Articles by Rowan Davies, Editorial Associate

Rowan is an Editorial Associate and Apprentice Writer for TechRadar. A recent addition to the news team, he is involved in generating stories for topics that spread across TechRadar's categories. His interests in audio tech and knowledge in entertainment culture help bring the latest updates in tech news to our readers.

He has been writing for publications since he started his studies at age 18. Rowan graduated from Cardiff University in 2023 after attaining a Master's in Creative Writing, and earlier a Bachelor's in Media, Journalism, and Culture. He began his journey as a writer at Cardiff University's Quench Magazine contributing to film/ TV, music, and culture sections, later becoming Music Section Editor.

In his free time, Rowan is a freelance writer for Cardiff-based culture magazine Buzz where he reviews music, film, and conducts interviews with featured guests. When he is not writing, you can find him at any given music gig, or endlessly scrolling TikTok immersing in celebrity news and drama.

Articles by: Rowan Davies

Two iPhones with Discover Weekly and Release Radar playlist

Out of all Spotify's music discovery tools over 20 years, my loyalty still lies with this underrated feature — and it’s not Discover Weekly

By Rowan Davies Published 21 April 26

This Spotify feature is one of the app's most underrated tools for music discovery.

2 Comments

A split image of an IKEA smart home thermostat and remote

IKEA’s range of affordable smart home devices just got a handy upgrade — and it’s a big win for Samsung phone and TV users

By Rowan Davies Published 21 April 26

Samsung just made it easier for you to integrate your IKEA smart home devices with SmartThings.

A smartphone showing AI-flagged music in Deezer

Deezer says nearly half of all new music uploaded to its site is AI generated — and it's calling on Spotify and other streaming giants to do more about it

By Rowan Davies Published 20 April 26

Deezer will no longer store hi-res versions of AI-generated songs in its continued fight against AI slop.

I signed up to a YouTube Premium free trial, and it was annoyingly brilliant — but there’s one setback that’s keeping me from returning

By Rowan Davies Published 18 April 26

I caved to YouTube Premium's free trial and now I see what the hype is all about, but I can't get past its poor queuing system.

The Victrola Wave turntable in black and yellow with matching bookshelf speakers

Victrola’s latest turntable is a Record Store Day exclusive — and it wouldn’t be anything without the watchful eye of rock icon Jack White

By Rowan Davies Published 17 April 26

Victrola is relaunching its Wave turntable with Jack White's Third Man Records to celebrate Record Store Day 2026.

Two smartphones showing Google Gemini and YouTube Premium

Google just dropped a 50% discount on a year of YouTube Premium with Google One Premium — here’s how you can check if you’re eligible

By Rowan Davies Published 16 April 26

This half-price YouTube Premium discount with Google One Premium is not to be skipped over.

What goes around comes around: Jury finds Live Nation guilty of working as an illegal monopoly to dominate the live music market, and I’m thrilled for the future of ticket prices at gigs

By Rowan Davies Published 16 April 26

A US jury finds that Live Nation has been running an illegal monopoly to assume dominance over the live events market.

Product photos of the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select

Amazon has been accused of ‘bricking’ older Fire TV Stick devices to get users to upgrade — and it’s sparked a class action lawsuit

By Rowan Davies Published 15 April 26

The new lawsuit claims Amazon has been restricting important software updates for older models to force users to upgrade.

The new KF2, KF3, and KF4 KitchenAid espresso machines lined up on a counter

KitchenAid puts iced coffee lovers first with its new lineup of automatic espresso machines — here’s when you’ll be able snag one

By Rowan Davies Published 15 April 26

KitchenAid has unveiled three new espresso machines, and they could be a game changer for fans of iced coffee.

A birds eye shot of the Tinyl Play Pro record player with a yellow vinyl on the turntable

This viral vinyl player looks like a 1971 Fisher-Price Music Box but with a genuine Audio-Technica cartridge — and my Record Store Day haul needs it

By Rowan Davies Published 14 April 26

The Play Pro turntable from Tinyl grabbed my attention as soon as I saw it on TikTok.

‘I want to cancel’: YouTube Premium quietly hikes its US prices for the first time in three years, forcing many users to consider the unthinkable

By Rowan Davies Published 10 April 26

Google has aggravated YouTube Premium subscribers once again with an unexpected price hike.

Two iPhones showing the Spotify playback screen and new video controls

Spotify is rolling out new video controls, and as someone who hates its in-app music videos, I know this will be a huge hit

By Rowan Davies Published 10 April 26

Spotify's new video controls allow you to disable Canvas videos, music videos, and other visual content for an audio-first experience.

Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold on display at a Samsung store in Dubai Hills Mall, Dubai, UAE.

Today is your last chance to score the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold, but it will sell out in minutes — here’s what you can do to boost your odds

By Rowan Davies Published 10 April 26

Samsung is restocking the Galaxy Z TriFold for the last time today, and it's your last chance to buy the historic smartphone.

‘It’s almost worthless’: Google Home users slam ‘painfully slow’ Gemini assistant — but it’s getting a global rollout no matter how much you dislike it

By Rowan Davies Published 9 April 26

Google Home has started expanding Gemini globally, but some users have yet to get along with it.

3 Comments

A split image of the Artemis II crew and a photo of the lunar surface

Who knew NASA had solid music taste — these are all the songs being played to the Artemis II crew for their wake-up calls

By Rowan Davies Published 8 April 26

NASA is soundtracking the Artemis II mission with some solid tunes to keep its crew on schedule.

Kindle owners are frustrated that Amazon is pulling the plug on old devices that are still widely used — but it’s not stopping users from sideloading

By Rowan Davies Published 8 April 26

Since Amazon revealed it's stopping support for pre-2012 Kindle devices, it's caused uproar among the eReader community.

The Pebblebee Halo tracker being pulled apart to activate the siren and strobe light

Pebblebee’s new personal tracker is an AirTag crossed with a safety siren and torch — but there’s more than meets the eye

By Rowan Davies Published 7 April 26

The AirTag-rival packs three handy safety features, including a siren, strobe light, and alerts to selected contacts.

Prompted Playlists thumbnails next to a smartphone generating a playlist in the Spotify app

Struggle to find podcasts that land with you? Spotify's new prompt tool can build you a curated pod playlist on specific topics

By Rowan Davies Published 7 April 26

Are you a pop head or a weird science enthusiast? Spotify now lets you create playlists of podcast episodes on your favorite topics.

Three iPhones showing SongDNA and the Spotify playback screen

Spotify’s SongDNA is like a musical Wikipedia on steroids — I just can't stop using it

By Rowan Davies Published 4 April 26

I haven't stopped using SongDNA since Spotify released it — this is how my first hands-on with the feature went.

The T-Rex leather handbag on display in a musuem

Your next iPhone case could be made from lab-grown T-Rex leather thanks to ‘world first’ technology — but experts say otherwise

By Rowan Davies Published 2 April 26

VML is unveiling the world's first T-Rex leather product in Amsterdam, marking the beginning of a manufacturing revolution.

Google has doubled its storage allowance for its AI Pro plan, and it’s just one-upped ChatGPT — here’s how they compare

By Rowan Davies Published 2 April 26

Google's AI Pro subscription tier has had a storage boost, taking its allowance from 2TB to 5TB.

Apple adds the Apple TV HD to its ‘obsolete’ list despite it running tvOS 26 — and now users want a new 4K model more than ever

By Rowan Davies Published 1 April 26

The Apple TV HD is now 'obsolete', even though it's working perfectly fine for happy users.

Gmail app on a phone with a thumb hovering above

Gmail is finally letting you change your embarrassing email address — here’s how to do it on Android, iOS, and desktop

By Rowan Davies Published 31 March 26

Still using your embarrassing Gmail handle? Google Account holders in the US can now change their email addresses.

samsung galaxy s26 ultra privacy display feature in action

No, Apple isn’t rolling out its version of Samsung’s Privacy Display — but the fake viral videos are convincing

By Rowan Davies Published 31 March 26

Viral videos of an alleged Apple privacy screen tool are circulating, but despite how convincing they are, it's all fake.

A close up of the Apple Watch Series 10 with a deals sticker

There's no point in upgrading to the Apple Watch Series 11 — save $300 on the Series 10 in Amazon's Spring Sale and get a near-identical wearable for a lot less

By Rowan Davies Published 30 March 26

The Apple Watch Series 10 is just as good as the Series 11 — here's why you should save on the previous gen model instead.

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