Computers - Organizer

I spent two weeks testing the JBL Grip, and it’s the ideal shower-friendly audio companion – but it won’t be replacing my Flip 7

6:56 pm | October 17, 2025

JBL Grip: two-minute review

The JBL Grip is a new entrant into the audio giant’s Bluetooth speaker lineup, sitting between the Clip and Flip lines. It has a seltzer-can-inspired look, attractive ambient lighting, and a highly durable exterior. Yes, it really has all the key design elements covered. But does the Grip sound any good? I tested it for two weeks to find out.

I’ve got to say, the JBL Grip is a pretty solid sounding speaker overall. Of course, it’s a pretty small model, so there are some limitations in terms of bass response, and when volume is pushed up high, music can sound pretty one-dimensional. But still, you’ll get clear, well-balanced, and decently punchy sound from this small cylindrical model.

Arguably the best thing about the JBL Grip, however, is its brilliant all-round design. I’m a big fan of its can-sized dimensions, and when you combine that with its textured exterior, it's both satisfying and easy to… well, grip. Like a lot of the best Bluetooth speakers, the JBL Grip is also dust and waterproof thanks to its IP68 protection against the elements, making it ideal for shower or beachside listening.

It’s also a real beauty, with the speaker coming in an appealing range of colors. I tried out the purple model, but there’s also pink, red, blue… you name it! An ambient lighting panel on the reverse side of the speaker is also very easy on the eye, though I do wish there was a light mode that synced to the speaker’s output for more immersive listening – something I’ve seen on speakers like the Marshall Bromley 750.

The lights on the JBL Grip are customizable via the JBL Portable app, which opens up a range of other options too. There’s PlayTime Boost if you want to get an extra couple hours of playtime, stereo group if you want to use two Grip speakers in stereo mode, and a range of EQ options, including a custom option.

On top of that, the JBL Grip supports Auracast, meaning you can link a bunch of compatible JBL speakers up to it for additional loudness and coverage.

At $99.95 / £89.99 / AU$129, the Grip isn’t exactly cheap for what it is, though it's hardly unfathomably expensive either. For me, I think its marginally larger sibling, the JBL Flip 7 just feels like a better value buy. It offers considerably better sound, with regimented, pumping bass and full-bodied, detailed sound. But it’s also got better battery life and the same durability – with only a slight increase in size and price.

Overall, though, I still think that the Grip is a neat addition to JBL’s vast lineup of Bluetooth speakers. If you’re digging its hand-held design and you want a sub-$100 option with personality, it’s one of the best models available to you right now – and you should totally get a Grip (thank you, I'm here all week). But if you’ve got a little more money to play with, I’d still recommend going for the Flip 7, which is an exemplary Bluetooth speaker.

JBL Grip held in hand — (Image credit: Future)

JBL Grip review: price and release date

$99.95 / £89.99 / AU$129
Launched in September 2025

The JBL Grip was launched in September 2025, and is the very first speaker in its line. It’s priced at a mid-point between the Clip 5 and Flip 7, and will typically cost $99.95 / £89.99 / AU$129. You can purchase this speaker in a range of colors too, including: Black; Blue; Pink; Purple; Red; Squad (camo); and White.

JBL Grip review: specs

Weight	0.8lbs / 0.4kg
Dimensions	2.5 x 6 x 2.6 inches / 64 x 153 x 65mm
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.4
Battery life	14 hours
Speaker drivers	1x 16W full range driver
Waterproofing	IP68

Button controls on top of the JBL Grip — (Image credit: Future)

JBL Grip review: features

Customizable lighting
Multiple EQ options in JBL Portable app
Commendable 14 hour battery life

The JBL Grip is equipped with just about everything you could want from a small Bluetooth speaker. And if you download the JBL Portable app, you get access to a whole lot of customization options.

For instance, the app features light adjustment, which lets you select from the following effects: freeze; bounce; trim; switch; and neon. You can also select from a small pool of colors and adjust brightness to get the precise look you want. It would be nice if there was a slight effect that synced to your music, but I still like the degree of personalization available here.

Another thing you can tailor to your taste is EQ. There are a handful of presets to choose from, like JBL Signature, Chill, and energetic. However, you can also create your own sound with the custom seven-band equalizer. This works nicely and I did stick with a custom tuning for a considerable chunk of my time with the speaker.

There’s even more to discover, though, like stereo pairing if you’ve got a second Grip, and Auracast connectivity, which enables you to link a load of compatible speakers for increased volume – models like the JBL Xtreme 4 and JBL Charge 6 support this.

Before we tie things up, a quick word on battery life. Technically, you can get up to 14 hours of playtime from this model, but that’s with volume low, minimal lighting, and use of the PlayTime Boost function – an option that essentially reduces sound quality for two additional hours of listening.

Usually, you’ll get up to 12 hours of listening, which is pretty solid for a model of this stature. You can fully recharge it in 3 hours too.

All in all, the Grip has just about every base covered. Sure, it doesn’t have an integrated mic for clear, hands-free calling – something you’ll find on a rival like the Edifier ES20. But still, there’s plenty of functionality to sink your teeth into.

Features score: 4.5/5

JBL Grip light panel — (Image credit: Future)

JBL Grip review: sound quality

Clear, well-balanced audio with AI Sound Boost
Some limitations with small size, especially at high volumes
Decent weight to bass, but Flip 7 blows it out the water

As you may expect, the small size of the JBL Grip does come with some sonic limitations, but for a model in this weight class, it performs well overall.

When tuning into Black Eye by Allie X, the deep drum machine sounded fairly commanding, while vocals remained clear in the mix. In the track’s intro, strings suddenly pierce through, but these sounded a little restricted on the Grip – the attack just sounded a little blunt or dulled, reducing the dramatic tone.

In Never Would by M-High, I was again treated to surprisingly deep, impactful bass – but not at the expense of controlled, decently detailed percussion in the treble range. With volume pushed to the 90-100% mark, low end did sound a little thin, and instrument separation was diminished, resulting in a slightly narrow sound. But that’s pretty common for a lot of small speakers, in fairness.

Similarly, tracks with booming sub-bass won’t be replicated all too well on the Grip due to some inherent restrictions. If you’re looking for almighty low-frequency output, I’d suggest checking out one of the best party speakers instead, like the JBL Xtreme 4.

Still, overall bass performance is solid, especially as you can set a custom EQ with enhanced low-end output, if you’d prefer. And in less bass-heavy genres, the Grip performs very admirably. In Rains again by Solji, soaring vocals remained emotive, with the breathiness in the performance audible throughout – that’s even without higher-res codecs like LDAC or aptX.

The speaker’s wraparound design also means you get a pleasing listen from all angles, with AI Sound Boost also onboard to optimize output for “bigger sound with less distortion”.

I compared the Grip to the Flip 7, and if you want the best sonic quality in a small body, that’s where I’d suggest spending your money. The regimented bass and more full-bodied sound is simply intoxicating. Having said that, the Grip does perform nicely – you’ll just have to make a few sonic sacrifices to enjoy its smaller form factor and sleek design.

Sound quality score: 4/5

Button controls on front of the JBL Grip — (Image credit: Future)

JBL Grip review: design

Rugged, durable exterior with IP68 rating
Easy to grip and ultra light
Attractive looks with fun array of color options

I’m not always bowled over by the look of JBL’s Bluetooth speakers, but I actually love the Grip’s design.

When I visited JBL at the Nordisk Film studio in Copenhagen, an employee noted how research was undertaken in the food and drink industry finding that consumers widely preferred the slim and tall soda can style over the traditionally shorter and stubbier alternative. As a result, the Grip is made to resemble the former, and is “inspired by the proportions of a seltzer can”.

I for one love the shape and size of the Grip. As its name suggests, it’s easy to grab on to, with its textured exterior providing additional grip. Its also pleasingly light, earning it top-class portability.

Playback controls are elegantly positioned towards the ‘lid’, while power, Auracast, and pairing buttons sit on the top. A light control button can be found on the reverse side, where you can also find a fabric loop that can be used to hook the speaker onto something.

As is typically the case with JBL, the Grip comes in a beautiful array of colors, including: Black; Blue; Pink; Purple; Red; Squad (camo); and White. I tested the Purple variant and it really stands out from the crowd in the best way, and the inclusion of a light panel compliments the vibrant colorways even further.

But the good times keep rolling. Yes, the JBL Grip is extremely durable, largely thanks to its impressive IP68 dust and waterproof rating. This means that the speaker is fully dustproof, and can be submerged in 1.5 meters of freshwater for up to 30 minutes. That makes it perfect for listening in the bath or shower, or even at the beach. JBL also calls the Grip ‘drop-proof’, so it truly is a hardy lil’ fella.

Design score: 5/5

JBL Grip review: value

Not exactly cheap for its size
JBL Flip 7 offers superior overall sound-per-pound value
Still, plenty of quality here

JBL has positioned the Grip right between the Clip 5 and Flip 7, pricing it at just under $100 / £90 / AU$130.

Now, that’s hardly super expensive, but it's not exactly cheap for a speaker of this size. The mightier, more detail-oriented Bose SoundLink Flex Gen 2 is on-sale pretty regularly for around the same cost, and the larger JBL Flip 6 can often be found at a similar price as well.

On top of that, the new Flip 7, which we awarded a glowing five-star review, feels like a slightly better value pick, at least in some territories. OK, in the US, it’s a full $50 more, but in the UK, you can pay just £20 more for the Flip 7, and experience significantly better audio, with rumbling low-end output and improved dynamics. You’ll also get more playtime in an only marginally larger, heavier package.

I want to give the Grip its flowers, though. It's still a solid sounding, aesthetically pleasing, and feature-rich Bluetooth speaker. And for less than $100 / £90, I think a lot of consumers will enjoy its soda-can dimensions, durable build, and fun lighting.

Value score: 4/5

Reverse side of JBL Grip — (Image credit: Future)

Should you buy the JBL Grip?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	Customizable lighting, strong EQ options, multi-speaker pairing.	4.5/5
Sound quality	Good overall clarity and balance, noticeable compression at higher volumes.	4/5
Design	Beautiful looks, top-class dust and waterproofing, durable construction.	5/5
Value	A quality speaker that’s not exactly expensive, some rivals provide better bang for your buck.	4/5

Buy it if...

You want a hardy audio companion to take out and about
One of the best things about the JBL Grip is its incredible durability and protection against the elements. It has IP68-rated dust and waterproofing, meaning it can take a dunking underwater without a hitch – perfect for shower or beach-side use!

You want a vibrant, stand-out speaker
In typical JBL fashion, this speaker comes in a range of eye-catching colors, including purple, red, and squad (camo). The ambient lighting only makes it stand out further from the crowd, making this a great pick for any colorful tech lovers.

Don't buy it if...

You want the best sound quality around
The JBL Grip sounds good overall, given its size, but it didn’t exactly blow me away, sonically speaking. If you want the best sound quality around, a small rival like the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Generation is our top pick.

You’re looking for a speaker to get the party going
This model has a 16W power output, so it's not ideal if you want a powerful speaker for parties. If that’s what you’re after, I’d go for a larger model like the LG xboom Grab – or even the Tribit Stormbox Blast 2, if you wanna go all out.

JBL Grip review: also consider

	JBL Grip	Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4	Edifier ES20
Price	$99.95 / £89.99 / AU$129	$99.99 / £89.99 / AU$149	$89.99 / £49.99 / AU$99.99
Weight	0.8lbs / 385g	0.9lbs / 420g	0.7lbs / 326g
Dimensions	2.5 x 6 x 2.6 inches / 64 x 153 x 65mm	4.1 x 3.8 x 3.8 inches / 104 x 95.3 x 95.3mm	3.6 x 3.7 x 2 inches / 90.4 x 93.7 x 49.7mm
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.2	Bluetooth 5.4
Battery life	14 hours	14 hours	15 hours
Speaker drivers	1x 16W full range driver	2 x 40mm active drivers; 2 x 46.1 x 65.2mm passive radiators	1x 43mm full-range driver
Waterproofing	IP68	IP67	IP67

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4
If the JBL Grip is the seltzer can, then the UE Wonderboom 4 is the traditional 12 fl.oz / 330ml can of Coca Cola or mug of coffee. It’s shorter, stubbier, and similar to the Grip in many ways. It has a great waterproof rating, solid audio, and good battery life. Read our full Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 review.

Edifier ES20
This one’s a little smaller, but I absolutely loved my time with it. The Edifier ES20 is a square-shaped small speaker that combines retro style with customizable ambient lighting. It dishes out surprisingly punchy audio, has IP67 dust and waterproofing, and even makes use of a noise-cancelling enabled mic for clear hands-free calls. Read our full Edifier ES20 review.

JBL Grip review: how I tested

Person holding fabric hook on JBL Grip — (Image credit: Future)

Tested for two weeks
Used at home and at Future Labs
Tested using Spotify and Tidal

I spent more than two weeks testing out the JBL Grip, using it instead of my typical go-to Bluetooth speaker, the Bose SoundLink Flex Gen 2. I exhausted all of the Grip’s features, using a range of light customization options and listening across a variety of spaces.

For the most part, I used the Grip in my kitchen while cooking and cleaning – but I also used it while taking showers and for analytical listening at our music testing room at Future Labs. Here, I went through the TechRadar testing playlist, which features tracks from a range of genres. I also listened to songs from my personal library – via both Tidal and Spotify.

More generally, I’ve reviewed dozens of speakers, headphones, earbuds, soundbars, and more here at TechRadar, where I have a particular focus on audio-visual technology. I’ve tested most of the Grip’s competition, so I know what it takes for a speaker to stand out in a highly convoluted market.

First reviewed: October 2025
Read more about how we test

The SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2 is blazing fast – and you don’t even have to pay more for the Mario branding

6:51 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Consoles & PC Gadgets Gaming Nintendo | Tags: Nintendo Switch | Comments: Off

SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2: review

If you’re looking for one of the best Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Express cards, then you can’t go wrong with the SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2.

This recent release from storage giant SanDisk is officially licensed by Nintendo, so you don’t need to worry about any potential compatibility issues. It also boasts an attractive Mario red design that helps it stand out compared to the numerous non-gaming options on the market.

It even comes in cheaper than some unlicensed alternatives like the PNY microSD Express Card - at least for the time being - so you’re not getting ripped off for wanting a Nintendo-approved model. The card performed well in benchmarks, achieving an average read speed of 894.4 MB/s and write speed of 674.1 MB/s and even beating the manufacturer’s own claimed figures (though this is likely just the result of different testing conditions).

It was actually the fastest read speed among the models that I tested for comparison, which included the aforementioned PNY alternative and the officially licensed Samsung microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2.

The SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2. — (Image credit: Future)

It also impresses in the real world. As you would expect, given those strong benchmark results, I never experienced any noticeable loading time slowdowns while playing fast-paced games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza.

File transfer speeds on the console itself were good, too. My 60.5GB installation of Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition was copied to the micro SD Express card in a total of 14 minutes and 25 seconds, then moved back to the internal storage in 12 minutes and 1 second. A smaller game, the brand new Pokémon Legends: Z-A, moved to the card from the internal storage in 1 minute 48 seconds, then back in 1 minute 16 seconds.

This is one of the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories, and the only downside is your limited options when it comes to the card’s capacity. There’s just one 256GB model, which should be enough for most users, but not if you have a particularly large game collection. Hopefully, there will be some more variants on the way, but in the meantime, the great value Lexar Play Pro microSD Express Card has you covered with its mega 1TB capacity.

SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2: Price and specs

Price	$59.99 / £49.99 / AU$79.95
Capacity	256GB
Quoted read speed	880 MB/s
Quoted write speed	650 MB/s
Benchmarked read speed	894.4 MB/s
Benchmarked write speed	674.1 MB/s

Should I buy the SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2?

Buy it if...

You want a simple storage upgrade
The SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2 is an easy choice. It’s officially licensed by Nintendo, so it will work perfectly with your console and doesn’t come in any more expensive than unlicensed options.

You need reliable performance
This model also performed well not only in my benchmark tests, but also in real-world use. Pick it up if you need a storage device you can rely on.

Don't buy it if...

You’re after larger or smaller sizes
Sadly, this card only comes in one capacity: 256GB. If you need something bigger or even smaller for your game library, then you need to choose something else.

Also consider

Not keen on the SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2? Check out these worthy alternatives.

	SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2	Lexar Play Pro microSD Express Card	PNY microSD Express Card
Price	$59.99 / £49.99 / AU$79.95	$58.98 / £59.45 / AU$119.34 (256GB)	$59.99 / £59.99 / around AU$100 (256GB)
Capacity	256GB	256GB / 512GB / 1TB	128GB / 256GB
Quoted read speed	880MB/s	900MB/s	890MB/s
Quoted write speed	650MB/s	600MB/s	550MB/s
Benchmarked read speed	894.4MB/s	831.97MB/s	893.74MB/s
Benchmarked write speed	674.1MB/s	310.03MB/s	713.42MB/s

Lexar Play Pro microSD Express Card
The Lexar Play Pro microSD Express Card was the first 1TB microSD Express model on the market, and it remains the best choice if you want a high-capacity option that performs well on Nintendo Switch 2.

Stay tuned for our full Lexar Play Pro microSD Express Card review

PNY microSD Express Card
The PNY microSD Express Card isn’t licensed by Nintendo, but still performs well. It also has a cheaper 128GB capacity, so it could be the better pick if you have a small game library and only need a modest storage boost.

Stay tuned for our full PNY microSD Express Card review

How I tested the SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2

Tested against other microSD Express Cards
Using a range of benchmarks
Real-world use also evaluated

I reviewed the SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2 alongside three other Nintendo Switch 2-compatible microSD Express models, including the Lexar Play Pro microSD Express Card and PNY microSD Express Card, for the purposes of side-by-side comparison.

I tested the sequential read and write speed of each card using a standardised benchmark via CrystalDiskMark in its default flash memory settings. In order to facilitate this, I relied on the Lexar Play Pro MicroSD Express Card Reader, which features active cooling via a fan.

To see the real-world performance, I used each card with my personal Nintendo Switch 2 - playing a range of games and timing different file transfers on the system itself.

Lighthouse leanings

an screenshot taken from Keeper on Xbox Series X — (Image credit: Future / Roland Moore-Colyer)

This journey begins in a suitably bizarre manner: a run-down, dormant lighthouse suddenly erupts with light to rescue a seabird, who you soon discover is called Twig, from a cloud of dark and malevolent bat-like creatures.

Flipping to the player’s control, the lighthouse shakes awake, crumbles to the ground, and then sprouts a quartet of legs to shakily stumble down a rock outcrop and begin a journey to the top of the mountain, with Twig in tow.

And that’s about as much as Keeper reveals in its opening chapters.

There’s no narration, no spoken or written dialogue, or any other text to give voice to the characters or setting. Rather, the world react to the lighthouse and Twig's squawks, while an authored camera acts as your guide, being fixed in place from scene to scene, which ensures your attention is directed to important parts of the environment without being overtly obvious.

While I would have liked a bit more movement to better peer at some of the weirder and wonderful details of the island and its inhabitants, this approach works well and meant I never really got lost or turned around in what can be a visually bombastic setting.

Keeper also drip-feeds abilities and ways to interact with the environment, initially starting with the simple move to shine the lighthouse’s light independent of its direction of momentum, which has the satisfying effect of prompting some plants and fungi to bloom and sprout.

Best bit

The game’s strong and striking art style and its gorgeous world, which you’ll traverse in increasingly creative ways, are the true highlights of Keeper. This is accompanied by a trippy but compelling soundtrack, evolving with each new area.

This quickly evolved into the ability to focus an intense beam of light onto surfaces, which melts away some obstacles and prompts reactions from onlooking critters. It scratches a very innate human itch to try things, and had me blasting light at all sorts of objects and outcroppings to see how the game would react.

The lighthouse then gains the albeit to dash, helping it traverse obstacles. And as the game progresses, there’ll be new ways to navigate the world; I don’t want to spoil any surprises, but it kept Keeper feeling fresh over some 39 chapters.

In general, the light is the main way the lighthouse can interact with the world, but Twig is not merely here for the ride and effectively serves as the lighthouse’s hands. When a little blue star emits from an object, be it mechanical or natural, Twig can be sent to interact with it, which switches the player into using a button, key, or joystick to have the seabird peck, pull, or turn the object.

It’s the combination of the lightbeam and Twig that holds the key to most of the Keeper’s puzzles. Starting off as simple one-stage puzzles, such as shining a light on an organic growth to get it to react, then sending Twig out to pull it out of the way, building to ones with multiple stages and interactions at once.

One of the more complex puzzles involved jumping between three points in time, in a rather creative and satisfying way to bring back life to a machine; oddly enough, it reminded me of the brilliant Effect and Cause mission in Titanfall 2.

None of these puzzles were particularly challenging. And I only had a couple of moments of head-scratching where the tight camera angles meant I missed a path to an object or interaction I needed to complete a puzzle.

There was one area where I had to get past a blocked tunnel, where I could see the solution, having followed previous interactions, but the game’s logic wasn’t playing out here. With mounting frustration, I’d hit my head, and indeed the lighthouse’s, against it multiple times, thinking I needed to perfectly time a suite of moments to blow away the blockage. Instead, I simply had to first take another path, which, given the camera angle and the color palette of the area, seemed more part of a wall than a navigable route.

Ultimately, I was expecting more complexity to some of these puzzles, so I would overthink potential solutions, rather than poke around in a few more corners, which, to Keeper’s credit, is exactly what I was supposed to do.

While I lack the patience to ponder really tricky puzzles, I do wish there were a little more challenge to the ones Keeper throws up.

Some are so simple that they almost feel like busywork, such as needing to rotate a thumbstick to crank a wheel rather than just pressing a button and having it done. Keeper just about keeps to the right side of this, but there are times when interactions can feel there just for the sake of it, rather than leading to interesting discoveries.

The world is enough

The absence of brain-wracking puzzles, or indeed any failstate for Keeper, is intentional, with Double Fine wanting the journey through the world to be front and center.

And what a world it is.

You start out crunching through a ruined and near-fully obscured seaside town – you can just make out a tarmac road now lost to eons of passing time – to traversing seaside paths, caves, forests, mini archipelagos, and towns and structures that wouldn’t look out of place in a Zelda game.

Adopting a cartoon-like aesthetic that reminds me of Disney Pixar movies, these areas are all gorgeous and richly detailed despite using the soft, painterly-esque textures. There’s a vibrant color palette here, too, which just begs Keeper to be played on an OLED display, such as those you’ll find on some of the best 4K TVs.

Naturally, light plays a big part here, with the beam of the lighthouse cutting through right shadows and intermingling with volumetric fog. But it's the way the light triggers a reaction from the flora and fauna that makes the environment feel alive.

There’s nearly always some creature on screen, be it Twig quietly chirping as the lighthouse enters a foreboding cave, to flocks of birds soaring across a blue sky, jellyfish floating in technicolour plateau, and hulkling beshelled creatures walking, flying, or swimming in the background.

Animation is also top-notch, from the scuttling of tiny creatures to Twig’s wonderfully expressive movements. I can’t help but be impressed at how Double Fine manages to inject so much character into the lighthouse, blending its scuttling insectoid legs with the jaunty wobble of its broken body and metal roof, which serves as at pseudo hat that shields the light-holding structure, itself able to convey a surprising amount of emotion in cutscenes.

Add in some detailed soundwork that even has the quiet clicks of gears moving as the lighthouse ‘looks’ around, and deft use of cinematic camera angles, and Keeper presents a an absorbing world I could just sit and stare at; there are some platforms and outcrops in the journey that exist solely for this with the camera pulling back and giving you a surreal landscape to drink in.

Surreal feel, Pixar plot

Keeper’s artistic presentation and aesthetic wear the theme of metamorphosis very much on its sleeve. The idea of how nature could evolve without human interference, then taken to a surreal level, isn’t subtle but is certainly eye-catching.

Yet for all the weirdness Double Fine touts, including one set piece where it felt like pseudo-70s psychedelia was being forced into my eyes, I found the core narrative of Keeper to be fairly normal. The story of an unexpected journey to reach a destination with a newfound companion, while avoiding an unknowable malevolent force and encountering strange but companionable characters on the way, could be picked from a Disney movie.

While there were some really fun and captivating set pieces across Keeper’s adventure, I could see the direction of the story and its beats from miles away. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as Keeper is more about the vibe of the world than an unfurling plot.

However, with inspiration from Dali and mycelial networks, I was hoping for a story that embraces bizarreness below the surface or had a more thought-provoking story than one that could be boiled down to being a buddy adventure.

There are some neat storytelling flairs, such as having details and context layered in achievement text; for example, you only find out that the antagonistic force that’s threatening the island is called The Wither via the first achievement and chapter titles – the latter you’ll only see in the chapter select menu.

But these don’t really go deep enough for my liking, and I was left wanting to know more about the island, the societies that inhabit it, and The Wither.

It could be argued that any deeper elements of the story are open for interpretation, but I don’t think there’s enough environmental storytelling here for that to play out. I’m all for games being considered art, but I don’t think they work as vehicles for abstract interpretation in the same way as paintings.

None of this would matter if Keeper lent more into its puzzles and systems of interaction to present more of a challenge and depth to its world. Take Astro’s Playroom as a prime example: it hardly has a plot, but it throws up a bounty of puzzles and system-led interactions all wrapped up in an oddball world.

But Keeper eschews the puzzles for a more absorbing adventure, yet I feel it needs more of a story to hold that up.

A great example of this can be seen in 2012’s Journey, which tells its emotional story through its environment, music, and exploration, without the need for any text or puzzles.

None of this is to say Keeper fails at what it set out to do, especially as I enjoyed my time with it and happily jumped back into chapters to drink in its visual splendour.

Were this a decade ago, I’d have happily applauded a Pixar-style narrative and aesthetic in an adventure game.

But it's 2025, and my expectations from artistically focused games are higher than what Keeper delivers.

Ultimately, with all the turmoil at Xbox right now, I’m pleased to see Double Fine have the chance to create something esoteric and original, rather than a remaster of an existing game. And for that reason and more, Keeper is worth experiencing over a weekend to immerse yourself in its art, world, and creativity.

Should you play Keeper?

Play it if...

You want a gorgeous, weird world to explore
Keeper’s art style is undeniably special, awash with colors and surreal flair that’s worth taking the time to take in. If you have an OLED TV, then it's a feast for the eyes.

You want an atmospheric game for the weekend Around seven hours long, Keeper is a game you can play over a weekend, yet not feel like you’ve been short-changed on the experience thanks to its solid pacing.

You have Xbox Game Pass
Keeper is a day-one release on Game Pass, so if you have a subscription to the service, it’s well worth checking out, especially as oddball creative games coming from a Microsoft-owned studio deserve to be experienced.

Don't play it if...

You want a thought-provoking story
Keeper’s main story has a lot of heart and emotion, but ultimately it feels a bit too Disney-esque despite the surreal setting. You’ll enjoy the story, just don’t expect it to stay with you.

You want a challenge
There’s absolutely no failstate in Keeper, and its puzzles are very straightforward. So if you’re looking for an adventure game that’ll work out your grey matter, you might want to look elsewhere.

Accessibility

Keeper has a selection of accessibility options that you can adjust to suit your needs. UI text size can be adjusted, and screen narration is also on offer. There’s also the option to adjust how frequently prompts pop up. There’s a standard option to tweak different volume settings, such as turning down the music but keeping the main sound up. At launch, Keeper will feature 26 interface languages.

Most importantly, there are fully remappable controls and the ability to accept alternative inputs, along with the standard options to tune aim sensitivity and vibration feedback.

Keeper can have a lot going on screen at once, which can be a challenge for people like me with somewhat compromised sight. There's not much that can be done here, but the pacing of the game means you have time to take in the details and spot areas of interest at your leisure.

How I reviewed Keeper

I played Keeper to completion, over around seven hours, which involved poking around in corners for secret paths and achievements. As a fairly linear game, there aren’t any extra modes or features to tap into, with Keeper all being about its main story experience.

I reviewed Keeper on an Xbox Series X connected to an LG C1 OLED TV running in its gaming mode, playing with a standard Xbox Wireless Controller. There are no performance or graphics settings to choose from, and I simply ran Keeper on my setup as it came, with no adjustments, and got a rather smooth experience.

On the audio side, I played Keeper using a Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal Xbox headset for the course of the game, which worked well with the soundscape and music the game pumped out.

First reviewed October 2025

New Prime Video movie Hedda isn’t just this year’s Saltburn – it’s cooler, more calculated and serious fun

5:40 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Amazon Prime Video Computers Gadgets Streaming | Comments: Off

There's been something of a narrative that new Prime Video movie Hedda is simply a Saltburn-style retelling of Henrik Ibsen's classic play Hedda Gabler, but that doesn't remotely do it justice. Those who think the gender-swapped characters and LGBTQIA+ romance are the most interesting things about it aren't digging deeply enough.

If there's anyone that knows a thing or 35 about sapphic movies, it's me. I report on them every chance I get, and if I'm not doing that, I've likely worked Carol, Ammonite or Bound into conversation. I'll confess that Hedda caught my interested because of Nina Hoss – who played Cate Blanchett's fictional wife in Tár – but little did I know what a treat I was in for.

Of course this film isn't perfect. Considering how messy Hedda is as a character alone, it was never going to be. But there's no doubt that this is the strongest entry in director Nia DaCosta's body of work to date. She received an unjustified amount of flack for The Marvels and the 2021 version of Candyman, and I hope the same doesn't happen here.

We almost need to read between the lines to fully see the brilliance of what Hedda has to offer, and that's half the fun. A friend described it to me as a whodunnit mystery where you already know who the killer is (instead you're searching for the motive), and I think that's a fair assessment.

It's sexy, scandalous and as wild as you'd hope it to be, but it's also controlled, pulling back when it needs to. When it comes to creating a memorable dinner party, that's exactly the balance of tension that you're looking for.

Hedda is more than simply sex and scandal – it's a moving mirror

If you're unfamiliar with Ibsen's original story, this is what we're dealing with: Hedda (Tessa Thompson) is an unhappy newlywed, feeling like she's being stopped from being her true self. When her husband George (Tom Bateman) wants a new position at work, Hedda decides to throw an extravagant party so George can invite boss Professor Greenwood (Finbar Lynch) and try to seal the deal.

During the evening, George's rival Eileen (Hoss) arrives to poach Professor Greenwood for the same role, prompting the party to fall into chaotic disarray. Eileen's writing partner and lover Thea (Imogen Poots) tries to keep her on the straight and narrow, but Hedda takes her meddling too far.

The most satisfying part of Hedda is how effortlessly DaCosta pulls off dangerous power play dynamics between women, with the man's world around them becoming peripheral in the process. Thompson's Hedda isn't a woman that you'll like, or who even seems to consciously know what she wants.

She's acting on impulse, and everyone around her feels the consequences of the decisions she makes. This means a hell of a dinner party for us, bringing long-buried tension and trauma to the surface, where they explode onto whoever is nearby. That's usually Eileen and Thea, and boy is their romantic triangle a complex one.

Where the structure falters, the cast hold it up

Tessa Thompson, Nina Hoss and Imogen Poots talk to each other — Tessa Thompson, Nina Hoss and Imogen Poots in *Hedda*. (Image credit: Prime Video)

The core structure of Hedda isn't playing to shock factor like Saltburn, and it arguably could have deepened and ultilized the intimacy and pure romance between the three women a lot further. But even with these small faults, our cast deliver something to be in awe of.

While Thompson's accent is… interesting in the Prime Video film, her conviction and gumption can't be faulted. It's not easy to make us completely devoid of empathy for a character while still making them likeable, and she maintains the balance at all times. Poots plays an effective counterpart as anxious Thea, calling out Hedda's manipulation like she's shouting into the wind.

For me, it's Hoss who gives the performance of the movie. There's an exceptional scene after Eileen gets drunk and swims in the lake, entering the drawing room to talk to her male rivals while her dress is wet and see-through. She tells explicit stories on top form, and by the time she has them metaphorically eating out of her hand, the dress is dry.

This is the level of detail that's worth paying attention to, making the overall effect of Hedda as filling as a sumptuous cake, caressing every possible details of humanity to serve up an ugly truth worth devouring. It's tough to make odious people appealing, but we love to watch when it works (that's why reality TV is so popular).

Without spoiling anything, DaCosta also changes the ending of Ibsen's play. With one simple tweak, she removes sapphic media stereotyping that Hedda could have easily fallen prey to, and that alone is a fantastic way to sum up what she has achieved.

We've all had enough of classics being adapted, but when they hold a mirror up to who we've become and what we're capable of so deftly, who are we to look away?

Hedda is now streaming on Prime Video.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is a cobbled-together mess – but its biggest crime is being really, really boring

4:00 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Gaming | Tags: New York, RPG | Comments: Off

How do you follow up one of the greatest role-playing games (RPGs) ever made? The answer, according to developer The Chinese Room, is a shallow action title set in a lifeless, empty world with a bland story, apocalyptically bad pacing, and janky, repetitive combat.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PS5
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, PC
Release date: October 21, 2025

Where its legendary predecessor offered fantastic freedom of choice, a cast of complex, well-written characters, and a dynamic open world filled with opportunities for emergent play, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 brings absolutely nothing similar to the table. It looks pretty at times, but that’s literally all that can be said in favor of this disappointing follow up.

To be outclassed in almost every regard by a game from more than twenty years ago should be a source of embarrassment, let alone by one that was literally released in an unfinished state by its original developer.

It’s hard to view Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 as anything other than a cynical cash grab that will massively disappoint long-time fans like me.

(Un)dead world

A promotional Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 screenshot. — (Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

Set in the World of Darkness universe from the Vampire: The Masquerade tabletop game, Bloodlines 2 takes you to an alternate version of Seattle gripped in a battle between the living and the dead. It's a world that looks a lot like our own, but has an alien, sinister edge to it.

This is most obviously conveyed in an atmospheric, neo-noir art direction that sees the dark streets bathed in fog and glowing neon lights, but extends to everything from the depressing barks of random non-player characters as you walk past to the aggressive tone of in-game advertisements.

Although the visuals are impressive enough at times thanks largely to the gorgeous lighting, there’s nothing here that appeals beyond the surface level. Almost the entire game takes place within the same city block and it's just depressingly barren. Random civilians roam the streets, while others stand around nearly motionless on street corners dispensing the same canned voice lines every single time you walk past.

Best bit

The visuals are by far the best part of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 and can be pretty impressive when you first boot up the game. The night-time Seattle setting is striking thanks to its bright neon lights and a smattering of thick snow.

There are a handful of buildings with modeled interiors and their inhabitants never waver from their set positions - making everything feel sterile and lifeless. There are no moving vehicles at all, exacerbating the issue.

It’s hard to adequately convey just how little there is to do in this map. Sure, there are some collectible marks that you can hoover up for bonus experience points (spoiler: you won’t need them, and there’s seemingly no reward for getting them all), but that’s your only real activity aside from some bland side quests. Attacking civilians sees you chased by the local police who often spawn right in front of you and, if you keep it up, instantly killed in a canned animation.

Santa Monica in the original Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines was not a large map either, but felt significantly more lifelike and gave you some interesting ways to mess around with your chosen vampire powers in between its missions.

Plodding along

Story is clearly the big focus in Bloodlines 2, but sadly it does nothing to make up for its shortcomings everywhere else. The basic thrust is that you’re an elder vampire awakened from a centuries-long slumber with the voice of a dead detective called Fabien in your head. With a sinister mark on your hand that limits your original power, you team up to solve Fabien’s murder as you try to work out how to remove it.

It’s an interesting premise, but the narrative is extremely rigid, which severely limits the possibilities for role-play. Your vampire has a set name, Phyre, and beyond choosing your gender and one of six vampire clans, you have vanishingly few opportunities to impact the plot.

As far as I can tell, your choice of clan barely makes any difference either. I went with Toreador, the alluring artiste faction, and this fact was referenced about three times in throwaway dialog in total. Even when you are able to make choices, they seem incredibly inconsequential beyond a brief epilogue cutscene that you see right at the very end of the game.

If that wasn’t enough, the storytelling suffers from terrible pacing throughout. It's split between three separate time periods which it alternates between at the end of each main quest. One is in the 1920s and takes place entirely in tiny rooms, while the other two are modern. In two of the timelines you play entirely as Fabien, which basically involves trudging through the deserted streets with none of your usual traversal powers (like the ability to climb walls or glide) to reach one of the few buildings with interiors to talk to someone.

It’s absolutely miserable and many of these segments seem consciously designed to waste your time, forcing you to frequently double back with every completed objective. Named non-player characters (NPCs) sit around in the same static spots, meaning that you’re constantly walking between the same buildings to glean a new spec of information over and over and over again. It doesn’t even pay off as the plot veers awkwardly between entirely predictable and completely stupid as it plods towards its unsatisfying twist ending.

Fabien has a few special powers up his sleeve, like the ability to converse with imagined objects or dead bodies, but they can only be used at very specific points decided by the developers. They also serve to cheapen any actual detective work that you would otherwise be doing by simply telling him what he needs to know for the story to progress.

I love a narrative-driven game, but there is nothing here that’s particularly enjoyable. As a Malkavian vampire (a very madness-prone faction), Fabien is suitably bonkers, but beyond some annoying quips there’s very little examination of what that actually means and how it would impact his crime-solving role in the blood sucking community.

It’s significantly worse written than the compelling indie Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York visual novel from a few years back - and that game mercifully didn’t force you to haul yourself between buildings for each new line. The voice acting is also hit and miss. The performances for Phyre and Fabien are decent on the whole, but minor characters are often flat and awkward-sounding.

Tooth and claw

There is at least some combat to break up this monotonous formula when you’re playing as Phyre. The bad news is that it's simply bad, with buggy heavy and light strikes and sloppy finisher animations that get old the two hundredth time. It might not impact the story, but your chosen clan does dictate which abilities you’re able to unlock, and some of them are quite good. I enjoyed using my charms to turn foes against each other, though there aren’t very many powers per clan and no ways to develop or augment them.

Your choice of clan is also undermined by the fact that you can still unlock the abilities from other clans by collecting the right blood types (obtained by harvesting highlighted NPCs around the map), which only further de-emphasize player decision-making in what is purportedly an RPG.

You have no inventory, so you can’t keep any guns on hand for fights, but can at least pick them up via telekinesis for a few shots if they’re dropped by one of the five or so enemy types that you’ll be facing ad nauseam throughout the game.

The combat designers presumably went on strike at some point towards the end of the game’s production, too, as the initially quite tightly designed encounters soon devolve into massive swarms of enemies equipped with overpowered ranged weapons that are just frustrating to deal with.

The game is also a technical mess, at least on PlayStation 5. Crashes are frequent later on, with a particularly nasty one forcing my console to reboot several times, and the frame rate always completely tanks whenever you enter or exit a building.

All of this leaves Vampire: the Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 almost impossible to recommend. If you’re a lover of the original game, you’re going to hate it, as it represents the antithesis of everything that made it so great. If you're new to the universe, literally any other World of Darkness game would be a better introduction. Yes, even Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood - at least it’s not this dull.

Should I play Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2?

Play it if…

You only want a decent-looking vampire game
If you literally only care about the visuals, then Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 might satisfy. The lighting can be particularly impressive when you’re walking through its Seattle streets.

Don’t play it if…

You love the original game
If you’re a big fan of the original Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, then you should stay away from this so-called sequel. It contains none of the elements that made the first a cult classic and will just be a big let down.

You crave an RPG
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is basically a glorified walking simulator with terrible combat thrown in. It’s not going to give you your role-playing fix, so you might as well play something else.

You’re after a good story
The story is not particularly exciting or interesting and is horribly paced. There are countless other RPGs with better stories, and if you’re after something set in the World of Darkness, I’d highly recommend the visual novels instead.

Accessibility features

There are a small number of accessibility options in the game, namely the ability to enable or disable subtitles and tweak their size. You can also reduce camera movement using a slider. Controls cannot be rebound on consoles, though there is a setting to invert the Y axis.

How I reviewed Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2

I played almost 15 hours of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 on PS5 for this review. During that time, I completed the game once, having experienced every major story beat and a small handful of the boring side quests.

As a huge fan of the original Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, I frequently compared my experience to that game, having completed several full playthroughs over the years.

I also compared it to other games set in the same universe, namely Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York and its sequel Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York in addition to others like Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong, and Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice plus Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood for good measure.

Throughout my time with the game, I played it with the standard DualSense Wireless Controller and an Astro A20 X gaming headset for audio.

First reviewed October 2025

HP OmniBook 5 14-inch (2025) review: Incredible battery life and a top-tier display at an affordable price

9:20 pm | October 16, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops Windows Laptops | Tags: Battery Life, CPU, GPU, OLED | Comments: Off

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: One-minute review

The HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC (yes, that is its full name) has its flaws, but its strengths make those drawbacks easy to overlook. With over 16 hours of battery life, a stunning OLED display, an ultra-portable design, and an affordable starting price, it's hard not to recommend the OmniBook 5 14-inch, depending on what you're looking for in a laptop.

It starts at just $679 / £850 / AU$1,599 for a base configuration with a Snapdragon X X1-26-100 processor, Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a 14-inch (1920x1200) OLED display.

Somewhat frustratingly, the US base configuration only has 256GB of storage, while the UK and Australia's starting specs include 512GB of storage. Luckily, Best Buy has a middle-ground configuration for US users that offers great value for your money at just $20 more than the US base configuration.

Aside from a bit of pricing confusion, this OmniBook is a great pick for basic work and school-related tasks, especially if you want a laptop that's going to easily last all day, making it one of the best laptops for students and remote workers out there.

The lightweight design also makes this perfect for commuters. While the performance could be stronger, it's hard to complain at this price–and with such an impressive battery life.

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: Price & Availability

An HP OmniBook 5 14 Inch Next Gen AI PC on a desk — (Image credit: Future / Stevie Bonifield)

How much does it cost? Starting at $679 / £850 / AU$1,599
When is it available? It's available now
Where can you get it? Directly from HP in the US, UK, and Australia, or at various retailers like Best Buy

The OmniBook 5 14-inch is available now in the US, UK, and Australia starting at $679/£850/AU$1,599 on the HP website. The base configuration in all three regions includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100 CPU, Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a 14-inch OLED display.

The one big difference is that the US base configuration includes 256GB of storage while the UK and Australia base models have 512GB of storage.

With that said, an upgraded in-between configuration is available in the US at Best Buy for just $20 more than the base model on HP's website. That configuration has 512GB of storage and even bumps you up to a Snapdragon X Plus processor. So if you're in the US, I would definitely suggest opting for that version.

The US and UK prices for the OmniBook 5 14-inch are pretty reasonable, but the top configuration in Australia is a bit pricey for the specs you're getting (more on that below).

Value: 4 / 5

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: Specs

Lower starting storage in the US base configuration
All configurations include an OLED display
Upgrades available for CPU, RAM, and storage

My review unit is the US top configuration of the OmniBook 5 14-inch, which is priced at $899, but the base configuration starts at $679/£850/AU$1,599. There is also a middle configuration in the US available at Best Buy for $699, which includes 512GB of storage and a Snapdragon X Plus processor.

All starting configurations include a Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100 processor, Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, a 14-inch (1920x1200) OLED display, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3. However, it's important to point out that the base model in the US only has 256GB of storage, half of what you would get in the UK and Australia, which is why I suggest going for the Best Buy configuration instead if you're in the US.

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC starting configurations
Region	US	UK	Australia
Price:	$679	£850	AU$1,599
CPU:	Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100	Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100	Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100
GPU:	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics
Memory:	16GB	16GB	16GB
Storage:	256GB	512GB	512GB
Screen:	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED
Ports:	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 5.3mm audio jack	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 5.3mm audio jack
Battery (WHr):	59 WHr	59 WHr	59 WHr
Wireless:	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Camera:	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter
Weight:	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)
Dimensions:	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)

The top configurations of the OmniBook 5 14-inch bump you up to a Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100 processor and 32GB of storage. The US and UK configurations also get 1TB of storage, which unfortunately isn't the case in Australia.

The top configurations in the US and the UK are a pretty good deal, especially if you can find them on sale, but the top specs in Australia are hard to recommend when you're not getting that storage upgrade. Even so, the improved processor and increased RAM could be worth paying extra for some users.

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC Top Configurations
Region	US	UK	Australia
Price:	$899	£1,049	AU$1,999
CPU:	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100
GPU:	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics
Memory:	32GB	32GB	32GB
Storage:	1TB	1TB	512GB
Screen:	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED
Ports:	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack
Battery (WHr):	59 WHr	59 WHr	59 WHr
Wireless:	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Camera:	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter
Weight:	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)
Dimensions:	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)

Specs: 3.5 / 5

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: Design

Incredibly lightweight
Stellar OLED display
Build quality feels a bit low-end

The OmniBook 5 14-inch isn't pushing the envelope with its design, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's very portable, weighing in at a mere 2.85 pounds. The chassis doesn't feel "premium", with its plastic-y keyboard deck and display bezels, but the low weight helps make up for that.

Plus, it's what's on the inside that counts, which in this case is a superbly snappy keyboard. HP's laptop keyboards can be pretty hit or miss for me, but I loved typing on this one. It has just the right amount of tactile feedback and key travel without being loud. However, I wish the power button was separated from the rest of the keyboard. It matches the rest of the function-row keys except for a little LED indicator.

Image 1 of 6

Image 2 of 6

Image 3 of 6

Image 4 of 6

Image 5 of 6

Image 6 of 6

The touchpad is also pretty good. Considering the price point on this OmniBook 5 14-inch, I was expecting a mushy touchpad, but I was pleasantly surprised. It might not be the best touchpad I've ever used, but it has a satisfying amount of travel and feedback just like the keyboard. The speakers are also surprisingly decent and got plenty loud enough for my needs.

The real star feature here is the OLED display. I love OLED, and this display did not disappoint. Colors really pop on it, more than you would expect from a sub-$1,000 laptop. It passed our display tests with flying colors, too, reproducing 194.5% of the sRGB color gamut and 138.4% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. I genuinely enjoyed watching shows and movies on the OmniBook 5 14-inch and even playing a few games on it because the display looks phenomenal.

Design: 4 / 5

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: Performance

Performance could be better, but isn't bad, either
Weak graphics performance
Keeps up fine with basic daily tasks like web browsing

If you're mainly looking for a laptop for things like web browsing, replying to emails, word processing, or studying, the OmniBook 5 14-inch is definitely up to the task. This little laptop is more than capable of handling basic work or school-related tasks. I had no trouble managing over a dozen tabs on Firefox while working on the Omnibook. However, if you want to use resource-intensive apps, like Adobe Photoshop and the like, you may want to spend a little more elsewhere.

The OmniBook 5 14-inch's performance falls far short of the MacBook Air, which only costs $100 more than the top configuration. It came in over 1,000 points behind the M4 MacBook Air on the Geekbench 6 single-core test and lagged by over 3,000 points on the multi-core test. Of course, there are plenty of reasons you might not want a Mac or might simply want to save money, especially if you can find the Omnibook at a discount.

	HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC	MacBook Air M4 (13-inch)	Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 (2025)
Geekbench 6 single-core	2,414	£3,679	2,436
Geekbench 6 multi-core	11,309	14,430	11,321
Crossmark (Overall)	1,184	2,009	1,165
Crossmark (Productivity)	1,116	1,875	1,081
Crossmark (Creativity)	1,298	2,369	1,328
Crossmark (Responsiveness)	1,074	1,505	983

If you're only doing lightweight or web-based tasks, the OmniBook 5 14-inch's more humble performance scores probably won't be an issue, it's just worth keeping in mind. Plus, considering the starting price, it's hard to complain.

It's also worth noting that the OmniBook 5 14-inch is by no means a gaming laptop. It managed to run lightweight, 2D games fine, but really struggles with anything more. Wildfrost ran very smoothly at 60 FPS with no issues, but I was only able to get about 20 FPS in Death's Door and about 30 FPS in Risk of Rain 2. These aren't particularly demanding games, so definitely don't expect to be playing any AAA titles on the Omnibook, but games like Stardew Valley or Slay the Spire should run fine.

Performance: 3.5 / 5

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: Battery Life

How long does it last before the battery dies? Just over 16 hours.
How long does it take to charge to 50%? About 30 minutes.

Battery life is by far the OmniBook 5 14-inch's biggest strength. It lasted a staggering 16 hours and 2 minutes in our battery test, which, for context, is 2 hours longer than the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air. While you're getting a notably less powerful processor in the Omnibook, you get really impressive battery life in exchange. For some, that could be a worthy trade-off.

My only complaint here is that the left side of the keyboard deck gets noticeably warm when the OmniBook 5 14-inch is charging. It's not uncomfortable, and you won't have to charge it often, but when you do, you can't miss how one side of your keyboard is warmer than the other.

Battery Life: 5 / 5

Should you buy the HP Omnibook 5 14 inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC?

HP Omnibook 5 14 inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC scorecard
Category	Notes	Rating
Value	Aside from a couple of quirky configuration differences, this laptop offers great value for your money, especially when it comes to battery life and display quality.	4 / 5
Specs	The base specs are a bit weak for the price, but every configuration includes a really impressive OLED display.	3.5 / 5
Design	While the build quality could be a bit better, the keyboard, touchpad, low weight, and stellar display easily make up for it.	4 / 5
Performance	Overall performance is somewhat lackluster, but good enough for basic daily tasks and lightweight games.	3.5 / 5
Battery Life	With over 16 hours of battery life, the OmniBook 5 14-inch can easily last you all day.	5 / 5
Final Score	Despite a few flaws, this OmniBook 5 14-inch offers great value with incredible battery life and a stunning display at a relatively low price.	4 / 5

Buy the HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC if…

Battery life is your top priority
The battery life on the OmniBook 5 14-inch is genuinely impressive. Depending on your usage, you can easily go a full day or possibly even two without charging.

You want an OLED display at a budget-friendly price
The OmniBook 5 14-inch's OLED display is one of the best I've tested, which is surprising given this laptop's relatively low price, even for the top configuration.

Don't buy it if...

Performance is your top priority
The Omnibook 5 14-inch is great for students, casual users, and lightweight work tasks, but it doesn't have the processing power for gaming or resource-intensive creative apps.

You want premium build quality
This laptop's design isn't bad, but it does feel like a budget-friendly laptop, with plastic bezels and a plastic keyboard deck that gets pretty warm while charging.

How I tested the HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC

I spent about a week using the Omnibook
I mainly used it for web browsing and work-related tasks, with some light gaming
The OmniBook 5 14-inch went through our extensive battery of benchmark tests

I spent about a week using the OmniBook 5 14-inch mainly for web browsing and work-related tasks like answering emails and writing (this review included).

I also used it for watching movies and doing a bit of casual gaming. All the games I tried on the OmniBook 5 14-inch were played through Steam at native resolution with no FPS cap. With automatic graphics presets turned on, most games defaulted to low or medium graphics quality.

I've reviewed dozens of mainstream laptops, including other HP Omnibooks and budget-friendly laptops like this one. When I test these kinds of laptops, I'm looking for a good balance of price, performance, and features and considering who each laptop would be best for (or not best for) based on that price-to-performance ratio.

Originally reviewed October 2025

HP OmniBook 5 14-inch (2025) review: Incredible battery life and a top-tier display at an affordable price

9:20 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops Windows Laptops | Tags: Battery Life, CPU, GPU, OLED | Comments: Off

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: One-minute review

It starts at just $679 / £850 / AU$1,599 for a base configuration with a Snapdragon X X1-26-100 processor, Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a 14-inch (1920x1200) OLED display.

The lightweight design also makes this perfect for commuters. While the performance could be stronger, it's hard to complain at this price–and with such an impressive battery life.

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: Price & Availability

How much does it cost? Starting at $679 / £850 / AU$1,599
When is it available? It's available now
Where can you get it? Directly from HP in the US, UK, and Australia, or at various retailers like Best Buy

The one big difference is that the US base configuration includes 256GB of storage while the UK and Australia base models have 512GB of storage.

The US and UK prices for the OmniBook 5 14-inch are pretty reasonable, but the top configuration in Australia is a bit pricey for the specs you're getting (more on that below).

Value: 4 / 5

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: Specs

Lower starting storage in the US base configuration
All configurations include an OLED display
Upgrades available for CPU, RAM, and storage

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC starting configurations
Region	US	UK	Australia
Price:	$679	£850	AU$1,599
CPU:	Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100	Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100	Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100
GPU:	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics
Memory:	16GB	16GB	16GB
Storage:	256GB	512GB	512GB
Screen:	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED
Ports:	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 5.3mm audio jack	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 5.3mm audio jack
Battery (WHr):	59 WHr	59 WHr	59 WHr
Wireless:	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Camera:	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter
Weight:	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)
Dimensions:	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC Top Configurations
Region	US	UK	Australia
Price:	$899	£1,049	AU$1,999
CPU:	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100
GPU:	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics
Memory:	32GB	32GB	32GB
Storage:	1TB	1TB	512GB
Screen:	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED
Ports:	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack
Battery (WHr):	59 WHr	59 WHr	59 WHr
Wireless:	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Camera:	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter
Weight:	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)
Dimensions:	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)

Specs: 3.5 / 5

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: Design

Incredibly lightweight
Stellar OLED display
Build quality feels a bit low-end

Image 1 of 6

Image 2 of 6

Image 3 of 6

Image 4 of 6

Image 5 of 6

Image 6 of 6

Design: 4 / 5

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: Performance

Performance could be better, but isn't bad, either
Weak graphics performance
Keeps up fine with basic daily tasks like web browsing

	HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC	MacBook Air M4 (13-inch)	Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 (2025)
Geekbench 6 single-core	2,414	£3,679	2,436
Geekbench 6 multi-core	11,309	14,430	11,321
Crossmark (Overall)	1,184	2,009	1,165
Crossmark (Productivity)	1,116	1,875	1,081
Crossmark (Creativity)	1,298	2,369	1,328
Crossmark (Responsiveness)	1,074	1,505	983

Performance: 3.5 / 5

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: Battery Life

How long does it last before the battery dies? Just over 16 hours.
How long does it take to charge to 50%? About 30 minutes.

Battery Life: 5 / 5

Should you buy the HP Omnibook 5 14 inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC?

HP Omnibook 5 14 inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC scorecard
Category	Notes	Rating
Value	Aside from a couple of quirky configuration differences, this laptop offers great value for your money, especially when it comes to battery life and display quality.	4 / 5
Specs	The base specs are a bit weak for the price, but every configuration includes a really impressive OLED display.	3.5 / 5
Design	While the build quality could be a bit better, the keyboard, touchpad, low weight, and stellar display easily make up for it.	4 / 5
Performance	Overall performance is somewhat lackluster, but good enough for basic daily tasks and lightweight games.	3.5 / 5
Battery Life	With over 16 hours of battery life, the OmniBook 5 14-inch can easily last you all day.	5 / 5
Final Score	Despite a few flaws, this OmniBook 5 14-inch offers great value with incredible battery life and a stunning display at a relatively low price.	4 / 5

Buy the HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC if…

Battery life is your top priority
The battery life on the OmniBook 5 14-inch is genuinely impressive. Depending on your usage, you can easily go a full day or possibly even two without charging.

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC

I spent about a week using the Omnibook
I mainly used it for web browsing and work-related tasks, with some light gaming
The OmniBook 5 14-inch went through our extensive battery of benchmark tests

I spent about a week using the OmniBook 5 14-inch mainly for web browsing and work-related tasks like answering emails and writing (this review included).

Originally reviewed October 2025

Not heard of new Netflix movie Train Dreams? Come for the A-list cast, stay for the heartbreaking story

3:43 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Netflix Streaming | Comments: Off

As a press delegate at London Film Festival, your watchlist usually passes double figures – but after two weeks, the movie I'm still thinking about is Train Dreams. In all honesty, there's not a higher compliment you can give a film, especially one that most people haven't seen yet.

In an age where we want everything in an instant (including answers to the questions movies ask of us), it's a brave move to opt for a slow-burn story. It's even braver when said story isn't one familiar to most people, demanding that we go in with no prior knowledge to watch a deeply personal journey.

This is how to best experience the new Netflix movie, based on the Denis Johnson novella of the same name. Combined, the streamer and the story are demanding that we leave our brains and baggage at the door to live out the life and death of Robert Grainier, a lumberjack working on the railroads in the early 1900s.

Sure, there's plenty of steel being fashioned into tracks that ferry bemused passengers from A to B, but Grainier's occupation is the least interesting thing about his life. Joel Edgerton plays him with such an unguarded sense of masculinity that you cannot help being invested in his love of life, love, and the world around him (and that's just in a nutshell).

Train Dreams is the most beautifully understated Netflix movie of the year

On the whole, I cannot tell you how impressed I am with Netflix for gifting us Train Dreams. I was initially skeptical about whether a streaming platform would be the right fit, but being able to watch in the privacy of your own home echoes the personal intimacy we see reverberate through Grainier and the film itself.

Edgerton runs away with this, and it's all thanks to his commitment to vulnerability. On the surface, Grainier is the archetypal man's man – he routinely leaves his wife and kid at home to work seasonal lumberjack jobs, embodying the traditional masculine values of physical labor and strength, responsibility and self-reliance.

Yet Edgerton strips that all away to reveal a man who would do anything for his wife and daughter, revering them with just as much authority and respect as he would give to any man working alongside him. He's open about his emotions, letting himself break down in front of Gladys (Felicity Jones) and Claire (Kerry Condon) respectively as life becomes something he doesn't recognize and cannot grasp. He has wronged, and his conscience is restless because of it.

It's an astonishing portrait of a man enveloped in a lifetime of turmoil, and I cannot think of a better point in time for us to quietly unpack what it means to be a man than now. Life is tough, and Grainier has it a lot harder than most, and it all feeds into a beautiful invitation for introspection... something that's still actively shaping my worldview a few weeks on.

It's all about the meaning, but don't discount what you're seeing on screen

Felicity Jones holds Joel Edgerton's face as they lie in the grass — Felicity Jones and Joel Edgerton in Train Dreams. (Image credit: Netflix)

While the meditating on the not-so-brilliant fruits of Grainier's life of labor, what we're seeing on screen aptly reflects that. Train Dreams' aesthetic is one shrouded in mist, keeping secrets of the past and future at bay while we get lost in the present. The natural landscape of rural America is nothing short of astonishing, essentially becoming a secondary character or member of the Grainier family.

Train Dreams is a story tinged by longing, and I felt my heart and mind open up to something bigger while I was watching. I yearned for my love, my family, my sense of place, and of course to visit the film's gorgeous location, absorbing it with nothing else around me but my thoughts. While the subject matter is often provoking and difficult to process, these hope-filled moments – the kind we spend our whole lives looking for – act as a mental palette cleanser.

There are issues here too. For those who aren't a fan of the slow-burn, Train Dreams takes a noticeable length of time to properly stoke its fires, and that could be to its detriment once its release into the big wide world. I'd have like to have seen Condon's character Claire utlilized more evenly throughout the film (or at least give her more screen time after she's introduced), and I predict people may be left unsatisfied by the way Grainier's life ends. For me, it's the perfect salute to life's natural cruel streak.

Netflix is really hitting a stride of offering us everything in moderation this year, and Train Dreams is another successful string to its bow. In such a saturated release window (we're heading into Awards season, after all), I can see it being lost in the fanfare, but I cannot urge you enough to board this train for a ride that will leave you changed.

Train Dreams releases on Netflix on November 21, 2025.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

I reviewed Marshall’s first ever party speaker and it sounds as beautiful as it looks – but at some cost

4:00 am |

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

Marshall Bromley 750: two-minute review

Expectations are undoubtedly weighing heavily on the Marshall Bromley 750, which is the very first party speaker that the audio specialist has released.

Why? Well first of all, Marshall has had a pretty impressive run in 2025, nailing its typical Bluetooth speaker launches, like the Kilburn III, but also new product categories, like home theater. But also, Marshall’s first party speaker comes with a hefty price tag to match its hefty form factor. Specifically, it will set you back $1,299 / £899 / AU$1,799.

So, can the Bromley 750 maintain Marshall’s momentum in 2025 while also competing with the best party speakers around in spite of its considerable cost? Well yes, actually, it succeeds on both counts. Here’s why.

First of all, let’s talk sound – probably the most important aspect of any speaker! The Bromley 750 sounds as you’d expect. With its 500W of Class D amplification, you’ll get almighty bass output, but especially in Dynamic listening mode, you’ll still be treated to clear, defined mids and expressive, controlled treble.

One of the most interesting additions the Bromley makes is its sound character control. This lets you adjust audio on a scale of Dynamic to Loud. When you lean more towards a dynamic configuration, you’ll get a pleasingly nuanced, detailed listen, even in the absence of LDAC or aptX.

However, if you swing things the other way, there’s more of an emphasis on raw power. Bass is ramped up and you’ll get a less analytical listen, but this is very useful if you need maximum loudness for a giant outdoor area, for instance.

Whether you’re using Bluetooth, 3.5mm, or USB-C audio, you’ll be able to adapt EQ to suit your personal needs and taste – something I expect from all the best Bluetooth speakers. However, this doesn’t work with the XLR/6.35mm combo ports, which otherwise function without a hitch and offer delay/reverb effects via the speaker’s physical controls.

Perhaps my main criticism of the Bromley 750, though, is that its app is sort of disappointing. You can’t remotely adapt EQ for the speaker or alter sound characteristics, and there’s simply not that much to experience in there. That’s a shame given that the Marshall Heston 120 made great use of its revamped, feature-rich companion app.

Elsewhere, though, there’s still a lot to love about the Bromley 750. I was a big fan of its adjustable lighting, its impeccable 40-hour battery life and its high quality finish to name a few things.

Ultimately, the Marshall Bromley 750 makes for a fantastic debut in the party speaker world. It is expensive, even compared to some similarly-sized rivals, and app controls could be better. Still, this thing offers addictive audio, beautiful lighting, and plenty of playtime. As a result, I’d recommend it to those who have the cash.

Marshall Bromley 750 light active — (Image credit: Future)

Marshall Bromley 750 review: price and release date

$1,299 / £899 / AU$1,799
Launched in September 2025

The Marshall Bromley 750 released in September 2025 and is the audio specialist’s first ever party speaker. It has a list price of $1,299 / £899 / AU$1,799, meaning it's pretty pricey, but it is constructed of premium materials and delivers extensive battery life alongside powerful audio.

Marshall Bromley 750 review: specs

Weight	52.7lbs / 23.9kg
Dimensions	25.7 x 16.3 x 14 inches / 652 x 413 x 355mm
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.3, 3.5mm, USB-C, RCA, 2x XLR/6.35mm combo jacks
Battery life	40 hours
Speaker drivers	2x 10-inch 150W woofers, 2x 5.25-inch 50W mid-rangers, 2x 1-inch 7W tweeters, 2x 0.8-inch 14W tweeters
Waterproofing	IP54

Person plugging microphone into the Marshall Bromley 750 — (Image credit: Future)

Marshall Bromley 750 review: features

Multiple ports, including XLR/6.35mm slots for karaoke / instruments
Entertaining range of lighting options
Impressive 40 hour battery life

The Marshall Bromley 750 is a versatile party speaker, and offers a range of connectivity options to help you keep things fresh. Of course, there’s Bluetooth 5.3, but there’s also USB-C and 3.5mm ports for wired listening.

Interestingly, though, if you look at the reverse side of the Bromley, you can also discover RCA ports for keyboards and turntables, as well as XLR/6.35mm combo ports for microphones and electro-acoustic guitars.

One of my colleagues performed Mama’s Broken Heart by Miranda Lambert using a mic, and it sounded great. The speaker has delay and reverb effects on-board too, and these worked very nicely indeed. The only other thing worth noting about this is that you can’t alter EQ while using the XLR/6.35mm combo ports, which some may hope for.

My favorite feature of the Marshall Bromley 750 is certainly its integrated stage lights. There are three different modes – an ambient setting, and two dynamic alternatives that react differently depending on audio output. The lights look absolutely fantastic, and really help to further immerse listeners in the music. You can also trigger a burst of strobe lighting by pressing the ‘M’ button.

Speaking of the ‘M’ button, its function can be altered in the Marshall app. But this isn’t the shiny new version of the app used by the Marshall Heston 120 soundbar: its the older variant. Unfortunately, the app feels a little underbaked. You can alter volume, listen to an Auracast broadcast, or adjust the standby timeout, but that’s about it.

I wish the app enabled EQ adjustment – something that you can access with physical controls. The app also omits control over the reverb and delay effects for karaoke and instrument use. It would also be good to have control over the new sound character feature – which enables you to tailor audio more towards a ‘dynamic’ or ‘loud’ style.

Back to the positives, though, and I have to say that the Bromley 750’s battery life is excellent. 40 hours of playtime for a speaker of this size? That’s phenomenal. A similar-sized rival like the JBL PartyBox 720 is capable of up to 15 hours, which is fairly standard – that really puts the Bromley’s massive playtime into perspective.

On top of that, the Bromley 750 has a replaceable battery, which means that even if your 40 hours of play run out, you can substitute another one in to extend the party. There’s no multi-speaker pairing, which some may miss, but otherwise there are a lot of features to enjoy on Marshall’s debut party speaker.

Features score: 4.5/5

Marshall Bromley 750 replaceable battery half ejected — (Image credit: Future)

Marshall Bromley 750 review: sound quality

Mighty 500W power output
Meaty yet regimented bass performance
Sound character control works great

The Marshall Bromley 750 isn’t necessarily the most powerful party speaker on the market, but believe me, it can get plenty loud enough for just about any setting.

I brought the speaker to the parking lot outside Future Labs and listened to some house tunes with my friends, and it was almost as if I threw my own mini-rave. In fact, one colleague inside the office noted that they could hear the Bromley while using ANC headphones – pretty impressive, right?

But it's one thing being powerful, and another sounding great. Luckily, the Bromley 750 does both.

When bumping Can’t Resist by Jamback, the high-pitched percussion cut through with intent, never sounding harsh, even at high volumes. Vocals in the mid range weren't obscured in the mix, either, even with the track’s deep bass pumping throughout. The rapid kick drum never sounded lethargic and low-frequency output was both textured and impactful. The speaker’s ability to reach down to 20Hz means that it can also handle sub bass with finesse.

Similarly, with Unknown Territory by Kolter, high-pitched percussive elements were expressive yet controlled, while the bass sounded seriously meaty – but also well-regimented. Spacey synths were also well separated, enabling a decently nuanced listen, even in the absence of higher-resolution audio codecs like LDAC or aptX.

The sound character control function works very well on the Bromley, and makes it a versatile speaker for more lowkey indoor occasions or busy outdoor gatherings. At the music testing room at Future Labs, I tuned into Are You Gonna Go My Way by Lenny Kravitz – it's only right to listen to some Rock on a Marshall speaker, after all.

Here, I set the dial almost entirely towards ‘Dynamic’. With this setting, bass was balanced, not overbearing, giving vocals the space to sound clear and defined. Now, when I tried cranking up loudness to the three-quarter mark and beyond, bass was too smothering for the setting, resulting in a more compressed, one-dimensional quality.

But again, this isn’t the sort of situation where you’ll need to depart too far from dynamic listening. And even outdoors or in large indoor spaces, you'll likely be able to keep the dial somewhere between Loud and Dynamic, where audio still sounds fantastic. Even if you do set loudness to the max, you’ll still be treated to almighty bass, and get all the power you need for use in a huge, busy outdoor environment.

One more thing – the Bromley 750 has an impressive soundstage thanks to the use of Marshall’s 360-degree true stereophonic sound. This works well, and creates a wide, well-adjusted sound from almost any listening angle.

Sound quality score: 4.5/5

Marshall Bromley 750 with microphone — (Image credit: Future)

Marshall Bromley 750 review: design

Classic Marshall look is a hit once again
Beautiful lights and physical controls
Very hefty, but handle makes it easy enough to transport

If you’ve read my Marshall Kilburn III review – or basically any piece about Marshall products – you’ll know that I typically love the way the audio specialist designs its products. And the story remains the same for the Bromley 750, which looks brilliant as well.

I adore the premium speaker grille and the way its shimmering lights beam behind it. I’m also partial to the faux-leather exterior, luxurious physical controls, and easily accessible connectivity ports.

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room – the Bromley is one hefty lad. Yep, at 52.7lbs / 23.9kg, you may not think this thing is the easiest to lug around. But luckily, the Bromley is equipped with a suitcase-style handle and wheels, meaning you can roll it around to wherever you want to place it. Wheeling it rarely felt clunky, making it easy enough to transport.

On top of that, the Bromley has handles on either side if you need to lift it up some stairs, as I did.

Another aspect of design worth discussing is the Bromley 750’s IP54 rating. This means that it has some limited dust protection, as well as shielding against water splashes from any direction.

Now, is an IP54 rating anything special? Well, perhaps not. But still, for a speaker of this kind, it's certainly in-line with the competition. And it still goes a step further than many thanks to a drainage function, which dislodges any excess moisture in the case of a particularly rainy day, for instance.

Design score: 5/5

Power buttton and control knobs on the Marshall Bromley 750 — (Image credit: Future)

Marshall Bromley 750 review: value

Comes at quite the cost
But does offer plenty of quality in return for investment
Repairability can likely boost longevity too

The Marshall Bromley 750 is by no means cheap. It has a list price of $1,299 / £899 / AU$1,799, meaning that it will be a real investment – even compared to some rivals in this weight and size class.

For instance, the JBL PartyBox 720, which was released at around the same time, is not only more powerful than the Bromley 750, but cheaper too – $200 / £100 / AU$300 cheaper, to be exact.

In fairness, though, Marshall offers slightly better protection against the elements, much better battery life, and a more luxurious look than its rival from JBL. Is that worth the extra cash? Well, that will just depend on your needs and preferences.

Even if the Bromley is expensive, a couple of things make it well worth the investment. First of all, it's an absolute beauty. This thing is a statement piece – you won’t necessarily have to wheel it away to your garage for future use. It could conceivably fit into a living room set up for personal listening and for aesthetic purposes.

Secondly, the Bromley 750 is repairable, with Marshall offering authorized repair services as well as spare parts for its first party speaker. Pair that with the replaceable battery, and this model feels well protected against future wear and tear.

Of course, this is also an excellent-sounding, fairly feature-rich party speaker, so even if the price tag is high, you’ll get oodles of quality for the spend.

Value score: 4/5

Handle on the Marshall Bromley 750 — (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Marshall Bromley 750?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	I wish the app had more controls, but the lighting, connectivity options, and 40 hour battery life are excellent.	4.5/5
Sound quality	Powerful, regimented bass, effective sound character control, solid instrument separation.	4.5/5
Design	Mesmerizing lighting, luxurious exterior, splashproof with drainage system in place.	5/5
Value	Some more powerful rivals can cost less, but you get premium build and playtime in return.	4/5

Buy it if...

You’re a regular party host
If you’re someone that loves to throw a good party every now and then, the Bromley 750 could be a great investment. Awesome audio, buckets of power, and karaoke capabilities… what more could you ask for?

You love the Marshall look
If you’re a fan of the Marshall aesthetic, then you’ll almost certainly be rocking with the Bromley 750 as well. With an attractive faux leather exterior, high-quality grille, and gorgeous lighting, you’re in for a treat with this one.

Don't buy it if...

You’re looking for the ultimate value pick
The Bromley 750 is an expensive beast, and a few similar-sized rivals are available for a little less too. Of course, you’re getting almost unbeatable battery life and fantastic build quality here, but you’ll have to assess whether that’s worth the additional spend over competitors.

You’re a little low on space
If you don’t have a healthy portion of space, the Bromley 750 may be overkill for you. At 25.7 inches / 652mm tall and 16.3 inches / 413mm wide, this thing will require some serious room – and with a weight of 52.7lbs / 23.9kg, it's pretty heavy too.

Marshall Bromley 750 review: also consider

	Marshall Bromley 750	JBL PartyBox 720	LG xboom Stage 301
Price	$1,299 / £899 / AU$1,799	$1,099.95 / £799.99 / AU$1,495	$299.99 / £299.99 / AU$449
Weight	52.7lbs / 23.9kg	68.3lbs / 31kg	14.7lbs / 6.7kg
Dimensions	25.7 x 16.3 x 14 inches / 652 x 413 x 355mm	16.4 x 37.1 x 16 inches / 416 x 942 x 406mm	12.3 x 12.2 x 11.1 inches / 312 x 311 x 282mm
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.3, 3.5mm, USB-C, RCA, 2x XLR/6.35mm combo jacks	Bluetooth 5.4, 3.5mm, 2x XLR jacks	Bluetooth 5.4, 3.5mm, 6.3mm (mic/guitar) USB (MP3 playback)
Battery life	40 hours	15 hours	12 hours
Speaker drivers	2x 10-inch 150W woofers, 2x 5.25-inch 50W mid-rangers, 2x 1-inch 7W tweeters, 2x 0.8-inch 14W tweeters	2x 9-inch woofers, 2x 1.25-inch dome tweeters	2x 2.5-inch midrange drivers; 1x 6.5-inch woofer
Waterproofing	IP54	IPx4	IPX4

JBL PartyBox 720
OK, we’ve not reviewed this one just yet (watch this space though), but it's one of the obvious rivals to the Bromley 750, so it's worth a comparison. The PartyBox 720 has much more in-your-face multicolored lighting, as opposed to the more ambient style of the Bromley 750 – some will like that, others may find it overbearing. As I mentioned earlier, this model is more powerful, yet still cheaper than the Bromley, though that comes at the cost of no dustproof rating and a significantly smaller (yet still solid) battery life.

LG xboom Stage 301
Here's something a little different (and significantly cheaper). The LG xboom Stage 301 is a wedge-style Bluetooth speaker that offers deep yet clean bass output, effective AI-assisted audio output, and immersive dual-bar lighting. It also supports karaoke and DJ modes. If you don't quite need all the power of the Bromley 750, this could be a strong smaller option for you. Read our full LG xboom Stage 301 review.

How I tested the Marshall Bromley 750

Handles on the Marshall Bromley 750 — (Image credit: Future)

Tested across the course of one week
Used indoors at Future Lab and outdoors in a parking lot
Predominantly tested using Tidal

I tested the Marshall Bromley 750 across the course of one week, spending most of my time with it at the music testing space at Future Labs, but I also spent a while with it in the parking lot as well.

During the testing period, I spent hours on end blasting tunes from a variety of genres, with bass-heavy bangers and legendary rock ballads as starring players. I ran through the TechRadar testing playlist, which is standard practice for me when trialing audio gear, but I also tuned into some songs from my personal library.

When listening to music, I typically used Tidal, but I also tried bumping some tunes from my library on Spotify in light of the recent lossless update. I listened at a variety of angles and volumes, exhausted all of the lighting options, and messed around with the Bromley’s karaoke and instrument capabilities.

First reviewed: October 2025
Read more about how we test

Nanoleaf LED face mask review: fantastic value for money, but only by cutting some corners

1:30 am |

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

Nanoleaf LED face mask: One minute review

Light therapy is all the rage, with claimed benefits to reduce fine lines, acne and even skin conditions like rosacea, and a new brand has entered the fray in famed smart lighting brand, Nanoleaf. The immersive lighting brand’s all-new LED light therapy face mask offers seven light therapy modes (red, green, blue, cyan, yellow, purple and white), offering deeper penetration with near-infrared light (NIR).

There are perhaps quite a few better-suited parties than a smart home brand to wrangle the complex world of beauty, and that might just show in the soft landing of Nanoleaf’s first-ever LED light therapy face mask. Don’t get me wrong; I liked the device, but some refinements to its offering could have nudged it into a slightly higher score.

For instance, it lacks the cool product identity of Shark’s CryoGlow LED face mask, but it also doesn’t quite match up in the specs department. I’ll go more into depth in the performance section of this review, but in short, Nanoleaf’s light technology is just shy of recommended peak performance wavelengths across the board, and features some colored light therapies that haven’t been extensively studied that I wouldn’t want to evaluate without some research to refer to.

Nanoleaf LED face mask — (Image credit: Future)

That being said, being a tech-first company does come with certain benefits, and Nanoleaf has clearly given some thought to how we use our devices. Unlike the CryoGlow and several other hard-shelled LED face masks on the market, Nanoleaf opts for a flexible silicone mask with cutouts for the eyes, nose and mouth, making it comfortable to wear and more easily portable.

Plus, you can detach the remote (which doubles as the battery housing), which means you can easily stow the mask in a suitcase when traveling, and it won’t bend or bruise as a result of being squeezed into your hand luggage.

As for the results; they’re not dramatic, but neither are the results I’ve seen from higher-grade LED face masks. If you want a value-focused LED mask, Nanoleaf will deliver, with some added frills you might not want or need. It’s a solid travel-friendly backup to a pricier model, too, if you’re an avid light therapy fan; but if you want to maximize results, you’re best off stretching your budget for a more effective mask.

Nanoleaf LED face mask review: Price and availability

Announced and released in early 2025
Costs $249 / £129 / AU$249
Affordable among LED face masks

The Nanoleaf LED light therapy face mask has a list price of $249.99 / £129.99 AU$249, though it’s worth highlighting that it's often listed at $199.99 in the US (which was its pre-tariff pricing). It can be purchased directly from Nanoleaf as well as third-party retailers such as Amazon.

Out of the box, the Nanoleaf LED light therapy face mask comes with eye socket cushions, the rechargeable controller, the charging cable, and velcro straps.

Nanoleaf is offering a much more affordable mask than much of its competition by cutting some corners when it comes to specs. My recommendations for the product are to use it as an entry point into light therapy, or as a travel-friendly stand-in for a more expensive and fully featured mask; that said, its US price is a little steep.

Value score: 4.5/5

Nanoleaf LED face mask review: Design

Flexible silicon
Detachable remote
Face fit will vary

Made from medical-grade silicone, Nanoleaf’s LED light therapy face mask offers a flexible form factor that’s nice and lightweight at just 258g. In use, it’s fairly comfortable; I found the eye holes to be too narrow and the mouth cutout to be too low, but for some, this won’t be an issue. The face fit otherwise is relatively good, though it’s pretty far from my chin.

The mask comes with silicone eye-socket cushions, which make the mask slightly more wearable and help to block out as much light as possible to protect your eyes during use; though some still seeps around. Its adjustable velcro head straps are fairly effective for keeping the mask in place, although if you have particularly silky hair or a lack thereof, it can slide around a little too much for my liking.

Image 1 of 3

Image 2 of 3

Image 3 of 3

On the underside of the mask are its 108 four-wick LED bulbs (432 LEDs total), which work across the mask's various light therapy programs to deliver results.

As the controller houses a lithium-ion battery, much like those for many light therapy masks, it’s unsuitable to be stowed in hold luggage during flights. This is where Nanoleaf’s understanding of tech-related lifestyle requirements is a benefit – you can unplug the controller to carry it in your hand luggage and stow the mask itself in your hold bag, making this one of the best LED face masks for travel.

Design score: 3.5/5

Nanoleaf LED face mask review: How it works

Nanoleaf’s LED light therapy mask has seven preset light therapy routines that address different skincare goals. However, it’s worth highlighting that there are very specific color wavelengths that have been studied and identified as potentially beneficial in skincare, those being blue (415nm), red (633nm), and NIR (830nm). In Nanoleaf’s LED face masks, these three treatments all fall just outside of the recommended range for peak performance. That doesn’t mean they won’t work, but as a budget mask, you shouldn’t expect it to provide quite as good results as a pricier model with better LEDs.

The only other direct color included is green, and the rest are combinations of these primary LEDs. These settings, including green, lack clinical evidence for efficacy and studies into potential risks, so use at your discretion. The mask is FDA-cleared, however, meaning it has been approved as safe for use by US regulators, but not for its efficacy.

Nanoleaf claims the mask offers the following treatments and benefits, each paired with an 850nm wavelength NIR:

Lights, wavelengths and benefits
Red	640nm	Stimulates collagen production and improves circulation to promote skin repair and reduce fine lines and wrinkles.
Green	520nm	Soothes sensitive skin, minimizes redness, and boosts lymphatic flow to reduce swelling.
Blue	460nm	Evens skin tone by reducing pigmentation of scars and age spots.
Yellow	640nm + 525nm	Calms irritation and redness to promote a refreshed, brighter complexion.
Cyan	460nm + 525nm	Kills bacteria and reduces oil production to treat and prevent breakouts.
Purple	640nm + 460nm	Combines red and blue light benefits to promote overall skin healing and reduce general skin imperfections.
White	640nm + 525nm + 460nm	Stimulates cellular activity across multiple layers of the skin to allow deeper penetration of skincare products, maximizing their effectiveness.

Nanoleaf recommends using the mask for 5-10 minutes three to five times per week, depending on your skin’s needs, and says that with consistent use, “a noticeable improvement in skin texture and tone should be visible after 4 to 6 weeks.”

Nanoleaf LED face mask review: Performance

Various treatments for different skin needs
Battery life sufficient
Decent results, but needs consistency

I tried two full cycles of Nanoleaf’s face mask in my testing: the blue and red light treatments, so I had a more solid comparison point against Shark’s Cryoglow. Worth highlighting up front is that these results are never permanent; all light therapy masks require continued regular use to reap the benefits.

Its red light therapy for inflammation reduction seems promising, and if that’s your priority, this more affordable mask might just be the best way to treat fine lines and wrinkles. After a 4-week cycle with four treatments per week, I noticed some small improvements to fine lines and repair to skin damage.

Blue light, for me, didn’t seem to work nearly as well, and I’d say overall there are better masks that offer more immediate results for acne sufferers; for me, I think my skin benefits from having room to breathe during treatment, which this skin-tight model doesn’t afford. After four weeks of use, my acne didn’t show any discernable changes as it had with the Shark Cryoglow, but there are of course ample outside factors that color results here.

As I’m writing this review I’m trying out the Cyan mode, as oily, acne-prone skin remains my biggest skincare challenge, but it’s too early to say if I’m seeing any significant results; however once again I feel the mask’s closeness to my skin might just negate any benefits from the light therapy here, as I’m often more oily after a treatment than before.

Where the Nanoleaf loses the most points is in comfort. It’s made of malleable silicone, which does make it more travel-friendly, but it’s a lot less enjoyable to wear. It gets a little warm under there, and especially given that I did some of my testing through sticky UK summer heat, that has made for some unpleasant me-time. It’s a bit loose around the jaw, too, and the velcro straps do slip around some.

The eye holes are also too small, meaning the light can leak out a fair amount, which isn’t the best thing for your eyes. Add to that the fact that, for my face at least, the holes don’t quite line up, particularly around my mouth, and this ill-fitting design can lead to further discomfort.

Battery life, at least, is more than sufficient; it lasts around three hours (enough for around 15 10-minute treatments) on a full charge, and recharges in just over an hour.

Despite some moderate results from treatment and mild discomfort, Nanoleaf’s mask is, at its price point, a solid performer and a great choice for those first-time light therapy users.

Performance score: 4/5

Nanoleaf LED face mask review: scorecard

Category	Comment	Score
Value	A fairly affordable mask for its relatively good specs.	4.5/5
Design	Not the most comfortable, but travels well.	3.5/5
Performance	Noticeable results, but not peak effectiveness	4/5

Nanoleaf LED face mask: Should I buy it?

Buy it if...

You’re looking for a travel-friendly mask

With its detachable battery and controller unit, Nanoleaf’s LED face mask is much easier to travel with than some alternatives.

You’re on a budget

Nanoleaf’s LED face mask is a great budget option, especially if you can find it on sale.

Don't buy it if...

You want peak power and performance

With some of the light therapies falling outside of recommended wavelengths, you’re not getting peak performance from this mask, though it’s by no means bad.

You want a relaxing spa companion

Sure, beauty is pain, but I’m not sure self-care needs to be uncomfortable, and this mask can run pretty hot, and may not fit your face comfortably.

How I tested

I tried two full treatment cycles using Nanoleaf’s LED face mask with the scientifically backed Red and Blue light therapies in order to assess how well it performed over time.

Through my daily use, I was able to consider the comfort, design features and benefits for the device, but I also compared it against my experience with the Shark CryoGlow.

I’ve been testing beauty products for four years, informing myself on the latest trends and research in order to provide reliable, relatable recommendations based on my in-person experience.

First reviewed October 2025

Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

« Previous Page — Next Page »