You might not think it to look at the Asus ZenScreen MB27ACF, but this 27-inch monitor is actually a portable display.
Now, we’ve reviewed plenty of the best portable monitors, but most clock in at around 14 to 16 inches - so this is a big jump.
It might be relatively light, all things considered, and it does have a built-in kickstand, but with a screen this size, this isn’t one for whipping out to work in the library or cafe, or playing games on a long flight. To my mind, this is a screen designed for businesses, collaboration, and a second screen for desktop set-ups, especially across multiple locations.
We’ve previously reviewed the 24-inch Asus ZenScreen MB249C portable monitor. It’s not dissimilar in design, but we found it had a few flaws - chiefly the low resolution (1080p) and pixel density (92.56 ppi), and the so-so built-in speaker, a perennial issue for portable displays. It seems Asus has sat up and taken notice. The new MB27ACF now boasts a 2.5K resolution that better suits the big-screen experience, a pixel density of 218 ppi, and vastly better speakers.
I took the Asus ZenScreen MB27ACF for a test drive for several weeks as a second screen hooked up to a 14in laptop, to see how it measures up against my favorite portable displays.
Asus ZenScreen MB27ACF: Unboxing & first impressions
In the box: Monitor, monitor arm, hanging hooks, HDMI cable, USB-C cable, PSU
VESA mount: 75x75mm
Dimensions: 24.06" x 29.76" x 11.85in / 61.1 x 75.6 x 30.1cm
Weight: 6.57 lbs / 2.98 kg
First impressions? This display is big. Far bigger than any portable monitor I’ve used in the past. At first glance, I seriously doubted the portability of this display.
In the box you’ll find the VESA-mountable display, of course, alongside a pretty hefty monitor arm, hanging hooks for attaching to whiteboards, HDMI and USB-C cables, and the power supply unit.
Despite my initial misgivings, drawing it from the box, I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it is to carry. Yes, it’s large and relatively heavy at 6.57 lbs before any stand is attached, though not ridiculously so. I wouldn’t like to cart this around on the commute every day, particularly since it lacks any protective covering or sleeve.
With that in mind, I maintain this is still best for multiple set-ups across a single location.
Asus ZenScreen MB27ACF: Design & operation
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(Image credit: Asus // Future)
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(Image credit: Asus // Future)
Given its size, to look at the MB27ACF, you’d be forgiven for thinking this is just an ordinary computer monitor. The screen is broad, the bezels are fairly slim, except along the bottom of the frame where you’ll find the speakers - a 2.1-channel audio with subwoofer that’s acceptable in use.
It’s only when you spin the monitor around that it gives itself away as a portable device. Around the back is a fold-out silver kickstand that pulls out and downward, which helps support the weight compared to those that just flip out from the bottom. Asus is billing this as a carry handle, but I wouldn’t chance it.
Initially, I found folding out this stand was a bit stiff, and I’d advise using a hand on either side to pull it into position, because it does feel like one hard yank might snap it. Once out, you can set it to multiple positions depending on desk-space and required viewing angle. At the center of the rear is a socket for attaching the C-clamp monitor arm, too.
Along the left side is the power jack, alongside three ports - a HDMI, USB-C, and audio jack. On the right is the menu, arrow keys, and power buttons. As such, operation is very straightforward. That USB-C port also offers 70W power delivery, letting you charge your laptop via the monitor, which is useful if you’re short on power sockets - the monitor already uses one, and there’s no built-in battery to help keep down the weight.
Asus ZenScreen MB27ACF: In use
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(Image credit: Asus // Future)
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Throughout testing, I had no trouble using this transportable monitor. It does everything I needed it to do without any fuss or issues, no dead pixels, problems seeing what’s on the screen. Yes, it is heavy. So, as a fully portable monitor, it’s not ideal. That’s not what it’s designed for, of course.
Surprisingly, the speakers were… acceptable. You’re never going to get high-end audio from a device like this, however, the sounds here are a lot less tinny than on many of the speakers on portable monitors. Saying that, I’d still recommend making use of the display’s 3.5mm audio jack or external speakers for tasks that demand the best audio experience.
Outside of that kickstand, which I would’ve liked to see somewhat reinforced, my only real issue is I didn’t find the screen especially bright. The display has a matte covering, which does a great job of limiting screen glare and reflections, but I’d hesitate to use this in direct sunlight.
I would’ve loved this to have a wider color gamut, too. 100% sRGB is fine for creating online assets. But now imagine if this packed 100% P3, or even AdobeRGB - it would make it a very attractive choice for mobile photographers, video editors, and all-round creators who want to conduct detailed creative work. And, wishful thinking though it may be, i can’t help feeling it’s a missed opportunity.
Realistically, though, that’s not who this monitor is for. It’s for business professionals in a collaborative office, and those who want a second screen on their desk that can be easily stashed away when not in use. On that score, the Asus ZenScreen MB27ACF delivers the goods.
Should I buy the Asus ZenScreen MB27ACF?
(Image credit: Asus // Future)
Buy it if...
✅ You want a big, portable display: With its 27in screen, this is a great choice for those who want a large screen with a high resolution for detailed work, and to supplement your laptop or computer screen.
✅ You’re collaborating with others: For my money, this display is best-suited for businesses who need to collaborate with colleagues or present to the wider team.
Don't buy it if...
❌ You want ultra portability: Ok, it might be thin, light, and transportable, but the size and weight limit its portability - I’d suggest only moving this around multiple spaces in a single location, like an office.
❌ You’re a content creator: At just 100% sRGB, this monitor lacks a wide color gamut demanded by creative professionals like photographers.
The Gamakay TK75HE V2 is a wired keyboard with Hall effect analog switches that provide snappy and precise inputs, and feature multiple actuation adjustments to tailor key response to your exact preferences.
It sports a minimal aesthetic, which, combined with its compact form, makes it conducive to use in any setting. This aspect is somewhat hampered, however, by the short USB cable, which might fail to reach your PC depending on your setup.
Still, the overall build quality of the TK75HE V2 is impressive, on a level-pegging with some of the best gaming keyboards. The plastic chassis is light yet reassuringly solid, and, although it’s thick at the rear, this tapers off towards the front. The PBT keycaps feel as premium as you could wish for, too.
The two-stage folding feet provide plenty of tilt for getting an ergonomic typing position, although I still found the TK75HE V2 uncomfortable to type with for extended periods, owing to the lack of wrist support needed to offset its elevated height.
A screen is integrated in the bottom right corner of the TK75HE V2, although this is very limited in scope, with actuation adjustments, for instance, missing from its menu. For settings such as these, you’ll need to use the Gamakay Driver.
This PC app allows you make all the usual keyboard customizations, with various rebind options available, alongside macro creation and RGB adjustments. Tweaks for the analog switches are plentiful and accompanied by a handy visualizer to see key response in real time.
However, this visualizer lacks some useful feedback indicators, and has a tendency to lag significantly when making multiple inputs rapidly. What’s more, the app window can’t be resized, and a few explanations lack clarity, while others were cut off from the GUI, which was frustrating.
Thankfully, the tool is usable enough, and the analog adjustments it can make provide a meaningful difference to performance. To game with, the TK75HE V2 is certainly responsive, although I can’t say its 8K polling rate makes much difference in this regard, relative to lower-polling keyboards.
Key presses with the linear Mercury switches installed on my TK75HE V2 were less damped than I was expecting – certainly less so than the ultra-soft tactile Pegasus switches I tried in the mechanical TK75 V2, for instance – but I still found them satisfying to use, whether I was gaming or typing.
The latter was also helped by the shallow, short-traveling Cherry profile keycaps, which makes the TK75HE V2 suited to productivity tasks. However, it really needs a wrist rest to make long sessions comfortable.
The TK75HE V2 has a low price for an analog keyboard, undercutting many of its big name rivals by a huge margin, such as the SteelSeries Apex Pro. However, that keyboard has some of the best analog switches I’ve tried, and offers exceptional gaming performance overall.
But the TK75HE V2 isn’t that far behind in this regard, which makes it a great entry point for those looking to get their fingers on some analog switches. The mechanical TK75 V2 is slightly cheaper but not by much, although this would be a better alternative for those who prefer soft and silent key presses.
(Image credit: Future)
Gamakay TK75HE V2 review: price and availability
$109.99 / £85 / AU$176
Available now in two colorways
Cheaper than many analog boards
The TK75HE V2 costs $109.99 / £85 / AU$176 and is available now in two colorways: black and white. It can be configured with two stock switch types: Phoenix, which is silent; or Mercury, which is linear. Additionally, it comes with a USB cable and a keycap puller for hot-swapping purposes.
The TK75HE V2 is more expensive than its mechanical counterpart, the TK75 V2, which has an exquisite typing feel with much more dampening, although this could be due to the tactile Pegasus switches I experienced in that board. However, since it doesn’t use analog switches, there aren’t any actuation adjustments.
If you’re looking for pure analog performance, the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL is hard to beat. It’s one of the best keyboards with analog switches in my view, offering incredible precision and responsiveness, but it’s considerably more expensive than the TK75HE V2.
Value score: 5 / 5
Gamakay TK75HE V2 review: specs
Layout
75%
Switch
Analog (Hall-effect magnetic)
Programmable keys
Yes
Dimensions
12.8 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches / 325 x 136 x 28mm
RGB or backlighting
Yes (customizable)
(Image credit: Future)
Gamakay TK75HE V2 review: design and features
Minimal looks
Premium feel
Versatile but unrefined software
The TK75HE V2 has a rather understated appearance, although this is buoyed somewhat by the bright RGB lighting, which is even more pronounced in the white variant. But overall its minimal aesthetic should fit in well with most setups.
Build quality is also admirable, with the plastic chassis feeling durable yet pleasingly light at the same time. It has a thick depth at the back, but this narrows out at the front, which helps to keep things compact.
This narrowing also improves usability, since the TK75HE V2 doesn’t come with a wrist rest. It does come with a USB cable, but this is disappointingly short and may prove unfeasible for certain setups.
The PBT keycaps feel premium to the touch, with a very subtle texture that doesn’t encroach on their smoothness. It’s slightly inconvenient, however, that the FN shortcuts aren’t labelled on the keys themselves, so you’ll have to refer to the included manual to see what they are.
The volume wheel is well notched to allow for smooth yet controlled jogging, although its click function is a little too stiff for my liking – but this is a minor grievance.
A small screen is also nestled in the bottom right corner, controllable via the volume knob, although I found little use for it since its functionality is quite limited. You can view the runtime and date, as well as CPU usage and temperature – although these latter two failed to take readings, and there’s nothing in the manual to explain how to set this up.
(Image credit: Future)
Rounding out the interface’s capabilities are RGB lighting adjustments and Mac and Windows modes. You can also display your own drawings, but for this you’ll need to download the Gamakay Driver PC app.
This app also contains many other typical gaming keyboard customizations. There are various rebinding options with multiple layers available, although sadly system shortcuts and commands seem to be absent: you can only remap keys to other keys, key combinations with modifiers, or macros you’ve created.
There are also numerous adjustments for the analog switches, though, including independent actuation point sliders for presses and releases. There are also various modes to toggle and configure, such as multi-input, continuous trigger, and others.
Overall, the Gamakay Driver provides an impressive selection of customizations, although some analog-based functions are missing, such as controller emulation. What’s more, the software isn’t without its faults.
Firstly, the app window can’t be resized, which, in my experience at least, can result in cut-offs. There were also certain sections where text explanations weren’t fully rendered.
What’s more, certain explanations were hard to understand, and some occasional odd word choices didn’t help matters either: for example, a button used to select multiple keys for customizing simultaneously is labelled “drag”.
Design & features score: 3.5 / 5
Gamakay TK75HE V2 review: performance
Satisfying feedback
Not as damped as other keyboards
Controlled analog switches
The TK75HE V2 is very capable when it comes to gaming. Its keys are very responsive, although I can’t say the 8K polling rate provided a noticeable improvement in this regard over other boards.
The unit I had came preinstalled with Gamakay’s Mercury switches, which are said to have a linear profile. Their impact might deter some gamers, as they lack the dampening of some of the best mechanical keyboards: they’re more clicky and louder, but there’s still enough cushioning to make them satisfying to use.
What’s more, they feel a little heavier than other analog switches I’ve tried, which works in their favor as their resistance is progressive, feeling lighter at the top but getting heavier as they near the end of their travel.
This makes for controlled presses, and is especially useful when trying to hit certain actuation points. It also means that quickfire presses are easy to execute, which is especially useful when using the Rapid Tap feature – one of the key selling points of analog switches.
The mild indentation of the Cherry profile keys was something I welcomed too, as they allow for a secure positioning while still being amenable to gliding over the board.
(Image credit: Future)
This aspect also makes the bottom row readily accessible, as does the subtle concaving of the layout in general. The space bar is pleasingly low too, as it meant I could hit it with the tip of my thumb rather than the edge.
However, one small gripe I have is with the feet, which aren’t stable enough to handle even small shuffles back and forth. This may prove frustrating to those who frequently adjust the position of their keyboard.
Typing performance is also good, with those Mercury switches providing plenty of feedback and bounce, while being controlled at the same time. This allowed for fast and accurate typing – although the drawback is the relatively loud noise they generate.
I found the layout a little cramped at first, but I got used to it quickly. The angle provided by the feet does improve the ergonomics, but I still experienced some discomfort after only a short period; the TK75HE V2 is another keyboard that requires additional wrist support and yet sadly doesn't come with any.
Performance score: 4/ 5
Should I buy the Gamakay TK75HE V2?
Gamakay TK75HE V2 Scorecard
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Value
You’ll struggle to find many analog keyboards cheaper than this, and its performance and build are impressive for price.
5 / 5
Design and features
The TK75HE V2 is minimal and inoffensive. It’s also well built, although the software, while versatile, isn’t as refined as others.
3.5 / 5
Performance
The analog switches are certainly responsive, and it’s great for both gaming and typing – although wrist support is sorely needed.
4 / 5
Overall
The TK75HE V2 is an impressive keyboard considering its relatively low price tag. The software provides useful customizations, although it’s not the best engineered. If you’re looking for a budget analog keyboard, this should certainly be a contender.
4 / 5
Buy it if…
You want to hot-swap You can choose which switches come equipped in your TK75HE V2, but if you ever fancy a change, you can swap them out at any time.
You want analog switches at a good price There aren’t too many analog boards around at this price, and it doesn’t exactly feel as if you’re skimping on quality.
Don’t buy it if…
You want the best software The Gamakay Driver has plenty to offer, but it’s not always the easiest to work with, thanks to some interface issues.
You want the best comfort The feet offer a meaningful break angle that makes typing more comfortable, but the TK75HE V2 really needs a wrist rest if you plan on using it for productivity.
Gamakay TK75HE V2 review: also consider
Gamakay TK75HE V2
SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3
Gamakay TK75 V2
Layout
75%
TKL
75%
Switch
Analog (Hall-effect magnetic)
Analog (Hall-effect magnetic)
Mechanical
Programmable keys
Yes
Yes
Yes
Dimensions
12.8 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches / 325 x 136 x 28mm
14.5 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches (approx.) / 368.3 x 139.7 x 38.1mm
12.8 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches / 325 x 136 x 28mm
RGB or backlighting
Yes (customizable)
Yes (customizable)
Yes (customizable)
SteelSeries Apex Pro TKLGen 3 The Apex Pro is certainly more expensive than the TK75HE V2, but its analog switches are a dream to use, and its adjustments and accompanying software are great as well. A wireless variant is also available, which is naturally even more expensive, but not by a huge margin. Read our full SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 review.
Gamakay TK75 V2 If you don’t need analog switches, then Gamakay makes for a great alternative. The tactile Pegasus mechanical switches I experienced in this board had much greater dampening and felt fantastic for both gaming or typing. It’s cheaper than the TK75HE V2 too, although not by much, but that’s fine since both are well-priced considering what they offer. Read our full Gamakay TK75 V2 review.
How I tested the Gamakay TK75HE V2
Tested for a few days
Used for gaming and working
Plentiful keyboard experience
I tested the TK75HE V2 for a few days, during which time I used it for gaming and working on both Windows 10 and 11 machines.
I played Counter-Strike 2, which is a great test for any peripheral due the premium it places on fast and accurate inputs. It’s especially useful when testing analog switches, since counter-strafing can put Rapid Trigger features through their paces.
I have been PC gaming for over a decade, and during that time I have used a great deal of keyboards. I have also reviewed numerous examples, including those with analog switches and other Gamakay models.
Wisdom dictates there’s no such thing as an all-purpose lens. Yet in the FE 28-70mm F2 GM, Sony’s had a stellar go at making one. Pitched as a do-it-all solution for photographers who demand versatility without compromise, this is flagship glass that could replace a trio of primes in your kit bag.
Thanks to a constant f/2 maximum aperture, the FE 28-70mm F2 GM delivers the kind of results you’d expect from a prime lens, paired with the versatility of a standard zoom. The sweetener is that it’s packaged with dimensions that are easy enough to work with on a daily basis, more so than Canon's ungainly equivalent.
This isn’t a lightweight lens by consumer standards, but for G Master glass with fast optics, Sony’s done an impressive job of keeping measurements in check. The solid build and weather seals reflect its premium status, as does the way it handles, with tactile control rings and buttons.
In performance terms, the FE 28-70mm F2 GM hits the mark at every focal length. That maximum aperture gives it excellent low-light credentials, allowing you to shoot fast even in dim conditions. F/2 also unlocks beautifully smooth bokeh and striking subject isolation with a shallow depth of field. The lens is as effective for night-time street scenes as it is for 70mm portraits.
(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)
It’s optically excellent too, with no discernible sacrifice in quality for the sake of flexibility. Central detail is consistently sharp across the zoom range, with only the tiniest hint of corner softness when shooting wide open. There’s no shortage of contrast either, with minimal evidence of vignetting or chromatic aberrations.
In-camera correction does address some barrel distortion at 28mm, but this is less impactful than if the lens went to 24mm like most standard zooms. That slight restriction on wide-angle coverage will give some users pause for thought. In practise, the f/2 aperture more than makes up for the slightly tighter focal length.
The only major omission is lens-based stabilization, even this isn’t felt in real-world conditions; with the ability to shoot at fast shutter speeds, paired with rapid, accurate autofocus, you won’t encounter issues with blurring.
In truth, there’s only one drawback to the Sony FE 28-70mm f/2 GM and that’s the price. There’s no escaping that this lens is a serious investment. But when you consider that this is professional glass which delivers prime performance at several focal lengths, its value is self-evident.
If you want a new go-to lens that’s manageable on a full-frame mirrorless body and can handle everything from landscapes to weddings, this might just be the most complete standard zoom Sony has ever made.
Sony FE 28-70mm F2 GM specs
Sony FE 28-70mm F2 GM: Design
Tidily packaged for such a fast zoom lens
Robust G Master build with weather seals
Tactile controls with zoom ring switches
Sony has managed to keep the FE 28-70mm F2 GM surprisingly compact for such a fast standard zoom. It’s by no means a lightweight lens at 32.4oz / 918g, but it’s only a fraction larger and heavier than the FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM. That’s quite a feat, given the optics required to achieve its f/2 maximum aperture. It’s also significantly more portable than the comparable Canon RF 28-70mm F2L USM.
Paired with a full-frame body like the Sony A7S III, the FE 28-70mm f/2 GM balances well without feeling too front-heavy. It helps that the lens is fantastic to handle. You get a full complement of controls, including rings for zoom, focus and aperture. A pair of customizable focus hold buttons offer useful flexibility, together with the familiar AF/MF and aperture lock switches. Two additional switches let you further influence the shooting experience.
We’ve seen the aperture click switch on other Sony lenses. It’s a welcome one, letting you choose whether you’d like tactile feedback while moving through f-stops. More unusual is the torque switch, which gives you the option of tight or smooth zoom ring rotation. The former is helpful for preventing zoom creep, while the latter lets you change focal lengths with a light touch – something that videographers are likely to appreciate.
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Given the price and the G Master badge, it’s no surprise that the FE 28-70mm F2 GM feels solid. This is a professional lens that’s built for the elements, with weather seals throughout. It’s all sturdy and purposeful, with a lovely weighting to the controls and no sense of compromise anywhere on the barrel.
It’s worth noting that the large front element requires equally large 86mm filters, which are more expensive than smaller standard thread sizes. That shouldn’t be a revelation: with a lens of this calibre, there’s an expectation that budget won’t be an issue.
Sony FE 28-70mm F2 GM: Performance
Fast f/2 maximum aperture at every focal length
Strong center sharpness across the zoom range
Four XD linear motors for rapid, accurate autofocus
When it comes to performance, the FE 28-70mm F2 GM is nothing less than superlative. Autofocus is rapid and reliable, as you’d expect with a quartet of XD linear motors at work. While its size might conjure expectations of a sluggish response, there’s not even a hint of hesitation as the lens hunts for a subject. It’s remarkably quiet, too.
That speed puts another string in the bow of the FE 28-70mm f/2. While a standard zoom wouldn’t be the traditional choice for capturing action, its autofocus capabilities, paired with the ability to use fast shutter speeds at its widest aperture setting, make it a real sporting performer. It had no trouble tracking subjects in motion, locking with laser accuracy.
That constant f/2 maximum aperture is what sets the FE 28-70mm apart from other standard zooms. It unlocks prime performance at every focal length. Whether you’re shooting a night-time street scene at 35mm or a portrait at 70mm, you get the full light-gathering, background-defocusing power of a wide aperture.
F/2 is one stop faster than f/2.8. That means you need half as much light to shoot at the same shutter speed with the FE 28-70mm f/2 GM as you would with the FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM. That makes a big difference in the real world, allowing you to shoot sharp and fast even in tricky conditions. Only with an f/1.4 prime would you get a meaningfully faster shooting experience.
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The net result is a standard zoom that can replace several primes in your kit bag. And it can do so without optical compromise: bokeh and background blur at f/2 is exceptionally smooth, with beautiful subject isolation.
Taken all together, that recipe makes the FE 28-70mm F2 GM a uniquely versatile option. For wedding and event photographers who don’t want the hassle of switching lenses throughout the day, it’s a compelling proposition – as it is for any well-heeled photographer who covers a wide range of genres.
Arguably its only limitation besides the price is the slight loss of wide-angle coverage: its 28mm starting point is tighter than on a typical 24-70mm zoom. Whether that extra 4mm makes a difference will come down to how you shoot, but the constant f/2 maximum aperture is your pay-off. For most people, that number is probably the more useful of the two.
Sony FE 28-70mm F2 GM: sample images
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A close look at images shot with the Sony FE 28-70mm F2 GM reveals that it really is a master of all trades. Central sharpness is consistently superb across the zoom range and the lens is able to render magnificent detail. Paired with a high-resolution full-frame sensor, you’ll have no trouble cropping in on stills.
Edge sharpness is also excellent. Only at the wide end does a touch of corner softness become visible. There’s some in-camera correction at play here, addressing minor barrel distortion at 28mm. You’ll need a keen eye to spot it, though. Sony has certainly made its life easier by not extending the zoom range to 24mm, where distortion would have been a more significant issue.
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In fact, there’s little evidence of any major imperfections. Both vignetting and chromatic aberrations are kept under tight control, with no color fringing to speak of. Contrast is strong as well, with just a trace of ghosting and a few flare artifacts visible when shooting wide open into direct sunlight. Optically, it’s very hard to find fault with this G Master glass.
In short, the Sony FE 28-70mm F2 GM gives an almost flawless demonstration at every focal length. Even the absence of lens-based stabilization doesn’t hold it back: at f/2, shutter speeds are more than fast enough to eliminate the risk of blur. If you’re willing to dig into your pockets, Sony will reward you with a standard zoom that excels in every respect.
Should you buy the Sony FE 28-70mm F2 GM?
Buy it if...
You want a do-it-all zoom lens
Combining the optical performance of a prime lens with the versatility of a standard zoom, the Sony FE 28-70mm F2 GM can cover everything from landscapes to portraits with aplomb, whether day or night.
You want quality at every focal length
Sony has made very few optical compromises here. Pin-sharp at the center across the zoom range, the FE 28-70mm F2 GM also displays little in the way of vignetting, aberrations or distortion.
You want a lens you can live with
Cleverly packaged and lovely to handle, the FE 28-70mm F2 GM pairs well with a full-frame Sony body. It’s manageable to walk around with, while the G Master build includes full weather seals.
Don't buy it if...
You’re on a tight budget
This is flagship glass that’s priced to match. With a premium build, versatile reach and professional performance, you’re getting your money’s worth, but the Sony FE 28-70mm F2 GM is still a major investment.
You need a 24-70mm lens
Most standard zooms start at 24mm. Sony’s sacrifices 4mm in favor of a constant f/2 maximum aperture. That’s a stellar trade-off, but if you need the wide-angle coverage, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
You shoot at specific focal lengths
Much of the Sony zoom’s value lies in the versatility of its reach. If you only plan to shoot at specific focal lengths, such as 35mm and 50mm, you’ll get faster apertures for less from a pair of prime lenses.
How I tested the Sony FE 28-70mm F2 GM
Tested in-depth for seven days
Paired with a Sony A7S III body
Shot a range of test scenes
The FE 28-70mm F2 GM was only available on a short loan from Sony. That gave me a week to run the zoom through a series of in-depth tests. Given that it’s pitched as the kind of lens you’ll keep on your camera by default, that’s exactly how I lived with it. Paired with a Sony A7S III body, I picked it up every time I left the house.
That gave me a good impression of how easy the FE 28-70mm F2 GM would be to live and shoot with as a long-term standard zoom. Walking around with it allowed me to get a feel for its weight and handling, while shooting a range of scenes in different light conditions yielded a diverse catalog of stills. Covering everything from floral close-ups to abstract street scenes, the results gave me a good basis on which to assess its optical performance.
I’ve shot with several Sony lenses recently, including wide-angle primes and super telephotos, so I had a good benchmark for comparing the build quality. I also regularly shoot with both prime optics and standard zooms on my own Nikon camera, which means I know what to look for when it comes to both image quality and the physical shooting experience.
I write this review a few days after the Spain and Portugal electricity blackouts, this showed how reliant our societies are on electric power. The blackouts, perhaps the worst in recent memory in some places lasted up to 23 hours. One of the biggest sale items at the time being portable power banks as people were desperate to keep small electronic devices powered.
However, even these small power banks only have around 10,000mAh and can only power devices that often use a form of USB charging. This leaves anything running on 240v mains electricity often without power such as fridges and freezers.
Having reviewed the best portable power stations from varying brands across the years, the noted mainstays of the industry was a copy and paste with few tweaks here and features there. Nearly all of them were of a large boxlike design often with a status screen, varying power in and outputs and maybe an app. Portable only in the sense that you could pick it up and cart it off elsewhere, but some of them were bulky and pushing north of 20kgs in weight.
The Jackery Solar Generator 2000 v2 is almost no different except in this package you get not just the portable power station, but also a portable solar panel as a combo, however both are available for purchase separately as the Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 Portable Power Station and Jackery SolarSaga 200W Solar Panel.
We start on the Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 Portable Power Station part of the combo.
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Jackery Explorer 2000 v2: Portable Power Station
Packaging
Starting with the Explorer 2000 Power Station, I opened the cardboard box to be presented with an orange box and helpful pull-out handles, removing this gave us a nice orange box, the sort you would see on shop shelves to market the product to you.
The back of the box shows that this power station has a capacity of 2042Wh or 45.6Ah from its Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) cells, its in and output rates and some basic specifications.
Opening this orange box gives us the accessories tray consisting of only the AC power cable and manual. I do want to point out I was very impressed with the orange box packaging using only sturdy corrugated cardboard with a felt liner, no plastics in this box whatsoever.
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The power station
Once the power station was removed from the box, I noted its dimensions being on average about the same size here and there as other power stations I had reviewed in the past.
A quick visual inspection, I noted that all the output ports are at the front, the sides have ventilation slots with the AC and DC input ports on the right side. The back was plain save, for an information label and the bottom had large, wide sturdy rubberized feet.
One notable feature was the large carry handle on the top, possibly one of the best ones I had seen on any portable power stations as these are heavy with the Jackery weighing in at 17.5kgs (38.6lbs). The handle can be stowed away when not in use.
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We will start discussing the output ports, all of which can be found on the front of the Jackery. The on/off switch can be found to the left of the screen which after a short press powers the unit on.
On the other side of the screen is a “Light” button which illuminates the small light, the white round disc, to the light button’s right. This light can be used as an emergency light source, it can be cycled from steady on dim, bright and SOS mode.
Below the lights are the AC power sockets, in this model the UK type G socket. Other models featured in the past had three or four but this only has two. The inverter Jackery has provided is capable of providing a pure sine wave to closely mimic that of the grids alternating current. It has a maximum wattage output of 2200W but can support a brief surge peak of 4400W should it be necessary. The sockets can be turned on or off using the small button labelled “AC” to the right.
To the left of the sockets are a column of three USB power outputs, two USB-C and one USB-A. The top USB-C has a max draw of 30W, the middle USB-C 100W and the lower USB-A only 18W draw.
Above the USB outputs is the 12V DC output capable of a 10A draw. The USB and 12V DC outputs can be switched on and off by the small button to the right of the USB outputs.
Curiously, all the outputs have no covers such as the rubberized ones we often see on other power stations. This means that the Explorer 2000 has no IP rating. An odd choice for a product marketed for on-the-go power to be charged by solar so long as its dry.
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In the upper center is a small status screen that shows all the useful information that you will need at glance.
In the center is the remaining battery percentage surrounded by a battery power indicator, to the left in the input wattage and time to full charge and to the right is the output, also in wattage and remaining time until the battery is fully discharged.
(Image credit: Future)
To the top left is the status symbols for WiFi, Bluetooth and different modes, to the top right is the AC power indicator for 110 or 240v and 50 or 60Hz AC. Bottom left is the method of charge symbols for mains, car or solar charging and lastly to the bottom right are the various fault symbols.
To the side of the Explorer 2000 are the input sockets of which there are only three and none of the have covers or any ingress protection. That said, I was glad to see that the mains input was via the standard IEC14 socket. The other two were the DC inputs which worried me as I had not seen these kinds of DC inputs on previous power stations from other brands.
(Image credit: Future)
Using the product
I used the Explorer 2000 on a few tasks through the house, this included running a Ninja Double Stack air fryer which drew a max of 1600W cooking for about 25 minutes, the Explorer 2000 had no problem powering this going from 100% to 80%.
I then used it for my steam generator iron which drew a max 2100W, again the Explorer 2000 had no issues powering this along but I did hear the fan (for the first) kicking in. That said the fan is incredibly quiet, barely audible even, more so outside. My quick 45-minute ironing session took the battery from 80% down to 40%.
The handle made transporting the battery around the home easier than some of the others I have used in the past making it not feel too heavy.
(Image credit: Future)
Jackery Explorer 2000 v2: The SolarSaga 200W Solar Panel
Now moving onto the Jackery SolarSaga 200W Solar Panel
Packaging
The Solar panels were shipped in a rather flat looking box covered in a glossy sleeve, removing this we came to the brown box containing the panels.
The panels were wrapped in bubble wrap and pulling it out was fairly easy as the handles are at the very top.
The only items in the box are the panels, cable and manual. I started with the cable as this is the main interface between the panels and the Explorer 2000.
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To say I am a little disappointed with the cable wouldn’t be a stretch. Solar panels such as those large ones mounted on homes and even smaller flexible ones from other brands often use the industry standard MC4 connectors.
Not so here, the SolarSaga’s output is via a proprietary socket and plug and on the other end is another non industry standard socket and plug, the cable has two adapters so that you can use either the DC 8020 or DC 7909 plugs. The industry standard is often the XT60 plug seen on so many other power stations.
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This means that you cannot use these panels on other power station brands or charge the Explorer 2000 with an aftermarket set of panels without the use of adapters. Furthermore, if you lose or damage the SolarSaga cable, you’re stuck. The UK, US and other international Jackery websites do not list the cable for separate purchase, so ensure that you look after it.
The only plus of the cable is that on the end towards the battery is a small box containing a USB-A and USB-C charging ports.
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The panels themselves are non-ridged panels with a max peak output of 200W over 4 panels (50W per panel) with a Open Circuit voltage peak of 25V. The panels are kept together with a series of press studs on the corners and the legs are kept in place by Velcro pads. Once side of the panels has the main circuit bar were the cable plugs into.
Once fully unfurled and opened up the panels take a surprising amount of room, fully extended measures 235cm or 92.5inches. I found these panels a little fiddly to get up and running as the legs are only on the end panels leaving the two in the middle to sag a little
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To assist with aligning the panels with the sun, Jackery have thoughtfully included a Sun angle indicator on one of the ends of the panels, all you have to do is align the panels until shadow dot is in the middle of the white circle.
Once all connected you simply leave, it, occasionally moving the panels as the day goes by to ensure that they are at the optimum angle and face to the sun. During the day I monitored the input from the panels into battery and saw an average of 165W during the day with peaks hitting 180W. Solar panels rarely, if ever, hit their advertised peak output so the amounts I saw were about right.
On a recent, sunny day I set the Jackery Solar Generator 2000 v2 up, between 1015Hrs and 1815Hrs, some 8 hours’ worth of charging, occasionally turning and re-angling the panels, the Explorer 2000 v2 went from 29% to 70%. It wasn’t a perfect test by any means, as during the latter part of the day the shade from my garden fences cast shade on the panels.
During the solar charge test, the Explorer 2000 stated an estimate 9 to 10 hours of solar charging needed to reach 100%. Of note there are two DC sockets and the SolarSaga 200 only used one of them, the manual does state that two SolarSaga 200s can be paired to double the charge rate thereby halving the time to charge fully.
(Image credit: Future)
Once I set up the Jackery Explorer 2000, I delved into, you guessed it, the app. A quick app download, registration and I was in. Adding the battery to the app was a simple and quick affair.
On the home screen you are greeted by your Jackery products, on this occasion the Explorer 2000 and state of charge.
Tapping on the battery led me to the main status screen of the battery showing is state of charge, inputs, outputs, WiFi signal strength, temperature and some basic controls.
Tapping on the cog on the top right led to more in depth controls and settings and through this the product specifications.
(Image credit: Future)
Using the app, I did find it somewhat laggy. I would click on say the USB icon to switch on USB charging and it would take about 5 seconds before the icon lit up and my phone acknowledging charge. Sometimes I found I had to click back to leave the battery status page and then click back into the battery to see that it had done what I asked of it.
Jackery Explorer 2000 v2: Final Verdict
Another solid product by Jackery and if recent events are anything to go by, maybe having one of these at home isn’t a bad idea after all. An old saying comes to mind “I’d rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it”.
High output and high storage mean that this is excellent for most home uses in an emergency or using off peak charging to use during the day.
The only cons are that the SolarSaga cable is proprietary and not available anywhere else and a somewhat at time slaggy app.
Not all robot vacuums live up to the promise of effortless cleaning – but the Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni gets pretty close.
As a premium all-in-one device that vacuums, mops and even cleans itself, the X5 Pro Omni is designed to keep your home clean day to day without any help. Unlike standalone robot vacuums that need more frequent attention, the X5 Pro Omni's base station handles (almost) everything – from emptying the dustbin to scrubbing and drying the mop pads. You will have to, of course, refill the clean water as necessary and clean out the dirty-water tank.
For this review, I tested the X5 Pro Omni in a 3-bedroom home for an extended period of six months, and it did a great job overall, despite dealing with two messy adults and an even messier Great Dane.
Setting up the X5 Pro Omni is quick and easy, and mapping is fast and pretty accurate, though I had to make minor room division adjustments after the first scan. The robovac navigates well around larger objects, but does sometimes suck up objects like cables or shoelaces, or other small items the sensors miss, meaning it’s best used in spaces that are relatively clear.
Performance is excellent across all floor types, including hard floors, carpets, and rugs. Higher suction modes work best to get dirt out of carpets or pick up heavier debris, while standard mode is fine for everyday cleaning on hard floors. Battery life is impressive and the bot has no trouble doing a full clean without needing to return to the dock and charge.
(Image credit: Future)
The X5 Pro Omni base station is one of its biggest strengths, and unlike competitors like the Dreame X40 Ultra, it reliably clears the robot’s dustbin completely, even with pet hair and heavier debris.
The mop washing system is equally effective, using 70°C hot water and scrubbing to keep the pads fresh, followed by hot-air drying to prevent odors. I also found that the 4L clean- and dirty-water tanks were large enough to only need emptying and refilling once a month.
The Ecovacs app offers fairly deep customization, and tracks details like where the robot has traveled, the amount of area cleaned and the total number of sessions, but doesn’t log obstacles detected like the Roborock app is capable of doing.
Unfortunately the app can be clunky to use at times, like having to navigate into advanced robot settings just to set a scheduled clean or different cleaning modes being triggered than what is selected.
The app prompts you to handle any long-term maintenance issues, replacement parts are easy to find, and consumables last more than a reasonable length of time. In my use, the dust bag typically lasted around 60 days (in my case, mostly being filled with dog fur) and the robovac filter needed cleaning at the same time.
The main brush, side brush and mop pads show the expected wear, and have plenty of life left in them after six months of constant use. Replacement-part costs are in line with other premium robot vacuums, but I found significant price variation across different markets.
While not perfect, the X5 Pro Omni is an excellent choice for those who want a robovac that takes care of itself, with great vacuuming and mopping performance, infrequent maintenance, and a powerful auto-emptying base station.
However, if your home has lots of cables or small clutter, or if you want a robovac with smarter object detection or a nicer app, you might need to look elsewhere.
(Image credit: Future)
Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni review: Price and availability
How much does it cost? Starting from $1,299 / £1,399 / AU$2,399
When is it available? Available to buy now
Where can you get it? You can get it in the US, UK, and Australia
Launched in late 2024, the Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni is available in most major markets, including the US, UK, and Australia. You can purchase it directly from the official Ecovacs website, Amazon and leading retailers.
At full price, the X5 Pro Omni costs $1,299 / £1,399 / AU$2,399. However, Ecovacs frequently offers discounts of around 20%, bringing the price down to a much more appealing amount. And, if you happen to shop on Amazon, you could potentially find even bigger price drops during major sales.
Of course, actually using the X5 Pro Omni will incur ongoing costs, particularly for consumables like dust bags, filters, mop pads and brushes. Based on replacing consumables as per the recommendations from Ecovacs, I estimate my annual maintenance costs at around $466 / £424 / AU$606.
Some parts, like the Anti-Tangle Main Brush, are significantly more expensive in the UK and Australia than in the US. Third-party alternatives are available but, as expected, Ecovacs recommends using official parts for optimal performance. That said, the most common cost will the dust bag.
Want to know more about consumable pricing, and how parts like the brushes hold up long term? Read through the rest of the review below, or jump to Consumables and Maintenance.
The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni consumables kit (available to purchase separately) helps reduce running costs (Image credit: Future)
Premium robovacs from competing brands tend to be priced a bit higher than the X5 Pro Omni. For example, the Dreame X40 Ultra, which features detachable mop pads and 12,000Pa suction, is listed at $1,899 / £1,299 / AU$2,799. The less fully featured Dreame L40 Ultra costs $1,499.99 / £999 but isn’t available in Australia.
Similarly, the Eufy Omni S1 Pro, which has a slimmer design but a lower 8,000Pa suction, is priced at $1,499 / £1,499 / AU$2,699, while the Roborock Qrevo Edge comes in at $1,600 / AU$2,799 (currently unavailable in the UK).
Ecovacs also has the more affordable but still premium Deebot T30 Omni, which launched at £799 / AU$1,749 (but isn’t available in the US) and is often discounted to £699 / AU$1,199.
There are cheaper robot vacuums available, but the X5 Pro Omni balances premium features, powerful suction and fairly advanced automation at a price that makes it an appealing robot vacuum, especially when on sale.
Value score: 4 / 5
Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni: Specifications
Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni review: Design and features
Squared-off front, no LiDAR turret
Base station with auto-empty, mop washing and hot-air drying
Side-extendable mop pad
Where most robot vacuums are round, the Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni features a squared-off front (D-shaped) that's a little reminiscent of the Deebot X2 Omni. Ecovacs says this design helps the bot get the side brush into corners and improve edge cleaning. The shape also means it doesn’t use an extendable side brush.
Unlike many competing models, it doesn’t have a top-mounted LiDAR turret, making it shorter and better suited to cleaning under furniture.
The bot has a floating main brush that adjusts to different floor types, and a spinning side brush helps with cleaning along edges. It also features a 15mm (0.6in) mop lift, allowing it to vacuum carpets without transferring any dampness from the mop pads, and the right mop pad extends by 4cm (1.6 inch), improving coverage along walls and corners.
For navigation, the X5 Pro Omni uses dToF (Direct Time-of-Flight) laser mapping, combined with AIVI 3D 2.0 object recognition, an RGB camera, TrueDetect 3D sensors and anti-drop sensors. In other words, it uses fancy robot vision for navigation and obstacle avoidance, and has extra cliff sensors to avoid accidentally driving down the stairs. It can also use some of these sensors to spot stains that need another mopping pass to be fully cleaned up.
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The bot includes Ecovacs' Yiko 2.0 AI voice assistant, which lets you control a range of functionality, like adjusting cleaning tasks without pulling out the app.
The X5 Pro Omni can climb obstacles up to 22mm (0.87 inch), which means it can handle some thresholds and small lips in areas with slightly different floor heights. It also offers ZeroTangle tech, where the main roller brush features comb teeth for hair removal to avoid tangles.
The physical size and weight of the X5 Pro Omni are fairly typical, and the robot itself measures 31.3 x 34.6 x 9.5cm (12.3 x 13.6 x 3.7 inch) and weighs 4.3kg (9.5lbs), while the base station (or dock) is 39.4 x 44.3 x 52.75cm (15.5 x 17.4 x 20.8 inch), with a total weight of 11kg (24.3lbs). The dock needs 50cm (19.7 inches) of clearance on both sides and 150cm (59 inches) in front for proper operation.
The dock handles dustbin emptying, mop washing with hot water, and drying with hot air. It stores dust in a 3L (101oz) bag, which is accessed through a front-opening panel for easy replacement. The clean- and dirty-water tanks each hold 4L (135oz) and are located under a top lid, making them simple to refill and empty. The mop washing tray is removable and any buildup is easily cleaned, although the Roborock Qrevo Edge one-ups the X5 Pro Omni by also featuring a self-cleaning cycle for the tray as well.
Design and features score: 4 / 5
Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni review: Performance
Handles all floor types well
Struggles to get deep into corners
Mop pads lift high enough for carpets but not thick rugs
Overall, the Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni kept my floors clean just as well as I can with a stick vacuum and mop, and rarely required any help or intervention beyond normal maintenance. Once I had cleaning schedules set up, it handled most vacuuming and mopping automatically, and I only needed to step in for occasional spot cleaning or to pick up debris that was too large or in a corner it could not reach.
The bot works at a similar pace to other robot vacuums, taking around 1.5 minutes per square meter to vacuum and 2 minutes per square meter to mop, but since it can do both tasks at the same time, a full clean doesn’t take as long as it might seem.
According to Ecovacs, the 6,400 mAh battery provides up to 224 minutes of runtime, which is enough to clean up to 400m² (4,305ft²) per charge in optimal conditions. Ecovacs doesn’t break down battery life by suction level, but runtime will vary depending on settings and home layout.
Overall performance score: 4 / 5
Mapping and obstacle avoidance
The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni created a detailed and mostly accurate map on its first run. It didn’t require any manual adjustments to the map itself, but I did need to tweak the room divisions in the app. Mapping is fast and easy to run a second time, which I had to do after the robot got lost and mistakenly added extra rooms that didn’t exist.
Obstacle avoidance is decent but not flawless. The X5 Pro Omni generally avoids larger objects, but isn’t great at recognizing cables, shoelaces or small items like pieces of paper towel. It will avoid some small obstacles, but anything lying flat on the floor is at risk of being sucked up or dragged along. It also tends to catch and tangle cables, so keeping the floor clear makes a big difference in how well it completes a cleaning run.
While it doesn’t have dedicated pet recognition, it does a good job of avoiding spills and larger debris. The app lets you set up no-go zones, though these aren’t pet-specific. Unlike the competition like the Dreame X40 Ultra, the X5 Pro Omni does not capture images of obstacles, so there’s no way to review what it avoided after a clean.
The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni uses a wide range of sensors for mapping and navigation. Note how they get dusty over time – following the sensor cleaning reminders from the app is important. (Image credit: Future)
During testing, it rarely got stuck as long as the floor was relatively clear. When it did, it was usually due to cables, a thick rug or getting wedged behind a laundry basket or on a dog toy. It detects when it’s stuck and stops safely, rather than pushing forward and causing damage. If that happens, it has to be manually picked up and placed back on the dock, as pressing the power button doesn’t wake it. If told to return home via the app, it sometimes gets lost along the way and needs to be rescued by hand. On the plus side, these issues came up relatively rarely during use.
To test its ability to handle small steps, I made a simulated step between rooms using a section of plywood at the maximum 22mm height, and while it sometimes took two or three attempts, the bot made it across every clean.
The app includes a remote control mode that streams video from the onboard camera, and allows manual steering of the bot, which I found useful to check on my dog when not home. The video feature didn’t work the first time I tried, but functioned fine every other time I used it. Steering the bot feels slightly laggy but still usable, making it more suited for basic navigation adjustments rather than precision movement. The built-in two-way communication feature works for real-time voice interaction, though there’s no dedicated pet-tracking mode.
Despite the quirks covered above, overall the X5 Pro Omni handles navigation fairly well and happily adapts to changing environments. It moves effectively around furniture, shoes and baskets that shift between cleaning sessions, making it a solid choice for homes where the position of larger items may change frequently.
Mapping and obstacle avoidance score: 3.5 / 5
Vacuuming
I tested the Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni on wooden floors, tiles and rugs to see how well it handled different surfaces. Along with daily cleaning, I ran a series of controlled tests using flour, sand, rice, oats, dry dog food and dry leaves, scattering them in a corner on hard floors and then on a short-pile rug.
Performance across different surfaces was excellent overall. For most debris, the X5 Pro Omni was able to pick up nearly everything in a single pass, but two passes were best for thorough cleaning. Larger or heavier debris required additional cleaning cycles, and the side brush sometimes flicked smaller particles away before the main brush could capture them. The one downside was the robot vacuum consistently failed to get all the way into corners, or fully clean along edges.
The vacuum’s suction power can be set to Max, Strong, Standard or Quiet modes. Standard mode worked well for daily cleaning of pet fur, dust and light debris, but heavier dirt and sand needed Max suction to be fully removed. Carpets and rugs benefited from higher suction levels as Standard mode sometimes left behind some debris.
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Vacuuming test with oats (Image credit: Future)
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Some oats left after a single pass (Image credit: Future)
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The robovac dustbin needs manual cleaning once a month or so (Image credit: Future)
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The robovac dustbin filter can be replaced or cleaned when clogged (Image credit: Future)
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The filter responds well to vacuuming with a stick vac (Image credit: Future)
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After an extended test with no cleaning, hair builds up on the side brush, but it does not reduce performance (Image credit: Future)
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Hair builds up on the main brush over time, but vacuuming performnce remains decent (Image credit: Future)
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Removing the trapped hair is very easy and takes less than one minute (Image credit: Future)
My home has two people who shed a lot of long hair and, in my testing, hair buildup was manageable, but it still accumulated in the side brush and main brush over time, despite the anti-tangle feature. Both the side and main brush collected a noticeable amount of hair after just a week of use, but it doesn’t end up embedded and removal is easy. The wheels and mop pads remained tangle-free, making overall upkeep straightforward, and even leaving it a month between cleaning caused no problems.
I measured the noise levels of the X5 Pro Omni with a decibel meter at a range of 1m, with multiple passes and the results averaged. Using Quiet mode, it produces 41dB, which is low enough to be unobtrusive, and the wheel-drive system is actually slightly louder than the vacuum motor.
Standard mode is only slightly louder at 42dB, making it suitable for cleaning while watching TV or having a conversation. Strong mode increases the noise level to 44dB, which is still reasonable but more intrusive. At Max suction, it reaches 52dB, which is significantly louder and comparable to a stick vacuum at moderate power.
While vacuuming, noise levels remain fairly steady, but auto-emptying at the base station is much louder, peaking at 63dB. Mopping is quieter at 40dB, and general driving noise sits at 41dB, meaning the robot isn’t exactly stealthy when moving between cleaning zones. Mop washing reaches 37dB, so while not silent, it’s quiet enough not to be disruptive.
If wanting to run the vacuum at night while sleeping, Quiet mode is an option, provided you have a closed door between you and the robovac and aren’t a light sleeper. The dock should be placed away from sleeping areas, as the auto-emptying noise is quite loud and could be disruptive if triggered at night. To avoid this you can set Do Not Disturb times, where the dock will not activate the auto-empty functionality, but this does limit vacuuming performance for larger homes as the small onboard dustbin in the bot fills up.
Vacuuming score: 4 / 5
Mopping
For mopping, the X5 Pro Omni uses water with the Ecovacs cleaning solution optionally added to the clean-water tank. I tested with plain water and adding a cleaning solution, but didn’t find the latter made a noticeable difference unless having the bot do a deeper scrub.
During my testing, I scheduled mopping once a week but found that adding extra runs during wet weather helped keep the front and back door areas free of muddy footprints.
The X5 Pro Omni does a good job on open spaces, but it doesn’t reach under furniture edges as well as a handheld mop. The right-side mop pad does extend slightly, helping it clean closer to edges, but some tight spots remain out of reach.
For tougher messes, I tested the X5 Pro Omni by spilling sauce, 'stepping' in it and letting it dry a little on my wooden floors. In most cases, one pass was enough to fully clean up the mess, but two passes were needed for the dried stains. Turning up the water-flow setting was helpful in making sure the mop pads were wet enough to tackle stubborn spots. The automatic re-mop feature worked reasonably well on tiles, but the bot struggled to tell the difference between a speck of dried sauce and darker patches of wood.
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A slightly dried sauce stain (Image credit: Future)
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The robovac moves in... (Image credit: Future)
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It swings back for a second pass (Image credit: Future)
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The sauce is entirely cleaned up (Image credit: Future)
The mop pads are washed and dried by the base station after each cleaning run, with drying time adjustable between 2, 3 or 4 hours. You can also set it to wash the mops after each room, or at 10, 15 or 20-minute intervals. The base station washes the mop pads with hot water, scrubbing them against a textured cleaning tray to remove dirt and debris. While I found that this process was very effective, the mop pads still benefit from being machine-washed periodically to give a deeper refresh. It’s also recommended to inspect the pads regularly for wear and replace them as needed.
The X5 Pro Omni isn’t designed to handle large liquid spills, as its mop pads are meant for scrubbing rather than sponging up a lot of moisture. I found that if the robot is picked up after or during mopping (for example, to extract a cable or shoelace), it may dribble water, so don’t do that over anything you need to keep dry.
One somewhat frustrating quirk is that vacuum-and-mop mode is the default setting, and it can’t be changed to vacuum-only by default. Worse, if a mop and vacuum cycle is accidentally triggered, even if canceled immediately, the robovac will still run a mop wash cycle that can’t be stopped.
Battery capacity alone isn’t the only metric though. For example, in my testing the X5 Pro Omni can do a full double-pass vacuum of a three-bedroom house (around 50 square meters of actual floor cleaning) and only drop to 73% battery capacity.
Doing a full vacuum and mop at the same time drops it to 65%, and doing a vacuum then mop takes it to 60%. This means you can expect up to around 140 square meters of vacuuming at maximum suction, and over 100 square meters of vacuuming and mopping. With the suction power set to Standard, the total amount of floor area that can be vacuumed almost doubles.
My results here also support the claim from Ecovacs that the X5 Pro Omni can handle up to 244 minutes of cleaning on a charge.
As a comparison, the Roborock Saros 10 needs to stop and charge after three rooms when set to the maximum suction. Part of the difference is that the Saros 10 has a higher maximum suction power of 22,000Pa, vs 12,800Pa for the X5 Pro Omni, and higher suction does mean higher battery consumption.
One annoyance is that the X5 Pro Omni does not give the exact battery percentage when cleaning, as the Ecovacs app just displays 100 in the battery indicator. It’s not until the vacuum returns to the dock and you start another clean immediately that it updates the remaining capacity. Other times, the indicator works as expected.
The X5 Pro Omni will return to the dock to top up the battery as needed when cleaning. While a full charge can take over 4 hours, getting back to 50% only takes about 30 minutes.
Battery life score: 4.5 / 5
Dock performance
The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni comes with a 3L (101 oz) dust bag, rated for up to 60 days of use. How long it actually lasts depends on your home’s size and how much debris is collected, but in my case, the manufacturer’s estimate was fairly accurate. The robovac’s 250ml (8.45 oz) dustbin is emptied automatically when full, or you can set it to Extra mode for more frequent emptying – useful for homes with pets or a lot of dust buildup.
Unlike the underwhelming auto-empty suction from the Dreame X40 Ultra's dock, the X5 Pro Omni’s base station has a well-thought out airflow design and reliably empties the dustbin. During testing, I didn’t experience any clogging issues within the dock itself, but blockages inside the robot's dustbin occasionally prevented proper emptying which, in turn, affect vacuuming up more dirt until manually cleared.
The robovac is supposed to detect when the dock fails to empty the bin, but I found these warnings to be inconsistent. There were times when the bin was clogged but the app never alerted me, so I had to manually check the dustbin after cleaning to ensure everything was working properly.
Increasing the emptying frequency can help avoid any potential issues, but in my use, clogging wasn’t a frequent issue unless I had accidentally left larger debris that the bit could suck up.
In testing, the mop washing and drying system worked well to keep the pads clean and stop any odors forming between uses. The dock heats water to 70°C (158°F) and pumps it through a wash system to rinse the mop pads, scrubbing them against a textured cleaning surface to remove dirt and grime. After washing, the dirty water is stored in a container in the top of the base station, and it dries the mop pads with hot air, with drying times adjustable to two, three or four hours. The scrubbing system is highly effective, and the mop pads always came out looking fresh after cleaning cycles and there was never an issue with smell.
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(Image credit: Future)
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The dust bag is easy to replace via the front of the base station (Image credit: Future)
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The clean and dirty water tanks live under the top lid (Image credit: Future)
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(Image credit: Future)
Emptying the dirty mop water is as simple as opening the top of the dock, lifting the container out by the handle and emptying it in a sink. I only did this once a month and the dirty water did tend to smell when being tipped out, but the container was easy to rinse out and didn’t retain any odor. The clean-water container uses the same design and can be topped up at a sink, then put back into the dock.
The dock's noise levels vary depending on the task. Measured from 1 meter away (3.3 feet) mop washing is noticeable at 37dB but not disruptive, though the pumps are briefly quite noisy (46 dB) when running. The drying fan produces a low hum for a few hours but isn’t intrusive. Auto-emptying is the loudest part of the process at 63dB and although it only lasts 10 seconds, it’s still very disruptive if the station is located in a main living area or if done at night.
For households with pets or heavy dirt buildup, the dock performs well and reliably empties debris, though owners should occasionally check for clogs in the bot’s dustbin since warnings aren’t always accurate. Smaller objects left on the floor can cause issues, but aside from that, the X5 Pro Omni’s base station is a very reliable and hands-free system.
Dock performance score: 4.5 / 5
Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni review: App control
Reliable scheduled cleaning
Quick access to cleaning reports and history
Certain settings are hidden in sub-menus
The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni can be controlled using the physical buttons on top of the robot, but the app is critical for unlocking its full potential. It provides access to the home map, lets you adjust cleaning settings and offers deep customization of scheduled cleans.
The app includes a cleaning history and reporting section, which provides a visual map of where the bot traveled during each clean. It also records the time of each session, the area cleaned and the total duration. Over time, this builds into a comprehensive cleaning log, showing the total square footage cleaned across all sessions, the number of cleans completed and total runtime. However, one notable omission is that the app does not log obstacles detected during a cleaning session, which means there's no easy way to see what might have blocked the robot mid-clean.
Most frequently used settings are easy to access, but some features are buried in sub-menus. For example, scheduling cleans is hidden under Advanced settings, and certain options are locked while the robot is in operation – like when manually triggering a dustbin empty, other settings can’t be adjusted until the process is finished.
Scheduled cleaning is very reliable, and in my testing, the X5 Pro Omni only failed to start once without explanation. If a scheduled clean is missed, the robovac resumes correctly at the next scheduled time. However, one frustrating issue is that if you set a clean for later in the day, the app doesn’t indicate that it’s actually scheduling it for the next day – only showing this after the schedule has been set.
Perhaps my least favorite bug is when doing spot cleans. If I sent the bot to vacuum up a mess, then later wanted to do another one-off clean, the app would show the previous vacuum-only mode was still selected – but when hitting start, it would actually trigger a vacuum and mop, not vacuum-only. Even if you canceled it immediately, it would spend a few minutes running a mop wash cycle before you could get it to do the actual vacuum.
The app also sometimes didn't properly register where the bot was or what it was doing. This was frustrating, because if you tried to trigger a clean, it would say the bot needed to return to the dock first – even though it showed the bot already in the dock on the app. Force quitting and restarting the app would fix the issue, but it was an annoying extra step.
To rule out an issue with my phone (a Pixel 9 Pro XL), I also tried the app on other mobiles and saw similar problems. Apple users may have a different experience – my colleague didn’t run into the same issues when using the app on an iPhone during her Ecovacs T30 Omni review, for example.
The app looks good, but can be frustrating at times (Image credit: Future)
Another small but unnecessary annoyance is that even when Do Not Disturb times are set (muting the robovac), it mostly works, but still loudly makes some announcements. For example, if the bot gets stuck during the day, and you arrive home late and need to manually place it back in the base station during the Do Not Disturb time, it loudly proclaims “start charging”. Another issue is that after turning down the voice volume to a quiet level, the "task stopped" announcement is still made at the loudest setting.
During testing I found the Wi-Fi connectivity to be stable, but it’s worth noting the robovac only supports 2.4GHz networks. I had some quirks when using it with a mesh network, but the issues were hard to pin down to a specific cause. That said, setting up a dedicated 2.4GHz-only network for the robovac helped make it more reliable.
During testing, I went on holiday, leaving a family member to house and dog sit. The robovac initially worked fine, but eventually stopped performing scheduled cleans. Despite easy remote access via the app, I couldn’t identify the problem and had to manually trigger cleans each day remotely.
After returning, I discovered the Do Not Disturb times had mysteriously reversed from 8pm–8am to 8am–8pm, preventing morning cleans. The app does give error notifications (but does not save them to the log), but I was unaware due to a daylight-saving bug that meant the scheduled clean was being triggered an hour earlier than I expected.
In terms of usability, the app provides a similar level of control to other brands, though some robovacs with more features offer slightly more customization. However, occasional lag and loading issues make the experience feel less polished than it should be. The voice and volume inconsistencies are also quite jarring, and take a little of the premium shine off the experience.
I also wish it had an easy delayed start option – like a quick way to select a one-time clean at a set time later in the day – especially because setting same-day scheduled cleans is not possible.
Still, despite these frustrations, the app is mostly reliable and offers a good balance of customization and control, and hopefully Ecovacs will continue to work on improving the experience over time.
App control score: 2.5 / 5
Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni review: Consumables and maintenance
The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni comes with one dust bag, two side brushes, and a set of washable mop pads in the box – but no cleaning fluid is included. While this is enough to get started, you’ll need to order replacement dust bags within 60 days, and other consumables including filters, mop pads and side brushes will need replacing on a set schedule.
Under normal use, the dust bag should be replaced every 60 days, side brushes and filters every few months and mop pads periodically based on wear.
Consumables can be purchased through the Ecovacs website and third-party retailers like Amazon, though availability varies slightly between regions. For example, the quarterly maintenance kit is not available in the US, while six-pack dust bag sets are only sold in the US and not in the UK or Australia.
The app tracks the lifespan of consumables by usage percentages and notifies users when replacements are recommended. These estimates tend to be on the conservative side and, in my testing, parts like the main brush and mop pads lasted longer than suggested, though this will of course depend on your usage.
Routine maintenance is straightforward, with the main brush and robovac dustbin checked weekly, side brushes and sensors every two weeks, and filters and mop pads cleaned or replaced monthly. Hair buildup occurs over time, but manual removal is simple, and no issues were noted with hard-to-reach areas during testing.
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Despite the anti-tangle features, hair builds up on the main brush over time (Image credit: Future)
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The side brush collects hair, but is easily removed and cleaned (Image credit: Future)
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The front wheel is well designed and does not trap hair (Image credit: Future)
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The main drive wheels do a great job of avoiding any tangles (Image credit: Future)
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Removing hair from the main brush is easy – just cut along one side and it slides free (Image credit: Future)
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The mop wash station is self cleaning, but does build up debris over time (Image credit: Future)
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The mop wash parts can be removed for a deeper clean in the sink every few months (Image credit: Future)
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The dust bag seals when removed, which avoids any mess (Image credit: Future)
Based on my usage in a small 3-bedroom home, I estimate consumables will cost up to $465.79 / £423.85 / AU$606.30 per year. For larger homes, costs will scale accordingly. Some notable price differences exist between regions – for example, the anti-tangle main brush is 88.9% more expensive in the UK and 54.9% more expensive in Australia compared to the US. However, Australia tends to have lower prices overall for consumables, while the UK has some of the highest accessory costs.
Third-party consumables are available, though Ecovacs advises using official parts for optimal performance. I did not test any non-official replacements.
With regular maintenance and timely consumable replacements, I found the X5 Pro Omni quite easy to keep in top condition and ongoing costs are similar to other premium robovacs. Be aware, though, there can be significant regional price variations.
Consumables and maintenance score: 3.5 / 5
Should I Buy the Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni?
Buy it if…
You want a powerful auto-emptying system
The X5 Pro Omni’s self-cleaning dock has strong suction and reliably empties the robot’s dustbin, and never clogged during testing.
You want a hands-free mopping system
With built-in water tanks, automatic mop washing and hot air drying, the X5 Pro Omni keeps its mop pads clean with minimal effort on your part.
You want the latest features in a robot vacuum
The X5 Pro Omni offers powerful suction, smart mapping and an advanced all-in-one dock, making it one of the more feature-packed robot vacuums in its class.
Don’t buy it if…
You have a lot of small objects on the floor
While the X5 Pro Omni can avoid most large obstacles, it struggles with cables, shoelaces or flat items like paper towels, and may get stuck if the floor isn’t kept clear.
You only have carpet
The X5 Pro Omni has a strong vacuuming system and mop lift, but if your home is fully carpeted, a vacuum-only robovac will save you money without sacrificing cleaning performance.
You want a polished app experience
While the level of customization and control is decent, the app feels clunky and unpolished at times, and I ran into many small but frustrating issues during my testing.
Also consider
Not sold on the Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni? Below are a few alternatives that are worth considering.
Dreame L10s Ultra This slightly older model doesn’t have quite as many features as the X5 Pro Omni and isn’t as powerful, but it’s still a great option and can often be found for less than half the price. Read our full Dreame L10s Ultra review
Eufy Omni S1 Pro One of the few robovacs that can compete directly with the X5 Pro Omni, the Eufy Omni S1 Pro is a feature-packed alternative with an innovative rolling cylinder mopping system. Read our full Eufy Omni S1 Pro review
Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo While not quite as good at dodging cables as the Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni, the Deebot T30S Combo stands out with a stick vacuum that slots into the side of the its dock, keeping it ready to go for any extra cleanup. Read our full Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo review
How I tested the Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni
I used the X5 Pro Omni as my main vacuum cleaner for six months
My testing space included hard floors and carpet
I performed specific grain-size and wet-spill tests
I used the Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni daily for six months in a home with a dog and two adults, and with polished wooden floors, tiles, carpet and medium-pile rugs. The weather during the test period included both wet and dry conditions. I started with an initial deep clean, followed by ongoing daily vacuuming, with mopping once or twice a week – plus extra spot cleans as needed. I tested both the automatic mode and manually customized cleans using schedules and shortcuts.
I documented cleaning performance over the testing period and conducted a range of specific tests with different debris sizes to further gauge vacuuming ability. I also tested dry and wet spills to evaluate the mopping prowess. Additionally, I strategically placed debris – including fur, leaves and hair – in problem areas like corners to assess the robovac’s effectiveness in daily use.
During my testing period, I changed the base station vacuum bag 4 times, manually cleaned the mop cleaning system in the base station, and performed the full range of maintenance checks as prompted by the app.
Brompton is only one year away from celebrating 50 years of its inception. That is a whole lot of bike development experience, but Brompton’s entry into the electric bike market happened a lot more recently, in 2018. Despite that, they’re already making some of the best electric bikes around and certainly some of the best folding e-bikes on the market.
The Brompton formula has remained largely unchanged despite the release of electric versions of the C Line and P Line, but the all-new G Line is a radical departure. The frame shape and classic 3-point folding mechanism that the company is known for remain the same, but it boasts chunkier tyres and wider handlebars for rougher paths.
Having used it as my main commuter bike for over two months, I’m still torn as to how I feel about it. On the one hand, the engineering and quality to deliver a great riding experience are there, but I just don’t know what to make of the off-road enhancements. While it’ll handle gravel, cobbles, and single tracks better than other Bromptons, is anyone really going to be riding this on proper dirt tracks and difficult terrain?
I suppose only time will be able to answer that question, but from my point of view, it’s definitely the most comfortable and reliable Brompton e-bike I’ve ever used. The wider handlebars make for more predictable handling, while chunkier tyres make light work of potholes and uneven roads. I won’t be taking it off-roading, but I certainly wouldn’t trade it in for a C or P Line.
Brompton Electric G Line: Price and availability
(Image credit: Future)
$3,300 USD / £3,499 UK / $7,250 AUD
Expensive for a folding bike
Premium build quality for the price
The cost of the Brompton Electric G-Line puts it firmly between the price points of the C Line at the lower end and the P Line at the higher end. The price is hard to stomach, but for the money, you are guaranteed excellent-grade materials and superb build quality. Put simply, they are built to last and well worth the money.
Value score: 3.5/5
Brompton Electric G Line: Design
(Image credit: Future)
Chunky tires
Wide handlebars
Four-speed setup
Brompton's iconic three-point fold continues to function well despite the larger wheels, increased tire size, and widened handlebars. As a result, it can be packed into the back of a car or popped on a train, albeit not as easily as the smaller Brompton models. You also get an adjustable seat height and a long handlebar stem, and there's a 250W motor that drives the e-bike forward. In many ways, the G Line is like every other Brompton.
But also, in many ways, it's very different. Most noticeable of all are the 20-inch wheels. They're not too big to affect the smooth folding mechanism, but they are large enough to stand out. The chunky Schwalbe G-One All Round 54-406s not only look fantastic thanks to a tan wall finish but are also puncture-resistant. I haven’t had a puncture in over 600 miles and don’t expect to have one anytime soon.
Then there are the wide handlebars that have been custom-designed for the G Line. Alongside the tires, this might just be my favorite thing about the e-bike. Having ridden a number of Brompton bikes, I can honestly say that the G Line is by far the most stable, due in part to the widened handlebars.
The G-Line is also equipped with hydraulic disc brakes, a first for Brompton. In my opinion, the decision to go hydraulic is long overdue. I found the brakes to be reliable in all weathers and had no need to carry out any adjustments or maintenance on them. Whether Brompton will go down that route for future product releases, only time will tell.
Finally, the G-Line is a four-speed setup, which historically has been the go-to number for Brompton. Having taken the bike across a variety of terrains, including up some pretty serious hills, I would have preferred a few extra gears. Two at either end would be ideal, taking the total up to eight. As with Brompton’s other ranges, I imagine it will introduce a model with more gears at a later date.
Design Score: 4/5
Brompton Electric G Line: Performance
(Image credit: Future)
Certainly not a replacement for a dedicated gravel bike
Larger size and extra weight affect portability
Greater stability on predictable surfaces
I've thought long and hard about how to assess the performance of this new Brompton e-bike. I've flip-flopped between treating it as any other folding e-bike and assessing it on its off-road merits, and I'm not sure I've really landed yet. This indecision is probably largely due to the fact that in attempting to create a gravel bike, of sorts, they've actually compromised some of its portable qualities.
Let me be clear. This is no replacement for a dedicated gravel bike. At a push, you might utilize it as a commuter bike from Monday to Friday and on some minimally demanding wooded routes on the weekend. But that's as far as the G-Line will take you.
The off-road limitations center around the lack of stability, especially when riding out of the saddle. The wider handlebars and larger tires help out a little bit, but nowhere near enough to really push the bike to the limit. I also didn't trust it enough to deliver under more extreme conditions, such as through thicker mud. As I've said, simple trails with limited obstacles are fine, but serious off-road enthusiasts will be left wanting.
Everything was much rosier on my daily commutes. In fact, it was actually the highest-performing Brompton e-bike that I've ever ridden. I loved the stable handling and confidence to go up and down kerbs. The additional weight provided a feeling of security, although it's definitely less nippy than the C-Line or P-Line models.
But at the end of any commute comes the need to fold it up and transport it into either the office, onto a train, or into the back of the car. This is where I had a few problems. At over 16 kg, it’s significantly heavier than other Bromptons. I’m fairly fit and healthy, but I still had to be careful how I was lifting it. The folded size is also a lot less compact, so if you’re hoping to store it in tight spaces, then I’d recommend checking the dimensions.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with the G-Line, but only while I stayed away from gravel tracks. Buy it if you want a more stable Brompton ride and are prepared to handle the extra weight.
Performance score: 3.5/5
Brompton Electric G Line: Battery life
(Image credit: Future)
20-40 miles per full battery
Four-hour recharge
Battery makes weight front-loaded
The range of this e-bike is very similar to all the other Bromptons I've tested. This is no surprise given the similar battery capacity. If we're going to drill down into the number, then in reality, the G Line actually fares slightly worse, probably due to the extra tire friction. As a result, I only ever managed to achieve a maximum of 40 miles per charge, with 20 miles being more common. I do love full pedal assist, after all.
This range might be too limiting for some, but if you know you'll regularly be in reach of a charger, then it won't cause too much of a problem. With a daily commute of 14 miles, I found myself having to recharge the battery most days. An empty-to-full recharge takes around four hours and is ideal for a daytime recharge between the two legs of a commute.
The battery sits at the front of the e-bike, which helps balance the steering a little, but is far from ideal when considering the overall balance. This is especially the case if you try lifting the bike.
On a previous Brompton e-bike, I did experience battery cutouts when going over big bumps, but I had no such problem with this G Line. I was glad of this, especially given that the bike is designed for off-roading. The battery is quick and easy to remove and install, although I'd still like a secure solution for locking the battery into place.
Battery life score: 3.5/5
Brompton Electric G Line: Scorecard
Buy it if...
You want a foldable off-road e-bike
With chunkier tires and more stability, the Brompton G Line is a great option.
You need an all-purpose solution
The G-Line is able to bridge the gap between city riding and off-roading. Despite not being the best on dirt tracks, it is one of the best all-rounders I’ve seen.
Don't buy it if...
You’re on a budget
The G Line Brompton is far from cheap and to be avoided if you want something more affordable.
You’re a Brompton purist
With chunkier tires and wider handlebars, the Electric G Line is definitely a deviation away from the original Brompton.
Also consider
(Image credit: Future)
ENGWE MapFour N1 Air
The lightest 100 km range carbon e-bike around. A perfect e-bike solution for commuters. Read our full review.
Tenways CGO600 Pro
The magnetic torque sensor and carbon belt drive deliver smooth and seamless performance. Read our full review.
How I tested the Brompton Electric G Line
Having tested a number of 'standard' Brompton e-bikes, I was pumped to get my hands on the first of this new line of bikes. Having unpacked and unfolded it, I made the e-bike my main form of transport for well over a month. Living in the countryside provided ample opportunity to take it off-road, while my daily commute enabled me to test it in more predictable environments. As part of the review, I clocked up several hundred miles.
The Mini PC has undergone some transformation since Intel ended its NUC and left the field open for PC makers to define the market for these small machines.
While some brands are still making traditional NUC-inspired designs, Maxtang, with the SXRL-20, has taken its small computer concept in an entirely different direction.
Conceived explicitly for digital signage use, it can drive up to four displays and achieve this with a passively cooled solution for prolonged running. It’s all-metal construction and wall-mounting accessories deliver a robust and made-for-purpose solution that uses an Intel Core i5-class processor to run Windows 11.
This is the same silicon that has been used in NAS boxes. It provides sufficient CPU and GPU power to drive the displays and sufficient storage options to handle a lot of playback media.
With LAN, WIFi, and even LTE connectivity, this system can be easily and remotely accessed to update the content when required.
At a modest price, the only aspect that potential customers need to be aware of is that there isn’t much performance headroom in the SXRL-20 to repurpose it for other duties. This hardware was assembled for a specific job, and not to become a desktop PC if the requirements change. Because of that, this hardware is a little too niche to make it into our best mini PC round-up.
(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)
Maxtang SXRL-20: Price and availability
How much does it cost? From $429
When is it out? Available now
Where can you get it? Currently, this machine can be obtained directly from Maxtang and through Amazon
According to the Maxtang specifications, the company intends to make six different versions of this hardware using i3, i5 and i7 class processors.
Maxtang sells the machine directly on a quotation basis, which I’d assume could adjust the unit cost based on volume.
The review machine using the i5-1235u with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD is $479, and the i7-1255u variant with the same amount of memory and storage is $599, available from Amazon.com.
The cheapest option is a $429 machine with just 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, using the i5 processor. That platform can also be had with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage for $579.
Interestingly, the i7 model is offered with no memory or storage for $469, which might be helpful if you have plenty of DDR4 SODIMM modules and NVMe drives spare.
Europeans can source this hardware from AliExpress with the i5 and i3 models listed, but there are no i7 options. The Core i5-1235U variant with 16GB of RAM and 512GB is £498.45 for UK customers.
As alternatives, there are plenty of Mini PC designs that support dual monitor outputs and up to four using USB-C or Thunderbolt ports, although docks or adapters would be needed to connect them to a typical HDMI TV input.
The problem with the majority of these options is that the machines are actively cooled and need ventilation to remain operational. They also don’t support operational hours in the BIOS.
For the quality of construction and passive cooling model, the price of the SXRL-20 seems reasonable, with the i5 models offering the best value.
Value: 4 / 5
(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)
Maxtang SXRL-20: Specs
Maxtang SXRL-20: Design
All-metal passively cooled
Designed to be mounted
Easy internal access
Most mini PC designs follow the old Intel NUC concept of a small box that mounts a 15cm square motherboard with components neatly stacked to keep everything compact. The SXRL-20 is not like that at all.
It has more of a set-top box feel, or even an automotive component aesthetic, with its flattened metal exterior and integrated heatsink fins.
Along with the PC, Maxtang provides two mounting plates made to connect to the underside, lifting the machine a short distance from the mounting surface. That’s ideal for an information booth or digital signage scenario.
Because this hardware won’t typically be sitting on a desk or used directly, with the exception of the wifi antenna BNCs, all the ports are on one edge.
These include four HDMI outs, dual 2.5GbE LAN ports, plus a selection of USB and a COM port. That last feature could be critical, as from this COM port you could easily hang the relay electronics to fire up lights and other hardware via the PC.
There is an option, not in our review hardware, to also have a side-mounted HDMI-in port, which might be helpful if you wish to record the reaction to promotional material or for security purposes.
The machine is powered by a small 90w laptop PSU, which is more than enough to drive this platform and whatever USB peripherals are connected to it.
In this writer’s experience, getting into mini computers can be more challenging than it should be, but this design is as straightforward as it gets. Simply removing six screws from the underside releases that side of the machine providing full access to the internal system, no spudgers required.
Inside is a large mainboard that fills 70% of the internal volume, with spaces for various upgrades and enhancements. There are two SODIMM slots occupied in the review machine with 8GB of Kingston-branded DDR4 modules for 16GB in total. It’s possible to replace these with 32GB modules for a maximum of 64GB.
The M.2 SSD was also a Kingston product, a 512GB SATA SSD, and that slot can take SATA or NVMe drives, but a second M.2 2280 slot is exclusively NVMe.
I’m not sure why Maxtang used an M.2 SATA drive since Kingston doesn’t list these devices for retail; they must be exclusively for OEM customers and industrial use.
The logic behind using it may be to reduce the chance of overheating since this enclosure is entirely passively cooled.
(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)
The WiFi is provided by a now-discontinued Intel AX200NGW controller in a M.2 2230 slot, but alongside that slot is an M.2 2242 slot that could take a second controller. There is also a SIM card slot that I assume requires an LTE modem that uses the spare M.2 2242, and there are four punch-outs on the rear for antennas to be mounted.
With LTE in this unit, reconfiguring it remotely or having it pick up new material to display on an overnight basis would be a breeze.
Overall, this design has two clearly defined objectives: to run without cooling for long periods, and to be easily adaptable should the mission require changes.
It succeeds in both these things, although it’s not something that you would want to repurpose as an Office PC, in case you wondered. While it runs Windows 11, the performance compared to a machine designed for that role is lacklustre for a few reasons I’ll cover in the performance section.
Design: 4.5 / 5
Maxtang SXRL-20: Features
Intel i5-1235U
Iris Xe GPU
DDR4 memory
Intel went through a slightly odd phase in which successive generations of its chip designs appeared to make limited headway and, in some respects, went backwards.
One of the most impacted series was the Alder Lake 12th generation, which Intel made for both desktop and mobile platforms. In this context, the chip used in this machine is an Alder Lake-U design that combines Golden Clove P-cores and Gracemont E-cores.
When Intel launched Raptor Lake chips for the 13th generation, these were superseded. With the advent of the Core Ultra series 1 and 2, Alder Lake is four generations behind the current product set.
This particular chip is interesting because it’s found favour in several non-mobile devices, particularly the Ugreen DXP4800 Plus and DXP480T NAS boxes.
Even by Intel’s curious standards, the Intel i5-1235U is an odd processor, but it’s found a number of niches where performance isn’t as important as flexibility.
One advantage it has over the UHD Graphics that the N100 is saddled with is the Iris Xe GPU, although this is hardly something for gaming.
One impressive thing about the Maxtang SXRL-20 is that it has four HDMI outputs, which flies in the face of the Iris Xe specifications. According to Intel, the Iris Xe supports a maximum of three displays, so what Maxtang did to get the fourth one is a mystery. Perhaps it’s an undocumented option, or they mapped one output over two HDMI ports, but it is possible with this machine.
However, depending on what you intend to do with those outputs, there are practical limitations based on the memory that the Iris Xe can map from main memory and the modes it supports. Trying to generate smoothly moving 3D images over all four displays is unrealistic, unless the resolution of each is dramatically reduced.
In theory, the Iris Xe can generate an 8K HDR image over HDMI 2.0, but that’s via a single monitor. If that’s segmented to four displays, then 1080p HDR is possible, and video playback at that level is achievable.
(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)
My issue with this is that it’s hard to see where the limits of this GPU and CPU combination are without actually trying to execute a specific file or scenario. What doesn’t help is that the Maxtang SXRL-20 uses DDR4, reducing the memory bandwidth for both the CPU and the GPU. It’s worth noting that the Intel i5-1235U can use DDR5 modules, but Maxtang chose not to provide that performance headroom for this hardware.
Clearly, those who designed the SXRL-20 had an objective in mind that it should be able to drive four monitors with four video streams smoothly at the target resolution, and it was deemed that DDR5 wasn’t necessary to deliver that.
The problem is that the use case defined by Maxtang might not be the same as one envisaged by a potential customer.
Overall, the hardware in the SXRL-20 is fit for purpose, but only within some narrow constraints.
Features: 4 / 5
Maxtang SXRL-20: Performance
Because of this unusual configuration, I’ve not pitched the Maxtang against another Intel system. It’s a little quicker than the typical N100-based machines, but significantly slower than even a Core-i3 N300 machine, like the Zotac P1430AJ Pico.
The issues here are that this CPU only has one performance core, and all the rest are efficiency. Only the P-core has hyperthreading, giving a total of twelve threads of processing.
Intel revised this design with slightly higher clock speeds for the i5-1335U, and Maxtang has that as an option for this series, but with the same underlying core and cache architecture, it won’t be much better.
What’s important to consider is that this system was specified for a job, displaying promotional graphics and videos, and it has sufficient power to do that without breaking any benchmark records.
By desktop PC standards, the performance of the SATA SSD is slow compared to NVMe drives, but again, not so glacial that it would interfere with the machine’s running.
This wasn’t meant to be used as a desktop PC; therefore, judging it by those standards isn’t helpful. It’s an appliance PC made to run throughout the day and not overheat, which seems well suited to do.
Performance: 3.5 / 5
(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)
Maxtang SXRL-20: Final verdict
(Image credit: Maxtang)
The Maxtang SXRL-20 is an interesting system that has more in common with a NAS than a desktop PC. However, given that the objective of delivering digital signage has different priorities, those behind its design approached its construction and specifications from a unique perspective. This hardware was made for a purpose, and it fulfils that brief well.
My only concern is that while the machine is appropriate, I’m unconvinced that using Windows 11 on a customer-facing system is such a great idea.
Given how Microsoft has an unfortunate track record of screwing up its own operating system, and how an ill-considered update might stop this system working, or end up with messages on the screen is a concern. While I’m sure it is possible to lock down a Windows machine to avoid these pitfalls, we’ve all seen Digital Signage with Microsoft enhancements that those running the system wouldn’t care for.
It’s worth noting that on the promotional material for this product, the Ubuntu logo makes an appearance along with the Linux one, so I’m not the only person thinking about this possibility seriously.
Should you buy a Maxtang SXRL-20?
Buy it if...
You like computers to be quiet The design of this mini PC makes the entire case a radiator, avoiding fans entirely.
You want four monitors connected With HDMI 2.0, it is possible to connect four screens to this system. But, be realistic about what you intend to show on those screens simultaneously. As the Iris Xe (80eu) isn't a discrete GPU.
Don't buy it if...
You want 4K on lots of screens The Iris Xe GPU used in this system can drive four displays, but 4K video on four outputs might be beyond it. For those scenarios, you might need a discrete video card on a machine that won't be passively cooled.
You want max power Unlike a lot of mini PCs I've reviewed, this machine isn't built for absolute performance - it's best for businesses with digital displays. View Deal
Have you played the MotoGPseries lately? Challenging, isn’t it? Nobody’s gone this deep into sim territory in bike racers as Milestone’s recent releases, and while direction has served a hardcore nucleus of players willing to master the extremely nuanced inputs required to stop the bike without being launched into orbit, MotoGP 23 and 24 were a tough sell to newcomers and racing fans looking for something they could pick up and play.
Review info
Platform reviewed: PC Available on: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Release Date: April 30, 2025
Enter MotoGP 25 and its bushel of new features, including a new arcade handling mode that finds a pleasing halfway point between the ultra-demanding, ultra-gratifying sim handling of recent iterations and a more approachable take.
The bike still feels potent, twitchy and dangerous – it’s just that you can absolutely launch it down the inside of your opponents now and brake well into the apex, without tucking the front and pressing the rewind button for the 70th time this lap.
Easy rider
(Image credit: Plaion)
As someone who (semi) mastered the sim handling in MotoGP 24, I was surprised how much of a draw the arcade handling is.
Far from feeling watered down, or like the bike’s riding itself, like the feeling you get when you use the neural aids, this mode just feels like you’ve got an incredible set of tires on. You can turn in more sharply than other riders, get on the power earlier, brake that little bit later. And that means I don’t have to do every practice session before a grand prix in order to find the pace. I can just launch into the race.
However, I do miss a few elements of the ‘pro’ mode, like bike setup and tire choice options. I can see why Milestone would remove these on paper, since having more variables to fiddle with might seem overwhelming to a newcomer. But it’d be nice to be able to turn them back on again if you want them.
There’s another drawback to arcade mode: the AI opponents are way too easy. I wouldn’t dream of racing against 120% AI in the last game, but this time in arcade mode I whizz past them like a rocket-propelled Valentino Rossi weaving past little kids on scooters. I’m not sure if it’s a feature or a bug, but I want more challenge.
Best bit
(Image credit: Plaion)
Working your way up from the junior categories is a joy in this game that even EA F1 doesn’t have a direct answer to. Moto 3 and Moto 2 bikes each handle according to their own physics, but the sense of accomplishment you get from doing well enough in those categories to get a MotoGP contract is a real high.
Over to pro handling, then. It’s definitely received some tweaks since the last game, and in general the bike seems more compliant, particularly under braking. I found I could get away with braking harder for longer into corners without washing out, and the ride height device seems to activate and deactivate in a smoother way in and out of corners, making it slightly easier to maintain a flow and carry more corner speed.
It’s still incredibly demanding, and ultimately incredibly gratifying. And it’s still probably too much to ask of most players, which is why it’s a really big deal that the arcade handling option feels so good. A minor point, though: tire choices still feel a bit arbitrary. I picked a soft front and rear in every dry race of my four-season career in Moto 3, Moto 2 and MotoGP categories, and never had a reason to do otherwise.
Flat track friends
(Image credit: Plaion)
Whichever mode you choose, the new additions to career mode prove a compelling draw. Top of the billing here are the training events, in which a rider from the roster of real competitors invites you to race minibikes, flat track or motard between race calendar rounds.
The gameplay benefits are twofold: you raise your rider fitness level to increase performance (though I’ve still no idea how this actually manifests and whether it just makes your lap times quicker) and boosts your relationships with the riders you train with. So if you want to land a factory Ducati ride one day, accepting all of Marc Marquez’s invites to go racing between rounds is a good way to improve your chances.
It’s also a thoughtful way of reflecting the real sport. Riders increasingly train together in cliques in modern MotoGP, so there’s an extra degree of immersion to getting out there onto the new tracks (four layouts over two locations) and cutting some sick lines with your paddock pals.
All three disciplines handle convincingly and are bolstered by bespoke new animations, and outside of career mode you can set up events using these bikes in the Race Off mode as solo or PvP events. Personally I didn’t feel especially compelled to master any of them. As a career mode mainliner, these training events were a means to an end, but a welcome addition.
What’s another year
(Image credit: Plaion)
In terms of presentation, the game’s shifted over to Unreal Engine 5 and upgraded its audio by capturing sound directly from the 2024 bikes as they were raced on the track. I don’t notice a huge jump forwards visually that one might associate with an engine upgrade, but MotoGP was already a looker in the first place.
I do notice some newfound fidelity in the sound though, both in differentiating between manufacturer engine noises, and some additional pops and rumbles.
Further down the order, there’s a revamped bike development system which allows you to dictate exactly what area of the bike your team focuses on, and that’s been tied more closely to the career mode objectives that set rivalries with different opponents. For example, when given the choice of trying to beat one of three different riders as your next objective, one might boost your reputation, another might boost your bike development, and another will raise your relationship with a specific rider.
Time to pose the question that every annualised release must ultimately face: does it do enough to extract another full-price purchase from your wallet? To my mind as a series veteran who puts 100+ hours into every game, every year… Just barely, yes.
And I’m surprised to find that it’s the arcade handling, as much as anything else, that leads me to that decision. Not only do I find it a refreshing change for myself, it’s also an easier sell to my friends. The online community has always been smaller in this game than in contemporaries like EA’s F1 series or Assetto Corsa Competizione, so getting into an online race whenever I like isn’t a given. Opening the gates to a broader audience can’t be a bad thing.
However, I still feel the absence of historical bikes and riders, as we saw four games ago now in that superlative ‘Nine’ mode, and I still feel short-changed by the same old gloves, boots and leathers, with very limited colour customisation. There are more options in this game, but I want to be able to apply custom designs to them like I can with helmets, not just change their colour.
A close win is still a win. MotoGP 25 is headed in the right direction, and it can’t be easy to add the volume of content it’s added in less than twelve months. Maybe I’ll skip a year soon, but for now, I’m back in the title hunt.
Should I play MotoGP 25?
(Image credit: Plaion)
Play it if…
You follow the real sport There are so many authentic touches here, from the broadcast sound effects when a rider crashes to the inclusion of Moto 2 and Moto 3 categories
You’ve been put off by the handling before~ Pro mode still exists and is still a handful, but the new arcade physics is a much more accessible option
You’re already tired of watching Marquez win every race There’s only one thing for it. Save us all from another 2019 and start winning some races.
Don’t play it if…
You want Crazy Taxi levels of arcade handling At its heart this is still a sim, so be prepared to have to spend some time mastering the handlingView Deal
You’re fatigued by spending too many hours in MotoGP 24 If you burned out on the last game, there’s probably not enough to revive your interest. Skip a year then check back in. View Deal
Accessibility
There’s a decent range of options in the game for adjusting subtitles to maximise visibility, and 10 different languages available.
A colour blindness filter has been added, with the additional option of adjusting the filter intensity. On the audio side there’s a tinnitus reduction filter with individual frequency adjustment.
How I reviewed MotoGP 25
I played 30 hours of MotoGP 25 on PC, using an Xbox Elite controller. That time’s been split evenly between arcade and pro modes, using manual gearing and all assists disabled in either mode.
Career mode has accounted for most of those hours, where I worked up from Moto 3 to the big bikes, like I do every year. I’ve also tried ranked and unranked online PvP, and individual Race Off events.
Hitman World of Assassination on the PSVR 2 is, simply put, a must-play game for anyone with the latest PlayStation VR headset.
Being so intrinsically tied to the flat game – this title exists solely as a DLC expansion for the PS5 version of Hitman – there was a risk this game would feel overwhelmingly familiar. Stale, even.
Review info
Platform reviewed: PSVR 2 (PS5) Available on: PSVR 2 (PS5, PS5 Pro) Release date: March 27, 2025
Moreover, given the series’ rocky relationship with virtual reality up until this point, Hitman on the PSVR 2 could have quite easily blown past ‘boring’ and landed itself squarely in ‘bad game’ territory.
Much like a well-executed assassination, however, Hitman on the PSVR 2 finds its mark with the perfect balance of faithful recreation and fresh mechanics courtesy of its enhanced VR perspective.
In doing so, Hitman proves itself as not only one of the best PSVR 2 games but one of the best VR games in general, with this (currently) PlayStation exclusive taking a chunk out of the Meta Quest 3’s seemingly impenetrable armor.
It also serves as a blueprint for other PS5 titles to follow should they wish to port themselves to PSVR 2 – a guide I seriously hope they follow, as with more experiences like this in its repertoire, PlayStation's second attempt at VR would struggle not to be a smash hit.
Sometimes the direct approach is best (Image credit: Future / IO Interactive)
Ready for more, 47?
Anyone who has dipped their toes into the World of Assassination since its 2016 debut knows the drill. Across 22 bespoke sandboxes bursting with creative killing methods – a puzzle game disguised as a shooter – the player, as Agent 47, must find and execute his targets (ideally without being noticed).
It’s much the same in this VR reimagining of the series, but with renewed player agency that comes with VR’s inherently more interactive nature.
An immediately noticeable change is the game’s first-person perspective. It’s one thing to watch Agent 47 push through the crowded streets of Marrakesh, it’s another to be weaving your way through the packed market for yourself.
Everything is more involved. You have to physically swing, throw, or pull the trigger of your weapon of choice to take out non-player characters (NPCs) – both targets and potential foils to your murderous schemes alike – and you even have to physically swipe keycards or pick locks to explore restricted areas of the map.
True to Hitman's creative nature, VR doesn’t just serve as a way to embody the Agent 47 you see in the flat game. It also opens up new options for your strategies.
My favorite is the ability to dual-wield. This mechanic opens the door to more violent dual-firearm approaches which see you go on a bloodthirsty rampage as you gun down everyone in your way, but also as the simple (yet effective) dual-soda can approach that allows you to incapacitate two guards by throwing your both cans (or your preferred blunt object) in different directions at the same time.
Speaking of throwing, I appreciate that the game gives you two options. The basic chuck where you simply hurl the item, or a more targeted throw which you can activate using the controllers, which helps ensure you hit your intended target rather than an unintended bystander.
Perfectly executed
To this end, Hitman isn’t afraid to adopt VR in its own way.
There’s realistic weapon reloading and other object interactions, which are staples of the genre, but also reticle targeting for your throws and the use of the third-person perspective during climbing and when 47 is blending in to lend the player a hand when needed.
While some may find leaving first-person a little immersion-breaking breaking I always found it useful. When blending in, or clambering up drain pipes or across ledges, you need to be able to take in your surroundings to know when to emerge – otherwise you could get rumbled immediately.
Best Bit
(Image credit: IO Interactive)
Re-exploring missions once you have a wider arsenal and understanding of the level is supremely satisfying. You feel like a true master assassin as you perfectly execute your exit with the 5-star Silent Assassin rating.
I felt the more informative third-person perspective matched how Agent 47 would be paying closer attention to the world around him in these moments, working as both a narrative and mechanical tool.
One area I wish more assistance had been given to the player, however, was when attempting to use the sniper rifle.
In my hours of playing, I never once felt I mastered this weapon. In fact, I felt I got worse over time.
I never mastered the sniper rifle (Image credit: Future / IO Interactive)
During my final mission before writing this review, I missed a dozen or so shots from the top of Sapienza’s church’s bell tower, resulting in zero kills, two panicked targets, and a small army of angry guards storming my position.
There are ways to slow time while using the sniper rifle, which help a little, but I found my scope simply swayed too much to be effective, even when I tried my darndest to stay still. I’ll endeavor to improve what is very possibly a skill issue, but some assistive mechanics would have certainly helped me with sniping, and I imagine several over players would appreciate them too.
A view to a kill
Beyond its gameplay successes, Hitman also looks pretty and runs very well on the PS5 system.
Even locations packed with NPCs like Miami and Paris ran smoothly while still looking just as crisp as the flat version. At times, the visuals were such a delight that it was easy to forget about my mission as I just got lost in the environments.
The tradeoff is that, unlike some VR titles, the objects littering the various maps are mostly set dressing. If an item is one you could pick up in the base game, it’s the same in VR, but other objects like kitchen frying pans, radios, and other decorations are cemented in place.
While this can initially be disappointing, IO Interactive's approach is understandable considering the technical nightmare this would cause for both the development team and the PS5 hardware. And frankly, Hitman’s sandboxes are full enough already.
Strangely, Hitman’s final success is that it isn’t exclusively a VR game.
Even VR veterans need to take a break to handle motion sickness or general fatigue from waving their arms around for a couple of hours, and with many titles, that means putting the game you’re enraptured by down until you’re ready to put the headset back on.
The level locations in Hitman are so varied (Image credit: Future / IO Interactive)
With Hitman on the PSVR 2, because it exists as an expansion of the base flat game, you can simply swap to the non-VR version and boot up a new mission while relaxing on your couch.
All of your unlocks and the knowledge you’ve gained about a target carry over between versions, and I generally appreciated the freedom I had to experience this game how I wanted across different sessions. I could play it in VR, I could play it on my TV, or I could swap between the two on a whim.
IO Interactive has done a superb job translating the Hitman experience to VR with this PSVR 2 port. It simultaneously feels fresh yet familiar with a resulting package that I’m sure will be enjoyed by complete newcomers and Hitman aficionados alike.
If you’re looking for an excuse to replay the Hitman World of Assassination trilogy, this is it, and if you own a PSVR 2 headset and haven’t yet picked up this game, what are you doing still reading this review?
Should you play Hitman on PSVR 2?
Play it if…
You have a PSVR 2 headset The PSVR 2 system has a few excellent games available to play on it, and this is easily one of its best.
You need an excuse to replay Hitman Whether you're new to Hitman or looking for an excuse to replay it this PSVR 2 version is an excellent choice as the first-person perspective and new mechanics make everything feel fresh again.
Don't play it if...
You want a complete VR sandbox Hitman provides you with a lot of freedom but not every object is interactable, and some actions will shift you to a third-person view rather than keeping you immersed.
You're a complete VR newbie Himanon the PSVR 2 system has some comfort controls, but its large maps and smooth motion won't be easy for complete newcomers to stomach.
Accessibility
Hitman has a handful of accessibility settings to make the game more approachable. Chiefly, it has three optional difficulties you can swap between to make the gameplay experience more or less forgiving.
When it comes to VR-specific settings, the whole game can be played sitting down or standing, though you will need some range of upper body movement to use weapons and reload.
There are also comfort controls like vignetting, snap/smooth turning, and other adjustments, which can make the game more comfortable for newcomers. Overall, I found the experience not too nauseating (I could easily play for an hour or two at a time without trouble), though it does seem like a VR game best suited to people with a little VR experience who will be used to smooth control stick movement while wearing a headset.
I played the game for around 30 hours, splitting my time fairly equally between the VR and non-VR versions of the title (which I would sometimes play in cinematic mode while using the headset if I wanted to continue a save state I had created in the flat game).
During the VR playthrough, I made sure to visit each location to explore, try a range of mission story assassinations, and see how the game runs, as well as testing a wide range of weapons to understand how intuitive item interactions felt. I never once noticed any hiccups, and never wanted to put my headset down as I enjoyed being immersed in this title immensely.
The TCL QM7K is an impressive TV. Even though it’s a bit more expensive than the TCL QM6K I recently reviewed, it fixes the main issues I had with that model. Specifically, the audio quality is much improved. It also offers quite a bit more brightness, which particularly benefits high dynamic range content, and there are more local dimming zones in its mini-LED backlight.
The question of whether the TCL QM7K is the best TV for you will depend on if you’re comfortable paying the extra cash for the improvements it brings. TCL’s Halo Control tech does a great job of keeping backlight blooming effects – an issue even with the best mini-LED TVs – at bay, and the TV’s fast, 144Hz refresh rate (with the potential to effectively double that rate) is a great feature, though both are also available on the cheaper QM6K. In fact, everything outside of the better audio and brightness is basically the same on the QM6K.
The improvements the QM7K brings are ultimately worth the $500 price difference (that amount will vary a bit between screen sizes). But for me, the cheaper QM6K’s lower screen brightness wasn’t a dealbreaker, and adding one of the best soundbars will bring an audio quality improvement to just about any TV.
Still, the TCL QM7K is a high-quality TV with a great-looking picture that’s easy to use. It’s also packed with features, whether you want to watch a movie or boot up your PlayStation 5.
TCL QM7K review: Price and release date
The TCL QM7K's impressive color gamut coverage means colors look rich and vivid (Image credit: Future)
Release date: March 2025
55-inch: $1,299.99
65-inch: $1,499.99
75-inch: $1,999.99
85-inch: $2,499.99
98-inch: $4,999.99
115-inch: $19,999.99
The TCL QM7K is a step up from the brand’s newly released QM6K series TVs. Some of the sizes, specifically the 98-inch and 115-inch, are not yet available. TCL QM7K series TVs are only sold in the US.
The QM7K’s step up in price over the QM6K series reflects features such as the higher number of local dimming zones (a maximum of 2800 versus 500), improved brightness, and Bang & Olufsen-tuned built-in speakers.
TCL QM7K review: Specs
TCL QM7K review: Benchmark results
TCL QM7K review: Features
The QM7K's connections include two HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 144Hz support (Image credit: Future)
Dolby Vision IQ effectively adjusts the picture for bright rooms
Picture presets include IMAX Enhanced and Filmmaker Mode
Hands-free voice control
While I’ll go into a little more detail regarding Halo Control in the next section, it’s worth mentioning that TCL’s proprietary technology for precise dimming is featured on the QM7K series, and it’s probably the most important one for this TV. I’ll go into the QM7K’s impressive HDR performance there as well.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg here. Dolby Vision IQ is one of my favorite features for this TV (also available on the cheaper QM6K). My viewing room gets a lot of ambient light from windows, and watching TV during the day can sometimes be an exercise in frustration. But the Dolby Vision IQ feature minimizes the effects of ambient light by adjusting the TV’s brightness accordingly, so you can see the picture regardless of whether the sun is shining or not.
There’s also Dolby Vision (the non-IQ version of the feature), which functions similarly with Dolby Vision content, automatically adjusting contrast to give the best results based on the image being shown, whether it’s sports or a brooding Batman movie.
If you don’t want the TV to intelligently (the word you’ll see in the menu for these features) adjust the screen, there are plenty of picture modes available. There are the basic ones like Movie and Sports, but there’s also an Imax Enhanced mode and a Filmmaker Mode meant to provide the most accurate picture when watching movies.
Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that there’s also hands-free voice control using far-field mics if you don’t feel like reaching for the remote.
Features Score: 4.5/5
TCL QM7K review: Picture quality
The QM7K's Halo Control technology is great at eliminating blooming effects in high-contrast pictures (Image credit: Future)
Impressive HDR brightness
Halo Tech minimizes blooming
Some minor vignetting
The TCL QM7K boasts some solid benchmarks. To start with, its brightness is one of the biggest upgrades over its little brother, the TCL QM6K. In Filmmaker Mode, peak HDR brightness on a 10% white window pattern was measured at 1,733 nits, and 100% fullscreen brightness at 536 nits.
Those same brightness measurements made in the TV’s Standard picture mode were even higher at 2,350 and 640 nits, respectively.
Color gamut coverage is good as well, but not quite the smae upgrade as the brightness. We benchmarked it at 96.9% for UHDA-P3 and 79.2% for BT.2020, both better than the QM6K and Hisense U7N. It’s also worth mentioning that the QM7K’s color accuracy averaged out to a very respectable 1.4.
The Halo Control Technology that the TCL QM7K shares with the QM6K is a huge help in minimizing bloom, an artifact of mini-LED and LED-backlit TVs, where you see a halo effect in dark parts of the screen positioned next to bright sections. The QM7K series has up to 2,800 dimming zones compared to 500 on the QM6K series, and regardless of what I watched, high-contrast images had crisp definition.
Cinematic fare like Hero, The Batman (2022), or really any movie with great cinematography came to life on the QM7K, its brightness, comprehensive HDR support, color gamut coverage, not to mention precise dimming control contributing to detailed yet vibrant images.
The only real issue I encountered was that I experienced some very slight vignetting in the corners of the screen, though it was more minimal than what I saw when I reviewed the TCL QM6K. And despite the QM7K’s high brightness, I still experienced screen glare when watching during the daytime with sunlight coming through the windows.
Picture quality score: 4.5/5
TCL QM7K review: Sound quality
The TCL QM7K's stripped-down remote control annoyingly lacks a play/pause button (Image credit: Future)
Audio by Bang & Olufsen
Limited bass
Soundstage is good if a bit narrow
Having just reviewed the TCL QM6K, the QM7K’s sound quality is another big upgrade. The 40W system is described by TCL as “Audio by Bang & Olufsen,” and since Bang & Olufsen makes solid-sounding products, that usually bodes well.
The QM7K supports Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual:X, and is also IMAX Enhanced. There are several sound modes, including Bang & Olufsen’s proprietary Beosonic EQ profile that allows for some fine-tuning. When this is selected, a dial appears on the screen with a particular sound profile at the top, bottom, and sides: bright, energetic, warm, and relaxed (clockwise from the top). You can also navigate a cursor anywhere within the dial to create some combination of these sound profiles.
When I reviewed the QM6K, I found there to be a strange dip in the frequency response that gave the sound a slightly artificial quality. Luckily, the QM7K doesn’t have that. The mids are nice and full so that vocals have the kind of richness one would expect when listening to music or watching a movie, and the high-end has both clarity and detail. The bass is fairly limited, but that’s to be expected with any system that doesn’t have larger speakers, such as a TV.
In The Batman (2022), a scene where Selina Kyle is breaking into a safe near the beginning of the movie illustrates a lot of what’s going on with the QM7K’s sound. The sounds of her drill and the turning of the safe’s dial were heard clearly and sounded crisp. And the sound of her hand-to-hand combat with Batman had plenty of impact, as did the dialogue. The TV’s full mid-range also benefited music listening.
The QM7K’s soundstage is good, with elements in soundtracks that are supposed to be on the left or right (or moving from one side to the other) spatially well-defined but still fairly narrow, as it is physically limited by the placement of the speakers.
In the end, the QM7K’s audio quality is very good – it’s just not the full movie experience you would get if it were paired with a good soundbar.
Sound quality score: 4/5
TCL QM7K review: Design
The QM6K's support feet (Image credit: Future)
Pedestal stand can be adjusted for height
Ports include two HDMI 2.1 with 144Hz support
No dedicated play/pause button on remote
The TCL QM7K looks like most contemporary TVs, so you’re probably not going to make a buying decision based on how it looks. The bezel around the screen is fairly thin, making this a svelte-looking TV from the front, and a slight angle allows the dual ports housing the speakers some clearance if you were to wall mount it.
A pedestal stand keeps the TV stable, and it can also be connected at a range of heights so you can raise it a little higher if you want to keep the bottom of the screen from being blocked by a soundbar.
The back of the stand also has a cover that easily slides up and off, revealing some rudimentary cable management, which allows for a cleaner look, especially with the included cable clips. There’s not a ton of space here, however, so if you have a ton of devices plugged into the TV, you might not be able to route all the cables through the back of the stand.
Speaking of plugging devices in, all the ports except for the power are located on the right side of the TV and are angled so that any cables sit flush against it. This is a simple touch that helps keep things looking tidy, especially if you plan on a wall-mount installation. Also worth noting is that the different HDMI ports have their maximum resolution and refresh rate listed next to them – important for gamers!
The remote for the TCL QM7K has all the usual controls, from the directional wheel and center button used to select things to the ones that take you directly to apps like Netflix and Prime Video. There’s also a dedicated button for the TV’s voice assistant. Sadly, there’s no dedicated play/pause button, which means you have to press the directional wheel to bring up the interface and then press the center button again to actually pause playback.
Design score: 4.5/5
TCL QM7K review: Smart TV and menus
The QM7K's Google TV smart interface (Image credit: Future)
Home page displays a good range of content
Google account login required to fully unlock features
Hands-free voice control
The TCL QM7K uses Google TV as its smart TV interface. This has a large, cycling tile that takes up much of the screen with featured content, followed by various rows of tiles with suggested content from various services, a list of apps, and more. It’s a nice layout, only hampered by the fact that not all content seems to be indexed on the home page. (I would love to see suggestions from my Criterion Channel or Mubi app pop up next to YouTube and Max ones.)
As with most smart TV interfaces, there’s plenty of live and free ad-supported content available without needing an additional subscription. This isn’t up to the quality level of what you get from something like Netflix, but it’s not all Sharknado knock-offs. I came across Nip/Tuck, Mr. Bean, and The Illusionist after just a quick scroll. Of course, there’s plenty of Ed Wood-level content available as well.
To get the most out of the interface, you need to first log in to your Google account to set it up. If you’re worried about privacy, this is a requirement that might seem as invasive as it is necessary. It didn’t help that a portion of the featured tiles were ads as opposed to just highlighted content that I already have access to, including an ad with a QR code for ordering pizza on the front page.
As far as the menu diving for TV functionality goes, it’s straightforward and baked into the Google operating system, so you can get to the settings either via the remote or navigating through the home page. It’s also very easy to get deep into fine-tuning the screen, sound, and more to your liking without getting lost.
Smart TV & menus score: 4/5
TCL QM7K review: Gaming
The TCL QM7K's Game Master onscreen menu (Image credit: Future)
4K 144Hz support plus VRR game accelerator
Smooth and clear action
Dedicated Game Master settings menu
Pricier TVs like this one need to appeal to gamers, and TCL has succeeded on that front. Two of the HDMI inputs support 4K 144Hz, so you get smooth gameplay even when the game is going at a breakneck speed, as I did when running away from or through crowds of zombies in Dead Island 2. It can boost up to a 288Hz variable refresh rate (240Hz on the 55-inch model) at 1080p resolution.
If needed, there's a game-centric settings interface called the “Game Master” menu that you can easily pull up to display a refresh rate in the corner, add an aiming crosshair, turn on the VRR, and boost HDR content where applicable.
All in all, using the TCL QM7K is a treat for gaming. The picture quality is sharp and vibrant, especially when you can turn on HDR, and the action is as smooth as one could hope. Input lag is 13.1ms, which is higher than what you get with TVs from Samsung and LG, but it still feels immediate and responsive when gaming.
Gaming score: 4.5/5
TCL QM7K review: Value
The QM7K's included accessories (Image credit: Future)
Not cheap, but still a good value proposition
Cheaper than other “mid-range” TVs
Better brightness than other TVs in its price range
The TCL QM7K TV is not the same fantastic value proposition as the TCL QM6K, but it’s still a very good value.
A good point of comparison would be the Hisense U7N, a competent TV that punches above its weight. The QM7K is better than the Hisense U7N all around, with better brightness and significantly better audio quality. However, the QM7K is also more expensive.
Value score: 4.5/5
Should I buy the TCL QM7K?
(Image credit: Future)
Buy it if...
You want a picture with great contrast Thanks to Halo Control tech, there’s very little blooming. Plus, the TV’s high brightness makes full use of HDR.
You want good sound Audio is one of the main upgrades that this TV gets over its little brother and other mid-range TVs. It’s not quite the same as a good soundbar, but it's good enough that you may not need to get one.
You’re a gamer There are plenty of gaming-centric features on hand, including 4K 144Hz support on two HDMI 2.1 ports, along with 288Hz at 1080p.
Don't buy it if…
You have a limited budget You can spend quite a bit more on a TV, but the TCL QM7K is still not a cheap model. If you’re on a tight budget, you should also look at the less expensive step-down QM6K series.
You don’t want a Google TV If you don’t like connecting your Google account to a TV for privacy reasons, look elsewhere, because that step is needed to make the most of the Google TV smart interface.
Also consider...
TCL QM6K The TCL QM6K is a wonderful TV, but it’s not as bright as the QM7K, and it also has worse audio. It’s about $500 cheaper on average, however, making it is a good option for those with less cash to spend.
Hisense U7N The Hisense U7N does have some issues with backlight blooming and also suffers from poor audio quality. But it has good color gamut coverage and brightness for the price, not to mention similar features such as Dolby Vision IQ and Google TV.
TCL QM851G The TCL QM851G is a 2024 model that was still available for a substantial discount at the time this review posted. This model has even higher brightness than the QM7K, plus a similar set of smart TV and gaming features.
Benchmark measurements conducted by Future US testing lab
I used the TCL QM7K TV regularly for several weeks, testing it with movies, shows, sports events, and games. I tested the various features, such as Dolby Vision IQ, to see if they work as advertised. I also spent time listening to the TV’s audio and watching reference clips to evaluate the picture quality.
After spending some time with this TV, it’s clear that it’s aimed at those looking for a premium experience but at a lower price than a comparable Samsung or LG TV.
I’ve tested plenty of tech gear over the years from laptops to keyboards and speakers, and have been able to apply my expertise toward giving an honest and fair opinion, not to mention a critical eye, to any product I test.
