AI - Organizer

Arduino Ventuno Q announced with powerful CPU and GPU, 40 TOPS of AI performance too

8:18 pm | March 9, 2026

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: AI, CPU, GPU | Comments: Off

Last year, Qualcomm acquired Arduino, a company known for its tinker-friendly microcontroller kits and single board computers (SBC). The first product to follow was the Uno Q, which was powerful enough to run Linux. Now comes a much more capable device that is tailor-built for AI applications, robotics, security, education and research. The Uno Q had a quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU and an Adreno 702 GPU, which shared 4GB of RAM. Lightweight AI tasks could run on the CPU and GPU. The new Arduino Ventuno Q is a very different beast. For one, it’s powered by the Dragonwing IQ-8275 (PDF)...

The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) is still the best ultraportable I’ve ever used — and I wrote this review on it

5:00 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops Macbooks | Tags: AI | Comments: Off

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5): Two-minute review

It's safe to say the MacBook Air 13-inch M5 is every bit as good as its M4 predecessor, but a little faster. The differences are so few, in fact, that I could simply direct you to my now year-old MacBook Air M4 review, and just note here that the M5 chip makes Apple's latest, and sure to be quite popular, ultraportable both faster and more efficient.However, I'm not that lazy. I've spent considerable time with this attractive, well-built, ready-for-almost-anything (and a solid day of it) ultraportable laptop, and I have some thoughts.The MacBook Air is one of the most popular laptops out there for a reason. Apple has found a winning aluminum slab design that mixes a lightweight (2.7lbs) chassis with a stunning 13.6-inch Liquid Retina Display, and 18 hours of battery life (promised for streaming video only). While Apple didn't touch the design, or any external materials and components, it was inevitable that its fastest class of Apple silicon would find its way into the new Air, along with the new N1 chip, which readies the MacBook Air for the growing proliferation of WiFi 7 hubs and brings it up to speed with the latest Bluetooth 6 capabilities.If there is a downside to this update, it's the new starting price. Over the years, the MacBook Air has bounced around the $1,000 mark, dropping just below and then rising up a hundred dollars or so. Now it's back to $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,799, but I'm actually okay with this change, because the Air finally starts with a half terabyte of storage (for the record, my test system arrived with 1TB 👀); that's double the 256GB we've been getting, without a huge leap in price. And, as a bonus, the storage speed is faster than on the M4 MacBook Air.So, while having to pay a little more for the best ultraportable you can buy is not good news, the upsides far outweigh the hit to your bank balance.The MacBook Air 13-inch M5 does have several other notable, though not new, features, like the 12MP Center Stage camera, a backlit keyboard that feels wonderful to use, the highly responsive ForceTouch trackpad, Thunderbolt 4 ports, and macOS 26 (a.k.a. Tahoe). I know Liquid Glass divides opinion, but I think it's elegant and I like it. Yes, there's also Apple Intelligence, but I'm still not fully sold on its utility.All in all, while I don't think you need to trade in your M4 Air for this new model, it's a worthwhile upgrade from your clamshell MacBook Air M1; and it will, like its predecessor sit atop our best ultraportables list.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) review: Price and availability

Starts at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,799
Costs more than the M4, but there's hidden value

Apple MacBook Air M5 review — (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Apple unveiled the MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) on March 3, 2025, and the laptop starts shipping on March 11.Those shopping for the latest MacBook Air will likely notice the price hike on this 13-inch model and wonder what gives. Yes, it has an incrementally faster piece of Apple silicon (M5), but I'd attribute the $100 / £100 / AU$100 hike to the new base storage level. The 13-inch MacBook Air M5 starts with 512GB of storage, double the starting SSD of previous models. It's a non-insignificant change and, as I've written, 256GB was simply not enough in what for many users is a workhorse portable.In addition to the option of buying a larger, 15-inch MacBook Air (heavier and more expensive, but with a substantially larger screen), the 13-inch MacBook Air M5 comes in a variety of configurations, including my 10-core GPU test model, up to 32GB of memory, and up to 4TB of storage (the previous limit was 2TB).It’s available in Sky Blue, Midnight, Starlight, and Silver. Sadly, there are no new colors this year, although that may only be an issue if you let the new day-glo Citrus MacBook Neo turn your head.

Price score: 4.5/5

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) review: Specs

The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) comes in three pre-configured options.

	MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) base configuration (reviewed):	MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) mid configuration (reviewed):	MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) top configuration:
Price:	$1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,799	$1,199 / £1,199	$1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,399
CPU:	Apple M5 (10-core)	Apple M5 (10-core)	Apple M5 (10-core)
Graphics:	Integrated 8-core GPU	Integrated 10-core GPU	Integrated 10-core GPU
RAM:	16GB unified memory (up to 32GB)	16GB unified memory (up to 32GB)	24GB unified memory (Up to 32GB)
Screen:	13.6-inch, 2560 x 1664 Liquid Retina display (500 nits sustained brightness, wide color P3 gamut, True Tone technology)	13.6-inch, 2560 x 1664 Liquid Retina display (500 nits sustained brightness, wide color P3 gamut, True Tone technology)	13.6-inch, 2560 x 1664 Liquid Retina display (500 nits sustained brightness, wide color P3 gamut, True Tone technology)
Storage:	512GB SSD (up to 4TB)	1TB SDD (up to 4TB)	512GB SDD (Up to 4TB)
Ports:	2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3	2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3	2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3
Wireless:	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6
Camera:	12MP Center Stage Camera 1080p HD video	12MP Center Stage Camera 1080p HD video	12MP Center Stage Camera 1080p HD video
Weight:	2.7lbs / 1.24kg	2.7lbs / 1.24kg	2.7lbs / 1.24kg
Dimensions:	11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches (304 x 215 x 11.3mm)	11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches (304 x 215 x 11.3mm)	11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches (304 x 215 x 11.3mm)

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) review: Design

No major redesign
Excellent construction, materials, keyboard, and trackpad

You could be forgiven if you had trouble telling the difference between this new 13-inch MacBook Air M5 and the M4 model. They are, for all intents and purposes, identical. Still, this is a winning design. The body is made of recycled aluminum that feels premium and smooth to the touch, but also strong enough to get dumped in your backpack or slapped onto a desktop without suffering any damage. My 1TB review unit arrived in Starlight, which is not my favorite color (I'd have chosen Sky Blue), but then the chassis hue is not the primary reason why you'd buy a MacBook Air.MacBook Airs will never be the cheapest laptop (there's now the Neo to hit that spot), but they all have the same premium design and build. The backlit keyboard is expansive, and with good, satisfying travel. I love typing on it; in fact, I'm using it right now to write this review. Included in the keyboard is the Touch ID sleep button, a useful biometric device for unlocking the laptop, signing into services and apps, and making purchases. It took me just a moment to register my index finger (though I can register more). The Force Touch trackpad offers an expansive, almost 6-inch, canvas for interaction without ever getting in the way. As a haptic device, it doesn't actually move, but it does a remarkable job of fooling you into thinking it does.The ports and speakers are also unchanged from the previous model. On the left side are a pair of Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, which are great for extending the screen to a new Studio Display or other monitor, or for high-speed data transfer (the Pro model gets you Thunderbolt 5 ports).Next to those ports is the MagSafe charger, a magnetic port that makes it almost impossible to accidentally drag the laptop off a desk by kicking the charging cable. Opposite those ports is the 3.5mm audio jack. The four-speaker system sits in the hinge, and provides loud and clear audio that supports spatial audio and Dolby Atmos. The 15-inch model ups the speaker count to six.Perhaps the best demonstration of the MacBook Air's elegance and design is how you can open it with just a fingertip. The laptop is so perfectly machined and balanced that all I have to do is place a fingertip under the lip and above the 1.5-inch-wide-carve-out in the base and lift — even without me holding it, the base stays put.

Design score: 5/5

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) review: Display and Center Stage

Apple MacBook Air M5 — (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Over the years, I've gotten used to the notch at the top of the MacBook Air's lovely 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display. When using most apps, the space, which is used to house the Center Stage Camera, a light sensor, and an LED Indicator, only breaks into the menu system. Streaming content, games, and the majority of apps, are displayed in the rectangular space below it. If you really feel like you're losing a lot of space, you might consider the 15-inch MacBook Air instead.

Apple MacBook Air Review — (Image credit: Future)

Overall, though, this is an excellent LED-backlit, high-resolution (2560 x 1664) display, full of rich colors (a promised one billion, though I can't say that I counted), rich contrast, and 500 nits of brightness. I've used MacBook Air outdoors, and while it might struggle in direct sunlight, using it in shade is no problem at all.The 13.6 -inch display is ample space for one or more apps, and everything from macOS apps to movies and games, which look great on it. Images and text are crisp and clear, blacks are inky, and colors pop. I spend most of my work days looking at this screen, and I'm never disappointed.

Speaking of that notch, it does give you a decent webcam, the 12MP, 1080p Center Stage camera. It's called Center Stage because it can, if you allow, follow you around during your video conference. So if you like to stand up and walk around during your FaceTime calls, this camera is for you. The camera can also recognize gestures, and can launch reactions and emojis during the call.

Unlike many modern Windows 11 ultraportables, and also unlike some more affordable laptops, the MacBook Air screen does not support touch. If you want to use a touchscreen within Apple's ecosystem, but still plan on doing desktop-style computing, I suggest you look at an iPad Air or iPad Pro running iPadOS 26 and paired with a Magic keyboard.

Display score: 4.5/5

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) review: macOS and Apple Intelligence

macOS Tahoe is a rich, deep, and well-organized platform
A MacBook take on Liquid Glass
Apple Intelligence is of limited use

macOS Tahoe 26 is not only a rich, well-organized, and deeply thought-out operating system, it's a doorway to Apple's wide and varied ecosystem — the more Apple products you own, the more powerful it becomes. With Liquid Glass, there's a consistent look and feel across everything from the MacBook Air 13 I'm testing to the iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPad Pro. However, the glassiness feels somewhat less aggressive on the MacBook Air, likely because it still has to look like a traditional Mac desktop.

The desktop is customizable, easy to manage (stacks are incredibly useful), and I like the widgets, especially the fact that you can keep them black-and-white to reduce distractions.Still, I love how I can mirror my iPhone and get notifications from it on my MacBook Air desktop, and with Universal Control, my trackpad and keyboard easily hop from one Apple screen to another. I found that not only could I control a neighboring iPad with the mouse and keyboard on my 13-inch MacBook Air, but I could do the same with two MacBooks sitting side by side.

MacBook Air M5 — Genmojis are fun, letting you create all kinds of customized emojisFuture

Apple Intelligence does add some useful features, like Writing tools to help you sound, say, more intelligent or friendlier, including in Messages. For those who aren't as confident with their writing, this might be of some use. I can imagine other features like Live Translation might come in handy, especially if you work with global teams.Clean Up in Photos is also a valuable enhancement, especially if you need to remove distractions from photos you want to share, post on social media, or print. Apple Intelligence can't, say, add a lifelike puppy to your photos (or really anything for that matter), but it will do its best to make sure that when you remove something the revealed background still makes sense. One caveat here: this replacement only works if the object you remove isn't too big — it did a pretty good job when I removed a pie and some whipped cream from my photo of a holiday spread.I do not get what the big deal is with Genmojis — basic emojis are still good enough for me. I was similarly disenchanted with Image Playground. Despite providing Image Playground with a good headshot of me, its output does not look much like me (it put hair on my head!). Also, Apple's insistence on sticking with cartoonish content creation seems ridiculous when you consider the image-generation capabilities now found on even the best smartphones.Siri is obviously part of the system, but still lacks the long-promised AI brain transplant. You can get wider answers via the ChatGPT integration, but Siri is still not the master of all things (inside the system and relating to you) that Apple's been promising. I, like many others, await the promised Gemini integration that will likely transform Siri on this MacBook Air and all other Siri-supporting Apple devices.

Software score: 4/5

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) review: Performance

M5 chip brings the same levels of power showcased in the 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 released in October 2025
More and faster storage is a very welcome update
The MacBook Air M5 is truly a workhorse in ultraportable clothing

MacBook Air M5 vs MacBook Air M4 — The MacBook Air M5 on the left and the MacBook Air M4 on the right. Both are running Geekbench (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Benchmarks

Here’s how the MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

Geekbench 6 Single-Core: 4190; multi-core: 17073
Geekbench Metal score (8-core GPU): 49557
Cinebench 2026 single-core: 729; multi-core: 2921
Cinebench 2026 GPU: 16872
Battery life (web surfing): 15.5 hours

Apple's MacBook Air line now lives between the new A18 Pro MacBook Neo and the high-performance, heavy-workload M5 Pro (or M5 Max) MacBook Pro. It's meant to be the laptop for every student and office worker who prioritizes portability and battery life over raw power.(Note: my test system shipped with the 10-core CPU and 10-core GU, so your GPU performance may vary if you have an 8-core GPU.)

MacBook Air M5 vs MacBook Air M4 with Lightroom — Running light room on the MacBook Air M5 (left) and the MacBook Air M4 (right) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

However, even in my early performance tests, I found the new 13-inch MacBook Air M5 more than capable of some pretty heavy-duty tasks. I started by opening Lightroom and loading in some raw images. Then I launched Final Cut Pro and imported an 8K 30 fps video, and then made three copies and started editing a video in which all four videos could play at once. Next, I loaded Pixelmater Pro and edited a photo. I also installed Chrome and opened 25 tabs (tuned to TechRadar, of course). After that, I installed and started playing Lies of P. Finally, I installed Steam and downloaded Inzoi, a rich, open-world SIM that sort of overwhelmed me with its choices and scope.

The MacBook Air just kept going. At one point, I got a system message indicating that Inzoi was eating a lot of system processes and battery, and that I should consider switching to low power, but when I exited the game the battery was still near 90%. Overall, I found it difficult to stress the M5 and its 16GB of RAM.

Perhaps more exciting for your day-to-day efforts, the MacBook Air line now starts with 512GB of storage, and faster storage at that. I ran the BlackMagic Disk Speed Test on the new M5 MacBook Air and on the MacBook Air 13-inch with an M4 chip. My M5 test system has a 1TB drive, and the M4 only came with a 256GB SSD; however, I do not believe storage capacity has any bearing on these tests.

Black Magic Disk Speed Test
	Write (MB/s)	Read (MB/s)
MacBook Air M5	6459.2	6701.8
MacBook Air M4	845.2	288.2

As you can see, the differences are stark. The new MacBook Air M5 SSD is faster on both read and write tasks. The payoff should be in system launch, app performance, and other operations.Overall, the M5 chip, ample RAM, and a larger and faster SSD mean this is a powerful and efficient system that will satisfy most users, and may be enough for quite a few pro users, too.Connectivity got an upgrade, as well, with Apple's N1 chip bringing WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 6 support, two moves that help set itup for the foreseeable future of wireless communication.

Performance score: 5/5

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) review: Battery life

15 and a half hours of battery life (web activities)
Effectively lasts all day (mixed use)
Charges to 50% in 30 minutes with the included 40W charger; 100% in just over two hours

The 3-nanometer M5 inside my new 13-inch MacBook Air isn't just faster, it's more efficient, squeezing another hour and a half of battery life out of the system over what the M4 MacBook Air achieved in our Future Labs tests.What's more, in mixed use, I got closer to the promised 18 hours of video streaming that Apple claims. No matter how you slice it, this is an ultraportable that can sip power and let you leave your 'ABC' (Always Be Charging) worries behind.When it was time to charge, I used the included 40W charger and MagSafe cable to charge the Air to almost 50% in 30 minutes. It took about two hours to reach 100%.

Battery score: 5/5

Should you buy the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5)?

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4)
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Price	The MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) is a little more expensive than the M4 before it, but with twice the storage it's still a good deal	4.5/5
Design	Close to a perfect laptop design, with quality materials, excellent build and Apple's exquisite attention to detail.	5/5
Display and Center Stage	Excellent screen with great color, brightness and sharpness. We've learned to live with the notch, and Center Stage makes for high-quality video conferencing and calls.	4.5/5
macOS and Apple Intelligence	macOS Tahoe is the complete package, a rich and comprehensive platform that ties in nicely to the Apple ecosystem. I wish Apple Intelligence was more useful, but there's great utility in every other area.	4/5
Performance	The M5 brings the level of performance we've previously seen in the MacBook Pro — I had trouble finding anything the laptop couldn't do. The faster and more substantial storage paired with 16GB of RAM make this a high-performance ultraportable that you'll love using every day.	5/5
Battery life	Mixed battery life improved, and I got closer to the possible 18 hours Apple promises if you only stream video.	5/5

Buy it if...

You want the best ultraportable
The MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it does raise the bar for ultraportable performance.

You demand real portability
At 2.7lbs / 1.24kg, the MacBook Air still lives up to its name.

You need a good blend of power and efficiency
The MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) packs more than enough power for most users, and you can bank on all-day battery life.

Don't buy it if...

You still want a touchscreen
Some think this might be the year of a touchscreen MacBook, but I doubt it. The MacBook Air is a perfect, classic laptop, and for touchscreen lovers there's always the iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard.

You want more useful AI
Apple Intelligence is not the kind of integrated AI we expect from our mobile systems, but changes are on the horizon in the form of Siri with Gemini integration.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) review: Also consider

	MacBook Air 15-inch M5 (2026)	Dell XPS 13 Plus
Price:	$1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,199	$1,999.99 / £2,049 / AU$3,998
CPU:	Apple M5 (10-core)	Up to Intel Core Ultra 9 288V
Graphics:	Integrated 10-core GPU	Intel Arc Graphics
RAM:	16GB unified memory	Up to 32GB LPDDR5X
Screen:	15.3-inch, 2880 x 1864 Liquid Retina display, 500 nits brightness, wide color P3 gamut	Up to 13.4-inch 3K (2880 x 1800) OLED, 60Hz
Storage:	512GB SSD	Up to 2TB SSD
Ports:	2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3	2 x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C)
Wireless:	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Camera:	Center Stage Camera (12MP, 1080p)	720p, 30 FPS HD
Weight:	3.3lbs / 1.51kg	2.70lbs / 1.21kg
Dimensions:	13.40 x 9.35 x 0.45 inches / 34 x 21.2 x 1.56cm	11.6 x 7.8 x 0.58 inches / 29.5 x 19.9 x 1.48cm

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 (M5)
The MacBook Air 15-inch (M5) is virtually the same as the 13-inch model in every respect except size (and screen size), but the base model does start with two extra GPU cores.

Dell XPS 13 Plus
The latest Dell XPS 13 brings Intel's Lunar Lake chips to the iconic laptop line, delivering truly all-day battery life and strong performance across the board in a sleek and stylish MacBook-esque design. However, issues with the XPS redesign remain, with its edgeless trackpad and adaptive function bar creating some problems with usability that prevent it from reaching true greatness.

Read more: Dell XPS 13 Plus review

How I tested the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5)

I used the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) for five days
I worked, played, listened, edited, and wrote this review on it
I usually ran multiple apps at once

The 13-inch Apple MacBook Air M5 was been my constant companion for several days. I worked, played, edited (photos and videos), and gamed on it.I ran a wide variety of benchmarks, installed Steam, and ran heavy-duty games. I watched some streaming video, and did my best to tax the M5 chip. I also spent time comparing its performance to that of the M4 chip on my Sky Blue MacBook Air.I browsed the web, played with Apple Intelligence (it didn't help me write this review), and enjoyed every minute of my time with this splendid machine.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.Read more about how we test

First reviewed March 2026

Adobe Lightroom Classic (2026) review: Perfect photo organization with time-saving AI at its best — but it can be hit and miss

7:58 pm | March 5, 2026

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Software & Services | Tags: AI | Comments: Off

It’s been a while since I last reviewed Adobe Lightroom, and as always with Adobe, many features have been added and a host of others have been improved, so let’s take a look at Lightroom 9.2 and see what it’s all about.

But before we do, I need to point out that there are two versions of Lightroom: Lightroom, and Lightroom Classic.

Lightroom is a simpler, more user friendly version, whereas Classic is aimed at the professional user or someone demanding a higher degree of control, who prefers to store their media on their local hard drives. I’ll be primarily covering the Classic side of things here.

Adobe Lightroom Classic: Pricing & plans

Three subscription options
No perpetual license
Additional AI credits available

As with most of Adobe's professional software, Lightroom Classic is subscription-only - and here, there are three options available.

Grab Adobe’s entire portfolio with Creative Cloud Pro for US$70 a month. Alongside Lightroom, this unlocks other popular apps such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, After Effects, the works.

For a less expensive, photo-focused subscription plan, there's the Photography bundle. This brings together both versions of Lightroom as well as Photoshop for $20 a month. Alternatively, you could just limit yourself to Lightroom and Lightroom Classic for $12 a month.

These are monthly costs, based on a year-long contract. They also come with Generative Credits, from 250 a month for the cheapest option to 4,000 for the high end plan. Those credits don’t roll on: if you don’t use them in a month, they don’t get added to your next allotment the following month.

If you’re really into generative AI creation, Adobe has add-on plans to suit your appetite, from an additional 2,000 credits for $10 a month, to 50,000 for $200 a month.

Pricing & plans: 3.5/5

Adobe Lightroom Classic: What is it?

Adobe Lightroom Classic during our review process — (Image credit: Adobe // Future)

Very well designed app
Easy to organize, alter, and share your work

Let’s start with the basics: what is Lightroom Classic?

Quite simply, it has the dual purpose of storing and cataloging your photos, while also allowing you to make alterations to them and prepare them to share with others. Any change is non-destructive, so the original photos are never altered, and you can go back to the source to make additional tweaks without ever suffering from quality degradation.

I feel the interface is very well designed - and interacting with interfaces is what I do most of the time! You have seven different sections, all accessible through a large menu bar, top right. By default, you’re in ‘Library’, which is where you can see all the photos you’ve imported and worked on.

You can actually do a fair amount of work there, such as rotating an image, adding tags, a star rating, keywords, and even perform some light colour correction. But if you want to get fully immersed in image manipulation, then ‘Develop’ is the place to be.

This is where you get to apply in-depth colour correction, cropping, remove red-eye, correct for lens distortion, completely remove an object from a scene, and mask specific sections to fine tune which part of an image to alter - among many others. You’ll find the tools at your disposal are quite extensive.

But Lightroom Classic goes beyond that. You have the ‘Map’ section where you can see all the photos you took in a specific location (and alter a shot’s metadata should you need to), there’s a section dedicated to designing a ‘Book’, or creating a ‘Slideshow’, ‘Print’ selected photos, or upload them to the ‘Web’. Although, truth be told, this is something consumer software like Apple’s Photos offers too.

All in all, Lightroom Classic makes it easy to organise your shots, make them look their best with a wide range of tools, and share them in numerous ways. But what does its latest release bring to the table? Let’s find out.

Score: 4.5/5

Adobe Lightroom Classic: What’s new?

New AI features can save time
But I found results vary in quality
And it’s not like you get your credits back if you’re not happy

While the general workflow remains unchanged from previous versions, the big new features are primarily AI-based. This will delight some, and send shivers down the backs of others.

The most useful application of AI is ‘Assisted Culling’. Currently in Beta (Adobe calls it ‘Early Access’), it’s designed to accelerate the photo selection process upon import, by automatically filtering out blurry, closed-eye, misfired images, and more. You’re given a few sliders to determine the intensity of the cull, and can choose which options to filter for. After a few seconds (depending on how many images you’re importing and your computer’s capabilities), the results are ready to be reviewed.

I found the process works very well, identifying with ease any issues it’s designed to look for, and if it made a mistake, you can alter the decision shot by shot. This makes looking through a series of very similar photos a much quicker process (and if you don’t like a machine doing that kind of work for you, you can always disable the feature). As an added bonus, this AI tool is free… Unlike Lightroom Classic’s new ‘Generate using Firefly’ options.

Now why would we want Generative AI in Lightroom? Well, if you’re not well-versed in Photoshop, then it’s a quick way for somewhat clever algorithms to perform relatively complex actions for you… but I admit having a few issues with such technology.

As an example, I asked AI to colorize a black and white photo of my brother and I when I was just a baby. It should’ve been a simple process, and indeed the colours used do look good. However, it added an object on top of a chest of drawers, and changed my brother’s face. In another shot, it cleaned up a tray. Although I can appreciate the virtual maid having tidied up, it’s not what I had asked for. Plus if you’re not satisfied, you don’t get your generated credits back.

To be fair, other results were better, and Firefly didn’t alter the faces of other ancient family members of mine - even my great great grandmother was faithfully updated. The resolution of the resulting version can be set up to a maximum of 2K. Great for older images that have lower resolutions, but not so good for more modern shots.

If you have credits to burn, you can bring a photo to life by turning it into a video. I found this a bit disturbing, although others around me loved it. And it must be said, Firefly did an impressive job of bringing my long-gone relative to life (Dr Frankenstein would be proud).

Score: 4/5

Adobe Lightroom Classic: Classic vs Lightroom

Lightroom is much simpler
Generative Upscale tool is better than Classic’s gen AI features

Before finishing up, I wanted to quickly dip into the simpler Lightroom, as there’s a feature there that’s worth mentioning: ‘Generative Upscale’.

It’s worth mentioning as this AI-based upscaling isn’t actually done by Adobe but in partnership with Topaz Gigapixel instead, and unlike the Firefly option we explored above, you don’t leave Lightroom when using it, which is a definite plus.

The feature not only tells you how many credits you’ll need, but also how many you have left - a useful addition which is sorely missed in Classic’s Firefly. The downside though is, as with Firefly, you have no control over the process. You get what you get, whether you’re happy with it or not.

Overall, Lightroom Classic is a very good image management and manipulation tool, and its new AI-based additions will no doubt please some, but aside from the useful Assisted Culling feature, you have next to no control over the output of AI.

Score: 4/5

Should I buy?

Buy it if...

You’re looking for a high-end, easy to use and feature rich image management tool, and appreciate the growing proliferation of AI tools within it.

Don't buy it if...

You don’t like subscriptions, and having more and more AI in your software irks you, not to mention that you have to pay extra for those tools.

We tested out the best photo editing PCs and the best laptops for photo editing and these are our top picks.

HMD is bringing AI, video calling and a digital wallet to its feature phones

1:09 pm | March 4, 2026

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: AI, HMD | Comments: Off

Among the myriad of announcements at MWC 2026, HMD announced its plans to bring modern smartphone features to its feature phone lineup in the coming months. HMD wants to expand digital access to under-connected users worldwide through a set of features and services, including a digital wallet, an AI assistant and video calling. These services are set to launch throughout 2026, with key markets like India being the starting point. HMD’s digital wallet will deliver secure remittances for receiving, storing and cashing out funds through local payment systems. The service is set to debut in...

HMD is bringing AI, video calling and a digital wallet to its feature phones

1:09 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: AI, HMD | Comments: Off

I tested the GMKtec NucBox K13 – and this AI mini PC is an excellent example of what Intel does well

4:34 pm | March 3, 2026

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Tags: AI, CPU, GPU, PC | Comments: Off

GMKtec NucBox K13: 30-second review

Looking back, the GMKtec NucBox K13 is the first mini PC that I’ve covered that uses the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V I’ve tested. It’s a Lunar Lake-era processor built on TSMC's 3nm process, not on Intel fabs that can’t handle such small track sizes. But it also represents GMKtec's first foray into the new generation of AI-capable, efficiency-first processors, and it makes a rather decent fist of it.

Where other makers adhere to their 4-inch boxes, GMKtec has gone with a shape and size that looks more like a docking station on the K13. The alternative layout offers plenty of room for port placement and extra room inside for an additional M.2 PCIe Gen 4 slot.

By replacing the 512GB or 1TB M.2 NVMe drive supplied with the K13 and utilising the second slot, it is possible to add 16TB of storage to this mini PC. However, while the storage can be enhanced, the memory is fixed at 16GB of LPDDR5X 8533 MT, as this is soldered to the mainboard.

That’s one weakness, and the lack of an OCuLink port is another. Though you can attach an external GPU using USB4, the 40 Gbps bandwidth of that technology is less than the 64 Gbps of an OCuLink configuration.

Overall, this is a powerful, small system with plenty of potential for power users. The only issue for any potential buyer is how much memory you might want, as AI tasks generally need lots, and how this system's price compares with others that might offer 32GB or more.

The lack of upgradability and OCuLink stop the K13 from entering our hallowed best mini PC collection. But it could be perfect for users who don’t need discrete graphics or more than 16GB of RAM.

GMKtec NucBox K13: Price and availability

How much does it cost? From $670/£540/€610
When is it out? Available now
Where can you get it? Direct from GMKtec and via online retailers

The NucBox K13 is available direct from the GMKtec website, as well as online retailers like Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Two configurations are available, both with 16 GB of soldered LPDDR5X RAM. The base model has a 512 GB SSD for $669.99, and the 1 TB variant is $719.99. Both are currently offered below their stated MSRPs of $899.99 and $949.99, respectively.

UK pricing is £536 and £580, and the Euro price is €609.99 and €659.99.

Based on the current exchange rates, US prices are about 7% higher on average. Not sure why that would be, but those are the prices GMKtec decides.

Those expecting a bargain on Amazon are likely to be disappointed, since the price on Amazon.com via the GMKtec Store is the MSRP of $949.99 for the 1TB option.

The price on the UK Amazon.co.uk is equally inflated at £788.96, and that’s just for the 512GB option.

Resist the temptation to buy through Amazon unless a significant coupon brings the price in line with the direct store. At MSRP, it represents poor value compared to gmktec.com.

In terms of alternatives to the K13 that use the same platform, there are only two that I’m aware of, and both are made by Acer. The Acer Veriton NUC (VN1502G) and Acer Veriton NUC AI, but both of these options are north of $1000, if you can find them.

In that context, a GMKtec NucBox K13 direct from the maker looks like a bargain. However, other platforms are available at this price point, and some offer more processing power and features that the K13 doesn’t match.

Value: 4 / 5

GMKtec NucBox K13: Specs

Item

Spec

CPU

Intel Core Ultra 7 256V (8C/8T, up to 4.8 GHz, Lunar Lake, TSMC 3nm)

GPU

Intel Arc 140V (8 Xe2 cores, up to 64 TOPS GPU compute)

NPU

Intel AI Boost, 47 TOPS; Total system AI: 115 TOPS (INT8)

RAM

16 GB LPDDR5X 8533 MT/s (soldered, on-package, non-upgradeable)

Storage

512 GB or 1 TB M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 (pre-installed)

M.2 Expansion

1x additional M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 slot (up to 8 TB per slot; 16 TB total)

Display Outputs

1x HDMI 2.1 (4K@120Hz), 2x USB4 (DP 1.4 Alt Mode) — triple 4K support

Front Ports

2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 3.5mm audio jack, power button

Rear Ports

1x HDMI 2.1, 2x USB4 40Gbps (PD 3.0 100W), 1x USB 2.0, 5 GbE RJ-45, 3.5mm audio, DC-in, reset button

Networking

Wi-Fi 6E (up to 2.4 Gbps), Bluetooth 5.2, 1x 5 GbE LAN

Power (TDP)

17W–37W configurable

Windows 11 Pro (pre-installed); Linux supported

Dimensions

186 x 88 x 33.2 mm

Weight

523 g

Included Accessories

30W USB-C PD adaptor, 120W DC power brick, VESA mount bracket, HDMI cable, manual

GMKtec NucBox K13: Design

GMKtec NucBox K13 Mini PC — (Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Docking station-inspired chassis
Sophisticated cooling
Easy access

The NucBox K13 makes, in physical terms, quite the statement. At 33.2 mm tall, it is the slimmest mini PC in GMKtec's current catalogue, and it achieves this thinness without resorting to the sort of brutalist cost-cutting that usually accompanies such design ambitions. The chassis is clean and purposeful, with a form factor that would not look out of place mounted behind a monitor or tucked beside a display on a reception desk.

Since Intel declined the opportunity to lead by example in the NUC market, we’ve seen more diversity, and the K13 is a prime example.

With a 186 x 88 mm footprint, the K13 is actually slightly wider than most of GMKtec's cube-format mini PCs, which is a reasonable compromise for the reduced height. The overall volume is modest, and the 523g weight makes it light enough to easily carry.

The front panel is fairly restrained: two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports and a 3.5mm audio jack sit alongside the power button. Including a USB4 port on the front might have been a useful option, but these are both on the back. They aren’t cut-down USB4 variants, as they both support PD 3.0 (100W) and DisplayPort Alt Mode, which, when combined with an HDMI 2.1 port, enables up to three monitors to be connected to the K13.

Also on the back are a 5GbE LAN port, a USB 2.0 port, and a second 3.5mm audio jack. The choice of a single 5GbE port over dual 2.5GbE will delight some customers and horrify others, especially those who might want to segment a LAN. Given that you can add inexpensive 2.5GbE LAN ports to the USB 3.2 Gen 2 or USB4 ports using adapters, that’s something of a non-issue.

Cooling is managed by dual copper heat pipes and a single turbine fan. This configuration has proven effective in the slim NUC form factor, and Intel's own power budget helps considerably.

With a TDP ceiling of 37W, the K13 is not a machine that will heat a room, and in practice, the fan is rarely audible under normal desktop workloads. GMKtec claims the design incorporates a dust-resistant architecture, though the specifics of it aren’t obvious from my internal inspection.

Access inside is probably the easiest I’ve experienced this year, with a single tiny screw holding the entire underside in place with the help of some magnets. With this removed, the two M.2 PCIe 4.0 2280 slots are accessible, along with a 2230 slot for the Wi-Fi adapter and the motherboard clock battery. There is no memory access, because that’s not removable from the mainboard.

The VESA mounting bracket is included as standard, and the K13's slim profile makes it an excellent candidate for monitor mounting. Deployment in this way adds minimal depth to the back of a display and keeps desk surfaces uncluttered.

In some promotional pictures, GMKtec placed the K13 on its end, but I’d strongly advise against doing so. There are no feet on either end, so either way you cut it, you will cut off airflow through the vents on those surfaces, which could lead to overheating.

Overall, this dock-style system seems a successful alternative to the common squashed-cube form factor beloved by many makers.

Design: 4 / 5

GMKtec NucBox K13: Hardware

Intel Core Ultra 7 256V (Lunar Lake)
Arc 140V iGPU
47 TOPS NPU

Luna Lake is a notable departure for Intel, as previous Core Ultra generations were straightforward evolutions, whereas Luna Lake is a complete rethink. The on-package memory architecture, borrowed conceptually from Apple's playbook, places LPDDR5X directly alongside the compute die, slashing memory latency and dramatically improving bandwidth efficiency.

The result is a processor that punches well above its 17W–37W power envelope, particularly in graphics and AI workloads.

The Arc 140V iGPU is notably better than the Iris Xe graphics that preceded it, and the 47 TOPS NPU combined with the 64 TOPS GPU compute, the total is 115 TOPS. That is a useful amount of AI processing, and not just a marketing exercise.

The CPU features eight cores arranged in a hybrid layout comprising four Lion Cove performance cores and four Skymont efficiency cores, and none of these cores has hyperthreading.

What I find truly odd about the Luna Lake chips is that prior to this, on both AMD and Intel silicon, it wasn’t uncommon to see cores with hyperthreading performing like those that didn’t have that feature. This was often due to code that tried to weave two parts of a process across different threads, where passing data from one thread to another on the same core caused delays that negated the duality.

That doesn’t happen on this chip, because each core can only handle one thread. But as I’ll talk about in the benchmarks, this processor can, in certain circumstances, appear to operate as if it were only a four-core processor, since some tasks won’t use the efficiency cores.

What I can’t deny is that single-threaded performance is strong, and the 3nm fabrication allows for excellent thermal distribution, enabling the turbo mode to be liberally utilised.

The real story, however, is the memory architecture. Rather than connecting to system RAM across a relatively slow off-package bus, Lunar Lake integrates LPDDR5X memory directly into the package using Intel's Foveros packaging technology.

The K13's 16 GB of LPDDR5X runs at 8533 MT/s, delivering a theoretical peak bandwidth of around 137 GB/s. To put that in context, the Ryzen 7 7735HS (as used in the NucBox K16) achieves approximately 100 GB/s with its LPDDR5X 6400 MT/s configuration. The K13 is approximately 37% faster in raw memory bandwidth, and the Arc 140V iGPU uses every bit of it.

The Arc 140V integrated graphics are built on Intel's Xe2 (Battlemage) architecture, representing a generational leap over the Xe-LP graphics found in 12th- and 13th-generation Core processors. With eight Xe2 Execution Unit clusters, the Arc 140V delivers performance broadly comparable to a GTX 1650 in rasterised gaming.

That’s a significant step up from the Radeon 680M, and a rather humbling improvement over Intel's own previous integrated efforts. Hardware ray tracing is supported, as are XeSS upscaling, AV1 hardware encoding, and the full suite of Intel's media pipeline. Quick Sync, in particular, remains one of the strongest hardware video encode/decode implementations available in integrated silicon.

To be clear, it's not the AMD Radeon 8060S great, but for an integrated GPU, this is as good as it gets for Intel these days.

Another strength of this silicon is its integrated NPU, which can work alongside the CPU and GPU for AI processing. The NPU is 47 TOPS, meeting Microsoft's Copilot+ PC requirement and enabling local inference for AI features, including live captions, Cocreator in Paint, and the suite of Recall-adjacent productivity tools that Microsoft is gradually rolling out for Windows 11.

When the CPU, GPU and NPU are all working in conjunction through AI compute, throughput reaches 115 TOPS. That’s a meaningful figure for anyone running local large language models, AI-assisted code completion or automation workflows. It’s ideal for the Clawdbot agent if you’re feeling confident using that notorious tool.

Another factor in its AI usefulness is the second M.2 slot, making the K13 a credible candidate for a local AI inference workstation where fast NVMe access to model weights is useful.

This platform has seen duty on some expensive laptops, but it's almost unknown in the mini-PC space. Its appearance here hints that Intel is trying to clear existing Luna Lake chip stock before something new is released (Panther Lake), so this might not be the only small system we see it used on.

Hardware: 4.5 / 5

GMKtec NucBox K13: Performance

Mini PC		GMKtec K13	ECS LIVA Z11 Plus
CPU		Intel Core Ultra 7 256V	Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
Cores/Threads		8C 8T	14C 14T
RAM		16GB LPDDR5	32GB DDR5 (2x16GB)
Storage		1TB Huawei eKitStor Xtreme 200E	256 GB Phison M8256GCB5ECS-E192
Graphics		Intel Arc Graphics 140V	Intel Arc Graphics 140T
3DMark	WildLife	22653	21370
	FireStrike	7364	7185
	TimeSpy	3413	3879
	Steel Nom Lt.	1914	3160
CineBench24	Single	116	127
	Multi	508	872
	Ratio	4.39	6.87
GeekBench 6	Single	2731	2879
	Multi	9429	14465
	OpenCL	25982	38919
	Vulkan	26274	35463
CrystalDisk	Read MB/s	7132	3526
	Write MB/s	6338	1843
PCMark 10	Office	7781	7404
WEI	Score	8.6	8.3

Mini PC

GMKtec K13

ECS LIVA Z11 Plus

CPU

Intel Core Ultra 7 256V

Intel Core Ultra 7 255H

Cores/Threads

8C 8T

14C 14T

RAM

16GB LPDDR5

32GB DDR5 (2x16GB)

Storage

1TB Huawei eKitStor Xtreme 200E

256 GB Phison M8256GCB5ECS-E192

Graphics

Intel Arc Graphics 140V

Intel Arc Graphics 140T

3DMark

WildLife

22653

21370

FireStrike

7364

7185

TimeSpy

3413

3879

Steel Nom Lt.

1914

3160

CineBench24

Single

116

127

Multi

508

872

Ratio

4.39

6.87

GeekBench 6

Single

2731

2879

Multi

9429

14465

OpenCL

25982

38919

Vulkan

26274

35463

CrystalDisk

Read MB/s

7132

3526

Write MB/s

6338

1843

PCMark 10

Office

7781

7404

WEI

Score

8.6

8.3

As no other machine I’ve seen uses the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V from September 2024, I thought another NUC that utilises a Core Ultra 200-series silicon might provide some interesting insights into the K13 and what makes it different from most small PCs.

The ECS LIVA Z11 Plus uses the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H, an Arrow Lake-H chip from early 2025. On paper, the chip in the Z11 has a significant edge on cores, but its memory bandwidth is less, and the base clock speed of the 256V is 2.2GHz, over 2GHz on the 255H.

What the comparison boils down to is that the Arc 140V GPU, with the extra bandwidth of LPDDR5 8533 MT/s, delivers more graphics performance for those tasks.

However, the single-core speed of the 255H is better, and with the extra cores, it wins all the multi-threaded tasks. And, as the graphics tests become tougher, as in Time Spy and Steel Nomad Lite, the 255H has a significant advantage.

One curious diversion is that the ECS LIVA Z11 Plus only had one 2280 M.2 slot, though it was rated for PCIe Gen 4x4 bandwidth like those on the K13. However, ECS only used a Gen 3 drive on that system, which couldn’t hit half the read or a third of the write speed of the one used on the K13.

That choice in the K13 was a major factor in the better PCMark and WEI scores, since SSD speed was what dragged down those results on the Z11.

What I haven’t included results for is AI, since while I have them for the K13, they weren’t collected for the Z11.

What’s worth noting is that the NPU on the 255H is only rated for 13 TOPS, whereas the one in the 256V is 47 TOPS. For those using AI Compute, that’s a big difference, and the 256V is definitely the processor you will want.

Performance: 4 / 5

GMKtec NucBox K13: Final verdict

The GMKtec NucBox K13 is, in the bluntest possible terms, the mini PC that Intel's Lunar Lake deserved from the outset. GMKtec has done due diligence by pairing the chip with the fastest possible memory configuration, designing a chassis that leverages Lunar Lake's efficiency, and adding 5GbE connectivity.

The weaknesses are real but hardly fatal. Sixteen gigabytes of soldered RAM will give some buyers pause, particularly in a machine otherwise configured for demanding workloads. The absence of OcuLink limits eGPU flexibility, but it’s not a port commonly found on cheap NUC models.

The LAN configuration supports 550 MB/s file transfers with the right infrastructure. And with USB adapters, it is still possible to make the K13 useful as a dual-homed firewall.

But if your use case is modern, efficiency-focused desktop computing, perhaps content creation, AI experimentation, clean-desk professional work, or a powerful behind-monitor media machine, then K13 makes a compelling argument.

Its iGPU is the best Intel integrated graphics available in a mini PC at this price, its AI credentials are genuine rather than marketing-department aspirational, and it achieves all of this whilst remaining practically silent under most workloads.

There is plenty to like here, and relatively few reasons to avoid this machine, not least the price.

Should I buy a GMKtec NucBox K13?

GMKtec NucBox K13 Scorecard
Value	Competitive but needs monitoring vs Zen 4/5 rivals	4/5
Design	Strikingly slim; with well-considered rear I/O	4/5
Hardware	Arc 140V, 115 TOPS AI, 5 GbE LAN	4.5/5
Performance	Strong iGPU and AI, but modest multi-core vs AMD rivals	4/5
Overall	A modern, efficient mini PC for the right buyer	4/5

Buy it if...

You want practical AI features
With 115 TOPS of total AI compute and full Copilot+ PC compliance, the K13 is one of very few mini PCs that can run local LLM inference, AI-assisted productivity tools, and NPU-accelerated Windows features without compromise.View Deal

You need a slim, quiet machine for a professional environment
At 33.2mm tall and practically silent under normal loads, the K13 is purpose-built for desk-constrained, noise-sensitive settings. Mounted behind a monitor, it essentially ceases to exist as a physical presence.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

If 16 gigabytes of non-upgradeable RAM concerns you
The on-package memory is fast but fixed in size. If you foresee needing more than 16GB for large VM stacks, memory-hungry AI models, or future-proofing against increasingly bloated software, then a machine with socketed SODIMM slots offers more flexibility.View Deal

You need maximum multi-threaded CPU performance Lunar Lake trades Hyper-Threading for efficiency, and the eight-core/eight-thread configuration trails the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS and similar high-TDP mobile parts in sustained, heavily threaded workloads. If rendering, compilation, or simulation defines your workflow, consider the GMKtec K11 or the EVO-X2 instead.View Deal

I tested the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra — and of course it’s the best Android phone ever

7:55 pm | March 2, 2026

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Phones Samsung Galaxy Phones | Tags: AI, AU, UK, US | Comments: Off

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Two-minute review

Nowadays, smartphone changes can usually be measured in millimeters and gram fractions. The era of sweeping hardware redesigns is all but done. Most of the updates we see seem to be in material swaps and growing and shrinking camera array plateaus. That's not a bad thing, certainly not judging by the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra I hold in my hand.

It's eminently familiar but also stunningly powerful and aesthetically sublime – even without last year's titanium. It's not a perfect Android phone (some day, Samsung will adopt MagSafe or something like it), but easily one of the best I've ever used or tested. It's the full package. A relatively slim and light big-screen mobile communicator, and a powerful pocket computer that, with its hidden S Pen, can even excite creative types or compulsive note takers.

Samsung gets away with not changing much by still delivering on all the promises of a great flagship phone.

It has excellent cameras, easily the best of not just the S26 lineup, but all recent Galaxy phones (even the foldables). It has the fastest chip, even, thanks to a bit of customization from Qualcomm, outdoing the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 you might find on other Android phones.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra REVIEW — The new S26 Ultra is on the left, the last, slightly squarer S25 Ultra model on the right. (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

The S26 Ultra hides a pair of truly remarkable features that are not evident at first glance but will surely be the most talked-about updates for some time to come. One is the Privacy Display, a true bit of display hardware innovation that has no equivalent on any other modern smartphone. Then there's the built-in gimbal. Strike that – it's not really a gimbal, just a wild bit of hardware and software engineering that lets you turn your camera up to 360 degrees while keeping the footage perfectly level.

It's a handset overstuffed with AI possibilities, adding this time Perplexity to Bixby (because why not?) and upping the creative and assistive capabilities of Galaxy AI. Google uses the S26 Ultra to give us a sneak preview of the agentic possibilities soon arriving on Pixels and all other supporting Android phones.

The list of AI abilities is long, overwhelming, and perhaps too much. It's not a weakness, per se, but I still don't know why one phone has so many. But then you also might wonder why the iPhone 17 Pro Max still has so few.

Samsung backs up the power and performance of this smartphone with way better heat and power management and excellent battery life.

And to top it all off, it's still $1,299 (£1,249 / AU$2,149). That's not affordable, but it is the same price as last year, which is more than can be said for the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus.

There's not enough here to trade in your still wonderful Galaxy S25 Ultra, but it would be a big leap from, say, the S23 Ultra or anything earlier, and will undoubtedly end up atop our Best Android Phones buying guide.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: Price and availability

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S26 Ultra, along with the S26 Plus and S26, on February 25, as part of its Unpacked event (it'll hold another one later this year for foldables). It ships on March 11, 2026.

While the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus saw price hikes, the Galaxy S26 Ultra still costs the same in the US as the Galaxy S25 Ultra did last year: $1,299.99 ( £1,279 / AU$2,199).

It's available in a choice of six colors wherever you buy: Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, and the online exclusives: Silver Shadow, Pink Gold.

The phone ships in either 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage configurations, and every variant comes with 12GB RAM (16GB of RAM if you buy the 1TB model). If you go for more storage space, you will pay somewhat more than you did last year. In the US, the 1TB model is now $1,799.99, roughly $140 more than last year (you do get the extra RAM, though).

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is still a little more expensive than the base iPhone 17 Pro Max ($1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149), and both do start with 256GB of storage and offer comparable features. However, the S26 Ultra does include the integrated S Pen and all of that on-board AI. For now, the S26 Ultra might be the better value.

Price: from $1,299 / £1,279 / AU$2,199

Storage	US price	UK price	AU price
256GB	$1,299.99	£1,279	AU$2,199
512GB	$1,499.99	£1,449	AU$2,199
1TB	$1,799.99	£1,699	AU$2,649

For the latest Galaxy S26 Ultra deals in your region, check out this Samsung Galaxy S26 deals page.

Value score: 4.5/5

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: Specs

Here's a look at the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra's key specs:

Dimensions:	163.6 mm (height) x 78.1 mm (width) x 7.9 mm (depth)
Weight:	214g
Display:	6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display
Resolution:	3120 x 1440 pixels
Refresh rate:	1-120Hz
Chipset:	Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy
RAM:	12GB / 16GB
Storage:	256GB / 512GB / 1TB
OS:	Android 16
Main camera:	200MP; f/1.4; 0.6µm sensor
Ultrawide camera:	50MP; f/1.9; 0.7µm sensor
Telephoto camera 1	10MP; f/2.4; 0.7µm; 5x optical zoom
Telephoto camera 2	50MP; f/2.9; 0.7µm; 10x optical quality zoom
Selfie camera:	12MP; f/2.2; 1.17µm
Battery:	5,000mAh
Charging:	Super Fast Charging 3.0, Super Fast Wireless Charging
Colors:	Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, Silver Shadow, Pink Gold
Price	From $1,299 / £1,279 / AU$2,199

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: design

A subtle design refresh
Thinner and looks a bit more like the S25 Edge (and like all the other Galaxy S26 phones)
No more titanium

Leading from the rear, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge has had signifcant influence on the look of the entire Galaxy S26 lineup. Nowhere is this more evident, perhaps, than in the new Galaxy S26 Ultra.

At a glance, the 6.9-inch S26 Ultra looks a lot like the S25 Ultra, but if that new raised camera array looks familiar, it's because it's clearly based on the S25 Edge's two-camera platform. The platform makes sense when you realize the S26 Ultra is slightly thinner and lighter than its predecessor (7.9mm vs 8.2mm and 214g vs 218g).

The S26 Ultra has a slightly softer and more pleasing look, thanks to the four corners adopting a more curved profile. Samsung also swapped out a key material, trading titanium for Armor Aluminum. Honestly, it's not something most people will notice, and I wonder if it helped Samsung save a little money on production costs. The other benefit might be that aluminium, a softer material, makes it easier to apply a wider variety of richer colors. My Cobolt Violet review unit is lovely, but I would've liked to see a few wilder hue swings like deep green or, yes, orange.

As you would expect, the screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Armor 2 and the back by Gorilla Glass Victus 2. These materials should help protect it from scratches and cracks (if you drop it [Author's note: I did not purposely drop it]).

Beyond those updates and changes, nothing has changed. The power/sleep/Gemini button and long volume button are in essentially the exact same spots. There are a pair of microphone holes along the top edge. On the base are the SIM slot, speaker slot, and USB-C charge port.

Next to that trio is the S Pen. You press it to release the pen, which looks quite similar to the last S Pen but is in fact slightly thinner. I didn't find that it made any noticeable difference in usability.

The entire phone is still rated IP68, which means it can handle a rain shower (or worse) and dust.

Think about the design this way: If you liked the looks of the S25 Ultra, you'll probably like the S26 Ultra. Sure, the camera bump grew (without demonstrably updating the camera hardware), but it's generally an attractive, big-screen Android smartphone with fresh colors to attract those who found the titanium hues wanting.

Design score: 5/5

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: Display

Size, resolution, and brightness unchanged
Still an excellent display
Privacy Display borders on breakthrough innovation

Samsung left its 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED display mostly unchanged. it stil offers up to 3,120x1440 QHD+ resolution (though it defaults to 2,340x1080 FHD+ to save on battery life). It has the same brightness and ability to smoothly transition from 1Hz for a sleep screen to the buttery-smooth motion of 120hz. There's still a selfie camera cutout near the top of the display and a very thin channel between the frame and the screen for one of the loud and clear stereo speakers.

None of this is news.

The marquee feature and one that is, in fact, unique among smartphones is the Privacy Display.

As the name implies, this feature adjusts the screen so that people standing on either side of you, behind you, or even in front of you cannot read what is on your display. There are a few remarkable things about this feature. First, it's a hardware innovation, accomplished by controlling two different kinds of pixels: narrow and wide. These pixels are set in an every other pixel pattern: wide, narrow, wide, narrow.

In standard mode, both pixels are on, providing a 180-degree view of your S26 Ultra screen.

@lanceulanoff
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In Privacy Display Mode, the wide pixels turn off, and then anyone off-axis only sees a grayed-out or nearly black screen unless their face is perpendicular to the S26 Ultra display.

Here's the other remarkable thing: Because this is at a pixel level, the Privacy Display can be set to only hide a portion of a screen: think notification popups, password, and PIN entry.

You can access Privacy Display through settings or the Quick panel. On there, it lets you turn it on for the whole screen or set conditions: "PIN, Pattern, password, Notification popups."

I turned on Privacy Display and could immediately see it at work. First, I noticed that my own screen view looked slightly desaturated (maybe from the loss of wide pixels), second, the default Privacy Display mode isn't that effective. I could still make out the dimmed content, even when viewing the screen from an angle.

To really see the magic, you have to turn on "Maximum privacy protection." Once I did that, my screen looked almost black from an off-angle, and the same was true when I set it for conditions, like only blacking out my notification popups.

The third and perhaps best Privacy display feature is that you can enable it on a per-app basis. Imagine you don't want anyone see what your TikTok or Instagram algorithm looks like. Just turn on Privacy Display for those apps, and whenever you use them, they'll only be visible to you. I set it up for my TikTok and Instagram, and it worked perfectly.

This is the kind of feature I expect competitors like Apple, OnePlus, Motorola, and others to copy in short order. Privacy Display will change the equation when deciding which S26 is right for you (none of the other have this) and could tip the scales in Samsung's favor when considering a platform switch.

Display score: 5/5

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: S Pen

Slightly smaller
Still a great always-ready creative, notation, and AI tool

Direct comparisons of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with, say, Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max don't entirely make sense. Afterall, only one of them has shipped with an integrated S Pen since the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

As an amateur artist, I love having the S Pen always on hand, perfectly hidden inside a powerful Android 16 smartphone.

The latest S Pen looks a lot like the last one, but it is slightly thinner, and the back end is now curved to match the curve of its S26 Ultra housing.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra — (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

In use, this S Pen is just as useful as its predecessors. It's a great implement for note-taking, marking up images, creating rough sketches for AI image generation, and making art. It recognizes pressure and orientation. There's even a button on the side that, in the Sketchbook app, gives you instant access to an eraser.

The S26 Ultra is also aware of the S Pen, and if it's been outside the phone and not used for a while, the phone will ask you if you have your S Pen.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: cameras

Same camera array as the S25 Ultra
Apertures grew on the lenses you'll use most
Selfie camera got a big field of view upgrade
Generally excellent image capture capabilities
Noticeably less grain on night shots
Super Steady to the max

Before we dive into the photographic performance of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, let's pause a moment to look at the virtually unchanged camera array and selfie camera:

Main camera: 200MP f1.4
5x telephoto: 50MP (also provides the 10x zoom through a sensor crop) f2.9
3x optical: 10MP f2.4
Ultra-wide: 50MP f1.9
Front-facing camera: 12MP f2.2

What's not evident there, though, are two significant changes on the 200MP Main camera and 10MP 5X optical zoom. Both cameras feature wider apertures (represented by lower f-stop numbers), which allows them to capture more light and makes them more effective in low-light situations.

In practice, this is an excellent set of lenses, and based on megapixels, they all beat the iPhone 17 Pro Max's 48MP lenses. However, even on the 200MP camera, you'll default to shooting at a binned 12MP (multiple pixels of information are applied to each final pixel). The iPhone 17 Pro Max defaults to shooting at 24MP.

I shot photos using all the cameras, often capturing the exact same image with the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

All of these phones offer excellent cameras, and I found the image quality generally excellent. If anything, the S26 Ultra appears to have pulled even with the iPhone 17 Pro Max in most photo scenarios.

Samsung told me that their image processing now allows the phone to understand the native noise signature of each lens and adjust accordingly. What this means is my photo results are clearer and cleaner. Between that and the larger apertures, the low-light photography, especially nighttime photography ("Nightography"), shows a significant improvement. I noticed far less graininess in my star photography.

At one point, I shot a hyperlapse video that captures moving nighttime clouds and what might have been a pair of high-altitude jets. It's a lovely, low-grain seven-second video.

Color, truth, clarity, detail, and skin tones are the best I have ever seen for a Galaxy series phone, and they rival what I can get on the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

We have the same 3X and 5X optical zoom options, as well as a 10MP zoom accomplished by doing a sensor crop on the 50MP telephoto. I like a good 5X zoom and appreciate the 10X option, even if it's not a true telephoto lens. What I steer clear of are the 30X and 100x space zoom options. They, too, can provide some eye-popping results, but I'm highly skeptical of the amount of AI applied to deliver these results. If you want photos that reflect reality, these AI-supported image creation modes are not for you.

While Samsung didn't upgrade the front-facing selfie camera's megapixels or even add the ability to do landscape photos while holding the phone in portrait mode (called Center Stage), they did significantly increase the field of view to 85 degrees. When I took a selfie of myself, I was startled to see just how much of the surrounding scene the S26 Ultra can pull. I bet I'll fit a lot more people in my next Galaxy selfie.

On the video front, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra boasts some pro-level video capabilities, including the APV codec, and 8K at 30 fps video capture. Yes, you can shoot that high-resolution video and edit it on the phone (including applying things like the AI-powered Audio Eraser). However, I still can't edit 8K 30fps video on my go-to Android video editor, PowerDirector. But the feature that will easily impact most regular people is the Super Steady update that adds horizontal lock.

This is not just smoothing out tilts and turns. Using the S26 Ultra's gyroscope and accelerometer (and clearly some software and probably sensor cropping tricks), it is capable of holding the horizontal plane even as you turn the phone a full 360 degrees. I’m not kidding. I tried it. It works incredibly well and far exceeds the iPhone’s Action Mode.

@techradar
♬ Dream - Alex Lustig

Cameras score: 5/5

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: camera samples

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: software and AI

Brimming with AI
Bixby has a better LLM for local queries and Perplexity for general knowledge
Google updates Gemini for the Ultra
Galaxy AI has more image manipulation and creation capabilities

Few phones illustrate our over-saturated era of generative AI more than the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. It has Bixby, Perplexity, Samsung Galaxy AI, and, of course, Google Gemini. Each has a role – some multiple roles – and there can be some overlap.

Samsung's long-term goal is for people to see this as an AI phone but not think very much about which AI got you where. Basically, the phone will get smarter over time, especially as its Agentic capabilities grow – and start to proactively do your bidding.

We're not there yet. In fact, the Agentic stuff, which lives with Gemini, is only with Uber for now (other third-party apps will follow). You're supposed to be able to ask Gemini to book you an Uber ride, and it will run off in the background, gather all the relevant bits, and have it set up in Uber so all you have to do is approve the ride.

I installed Uber on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and then asked Gemini to book me a ride to the airport. Gemini told me it could help, but it first asked for key information like my pickup address, pickup time, and the kind of ride I prefer.

Gemini told me it had booked the ride, but when I checked Uber, nothing was booked. I told Gemini to cancel the ride (in case I was confused), but Gemini couldn't do anything about the non-existent ride.

In general, though, my experience with Gemini (the default is Fast model mode) was good. I had many conversations with it and used it to identify things in my shelves, and with the live view, have it explain how to fix a leaky bathroom faucet. It's far from foolproof and has yet to learn how to pronounce my last name.

Gemini on the S26 Ultra is also a showcase for what's coming to other Android smartphones that can support the generative platform. For example, the phone supports Circle to Search's new Find the Look capabilities. These let you circle someone's whole outfit in an image, and Gemini will find all the clothing.

I looked up an image of John Lennon from the 1970s, pressed down on the virtual home button, and launched Circle to Search. After circling Lennon, I asked Gemini to find the look (it identified his vintage white jacket), and then I asked Nano Banana to generate an image of me in the same look. I never got that to work, but Nano Banana did create a new image of John Lennon in the same look, with the rest of the Beatles standing nearby. I was a little surprised Gemini was willing to create imagery of a known figure. I also did the same operation with a photo of the actor Walter Goggins.

Samsung's own Galaxy AI is already a powerful and pervasive generative AI platform on the Galaxy S phone line; however, it now has some features.

I used it, for example, to make a simple cartoon sketch of my face and then transform it into a more polished comic, which I then used to generate stickers that I can now send to friends over Messages.

Galaxy AI's photo editing capabilities are very strong. I grabbed an apple, put it on a table, and took a photo. Then I asked Galaxy AI to take a slice out of the apple and put the slice next to the Apple. After a few seconds, it complied, and the results look real. When I had it take another AI shot at the photo, I noticed that the slice and the cutout on the apple didn't match up quite as neatly as they did on the first generated shot.

Next, I sketched a dinosaur eating the apple and asked Galaxy AI to convert it into art. The result was a tiny crocodile crawling behind the apple. Bascially my rough sketch was little more than inspiration.

In another instance, I asked Galaxy AI to add flowers to my orchid. It added flowers, but they were all carnations. I told Galaxy to make sure to add orchid flowers. It did, but put them next to the carnations.

Bixby is better at conversational queries, but it can still take some work to get Samsung's homegrown digital assistant to do what you want. I asked it to change the aspect ratio on my photos to 16:9, but had to repeat myself a few times to make it understand. Saying "sixteen colon nine" did the trick.

For questions that do not relate to the phone, Bixby now has Perplexity AI. If you ask, as I did, about the capital of Montana, Bixby won't hesitate but will tap directly into Perplexity in the cloud to get the answer. You'll notice that the result has a little Perplexity logo on it.

The truth is, I don't understand what Perplexity is doing here. Afterall, I can ask Gemini that same question and get the same (or even more tailored) result. Why did Bixby need general knowledge? Perhaps I'm underestimating how many people use Bixby.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has a collection of "Now" features, including "Now Brief," which shows up as a home screen (and lock screen, if you choose) widget, Now Bar for adaptive reminders, and the new "Now Nudge," which can give you contextual reminders and information where and when you need it.

Now Brief is a fine widget with information about the weather, my schedule, and news, but I didn't find much use in the rest of the Now tools. I think I need to spend more time with the phone and let it learn a whole lot more about me before these tools become truly useful.

Last year, Samsung unveiled its powerful Audio Erase, which can remove distracting background audio from your videos. You can reduce voices, crowd sounds, and background noises, with customizable sliders for each control. It's effective, but if you turn the noise reduction all the way down, voices can end up sounding a bit robotic.

More intriguing is Audio Eraser's new third-party app capabilities, which you access via the Quick Panel. I tried it with TikTok and YouTube and could tell it sharpened and raised the dialogue a bit over background noises, but otherwise did not find it all that useful.

I like many of these AI tools, but I do think the system is a bit overloaded with options. I look forward to a time when there's a more consistent AI approach with zero redundancy. If one on-board AI can handle a task, there should not be another waiting in the wings to do the exact same thing.

Software AI score: 4.5/5

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: Performance

A fast Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 8 Elite 5 for Galaxy chip
Snappy performance in every task

Every year, Samsung gets the fastest available Snapdragon for its flagship smartphone, and every year it convinces Qualcomm to customize the chip, squeezing out a few extra Ghz of speed just for its phones.

In truth, the Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 8 Elite 5 for Galaxy is about more than just speed. It's customized to work better for the Galaxy S26 series across a range of tasks. Samsung claimed that it brings faster CPU, GPU, and NPU performance. This translates into better Geekbench benchmarks than the similarly named Snapdragon chips in last year's Galaxy S25 Ultra. Single-core and multi-core scores eclipse those on Apple's A19 Pro. GPU screens are harder to compare, though the iPhone 17 Pro Max silicon appears to be significantly ahead of those on the S26 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Ultra — Lance Ulanoff / Future

Benchmark numbers tell you little about real-world performance. In everyday use, that last Ultra was fast, and this new S26 Ultra is fast. There's enough headroom that I doubt anyone will notice the difference. The NPU powers some pretty impressive local AI (like my cut Apple, and AI art generated from my primitive sketches).

I played PUBG and Asphalt 9 Legends on the phone and was impressed with how the games looked and the smooth and fast performance (Side note: I paired the S26 Ultra to the new Galaxy Buds4 Pro and loved the fit and surround-sound audio quality). Better yet, the S26 Ultra never got warm. I'll credit the new vapor chamber with the cooler performance.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra's CPU is backed by 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. I can get 16GB of RAM if I pay for the pricey 1TB model.

Overall, this is a fast device ready to accomplish a range of tasks, including running some impressive local AI models.

Performance score: 5/5

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: Battery

5,000 mAh
Fast wireless charging
No MagSafe

I'm honestly impressed by the Galaxy S26 Ultra's battery life. Even with brightness turned up, the screen refresh set to a max 120hz, and resolution turned up to QHD+, it carried well past 24 hours of operation. If I lower the brightness and work with FHD+ resolution (which still looks great), it can last two days on a charge.

The 3-nanometer Qualcomm Snapdragon chip is efficient, and the OneUI 8.5 platform knows how to squeeze the most life out of a single charge.

Recharging can be done with a 45W charger, reaching 75% in about 35 minutes. A 65W wired charge could reportedly do the same in 30 minutes. I had my phone fully charged in under an hour.

The phone supports fast wireless charging with up to a 25W charger. What's missing, though, is any kind of MagSafe-style support. There are no magnets in the back of the S26 Ultra, which is a bit of a surprise considering we got Pixel Snap on Google's Pixel 10 phones.

Samsung is only promising that all the cases it sells will come with built-in magnets.

Battery score: 4.5/5

Should I buy the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra?

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra score card
Value	Keeping the same price while increasing capabilities, speed, and photo quality is always a good thing. It's a pricey flagship but I think the inclusion of the S Pen makes it a better value than most.	4.5/5
Design	If you liked the design of the last Ultra, you should appreciate this incremental update that slims the phone down, makes it lighter and just a little bit softer around the edges. The new colors are a bonus, too.	5/5
Display	It's a fantastic 6.9-inch AMOLED that makes every image pop. Plus it has that fast and buttery-smooth 120hz refresh rate. The marquee update, though is Privacy Display, a one-of-a-kind innovation that actually does what it promises	5/5
Cameras	While this is essentially the same set of cameras as with the S25 Ultra, Samsung has upgraded the aperture on a couple of key lenses, thereby effectively upgrading light-capturing capabilities and we have a selfie camera that can fit more friends and family in the frame. Photos taken with all the lenses are excellent and Super Steady with horizontal lock is shockingly effective.	5/5
Software and AI	Samsung has stuffed the Galaxy S26 Ultra full of AI possibilities to the extent that the options can be overwhelming. You can use the powerful Gemini, the photo and creativity-enhancing Galaxy AI, the phone system-knowledgeable Bixby, or its new partner Perplexity. Each lets you do many AI-infused wonderful things (though some things don't always work as anticipated). Some consolidation is in order. At least OneUI 8.5 feels more consistent and useful than ever. The Now Brief is a useful widget, but I remain unmoved by Now Nudge and Now Bar.	4.5/5
Performance	The S26 Ultra's Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 8 Elite 5 for Galaxy is more powerful and efficient than ever. It's hard to find a task it can't handle.	5/5
Battery	Fantastic battery life; days if you keep settings to a mid-range resolution.	5/5

Buy it if...

You want the best Android phone on the market
There are cheaper Android phones, but few mix the power, performance, battery life, maximum AI options, and creative possibilities of the S26 Ultra. Honestly, it lives up to its name.

You own other Samsung products
I've said this before, and I'll say it again: Samsung lacks the same kind of deeply connected ecosystem that Apple has across its products, but it's not non-existent, and for every Samsung product you own, the utility of a Galaxy S26 Ultra to connect and sometimes control it all increases.

You want multi-day battery life and no-compromises power
The Galaxy S26 Ultra has not just Qualcomm's fastest mobile chip, it has one customized for the Galaxy line, which means even more power and bespoke performance.

Don't buy it if...

You're on a budget
Even though the S26 Ultra is no more expensive than the S25 Ultra, it's still an expensive smartphone (though I encourage you to check out the many deals and trade-in options). There are cheaper and quite performant Android options like the new $499 Google Pixel 10a. Just know that you give up telephoto, an S Pen, and more than a few other flagship capabilities.

AI is not your thing
One of the S26 Ultra's biggest selling points is comprehensive AI possibilities. It has four (seriously) AI engines, and while that offers a lot of generative possibilities, some people just want a classic smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: Also consider

Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max pushes the iconic iPhone in bold new directions and colors. It's recognizable, but different in ways that make it eye-catching. The performance is stellar, and the cameras set a new high-water mark for smartphone photography. For people who demand more from their smartphone, there may be no better choice.

Read our full Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max review

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a bold reimagining of Samsung’s flagship foldable smartphone. If a 6.9-inch display isn't enough for you, and you want to stick with Samsung and get most of that AI goodness, this foldable is the obvious choice.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
The Pixel 9 Pro XL is just a bigger Pixel 9 Pro, but that's good enough. It doesn't have exclusive camera features or extra RAM for a boost, it's just got a bigger display and a bigger battery. That means the Pixel 9 Pro is an even better pick this year, but it also means that you can choose your Pixel based on the size you like, not the features you need.

Read our full Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review

	Galaxy S26 Ultra	iPhone 17 Pro Max	Galaxy Z Fold 6	Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
Price (at launch):	$1,299.99 / £1,279 / AU$2,199	$1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149	$1,999.99 / £1,799 / AU$2,899	$1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,849
Dimensions:	163.6 mm (height) x 78.1 mm (width) x 7.9 mm (depth)	163.4 x 78.0 x 8.75 mm	72.8 x 158.4 x 8.9mm (folded) 143.2 x 158.4 x 4.2mm (unfolded)	162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5mm
Weight:	214g	233g	215g	232g
Displays	6.9-inch AMOLED 2X, 120Hz	6.9-inch OLED	Main display: 8-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED (2184 x 1968), 120Hz adaptive refresh rate (1~120Hz) Cover display:: 6.5-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display(2520 x 1080, 21:9), 120Hz adaptive refresh rate (1~120Hz)	6.8-inch Actua display
Cameras	200MP main, 50MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto, 50MP telephoto	48MP wide (24mm, f/1.78), 48MP ultra-wide (13mm, f/2.2), 48MP telephoto (8x optical zoom)	200MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP 3x telephoto, 10MP cover-screen, 10MP main-screen	50MP wide; 48MP ultra-wide; 48MP telephoto (5x zoom)
Chipset:	Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy	Apple A19 Pro	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Mobile Platform for Galaxy	Google Tensor G5

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

Tested the phone for almost one week
Took photos across all the lenses
I used the extensive AI tools
I did work and play on it
I benchmarked using Geekbench to see the comparative increase in performance over the last Ultra and how it stacks up with the iPhone 17 Pro Max's A19 Pro

Despite a historic East Coast snowstorm, I somehow received the Galaxy S26 Ultra on the same day Samsung announced it at Unpacked in San Francisco. I unboxed and started testing it within minutes of receiving it.

Since then, I've used it constantly and have done my best to push the limits of its processor and entertainment, AI and creative capabilities.

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I connected the phone to Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro to listen to video, social media, and podcasts. I also connected the phone to a Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra to help it track my activities and, hopefully, enhance the Now Brief reports

HP OmniBook 7 Aero two-minute review

There’s a lot to like with the HP OmniBook 7 Aero, from its portability and somewhat unique look to its surprisingly robust performance. I would definitely recommend it as one of the best laptops out there for anyone wanting a lightweight Windows laptop to take on the road.

I also appreciate the port selection offered, as the best Ultrabooks typically come pretty limited in this department, usually limiting you to two USB-C ports. Digital nomads will like the quality of the webcam as well as the fact that it has a physical shutter. Really, it doesn’t feel like the thin and light nature of the HP OmniBook 7 Aero compromises on too much to get to its size or price point.

That said, there are a few things I'm not overly fond of. The keyboard is adequate, but with its low travel, it can get fatiguing during long writing sessions.

HP OmniBook 7 Aero laptop on a wooden desk — (Image credit: Future)

And even though the port selection is pretty good, HP decided to put both USB-C ports on one side, which is a little annoying when you need to plug into the wall on the other side. That might be a nitpick, but it's something that’s been a concern for many a laptop, including some iterations of the MacBook Air, and it’s a concern here.

Still, the pros make the HP OmniBook 7 Aero a good laptop to recommend for those looking for a lightweight, Windows laptop that works well, and it isn’t trying to look like a MacBook.

HP OmniBook 7 Aero: Price and availability

How much does it cost? Starting at $949.99 (about £710 / AU$1,420)
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US and Australia

The HP OmniBook 7 Aero’s price tag is reasonable, if a little high, for what’s on offer. If I weren’t impressed by its light weight and solid performance, I would think this would be more of a $600 computer, but a starting price of $949.99 (about £710 / AU$1,420) seems appropriate. Upgrading the CPU, RAM, storage, and screen ends up with a slightly harder to stomach $1,399.99 / AU$2,998 (about £1,040) price tag.

Looking at the competition, these prices aren’t outrageous, though it’s worth noting that, first, HP will regularly discount their laptops so it’s worth waiting for a sale (it’s 44% off the base configuration at the time of writing, for instance), and that, second, other comparable laptops are around the same price or even a little less, not to mention also regularly discount their laptops.

The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus, which impressed me with its solid performance and portability, starts at $949.99 (about £760 / AU$1,470). That’s a laptop with a better battery life and higher resolution at the lowest configuration that I actually felt was a little overpriced.

And if you’re not married to the Windows ecosystem, the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) is not only a strong choice thanks to its strong performance and great battery life, but the fact that at its base configuration is just a better computer than the base configuration of the HP OmniBook 7 Aero. Apple, however, does not offer quite the same discounts that HP does.

Value: 4 / 5

HP OmniBook 7 Aero: Specs

Internally, the HP OmniBook 7 Aero only offers a few options for customization. You get either a six core AMD AI 5 340 CPU with integrated AMD Radeon 840M graphics or an eight core AMD AI 7 350 CPU with integrated Radeon 860M graphics.

The choices for RAM are either 16 or 32 GB (and you can only choose the higher RAM with the higher CPU), while the storage also comes in just two flavors: 512GB and 1TB (though there are a few different choices in terms of specific type of SSD).

There’s also a choice between Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E wireless configurations, though the latter, more expensive option comes with Bluetooth 5.3 instead of 5.4.

	HP OmniBook 7 Aero base configuration	HP OmniBook 7 Aero review / max configuration
Price:	$949.99 (about £710/ AU$1,420)	$1,399.99 / AU$2,998 (about £1,040)
CPU:	AMD AI 5 340	AMD AI 7 350
Graphics:	AMD Radeon 840M Integrated graphics	AMD Radeon 860M Integrated graphics
RAM:	16GB	32GB
Screen:	13.3-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS, micro-edge, anti-glare, 400 nits	13.3-inch diagonal, WQXGA (2560 x 1600), IPS, micro-edge, anti-glare, 400 nits
Storage:	512GB M.2 SSD	1TB M.2 SSD
Ports:	1 USB Type-A 10Gbps signaling rate; 1 USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate; 1 HDMI-out 2.1; 1 headphone/microphone combo; 2 USB Type-C 10Gbps signaling rate (USB Power Delivery 3.1, DisplayPort 2.1, HP Sleep and Charge)	1 USB Type-A 10Gbps signaling rate; 1 USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate; 1 HDMI-out 2.1; 1 headphone/microphone combo; 2 USB Type-C 10Gbps signaling rate (USB Power Delivery 3.1, DisplayPort 2.1, HP Sleep and Charge)
Wireless:	Realtek Wi-Fi 6 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4	Realtek Wi-Fi 6E (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.3
Camera:	5MP IR camera with temporal noise reduction and integrated dual array digital microphones	5MP IR camera with temporal noise reduction and integrated dual array digital microphones
Weight:	<2.2 lb	<2.2 lb
Dimensions:	11.70 x 8.31 x 0.65 in (front); 11.70 x 8.31 x 0.69 in (rear)	11.70 x 8.31 x 0.65 in (front); 11.70 x 8.31 x 0.69 in (rear)

The only spec-related option externally comes in terms of two screen options. Both displays are 13.3-inch anti-glare 400 nit screens, but one has a 1920x1200p WUXGA resolution while the other has a sharper 2560x1600p WQXGA resolution. You can get this laptop in either Ceramic White or Glacier Silver.

HP OmniBook 7 Aero: Design

Attractive, light, and petite
Keyboard has a pretty short travel
Good port selection, though placement could be better

I have to say… I really like the way the HP OmniBook7 Aero looks. The Ceramic White colorway of my test unit is attractive in a way that doesn’t automatically make it look like HP was trying to copy Apple.

While the material is not machined metal, it is a very durable-feeling plastic that is still sturdy, and probably helps with the cost of the laptop. I can’t comment on the silver colorway other than to mention that HP does not mention that it uses machined aluminum for it, so it might look a little more like a MacBook, but it will still feel different.

I also appreciate how absolutely petite this laptop is. It has a 13.3-inch screen, weighs in at just over two pounds, and is a little over half an inch thick at its thinnest. Throwing it in a backpack to cart around doesn’t put any pressure on my back, not to mention it’s often the lightest device in my backpack.

Speaking of the screen, it has a very impressive accuracy of 0.29 delta E (closer to zero is better and under 2 is considered accurate) as well as a 112% sRGB color coverage. Its 79% DCI-P3 color coverage is not quite as good, though, so keep that in mind if you plan on doing any photo editing with HDR.

As such a diminutive laptop, I do find that the keyboard is more serviceable than amazing. This is particularly true for the keyboard as it has a fairly short travel – short enough that I notice it when typing out more than just an email. The trackpad is at least a little better as it is as responsive as one could ask. It handles gestures well as well.

With a 5MP IR camera, I do find the webcam to reproduce a sharp, smooth image – I don’t get any choppiness as long as I have a strong internet connection – plus it has those useful effects on hand, such as blurring the background, reorienting the eyes so that they seem to look at the recipient and not the camera, and automatically reframing when one moves their head. More importantly, it comes with a physical privacy shutter.

One thing that smaller laptops like the HP OmniBook 7 Aero often sacrifice are the ports, usually offering just a handful of USB-C. Luckily, this laptop bucks that trend. There are, of course, two USB-C ports that support power delivery and DisplayPort 2.1, though they are unfortunately on just one side of the laptop. But there are also two regular USB-A ports, a headphone jack, and an HDMI port. Not bad for such a little guy.

Design: 4.5 / 5

HP OmniBook 7 Aero: Performance

Surprisingly robust performance
Has enough power for AI
Audio quality is just okay

Despite the fact that the HP OmniBook 7 Aero fits more into the light and portable category of laptops, aka Ultrabooks, its performance is surprisingly robust. There’s no discrete graphics, but the integrated Radeon Graphics were enough to run some computer games, not that you should really consider this for a gaming laptop.

I managed to run Indiana Jones and the Great Circle off Game Pass at low settings without any latency, lags, or stutters. I also managed to run Cyberpunk 2077, though that got low enough frame rates to not want to use this laptop to play it.

HP OmniBook 7 Aero: Benchmarks

Here's how the HP OmniBook 7 Aero performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark: Fire Strike: 6078; Time Spy: 2732; Night Raid: 24031; Steel Nomad: 396

GeekBench 6.5: 2825 (single-core); 12137 (multi-core)

25GB File Copy: 13.26

Handbrake 1.9.2: 6:08

CrossMark: Overall: 1837 Productivity: 1695 Creativity: 2141 Responsiveness: 1477

Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm (1080p high): 25.368 fps; (2560x1600p high) 15.895 fps; Storm (1080p medium): 42.843 fps; (2560x1600p medium) 26.997 fps

Web Surfing (Battery Informant): 8:51:07

Of course, the fans go full blast when running any demanding task, and the keyboard does pass on some of the internal heat. But again, this really isn’t a laptop meant for these kinds of heavy-duty tasks, even if there’s more power here than expected.

Also, be aware that it can get a little hot if pushed hard. This is a fairly thin laptop after all. We registered temperatures of up to 103.8F between the G and H keys when really pushed into overdrive.

For productivity work, this means that the HP OmniBook 7 Aero can keep up with internet hounds and research junkies. If you need 20 tabs open at once, you won’t have to worry about slowing this laptop down. I found it to switch tabs instantaneously even with that many tabs open.

On the AI side of things, whether you find CoPilot+ useful or not, it’s here and works relatively quickly. I was more limited by the speed of the server the laptop was engaging with more so than the laptop itself when generating an AI image thanks to the CPU’s 50 NPU TOPS.

Lastly, the audio quality is not bad for a lightweight laptop like this, though nothing to write home about. There’s no low-end so audio can come off as a little thin, but the detail is decent. I do recommend using some headphones for any serious listening.

Performance: 4.5 / 5

HP OmniBook 7 Aero: Battery life

Battery life is long enough for a full day’s work, but just barely
Fast charging capabilities make up for smaller battery

With a battery life of 8:51:07 (according to our battery benchmark), the HP OmniBook 7 Aero is both underwhelming compared to many of the light and thin laptops out there – some are reaching times of over 15 hours – and still more than enough battery life for most people.

Since it can reach almost nine hours on a single charge, it still has plenty of juice to get one through an entire day of work without needing to find an outlet.

Once you do find an outlet though, its fast charging capabilities make up for that small 3-cell, 43 Wh battery. If turned off, the laptop will recharge up to 50% of its battery in 30 minutes. That’s pretty impressive.

Battery life: 4 / 5

Should I buy the HP OmniBook 7 Aero?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value	The price is about what one would expect for this kind of laptop, though its value goes way up when on sale.	4 / 5
Design	It’s thin, light, comes with a privacy shutter, and, most importantly, looks a bit unique.	4.5 / 5
Performance	This lightweight laptop can somewhat overdeliver when it comes to performance.	4.5 / 5
Battery	The battery life is good enough, but underwhelming when compared to the competition.	4 / 5
Average rating	Its portability and performance set it apart from the more middle-of-the-road act-like-a-MacBook laptop that comprise its competition.	4.5 / 5

Buy it if…

You want a very portable laptop

The HP OmniBook 7 Aero is so light and thin that when I throw it in a backpack, I barely notice that it’s there. If you want a laptop that travels easily, this one will more than do.View Deal

You want robust performance in small package

While this isn’t going to go head-to-head with a gaming laptop for any kind of heavy-duty performance, it does better than one would expect on what looks to be a lightweight laptop (in terms of specs).View Deal

You want a laptop that looks a little different

The white version of this laptop at the very least is a somewhat unique-looking laptop, making it attractive for anyone tired of the machined metal laptops all trying to look like but not be a MacBook.View Deal

Don’t buy it if…

You want a really long battery life

The almost nine hour battery life is enough to get through the day, but it’s underwhelming compared to the other options out there.View Deal

You type all day

The shallow keyboard does fine for basic use, but if you’re typing up reports or articles all day long, it can get fatiguing. There are other portable laptops with better keyboards.View Deal

Also Consider

If our HP OmniBook 7 Aero review has you considering other options, here are two laptops to consider...

Dell Inspiron 14 Plus

The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is a little bigger than the OmniBook 7 Aero with its 14-inch screen, but it’s just as portable. It also comes with a 1600p screen, snappy performance thanks to its Snapdragon CPU, and quite the long battery life.

Read our full Dell Inspiron 14 Plus reviewView Deal

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4)

The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) is, like just about every MacBook Air before it, the trendsetter for Ultrabooks, setting the standard in laptops trying to strike a balance between performance and portability. It also has a very long battery life and is cheaper than its previous iterations.

Read our full Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) review View Deal

How I tested the HP OmniBook 7 Aero

Tested for a couple weeks
Used it for work, gaming, and streaming
Messed with its AI capabilities

I used the HP OmniBook 7 Aero for a couple weeks. I used it for work, including typing up this review (along with the requisite online research). I used it to stream video. I even did some semi-serious gaming. I played around with the AI as well.

After spending time with the HP OmniBook 7 Aero, it’s clear that this is meant for those that want a Windows laptop that works great on the road.

I’ve spent the last few years reviewing tech gear for gaming and otherwise, where I’ve gotten a feel for what to look for and how to put a piece of kit through its paces to see whether it’s worth the recommendation.

First reviewed February 2026

Luna Ring Gen 2 gets Luna Voice feature for hands-free logging and access to AI advice

11:58 pm | February 25, 2026

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: AI | Comments: Off

Last year, Luna introduced its Gen 2 smart ring. Now, the company is launching a major upgrade that will make the ring “the world’s first wearable you can truly talk to.” In short, you can use voice commands to log events throughout your day – what you ate, what you drank, the supplements that you took, any workouts that you did, even subjective feelings. Previously, you had to pull out your phone to do that. That extra bit of friction could cause you to put it off for later and forget to log important things. Luna Ring Gen 2 The Luna Ring Gen 2 tracks all kinds of...

AI just made my favorite Skullcandy earbuds worse — and I’m not sure anyone asked for it

7:30 pm | February 18, 2026

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: AI, ANC, EQ | Comments: Off

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC: Two minute review

For all that companies try to squirrel AI chatbots into every gadget possible, I’ve yet to see many buyers who genuinely want this kind of addition. In fact more often than not, the infiltration of artificial intelligence makes the tech worse — many companies are starting to realize this and take a step back. But there’s now a new victim of the AI war: the Skullcandy Method 540.

For context, let’s look at some earbuds that would have gotten onto our list of the best cheap earbuds if not for how competitive 2025 was. I’m talking about the Skullcandy Method 360, which were some of my favorite buds of the year: they fit great, sounded fun and were fairly affordable. The 540 are the updated model of 360, with Skullcandy apparently not taking a leaf from Microsoft’s naming playbook – don’t get your hopes up for a Method One and then Method Series X, then.

New models should, ostensibly, bring upgrades over the previous iterations. However the Skullcandy Method 540 have the same design, drivers and carry case design as the previous model. They’re incredibly similar buds, yet cost about 25% more.

So what’s actually new? Well, there are a few tiny tweaks here and there, but the flagship ‘feature’ is compatibility with Skull AI. This is Skullcandy’s AI assistant, built on Bragi AI which in turn is built on Open AI. So for all intents and purposes, you’re paying more for a built-in chat-bot…

…except that you’re not, because Skull AI is available as a separate subscription, which you have to pay for either monthly, at $4.99 / £4.99, or annually (at $49.99 / £49.99). Skull AI is one of the better AI chatbot names I've heard, but I'm not including an evaluation of the chatbot itself in this review: it’s very much a separate, optional product to the Method 540.

If you use AI chatbots, perhaps the Method 540 is worth considering, but the vast majority of buyers are going to wonder if there are any other spec improvements to justify that price bump, or if this is another case of AI implementation taking precedence over actual upgrades. Spoiler alert: it’s the latter.

The specs are identical – in fact, I copied and pasted the specs table from my 360 review to save time. In some cases, keeping things similar is great: the buds are comfortable and fit incredibly well, making them great for runners or gym-goers. In some cases, an upgrade was needed: I liked the Method 360’s sound, but budget buds have come on leaps and bounds in just one year, and the Method 540 aren’t as competitive.

Since I gave last year’s Skullcandy earbuds four stars, and these are basically the same thing, some might be wondering where half a star went. That was removed because the Method 360 was good for the price, and the 540 price hike makes them a less appealing prospect.

Given the increased cost, the lack of upgrades and the shoehorned AI mode, it’s just hard to get as enthused about the Method 540. And so it’s harder to recommend them, given how many low-cost rivals there are in 2026.

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Specifications

Component	Value
Water resistant	IPX4
Battery life (quoted)	11 hours (earbuds), 29 hours (total)
Bluetooth type	Bluetooth 5.3
Weight	11g / Charging case: 72g
Driver	12mm

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Price and availability

The Skullcandy Method 540 buds on a table. — (Image credit: Future)

Announced in January 2026
RRP $149.99 / £129.99 (roughly AU$250)
Skull AI costs $4.99 monthly

The Skullcandy Method 540 ANC were unveiled on January 8, 2026, at the annual CES tech conference. That release falls only nine months after the release of the Method 360.

You can pick up the earbuds for $149.99 / £129.99 (roughly AU$250, though there’s no word on an Australian release just yet). That’s a notable price hike over the Method 360, which sold for $119 / £99 / AU$189, and are even cheaper now thanks to some discounts.

That retail price doesn’t even take into account the monthly cost of Skull AI. Access to this AI assistant costs $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year – regional pricing wasn’t available at the time of this review – but it’s worth noting that Skull AI is optional and starts with a 3-month free trial.

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Design

The Skullcandy Method 540 carry case, closed. — Future

The Skullcandy Method 540 carry case, open and with the buds inside. — Future

Chunky carry case
Incredibly reliable in-ear fit
Only black or white options

You know how wireless earbuds makers constantly one-up each other to make svelte little carry cases? Skullcandy didn’t miss the memo – it received it, laughed at it, screwed it up into a ball and threw it away. The Method 540 buds come in a tube, and you slide out the central column to reveal them.

The 360 used the same mechanism, although it’s a little thinner this time around: it measures 3.6 x 2.9 x 10.2 cm, and weighs 72g. At the time of writing, the buds only come in black or white, but Skullcandy often releases funky colors for its products, and hopefully it’ll follow for the 540.

This is not a convenient way to carry earbuds – the monolith doesn’t fit well in trouser pockets. But honestly, I don’t mind – I ended up just putting it in my jacket or bag instead. Perhaps I’ve grown used to these chunky cases from testing other such buds, or maybe petite carry cases are overrated. Plus, a magnetic mechanism makes sure it stays shut tight when not in use, a carry hook means you can attach them to your keys or bag, and unlike in the 360 the charging port is out in the open.

The Skullcandy Method 540 earbud, incorrectly placed in the carry case. — Evidence of how easily-bendable the hook is. (Image credit: Future)

My biggest annoyance with the old model remains, though: putting the buds in the case isn’t convenient, as you have to put them in, in a very particular fashion. It takes quite a bit of maneuvering and flipping to make sure they’re in right, and quite often I’d only realise I’d bungled the job when the case wouldn’t shut properly.

Skullcandy has trimmed the fat of its carry case, but it hasn’t touched the earbuds from the last-gen models – and it didn’t need to. Like the 360, the buds fit snugly and reliably, thanks in part to the grippy eartip material, but mostly due to the fins which wedge the buds into your ear. I went for runs with the buds and took them to the gym, and they never threatened to fall out.

They’re not that light, at 11g, or protected, with IPX4 (no protection against dust, only protected against splashes). But they’re not going to fall out into a puddle thanks to the lovely fit, so it doesn’t really matter.

Each bud has touch controls if you tap on their body, which generally felt okay to use, once I got used to tapping the right spot.

Design score: 3.5/5

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Features

The Skullcandy Method 540 earbud, showing the back. — (Image credit: Future)

ANC is solid, not best-in-class
Battery life is above average: 11 hours from the buds/29 including the case
App misses some basic features

Technically, these buds are sold as the Skullcandy Method 540 ANC, and so naturally these buds have Active Noise Cancellation. It’s no more advanced than on the 360: pretty solid, but not best-in-class. Loud noises will cut above the silence, though the background hum of city life will get stripped away.

Stay-Aware falls into the trap that many transparency or surround-hearing modes do, in that it seemingly amplifies more than it strips. Thankfully, Skullcandy has included an Intensity slider in the app, so you can turn down its effects.

According to Skullcandy, the Method 540 lasts for 9 hours with ANC on, or 11 hours with it off, and I’d concur with those estimates. That goes up to 23 or 29 hours when factoring in the extra power offered by the case. And that's good, honestly – any earbuds capable of lasting over 7 hours with ANC on represent above-average stamina.

The Skullcandy Method 540's buds, in a man's hand. — (Image credit: Future)

You’re required to download and use the Skull-iQ app in order to use the 540’s extra features – not the standard Skullcandy one, something I only discovered after downloading the wrong one. I made the exact same error with the 360, but if I say it now, hopefully I save a few of you from making the same mistake.

The app lets you toggle ANC modes, play with a 5-band equalizer, turn on low-latency mode, use the earbuds as a remote phone camera trigger, enable Spotify Tap or set up multipoint pairing. Oh, and the main menu has two separate options for Skull AI. Notably missing perks include the ability to customize touch controls, any kind of fit or listening tests or a find-my-earbuds feature. Any one of these would be a more useful addition than an AI chatbot, as would a more advanced equalizer, or extra presets beyond the three available.

During testing, I had a few temporary Bluetooth drop-outs, but they all resolved themselves quickly.

Features score: 3.5/5

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Sound performance

The Skullcandy Method 540 buds, in a man's ear. — (Image credit: Future)

12mm drivers and Bose tuning
Less bassy than Skullcandy norm
EQ tweaking is mandatory

On paper, the Skullcandy Method 540 match their predecessors in terms of audio specs: 12mm drivers, tuning by Bose, and a total lack of support for any Bluetooth or high-res streaming codecs.

It’s fair to say I was complimentary of the 360’s sound, but I can’t quite say the same about the 540. Partly, it could be because my ears have been spoiled by some fantastic budget rivals in the last year. But there also seem to be tuning differences too.

Skullcandy has a reputation for offering bass-heavy products, something that’s levelled either as a criticism or high praise, depending on the listener. People who sit in the former camp probably haven’t read this far into the review. The Method 540, however, seem to buck this trend. Simply put, they're not all about that bass.

These buds are relatively and surprisingly neutral for Skullcandy products. Treble is more powerful, the low end is sensibly is pared-back, mids are… well, we can’t hope for miracles. This new face would be an interesting twist, except that it reveals that there’s not much else going on under the surface.

The Skullcandy Method 540 carry case with an earbud inside. — (Image credit: Future)

Songs sound a little flat, with nothing to replace the lost bass injection, to add a little energy into proceedings. And it sounds like the top was lopped off to the detriment of some treble frequencies and musical passages; hi-hats, guitar stings and vocal flourishes do sound compressed.

There’s a lack of a meaningful soundstage, so instruments are tripping over each other to be head. When you listen to songs like Wake Up by Arcade Fire, or All My Friends by The Revivalists, what should be an encompassing cacophony of noise sounds more like a music track being played from a phone. I checked out Atmosphere by Joy Division after it was featured in The History of Sound, and even in the remastered version, it sounded like Ian Curtis was playing every single instrument. What about some noughties rock, right in Skullcandy’s core demographic? The guitar riffs of Yellowcard’s Ocean Avenue sounded heavy and dull – even if the wall of sound of the chorus picked up the energy a little.

Saving the Method 540 is the app. I always listened on Bass Boost, which went some way in restoring the Skullcandy sound – these things have the capability for decent bass if you can coax it out. I also dabbled with the equalizer. Though it only has five bands, it lets you add a bit of needed chutzpah to music. And the max volume is still high, so you can rock out at max power.

Sound performance score: 3.5/5

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Value

If you’ve been paying close attention, you’ll have noticed that the Skullcandy Method 540 earbuds don’t offer that many upgrades over the 360… well, other than the higher price, and optional chatbot.

Given that it’s basically the same product, but for about 25% more, the Method 540 don't feel like they offer great value for money. That’s doubly true given that the older buds have seen price cuts of around 30% off, depending on where you live.

Value score: 3/5

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: scorecard

Category	Comment	Score
Value	Their feature set and sound quality aren't quite justified by the price tag, especially with the 360 on the market.	3/5
Design	The tip and fin make the Skullcandy incredibly sturdy in the ear, though the case is pretty chunky.	3.5/5
Features	Above-average battery life and okay ANC are good, but there are a few missing features.	3.5/5
Sound	The sound lacks a little luster that was present in previous Method buds.	3.5/5

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC: Should I buy?

The Skullcandy Method 540 earbud, with another bud and the case in the background. — (Image credit: Future)

Buy them if...

You need a reliable in-ear fit
These things won't fall out. Which makes them perfect for doing sit-ups in a gym, or running up hills.

You need solid battery life
Battery life is always an important feature, and the Method 540 last longer than most others at this price, especially with ANC off.

You want an AI chatbot in your ear
I didn't test Skull AI, but it's likely as reliable as other chatbots. Prepare for mounting costs, though.

Don't buy them if...

You can still find the Method 360 available
Even if not on sale, the Method 360 are preferable. They're basically the same, but cost less.

You want a tiny carry case
These aren't your easily-pocketable buds. They're not designed for trouser pockets.

Also consider

Component	Skullcandy Method 540 ANC	Skullcandy Method 360	Cambridge Audio Melomania A100
Water resistant	IPX4	IPX4	IPX5
Battery life (ANC off)	11 hours (earbuds), 29 hours (total)	11 hours (earbuds), 29 hours (total)	11 hours (buds); 39 hours (case)
Bluetooth type	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.4
Weight	11g (buds) 72g (case)	11g (buds) 77g (case)	4.7g (buds) 38.7g (case)
Driver	12mm	12mm	10mm

Skullcandy Method 360
I've talked about them in this review almost as much as the 540. They're incredibly similar in terms of specs and design; a slightly different-shaped case, lack of AI, range of color options and lower price make this an even more tempting prospect.
Read our full Skullcandy Method 360 review

Cambridge Audio Melomania A100
For the same price as the Method 540, you can get these five-star earbuds. They sound fantastic, have great ANC and last ages on a single charge. You don't mind that they look a little boring, do you?
Read our full Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 review

How I tested

I used the Skullcandy Method 540 ANC for three weeks before writing this review.

The headphones were paired to a OnePlus phone for the entirety of the testing process. I listened to music from Spotify and Qobuz, played various games, conducted several video and voice calls, watched Netflix and listened to voice notes using them. Testing took place at home, while on runs, during cycling (Stay Aware mode, of course), at the gym, on various public transports, and on walks around different areas of my city.

I've been reviewing gadgets for TechRadar since 2019, including countless low-cost and mid-range headphones. That includes, of course, the Method 360 earbuds, as well as the Crusher 540 Active over-ears from Skullcandy.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5): Two-minute review

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) review: Price and availability

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) review: Specs

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) review: Design

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) review: Display and Center Stage

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) review: macOS and Apple Intelligence

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) review: Performance

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) review: Battery life

Should you buy the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5)?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) review: Also consider

How I tested the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5)

Adobe Lightroom Classic: Pricing & plans

Adobe Lightroom Classic: What is it?

Adobe Lightroom Classic: What’s new?

Adobe Lightroom Classic: Classic vs Lightroom

Should I buy?

GMKtec NucBox K13: 30-second review

GMKtec NucBox K13: Price and availability

GMKtec NucBox K13: Specs

GMKtec NucBox K13: Design

GMKtec NucBox K13: Hardware

GMKtec NucBox K13: Performance

GMKtec NucBox K13: Final verdict

Should I buy a GMKtec NucBox K13?

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Don't buy it if...

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Two-minute review

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: Price and availability

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: Specs

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: design

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: Display

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: S Pen

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: cameras

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: camera samples

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: software and AI

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: Performance

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: Battery

Should I buy the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: Also consider

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

HP OmniBook 7 Aero two-minute review

HP OmniBook 7 Aero: Price and availability

HP OmniBook 7 Aero: Specs

HP OmniBook 7 Aero: Design

HP OmniBook 7 Aero: Performance

HP OmniBook 7 Aero: Battery life

Should I buy the HP OmniBook 7 Aero?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Also Consider

How I tested the HP OmniBook 7 Aero

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC: Two minute review

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Specifications

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Price and availability

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Design

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Features

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Sound performance

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Value

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: scorecard

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC: Should I buy?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Also consider

How I tested

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