Brooks has thrown a lot at the Hyperion Max 4, and unfortunately it’s a shoe that ends up being less than the sum of its parts, partly because all those parts make it way too heavy to be an effective speed shoe.

I enjoyed some of my runs in the Hyperion Max 4, which has a bouncy midsole and does perform well as a long-run cruiser, but if you’re in the market for a fast training shoe, I could name many others that I’d buy ahead of it, and almost all of them would cost less too.

It’s also very similar to its predecessor, so even if you were keen to pick it up, you’d be better off finding the Brooks Hyperion Max 3 on sale.

The Brooks Hyperion Max 4 has some good ingredients, most notably the springy DNA Gold foam, but the line needs a rethink to compete with the best running shoes in its category, like the excellent New Balance SC Rebel v1 or Hoka Mach X3.

Brooks Hyperion Max 4 review: price and availability

The Brooks Hyperion Max 4 launched in summer 2026 and costs $200 in the U.S. and £170 in the U.K., which is the same price as its predecessor.

It’s an expensive shoe, and while the price is around par for a plated super-trainer, the Hyperion Max 4 is undercut by some excellent fast training shoes like the Adidas Adizero Evo SL and Kiprun Kipstorm Tempo.

Brooks Hyperion Max 4 review: design and fit

The Brooks Hyperion Max 4 is currently available in four colors, including the white and yellow design I tested, which fit me well in my normal running shoe size.

It’s a very high stack shoe, standing 45mm tall at the heel and 39mm at the forefoot for a 6mm drop.

At 10.8oz in my US men’s size 10, the Hyperion Max 4 is not just heavy for a speed shoe; it’s pretty heavy even compared to most of the cushioned shoes for easy training I tested these days.

Upper

The Brooks Hyperion Max 4 has a mesh upper with padding around the collar of the shoe and a large, stiff internal heel counter at the back.

It’s not as thick and padded as the uppers on the brand’s cushioned shoes, like the Brooks Glycerin Max 2, but it’s still comfortable for long runs, though I think a thinner, more minimal upper would be good for cutting weight and making the shoe feel a bit quicker.

Midsole

Two foams are used in the midsole of the Hyperion Max 4, with the top layer being made from Brooks’ bouncy PEBA-based DNA Gold foam, and the bottom being a firmer supercritical EVA foam called DNA Flash v2.

In between these two foams runs a nylon plate that helps to stabilize the high stack and add some extra pop to your stride. The plate also creates a stiff feel to the ride, though it’s not as rigid as a carbon plate.

The Hyperion Max 4 has a rocker profile to help roll you from heel to toe smoothly with each step.

Outsole

A thick layer of rubber is used at the heel and forefoot of the shoe and while this is good for durability, using a thinner material would help reduce the weight of the Hyperion Max 4 for fast running.

One way the shoe has shed some weight is a large cutout on the medial side of the shoe, but the placement of this cutout reduces the stability of the Hyperion Max 4 and might encourage pronation (inward rolling of the foot) when landing.

Midsole cutouts are common on fast shoes to reduce weight, but many brands opt to remove a central section of foam rather than at the sides to limit the instability created.

Brooks Hyperion Max 4 review: running performance

I used the Hyperion Max 4 for a variety of training runs, including some easy efforts, a progression run, and an 18-mile long run including 15 steady miles at sub-6/min per mile pace.

I’ve tested all four generations of the shoe to date, and it changed a lot in the first three, but the fourth feels similar to the Brooks Hyperion Max 3 to me.

It’s big, it has some bounce and it rolls through smoothly, but the Hyperion Max 4 doesn’t feel great at faster paces. It’s too heavy and doesn’t have the nimble, aggressive feel of most speed shoes.

You can cruise along quite nicely in the shoe and it does have a comfortable and protective ride for long runs at a pace somewhere between easy and steady. However, at really easy paces, it feels a bit firm for me, and it isn’t especially stable because of the high stack and medial cutout.

In general, plated super-trainers like this are often among the most versatile shoes available in terms of the types of runs they work well for, but the Hyperion Max 4 doesn’t have that range — it’s cumbersome at fast paces and too stiff to truly enjoy on easy runs.

Should you buy the Brooks Hyperion Max 4?

I’d skip the Brooks Hyperion Max 4 if you’re in the market for a fast trainer right now, because there are many alternatives that offer a superior ride and/or better value.

The New Balance SC Rebel v1 is my favorite plated training shoe and while it’s also expensive, it delivers a truly fast and fun ride for workouts and can stand in for a full carbon super-shoe for races too.

More affordable speed shoes include the Adidas Evo SL, Skechers Aero Razor, and Kiprun Kipstorm Tempo, which are much lighter than the Brooks and have more energetic rides for workouts.

If you’re looking for more of an all-rounder, then the Asics Megablast is a little pricier than the Brooks, but much lighter and livelier on the run, and more enjoyable to use for easy or fast runs.

The Fitbit Charge 6 is one of the fitness trackers I've recommended the most over the past three years. Originally launched in 2023, a replacement has been long overdue, and for a while, I had my doubts we'd ever get one.

After all, when Google acquired Fitbit in 2021, it wasn't crystal clear what the tech giant's plans were for the brand. Would the Fitbit name live on, or would the best bits of Fitbit be chopped up for parts and fed to the more advanced Pixel Watch line?

Now we have our answer. The Fitbit line truly lives on with the launch of the 2026 Fitbit Edge, which I've been wearing for the past ten days.

A worthy replacement for the Fitbit Charge 6, the Fitbit Edge is better than its predecessor in nearly every way. Moreover, the Fitbit Edge feels like just the right amount of fitness tracker for most folks, which is why I highly recommend it.

Fitbit Edge: Specs compared

Fitbit Edge value: 4/5

• The Fitbit Edge costs roughly the same as its 2023 predecessor, accounting for inflation
• The optional Google Health Premium subscription is $9.99 a month or $99 a year and includes personalized AI-backed holistic trend reports, training tips, custom workout plans, and more

The Fitbit Edge is priced at $179 via Amazon and other major retailers, which is pretty close to the $159 launch price of its 2023 predecessor, accounting for inflation. It's also $79 more than the screen-free Fitbit Air, which also arrived this year.

Google offers the Fitbit Edge in an impressive range of case designs. Options include a Matte Black case with an Obsidian strap (shown here), a Satin Silver case with a "Fog" strap, a Satin Pyrite case with an Olive strap, a Champagne Gold case with a "Canyon" strap, and a Satin Pyrite case with a limited edition Stephen Curry band ($219).

There are also plenty of accessory straps in all styles and materials, including metal, silicone, and woven cloth to choose from for added personalization.

Fitbit Edge value: 4/5

Fitbit Edge design and display: 4.5/5

• Comfortable, highly customizable design with lots of strap options to choose from
• Aluminum case with 50 meters of water resistance
• Larger, brighter display than its predecessor, despite a similarly sized case design
• Google ditched the haptic button of the Fitbit Charge 6 for a more responsive physical button on the Fitbit Edge

The Fitbit Edge case is a tad larger and heavier than its predecessor to accommodate a bigger display. That said, the two feel pretty much indistinguishable once on the wrist.

Ultimately, I prefer the design of the newer model for several key reasons. While both the Fitbit Charge 6 and Fitbit Edge feature aluminum cases and 50 meters of water resistance (enough for surface-level swims, hand-washing, etc.), the Edge boasts a 1.34-inch AMOLED screen with 1,000 nits of max brightness that's far roomier and easier to view in direct sunlight than the Charge 6's 1.04-inch touchscreen with roughly 450 nits of max brightness.

In terms of controls, the Fitbit Charge 6 has a single haptic-style button on the side of the case that vibrates slightly when you press it. I've never been a huge fan, and I'm thankful that Google reverted to a physical, clickable button on the Edge's case.

Fitbit Edge design and display: 4.5/5

Fitbit Edge Health tracking: 4.5/5

• Detailed nightly sleep reports are on par with the best fitness trackers I've tested
• The Fitbit Edge supports Google's latest Health Guardian features, including breathing emergency alerts and loss of pulse detection
• The companion Google Health app is easy to navigate, with key vitals and metrics presented front and center, including your heart rate, HRV, breathing rate and quality, skin temperature, and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2)
• Some health tracking features require a Google Health Premium subscription, like insulin resistance and blood pressure trend reports

The Fitbit Edge is packed with all sorts of holistic tech to keep tabs on your heart health, sleep quality, body temperature fluctuations, breathing rate and quality, stress, women's health, and more.

I'm a particularly big fan of Google's detail-rich daily sleep reports, which include a numeric score out of 100 along with a rating, plus insights into time spent in various sleep stages, sleep interruptions, "sound sleep," and restlessness.

I also love Google's dynamic Readiness Score, also out of 100; it reflects how much effort you should put into physical fitness daily and is based on your resting heart rate, heart rate variability trends, and recent sleep quality. A low Readiness Score might also reflect an oncoming illness or general fatigue.

For example, my Readiness Score this morning was 65/100, which Google considers high. This means that I got solid recovery over the weekend, and I'm cleared for a hardcore workout this afternoon.

The Google Health app, which replaces the old Fitbit app, puts all your most important insights and metrics front and center on the main "Today" tab. That said, users can fully customize what appears. By default, the Today tab shows your current step count for the day, Readiness Score, sleep duration and score, and progress toward your weekly cardio goals.

Meanwhile, the Vitals tab is where you'll find your real-time cardiovascular insights beyond heart rate, including your heart rate variability (HRV), resting heart rate trends, blood oxygen saturation levels, and VO2 max, a measure of the maximum amount of oxygen your body uses during peak exercise.

The Edge also supports all of Google's Health Guardian features, like high and low heart rate alerts, breathing emergency alerts, and loss of pulse detection.

Finally, Google Health Premium subscribers get access to Google's new insulin resistance and blood pressure trend reports, something older Fitbit models don't support. The subscription also unlocks Google's AI-powered health concierge called "The Coach," which can help you set goals and better understand your real-time and long-term health data.

Fitbit Edge Health tracking: 4.5/5

Fitbit Edge fitness tracking: 4.5/5

• The Fitbit Edge has onboard GPS (unlike the Fitbit Air) and a barometric altimeter (unlike the Fitbit Charge 6) for precise location and elevation data
• The Fitbit Edge proved just as accurate at tracking a basic walking workout as the Strava app
• 50+ common workout types are supported, but auto-workout detection isn't always reliable
• Highly-personalized training plans, recovery advice, and more are available via the Google Health Premium subscription; the Edge ships with a trial to try before you buy

The Fitbit Edge has one clear advantage over its predecessor when it comes to fitness tracking: the inclusion of a barometric altimeter. This handy piece of tech is used to precisely log changes in elevation when tracking an outdoor workout. Not only does the Charge 6 lack an altimeter, but it also doesn't even report climb data.

In terms of accuracy, I tested the Fitbit Edge's outdoor workout tracking performance against the Strava app running on my iPhone 16 Plus during a particularly hilly ~2.5-mile walk around Seattle, Washington. Check out the results below.

The Edge logged nearly the exact same number of steps taken during the workout, along with remarkably similar elevation gain data. Distance data aligns slightly less well; the same goes for pace. Then again, Strava almost always logs a quicker pace than other tracking methods I've tested.

The Fitbit Edge additionally supports 50+ common workout types and can even auto-detect certain ones, like walks and runs, with hit-or-miss reliability. One of the downsides of the feature is that users need to perform a workout for 15 consecutive minutes before auto-detection kicks in.

This stipulation means that, as a newbie runner who tends to interval train with a mix of running and walking, I can't really rely on the Edge's auto-detection to log my training efforts.

Some of the Fitbit Edge's most impressive training tools and insights require a Google Health Premium subscription. Fortunately, the tracker ships with a three-month free trial.

Premium subscribers get personalized, adaptive training plans via Google's AI-powered "Coach," custom-tailored daily recommendations to build better workout and recovery habits, and access to Google's large library of fitness and mindfulness video content.

Fitbit Edge fitness tracking: 4.5/5

Fitbit Edge smart features: 2/5

• The Fitbit Edge isn't the wearable to get if you want smart features
• The Edge does support mirrored notifications and music control for paired Android and iOS devices
• Unlike the Fitbit Charge 6, the new Fitbit Edge lacks NFC for contactless payments

If you want smart features, the Fitbit Edge probably isn't the wearable for you. Instead, consider the Google Pixel Watch 5, one of the best smartwatches of 2026.

That said, the Fitbit Edge does work with both Android and iOS devices (unlike the Pixel Watch 5), with support for mirrored notifications and music/media control.

Unfortunately, unlike 2023's Fitbit Charge 6, the Fitbit Edge lacks onboard NFC for contactless payments.

Fitbit Edge smart features: 2/5

Fitbit Edge battery life: 4.5/5

• In my testing, the Edge surpassed its advertised battery life rating of seven days per charge
• That includes logging one ~45-minute workout per day during the test period
• The Fitbit Edge recharges from 0 to 100% in about 90 minutes, compared to a two-hour recharge time for the Fitbit Charge 6

Google rates the Fitbit Edge's battery life at seven days per charge with normal use, the same as its predecessor. However, in reality, the Fitbit Charge 6 lasts closer to five or six days per charge.

Fortunately, in my testing, the Fitbit Edge not only met the advertised rating, but surpassed it by a cool 24 hours. During the eight days of battery testing, the Edge rarely left my wrist, and I logged a roughly 45-minute outdoor workout using GPS each day of the test period.

The Fitbit Edge also recharges faster than its predecessor. Google claims a 90-minute recharge time from 0 to 100%. In my testing, it took the Edge roughly 90 minutes to go from 5% to 100%. By comparison, the Fitbit Charge 6 needs closer to two hours for a full recharge.

Fitbit Edge battery life: 4.5/5

Fitbit Edge review: Verdict

The Fitbit Edge is, in most regards, the perfect successor to the Fitbit Charge 6, with a bigger, brighter display, easier-to-use controls, more accurate elevation tracking, access to Google's latest/greatest health and safety features, and better battery performance, in an equally comfortable, similarly priced package.

Put another way, the Fitbit Edge offers nearly all of the best health and fitness features found in the latest Google Pixel Watch 5, for a fraction of the price (and in a smaller form factor).

But what about the lack of NFC for contactless payments? My theory is that Google needed to free up some space in the case for the barometric altimeter (used to track elevation), a tradeoff I fully support. After all, as an avid mountain adventurer, while paying for a coffee with my Fitbit sounds nice, accurate climb data is a whole lot nicer.

BenQ is no stranger to making some of the best monitors for macOS users, and now, the computing giant is venturing into the peripherals realm with INFTYLAB, a sub-brand dedicated to macOS accessories. I’ve spent a week using the BenQ INFTYLAB M Mouse PS01 which hopes to replace your Apple Magic Mouse, and I have to say: I’m impressed.

The PS01 delivers a smooth and responsive tracking experience, and it features dual scrolling wheels to streamline your workflow. In addition to that, you can map macOS gestures to its buttons via its user-friendly companion software. The mouse is ergonomic and comfortable, too, and it’s essentially the antithesis of the Apple Magic Mouse.

While it isn’t without its flaws, it’s arguably one of the best mice around. For the complete breakdown, read my full BenQ INFTYLAB M Mouse PS01 review.

BenQ INFTYLAB M Mouse PS01 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? An ergonomic mouse with dual scroll wheels and programmable MacBook trackpad gestures
• Who is it for? For macOS users and sedentary workers
• How much does it cost? $119 / £89
• What do we like? The ergonomic design, dual scroll wheels, customizable buttons, and user-friendly software
• What don’t we like? The lack of a left-handed version, and the price

BenQ INFTYLAB M Mouse PS01 review: Specs

BenQ INFTYLAB M Mouse PS01 review: The ups

There’s a lot to like about the BenQ INFTYLAB M Mouse PS01. It’s very comfortable and ergonomic, and sublime for productivity — especially if you’re a macOS user.

Supremely comfortable and ergonomic

There aren’t many macOS-first mice out there, and chances are, you’ve been recommended the Apple Magic Mouse ($79) to accompany your iMac, MacBook, what-have-you. But we all know that Apple’s first-party mouse is an ergonomic nightmare, and as someone who spends up to eight hours a day, five days a week at her desk, I can’t overstate the importance of an ergonomic mouse.

The BenQ INFTYLAB M Mouse PS01 is the perfect Magic Mouse alternative, primarily because it doesn’t hurt your hand or wrist. Measuring 4.53 x 2.85 x 1.63 inches, the PS01 is ideal for those with small- or medium-sized hands. The mouse has some height to it, similar to the Logitech MX Master 4 ($119), and my palm sat comfortably atop it. I found the PS01’s thumb rest very comfortable, too. Even after a full day of using the mouse, I didn’t feel any pain or discomfort in my hand, wrist or arm.

Another thing I love about the PS01 is its exceptional build quality. At 3 ounces, the mouse is lighter than the Logitech MX Master 4 (5.29 ounces) and the Logitech Signature Comfort Plus M850L ($49, 3.8 ounces), but it feels substantial in the hand, and doesn’t feel poorly built either. It uses high-quality plastic and aluminum (in its scroll wheel) to deliver a wonderful rodent. As a macOS peripheral, it feels and looks the part.

Dual scroll wheels

The BenQ INFTYLAB M Mouse PS01 is a productivity powerhouse, and is superb for anyone who spends their work week at a desk. In addition to its buttons that you can assign macOS gestures to, you get two scroll wheels. A vertical scroll wheel is located on the top, between the left- and right-click buttons, and a horizontal wheel is placed on the side.

As their names suggest, the free-moving top wheel enables up and down vertical scrolling, while the side wheel moves the cursor from side to side. As someone who navigates large spreadsheets and sometimes very long Slack threads, I love that the dual wheels streamline my workflow. I don’t really have to take my hand off the mouse and use my MacBook’s built-in trackpad for anything now.

And this brings me, very nicely, to my next point…

macOS gestures at your fingertips

If you’re thinking the BenQ INFTYLAB M Mouse PS01 features a touch-sensitive shell like the Apple Magic Mouse, I’m going to stop you right there. While it doesn’t feature a Multi-Touch surface, all of its buttons are customizable — and you can assign your trackpad-like gesture of choice to two of them.

By default, the top button (located right behind the scroll wheel) is programmed to take a screenshot. Meanwhile, the back button (located next to the horizontal scroll wheel) toggles Mission Control which displays all open windows. These can be customized via INFTYLAB Glide (more on that shortly). For example, I used the software to assign App Exposé to the back button as that’s something I use often when working on my MacBook Air M2.

I’ve found the buttons highly responsive. I love the tactile feedback they give when pressed. This applies to the other buttons, too. The left- and right-click buttons are not only quiet so they don’t disturb your coworkers, but they also feel tactile and not too soft. You get a maximum DPI of 6,000 which essentially increases the speed of your cursor. The PS01’s movements are smooth and fluid. Overall, it delivers an exceptional tracking experience.

User-friendly companion software

The BenQ INFTYLAB M Mouse PS01 is accompanied by the INFTYLAB Glide software, available for free on macOS as well as Windows. It looks and behaves like Logi Options+ and that’s no bad thing — it’s a compliment!

Sporting a clean interface with zero intrusive pop-ups or ads, Glide enables you to assign trackpad and Multi-Touch gestures to the PS01’s buttons. You can also adjust the mouse’s DPI (between 400 and 6,000), and of course, update its firmware.

You can also assign Quick Pie to one of the buttons, which displays your most-used commands in a circular menu, negating the need to memorize shortcuts. Once you’ve customized the mouse and selected your chosen settings, you can use the PS01 with any macOS device, as it saves the profile into its internal memory.

BenQ INFTYLAB M Mouse PS01 review: The downs

I had to really nitpick to find flaws in the BenQ INFTYLAB M Mouse PS01 — that’s because it’s a standout mouse. One thing worth noting is that there’s no left-handed version, and the mouse is a little expensive.

No left-handed version

If I had a nickel for every time I tested an ergonomic mouse that was designed for right-handed people only, I would have a few. I’m right-handed but I know left-handed folks, and work with one, too, and I know she isn’t happy about the BenQ INFTYLAB M Mouse PS01 being available in both orientations. I feel like if you’re making an ergonomic mouse, you have to consider both left- and right-handed users.

Like I said, this isn’t the first time I’ve encountered this issue. Other ergonomic mice, like the Logitech MX Master 4 and the Keychron M6 8K, come in the right-handed orientation only. It’s just a shame that the PS01 costs nearly $120 and isolates between 10% and 12% of the global population.

Expensive

If you’re on a budget, the BenQ INFTYLAB M Mouse PS01’s price tag might put a frown on your face. It has a retail price of $119 at B&H U.S. / £89 at BenQ U.K., which makes it one of the most expensive productivity mice I’ve tested — and the same price as the Logitech MX Master 4. In comparison, the Apple Magic Mouse starts at just $79 at Amazon U.S., but it’s nowhere near as ergonomic or comfortable as the PS01.

But turn that frown upside down because cheaper alternatives are available. The Keychron M6 8K is an MX Master 4 dupe and costs just $69, while the Keychron M7 is available for $49. You can also grab the Logitech MX Master 3S which is often on sale for around $79 at Amazon U.S. Of course, all of these mice are system-agnostic and don’t feature macOS-specific gestures, and the PS01 is worth the investment for its seamless Apple integration alone.

BenQ INFTYLAB M Mouse PS01 review: Verdict

For BenQ’s first macOS-specific mouse, the BenQ INFTYLAB M Mouse PS01 feels like a triumph. Its minimalist design makes it fit right into Apple’s ecosystem, and unlike the Apple Magic Mouse, it’s extremely comfortable and ergonomic. It’s equipped with dual scroll wheels, maximum DPI of 6,000 for smooth tracking, and you can even map macOS gestures to its buttons.

It isn’t perfect, though, as there’s no left-handed version, and it’s accompanied by a premium price tag. However, these flaws are overshadowed by everything else the PS01 does right. User-friendly companion software and productivity-first features make the mouse a great fit for any setup. At the end of the day, the PS01 is designed to streamline your workflow, and it excels at that.

Amazon’s Alexa Tablet 12 Pro ($499 to start) is an Android tablet that completely surprised me. As the flagship of the new Alexa tablet line, which effectively replaces Amazon Fire tablets, this slate runs on Android and is built to work seamlessly with Alexa+. While that integration is certainly a selling point, I’m truly impressed by the hardware that elevates this Android tablet above its peers and even puts it on par with the best iPads.

The sturdy aluminum unibody is great in hand, making it feel like a premium device. It’s also thin and light enough to hold comfortably for extended periods. My favorite feature is the 12-inch 2.8K display. Though it’s not an OLED, everything you see looks bright and colorful. The optional Nanomatte anti-glare option is also a huge game-changer.

This Alexa tablet runs full-blown Android, bringing Google Play services to an Amazon tablet for the first time. It also serves as an excellent replacement for the best Kindles. This helps make the Alexa tablet feel like an extension of the Amazon ecosystem, though that part might not matter much if you don’t already own Alexa devices or a Kindle.

After using the Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro as my daily driver for watching videos and reading for the better part of a week, I can comfortably say it’s one of the best Android tablets and best tablets right now. Sure, it’s not for everyone, but if you’re an Alexa user or want a slate with an anti-glare screen, you won’t go wrong here. Find out more in my full review.

Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? As its name suggests, the Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro is a slate built to work with the Alexa ecosystem. Beyond that, it’s an Android tablet that arguably rivals Apple’s entry-level iPad.
• Who is it for? This device is for folks who want a tablet that can control their Alexa devices or an Android slate with an anti-glare display.
• What does it cost? The Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro starts at $499 for a model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. For $150 more, you can add a Nanomatte display. The most expensive stand-alone model with 256GB of storage and a Nanomatte display costs $679. A productivity bundle that includes the Alexa Pro Keyboard and Alexa Pro Pen is also on sale for $799.
• What do we like? We like the sleek design, lovely display, Alexa+ integration, smooth performance, and long-lasting battery life.
• What don’t we like? We don’t like the high cost of upgrading storage and moving to the Nanomatte model. The peripherals can also get quite pricey.

Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro review: Specs

Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro review: The ups

The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro has a lot to offer, thanks to its superb display, sleek design, long battery life, and smart Alexa integration.

Sleek design

Amazon didn’t reinvent the wheel of tablet design, as the Alexa Tablet has the basic form of modern-day slates. That said, it’s a beautiful aluminum slab with a slim profile and elegant curves. The all-black chassis also gives the tablet an air of sophistication.

The design is decidedly minimalist. In landscape, the power button sits on the top-left edge, while the volume buttons sit on the top-left corner. The 8MP front camera lies right in the center, along the thin bezel. On the back, you’ll find the 13MP rear camera and the Alexa logo. Like most modern tablets, it has a single USB-C port on the right side, or bottom if you’re holding the tablet in portrait mode.

Speakers flank the left and right sides, and they’re pretty good for tablet audio. Dialogue-heavy podcasts and videos sound great, with clear, distinct voices. The speakers also do a good job with movies and TV shows that feature a wide range of audio. And while music can lack bass, it’s still plenty punchy and clear.

Vivid display

The 12-inch display on the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro is a wonder to behold. Everything appears crystal clear, thanks to the sharp 2800 x 1840 resolution that brings out even the smallest details. While this isn’t an OLED, it still delivers excellent contrast between dark and light elements. Colors are vivid, and the overall brightness never overwhelms.

I watched a lot of YouTube videos during my testing, and I loved how the matte display diffused the lighting in my living area. Whether it’s bright and bold animated series like Invincible or gritty action shows like Reacher, everything looks fantastic. I also appreciate how the matte display on this tablet doesn’t soften color nearly as much as I’ve seen on other devices utilizing similar tech.

How did the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro do in our display benchmarks? As you can see above, color reproduction (sRGB and DCI-P3) isn’t oversaturated, and color accuracy (Delta-E) matches other tablets and laptops we’ve tested.

The numbers line up with my experience, as I found the hues generally looked natural. HDR brightness doesn’t get as high as on other devices, but to my eyes, the brightness was just perfect. Numbers-wise, the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro is comparable to the Apple iPad 11.

The display on my review unit has a slightly rough texture that mimics paper, which is great for reading. Speaking of reading, comic books look gorgeous because the matte display slightly mutes colors, creating a more paper-like appearance. If you’re into reading digital comics like I am, this is arguably the best tablet for reading your favorite funnies.

Strong performance

The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro delivers solid performance for an Android tablet, thanks to its mid-range MediaTek Dimensity 8400 processor and 8GB of RAM. While this isn’t a workhorse tablet, it generally performs well for web browsing and video streaming. However, I noticed that performance slowed when I opened up multiple Chrome tabs and other apps.

On the Geekbench 6 CPU test, Amazon’s new tablet scored similarly to the Apple iPad 11 in both single- and multi-core performance. These results match my experience: throwing too much at Amazon’s slate makes it struggle.

You can certainly use this tablet for productivity, especially with its optional peripherals, but it won’t replace a traditional laptop. However, if you’re using Amazon’s slate mainly for entertainment and light work in Google Docs, its performance won’t disappoint.

Long battery life

The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro delivers excellent battery life. In our battery life test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi with the display set to 150 nits of brightness, the tablet endured for an astonishing 13 hours and 17 minutes! As you can see below, that’s almost two hours longer than the iPad 11.

During a stay-at-home weekend, when I sporadically watched YouTube videos and read comics and novels with the display at 70% brightness, the tablet generally dropped from 80% battery to the low 40s over 16 hours.

On weeknights when I’m only home in the evening, the battery drops by about 10% over four hours of use. This is more than enough for all-day usage!

Seamless Amazon ecosystem integration

The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro works great as a standalone slate, but it really shines as a hub for your Amazon devices and apps. As Amazon says, the tablet has the intelligence of Alexa+ and has built-in access to Google Play Store apps. And naturally, the tablet also works well as a Kindle.

I own an Amazon Echo Dot and have two smart lights that support Alexa. When I was winding down for the night, I could dim the lights right on the tablet instead of pulling out my phone to open the Alexa app. And if I wanted to fire up a song on my Echo Dot, I either typed or vocalized the request to the tablet. All of this was relatively seamless. If you don’t care to chat with Alexa, you can go into settings to swap to Google or Bing’s respective voice assistants.

I’m a fan of Kindles, so I loved using this tablet as another Kindle device. When you open the Kindle app, a fun wave-like animation washes across the screen. This isn’t just for show, as the tablet instantly lowers blue light and disables notifications to replicate the Kindle reading experience. This also helps extend battery life. I also like that it has three visual modes: full color, muted colors like on a Kindle Colorsoft, or full black and white.

If you own a lot of Alexa-supported devices, this Alexa tablet does a nice job of letting you control them all. It serves that purpose well, but it might not be a feature for everyone, which leads us into the next section…

Sharp cameras

If you want to look your best on video calls or snap some photos, the tablet’s front and rear cameras are up to the task. The front 8MP camera captures details of my face, clothing, and background, as you can see above.

Then there’s the 13MP back camera, which also captures details nicely. While I wouldn’t personally use a tablet to take selfies or capture video, I’m impressed by the strong resolution both cameras deliver.

Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro review: The downs

While the Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro is a great Android tablet, it has its drawbacks.

For Amazon users only

This is a very Alexa-centric tablet. That's clear the moment you see the home screen, where you’ll find an assortment of Amazon apps like Prime Video, Audible, Kindle, the Silk browser… and even Luna!

And since it runs on Android, you can also quickly access a slew of Google apps. If that wasn’t enough, UI elements like an Alexa+ widget in the bottom-right corner also remind you that this is an Alexa device.

All of this can be extremely handy for folks who often utilize Amazon and Google apps. I use many of the latter and several of the former, and it’s nice being able to access those apps quickly. However, if you’re not invested in the Amazon ecosystem, they might as well be bloatware, especially if you just want a no-frills Android tablet.

Speaking of Android, it’s still not nearly as snappy and consistent as iPadOS. There is always a slight bit of delay when scrolling through pages on sites and apps. I also had some apps take forever to load or completely crash unexpectedly. Those instances aren’t frequent, but they happen far more often than they do on an iPad.

Expensive peripherals

To get even more use from the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, you can purchase the Alexa Pro Keyboard and Alexa Pro Pen.

The Pro Keyboard isn't just for typing; it also doubles as a protective case for the tablet. This peripheral has a leather-like texture that feels good against your fingers and palms. The membrane keys are better than you’d expect for a tablet keyboard, with nice travel distance and even spacing. I don’t have problems typing on this keyboard, even with my big hands. I also like the dedicated Alexa button beside the arrow keys that instantly brings up the AI assistant.

The Pro Pen is a pretty great stylus, having a similar weight and feel to an Apple Pencil Pro. Thanks to the tablet’s matte texture, writing with the stylus (almost) feels like writing on paper. Writing notes in the margins of a Kindle book is almost identical to doing the same action on a Kindle Scribe — which makes sense given how they’re both Amazon devices.

While I think the Pro Keyboard and Pro Pen are excellent peripherals, they’re both pretty expensive — the former costs $149 and the latter $89. There’s currently a $799 bundle that saves you $120, but that’s still a steep price to pay on top of the tablet.

Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro review: Verdict

I enjoyed my time with the Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, as it’s a far better slate than I expected. Sure, Android can be somewhat sluggish, and I've rarely (if ever) needed to interact with Alexa+, but the excellent hardware ultimately won me over. The design is perfect, and the Nanomatte display makes for a wonderful viewing and reading experience. I also love how this tablet doubles as a Kindle.

Serious Alexa or Google users will find a lot to like about the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro. If you don’t fall into that category, the iPad 11 offers a more responsive, stable operating system and has almost all the apps and services on the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro. But if you liked what I had to say about this slate, then you should consider checking it out. You might end up loving it as much as I have!

The Amazon Kindle (2026) delivers several meaningful updates for Amazon’s popular e-reader. And while these upgrades make for a more pleasant reading experience, they come at a steeper price for this entry-level model.

Unlike the Amazon Kindle (2024) and prior iterations, the new Kindle features a flush display for a streamlined look, similar to the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Colorsoft. Like those two higher-end models, you can upgrade to a Kindle with an aluminum design. The power button is now on the right-hand side of the device instead of at the bottom.

This is certainly one of the best Kindles, but it’s not perfect. The main sticking point is the new $149 asking price — which is a lot for an e-reader without adjustable warm light. The new plastic design no longer feels cheap, but even that doesn’t make the $40 price bump easier to swallow. And if you want the aluminum version, prepare to pay $189.

If you’re brand-new to Kindles and want to see what they’re all about, the asking price might be worth it, since it still delivers a fantastic e-reading experience and a robust digital library. However, if you own an older model, you won’t miss much by skipping this iteration. Find out more in my full review of the Kindle (2026).

Amazon Kindle (2026) review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The new entry-level Kindle model, now featuring a more flush display, a new power button location, and an optional aluminum design.
• Who is it for? For those with very old Kindles or who want an aluminum Kindle.
• What does it cost? The new Kindle (2026) starts at $149 on Amazon. This model has 16GB of storage and is lockscreen ad-supported — which you can remove for an extra $20. The $189 aluminum model isn’t ad-supported and packs 32GB of storage.
• What do we like? We like the streamlined, uniform design, easy portability, sharp 6-inch display, and the optional aluminum design.
• What don’t we like? We don’t like the $50 price hike and the lack of adjustable warm light.

Amazon Kindle (2026) review: Specs

Amazon Kindle (2026) review: The ups

There’s a lot to like about the new Kindle, including its sharp, flush display, streamlined, portable design, snappy interface, and long battery life.

Streamlined design

The new Kindle has been streamlined with more rounded edges and a slightly thinner profile. The most immediate difference is that the display is now flush with the bezels, so there’s no longer a gap between them. Thanks to these changes, the Kindle now appears closer to the Paperwhite and Colorsoft, just smaller.

This Kindle has a plastic chassis, but it feels more premium thanks to its slightly rougher texture and rigidity. That “hollow” sound you’d experience when tapping the tablet’s back is completely gone. The bezels are generally the same size as before, especially the larger bottom one where you’d generally place your thumb when reading.

The other big change is that the power button has been repositioned from the bottom to the right-hand side. The Kindle Scribe also has its power button in the same location, so it’s good to see this and the other new Kindles follow suit. Not accidentally pressing the power button is a huge game-changer, and I’m glad Amazon finally fixed it.

My review unit came in the new Ube color, which is a fancy name for purple. Graphite (or black) is good for a more traditional look, but I’m a fan of Ube since it gives the Kindle some flair.

I also tested the aluminum model, and it's my favorite to hold because it feels like a smartphone. This model weighs slightly more than the non-aluminum model, but it doesn’t feel uncomfortable to hold even over long periods.

Sharp display

Aside from the flush design, the display is virtually identical to the previous one, with its 6-inch size and 300ppi resolution. This resolution matches that of the larger Kindles, so you still get a reading experience that’s pleasing and easy on the eyes.

There’s no adjustable warm light (more on that later), but as before, you can turn the brightness up fairly high or turn it off completely. But whether you read with the front lights on or off, the black text on white backgrounds looks sharp and defined. The same is true in dark mode. If you find it hard to read, you can always go into a book’s settings to adjust the font size, font type, line spacing, and more.

There’s a slight drawback for comic book fans. Unless you have excellent vision or don’t mind pinching and zooming, you’re going to have a hard time reading your favorite stories on this device due to the 6-inch screen. Manga, with its larger panels and often fewer dialogue balloons, fares a bit better, but the Kindle is best for reading standard text.

Lastly, while Amazon advertises that the Kindle has a glare-free display, that’s not entirely accurate. Don’t get me wrong, you get significantly less glare on this device than you would on a tablet with a glossy display. However, if you’re under direct sunlight, you’ll still see a diffuse glare. If that happens, you’ll need to adjust your viewing angle to compensate for the glare—or find a nice shaded area.

Long battery life

One of the best things about Kindles is their epic battery life, and this one is no different. Amazon says you can get 6 weeks of battery life on this device. While I haven’t used it long enough to test that claim, I expect this Kindle will last just as long on a single charge as older models I’ve used.

To get the 6 weeks of battery Amazon touts, you’ll need to shut off wireless, read about 30 minutes per day, and keep the backlight at 13. If you’re an avid reader, then you’ll likely read for much longer per day. You might also want to bump up the brightness. This will drain the battery faster, but you’ll likely still get a good two or three weeks before you need to recharge.

As for me, I read about an hour on a weekday and about two to three hours a day on the weekend, with the backlight off and Wi-Fi enabled. I’ve used the Kindle for about a week, and the battery is around 83%, down from 95% when I began reading. Doing the math, it’ll likely be a few more weeks before I have to recharge, which is awesome.

Excellent Kindle experience

If you’re familiar with Kindles, then you’ll be at home here, as it’s largely the same experience as before.

On the Home page, you’ll see a list of all the books you’re currently reading or have recently purchased from Amazon’s site or your Kindle. Directly below that is a “Top Picks For You” section that features books similar to those in your library. The same is true for the top Kindle Unlimited and other sections further down. For the most part, the recommendations are pretty spot on.

The Kindle's dropdown menu is the main hub for enabling settings such as airplane mode, Bluetooth, sync, brightness, and dark mode. You can also jump to the settings page from here. In the settings menu, you can view device information and wireless settings, but don't expect the kind of robust settings menu found on the best phones.

You get more options when you’re actually reading a book, as I mentioned before. Beyond those, you can skip to specific chapters, highlight words or sections, get dictionary definitions, and more. The dictionary feature is especially handy when reading old books with unfamiliar words.

Kindle store and Goodreads integrations are present, and they’re a nice way to easily purchase your next read or update friends on your book progress (respectively). Some aren’t fond of Goodreads, but it’s one of my favorite social platforms—and a good way to track how many books I’ve read each year.

Amazon Kindle (2026) review: The downs

Though I’m a big fan of the Kindle, it has some flaws worth discussing.

Steeper asking price

One of the entry-level Kindle’s main selling points was its relative affordability. While the new Kindle isn’t exorbitantly priced, it still stings that it costs $40 more than the previous model.

I can’t say the higher asking price won’t be worth it to everyone, as the upgrades do make for a better e-reader. However, as much as I appreciate the new chassis, repositioned power button, and flush display, they’re not essential — especially if you’re happy with the Kindle you own.

Amazon always has Kindle sales, especially during Black Friday or its own Amazon Prime Day events. So my advice is to wait for one of those times if you’re considering buying a new Kindle.

No warm light option

People weren’t happy that previous basic Kindles lacked adjustable warm light like the Paperwhite and Colorsoft. I always forgave this due to the Kindle’s relative affordability. However, at the new $149 sticker price, I think this should have been standard.

If you’re like me and mostly read with the Kindle’s lights off while sitting by an external light source, then you won’t miss adjustable warm light. But if you need a front-lit screen to help you read and you’re trying to minimize your exposure to blue light, you might be frustrated that you don’t have the warm light option.

Amazon Kindle (2026) review: Verdict

The basic Kindle is now more like its larger siblings, which is both a blessing and a curse. The flush display and sturdy design make it feel more premium. Objectively, this is the finest Kindle yet. However, those upgrades come at a cost, which puts the once super-affordable Kindle closer in price to the Paperwhite and Colorsoft — though those are also more expensive than before.

That said, if the price doesn’t deter you and you want a top-of-the-line basic Kindle, you won’t go wrong with this model. This is especially true if you splurge on the $189 aluminum model. If you’re using a Kindle that’s half a decade old, or if you’re brand-new to the Kindle ecosystem, you’ll be impressed by what this small wonder offers.

“What if this milk carton could play music?” is probably what the engineers over at Nothing asked themselves when they designed the CMF Speaker M. The M is Nothing’s budget sub-brand’s venture into the world of portable speakers, and for the most part, it’s a triumph. It’s beautifully (and whimsically) designed, comes with handy features like IP68 waterproofing, and delivers great sound (for the most part).

But few things in life are perfect, and the M isn’t one of them. It struggles with heavy tracks so I can’t, in good conscience, call it udderly delicious (see what I did there?). Battery life isn’t class-leading either, which makes the M’s price a hard pill to swallow.

To find out if this is the best Bluetooth speaker for you, read my full CMF Speaker M review.

CMF Speaker M review: Specs

CMF Speaker M review: What I like

• Whimsical, colorful design
• IP68 waterproof, NFC Fast Pair, and other features
• Great sound (for the most part)

There’s a lot to love about the CMF Speaker M. Its whimsical and colorful design is easily lovable, while its sound quality is great (for the most part). Throw in a user-friendly companion app and useful features, like IP68 waterproofing, and you’ve got yourself a winner.

Design

I’ve tested my fair share of Bluetooth speakers and I have to say, most of them look the same. Black rectangles or squares that don’t look appealing, per se, like the EarFun UBoom L ($79) and the Tribit XSound Go ($39). So when a funky-looking speaker lands on my desk, like the 8BitDo Retro Cube 2 ($49) or the Sodapop ($68), I’m over the moon.

The CMF Speaker M is one such gadget, and boy does it look good. Well, it looks like a milk carton, but it’s a good-looking milk carton. There’s a handle on top for easy transport, and a round volume dial that looks like a milk carton’s cap.

If you’re after a speaker that doesn’t just come in black or white, the M is for you. Alongside your run-of-the-mill colors, it comes in Turquoise or Orange, and having tested both, these look fantastic. The front panels can also be removed (by pushing the unlock button on the rear) if you want to mix and match colors.

Measuring 8.6 x 3.4 x 2.1 inches, the M is highly portable and doesn’t take up much space in your day bag. It weighs 1.3lbs so it’s heavier than the EarFun UBoom L (1.4lbs) and the Sodapop (10.6 ounces), but not too heavy that it weighs you down. If you want an ultra-portable speaker, you can’t go wrong with the JBL Go 5 ($54, 8.16 ounces), or the CMF Speaker S ($59), the M’s smaller sibling.

The M is a fairly stripped-back, minimalist speaker. There’s no flashy RGB lighting or loud branding. As CMF’s first portable speaker, it’s an aesthetic home run.

Features & connectivity

One of the CMF Speaker M’s biggest selling points is its rugged design. The speaker is IP68-rated, which is the highest possible rating a consumer-focused gadget can be assigned. That makes it waterproof and dustproof, so you can use it at the beach, in the shower, and even in a sandy desert. This is the same rating you’ll find on the JBL Go 5 and the pricier JBL Xtreme 5 ($399).

The M is well-connected, too. It utilizes Bluetooth 6.0 with support for AAC and SBC codecs, and there’s LC3 for Auracast multi-speaker pairing. There’s a Stereo Mode and a Party Mode. For Stereo Mode, you’ll need two Ms, which pair through the Nothing X app. Party Mode, on the other hand, enables you to connect two or more Auracast-enabled speakers by pressing their respective Auracast buttons. CMF sent me two review units and I found toggling both modes a breeze.

Alongside Google and Microsoft Fast Pair, one of the M’s edges is fitted with an NFC Fast Pair tag. This is a short-range wireless technology that lets electronic devices (so the speaker and your phone) share data when they are placed within a few centimeters of each other. I held my Google Pixel 10 Pro XL against it and within 10 seconds, I got a notification to pair my phone with the speaker.

I haven’t seen this feature on a speaker before, and I love that it simplifies (and speeds up) the pairing process. You can see how this works in the video above, where I tap a Samsung phone against the M's NFC tag.

Sound quality

For the most part, the CMF Speaker M sounds good, especially if you don’t listen much to heavy rock or metal. It’s got a slightly neutral tuning, and its 2.6-inch woofer and 0.6-inch tweeter deliver a 35W power/bass output. To test the speaker, I listened to my array of testing tracks on Qobuz, the best music streaming service for audiophiles.

Little Simz’s vocals in “Fear No Man” sounded deliciously detailed and textured, with her voice sitting front and center. The different percussion instruments, like the nine-piece bata drum ensemble, sounded bright but never overzealous or fatiguing. Her words didn’t bleed into one another either, making for an enjoyable listening experience.

“Two Suns in the Sunset” by Pink Floyd sounded beautiful, too. The soundstage felt wide and spacious as the saxophone and piano spread around. While the M doesn’t quite recreate the expansive depth of a larger speaker, like the JBL Xtreme 5, it keeps the track feeling engaging.

However, heavy tracks are a struggle. The guitar riffs, bass and percussion in “Unamerican” by Dead Sara blended into one another and fell flat. The low-end sounded suppressed, and Emily Armstrong’s vocals sounded shrill and tinny. Enabling the Ultra Bass EQ preset salvaged some of it, but even so, the track continued sounding like a muddy wall of sound.

For songs that aren’t very heavy and don’t feature rock ‘n’ roll elements, the M is a good shout and warrants a recommendation. But if you want a speaker that can handle anything you throw at it, the JBL Go 5 is the way to go.

Listen along to my review with the CMF Speaker M testing playlist:

App

The CMF Speaker M is accompanied by the Nothing X app which I’m a big fan of — I’ve previously sung its praises in my Nothing Headphone (1) Pro and Nothing Ear (3) reviews. The app sports a clean interface and is extremely intuitive to use.

It enables you to customize the M’s controls, toggle Stereo or Party Mode, choose an EQ preset, and most importantly, customize the equalizer to your liking (something missing from the 8BitDo Retro Cube 2). In a nutshell, the Nothing X app is great and doesn’t give you much to complain about.

CMF Speaker M review: What I don’t like

• Middling battery life
• A little expensive

As I mentioned earlier, the CMF Speaker M’s sound quality is great but it struggles with heavy tracks. Battery life isn’t the best either, and the speaker itself is expensive.

Battery life

The CMF Speaker M’s battery life is neither the best nor the worst. When playing at 50% volume with the Ultra Bass EQ preset enabled, the M is rated for 18 hours. Your mileage will naturally depend on volume, EQ and other playback settings. I left it running, playing at 60% volume, and the speaker promptly died after about 17 hours.

There are quite a few similarly priced or cheaper speakers that last longer than the M, like the Tribit XSound Go (24 hours), the Tribit StormBox Micro 3 ($64, 24 hours), the 8BitDo Retro Cube 2 (30 hours), and the Sodapop (30 hours). But there are also speakers that the M upstages, like the Marshall Willen II ($99, 17 hours), the EarFun UBoom L (16 hours), and the JBL Go 5 (10 hours).

Price

With middling battery life and lack of LDAC support, does the CMF Speaker M do enough to justify its price? It retails for $109 at Amazon U.S. / £99 at Nothing U.K., making it pricier than most of our favorite portable Bluetooth speakers — though a speaker like the Bose SoundLink Micro 2 ($129) does cost more. At $54, the JBL Go 5 comes in at half the M’s price and is, arguably, the compact speaker to get. If the M had been cheaper with a price tag of, say, $70, it would have made a more compelling case for itself.

CMF Speaker M compared

When it comes to visual aesthetics, there’s no other speaker like the CMF Speaker M. Most of its rivals, like the JBL Go 5 and the EarFun UBoom L, look like plain Janes (no offence to the Janes of the world). It also features NFC Fast Pair one-tap pairing which none of its competitors do, and just like the JBL Go 5, it’s IP68 dustproof and waterproof.

The M sounds better than a lot of its rivals, too, like the Tribit XSound Go, the Sodapop and the 8BitDo Retro Cube 2. But that doesn’t mean its sound quality is peerless — the JBL Go 5 upstages it there as the M struggles with heavy tracks. When it comes to battery life, the M is neither the best nor the worst, as it lasts longer than the JBL Go 5, the Marshall Willen II, and the EarFun UBoom L, but shorter than the likes of the 8BitDo Retro Cube 2.

At the end of the day, if you want full-bodied sound with plenty of low-end impact, I’d recommend the JBL Go 5 if you’re on a budget, or the Bose SoundLink Micro 2 if you can spare an extra $20. But if you’re after a speaker that looks much, much better than most others out there, the M is a no-brainer.

Who should buy the CMF Speaker M?

As with most Nothing products, if you care about owning a gadget that looks otherworldly, then the CMF Speaker M is for you. It’s stylish, sleek, colorful, and whimsical. It’s highly portable and IP68-rated, so if you enjoy taking a speaker to the beach, this is the one to get. As for sound quality, the M sounds great across most genres.

I say “most” because the speaker struggles with heavy rock and metal tracks, which is somewhat salvageable by customizing the EQ via the user-friendly companion app. And while battery life isn’t outright awful at 18 hours, the M’s competitors offer longer playtimes — especially at lower prices. If neither of those are dealbreakers for you, the M deserves a place on your coffee table or bookshelf.

I've tested a few Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon models over the years, and I've always been a fan. But while I enjoyed using them, I didn't like the fact that they were extremely difficult to repair if any internal components went haywire. The Gen 14 Aura Edition is the first version where Lenovo has actually addressed that.

Built around Intel's Panther Lake processors, the X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition still brings everything you'd expect from this line, including an absurdly light build, a fantastic keyboard, and a beautiful OLED display.

But this time around, Lenovo redesigned the internals around what it calls a "Space Frame," a smaller, double-sided system board that makes the device easier to repair or swap parts. Same weight and feel, but less of a headache if you ever need to pop the hood.

It's not a perfect machine, but if you want a laptop that can survive years of travel and IT tickets, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition deserves your consideration.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition is Lenovo's flagship 14-inch business ultraportable, running one of Intel's latest Panther Lake chips.
• Who is it for? Remote workers, traveling professionals, and anyone else who lives within spreadsheets and browser tabs.
• What does it cost? The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition starts around $2,139 with a base Full HD+ IPS display, 32GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. Our review unit, which came with an OLED display, 32GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD, lands at around $2,300. Max the whole thing out, and you're looking at upwards of $3,200.
• How's the performance? Everyday productivity work is a non-issue, and multi-core performance actually beats out similarly specced rivals like the Dell XPS 14. Just don't expect to do any real creative or gaming work on it. The integrated graphics are built for efficiency, not horsepower.
• What about the display? The optional 2.8K OLED panel is stunning. It's bright, colorful, sharp, and has a 120Hz refresh rate.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition review: Specs

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition review: The ups

Whenever it comes to a straight forward no-frills laptop for work, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a usual go-to. And the improvements made across the board reinforce its status.

An absurdly light build that's finally repairable

The first thing I noticed when I picked up the X1 Carbon Gen 14 was how little it weighs. At 2.15 pounds, I genuinely had to double-check my bag before leaving the office to make sure I packed it. That's a well-known selling point for the X1 Carbon line, but what's new here is what's on the inside.

Lenovo rebuilt the internal layout around a "Space Frame" design: a smaller, double-sided system board that shrinks the internal footprint by about 20% and leaves more room for modular components. The SSD, battery, keyboard, and USB-C ports are all replaceable now. It also gave Lenovo room to put in a larger fan, which is exactly what you want with a more powerful Panther Lake chip inside.

Older ThinkPads had a more complicated internal layout that made repairs tougher and hurt their sustainability, but with the Gen 14, you can get more life out of the computer instead of buying a new one when a single part goes south.

In a tech landscape that's been marred by RAM shortages and never-ending price increases, products that last matter more than ever. If you're the type of person who keeps their laptops until the wheels fall off, that matters a lot more than a marginal spec bump.

Dependable performance, but with a catch

I spent most of my review period using the X1 Carbon Gen 14 the way most will: writing, emailing, and juggling too many browser tabs. It handled every bit of that workload without a hitch, and its Panther Lake chip actually beat out pricier rivals in multi-core work.

Where it falls behind a bit is in the graphics department. Lenovo stuck with Intel's baseline integrated graphics here instead of the beefier Arc silicon that's in some other Panther Lake laptops, and it shows.

But that's the trade-off you make for a business laptop, and in my opinion, it's the right one for what this machine is built to do. As long as you stick to the basics and don't try to edit a feature film on this thing, you'll be more than happy with what you get.

An OLED display that's easy on the eyes

Splurge for the 2.8K OLED panel option, and you'll get one of the nicest displays I've tested at this price point. It's bright, sharp, and colorful, with excellent contrast and a 120Hz refresh rate that makes even basic scrolling feel smoother than ever.

Color gamut coverage comes in at around 82% DCI-P3, putting it right up there with the MacBook Pro and just a step behind the Asus Zenbook Duo.

If you don't care about the resolution bump or OLED contrast, the base 1920 x 1200 IPS panel is still a solid display, and it'll cost less in both price and battery life.

A keyboard that's still fantastic, and speakers I didn't expect to love

ThinkPads have been a staple in the "best laptop keyboard" conversation for years, and the X1 Carbon Gen 14 is no different.

The keys are cushioned but still have great tactile feedback, and the backlighting is actually bright enough to use in a dark room.

The TrackPoint nub is still tucked into the middle of the keyboard for the handful of people who use it, and the mechanical trackpad clicks with a satisfying amount of resistance.

I'm not usually impressed by stock speakers on a business laptop, but these caught me off guard. They're loud, clear, and the Dolby Atmos tuning adds a lot of depth to whatever you're listening to.

I normally use a pair of headphones with my laptop, but the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition made me reconsider that choice.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition review: The downs

But alas, the same things that are hitting the laptop market as a whole come to bite the X1 Carbon — namely RAMageddon.

The price adds up fast

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition is not a cheap laptop. The base configuration starts at around $2,139, and once you add the OLED display, more RAM, and extra storage, you're well past that.

Go all-in on a fully maxed-out build, and you can blow past $3,200 easily. Some individual upgrades are cheap on their own, but they add up quickly once you start checking more boxes.

Is it a dealbreaker? Not really. You're still getting a premium laptop for that money, and Lenovo runs sales often enough that you can usually save a few hundred bucks if you're patient. But if the price is a hard line for you, look at something like the Dell XPS 14 for a similar laptop at a lower price.

Battery life dips if you go OLED

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition had an okay battery life during my testing at 13 hours. That's not terrible, but it falls behind the Asus Zenbook Duo and is nowhere close to the MacBook Pro's roughly 16 hours.

Stick with the base IPS display instead, and you'll likely see better battery performance, so decide how much the OLED screen actually matters to you before you tick that box.

Not a laptop for graphics-heavy tasks

It's not exactly a shock given what this laptop is designed for, but the X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition isn't up for anything too graphics-intensive.

The integrated Intel graphics can handle everyday use just fine, but they fall short of competitors running higher-end integrated GPUs, let alone dedicated ones. If your day-to-day involves video editing or gaming, this isn't the laptop for you.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition: Verdict

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition isn't for everyone, but for the person who needs a laptop that can travel anywhere, handle everyday tasks, and last as long as possible, it's one of the better options out there.

The new "Space Frame" chassis is one of the most meaningful updates to this model, and Lenovo managed to include it without adding any weight to what was already one of the lightest 14-inch laptops around.

The keyboard is still one of the best you'll find on a laptop, the OLED display is beautiful, and the speakers genuinely caught me off guard. Just know what you're signing up for in price and graphics performance before going in.

If you're looking for an alternative, you can get a 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Pro chip for a similar price, which nets you more processing power and a much longer battery life.

But you won't get the same access to the MacBook's internals that you do with the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, so you'll have to decide which pros and cons matter most to you. If you'd rather spend less, the Dell XPS 14 is a close, budget-friendly option.

Flagship soundbars are always exciting to test. Enjoying blockbuster movies with best-of-the-best sound is, most definitely, one of the biggest perks of my job. And that’s exactly how I felt testing the Samsung Q990H. This is a flagship soundbar in (almost) every way — bass, dialogue, width; it’s got it all.

Is that enough to make it one of the best soundbars? It depends on how much you’re happy to spend. $2,000 is a lot of money, especially when soundbars like the JBL Bar 1300X MK2 exist for $300 less. SmartThings integration is a huge plus, especially if you have a Samsung TV, but I can’t tell you if that’s worth $300 over the JBL.

I’ll go through everything in detail, from design to subwoofer quality to Dolby Atmos performance in this Samsung Q990H review.

Samsung Q990H review: Specs

Samsung Q990H review: What I like

There’s so much to like about the Samsung Q990H — it is Samsung’s 2026 flagship, after all.

Supremely clear dialogue

The SmartThings app has a number of dialogue-enhancing settings: “Active Voice Amplifier Pro”, “Voice enhancement”, and individual channel EQs. Even so, I found dialogue sounded more than good enough without any of these additional features.

I test all soundbars with “Top Gun: Maverick” on 4K UHD Blu-ray, alongside two other UHD Blu-rays, standard TV on streaming services, and music on Spotify and Qobuz.

Dialogue in “Top Gun: Maverick” was extremely clear without additional dialogue features needed. In the busy bar scene, I could hear lead actors speaking clearly over the hubbub of the bar. “Top Gun: Maverick” also features tons of radioed dialogue in flying action sequences. I didn’t miss a single word. The screeching jet engines and soundtrack (“Won’t Get Fooled Again”) melded together nicely underneath the fuzzy dialogue. I could hear every layer of in-scene plane sound effects, each rich guitar chord, and every syllable of dialogue.

In “Super Mario Galaxy Movie”, dialogue was equally as clear. Just to reiterate, this was with zero dialogue enhancement features enabled. I could feel the texture in Bowser Jr.’s gravelly-yet-high-pitched voice.

“The Batman” features moody, mumbled dialogue for the majority of the movie. However, I never struggled to hear anything — neither the processed radio dialogue nor Robert Pattinson’s atmospheric voiceovers. Even in action scenes, I could make out every word. For such a broody, mumbled movie, this performance was excellent.

Even basic streaming services sounded good. Obviously, a basic-level stream will never sound as good as a UHD Blu-ray. I have Now TV’s cheapest tier (HBO for all you across-the-ponders), which uses Stereo audio — not even 5.1.

I’m not going to pretend this would impress any home cinema enthusiasts, but it’s the streaming service’s fault, not the soundbars. The Q990H did the best with what it was given; every word was clear, and I never struggled to understand dialogue.

Powerful bass

As I’d hope from a $2,000, 300-watt subwoofer, bass is great, with no distortion. “The Batman” was a particular standout here. My colleagues told me they could feel the subwoofer rumbling from downstairs, so I’m sorry, but I was having too much fun to care.

The brooding, ominous soundtrack carried a decadent depth to the low-end, bringing body to low-action scenes. High-action scenes were equally as dramatic, especially the iconic car chase and the club scenes. I could feel the subwoofer through the chair. If you long for cinematic lows and clear dialogue, you won’t be disappointed.

Music performance is decent for a soundbar, too. I listened via AirPlay. Bass in Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole” shook the floorboards without overpowering the falsetto vocals. Softer songs fared equally as well; “Kill Me” by Hayley Williams was delicate and controlled, and the texture in Williams’ voice came through.

Wireless subwoofer and rears

Unlike the Samsung QS750F ($899), the Q990H’s rears (and subwoofer) are truly wireless. Each rear speaker and the subwoofer require only a power cable. They sync up automatically as soon as they’re plugged in.

When I set up the Q990H, I only had to connect everything to power — the sub and rears did the hard work for me. I didn’t even have to set them up in Samsung’s SmartThings app, which I was initially expecting to do. This was one of the easiest soundbar setups I've had the pleasure of experiencing.

The rear speakers are excellent in some movies and middling in others: of all the content I watched, by far the best movie for surround was “The Batman”. The car chase scene was immensely immersive. The soundtrack, pouring rain, and screeching cars were controlled deftly, and the speakers separated high-frequency effects with skill.

Design, features, and SmartThings

Samsung soundbars really excel in terms of design. They all look more or less the same (except the Samsung Ultra Slim) — sleek, inconspicuous, and although quite plasticky, this doesn’t detract from the overall appearance.

Setup is also a breeze: I plugged all the elements in, hooked up the soundbar via HDMI, and I was listening in seconds. Samsung also provides a wall mount for the soundbar if that’s your thing. The rears don’t come with stands or mounts, but you can easily find third-party options online.

SmartThings is one of my favorite companion apps, and for good reason. It’s supremely easy to use, looks great, and is replete with genuinely beneficial features. No longer restricted to Samsung TVs, SpaceFit Sound Pro is Samsung’s proprietary room calibration feature. I was able to get this working with both an LG and a TCL TV. SpaceFit Sound Pro analyzes your room space to improve immersion. If you’ve got a bigger room, it will increase audio power to ensure you still get space-filling sound.

Without SpaceFit Sound Pro, “The Batman” still sounded immersive, particularly the rain sounds coming through the rear speakers. However, with SpaceFit Sound Pro enabled, the soundbar adjusted the center channel to make dialogue and OST clearer.

In SmartThings, you can also adjust individual channel volume, sub volume, and treble/bass volume. I adjusted the rears and side-firing channels to the maximum volume, but I didn’t notice a huge difference. More on that in the “What I didn’t like” section below, though.

Wireless listening

Now, this one comes with a caveat. You can use the Q990H wirelessly — if you have a compatible Samsung TV. As I test soundbars with LG and TCL TVs, I was unable to use this feature.

However, it’s still worth mentioning here. If you have a compatible Samsung TV (all Samsung TVs with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi), you’ll be able to use the soundbar without an HDMI cable.

Samsung Q990H review: What I don’t like

As much as I enjoyed listening to the Samsung Q990H, it missed out on a perfect 5-star rating for a reason.

Sound not immersive enough for $2,000

Even though I love the Q990H, it’s not perfect. Don’t get me wrong, it sounds fantastic, and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed… unless you’ve just dropped two grand.

At $2,000, there’s very little room for error. Nay, there’s zero room for error. You could spend just a little (!) more on the $2,500 KEF XIO or save money on the JBL Bar 1300X MK2 ($1,799). Honestly, I recommend the JBL Bar 1300X MK2 wholeheartedly. It’s by far the best bang-for-buck soundbar I’ve ever tested.

Anyway, back to the Samsung Q990H. You can adjust individual channel levels in SmartThings, but I didn’t notice this had a tangible difference. Width is great, but the Q990H doesn’t sound quite as high as I’d like for $2k.

As I discussed earlier, bass was a different story — I could feel every rumble of the jet engines in “Top Gun: Maverick” and the ominous soundtrack in “The Batman”. Music playback was also decent — soundbars are never excellent, though — but I wanted more from the surround speakers. Even on “Surround” mode, I wanted a stronger surround sound. The JBL Bar 1300X MK2 excels here.

Consequently, I’m reticent to recommend the Q990H widely unless you find it on sale.

How does the Samsung Q990H compare?

I would recommend the Samsung Q990H over some of the super high-end soundbars I’ve tested. Once you get to a certain price point, it might make a little more sense to invest in a buildable hi-fi setup (like floorstanders and loudspeakers).

For example, the $2,500 KEF XIO and $3,500 Yamaha True X Surround 90A both sound excellent. Don’t get me wrong, you won’t be disappointed by their sound. The Yamaha soundbar is one of the best Dolby Atmos products I’ve ever used. However, they’re both eye-wateringly expensive. $2,000 is the most I would ever recommend spending on a soundbar.

There’s another however here, though. $2,000 is still incredibly expensive for a soundbar. Even though the Q990H sounds fantastic, with expansive width and clear dialogue… $2k is $2k. When you can get more immersive performance from the JBL Bar 1300X MK2 and similar performance with the $999 Samsung QS90H or Sony Bravia Theater 7 ($1,099), I would recommend grabbing the Q990H on sale only.

Should you buy the Samsung Q990H?

It depends on your budget. Is $2,000 an easy amount for you to spend? Then you probably won’t be disappointed by the Samsung Q990H. Dialogue is honey-smooth and clear; bass is propulsive and energetic; Dolby Atmos is immersive and all-encompassing. The only thing missing is height, and that true cinematic experience.

If $2,000 is a lot for you (relatable), then I’d recommend checking out the JBL Bar 1300X MK2. This is by far the best bang-for-buck soundbar I’ve ever tested, with industry-leading audio power and immersion.

Of course, though, the Q990H is a fantastic soundbar in its own right, and well-deserving of the flagship name. It’s just really, really expensive.

One of the biggest barriers to buying a home treadmill is space. The best treadmills are not small, and finding room is tricky even if the machine folds down flat.

The Walking G5i treadmill doesn’t just fold down flat. It also folds in half, and ends up around the size of a large suitcase when it is in its folded position. It’s still heavy, but it’s much easier to maneuver and store when not in use than most treadmills.

Importantly, it’s also impressive when unfolded and actually in use. The top speed is low, especially given the high price, but the belt runs smoothly and the max incline setting is very high, so you can increase the intensity on your walks and runs.

It’s still a little underspecced for its price in my view, but the fully foldable design might make it worth the outlay for those short on space. If you have room, however, a treadmill like the Urevo CyberMega offers a higher top speed at a lower price.

WalkingPad G5i treadmill review: price and availability

The WalkingPad G5i treadmill costs $1,899 in the U.S. and £1,899 in the U.K., though it’s currently reduced to £1,599 in the latter and I’d expect fairly regular sales on the machine.

It’s an expensive machine, especially as for that kind of money you’d normally be looking at a gym-standard treadmill with a higher top speed and a larger design with a bigger running belt.

With the WalkingPad G5i you’re actually paying a premium for the smart folding design and its high max incline compared to other trifold models like the WalkingPad X218.

WalkingPad G5i treadmill review: design

The WalkingPad G5i arrives fully assembled, so you just need to open the box and unfold it to get started.

Folding the machine is simple to do using the foot lever, and once it’s fully assembled it feels remarkably sturdy — it didn’t feel any different to me during use than a treadmill that doesn’t fold in the middle of the belt.

When folded, it’s easier to lift and move around than treadmills that only fold flat or don’t fold at all, and you can stand it against a wall to save space, or slip it under a table.

The console has touch-sensitive buttons you can use to change the incline, pick a preset workout program, and quickly adjust to speed to one of three preset options.

There’s also a dial in the center you use to start and stop the treadmill and adjust the speed, which is done in 0.1 increments with each turn, so it can take a while to get up to speed at the start of a run.

On the top of the console is a phone or tablet holder that looks small, but was very effective in holding my iPad during runs. I worried that it would shake off, but it stayed firmly in place even when using the machine at high speed or incline settings.

WalkingPad G5i treadmill review: performance

I ran once or twice a week on the WalkingPad G5i treadmill over several weeks of marathon training.

The top speed of 10mph is not fast enough for my workouts and for the price I’d expect a top speed of 12-12.5mph, which you’ll find on other treadmills for less, but it’s still a reasonable top speed for a foldable machine.

I found that the WalkingPad G5i did run smoothly for long periods at its max speed as well. It feels sturdier than most folding models in this regard, and the belt is surprisingly spacious for a folding treadmill.

However, if I tried to change the incline when running at high speeds things did get shaky. Once the incline is set, the shaking settles down, but it takes a very long time for the machine to change the incline, which rises/lowers by one level at a time using the buttons on the console.

If you’re walking on the machine while changing the incline the shaking isn’t so noticeable, and very few people are going to be running on the WalkingPad G5i once it gets anywhere near its 18% max incline, because that is very steep indeed.

There are preset workouts you can pick using the P button on the console before you start, which are explained/previewed in the user manual, but it’s more convenient to set these workouts up and follow them using the partner KS Fit app.

WalkingPad G5i treadmill review: app

The partner app for the WalkingPad G5i is the KS Fit app, not the WalkingPad+ app, which I found constantly crashed and wouldn’t connect to the treadmill.

With the KS Fit app installed, things were much smoother. The app connects easily to the treadmill and maintains that connection, and you can use it to follow guided workouts and adjust the settings on the WalkingPad G5i during activities.

The app does stay in portrait mode even on an iPad though, which means the stats and info on show is a bit cramped.

There are a lot of walking and running workouts in the app, but even though a ‘coach’ does appear on screen to run with you during them, they’re not an instructor and don’t speak to guide or motivate you in the session.

It’s not as helpful or engaging as the fully guided classes with instructors you get with Peloton or Echelon, but the sessions are a good option if you just need a bit of variety or prompting in what to do in your workouts.

During testing I also tried to link the WalkingPad G5i with other apps like Zwift, but the connection never held. Fortunately I can link to Zwift on my Coros Pace 4 Pro running watch and use that to match my speed to the treadmill.

Should you buy the WalkingPad G5i treadmill?

The WalkingPad G5i offers something special in combining its tri-fold design with a very high max incline setting, which makes it great for people short on space who love doing intense walking workouts in particular.

It’s also a capable option for runners, though if you’re not worried about incline then the X Series models from WalkingPad offer the tri-fold design and higher max speeds at a lower price.

If you have room for a machine that only folds flat, the Urevo CyberMega impressed me in testing with its high top speed and powerful motor, and it costs $999.

I’d also consider looking at a Peloton or Echelon treadmill instead if you prefer to do instructor-led classes — the Echelon Stride-6s-10 is a good folding option, though more expensive than the WalkingPad G5i and you’ll also have to pay for a monthly subscription to unlock the classes.

The WalkingPad G5i did impress me in testing overall, but there are some better value alternatives out there if you don’t need its tri-fold/high incline combo.

I’ve tested well over 50 coffee makers now, and I’m 99.9% sure the Keurig K-Mini Mate is the smallest of the (electrical) lot. It’s just 3.9 inches wide — I really don’t think you can get much smaller than that. For cozy kitchens, this is one of the best coffee makers, hands-down.

So while I wouldn’t recommend it for espresso fanatics or coffee nerds, there’s definitely an audience here. If you’re the kind of coffee drinker who’d rather press a button for hot bean juice in seconds, you might just be that audience. No, it’s not going to win any taste or design awards — but have you seen that price? Yes, $59. No, that’s not a typo. $59!

Might the Keurig K-Mini Mate be the perfect small coffee maker for you? I’ll go through everything in this Keurig K-Mini Mate review.

Keurig K-Mini Mate review: Specs

Keurig K-Mini Mate review: Price & availability

The Keurig K-Mini Mate is extremely affordable — just $59 from Amazon. Keurig also makes the K-Mini Mate in three trendy colors, pastel pink, terracotta, and sage green, but this’ll cost $89.

The black model is the cheapest coffee maker Keurig sells. There’s the $88 Keurig K-Express, $99 Keurig K-Compact, $119 Keurig K-Mini Plus, and $149 Keurig K-Slim. Obviously, none are quite so affordable as the K-Mini Mate.

Other pod machines are also much pricier. Nespresso’s cheapest machine is the Nespresso Vertuo Pop+, $129. However, as someone who’s used both Nespresso and Keurig machines, Nespresso tends to taste better due to the espresso-like pressure extraction.

With the Keurig K-Mini Mate, you get what you pay for. Don’t expect anything other than “fine” — because “fine” is precisely how I’d describe this machine.

Keurig K-Mini Mate review: Design

The Keurig K-Mini Mate is the perfect single-serve coffee maker for small spaces. I’m thinking studio apartments, college dorms, even on your office desk. It’s just 4 inches wide, 9 inches tall, and 9 inches deep. I’ve seriously never even seen a coffee maker smaller than this (other than a manual one, like the AeroPress Clear Color).

Even the Keurig K-Slim is 0.7 inches wider than the K-Mini Mate. (Not so slim, now, eh?) Again, if you need the smallest coffee maker on the market, I completely recommend the K-Mini Mate.

As you might expect from a 4-inch-wide coffee maker, the water reservoir is a pretty small 12 ounces. This is enough for one cup at a time, or two small 6-ounce cups. I actually preferred the flavor of 6-ounce brews over 12-ounce brews, so take from that what you will.

Looks-wise, I mean, it’s $59. It’s a plasticky-yet-somehow-still-sleek machine. It does the job it says on the tin: brews coffee quickly with zero headache. Of course, you could opt for the prettier color versions, but this will cost you an extra $30. I am kind of frothing at the mouth looking at the terracotta one, though. I would probably go for that model if I were buying this for myself (or for my child at college).

While the Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ looks better, it’s also double the price. Obviously, I can’t tell you which machine will suit your needs, but if you have a little more money to spend and value aesthetics, I’d recommend looking into the Nespresso.

Keurig K-Mini Mate review: Performance

The K-Mini Mate is almost impossible to mess up. There’s one button. That’s it. All you need to do is put the K-Pod in the pod hole, press the single button, and put a cup under the spout. There’s no room for error here.

Here’s a photo of the K-Mini Mate during use. It takes two minutes to brew one cup, which is ready at drinking temperature. You don’t have to wait for it to cool. Also, you fill the water reservoir with however much you need. If you want a 12-ounce cup, you fill 12 ounces. Want a small or stronger cup? Just use less water.

As you can see, there’s really not much to it. One button, one spout, one mug for coffee in seconds. This is just as easy to use as any other Keurig and any Nespresso machine.

But how does it taste? Well, it’s $59. I wouldn’t recommend this for coffee snobs, but you get what you pay for here. I tested using Colombian and Italian roast pods. The Italian pods were richer and stronger, whereas the Colombian pods tasted a little more tea-like. In the office, three out of four people preferred the Italian pods.

Of course, not all pods taste the same. The beauty of Keurig machines is that you can get tons of different pods. You can get ten Starbucks pods for $9.99, which works out at $.99 per pod. You can also get 48 Keurig-branded donut shop pods for $25, $.53 per pod. Not to mention 96 McDonald’s-branded coffee pods for $45, $.47 per pod. So on and so forth — you get the picture. Keurig machines are versatile: you can adjust the flavor profile easily by buying different pods.

While both the pods I tried carried a vague plasticky taste, again, you get what you pay for here. You’re not going to find a pod machine this easy and this small for cheaper. The cheapest Nespresso is $129, and the next-cheapest Keurig is $88.

If you value ease of use over nuanced coffee flavors, the K-Mini Mate is for you. If not, I’d recommend getting something pricier like the Moccamaster Cup-One ($259), which makes single-serve drip coffee — and is accredited by the Specialty Coffee Association, meaning it brews to strict standards.

Keurig K-Mini Mate review: Storage & maintenance

As it’s less than four inches wide, storing the K-Mini Mate is as easy as making coffee on it. If you’ve got a palm-width of space in your kitchen, you’re good to go.

In terms of maintenance, the machine has a little “descale” light on the top. This will flash when the machine considers itself requiring a descale — between 3 and 6 months — but you’ll need to descale more often if you live in a hard water area. For context, I live in one of the hardest-water areas in the U.K., and I descale my Breville Bambino Plus once a month.

Keurig sells a 14-ounce bottle of descaling solution for $13.99. Durgol descaler, which Moccamaster recommends for its machines, is $13.95 for 8.2 ounces on Amazon, so the branded one is actually cheaper here.

Alright, now let’s address the elephant in the room: sustainability. How does one dispose of K-Pods without upsetting Mother Earth?

Keurig actually runs a pod recycling scheme. Obviously, you need to empty out the ground coffee and clean the pods first, but you can send the pods back to Keurig for recycling. This is great! Until you realize it’s $9.99 for a 96-pod bag. Yes, you need to pay for the privilege of recycling your pods.

This is outrageous. Keurig should not force recycling costs onto consumers — it should be absorbing these costs itself. People buy Keurig machines because they’re cheap, so why should these people also pay $10 to recycle their pods? This encourages plastic waste.

Nespresso’s pod recycling is completely free. You fill a prepaid bag with pods and send it back. That’s it. If you live in New York, you can even recycle the pods directly in your normal bin.

I was shocked when I saw that Keurig not only charges for recycling, but charges $10 per bag. Honestly? Because of this, I’d recommend Nespresso all the way. Within seven recycling bags, you’ve made your money back on the $129 Vertuo Up+.

However, Keurig also makes a reusable coffee filter ($14 at Amazon) you can refill with your preferred coffee, which is a much more environmentally friendly option.

Keurig K-Mini Mate review: How does it compare?

As the K-Mini Mate’s main competitors are other Keurig machines, let’s chat Keurigs. Which Keurig model is best for you?

The K-Mini Mate is the narrowest — it’s under 4 inches. The old K-Mini is just under 5 inches, so the Mate is considerably smaller. Every little helps! Next up is the K-Slim, which is 4.7 inches wide.

However, the K-Mini Mate is single-serve in every sense of the word. You’ll need to refill the water reservoir after every use, and it can only store one pod at once (the one you’re using). Unlike the Keurig K-Mini Plus, which has 9-pod storage in the machine itself, you’ll need to install and remove each pod.

If you’re looking for a Keurig with a bigger water tank (so you can make multiple drinks without needing to refill), you’d need to spend a little more on the bigger, pricier Keurig K-Supreme ($189).

Other Keurigs can make iced drinks (K-Brew+Chill, $199); some you can control the brewing temperature (K-Supreme Gen 2, $169); some dispense hot water for things like tea (Keurig K-Elite, $209). However, these are naturally much bigger (the Keurig K-Elite is 10 inches wide) and pricier.

Keurig K-Mini Mate review: Verdict

The Keurig K-Mini Mate is exactly what you’d expect from a $59 Keurig machine. It’s fine. No, it won’t impress serious coffee nerds, but that’s literally not the point. This is a machine for small apartments, college dorms, or offices.

If you’re low on space but want to make hot coffee easily every morning, I’d recommend the K-Mini Mate. For best-tasting brews, I’d also recommend grabbing the reusable K-Cup and filling it with your own coffee. This also means you don’t have to pay Keurig’s outrageous $10 pod recycling fee.

Small space, small budget? K-Mini Mate won’t let you down.

Having a separate keyboard and mouse is soooo old school — how about a keyboard that does both? The Clevetura S is designed for minimalist setups, and it’ll blow your mind. Its touch-sensitive keycaps turn into a trackpad that’s highly responsive, and even registers MacBook-specific gestures. The keyboard itself is great to type on, and customization is quick and easy via user-friendly software.

But how much would you pay for a keyboard that doubles as a mouse? If the answer is $200, the S’ price tag won’t make your eyes water — but that’s a lot of money! In the U.K., it’s even more. And while I’ve loved the typing experience, the keycaps are fingerprint magnets… and battery life isn’t the longest.

Is this still the best wireless keyboard for you? Read my full Clevetura S review.

Clevetura S review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A keyboard with touch-sensitive keycaps that turn it into a trackpad
• Who is it for? For people who travel a lot, or those with minimalist setups
• How much does it cost? It ain’t cheap — the Clevetura S is available for $199 / £290
• What do we like? The premium and portable design, trackpad capabilities, typing experience, and user-friendly software
• What don’t we like? The fingerprint-prone keycaps and the steep price

Clevetura S review: Specs

Clevetura S review: The ups

From its portable design and trackpad capabilities to the excellent typing experience, the Clevetura S doesn’t give you much to complain about.

Portable, durable design

You’re getting your money’s worth with the Clevetura S. This is an exceptionally well-built and good-looking keyboard. Its case is made of anodized aluminum and smooth polycarbonate, both of which make the keyboard super sturdy. There’s no flex in the body, something you usually get with cheap all-plastic keyboards.

The S is a very travel-friendly keyboard. It measures just 11.5 x 5.1 x 0.48 inches, so it’s ever-so-slightly shorter than an A4 sheet of paper. It weighs 15.17 ounces, so it’s a little lighter than other travel keyboards, like the NuPhy Air75 V3 ($139, 1.65lbs) and the Logitech MX Keys Mini ($99, 17.8 ounces). I’ve had no issues carrying the keyboard in my backpack to and from work.

In addition to its solid build quality, the S is a looker. It comes in either black or white, and in either macOS or Windows layouts. Clevetura sent me one of each, and I have to say, both look gorgeous. I love the minimalist design, and the per-key pastel-toned RGB lighting looks classy and not garish.

Another thing I love about the S is the flip-out feet that let you prop it up at an angle. I usually wouldn’t shout this out on a keyboard, but it’s difficult and costly to fit adjustable legs to an aluminum bottom case — like on the Epomaker Luma84 ($109). I will caveat that by saying that the S’ premium build quality is reflected in its steep price, and I’ll talk more about that shortly.

Doubles as a mouse

The Clevetura S is a unique keyboard since it doubles as a trackpad or mouse! It features TouchOnKeys touch-sensitive keys which automatically recognize whether you’re typing or using touchpad gestures. Basically, there’s a touch-sensitive layer under the keys which enables the keycaps to act as a trackpad.

Drag your finger across the keycaps and the on-screen cursor moves. Double-tap and drag, and you can select text in a Google Doc or the icons on your desktop. There are two click buttons located right under the spacebar, and these function as the left- and right-click buttons would on any mouse. The trackpad works on Windows, Linux, iPadOS, Apple TV and macOS — though you’ll need to configure it via the TouchOnKeys app when you use it for the first time with your MacBook.

What’s more, you can use macOS gestures! Once you’ve set up the keyboard via the macOS app (it takes about five minutes and you don’t have to do it again), you can use finger gestures like you can on your MacBook’s trackpad. You can spread your thumb and fingers apart to show the desktop, pinch your thumb and fingers to access Launchpad, swipe left or right with four fingers to move between Spaces, and more. You name it, the S’ trackpad can do it.

In theory, that all sounds great, but does it work in real-world use? Why, yes it does! I’ve been extremely impressed with the S’ trackpad and gestures. The keyboard registered every command instantly, and I’ve found the trackpad comfortable to use. As someone who uses MacBook-specific finger gestures a lot, I absolutely love that the S mimics them this well.

There is, of course, a steep learning curve before using the S’ trackpad becomes second nature, but after a day of using the keyboard, my fingers got the hang of it. This is a fantastic all-in-one keyboard for those who don’t want to carry a separate keyboard and mouse. I can see myself taking just this keyboard with me when I’m on the move — I’ll have more space for stuffing more tech into my day bag that way.

User-friendly companion app

To customize the Clevetura S, you’ll need to download the TouchOnKeys app — if you’re a macOS user, the app is a necessity. You’ll need to download the app, plug the keyboard in (it features a USB-C port), and only then will gestures become available over Bluetooth. It took me only five minutes. You don’t need to do any of that if you’re using the keyboard with, say, Windows.

The TouchOnKeys app is a joy to use. Sporting a minimalist interface that matches the S' general vibe, everything is well-signposted. You can create custom settings profiles for different apps, personalize three- and four-finger gestures and swipes, assign actions to Touch Sliders (Function row), and customize the RGB lighting. No complaints from me here.

Great to type on

I’ll be honest: I’m a mechanical keyboard die-hard, and I’ve achieved some of my fastest type test scores on the likes of the Epomaker Glyph ($139). But I’m no stranger to keyboards with scissor switches, having reviewed decks like the Logitech MX Keys S ($109).

The Clevetura S features low-profile scissor switches that provide good tactile feedback when pressed. They have a travel distance of 1.2mm and require 50g to 60g of force to activate. That’s much heavier than I’m used to — my trusty Epomaker Glyph’s switches require just 38g of force to activate.

But I haven’t found the S fatiguing to type on, thanks to its low-profile design — I even wrote this entire review on it! The low-profile design is also ergonomic and comfortable. Since the keyboard sits flush against your desk, you don’t need to raise your wrists too much to type. Even after a full day of typing, my wrists and fingers felt perfectly fine.

As soon as I unboxed the S, I took a typing test at 10fastfingers.com, and I achieved a speed of 95 words per minute with 90% accuracy. That’s either similar to or slightly better than other scissor-switch keyboards I’ve tested, as you can see from the table above.

Clevetura S review: The downs

It’s difficult to fault the Clevetura S, but it’s worth noting that its ABS keycaps are fingerprint magnets, and its battery life is short.

It costs HOW much?!

The Clevetura S is the first of its kind: a keyboard with touch-sensitive keys that negate the need for a separate mouse. It’s a very niche keyboard, but even so, I honestly wasn’t expecting it to cost this much. If you’re based in the States, you can grab the keyboard for $199 at Amazon U.S. That is already a lot, but if you’re in the U.K. (like I am), S costs a lot more at £290. Two hundred and ninety of the King’s pounds! Sorry, that’s a ludicrous amount of money.

Though I’ve tested my fair share of expensive keyboards, none has been as expensive as the S. I can’t even really recommend a cheaper alternative, as there aren’t any other touch-sensitive keyboards out there. If you don’t need touch-sensitive keys, the Logitech MX Keys Mini ($99) and the Keychron B2 Pro ($44) are outstanding portable keyboards with scissor switches.

Keycaps or fingerprint magnets?

There isn’t much wrong with the Clevetura S’ design or performance, but its keycaps are fingerprint magnets. The keyboard is fitted with ABS keycaps, which aren’t as durable or wear- and tear-resistant as their PBT counterparts. They feel soft to the touch but also slightly slippery — and they’re quick to attract fingerprints. Half an hour into testing, I could already see my fingerprints on my black review unit.

You can’t swap the ABS keycaps for PBT ones either. Clevetura advises against attempting to remove or rearrange the keycaps as they’re “an integral part of the TouchOnKeys technology.” Doing so can also permanently damage the device, and it will most certainly void the warranty.

I wouldn’t have minded the fingerprint magnets that much if the keyboard didn’t cost nearly $200. You could always get the S in white instead. My white review unit was quick to become shiny, too, but I couldn’t really see the fingerprints unless I was intently staring or looking for them.

Running out of juice

Frustratingly, the Clevetura S doesn’t have the longest battery life. With its RGB lighting enabled, it’s rated for just 44 hours. Turning the lighting off bumps that to approximately 10 days, but that pales in comparison to its rivals. The Logitech MX Keys Mini can last up to five months (backlight off), while the Keychron B2 Pro is rated for 300 hours of uninterrupted use. The Cherry KW 7100 Mini BT ($49) beats them all with its 18-month runtime, though.

Clevetura S review: Verdict

The Clevetura S feels like magic. It’s a keyboard whose touch-sensitive keycaps turn it into a trackpad or mouse, and they know when you’re typing or using gestures. It’s a novel concept on paper, and it works extremely well in practice. The keyboard is great to type on, and it’s highly portable. Oh, and its user-friendly companion app makes customization easy as pie.

But the S isn’t perfect. Its battery life isn’t the longest, and its keycaps are fingerprint magnets. It also costs an arm and a leg. But if you want a portable keyboard that streamlines your workflow by negating the need for a separate mouse, there’s no other like it.

I’ve been waiting for the Bird Buddy Home to make its debut longer than the swallows to come back to Capistrano.

The original Bird Buddy ushered in the age of the smart bird feeder, which not only gave you an up-close-and-personal look at the visitors to your feeder, but could also record photos and video and, thanks to AI, even identify your feathered or furred friends.

At CES 2026, the company introduced what was then called the BirdBuddy 2, its second generation feeder that uses the same camera as its Petal Smart Nature Camera. Initially, the feeder was supposed to ship in February (I received my review unit in January), but it was delayed a number of times; only now — in October — is it finally going on sale to the public.

So, I’ve had a lot of time to test this thing out. Now called the BirdBuddy Home, this feeder has a new 2K HDR camera module that lets you rotate it to capture horizontal or vertical photos and videos. The feeder itself has also been modified to fit more feed, and to make it easier to load in seed and clean everything.

So, after nearly 10 months sitting in my backyard, how does the BirdBuddy Home compare with the original?

BirdBuddy Home: Price and availability

The BirdBuddy Home is available starting today (Oct. 22) at BirdBuddy’s website for $219, and will be available at other retailers shortly after.

BirdBuddy is also launching a smaller version, the BirdBuddy Nook, which will cost $99 for the non-solar model, and $159 for the solar version. The nonsolar model will only be available at mybirdbuddy.com, while the solar model will be sold at most major retailers.

The original Birdbuddy Pro will be phased out, with remaining inventory available on Amazon through the end of 2026.

BirdBuddy Home: What I liked

The camera can rotate

With the original BirdBuddy, you were locked into a portrait-oriented video, which gave you a nice vertical view, but not so great side-to-side. It reminded me of the early days of video doorbells, where companies took off-the-shelf cameras that either gave you a narrow vertical view or a narrow horizontal view.

The BirdBuddy Home’s camera doesn’t solve that issue exactly, but it at least gives you the option of whether you want your videos in portrait or landscape orientation. All you have to do is rotate the camera in the feeder’s housing.

Hopefully, smart bird feeders will take a cue from the best video doorbells, and start using cameras that can take square videos.

The app has been improved

While not directly hardware-related, the BirdBuddy app has improved over time. One of the most recent additions has been a weekly recap of all your visitors, which makes it easy to see in one place who’s dropped by, stats on how many birds have visited, and more.

The app also makes it a cinch to scroll through videos and photos of all the birds, and seems to be fairly accurate when it comes to identifying species. I only get cardinals, blue jays, sparrows and wrens; it sometimes confuses the latter two, but you can change the identification with just a few taps.

There's also a host of other fun features, such as information on bird species, and the ability to check out feeds from other BirdBuddy feeders around the world.

It’s easier to fill and clean

I have my Bird Buddy mounted on a six-foot pole, so it’s somewhat easy to reach without me having to haul a ladder out every time I need to refill it. Like the original, there’s a triangular door at the top of the back of the feeder that swings open; on the newer model, the door is a bit larger, which makes it a lot easier to fill without spilling lots of seeds all over the ground. However, the company no longer ships the little filling cup that came with the original.

Also, all of the pieces pop off somewhat easily, so it’s much quicker to clean the inside of the feeder — an essential task to prevent diseases from spreading. However, as I found out, this leads to other issues…

BirdBuddy Home: What I didn’t like

It’s been chewed up by squirrels

One of the best attributes of the BirdBuddy Home is also its worst. It’s very easy to disassemble to clean, but the large opening in the bottom of the feeder makes it a lot easier for squirrels to empty it out quickly. Once those furry-tailed rodents found the feeder, they would drain it in a day or two. By comparison, the metal grate on the front of the BirdFy 2 Metal 4K feeder prevented the squirrels from eating all the seeds as quickly.

One other disadvantage of the BirdBuddy Home’s all-plastic design: When the squirrels couldn’t easily reach the seeds, they started chewing the front plastic section of the feeder.

It’s expensive

The BirdBuddy Home is available at Amazon for $219. That’s a lot to pay for a smart bird feeder. I can’t vouch for the competition, but you can find plenty of other models with higher-resolution cameras for less than $200. Currently, you can get the original BirdBuddy Pro Solar for $169 at BirdBuddy’s site; I recommend picking up that deal if you like what the company is offering.

There’s also the BirdBuddy Nook ($99/$159 for solar), which has the same camera, but a smaller reservoir, so you’ll be refilling it more often.

If you don’t want to pay a monthly subscription, you can record video at up to 2K resolution. If you want 2K Ultra (which records HDR content) or slow-motion (which captures video at 90 fps) you’ll need to pony up for a Premium subscription, which costs $69/year for an individual membership and $98/year for a family membership, which lets up to 10 invited members look at the feed from the camera.

Regardless of whether you have the free or paid tier, BirdBuddy only saves videos on its servers for seven days; if you want to save anything for posterity, you’ll need to save it to your in-app collection or download it.

One I dunno

Upgraded, but distorted visuals

I suspect the reason for the BirdBuddy Home’s delay was that the company was working on improving its camera quality. When I first received the device, it could only record in resolutions up to 1080p. A few months later, and it was upgraded to 2K. When that switch occurred, I was able to see much more detailed images, such as individual feathers on the birds, and strands of fur from the squirrels who regularly raided the feeder.

Compared to the BirdFy Metal 2K, the BirdBuddy’s video was better — not only was more of the frame in focus, but the camera did a better job at accounting for differing levels of brightness in the background. For example, it was able to capture the clouds in the sky more accurately.

However, images and videos are more distorted around the edges than they are with the original BirdBuddy. While birds and objects in the center look accurate, things such as seeds at the bottom in the foreground were stretched out so much they looked like grains of wild rice.

Within the last week, I’ve also noticed some water between the lens cover and the camera itself; while it doesn’t seem to have affected the quality of the video itself, it’s a little concerning.

I suspect the issue I experienced could be due to the fact that I had an early model. I reached out to BirdBuddy, and the company is sending me a new unit to test.

BirdBuddy Home: Verdict

I’ve had a BirdBuddy in my yard for more than three years at this point, and it’s been a real treat to see all the critters that come to the feeder. The BirdBuddy Home is a modest improvement on the previous generation, but not such a great leap that you should toss the model you have.

It’s nice that you can now pick between portrait or landscape videos, but I hope that the company can fix the lens distortion. And, a little bar of metal along the bottom of the feeder would probably help keep hungry squirrels at bay, if just for a little longer.

I honestly haven’t been this excited about a new iPhone since the iPhone X nearly a decade ago. The iPhone Duo finally gives Apple fans a foldable phone, and there’s something really cool about having a 5.4-inch iPhone that transforms into a 7.6-inch mini tablet in your pocket, complete with dual-app multitasking. Finally!

Apple’s first foldable phone doesn’t look or feel like a first attempt, either, because of the sheer attention to detail. The way the friction hinge holds nearly any angle. The seamless switching between the cover and main display with the same aspect ratio. And the nano-texture coating, which minimizes glare and the dreaded crease. I also like how the hardware and software play together, giving you several different modes. It feels like I’m playing with a $2,000 Transformer.

On the other hand, the Duo name is apt because I’m of two minds about it. While the first wave of iPhone Duo apps look great, many third-party apps aren’t optimized for this form factor (yet).

And then there’s the trade-offs versus the iPhone 18 Pro Max, such as the lack of a telephoto zoom and Face ID. I’ve spent the past week living with this $2,000 device as my daily driver. From the nano-texture display and battery life to real-world performance and software quirks, I’m going to answer all your most pressing questions in my full iPhone Duo review. And I'll keep adding questions and answers to my Duo review based on your feedback, so feel free to drop into the comments!

Who is the iPhone Duo for?

The iPhone Duo is for people who want a big screen on the go for watching videos and playing games, as well as for heavy multitaskers who want to run two apps at once. It’s for people who want a compact phone and tablet in a single device — and are willing to pay a hefty premium to get it.

For example, I used the iPhone Duo a lot during my commute to get caught up on Slack while watching “First Take” on YouTube TV in another window. And I could open spreadsheets without having to endlessly scroll. I think business travelers in particular are going to love this foldable.

Design

How does it feel and how is the weight?

My colleague Tony Polanco may have said it best when he picked up the iPhone Duo for the first time. He said “It feels like an iPhone.” And that’s a good way to sum up the build quality of this foldable.

The passport design has already been done by Samsung with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, but to me, Apple’s Duo feels a notch above. The asymmetrical design looks a bit weird at first, with the flat left side and rounded corners on the right, but it allowed Apple to offer identical 1.4:1 aspect ratios on both the cover and main display. And I think this makes the Duo feel more polished.

Speaking of which, the iPhone Duo’s polished titanium frame looks premium while being tougher than aluminum. This might sound minor but I also like that the Duo doesn’t wobble as much when placed on a table.

And I really dig the reassuring and satisfying clasping sound the Duo makes when you close it, thanks to the help of magnets.

On the other hand, the Duo is pretty chunky compared to the Fold 8. The iPhone Duo is the world’s thinnest iPhone when opened at 5.2mm thin, but it’s thicker than Samsung’s 4.5mm. And when closed the Duo is 16.5% thicker than the Fold 8.

I also felt the additional heft of the Duo when picking up both foldables. Still, the Duo slipped easily into my front jeans pocket without weighing me down.

What can you do with the hinge? What are all the modes?

The iPhone Duo’s hinge is super flexible yet rigid, thanks to a variable torque profile. There’s just the right amount of friction. And you can position the hinge at almost any angle you like for optimal viewing.

Even better, the iPhone Duo is smart enough to know how you’ve positioned the device and the software adapts (if the app is optimized). For example, when watching “Man of Steel” for the hundredth time on the Apple TV app, I could put the Duo in tabletop mode like a laptop, and it showed the video up top and the playback controls down below.

And when watching Ohio State vs Indiana on YouTube TV while writing this review, I put the Duo in tent mode on my desk so I could keep one eye on the action.

Apple also gives you a couple of Standby modes with the Duo. I turned this phone into an alarm clock at night in tent mode. And while I was working I half folded the phone in portrait mode to transform the Duo into a clock and digital photo frame.

You can even literally use the iPhone Duo as a mini laptop in apps like Notes where the keyboard takes up the bottom half of the display. And if you’re in Safari and half fold the screen in landscape mode the keyboard will automatically split, though I don’t find typing this way comfy.

How durable is it?

The iPhone Duo makes up for some of its girth with the fact that it has an IP68 rating. That means it's resistant to both dust and water. That’s better than the Fold 8’s water-only IP48 rating.

In addition to the Grade 5 Titanium frame, you also get a titanium hinge cover. And Ceramic Shield 2 protects the outer display while regular Ceramic Shield protects the back on the phone.

Apple employed a nano-texture cover layer on the main display using an advanced polymer that’s up to 40% stiffer than what competing foldables use, which is designed to prevent scratches and dents. This will come in handy for the Apple Pencil, whose support is coming with a software update.

What's going on with cracked iPhone Duo screens?

A small number of iPhone Duo owners have reported a cracking sound with their foldable phone, which has resulted in a broken display. Photos shared on Reddit show the iPhone Duo's inner display cracking from top to bottom alongside the hinge. Apple has promised to replace affected units, though stock remains low and customers may be forced to wait for a new unit.

Here's the official response from Apple: “We are aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units. If users experience issues with their iPhone Duo display, they should contact AppleCare for a replacement.”

Display

How good is the matte nano-texture display? And does it mute the colors?

I’m going to be honest. I’m torn about the iPhone Duo’s nano-texture display. Yes, I like this matte panel seriously reduces glare. And the paper-like texture feels especially nice when you’re reading ebooks. It almost feels like you’re flipping a real page.

But while the iPhone Duo’s main display gets plenty bright, it doesn’t offer the perfect blacks or vibrant hues I normally associate with OLED. When I played the “Avengers: Doomsday” trailer on the Duo and Fold 8, I preferred Samsung’s screen because of those inky blacks and richer colors, even though I could make out more details in the shadows on the Duo. Sometimes, glossy is better.

However, when I watched the same trailer outside, the Duo exhibited much less glare and the crease was a lot less prominent. Check it out in this video.

The front 5.4-inch display on the Duo is a more traditional glossy OLED panel, and I prefer the color saturation there. But it’s too small for me to watch a movie.

I do have to give a shout-out to the iPhone Duo’s designers for the under-display camera. They did a fantastic job hiding it when not in use. That’s thanks in part to the A20 Pro’s new display engine that blends the pixels around the area.

The iPhone Duo’s display fared well in our lab testing, reaching nearly 2,600 nits of brightness with HDR content. That’s slightly behind the Fold 8. The Fold 8’s panel offered comparable color reproduction and color accuracy.

Is there a visible crease?

This is where the nano-texture finish shines. I had a hard time making out the crease on the iPhone Duo while viewing content even when outside. It’s there, but you have to angle the display just right to see it.

On the Fold 8, Samsung Flex Titanium tech also does a great job minimizing the crease, but it’s more prominent. Though, to be fair, we’ve been opening and closing this foldable for over three months while the Duo is still fresh.

Is the front screen big enough for running apps? And how about typing?

The 5.4-inch cover display on the iPhone Duo is plenty bright, colorful and sharp, but its squatter dimensions means I could see less info at once in Gmail and Safari.

Still, the aspect ratio is great for scrolling through TikTok and Instagram. I easily got lost when watching a student in a Spider-Man outfit kick a $3 million field goal before the Notre Dame game.

And when it comes to cranking out quick replies to Slack messages or emails, the cover display is plenty wide for typing with two thumbs.

However, reaching the left side of the front screen can be a challenge. I had to stretch my thumb to reach those app icons.

Audio

How good are the speakers?

Surprisingly good! Apple positioned the speakers on the iPhone Duo so that when open they’re on the top left and bottom right. That means you get more balanced sound versus the Galaxy Fold 8, whose speakers are on the top and bottom left when open.

I played Batille’s “Save My Soul” on the iPhone Duo via Spotify and then switched to the Fold 8, and Apple’s foldable provided better bass and more well-round audio. Samsung’s sound was loud but tinny by comparison.

Touch ID

Is it a big deal that Face ID is gone?

I’ve already engaged some commenters in a debate on this and I haven’t changed my mind. Replacing Face ID with Touch ID on the iPhone Duo is a downgrade. The Touch ID sensor works perfectly fine, which is embedded in the oversized side button.

However, Touch ID introduces lag versus Face ID when unlocking your phone. Not a lot, just enough to be annoying. If you own an Apple Watch, you can unlock your iPhone Duo just by swiping up, but even that’s slower than Face ID. Come at me, bruh.

Software and Multitasking

Did Apple make the right call with redesigning iOS 27, and are lefties screwed?

The iPhone Duo runs a custom version of iOS 27 as opposed to iPadOS. This includes combining key status bar elements like battery life and signal strength into a circle in the top right corner. And the Dynamic Island pops out of the top right corner on both the cover display and big screen.

It took me time getting used to the dock on the right side of the display. The controls and menu items in your apps move to the right, too.

The bad news is that you can’t move the dock or app controls to the left side, which is a bummer if you’re lefty. And it’s clear Apple could do this if they wanted to. When you’re multitasking I noticed that the dock moves to the left on the left home screen view.

Apple is going to be rolling out a software update that improves reachability overall, but southpaws are generally still out of luck.

What is Split View multitasking like? Any downsides?

The iPhone Duo introduces dual-app multitasking for the first time on an iPhone, and it’s super intuitive. I just swiped up on an app I was using, like Messages, and then you see that you can dock it to the left or right side of the display.

From there, the iPhone home screen automatically appears on the other side of the screen. It’s like having two distinct desktops. As you’d expect, dragging and dropping items like photos works seamlessly.

I also like how easy Apple makes it to create app pairs. Simply tap the center of the bar in the middle of the main display. When you go back to the app switcher it will automatically show up.

However, I was annoyed to discover that turning the iPhone Duo to portrait mode temporarily breaks the Split View, leaving you with just a single app. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 gives you two skinny versions of the same app, which is better than nothing. At least when you turn the Duo back to landscape the app pair returns.

You can do a form of multitasking on the iPhone Duo in portrait mode. You can park a video player up top while running another app down below. But entering this mode requires hitting a tiny button rather than dragging and dropping the window. It’s a weird UI inconsistency.

Apps

What are the best iPhone Duo apps so far?

As you might expect, Apple’s own apps look fantastic on the Duo. For example, I love being able to quickly move between multiple tabs in Safari, and Notes and Messages have handy two-column layouts. Apple Music looks slick, too, with Liquid Glass menu items that persist on the right as you scroll.

But I was more intrigued to try third-party apps optimized for the iPhone Duo, and there are plenty of standouts so far. For example, the new Slack app gives you a dual-pane layout on the 7.6-inch display with your contacts and rooms on the left and messages on the right. The Fold 8’s version is a stretched out phone app with wasted space.

Netflix lets you scroll through mobile clips on the cover display. But the cooler effect is in the tabletop mode. The content in the top screen reflects on the bottom portion, complete with touch controls.

Instagram and TikTok have also been updated for the iPhone Duo. Scrolling videos in portrait mode on the main display is supper immersive, and if you flip the phone sideways you can load comments on the right.

Other iPhone Duo apps that take full advantage of the 7.6-inch display include Carrot Weather, Sonos, Gemini and OpenTable.

Another standout is Battlefleet. It’s just like playing Battleship, where you put the Duo in tabletop mode and launch missiles at the enemy on the top part of the display and position your own ships on the bottom half.

The Deck-Man app is nostalgic fun. It turns the Duo into a 80's-style Walkman, complete with all the buttons on the cover display. For more, check out my roundup of the best iPhone Duo apps so far.

How bad do non-optimized apps look?

Non-optimized apps for the iPhone Duo can range from looking a bit off to horrible.

Keeping in mind that many top apps will be updated by the Duo’s release date, I noticed that certain apps had huge black bars on the left and right side of the display, like Disney Plus and The Weather Channel.

Unoptimized games look pretty terrible, too, filling up only three quarters of the screen.

Other apps have been updated for iOS 27 but not for the Duo. So they will go close to full screen but still have a narrow black bar on the right side. This includes YouTube, though I appreciate that comments pop up on the right side during playback.

Gemini has a sleek dual-pane layout, as does Spotify, so you can see the player on the right and your stations on the left.

I just hope developers update their wares. Quickly. And I expect they will out of fear of sheer embarrassment.

Cameras

Do you really miss not having a telephoto zoom?

I think it’s a big deal that the iPhone Duo doesn’t have a telephoto lens. You get just a 48MP main and 48MP Ultrawide, which take great shots. But if you’re zooming in you’re going to miss the level of detail a dedicated optical can provide.

Check out this photo of a hot dog stand. The Sabrett sign is much sharper through the iPhone 18 Pro Max at 10x zoom, while the iPhone Duo’s image looks like a blurry water color. Same thing goes for this No Smoking sign at the same 10x. You can’t even make out smaller text on the Duo.

I also took a series of photos between the iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro Max of this dock at 2x, 4x, 8x and 10x. The Duo holds its own up until 8x and then things start to get fuzzy, like the text on the boat and engine.

Is the image quality good enough from the dual 48MP cameras?

The iPhone Duo’s main camera is quite capable, capturing bright and vibrant flowers in this shot. The Galaxy Fold 8’s image is brighter but looks a bit washed out and less crisp when I zoom in.

The Duo also does a good job with this shot of fruit inside Whole Foods. The oranges pop more on the iPhone versus the Fold 8’s image, but Samsung’s image has better focus on the lemons to the left.

I’m kind of torn on this portrait, as my face is brighter through the Fold 8. But I prefer the bokeh effect through the Duo, and my shirt and jacket have a lot more detail. It gets pretty fuzzy on Samsung zoomed in.

The 48MP ultrawide on the iPhone Duo impressed in my testing, too. It struggles a bit with the darkness of the fountain in the foreground, but the Fold 8 pumps up the brightness so much it blows out the buildings, and the trees look more natural through the iPhone.

I give the edge to the Fold 8 in this macro shot of a bright orange Zinnia. There’s more contrast and the Duo looks a bit flat.

In low light, the iPhone Duo wins hands-down. Check out this shot of Halloween decorations. The mystical hand and the fuzzy eyes and plant all look sharper versus the Fold 8.

How is the under-display FaceTime camera for selfies and video calls?

Lots of people have been asking me if the under-display FaceTime camera on the iPhone Duo is trash. And I’m happy to report that it’s not. It wouldn’t be my first pick for selfies, but it captures reasonably sharp images as you can see in this comparison with the Fold 8.

I calculated the resolution, since Apple doesn’t tell you the megapixels, and it’s 4.4MP. The Fold 8’s shot was 5.7MP.

I also used the FaceTime camera to have a call with my daughter. She said I looked fine but a bit grainy. I did like that I could prop up the Duo like a laptop so I didn’t have to hold the phone.

Just as with portraits, I found the iPhone Duo produced more detailed selfies with its 12MP Center Stage camera. But when taking selfies with the main 48MP camera I thought the Duo was neck and neck with Samsung.

However, it’s more intuitive to take selfies with the main camera on the Duo. You just flip the phone around with the camera on and swipe on the cover display. With the Fold 8 you have to press a button on the main screen first.

Is Smart Take worth it and what about the other camera modes?

I had the most fun testing the Smart Take feature on the iPhone Duo. I propped the foldable up, activated the Smart Take mode and then the Duo was smart enough to snap photos automatically as I struck different poses. It’s ideal for group shots where you want everyone in the frame — and don’t want to have to deal with a timer.

There’s also Duo Preview, which lets subjects see themselves on the cover display as you snap pics, and Kid Cue, which takes a page from Google’s Pixel Fold by displaying a cute Snoopy animation on the outer display, giving you a better chance of a smile.

Performance

Is there a foldable power penalty for the Duo?

The best thing I can say about the iPhone Duo is that it’s just about as fast as the iPhone 18 Pro Max, even though it has a larger screen to power and less thermal headroom.

When playing the UnGodly game on the Duo’s 7.6-inch display, the action was immersive and the graphics top-notch, complete with reflections and captivating special attacks like lightning strikes. I noticed a hint of slowdown at times, but not enough to ruin the fun.

The iPhone Duo also didn’t lag when running two apps side by side. I loaded several stories on ESPN.com on the left while playing Spotify on the right and pages still loaded quickly.

How much does the vapor chamber help with sustained performance?

Apple has made a big deal about offering vapor chamber cooling in the iPhone Duo, something the Galaxy Z Fold 8 lacks. But how does that translate to sustained performance?

To find out, we ran the 3D Mark Wild Life Extreme tests, which loops the same graphics benchmark 20 times before returning a stability score. The iPhone Duo hit 75.9%, compared to 72% for the Fold 8. The iPhone 18 Pro Max notched 79%, which makes sense because it has a thicker design and more room to dissipate heat.

We then geeked out with a thermal camera to see how well each foldable performed, and the iPhone Duo did a better job spreading out the heat evenly across the design. The Fold 8 had a hot spot to the right of the camera.

To be fair, though, the iPhone Duo hit a few degrees higher when measured with our laser thermometer on the back than the Fold 8.

Battery life and charging

Full disclosure: We had to redesign our battery test so that it filled the whole screen on the iPhone Duo. The Tom’s Guide Battery test surfs the web at 150 nits of brightness over 5G until the battery dies.

The iPhone Duo turned in a solid result, lasting 13 hours and 20 minutes. That’s over 3 hours longer than the Galaxy Fold 8, which we tested in the same room at the same time. But keep in mind that the iPhone 18 Pro Max lasted 17.5 hours under the same conditions.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 did last over 12 hours when we first received the device, so I’d say fresh out of the box the iPhone Duo is at worst an hour better. But since our test uses the live web, that’s not an apples-to-apples comparison.

Note that we ran this test with the iPhone Duo’s larger display.

In my anecdotal testing, which involved using the iPhone Duo for most of the day in mixed usage — including taking photos, gaming, downloading apps, playing music and checking Slack — the phone was down to 40% at the end of my day. That’s pretty solid endurance.

The iPhone Duo charges fairly quickly with Apple’s 40W charger (sold separately). It got to 42% in 15 minutes and 66% in 30 minutes. That’s good but not quite as good as the Fold 8’s 70% in half an hour.

Verdict

Is the iPhone Duo worth $2,000?

Do I think the iPhone Duo is worth two grand? Yes, as it’s only $100 more than the Galaxy Z Fold 8. And you get a more durable design, faster performance, longer battery life and smarter software. However, the Fold 8 is thinner and lighter, and it lets you run three or more apps compared to just two for the Duo.

I like the iPhone Duo’s nano texture display in that it greatly reduces glare outdoors and minimizes the crease better than any foldable I’ve tested. But you give up perfect blacks with this matte panel and more saturated colors versus the iPhone 18 Pro Max. You also sacrifice a telephoto lens and Face ID. I can live with those trade-offs, but that doesn’t mean I like them.

In a way it’s a good thing that the iPhone Duo is backordered for many until December or January. That will give developers plenty of time to update their offerings for this foldable. I don’t think it will take that long, though, based on the high demand.

Overall, though, I think the iPhone Duo is the best designed foldable yet with the most polished, intuitive and fun software experience.

Sensate vagus nerve stimulator: Review in brief

The Sensate is a non-invasive vagus nerve stimulator (nVNS). A smooth, pebble shaped gadget that sends out electrical pulses along the vagus nerve to de-stress the nervous system.

The idea is that during times of stress, you place the Sensate on your sternum, where it rests along the pathway of your vagus nerve.

From here it sends out vibrational pulses and infrasonic resonance (low frequency soundwaves). These help stimulate your vagus nerve, which should lower sympathetic nerve activity (fight or flight) and increase parasympathetic nerve activity (rest and digest).

You do this while listening to a calming soundscape via the app for between 10-30 minutes, as per Sensate’s recommendation.

While there are physiological ways of stimulating your vagus nerve for free (for example, humming, meditation and brief cold water exposure), the Sensate is a low-lift option that produces an immediate calming effect. Do you need it? Probably not, especially not for $299. However, as someone who struggles with underlying stress and subsequent 3 a.m. wake ups, I do recommend it.

I was even strongly tempted to wear it like an oversized necklace to a mildly fraught family lunch. But I abstained. Instead, I’ve been using the Sensate immediately after finishing work in order to decompress and transition into relaxation mode, and then once again before bed.

The combination of my blackout eye mask with soothing soundscapes and vibrational pulses is akin to taking a tranquilizer dart to the neck; I’m yet to use it before bed without falling straight asleep afterwards. Even better? My 3 a.m. wake-ups stopped.

It costs £299/ $299 which is pricey but compared to some other vagus nerve stimulators is pretty average. While the Nuropod, which is a nVNS that sits on your ear, retails at $900/ £599, other nVNS from brands such as Pulsetto and Truvaga cost in the region of £300/ $300.

Sensate vagus nerve stimulator review: Design & comfort

The Sensate is a smooth, pebble shaped device that sits comfortably in the palm of your hands. When in use, you can either rest it directly on your sternum while lying down, or, if you intend to use it while horizontal, you can wear it via its lanyard.

The vagus nerve is a long cranial nerve that runs from the brainstem to major organs, including the heart, lungs and digestive system. This interconnected system means different nVNS can all strive do the same thing, but be placed on different parts of the body.

For example, the Pulsetto nVNS sits around the neck like a collar, the Truvago targets your neck via a handheld device that requires an application gel, while the NuroPod clips on to the tragus of your ear.

In comparison, the Sensate seems like the easiest to use and most comfortable to wear. Placing it on your body isn't a fine science and it doesn't feel at all claustrophobic (I've struggled to get comfortable wearing sleep-inducing headbands before, such as the Elemind). Turn it on, open the app, place it on your chest and you're off.

Score: 4 out of 5

Sensate vagus nerve stimulator review: Performance

To give a 360° analysis of the Sensate, I tested it for a week, using it twice a day, for 10 minutes each time. Here's how I rate its performance.

Set up

The Sensate comes with a USB to USB-C charging cable, a travel pouch, lanyard and instruction pamphlet. Getting started is simple and only takes a few minutes.

First, download the app using the QR code provided. Hold down the button on the Sensate for half a second, and watch the power light turn on. From there, you can connect your device via Bluetooth and start your session.

Score: 3.5 out of 5

Features

The Sensate comes in two parts; the pebble shaped vagus nerve stimulator and the accompanying app, from where you can control your 'pebble.'

To start a session turn your device on, connect to the app and choose a soundscape and duration you like. Once the session begins, you will feel the infrasonic resonance as vibrational pulses that work in tandem with the soundscape. You can turn the vibration intensity up and down until you find a level which feels comfortable.

Combining the vagus nerve stimulation with an accompanying soothing sound isn't standard for consumer-focused nVNS but it's incredibly effective. It feels like a more holistic approach to reducing stress.

Score: 3.5 out of 5

Stress relief

Alongside a central role in the gut-brain connection, the vagus nerve is the main highway of the parasympathetic nervous system and helps the body manage stress and inflammation.

There are physiological ways you can stimulate the vagus nerve, like humming and deep breathing. However, the Sensate targets the nerve directly, using infrasonic resonance. These low frequency soundwaves trigger a parasympathetic nervous response. This is what helps take you out of fight or flight.

Sensate recommends sessions lasting between 10 and 30 minute during times of stress, or as part of a daily routine. I used mine at the end of my working day and again before bed.

The best way I can describe the Sensate is to say that it feels like lying down with a warm cat purring away on your chest. At the end of a particularly stressful day, I could practically feel my nervous system uncoil with every pulse. And during the night, my stress didn't wake me up at 3 a.m.

The combination of the blackout eye mask I wore during the sessions, the soundscape (which I stream through my Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 to block out any noise that might bring me back to real life) and the vibrational pulsing on my chest is incredibly effective.

In my mind, I follow the vibrational reach of the pulses across my chest, abdomen and even towards my toes. It's almost like I can feel my stress levels dropping in real time.

Curious to see if that was true, I put it to the test. Via my Apple Watch and a third party app, Welltory, I was able to record my stress levels before and after a session. I logged my stress levels before one session: 65% (medium), then again afterwards: 17% (low).

Score: 4

Sensate vagus nerve stimulator review: Should you buy it?

The Sensate is a consumer focused vagus nerve stimulator that offers a non pharmaceutical solution to daily stress. I tried the device for a week and found that it helped reduce my overall stress levels and instil a warm feeling of calm.

There are ways you can stimulate your vagus nerve for free, so I wouldn't say that you need the Sensate. You can almost recreate the relaxing experience through meditation or listening to a soundscape (minus the vibrational pulsing.) However, if daily stress is sabotaging your sleep and if you can afford it, I do recommend the Sensate.

It's a very low-lift option that you can grab, turn on and go. Ten minutes later, you'll likely feel more grounded and relaxed. But if you're not someone who feels stressed on a day to day basis, you can live without it. Try some deep breathing next time your anxiety levels tick upwards.

Sensate vagus nerve stimulator review: Alternatives

I don’t know what I’d do without my Wi-Fi speakers. It’s such an underrated product category — one I can definitely see blowing up in the next few years. Zero wires, play music straight from your phone, and it’s hi-res? Yes, please.

So of course I leapt at the chance to test out the Bluesound Pulse Flex. I tested the 2025 model, which is an upgraded version of the 2018 original Pulse Flex 2i. Seven years later, we’ve got some new features: double the power (25W to 50W), a gorgeous new design, and more streaming integrations.

Is all this newfangled tech enough to make it one of the best speakers? Argh, it came so close to an instant recommendation. While the sound quality is almost perfect and the rounded oblong-style design would look at home in any well-designed space, BluOS issues and a well-priced JBL competitor make it a little hard to recommend. Find out the full story in this Bluesound Pulse Flex review.

Bluesound Pulse Flex review: Specs

Bluesound Pulse Flex review: What I like

As a home speaker, you’d hope the Bluesound Pulse Flex looks and sounds premium — and this is true in both cases.

Fantastic sound quality

As you might expect for $379, the Bluesound Pulse Flex sounds incredible. I listened to a variety of genres on Qobuz, our best music streaming service for audiophiles, but I’ll just discuss three standouts here.

“flight fm” by Joy Orbison is an energetic electronic track with a heavy bassline and bright synths at the top of the soundstage. Despite its compact size and 50W power, the Pulse Flex delivered the bass with gusto. The floorboards were literally shaking — I felt the vibrations through my desk chair. Even though the low-end took most of the power, the higher-frequency sounds weren’t softened. Each sibilant snare synth held its own, a bite of brightness over top of the propulsive bassline.

Rock and grunge fared well, too. “Violet” by Hole sounded remarkably expansive — Courtney Love’s vocals carried reverb well, isolated even over the guitar-heavy soundscape. Each textured growl of Love’s voice thrashed its way out of the speaker. When I closed my eyes, I could almost convince myself I was at a Hole gig in the ‘90s. The vocals didn’t overpower the instrumentation, though. Cymbals crashed, and the snare drums pounded through the tiny speaker. Speaking of closing your eyes and pretending — you could easily believe this speaker was triple, quadruple, quintuple its size. It’s seriously powerful.

Lastly, I went for a softer track. Hayley Williams’ vocals were the sure-fire standout in “Kill Me.” This track is built over acoustic bass guitars and a prominent snare rhythm. I noticed some struggling in the coda, as if the speaker couldn’t isolate the over-processed guitar sections and Williams’ distorted vocals, so it pushed both layers together. In the second verse, I couldn’t hear Williams’ low harmony as well as through the Denon Home 400, but that’s a much bigger speaker.

While I was a touch disappointed by this performance, for 99/100 songs, the Pulse Flex still does a fantastic job. Treble is bright without erring on the side of tinniness, just as bass is energetic yet controlled. There’s a lovely U-shaped sound curve built into the speaker.

Of course, some genres are handled better than others. If you tend to listen to rock, pop, electronic, hip-hop rather than acoustic singer-songwriter or classical, you’ll likely never even notice that a quiet harmony isn’t as audible as it should be.

Design

You’d never be able to guess the Bluesound Pulse Flex’s size from listening to it. At just 5 inches wide and 7 inches tall, it’s positively adorable, but it packs a major punch.

In terms of appearance, the Pulse Flex is relatively inconspicuous, ideal for nestling on mantlepieces or the corner of a coffee table. I put mine on my TV stand, and its sound filled the living room while taking up just a few inches of space.

Build quality is decent, too. The fabric mesh casing looks sleek, just like the Denon Home 200, and the shiny Bluesound logo is a surprisingly pleasant touch. Buttons on top of the speaker control volume, play/pause, and presets, which you have to configure in the BluOS app — which I’m not a massive fan of, but more on that later.

Bluesound Pulse Flex review: What I don’t like

Even though I love the sound quality, I’m not going to pretend the Bluesound Pulse Cinema is flawless.

Price

At $379 (Amazon U.S.) and £299 (Amazon U.K.), the Bluesound Pulse Flex is not a budget-friendly speaker. While this price is, unfortunately, par for the course in the Wi-Fi category, you can still get much better value for money with a traditional Bluetooth speaker. Of course, these products have different use-cases and mostly different audiences, but if you’re short on cash, I’d wholeheartedly recommend a Bluetooth speaker, like the JBL Flip 7, or bookshelf speakers instead.

Naturally, Bluetooth speakers aren’t capable of playing music at 24-bit 192kHz, but bookshelf speakers are. If you only want to listen at home, I’d recommend saving your money and grabbing something like the Edifier R1280T. These speakers sound much better than their $120 price tag might suggest — and while you need a wired connection for hi-res playback, this is fine if you’re listening in your living room.

There are some Wi-Fi speakers at a more appealing price point. While I’ve not fully tested it yet, I’m working on reviewing the new JBL Cove M1, $229, which sounds awesome for the price. I’d recommend this model for the budget-conscious. The closest competitor, Denon Home 200, is $399, which is even more outrageous than the Bluesound.

Needs some quality-of-life improvements

I’m still waiting for a Wi-Fi speaker that can do it all. The Bluesound Pulse Flex isn’t quite there yet. Most of its issues reside in the BluOS app, like the Denon Home system’s problems are all HEOS-shaped. Sound-quality-wise, the Pulse Flex is awesome.

But when 99.9% of using the speaker is done through BluOS, it’s impossible to overlook. It’s simply not user-friendly at all.

I could only add one music streaming service to the homepage, despite me using both Spotify and Qobuz. Spotify and Qobuz both popped up in the “music sources” tab, but I want both on the homepage, too!

Furthermore, while playing music through the BluOS app, you can’t control it through your phone. You have to go into the app and fiddle with settings like volume manually. This isn’t the case with my Denon Home speaker system — if I’m listening via Qobuz either on the Qobuz app or the BluOS app, the song doesn’t show up on my lock screen. I have to open the respective apps to play/pause, change the song, or adjust the volume.

This was also an issue when I listened to the radio from the BluOS app. I couldn’t control the volume — or even see what I was listening to — from my homescreen. On top of that, I added players to my “Favorites”, but this tab always failed to load.

However, when I listened via Spotify, I could control this from my home screen. I would just skip playing through the app and instead play directly from your streaming service’s app using AirPlay or Google Cast.

If this is a Spotify/Qobuz/TuneIn issue rather than a BluOS issue, then I’m not sure what Bluesound can do about this. However, it does detract from the overall user experience, so it’s still worth noting.

Bluesound Pulse Flex review: How does it compare?

The Bluesound Pulse Flex’s biggest competition here is the Denon Home 200 and the JBL Cove M1. I’ve unfortunately not tested the Home 200, but I have thoroughly tested both the Home 400 and Home 600. And, while I’ve not published my review of the JBL Cove M1 yet, I have listened to it.

Neither the Denon Home line nor the JBL Cove have a proprietary on-board smart assistant — Denon utilizes Siri (when used in tandem with a HomePod) and JBL offers Alexa+. Obviously, none of these brands can hold a candle to Sonos, which has its own on-board smart assistant “Hey Sonos”. Like the Denon and JBL offerings, the Bluesound offers only a third-party smart assistant — Alexa.

I, unfortunately, do not have a HomePod nor Alexa, so I was unable to test this feature. However, if you have Alexa, great!

Just like the Denon Home 200 and the JBL Cove M1 can work as rear speakers for the Denon Home 550 and the JBL Bar 300MK2/500MK2, respectively, the Pulse Flex can be used as rears for the Bluesound Pulse Cinema.

In terms of sound quality, the Bluesound Pulse Flex is closer to the Denon line than the JBL. Again, I’ve not tested the Denon Home 200, but I do use the Home 400 and 600 every day. The Bluesound and Denon are more your hi-res Wi-Fi speakers with more control and finesse across the frequency range. Even so, the JBL M1 doesn’t sound bad — quite the opposite. It’s just a little bassier. If that’s what you want, then I’d recommend saving $$$ for the JBL.

Should you buy the Bluesound Pulse Flex?

If, for whatever reason, you don’t want to buy the $229 JBL Cove M1, the Bluesound Pulse Flex is a decent step up. I’d definitely recommend it over the $399 Denon Home 200. However, because the JBL option is so much cheaper with relatively similar performance, I’m more inclined to recommend that one wholeheartedly for people on a budget.

And $379 doesn’t give you a lot of wiggle room for substandard quality-of-life functionality, hence the 3.5-star rating. I’m sick of brands releasing fantastic audio products with subpar apps, because it makes me feel like Satan himself — marking down frankly excellent speakers for some misfiring 1s and 0s.

However, if you love the premium appearance of the Bluesound Pulse Flex, I can see reasons for buying it. Most importantly, it sounds incredible. Bass is tight yet powerful, and while treble and vocals tend to take center stage, nothing else is pushed back because of it. On top of that, it’s supremely easy to set up.

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort brings the series’ iconic motion-fueled gameplay to the Switch 2 with polished visuals, a couple of new sports and, of course, the return of fan-favorites like golf and bowling.

Instead of reinventing the wheel, this new, tropical-themed entry in the series builds on the groundwork laid by 2022’s Switch Sports. Of the 12 total activities in Switch Sports Resort, seven are directly from its predecessor. While Miis make a return as well, so too do Nintendo’s more modern and detailed Sportsmates avatars. However, instead of grinding online to earn Spocco Points to unlock new outfits and in-game items, you can now do so through both single-player and local multiplayer too.

In addition to changing its look and layout, Nintendo has added new ways to explore Wuhu Island. While you can fly around the island in a prop plane, you can also do so by water on a jet ski or even on the ground with your skateboard. Although these various traversal methods provide a nice break from the action, I still wish we had some other new sports besides skateboarding, thumb wrestling and the warm-up game jump rope. We might see some additional sports and activities added in a future update, though.

Having spent the past five days putting the game through its paces, Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is an absolute blast for both returning players and newcomers alike. But is it one of the best Nintendo Switch 2 games and a must play? Find out in my full review.

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort: The Basics

• What is it? The latest motion-party game in Nintendo’s popular sports franchise, packing 12 different events across the iconic Wuhu Island.
• Who is it for? Series veterans looking to revisit classic sports with upgraded visuals, as well as newcomers wanting an active, motion-controlled showcase for their Switch 2.
• What’s the price? Nintendo Switch Sports Resort costs $49 for the digital version or $59 for the physical edition.
• What other games has the developer made? Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is from the same internal Nintendo team behind 2022’s Nintendo Switch Sports and other active Switch titles like 1-2-Switch and Ring Fit Adventure.
• What games is it similar to? It combines the modern structure of 2022's Nintendo Switch Sports with the tropical setting, island exploration, and event roster of Wii Sports Resort.

Seeing Wuhu Island with new eyes

Although Switch Sports on the original Nintendo Switch was a massive visual leap, taking in the revamped Wuhu Island on Switch 2 in crisp 4K at a steady 60 fps is even more impressive.

From the first time I booted up the game, it was clear that Nintendo put a lot of polish into the visuals—from the island’s vibrant scenery all the way down to its crisp menus.

Switch Sports Resort retains the fun, cartoony look of its predecessor, but details like clothing textures and water reflections really pop on the new hardware. Character models feature noticeably smoother edges, and the courses you compete on look cleaner than ever thanks to enhanced anti-aliasing.

While this is fundamentally a return to Wuhu Island, the care and attention to detail across the board almost make it feel like you’re experiencing this classic tropical resort for the first time, even as a veteran player.

Exploring by air, land and sea

Taking to the skies in Prop Plane to shoot down balloons was first introduced in Wii Sports Resort, but thanks to key tweaks and more responsive controls, it feels even better than before. This time around, you also collect photographs of key landmarks around Wuhu Island while holding a single Joy-Con 2 flat in your hand like a paper airplane.

Both my 4-year-old son and I had a lot of fun trying to see and collect everything in Prop Plane. However, this isn’t the only way to traverse Wuhu Island. Aboard a jet ski in Power Cruising, you can do the same thing on the water while holding two Joy-Con 2 controllers extended in front of you like handlebars. Twisting one controller up like a throttle for a quick speed boost never got old, either.

Finally, you can take to the streets (and even the grass) on your skateboard to explore Wuhu Island from the ground. This uses a Joy-Con 2 in mouse mode, and my son took to this control scheme almost instantly after playing Drag x Drive on the Switch 2. Far from an accurate portrayal of skateboarding, this activity’s arcadey feel provided a great break from competing in the rest of the game’s traditional sports.

Sharper slices, tighter controls

There have been plenty of games — from Donkey Kong Bananza to the excellent port of Cyberpunk 2077 — that showcase the Switch 2’s added power and graphical capabilities. However, Switch Sports Resort is the first to really highlight what its Joy-Con 2 controllers can do.

Much like the jump from Wii Remotes to the original Joy-Cons, the Joy-Con 2’s enhanced motion tracking makes every sport and activity in this game feel significantly more responsive. Outside of my time on the golf course, this upgrade stood out most while playing Table Tennis. Quick wrist flicks to return a fast serve felt almost instantaneous, and thanks to the tighter tracking, shots I didn't think I'd reach somehow landed right on my opponent’s side of the table.

Chasing the Island Crown

One of the biggest criticisms of Switch Sports was how the game focused heavily on online multiplayer. Though you could play by yourself, there wasn’t much incentive to do so — you couldn't collect Spocco Points unless you were playing in the game’s restricted Trial Mode. Fortunately, Nintendo Switch Sports Resort fixes this with a dedicated single-player mode that offers a clear progression path.

In Island Crown mode, you take on increasingly difficult CPU opponents across nine different sports — from Archery to Volleyball — to boost your rank. Once you reach the top of a sport's ladder, you go head-to-head against formidable Island Champions, including returning Wii Sports Mii legend Matt.

While you can occasionally jump multiple spots when playing particularly well, each sport features 20 distinct opponents to defeat. Given the sheer depth across all nine sports, I focused primarily on Golf. Climbing the bottom ranks by playing three-hole matches was breezy enough, but things got noticeably tougher — though never unfair — as I closed in on the Island Champion.

Even if you don’t have family or friends nearby or an active Nintendo Switch Online membership, Island Crown mode delivers a beefy single-player campaign to keep you coming back for more. It’s also a good way to practice before your next game night.

Local parties, global lobbies

With just a single Switch 2 console, you can play Switch Sports Resort locally with up to four players. When playing head-to-head sports like Tennis, Table Tennis, and Volleyball, a single Joy-Con 2 per player is all you need. If you don’t want to pick up an extra pair of Joy-Con 2 controllers, you can also use Joy-Cons from your original Switch to play every sport except Skateboarding — which makes local couch co-op a whole lot more accessible.

Even though this was his first time using motion controls, my son took to Switch Sports Resort quickly. After trying out a few activities on his own, we each grabbed a Joy-Con 2 and played through several matches together. While we had a blast with Table Tennis, his favorite was Boxing. There’s a fair bit of strategy with blocking and weaving, but he happily delivered punch after punch until both he and his avatar were out of breath.

Given that I played Switch Sports Resort ahead of its official launch, my online multiplayer sessions were spent alongside fellow journalists and Nintendo representatives. We had a great time bowling, golfing, aiming for targets in Archery, and stepping into the boxing ring. In Golf, for instance, I joined an eight-player match and managed to come out on top after a few tight holes. Then in Knockout Bowling, a full 16-player roster was whittled down round by round until I once again emerged victorious.

Whether I was on the golf course — playing classic holes from Wii Sports mixed with courses from Switch Sports — or on the lanes, I really enjoyed watching other players take their turns while throwing up emoji-style reactions between shots. Online play felt remarkably smooth without any noticeable lag, offering a fun, lively change of pace from local co-op and Island Crown mode.

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort review: Verdict

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is a triumphant return to form for Nintendo’s active, motion-based gameplay, complete with crisp, upgraded 4K visuals. Exploring the redesigned Wuhu Island by air, land, and sea helps break up the action, while the new Island Crown mode gives you a genuine reason to keep playing when friends go home or you're offline. While I certainly would’ve liked to see a few more sports added to the initial lineup, Thumb Wrestling is a blast and the way Skateboarding utilizes the new Joy-Con 2 is genuinely clever.

Although you can play several of these activities in Switch Sports, Wuhu Island’s tropical resort setting ties everything together beautifully. Whether you’re a seasoned Wii Sports veteran or looking to introduce your own kids to the joy of motion gaming, Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is a delightfully polished experience — one that will likely only get better as future updates arrive.

SnoozeBand Original Sleep Headphones review: Review in brief

A few weeks back I visited a friend who shares a wall with a rambunctious neighbor. I was up half the night listening to drunken covers of Sweet Caroline. She slept through it all, thanks to her SnoozeBand Bluetooth Sleep Headband. I had to put it to the test. Does the SnoozeBand Original deserve a place among the best sleep headphones?

After testing it, the Snoozeband has become my secret weapon to falling asleep faster when I need to listen to something in order to nod off but don't want anything in my ear. Whether I'm staying at my friend's house with her karaoke-loving neighbors or I'm trying to sleep when travelling, the Snoozeband offers a comfortable cocoon to stream white noise and block out distractions.

The thin speakers, soft band and breathable design ensures the SnoozeBand is comfortable all night long. Yes, even for side sleepers. You might feel some light pressure on the ears but a quick readjustment should put a stop to it. I've tested a couple of Bluetooth sleep bands and the SnoozeBand has the thinnest speakers I've come across.

It's also super portable. You can tuck the band into your pocket while traveling, making plane journeys a touch nicer. But be aware, the mask delivers sound masking rather than total blocking. I found it covered most traffic but could only soften snoring.

As headphones, the audio's at its best when you're listening to simple white noise and ambient sounds. Things that don't require richness or clarity but provide enough masking to help you nod off, essentially. Stick on your favorite playlist and you'll notice distortion. And you might spot some sound leaking, which didn't happen with ambient fan noise — and which your partner might not appreciate.

The basic SnoozeBand starts at £39.99 in the UK, with some designs £44.99. In the US, all options are $49.99. So no reason not to splash out on Blush Pink. Standard delivery is free for all UK orders or $3.49 in the US. But it is free over $70, so keep that in mind if you're planning some holiday shopping. A 1-year warranty and 15-night trial is included.

Compared to the MUSICOZY, the SnoozeBand is a touch pricey. But the brand promises the thin speakers and high quality band are worth the difference. And the comfortable fit does justify the price, in my opinion. Although MUSICOZY is better for budget shoppers.

The SnoozeBand Original is a convenient and comfortable way to block out unwanted noise, whether that's loud neighbors or persistent traffic. It won't completely cover snoring but it will muffle it, particularly if you opt for low drone brown noise — and you'll find plenty of options in the SnoozeBand app, a free feature that provides you access to a vast sleep library.

SnoozeBand Original Sleep Headphones review: Features

The SnoozeBand Original consists of an elasticated headband fitted with two disk speakers and a central control panel. The stretch combined with the movable speakers means it should fit most heads, but some larger hat sizes might feel the squeeze. It's also relatively breathable, although on warm nights expect a sweaty forehead.

A control panel allows you to turn the SnoozeBand on and pair with your phone. You can also change track, adjust volume, answer calls and set a timer.

As well as a simple design, the SnoozeBand Original has simple functionality. It uses speakers to deliver consistent sound as you sleep, without putting anything in your ear. You can connect this to your chosen streaming service or meditation app. Or you can link up to SnoozeBand's app, which is preloaded with sleep-friendly sounds at sleep-friendly durations.

SnoozeBand also has an auto-off timer, to preserve the battery. But if you do want your sounds going all night (or journey, if you're wearing it while travelling), the estimated 10-hour battery life should have your back.

Beyond audio it's only other function is an ability to answer calls.

SnoozeBand Original Sleep Headphones review: Performance

I've been using the SnoozeBand for three weeks, assessing it in key areas of performance. Here's what I've learned.

Set up

The SnoozeBand Original uses Bluetooth 5.2 to connect to your smart device. It's simple enough but while my connection has never dropped, it sometimes takes a moment to connect.

You can connect to your chosen streaming service, a mediation app like Calm or Better Sleep, or SnoozeBand's app (more on that below.)

Then you just have to familiarize yourself with the buttons. Do that before you get in bed and turn off the lights, or expect some mistakes.

For my money, it's a little confusing that you change track by tapping and adjust volume by holding the button. I instinctively try it the other way. But that's a minor preference and probably based on my headphones. (JLAB Go Pods, FYI.)

Audio and sleep sounds

It's best to be upfront: sleep headbands are never going to deliver clear, crisp audio. Especially not for under $50. If you want high fidelity audio, I recommend the premium Soundcore A30 sleep ear buds instead.

But for a headband, it's not bad. The quality is at its best when you're listening to white noise or ambient sounds — nothing that puts too much pressure on the clarity. Spoken word is also decent, if perhaps a little blurred.

For your everyday listening, the SnoozeBand won't replace your go-to headphones. But they get the job done. I've just been to Iceland so celebrated with some Sigur Rós, which came through thin and sharp, rather than rich and layered. In my room, it was a disappointment. But during a jog or on a plane, I could overlook the audio flaws for the convenience and comfort of the SnoozeBand.

The app itself is easy to use (as well as optional.) Its packed sleep library includes masking sounds, binaural beats and meditations.

For me, however, the main benefit of the app is the timer function. While the mask itself allows you to set an auto-off for one or two hours, the app delivers shorter, more precise timings. That means I can enjoy just 30 minutes of ambient train noises, at which point I should be asleep without too much battery strain.

Battery

SnoozeBand promises a 10-hour battery life. Which, with the auto-off function, should ensure multiple nights of use.

Even better, if you don't want to stop the disco, a full battery should see you through the night (and then some.)

I've had the SnoozeBand on the desk next to me for over ten hours in one go and the battery was going strong. The SnoozeBand also charges quickly, going from dead to full in under two hours.

But for an even more powerful battery, check out the Silk Sound Sleep Mask, which can go for over 20 hours.

Pervious sleep headbands I've tested have had diminishing returns when it comes to battery life. But I've trawled the SnoozeBand reviews and seen little mention of it.

SnoozeBand Original Sleep Headphones review: Should you buy?

The SnoozeBand Original Bluetooth Sleep Headphones allow you to wind-down with your favorite white noise without hurting your ears or disturbing the person next to you.

Comfort is its greatest benefit. The material is soft and (relative to other sleep bands I've tested) breathable. The speakers are also impressively slim, minimizing pressure against the ear.

The audio quality is fine, although music comes out tinny. But simple sleep sounds are clear and guided mediations crisp enough. Add on the impressive battery life and you can comfortably listen to hours and hours and hours of waterfalls, trains, or something the (optional) SnoozeBand app calls "Quiet Cosmos."

There are some notable downsides, however. The band stretches but isn't adjustable, which makes it too tight for some heads. Plus, it's pricier than some alternatives. And while it masks most sounds, it won't entirely block snoring.

But if your white noise machine is bothering your partner, or your neighbors are butchering a Neil Diamond classic, the SnoozeBand is the comfortable solution.

SnoozeBand Original Sleep Headphones review: Alternatives