5 most gripping tech reviews of the week: a super-bright bargain mini-LED TV and the most gorgeous-sounding gaming headset

The Hisense U8QG is an impressive demonstration of how mini-LED TV tech can continue to offer dazzling brightness and rich color for lower prices. While it doesn't offer vastly improved picture quality over its predecessor, the U8N from last year, it has a significantly boosted peak brightness of 3,337 nits, thanks to its refined local dimming. It's also capable of even more vibrant, lush colors, with its color gamut expanded to 97.8% of UHDA-P3 and 82.8% of BT.2020 respectively.

Gaming features have also had a significant buff compared to its predecessor, bringing it much more in line with the best TVs with features like 4K 165Hz support, FreeSync Premium Pro, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ gaming. But, in reality, the most exciting thing about the Hisense U8QG is its cost. While it was initially pretty spendy, prices have already dropped significantly – the 65-inch model we've tested here has already dropped to just $1,399, with UK pricing still TBA.

The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 excels in an area often overlooked by Chromebooks: refined design. Its small form factor makes it eminently portable, and that 360-degree hinge means it can be quickly be transformed into a tablet. Despite this compactness and flexibility, though, it's sturdily built, with both its materials and hinge feeling smooth yet reliable.

On top of this, the Chromebook 2 360's 2560 x 1600 display is both bright and impressively crisp, happily rivaling that of many of the best Chromebooks. Unfortunately, there are a few disappointments under the surface, though: its Intel Celeron N4500 1.10GHz CPU and 4GB of RAM offer pretty weak performance, while its 6.5-hour battery life isn't exactly lengthy.

The Sennheiser HD 550 offers truly sensational audio for gaming, perhaps unsurprisingly given the brand's rep for producing comfortable, audiophile-thrilling headphones for music. Not only are the HD 550 comfy enough to don for epic gaming sessions, but they unlock impressive levels of detail from in-game audio, offering a richly detailed and immersive atmosphere while you play that rivals many of the best gaming headsets.

Naturally, the HD 550 lacks a few features you can usually expect from a true gaming headset. First of all, you're not getting a microphone here, making them better for solo play, and there's no onboard controls either. Additionally, they're not the cheapest option on offer: even Sennheiser offers plenty of rivals that can compete on price. Still, if you want deeply impressive in-game audio, these will not disappoint.

The Ring Outdoor Camera Plus is impressive enough for an affordable camera, boasting 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, offering sharp low-light performance and a wide 140-degree field of vision. It's also capable of utilizing battery, mains or solar power, and offers a range of mounting options, whether that's walls, flat surfaces, or, with an additional accessory, on ceilings.

However, it doesn't include many significant improvements over its predecessor, the Ring Outdoor Camera, with its resolution and design only receiving a minor upgrade. It does include some innovative features that rival some of the best security cameras, such as Smart Responses that automatically inform people are being recorded. But the most exciting – like smart alerts that let you know whether footage shows a parcel, person, or vehicle, or the ability to use AI-driven smart search to identify features in videos – are locked behind a premium subscription tier.

The Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer is thrilling to cook with, first and foremost, thanks to the excellent results it's able to achieve. Whether it's succulent chicken with crispy skin or fluffy fries, it's capable of producing some fantastic food, especially for the price. And its Home ID recipes make cooking certain dishes hassle-free, even if there isn't the biggest range of options.

It does have some quirks, though. Compared to the best air fryers, results can vary, especially to begin with, as you're learning the ropes. Part of this is down to the fact that its user manual is only available via its app, while its food table is a bit sparse on details, requiring some trial error. However, overall, this gadget unlocks high-quality air-fried food at a reasonably manageable price.