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The Ninja Swirl by Creami is a new twist on a popular ice cream maker, and I put it to the test
1:35 pm | April 9, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Comments: Off

Ninja Swirl by Creami: one-minute review

If you've been wanting to make your ice cream at home but you've been holding out for soft serve, you'll be thrilled with the Ninja Swirl by Creami. You can make real soft serve ice cream or healthier soft serve treats tailored to your own personal tastes and dietary considerations. You're not limited to soft serve; you can also make all of the frozen treats you can make in other Ninja Creami models or other ice cream makers. There are 13 different settings for all manner of frozen delights. The Ninja Swirl by Creami even has a special setting specifically for high protein, low fat, low sugar creations called CreamiFit.

There's definitely a learning curve when you unbox the Ninja Swirl by Creami. Once you have made a few pints, muscle memory kicks in and it's actually quite easy. You do have to freeze your pints for 24 hours before processing them, so you'll want to have some pints made, frozen, and ready to go for when ice cream cravings hit. The Ninja Swirl by Creami comes with two pint containers, so you can always have at least one pint deep frozen and ready to process.

All of the Ninja Creami machines are essentially drills that turn your solid frozen pints into a beautiful ice cream texture. With the Ninja Swirl, you start by making regular ice cream first. You can eat that as is, or you can add mix-ins, or you can proceed to the soft serve mechanism. In a few minutes, you'll have lovely soft serve just like you get at your local ice cream or frozen yogurt shop.

Ninja Swirl by Creami in action

Real soft serve ice cream (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Ninja Swirl by Creami: price and availability

  • List price $349.99 / £272.90 / AU$572.77
  • Comes with two model-specific pint containers
  • Nearly double the price of the original Ninja Creami

The Ninja Swirl by Creami retails $349.99 / £272.90 / AU$572.77. You can buy it directly from Ninja, or from the usual third-party retailers such as Amazon, where it currently sells for a slight discount.

The Ninja Swirl is substantially more expensive than the other Creami models. The Ninja Creami Deluxe retails for $249.99 while the original Ninja Creami retails for $199.99. The older models can also be had for a significant discount at third-party retailers.

Note that the pint containers that you use with the Ninja Swirl are different from the ones that come with the other models and are not compatible at all. If you like to have extra pint containers on hand, they will run you $34.99 for a two-pack or $64.99 for a four-pack.

  • Value score: 3.5/5

Ninja Swirl by Creami: design

  • Large in every dimension
  • Designed for ideal ice cream texture
  • Loud and delicate

The footprint of the machine is fairly large at 15.16 x 10.04 inches. Additionally, the 17.52 inch height means that you'll need to measure to make sure the machine will fit under your cabinets. The Ninja Swirl actually doesn't fit under mine, so I had to place the machine near my sink, the one spot in my kitchen where there are no upper cabinets. Plus, you'll need some elbow room to the right of the machine, in order to operate the soft serve dispensing handle.

There are 13 different programs on the Ninja Swirl. When you put your frozen pint into the machine to process it, you'll first select Scoop or Soft Serve, because certain programs are only compatible with one or the other. If you're making Scoop ice cream, you can use the Ice Cream, Light Ice Cream, Sorbet, Gelato, Frozen Yogurt, Milkshake, or CreamiFit buttons. If you're making Soft Serve, you can select Ice Cream, Lite Ice Cream, Fruit Whip, Frozen Custard, Frozen Yogurts, or CreamiFit buttons. The different settings run the blade at different speeds for varying amounts of time. If you're using the Ninja recipes, you'll be told which setting to use. If you're not sure, the recipe book includes a description of each setting so you can make the best choice.

After the initial spin, which is generally 4-6 minutes, you can eat it as is or you can select Re-spin or Mix-In. You'd choose to re-spin if the texture is too crumbly or snowy. If you're not doing soft serve, you can add a mix-in such as candy, cookies, or fruit for a chunky ice cream treat.

Note that the machine is quite loud; it triggered the "Loud Environment" warning on my Apple Watch. It got up to 96 decibels in my testing. The Creami, after all, is drilling through a solid block of deep-frozen ingredients. You don't actually have to stand over the machine while it spins, however. You can step out of the room while it does its thing to avoid the noise.

Ninja Swirl by Creami and mango fruit whip

Mango and juice cups turned into fruit whip (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

The Ninja Swirl by Creami is not a blender, it's a drill. Be sure to follow the instructions in the included booklet or on Ninja's website. For example, the surface of your frozen ingredients must be flat. An uneven surface can result in blade damage. Don't process a solid block of (water) ice or ice cubes. Don't try to make a smoothie or process hard, loose ingredients. Because of the nature of drilling through a solid frozen mass, if you do incur damage, it may ruin the machine entirely.

That said, this machine is designed to make legit ice cream. The taste of your creations depends entirely on what you put in it, but the texture and looks are pretty amazing every time. Once you have your pint frozen, and a little practice under your belt, the processing is pretty quick and easy.

  • Design score: 4 / 5

Ninja Swirl by Creami: performance

I started with some very simple ideas from Ninja's recipe booklet. For the bright orange fruit whip above, I just tossed two mango fruit cups with the juice included into the pint container and froze it. I processed it on the Fruit Whip setting and then through the Soft Serve mechanism. It was a super simple, healthy, and incredibly delicious treat. I did the same thing with pear fruit cups; you can do it with any fruit cups or canned fruit you like.

I made over two dozen recipes. I started with recipes from Ninja's booklet but soon found other recipes online and then created my own recipes. For me, the main reason to buy a machine like this is to make healthier treats, so that was my focus. My son wanted real ice cream, you can see him making the standard vanilla soft serve from the booklet in the image near the top of the article.

Ninja Swirl by Creami Frozen yogurt scoops

Simply strawberry yogurt (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Another super easy "recipe" is simply freezing your favorite yogurt. Just transfer it from the cup in comes in to your Ninja Swirl pint, flatten the top, and freeze. The image above is just strawberry frozen yogurt with nothing added. I scooped it out rather than putting it through the soft serve mechanism and then added some toppings, which you can see below. I ate that for breakfast!

Ninja Swirl by Creami breakfast bowl

Ice cream for breakfast? Why not, when it's just yogurt, frozen. (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I experimented with various protein "ice creams" using ready-made protein drinks and protein powders mixed with milk. There are many ideas in the recipe book and countless more online. While the Ninja Swirl does a fabulous job giving these frozen protein concoctions an authentic ice cream consistency, they tend to taste like, well, frozen protein drinks. I had the best luck mixing protein powders with yogurt, pudding mixes, and other more flavorful ingredients. Below you can see one of my healthier concoctions (if you don't count the chocolate on top.)

Ninja Swirl by Creami hot fudge sundae

Yogurt, protein powder, almond milk, pudding mix, and vanilla extract high protein "ice cream" with melted chocolate on top (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

After you run the initial cycle, the results are often crumbly or snowy. This is easily remedied by running a Re-spin cycle. You may need to re-spin it more than once, or add a bit more milk or other liquid before re-spinning. If you're not going to make soft serve, you can add mix-ins at this step for a chunkier treat. If there isn't a hole in the ice cream already, you'll want to create a hole with your spoon for your mix-ins in order to ensure they make it all the way to the bottom of your pint.

Ninja Swirl by Creami after spinning

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Particularly after making soft serve, you're going to have a lot of dishes to wash. Every part of the Ninja Swirl is dishwasher safe, but I found myself washing the parts by hand anyway since I wanted to make more ice cream right away. After all, the pint must be frozen for 24 hours before processing.

The image below also shows that there is some product stuck in the various parts that doesn't make it into your cone or cup. Of course, you can have at it with a spoon, but I wouldn't bother. The sides and bottom tend to be quite icy.

Ninja Swirl by Creami dirty dishes

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

This leads me to a tip for avoiding icy chunks in your ice cream. The sides and bottom of the pint do get icy, it seems no matter which recipe you use. After the initial spin, scrape down the sides and bottom of the pint before running the Re-spin cycle.

What if you don't finish the pint in one go? Certain recipes will leave you with an ice cream that is scoopable even after re-freezing but this is rare. After you eat your portion, use a spoon or spatula to pat down the surface of your leftovers in the Ninja pint container. Once fully re-frozen, you can just process it again on the same cycle you used before. Just as before, you'll need to process the ice cream before putting through the soft serve mechanism.

Remember that the Ninja Swirl is not a blender. If your ingredients include chunks, you'll want to blend your mixtures before freezing to ensure uniformity. For example, if you're making cottage cheese ice cream, you'd probably want to blend that first. If you want to upgrade your current blender, check out our list of the best blenders.

You can check out some of my creations by clicking through the gallery below.

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Ninja Swirl by Creami various recipes

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Ninja Swirl by Creami various recipes

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Ninja Swirl by Creami various recipes

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Ninja Swirl by Creami various recipes

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Ninja Swirl by Creami various recipes

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Ninja Swirl by Creami various recipes

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Ninja Swirl by Creami various recipes

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Ninja Swirl by Creami various recipes

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Ninja Swirl by Creami various recipes

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Ninja Swirl by Creami various recipes

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Ninja Swirl by Creami various recipes

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Ninja Swirl by Creami various recipes

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Ninja Swirl by Creami various recipes

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Ninja Swirl by Creami various recipes

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Ninja Swirl by Creami various recipes

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
  • Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Should you buy the Ninja Swirl by Creami

Buy it if

You love ice cream, particularly soft serve, and eat a lot of it

It's worth the expense and counter space if you really love ice cream and eat it frequently. The soft serve mechanism is about half the machine's footprint, so this is the machine for soft serve fanatics.

You have specific dietary needs

It's easy to find good ice cream at the grocery store. But if you have allergies, you're vegan, or your have other dietary needs and preferences, being able to customize your frozen treats to your exact specifications is priceless.

Don't buy it if

Budget is a big concern

There are plenty of ice cream machines that cost quite a bit less, even in Ninja's own Creami lineup.

You have limited counter space

This is a pretty big machine in both footprint and height. Plus you need a bit of elbow room on the right to operate the soft serve mechanism. Be sure to measure your space before buying.

Ninja Swirl by Creami: also consider

Ninja Creami Deluxe

Don't really need the soft serve feature? Save about $100 with the Ninja Creami Deluxe, which has nearly all of the features of the Ninja Swirl minus the soft serve. It also has 50% larger pint containers. Save even more with the original Ninja Creami, which has fewer cycle options but still the same basic functionality.

Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker

If you've got to have that soft serve but you don't want to spend the money on the Ninja Swirl by Creami, take a look at the Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker. Read our full review to learn all about it.

How I tested the Ninja Swirl by Creami

I ate a lot of ice cream in the name of science. I used the Ninja Swirl by Creami for several weeks and made dozens of ice cream treats. I made a handful of recipes from Ninja's recipe booklet as well as recipes I found online and others I made up myself. I used various cycles including Ice Cream, Fruit Whip, Frozen Yogurt, CreamiFit, Re-spin, Mix-in, and of course the Soft Serve cycle.

For more details. see how we test, review, and rate products at TechRadar.

First reviewed April 2025

I tried out the Scan 3XS GWP-ME A132C – read what I thought of this powerful workstation
10:33 am |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Comments: Off

This review first appeared in issue 348 of PC Pro.

Scan opts for the Intel route with its lower-priced system, as the 3XS GWP-ME A132C packs the best Intel CPU available in this class. Where other manufacturers chose the Core i9-13900K, Scan steps things up with the i9-13900KS. This incorporates eight P-cores with Hyper-Threading and 16 E-cores without, but the P-cores have a base frequency of 3.2GHz and 6GHz maximum boost, while the E-cores start at 2.4GHz and go up to 4.3GHz (although the latter is the same as the K variant).

Scan also takes advantage of the processor’s support for DDR5 memory by supplying 64GB of 5,600MHz RAM in the form of two 32GB DIMMs. This leaves two slots free for upgrade. The graphics choice is dependable, too: you can’t go wrong with Nvidia’s RTX A5000 handling 3D acceleration. Sporting 8,192 CUDA cores and 24GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus providing 768GB/sec of bandwidth, the A5000 is a potent GPU.

The components of this workstation are built into a capacious Fractal Design Meshify 2 chassis, which offers lots of space for storage upgrades. Scan supplies only a single drive, but it’s a good one – a 2TB Corsair MP700 NVMe M.2 SSD, which supports PCI Express 5. According to testing with CrystalDiskMark 8.0.4, this drive provides sustained reading of 10,074MB/sec and writing at 10,190MB/sec, nearly 50% faster than the best PCI Express 4 NVMe SSDs. Only the Crucial T700 used by Armari this month is faster.

Front view of the Scan 3XS GWP-ME A132C

(Image credit: Future)

Despite its Core i9-13900KS CPU, the A132C came second to systems equipped with the K variant in the PC Pro benchmarks, although a score of 827 is still superb. Its Maxon Cinebench R23 CPU rendering result of 37,442 was also beaten by the Chillblast Apex Core i9 and Armari’s AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. However, the Blender CPU rendering time of 296 seconds beat other Intel-equipped workstations.

The RTX A5000 graphics delivered as expected with SPECviewperf 2020 v3.1 viewsets, showing competent scores for 3D animation, engineering and CAD. The excellent OpenCL result in LuxMark 3.1 of 15,287 was mirrored by a Blender GPU render time of just 143 seconds, although Armari’s AMD Radeon W7800 was faster, and the PCSpecialist Onyx Pro’s Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 was in a different league entirely.

This is an excellent workstation for £4,500, and superb value when you consider its components, but it’s pipped to the top spot by Armari’s entry this month.

We also ranked the best digital art and drawing software.

I tested the PCSpecialist Onyx Ultra – see what I thought of this beast of a workstation
10:20 am |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Comments: Off

This review first appeared in issue 348 of PC Pro.

PCSpecialist has thrown everything at its £10,000 workstation. Not only does it incorporate AMD’s range-topping 64-core Threadripper Pro 5995WX, but it also includes AMD’s latest professional graphics.

The CPU supports multithreading so offers 128 threads. The base clock is 2.7GHz with a boost to 4.5GHz. While there’s no DDR5 support yet for the Threadripper Pro, the eight-channel memory configuration improves bandwidth. PCSpecialist includes a whopping 256GB of 3,200MHz RAM in the form of eight 32GB modules, taking advantage of the extra throughput.

PCSpecialist opts for the brand new AMD Radeon Pro W7800 for graphics acceleration. This combines 4,480 RDNA 3 unified shaders with 32GB of GDDR6 frame buffer operating with 576GB/sec bandwidth.

Two storage devices are supplied with the Ultra. The 2TB Samsung 990 Pro NVMe M.2 drive operates at PCI-E 4 speeds. It achieved sustained reading at 7,404MB/sec and writing at 6,818MB/sec. The other storage device is a capacious 10TB Seagate IronWolf Pro 7,200rpm mechanical hard disk, delivering 261MB/sec reading and 253MB/sec writing.

Front view of the PCSpecialist Onyx Ultra

(Image credit: Future)

The Onyx Ultra managed a score of 794 in the PC Pro benchmarks, beaten only by the systems using Intel’s Core i9. Its main weakness 231 in image editing, which is a single-core task. The Cinebench R23 multicore rendering score of 71,519 is phenomenal, although Armari went further with the same processor. The Blender Gooseberry CPU render time of 134 seconds was also behind Armari.

Although the AMD Radeon Pro W7800 is a fantastic new graphics accelerator, it benefits from being paired with fast single-core CPU speeds, which the Threadripper Pro can’t offer. With SPECviewperf 2020 v3.1, the scores of 194 in 3dsmax-07 and 792 in maya-06 are superb, but Armari did better by partnering the GPU with a Ryzen 9 7950X. Similarly, engineering and CAD viewsets were behind. However, a number of these scores were ahead of the Nvidia RTX A5000 and A6000. The LuxMark 3.1 score of 12,317 and Blender GPU time of 153 seconds were more mediocre.

This is a fantastically powerful workstation, although PCSpecialist hasn’t squeezed as much rendering performance out of the CPU or modelling ability from the GPU as Armari. It’s well worth considering, though, with great all-round abilities and lots of storage for media assets.

We also rated the best free video-editing software.

I tried the PCSpecialist Onyx Pro – read what I thought of this powerful workstation
9:49 am |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Tags: | Comments: Off

This review first appeared in issue 348 of PC Pro.

PCSpecialist takes a unique approach in this month’s Labs by supplying its system with consumer-grade graphics. It’s also the only company to provide secondary storage along with a main drive. So this workstation has a lot in common with a high-end gaming rig; if you design games for a living, this could be exactly what you want.

The CPU is unquestionably potent. This is a 13th generation Intel Core i9-13900K with 24 cores. Eight of these are P-cores with a 3GHz base clock rising to 5.8GHz on maximum boost with Hyper-Threading, while the other 16 are E-cores that operate at 2.2GHz or boost to 4.3GHz, but without Hyper-Threading. So you still get 32 threads like the 16-core AMD CPUs, but 24 of these are full physical cores not virtual ones.

Since Intel Core i9 processors have supported DDR5 memory for a couple of generations now, PCSpecialist has opted for this RAM type, offering 5,200MHz DIMMs. But it has gone further than this – much further. This system includes an incredible 192GB, which is the maximum supported by the Asus ROG Maximus Z790 Hero motherboard. This is supplied as four 48GB modules, although this isn’t a quad-channel system. It’s safe to say that you won’t be needing to upgrade the memory on this system at any point during its useful lifetime.

Full view of the PCSpecialist Onyx Pro

There’s space for upgrades, but you won’t need to add to the 192GB of RAM (Image credit: Future)

Now we get to the elephant in the room: the consumer-grade graphics. This is cheaper than the professional equivalent, meaning you can get more power for your money. In fact, PCSpecialist has opted for an Asus TUF GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition, which is the most powerful consumer GPU currently available. This provides 9,728 CUDA cores, almost as many as the Nvidia RTX A6000, but the 4090 has a newer GPU core design and runs at a much higher clock speed, so promises significantly higher raw processing power – of which more later.

The trusty Fractal Design Black Solid chassis is supplied to house all these components. This isn’t as big as the XL, but still has plenty of space inside and options for storage upgrades. There are six 2.5in/3.5in bays included, with up to 14 possible, and two 2.5in trays as standard, but four possible. PCSpecialist opts to use an M.2 slot for NVMe SSD main storage, but also uses one of the 3.5in bays for a conventional hard disk.

The SSD is a Samsung 990 Pro running at PCI Express 4 speeds. It delivered sustained reading of 7,404MB/sec and writing speeds of 6,818MB/sec, which are good for non-PCI Express 5 storage. The hard disk is a 4TB Seagate IronWolf Pro 7,200rpm mechanical hard disk, offering 260MB/sec reading and 257MB/sec writing. This is pedestrian throughput compared to the SSD but fast for a hard disk, and the extra storage will be handy for greedy media such as 8K video.

Front and rear views of the PCSpecialist Onyx Pro

The Onyx Pro packs plenty of power for many (but not all) GPU rendering tasks (Image credit: Future)

The Intel Core i9 CPU is very much in its element with everyday tasks. Its overall score of 849 in the PC Pro benchmarks is the joint fastest we’ve ever seen, particularly aided by the multitasking score of 1,057. However, while 35,990 with multicore Maxon Cinebench R23 rendering is superb, Armari’s AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is just ahead, and CPU rendering with Blender is similarly behind AMD, with the Gooseberry frame taking 312 seconds.

But then there’s that GPU. CUDA-accelerated Blender rendering took an incredible 64 seconds, and the LuxMark 3.1 score of 31,713 is staggering. This is also a supreme accelerator for some – but not all – content-creation viewsets. Running SPECviewperf 2020 3.1, the GeForce 4090 managed 316 in 3dsmax-07 and 792 in maya-06. This is a brilliant card for 3D animation. However, while catia-06 saw 165 and solidworks-07 a jaw-dropping 732, snx-04 could only reach 54.57.

If you’ll be running engineering workloads, in particular Siemens NX (represented by snx-04), you’re best avoiding a system with consumer-grade graphics like the Onyx Pro. But if you’re a game designer or 3D animator utilizing GPU rendering, this is a phenomenally powerful machine, and comes highly recommended.

We've also rated the best animation software.

I tested the Lenovo ThinkStation P620 Tower – see what I thought of this cheap workstation
9:47 am |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Comments: Off

This review first appeared in issue 348 of PC Pro.

We haven’t seen many blue-chip brands in our workstation Labs for some years. This has largely been because these manufacturers stuck with Intel Xeons, even when AMD was in the ascendancy, so wouldn’t have fared well. But Lenovo has been offering the AMD alternative for some years and was the initial partner for the Ryzen Threadripper Pro when it arrived last year. Now we get our first look at what Lenovo can do with this potent CPU.

The system is based on the AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 5945WX, which has the lowest number of cores of any CPU this month – just 12. These run at a base 4.1GHz and boost 4.5GHz, with multithreading and support for eight-channel memory. But Lenovo only provides four 3,200MHz DDR4 DIMM modules, so the bandwidth is quad channel with half the throughput of eight-channel, even though the total was a wholesome 64GB.

Lenovo offers a choice of AMD and Nvidia graphics with the P620, and our system came with Nvidia’s RTX A4000. This places this configuration as a modelling workstation rather than more general purpose. Lenovo was IBM’s hardware manufacturer, and when IBM became a services company Lenovo inherited its server and workstation business. The chassis is still reminiscent of the former brand, with excellent tool-free design.

Front view of the Lenovo ThinkStation P620 Tower

(Image credit: Future)

In this high-powered company, the P620 fell behind, achieving 529 in the media-focused benchmarks, 21,580 in the Cinebench R23 multicore rendering test and 486 seconds for the Blender CPU render. These would have been amazing scores a year ago, but all other systems here are way ahead. The Adobe Media Encoder results were impressive, however, taking 121 seconds with CUDA acceleration enabled.

Although the Threadripper Pro has a solid 4.5GHz top single-core frequency, this clearly held it back when modelling. The SPECviewperf 2020 v3.1 results were excellent on an absolute scale but were beaten by every other system. The 2TB Samsung PM981ab was also the slowest NVMe drive here, delivering just 3,519MB/sec reading and 2,986MB/sec writing.

It’s hard to mark down the Lenovo P620 Tower for lagging behind in performance. It’s the cheapest system in this labs test by nearly £900 inc VAT and if upgraded to £4,500 would be far more competitive. It’s also a solid, well-built workstation. With the right specification for your money, it could be well worth considering.

We've also ranked the best monitors for dual-screen setups.

I tested the Armari Magnetar MC16R7 – see what I thought of this workstation
9:42 am |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Tags: | Comments: Off

This review first appeared in issue 348 of PC Pro.

Armari’s lower-cost system is something of a technology showcase, exhibiting the latest options in processor, graphics and storage. The combination is one of the most powerful workstations you could buy for £4,500 inc VAT.

At the center of the Magnetar MC16R7 is AMD’s range-topping Ryzen 9 7950X. This potent 16-core processor uses AMD’s latest Zen 4 architecture and is manufactured on the 5nm process. This enables an incredible base clock of 4.5GHz, which is the boost clock for AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro processors. The 7950X’s boost clock of 5.7GHz is only a few hundred megahertz behind the best Intel has to offer, and only with the latter’s P-cores, so it’s good to see that Armari makes the most out of the Ryzen 9 via its own customized CPU liquid cooling.

Armari has also taken full advantage of the fact that the AMD Ryzen 7000 series supports DDR5 memory by supplying 64GB of 6,000MHz RAM in two 32GB modules, leaving two DIMM slots free for upgrades. This is the fastest-clocked memory of any system this month.

Side view of the Armari Magnetar MC16R7

The Magnetar MC16R7 showcases the latest CPU, graphics and storage technology (Image credit: Future)

So the Magnetar MC16R7 has a cutting-edge processor, some of the fastest system memory available, and its graphics acceleration is bleeding edge, too. In the past, choosing AMD professional GPUs might be a good choice to keep within a budget, but it rarely beat the Nvidia alternative for performance. The AMD Radeon Pro W7800 is a different matter. It’s in the same price category as the Nvidia RTX A5000 and offers 4,480 unified shaders (which aren’t equivalent to CUDA cores) on AMD’s latest RDNA 3 architecture. It also boasts 32GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, offering 576GB/sec bandwidth.

Armari is notable in the UK market because it’s one of the few local PC integrators that designs its own chassis. However, these cases come at a premium so the Magnetar MC16R7 has been built into a Fractal Design Meshify 2. This is still a great basis for a workstation, with plenty of room inside for airflow and storage upgrades. There are six spaces for 3.5in or 2.5in drives included, and there could optionally be up to 14. On top of this there are two 2.5in-only spaces as standard, but up to four are possible.

You may want to build upon the single M.2 NVMe SSD Armari supplies, but what a great foundation it provides. It’s a 2TB Crucial T700 drive, which supports PCI Express 5, as does the Asus ProArt B650-Creator motherboard. The Crucial SSD delivers incredible throughput from a single drive. CrystalDiskMark recorded sustained reading at 12,373MB/sec and writing at 11,807MB/sec, which were close to twice as fast as some of the PCI Express 4 NVMe SSDs in other workstations this month.

Front and rear views of the Armari Magnetar MC16R7

The Fractal Design Meshify 2 case offers lots of room for airflow and upgrades (Image credit: Future)

Considering all the powerful components in the Magnetar MC16R7, it’s no surprise that it produced some stunning test results. Our media-focused benchmarks are the Intel Core i9’s forte, but the Armari system’s overall result of 772 is still incredible, significantly beating the other system this month based on an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. Its Cinebench R23 multithread rendering result of 38,611 was the fastest in the £4,500 category, and the Blender rendering time of 265 seconds was also top in this class. The OpenCL-accelerated Adobe Media Encoder time of 105 seconds beat every other system this month.

The AMD Radeon Pro W7800 graphics may be around the same price as Nvidia’s RTX A5000, but its performance with SPECviewperf 2020 v3.1 is in a different league as well. The results of 235 in 3dsmax-07 and an unbelievable 846 in maya-06 imply this will be a consummate accelerator for 3D animation. Likewise, 155 in catia-06, 235 in creo-03, 622 in snx-04 and 460 in solidworks-07 show strong abilities with product development, CAD and engineering.

Its LuxMark 3.1 result of 14,919 is a little behind the RTX A5000, but GPU rendering in Blender took just 141 seconds, which is ahead.

Overall, the Armari Magnetar MC16R7 provides the best possible performance for the money in most areas. If you need a powerful all-round workstation, this system should be top of your list.

We've also rated the best business computers.

I can’t quite believe how many customization options there are for the GameSir Super Nova, but it’s not without a few faults
10:20 pm | April 8, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Gaming | Comments: Off

GameSir Super Nova: one-minute review

Close-up of face buttons on GameSir Super Nova

(Image credit: Future)

The GameSir Super Nova is a controller compatible with PC, mobile, and Nintendo Switch, and features Hall effect technology for enhanced precision and longevity from its thumbsticks.

It emulates the very familiar Xbox design, although the various colorways and RGB lighting add a little more vibrancy, especially the Whipped Pink variant. It also has a different D-pad, opting for the four-point approach.

In the hands, the Super Nova feels solid and well-made; in fact, it belies its modest price tag and rivals some of the best PC controllers in terms of build quality. It also features a magnetic faceplate, allowing for easy access to the swappable face buttons, designed to match whatever platform you’re playing on.

The buttons are satisfyingly damped and have very little play to them, sitting tightly in place yet still being easy to use. The same is true of the analog sticks, as there’s hardly any play in them at all. They are finished in a harder material than you might find on other controllers, but I still found them comfortable. However, the two optional back buttons are considerably less damped, and my fingers didn’t quite land in the optimal place for triggering them.

The Super Nova can be tweaked using the 'M' (multifunction) button on the front, which allows you to adjust aspects such as stick deadzone and RGB lighting, among others. But many more tweaks can be made using GameSir Connect, the brand’s peripheral tool on PC. Here you’ll find more options than I think I’ve ever seen offered in controller software, so everybody’s preferences should be catered for here.

There are curve profiles and actuation settings for the triggers and sticks, numerous button remapping options, and even an option to set motion controls to always on, allowing you to substitute them with analog stick or even mouse inputs.

To game with, the Super Nova puts in an admirable performance. The buttons are responsive, while the Hall effect technology in the sticks and triggers offer precise movements, although I did find the triggers a little too light to actuate, which did take some getting used to. I didn’t find the D-pad quite so amenable either, as I had to press more towards its center to get a consistent response, which isn’t ideal from an ergonomic standpoint.

Connectivity was good for the most part during my time with the Super Nova, as I managed to connect to multiple platforms via both Bluetooth and the 2.4GHz USB dongle. However, there were occasions when it failed to reconnect to the Nintendo Switch, with the controller failing to wake the console from its sleep. Switching between various devices isn’t the snappiest, either, although not many are lightning quick in this regard.

After several days of use the Super Nova was still going strong, although the lack of a battery readout, either on board or in the software, is a glaring omission; the only indicator is the flashing red RGB when it dips below 15%. GameSir did tell me that it should last about 15 hours, though, which is towards the lower end of the spectrum compared to its rivals.

For the price, though, the Super Nova offers great value for money, considering its performance and platform support, not to mention the incredible level of customization provided by Connect. The D-pad and some minor connectivity issues are drawbacks, but this is still a worthy choice for your next gamepad.

GameSir Super Nova review: Price and availability

  • $44.99 / £49.99 / AU$89
  • Available now in two colorways
  • Cheaper than rivals

The GameSir Super Nova costs $44.99 / £49.99 / AU$89 and is available now in two colorways: Nightfall Blue and Whipped Pink. It comes with a 2.4GHz USB dongle, as well as a charging base and USB cable. Other face plates in a variety of colors are also available from GameSir.

When it's on sale, the official Xbox Wireless Controller, one of the best Xbox controllers and best PC controllers, can be found for a little less than the Super Nova. While it’s a great all-round performer, it pales in comparison to the Super Nova in terms of features and customization options. It also lacks a rechargeable battery as standard.

If you’re after a gamepad with even more tweakability than the Super Nova, then the PDP Victrix Pro BFG, one of the best PS5 controllers and best controllers for Call of Duty, is a fine pick. This controller has a fully modular setup, allowing you to replace the face buttons, D-pad, and sticks depending on your preferences, as well as myriad customization options via the Victrix Control Hub App. However, it’s considerably more expensive than the Super Nova.

GameSir Super Nova review: specs

Close-up of back of GameSir Super Nova

(Image credit: Future)

GameSir Super Nova review: design and features

  • Typical Xbox controller design
  • Well made
  • Incredibly in-depth software

The Super Nova is heavily inspired by the Xbox controller in terms of its form, with its substantial grips and asymmetrical analog sticks mirroring Microsoft’s official gamepad. The D-pad is a point of departure, though, as it harks back to older generations with its four-prong design, rather than a more modern circular hat. There’s also some RGB lighting, although this is quite subtle, confined to just two thin bars running around either grip.

In the hand, the Super Nova feels weighty without being onerous, and the overall construction seems solid. The removable, magnetic faceplate feels premium, as do the rubberized handles, which provide enough grip while maintaining good levels of comfort.

This high standard extends to the face buttons, as they feel smooth to the touch and are damped nicely. There’s very little wobble to them, as with some other controllers, which is especially impressive given they can be swapped around to align with the Nintendo Switch layout (hence the removable faceplate). The analog sticks are similarly solid, and although their material is a little harder than on many other sticks, I still found they offered enough grip.

The triggers are somewhat shallower than on some other controllers. Each has its own lock slider, situated on the back of the Super Nova, which shortens their travel considerably – useful when playing shooters and other games requiring rapid taps.

The two back buttons aren’t damped, and therefore feel less tactile. Also, I found they extended too far outwards, meaning my fingers failed to fall naturally on their end points for the best leverage.

These back buttons can be programmed using the M button at the bottom of the Super Nova – a button that can also be used to make other adjustments on the fly by pressing in conjunction with other buttons. You can change the RGB lighting, vibration intensity, and stick deadzone this way, as well as toggle the Turbo and Hair Trigger modes. These M button adjustments are responsive and provide feedback when changes are made, via flashes of the RGB lighting or small rumbles.

Other customizations can be made in the GameSir mobile app, although this is very limited. Thankfully, the Super Nova also works with GameSir Connect, the company’s peripheral software on PC. This facilitates many tweaks in addition to those accessible via the M button.

Connect provides remapping (including the option to assign multiple inputs to a single button), as well as multiple curve profiles for the sticks and the triggers. There are also various motion control settings, including an option to set which axes are active, as well as an option to turn on motion controls permanently. When this is activated, you can set motion controls to replace the input of either stick or even mouse movements. I was also pleased to see always-on motion controls work when using the Super Nova with the Switch, meaning you can use motion controls in place of the analog sticks with any Switch game.

There are plenty more tweaking options besides those I’ve already mentioned, and I struggle to think of any that are missing here. Connect is also stable for the most part, and the UI is clear and easy to use, although it’s a shame there are no explanations or visual feedback for some of the more advanced settings. What’s more, there doesn’t appear to be any way to save multiple profiles.

Close-up of analog stick and d-pad on GameSir Super Nova

(Image credit: Future)

GameSir Super Nova review: performance

  • Satisfying and precise
  • Not the best D-pad
  • Some minor connectivity issues

The overall performance of the Super Nova is very good. The face buttons are responsive and a joy to use, thanks to their aforementioned dampening. However, while the same is true of the D-pad, I found this less satisfying to use.

When playing Tekken 8, for instance, a rapid series of inputs, especially rolls between adjacent directions, can be uncomfortable and unresponsive, especially towards the outer edges of each direction. I found that actually keeping my thumb towards the center of the d-pad improved matters, but was less ergonomic.

Both the triggers and the sticks on the Super Nova employ Hall effect technology, which is also used in some of the best gaming keyboards, and is often claimed to improve precision as well as longevity.

I found the sticks provided a good level of accuracy when playing Goldeneye 64 on the Switch, while modulating the throttle and brake with the triggers in Art of Rally was a smooth experience. However, the triggers don’t offer quite as much resistance as those on some other controllers, resulting in a more sensitive response and requiring a finer touch than usual.

Motion controls also performed well on the Nintendo Switch, providing accurate inputs as I found while aiming bows in Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, even rivaling some of the best Nintendo Switch controllers in this regard.

Connectivity is generally good, with the Super Nova connecting easily to PC via the 2.4GHz dongle, and just as easily via Bluetooth to my Android phone. Connecting via both wireless methods to the Nintendo Switch was also relatively straightforward, although there were occasions when I couldn’t wake the console from sleep with the controller.

Whether this is an issue with the gamepad or the console itself is hard to determine, but it’s a point worth mentioning all the same. Switching between various devices isn’t the quickest either, although many multiplatform controllers aren’t much quicker.

The battery life of the Super Nova is hard to determine, since there’s no indicator other than the RGB lighting flashing red when it dips below 15%. This means I can’t say how much battery life remained after my several days of testing, other than that it was above 15%. What’s more, GameSir doesn’t even provide an estimated battery life, although when I reached out to the company for a figure, it replied that it should last about 15 hours, which isn't particularly impressive compared to the competition.

Close-up of shoulder buttons on GameSir Super Nova

(Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the GameSir Super Nova?

Buy it if...

You want something familiar
If you’re accustomed to Xbox gamepads, then you’ll be right at home here, as the design is virtually the same, aside from a few differences.

You want to tweak a lot
From the back buttons and trigger locks to the seriously in-depth customization options, you can tailor the Super Nova to your exact preferences.

Don't buy it if...

You want the best D-pad
The four-point design won’t be for everyone, and I found it difficult to use in games requiring heavy use of it.

You’re wanting to use it on PlayStation
If you’re after one of the best PS5 controllers, then the Super Nova isn’t for you, as it’s not compatible with Sony’s console, nor does it have the same layout.

GameSir Super Nova review: Also consider

If you're after more wireless controllers, then take a look at some of these alternatives to the GameSir Super Nova.

PDP Victrix Pro BFG
If it’s customization options you want, look no further than the Victrix Pro BFG. The unique modular hardware means you can set it up depending on the games you play, with further adjustments available via its software. You’ll have to part with considerably more cash than you would for the Super Nova, though.

Read our PDP Victrix Pro BFG review

Xbox Wireless Controller
The standard-bearer for all gamepads, Microsoft’s official peripheral has the ergonomics and performance to make it the default choice for many. It can often be found for less than its original price, too. However, you can’t customize it anywhere close to the same extent as the Super Nova, and it lacks the same multiplatform reach. It doesn’t come with a rechargeable battery as standard, either.

Read our Xbox Wireless Controller review

How I tested the GameSir Super Nova

  • Tested for several days
  • Played various games on various platforms
  • Plentiful gamepad experience

I tested the Super Nova for several days, during which time I used it on PC, Nintendo Switch, and an Android phone. I used both the 2.4GHz dongle and Bluetooth where I could.

I played a variety of games to test the various aspects of the Super Nova’s performance. I played Tekken 8 to test the responsiveness and ergonomics of the face buttons and D-pad, Art of Rally to test the precision of the triggers, Goldeneye 64 on Switch Online to test stick aiming, and Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to test the motion controls and more general performance.

I have been gaming for decades, and during that time have experienced many different controllers. I have also reviewed a number of them, including other Hall effect and GameSir models.

I tested the Dangbei Atom, and it’s a bright, smart portable projector that’s overshadowed by LG and Samsung
9:12 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Theater Projectors Televisions | Tags: , | Comments: Off

The Dangbei Atom is a 1080p-resolution portable projector. Priced at $899 / £899 (with prices often falling to $699 / £699), it’s pricier than the Samsung Freestyle Gen 2 and similarly priced to the LG CineBeam Q, two of the best portable projectors available.

The Dangbei Atom uses a laser DLP light engine and supports the HDR10 and HLG HDR formats, but only via streaming and not through an HDMI or USB connection, which is a shame for those looking to connect one of the best 4K Blu-ray players. It has auto keystone and auto focus, although its manual keystone adjustment is more effective. It also comes with Google TV built in, providing access to some of the best streaming services such as Netflix and Disney Plus. Connections on the Atom consist of one HDMI 2.0 and one USB port.

Picture quality is a mixed bag with the Atom. Its bright image gives more colorful scenes a vivid enough look, contrast is decent and it handles sports motion well. However, given its struggles with black levels and darker scenes, its picture won’t beat the best projectors anytime soon. Sound quality is better than expected, with a solid punch, but is still limited by the projector’s size.

The Atom is light and compact with an appealing blue, square design. For those who want to take a projector with plenty of smart features and capabilities on-the-go, it’ll do the job and easily fit in most small bags.

Dangbei Atom projector review: Price & release date

Dangbei Atom projector showing city landscape at night

Contrast on the Dangbei Atom is decent overall, but textures appear too sharp in most picture presets other than Movie, where they look too soft. (Image credit: Future)
  • First released: February 2024
  • Price: $899 / £899

The Dangbei Atom’s $899 / £899 list price puts it in a similar price bracket to other portable projectors such as the LG CineBeam Q and Samsung Freestyle Gen 2. Prices for the Atom have dropped to $699 / £699 since its release.

Dangbei Atom projector review: Specs

Dangbei Atom review: Design & features

Dangbei Atom with Google TV on screen

The Dangbei Atom has access to Google TV alongside other smart features such as Chromecast (Image credit: Future)
  • Sleek, portable design
  • Google TV smart platform
  • Laser DLP (ALPD)

The Dangbei Atom is a slim, compact portable projector. It measures 7.6 x 7.6 x 1.8 inches (19.5 x 19.5 x 4.75 cm) and weighs 2.8lbs (900g). The Atom is mains-powered only, with no battery option.

The 1080p-res Atom's DLP laser (ALPD - Advanced Laser Phosphor Display) light engine delivers a specified 1,200 ANSI lumens brightness. It can beam images up to 180 inches, which is impressive for a projector this small, and has both auto and manual keystone correction and focus. I found the auto focus to be very effective, but also found it best to use manual keystone correction.

The Atom’s Google TV smart platform features major streaming services including Netflix, Disney Plus and Prime Video. It has Google Voice Assistant for voice control and Chromecast for a wireless connection to phones and tablets. Physical connections include one HDMI port for video only and one USB-A port.

Both the HDR10 and HLG high dynamic range formats are supported, but only through the built-in streaming apps and not HDMI or USB. There is also support for 4K input, which is downscaled to the Atom’s native Full HD resolution. For audio, the Atom features 2 x 5W speakers.

  • Design & features: 4/5

Dangbei Atom projector review: Picture & sound quality

Danbei Atom displaying Elemental

Where the Dangbei Atom's picture succeeds most is with brighter, more colorful images, such as from movies like Elemental (pictured) (Image credit: Future)
  • Bright, colorful image
  • Picture lacks detail
  • Passably good sound

For my testing of the Atom, I used an 80-inch, 1.0 gain matte white Optoma screen. Measuring the Atom’s brightness on a 10% white window pattern, it hit 109 nits in Movie mode – a significant step-up compared to the LG CineBeam Q, which hit 60 nits in Filmmaker Mode, but lower than the JMGO N1S Pro 4K, which hit 161 nits.

The Atom’s main strength is its surprisingly bright out-of-the-box image, which served more colorful scenes well. Watching Elemental, streamed on Disney Plus in HD and HDR10, colors looked punchy, particularly in scenes where Ember created glass sculptures. In Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s throne room lightsaber fight, reds mostly looked accurate, but were slightly too vivid.

Dangbei’s projector did a solid job displaying sports. The Standard mode provided the best picture and motion handling when I watched a football game streamed from Prime Video – a welcome result as there are no motion adjustments to work with in the setup menu.

The Atom struggled with dark movies. Watching a 4K Blu-ray of The Batman revealed an acceptable balance between light and dark tones, but black levels were raised, looking more gray than black. (I measured the Atom's contrast ratio at 181:1.) Shadow detail was solid overall, with elements in clothing such as Batman’s chest plate still visible.

The Atom also struggled with textures. Throughout most viewing in Movie mode, these appeared soft, even by portable projector standards. In other picture modes, textures appeared too sharp, giving them a fake look, with few picture settings available to fix this.

The Atom’s dual 5W speakers don’t create a room-filling sound, but are solid enough considering the projector’s size. Watching the Batmobile/Penguin chase scene in The Batman, the sound was clear, and there was some impact during explosions and car crashes. However, the soundstage was narrow, and the bass was limited.

The Atom has a game mode for gaming, but that’s the only related feature. Playing Battlefield V was a perfectly fine experience, but some lag was noticeable. When I measured it, the Atom's input lag was 60.4ms, an average score for a portable projector that's not specifically designed for gaming.

  • Picture and sound quality: 3.5/5

Dangbei Atom projector review: Value

Dangbei Atom remote

The Dangbei Atom's included remote is typical for a Google TV remote. (Image credit: Future)
  • Smart features
  • Sleek design
  • Better priced rivals

Priced at $899 / £899 upon release, the Atom is nearly double the price of the Samsung Freestyle Gen 2 in the UK but doesn’t deliver twice the performance. (It's similarly priced in the US.) Even the LG CineBeam Q, a 4K portable projector, can be found for $799 / £799.

The Atom's price has since dropped to $699 / £699, which is more palatable for the smart features and performance it offers. LG's CineBeam Q and Samsung's Freestyle Gen 2 are still better value overall, but the Atom is still a decent enough portable projector.

  • Value score: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Dangbei Atom projector?

Dangbei Atom top

The Dangbei Atom can be taken anywhere thanks to its slim, light design. (Image credit: Future)

Buy it if...

You want a seriously portable projector
Thanks to its light weight and square design, the Dangbei Atom easily lends itself to on-the-go viewing.View Deal

You want a bright image
The Atom's picture thrives with bright, colorful scenes (think animation), which look great for a projector this size and price. View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You want the best value portable projector
Although priced well for its features, the Samsung Freestyle Gen 2 and LG CineBeam Q provide better bang for your buck. View Deal

You want a consistent picture
Although bright, the Atom's picture ultimately struggles, most notably with black levels and textures. View Deal

Also consider

LG CineBeam Q
The LG CineBeam Q delivers an excellent 4K resolution picture plus a comprehensive list of smart features for a portable projector. It's often priced the same or marginally higher than the Dangbei Atom, and is a better value. Read our full LG CineBeam Q review.

Samsung Freestyle Gen 2
The Samsung Freestyle Gen 2 isn't as bright as the Dangbei Atom, but it's more well-featured and its picture quality is better overall. Plus, it's much cheaper in the UK. Read our full Samsung Freestyle Gen 2 projector review.

Xgimi MoGo 3 Pro
Cheaper than the Dangbei Atom, the Xgimi MoGo 3 Pro offers a lot of the same features and better performance for less. Its not as portable or bright as the Atom, but those are the only places it falls short. Read our full Xgimi MoGo 3 Pro review.

How I tested the Dangbei Atom projector

Dangbei Atom projecting Google TV home screen

(Image credit: Future)
  • Tested with an Optoma 80-inch, 1.0 gain matte white screen
  • Tested using Blu-ray, streaming sources
  • Measurements taken using Portrait Displays' Calman calibration software

To test the Dangbei Atom, I used streaming and disc sources. Watching reference scenes, I tested the Atom's picture quality, focusing on color accuracy, black levels, brightness and contrast, and textures.

To record measurements for color and grayscale accuracy, brightness, and contrast ratio, I used a colorimeter, test pattern generator and Portrait Displays' Calman color calibration software.

The Atom was primarily tested in pitch-black conditions in TechRadar's testing room. It was also tested in varying lighting conditions to see how it would handle ambient light in other viewing situations.

I wore the Garmin Lily 2 Active for a month, and it showed me women’s wearables don’t have to be pink and patronizing
6:54 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Fitness Trackers Gadgets Health & Fitness | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Garmin Lily 2 Active: One-minute review

The Garmin Lily 2 Active is a sleek, slim, great-looking smartwatch built for fitness, and that’s exactly what sets it apart from the rest of the Lily 2 lineup. To make things clear, there’s the original Lily 2, the Lily 2 Classic, and now the Lily 2 Active. While they all look similar, this newer Active version comes with two big upgrades – built-in GPS and longer battery life – making it a stronger choice for people who are serious about tracking their workouts.

The original Lily 2 and Classic models handled health and fitness well already (you can check out our Garmin Lily 2 review for more on that), but this version feels tailor-made for anyone who trains outdoors. That’s mostly thanks to the built-in GPS. In the other models, you’d need to connect to your phone to track routes. Here, you can leave your phone behind.

The Lily 2 Active is designed with smaller wrists in mind – whether that’s women or anyone who prefers a lighter, more compact smartwatch. Its 38mm case and narrower strap make it one of the most wearable fitness watches out there. Back when wearables first hit the market, many felt chunky and oversized. And I say that as someone who’s 5’7” with an athletic build – so I can only imagine how those early designs felt on truly petite wrists.

But don’t let the smaller size fool you, this is a fully-fledged fitness smartwatch. It has what Garmin calls a “hidden display,” meaning the screen disappears behind a patterned lens when not in use. The black-and-white liquid crystal screen looks more Kindle than Apple Watch, which won’t appeal to everyone. It’s not ultra-bright, and the touchscreen experience is a little different. But I actually liked it. Plus, the lack of a big, bright screen means you get far better battery life – up to nine days on a single charge – than even the best Apple Watches.

Under the hood, it’s packed with all the health, sleep, and fitness tracking features Garmin does so well – including heart rate, heart rate variability, pulse ox, and sleep tracking. All of that data feeds into Garmin’s app, where it’s turned into clear charts, sleep scores, fitness age estimates, and the brand’s clever “Body Battery” score – a simple way to check how much energy you’ve got left in the tank.

As you’d expect, fitness tracking is excellent. You get all the standard metrics, plus accurate GPS that’s fast to connect and delivers a full route map after your workout. So yes, it’s smaller and sleeker than most rivals, but it’s still powerful and a genuinely great option for anyone who wants a stylish fitness watch without compromise. Read on to find out what I thought after a full month of testing the Garmin Lily 2 Active.

Garmin Lily 2 Active review: Price and availability

The Garmin Lily 2 Active in green on a concrete surface

(Image credit: Garmin)
  • Garmin Lily 2 Active is $299.99 / £299.99 / AU$499
  • Released in September 2024

The Garmin Lily 2 Active is priced at $299.99 / £299.99 / AU$499, which makes it more expensive than the standard Lily 2, priced at $249.99 / £249.99 / AU$429. But that extra cost gets you two solid upgrades: built-in GPS and a longer battery life – small changes, but ones that make a big difference if you’re into fitness tracking.

In terms of competition, the Lily 2 Active sits in a bit of a grey area. It’s pricier than many of the best fitness trackers, but still cheaper than most of the full-featured best smartwatches.

Take the latest Apple Watch Series 10, for example, it comes in at $399 / £399 / AU$649, and gives you a bright color screen, plenty of apps, and all the bells and whistles. But if you’re not looking for all that extra functionality, the Lily 2 Active might be a better fit.

On the flip side, you’ve got more affordable trackers like the Fitbit Luxe, which is around $109.95 / £109.99 / AU$199.95. It’s sleek and slim, but it doesn’t offer the same depth of fitness tracking, GPS, or overall build quality.

You could even compare it to the best smart rings, which are becoming a popular pick for people – especially women – who want wellness data without a bulky smartwatch. The Oura Ring 4 currently comes in at $349 / £349, and the Ringconn Gen 2 Air ring is around $199 (about £185 / AU$380). But while smart rings excel at sleep and recovery data, they’re not fitness-first devices.

In short, the Garmin Lily 2 Active is fairly priced for what it offers. It’s not cheap, but you’re paying for Garmin’s proven fitness tracking expertise in a stylish, compact design, and that’s a combo that still feels pretty unique in the wearable space.

  • Value score: 4/5

Garmin Lily 2 Active review: Specifications

Garmin Lily 2 Active review: Design

The Garmin Lily 2 Active in green on a concrete surface

(Image credit: Garmin)
  • Slim and sleek 11mm thick case
  • Weighs just 29g
  • Comes in a range of stylish colors

Let’s start with what makes the Lily 2 Active really stand out, the design. This is a slim, lightweight smartwatch built with smaller wrists in mind – and it nails that brief.

I’m usually wary of tech “designed for women,” because let’s face it, that often just means pink and patronizing. But in the case of smartwatches, there is a real need for smaller options. Because while wearing the Lily 2 Active, several people asked me what it was, surprised to see a smartwatch that looked this compact. It’s a clear reminder that not everyone wants, or needs, a chunky wearable.

Becca wearing the Garmin Lily 2 Active in green

(Image credit: Garmin)

The watch case is just 11mm thick and weighs 29g, making it one of the lightest fitness watches I’ve worn. The silicone strap is also slimmer than average, incredibly comfortable and easy to swap thanks to the quick-release button. While you can fit smaller straps to other Garmin models, the slimmer casing here makes doing so more appealing.

The display is a 34mm liquid crystal monochrome screen, which gives the watch a more e-reader feel than something like the Apple Watch. Whether that’s a good thing or not depends on your taste. Personally, I like it; I don’t miss the bright screen. In fact, I love the trade-off for longer battery life. Bold, bright displays look great, but they drain power fast. That said, some people I asked didn’t love the screen, especially those used to the more punchy visuals of the Apple Watch.

Becca holding the Garmin Lily 2 Active so you can see the buttons on the side.

(Image credit: Garmin)

Design-wise, there’s a decent range of colors and combinations, with both strap and casing options. You’ve got Jasper Green with a matching silicone band, Lunar Gold with a Bone strap, and Silver with a Purple Jasmine band. I tested the Jasper Green version and really liked it – subtle, classy, and stylish without being flashy.

A lot of smartwatches “for women” lean too hard into rose gold and unnecessary bling – or at least they used to back in the earlier days of wearable reviews. This one gets the balance just right. It looks good, goes with everything, and still turns heads enough for a few people to ask me about it.

One final note. If you’re comparing this to the original Lily 2 or wondering whether it’s worth the upgrade, the design is nearly identical. So if looks are your only concern, you might not notice much difference. The real upgrades are under the hood.

  • Design score: 4.5 / 5

Garmin Lily 2 Active review: Features

Garmin Lily 2 Active

(Image credit: Garmin)
  • Built-in GPS
  • Deep wellness tracking
  • Garmin Coach training plans

One of the biggest upgrades the Lily 2 Active brings to the table is built-in GPS. Unlike the original Lily 2, which relies on connected GPS (i.e. using your phone’s signal), the Active version has its own GPS onboard. That’s great news for outdoor workouts. It means more accurate tracking and one less reason to bring your phone along.

You also get Garmin Coach, an in-app coaching tool designed for structured training plans. It’s aimed at runners or cyclists training for specific goals, like a 5K, 10K, or half marathon. You tell the app about your current routine, and it gives you a tailored plan with workouts, video content, and updates from your virtual coach. I tested the 5K plan during my review, and found it really easy to follow – a great alternative to third-party running apps, and one that keeps everything in one place.

The Lily 2 Active connects via Bluetooth and ANT+, so it pairs easily with your phone and other devices. You can also control music playback from your phone, but there’s no onboard music storage – worth noting if you like to leave your phone behind on runs.

As for health and wellness features, the Lily 2 Active is surprisingly packed for such a compact watch. There’s water intake tracking, women’s health tracking (including basic period prediction and the option to log symptoms and moods), and a wide range of fitness and recovery insights thanks to Garmin’s onboard sensors. You’ll get data about you heart rate, pulse ox, sleep, heart rate variability, respiration rate, stress levels and more.

All of this feeds into Garmin’s Connect app, where it’s turned into useful metrics like your Body Battery (a daily energy gauge), Fitness Age, and a breakdown of your sleep stages. It’s one of the most comprehensive wellness ecosystems you’ll find in a smartwatch – and it’s especially impressive given the Lily 2 Active’s size.

  • Features score: 4.5 / 5

Garmin Lily 2 Active review: Performance

Becca wearing the Garmin Lily 2 Active in green

(Image credit: Garmin)
  • Excellent battery life (up to nine days)
  • Accurate tracking and responsive GPS
  • Comfortable to wear day and night

Garmin’s performance really shines in the app experience, and I’d argue it’s just as important as the hardware. The Garmin Connect app might not have a sleek, nice-looking aesthetic (smart ring brands really lean into this), but it’s clean, functional, and packed with actionable data. The home screen is customizable with “cards” that show whatever you care about most – heart rate, stress, calories burned, sleep, intensity minutes, and more. That ease of use is crucial when you’re collecting this much data – it means the insights are actually useful.

Fitness tracking is another strong suit. There are loads of workout modes, from running, cycling, and walking to gym activities like HIIT, rowing, weightlifting, and even snowboarding and tennis. Press the top left button to start a workout, scroll through the list, and off you go. The GPS was quick to connect and reliably mapped my routes on runs and walks.

During outdoor runs, you can swipe through screens showing pace, heart rate, lap time, and more. You can even customize these to display your key metrics or set alerts for heart rate zones and lap splits.

I used it mainly for running, where GPS performance was solid and the mapping worked well. I also tested it during weightlifting – you just need to manually log rest periods, which was slightly annoying at first but easy once I got the hang of it.

The Lily 2 Active also plays well with other fitness ecosystems, including Strava, which is a big win for runners and cyclists.

Outside of workouts, the watch is simple but easy to use. The display doesn’t light up automatically when you lift your wrist – you need to flick it or tap the button, which took a little getting used to. Navigation is mostly through swiping, and you can customize the watch face to display key info like time, steps, Body Battery, and more. There’s also a handy little quick-access circle button at the bottom of the screen you can program with shortcuts.

Garmin’s Body Battery feature is something I genuinely found useful. It gives you a read on your energy levels throughout the day, based on a mix of heart rate, HRV, and activity data. I’m often wary of outsourcing how I feel to a device, but this was surprisingly spot-on – a good way to sense when to push and when to rest.

Stress tracking is another interesting one. It uses HRV to measure physical stress rather than emotional stress, but I found it helpful – especially as it explained dips in my Body Battery. Again, it’s not just tracking data, but helping you understand it.

And then there’s sleep tracking, which is honestly fantastic. Despite being a watch, it held its own against the smart rings I tested it alongside. It nailed my wake-ups and restlessness during the night, and gave me a clear, well-presented graph each morning with a simple sleep score.

And finally, the battery life. Garmin claims up to nine days, and in my testing, I regularly hit eight to nine. That’s a huge win. I love my Apple Watch, but having to charge it daily is frustrating, especially when you want to track sleep. The Lily 2 Active, with its low-power screen, comfortably lasted over a week per charge. That’s a game-changer for anyone who doesn’t want to be constantly tethered to a charger.

  • Performance: 4 / 5

Garmin Lily 2 Active

(Image credit: Garmin)

Scorecard

Should I buy the Garmin Lily 2 Active?

Buy it if…

You like a more subtle screen
The monochrome display isn’t as bold as rivals, but it’s easy on the eyes and helps stretch the battery to 9 days.

You have smaller wrists
The compact 38mm case, slim strap, and lightweight design make it one of the most wearable fitness watches around.

You value wellness insights
Features like Body Battery, sleep tracking, and stress monitoring make this great for everyday wellbeing, not just workouts.

Don’t buy it if…

You need a serious training or adventure watch
It’s durable and well-equipped, but lacks the rugged build, onboard maps, and high-end performance features of Garmin’s more advanced watches.

You want a bright, always-on screen
This display is stylish and functional, but it won’t suit those who prefer big, bold visuals like the Apple Watch.

You want music without your phone
There’s no onboard storage, so you’ll need your phone nearby to listen to tunes during workouts.

Garmin Lily 2 Active: Also consider

Apple Watch Series 10

A fantastic all-round smartwatch that’s big, bold, and packed with features. Plus, it comes in a variety of case styles. But it’s significantly more expensive than the Lily 2 Active, and the battery life tops out at just 18 hours.

Read our full Apple Watch Series 10 review

Samsung Galaxy Watch 7

A sleek, circular smartwatch with excellent health and fitness features. It’s a great pick for Android users – especially if you’re drawn to the Lily 2 Active but have a Samsung phone.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 review

How I tested the Garmin Lily 2 Active

Garmin Lily 2 Active

(Image credit: Garmin)
  • Tested it for a month
  • Wore it 24/7
  • More than a decade of experience testing health and fitness tech

I tested the Garmin Lily 2 Active for a full month, paired with an iPhone 14 Pro.

Aside from charging and showering (it is waterproof, but I didn’t fancy risking it with soap and shampoo), I wore it 24/7. I took it on outdoor runs, gym sessions, long walks, workdays in my home office, coffee shop outings, evenings on the sofa, and while I slept. Safe to say, it’s been tested across all kinds of settings and activities.

I’ve spent more than a decade reviewing health and fitness tech – from early wearables like the now-defunct Jawbone Up, to today’s smart rings, trackers, and full-on smartwatches. I’ve tested lifestyle-friendly devices as well as those built for serious training, so I know what matters when it comes to fit, comfort, performance, and long-term wearability.

  • First reviewed in April 2025
I tested the Edifier LolliClip and they’ve changed my mind about open ear headphones – here’s why
6:45 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: | Comments: Off

Edifier LolliClip: review

The Edifier LolliClip make for a somewhat peculiar, yet enticing proposition. They have an open design – something typically marketed towards exercise lovers who want higher awareness of their surroundings and are willing to take this design’s inherent threat to sound quality. But the twist is that the earbuds are sculpted with audiophile-friendly features, like ANC, higher-resolution audio capabilities and spatial audio.

So, how does Edifier fare in its attempt to fuse high sound quality with an open-ear design? Largely, very well, actually.

Let’s start by talking about audio quality – an area where this model stacks up against some of the best open ear headphones around. The Edifier LolliClip are powered by a 13mm dynamic driver, which the manufacturer claims can plate up “dynamic, detailed, and powerful sound”. And I’d say that’s a fair assessment.

When tuning into I Want You by Moloko, the continuous bassline was relatively impactful – not as hard-hitting as some of the best wireless earbuds, but attention-grabbing nonetheless. But that low end, though prominent, could sound a little muddied at high volumes, meaning that pumping effect was slightly dampened. That’s forgivable for a pair of open ears, but something that audiophiles will pick up on.

If you want massive sub-bass you might be a little disappointed too. Some ultra-deep notes in The Boys Are Back In Town by Yung Gravy sounded a little understated, especially during vocal segments. But again – perhaps to be expected given the

But generally, bass is still solid considering these are open-ear. For example, when listening to Black Eye by Allie X, I was pretty impressed by the depth on offer, this time from the thumping drum machine. Vocals were clear too, with high notes sounding controlled and decently separated from other instrumental elements.

And generally, the LolliClip handles mids nicely, with guitar and synths in Alright by Jamiroquai sounding tonally accurate and decently balanced. Some finer details came through too, thanks to the LolliClip’s use of the LDAC codec, but you’re still not going to get the microscopic interpretation that, say, some of the best wired earbuds will supply.

If you’re not loving the sound signature, you can change things up a bit in the Edifier ConneX app with EQ adjustment. However, there’s not much here and I would advise against switching out of Classic when listening to music. Bass Boost caused the soundstage to get cluttered at high volumes and when testing Treble Boost, high-pitched sounds were, on occasion, overly forward. There’s a Vocal mode if you’re listening to podcasts, which works nicely, and I also discovered custom EQ in a sub menu, but this didn’t seem to work – a real shame.

On top of that, you can immerse yourself in spatial audio and head tracking. However, I’m still going to advise against this for one major reason: general audio quality takes quite the plunge when in use. There’s almost a distorted tone to music and although head tracking did follow my every move to commendable precision, I’d rather watch movies or blast tunes with the best available sound, sorry!

But there’s so much more to dig into with the Edifier ConneX app. For instance, you can activate adaptive ANC, which is not always a given for open-ear headphones. How good is it? Well, as you may expect, not top-tier – but it’s not bad either. I could still hear the sound of typing, for instance, when listening at around 70% volume, something you’d likely avoid with, say the AirPods Pro 2. But ANC still did a good job of dampening sounds like strangers chattering in the street and sound quality was about as good with, or without it turned on.

Speaking of turning ANC on and off, this segues into a major gripe I have with the LolliClip. When switching between these modes or adjusting EQ, playback cuts for a couple of seconds, which I found to be pretty frustrating. Even worse is when you activate LDAC – you have to wait for the earbuds to turn off, on again and restart playback. That all felt a bit clunky.

Edifier LolliClip charging case

(Image credit: Future)

More generally, the in-app experience, via Edifier ConneX could be better too. Settings like LDAC activation, touch-control customization and more are hidden in a sub menu in the top right, which I didn’t spot at first. And this part of the app is rammed with all sorts of options. There’s a drainage feature that causes the earbuds to vibrate and discard excess moisture, tap sensitivity options for touch controls, a ‘find my earbuds’ option and wearing detection customizability, which enables you to pause (or not pause) playback when removing the buds.

But one feature – which was less hidden – really stood out to me: the health monitoring tools, including heart rate and blood oxygen tracking. Both of these use the pulse in your ear and produce results after a 30-second period, telling you your heart rate (in bpm) and blood oxygen (in %). The data is stored on a calendar so you can track changes over time too – something we loved in the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, for example.

That’s just one inclusion that shows the practicality of these buds. For instance, they're also IP56 dust and waterproof rated, which means they’re projected against strong water jets – that’s more than enough durability for rainy days and sweat-heavy workouts. They also offer solid playtime of 9 hours per charge – 39 hours with the charging case, meaning you’ll rarely have to juice them up.

Capable sound? Check. Decent feature set? Check. Practical build? Also check. But let’s check out how these buds perform in the looks department. In honesty, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. First of all, the case and buds have a glossy finish, which has a slightly cheap look to it and attracts fingerprints like a moth to a flame. The plastic charging case perhaps doesn’t feel too durable, either.

But I do quite like the clip-like appearance of the buds. It’s not particularly discreet, but carries a unique aesthetic as well as delivering security and comfortability. I tried the LolliClip out in black, but you can grab them in white instead if you’d prefer.

The Edifier LolliClip are a strong pair of open-ear headphones with above-average sound in the category. They combine that with plenty of playtime, health monitoring functionality and a clippy appearance that’s sure to attract plenty. At $129 (about £100 / AU$210), are they worth it? That really depends. If you’re set on the open design, that’s a solid price given the inclusion of ANC and adept audio quality. Still, there are a lot of cheaper, yet excellent rivals to check out in our guide to the best budget wireless earbuds, if you’re willing to sacrifice the looser fit.

But all in all, the LolliClip earn my recommendation, especially for those who are reluctant to sacrifice too much quality in the sound department. There are a lot of great alternatives to consider, though. If you’re a UK customer unable to snap up the LolliClip, I’d suggest the Honor Earbuds Open, which again serve up surprisingly good sound and an excellent fit, but also nuanced ANC and even a translation tool. And for US customers, why not take a look at the Anker Soundcore AeroClip, which plate up immersive audio, an excellent companion app and comfortable on ear feel.

Edifier LolliClip earbuds on a block

(Image credit: Future)

Edifier LolliClip review: specs

Edifier LolliClip review: price and availability

  • $129.99 (about £100 / AU$210)
  • Launched in February 2025

The Edifier LolliClip released in the US during February 2025. They’re not available in the UK or Australia yet, but we’ll let you know if anything changes on that front. This model has a list price of $129.99 (about £100 / AU$210), which is in line with models like the Anker Soundcore AeroClip, for instance. That price should remain the same whether you purchase the black or white variant.

Edifier LolliClip charging case

(Image credit: Future)

Should you buy the Edifier LolliClip?

Buy them if...

You don’t want to compromise on sound quality
I was surprised by just how talented the Edifier LolliClip are when it comes to playing music. OK, you’re not going to get the most stunning, hi-res sound in the world, but for a pair of open ears, these sound great. You’re getting decently weighty bass, clear mids and pleasingly controlled highs. Little to no tinniness to contend with here – something that’s fairly common with open ear models.

You want earbuds for workouts
Thanks to their open design, the Edifier LolliClip let in plenty of ambient noise – well, with adaptive noise cancelling turned off. That means you’ll be able to keep tabs on your surroundings if you’re on a run, say. That’s ideal for when you’re in traffic-heavy environments.

Don't buy them if...

You want awesome ANC
Having noise cancelling at all is a win here, but in terms of effectiveness, it won’t compete with some of the best noise cancelling earbuds. If awesome ANC is a priority for you, I’d suggest checking out the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2, which offer some of the best external noise crushing capabilities in the game.

You want a smooth companion app experience
Unfortunately, the Edifier ConneX app is a bit painful to use. Selecting a different EQ mode causes sound to cut out for a while, you can’t save a custom tuning, activating LDAC causes the buds to reset and some key options are hidden in sub-menus. Sure, these are still pretty feature-rich, but playing around with the most interesting options can feel like a chore.

Edifier LolliClip review: also consider

Huawei FreeArc
When we tested the Huawei FreeArc, we highlighted their “top-tier sound”, highly comfortable fit and crucially, competitive price. Yep, for less than £100 (about $130 / AU$200), you’re getting some of the best value open-ears on the market. There’s no ANC and battery life doesn’t quite stack up to that of this Edifier model. But hey, there’s still so much to love. Read our full Huawei FreeArc review.

OpenRock Pro
The OpenRock Pro have one standout feature – their immense battery life. You’re getting 19 hours from a single charge, with 46 hours total thanks to the charging case. That’s great for a pair of open ears and should mean you can listen for around a week without needing to charge the case – what a win! Again, these have a competitive price and comfortable fit, but they’re a little bit more middling in the audio department. Read our full OpenRock Pro review.

Edifier LolliClip review: How I tested

Someone picking out an Edifier LolliClip earbud from its charging case

(Image credit: Future)
  • Tested for one week
  • Used at home and while out and about
  • Predominantly tested using Tidal

I tested the Edifier LolliClip for one week, predominantly at home but also when outdoors. I exhausted all of their features, used them for casual and critical listening and assessed their quality with ANC switched on and off.

When listening to music, I made use of Tidal on my Samsung Galaxy S24 FE. As always, I ran through the TechRadar testing playlist, which includes tracks from a variety of genres and is optimized for assessing sound quality across the frequencies. On top of that, I blasted a whole host of tunes from my personal library.

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