Dreamegg Sunrise 2: Review in brief

The Dreamegg Sunrise 2 is one of the best sunrise alarm clocks I've tested, thanks to its excellent value for money versus performance. I've been using this sleep gadget for the last week and have been impressed with its sunrise and sunset simulations and sounds, which have worked in tandem to help me fall asleep easily at night and wake up with more energy in the morning.

In my quest to improve my sleep, I like to keep my bedroom as analogue as possible. So I like how the Dreamegg Sunrise 2 is smartphone and app-free. The buttons sit on the top of the clock and they're intuitive and easy to use. There's a dial for volume, a dial for light, and a snooze button that sit at the top.

As well as a warm, orange sunrise simulation that wakes you up in the morning (which it does effectively, thanks in part to its 3D dome-like shape that projects a wide arc of light around the bedroom), the Dreamegg also boasts a sunset setting.

Choose from 10 different colors to wind down at night, then select the brightness you want to start at. Next, set the timer for how long you want the light on, ranging from 5 to 180 minutes, depending on how long you want your sunset simulation (wind-down) to last for.

You can also choose between 29 relaxing sounds to accompany your sunrise or sunset simulation, ranging from white noise to nature sounds (for example, there's a 'fan', 'rain' and 'birds'). Granted, these sounds are seem pretty basic when compared to some other premium models on the market, such as the Ambient Dreamie, which boasts a library packed full of crisp sleep sounds to help you nod off and wake up. But then, the Dreamie costs $249 at full MSRP, while the Dreamegg costs $49.99.

Ultimately, if you want a decent sunrise alarm that wakes you up feeling refreshed during dark fall and winter morning and can double up as a nightlight before bed, I think the Dreamegg Sunrise 2 is an excellent choice in today's Amazon October Prime Day mattress and sleep sale. For a more detailed look, here's my full review...

Dreamegg Sunrise 2 review: Features

The Dreamegg Sunrise 2 is a sunrise alarm clock, as well as night light and sleep sound machine. In a world of sleep tracking alarm clocks and unrise alarms that double as noise cancelling sound machines, the Dreamegg features seem pretty basic.

But, for me, it does everything I want from a sunrise alarm clock, and without having to pay a monthly subscription or connect it to my phone, which I try to keep out of the bedroom.

The sunrise simulation mimics the rising sun, flooding your bedroom with warm, orange light. When setting your morning alarm, you can choose how long you want the sunrise simulation to last, ranging from 0-60 minutes.

The benefits of a slow sunrise simulation means that the increasing light, even through your closed eyelids, helps trigger the production of wakeful hormones, such as serotonin and cortisol. It helps supress the production of hormones keeping you asleep, such as melatonin. Together, the rise and fall of specific hormones help to wake you up feeling refreshed.

You can also choose between 29 sounds to help wake you up, which sounds at your chosen alarm time. These sounds feel pretty basic compared to top of the range models, but, as an alarm, work well enough. I opted for 'birds,' which fills my bedroom with a dawn chorus and it's really quite pleasant.

When it comes to winding down for bed, you can cycle through 10 ambient light colors to get the right hue for you, including red, amber and soft orange (all of which are conducive to sleep). If you want to, you can accompany your nightlight with one of the above sleep sounds to relax alongside to.

You can choose how long you want your sunrise to last, from 5-180 minute timer. Once you've settled upon a setting that works for you, press and hold the heart button on the side, which means that next time you can start your sunset simulation with the tap of a button.

Dreamegg Sunrise 2 review: Performance

I've been waking up with the Dreamegg Sunrise 2 alarm clock for the past week. Here's how I rate it across set-up, sunrise simulation and sleep sounds.

Set-up

Setting up the Dreamegg Sunrise 2 is straightforward task that will take ten minutes, tops. Included in the box is the sunrise alarm, instructions, a quick start card and USB to USB C cable (no plug included).

To begin, plug the Dreamegg into a power source. Next, set the correct time by pressing the dimmer/time set button.

The large snooze button on top is what you want to press to access your sleep sounds. Press and then twist the button to cycle through the different sounds available, adjusting the volume on the side.

To access the light options available, hit the sunshine button on the side. Press again to cycle through the colors and hold down when you want to turn it off. To create a winddown routine, press and the timer button and choose how long you would like your sunset simulation to last.

Sunrise simulation and alarms

The sunrise simulation on the Dreamegg can last between 0-60 minutes. A lengthy sunrise simulation can help gently draw you out of deep, through the production of key hormones that help you feel alert upon waking.

However, I've found before that a lengthy sunrise simulation can also wake you up a little bit too soon (which I don't want). So I opted for a 30 minute sunrise simulation, and that helps me wake up feeling pretty alert... but not wide awake half an hour before my alarm and wishing I was still asleep.

Before testing the Dreamegg Sunrise 2, I had been using the Dreamegg Sunrise 1. One of the key differences between the two is the Sunrise 2's dome-shaped clock face. This, according to the brand, helps project light further, helping to wake you up more efficiently.

The critic in me thought this sounded like a gimmick, but I've found that the light bathes my entire bedroom in a warm glow, as opposed to just one side of the room.

Another key difference between the two is the new, dial-shaped snooze button that sits proud at the top of the clock. If you find yourself reaching for the snooze button before you've even opened your eyes, you'll be able to easily identify it (that was another gripe of mine against the Sunrise 1).

Sleep sounds

Whether you're choosing one as part of your wind down routine or morning alarm, there are 29 sleep sounds to choose from. They range from 'storm', 'rain', 'lullaby' and 'birds.' These feel pretty basic in comparison to higher-end models on the market (see below for my top recommendations.)

No app or wifi connectivity means there's no option to play sleep meditations or podcasts through the speaker, either — which some premium models do. But then, these models cost upwards of triple the price.

The Dreamegg Sunrise 2 sounds quality is passable and the library of sounds is pretty standard, but, for me, it more than does the job.

Dreamegg Sunrise 2 review: Should you buy?

Considering its price vs performance, the Dreamegg Sunrise 2 is an excellent sunrise alarm clock for anyone who wants to dip their toe in the benefits of circadian lighting without spending a fortune on cutting edge tech.

Thanks to its convex clock face, the Dreamegg 2 does an excellent job of flooding dark bedrooms with simulated sunrise, helping to wake you up feeling refreshed during dark autumnal mornings.
The timed sunset simulation and accompanying sound feels like it could be geared towards kids, and I'm already thinking about snapping up another model to help my children settle at night and wake up on time for school.

Yes, there are better models on the market (cough, Hatch). But the Dreamegg is an excellent alternative for those on a smaller budget.

Dreamegg Sunrise 2 review: Alternatives

Loop Quiet 2 Earplugs: Review in brief

I was first introduced to the Loop Quiet 2 earplugs by my ex-colleague Lauren who raved about how the Loop earplugs blocked out neigborhood noise to help her sleep. Desperate to quiet noisy roommates and neighbors, I decided to order the first of four pairs last year. A year on, I now have the Loop Quiet 2 earplugs in four different colors and never go the bed without them nestled in my ears.

The Loop Quiet 2 are reusable silicone earplugs designed to muffle and filter out disturbing background noise for a more restful sleep. They're also built for napping, travelling, and focus. While I've tested some of the best sleep headphones, equipped with active noise cancellation (ANC), the low-tech Loop Quiet 2 show that reusable earplugs have the edge in sleep comfort and convenience.

The Loop Quiet 2 Earplugs' flexible, soft material are perfect for people like me who find earbuds (such as AirPods or the Fitnexa SomniPods) too hard or foam earplugs unhygienic and unsustainable. They also sit flush, so I never experience any discomfort when I'm side sleeping.

While they can't compete with ANC earbuds like the QuietOn 4 in terms of noise reduction, its Noise Reduction Rating of 14 dB is still perfect for sleeper who want to filter out sleep-disrupting sounds like traffic or a partner's snoring without missing their morning alarm. I use them to filter out TVs playing in another room, street noise, and general roommate noise.

Currently, the Loop Quiet 2 earplugs are $24.95 at Loop, where it comes with a 100-night sleep trial, free returns, and a two-year warranty. However, one pair won't meet the $44 spend threshold for free shipping.

The Loop Quiet 2 earplugs are also available at Amazon, where they are sold at the same MSRP of $24.95, but we've seen them discounted as low as $15.49 during sale events like the Amazon Prime Day sleep and mattress sales and the Black Friday sleep and mattress sales. At the retails giant, the earplugs come with free shipping and returns, but there's no warranty and the 100-night sleep trial is replaced with a 30-day return policy. You can now buy the Loop Quiet 2 Earplugs for $19.95 (was $24.95) at Amazon

In the UK, you can find the Quiet 2 earplugs for £19.95 at Loop UK, but they're often discounted for Amazon UK's Prime Day sale. Currently, the Loop Quiet 2 earplugs are £15.95 (was £19.95) at Amazon UK

Accessories include a white travel case and four pairs of different size earbuds tips (Medium is the default fit). Despite the customizable fit, the Loop earplugs do have a tendency to fall out, so I have woken up many times to find one of my earplugs tucked away in my pillowcase or buried under my sheets.

Despite this minor fault, the Loop Quiet 2 earplugs are still my No 1 method for reducing nocturnal noises — and I've tested a number of methods, including ANC earbuds, sleep headphones, white noise machines, sleep sound machines and old-fashioned foam earplugs. They're perfect for side sleepers who want to filter out background sounds without fidgeting with uncomfortable tips, Bluetooth connectivity, and apps.

Loop Quiet 2 Earplugs review: Design

The Loop Quiet 2 earplugs are the successor to the now-discontinued Loop Quiet and are designed to reduce digging discomfort in the ear canal, fit more securely, and offer more ear tip sizes.

Consisting of a thick outer ring and an adjustable ear canal tip, the Loop Quiet 2 are made from soft, flexible silicone. While the body consists of a ring (which rests on the outer ear) the tip is detachable and swappable — simply choose from four sets of ear tip sizes (Extra small, Small, Medium and Large).

The Quiet 2 earplugs are reusable and easy to clean: simply remove the tips and wipe with a clean damp cloth dipped in warm, soapy water or anti-bacterial biodegradable wipes.

Loop Quiet 2 earplugs review: Performance

I've been using the Loop Quiet 2 earplugs for over a year, assessing them in key areas of noise reduction, set up and comfort. Here's everything you need to know.

Set up

As the Quiet 2 earplugs are tech free, set up is pretty easy. No Bluetooth or app set-up is required, and inserting the earplugs can be done in two simple steps: insert the earplug in your ear with the ring (or the "plug" as Loop call it) pointing towards your cheek, and then twist the Loop to the back (so the ring is resting on your concha.

However, the trickiest part of setting up the Loop Quiet 2 is trying to find the right ear tip fit. The earplugs come with the Medium fit already loaded, as this is the standard size. However, choosing which size to customize your Loop with does require some trial and error. In fact, I oscillated between the X Small and Small sizes before finally settling on the Small.

Luckily, the Loop Quiet 2 come with a small, illustrated manual that demonstrates how to insert your earplugs and provides tips and tricks for knowing whether the size is right for your ear canal.

Comfort

As mentioned above, the Loop Quiet 2 were designed to improve on the first-generation Quiet earplugs. This meant a softer, comfier design, an extra ear tip size, and a thicker ear plug for a securer fit.

I'm someone who needs peace an quiet two sleep, and so I always kept a box of cheap, disposable foam earplugs in my nightstand at the ready on the off-chance that a neighbor decided to host an all-night karaoke party or if I felt on edge and therefore more pervious to the sound of a ticking clock or TV playing in another room.

However, moving to an apartment in the center of a city with a revolving door of roommates with different nocturnal habits meant I needed a more sustainable, hygienic, and customizable solution.

From the first night of use, I slept comfortably with a Loop Quiet 2 earplugs nestled in my ears (even if I initially wasn't wearing the right fit). The soft silicone plug rests easily on my concha with the ear tips physically block noise without digging into my ear canals.

One major complaint about ear plugs and sleep earbuds are the discomfort that side sleepers feel when wearing them. However, I'm happy to report that the Loop Quiet 2 feel comfortable in whatever position I'm sleeping in thanks to the way the ear plugs' design sit flush.

In fact, whenever I try or test out chunkier, harder ANC earbuds (like the AirPods, the Fitnexa Somnipods 3 and the QuietOn 4 earbuds), I always end up returning to my Quiet 2 earplugs as my default noise-blocking method.

Noise blocking

So, let's answer the question that you undoubtedly have: Do the Loop Quiet 2 earplugs create the "quiet bubble" for sleeping that they promise?

Yes, they can...but it depends on your noise environment and how light a sleeper you are.

Objectively speaking, the Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) is 14 dB, which is ideal for blocking light-to-moderate noises and snoring without causing inner-ear pressure.

For me, the Loop Quiet 2 work best against street noise, neighbors, apartment noise (such as a TV playing in the other room, roommates loudly talking downstairs, and snoring coming from the bedroom next to me), and ticking clocks.

However, if you're trying to drown out very loud snoring from a co-sleeper, blaring music or movies, or barking dogs, you will need sleep earbuds equipped with white noise or ANC. That said, the Quiet 2's lack of maximum noise reduction or ANC is ideal if you want to muffle irritating sounds without sleeping through your morning alarm.

Loop Quiet 2 earplugs review: Should you buy?

The Loop Quiet 2 Earplugs are a cost-effective, sustainable way to block out low-to-moderate sleep-disrupting noise. The reusable design made from soft, flexible silicone with provide a gentle fit to all sleep positions (even side sleepers)and ear canals.

While choosing the right fit does take some trial and error, setting up is pretty easy and the Loop's customizable tips mean you don't have to worry about buying the wrong size.

Sure, it's no-tech design does mean you'll need to forgo ANC and built-sleep sounds, but the Quiet 2 earplugs don't require any Bluetooth connection, WiFi, or app setup and is ideal for trying to catch some Zs when you're travelling.

As for noise reduction, the Loop Quiet 2 earplugs are best filtering out disturbances such as light snoring, nocturnal neighbours, apartment noise (from roommates chatting or a TV playing in another room), and street noise. However, switch to ANC headphones like the Soundcore A30 Sleep Earbuds when you need to cancel out music blasting next door or loud snoring.

That said, ANC earbuds (or even standard sleep earbuds like the Ozlo Sleepbuds 2) can cost over $200 even on sale. The Loop Quiet 2 Earplugs, on the other hand, are never over $25 (or £20 in the UK) and you can find plenty of deals at both Loop and Amazon.

Overall, I reccomend the Loop Quiet 2 Earplugs to anyone facing moderate sleep disturbances or prefers a quiet sleep environment but doesn't want to fork out for luxury sleep earbuds. Their soft, irritation-free design is great for side sleepers, too, with its reusable durable material being easy to clean and mold to your inner year for comfortable, restful sleep.

Loop Quiet 2 earplugs review: Alternatives

The Nike Pegasus has always inspired a high degree of loyalty in runners, and if you are a devotee the Pegasus Plus 2 is a great addition to the line, offering a more enjoyable and versatile ride than the Nike Pegasus 42.

It’s the best Pegasus you can get right now and a strong pick for any runner who prefers a high-drop shoe. I certainly enjoyed my miles in the Pegasus Plus 2, but I do think there are more exciting and impressive daily trainers available for less.

These include the Asics Novablast 6 and Puma Deviate Pure Nitro, two of the best running shoes I’ve tested this year, which offer a great combo of comfort and energy return at a lower price than the Pegasus Plus 2.

Nike Pegasus Plus 2 review: Price and availability

The Nike Pegasus Plus 2 launched in August 2026 and costs $170 in the U.S. and £155 in the U.K., making it $25/£25 more expensive than the Nike Pegasus 42, and $50/£35 cheaper than the Nike Pegasus Premium.

It’s competitively priced for a cushioned daily trainer, though there are some excellent options available for less, like the Asics Novablast 6.

Nike Pegasus Plus 2 review: Design and fit

The Nike Pegasus Plus 2 is currently available in four colors, including the white and yellow shoe I tested. I find Nike’s shoes to be very consistent in sizing, and I had a good fit in my usual running shoe size.

Like all Pegasus shoes, the Pegasus Plus 2 has a 10mm drop from heel to toe, which is a little higher than the industry average these days, I’d say.

It’s a well-cushioned shoe, with 38mm of foam at the heel and 28mm at the forefoot. It’s not as maxed out as some rivals, though it certainly feels cushioned enough on the run for me.

The Pegasus Plus 2 weighs 9.3oz in my US men’s size 10, which makes it lighter than the other Pegasus models.

Upper

The Pegasus Plus 2 has a mesh upper with a thick layer of padding around the collar of the shoe.

It’s quite a thick upper and not the most breathable in hot conditions, but I found it comfortable on long runs, and it held my foot securely at faster paces.

Midsole

The biggest change to the Pegasus Plus 2 compared with the Nike Pegasus Plus is that Nike added an Air Zoom pod to the forefoot of the midsole, which is otherwise made from the brand’s ZoomX foam.

Nike uses different versions of ZoomX across the shoes that have it in their midsoles, and in the Pegasus Plus 2, it is a slightly firmer, more resilient material than in racing shoes like the Alphafly 3.

It’s still soft and springy, though, and the Air Zoom pod adds firmness in the forefoot to boost energy return as you come off your toes.

Outsole

The Pegasus Plus 2 uses Nike’s waffle tread rubber for its outsole, and while there is a fair bit of exposed foam in the midfoot, the heel and forefoot are well covered.

It might not prove as durable as the outsole on the Pegasus 42, which is thicker and covers more of the bottom of the shoe, but I’ve not seen any wear and tear after 40 miles, which has included several runs on light trails.

Nike Pegasus Plus 2 review: Running performance

I tested the Nike Pegasus Plus 2 over several weeks of marathon training, using it for a mix of runs including several easy efforts, a progression run, and a 10-mile long run.

I’ve also tested all past models of the Pegasus Plus and Pegasus Turbo line, along with the past eight versions of the standard Pegasus and the Pegasus Premium. That’s a lot of Pegasuses (Pegasi?), and the Pegasus Plus 2 is the one that’s made the best impression on me since the original Pegasus Turbo.

It’s softer, lighter, and bouncier than the Pegasus Plus and the Pegasus 42, and a little smoother in transitioning from heel to toe.

I still found it quite a slappy shoe in how the forefoot comes down, which is often the case with 10mm drop shoes, but the softer foam helps it to roll through, and then the firmer Air Zoom pods add a little punch to your toe-off when running at faster speeds.

It’s not a particularly quick shoe though, and if you’ve come looking for a super-trainer or an all-rounder that’s great for intervals as well as easy runs, I don’t think you’ll find it here — the Nike Zoom Fly 6 is the shoe that does that for me in the Swoosh’s line-up.

The Pegasus Plus is instead a lively cushioned daily trainer that works best for easy and long runs. In that sense, it really lives up to its name — it does the same job as the Pegasus 42, but has a more enjoyable ride feel and a little extra pop at pace.

Should you buy the Nike Pegasus Plus 2?

If you’re a big Pegasus fan, then I think the Pegasus Plus 2 is worth getting as the best version of the shoe right now, even if it costs you a bit more than the Pegasus 42.

Similarly, if you prefer a 10mm drop shoe, I think it’s a good cushioned option for daily training and more fun to use than rivals like the Brooks Ghost 18.

However, if you’re happy to shop around a bit more, I do think there are better options, whether you want a speedy all-rounder or a cushioned daily trainer.

The Asics Novablast 6 springs to mind as an excellent cushioned option that costs less than the Pegasus Plus 2, while the Puma Deviate Pure Nitro is cheaper, lighter, and more versatile than the Nike, making it better for workouts.

If you want a speedier shoe for daily training, the Adidas Adizero Evo SL is one of my all-time favorites, and the Kiprun Kipstorm Tempo is a max-stack, lightweight super-trainer that can handle any kind of run well.

While the Pegasus Plus 2 is a welcome evolution of the Pegasus line and better than the competent but uninspiring Pegasus 42 and the heavy, overpriced Pegasus Premium, it still suffers a bit in comparison to top options from other brands.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE is a phone that sits in a very awkward position in Samsung's phone lineup. The phone is designed to be a lower cost alternative to the standard Galaxy S26, but it also faces increased competition from the, frankly excellent, mid-range Galaxy A57. I've been questioning the need for a "Fan Edition" of Samsung's flagships, but with everything going on in the world it actually feels like a good mix of premium and affordable.

The price is the main factor for the S26 FE's success, especially now that Samsung has hiked prices for the rest of the Galaxy S26 series. On top of that you also have a lot of premium AI features, a solid (is imperfect) camera and a premium feel. However, that doesn't change the fact that the S26 FE has weak performance, and struggles to differentiate itself from both the Galaxy S25 FE and the cheaper Galaxy A57

Read our Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review to see whether this phone is right for you.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? The latest release in Samsung's long-running "Fan Edition" series, offering a lower price tag in exchange for slightly worse features than the standard Galaxy S26
• Who is it for? The people who can't justify spending the full $899 on a Galaxy S26, but don't want to deal with the larger compromises made on the cheaper Galaxy A57
• What does it cost? Prices for the S26 FE start at $699, for a model with 128GB of storage. A 256GB model is also available for $799, which is $200 lower than the 256GB Galaxy S26's newly-raised starting price.
• What do we like? The low starting price, the good battery life, solid camera quality and the number of premium AI features Samsung has included.
• What don't we like? The weak performance, the lack of upgrades compared to last year and the fact the Samsung Galaxy A57 isn't that far behind.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review: Specifications

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review: The ups

$699 starting price

When I first went hands-on with the Galaxy S26 FE I commented on the fact that the phone wasn't actually that much cheaper than the Galaxy S26. In fact, at the time, a 256GB S26 FE cost the same amount as a 256GB Galaxy S26. Things have changed since then, though, thanks to Samsung hiking the price of the entire Galaxy S26 lineup — except the Galaxy S26 FE.

This means that the cheapest Galaxy S26 is now $999, complete with 256GB of storage. Meanwhile the cheapest S26 FE is $699, while the larger 256GB storage option will set you back $799. That's a $200-$300 difference, depending on how much storage you actually require.

With the cost of entry suddenly much higher, that gives a huge advantage to the Galaxy S26 FE since it offers a lot of the same features as the Galaxy S26 but for a much lower price tag.

Premium-feeling design

I'll caveat this by saying that the Galaxy S26 FE is not as premium as past fan edition phones. The S25 FE has the same matte glass back as the Galaxy S25 FE, but that isn't the case with the S26 equivalents. Instead, the S26 FE has a glossy glass back that looks more like the Galaxy A57 — to the point where I struggle to tell them apart.

That said, the design is more premium than your typical cheap phone. There's a large 6.9-inch display (rated up to 1,900 nits), and a brushed metal frame that helps the phone avoid feeling like it's a cheap device. The same goes for the solid glass camera bump, which is a trait Samsung usually reserves for other Galaxy S-series devices.

There's some weight to the S26 FE that makes it feel like it's got some solid construction. While lightweight designs are all the rage in certain circles, the extra half ounce the S26 FE has over the A57 goes a long way. Not to mention that the weight is fairly evenly distributed, giving the phone a more balanced feel. The mid-range Samsung feels a little too light for its size, and doesn't balance as well, which means it feels a little more flimsy as a result.

Solid AI features

It isn't a Samsung phone release without AI playing a key role in everything going forward, and the Galaxy S26 FE is no different. Samsung didn't add anything new and exclusive, which shouldn't surprise anyone, but it still added a bunch of Galaxy AI features we've tried and enjoyed on both the Galaxy S26 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8.

Included here is My Fan Cam, which follows human beings to turn existing video into something brand new, the literally-named Horizontal Lock, Samsung's Document Scanner, Audio Eraser, Photo Assist's AI editing tools, Now Brief and the contextually aware Now Nudge, as well as the currently Samsung-exclusive Circle to Search upgrade that lets you scan multiple objects at once.

All of which makes this a solid low-cost choice for those of you that want access to Galaxy AI features.

Good battery life

We haven't been able to do our full battery life test on the Galaxy S26 FE just yet, but I have performed a rougher version to gauge just how much battery is lost when streaming video. That test involved streaming this YouTube video for three hours, with brightness set to 50%. For comparison's sake, I also ran the same test on the Samsung Galaxy S26 and Galaxy A57.

The Galaxy S26 FE was the worst of the three, which is bizarre considering it has a 4,900 mAh battery. At the end of the video stream it came out with 82%, compared to 85% on the 4,300 mAh Galaxy S26 and 87% on the 5,000 mAh Galaxy A57. That said, with an average battery loss of 6% per hour, that's not a huge amount of battery drain.

If that power consumption holds steady, it means the Galaxy S26 FE should last almost 17 hours in the same conditions. It's far from the best battery life we've seen, and logic dictates that the regular S26 should last 20 hours. But that should keep you going throughout the day.

As for charging, the Galaxy S26 FE promises up to 45W wired charging speeds. My USB-C power meter, paired with a 60W charging brick, saw the incoming power hit a high of 41W which is pretty close. As for actual recharging time, I found the S26 FE reached 39% after 15 minutes and 72% after half an hour.

That's faster than the S26 and A57, and only slightly behind the Galaxy S26 Ultra (77% in 30 minutes). The S26 FE hit 100% charge after 58 and a half minutes during my testing. This means that while the battery life could be better, at least you'll be able to recharge pretty quickly.

Camera quality is (mostly) good for the price

Since the Galaxy S26 FE is designed to sit between the Galaxy A57 and Galaxy S26, I decided that the fairest way to test the cameras was to compare all three phones together. To get an idea of just how much of a difference there is when the phones themselves sit a few hundred dollars apart from one another.

With the main camera lens, you can't see a whole lot of difference in the three, or at least you can't see them on my dog sitting in the foreground. At a glance the quality is generally pretty good, but if you look a little closer the A57 dips considerably compared to the S26 FE — which manages to capture more detail (especially in the background) and a higher quality.

It's a lot closer in quality to the standard S26, though I'd say the flagship model clinches it in terms of overall quality — despite the fact I can't see much difference on the dog.

The ultrawide lenses are easily the mostly evenly matched lenses on the three phones, and the quality is surprisingly uniform. I'd go so far as to say that the quality does improve as the price does, and both the S26 FE and S26 highlight the red spray paint a lot more clearly than the A57. However, the actual difference is not that noticeable unless you look super closely.

Sadly all three phones do a pretty poor job with zoom, no doubt thanks to the A57's lack of optical zoom and the S26 and FE's weak telephoto cameras. The S26 probably has the edge, especially since the S26 FE added a weird warm color hue to the photo, but none of them are particularly great when you crank magnification up to 3x.

Crank things up to 10x magnification and things are a lot worse. The A57 turned the tower into a fuzzy mess, while the S26 and S26 FE are more evenly matched — though not by a lot. The FE seemed to add a bunch of detail that the S26 didn't pick up. But considering the quality of the photo itself, I can't really say that's an improvement.

It's a similar story for both S26 models at 30x zoom — the maximum you can get on both these phones. The S26 FE looks a little washed out, and picked up darker coloring in the bricks, but the actual quality is on par with the standard S26. Though, this is not meant as a compliment.

When it comes to selfies, things are much the same. The overall quality isn't bad, but the level of detail you get improves as the phones get more expensive. The A57 is blurrier and captures far less, while the S26 FE looks a little more like a competent photo. However the S26 captures it the best, and you can make out the individual hair strands a lot more easily. Alongside improved background details.

Weirdly, though, things are a little different when Portrait mode is involved. Somehow the quality on the A57 seems to have been ramped up, to the point where I'd say the sharpness of the photo exceeds that of the S26 FE. Even the S26 seems to be struggling to visualize my facial hair and various facial details that the S26 FE manages without issue.

Things are more or less back to normal with low light photography. The S26 comes out on top in the detail department, though the difference between it and the S26 FE is not that severe. The two certainly managed to capture a similar amount of light to illuminate the final product. As for the A57, the quality isn't there and the lighting has been processed in a way that makes the photo look a lot colder. Almost as though the tomato plant is being illuminated by fluorescent lights.

Overall I'd say the S26 FE sits in a comfortable position between the A57 and the Galaxy S26. The S26 certainly has the edge in most areas, but the quality difference isn't actually that severe compared to the S26 FE's camera. There's also a noticeable difference between the FE and the Galaxy A57, even though the A57 isn't a bad camera for its price tag.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review: The downs

Minimal hardware upgrades

Like many phones, the Galaxy S26 FE doesn't have a whole lot to offer when it comes to actual upgrades. The differences in comparison to the Galaxy S25 FE are minimal, and the only tangible changes are the upgraded Exynos chipset and the glass enclosure around the rear camera lens.

The rest of the hardware is basically identical, which shows Samsung is leaning more onto the software upgrades to try and sell the S26 FE. That's not bad, per se, and the S26 FE does have a heck of a lot of useful features you'd normally only find on flagship phones. However, there's no telling how many of those will make their way to S25 FE at some point.

In that respect, the S26 FE doesn't feel like a "must-have" device. Not unless you have a super-old Fan Edition phone, or some kind of mid-ranger that desperately needs upgrading.

Middling performance

When it comes to making phones cheap, compromises have to be made, and in the case of the Galaxy S26 FE Samsung appears to have nerfed the performance in a big way. The fact is, while the rest of the S26 series gets the custom Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chips (or the latest Exynos 2600), the S26 FE is stuck with the Exynos 2500 — a chip that debuted at the start of 2025.

Obviously this means that the phone does not have the same level of computing or graphics power as more expensive phones.

As you can see, the Galaxy S26 FE trails quite far behind both variants of the Galaxy S26. Likewise it falls quite far behind the iPhone 17e, which is powered by Apple's A18 chipset. However, the older Apple chipset always struggled with the graphics side of things, which means it lags quite far behind the S26 FE in that area.

Performance is one area that the S26 FE truly beats out the A57. The mid-range phone's performance is very poor by comparison, especially where graphics are concerned. However, considering the A57 is $150 cheaper, that's not a huge surprise. In any case, if you were hoping for flagship performance from the Galaxy S26 FE, you are out of luck.

The A57 isn't too far behind

Having tested both the Galaxy A57 and the Galaxy S26 FE, I can tell you that the lived experience of using both phones is very different. That said, the Galaxy A57 is still an excellent phone for its price, and on paper the differences between it and the Galaxy S26 FE are fairly minimal — especially for casual users who prioritize value and battery life over raw power.

While I personally think the extra $150 you pay for a Galaxy S26 FE is justifiable, my finances are different than yours — and Samsung is going a lot to make its mid-range phones a heck of a lot more appealing. To the point where it's essentially competing with itself on multiple fronts. Frankly, Samsung should have done more to help the S26 FE stand out on its own more, rather than being compared to lesser phones.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review: Verdict

I didn't have high hopes for the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE when Samsung first announced it. Personally, I felt as though the Fan Edition series was being awkwardly stuffed into a niche that didn't really need to be filled, to its own detriment. But actually using the phone, combined with Samsung's unceremonious price hike for the rest of the S26 series, has softened me up a bit. There's more to a phone than the basic hardware specs, and you don't really get to experience that without having it in your hand.

The Galaxy S26 FE offers a flagship experience that you just don't get on Samsung's cheaper phones right now. The experience has been nerfed slightly, in order to save money, but you still get a lot of the best parts of having a premium phone without the high price tag. Considering a regular Galaxy S26 now costs $999, the willingness to accept some of those compromises can now save you a bunch of extra money.

The lack of meaningful updates is not ideal, though, and if Samsung wants the Fan Edition series to continue long into the future, it's going to have to step up and not let it get neglected and end up the same way as the Galaxy Z Flip lineup.

When I reviewed them in 2025, the original Soundcore Space One Pro proved to be one of Anker’s biggest curveballs. I honestly expected something extremely mid from the mid-priced headphones. So when the Anker Soundcore Space 2 Pro launched in September 2026, I couldn’t wait to try them out.

While I love the overall sound quality and the personalized EQ feature, there are a few quality-of-life issues that prevent the Space 2 Pro from receiving the coveted 4-star “Recommended” rating. If you value products with their advertized AI features actually working as intended, you’re not in the right place.

But don’t care about AI in headphones? Then, the Space 2 Pro could be some of the best over-ear headphones available today. It totally depends on what you’re after. Don’t fret — I’ll walk you through all the details in this Anker Soundcore Space 2 Pro review.

Anker Soundcore Space 2 Pro review: Specs

Anker Soundcore Space 2 Pro review: Price & availability

The Anker Soundcore Space 2 Pro (say that ten times fast) cost $199 from Amazon U.S. and £199 from Amazon U.K. This is the same launch price as the predecessor, Soundcore Space One Pro, which I like to see.

$200 places them firmly in the mid of mid-range. Even so, the similar-performance Bose QuietComfort Headphones Gen 2 (not Ultra) will set you back a lot more — $359, to be exact. The brand-new Beats 360 are $349, but have an IPX4 rating (more on that later) and interchangeable ear cups.

At this price point, you might even want to check out Sony’s recently refreshed WH-1000 XM4, which were initially released in 2021. Now you can snag these cans for $298, which isn’t bad for the high-quality sound.

For those looking to save even more money, you might want to check out Soundcore’s budget option, the Space 2, which sound much better than their $99 price tag might suggest.

For the Space 2 Pro, Soundcore ditched the, well, Soundcore branding and added the parent company’s name: now it’s Anker Soundcore. Consequently, the app is now called Anker Soundcore rather than Soundcore.

Anker Soundcore Space 2 Pro review: Design

In terms of design, the Soundcore Space 2 Pro are both inconspicuous and sleek. I tested the lovely grayish mauve, which would be my choice if buying these for myself. If you want something a bit more eye-catching, you might want to check out the aforementioned Beats 360.

Unfortunately, there’s no IP rating. While this isn’t unheard of for over-ear headphones — the AirPods Max 2 and Sony WH-1000XM6 lack one, too — the Nothing Headphone (a) are rated IP52, making them splashproof, while the Beats 360 are IPX4 rated, making them water- and sweat-resistant, so excellent for working out.

Comfort

The Space 2 Pro are oh-so comfortable. I wore the headphones for eight hours while donning glasses, and the cups never pushed my glasses into my skull. I barely felt them — checks out, considering they’re just 9.2 ounces. This is a whole ounce lighter than the Space One Pro and the Beats 360.

Controls

There are controls on either ear cup, and, thankfully, no touch controls. Woo-hoo! While simple to use, I wish the controls had more customization. There’s no option to configure skip forward/skip back or pause… surely the most important buttons on an audio product? No, Anker has decided to forgo actually useful audio-related controls in favor of AI controls and assistants. Great! It just makes no sense.

Connectivity

I found connecting the headphones supremely easy. Multipoint also works seamlessly: I was connected to my phone and laptop within seconds. All you have to do is press the Bluetooth button for each additional device, and it works exactly how it’s supposed to.

The headphones use Bluetooth 6.0 and also have LDAC (a high-resolution codec available on most modern Android phones). I’m extremely relieved to see Bluetooth 6.0 as Apple released both the AirPods Max 2 and the Beats 360 with Bluetooth 5.3 / 5.4, respectively. Yes, in 2026. I know.

In short, Bluetooth 6.0 will provide a longer range and more stable connection. In reality, I was able to go downstairs and to the front door before the Space 2 Pro disconnected.

Anker Soundcore Space 2 Pro review: Sound quality

To test sound quality, I listened to a range of genres on Qobuz, our best music streaming service for audiophiles.

Just like its predecessor, the Space 2 Pro are very bassy. If you like a bassy sound signature — similar to the JBL Live 780NC or the Bose QuietComfort/Bose QuietComfort Ultra — you’ll like it. Of course, you can adjust the default EQ to whatever suits you. I’ll discuss this more in the “App” section below, but you can also do Soundcore’s HearID game to find your “optimal” EQ.

With my personalized EQ, I listened to “Hot Dog” by Limp Bizkit. The heavy, crunchy guitars in the chorus chugged through the headphones without unbalancing the vocals. In the verses, the softer guitar riffs fluttered around the background of the track. Most present of all was bass, which led the track like a knight commander running into battle.

Details are pronounced, too. I switched back to Anker Signature EQ for my next track. The chattering synth flicks in “Bias” by Floating Points were clear enough to trick my mind into thinking my jaw was trembling. I could feel the vibrations around my skull. Through the rest of the track, the sub-bass (the lowest bass, and the stuff you can feel rather than hear) grumbled along with intensity; although it might be a touch too rounded for some, I love powerful bass (as long as higher frequencies don’t suffer because of it).

The playful licks of synth towards the end of the track were layered beautifully over that pumping sub-bass. Each flickering synth was clear and well-formed, with no crispiness or overly bright processing issues. This song sounded immense.

All that being said, the propulsive bass might be a little too intense for some listeners. While details are still clear, the bassline dominated in “Superscar” by ADELA. Let me reiterate: this is not inherently a bad thing. I personally like this sound signature because I get a naughty bass response without the vocals being pushed back.

Overall, the Space 2 Pro sound like their predecessor with a little more oomph. Bass steals the spotlight, but without shoving higher-frequency details into the wings.

Anker Soundcore Space 2 Pro review: ANC

ANC, as expected, is great. I tested the headphones both in the office and while walking around the city. I couldn’t hear myself typing or conversations around me.

When I was walking around the city, I could hear some construction (drilling) noises, but chatter and general human noise were completely silenced. If you live near a super busy road or are often on public transport, these headphones would suit you fine. However, if you want to obliterate nearby drilling, they might not be enough (but is there anything capable of blocking out a concrete drill?).

Anker Soundcore Space 2 Pro review: Call quality

Anker’s marketing claims the Soundcore Space 2 Pro hold the Guinness World Record for the world’s clearest call quality. Well, I’ll be the judge of that.

To test call quality, I called my boyfriend, who has listened to every pair of headphones and earbuds I’ve ever tested. I played a drilling noise track at max volume (75dB) to test the environmental sound reduction capabilities.

He said my voice was clear and audible, around the same as my AirPods Pro 2, but it wasn’t anything special. He also reported he could hear the drilling noise track in the background; however, the headphones isolated my voice and he could hear everything I said.

Anker Soundcore Space 2 Pro review: App

Because the Space 2 Pro come with Anker’s new “Thus AI” chip, they have an upgraded AI assistant. If you’re the kind of person who uses AI in headphones, this’ll be music to your ears. Personally, I never use AI in any earbuds or headphones, so this is redundant for me.

Even so, “Anka” (yes, that’s its name) is supposed to be able to do a number of interesting things: adjust your EQ, take notes, and even tell you a joke. The joke, however, is that Anka can’t do any of these things.

Haha. Really funny. It couldn’t even answer the pre-programmed suggested questions. If you want headphones with AI that actually works, the Space 2 Pro might not be the ones for you.

I do find it ironic that Anker uses AI-generated images in its advertisements but its own AI doesn’t work. It feels serendipitous.

Even so, it’s incredibly frustrating that Anker is selling an unfinished product: don’t advertize AI features that don’t work. I’ve reached out to Anker to clarify this.

Apart from the non-functional chatbot (seriously, who asked for this?), the Soundcore app can do everything you’d expect it to. You can customize EQ manually, configure the controls (kind of), and cycle through ANC modes. As far as apps go, it’s standard.

Of course, there’s the HearID function, as in the Space One Pro. I love this feature. I’m a sucker for gamified personalized EQs.

My HearID was markedly quieter in the low mids than Anker’s Signature EQ, but a little more pronounced in the sub-bass. Naturally, you can adjust the EQ on the fly, too, so you can easily switch between bass and balanced when you go from rock to pop, for example.

Anker Soundcore Space 2 Pro review: Battery

The Soundcore Space 2 Pro last for 60 hours with ANC off and 30 hours with ANC on. I listened for 8 hours and it went down by 20%, which checks out.

Although I’ve tested headphones with seriously unkillable batteries — like the EarFun Wave Pro (55 hours with ANC) and the EarFun Tune Pro (80 hours with ANC), 30 hours is more than enough to get you through at least a decent chunk of the week.

But please remember — you have to turn off the headphones manually. They don’t sleep after a certain amount of dormancy. I woke up one morning to find my headphones dead.

Anker Soundcore Space 2 Pro review: Verdict

The Anker Soundcore Space 2 Pro are great headphones. Are they better than the predecessor? As good as they sound, I’m going to say no. Not when the advertized AI features don’t work. Again, this is super personal — I do not care about AI in headphones, full stop, so I could overlook this. But it does leave a sour taste in my mouth. What other features don’t work?

As far as I’ve tested, everything else works. HearID? Yes. 30-hour battery? You got it. Rich, high-quality sound? Yep. Supremely clear calls? Uh-huh. Cloud-cushion comfort? Another yes. Honestly, though… I think I’d buy the Space One Pro on discount instead of paying full price for the Space 2 Pro. The improvements, while seemingly impressive, aren’t worth the extra cash. True, we’re still waiting for said discounts, but with Black Friday around the corner, I’m sure there’ll be some decent savings on the older model now.

Even so, if you want the newest version, you won’t be disappointed. The Space 2 Pro sound excellent, feel super comfy, and have great call quality and ANC. Just beware of those “AI” features.

I’ve often said I’m a marketer’s dream. When something is heavily advertised to me, more often than not I’m going to buy it. So when I kept getting advertisements for the Brick while scrolling social media, I had to get my hands on one.

After testing it — and being shocked, even disgusted by my own addiction to my phone and social media — I’ve found the Brick to be effective at reducing screen time. The customizable modes mean you can tailor it to suit your lifestyle, and opt for stricter modes too. It can be used on an unlimited number of devices and has a magnetic and non-slip design.

But be warned: it works by exploiting your unwillingness to go and find the Brick to UnBrick your phone. If you don’t have the willpower to wait it out, this may not be for you. To find out more about the gadget, keep reading this full Brick review.

Brick review: Specs

Brick review: Price & availability

The Brick is available for $59 / £44 directly from the Brick online store. You can also get two Bricks as part of a deal for $106 / £80. You can also buy a mount for the Brick, which costs $15 / £14, but I don’t think you need this since the Brick is magnetic and stable with a silicone base.

There are a few other devices like Brick on the market. These include Bloom, which is a card-shaped device for your wallet, costing $39; however, I like that the Brick is a larger object, as a card is easily lost or misplaced. You can also create your own Near Field Communication (NFC) tags or even use QR codes and pair them with open-source apps like Foqos.

There are also apps you can download from the app store that block app access, such as Opal, but being able to turn them off in the app doesn’t create that much of a barrier; this is more for rewarding mental resilience.

Brick review: Design

The Brick is exactly that. A small gray square. It’s nothing special, and I don’t think it’s going to win any design awards, despite its minimalistic flair. However, it’s all that it needs to be.

It measures 2 x 2 inches, so it’s very small and doesn’t get in the way wherever it is. At 3.17 ounces, it has a little weight to it, but nothing crazy.

The base of the Brick is a silicone material that keeps it secure on a table, so it doesn’t slip around, and it’s also magnetic for easy storage. I’ve opted to keep mine on the refrigerator in the kitchen, which works well for me as it blends in with the rest of my magnets.

Brick review: How does it work?

The Brick is not battery-operated, but contains a Near Field Communication (NFC) chip. This chip is embedded in the device, so when you tap your phone to it, a signal is exchanged, acting as a cue for your phone to block the apps you have selected in the Brick companion app. It uses the same action and communication range as a contactless payment you make in a store.

You may have come across NFC chips like this in other places, such as viewing a menu at a restaurant or bar, tapping your card on the subway, or data sharing when you hold two phones together.

This is different from a Radio-frequency Identification (RFID) chip, which works via long-range. NFC requires much closer proximity, which is what the Brick relies on. You need to physically get up, walk over to the Brick, and hold your phone to it. This is what the technology is relying on — your unwillingness to get up and out of your chair. Well played, Brick.

Once your phone is Bricked, you then have to go back to wherever you left the Brick to UnBrick it. Obviously, the premise doesn’t work if you keep the Brick close to you at all times, so I recommend leaving it in a different room, or at home if you’re heading out. This is where the card design of Bloom falls down, as it’s more likely to be with you at all times in your wallet.

If, for some reason, you can’t get to the Brick and you find yourself desperately needing access to an app you’ve chosen to block, you get five emergency UnBricks that automatically unlock all of the apps.

A single Brick can be used for an unlimited number of devices; you just need the app downloaded to the device. Because of this, I can see it being a useful addition to classrooms and homes too, where you need some social media boundaries.

Brick review: App

The Brick app is free to download and use and is compatible with an unlimited number of Bricks. It’s interesting to me because when you’re in an active Brick session, you can’t use it except for looking at your Brick time, which for me is useful because I’d be tinkering with the settings.

When setting up the app, you make modes based on what you’ll be using Brick for. I created one for Focus and one to block apps designed for scrolling. You can add any apps on your phone to this list. You can also block websites, so I opted to block the web versions of the apps I frequently use, like Instagram.

There are also a couple of different modes you can toggle in settings. I recommend turning on strict mode, as it prevents you from ending an active Brick session by deleting the app. You can also allow Brick to block app installs, in-app purchases and mature content. This means it can also be used as a parental control aid for the entire device, which is easier than setting different permissions in different apps.

Brick review: Experience

I wanted to test the Brick because it was constantly advertised to me on my social media feeds. And I, cocky as ever, thought it couldn’t be any different from the screen time limiters built into my phone because I surely have more willpower than that. Oh, how wrong I was.

During my first Brick session, I can’t tell you how many times I reached for my phone only to be met with a screen that read “Instagram is blocked”. Did I seriously just tap on Instagram? I’ve been shocked by the realization that I have a reliance on my phone. A dependence. I’ve found that I’m using it as a sort of crutch to fill empty space. Queueing for a coffee? Scroll. Waiting for my dinner to cook? Scroll. Clock off from work? Scroll. You get the picture.

Social media can be fulfilling in a lot of ways, but it wasn’t until my phone was Bricked that I noticed the specific moments I would reach for it. And I’ve found it troubling. Look, I’m not exactly proud of what this particular review has shown me. But I know that it’s not just me with an addiction to this slab of plastic and aluminum in my hand.

Once I got past the initial itchiness of the withdrawals — because yes, that’s what it was — I was gaining a lot of my time back. On a day without Brick, I clocked up 6 hours and 48 minutes just on social media, a number that shocked me to my very core. But on a day with Brick, my time on social media was just 1 hour and 15 minutes.

But the Brick isn’t what’s stopping me from using these applications. It’s my own willpower. I could easily tap my phone to the Brick and scroll on my phone, but that almost feels like admitting defeat. I’ve noticed that it’s feeding into my competitive side. I’m in competition with myself to have my phone Bricked longer than it was the day before.

While I was in competition with myself, the Brick also relies on another somewhat ugly trait of us humans to work its magic. That’s our laziness. If my phone is Bricked, and I’ve left it downstairs as I tuck myself into bed, there is no way I am going back down just to UnBrick my phone. Therefore, I break the cycle of scrolling before I fall asleep and scrolling first thing when I wake up. The concept is genius as it uses us against ourselves.

I’ve also noticed that my phone pickups are reduced. Getting notifications from these apps is what often makes us pick up our phones. Then once you’re on the app, it’s a subconscious decision to start scrolling because it’s almost second nature.

I’ve found the Brick incredibly helpful in helping with a problem I didn’t know I had. I’ve found more time in the evenings for reading, organization and general self-care that I’m so grateful for. I’m even going to bed earlier.

Brick review: Verdict

My time with the Brick has shown me that this is the kind of gadget every household needs. Phone usage is such an issue nowadays that app blocking is almost essential, and I think Brick is the best way to do it.

It has effectively reduced my screen time on social media, and I love how you can customize the modes to suit you during different tasks. Some of the modes are strict, but I think that’s needed. The minimal design is also non-slip and magnetic for ease of use, and it can be used on an unlimited number of devices.

The only thing is that, like giving up most things, it relies heavily on your personal willpower or laziness. But if I can do it, I think you can too. So, let’s look up from our phones and touch some grass, people!

As I head into the holiday season, I’ll be hosting, cooking and needing everything to be as fast and as easy as possible. I want — nay, need — the Ninja CrushBOSS by my side. It’s the best blender I’ve ever used, and you’ll have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands.

I’m impressed by the level of control you get with this blender, which has become my go-to for everything from meal prep to daily breakfast smoothies. It has exceptional blending performance that takes on the toughest ingredients. It’s very stable when blending at full speed, has a large capacity and is easy to clean.

What more do you want? You can find out more by reading my full Ninja CrushBOSS review.

Ninja CrushBOSS review: Specs

Ninja CrushBOSS review: Price & availability

The Ninja CrushBOSS is available to purchase from Amazon U.S. for $169 and from Amazon U.K. for £154. The blender comes in a variety of colors, including Midnight Blue & Gunmetal, Onyx, Emerald Green & Champagne, Stone & Gold, Mocha & Gold.

You can also buy the blender as part of a three-in-one bundle with a tumbler and food processor, as well as the large pitcher. This version of the blender will cost you $279 from Amazon U.S. and £239 from Amazon U.K. The additional blend cups are a good option for anyone who will be dealing with small quantities or using the blender for meal prep.

The Ninja Detect Power Pro is also around the same price at $179 and is incredibly powerful too. This blender comes with smaller blend cups and has similar controls, with a dial at the front and the same preset modes, but the CrushBOSS is just a little more powerful and costs less. Why would you spend more?

I recently tested the Nutribullet Power Core, which is priced at $99, and for $70 more, I can’t believe the step up in performance you can get with the CrushBOSS. If you can’t tell, I’m in awe of this blender.

For something with more control, such as the 10 variable speeds that come with the CrushBOSS, I would usually recommend something like the Vitamix Ascent X2. However, that will cost you $549, and you can’t justify paying that when the CrushBOSS is ripping through ice and creating the smoothest hummus I’ve ever seen with complete ease.

Ninja CrushBOSS review: Design

The Ninja CrushBOSS looks futuristic, but so are its capabilities. The blender is pretty tall, measuring 17.87 x 10.16 x 8.98 inches. I found it easy to move around since it only weighs four and a half pounds. The blade in the pitcher is tall, kind of like a tree with six blades.

The pitcher has handy measurements on the side so you can see how much liquid you’re adding to your smoothies and mixtures. The lid has a release button, and a handle pops up, making it easy to remove. The corner of the lid also lifts up to reveal a pour spout.

The motor base has suction cups on the bottom to keep the machine glued to the countertop, and trust me, this thing is not moving an inch. I even struggled to remove it when I was done, but that’s much better than having a blender that jumps around on your countertop.

Controls

The controls of the Ninja CrushBOSS are very easy to get to grips with. The blender has two small buttons for power and pulse at the top of the motor base and a large dial with an LED screen, which you twist to select the mode you want from the smart menu.

You can select prepIQ, which has presets for all sorts of meal prep, including mince, small chop and large chop. I liked having these settings because they gave me a lot of control, and more than I’d get from the pulse button. Smooth Sense uses smart sensing to determine how long the pitcher's contents need to be blended to become smooth, which I found most useful for frozen ingredients. You can also choose from 10 variable speeds if you want to be in control of the blending.

Ninja CrushBOSS review: Blending performance

To test out the blending performance of the Ninja CrushBOSS, I carried out my usual blender tests of smoothies, sorbet and hummus. This time I also added a quick chop side salad to test out the preset modes.

I was blown away by the blender. It’s so fast, and those blades are so sharp I’m convinced it could obliterate anything you throw at it. It made light work of completely frozen fruit and more tricky ingredients such as dates.

Smoothie

Firstly, I made a batch of tropical smoothie which consisted of frozen mango, peaches, pineapple and passionfruit, and I added two bananas and four dates with a splash of oat milk. I used the Smooth Sense setting, and this only took 90 seconds to fully blend and displayed a handy countdown on the screen.

As you can imagine, it tasted amazing, but I’m worried about how it felt. All of the fruit was completely broken down. Not a seed or pip in sight, and the dates were blended so small that they could easily move through a straw. It’s difficult to blend dates because of their sticky texture that gets stuck in the blades, but that wasn’t an issue for the CrushBOSS.

Sorbet

Next, I made sorbet using the Smooth Sense setting to see how well the blender copes with completely frozen ingredients and no liquid. It absolutely obliterated the mango. It was very impressive, and I’ve never seen a blender work so quickly before.

Even though I knew it wouldn’t hurt me since the lid was off, after what it did to the frozen mango, I was wary each time I reached my hand into the blender. In under two minutes, I had a smooth sorbet with no lumps or clumps.

Chop salad

To test out the chopping presets, I made a quick chopped salad to go on the side of meals. This included cucumber, red onion and tomato. I used the Small Chop setting, and the blender made light work of the ingredients.

It took less than 10 seconds to blend. It was pulsing, and in just 1, 2, 3, it was all done. An incredibly fast meal prep that I’ve been able to use to top my meals and add to wraps with minimal cleanup.

Hummus

Finally, I made a quick hummus. This included two tins of chickpeas, olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper. I decided to use the Custom Speed settings here, as making hummus requires more control, and went with speed 4.

This is the smoothest hummus I have ever made. I’m talking grocery-store-smooth. It was seriously impressive to watch, and since the blades climb the pitcher, no chickpeas were missed.

Ninja CrushBOSS review: Storage & maintenance

I found the Ninja CrushBOSS surprisingly easy to clean despite its large size. Everything except for the motor base is top rack dishwasher safe. This means that once you're done, you can throw it in the dishwasher and forget about it, making the cleanup process feel non-existent.

I opted to clean the pitcher by hand since it’s so big, and this was very easy to do. My only advice is that if you decide to clean the blades by hand too, you should be careful with your hands, as the blades are very, very sharp.

Ninja CrushBOSS review: Verdict

After some thorough testing and serious thinking, I don’t have a bad word to say about the Ninja CrushBOSS. In fact, I can’t think of anything negative about it at all.

It has an exceptional blending performance, making light work of tough ingredients like sticky dates and frozen fruit. The controls are also versatile, with variable speeds that give you the final say over your blends and presets that make prepping for cooking faster than ever. The suction on the bottom of the motor base makes it incredibly stable while blending, and the cleanup process is easy. It also helps to have a large 72-ounce capacity so I can make large quantities, but performance isn’t hindered even if you make small batches.

The CrushBOSS does everything a blender should do, does it exceptionally well, and won’t break the bank.

When it comes to toasters, I firmly believe in the old adage of ‘buy cheap, buy twice’, except for me it’s been a case of ‘buy cheap, buy six times’. I’ve had my fair share of cheap toasters, and they’ve mostly been utter crap. So I was pretty excited when KitchenAid offered me its Pro Line (or Artisan, here in the U.K.) toaster.

The KitchenAid Pro Line offers some impressive features to back up its enormous price tag. It boasts a premium design, promises even toasting, and packs a range of features like hands-free lowering/rising and an automatic keep warm mode.

Alas, it isn’t perfect. While it’s a good toaster, I wouldn’t say it toasts bread any better than a toaster half the price. And the included toasted sandwich cage kinda sucks.

Still, if you value ease of use and have some cash to spare, this has to be one of the best toasters out there.

KitchenAid Pro Line Toaster review: Price & availability

There’s no getting around it, the KitchenAid Pro Line is extremely pricey, at $299 for the two-slot toaster — the only model available in the States. Here in the U.K., the Pro Line is called the Artisan, with the two-slot model costing £269 and a four-slot model (unavailable in the U.S.), costing £399.

While pricey, the Pro Line is more or less on par with other premium toasters, namely the Dualit two-slice Classic, which costs $299. The KitchenAid Pro Line offers way more features than the Dualit Classic, so is the better option if you want reheating, auto up/down, and a bagel mode. In my experience, though, the Dualit Classic tends to toast more evenly, and unlike KitchenAid, Dualit offers the four-slice model Stateside — if those are priorities, it’s Dualit all the way.

The Pro Line is available in various colors: white, black, red and silver (which is essentially gray). In the U.K., the Artisan is available in a whopping 10 colors, including a rather fetching pistachio green. There’s also an “empire” red, ‘cos y’know… we are the British after all. Somewhat tone deaf naming there, KitchenAid.

KitchenAid Pro Line Toaster review: Design

The Pro Line is, in my opinion, absolutely beautiful, sporting a timeless art-deco design. It’s simultaneously stately yet understated, adding a touch of class to your counter but never drawing too much attention. Every time I notice it, I think “huh, now that is a pretty toaster.”

Size wise, the Pro Line is an absolute unit. The four-slice measures 12 x 13 x 9 inches and weighs 18.7lbs — it’s definitely one to be avoided if you’re short on space. The two-slice measures a slightly more manageable 7x 13 x 9 x inches and 12lbs, but it’s still large for a two-slice toaster. As you can see, neither is a featherweight either, and I genuinely had difficulty getting both out of their styrofoam packaging.

The upside to all this is that the Pro Line is built like a tank. There’s barely a hint of plastic in sight. Everything is essentially either enamel-clad steel or shiny chrome. I’m not sure I could break it even if I wanted to. This is a toaster to pass down to your grandkids.

KitchenAid Pro Line Toaster review: Performance

My favorite thing about the Pro Line is its array of automatic features and useful cooking modes. It has an automatic up/down mechanism that senses when food is in a slot and lowers/raises it accordingly, with a satisfying ping to let you know your toast has begun and ended. There’s not much use to this, although it’s a very smooth, steady mechanism, so avoids the classic ‘toast popping out and landing on the floor’ scenario.

Much more useful is the ‘keep warm’ setting. If the sensor detects that toast hasn’t been removed after cooking, the Pro Line will automatically lower it back down on a gentle heat to keep it warm. So no more spreading butter over cold toast if you happen to be busy or away from the toaster when it pops up. This will cook the toast ever so slightly, but I haven’t yet had burnt toast from a previously unburnt piece on account of keeping warm.

There’s a bagel mode, which is handy, only toasting one side of each bagel half, while only warming the top. You need to ensure you’ve got your bagel the correct way round, though, lest you cook the top and just warm the bread side. Thankfully there's a diagram on top of the toaster showing you which way to insert the bagel.

Naturally, there’s a defrost mode for heating frozen bread. And there’s a fourth mode which, confusingly, KitchenAid’s marketing images don’t show. On the promo shots, the toaster has a mode called “A little longer” to toast for a short time. On my two- and four-slice units, however, there’s a toasted sandwich setting instead. I guess the model online is an older version.

Anyway, the toasted sandwich setting is sucks, even using the sandwich cage — in all my tests, it simply burnt the outside of the bread while leaving innards cold and cheese unmelted.

I really like that the Pro Line’s slots are deliberately capacious, though, allowing you to toast lots of different bread styles and thicknesses. Often I struggle getting extra thick slices of bread into my parents’ Dualit Classic, but with the Pro Line I had no issues with super thick granary bread. I still had to cut flatter, longer sourdough slices in half, but that’s to be expected.

Finally, I love the toast setting slider. It's smooth, with no hard stops on each setting, so you can dial in your exact cooking time. And it features LED cooking lights, which count down to zero so you can see how long is left before your toast pops up — handy for time management when doing other stuff in the kitchen.

Toasting tests

Alas, the Pro Line’s core toasting performance was a little disappointing. Not awful, but for this much money, I want perfectly cooked toast. I ran my tests on the four-slice unit, at the middle setting of '4'.

With thinner slices of bread, the Pro Line cooked pretty evenly on both sides, with each slice of bread in each slot looking similarly toasted. As you can see, though, the toaster left the upper half and top corners less cooked. I'd expect to see less cooking at the top, as it's cooler near the opening. But there's quite a big discrepancy here with the upper section being undercooked cor my liking. These weren't tall slices of bread, either — the crusts were well and truly submerged into the toaster.

To see if this was just an issue with the elements not having time to heat up properly, solvable by longer cooks, I left two slices in the toaster until they burned — as a sort of stress test. As you can see below, the top elements will start to cook the upper areas of bread, but a corner still gets left undercooked in comparison.

With thicker slices of bread, I found the Pro Line always heated the sides unevenly, resulting in toast being perfect on one side and either under- of overcooked on the other, depending on the slots used. Slots 1-2 tended to undercook a side while slots 3-4 tended to burn a side. As you can see below, there was always a discrepancy between sides. Now, you want this for a bagel, but for normal toasted bread I wish the Pro Line cooked more evenly. The Dualit Classic is much better in this regard.

Time-wise, the Pro Line takes just over 2 mins to cook at the middle setting of 4. At the lowest setting of 1, it took just under 30 seconds and at the highest of 7 it took just under 2-minutes 45 seconds.

I wouldn’t say this is particularly quick, but it isn’t slow like those awful conveyor belt toasters you find at European hotels. The combined cooking and buttering time was about right for brewing and steeping a cup of tea to wash down my toast.

KitchenAid Pro Line Toaster review: Storage & maintenance

The Pro Line is very easy to keep clean externally. The sturdy, premium design and enamel finish don’t hold onto fingerprints and grime, and are easy to wipe down. I have the toaster positioned next to my stovetop, meaning it’s constantly getting sprayed with food and oil. My old toaster held onto this and its body needed degreasing regularly. The Pro Line’s enamel looks as good as new with a quick wipe.

Unfortunately, the crumb tray is a little laughable. It’s tiny and super shallow, meaning it gets full up very quickly and can be fiddly to remove if there are big crumbs in it. It’s also easy to spill crumbs when moving the tray from toaster to food waste.

KitchenAid Pro Line Toaster review: Verdict

The KitchenAid Pro Line (or Artisan in the U.K.) is a decent enough toaster. It’s styled and built beautifully, easy to clean and packs tons of useful features — the keep warm setting is a total gamechanger for those who perennially forget about their toast.

Holding the Pro Line back from our top scores are some major annoyances, though. It’s pricey, and for this money I’d expect evenly cooked toast on both sides. The crumb tray is also inexplicably small for a toaster this bulky. But if you value convenience and features over pure toasting performance, the Pro Line is still definitely one to shortlist.

As someone who is active and has scoliosis, I’m all too familiar with muscle aches and pains. I often use heat and anti-inflammatory medications to get through my day-to-day activities so I can keep climbing mountains and running in the mornings. But it turns out that investing in one of the best massage guns can be extremely beneficial too.

The Hyperice Hypervolt Go 3 has been a welcome addition to my recovery routine, delivering effective performance and supported by the companion app. It’s great value for money and has four hours of battery life to carry you through your weekly sessions without reaching for the charger.

There’s no Bluetooth connectivity for in-app control, and there are only two attachments in the device kit. But these could be acceptable sacrifices for the cost savings. To find out more about the percussion therapy device, you can keep reading this full Hyperice Hypervolt Go 3 review.

Hyperice Hypervolt Go 3 review: Specs

Hyperice Hypervolt Go 3 review: Price & availability

The Hyperice Hypervolt Go 3 is available for $149 from Amazon U.S. and £129 from Amazon U.K. The massage gun is only available in black. The Hypervolt Go 3 is an entry-level model with two interchangeable heads, but Hyperice also offers the Hypervolt 3 with four interchangeable heads.

The Hyperice Hypervolt 3 is the option for someone who needs a more robust muscle-care routine with heated heads and pressure sensors, but it is more expensive at $249. But I think the Go 3 offers the best value for money.

The previous version of the Go 3, the Hyperice Hypervolt Go 2, is a little cheaper at $139. I think it’s worth spending an extra $10 on the new model for more speed settings and longer battery life, with four hours instead of the previous three hours.

Other affordable massage guns include the Bob and Brad M7 Plus Mini, which costs $89 and has a higher speed. It also comes with more attachments, including heat and blue light. However, the Go 3 has a significantly longer battery life and 10mm of amplitude compared to the 9mm of the M7 Plus Mini, so it depends on what you need in your own routine. The amplitude is the distance of travel of the head attachment, and 10mm is middle of the road for massage guns and is best for moderate activity.

Hyperice Hypervolt Go 3 review: Design

The Hyperice Hypervolt Go 3 looks very futuristic, but I’ve come to expect this from Hyperice. It has a long oval-shaped handle that meets a long cylinder at the top, which drives the massage gun. It’s a very similar shape to the Hyperice Hypervolt Go 2, but without the cooling vents on the top.

The long handle has padding that’s very comfortable to hold throughout treatment. I found it easy to grip in any position, even when working behind my back. It only weighs 1.6 pounds, so it’s not too taxing to hold. But keep in mind that, although it’s designed for travel, it’s still quite large, measuring 7.5 x 6.8 x 2.4 inches.

It comes with two head attachments: Flat and Wedge. The Wedge attachment gets a little deeper into the muscle by targeting the force to a smaller point, while the Flat attachment is a little more soothing. The heads easily attach to the gun by pushing them into place. But be aware that if you don't push them in far enough, they will pop out when the gun is turned on.

The Go 3 comes with a hard shell case, so you can easily take it with you anywhere. There are two holes to store the attachments and a larger one for the device itself. It also has a mesh pocket for the USB-C cable. I’ve found it very handy for keeping all of the components together.

Controls

The controls for the Hyperice Hypervolt Go 3 are easy. You hold down the power button on the back of the device to turn it on and then turn the dial to increase the speed of the treatment. It has five speeds, but I only managed to get up to two since any higher felt quite strong and a little painful — that means the gun is powerful, which is a good thing.

Hyperice Hypervolt Go 3 review: App

Personally, I don’t believe a massage gun needs an app. In fact, I don’t believe a lot of the devices I test need an app. Call me an app cynic. However, I actually enjoy the Hyperice app.

I also enjoy using the app for other devices I’ve tested from Hyperice, like the Venom Go, because, depending on where it’s positioned on your body, you can’t reach the physical controls, but you can use the app. But with a massage gun, since it’s always in your hands, you can always adjust the controls manually.

The reason I like this app is the guided sessions. These can take you from prep and warm-up to cooldown and recovery, with timers to keep you on track and a video you can follow. The video walks you through the exact workout, and pictures on the side tell you which attachment to use. Since the Go version of the massage gun only has two attachments and the programme is made for the entire range, I had to make do with what I had for some sessions. Downloading the companion app for this device made me feel like I was getting the most out of it.

However, there’s no Bluetooth connectivity for the Hyperice Hypervolt Go 3, so you can’t control it from the app. You just use the app for guided sessions. If you want control over the device in the app, you need the Hypervolt 3.

Hyperice Hypervolt Go 3 review: Performance

I used the Hyperice Hypervolt Go 3 to help with cooldowns during my current training block and for general muscle aches that stem from my scoliosis. I have to say: I’m very impressed and probably the most relaxed I’ve been in a long time.

The massage gun succeeded in releasing knots to improve my range of motion, accelerating warm-up and reducing recovery time. It does this by using percussion therapy, which uses targeted pulses to drive into the muscle.

I have scoliosis at the top of my back, which can lead to shoulder and neck pain, especially if I’m doing a lot of heavy lifting. I use a lot of home remedies such as heat packs and anti-inflammatory gels to help with this, but the Hypervolt Go 3 has added an extra layer to my routine that helps the relaxation last longer. I used speed two for this. More seasoned massage gun users may be able to use higher speeds, but I didn’t need to.

I’ve recently started a new running plan too, so my legs are feeling a little more stiff than usual. I followed the Lower Body Relief guided session in the app and started using the Flat head on my feet before moving to my calves, hamstrings, quads and glutes. I made an effort to implement this routine after each run and saw a huge difference in how I felt the following day.

I’m not a professional athlete, so this gun was more than enough to take care of my aches and pains, but if you need something more intense with a deeper amplitude, you can try the Hyperice Hypervolt 2 Pro.

Hyperice Hypervolt Go 3 review: Battery

The Hyperice Hypervolt Go 3 had a battery life of up to four hours. This depends on the speeds you're using on the device, but when using the lower speed, I was able to complete my sessions for the week without needing to charge again. It charges via USB-C.

The Bob and Brad M7 Plus Mini, for example, only has an hour of battery life, which is fine for short sessions, but you’ll be charging it often with daily use. It’s worth spending a little extra money to get reliable usage.

Hyperice Hypervolt Go 3 review: Verdict

The Hyperice Hypervolt Go 3 is a value-for-money massage gun. It’s all you need to get started with at-home percussion therapy and delivers an effective performance, releasing tension and supporting my sports recovery. The four-hour battery life is impressive and means I can get all of my sessions in for the week without needing to juice up. I also enjoy the app; although it doesn’t connect to the device directly, I was able to make the most of it by following recommended treatment plans.

But keep in mind that it doesn’t have the bells and whistles of the more advanced models in the range from Hyperice. The Hypervolt Go 3 only comes with two attachments and has no Bluetooth connectivity for control within the app.

Still, the Go 3 proves that massage guns don’t really need Bluetooth or extra features. Those haven’t stopped me from reaching for this gun every day.

Keychron knows how to make a good mouse that packs a punch without breaking the bank — and the Keychron M2 8K is one such rodent. Featuring 8,000Hz polling and adjustable DPI up to 30,000, the M2 8K is a gaming powerhouse. It features Angle Snapping, too, which gives you a competitive advantage in FPS titles. Adding to its appeal is up to 140 hours of runtime, and extensive web-based customization.

But the M2 8K isn’t perfect. Its scroll wheel is stiff and feels rigid, which has a negative impact on your gaming experience. The body feels quite slippery, and it’s also a fingerprint magnet. The sub-$100 mouse market is overcrowded already, and even the tiniest flaw feels big when you consider the competition.

So, is it still the best gaming mouse for you? Read my full Keychron M2 8K review to find out.

Keychron M2 8K review: Specs

Keychron M2 8K review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A wireless gaming mouse with 30,000 DPI and 8,000Hz polling
• Who is it for? Gamers on a budget
• How much does it cost? The Keychron M2 8K is available for just $69 / £54
• What do we like? The superb gaming performance, long battery life, user-friendly software, and budget-friendly price
• What don’t we like? The slippery and fingerprint-prone design, and stiff scroll wheel

Keychron M2 8K review: The ups

From its 30,000 DPI and 8,000Hz polling rate, to its long battery life and web-based software, the Keychron M2 8K is a solid budget-friendly gaming mouse.

Superb gaming performance

The Keychron M2 8K’s biggest selling point is, of course, its gaming performance. Even though it weighs just 1.94oz, the M2 8K packs a lot of tech. It’s got an 8,000Hz polling rate and a maximum DPI of 30,000 — both of which can be adjusted using the dedicated buttons at the bottom of the mouse.

8KHz polling in competition mice is fairly commonplace now, as is such high DPI, like the SteelSeries Rival Pro ($179) with 42,000, the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike ($179) with 44,000, the Razer Viper V4 Pro ($159) with 50,000, and the Fnatic x Lamzu Maya 8K ($119) with 30,000. It’s nice to see the M2 8K go toe-to-toe with these mice at a much lower price.

First of all, let’s talk about 8,000Hz polling. Regardless of the game I played, from Cyberpunk 2077 and Counter-Strike 2 to Lies of P, I didn’t experience or notice any latency issues. All of my commands were registered smoothly and instantaneously, and I appreciated the click buttons’ tactile feedback as well. You can always drop the polling rate down to 1,000Hz when you aren’t gaming, as 8KHz can be a drain on system resources (and the mouse’s battery life).

A high and adjustable DPI of 30,000 proves to be a big advantage across genres, as you can slow down your movements or speed them up, depending on the in-game scenario. For instance, when I wanted precise, smooth and controlled crosshair placement for landing headshots in Counter-Strike 2, I opted for a low DPI like 800.

This gave me a lot of control over my movement, and when I was trying to execute a headshot in the distance, my shaky hand movements didn’t throw off my aim. It also helps that the M2 8K features Angle Snapping (enabled via the companion app) that smooths out lateral mouse movements to ensure a straight line, helping you keep your cursor at head-level at all times. It ensures that your hand’s natural and minute movements don’t impact your cursor’s movement, thereby giving you an advantage in games like Counter-Strike 2 and Valorant.

Setting the M2 8K to its maximum DPI of 30,000 is probably overkill for most people — I know it is for me — but I guess it’s good to have in case you need it. I opted for a high DPI of 10,000 when I wanted to be super quick in Cyberpunk 2077 and Lies of P. When trying to stealth my way through a base in Cyberpunk 2077, or being surrounded by slow-moving puppet enemies in Lies of P, I was able to use the mouse’s high DPI to quickly move my camera and scan my surroundings. It also enabled me to change directions really quickly while in close-quarter combat.

Extensive web-based customization

The Keychron M2 8K can be extensively customized via the web-based Keychron Launcher app. Keychron Launcher is one of my favorite apps, as it sports a very clean interface, doesn’t feature intrusive pop-ups (unlike my archnemesis Asus Armoury Crate), and best of all, it can be used without having to install any third-party bloatware on to your machine.

Once you’ve plugged in your M2 8K and opened Keychron Launcher in Google Chrome (or other browser), you’re able to assign different DPI values and polling rates to their dedicated buttons, toggle smart features like Angle Snapping, change scroll direction, and update the mouse’s firmware. Keychron Launcher is super easy to use, and each setting is accompanied by a short explanation so that you understand what each function does.

Up to 140 hours of battery life

Keychron has spared no expense in ensuring that the M2 8K lasts as long as possible — and for a budget-friendly mouse, it boasts exceptional battery life. The M2 8K is equipped with the same 600mAh rechargeable battery that’s also found in the Keychron M3 Mini 8K ($69). When polling at 1,000Hz, the M2 8K is rated for up to 140 hours. 8,000Hz polling is naturally detrimental to any device’s runtime, and the M2 8K isn’t an exception to that. Its battery life drops to 40 hours when polling at 8,000Hz — but that’s still excellent.

In comparison, both the Keychron M6 8K ($69) and the pricier Fnatic x Lamzu Maya 8K are rated for 80 hours each at 1,000Hz. The M2 8K is bested by the likes of the Razer Viper V4 Pro with its 45-hour runtime when polling at 8,000Hz, and the SteelSeries Rival Pro with its zero-downtime battery — but they cost a lot more than the M2 8K.

Budget-friendly

On top of everything the Keychron M2 8K offers, it’s the mouse’s price that really sweetens the deal. Priced at just $69 / £54, it’s one of the cheapest mice you can buy today. There’s no dearth of competition in that price range, and the M2 8K goes up against heavy hitters, like the Keychron M7 ($49), the Keychron M3 Mini 8K ($69), and the NZXT Lift Elite Wireless ($79). The M2 8K leaves its mark as one of the best, though, and is great for anyone who wants a simple-looking but powerful gaming mouse.

Keychron M2 8K review: The downs

Unfortunately, the Keychron M2 8K has a few flaws. Its scroll wheel is very stiff, the mouse itself proved slippery in testing, and it’s a fingerprint magnet.

Stiff scroll wheel

One of the things that’s annoyed me most about using the Keychron M2 8K is its stiff scroll wheel. It feels like it has high resistance, and it feels heavy, tight and hard to rotate. In addition to that, the scroll click also feels heavy. While that’s great for avoiding accidental clicks while, say, scrolling through a spreadsheet, it can cause finger fatigue and impact reaction times in video games.

The M2 8K’s scroll wheel certainly had an impact on my experience when playing Cyberpunk 2077. When in the heat of combat, I wasn’t able to swap between my quick-access weapons as quickly as I’d have liked, because the scroll wheel felt heavy. I haven’t experienced this issue with other Keychron mice, like the M6 8K or the M3 Mini 8K. Maybe the M2 8K’s scroll wheel will loosen over time — but I wish it felt smooth straight out of the box.

Slippery body

While I’ve found the Keychron M2 8K mostly comfortable, it proved quite slippery in testing. The uncoated, smooth ABS plastic lacks inherent grip. If your hands tend to sweat a lot, you won’t be pleased with this mouse, as the smooth surface becomes harder to hold during intense gaming sessions.

This issue can be fixed by sticking grip tape to the M2 8K — but frustratingly, Keychron doesn’t include any in the mouse’s box, so you’ll have to grab some third-party one. If you want a textured mouse that feels grippy, I’d recommend the Keychron M3 Mini V2 8K or the NZXT Lift Elite Wireless. Neither gave me any grip issues during testing. Elite esports mice, like the Razer Viper V4 Pro and the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike, feel grippy too, so it’s a problem with the M2 8K, not competition mice as a whole.

Fingerprint magnet

This isn’t a major drawback but for anyone who gets the ick easily may want to consider this before buying the Keychron M2 8K. Thanks to its matte ABS coating, this thing is a fingerprint magnet. I noticed my fingerprints shining on the mouse just after an hour of use. We had the same issue with the SteelSeries Rival and Sensei Pro, so this isn’t isolated to Keychron. But if it bothers you, grab the NZXT Lift Elite Wireless or the Lemokey G1 ($64) instead.

Keychron M2 8K review: Verdict

The Keychron M2 8K is a competent little rodent. It’s great for FPS and RPGs as it packs 8,000Hz polling and 30,000 DPI, both of which can be adjusted on the fly, thanks to the buttons on the bottom. When polling at 1,000Hz, the mouse can last up to a whopping 140 hours, too. Oh, and customization is easy as pie via web-based software.

However, the M2 8K has a few flaws. It picks up fingerprints extremely easily and quickly, and the mouse’s body feels quite slippery. The M2 8K’s scroll wheel feels very stiff and rigid, too, which has a detrimental effect on gaming performance. For $69 or just under, you can get a more well-rounded mouse, like the Lemokey G1 or the Keychron M3 Mini V2 8K. Though the M2 8K is good, it’s simply outdone by others.

“A toothbrush made out of corn? Really?” was my reaction when I reviewed the very first Suri toothbrush way back in early 2025. But although the Suri brush is intended to be the last one you buy, $135+ for an electric toothbrush is kind of pricey. So Suri released a budget version in August 2026 — so how does it stack up?

Named the “Suri Core 1.0”, this toothbrush is a great cheaper offering. Even so, at $75, I’d like to see Suri drop the price even more for successive versions. When Philips sells an electric brush for under $50, the Suri being ¾ of the way to $100 is a little off-putting.

Still, is the Suri Core 1.0 enough to be one of the best electric toothbrushes? If you value recyclable brush heads but don’t want to spend a fortune, most definitely. Again, though — I’d like to see a plastic-free version in the future. But I’m getting ahead of myself; let’s dig into this Suri Core 1.0 review.

Suri Core 1.0 review: Specs

Suri Core 1.0 review: Price & availability

The Suri Core 1.0 is $75 from Amazon U.S. and £65 from Boots in the U.K. Considering this is Suri’s “budget” brush, I’d like to see that price under $50. I was surprised to see the “budget” option still three-quarters of the way to $100 — especially seeing as this model is mostly plastic. Bio-circular, recycled plastic, but plastic nonetheless.

Speaking of sub-$50 brushes, the $48 Philips Sonicare 4100 has a pressure sensor but no travel case, so could be a better option for those on a serious budget. Although the Core 1.0 has a travel head cover rather than a full travel case (unlike the Pro 1.0 and Pro 2.0), $30 for a plant-based cover is a pretty severe difference.

Philips also offers the Sonicare 4200, $79 on Amazon. This model has three speed modes, a 31,000 motor (as opposed to the Core 1.0’s 28,000), and a pressure sensor.

However, Suri uses recyclable brush heads, and, even though the Core 1.0 is mostly plastic, it’s considerably less plastic than the Philips versions.

Suri Core 1.0 review: Design & features

As touched upon above, the Suri 1.0 isn’t totally plastic-free like the Suri Pro 1.0 and Suri Pro 2.0. The Pro 1.0 and 2.0 both utilize recyclable corn brush heads and an aluminium body, making it a completely circular product. However, the Core 1.0 is, unfortunately, mostly plastic. While this plastic is “bio-circular”, meaning it’s recycled and recyclable, Suri’s commercials start with something similar to: Why start your day with a gross piece of plastic in your mouth?

Of course, costs would have needed to be reduced for a budget brush, which I presume is what happened here. Even so, a girl can dream. In the future, I’d like to see Suri investigate other plastic-free-but-still-cheap materials.

In terms of features, you’ve got the aforementioned 28,000 vibrations per minute motor speed, pressure sensor, and two speeds. While the motor is a little slower than the Pro line (33,000), I didn’t notice a huge difference while testing. I will say the pressure sensor only went off a couple of times, which either means I’m already excellent at brushing my teeth or it’s not sensitive enough. As per my dentist’s feedback, I’m inclined to go with the former.

Indeed, the heads are recyclable if you’re in the U.K. or the U.S., and are $13 every six months for a subscription (two heads, so one every three months), or $19 for a one-time pack of three on Amazon. I have the subscription for my Pro 2.0 brush, and it’s always on time.

Just like the Pro 1.0 and 2.0, the Core bristles are soft, meaning my gums never felt irritated or pushed back. This is definitely the toothbrush I’d recommend if you’re moving from a manual brush into the electric toothbrush sphere — it doesn’t oscillate aggressively, unlike the Laifen Wave, or confuse you with app analysis like the Oclean Super X. The Core 1.0 is simple, straightforward, and gentle.

Suri Core 1.0 review: Battery

The Suri Core 1.0 lasts for up to four weeks, which is a little less than the Suri Pro 2.0’s 40 days. Four weeks is an accurate estimate — in my testing, the Core 1.0 lasted for exactly four weeks and one day.

While this is less than the Suri Pro 2.0’s 40 days and similar to the $79 Laifen Wave’s 30 days, four weeks for a budget brush is still impressive. The Philips 4200 lasts for just 14 days, as does the Philips 4100. Charging is easy with the provided charging mount. I let mine charge overnight, which is enough time for a full charge, even using a lower-wattage USB adapter.

Unfortunately, as the bodies are different sizes, you cannot use the Suri Pro chargers with the Core. I was disappointed by this, as surely it’s more sustainable to make one charger. This, again, is something I’d like to see Suri adopt in the future.

Suri Core 1.0 review: Cleaning performance

I know you’ve all been waiting for this: how does the Suri Core 1.0 actually clean? In short: I didn’t notice a difference between my everyday toothbrush, the Pro 2.0, and the Core 1.0. Sure, the 1.0 has 5,000 fewer vibrations per minute, but I seriously couldn’t tell.

The main difference between the Pro line and the Core line is materials — if you want a matchy-matchy, all-metal/corn toothbrush, plus a UV travel case, grab the Pro. If you don’t mind mismatching heads and don’t mind a bit of plastic, the Core might be more up your alley.

As always, here’s a before and after of my teeth. I used those kids’ disclosing purple tablets to illuminate my plaque.

As you can see, my teeth aren’t that discolored in the first place. This is definitely because I use the Core 1.0 anyway, and it’s pretty great at eradicating plaque! Even so, in the second photo, my teeth are markedly cleaner.

The final thing to note is that the Suri Core 1.0, like the Pro 1.0 and Pro 2.0, does not feel like a “regular” electric toothbrush. The head doesn’t oscillate, unlike Philips and Oral-B lines, so you have to manually move it around and physically “brush” your teeth — like a manual. I personally like this as it gives me more control. However, my boyfriend doesn’t like this design. I’d recommend figuring out which side you fall on before buying.

Suri Core 1.0 review: Verdict

The Suri Core 1.0 is a great toothbrush. Is it budget? Not really. Does it appeal to the environmentally conscious as much as the plastic-free “Pro” line? I’m not overtly convinced. But is it a solid, unique product I’d be happy to use for the foreseeable future? Yes, 100%.

I recommend this toothbrush wholeheartedly, despite the $75 price tag and the bio-circular plastic body. I would like to see the price fall or an alternative material in future versions, but for now, this is a reliable toothbrush worthy of a place in your bathroom.

If you value (semi) affordability and reducing your plastic consumption without spending $135 on the Pro 2.0 model, the Core 1.0 will not disappoint.

Compact and keychain cameras, in particular, continue to grow in popularity, especially with Gen Z. The Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 is one of the latest entries in this crowded market, and one that (almost) makes its mark. This palm-sized camera is highly portable, and it’s extremely fun to use. It massively improves on its predecessor by introducing a bigger sensor, better image quality, an actual viewfinder, and a built-in USB-C terminal for quick phone transfer.

There are more creative possibilities now, too, as the Instax Pal 2 features 30 filters and a flipbook-style animation mode. Though it’s fun and cute, the Instax Pal 2 costs a lot more than the competition. Its short battery life and low-light performance aren’t anything special either.

So, how does it perform against the best cheap cameras? Read my full Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review to find out.

Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review: Specs

Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review: Price & availability

The Fujifilm Instax Pal 2, as its name suggests, succeeds the three-year-old Instax Pal which first came out in 2023. The Instax Pal 2, at the time of writing, is one of only two compact fully digital cameras under the Instax banner, as the brand is better known for making the best instant cameras. The second iteration has received a price hike as the Instax Pal 2 costs $169 at Adorama U.S. / £144 at Amazon U.K., as opposed to the OG costing $99 / £89.

Given the design overhaul (more on that shortly), you can see the Instax Pal 2 is taking the fight to trendy, viral compact cameras, like the Kodak Charmera ($29) and the Camp Snap 2 ($69), and novelty snappers like the Lola Miffy ($109). The compact cams market is overcrowded, with heavy-hitters like Kodak PIXPRO C1 ($99) and the Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 ($179), so does the Instax Pal 2 do enough to justify its price? Yes and no.

Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review: Design

As I mentioned earlier, Fujifilm has taken a brand new approach to the Instax Pal 2, replacing the OG Instax Pal’s circular body with a rectangular one. At first glance, the Instax Pal 2 looks like the bigger version of the Kodak Charmera — maybe Fuji’s trying to cash in on the Charmera’s popularity here. Either way, I think it looks fantastic. Available in black (where the camera dons Fujifilm’s classic combination of black and silver) or white, it strikes a great balance between cute and premium looks.

Though Fujifilm has overhauled the design, the Instax Pal 2 is still very portable, measuring just 1.46 x 1.65 x 3.63 inches and weighing 3.07oz. It’s heavier than the OG Instax Pal and the Kodak Charmera but I haven’t had any issues carrying the Instax Pal 2 in my pocket or day bag. One thing to note, though, is that the Instax Pal 2 feels a little flimsy and like a toy camera — you wouldn’t really think that it costs nearly $130 more than the Kodak Charmera.

Similar to the Instax Wide 400 ($149) and the Instax mini 13 ($93), the Instax Pal 2 comes with an angle adjustment accessory. You can place this around the lens barrel to essentially give the camera some height, which is useful for taking group selfies. You can trigger the shutter via the app (more on that shortly).

Viewfinder

When I reviewed the OG Instax Pal, I couldn’t help but laugh at the “viewfinder.” It came with a “multi-use detachable ring” which you could attach to the top of the camera and look through to frame your shot. Basically, it wasn’t a proper viewfinder and it felt redundant — thankfully, Fuji has introduced an actual optical viewfinder on the Instax Pal 2.

The Instax Pal 2’s viewfinder is located on the left side of the rear panel. It helps you frame and compose your shots clearly. Though it’s small, I found it easier to look through than the small viewfinder on the Charmera (which felt more like a hole in the Charmera’s body rather than a proper viewfinder). I found the Instax Pal 2’s viewfinder comfortable to look through, even as someone who wears prescription glasses.

Monitor

The original Instax Pal was a screen-free camera, similar to the Camp Snap 2. You’d look through the viewfinder, snap a photo, and then view it via the app (or by plugging the camera into your PC). However, the Instax Pal 2 now features a 1.3-inch TFT Color LCD monitor, located on the top plate.

Because of its location, you can look down at it and shoot when not using the viewfinder, like a waist-level finder. It can help you shoot at awkward, low-to-the-ground angles, or if you want to take candid street shots.

Unlike its rivals, like the Kodak Charmera, the Kodak PIXPRO C1 and the Lola Miffy, the Instax Pal 2’s screen has a stated resolution of 170,000 dots. I found the monitor easy to read in most lighting conditions, including direct sunlight.

Ports

Unlike other cameras I’ve tested which feature USB-C (or mini USB) ports for charging and data transfer, the Instax Pal 2 features a built-in USB-C terminal. This is concealed and can be ejected via a push button on the bottom plate. You can then plug the camera directly into a USB-C adapter for charging, or plug it into your PC or smartphone for image transfer.

The Instax Pal 2 can save up to 100 photos in its internal memory and if you want more space, there’s a slot for a microSD / microSDHC / microSDXC card. Because you can quickly transfer photos to your phone when you’re on the go, the internal storage should suffice for most people.

Weather-sealing

Similar to the Kodak Charmera, the Kodak PIXPRO C1 and the Lola Miffy, the Instax Pal 2 isn’t weather-sealed. It isn’t protected against dust or water, so be mindful if you’re using it outdoors. If you want a waterproof camera, I’d recommend the Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 which can withstand tumbles and drops, too.

Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review: Controls

What I love about Fujifilm is that it always figures out a way to innovate, and introduce new things that aren’t necessarily found on other compact cameras. The Instax Pal 2 is very fun to use, and part of that is down to its controls. Located on the top plate, you’ll find a dial (under the navigation joystick) that lets you swap between a few different color profiles, like Pure, Cool, Muted and Soft (customizable via the companion app). These are clearly inspired by Fuji’s film simulation recipes that you find on the likes of the X half ($849) and the X-T30 III ($999).

On the right side of the top plate, there’s a lever that lets you shoot photos with frames — there’s Mini, Square and Wide, which all correspond with Fuji’s instant cameras. I personally didn’t use these much, but they’re handy to have if you want to print them out using an Instax printer, like the Instax mini Link 3 ($116).

If you push the lever, you can also toggle Instax Animation mode. Holding down the shutter button in this mode takes 10 consecutive photos that can then be stitched into a flipbook-style animation via the app (more on that shortly). I think this is a really fun feature as it enables you to get creative and tell a story.

I found the buttons and dials responsive in my testing. They all give good tactile feedback when pressed or turned. All my commands were instantly registered and I didn’t notice any substantial lag. The Instax Pal 2’s menu system is stripped-back and simple to navigate, too.

Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review: Lens

The Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 is fitted with a 1/3.06-inch CMOS sensor that captures either 1MP or 10MP images, depending on the kind of style you’re going for. It’s got an effective focal length of 28mm with focus range of 8cm to ∞, making it wide enough for landscape shots, arm-length selfies, group photos, and casual travel photography.

Its lens has a fixed f/2.2 aperture which, in theory, is wide enough to let a lot of light into the sensor, and capture decent images in low-light conditions. But because the size of the sensor is so small, images taken in dimly lit environments come out noisy. This isn’t uncommon for compact cameras, as the Kodak PIXPRO C1, the Kodak Charmera and the Lola Miffy all struggle when lighting is far from ideal.

Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review: Image quality

The Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 introduces some substantial upgrades to its sensor and overall imaging prowess. It features a bigger 1/3.06-inch CMOS sensor (versus the Instax Pal’s 1/5-inch one) and it’s capable of capturing 10MP images (versus the Instax Pal’s 4.9MP shots). The Instax Pal 2 packs more megapixels than the Charmera (1.6MP only) and its sensor is bigger, too. The Instax Pal 2 also gives you the option to shoot very lo-fi 1MP images.

Similar to the Charmera and the OG Instax Pal, all the shooting settings, like shutter speed and ISO (100-1600), are adjusted automatically, so all you need to do is point and shoot.

The photos in the gallery above demonstrate the Instax Pal 2’s retro image quality. These were captured using the different filters. I love the color reproduction as greens appear vivid, while blues look deep and rich. The camera’s done a good job of capturing plenty of detail, too, and the edges of the various subjects appear sharp and defined. I especially like the shot of the seagull sitting atop the statue!

It’s important to note that the Instax Pal 2 can’t zoom in, so if you want to get close-up shots, you’ll need to get either the Lola Miffy or the Kodak PIXPRO C1.

The Instax Pal 2 features Single and Face Recognition autofocus, and I found it quick and reliable in my testing. The camera was quick to detect my partner’s face in the first shot above, and even when her face was obscured or she was looking away, the Instax Pal 2 still managed to lock on to her head.

As I mentioned earlier, the Instax Pal 2 has an Instax Animation mode for creating flipbook-style compilations. Using the app, the 10 photos are stitched together and saved as an MP4 file which you can then share online — or do whatever you like with it.

I can think of multiple use cases for this feature, like capturing a dance sequence at a club, or your dog running around the yard (which is what I would do if I had a dog!).

Similar to the Kodak Charmera and Lola Miffy, the Instax Pal 2’s low-light performance is nothing to write home about. In theory, the Instax Pal 2’s f/2.2 aperture is plenty wide to allow a lot of light into the sensor, but because the sensor is so small, images turn out noisy. The guitar in the photo above was placed next to a window (which was bringing in bright sunlight), and as you can see, there’s a lot of grain in the shot. To help with low-light shooting, the Instax Pal 2 features a powerful flash — although images are still fairly noisy (second shot above).

Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review: Video quality

The Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 doesn’t shoot video. If you want a portable compact camera that can shoot lo-fi videos, I’d recommend the Kodak Charmera, the Kodak PIXPRO C1, or the Lola Miffy Digital Camera.

Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review: App

The Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 is accompanied by the Instax Pal app, available for free on iOS and Android. The app sports a clean design with no intrusive pop-ups, resulting in a sublime user experience. Via the app, you can load six of your favorite filters to the camera, and there are 30 to choose from, like Y2K, digi-cam, fantasy, and more.

In addition to that and adjusting the camera’s settings, the Instax Pal app lets you create flipbook-style animations, edit the shots and add backgrounds to them, and more. You can also quickly transfer images to your phone for sharing on social media, either via Bluetooth (low-res) or via USB-C (high-res). Bluetooth transfer is slower, so I’d recommend plugging the camera into your phone.

Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review: Battery life

Fujifilm says that on a single charge, the Instax Pal 2 can capture up to 100 images — which is exactly how many it can store in its internal memory. In my testing, I was able to take just over 90 photos before the camera needed to be charged.

Fujifilm seems to love limiting the battery life of many of its instant cameras to just 100 shots, as we’ve seen so with the Instax mini 13 and the Instax mini Evo Cinema ($409). But it’s disappointing given that the OG Instax Pal was rated for 350 shots.

Now, I know why that is. The previous iteration of the Instax Pal didn’t have a screen or an optical viewfinder, so it didn’t have to spend a lot of energy powering the various mechanics. That’s changed with the Instax Pal 2, and the camera is more power hungry. It still pales in comparison to other compact cameras, though, as the Lola Miffy can last you up to three days, and the Kodak PIXPRO C1 is rated for 200 shots. Even the tiny Kodak Charmera can manage over 120 photos before needing to be plugged in! What gives, Fujifilm?

Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review: Verdict

There’s no denying that the Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 is a lovely little camera. Featuring an ultra portable design, you can take it anywhere, and it’s extremely fun to use. It features 30 filters and an Instax Animation mode for creating flipbook-style sequences. The photos it captures have a retro tinge to them, and the camera’s built-in USB-C terminal means you can quickly transfer photos to your phone.

But the Instax Pal 2 isn’t perfect. Its battery life isn’t the longest, and the (much, much cheaper) Kodak Charmera has it beat in that department. Low-light performance is nothing to write home about either. The Instax Pal 2’s high asking price (for what’s essentially a toy camera) makes these flaws hard to ignore.

If you don’t mind those shortcomings (and you’ve got the big bucks), the Instax Pal 2 could be the perfect palm-sized everyday companion for you.

The Adidas Pro Evo line has been controversial from the moment the original shoe launched with a $500 price and suggestions it would only last one race.

Those negatives are enough to put off most amateur runners, but the bigger problem I had with the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2 when I tested it was that it didn’t feel all that special to me.

It was light and fast, but didn’t feel a step up on the best carbon plate running shoes that cost half as much and lasted twice as many miles or more.

The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 is something truly special, and so the same negatives — high price, low durability — don’t feel quite so important to me.

It’s not a shoe that will suit everyone, either with regards to price or its wildly springy and unstable ride, but the Pro Evo 3 is lighter than any other racer I’ve tried, and makes running fast feel near effortless at times.

Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 review: price and availability

The Adidas Pro Evo 3 sticks to the same price as past versions of the shoe; it’s $500 in the U.S. and £450 in the U.K., making it the most expensive carbon plate racer on the market.

It’s also hard to get hold of, with the limited stock Adidas sporadically makes available generally getting snapped up in seconds. In the UK, you can enter a draw for when the shoe next goes on sale on 5 October, and more stock is expected in the U.S. at some point this Fall.

Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 review: design and fit

The Adidas Pro Evo 3 has only been available in the white and black color it launched in so far, though some Adidas athletes did use a model with a red splash on the forefoot at the Berlin Marathon.

I’m generally in between two sizes and went for the larger one with the Pro Evo 3 to get the best fit — I find with Adidas racing shoes they can come up a bit small, so even going half a size up is worth considering.

The Pro Evo 3 made headlines for being the first sub-3.5oz/100g carbon plate super-shoe at launch and it is absurdly light. It’s 3.7oz/106g in my US men’s size 10, which is around 1.4oz lighter than any other racer I’ve tested in my size, and half the weight of many.

This featherweight design is not down to a lack of cushioning in the midsole either — the Pro Evo 3 stands 39mm tall at the heel and 36mm at the forefoot for a 3mm drop.

Upper

When I spoke to the team behind the design of the Pro Evo 3, they told me the upper on the shoe is inspired by materials used in kitesurfing.

It’s very light and flexible, and there’s minimal cushioning and reinforcement on the upper around the back of the shoe, as you’d expect with low weight being a priority.

On my runs in the Pro Evo 3, the upper has held my foot securely, though, even when pushing to all-out paces, and so far I’ve not seen any worrying wear on this part of the shoe.

Midsole

The Adidas Pro Evo 2 was one of the lightest shoes ever made, and yet with the Pro Evo 3 Adidas found a way to make the new Lightstrike Pro Evo foam in its midsole almost 50% lighter than the stuff in the Pro Evo 2.

It’s an extremely soft and springy foam too, and you feel the softness even more because the Pro Evo 3 doesn’t use a full carbon plate. It instead has a carbon rim that runs around the outside of the midsole, which is called ENERGYRIM.

This adds the stiffness required to maximize the propulsive feel of the midsole while also being lighter than a full plate or the carbon rods Adidas used on past models of its racing shoes.

The soft midsole foam is already showing signs of wear on my shoes, with some small chunks coming out around the forefoot, but it still feels just as bouncy as it did when new.

Outsole

The outsole on the Pro Evo 2 was a bit of a disaster, offering little to no grip in wet conditions, and Adidas has taken steps to improve this on the Pro Evo 3 without increasing the weight on the bottom of the shoe.

There are rubber patches covering the forefoot and heel of the shoe, both of which are just 0.5mm thick, and I have found that the Continental rubber used on the forefoot grips well on wet and dry roads in my runs.

Once again, there are worrying signs of wear on this part of the shoe after 30 miles of running. The back patch on one of my shoes has started to flake away and the tread pattern on the forefoot has worn thin in some places.

Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 review: running performance

The Adidas Pro Evo 3 has already proven itself to be very effective when on the feet of elite athletes. Sabastian Sawe ran the first official sub-2-hour marathon in the shoe at the London Marathon in April, Yomif Kejelcha broke the half marathon world record while wearing it in Buenos Aires in August, and all six podium spots at the recent Berlin Marathon were taken up by men and women wearing the Pro Evo 3.

It’s not hard to see why it’s been so successful when you run in the shoe. I’ve done three runs in the Pro Evo 3, including a 20-miler on the road and a long track session running 24x400m reps at my various race paces, and it’s felt exceptionally good on all of them.

I’ve tested pretty much every major carbon shoe ever made too, so I don’t lack for comparisons, and the Pro Evo 3 does feel genuinely special. It’s not just extremely light and bouncy, but also pushes you through each stride so smoothly that hitting and holding fast paces feels like a breeze at times.

What I noticed in both the track session and 20-mile long run, where I did the second half in 59:30, is that my heart rate was lower than normal at faster speeds, and that I recovered more quickly in between reps on the track.

I’ve done similar 20-milers in many different carbon shoes over the past five years as part of my marathon training, and it’s never felt as good as it did in the Pro Evo 3.

There are drawbacks to the design, though. I would definitely say the soft, unstable feel of the Pro Evo 3 will not suit every runner. I’m not sure it would be supportive enough for me as a 2:25 marathoner, especially in the later stages of the race.

If feels like a pinnacle racer built to deliver the fastest times in history, so us mere mortals might only get the best out of the Pro Evo 3 for shorter events than the marathon, and even then you’ll have to be happy running in an unstable shoe that might only be at its best for 100 miles or so.

Should you buy the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3?

There’s a case for saying that anyone who has to buy the Adidas Pro Evo 3 probably shouldn’t. Unless you’re a pro runner getting handed the shoe for free to use at one key event, it’s not a great investment.

It’s wobbly and lacks durability, and my top alternatives like the Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3, Asics Metaspeed Ray and Asics Metaspeed Sky Tokyo are also brilliantly fast and efficient racing shoes that cost a lot less than the Pro Evo 3.

However, as an innovative, elite racing shoe, the Pro Evo 3 does deliver on its promise of being the best yet, in my opinion, and that will be enough for many runners to want to give it a go.

There have been points over the past couple of years where I’ve wondered exactly what brands can do to keep improving their super-shoes, given the quality of what’s already out there. The Pro Evo 3 proves there’s still scope to produce something special.

Gears of War: E-Day is the best game in the franchise since Gears of War 3. Developer The Coalition wisely went back to basics, bringing back the dynamic duo of Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago in this thrilling prequel, placing us right at the start of the Locust invasion. It’s a fresh take on established lore that keeps you hooked through the climactic end.

The cover-based third-person shooting is as satisfying and brutal as ever, with the game expertly mixing things up to keep each battle engaging. While some areas are smaller and linear, most environments are expansive, keeping you constantly on the move during heavier combat segments. Unique weapon and equipment loadouts also let you tailor Marcus to your playstyle or to better handle specific encounters.

As a longtime Gears of War fan who was less than enthused by the last two mainline installments, it’s great to see this iconic franchise reclaim its glory days. If you’re also a fan, you’ll likely feel the same way. And if you’re brand-new to Gears, you have an excellent entry point that shows why this is such an iconic series. In short, Gears of War: E-Day is phenomenal. Find out why in my full review!

Gears of War: E-Day: The basics

• What is it? Gears of War: E-Day is the latest installment of the long-running franchise and a prequel to the entire series.
• Who is it for? It's for fans of the series and the cover-based third-person shooters it inspired.
• What's the price? Gears of War: E-Day costs $69 and is available for the Xbox Series X/S and PC.
• What other games has the developer made? The Coalition has worked on other Gears of War games such as Gears of War 4, Gears of War 5, and Gears of War: Reloaded.
• What games is it similar to? Gears of War: E-Day is similar to games like Uncharted and The Division.

Reliving the horror

As the title suggests, Gears of War: E-Day takes place on E-Day, or Emergence Day, when the Locust hordes burst from underground and begin decimating the world of Sera, where the protagonists live. Fresh off the just-concluded war against the Union of Independent Republics (UIR), the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) must do their best to fight the vicious monsters so that humanity isn’t wiped out.

The central story follows Marcus and Dom, who, along with Mags Carter and Lucas Reyes, form Bravo Squad, are tasked with a wide range of dangerous missions throughout the game. The squad dynamic feels natural, and we learn what motivates each of them.

The newer characters get most of the screen time because we’re already familiar with Marcus and Dom—though both get time to shine as well. The rest of the cast consists of the usual government and military types, doing their best (or worst) under the circumstances.

The world of Sera in previous games was already in ruins after years of constant war with the Locusts. Here, we see it systematically destroyed — which is even more terrifying because we witness the world’s former beauty and grandeur being lost forever. Speaking of terrifying, this game smartly resurrects some of the horror elements from the first game to amp up the terror and hopelessness Serans feel as they lose everything they once loved.

While the story has plenty of over-the-top action sequences that get the blood pumping, it is the most emotional and poignant yet for the series. Just because Gears is the video game equivalent of the Predator handshake scene doesn’t mean it can’t have heart!

Tools of war

Gears of War: E-Day is a great example of why this franchise is the king of cover-based third-person shooters, as the core loop of slamming shoulder-first into a wall and hunkering down to pick off the enemy hordes is as satisfying as ever. You’ll do a lot, and I mean a lot, of shooting, but none of it ever gets boring or repetitive thanks to some clever level design and escalating enemy variety.

There’s no shortage of expansive battlefields throughout the game that force you to constantly move from cover to cover — or climb higher to get a better shot at foes. Locust Drones will also shoot from behind cover, but some, like the Feral Wretches and Tickers, will rush at you, forcing you out of cover and making you easier pickings for Drones and other nastier Locust types.

As for Locust types, my favorites are the gigantic beasts that always seem to show up at the worst time. This includes series staples like the spider-like Corpsers and the gorilla-esque armored Brumaks, along with a host of other new horrors to contend with. Where previous games held back on giant enemy encounters, E-Day goes full tilt, making battles even more exciting.

You wield a deadly arsenal, including the series’ signature Chainsaw Lancer, whose origin is told here. In addition, there’s the Gnasher shotgun, the Longshot sniper rifles, my beloved Frag grenades, and many more.

The Locusts have similar weapons, and you can pick them up and use them as you see fit. Though you can only wield two primary weapons, a sidearm, and a grenade type, you can always mix things up by picking up whatever you find or by stopping at a supply crate, which are generously strewn throughout the maps.

Supply crates not only let you select weapons and restock their ammo but also let you enhance them with various mods. For instance, some mods speed up reloading, while others add scopes and improve weapon stability. You can add up to four mods per weapon, and there are plenty of mods to find across the maps, so there’s no shortage of variety. Given how difficult certain encounters can be, it’s always good to try different mods to see what works best.

Bloody beautiful

Like previous games, Gears of War: E-Day looks absolutely stunning. It’s easily one of the best-looking Unreal Engine 5 games you’re likely to see, thanks to the sheer level of detail on display. The engine certainly had to work overtime here, with many sections featuring buildings collapsing or the street erupting with Locust hordes. The big stuff looks stunning, but smaller details, like blood smears on armor, look just as impressive.

The sound design matches the visuals, convincingly drawing you into the action and drama. The score is appropriately cinematic, making the game feel like a Hollywood blockbuster. Voice acting is also convincing, with everyone bringing their A-game to each scene — whether barking orders or lamenting the world they’ve lost.

My only gripe is with some of the repetitive lines during combat sequences. As much fun as it is to hear Marcus taunt the Locust with lines like “Where are you going? I thought you wanted some of this,” it gets old after a few hours. I wish there had been more lines recorded to keep the one-liners from growing stale.

Gears of War: E-Day review: Verdict

The Gears of War franchise has lost some of its blood-stained luster over the past decade, but E-Day masterfully returns to form and delivers a series highlight. Right now, it’s easily the best Xbox Studios game of the year, and one folks shouldn’t miss.

Gears of War: E-Day also proves that the series only truly works when it has Marcus and Dom — which presents The Coalition with an interesting conundrum. With its open-ended conclusion, it’s clear the devs plan to make a follow-up. And as exciting as that is, does it now mean future games will be prequels that don’t push the current narrative forward?

We won’t know the answer to that, but for now I’m just happy to see the band reunited — even if it’s only for a series of prequels. There’s still plenty of story to tell, so I’m already locked and loaded for the next Gears of War installment. After playing this game, I’m sure you’ll agree!

The Shokz OpenFit Air 2 is the new entry-level model in the brand’s line-up of open earhook headphones, and comes in considerably cheaper than the Shokz OpenFit 2+ and OpenFit Pro.

They don’t quite match the sound quality of those headphones, but still sound good and have a flexible, lightweight design that creates a great fit for workouts in particular.

I rate them among the best running headphones I’ve tested with an open design, and if you need an earhook to keep your buds in place when getting sweaty, the OpenFit Air 2 offers a nice middle-ground between budget options and pricey flagship models.

Shokz OpenFit Air 2: price and availability

The Shokz OpenFit Air 2 launched in August 2026 and cost $129 in the U.S. and £129 in the U.K., which is $10/£10 more than the price of the original Shokz OpenFit Air, though those can often now be found on sale.

They are the cheapest model in the current OpenFit line-up, sitting beneath the Shokz OpenFit 2+ and Shokz OpenFit Pro. The more expensive models offer longer battery life, better sound quality and, in the case of the OpenFit Pro, noise reduction.

Shokz OpenFit Air 2: design and fit

The Shokz OpenFit Air 2 are currently available in three colors: black, white and light blue. As the name suggests, they’re the lightest OpenFit model, weighing just 0.25oz/7.2g per earbud.

This lightweight design, along with the flexible earhook, makes them exceptionally comfortable to wear for long periods in my experience.

They stay securely in place during all kinds of workouts, but don’t put any pressure on the ear, and I was happy to wear them for several hours at a time, going from work to workouts.

The reshaped speaker sits near the ear canal without blocking it, with Shokz’s DirectPitch tech helping to avoid too much sound leakage.

If you don’t need the earhook to keep the headphones in place during workouts, however, I do think the clip-on design of buds like the Shokz OpenDots Air is less fussy and just as comfortable for long periods of use.

Shokz has also reduced the size of the case compared with the older model, though it’s still not the most easily pocketed compared to the tiny case you get with buds without earhooks.

The OpenFit Air 2 has an IP55 rating, so they are sweat- and water-resistant, and offer multipoint pairing to two devices at once via Bluetooth V6.1.

Shokz OpenFit Air 2: controls

One of the things I disliked about the original Shokz OpenFit Air was their touch panel controls, which were not the most reliable and easy to use during workouts with sweaty fingers.

The new pressure-sensitive buttons on the OpenFit Air 2 are a big improvement. The small buttons sit on top of the speaker of each earbud, so you can grip both sides to press the button.

I found this new design much easier to use during runs and other workouts, and they’ll also be easier to use with gloves in the winter.

Shokz OpenFit Air 2: sound quality

The OpenFit Air 2 sound good, but not great. As with all open headphones, you lose out on bass and noise cancellation compared with in-ear buds, but they also fall a little short of the clarity and power of the more expensive OpenFit 2+ and OpenFit Pro.

However, I do think they live up to their price in terms of sound quality, and I enjoyed using them during and outside of workouts. They’re loud enough to still hear your audio when running by busy roads too, though can be drowned out when traveling on trains.

The bass is powerful enough to deliver the motivational punch I’m looking for when I put on my rock-heavy running playlist, and in quieter environments tracks like Phoebe Bridgers’ “The Governor's Waltz” sounded bright and clear.

You can customize the EQ on the headphones in the Shokz app too, which is worth doing to ramp up the bass in particular.

There’s always a trade-off to consider with the sound on open headphones, but the extra awareness you get from the OpenFit Air 2 is worth it for me as a runner, and while these aren’t the best sounding open buds you can get, I don’t think you’ll do much better for the price.

Shokz OpenFit Air 2: battery life

The OpenFit Air 2 lasts up to eight hours on a charge and offers a total of 36 hours including the charging case.

It’s not as much as the OpenFit 2+ and OpenFit Pro, but that’s a lot of battery life, and in my use, they lived up to the listed stats.

Even when running with them every day and using them for a couple of hours of work, they lasted over a week, and you can get three hours of use from just 10 minutes of charging in a pinch.

Should you buy the Shokz OpenFit Air 2?

The Shokz OpenFit Air 2 offers a good middle ground between budget open headphones and the impressive, but expensive, top options in the Shokz OpenFit line-up.

If you just want the best sound you can get from open earhook buds, I’d opt for the OpenFit Pro, but the OpenFit Air 2 sounds good enough for me and is almost half the price, and I think the balance of features, fit, and price they offer is very good.

Cheaper alternatives to consider include the OpenFit Air, which will now be on sale and, while not as good as the new model, still offers decent sound and a great fit, and the JLab Epic Open Sport, which aren’t as comfortable and don’t sound as good, but are $99.

If you’re flexible on the exact style of open headphones you’re after, I’d also look at the Shokz OpenDots Air and OpenDots 2, because I prefer the clip-on fit myself, and the case is smaller. Having been a long-term user of earhook buds for my runs, clip-ons have become my go-to, and the OpenDots Air are the same price as the OpenFit Air.

Toyota continues to build out its EV portfolio, and I can’t stress enough how the revamped Toyota bZ from earlier this year shattered my expectations. With the company resurrecting the C-HR as a fully electric model, it proves that making EVs remains a priority for the longtime automaker — despite its well-publicized hybrid ambitions.

For me, its compact dimensions hit the sweet spot, making the C-HR nimble on the road, easy to park, and genuinely fun to drive. But don't let this quirky-looking subcompact crossover fool you: it packs a serious dual-motor powertrain that completely blows away the sluggish gas-powered iteration of the past.

In order to win in the sub-$45,000 space, though, the C-HR has to beat out other impressive options I’ve tested like the Subaru Uncharted and Volvo EX30 — both of which are best electric car contenders. Here’s how this $43,429 (as-tested) 2026 Toyota C-HR XSE holds up.

2026 Toyota C-HR review: Specifications

2026 Toyota C-HR review: Testing summary

I drove a total of 172 miles in my week of testing the 2026 Toyota C-HR XSE, reaching an exceptional 4.7 mi/kWh average efficiency. That comfortably outpaces both the Subaru Uncharted and Volvo EX30, with neither rival coming close to that golden 4 mi/kWh mark that so few EVs hit.

It also leads the pack on highway treks, delivering a 4 mi/kWh average during one of my longer road trips. And while it couldn't quite match the wild 7 mi/kWh city-driving efficiency I recorded in the Subaru Uncharted, the C-HR's 6 mi/kWh mark around town is still stellar. Ultimately, Toyota’s subcompact EV proved remarkably consistent no matter the driving conditions.

Back at home, the C-HR also beats out its key rivals with its Level 1 charging speed through a standard 120V outlet. Its 3.51 mi/hr replenishment rate via Tesla's NACs charging port added back 17 miles of range over 4.85 hours of charging — more than enough to top it off overnight for my daily commute.

2026 Toyota C-HR review: What I like

Handles tight city roads with ease

Thanks to its compact footprint and tight turning radius, the C-HR spares me the headaches I usually face driving larger SUVs like the Hyundai Ioniq 9 or Cadillac Optiq. It takes the stress out of navigating congested streets, and more importantly, makes squeezing into tight parking spots an absolute breeze. Much like the Subaru Uncharted, it handles narrow city streets and chaotic stop-and-go traffic with ease.

It also packs plenty of muscle under the skin. Equipped with a dual-motor, electronic all-wheel-drive setup putting out 338 horsepower, the C-HR delivers instant torque that gets you up to cruising speed in no time. While it’s fun and punchy off the line, I still give the Volvo EX30 the edge when it comes to overall driving dynamics and performance.

Extremely efficient, beats out other subcompacts

When I tested the bZ earlier this year, I never expected Toyota to produce the most efficient EV I’d drive all year. So when I finally put the C-HR through its paces, I was skeptical that this zippy EV could beat out the Uncharted — which, interestingly enough, shares the same e-TNGA electric platform jointly developed by Toyota and Subaru.

I’ll be frank: I was blown away by the 4.7 mi/kWh efficiency at the end of my testing. That puts it well ahead of the 4 mi/kWh mark that I consider the gold standard for top-tier EV efficiency. What’s even more impressive is what that means for real-world range. If it can consistently sustain that 4.7 mi/kWh pace, its 74.7 kWh battery translates to an estimated range of roughly 351 miles. That alone is more than enough to put range anxiety completely to rest.

Crisp 360 cameras

From the driver’s seat, the interior cabin can feel a bit claustrophobic — which doesn’t help when the thick rear pillars and sloping roofline create significant blind spots. That’s why I can’t stress enough how much value the Panoramic View Monitor adds, offering true 360-degree coverage for navigating tight spots.

The bird’s-eye view seamlessly stitches together external camera feeds onto the central display, making it easy to gauge distance from curbs, adjacent parked cars, and whether I'm centered between the lines. Even when it gets dark out, the system pulls in impressive detail and clarity without the muddy, noisy artifacting I often see on competing camera setups.

Accessible 120V outlet adds real-world utility

While household-style three-prong plugs are usually reserved for pickup trucks and larger adventure SUVs, having access to a standard 120V AC outlet in the 2026 Toyota C-HR XSE is a genuinely useful addition. Tucked neatly into the side wall of the rear hatch, it taps directly into the 74.7 kWh battery pack to power just about anything on the go.

Not only does it make topping off electronics like my laptop effortless, but it also delivers enough juice to power a portable tire inflator, run smaller coolers during weekend road trips, and more. I’ve even used it to power a set of string lights in my backyard for an evening outing while shooting astrophotography with one of my smart telescopes.

Sprawling panoramic roof

Given the C-HR’s cozy interior footprint, having a panoramic fixed-glass roof is a welcome touch that brings much-needed light into the darker cabin. Stretching across the ceiling above both rows, it makes the interior feel significantly more open and airy — plus, I love the crystal-clear views of the night sky it offers. And when the sun beats down, the power-retractable sunshade keeps the cabin pleasantly cool and comfortable.

2026 Toyota C-HR review: What I don't like

Cramped rear legroom

A common issue with subcompact crossovers is that they don’t offer much rear legroom, and the C-HR is no exception. In fact, it’s the most glaring tradeoff of its tidy footprint.

Legroom is practically nonexistent if the front seats are pushed back, meaning front passengers will need to slide forward to give back-seat riders a chance to fit without feeling cramped. While the second row is fine for pets or small children, adults will quickly feel squeezed on anything longer than a quick commute.

Outdated software holds back the experience

If there’s one major carryover from the bZ that I wish Toyota had left behind, it’s the infotainment system. The software running on the C-HR is virtually identical, and as a result, feels noticeably behind the times.

It’s a menu-heavy interface that looks dated compared to the sleek cockpits of rivals like the Volvo EX30. Yes, it supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto without issue, but I wish it had received the updated, much more intuitive software found in the 2026 Toyota RAV4.

Distracting raised driver’s display

Much like other Toyotas I’ve tested in the past year, such as the Prius, the positioning of the digital instrument cluster obstructs the view ahead. Because it sits higher than I’d like, the display housing ends up directly in your lower field of vision at eye level. While it's obviously more of a hassle if you prefer driving with a lower seat height, it remains just as distracting even when the driver's seat is pumped up to its highest setting.

2026 Toyota C-HR review: Bottom line

The 2026 Toyota C-HR is an excellent option for city dwellers, pairing agile handling with a compact footprint that easily tackles the challenges of urban streets. Parking is effortless as a result, especially when squeezing into tighter spots. Backed by outstanding real-world efficiency and fluid acceleration, it delivers everyday practicality without sacrificing driving fun.

However, its pricing makes it a tough sell against the competition. At over $43,000 as tested, it faces intense pressure from rivals — most notably the Volvo EX30, which costs only slightly more but offers a substantially more luxurious cabin, sharper styling, and an even zippier driving experience. If your top priorities are maximum efficiency and agile city handling, the C-HR still makes a strong case.

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I’ve reviewed Zephyrus G14s for the past three years and the story is the same every year — one of the best ultraportable gaming laptops that money can buy (yes, even in this RAM price crisis). And I’ve tested them like the true millennial I am with my workload by day (plenty of Chrome tabs along with some creator work) and gaming by night.

So for this year’s model, I switched things up a bit. Of course I ran my usual gamut of benchmarks to establish how this fares as a gaming laptop (spoiler alert: it performs great). But let’s kick things up a notch with some more serious 3D rendering and local AI pipelines.

Like, say you’re a STEM student, 3D artist or video producer. What happens then? Well, the first thing you notice is just how those Tensor cores in the Nvidia GPU paired with that Intel Panther Lake CPU blaze through any AI task you throw at it — running my Hermes Agent locally was mightily impressive. Blender is a breeze on here and Premiere Pro is mightily powerful with a graphics card in tow.

And of course, all of this looks mesmerizing on that vibrant 2800 x 1800 120Hz OLED display. But getting more intense with it does start to show how hard those fans have to work in that slim shell. Plus, let’s not forget that the pricing has gone up quite a bit here — the RTX 5080 monster I tested last year was $100 less than this 5070 Ti option.

But then you see how the technically lower-end model performs better than the 5080 machine, you start to see how that redesigned ventilation is actually squeezing so much more sustained performance out of it. This is a peak improvement for the 2026 model, and while the fans do get loud, there is zero throttling. Asus solved a big issue here, and while that price stings, it does make this a great laptop.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2026): Cheat Sheet

• What is it? This is a premium 14-inch gaming laptop that doubles as a powerhouse for creative workflows and AI tasks.
• Who is it for? Serious gaming enthusiasts on the go, STEM students, 3D artist or video producers who need serious rendering muscle during the day.
• What does it cost? Pricing on Asus’ website starts from $3,599, but there is a model on Best Buy for $500 less.
• What do we like? The vibrant 2880 x 1800 120Hz OLED display is stunning, the overall performance is blistering (Handbrake transcoding in 3:19), and it packs massive local AI acceleration.
• What don’t we like? The 8-hour and 32-minute web battery life falls just short of a full workday, the fans get aggressively loud under load, and the high price puts it out of reach for casual users.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2026): Specs

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2026): The ups

I’ll judge this on gaming for sure, but let’s lean a little bit more on the fact this can be a one-size-fits-all machine for local AI and creative pros alike, as well as a AAA play system. In that lens, this is huge.

The handy design tweaks

So yes, this is exactly the same physical design as last year’s model, and while that aesthetic may be getting a little old in its third year, it’s still a premium-looking and feeling machine with that CNC-machined aluminum body.

Keyboard ergonomics continue to feel great with a massive touchpad down below. All in all, having your hands on the G14 is still a nice place to be. But I don’t want to talk about that.

What I do want to talk about is the small but significant changes Asus has made that you may not see, but do come in clutch. First of all, sayonara microSD card — we’ve got a full-size SDXC card reader here. That’s been huge for my snap happy self porting footage over!

And second, that bottom panel has been redesigned to take air in much more efficiently. That means superior airflow access across all the internals and consistent sustained performance without any remote chance of thermal throttling.

Thanks to these new airflow paths and ventilation patterns, the total power going to the GPU has gone up from 110 watts all the way up to 130 watts. What you’re about to see in my numbers is how power matters a whole lot more than the card you have inside.

Serious silicon muscle

If you are a student or pro — compiling code or rendering video, this machine will not keep you waiting. That Intel Core Ultra 9 386H inside is posting lightning fast numbers on Geekbench, alongside transcoding 4K video rather fast.

Of course, Apple Silicon stays ahead in some key areas with a 4,000+ single-core speed, but that’s not the point of this laptop. This is your productivity machine by day and gaming monster by night, and with 6,144 MB/s read speeds on that SSD, large amounts of data load fast and those single-core speeds ensure zippy opens.

I never felt any stuttering or slowdowns in any process I threw at it.

Local AI and uncompromised gaming

That RTX 5070 Ti isn’t just for pushing pixels (even though it does that really well); it’s a localized AI powerhouse — absolutely crushing our benchmarks, but also opening a door to local agentic task completion via Hermes Agent.

Setting up my own personal assistant to give me a daily rundown of my emails, delete unnecessary ones and send replies, while setting me up a tasklist for the day while I drink my coffee has become a huge way to relax before my start of the day.

Throw in GPU-accelerated 3D rendering and 4K edits too, and you’re onto a winning formula for getting serious stuff done. These margins between 5070 Ti and 5080 are much closer than they should be, and the sustained performance is much stronger on the 2026 model to boot.

Then there’s the gaming, which essentially leapfrogs the RTX 5080 G14 because of that power differential we talked about!

Make no mistake about it. This is an all-round beast of a system.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2026): The downs

Same as previous Zephyruses, it’s not all a walk in the park. The G14 falls victim to two recurring issues from the last model, as well as a RAMageddon sting.

You’ll need to pack the charger

While the raw horsepower is strong for the big tasks, sometimes you just need to make the most of that highly-portable 14-inch shell to take to class or a coffee shop.

However, in our continuous web surfing battery test, the G14 tapped out in just under 9 hours. That’s respectable for a gaming rig, but does fall short of that true all-day battery life you’d need to keep it worry free in these circumstances.

Jet engine acoustics

That improved airflow must’ve come with some faster spinning fans or something, because this is loud while AAA gaming or heavy Blender rendering. It’s good to hear the active cooling doing its job on a strong, sustained basis, but also it will draw attention if you’re in a quiet meeting room or lecture hall.

You’ll absolutely want to get noise-canceling headphones alongside this.

This is pricey

Let me repeat. This is $3,599. All this performance wrapped in an aluminum chassis with a top-tier OLED display does not come cheap. It’s a tough sell for standard students or gamers who just want that punch without paying big for sure.

Fortunately, Asus is keeping a couple of the 2025 SKUs around to offer slightly lower prices. But it comes as no surprise that RAMageddon is hitting this very memory-hungry machine hard.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2026): Verdict

With those overhauled internals making a technically worse GPU perform better than its superior sibling, this G14 is a triumph of condensed engineering. Asus has built a machine that feels luxuriously familiar and serves as a dual-purpose weapon: elite gaming laptop by night, and an uncompromising workstation by day.

However, the laws of physics still apply. The aggressive fan noise, sub-9-hour battery life and staggering price tag keep it from being a universal recommendation. But if you are a student or creator who demands real power on the go (and you don’t mind carrying a charging brick) this is one of the most capable on the market.

It’s safe to say that there are a fair few perks to working from home. My laundry pile has never been smaller, and my dog certainly seems to enjoy my company. But my neck, back and joints have all taken one for the team since I moved to a hybrid way of working. Forget ‘tech neck’. I’m certain I’m operating more in ‘shrimp posture’ territory. But that’s where the best under-desk treadmills can be genuinely transformative.

I was already a fervent walking-while-working convert, thanks to a seven-month stint a few years ago with a cheap treadmill that I’d picked up in a Black Friday deal. When it unfortunately limped its way to a frustratingly premature death, I was hesitant to get another. However, testing the UREVO FoldiMix 5L has done a lot to restore my faith in the product concept.

Not only is it a treadmill with its own height-adjustable folding workstation, but it’s also capable of something pretty unusual in this space; it has a max speed of 7.6 MPH. Most walking pads are just that - walking pads. A treadmill that offered the ability to double up as a way to be healthier at work and a vehicle for a good running workout definitely piqued my interest.

UREVO FoldiMix 5L Smart Treadmill Review: Specs

• Dimensions: 52"L x 24.6"W x 43.7"H
• Weight: 65.3lbs/29.6kg
• Max. user weight: 400lbs/181kg
• Speed range: 0.6 - 7.6 MPH
• Incline: 9-level incline selection
• Wheels: Yes
• Walking area: 39.4"L x 15.8"W

UREVO FoldiMix 5L Smart Treadmill Review: Design

Setting up the UREVO was a simple, streamlined process. I was able to get the treadmill out of the box by myself (with only some mild cursing due to its weight), which was definitely the most challenging part. Once it was on the floor, plugging it into the power outlet and downloading the app was so easy that the treadmill was up and running (no pun intended) within five minutes.

One of the most attractive features of the treadmill is the folding height-adjustable desk. A frustrating barrier to purchasing a walking treadmill is the fact that you would ordinarily need one of the best standing desks as well. That makes walking-while-working a pretty expensive lifestyle habit to invest in - especially if you aren’t even sure whether it’s something you’ll enjoy in the long term.

Is the UREVO’s workstation the best desk I’ve ever used? No, but it was never going to be. I live and die by my second monitor, so when I already have a standing desk, I’m just not going to use the workstation feature regularly. However, it’s perfectly serviceable for what it is; a useful place to rest a laptop or tablet while you walk. I particularly appreciate the fact that it’s height-adjustable, which makes the experience far more ergonomic than a static pre-set height.

During my testing, I would regularly swap around the UREVO for my normal desk chair. This was honestly easier than I expected it to be, as the treadmill is relatively heavy. However, the wheels at the front of the walking pad can be easily maneuvered, especially if you lift it up so that it’s almost vertical. I have a pretty small office, so I thought that moving the treadmill around would be a major pain point, but it was surprisingly simple.

Despite its workstation feature, the treadmill isn’t overly bulky when folded down. I’m easily able to slide the top half under a chair to save some room when I’m not using it. However, it’s worth noting that this slim, low profile does mean that it works best on hard floors (UREVO does sell a foldable treadmill mat for customers that have carpets).

UREVO FoldiMix 5L Smart Treadmill Review: Controls and app

The UREVO FoldiMix 5L comes with both a remote control and a connected app. However, one of my small frustrations with the treadmill is that the remote doesn’t come with batteries. This means that if you don’t happen to have the right batteries in your house, then you have to download the app in order to get started. The cynical part of me might wonder whether batteries are purposefully excluded to encourage users to sign up for an app that they might have otherwise not downloaded.

However, that being said, the app was both well-designed and very easy to navigate. As an iPhone user, I particularly appreciate that the app can directly connect to Apple Health. This means that my workouts are automatically uploaded to my main health tracking app.

Within the Home screen of the UREVO app, you’re able to quick-start a workout through choosing a set amount of time, distance or calories. You’re also able to simply select the ‘Free’ option, which will start the treadmill and allow you to walk for as long as you like. This was the option I used the most (and I suspect it will be the same for most users), so I wish that this was the very first option presented rather than the last.

There’s a selection of pre-set running and walking workouts to choose from. Most of the workouts appear to be specifically for walking, which is understandable when this is primarily a walking-focused treadmill. However, I tested the 45-Min HIIT Fat Burning Run and found it perfectly serviceable. The transitions between speeds were neither sluggish nor overly abrupt and I felt like I’d had a good workout by the end.

UREVO FoldiMix 5L Smart Treadmill Review: Performance

The UREVO provided a great walking experience. While using it for work, I walked in just socks and had no issue with this at all. Generally, I found that a speed of 1 MPH was a good ambling pace that enabled me to maintain my walking while I typed, navigated my mouse and conversed during meetings. A typical day of walking tended to be around 9,000 steps, 165 minutes of active time and a distance of around 3 km. However, this is typically split into two to three separate sessions over the course of a day.

I primarily used the app over the remote and found it to be super responsive for the treadmill’s speed. There does seem to be a small delay for the incline, but it’s negligible in the grand scheme of things.

While there is some noise while using the machine (as I would expect), it honestly faded into the background very easily. The soft whine of the motor is impressively quiet, with most of the noise coming from the steps on the walking pad itself. I was reassured by multiple people that the noise didn’t come through during meetings, so I felt confident using the treadmill even when I wasn’t on mute.

As a woman of an average height, I found that my stride length wasn’t an issue while walking on the UREVO. However, running is a slightly different experience, as my feet will occasionally hit the end of the belt in a disconcerting way. If I was much taller, I think this would be a far more significant issue. While I didn’t come close to slipping off, there is absolutely zero way that I would run on the UREVO without the safety clip (which, to be fair, you are advised to use!). While I enjoy the novelty of having a running treadmill that I can use to get a quick workout in when it’s raining outside, I think it will remain just that; a novelty.

UREVO FoldiMix 5L Smart Treadmill Review: Verdict

Overall, this is a great walking treadmill - especially for those who haven’t invested in a standing desk, but still want to experience the benefits of walking while at work. The controls are nice and responsive, and it’s great to be able to control both speed and incline for a satisfying walking workout. Noise wasn’t an issue, making this a good option for those who are constantly hopping on and off video calls.

Compared to competitors, the UREVO’s one major drawback is that it doesn’t fold in half like the space-saving WalkingPad Z1. However, it more than makes up for this with its foldable and height-adjustable workstation, and the fact that it doubles up as a running treadmill too.

While I wouldn’t say that the UREVO FoldiMix 5L could ever be a contender for one of the best treadmills for running, it’s absolutely a nice perk to have. However, I would caution taller runners about using the running function in particular. I’m an average height for a woman, but I can imagine that anyone with longer legs could find the length of the treadmill a little short for hitting a comfortable running stride.

Ultimately, if you’re looking for a serious running treadmill, then this isn’t the product for you. However, if you’re interested in a good quality walking treadmill that has the capacity for the occasional run, then this is a great choice.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra ($1,399) is here for those who want a super-sized Android tablet. This year’s model is admittedly a nominal upgrade from the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra I reviewed last year, but on its own, it’s a great premium slate for folks in the Android and Samsung ecosystems.

As before, this tablet features an enormous 14.6-inch display that’s as perfect for watching your favorite streaming shows as it is for juggling multiple apps. The thin, lightweight, and sturdy design makes it an unobtrusive travel partner, while the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chip inside provides the slate with enough power to run your apps and games. You also get nearly 12 hours of battery life to get you through most of the day.

While the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra has many of the things I liked about the previous model, it also shares some of that tablet’s shortcomings. The tablet can still be too cumbersome to hold comfortably for long periods, and DeX Mode still isn’t the Windows 11 equivalent you’d expect. To truly use the Tab S12 Ultra for work, you’ll need the $399 Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra Pro Keyboard—which is in addition to the slate’s already higher $200 price hike.

Despite its shortcomings, there’s no denying the Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra delivers on screen size and an ultraportable design. Right now, it’s one of the best Android tablets around — even if it isn’t the laptop replacement you might expect. Find out more in my full review!

Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra is the latest version of the company’s flagship, oversized tablet.
• Who is it for? For anyone who wants a large OLED tablet that can also serve as a laptop replacement.
• What does it cost? The Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra costs $1,399.
• What do we like? We like the sharp and vivid OLED panel, elegant lightweight design, strong Android tablet performance, and long-lasting battery life.
• What don’t we like? We don’t like the $200 price bump from last year’s model, and that DeX Mode requires an external monitor for full functionality.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra review: Specs

Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra review: The ups

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra has one of the best OLED displays among tablets, along with strong performance, long battery life, and a sleek, thin design.

Thin and light design

There’s not much to say design-wise, as the Tab S12 Ultra is virtually identical to its predecessors. As before, this Android tablet measures 12.8 x 8.2 x 0.2 inches and weighs 1.6 pounds. Though holding this enormous tablet isn’t always comfortable, the thin, lightweight design makes it easy to travel with.

When you hold the Tab S12 Ultra horizontally, the power and volume buttons are on the top left-hand side. On the right-hand side, you’ll find a microSD card slot and a single USB-C port for charging. Before you ask, no, there is no headphone jack.

Design-wise, Samsung isn’t looking to reinvent the wheel. Some folks might have wanted a fresh look, but I’m fine with this tried-and-true design. The Tab S12 Ultra is as thin and light as ever, and that’s what matters here.

Vibrant OLED

Another carryover from previous models is the large 14.6-inch OLED panel, which remains as impressive as ever. The OLED delivers excellent contrast between dark and light elements, while the sharp 2960 x 1848 resolution helps you see every detail in whatever you’re watching.

That was my experience watching a nature video on YouTube, where the animals and locales looked lifelike thanks to the OLED panel’s strong detail and contrast. Trust me, your eyes won’t be disappointed when viewing videos on this tablet.

How did the Tab S12 Ultra fare in our lab tests? Color reproduction (sRGB and DCI-P3) is generally oversaturated, as both go past the 100% target, which makes for more vivid colors. Color accuracy (Delta-E) is also great. And as before, this tablet also gets plenty bright when displaying HDR content, nearly hitting 1,000 nits across the entire screen.

The Tab S12 Ultra does well against competitors like the iPad Pro M5 and OnePlus Pad 3. Samsung’s slate delivers brighter SDR than both, though the iPad Pro gets a tad brighter with HDR content. Color-wise, the iPad Pro and OnePlus Pad 3 aren’t as vivid, though their values deliver more naturalistic hues than the Tab S12.

Strong performance

The new Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra upgrades the prior model’s MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ processor to the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chip, while RAM remains the same at 12GB regardless of how much storage you choose. Although there isn’t a massive performance boost from gen to gen, you’re still getting a slate that offers solid performance.

Though I wouldn’t replace my laptop with this tablet, I could still get work done on it without too much trouble. It can handle my typical workflow, which includes multiple open Chrome tabs and the occasional YouTube video. Android also feels snappy, and I rarely (if ever) have apps take too long to load. Navigating the tablet’s settings is also seamless.

As you can see in the table above, the new Tab S12 Ultra has slightly better single- and multi-core performance than last year’s model. That’s commendable, but it’s still not comparable to the powerful iPad Pro M5, which remains the fastest tablet out there.

Again, the Tab S12 Ultra isn’t a slouch when it comes to performance, but Apple’s premium slate still outclasses it. However, if you’re just using this tablet to play Android games, run some work-related apps, or watch YouTube, that performance gap won’t matter much.

Solid battery life

To be upfront, the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra doesn’t last as long as last year’s model. So why is battery life still in “The ups” section? Because even though this tablet’s endurance is lower, it’ll still last you for the better part of a workday and then some.

In our battery life test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi with the display set to 150 nits of brightness, the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra lasted 11 hours and 31 minutes. In contrast, its predecessor lasted over 30 minutes longer.

Though you don’t want battery life to decline in a newer model, it’s not a steep drop-off. That said, the iPad Pro M5 and especially the OnePlus Pad 3 outpace the Tab S12 Ultra by a wide margin. Leaving the included charger at home won’t be an emergency, but it’s better to take it with you just in case.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra review: The downs

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra is an impressive and massive Android tablet but it's not without its downsides which include DeX Mode limitations and a higher price than last year's model.

DeX Mode still isn’t great

DeX Mode, which provides Samsung devices with desktop-like functionality, remains largely unchanged from the previous version. While it certainly makes the UI feel more like Windows, it still has some of the shortcomings from before.

To make the most of DeX Mode, you’ll need to connect the Tab S12 Ultra to an external monitor. Doing this brings up a Windows-like taskbar on the connected monitor, while the tablet gets a less functional taskbar. Sure, this mostly works as advertised, but I still liked it better when DeX Mode functioned on its own without the need for peripherals.

$200 price bump

To be clear, the Tab S Ultra series has always been Samsung’s most expensive tablet line. Even so, the $200 price increase over last year’s model could make some reconsider their decision to buy this slate.

Why the price hike for nominal upgrades? As I’m sure you’ve already guessed, it’s likely due to the ongoing RAM crisis, which has driven up component costs. Not only does this probably account for the price hike, but it also explains why Samsung didn’t pack more RAM into this tablet than into last year’s model—doing so would’ve driven the price up even further.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra review: Verdict

Even if the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra can’t truly replace your laptop and is now $200 more than last year’s model for nominal upgrades, it’s still an overall great Android tablet at what it does. Even if its performance isn’t equal to iPad Pro’s, the beautiful OLED panel certainly rivals that of Apple’s premium slate.

If you’re an Apple fan, then you’re better off with an iPad Pro or even an iPad Air. And if all you’re looking for is an Android tablet to stream content on, then the much more affordable $399 Lenovo Tab Plus Gen 2 is a better bet. But if you’re a Samsung user and want an Android tablet with the largest canvas out there, you can't go wrong with the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra.

KitchenAid has long been synonymous with stand mixers, but it now faces stiff competition from an unexpected rival. Ooni, known primarily for its outdoor pizza ovens, is expanding into the baking market.

Following the launch of its second spiral mixer, Ooni is proving to be a serious contender for home bakers who enjoy crafting dough from scratch. Ooni’s Halo Pro spiral mixer already takes the top spot for bread making in our best stand mixer buying guide, but at $799 on Amazon it’s above most people’s budgets.

To address that issue, Ooni has released the Ooni Halo Core, with a smaller 4.8-quart capacity and a more favorable price point, although it’s still undoubtedly expensive at $599 on Amazon.

My verdict? If you make more dough than cakes and cookies, the Halo Core Spiral Mixer is a great buy. But if the majority of your bakes don’t require kneading, I'd stick with my favorite KitchenAid Artisan Plus, which just happens to be the same price.

Ooni Halo Core review: Price and availability

As already mentioned, the Halo Core Spiral Mixer is $599 at Amazon, where it’s available in Foundry Black. It’s also available for $599 at Williams Sonoma, where you’ll also find the Polar White version that I tested.

In the U.K., you can buy it directly for £499 at Ooni, and it’s also available for the same price at John Lewis and Lakeland.

Ooni Halo Core review: Unboxing and set up

The appliance arrives well packed, and along with the 4.8-quart bowl (with a proofing lid), you get a dough hook and beater bar, a double-edged silicone beater, and a dual-motor whisk, (I'll be sharing more on the attachments later). The cable also detaches, making it easy to store and keep out of the way when not in use.

Ooni’s stand mixers are a little different from the likes of KitchenAid, and while I like to think appliances are intuitive and I can use them without poring over the instruction booklet for hours, I didn’t take that risk with the Ooni Halo Core. Although my colleague has already tested the Halo Core’s big brother, I was going blind with its younger sibling. For this reason, I'd recommend downloading the Ooni app before you get started.

What makes Ooni’s spiral mixers different?

The Halo Core’s main attraction is its dough-making ability, which sets it apart from other stand mixers. Instead of a dough hook for kneading, it also includes a breaker bar. I’ve never used a stand mixer with a breaker bar before, and it’s not just a gimmick.

Beyond stopping the dough from climbing up the dough hook, the breaker bar creates a double-kneading action that builds stronger gluten strands, which Ooni says is essential for high-hydration pizza and bread dough.

Professional appliances have a permanently attached breaker bar, but Ooni’s can be removed so that you can use the appliance for other bakes, such as cakes and cookies.

You also need to know that the bowl doesn’t stay put. Traditional stand mixers work with an attachment around a fixed bowl, but with Ooni’s mixers, both the bowl and attachments rotate. It’s fun to watch! It's similar to how the Ankarsrum mixer works, with the base rotating above the attachments on its arm.

Ooni Halo Core review: Design

The Ooni Halo Core looks like it means business. It doesn’t come in any shiny colorways like other domestic mixers, including KitchenAid’s extensive offering and Smeg’s Retro stand mixer. Still, you can choose Polar White or Foundry Black. I think it has a contemporary look, although it might not be your first choice if you want a stand mixer that looks pretty on your countertop.

The Halo Core isn’t as large as the Halo Pro, but it can still handle anything from 1 lb to 5.5 lbs of dough (500g to 2.5kg) — the equivalent of two to ten 12-inch pizzas in a single batch.

Ooni Halo Core review: Ease of use

Apart from being the younger sibling, it’s also 25% smaller and 30% lighter than the Pro, and although it’s over 3 lbs lighter than Kitchen’s Artisan Plus, at 18 lbs it still feels hefty.

The mixer has a tilt-head design and locks in place, releasing with a lever on the right side. You’ll find the control button on top of the mixer, making it easy to use whether you’re right- or left-handed. The 20 speed settings aren't marked in numbers; instead, an interface lights up around the control dial at 10% increments.

To pause the machine, tap the control button; there’s no need to go back through the settings to zero. It’s an excellent feature if you want to pause your mix partway through, and then you can press the control dial again, and it will resume where it left off. I love this feature.

Unlike other mixers I’ve tested, the splash guard attaches neatly to the mixer, not the bowl, so when you lift the mixer’s head, you don’t need to remove the cover to get a clear view into the bowl. It also has a small space to pour in liquid, and when using the dough hook and beater bar, the liquid goes straight to the bar — to the heart of the mix.

Plus, you always get a clear view of what’s happening inside the bowl, with two LED lights positioned on either side of where the beater bar attaches to the mixer.

The attachments feel premium and heavyweight, with the dough hook and breaker bar used together, plus an angled silicone-edged beater designed to work deep in the bowl for a better mix while scraping ingredients off the side. It also includes a dual-motor whisk with an integrated gearbox to increase mixing speed for rapid, high-performance whipping.

Ooni Halo Core review: Performance

Cake

I used an all-in-one lemon cake recipe, and after attaching the flat beater, I added all the ingredients to the bowl. I used softened butter, but in hindsight, I would have softened it more. Unlike the KitchenAid stand mixers I’ve tested, the Ooni Halo Core struggled to beat in the butter. Even at 100% power, I found small bits of unblended butter in the mix, though from a distance it looked perfect. In fact, I found a large clump of butter left on the beater.

I have since used the mixer again to make cake, and I softened the butter even further to help it incorporate into the mix. But be warned, I didn’t find its performance quite up to the standard of a KitchenAid for cake batters.

However, the splash guard worked perfectly and stopped any mixture from dispersing from the bowl, and even on full power the mixer stayed steady on my countertop.

Whisking

Making butter

I usually test a mixer’s whisk by whipping heavy cream or whisking egg whites, but following my colleague who tested the Ooni Halo Pro, I made butter. I’ve never had a reason to make butter before, and if you haven’t either, I’d recommend giving it a go. It’s fun to try, and the results were tasty.

I added 10fl. oz. (300ml) of heavy cream to the bowl with a pinch of sea salt, attached the splashguard and set the speed to 50%. After a short while, I gradually increased the speed to full power, at which point it measured 74 dB, although the appliance wasn’t under any strain.

As soon as the cream started to look like overcooked scrambled eggs, I could see the buttermilk separating from the fat — it happens quickly! So beware: keep the splashguard in place instead of lifting the flap to peek inside.

Once I was happy with how the buttermilk had separated, I strained away the liquid (I saved it for pancakes), squeezed the butter and ran it under cold water to remove any remaining buttermilk. I then shaped it and placed it on some baking parchment in a butter dish.

Bread dough

I started by making an easy white loaf in the Halo Core. It’s a standard recipe I turn to that uses 1.1 lb (500g) of strong white flour, and olive oil as the fat.

I attached the dough hook and the breaker bar. The breaker bar slides into place and needs to be tightened with a nut — this is slightly different from the other attachments, which are simply locked in place by twisting. I also attached the splash guard.

I added the dry ingredients to the bowl, started the mixer on low speed, and then poured in the liquid through the slot in the guard. You’ll see that the liquid is directed straight to the breaker bar.

I noticed it was taking a little while for the ingredients to pull in from the square edge of the bowl, so I increased the speed to 50% to help the remaining flour incorporate. With KitchenAid mixers, the bowls are narrower at the bottom, so there is less chance of dry ingredients getting stuck around the edges.

I set a timer for 10 minutes and left the dough hook and breaker bar to work the dough to form strong gluten strands. During the kneading phase I noticed how well the mixer handled the tough job; it didn't appear overworked and remained steady on my countertop, as it had done previously.

Once the kneading was complete, I removed the dough, which looked soft and smooth, knocked it back and waited for it to double in size. I then knocked it back again, shaped it into a round loaf, and placed it on a baking tray, leaving it to prove for an hour before baking.

The finished loaf had a lovely flavor with a light texture. In fact, my husband didn’t realize it was homemade, and he was even more surprised when we enjoyed it spread with homemade butter.

Pizza dough

Ooni is known for its pizza ovens, so I wasn’t going to get away without making pizza dough in the Ooni Halo Core. I’d already discovered how good it is at making bread, so I expected to impress my family with homemade pizza and a perfect crust.

I used a New York-style pizza dough recipe using 1.5 lbs (638 g) of flour, using a mix of 00 and bread flour. I set the speed to 20% and watched the ingredients come together as I slowly added the liquid. I kept the mixer on for 10 minutes, then removed it for cold proofing overnight in the fridge.

I loved watching the dough hook and breaker bar form an attractive pattern as it kneaded.

I could clearly see how the dough was developing, and then, two hours before baking, I removed it from the fridge to allow it to come back to room temperature. After that, I stretched out the dough and covered it with my favorite toppings.

I’m not the best at shaping pizza — I obviously need more practice — but the dough formed a beautiful crust.

Ooni Halo Core review: Verdict

The Ooni Halo Core spiral mixer is a real powerhouse when it comes to making dough — whether you want to make homemade pies or bake bread. The breaker bar is a real genius at double kneading and stopping the dough from climbing up the dough hook, destabilizing the mixer. Plus, it’s much more affordable than the Ooni Halo Pro and brings professional mastery into domestic kitchens.

I’m not convinced it’s as good as other stand mixers for making cake batters, particularly when dealing with butter, but if you make more dough than cakes and cookies, the Halo Core is a good choice. However, if you’re serious about sweet treats and only occasionally need extra power to knead dough, I’d stick with a KitchenAid.

There’s no doubt that it’s a premium appliance — if I had my choice I hold onto my KitchenAid Artisan Plus for cakes and use the Ooni Halo Core for breads.