Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame: review
The Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame is an affordable digital photo frame built on the Uhale platform. At 1280 x 800 pixels, it’s not the highest resolution photo frame on the market, but it’s capable of pretty credible sharpness and is far easier to use than other affordable frames I’ve tested.
I’ve used quite a few different digital photo frame apps now, and they vary widely from the full-featured, bespoke marketplace of the Netgear Meural Canvas II to Frameo, the third-party, one-size-fits-all app used by many digital photo frames, including the alternate version of this device. But there’s something novel about the Eptusmey’s user interface that I find particularly smooth and intuitive.
Setting up the frame is straightforward enough. Once you’ve selected its language and logged in to your Wi-Fi, you can start getting friends and family set up to send photos directly to the frame. Just download the Uhale app, scan the QR code, or enter the displayed code, and you’re good to go. You’re then ready to start selecting photos from your phone and firing them over.
If you’ve read many of my reviews of the best digital photo frames, you’ll know a pet peeve of mine is how some devices handle image orientation, often opting for a universal size that rarely fits every photo well. Instead, the Uhale app and Eptusmey photo frame allow you to scale images to fit and adjust the vertical or horizontal alignment to precisely frame the elements you choose. Being able to adjust this on a per-picture basis on the screen made it far easier to tweak specific images that didn’t look right, rather than having to delete and reupload them.
(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)
Odd issues did crop up now and then, though. First, despite the fact that I could set the scaling and position of images in the app, this didn’t seem to be saved for the uploaded images, meaning I’d have to set it again once they were on the frame. I also found that while scrolling through my phone’s photo library, it was far too easy to accidentally drag and select a bunch of images or, worse, deselect all of the ones I’d already picked out.
While colors are decent, they’re not quite as vibrant as I’ve come to expect from the best digital photo frames. Hues are accurate – there aren’t necessarily any specific missteps in terms of the color profile – but the frame pulls its punches when it comes to saturation. Rhododendrons that are a fireworks display of pinks, oranges and yellows even on the relatively conservative screen of my iPhone 16 Pro look more pastel than I’d expect, making the overall effect much more subdued.
By contrast – if you’ll excuse the pun – black and white photography really pops. Capable of both impressive brightness and relatively deep blacks, the Eptusmey shows off monochrome shots with an expansive dynamic range. Whether it was displaying shots of lichen-covered cliffsides in the Scottish Highlands or neo-gothic buildings in Budapest, grayscale photos always looked both bold and bright.
(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)
Despite the frame’s relatively meager 1280 x 800 resolution – hitting a pixel density of 149ppi – detail is also very decent. Whether it’s the individual hairs of a bumblebee’s fuzzy butt or the grains of sand clinging to a frog’s back, fine detail is crisply rendered. Unfortunately, though, the Eptusmey fares less well with images shot at shorter focal lengths. The iPhone 16 Pro’s artificial bokeh occasionally appeared over-sharpened, making those images look much weaker by comparison.
Another regrettable blind spot of the Eptusmey is how reflective its glass is. I tested this digital photo frame during a British autumn – I can barely remember the last time I even saw the sun, let alone had it shining on this frame. But, even so, this photo frame’s screen is swamped by reflections of our modestly lit testing space, meaning it’s not going to be a good choice for anywhere particularly bright or with a lot of furnishings to reflect.
Outside of the screen, the Eptusmey’s design is similarly mixed. In the plus column, its rear leg is very sturdy and makes switching orientation simple: pop it out and pop it back in rotated at 90 degrees, and you’re good to go. It also offers decent aesthetics, with the painted wood frame and modest white mount around the screen looking classy enough for a frame at this price range, and the two color options providing a decent choice to match the frame to your decor.
(Image credit: Future)
It’s not perfect, though, by any stretch. The mount is very plasticky to the touch – I’ve definitely been spoiled by the beautiful paper-like texture of the Aura Aspen here, though, so I won’t hold that too much against it.
Perhaps a more significant minus is the fact the paint on the exterior frame has started to wear off in a few places. Picking at the edge of the frame with my thumbnail, I was easily able to replicate this damage, which makes me worry a little about its durability.
OK, the Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame definitely isn’t flawless: its colors are a little duller than they should be, while the screen shows up way too many reflections even under artificial light.
But this needs to be viewed in the context of its price: you can get it for as little as $55.99 / £49.99, putting it right down at the cheapest end of the market. Given the price, it’s impressive: not only is it surprisingly crisp, it makes it really easy to frame your photos and get them looking their best. It’s definitely worth a look if you want to save on a frame.
(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)
Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame review: price & release date
The Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame is available now and has a list price of £79.99. Cheap though this is, you can actually get it for even less if you shop around, with Amazon UK selling it from just £49.99. It’s also available from Amazon in the US for $55.99, although only the version compatible with the third-party Frameo app, which offers a great user experience but is different from that outlined in this review.
While the US market is restricted to the Black Oak Wood colorway tested here, those in the UK have more options available. You can pick up the White Oak Wood colorway for £49.99, the Walnut Wood colorway for £59.99 and the Black Oak Wood colorway for £79.99, giving you more options to ensure your frame complements your decor.
(Image credit: Future)
Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame review: specs
Dimensions
11.3 x 8.1 x 1 inches (287 x 206 x 25mm)
Display size
10.1-inch
Resolution
1280 x 800, 149.5 pixels per inch
Aspect Ratio
16:10
Touch Screen
Yes
Sound
Built-in speaker
Orientation
Portrait or landscape
Storage
32GB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, USB, SD card
(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)
Should I buy the Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame?
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Features
4/5
Design
Glass too reflective and wood easily scuffed
3.5/5
Performance
4/5
Value
5/5
Buy it if…
You want a super affordable digital photo frame Available from as little as $55.99 / £49.99, the Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame is nearly as affordable as our pick for the best budget digital photo frame, Aeezo Portrait 01, yet with a more premium feeling frame.
You love a simple user experience Using the Eptusmey’s on-screen controls, bespoke app or even the third-party Frameo app with relevant versions makes it straightforward to transfer your shots and even allow your friends and family to do the same.
Don’t buy it if…
You love vibrant colors While the Eptusmey’s doesn’t seem to make major missteps in the way it represents hues, it’s not quite vivid enough to be true to life, making your snaps feel a little undersaturated.
You want to use it in a bright room There’s no anti-reflection coating on the Eptusmey’s display, meaning that it’s not great for bright spaces. Even without much direct light, it mirrors bright objects in the room far too readily.
Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame review: also consider
Aura Walden
Aeezo Portrait 01
Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame
Display size
10.1-inch
10.1-inch
11-inch
Resolution
1280 x 800, 149.5 pixels per inch
1280 x 800, 149.5 pixels per inch
2000 x 1200, 212 pixels per inch
Aspect Ratio
16:10
16:10
5:3
Touch Screen
Yes
Yes
Yes
Sound
Built-in speaker
Built-in speaker
Orientation
Portrait or landscape
Portrait or landscape
Portrait or landscape
Storage
32GB
32GB
32GB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, USB, SD card
Wi-Fi, SD card, USB
Wi-Fi, SD card, USB-A, USB-C
Aeezo Portrait 01 One of the Eptusmey’s closest rivals in terms of cost, the Aeezo Portrait 01 offers decent image quality and an even better price. It’s built on the Frameo app like some versions of the Eptusmey, meaning you can trust it’ll be just as easy to use. We did criticize its build quality in our Aeezo Portrat 01 review, though, with its cheaper frame and stand drawing particular ire.
Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame OK, the Pexar 11-inch is a fair bit pricier than the Eptusmey, costing $169.99 / £149. But it also offers a whole load of things the latter doesn’t. That includes an impressive reflection-free screen, vibrant hues and one of the best pixel densities I’ve ever seen from a digital photo frame at 212-ppi for super crisp images. Read my full Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame review.
How I tested the Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame
Tested it over two weeks
Uploaded a wide variety of photos
Tried it in multiple locations and orientations
I tested the Eptusmey 10.1-inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame over a period of several weeks. First, I set it up, then I used the Uhale app to transfer photos I’ve taken, making sure to split the balance between brightly colored shots and more subdued detail-focused ones. Next, I used the frame to tweak the cropping and alignment of photos.
I then tried using the frame in both horizontal and vertical orientations, as well as moving it to a variety of locations in my home and the TechRadar office to see how it coped with reflections and ambient light conditions.
I’m an experienced photographer, having taken more than 40,000 shots over the years on my Canon DSLR and iPhone 16 Pro. On top of this, I spent many years working in print publishing, meaning I know how to assess the nuances of how images can differ between the source device and the final product.
Quality gaming audio doesn’t have to cost the earth; something that Nacon’s RIG brand has proven time and again with some of the best PS5 headsets around. Now, its RIG R5 Spear Pro HS wired gaming headset has landed around the top end of the budget spectrum, and yes, it’s also a winner.
I’m usually wary of cheapish gaming headsets as there’s usually always at least one glaring weakness, even if other aspects impress. However, the R5 Spear Pro is a fantastic all-rounder, providing great build quality, a high level of comfort thanks to its plush ear cups, and superb audio for both gaming and listening to music.
I guess the one big ‘weakness’ here is that the R5 Spear Pro is a wired-only gaming headset, an advantage the aptly named SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless would have over it, for example. That means you won’t be going wireless via 2.4GHz or Bluetooth. But the silver lining here is that the headset will work with any platform, device, or controller that has a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The R5 Spear Pro is advertised as a PlayStation-facing headset, compatible with PS5 and PS4, while also supporting the brand’s Tempest 3D audio profile. However, you can expect it to work just fine on Xbox Series X, Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and others, given its simple wired connection.
I really have very little to complain about here, so expect a review on the shorter side. Some on-board features would’ve been nice, like mic muting or EQ switching, but what’s here is impressive for the price.
(Image credit: Future)
RIG R5 Spear Pro HS: Price and availability
List price: $69.99 / £69.99 (around AU$99)
Available now in the UK and Europe; US release on November 1
Comparable in price to the Epos H3 and Corsair HS50
The RIG R5 Spear Pro HS gaming headset is having a bit of a staggered release right now. It’s available in the UK and Europe now, but US folks will have to wait until November 1. It retails for $69.99 / £69.99 (around AU$99), and can be bought from Nacon’s website or regional stores.
It’s a pretty fair price tag for what you’re getting here, finding itself between the retail prices of the Epos H3 - our pick for the best wired gaming headset - and another budget banger in the Corsair HS50. Though at this price and sound quality, RIG might just knock Epos’s long-conquering headset off its throne.
RIG R5 Spear Pro HS: specs
Price
$69.99 / £69.99 (around AU$99)
Weight
0.74lbs / 0.34kg
Drivers
40mm graphene
Compatibility
PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, Switch 2, PC
Connection type
Wired (3.5mm)
(Image credit: Future)
RIG R5 Spear Pro HS: design and features
Out of the box, the R5 Spear Pro presents a seriously no-frills package. You’re getting the headset itself and a pair of PlayStation-branded mod plates for the ear cups’ exterior. More on those soon.
The headset doesn’t draw much attention to itself with a largely matte black finish. The RIG logo is emblazoned on top of the headband and mod plates, but it’s an otherwise low-key aesthetic. Which, hey, we definitely expect at this price point.
The headset, like other RIG products, is made from sturdy plastic that’s strongly resistant to wear and tear. RIG headsets are always impressively durable, and it’s a similar story here. It’s incredibly comfortable, too, with plush material for the headband and earcups resting nicely on your head without irritating over longer gaming sessions.
The headset naturally features a mic attached to the left earcup. It’s unfortunately not detachable, meaning you probably won’t be leaving the house with it, but it’s impressively flexible and easy to shape into a position that feels right for you.
The centerpiece of the R5 Spear Pro’s design, though, is its bespoke magnetic mod plates, which attach to the headset’s ear cups. As mentioned, the box contains a pair with the PlayStation logo slapped onto them, but you can buy other official designs separately. That includes one specifically designed for the EVO fighting game tournament.
RIG R5 Spear Pro HS: performance
The R5 Spear Pro simply provides brilliant, crisp audio for the price. When I got to testing by plugging it into my DualSense Wireless Controller for a Ghost of Yoteiplay session, I was immediately struck by the impressively layered audio that picked up on everything from the swaying breeze to distant clashes of swords.
Directional audio is brilliantly accurate, too, with audio flitting between left and right channels in an impressively immersive manner. The absorbing soundtrack of Tetris Effect Connected really came alive here, its audio-reactive gameplay really playing to the R5 Spear Pro HS’s strengths. Its 40mm graphene drivers, overall, provide pristine audio with little distortion even at higher volumes. I’d have preferred its bass register to be a little stronger, but it’s by no means underwhelming here.
Microphone quality is also solid. Not quite as impressive as with the RIG 900 Max HS’s crystal clear quality, but this one still more than gets the job done. It certainly works best on consoles, this flip-to-mute mic, as on my Windows PC I did have to wrestle a bit to get it to recognize the mic. However, using it while connected to a controller on PC solved that issue for me in the short term.
As mentioned, there isn’t much in terms of on-board functionality. The cable does have a volume slider, though it’s honestly a little stiff, and I ended up preferring using software settings on console and PC to adjust the headset’s audio.
(Image credit: Future)
Should I buy the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS?
Buy it if...
You want exceptional audio quality for less It’s hard to find sound quality this good at this price point. While not the absolute cheapest budget-friendly headset out there, I feel the R5 Spear Pro HS comes in at a very reasonable price given its fantastic audio and strong build quality.
You play on a variety of platforms Whether you’re on PlayStation, Xbox, or Switch consoles or PC, the R5 Spear Pro HS is an impressively versatile gaming headset, delivering stellar audio quality across all major platforms.
Don't buy it if...
You prefer having on-board buttons and features Aside from its volume slider, there are no quick shortcuts or buttons on the headset itself. It doesn’t need many, to be fair, but it means you won’t have access to desirable features on other headsets like EQ profiles.
You want better customization With no compatible companion software, the R5 Spear Pro HS is very much a case of ‘what you hear is what you get.’ Not a terrible thing in and of itself, as you can always rely on Dolby Atmos or Tempest 3D, but those after a more customizable audio experience won’t find it here.
RIG R5 Spear Pro HS: Also consider
Here are a couple more gaming headsets that come highly recommended if you’re not keen on the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS.
RIG R5 Spear Pro HS
Turtle Beach Atlas 200
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X Wireless
Price
$69.99 / £69.99 (around AU$99)
$59.99 / £49.99 (around AU$79)
$109.99 / £99.99 / AU$109.99
Weight
0.74lbs / 0.34kg
0.62lbs / 0.28kg
0.57lbs / 0.27kg
Drivers
40mm graphene
50mm Nanoclear
40mm Neodymium
Compatibility
PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, Switch 2, PC
PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, Switch 2, PC
PC, Xbox Series X (Xbox version only), PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android
Connection type
Wired (3.5mm)
Wired (3.5mm)
Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless (USB-C receiver)
Turtle Beach Atlas 200 A real budget powerhouse, once again providing shockingly good audio for the price. Throw in a comfy fit and a crystal clear mic, and this one just may tempt you away from the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS for good reason.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X Wireless One for consideration if you’re looking for wireless options instead, but want to keep costs down. The Arctis Nova 3X Wireless is a brilliant, cost-effective gaming headset that’s multiplatform-capable and has a lightweight build that remains comfortable for hours on end.
Tested across PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC
Compared to other RIG headsets like the RIG 900 Max HS
I tested the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS for two weeks for this review. While I mostly played games with the headset, I also used it for work purposes, as well as casually listening to music in my spare time.
I used the headset across all major platforms, including PS5, Xbox Series X Digital Edition, Nintendo Switch 2, and my gaming PC. For this review, I played titles including Ghost of Yotei, Final Fantasy 14 Online, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Tetris Effect Connected, PUBG Battlegrounds, and Tekken 8.
During testing, I went back and forth between the R5 Spear Pro HS and the pricier wireless offering, RIG 900 Max HS. I found audio quality to be largely identical across both products, though, as you might expect, build quality is better on the more expensive product, which also feels more durable thanks to its metallic, flexible headband and better materials used overall. Still, the R5 Spear Pro HS isn’t far off.
The Bar 1000MK2 kit with wireless surround speakers, remote control, and accessory cables and mounts (subwoofer not shown) (Image credit: Future)
The JBL Bar 1000MK2 is designed to address a problem inherent to the discrete surround speakers that come with soundbar systems: what happens when you don’t have a suitable place to plug them in?
It’s a challenge the JBL Bar 1000MK2 addresses elegantly by using detachable, rechargeable surround speakers that can be placed almost anywhere — with or without power.
Along with its detachable surround speakers, this model goes beyond most of the best soundbars by including not one, but three dedicated HDMI inputs. It’s blistering with wireless connections, too, including AirPlay and Google Cast. The included 10-inch wireless sub completes the picture, turning the Bar 1000MK2 into a highly flexible home theater system.
It creates highly immersive, cinematic experiences that put you in the middle of the action, but it’s not without its flaws. Height channel effects, the hallmark of a great Dolby Atmos or DTS:X soundtrack, can be a little underwhelming, and dialogue isn’t quite as clear as other soundbars such as the Sonos Arc Ultra or Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar. Music quality can vary: modern recordings (especially those mixed as Dolby Atmos tracks) shine, but older material loses something on playback.
Still, all in, the JBL Bar 1000MK2 is a fun, powerful, and versatile addition to any TV setup.
JBL Bar 1000MK2 review: Price & release date
The Bar 1000MK2 uses the JBL One app for setup control, but most functions can be carried out using the included hardware remote (Image credit: Future)
$1,199.95 / £899.99 (about AU$1,845)
Released June 2025
JBL launched the Bar 1000MK2 in June 2025 in both the US and the UK. Additional countries are planned for October and beyond, but pricing for these markets has yet to be announced.
As an update to the Bar 1000, JBL has kept the main ingredients (the included sub, detachable surrounds, and three dedicated HDMI inputs), but has made some small changes to the components. Instead of five racetrack drivers and three tweeters on the main bar, there are now six racetracks and only two tweeters. The deleted tweeter might make a difference: it was centrally located, where it played a role in dialogue clarity.
The detachable surrounds have also been modified. Here again, JBL has swapped tweeters for full-range racetrack drivers. The surrounds can now be used in another room for remote TV listening, or as an alternative to the main bar and subwoofer in Night mode.
Curiously, JBL’s pricing creates different comparisons depending on where you live. In the US, it’s $200 more expensive than the Sonos Arc Ultra ($999) and Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar ($999), and yet, in the UK, all three products are priced alike at £899. The Bar 1000MK2's price has dropped in the US since launch, however, with it now widely available for $999.
Given that the Bar 1000MK2 comes with its own wireless subwoofer and surround speakers, which isn’t the case for Sonos or Bose, it may make more sense for buyers to compare it to similarly equipped products like Samsung’s HW-Q930F ($1,399) or LG’s S90TR ($1,199).
JBL Bar 1000MK2 review: Specs
Dimensions (W x H x D)
Soundbar: 33.6 x 2.0 x 5.0 inches; detachable surround speaker (each): 7.4 x 2.0 x 5.0 inches; subwoofer: 12.8 x 15.7 x 12.8 inches
Speaker channels
7.1.4
Connections:
1x HDMI out (with eARC), 3x HDMI 2.1 in, optical digital audio, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-A
Dolby Atmos/DTS:X
Yes/Yes
Sub included
Yes
Rear speakers included
Yes
Features
AirPlay 2, Google Cast, HDMI 2.1, 4K 60Hz, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision pass-through, Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, Dolby Atmos Music, Roon Ready, rear speaker broadcast mode, Night Listening mode, native integration of music services including Tidal, Qobuz, Amazon Music, and more
JBL Bar 1000MK2 review: Features
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The Bar 1000MK2 provides 3 HDMI inputs along with an HDMI output (with eARC); the fully wireless surround speakers dock into the soundbar's sides for charging and also have a USB-C port for power (Image credit: Future)
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(Image credit: Future)
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(Image credit: Future)
Three dedicated HDMI inputs with 4K/HDR passthrough
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi with comprehensive streaming support
Fully wireless surround speakers that can be placed anywhere
JBL’s top-tier products have a reputation for being chock-full of features, and the Bar 1000MK2 is no exception. I’m thrilled when a soundbar offers even one HDMI input to compensate for the one it takes up on the TV. With three of these inputs, the Bar 1000MK2 doubles as an AV receiver alternative, letting you hook up multiple devices like Blu-ray players or game consoles.
I’m a little disappointed that the optical connection is strictly an alternative to the HDMI eARC port (you can’t use it as its own discrete input), and gamers should take note that the soundbar’s video passthrough is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate.
With both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, plus Apple AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Tidal Connect, and Spotify Connect, you can stream just about any music source to the Bar 1000MK2. Better yet, JBL lets you natively stream services like Tidal and Amazon Music from within the JBL One companion app, ensuring compatibility with Dolby Atmos Music tracks (when available). Longtime JBL fans should note that, unlike previous JBL soundbars, the Bar 1000MK2 isn’t compatible with Amazon Alexa for voice control or multiroom audio.
JBL remains the only soundbar maker that uses fully wireless surround speakers, which enable a huge range of placement options. New on the MK2 is the ability to use them as auxiliary TV speakers for listening in a different room, or as personal “night mode” speakers.
Wondering about what it’s like to use rechargeable speakers? Honestly, it’s pretty great. JBL estimates a single charge will get you about 10 hours of use, depending on your volume level. For me, that translated into two weeks between charges, watching about 1.5-2 hours of TV per day. And that included a three-hour continuous listening session where I put the system through a series of test clips and playlists.
I really appreciate that JBL includes wall-mounting hardware for both the main bar and the surrounds. And, cleverly, the mounts for the surrounds are designed for easy on-and-off placement to help with recharging. Finding a way to leave them plugged in via USB-C while wall-mounted, on the other hand, might prove tricky, and JBL doesn’t include chargers in the box.
Features score: 5 / 5
JBL Bar 1000MK2 review: Performance
Both the soundbar and wireless surrounds (shown here docked on the soundbar for charging) feature upfiring Atmos speakers (Image credit: Future)
Impressive surround sound
Lackluster height channels and precision
Slightly harsh music rendering
With a total of 10 drivers in the main soundbar, two drivers in each surround module, and a big, 10-inch cone on the down-firing subwoofer, the Bar 1000MK2 has all the ingredients needed for a full-throated home theater experience.
Whether you’ve got access to Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, or just good ol’ Dolby Digital 5.1, this soundbar does a great job of putting you in the middle of the action.
With the speaker’s PureVoice mode on (the default), I found dialogue clarity adequate, but not as crystal-clear as the Sonos Arc Ultra or Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar. It’s not a deal-breaker, but at this price, I expect top-notch dialogue quality.
JBL’s 7.1.4-channel system successfully decoded Dolby Atmos up to 9.1.6 and DTS:X at up to 7.1.4. There isn’t a lot of DTS:X content out there, but it’s nice to know the Bar 1000MK2 can handle it.
Those detachable, fully wireless surround speakers may look like toys, but they’re the real deal. Placing them on either end of my couch created an excellent sound field. During key moments in Ford v Ferrari, race cars could clearly be heard careening from my left to my right as they battled for dominance on (and sometimes off) the track.
Ideally, they should be placed just behind your listening position, but it’s not vital.
However, leaving the surround speakers attached to the main soundbar (where they recharge if you don’t want to use your own chargers) will give you much less immersive sound. The Bar 1000MK2 simply isn’t as adept at creating virtual surround and rear height effects from the front of your room. If you want a single bar that can do that, the Sonos Arc Ultra, Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar, and Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus are better choices.
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The Bar 1000MK2 system's large, ported subwoofer features a downfiring 10-inch cone driver (Image credit: Future)
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Despite its impressive overall performance, there are some specific weaknesses. Some soundtrack elements lack sufficient dynamic range. During the classic courtyard shootout scene from No Time To Die, when James Bond sits stoically as his Aston Martin gets riddled with bullets, the automatic gunfire ricochets all around the room, as it should. But the overhead church bells sound flat, and in the moments leading up to this scene, the car chase lacks presence and immediacy.
Similarly, even with the soundbar’s Atmos setting at max (the loudest you can push the height drivers), it was hard to hear the difference between surround and overhead effects.
I’ve reviewed a lot of single-speaker soundbars recently, and the Bar 1000MK2 reminded me that even the best of these units can’t compete with a dedicated subwoofer. Though the power and impact of this sub seem disproportionately low when compared to its size, the unit does what it needs to do. Of the available five subwoofer power levels, I found levels four and five to be plenty of punch for movies. For music, however, I needed to tone it down: levels one to three were more enjoyable.
Speaking of music, I’m sad to report that it’s an uneven aspect of the Bar 1000MK2’s performance. It seems that JBL hasn’t moved the needle much since it released the Bar 9.1 -- its first soundbar with wireless surrounds. Like that speaker, the Bar 1000MK2 has trouble with its midranges, and the highs have a tendency to get shouty and shrill, particularly at higher volumes.
On the bright side, the system is compatible with hi-res audio up to 24-bit/192kHz, and it seems to love tracks that have been produced in recent years. Modern recordings, especially those in Dolby Atmos Music, really shine. But older songs lose a lot. There are no EQ presets (e.g., Music, Movies, Sports, etc.); however, JBL does offer an equalizer in the JBL One app. Still, all my tweaking didn’t resolve the issue. Strangely, equalizer adjustments are universal; there’s no way to save your changes or apply different settings to each input.
Using the wireless speakers for portable TV audio (Broadcasting mode) is a clever idea. If you’ve ever grouped a Sonos kitchen speaker with a Sonos soundbar, it’s the same concept. And the wireless speakers have an impressive range. With the soundbar in my basement, I was still able to get a stable signal on our third floor.
You can even choose mono or stereo sound. Where the idea stumbles, somewhat, is that the speakers don’t have their own built-in volume control. Changing the volume on the main system affects that of the wireless speakers. You can make it slightly quieter or louder using the JBL One app’s three rear channel settings: low, medium, and high.
Quiet, personal listening (Night listening mode) works well, too, cutting sound from the main bar and sub and routing it all to the wireless speakers. In this mode, it’s the regular volume level that controls what you hear. I’m just a bit sad that JBL doesn’t offer the choice of mono/stereo in Night listening mode.
Performance score: 3.5 / 5
JBL Bar 1000MK2 review: Design
The Bar 1000MK2 has a bright alphanumeric LED display for control feedback (Image credit: Future)
Magnetic covers provide a finished look to both the bar and surrounds
Ultra short height keeps it from obstructing your TV’s lower frame
Lack of front-firing tweeters may diminish dialogue crispness
It’s impossible to overlook the Bar 1000MK2’s main design element: those detachable wireless surrounds. It’s unique, it’s clever, and it works. It may not be for everyone, but the flexibility of placement and the elimination of wires are a boon to those with awkward spaces.
With a utilitarian, black plastic body and plastic grille, the Bar 1000 MK2’s design won’t win any beauty contests. But if you’re of the opinion that soundbars should be heard, not seen, the 1000MK2 is a stunner.
As powerful soundbars go, the Bar 1000MK2 is remarkably compact, especially when you remove the wireless surround speakers. At just two inches tall, the MK2 is one of the shortest soundbars I’ve ever tested. Most folks won’t have to worry about it blocking the IR receiver (or screen) on their TVs.
A front-mounted alphanumeric display briefly comes to life to inform you of input changes, volume level, audio format (Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, etc.), and a wealth of other settings and alerts, which I find very helpful. I don’t like being forced to consult an app for these details (as is the case with many soundbars). It would be perfect if only you could adjust its brightness or disable it entirely.
The included magnetic end-caps aren’t a very elegant solution to the problem of how to hide the exposed charging contacts, but once installed, they do provide a very elegant finish to both the soundbar and the surrounds.
It’s harder to be enthusiastic about the included wireless subwoofer. At 15 inches tall and with a nearly 13-inch square footprint, it’s big, and that makes it harder to tuck away. You may be able to get away with placing objects on its flat top surface -- one of our cats decided it was the ideal spot for a nap and was surprisingly unfazed by the low-frequency rumbles, which I suppose is a quirky testament to the cabinet’s ability to dampen vibrations.
The soundbar’s top controls are basic in the extreme: Volume and input selection. If you’re using the speaker purely for TV audio, the sparse offering is fine. If you’re using it for music, it can feel limiting, especially the lack of muting, play/pause, and track skipping.
Good thing the Bar 1000MK2 ships with a remote. It covers all of those missing functions and then some. But I’m baffled by JBL’s decision to use icons instead of words to label buttons that control sub, surround, Atmos levels, and calibration. Curiously, this is only on the North American model. The European version gets English labels, even though that part of the world speaks many more languages than in Canada, the US, and Mexico.
Behind the front and top grilles on the main bar, JBL has installed six 1.7x3.1-inch racetrack drivers, two 1-inch tweeters, and two 2.75-inch up-firing full-range drivers.
It’s an unusual configuration: JBL uses the two tweeters as side beam drivers -- meaning they’re used to help with surround channels. It relies on the six racetrack drivers for the all-important center channel, which may explain why I found the Bar 1000MK2 less crisp on the dialogue front than other soundbars. Bose uses a central tweeter on the Smart Ultra Soundbar, and Sonos puts three front-firing tweeters on the Arc Ultra.
Each wireless surround has a 1.7x3.5-inch racetrack driver and a 2.75-inch, up-firing full-range driver.
Design score: 4 / 5
JBL Bar 1000MK2 review: Setup & usability
Image 1 of 3
Set up, adjustment, and music streaming app screens on the JBL One app (Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 3
(Image credit: Future)
Image 3 of 3
(Image credit: Future)
Easy setup and calibration
Front display provides vital feedback
JBL One app is simple and easy to use
Getting the Bar 1000MK2 set up is a snap. For basic use as a TV speaker, you can simply plug it into power and your TV’s HDMI (or optical) connection, plug in the subwoofer, and you’re done.
But it’s worth it to download the free and intuitive JBL One app. The app walks you through getting the soundbar connected to Wi-Fi – which takes less than one minute – after which you can access software updates and use streaming platforms like Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, Tidal Connect, and Spotify Connect.
There’s also native support for several streaming music services, including Tidal and Amazon Music, which helps to ensure you’re getting Dolby Atmos Music when available (Bluetooth, AirPlay, and Google Cast aren’t currently compatible with this format).
If you own more than one JBL Wi-Fi-based audio product, e.g., Charge 5 Wi-Fi, or one of the Authentics models, the app also lets you control these speakers individually or as groups.
Most of the time, you won’t need the app after the initial setup. Thanks to the built-in display, most tasks are easily performed with the remote. Exceptions to this are changing the EQ setting and switching to Night or Broadcast listening. You don’t need the app to perform the room calibration of the wireless surrounds, but it’s easier than using the remote and built-in display.
Calibration is very easy, and only involves two automated steps: a reading of the room with the surround speakers positioned where you normally sit, and another with the speakers placed in their regular positions off to the sides of your listening spot.
Setup & usability score: 4.5 / 5
JBL Bar 1000MK2 review: Value
Following discounts, the Bar 1000MK2's US price matches all-in-one soundbars like the Sonos Arc Ultra and Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar (Image credit: Future)
Good bang for the buck
Dialogue, Atmos effects, and music could be stronger
Incredibly versatile
Is the JBL Bar 1000MK2 a perfect soundbar? No, but for the price, it packs a feature set you simply won’t find anywhere else. Multiple HDMI inputs, full Wi-Fi streaming options, excellent cinematic surround sound, and of course, those funky detachable wireless speakers.
Its nearest direct competitors, the Samsung HW-Q930F ($1,399) and LG S90TR ($1,199), are, like the 1000MK2, priced just under each brand’s flagships.
TechRadar hasn’t reviewed these models, but if our experiences with their higher-end siblings (Samsung HW-Q990F and LG S95TR) are any indication, they’ll deliver better overall sound quality.
What they won’t give you is the Bar 1000MK2’s three HDMI inputs (they only have one), its fully wireless surround speakers (they have power cords), or the ability to use those speakers for remote/night listening.
Value score: 4 / 5
Should I buy the JBL Bar 1000MK2?
Section
Notes
Score
Features
Three HDMI inputs, fully wireless surround speakers and extensive wireless streaming support
5 / 5
Performance
Good surround immersion but lackluster Atmos effects, dialogue clarity and music performance
3.5 / 5
Design
Detachable wireless surround speakers dock into soundbar; slim profile with large alphanumeric LED display
4 / 5
Setup & usability
Simple setup and calibration; feature-packed JBL One app, but most functions can be controlled with hardware remote
4.5 / 5
Value
Impressive features and versatility for price but performance could be stronger
4 / 5
Buy it if...
You want full cinematic surround sound at a reasonable price Companies like Bose, Sonos, and Marshall don’t include subwoofers and surrounds with their soundbars. Adding them increases the price of a full home theater setup by up to 100% or more. The Bar 1000MK2 comes with everything you need.
You have an unusual TV room Not everyone has conveniently located power outlets or even good spots to mount surround speakers. The Bar 1000MK2, with its compact and fully wireless surrounds, provides far more versatility of placement.
You own multiple video devices like game consoles, disc players, or streamers With three dedicated HDMI inputs, the Bar 1000MK2 not only compensates for the HDMI port it occupies on your TV, it actually adds two more. For some, this will eliminate the need for a separate HDMI switcher.
Don't buy it if...
You need crystal-clear dialogue The Bar 1000MK2 is generally very good for dialogue quality, but you’ll find that most of its competitors (Bose, Sony, Sonos, etc.) offer more clarity.
You don’t want to compromise on surround power As convenient as the Bar 1000MK2’s fully wireless surrounds are, they aren’t as big or as powerful as those in similar all-in-one systems from Samsung or LG.
Music listening is just as important as movies and TV The Bar 1000MK2 is perfectly competent as a music speaker, but it’s clear that it was designed primarily for movies and shows. There’s a slight harshness to the upper-mids and highs that detracts from some music (especially older recordings), though it can be quite thrilling as a Dolby Atmos Music system.
JBL Bar 1000MK2 review: Also consider
JBL Bar 1000MK2
Sonos Arc Ultra
Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar
LG S90TR
Price
$1,199.95 / £899.99 (about AU$1,845)
$999 / £999 / AU$1,799
$899 / £899 / AU$1499
$1,199.99
Dimensions (w x h x d)
Soundbar: 33.6 x 2.0 x 5.0 inches; subwoofer: 12.8 x 15.7 x 12.8 inches; surround speaker: 5.0 x 7.4 x 2.0 inches
46.38 x 2.95 x 4.35 inches
41 x 2.3 x 4.2 inches
Soundbar: 49.2 x 2.5 x 5.3 inches; subwoofer: 7.9 x 16 x 15.9 inches; surround speaker: 3.9 x 6.9 x 4.7 inches
Speaker channels
9.1.4
9.1.4
5.1.2
7.1.3
Connections
HDMI out (with eARC), 3x HDMI 2.1 in, optical digital audio, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-A
1HDMI with eARC, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
HDMI eARC, digital optical, Ethernet, bass module, IR blaster, USB (service only), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
HDMI out (with eARC), HDMI 2.1 in, optical digital audio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-A
Dolby Atmos/DTS:X
Yes/Yes
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/Yes
Sonos Arc Ultra
If you’re content to build a system starting with a single-speaker soundbar, the Sonos Arc Ultra costs a little less ($999 in the U.S.) and addresses both the dialogue clarity and music performance concerns on the JBL Bar 1000MK2. It offers impressive virtual surround sound, though it can’t match the power and immersion of an all-in-one system like the Bar 1000MK2.
Bose's top all-in-one soundbar, like the Sonos Arc Ultra, costs $999 in the US and can be added on with optional wireless surround speakers and a subwoofer. It also has superior dialogue clarity and music performance compared to the JBL Bar 1000MK2.
If you don’t want to compromise on the full home theater experience, the LG S90TR is the same price ($1,199) and will likely deliver better dialogue and music, though with only one HDMI input and the need to plug its surrounds into power, it’s not as versatile as the Bar 1000MK2.
How I tested the JBL Bar 1000MK2
(Image credit: Future)
Used JBL Bar 1000MK2 as main audio system for two weeks
Tested in basement media room
Main source was an Apple TV 4K, and streamed music from various apps
I spent two weeks with the JBL Bar 1000MK2 as my main audio system for watching movies, shows, and music in my basement media room. During that time, I ran through my usual battery of Dolby Atmos test clips from movies like No Time To Die, Ford v Ferrari, Mad Max: Fury Road, Dune, and Unbroken, paying special attention to details like dialogue clarity, surround sound, and height channel impact.
I streamed most content from an Apple TV 4K connected via an LG OLED TV, which fed the MK2 from its ARC output, but I also connected an Nvidia Shield TV to one of the MK2's HDMI inputs to test its passthrough capabilities.
For music, I used a variety of apps, including Apple Music, Tidal, Qobuz, and Amazon Music, listening to a wide range of genres and formats, like Dolby Atmos Music. Some were played from apps on the Apple TV 4K, while others were streamed wirelessly using AirPlay, Bluetooth and Google Cast.
Using one of the best under-desk treadmills, otherwise known as walking pads, have become the easiest way to sneak movement into a workday, and the DeerRun Q1 Classic leans into that promise with a low price, zero assembly model with a relatively compact footprint. It’s built for steady walking rather than running, with a responsive remote and a deck that feels stable and lightly cushioned.
It’s not whisper-quiet and the companion app is basic, but if your goal is to add a few thousand steps while you edit docs or watch a webinar, this compact slab of motivation makes a convincing case for itself.
DeerRun classic review: Specifications
Component
DeerRun Q1 Classic
Speed range
0.6–3.8 mph
Dimensions
49 x 20 x 4.5 in (pad), belt ~39.4 x 15.4 in
Weight
~43 lb
Capacity
up to 300 lb
Controls
Handheld remote and Bluetooth via PitPat
Claimed noise
“Low noise” brushless motor, <45 dB (in my room it sounded higher)
Compatibility
PitPat Fitness App
DeerRun classic review: Price and availability
$188 USD / £169 GBP / AU$413
Very affordable
Often on sale
DeerRun often discounts the Q1 Classic/Classic Pro family heavily; I’ve seen it listed at$188 in the US, with a stated 300 lb maximum user capacity and a 60-day risk-free trial plus one-year warranty. In the UK its Q1 Classic/Classic Pro walking pad is listed at£169 on DeerRun’s UK store and in Australia the same model is shown fromAU$413 on DeerRun’s AU store.
Value is where the DeerRun Q1 Classic shines. For a sub-$200 walking pad with a decent-sized belt, a proper remote, and a one-year warranty, it’s outstanding value. There are slicker pads with folding frames, longer belts or quieter motors, but they typically cost a fair bit more. If your goal is to add 5–10k steps to your day while you work, you won’t find many better bargains right now.
Value score: 5/5
DeerRun Q1 Classic review: Design
I’ve been using the DeerRun Q1 Classic in a spare-bedroom office with a big desk and a fairly wide gap underneath. I’m 5 foot 7 inches and weight around 60 kg, and the deck felt a comfortable size for steady walking while working. It ships in a single box and there’s no assembly – plug it in, pair the app, and you’re moving within minutes.
Getting the unit upstairs was the hardest part; it’s manageable but a bit hefty. First impressions were good: clean design, compact size, and a belt that feels well set up out of the box with no sticking or drift.
Day to day, it’s a smooth operator. The handheld remote is responsive, so nudging your pace up or down feels natural rather than jumpy. The deck has a hint of bounce without wobble, and even after longer sessions I didn’t notice excess heat or that telltale treadmill overclocking smell. Noise is where it falls short: it isn’t obnoxious, but I wouldn’t use it during calls. I could watch webinars, but I had to turn my volume up.
This is a walking pad first and foremost, rather than an at-work under-desk treadmill. With a top speed of 6.1 km/h, it’s designed for a brisk walk rather than a run. There’s no safety rail as standard, but you can buy one separately as an accessory, although if you’re just planning to walk on it, you shouldn’t need one.
Storage is straightforward. It doesn’t fold, and it’s a touch heavy to lug around, but I could tilt it against the wall behind a door, and its slim 4.5-inch profile barely ate into the room. If your sofa sits tall off the ground, you could slide it under; but mine is too low to fit the height of the pad.
The power cable is short, which may impact the layout of your workstation, and DeerRun charges extra for a longer lead – again, some cynics might feel nickel-and-dimed here. On a practical note for upstairs offices: running created enough vibration through my timber floorboards that items started migrating across my desk. The pad itself stayed composed; but as the minutes passed, more and more items started edging towards the edge of my desk before tumbling onto the floor. Shock absorption isn’t the best.
Design score: 4/5
DeerRun Q1 Classic review: Features
(Image credit: Lily Canter)
Very basic. The PitPat app pairs quickly and offers simple programs but it’s not clear whether it can sync with apps like Strava. I couldn’t work out how to do this and found conflicting information online. Personally, I just used the remote to control the speed of the pad and promptly ignored the app after setup.
Features score: 3/5
DeerRun Q1 Classic review: Performance
The build is pleasantly robust for the price. The deck feels stable, the belt runs true, and the top surface is grippy without being abrasive. You don’t get a fold-up rail or incline - this is a flat, under-desk pad - but there are transport wheels and it stands upright neatly.
Walking quality is the headline. The pad accelerates and decelerates smoothly, speed changes via the remote are measured rather than lurchy, and I didn’t experience belt stutter or drift once it bedded in. The deck has just enough give that longer stints don’t feel like you’re marching on plywood. On a solid ground-floor slab, it should be ideal; on suspended floorboards, plan for some transmitted vibration at higher cadences.
Performance score: 4/5
Scorecard
Category
Comment
Score
Value
Outstanding for the price
5/5
Design
Solid and simple
4/5
Performance
Really good at what it does, but limited speed like many walking pads
4/5
Features
Lacking other than simple PitPat app
3/5
DeerRun Q1 Classic: Should I buy?
Buy it if...
You're on a budget
Do you need a compact, inexpensive walking pad for a home office? The DeerRun is a solid choice.
You want to keep it simple
You’re happy using a 'stop-go' simple remote and don’t care about a fancy app.
You’re on the ground floor
Without good shock absorption, upstairs use might be noisy.
Don't buy it if...
You want true running speeds
This is not a running treadmill, and those that need a do-it-all device won't get that here.
You need whisper-quiet operation
Want to walk while in meetings, or early in the morning in a busy house? This isn't it.
Also consider
Mobvoi Home Walking Treadmill
Our best budget under desk treadmill, the Mobvoi is a great alternative if you want a simple walking pad to go the distance.
Used daily under a desk in a first-floor spare room, including long work sessions and webinar viewing. Assessed ease of setup, noise, stability, belt tracking, top speed, app pairing and day-to-day storage.
For the Bruce Springsteen faithful – and probably those who feel that way about Jeremy Allen White – today, October 24, 2025, has been a long time coming, as Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is finally showing in movie theaters across the globe.
Now, for lack of a better analogy, the Boss has been the soundtrack of my life – well, for most of it – so I headed to a local AMC Theatre with Dolby Cinema in the great state of New Jersey for an opening-night preview screening.
I had a lot of feelings going in, especially since Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere isn’t like most biopics. But I wouldn’t even call it that, because it focuses on a very specific, short time in Springsteen’s career. Instead of portraying the many months spent on getting Born to Run just right or even Born in the U.S.A.’s release or Springteen’s rise to stratospheric stardom, it turns the spotlight onto one of his darker chapters – one that Springsteen became more open about in his memoir Born to Run and in Warren Zanes’s Deliver Me From Nowhere, which is the book that inspired this film.
So, let’s dive into it – and fair warning, I’ll have some mild spoilers ahead, though it’s kind of comical as this is based in reality, and we all know about Nebraska.
Inside Nebraska
Warning: some spoilers for Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere lie ahead.
(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is a lot better than I was expecting it to be. It’s a good film that’s more like a deep character study of a specific time in Bruce Springsteen’s life. It jumps from before, during, and a bit after the recording of Nebraska, giving a deep dive into his mental health – both Bruce’s and his family’s – and his upbringing. The latter is done through black-and-white flashbacks, which at times feel a bit out of place but do an excellent job of at least rooting the pain and depression.
It opens showing a glimpse into that upbringing, but soon ties the anxiety and rush of an encounter into the rush and thrill of performing Born to Run to close out The River Tour. This is our first glimpse, and one of the few, of the E Street Band during Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.
I never really got comfortable believing Jeremy Allen White was entirely the embodiment of Bruce Springsteen, but he sure gives off the look of a rock star known for energetic performances. Maybe most importantly, Allen White doesn’t just do an imitative voice of the Boss but, in my opinion, does a lot more with body language and how he presents himself.
From there on out, we see the relationship between Jon Landau – played by Jeremy Strong – and Bruce unfold on screen, and it matches the real-life relationship. They were two friends forever, who clearly had each other’s backs, and Landau definitely does a masterclass in being an agent, manager, and friend – fighting for what the artist wants.
We see Bruce then settle into a rental in Colts Neck, dive deep into some reading, and eventually watch Terrence Malick’s 1973 film Badlands, which pushes him to research a bit more and eventually start on a track of songs dubbed Starkweather, which becomes Nebraska. Seeing this process depicted on the big screen, and the historic room with the orange shag carpet, is something of a bit of a holy grail. And Jeremy Allen White does get the singing voice pretty close, as well as the guitar playing, though there is a unique blending. I also need to give a shout to the audio quality in this Dolby Cinema theater, but also to the mixing team on Springsteen: Deliver From Nowhere, it is done excellently. And there are a few tracks where the singing shifts from Jeremy Allen White to Bruce Springsteen, and vice versa.
We also see Bruce go on a few dates with a character, Faye – who in reality is a composite, and we see that struggle as he runs away from fame and goes on some self-discovery, which in turn is himself feeling like an outsider in his own body.
The human story behind the music
(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)
Beyond the recordings, I think what really hit the most with me was the visual telling of Springsteen’s struggles with his own mental health and that of his father’s, and the repairing of their relationship. While it’s rooted in fact, director Scott Cooper certainly took some liberties here and sped up the timeline.
It’s rare, I think, for Bruce himself to be so open with showing, telling, and reliving this, and Jeremy Allen White really shines in these scenes – he depicts the feeling of an outsider in their own body perfectly, acting the build-up to a breakdown and a panic attack with realism. Allen White also shows the struggle of realizing something is up but not knowing how to seek help – remember this is in the 1980s, specifically 1982.
I think those are the most powerful moments, and even if the pacing could be slow at times, it lets these moments of the film really build up and be delivered with ample time. For those who have read Born to Run or maybe watched Springsteen on Broadway, I think this acts as a really nice introspective and deep dive into Nebraska.
Yes, it’s more niche than, say, Born to Run,Born in the U.S.A., or Springsteen’s other work, but it’s also the most raw, natural, and, in the end, more impactful. It’s an important aspect of how the Boss became the Boss, and while I had my doubts going in, the result is an impactful, good film that’s very deep, emotive, emotional, and ultimately a close character study.
(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)
Yes, it can be hard to get past the fact that Jeremy Allen White is not Bruce Springsteen, but thanks to the attention to detail, the physicality, and the close study, it’s believable – minus the looks.
Ultimately, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere explores the process of coming to terms with childhood trauma and the impacts of that, which can sit with you and become a theme of life as you move on. We’ve known Bruce’s family has had mental illness, and he's had his own demons; the art comes from that to a degree.
It may not hit every note perfectly, but I think fans will like it – it’s an honest, heavy, and deeply human look at Springsteen during arguably one of his darkest periods, one that still showcases the music-making process with just a taste of E Street Band greatness.
Ultimately, an antithesis of most biopics – a good thing.
The Smeg ECF03 is a stylish espresso machine that’s a significant upgrade from its predecessor, the Smeg ECF02. The key difference is a new cold-extraction feature, which takes around two minutes to produce smooth, sweet-tasting espresso that makes an ideal base for an iced americano, cappuccino, or cocktail.
Another important upgrade is the addition of a pressure gauge that helps you see if your espresso shot is properly extracted before it’s finished pouring. It’s surprising that this doesn’t show the exact pressure in bars, but it’s nevertheless a useful guide.
When you want to brew traditional hot espresso, the machine heats quickly, and its pump produces consistent pressure, so you get reliably well-extracted coffee once you’ve dialled in the grinder correctly. During my tests, the pump reached a maximum of 72dB, which isn’t as quiet as the noise-shielded BCC13, but it isn’t excessive.
Like all Smeg’s coffee machines, the ECF03 is controlled via a small set of buttons labelled with icons, which illuminate in different colors to show the machine’s status. Solid white means the machine is ready to brew hot, solid blue means it’s ready for cold-brewing. Flashing or orange lights mean the machine is either still heating or requires maintenance. You'll need to keep the manual handy for reference when you first start using it, but you'll soon learn what the different combinations signify.
(Image credit: Future)
The Smeg ECF03 is easy to maintain, and unlike most home espresso machines, it comes with a blank disc for backwashing the grouphead and water circuit. This makes it easy to clear out coffee oils and residue that might affect the taste of your drinks.
Overall, the ECF03 is an absolute pleasure to use, and during my testing, I found it difficult to fault. The only real drawback is the price, but it is justified by the quality and style. There’s a chance you can get a deal if you wait for the Black Friday sales, or if you’re not likely to use the cold-brew function, you could opt for the ECF02 instead.
Smeg ECF03: specifications
Name
Smeg ECF03
Type
Manual espresso machine
Dimensions (H x W x D)
14.3 x 8.1 x 11.6 inches / 36.4 x 20.5 x 29.5cm
Weight
24lb 11oz / 11.2kg
Water tank capacity
1.5qt / 1.4l
Steam wand
Yes, manual
Max pressure
15 bar
User profiles
1
Smeg ECF03: price and availability
Only available in Europe at the time of writing (October 2025)
Smeg ECF02, which lacks cold brew mode, costs considerably less
At the time of writing, the Smeg ECF03 is only available in Europe. It launched in the UK in September 2025 at a list price of £499.96. That works out at about $670 / AU$1,000, but official release dates and prices for the US and Australia have yet to be announced.
For comparison, the Smeg ECF02, which lacks a cold-brew function, has a list price of $600 / £399.95 / AU$699, but can sometimes be found at a significant discount. In the UK, for example, it's currently reduced to £299.95 in Smeg’s online store.
You’ll find today’s best deals on both machines below, with prices updated daily.
Value score: 4.5/5
Smeg ECF03: design
Chic 1950s-inspired design
Well-made, solid-feeling accessories
Cleverly concealed storage compartment
The ECF03 is part of Smeg’s line of 1950s-inspired appliances, with smooth curved lines, stainless steel accents, and a choice of glossy retro colors: pastel blue, cream (shown here), white, and black. It’s a new sibling for the Smeg ECF02, with the biggest difference being the ECF03's ability to brew cold-extracted espresso as well as hot.
It also has a slightly different shape, with convex sides rather than concave, and a gauge on the front that helps you see if you’ve achieved the optimum pressure for extracting a shot (a feature I always appreciate).
(Image credit: Future)
You’ll find a power switch on the left-hand side of the ECF03’s case, and its functions are controlled with a set of four buttons on the stainless steel top (for single shot, double shot, steam, and switching between hot and cold brewing).
The 58mm portafilter feels reassuringly solid in the hand, weighing about 240z / 676g with a basket fitted, and the tamper is a hefty 16z / 448g. This weight doesn’t just make it satisfying to use, it also helps you apply even pressure to produce an evenly compressed puck without fissures, resulting in more consistently extracted coffee.
(Image credit: Future)
Like all other Smeg espresso machines I’ve tested, the ECF03 comes with four filter baskets, including pressurized and single-walled options for single and double shots. Pressurized (double-walled) baskets are more forgiving if your technique isn’t quite perfect, producing reliably thick crema, while the single-walled baskets give you finer control over extraction.
The steam wand pivots out from the machine, with a good range of movement and an angle that’s ideal for creating a ‘whirlpool’ in your milk pitcher. It has a cool-touch silicone handle and is operated using a stainless steel knob on the machine’s right-hand side. Pull it towards you for steam, and push it away for hot water.
(Image credit: Future)
Pull out the drip tray and you’ll find a handy storage compartment, which holds the filter baskets you use less frequently, a stiff-bristled cleaning brush, a needle tool for clearing the steam wand if it becomes blocked, and a blank disc that you can place in the portafilter handle to backwash the machine using a cleaning tablet. That last item is a particularly nice addition that’s used daily in a commercial setting, but rarely included with home espresso machines.
The only item notable by its absence is a milk pitcher, which is a little surprising for an espresso machine in this price bracket.
Design score: 5/5
Smeg ECF03: performance
Brews consistently good hot and cold espresso
Pressure gauge is useful, though the lack of numbers is surprising
Easy to clean and care for
I found the ECF03 a joy to use, whether brewing hot or cold, and Smeg’s usual attention to detail and build quality are evident right from the start.
The machine’s water tank is robust, with a built-in handle that makes it easy and comfortable to carry. You’re given a water hardness testing strip so you can pick the correct water hardness setting to use (‘hard water’ is the default). Although no water filter is provided, compatible filters are available to buy from Smeg’s website, and they easily twist into place in the bottom of the tank.
(Image credit: Future)
The 58mm portafilter seems identical to the one supplied with the ECF02, which is fine with me; it’s excellent. The tamper, however, is a big upgrade. The base model ECF02 came with a plastic measuring scoop with a tamper on the end. It was fit for purpose, but its light weight meant it could be tricky to apply consistent pressure each time you used it. The ECF03’s tamper is much weightier, which gives it a more premium feeling and makes it easier to create a consistently well-formed puck.
As you’d expect from a premium home espresso machine, the ECF03 is an excellent performer. Once you’ve got your grinder dialled in, you can be confident that your shots will be perfectly extracted time after time. (If you’re in need of a grinder, the Smeg CGF03 matches the ECF03 in style and choice of colors.)
(Image credit: Future)
The ECF03’s pressure gauge is a particularly useful feature, letting you see whether your espresso is likely to be extracted properly before it’s finished pouring. However, it’s not labelled with the exact pressure in bars; instead, you just aim for the needle to be positioned in the black section marked on the dial. It’s a bit of a strange choice; there are markers around the edge of the dial, but no indication of what measurements they represent.
During brewing, the ECF03’s pump reached a maximum of 72dB, which is roughly equivalent to a vacuum cleaner. It’s noticeably noisier than the fully automatic Smeg BCC13, which has sound shielding and is QuietMark certified, but isn’t excessively loud and is about average for a manual espresso machine.
(Image credit: Future)
Most of the buttons on the machine’s top are labelled with icons, except for the one that switches between hot and cold brewing modes. When the machine is primed and ready to brew hot, the double-shot, single-shot, and steam buttons are all illuminated white. In cold-brewing mode, the first two are blue instead.
Cold-brewing is quick, taking around two minutes to extract a shot. Part of this time is taken up with an extended pre-infusion, which gives the ground coffee extra time to bloom. After that, the ECF03 will send pulses of cold water through the puck (in groups of three) until the shot is ready.
(Image credit: Future)
The result is a mellow-tasting and well-rounded drink that you can enjoy by itself or as the base of an iced americano. If you prefer chilled lattes or cappuccinos, take a look at the Smeg Mini Milk Frother, which matches the style of the ECF03 and can produce thick or thin cold foam.
Holding down one of the coffee-brewing buttons will let you customize its properties. If the buttons illuminate in orange or start to flash, it’s a sign that there’s a fault, or (more likely) it’s time for some routine maintenance.
(Image credit: Future)
The ECF03 is a piece of cake to clean and care for. You can keep the case and exterior of the milk wand looking pristine by wiping with a damp cloth. Purge the wand with a blast of steam after each use, and you’ll be unlikely to need the needle-like cleaning tool.
As I mentioned above, the inclusion of a blank disc is excellent when it’s time to give the machine’s grouphead and circuit a thorough clean to remove old coffee residue. To use it, insert the single-walled single-shot basket and place the disc in the bottom. Smeg doesn’t sell its own cleaning tablets, but you can use any detergent tabs recommended for home coffee machines. Press and hold the single and double shot buttons to pulse water through the machine, then empty the drip tray and repeat the process. For descaling, the company recommends its own-brand Anti-Kalk liquid.
(Image credit: Future)
The drip tray’s cup holder seems to resist scratches well (unlike some, which are easily scuffed by ceramic mugs), and the tray is nice and deep, so you’re unlikely to spill anything during emptying.
I’ve tested a lot of hot- and cold-brew espresso machines this year, but the Smeg ECF03 is easily one of the most refined. It’s a pleasure to use, looks great, and is extremely consistent. If your budget will stretch to it, you won’t be disappointed.
Performance score: 5/5
Should you buy the Smeg ECF03
Smeg ECF03 score card
Attribute
Notes
Score
Value
A premium espresso machine with a price tag to match, though it's justified by the design and build quality.
4.5/5
Design
Smeg's signature '50s style looks as chic as ever, and there are some significant upgrades from the ECF02.
5/5
Performance
Generates consistent pressure for reliably well-extracted hot and cold drinks, and is a piece of cake to clean and care for.
5/5
Buy it if
You want a showpiece for your kitchen
Smeg’s '50s-style appliances are real lookers, and the ECF03 is no exception. It’s a guaranteed conversation-starter when you have guests.View Deal
You have a generous budget
Smeg’s signature style comes at a price. Hot- and cold-brew espresso machines are available for less if you’re not particular about looks.View Deal
Don't buy it if
You’re not into cold brew
The Smeg ECF02 is an equally good-looking machine that heats fast and delivers consistent pressure, but costs considerably less.View Deal
Smeg ECF03: also consider
Smeg ECF02
If you don't care for cold brew, the ECF02 is an equally chic and more affordable alternative. You don't get the handy pressure gauge, though, and the base model has a less sturdy tamper than the ECF03.
If you like the sound of the ECF03 but want an espresso machine that will handle all the hard work for you, the BCC13 is a beautifully designed super-automatic machine that would look perfect on your kitchen counter.
I used the Smeg ECF03 for two weeks in place of my usual Gaggia Classic espresso machine. I used it on the hard water setting, with fresh single-origin Honduran Swiss water decaf beans from a local coffee roaster, ground using my Sage Precision burr grinder.
I used the steam wand with full-fat dairy milk and barista oat milk, both of which were freshly bought and chilled.
I followed the directions in the instruction manual to set up and maintain the machine, and brewed a mix of single and double shots using both filter baskets, and used both the hot- and cold-brew options.
It’s precisely this kind of overbearing capitalist mindset that The Outer Worlds 2 has a bone to pick with, and it’s left me with some pretty complicated feelings. On the one hand, the game’s critique of late-stage capitalism is scathing and steeped in the developer’s trademark wit. On the other, I can’t help but feel it all rings a little hollow when the target of said critiques is also the one funding and publishing The Outer Worlds 2.
Review info
Platform reviewed: Xbox Series X, PC Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X, Series S, PC Release date: October 29, 2025
Ultimately, Obsidian itself deserves praise for crafting yet another brilliant choice-driven role-playing game (RPG). Like Fallout: New Vegas, Pentiment, and Avowedbefore it, The Outer Worlds 2 provides an absorbing world to explore, chock-full of interesting characters and quests, and countless opportunities to make the most of your chosen build.
Skills in The Outer Worlds 2 aren’t just for bypassing doors or clearing speech checks; like in many of the best RPGs, some can genuinely open up the game in meaningful ways. The Observation skill, for example, is one I can’t do without. Especially not after it guided me to a secret room that revealed a quest to win the favor of a lucrative black market vendor. Even weapon-based skills like Guns or Science! (yes, that is how it’s formatted) are good for more than just shooting, and can be used to intimidate characters during dialog.
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
One of my favorite things about The Outer Worlds 2, then, is that you actually won’t be able to solve every problem, bypass every lock in a single playthrough. You will have times where an NPC isn’t swayed by your charms, and then stumble upon a quest or avenue of progression that suits your skill set to a tee. It's an ever-so-satisfying gameplay experience.
This interplay between success and failure isn’t quite a perfect balance, however; across my playthrough, I did find that some skills and traits barred progress more than others (for example, Engineering is used to get past jammed doors much more frequently than the Hack or Lockpicking skills are in their respective fields).
There are also some pacing issues through the mid-game, especially as quests tend to stack up on themselves and enemies start having tedious amounts of health to all but the most gun-slinging of character builds.
Minor issues aside, I won’t soon forget my time in the hyper-capitalist nightmare that is the Arcadia system, and chances are I’ll be diving back in again with a completely different approach and ending in mind.
Shoot the moon
(Image credit: Microsoft)
In terms of background, The Outer Worlds 2 gives you a bit more to work with compared to its prequel, with your character being an established and respected agent of the Earth Directorate - a sort of task force that prides itself on the very idealistic and somewhat fantastical notion of bringing peace to the galaxy. Turns out, the Earth Directorate might not be very good at their jobs, though.
The opening mission, an infiltration of a space station run by a cultish sect known as the Protectorate, goes horribly wrong when a fellow agent double-crosses us, detonating the station and killing everyone on board save for ourselves and a previously injured squad member by the name of Niles Ibara.
Ten years on, you’re woken from an extended hibernation period by Niles, who informs you that the detonation has caused a rift in the fabric of space that threatens to destroy the entire system in an undetermined amount of time. It’s a race against the clock to track down the double-crossing agent and save the system of Arcadia from a grisly fate.
Your quest for justice (whatever form that may take based on your own choices throughout the game) isn’t one you’ll emerge from without someone’s blood on your hands. Like it or not, you will often have to side with one or two dubious factions in order to get your way. That could be the previously established Protectorate, or Auntie’s Choice - a mega corporation that’s the result of a hostile merger of the first game’s Auntie Cleo’s and Spacer’s Choice companies.
You won’t always like who you’re choosing to work for, but there is at least a good variety of dialog flavor to have your character respond in a way that suits your desired personality - whether that be good-natured or unfathomably cruel, or everything in between.
Choices, so many choices
(Image credit: Microsoft)
Like its prequel, The Outer Worlds 2’s explorable planets are smaller, individual biomes, as opposed to having one larger map a la Fallout: New Vegas. For this game, it’s an approach that really works. Each of the main planets has its own central conflict, even if most offer a general theme of Auntie’s Choice and the Protectorate battling it out for control.
Best bit
(Image credit: Microsoft)
The Outer Worlds 2 puts player choice first and foremost, in both build variety and choice-based decision making. The game is designed in a way that means you never quite know when your character’s particular skill set will come in handy, making exploration and experimentation almost always enjoyable.
Each map is smattered with characters to meet, side quests to take on, buildings to explore, and no shortage of secrets to unearth. Exploration really is the focal point of progress in The Outer Worlds 2. Combat is, of course, one way of getting things done. And in terms of feel and feedback, it’s a huge improvement over the first game, with satisfying gun play and plenty of weapon types - from stealthy knives and silenced pistols to ammo-hungry SMGs and energy weapons.
Personally, I preferred a more low-key approach to progressing through the game’s main missions. Problems can be solved with combat, sure, but as the game went on, a frustrating tendency to pad out enemy health bars often made such encounters a tedious affair.
As a result, I rolled a charismatic character able to pass speech checks to bypass combat wherever possible. Some points in Sneak and Observation also helped in stealthily getting through busy areas and finding secret routes. You absolutely can play a passive character in The Outer Worlds 2, and you’re more often than not rewarded for doing so.
(Image credit: Obsidian)
One piece of advice I have would be to think very carefully about your specializations while initially creating your character. Get comfortable with the idea that many choices and solutions will be locked off to you, as a trade-off for excelling in two or three areas instead. You’ll have one chance to respec after the tutorial section, but beyond that, no such option exists.
I like this change overall. Not being able to respec on a whim meant that I had to approach most scenarios with my chosen skill sets in mind. For me, this largely meant that going guns blazing was simply off the table. On the other hand, I can see indecisive players - or those who like to take a flexible approach based on the situation - may struggle with this. I certainly restarted the game a handful of times until I settled on skills that satisfied my preferences.
One returning feature from the first game that I really enjoy, though, is flaws. These are reactive, passive effects that you can accrue, and they’re essentially the game’s way of adding additional challenge to your playstyle. Flaws pop up if you adopt a certain way of playing enough. One is based on a hoarder mentality, lowering vendor prices but also reducing money you earn from selling.
Another flaw plays on indecisiveness, letting you only increase the level of skills with zero points, or ones you have the lowest total in, the upside being you’ll get one extra skill point to spend at each level up. Flaws are optional, but if you accept them, they’re with you for good, so think carefully about how useful you think they’ll be in the long run.
Horizon point
(Image credit: Microsoft)
I did find that The Outer Worlds 2 started to lose its luster as the campaign went on. It’s not the longest RPG out there, coming in at around 40-50 hours, but it’s definitely one that started to feel a bit formulaic. There’s only so many firefights to endure, air ducts to crawl through, or terminals to hack before the game starts to feel like it’s shown its entire hand. And it does so long before credits roll. It remains an enjoyable game throughout, but I definitely had the most fun solving the problems in the first major biome when it still felt fresh and vast.
That repetition does tend to hurt the game’s overall pacing, too. There are some nice surprises here and there; recruiting new companions for your squad is often something you’ll just stumble upon, rather than being outright told where you can pick them up. And digging into the depths of an installation or base to uncover a cool weapon or decision-making opportunity is always a satisfying reward. But such moments felt few and far between in the midst of trudging from township to outpost, ticking off various elements of busy work in the hopes of expanding my choices for the main quest.
What I can’t fault The Outer Worlds 2 on is its gorgeous visual style. It’s something I found really impressive about Avowed, and it’s much the same case here. Outdoor environments are awash with color and interesting landmarks, while interiors often feel cold and oppressive in the best way possible. While the soundtrack didn’t do much to move me, I did often find myself taking in the impressive amount of environmental detail on offer.
It’s a winner on the performance front, too, and I noticed only a handful of dips at 60fps across both Xbox Series X and PC. Load times can be uncomfortably long on occasion (exacerbated by reloading quick saves to try out alternate routes), but by and large the game’s performance is acceptable.
Should you play The Outer Worlds 2?
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
Play it if...
You want a massive Obsidian RPG to get stuck into Obsidian remains one of the most talented developers in the business when it comes to level design, top-quality writing, and consequential decision-making. This is an unpredictable sci-fi adventure that - despite some pacing shortcomings - delivers a top-notch immersive experience. Definitely one of the best Xbox Series X games in recent years.
You want to think outside the box If you enjoy solving problems in RPGs that don’t end in bloody shootouts, The Outer Worlds 2 is for you. Whether it’s through hacking, stealth, uncovering secrets, or convincing characters through charm and wit alone, there are plenty of opportunities to do so in this game.
You loved The Outer Worlds The Outer Worlds 2 is a significantly better game than its prequel in almost every aspect. Gameplay options are much more robust, and there are always several ways of solving even the most basic quests. It builds upon everything the first game did well, and then some.
Don't play it if...
You don’t want to be locked into any given playstyle The lack of a respec option past the intro means you need to pick a handful of skills to specialize in and stick with them. Spreading your skills too thin means you won’t be able to meet high skill check requirements later in the game. If you’re not keen on potentially being locked out of certain options, segments, or endings based on your choices, it might not be the game for you.
Accessibility
As is the case with many Xbox Game Studios titles, The Outer Worlds 2 offers a solid amount of accessibility options for gamers of all stripes. For starters, you can adjust motion blur and field of view to a granular degree, as well as apply subtitles to general, background, and audio log speech.
There are also two motion sickness modes for reducing on-screen motions to varying degrees. You can also adjust overall text size and HUD scaling, as well as apply colors and outlines to subtitles and their backgrounds.
How I reviewed The Outer Worlds 2
I played The Outer Worlds 2 for 40 hours across both my Xbox Series X Digital Edition and my gaming PC. I was able to transfer my save across both versions thanks to Xbox’s handy Play Anywhere feature. During my playthrough, I opted for a character capable of hacking and uncovering secrets via the Observation skill, with some points in Speech and Guns to get myself out of tight situations in a pinch.
Apple's AirPods Pro 3 are doubtless the biggest earbuds release of the year – figuratively and in terms of the furore surrounding them, that is, rather than physically (they're nice and small, as it happens). They're still ice-white only, and they'll still prefer an iPhone, iPad or MacBook over an Android device any day of the week – yes, they'll work with Android, but you'll miss even some of the more commonplace perks if using them this way, such as device switching and a quick way of checking the battery.
So know this: I wrote the bulk of this review while using the AirPods Pro 3 with an iPhone 15 Pro Max, otherwise known as the oldest iPhone that is still able to support Apple Intelligence. Why is that important? Because without it you'd miss key perks such as Live Translation (one of the headline features) and personalized fitness insights, for example.
This time around you get five ear tips in the box, although Apple has performed some wizardry with the shape of the driver housing, so they should slip right into your ear and stay there without too much fuss – at least they did for me, and for several others on the TechRadar team. Are these some of the best earbuds on the market for fit and novel features (I will mention heart-rate monitoring; I will also go into Live Translation at length, later) then, as well as claiming the best in-ear active noise cancellation? Oh, without a doubt.
These particular AirPods have very few snafus, but it's my job to mention the small issues I had. My AirPods Pro 3 review sample has refused to acknowledge the existence of the iPhone 12 Pro Max I've tried to pair them with several times, on the grounds that said phone is a non-Apple Intelligence option, and performing a reset is now quite a bit more fiddly than it was previously. This is because the button on the back of the case is now gone. Instead, you have to double-tap the front of the case to do a factory reset, but without touching the front of the case while flipping the lid. If that sounds tricky, it is.
Also, there's still a slight stamina niggle for me. Don't get me wrong: Apple has improved the battery life here, claiming up to eight hours from the earbuds with ANC on, which is up from six hours for the AirPods Pro 2. But this, of course, is without Spatial Audio, heart-rate monitoring and a few other bells and whistles deployed (which you may not have checked before leaving the house, because without a dedicated app to click, some of these toggles feel buried away in your phone's settings). I found the battery life a bit lower than that in real life, at around 5.5 hours in my testing, so it's fine, rather than fantastic.
All of this aside, the AirPods Pro 3's sound is both zealous and head-turning (especially with dynamic head-tracking on), bringing your music to your ears with panache and, hang it all, joy. And let me be clear: these ice-white buds can do this thanks largely to the neatest near-silent ANC performance I've ever experienced using an iPhone source device. And that's worth this kind of money for your next long-haul flight – or heck, even your commute, as far as I'm concerned.
Apple AirPods Pro 3 review: Price and release date
(Image credit: Future)
Released on September 9, 2025
Priced $249 / £219 / AU$429
Available in white or… white again
Both the inaugural AirPods Pro and the follow-up AirPods Pro 2 were priced at $249 / £249 / AU$399 when they first appeared, so the fact that AirPods Pro 3 came with a $249 price tag when they hit shelves on September 19 come as a surprise to nobody.
What is a touch odd is the quoted pricing in other regions, because the AirPods Pro 3 are priced £219 in the UK (I double-checked so you don't have to) and AU$429. So, while they're £30 cheaper in the UK, they're AU$30 more expensive in Australia. I don't make the rules…
On the one hand, plenty of the best wireless earbuds have risen in price in the last few years in line with inflation, but the fact that Apple made a point of hanging on at the same price as the original AirPods Pro from 2019 – in the US at least – and even reduced them in the UK, is quite surprising.
And the huge news is that because of this pricing, Apple's flagship earbuds will actually come at the lower end of the premium earbuds market, depending on region. I know!
What of direct competition at the level? Your rivals are perhaps most pressingly the older AirPods Pro 2, which can now be yours for around $159 / £169 / AU$349, the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 (which are a fair bit pricier, at $399 / £349 / AU$599), the Technics EAH-AZ100 which are $299 / £259 / AU$478 or perhaps the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) for $299 / £299 / AU$450.
So you see, Apple's actually gone quite aggressive with the pricing here, when you look at it like that…
Apple AirPods Pro 3 review: Specs
Drivers
'Custom high-excursion' Apple driver with new multiport acoustic architecture and revised driver angle
AirPods Pro 3 are on the right (AirPods Pro 2 on the left) (Image credit: Future)
Apple AirPods Pro 3 review: Features
Heart-rate monitoring
Live Translation is really fun (once set up)
Your fitness app may not support HRM natively though
There are plenty of features here to get through folks, but I want to start on the one no other AirPods are getting any time soon: heart-rate monitoring. Simply by wearing them, that extra black little bar on the inside neck of the bud plus the built-in movement sensors can track 50 workout types with just AirPods Pro 3 – ie. no Apple Watch needed – to give you a heart-rate reading as long as you're wearing at least one earbud.
According to Apple: “AirPods Pro 3 introduce a custom photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor that shines invisible infrared light pulsed at 256 times per second to measure light absorption in blood flow.”
Believe it or not, this is actually a different solution to the one found in the also-ticker-taking (and also made by Apple) Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, launched in February 2025. You need to be wearing both earbuds to get a reading there, because when you do, a green LED light sensor in each earpiece pulses over 100 times per second, then measures the light reflected back to calculate how many times your heart is beating per minute. See?
I had heard that my heavy-rotation free Seven app (of 'seven-minute workout' fame – because lunchtime is rarely the full hour in journalism) would simply work with AirPods Pro 3's heart-rate monitoring in-app, but alas, it does not. In fact, at the time of writing, Apple hasn't published a full list of third-party fitness apps that support AirPods' heart-rate monitoring natively. But I still know that my heart-rate went up from its resting 60 BPM to 117 BPM during that short workout, because your reading can be found in the Health app – or you can simply ask Siri to tell you your heart rate whenever you like (once you've turned it on and sorted out the correct permissions within Siri) provided you've got the breath to speak.
Apple is clearly using AirPods' newest trick to send you to its free Fitness app (or better still, its paid-for Fitness+ offering) because even in the free variant, 19 types of activity are clearly displayed with simple Apple Music integration, your AirPods icon in the top right, your choice of three 'workout buddy' voices for personalised encouragement using Apple Intelligence and a little heart icon as if to scream 'heart-rate logging here folks – just get going!' I'm a little disappointed to see no aerial silks/hoop or pole dance activities listed here, Apple (both are hugely popular) but this review is about AirPods Pro 3 rather than the suite of offerings within Fitness, and AirPods' help in facilitating all of this data accumulation does add a lot of value to your purchase.
(Image credit: Apple)
Now, Live Translation: once you get it up and running, it's excellent. I say 'once you get it up and running' because there are various hoops you need to jump through and barriers to pass (and tricks I used) before it'll work properly. And you should do these when you first set up your AirPods if you'd like to get at it quick enough so that when the time comes, the poor bar-tender you're trying to talk to doesn't get cold feet and run away while you're telling them to hang on.
So, you need: your AirPods Pro 3 (although it is also available in AirPods 4 (ANC) and AirPods Pro 2); iPhone 15 Pro or later; iOS 26 or later; Apple Intelligence turned on; the Translate app downloaded (and the language modules you want downloaded) plus the latest AirPods Firmware version. In addition to this, I customised the iPhone Action button on my iPhone 15 Pro Max to start Live Translation – because I found it marginally quicker and more reliable than pressing both stems of my AirPods Pro 3. But do either of those things once you've got everything running and you'll feel like James Bond in Casino Royale, dropping in on local gossip at the tables in Venice's Hotel Danieli.
Luckily, I have a Spanish-speaking other half to deploy. He spoke to me about his plans to play tennis that night until 10pm (see the left screen-grab, below). The English version of his Spanish prose was piped vocally into my ears with very little delay, as well as appearing on my iPhone as a transcript. It is remarkably good.
Elsewhere, Apple's fit- and hearing tests are back (you do the first, before you can take the second) and very thorough they are too. Since I answered the hearing test honestly (stay with it; it's worth it), I cannot in good faith test the hearing aid help in action, because I do not require it. But what is very useful is Conversation Awareness, which you simply toggle on in the AirPods Pro tab of your iPhone's settings. Then, when you talk, your music volume is lowered and background noise is reduced so that you can easily converse.
It's worth noting that both of these features (Live Translation and Conversation Awareness) are not popular with some of the team, because they encourage wearing AirPods constantly – and some of us (myself included) find this rude. Perhaps in time the pet peeve of a friend or colleague refusing to remove their earbuds when talking to me will cease to annoy me, but I'm not so sure…
(Image credit: Future)
Features score: 5 / 5
(Image credit: Future)
Apple AirPods Pro 3 review: Sound quality
Enjoyable, emotive audio with personalised spatial audio on
Vocals nicely textured and three-dimensional
Not the last word in detail and neutrality, but that's not the point
Please, please take Apple's excellent ANC performance in the AirPods Pro 3 as read – it's almost scarily good at sucking the noise out of your ears, but without the actual sucky, wind tunnel, nauseating effect you can sometimes get with similar levels of noise-nixing. I found toggling on Apple's 'Adaptive' audio less effective (it felt just a touch laggy at picking up low-level noise when I'd have liked the AirPods to cancel it) so I chose to keep noise-cancelling and conversation awareness on, at my desk. And it eased me into my day in a cocoon of silence that very little could breach.
Sonically, you can expect an expansive, exuberant soundstage that allows bass registers ample space to rumble with regimented clout. The detailed Spanish guitar intro of Daddy Yankee's Toy Hermoso is textured through the mids and feels as if the guitarist is by my left ear, but as the reggaeton beat comes in, it's a toe-tapping and head-nodding mix that has me dancing at my desk like I'm in a Cuban salsa club – especially with head-tracked spatial audio on.
Cueing up Rema's FUN, the intentionally warm and static-filled intro is faithfully relayed, and as the dynamics and speed of the track build, I'm once again dancing in my seat.
For neutrality and detail (that 'integrated hi-fi versus fun' debate), it's worth pointing out that you'll get a little more from both the Technics EAH-AZ100 and the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 – think the breathy delivery of Taylor Swift's vocal in Elizabeth Taylor, which feels just slightly more human and detailed in the rival buds. But if you prioritise immersive, vigorous impact, I find the AirPods Pro 3 even better than the also-excellent Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) – and that's not a statement I make lightly.
Sound quality: 4.5 / 5
AirPods Pro 3 on the right – with no reset button! (Image credit: Future)
Apple AirPods Pro 3 review: Design
Vastly improved fit
Loss of the case button is a misstep
Could do with a dedicated app now
As mentioned (and pictured below), the AirPods Pro earpiece shape has been reworked this time around. The angle of the neck has been tweaked quite significantly and I'm a huge fan. Simply put, they fit well – and by that I mean securely, even when I shake my head – for me now, and that has never been the case with any AirPods until this iteration.
An IP57 rating means the buds are also dust resistant and waterproof to a depth of one meter for up to 30 minutes, which is noteworthy.
The case is a touch taller and wider but less deep now. The LED light is now undetectable when it's not on, which makes for a sleek look. Also sleeker but for me less helpful is the loss of the reset button on the back of the case. I say this because when upgrading my iPhone to a model that supports Apple Intelligence to test these earbuds, I found myself needing to reset the AirPods. And that's no longer as easy as it once was, because double-tapping the front of the case with the lid flipped, but not touching the front of the case (so that said case registers my tap attempts) isn't a simple maneuver.
My one minor gripe here concerns the supporting software – because software design is still a 'design' issue, for me.
Yes, you can pull down on the Control Center on your iPhone to see the basic AirPods bubble, at which point you can check your listening mode, conversation awareness status and spatial audio profile. Then, you can go into your AirPods Pro tab, in Settings, to check the current state of more general features such as the Hearing Health tab, call controls, head gestures, enabling charging case sounds, automatic ear detection to pause your music when you remove one, and so on.
But given that so many of AirPods Pro 3's newer features require extra taps and navigation to alternate apps (there's the Translate app for your language modules, the Health app to see your heart-rate data, the Fitness app to see that heart-rate increase as you exercise) I wonder whether at this point it might make sense to have one dedicated AirPods Pro 3 app to rule them all. I'm speculating, but I'd definitely like to try that, because the current solution will doubtless have you consulting Apple's support pages in an effort to find how – or more importantly, where – to toggle on what you need…
(Image credit: Future)
Design score: 4.5 / 5
(Image credit: Future)
Apple AirPods Pro 3 review: value
The best ANC earbuds on the market for iPhone owners
Not the most original choice… but the best
Popular taste doesn't always mean good taste, does it? And I say that as a fan of pop music. Value is also an odd thing to quantify, since whether or not these represent value for you will hone in on possibly three things. Firstly, do you want the best ANC for your iPhone? Because here, AirPods Pro 3 are doubtless the best noise-cancelling earbuds on the market – Apple said they're twice as good as AirPods Pro 2, and I can vouch for that claim.
Secondly, do you value the extra battery life offered here over the Pro 2 – even though it's far from the the best on the wider market. For reference, the Technics EAH-AZ100 (which we called "good rather than great for battery") can offer up to 12 hours from the buds on a single charge with no ANC deployed, while AirPods Pro 3 can only manage a maximum of 10 hours before needing to be charged.
And thirdly, how much do you want your earbuds to take your heart-rate and use that reading within workouts (yes, even vocally, thanks to Apple Intelligence's virtual buddies)?
It's worth noting that I think AirPods Pro 3 are also the best earbuds for small ears Apple has made, because of the newer fit – and I found myself loving the Live Translation feature at home (although it's not exclusive to the Pro 3), since my other half speaks Spanish.
So, I'll leave all of that with you. For me personally though (and putting my minor queries with the case and software support to one side) there's great value here.
Value: 4.5 / 5
(Image credit: Future)
Should I buy the Apple AirPods Pro 3?
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Features
Heart-rate monitoring and Live Translation add to an extensive suite of perks for newer iPhone owners
5/5
Sound quality
Zealous, powerful and immersive audio backed by excellent ANC
4.5/5
Design
The tweaked shape and repositioned neck on the driver housing is a huge hit
4.5/5
Value
Simply the best iPhone earbuds for ANC on the market – if not the longest-lasting
4.5/5
Buy them if…
You work out (or you care about heart health) If you don't have a subscription already, Apple will prompt you to try out Fitness+ for free, but even if you stick with free workouts – or you just like asking Siri "what's my heart-rate" – it becomes a very useful tool, very quickly
You want bubble-of-silence ANC from your iPhone Simply put, no other buds do it quite like this if your source device is an iPhone
You have bilingual friends and family Ha! We can all understand your French, Spanish, German or Portuguese conversations now…
Don’t buy them if…
You own an Android It may go without saying, but for this money (and for the number of features that slip away for it) you'll be better served with a Bose, Technics or Bowers & Wilkins product.
You need long-haul flight stamina The battery life isn't awful (and it is better than the AirPods Pro 2), but compared to rivals it can certainly be beaten – the Technics EAH-AZ100 last two hours longer on a single charge with no ANC, for instance.
You want Lossless audio support, LDAC or aptX No dice here, friend. If you need Apple Music's Lossless support from an iPhone, AirPods Max do it (using the USB-C wire), but if you want aptX or Sony's higher-resolution Bluetooth audio codec (LDAC), look to the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100.
Apple AirPods Pro 3 review: Also consider
Apple AirPods Pro 3
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)
Technics EAH-AZ100
Cambridge Audio Melomania A100
Drivers
'Custom high-excursion' Apple driver with new multiport acoustic architecture
Technics EAH-AZ100 An option with slightly better stamina that also offers excellent sound quality and decent noise cancellation – plus LDAC higher-resolution Bluetooth support if you've got a Sony device. Here, you even get multi-point to three brand-agnostic devices (rather than the standard two) and the classy finish makes them nothing short of a joy to own – even though they won't take your heart-rate. Get the full picture in our Technics EAH-AZ100 review.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) They've got excellent streaming-service agnostic immersive audio profiles, wonderful ANC for Android phones as well as iPhones and a colorful look. Some may find the buds a touch big and there are no guided hearing tests, but if it's the best ANC and an Android phone companion you seek, you've found the best there is. See our full Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) review for more.View Deal
Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 Cambridge Audio also offers a premium listen in its latest earbuds with good ANC.No heart-rate monitoring or Live Translation, of course, but if it's an integrated hi-fi listen you seek, add them to your list – and they'll last longer than the Bose option. Read more in our Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 review.
How I tested the Apple AirPods Pro 3
Tested for three weeks
Tested walking along Seaham beach, on a packed Eurostar train and at home
I used AirPods Pro 3 for three weeks while compiling this review, and my testing involved listening to podcasts and music, as well as watching streamed movies from various devices and streaming platforms – including Android and Apple sources.
I listened at home, during several sea-glass hunting walks in County Durham and on a busy train to Paris – and let me tell you, with these as both a musical companion and live translation tool, they eased my journey no end.
I've been testing audio products full-time since 2019, firstly over at our sister publication What Hi-Fi? as a staff writer (locked in our hi-fi testing facility for two years, I was), then as senior writer at TechRadar – and, since early 2024, audio editor.
My background as a professional dancer meant I was very interested in what AirPods Pro 3 made of my heart-rate and overall fitness (still got it, friends) and my seemingly insatiable need to move to music is what drives me to search for faithful timing, precision, clarity and good old fashioned fun in recorded audio.
If you’re someone who craves the best in gaming audio and the most performant gaming accessories, then the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite is the only wireless gaming headset you need to consider buying - it is the best I have ever tested, and probably the best gaming headset, period.
While its price tag means it’s more expensive than most of the best gaming consoles, if you’re someone who strives to build the most performant gaming setup, or someone who craves the highest-quality audio for gaming, then the Elite is for you - and boy does it prove to be worth it for that audience.
Its design and build are something I’ve never experienced before, and I simply have no complaints here. The headset is extremely robust with its all-metal frame, and is as comfortable to boot with its super plush leatherette ear pads. All controls and buttons are intuitively placed and a joy to use, with genuinely satisfying motions to the volume wheel and microphone.
(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)
The feature set is even more impressive. First and foremost, it really is the first certified Hi-Res (96kHz/24bit) wireless gaming headset on the market, and it’s such a joy to use in all its premium quality audio goodness. This is in no small part provided by its 40mm carbon fiber drivers that are stretched over a brass surround ring inside each cup, and supported by a brilliant GameHub DAC unit, which also offers multiconnectivity and even multimedia play - simultaneously. The brilliant SteelSeries’ Infinity Power battery system returns, and the microphone is now dual-fold with a brilliant boom mic supported by a beamforming built-in mic – taking over automatically whenever the boom one is retracted.
The performance of the Elite is otherworldly when it comes to gaming audio. It’s rich and detailed, with zero harshness or muddiness, and only the best, most rounded and fulsome profiles being directed down your ears at all times. It is relentlessly good. Throw in the fact that you can make it your own audio-wise with the Sonar PC app, or the mobile Arctis App to change things on the fly, and it’s elevated further.
Whether you're looking for a PC gaming headset, PS5 headset, Xbox headset, or even a Nintendo Switch headset, this is the ultimate one to strive for, and one that all other premium gaming headsets should now be measured against. In a similar vein to how I described the Garmin MARQ Golfer (Gen 2) premium golf watch I reviewed recently, if you want to go once, go hard, go premium, and go big on a gaming headset, then this is the one.
(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite: price and availability
List price: $599.99 / £599.99 / AU$1,349
The most expensive gaming headset I’ve tested, and nearly twice the price of the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless
Offers its own premium, audiophile-grade vision of value
There’s no denying that the SteelSeries Arctis Elite is expensive. At the above price, it’s more than a PlayStation 5 and not that far off a PlayStation 5 Pro either. You could also get two 512GB Xbox Series S consoles for the same price or almost three DualSense Edge controllers. Anyway, it’s expensive, but where does it sit in the market?
In terms of direct competitors at the price point, in the gaming headset market, there are basically none. SteelSeries’ own Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is generally my pick for a premium gaming headset with its $350 / £330 sticker price (though it is often discounted now) - but the Elite comes in at nearly twice the price of that now. Similarly, outside of the SteelSeries ecosystem, it’s also comfortably more than the likes of the audiophile-focused Audeze Maxwell and Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro, too.
To find direct competitors pricewise, you’re looking to the core audiophile headphone market and products like the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2, Focal Bathys, and the Elite is still even more expensive than the Sennheiser HD 660S2 as well - and they all, of course, do not feature any gaming headset features or enhancements.
However, and hopefully this review shines light on all the reasons why, I genuinely believe that there is robust value in the Elite if you are the precise audience it is targeting. If you are that ultimate setup gamer, or an audiophile gamer who wants the best gaming audio money can buy above all else, then the Elite is absolutely for you, and you will see and hear the benefits and boosts.
(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite: specs
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
Price
$599.99 / £599.99 / AU$1,349
Weight
13.4oz / 380g
Drivers
40mm carbon fiber with brass surround
Compatibility
PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, Mobile
Connection type
Hi-Res wireless (2.4Ghz via dongle), Wired (audio jack), Bluetooth 5.3 + LE Audio
Battery life
Up to 60 hours (2 x fully-charged batteries), Infinite Power System
Features
Certified Hi-Res audio (96kHz/24-bit) ClearCast Gen 2.X - Retractable Boom Mic and Smart-Switching On-Ear Beamforming Microphone with AI noise rejecting, ANC, Omniplay GameHub (connect four devices simultaneously),
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite: design and features
Every part of the build is premium and of superb quality
A host of first-ever premium features built into its DNA
Two great colorways and a robust but comfortable build, epitomized by the metal frame
Starting off with the obvious, yes, this is another headset cut straight from the same SteelSeries Arctis Nova cloth as many others - at least, in terms of overall aesthetic, shape, and form. Which is fine - if it isn’t broken, why fix it? Instead, enhance it, as the Elite does, by offering a metal frame and hinges made of rolled steel and aluminum for starters.
However, elsewhere, literally every part of the Elite’s design and build looks and feels premium. This includes the volume wheel, which is incredibly satisfying to use, offering a lovely click with each notch you reach. The trademark retractable mic extends and rolls away with a new level of smoothness that I haven’t felt on any headset before, let alone a SteelSeries one, and the comfort of the plush leatherette earpads is something like never before, too.
It also comes in two distinct colorways, with the sage and gold combination being particularly striking and very evocative of the luxurious lifestyle device that SteelSeries is keen to describe the Elite as being. The other obsidian colorway is more familiar on a gaming headset, but the shine of the metalwork of the build gives it a chic edge. The dial on the accompanying GameHub DAC unit matches the gold or obsidian, respectively, of each colorway, too.
Ensuring we cover the necessities, on the left cup, we have the retractable bidirectional, 32KHz ClearCast Gen 2.X boom mic, the mic mute button, the power button (which also acts as the ANC and transparency mode button), the volume wheel (which can also be pressed in to remotely control the GameHub’s function), and audio jack port. On the right cup, we have the Bluetooth button (which controls media on your connected devices too, with a range of different presses) and the secondary beamforming mic, a ClearCast on-ear microphone, to be precise.
Both earcups have the swappable metal plates on the outside that SteelSeries fans will know and love, and they both hide something important, as they do on other headsets from the brand; on the right, it’s the replaceable battery, and on the left, it’s the USB-C port.
(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)
As with Nova Pro headsets, the Elite comes with a DAC unit that connects to your device. The version with the Elite is called the GameHub with OmniPlay and is a beefed-up version of the ones that accompany the Pros, which still offers the way to charge your removable batteries and tinker with settings, but has a trick up its sleeve.
This time, you can connect to all types of consoles or platforms from this one unit, from PC to PlayStation, and from Switch to Xbox - on top of the added Bluetooth connectivity the headset has too. The result is that you can connect up and listen to the audio of four different sources all at the same time - hence the term, OmniPlay. And it really is magic.
Underneath the physical features is where the real magic lies, and one of the most unique things about the Elite, which makes it truly different among its peers. First and foremost are its brand-new drivers: custom-designed 40mm carbon fiber drivers with a brass surround ring. These offer a frequency response of 10-40,000Hz and are at the core of the Elite’s bona fide, certified Hi-Res (24-bit/96kHz) audio offering - a first in gaming headsets.
The ANC onboard is formed of a four-mic hybrid active noise cancellation that features a transparency mode, and complementing that is the mic’s AI noise rejection tech, which is also witchcraft, given how much noise it can block out when in chaotic environments like busy streets and when trains scream past. You’ve also got the brilliant multi-faceted Infinity Power system (two removable batteries, one of which can always be charging in the GameHub, while also offering a USB-C port for quick charging), so you’ll likely never run out of battery, and a convenient method of charging the headset. Plus, Bluetooth codec support is excellent, with the 5.3 version supporting LC3 and LC3+.
I think the only feature missing from such a premium headset package would be a hard case, or at least something more protective than the leatherette one included.
(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite: performance
Simply the best gaming audio from a headset I have ever experienced
Seamless and abundant connectivity, with a brilliant mic
Brilliantly comfy and easy to use, and perfect for all other media
Where do I start? The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite simply excels in every single audio manner, on every platform, and for every media and genre of game you can throw at it. That’s it, I could leave it there.
But I won’t, naturally. In practice, the audio is incredible on the Elite. I can immediately hear a difference from other sets I have to hand, like a SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 or the also excellent Drop + Epos PC38X, and it’s almost certainly better than my Sennheiser HD 550 headphones, which I put above many gaming headsets.
Across all my testing on PC, console, and mobile, the Elite excelled. The world of Ghost of Yotei was alive through audio alone; the chaos of hectic scenes in the Battlefield 6 campaign on PS5 was incredibly bombastic and rich, without ever being muddy or boomy; and the details of Controland Frostpunk 2, to name but two, on PC were a sheer delight.
Technically, the Elite is fully unleashed as a PC gaming headset due to the PS5 and Xbox Series X, sadly, not being able to output at the highest res - though you’ll also need to manually change a setting or two in Windows to ensure your PC outputs in Hi-Res too. Given that Hi-Res edge that the Elite has on PC, it does leave me wondering whether it’s an equally wise investment for someone who exclusively games on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, or Nintendo Switch. It feels almost like a disservice to the headset - and the money you spent on it - to leave it tied to any single platform, and maybe more so a console that can’t unleash the full power of the Hi-Res headset.
(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)
However, that really isn’t to say you’ll not be having an awesome, spectacular time on console, so don’t let that put you off either, especially if you’re an audiophile who plays on PS5, for example. As previously mentioned, I still had a breathtaking time on console with the Elite, so you’ll still have a super quality headset for console, and the Elite’s other premium qualities will make it shine.
Away from gaming, as a pair of bona fide enthusiast audiophile headphones, the Elite absolutely holds up. They certainly sound just as good as my Sennheiser HD 550s, and perhaps better, after testing them across a range of music and video. Basically, if you’re at all concerned about how the Elite transposes its gaming audio prowess to other media, don’t be. This was echoed by my time using the Elite out and about as a set of contenders for best headphones on walks or travel; the audio never failed to impress, and the ANC is impressive too.
As with other modern SteelSeries audio devices, you can get evenmore out of the Elite with the companion app on mobile to give you flexibility and customization options on the fly - great when playing on console. And on PC, you can tap into all the SteelSeries GG and Sonar have to offer to tailor the Elite even more acutely to your preferences if need be.
(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)
Should I buy the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite?
Buy it if...
You want the absolute best gaming headset money can buy Simply put, if you want the best of the best, then this is the headset to get, no matter your preferred platform; as close to perfection as you’ll get from build quality and feel, to audio quality and feature set.
You’re an audiophile gamer If you are a gamer who prioritizes your audio, no matter what games you play or how you play them, and crave the highest audio quality money can buy, and you want to remain cord-free, then my advice is simple: buy the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite headset.
You want a single, premium solution for all your devices If you’re looking for a total solution across your consoles, PC, and mobile devices, then the Elite can do it all and be your one, single awesome headset to service each and every one of them - in an exquisitely premium manner.
You want your gaming headset to also be a top pair of headphones The Arctis Nova Elite headset shines as a pair of everyday headphones as well as for gaming. The ANC is a joy, the headset is supremely comfortable and robust, and you can change your audio preferences on the fly via your phone for music and podcasts, too.
Don't buy it if...
You play on console only and don’t need best-in-class features If you only play on console and aren’t convinced you’ll be able to make the most of all the class-leading features and Hi-Res audio the Elite offers, then it’s likely not for you.
You’ve already got a quality mid or high-end headset and don’t crave Hi-Res audio If you have already thrown a bit of cash at your gaming headset in the past few years, and are on the fence about needing Hi-Res audio, then you’re probably fine to skip the Elite - unless you crave one or more of its particular features. Otherwise, it’s an upgrade for a specific range of folk.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite: Also consider
If the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite is either not what you’re after or a bit rich for you, then here are two competitors that might hit the mark.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless
Audeze Maxwell
Price
$599.99 / £599.99 / AU$1,349
$379.99 / £329.99 / AU$735
$329 / £319 / about AU$450
Weight
13.4oz / 380g
9.5oz / 266g
17.3oz / 490g
Drivers
40mm carbon fiber with brass surround
40mm neodymium
90mm Planar Magnetic
Compatibility
PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, Mobile
Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, Mobile
Playstation or Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, Mac, Mobile
Connection type
Hi-Res wireless (2.4Ghz via dongle), Wired (audio jack), Bluetooth 5.3 (LE Audio, LC3, LC3+)
Wireless (2.4Ghz via dongle), Wired (USB-C), Bluetooth 5.3
Wireless (2.4Ghz via dongle), Wired (USB-C & audio jack), Bluetooth 5.3 (LC3plus /
LC3 / LDAC / AAC)
Battery life
Up to 60 hours (2 x fully-charged batteries), Infinite Power System
Up to 60 hours (2 x fully-charged batteries), Infinite Power System
80+ hours
Features
Certified Hi-Res audio (96kHz/24-bit), 40mm carbon fiber, brass ring surround drivers, ClearCast Gen 2.X - Retractable Boom Mic and Smart-Switching On-Ear Beamforming Microphone with AI noise rejecting, ANC, Omniplay GameHub (connect four devices simultaneously)
Companion App, 40mm Neodymium magnetic drivers, 360-degree spatial audio, retractable ClearCast 2.X mic
Detachable hypercardiod mic, beamforming mic with physical and AI reduction, FILTER™ Noise Reduction Technology, embedded Dolby Atmos license (Xbox),
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless The closest competitor within SteelSeries' own impressive lineup, the Arctis Nova Pro is a fine choice for those looking for impressive audio and connectivity, while not spending as much money as the Elite demands. A super wireless headset, no matter your platform.
Audeze Maxwell Offering perhaps the closest wireless audiophile gaming headset experience to the Elite, Audeze’s Maxwell headset is a solid alternative. It still demands a sizable price of admission, but offers excellent audio from its planar magnetic drivers.
Tested almost daily for nearly five weeks for work, gaming, and on the go
Used on PC and PS5 Pro on a wide variety of games, and work and home tasks
Compared directly to a set of Sennheiser HD 550 headphones, as well as other gaming headsets
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite has been my daily gaming headset for work and play for around five weeks for review. I have integrated them into both my gaming PC and PS5 Pro setups, as well as used them out and about as a pair of audiophile headphones.
On my RTX 3090gaming PC (a machine teamed with an Acer Predator X32QFSgaming monitor), where I was able to test the Hi-Res audio after changing a setting in Windows, I played a host of games, including the Titan Quest 2 Early Access build, Frostpunk 2, Control, and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3. I also used them extensively for work and video calls.
On console, I primarily tested the Elite with my PS5 Pro, but also with my office setup’s PS5 Slim for good measure. On PS5, I tested the Elite with almost my entire playthrough of Ghost of Yotei, as well as some of Death Stranding Director’s Cut, Battlefield 6, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (the PS5 version) and the Claws of Awaji expansion for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and for multiplayer testing I used the Elite for finishing a Ghost Recon: Breakpoint playthrough with my buddies as well as an Aliens: Fireteam Elite playthrough.
As well as using the Elite as headphones while on dog walks, I also tested them with music and entertainment. I used them as I normally would with the likes of Spotify and YouTube, but also hi-res audio providers like Tidal. During my testing, I was able to compare the Elite to my set of HD 550 headphones as an audiophile headphone reference point, as well as a Drop + Epos PC38X headset, and a SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 headset.
The Philips LatteGo 4400 Series is a fully automatic bean-to-cup espresso machine that’s a great option for smaller households or anyone making their first venture into the world of one-touch coffee machines. It’s very similar to the LatteGo 5500 Series that my UK-based colleague, Cat Ellis, has previously reviewed, and just misses out on a few preset drink recipes.
Otherwise, the two machines adopt the exact same dimensions, meaning their bean hopper and water tanks are the same size at 275g and 1.8L respectively, and, as the name implies, the 4400 Series on review here also uses Philips’ LatteGo milk-foaming system. This sees a milk carafe clip onto a steam nozzle on the front of the machine, with the idea being that you fill it with just enough milk for your chosen drink(s) once it’s attached.
Given the two machines make coffee in the exact same way, you’d expect the review of the 4400 Series to read largely the same, then, wouldn’t you? Well, while I do agree with much of Cat’s review of the 5500 Series, and that the Philips espresso machine does produce good-tasting coffee, I picked up on a few niggles during my time using the 4400. These mainly relate to the LatteGo system and the steps required to brew a coffee. I’ll explain more about both in the performance section of this review.
Ultimately, the Philips 4400 LatteGo coffee machine is incredibly simple to use and offers everything you need to make a great coffee, whether it be a simple espresso or ristretto shot, a larger latte, cappuccino or even a few iced drinks.
As with the 5500 Series, the 4400 Series doesn’t offer cold coffee extraction. If you want to make an iced drink, you’ll need to add ice cubes to a glass or mug for the machine to then pour on a hot shot of espresso. This machine can’t make iced lattes, so if you do want a milk-based iced drink, you’ll need to make do with pouring cold milk directly into your glass or mug.
If you like cold coffee, then you may not like the flavor profile delivered by the 4400 Series, and, as Cat found in her review, once the ice melts it can make the coffee taste weaker. Personally, I enjoyed making iced drinks using the Philips 4400 Series, but it’s ultimately a matter of personal preference.
Furthermore, having previously reviewed the De’Longhi Magnifica Evo Next automatic espresso machine, I found myself preferring the taste of the coffee produced by the Philips machine instead, and I appreciated the smaller footprint it took up on my kitchen counter.
However, as a plant milk drinker, I did prefer the level of milk foam produced by the De’Longhi’s LatteCrema system compared to the LatteGo milk-foaming system used by the Philips machine.
Philips LatteGo 4400 Series: Price and availability
List price $799.99 / £599.99 / AU$1,199
Available globally
Often discounted
The Philips LatteGo 4400 Series is available globally with a list price of $799.99 / £599.99 / AU$1,199. At the time of writing, however, I was able to find it discounted to £499.99 in the UK and below AU$1,000 in Australia.
The 4400 Series sits one step down from the flagship 5500 Series, offering 12 hot and cold drink recipes compared to the 20 options found on its higher-spec sibling.
Its list price places it in a similar category to the De’Longhi Magnifica Evo Next fully automatic coffee machine that I’ve previously reviewed.
The two machines are similarly specced, although the De’Longhi unit is much larger. The Philips 4400 Series would therefore be my recommendation if your kitchen is on the smaller side.
(Image credit: Future)
Value score: 4 / 5
Philips LatteGo 4400 Series: Specs
Name
Philips LatteGo 4400 Series
Type
Fully automatic bean-to-cup espresso machine
Dimensions (W x H x D)
9.7 x 14.6 x 17in / 24.6 x 37.1 x 43.3cm
Weight
17.6lbs / 8kg
Water reservoir capacity
1.9qt / 1.8 liters
Milk frother
Yes (automatic)
Bars of pressure
15
User profiles
2 (plus guest)
Philips LatteGo 4400 Series: Design
(Image credit: Future)
Compact, ideal for smaller kitchens
Intuitive, button-based navigation
Easy to clean and maintain but cleaning agents sold separately
The Philips LatteGo 4400 Series is a relatively compact bean-to-cup espresso machine, coming in at 9.7 inches / 24.6cm wide and 17 inches / 43.3cm long.
As a result, it makes placing it on a kitchen countertop quite easy, as it can be placed in a corner, for example and up against the wall, since the water tank slides out from the front. The brewing group head is accessed via the side behind the water tank, making maintenance just as simple.
The machine is controlled via a series of touch buttons on the front, which flank a 2.3-inch color display. A selection of popular coffee-based drinks have dedicated buttons on the front – including espresso, long black, cappuccino and flat white – while the remaining hot and cold drinks are accessed via a ‘More Drinks’ button.
You’ll also find a ‘Profile’ button on the front, which is used to cycle through two main profiles – Yellow and Blue – and a third guest profile to ensure your saved presets aren’t overridden.
(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
The non-removable bean hopper is accessed at the top. All you need to do is remove the tinted plastic lid – by being tinted, it helps to prevent light from degrading the flavor of the beans – which is also airtight to maintain freshness. If you want to adjust grind settings, that’s done via a control dial set inside the bean hopper.
It’s not particularly large with a capacity up to 275g of beans, but this makes it a good option for single-person or couple households. Plus, the fact it’s airtight means you can leave beans in between uses and not worry about them spoiling, as opposed to pouring in just the right amount of beans for the drink you want to make.
As is the case with the De’Longhi Magnifica Evo Next I’ve previously reviewed, Philips says to only operate the grind adjustment whilst beans are being ground. It took me a little while to figure out how to actually use the dial, and after consulting the user manual, I realized you have to first press down on it before rotating.
There are 12 grind settings to choose from, with the halfway point setting 6 being the default. Philips says this should be ideal for most users, and recommends not adjusting it until you’ve made 100 to 150 drinks. I found during my review period that I did have to adjust to a finer setting – I settled on 4 – to achieve a thicker crema and a more flavorful coffee.
The Philips 4400’s LatteGo milk-frothing system comprises a small carafe that attaches to a steam nozzle on the front of the machine. It’s designed to be filled with just enough milk for whatever drink you want to make, as opposed to being stored in the fridge with leftover milk between uses. You can still store the milk in the fridge if you wish, but just note the lid isn’t airtight.
I liked the idea of this, but in reality I came across a couple of slight niggles.
(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
The carafe has markings on the side for a single cappuccino, a single latte macchiato or two cappuccinos. I filled the carafe with oat milk to the line for the single cappuccino and poured one, and found it didn’t use all the milk.
Plus, when you’re selecting a coffee to make, you can adjust the volume of coffee and milk that goes in. If you adjust the volume of milk, for example, then you’ll need to ensure enough is in the carafe, making the markings somewhat redundant.
I’ll speak about it more in the performance section, but I also wasn’t overly happy with the level of (or lack of) milk foam produced by the system. Full-fat dairy milk did fare a lot better than plant milk during my tests though.
The Philips LatteGo 4400 Series does have some other design features that I found useful, including a deep grounds container bin and a decently sized drip tray. The machine will let you know when the ground container needs emptying, but this won’t be that regular since it’s capable of storing a good amount of waste.
Another positive I noticed was how well-packaged the machine was, and that Philips used predominantly recyclable cardboard.
One thing worth noting is that you aren’t supplied with any cleaning tablets or descaling solution. Having reviewed coffee machines from De’Longhi and Australian brand Sunbeam, both of which do supply some cleaning products with their machines, I had expected the same from Philips.
Cleaning tablets can be bought online from stores such as Amazon, but it’s an extra cost you’ll need to consider. While the AquaClean filter should last some time – it will cease working once 95 liters (around 625 coffees) of water has flowed through it – it will also be an additional expense to replace.
As long as you keep replacing the filters on time, then you won’t need to descale the machines for 5000 coffees – 8 filters worth. At $20 / £12 / AU$29 per filter, that’s about $160 / £96 / AU$232 to delay the need to descale, but slightly less if buying in bulk.
In comparison (depending on your water hardness), without the filters, you would typically need to descale up to about 10 times for 5000 cups, with the total cost around half of buying new filters.
Finally, another thing I noticed was when removing a sticker on the front of the machine referencing the fact it can make 12 different coffee-based drinks, it left some adhesive behind (the white part to the right of the coffee spout in the pictures).
(Image credit: Future)
Design score: 4.5 / 5
Philips LatteGo 5500 Series review: Performance
Great-tasting coffee with some grinder adjustment
Good level of personalization
LatteGo milk-foaming system not without fault
The Philips LatteGo 4400 Series is an incredibly easy espresso machine to use. Once you’ve got it set up – this involves testing your water for hardness and installing the supplied AquaClean filter if required – you’ll be brewing a coffee in seconds. The central color display provides information clearly, and buttons are logically laid out to navigate through menus and drinks to adjust settings.
There are 12 drinks to choose from:
Espresso
Coffee
Long black
Cappuccino
Latte macchiato
Caffè crema
Caffè latte
Ristretto
Flat white
Iced espresso
Iced long black
Iced coffee
Once you’ve selected a drink to make, a secondary screen allows you to adjust the strength and volume. In some cases, increasing the volume of coffee will mean the machine will have to grind beans twice, which can increase the speed you go through a bag. I increased the volume of my daily flat white from the default 80ml to 100ml, for example, and I had to wait for the machine to grind a second dose of beans before it was finished.
If you tweak the settings for a drink, whether it be strength or volume, the machine will save them for the next time. Each time you make an adjustment, it overrides the previous settings. If two people in the same household want the same drink but with different settings, I would recommend taking advantage of the two individual profiles to store personal drink preferences. Switching between profiles is simple thanks to a dedicated button on the front panel.
If there are more than two people in your home and each has their own preference, you’ll be better served by stepping up to the 5500 Series model, which has 4 profiles plus a separate guest profile.
The machine doesn’t provide feedback regarding grind size or whether it’s ideal for the beans you’ve used – something you will find on De’Longhi machines that have BeanAdapt technology such as the Rivelia – but you can manually adjust the grind setting to produce a well-extracted espresso. The default setting of 6 should be fine for most use cases, although I did find for the beans I used, the crema wasn’t as thick as I would like, and it dissipated relatively quickly. As mentioned previously, I was much happier with the result once I adjusted the grinder to setting 4 for a finer grind.
(Image credit: Future)
Where I experienced a bit more of an issue was when using the LatteGo milk-foaming system. Having read about it on the Philips website and in my colleague Cat’s review of the more feature-packed 5500 Series model, I was expecting great results from the company’s take on automatic milk frothing. I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the performance, although I think some leniency should be applied.
Firstly, the milk carafe is a little awkward to attach to the steam nozzle. Not frustratingly so, but it requires a more steady hand compared to the approach taken by De’Longhi, whose LatteCrema milk carafe easily inserts into a cutout on the front of its machines.
Secondly, there are markings on the side of the carafe to indicate how much is required for a particular drink. In practice, I found these to be inaccurate, and I always had some leftover milk in the carafe. Because the lid isn’t airtight, I had to pour this away if I knew I wasn’t going to have another coffee soon after the first.
Finally, despite using a barista-level brand of oat milk, which has a higher protein content to assist with producing a thicker foam, the milk pushed out into my coffee mug lacked any real resemblance to proper foam. It was certainly foamier than if I just poured milk from the carton, but when I compared the results to using my Nespresso Aeroccino 3 milk frother, it was a clear win for Nespresso. I also tested the LatteGo system with full-fat dairy milk and it did produce a much thicker foam.
(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
Where I want to give some leniency is the fact that I wasn’t super satisfied with the results of the De’Longhi LatteCrema system when I reviewed the Magnifica Evo Next automatic coffee machine. I’ve yet to try similar systems from the likes of KitchenAid or Smeg, but I do wonder if the way they – creating steam and mixing with milk to aerate it – is that effective on the whole. In my mind, if you enjoy cafe-quality levels of milk foam, then you’ll be better served by an espresso machine with a steam wand.
I also experimented with iced drinks using the 4400 Series, although as Cat discovered in her review of the 5500 Series, the 4400 Series machine doesn’t actually produce cold coffee. Instead, you’re instructed to put ice cubes into a mug or glass, which then cools the coffee down. Philips does say water and coffee produced for iced drinks is “warm” rather than hot, so it will cool down quicker when poured over ice. I didn’t necessarily mind this approach, but it did make me wonder why there are iced drink recipes in the first place. I could just as easily place ice in a mug and run a regular espresso shot, rather than select iced espresso.
The 4400 Series only has three iced drink presets: iced espresso, iced coffee and iced long black. I like an iced latte and so poured cold milk into a glass with ice cubes and ran an iced espresso shot. For my tastes, the result was superb, and my partner enjoyed his iced long black. The 5500 Series does have a preset for iced latte, which pours cold milk via the LatteGo system.
(Image credit: Future)
Finally, the Philips 4400 LatteGo uses what the company calls SilentBrew technology to keep noise levels to a minimum. It’s also Quiet Mark certified, meaning it’s among the quietest in its product class. Knowing this, I assumed I’d hear near-silence from the machine during use, but in reality it was louder than I had expected. Using the Decibel X app on my iPhone and standing next to the machine, I recorded a measurement of 69dB when the machine was grinding beans and around 60dB when espresso was being poured. That’s louder than the KitchenAid KF8, which is also Quiet Mark certified. We recorded a measurement of 66dB when grinding and an average volume of just 44dB in our KitchenAid KF8 review.
Performance score: 4.5 / 5
Should I buy the Philips LatteGo 4400 Series?
Philips LatteGo 4400 Series scorecard
Attribute
Notes
Score
Value
Affordable and often discounted, although other great options can be picked up for less during sales.
4 / 5
Design
Compact size will suit most kitchens, easy to clean and intuitive interface
4.5 / 5
Performance
Great results across all drinks, just don’t set your expectations too high for the LatteGo system
4 / 5
Buy it if...
You have limited kitchen space
The Philips LatteGo 4400 is a compact, narrow machine and only needs side access to remove the water tank and brewing group head. You can push it into a corner no problem.
You’re new to automatic coffee machines
This machine is incredibly easy to master, with clear and intuitive drinks, menus and settings. You’ll be brewing coffee after coffee in no time.
Don't buy it if...
You have a large household
The 4400 Series only has 2 selectable profiles. If you have multiple coffee drinkers with different preferences, you’ll likely end up overriding each other’s settings.
You like cold-brewed coffee
While you can make good iced drinks with the 4400 Series, it doesn’t produce authentic cold-brew coffee. It also can’t make iced lattes.
Philips LatteGo 4400 Series: Also consider
If you're not sure that the Philips LatteGo 5500 Series is the right coffee maker for you, here are two other options for your consideration.
KitchenAid KF6
It’s a little bit more expensive, but the KitchenAid KF6 has the looks to back it up and it produces a superb shot of espresso. Plus, it’s incredibly easy to use.
You’ll need more space in your kitchen to accommodate it, but this bean-to-cup machine from Ninja produces fantastic espresso and is packed with features, including grind size suggestion, weight-based dosage system and an automatic milk frother.
I tested the Philips LatteGo 4400 Series over a period of two weeks with some coffee beans from a local supermarket that I had used before. I tested the water hardness using the strip supplied in the box and fitted the water tank using the instructions provided.
I tested the LatteGo system of the 4400 Series coffee machine using fridge-cold full-fat dairy and a barista oat milk. I tested the machine's ability to produce a variety of hot and cold drinks.
