Sometimes you don't need a fancy chair. Sometimes you just need a quality chair that fits a good budget. The Uplift Clarksville is a simple chair with breathable mesh, a comfortable enough cushion, and enough lumbar support to feel like it's there and worth the cost, without making you want to reach for another chair immediately, as a lot of cheap chairs do.

Assembly is easy. The price is right. Ok, it's unlikely to make it on to our guide to the best office chairs we've tested, but the design is simple enough to replicate across an entire conference room or co-working space without creating a break in the uniformity.

That's not to say that this is a boring chair at all. It still is a good-looking chair. Plus, it matches perfectly with Uplift's range of walking pads or standing mats if you want to create a more health-conscious office or workspace.

Uplift Clarksville: Price & availability

The Clarksville by Uplift is priced at $359 direct from the Uplift website.

To me, that's a fair cost for a no-nonsense office chair that puts support and comfort ahead of stylish designs that, while pretty, don't offer much practicality in the workplace.

A variant in fog grey is also available for an additional $29, and you can upgrade the casters for a smoother roll for an extra $39.

Uplift Clarksville: Unboxing and First Impressions

The unboxing experience for the Clarksville is unassuming and simple at best. It arrives in a very compact box with everything well packaged in its new packaging. This is clearly designed for efficiency and simplicity, not for mind-blowing marketing on the box itself.

The hover is easy to assemble, and with my hotel electric screwdriver, I was able to assemble everything pretty quickly. You could just use the included tools as well, if you like. Once I got everything put together, which was a very simple task, I was able to get the seat itself dialed in within only a matter of minutes due to the simplicity.

That's not a bad thing at all. This chair is designed to be simple and functional, so having that mirrored in the assembly process is actually a massive pro for it.

Uplift Clarksville: Design & Build Quality

My team has used this chair in our rotation of chairs for the last 120 days, and in that time it has functioned excellently. There's no squeaking, no loose parts, nothing that feels like it's degrading at all.

It's simple, and it's easy. It works great in our conference room or in an office or in a waiting room or anywhere you need a decent office chair but don't want to spend exorbitant amounts of money, like some of these chairs are costing these days.

The chair is durable and reliable enough for a primary office chair, but it's also sleek enough to place on the guest side of your desk if you're that kind of office.

Uplift Clarksville: In use

As I said, this chair has been in our rotation for over 100 days now, and during that time we've all appreciated its soft cushion and how it has remained comfortable despite its lower price.

Don't get me wrong, I love where Uplift is going with this chair. Not everybody needs that absurdly expensive chair they put in the executive office or feel bad about grabbing. Usually, your chair is only going to sit in for a little bit, maybe because you prefer to stand or walk on walking pads, such as Uplift's walking pad, which we have tried with this chair. Maybe you just want to spend your money somewhere else.

Regardless, there aren't many great companies that offer a good-quality chair at a good price. Most of the chairs that are at this cost are absolute trash and are Amazon cheap ones that are made from poor quality materials.

Having a reputable company like Uplift create a budget-friendly chair is massive, and our last 100+ days of experience have proven that the armrest adjustability is great, the recline is solid, and the comfort works for even a long day at work. Granted, it is not as comfortable as some of the higher-end chairs that we have, but for the price this is pretty good.

Uplift Clarksville: Final verdict

All in all, with this chair you get more than you pay for. You get a chair that will actually last for several years in the conference room with daily abuse from people who don't care about chairs that aren't in their own office.

Or, if you want this in your own office, you'll get many years of use unless you absolutely obliterate your chairs or decide to tumble me down on them to burn off some steam after your last frustrating meeting. Regardless of your reason for buying a chair like this, Uplift is a company you can rely on and trust to put out quality gear.

For more office furniture, we've tested the best standing desks.

The Brother MFC-L8970CDW and MFC-L8930CDW are high-spec laser all-in-ones aimed at enterprise and they’re a subtle but significant step up from the outgoing MFC-L8395CDW, despite being 25% smaller.

The top model in the updated L8000 series comes with a blistering print rate of 33ppm (pages per minute) and an equally impressive duplex scan speed.

With high capacity cartridges in the box, features aplenty, and a compact, but expandable design, it looks to me like the ideal office printer for a growing business. I tested it with the extra paper cassette option to find out.

Brother MFC-L8970CDW: Design and build

The Brother MFC-L8970CDW pictured here comes in two-tone gray, while the otherwise identical MFC-L8930CDW variant is gray and black. It’s the same machine targeting different territories and shipping with different amounts of inbox toner.

The MFC-L8970CDW is available with Brother’s MPS (managed print service) and it’s a multifunction device with a large ADF (automatic document feeder) and A4 scanner on top of a color laser printer with a large 7-inch touchscreen interface. It looks a bit top heavy, but Brother’s designers have done well to shrink the model it replaces by 25%, while increasing it’s capacity and display size. The 7-inch touchscreen is now twice as big.

This desktop printer’s footprint is relatively compact, especially when you start to add paper cassettes like the LT350CL as I did. It’s as simple as stacking the printer on top and letting the two units couple automatically. This US$226 upgrade doubles the 250-sheet paper capacity and allows you to load different paper stock in the second drawer. A 500-sheet cassette is available for $229, which makes a maximum paper capacity of 1,340 possible. There’s also a wheeled cabinet stand for $294.

Another design improvement is the increased use of user replaceable parts. Components such as drum unit, belt drive, paper feed kit etc can all be swapped out to prolong the printer’s life. Much of the material used in this printer's production is recycled and its packaging is cardboard rather than polystyrene. Office printers are never things of beauty, but I think it’s an aesthetic improvement on the old L8000 series and the whole thing feels like it’s built to last from pretty rugged plastic.

Brother MFC-L8970CDW: Features & specifications

As the flagship of Brother’s L8000 line-up, the Brother MFC-L8970CDW comes with all the features. There’s duplex printing and single pass duplex scanning, an 80-page ADF, USB Host ports front and rear and the biggest touchscreen you’ll find on any printer. Dual-band Wi-Fi is built in, as is a gigabit Ethernet port and NFC for private printing using an NFC-enable staff card.

The print speed is very fast at 33ppm for letter-size pages, or 31ppm for fractionally larger A4 pages, and the copy speed is the fastest I’ve clocked so far at up to 20 sides per minute. It can print on envelopes, labels or any kind of uncoated paper up to Letter or A4 in size and up to 163gsm in weight. In other words, it cannot print on thick paper stock, card or inkjet photo paper. That’s a little disappointing, but it proved competent with all other kinds of media, including labels and envelopes during the test.

The ADF can hold more pages than most rivals at 80 sheets and the scan rate is 100ipm for two-sided mono pages is the fastest I’ve tested. This makes it a great photocopier in a shared office. It also comes with plenty of toner in the box, enough for 5,500 black, or 4,500 color pages, and compatibility with even higher yield cartridges that make this a very economical printer to run. The only thing missing is Bluetooth, which HP uses in its to make setup even easier.

Brother MFC-L8970CDW: Setup and operation

The setup procedure is simplified by the expansive 7-inch touchscreen display. The GUI is logical, if a little long-winded, so you probably won’t need the printed quick start guide, which fits on a single sheet of paper. With the four toner cartridges already installed, you simply need to remove the transport packaging, load some paper and follow the on-screen prompts until you’re ready to print.

The large display is intended to reduce congestion at the machine because you can see the printer’s status and menu at a glance. Brother’s free companion app called Mobile Connect makes it just as convenient to print and scan from your smartphone. Other factors that increase this printer’s ease-of-use are the not one, but two available USB Host ports for walk-up printing from a USB device.

And the choice of paper inputs between the multi-purpose and main trays allows you to load different various stock, so there’s no need to reload when switching from plain to headed paper for example. In short, I found this a very easy printer to set up and operate.

Brother MFC-L8970CDW: Performance

The Brother MFC-L8970CDW printed promptly and without any jams or misprints throughout the tests and yielding consistently crisp and colourful documents. It can pump out professional-looking pages of black and white text in duplex mode with characters that are always clearly legible right down to the smallest point sizes. You’ll need a magnifying glass to fully appreciate the neat delineation.

And it can turn out color documents that are just as crisp at the same rate. Brother’s toner looks slightly less vivid than that of the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw for example, but it’s also more natural, which makes the overall effect closer to the original source document.

This strong color balance works well when printing photos too. The test photos I printed on laser photo paper look sharp and colourful enough, although, as with most lasers, you can still see the dots that make up the 600dpi image.

Scanning and copying is a strong point for this multifunction device, thanks to its single-pass duplex scanner and fast scan speed. You can load 80 double-sided sheets into the ADF and have them duplicated in minutes and the duplicates are often hard to tell apart from the originals.

Brother MFC-L8970CDW: Consumables

Brother is generous with the toner in the bundled setup cartridges. The MFC-L8970CDW ships with enough to print 5,500 black, or 4,500 color pages, while the otherwise identical MFC-L8930CDW ships with enough for 3,000 black and 1,800 color pages.

Ultra high yield cartridges are also available that will give you up to 10,000 black and color pages and these expensive but economical carts bring the cost per page down to a highly competitive level.

Brother MFC-L8970CDW: Maintenance

With more user-serviceable parts readily available for this model, than for the previous one and most rivals, it should have a longer lifespan. And if you purchase the MFC-L8970CDW through Brother’s MPS (managed print service), your machine will be serviced for you as well as being topped up with discounted toner.

Brother MFC-L8970CDW: Final verdict

The Brother MFC-L8970CDW proved a pleasure to print with and performed very well in all of my tests.

It’s a pretty high-spec multifunction device with all of the features I would want to see in a premium office printer aimed at a large or growing business. With such speedy duplex printing and duplex scanning, a huge touchscreen and scope to expand the already generous paper and toner capacity, this hardworking machine could serve a busy workgroup very well.

I found it easy to set up and operate and I appreciated the seven-inch touchscreen and prompt first time out speeds. The print quality proved crisp and consistent with both monochrome and color documents, while my test photographs looked surprisingly realistic for a laser printer.

Brother’s reasonably priced cartridges don’t contain the brightest toner around, and I’ve made slightly sharper prints with the Xerox C325, but overall, this well-equipped and future-proofed all-rounder will be hard to beat.

For more top-performing models, I've tested out the best home printers and the best laser printers.

EcoFlow Stream Ultra X: 30-second review

The EcoFlow Stream Ultra X sits at the premium end of a rapidly growing product category. It is sold as a balcony power plant storage system. That means it combines a large lithium iron phosphate battery with a built-in hybrid inverter, four solar MPPT inputs, and a standard wall plug connection. You attach solar panels to it, plug it into a socket, and let it get to work – or that’s the theory.

It charges from the sun or from cheap grid power during the day, then it powers your home at night. Simple. What makes the Ultra X stand out from the crowd is its capacity. At 3.84 kWh, it doubles the storage of EcoFlow’s own Stream Ultra. That is a meaningful difference. A typical fridge uses about 1-2 kWh per day. An Ultra X, fully charged, can cover that and much more besides.

The system delivers up to 2,300W of continuous on-grid AC power with two AC outlets that handle simultaneous loads, and 800W back into the property's mains system. Solar input tops out at 2,000W across four MPPT trackers, each rated at 500W.

This technology first became popular with apartment dwellers and renters across Europe who want to cut their electricity bills without undertaking any structural work. But it can be a simple first step for any homeowner or small business that wants to use variable-rate electricity or get into solar without committing to a full rooftop system.

The Ultra X scales too. Connect multiple units and additional Stream batteries to reach up to 23 kWh of total storage. That is no longer a starter system, as it exceeds the total power consumption of a typical UK home.

The EcoFlow app ties it all together. It uses AI to track pricing, weather forecasts, and usage patterns, adjusting charge and discharge behaviour accordingly. For anyone who wants energy independence without the complexity, the Stream Ultra X makes a very strong case.

Due to the way this technology works, it's superior to even the best portable power stations we've tested, although I wouldn't want to try to take this device camping.

EcoFlow Stream Ultra X: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? £1,499/€1,499
• When is it out? Available now across most of Europe
• Where can you get it? EcoFlow official website and selected European retailers

The current asking price for the Ultra X is £1,499 in the UK direct from EcoFlow. In Europe, it's priced at €1,427 on EcoFlow's site, although EcoFlow regularly has discount deals, so it might be possible to get it a little cheaper.

It's not currently available in the US, as far as I can see, with the closest alternative being the EcoFlow Stream Ultra (not the X variant), for $1279 at the time of review. It's essentially the same type of system, with a lower capacity than the Stream Ultra X.

That price makes it the most expensive option in the Stream series, and for those wanting a lower up-front cost, the Ultra model, with half the battery capacity, but the same microinverter technology, can be got for £999.

The best-known competitor to EcoFlow in the balcony solar space is Anker with its Solix Solarbank 2 E1600 Pro, which sells for only €799 in Europe. However, that’s only for a 1600 Wh battery, though it does have 4 MPPT solar inputs and the same 10-year warranty as the Ultra X. This system can be expanded to 9.6 kWh by adding up to six modules that stack vertically.

On paper, the Ultra X and the Stream series in general might seem on the pricey side, especially when compared to some of the deals available on portable power stations.

However, this equipment isn’t comparable to power stations, since it's meant to feed power directly into the property's electrical system, rather than directly power an appliance. Therefore, it has a significant number of safety protections that power stations lack.

Based on its build quality, attention to detail, and the sophistication of its software, the EcoFlow Ultra X is undoubtedly worth the asking price.

• Value: 4 / 5

EcoFlow Stream Ultra X: Specs

EcoFlow Stream Ultra X: Design

• Built for indoors and outdoors
• Battery and microinverter in one
• Application controlled

A short disclaimer before we go any further: I’m not an electrician, and therefore any information I provide about plugging things in should be considered as being my understanding, and not an irrefutable fact.

The EcoFlow Stream Ultra X is part of what is being termed ‘plug-in solar’, meaning you can install it without an electrician's intervention. Can you do that, and what are the implications? I’ll talk about that later on when I cover the user experience, but for now, what did EcoFlow build?

The Stream Ultra X is an IP65 weatherproof design made for genuine outdoor use. Clean, minimalist white enclosure designed to blend into residential settings. Wall-mount bracket included for balcony installation. And it’s impressively compact, given the 3.84 kWh capacity it contains.

While this is not a product designed for a garage or a utility room, it can be put in these if the heat it generates isn’t an issue and you’re not creating a potential fire hazard.

The unit measures 420 x 294 x 460mm, and weighs 38.8 kg. The previous Stream Ultra at 1.92 kWh was a much lighter 23.1 kg. The Ultra X, at double the capacity, is almost twice the weight.

Installation requires at least two people and some forward planning about how to get a 39 kg box onto a balcony or, in my case, close to my consumer unit in my garage. EcoFlow ships a dedicated bracket for wall mounting, but I think this is more about theft prevention than additional stability.

The IP65 rating is not a token gesture. It means genuine dust-tight protection and resistance to water jets from any direction. The Stream Ultra X should be able to sit outside through a European winter without complaint. The integrated battery heater ensures performance at temperatures down to -20 degrees Celsius. That matters in northern European markets where the appeal of balcony solar is perhaps greatest.

In terms of the layout, there is a clean user-facing side with an on/off button and an LED strip that shows the charge level and whether the battery is charging. On the other side is a huge heatsink, dual AC outputs (UK 3-pin in mine) and four MPPT inputs for solar panels. Each of these is rated for 500W 15-60V DC, enabling up to 2000W of solar energy to be injected into the battery.

Along with the AC outputs that can deliver 2300W, an additional cable is provided for charging the battery from the grid or for sending up to 800W to the property's mains system.

In Germany, this cable comes terminated with a plug designed to go into a EU power socket directly, whereas in the UK, the wires end with three ferruled wires.

The connector for the power interface has a corresponding connection for chaining to another Stream battery. At this time, EcoFlow makes the Stream Ultra X, Stream Ultra, Stream Pro and Stream Max.

Here’s the breakdown of what each offers.

The two AC outlets sit on the unit’s face. They are clearly labelled and sensibly positioned. The PV input ports are grouped together. Cable management is tidy out of the box. EcoFlow has done well here. The only minor gripe is that 38.8 kg makes periodic repositioning or maintenance awkward. A wheeled trolley would be a great addition to this equipment if EcoFlow added one.

In conclusion, this is mostly a scaled-up version of the Stream Ultra with twice the battery capacity, but exactly the same solar inputs and 2000W input cap. Based on the price of this unit compared with a Stream Ultra and a Stream AC Pro combined, there are some cost savings in using the Stream Ultra X to achieve the same capacity.

Other than the two buttons, one to power and the other to activate the AC ports, all control of the unit is via a terrific phone application. This tool allows you to monitor every aspect of the battery, decide when it discharges and recharges, and it can handle multiple pieces of equipment as a single system.

• Design: 4 / 5

EcoFlow Stream Ultra X: Features

• Ten-year warranty
• Extensible
• Up to 23 kWh

The hardware inside the Stream Ultra X is where EcoFlow has made its boldest statements. Start with the battery itself. The 3.84 kWh lithium iron phosphate cell is rated for 6,000 charge cycles to 70% capacity and backed by a ten-year warranty. LFP chemistry is the right choice here. It is thermally stable, long-lived, and less prone to degradation than the lithium cobalt oxide chemistry found in cheaper alternatives.

For a product that will live outside on a balcony, potentially, for the best part of a decade, that matters enormously. The four MPPT trackers are a standout feature. Each handles up to 500W of solar input at between 15 and 60 volts DC, for a total of 2000W.

With these independent trackers, you can connect panels facing different directions, at different angles, or partially shaded, and each string is optimised independently. A single tracker managing four panels would drag performance down to the weakest link. Four separate trackers do not. EcoFlow says the system performs reliably even in low solar irradiation conditions, and the multi-MPPT architecture is a large part of why.

The integrated hybrid inverter handles both on-grid and off-grid modes. On-grid, it delivers up to 2,300W of continuous AC output across two standard sockets. Off-grid capacity is more modest, but the unit keeps essential loads running during outages. The AC charging input allows up to 1,200W from the grid, meaning you can top up the battery overnight on cheap tariff rates and discharge it during expensive peak periods.

That is where the AI Time-of-Use feature earns its keep. EcoFlow’s Home Energy Management System integrates with third-party smart energy monitors, including Shelly and Tibber. The app connects to local electricity price data and weather forecasts, running over 100 million data operations per hour according to EcoFlow, to deliver forecasts with up to 94% accuracy over a three-day horizon.

The system automatically adjusts when to charge, when to discharge, and when to feed solar power into the home. In practice, this means the Ultra X is not just a passive battery. It is an active participant in your household energy economy. Some of the more advanced AI features require a premium app subscription, which is a minor but worth noting caveat.

Connectivity runs over 2.4GHz Wi-Fi. The app is polished and informative, giving real-time visibility of generation, consumption, and savings. Matter and Shelly compatibility means the Ultra X fits into a broader smart home setup without friction.

The expandability story is also compelling. A single Ultra X delivers 3.84 kWh. Connect up to five more Stream series units to reach 23 kWh. That is a home energy solution, not a starter product. The Stream series uses a parallel cable connection and automatically shares intelligence across units. The system distributes energy between units in a smart, usage-based way rather than draining one unit at a time. This architecture reduces the impact of charging and discharging, so that even after ten years of use, these modules should still retain a good proportion of their original capacity.

• Features: 4.5 / 5

EcoFlow Stream Ultra X: User Experience

• Simple in theory
• Get an electrician
• Genuine cost savings
• Add Solar later

According to EcoFlow - and I’m not qualified to disagree with them - in the UK, local regulations require the EcoFlow STREAM DIY Cable to be wired into the distribution board, which must be done by a certified installer or electrician.

The snag here that I ran into is that electricians typically won’t attach this to any ancient distribution board. It requires a modern design that can accommodate the dual-direction RCD and provide the per-circuit RCD protection currently mandated in the UK.

That elevates what would be a relatively inexpensive exercise into one, for me, which cost almost as much as the Stream Ultra X, as I had my entire consumer unit replaced.

However, this was probably long overdue, and it's critical if I ever expand the system further or want to use separate microinverters.

Does it work if you simply find a good-quality UK plug, attach it to the provided cable, and plug it into your ring main? Yes, it does, but electricians wouldn’t recommend it, and therefore, I won’t suggest you do that either.

Ideally, it should be connected on a fused spur from the consumer unit with a bi-directional RCD, I believe.

Another dimension to these requirements, and it has to do with exporting power back to the grid. When the Ultra X is injecting power into the wiring of the house, it's trying to balance what the battery discharges and the power drawn from the grid. If it adds too much power that will end up going out to the grid, and you are effectively powering your neighbours' homes for free.

It’s worth noting that if you have an MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme)- rated electrician come and sign off on your installation, you can get a certificate that allows you to sell power back to your supplier at a pre-agreed price.

This could be a good option if you have enough solar panels to generate the 2000W of power that the Ultra Stream X can ingest, the battery is full, and you only need 400W to run the house. But you can go further, charge the battery up when electricity is cheap and then dump it to the grid when it's expensive to make money and offset costs.

To make this model work more effectively, you need a special RCD that EcoFlow sells that can accurately monitor the flow of power in and out of the house, and I had one of those installed, adding another £99 to my costs. The step I’ve not yet taken is to add solar panels, but that’s my next phase.

When I first got this unit, I’d made various assumptions about how it might work based on also owning an EcoFlow Delta 2 power station. The Ultra X isn’t like a Delta series unit at all, in one critical way.

With the Delta 2, you plug that into a wall socket, and anything you wish to power into one of its power inlets. If the power coming from the mains is interrupted because you switch the wall socket off, or use a smart socket, then the Delta 2 will immediately take over, much like a UPS, and power the device until it's exhausted, at which time the device it's plugged into will be turned off. This is pretty much the same in the majority of power station products, though some won’t automatically trigger battery power with a UPS mode.

The Ultra X is totally different in that it can do the direct-powering trick like the Delta, but it can also power things via its connection to the electrical system. That means when the battery power is all used up, it can sit and wait until the optimal time to recharge. With the Delta 2, once the power connection is restored, it will immediately start charging, and there are limited things you can do to stop it while still having power flow through to connected devices.

Being able to insert power into the system, then step aside and let the mains do the work, is the most useful aspect of this design, as it lets you fully control when you recharge and discharge.

The flip side of this coin is that, should the mains power be cut, the Ultra X won’t just take over and power the house. In fact, if it detects a mains failure, it will immediately stop delivering power to that connection as a safety precaution. This is called anti-islanding.

If the battery still outputs power during a power cut, then that might leak out onto the grid, making things dangerous for those working to restore the service, and it would also mean that if I pulled the plug out of the wall that connects it to the house, those pins would be live.

On this product, the anti-islanding technology is sophisticated, and can sense within a very small amount of time if the mains has been disrupted, and then cut output.

You can still run things on the AC outputs, but those appliances must be physically connected to the Ultra X. Some expensive home battery systems can power the whole house in an emergency, but with only 800W of mains output, this isn’t one of them.

Where EcoFlow excels is with their software, which ties all the products you have into a unified logic that allows you to control what’s happening at any point. And you can build your own automations that can recharge and discharge, and interface with smart devices, like plugs.

A power management strategy

How you would configure the EcoFlow Stream Ultra X would be colored by your particular use model, and the level of efficiency you want. Overnight charging is straightforward but less efficient, and AI control is the most efficient, with manual adjustments being somewhere in the middle.

In my instance, I’m an Octopus Energy customer, and I use their Octopus Agile tariff that breaks down the day into 30-minute slices with a different cost depending on the demand at that time of day. On a typical day, there is a slight bump in prices around breakfast, followed by a cheaper period until 4 pm, when it becomes expensive until 7 pm, when it starts to get cheaper again.

Therefore, I have the battery recharge between 12 am and 4 pm, and discharge from 4 pm until it's exhausted. Each day, I can see the cost profile for the next day, published at 4 pm each day, and act accordingly.

But if you pay EcoFlow £3.40 a month, the company will entirely automate the charge low and discharge high system using AI, so you never need to think about it.

Alternatively, many providers run an Economy 7 tariff where you are given five hours every night to recharge at 7p a kWh. And, using that time window, you can build a simple automation to recharge then and discharge after 4 pm. When you consider that at peak times, power might be from 35p to over 50p a kWh, considerable savings can be made.

According to people who have tested these things, the loss of power recharging and discharging is about 10% in each trip, so if you buy power at 10p, it costs 12p to use it.

By adding solar to this mix, you can recharge for free and then use that power when the sun has gone down, if it's sufficiently sunny.

Having used this for a number of months, I’m seeing real benefits in my power consumption costs, and it's something that all homes and businesses should seriously consider.

The first question any business owner is likely to ask is if these tariffs are available for businesses, and often they are. I could be mistaken, but I think all UK power companies offer an equivalent to the old Economy 7 tariff, where you are allocated a block of time at low cost per kWh (like 7p) in the night, allowing that power to be delivered back to the property when the price is much higher.

The EcoFlow app enables you to define when the battery recharges and discharges, and how much wattage, up to the 800W limit, it can push back into the system.

As an Ocopus Agile customer, the prices in each 30-minute block do alter each day, both in price and in terms of when the cheapest point of the day is. If you want a fire-and-forget solution I could switch to a cheap nighttime recharge, or EcoFlow has an AI service that will look at the prices for the coming day and decide when it the best times to recharge and discharge. They charge an additional £3.90 a month for that service, and you don’t get any free time with the hardware. Intelligent Mode, as its called, promises to create the most cost effective power schedule based on solar, load, electricity rate and system status.

I’ve not yet signed up for this, but if it could save me more than another £3.90 a month, it might well be worth it.

Solar economics

But, if you always intend to have plenty of capacity to begin with, then it might be worth looking at the EcoFlow Ocean product line, or other modular home battery installations from the outset.

Solar harvest depends on panel setup and local conditions, but the four MPPT design gives the Ultra X a genuine edge over single-MPPT competitors. Where a cheaper system with one tracker might lose 15 to 20 per cent of potential harvest due to panel mismatch or partial shade, the Ultra X keeps each string performing at its individual peak. The 2,000W total solar input ceiling is generous. On a sunny day with an appropriate panel setup, you can expect to fill the 3.84 kWh battery from empty in roughly two hours.

The AI Time-of-Use system works elegantly since EcoFlow integrates with Tibber and other dynamic tariff providers. The system reads electricity prices, reads weather data, and makes genuinely intelligent decisions about when to top up from the grid and when to discharge into the home. EcoFlow’s own modelling suggests that a six-unit Ultra X setup with ten 500W solar panels could generate over 5,300 kWh annually in a central European location. For a single unit paired with two to four typical balcony panels, expect something closer to 800 to 1,500 kWh per year, depending on location and orientation.

That is sufficient to meaningfully offset a household electricity bill. At European rates of around £0.35 per kWh, a single Ultra X setup could save between £350 and £550 annually. With the units costing roughly £1500 without solar panels, payback sits in the three to four-year range. That is competitive, though the Anker Solix Solarbank 2 E1600 Pro and Jackery Explorer alternatives come in cheaper and are worth comparing if budget is the primary driver. The Ultra X commands a premium for its capacity, four-MPPT design, and the quality of its AI integration. For most buyers, that premium is justified.

While not the cheapest option, EcoFlow will sell you two 450W panels for £399, and four 250W panels for £699. Therefore, with the Stream Ultra X, it is possible to have 3.84 kWh, a 900W solar input, which on a sunny day could recharge that battery for less than £2000.

If you use one of the lower-end options, like the Stream Ultra, Stream Pro, or Stream Max, the outlay could be much lower if you accept a smaller initial battery capacity.

There is nothing stopping you from buying more batteries and connecting them, though some of the range, like the Stream Max, aren’t empowered to chain to other Streams.

What’s nice is that you can add just a battery or a battery and more MPT ports for extra solar, and expand the system however you want.

• User Experience: 4 / 5

EcoFlow Stream Ultra X: Final verdict

To understand the Stream Ultra X, you need to understand the movement it belongs to. Balcony solar is no longer a niche hobbyist pursuit. It is a genuine mass-market revolution reshaping how ordinary people across Europe think about electricity.

Germany led the way. By mid-2025, over one million balcony solar systems had been registered with the German Federal Network Agency. Industry insiders believe the true installed number is two to three times higher, since many units go unregistered. In the first half of 2025 alone, more than 220,000 new systems were added. The Germans have a word for them: Balkonkraftwerke. Balcony power plants.

In the UK, the phrase plug-in solar has been coined, though to my mind this entirely misses the point of these systems. You don’t need solar panels to make this work for you, and therefore, it could be used by those renting a flat or home to reduce energy costs once the device is plugged in. And, should you move to a new location, the battery can come with you. It is the first rung on a ladder that could take you to solar, but it doesn’t need panels to be useful.

The balcony solar market is projected to grow from $500 million in 2025 to $1.8 billion by 2033, at a 15% annual growth rate. EcoFlow recognised this trajectory early. The Stream series is its answer to the question of what a premium, storage-forward balcony solar product looks like. The Ultra X, with its 3.84 kWh capacity, four-MPPT design, and AI energy management, is the most complete answer yet.

However, £1,499 is a serious investment. Some AI features need a subscription. And in the UK, there is some confusion about the plug-and-play nature of this technology based on the standards. Despite those caveats, this is the product to beat in its category, and if you wish to reduce your energy costs now, this is a highly flexible approach that doesn’t require solar panels to impact your electricity bills.

In many reviews I write for Tech Radar, the products are provided by the makers for the purpose of coverage, but in the case of EcoFlow Stream Ultra X, it's something I bought and paid for. And watching it hack chunks out of my electricity bill within weeks of arrival makes me think this purchase might not have been the worst plan I've ever had.

My advice, for what it's worth, is that anything involving electricity in the home still requires an electrician's input before you start plugging in equipment like this. But if you have a modern consumer unit, getting the battery wired correctly should be straightforward.

If you don’t have the additional expense of a new consumer unit, a piece of kit like the EcoFlow Stream Ultra X could easily pay for itself in under three years, and that’s without attaching a single solar panel to it. And that’s based on today's energy prices, which are unlikely to go down in the foreseeable future.

EcoFlow Stream Ultra X: Report card

Should I buy a EcoFlow Stream Ultra X?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

I don't know about you, but any time I spend on LinkedIn, I am then immediately drowned by AI talk by those who are replacing entire companies with AI and how quickly people can build AI. All of that building requires a device that has insane power, or, to quote Aladdin, "ultimate cosmic power." That is what it seems like we are reaching for these days with the amount of computing power we are demanding from our devices.

Depending on what you are doing, having a dedicated LLM device could be the thing that makes or breaks your profit margins or also helps you actually get work done without burning through all of your tokens in one week. The Lenovo ThinkStation PGX is designed to run an LLM locally on a machine so that you can test anything that you need to test in an AI workspace without having to run it through the cloud. This will allow for things like script testing, feature testing, model testing, etc.

Further, this is also the kind of machine that you could use as an always-on device that would be fantastic for OpenClaw or Claudbot. As I mentioned briefly above, many people rely on the Mac mini for this.

However, if you're already in the professional work space or if you prefer Windows or if you trust Lenovo already, or alternatively maybe you don't need a full desktop as well, this is a phenomenal option for those workloads, and it likely destined for inclusion in our best mini PC guide for those that need a dedicated compact AI-ready workstation.

Lenovo ThinkStation PGX: Price and availability

The ThinkStation PGX is available across Lenovo's regional websites, including in the US where prices start at $5,079 and in the UK, priced from £5,200.

The base model comes with 1 TB storage. However, if you want to upgrade to other storage components or buy through other retailers, the price may vary. My quick research has shown that the price of this unit can easily vary between $4,800 and $5,400 depending on your configuration.

Lenovo ThinkStation PGX: Unboxing and First Impressions

The PGX makes a strong case for those who want an mini AI Workstation. There are so many people in that realm of work these days that having dedicated devices that specialize in extracting every ounce of power from components to support power-hungry software is a good thing. However, it’s not for everyone. While there is a basic desktop, it feels more like a NAS rendering than that of a true computer.

The ThinkStation PGX appears to be similar in size to a standard mini PC; for continued comparison and reference, it’s about the size of a Mac mini. All the ports are on the back; since this isn’t meant to be a desktop replacement in any way, there is no need for any ports for the user to interact with after setup.

If you are the type of person who has to ensure the reliability and dependability of AI-powered machines, such as ensuring drivers are up to date, then having a dedicated machine may be just what you need to stay sane.

Lenovo ThinkStation PGX: Design & Build Quality

The Lenovo ThinkStation PGX is fairly compact, and it’s short enough to fit under desk shelves if you want it to stay on your desk, or tuck it away in a media closet or office space. Good flexibility here for that.

No matter where you choose to put it, the result is pretty much the same. It’s not meant to be looked at, bothered with, flash with colors and lights, nor really even be bothered with once it is set up.

Design-wise, as I say, this feels minimalist and styled to look sleek and professional wherever it is used. There are no forward-facing ports, but that is of course due to the intended use case. On the back there are USB-C ports, no USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a network port, and then two expansion ports that will allow for two of these units to link together to distribute the workload you’ve created across multiple PGX’s.

Beyond the ability to link multiple together, the expandability and customization kind of stops there, so if you are the type of person who is currently using a custom tower setup for their LLMs, then this is going to feel a bit too controlled. If you are okay with the change-up from the Wild West of computer parts to something that is a bit more controlled, you will swap customization for reliability.

Lenovo ThinkStation PGX: In use

The Lenovo ThinkStation PGX is best when used as a dedicated device for running tasks against your local LLM. The 128GB memory and the Grace Blackwell GB10 help make even complex scenarios feel snappy, much more than most people’s laptops can; that’s for sure. For those in this space, the struggle of maxing out your available GPU is a known constraint. But now with your own personal device, you won’t have to wait on anyone else or book time, or anything else of the sort.

In my experience with AI tooling, speed is a major factor. Trying to ship features with AI usually comes with the expectation of speed. Now, with your own tooling and hardware, you can get prototypes, demos, and research done without waiting.

Off the top of my head, the tools that would benefit from this the most would be things such as: running local inference on larger models, prototyping across several different models, perhaps different versions of an app, a tool, or a workflow, even other ways of teaching or tooling that require quick turnaround time to try things out and you don't want to waste time or credits.

One thing worth noting is that while this does have a ton of operational memory, storing this kind of information to run these large models will take up a lot of space. If you need more than the allotted storage, or if you don't want to pay for internal storage, you can add external storage options to host the datasets you will be using for this.

In short, utilizing something like this as a service-kind-of-model, where you tunnel in and do what you need to do and keep your day-to-day machine light, means that you could run around with a more lightweight laptop or a more practical day-to-day laptop and then utilize this machine when you need it instead of carrying this beefy machine all day long every day. That may not be the best for everything else that you do in your day-to-day work.

Lenovo ThinkStation PGX: Final verdict

The Lenovo ThinkStation PGX is an incredibly powerful machine; however, it is probably not the machine for you unless you are in a very niche workspace. For those that this applies to, this is a fantastic tool to add to your arsenal, with more specialized capabilities and easier setup than a Mac mini. It is also more limiting than a Mac mini in some other ways.

You shouldn't buy this if you want a small desktop that can do some powerful things. If you do need a machine dedicated to running LLMs or open claw, then absolutely you should consider the Lenovo ThinkStation PGX, because in that world, this thing is a king.

For more pro-grade desktops and workstations, we've tested the best business computers.

I've always had a soft spot for the office furniture put out by Ergonofis - the company seems to blend clean, modern styles with good functionality. So, my hopes were high for the Equation.

This is a well-designed and practical office chair, suitable for both office and home office settings. And I really like just how simple this was to put together.

After 170 days testing, I found it a comfortable sit. However, the unique weight activation prevents it from charting in our best office chair guide - I got used to it, but I understand many won't like it.

Having said that, there's no denying this is one of the more attractive offerings in the chair arena, reminding me of a more office-ready version of the Branch Verve.

Ergonofis Equation: Price and availability

The Equation by Ergonofis is priced at $995 direct from the Ergonofis website.

Now, as I say, I've had this chair in my fleet of seats for almost six months. During that time, I have seen this chair sell out more often than not.

And that's true now. At the time of review, it's completely sold out. However, there is a “notify me when available” banner on the website.

To my mind, that this office chair keeps selling out tells you a lot about the quality here.

Ergonofis Equation: Unboxing and First Impressions

I assemble a lot of chairs, so when I get one like this that is super simple assembly, I am very thankful. It took a total of four screws and only about 3 steps.

I found the base with casters already installed, which was super nice; then I added the piston, the base, screwed on the back, and called it a day. Again, that kind of assembly is wild and so appreciated.

The materials themselves feel minimal, yet not cheap. They feel quality, not luxury, and all around, something that, at the end of the day, I actually appreciate.

Ergonofis Equation: Design & Build Quality

I care a lot about how chairs look. I see enough to have strong opinions. This chair looks very sharp. The two-tone look, the light marble colorways, and even the unique seat material all make up a very elegant-looking chair. Something that would work perfectly with a light desk and a walnut desktop.

It’s that kind of vibe: clean, minimalist, simple, yet elegant. The seat itself feels like a soft woven textile, not a mesh seat that feels like it’s trapped everything from the last 12 years inside. But rather it feels comfortable and cool while still breathable.

The armrests are pretty mobile and connect to the back lower lumbar of the chair. Originally, I was concerned that this would make them weaker or squeakier than if they were connected by the chair's thighs. But, in all of my testing over the last several months, my team and I have yet to experience any issues, even pushing down on the armrests to stand up.

I did have concerns about something like dark denim transferring color onto this chair, but thankfully I have yet to experience this, and that concern continues to fade with every passing day.

Ergonofis Equation: In use

My team and I have used this chair for up to eight hours on end, and it has stayed comfortable the entire time. Altogether, we agree that we love the material on the seat; it's something we have never seen on other chairs.

We also love how adjustable the armrests are, so we can adjust them for whatever task we are doing. If we're sitting at a desk, it adjusts. If we are sitting in a circle during a meeting, it adjusts. If we want to adjust our desk to be a little higher for a different kind of work, like focused writing or drawing, we can do that. If we want to lower it down, we can do that. These armrests adjust with everything.

Furthermore, we can adjust the backrests to do the same. If we want the option to lean back a little more, we can, or sit up; we can do that and provide good comfort and stability for all-day work.

Ergonofis Equation: Final verdict

Whether this is the right office chair for you will depending on several factors. For anyone who likes the breathability of a pure mesh seat, this won't be ideal. Nor will it sit right with those who prefer models with a leg rest or more adjustable knobs for fine-tuning. And if you need to push up off the armrests to help yourself in and out of the chair every single day, I would consider something else.

But if you're the kind of person who likes this sheer white design, or the clean, modern stylings, it's an absolute no-brainer. For me, the Equation is the chair to choose when you want office furniture that's not afraid to stand out from the crowd a little more.

For more office furniture, we've tested the best standing desks.

In a time when there are 18,000 different standing desk companies, and I'm getting a different standing desk sent to me every single week, it's good to see that there are still some that stick to the basics and don't upcharge for a brand name. Yes, I do think that in a capitalist economy we need some tried-and-true brand names, but it's good to still see some that are trying to create cheaper alternatives of quality gear without trying to rip people off.

Simple seems to be trying to do exactly that. While it may not be the best standing desk I've tested in absolute terms, there's a lot here I like. Considering the mid-range price (it costs $849), it feels like a high-quality product at a much cheaper price compared to some big-name brands out there.

Granted, yes, there are not as many features as some of the others, and there are reasons those other companies charge more. But Simple is the brand I would grab if I am looking for a more inexpensive option.

Simple Height Adjustable Desk: Price and availability

The Simple Height Adjustable Desk is available for $849 direct from Simple's official website here. It comes in a range of styles, including the walnut and charcoal colorway I have for this review.

Shipping, according to Simple, will take around 5 business days or less, but mine arrived in about 2 days. They also offer 30-day returns and a 5-year warranty.

The benefit of buying a quality desk in this price range is that you have more of your budget to spend on other things. You can grab a nice chair or accessories, perhaps some higher-end upgrades for a new laptop, etc. Regardless of your reasoning, I lean more towards the buy-once-cry-once model.

Simple Height Adjustable Desk: Unboxing and First Impressions

Right off the bat, I was genuinely surprised by this desk. I've tested far more than my fair share of desks. I feel like I'm building a new one every single week from different brands, and I honestly had to check back a couple times to see what brand this one was because it felt like one of the higher-quality desks as I was building it. It had some of the same materials and almost felt like it used some of the same suppliers for some of its components.

The build process was sturdy and rugged, and though this is a relatively budget-friendly desk in this world and comes from a brand that even calls itself Simple, this is still a quality desk with quality materials. I can honestly say I was very impressed with the feel of this desk.

Beyond its looks, this desk also functions very well, just as some higher-end desks do. The steel legs are rigid, provide a smooth lifting experience, and still look sharp.

Additionally, something I have begun to pay much more attention to with these desks I'm testing is how simple the assembly process is. Unlike some desks that take forever to build, this one took only minutes and feels as rock-solid as any that take longer.

Simple Height Adjustable Desk: In use

Day-to-day, this desk operates wonderfully. I've put this desk through tests for around 180 days now, extending my normal review period a bit longer to see if the desk’s quality continues to hold up. After this amount of time, I can say that there have been zero issues with the desk. So far, it has held its own quite nicely.

It has kept its shape and gone up and down smoothly every single time. There are no excessive marks, damage, or wear and tear on the desk. I still enjoy using it in my fleet of desks every single day. My team and I have this in one of our accessory setups, and it has performed flawlessly in that role, even as we have built it out with some gear over time. I've shifted back to Simple. It looks great in both scenarios.

One thing that I've grown to love in some desk companies is accessories such as built-in or mounted power on the desk frame, so you don't have to drill into the desk's wood. I wish that Simple had something like that, but then again, beggars can't be choosers at a price like this. You could just as easily grab your own power strip and mount it wherever you want.

Simple Height Adjustable Desk: Final verdict

Unless you two have an affinity or love for bougie standing desks, most people who need or want a standing desk don't actually need the best of the best. They want a desk that works. They want a desk that will do the basic up-and-down. That's really all they care about.

That's you. You should strongly consider the Simple brand of standing desks, specifically this one. It does it all: up and down. It's stable, it's reliable, and it looks great. No matter how built out you have it, it's made from quality materials at a fraction of the price of the big guys.

At the end of the day, all you really care about is having a desk that works too. You can get your work done, your gaming done, your reading done, or whatever else you choose to do at your desk.

For more office furniture, we've tested the best office chairs.

Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro: Two-minute review

Anker's Soundcore sub-brand may not have a reputation for releasing the best earbuds that everyone raves about, but they tend to be solid pieces of kit. We gave the Soundcore Liberty 5 (yes, take care, because that's not these — and there's also a Pro Max to swerve in favor of these) a 3.5-star score, and that tends to be par for the course. Until now, that is.

With the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro, there's been a change: it really feels like the brand is coming into its own, and it knows what buyers really want.

These are incredibly feature-stuffed headphones, with an app that'll boggle your mind given how many tools it offers. And they're all useful too: the ANC is very good, the listening test is handy and the array of array of little extras is impressive.

Particularly special is the quiet calling feature, so people you're speaking to on the phone can't hear what's going on around you. I hear many brands boast about their buds’ quiet call quality, with algorithms and microphones designed to wipe background sound from your voice in calls. Most of the time it’s bluff and bluster, but the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro are the real deal.

I know this because, part-way through the review process, my mother called me while I was in a busy coffee shop. I apologized for the pop music being blasted over the speakers – I could barely hear myself think for Outkast’s Hey Ya! – and she asked me what music I was talking about. She’d have had no idea I was in a noisy space, had it not been for my telling her. If two thumbs up from my mom isn’t a glowing endorsement of tech, I don’t know what is.

I'd be remiss not to mention the Soundcore's fit too. The buds are nice and lightweight, with a ridge to help them lock in your ear. I never had any fit problems with them, and they stayed in place during runs and workouts.

What about the sound? The buds offer warm, bass-heavy music that'll please people who like thumping heavy rhythms. The audio quality won't endear the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro to audiophiles (do wireless earbuds at this level ever excite audiophiles?) but nevertheless it isn't at all bad. Sound quality may not be the highlight of these buds, but I still enjoyed listening to them during my testing.

My main gripes with the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro bypass the earpieces and their talents and really only concern the case. It has a small touchscreen strip, but it doesn't do enough to justify its existence (nor is it responsive enough for that). And the case is bigger than it should be as a result; I would've loved to see it lose the strip and shrink a little.

At least it's not the Liberty 5 Pro Max, with a giant case and big touchscreen. I tested that too, and you can read more about it later, but it's decidedly more of a professional-targeted device. Most buyers looking for some great earbuds would do better with these Pro-only earbuds: they're cheaper and you're only missing a few features — ones I think you may not use anyway.

Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro review: Price and release date

• Released on May 21, 2026
• They sell for $169.99 / £149.99 (about AU$300)
• Sitting between Liberty 5, and Liberty 5 Pro Max

The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro were announced alongside a slew of other Anker products at the brand’s annual Anker Day, on May 21, 2026.

You can pick them up for $169.99 / £149.99 (about AU$300), so unlike many of the brand’s other pairs of earbuds, they’ve crept over the line: these aren’t budget buds, rather solidly mid-range ones. For a little context, the non-Pro model launched for $129 / £99 / AU$169, but went on sale a year prior, so have seen some discounts.

They launched alongside the Liberty 5 Pro Max, which sell for a fair bit more: $229.99 / £199.99 (roughly AU$400). We’ll get into these a little later; it’s best to treat them as a ‘Pro’ model to the Liberty 5 Pro (despite that being a little confusing), with a few extra tools for professionals, but no major advantage.

Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro review: Specs

Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro review: Features

• Impressive noise cancellation and clear calling
• Middling battery life, at 6.5 hours
• Absolutely loads of features via app

In the introduction to this review, I already waxed lyrical about the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro's quiet call tools. Suffice to say, it's just as impressive as it was when you read about it a few minutes ago: a real stand-out feature of the buds.

Quiet calls is one of the many benefits brought from the use of Anker’s Thus chip, with the brand’s decision to home-brew its own internals, and thus get to design its software and hardware in tandem, paying dividends.

Another example is noise cancellation, as the Liberty 5 Pro has some of the best I’ve used in a set of earbuds at its price point. It is able to eradicate the low, rumbling background hum of life, and drastically reduce louder sounds too — it even took a big chunk out of my coffee shop’s streaming of Hey Ya!.

In theory, battery life is another department that should benefit from Thus, and Anker puts the listening time per bud, with ANC on, at 6.5 hours. From my own testing, that’s an optimistic figure — my own listening time was a little south of that mark. The same is true with the overall case battery life, which Anker states as 28 hours. Don’t get me wrong: the battery life here is fine, but it’s nothing to write home about either.

If that sounds like a nice little haul of features already, just wait until you download the Soundcore app. If my editor didn’t think this section was too long already, just wait until we list what else you get with the buds.

This has all the basics: the ability to change between noise cancelling modes, customizable touch controls, Dolby Atmos, EQ presets, multi-point connection, fit tests, find-my earbuds, and an eight-band custom equalizer.

But you get a whole lot more: there's a listening test for custom EQ, a load of ambient soundscapes and listening modes, and even a built-in chat-bot called Anka which can give you suggestions for settings to change. There's a lot going on.

If anything, the app's a little confusingly laid out. If you select your earbuds, where most apps would put all the settings, you can only see a few. To find more, you need to press a little Settings cog which is easy to miss. And for many more options, you have to back out all the way to the main menu.

• Features score: 4.5/5

Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro review: Design

• Kidney bean-shaped bud with tip and fin
• Reliable in-ear fit
• Touchscreen-toting case is a little bulky

Anker has opted for a kidney bean-shaped look for the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro earbuds; they bring to mind Samsung’s bean buds, but with a tip that you can use to put them in your ear. You can pick them up in blue, pink, white or black, and the buds and case come in the same hue.

Each earbud weighs 7g, is made of a solid-feeling plastic, and the other design feature of note is a little wing at the top to keep them locked in your ear. To be clear, the fit is much better than those older Samsung buds. That little wing works magically, and I took them to the gym and on countless runs without any inkling of them falling out.

The buds are IP55 protected, which means they’re protected from dust and low-pressure water jets (like rain or sweat) but aren’t suitable for swimming. You get touch controls on each bud, but you need to tap multiple times to achieve anything, and I found them unreliable for multi-tap commands.

Now onto the case; the 0.96-inch display on the front isn’t as much as selling point here as the Pro Max’s larger one is, but it’s not as much of a gimmick as to put off people who aren’t interested.

It sort of makes the case look like a very small '90s alarm clock. You can use its screen to quickly check the charge of the buds and enabled certain features; I found it pretty unresponsive and gave up using it for music control quite quickly, but perhaps a more patient user could persevere. I can see the quick access to EQ presets being pretty handy for certain people.

Due to its touchscreen, the Liberty 5 Pro's case is a little larger than most rivals', even if at 70g it's not unduly heavy. I found it a little on the large side to slip into my pocket; not perfect for people who like a tiny case. The sliding mechanism to reveal the buds felt quick and easy, but I'm curious about how long it'd lasting in the long term. Even over several weeks of using the buds, the sliding plane started to feel a little wobbly.

• Design score: 4/5

Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro review: Sound quality

• Using 45mm drivers
• Music is muffled, and tinny
• EQ doesn't help

Anker has put 9.2mm drivers in the Liberty 5 Pro Max, which I'm inclined to believe are the same pieces of kit that it used in the non-Pro buds. As with those other models, these aren't audiophile earbuds — the sound is way too warm for that — and instead they give the people what they want.

That's to say, they're bass-heavy and energetic buds, focused more on snappy lower frequencies and tender higher ones than an objectively natural, integrated hi-fi sound. Given how commonly this kind of sound profile is used in affordable and mid-range buds, I'm inclined to say it's popular, and Soundcore's done a great job hitting that target.

If you like lower-end clout in your sound, you'll be happy here. Any genre I tried, from rock to pop to dance, fared well. It was even solid for listening to genres that don't revel in excess bass, like classical, acoustic and jazz.

Bass injection is clearly the name of the game here, but for the most part, trebles and mids are just as forceful, offering an enjoyable amount of detail. Shane Smith & the Saints' Coast has a lovely delicate timbre in the acoustic guitar which you often miss, and some lovely harmonies in Last Sunrise In The Wasteland by At The End Of Times, Nothing came to the fore.

I'm not going to claim that these buds are perfect. At lower volumes, the Liberty 5 Pro lose trebles and mids at a disproportionate rate.

But the real 'problem' will likely come from the sound being divisive. The Liberty 5 Pro's bassy sound might not please everyone. It's right on the border of 'too much', sometimes offering a lovely thumping sound, but occasionally stepping over the line.

In songs like Gabriel Kelley's You Kill Me, bass guitar can overstep its role as an accompanying instrument, and step to the fore in a way that throws the song out of whack. At other times, it can just override some of the more sensitive instruments. More so than in most earbuds I test, you're going to have to get familiar with the EQ presets, and use them depending on which genre you prefer to listen to.

If that wasn't a problem for audiophiles, perhaps the relative lack of Bluetooth codec support is. You're getting Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification, but seemingly no bone thrown for LDAC, aptX or anything similar.

• Sound quality: 4/5

Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro review: how about the Pro Max?

• Pro Max cost a little more
• Sound quality and battery life are identical
• Pro Max has larger case, one or two extra tools

Beyond being an absolute mouthful to say (or, in this case, write), the Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max are very similar earbuds to the Pro. So much so, that instead of writing an entire separate review on them, I decided to give them a section of the Pro review. And why not the other way around? That's because the Pros are, in my opinion, the best buds for most people.

The Pro Max earbuds are exactly the same as the Pro's, in terms of design, sound quality, battery life and feature set (mainly). The Max comes in thanks to two additional features: you can use the case to record audio and provide quick transcripts, and for instant voice translation.

They're solid features, all right, but with more limited appeal. I can see them being handy for business users, but not so much for the average buyer.

Your other upgrade here is in the carry case: its display now takes up the entire top of the buds, and it offers loads more features. You can add a custom wallpaper, and use it for various tools, settings and modes, including (but not limited to) the aforementioned extra features.

Again, useful additions, but at the cost of an even larger carry case. It wasn't comfortable to keep in my pocket, that's for sure.

I'm not disputing that the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max are better earbuds. But for most people, I don't think they're enough to justify the extra cost. Only consider these if you'll really use

Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro review: Value

• Too expensive to be consumer cans
• Value for money if you need transmitter

The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro are reasonably priced, but you get what you pay for. There’s nothing wrong with that, but a good discount would tip these into the ‘amazing’ value for money camp.

The noise cancellation, sound quality and feature set are all really good for the price… but there are loads of other rivals at around the same price point that all offer suites that are good for the price. I've tested a few earbuds for even less, that impress me just as much.

At least the Anker Liberty Pro are better value money than the Pro Max. You’re paying more money, and getting a very similar product. For business users maybe, but I can’t see myself recommending them to most people, when the Pro is right there.

• Value: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro?

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro review: Also consider

Want to see what other earbuds your money can get you? Here are some alternatives for roughly the same price.

How I tested the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro

• Tested for three weeks
• Paired with Android phone for variety of tasks
• Also used alongside Pro Max

I used the Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro for three weeks before writing this review. I tested them alongside the Pro Max model.

During the testing process, the earbuds were connected to my Android smartphone. I used them for streaming Spotify Lossless music as well as Tidal and Apple Music, playing various games, streaming videos, conducting voice calls and going on video chats.

That listening went on at home, while at the gym, during runs, and on walks around my neighborhood. For certain areas, like ANC and sound quality, I have reference tests I conduct which lets me compare various earbuds.

I've reviewed earbuds and headphones for TechRadar for many years, including previous Anker products like the Space 2 over-ears earlier this year.

• First reviewed in June 2026

• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos review

At a glance, the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos almost seems too good to be true. It’s a 5.1 channel system with a dedicated sub, rear speakers, and even Dolby Atmos support. And at just £169 (about $230 / AU$320), this system seems like an incredible value-for-money pick. But is it just a high-potential value proposition on paper? Or can it realize that potential in reality?

Well, in a number of ways, I’d argue the Bowfell Halo Atmos punches well above its weight. For instance, the included sub supplies genuinely hard-hitting, impactful bass that can really take movies to the next level.

When watching Top Gun: Maverick, the roar of the jet engine was so much more full-sounding using the Halo Atmos rather than basic TV audio, and it didn’t sound ‘boomy’ or muddy, but instead genuinely clean and sophisticated. I was generally impressed with the might of the Halo Atmos’ subwoofer, especially considering its limited confines — something that helps this model to compete with some of the best cheap soundbars.

So, if you want deeper audio to make ambient movie scores and action sequences feel that bit more involving, then this sub should serve you well.

That’s not to say you’re getting perfect audio from this mini surround system, though. For instance, music playback isn’t amazing. Despite having its own EQ mode, music often sounded a little thin, and lacked the detail I’ve experienced from other cheap soundbars. Having said that, some stereo mixes could sound pretty punchy in the low end, which made some deeper tracks sound solid — just don’t expect an expansive soundstage or impeccable balance across the frequency range.

Perhaps more importantly, the Dolby Atmos effects on this soundbar are pretty underwhelming. A lot of this comes down to the main bar — it has no upfiring drivers, meaning you only get virtualized height elements, and with its narrow form and limited power, you’re hardly getting wonderful width or expansiveness.

Going back to Maverick, a movie with a lot of sudden upward movement, the Halo Atmos struggled to conjure up much of a sense of verticality, even when Tom Cruise flies a jet up and straight over the viewer.

Moving over to The Mask, in the scenes where Jim Carrey’s character spins around the screen in a cartoonish manner, the width and depth of his movement wasn’t exactly tracked with pin-point precision. This is understandable given the Halo Atmos’ physical and technical limitations, but it’s worth noting for those hoping for an immersive Atmos experience.

But that’s not to say this soundbar is poor-sounding. For example, dialogue is pretty clear overall, and will be a step-up over the obscured, unclear tinniness produced by some smaller TVs. When Stanley and Tina had a conversation at the bank in The Mask, I never felt the need to flick subtitles on or crank the volume up — their speech was clear and concise.

In larger, echoey spaces, dialogue can sometimes sound a little artificial, and I found that speech could get a little harsh at high volumes. But overall, voices are fairly well handled on the Bowfell Halo Atmos.

And all in all, you get pretty cinematic sound from this system. The sub offers impressive depth, and the small rear speakers give some multi-dimensionality to action sequences and busier scenes.

At times, it did feel like the cohesion between the main bar and rears could’ve been better, with some high-octane segments sounding a tad disjointed as audio moved from the front to the back — but I was still happy with the surround speakers overall, and you can adjust their volume if needed, depending on how far away they are from you.

Beyond sound, this system is packed with just about all the features you’d want at this price. You can alter channel level, EQ modes, and adjust playback with the included remote, and also cycle through various connectivity modes. There’s the obvious HDMI eARC, but you’re also getting digital optical, 3.5mm, Bluetooth 5.3m, and USB — the latter of which only works if you have a compatible flash drive.

There’s no Wi-Fi streaming, which provides the most seamless and highest-quality way to consume wireless audio, but that’s certainly to be expected from a system under £169 (about $230 / AU$320).

One omission worth flagging is DTS. So, if you’re watching a 4K Blu-ray with only this format, your player or TV will need to do the decoding. Having said that, the Dolby Atmos onboard hardly impressed me, so it’s not as if adding DTS:X spatial sound seems like it would be a game changer.

Before I wrap this up, let’s talk a little about design. It’s really impressive how Majority crammed a competent surround sound system into such a small package, and that small footprint makes it ideal for limited spaces, or small TVs. It feels as if it was made with people who live in small apartments, or want to enhance audio for a spare room TV, say.

However, the build quality of the Bowfell Halo Atmos is not very good. It feels really plasticky, giving it an almost toy-like appearance. Similarly, the remote feels low-quality, and I preferred to use the main TV remote wherever possible. The LED display, though functional, should communicate things more clearly; I’m not sure why Majority decided to call the movie EQ ‘EQ2’ rather than, you know, ’movie’ or something.

At least setup was easy. The rears need to be connected together with a cable, and the master unit is then plugged into the power. Some may not like the amount of cable involved here, but for the price, it’s a solid solution.

You don’t have to plug the rears into the main soundbar or anything too, so technically they’re ‘semi-wireless’. The sub and main bar can go right into the power, and then you can use an HDMI cord to get started right away — there’s no awkward pairing or anything required.

And from there, the soundbar was very easy to use. I did experience an occasional issue where dialogue cut out when watching movies, but this always resolved with a simple restart, and I was unable to confirm if it was the fault of the soundbar, the TV or the cable.

So, here we are at the end of it all. Is the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos worth its asking price? I think it is, all things considered. You get solid surround sound with impressive bass and clear — albeit imperfect — dialogue, a neat lineup of connectivity options, and a simple setup process.

There are some glaring issues — such as the underwhelming Dolby Atmos, limited musicality, and no DTS support — but all in all, you’re getting a mini soundbar system that feels worth the investment, and one that’s almost sure to be an upgrade on basic TV sound.

Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos review: price & release date

• £169 (about $230 / AU$320)
• Released February 2026

The Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos is part of the wider Bowfell range, and released in February 2026. It comes in at £169 (about $230 /AU$320), and is yet to launch in US and Australian markets as of June 2026.

Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos review: specs

Should I buy the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos review: also consider

How I tested the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos

• Tested for a week period
• Connected to an LG B6 TV
• Mainly used HDMI eARC connectivity

I tested the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos within a one week period, and used it while watching movies, streaming video, and listening to music. For the vast majority of my time with the soundbar system, I had it connected to the LG B6 OLED TV via HDMI eARC.

During critical listening sessions, I made sure to use a range of 4K Blu-rays, which I played using the Panasonic DP-UB820. When listening to music, I connected over Bluetooth and steamed tunes via Tidal — ensuring to try out a range of Dolby Atmos and stereo format tracks.

More generally, I’ve spent years testing audio-visual gear here at TechRadar, and have reviewed everything from budget-friendly models like the Hisense HS214 to premium Dolby Atmos systems like the LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro.

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

Dyson Supersonic Travel: two-minute review

As the name suggests, the Dyson Supersonic Travel is a scaled-down, travel-friendly version of Dyson's now-iconic Supersonic dryer, redesigned to fit in your luggage. It's 32% smaller and 25% lighter than the original, weighing just 0.7lbs / 330g, and it automatically adapts to any voltage between 100 and 240V without any fiddly switches or converters.

It offers the same 110,000rpm motor and intelligent heat control technology as seen on the full-size Nural, measuring air temperature over 100 times a second to avoid extreme heat damage. You get three heat settings and two airflow speeds, controlled via buttons on the cylindrical head and LEDs show you which setting you're on, at a glance.

The Travel ships with a magnetic smoothing nozzle in the box but is also compatible with any and all existing Supersonic Nural attachments, which is a useful detail if you already own the Nural or if you need a range of alternative nozzles.

In testing, drying was noticeably faster than a typical hotel dryer, and faster than some cheaper, regular hair dryers. It took around four minutes on my fine, mid-length, curly hair and the results were smooth. Dyson is upfront that airflow isn't quite as powerful as its full-size range and it is noticeable, but not a dealbreaker for my hair type. I imagine it will soon frustrate anyone with thicker or longer hair, though.

The price is where things get complicated. At $299.99 / £249.99 / AU$449, the Supersonic Travel sits at the very top of the travel dryer market. The ghd Flight+ does the same basic job, albeit it with some more fiddly controls, for $129 / £79. The most like-for-like is the Dreame Pocket Pro and even that only pushes the price to $159.99 / £149.

By almost any normal dryer standards, the Supersonic Travel is a well-designed, well-built and powerful contender in the hunt for the best hair dryers. It more than holds its own and there are very few sacrifices to make. This performance goes a long way towards justifying the higher cost, but even then it's still a tough price pill to swallow unless you're a frequent traveler.

Dyson Supersonic Travel: price & availability

• List price: $299.99 / £249.99 / AU$449
• Availability: US, UK, Australia

The Supersonic Travel sits at the top end of the travel dryer market – and then some. It's almost three times the price of the GHD Flight+ and twice the price of the Dreame Pocket Pro. In fact, it's not too far off the price of the original Supersonic, which still retails for $399.99 / £279.99 (although is often on sale for less).

It is, however, notably cheaper than its siblings and Dyson's flagship models, the $449.99 / £399.99 / AU$749 Supersonic Nural and the Supersonic r that retails for $549.99 / £449.99 / AU$799.

The Supersonic Travel is available from Dyson, as well as Amazon, Boots and Cult Beauty in the UK; Amazon and Best Buy in the US; and JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman in Australia.

The most obvious budget alternative is the ghd Flight+ at £79 / $129 / AU$159 – a foldable travel dryer with dual voltage, albeit without auto-adapting voltage (you need to use a coin to switch modes) and no wider attachment compatibility.

The Dreame Pocket Pro ($159.99 / £149) is a more interesting comparison: it's lighter (at 300g), similarly auto-adapts to global voltage, and comes with a more generous attachments bundle. It's also foldable, whereas the Dyson model isn't.

Neither the GHD or Dreame models match the Dyson for brand heritage or the intelligence of the heat control system, but both are meaningfully cheaper.

• Value for money score: 3 out of 5

Dyson Travel Supersonic specs

Dyson Supersonic Travel: design

• Classic Dyson-style cylindrical head design
• 32% smaller, 25% lighter than Supersonic
• Three heat settings, two airflow speeds, controlled via buttons on head
• Universal voltage auto-adapts from 100–240V
• Reviewed in Ceramic Pink / Rose Gold with styling concentrator

The Supersonic Travel is unmistakably a Dyson device, from the pink and rose gold accents to the same circular head above a narrow handle.

The biggest difference, visually, is in size. The Travel is 32% smaller (2.7 x 2.8 x 8.7in / 6.8 x 7.1 x 22.2cm) and and 25% lighter (0.7lbs / 330g) than the original Supersonic, but doesn't lose any of the essence. I'd be as bold to say it's the best-looking travel dryer I've ever tested.

Despite the size difference, the dryer still feels well-balanced. It doesn't fold in half like the GHD Flight+ or Dreame Pocket Pro, to name two rivals, but the whole design is sleek and compact enough to drop into a handbag or carry-on regardless. The only thing that really gets in the way is the chunky 6.6ft / 2m cord.

There's no travel case in the box, which at this price feels like a miss, particularly when the ghd Flight+ includes one at a fraction of the cost. Even a bag as standard, to protect what is far from a cheap dryer, would suffice but instead you have to pay an additional $39.99 / £45 for the privilege of a travel pouch.

To account for the lack of handle space on the Travel, versus the larger Dyson models, the controls are more concentrated on the head.

On the back of this cylindrical head, the airflow button sits on the left with the temperature button on the right. Each button has a row of LEDs above it – two lights for high speed or heat, one for the gentler settings. These LEDs also flash white if the filter needs cleaning, and red if there's a fault. The power button is then a slider on the back of the handle and this slider is used to control the cool shot.

If you've ever used a Dyson, these split controls will be familiar but they do take a little getting used to compared to other, standard dryers. To enable the cold air, give the slider a nudge upwards from its 'on' position. It isn't clear or obvious that you need to do this, unless you have an Airwrap and are familiar with how Dyson maximizes the use of its switches, and ended up being one of the only features on the Dyson Travel that didn't feel natural. Also the LEDs are great on paper, because you can see which setting is selected at a glance but given that they're on the rear of the head, it's not as intuitive as it sounds either.

The removable filter cage sits at the base of the handle and pulls down onto the cord for cleaning. You can remove the entire filter and wash it with water and this is a small but welcomed touch. It also means the Travel should last longer, which at this price is a blessing.

In the box is a magnetic smoothing nozzle, and thanks to Dyson's heat shield technology, the surface of this nozzle stays cool to the touch even during use. It's not exactly a wide default attachment range, especially at this price and the fact the Dreame Pocket Pro ships with five attachments.

However, you're unlikely to want to take lots of attachments when travelling, and the Supersonic Travel is compatible with the full Supersonic and Supersonic Nural attachment range, which is super useful if you already own either machine, and semi-useful if you can afford to buy any of them separately.

One thing to note, even though the Supersonic Travel automatically adjusts its voltage based on the country you're in, Dyson recommends using an adapter rated to 1,300W across the full voltage range rather than a universal adapter. It's not a dealbreaker but will help preserve the life of the Travel for longer.

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Dyson Supersonic Travel: performance

• Dries faster than a hotel dryer; notably quick for a compact machine
• Intelligent heat control measures air temperature 100 times per second
• Noise level: [XdB] in testing

The Supersonic Travel was tested daily over four weeks, including a trip to San Francisco where the universal voltage got its first real workout.

It's not the fastest dryer I've tested, but it was notably, and surprisingly, powerful for such a compact device. Drying time on my fine, mid-length curly hair ran to around 4 minutes on high heat and high airflow – faster than I expected from a machine this size. If you have thick or long hair, expect to be there for longer but even then, I can promise it will be faster than a hotel dryer and with more heat protection.

Speaking of protection, Dyson's intelligent heat control is one of the reasons the results hold up so well. With temperature measured more than 100 times per second, there's no scorching or uneven heat distribution – just consistent, controlled drying. The finish was always smooth with minimal frizz and enough volume to feel close to an at-home result. Over the review period my hair also felt softer.

The styling nozzle helps further with this. It guides the airflow for precise smoothing and shaping and clicks on magnetically. You can rotate it during styling, which is a bonus if you're trying to get different angles in a cramped hotel bathroom, but it never came loose. It's a delicate balance of movement and security that Dyson is great at across the Supersonic range.

One of the more compelling arguments for the Supersonic Travel's price is the attachment compatibility. Any attachment from the Supersonic or Supersonic Nural range clicks straight onto the Travel's magnetic barrel. This means if you already own either machine at home, you can simply pack whichever attachments you need rather than adapting your routine around whatever comes in the box.

I tested the Travel with the Gentle Air attachment alongside the Nural's Styling Concentrator. The Gentle Air attachment diffuses the airflow slightly for a cooler, softer result. This is useful for fine hair that doesn't need aggressive heat, and is particularly good for a second-day refresh, but I found I didn't have much of a need for it given the Travel's already lower, more gentle airflow.

My favorite attachment to use with the Travel (and any Dyson Supersonic model for that matter) is the Flyaway Smoother. It uses Coanda airflow to attract and flatten stray hairs on a finished style, and it works incredibly well. Especially on fine, naturally curly hair; the difference between a finished blow-dry with, and without it is noticeable. My only complaint is that it's a large attachment which doesn't lend itself well for travelling.

Despite these attachments originally being designed for the larger Supersonic models, the magnetic connection felt as secure on the Travel as they do on the Nural; clicking on with the same snap as on the full-size machine, and rotating smoothly during styling without any loosening mid-use.

Plugged in at my hotel in San Francisco with a country adapter, the Supersonic Travel performed exactly as it did at home. There was no perceptible difference in power or overheating. You can often tell when a dryer isn't performing at full strength when abroad by a drop in noise but this also wasn't noticeable with the Dyson Supersonic Travel. Another pleasant surprise.

Speaking of noise, the loudest the Travel got during my tests was 87dB on high speed, and the lowest was 83dB on low speed. The machine is certainly not silent, but it's comparable to – and in many cases quieter than – the sort of dryer you'd find mounted to a hotel room wall. It also carries over the slightly softer-pitched sound found on the wider Dyson range (of vacuums and hairdryers) which is less jarring on the ears than the decibel rating may suggest.

Elsewhere, maintenance is minimal. The filter cage requires periodic cleaning when the LEDs flash white, which involves removing it, washing it under a tap, and leaving it to dry naturally before reinserting. It's a six-step process that Dyson details clearly in the manual and it's not difficult at all.

• Performance score: 4.5 out of 5

How I tested the Dyson Supersonic Travel

I tested the Dyson Supersonic Travel hair dryer over four weeks on my fine, mid-length naturally curly hair.

I used it as my only dryer at home and took it on a trip to San Francisco. Testing included daily use across all heat and speed settings, use with the styling concentrator on wet and damp hair, and real-world travel use with a country adapter in a US hotel room.

I measured noise levels using the DecibelX app and compared drying times against my usual full-size dryer.

• First reviewed May 2026

Lepow 16" Quad Monitor for Laptop: 30-second review

The Lepow 16" Quad Monitor for Laptop is an innovative multi monitor design that essentially enables you to take the office with you. The four monitor set, stand and backpack is available as a complete system.

The build quality matches that of the TriScreen Pro side panels that I recently reviewed..

The set also comes with a stand which considering it's robust construction is surprisingly lightweight, and offers decent stability for the monitors through the test.

The monitors themselves are linked with the Transformer connectors, the same as those used on the TriScreen Pro, and as I found with that monitor setup the same is true here, careful alignment, then a firm press and a wiggle and click to ensure that everything is locked into place.

Once connected, the panels form a solid visual array with a decent of articulation once you discover that theres's additional flex in the connectors once you pull the two ends apart, once you get that shift in angle you can position them around or above your laptop screen.

For most of the test, I used the screens with my MacBook Pro M1 Max, and, as with the TriScreen, you need the USBDisplay app to get everything working; without it on the Mac at least, you’ll just see four blank monitors.

The installation process for USBDisplay does require a series of special permissions to be granted under Privacy and Security. Once done, the app lets you change the orientation of the screens via a menu accessible by clicking the icon at the top of your screen.

If you want to rotate a panel from horizontal (landscape) to vertical (portrait), you do it physically by unclipping the monitor and then clipping it back in your intended orientation, and then you can access the app to correct the orientation.

The screen arrangement is, as ever, configured through the main display settings for the OS, whether Windows or macOS.

In use, having four 16-inch panels arranged around my MacBook Pro was genuinely useful and offered a great way to organise my workspace, allocating an application to each screen. I found that I essentially had five displays: the main MacBook display, then the four mounted above.

While all the displays are identical in size, I used one as the main display, and the others for all other windows and content. The main Laptop screen I left empty for use with any color-critical apps I needed.

The display quality as covered by the benchmarking was good, although the results and specifications highlight the limited resolution, color accuracy and refresh rate; however, in a work environment and for pure productivity, the system, with the solid stand, absolutely makes sense and works exceptionally well.

Lepow 16" Quad Monitor for Laptop: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? From approximately $1059
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Directly from Lepow official store

The Lepow TriScreen Pro is available now direct from Lepow's website here, where you can select between triple and quad display systems. At time of review, it's priced at $769 (down from $819).

You can order the system with a US, UK, AU, JP, EU, and KR plug, depending on where in the world you're based.

The system includes four 16-inch panels with proprietary connectors, an HDMI cable, a USB-C cable, a power supply, and a carry case.

• Value: 4 / 5

Lepow 16" Quad Monitor for Laptop: Specs

Screens: 4 × 16-inch IPS matte anti-glare
Resolution: 1920 × 1200
Aspect ratio: 16:10
Brightness: 400 nits
Contrast: 1500:1
Color gamut: 100% sRGB
Refresh rate: 60Hz
Connector: Proprietary Transformer magnetic connector
Host connection: USB-C (data) + USB-A or USB-C (power)
Driver: One-time installation required
Dimensions: 420 × 360 × 30mm per panel

Lepow 16" Quad Monitor for Laptop: Design

Each of the four 16-inch panels in the Lepow 16" Quad Monitor for Laptop are identical, with a thin, lightweight construction that enables them to pack into the supplied backpack and makes everything ultra portable.

When it comes to the size and weight of each, the monitors weigh 1050g per unit and measure 420 × 360 × 30mm. When the kit arrives, everything is nicely boxed, but it’s worth assembling before use just to check on the construction. I noted that the central monitor really needs to be screwed into the stand using the VESA mounting holes. Otherwise, once the other monitors are attached, it can feel unstable; attaching the monitor fixes this.

That said if you need to transport it in the back pack the monitor really needs to be detached from the stand to avoid it getting damaged, so I found securing it with two of the four screws saved time when disasembling, this is definately something in the design that needs reworking.

Each display is otherwise identical, with a matte IPS panel, a slim profile, and a finish that gives them a premium look, which is reflected in the price. Unlike the large 27-inch display from Lepow that I looked at recently, these are lightweight with a polymer composite build rather than metal, which makes each panel relatively light, which is handy due to their intended portability. The actual construction feels robust, the panels are rigid, and there is no flex when handling them, which is relevant when attaching the Transformer connectors.

The Transformer connectors are a real innovation and allow each monitor to connect seamlessly, and then there are just two cables that are needed to connect to the laptop and power. Each monitor has two USB-C ports: one for the display and the other for power, and it’s up to you which you use to connect to the system.

The Transformer connectors then carry the data to each of the other monitors without the need for additional cables.

Each monitor in the review kit is identical, and these can be mounted on the lightweight CNC’d aluminium stand. This is incredibly lightweight, a perfect design for a portable system like this, and provides a good, solid base to support the weight of the monitors.

Once the first monitor is placed in the stand, the others can be clipped on, and, as previously mentioned, screwing the central monitor into the stand ensures absolute stability, this is a bit of a design flaw and not ideal.

It does take a few minutes to assemble and connect, but once done, the setup is solid and essentially lets you set up a larger workspace with plenty of screen real estate in a relatively space-limited location.

Then at the end of your work session, the breakdown of all the components is relatively quick, and everything, including your laptop, can be neatly packed into the backpack along with the cables and charger. It’s a tight fit, but there is room.

• Design: 4 / 5

Lepow 16" Quad Monitor for Laptop: Features

The Lepow 16" Quad Monitor is a modular display system that's been designed to work alongside your laptop to expand on the screen space you have available.

Each monitor features three connection points: one on each side and one on top, so you can configure the system as you want. For instance, you could have four panels in a horizontal row, a vertical stack, a mixed landscape-and-portrait that wraps around your laptop screen, a 2×2 grid, or in a triangle for meets where all participants can see a screen.

In practice, the configuration I found most useful for day-to-day work had two panels in landscape mode above the laptop screen and one on each side also in landscape mode. I tried portrait, but I think that's going to take a mind shift on my behalf. This configuration kept a relatively low profile while still providing plenty of screen space.

This meant I could keep my main applications centre focus, with email and music on the side panels, and an additional browser window open at the top. Everything was always visible, and there was never a need to switch between applications as you do when using a single panel.

While PC users are used to this multi-screen display, Mac users often face constraints, and this system requires some initial setup with the USBDisplay App. Once installed however, you’re good to go.

One interesting feature of the monitors is that, as they’re designed for productivity and office work, the aspect ratio is 16:10 rather than the more common 16:9. This just means you have additional screen height for email, document editing, spreadsheets, and web browsing in landscape orientation, and more horizontal width in portrait. This format really does make sense for the intended use.

Switching between display modes, like turning a screen from horizontal (landscape) to vertical (portrait), has two steps: physically move the panel, then choose the correct option in the USBDisplay menu bar app.

The monitors switch relatively quickly, and the other part is to change the monitor arrangement in the operating system’s display settings. This takes only a few seconds and is easy after a couple of goes. The USBDisplay app is extremely simple and one of those single-screen support programs that runs in the background until you need it, when it can be accessed from the menu bar.

While the system is designed for multiple monitors, the modular approach means you can use one, two, three or all four even on a Mac.

If you need however, each panel can operate as an independent USB display with its own power and data connections, so if you want to travel with just one additional monitor for your laptop, then you can.

• Features: 4 / 5

Lepow 16" Quad Monitor for Laptop: Performance

Through this test, I was surprised by just how portable these monitors were, and while the supplied backpack was quite plain and uninspiring, it was perfectly sized to hold all four panels, with seperate sections for each, as well as a large cavity for the stand, and still room to squeeze in my 16-inch MacBook Pro.

The backpack was a little weighty, but no more than my usual work camera backpack, and perfectly acceptable for daily use on a commute from home to the studio/office or another location.

Over the test period, I varied the setup I took with me, and early on, screwed one of the panels onto the stand to make a secure base for any other monitor combination I would take.

The stand, while simple, is perfectly designed, with the three sections folding down securely so it essentially packs down nearly flat. Each section can be angled up to the position you need, and large push-button releases and locks the angle.

Through the test, I found that my most common configuration was to have two landscape panels above the laptop, one landscape panel on each side, which gave five visible screens, and I assigned a specific application to each.

As an example, email on one, 3D printer monitoring on another, music and media controls on a third, server monitoring on the fourth, and the main laptop screen reserved for primary work.

The fact that the four monitors are identical makes them extremely easy to work with, and they essentially match the one on the MacBook Pro, at least in size.

Initially, it took a while to figure out the best configuration, but once settled on the monitor positioning it was then time to install the USBDisplay software. Locating the software wasn’t straightforward, and finding the correct page, which didn’t seem to be linked from any page on the manual or website, took time. You can use this link on the official site, and scroll down to the firmware section.

Once this software is installed, everything else is straightforward: the monitors will flicker to life, ready to be oriented using the USBDisplay app and arranged in the system display settings.

Out of the box, the calibration is OK and perfectly adequate for productivity. If you do want to match them to the MacBook Pro monitor, then a calibration device is needed. Just as a matter of course for the test, I used the Spyder X2 Ultra to calibrate and analyse the displays.

During calibration, it showed that despite the relative limitations of the panels, they still scored 5/5 for Gamut and Contrast, with a Tone Response of 4.5/5, which is impressive.

White Point, however, was quite low at 2.5/5, out of the box, with a measured reading of 7200–7500K, but it improved after calibration as the monitors are set to a yellowish warm by default. More notable was the Luminance Uniformity, which also scored 2.5/5, with brightness differences across the panels. I tested each, and each was slightly different, though in all cases you’d be hard-pressed to notice it visually. Really, this would only be an issue for photographers and videographers.

As the initial benchmarks showed, the panels arrive with a slight warm tint before calibration, which is easily corrected via the OSD. Running the Spyder X2 calibration across all four panels individually takes around an hour, but it brings them closer in representation to each other and to the MacBook Pro screen. For productivity applications, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, this really isn’t an issue, however this is something to note for color-sensitive work.

As these monitors are designed to be portable and will more than likely be used away from ideal office conditions, brightness is an important feature. Here, the benchmarking measured 333.2 nits at 100% against a claimed 300 nits.

In a studio or office environment at 50–75% brightness, the panels are a decent brightness, and in normal ambient light, there is no visibility issue. The 1920×1200 resolution is a bit of a limitation, and comparing these panels directly to the MacBook Pro display makes the difference apparent, but in use with Word and Excel rather than being used for creative displays, it is absolutely fine.

On Windows, the setup is considerably more straightforward than on Mac. Install the driver once you find it, again link above, connect the panels, and Windows handles the rest without prompting for permissions. Switching between Mac and PC required only swapping the USB-C and power cables with no reconfiguration of the panels.

• Performance: 4 / 5

Lepow 16" Quad Monitor for Laptop: Final verdict

The Lepow Lepow 16" Quad Monitor for Laptop is a great choice if you’re looking for a lightweight multi-screen solution that is ultra-portable. The way they all connect is innovative, and once you figure out how you like to position them, they really do become a very slick display option.

These are, however, designed for productivity rather than creative use and gaming, and with the limitation of 1920x1200 resolution at 60Hz and limited color depth, those specifications lack for the creative or game sector, however, they are ideal for productivity. However, as an addition to a MacBook Pro or ASUS ProArt monitor, there’s no arguing just how useful the multi-display system is, we all have to write emails, and do you really need an Adobe RGB class monitor for your music library?

What I also liked was that, because of the modular design, you can take one, two, three, or all four, and that choice is fully up to you. That flexibility makes them extremely useful.

Over a month of testing, I initially started taking the system with me as part of the test, but relatively quickly, the use alongside the MacBook and Netgear M7 made a powerful onsite solution giving plenty of space for documents and other media, and then the fact that it all packs into a handy backpack just made it ultra convenient.

It is a shame that the resolution is limited, and while the panels are 100% sRGB, which is fine for productivity for photographers and videographers, the fact that the minimum DCI-P3 requirement is not met and is way off the ideal of Adobe RGB accuracy means that most creative users will find them slightly limited on the creative front.

These modular monitors however seem perfectly suited for developers, business users, remote workers, or content creators who need multiple screens for productivity, monitoring, and organisation, rather than for color grading. The Lepow 16" Quad Monitor is excellent and offers something that few other products at this price can match.

Should I buy the Lepow 16" Quad Monitor for Laptop?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

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

Shokz OpenDots 2: One Minute Review

Shokz, the company specializing in bone conduction and open-ear buds, returns to the clip-on form factor with the Shokz OpenDots 2. It’s worth noting that the OpenDots 2 are one of two pairs released at the same time: they arrive alongside the cheaper Shokz OpenDots Air, which are missing a few features like wireless charging, waterproofing and bone conduction mics.

The clip-on earbud form factor offers both pros and cons. On the one hand, the shape is light and comfortable to wear day-to-day, and doesn’t interfere with glasses in the same way an over-ear hook might. They look almost jewellery-like, with my testing pair sporting a metal-and-pearl off-white sheen, sitting like a helix piercing over my ears.

On the other hand, they’re much less stable than over-ear hooks, with some brands being very wobbly or prone to dislodging. While the OpenDots 2, like most clip-on headphones with big drivers at the back, do suffer from being easily dislodged by the accidental brush of a hand or a hood (you’ll want to take extra care during commutes if you’re crammed into someone’s armpit on the train), they tend to stay in when left alone.

You might think that without a seal around your ear canal the OpenDots 2 might come up short on sound, and compared to market leaders like Apple’s AirPods that’s largely true. However, for open-ear headphones, the sound quality is excellent, with powerful bass despite the lack of a seal, and very little leakage. A dedicated Private equalizer mode also reportedly works to reduce leakage, although during my tests, even on Standard my office colleagues couldn’t hear any sound leakage at all, even when I had the volume turned up to Spinal-Tap-11 levels. Other EQ modes in the Shokz app include Vocal and Bass, and a Smart EQ option also exists, with users taken through six ‘A or B’ comparisons to find their optimal EQ mode.

Battery life is strong, with Shokz citing “up to 40 hours” from a full charge of the case. Wireless charging takes 3.5 hours, and a full wired USB-C charge takes two hours.

The launch of the OpenDots 2 sees Shokz attempting to push its way into a crowded category. One Shokz representative told me the company was hoping to eventually ‘replace AirPods’, and while I can’t see that happening anytime soon, the OpenDots 2 are probably the strongest clip-on earbuds I’ve ever tried; certainly in terms of sound quality, they’re up there with the Bose Ultra Opens while surpassing them in the fit stakes. They’re high-quality, durable, attractive-looking, and stable when left alone — just be careful when pulling your hood down.

Shokz OpenDots 2: Specifications

Shokz OpenDots 2: Price and availability

• $199.95 in the US
• £179.99 in the UK
• AU$339 in Australia

The Shokz OpenDots 2 cost $199.95 in the US, £179.99 in the UK, and AU$339 in Australia. That’s not cheap, and comparable to the cost of AirPods 4 with ANC ($179 / £179 / AU$299) — and the OpenDots 2 aren’t as versatile, considering that they’re effectively always in ‘transparency mode’ due to their design. If most people are going to drop this sort of money on a pair of wireless earbuds, it’s likely to be on a set that can both block out noise entirely and allow it to filter through when needed.

That being said, they’re not badly pitched (sorry) in value, being cheaper than the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, which cost $299 / £299 / AU$449.95, at launch, and of similar quality. If you’re looking for cheaper options, the Shokz OpenDots Air are available at $129.95 / £129.99 / A$219, or you could opt for the Huawei Freeclip series.

• Value score: 3.5/5

Shokz OpenDots 2: Design

• Clamshell case
• Comfortable fit
• Some instability if knocked

The Shokz OpenDots 2 are designed in a similar way to most clip-on earbuds now: there’s a battery cylinder at the back featuring sensors with a tactile button, a driver designed to hover over the ear, and a band connecting the two, and gripping the device to the ear’s helix. In the case of the OpenDots 2, the speaker is in fact a sphere with two 11.8mm drivers facing inwards towards each other, creating a ball of sound, and a hole from which the sound is projected towards the eardrum.

From an aesthetics standpoint, the OpenDots 2 look very similar to the Bose Ultra Opens, right down to the mix of plastics and metallics on the buds and the clamshell case. That’s not a bad thing; they look very premium, and are extremely comfortable to wear. As a glasses wearer, I experienced none of the chafing or earache over-ear hooks give me, even when wearing the OpenDots 2 for long periods or during sweaty workouts. As mentioned, they can be knocked loose easily, and there’s no getting around this, as it’s simply a design issue with almost all clip-ons. Pulling a hood back immediately risks pulling out your expensive earbuds and sending them clattering to the floor.

The controls are intuitive — you can pause, play, adjust volume or cycle through tracks by pinching the barrels or tapping the bridges of the earbuds. The OpenDots 2 pack IP55 waterproofing, meaning they can withstand sweat, rain and dust but are unlikely to survive prolonged submersion or high-pressure washing. The case isn't waterproof either, so don’t leave them in your pocket and put them in the washing machine!

• Design score: 4.5/5

Shokz OpenDots 2: Features

• Four EQ modes
• Multipoint connectivity
• Custom EQs to tailor sound to your liking

Despite being focused on open-ear products, Shokz is clearly working on sound and pitching the OpenDots 2 at everyday audiophiles rather than athletes. With four equalizer modes — Standard, Bass, Vocal and Private — plus a Custom EQ option, you’re able to tweak the sound to suit your needs and preferences.

After going through the custom EQ setup, which asks you six times to choose between two different versions of the same track, I noticed only a very minor difference to Standard, with slightly more powerful bass and clearer mids. This probably speaks to the quality of Shokz’ already excellent sound mixing, particularly on an open-ear bud.

Multipoint connectivity allows for two devices to connect via Bluetooth simultaneously, and I’ve been switching seamlessly between my phone and laptop with no issues. The option to use wireless charging is nice too. AI-powered call noise reduction with dual bone-conduction and ‘air conduction’ microphones makes calls sound nice and clear.

The OpenDots 2 are not packed with features such as live translation and heart rate sensing like Apple’s AirPods Pro 3, but they’re certainly not bad for the price.

• Features score: 4/5

Shokz OpenDots 2: Performance

• Great sound
• Stable fit, apart from on contact
• Good battery life

The sound delivered by the Shokz OpenDots 2 is excellent, considering that these are open-ear headphones: they’re meaty and bassy, with minimal leakage even at higher volumes. In the office, I wore them comfortably all day while using my laptop, transitioning to my phone when I left the office, and only removing them to show curious colleagues, or pausing via a tap to have a conversation. Most outside sounds were blocked in a way that they aren’t with bone conduction headphones, as you have a driver sitting right over the top of your ear canal pumping vibrations down to your eardrum, whereas with the likes of the OpenRun Pro 2 your canal is left truly open.

However, while on a 10K run I kept my headphones on a low-to-middle volume, and I was still able to hear the bells of passing bikes and the occasional twitter of birds, so the open-ear design still does its job admirably. On my very sweaty run, the buds didn’t feel like they were pendulously wobbling, and I was able to pound the pavement and even shake my head without being afraid that they would dislodge. Only a nudge of my hand would cause them to come loose.

I find the OpenDots' listed battery stats to be largely accurate: I’ve been using these headphones for the better part of a week as I write this review, and only now is the case at 10% battery, with the buds themselves still on a full charge, and good for a further 10 hours.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Shokz OpenDots 2: Scorecard

Shokz OpenDots 2: Should I buy?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested

I wore the Shokz OpenDots 2 for a week in different scenarios. I used them on my commute, in work, on a 10K run, in the gym, and even while sleeping, making use of the custom EQ functionality, asking colleagues if they could hear the audio I was listening to at various volumes, and testing their multipoint connectivity features.

First reviewed: June 2026

Parallels Desktop is often included among the best virtual machine software options for users who need to run Windows on a Mac. Its main appeal is convenience. Rather than presenting virtualization as a technical task, Parallels tries to make Windows feel like part of the Mac environment, which is still its biggest advantage over more manual alternatives.

This matters more on Apple Silicon Macs, where running Windows is no longer as simple as installing the standard x86 version of the operating system. Parallels focuses on Windows 11 Arm, and it handles much of the setup process for the user. That makes it especially useful for people who need Windows-only apps but do not want to manage installation media, drivers, or configuration details manually.

The result is a tool that feels more consumer-friendly than most virtualization platforms. It is not the cheapest option, and it is not free from compatibility limits, but it remains one of the few products in this category that can make running Windows on a Mac feel normal rather than experimental.

Parallels: Plans and pricing

Parallels Desktop is a commercial product, and pricing remains one of its main drawbacks. The Standard edition starts at $99.99 per year, while the Pro edition starts at $119.99 per year and the Business edition at $149.99 per year. Enterprise pricing is handled separately through sales.

The Standard edition is aimed at home and personal users, with resource limits of 8GB of virtual RAM and 4 virtual CPUs. The Pro and Business editions expand this significantly, supporting up to 128GB of virtual RAM and 32 virtual CPUs, while also adding more advanced tools for development, automation, testing, and business deployment.

A one-time purchase option is available for Standard users who prefer not to subscribe. However, the one-time Standard license only covers the version purchased. Future major upgrades require an additional payment, which makes the subscription model more practical for users who want to stay current with annual macOS and Parallels updates.

This pricing structure matters more than it used to. VMware Fusion is now available for free, which puts Parallels under more pressure to justify its cost. The argument for Parallels is no longer simply that it is the most capable option, but that it saves time and provides a more polished experience.

For casual users, Standard may be enough, especially if the goal is to run office software, web apps, or a small number of Windows-only tools. Users who need more CPU cores, more memory, command-line tools, or advanced development features will need to look at Pro. That makes Parallels more flexible, but also more expensive over time.

In practice, Parallels is best seen as a productivity expense rather than a casual utility. If Windows is central to your workflow on a Mac, the price can be easier to justify. If you only need a virtual machine occasionally, free alternatives become much more attractive.

Parallels: Features

Parallels Desktop provides a broad set of virtualization features, but its strongest features are the ones that reduce friction between Windows and macOS. Windows 11 installation is highly guided, and on Apple Silicon Macs the software is built around the Arm version of Windows, which is the most practical route for modern Mac hardware.

Coherence Mode remains one of the defining features. It allows Windows applications to appear alongside Mac apps without keeping the full Windows desktop in view. This makes Parallels feel less like a separate virtual machine and more like a compatibility layer for Windows software.

Integration goes further than display handling. Users can share folders, copy and paste between systems, drag files between Mac and Windows apps, and access Windows applications in ways that feel close to native macOS behavior. There are practical workflow benefits such as Spotlight access to Windows apps and files, and the ability to use Mac-side tools more naturally while working inside Windows.

Parallels also supports macOS and Linux virtual machines, although Windows remains the main reason most users buy it. More advanced editions add features aimed at developers and power users, including expanded CPU and memory allocation, command-line tools, and more control over virtual environments.

There are still limits. On Apple Silicon Macs, Windows runs as Windows 11 Arm. Many x86 Windows applications can work through Microsoft’s translation layer, but this is not the same as running every older Windows app natively. Parallels can also support x86 environments in some scenarios, but this is better treated as a specialist capability than a mainstream workflow.

Parallels: Interface and use

Parallels Desktop is strongest when judged as a user experience rather than just a virtualization engine. The setup process is one of the easiest in the category, especially compared to UTM or VMware Fusion. Instead of requiring users to build a virtual machine manually, Parallels guides the process and handles much of the configuration automatically.

This is the area where Parallels justifies much of its price. The interface is clean, direct, and designed for Mac users who may not have a technical background. Common tasks such as launching Windows, resizing the VM, sharing folders, or switching view modes are easy to find and rarely require deep configuration.

Coherence Mode is also central to the experience. By hiding the Windows desktop and letting Windows apps sit directly on the Mac desktop, Parallels reduces the sense that the user is working between two separate systems. This is not essential for everyone, but for users who spend hours moving between macOS and Windows applications, it can make a major difference.

The experience is not perfect. Some advanced settings still require a basic understanding of virtualization, and accessibility feedback from real users suggests that setup and certain preferences can still be awkward in specific workflows. But compared to most competing tools, Parallels remains the most approachable option for everyday Mac users who need Windows.

Parallels: Performance

In use, Parallels Desktop delivers strong performance for everyday Windows workloads, particularly on Apple Silicon Macs with enough memory. Office apps, browser-based tools, communication apps, and general productivity software are the areas where it feels most convincing.

On an M4 Mac Mini with 16GB of RAM, Windows was allocated four CPU cores and 8GB of memory, yet still handled large Excel files, Outlook, Chrome tabs, 2160p HDR video playback, and large spreadsheet operations smoothly. That is not a formal benchmark, but it supports the broader point that Parallels is well optimized for practical productivity work.

Recent reporting also suggests that Parallels can keep Windows 11 usable even on more limited Apple Silicon hardware for light productivity tasks. That does not mean every Mac is equally suited to virtualization. Running macOS and Windows at the same time places pressure on memory, and 8GB unified memory should be treated as workable for light use rather than ideal for sustained work.

For users who expect to run macOS and Windows side by side for extended periods, 16GB or more is a more realistic baseline. This becomes more important when using larger productivity apps, browser-heavy workflows, or Windows software that depends on translation layers rather than native Arm support.

Heavier workloads remain more complicated. CAD, 3D rendering, graphics-heavy Windows applications, and sustained multi-core workloads are better suited to higher-end Macs with more memory and stronger cooling. x86 translation also adds overhead, especially for older Windows software that has not been optimized for Arm.

Graphics support is useful but should not be overstated. Parallels supports DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.1, which makes it suitable for some Windows applications and lighter games, but the lack of DirectX 12 support limits its usefulness for newer Windows games and graphics-heavy workloads. For productivity and compatibility, performance is strong. For demanding Windows gaming or professional 3D work, a dedicated Windows system remains the safer option.

Parallels: Support

Parallels benefits from a more structured support model than many free virtualization tools. Paid subscriptions include access to support channels, and the product is updated regularly to keep pace with macOS and Windows changes. This is particularly important on the Mac, where Apple platform updates can affect virtualization behavior quickly.

The company has also kept Parallels closely aligned with recent platform releases, including macOS Tahoe 26 and Windows 11 25H2. That level of update cadence is one of the reasons Parallels remains attractive for users who rely on Windows regularly and cannot afford long compatibility gaps.

Support is not the same for every user, though. Standard users and Pro users may have different expectations, and some real-user feedback still points to occasional issues around audio, accessibility, and settings behavior. For most mainstream users, support and documentation are good enough, but Parallels is not immune to friction.

Parallels: The competition

Parallels Desktop competes most directly with VMware Fusion and UTM. VMware Fusion is now the biggest pressure point because it is free, making Parallels’ subscription model harder to justify for users who only need occasional Windows access.

With VMware Fusion now available at no cost, Parallels has to justify its price through ease of use, integration, and ongoing Mac-focused updates rather than basic virtualization capability alone. That is still a strong argument for regular users, but it is less persuasive for technical users who are comfortable with more manual setup.

That said, Parallels remains easier to recommend for users who value convenience. VMware Fusion can run Windows on Mac, but setup and day-to-day workflow tend to feel less polished. UTM is also capable and free, but it requires more manual configuration and is less approachable for users who simply want Windows apps to work.

VirtualBox is less relevant on modern Apple Silicon Macs, especially for users who want a smooth Windows 11 experience. It remains important in the broader virtualization market, but Parallels operates in a more Mac-specific category where integration matters as much as raw virtualization capability.

In practice, Parallels remains the best option for Mac users who regularly depend on Windows software and want the least amount of friction. VMware Fusion and UTM are better value choices, especially for technical users, but Parallels still offers the most refined overall experience. Its main challenge is no longer capability, but whether that refinement is worth the price.

Parallels: Final Verdict

Parallels Desktop remains the most polished virtualization tool for Mac users who need regular access to Windows. Its biggest advantage is not simply that it can run another operating system, but how smoothly it integrates Windows into the macOS workflow. Setup is straightforward, Windows 11 can be installed with minimal effort, and features such as Coherence Mode, shared files, drag-and-drop, and Mac-style app access make the experience feel more refined than most alternatives.

That refinement comes with a cost. Parallels is no longer competing only against awkward or limited free tools, but also against VMware Fusion, which is now available at no cost. This makes the pricing harder to ignore, especially for users who only need occasional access to Windows.

For Mac users who rely on Windows apps regularly, Parallels still makes a strong case. It is fast, convenient, and highly integrated, but users with lighter needs may find that the price is harder to justify than before.

UGREEN NASync DXP4800 GT: 30-second review

The DXP4800 GT is Ugreen's latest NAS and the first in the DXP line-up to use an AMD processor and dual 10GbE networking ports; these run alongside the usual personal cloud and AI features. To mark it out as something a little more special than the other DXP4800 units, it also adds gold accents to the otherwise familiar look and excellent build quality.

In this test, I installed four 4TB Seagate IronWolf drives and two 1TB SSDs and, during setup, configured them in RAID 5, initially over a 2.5GbE network. This network connection, while fast, limited the DXP4800 GT's full potential; still, it delivered 272.96MB/s read and 268.35MB/s write, so even if you stick with an older network system, it’s still going to offer impressive performance with potential for the future.

To see the drive in full flow, a $200-300 additional investment may be needed if you don’t already run on a 10GbE switch, as I found mine severely lacking and in need of an upgrade to the TP-LINK TL-SX105 10G Multi-Gigabit Desktop Switch.

You’ll also need to check your desktop or laptop specifications, as most will only offer 2.5 GbE networking. If you want that 10GbE speed, you'll need not only the Switch but also a USB4-to-10GbE adapter. In this test, I’ve gone for the Sabrent USB4-to-10 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter at around $80.

While network editing on the 2.5GbE setup had been possible, the 10GbE upgrade made a huge difference to the speed and smoothness of the edit; it was, in effect, like running the files from a direct-attached storage device. With all footage on the DXP4800 GT and an M.2 SSD handling cache files, 500GB of two hours of rushes was edited down in Final Cut Pro X to a 7-minute production and ran over the 10GbE SMB connection without dropped frames or slowdown.

Aside from the connection speed, the other features that really stood out were the personal cloud capabilities. Enabling the setup and control of other users' access to files you have given permission to, either on the same network or remotely, is a major feature, especially if you’re dealing with large video files.

The integrated AI also shows potential, but at present it’s limited to the Photos app and doesn’t offer the same flexibility as the flagship iDX6011 Pro. Still, it’s impressive once all components have been installed.

The UGOS interface continues to improve, and the selection of available apps is growing. For anything that’s not yet there, such as Plex, you’ll need to look at Docker and run through the installation and setup process. This isn’t so straightforward, but the documentation is developing.

That aside, this is a significant NAS with plenty of features and, importantly, upgrade potential. It's easily the best NAS device on a budget right now, especially if you work in the creative sector and need large-capacity network-attached storage, as this is the cheapest option I’ve seen. Just take into account that you may need a Switch upgrade and possibly a USB4-10GbE adapter.

UGREEN NASync DXP4800 GT: Price & availability

The UGREEN NASync DXP4800 GT is available in the US at an MSRP of $659.99, with a $70 launch discount bringing the price to $589.99. The drive is available from the Ugreen official store here and Amazon.com.

In the UK, it's priced at £529.99 with the launch discount from Ugreen, and £531.99 at Amazon.co.uk when you tick the voucher code box.

It’s also worth factoring in drive costs; the four Seagate IronWolf 4TB drives I’ve used in this review add approximately $150 per drive, and a 10GbE switch at around $250. Even with both additions, the total remains competitive against Synology and QNAP alternatives that don’t include dual 10GbE at this price point.

• Score: 4.5/5

UGREEN NASync DXP4800 GT: Design & build

The DXP4800 GT shares the Ugreen NASync design language with the previous DXP4800 NAS boxes, just here in a more premium black-and-gold finish. The build quality is once again excellent, and the aesthetic is more professional than many NAS devices at this price.

Drive installation with four Seagate IronWolf 4TB drives is tool-free; pop out the caddy, insert the drive, and slide it back. All four drives install in minutes. Once connected to the network, the Ugreen app on a Mac or PC searches for the device and guides users through RAID configuration and user account creation. The process of unboxing and setting up a working RAID 5 array is easy enough, even for a first-time NAS user.

The built-in SD 3.0 card slot is useful for photographers and videographers shooting with the latest mirrorless cameras, and direct card-to-NAS offload is faster than network transfer. Taking my Canon EOS R5 C with CFexpress Type B cards that can hold up to 2TB as an example, after a full day of shooting, transferring that data over any network is usually slow. When using a USB CFexpress reader in the front USB port, or directly via SD, file offload is considerably faster.

The front panel LED indicators are simple and show drive access, health and usage for each bay at a glance. There’s no screen, but UGOS Pro provides full drive health and status information through the software. The USB connectivity, two USB 3.2 Gen2, two USB 2.0, USB-C 3.2 Gen2, and HDMI 4K 60Hz, gives the DXP4800 GT media server and direct storage capabilities which again adds to the usage, from home to the office.

• Design & build: 4.5/5

UGREEN NASync DXP4800 GT: Features

Ugreen has been careful to keep the UGOS Pro consistent across the DXP lineup, which certainly makes it easier to review as much of the interface and options remain familiar to previous models, with a few notable additions added as the OS develops.

The DXP4800 GT sits below the iDX6011 Pro, Ugreen's flagship NAS, and while AI is present on this new machine, unlike the iDX6011 Pro, which supports downloading and running local language models and has a deeper AI integration, the DXP4800 GT is limited to Photos. The functionality reflects what we see from other AI-enhanced photo management apps, and those features, such as subject recognition, are helpful but nowhere near the advanced capabilities of the iDX6011 Pro, but then this is a machine aimed at a more traditional approach to NAS with some AI enhancement.

As with other Ugreen NAS, getting started is easy with the Initial RAID 5 setup for the review sample using four Seagate IronWolf 4TB drives. Once connected, the UGREEN desktop app is able to connect to the device automatically, and then guides you through RAID configuration and account creation; it’s all about as easy as it gets. Compared with NAS setups from even a few years ago, and compared with Synology DSM or QNAP QTS today, the UGOS Pro process is notably easier to use for first-timers to NAS.

One of the features that really appeals to me is the dual 10GbE networking. This is also the defining feature of the GT line-up and what separates the DXP4800 GT from other NAS in this price range. In this review, the network infrastructure was initially limited to 2.5GbE, still with impressive speeds, but speeds that only hinted at what was actually possible.

It was only when the network was upgraded with a 10GbE switch, the TP-Link TL-SX105, that the full potential could be seen. This upgrade is worth considering if you are looking at this 10GbE NAS, as most home and small office speeds are usually limited to 1 - 2.5GbE.

In this review, I’ve gone for the 10GbE TP-Link TL-SX105, a compatible switch that costs £249 in the UK. If your network is limited in speed, I would definitely consider the cost of the switch upgrade an integral part of the total investment in this system.

Once the switch was in place and a few checks run, it was time to set up the NAS ready for editing. Ugreen recommends the SMB protocol for video editing over the network,and once again, accessing the settings through UGOS proved easy enough.

In addition to the four 3.5-inch HDD bays, there are two M.2 Gen3 x2 NVMe slots under the machine, in the same bay as the RAM modules, designed to support SSD caching. These additional SSD modules came into use when I redirected Final Cut Pro X cache files to the M.2 SSD during the Final Cut Pro Library setup, freeing up network bandwidth for footage transfer and improving overall responsiveness.

At the heart of the machine is the AMD Ryzen Embedded R2514, and throughout the test, it proved capable of handling multiple applications running simultaneously without issue. Docker support is standard, so third-party apps, including Plex, that are not pre-installed can be installed via Docker as long as you have basic NAS knowledge. Inside, there’s also a 64GB eMMC system drive where UGOS Pro resides and operates independently of the installed drives; this essentially prevents OS updates from interrupting storage access.

The UGREEN AI App is at present limited compared with the iDX range and at launch covers six Photo features: People recognition, Text recognition, Similar and Duplicate recognition, Pet recognition, Sensitive content recognition, and Model training. I tested this feature with over 1,000 images, and all six options worked well, picking out subjects with ease and making it much easier to locate images. I also tested the Model training, which, as I found in the past, is especially useful if you have items or subjects in images that are out of the norm.

For this test, I uploaded a range of product review images, then labelled each one so they could be easily located in the future. Not just the name of the product, but also what it was and any other relevant details.

Another feature of interest is the Surveillance Centre for IP camera management, which is included in UGOS Pro and supports ONVIF-compatible cameras from manufacturers such as TP-Link. Unfortunately, I was unable to test this review due to camera compatibility limitations.

Finally, there are the shared folder and cloud features, which have again been enhanced and developed, making it far easier to create a share and invite others to access it from a remote location, either on the same network or elsewhere. This is the one feature, above all, that is of greatest interest to me, especially as the cost of inline storage options rapidly increases.

• Features: 4/5

UGREEN NASync DXP4800 GT: Performance

The initial setup for the DXP4800 GT is similar to that of the other NASes in the Ugreen range. The four Seagate IronWolf 4TB drives are installed in the toolless bays at the front of the machine, and then two M.2 SSDs are installed in the base. It’s then connected to the network, which, for the first part of the review, was directly to a 2.5GbE switch, and later to a 10GbE switch. It’s also worth highlighting that none of the machines I have in the studio, desktop or laptop, feature 10GbE as standard, so on top of the Switch, a USB4 to 10GbE adapter was used.

Once everything is powered on, the Ugreen desktop app (Ugreen NAS) is installed and started, and it runs through the setup process, including initialising the drives in the machine. As an example, RAID 0 can be used for maximum speed, which is ideal if you’re using it for video editing, while RAID 5 or 6 can be used for backup and archiving.

While I like the idea of RAID 0 and its absolute speed, for most of the review, I’ve settled on RAID 5, as it provides some safety in case a drive fails and allows it to be swapped out. Whereas if using RAID 0 and a drive fails, then that’s essentially it; all data is lost.

Once the RAID 5 configuration is complete, you can access all the apps and settings through the Ugreen Desktop or mobile app, with the usual array of Photo, Media, and storage options. There's also Docker, so if you want access to Plex and other apps that haven’t been installed, then this is possible, just not as direct as the Apps available in the App library.

A few of the Apps of note include the Photos app, a photo management application that integrates machine learning. Essentially, think of it as working along much the same lines as Google or Apple Photos. At present, this is the only App on board that integrates AI capabilities, but I’m sure this will develop over time.

The area that really interests me is the personal cloud, essentially a way to share files on internal or external networks and set restrictions. This works as simply as copying files to the drive's shared area, then right-clicking and selecting Share. You then get a selection of options: external or internal user; whether access is Custom or permanent; whether downloads are permitted; and whether a password is needed.

You then click confirm, copy the URL and send it to whoever needs access. It isn’t, however, a free-for-all, and to actually see the files as the recipient, you have to register as a user and wait to be authorised before gaining full access. During the test, this was instantly put into practice and worked extremely well. The only issue was the HTTPS certificate for the link, but I’ll investigate and update the review soon.

Internally, this NAS is an ideal option for a wired SMB connection ready for video editing, especially with four Seagate IronWolf 4TB drives in RAID 0 or RAID 5 in my case. In the initial tests on my older 2.5GbE network, the DXP4800 GT delivered 272.96 MB/s read and 268.35 MB/s write. I also decided to test this on a 1GbE network, speeds dropped to 115MB/s read and 97MB/s write, consistent with 1GbE bandwidth and showing the system scales well with available network speed. Finally, once the 10GbE switch arrived, I ran the test again and this time achieved speeds of 1034 MB/s and 585 MB/s, using AJA System Test Lite, more than enough for video editing.

I will point out that my wired network is part of a wireless network and is designed for data storage and transfer rather than for browsing the internet. This means that a wireless router connects to the switch along with the NAS and Printer, but doesn’t connect directly to the main connection. This is solely a logistical point, with my studio being too far from the main connection point and the wireless network providing ample speed for browsing the internet and watching back media.

As I got started on the video editing test, it really highlighted the difference in potential speed between 2.5GbE and 10GbE. I started the test with a 500GB 4K editing project with all files stored entirely on the DXP4800 GT and an M.2 SSD handling Final Cut Pro X cache files. I tried editing over the 2.5GbE SMB connection first, and while there were stalls and some wait time, I was actually impressed with the performance, especially as the switch cost around £50 some time ago. However, the speed, as you’ll see in the benchmark tests, was limited.

One of the points of this NAS is that it offers dual 10GbE, so upgrading the Switch to the 10GbE version and using a USB4-to-10GbE Adapter was required, and the difference was immediate. Once set up, the speed was pretty much identical to having a desktop hard drive attached to the machine, just with a whole lot more storage capacity. After testing the speed and capacity, there’s no doubt this will now be my preferred method of editing, especially since I can give clients direct access to the output files without paying for a cloud storage solution.

This system and the Seagate IronWolf 4TB drives I have installed are all new, so the likelihood of failure is low; however, I always err on the side of caution, so I have been testing in RAID 5 rather than RAID 0. To test the drive, I decided to swap it out to simulate a failed drive. I powered down the NAS, removed a drive, formatted it, popped it back in, and restarted the NAS to rebuild the drive.

The rebuild took approximately 10-15 hours, and during that time, manual intervention was minimal: it was essentially as easy as inserting the replacement drive, rebooting, and letting UGOS Pro handle the rebuild automatically. For a four-drive 8TB configuration, this rebuild time is expected, though it means you’re down to three drives, which can leave you vulnerable to a second drive failure that could cause data loss. I could have gone for RAID 6, which provides two-drive redundancy, but this does hammer the potential storage space.

Through all operations and uses, the AMD R2514 handled network transfers, Docker application management, and background UGOS Pro tasks without issue. Although with just 8GB of RAM in a single channel, I would be tempted to upgrade this to the full 64GB.

Media playback through the media player worked for most file formats, although those created on the Sony A7 IV with certain codecs did falter. Start time between selecting the video, clicking play, and the video actually playing, is around 5 seconds.

In normal situations, I tuck NAS boxes out of the way as they can be noisy as the discs spin up and are accessed. Here, the DXP4800 GT once again has all those usual noises, but they seem to be dampened compared with many systems of this type I’ve used in the past. Once again, the cooling is exceptional, and it’s great to see a magnetic dust cover at the back that can be quickly removed and cleaned when needed.

• Performance: 4.5/5

Should you buy the UGREEN NASync DXP4800 GT?

After two weeks of testing, the Ugreen NASync DXP4800 GT is, without doubt, a superb NAS option for those in the creative sector. It’s fast and easy to set up, and many of the intricacies of NAS are handled by the UGOS software's setup and management, which just makes everything that much easier.

The two major features here are the personal cloud, which, unlike some other NAS I have looked at recently, is easy to use and straightforward. There’s a little complexity: users need to register once the link is sent, and then you need to authorise them, but otherwise it’s exactly what many creators have been asking for, and here it’s just simple.

The other major feature is the 10GbE network connection, which is just about as fast as you can get. In this test, I had to upgrade my network to see the full potential with a 10GbE switch replacing the old 2.5GbE, and then adding a Sabrent USB4 to 10GbE dongle to enable the connection, as the RJ45 on my desktop is also 2.5GbE, and none of the laptops used had a network port as standard.

However, if you are looking for maximum speed on your network for creative use such as network renders, video editing, or just fast file archiving, these network upgrade steps are essential to maximise the potential.

The DXP4800 GT is an excellent choice for smaller studios, offices and homes, really anyone who wants dual 10GbE without the huge cost that has until now been associated with this network speed.

There are a few issues, but most of these can be overcome with upgrades. For me, the single-channel RAM as the default would be the first upgrade after the initial setup. Then there are the AI features currently limited to Photos, and the cost of the HDDs, SSDs, 10GbE switch and dongle for USB/Thunderbolt, all of which add to the cost.

However, when I sat down and worked through the costs of my Google Drive storage, WeTransfer, Wipster, and Backblaze subscriptions, it didn’t take long for those subscriptions' yearly costs to far surpass the cost of the DXP4800 GT. I’ve been sold on this new wave of NAS for a while, and the advancements with each new release just make them more impressive and usable, especially when you need to store large quantities of files and access them quickly.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

For more storage options, we've tested the best NAS hard drives.

Microsoft’s approach to virtualization combines two distinct tools under the same ecosystem. Hyper-V serves as the primary platform for running full virtual machines, while Windows Sandbox provides a lightweight, temporary environment for quick testing. Together, they are often considered among the best virtual machine software options, particularly for users who already rely on Windows as their primary platform.

Unlike standalone virtualization tools, Hyper-V is built directly into Windows, which shapes both its strengths and its limitations. It benefits from deep system integration and consistent performance, but it also follows a more technical, system-oriented design that can make it less approachable for new users. Sandbox, by contrast, focuses entirely on simplicity, offering a clean and disposable environment that launches quickly and resets after each session.

Microsoft Hyper-V / Sandbox: Plans and pricing

Hyper-V and Windows Sandbox are not sold as standalone products. Instead, they are included as optional features within Windows Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

For users already within the Microsoft ecosystem, this effectively makes them free to use. There are no separate licensing tiers or feature restrictions once the appropriate Windows edition is available. However, this also means that users on Windows Home do not have access to the full functionality without upgrading.

With competing tools such as VMware Workstation Pro now also available at no cost, Hyper-V’s value lies less in pricing and more in its native integration with Windows.

Support is handled through Microsoft’s broader support structure rather than a dedicated product channel. While documentation and community resources are extensive, direct support is typically tied to enterprise agreements rather than individual use.

Microsoft Hyper-V / Sandbox: Features

Hyper-V provides a comprehensive set of virtualization features suited for both development and enterprise scenarios. It supports a wide range of guest operating systems and allows detailed allocation of CPU, memory, and storage resources across multiple virtual machines.

Core functionality includes checkpoints, virtual networking, and the ability to run multiple environments simultaneously. These features make it suitable for testing, development, and structured lab environments where repeatability and isolation are important.

The platform also benefits from its integration with the wider Windows ecosystem. Tools such as PowerShell and Windows Admin Center extend its capabilities, allowing more advanced configuration and automation for users who need greater control.

More recent developments have expanded its flexibility further, including GPU Partitioning (GPU-P), which allows virtual machines to share the host’s graphics resources more efficiently. While this is primarily aimed at professional workloads, it reflects a broader shift toward more demanding use cases.

Windows Sandbox takes a different approach. It provides a minimal, disposable environment that launches quickly and runs a clean instance of Windows. Any changes made within the Sandbox are discarded once it is closed, making it particularly useful for testing unknown applications or files without affecting the host system.

Microsoft Hyper-V / Sandbox: Interface and use

Hyper-V Manager presents a structured but dated interface, with a layout that prioritizes functionality over usability. Virtual machines are managed through a central console, with configuration options exposed through menus that reflect the platform’s administrative origins.

Creating a virtual machine involves a guided process, but it still requires familiarity with concepts such as virtual switches and resource allocation. Compared to more modern tools, the workflow can feel less intuitive, especially for first-time users.

Networking is one of the more demanding aspects. Basic connectivity is handled automatically through the Default Switch, while more advanced configurations still require manual setup and a clearer understanding of how virtual networking works.

Windows Sandbox, on the other hand, is intentionally simple. It launches as a clean desktop environment within seconds and requires little to no configuration. Files can be tested quickly and safely, then discarded when the session ends.

This contrast defines the overall experience. Hyper-V focuses on control and flexibility, while Sandbox is built for speed and convenience.

Microsoft Hyper-V / Sandbox: Performance

In use, Hyper-V delivers stable and efficient performance across a range of typical workloads. Virtual machines start quickly and remain responsive, particularly when running standard operating systems such as Windows or common Linux distributions. Everyday tasks such as software testing, browsing, and light development work run smoothly on adequately provisioned systems.

Because it is integrated into Windows, resource handling tends to be consistent. Multiple virtual machines can run in parallel without major instability, provided that system resources are properly allocated. Performance scaling is predictable, with slowdowns appearing gradually under load rather than as sudden drops.

This becomes more apparent in multi-VM scenarios. Running several environments at once remains manageable, making Hyper-V a practical choice for development workflows that rely on parallel systems. While it may not always feel as responsive as more polished alternatives in short bursts, it maintains stability over longer sessions.

Disk and memory behavior are generally reliable, although not optimized for peak speed. In I/O-intensive scenarios, such as working with large virtual disks, it can feel slightly heavier than some competing tools. However, it avoids the inconsistent performance fluctuations sometimes seen in lighter virtualization platforms.

Long-term stability is one of its stronger points. Virtual machines remain usable over extended sessions, and overall system behavior stays consistent. This makes Hyper-V well suited to users who rely on persistent environments rather than short, isolated tasks.

Windows Sandbox follows a different performance profile. It launches quickly and runs smoothly for short testing sessions, benefiting from its lightweight and disposable design. Because it relies on a shared system image, startup times are significantly shorter than those of a full virtual machine. However, it is not intended for sustained workloads or complex configurations.

On Windows 11, storing virtual disks on a Dev Drive (ReFS) can improve I/O performance in development-heavy workflows.

Microsoft Hyper-V / Sandbox: Support

Hyper-V benefits from extensive documentation and a large user base, particularly in enterprise environments. Guidance is widely available through official documentation, community forums, and third-party resources.

However, support is not structured as a standalone product offering. Direct assistance is typically tied to broader Microsoft support agreements, which may limit accessibility for individual users compared to commercial virtualization platforms with dedicated support channels.

Microsoft Hyper-V / Sandbox: The competition

Hyper-V operates in a competitive space that includes both free and commercial virtualization tools.

Oracle VM VirtualBox remains the most accessible free alternative, offering cross-platform support and a simpler setup process, though with less consistency in performance.

VMware Workstation Pro provides a more polished experience, with a clearer interface and smoother day-to-day usability. It is generally easier to manage, even if Hyper-V offers tighter integration within Windows.

On macOS, Parallels Desktop stands out for its seamless integration and ease of use, targeting a different audience but highlighting the importance of user experience in this category.

Hyper-V’s strength lies in its stability and tight Windows integration rather than its interface. It is best suited to users who prioritize control and long-term reliability within a Windows environment.

Microsoft Hyper-V / Sandbox: Final Verdict

Microsoft Hyper-V is a capable and deeply integrated virtualization platform that delivers consistent performance and a wide range of features, particularly for users already working within the Windows ecosystem. Its enterprise background is evident in both its capabilities and its interface, which prioritizes control over ease of use.

Windows Sandbox complements this approach by providing a fast, disposable environment for safely testing files and applications without long-term setup. It is one of the simplest ways to isolate potentially risky software, even if its functionality is intentionally limited.

Taken together, Hyper-V and Sandbox offer a practical and reliable solution. They excel in stability and integration, but fall short of the polish and accessibility found in more user-focused virtualization tools.

Think portable PC monitor and something pretty puny probably comes to mind. What you're probably not imaging is folding contraption with dual 24-inch 1080p displays. What you probably didn't think of is the extraordinary Acer PD243Y E Portable Monitor.

It's immediately obvious that the term "portable" is being used pretty liberally by this unusual dual-screen monitor. You're not going to be slipping it into a small bag with your 13-inch thin-and-light laptop.

However, it is much more compact and transportable than a typical 24-inch PC monitor, let alone a pair of them. So, it's not designed to be taken to the coffee shop, even if that isn't actually out of the question if you could put up with the attention you'd surely attract.

Instead, the Acer PD243Y E Portable Monitor makes more sense for someone wanting, perhaps, to take an additional screen with them on a long trip or for work presentations, that sort of thing. And for those kinds of remits, the basic ergonomics make sense. But what about the features and performance? Time to find out.

Acer PD243Y E: Design and features

• Surprisingly portable for a dual 24-inch display
• Clever hinge and ergonomics
• No USB-C power delivery

We'll come to the performance of the Acer PD243Y E Portable Monitor's dual 24-inch panels momentarily. But the real novelty here involves packaging them into something relatively portable.

OK, you're not going to sling this dual-24-inch contraption into your shoulder bag. But Acer has done a good job of keeping the chassis compact and the bezels slim. All told, it weighs in at 4.4kg, which really is pretty impressive given the sheer amount of screen on offer.

The ergonomics are clever, too. The two screens are attached via a sturdy hinge which folds around over 300 degrees. Combined with a kickstand on the lower panel, you can arrange the displays in a variety of configurations, including vertically stacked or tent mode. The latter setup could be handy for making presentations and screen sharing.

Incidentally, the displays automatically reorient in Windows when you fold into tent mode and both panels run off a single USB-C connection. However, all of that only applies to Windows. Support for Apple Macs is more limited. A MacBook Air, for instance, can only drive one external display, so won't output to both panels.

Speaking of connectivity, there's a single HDMI input and two USB-C ports. Either of later can be used for powering the displays via the included adapter or video input. Sadly, however, neither provides power-out. So, you can't, for instance, hook up a laptop via USB-C and both drive the display and keep the laptop charged.

That's a bit of a pity because it increases cable clutter. You'll need two power adapters, one for your laptop and one for this display, for long-duration use. What's more, all the ports are located on one side of the lower display. Ideally, at least one USB-C on the other side to give you more cable management options would have been welcome.

Acer PD243Y E: Performance

• Relatively low resolution
• No HDR support
• Good viewing angles

Dual 24-inch displays undeniably provide a huge amount of physical screen real estate in the context of a portable monitor. But usable screen space also depends on resolution, and here the Acer PD243Y E Portable Monitor is less impressive.

The 24-inch panels are native 1080p or 1,920 by 1,080 pixels. That kind of resolution would be pretty low spec these days on a 15-inch laptop, let alone panels this size, even if the comparison with conventional desktop monitors is probably more apt.

Anyway, the point is that, physically, these screens have plenty of space to run two app windows per panel and thus four across the two displays. But because of the relatively low resolution, you may find limitations in that regard. You only have 960 horizontal pixels each for two two app windows on one panel, for instance.

But whatever your metric, 1080p certainly isn't a huge resolution when applied to a 24-inch in terms of pixel density, too. That means fonts look pretty rough and the image detail just isn't terribly sharp.

In other regards, these displays are tolerable but inferior to what you'd expect from a conventional display, be that a desktop monitor or laptop panel. Peak brightness is 250 nits, which means they struggle a bit in really bright ambient light, and there's no HDR support at all.

That said, they do support 100Hz refresh and so feel fairly responsive, and the basic calibration is decent. Thanks to IPS panel tech, the viewing angles are good too, which will be appreciated for presentations and screen sharing.

Acer PD243Y E: Final verdict

There's a lot to like about the Acer PD243Y E Portable Monitor. It's surprisingly portable for something that offers dual 24-inch displays making it usable in a pretty wide array of contexts.

The ergonomics and build quality are good, too. The hinge and kick stand offer a wide range of configuration options both for personal use and for presentations or screen sharing. In those regards, this dual-screen monitor could be an extremely useful tool. The connectivity on offer via HDMI and USB-C is reasonable, too.

The quality of the panels is mostly acceptable, too. OK, the IPS panels only hit 250 nits, and there's no HDR support. But the colours and calibration are good enough for a portable monitor setup.

What isn't so impressive is the 1080p-per-panel resolution. It somewhat limits the utility of the Acer PD243Y E Portable Monitor in terms of multitasking and it definitely has an obvious impact on image clarity and text crispness.

If this display was 1440p per panel it would make for a pretty fantastic proposition for all round usage, including productivity work. As it is with dual-1080p, the appeal is narrowed somewhat. As a device for presentation and screen sharing, 1080p will often be just fine. But if you were hoping to use this dual-display contraption for, say, video editing or day trading while travelling, the low resolution is a bit of a pity.

For more displays, we've reviewed the best business monitors and the best portable monitors.

Scuf Omega: one-minute review

The Scuf Omega is the Corsair subsidiary’s latest PlayStation 5-compatible controller. It’s received the PlayStation seal of approval as an officially-licensed product, so you’d expect it to be of at least a reasonably high quality, right?

Here’s the thing. I’ve reviewed loads of the best PS5 controllers, including a bunch of those at the premium price level, including the Razer Raiju V3 Pro, DualSense Edge, and the Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded. The Scuf Omega hasn’t outshone any of them in my testing, even though, on paper, it should win out with its feature set and customization options.

So, where has Scuf gone wrong? Much of it comes down to build quality. While it’s solid enough in the hands - and actually very comfortable - most individual parts can be removed, like the faceplate, touchpad plate, d-pad, face buttons, and the thumbsticks. In isolation, these parts (and the accessories included in the box, like button and paddle blanks and optional long-shaft thumbsticks) feel cheap and flimsy.

I’m also not at all a fan of the optional paddle buttons on the sides of the controller. These are far too easy to press accidentally, and because they come pre-mapped out of the box, even gently tapping one mid-game can feel like the video game equivalent of stepping on a Lego brick.

I’ll get into other issues I have with the Scuf Omega below, but I want to stress it’s not all bad news. Those side buttons and paddles are removable and can be replaced with included blanking plates, preventing accidental presses entirely if you don’t really feel like using them (though this is a controller squarely aimed at players who do appreciate these additional input options).

And in general, actually playing games with the Scuf Omega is a pretty wonderful experience. The d-pad and face buttons are extremely tactile with a ludicrously short travel. The textured grips are comfortable, and the controller just sits in your hands so nicely. I adore the digital trigger option here, too, giving them the exact same immediacy as the buttons you’ll be pressing the most.

Again, there’s plenty Scuf has gotten right with the Omega, but I just can’t recommend it at the triple-digit sticker price when it’s not as solidly or thoughtfully built as competing premium options.

Scuf Omega: price and availability

• List price: $219.99 / £209.99 (around AU$300)
• Available to buy now from Scuf’s website
• Many special liveries are available, but they are a tad pricier

It’s easy to baulk at the price of the Scuf Omega. However, this is the bracket where most third-party PS5 controllers sit. For example, the Razer Raiju V3 Pro comes in at $219.99 / £199.99, while the official DualSense Edge can be had for $199.99 / £199.99. Meanwhile, there’s the similarly modular Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded, which will set you back $209.99 / £179.99. It’s an expensive space.

The thing is, if you want to buy a PS5 controller that isn’t the standard DualSense, options outside of that premium space are practically non-existent. I could forgive many of the Scuf Omega’s shortcomings if it were made available at a more tempting mid-range price.

We know that Sony can be challenging to work with for third-parties, especially as it reserves features like haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and native PS5 wireless connectivity for its own controller hardware. That often means that brands stick to PC, Xbox, or Nintendo consoles, thus drying up any meaningful budget-to-mid-range alternatives on PlayStation.

Still, when I look at controllers in other spaces, like the 8BitDo Pro 3 or GameSir Tarantula Pro, I’m seeing similar premium features on those pads, like Tunnel Magnetoresistance (TMR) sticks and extra remappable buttons. All available for much, much less.

My two cents right now? Wait for a sale. If you see the Scuf Omega drop by around 20-25% over a major sales period, then I’d say that’s a good time to consider picking one up.

Scuf Omega: Specs

Scuf Omega: design and features

• Wonderful ergonomics
• Lightweight and comfortable in hand
• Removable parts feel a bit cheap and flimsy

The Scuf Omega is a mixed bag on the design front, but it has nailed it on the ergonomics front. The controller feels fantastic in the hands, resting snugly and firmly, thanks to the rugged textured grips on the back half of the controller. It’s close in shape to the DualSense Wireless Controller, though the Omega’s row of G1 to G5 buttons at the bottom between the grips adds some slight extra volume.

If you read that last sentence and thought “wow, that’s a lot of buttons,” then you’d be right. The Scuf Omega is not wanting when it comes to ancillary features. Those G1 to G5 buttons mainly govern headset volume and mic muting (which is lovely to have on the controller itself), though G1 and G5 are remappable on PS5.

Beyond those, you have a dedicated profile switching button, four paddle buttons on the back (two of which can be removed and replaced with the included blanking panels), a pair of side bumpers (one on each flank), and trigger locks that are built right into the triggers themselves.

The central touchpad also works as it would on a DualSense, enabling cursor movement and gestures in supporting games. That isn’t something you see often with third-party PS5 controllers, which often opt for the basic touchpad clicks and no actual touch functionality.

One design aspect I do find to be a bit finicky is how the Omega handles connectivity options. You can swap between 2.4GHz, Bluetooth, and wired connections with one switch, and PS5 and PC connectivity with another. That isn’t uncommon for third-party PS5 controllers.

The problem is that these switches are hidden beneath the Omega’s faceplate. So yes, that means you have to remove the faceplate every time you want to make a connectivity change. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s an irksome extra step you’ll need to contend with if you regularly swap between PS5 and PC play, for example.

It’s not just the faceplate that’s removable here, though. Practically every module on the Omega - from the sticks and touchpad plate to the rear paddles, d-pad, and face buttons - can all be taken out and swapped for other parts (many of which are sold on Scuf’s website separately). On the one hand, I like this; it gives the Omega the kind of customizable flair usually reserved for speciality controllers like fight sticks.

On the other hand, it reveals the Omega’s build quality isn’t at all what it seems. When put together, it feels solid enough. However, its individual parts in isolation feel rather cheap. Especially the faceplate, which feels brittle enough to snap in half with little effort. Obviously, I would never do this, and I imagine you wouldn’t, either. But a mischievous nephew might. Just something to be cautious about if you choose to buy the Scuf Omega yourself.

There are also some instances where the controller just doesn’t feel all that thoughtfully put together. Those blanking plates for the rear and side paddles can start to feel loose, and I often need to secure them back in place. The touchpad plate almost has the opposite issue, where it can sometimes get wedged to the left or right. While this didn’t have a profound impact on play, it does add to that feeling of cheapness that I shouldn’t expect from a controller that costs as much as the Omega does.

Scuf Omega: Performance

• Marvelous play experience
• Around 17 hours of battery life
• Some of the nicest-feeling buttons in the business

I’m going to keep this section short because I have virtually no complaints (I have one, but I’ll get to that) about the Scuf Omega’s game performance. It may fall short of the competition on build quality, but when it comes to actually playing games, the Omega does it better than any PS5 controller I’ve tested to date. Yes, even Sony’s own DualSense Edge.

Performance is where the Scuf Omega just about clinches a four-star rating from me. I adore the clicky immediacy of its d-pad and face buttons, both of which are powered by the brand’s own Omron mechanical switches. And on the thumbsticks front, you’ll have no issues with drift, thanks to Scuf leveraging Hall effect-like TMR tech here.

I think my favorite aspect of the Scuf Omega is its two-way trigger locks, though. These are housed on the underside of the triggers themselves, which is a really thoughtful design touch. I love the digital trigger press here, which provides fast, fluid inputs for shooters like Fortnite and Call of Duty. You can switch back to a more traditional analog pull at any time, too, which makes the Omega a dab hand at racing games like Forza Horizon 6.

It'd be almost a slam dunk if it weren’t for the awkward and frankly annoying side bumpers. Aesthetically, they’re horrible, jutting out of the sides of the pad where your fingers can accidentally press them all too easily. And because they come pre-mapped, my first hour or so with the Omega came with no shortage of mispresses in-game.

Sure, there’s a use case for pro players who like quick and easy access to input shortcuts, but they’re wholly unnecessary for casual folks. After a bit of testing, I swiftly swapped them out for the side blanking paddles.

Should I buy the Scuf Omega?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Scuf Omega: Also consider

If you’re not quite feeling the Scuf Omega, here’s a quick glance at a couple of other PS5-facing third-party options.

How I tested the Scuf Omega

• Tested for two weeks
• Tested on both PS5 and PC
• Played a variety of single and multiplayer games

I tested the Scuf Omega for roughly two weeks for this review. In that time, I made use of the controller’s broad swathe of features, including its remappable buttons and swappable modules. Games I played with the Scuf Omega include Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Saros on PS5, as well as Final Fantasy 14 Online and Forza Horizon 6 on PC, broadly aiming to test out a variety of game genres with the controller.

First reviewed May 2026

Read more about how we test

Genki Dual Wield Charging Grips and Base: Review

Genki’s Joy-Con 2 charging accessory has no pretensions of being a complicated, feature-packed gimmick. Rather, it commits to a minimal design and doing the simple things well. There are just two grips for your Joy-Con 2 pads, and two ports on the dock to charge them.

The basic square design of this dock doesn’t push the boat out aesthetically, but I was impressed by just how thin it is. There’s just enough for a USB-C port to be squeezed in on one end.

The grips attach magnetically to the dock, so there’s no need to press a button. I found it a little hard to tell whether they were correctly seated, as there’s little feedback, either physical or audible, when you slot them into place. Once in, they aren’t particularly sturdy; I can imagine a heavy knock dislodging them, but they’re fit for purpose otherwise.

There is a button to release the grips, but this doesn’t offer the smoothest operation, feeling a little cheap and flimsy. It’s big, at least, which at least makes it easy to press. Overall, the dock isn’t as well made as some of the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories around, but it’s adequate for the job.

It took just over three hours to fully charge a single Joy-Con 2 set, which is reasonable. There are LED lights either side of each docking point in the form of plus and minus signs, corresponding to their button counterparts on the Joy-Con 2. These are bright and clear, making them easy to see at a glance.

However, they don’t actually illuminate while the controllers charge, which is a little annoying. They only turn green once the Joy-Con 2s are fully charged, and even then, they go out after a short amount of time.

Like the base, the grips have a simple form. They’re also quite thin, but feel better made than the dock itself. They’re very solid and sturdy, but also quite light.

The Joy-Cons snap magnetically to the sides, just as do to the Switch 2 itself. They’re reasonably secure here, but there is a noticeable amount of play. Under normal usage, though, they remained stable and I was never worried about them coming loose. They’re also slightly translucent, which allows the battery indicators on the Joy-Cons to shine through.

They have a curious triangle shape, which means the Joy-Cons lean inwards at the top. This didn’t cause an issue for me, though, and I could play games such as Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Metroid Dread just fine.

The hole in the center allows you to partially wrap your fingers into them, but I found it too small to wrap mine all the way around. Combined with the flat top and undersides of the grips, they aren’t as ergonomic as the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers. You’d be better off combining these grips with those that provide some underhand support on the Joy-Cons themselves, to make it feel like a traditional gamepad.

There’s a USB-C port on top, allowing you to connect to the console and charge while you play. However, the included cable is quite short, so you’ll struggle to use it in a TV setup.

Genki Dual Wield Nintendo Switch 2 Charging Station review: Price and availability

The Genki Dual Wield costs £35.99 and is available now in one colorway: black.

This is a price reasonable for what it offers. Not only are there grips and charging docks for two sets of Joy-Con 2 controllers, but the fact that it has a USB-C port means you have more options to connect to sources, rather than relying on yet another single-use power adapter you’ll have to throw away once it’s served its purpose. It ticks many boxes if all you’re after is a cheap and easy way to hold and charge two sets of Joy-Con 2 controllers.

Should I buy the Genki Dual Wield Nintendo Switch 2 Charging Station?

Buy it if…

Don't buy it if…

Genki Dual Wield Charging Grips and Base review: Also consider

How I tested the Genki Dual Wield Charging Grips and Base

I tested the Genki Dual Wield for several days. I used it to charge a single set of Joy-Cons from flat to full, using a 67W charger. I also used the grips to play various Switch 2 games.

I’ve been gaming for decades, and have used all sorts of gaming accessories. I also own the DualSense Charging Station — one of the best PS5 accessories around — and have used other Switch and Switch 2 Joy-Con grips before. I’ve also reviewed a large number of controllers and other gaming peripherals.

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

Dreame AirStyle Era: two-minute review

The Dreame AirStyle Era is an eight-in-one multi-styler that works as a dryer and creates smooth, curly, bouncy, or straightened styles from a single device.

On paper, it looks like one for TechRadar's best hair styler roundup, and it's the follow-up to the seven-in-one AirStyle Pro, addressing some of that model's most obvious gaps. Namely, adding a diffuser for the first time, and replacing the Pro's flyaway attachment with a U-shaped straightening nozzle.

The auto-wrap curl barrels remain the headline act. The 360-degree airflow draws hair in automatically and produces bouncy, natural-looking curls without the need to manually wind sections around a barrel.

For fine to medium hair, the results are impressive, and at $349.99 / £349 / AU$699 the Era undercuts the Dyson Airwrap by $250 / £130 / AU$150 while producing comparable curl results as an Airwrap alternative. The smoothing brushes perform well too, and the diffuser is a welcome addition for anyone with naturally curly or wavy hair.

The issues are harder to ignore, though. The maximum temperature of 176F / 80C — unchanged from the AirStyle Pro — will be a limiting factor for anyone with thicker or longer hair. You could rope in one of the best hair dryers for that first stage, but that rather defeats the point of an all-in-one tool. The straightening nozzle is also more fiddly than expected, not to mention time consuming.

None of these are dealbreakers on their own, but together they add up to a tool that falls slightly short of its potential. The Era is still the most complete multi-styler Dreame has produced, and the most attractive multi-styler I've tested, and at this price it's a worthy Airwrap dupe, but it needs to be better than it is in a few key areas to make a truly compelling case.

That's the two-minute version; read on for my full Dreame AirStyle Era review.

Dreame AirStyle Era review: price & availability

• List price: $349.99 / £349 / AU$699
• Available: US, Australia and UK
• Launched: May 2026

The Dreame AirStyle Era costs $349.99 / £349 / AU$699 and is available directly from Dreame and Amazon in the US, Dreame in the UK, and from Dreame Australia as well as from several third-party retailers.

It sits closer in price to the $279.99 Shark FlexStyle in the US (which costs AU$499 in Australia), but is more akin in terms of features and attachments to the $599.99 / AU$849 Dyson Airwrap. It's the follow-up to Dreame's seven-in-one AirStyle Pro, which had a higher list price of $399.99 in the US but was rarely sold at that, while the latter's list price is lower in Australia at AU$599.

(There are also other, cheaper Dyson Airwrap dupes, but few come with the auto-wrap curl barrels of these four stylers.)

In comparison to its predecessor, the AirStyle Era swaps the Flyaway Attachment of the Pro for a U-shaped straightening nozzle and adds a diffuser for the first time, addressing one of the glaring gaps in the original's feature set.

It's also had a meaningful upgrade under the hood — the NTC temperature sensor now checks 1,000 times per second compared to 300 on the AirStyle Pro, which in practice means more consistent heat distribution and less risk of spikes that could cause damage.

• Value for money score: 3.5 out of 5

Dreame AirStyle Era specs

The UK listing features different specifications than the US page – 28°C/55°C/80°C for temperatures and 50m/s, 57m/s, 65m/s for wind speeds. We tested the US model so use the US figures throughout.

Dreame AirStyle Era review: design

• Pink and bronze colorway with pebbled leather-texture grip
• Eight attachments covering drying, curling, straightening, smoothing and diffusing
• Twist-on mechanism same as the AirStyle Pro but more secure
• Comes with a storage box and bag

The Dreame AirStyle Era follows the same basic design as its predecessor (and all other multi-stylers for that matter) – a tube-shaped dryer onto which you twist different styling heads.

It comes in a single pink colorway, not too dissimilar to the pink Dyson Airwrap i.d, with bronze accents at either end, and a soft pebbled leather-texture grip running the length of the handle.

It feels and looks solid and luxurious, and at 0.64lbs without the cord, it's light enough that your arm doesn't start aching even when working through a full set of curls.

The controls consist of two buttons with LEDs that let you cycle through the two heat settings. and three wind speeds. The cool shot is built into the top of the on/off slider rather than given its own dedicated button, and you enable and disable it by sliding up once for on, and sliding up again for off.

These controls sit at a natural thumb position on the handle and toe a delicate line between being easy to control mid-style and difficult to press accidentally. This is much rarer on stylers than it should be.

At the base of the handle is a removable dual intake filter— an inner stainless steel mesh that keeps fine hair and particles out of the motor, and an outer mesh that prevents tangling.

A small cleaning brush is included for maintenance, and the filter is straightforward to remove and reattach. Attached to this filter is the cord that runs to 9.2ft / 2.8m with a 360-degree anti-tangle swivel at the handle end.

Each of the eight attachments twist on using the same mechanism as the AirStyle Pro, but unlike the heads on the older model, the Era's attachments securely lock into place because they're also magnetic. This was a major complaint in our AirStyle Pro review and I'm glad it's been resolved.

In terms of the attachments, the line-up is as follows:

• Fast dryer: A concentrated nozzle for quick drying
• Straightening nozzle: U-shaped head with dual airflow channels that direct air downward to smooth and straighten without heating plates
• Diffuser: Bowl diffuser with prongs for dry curls without disrupting them
• 32mm auto-wrap barrels (x2): One for left curls, one for right; 360-degree airflow draws hair in to create curls without manually winding sections
• Soft smoothing brush: Spherical teeth designed for fine, fragile, or chemically treated hair
• Hard smoothing brush: Conical teeth for coarser, thicker, or heavily product-styled hair
• Round volumizing brush: Wider tooth spacing to reduce tangling, with perforations to diffuse airflow and create lift at the roots

The two additions — the straightening nozzle and diffuser — address the most obvious gaps in the original AirStyle Pro's feature set.

If you wanted smooth, straight hair or defined natural curls from the Pro, you needed separate tools entirely. The Era fixes that, and the result is a kit that not only covers the full range of everyday styling needs, but it makes it the only styler that can truly rival the Dyson Airwrap in terms of scope and scale.

Elsewhere, everything ships in a leather-textured storage box that keeps the attachments organized and easy to find, plus you get a travel bag if you need something more portable.

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Dreame AirStyle Era review: performance

• Fast dryer attachment works well on fine to medium hair; may struggle with thicker, longer hair
• Auto-wrap curling barrels produce good results but swapping between directions is fiddly
• Straightening nozzle is less effective than the flyaway attachment it replaces

I started, as Dreame recommends, by removing most of the water in my hair with the fast dryer attachment. Like all multi-stylers of this type, you need to get hair to around 80% dry before switching to any of the styling attachments for best results, and the fast dryer handled that first stage well enough on my fine, shoulder-length hair.

It's not the hottest of stylers though, and anyone with thicker or longer hair may find themselves reaching for a standalone dryer to get there faster. This was a complaint with the original Pro and hasn't been fixed, it seems.

The auto-wrap curling barrels are where the Era earns its keep. The 360-degree airflow draws hair in and wraps it around the barrel automatically, producing bouncy, defined curls without the need to manually wind sections. The results hold well, and the curls have a natural quality that can be hard to achieve with traditional tongs. The catch is that if you want the curls to go in different directions, you need to physically swap between the left and right attachment. This isn't just tricky, because the attached barrel is hot, but it interrupts your rhythm. The Dyson Airwrap handles this on a single, multi-directional barrel, and once you've used that system it's hard not to notice the difference here.

The straightening nozzle is the most interesting new addition on paper — a U-shaped head that uses dual airflow channels to smooth and straighten without heating plates. It's more intuitive than the flyaway attachment it replaced, while producing a very similar finish, but I found it more fiddly than I'd hoped. You can only smooth small sections at a time and this takes a while, which feels like a step backwards for anyone who relied on the flyaway attachment for quick touch-ups and frizz control.

The diffuser does what it should. For naturally curly or wavy hair, it distributes airflow evenly without disturbing the curl pattern, and the results are noticeably better than using the fast dryer attachment on the same hair type. It's not doing anything the category hasn't seen before, but its absence from the AirStyle Pro was a gap, and it's good to have it here.

Finally, the brushes. The soft and hard smoothing brushes both perform well. The soft brush is gentle on fine or fragile hair, with the airflow automatically redirecting downward when attached to leave your hair feeling smooth. The hard brush handles coarser or more tangled hair well, and separates knots without pulling.

In testing, my favorite brush is the round volumizing brush. It's great for lifting roots and adding shape at the ends and it can even create loose curls.

In terms of noise levels, Dreame claims it produces 76dB, and in testing I recorded 79dB on the highest speed setting. That's slightly louder than the spec sheet suggests although not unreasonable for a tool of this type and it's quiet enough to hear music or have a conversation.

• Performance score: 4 out of 5

Should you buy the Dreame AirStyle Era?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Dreame AirStyle Era: also consider

How I tested the Dreame Airstyle Era

I used the AirStyle Era as my main styling tool for a week. During this time I used it to dry my hair, and tested all the different attachments, paying particular attention to the auto-wrap curlers.

I compared the styling results to what I managed to achieve with other similar stylers I've tested – including the Dyson Airwrap i.d. and Shark FlexStyle. I also assessed how easy the styler was to use and the effectiveness of its design and features.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed May 2026

Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender: one-minute review

American manufacturer Cuisinart is known for its range of high-quality kitchen appliances at affordable prices. The Power Blend Immersion Blender follows suit, offering versatility and convenience for less than $70 / £50 / AU$90.

his powerful four-in-one stick blender comes with several convenient accessories and attachments, including a food processor (with a mixing/chopping blade and reversible shredding/slicing disc), a chef’s whisk, a blending shaft, and a prep-and-store cup that makes prepping and storing foods like whipped cream and omelette mix a breeze. It’s even got an ergonomic handle design to make use and maneuvering more comfortable.

The results are impressive, with the Power Blend’s pressure-controlled speed giving you more control over its use and quickly whisking eggs, blending soups, and grating cheese.

However, it’s not without its flaws. This appliance may leave some food unprocessed or blended, and the blenders' pressure controls may not be suited to those with restricted hand or wrist movement (especially when turning it on). These may or may not be dealbreakers for you, depending on your individual needs, but they’re enough to hold the Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender back from a position among our top blender picks.

• £49.99 (about $70 / AU$90) direct from Cuisinart
• Available at third-party retailers, such as Amazon and Costco
• Regularly discounted to £42.99
• Not available in the U.S. or Australia

The Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender is priced at £49.99 (about $70 / AU$90), making it more affordable than competitors such as the Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender ($79.99, roughly £60 / AU$110) and the Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6 (£99.99, or about $140 / AU$210), which is one of the best blenders on the market. Unfortunately, this product isn’t available in the US or Australia.

Considering the versatility and power of the Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender, it offers fantastic value for money. What’s more, third-party retailers like Amazon and Costco tend to offer a discount, bringing the price down to £42.99 – offering more bang for your buck.

• Value score: 5/5

Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender: specifications

Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender: design

• Comfortable ergonomic handle
• Dishwasher-friendly parts
• Pressure-controlled speed…
• …that can be tricky to use with the unlock button
• Motor can become warm

The Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender has a silver base that houses its motor and an ergonomic handle design that makes it comfortable to use and maneuver – especially if you have restricted mobility in your hand or wrist. Near the top of the handle is a variable, pressure-controlled speed button (with an LED light at the very top indicating the speed) and an unlock/on button.

At the bottom of the base is an attachment release button, with attachments able to be inserted and locked in with ease. This versatile immersion blender comes with three main attachments: a blending shaft, a 950ml food processor, and a chef’s whisk. In addition, the appliance comes with a canvas storage bag to keep all the bits in and a convenient 700ml prep-and-store cup and lid – though the cup lid did come unstuck a few times for us.

The blending shaft comes with a protective blade guard, allowing it to be used in glass, enamel, and non-stick vessels, while minimising splashing, which we found very effective. It also comes with a blade storage cover to allow the shaft to be safely stored. The full-sized chef’s whisk is attached to the base with a detachable gearbox and works a treat, especially when combined with the prep-and-store cup.

The food processor features a lid with a decent-sized feed chute (that could fit a large carrot vertically) and pusher, with a reversible slicing/shredding disc and mixing/chopping blade included and easily inserted into the work bowl.

To turn the appliance on, you need to press the unlock button while pressing the speed control button, before releasing the unlock, a bit like the mechanism seen on some lawnmowers. While this is a great child-safe feature, it took us a few tries to start the blender initially. Even when we’d worked out the system, holding both buttons simultaneously was uncomfortable, especially as you need to be mindful of the pressure you’re applying to the speed control.

While testing the chef whisk feature with some eggs in the prep-and-store cup. While trying to apply enough pressure to turn the blender on, we accidentally applied too much, resulting in our raw eggs splattering all over the kitchen.

This brings us nicely on to cleaning. Certain parts of the Power Blend are dishwasher safe: the food processor bowl, pusher, chopping/mixing blade, slicing/shredding disc, and prep-and-store cup and lid. However, the blending shaft and food processor lid need to be hand-washed, and the base should be wiped down. While the blending shaft and base are fairly easy to clean, the food processor lid is less so; it can't be immersed in water, so cleaning inside the feed chute is somewhat challenging.

Another issue we found with this stick blender was the heat the motor emitted when blending soup. We used the appliance for about two minutes, occasionally stopping and starting, and the handle was warm to the touch, suggesting the motor may be overheating. As such, we recommend not using this immersion blender continuously for too long or taking breaks if the handle begins to get quite warm.

• Design score: 4/5

Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender: performance

• Quickly blends chunky soups
• Convenient mini food processor attachment
• Impressive whisking
• Uneven cutting and some food left unprocessed

The first thing we tested was the Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender’s blending shaft attachment. After boiling a chunky 1L of homemade vegetable soup (with carrots, onions, cauliflower, potatoes, and a leek) until the veg was soft, we let it cool before blending on a medium-to-high pressure.

After around two minutes of blending, the soup was pretty smooth, but a few rebel chunks of cauliflower remained. As mentioned previously, at this point, the handle began to heat up, so we didn’t want to push it any more.

Next, we tested the chef’s whisk attachment. While the whisk seems quite flimsy, it’s pretty impressive. After cleaning up our prior disaster – and becoming more mindful of how sensitive the pressure controls are – we applied minimum pressure to our remaining eggs (mixed with milk and herbs) and had perfectly whisked eggs in a matter of seconds. It was so quick, we didn’t have time to whip out our phone and time it.

The food processor was equally impressive, though it isn’t without its flaws. We tested the mixing/chopping blade first, adding all the ingredients for a saag paste (including garlic, wilted spinach, veggie oil, spices, and coriander). It took around 30 seconds to make the paste, but it was loud: around 88 to 90 decibels. While most of the paste was mixed well, there were some less mixed parts at the bottom, under the blades, though it wasn’t enough to be a dealbreaker.

We also tested chopping a red onion with this blade, chopped into large chunks. It only took three or four short, one-second pulses of high-speed power to chop the onion. However, this was also loud – between 90 and 94 decibels – the cuts were largely uneven. We were impressed that the results weren’t overly wet, as we’ve seen when chopping onions with other powerful food processors.

Next, we tested the shredding/slicing disc, beginning with shredding (or grating) 50g of mature cheddar cut into rectangular blocks to fit the feed chute. While the cheese was grated in under 10 seconds, there was a lot of unshredded cheese on top of the disc.

We also experienced this using the slicing disc with a large carrot. While it took less than five seconds to slice the carrot, the slices were uneven, and there were some unsliced carrot remnants on top of the disc afterwards.

Overall, the Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender performs well, offering a lot of versatility and largely impressive results – but it does come with a few quirks that may irk some more than others.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender: also consider

If you're not sure whether this is the right blender for you, here are two other options to add to your shortlist.

How I tested the Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender

I tested the Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender by preparing a wide variety of foods, including eggs, curry paste, and vegetable soup. I also used its food processor attachment to shred cheese, and chop various vegetables, and compared the results with those from a dedicated food processor. I cleaned the blender thoroughly after use, following the manufacturer's instructions. For more details, see how we test, review, and rate products at TechRadar.

First reviewed June 2026.

8849 TANK Pad Ultra: 2-minute review

The 8849 Tank Pad Ultra arrives as the company's most ambitious device to date. It builds on the original Tank Pad's projector concept and refines it considerably. Where the first Tank Pad offered a dim 100-lumen DLP unit running at sub-HD resolution, the Ultra steps up to 260 lumens and native 1920x1080 output. That is a 2.6x improvement in brightness in one generation, and it matters enormously in practice.

The hardware underneath is a MediaTek Dimensity 8200 paired with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB of storage. This is not the fastest platform available in 2026, but it is more than sufficient for field work, document management, and media playback. Android 15 ships out of the box, which is a refreshing improvement over the Android 14 found on many rivals.

The camera cluster is genuinely impressive for a rugged device. A Sony IMX766 50MP main sensor sits alongside a 64MP night-vision camera using an OmniVision OV64B sensor backed by four infrared LEDs. The 32MP front camera uses a Sony IMX616. This is a meaningful step beyond the dual-camera arrangements on most competing rugged tablets.

Battery capacity is the headline stat: 23,400mAh. 8849 claims this is 11% larger than its predecessor. Charging speed is 66W, which is serviceable but falls well short of the 120W found on the recently launched Ulefone Armor Pad 5 Ultra. At that battery capacity, 66W takes over two hours to fully recharge.

The body measures 268.3 x 170.3 x 24mm and weighs 1.345kg. It is a heavy device, though it sits below the Ulefone Armor Pad 5 Ultra's 1.6kg. The integrated handle doubles as a kickstand and is the most practical design element here for outdoor projection use.

IP68 and IP69K certification allows for both submersion and high-pressure water jets. That is the expected baseline for a device at this price and positioning. A 4-metre laser rangefinder and an 800-lumen camping light round out the utility toolkit.

In the annals of tablets that came with a projector, this is clearly one of the best rugged tablets so far.

8849 TANK Pad Ultra: price and availability

• How much does it cost? $690/£524/€605
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? You can get it directly from 8849.

The Tank Pad Ultra is available in a range of territories and regions via the official 8849tech website here.

At $689.99, this rugged tablet is priced way below the Ulefone Armor Pad 5 Ultra, which commands closer to $799. It sits significantly above the original Tank Pad's sub-$400 positioning. The price increase reflects genuine hardware improvements rather than marketing inflation, particularly in the projector and camera departments.

UK pricing is £525.84 and in the EU its €604.79. There is a summer sale for US, EU, UK and CA customers with a further $20 reduction until the 12th of June.

Currently, this machine isn't on Amazon.com, but given that everything else 8849-branded is, it's probably only a matter of time before it is. The hardware is also sold by AliExpress, but it was more expensive than buying it directly for whatever reason.

Given the specification, even if the TANK Pad Ultra isn't exactly cheap, it offers the best value for a tablet with a projector.

• Value score: 4/5

8849 TANK Pad Ultra: Specs

8849 TANK Pad Ultra: design

• Heavy duty
• Kickstand issues
• Idiosyncratic layout

On paper, the Tank Pad Ultra follows the established formula for rugged tablets. The body is thick and reinforced, with corner bumpers and rubberised edges. At 24mm deep it is not a device that slips into a jacket pocket unless you’re a friendly giant. The intention is clear: this is business equipment, not a lifestyle accessory.

The integrated handle on the rear is a practical touch. It locks flat against the body for carrying and swings out to serve as a kickstand for projection or media use. For a device this heavy, the handle is not an option, it is a functional necessity.

Which is why I was annoyed when I couldn’t get the one that came with my tablet to fit correctly. The stand is metal and is pinned to the TANK Pad Ultra by a single large bolt that has a straight slot that a ‘8849 coin’ is provided to tighten. On mine, it would never tighten enough to fully engage the stand, making it loose.

Initially, I thought this was because of an excessive amount of blue thread-locker on the bolt, but after I’d scraped that off and realised it didn’t fix the problem, I concluded the thread in the tablet was poorly manufactured.

I didn’t have the thread cutter to fix this handy, so I filed the bolt down a little to make it extend less, and it fitted much better. Not sure why 8849 quality assurance didn’t notice this, but they need to make sure that they do in the future.

One oddity about the stand is that it has a square profile that engages, allowing for four possible ways to attach it. Except that only one direction works properly, because the others interfere either with the camera cluster or the camping light. Perhaps a polariser is needed to help users put it on correctly?

The top edge houses the volume keys and two PPT buttons in roughly the middle of that side, with the projector mounted to the left. The power button with an integrated fingerprint scanner is on the left side, where I kept accidentally hitting it while trying to take photos.

I tried to set that button up with fingerprint unlock and failed miserably. When you enter the fingerprint training mode, it tells you to firmly press the button, and when you do, the tablet turns off. Thankfully, the face unlock works much better, so it’s hardly a deal breaker.

The SIM tray is on the lower edge, and the USB-C and audio jack ports are under a rubber plug on the right side.

What’s missing here is any pogo pin pads or extra USB port that could be used to connect the tablet to a vehicle cradle. Which, when you have a tablet that’s 1345 g, you would reasonably expect to exist. There isn’t one, which explains why the designers never considered supporting that functionality.

Overall, the layout of this tablet isn’t the best I’ve seen, but most people could probably adapt to it.

Design score: 3.5/5

8849 TANK Pad Ultra: hardware

• MediaTek Dimensity 8200 5G
• 260 Lumen Projector
• 23,400 mAh battery

The Dimensity 8200 is a solid midrange to upper-midrange platform. Built on a 4nm process, it delivers capable performance for multitasking, Android gaming, and field software use. It is not the Dimensity 9000 series or a Snapdragon 8 Gen equivalent, and buyers with heavy sustained workloads should note the distinction. For the use cases this device targets, it is more than adequate and a step up from the Dimensity 7400X that Ulefone used in its most recent design.

For no logical reason, rugged tablet makers seem to think decent processors or camera sensors aren’t required, when they’re as critical as they are in phones.

Sixteen gigabytes of LPDDR5 RAM is generous. Combined with the expandable storage via microSD, the Tank Pad Ultra avoids the storage cliff that afflicts cheaper rugged tablets.

But it's the DLP projector that is the engineering centrepiece in this design. At 260 lumens, it is 2.6 times brighter than the original Tank Pad's 100-lumen unit. Auto-focus handles throw distances between 0.5 and 4 metres. A micro-ranging laser assists the focus calibration for precise image sharpness. The native output resolution of 1920x1080 is a substantial step up from the 854x480 of the original device, and better than the 960 x 540 projector on the Ulefone Armor Pad 5 Ultra.

My only issue with the projector is that 8849 didn’t implement a low-throw solution where the tablet could be flat on a desk and still project an image on the wall. With this design, you need to use the stand or a pile of books to elevate the tablet to a height where the projection will work.

The 23,400mAh battery is enormous, even if some rugged tablets have even more. Runtime estimates in the field will depend heavily on whether the projector, camping light, and 5G radio are active simultaneously. With the projector running, expect significantly reduced endurance versus a typical standby or browsing scenario.

One last special feature of this tablet is the GPS solution. It uses dual frequencies L1+L5 GPS for more precise positioning, in theory. I've not seen this in a rugged tablet before, and it could be genuinely useful for those flying drones or doing surveys. In my testing, it did seem marginally more accurate than the GPS in a typical phone.

• Hardware score: 4.5/5

8849 TANK Pad Ultra: cameras

• 50MP, 64MP on the rear
• 32MP on the front
• Three cameras in total

The 8849 Tank Pad Ultra has three cameras:

Rear cameras: 50MP Sony IMX766 , 64MP Omnivision OV64B1B Sensor (Night Vision)
Front camera: 32MP Sony IMX616

The camera configuration is one of the Tank Pad Ultra's stronger arguments over rivals. Most rugged tablets treat imaging as an afterthought. 8849 has invested meaningfully here.

The main camera uses a Sony IMX766 sensor at 50MP. This is the same sensor found in numerous premium Android smartphones, so expectations for image quality are reasonably well established. The large 1/1.56-inch format and all-pixel autofocus should deliver solid results in good light.

The night-vision camera is the headline differentiator. The 64MP OmniVision OV64B sensor is backed by four infrared LEDs and a dual-tone LED flash capable of 1.5A output. 8849 claims usable images in near-total darkness. This is genuinely useful for inspection work, security documentation, or field work in unlit environments.

The 32MP Sony IMX616 front camera is well specified for video calls and document scanning. For remote workers filing from a site office, the quality here matters more than it might for a consumer device.

Looking through my examples, the rear camera on this tablet produces some excellent results. The colour is accurate and not oversaturated, the edges of objects are crisp, and even the sky avoids being blown out. Using editing tools, it’s easy to get extra detail out of shadows and crop without making images appear blocky.

And, the 64MP Omnivision OV64B1B is one of the best choices for a night vision sensor, currently.

There are limited special photo modes, but you do get timelapse, super resolution, and QR codes, and there is a PRO mode. Video capture has scene modes and a full spectrum of resolutions from VGA up to 4K.

The only way this could get much better is if the optics had a proper zoom and not a digital one, but relatively few phones or tablets have that feature.

The only blot here is that 8849 wouldn’t pay for Widevine L1 encryption, so the best resolution you can stream from major providers is 480P, even if the screen would handle 1080p easily. Unfortunate, but a predictable limitation.

That point aside, this is one of the best camera solutions on a rugged tablet I’ve encountered, and for those doing surveys or wanting to capture property or vehicle damage, the provided tools are more than most will realistically need.

8849 TANK Pad Ultra Camera samples

• Camera score: 4/5

8849 TANK Pad Ultra: Performance

• Modern SoC
• Good battery life

The Dimensity 8200 platform performs comfortably in daily use. Android 15 runs without the stuttering or lag that can affect less powerful rugged tablets. Multitasking between field apps, maps, and documents is smooth.

Gaming performance is functional rather than flagship. The Mali-G610 MC6 GPU handles lighter titles well. Sustained gaming or graphics-intensive applications will cause throttling, as is typical for this class of chip under prolonged load.

The projector introduces a notable power draw. Thermal management under combined projector and processing load is an area worth monitoring in extended field scenarios. The device body will warm noticeably during sustained projection.

If we compare the 8200 with the 7400X that the Ulefone tablet uses, this SoC is roughly 25% quicker across the board, and better than that in graphics performance.

However, with great performance comes even greater power consumption. And, while the battery life of the machine looks good at 30 hours and 43 minutes, there is a caveat that the Ulefone device still had 27% of its battery unused when the benchmark aborted. Where the 8849 machine only had 5%, therefore the win should go to the Ulefone.

That said, this is more than enough capacity for most uses, and if curated, a running time of more than five days is easily within reach.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

8849 TANK Pad Ultra: Final verdict

For field engineers, survey teams, and outdoor professionals who project content regularly and need the clearest image possible from an integrated device, the Tank Pad Ultra earns a confident recommendation. For everyone else, the 8849 Tank Pad Ultra is the current high-water mark for built-in pico projection in a rugged tablet.

The leap from 100 lumens and 854x480 to 260 lumens and native 1080p is a generational step, not an incremental one. Add a Sony sensor main camera, a 64MP night-vision unit, a laser rangefinder, and a 23,400mAh battery at $690, and the value proposition is difficult to argue against.

The shortcomings are real but predictable. Sixty-six watts of charging is slow for a battery this large, even if it can manage a complete cycle in two hours. The device is heavy and thick by any standard other than the rugged-tablet category it occupies. The Dimensity 8200, while capable, is not a premium 2026 platform, even if it’s the exception to the rule that rugged tablets are typically underpowered.

Against the Ulefone Armor Pad 5 Ultra, its most direct rival, the Tank Pad Ultra wins on projector brightness, projector resolution, SoC power, weight and price. It loses on charging speed and the dual-floodlight provision. Which device wins depends entirely on which compromises suit your workflow, and how tight your budget is.

Should I buy a 8849 TANK Pad Ultra?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

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