Elon Musk-owned X, previously called Twitter, has been purchased by his AI company xAI.
This announcement came from Musk through a post on his X account, revealing that X was acquired by xAI in an all-stock transaction, valuing xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion ($45B less $12B debt).
X, then Twitter, was purchased by Musk in 2022 for about $44 billion and has been mired in controversies for different reasons. With its acquisition by xAI, Musk said this combination of X and xAI, whose "futures are intertwined," will unlock immense potential by "blending xAI’s advanced AI...
Elon Musk-owned X, previously called Twitter, has been purchased by his AI company xAI.
This announcement came from Musk through a post on his X account, revealing that X was acquired by xAI in an all-stock transaction, valuing xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion ($45B less $12B debt).
X, then Twitter, was purchased by Musk in 2022 for about $44 billion and has been mired in controversies for different reasons. With its acquisition by xAI, Musk said this combination of X and xAI, whose "futures are intertwined," will unlock immense potential by "blending xAI’s advanced AI...
The Obsbot Tiny SE is an entry-level pan-tilt-and-zoom gimbal webcam with AI features that punches well above its weight. At a remarkably affordable price point of $99 / £109 / AU$199, it offers a compelling blend of features and performance that makes it a strong contender, but only if you need a camera that can follow you around a room.
Watching the Tiny SE swivel and tilt to follow your movement is oddly adorable. (Image credit: Future)
The low price point is probably down to the Obsbot Tiny SE maxing out at 1080p resolution. If you’re a stickler for 4K, check out the Obsbot Tiny 2, but for most users, 1080p strikes an excellent balance between quality and practicality. What's more important is that this webcam will go up to 100 frames per second, if you’re moving around a room, gesturing, or being rather animated in general having smooth motion is going to be important.
The webcam utilizes a 1/2.8-inch CMOS sensor with an f/1.8 aperture, resulting in decent low-light performance with minimal noise and grain. This is a significant advantage for home offices with terrible lighting; gamers who prefer a moody, backlit setup will also appreciate how well this webcam performs.
Here is a side-by-side image comparison against the budget webcam king, the Logitech C920. As you can see, the lines are sharper, the details are clearer, and the color balance is better.
Granted, the Logitech C920 has been around for a while now, but at the same 1080p resolution the Tiny SE is notably sharper. (Image credit: Future)
The Tiny SE is, as the name suggests, tiny. Especially for a camera that includes motors able to follow you around a room. There is something undeniably cute about something so small following you around a room. Its compact design ensures it doesn’t hog space on your desk or screen. Here is a picture with it next to an SD card to give you an idea of how small it really is:
The Tiny SE certainly lives up to its name. (Image credit: Future)
The webcam comes with a standard monitor mount, making it easy to clip onto your laptop or desktop display. For added versatility, it also includes a 1/4-inch thread for mounting on tripods or other camera accessories.
The USB-C connection ensures compatibility with modern devices, and the included USB-C to USB-A adapter covers legacy ports. This thoughtful inclusion makes it adaptable without forcing you to rummage through your drawer of forgotten dongles and adapters.
The built-in AI tracking is a showstopper. Whether you’re pacing during a presentation or showcasing a product for your audience, the webcam keeps you perfectly framed. You can choose between different framing like upper-body tracking, or close-up shots.
The tracking works pretty well, keeping subjects in focus even when they move around the frame. Paired with the smooth 100 FPS recording, the result is buttery-smooth footage that doesn’t feel like a typical static webcam shot.
When not in use, the Tiny SE 'goes to sleep' by rotating the camera downward. (Image credit: Future)
Gesture controls are a fun addition that I personally found annoying but I could see being useful for someone who is presenting. Need to zoom in? Flash an “L” with your hand. Want it to follow your movements? Raise your hand, and it locks onto you. Sometimes however it interprets hand gestures incorrectly and will zoom into a random area or follow you when you don’t want it to. Try it out for yourself to see if it's useful, but personally, I turned it off.
When testing the built-in microphones for the Tiny SE in a quiet room, my voice is clear with good range for webcam use, although a small amount of room echo and noise are present. The mic isn’t exceptional but then I was never expecting it to be and it does struggle a little in a crowded office. You'll always sound better with a dedicated headset or microphone but for a webcam, the Tiny SE offers acceptable audio quality.
The flip-out mount makes attaching the Tiny SE to a monitor or tripod a breeze. (Image credit: Future)
In terms of usability, the setup process is straightforward. Plug it in and you’re good to go. The Obsbot Center software does take this webcam to the next level and while it is annoying installing an app for a webcam, it really is worth it to get the most out of the Tiny SE. Its intuitive interface makes adjusting settings a breeze, whether you’re tweaking the tracking mode or fine-tuning image quality. You can adjust ISO, shutter speed, white balance, and refresh rate, as well as play with its AI features. The software also supports integration with tools like the Elgato Stream Deck, letting you set up presets for different angles or zoom levels at the push of a button.
While the AI-driven tracking around a room is almost flawless, the autofocus leaves something to be desired. While it technically works, it isn’t as snappy or accurate as autofocus found in higher-end and more expensive models. There’s noticeable focus hunting and occasional warping, which can be distracting when trying to present or walking around. It’s one of the few compromises they clearly made to keep the price so low.
Obsbot Tiny SE webcam: Price & availability
How much does it cost? $99 / £109 / AU$199
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? The US, UK, and Australia
Here’s where the Obsbot Tiny SE hits it out of the park: the price. At $99 / £109 / AU$199, this webcam is fighting way above its weight class. Comparable models with similar features and gimbal tracking often cost significantly more. The Tiny SE provides a budget-friendly option for those who want tracking without the premium price tag.
Obsbot Tiny SE webcam: Specs
Should you buy the Obsbot Tiny SE webcam?
It's not included in the box, but you can also buy Obsbot's standalone Tiny Smart Remote 2 for controlling the webcam. (Image credit: Future)
Buy it if...
You're upgrading a conference room setup This is a "no-brainer" for businesses looking to upgrade conference calls. Its ability to track speakers and provide a more dynamic meeting experience while also being affordable and easy to use makes is easy to recommend.
You need AI tracking on a budget The Tiny SE offers smooth, reliable AI tracking. If you move around during presentations, demonstrations, or online teaching, this camera will keep you framed effectively.
Don't buy it if...
You don't need pan, tilt, and zoom The AI tracking and PTZ features are the Tiny SE's main selling points. If you primarily sit stationary in front of your computer, a less expensive, static webcam will likely suffice and save you money like the cute Obsbot Meet SE.
You need 4K video quality If you're a professional content creator (or you're very serious about video conferencing) you might want to spring for a 4K webcam instead.
Obsbot Tiny SE webcam: Also consider
Logitech C920 The quintessential 1080p webcam. Logitech's C920 has been a reliable and sensibly-priced choice of webcam for years, making it a good pick if you'd like to save some cash and don't need the fancy AI-tracking features found on the Obsbot Tiny SE.
Obsbot Tiny 2 If you're looking for a more premium webcam than the Tiny SE, the Tiny 2 from Obsbot is virtually the exact same device - but with a 4K camera and some extra bells and whistles. For those who want a high-end video experience, this is a great pick (though it's naturally more expensive than the Tiny SE).
Spent a while experimenting with the gesture command feature
Compared image quality to other webcams
I used the Obsbot Tiny SE for video calls and general image quality testing, as well as trying it out with various lighting levels to see how well it performed. I also tried out the gesture controls, and did some side-by-side comparisons with other webcams the offer the same resolution.
If you can count on Chinese tech brand Xiaomi to do one thing in its gadgets, it’s to load them up with top-end spec and then sell them for a relatively competitive price, and that’s exactly what it’s done with the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro.
This new mid-range slate is a relative rarity given Xiaomi’s focus on low-end tablets over mid-range ones (it doesn’t sell top-end ones to match the price of the iPad Pro or Samsung Galaxy Tab S10). It follows the Pad 6 which was released in the west in 2023, and it comes amidst many other Android tab rivals all vying for a spot in our list of the best tablets, including the recent Honor Pad V9 and Oppo Pad 3 Pro. It’s this latter that competes closely with the Xiaomi, in terms of specs and price – more on that later.
As is often the case with Xiaomi’s gadgets, the brand has laden the Pad 7 Pro with top-tier specs. It has one of the most powerful chipsets on Android devices right now, plus a screen resolution and charging speed that aren’t currently available on any rival products right now.
So it’s spec-heavy but it has its issues too. There’s a fingerprint scanner built into the power button that proved quite unreliable, the battery drained pretty quickly during gaming, and the tablet could heat up quite a bit. I also found some of the AI features to be unreliable.
Given its display size, the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro could be considered an Android-powered iPad Pro 11 rival. It's less powerful but costs less and has a better-looking display... and the Xiaomi's accessories are just as pricey as Apple's versions.
So if you've been considering buying a fairly powerful tablet but don't need the top-end trappings of an iPad Pro, or the price tag that comes with it, the Xiaomi is a solid option. However if you're not as picky a buyer, you'll find that the Xiaomi doesn't offer quite as much value for money as more affordable options that you'll find detailed below.
Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro review: price and availability
(Image credit: Future)
Released in Februay 2025
Starts at £449, but only on sale in limited regions
Accessories cost a pretty penny
The Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro was unveiled in February 2025 alongside a suite of other gadgets from the company including the Xiaomi 15 series of smartphones, the Xiaomi Buds 5, a new smartwatch and the base model Xiaomi Pad 7.
You can pick up the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro for £449 (around $581 / AU$900, though it’s not on sale in the US or Australia). That price will get you 8GB RAM and 256GB storage but I’d recommend you pay an extra £50 (around $70, AU$100) for the higher-spec 12GB RAM and 512GB model, which gets you a lot more power. Add that premium again and you can get a special matte glass model of the higher-spec tablet, which will provide a more premium design but the same internals.
At that price, this is a mid-range slate, designed not as an entry into the tablet world but for people who are looking for a series tab with a lot of power but not all the trimmings and trappings of a top-price premium alternative.
Price-wise it sits between the standard iPad and the iPad Air, or at about £100 more than the non-Pro Xiaomi Pad 7. We’ll get to a few competitors later but suffice to say, you can expect a fair amount if you’re paying this much for a tablet.
I’ll briefly touch on accessories too: these don’t come with the slate but you can buy them separately. There’s a keyboard stand for £119 and a Focus Keyboard £179, and these are imitations of Apple’s Keyboard Folio and Smart Keyboard respectively. The main difference with the latter is that it has a trackpad and lets you tilt the display over different angles. Then there’s the stylus, which costs £89, and a standard cover-stand that costs £45.
Value: 3 / 5
Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro review: specs
Here are the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro's specs at a glance:
Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro review: design
(Image credit: Future)
Lightweight and pretty thin
Three color options plus one matte alternative
Unreliable fingerprint scanner
You may find the look of the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro familiar, and that’s because it boasts the same flat-edge unibody look that most slates have been using since the iPad Pro was introduced 7 years ago. Oh well: if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, and it’s popular for a reason: the design is svelte and slender, easily slipping into a bag and looking good to use.
The exact measurements of the Pad 7 Pro are 251.22 x 173.42 x 6.18mm, so it’s pretty slim. It weighs 500g, according to Xiaomi.
When held landscape the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro has a USB-C charging port on the right edge, but no 3.5mm jack, I’m sorry to say. There’s a volume rocker and a power button, and the latter doubles as a fingerprint scanner, but it wasn’t the most reliable sensor. When attached to a keyboard, I found that the lip of the folio overshot the edge of the tablet, so I had to angle my finger just right to press my finger on the sensor.
(Image credit: Future)
The keyboard case adds quite a bit to the bulk of this otherwise-thin and portable tablet. However, its added protection is worth the extra size, in my eyes, as gadgets like this are prone to scratches and bumps.
You’ll want to add a case or keyboard if you plan to lay the slate flat on a table. That’s because the square camera bump on the back of the Pad is pretty pronounced, so it’ll wobble quite a bit if you don’t use the case to level it out.
You can buy the tablet in gray, blue or green, and the aforementioned matte glass version is also gray – I didn’t test this model, so can’t talk about what difference it makes.
Xiaomi’s website doesn’t list an IP rating for the Pad 7 Pro and I’d take that to mean that there isn’t significant protection against dust or water. Try to avoid getting the thing wet, or getting into a situation where fine particles could get into the ports (that includes sand, you beach-readers!).
Design: 4 / 5
Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro review: display
(Image credit: Future)
11.2-inch display and 3:2 aspect ratio
2136 x 3200 resolution and 144Hz refresh rate
The Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro has an 11.2-inch screen, making this a potential alternative to the smaller-sized iPad Pro which also has an 11-inch screen. Both have the same 3:2 aspect ratio, but the Xiaomi has more pixels.
Its resolution is 2136 x 3200, which Xiaomi classifies as 3.2K – enough for any movie, TV show or game you’d want to enjoy on the slate. In all my testing and research, I haven’t found a tablet with a higher resolution (and all Apple and Samsung options have fewer pixels), so if you want something really high-res, this is for you. It equals a 345 pixel-per-inch density.
(Image credit: Future)
The refresh rate is 144Hz, which only a handful of video games can hit, but by default the slate runs on an adaptive mode which changes the refresh rate depending on your task.
The max brightness is 800 nits, which is fairly luminous and it’ll make the colors in your chosen TV show pop more. However when I used the tablet in a coffee shop, I did struggle to see the screen due to glare from sunlight.
One other display feature to mention is that there’s official support for Dolby Vision here, a visual standard that’s used for movies if you stream from certain apps like Netflix.
Display: 5 / 5
Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro review: software
(Image credit: Future)
Android 15 with HyperOS 2 laid over the top
AI features are hit-or-miss
Some bloatware
The Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro runs on Xiaomi’s version of Android, HyperOS 2, which runs on top of Android 15. I couldn’t find official confirmation from Xiaomi for how long it plans to support the tablet with software updates.
HyperOS, for better or worse, doesn’t change many layout or design features of Android. Android has been in iPadOS’ shadow as a tablet-oriented operating system and while it’s come on leaps and bounds in the last few years, with features like split-view apps and a redesigned user interface, there are still some annoyances, like how squished the quick settings menu is.
Instead, Xiaomi has jumped on the AI bandwagon by loading the Pad 7 Pro full of features that bear the ‘AI’ name – though some didn’t work right, and a few didn’t work at all. I could never find a way to enable the AI art feature, for instance, which lets you circle your own works in the Mi Canvas app to create AI-generated images.
Using my own photos, the AI: 1) thought movie posters on my wall were documents, and wouldn’t let me edit any part of the picture except the posters 2) provided completely incorrect transcripts when I asked it to recognize text and 3) failed to identify items I wanted removed from shots.
Plus, you need to create a Xiaomi account, sign in and install these features to use any of them, so they’re not available out of the box, and features are spread between separate menus in the Gallery app instead of being in one place.
(Image credit: Future)
Some AI features worked better, like the speech-to-text conversion from the recorder app, so it’s not all doom and gloom. I find AI features incredibly situational at the best of times, and didn’t use any of the Pad 7 Pro’s during day-to-day use, so their unreliable nature won’t affect your using the tablet if you don’t plan to utilize these tools. Notably, they only seem to work from the Pad 7 Pro’s pre-installed apps; I couldn’t use the AI writing tool on Google Docs, for example.
As with many Xiaomi devices there’s bloatware with apps like LinkedIn, WPS Office and Gemini pre-installed, but it’s not as dramatic as on many phones from the company.
A few features make the Pad 7 Pro useful as a working tool, like the ability to wirelessly connect it to a Windows or Mac PC as a screen extension (without downloading any extra apps on either) or to turn it into a working hub for other Xiaomi gadgets you own.
Software: 3 / 5
Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro review: performance and cameras
(Image credit: Future)
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 provides lots of processing power
8GB/12GB RAM and 256GB/512GB storage
50MP rear camera and 32MP front-facing
Xiaomi has packed up the Pad 7 Pro with a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, a chipset that was designed as a slightly less powerful alternative to the top-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. So the Xiaomi Pad isn’t the most powerful slate on the market, not as long as Apple is offering desktop-class M2 and M4 chips in the iPad Air and iPad Pro, but it can still hold its head up high for most functions.
I tested a variety of games on the tablet and never saw serious stuttering or lagging, with titles able to run their highest graphics options if they were available. Perhaps for super-power-hungry tasks like video editing you might need a little more power, but for 99% of buyers, I’d say the 8s Gen 3 is enough. However when gaming, a common Snapdragon problem did arise: the slate could get pretty hot if I gamed for too long in one session. Take breaks!
(Image credit: Future)
In terms of speakers, there are four around the tablet. These provide Dolby Atmos audio for supported apps and Xiaomi has also included a Volume Boost feature that does exactly what you’d expect. However, movies and music only sound one step better than listening on a smartphone, and I found myself opting to use Bluetooth headphones when streaming movies.
The rear and front cameras of the Pad 7 Pro are both surprisingly high-res; you’re getting a 50MP camera on the back and a 32MP one on the front. There are a few photography modes (Portrait and Night on the rear camera), but you’re not getting nearly as many as on a smartphone.
A small LED mounted on the top bezel of the slate, just next to the front camera, lights up green when either camera is on; a bonus for privacy-conscious users.
Performance: 4 / 5
Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro review: battery
(Image credit: Future)
8,850mAh battery drains surprisingly fast
67W charging powers up tab quickly
Battery health tech
Keeping the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro powered is a 8,850mAh battery, which is in the same ballpark as its competitors.
Xiaomi estimates that you can keep the tablet running for 19 hours of video playback with that battery, but while I didn’t personally watch Netflix for that long in my testing period, I did find the battery would drain a little quicker than I’d expect.
At least the tablet charges quickly: with 67W powering, this is one of the fastest-charging slates you’ll find on the market. Xiaomi’s says it should take about 80 minutes to power from empty to full and I’d concur.
If you worry about battery health, the slate also has two chips that Xiaomi designed for its smartphones; one helps extend the device’s battery life and the other ensures that fast charging doesn’t damage the battery capacity.
Battery: 3/5
Should you buy the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro?
Buy it if…
You care about screen fidelity If your tablet use case necessitates lots of on-screen pixels, then the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro's high-res display will be perfect for you.View Deal
You want power on a budget It's not the cheapest tablet, and it's not the most powerful, but the Xiaomi is a lovely marriage between value and power.View Deal
You're not great at remembering to charge Tablets often take ages to charge, which isn't great for those of us who constantly forget to plug in the slate. The Xiaomi's 67W powering helps a lot with that.View Deal
Don’t buy it if…
You want accessories on a budget I was surprised to learn how expensive the Xiaomi's accessories are. If you're on a budget but want a stylus or keyboard, you might want to look elsewhere.View Deal
You're reliant on AI features If you are buying a tablet for its AI-enabled features, then you might find the Xiaomi doesn't reach expectations.View Deal
Also consider
Not convinced by the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro? Here are a few other options to consider:
iPad Pro 11 (2024) You get more with the iPad: more processing power, more storage and lots of Apple features. However it costs a lot more, doesn't have as high-res a display and charges a lot slower.
Oppo Pad 3 Pro Oppo's Android tablet costs roughly the same as the Xiaomi, and its specs are very similar too. Slight differences distinguish the two, but nothing huge.
I used the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro for three weeks before writing this review, alongside the keyboard folio which you see in some of the accompanying pictures. The model used was the higher-spec option.
My use cases involved streaming movies, TV shows and music across various apps, playing several games titles, writing articles for my job and reading news stories online.
I've been reviewing products for TechRadar since early 2019, covering everything from tablets and smartphones to headphones, fitness trackers, and electric scooters.
Why you can trust TechRadar
100s of smartphones reviewed 15 years of product testing Over 16,000 products reviewed in total Nearly 200,000 hours testing tech
Infinix Note 50 series gains its most premium member yet - the Pro+ variant with 5G connectivity. The phone was announced alongside an AI Ring and AI Buds, which are part of the company's new AI-centric product strategy.
The Infinix Note 50 Pro+ 5G+, as is its full name, introduces a new AI assistant called Folax, which offers on-screen content recognition, instant translation, and other features.
The Note 50 Pro+ has many similarities to its Pro 4G sibling, introduced earlier this month. It has the same durable metal frame body, 6.78" AMOLED display with 144 Hz refresh rate, UD...
If you want to dip your toes into the smart ring space with a no-frills, affordable option then the RingConn Gen 2 Air is the best smart ring for you.
Yes, it lacks the sleep apnea tracking and charging case of its fully fledged sibling – the RingConn Gen 2 proper – but it makes up for that with a $120 price cut, and in other areas it performs just as well as the competition.
It can handily track your steps, your sleep patterns, your heart rate and stress levels, and a few other key health metrics, and it comes in a sleek gold- or silver-colored package. What’s more, the stainless steel band is durable – I’ve been wearing it for a few weeks and it looks just as pristine as the day I received it, plus with its IP68 water and dust-proof rating I know it’ll stand up to being underwater for a while.
There are some issues with this smart ring. The charging stand isn’t as useful as the portable charging case you’ll get with the non-Air RingConn Gen 2, and like some other smart rings this one isn’t a great fitness tracker.
It’s too easy to forget to manually start a workout in the app, and currently it only tracks walking, running and cycling, and for the most in-depth tracking you’ll need to take your phone with you. Plus, if you forget your phone not only have you not tracked your run but your stress stats will be affected, as the ring will interpret your elevated heart rate as a negative indicator of how you’re feeling mentally.
Those niggles aside, the RingConn gen 2 air is an excellent budget smart ring, and the one I’d recommend to people who want to see what all the fuss around smart rings is about, but who aren’t, for now, bothered about the bells and whistles you’ll get with pricier options.
RingConn Gen 2 Air: Price and availability
(Image credit: Future)
The RingConn Gen 2 Air is available for $199 (about £150 or AU$320) from RingConn’s official website, which not only makes it cheaper than RingConn’s Gen 2 ring, which costs $299 (about £230 or AU$475) but also one of the cheapest smart rings out there.
And despite the lower cost you’re not missing out on any essential tracking tools beyond sleep apnea and sophisticated fitness tracking (though those features are absent in a fair few smart rings that cost more anyway).
Value score: 5/5
RingConn Gen 2 Air: Design
Comes in gold or silver, sizes 6 to 14
IP68 water and dust-proof rating
No charging case
The RingConn Gen 2 Air, like pretty much every other smart ring out there, looks almost exactly like a normal ring. It's perhaps a little thicker but not noticeably so, and at around 2.5 to 4g it’s not distinctly heavier than other smart rings either.
Moreover it shares a lot of design similarities with its sibling, the RingConn Gen 2, although there are a few notable differences.
Starting with similarities, it comes in sizes 6 to 14, in a gold or silver colored stainless steel casing, and with an IP68 dust and waterproof rating. As for differences, it lacks the Gen 2 proper’s black and Rose Gold color options (but comes with seven colors of protective shells including green, pink and black), and boasts a shorter 10-day max battery life, compared to the Gen 2’s 12 days.
(Image credit: Future)
This battery-life difference was certainly the most noticeable. I wore both rings all the time (one on each index finger) with the same settings, and I had to charge the Gen 2 Air more often, though once every 10 days isn’t too annoying.
My only gripe with the charging process is that the Air swaps the Gen 2’s sleek charging case for a stand. The case is ideal for traveling, as it can hold up to 150 days of extra charge without needing to be plugged in, and it also offers a secure place to store the ring when you aren’t wearing it. The Air’s stand, on the other hand, must be plugged in to charge the ring, and doesn’t feel as secure as a storage spot.
Design score: 4/5
RingConn Gen 2 Air: Features
24/7 heart rate monitoring, and step counting
Basic fitness tracking
No sleep apnea tracking
Features-wise the RingConn Gen 2 Air, as you’d expect, is almost identical to the regular RingConn Gen 2.
While wearing the ring the Gen 2 Air can track all various health and fitness stats – your heart rate is monitored 24/7, alongside your steps, your stress ( based on how your heart rate fluctuates), and your SpO2 levels, and it also offers menstrual cycle tracking.
You can also use the ring as a basic fitness tracker, if you remember to start your workout manually in the RingConn app, and your exercise takes the form of walking, cycling, or running. And through the RingConn app you can also access an AI-powered health program. Admittedly it’s a little basic right now because it’s in beta, but it’s a helpful tool to keep on top of your daily health targets.
The biggest difference between the Air and the full-on RingConn Gen 2 is the lack of sleep apnea tracking on the cheaper model. This kind of downgrade is to be expected given the lower price, and while the feature is certainly handy to have on a sleep-focused tracker, it’s also the feature I miss the least – though I say that as someone who doesn’t have, nor is currently concerned that they might have, sleep apnea.
Features score: 3/5
RingConn Gen 2 Air: Performance
App tracks your sleep and vitals
Includes an AI fitness plan, though it's basic right now
Can track fitness, if you remeber to manually set it up
The RingConn Gen 2 Air performed well in my tests, with it being as good a tracker as my RingConn Gen 2 proper in the stats that both smart rings measured.
(Image credit: Future)
It’s a solid step counter, it did a good job tracking my heart rate levels, and it was able to give me informative insights into my sleeping patterns every night so I can continue to build better bedtime habits. I also found the overall wellness balance the app provides to be super-handy as it allows me to get a quick recap of my health across the four main categories the app monitors.
The only disappointment in the tracking department is fitness. It’s not a terrible tracker as long as you have your phone on you, as it can provide some basic insight into your runs and walks, like tracking where you went and your heart-rate zones, but it’s too easy to forget to manually log it before you begin.
Not logging even walks can then affect your stress monitoring, as the ring can believe your elevated heart rate is due to something stressful and not because you’re out being active.
So if you’re after a fitness tracker, this isn’t the one. But for more general healthy habits this smart ring is a fine choice.
Performance score: 4/5
Should you buy the RingConn Gen 2 Air?
Buy it if…
You want a budget smart ring It’s not as feature packed as the alternatives, but it’s nevertheless a strong budget option that offers good bang for your buck.
You hate the look of smartwatches and fitness bands Smart rings are ideal for folks who want to track their health stats but who would also rather wear an analogue watch than a smart watch or fitness band.
You want a sleep tracker With a 10-day battery life, smart rings like this are excellent for sleep tracking.
(Image credit: Future)
Don’t buy it if…
You want a fitness tracker RingConn’s smart rings are lacking in the fitness-tracking department. It’s helpful for step counting, but not that much else given that it’s easy to forget to manually log the few workouts it supports.
You want sleep apnea tracking The RingConn Gen 2 Air forgoes sleep apnea tracking in order to hit its lower price point compared to the full-fat model – so if that’s a feature you want you’ll need to pick up its sibling.
You lose things easily It’s very easy to lose smart rings if you aren’t careful, given how small they are, so if you’re the kind of person who tends to mislay items then maybe consider a different gadget.
Also consider
RingConn Gen 2 The full-fat RingConn Gen 2 is pricier but comes with a charging case, sleep apnea tracking, and more base color options. Read our RingConn Gen 2 review
Samsung Galaxy Ring With excellent software and no monthly payments (like RingConn), the Galaxy Ring is our pick for the best smart ring you can buy. It's a lot pricier, but its extra features could be enough to sway you. Read our Samsung Galaxy Ring review
Oura Gen 4 Oura is pretty much synonymous with smart rings, and its latest gen 4 model proves why. While it's more expensive (especially when you factor in the subscription), those interested in buying a smart ring should certainly check it out before they buy something else. Read our Oura Ring 4 review
How I tested the RingConn Gen 2 Air
To put the RingConn Gen 2 Air through its paces I wore it night and day for a few weeks. I also wore it at the same time as the RingConn Gen 2 (I had one on each index finger) so I could directly compare the two models.
I took the Air with me when I travelled, wore it whenever I did a workout, submerged it in water to check the waterproofing claims, and made sure to let the battery run as long as possible between charges so I could could see for myself how long it can last, and how it stacks up against the RingConn Gen 2 proper.
Huawei announced the Freebuds 6 alongside the new Pura X foldable smartphone and these TWS earphones bring a number of improvements over their predecessor. The buds keep the water-drop shape from the Freebuds 5, but Huawei managed to lower the size of the stem and the weight.
These buds have a new four-magnet dynamic unit and dual drivers that should deliver crisp highs up to 48 kHz and deep bass down to 14 Hz.
Huawei improved the connectivity in the Freebuds 6, and these buds offer 2.3 Mbps bandwidth. The semi-open buds and audio optimization were designed after extensive...
Huawei announced the Freebuds 6 alongside the new Pura X foldable smartphone and these TWS earphones bring a number of improvements over their predecessor. The buds keep the water-drop shape from the Freebuds 5, but Huawei managed to lower the size of the stem and the weight.
These buds have a new four-magnet dynamic unit and dual drivers that should deliver crisp highs up to 48 kHz and deep bass down to 14 Hz.
Huawei improved the connectivity in the Freebuds 6, and here they come with 2.3 Mbps bandwidth. The semi-open buds and audio optimization were designed after extensive...
Samsung announced a partnership with Nvidia that will advance AI-RAN (Artificial Intelligence in Radio Access Networks) technologies. The aim is to enhance the efficiency and performance of mobile networks through Nvidia's accelerated computing platforms, combined with Samsung's virtualized solutions to optimize mobile networks.
Samsung showcases its real-world vRAN combined with NVIDIA’s accelerated computing at MWC 2025
RANs are essentially the access networks that cellular phones use to connect, with 5G being one of the examples. In this situation, Nvidia will implement its Grace...
How do you make the best MacBook, and arguably one of the best laptops on the market, better? You could redesign it, but that’s a move fraught with potential downsides; if the current design is popular, you risk disenfranchising fans. In that case, making small changes, especially under-the-hood ones, is probably the smart move, and it’s clearly Apple’s strategy.
The MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) is virtually indistinguishable from the M3 model. Apple has left the exquisite keyboard and responsive trackpad untouched, and the same goes for the brilliant Liquid Retina display. The 2.7lbs. weight is unchanged, and even the two Thunderbolt 4 ports are essentially the same. Visually, the only thing that's new is a new color option, and the Sky Blue finish is a subtle hue that can, depending on the light, look almost gray, but a second glance always reveals that pleasing almost pastel-like azure. It’s a color that should sell out fast.
The other two significant changes are to the hardware. Replacing the FaceTime camera is the new 12MP Center Stage Camera. It’s an ultra-wide lens in a screen notch that can keep you in the frame during video calls, and it’s a nice-to-have though not earth-shattering update.
There’s also the M4 chip, which adds cores and performance over the M3 Apple silicon it replaces. Like the M3, this is a fast, efficient, 3-nanometer chip with plenty of headroom for AAA gaming, video editing, music creation and, of course, Apple Intelligence.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
From one perspective, the biggest upgrade might be in the value space. Apple doubled the base memory from 8GB of unified memory to 16GB while reducing the price to $999 / £999 / AU$1,699. That’s a shocking, and very welcome, turn of events. The best MacBook is now back to its pre–MacBook Air M3 price, and better value because of it.
It really is hard to find any fault with the MacBook Air 13-inch (M4). It’s lightweight, attractive, powerful, easy to use, and up for anything. I gamed, streamed video, browsed the web, answered email, texted friends, conducted FaceTime calls, edited video, practiced guitar, and wrote this review on it. I’m not concerned about the lack of design changes, and I like the new color, the Center Stage Camera, and especially the price. I would not be surprised to see the MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) rise to the very top of our best laptops list.
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) review: Price and availability
Starts at $999 / £999 / AU$1,699
Lower launch price than the discontinued M3 model
M2 and M3 models no longer on the Apple Store, but M2 MacBooks can be found at third-party retailers
Rarely do I get to write about a price drop for a new product that arrives with feature enhancements. Usually, we get the same or sometimes a little less for the money. That is not the case with the MacBook Air 13-inch M4.
Even though Apple hasn't radically refreshed its best MacBook, the updates in performance, memory, and video conferencing, plus a new color, hit all the right notes – and when paired with a now $100 (in the US) lower price, they have me singing a happy tune.
Funnily enough, the first 3lb MacBook Air – the one that slid out of a manilla envelope in 2008 – cost $1,799. It would take a few years for it to hit that $999 sweet spot, which it maintained until recently.
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Sometimes that $999 got you a lower-end Intel Core I, but in the age of Apple silicon we’re getting great performance and efficiency at an excellent price.
The MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) comes in three base configurations. If you upgrade to the $1,199 / £1,199 model the GPU gets a bump from eight to 10 cores, and the storage doubles to 512GB. Go for the $1,499 / £1,499 / AU$2,399 top-tier model and the base unified memory is increased from 16GB to 24GB, and you can get up to 2TB of storage. Whichever option you go for, you can upgrade the RAM to 32GB.
It’s available in the new Sky Blue (like my 256GB review unit), Midnight, Starlight, and Silver. Apple has discontinued Space Gray (for now).
Apple unveiled the MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) on March 5, 2025, and the laptop starts shipping on March 12.
Price score: 4.5/5
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) review: Specs
The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) comes in three pre-configured options.
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) review: Design
No major redesign
Sky Blue is subtle but attractive
Excellent construction, materials, keyboard, and trackpad
There are still some who mourn the passing of the original MacBook Air’s wedge design, the one that started at a more than half inch (1.61 cm) at one end and ended at 0.16 inches (4.064mm) at the other. That design remains so popular that the M1 model featuring it is still a top seller at Walmart.
I’ve moved on. The MacBook Air M4 is just 2.7lbs / 1.24kg, and at 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches / 30.41 x 21.5 x 1.13cm, is thinner than the OG MacBook Air was at its thickest point. This is a laptop that's built for your backpack and, yes, it’s light enough that you might forget it’s there.
Everything about the MacBook Air M4 feels premium. The 100% recycled aluminum enclosure is light but solid and has all the exacting tolerances Apple is known for. It’s a finely machined, eye-catching piece of hardware, and few laptops can match its elegance.
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The backlit keyboard is an absolute pleasure to type on, and has remarkable travel and response for such a thin design. It includes all your function keys and a multipurpose power / sleep / Touch ID button that’s useful for unlocking the MacBook Air and logging into various apps and services with your registered fingertips.
I do prefer the Microsoft Surface Laptop’s Windows Hello feature, which lets you log on using your face in much the way you do with Face ID on any of the best iPhones, although I don’t have to touch anything because I set the MacBook Air to unlock automatically with my Apple Watch.
While Apple hasn't redesigned the keyboard, there is one small change that you might not notice at first glance: the mute key now features a speaker icon with a line through it, which matches what you see on-screen when you press the key. It's a small but clarifying change.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
There’s ample room to rest your palms, and the glass-covered multi-touch trackpad is huge and responsive.
Ports and other elements are unchanged from the last two MacBook Air generations. There are two Thunderbolt 4 ports on the left side with up to 40GBps of throughput and which are capable of driving two external screens, even with the MacBook Air lid open. Next to those is the MagSafe charging port, and on the right side is the 3.5mm headphone jack.
The four-speaker stereo sound system is hidden in the hinge below the display. It can fill a room with bright, crisp audio, although it mostly lacks bass (the 15-inch model offers a 6-speaker sound system with force-cancelling sound woofers).
Design score: 4.5/5
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) review: Display and Center Stage
With one exception, the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air’s display is identical to the last generation. It’s still a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina panel with 2560 x 1664 resolution and 500 nits of sustained brightness, which in my experience is viewable in direct sunlight, and support for one billion colors. It’s a fantastic display for everything from gaming to streaming to content creation.
There is a notch at the top for the camera, but most apps do not wrap around that cutout, and it’s not distracting on the desktop.
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The notch also contains the new 12MP Center Stage Camera. The idea here is that the lens is an ultra-wide camera, but for the purposes of video conferencing it crops to an undistorted rectangle. Then, as you move around, the frame moves around to keep you in the frame. If you like to get up and walk around, or people walk in and out of the video conversation, this can be tremendously useful, and it worked well for me as long as I didn't stray too far out of frame. If you need the camera to stay still (as I do when I use the 1080p camera to go on TV), you can easily turn Center Stage off.
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Compared to Microsoft’s excellent Surface Laptop 7, the screen is missing one feature: touch. I used Surface laptops for years, and I did enjoy being able to touch and even draw on the display with a dedicated Bluetooth pen. Apple has steadfastly resisted introducing touch on its MacBook line – and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs didn’t think it made sense. If you require that kind of multipurpose device, you may want to consider the M4 iPad Pro 13-inch plus a Magic Keyboard.
Display score: 4.5/5
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) review: macOS and Apple Intelligence
macOS Sequoia is a rich, deep, and well-organized platform
Everything is well integrated into Apple's wider ecosystem
Apple Intelligence can be useful, but it's not yet compelling
With macOS Sequoia, Apple has built one of the most consistent and stable desktop platforms on the planet. It virtually never crashes, and it’s full of useful features.
The latest version is mostly a refinement of the platform, but if it’s been a while since you’ve upgraded you will notice feature enhancement like better widgets and window-management tools, the excellent new Passwords app, and audio transcription on Notes.
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What’s more, macOS makes excellent use of the M4’s power.
At one point I ran Garage Band, and I was pleased to discover that not only could I use the MacBook Air to tune my guitar, but it could also tell me if I was playing my chords correctly. I also used Pixelmator Pro image and video editor (now owned by Apple) to effortlessly apply complex masks.
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Of course, the big news on the software side is Apple Intelligence, Apple’s own brand of AI, which is supported by the M4’s 16-core neural engine.
It enables features like Image Playground, which lets you imagine wild scenes that can include representations of you and others from your Photos library. It’s good fun, but I still struggle to see the utility, and I wonder when Apple will offer a more open-range image-generation platform, one that enables me to describe a complex scene in a prompt and get a result. Most Windows laptops running Copilot can do this.
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Writing Tools, which is available in Apple's native text composition apps like Notes and Mail, is useful, especially if you struggle to write clear, cogent sentences. It's of limited utility to me.
Similarly, Siri got a few nice upgrades, like the ability to respond to text prompts and better handle broken speech patterns, but it's still unable to carry on longer conversations or learn anything about you, and you still can't use it to comprehensively control your MacBook. What’s worse is that promised updates to Siri that would have made it a more able competitor to ChatGPT and Gemini have failed to materialize. At least Siri can now tap into ChatGPT (if you allow it) for more complex queries.
Safari is an excellent browser, but I still find myself using Chrome.
Software score: 4/5
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) review: Performance
M4 has more CPU cores than the M3 that preceded it
Ample power
Decent but not massive performance upgrade
Excellent platform and increasing Apple Intelligence capabilities
Benchmarks
Here’s how the MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
Geekbench 6.2.2 Single-Core: 3679; Multi-Core: 14430 Geekbench Metal score (8-core GPU): 48515 Cinebench 2024 Single-core: 165; Multi-core: 652 Battery life (web surfing): 14 hours 51 minutes, and 59 seconds
For comparison, here’s how the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
Ever since Apple switched from Intel to Apple silicon we’ve seen significant gains in performance and efficiency. The power of these lightweight laptops and the M-class chips can appear limitless, and all-day battery life is now usually a given.
Of course, the world has not stood still. Some Windows laptops are now arriving with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite, and these ultraportables often nearly match Apple silicon for performance and battery life.
The M4 10-core CPU and 8-Core GPU backed by 16GB of unified memory inside my test system generally outperformed the X Elite on single-core scores but are now matched for multi-core performance.
These are just numbers of course, and I prefer to rely on real-world performance. In my tests, the MacBook Air 13 and its M4 chip handled everything I threw at it. It can be difficult to stress out the system – I played the AAA game Lies of Pi at maximum settings and it was smooth as butter, thanks no doubt in part to the new Game Mode that optimizes performance for gaming.
I highly recommend getting a controller (I use one designed for the Xbox), but regardless, the new MacBook Air offers a great gaming experience with thrilling, smooth graphics, and excellent sound.
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I often ran the game alongside multiple background apps, including Final Cut Pro. I had no trouble editing four 4K 30fps streams at once, but when I loaded up four 4K 120fps clips, I did notice some stuttering on video playback, although as this is not a considerably more expensive MacBook Pro, that doesn’t concern me.
I noticed in my benchmarking that the Metal Score on the MacBook Air M3 was slightly higher than that of the M4 system, but that’s because I had a 10-core GPU on the older MacBook and just an eight-core GPU on the new M4 system. You can, as I noted earlier in the price section, pay a bit more for the two extra cores. It’s worth noting, though, that the differences in performance between the M3 10 Core and M4 8-Core GPU were minimal.
The system supports WiFi 6e and Bluetooth 5.3, which is good, if not entirely forward-leaning – I'd like to see WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.
Performance score: 4.5/5
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) review: Battery life
14 hours battery life (web activities)
Effectively lasts all day (mixed use)
Charges to 50% in 90 minutes; 100% in three hours
Apple is promising up to 18 hours of battery life from the MacBook Air 13-inch (M4), which is mostly a test of how long the laptop can play 1080p video for; for comparison, Microsoft promises 20 hours from its Surface Laptop 7 for a similar task. The MacBook Air 13 M4’s real-world battery life numbers will vary significantly when performing a mix of sometimes CPU-intensive tasks.
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In my tests, which included playing games (which made the base of the laptop quite warm), editing video, opening multiple browser windows and streaming video, battery life came in around eight hours. That’s quite good for a hard day of work, and especially for such a thin and light laptop. In our Future Labs test, which is primarily web browsing, the MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) managed 14 hours, 51 minutes, which is about 30 minutes longer than the M3 but for slightly different tasks.
Overall, you're getting good, all-day battery life, but your experience will vary based on the tasks you perform.
After I drained the laptop to zero, I recharged it with the included 30W charger (the more expensive 24GB model comes with a 35W charger) and (matching Sky Blue) woven MagSafe charger to 50% in 90 minutes, and 100% in three-and-a-half hours.
Battery score: 5/5
Should you buy the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4)?
Buy it if...
You want the best ultraportable experience The MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) might look the same as last year's model, but it's a definite upgrade – and that price makes it a winner.
You like your laptops thin and light At 0.44 inches / 1.13cm thick and just 2.7lbs /1.24kg, the new 13-inch Air is a perfect backpack companion.
You need a good blend of power and efficiency The MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) packs more than enough power for most users and you can bank on all-day battery life.
Don't buy it if...
You want a touchscreen Apple may never introduce a touchscreen MacBook. For that, look to the Surface Laptop, or an iPad Pro paired with a Magic Keyboard.
You want more AI Apple Intelligence is showing promise, but it still pales in comparison to what you'll find on some Windows Laptops with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite.
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) review: Also consider
If our Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) review has you considering other options, here are two laptops to consider...
Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) The MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) is virtually the same as the 13-inch model in every aspect except size (and screen size), but the base model does start with two extra GPU cores. It also gets a price reduction compared to the M3 model, so if screen real estate matters to you, this is the MacBook Air to go for.
Dell XPS 13 Plus Its thin and light design, stunning OLED screen, great sound quality, and comfortable keyboard make this a premium Windows 11 laptop that in many ways rivals the MacBook Air. However, it’s prone to overheating, and the touch bar is divisive.
I used the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) for five days
I worked, played, listened, edited, and wrote this review on it
I usually ran multiple apps at once
After receiving my MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) review unit I immediately unboxed it and began testing, and it did not leave my side for much of the next five days.
I ran benchmarks, installed multiple apps, and then began using it to edit images and video, play AAA games, listen to music, stream movies and shows, answer email, browse the web, and generate words and images with Apple Intelligence.
I've been reviewing technology for over 30 years, and I've tested everything from DOS-based word processors to Apple's Vision Pro. I've reviewed laptops of all stripes, including traditional clamshells and convertibles. I regularly work on macOS but also use the Windows platform almost every day – I like to keep my hands in all the ecosystems.
100s of smartphones reviewed
