Boulies EP200: One year on

March 2026: It's been a little over a year since I first reviewed the Boulies EP200 (published February 18 2025) - and I thought it might be helpful to offer a few thoughts after a solid 12 months' using this office chair.

First, this is still my daily driver. Unless I'm testing out another model, this is the chair I use all-day at work, which I think speaks volumes. I haven't felt any fatigue when using it, although ten hours is about my limit before I need a break.

Comfort and support remain excellent. And it's more adjustable than I originally thought - not as much as a premium seat like the Herman Miller Embody, but certainly more than, say, the Boulies OP180 I have downstairs.

Build quality was an initial concern - especially at this price-point. However, so far, the adjustment mechanisms show no sign of wear, and neither does the plastic or the rubberized armrests. Crucially, the mesh seating remains tight with no noticeable sagging. For the price, what more could you ask for, really?

It's a firm sit. If you suffer back pains or aches, this is ideal - it may sound counter-intuitive, but a soft seat office chair is the worst choice for chronic lower back pain, since it won't support the lower back or spine. Alright, it's not up there with a chair like the Steelcase Leap, but for mild aches, where you need a good amount of support, I find it works well.

Overall, a year on, I still find the Boulies EP200 to be the archetypal office chair for most people. It's relatively cheap, not overly engineered or designed (in a good way), and suitable for long hours in the office and home office.

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The original, unedited review continues below

Boulies EP200: 30-second review

Supremely comfortable. That was my first thought after assembling the Boulies EP200 office chair and sitting down for the first time. And after a month of constant use - for at least eight hours a day, sometimes more - this initial assessment still holds true.

This is a delightful mesh seat which feels at all times supportive, relaxed, and one of the best office chairs I’ve ever tested. I’ve long been a fan of mesh office chairs, which are a lot more breathable and far less sweaty than fabric and leather (or worse, so-called PU or faux leather) options you’ll often find on even the best gaming chairs. If you’re using your chair for long hours at a time, to my mind mesh is the way to go. On this score, the Boulies EP200 ably fits the bill.

My real concern was whether that mesh seat would suffer from a general sagging or whether it would be too firm - either can lead to discomfort and fatigue during the work day. I’m happy to report that it hits the Goldilocks spot, neither too hard nor too soft, but just right.

There are a handful of features lacking here, which you’ll find on higher-priced desk chairs. Notably, the lumbar support is fixed to one spot - although you can move it back and forth, it isn’t height-adjustable to accommodate for taller users (as a man of average height, this wasn’t an issue for me).

Nonetheless, it does boast decent lower back support, 3D armrests, a pleasant headrest, and overall, I had no real problems positioning these to make it as comfortable as possible for all-day use.

Boulies EP200: Price & availability

The Boulies EP200 Series retails for $300 via the Boulies.com website by clicking here.

In the UK, the chair is available for £280 from the Boulies.co.uk site which you can visit by clicking here.

Right now, only the black cold-cured foam version is available in the US, while the UK offers both gray and black models.

At the time of review, this chair is currently discounted to $200 / £190, which is more in-line with budget-price office chairs - and an excellent price for what’s on offer, I feel. You can also pick it up from Amazon.co.uk and other online retailers.

Boulies EP200: Specs

Boulies EP200: Design

The EP200 Series is available in black or gray, with the choice of a mesh or a cold-cured foam seat. Both models possess a tightly woven, single-piece mesh backrest. I selected the gray mesh variant for review, which I found unimposing in the home office.

Design-wise, it’s of the classic office chair look, not dissimilar to the likes of the Sihoo M57 (read our review here). Smart and professional, it won’t look out of place either in the home or in the office, and I have no complaints with its appearance. At 51cm, the backrest itself is relatively wide compared to some at this price-point, giving it more utility for those with a larger frame.

Around the back, it’s similarly unfussy, with a Y-shaped plastic support where, within the nub, you’ll find the adjustable lumbar support. The only sign of decoration comes from a silver piece of plastic stamped with the Boulies signature. This is a separate piece, fitted post-assembly, and entirely optional depending on your tastes.

Boulies EP200: Assembly

Taking around twenty minutes from start to finish, constructing the Boulies EP200 is about as simple as any I’ve tried. Plug the wheels into the aluminum base, bolt the backrest to the seat, then affix the contoured headrest. Connect the armrests, add the gas lift to the base, and rest the chair on top. All par for the course when it comes to office chair assembly.

While the box is admittedly heavy, I had no issues hauling it upstairs into the office, and assembling the entire unit on my own. The included manual is straightforward and easy to follow, and if you have any experience piecing chairs together, you’ll have no trouble here whatsoever.

Boulies EP200: Comfort & adjustability

I was impressed with the comfort of this office chair - in fact, I’d find reasons to sit at my desk outside of work hours just to use it. I found the suspended mesh seat firm without being too hard, and supportive in all the right places.

As a chap of average height and build, I didn’t struggle with finding the sweet spot here. Like all gas-lift office chairs, you’ll find a lever beneath the seat to adjust the overall height. Pulling this lever outward unlocks the backrest so you can recline - just push back with your body weight until you find the appropriate angle, then lock it into place again. Easy stuff.

A second lever beside this is where you can control how far back the seat can go, and I found I had to have it moderately far forward in order to get into the lumbar support in the correct position. After making this adjustment, the foam lumbar support pushing through the mesh offered consistent lower back support.

I was expecting the unpadded armrests to be a bind, akin to resting one’s elbows on a slab of warm concrete. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find the foam, while relatively thin and somewhat hardened, provided an excellent balance between comfort and support - much like the rest of the chair, to be fair. As typical 3D armrests, these can be moved up and down, backwards and forwards, and outward and inward.

However, I would’ve liked to see a few more adjustability options. Specifically, the lumbar support, which can be repositioned on the horizontal plane by turning the screw cap, but not vertically, which would be useful for taller users. The headrest, too, can be moved up and down, but won’t shift forward, back, or angled in any way. Perhaps I’m being greedy, since for the price, I don’t consider these deal-breakers.

Boulies EP200: Final verdict

If you’re looking for a decent ergonomic office chair that won’t break the bank, there’s a lot to recommend about the Boulies EP200. It might not boast all the bells and whistles you’ll find on chairs twice the price, and it would’ve been nice to have a few extra adjustability points here and there. But for a modern, uncomplicated seat, I found it supremely comfortable and ultra-breathable even when used all day.

Should I buy the Boulies EP200 Series office chair?

For more workspace essentials, we tested the best standing desks for the home and office.

AceMagic K1: 30-second review

The AceMagic K1 is a compact mini PC with a stylish silver metallic finish and ultra compact square form factor that should find a place easily enough in any desktop.

Lifting the K1 out of the packaging, despite its quality, the all-plastic body is immediately apparent, although it does have a decent weight for its size, and everything feels solid and well put together. At this price point, I didn’t expect a metal case, and the silver finish does a good job of initially fooling you that this is a premium styled model.

The port layout is split between front and rear. On the front, you get two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports running at 10 Gbps, a USB-C port for display and data, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The rear offers four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports at 5 Gbps, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, and a single Gigabit Ethernet port. The rear ports sit just above the exhaust vent, which means some care is needed with cable management to avoid obstructing airflow through the machine.

Due to the small size, mounting the K1 on the back of your monitor utilising the VESA would be the best solution and also free up desk space. While there is a decent amount of ports, it’s a shame that aside from the USB-C on the front, there are no additional options on the rear, opting for older USB Type-A instead.

Inside the machine is an Intel Core i5-12600H; this CPU isn’t the latest Intel technology, but it has a proven track record and is a step above the Intel N150-equipped machines that still seem to be available.

In my review unit, it came equipped with a single 16GB DDR4 stick, which essentially means single-channel operation. This is worth mentioning as, through the test, I did find the GPU performance limiting, and a second matched 16GB module should improve memory bandwidth and GPU performance, and the 32GB dual-channel configuration is the better starting point if the budget allows.

Running Windows 11 Pro and then loading Microsoft Office applications, the K1 was fast and handling all Office programs was well within its abilities. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint all loaded and ran well, able to handle everyday work without issues. Through the test, I was able to lay out large PowerPoint presentations with embedded images and video, and all was easily handled by the machine.

Taking a look at some creative applications and Lightroom Classic took a little longer to open than I am used to on more powerful machines, but once loaded, it ran well enough for cataloguing and basic editing of files from the Canon EOS R5 C. Using Adobe Bridge showed the first real signs of the GPU starting to struggle, with noticeable lag rendering thumbnails from a folder of more than 500 images.

Another bigger point to note was the speed of the Wi-Fi connectivity. Connecting the machine through the Wi-Fi 6 connection to an Eero 6 router performed well, but when downloading games through Steam, it felt slightly slower than other Wi-Fi 6 devices I also have in the office. The wired RJ45 Ethernet was connected to the router, and speeds took a notable step up.

When video editing, I ran two 4K BenQ monitors via HDMI and DisplayPort, and added a third 1080p monitor via the front USB-C port, which the K1 again handled without issue, although every time the system was pushed, the fans kicked in, and the dual fans were noticeable, especially when editing video and gaming. While not quite up there with the machines in our best mini PC guide, it's a fair all-rounder that's ideal for everyday tasks at home and in the office.

ACEMagic K1: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? From £359 / $359
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Directly from Acemagic.com, and online retailers such as Amazon.com, and Amazon.co.uk

The K1 with either the Intel Core i5-12600H or a range of AMD Ryzen processors is available for $395 direct from Acemagic.com.

In the US, you can also get the model sporting an AMD Ryzen chip starts from $330 at Amazon.com, and comes in a range of configurations.

In the UK, I'm seeing a configuration with an AMD Ryzen processor, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and 512GB SSD for £330 at Amazon.co.uk.

The machine ships with Windows 11 Pro. A two-year warranty is included on purchases from the official store.

• Value: 3.5 / 5

AceMagic K1: Specs

*as reviewed

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600H
GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Memory: 16GB DDR4 3200MHz (2x SO-DIMM slots, up to 64GB)
Storage: 512GB M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4 (2x M.2 slots, up to 4TB total)
Display output: HDMI 2.0 (4K@60Hz), DP 1.4b (4K@60Hz), USB-C (4K@60Hz) — triple 4K supported
Front ports: 2x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A (10Gbps), 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, 1x 3.5mm audio jack, power button
Rear ports: 4x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A (5Gbps), 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DP 1.4b, 1x RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet, DC in
Wireless: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
OS: Windows 11 Pro
Dimensions: 128 x 128.2 x 41.3mm

AceMagic K1: Design

The K1 is a surprisingly compact square-format mini PC that measures in at just 128 x 128.2 x 41.3mm, one of the smallest that I’ve seen for a while. The exterior could initially be mistaken for high-quality brushed metal, but as soon as I lifted it from the box, the warmer, non-metal feel instantly highlighted the all-plastic construction. Still, for a few moments, the finish does give you the impression that it's a slightly higher-quality product than you might expect at this price.

On the front panel, there are two USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports at 10Gbps, a USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port that supports display output and data, and a 3.5mm audio jack alongside the power button. These front connection options are useful if you ever connect external SSDs, USB Keys or headphones and help you to avoid reaching around to the back of the machine, where port placement can be tight, especially on a machine like this.

The rear panel of the machine packs in a surprising amount of ports with four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4b, and a single LAN port. The ports at the rear are close together, but there’s still just enough space to plug in all your accessories, and for a machine of this size, that volume of ports is handy. My only comment on the ports is that, like the older CPU, the bulk of ports here are the older USB Type-A, and in reality, an additional USB-C or two would definitely have been an advantage.

As I opened up the machine to look at the layout of the internal components, it was good to see the dual-fan exhaust design, with the large main fan mounted at the top. As I used the K1 to edit FHD video in DaVinci Resolve, the fans were quick to kick in, helping to keep things cool. For less intensive work, such as working with Word and Excel, the fans generally stayed quiet.

Checking over the machine and while using the computer for a good 6 hours, parts of the machine were warm to the touch.

As I went through the test, I did find that the specifications were a little limiting, especially the RAM and internal SSD. An upgrade is possible, but compared with the quick access of many Mini PCs to the internal components, here the process is altogether more involved.

To reach the RAM and second M.2 slot, for instance, the four rubber feet on the base need to be carefully lifted; they are held with double-sided adhesive to reveal the four mounting screws beneath. These four screws sit in deep recesses of the mini PC’s body, and to reach them, you need a longer cross-head screwdriver than I commonly use.

However, once inside, you then need to lift the motherboard and set it carefully to the side. If you want to completely disconnect the motherboard from the chassis then you can, otherwise I found carefully propping it up was a great was to save time. Once the chassis is moved aside and the motherboard lifted, you have access to the memory and SSD slots below.

The process is manageable with patience and some experience, but if you’re less confident, then you may prefer to order the higher-spec configuration from the outset with more RAM and storage.

• Design: 4 / 5

AceMagic K1: Features

The list of features of the K1 does all seem a little dated, but this is a machine aimed at those who are looking for a solid, tried and tested specification that should run Windows and Microsoft Office apps without issue.

Therefore inside is an Intel Core i5-12600H, the 12-core hybrid configuration combines four cores running at up to 4.5GHz with eight cores handling background tasks, which means Windows 11 ran smoothly from the outset with the standard Microsoft Apps, however, while Microsoft application loaded quickly, Steam, the Adobe Suite and DaVinci Resolve took a good while to completely load, and some games wouldn’t load at all due to hardware requirements.

My review unit came pre-installed with 16GB of DDR4 at 3200MHz in a single SO-DIMM, running in single-channel mode. It is worth noting that single-channel memory halves the available memory bandwidth compared with a dual-channel pair (When you have two sticks installed), which will have an impact on the GPU performance.

Storage is just 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD running on PCIe 3.0 x4, and this is again fine for Windows and Microsoft Office applications, but a little limiting on space for more creative tasks and applications. What I did like is that there is a second M.2 slot available for additional storage, and if you want, you can install two 2TB sticks to bring the full internal storage up to 4TB.

The display setup is well captured, and while you can run triple 4K displays through the test, I settled on two 4K BenQ models. These displays are connected to the HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4b outputs on the rear, and then a third display can be connected to the USB-C on the front, which is never the neatest solution.

The port selection on both the front and back does offer plenty of scope with two 10Gbps USB-A ports and a USB-C port on the front, plus four 5Gbps USB-A ports on the rear. On connectivity, alongside the single LAN port that covers wired networking, there’s also Wi-Fi 6 with Bluetooth 5.2 that handles all wireless connectivity.

• Features: 4 / 5

AceMagic K1: Performance

Taking the small AceMagic K1 out of the packaging, the initial impressions are good with a decent weight and finish to the casing, with a premium metallic look despite being plastic.

Windows 11 Pro comes installed on the system, and the last part of the setup process, which involves entering your details and running the updates, is all that’s needed before you install your selection of applications.

Once everything is set up, Windows 11 Pro performs well, as do the Microsoft Office applications, really all well within the abilities that you would expect for a home office machine. Checking the PCMark overall score and sure enough, with a result of 6,322 and backed up by a Geekbench multi-core score of 6,190, all show that this is a machine that is perfectly tuned to everyday tasks and administration.

In Microsoft Office, the K1 was able to switch quickly between Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and loading up relatively large files and copying data from Excel to Word and embedding in PowerPoint all worked without issue. The only brief pause came when opening a large, image-heavy PowerPoint file, which took a moment to load before it seemed to settle, and editing became available.

As expected, web browsing in Edge and media streaming from YouTube and BBC iPlayer were all well handled, and while the Wi-Fi connection did feel slightly slower than other machines I also use on the network, streaming video ran well on the 4K monitor.

Pushing the demands on the system, I loaded Lightroom Classic, which did initially take a while to load, but once the application was ready, it worked well, handling RAW files from the Canon EOS R5 C and Hasselblad X2D II 100C for cataloguing, editing, and batch export without major issues.

Adobe Bridge was the first place where the GPU started to struggle, with a noticeable delay in rendering thumbnails when browsing a folder containing over 500 images. Photoshop handled general editing and multi-layer files without any real issues, although applying dodge-and-burn effects to larger landscape files did cause some stuttering.

In Premiere Pro, the limits of this machine really started to show with the 4K timeline rendering being particularly slow. I then cut the resolution to 1080, and the editing and export were much better. Taking that same footage over to CapCut, the machine was able to handle social media edits without issue.

An interesting point is that the SSD's read and write performance of 3,468 MB/s and 2,582 MB/s is solid for a PCIe 3.0 drive and does help with the speed of more demanding tasks, but while these transfer speeds were fast, some applications were slow to load.

Testing out the speed of the SSD and importing files from CFexpress cards, the speed was noticeably fast, although with only 512GB of storage, an external SSD would be a good idea, or a secondary 2TB internal SSD would be a good option.

To finish off the test, I tried out a few games, and again, the limitations of the machine's hardware really started to show as the Iris Xe GPU was put under pressure.

Titles with demanding graphics requirements, such as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, would not run at all, highlighting Vulcan incompatibility issues with the machine.

Dirt Rally, which is a far older game, ran at reduced settings and played smoothly enough to be enjoyable. The K1 is not a gaming machine, but lighter and older titles are within reach at low to medium settings.

• Performance: 3.5 / 5

AceMagic K1: Final verdict

The AceMagic K1 is a decent entry-level mini PC that’s perfectly suited to administration work where Microsoft Office applications are going to be the main focus of use. While the machine can handle lightweight multimedia editing, the limitation with graphics holds it back.

However, around the body there are plenty of connectivity options enabling you to plug in not only your keyboard and mouse, but plenty of additional accessories such as external SSDs, USB Keys and control boards. It’s also good that you can connect up to 3 4K monitors, although in this test I connected two 4K on the HDMI and DP and a third 1080p monitor through the front USB-C.

Through the test, I did note that anything that required graphics, from loading the Adobe applications to gaming, took the machine a while to load. This may well have been solely down to the GPU, but could also be due to the single-channel RAM configuration. Having 32GB will give an obvious boost, but adding that additional stick will also provide more memory bandwidth.

While the specifications for RAM and SSD in my review sample were modest to say the least, there’s plenty of upgrade potential with the RAM option up to 64GB and the SSDs enabling up to 4TB of internal storage. If you did go down this route, then you would have to clone the OEM version of Windows from the smaller SSD to the new one.

If you need a compact, Windows 11 machine to run the full Office suite, some light multimedia work, and a two to three-monitor setup, on a budget, the K1 is a decent choice. It is a good, solid machine that looks great and will provide you with all the power you need for core apps and the Microsoft Office suite. If you need it to do anything more, I would look at a higher-spec machine.

Should I buy an AceMagic K1?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

For more desktops, we've reviewed the best business computers.

GEEKOM A5 Pro: 30-second review

The Geekom A5 Pro at 112.4 x 112.4 x 37mm is one of the smaller Mini PCs that I’ve looked at; however, removing it from the box, the all-aluminium casing gives it an instantly premium look and feel. The finish is exceptional, and it’s a good, solid machine that will be equally at home in the office or used as a portable machine in the field, for events or any situation where a PC is required. The design is decidedly premium, and unlike some of the more plastic Mini PC options, there’s an overall feeling of quality and style that would make this a perfect option for offices as well as stylish studios.

If you do want to hide the machine away, then there are the usual VESA bracket options so it can be secured to the back of a compatible monitor or stand, although it's worth noting that the SD card reader on the side would then become harder to reach.

One of the features that I like about this machine is the port layout, which, as ever, is split between the front and rear. The front features two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports and a 3.5mm audio combo, and on the side is an SD card reader. Around the back, there are two more USB Type-A ports, one 3.2 Gen 2 and the other USB 2.0.

There are also two USB 3.2 Type-C ports, dual HDMI 2.0 ports, and the 2.5GbE LAN port. That LAN port is a step up from Gigabit Ethernet that I usually see on machines of this size and price, and when connected to the UGREEN NAS, it delivered faster file transfer rates for archiving images and footage.

Powering the machine is an AMD Ryzen 5 7430U, which is paired with 16GB of DDR4. The 16GB is split between two channels, 8GB in each, and this helps ensure that the dual-channel potential is utilised, which is something that has limited other Mini PCs that offer the same RAM but in a single channel, which proves to be far slower. This dual-channel configuration did provide a boost in performance over similar machines, with applications loading faster, especially with Lightroom and Photoshop.

As I pushed the system with the creative apps, the cooling system IceBlast 2.0 kicked in. For a small machine, the noise was kept to a minimum and far lower than I would have expected. For most of the test, it was effectively silent, and even under extended office use, writing this review, the fan noise was hardly noticeable.

One of the additions that I always like to see is an SD card reader on the side. This just makes downloading images and videos that much faster, without needing to locate a card reader. Transferring 90GB of data from an SD card took around 9 minutes and 30 seconds, which is a reasonable speed.

Another feature that highlights its use in the office is the ability for quad display output, and this can be done through the dual HDMI and dual USB-C. I was only able to test with two 4K BenQ monitors running via HDMI or USB-C, but the machine was powerful enough to cope.

While this machine's GPU is limited, especially for gaming or mid-level creative work, for office use, the small machine packs plenty of power - expect to see it included in our guide to the best mini PCs soon.

GEEKOM A5 Pro: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? $499/£499 RRP
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Directly from Geekom and Amazon.com

The Geekom A5 Pro is available from Geekom in the US for $569 and via Geekom UK for £518.

You can save an extra 7% when you use our exclusive code TECHA5PRO

This mini PC is also available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

• Value: 3.5 / 5

GEEKOM A5 Pro: Specs

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7430U
GPU: AMD Radeon Vega 8 Graphics
Memory: 16GB DDR4 SODIMM(Max 64GB)
Storage: 1TB M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 ×4 NVMe SSD (up to 2 TB) and M.2 2242 SATAIII SSD, (up to 1 TB)
Display output: 2x HDMI 2.0 (4K@60Hz), 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C
Front Ports: 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (10Gbps), 3.5mm audio jack
Rear ports: USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (10Gbps), USB 2.0 Type-A, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 2x HDMI 2.0, 2.5GbE RJ45, DC in
Wireless: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
Kensington lock: Yes
OS: Windows 11 Pro
Dimensions: 112.4 x 112.4 x 37mm
In the box: A5 Pro Mini PC, VESA mount, 65W power adapter, HDMI cable, user guide
Warranty: 3 years

GEEKOM A5 Pro: Design

The Geekom A5 Pro is one of the smallest mini PCs I have tested, yet while closely packed, the ports, both front and back, are well laid out. The all-aluminium alloy chassis gives it a real premium feel and means that if you want this as a portable machine, that build quality should stand up. The machine feels solid and well-made, with a minimalistic quality that will appeal to many.

When it comes to the size, as already mentioned, it is small at 112.4 x 112.4 x 37mm, just larger than your palm-sized, so if you want, it’s more than small enough to be attached behind a monitor on a VESA bracket or slipped into a bag for location use.

The included VESA mount makes monitor mounting easy; however, as it is so small, it will equally take up very little space on a desk. One practical issue with VESA mounting is that if it is hidden behind a monitor, reaching the SD card reader on the side may be an issue. If you are planning to use the card reader, placing it on your desk will be a better idea, especially as it takes up so little room.

When it comes to connectivity, there are a surprising number of options considering the small size. On the front, there are two USB 3.2 Gen2 ports and an audio jack, while on the side, there’s the SD card reader.

Round at the rear, there's the rest of the connections: dual HDMI 2.0 ports for monitors, dual USB-C ports with DisplayPort support, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A and a USB 2.0 port, and the 2.5GbE LAN port. The rear port density is well balanced considering the size, and the fact that it has a 2.5GbE LAN over the more usual Gigabit Ethernet is good to see.

As this is such a small machine, decent cooling is essential, and here the IceBlast 2.0 cooling system is in place. This uses dual copper heatpipes and a large fan with side intake and rear output so that plenty of cool air is drawn through the system.

In practice, even under load, I found that the machine remained exceptionally quiet, which is good if you’re using this as an everyday office machine for general work and light creative use. Even when pushing the GPU harder with Lightroom catalogues or video timelines, the fan remained relatively subdued. Just checking the heat of the chassis, and it remained cool to the touch throughout the test.

While this is in no doubt due to the cooling system, the fact that the chip's 20W TDP means that the entire system will be running cooler than many higher-powered mini PCs.

Through the test, I took a look at the upgrade root for RAM and SSD, and the internal access is notably easier than that of some competitors. Removing four screws from the base lifts the cover, revealing both SO-DIMM and M.2 slots, all accessible without too much issue.

The primary M.2 2280 slot takes NVMe drives up to 2TB, and the secondary M.2 2242 SATA slot adds up to 1TB more, enabling a potential 3TB of internal storage. Upgrading RAM to up to 64GB is equally straightforward.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

GEEKOM A5 Pro: Features

Taking a look at the features, aside from the computing components, the small size has to lead the field. The fact that you have such a small machine in a solid aluminium chassis does make this Mini PC instantly appealing. Although from the outset, the lack of a powerful GPU means that while this is a good, powerful PC for office-based work, for creative and gaming, its feature set and performance are limited.

At the heart of the machine is an AMD Ryzen 5 7430U featuring a 6-core, 12-thread chip based on Zen 3 architecture with a 20W TDP, boosting to 4.3GHz. Essentially, this processor is focused on efficiency rather than performance.

What makes a difference to this machine compared with others that I have looked at that also use this processor is the RAM configuration. The 16GB arrives as two 8GB sticks in dual-channel mode, which delivers a noticeably better experience than single-channel alternatives that I have used.

Storage technology is on the older side, with a PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe SSD in the primary slot. There is a second slot for storage, although this is an M.2 2242 SATAIII SSD, so it is still relatively fast and will take a module up to 1TB. It’s also worth noting that PCIe 4.0 is increasingly common at this price point, and the absence of a Gen 4 drive is a disappointment, even if the Gen 3 speeds are unlikely to cause an issue for office work.

On the side of the machine is the SD card reader, which will appeal to creative users. Transferring image files from an SD card is quick, and having the reader built in without needing an external adapter or hub is convenient and keeps additional accessories off the worksurface.

Networking is also a step up from most machines of this type, with a 2.5GbE LAN port on the rear. During the test, I connected this to the UGREEN NAS via a wired router, and transfer rates were noticeably faster than with Gigabit connections.

While quad-display output is supported via dual HDMI 2.0 and dual USB-C with DisplayPort, during this test, I was limited to two 4K monitors.

Connectivity was also solid for the most part, with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 handling wireless connectivity. Wi-Fi performance was consistent at close range but sensitive to line-of-sight distance to the router, with occasional signal drops when the machine was farther from the Eero network.

The Kensington security slot is a useful inclusion for anyone deploying this machine in a shared office or workspace environment. At this price, it is not a common feature, and its inclusion reinforces the professional positioning Geekom aims for with the A5 Pro.

• Features: 4 / 5

GEEKOM A5 Pro: Performance

Getting into the performance and the use of this machine was almost instantly apparent. For office-based work, Microsoft Office and all its applications, browsing the internet and light creative work in CapCut, this machine excelled. However, as soon as I started to place demands on the GPU, the machine's speed started to struggle.

Checking the benchmark results highlighted the strengths of the machine and the PCMark overall score of 5,933, the Geekbench multi-core of 6,903, and the WEI score of 8.0, all of which highlighted that the A5 Pro is a very capable home office machine.

Over other very similar machines that I have tested, the dual-channel RAM configuration has recently given this machine the edge when it comes to performance, although there are still slowdowns. Switching between Lightroom Classic and Photoshop was notably faster, although there’s still quite a wait for many applications to load.

Where this machine is most at home is when running Microsoft Office, and with all applications, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, the A5 Pro was able to handle everything from large documents to image-heavy presentations without issue.

This is where the Ryzen 5 7430U and the Zen 3 architecture work well and provide fast and reliable performance. Web browsing, media streaming, and general Windows use are where this machine's strengths definitely lie.

Switching the type of work to light creative, the A5 Pro continues to perform well, although the 1TB SSD capacity is slightly limiting.

Lightroom Classic opened and catalogued files from the Canon EOS R5 C without issues, and basic editing and batch export were manageable once the application had loaded, which can take a while. Photoshop handled basic editing as well as complex multi-layer files at a reasonable speed, although I did find that as I built up complex focus layer stacks, which created larger files, there was a notable slowdown as the Vega 8 graphics started to work harder. Adobe Bridge showed the GPU limits more clearly, with thumbnail rendering becoming especially slow.

Again, referring back to the benchmarks, the Geekbench GPU score of 13,683 and Fire Strike Graphics of 3,376 show the Vega 8 limitations. 1080p video editing is possible, but 4K starts to challenge the system. In Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, 4K timeline work slowed considerably once effects and colour grading were applied. At 1080p, both applications were more manageable, and in a lighter editor like CapCut, the machine handled social media editing well. This is a machine that you can use for some creative work, but it should be seen first as an office machine rather than creative.

As ever, to really push the system, I loaded a series of games, and this is where the machine really hit its limits. Demanding titles like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle would not run, and Hogwarts Legacy was equally beyond the hardware. Older, less demanding titles ran at low settings, which is about as much as the Vega 8 can handle.

Under sustained load, the IceBlast 2.0 cooling system performed well. Even when the machine was working hard, the fan noise remained relatively low, considerably quieter than that of machines running higher-TDP processors in similarly sized chassis. The 20W limit means there is less heat to manage, and the dual copper heatpipe system seemed to keep the machine in check.

The 20W TDP is both an advantage if low power systems are essential to you, especially out in the field or as part of Van Life; however, it's also the machine's limitation. The power consumption is exceptionally low, and through the test, I was able to run the machine from a compact power station for a full day, making it a great portable option for location work or van life setups.

The trade-off for this low power draw is the performance, especially under GPU-intensive creative and gaming workloads. If you are looking for a machine for productivity, this machine is a great choice. If you need a machine for more demanding creative use, then look for a higher-powered machine.

• Performance: 3.5 / 5

GEEKOM A5 Pro: Final verdict

The Geekom A5 Pro is a well-balanced and genuinely impressive home and office mini PC that just about justifies its price.

The all-aluminium build, dual-channel RAM, 2.5GbE networking, SD card reader, quiet operation, and three-year warranty all come together as a well-balanced offering that just takes the edge over similar machines that I have looked at recently. It essentially runs everything that most offices will need, including Microsoft Office and some creative apps.

The PCIe 3.0 SSD and the Vega 8 GPU do feel like older technologies and do limit the machine's performance, but these aren’t really an issue for the intended market.

If your daily work stays within Office, browsing, and light photo or video editing, the A5 Pro is more than sufficient for your needs. If 4K video editing or GPU-intensive creative work is part of your day-to-day tasks, then the 20W chip will leave you frustrated. If you’re a home-office professional, small-business owner, or content creator who needs a capable secondary machine, this is a good choice at a reasonable cost.

Should I buy the GEEKOM A5 Pro?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

For more productivity machines, we've reviewed the best business laptops around.

Razer Huntsman Signature Edition: Two-minute review

Razer has been all about anniversary products in 2026, with special edition variants of some of its most beloved devices with different physical touches, limited quantities and price tags you could wince at – the Razer Huntsman Signature Edition is the latest entry.

Underneath, it's a Huntsman V3 Pro TKL, which is one of the best gaming keyboards you can purchase with the green brand's second-gen analog optical switches, an 8000Hz polling rate and more goodies that have kept it competitive among a sea of newer, Hall effect and TMR-powered keyboards. It's been out for a couple of years by this point, though.

The Huntsman Signature Edition isn't going to do much to move the needle in Razer's favor, though, and arrives as more of a vanity project than a serious release - it is limited to 1337 pieces (get it, that's leet). After all, with the $500 price tag this keyboard comes with, you could nab both a high-power gaming keyboard and then sink the rest of the funds into a top enthusiast-grade product with more customisation than you could shake a stick at.

The fact is, though, that I like what's here. This Huntsman is built like a tank, and I'm a fan of all the little extras it comes with, such as its mirrored surfaces, the large leather-bound box, and the decent array of accessories on show. Gaming performance is also strong with its optical switches, 8000Hz polling rate, and more besides that keep inputs fast and responsive, plus there are extras such as analog capabilities for controller-like inputs and extensive software customisation to boot, so users can tinker until their hearts are content.

I just wince at that price tag, especially with competition such as the Corsair K70 Pro TKL and SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless Gen 3 offering similar features for half the cost.

Razer Huntsman Signature Edition: Price & release date

• $499.99/£499.99/AU$799.99
• Available only from Razer directly
• Top-end of the market

The Razer Huntsman Signature Edition is only available to purchase from Razer's website, and costs $499.99/£499.99/AU$799.99, putting it right at the top end of the gaming keyboard market. It's also limited to 1337 pieces, so you'll need to have been quick on the button to snag one when it went on sale on February 22, 2026.

For the price, you get the keyboard itself alongside accessories including a keycap puller, a special-edition Razer keycap, swappable macOS command keycaps, a braided USB-C/USB-A cable and a leather sound-dampening mat. That all comes in a hefty leather-bound box with the Razer logo.

You can get premium gaming keyboards with a similar feature set for much less than the asking price, including the Corsair K70 Pro TKL and SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless Gen 3. The keyboard this is based on, the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL, is also much more affordable, and provides an identical core experience to the Huntsman Signature Edition.

• Price score: 2/5

Razer Huntsman Signature Edition: Design and features

• Sturdy machined aluminum frame
• Lovely attention to detail
• Feature-rich software

Razer has certainly attempted to make the Huntsman Signature Edition look and feel like a $500/£500 keyboard. It carries this premium and understated look that we've seen brands move towards more generally, and it looks fantastic, with a black machined aluminum chassis with touches of gray on the volume roller and macro buttons in the top-right corner.

One of the key upgrades over the standard Huntsman V3 Pro TKL that turns this into a 'Signature Edition' is the decision to CNC-mill the entire chassis in 6063 aluminum, giving it this wonderful heft and thickness. It certainly means this keyboard isn't going to go anywhere when it's put down on your desk.

The rear side and underside of the Huntsman Signature Edition have been PVD surface-treated and hand-polished to achieve a mirror-like finish, giving the keyboard an extra extravagant feel. Granted, you won't be able to see it while you use it, but it shows a keen eye for detail on Razer's side.

I'm also a fan of the fact that this keyboard opts for a closed housing over the more common open, skeletal-feeling frames that are a lot more common on gaming-grade keyboards. It gives this product more of an enthusiast's feel, and also helps prevent ingress of dust or unwanted crud between the switches.

The lovely fit and finish of the Huntsman Signature Edition also extends to its textured PBT keycaps that feel great under finger. Razer also bundles a special Razer accent keycap in the box alongside ones for the bottom row for macOS functions, and a keycap puller so you can change them out if you wish. The lack of a wristrest for more optimal ergonomics is a bit of a shame, though, as some rivals come with one, including Razer's own Huntsman V3 Pro TKL.

The TKL (or tenkeyless) layout on offer is convenient and doesn't sacrifice much on overall functionality for the gains in desk space, only chopping off the number pad. You otherwise get a nav cluster with arrow keys, a feature-rich function row, and the usual alphanumeric set. Unlike other, more drastic space-saving layouts, it's easy to use.

In spite of not having an OLED screen, unlike rivals from other manufacturers, the Huntsman Signature Edition has some functions baked into its function row, including backlighting brightness, macro recording, and global adjustment of the actuation and reset points of the optical analog keyswitches. The tactile dial in the top right corner controls system volume by default.

Software control is handled by Razer Synapse, as with the brand's other peripherals, and the experience is familiar. It's a versatile piece of kit, offering means of controlling the actuation and reset points of switches individually, plus dealing with things such as analog, SOCD and rapid trigger functionality for the switches, and configuring the sharp RGB lighting

If you don't want to deal with sorting actuation and reset points on a per-key basis, then you can also select from a range of presets based on game genre, such as FPS or Racing, to optimise the keyboard's settings in one fell swoop.

• Design and features score: 4/5

Razer Huntsman Signature Edition: Specs

Razer Huntsman Signature Edition: Performance

• Very potent optical switches
• Rapid trigger and analog settings for lots of configuration
• Solely wired connectivity, although with 8000Hz polling rate

The internals of the Huntsman Signature Edition haven't changed much from the V3 Pro TKL model, meaning it comes with the same switches – that's the brand's own Analog Optical Switches Gen-2 – which actuate with light gates for immense precision and bring handy extras such as rapid trigger for instant inputs and analog powers for controller-like progressive keypresses.

In a general sense, these optical switches are snappy under finger with a linear keypress, while a 40g weighting keeps them light enough for serious gaming. The switches aren't lubricated, unlike their Hall effect brethren, but feel smooth enough by default that I enjoyed using them for both gaming and general work. In addition, thanks to a stack of sound-dampening material inside the keyboard, the acoustics are excellent with no case rattle or ping.

Sometimes non-standard switches such as these can tend to feel quite hollow and lifeless under finger, but I didn't necessarily feel that way about them during general use for work, writing articles and such for hours on end.

The lack of traditional mechanisms also lends them to being immensely configurable, with the actuation and reset point able to be set anywhere along the travel from 0.1mm to 4mm. This allows for brisk inputs where you'd only need to essentially breathe on the switch before it actuates, before it instantly resets.

This is rapid trigger in action, and it can be very useful in quick draw scenarios in FPS titles. I use Counter-Strike 2 as proving grounds for any gaming keyboard I test, and with the Huntsman Signature Edition, I chose to bind the WASD and weapon selection keys as rapid triggers, which meant movement takes much less effort than a traditional keyboard, and things felt especially responsive.

However, this is only one side of these switches, as they are also analog switches, too – and are a newer version of the ones you'll find in the Razer Huntsman V2 Analog to boot. This means they can offer controller-like inputs with a more progressive scale, which is handy because you can now use a keyboard in titles where you may normally use a controller.

Razer makes it easy to map inputs in its software, and using the default 'Racing' preset in the Synapse software, it maps the WASD keys to left analog stick movement and right and left triggers. I tested it in both BeamNG Drive and in Forza Horizon 5 in races and freeroam, and it felt responsive.

There is a little bit of a learning curve in mastering the power of those analog inputs if you’re used to the more standard on/off nature of mechanical keyswitches, but it is seriously clever, and one of the most underrated features on these switches.

Razer provides its own flavour of SOCD tech with the Huntsman Signature Edition, known here as Snap Tap. This allows you to activate one key while holding down the other for especially quick actions. In this instance, it works based on the most recent one pressed; for instance, if mapped to the A and D keys, it can allow for unnaturally quick side-to-side movement. It's very clever, although not something you'll probably use too much in online games, given Valve wields the ban hammer for anyone who uses it in online Counter-Strike 2 games.

The software controls also open up the power of dual actuation, where you can set two inputs to different parts of a switch's travel, such as pushing it down slightly to walk, before going all the way down to run, or crouch. It's a handy addition for FPS games, although is as far as these switches go. Rival devices offer even more versatility, such as four inputs per key, and other derivatives of the SOCD (Snap Tap) tech, if you wanted even more functionality.

Connectivity with the Huntsman Signature Edition is strictly wired, with no Bluetooth or 2.4GHz wireless choices available. Over this wired connection, you also get an 8000Hz polling rate for more frequent reporting of inputs than more 'standard' gaming keyboards, which can lead to more responsive inputs. This isn't necessarily something that mere mortals can feel, although for the pros, where every millisecond counts, it's a useful addition.

• Performance score: 4/5

Should I buy the Razer Huntsman Signature Edition?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Razer Huntsman Signature Edition: Also consider

How I tested the Razer Huntsman Signature Edition

• Tested for around two weeks
• Used for gaming and productivity across Windows and macOS
• A decade of experience as a journalist and mechanical keyboard hobbyist

I tested the Huntsman Signature Edition for around two weeks, using it as my main keyboard for work and play during this time with both Windows and macOS.

I played various games, including Counter-Strike 2 and Forza Horizon 5, to best gauge its optical switches for speed, precision, and the benefit of its analog powers. I also made sure to use Razer's Synapse software to test every facet of the keyboard.

I've been a journalist for the best part of a decade, and have reviewed plenty of keyboards in that time from brands big and small. I'm also a mechanical keyboard enthusiast, so I have a keen eye for peripherals, and have been involved with the hobby before it hit the mainstream.

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

CorelDRAW has long been one of our favorite creative apps, and it's especially notable that unlike so many similar software services, it's still - even in 2026 - offering a one-time fee instead of being subscription-only (although that is available too).

The tools here blend together graphic design software, drawing tools, and even a photo editor into a well-rounded alternative to Adobe Photoshop.

Well, time waits for no successful software package. It's got a new iteration and a bunch of new features for the new year, so, I’ve come to check out what’s changed in Corel’s flagship bundle of applications since I last explored it last year.

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2026: Pricing & plans

• One-time fee option
• Monthly and annual subscriptions also available
• Works across PC and Mac

The CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2026 is available to download or try free for 15 days by clicking here.

When it comes to prices, the trend is increasingly moving towards renting your software, and here the monthly subscription cost is $22.42 / £26.58, or $269 / £319 for the year. This allows you to take advantage of any future major updates, but as always, once you stop paying, you have nothing to show for it.

Which is why I’m glad they also offer the option to actually purchase the software, for a one-time fee of $549 / £659, which is about two years’ worth of rental and you own it for good.

On top of that, Corel allows you to have a 15-day trial of their software to make sure it’s exactly what you’re after. The cherry on top? It’s compatible with Windows and Macs.

I found the specs are quite generous. For instance, PCs need Windows 10 or 11, at least an Intel Core i3 processor, or an AMD Ryzen 3, while Macs have to run Monterey (version 12) or above, and either be powered by an Intel multiprocessor or any of Apple’s own CPUs (M1 or better).

When it comes to RAM and storage space, you should never base your decision on a manufacturer’s minimum requirements, especially for a graphics application. Cram your computer with as much RAM as you can afford - you’ll never regret it.

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2026: The suite

• A portfolio of applications including DRAW for vector and page layout work, and PHOTO-PAINT for pixel manipulation
• Frustratingly, Macs don’t have access to CAPTURE yet pay the same price as PC users

The main tool in this suite of apps lends its name to the suite itself: CorelDRAW. Its focus is on vector-based illustration and layout design, so if you think about it in Adobe terms, it’s a mix of Illustrator and InDesign.

On top of that, PowerTRACE is built inside CorelDRAW, which is an AI-based tool designed to improve image quality during the tracing process, for instance.

Next, is Corel PHOTO-PAINT, which is Corel’s Photoshop: pixel-based photo editing and digital painting tool.

There’s also the Corel Font Manager, which is software designed to help you manage and organise your fonts, kind of like Apple’s own Font Book.

And finally, there’s CAPTURE, which is a screen capture tool - although there’s a big caveat with that one: it’s only available for Windows users. Mac users are left out in the cold.

Still, Apple does have built-in ways to take screenshots and recordings of their screen, so it’s not that big a loss. However, paying the same price and not getting all the same tools as PC users is somewhat of a disappointment.

That’s quite a lot to include in a single suite. With it, you should have all the tools you need to create any kind of graphics work. There is however one additional tool I should briefly mention…

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2026: CorelDRAW Go & Web

• Corel provides two services to work online from a web browser:
• CorelDRAW Go is for beginners and intermediates
• CorelDRAW Web for advanced users, and included in the Suite’s subscription

CorelDRAW Go is a very clever service: it allows you to work in CorelDRAW inside a web browser. It’s like you’re drawing with Corel...on the go (get it?).

The service is truly excellent and it’s amazing to think how far we’ve come in terms of online technology, that you can create art inside a webpage and forget the tools you’re using aren’t actually installed on your machine. This means you can use it from any computer, just about anywhere. Just login to your account and you’re good to go.

It’s definitely worth checking out, especially since, just like the main suite, Corel offers you a free 15-day trial. The service itself would cost you $10 a month or $100 for the year. Think of it more as an entry level beginner’s design tool.

The reason I thought I’d mention it, is to casually highlight an advantage to the Suite’s subscription package.

No, CorelDRAW Go isn’t included, but CorelDRAW Web is. Web comes with more advanced tools, including vector illustration and page layout design - all from a web page.

Crazy, right? Companies will do anything to get you to subscribe to their services, including creating really impressive tools, like CorelDRAW Go, and especially CorelDRAW Web.

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2026: What’s new

• Improved interface
• New AI tools like background removal and generative AI art

As you’d expect, the CorelDRAW Suite comes with a mighty large collection of tools, and if you’d like an idea of what software such as DRAW and PHOTO-PAINT are like to work with, I’d recommend you check out my review of the Suite’s previous version, since it’s still relevant today, as I’ll be focussing the rest of this current review on what’s new in 2026.

Right out the gate, you’ll notice the interface has been upgraded. The look feels cleaner, with more condensed icons and menus, that allow more tools to be seen in a smaller footprint. The effect can be subtle in parts, but you definitely end up having more screen real-estate for your artwork, which is a very positive thing.

The blurb states that performance has been improved compared to previous versions, but that can be a very subjective thing, as performance greatly depends on your computer’s own specs. Personally, I didn’t notice much difference, but I have a fairly beefy machine. If you’ve got a powerful processor and oodles of RAM, you should be able to power through any project with CorelDRAW Suite 2026 with ease.

But the biggest draw is all the AI tools they’re peppering throughout the interface. Now I know there can be a lot of issues surrounding AI, and Corel is aware of that too. In fact, their spiel is that their AI tools focus more on empowering the artist rather than replacing them, and for some tools, I can certainly see that. Take ‘Remove Background’ as an example. In one word, the results are impressive.

It does something that was totally possible to do manually, but depending on the complexity of the background, such a process could take minutes to hours to achieve. Here, in seconds, the background disappears, leaving you with the foreground object, with clean sharp edges. That’s certainly empowering, and the results are definitely on par with its competitors, such as Adobe Photoshop and Pixelmator Pro.

What’s more contentious is ‘Generative AI’, and like it or not, it’s now available directly from within Corel’s software interface, with its own dedicated button, top right of the window. Through it, you get to either let the software create an image for you, or remix an existing one.

What I really like was that you’re given a choice of which generative algorithm you’d like to use; ‘Nano Banana’ is the one selected by default, and it produces excellent results for not too many credits (more on those in a bit), but you’ve got the option of six other algorithms for you to try out.

The same goes for one of 6 styles on offer, from photorealistic, to line art, 3D render and pop art, and you can even control the colour palette, if that’s your thing. As always, there’s a text prompt field where your own creativity gets slotted in, but even that can be taken care of by an algorithm if you’re stuck with writer’s block: simply click on the ‘inspire me’ button, and the interface will also create a prompt for you.

I particularly liked the Remix option. I took the image this AI created for me, fed it into Remix and asked it to turn the autumn setting into a summer one, and the results was astonishing. The exact same image, from the exact same angle, nothing’s changed, except it’s now a beautiful sunny day. Turn the scenery to winter, and the outcome was just as good.

Now there’s no doubt that all of this is impressive, and the results are astonishing, but how does a machine creating an image for you from nothing equate to empowering the artist, as no artist was actually involved in that particular ‘creation’ process?

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2026: AI costs

• You get some credits when you purchase the software
• Monthly credits available when subscribing but don't roll-over
• Extra credits can be bought

It’s obvious a lot of fun can be had with generative AI, but you need to be aware that each image will cost you. Nano Banana eats 16 credits a pop. The most expensive algorithm is Nano Banana Pro, with 86 credits per image.

If you subscribe to the Suite, you get to play with 2,000 credits each month. Those who purchase the software outright, only get 2,000 credits in total (another push to incentivise the subscription model).

Now if you love generative AI, you have other purchase options open to you, starting at $20 for 2,000 credits, to $200 for 35,000. There’s even another subscription model, costing you $100 a year to get 2,500 each month, or $10 a month for 2,000.

There’s no doubt the subscription model is yet again, better value. Although there is a drawback: the credits you purchase last forever, those you rent, reset on the first of each month (so make sure you don’t start your agreement on the 30th!)

Should I buy CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2026

Buy it if...

If you’re looking for a powerful image editor, vector illustrator and page layout suite, with numerous tools that are easy to learn and use, and include generous lashings of AI.

Don't buy it if...

You’re not a fan that most of the new features are AI-based, and you feel scared moving away from the Adobe hegemony.

Alogic Edge 5K 40-inch ultrawide monitor: 30-second review

Unboxing the Alogic Edge 5K, and the scale of this monitor is immediately apparent. At 941mm wide, it’s significantly larger than the 27-inch 4K monitors I am used to, and the full metal chassis, Space Grey matte finish, and ultra-thin 8mm panel give it a premium look that looks great alongside my Laptop.

The Space Grey of my MacBook Pro M1 Max is matched closely by the monitor, so if pure aesthetics are important to you, then this monitor is Mac-centric and spot on.

Initial setup is out of the box is easy enough with screws from the base bolting into the stand, then the monitor clicks into place, the power adapter plugs in, and a single USB-C cable connects to the laptop, with the monitor's display, data, and 90W charging all running through that single cable. For my MacBook Pro, the power delivery of 90W also delivers the charge, so no need to bring the Mac's power adapter to the office.

Taking a look at the rear of the monitor, there's a protruding bar that runs for the entire length of the back of the monitor and houses the electronics, speakers, and ports. While it’s great to have the built-in Dock, there are no USB-A ports, which isn’t a bad thing, so I had to connect my keyboard and mouse through adapters; the network plugged straight in, along with a couple of other accessories.

That single connection gives you full access to the display quality that this monitor is able to deliver with full 5K resolution and 100Hz refresh rate; switching to HDMI maintains image quality, but with some resolution and refresh rates are dropped due to the older technology.

One issue that was apparent from the outset was the slightly off-colours. Delving into the menu soon showed that the display preset was set to Warm, which adds a noticeable yellow cast to whites. Switching to Standard made a dramatic difference, and as ever from there, running the Datacolor Spyder X2 calibration brought the display into a much more accurate state.

After calibration, colours were rich and natural with a close match to the MacBook Pro, although a little brighter at 50% brightness than the Mac. The Spyder analysis confirmed a measured gamma of 2.4 against the 2.2 standard target, meaning the display runs slightly darker in the shadow and midtone regions than the standard specifies, worth understanding for critical photographic work, as you may lose shadow detail, although the shift isn’t enough to be an issue for general use.

At 40 inches, imperfections become notable; however, as long as gaming isn’t your intent for the monitor, the 100Hz refresh rate is ideal for office work, photography and video editing. Scrolling through long documents, Lightroom catalogues, or Premiere Pro timelines is smoother than the 60Hz panels I normally use.

Another notable difference to many of the monitors that I look at in the mid-range is the anti-glare matte finish, which handles studio reflections well. This is common for premium monitors and really highlights the intended use and quality that is on offer with this display. That said, highlights will still be present from bright windows, depending on how you position the monitor, but nothing that interferes with working, and for creative applications, that matte surface just gives a more accurate visual of the image compared with using a glossy panel. For the price, it's sure to be featured in our best 5K monitors collection.

Alogic Edge 5K 40-inch ultrawide monitor: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? From approximately $1259 / £1259
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Directly from Alogic official store

The Alogic Edge 5K is available direct from Alogic in the US for $1529.99 and in the UK for £1259.99.

The display comes in Silver or Space Grey, and includes a DisplayPort cable, a USB-C cable, a power adapter, and a two-year warranty.

It's also available from other retailers, although availability is spotty right now - for example, it's listed but out of stock at Amazon at the time of review.

• Value: 4 / 5

Alogic Edge 5K 40-inch ultrawide monitor: Specs

Panel: 40-inch IPS
Resolution: 5120 x 2160 (5K2K)
Refresh rate: 60Hz / 100 Hz
Brightness: 400 nits
Contrast ratio: 1200:1 (typical)
Colour gamut: 100% sRGB / 99% DCI-P3 / 94% AdobeRGB
Pixel density: 139 PPI
Aspect ratio: 21:9
Viewing angle: 178° H / 178° V
Connectivity: USB-C (90W PD + data + display), HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, USB-C downstream x2
Audio: 3W x 2 built-in speakers
Stand adjustment: Height 151–275mm from desk, tilt, VESA 100 x 100 mm compatible.
Dimensions with stand: 941 x 245 x 570mm
Panel depth: 41mm
Finish: Space Grey (also available in Silver)
In the box: DisplayPort cable, USB-C cable, power adapter

Alogic Edge 5K 40-inch ultrawide monitor: Design

The Alogic Edge 5K has been designed to be a perfect partner to the Mac computers, with two colour options that match the range and style perfectly. In this review, I’ve taken a look at the 40-inch 5120 x 2160 5K2K resolution screen and coupled it with the MacBook Pro M1 Max and a MinisForum MS-02 to test cross-platform compatibility.

The monitor option supplied is the Space Grey aluminium finish, with an ultra-thin 8mm panel profile, and matte surface. Out of the box, it all looks very Mac and premium, including the solid base that offers plenty of flexibility over the positioning. Looking over the monitor and the build quality throughout, the full metal assembly feels distinctly premium, all feeling solidly in line with the pricing.

Setting up is straightforward and the all-metal stand is solid, although with this size of desk, to avoid any wobble, positioning it on a good, solid desk is essential. Through the test, I found that a 40-inch width amplifies movement far more than a smaller display, and initially, on a cheaper desk, some wobble was notable.

However, this stopped as soon as the monitor was moved to a solid surface. The overall size of the monitor is 941x41x419mm, and with the stand, this comes to 941x245x694mm with the stand at max height.

There are several aspects aside from the design of the stand that stood out; the first is the flat base, which has been designed so that larger docks or other accessories can easily sit on top. This may seem like a small design feature, but for a creative studio where space often runs at a premium, any small design features like this are worth noting.

The stand also offers plenty of adjustment with a height that moves from 151mm to 275mm desk-to-monitor, which covers most working positions, especially if you work at a standing desk.

If I were to comment on anything, a little more travel at the lower end would be welcome for shorter users or lower chair positions, but for most setups, the range is fine. It’s also good to see that there’s a VESA 100x100mm on the back for arm mounting, though the monitor's aesthetics and size work best positioned directly on the desk.

The rear protruding bar houses the dock ports, speaker unit, and electronics, which keeps the front of the monitor clean and minimal. In practice, with keyboard, mouse, and network plugged into the rear ports, with an adapter for some, a single cable could then be used to connect to the laptop, leaving the desk tidy of cables.

The all-USB-C rear port selection should suit most modern setups, but will need adapters for older USB-A peripherals such as my Keyboard and mouse. It was also notable that there wasn’t an HDMI cable in the box, given that the port is present and directly relevant for Windows users.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

Alogic Edge 5K 40-inch ultrawide monitor: Features

The 5K2K resolution of this 40-inch 21:9 aspect ratio monitor is the headline feature and at this price makes it extremely appealing for creative users, especially when you start to delve into the specifications and the colour accuracy, gamut and resolution.

Screen sharpness is also well above your usual office monitor at 139 PPI, which just highlights that at this size, screen text will still be crisp, and UI elements are sharp, unlike looking at Mac or Windows OS on a TV. That PPI and resolution in the wider 21:9 aspect ratio make it perfectly suited for creative use, with plenty of real-world space for applications to run side by side.

Where this wider space really comes into its own is when running a video timeline alongside a reference panel, spreading a Lightroom catalogue across the full width, or keeping two to three application windows open, such as Word, browser, and Music.

Personally, the most unexpected benefit of using a 21:9 monitor was apparent when I started editing some anamorphic footage shot on the Canon EOS R5 C with Sirui Venus anamorphic lenses. Essentially, once the footage was de-squeezed, I was able to use the native aspect ratio, which filled the panel edge-to-edge, eliminating the letterbox effect that makes anamorphic content feel cramped on a standard 16:9 display. If you’re a video editor working regularly in anamorphic formats, this alone makes this monitor a great option.

One or two of the more quirky features of the monitor at the PiP (Picture-in-Picture) and PbP (Picture-by-Picture) options that can be run alongside the standard, extended, and mirrored display modes. PiP proved more useful in practice once I adjusted the size. This sets your laptop screen in a window on the main display.

There are thankfully some adjustments to the size and position, and I set this to 40% scale and positioned it in the bottom-right corner of the monitor, which left the majority of the 5K panel free for documents and applications. The PBP I found less useful, but it may have its uses.

To access these features and all image options, you can use the OSD display menu, which is accessed using the small joypad on the back of the monitor. The OSD configuration takes some working out initially, but once set up, it is a genuinely well-thought-out system and was one of the fastest that I have used when running through the display analysis test to change settings.

The 100Hz refresh rate is decent at this screen size and perfect for office and creative work; the only time that you may require an uplift in the speed is if you want to play action-packed games. However, for normal use, scrolling through long documents or a Premiere Pro timeline while at 60Hz when connected via HDMI, things can seem a little slow, but through the USB-C at 100Hz, everything seems smooth enough. For creative and admin use, this refresh rate is ideal.

The built-in USB-C dock is handy and does help to keep the desk tidy with one cable delivering display, data, and up to 90W power. This all worked well on both Mac and Windows during testing, and for studios or home offices, connecting everything in the morning with one cable just saves time and makes things easy. There’s also far less to remember as you’re rushing out of the house.

Another major feature for me is the anti-glare matte finish to the display, which, for Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or Final Cut Pro, the matte surface gives a better and more accurate idea of the image compared with an overly glossy panel. It is also considerably easier on the eye during long editing sessions, and for document work in Word or general Office applications, the difference in comfort over a full day was noticeable.

One of the other features that I was interested in was the built-in 3W x 2 speakers; however, these are a weak point of the design. The volume is lower than the monitor's size suggests, and the audio lacks the depth and richness the speaker grille suggests should be output. Compared directly with the MacBook Pro's built-in speakers, there’s just no point in using the Edge 5K speakers. If you’re buying this monitor with the intention of removing external speakers from your desk, don’t budget for a separate speaker or audio monitor to use with this display.

• Features: 4 / 5

Alogic Edge 5K 40-inch ultrawide monitor: Performance

After unboxing and plugging in the monitor, the first thing that I noticed was the overly warm look to the display. Delving into the OSD, I noted that the preset was set to Warm and changing this to Standard instantly removed the overly yellow cast that was making whites immediately look unnatural, which is an issue for creative work but also made Microsoft Office applications look odd.

While the standard preset looked OK, it was obvious the monitor still needed calibration. I did this from the outset as colour and tone didn’t look great, and running the Datacolor Spyder X2 calibration was able to bring the display into a much more accurate state, and after calibration, the colours were much more closely aligned with the MacBook Pro .

I then ran the Spyder X2 analysis, and the report confirmed an average Delta-E colour accuracy of 1.60, which is excellent for a non-factory-calibrated display at this price. The 100% sRGB and 97% P3 coverage are pretty standard, and for video work, content creation, and enthusiast photography, they should suffice.

Opening files from the Canon EOS R5 C and Hasselblad X2D II 100C in Lightroom Classic and Photoshop, the 5K resolution made an immediate difference to viewing, as the detail within the images was far better defined than when compared with my standard 4K display. What’s more, with the wider panel, it meant that images were being viewed closer to their native resolution before reaching the edge of the screen. When it came to the colour and tone, after calibration, the images looked bright, rich, and highly detailed.

One issue that was highlighted with the display analysis was the 89% AdobeRGB figure, and this is where professional photographers will pay attention. That value is a usable result for drafting, client review, and editing, but careful calibration and checks will need to be in place for colour-critical output, particularly anything destined for print.

A dedicated Adobe RGB display remains the more accurate tool. Final images should always be checked on a properly calibrated, wide-gamut monitor before going to output. For in-house video teams and content creators working with P3 and sRGB delivery, the limitation is less relevant.

The measured gamma of 2.4 against the 2.2 standard that was input into the OSD means that the display runs slightly darker in the shadow and mid-tone regions than the standard specifies, which may mean shadow detail is not rendered as accurately as intended for photographic work.

In practice, at 50% brightness, the shadows looked deep, and the contrast, measured at 1430:1 at that setting, looks great, but you will need to calibrate printers to ensure that you are seeing all the shadow detail that is viewable on the display. For general photography and video use, the gamma figure is not a problem; for critical shadow work, it is something to watch for.

Colour uniformity is good at the 50% working brightness, and from the working position at the centre of the display, the panel looks even and consistent. However, as a point of note, there is some luminance variation visible when viewing a plain white screen across the full width, which is an angle-of-view effect rather than a panel uniformity problem. Keeping image editing work within the central portion of the screen avoids it entirely.

Through the test, I used the Edge 5K on both Mac and Windows and the performance was consistent. On the MacBook Pro M1 Max via USB-C, full 5K resolution, 100Hz, 90W charging, and dock functionality all worked without any configuration. On the Minisforum MS-02 Windows mini PC, the same connection delivered the same results, colour profiles, dock recognition, and display output all worked well.

By the end of the test, I was impressed with the overall quality, and while there are some small issues that those using the monitor for colour-critical work may encounter, for the most part, it stood up to the quality tests well. As a monitor, it has clearly been designed with Macs in mind, and the use and integration have been well thought through. Likewise, for most Windows machines, it also works exceptionally well, but it is worth confirming your machine's USB-C video output capability before assuming the full 5K and 100Hz will be available.

• Performance: 4 / 5

Alogic Edge 5K 40-inch ultrawide monitor: Final verdict

The Alogic Edge 5K with its 40-inch ultrawide design gives you a completely different way of working and a great option if you are looking to upgrade from a dual-monitor desk setup.

The 5K resolution, premium Mac-esque design, single-cable connection, and colour accuracy, once calibrated, help to give you a solid quality display for creative and office use. When it comes to its place in the field, it sits between the Apple Studio Display and the mid-range 4K ultrawide market, as its price reflects.

There are limitations and things that creative professionals should take note of, such as the 89% AdobeRGB coverage, as read through the display analysis. This means professional photographers should be aware that some colours may show a slight shift and watch shadow detail carefully.

There is also the issue with the built-in speakers, which are weak, and I would definitely recommend dedicated monitor speakers over the monitors' offerings. For home office professionals, content creators, video editors working to P3, and enthusiast photographers, these small points shouldn’t be an issue. As a display for all things creative for the price, there’s a great deal on offer here.

Should I buy the Alogic Edge 5K 40-inch ultrawide monitor?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

For more picks, see our guide to the best business monitors we've tested.

The desktop resin printing market has seen machines across the board slowly developing with more product design and features that make dealing with the mess a little less troublesome. There’s also the natural progression of features such as higher resolution screens, slightly larger build volumes, and software improvements, most notably in support structures.

Recently, most of the leading manufacturers have started to really focus on their resin offerings, which are commonly side-lined for the more popular and less messy filament options. Having tested the best 3D printers, I’ve seen huge leaps forward from Creality and Elegoo, and now Anycubic has released the Anycubic Photon P1, which visually appears to be a completely new machine.

The Photon P1 is aimed at the higher-end enthusiast and as a budget machine in the pro market, and retails at present for a respectable $549 / £549. That pricing means that it is positioned slightly above the Photon Mono M7 Pro, which impressed me a couple of years ago, and in both specification and design, it’s actually a far greater leap forward than an initial look at the specs sheet would lead you to believe, borrowing components that are more commonly found in industrial equipment.

A few examples of this are the ball screw Z-axis, dual precision linear rails, a milled steel build plate, and a smart heated resin vat, although this last one has become a common feature, and thankfully, in spite of these industrial upgrades the actual footprint has been kept relatively small, meaning that once unboxed it sat quite comfortably on a surface in the workshop.

There’s also the interesting headline feature of the optional dual-material printing via a separate kit, although I didn’t get a chance to look at this during the review, it looks like a great option.

Before I go into the review, a safety note. Through this test, I was careful to adhere to the safety around these machines and at all times when working with the resin and prints, I ensured that I was wearing nitrile gloves, a mask, and always in a well-ventilated workspace with the windows open, which is why at this time of year I’m working in a relatively cold environment.

The reason for this is that the liquid resin is a skin and respiratory irritant, and the precautions that I have taken and you should consider if you’re looking at one of these machines are essential, whatever your experience.

Anycubic Photon P1: Price and Availability

The Anycubic Photon P1 is currently only available directly from Anycubic US and Anycubic UK stores, priced at a discount $549 / £549 right now. I'm also seeing it on both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Anycubic Photon P1: Design

This is the first time that Anycubic has truly broken from the standard Photon design, discarding the lift-off lid and instead going for something much more refined, at least when it comes to the aesthetics. It looks altogether more professional and solid, and whilst their previous machines were able to turn out a decent print, the lid and bolt-down tank were looking dated compared with the competition.

That design is now all changed, and everything about the Photon P1 is of a high build quality and design standard. The machine itself, despite packing in plenty of advanced features, still only weighs in at 13.6kg and measures 366 x 338 x 539mm,making it easy to move around the workshop and position with the relatively small footprint. As ever, you’ll also need to factor in the space for a wash and cure machine.

From the moment the printer is placed on the work surface, there are two major design changes that really stand out: the hinged cover that replaces the previous lift-off lid and the large LCD screen with an updated interface.

The lid is well designed with a stepless hinge that essentially holds the lid at any angle over 45 degrees, and what I liked about this was that there’s a small handle that enables easy opening. The lid itself also seals well over the machine, stopping any UV exposure escaping while operating, and also helping to keep fumes inside and heat.

One of the major differences between this cover and previous Anycubic lids is that this is far less opaque. While this dark visor does block the view of the build area, if it increases UV protection, then that can only be a good thing.

The other big addition is the 4.5-inch resistive touchscreen, and while a touchscreen featured on previous models, this again feels of a far higher quality and follows the refined UI direction that we’ve seen with the Kobra X FDM range. In use, the navigation through the settings is fast and responsive, as well as being well organised, so it doesn’t take too long to navigate and find the settings that you want.

Considering the size of the print area and the fact that there’s a dual bed option, the footprint of 366 x 338mm enables it to easily sit on almost any workspace with plenty of room around it. The design of the mechanics has also seen an overhaul, and the new ball screw Z-axis is quiet, although checking the print times, and this more refined machine is slightly slower than the M7.

• Design: 4.5/5

Anycubic Photon P1: Features

The Photon P1's features build on previous Anycubic resin printers, and the company is keen to highlight that many of the new technologies that have been included in the P1 were previously only available in industrial models. This means that while this is a new Photon printer in many ways, it marks an entirely new line for the company.

Highlights include auto-Levelling 3.0, which is the first of the new features that impressed through the test, and actually saw a complete test period with no misprints or issues. The automatic self-check runs before each print, and while this does slow down the overall print times for individual prints in the long term, it saves time. How this works is to provide real-time pressure feedback across all four corners of the build plate, and if there are any issues, the machine will stop so that you can sort it out.

Through the test period, I poured in around 2kg of resin across more than 20 prints, and from the outset, the levelling proved effective with no hands-on adjustment. Really, getting started with the printer couldn’t have been easier.

Another of the new range of features is the Wave Release Technology, which is Anycubic's proprietary approach to the peel cycle. This uses a specialist NFEP film rather than standard FEP, and again it seems to work. This system is designed to reduce peel force by up to 60% versus traditional FEP, and as the machine ran through the prints, this was noticeable. Often, with some of the printers, the release from the FEP can make quite a noise, but here, the noise as the print was lifted was minimal, and this is one of the quietest printers of this type that I’ve used.

Through the entire test, including complex models with fine details and thin connectors, there were no failed prints. To be honest, this is an unusual result and previously was something that only the FormLab Form4 was able to claim. This dependability is no doubt due to the boost in technology and the combined effect of Wave Release, Dynamic Release 3.0, and the ball screw Z-axis working together.

Another of the technologies inside that helps with this dependability remains the Dynamic Release 3.0 monitors, which watch the real-time layer-separation forces and modulate lift height and speed accordingly, while Light-Off Compensation 3.0 calculates the resin flow-back rate and automatically adjusts light-off duration.

These are all technologies I can read about, and from the reliability angle, through the test, seem to do their job. Essentially, these and many other features are background operations which are invisible to you as the user, but they seem to work when compared to older models.

One feature I have seen on an increasing number of these resin printers is a dynamic, temperature-controlled resin vat. The change that this makes to print quality is the single most important feature and should be an essential part of any feature set for any resin printer.

As this test was carried out at the beginning of the year in the UK, ambient temperatures in the workshop are generally low, especially when testing resin printers, where I like to have all windows open. Therefore, the tests were performed in workshops at 5 to 10 degrees Celsius, these temperatures are at which most unheated resin printers fail or produce unreliable results, especially with supports.

The P1's vat reached operating temperature quickly, and print quality was exceptional throughout, with only a few weak support connectors for a couple of fine models. If you are working in a garage, workshop, or unheated studio, a heated tank is an essential and justifies the price premium of this model over lower-spec machines.

Another major feature of this printer is its wide resin compatibility. Through the test, I used both ABS-Like Resin 2.0 and standard resin, both of which produced excellent results with comparable print times. The machine is rated for resins up to 8,000 cps, enabling you to also print with engineering, flexible, and high-viscosity materials that would be beyond the range of many cheaper printers. I stuck to using Anycubic resins, but third-party resins can be used if you have the correct profile.

When it comes to getting models into the printer, there’s the Photon Workshop 4.0 slicer, but once again, if you want to use another choice of software, such as ChituBox, Lychee, and Tango, then that’s possible. The interface looks minimal on first use, but once you dig into the settings, there is quite a bit here to adjust. The ability to carefully adjust support connection options is particularly useful for complex models.

One feature not tested during this review is the Anycubic app's remote monitoring capability. This will be covered in a follow-up once the evaluation is complete.

• Features: 4.5/5

Anycubic Photon P1: Performance

Print quality is where resin printers really come into their own, and this is especially true with the Photon P1. The 14K monochrome LCD with 16.8 x 24.8 micron XY resolution delivers an exceptionally fine level of detail, instantly visible on complex models.

Fingers, fabric patterns, surface textures, and fine structural elements are rendered with a level of definition that rivals that of other 14K machines I have used this year. The surface finish is outstanding, cured prints from the P1 are smooth, proof of both the screen quality and stable ball screw Z-axis movement.

I printed approximately 20 models over the test period, beginning with the test files supplied on the USB drive and then moving to my own library of models, the same files I use consistently when evaluating resin printers.

This includes a series of sci-fi figures with varying levels of fine detail, taller models to test Z-axis stability, basic ornaments for general surface-quality assessment, a tank model with drain holes to test support behaviour, and small engineering parts for dimensional accuracy. The human figures printed exceptionally well throughout.

One dog figure presented a challenge; the first file had particularly fine connectors to the base, which were below the threshold of practical durability, although they did hold, and those connectors eroded during washing. Once I adjusted the connector thickness in the slicer, the supports were a little more robust through the wash while remaining easy to remove.

The tank model with drain holes added within the Photon Workshop, and full support structures printed well. The engineering parts were all produced with good dimensional accuracy, cleaning up neatly with minimal post-processing.

Across all 20+ prints, I recorded a 100% success rate, no failed prints, no delamination, no adhesion failures. In my experience with resin printers, this is unusual, even in the first ten prints, before particle build-up becomes a factor. The P1 maintained that reliability through the full test.

In terms of raw print speed, the Photon P1 is not the fastest machine on the market. At 25–35 mm/h with standard resin at 0.05mm layer height, it is noticeably slower than the Photon Mono M7 Pro, which can reach 130–170 mm/h with high-speed resin.

In practice, most models I produced with standard resin were completed within four to seven hours for relatively large prints standing 12cm in height, and with speed resin, a small figure that took one hour 38 minutes in standard resin came down to one hour 27 minutes. The P1 feels optimised for consistency rather than speed and the quality of the models reflects this.

Through the post-processing models were washed in IPA for between five and ten minutes, after which support structures were broken away. Surface imperfections were minimal and cleared easily by brushing with my finger, before a second, short wash and UV cure to fully harden the resin. The ABS-Like Resin 2.0 produced detailed results and, unlike standard resin, which becomes brittle relatively quickly with handling, showed noticeably better durability.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

Anycubic Photon P1: Final verdict

The Anycubic Photon P1 is a really decent machine and a good first step into prosumer resin printing. It’s not the fastest machine you can buy at this price, and the build plate lacks the quick-release mechanism that some competitors have introduced, but otherwise the features and performance are excellent.

For me, the impressive 100% print success across more than 20 prints, with the detail produced by the 14K screen and support of the heated vat in my presently sub-10°C workshop, all make this a great choice, as it overrides many of the usual resin challenges of lesser machines.

At $549 / £549, the Photon P1 is more than many of the other Anycubic machines, but it delivers far more. If you have been using an entry-level resin printer and are ready to step up from a hobby machine to something with near-industrial output without the cost, this is a great option. The optional dual-material kit is a genuinely interesting upgrade, and even without it, the base machine is still excellent.

Should you buy the Anycubic Photon P1?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

For more crafting essentials, I've also tested out the best laser engravers

I tested out the Bluetti Elite 300. It's a portable power station that can only be described as a serious step-up from the usual compact power units I've reviewed. Capable of 2,400W output, this is a 3,014Wh power station — the world's smallest 3KWh, according to Bluetti — although don't mistake that for being a lightweight device.

Bluetti Elite 300: Pricing

In the US, the base unit is priced at $1099, and it's available direct from Bluetti, as well as online retailers like Amazon.com, while it's $1199 at Walmart.

In the UK, it's priced at £1399 from Bluetti, as well as at Amazon.co.uk and B&Q.

Upgrade bundles, such as getting the unit with additional batteries and solar chargers, are also available.

Bluetti Elite 100: Design & size

• From glovebox to garage

If you’ve used something like the Bluetti Elite 30 V2 Portable Power Station, the Elite 300 feels like it belongs to a completely different category.

The Elite 30 is small enough to throw in a backpack or keep in the boot for casual trips. By contrast, the Elite 300 is a chunky, two-hand carry unit, closer to a piece of site equipment than a travel gadget.

That jump in size brings a massive increase in battery capacity and output, but it fundamentally changes how you use it. Elite 300 can be described as transportable rather than portable, designed for basecamp or van setups

Weight-wise, the Elite 300 is substantial. You’re not hiking with it, but for van life, outdoor setups or keeping in a workshop or garage, it’s perfectly manageable thanks to sturdy handles and a balanced form factor.

Bluetti Elite 300: Build quality & ruggedness

• Solid, reinforced and built for real-world us

Bluetti has leaned into durability here. The Elite 300 feels solid, reinforced and built for real-world use, whether that’s a muddy campsite, a job site, or being loaded in and out of a van repeatedly.

The casing has that slightly industrial finish Bluetti is known for, with good resistance to knocks and scrapes. It’s not fully “ruggedised” in the military sense, but it inspires confidence in rough environments far more than smaller consumer-grade power banks.

Bluetti Elite 300: Ports & connectivity

• Practical and well thought-out

Bluetti gets the basics right—and that matters. You get:

• 2 x Standard AC sockets - for appliances and tools or anything needing an AC plug with a combined max output of 2400W
• 2 x DC outputs - for camping gear, fridges, etc. 1 x Car cigarette port and 1 x XT90 port for more oomph.
• 2 x USB-A @ 15W each and 2 x USB-C @ 100W and 140W ports for devices

Crucially, everything is laid out clearly and is easy to access, even in low light or outdoor conditions.

When it comes to getting power into the system, the Bluetti Elite 300 is impressively versatile and very much in line with its “serious kit” positioning.

You get multiple charging methods depending on your setup:

• AC mains input (up to ~2,300–2,400W) – the fastest option, taking the unit to full in around 1.6 hours, which is exceptionally quick for a battery of this size.
• Solar input (up to ~1,200W) – ideal for off-grid use, letting you recharge fully in a few hours with a decent panel setup.
• Hybrid AC + solar charging – combines both for even faster top-ups when you’re at basecamp.
• 12V / 24V car charging – slower, but useful for topping up on the move during long drives.

Bluetti hasn’t just focused on output power—the Elite 300 is designed to refill quickly and flexibly, whether you’re at home, on-site, or completely off-grid.

Bluetti Elite 300: App control

• A standout feature

Bluetti’s app is one of the better ones in this category. It allows:

• Remote monitoring
• Power usage tracking
• Turning outputs on/off
• System diagnostics

It adds a layer of smart control that makes the Elite 300 feel more like a modern energy system than just a big battery.

Bluetti Elite 300: Final thoughts

The Bluetti Elite 300 isn’t just a bigger power bank—it’s a mobile power solution. Compared to smaller power stations, it opens up entirely new possibilities: cooking proper meals, running tools, and living comfortably off-grid.

The portable power station is a serious step up from compact portable units, blending near home-backup capability with enough portability to remain genuinely useful in the field.

If you just need to charge phones and laptops, something like the Elite 30 remains the smarter pick. But if you want something that can genuinely replace mains power in the field, the Elite 300 is in a completely different league.

For more models, see our guide to the best portable power stations we've tested.

Sonos Play: two-minute review

The Sonos Play is one of the few products I've tested recently that really converted me to its cause over time. It's a product that Sonos pitches as a home speaker that's also portable — the one speaker you can use everywhere.

I started off thinking that the Sonos Play was struggling for value, because it's more expensive than Sonos' small purely home speaker, the Sonos Era 100, but doesn't sound quite as good. And it costs a lot more than most of the best Bluetooth speaker options, such as the excellent JBL Charge 6.

But over time, I realized that the Sonos Play excels in subtlety. Despite Sonos' claim, I don't think of it as a home speaker first and a portable speaker second. I see it as a portable speaker that's good enough to justify a place out on your furniture all the time, rather than being relegated to a drawer when you're not using it. And as a result, I started using it as both a home speaker for the room its in, and I started grabbing it to take with me to other rooms simply because I could, and it sounds good.

The charging cradle is vital to this. With no cable to fiddle with, you can just grab the Sonos Play and go without pausing your stride. It lasts for ages once it's away from the cradle (24 hours, and it turns itself off when not in use to keep going over days), so you don't need to be precious about returning it for a charge. It's solidly waterproof so you can use it anywhere without fear — It's a great shower karaoke companion.

And the Sonos Play does sound good — better than most portable speakers of its size. It's really well-rounded, with solid mids, clear treble and plenty of bass. It lacks some dynamic edge (though improves as the volume goes louder), but is still a really enjoyable listen.

It's become my speaker buddy — the one I'm using most, because it's so versatile. It's ready to go anywhere, to play in the house on Wi-Fi or out of the house on Bluetooth. You can achieve everything it does from other speakers, and arguably in a way that's better value — but not with this efficiency.

Sonos said it wanted to make a speaker that could be the one you need — powerful enough to fill nearly any room, and easily portable to take to nearly any room — and I think it nailed it.

Sonos Play review: price and availability

• Released on March 31st, 2026
• $299 / £299 / AU$499

The Sonos Play's $299 / £299 / AU$499 price is a fine balance. When it comes to Sonos' portable speakers, it sits neatly between the Sonos Roam 2's $179 / £179 / AU$239 and the Sonos Move 2's $449 / £449 / AU$799.

When it comes to Sonos' home speakers, it sits neatly between the $219 / £199 / AU$289 price of the Sonos Era 100, and the $449 / £449 / AU$749 price of the Era 300.

The difference, of course, is that the Play's performance sits correctly between the two portable speakers, while it doesn't perform any better than the Era 100 — what you get instead is a smaller design and a battery.

There are tons of competing speakers at this size, but few that offer the combination of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and battery portability. Portable competition includes the Bluetooth-only Marshall Middleton II, which is similar in price at $329.99 / £259 / AU$499, or the JBL Charge 5, which costs $199 / £169 / AU$229.

On the non-portable side, there's the JBL Authentics 200, which is $349 / £299 / AU$449 officially (but can be found for a lot less these days) or the BlueSound Pulse Flex for around $349 / £279.

Sonos Play review: specs

Sonos Play review: features

• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C line-in connectivity, 24-hour battery life
• Charging cradle included, but no power adapter
• Stereo pairing option, or share over Bluetooth with other Sonos speakers even when not on Wi-Fi

The Sonos Play is the company's most versatile speaker to date. It works as a normal Sonos home speaker, complete with Wi-Fi connectivity and support for Sonos' network and app, which support Hi-Res Audio playback from compatible services. You can play to it directly over Apple AirPlay 2 or Sonos Connect as well.

There's also Bluetooth support to play from any other device, and the USB-C port on the back can be connected to an adapter to offer a line-in port for a turntable or other audio source, which then becomes available to all your other Sonos speakers on the network.

Sonos also has a new feature that enables you to group portable Sonos speakers when you're out of the house, so you connect to one of them over Bluetooth, and the sound is shared with the other speakers. There's no Auracast support, though.

The speaker setup consists of two angled tweeters facing slightly left and right, a single midwoofer facing forward, and then two force-opposed bass radiators on the left and right.

You can use a Sonos Play on its own, or you can put two into a stereo pair. You can also use a pair as rear speakers in a Sonos home theater setup.

But it also has a built-in battery, which can last up for up to 24 hours, and the speaker can still play over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth when it's running from battery power alone. The Sonos Play comes with a little battery charging cradle, which you just slot it onto to charge, and you can grab it straight off at a moment's notice without fiddling to unplug.

It's a small thing, but I think it makes a difference to its perceived versatility compared to it being plugged in to charge — I'll dig into that more in the Design section.

Be warned, though, that the cable just has a USB-C connector on the end, and no plug to connect to an outlet. Any USB-C port with 20W of charging power should work, so it could be connected to a device like a computer, or to a power adapter.

The Sonos Play can also be charged using its USB-C port, so you don't need the cable if you take it away for a weekend. You can also charge another device from the USB-C port, if you like, so it can work as a power bank for your phone.

The exact battery figure you get will depend on how you use it (Wi-Fi is more battery-consuming than Bluetooth), but I think Sonos' estimate is about right. I took it off its cradle for three days, using the speaker on Wi-Fi by my desk while I worked during the day for intermittent periods, without charging it at all. At the end of that time, it had 21% battery left.

You can get better battery life from the Marshall Middleton II (30 hours), but only over Bluetooth, not Wi-Fi. I think Sonos has found a good balance of longevity compared to size here.

The one thing about portable use that annoyed me a little was that it turns itself off a little faster than I would like, despite me making sure that the option in the settings to turn off faster to preserve battery life was off. To turn it back on, you need to use the on-off button on the back, and it takes a moment — I'd much prefer a button on top to make this feel less like a hassle.

There can also be times when the flexibility of the speaker conflicts with itself. For example, I put my two units into a stereo pair to test the sound, planning to live with the setup for a few days. But once they're in a pair, the Sonos app (and AirPlay) only want to treat them as a pair, meaning that the idea of grabbing one to take into another room on a whim no longer works. Take them both, or don't bother.

I ended up doing a more intensive stereo audio test, and then switching them back to individual speakers because I was enjoying them more in their most flexible form.

I'll finish this section by touching briefly on the Sonos app. It remains one of the best when it comes to streaming service support, and I've had no problems when it comes to reliability testing either these speakers, or with my current Sonos soundbar/home theater setups.

Setting the speakers up was absolutely seamless, and it was then easy to activate Automatic TruePlay tuning, in which the Sonos Play speaker listens to its own sound output and adjust the sound to better fit the space it's placed in.

The Sonos app can be a bit slow to load new music or screens, though, and there are some design issues that seem needlessly confusing. Sonos CEO Tom Conrad identified some that he plans to fix in an interview with me ahead of the launch of the speakers, though my own gripes are that it's silly that if you tap the cog icon in the top corner to be taken to the Settings screen, the cog icon stays in the corner, meaning it's possible to open the app, tap that because you want to go to the Settings screen, and nothing happens because you don't realize you're already in part of the Settings screen.

I also hate Sonos' design for its on/off switches. They go from black with a white dot, to white with a black dot, depending on whether they're on or off. But which is on and which is off? It's a terrible piece of user communication, you have to play to figure it out. (Black with a white dot is on.)

Now, a lot of other streaming device apps are equally flawed — some have better interfaces, but worse streaming support, for example — so at this point I find the app far from a dealbreaker, but I'm looking forward to seeing it get better. I actually nearly always use AirPlay for playing music anyway, so after setup, I don't interact with it much.

For those who don't want to use an app at all, the Sonos Play support Amazon Alexa and Sonos Voice Control options — but its mic can also be disabled using a switch on the back (which also disables Automatic TruePlay, since it fully disconnects the mic from the system).

• Features score: 4.5 / 5

Sonos Play review: sound quality

• Bass is powerful, but a little heavy handed
• Very well-rounded sound, but best with the volume over 40%
• About as good as speakers of this size sound

The Sonos Play sits in a slightly odd position when it comes to judging its sound quality, because it's a hybrid home and portable speaker. I'm going to mostly judge it based on comparisons with other portable speakers, rather than home speakers, because the design constraints of being portable affect what sound quality you can reasonably expect from it — but I will also compare it to the Sonos Era 100.

As is standard from Sonos, there's a really well-rounded sound with a fair amount of heft across the whole frequency range. The thing that immediately jumps out is the amount of bass depth there is for something pretty small, thanks to its dual passive radiators.

Much like the Era 100, the bass is controlled a little more loosely — a little more heavy-handedly — than I'd like. As with a lot of passive radiator-based speakers, it can feel boomy depending on what surface you place it on, too, but that's situational. It's a trade off in exchange for the punch it provides, and I'm quite happy with it on balance.

The second thing that jumps out is the overall power, which the bass only helps emphasize. This speaker can fill any room in my house without coming close to breaking a sweat or over-stretching itself — in fact, as I'll come back to, it's at its best once you dial up to a certain volume.

The two angled tweeters serve up high frequencies that sound clear and well elevated out of the rest of the mix, with this likely aided by the use of two angled tweeters pointing left and right.

Sonos has also claimed that this set enables stereo sound from a single speaker, but this is, alas, a fantasy. Firing up Crooked by Smilk, the opening of which is basically ‘Now That’s What I Call Stereo Imaging’, reveals only the most minimal stereo effect even from a song that really push separation to the max.

The mid-range is able to find a good amount of detail and solidity in different elements, so that even complex mixes still feel like that have all their constituent parts, rather than getting mushed together in the way that some portable speakers are prone to.

The mid-range and treble are both relatively tame and a little softer on dynamic attack than larger and more expensive portable speakers, or non-portable home speakers. That's a compromise here compared to the Sonos Era 100, for sure — that speaker just has the extra edge in enough areas of sound reproduction to feel like a slightly more robust, more gripping, more revealing listen.

However, compared to the JBL Charge 6, the Sonos Play is a significant step up in the overall reproduction of a song, with the mid-range the clear area of difference. On the JBL Charge 6, it's simple way too thin, lacking in expression, presence within the sound balance, and really limited in range — in particular, the Charge 6 really struggles to ramp from mid-range down through to bass, compared to the Sonos Play.

Young Blood by The Naked & Famous relies on a foundation of lower-mid synth in its verses, and without this, the song is unbalanced. The JBL Charge 6 just doesn't have this balance in its register, but the Sonos Play is able to add the weight.

The Charge 6 also has less deep bass reach than the Sonos Play — it handles its bass well, but there's just less lower-frequency grunt going on.

I should note here that we have highly rated the JBL Charge 6 for its sound reproduction compared to other portable speakers — this is just what spending the extra on the Sonos Play gets you.

That said, the JBL Charge 6 has a slightly more dynamic treble than the Play, though, with a little better handling of transients (ie, handling the sudden start of a sound) that make it feel more detail-rich. I still prefer the Sonos Play overall, for sure.

However, I mentioned above that going above a certain volume opens things up for the Sonos Play. Pushing past the 40% mark leaves the bass working in the same way that it was before, but suddenly the upper-mids and treble get a boost — a subtle but clear change in profile when ticking up.

This adds to the expansiveness of the sound, and where certain songs that should be thrilling could feel tame at times at lower volumes, they all really wake up past 40%. The Sonos Era 300 had this trait as well, when I tested it.

The only question is whether you want the Sonos Play that loud all the time — in my bedroom, 25% was the volume where I mostly wanted to use it, for example. But again, I still think the sound is very good for a portable speaker even at the lower volumes. It's just that when you can let it off its leash, it improves further.

Speaking of letting it off its leash, I also tried the sound in a stereo pair. As is often the case, it gives the speakers room to do a little more by sharing the burden, and in particular I noticed that the bass felt like it was able to be a little more controlled at the same level of power, but the mids came across weightier, again improving on the lower-mids particularly.

I don't think it opened up more detail in the treble or anything like that, but two of these are really good at filling even a large room with well-rounded, well-dispersed sound, without pushing themselves hard in a way that can affect the sound quality. You'd rarely need to push them even as far as the 40% volume mark — a pair of Plays is such a powerful system consider how small they are.

For my last sound comparison, I broke out the Sonos Roam 2. This comparison actually made the Sonos Roam 2 look impressive, because it's remarkable how close its sound signature comes to the Play. But the Play's audio is much bigger, much deeper, and more refined in all areas.

• Sound quality score: 4.5 / 5

Sonos Play review: design

• Home-friendly design, but still IP67-rated and drop-proof
• Great size, weight and charging design to grab quickly
• Buttons aren’t as clear as they could be

The design of the Sonos Play sits very much in line with other Sonos speakers. It has a hard dotted grille like most of its designs, with a rubbery top and bottom, like the Sonos Roam 2. The rubberized portion has a hefty lip at the top where it overlaps with the hard grille, and this makes me thing more of older Sonos speakers (like the Sonos One) than the Era 100, in a fond way.

I like the size of the Sonos Play a lot. I can grab it easily in one hand from the side, thanks in part to a smart concave groove on the back that's also rubberized, giving you a little grip aid.

It's weighty, but not too heavy to happily grab and carry around. It's about a third heavier than the JBL Charge 6, but is nearly a third lighter than the Marshall Middleton II, so finds itself in a good balance.

It has a flexible hook on the top of the back, which can use to carry it around or to hang on a bathroom door or something. This feels nice and sturdy.

It's IP67-rated, so should be able to handle all but the worst of water-related accidents. It should be able to handle complete immersion for a short time, so it's no risk for baths or for pool parties.

The charging cable is a little oval of plastic with a lip, and there's not much to it, but it holds on surfaces well enough when you're removing or replacing the speaker, and the charging points always line up perfectly.

I really think Sonos has nailed it with the core physical design here, and not just in a physical sense. Yes, it's durable, it's got a hook, and perhaps most importantly it looks nice — you'll happily have this thing out on a shelf, whereas a lot of people would choose to hide the JBL Charge 6 in a drawer.

But the design also make a different to my mentality, I've found. It's about how its size, weight and charging cradle lodge into my mind that this is a speaker that I not only can grab to take with me for a music blast, but that I should grab because it's so easy. There's no downside.

The Sonos Move 2 has an identical setup — durable, powerful, portable, easy charging cradle — but it's too large and heavy. You have to reach around to carry it from the back using its carry handle. If I'm taking that anywhere else, it's because I'm committing to being there for a while. I plan ahead.

And I have small portable speakers already in my house (shout out to by beloved B&O A1) that I could grab and take anywhere with me easily — but they're stored in a drawer upstairs, because I don't have them out most of the time.

But the Sonos Play has become my new kitchen speaker, so it's always out on the side, ready to grab. And it's so grabbable because it's about the thickness of a drink can, and I don't need to fiddle to unplug it because it uses a charging cradle, so I can just swipe it one-handed as I walk past. And it's already turned on and ready to play, assuming it's not already playing, because it's the main speaker in that room.

These are small, subtle design elements that add up to me feeling quite differently about the Sonos Play than almost any other speaker I've had, from the many Wi-Fi options to many portable Bluetooth speakers. As the weather where I am improves, the Sonos Play has quickly become my buddy that I take with me more; I grab the one from my kitchen to take outdoors when I sit out there, and I grab the one from my bedroom to take to the bathroom to blast tunes while I shave.

There must be a 'however', though, and it's the controls. I already mentioned that the on/off button is on the back, and while it's large and easy to find, I would prefer that you could get it to turn back on just by pressing something on top.

But the top buttons are also annoyingly disguised. They're distinguished only by symbols, not any kind of actual raised button element. And 'distinguished' is far too strong a word, because they're the same color and matte material as the rest of the top, so they're genuinely hard to see in some lighting conditions.

They also don't feel super distinct under the fingers. You get used to it, because you've only got four controls — volume down, play/pause (which also skips tracks with a multi-press), volume up, and voice assistant activation — but they just seem unnecessarily disguised.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

Sonos Play review: value

• It's pricey for a portable speaker…
• But few things are as versatile for the same cost
• It's priced in line with competitors at the same audio level

The Sonos Play is not cheap. For only a little more than the Sonos Play, you can get both a Sonos Era 100 SL and the JBL Charge 6, providing you with the core versatility of the Sonos Play — a powerful home speaker and robust portable speaker. But that's two devices, and part of the draw here is one device that can do both — simpler and more efficient.

But the price is also right in line with other powerful speakers at a similar level of audio quality, like the Marshall Middleton II — and it does things the Marshall doesn't. The JBL Charge 6 is a five-star portable speaker that's nearly half the price, so if the portable side is your priority, it makes sense to get that and save so much money… but the Sonos does sound better, offers more versatility, and looks way nicer to have as a home speaker.

When I look at other options at the same price, is anything ticking as many boxes as the Play? Pricey, yes, but more than justified. I'm not sure I'd buy a stereo pair over other wireless options you can get for $600 / £600 though, such as the Kanto Ren, since you lose some of the versatility in a pair.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Sonos Play?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Sonos Play review: also consider

How I tested the Sonos Play

• Tested over three weeks at home
• Compared with other Sonos speakers, and options from other brands

I had two Sonos Play units at home to test, over the course of three weeks. They were updated with the same software that the products will launch with, including all the various features.

I tested over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and using the Sonos app and Apple AirPlay 2. I mainly listened to music on Apple Music.

I've been reviewing speakers for 15 years, and I test audio products of all kinds, from Bluetooth speakers to floorstanding passive speakers.

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

The Kobra range of 3D printers has continued to impress over the years, and while the aesthetic design of their open-frame Cartesian machines has until now been very workshop-like, the reliability and quality of the prints have never failed to impress. So much so that there are still two old Kobra 2’s still running. They might not be the best machines compared to the latest releases, but after three years, they’re still running strong.

The Kobra X is a further progression forward in quality and design, which really started with the Kobra 3 Combo it’s just now the level of quality, along with the touch screen interface, speed and precision, all take another step forward. Anycubic are running to catch up like all others with the market leaders Bambu Lab, and to offer a solid alternative to the dominance of the Bambu Lab A1.

However, by taking on the A1, the Kobra X has had to refine the Anycubic 3D printers that have come before, and they’re not the only manufacturer that is playing catch-up with similarly cheap and excellent machines such as the Creality Hi, which again, for the price, is another outstanding cheap option. These printers are all very much now on a par; they don’t bring anything other than refinement to the older Cartesian style of FDM bed slinger printers.

What the Kobra X does is stamp Anycubic once again as a serious manufacturer in the 3D FDM arena, with a machine that improves the design quality and function. At this entry level, it’s essential that manufacturers get things right, as these are the machines that will endear users to their product lines. That’s why it seems for around the $300 / £300 mark, you’re getting a machine with literally all the features.

This does mean that any 3D printer at this level has to be simple to use, robust, reliable, aesthetically designed and when it comes to the prints, they need to be good, accurate and multicolored.

The market at this level is packed, and more importantly, the machines at this price point already have a solid and proven track record. Any of the best 3D printers I've tested for entry-level users need to compete needs to impress from the outset.

Getting started with the Kobra X instantly showed that the design and quality were on a par with the competition, and once a few updates and the calibration had run its course, the machine was up and running, the first few prints highlighting that the Kobra X was more than capable of standing its ground against the Creality and Bambu Lab machines.

Anycubic Kobra X: Price and Availability

The Anycubic Kobra X is currently only available directly from Anycubic US and Anycubic UK stores, priced at a discount $299 / £259 right now.

Combo versions are also available. If experience is anything to go by, expect this 3D printer to reach Amazon in the near future.

Anycubic Kobra X: Design

Anycubic has progressed the design of the Kobra machines significantly over the years, and comparing the old Kobra 2 against the latest X, you can see how the design and innovation of the latest model are worlds apart.

Yet, like those older machines, the Kobra X retains the older Cartesian style of design and sees the filament and print area open. While this means that for enthusiasts and those just starting out, you get to see the print being built, for those looking to use more advanced materials, the lack of an enclosure and controlled build area temperature limits the material choice.

Still, for beginners and hobbyists, that material restriction is probably a good thing, and after you’ve mastered the ways of PLA and PETG, you can then progress to the Kobra S1.

As it is, while the frame may be open, it’s been properly product designed and looks, as well as the machines usability compared with past models has all taken a leap forward.

Again, the gantry feels good and solid, and Anycubic has once again worked on the quality of the Cable routing, so less of the workings are on show.

While the design is still open, the motors and power adapter, belts and wiring are all, for the most part, hidden away. The 3.5-inch touch screen is also intuitive and easy to navigate, with the ability to load prints via USB or through the Anycubic Slicer software wirelessly.

The physical size is also relatively compact, with the four filament spools being mounted on the horizontal top bar, enabling easy accessibility. If you want the filament in a dry box, then you can couple the printer with the Ace 2 Pro, in fact, up to four of these filament boxes to enable 19 color printing.

When it comes to the dimensions, it measures in at 455.4 x 445.3 x 461.3 mm with the filaments adding to the height. Weight-wise, this is a printer that is easy to move around if space is limited, and without the filaments, it weighs 12.7kg or 18 kg for the combo model. The Ace 2 Pro will add an additional 4.8 kg per unit.

While the weight can quickly build like its competitors at the base level, it’s still very manoeuvrable and easy to carry and store. The build area is also pretty decent at a perfect 260 × 260 × 260mm, meaning that there’s plenty of room for a good amount of projects.

One of the other big design features is the Ace Gen 2 print head with a new extruder, cutter and multifilament system that helps to cut down on the filament purge compared with other systems.

• Design: 4.5/5

Anycubic Kobra X: Features

At first look, the Kobra X follows the same lines of design as the other new bed slingers. Everything is a little neater and less DIY workshop, and it isn’t just the aesthetics; these new machines leap forward with the technology and features as well.

The first point to note is that for those on a budget, the machine, with discounts, can be purchased for around $299 / £259, and for that price you have the ability to print in 4 colors. That is discounted from the usual $399 / £359, but when discounted that makes it £100 less than the competition. That price point is just the start, with several different combo options that then see the price hit a peak of $1148 / £987 with four Ace 2 Pro boxes and the ability to print up to 19 colors.

Like the S1, there’s also the ability to quality swap out the nozzle for different diameters, with the machine arriving with a standard 0.4mm and options for diameters from 0.25 through to 0.8mm. What also stands out here is that many of the parts can easily be swapped out, most notably the Ace Gen 2 print head.

Compared with Anycubic's previous multicolor Cartesian printers, this new system is double the speed and saves more filament through filament purging. It can also print 4 colors out of the box with the option to print an additional 15, taking the total to 19 colors.

The machine also builds in AI detection, which enables perfect first-layer printing, and if any issues are detected, the machine will stop before any damage is caused.

Out of the box, thanks to the new print head, the machine can also print PLA and TPU (68D) simultaneously, enabling you to print far more complex models. This type of feature is more common in multi-tool head printers and not common in single-nozzle systems like this.

A feature that I’ve seen expanding across almost all manufacturers is the ability to monitor and control the printer remotely. Again, while this isn’t a unique feature, the fact that it’s included on a portion of this print point is exceptional.

Anycubic make a big point about the new Ace Gen 2 technology, which features a 52% reduction in the distance between the filament cutter and nozzle and an 81.25% reduction in filament change length, ultimately reducing the time between filament swaps and the amount of filament that needs to be purged.

The most interesting point about this head is that it features an adaptive extrusion force compensator, which adjusts the extrusion force based on the filament hardness so that PLA, PVA and softer TPU can all be extruded without manual adjustment between filament swaps. This means you can print with the following combinations: PLA + TPU, PLA + PVA or TPU + TPU.

One of the other features that stands out, despite its simplicity, is the fact that the spools for the four colors are mounted above the machine. This means that although you do need to have quite a bit of headroom, for smaller workshop areas where desk space might be limited, this four-color solution retains a small footprint.

Print speeds can reach a maximum of 600mm/s with the default being an impressive 300mm/s. As a speed test on the machine, the USB is loaded with a fast 3DBench model that prints in a little over 14 minutes, which by any standards is fast.

Once again, the machine features the latest version of Anycubics LeviQ 3.0 levelling system with 49-point auto-leveling, Flow Dynamic Calibration, and Vibration Compensation. The heat bed has also been redesigned to ensure an even spread of heat under the platform.

The AI detection has a few key new features that I was keen to test. The first, as always, is the spaghetti detection, but then the new object skipping is of real interest. The spaghetti detection will stop the printer if something goes wrong and spaghetti strands of filament start to appear.

Object Skipping is something new. This essentially skips a print that’s failed, so if you have a series of parts printing on the same bed and one fails, usually that means that all will fail. However, once the camera detects a failure, it skips it and continues the rest of the prints without returning to the failed one.

• Features: 4.5/5

Anycubic Kobra X: Performance

The Kobra X is one of the most straightforward Bed Slingers I’ve assembled and took a little over five minutes to unbox and build. Once powered up and the calibration steps were run, which takes around 30 minutes, then the printer is set to go.

On the first run, I checked the first layer accuracy, and once finished, the sheet of plastic that had been extruded was of exceptional quality, peeling back to reveal an even and well distributed layer of filament. The next few test models were all from the supplied USB key, and as expected, these ran through without issue.

I then progressed to my own custom test models, all initially single filament. While Anycubic had supplied a 3DBenchy model on the USB, this was highly optimised to enable fast printing, so I loaded my stock version and was able to get a decent model in around 33 minutes with a clear surface and decent structure.

As I progressed through the test, pushing 4 kg of filament through for a variety of parts and projects, the printer remained consistent, and at all times, the four filament spools were left exposed to the elements rather than being protected in dry boxes. The printer was able to withstand the workshop temperatures, which could dip to around 10ºC at night.

Checking out the Autodesk / Kickstarter quality test proved that the printer, despite its price, is an exceptional value considering the quality that it is capable of printing. The highlight here is the dimensional accuracy, which I have seen with other Cartesian printers often appears to be more accurate than many Core XY printers.

Across the board, the quality tests were exceptionally good, and considering the price and the fact that it natively prints with four colors and can support up to 19, as well as having the ability to print with two materials, TPU and PLA, makes this printer an exceptional value for money.

Through the test, there were a couple of points that caused an issue. The first is that if your filaments don’t include the Anycubic RFID chip, then it isn’t always straightforward to update the printer as to what’s loaded in and a bit of fiddling was needed, essentially scanning an Anycubic reel and then popping on a third party. However, using the Anycubic FDilament with the RFID chips, loading and using a multitude of different material options was exceptionally simple.

One of my other major selling points from Anycubic about this new models is the speed and reduction of filament waste. While actual print speed is increased, the new iteration of the slicer software, AnycubicSlicerNext (Kobra X), doesn’t seem to reflect the speed change compared with the AnycubicSlicer (Kobra 3) software, often quoting the Kobra 3 and Kobra X having similar print times.

Going to multi-color printing, and this is where the machine comes into its own. Again, like print speeds, the software doesn’t seem to highlight the waste difference between this and the Kobra 3; however, after printing, while the filament piles are similar, the X does have a slight filament pile reduction compared to the Kobra 3.

Having run four 1 Kg spools through the system, I’ve been impressed by the dimensional accuracy, speed and surface quality. I would, however, highlight that the print platform should be cleaned regularly.

The platform's surface, while offering good adhesion, does need to be cleaned and seems slightly more prone than usual to finger grease, so just something to be aware of. As an open-framed 3D printer, while there are limitations on what you can print, the overall performance is exceptionally good.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

Anycubic Kobra X: Final verdict

The Anycubic Kobra X is one of the latest highly refined multi-color printers that offers a huge amount of potential. The quality of the build and design is a huge step forward from what I’ve seen in the past from the open design printers, but then, with the likes of the BambuLab A1, which was launched back in 2023, no manufacturer can get away with producing a printer that looks like it’s been put together in a workshop.

The workflow has been smoothed out, and once calibrated, which is of course all handled by the printer, as long as you ensure you maintain the rails and keep things clean after every print, the reliability is superb.

There are a couple of points on the maintenance of this printer. The first is to make sure that the print surface is always given a wipe over with an isopropyl alcohol (IPA) spray and a lint-free cloth.

The other point, which is especially relevant with this and other multi-filament printers, is to clear away the filament waste pile after, and even during, each print. Those tiny piles of filament can get stuck in various parts of the printer, so don’t let them pile up.

The filament waste issue is as ever apparent, but at present, with the design that’s pretty standard and at the price that is the price you pay.

Ultimately, for a printer that is so cheap, the potential and print quality of the Kobra X is superb, and at a competitive price point, it is at present the best value in a crowded field.

Should you buy the Anycubic Kobra X?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

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Minisforum MS-02 Ultra: 30-second review

The Minisforum MS-02 Ultra is a compact mini workstation aimed at business professionals who need desktop-grade power but lack the space for a full-sized workstation.

The first thing that struck me as I lifted the MS-02 from the box was that, for such a small machine, it’s incredibly heavy at 3.45kg, which instantly gives you the hint that this is a serious piece of kit rather than your run-of-the-mill mini PC.

The matte black chassis is discreetly designed, with plenty of cooling vents running across the casing. There are also rubber feet on the base and side that let you easily orient the machine in either an upright tower or a flat desktop position. It looks and feels like a miniaturised version of a professional workstation rather than a standard Mini PC, and its full-metal exterior gives it a premium look and feel.

Checking the MS-02 reveals that this machine is the link between the Mini PC and the Desktop. It has the small size of a Mini PC but quite a bit of upgradability, including RAM, ROM, and an expansion slot. All of the upgrade potential can be easily accessed via the slide-out internal chassis.

This chassis is held in place by two thumb screws; once they are undone, the entire internals can be pulled out. You can then remove the internal modules, which do require tools, but once unscrewed and laid out, you have access to the SODIMM slots and M.2 bays. The layout and concept are similar to the old Intel NUC 9 Extreme (Ghost Canyon) Mini PC from a few years back.

The front ports are well laid out with two USB4 V2 Type-C ports running at 80Gbps, taking priority over the traditional pair of USB-A ports, and through the test with the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5, I was impressed with the transfer rates enabling me to use the drive to edit 4K video on a drive that was essentially matching the speeds of the internal SSD.

On the rear of the machine, the ports are a little more sparse, but there are some good networking options alongside the three USB-A 10Gbps ports, HDMI 2.1 FRL, and unique to the 285HX machine that I’m reviewing, the dual 25GbE SFP+ sockets alongside the more standard 10GbE and 2.5GbE RJ45 connections. Essentially, for creatives, photographers and videographers working with high-speed network-attached storage such as the UGreen idx6011 pro, this is a great option.

Performance, even with the integrated Intel graphics, was unsurprisingly good throughout all tests, from Microsoft Apps through to editing 4K video in Premiere Pro. Once again, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX showed just how powerful it is, handling 4K editing in DaVinci Resolve and Premiere Pro without issue or pause on rough cuts, and then moving on to more in-depth grading.

Unsurprisingly, Lightroom Classic and Photoshop ran smoothly and, more impressively, handled large raw files from both the Canon EOS R5 C and the Hasselblad X2D II 100C with ease.

I did find that without a discrete GPU, the extended timeline rendering when editing video required a bit of patience, especially as you get further into the edit, but for the majority of users, whether you're an office worker looking for a powerful machine, a creative, a photographer or a videographer or a developer looking at the AI potential, there’s plenty on offer here.

The key point is that this machine is the base, and unlike some of the best mini PCs I've tested, it offers plenty of potential for upgrades. Out of the box, this is a very powerful workstation for development and power users handling large-scale data and spreadsheets. Add a GPU, and it becomes a very competent editing suite. Essentially, the machine's design enables you to adapt its configuration to suit your needs.

Minisforum MS-02 Ultra: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? From $1159 / £1039
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Directly from Minisforum or Amazon

The Minisforum MS-02 Ultra is available directly from Minisforum's store, as well as online retailers such as Amazon.com, Newegg, and Amazon.co.uk.

Prices for the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX barebone starting at $1159 / £1039. A 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD configuration available at $1599 / £1455.

A fully specified 192GB DDR5 ECC and 2TB SSD variant is £2,679. There are also other versions of the machine available with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX or Ultra 5 235HX models, and these start at $599 / £559. As barebones, though they lack ECC memory, dual 25GbE networking, and the two additional M.2 slots exclusive to the 285HX.

• Value: 4.5 / 5

Minisforum MS-02 Ultra: Specs

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX
GPU: Intel integrated graphics
AI Engine: NPU
Memory: 4x DDR5 SODIMM slots (Up to 256GB, ECC supported (285HX only))
Storage: 2x M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe (up to 8TB each) + 2x M.2 on 25GbE NIC card (PCIe 3.0/4.0) 285HX only; up to 24TB total
Networking: 2x 25GbE SFP+ (Intel E810, 285HX only); 1x 10GbE RJ45; 1x 2.5GbE RJ45; Wi-Fi 7 (Intel BE200); Bluetooth 5.4
Front Ports: 2x USB4 V2 Type-C, USB-A 10Gbps; 3.5mm audio jack
Rear Ports: HDMI 2.1 FRL (8K@60Hz); USB4 Type-C (40Gbps); 3x USB-A 10Gbps, 2x 25GbE SFP+, 10GbE + 2.5GbE RJ45
Internal expansion: 1x PCIe 5.0 x16; 1x PCIe 4.0 x4; 1x PCIe 4.0 x16 (occupied by 25GbE NIC on 285HX)
OS: Windows 11 Pro
Dimensions: 221.5 x 97 x 225mm
Weight: 3.45kg (for the 285HX model)

Minisforum MS-02 Ultra: Design

The MS-02 Ultra is a serious-looking machine with simple styling and a black matte finish. The machine is larger than your average mini PC; however, it has been designed to be positioned either as a mini tower or laid flat on a desk, with quality rubber feet to support both orientations.

Despite being small, measuring just 221.5 x 97 x 225mm, the 3.45kg weight as I lifted it out of the box immediately signalled that this was something more than a standard consumer mini PC. It’s substantially smaller than a conventional tower workstation but larger than a Mini PC, and it draws on the design of both.

Build quality is excellent throughout. The casing is solid and made entirely of metal, reinforcing its premium aesthetics. It also makes it easy to mount within other furniture and equipment, with the tough metal casing ensuring it will look the part in any stylish office and out in the field if used as an on-site workstation.

The design feature that stood out is the slide-out internal chassis, which is secured in place by two thumb screws. Once these are removed (which takes seconds), the entire internal assembly slides out, giving you easy access to the SODIMM slots, M.2 bays, PCIe slots, and the cooling assembly. This style of access is more familiar to desktop users than to Mini PC owners.

On the front of the machine, there are two USB4 V2 Type-C ports at 80Gbps alongside a single USB-A port and a standard 3.5mm combo jack for a headset. At the rear, there are three additional USB-A ports, all 10Gbps; HDMI 2.1 FRL; a USB4 Type-C port at 40Gbps; and the 285HX's dual 25GbE SFP+.

Then there are the more common 10GbE RJ45 and 2.5GbE RJ45. When it comes to display output options, the choices are a little limited: either HDMI 2.1 or USB4. While this might not meet the demands of gamers in a professional setup, it should meet most people's demands.

Obviously, being a small workstation, heat can build up, and during the test, the fans kick in early to keep things cool. Given their small size, those fans are notably louder than those on a large workstation, which often run near silent.

I was interested to see if the metal casing also worked as a heat sink, but checking the casing surface, the temperatures under sustained load remained pretty cool, and while warm to the touch around the mid and lower sections, the heat from the internals seemed well distributed.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

Minisforum MS-02 Ultra: Features

The feature set of the 285HX model is where the MS-02 Ultra really sets itself apart from what we’d usually expect from a mini PC.

Even compared with the other model in the range, the 285HX with it’s flagship configuration adds ECC DDR5 memory support (error-correcting memory for greater data reliability), dual 25GbE SFP+ networking via an Intel E810 controller (two 25 gigabit Ethernet ports with SFP+ interfaces for advanced networking), and a fourth and fifth M.2 NVMe slot integrated onto the 25GbE NIC card (additional high-speed storage slots built into the network card).

That takes total on-board storage capacity to 24TB across four drives. The lower-spec 275HX and 235HX models share the same chassis but lose all three of these features, making the 285HX a much more capable model for more power-hungry users.

What these upgraded specifications mean in certain fields, such as creative, is an enhancement in workflow reliability, especially with ECC memory.

The storage options for a machine of this size are significant, with four M.2 slots that can be used independently either as separate drives for project, media, cache, and archive, for example, or you can choose to configure in RAID 0, 1, 5, or 10. This means you can potentially have 24TB of fast SSD storage appear as a single drive, and then offload that content to a NAS when ready.

It’s worth noting that the M.2 slots are limited to PCIe 4.0 rather than the newer PCIe 5.0 standard, which limits transfer speeds; however, in real-world creative workloads, this additional speed is rarely noticeable.

On the front, there are two USB4 V2 ports, which I was able to test with a LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 external storage device, and the uplift in speed was significant, almost double that recorded on older USB 4.0.

Wired connectivity is the big network feature for this machine, but alongside is the Wifi connection. The machine handles Wi-Fi 7 using an Intel BE200 module. In testing against a Fritz! Box 5690 Pro: the raw throughput connection speed to drives connected to the wireless network was higher than on the Wi-Fi 6 network. But the connection's consistency and reliability were noticeably better.

Wired connectivity via the 10GbE port proved fast in studio use, and the fact that the machine also has 25GbE SFP+ ports offers future upgrade potential, especially for studios building high-speed NAS infrastructure, really highlighting that my network is ready for an upgrade.

The PCIe 5.0 x16 slot adds the ability to upgrade the machine and, to a certain degree, will future-proof your investment, with room for a low-profile GPU should the integrated graphics prove insufficient. This might be of particular concern if you have intensive rendering workloads.

The system also supports Intel vPro with BIOS-level KVM on the 285HX, enabling full remote management for 24/7 deployment, which is essential for larger corporations that will have home and remote workers.

• Features: 5 / 5

Minisforum MS-02 Ultra: Performance

The Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX is an impressive CPU for a machine of this size, and the benchmark results reflect that. The Geekbench multi-core score of 18,366 and Cinebench multi-core result of 35,080 place this well within workstation territory, and the PCMark overall score of 7,983 confirms that real-world productivity performance is excellent across the board. SSD read speeds of 6,136 MB/s and write speeds of 5,338 MB/s from the installed NVMe drive are excellent for a PCIe 4.0 module, although, as mentioned earlier, it would have been great to have seen at least one PCIe 5.0 option.

In creative applications, the machine is ideal for working in a photography and video studio, being able to fit on a desktop neatly, and the size also makes it ultra portable if it does need to be installed into a movable workstation.

Through the test using Lightroom Classic and the power of the machine, it was able to manage large libraries and complex adjustments from Hasselblad X2D II 100C files without issue, and Photoshop ran large raw files with the same ease.

For video, DaVinci Resolve and Premiere Pro both handled rough cuts and colour grading of Canon EOS R5 C Log3 4K footage as well as any machine I’ve tried. As expected with integrated graphics only, timeline rendering on longer projects required leaving the machine to sit after each significant editing session, just to enable time for the timeline to render before applying grades and effects, essentially a build-and-render approach, which is common.

Loading several more demanding apps at once showed that multitasking abilities were handled well. Switching between Photoshop and Premiere Pro caused no lag, and running Microsoft Office applications alongside the creative suite also proved well within the machine's abilities. For five- to ten-minute 4K edits, at least the 64GB of ECC RAM in the review unit proved well balanced to the workload.

Another point here on the performance is the speed of the internal SSDs that are able to transfer the large amounts of data needed for video editing. The benchmark results returned a CrystalDiskMark Read speed of 6,136.46 MB/s and Write of 5,338.79 MB/s. What was impressive here was connecting the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 to the USB4 V2 External port on the front, which registered 6,012.07 MB/s read and 4,053.44 MB/s, showing a significant speed increase over standard USB 4.0.

Video editing can put a huge demand on all components in the machine, and thermal throttling can be a real issue. As I started to push the system, the fans kicked in early to help keep things cool, and while the volume of these remained low, they were noticeable, especially compared directly against my usual video workstation.

What this load did reveal was the performance held up over a five-hour editing session with no signs of throttling. The cooling solution inside, which consists of six heat pipes with phase-change material and a dual-fan chamber, managed the sustained processing loads on the electronics.

The GPU performance from the integrated Intel graphics was OK for all creative tasks during the test, but if you are considering this for any process that relies on a graphics card, then connecting an eGPU is going to be essential. The 3DMark scores with Fire Strike at 4,657 and Time Spy at 2,315 reflect the limits of integrated graphics rather than the CPU falling short. Reassuringly, there is room in the chassis for a dual-slot low-profile GPU, and the 350W internal PSU includes a spare 8-pin connector to power it.

Taking a break from testing, I tried out the game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which ran surprisingly well at mid-level settings, and far better than many gaming-focused mini PCs I've reviewed. It shows just how powerful that CPU is without the support of a discrete GPU..

One other note on the test: the dual 25GbE SFP+ ports were not tested during the review period due to the absence of a compatible 25GbE switch. A follow-up test is planned once the network infrastructure is in place.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

Minisforum MS-02 Ultra: Final verdict

The Minisforum MS-02 Ultra and flagship 285HX variant that I’ve looked at in this review offers a substantial feature set for a machine of this size, which will give it wide appeal for businesses looking for a powerful and compact machine at a reasonable price.

Features such as the ECC memory, dual 25GbE networking, four M.2 slots, PCIe 5.0 expansion, and Intel vPro together add up to a platform that can serve as a creative workstation, a compact server node, a home lab host, or all three.

For larger businesses, the inclusion of Intel vPro means that they can manage the machine securely over a remote connection, which will be of definite appeal.

In the creative field and any photographer or videographer working with large-format files, this machine, with the combination of fast internal storage, high-speed USB4 V2 connectivity, and network offload via 10GbE or 25GbE, makes it an interesting choice, especially with the potential to pop in a discreet GPU. The small size of a machine with this power also means that it will be equally at home as a static desk machine or moved between locations.

There are a few downsides to the machine, and while there is a barebones version, even with the ready-to-go review configuration for many, this will just be the base machine. The out-of-the-box storage of 1TB fills quickly in creative workflows, and upgrading to 4TB or more will be essential.

Then there’s the Intel Graphics that actually proved to be pretty powerful through the test; however, if you are working with graphics or anything that requires the GPU for processing, then a card will need to be added.

The 64GB RAM of the review unit was well matched to the workloads I ran through the test, but anyone running this as a server or AI platform, or editing longer projects, will want to boost the RAM to 128GB or higher configurations. Once those upgrades are factored in, the total cost climbs rapidly and starts to have a value closer to a lower-end full-sized workstation.

Essentially, the small size of the machine and the price make it a viable option; it’s just worth keeping in mind that the out-of-the-box configuration is just the start, and what you install for your workload will add cost. However, even at the top end of Mini PC models, there’s nothing to compete with this flexibility, and even the cheapest workstation is going to be significantly larger, which makes this a great solution all round.

Should I buy the Minisforum MS-02 Ultra?

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Ulefone RugKing Pad Pro: 30-second review

The Ulefone RugKing Pad Pro is a compact, rugged tablet designed for outdoor professionals and trades, and is available at an incredibly low price. What makes this impressive is not just the price but the bright yellow design detailing, screen, and build quality.

Considering the relatively low price, the quality of the build and materials is genuinely good, feeling solid and robust which is reinforced by the IP68, IP69K and MIL-STD-810H certifications. Visually, the design highlights the rugged credentials with the usual hardened rubberised corners synonymous with this tablet style.

Unlike many rugged tablets I’ve looked at in the past, this design avoids the bulk and ugliness that often come with heavy-duty certification. The bright yellow accents and ribbed backplate give it a distinctive look, and the Corning Gorilla Glass 3 screen has a slightly matte finish that makes it easy on the eye and comfortable to read in a range of lighting conditions.

With an 8.68-inch screen and a lowish-profile bezel, it comfortably fits in one hand, and, coupled with a weight of 540g, it all feels well-balanced for a certified rugged device. The 860-nit display is also more than bright enough for outdoor use, and the adaptive brightness and Highlight Mode mean it adapts well to the changing light conditions, although these days this is a standard feature.

This is an entry-level model; still, the performance from the Unisoc T7250 CPU is, for the most part, solid. Google productivity apps run smoothly, with the interfaces for each application responsive, though the screen resolution, while clear, is a little limited.

Likewise, the same is true for some light creative work in apps like Photoshop Express and CapCut: as long as you don’t push the resolution of the images or the video editing, most adjustments and edits are perfectly viable.

As long as your expectations for the tablet are at the entry to mid-level, the performance is solid, although as you push the system, the limitations do start to show under heavier workloads such as serious image editing, video rendering, or gaming. Although it has to be said, all applications tested are usable, especially Lightroom, which actually runs exceptionally well, and this is a tablet designed for outdoor professionals rather than creatives and with that in mind, the performance feels well-balanced.

Battery life is good and impressive through the test. During the benchmarking, which lasted about 3 hours, the battery only dropped 10%. This initial 10% drop utilised the tablet's CPU and GPU to the max, and over the rest of the 10-day test, the tablet dropped to 12% charge, a result that actually supports Ulefone's longevity claims.

Another feature that will be especially relevant to trade is the uSmart expansion connector, dock charging, and eSIM support, all of which set a business-focused feature set that makes the RugKing Pad Pro a great choice for anyone working in the field, and a sure-fire inclusion in our guide to the best rugged tablets we've tested.

Ulefone RugKing Pad Pro: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? $199 / £170
• When is it out? Now
• Where can you get it? Widely available

The Ulefone RugKing Pad Pro is available directly from Ulefone, as well as online retailers including Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

The standard price is $199.99 / £170 at the time of review. Optional accessories, including the desk charging dock, tablet hand strap with kickstand, and uSmart endoscope and microscope modules, are sold separately. The cost of the 4G SIM or eSIM will be an additional expense.

• Value: 4 / 5

Ulefone RugKing Pad Pro: Design

The RugKing Pad Pro is a great-looking rugged tablet with its yellow detailing and relatively slim profile. Unlike the more usual blocky, overtly industrial aesthetic that I’ve seen in the past when reviewing rugged tablets, Ulefone has taken a more refined approach: sharp lines, a protective frame, and a bright yellow ribbed back panel that gives it a rugged look without adding unnecessary bulk.

The yellow colour option, applied to the detail elements and the backplate, proved to be a practical choice, as I discovered through the test. That yellow colour makes it easy to spot at the back of a van and in low-light conditions, where high visibility matters. The yellow essentially contrasts well against most working environments and is one of the reasons some camera bag manufacturers also select this colour.

The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, which has a slightly matte surface that I found made extended reading and document work more comfortable than a typical glossy display. Although this is an entry-level device with a low screen resolution, the display quality is one of the best I’ve seen, and the surface was absolutely spot on for me.

When it comes to handling, the 8.68-inch size sits well in one hand and is easy to hold, thanks to its 540g weight. While not light, it is still easy to carry for extended periods. One feature of the design highlighted by the manufacturer is the ribbed back, and while this does look grippy, in practice it offers little more traction than a smooth surface; it’s more aesthetic than functional, and a slightly rubberised texture would have improved real-world grip.

The waterproof port plugs are simple push-fit rubber bungs, which are standard for this category. They’re made from a hard rubber that should last the lifespan of the device, but as with all such designs, you need to ensure they’re fully seated before subjecting the device to being submerged in water.

The pogo pin dock connector holds the tablet firmly, and the charging dock, sold separately, is essential if you are looking for this for the workplace, especially if multiple units need to be managed.

• Design: 3 / 5

Ulefone RugKing Pad Pro: Features

Fronting the tablet is an 8.68-inch IPS LCD display with a 1340 x 800 resolution, a 90Hz refresh rate, and peak brightness of 860 nits. While the resolution and refresh rate are slightly lower than those of recent rugged tablets, the display still looks good.

A common feature worth highlighting is adaptive brightness, which adjusts the screen automatically to ambient conditions, and there's a dedicated Highlight Mode that pushes brightness even further in direct sunlight. Both features work well in practice, although it is mid-March, so slightly duller day to day than later in the year.

The RugKing Pad Pro supports up to two Nano-SIMs or an eSIM. The physical SIMs, along with the TF/MicroSD card, can be loaded into the slot on the side of the device. It’s worth noting that the eSIM and physical SIMs cannot be used at the same time, and if you do want to switch between them a restart is required.

eSIM activation follows a standard process via Settings > Network & Internet, with setup via QR code or activation code. 4G LTE connectivity is all you get, and there’s no 5G support. Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and multi-constellation GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS) complete the wireless options.

In the past, I’ve been impressed by uSmart's expansion accessories, such as the EndoScope, and it’s great to see that ecosystem from the tough phones now on a larger tablet, as it really does enhance its usefulness. The connector for attaching accessories is on the side and supports Ulefone’s professional accessories, including the E01 and E02 endoscopes and the C01 microscope.

The connector uses a single securing screw for attachment, and the accessories really do provide a genuine professional tool set for trades who need to carry out inspection work. The ability to feed endoscope footage directly to the tablet’s 8.68-inch screen has obvious advantages over a mobile phone screen.

A rugged mobile device wouldn’t be without a programmable custom key, and this can be assigned to any function or app; during testing, it was mapped to the camera for instant access. Other slightly unique features include the Glove mode, activated through the Special Functions menu in Settings, which, when tested, worked well with fabric gloves and lighter work gloves, though heavier-duty gloves didn’t work; however, compared with standard touch screens, this mode does make a big difference to usability.

Another of the big rugged features is the 133LM Super Torch, which sits next to the camera. Here, with the slightly focused beam, it is reasonable and has a decent reach, although there is no brightness adjustment or beam focus control.

The RugKing Pad Pro is preloaded with Android 16 and a host of apps, if anything too many, one of the first things that I would do if owning this phone for business would be to strip the app side back to the essentials. One of those essentials would be the Ulefone’s Service Centre app, which provides support when you need it, along with the user manuals.

• Features: 4 / 5

Ulefone RugKing Pad Pro: Performance

The Ulefone RugKing Pad Pro is a relatively compact Android-based tablet, and as I started the performance test, a couple of points about the design immediately stood out. The first was that the size made it easy to handle, and even without the hand strap, which would have been handy, it was still easy to hold single-handed.

The textured back, which was supposed to give a little more grip, didn’t seem to do much; however, the build quality is solid, and with the usual rubberised corner protection, it all seemed durable enough.

Powering this small tablet is a Unisoc T7250 CPU, which delivers solid if not cutting-edge performance that’s fine for the market the RugKing Pad Pro is designed for. Checking out all the usual apps, including Google’s productivity apps, Docs, Sheets, Drive, and all loaded quickly and ran without issue.

However, I will say that the 1340 x 800 screen resolution only just provided enough working area for comfortable document editing. When used with those Google apps, the overall feel is well-balanced, the physical size, screen clarity and interface responsiveness work together well, and some of the more unique features were genuinely helpful.

The gloved-hand mode increases the screen's sensitivity, so even with non-touchscreen gloves, the screen still responds. I did find that for thicker gloves, the usual non-response was still present; still, it’s better than most.

Using Lightroom, Photoshop, and CapCut shows that despite the entry-level CPU and GPU, the tablet still has some potential, and the Geekbench results (Single: 441, Multi: 1501, GPU: 721) are far from ground-breaking but show good, solid performance across the board.

Where the tablet does start to struggle is with graphics-intensive tasks, and the 3DMark scores in Slingshot showed an overall score of 1884 and a Wild Life score of 160, all confirming that the Mali-G57 MP1 GPU is a competent mid-weight GPU. Flipping back to the real-world tests, sure enough, Photoshop Express, Lightroom mobile, and CapCut video editing were possible, and even NFS Asphalt ran surprisingly well.

GPS performance was generally reliable, though there was significant cloud cover during much of the test period, which made satellite connectivity a little sporadic. On clear days, the RugKing Pad Pro locked on quickly and matched the positioning accuracy of comparable rugged smartphones. 4G connectivity and speed, while not close to what I’m used to with 5G, performed well, and the signal strength in Salisbury, England, was excellent, though, heading to the outskirt towns around the New Forest, where we’re limited to 4G.

Over a 10-day period, the RugKing Pad Pro joined me for work and under normal mixed usage, mainly checking and answering emails, alongside the benchmarking test and using a variety of applications, browsing, Google Docs, and some media playback, the device finished with 12% battery.

One point of note is that the screen powers off by default after 30 seconds, which is incredibly short, so I extended the switch-off time, which has a dramatic effect on battery life.

As a final note, while the tablet does have a camera, the 16MP rear camera resolution and quality is best described as adequate, perfect for taking pictures for site documentation, reference shots, scanning, but it’s worth knowing that the brighter it is, the cleaner the images you capture will be, and this is relevant for both images and stills.

• Performance: 4 / 5

Ulefone RugKing Pad Pro: Final verdict

The Ulefone RugKing Pad Pro is at the budget end of rugged tablets, yet, despite the price, it's a great option if you’re looking for a well-thought-out tablet that delivers decent performance for productivity apps and can withstand most environmental conditions.

The build quality and design are genuinely impressive for the price, and as long as the rubber lugs are pushed in securely, it will be water-tight as well as shockproof, making it ideal for trades. One aspect that sometimes lets these rugged smartphones down is the screen, and once again, the resolution is low; however, the brightness is good, and it's easy to see outdoors, even in bright conditions. The battery life over a 10-day test was also superb.

When it came to the more advanced performance, the Unisoc T7250, while a capable mid-range processor that handles productivity tasks well does start to hit its limitations under heavier creative workloads, however, that’s not really what this device is for and if you just want to enhance a few image or make short site videos then the camera and processing power will more than suffice.

I am a little surprised that a new release is still limited to 4G rather than 5G, but this will be due to price considerations, although it will limit the product's actual lifespan as 5G becomes more widely available. At present, I’m lucky to see E for my network connectivity. Despite it only offering 4G support, you can add an eSIM, which is incredibly easy to do, and the system seems well set up to do this; although you can’t run a standard SIM at the same time as the eSIM, it’s one or the other.

Some of the additional features are unique to this product line, such as the uSmart accessory ecosystem, which, as with previous releases, works incredibly well and, for trades, will be a great asset. Then, with the dock charging compatibility, it further lends itself to use in the workplace.

Should I buy a Ulefone RugKing Pad Pro?

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TP-Link Omada EAP787: 30-second review

Ceiling-mounted access points have been extremely popular since makers like TP-Link began designing them with PoE in mind.

Positioning the TP-Link Omada EAP787 in a range of these devices, it's either at the top or just below it, since the makers do have the EAP783, which is BE20000 rated.

Depending on the region this equipment is deployed, the EAP787 is either a BE12000 or BE15000 capable device with up to channels covering 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz frequencies. In the USA(BE15000), these bands offer 5765 Mbps on 6 GHz, 8648 Mbps on 5 GHz and 688 Mbps on 2.4 GHz, totalling 15101 Mbps.

In the EU and UK (BE12000), those numbers are 5765 Mbps on 6 GHz, 5765 Mbps on 5 GHz and 688 Mbps on 2.4 GHz, totalling 12218 Mbps. The hardware is identical; it’s just that in the USA, the FCC permits 320 MHz-wide channels on the 5 GHz band, whereas under European regulators (ETSI/Ofcom), the limit is 5 GHz to just 160 MHz wide.

The caveat to having this much bandwidth available is that the EAP787 must use a 10GbE backhaul to connect to the larger network, and potentially the Internet. And that requires a special switch that supports PoE++ 10GbE.

As with most TP-Links Omada hardware, the EAP787 is packed with Enterprise-class technologies that allow it to be remotely configured and controlled, and this AP also has a frequency monitoring technology that detects interference in real-time and enables the hardware to reconfigure automatically.

Given its capabilities, the EAP787 seems implausibly cheap, but it's worth noting that buying these might require larger investments in network infrastructure to make the most of what they can do.

If you have a 10GbE PoE++ switch, then this is probably one of the best access points available. And certainly one of the most affordable.

TP-Link Omada EAP787: price and availability

• How much does it cost? $250/£230/€280
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available from Amazon and other online retailers.

As with most TP-Link hardware, the EAP787 is available from major online resellers, including Amazon. In the USA, it costs $249.99, and in the UK it's £ 250.

However, I wouldn’t recommend buying it on Amazon unless you only need a single unit. Many resellers who specialise in network equipment offer excellent deals on bulk purchases and bundles that include a 12V power supply or a PoE injector.

The competition comes primarily from another TP-Link design, the EAP783, as well as the Ubiquiti Unifi U7 Pro XGS and U7 Pro Max.

The EAP783 is effectively two EAP787s glued together, offering a massive BE22000 spec, but it lacks the dedicated TF scanning or Bluetooth. It also requires dual 10GbE LAN ports to provide sufficient uplink. The cost of this item is $499.99 on Amazon, which seems appropriate for the bandwidth on offer.

The Ubiquiti U7 Pro XGS costs $299.99 from Amazon, and that’s a BE15000 specification AP (in the USA), and also uses a single 10GbE PoE++ port for power and data.

The Ubiquiti U7-Pro-Max is very similar from a Wi-Fi perspective, having the same BE15000 capability, but bizarrely, the makers have given this model only a single 2.5GbE PoE+ Uplink. It’s only a little cheaper than the Ubiquiti U7 Pro XGS, so I’d avoid that option.

Based on the specifications and cost, the EAP787 seems something of a bargain, but it’s worth considering the extra infrastructure needed to make the best use of this hardware before making an impulse purchase.

• Value score: 4/5

TP-Link Omada EAP787: Specs

TP-Link Omada EAP787: design

• Large dish design
• Ceiling and wall mounting
• 10GbE PoE++ implications

The EAP787 follows TP-Link's standard Omada ceiling-mount aesthetic of a large circular disc designed for flush ceiling or suspended tile installation. The push-and-rotate mount mechanism makes installation straightforward for IT teams.

Using it with 51.7W PoE++, that’s a significant power draw, and the unit is notably large, which may create challenges in space-constrained or aesthetics-sensitive environments.

It comes with a circular mounting plate with holes for four possible connection options. These include a basic ceiling/wall mount, a 3.5-inch US round junction box, a US gang outlet, and an EU gang outlet.

In a recess on the underside of the EAP787 is the 10GbE PoE++ port, and a 12V input if you wish to power it directly rather than use PoE. A plastic cover is provided for this area, but I’d only use it if you have Ethernet cables terminated with a 90-degree connector, since with it attached, there is no straight path to the port.

Four internal antennas handle the eight Wi-Fi streams, while a separate pair of internal antennas is used for the dedicated RF scanning radio. BLE 5.2 is also built in, enabling future IoT integration and remote out-of-band management possibilities via the Omada app.

There is a single 10G/2.5G combo Ethernet port, with the operating speed determined solely by the PoE class provided by the upstream switch. As an alternative, there is a 12V power input, but the PSU for this isn’t included in the box. And TP-Link also makes PoE++ injectors if you want to avoid a PoE++ switch but already have 10GbE networking.

Being generous, this is an elegant design that lets buyers enter at PoE+ and upgrade later. But it’s also worth noting that to get the most from this design requires a 10GbE PoE++ switch, and something like the TP-Link TL-SX3206HPP with four ports of 10GbE PoE++ is likely to cost you £500, substantially more than the EAP787.

For a larger deployment, the 24-port TP-Link SX3832MPP is likely to cost you £1,619.95, though this does have eight 10GbE SFP+ ports to handle the network backbone.

The relatively low price of this Access Point is a lure to get on board the Omada train, as to get all the best features and easiest control requires at least an Omada controller and probably an Omada switch.

Design score: 4/5

TP-Link Omada EAP787: In use

• Omada control
• AFC only on US version

For those unfamiliar with the Omada ecosystem, all TP-Link’s Omada-branded equipment follows the same pattern: it can be used in standalone web-interface mode or via an Omada controller. The controller can be either a hardware controller at additional cost, or a software one configured on a system that remains operationally 24/7.

For an IT professional with lots of TP-Link gear managed by Omada controllers, it makes for an easy life, as the system can be managed globally, including over different sites through a single web-based interface.

Luckily for this review, I already have an Omada controller and a number of Omada access points, so adding this one to the gang is merely a matter of plugging it in and then going to the Omada controller app to adopt it. Once joined to the system, the controller will monitor the EAP787, and automatically deploy the pre-defined SSIDs associated with the network.

That saves me some time, but if I were deploying a dozen of these or other Omada hardware across multiple locations, it could save a substantial amount of effort. It’s also incredibly useful for making sweeping changes and collecting data that might justify buying more (or less) equipment to better meet the demands placed on the network.

Some will argue that TP-Link are attempting to lock you into their hardware, and to a degree, that’s an accurate analysis, but most networking hardware makers do much the same thing, and hardware uniformity makes for greater predictability.

Like all the TP-Link Omada equipment I’ve recently tested, the EAP787 was immediately recognised by the Omada controller and began working alongside the others within minutes.

One special feature I’ve not seen previously, but on the EAP787 is dedicated RF scanning. This is an independent monitoring of the usable spectrum for interference without disrupting client traffic. To leverage this continuous adaptation, the Omada controller v6.0 or higher is required, but it is arguably the device's most compelling enterprise capability.

If there is a blot on this wonderfully cultured Omada landscape, it’s AFC on the EAP787.

Or rather, there is no AFC on the BE12000 model. That's a limitation of the European standards for 6GHz, According to TP-Link, "AFC is required only when you use 6GHz outdoor devices, and need to switch between SP (Standard Power) and LP (Lower Power) mode. 6GHz is only allowed to be used for indoor with LPI (Lower Power Indoor) in UK, and does not require AFC support. Ofcom has decided to allow the use of SP and LP mode for 6GHz for outdoor recently, but there is no official approved AFC agency in UK yet."
AFC, or Automated Frequency Coordination, allows the 6GHz radio to transmit at higher power levels, substantially improving range. That’s important because 5765 Mbps of the available bandwidth is allocated to 6GHz.
Checking with Ofcom, I discovered that the intention is to enable an Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) system in the 5925 – 7125 MHz band (the 6 GHz band) and conditions to enable Standard Power Wi-Fi deployments under the control of that system.
At this time, that's a proposal under consultation, so there is no timeline for it to become an accepted standard.

• In Use: 4/5

TP-Link Omada EAP787: performance

• EU performance reduction on 5GHz

Performance testing on this hardware is slightly coloured at this point, partly because, depending on what region you are in, there is a different bandwidth topology, and also because AFC isn’t available in the UK/EU model.

The EAP787 uses the same Qualcomm chipset family as its EAP783 brother, though its 5GHz radio is specified at an even higher rate of 8648 Mbps vs the EAP783's 5760 Mbps, suggesting the 5GHz radio has been significantly upgraded.

However, no single client can access that much bandwidth, and in Europe, the 5GHz band is limited to 5760 Mbps anyway.

What’s true wherever the EAP787 is deployed is that the 10GbE port can sustain over 9 Gbps, assuming the wirelessly connected clients are pulling or pushing that much data. As this AP can support more than 500 users simultaneously, that should be possible.

While it’s difficult to put hard numbers on its effectiveness, the dedicated RF scanning radio operates independently from the three data radios, meaning real-time interference monitoring does not tax Wi-Fi throughput. This is a notable advantage in high-density or congested RF environments such as convention centres, hospitals, and lecture halls.

In my testing with a suitably Wi-Fi 7-capable laptop, connection speeds of 1.2 Gbps are standard when near the AP, and even at range, 720 Mbps was sustained. The only caveat to that level of performance is that the first ten people will wonder what happened to their amazing connection when more people turn up.

• Performance score: 4/5

TP-Link Omada EAP787: Final verdict

When the wireless network is expanded with devices like the EAP787, then it's likely that other parts will need upgrading to make use of what it delivers. As I mentioned earlier, making the best use of this gear requires infrastructure changes, but new switches and Omada controllers might just be the tip of a considerable iceberg.

Because the majority of Wi-Fi access won’t be for internal systems, but the greater internet, and having a wireless network with access points that can shift up to 15000Mbps, won’t work if you only have 1GbE broadband at the end of that 10GbE infrastructure.

If you choose to embrace the EAP787 or its EAP783 bigger brother, or any of the UniFi U7 Pro equipment, then budget for a wider broadband pipe at the same time.

This hardware is designed for large enterprises and high-density venues, such as convention centres, lecture halls, or hospitals, with 100+ simultaneous clients per AP, where dedicated RF scanning and high client capacity matter.

It fits better with 10GbE infrastructure, since connecting it by 2.5GbE effectively negates the point of this AP, leaving you paying a premium for 2.5G performance available more cheaply elsewhere.

The Omada ecosystems, with their seamless controller integration, no licensing fees, and consistent Omada management, make it a natural upgrade path from earlier EAP models.

I would avoid using the EAP787 in small offices or homes, where a simpler EAP773 or EAP783 suffices. Those environments without 10GbE switching, or where anyone who needs an AP can deploy standalone without a controller and access all features.

This is plenty of AP for a modest price, and those who choose this equipment must accept that it could easily lead to significant additional investment.

Should I buy a TP-Link Omada EAP787?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

For more connectivity solutions, we've reviewed the best business routers

Jabra Evolve3 85: 30-second review

Professional headsets have always had an image problem. The moment you clip a boom arm to your ear, you look like someone who works in a call centre or is directing air traffic. Jabra has clearly decided that aesthetic just isn’t good enough.

With the Evolve3 85, the company has taken all the voice clarity technology it has spent years developing, stripped away the boom mic entirely, and wrapped everything in a design that would not look out of place in a Copenhagen coffee shop.

The headline technology is Jabra ClearVoice, a boomless microphone system powered by a deep neural network trained on over 60 million sentences. It uses multiple concealed microphones to separate speech from background noise without a visible arm, drawing on expertise from GN's hearing division.

Design-wise, the Evolve3 85 is up to 35 per cent slimmer than its Evolve2 predecessor, claims to be the lightest over-ear headset in its class, and folds into a travel case thin enough to mistake for empty. The over-ear fit gives better passive isolation than the on-ear Evolve3 75 sibling, making it ideal for both open offices and noisy commutes.

Looks aren’t everything, but the Evolve 3 85 can also claim battery life figures that are genuinely remarkable. Jabra quotes 25 hours of call time and 120 hours of music playback on a single charge, with a five-minute fast charge providing five hours of use. That effectively means that by the point your line manager has berated your timekeeping, the headphones are ready to get you through at least half the working day from flat.

And, wireless charging is also supported, via the flat exterior surface of the earcups, avoiding excessive wear on the USB-C port

The adaptive ANC deserves particular attention. Unlike most headsets, which pause noise cancellation the moment you start a call, the Evolve3 85 keeps it active throughout. Combined with the Bluetooth 5.4 connection, LC3 codec support, and dual-device pairing, the package's connectivity looks impressively comprehensive.

If all this sounds way too good to be realistic, the Evolve3 85 sits firmly at the premium end of the market at around $500. Compared with the outgoing Evolve2 85 and similar UC-certified alternatives, that’s price continuity.

The Evolve3 85 makes a compelling case on every front except price, but even at this cost, these deserve to be added to our best noise-cancelling headphone collection.

Jabra Evolve3 85: price and availability

• How much does it cost? From $527/£496/€569
• When is it out? Pre-order for April 2026
• Where can you get it? Direct from Jabra and online retailers

The Jabra Evolve3 85 launched on 1 March 2026 at a recommended price of $649 in the United States, £495 in the UK, €569 in Europe (including VAT), and AU$979 in Australia.

Initially only available in black, a Warm Grey colour variant is due to follow in April 2026 in select markets. The Evolve3 75, the on-ear sibling, is available from the same date at the lower price of £349 / $463.

Checking the larger online retailers, the Evolve3 85 Microsoft Teams model is available for pre-order at only $475 on Amazon.com, for a model with only wired charging, and $527 for one with wireless charging.

Oddly, the wired All Platforms model is the same price as the Microsoft Teams model, but the wireless option is a disturbing $720. I suspect that the final price is a mistake, since in other regions the prices for the two standards are the same.

In the UK, this headset is on Amazon.co.uk, but can be bought directly from the official Jabra website. The Microsoft Teams wired charging model is £429, and the wireless model is £466.80; all prices include VAT, and the same pricing applies to the Unified Communication models.

These are enterprise-grade prices, and Jabra makes no apologies for that. The Evolve2 85, which the Evolve3 replaces, was similarly positioned, and buyers of business equipment will likely have IT budgets rather than personal wallets in mind. That said, Jabra has clearly made a conscious effort to position the Evolve3 as a crossover product, and at this price, it will face meaningful competition from premium consumer headphones that carry genuinely impressive audio credentials.

For organisations deploying at scale, Jabra offers free trials for companies of 500 or more employees who are replacing existing devices, and the Plus Management platform simplifies fleet deployment considerably.

Individual buyers are perhaps less well served by the pricing, particularly when similarly styled competitors undercut it by a meaningful margin. But these are meant to catch the corporate ear, pun fully intended.

• Value score: 3/5

Jabra Evolve3 85: Specs

Jabra Evolve3 85: design

• No boom arm
• Robust construction
• Excellent ergonomics

The first thing most people will notice about the Evolve3 85 is what it is missing. There is no boom arm, and no retractable mic stalk. Considering that one feature probably accounts for the demise of at least half the headsets I’ve seen, eliminating it is a win.

No visual shorthand that announces to the world you are working on a helpdesk. Instead, what you get is a clean, minimal over-ear headset with a matte finish, breathable cushions, and a profile that would sit comfortably alongside any premium consumer headphone.

Jabra describes the aesthetic as contemporary Danish design, which made me immediately think of Princess Leia’s hairstyle, but these aren’t like that at all.

This is a noticeably slimmer design than the Evolve2 it replaces, measuring up to 35 per cent thinner according to Jabra's own figures. The result is a headset that folds into a compact travel case that can slip into a work bag without occupying a dedicated compartment.

My only other concern about the carry case is that it doesn’t have an obvious place for the wireless charger, and the compressed paper/fabric material it's made of isn’t as robust as the Evolve3 85.

While some headsets use plastic throughout to keep weight and cost down, the amount of metal in these and the quality of the plastic materials used feel appropriately premium for the price point, and the overall construction suggests a product designed for long daily use rather than occasional handling.

Jabra has also included replaceable ear cushions and a replaceable battery, both of which are welcome additions from a longevity perspective and bring the product into compliance with current repair legislation.

Finding that kind of consideration in a business headset is encouraging; finding it in any headset at this price is much less common than it should be.

Another feature I appreciated is the 360-degree busylight that signals availability status from every angle, removing the need to actively communicate when you are on a call.

Small details such as this speak to a design team that has actually thought about how people use headsets at a desk, rather than simply engineering for the product brochure.

My review hardware was specifically designed for Microsoft Teams use, and has that logo on a button on the right side. In fact, most of the controls are on the right side, with the exception of the ANC control and the power button, which are on the left. In this respect, the Evolve3 85 is primarily designed for right-handed people.

Overall, these are a surprisingly elegant piece of audiowear that mixes personal and business use effortlessly.

Design score: 4.5/5

Jabra Evolve3 85: Hardware

• Bluetooth 5.4
• Microsoft Teams vs the World
• ClearVoice

Bluetooth 5.4 with the LC3 codec forms the backbone of the wireless connection, and the package includes a pre-paired USB adapter for secure, low-latency connectivity with a PC. Bluetooth Native allows direct device connections without the adapter for users who prefer a simpler setup.

Dual connectivity is supported throughout, meaning the headset can maintain simultaneous connections to both a computer and a smartphone without requiring manual switching.

One-touch voice access is integrated for AI assistant interactions, and Jabra claims accuracy of over nine out of ten words in voice prompts. That is a specific and testable claim, and one that experienced business users will scrutinise closely. UC certification covers Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet, which cover the main platforms used in the UK and European enterprises.

Controls are handled through physical buttons and a straightforward interface. The Jabra Plus mobile app provides equaliser controls, wind noise reduction settings, and firmware update management from a smartphone.

A desktop version of the app is scheduled for later in 2026, which is a notable gap at launch for users who work primarily at a desk. IT teams managing fleet deployments have access to Jabra Plus Management, which handles remote configuration and firmware pushes from a central dashboard.

The ClearVoice system is the most significant departure from previous generations, since those relied on a physical boom arm to capture voice close to the mouth. The Evolve3 replaces it entirely with a multi-microphone array driven by a deep neural network.

That network was trained on over 60 million sentences and draws on GN's background in hearing aid technology, which gives Jabra a genuine advantage over competitors building similar systems from scratch.

The practical implication is that callers should not notice the absence of a boom arm. Background noise, whether from an open-plan office, a busy cafe, or a commuter train, is intended to be filtered out by the processing rather than physically excluded by proximity microphone placement. Whether that processing holds up in the worst acoustic environments is the most important unresolved question about this product.

Jabra has also added wind noise reduction as a configurable setting in the app, suggesting the microphone system is intended for outdoor use as well as traditional office environments.

That is a meaningful expansion of the use case compared to most UC-certified headsets, and shows how the Evolve3 85 has a foot firmly in both the enterprise and home audio experience.

• Hardware: 4/5

Jabra Evolve3 85: Performance

• Effective ANC
• Excellent charging options

Jabra has made a clear effort to ensure the Evolve3 85 performs as a music headphone as well as a call headset, and the specifications support that ambition. The LC3 codec provides high-fidelity wireless audio, the over-ear closed-back design offers meaningful passive isolation, and the 120-hour music battery life suggests Jabra expects people to use this for listening as well as talking.

Enhanced Spatial Sound is included to make long calls feel more natural and less tiring. The objective is to present voices as though they are positioned in front of you rather than directly inside your ears, which reduces the cognitive load of extended video meetings. It is a feature that sounds modest in description but makes a genuine difference across a full working day.

The equaliser available through the Jabra Plus app allows personal tuning of the sound profile, which is a welcome addition for anyone who wants to adjust the factory calibration to suit their taste or their music library. The desktop app, when it arrives, should make that process more convenient for office-based users.

The adaptive ANC on the Evolve3 85 adjusts in real time based on both the external environment and the fit of the headset. The second of those factors is more significant than it might appear. Most ANC systems apply a fixed cancellation profile regardless of how well the ear cushions seal against your head. Jabra's approach calibrates continuously, which means the performance should remain consistent even as the headset shifts slightly during a long session.

As an example of how well this works, in my small office, I have a Bambu Lab H2D 3D printer only a metre to my left, and with this headset on, it can be printing at full speed, and it's almost silent to me. Not to say that’s a noisy printer, but it’s much less distracting with the headphones on.

The distinction between this and most competitors is that the ANC does not pause during calls. Active noise cancellation on most business headsets disengages the moment a call begins as the microphone signal takes priority. Jabra has engineered around that compromise, and the result is a headset that should maintain a consistent listening environment whether you are in a meeting or working between calls. That matters considerably in open-plan environments where ambient noise levels can be unrelenting.

The headline battery figures are among the most impressive in the over-ear headset market. Twenty-five hours of call time is sufficient for multiple full working days, and 120 hours of music playback is a figure most consumer headphones cannot approach. Both are measured with ANC and the busy light disabled, so real-world figures will be somewhat lower, but even with both features active, the Evolve3 85 should comfortably outlast a working week on a single charge.

Fast charging delivers five hours of use from a five-minute charge, which addresses the specific anxiety of reaching for the headset before an important call and finding the battery low. Wireless charging is supported via the flat exterior of the earcups, which means placing the headset face down on a standard Qi pad while at a desk.

For those looking to reduce the cost of these, Jabra wants another $50 for the model that comes with the official charger, whereas a good quality Qi pad made by Anker is only around $20, and it works just as well.

That the battery is also user-replaceable is a genuinely useful feature for long-term ownership and one that separates the Evolve3 from the majority of similarly priced competitors. Having to bin a generally serviceable headset because the battery won’t hold sufficient charge is something that should never happen.

I’m not going to give you my view of its abilities for the reproduction of music, since I’m not an audiophile, and my ears were never professionally tuned. I’ll just say that with drivers of this scale, there isn’t the level of bass you might expect from larger cans, but the range it does offer is consistent.

Overall, these are great for a working environment and acceptable for more general use.

• Performance: 4/5

Jabra Evolve3 85: Final verdict

The Jabra Evolve3 85 ticks so many boxes, it's hard to know where to begin.

It’s stylish, the ANC works exceptionally well, it will last three working days on calls on a single charge, and it can grab enough power in a few minutes to make it to lunch.

The caveat to these beautifully engineered headphones is the cost, above all else.

Yes, the desktop app for these should have been ready at launch, but the phone app is here, and the desktop app is promised soon.

I just wish they were cheaper, since many budget-controlling managers are likely to exclude them purely based on cost. And doing so might prove to be a strategic mistake.

Should I buy a Jabra Evolve3 85?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

For more business audio solutions, we've reviewed the best headsets for working from home.

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5: Two-minute review

Let’s be clear from the start. For everyday listening, the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 are the best earbuds you can get without spending significantly more. They tick every box, deliver across the board and make a compelling case that there’s life beyond Apple for those who have been reluctant to shop around.

They’re the fifth generation of Huawei’s FreeBuds Pro line, which has been around since 2020 and we’ve always rated them well. In fact, I tested the FreeBuds Pro 2 back in 2022. The FreeBuds Pro 4 landed in November 2024 and scored four stars in our review. They were strong but not quite there. The Pro 5 are different and good enough to go head-to-head with the best at this level, including the Apple AirPods Pro 3.

The FreeBuds Pro 5 look and feel more premium than their price suggests, and so does the charging case. They’re smaller and lighter than the Pro 4 at 5.5g per bud, which is noticeable. Build quality is excellent, the stems have a high-shine finish and the case has a satiny coating that feels upscale.

Most importantly, the design translates into a supremely comfortable wear. As someone with small, particular ears who put these through gym sessions, runs and full working days, I can tell you the fit is impressive.

The feature set is extensive. There’s smooth multipoint connectivity, customisable gesture controls that are responsive and the Huawei Audio Connect app is one of my favourites at this level. Battery life reaches around 8.5 hours with ANC off and nearly 6 with it on, with 38 hours total from the case. That’s not as good as rivals for ANC listening time, but the amount of power the case holds is great.

ANC is one of the headline upgrades here. The FreeBuds Pro 5 use a dual-driver system and they work together as noise-cancelling engines, paired with an AI sensing model. In practice, it’s close to silence but without that airless, pressurized quality that heavy ANC can sometimes produce. Call quality benefits from the same tech, I found it to be clear and natural, even in busy environments.

Then there’s sound, which is very good indeed. The dual-driver acoustic system delivers a wide, rich soundstage with strong low-end response, excellent instrument separation and detail that holds up across genres, from driving rock to expansive orchestral soundtracks. I think you’d have to spend significantly more or go wired to do meaningfully better.

Our audio editor Becky Scarrott called these “hands-down Huawei’s best buds yet” after five days of early testing at launch. After several weeks with them, I wholeheartedly agree. They earn their five stars because they’re excellent value, genuinely well-made and perform at a level that earbuds costing more would be proud of.

Now, are they perfect? Not quite. Lossless audio requires a Huawei device, which many don’t have. The design is fractionally chunkier than some rivals at this price too and you don't get foam tips in the box like you did with the Pro 4. But if those are the only cons (and they are), they’re doing well. I’d bet none of these would register on the radar of most everyday listeners.

That’s precisely who I think these buds are for. Not the audiophile chasing the absolutely best sound or the dedicated athlete who needs purpose built workout buds. But the everyday listener who wants the best all-rounders. They've got wide appeal, strong value and no meaningful ecosystem restrictions.

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 review: Price and release date

• Released globally in February 2026
• Sells for £179.99 in the UK
• No price hike from past models

The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 were released in February 2026 in many markets across the UK, Europe and Asia. Though there are still ongoing trade restrictions between Huawei and the US.

The buds cost £179.99 in the UK. But it's worth noting that, at the time of writing, the official Huawei website is offering a £30 off coupon for the FreeBuds Pro 5. This may not last long, but it makes an already great value pair of buds even easier to recommend.

Whether you find them for £179.99 or get the £149.99 deal, they're a good price for earbuds designed to compete with high-end rivals.

Let's put that into context. The latest AirPods Pro cost $249 / £219 / AU$429. So they're undercutting those while being a very solid alternative, particularly for Android users. Similarly, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, which are going to be seen as the top AirPods Pro alternative for Androids users, sell for $249 / £219 / AU$399.

They're pricier than some of our favorite mid-range picks, like the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 at $149 / £119 and the Nothing Ear (a) at $99 / £99. But I'd say they're positioned as a step above both of those options, so that would make sense here.

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 review: Specs

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 review: Features

• 9/38-hour battery life, less with ANC or features
• Plenty of useful features in the easy-to-use app
• Fantastic ANC

The FreeBuds Pro 5 are packed with features, and almost all of them live inside the Huawei Audio Connect app, which is one of the cleanest companion apps I’ve tested. Everything is easy to find and nothing is buried in sub-menus.

Huawei claims the FreeBuds Pro 5 are the world’s first dual-driver ANC earbuds, meaning both the dynamic driver and the micro planar diaphragm unit work together to tackle noise. The low-frequency driver targeting rumble and bass-heavy interference, the high-frequency driver handling sharper sounds. This hardware is then paired with a real-time AI sensing model that samples ambient noise 400,000 times per second (yes, you read that right!), which means it’s continuously adapting to whatever environment you’re in.

In practice, it’s incredibly effective. I tried them in all sorts of environments and low rumbles, like traffic, air conditioning, the hum of a commute, are all handled incredibly well. The overall effect is close to silence without tipping into the slightly pressurized, airless quality some ANC can produce. I know some people do prefer that, but what Huawei does here is my preference. There’s also a good passive isolation baseline here thanks to the secure fit.

There are four ANC models to pick. Dual-Engine, which adapts automatically to your surroundings. Cozy, which is for quieter environments. General for everyday noise and Ultra for loud environments. With Ultra you might notice more of a pressure sensation, which is worth knowing if you’re sensitive to that feeling, but it does do a good job at eliminating almost all ambient sound.

There’s a good Awareness mode here, which has a bunch of options within it. Standard, Voice Awareness, which filters in voices while suppressing other noises, and Adaptive Awareness, which adjusts dynamically.

Conversation Awareness is also on board. When you start speaking, the buds automatically switch from ANC to Awareness mode and lower the volume, then gradually fade back after around ten seconds once you stop. I found I could hold a natural conversation without touching the buds at all, and the transition back was gradual and smooth rather than jarring. Sony’s Speak to Chat works similarly.

The FreeBuds Pro 5 move up to Bluetooth 6.0 from the Pro 4’s 5.2, and multipoint pairing of two devices is supported. Switching between my laptop and phone during testing was smooth with no lag. There’s also Find My Earbuds, which emits a round from whichever bud you’ve lost. I used it several times when one slipped under my desk, it’s one of those features you’ll be more grateful for than you’d expect.

A new internal antenna promises a 38% improvement in Bluetooth range alongside better interference rejection. I had no dropouts during testing across gym sessions and on the move.

On the codec side, iPhone users get AAC, Android users get LDAC and Huawei devices get access to lossless audio via L2HC 4.0 at 2.3Mbps. So that lossless tier is firmly Huawei ecosystem only. For the rest of us though, LDAC and AAC are still solid options and the good news is very few other features here are gated behind a Huawei device.

Control across the stems are tap, pinch and swipe, which is a good range for buds. You can customize these in the app and I really liked that they registered with a satisfying, audible little click. Head gesture controls let you answer or reject calls with a nod or a shake, which worked well most of the time. Wear detection pauses playback when you remove a single bud, and you can listen with ANC active in just one earbud, which I liked. There’s also a low-latency mode here for gamers.

Huawei says the FreeBuds Pro 5 last 9 hours with ANC off and around 6 hours with it on, with 38 hours in total from the charging case. During testing, I got just over 8.5 hours with ANC off at 50% volume. I then got nearly 6 hours with ANC on. So that’s close to the claimed figure, though it is worth bearing in mind that these real-world results with ANC active do tend to vary based on environment and mode – I had the Dual-engine setting on for testing.

For context, the AirPods Pro 3 offer 8 hours with ANC on and 10 hours with it off, with 24 hours in total from the case. The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro come in at 6 hours with ANC on and 7 hours with it off, and 30 hours from the case.

So the FreeBuds Pro 5 don’t beat those figures, but do hold up fairly well. Though the case’s 38 hour total is an advantage over the AirPods. Worth knowing if you travel a lot and know you may have to rely solely on the case for a few days.

One final point worth making when it comes to the battery is that thanks to the solid fit and passive isolation, you won’t always need ANC. I found that for lower noise environments, running on ANC off really extended my listening time without a sacrifice.

• Features score: 4.5/5

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 review: Design

• Design is smaller, lighter and more comfortable than ever
• IP57-rated buds make them genuinely workout-friendly
• Lovely case with strong magnets and a handy ring light

The FreeBuds Pro 5 are a clear evolution of the Pro line, and that’s a good thing. As long as you’re on board with stems. They work particularly well for smaller ears and make gesture controls far more reliable than tap-based alternatives. That said, stem-free designs might suit some ear shapes better, so this is a subjective thing.

Huawei says the FreeBuds Pro 5 are 10% smaller and 6% lighter than previous buds and at 5.5g per bud, you can feel it. I do think they’re a fraction chunkier than say the AirPods Pro 3 and a few rivals at this level, but once they’re in the comfort level is genuinely impressive.

I wore them for around three hours straight one morning and for a further four in the afternoon without any ache or fatigue, and this is coming from someone with smaller ears who can be sensitive to heavier buds.

Huawei says it used more than 10,000 ear profiles to inform the fit here, and it shows. Four silicone tip sizes are included, and I found the medium worked well for me, despite usually needing to reach for the smallest pair.

The one minor gripe here on comfort is the absence of foam tips, which have come with some previous FreeBuds Pro models and are still mentioned in the app, which suggests they may arrive later. Most people seem to prefer silicone anyway, but foam can add passive isolation and a slightly more immersive ANC effect. Though this omission isn’t a dealbreaker by any means.

The stems themselves have shifted from rectangular to a flat oval profile, with a high-shine front panel and metallic detailing round the edges that reads as genuinely premium. I tested the sand/gold shade, which adds to the premium feel, though white, silver and a blue option with a vegan leather case are also available too.

The new IP57 rating on the buds is a real highlight. That covers sweat, splashes and brief submersion, making them as workout-friendly as an everyday pair of buds gets. I took them out on several runs and to the gym throughout testing and they stayed secure throughout.

The charging case is nicely designed too. At 43g it’s light and pocket-friendly with a smooth, rounded shape and soft film coating that feels premium when you gold it. Strong magnets snap it shut and a hidden hinge keeps the lines clean.

On the front, the halo ring light glows in different colors to indicate battery and pairing status, which is both practical and a nice-looking design touch. The case is IP54-rated now as well, offering solid splash and rain resistance.

All in all, there’s very little to fault where design is concerned. If you want stems, these are among the best-looking and best-built options at this price.

• Design score: 5/5

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 review: Sound quality

• New dual-driver acoustic system.
• Dynamic and energetic sound
• Huawei phone needed for lossless audio

The big hardware news for the FreeBuds Pro 5 is a new dual-driver acoustic system, combining a low-frequency dynamic driver with a high-frequency micro planar diaphragm driver.

The low-end response is strong and present from the get-go, with the buds leaning into bass-forward tuning that feels deliberate and punchy. There’s also a bass boosting mode available if you want to push that even further. Impressively, even with that boost applied, the low-end stays controlled. No muddiness or bloat, just a lot of energy and power.

Crucially, they’re not bass-heavy though, a lot of detail survives alongside it. That dual-driver setup handles separation well across the whole frequency range, which keeps mids and highs really clean even when the low-end is doing a lot of work. So the overall character is dynamic and energetic, nothing feels lost in the mix here.

Listening to Queens of the Stone Age’s No One Knows, that dynamic quality is front and centre. Josh Homme’s vocals have a real presence, they’re bright and cutting, but the guitars still drive hard underneath without crowding them out of the picture. Instrument separation is confident here too, and there’s this pleasing sense that the track is opening up at higher volumes rather than compressing. It’s the kind of rock mix that rewards earbuds with genuine low-end grunt, and the FreeBuds Pro 5 deliver that in spades.

But I also loved listening to anything orchestral with them too. Hans Zimmer’s Dune soundtrack is a demanding test, spanning whispered, layered vocals, sweeping strings, dark percussion and heaps of bass, and the Freebuds Pro 5 handle it without flinching.

The Bene Gesserit chants land with an appropriately unsettling, layered depth, while Ripples in the Sand opens into a wide, rich soundstage where every element holds its place. Strings, percussion, and those haunting high vocals all occupy their place in the mix. The soundstage here is genuinely impressive for earbuds at this price, with no detectable distortion even pushed to higher volumes.

All of the above was tested on default settings, but there’s plenty of room to customize the sound. Eight EQ presets are available, each developed in partnership with the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music. Balanced is the default, which is the most accurate and natural-sounding. That’s the one I kept returning to despite trying and enjoying many of the rest.

Voice brightens things up for vocals. Classical adds a concert hall quality that worked particularly well with those big movie soundtracks, and Bass does exactly what it promises. There are also some purpose built presets for movies, podcasts and games. If none of these work for you, there’s also a 10-band custom EQ that gives you full control.

Spatial Audio with head-tracking is also on-board here and it doesn’t require Dolby Atmos tracks, it works with whatever you’re playing. It’s not usually my preference for music, but paired with the movie preset it added a genuinely immersive quality to films and TV. Worth knowing too that you don’t need a Huawei device to access it.

Call quality is also worth noting here. In a quiet space it’s clean and natural. In a busy market with chatter, loud sounds and low-level rumbling of vans and traffic nearby, some background noise crept in. But my voice remained clear and isolated, which I still found impressive given the conditions. Wind interference caused some wobble on a really blustery day, though I was still perfectly audible. As a serial voice note leaver, these passed that test too.

Between the new hardware, tuning options and the spatial audio, the FreeBuds Pro 5 make a strong case across almost any genre or use case you throw at them.

• Sound quality: 4.5/5

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 review: Value

• Great value for money
• Undercuts rivals
• Already promotions on the official Huawei website

It's a bold claim, but I think the FreeBuds Pro 5 are the strongest all-round option at this price right now for everyday listening.

If you have a very specific priority, such as dedicated workout buds or audiophile-grade lossless sound, you may find better value elsewhere. And if you're one of the few people who think the weaknesses are dealbreakers, like no Huawei phone for lossless audio or a preference for tiny, stemless designs, then it's worth factoring that in.

But everyone else who wants great sound, strong ANC and a comfortable, premium-feeling design with all the essential features, then these deliver a lot.

They're even easier to recommend because they're priced lower than most of their rivals at launch. In fact, Huawei is already offering a discount code on them at the time of writing if you head to their official site, which makes them even harder to argue with on value. Can I give them 5.5 stars out of 5 for this section? No? Fine.

• Value: 5/5

Should I buy the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5?

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 review: Also consider

How I tested the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5

• Tested for three weeks
• Tested at home, on walks, on public transport in a city, working in a cafe and a co-working space, while running and at the gym

I tested the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 for just over three weeks to write this review. I mostly had them paired with an iPhone 16 Pro, but I also used them with a MacBook Pro.

I used a range of different music and film apps to test the buds. They played music from Spotify, Qobuz and tunes from internal storage, as well as videos from YouTube, Prime Video and Mubi.

I’ve tested many headphones and earbuds over the past 13 years as a tech journalist. Including devices from top audio brands, like Bose, Sony, Sennheiser, as well as cheaper buds from the likes of JLab, Nothing, Skullcandy and more. I’m interested in tech that prioritises comfort and ease of use.

• First reviewed in March 2026

• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

MSI Prestige 14 AI+: Two-minute review

The MSI Prestige 14 AI+ is a sleek business-focused laptop with a premium design that manages an interesting and useful mix of the features and performance you need, but skips a lot of the bloat.

As the name suggests, it’s a 14-inch laptop, and it’s aimed at users on the go who need a thin and light machine that still offers decent performance and battery life. The Prestige 14 measures in at 31.6 x 22.2 x 1.2 - 1.4cm (12.4 x 8.7 x 0.47 - 0.55 inches) and weighs 1.32kg (2.91 lbs) — an excellent size for portability without being too small. Compared to the non-Windows competition, it’s chunkier than a MacBook Air, but is slimmer and lighter than a MacBook Pro.

The Prestige 14 AI+ D3M configuration I tested uses the Intel Core Ultra 7 355 CPU with 32GB of onboard LPDDR5x memory and a 1TB NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD — a popular spec in laptops launched in 2026. You can also get the Prestige 14 AI+ in the same spec but with a 512GB SSD, or with a more powerful Intel Core Ultra X7 358H CPU.

While the Prestige 14 AI+ is a classic clamshell laptop, there’s also a similar 2-in-1 model. If that’s more your style, check out our MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ review.

On the left side, the Prestige 14 AI+ has two USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 ports (both supporting DisplayPort and 100W charging), plus an HDMI 2.1 output. The right side features dual USB-A ports and a 3.5mm headset jack.

The pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports makes it easy to connect the laptop up to a dock or monitor, and if also using HDMI, you can drive 3 external displays. I generally like having one USB-C port on each side, but the dual left ports plus HDMI setup does make it neat on a desk.

The 14-inch OLED display has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 (a pleasing 16:10 aspect ratio) with excellent 100% DCI-P3 color. MSI doesn't quote a specific NIT figure on the local spec sheet, but in use the glossy OLED panel is bright enough to overcome reflections in slightly glary office environments but struggles a little outdoors.

Handily, the screen folds back through a full 180 degrees, which is great for sharing content across a table or using the laptop in a vertical stand. The 1920 x 1200 resolution is perfectly fine at this size but not quite as sharp as I prefer and you will need to look at the larger 16-inch Prestige 16 AI+ if you want a higher res screen, like 2880x1800.

The IR FHD webcam gives decent quality video when well-lit and is still acceptable in tougher lower-light conditions. It supports facial recognition unlocks, plus has a physical shutter for privacy. Speaker quality is better than expected, though as is normal in a thin laptop, the sound gets a little muddy at higher volumes.

The backlit keyboard has deep key travel, very little bounce and no distracting light bleed from under the keys. The large touchpad is nice and accurate and supports gestures, though its non-haptic click mechanism has unusually deep travel, especially on right click, and can feel a little awkward at times.

The new Intel Series 3 Core Ultra 7 355 CPU is a good fit for this kind of thin-and-light machine. In daily use the Prestige 14 AI+ feels very responsive for typical office work, photo editing and even heavier multitasking. This is thanks in part to the snappy CPU, but also due to the 32GB of RAM and fast SSD. The integrated graphics are a step down from Intel Arc iGPUs but performance is plenty for accelerating lighter creative work and even some casual gaming.

The battery has an 81Wh capacity — decently large for this class of machine — and the laptop lasted an excellent 14 hours and 42 minutes unplugged when doing office tasks. Video playback is even better at 16 hours and 21 minutes in testing, meaning the Prestige will happily make it through a day unplugged.

All in all, the combination of snappy everyday performance and excellent battery life in a stylish portable laptop makes the MSI Prestige 14 AI+ easy to recommend.

MSI Prestige 14 AI+: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? $1,699 / £1,449 / AU$2,599
• When is it available? Available now
• Where is it available? Available in the US, UK and Australia

The MSI Prestige 14 AI+ is very new, so at the time of writing availability is not yet widespread and in the US, only the Ultra X7 385H variant is for sale.

The Intel Core Ultra 7 355 variant tested costs around £1,449 in the UK and AU$2,599 in Australia, though some retailers already have it a little cheaper. You can also save a little by opting for the 512GB SSD spec.

The pricing places the MSI Prestige 14 AI+ firmly in premium ultrabook territory rather than the more budget-friendly business-laptop space, but the spec and features do help justify the higher asking price — especially as the latest generation of laptops has experienced noticeable price rises compared to 2025 models. Still, I hope to see the price come down over time to help keep it competitive.

The Intel Ultra X7 358H variant is also sold in Australia and the UK with up to a 2TB SSD and is only slightly more expensive — so it’s well worth checking out if you need more storage or higher performance.

• Value score: 4 / 5

MSI Prestige 14 AI+: Specs

The Prestige 14 AI+ family includes several variants, but the configuration tested here is straightforward: an Intel Core Ultra 7 355, 32GB of onboard LPDDR5x memory, a 1TB SSD and a 14-inch 1920 x 1200 OLED display.

The other common option is a model with a more powerful Intel Core Ultra X7 358H CPU and up to a 2TB SSD.

• Specs score: 4 / 5

MSI Prestige 14 AI+: Design

• 180-degree fold-flat screen
• Dual Thunderbolt 4
• 16:10 OLED display

The Prestige 14 AI+ looks and feels like a proper premium laptop compared to MSI's more budget-friendly office machines, and it has a sleek, understated design that easily rivals the best from other brands.

The Prestige 14 measures in at 31.6 x 22.2 x 1.2–1.4cm (12.4 x 8.7 x 0.47–0.55 inches), and its 1.32kg (2.91 lbs) weight makes it a very manageable laptop to carry around every day. The curved edges of the aluminum alloy design make it feel pleasantly slim in hand (or when slipping it into a bag) but it’s strong enough to use without any undue flexing.

The port fitout and left/right split is pretty standard on laptops these days and has everything needed for most users. It would be nice to see little extras like an SD card reader, or another USB-C port on the right, but that’s increasingly rare.

MSI says the laptop can be equipped with 64GB of RAM, but for now I have only seen 32GB variants for sale. The RAM is soldered so can’t be upgraded, but the SSD uses a M.2 slot so can be swapped out in the future if you need more space.

The keyboard is above average, with comfortable sizing (even for my large hands), deep travel and very little bounce during a vigorous deadline-induced writing session.

The trackpad is large and accurate to use and supports gestures like adjusting volume or brightness, and has a handy shortcut to the calculator and the MSI Center S management software. You do need to turn the gestures on manually and once you get used to them they work pretty well, and they aren't easy to accidentally trigger. You can also set up your own custom actions for gestures, like activating specific hotkeys or launching apps.

Overall I found the trackpad to be above average and my only complaint during my use was that right-clicking in the lower corner felt oddly deep, despite it working just fine.

The 16:10 display gives that little bit of extra screen real estate that you only realize is so helpful if ever going back to a 16:9 laptop. The 1920 x 1200 resolution is lower than I usually like, but considering the 14-inch footprint, it's quite sharp and usable day to day. That’s helped by the OLED panel with an excellent 100% DCI-P3 color rating, and while there’s no listed brightness, it’s good enough even in bright office environments, but the glossy surface shows a lot of reflections if outdoors at a cafe.

If you want a higher resolution display, then look at the larger Prestige 16 AI+ C3MG lineup. The spec is very similar overall, but you get a 16-inch 2880x1800 OLED display and the price is only slightly higher. Or for touchscreen support, the Prestige 14 Flip machines offer a comparable laptop but with a 2-in-1 design.

My favorite feature though is that the screen uses a hinge that allows it to fold back through 180 degrees. That is very useful for using the laptop in a vertical stand next to external monitors — in my testing I had it upright and flat next to dual vertically mounted 4K 27” panels, letting me use the laptop screen as an extra workspace for things like a Slack chat. The fold-back screen also makes it easy to share content across a table, and works well in one-on-one meetings.

The Prestige 14 AI+ includes an IR webcam and fingerprint reader, so secure logins are fast and easy. Many laptops only have one or the other, but having both means you can use whatever method you prefer, or turn off facial logins if needed without resorting to using a pin or password.

• Design score: 4 / 5

MSI Prestige 14 AI+: Performance

• Great everyday performance
• Very quiet in normal use
• Fast 1TB SSD

The MSI Prestige 14 AI+ feels snappy in typical use, with top-notch single-core performance plus fast RAM and storage. The Intel Core Ultra 7 355 is aimed at being an efficient chip for thin and light laptops, so multicore performance is lower than you get with more powerful CPUs.

It’s still plenty for most tasks, but for anyone who runs more demanding apps, the Prestige 14 with the more powerful Intel Core Ultra X7 358H is well worth the slightly higher price. For most users though, the Ultra 7 355 is a good mix of performance and efficiency.

MSI has equipped the Prestige 14 with a very fast SSD that can approach the limits of the PCIe 4.0 interface. In my tests the drive managed 6,961 MB/s read and 6,335 MB/s writes in CrystalDiskMark, which helps ensure the laptop feels fast when launching apps and multitasking.

Of course, decent performance in a thin form factor means some fan noise is expected under heavy load. Like most laptops these days, MSI uses vapor chamber cooling and during normal office work the Prestige 14 AI+ is mostly inaudible, or very quiet when the fans do spool up a little.

It gets that characteristic laptop fan whine under heavy loads, but does ramp down quickly once the CPU isn’t working as hard. The chassis does get noticeably warm if you push the laptop for an extended period, but the keyboard, touchpad and underside never became uncomfortably hot in my testing.

Graphics performance is naturally limited by the integrated GPU, but it is still respectable for a thin business laptop. The Prestige 14 AI+ scored 3,296 in 3DMark Time Spy and 6,502 in Fire Strike, which is a bit less than last gen CPUs like the Intel Ultra 7 258V, but enough for lighter GPU work and some casual play with older or less demanding games.

If you need a laptop that can compete with low-end discrete graphics, then opting for the Prestige 14 with the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H CPU is a good call, as it has a much more powerful Intel Arc B390 iGPU, which offers over 50% higher performance.

The Intel Core Ultra 7 355 includes an NPU with up to 49 TOPs performance, but we are still in that awkward phase where it’s underutilized most of the time. Still, it’s only going to get more useful, and already offers advantages such as efficiently handling webcam backgrounds and video effects in otherwise notorious resource-hogging apps like Teams.

If your workload consists of typical office tasks — writing, handling spreadsheets, multitasking across apps, image editing and other general productivity, the Prestige 14 AI+ has more than enough performance.

If you need to handle more creator-style workloads, then it’s definitely worth looking at other models, such as the MSI Prestige 16 AI+ C3M.

• Performance score: 4 / 5

MSI Prestige 14 AI+: Battery life

• 14 hours and 42 minutes work when unplugged
• 16 hours and 21 minutes of video playback

The Prestige 14 AI+ has an 81Wh battery — decently large considering the light weight and thin design meaning battery life is one of its key strengths. Connected to Wi-Fi, I managed 14 hours and 42 minutes of lighter office-style work (like writing reviews) on battery, which is more than enough to get through a long day.

If you add in some more demanding tasks like a lot of image editing, then battery life slips. But even then the CPU is efficient enough that you need to be working it pretty hard before you can’t make it through a day unplugged.

The Prestige 14 AI+ charges over USB-C using its included 65W adapter (though it supports 100W), and you can quickly add back 50% of charge in about 30 minutes, or be fully topped off in about 1.5 hours. The charger is not too bulky and you can change the AC end of the cable if going overseas.

For less demanding tasks such as video playback, the laptop lasts even longer. With Wi-Fi on and the screen at 50% brightness, it lasted 16 hours and 21 minutes.

Overall the Prestige 14 combines the large battery and efficient CPU well and is a solid choice if you need to get work done when on the go.

• Battery life score: 4 / 5

Should you buy the MSI Prestige 14 AI+?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

MSI Prestige 14 AI+: Also consider

If my MSI Prestige 14 AI+ review has you considering other options, here are three alternatives to consider...

How I tested the MSI Prestige 14 AI+

• I tested the MSI Prestige 14 AI+ for two weeks
• I used it both at a desk and when working on the go
• I tested it with benchmarking tools, battery testing and everyday workloads

I ran the MSI Prestige 14 AI+ through the usual comprehensive array of TechRadar benchmarks, as well as using it for actual day-to-day work.

I used it for office tasks, media playback, multitasking and general productivity work, while also checking battery life, thermals, noise and charging times.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed March 2026

Zygo Z2: One minute review

The Zygo Z2 are part of a very small world of headphones, namely bone conduction models made for being used in the water. Yet even in this small space, they are unique. They’re not the only swimming headphones that you should consider, but they are the only ones that use a radio transmitter for listening to music in the water. There's no onboard MP3 player, so they're the only pair that you don’t need to sit down with in front of your computer, to manually load the headphones with music before heading to the pool.

And while that’s the big selling point you’ll see when you come across them on their website or on Amazon, the Z2s also offer a deep ecosystem within the downloadable app including a whole assortment of classes, along with features like a walkie talkie and lap counting, hidden behind an additional but low subscription fee. This makes the Zygo Z2 function like a Peloton for the pool. I’m not sure I’ve seen anything like that before.

Of course, they do come at a hefty price (and that’s before the aforementioned subscription fee), and the sound quality is not going to compete with the best wireless earbuds. But that’s to be expected with headphones that first, use bone conduction, and second, use radio transmission.

If you have a smartphone (and I’m going to assume you do), you might be aware that phones connect to devices via WiFi, data, and Bluetooth, not radio waves (even if you’re streaming a radio station through your phone, it’s coming to you digitally). Because of that little omission, the Zygo Z2 needs more than just a pair of headphones to function.

Enter the biggest headphones charging case I’ve ever seen in my life. This big black square measures a little under seven inches across and under three inches deep. There’s a flip lid hiding the headphones and earplugs, as well as the USB-C charging port, LED indicator, and the power / connectivity button. Most unique here though is the shark fin on the back that needs to be flipped up during use, like an antenna. Without it, there are no radio waves.

The headphones inside have an IPX8 rating, use bone conduction for sound, and come in the same imposing matte black as the charging case. On the back of the headphones, the volume up (also power) and down sit on either side of the Zygo logo.

Be aware when ordering the Zygo Z2 that they come in two sizes: Standard and Large. If you go by the size guide and choose wisely, you’ll end up with a snug fit. They never fell off, adjusted, or really moved at all. And despite their tight fit, I found them comfortable to wear.

I can get up to three hours’ of battery life during use, which is a bit lower than the competition (but likely to be more than enough for a single session), though using a completely different technology (the radio transmission) might have something to do with that. The charging case does at least have seven charges in it, so its overall battery life (when including the charging case) is about the same as other bone conduction headphones that have a charging case, and far more than those that don’t. For reference, many of the better bone conduction headphones last around nine to ten hours.

I feel obligated to share our "how do bone conduction headphones work?" article as this type of sound reproduction is such a niche within headphones. They’re really only popular when searching specifically for the best waterproof headphones or best running headphones, with a possible exception for office work. In essence, they sit on the bones in front of your ear, circumventing the outer ear, which make them great for use in the water.

It’s also why the Zygo Z2 (and most other swim-focused headphones) come with a pair of earplugs. They, like the charging case and headphones, come in a fetching Darth Vader black. They’re necessary for hearing the headphones, allowing you to focus on the audio vibrating through your cheek bones (It’s less weird than it sounds).

If you’re wondering how “Eye of the Tiger” gets from your phone to your ears, it starts with a smartphone using the Zygo app, which is then paired to the charging case (a simple Bluetooth pairing process) in turn automatically connected to the headphones via radio waves. The Zygo app showcases the full breadth of the Z2’s features. I can use the app to communicate with someone else wearing the headphones. It is one-way though, so the wearer can’t talk back (only really useful if you have a swimming coach).

To use this feature, you need to get the five-dollar-a-month subscription, which also includes lap counting and a large assortment of on-demand classes consisting of audio workout guidance. Having listened to a few, I found them easy to follow and understand as well as well-paced. I think this ecosystem of classes are also what separates the Zygo Z2 from other swimming headphones.

Unfortunately, the audio quality leaves a bit to be desired. Now it’s not bad and having the audio coming through radio waves does provide a completely uninterrupted signal – something Bluetooth just can’t do in water.

When wearing the earplugs and submerged in water, the high end sounded clear with a good amount of detail and the mids were present, if a bit recessed. However, whether I’m listening to rock or hip hop (or anything really), the bass is just too quiet. It’s there, but quiet enough to really impact the listening experience. If you turn up the volume on a song with a lot of low end, the headphones also have a tendency to distort. However,the highs and mids sound pretty decent, especially underwater, so if you care less about the music and more about using it with a coach or with classes, then you’ll hear everything clearly.

Using the headphones to access the classes in the water is such a novel and helpful experience, even if it seems like someone would have done it by now, that the price and my issues with the audio quality feel unimportant, not to mention that the fact that you can stream whatever you want in real time (well, there’s a three second delay intentionally built in) instead of loading MP3’s in advance as needed with any other decent pair of swimming headphones.

Zygo Z2: Specifications

Zygo Z2: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? $329 (about £250 / AU$480)
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available in the US

While those abroad will have to find a way to smuggle the Zygo Z2 out of the US to get it, those in the US can get it directly from the company for $329 (about £250 / AU$480). If you’re in Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico, you’ll have to also cover the cost of shipping (listed at $40 at the time of writing). They’re not available outside the US right now.

That’s a pretty hefty price tag considering that both the Shokz OpenSwim Pro and the H2O Audio Tri 2 Pro Multi-Sport cost much less, with the Shokz going for $179.95 / £169 / AU$299 and the H2O Audio going for $199.99 / £155.68 (about AU$310). Since those two headphones use built-in MP3 players for audio while in the water, they do sound a little better.

But that’s a little unfair to the Zygo Z2 as it offers a lot more than just a pair of headphones to use in the water. As I’ve mentioned, these are basically the Peloton of the pool. Yes, most of the features are locked behind a subscription, but that subscription is $4.99 a month for access to all the pool-focused exercises (including some weight training for the pool ones) as well as the walkie-talkie and lap counting features. No other swimming headphones do that, so the expense is worth it if you’re serious about swimming but want a little help.

Price: 4 / 5

Zygo Z2: Scorecard

Zygo Z2: Should I buy?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested the Zygo Z2

• Tested over a couple weeks
• Listened to different genres of music
• Tested all the different features

I spent a couple weeks testing the Zygo Z2 including a couple laps in an Olympic size pool as well as just hanging out underwater to listen to them. While using them, I listened to all sorts of genres from electronic and hip-hop to rock and acoustic music to get an idea of how they sound. I also tested the various features, including the exercises and walkie-talkie.

After testing, it’s clear that these are ideal for serious swimmers, especially those who need a workout program to get the most out of their time in the pool. If you’re curious about how bone conduction headphones work, check out the linked article for more details on how headphones like these work.

I’ve spent the last few years reviewing audio equipment and have spent even longer using my critical ear as a listener and musician to understand what does and doesn’t sound good.

• First reviewed December 2025

Private Internet Access (PIA) is a fifteen-year veteran of the VPN industry, and has carved out a niche as a privacy-focused VPN with tons of customization. Tech vets and power users will appreciate this, certainly, but PIA also nails the basics, making it a solid pick for beginners.

Admittedly, PIA isn't as feature-rich as its closest competitors, and can't keep up with the likes of NordVPN and Surfshark when it comes to releasing new, innovative tools. It's still one of the cheaper VPNs on the market, though, with a 3-year plan coming in at just $2.03 per month.

Keep reading, and I'll dig into PIA's spread of features, speed testing results, and unblocking power. How does it stack up against today's top contenders? Let's find out.

Features

Comparing PIA against its closest competitors, like NordVPN, you might think that it falls short when it comes to features. However, we think that it's a matter of quality over quantity - especially when you consider how many of PIA's tools can be tweaked on a granular level.

Its split-tunnel feature lets you differentiate between apps, IPs, and whether VMs are covered by the tunnel, alongside separate options for forcing DNS requests through PIA’s in-house encrypted DNS servers even if you’re not using the VPN tunnel.

PIA gives you access to some automation rules that you can use to force the VPN to activate (or deactivate) when you’re connecting to certain networks, making it just that little bit easier to work PIA into your daily routine.

Plus, it also uses its own encrypted DNS servers, which keep your browser requests hidden from your ISP. This also allows it to offer Mace, which is a built-in ad, tracker, and malware blocker. By blocking requests to known malicious URLs using their DNS server, Mace keeps unwanted content from being sent to your machine. It’s a good idea, but our testing suggests it shouldn’t be your only defense against ads.

There are some pretty strong obfuscation settings on offer from PIA too, giving you the choice between Shadowsocks and a SOCKS 5 proxy. Both will wrap your VPN connection inside a separate TLS tunnel, making it appear to anyone monitoring your data as though you’re just sending normal encrypted browsing traffic. While Shadowsocks is a little outdated compared to the obfuscation ExpressVPN offers, it’s still one of the best solutions if you’re being blocked from creating VPN connections by a network administrator.

Features score: 8/10

Server network

PIA's servers are spread across 91 countries and 152 locations, including coverage in all 50 US states. Some of the American servers are virtually hosted, however, but PIA is still one of only a handful of VPNs with this kind of presence in the US. Only NordVPN even comes close in terms of North American locations, but with only 17 locations to choose from in the US, it still doesn’t hold a candle to PIA.

Unfortunately, the server network is less impressive on an international scale. PIA lacks coverage across Asia, in particular, lagging behind our other top-rated VPNs. The same can be said for Africa, the Middle East, and Oceania, but this is a rather grim constant across the industry.

Pivoting back to PIA's virtual servers, I was pleasantly surprised to see that PIA doesn't try to hide them away or pretend they don't exist. On the PIA site, they're called "geolocated servers", and you can see at a glance where they're really located.

This honesty is refreshing, but it does highlight just how many virtual locations PIA offers - more than 80, which is more than half of PIA's total location count.

If you're looking for a rock-solid choice for America, with plenty of Stateside coverage, PIA is a stellar choice. If you have your eye on more far-flung corners of the globe, however, the provider just doesn't have the same reach as the likes of NordVPN.

Server network score: 7/10

Apps

PIA has apps for virtually every platform, including Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Linux. They're well-designed and simple, and we found that feature parity is consistent between them. This is a nice change from the norm – a lot of VPNs leave their Mac and Linux users underfed, after all.

The desktop experience is straightforward. Check under the hood, however, and you'll find a roster of handy tools. The quick-connect bar lists different locations, split between your favorite servers and the last server you connected to. It's a handy timesaver if you find yourself frequently swapping between a handful of locations.

There are two different ways to set up the client dashboard. The first is a basic interface that just gives you the connect button, the location selector, and a reminder of what your home IP and VPN IP are. It’s everything the average user needs to see at a glance, but if you’re interested in all of the techy stuff you can hit the dropdown button and you’ll be presented with a wealth of information, including in-depth details on your connection performance, session statistics, and all the choices you’ve made about how your VPN protocol is set up. It’s all very efficient in how it’s presented, wasting minimal space in the app window.

There’s also a VPN snooze timer that lets you turn the connection off for a few minutes. It’s rare that I’m turning off my VPN regularly enough to remember that there’s a feature to turn it off for a few minutes at a time, but it works and it’s convenient.

While the Android app used to look fairly outdated compared to the rest of the PIA line, a recent update brings the Android app in line with its desktop counterparts as well as the iOS version. The update hasn’t just given it a slick new UI, as you’ve also got access to a new dark mode and some advanced configuration options that let you get the most out of the multi-hop, DNS, and automation features you’ll be familiar with from the desktop version.

Apps score: 9/10

Ease of use

PIA is a great choice for VPN newbies and anyone else who wants a sleek experience. However, we do think it's possible to get lost in the weeds if you toggle over to the "detailed" view of the app. This customizability is one of PIA's biggest selling points, though, and power users will relish the chance to tweak the provider down to the last detail.

The simplified app lets users hit the big "Connect" button and, after a moment, enjoy rock-solid VPN protection. This minimalist approach to a VPN gives PIA serious crowd-appeal, and we like that the options in the settings menu are all explained with a handy tooltip, too. Despite its reputation, PIA doesn't require you to have a degree in cybersecurity to make the most of its functionality.

Ease of use score: 8/10

Speed and performance

Testing VPN speeds is a key part of our review process, and we use a freshly upgraded 10 GB line and a local UK-based server in our process.

Private Internet Access isn't a certified speed demon. When we connected to a nearby Dublin server and put its WireGuard protocol to the test, we saw speeds of 621 Mbps. It marks a decent improvement over our last test result of 436 Mbps, though, even if NordVPN and Surfshark blow this performance out of the water with results of 1,256 Mbps and 1,615 Mbps, respectively.

Still, we've never experienced any major slowdown or sluggishness when using PIA in our day-to-day browsing. These average speeds are also more than quick enough to keep up with traditionally bandwidth-intensive activities, too, like HD streaming, online gaming, and torrenting.

Switching to OpenVPN, we recorded results of 244 Mbps. OpenVPN speeds tend to be slower than their WireGuard-based equivalents, because it's just not as well optimized for speed, and these results are par for the course - but not particularly impressive. ExpressVPN, for example, achieved 898 Mbps in our testing, making it a better pick for folks who want to stick with OpenVPN but enjoy a WireGuard-worthy performance.

It's also worth noting that we observed consistent speeds throughout the day, with average latency and noticeably less jitter than the other services we’ve tested, making PIA ideal for gaming.

Speed and performance score: 6/10

Unblocking

One of the biggest, most thorough tests we put today's top VPNs through determines how well they can access popular streaming platforms from around the world. After all, these services regularly geo-restrict their content libraries and often detect VPN usage, demanding that you switch your VPN off to enjoy your favorite shows or sports.

They do this by blocking IP addresses known to belong to VPNs, and it means that only the VPNs that invest in their IP pools, and frequently refresh them, can reliably access streaming content.

We're happy to report that PIA's unblocking power is fantastic. We tested it with Netflix in a variety of regional choices (UK, US, Canada, Japan, and Australia) to see how it does. It worked, and the same goes for Disney+ and Amazon Prime, as well as regional services such as BBC iPlayer, Channel 4, ITV, 10 Now, and 9Play. No real issues with lag, and no need to change servers, everything just worked, which is a big positive for PIA.

PIA is also a capable torrenting VPN. Its speeds aren't chart-topping, but it does offer port forwarding – whereas plenty of its competitors don't.

Port forwarding allows you allows you to accept incoming connections to your VPN’s IP address, so you can communicate with more peers in a P2P network.

Unblocking score: 10/10

Privacy and security

Private Internet Access has built a sturdy reputation as one of the most security-focused services on the market – and it delivers, for the most part.

Browsing traffic is protected by industry-standard AES-256 encryption and today's two most popular VPN protocols: OpenVPN and WireGuard. Both are widely accepted as secure, reliable technology, though you'll want to stick with OpenVPN if airtight privacy is your main goal, whereas WireGuard is more suitable for day-to-day browsing, or times when you want to balance security with speed.

Admittedly, PIA lacks the extra features offered by the likes of NordVPN and Surfshark, but it does boast all of the core tools a VPN needs.

There’s a kill switch on all its apps, which automatically blocks internet traffic if the VPN connection drops, ensuring that your data remains secure at all times. There are no DNS leaks here either. PIA’s own encrypted DNS servers route all of your domain requests, which prevents your DNS queries from being exposed to your ISP or a third party on the network.

PIA is committed to a strict no-logs policy. This has been independently verified by Deloitte with three separate audits.

The most recent of which was conducted in early 2026. According to the audit, PIA’s systems log zero user activity, meaning there is no way to trace online actions back to specific individuals. However, the full audit report is only available to PIA customers. While it’s good to see that PIA has undergone independent verification, making these reports publicly accessible, as ExpressVPN does, would bolster trust even further.

Despite providing very strong protection, our testing picked up some areas where PIA could improve. We tried running Mace through a gauntlet of phishing URLs to see which ones it’d block. So, with 100 brand new malicious URLs from anti-phishing experts OpenPhish, PIA managed to block… two of them. We think this is because Mace is pulling from a blocklist of known suspicious links, and most of the URLs we’re testing are fresh threat intelligence. Still, it’s notably weak, far below what we’d expect from a top-tier VPN.

Privacy and security score: 8/10

Track record

Private Internet Access has a strong track record of maintaining user privacy and delivering reliable service over the years. The only black mark against it is the acquisition by Kape Technologies in 2019, which caused some serious concern.

Before its pivot to providing VPN brands, Kape’s primary output was browser add-ons, which injected adverts and monetized the browsing data. Although consumer trust in PIA plummeted after this revelation, it's done a lot of work to win back that trust with regular no-logs audits that demonstrate it's not following in Kape’s footsteps.

In fact, PIA has dealt with several court cases where it was legally obliged to turn over user information. It responded by asserting it had nothing to turn over, which is pretty impressive.

PIA has also demonstrated a commitment to transparency by regularly releasing Transparency Reports, which detail the number of legal requests the company receives and how it handles them.

The most recent of these reports came alongside its most recent no-logs audit in 2026. The report showed 30 requests from authorities were received in the final 3 months of 2025, but, as expected, no information was provided by PIA.

Track record score: 7/10

Customer support

PIA's customer support has room for improvement. As you might expect, there's a 24/7 live chat channel and email ticketing system, but we found responses could be sluggish across both of these avenues. Naturally, that's not ideal if you have a more pressing problem.

On the other hand, if you prefer doing your own troubleshooting, you'll be glad to learn that PIA has its very own customer forum and knowledgebase. The forums are active and packed with experienced users who are (typically) happy to help squash any issues, and the knowledgebase is well organized and easy to navigate.

The one quibble we have with the knowledgebase, however, is that a lot of the support articles are outdated. The basic information remains solid, but we'd like to see these pages receive an update that adds extra depth and detail.

Customer support score: 7/10

Pricing and plans

Private Internet Access is one of the most budget-friendly VPNs on the market today. In terms of pure value for money, however, it lags behind NordVPN and Surfshark by a heel.

The monthly plan starts at $11.95, which is just a little bit over what you’d expect to pay for a top-tier VPN. Once you start getting into the long-term plans, however, the price drops through the floor. The annual plan only costs $3.33 a month, which is already cheaper than most plans offered by other top VPNs. It gets even better though, as the three-year plan costs as little as $2.03 per month, which also includes three additional months free.

The service includes all core features in its base price, without any hidden costs or paywalled features. The only extra you’d be expected to pay for is the dedicated IP option, which costs another $5 a month. This is understandable, as providing dedicated IPs is inherently expensive for a VPN provider because of the worldwide shortage of IPv4 addresses. Surfshark’s dedicated IPs are a little less costly at $3.75 a month, but if you opt in for a two-year plan PIA’s dedicated IPs drop down to $2.50 making it one of the cheapest around.

PIA also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, giving you ample time to test the service risk-free.

Pricing and plans score: 9/10

Should you use PIA?

PIA is an excellent VPN for the cost. It might not be as fast as Surfshark, offer as many features as NordVPN, or give you as many locations to connect to as ExpressVPN, but if you need a VPN that absolutely nails all of the core things you need to do and don’t want to spend too much, PIA is perfect. It’s also a VPN you can absolutely trust when it comes to privacy and security, and it’s one of the few providers out there that offers a Linux client that’s just as good as the Windows or MacOS client.

Out of everything that PIA could do better, speeds are at the top of the list. That’s not to say it’s a laggy VPN. It’s still lightyears ahead of most VPNs you could pick, but it’s just outclassed by alternatives like Proton VPN or Surfshark. It’s also starting to lag behind in innovation compared to the likes of NordVPN.

Total score: 79/100

PIA alternatives

Not sure if PIA is the right fit for you? Here are our top alternatives you can currently pick up, all of which you can test with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Frequently asked questions

Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike: One-minute review

In an effort to shake up the gaming mouse market, Logitech has introduced the Pro X2 Superstrike, featuring unique haptic clicks that can be customized to suit individual preferences.

It doesn’t look particularly spectacular, with its simple symmetrical shape and lack of accoutrements, such as RGB lighting. Its two-tone design is quite striking, though.

I found the Pro X2 Superstrike comfortable to hold, although those with smaller hands might find it a bit too cumbersome. Build quality is exceptional, on par with the best gaming mouse constructions. The chassis feels smooth and durable, while every button and the scroll wheel operate with a satisfying solidity.

At 61g, the Pro X2 Superstrike isn’t heavy, either. It’s a shame, though, that most of the weight is concentrated towards the front. This can make lift-offs a little awkward as the mouse has a tendency to tilt every time you do so.

The Pro X2 Superstrike can be customized using Logitech’s G HUB software. Numerous aspects can be configured, from the DPI to bindings, and there are various adjustments for the Pro X2 Superstrike’s Haptic Inductive Trigger System (HITS). There’s also a Bunny Hop (BHOP) mode for preventing accidental scroll wheel flicks.

In action, the Pro X2 Superstrike performs well. It glides smoothly, albeit with slightly more friction than some other gaming mice, and all buttons operate easily and trigger consistently. I didn’t experience any miscrolls when using the middle click, even with the BHOP mode disabled.

The headline HITS feature allows for meaningful changes to click feel, with the actuation point and haptic feedback being adjustable. You can make presses very fast and light, or slow and heavy.

However, there’s no analog functionality or controller emulation, which means neither modular inputs nor dual binding is possible. This feels like a missed opportunity, given there are analog keyboards that offer these abilities.

Rapid Trigger isn’t as pronounced as you get from such keyboards, either. There are only five settings to choose from, and the difference between the slowest and fastest isn’t huge. Quite how useful pros will think an RT mouse is remains to be seen, but it’s at least nice to see a gaming mouse trying something different.

I experienced no wireless connectivity issues during my time with the Pro X2 Superstrike. However, it’s a shame there’s no Bluetooth support, since many other similarly-priced gaming mice feature this. Battery life is impressive, though: in my experience, Logitech’s claimed 90-hour endurance seemed to hold true.

Ultimately, the Pro X2 Superstrike feels like a promising proof-of-concept; until more can be extracted from that haptic system, it remains something of a gimmick. The price-to-features ratio also means that it doesn’t offer the best value for money. It's certainly an excellent performer, but the Pro X2 Superstrike is perhaps best suited to the elites.

Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike review: Price & availability

• $179.99 / £159.99 / AU$$299.95
• Available now
• High-end of the market

The Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike costs $179.99 / £159.99 / AU$$299.95 and is available now in one colorway: a black and white finish known as Lunar Eclipse.

This places the mouse at the top end of the market. It’s about the same price as the Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro, a similarly pro-focused symmetrical wireless gaming mouse. We were very impressed with this model, thanks to its lightweight build and lightning-quick performance – not to mention its phenomenal 150-hour battery life and superb optical scroll wheel.

For something cheaper but more versatile, there’s the HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 Pro. Unlike the Pro X2 Superstrike, it features a DPI selector button and multiple wireless connectivity options (2.4GHz and Bluetooth). It games very well, too, although the prominent slope of the mouse buttons mightn’t be for everyone.

Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike review: Design

• Superb build quality
• No DPI button
• Numerous customizations via G HUB

Logitech hasn’t exactly pushed the envelope in terms of looks, but nevertheless, the Pro X2 Superstrike is still a pleasing piece of design. Its soft form is antithetical to the more angular and aggressive gaming mice – and it’s all the better for it.

The two-tone design also makes it look less anonymous than it otherwise would be. The black buttons contrast starkly with the white finish, while the small logo and various bits of text add interest.

The symmetrical shape is neat and ergonomic, although those with smaller hands might have a hard time gripping it fully, since it’s quite large. It’s not heavy, though, as it weighs just 61g, with most of that mass concentrated at the front end.

The Pro X2 Superstrike bear’s Logitech’s typical high levels of build quality. The plastic chassis feels solid and super smooth, which is certainly welcome but doesn’t offer much purchase. Fortunately, optional grip tape is included for the sidewalls and mouse buttons.

Underneath the Pro X2 Superstrike are two skates: the front one is quite large, while the back one is thin and runs around the bottom curve. If these skates don’t provide enough glide for your liking, you can replace the stock lid for the dongle compartment with one that has a skate on it (included in the box).

All buttons operate sufficiently, although the scroll wheel isn’t the sturdiest: there’s a fair amount of lateral play, but thankfully this didn’t pose an issue during normal use. A bigger issue for some might be the lack of buttons, especially those for cycling DPI or a sniper button.

Fortunately, there’s plenty of scope to customize the buttons that are present using Logitech’s G HUB software. All inputs can be remapped to a multitude of alternatives, from system and mouse adjustments to individual keys and recorded macros.

The Pro X2 Superstrike can also make use of the brand’s ubiquitous G-Shift function, which allows you to assign any button as a ‘shift’ to access a second layer of binds. With this, I managed to create my own DPI button by designating the middle click as the G-Shift and setting the G-Shift layer of the rear side button as the DPI cycler. I kept the middle click functionality present by assigning it to the G-Shift layer of the right mouse button.

G HUB’s most notable adjustments for the Pro X2 Superstrike, though, concern its Haptic Inductive Trigger System (HITS). You can alter the actuation point, Rapid Trigger setting, and haptic feedback of both mouse buttons – either in tandem or individually.

There are 10 actuation points to choose from, which is quite a generous range, given the relatively short travel of the buttons. There’s also a visualizer that moves in real time with the pressure you exert, allowing you to see precisely where your chosen actuation point is.

Unfortunately, however, there’s no such visualizer for the Rapid Trigger; a setting where it’s more important to see how your adjustments work, I’d argue. Another disappointing aspect of the Pro X2 Superstrike’s Rapid Trigger implementation is that there are only five levels to choose from. This contrasts starkly to some of the best gaming keyboards, which offer far more scope in their settings. Haptic feedback for the Pro X2 Superstrike also has five levels, but I feel this is an appropriate number for this particular parameter.

G HUB also lets you toggle the Bunny Hop (BHOP) mode of the Pro X2 Superstrike, which is designed to prevent accidental flicks of the scroll wheel. It does this by preventing a single notch from registering; only the second will, so long as it’s within a certain amount of time of the first. This timeframe is adjustable between 100ms and a full second.

As is standard on pretty much all peripheral software, G HUB provides DPI adjustments, too. This includes five customizable presets, where you can set DPI values between 100 and 44,000. Each of these also has its own lift-off distance setting, although pros might be disappointed with the lack of metrics: the three options to choose from are low, medium, or high, with no measurement in millimeters given.

Overall, though, G HUB is clearly laid out and easy to navigate. I didn’t experience any technical hitches or bugs during my time with it, either.

Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike review: Performance

• Great-feeling clicks
• Limited usage for haptic buttons
• Front-heavy design not for everyone

The performance of the Pro X2 Superstrike should meet the expectations of elite gamers. With its 8K polling rate, aiming is fast and accurate, while gliding is smooth – although there’s a little more friction than what the smoothest pointers provide. However, the skate-lined dongle lid certainly improved matters, and I can’t say my aiming was adversely affected when playing fast-paced shooters such as Counter-Strike 2.

That front-heavy design proved more of an issue, though. Whenever I lifted the Pro X2 Superstrike before swipes, the whole unit wanted to swing backwards, which forced me to grip harder than I would’ve liked to. I managed to acclimatize to this way of playing to a degree, but it remained a grievance I held with the Pro X2 Superstrike, albeit a minor one.

The middle click is very stable and easy to operate, while the prominent notching of the scroll wheel meant I never felt the need to enable BHOP mode.

The HITS buttons, though, are the standout feature of the Pro X2 Superstrike. The adjustments you make here can translate to radical differences in feel, from light and fast to heavy and slow. When you find the sweet spot, clicks manage to be snappy, impactful, and comfortable all at the same time, which is quite the feat. They always feel very nicely damped, more so than those of other gaming mice – unless you have the haptic feedback on its lowest setting, in which case there's virtually no sensation at all.

Logitech also claims the haptic clicks in the Pro X2 Superstrike reduce latency by up to 30ms compared to traditional microswitches. I can’t say I honestly noticed an increased responsiveness over other gaming mice I’ve tried, but they’re certainly not any slower.

The effect of the Rapid Trigger function is also hard to discern. The difference between the slowest and fastest settings is subtle; pro players may well be more attuned to them, but I don’t think the implementation of RT in the Pro X2 Superstrike is anywhere near as drastic as that of analog keyboards.

The haptic buttons also fall short of such boards in other ways. For instance, you can’t dual bind by making use of partway clicks, as you can with partway presses of analog keys.

Also, the Pro X2 Superstrike can’t emulate the graduated control of gamepad triggers and joysticks, as some analog keyboards can. Granted, the functionality doesn’t always work as well as you might hope, but I still think such emulation on the mouse would be useful for certain games.

What’s more, PC games don’t make use of intricate haptic feedback (at least currently). One of the great things about the PS5 is the haptic triggers of its DualSense. This really does add immersion by imparting an impressive array of sensations, corresponding with the type of game being played and the gameplay context. This aspect is a large part of why it’s one of the best PS5 controllers around.

While it’s nice to be able to adjust the haptics of the Pro X2 Superstrike, the system is limited by comparison. Once you’ve found your ideal setting, you’ll have little incentive to change it, and you’ll find clicks don’t necessarily feel any better than those of best gaming mice with conventional switches.

I have fewer complaints about the connectivity of the Pro X2 Superstrike. The 2.4GHz USB dongle provides a fast and stable connection, and I didn’t experience any drop-outs or lag. One odd glitch, though, was that my last selected DPI setting took a while to kick in whenever the mouse awoke from its sleep. It’s also a shame a mouse this expensive doesn’t have additional Bluetooth support to allow for hot-swapping between multiple devices.

The battery life of the Pro X2 Superstrike is very impressive. After several days of use, it only declined by about 20%, and it seems that Logitech’s 90-hour claim holds water.

Should I buy the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike?

Scorecard

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike review: Also consider

How I tested the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike

• Tested for several days
• Used for gaming and general use
• Experience reviewing gaming mice

I tested the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike for several days. I used it for gaming as well as general browsing and light productivity.

I mainly played Counter-Strike 2 – a great test for gaming mice, given its reliance on fast and accurate shooting.

I’ve reviewed plenty of gaming mice previously, from a broad range of brands and varying greatly in their form-factors, feature-sets, and price points. I brought this experience to bear when reviewing the Pro X2 Superstrike, by keeping in mind some of the best I’ve experienced as points of comparison.

• Read more about how we test
• First reviewed March 2026

D-Link D501: 30-second review

Connectivity for travellers is never consistent and can be a real challenge if you need to move large amounts of data to and from your remote system.

For those who operate in major global cities and across much of Europe, the answer has been to use 5G mobile networks, which provide broadband-level performance for suitably capable phones and laptops.

The D-Link 501 is a USB device designed to attach to a laptop or tablet that doesn’t have a 5G modem installed, which can easily add that technology without even a driver.

Simply insert a suitable mobile SIM card into the D501, connect it via the provided USB cable, and you can access 4x4 MIMO 5G comms.

The caveat is that this is a Sub-6 GHz connection only, with no mmWave support, unlike what is common in the USA. Therefore, it doesn’t have the highest 5G connection speeds, but those it can achieve are still better than 4G.

Another snag is that it isn’t especially cheap, at around six times what you might pay for a similar device that connects to 4G services.

And, the final elephant in this room is that adding a 5G modem to a modern business laptop generally costs less than this device. A typical overhead for a Dell laptop to get an unbuilt 5G modem is $200, though they only offer this feature on models like the Dell Pro Max and Dell Precision 3590. The D-Link D501 can be added to any machine with a USB-C port, including tablets and other devices, so it could be shared between devices or even people.

As I’ll talk about later in this review, there is an aspect to this device and any 5G dongle or hotspot, and that’s the variability of the service it uses. For those who aren’t near a good 5G environment, there is little point in spending this much on a mobile network modem. Conversely, if you work somewhere with good 5G coverage, it could offer a significant improvement over 4G LTE.

It’s hard to assess whether this is one of the best 5G modems, since so few devices are available.

D-Link D501: price and availability

• How much does it cost? £236/€323
• When is it out? Available now in Europe
• Where can you get it? Via D-Link resellers

From what I understand, and this might change, the D501 is available across Europe, including the UK, Norway and Germany. The cost in the UK is £241 via Amazon.co.uk, and it’s €323 in Germany.

It isn’t sold outside these regions, and certainly not in the USA.

Even if someone imported one to America, there's a significant technical obstacle. The D501's 5G bands are n1/3/5/7/8/20/28/38/40/41/71/75/76/77/78 D-Link. Cross-referencing with US carrier deployments, this is where things get telling: the key US mid-band frequencies are n77 (used by AT&T and Verizon) and n41 (T-Mobile).

Whilst n41, n71, and n77/78 are on the spec sheet, notable US-specific bands such as n2, n12, n25, n30, n66, and n70, all widely used by US carriers for both 5G and LTE, are entirely absent. This means even an imported unit would have very patchy support on US networks.

Alternatives include the Netgear M6, which offers Wi-Fi sharing, but it’s currently £549.99 on Amazon.co.uk and $433 at Amazon.com.

Another Wi-Fi sharing choice is made ironically by D-Link, the DWR-978, a 5G NR AC2600 Wi-Fi mobile hotspot. That only quotes a speed of 1.6Gbps, but it's cheaper at £144.99.

TP-Link makes the Archer NX210, an AX1800 spec 5G Router that costs around £190.

These examples make the D501 seem on the pricey side, but if you look at 4G LTE modems that do a similar job, those cost between £25 and £40.

And, I’m not talking about unknown brands. A classic example is the D-Link DWM-222W 4G LTE AX300 Wi-Fi 6 USB Adapter, capable of up to 150 Mbps downloads, which sells for only £40.80.

You should conclude that the portability of the D501 comes at a premium over less elegant devices, or those that only support 4G LTE.

• Value score: 3/5

D-Link D501: Specs

D-Link D501: design

• Simple but elegant
• Highly portable
• USB-C

The D501 is built around one clear design objective: to easily disappear into a bag. At 95 x 41 x 22.5 mm, it is genuinely pocket-sized, and the foldable antenna tucks flat when not in use. It comes with a 20cm USB-C cable, which avoids the issue of a directly inserted USB device that destroys the port it's connected to if something unfortunate occurs.

The single-LED status indicator keeps things simple: blue for 5G, green for 4G/LTE, red for no service or error. There is no screen, no buttons and no physical controls.

Everything routes through a browser interface for any configuration beyond basic SIM insertion. Build quality is consistent with D-Link's Taiwan manufacturing standard and is solid enough for the price. It draws power entirely from the host USB-C port, so there is no charging or other preparation to manage.

The beauty of this design is that it's entirely driverless, allowing it to operate across the widest possible range of systems. It might have been a nice touch if D-Link had included a USB-C to USB-A adapter, but these are pennies for you to add to the package.

While you are buying that extra, you might also want to find a small carry pouch to keep the D501, USB-C cable, adapter and the Quick Start paperwork. Although the paperwork is so short in content, you could probably leave that at home.

Based purely on how simple and elegant this device is, I’ve scored it highly for Design, because how easy it is to deploy and use makes it much more likely to be adopted.

Design score: 4.5/5

D-Link D501: In use

• No drivers
• Web interface
• Performance expectations

Those who designed the D501 did so, realising that the majority of people deploying this equipment aren’t likely to be IT professionals. The non-technical user is likely to appreciate that there is no driver to install, and if the SIM is already installed, it's merely a matter of plugging the D501 to get it working.

There is a web interface for those with more technical knowledge to manually configure the device, but for most deployments, this shouldn’t be necessary.

For most users, a basic overview of how to recognise a laptop connected by Wi-Fi (or wired LAN) over one using the mobile network is all that’s required.

I’m based in the UK, so that colors my view of this device and how it works with the typical services that are available to UK customers.

That said, the D501 covers a wide range of Sub-6 GHz 5G and 4G LTE bands, making it broadly compatible with UK and European carrier infrastructure. The key 5G bands used by major UK carriers are all present:

These include Primary 5G on n78 for EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three, and also B20 and B3 LTE on most networks.

The inclusion of n71 (600 MHz) in the hardware is notable for US market users on T-Mobile, and n28 (700 MHz) extends rural 5G reach in markets where lower-band 5G is deployed. The absence of mmWave (FR2) bands is the only meaningful gap, limiting the device to sub-6 GHz 5G.

The lack of mmWave could be a deal-breaker for some, but what it does offer is sufficient for the vast majority of real-world use cases, as mmWave coverage remains geographically sparse.

Connection stability is the D501's most important untested variable. The theoretical specification is strong as 4x4 MIMO provides both throughput headroom and resilience against signal variation compared to simpler 2x2 designs. The USB 3.1 interface eliminates the connection bottleneck present in older USB 2.0 dongles.

I’ve seen some customers report intermittent disconnections with certain carriers, but I didn’t experience that at all with O2 (GiffGaff) in the UK.

Why this might be happening, I’m unsure. But it certainly seems to be carrier-related, and it might require a firmware update from D-Link to resolve this issue. I checked, and a later firmware was available than the one that came on the D501, so I installed that.

I’m not a huge fan of web interfaces that don’t check for you, and this one had the tools to install new firmware but no way to find out whether the current version had been superseded. I’ve seen this lots with modems and routers, and I don’t care for it.

The firmware did improve my throughput, so it was worth installing.

In terms of data transfer performance, my 5G service isn’t great, although it did connect, which is more than my phone typically achieves with the same SIM.

It’s also worth noting that doing this inside a building doesn’t help, and for those in a hotel, it might be helpful to get a USB extension and place the dongle outside, either near a window or, ideally, on a balcony.

Needless to say, using 5G, I got nowhere near the quoted performance levels, but I can’t blame that on D-Link. As an experiment, I tried switching to 4G LTE, but it didn’t show any improvement and was, in fact, slower than NR5G-NSA, which the D501 automatically connected to.

Going outside did make a massive difference, although I was still only achieving around 30Mbps up and down. Inside, the results were at best around 40% of that level.

As frustrating as this all was, the connection was at least solid and usable.

Do I think this hardware could achieve 3.4Gbps? No, not even if it was right next to the mast, because you wouldn’t have exclusive access to the frequencies, even then. I’m sure it could get 500 Mbps in ideal conditions, but 300 Mbps would be a reasonable expectation if you live or work near a mobile mast that supports 5G. For the MIMO aspect of this device to function properly, you can’t be on the edge of a 5G area, as I am.

To put this into perspective, the O2 network I use offers an average UK-wide 5G speed of only 80.1 Mbps, and the maximum you can expect is around 320 Mbps. If I were with Vodafone, then I might see 545Mbps, and allegedly on Three, that could be over 900Mbps, but that’s as good as it gets in the UK. So forget 3.4Gbps, it’s not happening with this technology in the UK.

The takeaway here is not that the D501 is a good or bad 5G modem. It's that, unlike a wired network, the performance isn’t predictable, other than it will invariably be less than the theoretical limits promoted by the makers.

• In Use: 4/5

D-Link D501: Final verdict

The discussion here is less about the D501 and more about what alternatives exist if you don’t use this device. The obvious one is to buy a cheap 5G phone and connect it to the laptop via a USB-C cable or Wi-Fi sharing. If phones had USB 3.1 specification USB-C ports, then this would be the best choice, but almost all of them use only USB 2.0 on the charging/data port.

Using Wi-Fi would work, but again, most phones are limited to dual-channel at best connections, and that’s not remotely the throughput that 5G can offer.

There are some 5G hotspots that will work, including the D-Link F530 and Netgear M6, but these cost more than the D501, and because they share the same Wi-Fi 6 channel, there is extra latency and potential wireless interference.

There are plenty of 4G hotspots and dongles, and they are much, much cheaper. However, the majority are only capable of 150 Mbps, which is dramatically less than the D501's theoretical 3.4 Gbps. It comes down to whether you just need a connection or want the headline-level connectivity that 5G promises.

It’s also worth noting that if you get a D501 and a good connection, you might eat through an entire month of data allowance in just a few minutes if you’re not careful.

Therefore, the device's cost might be a minor expense in this exercise compared to the 5G SIM contract you will need to make best use of it. Also, research which carriers offer the best 5G performance, since some are distinctly better than others.

Those things accepted, this hardware provides a seamless connection to the 5G network for anyone with a modern laptop, and the cost of that, for many businesses supporting a mobile sales team, might be one they are willing to eat.

But don’t expect miracles, because some geographic locations just aren’t 5G-friendly.

Should I buy a D-Link D501?

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