Rowan Davies

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

The new Echo Studio, OLED MacBook, and Samsung's open-type earbuds
ICYMI: the 7 biggest tech stories of the week, including Apple's first touchscreen MacBook and our favorite tech of 2026

By Rowan Davies Published

We've covered a bunch of big stories on TechRadar in the past week, and here's where you can catch up on them all.

A smartphone with youtube logo and blurred youtube interface at background
YouTube Premium hits record 150 million subscribers — but rebels are finding alternative ways to battle the free tier's 'completely unbearable' ads

By Rowan Davies Published

Ads in YouTube's free version are only becoming more prevalent, users on Reddit say.

ChatGPT and Claude app icons are seen next to the Gemini and Meta AI app icons on a smartphone home screen
Australia government wants to ban AI chatbots that create ‘emotional intimacy’ — but critics are accusing it of creating ‘an ‘Orwellian’ system of censorship’

By Rowan Davies Published

The proposed ban is also designed to shield social media users from content that promotes harmful content including misogyny, terrorism, and suicide.

Smartphone with new Disney Plus logo with Disney Plus content on background and Channel 4 tv logo on phone screen
Channel 4 is coming to Disney+, as the UK government considers a 'YouTube tax' on streaming services

By Rowan Davies Published

Disney will start showing programming from the British broadcaster Channel 4 in early 2027.

A person holding a black iPod.
‘Listeners yearn for Cover Flow’: one Apple Music user claims to have seen the future of Apple’s music platform, but fans just want the rolodex-style visual they lost back in 2015

By Rowan Davies Published

Could Cover Flow be making a comeback? If it's true, it's going to make a lot of Apple Music subscribers very happy.

Spotify Logo On Digital Screen With Music Streaming And Stock Chart Background
Spotify’s crack-down on Family plan sharing could land you a 12-month ban, and it could be the final straw for users — myself included

By Rowan Davies last updated

Premium Family members must now prove to Spotify they live in the same household as the account holder.

BBC Broadcasting House at Portland Place
The UK government is proposing huge changes to the ‘outdated’ BBC funding model — it could soon include Netflix, YouTube, and other platforms

By Rowan Davies Published

From the government's proposed legislation to the impact on viewers, an expert shares their thoughts on the BBC's new funding model.

28 Comments
The Google Nest Mini and Nest Audio smart speakers
No, Google hasn’t forgotten about your old Nest speakers, and there’s a big firmware update for the Preview Program coming — here’s how you can sign up

By Rowan Davies Published

A handful of older speakers are getting audio streaming upgrades, as well as fixes for smart-home controls and connectivity.

The Eufy E10 Window Camera stuck to a glass pane
Eufy just launched a subscription-free home security camera that sticks to your window — but its wired power cable limits its placement options

By Rowan Davies Published

The Eufy E10 has a hassle-free setup, with 2.5K resolution and support for SD cards to store your footage.

6 Comments
The Aldi store logo next to a Dyson purifier
Aldi’s new £50 Dyson fan rival is the star of its new home heating lineup — it’s also launching a cheap dehumidifier and a tower heater

By Rowan Davies Published

Aldi is launching a bladeless fan, a dehumidifier, and ceramic heater as part of its new Home Heating Essentials range.

The Fitbit Air next to the Fitbit Edge
'This marks a huge advancement for automatic tracking': Google’s screenless Fitbit Air will soon be able to automatically track over 100 workouts — and premium subscribers also get Health Guardian tools

By Rowan Davies Published

The Fitbit Air is getting smarter workout detection tools, powered by a new LLM model for improved reliability.

CMF Speaker S
Nothing’s affordable CMF arm just launched its first ever Bluetooth speakers — but it’s the charismatic 'milk carton' design that has everyone talking

By Rowan Davies Published

The two milk carton-esque Bluetooth speakers are built for compact listening, but are packed with audio features beneath the surface.

ChatGPT app on an iPhone
‘I did it all with the help of AI’: a driver used ChatGPT to help him with a three-year parking ticket dispute — and won

By Rowan Davies Published

ChatGPT came in handy for this man when he asked it for legal advice, and won a three-year parking fine dispute.

6 Comments
Spotifast app on a laptop screen
Spotifast is a new desktop app alternative to Spotify that doesn’t swallow up all your RAM — and it packs the nostalgia of Winamp skins

By Rowan Davies Published

Spotifast is a native and lightweight Spotify app that uses much less RAM, resulting in a speedier listening experience.

Two smartphone showing audiobooks in Spotify app
Spotify has huge audiobook upgrades on the way and bookworms will rejoice — but those of us hoping for a music-only interface will be disappointed

By Rowan Davies Published

Audiobooks are coming to over 180 markets, but all I want is my app to be a music-only experience.

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses updates
Norway set to become first country to slap a temporary ban on smart specs — and an ‘informed debate’ will determine the future of Meta Ray-Bans and other ‘pervert glasses’

By Rowan Davies Published

Norway's temporary ban will prohibit the use of smart glasses at parks, beaches, museums, schools, kindergartens, among other venues.

7 Comments
Meta Ray-Ban Display
Dutch eyewear giant becomes first retailer to halt Meta Ray-ban sales — Hans Anders pulls smart glasses from 400 stores due to ‘questions being raised’ about the tech

By Rowan Davies Published

The eyewear retailer has pulled the smart glasses from stores following growing concerns over the public use of the tech.

18 Comments
Nest doorbell and Google Home speaker
Google Home is getting a slew of fresh upgrades for Find My Phone and other smart home tools — but it’s not enough for some users

By Rowan Davies Published

Google Home's new round of updates also includes Automations fixes and video footage viewing upgrades.

The Eufy S4 video doorbell by Anker being attached to a wall
Anker launches world's first video doorbell with VR viewing — fortunately it has other smart features to justify its giant price tag (and is subscription-free)

By Rowan Davies Published

With 180-degree viewing field, AI tracking, and subject framing, there's nothing the Eufy S4 video doorbell can't do.

A man wearing a heated back pad and a woman holding a heated electric cushion
Lidl is launching two cheap heating devices this week — grab this £18 snuggly electric cushion and a £15 heating pad for your back before the temperature drops

By Rowan Davies Published

Lidl's new budget-friendly heating devices land in stores October 1.

Spotify pins and SongDNA tools in the mobile app
I’ve been keeping up with every Spotify update this year, and these are my 5 favorite upgrades — from SongDNA to its Reserved concert ticket scheme

By Rowan Davies Published

From Taste Profile to Reserved, these are the biggest changes Spotify has made over the past few months.

Daewoo's 700ml dehumidifier
Robert Dyas' £35 dehumidifier is back — it's way more compact and half the price of Lidl's cheap dehumidifier, making it perfect for beating mould in small rooms

By Rowan Davies Published

At £35, Robert Dyas' listing for the Daewoo dehumidifier is much cheaper than Lidl.

An image of Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka next to the promo for Netflix's Wonka's Golden Ticket
Viewers call Netflix 'disgusting’: Wonka’s Golden Ticket receives huge backlash to its AI Gene Wilder voice, and I saw it coming from a mile away

By Rowan Davies Published

Netflix's AI generation of Gene Wilder's voice doesn't recreate the magic from the original movie.

The Samsung Galaxy A57's camera bump.
Samsung is tipped to add security chips to Galaxy phones and begin its crackdown on fake battery replacements

By Rowan Davies Published

Authentication chips would ensure your Galaxy phone battery is safe and genuine, but Samsung has yet to comment.

Guy Pearce in a still from Memento (2000)
Christopher Nolan’s Memento is finally getting a 4K Blu-ray — and it’s the first disc of his movies to be approved for a Dolby Vision HDR version by the man himself

By Rowan Davies Published

The 4K restoration is 'coming soon', and will be restored under the eye of independent distributor Umbrella.

Other versions of this page are available with specific content for the following regions: