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I spent hours learning how to play Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening just so I could accidentally win within a minute of starting a save

12:00 am | July 16, 2025

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

There are ample means by which you could learn about the fascinating intricacies of feudal Japan. Still, Koei Tecmo presents the option for a doubly steep learning curve with the latest addition to its turn-based grand strategy RPG series, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition (a repackaged edition of the initial 2023 game released for Nintendo Switch 2 and PlayStation 5).

Review info

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: PS5 (Complete Edition); PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, (original edition)
Release date: June 5, 2025

In this Nintendo Switch 2 game (also available on PlayStation 5), you play as a contemporary daimyō, acting as a Japanese feudal lord ruling over a province during the turbulent Sengoku period. There’s the option to follow the story of the series’ titular character, Nobunaga, head of the Oda clan, but you can also play as a host of other historical leaders from the era.

So, what is Nobunaga’s ambition? Oh, just the small feat of unifying Japan; a contentious matter among those he wished to suppress to achieve his dream. Your objective in Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening is to help realize this vision – whether or not you’re playing as the man himself – by developing your lands, conducting diplomacy, and, of course, a healthy dose of feudal warfare as you strive to dominate the various territories of Japan.

Along the way, you’ll also encounter cutscenes reimagining famous battles from the time, as well as rumors from your various officers, which reflect the era’s propensity for near-constant drama and gossip among its magnates.

Nobunaga's Amibition: Awakening Complete Edition on Nintendo Switch 2. — (Image credit: Koei Tecmo)

It’s a game that struggles to find its footing; in one part, it’s a gruelling uphill battle to learn complex political systems, heightened only by the game’s stunted UI and some slightly half-baked gameplay mechanics that I accidentally manipulated to win the game in less than a minute (more on that later).

On the other hand, there is something intangibly captivating about this historical part-fiction. Combat mechanics are satisfying, there’s a fulfilling base management system, and great care and attention have been paid to injecting the game with ample historical education and context-based events to keep things interesting. It’s just so brutally difficult that any enjoyment I could find is as yet out of reach.

I played over 30 hours of the game (it felt like at least ten of those were spent reading endless text boxes and tutorials) before I got to a point where I was happy upping the difficulty to medium.

Naturally, I instantly lost, and another ten hours later, I’m still in the throes of learning the next level of strategy required to win past dumb-dumb difficulty; but I’m comforted to read online that I am one of so, so many gamers to say the same.

Humble beginnings

You begin the game by selecting a date from 1543 to 1614 and then choosing a clan to play as. Each begins the game with different setups: alliances, provinces, and officers, which you’ll take custody of and command as you grow your control of Japan.

There is a tutorial, but as you may expect if you’re familiar with the genre, it’s pretty bare-bones, covering only the fundamentals you’ll need to get started and win a campaign on the easiest settings. After that, you’re on your own, left to unpack the other 70% of the game that the tutorial scarcely mentions.

It’s worth noting that, as the game advises, you’ll want to pick one of the easier levels first, not least because the tutorial can almost sabotage you at higher difficulties. I mistakenly jumped straight in at a medium difficulty level and followed the tutorial religiously, which led me straight into war with a far more powerful enemy.

You’ll want to start your game by checking out your territories, each of which consists of a castle and counties that contribute to resource production. Each district has a farm and fair that you can harvest to increase your monthly earnings, as well as slots for settlements that offer different benefits.

The castle county also has a town square that you can develop with various facilities. That’s not always down to you to decide, though; the art of Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening, really, is delegation.

Rise above your station

The first port of call, then, is assigning dominion over your lands to your officers. Officers can make or break your strategy; they’ll make judgment calls for you within their lands, though you can give guidance and structure if you want to micro-manage. You’ll recruit more and more as the game progresses through covert operations and recruitment drives, and you can choose which ones to hire based on how well their unique traits, skills, and relationships mesh with your strategy.

Each castle will need a Lord stationed from your more senior officers, and then you’ll want to assign dominion to counties to ensure the land is worked efficiently. As your Lord’s station improves, they’ll be able to pick up the slack and manage counties within their territory, too.

Officers will also recommend actions and make suggestions for how to engage in military or covert operations, which you can choose to accept or decline; but lean too far and you may find they’ll start acting on their own accord or lose loyalty towards you. As the fearless leader, you’ll also have your own castle; this can be managed autonomously by Substitutes instead.

Occasionally, they’ll even want to barter with you, whether because their loyalty has dropped low enough that they wish to part ways or because they’re offering a boon in exchange for land holdings. In each trade, you’ll need to hit a certain point value to secure the officer, and if you really want what they’re offering, you can up the ante to ensure they stick around for longer.

I found this mechanic to be a bit frustrating, given that I rarely seemed to have much to barter with, and when I did, it either drastically overdelivered or underdelivered.

Overall, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening’s staff management mechanics are pretty satisfying and well-rounded. The game does well to give you tips and pointers in this department, and you can really affect the game’s outcomes with your staffing decisions. Unique traits of officers really can drive the game, especially when it comes to battle mechanics and officer proposals.

A council of your peers

Another core tenet of running an effective kingdom is consulting your council. However, much of this council management is left unexplained, and as the game gets pretty tied up in its own Sengoku-specific vocabulary, it’s hard to even find the help you need within game guides.

User guides online are fairly scant, too, but I can understand why. I can’t see myself pouring my blood, sweat, and tears into learning this behemoth of a strategy game and then spelling it out for the next player for free, either.

Policies are the backbone of progress in the game, and one of the areas I enjoyed the most during my playthroughs; they allow you to unlock new features, better delegation, and strengthen your forces. However, you’ll want to wait until you have excess gold before setting up any new ones, as some are pricey.

From the council menu, you can also bestow accolades to your officers, which increases their abilities and can even grant them special effects. These are earned by achieving significant accomplishments like clan targets and demonstrating loyalty.

You can also choose to give gifts of treasure to your officers to improve their stats and loyalty, marry them to an eligible Hime, and grant titles earned by appeasing the Imperial Court from this menu.

As you grow your lands, you’ll also want to divest more responsibilities onto your officers by heading to your council and setting up a new province to be ruled over by a regent.

These run fairly autonomously, and especially on harder difficulties, the choices you make to staff these regions can make or break your game; choose a warmongering Lord and you stand to lose a fair few allies.

Friends we made along the way

With your ultimate goal being unification, you might want to make some friends in high places, so you’ll need to put on your diplomacy hat and send your highest officers – or your daimyō – as a diplomat to rack up some goodwill with your neighbors, including a monthly gold stipend to woo them.

Once you’ve built trust, you can ask them to be your allies and help you in combat, negotiate peace between warring territories, or even solidify your alliance through marriage. You’ll also want to conduct diplomacy with powerful entities like the Shōgun and the Imperial Court, the latter of which can offer you official posts in exchange for (costly) diplomatic activities to help you improve your prestige.

I’ve mentioned vassals already; once you’re allied with a smaller clan that may want or need protection and acknowledges you as a superior force, you can ask them to become your vassal and effectively join your territory. In time, and especially under pressure, your vassals might decide to just absorb themselves into your clan altogether, but either way, these relationships count towards the end goal of unification.

Do be warned, though, if you don’t want to cheese the game too much; there’s at least one clan scenario you can play where the goal territory is occupied entirely by allies, meaning you can just load a new save, vassal-ize your allies and win before you’ve even assigned your first officer.

Generally speaking, the diplomacy in Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening is a good enough system, though you’ll want to really think about which allies make the most sense based on your goals; some allies may end up getting in the way of your expansion or be more trouble than they’re worth when enemies come knocking at their doors.

That being said, diplomacy lacks the intricacy required to offer a rewarding alternative to war. One frustration I found was that you seemingly can’t make a country with existing vassals your own vassal. I say seemingly because in the rafts of game guides available within the software, I can’t for the life of me find an alternative other than straight-up demolishing the vassal and then building relations with your target nation, at which point it’s likely better to just chip away at the territory of theirs that you want.

It’s also really frustrating that you work so hard for what can often be so little; it can take anywhere from two to six months even to accrue enough goodwill for reinforcements, and you don’t always get the all-out assault you want.

Considering it’s six to ten months to achieve enough goodwill for an alliance, too, you can wipe out a senior officer all year-round with diplomacy if you’re not careful, leaving their civil affairs at home unmanaged.

What are we doing today, brain?

Okay then, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening – if it’s war you want, it’s war you’ll get. It’s nigh-on impossible to dodge combat for an entire save, so if you enjoy a pacifist playthrough, you might be better off with a more flexible strategy game like Sid Meier's Civilization 7.

Once you’ve chosen an enemy's castle as your target, your castles will start amassing soldiers and readying supplies for war, indicating preparedness with a little flame icon next to the castle town(s) selected as your militarization base. Once completed, you’ll direct troops to march, choosing from various strategies suggested by your officers as to the route taken as well as which, if any, provinces you control will join the fray. You can also conduct covert operations to spread rumors or incite revolts across enemy territory and weaken forces, or just raze or destroy target castles to help with upcoming battles.

En route, you’ll undoubtedly encounter enemy units, and if your senior commanders or daimyō are on the field, you’ll be able to trigger a battle event. Instead of passively watching the unit counters trickle down in an autonomous head-to-head, you have the opportunity to command each of your troops yourself with the assistance of your officer’s recommendations, and broadly speaking, I’d recommend doing so if you really want to cut down their troops.

Battling is generally quite fun, especially when the game throws you a historical fight sequence with a good lore drop.

Best bit

After hours of trial and error in higher difficulties, followed by more hours of learning the ropes in lower difficulties, I returned to the scenario that had me stumped to begin with and opted to manually control my troops for a challenging siege that I won in the first try. Nothing beats that feeling.

There are a few ways to win here: destroy the enemies’ path to escape, decimate their forces, or crush their morale with consecutive defeats on the field. Some battlefields also have strategic key points, and controlling these improves your armies’ standings and morale, too.

Battling is fun, but Siege encounters are a bit trickier. Maps are slightly more complex, and if you don’t manage to launch your attack on the castle before it’s finished preparing for your attack, you’ll have an even harder time as you encounter traps and barricades. These can be brutal, especially in the early stages, and if you don’t follow your officers’ advice to always bring three to five times the units your enemy has – and I’d really recommend you aim high.

If you want to skip these siege sequences altogether, you can – and they can be a little tedious if you mostly want to auto-play – but then you miss out on the authority mechanic. Winning battles will earn you authority, which can mean anything from lands submitting themselves to you to new (or fallen) alliances.

A beautiful mess

So, that’s gameplay covered, but what about the actual user experience of the game?

I mentioned already that the user interface is a little disappointing, and that point stands; crowded menus, unclear navigation, and clumsy controls make an already challenging game downright frustrating. It’s a shame, because the game itself isn’t bad, aesthetically. Sure, the map and menus are all dated, but the splash art is delightful, the music is immersive, and the voice lines are delivered with conviction and minimal cheese.

The standard button layout is really confusing and unintuitive, especially for navigation and menu access, but the biggest crime is the UI clarity and visibility. Battle and siege interactions play out on an unzoomable field, and when more than three or four units on each side are on the battlefield, it’s nigh-on impossible to see where your forces start and your enemies end, which can make manual controls for retreating and resting troops hard.

Thankfully, some of these complaints are deftly handled by having the Switch 2 as my platform of choice for this review; mouse mode makes navigating through rafts of menus and directing your troops far smoother than using a controller. In fact, I’d say unless you’re used to how the games lay out their UI on a controller, it’s the de facto way to enjoy Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening (outside of a PC, of course).

Still, there’s just a lot of chaos in the game and abundant quick fixes that could be made to streamline the interface. For example, annoyingly, if you want allies to send reinforcements as you march to battle, you’ll have to head to the alliance interface instead of conducting from your marching orders screen, which can often mean they arrive long after or before your troops.

Generally, automation and management are fine, but more options to issue mass directives for castle or province management would really help to reduce time spent clicking through various menus.

Not easy to love

Over time, I grew to really enjoy Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening. It’s an addictive uphill slouch for infrequent strategy players, but even for the more experienced, the work needed to fully learn the game might come as a blow.

Had I not needed to play it for this review, I might just have given up after the third or fourth false start, but having to persevere has earned the series a new fan. I can’t, in good conscience, rate it more highly than I have; it’s just too messy and inconsistent, and too many parts of the game stick out like a sore thumb for their shallowness when compared to the richness and complexity elsewhere.

Winning feels good, though, and not just because it’s despite the issues the game presents. Even on easier modes, nothing is handed to you on a platter, and you need to engage with the game’s source material and setting to reap the many rewards of playing Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening. If you’re up to the challenge, this game will bring it.

Should I play Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening?

Play it if…

You love grand strategy
As far as strategy games go, this one has got most others beat with the sheer amount of micro controls, all while also giving you plenty to do at a macro level. View Deal

You enjoy battle tactics
War mechanics in this game are rich and fulfilling, offering a few different ways to play and clear direction to victory. Provided you can read the UI. View Deal

You want to keep coming back for more
There is so much replayability to Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening; not only to beat your own runtime, but also to play all the various clans across the years.View Deal

Don't play it if…

You hate a steep learning curve
Hoo boy, this is not the game for you. From controls all the way to core functions in the game, it’s a long road to knowing how to play.View Deal

You want more ways to win
Diplomacy plays a role in the game, yes, but I’ve yet to find a way you can achieve Nobunaga’s Ambition without at least a little bloodshed.View Deal

You can’t tolerate bad UI and UX
From confusing button layouts to nonsensical menus to its weak tutorial and hard-to-parse interfaces, sometimes Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening is physically tiring in its poor design. View Deal

Accessibility

Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening is far from an accessibility-first game, but there are some features of note.

The difficulty is adjustable to a fairly granular level; different scenarios offer different star ratings, but you can also head to settings before starting a scenario to adjust AI difficulty and behaviors right down to how clans form alliances.

You can also opt to spend more of the game delegating and focusing on macro controls if the micro management proves challenging.

Mouse controls are a boon to the game’s unwieldy AI, and could double as useful alternatives for those who can’t use Joy-Con control layouts. There are no specific audio accessibility features, nor are there colorblind or graphics settings.

How I reviewed Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening

I played Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition on the Nintendo Switch 2, racking up over thirty hours of gameplay. In that time, I set up multiple campaigns in different scenarios and difficulty settings, playing through to the victory scenario in each and trying all of the various features.

While using docked mode, I was playing on a 4K TV with the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller. I also tried handheld mode using the Joy-Con 2 controllers and used mouse mode.

I love a good strategy game, clocking in over 250 hours playing Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 (and that’s only on one console where I own it!) and reviewing strategy games like Age of Empires 4.

First reviewed July 2025

Roomba’s new dust-compressing robovac looks great in theory but is a crushing disappointment in real life

11:00 pm | July 15, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Robot Vacuums Smart Home | Comments: Off

iRobot Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo: two-minute review

The Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo feels like a missed opportunity given iRobot's recent restructuring and slew of new upgraded floor bots. The unique dust compactor is an intriguing concept – the bot houses an oversized internal dustbin with a motorized paddle that compresses all debris, theoretically negating the need for a large self-emptying dustbin dock. However, in practice it's messy to deal with and ultimately impractical, especially if you have shedding pets in the home.

Granted, the 205's suction performance is acceptable enough – although not up there with what you'd get with one of the best robot vacuum on the market – its halfhearted mopping system is extremely outdated and when the mop pad is fitted, it prevents the robot from traversing rugs or carpet. The 205 is also a much noisier machine than any other robot vacuum cleaner I've thus far reviewed. And while its newly-adopted LiDAR navigation is clearly better than the company's previous V-SLAM camera-based incarnations, it also feels erratic and unsophisticated, at least when compared to other LiDAR systems.

I used to be a massive fan of iRobot products but I'm absolutely dumbfounded by how poorly its latest machines have behaved. The Roomba Combo 10 Max was mostly disappointing but I actually think that the Roomba 205 is worse. It's just so frustrating to use and requires too much intervention from the user. I wish I could recommend this model but it just doesn't perform as you'd expect for a robot vacuum cleaner in the year 2025.

iRobot Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo robot vacuum in reviewer's home — (Image credit: Future)

Roomba 205 DustCompactor review: price & availability

List price: $469.99 / £399
Launch date: March 2025
Availability: Widely, including US and UK

With a list price of $469.99 in the US and £399 in the UK, the iRobot Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo sits towards the top of the mid-range price bracket. Note that at time of writing, there's a $170 discount in the US.

Given all the peculiarities with this machine, if you don't mind making a little more space for a simple, small-bodied, self-emptying dock in your home, I would recommend doing some research on other models in the same price range. For instance, the Roborock Q5 Pro+ has a list price of $699.99 / £499.99 but can often be picked up for a similar price to the Roomba 205, and offers far more reliable performance.

Alternatively, if a small dock is the priority and you're not dealing with huge amounts of dust, it could be worth considering a model without dust compression. There are a number of cheaper options in this category, for example, the Dreame D9 Max Gen 2, which costs $299.99 / £219 at list price and impressed our reviewer.

If you're hellbent on going for the Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo simply because of its unique bin system, by all means go ahead. But make sure your home is on the smaller side and with no rugs or carpet to block its path when the mopping pad is attached.

Value for money score: 2.5 out of 5

Roomba 205 DustCompactor specs

Max suction:	Not stated
Robot size:	14 x 14.1in / 35.9 x 35.8cm
Robot height:	4in / 10.1cm
Dock dimensions (W x D x H):	3.5 x 5.9 x 5.3in / 9 x 15 x 13.5cm
Dust bin volume (onboard):	~ 1.5L
Water tank volume:	0.25L
Base type:	Charge only
Max noise level:	78dB at 5ft

Roomba 205 DustCompactor review: design

Hybrid robot vacuum and mop with internal dust compression
Compact, charge-only dock that refuses to stay put
Only one rubber roller rather than iRobot's usual double rollers

Given the financial troubles that have besieged US brand iRobot during the past few years, it's good to see that the company has since restructured itself and developed a new range of robot vacs and mops entirely from the ground up. However, in design terms, I feel that the Roomba 205 is a pale shadow of its forebears like the Roomba ‘i' and ‘j' series, and especially the excellent S9+ (for my money, by far and away the best robot the company ever made).

The USP for the Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo I'm reviewing here is that it's equipped with an extra large onboard dustbin (about 1.5 liters) with an internal motorized plastic paddle that swings back and forth to compact all detritus towards the back of the bin, thereby creating more space for subsequent cleaning sessions. That means it can offer a large dust capacity without the need to make space for a large auto-empty dock.

iRobot states a period of about 60 days before the bin needs emptying but I can see it filling up with dust and hair within a week or so if you have shedding pets in the home (this is not one to consider if you're on the hunt for the best robot vacuum for pet hair). On the plus side, you will never need to buy any extra dust bags.

Dust compaction mechanism from iRobot Roomba 205 — (Image credit: Future)

From an aesthetics point of view, the 205's dock is almost invisible in a room so I can see the appeal of a back-to-basics approach like this. However, from my tests I've found that emptying the bin myself has been quite messy and not especially pleasant (I'll get into this more in the Performance section).

Personally, I'm not sure such an innovation is necessary, either. The are models on the market that have petite, unobtrusive self-empty docks equipped with large dustbin bags – I'd happily sacrifice those few more inches of floorspace for the relative ease of this setup.

Another drawback of iRobot's solution is that the 205's titchy dock is so light in weight that it shifts around when the robot is docking and this often causes the robot's contacts to fail to connect with the dock. It's even worse when the dock is placed on carpet – I tried this the first time I used the 205 and it failed to dock at all; the charging base simply refused to stay put.

iRobot Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo robot vacuum flipped over to show underside — (Image credit: Future)

Let's take a look at the unit itself. The Roomba 205 is roughly the same width as most robot vacs but a bit taller, which means it might not reach under some low furnishings.

Flip it over and you'll notice that the 205 has only one rubber roller brush, which is a bit strange considering that iRobot invented the twin roller brush that so many high-end robot vacs use these days. I'm not sure why, but this roller brush tends to clatter across my hard wooden floors and jitter over one of my Persian-style rugs as if it were on a corrugated surface, which is distinctly annoying.

iRobot doesn't list any of its robots' suction power in Pascals so it's difficult to tell how powerful it is in comparison to other bots on the market. But, hey, you can take it from iRobot that it's ‘70x the suction of the older 600 series', whatever that means. Incidentally, you get three levels of suction power with this unit – Light, Normal and Deep.

The 205 also comes with the obligatory side spinning brush for flinging wayward debris along edges into the path of its suction. However, unlike many newer (and perhaps pricier) robovacs with side brushes that automatically articulate outwards when traveling along edges and in corners, the 205's side brush is firmly fixed in position.

iRobot Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo robot vacuum with internal bin removed — (Image credit: Future)

The 205 DustCompactor's mopping system comprises a simple mop pad with its own 250ml water container above it. The user takes charge of filling the tank and washing the pad – the dock won't help with this, as is the case with some bots.

For mopping, the robot will simply drag the pad along the floor. You can set the amount of water that's dispensed but just don't expect any miracles, especially when it comes to deep stain removal. This kind of basic mopping setup isn't unusual setup for an affordable robovac, and for general day-to-day floor cleaning it does pass some muster.

Me? I've removed it entirely because I've since discovered that the robot refuses to cross rugs or carpet if the mopping pad is attached, but more on that in the Performance chapter.

LiDAR slot and camera on Roomba 205 — (Image credit: Future)

Given that iRobot has refused for years to include LiDAR as part of its navigation system, even when every other manufacturer and their dogs have, it's refreshing to note that the company has at last seen fit to include LiDAR navigation on the 205.

However, while most bots have their LiDAR turret in a raised puck their top surface, to allow a full 360-degree view, here iRobot has hidden it behind a narrow slot just above the camera, thus restricting the view to around 180 degrees. Thankfully the camera provides backup, although it's not AI enabled like so many models these days.

Setup

The iRobot Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo arrives in a small box containing the robot, its tiny charging dock, a clip-on side brush and rear mop mount. Initial setup was relatively easy but only once I'd discovered that the old iRobot Home app isn't compatible with this model, so I downloaded the newly upgraded Roomba Home app instead.

All went according to plan until it connected to my Wi-Fi and then proceeded to automatically download the latest firmware update. That's normal, I thought, but then a warning popped up saying that ‘Roomba is having some trouble updating and to make sure Rosie (Rosie?) is docked with a good Wi-Fi connection'.

‘Rosie' was docked and the internet was fine so I waited a while, then got impatient and restarted it. It sprang to life again and gave the impression it was ready to work, so I commanded it to and it proceeded to spin round on its dock for about a minute, entangling itself on its own power cable.

iRobot Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo robot vacuum tangled in its own dock's charge cord — (Image credit: Future)

I took it off the dock and placed it on the floor, whereby it started spinning again. At this point I thought I'd been handed a dud so I took it to a different area downstairs, plugged it in and left it to fully charge. Lo and behold, when I launched the app again, it showed the ‘start mapping' screen which suggests it was updating all along, only without any icons or progress bars to tell me so.

Anyway, I tapped the mapping button and it proceeded to map my entire floor plan efficiently and – because the roller brush was turned off – without getting caught on any rugs. The upshot of all this is that if you decide to buy a Roomba 205, just be patient and let it fully charge and complete its first firmware update, even if it says it's having trouble connecting, before trying to request any cleaning.

Design score: 2 out of 5

iRobot Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo review: performance

Decent vacuuming but emptying is messy
Woeful mopping and won't ride over carpet with mop attached
Below average obstacle avoidance

After a confusing setup, the 205 started behaving as expected and mapped my open-planned, four-room downstairs area surprisingly quickly, even if it did create nine different rooms that I had to merge in the app. This is common with most robot vacs when mapping open-plan environments though it has to said that nine divisions is a record for me.

Also, for a LiDAR-equipped robot, the detail of its mapping in the app is lamentable and way behind the likes of Roborock, which displays every nook and cranny instead of just a basic overview of one's floor plan.

iRobot Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo getting tangled in a rug — (Image credit: Future)

Since it's been running, the 205's LiDAR-based navigation has been mostly okay though I have had one or two issues where it has either got stuck while trying to cross a loose rug – a common issue with some models – or suddenly stopped dead next to a kitchen cupboard for no apparent reason. With most other robot vacuum I've tested, I've learned their working methods to some degree, but this model's navigation process remains largely a mystery to me.

Obstacle avoidance

As mentioned above, the Roomba 205's LiDAR is tucked under a slotted housing so it doesn't appear to give the robot a full 360–degree view. There is a camera on the front, however, and this seems to help with its obstacle avoidance. In my test I placed the usual assortment of dog toys in front of it, plus the obligatory phone cable. It carefully avoided the first two large toys but simply snow-ploughed all the others. As expected, it also rode over the phone cable and then dragged it along behind it for a while.

iRobot Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo bumping into a dog toy — (Image credit: Future)

In the pantheon of obstacle avoidance, the Roomba 205 isn't the worst I've seen but it's not that great either, and clearly not a machine to have running around if you have (for example) a non-house trained puppy in the home.

Vacuum performance

Let's take a look at the vacuuming performance. There are few niggles to note up top. Firstly, as noted above, the Roomba 205's rubber roller made quite a racket as it trundled across my wooden hard floors. But perhaps worse than that was the monotonous high-pitched sound of the suction motor, which was clearly audible from meters away. I measured the sound waves at an average 78dB from five feet away and at an annoyingly high-pitched frequency of 660Hz.

Aside from the noise issues, the side sweeping brush fell off twice during my tests, despite being firmly connected before setting off.

iRobot Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo robot vacuum during suction tests on hard floor — (Image credit: Future)

To get an objective ideal of this bot's suction powers, I ran TechRadar's standard vacuuming tests. This involved sprinkling debris of different sizes – specifically, flour, muesli and rice – on the floor and assessing how efficiently the robot picked it up. Here, the Roomba 205 was pretty decent, though it did leave traces of flour in the cracks.

Debris spat out in front of dock — (Image credit: Future)

However, when I later went to the dock to grab a photo of the robot returning after a standard cleaning session, I noticed a small scattering of rice and muesli that it had deposited in front of the dock from its previous cleaning test, which suggests it never fully sucked all the rice and muesli into its bin and instead simply held some of it in its brush housing. This anomaly hasn't repeated itself on subsequent tests, so hopefully it was just a glitch.

iRobot Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo robot vacuum during suction tests on carpet — (Image credit: Future)

I then proceeded to run the same tests on carpet. This proved to be quite a challenge, because although the app has a menu item called ‘furniture and zones' under the heading ‘routines', nothing happens when you tap it. What it should do is provide an editable square that can be expanded or contracted over a specific cleaning area.

In the end I opted to select ‘spot clean' which was equally tricky because the map for each room is very basic and cannot be expanded so it takes trial and error to find the exact spot that relates to a specific area. Anyway, I'm pleased – indeed surprised – to report that the 205 collected all evidence of rice and muesli though, like other robots I've tested using this method, it did leave some flour marks behind.

Dust compactor performance

Moving on to the unusual bin system. While the Compactor's paddle does indeed push all detritus to the outer edges of the bin, I found that emptying it has been quite messy and not especially pleasant.

Firstly, the lid of the robot's bin doesn't open anywhere near wide enough, so I couldn't find a practical solution for emptying its dusty and hairy contents into my average-sized Brabantia kitchen bin without some of the contents spilling all over the floor. Worse, my model has a sticky bin latch so I've had to be doubly careful when trying to open the bin lest its contents end up all over the floor and my clothing.

Compressed dust and hair in onboard bin — (Image credit: Future)

iRobot states ‘up to 60 days' of cleaning before the dustbin requires emptying but my test model required emptying after just eight days of vacuuming. I should add that I have two Labradors and two cats that regularly shed hair and my home is also surrounded by woodland and farm fields so it's dustier than most urban environments.

Mopping performance

Onto the mopping. First things first: if you have any rugs or carpet dividing your hard floors, this may be the last hybrid robot you want, because it will not traverse any rug or carpet when the mopping pad is fitted. I first thought that it was the small protruding lip at the bottom of the mop mount that was catching on my rugs but it transpires that the unit has a carpet sensor on board that, in my case, refused to allow the robot to proceed the moment the front half of the robot touched the rug.

It did do its darnedest to head over the rug en route to the hard floor kitchen, but after 10 minutes of trying at every conceivable angle, it eventually announced that it was unable to continue cleaning before returning to the dock, having not performed the assigned mopping task. I can't believe that I'm the only household in the world with rugs scattered over hard flooring but what I do know is that, for me, this model has proved to be as useless as a chocolate teapot when it comes to complete household cleaning without any human interjection.

iRobot Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo during mopping tests — (Image credit: Future)

Anyway, having failed to ride over my rugs, I resorted to carrying the bot to the kitchen so it could perform a spot clean on a spill of milk. I had to make several attempts at this because, as I had discovered for the carpet vacuuming test, the app's map is so unrefined that it's almost impossible to select a specific cleaning spot. Anyway, I eventually spilled some milk in its path and it duly soaked up the milk leaving no signs of it. But then I expected that – much like I'd expect a single swipe with a paper towel to do the same thing.

In its favor, it did also mop the rest of the area quite effectively, leaving only a damp swathe that dried up quickly. I then had to pick the robot up again and place it near its dock so it could get back to charging.

It's not unusual for a budget robot vacuum to have this kind of simple mopping setup (not including the refusal to pass over carpet – that is very unusual). More advanced bots will have pads that vibrate, rotate or press down to dislodge dirt, but you might need to pay a little more for this kind of setup.

Performance score: 2.5 out of 5

iRobot Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo review: app

New app for this current range of Roombas
Very basic with incomplete menus and unrefined maps
Frustrating and slow to use

The new iRobot Home app was recently launched as a replacement for the older app that's now been renamed iRobot (Classic). Having used it extensively during the past week I can report that there's a lot of work to be done on making this app more user-friendly. Firstly, it's slow to send commands to the Roomba 205 and some user inputs cause a spinning cog wheel to pop up on screen while it sends its signal.

Perhaps I'm too used to Roborock's fully comprehensive app but I found the iRobot Home app to be too simplistic and, at times, very irritating to use. For instance, the floor plan maps it creates are so basic it's difficult to tell where one room ends and another begins. Also, its Spot Clean function is almost impossible to use since you can't expand the map in this menu and the little spot cleaning square it provides can't be placed exactly where you need it.

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Screenshots from iRobot companion app — (Image credit: iRobot)

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Although the app allows you to create routines and standard cleaning schedules, and make adjustments to both vacuum power and water amount for mopping, you can't create any specific cleaning zones, like in front of the dog bed or a specific rug. Bizarrely, there is an option to select ‘Furniture and Zones' but when you click on this function, nothing at all happens. I'm sure iRobot will be adding improvements to this app going forward but, as it stands, it's woefully inadequate.

App score: 1.5 out of 5

Should you buy the iRobot Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo?

Attribute	Notes	Rating
Value	Mid-friendly price, but performance issues make it a poor investment. Other cheap bots work much better.	2.5 / 5
Design	Hybrid robot vacuum and mop with internal dust compaction and a simple, small dock. An intriguing idea let down by multiple design flaws.	2 / 5
Performance	Decent vacuuming but mopping is basic, and navigation and obstacle avoidance are mediocre at best. Noisy and glitchy in use.	2.5 / 5
App	Overly simplistic, buggy and irritating to use, the new iRobot Home app needs a serious overhaul.	1.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You absolutely do not want a large dock
The Roomba 205's dust compactor system means it can hold more dust than most bots with charge-only docks.

Your home has a simple layout
The 205's basic navigation means it's best suited for simple floor plans.

Don't buy it if...

You have pets
The compacting bin will fill too quickly with hair – if you have shedding pets, it's worth investing in a bot that comes with a self-empty dock.

You want hands-off cleaning
You will need to empty the bin and clean the mop yourself here, and I experienced various issues that required manual intervention in use.

It's at full price
Although not expensive within the market, there are similarly priced (and indeed, cheaper) robovacs that offer much better performance.

How I tested the iRobot Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo

As is the way with all TechRadar tests, we live with the product for as long as possible, observing its day-to-day functions and generally appraising it from afar. We then get down to some serious testing while making copious notes on the product's performance.

In the case of the iRobot Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo, I had it installed at home for just over a week while I observed its navigation behaviour. I then proceeded with my vacuum, mopping tests on both hard floor and carpet using a variety of household ingredients in order to replicate a real-world scenario. I then tested its obstacle avoidance system using some dog toys and the obligatory phone cable.

I should add that this particular review took me a lot longer to complete than usual because the machine in question failed to behave as I expected. Hence, I had to spend extra time repeating tests to make sure its previous hiccups weren't just one-off glitches.

Read more about how we test robot vacuum cleaners

First reviewed July 2025

Asus ROG Flow Z13 review: great on-the-go gaming, but at a cost

5:02 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Gaming Computers Gaming PCs | Tags: AAA, Razer Blade, Total War | Comments: Off

Asus ROG Flow Z13: Two-minute review

This year has seen some of the best gaming laptops and gaming handhelds ever made hit the market, which means it can be hard to decide which device you want to pick up for your on-the-go gaming needs.

However, what if you were to take both device categories and smoosh them together? You get the Asus ROG Flow Z13: a high-performance gaming tablet which, unlike other gaming tablets on the market, actually allows you to play ambitious AAA titles and achieve not just playable but good frame rates, all while staying cool and quiet.

Asus ROG Flow Z13 gaming tablet on wooden surface — (Image credit: Future)

The downsides, which stop this device from achieving a perfect score, is the battery life not being great when gaming. However, it does last a decent amount of time when using it for general browsing or watching videos.

It’s also very expensive, coming in at over $2,000, which means this device is not for those who are on a budget, with gaming laptops in the same price range delivering much higher performance.

Asus ROG Flow Z13 review: Price and availability

How much does it cost? $2,099 / £2,199
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Only available in certain regions

Coming in at $2,099 / £2,199, this is an exceptionally expensive device in terms of gaming tablets. However, with alternatives unbale to offer a similar level of performance, it's hard to compare price-wise with other gaming tablets.

More similar alternatives are products like the Asus ROG Ally X, the gaming handheld from the same company, which comes in at $799 / £799 and provides you with the same kind of performance.

The Asus ROG Flow Z13 is available in certain regions including the UK and US, however unfortunately it cannot be picked up worldwide.

Value: 3 / 5

Asus ROG Flow Z13 review: Specs

This gaming tablet from Asus ROG Flow Z13 comes in one iteration in 2025. You get an AMD CPU with a built-in NPU and GPU paired with 32GB of RAM and 1TB SSD making for a powerful machine.

Price	$2,099 / £2,199
CPU	AMD Ryzen AI MAX 390 12-Core Processor
Graphics	Integrated
RAM	32GB DDR5
Screen	13.4-inch WQXGA IPS 180Hz 100% DCI-P3 Screen
Storage	1TB SSD
Ports	1x USB-A, 2x USB-C with DisplayPort, 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5mm Audio Jack, 1x MicroSD Card Reader
Wireless	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Camera	13MP camera and 5MP IR camera
Weight	2.65lbs (1.20kg)
Dimensions	11.81 x 8.03 x 0.51-inches (30 x 20.4 x 1.30cm)

Unfortunately you only get a 1TB SSD with no way to expand the storage, so you may have to invest in an external hard drive if you’re planning on installing large games.

There are other iterations of the Asus ROG Flow Z13 from previous years if you’re looking for other specifications.

Asus ROG Flow Z13 review: Design

Very portable
Fantastic design
Good selection of ports

One of my favourite parts of the Asus ROG Flow Z13 is how compact it is, as you’d expect from a gaming tablet.

This is a device you can take pretty much anywhere, chucking it into any bag, even a small handbag thanks to how small it is (measuring 30 x 20.4 x 1.30cm). Compared to many gaming laptops that weigh around 3kg, the Asus ROG Flow Z13 comes in at just 1.2kg, perfect for taking your device on the go.

In terms of style, you get a simple and sleek tablet with a detachable keyboard and trackpad. There’s a small window on the back of the device that allows you to view some of the components inside, which is a really nice touch.

While it doesn’t have an OLED screen - something that did shock me initially - the Asus ROG Flow Z13 still has a pretty nice display. It won’t blow you away by any means, but it has a great color range and an exceptional refresh rate for a tablet at 180Hz.

There are a fair amount of ports on the Asus ROG Flow Z13 , including USB-A, two USB-C ports (either can be used for charging), HDMI, an audio jack, and a microSD card reader. This is great for those who are hoping to use other gaming peripherals with their device as there are plenty of options to plug in.

The included keyboard is extremely slim, and while I usually despise tablet keyboards, this one wasn’t as squidgy as alternative options. It made for a satisfying typing and gaming experience, however for those playing competitive titles, I would recommend opting for an external gaming keyboard for those precise responses.

Design score: 5 / 5

Asus ROG Flow Z13 review: Performance

Gaming performance is impressive
Overall user experience is great
Quiet when in use

Benchmarks

These are the results of our benchmarking tests for the Asus ROG Flow Z13:

3DMark: Night Raid: 36,307; Fire Strike: 11,230; Time Spy: 4,634
GeekBench 6: 2,162 (single-core); 11,575 (multi-core)
CrossMark: Overall: 1,417; Productivity: 1,241; Creativity: 1,760; Responsiveness: 1,100
Total War: Warhammer III (1080p, Ultra): 63; (1080p, Low): 122
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 73; (1080p, Low): 93
Dirt 5 (1080p, Ultra): 39; (1080p, Low): 80
PCMark 10 Battery Life: 6 hr 4 min
TechRadar movie test: 5hr 55 min

In terms of performance, the Asus ROG Flow Z13 delivers some pretty good framerates for a gaming tablet, however considering the price point, I was actually expecting more.

While for the most part, you get above 60 fps when playing in 1080p at Ultra graphics presets, equivalently-priced gaming laptops would likely be delivering significantly better performance, as they can make use off more powerful hardware without having to fit it into a tablet-like form factor.

The Asus ROG Flow Z13 stayed very quiet the whole time I was using it. Even when putting it through its paces, like running AAA titles at Ultra, I was barely able to hear the device which makes it perfect for using on the go so you’re not disturbing everyone around you.

As you’d expect, due to how quiet it was, it also stayed very cool which is great for a tablet as it means you can still hold it and use the touchscreen as intended without worrying about burning your hands and fingers.

The speakers are pretty good, however as always I would recommend plugging in and using a headset to ensure the best gaming experience. For watching videos and movies, the speakers are absolutely perfect since you don’t need the directional precision.

Outside of the actual performance I was getting in-game, using the device itself has been a very pleasant experience. I enjoyed typing on it, and I found it easy to switch between tablet and laptop mode by just removing or flipping the keyboard back.

One downside for me was the built in trackpad, I found it a little bit slow in terms of responsiveness, while fine for browsing and general use, I obviously opted for a gaming mouse when playing.

Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Asus ROG Flow Z13 review: Battery life

The battery life of the Asus ROG Flow Z13 is actually surprisingly great, surpassing even some of the highest-performance and more expensive gaming laptops I’ve tried recently.

When benchmarking the battery, I was able to get around sixhours of usage, which is more representative of watching videos on the device rather than gaming. When gaming on the Asus ROG Flow Z13, I found I got closer to four hours of battery, with AAA games draining the device even faster.

For example, when playing Cyberpunk I only got around an hour of half of game time before the device shut off, which certainly limits how portable this device actually is, no matter how thin and light it might be.

Battery life: 3 / 5

Should I buy the Asus ROG Flow Z13?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Price	This is a very expensive device, but it’s hard to compare to alternatives as it's so unique.	3 / 5
Design	You get a sleek and stunning device which is lightweight and has an excellent range of ports.	5 / 5
Performance	This tablet delivers great performance while staying cool and quiet however laptops at a similar price point would surpass this easily.	4 / 5
Battery life	While delivering a better battery life than some gaming laptops on the market, it's significantly reduced when gaming.	3 / 5
Total Score	This unique gaming tablet can be used as a more traditional laptop, and offers impressive performance and a fantastic and innovative design. Its high price and compromised battery life prevent it from being perfect, however.	3.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You want a portable gaming device
This is super lightweight and compact, making for a great on-the-go gaming device.

You want something cool and quiet
Even when put through its paces, it stays very cool and quiet.

You’re looking for good performance across AAA titles
I got decent frames in all of the titles I tested out, including AAA titles at 'Ultra' graphical settings.

Don't buy it if...

You’re on a budget
You do get a decent battery capacity here, but it won’t last you very long when gaming.

You want a long-lasting battery
You do get a decent battery capacity here, but it won’t last you very long when gaming.

Asus ROG Flow Z13 review: Also consider

	Asus ROG Flow Z13	Razer Blade 14 (2024)	MSI Katana 15
Price	$2,099 / £2,199	From $2,199.99 / £2,149.99 / AU$3,999	$999 (about £785 / AU$1,543)
CPU	AMD Ryzen AI MAX 390 12-Core Processor	AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS	Intel Core i7-13620H
Graphics	Integrated	Nvidia RTX 4060 - RTX 4070	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 - 4070
RAM	32GB DDR5	16GB DDR5 - 32GB DDR5	16GB DDR5 - 32GB DDR5
Screen	13.4-inch WQXGA IPS 180Hz 100% DCI-P3 Screen	14-inch QHD+ 240Hz, 2560 x 1600p, up to 100% DCI-P3, Factory calibrated, Calman Verified	15.6-inch FHD, IPS-Level 144Hz
Storage	1TB SSD	1TB SSD	1TB SSD
Ports	1x USB-A, 2x USB-C with DisplayPort, 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5mm Audio Jack, 1x MicroSD Card Reader	2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A , 2 x USB4 Type-C Ports with Power Delivery and Display Port 1.4, Charging supported with 20V USB-C chargers with PD 3.0 (100W), 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x Power port, 1 x 3.5mm combo jack	1x USB-C 3.2, 2x USB-A 3.2, 1x USB-A 2.0, HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm Combo-Jack
Weight	2.65lbs (1.20kg)	4.05 lbs (1.84kg)	4.96 lbs (2.25 kg)
Dimensions	11.81 x 8.03 x 0.51-inches (30 x 20.4 x 1.30cm)	12.23 x 8.97 x 0.70 inches (310.7 x 228 x 17.99mm)	14.13 x 10.20 x 0.98 inches (359 x 259 x 25mm)

Here are some alternatives if the Asus ROG Flow Z13 doesn't sound right for your needs:

Razer Blade 14
You can grab this powerful gaming laptop which provides you with immaculate performance regardless of if you’re looking for stunning visuals or high frame rates all packed into a compact and stunning chassis, then the Razer Blade 14 is a great option.

Read our full Razer Blade 14 review

MSI Katana 15
For those not looking to spend too much, then the MSI Katana 15 is a great budget option for those who are looking for a powerful gaming laptop. You can pick it up at less than $1,000 and still get decent AAA performance in 1080p.

Read our full MSI Katana 15 review

How I tested the Asus ROG Flow Z13

Tested for two weeks
Used for work and for gaming
Ran benchmarks

I spent two weeks using the Asus ROG Flow Z13 as my everyday laptop for work and leisure. I was sure to use the device all day for my typical workday, and then also used it for gaming in the evening.

I took it on the go with me to different locations where I needed to work to see how it would feel outside of my workstation. As well as using it every day, I also benchmarked the laptop using a range of different benchmarking software and in-game benchmarking tools for a range of titles.

First reviewed: July 2025
Read more about how we test

I tested Insta360’s first wireless mic and it’s another solid entry-level choice – but it can’t quite match the DJI Mic Mini

4:00 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Camera Accessories Cameras Computers Gadgets | Comments: Off

Insta360 Mic Air: two-minute review

Following in the footsteps of DJI, Rode, Saramonic, Hollyland and more, Insta360 brings us the Insta360 Mic Air, a compact, inexpensive wireless microphone designed with video creators in mind – particularly those who use the Insta360 X5 or Insta360 Ace Pro 2 action cameras.

The button-sized, ultra-lightweight Mic Air transmitter (aka the TX) can connect wirelessly to either of the above Insta360 cameras, either replacing or teaming up with the on-board mics. The idea is that it adds an instant upgrade to sound quality, offering 48kHz / 24-bit audio, optional noise reduction, and a furry attachable shield to cut down on distracting wind noise.

Having tested the Mic Air on a typically breezy day on the English coast, I’m very happy with the results. With the windshield carefully attached, the noise from occasional strong gusts was completely removed, as the video below illustrates. I say “carefully” because Insta360 has opted for a slightly unconventional method for attachment: the shield is mounted on a rubber ring that slips over the sides of the TX, and some care must be taken to ensure that it’s sited directly above the mic grille.

There’s also a form of noise reduction available, accessed by double-tapping the TX’s power button. It’s fairly effective, helping negate background drones and hums without overly distorting the final audio. You can also adjust the mic’s gain in the X5 or Ace Pro 2’s menu screens, and there’s an on-screen indicator while you’re recording to give you an at-a-glance view of the current gain.

Connected directly to the X5 or Ace Pro 2, the Mic Air has a short range – about 30 to 50m. But add the receiver (or RX) and things get a lot roomier, with the theoretical range going up to 300m (the real-world results are less thanks to interference and obstructions).

Note – at launch, the Mic Air is compatible with the X5 and Ace Pro 2 only. Insta360 says a firmware update is coming for the X4, while the Go 3 / 3S won't be compatible with it. The X3 and the Ace Pro aren't compatible either, but could be further down the line.

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Insta360 Mic Air — (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

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The receiver, which is also tiny and lightweight, has a USB-C connector that enables you to plug it into smartphones, tablets, laptops and other products, such as Insta360’s Flow range of smartphone gimbals. It then establishes a wireless connection with the transmitter, so that when you hit the record button on your device the audio recorded comes from the transmitter rather than your device’s own microphone.

I still use an older iPhone model with Lightning, so I wasn’t able to test this method on my smartphone (Insta360 has told me that a Lighting version is a definite possibility for the future). While I understand the decision not to offer a Lightning option at launch, it does leave some people out of the loop, as does the lack of a 3.5mm output for connection to cameras. Some other small, affordable mics, like the DJI Mic Mini and Fulaim X5M, offer wider connectivity.

I did, however, put the Insta360 Mic Air through its paces hooked up to an Android tablet, and found the audio quality a huge improvement over that offered by the built-in mic. You don’t have to use it just for video capture, either – it would also improve the quality of voice notes and recordings, Zoom calls, and anything else that requires the use of a mic.

One thing Insta360 has done really well with the Mic Air is offer a variety of mounting options. In the box there’s a button magnet, which lets you attach the TX to thin clothing, as well as a clip magnet that can grip onto collars, lapels, bag straps and even cap brims. I’ve seen those with virtually every wireless mic I’ve reviewed, but here there’s also a magnet pendant, so the user can wear the TX around their neck. It’s nice to have that extra option.

The magnet also comes into use when recharging the TX battery, locking it into position on its charging plate. The charging plate uses USB-A, which surprised me a little in 2025 where USB-C is ubiquitous, but I doubt many people will struggle to find somewhere to plug it in.

On the subject of the battery, the TX offers about 10 hours of use on a full charge, which is a little less than the DJI Mic Mini’s 11.5 hours, but still very respectable.

Insta360 Mic Air: specs

Dimensions:	26.9 x 26.9 x 11.6mm / 1.3 x 1.3 x 0.6 inches (TX)
Weight:	7.9g / 3.7oz (TX)
Range:	Up to 300m
Connectivity:	USB-C
Bluetooth:	Yes
Battery:	Up to 10 hours
Noise cancelling:	Yes

Insta360 Mic Air: price and availability

The Insta360 Mic Air is available now, with two options available. For buyers who own an Insta360 X5 or Ace Pro 2 camera and just need a mic transmitter to connect to it directly, the Mic Air Transmitter package costs $49.99 / £49.99 / AU$89.99. It comes with a single TX unit, charging base, button magnet, magnet pendant, clip magnet, windshield and carry case.

For those in need of more flexibility, there’s the Insta360 Mic Air (1 TX + 1 RX bundle), which includes all of the above plus one USB-C Receiver unit that can plug directly into smartphones, tablets, computers and more. This costs $69.99 / £69.99 / AU$129.99.

Insta360’s pricing seems very fair to me, although recent price drops have seen the DJI Mic Mini (1 TX + 1 RX) bundle fall to just $89 / £59 / AU$199, or £78 / $139 with a Lightning adapter. That’s probably a better deal than Insta360’s, if you can find it.

Should I buy the Insta360 Mic Air?

Buy it if...

You want to boost your X5 or Ace Pro 2's audio
Buying a single TX unit will hugely improve your action-camera audio at a low cost and with very little fuss.

You want the most mounting options
With a clip, button magnet and pendant in the box, there's no shortage of ways to wear the Mic Air.

Don't buy it if...

You need a flexible wireless mic
An RX unit adds some versatility, but with no 3.5mm or Lightning connectivity, the Mic Air isn't particularly versatile.

You want an all-in-one package
Unlike most rivals, you can't buy the Mic Air in a 2x TX, 1x RX and charging case bundle. In fact, there's no charging case accessory at all.

Insta360 Mic Air: also consider

DJI Mic Mini

The shrunk-down version of DJI’s ubiquitous wireless microphone is slightly more flexible than the Insta360 Mic Air, thanks to its RX unit supporting a 3.5mm input that lets it connect to cameras. In many other respects it feels similar, and the way it seamlessly works with certain DJI products mirrors the Mic Air’s compatibility with Insta360’s own most recent cameras.

Read our in-depth DJI Mic Mini reviewView Deal

Boya Mini

It might be 16-bit only and very plasticky, but the Boya Mini is still the best super-cheap wireless mic we’ve tested. It’s refreshingly quick and easy to set up and surprisingly reliable, and everything, windshields included, fits into the charging case for easy transport. You can pick up a full two-mic set (2x TX, 1x RX and the charging case) for less than one Mic Air TX.

Read our in-depth Boya Mini reviewView Deal

How I tested the Insta360 Mic Air

I used it for one week
I tested it with an Insta360 X5 camera and Android tablet
I used it indoors and outdoors

I tested a full production version of the Insta360 Mic Air over the course of a week, using it both with the Insta360 X5 and my OnePlus Pad Android tablet. With the X5, I went outside on both calm and windy days, vlogging with the setup as a means to test its wind-negating and noise-reduction capabilities.

First reviewed July 2025

I was surprised how easy it was to use MyFico identity theft protection

3:10 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Security | Comments: Off

Our series on identity theft protection apps will evaluate the features, pricing options, competition, and also the overall value of using each app. However, these are not full hands-on reviews since evaluating identity theft protection apps is almost impossible. It would require several months of testing, purposefully hacking accounts to see if the protection app works, handing over personally identifiable information, performing multiple credit checks, and risking exposure of the reviewer’s personally identifiable information.

There is finally an identity theft prevention program that is worth your time and money among the multitude of options available. This is particularly noteworthy since MyFico is the consumer arm of the company that created the FICO credit score, which has been an industry standard for more than 25 years.

MyFico places a strong emphasis on your credit score and credit reporting, offering a wide range of educational content as well as detailed information about your credit situation. The mobile app presents this information in a vibrant and easy-to-understand manner, boasting a more polished appearance than most of the applications we've tried. Although this product is typically priced higher than others, it meets all the criteria for a high-quality offering.

First and foremost, the user interface (UI) is simple and easy to navigate. This is crucial because a clumsy and unappealing UI can make any program difficult to use. Quickly finding the features you need can help you protect yourself against criminals or hackers attempting to steal your personally identifiable information, which makes identity theft protection essential. MyFico's colorful display of credit scores includes pop-up alerts that notify you of potential risks.

Like many other products, the app offers $1 million in identity theft protection, although some of the more basic competitors provide similar coverage. Additionally, a credit score simulator is available, allowing you to see how various actions, such as taking out a new auto loan, may affect your credit score. The organization behind MyFico is well-known and reputable. Overall, this is an effective and intelligent product for monitoring your online presence.

MyFico: Plans and pricing

MyFICO offers a range of plans to help consumers monitor their credit and identity, with pricing structured across different tiers. The Free Plan provides basic coverage, including a FICO Score 8 based on Equifax data, monthly Equifax credit reports, and 24/7 credit monitoring.

For more comprehensive coverage, MyFICO has three paid subscription tiers that automatically renew each month:

Advanced Plan: Priced at $29.95 per month, this plan offers three-bureau coverage (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax) with credit reports and FICO Score updates every three months. It includes comprehensive credit monitoring, FICO Score monitoring with alerts, and identity monitoring. Additionally, it provides $1 million in identity theft insurance and 24/7 identity restoration. Features like the FICO Score Simulator and "How Lenders View You" analysis are also included.

Premier Plan: This top-tier plan costs $39.95 per month and offers the most frequent updates, providing three-bureau credit reports and FICO Scores (including versions for mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards) on a monthly basis. Similar to the Advanced Plan, it includes proactive credit report monitoring and alerts, identity monitoring, up to $1 million in identity theft insurance, and 24/7 identity restoration. All paid plans feature FICO Score 8 and may include additional versions of the FICO Score.

Please keep in mind that all subscriptions automatically renew and are non-refundable

Mobile App — MyFico has one of the best looking identity theft protection apps we've seen yet (Image credit: FICO)

MyFico: Interface

MyFico truly stands out in the realm of identity theft prevention software, especially when compared to many other programs that often resemble outdated tax software from a decade ago. One of its most notable features is its vibrant, user-friendly credit score indicator, combined with a sleek, modern design that makes the mobile app particularly appealing to users.

The app boasts an intuitive layout, allowing users to easily navigate and access key features. Checking your credit score is a swift and straightforward process, while delving into potential credit issues or assessing identity theft notifications is just as seamless. This accessibility is vital in a landscape where timely intervention can make a significant difference.

One of the app’s standout components is its credit score simulator. Unlike traditional calculators that offer limited insights, MyFico's simulator operates more like an interactive wizard. It allows users to explore various financial scenarios—like purchasing a home or a car—illustrating how these decisions might affect their credit score. This foresight equips users with the knowledge they need to make informed financial choices, ensuring they can assess whether it’s wise to move forward with significant purchases.

While MyFico comes with a higher price tag than some of its competitors, the simplicity and effectiveness of its interface can be well worth the investment. If this user-friendly design helps you tackle potential identity theft issues or prevent future credit complications, the cost becomes a minor consideration compared to the peace of mind it offers.

In contrast, other identity theft protection apps, although they may offer impressive features, often fall short in usability. Their cumbersome and outdated interfaces can make it challenging for users to locate and utilize these tools effectively. MyFico’s sleek design and robust functionality set it apart, making it a superior choice for anyone serious about safeguarding their identity and maintaining their credit health.

Figure out how your purchasing decisions will affect your FICO score with the service's FICO Score Simulator (Image credit: FICO)

MyFico: Features

MyFICO offers a comprehensive suite of features designed to empower you with knowledge and protection over your credit and identity. With MyFICO, you receive FICO Scores and credit reports from all three major credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. This is essential because 90% of top lenders rely on FICO Scores. By reviewing your reports from all three bureaus, you can identify discrepancies and errors that may be negatively impacting your scores.

Additionally, MyFICO provides credit monitoring and alerts, continuously tracking significant changes such as new accounts or inquiries. This allows you to quickly detect potential identity theft or fraudulent activity and take immediate action if necessary. You will also benefit from FICO Score monitoring and a history graph, which visually displays your score's progression over time, helping you understand how your financial decisions impact it.

One particularly helpful tool is the FICO Score Simulator, which enables you to explore "what if" scenarios, such as how paying down debt or applying for a new loan could affect your score. This feature empowers you to make informed financial choices before taking action.

Beyond credit monitoring, MyFICO offers identity monitoring by scanning the dark web and public records for your personal information. If your information is compromised, you will receive alerts. In the unfortunate event of identity theft, you are protected by identity restoration services and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance. This coverage includes 24/7 access to specialists who can assist you in recovery and provide financial protection for related expenses.

Finally, MyFICO provides valuable credit education and customer support to help you understand the complexities of credit and offer assistance whenever needed. Together, these features give you a complete picture of your financial health, proactive protection, and the tools to confidently manage your credit and identity.

MyFico: Support

Users who are facing problems can get assistance from the MyFico support team. A direct toll-free number is provided, along with what appears to be an email address but, upon selecting it, directs the user to a support portal. The business is open Monday through Friday from 6 AM to 6 PM and on Saturday from 7 AM to 4 PM PST. There are no choices for faxing or chat.

Additionally, there are articles categorized by subjects such as "Why did my FICO Score change?" and professional credit education. A discussion board, ebooks, or video content are not current options.

MyFico: The competition

While MyFICO is the official consumer division of FICO and offers direct access to the widely used FICO Scores, several strong competitors provide comprehensive credit monitoring services, often with different focuses.

One of the most prominent competitors is Credit Karma, which stands out for offering free credit monitoring services. Unlike MyFICO, which primarily provides FICO Scores, Credit Karma uses the VantageScore® model (generated from TransUnion and Equifax data). Credit Karma also includes features like credit-building tools, financial management resources, and personalized offers for credit cards and loans, making it a popular choice for those looking for free and expansive credit oversight, though it's worth noting they share user data for marketing purposes.

Another significant player is Experian, one of the three major credit bureaus. Experian offers its own free credit monitoring service, providing access to your Experian credit report and FICO® Score. They also have a unique feature called Experian Boost, which allows users to potentially increase their FICO Score by including on-time payments for utilities, phone bills, and streaming services. While MyFICO also offers FICO scores, Experian's direct connection to one of the bureaus and its Boost feature offer a distinct advantage for some consumers.

Beyond these, other services like CreditWise by Capital One (free, offering TransUnion VantageScore and credit report monitoring), SmartCredit (offering three-bureau reports and scores with credit-building tools), Aura, Identity Guard, and LifeLock provide various levels of credit monitoring and identity theft protection. These often bundle credit monitoring with more robust identity theft insurance, fraud alerts, and even digital security features, catering to users who prioritize comprehensive protection beyond just credit score tracking. The key distinction often lies in the specific credit scoring model used (FICO vs. VantageScore), the number of credit bureaus monitored, and the inclusion of additional services like identity theft protection or financial management tools.

MyFico: Final verdict

We have a strong appreciation for the user-friendly interface and the extensive range of features provided by the MyFico service. One of the standout advantages of this platform is the reassurance it offers; you won't have to worry about navigating the murky waters of obscure identity theft companies. MyFico is backed by a well-established brand known for its credibility and trustworthiness, which is a significant advantage in the realm of financial protection.

An effective starting point for monitoring your financial health is by checking your FICO score, as it serves as a crucial indicator of your creditworthiness. Keeping an eye on this score allows you to make informed decisions regarding your credit history and potential discrepancies that may arise.

Additionally, we appreciate that even the most basic plan includes identity theft insurance, providing peace of mind in the unfortunate event of fraud. This proactive approach to identity theft protection is a considerable benefit for individuals looking for comprehensive security. Moreover, if you ever find yourself needing assistance, MyFICO's customer support is available around the clock, ensuring that help is always at hand whenever you may need it.

While we consider the MyFico solution to be robust and reliable, it is worth noting that we believe services like Norton LifeLock and IdentityForce edge it out, as they deliver a wider range of features at a more competitive price point. These alternatives provide enhanced options that cater to varying needs and budgets, making them worthy contenders in the landscape of identity protection.

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