disk is going to require some level of disruptive innovation.”
Seagate’s CEO, Dave Mosley, echoed this long-range vision, noting, “We now know how we can get to 4 and 5 and beyond. As a matter of fact, we have visibility... beyond 10 terabytes of disk with the HAMR technology.”
“It’s not going to be easy, but I’m convinced that’s going to keep us on a competitive cost trajectory that no other technology is going to supplant in the next decade, probably beyond.”
The company’s confidence is backed by recent milestones. Mozaic 3, which delivers 3TB per platter, is now in volume production, and Mozaic 4 (4TB per platter) is scheduled to enter customer qualification next quarter.
Seagate expects to begin volume shipments of Mozaic 4 drives in the first half of 2026. Meanwhile, Mozaic 5, targeting 5TB per platter, is planned for customer qualification in late 2027 or early 2028.
Still, Seagate made it clear that 150TB drives based on 15TB platters are not imminent. As Morris emphasized, “This is just one other element in the work that we do to underpin our strategy... it will take time. There’s still a lot of work in front of us to get there.”
You might also likeIt appears we may soon get a couple of new contenders for our best smartwatches list. HMD (perhaps best known for releasing Nokia-branded phones in recent years) is rumored to be working on two smartwatches, both running Wear OS, and with a camera fitted to one of them.
This comes from tipster @smashx_60 (via Notebookcheck), and while we can't guarantee the accuracy of the claim, smartwatches would be a sensible next step for HMD – which already makes phones, tablets, earbuds, and the HMD OffGrid.
According to the leak, the first smartwatch will be the HMD Rubber 1, with a 1.85-inch OLED screen, a 400 mAh battery, and heart rate and spO2 tracking. There's also, apparently, a 2-megapixel camera on board this model.
Then there's the HMD Rubber 1S, which comes with a smaller 1.07-inch OLED display, a smaller 290 mAh battery, and no camera – though the heart rate and SpO2 tracking features are still included. It sounds as though this will be the cheaper choice.
For adults or kids?HMD RUBBER 1- oled 1.85" display - 5ATM Waterproof - BT5.3, WiFi, NFC, Accelerometer, heart rate, SpO2- 2MP CAM- Wear OS- 400mAh, USB-C, QiHMD RUBBER 1S- oled 1.07" - 5ATM Waterproof - BT5.0, WiFi, Accelerometer, heart rate, SpO2- Wear OS- 290mAh, USB-C, QiMay 29, 2025
The camera on the HMD Rubber 1 is interesting, as this would be something we haven't seen on a Wear OS watch before. While it's not clear how the camera would be integrated, presumably it would allow photos and videos to be captured from your wrist, with or without a phone connected.
There's some speculation in the Notebookcheck article that these smartwatches may be intended for kids to use, rather than adults – something along the lines of the Samsung Galaxy Watch for Kids that launched at the start of the year, perhaps.
The leak also mentions that these smartwatches will come with 5 ATM waterproofing, which is good for depths of up to 50 meters. That suggests they'll have a relatively robust casing around the internal components.
We'll have to wait and see what HMD might have in store, though as yet there's been nothing official from the company. In the meantime, we're patiently waiting for the arrival of Wear OS 6, which is expected to be pushed out in the next month or two.
You might also likeThe De’Longhi Primadonna Aromatic is a premium bean-to-cup espresso machine that’s a pleasure to use, brewing exceptionally well-balanced coffee and giving you a huge array of ways to enjoy it.
Once you’ve tailored your espresso to your liking, the Primadonna Aromatic presents you with an enormous menu of hot and cold drink options so you can enjoy it any way you like. You don’t need to worry about being blinded by choice, though, because the machine will ‘learn’ what drinks you enjoy and when, and will bump them to the front of the queue depending on the time of day.
The interface is thoughtfully designed, with a chatty tone, step-by-step instructions, and diagrams and animations to walk you through everything from brewing a macchiato to cleaning the brew unit.
(Image credit: Future)For me, there are only two drawbacks. The first is the Primadonna Aromatic’s sheer size. I've tested some big coffee makers over the past few years, but this is definitely one of the largest.
Width isn’t much of an issue because the water tank can be removed from the front, making it possible to push the machine up against a wall and only move it out for occasional cleaning. The problem is the height. At 16in / 46.3cm this is a seriously tall appliance, and if you position it on a counter under a wall cabinet, you might struggle to open the bean hopper on top when it's time for a refill. Make sure you measure your space carefully before investing.
The second issue is the price. This is one of the best bean-to-cup coffee machines I’ve ever tested, but also one of the most expensive. In fact, only the Jura J10 is pricier. You’ll need a household of coffee lovers with varied tastes to get the most out of the Primadonna Aromatic.
(Image credit: Future)De'Longhi Primadonna Aromatic: price and availabilityThe De’Longhi Primadonna Aromatic launched in the UK in April 2025, priced at £1,549.99 (about $2,100 / AU$3,300). At the time of writing, it’s not yet available in the US, but I anticipate a wider release soon.
It’s one of the more expensive coffee machines in De’Longhi’s fully automatic series, sitting between the De’Longhi Primadonna Soul (which only brews hot beverages) and the top-end De’Longhi Maestosa (which has dual bean hoppers and a special milk carafe that can combine ingredients like cocoa powder).
The Primadonna Aromatic is definitely at the upper end of the price scale when it comes to home coffee makers. However, if you’re a fan of chilled espresso-based drinks, it’s a more affordable option than the Jura J10, which is also great for hot and cold drinks, but has an eye-watering price tag of £1,795 / AU$3,990 (about $2,300).
The Primadonna Aromatic is easily one of the best coffee makers I’ve tested this year, but there’s no avoiding the fact that its price will be beyond the budget of many coffee aficionados.
Name
De'Longhi Primadonna Aromatic
Type
Automatic bean-to-cup
Dimensions (W x H x D)
10.3 x 16 x 18.2in / 26.2 x 40.7 x 46.3cm
Weight
28.7lbs / 13kg
Water reservoir capacity
2.3 quarts / 2.2 liters
Milk frother
Automatic, hot and cold
Bars of pressure
19
User profiles
4
De'Longhi Primadonna Aromatic: designThe De’Longhi Primadonna Aromatic is a large but stylish espresso machine, with a brushed metal finish and black accents. Its most striking feature is a 5in color touchscreen that displays the menu options (there are 35 customizable hot and cold drinks to choose from), which is supplemented by four buttons: power, profile selection, hot drinks, and cold drinks.
The coffee dispenser on the front can be moved up and down to accommodate different-sized cups and has a magnetic cover that’s easy to remove when you want to clean the nozzles.
The Primadonna Aromatic comes with two milk carafes – one for hot milk and one for cold – that push into a connector on the left of the coffee dispenser. Each carafe has a dial on top that allows you to pick from three foam textures, from creamy to thick. Turning the dial all the way to the right will select cleaning mode, which you should run before returning the carafe to the fridge (the machine will remind you to do this if you forget).
The two milk carafes push into a connector on the front of the machine, and can be stored in the fridge between use (Image credit: Future)Both carafes have lids to keep the milk fresh while it’s refrigerated. When it’s time to give them a deep clean, they can be easily disassembled and cleaned in the top drawer of a dishwasher, or left to soak in hot, soapy water for 30 minutes and rinsed.
The water tank is also nicely designed. It has a generous 2.3 quart / 2.2 liter capacity, and unlike some others, it's large enough to get your hand inside when you want to clean and dry it. There’s also a lid with a funnel-shaped hole for mess-free filling, and the machine comes with a water hardness testing strip that helps you set it up correctly, plus a water filter that screws inside.
The large water tank slides into the machine from the front (Image credit: Future)The Primadonna Aromatic will alert you when it’s time to replace the filter. New ones can be purchased directly from De’Longhi for £15.99 (about $20 / AU$35), but at the time of writing, they are discounted to £8.54 (about $10 / AU$20).
In addition to the main hopper, the Primadonna Aromatic has a chute you can use to add a scoop of pre-ground coffee when you want to drink something different from your usual beans. It’s a great feature that you’ll find on most De’Longhi machines, and is ideal if you want to switch to decaf in the afternoon.
There's a large-capacity bean hopper on top, or you can use a scoop of pre-ground coffee if you want to switch to something different (Image credit: Future)My only real issue with the Primadonna Aromatic’s design is its height. This mighty machine stands an imposing 16in / 407mm tall, which means there’s not much headroom between its lid and my wall cabinets. That usually wasn’t a problem, but it made refilling the bean hopper trickier than I’d like. I was just about able to remove the lid (which has a soft seal to keep your beans fresh) and slip scoops of coffee inside. It’s well worth measuring the space you have available to make sure this impressive machine will fit.
The good news is that you don’t need much room on the sides. The water tank is located on the right, but slides out from the front of the machine. If you position the Primadonna Aromatic right against a wall or cabinet (as I did), you’ll only need to move it out approximately once a month to clean the brew unit.
The De’Longhi Primadonna Aromatic is a joy to use, and manages to nail both the fundamentals and the details.
First (and most importantly), it can brew an excellent espresso. The machine’s standard settings appear to be configured for medium roast arabica beans, because it produced a delicious, sweet, well-rounded espresso first time using my preferred beans. If the taste isn’t quite to your liking, you can delve into the Bean Adapt tool, which is accessible via a link above the main drinks menu.
Just select the type of beans you’re using, either through the machine’s touchscreen or De’Longhi’s Coffee Link mobile app, and the machine will automatically adjust its brewing settings accordingly, including the grind size. If the resulting espresso doesn’t meet your expectations, you can tinker with the options manually to achieve the optimum extraction.
Once you’ve perfected your espresso, you can take your pick from a selection of hot and cold drinks.
(Image credit: Future)One of the Primadonna Aromatic’s main selling points is its ability to ‘learn’ which drinks you like at different times of day. This excellent feature helps you avoid scrolling through the vast menu every time you want to make a beverage, and is great for households with more than one coffee drinker.
User profiles for coffee machines sometimes feel a bit superfluous (after all, who’s actually replacing all the beans in the hopper when they want to brew a drink for themselves?), but with the Primadonna Aromatic, profiles are an integral part of the experience. When you first set up the machine, you’ll be asked to provide names for all the people who’ll be using it, and given the option to set different-colored profile icons. I set one for myself, and a second for my husband. You can switch between these profiles at the press of a button, and the menu will rearrange itself with that person’s preferred drinks listed first for quick selection. I test new coffee machines every month for TechRadar, and this is the first time I’ve found user profiles in an espresso maker genuinely useful.
The LatteCrema hot milk frothing system is excellent and produces some of the best results I’ve seen from an automatic espresso machine. De’Longhi advises that you’ll get the best results with whole dairy milk or plant milk, and during my tests, I found that dairy and oat produced the thickest, most stable foam. Push the milk carafe into place, tilt the dispenser so the nozzle is positioned over your cup, turn the dial to the position described on the machine’s screen, and you’re ready to begin.
(Image credit: Future)Another of the Primadonna Aromatic’s key features is its ability to make tasty cold-brewed drinks. These aren’t a tacked-on extra, and are given just as much prominence in the menu as hot beverages. There are even quick-access buttons beside the touchscreen that let you filter the drink menu by temperature.
The machine comes with a silicone ice cube tray, and after selecting a cold drink, you’ll be prompted to add a certain number of cubes to your cup or glass (at least six for an iced latte macchiato, for example). For milk-based drinks, you’ll then be asked to connect the cold carafe (the one with the white lid), which should be filled with either skimmed dairy milk or a plant-based alternative for the best results.
One of the biggest drawbacks of most automatic espresso machines is the cleanup, which sometimes takes so long that I think I’d be better off making my coffee manually. The De’Longhi Primadonna Aromatic is different. It rinses itself automatically after brewing and prompts you to rinse the milk carafe, but both processes only take a couple of seconds and seem to require very little water. I tested the machine for several weeks and never noticed any change in the taste of my drinks, so this system clearly works.
When it’s time to give the machine a deep clean, the Primadonna Aromatic provides step-by-step instructions to help you disassemble and wash the coffee dispenser components, and remove and rinse the brew unit. I found a small build-up of coffee grounds in the hatch containing the brew unit, but these were easy to wipe up with a damp cloth.
I was a little nervous about cleaning the plastic milk carafe components in the dishwasher, but they came out sparkling. Washing by hand is fine too, but it's reassuring to know they've been cleaned at a high temperature to remove residue that might harbor bacteria.
Attribute
Notes
Score
Value
It's a brilliant machine, but there's no escaping the fact that the Primadonna Aromatic will be beyond the budget of many coffee lovers.
4/5
Design
Smart and stylish, with a super-intuitive interface and dishwasher-safe components to make maintenance a breeze.
5/5
Performance
Brews consistently well-balanced and tasty espresso. Both hot and cold milk foaming work well, and user profiles that 'learn' your preferences are extremely handy.
5/5
Buy it ifYou enjoy cold drinks regularly
The De’Longhi Primadonna Aromatic makes excellent iced espresso drinks, and its cold foam is particularly impressive. Use skimmed or plant-based milk for the best results.
You have a generous budget
This is one of the most expensive espresso machines I’ve tested. It’s a joy to use, but there’s no escaping the fact that it’s seriously pricey.
Don't buy it ifYou have just a couple of favorite drinks
The Primadonna Aromatic learns your drink preferences, but if you only drink cappuccinos and double espressos (for example), most of this machine’s functions will be superfluous. There are over 30 drinks to choose from, and sticking with one or two would be a real shame.
You’re the only coffee drinker in your house
This machine’s smart user profiles are one of its best features, and if you don’t share your coffee machine with anyone else, you might be better off with a simpler machine that doesn’t offer such depth of customization.
De'Longhi Primadonna Aromatic: also considerDe'Longhi La Specialista Touch
If you don't have the space or the budget for the Primadonna Aromatic, this compact semi-automatic machine from De'Longhi is well worth a look. It can automate the trickiest parts of making espresso-based drinks, or let you take control. It's much smaller than you'd expect, and very reasonably priced.
Read our full De'Longhi La Specialista Touch review
Jura J10
If money is no object and your coffee orders are so complicated they give baristas a headache, the J10 could be the espresso machine for you. Like the Primadonna Aromatic, it does an excellent job of brewing hot and cold (with only one milk carafe needed), and it can even infuse foam with a flavored syrup of your choice.
Read our full Jura J10 review
How I tested the De'Longhi Primadonna AromaticI used the De'Longhi Primadonna Aromatic for two weeks in place of my usual coffee machine, and brewed coffee using a blend of freshly roasted Brazilian and Colombian arabica beans. I set up a separate user profile for my partner to test the smart recommendations, and we both used the machine to brew a variety of hot and cold drinks throughout each day.
(Image credit: Future)I tested the hot milk frother with whole dairy milk and oat milk and used the cold milk frother with skimmed dairy milk and oat milk, as instructed by De'Longhi. All milk was bought fresh and used cold from the fridge.
First reviewed May 2025.
The attack was disclosed on the same day as Zelenskyy said Ukraine will send a delegation to Istanbul for a new round of direct peace talks with Russia on Monday.
(Image credit: Markus Schreiber)
The VR3000 Wireless are gaming earbuds compatible with multiple platforms, thanks to their Bluetooth and 2.4GHz support. They can be customized using the Final Connect mobile app, featuring options to toggle the touch controls and ANC modes, as well as providing a 10-band equalizer to tinker with, offering plenty of scope to sculpt the sound profile as you see fit. It’s a shame there’s only one profile slot to save your settings to, though.
They cut a refined figure, with their small, slender profile and premium feel. They also look smart with their minimal and functional design. I found the VR3000 Wireless quite comfortable to wear, and they’re light enough to feel inconspicuous, while offering a snug and secure fit at the same time. However, I did experience some aching after about an hour, owing to the lack of any soft material around the drivers.
The overall sound they produce is excellent, rivaling the best wireless gaming headsets: it’s well-balanced, although the bass, while plenty full, lacks a little punch. The binaural qualities are also great, as Final is keen to point out in marketing the VR3000 Wireless.
The microphone renders voices with enough clarity so that it’s usable for chats, although it’s hardly the best in class, given its slightly lower fidelity compared to rivals, with inputs sounding a little muffled.
The ANC function, however, is even more disappointing, appearing only to curb certain frequencies rather than attempting to block all external noise. As a result, it fails to block out environmental sounds to any noticeable degree.
Battery life, on the other hand, did seem to live up to expectations. After several days of use, the VR3000 Wireless still had plenty of charge left both in themselves and in the case.
Connectivity is similarly reliable, although there were occasions when I had to unplug and replug the 2.4GHz dongle to reestablish connection with my PS5, which was inconvenient.
However, considering their multiple wireless options and support for a variety of platforms – not to mention the build quality, features, and excellent sound – the VR3000 Wireless represent good value. They rival costlier alternatives on many of these fronts, such as the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds and the Sony Inzone Buds. All of this means that the VR3000 Wireless are definitely worth shortlisting if you’re after gaming earbuds with plenty of quality in a small package.
(Image credit: Future)Final VR3000 Wireless review: price and availabilityThe VR3000 Wireless cost $129 / £129 (about AU$200) and are available now. They come with a charging case and five silicone tips in various sizes. A USB-C dongle for 2.4GHz connections is also included, but unfortunately, there’s no USB-A adapter for it.
This is a good price for a pair of high-quality wireless earbuds. They’re cheaper than the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds, for instance, which are our current pick as the best gaming earbuds around.
They’re also less expensive than the Sony Inzone Buds, some of the best PS5 earbuds around. These had a less than impressive bass response than the VR3000 Wireless, though, but do feature much improved noise cancellation.
Final VR3000 Wireless review: specsPrice
$129 / £129 (about AU$200)
Weight
0.17oz / 4.8g (each bud)
Compatibility
Android, iOS, PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch
Connection type
Wireless (Bluetooth, ultra low latency wireless dongle)
Battery life
Up to 11 hours on earbuds + 38 hours from case
Features
ANC, dual MEMS microphones, touch controls, IPX5
Software
Final Connect app (mobile)
(Image credit: Future)Final VR3000 Wireless review: design and featuresThe VR3000 Wireless make an excellent first impression, with both the buds themselves and the case adopting a sleek and premium design. Both are pleasingly small as well, which makes them a great choice for those who like to game on the go.
The buds feature vertical stems typical of many earbuds, although they’re shorter than usual. They also have a more lateral fit, with the main bulk of the drivers running parallel with your inner ear, rather than protruding outwards, which gives them a lower profile.
However, one gripe I have is that taking the VR3000 Wireless out of their case can be an awkward process. The fit is extremely snug, and the magnetic hold is strong; this at least makes them secure, and I couldn’t even shake them out by hanging the case upside down.
There’s no real dimple or gap to get any purchase, and the buds only poke out marginally, so there’s not much surface area to grab a hold of. The only real place to grab them is at either end, which is problematic since you can easily trigger the touch controls when grabbing the rear portion.
(Image credit: Future)The VR3000 Wireless can be customized using the Final Connect mobile app, available for both iOS and Android. This functions well and offers some useful features, including battery life readouts for each earbud, and the ability to toggle the touch controls on or off, or just disable the touch control for powering on and off the buds. Speaking of which, the touch controls are responsive and easy to use, and thankfully, some functions are accompanied by a voiceover, which is clear and informative.
You also toggle the ANC, which also features an Ambient mode that plays a constant white noise in the background. There’s a 10-band EQ to tinker with as well, although unfortunately, it only allows you to save one custom profile.
Still, this equalizer provides a lot of scope, allowing you to boost and cut frequencies between 31Hz and 16KHz by 6db. However, I found the sliders for adjusting these a little awkward to use, given their small size and how close all 10 are to each other on screen.
(Image credit: Future)Final VR3000 Wireless review: PerformanceThe sound produced by the Final VR3000 Wireless is excellent. The clarity and fidelity are superb, and the frequencies are expertly balanced; the mids and highs are especially good, with next no distortion.
In fact, the overall sound even comes close to rivalling the best earbuds designed for audio playback. Bass frequencies are deep and full, although they perhaps lack the punch of the beefiest earbuds around.
The spatial representation of the VR3000 Wireless is also quite commendable, accurately tracking the location of nearby footsteps in Counter-Strike 2 and cars in Gran Turismo 7.
However, I found the ANC quite poor, providing no discernible buffer between internal and external noise. It seemed merely to reduce the low-end frequencies of my immediate environment, not render them any less prominent. If anything, it sometimes made them more apparent, which is obviously disastrous for an ANC mode.
The microphone quality is sufficient for voices to come through clearly, although unsurprisingly, the fidelity isn’t a match for what large mics equipped on the best gaming headsets produce. There’s a slightly muffled effect to captured inputs, but thankfully, this isn’t egregious enough to ruin chats.
I also found the VR3000 Wireless uncomfortable for long sessions. There’s no silicone rim around the chassis to offer any cushioning, so the hard plastic is in contact with your inner ear the whole time.
(Image credit: Future)This meant that after more than an hour or so, I would start to experience aching. However, for sessions shorter than this, I generally didn’t have an issue, and I appreciated their snug fit and low weight. Sometimes, I even forgot I was wearing them.
Unfortunately, I experienced a few connectivity issues during my time with the VR3000 Wireless. When connected to my PS5 via the USB 2.4GHz dongle, there were times when it wouldn’t reconnect. The only solution was to unplug and replug the dongle, which is, of course, quite inconvenient, and not an issue you’d experience with the best PS5 gaming headsets.
Thankfully, I had no issues with Bluetooth, as the VR3000 Wireless connected to my Android phone instantly. However, I did find the volume quite loud, requiring me to turn down the system volume to well below halfway for an acceptable volume.
Switching back and forth between mobile and PC (that is, between Bluetooth and 2.4GHz) also proved quick and easy, just like it is with the best PC gaming headsets. Again, though, I experienced the same volume jump on Windows, so beware that the VR3000 Wireless are a loud pair of earbuds.
The battery life of the VR3000 Wireless seems very good as well, with both buds appearing to have retained close to full battery after a few days of varied use. The case dropped one bar of charge in this same timeframe, indicating it had between 51% and 75% left, which is also respectable.
(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Final VR3000 Wireless?Buy them if...You want a premium design
The VR3000 Wireless certainly look the part and feature premium materials and a great build quality. They also have one of the most secure charging cases I’ve ever seen.
You want great sound
The VR3000 Wireless match some of the best earbuds for sound, with their clear and well-balanced output providing plenty of fullness while avoiding distortion.
You want the best comfort
Admittedly, I have long-term comfort issues with many earbuds, but the VR3000 Wireless were no exception.
You want the best connectivity experience
While fine in use, I did experience issues reestablishing a connection to my PS5, requiring a replug to remedy.
Final VR3000 Wireless
SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds
Sony Inzone Buds
Price
$129 / £129 (about AU$200)
$159.99 / £159.99 / AU$359
$199.99 / £179.99 / AU$249.95
Weight
0.17oz / 4.8g (each bud)
0.19oz / 5.3g (each bud); 1.7oz / 48.7g (case)
0.23oz / 6.5g (each bud)
Compatibility
Android, iOS, PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch
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
Android, PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch
Connection type
Wireless (Bluetooth, ultra low latency wireless dongle)
2.4Ghz (via USB-C), Bluetooth 5.3 (mobile)
2.4GHz (via USB-C), Bluetooth 5.3
Battery life
Up to 11 hours on earbuds + 38 hours from case
Up to 40 hours (buds 10 hours; case 30 hours)
Up to 48 hours (buds 18 hours; case 30 hours)
Features
ANC, dual MEMS microphones, touch controls, IPX5
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 Audio, IPX4 equivalent, Quick Attention, touch controls
Software
Final Connect app (mobile)
Arctis Companion App (mobile), SteelSeries Sonar (PC)
Sony Headphones Connect app (mobile), Izone Hub (PC)
SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds
If you’re after some of the most premium gaming earbuds, look no further than the Arctis GameBuds. We found little wrong with their sound, design, or features; the only drawbacks were the lack of responsiveness from the touch controls and the stock tips failing to provide a perfect fit. In all other regards, though, the GameBuds are hard to beat.
Read our full SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds review.
Sony Inzone Buds
The Inzone Buds are the best PS5 earbuds around in our view, thanks to their superb sound and outstanding noise cancellation, which we found close to faultless. The Bluetooth functionality gave us a few issues, and the bass response wasn’t as good as it could’ve been, but all things considered, the Inzone Buds are the perfect companion for your console and other devices, too.
Read our full Sony Inzone Buds review.
How I tested the Final VR3000 WirelessI tested the VR3000 Wireless for several days, during which time I used them for gaming, as well as for listening to podcasts and music.
I tested them on various platforms, including PC, PS5, and Android. I connected to these devices via Bluetooth and the 2.4GHz USB dongle.
I have been gaming for over two decades, and during that time, I’ve used a plethora of headsets and earphones. I have also reviewed a number of them made by various brands and with a range of price points, designs, and feature sets.
A group of women in Kenya rebelled against trading sex for a fisherman's catch to sell. They got their own boats, had success — but in past years have faced floods and now fears about HIV medications.
(Image credit: Julia Gunther for NPR)
Hundreds of people were arrested in the celebrations, which were largely peaceful but degenerated into violence in some areas.
(Image credit: Aurelien Morissard)
Russia's Investigative Committee, the country's top criminal investigation agency, said in a statement that explosions had caused the two bridges to collapse, but did not give further details.
(Image credit: AP)
The Samsung 65S90F TV I tested features the brand’s quantum dot approach to OLED technology. It doesn’t push the brightness of this relatively new take on the best OLED TV tech as hard as the flagship Samsung S95F OLED TV does, but that doesn’t stop it from delivering a big improvement over last year’s Samsung S90D – a level of improvement that makes it arguably the most all-round attractive TV in Samsung’s 2025 TV range once you’ve taken value into account.
Movie fans will be in awe at the Samsung 65S90F’s phenomenal contrast and light control, which finds stunningly deep black levels (provided you’re not shining some sort of spotlight at the screen…) balanced with highlights that hit levels of intensity we once thought OLED would never achieve.
Samsung’s approach to OLED technology also helps the 65S90F deliver incredibly vivid colors, while its latest NQ4 AI Gen3 Processor ensures that there’s much more subtlety and nuance in the way these fantastically rich tones are used to create more natural, three-dimensional pictures than its already illustrious predecessor managed.
Gamers are in for a treat with the 65S90F too, as it delivers such console and PC-friendly features as support for 4K at up to 144Hz, variable refresh rates across all four of its HDMI 2.1 ports, and one of the fastest response times I've ever seen from a TV.
Its Tizen smart system is packed with content and increasingly easy to use, too, and notwithstanding the occasional bass fumble, the 65S90F even manages to sound good despite its ultra-slim design.
Add to all this the fact that the 65-inch S90F costs hundreds less than its flagship S95F sibling, and it starts to become seriously hard to resist. But let me point out that this review and the performance figures only apply to the 65-inch version – at other sizes, instead of a QD-OLED panel, you may get a W-OLED panel, with different performance.
Samsung S90F series: Prices and release dateThe mid-range Samsung S90F brings the picture benefits of QD-OLED to a lower price point (Image credit: Future)The 65-inch S90F was released worldwide during April 2025. It sits in the second tier of Samsung’s 2025 OLED TV range, below the significantly brighter and more expensive S95F flagship series.
Its $2,499 / £2,699 / AU$4,299 pricing places it right at the heart of today’s upper mid-range TV marketplace, and pitches it squarely against such key rivals as the LG C5 and Samsung’s premium mini-LED TV for 2025, the Samsung QN90F.
The sizes above are the official prices for the other options in the S90F model range, but again, we're only focusing on the 65-inch here.
Samsung S90F 65-inch review: SpecsScreen type:
QD-OLED
Refresh rate:
144Hz
HDR support:
HDR10+, HDR10, HLG
Audio support:
Dolby Atmos, Eclipsa Audio
Smart TV:
Tizen 9.0
HDMI ports:
4 x HDMI 2.1
Built-in tuner:
ATSC 1.0 (US)
Samsung 65S90F review: Benchmark resultsSamsung S90F 65-inch review: FeaturesThe S90F has four HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 144Hz support for gaming (Image credit: Future)For many AV fans, the 65S90F’s key appeal will be getting Samsung’s QD-OLED technology for substantially less money than the brand’s S95F flagship OLED costs.
The attraction of QD-OLED technology is that it delivers red, green and blue colors without the additional white element used by traditional OLED screens, yet still manages to at least match those ‘WRGB’ OLEDs when it comes to high dynamic range-friendly brightness for video and gaming content.
The tech has already delivered some truly spectacular picture quality results since Samsung first launched the technology back in 2022, including multiple TV of the Year award-winners.
Samsung claims to have improved the performance of the 65S90F over its S90D predecessor with increased brightness and more granular control of its QD-OLED panel, as well as an upgraded NQ4 AI Gen 3 processor.
This is stated to run NPU and GPUs that are twice as fast as the ones used in Samsung’s step-down S85F OLEDs, as well as a 17% faster CPU, while introducing new AI-driven picture and sound elements on the back of a 6.4 times increase in the number of neural networks the TV carries.
The 65S90F’s sound also benefits from Samsung’s OTS technology, which, despite the TV only having a 2.1-channel speaker configuration, uses clever audio processing to try and make sounds appear to be coming from the correct part of the screen. Or even the precise area beyond the screen’s edges if that’s what an audio mix dictates.
If you partner the 65S90F with a Samsung soundbar, you get the additional advantage of Samsung’s Q-Symphony feature, where the speakers in the TV join forces with those in the soundbar (rather than being replaced by them) to deliver a larger center channel sound with more accurate detail placement.
The 65S90F’s connections are outstanding for a mid-range TV, dominated as they are by a set of four HDMI ports that are all built to cope with the latest gaming features of 4K 120Hz feeds (actually 4K 144Hz is supported via Samsung’s Motion Xcelerator technology), variable refresh rates (including both AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync, with the latter coming in a software update), and auto game mode switching.
All of that is backed up by both a dedicated gaming hub within the TV’s Tizen operating system and a specific game monitoring and adjustment menu, but more on this later.
As ever with Samsung TVs, the 65S90F’s HDR support includes the ‘core’ HDR10 and HLG formats, as well as the premium HDR10+ system that adds extra scene-by-scene image data to help compatible displays deliver more accurate and punchy results.
This HDR10+ support extends to the Adaptive version that can adjust its output to compensate for ambient light conditions, and HDR10+ gaming.
Samsung continues, though, not to support the Dolby Vision HDR format on its TVs.
One other thing the 65S90F does not have is one of the potent anti-glare screen filters sported by Samsung’s S95F flagship OLED TVs and some of its 2025 premium LCD TVs.
That doesn’t mean the 65S90F’s screen is so reflective that it often or severely gets between you and the TV’s outstanding picture quality in a regular living room set up, though. And while I personally have a lot of time for Samsung’s anti-glare TV filters, some people actually prefer a slightly glossy screen, and for those people, the 65S90F is therefore a potentially great QD-OLED alternative to the S95F.
Despite not being the flagship 65-inch model from Samsung’s 2025 OLED range, the 65S90F still delivers a gorgeously potent demonstration of what the latest QD-OLED panels are capable of.
Its light control and contrast are particularly phenomenal. The ability of each pixel in any OLED screen to deliver its own brightness and color entirely independently of its neighbors always gives OLED TVs an instant and important area of advantage with home theater fans, of course – but for the vast majority of the time the 65S90F manages to combine the sort of phenomenally inky, deep black tones expected of OLED TVs with brighter HDR image highlights than its S90D predecessor managed.
And that’s while also revealing substantially more consistently visible shadow detail in the darkest image corners – it's better in both bright and dark scenes.
Its brightness sees the 65S90F managing to reach as high as 1,500 nits on a 10% white HDR test window – a huge increase of almost 50% over the brightness in the same test circumstances achieved by 2024’s 65S90D.
This can be delivered on the 65S90F, too, without causing any of the backlight haloing and clouding problems rival LCD TV technology would typically present when dealing with the sort of contrast the 65S90F loves to show.
Just occasionally, the 65S90F can still sometimes crush the subtle detail out of the picture in some of its presets – but if this becomes problematic to you, then nudging the TV’s Shadow Detail adjustment up to level three or four pretty much fixes the issue without causing any unwanted side effects.
I was also struck by how clean the 65S90F’s dark picture areas and scenes look. There’s really zero sign of the sort of graininess or grey blocking noise that less able OLED screens can show in dark areas, revealing a fantastically granular level of control over the QD-OLED panel even in challenging near-black image areas.
Having so much extra brightness in its arsenal hugely increases the intensity the 65S90F can pump into HDR playback, resulting in HDR images that look more natural and realistic as well as more dynamic.
It feeds also into a significantly richer color performance than the S90D served up, getting much more value out of the QD-OLED pixel design. This is particularly and spectacularly obvious in the hard-to-resist Standard picture preset, but crucially, the more accurate Movie and Filmmaker Mode presets also look richer and warmer than they did on the 65S90D without losing that sense of ‘as the director intended’ authenticity home cinema fans are so often looking for.
On that accuracy point, the 65S90F’s measured color and white balance results with SDR content in Filmmaker Mode average out at marginally above the Delta E average error level of three – anything below this is where the human eye is considered incapable of perceiving a visible difference between what the TV is showing and the established video standards.
But since the results average only misses that Delta E error margin goal of three by a puny 0.48, I’m pretty confident that only the most trained eye will have any chance of spotting anything off-key about the Filmmaker Mode’s glorious efforts.
In fact, thanks to the refinements the 65S90F can apply to its more vibrant colors, the Filmmaker Mode looks as gorgeous in its own calmer, more nuanced way as the much more vibrant Standard mode does, with both presets bringing out the extremes of the QD-OLED panel’s capabilities. Extremes that now include a level of subtlety to go with the potency that just wasn’t there before.
The S90F's brightness reserves give highlights and colors in images added punch (Image credit: Future)The 65S90F’s extremes of light and color precision also play their part in creating a beautifully crisp and clean picture with both native 4K sources and, thanks to the efforts of Samsung’s latest AI picture engine, upscaled HD images.
The only thing that damages the 65S90F’s sense of clarity and detail is the out-of-the-box motion settings Samsung applies to some of its picture presets, which can cause quite aggressive glitches in the picture during camera pans or around/over fast-moving objects.
Happily, though, it’s possible to tweak these issues away pretty straightforwardly by choosing a Custom setting for the Picture Clarity settings, and then turning off noise reduction and reducing the judder and blur reduction processing components to around level three or four.
Unlike most LCD and even some rival OLED screens, the 65S90F’s pictures don’t lose contrast or suffer from shifting color tones when viewed from even a really wide angle, making it a great option for big families or awkward room layouts.
I could find only two real issues with the 65S90F’s pictures. First, despite being much brighter than its predecessor, its brightness falls a fair way short of the sort of numbers we’re seeing now from the high-end OLEDs out there from the likes of LG, Samsung, and Philips. And second, if the 65S90F is being watched in very high levels of ambient light, its typically stunning black levels can start to look a bit gray.
The brighter OLEDs out there are typically much more expensive than the 65S90F, though, unless you pick up a 2024 model if you can find one. And the circumstances that cause grayness to creep into black areas are rarer and the degree of grayness milder than it was with the 65S90D, so much so that most home setups will seldom notice it.
The 65S90F’s sound isn’t quite as talented as its pictures, but it still is much better and louder than you might expect from such an ultra-thin TV.
For starters, it gets good traction from its Object Tracking Sound (OTS) system. As its name suggests, this enhancement ensures that soundtrack elements are coming not just from the screen generally, but from the correct part of the screen. The system also manages to stage ambient sounds and music so that they appear, correctly, to be hanging out somewhere beyond the on-screen action.
The 65S90F’s OTS Lite system isn’t quite as uncannily precise with its sound effect positioning as Samsung’s higher-end TVs are – not least because it only carries a 2.1-channel speaker system versus the 4.2.2-channel speaker setups typically provided by those more premium models. But it’s still effective enough to make soundtracks feel detailed, busy and immersive.
The staging includes a good sense of forward impact with hard sounds like gunfire, punches and explosions too, despite the TV lacking any forward-facing speakers, while shrill treble effects avoid sounding distractingly harsh or thin.
The 65S90F isn’t the loudest TV we’ve heard – at least at the sort of volume levels you’ll need to stick to if you don’t want the speakers to start feeling a bit strained. Its speakers have enough headroom, though, to be capable of shifting up at least a few gears as action or horror scenes escalate towards a crescendo – even if they don’t quite have that ‘fifth gear’ required to carry the movie world’s loudest moments all the way home.
The 65S90F even manages to find a bit of bass from somewhere, despite its skinny form. This can succumb to buzzing interference, however, and sound a bit strained with the most extreme bass drops, but such moments don’t crop up all that often.
At first glance, the 65S90F looks like one of the most futuristic TVs you’ll see. This is because at its outer edges, the screen is incredibly thin – barely deeper than a couple of credit cards stacked on top of each other. The width of the frame around the screen is also unusually narrow, adding to the feeling that you’re watching pictures being conjured up out of thin air.
The 65S90F is not actually as skinny as it initially appears, though. There’s a much deeper mid-section on its rear hosting the TV’s speakers, connections and electronics. This results in a slightly awkward two-tier appearance if you’re looking at the back of the TV, with the screen seeming like it’s just been stuck onto the chunky section rather than the two areas coming together to forge a truly unified design.
Who in their right mind, though, wants to look at the back of a TV rather than its front? And from the front – and, actually, even from quite wide viewing angles – the 65S90F is a futuristic cutie.
While the 65S90F can be hung on a wall if you wish, most users will probably opt to place it on its included stand. This features a unique design that finds a pair of feet slotting screw-free into the TV’s bodywork, and a metallic plate then slotting onto the feet to create what looks like a centrally mounted pedestal support. The resulting central pedestal enables the TV to sit on pretty much as narrow a piece of furniture as you want.
The Tizen OS carried by all Samsung TVs is now in its ninth generation, and after a few stumbles along the way, all that experience has paid off handsomely.
For starters, Tizen is now extremely rich with content, including – so far as I can tell – all of the main streaming apps used around the world, as well as many more obscure ones besides.
The only obvious absentee in the UK is the Freeview Play app that brings together all of the streaming services of the UK’s main terrestrial broadcasters. But crucially, each of those catch-up apps is still available on an individual basis.
The Tizen interface can feel a little overwhelming when you’re first presented with it, and it can also run a touch sluggishly for a moment or two after the 65S90F is switched on. Once it’s settled down, though, and you’ve spent just a few moments exploring what it can do, it’s now a friendly and – in the way it learns your viewing habits and recommends content accordingly – highly intelligent TV OS.
Tizen 9.0 has also now resolved most of the navigational quirks that used to affect it when it first switched to a full-screen interface, and it’s customizable enough to easily be adapted to your personal preferences. Also, it can adapt to the personal preferences and viewing habits of different members of your household thanks to its support for multiple user profiles.
Accessing the 65S90F’s setup menus from within the Tizen OS is a bit long-winded, but pressing the settings menu on either of the two remote controls the TV ships with offers a shortcut to all the most-used adjustments.
A notable addition to Samsung’s 2025 menu system is a new AI shortcut option that both makes Samsung’s AI-based picture and sound enhancements easier to access, and makes users more aware that such AI features exist.
Purists likely won’t care for the AI enhancements, of course, and things can get a bit complicated when it turns out that some of the other picture settings you can choose can have an impact on how aspects of the AI enhancements work. But I’d recommend that most people at least experiment with them, even if only with broadcast or sub-4K content too if you prefer how it sharpens things up.
One of the remote controls I just mentioned is a fairly chunky, button-crowded ‘standard’ one, while the other is a much sleeker, less button-heavy smart handset that I suspect will become the one most people use.
The 65S90F is an outstanding gaming display. For starters, all of its HDMI ports can take in full bandwidth gaming feeds, meaning you could simultaneously attach four 4K 120Hz-capable consoles and PCs if you wanted to.
All four HDMIs also support variable refresh rates, including in the AMD Freesync Premium Pro format and Nvidia G-Sync (though this is being added via an update), as well as auto low latency mode switching so that the TV automatically switches into its fastest response mode when the TV detects a game is incoming.
When in its Game mode, the 65S90F only takes 9.2ms to render incoming 60Hz feeds – a truly outstanding result for a TV that pretty much halves, too, if the game you’re playing supports 120Hz.
The 65S90F also lets you call up a dedicated Game Bar menu screen rather than the usual TV menus when it knows a game is being played, and from this Game Bar you can both get key information about the incoming gaming feed and access a few gaming aids, including a mini map zoom, the option to raise the brightness of dark picture areas without impacting bright areas, and a crosshair superimposed over the center of the screen.
The Tizen OS homescreen, meanwhile, includes a dedicated Game Hub page, where all of your gaming sources, from connected consoles to game streaming services, are gathered together.
The 65S90F’s gaming performance, finally, is fantastic. Its rich color and contrast are perfectly placed to deliver gaming graphics with exceptional exuberance and dynamism, especially with titles that make particularly aggressive use of high dynamic range. The speedy input lag time ensures that gaming always feels ultra fluid and responsive, too.
The only negative thing to say about the 65S90F’s gaming performance is that unless you’re taking advantage of its HDR Gaming Interest Group (HGiG) support, where the console takes control of the HDR that’s fed out to the TV, the default game settings can cause some distracting brightness fluctuations as you run around any map that has a mix of light and dark areas.
If this is troubling you with whatever game you’re playing, though, you just need to turn off the TV’s dynamic tone mapping setting.
While the 65S90F is not by any stretch of the imagination cheap, it does sit slightly at the right end of the same price ball park as its key rivals.
Also, more importantly, it’s around £700 / $800 cheaper than its 65-inch S95F sibling, while delivering a more potent sense of QD-OLED technology’s strengths than its S90D predecessor.
The S95F series does look set to deliver a major brightness upgrade over the S90F, to be fair, as well as carrying a really strong anti-reflection filter that the S90F does not have.
But that price difference adds up to a lot of 4K Blu-rays and/or other home theater gear.
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Features
Aside from not supporting the Dolby Vision HDR format, the 65S90F overall delivers a mammoth set of smart, gaming, audio and video features for its money.
5/5
Picture quality
The 65S90F’s pictures radically improve on those of its already excellent predecessor, delivering a mid-range OLED masterclass.
5/5
Sound quality
While more robust bass handling would have been nice, the 65S90F is loud enough, detailed enough and clever enough with the accuracy of its staging.
4/5
Design
While its two-tier design feels a little awkward during setup, the narrow, well-built bezel, and stunning thinness at its outer edges make it an opulent, elegant addition to your living room.
4.5/5
Smart TV and menus
It takes a little getting used to, but once you do, the rewards offered by the intelligence and scope of its content recommendation and voice recognition systems are immense.
4.5/5
Gaming
As well as looking gorgeous thanks to the screen’s rich colors and sensational contrast, games on the 65S90F feel fantastically responsive and crisp.
4.5/5
Value
The 65S90F delivers a massive chunk of QD-OLED goodness for way less than Samsung’s flagship S95F range.
4/5
Buy it if...You want spectacular QD-OLED pictures without breaking the bank: With its stunning colors and spectacular contrast, the 65S90F still delivers truly premium picture quality despite its mid-range price.
You love gaming as much as movies: The 65S90F’s outstanding response time, excellent gaming features and spectacularly rich, dynamic pictures make it a stellar gaming screen – so long as you turn Dynamic Tone Mapping off, anyway.
You want a sophisticated smart TV system: The latest Tizen platform is exceptionally good at learning what different members of your household like to watch and recommending relevant content accordingly. Its voice control system is particularly good, too.
Don't buy it if…You want Dolby Vision support: Samsung has never supported the Dolby Vision HDR format yet, and that doesn’t change with the 65S90F.
Your TV will sit in direct sunlight: The 65S90F doesn’t get one of the extreme anti-reflection screens the step-up S95Fs get, and QD-OLED technology can lose black level in strong direct light.
You’re not prepared to tweak a setting or two: Unhelpful default motion processing and slight black crush with some presets means you should be prepared to tinker with some of the 65S90F’s settings to get the best out of it.
Samsung S90F 65-inch review: Also consider...Samsung 65S90F
LG OLED65C5
Panasonic 65Z85A
Philips 65OLED909
Price
£2,699 / $2,499
£2,699 / $2,699
£1,999 / $1,799
£2,499 / $N/A
Screen type
QD-OLED
OLED
OLED
OLED (w/ MLA)
Refresh rate
144Hz
144Hz
144Hz
144Hz
HDR support
HDR10+/HDR10/HLG
HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
HDR10, HLG HDR10+, Dolby Vision
Smart TV
Tizen 9.0
webOS 25
Fire TV
Google TV
HDMI ports
4x HDMI 2.1
4x HDMI 2.1
4 (2x HDMI 2.1)
4 (2x HDMI 2.1)
LG OLED65C5
LG has long dominated the OLED TV scene, and the brand’s new 2025 mid-range C5 series still represents the 65S90F’s closest competition. Its pictures are capable of outstanding accuracy and support Dolby Vision, but there’s no HDR10+ support, and it also has lower peak brightness.
Here's our full LG OLED65C5 review
Panasonic 65Z85A
This Panasonic mid-range isn’t as bright or vibrant as the 65S90F, and only supports advanced gaming features over two HDMI ports. Its pictures are extremely refined and natural, though, and it supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ and is substantially cheaper.
Here's our full Panasonic 65Z85A review
Philips 65OLED909
Remarkably, this Philips OLED TV provides both brightness boosting micro lens array technology and a bold Ambilight design for just £2,499 at the time of writing. While its pictures can be truly spectacular, though, you have to learn your way around the TV’s complicated menus to get the best from it.
Here's our full Philips 65OLED909 review
How I tested the Samsung 65S90FThe nature of the 65S95F’s QD-OLED technology required me to spend as much time testing it in daylight conditions as I did testing it in darkened rooms, to make sure I wasn’t disturbed by the potential for bright light to impact the screen’s contrast. So it became my full-time living room TV for much of the nearly two weeks I spent with it.
That said, I also tested it under the same specific dark test room conditions TechRadar tests all of our TVs in, with a wide range of disc, game and streaming test content. Disc content included the 4K and HD Blu-rays of It: Chapter One, Blade Runner 2049 and Pan, while for gaming tests, I deployed both a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X running such titles as Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6, Forza Horizon 5 and South Of Midnight.
Finally, as ever I put the 65S90F through a barrage of objective tests using Portrait Displays’ Calman Ultimate analysis software, G1 signal generator, and newly released C6 HDR5000 light meter.
You can read an in-depth overview of how we test TVs at TechRadar for more information.
Hurricanes have gotten larger and wetter because of climate change and inland communities are at greater risk from heavy flooding. That's what Hurricane Helene did to western North Carolina last year.
(Image credit: Nickolai Hammar/NPR)
The administration argues the men's home countries won't take them — but lawyers say getting sent to a country like South Sudan could lead to more persecution.
(Image credit: David Ryder)
In a post on social media late Saturday, Trump said he was withdrawing Isaacman's nomination after a "thorough review" of the tech billionaire's "prior associations."
(Image credit: John Raoux)
A classified UN report found that Iran has sharply increased its uranium stockpile since February. This comes just as the U.S. prepares for renewed nuclear talks with Tehran.
(Image credit: Jon Gambrell)
Laptops are the new normal in today's working world. PCs, especially desktops, are kept for high-powered machines or other reasons that may need to stay. Most of today's workers, especially remote workers, operate from a laptop. And, while laptops are great, they do not promote the best ergonomics on their own; that's where ProtoArc chose to step in and create an all-in-one combo pack that can help with the ergonomics and functionality of laptop users on the go.
This combo pack includes a carrying case, a laptop stand, a folding keyboard, and a mouse. Each piece is good, nothing outstanding, but they are all good. What makes this pack special, though, is the bundle into a single carrying case, providing an easy-to-use solution for those who want a mouse and keyboard on the go or don't want to stare down at their laptop all day long.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )ProtoArc XKM01 CaseUp: Pricing and AvailabilityYou can grab this setup from ProtoArc's website by clicking here, where it's priced between $80 to $100 (or £55 to £68). It' also widely available from online retailers like Amazon.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )ProtoArc XKM01 CaseUp: Unboxing & first impressionsThe keyboard and mouse feel sturdy despite their lightweight design. Additionally, the carrying case adds a nice and easy way to protect the gear when moving or tossed into a bag.
I was able to quickly and easily get up and running with this setup; no instructions are necessary, though some guides are included. I paired the mouse and keyboard to my MacBook and my iPad Mini, and I have the dongle accessible so I can plug it into any of the computers I am testing at the time.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Right away, I was mesmerized by the tri-fold keyboard, wanting to see how it could be so smooth; once I looked at it for a while, I started fiddling with the stand and the mouse, appreciating how compact and minimalist they all were.
ProtoArc XKM01 CaseUp: Design & Build Quality(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )SpecsKeyboard
Folded Dimensions: 8.48 x 4.71 x 0.82 inches
Expanded Dimensions: 15.21 x 4.71 x 0.49 inches
Mouse
Dimensions: 0.92 x 2.32 x 4.25 inches
This portable productivity kit has been with my team for 173 days. We have gotten a good amount of testing in. Over that time, it has become a staple in one of my team member's arsenal of focus and daily work. So much so that when I want to use it myself, I have to convince him not to use it for a bit so I can get some work done with it.
The best part about this combo is that each part can be used by itself, or you can use the combo. That becomes essential for how I use this gear in a moment. As a whole kit, it genuinely transforms whatever laptop into a more ergonomic, full-keyboard, external mouse setup, all with the ability to collapse back down to a backpack setup. Especially if you already have a larger laptop, this could be all you need to take your productivity to the next level.
If you have a portable screen with you or a tablet, like an iPad that you use in sidecar, you could prop your laptop up at the highest angle, put your tablet or portable screen on your laptop's keyboard, and then use the ProtoArc keyboard as your keyboard, creating a dual-screen, stacked setup all without expensive or hefty equipment that would slow you down. In short, adding this combo to your workflow can enhance your productivity with very little extra gear in your bag.
The keyboard is comfortable; it's not fancy mechanical, but it is easy to type on, even for extended periods. Impressively, it also has a full numpad, making it stand out even among most laptop keyboards. If you're working remotely and inputting many numbers, having a true numpad may be an absolute game-changer for you.
The mouse is decent. If you are used to an MX Master 3 or some other high-end mouse, this is not that; it is a good basic mouse with good tracking and basic ergonomics.
The last use case that I didn't even think of at first until I was working on my iPad to finish up this review is that I could use the stand to prop up my iPad (regardless of the model) and then use the mouse and keyboard paired to the iPad making a full-on productivity set up out of a slab of glass and this combo.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Attributes
Notes
Rating
Design
Great compact design
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ease of use
Easy to use
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Practicality
Great for most
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Price
Priced well for the product
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
ProtoArc XKM01 CaseUp: Final verdictThe ProtoArc XKM01 CaseUp is a well-designed and well-thought-out combo to enhance productivity. Whether you're a commuter trying to fit in every ounce of productivity, you can, or if you are a remote worker trying to make an efficient setup in a cafe on the coast of some tropical island, the ProtoArc XKM01 CaseUp can help you get there.
Hamas said it was seeking last minute changes to a 60-day ceasefire plan backed by the U.S. and approved by Israel. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff dismissed the changes as "totally unacceptable."
(Image credit: Ariel Schalit)