This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar

Chromebook
New Chromebook is a big step forward

So who's going to buy a Google Nexus 7 next week then? We certainly can't wait to see how much of a difference it makes to the tablet market, but while we wait to see, why not check out some of the other tasty treats we've been testing this week!

Samsung Series 5 Chromebook review

Overall, the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook XE550C22 is a big leap forward for Chromebooks, and is easily the best Chromebook we've reviewed. Of course, the previous generation of Chromebook was rather disappointing, so that's not saying too much.

On the one hand it's a forward thinking device, geared towards cloud services and apps. We feel that this is definitely the way technology is heading, but the tech isn't quite there yet. So in some respects, the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook is a bit ahead of its time. However, its limited tech, along with the absence of next-gen internet standards such as 4G and 802.11ac Wi-Fi, means that it could soon start feeling out of date. The Samsung Series 5 Chromebook is a decent computer, and an improvement on its competitors, but it doesn't quite answer the Chromebook conundrum.

Canon EOS 650D review

Canon 650D review

It may not have the pixel count of the Nikon D3200, but the Canon 650D is a very well-rounded DSLR with plenty of features for novices and enthusiasts. Image quality and high ISO performance is excellent. It's a worthwhile upgrade for anyone with a Canon 550D or a Canon 600D.

Meanwhile, if you have an older 40D or 50D camera, you won't be disappointed if you 'downgrade' to a smaller Canon DSLR - although the specification of the Canon EOS 650D begs the question what we can expect to see when the Canon 60D and Canon 7D are replaced. However, it's worth remembering that that the 600D/Rebel T3i was priced at £679/$799 RRP body-only when it came out in April 2011, yet today it can be found for around £499/$579. It shouldn't be too long before the Canon EOS 650D street price becomes more palatable as well.

Hands on: LG Optimus 4X HD review

Hands on: LG Optimus 4X HD review

The LG Optimus 4X HD certainly has some neat tricks up its sleeve, with Nvidia's powerful 1.5GHz quad-core Tegra 3 processor with 4-PLUS-1 technology, 1GB of RAM, 4.7-inch (1280 x 720) True HD IPS display, 16GB of internal memory and NFC technology.

From our brief time with the phone so far, the Optimus 4X HD looks like a perfectly capable handset, with a style which will appeal to some people and enough power to guarantee its future for at least the next couple of years. We're not sure if it's quite as desirable as its quad-core rivals, and early hints of some slight lag do put a slight downer on a phone which boasts such powerful innards – we hope this will be ironed out before launch. Keep an eye out for our full LG Optimus 4X HD review, which will be available on the site soon.

TomTom Via 135 review

TomTom Via 135 review

While TomTom should be applauded for trying to get voice recognition out there and in cars, the Via 135 doesn't feel like it's at a stage where it's ready for mass consumption just yet.

There are moments where it works perfectly, but there are plenty of times where the sensitive microphone picks up background noise or the sat nav just fails to understand you. It's all too easy to resort to touch input, making other more affordable options look like better buys.

Having used the TomTom Start 60, with its larger screen, we'd still rather spend our money there, especially given the European maps offered by that device.

And this week's other reviews...

Desktops

Samsung Chromebox review

Laptops

Hands on: Toshiba Z930 Ultrabook review

Toshiba Satellite P850-138 review

Toshiba Qosmio X870 review

HP Envy 4 Ultrabook review

Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch review

Apple Macbook Pro

Media streaming

Hands on: YouView review

Mobile phones

Hands on: Motorola MotoSmart review

Hands on: Sony Xperia Tipo review

Hands on: Sony Xperia Miro review

Xperia Miro

Samsung Galaxy S Advance review

Samsung Galaxy SIII (T-Mobile) review

Nokia Lumia 900 review

Monitors

Samsung SyncMaster S27B750 review

Network adaptors

TP-Link TL-PA511KIT review

D-Link DHP-501AV review

Trendnet TPL-401E review

Trendnet TPL-401E

Devolo dLAN 500 AVmini review

Netgear XAVB5101 review

Cisco Linksys PLSK400 review

Operating systems

Android 4.1: Jelly Bean review

Printers

Canon Selphy CP810 review

Projectors

Acer H5360 review

BenQ W1060 review

Epson EH-TW3200 review

Epson EH-TW5900 review

NEC V300W review

Optoma HD23 review

Viewsonic Pro6200 review

Speakers

Audyssey Audio Dock Air review

Tablet accessories

ION Audio iCade Core review

Tablets

Google Nexus 7 review

Google Nexus 7

Televisions

Samsung UE46ES6800 review

Panasonic TX-L47WT50B review

Sony KDL-40HX753 review

James Rivington

James was part of the TechRadar editorial team for eight years up until 2015 and now works in a senior position for TR's parent company Future. An experienced Content Director with a demonstrated history of working in the media production industry. Skilled in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), E-commerce Optimization, Journalism, Digital Marketing, and Social Media. James can do it all.