The Honor Magic V5, which launched in European markets on August 28, recorded stronger early sales compared to its predecessor, the Magic V3.
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Tecno's MegaPad Pro is official. Tecno calls it an Essential AI Tablet, but it can do more than summarize emails. For students, the tablet can organize study materials, complete assignments, and even collaborate with peers. For business pros, it can handle emails and presentations.
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Yesterday a report came out saying Apple store employees in the EU are getting eSIM training right before the company is set to unveil the iPhone 17 family, and that has led to a lot of speculation that Apple would be removing physical SIM slots from some of the four of the family's members.
Today there's a new report, this time from Greece (again inside the EU). This one claims it's just the iPhone 17 Air not having a physical slot, and it's what the aforementioned training is all about.
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The Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6 (sometimes known as the Serie 6) is an ergonomically designed stick blender, particularly well suited for users with limited hand mobility as a result of its curved body that sits comfortably in the hand, and trigger-style control.
The ErgoMaster has a 1,000W motor, and comes with a blending foot, a mini-chopper with two blades (one for general use, one for ice), a balloon whisk, and a 600ml mixing vessel. Attaching and removing accessories is easy, requiring no awkward twisting motions, and many of the components are dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup.
During my tests, the main blender foot produced silky-smooth sauce and soup in just a couple of minutes, while the mini-chopper attachment processed herbs, onions, garlic, cheese, and nuts quickly and evenly. The ErgoMaster's instruction manual offers advice on quantities, how to prepare ingredients, and the length of time for which you should blend.
The balloon whisk worked especially well, whipping egg whites to stiff peaks even faster than my hand mixer (ideal for meringue and light sponge cakes).
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You can use the trigger control with your whole hand, which is much more comfortable than holding a small button with one finger (Image credit: Future)
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The blender has a premium construction with a stainless steel body (Image credit: Future)
The only attachment that didn't meet my expectations was the mini-chopper's ice blade, which took a lot longer than anticipated, and produced ice that was quite unevenly crushed.
The ErgoMaster has a premium build, sporting a stainless steel body and soft-touch handle for comfort, but I found that the metal heated up noticeably when I'd been using the blender for several minutes (when blending soup and sauces, for example). Fortunately, the grip itself never became hot, but it did take the appliance some time to cool down after use.
Overall, the ErgoMaster Series 6 is a super-versatile multifunction blender that's particularly beneficial for those with hand mobility issues, although if you want to process ice regularly, you'd benefit from picking up a personal smoothie-maker as well.
Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6: price and availability
List price £99.99 (about $140 / AU$210)
Often available for less during sales events
Not widely sold outside Europe
The Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6 stick blender was released in 2023, and has a list price of £99.99 (about $140 / AU$210), although it’s often available for a discount, particularly during sales events such as Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday.
It’s available direct from Bosch, and from third-party retailers such as John Lewis and Amazon. You’ll find today’s best prices below. Note that the ErgoMaster Series 6 isn’t sold widely outside Europe.
Its price is pretty much standard for a high-end hand blender, and similar to the Ninja 2-in-1 Immersion Hand Blender and Mixer, for example. If you want something a little less expensive, the ErgoMaster Series 4 sports a plastic body rather than stainless steel, and is priced at £84.99 (about $110 / AU$180).
Value score: 4,5/5
Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6: design
Comfortable to hold and easy to operate
Particularly good for people with restricted mobility or hand strength
Includes well-made mini-chopper and balloon whisk attachments
The Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6 is a solidly made stick blender that, as the name implies, is particularly comfortable to hold and use. The body of the blender, containing the motor, has a curved shape that sits better in the hand than a straight-sided cylinder, and rather than a button, the blender is activated by gently squeezing a large trigger-style control.
It’s a thoughtful design, and would be particularly good for anyone who doesn’t have full strength in their fingers, since the trigger doesn’t require much pressure and its operated using your whole hand, rather than just a single digit. The more firmly you hold the trigger, the faster the blender will mix.
The blender's body is stainless steel, while the hand grip is made from a soft-touch plastic. The trigger button is ridged to prevent slipping.
The mini-chopper attachment is great for preparing onions and garlic (Image credit: Future)
The ErgoMaster Series 6 comes with a set of attachments for different ingredients: the standard blender for soups and sauces; a mini-chopper with two blades (one for ingredients such as cheese, nuts, and vegetables, and one for ice), and a whisk. To remove an attachment, hold down two large buttons on the handle (one on either side) and pull gently. To attach one, simply push it gently into place. There’s no need for awkward twisting movements that you might find uncomfortable if you have limited mobility in your hands.
You also get a tall mixing vessel with a capacity of two and a half cups, or 600ml, which is useful for blending or whisking wet ingredients such as cream or eggs. It’s a useful addition, and its shape makes it possible to whisk relatively small quantities that might be tricky to whip in a bowl without spillage.
The only downside is that this vessel isn’t totally cylindrical, which means it can be difficult to remove thick ingredients with a spatula. Ingredients tend to become stuck on the flat sides where the volume measurements are embossed. The tall vessel also has no pouring spout.
The balloon whisk attachment is excellent, although it can be tricky to scrape all your cream or meringue out of the mixing vessel when you're done (Image credit: Future)
Not all of the blender's components are dishwasher-safe, but the metal blending attachment, the whisk, the large vessel, the bowl of the mini-chopper, and the chopper’s two blades all are, which makes maintenance easy.
The blender is accompanied by a manual with diagrams explaining how to prepare different ingredients, and how long it will take to blend or chop a particular quantity. For example, a smoothie made using a 40:60 ratio of fruit to liquid should take 60-90 seconds to blend at full power in the tall mixing vessel.
Design score: 5/5
Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6: performance
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I started testing by preparing some ingredients for a pizza sauce (you can find the sauce recipe on Good Food) using the mini-chopper attachment and the cutting blade, and following the preparation instructions in the manual.
Herbs don’t need any special preparation, so I added my basil to the bowl and gave it a few pulses of around one second each. After around six pulses, the leaves were chopped into small, even fragments ideal for cooking (the manual suggests it could take up to 10 pulses).
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Fresh herbs were quickly and evenly chopped (Image credit: Future)
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Fresh herbs were quickly and evenly chopped (Image credit: Future)
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Herbs like basil don't require any special preparation before chopping (Image credit: Future)
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Herbs like basil don't require any special preparation before chopping (Image credit: Future)
The chopper also worked very well for preparing onion (roughly chopped into wedges first) and garlic (peeled, but added whole). I was impressed by how evenly and quickly the ErgoMaster prepared all of these ingredients. If you have a condition such as arthritis, for example, you might find fine knifework difficult and usually opt for pre-chopped ingredients. With this blender, you’ll be able to buy cheaper whole produce and prepare it easily yourself.
Once my pizza sauce had cooked down, I used the main blender foot to whizz it all to a smooth consistency. Exactly how long this takes will depend on the quantity and consistency of the ingredients, and the desired texture. I wanted my sauce as smooth as possible, and found that blending took about three minutes.
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Blending a large batch of pizza sauce to a smooth texture took about three minutes (Image credit: Future)
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Blending a large batch of pizza sauce to a smooth texture took about three minutes (Image credit: Future)
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Blending a large batch of pizza sauce to a smooth texture took about three minutes (Image credit: Future)
It wasn’t much faster than using my jug blender (which would be my usual choice; it too has a 1,000W motor, the same as the ErgoMaster), but then you don't have to pour hot liquids, and there’s much less washing up afterwards. The only requirements are that you take the pan off the heat and ensure the end of the blending foot is submerged before you start the motor – and don’t immerse it beyond the "maximum" level.
I was surprised by just how quiet the blender foot was in use. It registered under 40dB, which is around the same as the hum of my fridge. It was louder when mixing harder ingredients, but still far less noisy than a jug blender.
I also used the ErgoMaster to prepare a roasted red pepper and sweet potato soup (the soup recipe is also from Good Food). Although the ingredients were tougher, the overall volume was lower, and the blending process took about the same time.
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The blender also made light work of a roasted vegetable soup (Image credit: Future)
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The blender also made light work of a roasted vegetable soup (Image credit: Future)
While blending the soup and sauce, I noticed that the body of the blender was heating up. The handle itself never became hot, but the metal part below was distinctly warm after the motor had been running for a few minutes, and it took quite a long time to cool back down afterwards.
The mini-chopper made light work of cheese, breaking it down into crumbs ideal for melting. It’s necessary to cut it into 1cm cubes first, but this is certainly easier on the hands than using a box grater, particularly for hard cheese such as parmesan. I used 100g of mature cheddar, and it was finely chopped in 20 seconds.
Our standard battery of blender tests here at TechRadar also includes nuts. I used 150g of shelled, toasted hazelnuts, which I was preparing to use in dukkah. The smaller the nuts, the longer you need to pulse the blender, and it took the maximum recommended 30 seconds to break them down; but there was none of the dust that’s usually created when I chop nuts using my Kenwood food processor. Another win for the ErgoMaster.
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It's necessary to cut cheese into 1cm cubes before chopping (Image credit: Future)
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It's necessary to cut cheese into 1cm cubes before chopping (Image credit: Future)
The only ingredient that the ErgoMaster really struggled with was ice. As per the instruction manual, I used the chopper’s ice attachment with 100g of ice, and pulsed for five seconds. When I released the trigger, the ice was barely touched. Chopping it to a usable texture took closer to a minute, and even then it was rather rough. If you want to chop ice regularly (particularly in large volumes), you’d be better served by a smoothie maker.
By contrast, the whisk attachment is superb, and performed even better than my Dualit hand mixer. I used the tall mixing vessel with the whisk, and it whipped two eggs to stiff peaks in 30 seconds. I used these to make a half-quantity of meringue (see the Lightest Ever Meringues recipe on Good Food) and they were ready to be baked within two minutes.
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Chopping ice took a lot longer than suggested in the manual, and the results were uneven (Image credit: Future)
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Chopping ice took a lot longer than suggested in the manual, and the results were uneven (Image credit: Future)
Overall, the Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6 is a great stick blender, particularly for those with mobility issues in their hands, and an excellent chopper and whisk. It’s a piece of cake to use, and could happily replace several small appliances in the typical kitchen. Just avoid ice, and you won’t be disappointed.
Performance score: 4.5/5
Should you buy the Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6 ?
Bosch Serie 6 ErgoMaster score card
Attribute
Notes
Score
Value
A premium blender with a price tag to match, but can often be found discounted. Not widely available outside Europe, though.
4.5/5
Design
Ergonomic, with comfortable grip and trigger operation. Excellent accessories, most of which are dishwasher-safe.
5/5
Performance
Purees, whisks, and chops almost all ingredients effortlessly. Just don't bother with ice.
4.5/5
Buy it if
You have limited hand strength or mobility
This is a thoughtfully designed stick blender that's comfortable to hold, and doesn't require any awkward pressing or twisting motions to operate or swap accessories.
You want fewer appliances in your kitchen
This multifunction device can easily replace both a blender and electric whisk, and may make your food processor redundant, too, if you only tend to chop small quantities of ingredients at a time.
Don't buy it if
You want to make slushies
Ice is the ErgoMaster's one weakness. If you're a fan of slushies, opt for a personal smoothie-maker instead.
You're on a tight budget
There are good-quality stick blenders available for less, including the ErgoMaster Series 4 , which is essentially the same but has a plastic chassis rather than stainless steel.
How I tested the Bosch Serie 6 ErgoMaster
I used the Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6 in my kitchen for two weeks, during which time I prepared a selection of my favorite recipes that I'd normally prep using a jug blender to compare the results for speed, texture, and noise.
As with all our stick and jug blender reviews, I also tested the ErgoMaster's performance with onions, cheese, nuts, and ice to see how quickly and evenly it could process these common ingredients. For more details, see how TechRadar tests, rates, and reviews products.
As you can probably tell from my Onyx Boox Go Color 7 review, I didn’t take a shine to the original model released in 2024, which meant I had higher expectations from its successor.
The Boox Go Color 7 Gen II launched in April 2025 alongside a monochrome edition called the Boox Go 7, both sharing the same design and and feature set – the only difference being the screen: the former uses the color E Ink Kaleido 3 display while the latter is the grayscale E Ink Carta 1300.
Physically, both the 2025 Go Series siblings are nearly identical to the Go Color 7 from 2024, with one tiny design change that I’m pleased with – the page-turn buttons on the new models are smaller, rounded and separated a little to improve ergonomics.
On paper, the Go Color 7 Gen II is the better device compared to its predecessor, running Android 13 (rather than Android 12), getting a generation newer processor and adding writing capabilities that the previous model lacked. Like many smaller-screen epaper tablets like it, you will need to purchase the stylus separately, although at the time of writing, the only pen that works with the Go Color 7 II – the Boox InkSense – has been discontinued and no official replacement has been made available.
According to Boox, it’s preparing a new stylus after taking on user feedback, and the new pen “is expected to be available in the third quarter” of this year. Reimagining a stylus is admirable, but it still begs the question: why release ereaders with stylus support (this affects the monochrome Boox Go 7 as well) if their only pen isn’t available to buy?
When I started testing the device about 11 weeks ago, third-party retailers still had stock of the InkSense, which is how I was able to source one for this review, but even those are no longer available. That said, I’m glad the pen is being replaced as I didn’t enjoy the writing experience with a hard nib on a very smooth screen. I’ll update this review when the promised stylus is released.
The 2025 Boox Go series ereaders get writing capabilities but, at the time of publication, the compatible stylus has been discontinued (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
While I’m not docking any points for the lack of a supported stylus at the time of publication, I’m disappointed to see that the 7-inch color screen on the Gen II isn’t as nice to read on as its predecessor. Text on the Gen II is 'fuzzy', for the lack of a better word. Compared to its predecessor, its monochrome Go 7 sibling and the Kobo Libra Colour, text within ebooks and speech bubbles clearly lacks crispness. You can still read, that's not the issue, but it's hard to recommend an ereader when others do a better job.
And while some colors are more saturated here than on the older model and the Kobo Libra Colour, the additional contrast means small details are lost in the darker areas. Strangely, though, the color 'inks' when writing lack this same saturation and look washed out compared to what I've experienced on older color Boox models like the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C.
Boox has somehow managed to make the display yellower (or warmer) than on any of its other tablets, and it's a stark difference between the Gen II's monochrome sibling as well. This warmth sadly affects the displayed colors as well. The yellowness is exacerbated when the frontlight is switched on, giving comics and graphics novels what I call the 'jaundiced look'. In fact, the frontlight isn't even as bright on the Gen II as other Boox ereaders (or even Kobos and Kindles).
The overall user experience is also marred by constant ghosting. It’s not as obvious as I’ve seen in older Boox devices, but it is distracting enough to be an issue. Setting the device to higher refresh rates, however, eats into the battery life, which also drains at a faster rate than other ereaders. Even the preset refresh modes that can be set on a per-app basis weren’t well optimized here, causing excessive stuttering while scrolling on the native web browser.
The good news is that the software issues I’ve had with the previous generation have been fixed and I was thrilled to see that wired transfer via OTG (directly plugging an external hard drive or portable SSD to the USB-C port) works smoothly – something I’ve had problems with in previous Boox tablets I’ve tested. Even the fonts folder within Storage is correctly bound, so things work a little more smoothly now, although the user interface continues to be slightly complicated.
Better implementation of the software doesn’t make up for the subpar reading experience, and neither does selling it at the same price as its predecessor – in fact, I'd say it’s hard to recommend at any price.
The magnetic case made specifically for the 2025 Boox Go series comes with a loop to secure the supported stylus (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Onyx Boox Go Color 7 Gen II review: Price & availability
Announced end April 2025 for US, Europe and Australia
List price: $299.99 / €279.99 / AU$439
Available directly from the Boox Shop and select retailers, including Amazon
As alluded to earlier, the Boox Go Color 7 Gen II was announced alongside the monochrome Boox Go 7, both becoming available at the end of April 2025.
Despite the added note-taking functionality, the Boox Go Color 7 Gen II carries a similar price tag to its predecessor (which is already listed as out of stock on the Boox Shop, indicating it might get discontinued soon). Where the older model had a launch price of $249.99 / €279.99 (about £245) / AU$459, the Gen II is listed for $279.99 / €279.99 / AU$439 at the time of writing. As you can see, only US customers face a slightly higher charge likely due to tariffs on several imports. This price includes a magnetic case that features a loop to secure a stylus.
In comparison, the Kobo Libra Colour is cheaper at $229.99 / £209.99 / AU$379.95 for the standalone ereader, but you will need to add on the $69.99 / £69.99 / AU$119.95 for the Kobo Stylus 2 if you want to use it for writing notes, and you’ll need to purchase a case separately if you want one.
The only compatible stylus for the 2025 Go series was the Boox InkSense, which has been listed as “out of stock” since the release of the Go Color 7 II (and its monochrome sibling), and at the time of writing is no longer available from third-party retailers either. I have official confirmation that the pen has been discontinued, and while the Boox Shop lists a bundle that includes the stylus, I’d recommend holding off purchasing the full package until the replacement pen has been released. There’s no confirmed release date at the time of publishing this review, and neither is there any indication of how much the stylus would cost. I’ll update this article as soon as I know more.
Given my subpar experience with the Go Color 7 Gen II, I think the monochrome Boox Go 7 would be the better buy and it retails for $249.99 / €249.99 / AU$399, a price that includes an identical magnetic case as well.
• Value score: 3 / 5
The Boox Go Color 7 Gen II is a very compact size for a 7-inch ereader, and it's lightweight too (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Onyx Boox Go Color 7 Gen II review: Specs
Display type:
E Ink Kaleido 3
Screen size:
7 inches
Resolution:
300ppi in B&W; 150ppi in color
CPU:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 690
Frontlight:
Warm and cold
Storage:
64GB (expandable)
Battery:
2,300mAh
Speaker:
Stereo/dual
Water protection:
None
Software:
Android 13
Connectivity:
Wi-Fi (2.4GHz + 5GHz); Bluetooth 5.1
File support:
20 document; 4 image; 2 audio
Dimensions:
156 x 137 x 6.4 mm (6.1 x 5.4 x 0.25 inches)
Weight:
195g (6.9oz)
Onyx Boox Go Color 7 Gen II review: Design & display
Exact same dimensions and weight as Gen I model, but design tweaks to buttons
Compact and lightweight, lacks waterproofing
7-inch E Ink Kaleido 3 screen lacks contrast and sharpness
As the old adage goes: if it ain’t broke… The original Go Color 7 was a lovely compact ereader that I liked the design of, except for the closely placed page-turn buttons. That's been changed on the Gen II model, which now sports smaller, rounded buttons with some space in between.
This tiny change, in my opinion, makes the Gen II a touch more ergonomic in use, but there’s a case to be made for the asymmetric design of the Kobo Libra series (and the Kindle Oasis models) – it provides a nice resting place for the thumb along the edge of the broader bezel. The slim and flat form factor of the Go Color 7 II can be harder on the fingers and wrists in comparison, although the added thickness from its magnetic case helps a alleviate the soreness a little.
As before, the page-turn buttons automatically become volume controls for apps that don’t require scrolling or page turning, and this functionality can be set on a per-app basis in the Settings menu.
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The page-turn buttons have been redesigned to being separated and rounded... (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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..compared to the straight-edged, closely packed ones on the 2024 Go Color 7 (left) (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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The rounded and separated buttons are nicer to use on the Gen II (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Where the buttons on the older model were a different color to the rest of the chassis (silver on the white colorway and dark grey on the black), the Gen II – and its monochrome sibling – are a single color, available in black (as reviewed here) or white. The one-color look without any trimmings or accents makes the device look a little dated, but that’s not a complaint, merely an observation made in comparison to the older model.
All other physical attributes are identical to the Gen I model, including the textured rear panel which, to me now seems just a smidge rougher that makes the Gen II a little grippier if you prefer not to use its magnetic case. In terms of dimensions and weight, nothing has changed since 2024 and that’s not a bad thing as the Go Color 7 II is compact and lightweight, making it quite portable.
There’s a tiny power button on the bottom right corner of the device, while the right edge is home to the USB-C port, the speaker grilles and a microSD card tray. Only the mic has moved, now housed on the opposite edge.
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On paper, the Go Color 7 Gen II (top) is the better ereader than its predecessor (bottom) (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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The page-turn buttons are the most obvious design change, but the mic is gone from beside the speaker grille to the opposite edge (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
What it lacks is waterproofing; there’s no IP rating for it listed on the official website, so if you plan to travel with it – it's the perfect compact size for doing so – steer clear of the pool.
As I mentioned earlier in this review, the Go Color 7 II uses a 7-inch E Ink Kaleido 3 display, the same as the previous generation, although Onyx has made the newer model more naturally yellow in comparison. This has the unfortunate effect of adding a yellow hue to all the colors on screen, giving them what I call the 'jaundiced look'.
This is exacerbated by the frontlight on the Gen II as it enhances the yellowness of the display. It’s also, rather strangely, not as bright as the Gen I model which, at the time of testing it in 2024, I said wasn’t bright compared to the even older Onyx Boox Page. In fact, the light on the Go Color 7 Gen II is dimmer than its own 2025 sibling, the Boox Go 7.
I had complained about the lack of sharpness on the Go Color 7 (Gen I) when compared to the Kobo Libra Colour, but Boox has managed to make that a lot worse on the Gen II, and that is its biggest failing – a subpar display (more on this below in the User Experience section).
• Design & display score: 3 / 5
The Boox InkSense stylus still works with the Boox Go Color 7 II, but there's no word on what its replacement will be like (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Onyx Boox Go Color 7 Gen II review: Android software & apps
Runs a custom version of Android 13
User interface takes time to get used to
Access to the Google Play Store; AI Assistant app available on board
Where the older model from 2024 was running Android 12, the Go Color 7 II has been upgraded to a custom version of Android 13. There’s usually no need to worry about a device like an ereader running an older version of Google’s OS as there typically aren’t any security issues here, and I doubt anyone would save sensitive information on a device like this.
The trimmed-down version of Android on the Go Color 7 Gen II caters specifically to reading and writing, and should be familiar to anyone who has used a Boox tablet before. If not, the user interface will take some getting used to as it’s not the most streamlined UX I’ve come across. For a simpler setup, you’ll need to turn to a Kindle or a Kobo ereader.
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The navigation menu doesn't have the Notes tab by default and finding it requires some online research (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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Third-party app downloads via the Google Play Store are quick and easy (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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The Boox user interface has evolved a little, but it still takes a while to get a handle on as a first-time user (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
The home screen, once you’ve connected to Wi-Fi, is easy to get around, with a navigation menu at the bottom of the display. This gives you quick access to your library, the storage menu and your apps, plus it’s customizable via the device’s Settings menu. There’s space here for five options and, strangely for an ereader with writing capabilities, the native Notes app is not one of them.
Finding it wasn’t easy, but Boox at least has a quick guide online on how to access it: you’ll need to navigate to Settings > System Display > Homescreen Navigation Bar where It’s listed as one of the options for the aforementioned customization. This may not seem like a big issue, but my expectation from a device like this is to highlight its main features up front rather than tuck them away, highlighting the unintuitive UX. In my case, I swapped out the Bookstore as it’s not as enticing a source of content as the Kindle or Kobo stores.
Preset refresh modes are nice to have, but they didn't work as well I had hoped on the Go Color 7 II (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Given its open Android ecosystem, the interface on the Boox Go 7 II includes a lot of advanced settings that help you use third-party apps as smoothly as possible, but submenus for native applications are difficult to find. For example, you need to open an ebook in the NeoReader app (the native library), tap onscreen to open the top menu bar, click on More, then select Settings from there – another example of a convoluted interface.
Thankfully adjusting fonts and overall styling for individual books is easier to do, but there’s a lot going on here compared to what you’d see on a Kindle or Kobo. The setup for styling, however, is now improved, which makes it easier to understand than previous iterations of Boox’s interface.
In fact, there’s another improvement to the software that I’ve previously had trouble with on Boox devices – taking advantage of the USB-C port’s OTG support for wired file transfer. Previously, the menu required to copy files across from an external hard drive to a Boox tablet would disappear as soon as I tried to navigate back to the Storage pane, thus not letting me add files to the default Books folder. Now that is no longer an issue and I was able to select multiple ebooks saved on my Samsung T7 portable SSD and save into the Go Color 7 II without any issues.
I was thrilled to see that OTG transfer worked a charm on the Boox Go Color 7 Gen II (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
I had no trouble downloading third-party Android apps to the Go Color 7 II. These included the Kindle and Kobo apps as the bulk of my library is on these two platforms, plus an app called CPU X that detects the exact chipset a device is using. I didn’t try any third-party note-taking applications as I’ve always found Boox’s native Notes app to be full featured and more than enough for my needs.
• Software score: 3.5 / 5
Onyx Boox Go Color 7 Gen II review: User experience
Excessive yellow hue on screen affects colors
Subpar reading experience due to lack of text sharpness
Writing experience could change depending on the new stylus
An unintuitive user interface aside, the Go Color 7 Gen II is quite usable. It’s when you compare it to other models, including its own predecessor and its 2025 monochrome sibling that you begin to realize there are better color ereaders to spend your money on. And that’s exactly what my job, as the reviewer, entails – doing the side-by-side comparisons so you, dear reader, can make the most informed buying decision.
As you will see in the comparison photos below, the Go Color 7 Gen II doesn’t hold up well as an ereader. As for writing, it’s hard to rate the experience when you can’t purchase a compatible stylus yet.
There are quite a few submenus to explore on a Boox device (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Reading
I’ve tested several ereaders in the last eight years and I don’t think I’ve ever been as disappointed with the reading experience as I was with the Go Color 7 Gen II. Admittedly that’s because I’m comparing it directly to a few of its contemporaries, but even if you didn’t do a side-by-side comparison, it’s easy for anyone who’s used an ereader before to say the display looks hazy. I suspect that’s because of the anti-glare layer on the screen, and it’s just a lot more pronounced here when compared to other brands and Boox models.
Colors appear saturated on the Boox Go Color 7 Gen II, but the higher contrast hides details (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
The 7-inch E Ink Kaleido 3 display used here is naturally more yellow than other ereader I’ve previously tested and found this affected how colors appear on screen. I compared it to its predecessor and the Kobo Libra Colour, both of which have paler backgrounds in light mode and made the displayed colors appear as close to natural as is possible on an epaper screen. While I can't say this alone affects the reading experience, I found the monochrome Boox Go 7 was nicer to read on in light mode because of the whiter background – it added a touch more contrast to the page.
The frontlight, which isn’t as bright as I’ve seen previously on other Boox tablets (even the Go 7 that released alongside this ereader is brighter), exacerbates the ‘jaundiced look’. Boox doesn't list how many amber LEDs are used on the Go Color 7 II, but the frontlight is warmer compared to five other ereaders I had with me at the time of this review (two other Boox tablets, two Kindles and a Kobo), which makes the screen look yellower when switched on. The only other E Ink tablet that surpasses the Gen II's warm display and light is the Kobo Elipsa 2E, but here it's not a problem as the epaper tablet doesn't display color.
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The frontlight of the Boox Go 7 Gen II (left) makes the screen yellower than on the Gen I model (right) (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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Even the Boox Go 7 (right) that launched alongside the Go Color 7 Gen II (left) is clearer and brighter with the frontlight at full bore (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
As with every color ereader using the E Ink Kaleido 3 screen technology, the Go Color 7 II has a screen resolution of 150ppi for color and 300ppi in grayscale. Colors appear more washed out when compared to its own predecessor which, at the time of writing the Boox Go Color 7 review, I said was pale beside the Kobo Libra Colour. And while I don’t expect the Gen II to match what I would see on an LCD display, I did expect it to be similar to its older sibling, if not better.
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The warmer light affects colors on screen, giving them a 'jaundiced look' on the Boox Go Color 7 Gen II (left) compared to the Gen I (right) (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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Colors might appear darker on the Go Color 7 Gen II (right), but the text is sharper on the Gen I (left) (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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A closer comparison between the Go Color 7 II (left) and the Gen I (right) shows text just isn't as nice to read on the newer device (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
The flip side to that is colors on the Gen II look more saturated compared to the Kobo Libra Colour. Newer firmware may have made the Gen I better at displaying colors, but the release notes for v4.1 on the Boox website make no mention of changes that would account for this improvement. The more saturated hues, however, do come at the cost of some details in darker areas being diminished, but this may not be a deal breaker for many readers of comics and graphics novels.
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Compared to the Kobo Libra Colour (left), the Go Color 7 II (right) is yellower and text paler (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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The lack of contrast is clear when seen closely (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
What is truly disappointing is how the text is displayed, whether in ebooks or in speech bubbles – letters are fuzzy on the Go Color 7 II compared to the Gen I and the Go 7. Even the Kobo is better at displaying text.
The new Boox interface allows you to have custom styling for individual titles you’re reading, but enhancing text weight (or boldness) didn’t help, although setting the Dark Color Enhancement to its maximum improved the text a tiny bit, but note that you will lose further details in darker areas when reading in color. Switching to dark mode also made no difference as overall contrast is lacking.
Long story short, it’s hard to recommend the Boox Go Color 7 Gen II as an ereader.
Even compared to the Boox Go 7 (top), the Go Color 7 Gen II (bottom) is a lackluster ereader (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Writing
It’s hard to rate the Go Color 7 Gen II’s writing experience objectively as the Boox InkSense is no longer available (although it still works if you can find stock at a retailer) and will be replaced by a new stylus that I hope will add a touch of friction.
The hard plastic nib of the InkSense just slides across the screen of the Go Color 7 II, and I often felt like I was losing control over my writing because of that. I think a softer nib would be ideal, but we’ll just have to wait and see what Boox releases for its 2025 Go series 7-inch ereaders.
However, as with reading, the color ‘inks’ available for writing look washed out compared to what I’ve experienced on older Boox tablets like the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C, and black is the only option that stands out clearly.
Image 1 of 3
There's no friction between the screen and the Boox InkSense, so writing isn't very paper-like (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Image 2 of 3
There's a good color palette to choose from for writing and drawing... (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
The native Notes app, though, is the same as you’d find on the brand’s more high-end epaper tablets like the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 and is more than enough for the average user who needs to jot down some thoughts or doodle. Power users would appreciate the Notes app better, thanks to several tools that could prove handy for productivity. For example, the Insert option allows you to add images and audio files to your notes, and the same tool lets you hyperlink selected text to an external URL or to a different page within the same notebook.
The adjustable Lasso tool gives you a lot of flexibility for text selections, and promptly adds the AI tool for instant handwriting-to-text conversion. Handwriting recognition is not always accurate, but then it’s very simple to make edits manually.
• User experience score: 2.5 / 5
Hopefully the redesigned stylus for the Boox Go 2025 series will be better than the InkSense (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Onyx Boox Go Color 7 Gen II review: Performance
Not the fastest ereader I’ve tested
Lots of light ghosting that quickly becomes annoying
Battery drain is higher compared to other similar models
The Boox Go Color 7 Gen II uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM to keep things running as smoothly as possible. The CPU is a small improvement over the Snapdragon 680 used in the older Go Color 7, but it doesn’t seem to have made much of a difference in overall performance.
Boox tablets aren’t known for being speedy loaders, and the latest Kindle and Kobo ereaders boot up faster from sleep mode than the Go Color 7 Gen II. Even the native Library app takes its time to open a chosen title, even if it’s been saved locally to the device. It’s not a deal breaker in terms of overall usability, although it’s undeniably slower than the 2024 Kindles and Kobo devices when opening up a book to read.
Even wired file transfer via USB-OTG was very quick. Wireless transfer of files has always been easy using the BooxDrop platform, but I had no trouble signing into my Google Drive account either, with cloud transfer also working quite well.
Third-party apps, however, load quickly and, during my testing, worked smoothly, with no app crashes experienced with the few that I downloaded for this review. That said, reading on the Kindle or Kobo app also suffered from the same screen issues as when using the native NeoReader application.
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There are options to tweak the text style on the Go Color 7 Gen II, both for comics/graphics novels... (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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..and text-heavy ebooks, but they don't help the Go Color 7 Gen II very much (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
My biggest performance issue with the Go Color 7 II was ghosting. Adjusting refresh rates using the presets available for individual apps didn’t help at all and the only way I found to counter this was to set system refresh rate to a faster option. I tested a full-refresh frequency set at 10 taps and 5 taps, with the latter working fine for the most part, although it came at the cost of battery life. There was still some ghosting on the display between the 5 taps, and the only way to eliminate this was setting full-refresh frequency to 1 tap. This drains the battery even more significantly, but was the best solution for me.
In fact, the preset refresh rates that can be set on a per-app basis didn’t even help smoothen stuttering while scrolling web pages on the native browser. I wasn’t expecting seamless scrolling like on a phone, but I’ve experienced better refresh-rate presets on other E Ink devices: case in point, I had no such problems in my ViWoods AiPaper review which also runs a custom version of Android 13 like the Go Color 7 II.
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Dark mode doesn't improve readability very much, but it has its own quirks. It's fine when first switched on... (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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..but the white floating bar gets distracting. (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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Turn a page, though, and the bottom information bar becomes white, which is just as distracting as the floating toolbar (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
As I’ve already mentioned, battery drain for me on this ereader was quite significant after I changed the system refresh rate to a quicker option, but even on default settings, the Go Color 7 II chews through its 2,300mAh battery quite quickly.
I had the ereader set to powering off after 48 hours of no activity, but upon switching the Go Color 7 II on again I found the battery life would be significantly lower than when I put it into sleep mode. I expect about 5% to 10% drain for ereaders in scenarios like this, but the Go Color 7 II would drop by 25% on average – in one instance where it was in sleep mode for 48 hours and powered down for a further 36 hours, battery life dropped from 81% to 56%.
This isn’t behavior I’ve experienced with any other Boox tablet, so I suspect there’s a bug that’s affecting battery efficiency and a future firmware might be able to fix it. In the meantime, you’ll still get about a week of reading from every top-up with the system refresh rate set to 15 taps. This will reduce if you use faster refresh rates and will also be affected by how bright you set the frontlight to and how often you use Bluetooth connectivity.
Recharging, thankfully, isn't slow and it went from 12% to full in 1 hour and 57 minutes plugged into a wall adapter during my testing. Connected to a dock slowed down the charging rate only marginally, going from 17% to full in 2 hours and 10 minutes.
• Performance score: 3 / 5
I wish submenus were easier to find on Boox devices – for example, you can't tell there's a library settings option under the More in the above image (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Should I buy the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 Gen II?
Onyx Boox Go Color 7 Gen II
Kobo Libra Colour
Kobo Clara Colour
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)
Price
$279.99 / €279.99 (about £245) / AU$439
$229.99 / £209.99 / AU$379.95
$159.99 / £149.99 / AU$249.95
from $159.99 / £134.99 / AU$299
Screen
7-inch E Ink Kaleido 3
7-inch E Ink Kaleido 3
6-inch E Ink Carta 1300
7-inch E Ink Carta 1300
Resolution
300ppi in B&W; 150ppi in color
300ppi in B&W; 150ppi in color
300ppi in B&W
300ppi in B&W
Operating system
Android 13
Linux-based
Linux-based
Linux-based
Storage
64GB (expandable)
32GB
16GB
16GB
CPU
Qualcomm Snapdragon 690
Undisclosed 2GHz dual-core chipset
Undisclosed 2GHz dual-core chipset
Undisclosed 1GHz dual-core chipset
Battery
2,300mAh
2,050mAh
1,500mAh
Undisclosed
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (in select regions), USB-C
Waterproofing
None
IPX8
IPX8
IPX8
File support (including images and audio)
25
16
16
17
Speakers
Yes
No
No
No
Dimensions
156 x 137 x 6.4 mm
161 x 144.6 x 8.3 mm
112 x 160 x 9.2 mm
176.7 x 127.6 x 7.8 mm
Weight
195g
199.5g
174g
211g
Buy it if...
You want a compact color ereader with writing capabilities
With a 7-inch color display, the Go Color 7 II is quite compact and very light too. And given it’s also got writing features built in, it’s versatile. Unfortunately, its many usability and performance issues makes it hard to recommend over similar devices.
Don't buy it if...
Readability and performance are important to you in an ereader
The Go Color 7 II has potential, but its subpar screen and above-average battery drain leaves it trailing behind many of its contemporaries. If the color display isn’t important, you’ll be better off opting for the grayscale Go Color 7.
Value for money is important
Compared to its predecessor, the Go Color 7 is well priced as it adds writing features for the same cost. However, its lackluster user experience and lack of performance makes it hard to recommend at any price point.
You want a compatible stylus at the time you buy a device
It’s very strange for a brand to release devices that require an optional add-on that gets discontinued soon after their launch. Stranger still is that no replacement was made available at the time. So until Boox releases a replacement for the InkSense stylus, it’s hard to recommend the 2025 Go series ereaders.
Onyx Boox Go Color 7 Gen II review: Alternatives
Kobo Libra Colour
It's displayed colors might look washed out in comparison to the Go Color 7 II, but that means you can see a few more details in darker areas. It, too, allows you to read and write and Kobo's Advanced Notebooks are quite full featured. You will, of course, need to purchase the Kobo Stylus 2 separately if you want to use jot notes, but I think it's worth the additional ask. Compared to the Go Color 7 II, though, it's the better ereader and has a more streamlined interface. Read my in-depth Kobo Libra Colour review
Kobo Clara Colour
If you don't want the writing features, but the color screen is important to you, you can save quite a bit of cash opting for a 6-inch color ereader and I think the Kobo Clara Colour is the best option in that regard. Seamless performance and a compact form factor are just some of its attributes. Read my in-depth Kobo Clara Colour review
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)
The 12th generation Kindle Paperwhite is a fantastic 7-inch ereader with a black-and-white screen that I'd recommend if you're already part of the Amazon ecosystem. With direct access to the Kindle Store and a smoother interface than Boox, its E Ink Carta 1300 is one of the best optimized in the business. Read our in-depth Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024) review
How I tested the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 Gen II
Used as main ereader for approximately 11 weeks
Used wireless and wired file transfer methods for books and audio files
Separately purchased the Boox InkSense to test writing
The Boox Go Color 7 Gen II has potential... if only its screen hadn't been so disappointing (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
When Boox sent the Go Color 7 Gen II for review without a stylus, I was a little surprised. On enquiring, I was told that the Boox InkSense – the supported pen – had been discontinued and I would be sent its replacement as soon as it was released. However, that meant delaying this review until later this year, so I purchased the InkSense myself from a third-party retailer in Australia (where the the testing was done) who still had stock. The stylus is now no longer available anywhere.
It was fantastic to see that I didn't need to manually pair the stylus to the Go Color 7 II – it just worked. To test the writing features, I wrote some notes and tried doodling a little (I can't draw to save my life).
To test the Go Color 7 II as an ereader, I used USB-OTG to transfer a few ebooks, but also signed into my Google Drive account for cloud transfer of other files, including the Bookerly font family I'm partial to and some MP3s. I also 'pushed' a couple of existing files I had in the cloud via the BooxDrop platform as well.
I compared the Go Color 7 II to two other color ereaders: the older Boox Go Color 7 and the Kobo Libra Colour. I also compared it to its 2025 sibling, the Onyx Boox Go 7, as well as the 2024 Amazon Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite for direct text comparisons.
I listened to some audio files using the native music player. I downloaded a couple of other reading apps (Kindle and Kobo) and used the native web browser to see what the experience is like on an E Ink tablet.
I've tested more than 30 ereaders in the last eight years, giving me the knowledge and expertise to comment on the Boox Go Color 7 Gen II's usability and performance.
The Galaxy S25 FE still isn't official but it's been leaking like crazy over the past few weeks, and today we have what seems to be a premature listing of the device online by MediaMarkt in Portugal.
The listing unfortunately doesn't come with a price, but does confirm the phone's specs. It has a 6.7-inch 1080x2340 Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with 120 Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass Victus+ on top, the Exynos 2400 chipset at the helm, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage - though more storage options should be available.
The handset boasts a 50 MP main camera with OIS, a 12 MP ultrawide,...
About a month ago, Sony initiated a replacement program for its Xperia 1 VII due to some units experiencing random reboots, shutdowns and inability to power on. As a result, Xperia 1 VII sales in Europe were put on hold, but Sony has now confirmed that its flagship is returning to eligible markets from August 25.
After conducting an investigation into the matter, Sony clarified that some Xperia 1 VII units were affected by a faulty circuit board and offered a free replacement program for affected users. Sony changed its manufacturing process to prevent future units from the...
Samsung has announced that it's bringing its mobile cloud gaming service to Europe, starting in beta in the UK and Germany. It's a phased release that promises "access to a growing catalog of premium mobile titles, making it easier than ever for more players to jump in, discover, and play", the company says.
The mobile cloud gaming platform was first launched about a year ago in North America. Samsung is also announcing a revamped Mobile Gaming Hub experience, which will provide "deeper personalization, smarter tools and new ways to connect with games and communities".
This will be...
Honor's mid-range lineup has just grown with the arrival of the Honor 400 Smart in Europe. This joins the 400, 400 Pro, and 400 Lite. The Honor 400 Smart is currently offered by Orange in Spain, but it will undoubtedly spread to more European markets soon.
It comes with a 6.77-inch LCD screen with 720x1610 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and 700-nit peak brightness, the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 SoC at the helm, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage.
Honor 400 Smart 5G official images
On the rear there's a 50 MP main camera with f/1.8 aperture and a 2 MP depth sensor, and for selfies...
For this review, I tested the Mini 600 UK version. There may be minor differences between different countries' models.
The Mammotion Yuka Mini is a relatively compact, simple and affordable robotic mower for small to medium-sized lawns. There are a few different options, but for this review I tested the Mini 600 (called the Mini S in the US) for yards that are 0.15 acres / 600㎡ in size.
While it's far from the fanciest lawnbot on the market, it handled various obstacles impressively well. My parents' yard comprises uneven areas, trees, awkwardly placed beds, and a brook; but none of these posed an issue for the Yuka Mini during tests. It navigated accurately, avoided unexpected obstacles impressively well, and never got lost or tried to take a swim.
I was also extremely happy with the mowing itself. It left the yard looking far neater than if I'd cut it manually, with the grass evenly trimmed and faux-stripes created by the logical mowing route. It operated quietly enough that I could happily read a book nearby, and while not exactly lightning-fast, it has proved sufficiently speedy to tackle the lawn size for which it's designed in an efficient manner.
The impressive performance is hampered somewhat by the brand experience. The app feels basic and a little unintuitive. The instructions provided for setup aren't clear enough for lawnbot newbies – who should also note that finding a good spot for your charge station and RTK receiver is key. During tests I also found the bot would sometimes lose connection, needing to be carried back to within Wi-Fi range before it could be instructed.
Nevertheless, once I'd managed to get everything up and running, I found myself forgetting the minor pain of setup very quickly. I really can't overstate how much time and effort this little bot has saved over the past few weeks, and the lawn looks neater than ever. Overall, for the price it's a very solid investment.
That's the short version; read on for my full Mammotion Yuka Mini review.
(Image credit: Future)
Mammotion Yuka Mini review: price & versions
List price: from $1,099 / £849 / AU$1,499
Launched: February 2025
Available: US, UK, AU, Europe
In the US, you have a few options in the Yuka Mini range. The equivalent to the model I've reviewed here is the Mini S, which costs $1,099 and is designed for yards of 0.15 acres / 600 square meters in size. Alternatively, you can opt for a H-series model, which can deal with taller grass. In that line is the Mini 600H for $1,099 or the Mini 800H for $1,299.
In the UK and Australia, you have the Mini 600 (reviewed here) for £849 / AU$1,499. If you have a slightly larger garden, you can go for the Yuka Mini 800 for £1,049 / AU$1,899. I've spotted discounts in all territories; it's not too difficult to avoid paying full whack if you're patient.
While not an especially cheap purchase, I think it offers decent value for money. Build quality is solid and performance is reliable, and this compact lawnbot really is a big effort-saver.
In terms of rival brands, Husqvarna's bots are geared towards larger yards. At time of writing, it has its Automower 115H (which can mow up to 0.4 acres) for $699.99, then prices hop straight up to $1,999.99 for the Automower 415X (up to 0.37 acres).
The Eufy E15 is suitable for yards up to 0.2 acres and is much pricier, at $1,799.99 / £1,499. However, it's a different kind of bot because it uses self-drive car tech rather than satellites to navigate, and therefore is significantly easier to set up.
Value for money score: 4 out of 5
Mammotion Yuka Mini specs
Product:
Yuka Mini S (US) / Yuka Mini 600 (UK)
Recommended lawn size:
0.15 acres / 600㎡
Max lawn size:
0.2 acres / 800㎡
Cutting width:
7.5in / 19cm
Cutting height:
0.8-2.4in / 2-6cm
Drivetrain:
2-wheel drive
Max zones:
15
Incline ability:
50% / 27 degrees
Waterproof:
IPX6
Lawnbot size (L x W x H):
20.7 x 16.3 x 11.1in / 52.5 x 41.3 x 28.1cm
Lawnbot weight:
23.4 lbs / 10.6kg
Mowing area per charge:
0.04 acres / 150㎡
Charge time:
90 mins
Mowing time per charge:
55 mins
Mammotion Yuka Mini review: design
Relatively compact, lightweight bot with five cutting blades
Comes with an RTK receiver and charge station (garage roof is extra)
AI-equipped, front-mounted camera for object avoidance
The Mammotion Yuka setup comprises three elements: a charge station, an RTK receiver and the lawnbot itself.
Let's start with the robot. It's fairly compact in size, with a plastic upper shell and two chunky, deep-tread wheels to help it traverse uneven ground. On the top is a large control panel that includes a knob to manually adjust cutting height, some simple press buttons, and a big red emergency stop button. There's also an AI-powered camera to help with object identification and avoidance. The whole thing is waterproof to IPX-6 (i.e. it will be fine even in a downpour).
Flip it over and you'll find two smaller front wheels and a spinning cutting deck that holds five ultra-sharp blades. Mammotion has thoughtfully included a ridged grip section at the front and back – well away from those blades – to enable you to safely and securely pick up the robot, if you need to move it past an area that isn't accessible by driving. It's compact and light enough that most able-bodied people should be able to carry it without too much trouble.
The battery tucks in the back of the bot and is detachable, should you need to replace it further down the line.
(Image credit: Future)
The charge station is where the bot returns to dock. It's a black plastic base with raised charge contacts, and plastic ground screws are provided to secure it into the ground. It's potentially worth investing in a "garage roof" to provide protection; despite being waterproof, prolonged exposure to the elements will surely limit the lawnbot's lifespan in the longer term.
You'll want to think about where the charge station will live before buying. It can't go just anywhere, but the literature that comes with the lawnbot isn't great at explaining this. The charge station needs to be somewhere relatively flat, with a clear route to mowing areas, and access to a power outlet. While it doesn't need line-of-sight to the lawnbot (it will communicate via radio signal), it does need at least some view of the sky, so that the bot can talk to the satellites when docked. I struggled to find somewhere suitable initially.
(Image credit: Future)
Finally, the RTK station. This essentially helps make the satellite positioning data more accurate, and is important if you don't want your bot to end up in a flower bed. It looks like a small-ish rounded dome with an antenna protruding downwards – not too obtrusive, but I set it up in my parents' garden and the feedback from my mum was that she wished it wasn't white, because it sticks out too much and spoils her view. (I think she has a point.)
You'll also want to figure out where the RTK station will live before making your purchase. It's best positioned high up, with a clear view of the sky in as many directions as possible. It also needs to be connected to a power source.
There is an option that means you don't need to install the RTK receiver. The Yuka Mini can map and navigate using a "NetRTK and 4G module" – at the time of writing it's free to use, but this added functionality typically comes with a subscription fee. I did not test this option, and I'm not sure if it's suitable for any garden or if there are requirements.
Design score: 4.5 out of 5
Mammotion Yuka Mini review: performance
Neat, even cutting and impressively quiet in use
Navigation was accurate throughout my testing period
Setup and initial use can be confusing if you're not familiar with lawnbots
Moving on to how well the Yuka Mini performed in practice. I'll start with setup, and the results of my cutting tests.
Setup
The Yuka Mini was the first robot lawn mower I'd tested, and I found initial setup rather painful. Information is lacking from Mammotion (I feel this area could do with improvement), so if you're in this boat too, prepare to do a bit of independent research before embarking on setup. The key things are to find a good spot for your charge station and RTK receiver, as I've discussed above.
With that done, it's a case of mapping your space. There are two options here: manual (for complex mowing areas) and automatic (for simple areas with clear boundaries). My parents' yard, where I tested this bot, includes various grassy areas. The main one includes uneven areas of green, large mid-lawn beds, and has a brook running down one side, so I mapped it manually.
This involved driving the bot carefully around the perimeter of the lawn, using my phone as the remote control. Once I was done, I added no-go zones around any fixed obstructions (trees, beds, patio areas) within the lawn, again by driving over and around them. If you're used to robot vacuums, this mapping process feels much more old-school, but there's no denying it's pretty fun.
(Image credit: Future)
The yard at the front of the house is simpler, with no waterways for the bot to fall into, so I took a chance on automatic mapping. I was impressed – the lawnbot mapped the space quickly and figured out the borders of the beds accurately. Note that you can't map very small areas.
I added routes between connected areas, to enable the bot to find its way back to the base. For some areas – for example, that front yard – it wasn't possible to create a path back to the charge station. I was still able to map and mow these areas, but I had to carry the robot back to the charge base area once it was done, and it would yell at me that the robot was tilted as I did so.
(Image credit: Future)
Cutting and navigation performance
I was very impressed with this robot's cutting performance. It mowed each lawn zone neatly and evenly, leaving faux stripes in its path. It appeared to take a logical path, too, mowing in parallel lines over the main body of each lawn area and then looping around the perimeter to catch the edges.
There were very occasionally narrow strips between lines that remained uncut, but these could be taken care of by remote-control mowing after the task was complete, or (more commonly for me) left to be caught on the next mowing session.
The Yuka Mini also proved very quiet in operation, and significantly quieter than a traditional mower. I was able to happily sit on a sun lounger on the patio and read my book while it took care of the adjacent lawn – surely, the ideal scenario anyone is hoping for when they purchase one of these.
(Image credit: Future)
Once everything was set up properly, I didn't encounter any issues with navigation; the lawnbot never got lost or ended up somewhere it should not be, and it reliably returned to its base once a task was complete – or if it ran out of juice mid-mow. It had no trouble traversing really quite steep ground, and was able to mow quite close to the sloped edge of the brook without taking a dip. (Initially, I left a large border for fear the Yuka Mini would go for a swim, but once I'd used it for a while and seen how well it navigated, I shifted the perimeter closer to the water.)
Object avoidance is solid, too. If I stood in front of the bot while it was mowing, it would duly pause and make its way around me before continuing.
Performance score: 4 out of 5
Mammotion Yuka Mini review: app
App is fine but on the basic side, and lacks some fine-tuned controls
Not the most logical layout, with some functions hard to find
Functional, once you've figured out the quirks
Most control for the Yuka Mini comes via the companion app. Overall I found it fine, but not amazing. I'm more used to testing robot vacuums, and in comparison to most of the robovac apps I've used, the Mammotion app felt a little clunky and simplistic. Settings aren't always where you'd expect to find them; there were some spelling errors in the text (not the end of the world, but indicative of a lack of care); and the instructions weren't always clear.
For example, the bot is apparently designed to straddle the edges of paths, so you don't end up with an uncut border. I expected this to be an option you could toggle on or off in the app, but it's not. (It's only suitable for paths that are perfectly flat, and the ones in my test yard don't fit this requirement.) There's a decent range of adjustment options, but they're a little tucked away and not accessible if the bot has lost connection to the internet.
The map is also very simplistic; just a cutting area, with nothing else specified. I imagined you might be able to indicate a tree, a flower bed or a pond – if not to adjust how the lawnbot behaves at that border, then at least to help you understand where you are on the map. This is not an option, however.
I found if I was a long way from the lawnbot, the app would regularly lose contact. If the robot wasn't cutting at the time, I'd have to carry the bot back to within Wi-Fi range before I could instruct it. If it was cutting at the time, it would continue on with its task, but I couldn't watch its progress. This felt a little risky, although I guess I'd only be getting very basic information anyway.
All that said, once I'd figured out where things were, the app was usable and did what I needed it to. Middling marks.
App score: 3 out of 5
Should you buy the Mammotion Yuka Mini?
Attribute
Notes
Rating
Value
Not cheap, but relatively affordable in the market, and there are deals to be had. Product feels high quality.
4 / 5
Design
Relatively compact and lightweight lawnbot. Navigates using satellites and an RTK receiver, although there is also a paid-for 4G navigation option.
4.5 / 5
Performance
Neat, quiet and thorough mowing, and reliable navigation and object avoidance. Setup a little confusing.
4 / 5
App
Rather basic, slightly unintuitive and lacks fine controls, although generally does what you need it to do.
3 / 5
Buy it if...
You have a small to medium-sized yard The Yuka Mini I tested is designed for spaces of around 0.15 acres / 600㎡ in size, and there's also a version for up to 0.2 acres / 800㎡. The relatively compact design won't overwhelm a smaller yard.
You're looking for something affordable A lot of lawnbots cost thousands, whereas this bot is far more affordable – especially if you snag one of the semi-regular deals.
Don't buy it if...
You want the crème de la crème of the range This little bot performed great in my tests, but it isn't as advanced as the Mammotion Luba 2, which has all the latest bells and whistles you could hope for.
You have a very large yard The bot I tested is designed for yards of around 0.15 acres / 600㎡, although alternatives in the Yuka Mini range can manage up to 0.2 acres / 800㎡. There are plenty of options that cater to bigger yards, offering wider cutting decks and longer runtimes, if that won't suffice.
You're a total technophobe I found setup a little painful, and the basic app and lack of clear instructions from Mammotion don't help. If you want a lawnbot that will do it all for you, take a look at the Dreame E15.
Mammotion Yuka Mini: alternatives to consider
Mammotion Yuka Mini 600
Mammotion LUBA 2 AWD 1000
Recommended lawn size:
0.15 acres / 600㎡
0.25 acres / 1,000㎡
Max lawn size:
0.2 acres / 800㎡
0.3 acres / 1,012㎡
Cutting width:
7.5in / 19cm
15.7in / 40cm
Cutting height:
0.8-2.4in / 2-6cm, mechanical
1 - 2.7in / 2.5-7cm, motorized
Drivetrain:
Two-wheel drive
All-wheel drive
Max zones:
15
10
Incline ability:
50% (27°)
80% (38°)
Waterproof:
IPX6
IPX6 & IPX7
Lawnbot size (L x W x H):
20.7 x 16.3 x 11.1in / 52.5 x 41.3 x 28.1cm
27.2 x 20.2 x 10.7in / 69 x 51.3 x 27.3cm
Lawnbot weight:
23.4lbs / 10.6kg
37.7lbs / 17.1 kg
Mow time per charge:
55 mins
120 mins
Mammotion LUBA 2 robot mower
The LUBA is an altogether fancier, more tech-packed option from Mammotion. There are various versions that can manage large yards, and it offers longer runtimes and four-wheel drive for trickier terrain.
I set up the Mammotion Yuka Mini in my parents' yard, which includes three main grassy areas. There are various obstacles, including patio areas, beds in the middle of the lawn, trees and a brook. I set it up using the instructions provided (supplemented by my own research, when that didn't go to plan), mapped the area, and ran several mowing tests over the course of a few days. It was then used as the primary mower over the course of the month that followed, with me visiting regularly to check on progress. I assessed it based on the neatness of cutting, accuracy of navigation, and ease of use.
