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I’m amazed by the Bose Smart Soundbar’s features for the money, and am also impressed with its Dolby Atmos sound

9:01 pm | February 19, 2025

Bose Smart Soundbar: Two minute review

The Bose Smart Soundbar is a great way to elevate your TV experience in the bedroom or other small room. It’s not up to the task of a home theater setup, especially without a subwoofer, but that’s not its purpose. if you’re looking to bring Dolby Atmos sound to a smaller setup, it’s one of the best soundbars you can buy.

The Bose Smart Soundbar’s lack of low-end will frustrate action and superhero movie fans and its narrow soundstage keeps it from truly elevating the audio experience, especially when listening to music. However, it still is one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars, with two upward-firing speakers that provide a sense of space and immersion that somewhat offsets that narrow soundstage. In a smaller setup, it almost completely masks it.

Just as important, this soundbar is stacked with features. There’s an A.I. dialogue mode, Alexa and Chromecast support, plus a whole lot more. My favorite feature lets you use specific Bose earbuds as the rear speakers in a surround sound setup for a unique experience. Unfortunately, those are sold separately. And, of course, the Smart Soundbar has the typical Bose markup, so this is not necessarily a great deal, though I wouldn’t call it overpriced either.

If you’re looking to upgrade your TV experience in a smaller space like a bedroom or small apartment, the Bose Smart Soundbar is an ideal option, especially with all the features on hand. Just be willing to shell out some extra cash and be aware of its shortcomings.

Bose Smart soundbar on table with accessories — The Bose Smart Soundbar comes with everything you need to quickly get up and running (earbuds cost extra) (Image credit: Future)

Bose Smart Soundbar review: Price & release date

Price: $499.00 / £499.95 / AU$799.95
First available: September 2024
Available in the US, UK, and Australia

Having been released in September of 2024, the Bose Smart Soundbar is the newest addition to the company’s soundbar lineup. And at $499.00 / £499.95 / AU$799.95, its price tag is about what one would expect from Bose since you’re paying a little bit for the name. You might get more in terms of features or even a subwoofer and surround speakers for that price if you go with models from other companies, but you might be trading off some quality for those extras.

We reported around the time of release that the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds can work as rear speakers for this soundbar. And while that is certifiably a very appreciated feature, you won’t get a pair for free when purchasing the soundbar but will have to pay an extra $299 / £299 / AU$449.95 for the earbuds.

The Bose Smart Soundbar and Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are available in the US, UK, and Australia.

Bose Smart Soundbar review: Specs

Bose Smart soundbar top surface control buttons — Power and mic control buttons are located on the soundbar's top surface (Image credit: Future)

Bose Smart Soundbar review: Features

Personal Surround Sound (requires optional Bose earbuds)
App is easy to navigate and use
Wi-Fi and Voice assistant support

My favorite feature of the feature-filled Bose Smart Soundbar is Personal Surround Sound, which uses Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds as rear speakers so you can get an actual surround sound experience without needing to use rear speakers. Plus, you can adjust how subtle or strong the effect is in the app as well as boost different settings like center channel level for those with issues hearing dialogue. This feature requires you to purchase Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, however, and they’re not exactly cheap.

I particularly liked this feature for gaming. I used Personal Surround Sound while playing Star Wars: Jedi Survivor and found it created a fairly integrated soundscape for the main character to run around in – half the time I couldn’t tell if what I was hearing was coming from the soundbar or the earbuds.

In a way, Personal Surround Sound is even better than a traditional surround sound system since you don’t have to be locked into a specific seat to hear all the audio elements in the soundtrack at the proper distance. On the other hand, this feature only works for anyone wearing the earbuds – not exactly great for group viewing.

The app, which is easy to navigate and use, has plenty of other features on tap. Of course, there are some basic EQ settings. While there’s no parametric EQ, you can adjust the treble, bass, center channel, and height effect, aka spatial audio. You can even toggle on a Wall EQ setting to adjust for when the soundbar is installed against a wall.

Speaking of spatial audio, this soundbar does support Dolby Atmos, and physically reproduces it via those upward-firing speakers. Some soundbars support Dolby Atmos but don’t have any upward-firing speakers, instead using virtual trickery to give a sense of spaciousness. The difference is noticeable.

Bose TrueSpace also takes advantage of those upward-firing speakers, upscaling sound so that you’re getting a spatial audio experience even when the source isn’t Dolby Atmos encoded. (It’s like listening to mono audio on a stereo set of speakers.) As far as I could hear, it’s the same audio going upwards as out whereas Dolby Atmos audio has specific elements that are designated height effects.

If you’re hard of hearing or just find the modern mixes of movies to be hard to understand, the AI dialogue mode might be the feature for you. It’s supposed to automatically adjust dialogue for clarity’s sake. When testing – I watched the beginning of The Dark Knight for this feature – I found that dialogue was clearer since there was a subtle boost to the midrange where voices typically sit. It wasn’t obnoxious the way some dialog boosting modes are, but it still boosted sounds that sit in a similar frequency range that weren’t voices. It’s not perfectly executed, but still is done well.

Lastly, the Bose Smart Soundbar has Alexa support as well as both Chromecast built-in and AirPlay. With Alexa, you can talk to the soundbar the way you would an Amazon Echo, even asking what the weather is or setting a timer. I did find that I had to articulate the wake word a little more for the soundbar to hear me, but that’s not all that big of a deal.

During testing, I found the built-in Chromecast and AirPlay to work seamlessly, which is something I always worry about as in the past I’ve had connectivity issues with Wi-Fi streaming on some devices.

Features score: 4.5 / 5

Bose Smart soundbar upward-firing speakers — The Bose Smart soundbar features two upward-firing speakers for Dolby Atmos height effects (Image credit: Future)

Bose Smart Soundbar review: Performance

Light on bass
Balanced mids and crisp highs
Somewhat narrow soundstage

The Bose Smart Soundbar sounds about as good as a soundbar can. You have to remember that these types of audio devices exist mostly for convenience’s sake.

With that in mind, let’s discuss its audio limitations. First up is the bass. While I could turn up the bass level in the app, the low-range boost affects the mid-range frequencies. Since there are just some bass ports on the back and no actual subwoofer-specific drivers, not to mention that the drivers are necessarily compact, the lack of a strong bass response is unsurprising.

There was no rumble on hand when I tested it with The Batman, The Dark Knight, and Deadpool & Wolverine (400 Blows doesn’t lend itself to testing soundbars). Whenever there are big fights in these kinds of movies, there’s always a lot of very punchy low-end information. But here, all that information is very muted if not gone. At least, there’s a subwoofer output to correct that by adding an external subwoofer, and Bose also offers wireless subs (and surround speakers) that can be paired with the Smart Soundbar.

The other parts of the frequency range fare better. The mid-range is not quite rich and full, but it is well-balanced. I generally didn’t need the A.I. dialogue mode, for instance, as the dialogue was consistently intelligible. It also helped that I could boost the center channel level in the app to help with that.

The high-end is nice and crisp on the Smart Soundbar. Whether it was the string arrangement in movie scores or even dialogue when I tested it, everything had a nice clarity as opposed to being overly pronounced or even painful to listen to.

This soundbar's soundstage is inherently limited by its form factor. That said, the sound did feel like it has more width than other similarly sized soundbars I’ve tested and used. This was helped quite a bit by the spatial audio capabilities, as everything sounded a little bigger and wider, even though I didn’t hear as much left-to-right movement as I expected.

Performance score: 4 / 5

Bose Smart soundbar rear ports — The Bose Smart Soundbar's main connections are HDMI eARC and optical digital audio, along with a line output for a subwoofer (Image credit: Future)

Bose Smart Soundbar review: Design

Upward-firing speakers
On-unit controls just for voice assistant
No alphanumeric LED display

Bose is not breaking the mold design-wise with the look or color of the Bose Smart Soundbar. This is a long rectangular, matte black soundbar with a grill that covers the front and wraps around the side to cover the center tweeter and the racetrack transducers on each end. There’s a grill on the top of the unit as well where the two upward-firing transducers are.

Speaking of all those speakers, despite it being technically a 3.0.2 system (the left, right and center speakers along with the two upward-firing ones), the audio decodes at 5.1.4. There are some ports on the back to help with bass but there aren’t any drivers dedicated to the low end.

The on-unit controls are fairly limited as just two buttons are sitting on top of the left side for voice assistant support. There’s a microphone button to turn the internal mic on or off and an Alexa action button to interact with Alexa in a few different ways including stopping the feature.

Most of the physical controls are available through the remote. You have the usual ones like power, mute, and volume controls as well as three source buttons (TV, Bluetooth, App) and a play/pause button. Nothing too crazy. The remote itself is fairly small and light, which is nice, though its small size makes it the kind of remote that’s very easy to lose.

As far as ports go, it has the necessary optical and HDMI ports as well as a subwoofer out, an IR port, and a USB

There’s no front panel alphanumeric LED display – something I always wish I had when it’s missing – just an LED light when the soundbar turns on or is listening when listening to a voice assistant command. While I did miss it, I didn’t miss it all that much.

Design score: 4 / 5

Bose Smart soundbar app screens — The Smart Soundbar's control app gives you access to a wide range of EQ settings (Image credit: Future)

Bose Smart Soundbar review: Setup & usability

HDMI eARC connection to TV
Easy, app-based setup
One-remote use with Roku TVs

Setup of the Bose Smart Soundbar is very straightforward, even if it takes just a little longer from beginning to end. If you just want to get to it and don’t care about all the features, connecting the soundbar to either your TV’s optical or HDMI eARC port is most of the work. Put some AAA batteries into the remote (unfortunately not included) and you’re good to go.

There are a few more steps if you want to get the full experience. After downloading the Bose app, you pair it to the soundbar (and the Ultra Open earbuds if you have them) and then set up Wi-Fi on the soundbar for AirPlay, Chromecast Built-in and Alexa.

The Bose Smart Soundbar is made to pair seamlessly with Roku TVs. Luckily, I have one so I was able to go through the process – just follow the onscreen instructions – which allowed me to use my TV remote for basic functionality. On that note, once Alexa was set up, I was able to manipulate the soundbar just by using the wake word and speaking to it.

Setup & usability score: 5 / 5

Bose Ultra open earbuds on table — Using the Smart Soundbar's Personal Surround Sound feature requires the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds (not included) (Image credit: Future)

Bose Smart Soundbar review: Value

Features boost value
Can get more advanced systems for same price
Cheaper standalone soundbars available

If you’re looking at features, the Bose Smart Soundbar has a lot going for it with the Personal Surround Sound feature (which, again, requires a separate purchase), A.I. dialogue mode, and app support.

For a similar price, however, you can get a 5.1-channel system like the maxed-out version of the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus, which also gives you a subwoofer and rear speakers for true surround sound. As nice as Bose’s personalized surround sound feature is, only one person can use the earbuds at a time. Amazon’s system is lacking features and doesn’t have voice assistant support – not even Alexa. Its audio quality is not quite as crisp, nor does it have the upward-firing speakers of the Bose soundbar. Of course, if you’re on a budget, you can skip the subwoofer and rear speakers and just get the standalone Amazon Soundbar Plus soundbar for $249.99 / £249.99 (about AU$400).

Another option is to spend $349 / £299 (originally $499 / £449 / AU$695) to get the Sony HT-S2000, a 3.1-channel standalone soundbar that includes virtual spatial audio and good bass response. It costs a little less for something that gets you 80% of the way there. But again, you’re giving up a lot as it doesn’t have voice assistant support, the personalized surround sound that’s unique to this Bose soundbar, or one of the many other features on hand.

Value score: 4 / 5

Bose Smart soundbar in box on floor with earbuds — The Bose Smart Soundbar and Ultra Open Earbuds (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Bose Smart Soundbar?

Buy it if...

You need all the features
The Bose Smart Soundbar is about as feature-filled as it gets, from Alexa and Chromecast built-in to a personal surround sound feature accessible if you have a pair of Bose Ultra Open Earbuds.

You’re looking for great sound in a single soundbar
This soundbar has the typical Bose audio quality one expects. While a bit light in the bass, it has good clarity and dynamics.

You want true Dolby Atmos
Thanks to the inclusion of two upward-firing speakers, this soundbar offers a real spatial audio experience. On top of that, it can upscale non-Dolby Atmos tracks into faux spatial audio.

Don't buy it if...

You want a full surround sound system
While you can use the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds for a great surround sound experience, it’s just for one person. If you want a full surround sound experience, especially with guests, look elsewhere.

You’re on a budget
For a single soundbar, you’re paying quite a premium here. There are decent soundbars, albeit with less features and lower-quality sound, at a fraction of the price.View Deal

Bose Smart Soundbar: Also consider

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus
The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus system costs about the same as the Bose Smart Soundbar. And while it’s not nearly as feature-packed, it does come with a subwoofer and surround speakers for a more immersive experience (discounting the Bose’s personal surround sound feature).

Read our full Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review

Sony HT-S2000
While its Dolby Atmos is virtual, this soundbar still punches above its weight thanks to its impressive sound. There’s no voice assistant support or Wi-Fi streaming, but its price has dropped a bit from when it was released.

Read our full Sony HT-S2000 review

Hisense AX5125H
Hisense's soundbar system offers 5.1.2 channels in a compact package with wireless surround speakers and a subwoofer. It also has an alphanumeric front panel LED display and costs less than Bose's soundbar.

Read our full Hisense AX5125H review

How I tested the Bose Smart Soundbar

Bose Smart soundbar on TV stand — The Nakamichi Dragon with its two subs in my home. (Image credit: Future)

I used the Bose Smart Soundbar for a couple of weeks
Tested with TV, movies, games, and music

I used the Bose Smart Soundbar regularly for a couple of weeks. I watched movies, shows, gamed and listened to music with it. I tested all the various features, especially the Personal Surround Sound feature to see what it could do.

After having tested the Bose Smart Soundbar, it still surprises me all that this soundbar has to offer. It’s that feature-packed. This is an ideal soundbar for someone with a smaller, not-quite home theater setup, but who still wants a premium experience, and not just because of the name.

I’ve tested a lot of tech gear over the years from laptops to keyboards and speakers, and so have been able to use my expertise towards giving an honest and fair opinion, not to mention a critical eye, to any product I test.

First reviewed: February 2025
Read more about how we test

I tested the Asus Zenbook A14 for two weeks and it’s so light that I forgot it was in my bag

8:06 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Comments: Off

Asus Zenbook A14: Two-minute review

Asus Zenbook A14 with a closed lid resting on the floor — (Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

Despite it only being February, Asus has already had it’s fair share of laptops revealed this year. From the brand new Asus Zenbook Duo showcased at CES, down to the shiny ROG Ally gaming lines, it’s clear that Asus has been busy in the workshop. The Asus Zenbook A14 is no stranger to the limelight, and this new 2025 edition could just be the best Asus laptop you can pick up right now if not one of the best laptops on the market.

Coming in at less than a kilo, the Asus Zenbook A14 is extremely lightweight, to the point I often forgot it was in my backpack making it a great laptop to use on the go. Despite being so small, you also get an impressive battery life with Asus promising up to 32 hours of video playback, which although the laptop didn’t quite live up to, the battery was still pretty impressive.

While you can find other laptops which can provide you with a similar performance at a cheaper price point, the Asus Zenbook A14 also features a stunning display which makes using this device to watch movies an absolute pleasure.

However, with great performance and some amazing features comes a high price point. If you’re not ready to splash the cash with a price point of $1,399.99 / £1,099.99 / AU$2,899, then this might not be the right one for you.

Asus Zenbook A14: Price and availability

Asus Zenbook A14 laptop at Windows login screen — (Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

How much does it cost? $1,399.99 / £1,099.99 / AU$2,899
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

You can currently pick up the Asus Zenbook A14 in most regions, though certain configurations are not available in the US. Sitting at a pretty steep $1,399.99, it’s definitely a premium option in the world of productivity laptops. It’s currently on sale in the UK, coming down to just £1,099.99 over at the Asus website, but still costing above the £1,000 mark, there’s no doubt the Asus Zenbook A14 is expensive.

Alternatives on the market at this price point include the Apple MacBook Air 2024 edition, which features the M3 chip and comes in at $1199. You can also pick up the Microsoft Surface Laptop which comes in at around $1,099 for 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD, while it doesn’t have a flashy OLED screen, the specs are very similar for $200 less.

Value: 3 / 5

Asus Zenbook A14: Specs

The Asus Zenbook A14 comes in 2 configurations, with the main difference being the CPU. You can also opt for different RAM options, but overall you’ll find a major leap in the performance of the higher specification laptop compared to the more budget friendly option. Either way, you get your hands on an absolutely stunning display and lightweight chassis.

As of right now, while the second model is listed on the Asus website, no retailers are stocking it and no prices are shown just yet.

As of right now, you can’t adjust each of these specification options individually. If you want the SnapdragonX X1 with 32GB of RAM, then you’re out of luck. It’s also worth noting that the memory in the laptops is maxed out too, so if you pick up a model with 16GB of RAM, you can’t add more yourself.

Asus Zenbook A14: Design

Asus Zenbook A14 laptop resting on the floor — (Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

When first unboxing the laptop, the packaging already blew me away. Coming in an ultra-thin, lightweight box, I originally wasn’t even sure there was anything in it because of how light the laptop is. When picking it up and moving it around, the laptop felt more like an iPad or tablet in terms of thickness and weight. Measuring in at just 1.34cm (0.53 in) thick, the Asus Zenbook 14 was practically thinner than my fingertip, and while my current Macbook Air is thinner at 1.13cm (0.44 in), the Zenbook actually felt lighter and smaller thanks to the smooth casing.

While being sleek and stunning, the aluminum casing on the laptop does feel somewhat like plastic making for a seemingly cheap finish. You can pick up the laptop in a Zabriskie Beige, which we tested, or an Iceland Gray. Looking back, I would have opted for the Gray version instead as the beige somewhat resembles the color of recycled cardboard.

The keyboard is very low profile but still makes for satisfying key presses with large spaced-out buttons to prevent too much fat fingering when typing. You also get a large, smooth trackpad which has a range of alternative functions built into the edges such as increasing the volume and brightness.

You get a few ports on the Asus Zenbook A14, including one USB-A port, two USB-C ports, a HDMI port and an audio jack. While this is a decent amount of ports by modern laptop standards, it certainly wasn’t enough for me when plugging in peripherals such as a mouse, USB headset, extra monitors etc. I used a USB extender most of the time I used the laptop. I preferably would have had an extra USB-A port.

Design: 4 / 5

Asus Zenbook A14: Performance

Asus Zenbook A14 laptop with its lid closed resting on the ground — (Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

Generally, using the Asus Zenbook A14 has been a great experience and I’m actually disappointed that my review period with it is coming to an end. Right off the bat, having a laptop this lightweight is such a pleasure, I can take it anywhere with me and don’t have to think twice. Often I get frustrated taking my laptop on the go due to the weight and impending back pains but I didn’t feel that for a second with this device.

When actually booting up the Zenbook, the first thing I noticed was how beautiful the screen was. The OLED panel is beyond spectacular and watching movies or videos on this thing was great. Given how similar specifications for laptops can be nowadays, the main standout for me is when a device can deliver power as well as some flashy features, and the OLED screen does just that.

Asus Zenbook A14: Benchmarks - Laptops only

Here's how the Asus Zenbook A14 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark: Night Raid: 16215; Fire Strike: 3606; Time Spy Extreme: 507

GeekBench 6: 2103 (single-core); 8793 (multi-core)

CrossMark: Overall: 913 Productivity: 764 Creativity: 1135 Responsiveness: 817

PCMark 10 Battery Life: 17h 16 min

TechRadar movie test: 22h 25 min

While the Asus Zenbook A14 didn’t deliver the best score in our Time Spy Extreme test, this device obviously isn’t made for gaming or high intensive processes. If you’re intending to complete pro level tasks on your laptop, like 4K video rendering, then this probably isn’t the laptop for you. I did attempt some editing on Photoshop while also being in a video call on Teams and the device didn’t stutter even for a second, which was a breath of fresh air from my Macbook Air which starts screeching if I open too many Chrome tabs at once.

Even when having a load of different programs open at once, or while putting the laptop through its paces during benchmarking, it stayed extremely quiet the whole time. At first I was worried it wasn’t cooling very efficiently but it stayed at a reasonable temperature while also being quiet enough for me to barely hear it - it's a great choice if you don’t want to disturb everyone around you while you use your laptop on a train or plane.

Performance: 5 / 5

Asus Zenbook A14: Battery life

One of the main selling points of the Asus Zenbook A14 is the battery life, with Asus claiming 32 hours of video playback on one charge and I have to say it definitely felt like I was able to stretch the battery out of this thing. Despite using it every day for work and then watching movies and videos on it in the evening, a single charge would last a couple of days easily.

In my PCMark 10 battery life test, I found that despite turning off the lighting on the keyboard, it would sometimes come back on periodically. I would then turn it back off with the tap of the F4 key, however this does make me believe that I probably could have gotten some more usage time out of the device had this not happened. My TechRadar movie test felt a bit more accurate thanks to the lighting staying off, coming in at over 22 hours.

While neither of these scores stack up to the promised 32 hours, when not using the laptop with constant video playback, it's clear that you’ll get your money’s worth out of the battery.

Battery: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Asus Zenbook A14?

Buy it if...

You want a long-lasting battery

You can comfortably use this laptop for days at a time without needing to charge it.

You need something portable

Weighing less than a Kilo, this laptop is perfect for taking on the go with you.

You want stunning visuals

The OLED panel is beyond beautiful, and makes watching movies and videos a great experience.

Don't buy it if...

You want a powerhouse of a machine

While you do get excellent performance here, this laptop is not designed for heavy duty usage like intensive gaming or video rendering.

You need a load of ports

There are some ports on the Zenbook A14, but there definitely aren’t enough here to power a whole set up without some USB extenders

You’re on a budget

While you do get the performance and features to back up the price here, the Asus Zenbook A14 is by no means cheap.

Also Consider

If our Asus Zenbook A14 review has you considering other options, here are two laptops to consider...

Apple Macbook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024)

If you’re on the hunt for a more powerful device that can handle more intensive tasks like video rendering or 3D animation then the Apple Macbook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) could be the one for you thanks to its meaty M4 Pro processor.

Read our full Apple Macbook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) reviewView Deal

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition

On the other hand, if you’re looking for a device that can handle some pretty intense gaming, then the Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition is likely a better option. Hosting a AMD Radeon RX 7600S 8GB GPU.

Read our full Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition review

How I tested the Asus Zenbook A14

I spent two weeks using the Asus Zenbook A14, replacing my typical laptop for everyday usage. I used the laptop for productivity including work purposes as well as leisure and entertainment like watching videos and movies.On top of typical everyday usage, I benchmarked the laptop using a wide range of software such as 3DMark, Geekbench and PC Mark.

First reviewed Feb 2025

The Cambridge Audio Evo One is my new favorite wireless speaker after a month of testing it – here’s why

6:00 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Hi-Fi Wireless & Bluetooth Speakers | Tags: TV | Comments: Off

Cambridge Audio Evo One: two-minute review

The Cambridge Audio Evo One is a high-end wireless speaker that's capable of playing audio at up to 32-bit/192kHz. But that’s really only part of the picture: it’s also a multi-room speaker, an internet radio, a soundbar, and a turntable phono stage. It’s almost quicker to list the things it can’t do. The Evo One packs a lot of skills into its substantial frame, making it a natural choice for anyone who wants to cover every base but doesn’t have the space or the cash to splash on buying a whole system of hi-fi separates.

Once the Cambridge Audio Evo One was optimized for my listening space – you can manually adjust its sound for the reflectivity of your room and its distance from the wall – it rewarded me with lush, well-rounded sound. The low end is warm and yet tight – there’s none of the unfortunate swampiness you get with cheaper, bass-heavy speakers. Meanwhile, trebles are well handled, neither succumbing to timidity nor becoming so strident that they grate. This means that rather than facing off aggressive overtures from above and below, the mids are allowed the proper space to express themselves, letting the harmonics of vocals and instruments shine.

The Evo One’s separation is right up there with the best wireless speakers on the market. Listening to Wasting My Young Years by London Grammar was a revelation – the strings are beautifully expressed, feeling vibrant despite their low volume, while the reverb on those gorgeous vocals is given plenty of room to breathe. Its soundstage isn’t quite as impressive though: it offers decent stereo spread without extending far beyond the bounds of the unit, but any single-unit speaker is never going to beat a true pair of the best stereo speakers.

Pitch-perfect streaming is just one of this speaker’s talents though: it offers a wide range of additional sources, from internet radio to TV audio via eARC. To test its mettle when it comes to movie audio, I hooked it up via HDMI and watched Ari Aster’s Midsommar – it expertly handled the swelling drone of its forbidding bass, while giving dialogue sufficient clarity and presence. Using its built-in phono stage, I also hooked up my turntable and span a selection of records – it did an excellent job with the likes of Black Sands by Bonobo and Kingdoms In Colour by Maribou State, expressing both with plenty of dynamism and clarity.

When it comes to design, the Cambridge Audio Evo One is hardly the kind of speaker you’ll want to hide away – its charcoal speaker mesh and smooth walnut surface make it an item of furniture you’ll want to show off, and I certainly felt that it earned pride of place in my living room.

Meanwhile, its front display gives you a stronger connection to the artist you’re listening to, although it’s not quite as bright as I’m used to in this era of ubiquitous 1,000-nit phone screens. However, let's be clear that you probably should think of it as an item furniture – it's big.

With its wide array of connectivity options, polished, poised audio and sophisticated looks, the Cambridge Audio Evo One is a worthwhile purchase, even taking into account its not inconsiderable price. Personally, I’m happy to give the Cambridge Audio Evo One a full-throated endorsement, and I doubt you’ll be disappointed with its performance or capabilities. If you want something that's also wonderful for sound but less expensive, the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro is also a highly capable wireless speaker for nearly half the price.

Cambridge Audio Evo One review: price & release date

Released on August 9, 2024
List price is $1,499 / £1,299 / AU$2,495

The Cambridge Audio Evo One was released on August 9, 2024. It retails for $1,499 / £1,299 / AU$2,495 for this single unit – that's not exactly the cheapest price you’ll find a wireless speaker going for, but once you scratch the surface of the things this device can do, that asking price becomes much more reasonable. When a speaker is this capable, you really are paying for what you get.

The rear of the Cambridge Audio Evo One showing its various ports. — (Image credit: Future)

Cambridge Audio Evo One review: specs

A closeup of the Cambridge Audio Evo One's ports in detail. — (Image credit: Future)

Cambridge Audio Evo One review: features

Multi-talented feature set
Crammed with well-amplified drivers
Manual room optimization

Given its bulk, you won’t be surprised to hear that the Cambridge Audio Evo One is absolutely crammed full of drivers. It has 14 in total: four one-inch silk dome tweeters, four 2.25-inch aluminum cone mid-range drivers, and an utterly absurd six 2.75-inch long-throw woofers. Each of those drivers has 50W of amplification behind it, so it’s reasonable to expect that this beast is going to have gargantuan sound.

Such a well-furnished setup makes sense when you see how Cambridge Audio has positioned the Evo One. While it’s nominally a wireless speaker, it has plenty more tricks up its sleeve than just cueing up tunes from your Roon. Designed to sit at the heart of your home audio ecosystem, it really is a renaissance speaker, able to tackle the vast majority of listening tasks you throw at it.

First off, as well as offering Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity, it’s capable of streaming hi-res audio at up to 24-bit, 192kHz from streaming services, offering you significantly better quality than even CDs can muster. You can do this via built-in streaming services like Tidal and Spotify, or using its multi-room functionality to stream over Google Home, Apple AirPlay 2 and Roon. You can also stream radio over the internet, should you fancy letting someone else take over DJ responsibilities, or play direct via USB at the frankly ludicrous high quality of 32-bit/384kHz.

But its talents don’t stop there. Hook it up to your TV using an eARC cable and you can use it as a substitute soundbar – it won’t give you Dolby Atmos or height channels, but it will give your TV’s flimsy inbuilt sound a colossal boost. You can also hook up an external source through its RCA line-in, or plug one of the best turntables into its integrated phono stage and spin your records through it. It really does offer an astounding level of functionality that puts less gifted wireless speakers to shame.

Beyond sources, the Cambridge Audio Evo One offers some excellent functionality to help you polish the sound you’re getting. It offers a seven-band EQ to tailor its audio profile to your tastes – while this isn’t quite as versatile as the nine-band that some speakers offer, realistically it’s going to be plenty granular enough to tweak the sound balance.

Even more helpful are the Evo One’s room-calibration settings, which allow you to adjust its sound profile to account for how reflective your room is and how close the speaker is to a wall. I actually prefer this to the auto-calibration some speakers offer – it really allowed me to use my own judgement and knowledge of my space to get the sound just right, which I’m sure fellow audiophiles will appreciate.

All told, the Cambridge Audio Evo One is an incredibly well-specified speaker, offering a ton of functionality that even similarly high-end wireless speakers aren’t necessarily always capable of. If you’re just looking for a setup that allows you to stream hi-res audio, then maybe that will prove unnecessary window dressing, but if you’re looking for a Swiss Army Knife of a speaker that will sit at the heart of your home audio system, then it’s hard to argue with what’s on offer here.

Features score: 5/5

The Cambridge Audio Evo One with its remote propped up in front of it. — (Image credit: Future)

Cambridge Audio Evo One review: sound quality

Once calibrated, it sounds beautifully well balanced
Excellent separation
Not the widest soundstage

Hand on heart, I was a bit underwhelmed by the Cambridge Audio Evo One’s sound at first. Listening to Black Eye by Allie X, the saw-edged bass synth sounded full but a little swampy, and there was a slightly echoey vibe to the kick, while a lot of the mix sounded muddier in the middle. That’s when I realised I hadn’t adjusted its room-optimization settings…

And boy, did tweaking those settings make a difference. Lowering the setting for room reflectivity and increasing the slider for how far the speaker was from the wall tamed the boom back and upped the transients. The bassline was tight while still being deliciously warm, the detail of the percussion became much more crisp, and the vocal rose above everything without obscuring anything. Suddenly it was like hearing my favorite songs for the first time, and it rapidly transformed my opinion of what this speaker is capable of.

Once properly calibrated, it’s not just the bass that sings; the rest of the frequency range sounds great too. When I listened to I Want You by Moloko, everything was so tightly integrated in the mids; that tight funky guitar lick and the timbre of the strings rang through clearly, while Róisín Murphy’s voice glued the whole mix together, from the nice warm sub end of the funky bass to the transient bite of the snare hits. And it masterfully handles songs that can be make or break in terms of treble – it deftly handles the crisp harmonics of the strummed guitars and snare and tom hits on You Can Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac, while giving them sufficient body to stop the whole mix feeling aggressively bright.

But the Evo One isn’t just great at balancing different frequencies; it has real poise when it comes to separation as well. I stuck on Claire de Lune by Kamasi Washington and the results were exquisite. Those honey-sweet horns feel so richly textured that you could almost take a bite out of them, while the pluck of the double bass feels like it’s almost it’s in the room with you. Even the piano, oft overshadowed when listening to this mix on weaker speakers, cascades out when appropriate – everything has a palpable sense of space that makes everything feel much more real and evocative.

The Evo One doesn’t just handle digital audio sources well. I hooked up my Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT turntable to the speaker via its built-in phono stage and cued up Kingdoms In Colour by Maribou State. The overall sound was faithful and gave everything a sizable presence and, while it wasn’t quite as remarkable as its hi-res audio output, I put this down more to my budget deck than the Evo One’s innate capabilities.

One area where this wireless speaker doesn’t quite trounce the competition though is its stereo soundstage. Don’t get me wrong: firing up Daydreaming by Radiohead I could absolutely appreciate how the snatches of Thom Yorke’s vocal echoed to the left and right, while the guttural reversed strings that end the track swam convincingly from side to side. However, unlike some speakers, including the Sonos Era 300, the sound doesn’t extend much beyond the confines of the cabinet, and there’s no attempt to convince you there’s real height here. I’d argue that’s not really its whole vibe though – the Evo One aims for hi-res sound that’s very well reproduced, rather than high-tech trickery.

To test how the Evo One handled TV audio, I wired it up to my TV via ARC and settled in to watch Ari Aster’s hallucinogenic horror Midsommar. The Evo One delivered an appreciable improvement over the TV’s built-in speakers, giving the movie’s ominous soundtrack much more warmth and gravitas; Voice Clarity mode in particular helped the speech in the movie ring clear, while letting the droning bass continue to create suspense. While not a home theater soundbar replacement – you’re not going to get Dolby Atmos height channels or significant width here – it certainly represents an upgrade over TV sound alone.

Ultimately, the sound on offer here is impressive, particularly given how many tools it has in its box. If you’re wanting a premium, single-unit speaker that will cover all the bases, this is likely your best bet at this price range.

Sound quality: 4.5 / 5

A closeup of the walnut top panelling of the Cambridge Audio Evo One, with its remote control laying on top. — (Image credit: Future)

Cambridge Audio Evo One review: design

Elegant, high-end design
It’s a big fella
Display is a little dim

In light of its price and the brand behind it, I’m sure I’m not going to shock anyone by saying that the Cambridge Audio Evo One offers smart, premium design. Everything about it is designed to form a focal point in your home, from its FSC-certified walnut panelling to its charcoal-colored fabric speaker grille. It definitely looks suitably high-end – although an alternate color would have been a great option to include, as beige cloth and a lighter wood such as birch or beech would look amazing alongside airier interiors.

Naturally, with all the drivers, amplification and other sundries inside its frame, this isn’t a small unit – in fact, at 26.6 x 5.1 x 11.4 inches / 675 x 129 x 290mm and 32lbs / 14.5kg, it’s a bit of a beast. But there’s something dependable about its big frame – it makes it feel like a genuine item of furniture that you’re pleased to show off. The only caveat here is if you want to place it in front of your TV to really take advantage of its eARC connectivity: it's no small fry height-wise, and will likely block the bottom of your screen, so you’ll want an entertainment unit that can accommodate both.

The main focal point of its front is the 6.8-inch, 1280 x 480 LCD display. Offering a range of options from track information and artwork to a stereo pair of VU meters, the display offers an attractive way of connecting more closely to the tunes you’re listening to. It’s not a very bright display, though, but expecting the kind of 1,000-nit HDR displays that have become commonplace in phones and tablets was always going to be a stretch. It’s plenty bright enough to carry out its intended function, even if you’re not going to be reveling in sumptuous, vibrant colors.

The Evo One’s remote control is well designed, nicely balancing functionality with simplicity. Standard controls are all idiot-proof – you can play, pause, skip forwards and backwards, raise and lower the volume, and power the unit on and off – but there are also some convenient presets that allow you to fire up your favorite sources, stations or playlists at the press of a button. You can also adjust the display’s brightness and switch between its various screens. You’ll need to reach for your phone to do anything particularly complex, but it's nice to be able to use it like a hi-fi separate when you want some screen-free time.

All in all, the Evo One oozes premium style, without too many unnecessary bells and whistles piled on top. Sure, the display could be brighter, and you’re out of luck if you're not into the dark wood and charcoal upholstery Cambridge Audio has opted for. But make no mistake: this is a luxury speaker that feels like an item of furniture in its own right.

Design score: 4.5 / 5

The Cambridge Audio Evo One at a side angle on a worktop in front of a pink background. — (Image credit: Future)

Cambridge Audio Evo One review: value

On the one hand, the Cambridge Audio Evo One is unarguably expensive for a single-unit speaker – $1,499 / £1,299 / AU$2,495 is not pocket change for anyone. On the other hand, this isn’t just a single-unit speaker. When you view the Evo One in terms of all of the gadgets it potentially replaces – wireless speaker, streamer, soundbar, phono stage – the value equation shifts significantly in its favor. For the price, it’s incredibly versatile, and is an excellent all-in-one option for someone who finds a whole range of hi-fi separates too extravagant an investment in terms of money and/or space.

And there are few rivals that can beat it for value. For example, while the Naim Mu-so 2nd Gen offers a premium, single-unit speaker for $1,299 / £899 / AU$1,299, it doesn’t have a screen, and nor does it offer eARC connectivity or a phono stage. Conversely, the gorgeous Ruark R410 does offer everything you can get here – wireless streaming, multi-room, Bluetooth, DAB+ radio, eARC input, built-in phono-stage – but it’s also just as pricey, coming in at $1,799 / £1,299 / AU$2,599.

Value score: 4/5

Should I buy the Cambridge Audio Evo One?

Buy it if…

You want a feature-packed single-unit speaker
The Evo One is an impressive all-in-one package, taking the place of four or five home audio separates. So if you want a set-it-and-forget-it sound solution that minimizes the cable chow mein choking up your living room, this is a very good option.

You want lush, confident sound
When properly optimized and fed some hi-res material, the Evo One offers exquisite balance and impressive separation of different elements. It’s a polished and impressive performer that will happily sit as the jewel in the crown of your multi-room speaker setup.

Don’t buy it if…

You actually want a soundbar
Stop the presses: the Evo One isn’t one. It’ll add some much-needed poise and gravitas to soundtracks, but if you’re expecting height channels and a wide soundstage, you really do need to invest in an actual soundbar.

You’re looking to save some cash
No two ways about it: the Evo One is an expensive speaker. At $1,499 / £1,299 / AU$2,495, it’s more comparable to the Ruark R410 or the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A5 – you’re paying a premium price for a premium speaker.

Cambridge Audio Evo One review: also consider

Naim Mu-so (2019)
If you love the form factor and are yearning for superlative-sounding, hi-res streaming without extra features such as a phono stage or eARC, but for a lower price in exchange, the Naim Mu-so 2nd Gen is an excellent choice. At $1,299 / £899 / AU$1,299, it's a powerful and impressive speakers, as our full Naim Mu-so (2019) review explains.

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro
Following in the footsteps of the classic airship-shaped iPod dock from the 2000s, the Zeppelin Pro is a powerful wireless speaker capable of rich, hi-res sound. Admittedly it’s less talented than the Evo One – again, there’s no connectivity options like phono in or eARC and it has considerably fewer drivers. But it is much more affordable, coming in at just $799 / £699 / AU$1,349, and still sounds exquisite for the price, as we dig into in our full Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro review.

How I tested the Cambridge Audio Evo One

I tested it for a month
I used it for a wide range of audio, from hi-res streams to TV audio via eARC
I have decades of experience using and reviewing audio gadgets

I tested the Cambridge Audio Evo One over the course of a month. First of all, I used the TechRadar testing playlist, as well as many of my own standard testing tracks, to see how its sound stacked up. I listened to a wide range of different sources, from hi-res streaming on Tidal to Spotify’s lowest-quality tier to see how it coped with different audio quality.

I also tested all of its additional features. I listened to several vinyl albums, both via line-in and through its built-in phono stage, using my Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT. I also connected it to my TV via eARC and tested its AV sound by watching multiple TV shows and movies. Finally, I tweaked its various sound optimization settings, and played with the EQ settings to test out how they impacted the sound balance.

I’ve spent many years covering audio gadgets, from headphones to speakers, and use a wide variety of sound setups at home, from Bluetooth speakers to my system of hi-fi separates. On top of this, I’ve spent decades making and producing music, which has given me a great deal of insight into how to assess the balance of frequencies and breadth of soundstage.

First reviewed: February 2025
Read more about how we test

The Mobile Controller MG-X Pro is the most disappointing mobile controller that I’ve ever tested

9:00 pm | February 18, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Gaming Gaming Accessories | Comments: Off

One-minute review

The Mobile Controller MG-X Pro is the most disappointing mobile gaming controller that I’ve ever tested. For the lofty price of $119.90 / £99.90 - which is a whopping $19.91 more than the Backbone One 2nd Gen in the US - you’re getting a mobile controller that performs worse, has a lower build quality, lacks a lot of major features, and, in the case of the iPhone variant that I tried, doesn't even fit properly on some recent phones.

There is simply no reason to consider this controller at its retail price - but that’s not to say that it is completely irredeemable.

The thumbsticks are a little loose for my taste but undeniably work well for fast-paced games like Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile. The large, Xbox-style buttons are also responsive and quite appealing if you intend to use them for Xbox Cloud Gaming - though it’s a shame that the D-pad is uncomfortably flat and imprecise. There’s also the fact that this is a Bluetooth gamepad, which, even though this means that it requires separate charging and does not feature charging pass-through, some might still prefer over the wired connection of the Backbone One 2nd Gen.

The Mobile Controller MG-X Pro is quite a unique shape too, being something of a middle ground between the compact Backbone One 2nd Gen and the full-size Razer Kishi Ultra, and comfortable in the hands for extended gaming sessions.

If you can find it on sale with a discount of 50% or above, I could see this being a solid, though certainly not leading, option. Otherwise, I’m hoping that manufacturer Nacon takes the Mobile Controller MG-X Pro back to the drawing board for an updated, overhauled successor.

The Mobile Controller MG-X Pro without a mobile phone inserted. — (Image credit: Future)

Mobile Controller MG-X Pro: Price and availability

iOS version costs $119.90 / £99.90
Android version is $99.90 / £74.90
Available via Nacon and Amazon

The Mobile Controller MG-X Pro sells for $119.90 / £99.90 on the Nacon website and similar rates over at Amazon. It’s available in both the US and UK, with two alternate versions to choose from. I tested the white ‘iPhone’ variant, which is compatible with iOS devices.

The Android, or ‘Xbox’ version, comes in black - with a larger Xbox-style home button. Despite being a licensed product, it’s bizarrely a little cheaper than the iOS one - at $99.90 / £74.90.

I wouldn’t say that this is good value, but at this lower price, the Mobile Controller MG-X Pro is a little bit more competitive in the face of the $99.99 / £99.99 Backbone One 2nd Gen.

Mobile Controller MG-X Pro: Specs

A close-up of the buttons on the Mobile Controller MG-X Pro. — (Image credit: Future)

Mobile Controller MG-X Pro: Design and features

Thick and comfortable in the hands
Plastic feels cheap
Face buttons are reliable

The Mobile Controller MG-X Pro’s design is a midpoint between smaller options like the Backbone One 2nd Gen and Scuf Nomad and larger mobile gamepads such as the Razer Kishi Ultra. It’s quite hefty, weighing 0.77lbs / 350g, with an overall shape that’s a bit reminiscent of the Xbox Wireless Controller, albeit with an extending spring-loaded back to accommodate the addition of a mobile phone.

The grips are thinner than Microsoft’s pad, however, and the overall layout is a little bit squashed in comparison - with the thumbsticks, buttons, and D-pad all very close together. It’s certainly not uncomfortable, even in my larger hands, and I actually quite like the way that little nook underneath the rear triggers provides a perfect little resting place for your middle fingers.

Still, the build quality is a letdown at this price point. There are cheap-looking seams on the sides of the controller, plus a few visible imperfections in the plastic molding. Some corners are quite sharp too, especially where the phone is attached, which occasionally led to me painfully scraping my hands on it while trying to get my device in and out. This is nowhere near the almost Apple-like construction of the slightly cheaper Backbone One 2nd Gen.

A close up of the Mobile Controller MG-X Pro's charging port. — (Image credit: Future)

This is a Bluetooth gamepad, so it has no physical connection to your phone. Instead, you need to turn it on by holding the small home button and waiting for it to connect to your device. Four small LED indicators show you its current status, such as its current battery level and whether it's in pairing mode. On the bottom of the controller is a USB-C port, used to charge up the controller. Bear in mind that, unlike the Backbone One 2nd Gen, there’s no charging pass-through here, so won’t be able to top up your device while it’s in use. There’s also no headphone jack, so many of the best gaming earbuds simply won’t work.

The Mobile Controller MG-X Pro is compatible with the MG-X Series App, which bizarrely only seemed to be available on iOS. This is fully functional, but lacks anything beyond the most basic features - only offering thumbstick calibration, a quick control guide, and the option to update your gamepad. There’s no button remapping here, no way to customize trigger sensitivity, no list of suggested compatible games, or really any reason to ever boot it up. It’s significantly behind the Backbone or Razer Nexus apps, which both function as game launchers and offer basic necessities such as button remapping in addition to a few killer features like, in Razer’s case, a fantastic virtual controller mode.

At least the setup process is mercifully straightforward, simply requiring you to turn on the controller and select it from your phone’s Bluetooth menu to pair.

Mobile Controller MG-X Pro: Performance

Strong battery life
Thumbsticks feel quite loose
D-pad is awful

The performance of the Mobile Controller MG-X Pro is just about acceptable, provided you ignore the price. The thumbsticks are roughly equivalent in size to the Xbox pad but with a thinner column and much more travel.

There’s not a lot of resistance, which makes them quick to use in fast-paced multiplayer games like Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile or PUBG Mobile, but at the same time means that they feel a tad slippery.

The face buttons have a flat design with a lot of surface area and a pleasant, membrane-feeling mechanism. The D-pad is also very flat and spongy, but unlike the buttons, I soon found that this made it very hard to make precise inputs. Pressing right would often also trigger an upwards input and if you play lots of platformers or retro games with D-pad controls, this is going to be a complete dealbreaker.

A note on accessibility

The Nacon MG-X Pro android mobile gaming controller in front of a PS5 — (Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)

Nacon sent me the Android variant for testing - and I've had a pretty positive experience with it from an accessibility standpoint. Thanks to its chunky design, it's the only mobile controller I've really been able to use and has let me enjoy Stalker 2 on the sofa via remote play. Each arm is perfectly sized and the buttons are arranged closely enough for my different hands to engage with. It's a shame about the price and build, but for those looking to try a uniquely shaped mobile controller, the MG-X Pro earns some credit.

- Rob Dwiar, Managing Editor, TechRadar Gaming

The iOS version of the Mobile Controller MG-X Pro also doesn't fit well if you’re using a larger iPhone. I tested the controller with my iPhone 15 Plus, where the large camera module makes it difficult to securely insert. It goes in fine enough at first, but is loose and could fall out if you’re not careful. After a quick look online, I discovered that this was quite a common complaint with a handful of customers saying that it didn’t fit an iPhone 14 Pro Max either.

Swapping over to an old iPhone 12, this was not an issue at all, so it’s clear that Nacon needs to revise the design for modern iPhones - or at the very least add a disclaimer to its store page clarifying exactly which devices it’s most compatible with. This makes it a mobile controller that you’re realistically not going to want to use out and about; after all there’s no point risking your phone coming loose and falling out onto a hard surface while you’re trying to game on the train.

The only area where the Mobile Controller MG-X Pro unreservedly delivers is in its battery life. Nacon claims that it will last “up to 20 hours” and I can attest that it gets very close to that figure. I was able to use the controller repeatedly throughout the week without ever having to worry about charging it up, which is excellent.

A mobile phone fitting poorly in the Mobile Controller MG-X Pro. — (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Mobile Controller MG-X Pro?

Buy it if...

You want strong battery life
Easily the best element of the Mobile Controller MG-X Pro is its battery life. You’re getting close to 20 hours in standard use, which is great and cuts down on the need to charge it up between sessions.

Don't buy it if...

You crave the best value
The Mobile Controller MG-X Pro is far too expensive for what you get. It’s impossible to recommend above the many similarly priced and even cheaper alternatives out there today.

You want lots of features
The Mobile Controller MG-X Pro has a tiny feature set and a comically barren mobile app. If you want a controller that you can truly customize, then you need to look elsewhere.View Deal

Also consider

Looking for something a bit better than the Mobile Controller MG-X Pro? Consider these two strong alternatives instead.

Scuf Nomad
The Scuf Nomad is similar to the Mobile Controller MG-X Pro in that it’s also a Bluetooth mobile gamepad, but it has a significantly greater number of features and a much more high-quality design.

Read our full Scuf Nomad review

Backbone One 2nd Gen
The Backbone One 2nd Gen is the mobile controller to beat, and massively better than the Mobile Controller MG-X Pro. It’s wired, but fits more phones, is compatible with both Android and iOS at once, and boasts a great app.

Read our full Backbone One 2nd Gen review

A close-up of the thumbstick on the Mobile Controller MG-X Pro. — (Image credit: Future)

How I tested the Mobile Controller MG-X Pro

Test for a few weeks
Tried with a variety of mobile games
Compared to other controllers

I tested the iOS version of the Mobile Controller MG-X Pro for roughly three weeks. During that time I paired it with my trusty iPhone 15 Plus and, briefly, an old iPhone 12. I played a wide variety of compatible mobile games, including favorites like Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, Zenless Zone Zero, Hitman Blood Money Reprisal, Call of Duty Mobile, and more.

Throughout my time with the controller, I compared my experience with my hands-on testing of other mobile gamepads including the Razer Kishi, Razer Kishi Ultra, Backbone One, Backbone One 2nd Gen, Scuf Nomad, Turtle Beach Atom, and GameSir X2s Type-C.

Setting the stage

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii — (Image credit: Sega)

Six months on from the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, we find Majima washed up on the beach of a remote island off the coast of Hawaii. Near death and with little in the way of memories to his name, he’s mercifully saved by a child named Luke, who lives on the island with his dad and older sister.

Over the course of the first chapter, Majima repays Luke’s kindness by helping the island deal with a rather major pirate problem. And we’re talking pirates in the strictest sense: galleons outfitted with powerful cannons and menacing sails, staffed by salty treasure-hungry sea dogs. It turns out the whole thing is quite the racket in the waters surrounding Hawaii (in the Like a Dragon universe at least).

After a stint doing errands on the island, it’s not too long before Majima gets a pirate ship - the Goromaru - and a ragtag crew of his own. And so properly begins an adventure that successfully weds a Treasure Island-esque narrative with Like a Dragon’s political and faction-based intrigue. While it’s not as big on throwing you wild curveballs as the mainline series, it’s a tale that’s nonetheless entertaining and thrilling from start to finish, with an absolutely phenomenal finale to boot.

White whale, holy grail

Gameplay and exploration in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is split into two distinct segments, those being land and sea. When you’re ashore, it’s perhaps unsurprisingly like most other Like a Dragon titles; Majima gets to fully explore the city of Honolulu (returning from Infinite Wealth) and engage in all kinds of minigames, side stories, and combat.

As in prior entries, clueless goons are more than keen to make a beeline for Majima should they spot him out and about, which is where his two distinct combat styles come into play. I’ve covered them extensively in my previews beforehand, but what you need to know is that the Mad Dog and Sea Dog styles offer incredibly unique ways to engage your foes.

Mad Dog is closer to the Majima you expect. Wielding his iconic knife, he employs rapid attacks, a powerful gap closer, throws, and more. It’s ideal for whittling down a single target or a small squad of baddies. Sea Dog is the more interesting of the two, as Majima dons his pirate garb, wields two cutlasses, and has access to a flintlock pistol and a hook. It’s much better suited to the larger-scale fights you’ll have during story missions and deck battles.

Best bit

It’s hard to single out any one aspect of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii as its absolute best bit, but the sheer variety of content on offer is undoubtedly a swashbuckler’s dream. Even better, you can take it all at your own pace. Want to tick off some substories or chill with some minigames? Or do you want to take things up a notch by sinking some lily-livered sailors in the Pirates’ Coliseum? Outside of major story beats, it’s all available to you at any time.

Overall, Majima feels exceptionally powerful here, to the point where the Normal difficulty setting was honestly quite a breeze. Throw in some hilariously strong Heat Actions, Mad Dog’s Doppelganger mode, and Sea Dog’s Dark Instruments (both available via the chargeable Madness Gauge) and we have what is certainly among the most overpowered move sets in series history.

But by Davy Jones is Majima such a joy to play as. Whether it’s blasting away entire scores of lads with a charged flintlock shot or wreaking havoc with a giant ethereal chimpanzee (no, really), combat rarely feels like a drag. Enemies aren’t necessarily pushovers though, with some types wielding spears or shields to counter specific abilities.

However, as powerful as Majima feels, you’ll still need to play smart. That’s especially so when you chase after Honolulu’s bounty targets - a piece of side content that provides plenty of cash with which you can use to invest in upgrades for Majima and his ship.

Those spear guys can poke you out of the air, for example, while shielded foes will need to be robbed of their protection with the hook before significant damage can be dealt. And that’s before we’ve even gotten to kickboxers, gunners, tigers, bears, and enemies that drop a grenade on defeat. Believe it or not, they’re actually worse than the tigers and bears.

Waterworld

Majima’s as much a terror out at sea, if not more so. Captaining the Goromaru is the other half of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, and it’s unlike anything we’ve seen from the series yet. Well, perhaps besides the vehicle combat of Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise, but that’s obviously even more of a spinoff than this game is.

There’s a ton to do out on the high seas, with exploring the vast waters surrounding Hawaii and other notable locales forming a good chunk of the playthrough. You can engage in ship battles, explore uncharted islands for lost treasure, and even undertake a massive side story that has Majima and crew taking down the Devil Flags - a notorious pirate armada.

One thing to note is that content with the Goromaru is noticeably harder than anything else in the game. Enemy ships can pack a punch, especially those of higher ranks. So, you’ll need to do some groundwork in order to make your ship as powerful as possible. That’ll come in the form of scouting new crew members you can find dotted around Honolulu, as well as upgrading the ship’s durability and firepower.

Your shipmates will also level up when they’re staffed on the ship, and certain members can provide unique First Mate or Squad Leader buffs if they’ve been assigned to those positions. Such buffs include increasing damage you deal to an enemy ship’s stern, or increasing the number of times you can shoot out a smokescreen to obscure enemy vision while you resuscitate downed crewmates or put out hazards like fires or poison mist.

You’ll also be able to take your crew into the Madlantis Pirates’ Coliseum, a substantial bit of side content where you’ll engage in ship battles of escalating difficulty. Defeating the enemy ship will then transition you to a deck battle, where your entire crew faces off against the enemy’s on their own ship. It’s a genuine thrill to see so many characters clash against each other in combat like this, and while it can get quite messy and nonsensical, it’s still great chaotic fun.

Manning the Goromaru is a part of the game that I found to be the most engrossing. Ticking off content and participating in minigames to unlock new crew members always feels fulfilling, and definitely incentivizes you to try out activities like Dragon Kart, Crazy Delivery, and the usual smattering of side activities to unlock even more goodies.

There are a few stubborn barnacles to deal with out on the ocean, though. Engagements with enemy ships can get quite lengthy later on in the game, which does add to overall sea travel time. And while the Goromaru can boost and make use of air currents to sail swiftly, the simple act of traveling from A to B can still take a good chunk of time. Especially when you’re constantly running into other fleets.

The sea is also the only place in the game where you’ll experience notable performance drops (at least I did on the PS5 review version I tested), especially when inclement weather such as rain storms get involved. It’s nothing horrible or unplayable, but definitely worth noting if you’re playing on console.

Should I play Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii?

Play it if...

You want a compact Like a Dragon adventure
Similar to Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name before it, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii’s run time is shorter than the length of its name, making for a much more digestible experience.

You love pirates
It really is as simple as that. If you’re pining for a swashbuckling adventure the likes of which we seldom see in video games, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will scratch that itch and then some.

Don't play it if...

You’re not caught up on the series
While the game is generally friendlier to newcomers than others, it does still mention and feature characters and events from prior entries, and spoils major story beats from Infinite Wealth, so play at your own risk if you’re still making your way through the wider series.

Accessibility

The accessibility options in Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii are something of a treasure trove, too, with plenty on offer to accommodate gamers of all stripes.

Some highlights include options for automatic quick time events, stick control swapping, reducing the motion of waves out at sea, thorough subtitle options (including backgrounds and character names), and three distinct color vision assistance settings (deuteranopia, protanopia, and tritanopia). Full button configuration is also supported.

How I reviewed Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

My full playthrough of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii took 25 hours to finish on PS5, playing on an LG CX OLED TV with the DualSense Wireless Controller.

While I finished the main story, the Goro Pirates side story, and tackled the majority of available side content, this was by no means a completionist run. If you’re going for 100% - that’s fully completing all side content including the exhaustive challenge list - expect to sink in anywhere between 30-40 hours.

First reviewed February 2025

I reviewed Sonus Faber’s luminous Lumina II stereo speakers, and they’re a winner for Italian-crafted sound and looks

6:00 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Hi-Fi Speakers | Comments: Off

Sonus Faber Lumina II: Two minute review

Since the early 1980s, Sonus Faber has been creating high-performance, high-end loudspeakers and charging a (generally perfectly justifiable) arm and a leg for them. But in a move not many people saw coming, the company decided to democratize its ‘Made in Italy’ cachet by launching a pair of speakers that sell for an almost-mainstream $1,499 / £999 /AU$2,200 per pair. They’re called the Sonus Faber Lumina II.

In many ways, the Lumina II are Sonus Faber business as usual. The standard of build and finish is impeccable, the materials are premium (although the company’s customary use of real leather will no doubt alienate as many people as it excites), the look is sophisticated and understated. And, sure enough, there’s a little ‘Made in Italy’ sticker on the cabinet's rear, just to let you know you're dealing with something a little special even among the heady brands that make the best stereo speakers.

In many ways, the Sonus Faber Lumina II sound like their money’s-worth, as well as looking and feeling like it. They’re a balanced, insightful and nicely detailed listen, are able to organize a soundstage well, and with unarguable talent where frequency response and tonal fidelity are concerned. No, they’re far from the punchiest speakers around – they run out of meaningful puff quite early in the bass frequencies – and they’re not enthusiastic about bigger volume levels, either.

But for some people, the fact that this is Sonus Faber we’re talking about will be enough to overlook these (admittedly fairly mild) shortcomings. The harder-headed consumer, though, knows that the Sonus Faber Lumina II are far from the only choice at this sort of money – the likes of the KEF LS50 Meta loom large.

Sonus Faber Lumina II on a stone surface — (Image credit: Future)

Sonus Faber Lumina II review: Price and release date

Released June 15, 2021
$1,499 / £999 / AU$2,199

The Sonus Faber Lumina II are on sale now, and in the United Kingdom a pair will cost you £999. In the United States, you’re looking at $1,499, while in Australia they’ll set you back AU$2,199.

Passive standmounting speakers at this sort of money are not exactly a rarity, of course. So, apart from the ‘handmade in Italy’ cachet, what does Sonus Faber have up its beautifully tailored sleeve?

Sonus Faber Lumina II review: Features

29mm ‘damped apex dome’ tweeter
150mm pulp/fibre mid/bass driver
Front-facing bass reflex port

As a pair of small and (relatively) affordable passive loudspeakers, the Sonus Faber Lumina II aren’t exactly awash with features, but those they have are of high quality and are utterly fit for purpose.

So, reading from the top of the front of each speaker, there’s a 29mm tweeter of Sonus Faber’s own ‘damped apex dome’ design, which features a silk diaphragm and is mounted using a visco-elastic baffle to effectively isolate the vibration it produces from the cabinet. Below here there’s a 150mm mid/bass driver – a cone made from a combination of natural fibres and cellulose pulp. It sits in what Sonus Faber describes as an ‘ultra-free compression basket’, and the promise is of high linearity and dynamic performance.

The speakers stand on a little plastic plinth – there’s a little gap between the main cabinet and the plinth where a bass reflex port faces forwards. This makes the Lumina II nicely forgiving of positioning in your room, notwithstanding a few rather unusual positioning issues thrown up further down in the ‘design’ section.

The overall arrangement is good for a frequency response of 55Hz - 24kHz, according to Sonus Faber. Crossover is at an unremarkable 1.8kHz, sensitivity is an equally ordinary 85dB, and nominal impedance is four ohms. The manufacturer suggests that any worthwhile amplifier with 50 watts or more available should be able to drive the Lumina II without issues.

Features score: 4 / 5

Sonus Faber Lumina II review: Sound quality

Detailed and spacious presentation
Organized and unflappable…
…unless you decide to listen at bigger volumes

If you’re familiar with any of Sonus Faber’s products from the turn of the century onwards, the overall emphasis of the Lumina II sound isn’t going to come as much of a surprise. No matter the sort of stuff you like to listen to, and no matter the source of it, these speakers are a balanced, naturalistic and periodically absorbing listen.

The tonal balance of the Lumina II is carefully neutral, so a nicely organic recording like Nico’s The Fairest of the Seasons enjoys a true-to-life depiction of the small string section, acoustic guitar, and expressive and unmistakable vocal. There’s plenty of detail revealed and contextualized at every part of the frequency range, and the Sonus Faber travel from top to bottom in a smooth and undemonstrative manner. No part of the frequency range gets overstated and, apart from the very lowest frequencies, no part is underplayed. The crossover between tweeter and mid/bass driver is all-but imperceptible.

The speakers do good work with harmonic variations, and are quite explicit where soundstaging is concerned, too. There’s a respectable degree of dynamic headroom available, and a willingness to track even the smaller changes in attack or intensity carefully.

Switch to a copy of Aw, Shoot! by CMAT and the Lumina II’s ability to open up a fairly compressed and dense recording is straightforwardly impressive. It can create appreciable space on the soundstage, and where less accomplished speakers present this recording as a sort of aural wedding cake, with element piled on top of element, the Sonus Faber bring some order to bear. Detail levels are good all over again, and the ability to tease out the finer, more transient occurrences in a recording and let them enjoy a little breathing space is not to be sniffed at.

There’s appreciable bite and shine at the top of the frequency range, but nothing too threatening or hard-edged – there’s real refinement to the treble response here. The midrange is eloquent and revealing, and – up to a point – low frequencies are just as substantial and well-resolved as everything going on above them.

The Lumina II don’t so much run out of extension at the bottom of the frequency range – not by the standards of reasonably compact standmounters, anyway – as run out of conviction. There’s a lack of power and drive towards the bottom of their frequency response which can make for a slightly lightweight rendition of whatever it is you’re listening to. Low frequencies are nicely controlled, so rhythmic expression is convincing, but outright ‘punch’ is in rather short supply.

It’s equally safe to say that volume is a factor in the Sonus Faber comfort zone. At moderate volumes the Lumina II are a composed, insightful and well-organized listen, with talents that extend well beyond ‘unflappability’. But if you up the ante, volume-wise, a fair bit of that composure deserts them, along with some of their powers of organization. The can begin to sound just fractionally two-dimensional and ever-so-slightly stressed. Dial the volume down just a little and normal service is quickly resumed.

Sound quality score: 4 / 5

Sonus Faber Lumina II review: Design

Choice of three finishes
Leather-covered sides and top surface
304 x 180 x 263mm (HxWxD)

Obviously you’ll make up your own mind as to the decorative potential (or otherwise) of the Sonus Faber Lumina II. What can’t be argued with is the quality of construction or finish – these are impeccably made loudspeakers. The company’s ongoing determination to cover a good portion of its speakers in leather (both sides and the top of this model) won’t sit well for those who’d prefer a vegan option, but as far as ‘craftsmanship’ is concerned, the Lumina II have plenty in evidence.

Each speaker is a tidy 304 x 180 x 263mm (HxWxD), and if you choose either of the ‘walnut with maple inlays’ or ‘wenge with maple inlays’ the front baffle is of multilayered wood with real wood veneer. The piano black alternative is glossy, all right, and also built of multilayered wood but it’s quite reflective, so is not perhaps the first choice for those who may wish to use their Lumina II as part of a home theater set-up in a darkened room.

At the rear of each cabinet there are four nickel-plated speaker binding terminals that can be used with bare wire, banana plugs or spade connectors. Biwiring or biamping is perfectly straightforward.

Although the configuration of the speakers makes them quite forgiving of room position, the liberal use of leather does not. The company is quite unequivocal: you should not position your Lumina II near windows or sources of heat, and they should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Perhaps lots of leather isn’t such a brilliant idea after all…

Design score: 4 / 5

Sonus Faber Lumina II review: Value

‘Made in Italy’ seldom comes cheap, and in a market dominated by speakers that have been ‘designed and engineered’ in one place and then inevitably ‘made in China’, it’s quite a prestigious point of difference. And where materials, build quality and the standard of finish are concerned, it’s hard to argue that you’re not getting full value here.

And up to a point, that’s all true when it comes to sound quality, too. But a look at the ‘also consider’ section below lets you know that if you’re prepared to forgo a bit of the undeniable Sonus Faber cachet, better pound-for-pound performance is available…

Value score: 4 / 5

Sonus Faber Lumina II review: Should you buy them?

Buy them if...

You’re a sucker for Italian design
Like every Sonus Faber product, the Lumina II are a visual and tactile treat.

You enjoy open, detailed and naturalistic sound
These speakers have a real talent for opening up a recording and peering deep inside.

You do your listening in a darkened room
The leather finish means these speakers are more affected by sunlight than most.

Don't buy them if...

You’re vegan
The leather finish might be a dealbreaker.

You like to listen loud
The composure that’s such an admirable part of the Lumina II's sound can go astray at big volumes.

You consider ‘wallop’ to be a positive word
Other speakers of comparable size and price can dig deeper and hit harder.

Sonus Faber Lumina II review: Also consider

KEF LS50 Meta
All price-comparable speakers tend to look a bit agricultural next to the Sonus Faber Lumina II but KEF’s outstanding LS50 Meta have a strong look of their own and, most importantly, the sort of all-around excellence the Lumina II can’t quite match. The ever-expanding number of available colors and dramatic visuals of the driver array don’t do any harm, either…View Deal

Sonus Faber Lumina II review: How I tested

Connected to a Naim Uniti Nova, listening to Qobuz and Tidal tracks
Also hooked up a Rega Apollo for CDs; Cambridge Audio/Clearaudio for vinyl

During my spell listening to the Sonus Faber Lumina II, they were powered by a Naim Uniti Nova streamer/amplifier capable of delivering 70 watts of power per channel. I also used the Naim for listening to Qobuz and Tidal, as it is both a streamer and an amplifier.

I listened to compact discs using a Rega Apollo player, and vinyl via both the Cambridge Audio Alva TT v2 and Clearaudio Concept turntables.

The Lumina II remained in my listening space for the test's entirety – the area is nothing too sophisticated, it’s a fairly ordinary (though not particularly reflective) room that works excellently for my purposes. Using this disparate sources, I listened to myriad different recordings, from a plenty of genres, and from a wide range of eras.

First reviewed: February 2025
Read more about how we test

OnePlus Watch 3 review – Android’s long-lasting chunky smartwatch

4:01 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Health & Fitness Smartwatches | Comments: Off

OnePlus Watch 3: One minute review

Writing this OnePlus Watch 3 review, I was struck by how much smaller of a leap we've seen from the OnePlus Watch 2 to the OnePlus Watch 3, compared to the leap the Watch 2 made from the original. The first OnePlus Watch was considered bad by every metric, but the OnePlus Watch 2 was a spectacular improvement in every way.

The OnePlus Watch 3 has much less work to do, iterating on an already successful design. Like the OnePlus Watch 2, it’s got the look of a classic dress watch with its outer casing and bezel, now upgraded from stainless steel to titanium. Its AMOLED display is now comprised of 2D sapphire crystal for improved durability, and its battery life has been extended from the OnePlus Watch 2’s 100 hours to 120 hours, beating rivals like the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra and Apple Watch Ultra for longevity.

I’ve only used it for a few hours, but functionally it performs as smoothly and as well as any Wear OS watch I’ve yet used, including the Google Pixel Watch 3. It’s an option most Android phone users should consider, and it’s sure to make its way into our best Android watches list in future.

Its usability is vastly improved by the addition of a rotating digital crown, allowing for easier scrolling and navigation, especially during sweaty workouts in which the touchscreen would be harder (or grosser) to use.

My main gripe is with the watch’s size: I would have loved to see OnePlus bring out a second, smaller model for those with smaller wrists. Many people, including a lot of women, will find it’s just too big and heavy for daily wear. However, this issue aside, it’s a powerful, robust daily driver with modern health tools and a timeless look.

OnePlus Watch 3: Specifications

OnePlus Watch 3: price and availability

£319 in the UK (approximately $400 / AU$630)
Available in the UK / EU
Availability for other regions is TBC

The OnePlus Watch 3 is available in the UK, where it's priced at £319 (approximately $400 / AU$630), and in the EU. It's available to order from today.

We’re currently unsure if the watch will be available in the US and AU markets, but will update this full review with that information when we get it.

OnePlus Watch 3: Design

Sumptuous screen
Rotating crown
Very big for smaller wrists

As mentioned, the OnePlus Watch 3 shares many design similarities with the OnePlus Watch 2. However, there are a few changes both under the hood and, erm, over it. The watch still runs Wear OS 5 on its Snapdragon W5 chipset, but it also runs a second operating system, RTOS, powered by a new BES2800 MCU chip.

By switching from Wear OS to the low-power RTOS, the OnePLus Watch 3 is able to extend its battery life. In conjunction with the new chip, a bigger 631mAh battery means the Watch 3 lasts up to 120 hours, compared with the older model's 100 hours.

The shape and design of the OnePlus Watch 3 are very similar to the Watch 2 pictured below. At 46.6mm x 47.6mm x 11mm, not including the thickness of the sensor, it’s a hefty watch at 81g including strap. It might look like a timeless metal dress watch, which helps, but the sheer size of it will be off-putting to a lot of people.

However, its size does mean it’s packing a lovely big screen. Its 2D sapphire crystal and buttery-smooth AMOLED puts out 2,000 nits, the same brightness as the Apple Watch Ultra 2. The big screen makes reading messages and notifications a pleasure rather than an annoyance to, doubly so thanks to the other big new addition: a rotating digital crown. Pressing the crown takes you back to the main menu, and its wheel is used for scrolling, while the side button starts workouts. Coupled with the touchscreen, it’s all very intuitive, and a design that will be familiar to users of the best Apple Watches.

OnePlus Watch 3: Features

60-second heart health check-in
New ECG functionality
Dual-frequency GPS

As well as the rotating digital crown, tougher new screen and bezel, and longer battery life, there are software features aplenty, both new and returning. The beauty of the best Android watches (much like the best Apple Watches) is that you can stuff them full of third-party apps, and it’s the same case here. I’ve already got Strava, Spotify, AllTrails, Audible… all my usual suspects.

First up among the new stuff is the 60-second health check-in. By pressing your finger on the All-In_one sensor button, the OnePlus Watch 3 measures your heart rate, conducts an electrocardiograph scan (this feature will be available later in the year), and tracks blood oxygen levels, mental wellness, wrist temperature, sleep quality, and a new metric called ‘vascular age’, similar to Garmin’s Fitness Age, but specifically tailored to heart health.

A big emphasis is placed on heart heath, with vascular elasticity measured and the new ECG functionality working with this to create benchmarks based on age. Essentially, the OnePlus Watch 3 can tell you a rough idea of how 'old' your heart is in comparison to the rest of your body. If you’re in your thirties but very fit, you might have the heart of a 25-year-old for example, whereas someone out-of-shape might have a heart age edging towards the forties.

GPS is now dual-frequency for additional accuracy. The Watch’s basic workout app supports over 100 different sports mode, but only 11 of these offer ‘professional modes’ or unique metrics, such as running. The rest are nice-to-haves for instant input into your digital training diary.

I’ll be adding a Performance section, along with final scores, in my full review after I've worn and tested the watch over a longer period. Check back soon!

The DJI Osmo Mobile 7P is a best-in-class phone gimble with superior tracking capabilities

4:00 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Phone Accessories Phones | Comments: Off

DJI Osmo Mobile 7P: Two-Minute Review

A lot has happened in the mobile gimbal market since DJI launched the Osmo Mobile 6 back in 2022. At the time, the Osmo Mobile 6 could claim to be the best ultra-portable folding smartphone stabilizer around, but since then, the Insta360 Flow Pro and Insta360 Flow 2 Pro have provided strong competition – mostly due to the fact that their Apple DockKit compatibility means they can automatically track subjects on a range of iPhone apps, not just the gimbals’ own companion app. As a result, the Osmo Mobile 6, which could only track (albeit track very well) on its own Mimo app, started to feel quite outdated.

All that changes with the launch of the new DJI Osmo Mobile 7P, which includes a module allowing it to track using any app on any phone. That addition, which theoretically puts DJI back in pole position of the ultra-compact gimbal market, comes with a few other tweaks and improvements, but otherwise, the 7P feels very similar to the 6 – which is no bad thing.

The design is beautifully simple. The Osmo Mobile 7P folds down to a pocketable size (by which I mean it’ll fit in a coat pocket rather than a jeans pocket) but can be ready to shoot in a single movement, while the magnetic clamp phone mounting method and the gimbal’s clever auto-balancing means successfully attaching and detaching my phone takes moments rather than minutes.

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DJI Osmo Mobile 7P smartphone gimbal — (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

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Stabilization works very well, with the three-axis gimbal following my movements intelligently and smoothly and the built-in 215mm extension rod enabling both extra distance for vlogging and higher and lower angle shots. The shape of the handle and the grippy material on its front, along with the light weight of the gimbal, make it very comfortable to use one-handed.

There are four gimbal movement modes to choose from: Pan Follow (which locks the tilt and roll axes while following horizontal pan movements), Pan Tilt Follow (similar but follows tilt as well), FPV (which follows motion across all three axes, for more dramatic videos), and SpinSpot (a specialist mode that enables Gaspar Noe-style rotation of the camera angle). There’s not much scope to adjust stabilization outside of the default settings for these modes, but I never found that to be an issue during my tests.

The gimbal’s onboard controls are basically the same as the Osmo Mobile 6’s, with a thumb stick supporting manual gimbal movement and a wheel allowing manual focus pulling and smooth zooming. There are also buttons for mode switching, start/stop recording, and flicking between front and rear cameras or horizontal/landscape phone orientation. The trigger on the front can be held down to fix the current gimbal angle or double-tapped to reset the angle to its default. All fine by me.

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As well as handheld stabilization, the Osmo Mobile 7P can act as an autonomous camera operator thanks to its tracking capabilities and mini tripod; after setting it up on a flat surface, a vlogger could perform a piece-to-camera while moving around and the gimbal will follow them.

The mini tripod now comes built into the handle, which is more convenient than screwing on the mini tripod that came with the Osmo Mobile 6; its short feet mean it’s not as stable, however, and I’d expect a strong gust of wind to knock it down. So, investing in a better tripod to screw into the standard tripod mount on the gimbal’s base might be advisable if you’re going to be shooting outdoors often.

In terms of tracking, the Osmo Mobile 7P represents a massive leap forward over its predecessor. When using the DJI Mimo app on your phone to capture video, the new ActiveTrack 7.0 tracking adds support for group tracking, fast subject reacquisition (if the subject ducks behind an object then re-emerges, for instance), and tracking while using zoom. It can also be set up so that the subject isn’t kept in the center of the frame but to one side, providing welcome new composition possibilities.

The only thing I didn’t like about the tracking was the gimbal's inability to rotate through 360º horizontally. The Insta360 Flow 2 Pro does offer this kind of ‘infinite’ rotation tracking, so be aware that you don’t get it here.

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Even better, perhaps, is the fact that the new Multifunction Module accessory adds support for simple human subject tracking with any smartphone app. So, I can fire up my iPhone’s native camera app, TikTok, BlackMagic Camera, Instagram, or Zoom and still have the Osmo Mobile 7P follow me around – albeit not with all the features I’d get from ActiveTrack tracking. The Module’s tracking uses an onboard camera, and it’s quite good at following a tricky subject around the room. This camera also recognizes gestures, allowing you to start/stop tracking, stop/start video, and adjust framing using your hands.

The Module, which fixes to the magnetic clamp and can be pointed front or backwards, also includes an LED fill light with four brightness levels (the brightest of which is surprisingly powerful) and four different color temperatures. It can also wirelessly pair with a transmitter from DJI’s Mic Mini to offer a quick, fuss-free way to get great audio for vlogs. Unfortunately, I don’t have a Mic Mini to test this with, and my DJI Mic 2 transmitter annoyingly doesn’t replicate the feat.

Battery life on the DJI Osmo Mobile 7P is roughly the same as you get from other small gimbals, with a full charge offering up to 10 hours of use. However, with the Multifunction Module attached, as well as tracking and more gimbal movement, I’d expect closer to five hours of use – or less if the LED fill light is blazing away.

Overall, I was hugely impressed by the DJI Osmo Mobile 7P, which keeps all that was good about the Osmo Mobile 6 while adding massive improvements to tracking. I’d say the addition of the Multifunction Module means the Osmo Mobile 7P now pips the Insta360 Flow 2 Pro for the title of best small folding gimbal, although both models are superb stabilizers for on-the-go video work.

DJI Osmo Mobile 7P review: Price and Availability

Announced February 18, 2025
Osmo Mobile 7P priced from $149 / £135 / AU$219
Lighter, Module-free 7 priced from $89 / £85 / AU$159

The DJI Osmo Mobile 7 series launched on February 18, 2025 and is available to order now. The range consists of two slightly different models: the Osmo Mobile 7P and the Osmo Mobile 7. The former, which I've reviewed here, is a little larger and heavier and comes supplied with the new Multifunctional Module accessory. However, it’s worth noting that the Module is available separately and compatible with the Osmo Mobile 7, so buyers can always upgrade their model later on down the line.

The Osmo Mobile 7P costs $149 / £135 / AU$219, while the Osmo Mobile 7 costs $89 / £85 / AU$159. These prices look like quite good value to me, given that the 7P’s closest rival, the Insta360 Flow 2 Pro, costs roughly the same (actually, ever so slightly more). The new model is actually a little cheaper than the Osmo Mobile 6 was at its launch in 2022 too; it’s good to see something beating inflation these days.

A range of accessories are launching alongside the gimbal, but at the time of writing, I have not been given prices or further details about them, merely their names. These are: the DJI OM Magnetic Quick-Release Mount; DJI Mic Mini Transmitter; DJI OM 7 Series Tracking Kit; and DJI OM Grip Tripod.

DJI Osmo Mobile 7P review: specs

DJI Osmo Mobile 7P review: Also Consider

Insta360 Flow 2 Pro
Until the Osmo Mobile 7P showed up, this was undoubtedly the best compact mobile gimbal around. Now, it sits alongside it as a highly recommended option, although its lack of a tracking module means it only really offers extended tracking for iPhone users via Apple DockKit compatibility. Android users are better off with the Osmo.

Read our Insta360 Flow 2 Pro review

Hohem iSteady M7
While it’s significantly pricier and bulkier than the Osmo Mobile 7, the iSteady M7’s beefy stabilization works with phones up to 500g in weight, and it offers a plethora of adjustment options for perfectionist creators – plus a brilliant built-in touchscreen remote control module. A more professional option for those who demand more than simplicity and portability.

Read our Hohem iSteady M7 review

Should I buy the DJI Osmo Mobile 7P?

Buy it if...

You want the most flexible tracking on a small gimbal
The Osmo Mobile 7P’s Multifunction Module allows it to track subjects with any camera app on both Android and iPhone, which hasn’t been available on a tiny folding gimbal until now.

You own a DJI Mic Mini
The Module is also able to directly connect to DJI’s tiny Mic Mini wireless mic, giving vloggers clearer audio immediately. Sadly, it’s not compatible with the full-size DJI Mic 2 or Mic.

Don't buy it if...

You own a large, heavy phone
Not many phones weigh more than 300g, but if yours does, you’ll need a bigger, stronger gimbal like the Hohem iSteady M7. The Osmo Mobile 7P works best with regular-sized handsets.

You like to heavily tweak settings
The Osmo Mobile 7P keeps things simple when it comes to gimbal movement and stabilization, and if you want to make precise adjustments to the way these things work, a more pro-friendly gimbal is in order.

How I tested the DJI Osmo Mobile 7P

One week of use
Tested with iPhone 13 and various iOS apps
Used inside and outdoors both on tripod and in hand

DJI loaned me a review sample of the Osmo Mobile 7P, which included the gimbal, Multifunctional Module, magnetic clamp, cables and a soft storage bag but no additional accessories.

I tested it out using my Apple iPhone 13 in and around my home, using it both handheld and set up on its mini tripod indoors and outdoors. I tested all movement modes too.

Having recently reviewed several rival mobile gimbals for TechRadar, I’m in a good position to compare the Osmo Mobile 7P to its competitors.

First reviewed February 2025

Dell XPS 13 (Intel Core Ultra 2nd Gen, 2025) review: still one of the best laptops money can buy

3:06 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops Windows Laptops | Tags: AI | Comments: Off

Dell XPS 13: Two-minute review

The Dell XPS 13 pictured on a white surface in front of a window with two potted plants. — (Image credit: Future)

Dell's XPS 13 laptop line has been kicking about for quite a while now, and it's come a long way. The XPS brand debuted more than two decades ago, with the very first XPS laptop launching back in 2007; needless to say, the latest iteration of the Dell XPS 13 looks and feels far more modern, sharing very little DNA with that first XPS laptop, and it's (almost) flawless.

Sporting the same sleek design we saw in the 2024 Dell XPS 13 with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip, the new model basically takes everything that laptop did and does it better, thanks to new Lunar Lake processors from Intel. In our review model, that's the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, which delivers staggeringly good battery life and a general uptick in performance over the Snapdragon model.

When I say staggeringly good, I do mean staggeringly good – I'll get into the details later in this review, but in our video playback test the Lunar Lake XPS 13 clocked in just shy of 24 hours, beating most of the machines on our current list of the best laptops. In terms of general use, it can literally go for days without a charge if you're just doing basic tasks like word processing and answering emails. It feels like a giant middle finger from Dell and Intel to the MacBook Air's generational drops in battery life, and I'm so here for it.

Performance-wise, things are a bit less impressive, but still basically excellent. The laptop ran smoothly no matter what I threw at it, and overall performance in my benchmarking tests exceeded that offered by the previous Snapdragon-powered XPS 13 – and many other laptops at this price point.

Speaking of price, I should probably clarify right now that this isn't a cheap laptop; our review unit is priced at $1,999.99 / £2,049 / AU$3,998.50, placing it squarely in 'premium ultrabook' territory. Still, it delivers great value for money when you look at the specs and performance, with an absolutely gorgeous OLED display

The only reason this isn't an immediate five-star review is the fact that Dell hasn't resolved some issues with the design that I've noticed in previous models, dating back to the 2023 Dell XPS 13 Plus. These are mainly related to usability and accessibility; while the design looks incredible, the edgeless touchpad and lack of physical Fn keys hurt the laptop's functionality a little, stopping it from achieving perfection.

Despite these niggling issues, the new XPS 13 is still an absolutely fantastic laptop that I'd happily use for the next five years or more – how do you feel about letting me keep this one, Dell?

Dell XPS 13: Price and availability

How much does it cost? Starts at $1,199.99 / £1,399 / AU$3,198.80
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

There are multiple configurations of the 2nd-gen Intel Core Ultra version of the XPS 13, with prices starting at $1,199.99 / £1,399 / AU$3,198.80 for the non-touchscreen model. In a strange twist, the Core Ultra 5 configuration is actually $50 more expensive in the US for no discernible reason; elsewhere, that's the cheapest model.

You'll likely at least want a touchscreen and a Core Ultra 7 processor to get the full experience from this laptop, which is what our review unit offers, and that model checks in at a cool $1,999.99 / £2,049 / AU$3,998.50 – certainly not inexpensive, but about par for the course for premium ultrabooks. It is notably more expensive than the latest M3 MacBook Air, which is almost a year old now – in other words, macOS fans likely won't be making the switch to Windows 11 based on this review.

The top-end configuration of the Dell XPS 13 will cost you $2,349.99 / £2,634 / AU$4,899.40, and offers an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V chip, 32GB of RAM, 2TB of SSD storage, and the same lovely 3K OLED touchscreen in my review model.

Price score: 4/5

Dell XPS 13: Specs

Dell XPS 13: Design

Lightweight but sturdy
Looks fantastic
Still has some accessibility issues

Aesthetically speaking, Dell didn't need to change a thing for this new iteration of the XPS 13: it's still rocking the same sleek chassis as last year's model, combining a modern style with a robust traditional clamshell design in either Platinum (featured here) or Graphite colorways.

The screen is the star of the show here: my review unit has the top-spec 3K (2880 x 1800) InfinityEdge OLED touch display, and it's glorious. Colors are bright and vivid, contrast is deep, and picture quality is generally very sharp and detailed. Even in more demanding tests that battered the frame rate a bit (like 3DMark's Time Spy benchmark), it looked magnificent.

The keyboard feels great to type on, with a decent amount of key travel and a satisfying bounce despite the super-thin chassis (it measures just 1.48cm in total thickness), and the cool backlighting makes it easy to use in low-light conditions. Naturally, it features a dedicated Copilot key as well as a fingerprint scanner integrated into the power button.

Unfortunately, I have the aforementioned beef with aspects of the keyboard and touchpad layout. The touchpad is 'invisible', integrated edgelessly into the palm rest, and while it's very responsive, and the palm rejection works perfectly, the lack of tactile edges is actually a little irritating in practice. While testing the XPS 13, I would sometimes unknowingly slide my fingertip past the edge of the pad's sensor range and try to click, to no avail.

These frustrations continue with the function bar above the keyboard, which is actually an LED-backlit touch bar that can swap seamlessly between traditional Fn keys and media keys when you hold down the Fn button. While this is a clever (and rather visually satisfying) solution, the lack of physical feedback is annoying, and in brightly-lit conditions – like working outside on a sunny day – these backlit 'keys' become virtually impossible to actually see. It's annoying, and both of these problems pose accessibility issues for sight-impaired users; not being able to feel a button or the edge of the touchpad with your finger would make using this laptop extremely difficult for a blind or partially-sighted person, even with screen reader tools.

The quad-array speakers and 1080p webcam are both very good – not the best I've ever seen, but perfectly capable of handling high-quality video calls and even playing music or videos out loud. I do generally recommend using a headset over integrated speakers when it comes to laptops (especially for gaming), but these do the job well. The webcam array also features an IR camera for facial recognition logins, although it lacks any sort of privacy shutter or kill switch, which would have been a nice inclusion for security-conscious users.

In terms of overall construction, this is one very sturdy laptop in spite of its thin-and-light design. The outer metal shell is scratch-resistant machined aluminum with a matte finish (though it does pick up fingerprints), and the internal plastic of the keyboard and palm rest feels durable too.

One downside to the overall design is the dearth of physical ports: you get two Thunderbolt 4 USB-Cs, and that's literally it. No USB-A, no Ethernet or video output (although those USB-C ports do support DisplayPort video), no microSD slot, not even a humble 3.5mm audio jack. I get it; USB-C is a great multipurpose connection standard, and this sort of port layout is increasingly common in modern ultrabooks, but if you need to use the laptop while it's plugged in, you're limited to just a single Thunderbolt port, which is a shame. Prepare to buy a USB-C hub if you're planning to connect a lot of devices to your XPS 13, basically.

Design score: 4/5

Dell XPS 13: Performance

Lunar Lake performs excellently
Copilot+ works as advertised

As expected, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V in my XPS 13 review unit performs admirably, delivering strong performance in virtually every department, helped along by its hefty 32GB of DDR5 memory. It's truly mind-blowing to me how rapidly laptops have improved in the past decade. Speaking as someone who's been testing them for years, being able to play modern games on an ultralight compact laptop like this just feels unreal.

That said, this isn't a gaming laptop – though I'll discuss the graphical performance in a bit – so let's focus on what the XPS 13 is really for: everyday productivity. Across almost all of our synthetic benchmarks, it beats last year's Snapdragon X Elite model handily by a decent margin. Multi-core performance in Geekbench 6.4 was notably a bit weaker, but still good, while single-core performance was stronger.

Dell XPS 13 review: Benchmarks

Here's how the Dell XPS 13 (Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, 2024) performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
3DMark: Night Raid: 34,618; Fire Strike: 9,058; Time Spy: 4,407; Steel Nomad: 889
Cinebench R23: Multi-core: 8,494; Single-core: 1,874
Geekbench 6.4: Multicore: 11,001; Single-core: 2,716
Geekbench AI: Single Precision Score: 2,359; Half Precision Score: 1,217; Quantized Score: 4,811
PCMark 10: 6,827
Crossmark: Overall: 1,839; Productivity: 1,684; Creativity: 2,174; Responsiveness: 1,467
Sid Meier's Civilization VI: (1080p, Ultra): 65fps; (1080p, Low): 155fps
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 23 hours, 26 minutes

In any case, when it came to real-world use, I had zero problems. Opening 20 Chrome tabs and multitasking between them caused no slowdown, and the laptop boots up and wakes from sleep mode incredibly fast. General responsiveness and functionality were excellent. Dell's own pre-installed software is here, naturally, but it's mercifully quite unobtrusive – no bloatware here, besides the usual Windows 11 stuff.

Given that the Core Ultra 7 258V packs an Intel AI Boost neural processing unit (NPU), I put that to the test as well. In the Geekbench AI benchmark, it produced a quantized score of 4,811; a reasonable showing, but weak compared to a system with a discrete GPU for advanced AI processing. However, in practice, Windows Copilot worked quickly and effectively on the XPS 13.

The Dell XPS 13 handled everything I threw at it with relative calm, only spinning up its fans to any noticeable volume during the 3DMark rendering tests. In most tests, I heard barely a whisper from the fans, and general use was completely silent most of the time.

Intel's focus on power efficiency and thermal performance for the 2nd-gen Core Ultra chips has clearly paid off. The laptop barely got warm throughout my entire testing process – opting for a rear exhaust vent rather than the underside vents I often see on ultrabooks was a wise move from Dell, as it means using the laptop on a soft surface (like a duvet, or your own thighs) won't block any heat output.

When it comes to gaming, it's surprisingly viable on the XPS 13: toss in features like Intel XeSS upscaling (or AMD's open-source FSR 3.1), and you can reasonably play the vast majority of PC games on this laptop, even modern titles – just be aware that you'll probably need to tweak down some of the graphical settings in order to get a decent frame rate. This certainly isn't one of the best gaming laptops, but it'll happily stand up to a bit of casual gaming when the workday is done.

Performance score: 4.5/5

Dell XPS 13: Battery

You probably got this from me raving about the battery further up in this review, but wowzers. Yeah, never saying that again. Seriously though, the battery life on this thing is absurd, beating out virtually every other laptop I've tested. Dell promised 24-hour battery life, and I'll be damned if it didn't deliver.

Our battery test involves running a looped 1080p video clip with the laptop set to standard power efficiency mode in Windows 11, with Bluetooth off, the volume at zero, and brightness at 50%. Running on battery power, the XPS 13 shut down after 23 hours and 26 minutes of playback – if you were using it at minimum brightness with additional low-power modes enabled, you could probably stretch it even further.

Granted, this isn't indicative of everyday use; many people will want brightness set to maximum or Bluetooth turned on to support a mouse or headset (because, you know... not enough ports on this bad boy). Still, it's a phenomenal showing that batters most of the competition, and virtually guarantees that this laptop will see you through a full workday.

One thing I really value in a laptop battery is its ability to hold charge when turned off or in sleep mode, and the XPS 13 also excels in this area. After sitting on a desk for several days, unplugged and unused, I cracked it open and found it still had more than 50% battery. Thanks to Thunderbolt 4 power delivery, it also charges very fast, going from empty to 80%-plus in one hour when not in use.

Battery score: 5/5

Should you buy the Dell XPS 13?

Buy it if...

You need long battery life
If you want your laptop to last through a full day's work and then some (or you're just prone to forgetting your charger), then Dell has you covered.

You want something lightweight but powerful
With a thin chassis and low overall package weight, the XPS 13 is a compact powerhouse that doesn't skimp on performance for its lightweight design.

You want to use AI locally
Intel’s Lunar Lake chips bring boosted NPU performance against previous models, so anyone who wants an ultrabook capable of running on-device AI tools should consider the XPS 13.

Don't buy it if...

You’re on a tight budget
Even though it backs up its price tag with excellent performance and a strong spec sheet, there's no denying that the Dell XPS 13 is a pricey piece of hardware.

You're sight-impaired
The edgeless touchpad and lack of tactile feedback on the function bar above the keyboard will prove to be a real issue for blind or partially-sighted users – this feels like a case of form over function.

You like plugging stuff in
Two USB-Cs, Dell? That's all we get? A measly showing for physical connectivity, something that won't bother some users but will really irritate others.

Also Consider

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)
The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch with M3 is one of the best compact laptops on the market, and its performance is top-notch too – the XPS 13 beats it in some areas, but if you prefer macOS to Windows, this is the one to pick.

Read our full Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) review

Dell XPS 17 (9730)
If you want a powerful laptop but would prefer a larger display (and you're not overly concerned about portability), then the Dell XPS 17 is worth a look.

Read our full Dell XPS 17 (9730) review

How I tested the Asus Zenbook S 14

I used the Dell XPS 13 for a week, both for work and personal projects
I ran it through our full suite of benchmarks
I tested the battery using the TechRadar movie test as well as general use

As usual with laptops, my process for reviewing the Dell XPS 13 involved replacing my daily driver with it for a week (usually I'd like a little longer, but deadlines are deadlines). This helps me get a feel for how the laptop handles everyday workloads, as well as giving me a good amount of insight into the build quality and user experience.

Once I'd used the XPS 13 for a little while, I ran it through our grueling gauntlet of synthetic and real-world benchmarking tests, running every test at least three times to produce accurate averages.

Lastly, I always try to play some games on every laptop I review, and the XPS 13's performance genuinely surprised me – I was able to play Warframe and Elite Dangerous with few to no hiccups after a bit of tweaking in the graphical settings, although the demanding Black Myth: Wukong proved a bit much for the integrated graphics in this laptop.

Boulies EP200: 30-second review

Supremely comfortable. That was my first thought after assembling the Boulies EP200 office chair and sitting down for the first time. And after a month of constant use - for at least eight hours a day, sometimes more - this initial assessment still holds true.

This is a delightful mesh seat which feels at all times supportive, relaxed, and one of the best office chairs I’ve ever tested. I’ve long been a fan of mesh office chairs, which are a lot more breathable and far less sweaty than fabric and leather (or worse, so-called PU or faux leather) options you’ll often find on even the best gaming chairs. If you’re using your chair for long hours at a time, to my mind mesh is the way to go. On this score, the Boulies EP200 ably fits the bill.

My real concern was whether that mesh seat would suffer from a general sagging or whether it would be too firm - either can lead to discomfort and fatigue during the work day. I’m happy to report that it hits the Goldilocks spot, neither too hard nor too soft, but just right.

There are a handful of features lacking here, which you’ll find on higher-priced desk chairs. Notably, the lumbar support is fixed to one spot - although you can move it back and forth, it isn’t height-adjustable to accommodate for taller users (as a man of average height, this wasn’t an issue for me).

Nonetheless, it does boast decent lower back support, 3D armrests, a pleasant headrest, and overall, I had no real problems positioning these to make it as comfortable as possible for all-day use.

Boulies EP200: Price & availability

Boulies EP200 during review — (Image credit: Boulies )

The Boulies EP200 Series retails for $300 via the Boulies.com website by clicking here.

In the UK, the chair is available for £280 from the Boulies.co.uk site which you can visit by clicking here.

Right now, only the black cold-cured foam version is available in the US, while the UK offers both gray and black models.

At the time of review, this chair is currently discounted to $200 / £190, which is more in-line with budget-price office chairs - and an excellent price for what’s on offer, I feel. You can also pick it up from Amazon and other online retailers.

Boulies EP200: Specs

Boulies EP200: Design

The EP200 Series is available in black or gray, with the choice of a mesh or a cold-cured foam seat. Both models possess a tightly woven, single-piece mesh backrest. I selected the gray mesh variant for review, which I found unimposing in the home office.

Design-wise, it’s of the classic office chair look, not dissimilar to the likes of the Sihoo M57 (read our review here). Smart and professional, it won’t look out of place either in the home or in the office, and I have no complaints with its appearance. At 51cm, the backrest itself is relatively wide compared to some at this price-point, giving it more utility for those with a larger frame.

Around the back, it’s similarly unfussy, with a Y-shaped plastic support where, within the nub, you’ll find the adjustable lumbar support. The only sign of decoration comes from a silver piece of plastic stamped with the Boulies signature. This is a separate piece, fitted post-assembly, and entirely optional depending on your tastes.

Boulies EP200: Assembly

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Taking around twenty minutes from start to finish, constructing the Boulies EP200 is about as simple as any I’ve tried. Plug the wheels into the aluminum base, bolt the backrest to the seat, then affix the contoured headrest. Connect the armrests, add the gas lift to the base, and rest the chair on top. All par for the course when it comes to office chair assembly.

While the box is admittedly heavy, I had no issues hauling it upstairs into the office, and assembling the entire unit on my own. The included manual is straightforward and easy to follow, and if you have any experience piecing chairs together, you’ll have no trouble here whatsoever.

Boulies EP200: Comfort & adjustability

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I was impressed with the comfort of this office chair - in fact, I’d find reasons to sit at my desk outside of work hours just to use it. I found the suspended mesh seat firm without being too hard, and supportive in all the right places.

As a chap of average height and build, I didn’t struggle with finding the sweet spot here. Like all gas-lift office chairs, you’ll find a lever beneath the seat to adjust the overall height. Pulling this lever outward unlocks the backrest so you can recline - just push back with your body weight until you find the appropriate angle, then lock it into place again. Easy stuff.

A second lever beside this is where you can control how far back the seat can go, and I found I had to have it moderately far forward in order to get into the lumbar support in the correct position. After making this adjustment, the foam lumbar support pushing through the mesh offered consistent lower back support.

I was expecting the unpadded armrests to be a bind, akin to resting one’s elbows on a slab of warm concrete. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find the foam, while relatively thin and somewhat hardened, provided an excellent balance between comfort and support - much like the rest of the chair, to be fair. As typical 3D armrests, these can be moved up and down, backwards and forwards, and outward and inward.

However, I would’ve liked to see a few more adjustability options. Specifically, the lumbar support, which can be repositioned on the horizontal plane by turning the screw cap, but not vertically, which would be useful for taller users. The headrest, too, can be moved up and down, but won’t shift forward, back, or angled in any way. Perhaps I’m being greedy, since for the price, I don’t consider these deal-breakers.

Boulies EP200: Final verdict

If you’re looking for a decent ergonomic office chair that won’t break the bank, there’s a lot to recommend about the Boulies EP200. It might not boast all the bells and whistles you’ll find on chairs twice the price, and it would’ve been nice to have a few extra adjustability points here and there. But for a modern, uncomplicated seat, I found it supremely comfortable and ultra-breathable even when used all day.

Should I buy the Boulies EP200 Series office chair?

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Buy it if…

✅ You want an affordable ergonomic office chair: Considering the price, the Boulies EP200 is extremely comfortable, offering good all-round support,with most of the key features I’d like to see in an office chair.

✅ You demand all-day comfort: I used this chair for at least eight hours a day for a month during testing, and never once felt fatigue set in. If you’re planning on being at your desk for work, rest, or play, it’s an effective choice.

Don’t buy it if…

❌ You need more adjustments: While you can reposition plenty of parts of this chair, it lacks height adjustable lumbar support, 4D armrests, and an angled headrest. That may be a deal-breaker for some.

❌ You need a padded backrest: Both versions in the Boulies EP200 Series of office chairs feature a mesh backrest, and while I found it snug and comfortable, many prefer a cushioned option for additional comfort.

For more workspace essentials, we tested the best standing desks for the home and office.

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