Depending on your role in the professional world, your day-to-day routine could change quite a bit. If you're like me, your daily tasks vary from admin to project management, emails, web work, AI work, contract signing, spreadsheets, and beyond. When my days are this well-rounded, having a machine that can adjust to my needs is helpful. In one meeting, I could be typing up a document for a team; the next, I could be drawing out a mind map for a team brainstorming, and so on. With the ThinkPad X13 2-in-1 Gen 5, my one machine can do it all -- at least in theory. But does it rank among the best Lenovo ThinkPad laptops we've reviewed?
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 2-in-1 Gen 5: Unboxing & first impressions
In my time, I've unboxed quite a few Lenovo ThinkPads, let alone Lenovo machines. All of them look about the same. This one was no different. It has good packaging with protective materials; it includes a 65W USB-C power adapter and an integrated stylus with a home within the computer.
I have owned and heavily used iPads for years, so the idea of an integrated stylus, not one magnetically hanging off the end, is a nice change-up. Another piece I just mentioned is that Lenovo chose to use the popular USB-C connection for this computer, not a proprietary charger or an awful barrel connector.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)
Right off the bat, this business laptop looks and feels like a professional ThinkPad model. At the same time, I do like the matte black finish. It looks stylish and accessible, and I can take this to whatever meetings I may have that day or in whatever job I may have. It's compact and lightweight, making it super easy to carry around, meaning that I would take it around, unlike some super hefty computers I have tested.
The keyboard is functional, comfortable, and familiar, reminding me of every other ThinkPad keyboard in a good way. It's responsive and reliable, and it has good key travel for what it is, allowing for high accuracy levels.
The hinge mechanism is one of the most vital for a 2-in-1 machine. If this hinge is stiff, it will directly detriment the 2-in-1 features. Thankfully, the hinge works great and is easy to use, flying back around without a problem.
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 2-in-1 Gen 5: Design & build quality
Specs
Processor: Up to Intel Core Ultra 7 165U Graphics: Integrated Intel Graphics (4-core iGPU) Memory: Up to 64GB LPDDR5x-6400 (soldered) Storage: Up to 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD Display: 13.3" WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS, 300 nits, 16:10 aspect ratio Ports: 2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 4), 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm audio jack, optional Nano SIM slot Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, optional LTE support Battery: 41Wh or optional 54.7Wh, Rapid Charge support Dimensions: 301.7 x 210.8 x 16.4 mm Weight: Starting at 1.2 kg (2.65 lbs)
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 2-in-1 Gen 5 has a sleek design, as mentioned; it's got a sturdy magnesium alloy construction, a 360-degree hinge to allow for the 2-in-1 features of folding around and turning into a tablet form, an integrated stylus, an excellent keyboard, and a quality touchpad. It's a great machine in specs.
However, the two main areas I wish it were a little better would be the screen and the battery. The screen is mediocre, but sadly, as most would think of it, it's still good enough for the professional business world. Most of the business world is still rocking 1080p monitors, and they don't think twice. So this monitor is more than satisfactory.
The built-in stylus feels solid, though I'm sure there are going to be plenty of people who lose this stylus, regardless of just how secure this is in the stylus garage.
The hinge works well, though I am nervous about it breaking. But for everyday use, it feels quite lovely to fold this device around and use it as a tablet or back around as a tent for displays or as normal as a laptop.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 2-in-1 Gen 5: In use
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 2-in-1 Gen 5 is an easy device to take from the office, home, coffee shop, and back to the office again.
It's excellent at handling everyday tasks, though I wouldn't be too far away from any outlets or without one of my portable power stations. Another reason for needing multiple daily charges may be for those heavy users or those who run a large program.
My team benchmarked this machine, and it did not score very well. But that doesn't mean it's automatically a bad machine.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 2-in-1 Gen 5: Final verdict
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 2-in-1 Gen 5 is a highly portable and flexible machine that can adapt to whatever working mode you need, whether you need to write, mark up a document, draw, present, or read. For an office professional, that flexibility could make a huge difference.
However, this laptop isn't perfect. The screen is nothing special, and the battery life is not the best. So, as long as you don't need an incredibly long battery life or a high-resolution screen, this device is a good one to consider.
The Honor Watch 5 Ultra is, from a hardware standpoint, a very good smartwatch indeed. It’s got a lovely 1.5-inch 466 x 466px AMOLED display, which is bright and butter-smooth; its case is made of titanium and its screen from Sapphire glass; it looks like a classic dress watch in the black aesthetic of my test model, but the fluoro band keeps things sporty – you could wear this for anything from wakeboarding sessions to weddings, and it wouldn’t be out of place.
It’s got a 480mAh battery that lasts around five days based on our tests – an impressive performance. The screen is pretty and the watch is intuitive to navigate, with health features that stand up to scrutiny. The digital crown, a feature often missed in non-Apple offerings, allows for easy scrolling.
So, will I wear it again? Unfortunately, no.
I love the watch’s design, I love its low price point, and I like the simple layout of its UI. I found it very useful, from the Find My Phone option to the sleep tracking. I think it’s a great watch, but ultimately undeserving of its Ultra moniker.
It tracks 100 sports, but most of these modes are very basic in their metric collection. There are no third-party apps, essential to customizing your smartwatch experience; you’re stuck with what's installed on the watch out of the box. There’s no Strava, no Spotify, no WhatsApp, although you can view messages with the notifications functionality. The watch does have an NFC chip onboard, but it’s not designed to support banking payments. Customization options are limited to an (albeit generous) selection of free watch faces.
The end result is a watch that looks well designed from the outside, but which feels strangely hollow inside. In many respects it’s a high-performing and great-value device, but the lack of features makes it hard to recommend.
Honor Watch 5 Ultra: Price and availability
(Image credit: Future)
Priced at €279 in the EU (around $300 / £235 / AU$480)
Around the same price as the cheaper Samsung and Apple watches
When and where you’ll be able to buy it is yet to be confirmed
The Honor Watch 5 Ultra is priced at €279 in Europe Union countries, which converts to around $300 / £235 / AU$480. That’s a great price for a watch with this build quality; it’s only a little bit more expensive than the Apple Watch SE.
However, Honor hasn’t yet confirmed when, or where, outside of the EU, you’ll be able to buy the Honor Watch 5 Ultra, due to international restrictions imposed on the brand similar to those on Huawei. We do know that it’ll be compatible with handsets running Android 9.0 and iOS 13.0, as well as the best Honor phones.
Value score: 3/5
Specifications
Honor Watch 5 Ultra: Design
(Image credit: Future)
Titanium and Sapphire glass
Simple UI
Digital crown
The Honor Watch 5 Ultra is, as mentioned above, an extraordinarily well-designed smartwatch (from a hardware standpoint) for its price. As well as high-quality innards like that great battery and powerful processor, the watch has a pleasant, unique octagonal shape with a grade 5 titanium case and bezel.
Sapphire glass protects the touchscreen, and together with the casing and fluoroelastomer band (leather is also available) this is certainly a watch that can withstand knocks, bumps and scrapes. I wore it non-stop for a week, and I was never worried about dinging it.
It looks like a premium dress watch, and the metal casing feels exceptionally premium – it’s certainly a better-looking watch than the otherwise comparable, and more expensive, Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra.
The watch has just one button, and the user experience has been vastly improved with the addition of a digital crown, which allows for easy scrolling. The Honor Watch 5 Ultra’s all-in-one button allows for an easy snapshot of your health, among other things, similar to Samsung’s body composition feature.
The fact that the magnetic charger is USB-A rather than the more powerful USB-C is a slight disappointment, but the fast-charging still works fine. Another disappointment is that there’s only one size; like many of its contemporaries, Honor is not taking into account those with smaller wrists.
Design score: 4/5
Honor Watch 5 Ultra: Features
(Image credit: Future)
100 workout modes
8GB of storage
No third-party apps or NFC payment
Things are a little more limited in the features department. With no third-party apps – which elevates the likes of the OnePlus Watch 3 from a nice curiosity into an essential wrist assistant – you miss out on deep interactions with everyday apps like Gmail, your maps service of choice, Keep Notes, Spotify, Strava, Komoot, your Wallet of choice, and so on.
The basic feature set is all you’re going to get. It’s not awful; you get notifications, call dismissal, on-phone music controls, 8GB storage for your music, which you can control with Honor’s native MagicOS Music app, but nothing terribly exciting.
The watch does have an NFC chip, but without a Wallet app you can’t really use it. I can view my WhatsApp messages on my wrist via the basic notifications service, but I can’t reply to them. You can see how my frustrations with the Honor Watch 5 Ultra were mounting during the week I wore it.
Things look a lot better from a health perspective. Honor’s suite of health and fitness features are good, with the new Health Scan feature first on the docket. It takes heart rate, blood oxygen and stress readings, collating them with sleep stats and your height and weight (which you input into the app) to check for outliers that could point to potential issues.
Sleep tracking is also great, with your sleep stages broken down in a similar manner to competitors such as the Samsung Galaxy Ring. The Watch 5 Ultra offers a Sleep Score with some additional insights based on how much sleep it believes you’ve had.
Workout support is solid, with over 100 sports modes, but very few of them offer more sophisticated metrics than heart rate and estimated calories burned. Running and swimming do offer specialized metrics, however, tracking pace per kilometer, stride length and stride frequency on the roads, while counting strokes and taking pool length into account during swimming.
Features score: 3/5
Honor Watch 5 Ultra: Performance
(Image credit: Future)
Some UI frustrations
Good battery life
Accurate workouts
I wore the Honor Watch 5 Ultra for a full week, testing it on runs, in the pool, and during sleep. The watch accurately estimated my steps, coming within a few hundred steps of my Samsung Galaxy Ring, and tracked sleep stages with similar accuracy.
I got a Healthy Morning Report and Sleep Score in the Honor Health app breaking everything down for me, with the usual insights – drink less caffeine during the day for better sleep, and so on – but Honor’s metrics and context are nowhere near as sophisticated as Samsung’s sleep animal chronotypes feature.
Run tracking served me well over the week, with all the usual pace, stride and speed features as well as GPS maps and elevation. A nice touch was a ‘fat reduced’ metric, telling me in one instance that my 8km run burned approximately 4g of fat. Swim tracking was also good, and the watch successfully identified my dominant stroke as ‘mixed’ as I swapped from front crawl to breaststroke during the workout.
The battery performed as described, lasting through around four and a half days of near-constant wear.
I’m happy with the performance here, but it would have been nice to be able to add to the limited features on offer with third-party apps. The frustration of not being able to use so many basic smartwatch functions with my phone made the device less useful, overall, than its competitors.
Performance score: 4/5
Scorecard
Honor Watch 5 Ultra: Should I buy?
(Image credit: Future)
Buy it if...
You own an Honor phone
If you own an Honor phone, this is the perfect accompanyment, and probably Honor’s best smartwatch to date.
You don’t need third-party apps
If you don’t need WhatsApp and the like on your phone, this makes for a great fitness tracker.
You want a good-looking watch
There’s no denying it: this watch, with its titanium casing, looks fab.
Don't buy it if...
Money is no object
If you’ve got a bigger budget, you could go for a top-end Garmin watch or Apple Watch Ultra.
You’re on Google or Apple
You’ll be better served with a Wear OS or Apple Watch for better ecosystem integration.View Deal
I wore the Honor Watch 5 Ultra for a full week, draining the battery down completely and monitoring runs, swims and strength workouts. I spent time using the UI to its fullest extent, testing the digital crown and button functionalities, and wore it as my daily driver. I also wore it to bed to examine its sleep tracking capabilities and tried the health monitoring metrics such as the new Health Scan feature.
The De’Longhi Magnifica Evo Next is an upgraded version of the Magnifica Evo we reviewed back in 2021, further expanding the Italian brand's range of Magnifica automatic bean-to-cup coffee machines. As a brewer of coffee, it’s excellent, delivering a delicious espresso with a lovely crema.
It can make a comprehensive selection of coffee-based drinks, each of which can be personalized and saved to profiles to ensure you get your perfect cuppa each and every time. It also uses De’Longhi’s LatteCrema milk frothing technology for making cappuccinos, macchiatos and other milk-based coffee drinks. But, despite an increasing percentage of the world’s population turning to plant-based milks, there aren’t any separate profiles for these dairy alternatives.
Day-to-day use of the Evo Next should be simple for most people, particularly those who are familiar with how fully automatic coffee machines work, although anyone new to coffee making might have to overcome a steep learning curve to get to grips with it. I was coming to the Evo Next as a user of either Nespresso pod machines or manual espresso machines, so it took me a few uses to figure out exactly how to extract the best from the Evo Next. If you’re in a similar position or have never used an automatic bean-to-cup machine before, let it be known you’re likely going to pour a few bitter espressos before you find your ideal cuppa.
The combination of the machine’s clearly laid-out buttons and bright, colorful display, however, made navigating through menus and settings a piece of cake. The only setting that did cause me some initial trouble was adjusting the grinder. I assumed I could adjust it whenever I wanted, but De’Longhi says it should only be moved when it’s in motion, which is counter to previous machines I've tested. I would have liked this instruction to have been a bit clearer. I also think the user manual could be a little clearer with regard to the effect changing the grind setting even just one increment can make on the resulting espresso. Those well-versed in coffee machines will likely already know this, but newcomers may struggle.
It’s not the smallest nor the quietest automatic coffee machine ever, nor is it even the quickest to pour an espresso shot, but once you’ve learned your way around it, the results and generous selection of available drink choices go some way to making up for these foibles, putting in contention with the best bean-to-cup coffee machines currently available.
Also helping its cause to be your next coffee machine is its low cost in comparison to similar models from other brands – although, perhaps not in the US at the time of writing.
De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Next review: Price & availability
List price $999.95 / £499.99 / AU$1,149
Cheaper than comparable competitor models
Can already be found with discounts
The price of the De’Longhi Magnifica Evo Next varies across the globe. In the UK, its list price is £499.99, in Australia it costs AU$1,149, but in the US it’s more expensive than a currency conversion or tariffs would suggest at $999.95.
It’s not the first time we’ve seen an inflated price for US customers, with the De’Longhi Eletta Explore – also an automatic coffee machine – priced higher in the US than its UK and Australian equivalents would suggest, and that’s from long before any tariff announcements were made.
When compared to the similarly specced KitchenAid KF6 ($1,199 / £1,299 / AU$1,799) though, the Magnifica Evo Next still represents remarkable value. The KF6 is much quieter in use and offers some extra maintenance features akin to professional espresso machines, but doesn’t include a milk carafe as standard, instead leaving you to place a tube into a jug or cup (or pony up for the official optional one).
Value score: 5/5
De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Next review: Specs
De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Next review: Design
Side water tank for easier refilling
Color display helps with navigation and setting changes
Space needed above for pouring coffee beans
The De’Longhi Magnifica Evo Next is a smart-looking coffee machine in a matte silver-and-black colourway. It’s the same size as other models in the Magnifica Evo range, including the Magnifica Evo, at 44 x 36 x 24cm (W x D x H), making it pretty big by espresso machine standards. I had it set up next to my trusted Nespresso Vertuo Pop pod coffee machine throughout the testing process and the difference in size was, well, sizeable, even on my relatively large kitchen counter. You will, therefore, need to make sure you have the space on your countertop to accommodate it.
The De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Next is significantly larger than the Nespresso Vertuo Pop. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
As with other models in the series, the beans container is on the top, so you’ll need to allow for a bit of extra space above to comfortably pour in coffee beans. With wall-mounted cabinets sitting directly above the machine in my setup, there was just enough clearance to pour a 1kg bag into the hopper. Ultimately though, as the machine's hopper isn’t airtight, I settled on storing my coffee beans in a separate container and scooping them in as needed. If you’re only making a few (or less) coffees a day, I’d recommend putting in just enough for each use to preserve freshness.
There is also a small chute that accepts ground coffee, if you don't have access to whole beans – although freshly ground beans make such a huge difference that using pre-ground with a machine of this caliber is, frankly, a huge waste.
A manual control wheel for the 13 grinder settings is nestled within the beans container. It’s labelled 1 to 7 – 1 being the finest and 7 the coarsest – with increments going up by 0.5 in between. De’Longhi says the default setting of 5 should be fine for most users, but if you want to adjust the grind setting, you should only do so when the machine is grinding to avoid damage to the burrs. De’Longhi adds that you should pour at least two coffees after you’ve made any changes to make sure that they’ve taken effect.
This, coupled with the five intensity settings available for each drink (which I’ll talk about more in the performance section), can make finding the perfect combination for your own tastes quite tricky and will likely require some experimentation during your first few days of use.
(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
If you want a home espresso machine that reduces the grinding guesswork, the De’Longhi La Specialista Touch’s Bean Adapt Technology system recommends ideal settings based on your chosen drink, although the machine on the whole requires more manual input than the Evo Next.
I experimented a fair amount with grind settings and found that when I had it set to the finest setting of 1, the machine wasn’t able to pour coffee. Instead it displayed an error message and then dumped out the ground coffee into the internal waste container. Returning the dial to its default setting of 5 gave me much better results.
Coffee is poured from two nozzles that can be physically raised or lowered to accommodate a variety of cup or mug heights, and it can be used to pour two espresso shots at once. The drip tray that sits underneath your cup(s) slides out smoothly, and also pulls out the separate internal waste bin where used coffee pucks are collected.
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The spout can move up and down to accommodate a range of cup and mug sizes. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
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(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
The Magnifica Evo Next comes with a large 60.9 fl oz / 1.8L water tank on its right-hand side, and slides in and out of the front of the machine like a book from a bookcase. This makes refilling the tank incredibly easy when compared to models from other brands that put the tank on the rear of the machine.
However, I have also used manual coffee machines such as the Sage/Breville Oracle Jet which has an integrated water tank that you simply fill up using a jug of water via a hole in the top at the front, a method I ultimately prefer.
De’Longhi also supplies a water hardness testing strip so you can determine which water hardness setting to choose during the initial setup, as well as a water filter that screws into the bottom of the tank.
The Magnifica Evo Next comes with both a hot water spout and a 9.4 fl oz / 280ml milk carafe to froth milk using the company’s LatteCrema system. Both of these attach to a small connection slot on the front left of the machine, and you can only use one at a time. If you want to make a milk-based drink or a tea, for example, you’ll need to factor in time to swap the attachments around.
The milk carafe and its various parts are easy to remove and clean. They’re dishwasher safe, too, to make things even easier.
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(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
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(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
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(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
You control the machine via an array of soft-touch buttons along the top, each of which has a symbol for a specific drink. There are also a couple of arrows that are used to adjust the size and intensity of your drink and an OK button to confirm your selections.
If you want to customize a drink, your options are extensive. Not only can you set a preferred intensity, but you can override the standard volumes poured for each style and size of coffee, including milk. This feature is accessed by pressing the ‘my’ button on the touch panel, and allows for three user profiles per drink.
When creating a custom profile, the machine will begin and continue pouring coffee until you tell it to stop when it reaches the desired level. The same goes for milk. With your settings saved, the next time you come to make the same drink, you’ll see ‘my’ listed next to the size. Press OK and the Evo Next will pour to your exact specifications.
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(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
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(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
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(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
Your selections are displayed on a clear, central 2.4-inch TFT screen that provides a good range of information, including color images of what your coffee can expect to look like once it’s finished pouring. It also gives you remarkably polite written feedback, including telling you you’re becoming a pro after you’ve poured a large number of drinks.
As I’m based in Australia, I found some of the De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Next's drink names slightly unfamiliar, as they reflect the brand’s Italian heritage. For instance, my usual choice of a flat white isn't a standard Italian coffee and so isn’t an option. The closest alternative available is the Cappuccino Mix, which provides frothed milk, though it's less foamy than a traditional cappuccino.
Design score: 4.5/5
De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Next review: Performance
Extensive selection of customization options
Delicious espresso with good crema
Noisy in use
As I’ve already mentioned, the De’Longhi Magnifica Evo Next will consistently produce great-tasting coffee, but only after you’ve figured out which settings are best for you. I experimented a fair amount with grind and intensity settings – initially with poor, unusable results – but once I found the best settings for my taste, there was no stopping me from making excellent coffee after coffee.
(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
I was happy with the thickness of the crema produced, and I think it will suit most coffee drinkers. If, however, you like a particularly thick crema on your espresso or coffee, then you may want to check out the KitchenAid KF6 instead.
The Magnifica Evo Next can make 11 different coffee-based drinks, each with its own options for customization, such as the strength, temperature and volume. The options offered are:
You can also dispense hot water and hot milk from the machine; however, unlike some other newer espresso machines we've tested, there’s no option for cold brewing.
During my testing, I found the default settings for my preferred cappuccino mix drink weren’t as strong as I would have liked – the intensity was set to 3, on a scale of 1 to 5. I had to increase it to the maximum 5 and this returned a much more flavorful brew.
The higher intensity setting refers to the fact that more beans are ground and packed into the internal puck, resulting in a stronger, more potent espresso.
There aren’t any settings to adjust the foam level or milk temperature, although the type of milk you use will dictate the level of foam returned. For example, I drink oat milk in my coffees and found that attempting to use standard (i.e. non-barista) oat milk produced disappointing results.
That’s not to say the results weren’t foamy – in fact I was impressed with what the Evo Next could muster – but it produced a thicker foam when I switched to a barista brand with higher fat content.
While I’m quite easygoing when it comes to milk, users who are particular will likely need to experiment with different milk types and brands yo achieve the desired results.
I was less enthused with the way the milk comes out the spout, though. It’s more a ‘spit out’ than a ‘flow out' – not something I’d expect from a more premium machine like this.
(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
For time-conscious coffee drinkers, you’ll want to know that pouring an espresso at intensity level 5 – which grinds the largest amount of beans – took around 40 seconds. Larger drinks, such as my cappuccino mix, took longer at nearly 1 min 30 seconds, including dispensing milk. This time is on par with the Magnifica Evo automatic coffee machine, but there are faster machines that are cheaper, so it's a slight shame that De’Longhi hasn’t been able to speed up the brew time with this model. If you want your coffee fast, a Nespresso machine can cut those times down considerably – my Vertuo Pop, for example, takes around 30 seconds to pour a 150ml pod.
I also found the Magnifica Evo Next quite noisy in use. It bothered me so much that I took a reading with the Decibel X app on my phone and, when placed next to the machine, it reached 82dB when grinding beans (nearly 20dB louder than the Quiet Mark-certified KitchenAid KF6), 72dB when tamping and emptying the coffee puck, and 66dB when pouring a coffee.
(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
Where the Magnifica Evo Next makes less of a fuss is maintenance. After each milk-based drink, the machine asks you to run a quick-rinse cycle, which uses water from the tank to flush any buildup from the carafe’s spout. You’ll also be notified on the display when it’s time to empty the drip tray and grounds container.
For more thorough cleaning, a dedicated Maintenance menu can be found in the settings, with options to run water through the machine to rinse it and run a descaling cycle (the machine will let you know if a descaling is necessary). You can also check the status of the water filter, run a more thorough cycle for the milk carafe when it’s connected, and drain any water from the system if you’re planning to transport it.
Finally, a panel on the right-hand side of the machine, accessible when you remove the water container, houses the brewing unit. This detaches easily with a pinch of the two red-colored clips and can be run under a tap to remove any buildup of coffee.
Performance score: 4/5
Should you buy the De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Next
Buy it if
You want some control over your coffee
While it’s automatic, the Magnifica Evo Next still gives you plenty of options for personalization, which can all be saved to multiple user profiles.View Deal
You enjoy a variety of coffee-based drinks
With 11 drinks to choose from, most coffee connoisseurs should be catered to, or it can even help you discover something new. View Deal
Don't buy it if
You’re short on counter space
The Magnifica Evo Next isn’t the biggest automatic coffee machine ever, but it certainly can’t be called compact.View Deal
You drink plant-based milk
This machine doesn’t discriminate against plant-based milks, but there aren’t any specific foaming or temperature profiles for dairy alternatives either.View Deal
De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Next: Also consider
Smeg BCC13
This is our favorite bean-to-cup espresso machine due it being a joy to use. It’s truly automatic, delivers tasty coffee and looks the absolute business.
If you’re tempted by a manual bean-to-cup machine instead, the La Specialista Touch from De’Longhi is a great option, especially for beginners. It’s semi-automated but with the option for better manual control and helps guide you through the more complex processes of espresso brewing. Plus, it’s cheaper than the Evo Next.
I used the De’Longhi Magnifica Evo Next at home with the same supermarket-brand coffee beans that we use in the TechRadar Australia office (in a Breville Oracle Jet), so I’m already familiar with the flavor. I followed the setup instructions by first testing the water hardness (hard) and configured the machine accordingly, which included needing to insert the supplied water filter.
I used the machine to pour a variety of the available drinks to assess the crema, flavor and time required. I also used the LatteCrema carafe to froth fridge-cold oat milk, of both the barista and non-barista varieties.
I remember seeing this monitor on the front step of my home/studio. I don't know how a mortal could have carried this alone. Perhaps the poor Fed-Ex driver had a buddy that day. Regardless, this monitor is massive, making the box much larger. Once I had my wife help move the monitor inside, I got to testing this 49in curved business monitor as soon as possible.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)
Lenovo ThinkVision P49w-30: Unboxing & first impressions
I'll admit it: I couldn't carry this monitor on my own, not without risking damage to the monitor or my home. So, I grabbed my wife to help carry this monitor down to my home office. I got it set up and added it to my testing desk and immediately realized how large this was and how nearly impossible it would be to get a fair test in this space.
So, I reached out to a friend, and we finished the unboxing session in his home studio. The box had all the cables expected, including DP cables, USB-A to USB-B cables, a Thunderbolt cable, and the proper documentation. Much like mine, getting the box into his house took two people, assuming you wouldn't want to scrape up your home or workspace. But, once unboxed, we could have one person unpack the rest of the monitor. The assembly was straightforward to work with.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)
At first glance, this monitor would be super gimmicky and poor. There was no way in my head that a monitor with these specs would work well, or at least not in a way that would make me want to use it.
However, I was proven wrong after using this for the first few minutes. This monitor is fantastic. It's high quality, minimalist, and has great ports. I have come to love it all around. The build itself is high-quality, including the base, the casing for the monitor, and the little bump-out port pieces.
If you choose to use the stand, it has pretty smooth adjustments for tilt, swivel, and height and does a good job holding up this behemoth of a display.
Though this monitor is huge, it's huge in all the right places. It's also quite slim when it comes to monitor depth, which is precisely what you want in a rather expensive monitor in 2025. The build quality, paired with this display's overall weight and size, make it feel like it's made well. It's heavy enough to feel like it's a quality display, but not so heavy that it's a burden to have it.
The sleek design has narrow bezels, which help give it a more modern, minimalist look; though calling something this large a minimalist item feels wrong, the styling is minimalist. In addition, the included stand provides good ergonomic adjustments while holding this beast of a display up.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)
Lenovo ThinkVision P49w-30: In use
The first time we set up this display, we were very weary of it. It's massive; how can it still be worth having for business and productivity? It took about 5 minutes or less for us to change our opinion on this display and fall in love with it. The color accuracy and consistency are excellent for any creative task we tested, whether video editing, photo editing, music production, or whatever else we could throw at it. When switching out your device and running the display, the built-in KVM switch is an absolute dream. You won't need to go around switching displays or unplugging something. Instead, you can plug multiple devices into the built-in switching ports and easily swap between devices.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)
Another way that this monitor has been incredible is for productivity. Because I can fit so much on the screen, I can have an entire project's worth of reference material simultaneously and at a size I can read. It makes my otherwise 13-16-inch screen (depending on the laptop I am using that day) feel super restrictive. With the ThinkVision P49w-30, I have two decent-sized monitors in one; without dealing with bezels or managing multiple desktops, I can keep everything simple.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)
For creative tasks, the colors are great. Still, they may not be the most accurate, so if you are strictly a photo editor or color grader, this is probably not your display. Still, for music producers or video editors, there is so much timeline screen real estate that this could give you a view of most of your project's timeline at once, again with a decent-sized preview and controls window, too.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)
Just for kicks and giggles, mainly because some of my team and I are really into Formula 1, we tried a racing simulator on this, and when I say it made playing any other way feel cheap and pathetic, I mean it. We were able to see side mirrors off to the side like we should, have a full visor in front of us, and feel more immersed in the game than we ever had before.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)
Lenovo ThinkVision P49w-30: Final verdict
The Lenovo ThinkVision P49w-30 stands out as a top-tier ultra-wide monitor tailored to professionals who wish for extensive screen space and versatile connectivity.
Its premium features and performance make it a worthy investment for enhancing productivity, and its connectivity options make this an excellent solution for Mac, PC, programmer, project manager, music producer, video editor, online marketer, administrative assistant, and so on.
The only downside is the price and the fact that I wish it could be more than 60Hz, but I barely even notice that it's only 60Hz, and if I were using this for business, as intended, I wouldn't notice. In short, all I have to say about this monitor regarding the professional/business workspace is, yes, please.
Revlon Airflow Control hair dryer: two-minute review
The Revlon Airflow Control Dryer sports an innovative design and comes in at an extremely affordable price, but on test proved a bit of a disappointment. The USP is a head that rotates 90-degrees, enabling you to twist between locked vertical or horizontal positions to help you reach tricky angles. This head is then tapered, meaning it acts like a built-in concentrator – albeit an overly large one. With its bright red color, this dryer stands out but, in my opinion, not in an especially classy way.
At the rear of the dryer is a removable lint filter and a hanging loop, which make it easy to maintain and store. Inside, there's a 2000W motor and ceramic tourmaline technology that it promises to reduce frizz and add shine – although not very effectively, based on my tests.
Even with its powerful and directed airflow, this dryer left my long, naturally curly hair consistently frizzier than normal. In fact, I was repeatedly disappointed with how my hair looked and felt when using this dryer, and this was the case regardless of which of its three heat settings, or dual speed options, I tried. Some marketing materials position it as a travel dryer, in which case the fact it doesn't fold up for easier packing feels like an oversight.
On the plus side, the dryer's cold shot button – which actually feels cold, not just cool – is great at setting styles. And the inclusion of a diffuser attachment makes the Airflow Control dryer more versatile, opening it up to a wider range of different hair types.
Price-wise, it sits firmly in the budget price bracket, although I do feel you get what you're paying for – it really can't compete with the best hair dryers on the market right now. If you want something affordable and quick for everyday use, it’s a decent choice, but for anything more involved you'll need to invest a little more. Read on for my full Revlon Airflow Control hair dryer review.
(Image credit: Future)
Revlon Airflow Control hair dryer review: price & availability
List price: £35 / $38
Available: UK, US
Launched: August 2024
With a list price of £35 in the UK, and $37 in the US, the Revlon Airflow Control dryer sits firmly in the budget hair dryer category.
The Conair model ships with a concentrator and diffuser and is the classier, but larger, of the three, with its matte black finish and gold accents.
The BaByliss Pro Nano is closer to the Revlon in terms of its size, making it a good option for traveling, but it only ships with a concentrator and is missing the diffuser. It's also half as powerful (1000W vs 2000W) as Revlon's model.
All things considered, the Revlon Airflow Control dryer is good value, especially when you factor in the rotating head, built-in concentrator and diffuser included as standard. Other touches like the removable lint filter help too, yet you largely get what you pay for in terms of performance, as I'll get to shortly.
Value for money score: 4 out of 5
Revlon Airflow Control hair dryer specs
Revlon Airflow Control hair dryer review: design
Rotating head helps direct airflow, but feels gimmicky
Built-in concentrator is a nice touch but limits styling flexibility
Powerful, yet bulky and bold design
The Revlon Airflow Control Dryerhas a number of features that make it stand out from the crowd, but having used it for the past month, I have mixed feelings about most of them. The headline is its rotating head, which lets you switch the nozzle between vertical and horizontal positions by sliding a small lock button near the base, and twisting the head into place.
It’s a feature that's designed to reduce wrist strain and make it easier to style at different angles. It also doubles up as a built-in concentrator, which means there are no loose parts to clip on, or lose. For the most part, I like this feature. It definitely helps when you're drying the back of your head or using a brush, and its tapered design helps deliver a strong, focused airflow thanks to the 2000W motor.
However, in practice, it feels over-engineered for what it does. The concentrator is wide and fixed in size, and you can’t swap it for a narrower nozzle when you want extra precision for smoothing or root volume. As a result, once the novelty wears off, it starts to feel more like a design flourish than a game-changer. Especially when most detachable concentrators can be twisted and achieve similar results with less bulk and limitations.
(Image credit: Future)
Speaking of bulk, the dryer measures 22.8cm x 27.9cm x 8.9cm, and the proportions make it feel larger in the hand than necessary. It's sometimes pitched as a travel dryer, and while it's not overly heavy (30.6oz / 870g) the fact it can't fold means it'd be rather cumbersome to pack. All this, combined with the sporty design, means the Airflow Control doesn’t feel as premium as I’d hoped.
The diffuser snaps easily to the front of the barrel using magnets, although this attachment is huge and adds to the overall bulk. Elsewhere, the removable filter on the rear is a nice touch for keeping the dryer working to its best, the 1.8m (5.9ft) cord is a decent length too– although many models come with longer cables, I felt I still had enough freedom to move around the room.
Controls & modes
In addition to the lock button on the side of the barrel, there are two slider switches on the handle of the Airflow Control dryer – one to control its three temperature settings (cool, warm, hot), and one for its two speed settings (low, high).
These are well-positioned and easy to reach without knocking accidentally. More premium dryers will tend to offer more setting options, but this range and combination of controls is fairly standard, and well suited to a range of different hair types and styles.
Above these slider switchers is a cold shot button that also works well to set styles at the end of a blow-dry. Like with the slider switches, you can't accidentally activate this mode; you have to make a deliberate long press to turn it on, and this is welcomed.
(Image credit: Future)
CONTROLS
Aesthetically speaking, I'm not sold on this dryer. The red and black colorway gives it a bold, sporty look. This may appeal to some, but I personally prefer something more minimalist, or neutral.
In summary, the rotating head and built-in concentrator sound great on paper but fall short due to their bulk and lack of flexibility. If you blow-dry your hair a lot and want a comfortable grip with no attachments to juggle, it could work well. But if you’re looking for a sleeker, classier design, customisable attachments, or a more travel-friendly option, the design of this dryer won't be the best fit.
Design score: 3 out of 5
Revlon Airflow Control hair dryer review: performance
Dries hair quickly, even on low settings
Cold shot works well for setting styles
Finish was consistently disappointing and frizzy
Performance-wise, I was pleasantly surprised by the Revlon Airflow Control Dryer. At least at first.
On the highest heat and speed settings, it dried my hair impressively fast. I could get my long hair about 80 per cent dry in under three minutes, before taking around a minute more using a blow-dry brush to attempt to smooth out the top. Even on the lower settings, the airflow feels strong and consistent, and the built-in concentrator helps direct this power and airflow well. You can't fault the dryer for its efficiency, and it does its main job – getting moisture out of the hair – as well as any.
The cold shot button is another feature that performs well. Unlike some dryers where the cool setting just feels lukewarm, this one gives a genuine blast of cold air. With its button positioned conveniently above the sliders, you can easily press it with your thumb while styling, and it works quickly to cool down sections and lock in shape.
(Image credit: Future)
With extended use, though, things started to fall apart for me. While the drying time was quick, the finish just wasn’t there. At all. No matter what combination of settings I used – hot then cool, low speed for control, brushing in sections, even towel-drying beforehand – my hair always ended up looking frizzy and undefined. Even with the promise of the built-in concentrator and ceramic tourmaline coating, and even if I followed my drying session up with the cold shot, the result was consistently disappointing.
So much so, the time I saved on drying was lost by needing to go back over everything with straighteners or a hot brush just to get a polished finish.
(Image credit: Future)
Similarly, when using the magnetic diffuser on my natural curls, I was hoping for a soft, voluminous finish, but again the results were underwhelming. It dried my hair quickly, but didn’t enhance definition or reduce frizz. If anything, it made my hair puffier.
Given its budget price I wasn't expecting miracles with the Airflow Control, but considering the marketing specifically says it'll reduce frizz and boost shine, I couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Performance score: 2.5 out of 5
Should you buy the Revlon Airflow Control hair dryer?
Buy it if...
You want fast drying time
With a powerful 2000W motor and strong airflow, the Airflow Control dryer will get your hair dry nice and quickly.
You're on a tight budget
Not everyone can (or wants to) spend a small fortune on a hair dryer. This is one of the cheapest options around, and if you have basic styling needs it'll do the job just fine.
You struggle with wrist strain when styling
The rotating head helps adjust airflow angles without needing to twist your arm or strain your wrists. The built-in concentrator is also convenient and means there’s nothing to lose or clip on.
Don't buy it if...
You want a sleek, frizz-free finish
Despite its ceramic tourmaline coating, the Airflow Control dryer consistently left my hair frizzy.
You need styling flexibility
The concentrator is built-in and oversized, so you can’t swap it for more precise nozzles.
You prefer compact or folding tools for travel
The dryer is bulkier than expected and doesn’t fold, meaning it's not the best choice for slinging into a suitcase or backpack.
How I tested the Revlon Airflow Control hair dryer
For a month, I used the Revlon Airflow Control Dryer as the main dryer for my long, naturally curly and fine hair. During testing, I used all the different heat and speed settings, timed how long it took the combinations to rough-dry my hair from wet to dry, and I tested how well the cold shot and diffuser performed. I paid close attention to how easy it was to use day-to-day, including how it felt to hold, button placement, and whether the rotating head actually made a difference.
Revlon Airflow Control hair dryer: two-minute review
The Revlon Airflow Control Dryer sports an innovative design and comes in at an extremely affordable price, but on test proved a bit of a disappointment. The USP is a head that rotates 90-degrees, enabling you to twist between locked vertical or horizontal positions to help you reach tricky angles. This head is then tapered, meaning it acts like a built-in concentrator – albeit an overly large one. With its bright red color, this dryer stands out but, in my opinion, not in an especially classy way.
At the rear of the dryer is a removable lint filter and a hanging loop, which make it easy to maintain and store. Inside, there's a 2000W motor and ceramic tourmaline technology that it promises to reduce frizz and add shine – although not very effectively, based on my tests.
Even with its powerful and directed airflow, this dryer left my long, naturally curly hair consistently frizzier than normal. In fact, I was repeatedly disappointed with how my hair looked and felt when using this dryer, and this was the case regardless of which of its three heat settings, or dual speed options, I tried. Some marketing materials position it as a travel dryer, in which case the fact it doesn't fold up for easier packing feels like an oversight.
On the plus side, the dryer's cold shot button – which actually feels cold, not just cool – is great at setting styles. And the inclusion of a diffuser attachment makes the Airflow Control dryer more versatile, opening it up to a wider range of different hair types.
Price-wise, it sits firmly in the budget price bracket, although I do feel you get what you're paying for – it really can't compete with the best hair dryers on the market right now. If you want something affordable and quick for everyday use, it’s a decent choice, but for anything more involved you'll need to invest a little more. Read on for my full Revlon Airflow Control hair dryer review.
(Image credit: Future)
Revlon Airflow Control hair dryer review: price & availability
List price: £35 / $38
Available: UK, US
Launched: August 2024
With a list price of £35 in the UK, and $37 in the US, the Revlon Airflow Control dryer sits firmly in the budget hair dryer category.
The Conair model ships with a concentrator and diffuser and is the classier, but larger, of the three, with its matte black finish and gold accents.
The BaByliss Pro Nano is closer to the Revlon in terms of its size, making it a good option for traveling, but it only ships with a concentrator and is missing the diffuser. It's also half as powerful (1000W vs 2000W) as Revlon's model.
All things considered, the Revlon Airflow Control dryer is good value, especially when you factor in the rotating head, built-in concentrator and diffuser included as standard. Other touches like the removable lint filter help too, yet you largely get what you pay for in terms of performance, as I'll get to shortly.
Value for money score: 4 out of 5
Revlon Airflow Control hair dryer specs
Revlon Airflow Control hair dryer review: design
Rotating head helps direct airflow, but feels gimmicky
Built-in concentrator is a nice touch but limits styling flexibility
Powerful, yet bulky and bold design
The Revlon Airflow Control Dryerhas a number of features that make it stand out from the crowd, but having used it for the past month, I have mixed feelings about most of them. The headline is its rotating head, which lets you switch the nozzle between vertical and horizontal positions by sliding a small lock button near the base, and twisting the head into place.
It’s a feature that's designed to reduce wrist strain and make it easier to style at different angles. It also doubles up as a built-in concentrator, which means there are no loose parts to clip on, or lose. For the most part, I like this feature. It definitely helps when you're drying the back of your head or using a brush, and its tapered design helps deliver a strong, focused airflow thanks to the 2000W motor.
However, in practice, it feels over-engineered for what it does. The concentrator is wide and fixed in size, and you can’t swap it for a narrower nozzle when you want extra precision for smoothing or root volume. As a result, once the novelty wears off, it starts to feel more like a design flourish than a game-changer. Especially when most detachable concentrators can be twisted and achieve similar results with less bulk and limitations.
(Image credit: Future)
Speaking of bulk, the dryer measures 22.8cm x 27.9cm x 8.9cm, and the proportions make it feel larger in the hand than necessary. It's sometimes pitched as a travel dryer, and while it's not overly heavy (30.6oz / 870g) the fact it can't fold means it'd be rather cumbersome to pack. All this, combined with the sporty design, means the Airflow Control doesn’t feel as premium as I’d hoped.
The diffuser snaps easily to the front of the barrel using magnets, although this attachment is huge and adds to the overall bulk. Elsewhere, the removable filter on the rear is a nice touch for keeping the dryer working to its best, the 1.8m (5.9ft) cord is a decent length too– although many models come with longer cables, I felt I still had enough freedom to move around the room.
Controls & modes
In addition to the lock button on the side of the barrel, there are two slider switches on the handle of the Airflow Control dryer – one to control its three temperature settings (cool, warm, hot), and one for its two speed settings (low, high).
These are well-positioned and easy to reach without knocking accidentally. More premium dryers will tend to offer more setting options, but this range and combination of controls is fairly standard, and well suited to a range of different hair types and styles.
Above these slider switchers is a cold shot button that also works well to set styles at the end of a blow-dry. Like with the slider switches, you can't accidentally activate this mode; you have to make a deliberate long press to turn it on, and this is welcomed.
(Image credit: Future)
CONTROLS
Aesthetically speaking, I'm not sold on this dryer. The red and black colorway gives it a bold, sporty look. This may appeal to some, but I personally prefer something more minimalist, or neutral.
In summary, the rotating head and built-in concentrator sound great on paper but fall short due to their bulk and lack of flexibility. If you blow-dry your hair a lot and want a comfortable grip with no attachments to juggle, it could work well. But if you’re looking for a sleeker, classier design, customisable attachments, or a more travel-friendly option, the design of this dryer won't be the best fit.
Design score: 3 out of 5
Revlon Airflow Control hair dryer review: performance
Dries hair quickly, even on low settings
Cold shot works well for setting styles
Finish was consistently disappointing and frizzy
Performance-wise, I was pleasantly surprised by the Revlon Airflow Control Dryer. At least at first.
On the highest heat and speed settings, it dried my hair impressively fast. I could get my long hair about 80 per cent dry in under three minutes, before taking around a minute more using a blow-dry brush to attempt to smooth out the top. Even on the lower settings, the airflow feels strong and consistent, and the built-in concentrator helps direct this power and airflow well. You can't fault the dryer for its efficiency, and it does its main job – getting moisture out of the hair – as well as any.
The cold shot button is another feature that performs well. Unlike some dryers where the cool setting just feels lukewarm, this one gives a genuine blast of cold air. With its button positioned conveniently above the sliders, you can easily press it with your thumb while styling, and it works quickly to cool down sections and lock in shape.
(Image credit: Future)
With extended use, though, things started to fall apart for me. While the drying time was quick, the finish just wasn’t there. At all. No matter what combination of settings I used – hot then cool, low speed for control, brushing in sections, even towel-drying beforehand – my hair always ended up looking frizzy and undefined. Even with the promise of the built-in concentrator and ceramic tourmaline coating, and even if I followed my drying session up with the cold shot, the result was consistently disappointing.
So much so, the time I saved on drying was lost by needing to go back over everything with straighteners or a hot brush just to get a polished finish.
(Image credit: Future)
Similarly, when using the magnetic diffuser on my natural curls, I was hoping for a soft, voluminous finish, but again the results were underwhelming. It dried my hair quickly, but didn’t enhance definition or reduce frizz. If anything, it made my hair puffier.
Given its budget price I wasn't expecting miracles with the Airflow Control, but considering the marketing specifically says it'll reduce frizz and boost shine, I couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Performance score: 2.5 out of 5
Should you buy the Revlon Airflow Control hair dryer?
Buy it if...
You want fast drying time
With a powerful 2000W motor and strong airflow, the Airflow Control dryer will get your hair dry nice and quickly.
You're on a tight budget
Not everyone can (or wants to) spend a small fortune on a hair dryer. This is one of the cheapest options around, and if you have basic styling needs it'll do the job just fine.
You struggle with wrist strain when styling
The rotating head helps adjust airflow angles without needing to twist your arm or strain your wrists. The built-in concentrator is also convenient and means there’s nothing to lose or clip on.
Don't buy it if...
You want a sleek, frizz-free finish
Despite its ceramic tourmaline coating, the Airflow Control dryer consistently left my hair frizzy.
You need styling flexibility
The concentrator is built-in and oversized, so you can’t swap it for more precise nozzles.
You prefer compact or folding tools for travel
The dryer is bulkier than expected and doesn’t fold, meaning it's not the best choice for slinging into a suitcase or backpack.
How I tested the Revlon Airflow Control hair dryer
For a month, I used the Revlon Airflow Control Dryer as the main dryer for my long, naturally curly and fine hair. During testing, I used all the different heat and speed settings, timed how long it took the combinations to rough-dry my hair from wet to dry, and I tested how well the cold shot and diffuser performed. I paid close attention to how easy it was to use day-to-day, including how it felt to hold, button placement, and whether the rotating head actually made a difference.
The Philips Barista Brew is an espresso machine that can either hand-hold you through brewing espresso by automating part of the process, or leave you to do everything manually once you’ve built up your confidence. It’s a nice idea that should help smooth out the typical learning curve.
The machine heats quickly, and has a useful pressure gauge on the front that lets you see whether you’ve achieved the optimal pressure while pulling a shot of espresso. The controls are simple to understand and use, and although the Barista Brew takes longer to master than some other machines I’ve tested recently (such as the De’Longhi La Specialista Touch), once accustomed to its idiosyncrasies, you’ll be able to create consistently good coffee with minimal fuss (and only a scattering of grounds on your kitchen worktop).
For me, the Philips Barista Brew had two main drawbacks: the automatic dosing and the tamper. Both issues are solvable, though; but they do mean that this is a good coffee machine rather than a great one.
On its default settings, the Barista Brew ground far too much coffee for a double shot of espresso, and I needed to reduce the grind time by half to get an appropriate dose. Changing settings isn’t too difficult using the instruction booklet, but I can’t help but feel that the presets should be better configured, since making big changes to the standard settings may be outside the comfort zone of people new to coffee-making.
I found it hard to achieve the optimum pressure using the Philips Barista Brew with its "calibrated" tamper, and my coffee tended to extract too quickly – even when very finely ground. Swapping to a conventional solid tamper solved the problem, however. (Image credit: Future)
My other issue was the tamper, which is spring-loaded and limits the amount of pressure you can put on the coffee puck. Despite the coffee being finely ground, my shots often poured too fast, and the pressure gauge on the front of the machine showed that it was failing to reach the optimal nine bars.
I found a few solutions. Grinding the coffee more coarsely means it takes up more space (imagine the difference between a bucket full of sand and one full of rocks), with it usually resulting in a faster pour because water will find its way through the grounds more quickly. But here, if you dial the grinder just right, you may be able to tamp hard enough to cancel out that effect.
Another option is to simply grind more coffee, so there's more for the tamp to compress; but this feels like a waste of beans. As with any espresso machine, add too much to your basket and it will make contact with the brew head when you insert the handle, which will stop the water passing through properly.
(Image credit: Future)
Finally, you can stick with your preferred grind size and dose, and use a simple third-party tamper to compress the puck rather than Philips' spring-loaded unit. While this one feels nice in the hand, I can’t help but feel it’s over-engineered.
Nevertheless, it’s important to bear in mind the price of the Barista Brew when you’re comparing it to others in the same category. Although I found the De’Longhi La Specialista Touch easier to master, the Barista Brew is much cheaper at its currently reduced price when you buy direct from Philips. If you don’t get along with the "calibrated" tamper, you can buy a good-quality unit separately and still pay a lot less.
It’ isn't perfect, but the Philips Barista Brew is very good for the price, and is definitely one to consider if you’re looking for a compact, all-in-one espresso machine that won’t break the bank.
Philips Barista Brew: price and availability
List price $649.99 / £580.99 (about AU$1,000)
For sale in US and Europe
Dual-hopper version also available
The Philips Barista Brew launched in January 2024, with a list price of $649.99 / £580.99 (about AU$1,000). However, it can often be found at a discount if you shop around – for example, at the time of writing, it’s available direct from Philips for £449.99. You’ll find all today’s best prices below.
That’s about average for a semi-automatic espresso machine of this type, and is almost exactly the same price as the similarly specced De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo. If you want a machine that will hold your hand with features such as automatic milk texturizing or a color touchscreen (like the De’Longhi La Specialista Touch), for example, you should expect to pay a little more.
This version of the Philips Barista Brew comes with a single bean hopper, but there’s also a model with a dual hopper that can hold two different beans at once and switch between them on-the-fly. That model is slightly more expensive at $699.99 / £624.99 (about AU$1,100) before discounts.
Value score: 4.5/5
Philips Barista Brew: specs
Philips Barista Brew: design
Stylish-looking and compact
Easy-to-use controls for coffee and milk
Grinder is messy to use
The Philips Barista Brew is quite compact compared to most of the best bean-to-cup coffee machines, and surprisingly light, too. This is largely down to its chassis, which is made mostly from black plastic, with brushed stainless steel only on the front. It’s a stylish appliance, and will look quite at home in a modern kitchen.
The machine is operated using a series of buttons found along the front, with a dial on the side for dispensing hot water and steam. There are three drink options (single espresso, double espresso, and americano), and you can adjust the brew time and coffee dosage manually by following the clear guidance in the instruction booklet.
(Image credit: Future)
The version of the Philips Barista Brew I tested comes with a single bean hopper, but there's also a version with a two-part hopper that allows you to switch between different beans on-the-fly – a welcome feature for those of us who prefer decaf in the afternoon. The dual-hopper version is only a little more expensive, and is well worth considering.
The hopper sits on top of a ceramic burr grinder that offers 15 grind settings, which are adjusted by rotating the hopper. The burrs move smoothly, and dismantling the grinder for cleaning proved straightforward. The machine comes with a small cleaning kit that includes a brush for this purpose.
Even with the powder ring fitted on the handle, coffee tended to fly out of the grinder (Image credit: Future)
The grinder can be set to dispense a timed dose of coffee, or operated manually by pushing the portafilter handle against the back of the machine (tilting it slightly upwards to hit a switch).
The water tank sits on the back of the Philips Barista Brew, and is easy to lift off using its robust handle. Some other reviewers have called it narrow and difficult to clean, but it’s actually wider than those of many other coffee machines I’ve tested this year, and it was perfectly possible to get my hand inside with a cloth and towel. The only downside is that it isn't supplied with a water filter.
Look behind the drip tray to find a nicely designed pin tool for clearing the steam wand (Image credit: Future)
The steam wand has a good range of motion, and can be adjusted using a cool-touch silicone handle. Should it become clogged, you’ll find a double-ended pin tool for clearing any blockages tucked away behind the drip tray, where it’s unlikely to be found by children, or become lost. The sharper end of the pin even has a safety cap to protect your fingers.
The Barista Brew comes with a 48mm portafilter and four filter baskets – single and double-walled, for single and double shots. The double-walled (pressurized) baskets are more forgiving if you haven't quite nailed your coffee-making technique just yet, and make it easier to make a consistently well-extracted shot.
The calibrated tamper feels nice and weighty in the hand, but limits how much pressure you can put on the puck (Image credit: Future)
The portafilter handle has a rubberized area at the front of the basket, which makes it easy for you to stabilize it on the edge of your kitchen counter while tamping, without the need for a separate mat. It also has a powder ring that twists onto the basket that’s intended to keep things tidy during grinding, although I found it didn't prevent grounds flying out.
You also get the usual stainless steel milk pitcher, which is perfectly well made, and a "calibrated" tamper that only lets you compress the ground coffee a certain amount. It's an interesting idea, but in practice I struggled to get a properly extracted coffee because it wasn't tamped down hard enough.
Finally, the Barista Brew has a cup-warmer on top – something I always appreciate, but which is usually missing from espresso machines in this price bracket.
Design score: 3.5/5
Philips Barista Brew: performance
The Philips Barista Brew is fundamentally a very good coffee machine, and once you’re familiar with its quirks you’ll be able to make consistently good espresso. However, its guided brewing features aren't quite as straightforward as it might first appear – and in some cases, it’s easier to do things yourself.
The Barista Brew heats quickly, and its set of clearly labelled buttons are intuitive to use once it’s up to temperature. The standout design feature is the large central pressure gauge, which lets you see how well your coffee is extracted before you even taste it. Some higher-end coffee makers I’ve tested will determine whether the pressure was too high or too low and offer feedback on a color touchscreen, but the analog pressure meter does the job just as well.
The machine’s pump is quiet in operation, too, averaging 60dB during use (about the same as a dishwasher or normal conversation). Some coffee makers can reach up to 70dB, so the Barista Brew definitely sits towards the more comfortable end of the scale.
The powder ring is a nice addition, but doesn't fully prevent coffee spraying out during grinding (Image credit: Future)
My main issues with this machine involve grinding and tamping. The Philips Barista Brew offers a grind time setting to help with dosing. Just turn a dial on the front of the machine to decide how much coffee to dispense, hold the grind button to toggle between single and double shots, and tap it again to start grinding. Unfortunately, even when turned down to one of the lowest settings, the machine ground far more beans than I actually needed – even though I was using one of the finest grind sizes. I had to scoop out a good portion of grounds before I could consider tamping them down.
It was much easier to ignore the dosing button and do things the old-fashioned way: use a digital scale to weigh the handle, zero the scale, push the handle against the back of the machine until the dosage looked right (about 18g for a double espresso), weigh it again, and make any tweaks to achieve the correct weight.
The Barista Brew can pull a well-balanced espresso, once you're used to its quirks (Image credit: Future)
The grinder was also a bit messy. The Philips Barista Brew has a powder ring that twists onto the top of the basket before grinding, which should direct ground coffee inside. However, in use I found that ground coffee still had a tendency to shoot out onto my work surface and the rest of the machine. Coffee grounds were particularly prone to accumulating on the funnel directly below the grinder, which needed wiping after every use. It seems this issue is likely caused by static electricity.
According to Philips, the spring-loaded tamper is calibrated to help you create a perfect puck; but during my tests, I found it didn’t apply as much pressure as I'd like. As a result, water ran through the grounds too quickly, and the machine failed to reach the optimum nine bars of pressure, even with very finely ground coffee (as shown on the pressure gauge).
Therefore, the resulting drinks were often under-extracted and a little sour-tasting –something verified by my colleague Peter Berenski, the resident coffee-buff at TechRadar’s sister site, Tom’s Guide. The video below shows a typical under-extracted double espresso pouring in just 15 seconds rather than the ideal 28 seconds.
You can get around this issue by using a third-party 58mm tamper; the "calibrated" unit supplied with the machine feels like a solution in search of a problem. The machine would be better with something simple. You can also try grinding your coffee more coarsely, so that the same weight of grounds take up more space, or simply use more beans – but this feels like a waste.
On a happier note, the machine’s steam wand is excellent. You don’t have precise control over the pressure (the dial on the side of the machine simply lets you choose between steam and water), but once it’s up to temperature, it maintains good pressure for the length of time it takes you to texturize your milk.
Automatic milk systems can be a nice touch for new users, but a manual wand delivers more flexibility, letting you adjust your technique for dairy or non-dairy milks.
Performance score: 3.5/5
Should you buy the Philips Barista Brew?
Buy it if
You’re looking for an affordable espresso machine
The Philips Barista Brew is often available at a healthy discount, and is one of the most affordable bean-to-cup machines you can buy.
You’re already comfortable with the fundamentals
If you already know how to dose, tamp and steam, the Philips Barista Brew will be a piece of cake to use.
Don't buy it if
You’re intimidated by manual controls
The Philips Barista Brew offers guided brewing features, but in my experience it works best when you take coffee-making into your own hands. If you want more assistance, a model such as the Ninja Luxe Café may be a better option.
You want to keep your kitchen pristine
The Philips Barista Brew’s grinder has a tendency to propel coffee across your worktop, and grounds accumulate around the chute. A barista towel will be invaluable.
Philips Barista Brew: also consider
De'Longhi Dedica Style EC685
If you’re on a tight budget, this little manual coffee maker is one of the best you can buy. You’ll need a separate grinder, but that will deliver greater flexibility because you can choose one with a wider range of grind settings.
Want an espresso machine that offers more of a helping hand than the Philips Barista Brew? The Barista Touch Impress (branded as Sage in the UK) will assist you in creating the perfect puck, with a lever-operated smart tamping system. It’s much pricier than the Philips machine, though.
I put the Philips Barista Brew through its paces for a week, using both the pressurized and single-wall baskets to compare the results. I dialled in the grinder to achieve good extraction, and used both the automatic dosing system and manual grinding options. I used fresh arabica beans from a local coffee roaster, and chilled whole milk bought immediately before testing.
I compared coffee made using the Philips Barista Brew to coffee made with my own Gaggia Classic manual espresso maker and Dualit ceramic burr grinder.
The Shokz OpenFit Air are probably the best running headphones for people in the 5k to half-marathon distance bracket who want to be able to hear their surroundings when they train and race. Offering a very reasonable 6 hours on a full charge, the battery life will get most people through a full marathon, too, although more expensive Shokz options give double the playtime.
Open-ear headphones like the OpenFit Air sit around and over your ears rather than in your ear canal like the best wireless earbuds. This pair is particularly light, at just 8.7g per bud, and you barely feel them on when you're jogging along a bumpy country lane or doing burpees in a virtual class. The design incorporates a flexible silicone ear hook, and this holds them securely in place without creating any pressure or discomfort during long listening sessions.
While they fit a wide range of ears and sit alongside glasses, the open design won't be for everyone. Music is brought to a confusing backdrop when you're near heavy traffic or crowds, and some people will still want active noise cancellation. Of course, many professional running and cycling races have rules on the type of headphones you can use. For safety, you need to be able to hear other runners, marshals, and cars, and the OpenFit Air allow you to do this.
Unlike Shokz's best bone-conduction headphones, open-ear options like the OpenFit Air use tiny speakers to transmit sound. Shokz calls it Air Conduction via DirectPitch, which is a fancy way of saying that sound waves move through the air to hit your ear, as is sort of the case with the best earbuds anyway.
It feels like Shokz has carefully considered its target market with OpenFit Air. The headphones were released in June 2024 as a more affordable open-ear option compared to the original Shokz OpenFit and the Bose Ultra Open earbuds. With IP54 water and sweat-resistance, they're not just for runners either, but yogis, walkers, and cyclists. Other key features include touch controls and multipoint pairing for switching been a phone and a desktop or smartwatch.
Given that the more expensive OpenFit 2 headphones were released in January with almost double the battery life and physical buttons, and that the Shokz OpenRun Pro offer such fantastic bass for runners, are the Shokz OpenFit Air too much of a Goldilocks option? Over more than three months of testing, I've loved wearing them and loved hearing them. They don't suit all my listening needs, but they've been hooked around my ears more than I ever imagined.
Shokz OpenFit Air: Specifications
Shokz OpenFit Air: Price and availability
Cost $119.95 / £94 / AU$199
More affordable than the OpenFit
Well-priced for the quality and design
At $119.95 / £94 / AU$199, these headphones are cheaper than the Shokz OpenFit2 ($179.95/£129.95) by some way. It's fair to say that those offer better waterproofing and more than double the battery life on a single charge, but not everyone needs 11 hours of juice in one go. Contrasting with other options from the brand, the OpenRun Pro2 bone-conduction headphones come in at $179.95/£169, and they give you up to 12 hours of audio.
The OpenFit Air headphones are cheaper than other brands targeting runners and fitness fanatics. The Beats Fit Pro at $199 / £199 / AU$299.95, give up to 6 hours of playback. But they're an in-ear bud, making it a harder comparison. Then there's the premium Bose Ultra Open earbuds at $299 / £249.95 / AU$449.95, which aren't marketed for runners in quite the same way but offer a similar fit and premium audio.
You'll always be able to find cheaper options, of course. The Soundcore V20i by Anker also keep your ear canal bud-free and cost around $40 / £50 / AU$89.99, with four mics to chop out surrounding noise on calls. Without testing, it's hard to say how they compare, but they're marketed for everyday use and light running.
Personally, if I'm going to put a pair of headphones through a lot of wear, tear, and sweat, I'm just not sure I can justify a very expensive option. I think the OpenFit Air are brilliant value when you balance the design, battery life, and functionality they give the average runner.
Value: 4 / 5
Shokz OpenFit Air: Design
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(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
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(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
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(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
Memory alloy core with a silicone outer
Super light: only 8.7g per earbud
Resist dirt and sweat, even in white
The way that Shokz approaches design and packaging for the OpenFit Air feels sleek. The buds, which are made from a mixture of a flexible, matte silicone surface and a metallic ring, come in a solid snap-shut charging case with a USB-C port at the back.
Of the three colorways for the OpenFit Air—white, black, and pastel pink—I reviewed the white pair. While I love white tech, I was worried they’d get grubby with regular wear in sweaty workouts. Three months in, however, and they still look as good as new. Unlike in-ear headphones, they don’t trap sweat, so I wager they’ll last longer even under heavy use. It's worth noting that the IP54 water resistance rating is okay for light rain and sweat, but below the IP55 rating of the Shokz Open Run Pro.
The OpenFit Air are my first pair of open-air headphones, and when I first tried them on, I was amazed at their lightness (just 8.7g each). They fit neatly around my small ears, whereas other headphones can dwarf them. But I was dubious about them staying on during exercise. The flexible silicone ends wrapped around my ears snugly, and I felt confident about taking them for a run. To see how well they'd fit a wider range of ears, I asked my partner, who has larger lugs than I do, to try them too, and the adaptable ear hook gave a good fit and sound without putting pressure on the ear (below).
(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
Design: 4.5 / 5
Shokz OpenFit Air: Features
(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
Touch controls are easy to press accidentally
A few equalizer options within the app
Four microphones for clear voice calls
Unlike the Shokz OpenFit, the Air has a multi-point pairing mode feature. This means you can connect them to your phone and say, a Bluetooth running watch, then switch between the two quickly. I paired them with Android, iOS, and Windows, plus a Garmin Forerunner watch, and found a seamless transition between them. There's no ear detection, so if you take the buds out, they keep playing, and you'll need to cut the audio off at the source.
By design, given that the OpenFit Air are meant to keep you aware of your surroundings, there’s no noise cancellation feature. But there are four microphones on the left bud, with a Qualcomm cVc 8.0 voice recognition algorithm designed to filter out background noise. I tested the mics for voice calls as a listener and a talker, and the sound was clear on both ends, apart from in very heavy wind. The mics are only in the right earbud, so obviously you'll need to wear that one to be heard.
The OpenFit Air has no physical buttons for the volume, pausing, or skipping tracks. Instead, there’s a touch-sensitive interface on the main body of each headphone, which presents a few problems. Although the design keeps the headphone exterior smooth (where buttons would likely gather dirt or sweat), it’s easy to touch these controls accidentally.
(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
Reaching up to adjust my ponytail or removing a layer would brush them enough to create a loud, confused beep. By default, you have to hold down your finger on the side of either headphone to raise or lower the volume. And when running at even a moderate speed, this feels awkward. You can change which gestures do what in the Shokz app, but the clunky control lets down an otherwise seamless feature set.
Otherwise, the free Shokz smartphone app is satisfyingly simple. It also offers basic info about the buds and case battery levels, and there are five preset EQ settings for changing the audio balance. For the most part, I kept the buds on Bass Boost and enjoyed the richer sound it offered.
Features: 4 / 5
Shokz OpenFit Air: Performance
(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
6 hours of battery and 28 hours from the case
A 10-minute gives 2 hours listening time
Leaks sound at high volumes, as open-ears do
I wasn't expecting the Shokz OpenFit Air to deliver the same bass and immersive listening as my Bose QuietComfort Over-Ear headphones, but I did want to be able to enjoy my eclectic library of tunes while running. I started using the headphones while training for a half marathon, and although it took me a while to get used to the open-ear design and the ambient noise that was intentionally let in, I learnt to love them.
Sound comes from custom 18 x 11mm dynamic drivers that Shokz has engineered for balanced bass, mid, and treble frequencies. I felt there was a decent amount of bass on pumping tracks like The Veldt by deadmau5, but I also enjoyed quieter, minimalist piano from Ludovico Einaudi when I wanted my runs to take on a more soulful vibe. During podcasts, with multiple people talking, I often had to crank up the volume to hear exactly what was being said.
The headphones let in background noise to keep you safe on runs and walks, lest you get into a spot of bother when crossing roads or tracks. When I was running in the city centre, the music was hard to hear, rather than the main event, but that's sort of the point here. It's not a flaw with the headphones, just something to bear in mind if you're not sure you always want to hear your surroundings. In a busy hipster gym, for example, I still don my over-ear headphones to block out distracting noises and focus on my own workout. But for HIIT classes at home, the OpenFit Air are again the ideal, lightweight companion.
There's noise leakage from the headphones, but it's not obtrusive until you get to three-quarters of the full volume. I'd never wear the OpenFit Air in my open office, or on the bus or train, but for walks around the countryside where I wanted to listen to a podcast and keep my ears open to birdsong, wildlife, and farm machinery, the balance of both was perfect.
Traditional in-ear buds can give me an earache after a few hours, and over-ear headphones neckache. By contrast, the Shokz OpenFit Air are the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever worn, so much so that I often forget they’re there. I can wear them with sunglasses arms sitting on top, and I've also seen several users reporting comfort when wearing a helmet, although I haven’t yet tested this.
I've worn the Shokz under a bandana or woolly hat during colder runs and found no more discomfort from having them slightly pressed to my head. Whether it's to be recommended or not, when pottering on a day off, I often wear the Airs for as long as the battery lasts.
Speaking of battery, I've found that impressive too. Shokz says you'll get up to six hours of battery life from the buds and a further 28 hours by popping them in the case to charge them up. This is close to what I've experienced; on one day when I wore the OpenFit Air from a full charge, I timed 5 hours 45 minutes of use. Similarly, the buds lasted me a full weekend of travel with top-ups from the case on the go.
Performance: 4.5 / 5
Shokz OpenFit Air: Scorecard
(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
Should I buy the Shokz OpenFit Air?
Buy it if...
You want to hear your surroundings
As a regular city runner and race-goer, the fact I could hear traffic and situational noise while running was one of my main reasons for getting the Shokz OpenFit Air. Even at full volume, you can hear your favourite audio while still being aware of your surroundings - and that helps to keep you safe.View Deal
You want a comfortable fit
I have small ears and have always found traditional earbuds uncomfortable. The OpenFit Air rest gently on your ears and don't cause any discomfort after long listening periods or intense workouts.View Deal
Don't buy it if...
You want noise isolation
Obviously, the open-ear design of the OpenFit Air lets in ambient noise like traffic and talking. If you’re after something that blocks out sounds from the outside world, that’s not what these are designed for.View Deal
You're a swimmer
The OpenFit Air are sweat and splash-resistant, but not definitely aren't designed for water submersion. If you’re a triathlete or keen swimmer who needs proper waterproofing, look for headphones with an IP67 rating instead.View Deal
Also consider
Shokz OpenSwim Pro
These are specifically designed for swimmers and are fully waterproof. With 32GB of built-in MP3 storage, you can access around 8,000 songs when bobbing about underwater (where Bluetooth can't reach). And the open-ear design gives situational awareness out of the water.
While the OpenFit Air aren't specifically for runners, the OpenRun Pro 2 are. The difference is in the wraparound headband design that's super stable during intense runs, and the buttons, which you'll probably find easier to use than touch-sensitive controls when you're moving at pace.
I've spent more than three months wearing the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2, and during that time have used them for all my outdoor runs – including two half-marathon road races and a rainy 10k on bumpy terrain.
I wore them on daily dog walks in the countryside when I still wanted to hear wildlife and farm machinery. I also used them for at-home HIIT workouts, to test how well they stayed on while I was star-jumping, doing burpees, and generally moving around erratically. I didn't use these buds in the gym or the office as I need heavier noise cancellation there.
I connected the earphones to my iPhone 15 Pro and Garmin running watch to see how easy it was to connect and switch between the two devices. I listened to all sorts of audio, from classic music on the radio, to voice calls with my family, to podcasts and audiobooks, and the indie rock from my teenage years. I also tried all four EQ settings available in the Shokz app.
Lastly, to test the microphone, I took several calls both at home and in a city centre with background traffic, noting both how it performed for me and asking the person on the other end to tell me how they found the sound quality.
Branch is known for its simple elegance regarding office hardware. They have some great chairs, some fantastic desks, and so on. The Four Leg Standing Desk is no exception to this rule. Much like the Branch range of office chairs and desks I have reviewed, this model is done well and done right.
It's minimalist, elegant, easy to set up, easy to use, and has stood the test of time as my team and I have been putting this desk to the real-world test for the past 173 days.
When I say putting to the test, I genuinely mean it. This standing desk has been the primary and nearly everyday workstation for one of my team members for over four months (at the time of writing this), and so far, there have been zero complaints other than his height. This team member is 6'4" tall, well above the average height. His only complaint is that he wishes it would get taller, but that would not be the problem for most people. Outside of that, this desk has worked without error or stutter.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)
Branch Four Leg Standing Desk: Unboxing & first impressions
The Branch Four Leg Standing Desk came in a secure and well-protected package, with parts precisely packed away in clearly labeled and organized bags making every bolt and screw easy to find and assemble. I could build this desk by myself in about 37 minutes, and since I got a slightly smaller size, I could flip it over without any problem whatsoever.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)
The desk surface feels premium, durable, and easy to clean, all necessary in a quality desk setup. The frame is made of metal and has some openings in the pipes, so grouping cables to feed into the frame itself is easy and painless. The frame components are also quite heavy-duty -- even with the cutouts -- adding to the stability and reliability of the desk.
The controller sits within the desk on the bottom right of the desktop. This is different from what we usually see with the controller on the face of the desk, mounted underneath with a small faceplate. Nevertheless, it's a welcome adjustment, helping keep the front of the desk clean and allowing for easy access.
This desk is elegant and simple enough to easily add into nearly any room of your home or apartment, whether that is your dining room, guest room, bedroom, or living room. It could also fit beautifully in a co-working space or private office at an office building or company.
Branch Four Leg Standing Desk: Design & build quality
Specs
Desktop Size: 48 x 27 inches, 59 x 27 inches
Frame Material: Powder-coated steel
Desktop Material: High-density MDF core with laminate finish
Height Range: 27.3 to 44.6 inches
Weight Capacity: 225 lbs
Warranty: 10 years structural, 5 years mechanical
Most of the best standing desks I have tested have a two-leg design, either in a T-Shape or a C-Shape. This desk, however, is a four-legged design. It reminds me of the ultra-premium-priced Beflo Tenon but at a fraction of the cost. The overall build quality of the desk is high. It feels premium, like it will last for a while and withstand some damage without a premium price tag.
I opted for white legs with a light wood top because I wanted something more modern and timeless, and I am happy that I did. Because of this choice in the colorway, this desk can fit just about anywhere, thanks to its modern and minimalistic design.
The desktop is smooth to the touch, easy to clean, and scratch-resistant, though I won't take a knife or sharp edge to it soon to prove that. The desk changes position smoothly, quietly, and quickly, all without a wobble and at the ease of pressing a button.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)
Branch Four Leg Standing Desk: In use
As I mentioned, my team has used this desk nearly daily for the last 173 days while writing this article. Over time, we have noticed that this desk fits perfectly; it works seamlessly, is clean and straightforward, and has been consistently reliable. Even at max height, there is no noticeable wobble, which is wild to think about, and even if we get into an intense typing session, we don't notice any rocking or wobble.
Even after being used heavily, this desk still looks as good as new without a desk mat. It's held up to daily mouse movements, keyboard movements, coffee cups, soda cans, water bottles, etc. Over the last few months, the only complaint my team has made is that since he is so tall, he wishes it could get a bit taller at maximum height.
Set up as a true work from home desk (Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)
Branch Four Leg Standing Desk: Final verdict
The Branch Four Leg Standing Desk is a wonderful choice for professionals who need a reliable, stable, functional, and widely usable desk option. This desk, as mentioned, works great in a professional setting or for a home office thanks to the colorway options, the sleek design, and the modern taste. The motors are quiet, the shape is rounded, and the design is clean enough to fit into any space you may need to outfit. If you are looking for a quality desk to add to your arsenal, start a home office for the first time, or outfit a workspace, this standing desk is a great option to consider, especially if you prefer the elegant four-legged style.
To help you get comfortable in your workspace, we've reviewed the best standing desk mats you can get.
The Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 6 is the newest model of the ThinkPad E14 lineup, and it's the budget offering to get into this popular lineup of business computers.
It's not the very best ThinkPad around - I didn't find it the most powerful or possessing the best battery life; it's not the sleekest or the most featured. But what it is well noted for is that it is a good budget laptop. It's an excellent price for a computer, especially one with one of the most well-known badging on it.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 6: Unboxing & first impressions
Unpacking this computer was pretty straightforward. It came with standard Lenovo packaging and minimal accessories. It had the charger, some documentation, and the laptop, that is all.
The charger Lenovo sent is a 65W USB-C Charger, which was a lovely thing to find. Instead of a specific barrel connector or those odd proprietary and unique chargers, forcing you to always carry a second charger. With USB-C, all of the newest devices and cables can work; this charger can also charge my phone and other devices.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)
Upon first impression, I was able to note pretty quickly that this is a budget laptop. While it is clearly a ThinkPad laptop, it is also clearly a budget version. It looks like a very basic and very generic laptop overall, which, for this tier of laptop, was expected. It's a tad heavier than I expected it to be at first glance, but not in any way that is unbearable or odd.
The keyboard looks like a ThinkPad, it has the little red dot TouchPoint in the middle, with a left and right click button positioned at the top of the touchpad. For a budget laptop for writers, it's a decent model. Lastly, the display is about what I expected, being good enough to get some work done, but nothing remarkable at all.
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 6: Design & build quality
Specs
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 155U (12 cores, up to 4.8 GHz) Graphics: Integrated Intel Graphics Memory: 16GB DDR5, 5600MHz Storage: 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD Gen 4 Display: 14″ WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS, anti-glare, 300 nits, 45% NTSC Ports: 2x USB-C (one Thunderbolt 4), 2x USB-A, HDMI 2.1, Ethernet RJ45, headphone/mic combo Wireless: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 Camera: 720p HD webcam with privacy shutter Audio: 2 x 2W stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos Battery: 47Wh, supports Rapid Charge (80% in 60 minutes) Weight: 1.44kg / 3.17lbs
The laptop looks like a business laptop; I'll give it that. It looks like a model that you'd see if you're in a professional workspace, in a business class at the local university, or even a library. It looks like something used in a professional scenario, albeit one where high performance is unnecessary.
It has a sturdy chassis with ports on the left and right sides, though I wish there were a Thunderbolt port, or at least the USB-C, non-Thunderbolt port, on the right side. The keyboard is comfortable enough to write a lengthy email or use for basic daily tasks, especially for the money. The TrackPoint and touchpad are responsive and can be adjusted easily to be more or less sensitive based on your needs.
Lastly, speaking of IO, there is an ethernet port, an HDMI port, and the USB-C, USB-A, and headphone jack, giving this computer more ports than most modern laptops.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 6: In use
By now, this is not my favorite laptop, but I will say it's a known budget laptop. If you're looking for the dream machine that can power through it all, this isn't it. But if you are looking for a cheap machine that passes all of the tests that Lenovo does so well, then by all means, this computer is worth considering. But, know that opening programs are a tad laggy; the webcam is pretty cheap, too, and the speakers are rough.
During testing, my team and I noticed that, especially in comparison to faster laptops, we frequently double-click on the E14 due to a lack of responsiveness, resulting in unintended clicks once the first page loads. Granted, we are used to high-end, flagship computers, but this one can still be slow for some applications.
Another thing we noticed is that while this did have great port offerings, we didn't love the location of the ports; we would have much rather had one of the USB-C ports be on the right side.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 6: Final verdict
The Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 6 is a budget, entry-level, basic business laptop that serves as an accessible entry point into the otherwise popular ThinkPad Ecosystem. It looks, feels, and works like a ThinkPad, but the performance, display, and abilities trade-offs show that this is not the regular ThinkPad you see and read about.
Looking to save? We've rounded up more of the best budget laptops you can get right now.
