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Garmin Venu X1 review: The most innovative Garmin watch in years, and a genuine Apple Watch Ultra rival
11:00 am | August 9, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Health & Fitness Smartwatches | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Garmin Venu X1: One-minute review

Garmin Venu X1

(Image credit: Future)

When you think of the best Garmin watches, you think of thick, G-Shock-style rugged adventure watches, not a sleek full-screen bezelless smartwatch that sits slim on your wrist. The Garmin Venu X1 bucks the trend, offering a complete redesign, and it’s fun to get to grips with the Garmin experience in what feels like a whole new way.

Personally, I loved it. I’ll discuss the design and display, which of Garmin’s usual suite of metrics and features it gets, and how it performs, in detail below, but it’s an eminently usable watch that has very quickly become a fixture in my usual rotation. The slender nature of the watch and curved stainless-steel backing hugs the wrist and makes it comfortable, and that gorgeous full-color AMOLED display is perfect for viewing maps.

The battery life is a concern in comparison to more typical Garmins, however: if you’re used to a two-week battery, the always-on display will crush the Garmin Venu X1’s longevity down to just a few days. However, without the always-on display you’ll get a week (far more than even the best Apple Watch), even with multiple battery-sucking hour-long GPS workouts.

The other slight concern is the redesigned operating system. The list of widgets (or ‘glances’ in Garmin speak) are navigated via a combination of touchscreen and buttons, and have received a Liquid Glass-style facelift to make use of Garmin’s Apple Watch-style screen. However – and to keep the comparison going – sometimes the framerate can lag, and without Garmin’s five-button configuration or an Apple-style digital crown, swiping around can be cumbersome (especially mid-workout). It doesn’t spark joy, to quote Marie Kondo, in the same way that Apple’s form factor does.

Nevertheless, I’ve been wearing the watch for weeks, and I’ve finished my testing, and it’s still on my wrist – and once I’ve finished testing my next watch, I’ll probably strap it back on again. It’s light, it looks good, it’s comfortable, it lasts longer than an Apple Watch (with the latter two factors helping to make it practical to wear overnight for better sleep tracking), and it’s just a damn good watch. I still can’t get over how good full-color maps look on its enormous screen.

Garmin Venu X1: Price and availability

Garmin Venu X1

(Image credit: Garmin)
  • $799 / £799 / AU$1,399
  • One size
  • Around the same price as the Apple Watch Ultra 2

The Garmin Venu X1 is available in all regions, priced at $799.99 / £679.99 / AU$1,499. That’s around the same price as the Apple Watch Ultra 2, which is priced at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399.

Like the Apple Watch Ultra 2, the Garmin Venu X1 comes in just one size, as opposed to most other Garmin watches that are available in multiple sizes. However, the Ultra 2 does have one major feature the Venu X1 doesn’t: LTE support.

LTE support means you can add the Ultra 2 to your phone’s data plan (this usually costs extra), and allows you to make calls, send messages and even stream music directly without being connected to your phone. The Venu X1, despite being in the same premium price bracket as the Ultra 2, doesn’t have this functionality.

Then again, neither do other Garmin watches such as the Garmin Fenix 8, which actually costs more than the Venu X1. The difference between the two is that the Venu X1 is positioned as a smartwatch competitor, rather than an adventure watch.

  • Value score: 4/5

Garmin Venu X1: Design

Garmin Venu X1

(Image credit: Future)
  • Gorgeous, bright AMOLED display
  • Slim profile, highly unusual for Garmins
  • Stainless steel curved backing for comfort

The Garmin Venu X1 is slimmer than any other Garmin I’ve yet tried, and I’ve tried a lot. No chunky adventure watch here: Garmin has opted for a practically bezel-less slender watchwith just 7.9mm of thickness. The slim profile combines with the metal backing, which is curved to follow the wrist, for a fit that I found very comfortable, though people with smaller or larger wrists than mine might not find it quite as good a fit.

Most other smartwatches have straight backs, relying on straps to bind their boxy cases to your wrists, which can cause the sensor to dig into your wrist. I found the Garmin Venu X1 very comfortable indeed, more so than the Apple Watch Ultra series.

While the back is cambered, the wide display isn’t curved at all, unlike the Apple Watch Series 10. Instead, it’s completely flat, slightly reducing glanceability in theory, but the screen is big and bright enough that it doesn’t really matter. The display (a 51.2mm AMOLED Sapphire Glass display) is among the best I’ve ever seen on a smartwatch.

The velcro strap included with the watch isn’t particularly stylish, but it’s perfectly adequate performance-wise. It’ll need cleaning, as it’s fabric, and it got a bit dirty even during my first month of training.

The only real design flaw I’ve identified after using this watch for a month is Garmin’s operating system, which has had a bit of a facelift to better suit Garmin’s biggest, brightest display. It looks fine, but to navigate it you have to scroll through with two buttons and the touchscreen, as there’s no digital crown and only two buttons, unlike on most of Garmin’s other watches.

This is something that’s always been a problem with the Venu series for me; however, it’s by no means a dealbreaker. Occasionally you’ll need to swipe between screens during a workout, from heart rate and time to maps for example, with the touchscreen – and this can become smeared with sweat and dirt. However, it’s not enough to be a serious problem with the watch; it’s just a minor gripe.

  • Design score: 4.5/5

Garmin Venu X1: Features

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and Garmin Venu X1 worn during run on separate wrists

(Image credit: Future)
  • Garmin’s top-tier training features
  • Full-color offline maps
  • LED torch

First up, all of Garmin’s best features, including Morning Report, Training Readiness score, Endurance and Hill scores, Garmin Coach, full-color maps, work brilliantly here, and the watch functions well as a workout companion that’s much lighter than the chunkier Forerunners and Fenixes, making it ideal for runners and swimmers as you’ll practically forget you’re wearing it.

The added comfort and reduced weight are especially beneficial for sleep tracking. The watch is so much more comfortable than watches with thicker profiles, which means it’s easier to wear in bed. You can get all your recovery metrics, such as sleeping heart rate variability and sleep quality, from the watch directly, rather than not wearing it (or even removing it in frustration during the middle of the night because it’s stopping you nodding off, as I’ve done with some chunky watches) and relying on Garmin’s estimations.

That massive display is transformative when viewing complex information such as multiple glances at once, or full-color maps. You can’t use the touchscreen for precision movements such as responsive pinches to zoom in and out, like you would on a phone, but the maps screen is still ideally suited for getting turn-by-turn directions on city walks, or long runs using the Create a Course functionality.

The Garmin Venu X1 offers a generous 32GB of onboard storage for music and GPX maps, and supports offline playback from apps such as Spotify. It’s also packing Garmin’s useful LED torch, with a red mode for wearing at night as a safety light, and three levels of white light. It can be used for anything from finding your way to the bathroom in the dark to signalling for help atop a mountain, perhaps when you’ve taken a wrong turn after a hike.

The torch uses a fair amount of battery, though, so if you’re going to be out overnight you might want to disable the always-on display to conserve power – more on that in a moment.

  • Features score: 5/5

Garmin Venu X1: Performance

Garmin Venu X1 vs Apple Watch Ultra 2

(Image credit: Michael Sawh)
  • Good battery life without always-on display
  • Easy to wear
  • I enjoyed training in it

I wore the Garmin Venu X1 for around a month, draining the battery completely, charging it multiple times and doing lots of running and resistance training while wearing it. I also competed in a 12K trail-running event, using the Primary Race training tool to fine-tune my plans for the day. I slept with it, took it out on the roads, and wore it during gym and yoga sessions.

I’ve seen some criticisms stating the battery is very bad with always-on display enabled, and they’re right: with this functionality on, you’re only getting a few days of battery life. However, as someone who found the raise-to-wake functionality more than suitable and sensitive enough for my needs, I’m living with the watch just fine. During testing, the battery lasted around a week with multiple GPS workouts, which is pretty much as advertised.

Using it as a running watch, I found that it’s one of the best I’ve tried this year. It’s not as powerful or rugged, or quite as feature-rich, as the Fenix 8, but it’s a much better all-rounder watch. I used the voice command functionality to set kitchen timers and so on, and it’s certainly easier than swiping through the OS. However, it’s not quite as seamless as the Apple Watch’s nigh-on futuristic raise-and-speak functionality, as it still takes a swipe and tap to set up.

As Garmin’s attempt at an Apple Watch, the Venu X1 very nearly succeeds, and it’s a lovely watch to wear and train with in its own right. However, I think that in order to truly succeed both as a training watch and a smartwatch, it needs to leave more of its Garmin trappings behind – among other things, Garmin needs to completely redesign the interface, and enable users to access its voice command feature with one fewer swipe.

  • Performance score: 4/5

Scorecard

Category

Comment

Score

Value

A premium watch with premium features, but not outrageous value.

4/5

Design

A beautiful screen with a transformative slim, light chassis.

4.5/5

Features

Garmin’s best features packed into a slender package.

5/5

Performance

A terrific running watch, but not quite the complete smartwatch package, and so-so battery life with always-on display.

4/5

Should I buy?

Buy it if...

You’re on Android

This powerful watch is the closest thing to a system-agnostic Apple Watch Ultra 2.

You want comfort

This slender watch is extremely light and comfortable for workouts, sleep tracking and daily wear.

You’re a power user

Are you a serious runner, cyclist, hiker or triathlete? You’ll love this watch.

Don't buy it if...

You’re on a budget

This is not a cheap watch, even by Garmin standards.

You like the traditional Garmin look

There are plenty of Garmin watches with the usual rugged aesthetic to choose from.

You need a two-week battery life

The Garmin Venu X1 lasts anywhere from two to nine days.

Also consider

Component

Garmin Venu X1

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra

Price

$799.99 / £679.99 / AU$1,499

$799 / £799 / AU$1,399

$649 / £599 / AU$1,299

Dimensions

41 x 46 x 7.9 mm

49 x 41 x 14 (mm)

47.4 x 47.4 x 12.1mm

Weight

41g

61g

60.5g

Case/bezel

Titanium/Polymer

Titanium

Titanium

Display

51.2 mm AMOLED Sapphire Glass display

49mm poly-silicon always-on OLED Retina Display

480 x 480 full-color AMOLED

GPS

GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, Beidou, QZSS

Dual-frequency (unspecified)

Dual-frequency GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo

Battery life

Up to 8 days

36 hours

590mAh, up to 100 hours

Connection

Bluetooth, Wi-Fi

Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, LTE

Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi

Water resistant

Yes, 5ATM

Yes, WR100 (diveproof)

10ATM + IP68

Apple Watch Ultra 2

The best all-rounder running smartwatch for iPhone users.

Read our full Apple Watch Ultra 2 review

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra

As above, but for Samsung and Android phone users.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra review

How I tested

I wore the Garmin Venu X1 for a month, draining the battery multiple times and testing it against the Apple Watch Ultra 2. I used the Primary Race tool to complete a trail running event, slept with it, showered with it and completed gym, running and a variety of other workouts with it. I used its maps functionality in conjunction with running routes created on Garmin Connect.

Garmin Venu X1 review: The most innovative Garmin watch in years, and a genuine Apple Watch Ultra rival
11:00 am |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Health & Fitness Smartwatches | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Garmin Venu X1: One-minute review

Garmin Venu X1

(Image credit: Future)

When you think of the best Garmin watches, you think of thick, G-Shock-style rugged adventure watches, not a sleek full-screen bezelless smartwatch that sits slim on your wrist. The Garmin Venu X1 bucks the trend, offering a complete redesign, and it’s fun to get to grips with the Garmin experience in what feels like a whole new way.

Personally, I loved it. I’ll discuss the design and display, which of Garmin’s usual suite of metrics and features it gets, and how it performs, in detail below, but it’s an eminently usable watch that has very quickly become a fixture in my usual rotation. The slender nature of the watch and curved stainless-steel backing hugs the wrist and makes it comfortable, and that gorgeous full-color AMOLED display is perfect for viewing maps.

The battery life is a concern in comparison to more typical Garmins, however: if you’re used to a two-week battery, the always-on display will crush the Garmin Venu X1’s longevity down to just a few days. However, without the always-on display you’ll get a week (far more than even the best Apple Watch), even with multiple battery-sucking hour-long GPS workouts.

The other slight concern is the redesigned operating system. The list of widgets (or ‘glances’ in Garmin speak) are navigated via a combination of touchscreen and buttons, and have received a Liquid Glass-style facelift to make use of Garmin’s Apple Watch-style screen. However – and to keep the comparison going – sometimes the framerate can lag, and without Garmin’s five-button configuration or an Apple-style digital crown, swiping around can be cumbersome (especially mid-workout). It doesn’t spark joy, to quote Marie Kondo, in the same way that Apple’s form factor does.

Nevertheless, I’ve been wearing the watch for weeks, and I’ve finished my testing, and it’s still on my wrist – and once I’ve finished testing my next watch, I’ll probably strap it back on again. It’s light, it looks good, it’s comfortable, it lasts longer than an Apple Watch (with the latter two factors helping to make it practical to wear overnight for better sleep tracking), and it’s just a damn good watch. I still can’t get over how good full-color maps look on its enormous screen.

Garmin Venu X1: Price and availability

Garmin Venu X1

(Image credit: Garmin)
  • $799 / £799 / AU$1,399
  • One size
  • Around the same price as the Apple Watch Ultra 2

The Garmin Venu X1 is available in all regions, priced at $799.99 / £679.99 / AU$1,499. That’s around the same price as the Apple Watch Ultra 2, which is priced at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399.

Like the Apple Watch Ultra 2, the Garmin Venu X1 comes in just one size, as opposed to most other Garmin watches that are available in multiple sizes. However, the Ultra 2 does have one major feature the Venu X1 doesn’t: LTE support.

LTE support means you can add the Ultra 2 to your phone’s data plan (this usually costs extra), and allows you to make calls, send messages and even stream music directly without being connected to your phone. The Venu X1, despite being in the same premium price bracket as the Ultra 2, doesn’t have this functionality.

Then again, neither do other Garmin watches such as the Garmin Fenix 8, which actually costs more than the Venu X1. The difference between the two is that the Venu X1 is positioned as a smartwatch competitor, rather than an adventure watch.

  • Value score: 4/5

Garmin Venu X1: Design

Garmin Venu X1

(Image credit: Future)
  • Gorgeous, bright AMOLED display
  • Slim profile, highly unusual for Garmins
  • Stainless steel curved backing for comfort

The Garmin Venu X1 is slimmer than any other Garmin I’ve yet tried, and I’ve tried a lot. No chunky adventure watch here: Garmin has opted for a practically bezel-less slender watchwith just 7.9mm of thickness. The slim profile combines with the metal backing, which is curved to follow the wrist, for a fit that I found very comfortable, though people with smaller or larger wrists than mine might not find it quite as good a fit.

Most other smartwatches have straight backs, relying on straps to bind their boxy cases to your wrists, which can cause the sensor to dig into your wrist. I found the Garmin Venu X1 very comfortable indeed, more so than the Apple Watch Ultra series.

While the back is cambered, the wide display isn’t curved at all, unlike the Apple Watch Series 10. Instead, it’s completely flat, slightly reducing glanceability in theory, but the screen is big and bright enough that it doesn’t really matter. The display (a 51.2mm AMOLED Sapphire Glass display) is among the best I’ve ever seen on a smartwatch.

The velcro strap included with the watch isn’t particularly stylish, but it’s perfectly adequate performance-wise. It’ll need cleaning, as it’s fabric, and it got a bit dirty even during my first month of training.

The only real design flaw I’ve identified after using this watch for a month is Garmin’s operating system, which has had a bit of a facelift to better suit Garmin’s biggest, brightest display. It looks fine, but to navigate it you have to scroll through with two buttons and the touchscreen, as there’s no digital crown and only two buttons, unlike on most of Garmin’s other watches.

This is something that’s always been a problem with the Venu series for me; however, it’s by no means a dealbreaker. Occasionally you’ll need to swipe between screens during a workout, from heart rate and time to maps for example, with the touchscreen – and this can become smeared with sweat and dirt. However, it’s not enough to be a serious problem with the watch; it’s just a minor gripe.

  • Design score: 4.5/5

Garmin Venu X1: Features

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and Garmin Venu X1 worn during run on separate wrists

(Image credit: Future)
  • Garmin’s top-tier training features
  • Full-color offline maps
  • LED torch

First up, all of Garmin’s best features, including Morning Report, Training Readiness score, Endurance and Hill scores, Garmin Coach, full-color maps, work brilliantly here, and the watch functions well as a workout companion that’s much lighter than the chunkier Forerunners and Fenixes, making it ideal for runners and swimmers as you’ll practically forget you’re wearing it.

The added comfort and reduced weight are especially beneficial for sleep tracking. The watch is so much more comfortable than watches with thicker profiles, which means it’s easier to wear in bed. You can get all your recovery metrics, such as sleeping heart rate variability and sleep quality, from the watch directly, rather than not wearing it (or even removing it in frustration during the middle of the night because it’s stopping you nodding off, as I’ve done with some chunky watches) and relying on Garmin’s estimations.

That massive display is transformative when viewing complex information such as multiple glances at once, or full-color maps. You can’t use the touchscreen for precision movements such as responsive pinches to zoom in and out, like you would on a phone, but the maps screen is still ideally suited for getting turn-by-turn directions on city walks, or long runs using the Create a Course functionality.

The Garmin Venu X1 offers a generous 32GB of onboard storage for music and GPX maps, and supports offline playback from apps such as Spotify. It’s also packing Garmin’s useful LED torch, with a red mode for wearing at night as a safety light, and three levels of white light. It can be used for anything from finding your way to the bathroom in the dark to signalling for help atop a mountain, perhaps when you’ve taken a wrong turn after a hike.

The torch uses a fair amount of battery, though, so if you’re going to be out overnight you might want to disable the always-on display to conserve power – more on that in a moment.

  • Features score: 5/5

Garmin Venu X1: Performance

Garmin Venu X1 vs Apple Watch Ultra 2

(Image credit: Michael Sawh)
  • Good battery life without always-on display
  • Easy to wear
  • I enjoyed training in it

I wore the Garmin Venu X1 for around a month, draining the battery completely, charging it multiple times and doing lots of running and resistance training while wearing it. I also competed in a 12K trail-running event, using the Primary Race training tool to fine-tune my plans for the day. I slept with it, took it out on the roads, and wore it during gym and yoga sessions.

I’ve seen some criticisms stating the battery is very bad with always-on display enabled, and they’re right: with this functionality on, you’re only getting a few days of battery life. However, as someone who found the raise-to-wake functionality more than suitable and sensitive enough for my needs, I’m living with the watch just fine. During testing, the battery lasted around a week with multiple GPS workouts, which is pretty much as advertised.

Using it as a running watch, I found that it’s one of the best I’ve tried this year. It’s not as powerful or rugged, or quite as feature-rich, as the Fenix 8, but it’s a much better all-rounder watch. I used the voice command functionality to set kitchen timers and so on, and it’s certainly easier than swiping through the OS. However, it’s not quite as seamless as the Apple Watch’s nigh-on futuristic raise-and-speak functionality, as it still takes a swipe and tap to set up.

As Garmin’s attempt at an Apple Watch, the Venu X1 very nearly succeeds, and it’s a lovely watch to wear and train with in its own right. However, I think that in order to truly succeed both as a training watch and a smartwatch, it needs to leave more of its Garmin trappings behind – among other things, Garmin needs to completely redesign the interface, and enable users to access its voice command feature with one fewer swipe.

  • Performance score: 4/5

Scorecard

Category

Comment

Score

Value

A premium watch with premium features, but not outrageous value.

4/5

Design

A beautiful screen with a transformative slim, light chassis.

4.5/5

Features

Garmin’s best features packed into a slender package.

5/5

Performance

A terrific running watch, but not quite the complete smartwatch package, and so-so battery life with always-on display.

4/5

Should I buy?

Buy it if...

You’re on Android

This powerful watch is the closest thing to a system-agnostic Apple Watch Ultra 2.

You want comfort

This slender watch is extremely light and comfortable for workouts, sleep tracking and daily wear.

You’re a power user

Are you a serious runner, cyclist, hiker or triathlete? You’ll love this watch.

Don't buy it if...

You’re on a budget

This is not a cheap watch, even by Garmin standards.

You like the traditional Garmin look

There are plenty of Garmin watches with the usual rugged aesthetic to choose from.

You need a two-week battery life

The Garmin Venu X1 lasts anywhere from two to nine days.

Also consider

Component

Garmin Venu X1

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra

Price

$799.99 / £679.99 / AU$1,499

$799 / £799 / AU$1,399

$649 / £599 / AU$1,299

Dimensions

41 x 46 x 7.9 mm

49 x 41 x 14 (mm)

47.4 x 47.4 x 12.1mm

Weight

41g

61g

60.5g

Case/bezel

Titanium/Polymer

Titanium

Titanium

Display

51.2 mm AMOLED Sapphire Glass display

49mm poly-silicon always-on OLED Retina Display

480 x 480 full-color AMOLED

GPS

GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, Beidou, QZSS

Dual-frequency (unspecified)

Dual-frequency GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo

Battery life

Up to 8 days

36 hours

590mAh, up to 100 hours

Connection

Bluetooth, Wi-Fi

Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, LTE

Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi

Water resistant

Yes, 5ATM

Yes, WR100 (diveproof)

10ATM + IP68

Apple Watch Ultra 2

The best all-rounder running smartwatch for iPhone users.

Read our full Apple Watch Ultra 2 review

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra

As above, but for Samsung and Android phone users.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra review

How I tested

I wore the Garmin Venu X1 for a month, draining the battery multiple times and testing it against the Apple Watch Ultra 2. I used the Primary Race tool to complete a trail running event, slept with it, showered with it and completed gym, running and a variety of other workouts with it. I used its maps functionality in conjunction with running routes created on Garmin Connect.

After testing the GL.iNet Slate 7 portable router, it earned a spot in my remote working bag – but it’s not perfect
9:47 am |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Tags: | Comments: Off

The GL.iNet Slate 7 is precisely what I wanted on paper for a travel router, and it still has the potential to be something great. This travel router beautifully blends speed, security, and compact simplicity all in one device. It has dual 2.5GbE ports, a built-in VPN, a touchscreen for ease of navigating the onboard UI, and it is all easily powered by USB-C while barely pulling any power.

Portable routers have gained popularity over the years due to increased cybersecurity awareness, the rise of remote work, and the growing number of devices people carry with them. Portable routers can be helpful for quickly connecting devices, sharing files between devices, providing a layer of security between a public network and your devices, and much more.

GL.iNet | Slate 7

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

GL.iNet Slate 7: Pricing and Availability

You can grab a GL.iNet Slate 7 for $134.91, currently on sale from $149 on Gl-inet.com. You can also find these via online retailers including Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Since this device does not have an internal battery, consider purchasing a portable charger to make this travel router even more mobile.

GL.iNet | Slate 7

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

GL.iNet Slate 7: Unboxing & first impressions

When I unboxed this portable travel router, I was surprised by its compact size. The solid, matte-black casing helped keep this light, weighing in at just under 300 grams altogether. The front panel features a touchscreen, which is excellent for changing settings, though I am concerned that it may be a tad too convenient and may share information that I want to keep private.

Regardless of your opinion on this shape, the functionality and performance of this unit are also quite impressive. It's easy to connect devices, with two 2.5 GbE ports, a USB-A port, and a USB-C port on the back, making physical connections a breeze. This is especially true since the device can power over USB-C, which is the single most popular cable in recent history. When connecting devices via Wi-Fi, they are snappy, have a decent range, especially for a small and portable unit, and are easy to use.

As mentioned previously, if you plan on traveling frequently with this unit, it's worth considering a portable power station or a long USB-C cable. This way, you can position it where you want it while still being able to plug into the nearest outlet.

GL.iNet Slate 7: Design & Build Quality

GL.iNet | Slate 7

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )
Specs

Wi‑Fi: 2.4 GHz (up to 688 Mbps), 5 GHz
Ethernet: Dual 2.5 GbE (configurable WAN/LAN)
VPN: WireGuard ~540 Mbps, OpenVPN ~100 Mbps
CPU/RAM: Qualcomm quad-core 1.1 GHz, 1 GB DDR4, 512 MB NAND
Power: USB‑C PD support (5–12 V), ~6–8 W draw

The GL.iNet Slate 7 is very sleek. It looks like what Batman would carry if he were in IT and needed a travel pocket router. The industrial design is compact and well-finished, allowing for the antenna to be folded when not in use. The back houses all the ports, including the PD power input, dual 2.5GbE ports, and a USB-A 3.0 port. The front features a touchscreen that displays pages side by side, allowing you to view all the features and settings of the Slate 7. That's where a significant potential flaw arises with this unit. In theory, anyone could grab this, or view it from a distance, and know precisely what your SSID is, or worse.

Outside of that, though, the design on this unit is super sharp. I love that it can compactly collapse, and I appreciate the overall footprint. This is small enough that it can live in my backpack without taking up much space at all, helping me forget I even have it.

GL.iNet | Slate 7

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

GL.iNet Slate 7: In use

I've used this router for various purposes during my testing. I've taken it to a coffee shop to have all my devices connect (automatically. I've also taken it on a quick trip to a family cabin and into normal working areas.

In the coffee shop scenarios, I quickly and easily unpack the router and place it to the side, running it off my Anker Power Bank. Next, I pulled out my iPhone, and through the companion app, I was able to join the coffee shop's network with my Slate. Then, my Slate put out my personal Wi-Fi, which all of my devices are already connected to. Additionally, I enabled a VPN through OpenVPN using Primes Lab that allowed me to connect back through my secure home office network. Now, when I pulled out my laptop, iPad, and my iPhone, I was able to see everything on my home network, all while knowing I am secure and protected thanks to Primes and my GL.iNet portable router. Having this router also means that my devices automatically connect to a network they recognize, giving me even more reason to have a portable router like this.

On trips, I rely heavily on this portable router to make connecting all of my devices, my wife's devices, my kids' devices, and more a breeze. Stopping at a hotel is now a snap to reconnect any devices we may need, whether for work or play. Additionally, the ability to press one button and loop back to my home network, all from a tiny box, is invaluable.

As I mentioned briefly above, one potentially significant issue with this is that there are too many ways to accidentally reveal more information than I'd want anyone to know in a coffee shop or lobby through the touch screen. That could be fixed with a patch in the future, as it's a simple software ordeal, but I also understand what they were going for.

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Design

Minimalist and Sleek

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ease of use

Easy to use for what it is

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Practicality

Practical for the right user

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Price

Fairly priced

⭐⭐⭐⭐

GL.iNet Slate 7: Final verdict

The GL.iNet Slate 7 has become an essential device whenever I work outside of a known network. It helps me stay safe while traveling and working, or traveling and staying connected, even if all I'm linking to is PLEX and Netflix.

I wish there were a slight software patch to hide network settings from the screen. For more power users, individuals will want to know that this device has true Wi-Fi 7 with a 6GHz channel. However, for my use cases, the 5GHz channel has been plenty.

I watched Wednesday season 2, part 1 and the family drama makes it even better than its predecessor
6:00 am |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Netflix Streaming | Comments: Off

Wednesday season 2 is back with a bang, and even though we have to wait until September for part 2, we're off to an excellent start.

Part one of season 2 is made up of four episodes, so it was crucial to keep audiences engaged and make sure they'd come back for the final installment. Considering Wednesday has been renewed for season 3, the pressure is on, but I personally can't wait for this show to keep going.

When we catch up with Wednesday after a two-year break, the gloomy teenager is returning to Nevermore as summer has come to an end. But while her peers were all partying and having fun, Wednesday spent her summer break pursuing a serial killer, very on brand for her.

Upon returning to Nevermore, a lot has changed. Following Gwendoline Christie's departure as Principal Weems, we've got a new head of school in the form of Steve Buscemi's Principal Dort, a dorky yet suspicious character who is keen to secure funding for the school.

He's not the only new addition to the cast, either. Joanna Lumley joins to play Morticia's estranged mother, Hester, expanding the beloved Addams Family and providing more family drama, something season one was seriously lacking.

I was thrilled that the family takes center stage this time, with Wednesday's brother, Pugsley, joining Nevermore, and her parents, Morticia and Gomez, sticking around to help with a gala. Having them around is a delight and you can expect laughs, macabre delights, and some cringeworthy moments because yes, Morticia and Gomez are sickeningly loved up this season.

The Nevermore students are back, too, of course, and we're reunited with familiar faces like Enid Sinclair, Bianca Barclay, Ajax Petropolus, and Eugene Ottinger.

It's not long before more drama ensues, of course, as Wednesday attempts to track down her stalker, deal with her psychic abilities, and figure out why a murder of crows is well, murdering people. There's never a quiet day for Wednesday.

While the main plot focuses on the crows and who (or what) is controlling them to kill people, we do have several subplots going on. Wednesday gets a vision of Enid's death, Enid is caught in a love triangle, Pugsley accidentally creates a zombie, and more.

I will admit, not all of these are attention-grabbing and do slow the pacing down in places, but the main plot is enough to keep you invested. I was also very enamored by the zombie character, named Slurp, who provided laughs and scares in abundance.

Steve Buscemi as Principal Barry Dort in Wednesday

Steve Buscemi's new principal is a shady figure. (Image credit: Netflix)

We're only halfway through, but so far, I can confidently say this has been a good season and there's real potential to expand on things across the next four episodes.

I'm hoping we get to learn more about the family and their buried secrets, some of which have been referenced early in season 2. Without spoiling anything, there's plenty for fans to look forward to on that front, and Addams Family drama can rival any reality TV show.

Will Wednesday season 2 continue to impress when it returns on September 3? Until then, why not check out 4 more spooky Netflix shows with over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes to watch next?

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I reviewed this AI film production tool and I’m torn over how easily it let me storyboard and create professional video projects
9:02 pm | August 8, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Software & Services | Tags: | Comments: Off

LTX Studio is an online generative AI service that aims to provide many tool filmmakers needs from storyboarding, and even extending its scope to full-blown video creation. It’s a bold ambition, but does it cut it when it comes to production? I tested it out to see what's on offer.

LTX Studio: Pricing & plans

  • The free tier’s limitations really make it a trial service, but the paid levels aren’t that expensive when compared to other online services

You’d think such an ambitious goal would demand eye-watering prices, but LTX Studio’s subscription costs are surprisingly reasonable compared to other services.

For one thing, there’s a free tier, which is always welcome, although it does come with restrictions, the worst one being only granting you 800 Computing Seconds (CS). Not each month, or even each year, but for ever. So it’s best to think of this tier as a means to test the service, and put it through its paces.

The other tiers start at $15 a month, and go up to $125, with each offering more tools and options, including an increasing number of CS each month, from 8,640 (2.4 hours) for the cheapest to 90,000 (25 hours) for the top of the line (you can’t as of yet purchase additional ones should you run out in any given month). Paying yearly grants you a 20% discount (i.e., to the equivalent of between $12 to $100 per month).

‘Lite’ comes with a personal licence, while ‘Standard’ and ‘Pro’ have a commercial one. The latter two also include the ability to create ‘Trained Actors’ (digital facsimiles), have access to accelerated rendering, as well as the ability to collaborate with others on a single project.

You can check out LTX Studio by clicking here.

  • Score: 4/5

LTX Studio: Computing Seconds

LTX Studio during our review

(Image credit: Lightricks // Future)
  • Referring to Computing Seconds (CS) as an allotment of resources can make sense, but is currently quite opaque as we can’t know off hand how much time an action will take. LTX Studio is working on making this a more transparent transaction

It might be best to pause for a second and understand what Computing Seconds (CS) are: any requests you make, be it to generate an image, rendering videos, changing a character’s appearance, etc, costs computing time, and that comes out of your allotment.

As I was informed, if someone opened a free account, and “used all their tokens generating videos with LTXV, they'd be able to generate around 12-16 videos.” This should be enough to give you an good idea of what the service will offer you, but it is still somewhat opaque, as obviously the more complex the request, the more CS it will need to consume to deliver, and each amendment will cost you additional CS.

As an illustration, in my own exploration of the service, I ended up using around 8,000 CS, asking for a handful of images, videos, and storyboards. LTX Studio is aware of this and are currently working on a way to make it clear how many seconds you’ll be using up for each kind of request.

  • Score: 3/5

LTX Studio: Getting started

LTX Studio during our review

(Image credit: Lightricks // Future)
  • Login in without a password may sound like fun, but it gets tedious after a while if you’re always accessing the service from one computer. Aside from that, the home page is easy to understand and use

You have the option of login in via your Google account or your email address. There’s no password for either, although each and every time you log in with your email (or every day if you work in LTX a lot), you’ll be asked for type in a special login code which is sent to you on request.

OK, fine, there’s no need to remember yet another password, but considering our computers store our passwords for us these days, it can get frustrating.

There is an upside of course: it makes it super easy to log in from any computer, not just yours - as long as you’ve got access to your email on the go (most do, I know, but some don’t).

Once you’re in the interface proper, you’re offered various choices, depending on your subscription level. Creating AI characters, for instance, is not available for the Lite tier. In addition to those artificial actors, you can create images and videos, generate a storyboard using AI, or manually create one instead. All this is offered to you either in the form of giant thumbnails, or through a menu sidebar to the left, which includes your recent projects.

I’ve been told this will all change soon, and the interface will intuitively morph into the right tool, based on what you need to do. Another feature that’s coming soon.

  • Score: 3/5

LTX Studio: Generative AI

LTX Studio during our review

(Image credit: Lightricks // Future)
  • This genAI service acts and feels like any other, with the one major distinction being the in-house algorithm’s speed, which is most impressive

Whether you opt to ‘Generate Images’ or ‘Generate Motion’, you’re taken to the exact same ‘Gen Space’, a section of the service which remembers all the prompts you’ve given it, which you can scroll through at any time. It’s also possible to create multiple sessions so as not to clog your ‘Gen Space’ with too much media.

The concept works like any other generative AI tool you might’ve used in the past: there’s a prompt field where you type in what you’re after, hit ‘Return’, and you’re offered multiple results.

You can’t create a video without a still image to base the motion from. This is achieved either by uploading an image, or by selecting a generated one from your ‘Gen Space’ After that, the process is the same… aside from the choice of algorithm.

By default, you’re offered ‘LTX Turbo’, an extremely fast in-house algorithm. Google’s Veo 2 and 3 are also available, and so is ‘LTX’, a higher quality version of the default choice. Veo takes a lot longer to produce results and hence will cost you more CS. Also, the longest videos you can produce with Veo are 8 seconds, while LTX can make them up to 30 seconds (although 15 and up are still in beta - 9 seconds is the non-beta maximum).

The standard resolution for videos is 1080p, and I’ve been told they’re working on getting it up to 4K.

As is often the case with genAI, it’s not a magic bullet. It doesn’t always work as expected, so you can end up spending a lot of CS to get everything exactly right.

  • Score: 4/5

LTX Studio: Storyboarding

LTX Studio during our review

(Image credit: Lightricks // Future)
  • You have the option of manually imputing each shot you’re after, or let LTX’s AI do it all for you. Place your artificial actors in the scenes, and there’s even a rudimentary video editor to finish your project with (or export the generated shots to a proper video editing tool)

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of LTX Studio is its Storyboarding feature. You can create all the shots you need for the scenes you’re planning on shooting through their ‘Blank Storyboard’ tool. You get to choose the type of shot, its angle, type in a description, and LTX will generate an image for you based on that information.

Remember the digital actors you’re able to create? Well, this is where you can add them to your project. It’s also possible to change the style of your project, from cinematic, to grunge, film noir, anime, and a host of others.

I’m somewhat concerned about how easy it is to create an actor using the likeness of a celebrity or someone you know, but truth be told, that’s the case for pretty much every other genAI service.

Once you’ve built your storyboard, there’s also a Timeline where each shot will be displayed in sequence. You’re free to move them around, or even delete shots (this will be reflected in your storyboard), but it’s also possible to export each shot you’ve created in LTX, and use dedicated video editing software to fine tune your edit.

Story-boarders could use this service to speed up their creation process, no doubt. But it’s also very possible for anyone who knows about shots, angles, etc, to do away with a story-boarder altogether with this service, and even more so with the ‘Generate Storyboard’ tool. With that one, all you need to do is feed it your scene’s script, and AI will create shot after shot for you automatically.

It’s not hard to imagine, with a lot of CS, you could conceivably create an entire video project, from concept to final output, without ever leaving the comfort of your chair, scout for locations, cast actors, hire a crew… It’s certainly the most impressive… But is it a good thing? For the industry, for the professionals? For the individuals?

  • Score: 4/5

LTX Studio: Environmental concerns

LTX Studio during our review

(Image credit: Lightricks // Future)
  • Like any AI data centre, LTX Studio uses a lot of power, and a lot of water. The Google centre they’re hosted by, claim to “care deeply” about reaching net zero by 2030, and that it replenishes around two thirds of the water it uses

On top of that, there’s the growing concern of such data centre’s impact on the environment. LTX Studio is currently hosted in Council Buff, Iowa, and I’ve been told they “deeply care” about reaching net zero by 2030. I was also informed that LTX is the most energy efficient AI model out there (I guess having a really fast generative engine must help in that regard).

Freshwater usage is also known to be a massive problem, what with the huge number of processors these centres need to cool - Google’s Data Centres claim to replenish around 64% of the water they use. Despite that, they still use a heck of a lot of freshwater, mind. But then again, all massive AI centres have the same problem

Should I buy LTX Studio?

LTX Studio during our review

(Image credit: Lightricks // Future)

Buy it if...

You’re looking for a fast generative AI service that can help you build a project from scratch, creating actors, adding them to your storyboard, even turning images into short video clips, and edit it all in the included (yet rudimentary) video editing section.

Don't buy it if...

You’re not a fan of AI, don’t like the weird images and videos it generally produces, and prefer to deal with human beings to produce projects, and works of art.

For more creative tools, we've tested and reviewed the best video editing software and the best video editing apps for pro-grade results.

The LG B5 is a brilliant, entry-level OLED TV with plenty to like, even though it doesn’t hit the same picture quality heights as its pricier OLED siblings
8:00 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Televisions | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

LG B5 OLED TV review: Two minute review

The LG B5 is LG’s entry-level OLED TV for 2025. It doesn’t change a great deal from its predecessor, the LG B4, one of the best TVs of 2024, but still delivers the great performance and stacked feature set that you’d expect from an LG OLED TV. At $1,499.99 / £1,699 / AU$1,995 the main competition for the 55-inch model I reviewed is mid-to-premium price mini-LED TVs.

LG B5’s new features are primarily the AI ones associated with webOS 25, such as AI Search, AI Concierge and the improved AI Chatbot. Elsewhere, the B5 carries a lot of the same features as last year’s LG B4, although that is a well-stocked list.

The B5 delivers very good picture quality. Its main strength lies in its detailed textures and punchy, dynamic colors. Its rich contrast and deep black levels are what you’d expect from the best OLED TVs. Where the B5 falls short is brightness, as there has been no upgrade over the B4 in that respect. During testing, I also found its screen to be quite reflective, but its picture quality is still great overall.

With a two-channel, 20W speaker system, the B5’s built-in sound can only go so far. Using the AI Sound Pro preset results in clear sound for such a basic speaker array. Unfortunately, the bass is lacking, and its sound never really escapes beyond the screen. The B5 needs to be paired with one of the best soundbars to get a good cinematic experience.

Gaming is one area where the B5 shines. It has four HDMI 2.1 ports, which support 4K 120Hz, VRR (AMD FreeSync Premium, Nvidia G-Sync and HGiG), ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming. It also has a measured 9.1ms input lag time, which is up there with the best gaming TVs. There is an odd quirk you may need to navigate if you’re an Xbox Series X user, which you can check in the Gaming section of this review. But other than this, the B5 is a fantastic option for gaming.

LG’s webOS 25 is one of the best iterations of its smart TV platform to date, and although it carries over a lot of what made webOS 24 great, such as Quick Menu, Quick Cards, it adds in new AI features that many should find useful. This is one of the best smart interfaces you’ll find on a TV.

Value is a difficult proposition for the B5. While the B4 is available, it’s easily the better option as the B5 doesn’t provide any major upgrades. Still, for the money, the B5 delivers a very good package with responsive gaming performance, a full suite of features and strong picture quality.

LG B5 OLED TV review: Prices & release date

LG B5 OLED TV with sunset over a city on screen

The LG B5 demonstrates strong contrast and refined detail (Image credit: Future)
  • Release date: July/August 2025 (UK/US)
  • 48-inch: $899.99 / £1,299
  • 55-inch: $1,499.99 / £1,699 / AU$1,995
  • 65-inch: $1,999.99 / £2,499 / AU$2,695
  • 77-inch: $2,999.99 / £3,499
  • 83-inch: $4,499.99 / £4,499

The LG B5 is the entry-level model in LG’s 2025 OLED TV lineup, sitting below the mid-range LG C5 and the flagship LG G5 and LG M5 OLED models. The 55-inch model I tested launched at $1,499.99 / £1,699 / AU$1,995 compared to the LG C5’s 55-inch launch price of $1,999.99 / £1,899.99 / AU$3,295.

Since its release, prices for the LG B5 have fallen across the lineup in different regions. The 55-inch model is now priced at $1,499.99 / £1,399 / AU$1,995 and the 65-inch model is priced at $1,599.99 / £2,099 / AU$2,695.

LG B5 OLED TV review: Specs

Screen type:

OLED

Refresh rate:

120Hz

HDR support:

Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG

Audio support:

Dolby Atmos

Smart TV:

webOS 25

HDMI ports:

4x HDMI 2.1

Built-in tuner:

ATSC 1.0 (US)

LG B5 OLED TV review: Benchmark results

LG B5 OLED TV review: Features

LG B5 OLED TV ports

The LG B5's connections include four HDMI 2.1 ports (Image credit: Future)
  • Alpha 8 AI Processor Gen 2 and W-OLED panel
  • 4K 120Hz, VRR, ALLM and four HDMI 2.1 ports
  • AI picture and sound tools

The LG B5 serves as the entry-level model in LG’s 2025 OLED TV lineup. It uses a standard W-OLED panel, and for that reason, it doesn’t offer the same brightness as the LG C5, which has an OLED Evo panel, or the LG G5, which has a new Primary Tandem RGB OLED panel.

The B5 comes equipped with LG’s Alpha 8 AI Processor Gen 2, which features 4K Super Upscaling and AI Picture Pro. It also has AI Sound Pro, which features 9.1.2 surround sound upscaling. The B5 supports Dolby Vision for both movies and gaming, but there is no HDR10+ support.

A built-in two-channel speaker system totaling 20W of power is provided on the B5. Alongside common sound preset modes such as Standard, Cinema, and Sports, there is an AI Sound Pro preset that analyzes the content onscreen and adjusts the sound accordingly. There is Dolby Atmos support, but unfortunately, no DTS support, which is the case for all 2025 LG TVs.

The B5 is well-equipped for gaming. It carries four HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K 120Hz, VRR (including AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, Nvidia G-sync and HGiG), ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming. It also has a Game Optimizer mode where settings can be changed to improve picture and gaming performance, including an input delay boost.

The B5 uses LG’s webOS 25 as its smart TV platform. This supports all major streaming apps such as Netflix, Disney Plus and Prime Video, as well as UK-based streaming apps including BBC iPlayer and ITVX. The major new additions to webOS 25 include a number of AI-based tools such as AI Search, AI Concierge, which recommends content based on keyword searches you have used, and AI Voice ID, which recognises users and activates their saved profile with a customized home screen and content.

  • Features score: 5/5

LG B5 OLED TV review: Picture quality

LG B5 OLED TV with red flowers in a field on screen

The LG B5's superb color is one of its highlights (Image credit: Future)
  • Detailed, contrast-rich picture
  • Accurate colors and textures
  • Middling brightness levels

Starting with some brightness measurements, the LG B5 clocked in at 668 nits in Cinema mode and 637 nits in Standard mode for HDR peak brightness measured on a 10% white window. Those numbers are almost identical to its predecessor, the LG B4. Such brightness figures are to be expected from a TV with a W-OLED display panel, but they are a significant step down from the mid-range LG C5, which hit 1,180 nits and 1,198 nits on the same tests in Filmmaker and Standard modes, respectively.

For fullscreen HDR brightness, the B5 hit 131 nits in Cinema mode and 172 nits in Standard mode, measured on a 100% white pattern. Again, these are low numbers, but typical ones for a TV with a W-OLED panel.

Throughout my viewing, I found myself switching between Cinema and Filmmaker Mode, as the former was better for brighter scenes, and the latter was more accurate for darker scenes.

Starting with some upscaling tests, the B5 did a good job of upscaling textures on an HD stream of Fight Club via Disney Plus, giving pictures a sharper look while also improving contrast. With a DVD of The Amazing Spider-Man, there was some visible upscaling in action, but it didn’t quite take the picture to 4K-like detail levels.

The B5 delivers accurate and rich colors. Watching Elemental on Disney Plus with Dolby Vision Filmmaker Mode active, a scene where Ember makes a glass vase produced shimmering oranges and purples with plenty of vivid punch. In Wicked, during the Wizard & I scene, the pink flowers were vibrant, and Elphaba’s green skin and the blue details on the walls looked true-to-life with plenty of depth.

When I measured the B5’s HDR color gamut coverage, it hit 99.5% for UHDA-P3 and 74.85% for BT.2020. These are excellent results and explain why the B5’s colors appear both accurate and vibrant.

LG B5 OLED TV with gold stopwatch inner mechanisms on screen

The LG B5 delivers deep black levels as you'd expect from an OLED, but its reflective screen means darker scenes are best viewed in dim lighting conditions (Image credit: Future)

The B5’s black levels are as inky and rich as you could hope for from an OLED TV. In the opening crime scene investigation and subway fight in The Batman, the dark areas on screen looked deep and the shadow detail was superb. I did find there were minor instances of black crush in some particularly dark scenes in Filmmaker Mode, but dark scenes overall looked very good.

Contrast was also very good, with an even balance between light and dark tones. In both The Batman and Nosferatu, scenes with deep black backgrounds punctuated by bright light from torches or lamps had powerful depth. The B5’s average brightness meant the range between dark and light tones wasn’t as wide as you’d find on more premium OLEDs, but it was still impressive. And in black and white scenes from Oppenheimer, the B5 showcased a good range of gray tones between the deep shadows and bright highlights.

One thing that became obvious throughout my testing was how reflective the B5’s screen became in bright lighting conditions. Darker movies, such as The Batman and Nosferatu, were best viewed in dimmed or pitch black conditions, as they were difficult to watch with the overhead lights in our testing labs turned on.

Throughout testing, the B5 delivered realistic textures with a 3D-like level of crispness. Skin tones looked accurate, and the B5’s fine detail brought out features such as facial hair and pores.

The B5’s motion handling was accurate and smooth. In a scene from No Time To Die where James Bond walks across a hillside, the B5 handled the slow-panning camera shot with only minimal judder when Cinematic Movement was turned on in the Clarity settings. For sports, I chose Standard Mode with Natural motion turned on, as this produced the smoothest action when watching a soccer game on Prime Video while avoiding motion artefacts such as ghosting of the ball.

  • Picture quality score: 4.5/5

LG B5 OLED TV review: Sound quality

LG B5 OLED TV with Elphaba on screen

The LG B5's sound is average, and although AI Sound Pro mode does a good job, movies such as Wicked (pictured) deserve better (Image credit: Universal Pictures / Future)
  • Two-channel speaker system
  • Clear, accurate sound
  • Limited bass and soundstage

The LG B5 has a two-channel, 20W speaker system, and while it supports Dolby Atmos, it lacks the DTS support found on 2024 LG OLED TVs. A useful AI Sound Pro mode upmixes audio to a 9.1.2-channel configuration that adds a more immersive layer to the B5’s sound.

Another new feature for webOS 25 is AI Sound Wizard, a tool that lets you listen to pre-recorded audio clips to determine a sound profile you like, similar to the AI Picture Wizard. Although I didn’t use this tool for my testing, it may be useful for some.

While I usually choose a Cinema/Movie sound preset for my testing, I found myself using LG’s AI Sound Pro preset most often. It added width and depth to the soundstage and produced a more accurate sound and greater volume levels compared to the Cinema preset.

Watching the Batmobile chase scene from The Batman with AI Sound Pro activated, swerving cars, screeching tyres and spraying bullets were all accurately mapped, with the sounds closely connected to the action on the screen. Sadly, the rumble of the Batmobile's engine was absent as AI Sound Pro sacrifices bass, creating a more thinned-out sound. Even so, when watching Wicked, AI Sound Pro did a good job of creating a wider soundstage for the score while also delivering clear vocals.

One tough thing to ignore is that the B5’s sound doesn’t match up to its picture. I’d recommend adding a soundbar, and thanks to the B5’s WOW Orchestra feature, compatible LG soundbars can work in tandem with the B5’s speakers to create a punchier, more impactful sound.

  • Sound quality score: 3.5/5

LG B5 OLED TV review: Design

LG B5 OLED TV metal foot on dark surface

The LG B5 uses two metal feet instead of a central pedestal stand. (Image credit: Future)
  • Sturdy, lightweight design
  • Solid, metal feet
  • New AI smart remote

Even though it’s the entry-level OLED TV in LG’s lineup, the B5 has a premium design. It comes with two metal feet that feel reassuringly weighty, and when attached, the B5 is sturdy despite its light weight. It has a marble-effect on the rear panel that again gives it a premium feel.

The B5 is similar in depth to the LG C5, and although it doesn’t have the metal frame of the LG G5, it does have a visually appealing trim profile around most of the frame.

If you’re in the US, you’ll be getting a new streamlined, AI version of LG’s Magic Remote, which gets rid of some buttons in favor of a smaller, sleeker design. If you’re in the UK, the Magic Remote has a near-identical design to previous versions, but some buttons, such as source select, have been omitted in favor of the new AI button.

  • Design score: 4/5

LG B5 OLED TV review: Smart TV & menus

LG B5 OLED TV with webOS 25 home page on screen

webOS 25 is easily one of the best iterations of LG's smart TV platform to date (Image credit: Future)
  • LG webOS 25 interface
  • AI-based tools for content recommendation
  • Quick Cards and Quick Menu for easy navigation

The B5 uses LG’s webOS smart TV platform. This year’s iteration, webOS 25, adds several AI-centric features including AI Search, a tool that can be used to find specific content; AI Concierge, which uses keywords based on watch and search history to make content recommendations; and an improved version of AI Chatbot, an AI assistant that can help with any TV troubleshooting or queries.

The webOS 25 layout follows the same successful formula from webOS 24. It has Quick Cards on the home screen to house specific apps based on category, such as Game and Sports, and Quick Menu, a useful tool for making settings adjustments without having to move away from the content on screen. Navigation of menus and apps was smooth and responsive on the B5 throughout my testing.

Multiple viewers can create profiles that will have personalized layouts and even tailored comment recommendations. The new AI Voice ID feature can recognize a specific viewer, and the TV will automatically switch to the associated profile.

The B5 doesn’t have as many picture and sound settings as you’d find on some other smart TV platforms, but it now has AI Picture Wizard and AI Sound Wizards serving as useful tools to create your own personal picture and sound profiles.

  • Smart TV & menus score: 4.5/5

LG B5 OLED TV review: Gaming

LG B5 OLED TV with Battlefield V and game optimizer menu on screen

The LG B5 is a brilliant TV for gaming with responsive performance and handling with games such as Battlefield V (pictured) (Image credit: Future)
  • 4K 120Hz, FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync
  • 9.1ms input lag time
  • Four HDMI 2.1 ports

The B5 is an excellent TV for gaming and has a wide array of gaming features. It has four HDMI 2.1 ports that all support 4K 120Hz, FreeSync Premium, Nvidia G-Sync, HGiG, Dolby Vision gaming and ALLM. It also features a Game Optimizer mode where settings such as black level and input lag can be easily adjusted.

Gaming performance on the B5 is snappy and ultra-responsive. Playing Battlefield V on Xbox Series X, chaotic shootouts and battles with quick targeting were handled with ease, with the B5 delivering a judder-free experience throughout. With Boost mode activated in the Game Optimizer, I measured a low 9.1ms input lag time. With Dolby Vision picture activated, Battlefield V’s picture looked detailed with strong contrast and bold colors during a mission in an autumnal forest.

One quirk I did find during my testing was that with Dolby Vision picture, a feature that’s only relevant for certain Xbox Series X games, activated, I could not change the Input Delay in Game Optimizer. To get around this, I turned off Dolby Vision in the Xbox Series X settings, changed the Input Lag setting to Boost and then reactivated Dolby Vision. Not a dealbreaker, but something to note.

  • Gaming score: 5/5

LG B5 OLED TV review: Value

Image 1 of 2

LG C5 AI Magic Remote

The latest LG AI Magic Remote has a design change from previous generations. But it's only available in certain regions including the US. (Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 2

LG C5 Magic Remote with AI button

UK users will have to settle for the original Magic Remote with a new AI button instead. (Image credit: Future)
  • Great features and performance for the price
  • Almost identical to its predecessor
  • Better value in the UK and Australia than in the US

The LG B5 is an odd TV to judge in terms of value. The 55-inch model I tested is available for $1,499.99 / £1,399 / AU$1,695, whereas the step-up 55-inch LG C5 is available for $1,399 / £1,599 / AU$3,295. This means if you’re in the US, it’s actually cheaper to buy the C5, though the reason the B5 is more expensive is that it was only recently released in the US and hasn’t yet seen discounts.

There is a significant price gap between the two in the UK and Australia, and while you may not get the C5’s brightness with the B5, you are getting a similar feature set.

The real elephant in the room is that the B5 is nearly identical to its B4 predecessor, with similar picture quality, including brightness levels, and similar features. While the B4 remains available, it is your best option as it’s now selling at a significantly reduced price. Once the B4 stock runs out, the B5 will be the cheapest 2025 OLED TV.

Still, the B5 carries a near-full suite of features and delivers great picture quality and gaming performance, for a competitive price. Once the B5 gets discounts, it will be a steal.

  • Value score: 4/5

Should I buy the LG C5 OLED TV?

LG B5 OLED TV with parrot on screen

(Image credit: Future)
LG B5 OLED

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

A fantastic list of features for smart TV and gaming

5/5

Picture quality

Great picture quality with rich contrast and colors, but just average brightness

4.5/5

Sound quality

Direct, engaging sound with AI Sound Pro but feels too narrow and bass is underwhelming

3.5/5

Design

Solid build quality with somewhat premium feel for an entry-level OLED

4/5

Smart TV and menus

webOS 25 is packed with new AI features while carrying over everything that made webOS 24 great

4.5/5

Gaming

Full suite of gaming features including 4K 120Hz support and four HDMI 2.1 ports

5/5

Value

Nearly identical to its predecessor, the B4, but still a great overall package

4/5

Buy it if...

You want brilliant picture quality
The B5 has a contrast-rich picture that delivers vibrant colors and realistic textures. It looks more premium than its entry-level status would suggest.

You want a great TV for gaming
Stocked with a near-full suite of gaming features and delivering responsive performance and great picture quality, the B5 is a top-tier gaming TV.

You want the best smart TV platform
webOS 25 is easy to navigate, user-friendly, packed with convenient features and introduces AI tools that can make your life much easier.

Don't buy it if...

You own the LG B4
The B5 is a great TV, but it carries almost no upgrades over last year's B4 other than webOS 25. If you own the B4 or can get a good deal on it, there's no point in upgrading.

You want to watch in a bright room
Due to the LG B5's middling brightness and reflective screen, it can be quite difficult to watch in a bright room, especially with darker scenes. It's best viewed in dim conditions.

You want brilliant built-in sound
The B5 does an admirable job and has a useful AI Sound Pro mode, but there's no denying that the sound doesn't match the picture. A soundbar would make a good addition.

Also Consider

LG B5

LG B4

LG C5

Samsung QN80F

Price (55-inch)

$1,499.99 / £1,699 / AU$1,995

$1,399 / £1,399 / AU$2,199

$1,999.99 / £1,899.99 / AU$3,299

$1,299.99 / £1,399 (roughly AU$1,991)

Screen type

OLED

OLED

OLED

Mini-LED

Refresh rate

120Hz

120Hz

144Hz

144Hz

HDR support

Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG

Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG

Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG

HDR10+, HDR10, HLG

Smart TV

webOS 25

webOS 24

webOS 25

Tizen

HDMI ports

4 x HDMI 2.1

4 x HDMI 2.1

4 x HDMI 2.1

4 x HDMI 2.1

LG B4
The LG B4 is the LG B5's predecessor and the two models are near-identical, with the main difference being the AI-based tools the B5 has received as part of webOS 25. While the B4 is still in stock, it's easily the better deal of the two. Read our full LG B4 review.

LG C5
The LG C5 is the mid-range OLED in LG's 2025 TV lineup. The main upgrades it has over the B5 include much higher peak brightness levels and an improved processor, as well as 4K 144Hz support for gaming. The C5 is arguably the best value OLED in LG's lineup and it's not much pricier than the B5. If you can't stretch your budget, the B5 is still a solid option. Read our full LG C5 review.

Samsung QN80F
The mid-range model in Samsung's 2025 mini-LED TV lineup, the Samsung QN80F is similarly priced to the B5. It carries a similar suite of features and delivers higher brightness, but its overall picture quality can't quite compete with the B5, as the latter offers richer contrast and more accurate colors. The QN80F may be a better option for bright rooms, however. Read our full Samsung QN80F review.

How I tested the LG B5 OLED TV

LG B5 OLED TV with colorimeter, laptop, test pattern generator and Portrait Display Calman software all connected and on display

(Image credit: Future)
  • Tested over a couple of weeks
  • Tested using SDR and HDR sources
  • Measurements taken using Portrait Displays' Calman color calibration software

I first began testing the LG B5 with some casual viewing to determine the best picture modes, eventually settling on both Cinema and Filmmaker Mode (depending on the content).

After this, I began my subjective testing, using both Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) sources such as DVD and broadcast TV and HD streaming, and High Dynamic Range (HDR) sources such as 4K Blu-ray and 4K streaming.

With these sources, I used reference scenes to test the B5's picture for color, contrast, textures, motion and upscaling. I also used reference scenes to test the B5's sound quality.

For 4K Blu-rays and other discs, I used a Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray player. I also used an Xbox Series X to test the B5's gaming features and performance.

LG B5 OLED TV with testing equipment attached and person testing

(Image credit: Future)

For objective testing of the B5, I used a colorimeter, test pattern generator and Portrait Displays' Calman color calibration software to record measurements.

Brightness measurements were taken using both HDR and SDR white window patterns ranging in size from 1-100%, with a focus on 10% and 100% windows, for peak and fullscreen brightness, respectively. I also tested the B5's grayscale and color accuracy, taking an average of the Delta-E values (the margin of error between the test pattern source and what's shown on screen), looking for a result below 3.

I also tested the B5's coverage of the UHDA-P3 and BT.2020 color spaces. Finally, I used a Leo Bodnar 4K HDMI Input lag Tester to test the B5's input lag in milliseconds.

You can read an in-depth overview of how we test TVs at TechRadar at that link.

The Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro takes on the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro with comparable power, incredible battery life, and a much cheaper price tag
6:25 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Phones | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro: Two-minute review

If the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro is too much of an investment for you, there are cheaper ways to get your mobile gaming kicks. The Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro offers a comparable gaming experience for literally half the price.

As the first phone to run on Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite Leading Version chipset, paired with a bolstered cooling system, the Red Magic 10S Pro can technically outperform any other phone on the market, even if that fact doesn’t particularly manifest itself in general use.

The phone also features a fine 6.85-inch 144Hz AMOLED display offering a blissfully unimpeded view of the action – though you’ll pay for that with terrible selfie pictures.

Indeed, Nubia’s phone continues to be suboptimal for those who don’t prioritize gaming above all else. Its camera system is fine, but not competitive with the best midrange smartphones. Meanwhile, its design, while nice and flat, is big and heavy, with a gamer aesthetic that remains an acquired taste.

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro product shots

(Image credit: Future)

In a similar vein, Nubia’s UI remains a little on the clumsy side, with ugly icons and too much bloatware. With that said, its gamer-focused features are as potent as ever, and the company’s software update promise has taken a big step forward – especially in the EU.

The phone’s level of stamina is truly outstanding, thanks to the inclusion of a huge 7,050mAh battery. This thing could conceivably get you through two days or even more, at least when you’re not indulging in those epic gaming sessions. You’ll be able to get up to speed nice and quickly, too, with an 80W charger included in the box, though you’ll have to make do without wireless charging.

The Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro remains a very specific tool for a very specific job. As impressive a value proposition as it is, we wouldn’t dream of recommending it to anyone who isn’t intent on doing a serious amount of gaming on the go. Most flagship or even midrange phones will probably be a better pick for most people on balance.

For that narrow slice of mobile gamers, however, Nubia’s top gaming phone offers the best bang-to-buck ratio out there.

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro review: price and availability

  • Released on June 17
  • Priced from $699 / £579 / AU$649

The Red Magic 10S Pro hit shelves on June 18, 2025, with prices starting at $699 / £579 / AU$649 for the matte black Nightfall model, which comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The model tested here is the midrange option with 16GB/512GB, which will set you back $849 / £709 / AU$799

The range-topping 24GB/1TB model costs $999 / £879 / AU$999.

As always with Nubia’s gaming phone range, this represents excellent value for the level of raw performance you’re getting here. Our pick for the best gaming phone on the market, the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro, costs $1,199 / £1,099.99 / AU$1,999.

  • Value score: 5 / 5

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro review: specs

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro specs

Dimensions:

163 x 76 x 9mm

Weight:

229g

Display:

6.85-inch Full HD+ (1216 x 2688) up to 144Hz BOE AMOLED

Chipset:

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Leading Version

RAM:

12GB / 16GB / 24GB (LPDDR5X)

Storage:

256GB / 512GB / 1TB (UFS 4.1)

OS:

Android 15

Primary camera:

50MP Samsung OV50E 1/1.55-inch sensor w/ OIS

Ultra-wide camera:

50MP Samsung OV50D 1/2.88-inch sensor

Macro camera

2MP

Front Camera:

16MP under-display

Battery:

7,050mAh

Charging:

80W wired

Colors:

Nightfall, Dusk, Moonlight

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro review: design

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro product shots

(Image credit: Future)
  • Toughened glass and aviation aluminum middle frame
  • Completely flat with no camera bump
  • 520Hz capacitive shoulder trigger buttons
  • Dedicated gaming mode switch

Suggesting that the Red Magic 10S Pro sports a similar design to the Red Magic 10 Pro is underselling things somewhat.

They’re identical to look at and hold, barring a couple of very minor cosmetic touches: a subtle chevron finish rather than a dappled one; a Red Magic logo switching to a different side; a new ‘Leading Version’ decal reflecting the new chip type, and so on.

This is another large, flat, straight-sided phone measuring 163 x 76 x 9mm and weighing 229g. Once again, it features an “aviation aluminum” frame with toughened glass to the front and back. And, once again, perhaps the most pleasing element of this is the total lack of a sticky-outy camera module.

The aesthetic is the same, too, with a slightly cheap-looking semi-transparent effect that shows you elements of the phone’s internal workings – or at least, elements that broadly represent the internal components.

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro product shots

(Image credit: Future)
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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro product shots

(Image credit: Future)

Nubia still hasn’t managed to bolster the water and dust resistance rating beyond IP54, likely thanks to the continued presence of whopping great vents on either side of the phone. These facilitate the phone’s physical cooling fan, which kicks in during gaming and charging, and which is highlighted by several RGB lighting elements.

The right edge of the Red Magic 10S Pro is particularly busy. Besides the aforementioned cooling vent, it also houses a volume rocker, a circular power button, and three extra gaming-oriented controls.

There’s a pair of capacitive 520Hz buttons that can be mapped to game controls – particularly handy in competitive shooters like Call of Duty: Mobile and Delta Force. You also get a physical Gamespace switch here, which instantly brings up Nubia’s gaming UI.

Another gaming-oriented inclusion is a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top edge. This negates the issue of audio lag, which even high-end wireless headphones will struggle with, to varying degrees.

The Red Magic 10S Pro, like its predecessors, sports a striking all-screen design with extremely small display bezels and an under-display selfie camera, producing a high 95.3% screen-to-body ratio. This doesn’t leave room for dual front-firing speakers, which means you can cover the speaker on the bottom edge with your hand.

In terms of sound output, you’re looking at speakers that get plenty loud and offer decent stereo separation, but which are somewhat piercing and lacking in low-end depth – certainly compared to many flagship phones.

  • Design score: 3.5 / 5

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro review: display

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro product shots

(Image credit: Future)
  • 6.85-inch OLED
  • 1216 x 2688 ‘1.5K’ resolution
  • 144Hz refresh rate
  • 2000 nits peak brightness

After changing things up with the Red Magic 10 Pro, Nubia has gone with the exact same display for the 10S Pro. This is a large 6.85-inch OLED with a nicely balanced ‘1.5K’ resolution, which works out to 2,688 x 1,216.

This also produces a 144Hz maximum refresh rate. The list of games that can actually support such fluidity is pretty slender, but it’s one of the few use case scenarios for such a spec. The Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro has it beat at 185Hz, but then, you’re paying double the money for such diminishing returns.

In peak HDR scenarios, this display is capable of hitting 2,000 nits, though in general use, you won’t get anywhere near that mark. It’s bright enough for clear outdoor usage, however.

As we’ve already discussed, the Red Magic 10S Pro Display is notable for being completely unhindered by a selfie notch. Experiencing video and gaming content in such an unobstructed way feels good, and you might question why more phones don’t take such an approach.

The answer to that question is very simple indeed, but we’ll leave off answering it until the camera section.

  • Display score: 4 / 5

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro review: cameras

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro product shots

(Image credit: Future)
  • 50MP main with OIS
  • 50MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro
  • 16MP in-display selfie camera still terrible
  • Up to 8K/30fps video

It probably won’t surprise you to learn that the camera system here is identical to that of the Red Magic 10 Pro.

There’s the same 50MP 1/1.55" OmniVision OV50E main sensor with OIS and a 7P lens. This is accompanied by a 50MP 1/2.88" OV50D ultra-wide, and an all-but-pointless 2MP macro sensor. There is no dedicated telephoto camera.

You also get the same 16MP in-display front camera.

There’s an unspoken deal you strike with every gaming phone manufacturer: they will give you an extremely fast phone with a level of sustained performance and stamina well in excess of your average flagship phone. In return, you will give up any expectations of taking really good photographs.

That holds as true with the Red Magic 10S Pro as it did with its predecessors (for the record, the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro takes decent shots, though it’s well short of the very best camera phones). This is a competent mid-range performer, though you could spend about £100 less on the Google Pixel 9a and have a much better time if photography is your priority.

With that main sensor, shots look sharp and contrasty in good lighting, if a little over-processed and unnaturally vibrant. Night shots look nice and clear, though again, there’s a slightly false note to the level of brightness.

Ultra-wide shots take a notable hit to quality, with a drabber, flatter look compared to the main sensor. This can occasionally work in its favor, producing more natural-looking shots, but in general, the disparity is just distracting.

Zoomed shots all crop in on that main sensor, but they’re not worth using beyond 2x. Even at 4x, the drop-off in detail is stark.

It’s a familiar story by now, but the decision to go with an in-display front camera results in flat-out terrible selfies, lacking in detail and contrast. Nubia claims that the AI algorithm has been upgraded here, and I suppose if I were being charitable, I’d concede that the selfies I took were the best I’ve seen from a Red Magic phone.

But you have to understand that this is a very low bar indeed, and almost any affordable phone released in 2025 should be able to top it in the selfie stakes.

Nubia is one of those manufacturers that implements a couple of annoying settings straight out of the box. One is an inexplicable watermark (as you can see in some of my sample images), while another is an obnoxious beautifying mode for selfies. You can turn both off easily enough, but it should really be this way out of the box.

Video recording is very solid here, with Nubia putting that flagship chip to good use in supporting 8K recording at 30fps or – more practically – 4K at 60fps. Footage shot using the latter configuration was nice and smooth, courtesy of that OIS.

  • Camera score: 3 / 5

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro review: camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro review: performance

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro product shots

(Image credit: Future)
  • Souped-up Snapdragon 8 Elite Leading Version
  • 12GB, 16GB, or 24GB of LPDDR5X RAM
  • 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of UFS 4.1 storage
  • Sustained performance takes a step back, though average performance is still better

The one component that explains and even justifies the Red Magic 10S Pro’s existence is the move to a new chip. Kind of.

In fact, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Leading Version found here is merely an overclocked version of the chip from the Red Magic 10 Pro – and most other 2025 flagship phones, for that matter.

Nubia claims that it supplies a 30% power boost, with the CPU clock speeds moving up from 4.32GHz to 4.47GHz and the GPU from 1,100MHz to 1,200MHz. The NPU, meanwhile, provides an AI performance boost of 40%.

This is supported by a bolstered Liquid Metal 2.0 cooling system, which rejigs things for a 5°C reduction in temperature compared to the 10 Pro.

None of this is noticeable in day-to-day performance, nor even when gaming. There’s a very simple reason for that: the Snapdragon 8 Elite was already more than enough to handle the very best games that the Google Play Store has to offer.

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro product shots

(Image credit: Future)

Graphically advanced games such as GRID Legends already run fabulously on the Red Magic 10 Pro, while you can blast opponents on Call of Duty: Mobile at high frame rates and graphical settings.

Indeed, even using our usual suite of benchmark tests, the Red Magic 10S Pro performed no better than its predecessor. That still positions it as one of the fastest phones on the market, of course, but know that the main advantage to buying this phone is performance headroom.

Sustained performance was unimpeachable on the Red Magic 10 Pro, and it seems Nubia hasn’t quite managed to maintain such a high level here. A score of 84.8% in 3D Mark's Solar Bay Stress Test falls 15% short of its predecessor, suggesting that it can’t quite maintain peak performance across an intensive 20-minute workout.

However, it’s worth digging deeper into the figures here. A peak loop score of 12568 is quite a bit higher than the Red Magic 10 Pro’s 10032. Indeed, the 10S Pro could beat that with its lowest loop score of 10654. In other words, the Red Magic 10S Pro can’t stay at its maximum level as long as the 10 Pro, but its output is still better at any given moment.

Needless to say, general navigation and day-to-day use don’t pose a problem for the Red Magic 10S Pro. Especially not with the 16 GB of RAM that my test model comes bundled with.

  • Performance score: 5 / 5

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro review: software

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro product shots

(Image credit: Future)
  • Red Magic OS 10.5 on Android 15
  • UI is ugly but solid enough
  • Dedicated Game Space gaming UI
  • Up to 5 years of OS and security updates

In keeping with the Red Magic 10S Pro’s half-step nature, it ships with Red Magic OS 10.5. It’s much the same as Red Magic OS 10 in the previous model, sitting atop the same Android 15 operating system.

That’s not necessarily a positive, as Nubia’s UI still needs a lot of work. It’s a fairly clunky experience, with ugly icons and wallpapers, and an unnecessarily huge fan widget. Nubia’s Google Feed replacement to the left of the Home Screen continues to be a tacky collection of random news stories and apps.

While it’s a lot less buggy and janky than it used to be, there are still some rough edges. On my test model, that manifested itself most obviously with a pair of app icons on the second Home Screen mysteriously labelled ‘Unknown’.

I’m not sure why, but I was required to dive into Gmail’s Settings just to make this default email app sync up.

Bloatware is still an issue, too. Even deselecting all the terrible games at the set-up phase doesn’t clean things up completely. Rather hilariously, there are two dedicated folders filled with download prompts for said unwanted apps.

TikTok, Facebook, MoboReader, MoboReals, WPS Office, and Booking.com are all there at set-up, whether you like it or not.

With all that said, Red Magic OS 10.5 runs snappily, and Nubia's Game Space game management UI remains a comprehensive way to organize and manage your gaming. Flip that switch, and you’ll enter a landscape interface that lets you tweak performance, screen sensitivity, screen ratios, and individual game plug-ins that verge on the cheat-y.

Google Gemini is pre-installed, alongside some now fairly standard AI tools for photo search, image editing, real-time translation, and the like. Circle to Search is also here.

Ongoing support continues to fall behind the best, but is now much improved over the Red Magic 10 Pro. There are now three years of OS and security updates in the global and US models, and five years in the UK and EU models.

  • Software score: 3.5 / 5

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro review: battery life

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro product shots

(Image credit: Future)
  • 7,050mAh battery
  • Multi-day usage
  • 80W wired charging

Nubia really stepped things up with the Red Magic 10 Pro, squeezing in a huge 7,050mAh battery. The 10S Pro has the same, and it remains one of the biggest cells on the market.

With this battery on board, I was able to blast through two days of moderate usage, and even well into a third before I felt compelled to plug it in.

When the phone finally did run out of juice entirely, the bundled 80W charger got me back up to 72% in just 30 minutes. A full charge took me 45 minutes, which isn’t too shabby at all given the battery’s capacity.

There’s no wireless charging here, which we’ve come to expect from Nubia’s gaming sub-brand. That’s not to say it should be let off the hook entirely – the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro includes a wireless charging provision – but it’s an understandable omission in the name of prioritizing gaming-friendly features on a strict budget.

Indeed, it’s probably a more apt criticism to note that there’s no secondary USB-C port on the long edge, which makes charging while gaming so much more viable in the ROG.

  • Battery score: 5 / 5

Should I buy the Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro?

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Design

It’s big and unwieldy, and the gamer aesthetic grows a little tiresome, but it’s also nice and flat.

3.5 / 5

Display

This screen is big, sharp, fluid, and it gets reasonably bright. It’s also unobstructed by a bothersome notch.

4 / 5

Performance

As the first phone to feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite Leading Version, this is one of the very fastest phones around.

4.5 / 5

Camera

It’ll take solid pictures in good lighting, but you don’t buy a gaming phone if you’re seriously interested in great photos.

3 / 5

Battery

This phone has one of the largest batteries around, and it’s good for multi-day use.

5 / 5

Software

Nubia's custom UI is reasonably fast and fluid these days, but it’s still ugly and cluttered.

3 / 5

Value

You simply won’t find this level of performance at this price anywhere else on the market.

5 / 5

Buy it if...

You're a gamer who doesn’t have cash to burn
The Red Magic 10S Pro offers top-level gaming performance, but it costs about half the price of our favorite gaming phone, the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro.

You’re anti-notch
Sick of display notches spoiling the view? The Red Magic 10S Pro doesn’t have one.

You want the biggest battery possible
At 7,050mAh, the Red Magic 10S Pro's battery is the biggest on the market.

Don't buy it if...

You like selfies
That in-display front camera might look cool, but it takes truly terrible selfies.

Subtlety and style matter to you
Nubia’s design language is big, brash, and slightly tacky.

You prefer a clean UI
Red Magic OS is ugly, cluttered, and a little glitchy.

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro review: also consider

The Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro is a great-value gaming phone, but there are some excellent alternatives if you want to spend more or less.

Nubia Red Magic 10 Pro
The previous model should be available at a lower price right now, despite being only six months older and broadly as capable.

Read our full Nubia Red Magic 10 Pro review

Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro
This step-up option gives you similar gaming performance, but a lot of quality-of-life features on top – albeit at a much higher price.

Read our full Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro review

How I tested the Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro

  • Review test period = 1 week
  • Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, gaming, streaming video, music playback
  • Tools used = Geekbench 6, GFXBench, 3DMark, native Android stats, bundled Nubia 80W power adapter

First reviewed: June 2025

I’ve been reviewing Dell XPS laptops for half a decade, and the Dell 14 Premium is as close as they’ve ever come to dethroning the MacBook Pro
5:49 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops Windows Laptops | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Dell 14 Premium: One-minute review

The Dell 14 Premium is finally here, and it is definitely worth the wait.

The 14 Premium is the latest Dell laptop to launch as part of its rebranding, replacing the fan-favorite Dell XPS lineup of laptops, which ranked among the best laptops year after year for as long as I've been reviewing laptops for TechRadar.

Like the Dell 16 Premium, the Dell 14 Premium essentially carries on the XPS formula with little changed beyond the branding, but that's not a bad thing at all. The Dell XPS 14 (2024) was one of the best Dell laptops I've ever reviewed, and the 14 Premium is even better still.

Starting at $1,499.99 / £1,499 / AU$2,798.40, the 14 Premium matches the starting price of the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4) that it is competing with, though the 14 Premium does max out a bit cheaper than the MacBook Pro 14.

Obviously, you won't get the same kind of performance from the base-spec 14 Premium as you do if you go the discrete graphics, non-OLED route, which starts at $1,999.99 / £1,999 / AU$$3,297.8. Content creators, or those who want one of the best displays you're going to find on a laptop right now, will want to check out the RTX 4050/OLED configurations, which start at $2,199.99 / £2,199 / AU$3,598.10.

The Dell 14 Premium is on sale right now, with configurations starting as low as $1,499.99 in the US, with higher-tier configurations marked down more than $250 at Dell's website.View Deal

If performance is what you're after, the Dell 14 Premium beats out the MacBook Pro 14-inch, overall, in my testing, but it's not a total knockout. Given the performance I've seen from the MacBook Pro 14-inch base-spec, the 14 Premium really can't keep up on the low-end, and those looking to keep things within a tighter budget will likely be better off with a MacBook Pro (as much as it pains me to say it as a diehard Windows user).

If you're looking for high-end performance, however, the MacBook Pro 14-inch's M4 just can't keep up with the 14 Premium's RTX 4050 discrete graphics. It makes a huge difference in some workloads, like 3D modeling, and especially when it comes to gaming.

One other thing the 14 Premium has over the MacBook Pro 14-inch is the option for an OLED display, which looks gorgeous. The rest of the laptop is solid and has a much more premium feel to it than the 14 Plus, but there are some design quirks that keep it from truly laying out its competition on the mat.

While the discrete graphics and OLED upgrades do push the price considerably higher, there's no question that the upgrade is worth it, especially the upgrade to the RTX 4050 GPU, which unlocks a lot of power necessary for high-end applications.

This, of course, considerably impacts the device's battery life, dragging it down below nine hours in my testing. But for a laptop this compact with a high-end display and discrete graphics, it's definitely a worthwhile compromise.

So, bottom line: does the Dell 14 Premium defeat the current MacBook Pro 14-inch with M4? Yes, but it's down to the judges rather than a KO, and so your mileage may vary depending on your needs and budget. If you're going with high-end specs, the Dell 14 Premium is probably the best Windows laptop going right now, but if you're not going to go with the RTX 4050 GPU, the MacBook Pro 14-inch is probably the better bet for those looking to stay on budget.

Dell 14 Premium: Price & availability

A Dell 14 Premium sitting on a desk

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
  • How much does it cost? Starts at $1,499.99 / £1,499 / AU$2,798.40
  • When is it available? It's available now
  • Where can you get it? You can buy it in the US, UK, and Australia through Dell’s website and other retailers.

The Dell 14 Premium is available now in the US, UK, and Australia, starting at $1,499.99 / £1,499 / AU$2,798.40, respectively.

This puts it in line with the starting price of the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4), and is roughly in line with where the XPS 14 (2024) launched last year, though the 14 Premium is cheaper to start in the UK and Australia than its predecessor.

Given its premium status, this isn't really that bad a price for a laptop like this, and its high-end configurations are cheaper than a comparable MacBook Pro 14-inch, which definitely can't be overlooked. Still, it's expensive, especially in an era where everyone is a bit less free with their spending than they were even a year ago.

  • Value: 4 / 5

Dell 14 Premium: Specs

A Dell 14 Premium sitting on a desk

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
  • Up to RTX 4050 GPU
  • Wi-Fi 7
  • Only Thunderbolt 4

The specs for the Dell 14 Premium are pretty much identical to the Dell XPS 14 that preceded it, with some important differences.

This is not an Intel Lunar Lake laptop; it's an Arrow Lake H laptop, so while the processor model numbers might look very similar, they are two different architectures.

This allows the Intel Core Ultra 255H chip to be paired with an Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, something last year's model wasn't capable of due to the limitations of the Lunar Lake chip design.

The 14 Premium is also configured with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity, though it only has Thunderbolt 4 ports rather than the newer Thunderbolt 5 that the top-spec Dell 16 Premium has.

Dell 14 Premium Base Specs

US

UK

Australia

Price

$1,499.99 at Dell.com

£1,499 at Dell.com

AU$2,798.40 at Dell.com

CPU

Intel Core Ultra 7 255H

Intel Core Ultra 7 255H

Intel Core Ultra 7 255H

GPU

Integrated Intel Arc 140T

Integrated Intel Arc 140T

Integrated Intel Arc 140T

Memory

16GB LPDDR5x - 7467MT/s

16GB LPDDR5x - 7467MT/s

16GB LPDDR5x - 7467MT/s

Storage

512GB PCIe NVMe

512GB PCIe NVMe

512GB PCIe NVMe

Display

14.5-inch non-touch 2K IPS 120Hz

14.5-inch non-touch 2K IPS 120Hz

14.5-inch non-touch 2K IPS 120Hz

Ports

1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1

1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1

1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1

Battery

69.5WHr

69.5WHr

69.5WHr

Wireless

Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4

Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4

Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4

Camera

1080p IR camera

1080p IR camera

1080p IR camera

Weight

3.66 lbs | 1.66kg

3.66 lbs | 1.66kg

3.66 lbs | 1.66kg

Dimensions

12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 ins | 320 x 215.97 x 18mm

12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 ins | 320 x 215.97 x 18mm

12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 ins | 320 x 215.97 x 18mm

The base specs are fairly modest, though you do start out with at least 16GB LPDDR5x RAM and a 512GB SSD, which is necessary if you're planning on using Windows 11's Copilot+ AI features. There's also no difference in starting configuration between the US, UK, and Australia.

Dell 14 Premium Top Specs

US

UK

Australia

Price

$2,399.99 at Dell.com

£2,364.59 at Dell.com

AU$4,207.50 at Dell.com

CPU

Intel Core Ultra 7 255H

Intel Core Ultra 7 265H

Intel Core Ultra 7 255H

GPU

Nvidia RTX 4050

Nvidia RTX 4050

Nvidia RTX 4050

Memory

32GB LPDDR5x - 8400MT/s

32GB LPDDR5x - 8400MT/s

32GB LPDDR5x - 8400MT/s

Storage

2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe

2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe

2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe

Display

14.5-inch Touch 3.2K OLED, 400 nit, 120Hz

14.5-inch Touch 3.2K OLED, 400 nit, 120Hz

14.5-inch Touch 3.2K OLED, 400 nit, 120Hz

Ports

1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 5, 1 x microSDXC 7.1

1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1

1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1

Battery

69.5WHr

69.5WHr

69.5WHr

Wireless

Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4

Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4

Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4

Camera

1080p IR camera

1080p IR camera

1080p IR camera

Weight

3.79 lbs | 1.72kg

3.79 lbs | 1.72kg

3.79 lbs | 1.72kg

Dimensions

12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 ins | 320 x 215.97 x 18mm

12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 ins | 320 x 215.97 x 18mm

12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 ins | 320 x 215.97 x 18mm

On the top-end, the Dell 14 Premium configurations are nearly identical, save that in the UK, you can opt for a slightly more powerful Core Ultra 7 265H chip rather than the Core Ultra 7 255H in every other configuration.

For this review, I tested out the top US configuration listed above.

  • Specs: 4.5 / 5

Dell 14 Premium: Design

A Dell 14 Premium sitting on a desk

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
  • Gorgeous OLED display
  • Excellent port selection
  • Trackpad and function key row still controversial

From the outside, the Dell 14 Premium is identical to last year's XPS 14 (save for the new logo on the lid), and that's not a bad thing. The 14 Premium's construction and minimalist aesthetic definitely make it look like it's all business, something you'd expect from a company like Dell, renowned as it is for its business and enterprise market dominance.

That doesn't make it ugly, though. It's a good-looking laptop, somewhat undercut by its two colorways, Graphite and Platinum, which are honestly rather boring at this point.

With the new Surface Laptop 7 coming in a gorgeous Sapphire colorway and even Apple adding a Sky Blue option for this year's MacBook Air models (not to mention my beloved Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch having a Violet option), laptops are starting to finally have more personality than the design deadend that Apple pushed us all into with its MacBook Silver and Space Gray colorways in the 2010s.

In this regard, I hope Dell catches up next year, but one thing at a time, I guess. Dropping the XPS branding and introducing a splash of color in one release might have pushed some Dell fans over the edge, so steady as she goes, design-wise.

Image 1 of 3

A Dell 14 Premium sitting on a desk

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Image 2 of 3

A Dell 14 Premium sitting on a desk

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Image 3 of 3

A Dell 14 Premium sitting on a desk

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

I've spilled enough ink over the past couple of years about my mixed feelings when it comes to the borderless trackpad (and loss of the delightful carbon-fibery palm rests), so I'll let that critique go. Finally.

I've yet to fully embrace the solid strip beneath the keyboard, as it does take some getting used to for finding out exactly how to right click on something, but it's easy enough to pick up and soon becomes second nature. It's still an accessibility nightmare, as is the lack of physical function keys along the top of the keydeck. On the plus side, there are top-firing speakers, which isn't always a sure thing on a 14-inch laptop.

A Dell 14 Premium sitting on a desk

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The keyboard itself is decent enough, though these aren't my favorite keys to type on. I'm very used to mechanical keyboards, so the travel and tactile responsiveness of the 14 Premium's take getting used to, and I'm not sure I ever will. If this is going to be your only or even just your primary laptop, however, you'll get used to it just fine.

A Dell 14 Premium sitting on a desk

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Some are going to complain about the lack of USB Type-A ports on the 14 Premium, but frankly, it's 2025. At some point, older, slower interfaces will be retired, and it's time, honestly. There are plenty of adapters out there to convert USB-A to USB-C, and you can even add the option for a mini-hub dongle with USB-A and HDMI ports that can plug into one of the three Thunderbolt 4 ports on the device. All three provide power delivery and DisplayPort out, with up to 4 monitors supported overall.

You also get a microSD slot, which is great for creative pros who work with SD cards alot, and a dedicated 3.5mm combo jack. All in all, a solid port selection for a device this small.

A Dell 14 Premium sitting on a desk

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

One other knock I have to give the 14 Premium though is its webcam. The 1080p IR webcam itself is perfectly good, and gets up to 30 FPS 1080p video, which is great for video calls and meetings. My problem, though, is the lack of a privacy shutter. It's 2025, and this should be the default on a 'premium' laptop.

A Dell 14 Premium sitting on a desk

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The overall aesthetics of the 14 Premium are as good as its XPS pedigree, but it could use some freshening up in the next couple of years, in my opinion. It's built solid and won't be embarrassing to whip out in the office in five year's time, but we are kind of coming up against this design's shelf life, and I hope we see something new next year.

  • Design: 4 / 5

Dell 14 Premium: Performance

A Dell 14 Premium sitting on a desk

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
  • Powerful creative chops
  • Decent 1080p gaming
  • Falls a good bit behind Apple's MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4) on some benchmarks

So, when it comes down to it, performance really is the most important factor in a laptop like the Dell 14 Premium. It's competing against one of the best MacBooks ever made in the recent MacBook Pro 14-inch, and given its pricing, the 14 Premium has to deliver on something other than cost.

It's a bit of a mixed bag, ultimately. The CPU performance for the M4 chip outperforms the Intel Core Ultra 255H in all tests but Geekbench 6.4 multicore performance, where they are very close, with the Dell 14 Premium in the lead.

That said, the Intel Core Ultra 255H is mostly competitive with the M4 in CPU computing tasks, and the difference is such that you'd be very hard-pressed to notice the M4's faster performance in actual use. The 14 Premium falls behind quite a bit on single-core performance, which is important for running some high-impact creative apps like Adobe Photoshop or Pro Tools, but that's only part of the story.

The very strong single-core performance for the MacBook Pro 14-inch is offset quite a bit by the relatively slow SSD performance I saw in my Blackmagic Disk Speed Test benchmark. The Dell 14 Premium clocked in with an impressive 4,235 MB/s read speed to the MacBook Pro 14-inch's 2,900 MB/s. That's a nearly 50% faster read speed for the 14 Premium, and that translates directly into faster load times for programs and opening files.

The MacBook Pro 14-inch might beat the 14 Premium in single-core performance, but when it comes to system and app startup, downloads, and other file operations, that extra sluggishness on Apple's part will noticeably cut into its advantage here. That doesn't mean the 14 Premium will somehow eek out a win when it comes to video encoding or processing photos in Photoshop. What it does do, however, is help keep the 14 Premium in the hunt when its Intel chip is being outclassed by the M4's processing power (ironically, last year's Dell XPS 14 scored the highest in my storage benchmark tests).

Swing things around to GPU performance, though, and things fall apart for Apple pretty quick. There just isn't a way for an integrated GPU to compete with even a budget discrete Nvidia GPU like the RTX 4050.

There are only a few cross-platform GPU tests that I can use for both the Dell 14 Premium and the MacBook Pro 14-inch, but in all cases, the RTX 4050 just outclasses the M4 10-core GPU, especially in ray-tracing workloads like Solar Bay

Meanwhile, in areas like video and photo editing, the MacBook Pro 14-inch might have an advantage over the 14 Premium, but it's not earth-shattering.

The 14 Premium encoded a 4K video into 1080p about 22% slower than the MacBook Pro 14-inch, which is definitely something for video editors to consider (who are we kidding, we know y'all are just going to buy a MacBook Pro. Your entire industry is built around macOS). In my PugetBench for Creators-Adobe Photoshop tests, the Dell 14 Premium came in about 29% slower. For video and photography pros, this will absolutely be a dealbreaker and push you firmly back into the Apple camp, and that's understandable if that's what you're looking to use your next laptop for.

However, compare those results to the MacBook Pro 14-inch's Blender Benchmark 4.3.0 performance, which is about 60% slower, overall, than the 14 Premium's.

When it comes to machine learning workloads, the situation will be similar, since Pytorch, the software framework that drives pretty much all AI development right now, is deeply tied to Nvidia's tensor core hardware. We don't have any good cross-platform AI benchmarks right now to give quantitative numbers, so giving a percentage of which laptop is better isn't really possible yet (I'm working on it, I promise).

That said, I've spent the better part of a decade studying computer science to earn my Master's degree in the field, and I can tell you that not a single person I know uses anything other than Nvidia hardware for this kind of work, and the Dell 14 Premium will be able to run AI inference and GAN workloads far better than the MacBook Pro 14-inch.

Finally, when it comes to gaming, none of these laptops are making it onto our best gaming laptop list, but the RTX 4050 GPU in the 14 Premium I tested made it much easier to play modern AAA PC games, with reasonable adjustments made to settings.

At 1080p on the highest settings in those games where I can compare results across devices, the Dell 14 Premium averaged about 75% faster FPS on average overall compared to the MacBook Pro 14-inch.

Of course, there's also the issue with whether or not the game you want can run on a Mac, which isn't a guarantee, while Windows is the default for all PC games on major platforms like Steam or GOG. I wouldn't go out of your way to buy the 14 Premium to play games on, but it's nice to know that you can effectively game if you're on the road for work and you're tired of writing up reports or designing work presentations in your hotel room.

  • Performance: 4.5 / 5

Dell 14 Premium: Battery Life

  • How long does it last on a single charge? 8 hours, 16 minutes
  • How long does it take to charge from empty to full? It takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes to charge to full with a 100W AC adapter

For battery life, the Dell 14 Premium doesn't have spectacular longevity, especially compared to something like the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch, which run about 55% longer than the 14 Premium, but there are costs involved in using discrete graphics and more power hungry OLED displays.

Overall, I think the tradeoff is worth it, but if batter life is a major concern for you, sticking with an LCD display and integrated graphics are the way to go here, and should get you a good bit more juice on a single charge.

  • Battery Life: 3.5 / 5

Should you buy the Dell 14 Premium?

A Dell 14 Premium sitting on a desk

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Dell 14 Premium Scorecard

Category

Notes

Rating

Value

The 14 Premium is not totally out of line price-wise for its market. This is still a premium device, so budget-conscious buyers might be better off looking elsewhere. That said, for the level of performance and portability, it will likely offer a better value than a similarly specced MacBook Pro 14-inch.

4 / 5

Specs

There aren't a whole lot of configuration options available, you do get three Thunderbolt 4 ports, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and options for an RTX 4050 GPU and a gorgeous OLED display.

4.5 / 5

Design

The 14 Premium is a good looking device that is well-made and portable. Its 'virtual' function keys, borderless trackpad, and lack of webcam privacy shutter knocks some points off though.

4 / 5

Performance

While it doesn't dethrone the MacBook Pro 14-inch as the go-to device for creative pros, it more than holds its own against Apple's popular laptop and even outperforms it in key areas.

4.5 / 5

Battery Life

At just over 8 hours of battery life on a charge, this isn't the longest-lasting laptop going. If batter life is a concern, skip the RTX 4050 GPU and OLED display to reduce strain on the 69.5WHr battery.

3.5 / 5

Final Score

The Dell 14 Premium outperforms the MacBook Pro 14-inch when every score is averaged, but there's enough nuance here that it's not a laptop I can unconditionally recommend to everybody. Most people? Yes; but creatives will still want to look at the MacBook Pro 14-inch.

4.10 / 5

Buy the Dell 14 Premium if...

You want a high-performance 14-inch ultrabook
The highly portable form factor belies some seriously powerful hardware inside.

You need an Nvidia GPU for on-the-go work
There are some tasks that simply require an Nvidia GPU, and this is one of the most portable laptops you'll find that offers one.

You want to do some moderate PC gaming
The RTX 4050 GPU in the 14 Premium has 1080p gaming chops, just keep your graphics settings reasonable.

Don't buy it if...

You're on a tight budget
As the name suggests, the 14 Premium doesn't come cheap. You might be better off with the Dell 14 Plus if money's tight.

You plan on doing heavy-duty video editing
While the 14 Premium can handle serious video editing tasks, the MacBook Pro 14-inch is simply better suited for that workload.

You need all-day battery life
The battery life on the 14 Premium isn't terrible, but you will need to bring a charger with you in you plan on working on it all day.

Also consider

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4)
The Dell 14 Premium is directly competing with the MacBook Pro 14-inch, and both are pretty evenly matched in the end.

Read our full Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4) review

Dell 14 Plus
If you're looking for a cheap Windows 11 laptop, the Dell 14 Premium is fairly pricey, so check out the 14 Plus if you're on a budget.

Read our full Dell 14 Plus review

How I tested the Dell 14 Premium

  • I spent about two weeks with the Dell 14 Premium
  • I used it for everyday work and creative tasks
  • I ran it through our standard battery of benchmark tests

I spent about two weeks working with the Dell 14 Premium, putting it through my typical battery of benchmark tests, and using it for everyday productivity and creative work.

I used standard benchmarking tools like 3DMark, Geekbench, PugetBench for Creators, and in-game benchmarks for PC gaming performance analysis.

I also used the laptop as my everyday device, including some light gaming in addition to working with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.

I've been reviewing laptops for Techradar for more than five years, and I've tested more than a hundred laptops in that time, both for reviews and for investigative testing to support special computing features and content in that time, so I know better than most when a laptop is hitting the mark and when and where it misses.

  • First reviewed August 2025
OLED is great, but the Mobile Pixels 34-inch ultrawide has taught me to respect mini-LED monitors – here is my take after two weeks
2:00 pm |
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Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide gaming monitor: Three-minute review

GIF of Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED

(Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

Having used an OLED ultrawide for years now, specifically the Alienware AW3423DWF QD-OLED (a mouthful, I know), I've been curious about a switch to mini-LED. The idea of higher brightness while gaming is intriguing, to say the least, and in came the Mobile Pixels 34-inch curved mini-LED ultrawide gaming monitor.

This monitor left me impressed with its quality while gaming or watching content built for high brightness – so much so that I didn't miss using my main OLED monitor. For the first time ever, I've been able to push brightness very high in games and enjoy fascinating visuals, and most importantly, without too much exposure.

Images don't really do it much justice, as it will mostly seem too bright to view in images below. However, believe me when I say it's a treat to view in person – and it comes down to its HDR1000 VESA certification (allowing 1000 nits of peak brightness), and 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio producing incredible deep black levels.

With an 180Hz refresh rate, which is higher than what you might find on some of the best ultrawide gaming monitors, I was able to enjoy my favorite games easily.

Side view of Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide monitor

(Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

It's important to note, though, that it's not all great. Dark level smearing (especially when reading white text against dark backgrounds) and ghosting in games are noticeable, and while that's to be expected for a VA panel, it will be bothersome for those who are accustomed to faster displays.

While it didn't completely spoil my gaming or movie viewing experiences, it was a lot more evident for me when playing fast-paced games, especially when using Frame Generation against darker backgrounds in-game. It gets worse (as expected) when enabling any of the overdrive settings via the monitor OSD menu – which I must add, is very finicky, as it sometimes won't save settings or simply undo them randomly.

The biggest examples for me were using path tracing in Cyberpunk 2077, and notably path tracing mods in Capcom's Dragon's Dogma 2, which comes with a lot of ghosting already and lacks a denoiser (but served as an easier way for me to notice the difference). When in lighter backgrounds, ghosting was noticeable, but it wasn't too extreme. When stepping into darker areas, the ghosting and smearing were seriously bad.

Perhaps it's a bit unfair coming from using an OLED to a VA mini-LED, but its price is in the same region as other OLED monitors that don't have this issue. It would have worked in Mobile Pixels' favor to use an IPS panel instead of VA for better response times, but that would potentially be a drawback on the great contrast available here.

Notice the ghosting is worse on the darker background? (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

In terms of blooming, it's kept to a minimum when sitting directly in front of the monitor. Bear in mind, what you're seeing below isn't the best representation of how well the haloing effect is kept to a minimum, due to different lighting conditions.

There's a 'Halo Control' setting in the OSD menu, but I found that adjustments weren't very necessary. I was quite happy with how well this monitor handles bloom. Compared to my mini-LED TV (specifically the TCL 55QM8B), which has 300+ full-array local dimming zones, I'd say the results were fairly similar.

I must reiterate that this is a VA panel, so viewing angles are narrow. Essentially, blooming is significantly worse when viewing from either side, but I've never used my ultrawide monitors when sitting away from my desk (unless it's a 32:9 display).

HDR is enabled here... (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

Lining this up with an OLED display, again, is pretty unfair, since the AW3423DWF is night and day ahead, but it gave me a good impression of how good the deep black levels are on the Mobile Pixels 34-inch ultrawide. If you've been using a regular LED display, mini-LED will still blow you away – and in my eyes, it's the best alternative to OLED.

And the comparison below is proof of that. The OLED's deep black levels are genuinely phenomenal, and while the mini-LED strays far behind due to blooming, it was still great enough for me to enjoy content – and that's even better when you throw in the benefit of very high brightness.

It's also worth noting that there's no worry of burn-in, unlike OLED monitors. It's been a breath of fresh air not to baby my Alienware display with OLED care and pixel refreshes. In some ways, you can almost say that makes mini-LED the better choice, as you're getting the best of the 'brightness world', while still taking some benefits of great contrast – and with an OLED, you're mostly getting the best of the latter.

Yes, multiple OLED monitors like the AW3423DWF can utilize HDR1000, and OLEDs are about to get brighter with True Black HDR1000 VESA certifications. However, my display has a very aggressive Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL), which kicks in when trying to use HDR1000, and I've not had to deal with that on the Mobile Pixels ultrawide.

It's taught me to respect mini-LED monitors, which I once saw as too low of a step down from OLED, and I'd very much consider using one in a multi-display setup.

Top monitor is OLED, bottom is mini-LED (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

I'm very pleased with Mobile Pixels' decision to place the ports of the monitor directly on its rear, instead of the underside like most monitors do. I get that this is done to avoid strain on cables standing upright and prevent any damage, but it's so easy and convenient to reach if you need to unplug or plug any of them – and it's super beneficial if you have a cramped desktop setup like me.

The 90W USB-C reverse charging port is a welcome addition, and I could use it to charge other devices – and I really saw the benefit of this since I have tons of devices occupying power sockets.

It features 4-array microphones with DNC noise reduction, but no matter what I tried, I couldn't my PC wouldn't recognize this, so I had no luck with testing there.

Rear of Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide

(Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

The RGB lighting is decent enough, but not bright enough to appreciate. I won't knock the monitor down for this, though. Most monitors I've used don't have RGB lighting that stands out, except for the Philips Evnia displays that have a special Ambilight feature to sync content on the screen to its RGB lights.

Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide gaming monitor: Price & Availability

  • How much does it cost? $899.99 / around £660 / AU$1,370 without import costs
  • When is it available? Available now
  • Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia (shipping from the US)

The Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide monitor retails at $899.99 / around £660 / AU$1,730, and while this display's high brightness and contrast ratio have left me impressed, I think it should be much cheaper. Some OLED ultrawide monitors are currently cheaper and don't have issues like dark level smearing or ghosting.

It's not a bad monitor despite some of its issues, but I'd have been more fond of it if it didn't cost this much. Import fees will also bump up the cost if you're outside of the US, which makes its potential total price even more unappealing.

Fortunately, it gets a lot right, specifically within the region of HDR brightness and contrast; there's hardly any loss of detail when looking at bright scenery in movies or games when at maximum brightness, so it's something to consider if you're looking to get your hands on it.

(Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide gaming monitor: Specs

Screen Size

34-inch

Aspect Ratio

21:9

Resolution

3440x1440

Brightness

450 nits (Min) 1000 nits (Max)

Contrast Ratio

1,000,000:1

Refresh Rate

180Hz

Color Accuracy

99% sRGB | 94% DCI-P3 | 99% Adobe RGB

Speakers

2x 5W Midrange, 1x 12W Bass

Microphone

4-array microphones with DSC noise reduction

Weight

18.51 lbs

Wall Mountable (VESA)

100 x 100 mm

FreeSync Premium technology

Yes

Power Consumption

Typ. 65W, Max. 270W

Panel Type

VA

Connections

2 × USB-A 3.0

1 × USB-C 3.1

2 × HDMI 2.0

1 × DP 1.4

1 × 3.5mm Audio out

Should you buy the Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide gaming monitor?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

Plenty of high brightness to enjoy across movies, TV shows, and games, but could benefit from a slightly cheaper price tag.

3 / 5

Design

Bogged down by the mediocre speakers on the bottom of monitor, but is adequate in other areas.

3.5 / 5

Performance

Besides dark level smearing and ghosting, the high brightness with HDR 1000, significantly enhances visual experiences, standing as a great alternative to OLED.

4 / 5

Features

OSD needs an improvement, but a 180Hz refresh rate and USB-C 90W reverse charging port are a very welcome addition.

4 / 5

Average rating

The Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide would be much better with a lower retail price, repositioning of the speakers, and an IPS panel for less ghosting and smearing, but excels at high brightness for immersion, making it a good option for PC gamers.

3.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You desire an ultrawide with high brightness

The Mobile Pixels mini-LED monitor is ideal for those who crave bright and lively gaming experiences, with HDR1000 blending well with the 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. It's best used in titles that are built for HDR.View Deal

You want to avoid burn-in care

While OLED is an easy choice at an affordable price, it's not for everyone, as there's always a risk of burn-in. OLED burn-in care has advanced, but not having to worry about the possibility at all with this mini-LED monitor is a big win.View Deal

You're upgrading from a regular LED monitor

The jump from a regular LED display to Mobile Pixels' mini-LED, is significant, and while it suffers a total loss to OLED deep black levels, it comes close enough while getting the best of brightness. View Deal

Don't buy if...

You're looking for a budget monitor

This monitor's biggest issue is its price, especially compared to OLEDs that are at the same price range or less expensive. It retails at $899.99, which is too high considering the issues it has with ghosting and smearing.View Deal

You prefer the best deep black levels

Like other mini-LED displays, the Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide gaming monitor does a great job with contrast, but it doesn't match up to OLED, which remains undefeated at producing the best contrast.View Deal

You find ghosting and smearing frustrating

If you're a competitive gamer or simply happen to notice dark level smearing and ghosting easily, you might want to reconsider purchasing this monitor. It's using a VA panel, so viewing angles and the response time aren't the best.View Deal

Also consider

Acer Predator X32QFS

If dark level smearing and ghosting are a big issue for you, and you don't mind a 4K mini-LED instead of an ultrawide, then the Acer Predator X32QFS should be on your radar. This features a mini-LED IPS panel, which handles ghosting much better, and compatibility for both PS5 and PC with HDMI 2.1.

Read our full Acer Predator X32QFS review

MSRP/RRP

£899.99 / AU$1,099 (No US availability)

Panel Size

31.5in

Panel type

Mini-LED IPS

Panel resolution

3840 x 2160p; 4K

Aspect ratio

16:9

Refresh rate

150Hz

Response time

0.5ms

Brightness

700 nits (native) / 1000 nits (peak HDR)

Contrast ratio

1000:1

HDR

VESA DisplayHDR 1000

Ports

1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x USB-C, 2 x USB-A, 1 x audio jack

Color gamut

99% Adobe RGB, 99% DCI-P3

Display colors

1.07 billion

Warranty

2-years

How I tested the Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide

  • Two weeks of usage on movies, TV shows, and games, notably titles that implement HDR well
  • Some examples are Assassin's Creed Shadows, Street Fighter 6, Dragon's Dogma 2, Resident Evil 4 remake, and Cyberpunk 2077
  • Multiple contrast tests and comparisons with Alienware AW3423DWF OLED ultrawide monitor

Throughout my two weeks of testing, especially when gaming, I had plenty of fun with the Mobile Pixels 34-inch monitor, and put my OLED monitor aside as a secondary display. Despite the drawbacks of blooming and ghosting, it was easy to enjoy bright content without losing much detail.

Testing Stellar Blade, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and Cyberpunk 2077 first left great initial impressions, specifically in Cyberpunk 2077, where neon lights and vivid streets provide exceptional visuals on any display, but it took things up a notch. The ghosting issues became far more noticeable when using Frame Generation in Cyberpunk 2077 and Dragon's Dogma 2, and even more so in fast-paced FPS games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

Placing this next to Dell's Alienware OLED monitor, allowed me to point out the mini-LED monitor's drawbacks more easily. However, in terms of deep black levels, I was impressed with the Mobile Pixels 34-inch display, with just how close it can get to OLED, albeit still quite far off.

I used it for work and multitasking, which proved to be beneficial, in comparison to OLED, which notoriously has readability issues – and the mini-LED was a breeze to use while deep into productivity.

OLED is great, but the Mobile Pixels 34-inch ultrawide has taught me to respect mini-LED monitors – here is my take after two weeks
2:00 pm |
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Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide gaming monitor: Three-minute review

GIF of Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED

(Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

Having used an OLED ultrawide for years now, specifically the Alienware AW3423DWF QD-OLED (a mouthful, I know), I've been curious about a switch to mini-LED. The idea of higher brightness while gaming is intriguing, to say the least, and in came the Mobile Pixels 34-inch curved mini-LED ultrawide gaming monitor.

This monitor left me impressed with its quality while gaming or watching content built for high brightness – so much so that I didn't miss using my main OLED monitor. For the first time ever, I've been able to push brightness very high in games and enjoy fascinating visuals, and most importantly, without too much exposure.

Images don't really do it much justice, as it will mostly seem too bright to view in images below. However, believe me when I say it's a treat to view in person – and it comes down to its HDR1000 VESA certification (allowing 1000 nits of peak brightness), and 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio producing incredible deep black levels.

With an 180Hz refresh rate, which is higher than what you might find on some of the best ultrawide gaming monitors, I was able to enjoy my favorite games easily.

Side view of Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide monitor

(Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

It's important to note, though, that it's not all great. Dark level smearing (especially when reading white text against dark backgrounds) and ghosting in games are noticeable, and while that's to be expected for a VA panel, it will be bothersome for those who are accustomed to faster displays.

While it didn't completely spoil my gaming or movie viewing experiences, it was a lot more evident for me when playing fast-paced games, especially when using Frame Generation against darker backgrounds in-game. It gets worse (as expected) when enabling any of the overdrive settings via the monitor OSD menu – which I must add, is very finicky, as it sometimes won't save settings or simply undo them randomly.

The biggest examples for me were using path tracing in Cyberpunk 2077, and notably path tracing mods in Capcom's Dragon's Dogma 2, which comes with a lot of ghosting already and lacks a denoiser (but served as an easier way for me to notice the difference). When in lighter backgrounds, ghosting was noticeable, but it wasn't too extreme. When stepping into darker areas, the ghosting and smearing were seriously bad.

Perhaps it's a bit unfair coming from using an OLED to a VA mini-LED, but its price is in the same region as other OLED monitors that don't have this issue. It would have worked in Mobile Pixels' favor to use an IPS panel instead of VA for better response times, but that would potentially be a drawback on the great contrast available here.

Notice the ghosting is worse on the darker background? (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

In terms of blooming, it's kept to a minimum when sitting directly in front of the monitor. Bear in mind, what you're seeing below isn't the best representation of how well the haloing effect is kept to a minimum, due to different lighting conditions.

There's a 'Halo Control' setting in the OSD menu, but I found that adjustments weren't very necessary. I was quite happy with how well this monitor handles bloom. Compared to my mini-LED TV (specifically the TCL 55QM8B), which has 300+ full-array local dimming zones, I'd say the results were fairly similar.

I must reiterate that this is a VA panel, so viewing angles are narrow. Essentially, blooming is significantly worse when viewing from either side, but I've never used my ultrawide monitors when sitting away from my desk (unless it's a 32:9 display).

HDR is enabled here... (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

Lining this up with an OLED display, again, is pretty unfair, since the AW3423DWF is night and day ahead, but it gave me a good impression of how good the deep black levels are on the Mobile Pixels 34-inch ultrawide. If you've been using a regular LED display, mini-LED will still blow you away – and in my eyes, it's the best alternative to OLED.

And the comparison below is proof of that. The OLED's deep black levels are genuinely phenomenal, and while the mini-LED strays far behind due to blooming, it was still great enough for me to enjoy content – and that's even better when you throw in the benefit of very high brightness.

It's also worth noting that there's no worry of burn-in, unlike OLED monitors. It's been a breath of fresh air not to baby my Alienware display with OLED care and pixel refreshes. In some ways, you can almost say that makes mini-LED the better choice, as you're getting the best of the 'brightness world', while still taking some benefits of great contrast – and with an OLED, you're mostly getting the best of the latter.

Yes, multiple OLED monitors like the AW3423DWF can utilize HDR1000, and OLEDs are about to get brighter with True Black HDR1000 VESA certifications. However, my display has a very aggressive Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL), which kicks in when trying to use HDR1000, and I've not had to deal with that on the Mobile Pixels ultrawide.

It's taught me to respect mini-LED monitors, which I once saw as too low of a step down from OLED, and I'd very much consider using one in a multi-display setup.

Top monitor is OLED, bottom is mini-LED (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

I'm very pleased with Mobile Pixels' decision to place the ports of the monitor directly on its rear, instead of the underside like most monitors do. I get that this is done to avoid strain on cables standing upright and prevent any damage, but it's so easy and convenient to reach if you need to unplug or plug any of them – and it's super beneficial if you have a cramped desktop setup like me.

The 90W USB-C reverse charging port is a welcome addition, and I could use it to charge other devices – and I really saw the benefit of this since I have tons of devices occupying power sockets.

It features 4-array microphones with DNC noise reduction, but no matter what I tried, I couldn't my PC wouldn't recognize this, so I had no luck with testing there.

Rear of Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide

(Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

The RGB lighting is decent enough, but not bright enough to appreciate. I won't knock the monitor down for this, though. Most monitors I've used don't have RGB lighting that stands out, except for the Philips Evnia displays that have a special Ambilight feature to sync content on the screen to its RGB lights.

Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide gaming monitor: Price & Availability

  • How much does it cost? $899.99 / around £660 / AU$1,370 without import costs
  • When is it available? Available now
  • Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia (shipping from the US)

The Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide monitor retails at $899.99 / around £660 / AU$1,730, and while this display's high brightness and contrast ratio have left me impressed, I think it should be much cheaper. Some OLED ultrawide monitors are currently cheaper and don't have issues like dark level smearing or ghosting.

It's not a bad monitor despite some of its issues, but I'd have been more fond of it if it didn't cost this much. Import fees will also bump up the cost if you're outside of the US, which makes its potential total price even more unappealing.

Fortunately, it gets a lot right, specifically within the region of HDR brightness and contrast; there's hardly any loss of detail when looking at bright scenery in movies or games when at maximum brightness, so it's something to consider if you're looking to get your hands on it.

(Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide gaming monitor: Specs

Screen Size

34-inch

Aspect Ratio

21:9

Resolution

3440x1440

Brightness

450 nits (Min) 1000 nits (Max)

Contrast Ratio

1,000,000:1

Refresh Rate

180Hz

Color Accuracy

99% sRGB | 94% DCI-P3 | 99% Adobe RGB

Speakers

2x 5W Midrange, 1x 12W Bass

Microphone

4-array microphones with DSC noise reduction

Weight

18.51 lbs

Wall Mountable (VESA)

100 x 100 mm

FreeSync Premium technology

Yes

Power Consumption

Typ. 65W, Max. 270W

Panel Type

VA

Connections

2 × USB-A 3.0

1 × USB-C 3.1

2 × HDMI 2.0

1 × DP 1.4

1 × 3.5mm Audio out

Should you buy the Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide gaming monitor?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

Plenty of high brightness to enjoy across movies, TV shows, and games, but could benefit from a slightly cheaper price tag.

3 / 5

Design

Bogged down by the mediocre speakers on the bottom of monitor, but is adequate in other areas.

3.5 / 5

Performance

Besides dark level smearing and ghosting, the high brightness with HDR 1000, significantly enhances visual experiences, standing as a great alternative to OLED.

4 / 5

Features

OSD needs an improvement, but a 180Hz refresh rate and USB-C 90W reverse charging port are a very welcome addition.

4 / 5

Average rating

The Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide would be much better with a lower retail price, repositioning of the speakers, and an IPS panel for less ghosting and smearing, but excels at high brightness for immersion, making it a good option for PC gamers.

3.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You desire an ultrawide with high brightness

The Mobile Pixels mini-LED monitor is ideal for those who crave bright and lively gaming experiences, with HDR1000 blending well with the 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. It's best used in titles that are built for HDR.View Deal

You want to avoid burn-in care

While OLED is an easy choice at an affordable price, it's not for everyone, as there's always a risk of burn-in. OLED burn-in care has advanced, but not having to worry about the possibility at all with this mini-LED monitor is a big win.View Deal

You're upgrading from a regular LED monitor

The jump from a regular LED display to Mobile Pixels' mini-LED, is significant, and while it suffers a total loss to OLED deep black levels, it comes close enough while getting the best of brightness. View Deal

Don't buy if...

You're looking for a budget monitor

This monitor's biggest issue is its price, especially compared to OLEDs that are at the same price range or less expensive. It retails at $899.99, which is too high considering the issues it has with ghosting and smearing.View Deal

You prefer the best deep black levels

Like other mini-LED displays, the Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide gaming monitor does a great job with contrast, but it doesn't match up to OLED, which remains undefeated at producing the best contrast.View Deal

You find ghosting and smearing frustrating

If you're a competitive gamer or simply happen to notice dark level smearing and ghosting easily, you might want to reconsider purchasing this monitor. It's using a VA panel, so viewing angles and the response time aren't the best.View Deal

Also consider

Acer Predator X32QFS

If dark level smearing and ghosting are a big issue for you, and you don't mind a 4K mini-LED instead of an ultrawide, then the Acer Predator X32QFS should be on your radar. This features a mini-LED IPS panel, which handles ghosting much better, and compatibility for both PS5 and PC with HDMI 2.1.

Read our full Acer Predator X32QFS review

MSRP/RRP

£899.99 / AU$1,099 (No US availability)

Panel Size

31.5in

Panel type

Mini-LED IPS

Panel resolution

3840 x 2160p; 4K

Aspect ratio

16:9

Refresh rate

150Hz

Response time

0.5ms

Brightness

700 nits (native) / 1000 nits (peak HDR)

Contrast ratio

1000:1

HDR

VESA DisplayHDR 1000

Ports

1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x USB-C, 2 x USB-A, 1 x audio jack

Color gamut

99% Adobe RGB, 99% DCI-P3

Display colors

1.07 billion

Warranty

2-years

How I tested the Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide

  • Two weeks of usage on movies, TV shows, and games, notably titles that implement HDR well
  • Some examples are Assassin's Creed Shadows, Street Fighter 6, Dragon's Dogma 2, Resident Evil 4 remake, and Cyberpunk 2077
  • Multiple contrast tests and comparisons with Alienware AW3423DWF OLED ultrawide monitor

Throughout my two weeks of testing, especially when gaming, I had plenty of fun with the Mobile Pixels 34-inch monitor, and put my OLED monitor aside as a secondary display. Despite the drawbacks of blooming and ghosting, it was easy to enjoy bright content without losing much detail.

Testing Stellar Blade, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and Cyberpunk 2077 first left great initial impressions, specifically in Cyberpunk 2077, where neon lights and vivid streets provide exceptional visuals on any display, but it took things up a notch. The ghosting issues became far more noticeable when using Frame Generation in Cyberpunk 2077 and Dragon's Dogma 2, and even more so in fast-paced FPS games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

Placing this next to Dell's Alienware OLED monitor, allowed me to point out the mini-LED monitor's drawbacks more easily. However, in terms of deep black levels, I was impressed with the Mobile Pixels 34-inch display, with just how close it can get to OLED, albeit still quite far off.

I used it for work and multitasking, which proved to be beneficial, in comparison to OLED, which notoriously has readability issues – and the mini-LED was a breeze to use while deep into productivity.

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