I can precisely pinpoint the moment Onimusha: Way of the Sword won me over. During one of the game’s many boss battles, I was being repeatedly crushed. I died so often that the “game over” screen even asked me if I wanted to lower the difficulty. Undeterred, I persisted. Eventually, when I did defeat the boss, I needed only one of my six available healing items.

It was a hard-fought victory, coming after around 30 minutes of repeated defeat, and by the end I had memorized the boss's moveset and knew how to counter each attack. It was a deeply rewarding encounter. It gave me the sort of satisfaction that makes Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice one of my favorite video games. Onimusha offers those same intoxicating highs.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword is at its best in these epic moments. When it’s just you and an imposing foe clashing steel, timing your parries perfectly to deflect a blow that might have been fatal. While it struggles to maintain a consistent difficulty level and lacks enemy variety, the highs in this new Onimusha game make up for most of its shortcomings.

With Resident Evil: Requiem and Pragmata already under its belt in 2026, Capcom is having an incredible year, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword is another winner that keeps the Japanese company’s “Golden Era” going.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword: The Basics

• What is it? The first new Onimusha game in 20 years, Way of the Sword is a third-person action game that casts you as a samurai trying to stop malice spreading throughout Kyoto.
• Who is it for? Long-time Onimusha fans will surely flock to this new installment, but action game fans, particularly those with a passion for parry-based combat, will greatly enjoy Way of the Sword.
• What’s the price? Onimusha: Way of the Sword costs $69 at Amazon. Collectors will want to grab the Steelbook Edition for $74, which includes a steelbook with striking artwork.
• What other games has the developer made? Onimusha: Way of the Sword comes from Capcom, whose stable includes Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Monster Hunter, Dead Rising and plenty more.
• What games is it similar to? Players familiar with games like Sekiro and Nioh, or who love a parry-based combat system, will feel at home. However, it should be said that Way of the Sword is not a Soulslike.

Onimusha for a new generation

The last mainline installment in the Onimusha series was 2006’s Dawn of Dreams, so Capcom has smartly opted for a reboot approach. Way of the Sword does have some connective tissue with the franchise’s legacy, but it’s designed to be approachable for newcomers.

You play Miyamoto Musashi, a samurai in Japan’s Edo period, who, after a deadly encounter with otherworldly foes, is reborn with a powerful gauntlet welded to his arm. With darkness spreading across the land and rapidly taking hold in Kyoto, it’s up to Musashi to become a reluctant protector, battling against hellish hordes to push back the swarming blight.

It’s a conventional tale, with even games released earlier this year (like Nioh 3) offering a very similar yarn. Where Onimusha: Way of the Sword attempts to stand out a little more is with a surprisingly comedic tone. Musashi doesn’t always take his quest seriously, and at least at first, seems more annoyed about having to save the land and its inhabitants.

Unfortunately, the English VO isn’t the strongest, and early on, I found Musashi’s quirks becoming tiresome. However, after switching to the Japanese voice track, not only did the game feel more authentic, but I enjoyed most dialogue exchanges significantly more.

The heroes of this tale might range from bland to irritating, but the villains sure aren’t. One foe, a sadistic Genma (think immortal demons), is genuinely unsettling, and Musashi even gets a rival, a corrupted samurai named Sasaki Ganryu who reappears throughout the game.

Even if the story never surpasses serviceable, I was always compelled to push through because Way of the Sword shines where it really matters.

You'd better learn to parry

Onimusha’s combat system is fantastic. Instead of focusing on numerous weapons, you’re equipped with a sharp samurai sword for the whole journey. It’s all very similar to Sekiro!

This has allowed the developers to really refine combat. Like many action games, fighting enemies is largely about deploying the right move at the right time. You have your standard light and heavy attacks, but responding to your enemies with the right counter is crucial.

If they take a swipe at you, parry it to avoid damage and carve out an opening, or if they charge at you with a grab attack, dodge out of the way. Timing these right will allow you to strike back and deal huge damage of your own. In these moments, the numerous combat animations are particularly impressive, including some very visceral finishing moves.

Which isn’t to say you have your sword and that’s it. Musashi has access to a bow, which is great for picking off pesky rooftop archers, and thanks to his magical gauntlet, he can enter a powered-up state to deal extra damage. When a meter is filled, you can unleash one of several special weapon attacks. One that allows you to spin in a circle and send a whirlwind at your enemies was such a favorite of mine that I largely neglected the other options.

Another wrinkle to skirmishes is that enemies drop colored orbs when killed (bosses drop them when damaged). At the press of a button, these can be sucked up, with different orbs offering different effects: yellow ones heal you, blue fill your meter, and red are a currency that can be spent on upgrades and abilities. It’s a simple system but adds an extra layer.

Bringing down the big guys

The unequivocal best moments of Onimusha: Way of the Sword are when you get to face off against a boss, and fortunately, it seems Capcom knows this, because there are quite a lot of them; some story quests will literally pit you against back-to-back bosses with little pause.

On the default difficulty (named “Action”), bosses put up a real fight, and each one requires you to make use of all your abilities and, most importantly, learn the boss’s moveset to deploy the right counter at the right time. A few even require use of your bow, just to keep you on your toes. Most bosses have two full health bars, so victory doesn’t come easy.

Outside of boss encounters, Way of the Sword is quite a forgiving game. The combat is tightly designed, but regular enemy mobs pose little threat. You can get by with button-mashing and sloppy parries. This creates an imbalanced difficulty curve, where levels feel a bit too straightforward and don’t suitably prepare you for the bosses. I suspect some players will find the stark differences in difficulty between levels and bosses frustrating.

By the late game, fending off a pack of regular enemies started to feel like filler, a bland barrier you must pass through to get to the really good stuff: the bosses. The lack of enemy variation further compounds this issue. You constantly face the same generic enemy types throughout the quest, and a couple of mini-bosses are recycled to a near-comical degree.

Open but not endless

Onimusha: Way of the Sword isn’t fully open-world, but it’s not strictly linear either. The roughly 20-hour main campaign is split between story levels and a Kyoto hub, which you can explore at your leisure.

Kyoto isn’t an overwhelming region, stuffed with endless map markers; instead, it’s quite manageable, and while it does open up further as you progress, it never reaches the size of the vast worlds found in something like Assassin’s Creed Shadows. In a sea of games that demand dozens upon dozens of hours, I found Way of the Sword’s smaller size quite refreshing.

Of course, there is optional side content to complete. Most of these distractions are simple, but they give you valuable upgrade resources and currency, which you’ll want because you will get stomped by bosses if your gear is underpowered. Plus, you’ll need specific items to upgrade the two skill trees, both of which unlock useful, if slightly situational, abilities.

Nevertheless, it’s the story levels that take you to the best locations, from grand palaces to an underground laboratory where one of the main antagonists has been experimenting on victims. This sequence is almost as chilling as anything found in Resident Evil. It’s a high point, and a rare example where the level itself is better than the boss at the very end.

Way of the Sword does have Soulslike elements, such as checkpoint shrines that refill your healing items. Plus, stamina management is key to combat (both maintaining your own and depleting your enemies). But it’s not a full-fledged Souls experience. You don’t lose your currency upon death, bosses can be instantly restarted, and build-crafting isn’t a factor.

The game strikes a solid balance, taking some of the genre’s best ideas but remaining accessible. You can even lower the difficulty without penalty if you find a boss or a section a little too challenging for your tastes. But I encourage you to play on the standard setting, as the feeling of victory that comes with defeating a boss is most potent after some struggle.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword review: Verdict

Capcom has already had a phenomenal year, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword is another fantastic experience from a company on a remarkable hot streak. Played on the PS5 Pro, the game looks and runs great (the 60 fps framerate never let me down), and it includes some of my favorite boss battles, not just of 2026, but the last several years as a whole.

Though I wish the buildup to the bosses were stronger, the impressive combat animations and fantastic parrying mechanics kept me engaged even when I was facing the same enemy types hours into the game.

Despite its flaws, Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a satisfying action game and a brilliant return of one of Capcom’s most beloved franchises.

Noble Audio is no stranger to making expensive, high-end audio gear that makes your ears smile. Having spent a week listening to my favorite tunes through the Noble Audio Iris, I have to say, they’re phenomenal. Intricately and beautifully designed, the Iris are a sight for sore eyes, and they’re built well, too. That’s not even the best part. The Iris boast an extremely wide soundstage with airy treble and accurate imaging.

The Iris are ridiculously comfortable IEMs, too, and you can wear them all day long with no problem. But let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the eye-watering $699 price tag. Are they worth the premium when the bass lacks a punch (but that’s down to their neutral-sounding tuning) and plug replacement is a little finicky? I’m almost convinced that they are.

To find out if these are the best wired headphones for you, read my full Noble Audio Iris review.

Noble Audio Iris review: Specs

Noble Audio Iris review: Price & availability

Noble Audio’s headphones, earbuds and in-ear monitors (IEMs) rarely come cheap, and the same goes for the Noble Audio Iris. These IEMs retail for $699 and can be bought directly from the American manufacturer. The Iris launched in July 2026 alongside the Vanguard, which are slightly cheaper at $325.

Though they sound extremely expensive, the Iris are some of Noble Audio’s cheapest IEMs, with the next most expensive IEMs, the Lu Ban, retailing for $1,399 — and the Kronos, at $4,500, are the brand’s priciest monitors. Given that context, the Iris are Noble Audio’s budget-ish IEMs.

The Iris find themselves competing with other high-end IEMs, like the Sennheiser IE 600 ($699) and the Shanling Moria ($699). Are the Iris worth the money? Oh hell yes! But if you can’t afford them, the Sivga Lyrebird ($149) and Sennheiser IE 200 ($149) are phenomenal budget-friendly IEMs.

Noble Audio Iris review: Design

The Noble Audio Iris are some of the most beautiful in-ear monitors I’ve laid my eyes on. When I first unboxed them, I couldn’t stop staring at them. They feature a blue CNC-machined Micarta (a durable material made by stacking layers under heat) shell. Noble Audio’s crown insignia is engraved on and adorns each ear piece. Given their name, you can tell that they’ve been inspired by an iris flower.

In addition to looking downright gorgeous, the Iris are built extremely well and they feel solid — and let’s be honest, you wouldn’t expect any less for the premium you’re paying. The anti-tangle cable is made of high-purity copper and it looks and feels great. Similar to other IEMs, the cable can be detached from the ear pieces and replaced with another if it gets damaged.

Weatherproofing

Similar to other IEMs I’ve tested, the Iris aren’t waterproof or weather-sealed. This isn’t uncommon for IEMs, though the Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE ($159) are IP54-rated splash-proof — but they don’t sound anywhere near as good as the Iris. Since Noble Audio doesn’t specify an IP rating, I wouldn’t recommend wearing the Iris in the rain or during sweaty workouts. But that’s not really what IEMs are designed for anyway.

Comfort

When I first held the Iris in my palm, they felt substantial and a little heavy, and I was concerned that they wouldn’t feel very comfortable for extended wear. Boy, was I wrong. The Iris are supremely comfortable IEMs. Each ear piece weighs 0.5oz, so while they’re slightly heavier than the Sennheiser IE 600 (0.21oz each), they don’t feel unwieldy.

They fit snugly in my ears, and the braided cable wraps comfortably around each ear. The Iris didn’t fall out of my ears, even when I was bobbing my head. I wore them for a six-hour stretch without feeling any discomfort.

Controls

The Iris don’t feature an in-line remote for controlling playback, so you’ll need to use your smartphone, laptop or other audio source to play, pause, rewind and skip tracks. Again, not uncommon with IEMs.

Connectivity & drive

As is the nature of wired IEMs, the Iris need to be driven, or powered, by a power source, and there are two ways of doing so. In the box, you’ll find a 3.5mm plug as well as a 4.4mm one, and you can easily swap between the two as and when needed. The 3.5mm plug is handy for using the Iris with your laptop, while the 4.4mm jack (which separates audio into left and right channels to keep interference to a minimum) can be used with a DAC/amp, like the FiiO K11 R2R ($175).

In theory, the Iris’ termination plug should be super easy to remove. All you need to do is unscrew the bolt and then pull out the one that’s already attached, line up the four alignment pins correctly, and push it in. Et voilà. But I struggled to do so, and so did three of my coworkers. There’s a joke in there somewhere, along the lines of, “How many tech journalists does it take to unscrew a bolt?” It’s worth noting, though, that this could be down to my Iris being a pre-production sample, and this may not apply to everyone. Just try not to overtorque the fastener.

Noble Audio Iris review: Sound quality

Unlike the Sivga Lyrebird which use a quad-driver setup, or the Noble Audio Vanguard with their triple-driver configuration, the Noble Audio Iris utilizes a single 10.2mm custom dynamic driver. The single driver eliminates crossover distortion as it handles the entire frequency spectrum on its own. The Iris also features a three-layer diaphragm and a triple-chamber acoustic structure to reduce distortion and improve sound clarity.

All of these elements come together to deliver an astonishing, sublime listening experience that makes the Iris (almost) worth their asking price. I tested the Iris by listening to my favorite tunes on Qobuz, the best music streaming service for audiophiles, using the 4.4mm jack plugged into the FiiO K11 R2R.

When listening to ‘Time’ by Pink Floyd, I immediately appreciated the Iris’ wide soundstage which gave the track’s layered production plenty of room to breathe. Imaging feels extremely accurate as the individual percussion hits, guitar lines and atmospheric details occupied well-defined positions. The opening clocks felt especially immersive, spreading naturally across the soundstage rather than forming a flat wall of sound. Instrument separation feels excellent, too, and I felt like I was finding new details in my favorite song of all time.

I then listened to ‘Misty Mountain Hop’ by Led Zeppelin to see how the Iris handled the upper frequencies and crunchy guitar slides. The IEMs gave me newfound appreciation for the track as they reproduced the energetic character accurately, and there was plenty of sparkle in the percussion. The bite of the guitar came through with precision without making the song feel overly sharp or unpleasant.

Billie Eilish’s ‘BITTERSUITE’ proved to be an excellent test for the Iris’ mid-range, and one the IEMs passed with flying colors. Vocal presentation feels beautiful, as Billie’s haunting vocals sat front and center, sounded natural, and the Iris ensured that the instrumental arrangement didn’t get lost either. Everything felt well-balanced. I loved how textured and smooth the vocals sounded, with subtle inflections and breathiness coming through without sounding exaggerated.

The only area where the Iris fall short of perfection is bass, as I found out when listening to ‘Baby Driver’ by 070 Shake. The Iris made the track’s pounding bassline sound tight and controlled, but it lacked the oomph and pronounced rumble I thoroughly enjoyed through the Sivga Lyrebird. This was especially apparent in the distorted, electronic bassline leading up to the second verse. It’s supposed to drive the alternative R&B track but instead, the sheer force of it felt subdued. This isn't a flaw, per se, as much of Noble's gear is tuned to sound neutral, but just a pre-purchase consideration if you like meaty bass.

Listen along to my review with the Noble Audio Iris testing playlist:

Noble Audio Iris review: Verdict

The Noble Audio Iris are seriously impressive in-ear monitors, and after a week of testing, I can (almost) see why they cost as much as they do. They look drop-dead gorgeous, feel incredibly well made, and, most importantly, sound brilliant. The soundstage is extremely wide. The treble is oh-so-crispy. The mids are refined. The imaging is accurate. What more could you want?

Punchy bass, I suppose. The Iris make bass sound tight and controlled but they lack oomph — although this isn’t a dealbreaker as the Iris are tuned to sound neutral. It’s also great that you can swap between 3.5mm and 4.4mm plugs, but try not to overtorque the bolt.

And there’s the small matter of the price. $699 is a serious investment, even if the Iris are comparatively affordable by Noble’s standards. If all you care about is spacious, balanced and highly detailed sound, the Iris warrant a recommendation. At the end of the day, they’re beautiful, comfortable, and a joy to listen to.

As someone who’s always listening to music and looking for the best headphones to replicate the sound of my favorite artists, I was excited to test out the Grado SR325. I’m a big fan of detailed sound, and the Grados deliver it in abundance.

They have amazing vocal reproduction while also delivering detailed mids performance, so you can take in your favorite guitar riffs and drum fills. I found them best for mellow music, but they perform well across the board.

But while the design is sleek and retro, I had some issues. The on-ear style of the headphones isn’t for me. I found them uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time, and the cheap foam padding made this even worse. To find out more about the headphones, you can keep reading this full Grado SR325 review.

Grado SR325 review: Specs

Grado SR325 review: Price & availability

The Grado SR325 headphones are available in the U.S. on Amazon for $350 and in the U.K. on the Grado website for £349. When it comes to open-back headphones, you’re likely to be forking out a fair bit of cash for great sound, so that’s to be expected.

For around the same price, you can pick up the FiiO FT13 ($329). These cans provide a deep, rich sound with impeccable instrument separation. Similarly, the Meze 99 Classics Gen 2, which cost $349, can provide an even cleaner sound. The Mezes are over-ear headphones with a light headband, making them comfortable to wear for long periods, unlike the Grados.

The Meze Audio 105 AER are another solid choice, offering warm sound, some of the best clarity you’ll find, and much better comfort. That’s all for $299, which makes them a true no-brainer when compared with the questionable sound and $350 price tag of the Grado SR325.

Grado SR325 review: Design

The Grado SR325 are on-ear headphones with an open-back design. They have built-in wires, so there's no need to plug in each time you listen. The headphones look sleek with black aluminum details and a faux leather headband. I think they look great and more than a little retro, but the headband feels flimsy as it’s not very thick. The headphones don’t fold and don’t come with a case either, so you’d need to invest in a headphone stand to ensure they stay in tip-top condition.

Comfort

While the Grado SR325 are comfortable to wear for short listening sessions, I would much rather use a pair of over-ear headphones like the FiiO FT13 ($329) for comfort over extended periods of time. The on-ear style Grado headphones rest directly on my ears, making the cartilage ache, which is annoying if, like me, you want to listen to music for hours on end. Also, the cheap, thin foam used to cover the earcups is uncomfortable and a little bit scratchy. It reminds me of the foam covering on the Gadhouse Wesley headphones, which are significantly cheaper at $69. For $350, I expect more care to be taken with the comfort of the Grado cans.

The headphones weigh 14 ounces and didn’t feel too heavy, but the top of my head became sore where the headband was resting after about 45 minutes because there’s not much padding.

Connectivity

The Grado SR325 headphones have built-in wires connected to both earcups that merge into one aux wire. You have the choice between a 3.5mm jack or a 6.3mm adapter when connecting to your device.

While listening, I used the FiiO K11 R2R DAC to power the headphones, and my colleagues also tested the cans with the iFi hip-dac 3 and FiiO K15. While the SR325 aren’t very hard to drive and can be powered by your laptop or phone, using a good DAC ensures they’ll sound their best, and I could hear a stark difference between listening with and without.

Grado SR325 review: Sound quality

The Grado SR325 headphones have a very interesting sound profile. It’s a sound I completely enjoy, and they accentuate different areas from other audiophile headphones I’ve used, but this original sound is fuzzy, adopting an analog tone, like a cup of tea on an autumn afternoon.

I listened using Qobuz, one of the best music streaming services, and used the FiiO K11 R2R desktop DAC to amplify the sound. The headphones offer a well-rounded sound across most genres. They thrive with simpler, acoustic music, but they also enhance layers in more complex tracks.

Firstly, I listened to Music On The Radio by Empire Of The Sun to test the bass performance. While it didn’t deliver the same depth of bass I can expect from my everyday drivers, which are the Sony WH-1000XM6, I was able to appreciate all of the layers of the track without the bass becoming crackly or overwhelming. This means the headphones strike a good balance and allow me to hear more of the vocal performance. Bass certainly takes a backseat, but it’s still there, gently warming the track from the bottom up.

To test out the mid-range performance, I listened to Birds by Turnstile, as it has a prominent guitar riff complemented by heavy drums. The hi-hats stood out between the verse and the chorus, and the guitar riff was incredibly powerful when it kicked in. The soundstage wasn’t as wide as when I listen using my Beyerdynamic DT 270 Pro, but the level of detail made up for that.

Finally, to test the treble performance of the Grados, I listened to The Last Man On Earth by Wolf Alice. This song focuses on the vocal performance before exploding with the addition of harmonies, drums, and bass. The vocals were bright throughout and so detailed that I could hear every breath. When the drums kicked in, I experienced some very slight fuzziness, but that’s why I think these headphones do a better job with simple tracks.

Overall, I think the Grado SR325 headphones are a great option for detailed listening, especially for people who like detailed tracks.

Grado SR325 review: Verdict

The Grado SR325 headphones have a sleek-looking, retro design that is sure to look great next to any audio setup. My favorite thing about these cans is the amazing vocal replication. The mid-range is also exceptionally detailed, with guitar riffs taking the forefront where needed. The warm sound makes these cans very pleasant to listen to.

And while the sleek, retro design looks good, I can’t help but notice that the foam padding on the earcups feels very cheap. This doesn’t help that the on-ear style is uncomfortable for long listening periods.

Overall, these headphones are a great choice, but for $350, you may be expecting a little more comfort with your sound.

I can’t help but laud the myopic vision of ModRetro, a retro video game console maker that aims to create products that exist in the rose-tinted vestiges of our nostalgia. Despite how fondly gamers might remember saving princesses or throwing banana peels out of go-karts, those video game systems were products of their time and were made to best fit within those technological limitations.

For early 3D systems, images were soft and blurry, with rough polygons that could barely construct a believable face. Frame rates were poor but were tolerated because it was the first step into the third dimension. Even with these deficiencies, fondness for that time period remains ever-present, as it came before the heavy pressures of adulthood.

ModRetro’s first system, the Chromatic, a restomod-style take on the Nintendo Game Boy, spectacularly accomplished its goal: recreating a system not as it was, but as we chose to remember it. As for the M64, a modern interpretation of the Nintendo 64, it falls short of meeting that standard.

It’s not that the M64 does a bad job of taking N64 titles and blowing them up on a large 4K display. It’s just that it doesn’t feel like it does much beyond that. This comes from experience with the Analogue 3D, another modern N64 console that uses some upscaling and image-cleaning algorithms to help render a more palatable presentation.

While it seems that ModRetro put a lot of care and attention into the M64, that alone shouldn’t be the reason gamers hand over $230. For the M64 to be competitive not only against the Analogue 3D, but also the small-but-growing library of N64 titles available to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, it should have been more feature-complete and bug-free. Unfortunately, it misses the mark.

ModRetro M64 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The ModRetro M64 is an FPGA-based Nintendo 64 clone console that aims to capture the original’s game compatibility and accuracy.
• Who is it for? The ModRetro M64 is for hardcore N64 fans with large cartridge libraries and those who prefer the timing and accuracy of playing on original hardware.
• What does it cost? At $230, the ModRetro M64 costs about twice as much as a used Nintendo 64 on eBay. The wireless M64 Pro Controller is an additional $90 (a wired controller by Hyperkin is also available at $30).
• What do we like? We like the retro design, fantastic controller, and overclocking capabilities
• What don't we like? We don't like that it produces blurry images (even by N64 standards), has mediocre scanline filters, and has questionable flash cart support.

ModRetro M64 review: The ups

The M64 might be imperfect, but it gets some things right — particularly in its design.

Unpretentious design ethos

Kudos to the designers over at ModRetro. Opening the M64 for the first time is delightful, with brightly colored packaging and a premium-feeling box inside. After prying apart the tightly packed box, a transparent M64 emerges in a “funtastic”- inspired purple colorway.

Adding to that design vibe, ModRetro says it developed new manufacturing methods to integrate two types of transparency with its console. It features frosted transparency on the front of the system that shifts to clearer transparency so gamers can see the internal componentry.

Inserting a game and turning on the system, there’s a classy light bar that illuminates right in front of the cartridge, treating copies of GoldenEye 007 as if they were a piece of art in a gallery. Behind the cartridge is an eject button that allows for easy and satisfying egress of game carts, with, according to ModRetro, little mechanical strain on the pins.

A trident controller worthy of Neptune

Moving on to the M64 Pro Controller, it feels thoroughly substantial and of high quality. The front is made of thick, rigid plastic, while the back is metal. The controller's weight feels wonderfully premium, which might be why it demands a $90 price tag. At the very least, a wired M64 controller by Hyperkin is also available for $30. ModRetro didn’t provide a Hyperkin variant with our review unit.

Unlike the Analogue 3D, the M64 Pro Controller keeps the N64’s original trident design. It feels like a bold choice, especially since gamers have been accustomed to two-prong, dual-analog controllers for nearly three decades. I, personally, appreciate it.

While the M64’s design fills the senses with a Christmas morning twinkle, its software experience is where the system falls short.

ModRetro M64 review: The downs

Unfortunately, the M64 gets more wrong than it gets right.

Cumbersome settings

When popping in a copy of Mario Kart 64 into the ModRetro M64, the game loads immediately, just as it did on the N64. As in, there’s no top menu like the ones found on the Analogue 3D and the Nintendo Switch. It’s pure N64 orthodoxy.

That adherence to the N64’s original experience makes tweaking settings a bit more cumbersome once the game is running. Changing settings is easy, however. To load system settings, just press Start and Z at the same time. An 8-bit style overlay appears, allowing changes to resolution, CRT filters, software updates, and other settings.

Blurry images

When comparing output between the ModRetro M64 and its competition, it’s best to start with clean image output, without any additional filters.

Comparing the output between the Switch 2, Analogue 3D, and the ModRetro M64, the Analogue 3D pulls away in brightness and color saturation. The higher contrast on the Analogue 3D better sells texture detail.

It’s a surprising result given that the Nintendo Switch is using software emulation, meaning it’s using internal image upscaling. By comparison, the M64’s image looks a bit dull and muddy.

Regardless, it’s unlikely that anyone would want to play N64 games on clean settings as titles look very pixelated. The real fight happens when CRT filters come into play.

Filter frustration

I played the ModRetro M64 on a 77-inch LG OLED G3 television. Given that the N64 rendered games at a paltry 320x240 resolution, it ultimately creates a blurry and pixelated image when blown up to 4K. It also makes one wonder if N64 titles really looked this bad back in 1996.

The reality is that N64 games looked great in the mid-to-late 90s due to the display technology of the time. Many gamers experienced the N64 on CRT televisions, which used electron beams to draw scanlines onto phosphor dots. This technology created an analog softness and glow, blending the adjacent pixels and hiding the jaggedness in the process. The N64 also used aggressive anti-aliasing to help low-resolution assets look cleaner on-screen.

I’d personally forgotten about how games looked on older displays until I attended the Long Island Retro Gaming Expo earlier this month in Garden City, NY. There, I was watching people play all sorts of retro consoles, from the Atari 2600 to the Sega Dreamcast, on big old-school CRT televisions.

The images were surprisingly sharp and clear. Many older systems, especially early 3D consoles, were developed with these kinds of displays in mind. Game makers used techniques like dithering to smooth over color gradients. Unfortunately, on modern displays, these techniques only highlight image disparities.

To combat the mismatch between CRT and modern displays, both ModRetro and Analogue have included some CRT and scanline filters. These filters attempt to output an image that’s more reminiscent of a CRT or other old-school displays. ModRetro’s default CRT and scanline filters, unfortunately, don’t do the best job.

Both the CRT and scanline filters do seem to clean up the image somewhat, hiding the jagged pixels and adding some bloom to create a more cohesive blend. At the same time, these don’t look like any of the CRTs I saw at the Long Island Retro Gaming Expo. Often, I found the image to be dark and grimy, and in bright scenes, highlights were overblown. Thankfully, ModRetro does have a custom menu that lets pixel-peeping gamers tune things like the aperture grille, sharpness, horizontal bloom, and scanline width, among other settings.

My knowledge on this front is a bit limited. Luckily, folks on Reddit have been sharing various custom settings to better replicate a CRT display. After trying the settings recommended by Reddit user fpsdabs, I found the image to be more like what I saw out in Garden City.

Annoyingly, the M64 currently has a bug that doesn’t save custom settings across titles. This meant that if I turned off the system or swapped games, I had to re-enter all of fpsdabs’ settings. ModRetro said that this will be fixed with the next update.

The Analogue 3D really should have a custom settings option so that gamers can tune the CRT filter to their liking. At the same time, the M64 lacks other display filters, like those for production and broadcast video monitors, both of which are considered the gold standard for CRT displays. The ModRetro team really needs to go back and retune the default CRT and scanline filters. I can imagine casual gamers won’t go through the hassle of tuning scanline settings in the custom menu.

At the very least, sound output by the M64 is excellent, and playing Mario Kart 64 with turtle shells zooming behind me was the best way to experience this classic.

Horizontal activities

Recently, Analogue issued an update for horizontal upscaling that doubles a game’s horizontal resolution. This internal upscaling technique allows for twice as many horizontal pixels “without affecting 2D graphics” and with “no impact to timing authenticity or performance,” according to Analogue.

For a certain subset of very hardcore N64 fans, any type of internal upscaling might be seen as sacrilege. But for those that want to use their dusty N64 library on a modern display in a decently presentable manner, it’s a welcome upgrade. It’s also a feature not available on the M64.

Horizontal upscaling’s impact does differ from game to game. Of the games that I own, the title that benefited most from horizontal upscaling was Star Wars Episode I: Racer. Without horizontal upscaling, the image is incredibly blurry, with interlaced lines weaving from left to right. With horizontal upscaling, it looks more like a game made with modern displays in mind. It honestly felt like it was being software-emulated.

By comparison, the M64’s output of Racer was jarring. It’s as if character models were being zapped by electricity, with their bodies vibrating from a current.

Unlike the Analogue 3D, the M64 doesn’t support HDR out of the box. Normally, that should be okay considering the N64 itself didn’t support HDR. But Analogue has a clever HDR10 implementation that takes advantage of HDR’s much brighter highlights against dark scanline gaps to better mimic a CRT, BVM, or PVM display. This works better on OLED televisions.

Cumbersome gaming experience

Once updated and ready to go, the ModRetro M64 is, overall, a hassle-free experience. When playing Mario Kart 64, inputs were fast and responsive. It’s certainly refreshing when jumping from the Nintendo Switch Online version, which is noticeably laggy.

According to ModRetro’s game compatibility list, a large majority of titles shouldn’t run into any issues during play. As of this writing, 20 titles have issues, and ModRetro is working to update them. For example, vine swinging in Donkey Kong 64 will fail, or Hydro Thunder might crash.

In my case, I had issues creating a save file for Perfect Dark. Granted, this is a known issue with the original game and can be fixed by putting my cartridge into an original N64 system. So, this issue might not be ModRetro’s fault.

ModRetro includes some overclocking modes that let more graphically intensive games run at smoother framerates. When I tested it on Goldeneye 007, I found that overclocking helped fix framerate dips. I wanted to test this feature on Perfect Dark, which is known to struggle on original hardware, but wasn’t able to.

I also own an Everdrive-64 X7. It’s a flash cartridge by Krikzz that can play ROM backups off of an SD card. While some on Reddit have been able to use their flash cartridges without issue, mine would load on an Analogue 3D but wouldn’t on an M64. According to ModRetro, this could be because my cartridge doesn’t have the latest bootloader fix, which is separate from the standard firmware update. I’ve yet to resolve this but will update this review if/when I get things working.

Palmer Luckey’s ownership has become a point of contention in the retro gaming community, and some outlets refuse to review the company’s products. This review evaluates the M64 on its technical merits and performance, but readers should have the context needed before deciding whether to buy.

ModRetro M64 review: Verdict

The ModRetro M64 is a competent Nintendo 64 FPGA-based clone console that does what it advertises but doesn’t reach the heights of its primary competition. Even with its flashy colorways and excellent trident-style controller, the M64 lacks features and ships with a few bugs. ModRetro has a list of features planned for the M64 in the coming months, however.

At the moment, the Analogue 3D at $270 is the better buy, despite being $40 more expensive. It’s more feature-complete and has some internal upscaling trickery that’s sorely lacking on the M64. I do like the custom settings menu for scanlines on the M64 and would love a similar implementation on the 3D. The M64 also doesn’t have perfect game compatibility yet, although I suspect that it’ll get better as more updates come in.

It’s also worth noting that ModRetro itself is publishing N64 games. At launch, these $50 titles include Extreme-G Turbo Fusion, a compilation of the first two Extreme-G racing games, Buck Bumble, Xibalba64, and Xeno Crisis. Buck Bumble is a somewhat rare game that now sells for over $100. Being able to buy a new copy for $50 is a great pro-consumer move.

There’s certainly a lot to appreciate with the M64. Unfortunately for ModRetro, there’s just as much to appreciate, if not more, with the Analogue 3D. So, unless you really dig the colorful aesthetic of the M64, or are a Palmer Luckey fanboy, the Analogue 3D is the N64 clone console worth buying.

Subminimal is one of the most “Oooh! Aaah!”-inducing names in the coffee world, and the new Subminimal Nanofoamer Go is no different. Ever looked at a milk frother and thought, “Damn, I wish that came with a carry case?” Well, your calls have been answered — the Nanofoamer Go comes with three impellers, ten color options, and, yes, a carry case.

If you’re the kind of coffee drinker who takes your whole setup to a campsite, Airbnb, or simply to the office, this will be ideal for you. While I struggled to achieve the same velvety microfoam I can make on the Subminimal Nanofoamer Pro, the Go can also whisk cream and eggs, so I guess it wins there.

So, is this the handheld milk frother for you? If you value affordability, fancy colors, and portability, I’m leaning towards yes. Are you a coffee snob? Hm… you might want to splurge on the $159 Nanofoamer Pro instead. To find out the full story, keep reading this Subminimal Nanofoamer Go review.

Subminimal Nanofoamer Go review: Specs

Subminimal Nanofoamer Go review: Price & availability

The Subminimal Nanofoamer Go is considerably cheaper than the brand’s other milk frothers — just $37 from Subminimal U.S. and £34 from Subminimal U.K. On Amazon, it's $34.

Subminimal’s Nanofoamer Lithium is $57, while the Subminimal Nanofoamer Pro (my personal milk frother) is $159. While both of these models are better at making straight-up cold foam and microfoam, if you prioritize budget and portability over pure functionality, you’d likely be better off with the Nanofoamer Go. Personally, I prefer the Nanofoamer Pro — it’s much better at making honest-to-God microfoam than the Go, as I’ll get into later.

Subminimal Nanofoamer Go review: Design

As with everything else made by Subminimal, the Nanofoamer Go looks and feels awesome. Alright, the body is quite plasticky, but I don’t mind because it means it’s relatively lightweight and affordable.

But the best part? The colors. While the Subminimal Nanofoamer Lithium and Pro are both available solely in minimalist black, the Go comes in a huge ten colors. And every single one of them looks gorgeous. As you can see from the images in this review, I tested the sky blue version. Had I chosen the color for myself, I would have picked the terracotta or sage shades. Both are pretty enough to win a beauty pageant.

You also get a carry case! The clue’s in the name, but the Nanofoamer Go is intended to be portable. You’re supposed to take it on trips with you. AeroPress with foamed milk at the campsite? Yes, please. As expected, the carry case is the same lovely blue shade, and all the attachments click nicely into place. It’s satisfying to hold and use. I have nothing bad to say about the design here.

Of course, you get three impeller attachments. One is a whisk for thicker ingredients like cream and eggs. One is for mix-ins, like hot chocolate powder, matcha, so on and so forth, and the third is Subminimal’s patent-pending nanofoam mesh. Now, this is supposed to be the “secret” to barista-quality microfoam… but more on that later.

Subminimal Nanofoamer Go review: Performance

I’m just going to rip the Band-Aid off: I didn’t get microfoam with the Nanofoamer Go at all. I tried with dairy and non-dairy milk, heated to varying temperatures, frothed in various ways. I tried on full power, low power; I tried for ten seconds, thirty seconds, two minutes, five minutes, one minute, everything. Did I achieve microfoam? No. No, I did not. Here’s a photo of the closest I got.

As you can see, there are some relatively large bubbles. This is after banging and swirling the milk as you’re supposed to. I was quite disappointed by this. As mentioned earlier, my Subminimal Nanofoamer Pro can make microfoam, so I expected the same of the Go.

I also struggled to achieve velvety cold foam. I frothed this milk for over two minutes and this is the thickest it got. Of course, I was using the microfoam attachment.

However, I was able to get delicious, perfect sweet cream cold foam in just forty seconds.

As you can see, the texture is thick, fluffy, and creamy. This is perfect, Starbucks-approved sweet cream cold foam. My colleagues and I literally ate this with a spoon.

According to Subminimal’s website, you can actually whisk eggs with the Nanofoamer Go… so of course I had to try it out. For science.

Yes, that’s an egg whisked by a milk frother. I don’t eat eggs, so this is a little gross to me, but great if you’re a regular egg whipper.

Subminimal Nanofoamer Go review: Storage & maintenance

As it’s a tiny milk frother — 1 inch by 8 inches — you’ll have no trouble fitting it in your cutlery drawer. This model comes with a handy carry case, which measures 2.1 x 6 x 1.3 inches, perfect for throwing in a camping backpack or keeping in a cupboard. If you’re short on space, I’d go for this model over the Nanofoamer Pro, which is shaped like a jug.

The Go is not dishwasher safe, and you obviously shouldn’t get the body wet. I cleaned it by simply rinsing it under warm water.

Of course, should your cleaning be sub-minimal (see what I did there? No?), you can buy replacement impellers directly from Subminimal for $6.

In terms of longevity, Subminimal offers a standard warranty of one year, which is a little shorter than I’d like. However, this is pretty standard with other $10-$20 milk frothers on Amazon.

Subminimal Nanofoamer Go review: Verdict

The Nanofoamer Go is more than just a milk frother — it can be a pretty little kitchen assistant, too. While this makes it more versatile than the Subminimal Nanofoamer Pro, it’s also not as coffee-snob-friendly. Even though it uses the same micro-mesh as other Nanofoamer products, it doesn’t seem to be able to achieve the same barista-smooth microfoam.

For $37, this is a neat little frother. I’d recommend it for casual coffee drinkers rather than those practising for the World Barista Championships. I would personally save up for the Subminimal Nanofoamer Pro or Lithium over the Go, but that’s because I take my cold foam seriously — and the Pro is much better at making it.

For generic froth, though, the Nanofoamer Go is great. Obviously, you have to heat your milk separately — microwave, stovetop — but if you want a one-stop for whisking eggs, cream cold foam, and milk, I’d go for the Go.

If you want to stream hi-res audio without spending a small fortune, the Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE are worth a look. There’s a lot to like about these in-ear monitors. They’re very light and extremely comfortable for all-day wear, and they’re IP54-rated to withstand splashes and sweat. In addition to that, the DT 30 IE are good for gigging musicians as they boast excellent instrument separation and tight, meaty bass.

But they aren’t perfect. Unfortunately, the DT 30 IE suffer from an all-too-plasticky feel. While the bass is commendable, the mids and treble could have been more refined and textured. And given that they face fierce competition at their price point, do they do just enough to edge out their rivals?

For the complete breakdown, and to find out if these are the best wired headphones for you, read my full Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE review.

Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE review: Specs

Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE review: Price & availability

The Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE in-ear monitors (IEMs) enable you to stream hi-res audio without breaking the bank. Launched in June 2026, they have a retail price of $159 / £99 at Amazon.

They’re priced similarly to the Sivga Lyrebird ($149), the Sennheiser IE 200 ($149) and the gaming-first Sony Inzone E9 ($149). As you’ll soon see, the DT 30 IE are good for some people but not for everyone — and it might make more sense to buy any of the aforementioned alternatives if you fall into the latter category.

Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE review: Design

The Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE are good looking, with each earpiece fitted with a transparent shell that lets you see the IEMs’ inner workings or hardware. They don’t look and feel as premium as the Sivga Lyrebird, though, which feature wooden faceplates and CNC-machined aluminum housing. The DT 30 IE feel quite plasticky, and I’d recommend the Lyrebird if that’s a dealbreaker.

Also unlike the Lyrebird, the DT 30 IE don’t feature a specialized anti-tangle cable — but to ensure they don’t get bunched up in your pocket, Beyerdynamic happily includes a carry case for the IEMs. Regardless, the DT 30 IE’s 1.4m Kevlar-reinforced cable feels sturdy and durable. It’s detachable from the ear pieces, too, which means that you can use a different MMCX cable if the stock one gets damaged.

Similar to the Sennheiser IE 200 and the Sivga Lyrebird, you wrap the DT 30 IE’s cables around your ears to ensure they don’t fall off. I found that the cable stays the shape you mould it into, for a secure fit, and the IEMs didn’t fall out of my ears. To ensure a perfect fit, Beyerdynamic includes six pairs of eartips, of varying sizes, in the box: three silicone for a balanced seal, and three foam for more comfort (and some degree of passive noise cancelation).

Replacing the tips on the ear pieces is a walk in the park too — unlike on the budget Dunu Titan X ($39) where it took me 30 minutes to do so. On the DT 30 IE, it took me just under a minute to pull off the eartips and replace them. Quick, easy and painless.

Weatherproofing

Wired earbuds and IEMs are rarely weatherproof, but the DT 30 IE are. Unlike the Sennheiser IE 200 and the Sivga Lyrebird, the DT 30 IE carry an IP54 rating, which means they’re resistant to dust and water splashes. Beyerdynamic says that this makes the DT 30 IE suitable for use by musicians during sweat-inducing and intense concerts. You should be fine wearing them to the gym.

Comfort

The DT 30 IE are ridiculously comfortable IEMs, thanks to each ear piece weighing just 0.09oz. I’ve worn them for four straight hours without any discomfort. The DT 30 IE are lighter than all of their $149 competitors, like the Sivga Lyrebird (0.22oz each), the Sennheiser IE 200 (0.14oz each), and the Sony Inzone E9 (0.16oz each).

Controls

Similar to other IEMs I’ve tested and studio monitors designed for music professionals, the DT 30 IE don’t feature any in-line buttons to control playback, so you’ll need to use your audio source for changing tracks.

Connectivity & drive

The DT 30 IE are wired IEMs, so you don’t get Bluetooth or 2.4GHz connectivity as you do with the best wireless earbuds. This means that they need to be powered, or driven, by a power source. They come fitted with a 3.5mm plug that you can use with your phone, laptop, or a DAC/Amp. If you want to use them with a mixing console or bodypack system, like a mic transmitter, you’ll need to buy a dedicated 3.5mm to 6.35mm adapter separately.

Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE review: Sound quality

The Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE feature a single 11mm dynamic driver setup and they cover a frequency response range of 5Hz to 20KHz. For the most part, music sounds excellent through the DT 30 IE, and these IEMs reproduce most sounds accurately. I tested them by listening to my usual mix of testing songs on Qobuz, the best music streaming service for audiophiles.

We’ll kick things off with what the DT 30 IE do well. Basslines through the DT 30 IE sound powerful but controlled, and that was the first thing I noticed when listening to ‘2515’ by Wasia Project. The track’s dark electronic textures felt like they had a tangible weight to them, while the bass and kick drum packed a convincing punch. The song sounded powerful without becoming muddy. Each note stopped and started cleanly, remaining disciplined, while retaining its texture.

Pink Floyd’s ‘Money’ showed off the DT 30 IE’s great instrument and layer separation. Each clink and mechanical sound in the opening cash register loop remained distinct rather than blending together. All the instruments occupied their own spaces, such as Roger Waters’ iconic bassline and the melodious saxophone, but they gelled well together to deliver an immersive listening experience.

I then listened to ‘A&W’ by Lana Del Rey to test the IEMs’ mid-range. The DT 30 IE handle the abrupt shift between low-end heavy beats and Lana’s textured vocals well, with the transitions sounding seamless. I appreciated being able to hear the whispered words and easy-to-miss ad libs. However, I wasn’t entirely convinced by the way the DT 30 IE reproduced the upper mids. The vocals in the mid-range sounded flat and lacked body.

Similarly, I wasn’t a massive fan of the treble. In Yin Yin’s ‘Elma,’ the percussion, cymbals and higher-pitched instrumental details were present, yes, but they lacked the razor-sharp quality and sheen I experienced when listening to the same track through the Sivga Lyrebird. The track almost sounded smooth around the edges when in reality, it’s energetic and sparkly.

If you want a pair of IEMs that boasts powerful bass and good instrument separation, the DT 30 IE are sure to please. But if you want a pair that doesn’t compromise on every other part of the soundstage, I’d recommend the Sivga Lyrebird or the Sennheiser IE 200.

Listen along to my review with the Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE testing playlist:

Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE review: Verdict

The Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE are some of the most comfortable in-ear monitors I’ve had the pleasure of testing. They’re so light that you forget you’re wearing them, and they’re IP54-rated which makes them more versatile than some of their competitors. There’s plenty to enjoy sound-wise, too, as the DT 30 IE deliver punchy bass and excellent instrument separation.

However, the mid-range and highs sound a little flat and one-dimensional, which makes the Sivga Lyrebird better value for money. The ear pieces have a plasticky feel and look, too, which may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

The DT 30 IE are a solid choice if bass and comfort are your priorities, but if you want a more balanced, detailed sound, or a more eye-catching design, there are better similarly-priced options available.

The On Cloudboom Volt first caught my eye at The Running Event in Texas 2025, where brands preview their launches for the following year.

Mostly, that was because it looks fantastic — the light blue color I tested might be the best-looking shoe I’ve tried this year, which is always a plus. However, it was also more affordable than On’s other racing shoes, and looked an intriguing option thanks to the combo of a plate and On’s bouncy Helion HF midsole foam.

By the time I tested the shoe, however, the On Cloudboom Strike 2 had somewhat stolen the Volt’s thunder as one of the best carbon plate running shoes, and the Volt simply isn’t as good a racer as the Strike 2 in my opinion.

However, the Volt is cheaper, and in my testing it emerged as a strong plated option for fast training in particular. I wouldn’t mark it as a must-buy, but I did enjoy all my runs in the On Cloudboom Volt and if you spy it in a sale it might be a worthy addition to your running shoe rotation.

On Cloudboom Volt review: Price and availability

The On Cloudboom Volt launched in February 2026 and costs $200 in the U.S. and £190 in the U.K., making it more affordable than On’s top racing shoe, the On Cloudboom Strike 2 ($250/£230).

It’s cheap compared to most carbon racers, but the price is more in line with other fast training shoes with plates, which is where I’d position the Volt myself.

On Cloudboom Volt review: Design and fit

The On Cloudboom Volt is currently available in four colors, including the light blue Celeste shoe I tested, which is just gorgeous.

I found that it fit well in my normal running shoe size. It’s a bit tighter around the toes than On’s cushioned sneakers in the same size, but that’s normal for a speed-focused shoe, and I didn’t have any trouble with the upper rubbing during my runs.

The Volt has a 5mm drop and weighs 7.8oz in my US men’s size 9.5. It’s light, but not as light as most top racing shoes, which are usually under 7oz in my size.

Upper

The Cloudboom Volt has a lightweight mesh upper with just enough padding around the collar to be comfortable without adding too much bulk to the shoe.

I had no complaints with the upper during my testing. It was breathable enough and held my foot securely during fast runs.

Midsole

The Cloudboom Volt uses two layers of On’s PEBA-based Helion HF foam, which is also used in the brand’s top racers and the On Cloudmonster 3 Hyper LS.

However, the version of Helion HF used here is significantly firmer than on other shoes, including the Cloudboom Strike 2. It’s not as squishy and bouncy as a result, but it still delivers a good level of energy return in my runs.

A carbon-infused plate runs through the midsole between these two layers of foam, and the Volt has a mild rocker shape to aid in pushing you onto your forefoot.

Outsole

Fast training and racing shoes generally have minimal outsoles to reduce weight, so the extensive rubber coverage on the Cloudboom Volt is a pleasant surprise.

It will boost the shoe’s durability if used for a lot of training, and it grips well on wet roads. I also felt comfortable taking it onto light trails at times, knowing the rubber would protect the softer midsole foam.

On Cloudboom Volt review: Running performance

I did a variety of runs in the Cloudboom Volt, from easy daily training to fast workouts doing short and long reps. I also used it for both runs on a double-workout day, racing up to about 20 miles in the shoe that day.

I’ve tested several On shoes that use the Helion HF midsole, and it was a surprise to feel how firm the Cloudboom Volt was in comparison. However, I still found it comfortable enough for longer workouts, and the firmer feel helped to produce a fast transition from heel to toe.

It’s not the most rockered, bouncy or propulsive shoe, but the Cloudboom Volt is nimble and pushes you onto your toes during fast runs. It could be a good option for those who don’t like the exaggerated rides of highly rockered or squishy shoes, as a result, because the Volt has quite a traditional, natural ride for a modern speed shoe.

I also found it fairly stable and was happy running at easy paces in the shoe, which is not always the case with high-stack plated shoes.

There are certainly significant caveats to the Volt’s performance, though. It’s not as light as you’d expect for a plated shoe aimed at shorter events, and when it comes to my fastest training runs and races, I prefer a more efficient, aggressive ride.

Should you buy the On Cloudboom Volt?

The On Cloudboom Volt might not top any "best of" lists this year, but it’s a shoe that impressed me and one I enjoyed running in, and that’s not just because I’m obsessed with its looks.

It’s an accomplished fast training shoe, and I think it will drop in price during On’s sales. It’s available for around $150, rather than its $200 MSRP; it’s an option worth considering if you like a firmer ride in your speed shoe.

There are excellent fast training shoes available for less, though, notably the Adidas Adizero Evo SL, which is one of the best value sneakers on the market, or the Dynafish Xiaonian.

I’d also consider the New Balance SC Rebel v1 as a springier option with a plate, though it’s as expensive as the Volt.

For race day, I prefer the more aggressive, lightweight design of shoes like the Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 or Asics Metaspeed Sky Tokyo, and the On Cloudboom Strike 2 would be worth upgrading to as well if you’re in pursuit of PRs.

The HP Omen Max 45L is a towering gaming PC that commands attention and respect. Its enormous size isn’t just for show, as it justifies its imposing design with the latest flagship components. While it will certainly leave your bank account reeling, you’ll make up for it with the phenomenal gaming experience this beastly rig delivers.

HP’s Cryo Chamber, located at the top, not only gives this rig a unique appearance but also keeps it running cool even under heavy load. The huge 120mm front fans also help keep components from overheating and barely make a sound. This ensures that games run at their best even during long sessions.

Steep asking price aside, the HP Omen Max 45L is undoubtedly one of the best gaming PCs I’ve ever reviewed. If you can stomach the cost, there’s a lot to love about this massive gaming rig. Find out more in my full review.

HP Omen Max 45L review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The HP Omen Max 45L is a premium, flagship gaming PC.
• Who is it for? For folks who want an ultra-powerful gaming rig and are willing to pay big.
• What does it cost? The HP Omen Max 45L starts at $3,999 but is discounted to $2,999 at time of writing. As configured, our review unit is valued at $5,629.
• What do we like? We like the hulking, all-black design, powerful gaming performance, easy upgradeability, and smart cooling system.
• What don’t we like? We don’t like the gargantuan price point even for the entry-level model.

HP Omen Max 45L review: Specs

HP Omen Max 45L review: The ups

The HP Omen Max 45L delivers high-end performance for a gaming experience with virtually no compromises. It also features a striking design and is easy to upgrade.

Imposing yet practical design

At 21.85 x 18.5 x 8.03 inches and 49.8 pounds, the HP Omen 45L is one ginormous gaming PC. The all-black aluminum chassis makes it appear even more monolithic. Despite its size, the simple box-like design gives the Omen Max 45L an air of elegance that I quite like. Yes, it’s intimidating, but it’s also beautiful.

The clear glass panels on the front and back offer a clear view of the front RGB fans and internal components. The liquid cooler inside features an LCD that displays the CPU and GPU temperatures. The rear exhaust fan’s RGB complements the front fans’, and even the two RAM sticks have RGB lighting. I’m generally ambivalent about RGB lighting, but I’ll admit it contrasts nicely with the black chassis and adds a bit of pizzazz and fun to the design.

As mentioned in the intro, the Omen Max 45L’s most distinguishing feature is the CPU radiator up top. Don’t mistake that gap for simple handholds; it’s designed to draw air in from the outside rather than from inside the PC and then push it out the top through three more 120mm fans. This Cryo Chamber solution is pretty clever and certainly does an excellent job of keeping the PC nice and cool.

Accessing the interior of the Omen Max 45L is simple thanks to the toolless chassis. The only requirement is pressing the “Internal Access” button on the glass side panel, which opens outward so you can remove it. This also lets you open the panel with the Omen logo on the other side, which is convenient. The PC supports industry-standard parts, so you can configure the Max 45L however you wish. There’s plenty of room inside, making upgrades seamless.

Naturally, this giant PC has all the ports you could ever need and then some. On the top, you’ll find a lone USB-C port, a pair of USB-A ports, and a headphone jack.

Over on the back, you’ll find two more USB-C ports and six USB-A ports. Accessing the ports can be tricky given the Omen Max 45L’s size and weight, but it’s a fair trade-off for so much I/O.

Killer performance

Our HP Omen 45L review unit came configured with an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU, an Nvidia RTX 5080 GPU, and 64GB of RAM. Thanks to that configuration, it delivers exceptional gaming performance in even the most demanding PC games without needing to tweak graphics and video settings. This is about as powerful as you can get.

I tested Cyberpunk 2077 at 6K resolution with the default graphics settings and got the game to run at a consistent 65-75 frames per second, which is great for such a demanding title. At 4K resolution, the frame rates hovered in the '80s and '90s, which is even smoother.

Doom: The Dark Ages was similarly impressive, running at 65-70 fps on default graphics at 4K resolution. When I enabled DLSS 4.5’s frame-boosting and the Ultra Performance setting, the fps jumped to a staggering 400! That’s a great match for the Asus ROG Swift OLED, which tops out at 330Hz. Even if you’re not a professional gamer, you’ll feel the difference in frame rates.

We saw equally impressive results when we put several games through our lab tests, which use each game’s built-in benchmark tools. As you can see above, the games we tested generally ran great at max graphics settings and 4K resolution.

Naturally, the Omen 45L has no issues handling everyday productivity tasks. Even when I had nearly 30 Chrome tabs open and a YouTube video playing, this PC kept going without slowing down or stuttering.

Our lab tests corroborate my anecdotal experience. On Geekbench 6, which tests overall CPU performance, the HP Omen 45L delivered strong single-core and multi-core scores. It also performed great in HandBrake, where it took 1 minute and 48 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p.

Omen Gaming Hub

The Omen Gaming Hub comes pre-installed and is easily the most useful of HP’s included apps and services for this PC. This is where you can customize and fine-tune things like the 45L’s RGB lighting and performance. Omen AI automatically adjusts performance settings for games like Marvel Rivals and Fortnite (among others).

One of my favorite returning Omen Hub features is the ability to connect to other Omen peripherals and devices. So if you have Omen keyboards, headsets, or even a monitor, you can control their respective lighting and other features via the Omen Hub.

HP Omen Max 45L review: The downs

The HP Omen Max 45L doesn’t disappoint when it comes to gaming performance, but you’ll have to accept some drawbacks for that experience.

Extraneous apps

The Omen Gaming Hub is undoubtedly great and rather useful, but I can’t say the same about most of the other bundled-in apps in the Omen 45L.

Like the HP Omen 35L, you get the usual apps like HP Smart, myHP, and HP Support. That’s not egregious, but the Adobe and Dropbox promotions seem superfluous. You can safely ignore most of these apps, but having so many that you likely won’t use isn’t ideal.

Expensive

There’s no denying that the HP Omen 45L is a god-like gaming PC. It’s exactly the kind of rig I would want to own, delivering superlative performance while looking stylish. But though I’m infatuated with this beast of a machine, it’s a tough recommendation due to its wallet-busting asking price.

The $3,999 asking price for the entry-level model, which features lower-end (but still great) components, is already a tough pill to swallow. If you want a rig with the same specs as the one I reviewed, that’ll set you back $5,629. Then there’s the top-of-the-line build, which comes in at an eye-watering $6,499!

I’m not going to knock HP for these prices, given that high-end rigs were never exactly cheap even before RAMageddon drove up component costs. Still, if you’re really set on the Omen 45L, you’d better start saving now. It’ll be worth it, but the cost will certainly sting for most people.

HP Omen Max 45L review: Verdict

There’s no denying that the HP Omen Max 45L is a hulking gaming PC that can run demanding games without breaking a sweat. Sure, it’s very expensive, but the various configurations and easy customization mean you’re getting your money’s worth, especially over the long haul.

When I think about the ideal gaming PC, this is exactly the kind of rig that springs to mind. If you can afford it, you won’t be disappointed by the HP Omen Max 45L.

I've been wearing the latest Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 for over a month — collectively, the TG fitness team has been wearing it even longer than that — and it's ultimately a very minor upgrade over 2025's Galaxy Watch 8.

The design, display, and battery life all remain unchanged, but the Galaxy Watch 9 supports a handful of useful new features, a slightly faster processor, and a comfier strap. It also costs more than its predecessor.

Here's everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9.

Galaxy Watch 9 cheat sheet

• Price: $379 for 40mm (no LTE) or $409 for 44mm (no LTE); add $50 to either for cellular
• Design: Same design and size options as Galaxy Watch 8; 40mm is available in Cream or Graphite; 44mm comes in Graphite or Silver
• 'Classic' model: Samsung did not announce a Galaxy Watch 9 Classic with a clicky bezel
• Screen: Same max brightness, 3,000 nits, as Galaxy Watch 8
• Health features: New 'Vitals' dashboard with key metrics including heart rate, HRV, Sp02, body temp, and breath rate in one place; new 'Heart Health' score
• Fitness features: New 'Cardio Load' insights, new 'Fitness Index' score out of 100 and based on factors like daily step count average, V02 Max, average heart rate, BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), and average workout recovery time
• Battery life: Slight increase in battery capacity, but battery life remains unchanged from the Galaxy Watch 8: 30 hours for the 40mm model and 40 hours for the 44mm

Galaxy Watch 9: Versus the competition

Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 value: 3.5/5

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 was announced on July 22, 2026. It is available worldwide now.

When Samsung announced the Galaxy Watch 8 this time last year, I wasn't surprised to see a $50 price increase across the board compared to the Galaxy Watch 7. However, I was surprised to see Samsung raise the price of the Watch 9 this time around.

The 40mm Galaxy Watch 9, for example, starts at $379 without LTE, compared to $349 for the Galaxy Watch 8 equivalent. The 44mm Galaxy Watch 9, meanwhile, is $409 versus $379 for last year's equivalent.

Fortunately for Samsung (and Samsung alone), Google also raised prices across the Google Pixel Watch 5 lineup, which means the Galaxy Watch 9 is technically the most wallet-friendly 2026 full-featured smartwatch for Android (by $20).

• Galaxy Watch 9 (Bluetooth, 40mm): $379
• Galaxy Watch 9 (LTE, 40mm): $429
• Galaxy Watch 9 (Bluetooth, 44mm): $409
• Galaxy Watch 9 (LTE, 44mm): $459

Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 design and display: 3.5/5

While Samsung made all sorts of under-the-hood upgrades to the Galaxy Watch 9, including a new processor and increased battery capacity, the outward appearance remains unchanged from its predecessor.

The physical dimensions and the weight are also essentially the same, as is the 50-meter water resistance rating. Finally, the Galaxy Watch 9 also boasts the same 3,000-nit max brightness display and twin-button design as the Galaxy Watch 8.

I was a big fan of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic (see image above), which sports a bidirectional clicky bezel for navigation and an additional customizable button compared to the standard Galaxy Watch 8 models.

Unfortunately, there is no Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 Classic. That said, Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic will remain in the brand's lineup for the time being.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 wellness tools: 4.5/5

Samsung already offers an impressive suite of completely free wellness tracking insights, and they only get better with the Galaxy Watch 9. Better yet, important health info is now more visible in the companion app thanks to a new "Vitals" tab. There's additionally a greater focus on long-term trend reports and preventive health.

The newly introduced Vitals dashboard in the Health app brings your most important wellness metrics into one easy-to-view panel. It displays your current heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), blood oxygen saturation percentage (Sp02), body temperature, and breath rate.

To keep you looped into your cardiovascular well-being, the Galaxy Watch 9 boasts a new Heart Health score based on a scale from one to 100. You'll need to wear the device for at least four consecutive nights to generate your initial score. Ultimately, what makes this tool valuable is its long-term insights, which can clue you in to how your day-to-day choices may be impacting your heart health for better or worse.

Note: As of writing, Samsung's Heart Health score is exclusive to the latest 2026 models.

When it comes to sleep tracking, not much has changed from the Galaxy Watch 8. Users are still presented with a daily sleep score and energy score, both out of 100, along with a breakdown of time spent in each of the various sleep cycles, total time spent asleep, sleep disturbances, the consistency of your bedtime, and more.

I wore both the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and Google Pixel Watch 5 to bed for a week and discovered that both of these flagship Android smartwatches calculated surprisingly similar sleep data.

Finally, one major advantage the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 has over the Google Pixel Watch 5 is an FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection feature. On the flip side, the newest Galaxy Watch lacks some of the heady health safety tools found on the latest Pixel Watch, like Breathing Emergency Detection and Loss of Pulse Detection.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 fitness tracking: 4/5

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 is a fairly reliable fitness tracker for both indoor and outdoor workouts. When I tested it against the Pixel Watch 5, the Google smartwatch proved slightly more precise, but the Galaxy Watch 9's performance wasn't far behind.

I also pitted the Galaxy Watch 9 against the Garmin Instinct 3, my go-to smartwatch for logging outdoor adventures, and a model that costs roughly the same. During my seven-mile hike, the Samsung watch again performed pretty well, but ultimately struggled to accurately log my climb.

The Galaxy Watch 9 also lacks some of the more common workout tracking modes offered by the competition, like e-biking and skateboarding (two of my faves). That said, the auto workout tracking feature works quite well, a finding my colleague Sam also found impressive.

The new Galaxy Watch also boasts several new fitness-focused metrics, including Cardio Load and a Fitness Index score. While Cardio Load will be supported by older Galaxy Watch models, the Fitness Index Score is, for now, exclusive to the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.

Based on factors like daily step count average, V02 Max, average heart rate, BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), and average workout recovery time, the Fitness Index score is on a scale from zero to 100.

As of writing, mine is an 82, or "average." The Health app further breaks that score down into five individual categories, each with its own score: Body Composition, Cardio, Endurance, Strength, and Flexibility. These scores, along with the overall Fitness Index score, are calculated by comparing your fitness levels to other users in your age range.

For example, from my score breakdown, I can glean that my endurance is solid (rated 93/100) while my overall strength could use attention (rated 63/100).

For high-cardio athletes, the new Cardio Load metric is designed to help you train more effectively. It takes seven days to fully calibrate, i.e., establish a baseline for your maximum training capacity. Once complete, users get a daily cardio intensity rating ranging from "under target" to "over." This rating is calculated by analyzing how much time you spent doing activities that pushed your heart rate into Zone 3 or higher.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 AI features: 3/5

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 ships with Google's Gemini AI voice assistant built in, and it's easily the best smartwatch personal assistant I've tested. Even better, the Galaxy Watch 9 now supports a wrist raise gesture control to unlock Gemini, something first introduced in last year's Pixel Watch 4.

As of writing, the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 are the only two Samsung models that support using Raise to talk to unlock Gemini.

In terms of usefulness, Samsung's Google AI assistant does a reasonably good job answering random, hyper-specific questions like, "How many adult penguins can I fit in a 1995 Ford Taurus?"

It's also good at context-specific tasks. For example, Gemini was helpful when I was searching for new restaurants within walking distance of my house to order for dinner. The Gemini AI assistant additionally correctly named the opening acts and start time for an upcoming concert I was seeing (The Strokes).

Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 battery life: 3/5

Both the 40mm and 44mm Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 models see tiny battery capacity increases. The smaller model jumps from 325 mAh for the Galaxy Watch 8 to 390 mAh for the Galaxy Watch 9. The bigger model has increased from 435 mAh on the Galaxy Watch 8 to 445 mAh for the Galaxy Watch 9.

Unfortunately, these bigger batteries don't result in any tangible longevity improvements. The 40mm is still rated at 30 hours per charge, and the 44mm is still rated at 40 hours per charge, just like last year's model.

In real-world use, the 40mm Galaxy Watch 9 averaged about 32 hours of use per charge. That's behind the Pixel Watch 5, which averages closer to 48 hours of use per charge in my testing.

The Galaxy Watch 9 also recharges a little slower than its Google rival. Again, testing the smaller model, a full recharge took about 90 minutes for the Galaxy Watch 9, compared to closer to 60 minutes for the Pixel Watch 5.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 9: Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 is easily one of the best smartwatches for Android, but that doesn't mean you should buy one, especially if you already own the Galaxy Watch 8. Aside from a faster processor, a softer strap, and a couple of exclusive health metrics, the Galaxy Watch 9 is pretty much the same as the Galaxy Watch 8, just pricier.

It does support a handy new (for Samsung) raise-wrist gesture for unlocking the excellent onboard Gemini AI assistant. However, battery life remains unchanged compared to its predecessor. More notably, the Galaxy Watch 9 doesn't last as long per charge as its biggest rival, the Google Pixel Watch 5. It also lacks the Pixel Watch's impressive suite of safety tools.

That said, Samsung, unlike Google and Garmin, provides all of its wellness and fitness insights without forcing you to pony up for a monthly/annual subscription. That I like.

More from Tom's Guide

• I'm a smartwatch reviewer, and here's my Apple Watch Series 12 wish list — three upgrades I want, and one I don't
• Leaked Apple Watch 12 design change is the opposite of an upgrade — and that has me worried
• Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 needs these 3 upgrades to convince me to switch from my Apple Watch Ultra 3

The new Samsung Odyssey G80HS delivers the most detailed picture quality of any gaming monitor I’ve ever reviewed. The 6K resolution, which is a first for gaming monitors according to Samsung, brings out minute details you normally wouldn’t see. Trust me when I say that words alone cannot properly convey how good this monitor makes games look. It’s a literal sight to behold.

You don’t just get spectacular image quality here; the G80HS also offers professional-grade performance for competitive gaming thanks to its up to 330Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time. Of course, the standard 165Hz refresh rate also makes the cinematic games it's intended for run buttery smooth.

While you’ll need a very powerful gaming rig to take full advantage of this monitor’s features, and the panel is IPS rather than OLED, there’s no denying that the Samsung Odyssey G80HS will make your eyes happy. It’s certainly expensive, but for what it offers, you’re more than getting your money’s worth. This is one of the best gaming monitors out there. Find out more in my full review.

Samsung Odyssey G8 (G80HS) review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The Samsung Odyssey G8 (G80HS) is a 6K gaming monitor.
• Who is it for? It’s for folks who want the sharpest image quality possible from their gaming monitor.
• What does it cost? The Samsung Odyssey G8 (G80HS) retails for $1,599 but is currently $1,299 on Samsung’s website at time of writing.
• What do we like? We like the sharp and detailed image quality, super-fast performance, and utilitarian design.
• What don’t we like? We wish it had an OLED panel and cost a bit less.

Samsung Odyssey G8 (G80HS) review: Specs

Samsung Odyssey G8 (G80HS) review: The ups

The Samsung Odyssey G8 (G80HS) delivers a crisp 6K image and fast gaming performance in a sleek, eye-catching design.

Practical design

The G80HS has a sleek design that straddles the fence between gamer aesthetic and practicality. It’s not a head-turner like some of the larger Odyssey monitors I’ve reviewed, but I consider that a plus since your focus remains on whatever game you’re playing. And if you’re using this monitor at the office, it won’t completely look out of place… unless you enable the RGB lighting on the back.

That lighting surrounds the monitor mount. You can choose from six standard lighting effects, plus CoreSync, which syncs the lighting effect with whatever’s happening on the screen for added immersion. Granted, you can’t fully enjoy the RGB lighting since it’s on the back of the monitor, but the extra pizzazz is always fun.

Setting up this 32-inch monitor isn’t too much trouble as it weighs just shy of 17 pounds when attached to its stand. This also makes it easy to turn around when you want access to its back-side ports. So long as you’ve got it set up on a standard-sized gaming or office desk, it’ll be right at home and not take up much space.

Port-wise, you get the basics, including a DisplayPort, a pair of HDMI ports, three USB-A ports, a USB-C port, and a headphone jack. This monitor lacks speakers, so that headphone jack could be useful if you’re not already using one of the best gaming headsets connected to your PC. You’ll need to turn the monitor around, as it’s nearly impossible to connect and disconnect ports by touch alone.

The shaft has a cutaway you can tuck the cables through, keeping your desk tidy. Raising and lowering the monitor along the shaft requires little effort because it glides smoothly. The same is true for tilting or swiveling the monitor to your desired viewing angle—including a 90-degree rotation for portrait orientation.

Lastly, the wide, flat base not only keeps the Odyssey G80HS in place on your desk but also stays unobtrusive. Since it’s flat, you can easily keep your phone or accessories on it.

Sharp image quality

You might think that 6K resolution is gimmicky or unnecessary, but I assure you, the results are immediately apparent on the G80Hs. I’m not being hyperbolic when I say that this monitor delivers the sharpest image quality I’ve ever experienced. If you’ll excuse the cliché, it’s a sight to behold.

I tried Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 6 because both support 6K resolution. As soon as I fired up the games, I could see extra details I hadn’t before, such as the heat rising from a tailpipe in Cyberpunk 2077 or cracked gravel in Forza Horizon 6. Background elements also have finer detail you wouldn’t normally see.

You can switch between 6K and 3K resolution. While the latter delivers half the resolution of the former, you’re still getting a crisp image. Each resolution has a different refresh rate, which I’ll cover in the next section. Suffice it to say that if you’re already used to playing PC games on a 1440p monitor, you’ll be more than happy with 3K resolution.

The Samsung Odyssey G8 (G80HS) delivered strong results in our lab tests. In its Original display setting, it produced slightly oversaturated hues in the sRGB color gamut and a perfect 100% in the more demanding DCI-P3 color space. Color reproduction isn’t as vivid as those of competitors like the Asus ROG Swift OLED and Alienware AW3426DW; its hues are more naturalistic and closer to real life.

HDR brightness is strong at 380 nits across 100% of the screen in Game Standard HDR mode. While Asus and Alienware’s monitors can get very bright on OLED panels, they can’t match the Odyssey G80HS’s vibrancy. Sure, it’s not an OLED monitor, but it can get much brighter because of that.

It has nine core display modes, including dedicated modes for genres like FPS, RTS, and Sports. The differences between the modes are minimal since they’re tuned for their respective genres, and there isn’t a radically different viewing experience between them.

Insane performance

Since this is a dual-mode monitor, you get two refresh rates: 165Hz at 6K resolution and 330Hz at 3 K resolution. The former is for cinematic games like Cyberpunk 2077 where you want the best possible image, while the latter is tailor-made for fast-paced competitive games like Call of Duty where higher refresh rates are crucial. Both have a low 1ms response time.

To test the Odyssey G80HS, I connected it to the HP Omen Max 45L, a monstrous gaming PC packing an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU, an Nvidia RTX 5080 (18GB), 64GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD. You’ll need a similarly powerful PC to take advantage of Samsung’s monitor’s insane performance.

Whether it was at 165Hz or 330Hz, Cyberpunk 2077 ran buttery smooth. Sure, I wasn’t quite able to hit 165 frames per second to match the lower refresh rate, but the extra headroom let me enjoy the 65-70 fps I did get.

Doom: The Dark Ages is where I got to truly test what this monitor could do. With DLSS at 6x and Ultra Performance enabled, the game ran at a blistering 400 frames per second, even higher than the monitor’s top 330Hz refresh rate. Though I’m not a competitive gamer, I could still feel the difference in this twitchy game. Yes, there are gaming monitors with higher refresh rates, but Samsung’s is still no slouch.

Simple UI

You can bring up the menu by pressing the OSD joystick on the back. Reaching the OSD isn’t too difficult, as it's fairly low along the bottom of the monitor. The stick itself is relatively small but easy to move up and down or left and right.

The UI is about as no-frills as it gets. The blue lines on a black background are easy on the eyes and make everything easy to read. Navigating the menu with the joystick is seamless thanks to the responsive joystick and interface. While there are plenty of modes and settings to sift through, the layout makes it simple to find whatever you’re looking for.

Samsung Odyssey G8 (G80HS) review: The downs

While the Samsung Odyssey G8 (G80HS) certainly delivers on its promises, it has one potential drawback.

Pricey

Given that this is a 6K dual-mode gaming monitor, it’s no surprise it costs a pretty penny. Even at its current discounted price of $1,299, you’re still putting down a fair bit of cash. And that’s before factoring in the cost of the high-end gaming PC required to get the most out of this monitor.

If you just want an affordable gaming monitor with the basics, the $799 Alienware AW3426DW is the best bet. That said, you won’t get the rich picture quality of the Odyssey G80HS. If you want the very best image for gaming, Samsung’s monitor will be worth your money. But if you just want a high-end monitor at a lower price, other options are out there.

Samsung Odyssey G8 (G80HS) review: Verdict

Price aside, there’s no denying that the Samsung Odyssey G8 (G80HS) is an exceptional gaming monitor thanks to its superb 6K resolution. Trust me when I say that this is arguably the best viewing experience you can have on a non-OLED gaming monitor. And if that wasn’t enough, the dual-mode lets you switch to a higher refresh rate for competitive gaming.

If you’re willing to spend big for a superlative gaming experience, you owe it to yourself to check out the Samsung Odyssey G8 (G80HS). You won’t be disappointed.

The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 7 is Sony’s mid-range soundbar with true Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual:X. If you’ve got a compatible Bravia TV, you even get access to IMAX Enhanced sound. Of course, it’s also a stellar “smart”(ish) home product, with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth streaming from various music streaming services.

As typical with the Theater Bar line, you can get the 7 with or without the subwoofer. I tested the model with the subwoofer. If you want a Sony Bravia experience for less than $1,099, you could check out the $349 Sony Bravia Theater Bar 5, but this isn’t compatible with Sony’s wireless subs.

With crystal-clear dialogue, powerful bass, and impressive surround sound, could the Bravia Theater Bar 7 be one of the best soundbars of 2026? You bet. For the full story, keep reading this Sony Bravia Theater Bar 7 review.

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 7 review: Specs

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 7 review: Price & availability

The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 7 + Sub is $1,099 from Amazon U.S. Without the sub, you’re looking at $869 from Amazon U.S. I tested the subwoofer version, so that’s the model I’ll be discussing today.

In the U.K, the soundbar alone is £699 from Amazon U.K. You can’t buy the soundbar and subwoofer in one bundle in the U.K., but the overall price would be £948 — the sub is £249.

If you change your mind post-purchase and decide you want the subwoofer, you can buy it for $329/£249 at Amazon. This subwoofer is compatible with: Bravia Theater 7, 8, and 9, as well as the Bravia Theater Trio and Quad, and the HT-A7000, HT-A5000, HT-A3000, and STR-AN1000 amps. Theoretically, you could get the Bravia Bar 7 and use the Subwoofer 9 ($898). Sony also offers the Theater Bar 5, 6, 8, and 9, which range from $349 to $1,498.

In comparison, this is a pretty average soundbar price. It’s not particularly good value or poor value. You can get the Samsung QS90H, an all-in-one soundbar (yes, including a built-in sub that’s actually powerful), for $999, or the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar for $1,099.

If you want something a little cheaper but still good, I’d recommend the $449 Polk Audio Signa S4 or the $699 Samsung Q600F.

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 7 review: Design

The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 7 is relatively compact, making it ideal for TVs 55 inches and under. I tested it with a 55-inch LG G6, and it looked divine. Like most high-end soundbars, the Theater Bar 7 is effectively a long rectangle covered in a fine dark gray mesh. There’s no logo on the front, only a soft white light on the bottom right. No, you can’t tell it’s an expensive Sony soundbar from one glance, but you don’t buy a soundbar for the branding. You buy it for the sound.

Thankfully, as you’ll soon discover, it sounds great.

Controls

In terms of controls, there’s a physical remote with a few basic commands. You can increase or decrease volume, turn it on and off, and toggle night, sound field, and voice modes. Of course, you can also control inputs.

This is effectively the same as the phone app, but the phone app, of course, has more advanced settings, which I’ll get into soon.

Features

Like Samsung soundbars, most of the Theater Bar 7’s USPs reside within compatible Bravia TVs. Unfortunately, I had to test with an LG G6 (boo-hoo me, I got to use one of the best TVs of 2026, right?)

As any soundbar worth its salt should have, the Theater Bar 7 has a night mode and voice mode. Night mode reduces bass so you can watch blockbusters at 3am without receiving a noise complaint from your neighbors, while voice mode accentuates dialogue without making it sound unnatural.

There’s also a sound field mode. This effectively widens and raises the sound, which majorly improved my overall experience while watching movies.

The Bravia Connect app has a litany of advanced features, which I’ll dive into now.

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 7 review: App

The Theater Bar 7 uses Sony’s Bravia Connect app. While the app looks incredibly basic, almost bordering on careless, it boasts a range of advanced features.

As you can see, there’s a room calibration setting, much like on the JBL Bar 1300X MK2 and the Samsung QS90H. This sends out a pulse of sound and calibrates the audio based on your watching space.

You can also adjust the sound field height. I set mine to the max, which benefited the flying scenes in “Top Gun: Maverick” massively.

Of course, you can also play music directly through Spotify or Qobuz Connect. You can also turn on DSEE Ultimate, an AI-assisted upscaler. If you’re an audio nerd, there’s no shortage of fun things to play with in Bravia Connect.

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 7 review: Sound quality

I test every soundbar in the same room, with “Top Gun: Maverick” on 4K Blu-ray, various other Blu-rays, TV on basic Netflix, and music.

Movies

As always, I started with “Top Gun: Maverick”. I customized the sound field height to max, upped the bass to 10, and turned on sound field and voice mode. The soundbar balanced in-scene sounds like jet engines with the soundtrack well.

However, some, but not all, high-frequency sounds were lost in the bass-heavy “Danger Zone” soundtrack. Despite this, louder details like whooshing steam and engine takeoff sounds were clear. Only the softer whipping of ropes melted into the background.

Even so, the bass on “Danger Zone” was excellent, and the vocals sauntered across the soundstage with unbelievable clarity.

In the first dog-fighting scene, I could feel the planes flying overhead and around me. The screeching jet engines rumbled through the soundbar without overpowering the soundtrack, which flitted underneath the fighter jets with grace. Even the radioed dialogue was perfectly audible.

Throughout the movie, I never struggled to hear dialogue, even in flying scenes. Every word was perfectly clear. Every note in the piano-led soundtrack twinkled across the soundscape like a beacon. Ocean waves and whistling wind sound effects were woven underneath dialogue beautifully. This was a fantastic viewing experience — just like the movie theater.

Next, I watched “Michael”. I needed to evaluate how the soundbar handled both dialogue and in-movie music beyond the soundtrack. Again, dialogue was crystal clear; perhaps this is TMI for some, but I could even make out the sound of saliva in the actors’ mouths.

The soundbar handled this movie excellently. Every performance was rich and immersive, with powerful yet controlled bass and exceptional clarity across the guitars, percussion, and vocals. Switching back to quiet, introspective scenes felt natural.

Finally, I watched “Oppenheimer”. The sound effects during the space dust clips (I’m not sure how else to describe them) glimmered and glitched in a way that made me feel like I was floating in the aether. The string-heavy soundtrack took control of the scenes and held tight, making me feel like I was also a physicist spinning out of control.

The softer detail sound effects like chirping birds and quacking ducks, as well as the crinkling of fabrics brushing together, also came through strongly.

TV

To test TV performance, I watched “Interview with the Vampire” on basic Netflix, as you’re not always going to be watching 4K Blu-rays.

Even on basic Netflix, I could still hear soft in-scene sounds like the fluttering of wings or the subtle intake of breath. Dialogue, again, was clear and never overpowered the soundtrack. Action scenes, such as when Lestat transfixes his human prey in the speakeasy, were clear.

Diegetic (in-scene) sound effects like chirping crickets and crackling fires were audible over dialogue, no matter how softly spoken.

Overall, this performance was excellent. I really have no issues with this soundbar at all, except the slight muffling of high-frequency details in “Top Gun: Maverick”.

Music

Music performance is okay. It’s neither the worst soundbar I’ve ever heard or the best — the best is still the Bose Smart Soundbar (2024). Vocals had a tendency to feel quite pinchy, and bass was strangely lackluster. But, I digress — soundbars aren’t made to play music. They’re designed to be the center of your home cinema.

I listened to “Knocking at the Sky” by The Last Dinner Party. While the soft “la la” notes right at the end sounded great, the bombastic chorus was muddled and the vocals pinched in my ears. There was a disappointing amount of tinniness in the percussion, too.

Electronic music fared a little better. “If you wanna party, come over to my house (Eli Escobar remix)” by Fcukers was clearer and didn’t hurt my ears. The pulsing synth and warbling synth details were both full-bodied and confident, but the bass synth fell flat for me. There just wasn’t any intensity, likely due to the lack of bass.

Lastly, I switched to something heavier: “Red40” by Die Spitz. This guitar-led metal-punk-indie track is usually propulsive and insistent, but the vocals were squashed into the guitars and the kick drum didn’t carry any weight.

I was disappointed by this music performance because of how utterly excellent the movie and TV experience was, but you can’t win them all, and this is a soundbar — not a speaker.

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 7 review: Verdict

The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 7 is a fantastic soundbar. With the subwoofer, you get powerful, controlled, and immersive bass, and the soundbar itself has a knack for delivering crystal-clear dialogue balanced perfectly over top of a dramatic OST. In terms of movie and TV performance, I really have nothing bad to say. Other than the tiny suppression of some high-frequency sounds in “Top Gun: Maverick”, the Bar 7 gets applause all round from me.

Sure, the app could look a little nicer — it’s nothing compared to the aesthetic of SmartThings — but are you going to be spending that much time simply looking at it? It works well and is reliable, with zero connectivity issues, and for me, that’s enough.

Whether you buy the subwoofer or not, I’m sure you’ll be incredibly pleased with the Theater Bar 7. It’s reliable, powerful, and immersive. For me, that’s all I want from a soundbar.

After spending the last year reviewing all of the best robot vacuums, I know what to look for when it comes to getting value for your money. The Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro robot vacuum delivers reliable performance at a mid-range price that will please anyone looking for a helping set of hands (or wheels) around the house.

Vacuuming is effective, especially on hard floors, and mopping is impressive thanks to the dual circular mops. The small dock design will suit even smaller homes, and mapping through the app is quick and easy.

Unfortunately, it struggles to pick up hair and bumps into some obstacles with some force (so mind your legs), but overall, I think this is a great mid-range option. To find out more, you can keep reading this full Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro review.

Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro review: Specs

Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro review: Price & availability

The Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro is available for $799 on Amazon U.S. and £1,199 on Amazon U.K. This is a mid-range robot vacuum that’s pretty small, but I think you get a lot of bang for your buck considering the cleaning performance.

It’s a little more expensive than the Roborock QV 35S, which is available for $749, but this vacuum only has a suction power of 10,000Pa, whereas the Qrevo 2 Pro has 25,000Pa. It also performs better than the Roborock Qrevo Curv, which costs $999, although they look very similar. If you have mostly hard flooring in your home and need more reliable mopping, I would recommend the Qrevo Pro 2.

The Ecovacs Deebot T30S is $300 cheaper at $499 and provides an excellent clean. It even does well at picking up pet hair, so this could be a better option for pet owners, as the Qrevo 2 Pro doesn’t do the best job picking up hair.

It’s worth keeping in mind that if you have a lot of pets that shed fur or children running around, you may want something a little more heavy-duty. For this, I’d recommend splashing a few extra bucks and picking up one of the best robot vacuums for pet hair, such as the Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete for $1,699 or the Roborock Saros 20 for $1,599.

Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro review: Design

The Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro, like most other Roborock products, looks sleek and will suit any home. It comes in black or white, so there’s an option for whatever your interior decor looks like. I tested the black colorway, and it looked good next to the rest of my home appliances. The dock measures 19.5 x 17.7 x 15.8 inches, making it compact as far as robot vacuums go. Together, the dock and vacuum weigh 37.3 lbs.

The Dreame D10 Plus Gen 2 ($299) is another robot vacuum with a small dock, but this one only has a max suction power of 6,000Pa, meaning it’s only really good for hard floors. It’s great to see the Roborock incorporating high suction power into a dock with a smaller design.

The robot vacuum measures 13.9 x 13.8 x 3.8 inches, the same as the Roborock QV 35S, which isn’t too invasive. The Qrevo 2 Pro has a front bumper that is very reactive when it moves into furniture. Underneath the robot, there’s a side brush that rotates to kick up dust at the side of the room. On this model, the brush is also reversible, so it can, in theory, pick up more dust from the corners of the room.

At the back of the robot vacuum, there are two circular mops. I much prefer circular mops, as they agitate the ground more, instead of wiping over it like the flat mop on the Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 ThermaCharged NeverTouch ($1,199).

Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro review: App

The Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro is controlled via the Roborock app. This is free to download on iOS and Android devices. This isn’t my first time using the Roborock app, as it’s what I use to control my Roborock Saros 20 at home, so I’m familiar with the controls. But if you’ve never used it before, you get a walkthrough when you set up the device for the first time.

The app is easy to navigate. Vacuum controls are at the bottom of the screen where you can dictate the strength of the suction, the amount of water used by the mops, and how many passes the vacuum makes over the room. You control mapping at the top of the screen and can send the vacuum back to the dock with the click of a button.

You can watch the route the vacuum has taken on the app, where a line is tracked around the room. It also lets you know how many square meters it has cleaned and how long it’s been cleaning for, but unfortunately, it doesn’t tell you how much time is left in the routine.

Although I usually decline notifications from new apps, I recommend turning them on for the Roborock app because if anything happens to your robot, such as it becoming stuck, you’ll receive a handy notification so you know it needs a helping hand.

Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro review: Mapping

The first thing I did when I set up the Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro in the app was map the first floor of my house. This is done through the quick mapping setting in the app.

The robovac uses LiDAR navigation to create the layout, and this was very accurate. The LiDAR was so effective that it even mapped into the backyard.

The mapping took around 10 minutes to complete for four rooms. This process was a lot quicker than when I recently used the Dreame app. During this time, it noted obstacles such as chairs and marked them in the app with a small traffic cone icon so it knew to avoid them in the future.

My only issue here is the obstacle avoidance. The robovac has a bumper at the front, but it would crash pretty hard into things like sofa legs and the dining room table. It didn’t do any damage. But I found myself jumping a little each time it crashed.

Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro review: Cleaning

I found the Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro to perform best on hard floors, though it struggled to pick up hair on all surfaces. The vacuum has a maximum suction power of 25,000 Pa, the setting I used to conduct my testing. This is good for a mid-range vacuum, as the Roborock QV 35S has a maximum suction power of 10,000Pa.

Vacuuming

I tested how good the Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro is at vacuuming by carrying out our standardized testing criteria. This involved setting out quantities of hair, cereal and flaxseeds in a six-by-three-foot grid on both hardwood floor and carpet and measuring the amount of pickup during a standard cleaning cycle.

Hardwood floor:

I was generally happy with how the robot vacuum performed on the hardwood floor. Robovacs tend to do a better job cleaning hard flooring, but I was a little disappointed by how much hair it failed to pick up. It seemed to be completely skipping over it, and some got trapped in the wheels. Pet owners will probably want to skip this robovac, as you’ll be left with fur on the floor.

That said, it was clear the reversible side brush did a great job collecting the small seeds from the sides of the room. The vacuum performed far better than the Dreame D10 Plus Gen 2 and was a lot more reliable for daily cleaning.

Carpet:

I was less impressed with the performance on carpet; since this is a mid-range vacuum, we should expect a middle-of-the-road performance. It struggled even more to pick up hair here, but thrived when picking up regular debris such as Rice Krispies.

Although these scores aren’t the best, when using the vacuum in my home over the course of a few days, I’ve been happy with the results. It left crisp vacuum lines in the carpet, and every room looked clean. I think the Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro is a good choice for everyday cleaning; it’s just not reliable for deep cleaning.

Unfortunately, for deeper cleaning from a robot vacuum, you will need to spend more money. If you live in a carpeted home, I would recommend the Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete. Although it’s pricier, the result means you’ll spend less time following up with a handheld vacuum to deal with pet hair stuck in the carpet.

Mopping

To test how well the Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro performs when mopping, I carried out my usual tests: soy sauce, mayonnaise and mud.

The robot vac did a great job of cleaning up every last drop with two passes of the room. More expensive flagship models feature heated mopping, but I think the Qrevo 2 Pro did a good job of getting my floors sparkling, even though it took a little longer since it had to do two passes to fully clean the floor.

After mopping, the dock will also clean and sock the mop pads at 167ºF before quietly drying them with 113ºF warm air. This is a feature I’m familiar with from flagship models, so it’s great to see it in a mid-range option. You don't get this luxury with the Dreame D10 Plus Gen 2, as you need to remove the mop pads and wash them yourself.

Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro review: Storage & maintenance

The Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro can maintain itself for up to 65 days, depending on usage. After each clean, the onboard dustbin empties into the dustbag in the dock. This bag has a capacity of 2.7 liters.

On top of the Roborock dock station are two four-liter tanks: one for clean water and one for dirty water. Both can be removed for refilling and emptying. Once removed, they expose a hatch, which is where the removable dustbag can be found. It’s easy to access these components, and they’re not too heavy even when full, thanks to the handles.

The four-liter clean water tank is used for cleaning the mops and for refilling the robovac’s onboard water tank. The dirty water tank needs to be emptied regularly, but it can be left for up to 65 days. I prefer to empty it more regularly to avoid any unwanted smells.

The Qrevo 2 Pro is a lot smaller than flagship models, making it a great choice if you’re short on space in your home. You just need to make sure you have a power outlet nearby to plug it in and that the robot has enough space to reverse back into the dock.

Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro review: Verdict

I think the Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro is a good choice for its mid-range price tag and effective vacuuming. The mopping performance is also good with circular rotating mops that scrub the floors to lift away all the grime.

The smaller docking station is ideal for smaller homes, and maintenance is still easy with up to 65 days of storage in the self-emptying dustbag and water tank. Mapping is also accurate and easy to set up in the Roborock app.

Unfortunately, the vacuum doesn’t do the best job when dealing with hair and has a tendency to bump into some obstacles with force. For anyone with hard floors who wants something to help with daily cleaning, the Qrevo 2 Pro is a good option because despite its flaws, it’s still great value for money.

• Sleepal AI Lamp: $399 at Sleepal

Sleepal AI Lamp: Review in brief

The Sleepal AI Lamp is a subtly stylish contactless sleep tracker. It's also a sunrise alarm clock, white noise machine, bedside lamp, temperature tracker, and snore detector. So, it does a lot. My question is, can this innovative piece of sleep tech do it well?

After three weeks of testing the Sleepal AI Lamp, I've found it delivers an all-round solid package. It's comparable to some of the best sleep trackers we've tested when it comes to detecting sleep duration, positioning, snoring and regularity. Some of the finer sleep stage details aren't quite perfect but for a sleep overview, it's both accurate and convenient. And you never have to charge it.

It's not just your sleep the AI Lamp detects. With temperature, sound and light tracking, the Sleepal can help you pinpoint environmental factors that might be ruining your rest.

As a sunrise alarm clock, the Sleepal AI Lamp is excellent. It lacks the variety of light shows that you'll get from a dedicated sunrise lamp but its warming glow is natural and, combined with the gentle alarms, gives you a comfortable start to the day.

At $399 from Sleepal, the AI Lamp is a pricey bit of sleep tech. However, if you want a variety of sleep-friendly features tucked in one neat package, you're unlikely to get a better deal. But if you're after dedicated health tracking and don't mind a wearable, try the Oura Ring 5 or Muse S Athena.

Sleepal AI Lamp: Price

The Sleepal AI Lamp is $399 from Sleepal. Each purchase comes with a free month of Sleepal AI+, a premium AI service which includes a more detailed sleep report, AI coaching and more wind-down content. After the first month, Sleepal AI+ is $5.99 per month (or $69.99 for a year.)

Sleepal also ships around the world and, as of writing, orders outside the US include the necessary power adapter. (I can confirm mine came with a UK outlet.)

For a contactless sleep tracker, $399 is on the pricey side. The Withings Sleep Mat is just $199.95 from Withings, although it lacks the sunrise and wind-down features of the Sleepal. But even the Hatch Sleep Clock, a sunrise alarm clock and sleep tracker, is cheaper at $249.99 from Hatch.

Sleepal does pack a lot into the lamp, however, which I'll get into below. And the price is comparable to many wearable trackers, like the Oura RIng 5 (from $399 at Oura) or the Apple Watch 11 (from $399 at Apple.)

And while you can pay for a subscription, you don't actually need it to use the Sleepal. The basic tracking is all free to access.

Sleepal also offers a 30-day money back guarantee and a 1-year warranty. This is on the low side for sleep tech but not unusual from a startup.

Sleepal AI Lamp: Design

Slim and stark white, the Sleepal AI looks like a stylish bit of smart tech. The modern design has a touch of IKEA to it and I mean that as a compliment — it won't stand out on the nightstand as anything other than a lamp.

At the base is a flat, protruding area, where the control button sits. The lamp itself rises at the back, like a short tube. (The whole thing measures 8.3 x 4.6 x 12.6 in.)

The sunrise light is found in this main tube, with the sleep tracking tech located in the head.

Sleepal AI Lamp: Features

One of the big features of the Sleepal Lamp is its sunrise light. This is located in the bulk of the lamp design and, like all the best sunrise alarm clocks, it gradually fills the room with light in the time before you wake up.

Alongside light you can add sound to wake you up, as a one-two kickstart for your circadian rhythm. I opted for bird song at a mid-level volume and found it woke me up efficiently. But you can play around with sounds and volumes.

You can also experiment with wake up windows. This means the alarm will start when your body is most primed to wake up (during a lighter sleep stage), to help you avoid the groggy feeling of sleep inertia. Or, if you need to be out of bed by a strict time, you can set that as well.

Overall, I found these features effective. During my testing phase I found myself gradually roused by the lamp, rather than shocked awake by my phone alarm. It's just a more pleasant way to start the day.

And you can flip the whole set up around. Sleepal also offers wind-down routines. These are sounds and lights that gradually dim as you climb into bed. Again, you can set a hard off time, or simply allow the lamp to detect when you're asleep and switch off.

I found this feature less beneficial but that's a personal preference — I don't like feeling that I'm counting down to sleep. But I can see why others would find it soothing and it's expands the functionality of the lamp.

Sleepal AI Lamp: Sleep tracking

The Sleepal Lamp uses a 60GHz mmWave radar, a high-frequency sensor, to detect your chest breathing pattern. This forms the bulk of its sleep tracking tech, primarily its sleep stage detection.

This data is then fed into the AI, which has been trained on "2,000+ nights of clinical polysomnography (PSG) from leading hospitals", according to Sleepal.

In addition, the Sleepal can track sound (snoring) and body position (movement and restlessness), which helps feed your daily sleep analysis.

I've compared the data captured by the Sleepal Lamp to other trackers (Withings and Oura.) Overall, the results are decent. The Sleepal is excellent at capturing when I've fall asleep and when I've woken up in the morning. It also doesn't confuse 'reading in bed' with 'sleeping', a problem I've had with many trackers (including wearables.)

My biggest issue is deep sleep tracking. There have been a few nights when Sleepal has captured significantly more deep sleep than my Oura Ring. Based on my energy levels the next morning and my recollection of the night, I'm inclined to go with Oura's interpretation.

But there are a few other tracking features I'd like to draw attention to. These aren't strictly sleep tracking but they help build the overall picture of your night's rest: temperature, humidity, sound and lux (light.)

With these, you can compare how outside elements are disrupting your sleep. For example, some night I've matched a sudden noise to a brief wake up. I can also see how the hot summer lead to some disrupted nights. So if you're struggling to find the cause behind your 3 a.m. wake ups, these features can help.

Based on this, I recommend the Sleepal AI to anyone interested in learning more about their sleep, without wanting to dive into the finer details of each stage. It's a great overview of your sleep schedule and disruptors, even if it's not quite nailed the fine details.

Sleep tracking: 3.5 out of 5

Sleepal AI Lamp: Performance

I used the Sleepal AI Lamp for three weeks to determine just how well it performs as a sleep tracker and sunrise alarm clock. Here are the things worth knowing.

Set up

Setting up the Sleepal AI Lamp is incredibly easy. Plug it in, scan the QR code that appears on the display, download the app, and place it in the correct position.

Positioning is the hardest part. You have to swivel the head just right to get it aimed at your chest, which takes a minute or two (the app guides you).

But the tall design cuts down on one positioning frustration. Contactless trackers often need to sit above the mattress, to ensure they're detecting you and not your bed. My Hatch Sleep Clock and most smartphone sleep trackers needs to balance on several thick books to peek over my mattress. The Sleepal is already at the right height.

And as a contactless tracker, the Sleepal AI is always plugged in. So there's no need to charge.

Set up: 4.5 out of 5

App

The app has two key functions: accessing your tracking and setting up your alarms.

Overall, I found the design clean and easy to use. As it's only used as a sleep tracker, you don't have to wade through a ton of data. I'm testing the FitBit Air right now and even after a week, finding my sleep results still doesn't come naturally.

I also appreciate the 'Trend' tab. Here you can see your data for the month and it's at-a-glance readable. If, say, you've noticed a bout of fatigue, the trends function can help you quickly identify if your sleep has been going downhill.

It's also on the app that you can access the AI features. These expand if you pay for premium and are helpful if you want an in-depth analysis of your sleep, using data collected from your tracker. I've found the AI offers useful advice but if you're experiencing long-term sleep deprivation, I recommend the personalized advice of a healthcare professional.

App score: 4.5 out of 5

Sleepal AI Lamp: User reviews

There are limited reviews for the Sleepal AI Lamp so far. And as most reviews come from beta testers and influencers, there's not much real-world experience. However, the positive reviews so far typically focus on the accuracy of the sleep tracking and the convenience of the design.

I'll be keeping a close eye on feedback as the Sleepal AI Lamp rolls out to a wider market.

Sleepal AI Lamp: Should you buy?

Buy the Sleepal AI Lamp if...

✅ You want easy, convenient sleep tracking: Once the Sleepal AI Lamp has been set up, all you need to do is fall asleep. You don't have to turn it on, put it on, or remember to charge it. It's a low effort way to learn about your sleep.

✅ You dislike wearables: Even the subtlest wearable isn't as convenient as no wearable at all. If you're tired of watches, rings and headbands, the Sleepal is the more comfortable choice.

✅ You want a sleep tracker that does more: It's not just about sleep tracking. The sunrise alarm clock and wind-down routines are just as appealing as the tracking function, as is the environmental monitoring.

Don't buy the Sleepal AI Lamp if...

❌ You want sleep tracking on a budget: At $399, the Sleepal AI Lamp is not cheap. The Withings Sleep Mat is a more affordable contactless tracker and if you don't mind wearables, the FitBit Air is cheaper again.

❌ You have limited space on your nightstand: While the Sleepal doesn't take up space on your wrist, it does need valuable real estate on what might be an already crowded nightstand.

❌ You want detail and accuracy for every moment of sleep: I won't say the Sleepal isn't an accurate sleep tracker but I don't think it nails the finer details. When it comes to sleep tracking, nothing has impressed me as much as the Muse S Athena.

Sleepal AI Lamp: Alternatives

The Philips Baristina is an interesting espresso machine. It’s an automatic, but also not quite an automatic. How does that work, I hear you ask? Let me explain.

So, while it grinds, doses, tamps, and brews without any input from you (aside from you clicking the shot button), you also have to empty the portafilter. Isn’t that the worst part of any manual machine? The coffee grounds always get stuck to my hands. Anyway, if you’re after an espresso machine that does most of the hard work for you, the Baristina could be ideal.

However, the espresso does taste pretty mid, and the price is about $200 more than I’d expect. So, could it be one of the best espresso machines? Hm. I don’t think so. But want to find out the full story? Keep reading this Philips Baristina review.

Philips Baristina review: Specs

Philips Baristina review: Price & availability

The Philips Baristina is $449-$529 from Amazon U.S. and £299-£379 from Amazon U.K. While this price is reasonable enough in the U.K., I would not recommend paying $529 if you’re in the U.S. You don’t even get a built-in milk frother — it looks and feels like a Nespresso Aeroccino standalone milk heater/frother. You can’t customize milk texture at all.

Even though I think the Baristina is overpriced, it’s an automatic machine, which means it’s always going to be pricier than manuals. However, I would wholeheartedly recommend spending just a little more for a genuinely decent machine.

Instead of spending $529 on what is effectively an espresso maker and a separate (cheap-feeling, one-trick-pony) milk frother, I’d spend $699 on the Philips 2300 Series, $799 on the KitchenAid KF2, or, heck, even $379 on the Nespresso CitiZ + Aeroccino. It’s a pod machine, sure, but honestly? It makes a better brew.

Philips Baristina review: Design

So, I’m not a huge fan of how the Baristina looks. I think it looks incredibly cheap, like something that costs $200 rather than $530. When I found out how much it costs, I actually gasped.

While it doesn’t look bad, it does look cheap. Whether this is a dealbreaker will depend on your preferences. For me, I’d rather spend a little extra on the KitchenAid KF2 or just get a bog-standard manual like the $300 Breville Bambino.

You get a “portafilter”. I say “portafilter” because, yes, it’s technically a portafilter in that it has a handle and a basket where the coffee goes. But you can’t use it like a traditional portafilter — you don’t dose and tamp manually. All you have to do is push the portafilter over to the grinder side at the start of the brew and then sit back and relax.

While, yes, I loved watching the portafilter snap back into place after the grinder finished (it’s the simple things), I think this is more of a style gimmick than actual function. If you’re after a truly automatic machine, it might even be a major con. Yes, you have to empty and clean out the portafilter yourself.

Philips Baristina review: Espresso

If you’re an espresso aficionado, you won’t want to read this. However, if you’re someone who prioritizes speed, ease of use, and simplicity, you’re the perfect candidate for a Baristina.

As it’s a bean-to-cup automatic — despite having a “portafilter” — you have very little input. Pour your beans in, press the espresso button, slide the portafilter to the grinder side (which is super fun), and you’ve done all the work. The machine snaps the portafilter into place hands-free, and, yes, this is mesmerizing to watch. I don’t care how lame that makes me; I enjoy watching a portafilter careen across a coffee machine like a stone from a slingshot. It’s novel. Sue me.

In terms of espresso flavor… it’s okay. It tastes incredibly average. I tried the machine with both artisan Ethiopian beans and your generic “strong” dark roast, and it tasted better with the latter. I’d recommend using cheaper, darker beans on this machine, as the excessive 16-bar pressure and the tiny (40mm) pressurized portafilter destroys any nuance anyway.

As you can see, this espresso shot is foamy and aerated, which means it was extracted under too much pressure. The crema is fluffy, but it dissipated within seconds. The first Ethiopian beans (which usually taste divine) were overly sour and astringent. However, the second generic Illy-brand beans resulted in a stronger, more palatable coffee taste. Of course, this won’t impress coffee nerds, but this isn’t a machine for coffee nerds.

Even so, I struggle to recommend this machine wholeheartedly considering you can get much better machines for just a little extra. The Philips 2300 is a modest stretch at $699; the KitchenAid KF2 is $799. Considering these machines have built-in milk preparation and zero user input, I’d recommend them if you’re after a totally automatic machine. The espresso tastes much nicer.

Philips Baristina review: Grinder

While the Philips Baristina does have a built-in grinder and therefore demands a standalone ‘grinder’ section, this is going to be extremely short.

The grinder is not adjustable. Yes, you heard me correctly. Not adjustable. The grinder grinds to one size and one size only. Want it finer? Not possible. Coarser? Oh, again, you guessed it, not possible.

Other automatic machines such as the De’Longhi Rivelia have an adjustable grinder, and also the $699 manual bean-to-cup De’Longhi Arte Evo. If you’re interested in actually playing and experimenting with coffee, I’d recommend the Arte Evo over the Baristina. You’re paying an extra $150, but it’s often discounted to $599 (so just $50 more), and you get all the bonuses of a manual machine with the ease of an assisted tamping system.

Philips Baristina review: Milk

As mentioned earlier, the Baristina comes in two variants: with milk frother and without milk frother. If you order the cheaper model, it won’t come with the frother.

Those familiar with something like the Nespresso Aeroccino will recognize this milk frother: the Philips model is essentially just your standard countertop model. It’s not particularly unique or innovative, but damn, it works. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix, right?

Here’s a photo of a milk drink made. Notice how I said “milk drink” rather than latte or cappuccino — the Baristina can only make one type of milk. No wet lattes or dry cappuccinos here. Milk or no milk only!

As you can see, the milk is extremely thick. Don’t get me wrong, the texture is satisfying, with well-distributed, evenly sized bubbles. However, this isn’t going to impress people who are used to barista-crafted beverages. It cannot make microfoam; therefore, drinks like lattes and flat whites are out of the question. You can only make cappuccinos.

Philips Baristina review: Storage & maintenance

Although 15 inches tall, the Philips Baristina feels a lot smaller. This height is solely due to the grinder hopper — its main body is more compact. Of course, you’d need to ensure you have space under your counters for the hopper, but the machine should take up less space than you think.

Due to this size, the machine has a teeny-tiny drip tray. I always recommend cleaning out your drip tray after every use, but in this case, it’s definitely a necessity. If you don’t clean it out every day, it’s going to overflow before you know it.

As with the rest of the machine, the drip tray is incredibly plasticky. This is one of my biggest complaints — a design this plasticky is pretty inexcusable when you’re charging $549 from an aesthetic and longevity perspective.

Speaking of longevity, you get a 2-year warranty as standard, which is the same as Breville, Ninja, and De’Longhi.

Philips Baristina review: Verdict

While I don’t think the Philips Baristina is the worst espresso machine I’ve ever used, I can’t recommend it wholeheartedly. Only a very specific user base should get this machine. If you can’t stretch to $699 for a Philips 2300 Series, you don’t mind mid-tasting espresso, you’re happy with one-size-fits-all milk texture, and you’re happy to spend $200 more than I think you should, then yes, this would be the machine for you.

All other people, though? You’d either be better off with the $699 Philips 2300 Series, the $799 KitchenAid KF2, or even venture into the world of manual bean-to-cups with the fantastic De’Longhi Arte Evo.

As I said earlier, if you want simplicity and ease of use over anything else, I’d even go as far to say you’re the perfect candidate for a Nespresso CitiZ + Milk.

Back in 2024, not satisfied with sippy cups and coolboxes, outdoor gear manufacturer Yeti purchased Mystery Ranch, a well-established maker of load-bearing backpacks for the hunting, fire and tactical markets. One of the first fruits of that acquisition is the Yeti Skala hiking pack. Bearing many similarities to some of Mystery Ranch’s packs (only less ‘tactical’ and more lifestyle-y), the Skala range is designed for hikers needing packs for single- or multi-day hikes.

I’ve been using the Skala 32L day pack and the 50L multi-day pack for several months now. I’ve hiked with them, camped with them, travelled with them, flown with them, and even commuted with them. And I’m a huge fan. From the effortless weight distribution to the high levels of adjustability and capacious storage compartment, the Skala is an excellent choice for outdoorsing.

The Skala isn’t totally perfect: it’s kinda pricey and I wish it came with a cover given the bag itself isn’t fully waterproofed. But if you’re in the market for a new pack, I’d still highly recommend this one. Find out more in my full Yeti Skala review.

Yeti Skala review: Specs

Yeti Skala review: Price & availability

The Skala starts at $300 for the 32L day pack, rising to: $325 for the 40L; $375 for the 50L; and $400 for the 60L. This is fairly pricey given you can pick up a 65L North Face Terra 65 for $210 or a 65L Osprey Rook for $196 at the time of writing.

Both the Terra and Rook offer equivalent features to the Skala, while the Rook also comes with a waterproof cover. The Skala, meanwhile, offers an incredible amount of adjustability and customization. While pricey, I don’t think the MSRP is totally beyond the pale either, and if you’re a keen hiker then the Skala’s sheer level of adjustability (and therefore comfort) may happily justify the extra spend.

Each Skala variant is available in men’s and women’s variants, and in either S/M L/XL, to suit different body shapes. The packs are available in gray, blue and a seasonal color — venom green (men’s) and hot bloom pink (women’s) at the time of writing.

Yeti Skala review: Design & storage

The Skala boasts a huge number of design features intended for ease of use on the trail. The Y-shaped zipper — featured on some Mystery Ranch backpacks — is one of my favorite features. It makes the backpack easy to pack, but also makes it way quicker and less disruptive to find something at the bottom of the bag.

There are two drink pockets at the sides which use stretchy material to accommodate both small and large bottles. On the 50L and 60L packs, the side drink pockets are dual access, so you can slide a bottle in from the top or side — the latter is a lot easier to reach while walking.

All sizes have frontal pockets using the same stretchy material. On the 32L and 40L packs these pockets are primarily for general storage, although on the two larger packs they’re big enough to accommodate water bottles, too — on my 50L pack, I was able to fit a 1.2L Thermos flask, a 1.4L Nalgene and a 1L Nalgene in the front and side pockets, with a front pocket spare for a fourth bottle if I wanted. There’s a water bladder pouch inside, just like the North Face Terra and Osprey Rook, but no opening for running a tube outside the bag.

The Skala’s main compartment is extremely spacious, as it’s literally just an open storage bin. When you need to really fill the bag, adjustable straps on the side let the pack expand a little. You can then use the same straps to compress the bag back down — I found this useful when I flew with the Skala and needed to ensure it fit in the plane’s overhead compartments.

I tended to use the 32L pack for most trips, including short camps, hiking and travelling — it fit enough clothes and essentials for several days. For longer camps where I needed to pack cooking gear and sleeping stuff, the 50L was also plenty spacious for 2-3 days, and I’m not a light packer, so I’m sure you could stretch that further.

Unfortunately, there’s no real compartment division save a small pouch at the back, so everything will just be floating around in the pack, but that’s only an issue when using the day packs half full with fragile items in there, like laptops and cameras. This is normal for hiking backpacks.

There’s a spacious top pocket and two waistband pockets, which I found very useful for storing my quick-access items — sun cream, cleansing wipes, my passport, etc. The two larger sizes also have a sleeping bag pouch at the base, allowing you to fit a bag inside the pack. There are also webbing straps underneath for bigger bags or your sleeping mat.

The webbing above the front and side pockets is also very useful for carrying and fastening larger items, like tripods, poles, or snow picks. I made use of this to carry my Insta360 X6’s heavy duty selfie stick when out testing the camera for my review.

The Skala is water resistant but not waterproof. No waterproof cover is included, unlike the Osprey Rook. The 50L and 60L have an extra internal cover under the main opening for increased water and snow resistance. But if you’re going to be hiking in wet weather, I’d recommend taking a bag cover or packing your items in dry bags inside the Skala.

Most of the pack’s outer is made of water-resistant polyethylene, although the lid and base use reinforced TPU nylon for extra durability. My 32L Skala has taken the heaviest use, as I’ve used it for commuting. Although the base is scuffed, it’s showing no signs of serious wear.

Yeti Skala review: Comfort & performance

Almost every aspect of the Skala can be adjusted to fit precisely to your body. There’s a sternum strap which is adjustable up and down on both sides to help you best fit your chest. The yoke and frame are also adjustable so you can tailor the height of the pack perfectly relative to your neck and shoulders. There’s an adjustable waist strap, and straps all over the bag to tighten or loosen individual elements as required.

The result is a wonderfully comfortable backpack. When adjusted properly, the weight is distributed very effectively from your back and shoulders and channeled to your chest and waist, although primarily the latter. That means you can carry more for longer, as your hips are bearing most of the load. Walking and hiking up hills, even with the loaded 50L pack, was a cinch.

I also travelled with the 32L completely full on several occasions — it was often extremely heavy as they were partly stuffed with cameras, my laptop and other tech. The frame channeled all the weight down to my chest and hips, so I experienced no back or shoulder pain while walking. I also loved that the 32L, even when full, was still compact enough to go into overhead cabin storage on a flight to Copenhagen for a press trip.

I also commuted to work on my motorcycle using the 32L day pack. Believe me, on a motorcycle where you’re sat leaning forward, most backpacks start to hurt in under an hour. In fact, with my normal North Face day pack, I can feel circulation getting cut in my arms and hands after just 20 minutes. With the Skala’s phenomenal weight distribution, I’ve been able to ride with no issues whatsoever. I’d even consider using the Skala on short motorcycle tours — any fellow bikers will know that’s high praise indeed.

The Skala’s back and shoulder padding is extremely thick and comfortable, but also breathable. I like that Yeti has designed it to reduce contact, too. No matter how breathable, padding that touches your back always gets hot after a while. Naturally, you can adjust the padding height to find the best fit for you.

Yeti Skala review: Verdict

Admittedly, the Yeti Skala isn’t perfect. It’s pricier than rivals, and I really wish it came with either better waterproofing credentials or a cover. But the Skala has still become my go-to backpack, not just for hikes and camping, but literally everything. The 32L day pack in particular is ideal for everything from commutes to day trips and even multi-day vacations.

What makes this backpack so great are the weight-distributing features and supremely high level of adjustability. These let the Skala effectively spread almost the entire load of the pack to your hips, so you barely feel the weight on your back. Combined with the excellent build quality and ample storage, the Skala is going to be my workhorse for years to come — or rather, it's going to make me the workhorse!

At last! The delayed Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC cometh, following up the fantastic Audeze Maxwell 2 and, before that, the original Audeze Maxwell. I’ve reviewed and extensively used both prior models, and believe me, it’s long been a winning formula.

The Maxwell 2 ANC packs the same 90mm planar magnetic drivers as the Maxwell 2, for super crisp audio (especially up high); the same SLAM plates for improved bass response down low; and, well, the same pretty much everything. Only now there’s ANC.

That level of similarity also has its cons. Just like its forebears, the Maxwell 2 ANC is heavy, and uses the same suspended headband that has minimal adjustment — complaints I’ve had with both previous iterations. It’s also a lot pricier than the non-ANC model, and battery life takes a major hit when using ANC.

So is this the best gaming headset for you? Find out in my full Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC review.

Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? An elite-tier gaming headset from audiophile manufacturer, Audeze
• Who is it for? Gamers who want the absolute best sound quality for gaming and music
• What does it cost? A fair bit: $429 / £429
• What do we like? The sound quality, strong ANC, excellent mic and solid build quality
• What don’t we like? The headband, weight, ANC battery life and cost

Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC review: Specs

Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC review: The ups

The Maxwell 2 ANC sounds fantastic thanks to its Audeze pedigree, and boasts strong ANC, a fantastic mic and decent build quality.

Audiophile pedigree

Audeze, is well known in the audio industry for its high-end audiophile headphones. As such, the Maxwell headsets have some serious sound quality pedigree.

Like its predecessors, the Maxwell 2 ANC features 90mm planar magnetic drivers. Instead of the cone-shaped dynamic drivers typically used in headsets, planar drivers create sound using ultra-thin metal filaments that vibrate when electricity is passed through them. This means planar drivers can start and stop vibrating much faster than cones, giving much sharper response and greater tonal clarity, especially in the higher frequency range.

Connectivity-wise, there’s support for up to 24-bit/96kHz over the USB-C dongle, for wireless high-res. Or lossless via USB-C wired. Bluetooth-wise, this headset supports LDAC for hi-res(-ish) Bluetooth and Auracast for hooking up to a single audio source in tandem with other devices.

Note: The Maxwell 2 ANC Xbox/PC version supports Dolby Atmos. Audeze supplied me with the PlayStation/PC version, which doesn’t support Atmos.

Isonzo

Planars are Audeze’s ‘thing’, and it’s very good at them. Response is super tight and fast, delivering extremely crisp sound, especially in the treble. That gives you excellent clarity for competitive gameplay. In the FPS Isonzo, using the ‘Footsteps’ EQ, enemy footsteps were easy to distinguish among the cacophony of WW1 noise, and effortless to pinpoint thanks to strong spatial imaging. As always with Audeze’s planars, though, the treble isn’t overdone and never becomes painful or fatiguing. There was plenty of mid-range clarity too, for satisfying, mechanical reloads, helping with immersion.

Planars typically lack the super thick, powerful bass of dynamics. Indeed, through the Maxwell 2 ANC, artillery explosions in Isonzo lacked the outright depth and impact of dynamic headsets like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Elite, Fractal Design Scape and Razer BlackShark V3 Pro.

However, the Maxwell 2 ANC has the same SLAM plates as its predecessor — metal plates over the drivers which help keep bass frequencies cleaner and free of distortion at higher amplification. That means you can amp up the low end via EQ in the Audeze app, to better reproduce explosions and heavy rumbles. In general, I had to do a little work EQing this headset per-game, but that’s cool, as the Audeze app makes it easy.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

In quieter, more contemplative gaming, I really appreciated the Maxwell 2 ANC’s top end detail. In Sniper Elite: Resistance, enemy footsteps are often extremely soft, but I was able to detect them with relative ease, even using the Maxwell 2 ANC’s Immersive EQ rather than Footsteps preset.

Vocals also sounded great, with Harry Hawker’s cockney accent staying prominent and clear above the din of a misfiring engine. There was also a lovely, natural timbre to vocals — Hawker sounds like he’s smoked a 20-pack then swallowed a bag of gravel, and I could hear the subtle distortions and crackles in his hoarse, husky voice.

Total War: Rome II

In Total War: Rome II, the game’s magnificent, cinematic OST sounded absolutely fantastic. I could hear each orchestral instrument with pinpoint clarity, from the gentle flutes and panpipes through to the boisterous trumpets and huge percussive smashes. During battles, that stereo imaging came to the fore once again, and I felt myself immersed in the chaos of the fighting.

Music

I also listened to my fair share of music on the Maxwell 2 ANC, playing my usual audio testing playlist on Qobuz, our favorite music streaming service for audiophiles. Bass was, again, tight and enveloping, if not the punchiest or subbiest in electronica. Plenty of top-end detail and mid-range clarity provides strong instrument separation and lets vocals and delicate effects shine — even during busier productions and when EQ’d for bass.

There’s a respectably spacious sound for closed back cans, too. Sure, there’s not the same amount of width as with open backs like the Sony Inzone H6 Air, but that’s the price you pay for isolation and noise cancellation.

Overall, if you want a dual-purpose headset for gaming and detailed music listening, it has to be a Maxwell.

Listen along to my audio testing playlist on Qobuz.

Genuinely good ANC

Audeze claims the Maxwell 2 ANC has the “best ANC in gaming”. It’s not the first brand to bring the hyperbolics to ANC marketing, with SteelSeries claiming its Arctis Nova Elite ($599) and Arctis Nova Pro Omni ($399) can block out the sound of a helicopter (spoiler: they couldn’t block the road noise outside my window).

Audeze claims it has proof, though, touting a lab test graph showing the Maxwell 2 ANC’s superior noise reduction versus a certain $599 competitor. And yeah, I can believe it. Combined with redesigned earpad foam for increased passive noise reduction over its predecessor, the Maxwell’s ANC performed much better than the Nova Elite in my tests. Same room for gaming. Same road outside. Same keyboards on my and my wife’s desk. Same office when I tested at work.

The Maxwell 2 ANC cut road noise very effectively, keeping me immersed in the tense mood of Sniper Elite: Resistance, as well as the atmospheric OST and tumultuous battles of Total War: Rome II. It almost entirely cut the noise of my NuPhy Halo75 V2, and completely drowned out voices, so was great for working, too. On several occasions my wife had to come upstairs and tap me on the shoulder after shouting up to me had failed. I also tested the headset at the London launch event, playing Star Wars Battlefront II in a busy, noisy pub — I heard virtually no noise, and again someone had to tap my shoulder when my time was up.

Annoyingly, mouse clicks not only got through, but sounded piercing. My wife has a cheap, noisy mouse for work, and the sounds were really frustrating. This was mainly an issue when using Bluetooth, though. Over 2.4G, higher frequencies were a little more muffled.

I didn’t notice an appreciable drop in sound quality with ANC on, either. There was a slight contracting of the soundstage — the radio vocal effects in Sniper Elite: Resistance cutscenes sounded a little less reverby, for instance — but nothing serious. This ties up with Audeze’s frequency response curves, which show marginal differences between ANC on and off.

Warm, clear mic

The Maxwell 2 already boasted the best performing headset boom mic I’ve tested, so it’s no surprise that the ANC version, which uses the same mic, sounds great too. On test calls with colleagues, they reported that my voice sounded clear and warm, and surprisingly high quality for a headset mic.

The Maxwell 2 ANC uses two mics — a hypercardioid boom mic and a beamforming mic in the headset. The combination works well for reducing environmental noise. The hypercardioid mic pattern cuts out most noise from the side and peripheries, focusing only on your voice, while the beamforming mic uses noise reduction to cut ambient sounds. On test calls, I left my window open to let in noise from the busy road outside. My colleagues heard no distracting sound whatsoever.

Same old Maxwell build, plus extras

Weight-gain aside, the Maxwell 2 ANC’s design is more or less the same as the Maxwell 2. It looks pretty much the same, is built just as nicely and also features removable earcup plates to allow for customization.

The build isn’t on par with the exquisite (and cheaper) Fractal Design Scape or Razer BlackShark V3 Pro, but the Maxwell 2 ANC doesn’t feel cheap (which is good, because it isn’t).

Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC review: The downs

Unfortunately, the Maxwell 2 ANC maintains its predecessor’s frustrating strap and is very heavy at 1.2 lbs. Battery life with ANC on takes a big hit over 2.4G, plus it’s rather pricey.

Strap still lacks adjustment

My biggest gripe with the Maxwell 2 ANC is the same that I had with the OG Maxwell and Maxwell 2: the headband. The only adjustment is via three fixed levels on the suspended inner headband. If, like me, you fall between one of those, you have to fit one side lower than the other, resulting in a lopsided headset.

I wish Audeze would just add some adjustment to the earcups sliders like literally every other headset. I actually spoke to Audeze’s design team about this at the Maxwell 2 ANC press event. They're aware it can be an issue, but it hasn't been a priority to change thus far. Hopefully we see improvements next time.

Huge, hot ‘n’ heavy

Like its predecessors, the Maxwell 2 ANC is a beast, thanks to those big drivers and large batteries needed to drive them. The size doesn’t bother me too much, but the weight does. Thanks to the ANC system, the new model weighs 2.5 ounces/70g more than the already weighty non-ANC version. The new model weighs a whopping 1.2lbs, and I found my neck getting pretty tired after longer stints.

I also found the earcups getting pretty hot and sticky, although I was testing in unseasonable hot conditions during a string of U.K. summer heatwaves, where temperatures pushed to 100F/38C.

If you regularly game for longer stints and think this would be an issue, I would advise a lighter and more breathable headset, like the Arctis Nova Pro Omni, Fractal Design Scape or Razer BlackShark V3 Pro. All three were incredibly comfortable during our testing.

ANC battery life suffers

Obviously, with ANC, battery life is gonna take a hit. Audeze claims 35 hours with ANC, down from 40 with it off. That’s over Bluetooth, though. Over Wi-Fi, my headset was dropping 20% every couple of hours, meaning around 10 hours of playback, extrapolated.

Audeze just can’t compete with SteelSeries here — the Nova Pro Omni and Nova Elite both come with second batteries that charge in their USB hubs/DACs, meaning up to 60 hours of playback, but zero downtime as long as you’re near the USB hub.

Really rather pricey

The Maxwell 2 ANC costs $429 / £429, so up a sizable $100 from the Maxwell 2’s launch price. While it sucks, I’m not surprised by it. Flagship/ultra-premium headsets are regularly pushing into silly money now, with the Nova Elite having set the precedent at $599. The Nova Pro Omni costs $499 and packs similar features to the Maxwell 2 ANC.

If you want the best sound in gaming, the Maxwell 2 is still my suggestion and costs much less, although obviously doesn’t pack ANC — if you have a noisy road nearby, like me, that could be a dealbreaker. For even less, you can pick up the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro for $249, which features powerful ANC, but its strong sound quality still won’t match that of Audeze’s planars. The Nova Pro Omni is even pricier and way more comfortable, although its ANC isn’t quite as good, and the sound quality, again, just can’t quite compete with the finesse of those planars.

Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC review: Verdict

As so often is the case in life, if you want everything, you gotta pay for it. If sound quality is the only priority you have and you want a headset for gaming and music, there’s really no reason to buy the Maxwell 2 ANC over the Maxwell 2 — the cheaper headset uses the same drivers and puts out equally excellent sound. Unfortunately, if you want or need ANC for work, or simply a noisier home environment, you’ll need to cough up the dough… if you also want those lovely planar drivers.

Our 3.5-star score is defined as very good, but with enough caveats to prevent a 4-star award and our outright recommendation to buy. The Maxwell 2 ANC sounds fantastic, but there are cheaper alternatives that give you ANC without sacrificing comfort. If it has to be the planars, though, and you need ANC, then this is pretty much the only headset to shortlist.

The Obsbot Meet Flip is one of the smallest webcams we’ve tested, but is it one of the best webcams? As much as I like it, I’m not sure.

The camera is highly portable and easy to set up. The 4K quality is ideal for making you look clear, and the companion software lets you make any adjustments you may need. The flip camera lens is also great for privacy and adjusting angles.

However, I wish the onboard microphone were better. If you want to find out more about the webcam, you can keep reading this full Obsbot Meet Flip review.

Obsbot Meet Flip review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A tiny 4K webcam
• Who is it for? Anyone who needs a small webcam for on-the-go use
• What does it cost? The Obsbot Meet Flip is available for $119 / £119 from Amazon or £99 from the Obsbot Online store
• What do we like? It's highly portable and easy to set up, delivers a clear image, and has effective companion software
• What don’t we like? The microphone isn’t the best

Obsbot Meet Flip review: Specs

Obsbot Meet Flip review: The ups

If you’re looking for a tiny, portable webcam, the Obsbot Meet Flip is a great choice. It’s simple to use and comes with companion software to make it your own.

About as small as you can get

If portability is your main concern when it comes to choosing the perfect webcam, the Obsbot Meet Flip is the one for you. It’s an ideal choice for anyone who needs a camera to go with their laptop, as it’s lightweight and won’t weigh the screen down in the same way as something like the Dell Pro 7 Webcam ($199).

The Obsbot Meet Flip measures 1.8 x 1.6 x 0.7 inches when folded, and 1.6 x 1.5 x 1.3 inches when open. The only webcam we’ve tested that’s smaller is the Opal Tadpole ($129), which is 1.5 x 1.3 x 0.7 inches when operational.

Having a small webcam like the Meet Flip means you can throw it in your bag and have it ready to go whenever you need it. And because it folds up, the lens won’t get any scratches when it's in your bag.

Couldn’t be easier

There was no fuss when setting up the Obsbot Meet Flip. The camera comes with a five-foot USB-C cable that plugs into the back of the camera. As soon as this is connected to your computer, it becomes operational. You just have to make sure the camera is selected as your video input for Google Meet, Teams, or whatever video calling software you’re using.

Clear image

The first thing I noticed about the Meet Flip was the clear image. The camera shoots in 4K at 30 frames per second, so I looked crisp, and my movements were smooth.

It’s worth noting that the camera is warm-toned, so if this isn’t for you, I’d recommend the Insta360 Link 2C Pro ($199) for a more natural look. However, I liked the warmth the camera added, as I think it made me look more professional.

Special effects

The Meet Flip is compatible with Obsbot Centre. This downloadable software gives you access to special effects for the webcam, such as backgrounds and color effects. Customization with backgrounds is useful as you can look like you’re in an office for a more professional look, or like you’re at the park.

When using the software, you can also use hand gestures to use the 4x digital zoom. However, for the framing to be effective, you need to stay within the frame, which I’ll talk about later.

Flip down for privacy

If you need to quickly turn off your camera while in a meeting but don’t want to head into your camera settings, you can simply flip the Meet Flip down. Folding the lens away puts the camera into sleep mode and assures complete privacy.

But that’s not the only thing the Flip is good for. Slightly folding the webcam up and down will guarantee you the perfect camera angle. I found it useful because I like to move around when I’m working to get a change of scenery, but that means my laptop is always placed at different heights. Having the option to flip and fold the camera meant I could make sure I was always in frame and getting my best angle.

Obsbot Meet Flip review: The downs

While I mostly love the Obsbot Meet Flip, the tracking capabilities aren’t as good as other options on the market, and the built-in microphone left me disappointed.

Stay in field of view for framing

When using the Obsbot Centre software, you can enable auto-tracking. However, this won’t be the best option if you are presenting and moving around. You still need to sit within the field of view of the camera.

If you want something with actual tracking capabilities, look to the Insta360 Link 2C Pro ($199). This camera smoothly follows you around the room by cropping the image, making the tracking feel more like a more expensive gimbal-tracking camera.

The Meet Flip, on the other hand, just uses zoom to follow you around the frame, and this is nowhere near as smooth as the results you get from the Insta360, but you’d expect that since it’s $80 more expensive.

Can you hear me?

There are a few audio modes on the Obsbot Meet Flip through the Obsbot Centre, including Directional mode, Dual-directional mode, Smart omni mode and Pure audio mode. It’s great to have options depending on your environment, but I don’t think they worked that well.

When I took some recordings with the microphone, I couldn’t hear much of a difference between the modes, and I don’t think my voice sounded any clearer between them. I much prefer the way I sound when using the built-in microphone of my MacBook Pro M2. That said, the mic was good enough to make sure my voice was audible on work calls.

Obsbot Meet Flip review: Verdict

The Obsbot Meet Flip is incredibly small, so it’s easy to throw in your bag and take with you anywhere. The setup of the camera is very simple; you just have to plug in the USB-C cord, and it starts working immediately.

The 4K image quality is very impressive, and you can see me in detail. But don't worry, if it’s not a good hair or makeup day, you can use the Obsbot Centre companion software to make adjustments. Angle adjustments are easy, since the hinged flip-for-privacy feature also lets you position the camera to your liking.

However, the tracking on the camera isn’t as smooth as other options on the market, and the microphone performance was a letdown. But for something so tiny and portable, you may think these trade-offs are worth it.

The best mechanical keyboards can make typing all day long feel like a walk in the park, and that’s exactly what the MCHOSE K99 V2 does. Fitted with responsive linear switches, the K99 V2 is a delight to type on — and its creamy-thocky sound profile is a joy to listen to. The keyboard sports a colorful design, and its proprietary software makes customization a walk in the park. Oh, and it’s got 1,000Hz polling for casual gaming.

But the K99 V2 isn’t perfect, and I really wish it was. There’s some flex in its body, and there isn’t much variety when it comes to stock switches. My biggest issue, though, is its web-based software which simply refuses to work on macOS.

Should you still buy this keyboard? Read my full MCHOSE K99 V2 review to find out.

MCHOSE K99 V2 review: Specs

MCHOSE K99 V2 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A near-full-size mechanical keyboard with linear switches
• Who is it for? Hardcore typists and casual gamers
• How much does it cost? The MCHOSE K99 V2 is available for $99 / £78
• What do we like? The colorful design, excellent typing experience and sound, 1KHz polling for gaming, and user-friendly companion software
• What don’t we like? The limited stock switch choice, flexible body, and finicky web-based software

MCHOSE K99 V2 review: The ups

The MCHOSE K99 V2 sports a lovely, colorful design, and it’s a joy to type on. Its proprietary software is extremely user-friendly, too.

Lovely design

MCHOSE knows how to make a good-looking keyboard, like the X75 V2 ($89), but it’s also no stranger to making boring ones — case in point, the GX87 ($109). Thankfully, the K99 V2 falls into the former category, as it’s a lovely deck. It’s available in a bunch of colors, such as Navy Blue, Emerald Green, Glacier Gradient, etc. The model I tested features a combination of blue, orange, white and steel keycaps, and I think it looks gorgeous.

Adding to the K99 V2’s charm is its per-key RGB lighting which is customizable via either web-based or downloadable software (more on that shortly). There’s also an anodized mirror plate on the keyboard’s underside with RGB lighting running around it, which, according to MCHOSE, makes the K99 V2 look stylish. The keyboard’s design is practical too, with a slot located along the top to store the 2.4GHz dongle.

Similar to the GX87, the K99 V2’s box has the words “YOUNG’S CHOICE” (yes, in all caps) inscribed on it. Reading that left me stumped but thankfully, Pete, our senior reviews editor, had already asked MCHOSE what this means, to which the brand clarified: ‘youthful design.’ And I suppose the K99 V2’s design looks like it would appeal to… Gen Z, perhaps? It’s more colorful than the GX87, at least.

Beautiful for typing

I’ve tested my fair share of keyboards — somewhere around the 100 mark, at the time of writing — so I can confidently say that the MCHOSE K99 V2 offers a seriously beautiful typing experience. The K99 V2 comes fitted with pre-lubed Icy Creamsicle switches which I’ve tested before with the X75 V2.

These linear switches require a moderate 42g of force to activate, and they have a pre-travel distance of 1.3mm (3.5mm total). This means that you don’t need to press them all the way down to register a command, resulting in fast type speeds. The Icy Creamsicles are ever-so-slightly heavier than the 38g Wisterias in my trusty Epomaker Glyph ($139) but the difference is hardly noticeable in real-world use.

The K99 V2 features a gasket-mount design which ensures structural integrity while reducing vibrations and unwanted metallic pings. It also makes typing feel super comfortable — and even after a full day’s worth of typing on the K99 V2, my fingers didn’t feel tired at all. Combined with six layers of sound-dampening foam and the switches, the K99 V2 makes a lovely, creamy-thocky sound.

Lastly, the K99 V2 is fitted with double-shot PBT keycaps which are more durable and resistant to wear-and-tear than their ABS counterparts. One thing worth noting, though, is that the keycap profile differs depending on the keyboard color you get. The Navy Blue, Sky Blue and Horizon Orange models have MDA-profile keycaps, while the Mountains Gradient has Cherry-profile ones. MDA keycaps feature a taller, semi-sculpted rake (generally more comfortable) while Cherry ones are more low-profile (usually better for touch-typing). A lot of this comes down to preference, though — you can always swap out keycaps later on.

I put the K99 V2 through its paces by taking a typing test at 10fastfingers.com as soon as I unboxed the keyboard. Right off the bat, I achieved a speed of 98 words per minute with 91% accuracy. I’m happy any time I get over 90WPM, so I’m very pleased with the K99 V2’s performance. This is a fantastic keyboard for hardcore typists.

1,000Hz polling for gaming, too

Though it isn’t mentioned on the MCHOSE K99 V2’s product page or box, it actually has a 1,000Hz polling rate (according to its companion software) which is more than sufficient for casual gamers. MCHOSE has since come out with the K99 V3 ($109) which features 8,000Hz polling over wired and 2.4GHz wireless connections. But like I’ve said in prior reviews, 8KHz polling is overkill for 99% of gamers, and it’s a drain on system resources. The K99 V2’s 1KHz polling should be just fine for you.

When I played Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5, I didn’t notice any input lag or latency issues. I found the switches extremely responsive, and I appreciated the short pre-travel distance as it meant I could simply tap a key to execute an action. The K99 V2 also features N-key rollover which ensures that each keypress is scanned and correctly detected by the keyboard’s hardware, so you can hold down several keys and rest assured that your inputs will be registered. For instance, in Forza Horizon 5, I held down W to maintain full throttle and A to steer hard into a corner, and I was able to tap the spacebar for the emergency brake too.

Of course, if you still want a mechanical keyboard with 8KHz polling, you can’t go wrong with the Keychron V1 Ultra 8K ($114). And if you’re a serious or competitive gamer, it’s worth checking out Hall Effect keyboards like the Epomaker HE75 Mag ($99).

User-friendly companion software

The MCHOSE K99 V2 is accompanied by M HUB Driver, a user-friendly app that enables you to customize every aspect of the keyboard. It’s available for free on Windows 10 and above, but annoyingly, it isn’t compatible with macOS (even though the K99 V2 itself is).

Once you’ve downloaded and installed M HUB Driver on a Windows machine, all you need to do is plug in the K99 V2 or connect it over 2.4GHz to customize it. The software sports a clean interface and is extremely straightforward to use. There are no annoying, intrusive pop-ups or ads — like the ones you get on Asus Armoury Crate when customizing the Asus TUF Gaming K3 Gen II ($99) — which is great. It enables you to customize the K99 V2’s RGB lighting and effects, remap its keys, record macros, and choose between three polling rates (250, 500 and 1,000Hz).

Competitively priced

The MCHOSE K99 V2 offers a beautiful typing experience and boasts decent gaming performance, too, without breaking the bank. In the U.S., you can buy the keyboard directly from MCHOSE for $99, and in the U.K., it’s available for £78 at Amazon. It’s available at Amazon U.S., yes, but it costs a whopping $199 — holy markup, Batman!

We’ve tested some excellent keyboards in the sub-$100 price range, like the Royal Kludge S98 ($99), the Epomaker Cypher96 ($89), and the five-star NuPhy Node75 ($99). Is the K99 V2 better than all of them? Not necessarily, but if you want a mechanical keyboard for typing on all day long, you can’t go wrong with it.

MCHOSE K99 V2 review: The downs

Though the MCHOSE K99 V2 is great, it isn’t without its flaws. There’s some flex in its body, there are no tactile stock switches, and the web-based software is finicky on macOS.

Some flex in the body

Now, this is a common issue I’ve encountered when testing budget-friendly, plastic keyboards — that doesn’t necessarily make it okay, though. The MCHOSE K99 V2 has a fair bit of flex in its body, and it twists when you hold it by its sides. I’ve seen this on the Epomaker Cypher96, the MCHOSE x Unbox Therapy UT98 ($139) and the Epomaker EK68 ($89).

It’s not the end of the world, but if it’s a dealbreaker for you, the Royal Kludge S98 and the Keychron K10 V2 ($84) are solid alternatives.

Linear stock switches only

One of my biggest gripes with the MCHOSE K99 V2 is the limited stock switch choice. At checkout, you can buy either the Hyacinth or the Icy Creamsicle linears. This could be a little disheartening for fans of tactile, clicky or silent switches. The K99 V2 is hot-swappable and compatible with 3- and 5-pin south-facing switches, but you’ll need to buy them separately.

If you don’t want to purchase them separately and want more variety at checkout, I’d recommend the Keychron V1 Ultra 8K, the Royal Kludge S98 or the Royal Kludge L75 ($79).

Issues with web-based software on macOS

As I mentioned earlier, the MCHOSE K99 V2’s proprietary, downloadable software is extremely user-friendly — but what do you do if you’re a macOS user? You use the M HUB Web web-based software, of course… if it works, that is. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the website to work.

For some reason, the website noted that the K99 V2 had been disabled, and regardless of what I tried, it wouldn’t work. I tried launching M HUB Web in Google Chrome and Safari on my MacBook Air M2. No luck. I then tried it on my personal MacBook Pro M1. Still no luck. I even flashed the K99 V2’s firmware using the proprietary software on the Alienware 16X Aurora but no joy.

However, the website worked just fine on the Alienware 16X Aurora. Personally, I’ve never encountered such an issue before. For instance, Keychron Launcher, VIA, and NuPhy IO seem to work fine across operating systems, so this is quite disappointing.

I’ve reached out to a MCHOSE representative to see if there’s a solution to my problems, and I’ll update the review if/when I hear back. If this is a persistent issue, it’s problematic for macOS users with no access to a Windows machine, as they won’t be able to fully customize the K99 V2. You can make some changes via key combinations, though, as per the keyboard’s manual.

MCHOSE K99 V2 review: Verdict

If you want a mechanical keyboard for typing all day long, the MCHOSE K99 V2 warrants a recommendation. Its stock linear switches are a joy to type on, and they don’t feel fatiguing either. The keyboard packs a 1,000Hz polling rate for casual gaming, too, and its proprietary software makes customization a breeze.

On top of that, the K99 V2 sounds beautiful with a creamy-thocky sound profile, and it sports a lovely, colorful design. But it’s far from perfect. There’s some flex in the body and you’re confined to only two stock switch sets — both of them are linear, sadly. Web-based software sounds good on paper but in practice, I found it to be finicky on macOS.

If none of those flaws sound like dealbreakers, then the K99 V2 could be yours for just under $100. At the end of the day, if you need a keyboard that’s simply delightful to work on, the K99 V2 is a hoot.

Turtle Beach has finally made screens feel useful without being gimmicky, as the large touchscreen on its Command Series KB7 TKL is simply beautiful. Enabling you to customize actuation points and enable features like Rapid Trigger on the fly, the KB7 TKL is one of the best gaming keyboards you can buy today — if you’ve got nearly $200 to spare.

The KB7 TKL is not only great for gaming, but it’s solid for typing and productivity, too, thanks to the multi-functional screen and an optional number pad accessory. But the keyboard isn’t perfect, as it isn’t hot-swappable or wireless, and it costs a pretty penny.

For the complete breakdown, read my full Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL review.

Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL review: Specs

Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A wired gaming keyboard with a 75% layout and Hall Effect switches
• Who is it for? Competitive gamers
• How much does it cost? The Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL is available for $199 / £159
• What do we like? The sturdy build, large screen for on-the-fly customization, elite gaming features, and the decent typing experience
• What don’t we like? The wired-only, non-hot-swappable design, and expensive price tag

Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL review: The ups

The Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL nails the sturdy, durable design, and packs a large touchscreen for on-the-fly customization, 8,000Hz polling, Rapid Trigger, and more.

Sturdy build

The Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL feels like a supremely well-built keyboard, utilizing a combination of an anodized aluminum top plate and a plastic chassis. These give it some heft, as the keyboard weighs 2.47lbs (including wrist rest) but it’s nowhere near as heavy as some of Keychron’s full-metal decks, like the Q6 HE 8K (5lbs, $239) or the Q12 HE (4.85lbs, $249).

That’s because the KB7 TKL is a low-profile keyboard, and these are generally lighter than standard-profile ones. Though the KB7 TKL is heavier than, say, the Hexgears Immersion A3 TKL (1.67lbs, $129) and the NuPhy Air75 V3 (1.65lbs, $139), I haven’t had any issues carrying it to and from work in my backpack.

The KB7 TKL, as its name suggests, is a TKL keyboard, so it doesn’t feature a number pad. It measures 15.71 x 10.08 x 1.22 inches so it shouldn’t take up too much space on your desk. If you wish it had a numpad, you’re in luck. You can grab the optional Turtle Beach Command Series KP7 for $99 / £89 which conveniently slides into place on either side of the keyboard, thanks to dual modular rails, and turns the KB7 TKL into a full-size keyboard. This is a great choice for both left- and right-handed folks. The KP7 functions as a standalone wired Hall Effect gaming keypad, too.

Adding to the KB7 TKL’s durable build are its double-shot PBT keycaps which are more durable and resistant to wear and tear than their ABS counterparts. Turtle Beach happily includes a detachable, light-diffusing silicon wrist rest in the box, too, which helps you feel comfortable during long gaming or typing sessions.

Large touchscreen for on-the-fly customization

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL’s large 4.3-inch touchscreen that takes up a lot of space on the keyboard’s right side. This replaces the navigation keys cluster you’d normally find on other TKL keyboards — but you still get access to these via the touchscreen.

In addition to that, the KB7 TKL’s touchscreen enables you to adjust all the keys’ sensitivity at once, enable ReacTap and Rapid Trigger, record macros on the go, remap keys, adjust the keyboard’s lighting, and more.

To unlock the touchscreen’s full potential, you should download Turtle Beach’s Swarm II companion app on your Windows laptop. Via Swarm II, you can customize the touchscreen by adding widgets to it, or selecting a template preset, such as ‘KB7 CS.’ This is designed specifically for Counter-Strike, and it shows you handy information, such as your equipped weapon, bullets remaining, total kills, etc. You can add third-party apps to the touchscreen, too, like Discord, Steam, and StreamLabs. This is how you make a keyboard’s screen useful and not just a gimmick.

Top-tier gaming features

The Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL is, first and foremost, a gaming keyboard. It’s fitted with in-house Titan low-profile Hall Effect switches, and it has an 8,000Hz polling rate. For 99% of gamers, 1,000Hz polling is more than enough. 8KHz is also a drain on system resources, but thankfully, you can drop the polling rate by launching Swarm II on your machine.

I tested the KB7 TKL by playing Counter-Strike 2 and Cyberpunk 2077, and the keyboard didn’t let me down even once. I tried both 8KHz and 1KHz polling rates and didn’t notice any input lag or unresponsiveness. The Titan switches’ per-key adjustable actuation is the real star here, though. Their sensitivity can be adjusted between 0.1mm and 3.2mm.

I appreciated being able to adjust the sensitivity via the touchscreen itself, so I could quickly drop to a low actuation point of around 0.3mm for ultra-responsive gameplay in Counter-Strike 2. Turning the sensitivity of action and movement keys down meant that I could quickly swap between weapons by lightly tapping a key. Executing a series of complex actions felt like a walk in the park too, as I could sprint, throw a grenade, and crouch into hiding rapidly. This gave me a competitive advantage that often mechanical keyboards can’t offer.

In addition to that, you also get ReacTap, which is Turtle Beach’s term for Last Key Prioritization — a type of Simultaneous Opposite Key Detection (SOCD) resolution, or in other words, telling the keyboard what to do when two opposing commands are entered.

Enabling this essentially prioritizes the last key pressed, and I use it primarily for counter-strafing. You can basically draw to a complete stop from a sideways strafe by pressing the opposing direction key (A and D or vice versa). This gets you kicked out of Valve’s games, like Counter-Strike 2 and DOTA, as it acts as a cheat code — but it’s not banned in Valorant and other non-Valve competitive games. It also works like a charm in single-player games, like Cyberpunk 2077 where I was running circles around NPCs.

Finally, there’s Rapid Trigger which ensures that all inputs are recognized by enabling near-instantaneous switch reset when lifting. This allows for quicker directional changes and micro-adjustments when dodging or repositioning, for example. In Cyberpunk 2077, I used it to quickly peek around corners. All of these elite features come together to deliver an exceptional gaming experience.

Decent for typing, too

While I prefer one of the best mechanical keyboards, like my trusty Epomaker Glyph ($139), for typing, the Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL is a good deck for productivity, too. The first page of its touchscreen features functions like Print, Insert, Page Up and Page Down, which are more productivity-oriented. There are Copy and Paste shortcuts, which negate the need to hold down Cmd/Ctrl + C/V.

The KB7 TKL feels good to type on, too. To put it through its paces, I took a series of typing tests at 10fastfingers.com, with the keyboard set to different sensitives for each test.

As you can see in the table above, the KB7 TKL performs well, but it doesn’t quite match up to other magnetic keyboards I’ve tested. That’s on me, though, as at the time of writing, I’d tested a bunch of mechanical keyboards leading up to the KB7 TKL, and was more accustomed to their tactile feel. I’ve personally enjoyed typing on the KB7 TKL. Its keycaps feel soft and polished to touch, and with the actuation set just right, my fingers felt like they were gliding across the board.

Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL review: The downs